Friendly Neighbors [Open]

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If this were some manner of cartoon, Brianna's eyes might've snapped open with some sort of breaking glass sound effect. Instead, her sharp, blue disks were fixated on a window here in the Norse Cabin. It was nearly one in the morning, but some dumb fool had elected to ignore the common courtesy of allowing everybody else to enjoy the quiet.
...not that Niall had been able to get much sleep anyway. This had been the first time she'd ever slept in a bed knowing without a shadow of a doubt that she wasn't going to get eaten in eleven years. Truth be told, Brianna was still trying to get used to the sensation of not having to keep one eye open in case some damn fiend of sorts came busting through the wall in an attempt at a snack. In eleven long years of being alone, in the wilderness, she'd yet to lose a fight to that sort of ordeal...but habits were habits.

Brianna had only just come to Camp Half-Blood, and there was quite a bit she was still absorbing. If not for that bloody Roman crashing through her woods, she'd have never really thought to go looking for any sort of anybody. In all honesty, she'd felt rather alone in the world, believing she was the only one of her particular situation, and that every monster every where would be looking to snack on her for the rest of her days. It hadn't been until that day that, suddenly, she was just one in a number of half-god families. She was still getting used to being around normal people, let alone (somewhat) average kids who'd been through a lot...but also understood her in a small sort of way. There were even some kids from her own pantheon, though not quite as many as the Greeks, or the Egyptians that had also managed to get into camp.

Ha. Understood. That was a riot. No, that was certainly not the case. They knew she was one of their own; Hel, even her own Cabin members seemed to shy away from her. Brianna couldn't blame them. She didn't like the bulk of them, and the sensation practically radiated off of her. Frankly, she didn't like most people. Strangers tended to be harmful in one way or another...Niall had met one too many enemies posing as regular people to take easily to new faces, and here there were literally thousands. She wasn't about to pretend like she was happy and comfortable here; part of her longed to return back to her cabin. Of course, that Roman lad had found her, even by accident...it was just as likely as not that more people would end up running into her and disturbing her peace. Strangely enough, the presence of that one demigod seemed to have done more chaos to her life than any sort of beast that had come charging through her windows.
Brianna was fully aware it was going to take her more than a few weeks to adjust to all of this. It didn't matter to her. There were maybe a handful of kids around here on her level. There was nobody really to relate to all the things she liked...fighting, justice, mead, fighting...mead... The Ares kids seemed alright, but they were Greeko's. They didn't quite get it. There was a difference between war, and battle. Niall preferred a conflict with purpose, rather than just random tussles. If there was justice to be done, she'd happily partake in whatever ruckus was coming along...fighting for the sake of fighting was something she took with a tablespoon of disdain--if it had to be done, it had to be done--it didn't mean she'd enjoy it.

The daughter of Tyr had asked some other kids how they'd found this place. Most of them had been found by protectors of all sorts, working for the camp staff, all of them tasked with looking for halflings all over the world. Brianna had to scoff at their efforts though; she'd been living alone in the woods near a town called "Isola" all the way in Finland for the entire time. She'd never moved--she'd never really needed to--the monsters always came to her, though surprisingly few in number all things considered. There wasn't a need to go out looking for trouble, after all...that sort of thing was likely to get you killed.

Not too unlike whoever was playing that obnoxious racket outside, Niall thought, as she stomped over to the foot of the Norse Cabin door and threw it open. She didn't really give two damns about who she woke up with it; if she wasn't getting sleep, there was no way in Helheim that anybody else was either. Eyesight adjusted decently enough to the dark to see that there was nobody nearby to give a solid kick in the teeth to, Brianna grumbled a few curses under her breath, and began trudging outside into the humid evening. Swatting away pests of all sorts from her face, the demigod's scowl was more visibly featured now more than ever.
"Gods-damned bloody commotion...I'll be jamming whatever it is robbin' me of sleep up someone's lower cavaties, I can promise ya that much...*#$&in' rude, that's what that is..."

Dimitri was up bright and early, the sun already shining. To be fair, it would be misleading to call it an early morning for Dimitri. He spent his entire youth strictly waking up with the sun. Seeing more sunrises than he could count, waking up to what most people considered early was sleeping in to Dimitri. He was thankful to be in a very small cabin, as he could sneak out in the mornings without waking up his brothers and sisters. Even now, his cabin was strange to him. Technically, these were his brothers and sisters. But he'd never bonded with any of them like they were family. Maybe he would need to change that one of these days.

