Arrival Day | Astrid

[Axel Laughlen]

Shocked at Astrid’s reveal that she had never been to the ocean, Axel’s jaw completely dropped. “WHAT?! Holy shit, we’re gonna have to make this a full on beach day! I can’t believe you’ve never seen the ocean, there’s no place I’d rather be…” The boy trailed off, thinking of the waves crashing on the shore, the seagulls cries, the sweet smell of salt water. He shook his head completely in shock. The demigod loved the ocean so much, he wouldn’t be surprised if he was a legacy of Neptune or something of the sorts. Of course he wasn’t, but his mother was born from the sea.

Axel scrunched up his face. “Pfttt, if I know. I’m no Ceres kid.” Realizing Astrid probably wouldn’t know who she was, he noted, “Ceres is the goddess of plants and growth and that kinda stuff.” The boy shrugged, honestly having no idea what to tell the eager girl.“Maybe you could ask a wind spirit at the mess? There’s probably some kind of store in New Rome, the only things I usually buy there though are clothes and restaurant food.” He really hadn’t noticed anything else, though he supposed if they wandered around enough they would find something of the sorts. Maybe he'd ask his sister to suggest a couple of places since she lived there after all.

Axel chuckled and rubbed his hands together mischievously. “Then it’s definitely something I’m looking forward to.” Plus, he figured the extra adrenaline rush would help him out if he were to meet Astrid’s dad. His natural confidence could only carry him so far. Oh well, he’d worry about that later.

His side smile remained at Astrid’s comment. “Perfect…” He made the note about the late bathing in his head. No one would have to know about that. Oh, he was terrible. Here was a centurion suggesting for them to break the rules… multiple times. The curfew during the week was midnight, and of course guys and girls were forbidden to bath together. Oh well, he wasn’t your run of the mill centurion. He liked it better that way anyway. Nodding, Axel explained as he started to lead Astrid back to sick bay, taking a back route so she wouldn’t realize where they were going. “Yeah, your cohort gets a specific schedule every week. You’ll figure out how to organize your time.”

[Astrid Hawke]

Astrid laughed at his reply, "I lived in Wisconsin, the biggest body of water we had was Lake Michigan." she reminded with a laugh, "We also didn't really go to the beach, it's not the most...popular place to hang out." she explained, "The only time I was ever really at the beach was this one park downtown that fed into the beach, though the park itself was really cool." she mentioned, half wishing she could go back and explore it one last time with her friends, then again last time they were there they had found a beehive and Astrid immediately ran out in fear, not one of her proudest moments.

Hawke scrunched her nose in response, "Hey you've been here longer than I have, I'd expect you to know a little bit more." she shrugged, mentally noting who Ceres was. She really needed to learn her gods in her first few days if she was going to keep up. The blonde nodded at his suggestion, "That sounds like a good plan, though I suppose I should figure out how to flag one down first," she replied, "they seem to move really fast in the mess hall." she added.

The teen laughed at the other demigod's reaction, "I don't think I've ever seen someone else so eager to see the fights, though I guess that comes with being a legionnaire." she replied with a smile. She'd definitely have to look into getting him that signed jersey, and made a mental note to write her dad about it as well as asking when their next game against the Sharks would be. The prospect of seeing her dad again made the girl happy, a content smile spreading across her face, it had been half a year, and he was never gone this long for games even.

Hawke raised an eyebrow at the taller demigod's response, "We don't have a curfew or anything like that do we?" she asked, just to be safe, "If we do tell me so I can be extra careful." she added with a laugh. Nothing would stand between her and her routine for getting to sleep. The blonde followed the other demigod as he continued the tour, "Good to know." she replied, still tapping her wrist as she spoke, "Do cohorts ever do activities like that together or is it typically an 'on your own' kind of thing?" she asked, putting 'on your own' in air quotes before going back to her tapping.

Axel Laughlen

[Axel Laughlen]

Axel nodded, it all made sense now. “Ah, so basically bum-fuck nowhere, got it,” he joked. Ideas were formulating in his head to possibly one day treat Astrid to the ultimate beach day. He’d need to get her surf gear to start, towels, umbrella, cold drinks… But that was for another time. The boy came back into focus just as Astrid chastised his lack of knowledge about camp. “Yeah, well… I don’t know how to cook for shit so why would I know about the plants here?” Axel retorted, struggling to come up with his response. Shooting a smug look at Astrid at her compliment, he seemed to say 'See, I’m good for something.’ He shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Smiling at Astrid’s reaction, she the concept dead on. Of course Axel would be excited about the fights, when he was in the fighting mood, the kid was unstoppable. “You’ll understand more when you learn how to fight, it’s a rush, probably just like the kind you get from hockey.” Most legionnaires had the fighting spirt in them, and if Astrid was already an athlete, Axel assumed she would be the same way. Plus, the boy wanted to be excited for Astrid, this seemed to be something that meant a great deal to her.