But that wasn't on his mind that morning, as he slipped away from them. He met up with some of the children of Demeter, the ones that were awake. He spent some time in the strawberry fields with them, the time knee deep in dirt with plants reminded him greatly of home. Just the peace and quiet and plants and animals. It was the perfect nostalgia to him, he hadn't even noticed the wide grin on his face until-

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Dimitri's peace and quiet was broken, and his expression faded for the moment. He hadn't had as much time with the plants, horses, or water lately. A strong sense of disappointment flooded him as he strictly remembered that he wasn't and couldn't be home. Loud music was blaring from somewhere, and it wouldn't be hard to track.

"What the frick?!" Complained one of the kids from the Demeter cabin, a little girl who looked as though she couldn't be a day older than nine years old. Dimitri had to admire her ability to wake up on her own so early. She threw off her work gloves in frustration.

"You think it's the Hermes kids?" Dimitri asked the boy working closest to him.

"I think that there's no way the Hermes kids would ever wake up early besides to ruin everyone else's day." The boy replied with a sigh. He looked to be around Dimitri's age, and Dimitri avoided going on a line of thoughts about what his background might be.

Dimitri took his own work gloves off, they were caked with dirt and mud from long time use. He tucked them into the back pocked of his jeans, and stood up. His boots took a similar look to his work gloves and his jeans had dirt on them. His hands and flannel shirt remained clean though. He began heading over to the cabins, it seemed everyone awake was. It wasn't long before the people asleep were heading there too. Dimitri made it just in time to see a door nearly fly off its hinges, and a very enrages girl stepped out. Dimitri did not want to mess with this girl. Her voice alone dictated dominance.

Jenna had just woken up and was drinking some illegal sprite that one of her Hermes siblings had snuck in for her. She was wearing a forest green hoodie and some blue jeans with boots. She had a padlock in one of her hands and she was practicing open it with only a bobby pin. She heard the click of the lock. Then she shut it and did it again. It was almost as easy as getting this lock she stole. Then all of a sudden she heard:

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It was coming from the back of her cabin. It echoed through the courtyard and all the cabins. She heard voices coming from the other cabins. Oh no, that was the last thing she needed a bunch of the other campers mad at the Hermes cabin. She put all the things in her pockets, grabbed her drink and jogged into the shadows just as a girl walked out of her cabin. The girl was mad!

Brianna stomped past Jenna, not even taking care to notice that she'd come out of the cabin where the noise had been generated from, scowling and cursing under her breath.
"Blasted, bloody, noisy-ark'd shyre that is...Some punk is gonna get one smart boot up the bum..."
She hadn't even seen some of the other campers, who'd risen with the sun and also come peering around to investigate the source of the sudden, unexpected commotion. No, Niall was now focused on something, and it would be practically impossible to keep her from her goal...which would be punting whoever was making that racket square in the butt.

With a grunt, the daughter of Tyr kicked open the cabin door, eyes steely with cold fury as she stared down the expanse of the building. From the outside, every cabin looked rather small...however, they were much, much larger when looking into the interior. This cabin was the Hermes one, which, to Brianna's understanding was where the misfits were placed. Apparently, this Hermes was the Greeko's god of travelers and thieves and such. She wondered who'd be daft enough to give crooks their own deity, but that was something for another day entirely--philosophy never was much in the style of her people anyway.

At the very end of the hall was a mousy-looking lad with disheveled, brown hair, a long nose, and holes in his pajama bottoms. He was leaning back in a wooden chair against the wall, hands clasped over his head, eyes shut as his body sat next to an enormous, black box. Niall wasn't a technological sort; she'd been out in the wilderness a while and had little interest in fineries. (Another thing that isolated her from the others here in camp.) She didn't know what a speaker was, and didn't care; all that was known to her was that the source of the sound was from that box...and it was going to turn off one way or the other.
What in the name of Hel would anybody be playing something like that over a speaker set anyway? Was that what these Greeko's called music? It was atrocious. Brianna wondered why their Muses weren't coming down and striking them with lightning or something...This had to be some kind of offense to them.

Moving with purpose, Niall approached the end of the cabin and stood before the young man, tapping her foot impatiently. When it became clear after a few moments that he wasn't going to be realizing she was there anytime soon, Brianna snapped forward and gave the leg of his chair a solid kick. It wasn't nearly enough force to break the furniture, but it *was* enough to get the other's attention. With a look of glazed boredom, the brunette glanced over her, and raised an eyebrow.

"...can I help you?"
The Norse demigod nodded curtly. "Aye. You can start by cuttin' that dyin' robot noise out, if it weren't too much trouble."
The other rolled his eyes. "It's music. Do they not have that out in the woods or something?"
Brianna scoffed. "Oh ho! Are we gettin' fresh with me, lad?"
"Leave him alone Bri," one of the other Hermes kids muttered. "He does that all the time. It's his way of uh...waking everybody up."
"If I wanted your opinion," Niall snapped back, "I'd shove a hand up your lower cavities and work your mouth like a wee puppet!" Whirling back on the other, she shrugged her shoulder. "Can I trust you know how to keep your bloody rubbish down to a dull roar? There's souls in Helhiem that can hear that shyre."
"I really just don't care," the boy grumbled, returning the shrug and folding his hands back over his head. "I didn't know waking you up early would make you even more of a b--"
He never got to finish the sentence. Brianna didn't need an excuse to--she already knew what was coming out of his mouth--and responded accordingly.

She responded by plucking his chair up with one hand, holding him aloft. The entire cabin sat in stunned silence for a moment, until Niall took her other hand snatched him by the scruff of the neck as her foot connected with the back of his bottom. He went sailing right through the door, head first, into the ground in the front of the cabin as Brianna strode through with what could've been considered a smile. Kneeling down over the punted Greek, she shook her head.
"Tsk tsk tsk...Y'got some dirt on you there lad. Mayhap next time, y'won't be so quick on that name-callin. S'not nice." With a snort, she spun on her heel back to the others who'd collected near the doorway, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.
"Tell him next time, I throw him out the window, aye?"
"Yeah, no sweat," someone swallowed, in a mixture of awe and stunned nervousness.
"Great!" Brianna replied sarcastically, beginning to walk away from the scene. "I hate to repeat m'self."

She glared with purpose at the other kids who'd gathered around to see what was going on, and rolled her eyes.
"Y'gonna stare about with yer gobs hangin' out? I took care o'it."
By this point, she knew she was never going to be able to get back to sleep, but now she was too annoyed to care. With a grumble of curses, Niall brushed through the collective group of campers without so much as a word, heading up towards the arena with a thudding stomp in every step.

In a different world, Dimitri would have proudly stood up against what happened, demanding everyone's attention and getting to the bottom of the conflict. However, this world was the one that was happening, and in mere short moments, a boy came flying out from the cabin face first into the dirt. He skid across, leaving a short but visible track of his body. The girl responsible walked out shortly after, without a single shaken atom on her. She was as calm, collected, and annoyed as ever. And Dimitri could tell that annoying her was a free one-way trip thirty feet in the air.

His first instinct was to check on the boy, lord knows how badly he could have been hurt. Dimitri ignored the girl, which was hard to do. Everyone's eyes were on her, and for good reason. And as harsh as throwing the boy in the dirt might have been, she did get the music to stop. Maybe even permanently too!

Of course, Dimitri didn't have time to look at the bright side of this. He quickly kneeled down next to the child of hermes, grabbing the back of his shoulders with his hands. "Are you alright?" Dimitri asked , urgency in his voice, as some other kids began crowding. Most kids kept their eyes on the new girl, it seemed as though she could win in an arm-wrestle against a cyclops.

Dimitri turned the boy over, there were some scratches, but he seemed like he was fine. Just very shaken up by the fact that he went first class on the airlines. "Man, what was that?!?" The boy exclaimed, now attempting to regain his composure. "Did you see that? She freakin' threw me! That no good-" Dimitri was about to tell him that was enough, but he suddenly clammed up on his own. "Is she still here? Gods, what gives her the right to just prance around as though she's queen of the freakin' gods?!" The boy continued on his tangent. Dimitri just took time to observe his scratches, ushering over a child of Athena that would know first aid better than he would. Taking just a little bit of water from the little girl he'd been tending to crops with, he healed up the boys scratches. It seemed like the girl hadn't meant to do serious damage.

If she wanted to, she certainly could have.