Brushing off Astrid’s comment like it was nothing, he replied, “Oh no, we do. During the week it’s midnight, but the weekend doesn’t matter.’’ He should really be enforcing the rules with the new girl around. Eh, but she was different… “Depends on the activity. Sometimes you’ll get paired up with someone, go at it alone, or they’ll need the whole cohort to do a task. Don’t worry about it.” Axel liked the fact that the legion usually changed up the tasks everyday/week, otherwise they would all be terribly bored.

Axel took a deep breath when they reached sick bay and looked down at Astrid with a supportive smile. He massaged the girl’s shoulders as if to hype her up before a sporting event, enthusiastically saying, “You got this, it won’t be that bad. Plus, you can squeeze my hand as hard as you can.” Axel leaned around her shoulder so she could see his cheesy smile. Leading her into sick bay, he promptly announced himself. “Hey medics, can we get someone to do a brand for a Victoria kid over here?” The demigod wanted to make this process as quick and smooth as possible. A medic quickly came over to the pair, tools in hand. They motioned for Astrid to sit down on a cot, and began to prepare their things to give the blonde her brand.

[Astrid Hawke]

Astrid scrunched her nose at Axel's comment, "Milwaukee and Chicago are not 'bum-fuck nowhere' you ass." she retorted with a laugh to show she wasn't entirely serious, putting "bum-fuck nowhere" in air quotes. The blonde shook her head with a laugh, "You don't have to know about plants to know whether or not camp sells them you dork." she replied, "If the wind spirits don't help then you're going to have to help me with this, considering it was your idea." she reasoned. The teen figured that if he was going to suggest something, he'd be responsible if it failed.

Hawke smiled at Axel's response, "I'm excited to learn," she replied, "though I'm guessing fighting here is a lot different than the fights I used to get into on the ice." she added. The girl would have to adapt to the way stuff was done here and she was more than eager to learn how. She supposed that the lesson Axel planned on giving her in fighting with daggers would definitely help, and idly wondered if she could use something similar to a hockey stick to fight with like a staff or something like that. It'd definitely make it easier for her.

The girl scrunched her nose, "I guess I'll have to make sure to get there before I normally do, but I can adapt fine to around three hours earlier on weekdays I suppose." she replied. Astrid never really had a curfew because her dad knew she was responsible enough to get things done without it. "That makes sense, I just hope I don't screw any of it up right away." she commented. The teen decided she should get to know her cohort well if they'd be doing stuff like that together, though she supposed they may not be as friendly as Axel is.

Hawke clenched her teeth as they reached the place she had started her day in, the sick bay. She knew it was coming, but that didn't change the fact that she wasn't looking forward to it. She tensed, not expecting Axel to grab her shoulders but relaxed a bit when she realized it was him, "Not afraid I'll break it?" she retorted with a small smirk despite her anxiety about the situation. As they entered the sick bay, Astrid could feel herself becoming more tense, as was her habit when stressed or anxious. Inwardly sighing, the blonde sat on the cot as instructed, putting her right forearm out so the brand could be given, and taking Axel's hand in hers with her free hand. As the medic prepared to give her the brand, the teen closed her eyes tight and focused on her breathing instead of the pain she was currently feeling on her right arm as she clenched the other demigod's hand with a tight grip. "Do me a favor and just tell me when it's done." she commented through clenched teeth.

Axel Laughlen

[Axel Laughlen]

Axel raised his eyebrows at Astrid’s comment. “Long way from home, man. But anywhere without the ocean… I don’t know how you guys do it.” The boy chuckled at her calling him an ass, followed by dork. She wasn’t wrong. He just shook his head, letting the girl win the argument, even though they were just joking. “Alright, alright.” Axel had no idea where he’d start if his idea failed, but at least it would get him a good meal out of it.

It was good that Astrid was eager to learn. Those kind of people made for the best students. He thought for a moment, trying to determine what weapon what would be best for the hockey-playing legionnaire. Daggers could be hard to master, and a sword was always a good start. “We’ll just have to find you a weapon you’re comfortable with. Plus it’s always good to know how to throw a punch or two in a pinch.” Axel’s close combat skills definitely came in handy in most situations, inside and outside of camp. Axel shrugged. Getting to the baths would only ruin him sneaking around, but he supposed weekends would have to do. The boy swatted a hand in the air and shook his head. “They’re easy, just time consuming.”

Honestly, Axel wouldn’t have been surprised if the other demigod left a nasty bruise on his hand. Just to get to camp, each legionnaire had to be strong to get through Lupa’s training, and there would be no exception with Astrid. As the girl sat down, Axel sat down next to her, but far enough to give the medic enough space to work. The boy couldn’t help but to smile a bit when Astrid actually took his hand. His smile didn’t last long, however, as the the blonde began gripping his hand with all her strength. Clenching his teeth as well, he let out a gasp. “Alright, it’s over, you’re all set.” He just sat there on the cot, letting Astrid recover for a few minutes from the initial pain. The boy made sure to take some anti-inflammation pills from the medic for Astrid.

Loosening his grip on Astrid’s hand, now holding it delicately, Axel slowly helped her stand. He wrapped his arm around her waist in case the girl lost her balance or became dizzy as he walked with her out of sickbay and slowly back to her barracks, where she could sleep the pain off.