"Holy Hades, she's good." The son of Athena said, looking at the boy. "You don't seem to have any injuries that will possibly hinder you unless you're being a baby. Consider yourself lucky." He said, standing up next to Dimitri. By now, someone in the Hermes cabin had helped their brother up to stand. Some of them had began muttering about her and how they would get her back twice as bad for it. "What happened exactly?" The child of Athena asked Dimitri.

"I don't really know. I was just doin' my normal routine, and suddenly that music stuff started blarin'. We all came over just in time to see the speedin' bullet of a person come flyin' out the cabin." Dimitri explained, only earning him a titled head in response. "I'll go talk to her. I mean, she did stop him after all." Dimitri said, his mind having been made.

[color:b35d=00ffff]"If you get launched too, try landing on your feet." He joked, giving Dimitri an awkward smile as he imagined that happening. The thought was funny. The possible injuries were't. He assured himself that it wouldn't come to that.

It didn't take too long for Dimitri to catch up to her, it wasn't like she was sprinting anywhere anytime soon. She had an aura around her as though she'd never ran in her life, rather, she let any challenge come to her. "Good mornin'." Dimitri greeted her, his southern accent in flourish like always.

I swung my head around and gawked as one of my step-siblings was thrown outside. I stood up and started walking to help. But a guy got there first and started to help the boy. I stayed against the building but went to look for the girl. This must have been caused by the girl who had stormed into the cabin. She looked around and saw her storming away. A guy speeds after her trying to talk to her. I don't speak to her, I just decided to trail her and figure out where she was going.

She could hear that prat of a lad talking shyre already. Figures as much...some people just didn't know when to shut their gobs. Then again, Brianna considered, he wasn't exactly a child of Athena now, was he? There was, of course, more than just the noisy one talking...Niall wasn't hard of hearing; she could tell everybody else was making whispers as well. Then again, who was she to care what everybody else here thought? There wasn't anything keeping her from finding some other quiet place where she could live alone. She could leave when she pleased; who was going to stop her?

Brianna had half a mind to do just that. What was she doing here, after all? It'd been a week since she'd arrived, and while the young woman had learned quite a lot about the other pantheons, as well as cousins from her own, she felt as distant to them now as she had before she'd come. If it were up to her, she'd make her own camp, for her own kind, and train them with the same kind of ferocity as she'd been put through. But she couldn't provide certain safety for the Norse kids...not like the kind they had here at the Greeko camp. Hel, even the Romans hid behind a bloody wall, but at least the Greeko's had an invisible wall...
These kids were soft. True, a collect few of them had faced dangers and trials Brianna herself couldn't wrap her head around, but overall...a great deal of them would get absolutely shredded if the worst came to pass. From what she heard, they'd lost quite a few half-bloods to some tussle over in New York. At least the Greekos were keen for a fight.

Niall had been lost in her own thoughts, trudging along the path with no rhyme or reason to her route, vaguely unaware she was being followed. If it was one of those bloody Hermes kids wanting to put up a tussle after that lesson she'd demonstrated, they were about to get a hard helping of irritated Norse demigod.
But no. This one didn't seem particularly keen on starting another fight. He was a bulky kind of lad--not chubby, but rather built with muscle--she could tell someone had either been working out, or working in a field; in any case, she wasn't entirely wanting to tangle with the likes of that. He had a soft-looking face, with hazel eyes and dusty, brown hair and a need for a quick shave. Brianna took a glance at him, and noticed the mud caked on his jeans. Was he some kind of earth-based god's kid or whatnot?

"Good Mornin'," came the greeting from the other. Brianna did a visual double-take, halting in her tracks instantly and almost slamming into him as she came to a stop. With a look of absolute curiousness on her face that might've been translated into disgust, she leaned up in his direction with an eyebrow cocked in puzzled confusion.
"What in the name of Hel was that accent there lad?" She blurted, half laughing at the sound of it. She'd never been to the United States prior to this point in her life, let alone heard such a way of speaking before. "Whereabouts in Odin's silver beard did that come from? Y'gotta be some sort o' American sort o' hometown boyo with a speakin' way like that, aye? Baldr's teeth--s'a real southern lad before m'eyes. Never seen the likes o'you before in my life, let alone heard ya. A right smart-sounding tongue that is! Like music! I would ought and keep the likes o'you around for the sakes o' hearin' that voice!"

Shaking her head at herself, she shrugged her shoulders.
"Bah, but who's to say the mornin's good or not? I dunno about you, but I've had a right off morn m'self! Bloody Greekos and whatnot. Still alright in my books, aye, but an irritatin' lot from time to time. Legions better than them Romans though. Still, manners and such. Top'f the mornin to you then. What's your likes doin' about here?"

The way this girl walked dictated knowledge and strength. Of course, Dimitri didn't doubt her strength, after seeing what she could do. At least she was responsible with it. The same thing couldn't always be said about the Ares cabin. Dimitri wasn't too worried about how this could all end up. His goal was far from making her angry. And even if he did do something, he was pretty sure he'd end up with bruises at worst. She was sensible though, he was certain. Right?

It didn't take long before he figured out she was of Norse origin. He couldn't even begin to gauge which though, mostly because he himself held little knowledge in that regard. That, and sometimes children differed greatly from their parents; even a child of Poseidon could potentially have aquaphobia.

Dimitri was uncertain if his accent was being made fun of or legitimately praised. But due to his stubborn mind and lack of expereince with sarcasm, he chose to decide it was a legitimate statement. "That's kind've you to say." Dimitri replied, as straight forward as possible. If she was being sarcastic, he would still take it as a compliment. "Y'should hear all the people back home. I'm still tryin' to get used to hearin' the way people talk up here." Dimitri spoke, he was slightly amused at the thought. He enjoyed her accent, it was something he hadn't heard up until now.

Dimitri was still trying to figure out just how welcome he was, with that initial expression she had given him. Either way, he didn't intend on leaving until he at least said what he wanted to say. "Well, I thought I should come and show good manners of my own. On behalf of the Greeks, I'm sorry some've the Hermes kids act outta sheer misconduct. I personally promise, not all've of 'em are bad." Dimitri said, still not having took a step backwards. It was personable, in his mind.

((...I guess we're not waiting then?))

--------

Brianna shrugged her burly shoulders. The young man was at least polite enough, which was more than she could say for most of the kids she'd seen around here. Truth be told, this was about the longest conversation she'd had in her time here since showing up. Niall had little interest in chatting with the other kids, even the other members of the Norse Cabin. Even they didn't quite get her; most of them were her uncle Thor's kids anyway. It seemed she was very much alone in her family tree. Part of her was actually glad; she wasn't sure how she'd handle having a sibling, to be honest.

"Ah, you're a Greeko yourself then. S'no account of yours to go abouts apologizing for things that weren't your fault. Bein' sorry's a silly thing to waste breathing time on anyway."
Interesting. She didn't even feel the need to tell this one to shove off. Strangely enough, Brianna felt more at ease with whoever-the-heck this was than anybody else in the camp thus far. Probably because he hadn't done anything to agitate her. Niall had to wonder how long that was going to hold out...
Putting her thumbs in her belt, Brianna continued to walk. The young woman wasn't one for pockets...an enemy could just as easily use it to grapple you as you could stuff them with useless crap. She wasn't sure where she was headed, but the sullen girl hardly cared. Getting away from the stares was enough. Part of her knew she didn't give a damn--another wished she could blend in, or hide the things she'd been through like everybody else--either way, getting away was the best for now.

Even now, the Norseling could feel a sense of careful curiosity coming from this kid. She couldn't blame him either; he'd probably seen or heard what had happened a few minutes ago. It didn't help that this had been the fourth time something like this had happened--twice in her own Cabin, and once more during afternoon lunch when someone made the mistake of calling her a cow--getting into fights gave her a reputation. But why should she care? After all, she was just as strong as anybody, if not stronger, that was here. She'd faced monsters and dangers for the last ten years of her life, without anybody's help! She was more capable in battle than the whole lot of them!
...still. There was a tiny twinge of desire in her heart. She wanted to belong. These kids at least knew what it was like, to be born like this. It was more than she could say for anybody else who had ever been her friend.

"So then," Brianna muttered, less-than-subtly covering up her social awkwardness, "Who're you? I can't bloody well go about callin' you Southboy now, can I? O' course, that's all and well, since it don't matter anyway. If you don't mind m'asking, naturally."

Dimitri followed the girl, she clearly must've had stories to tell. There were many questions he would have asked had he not been focusing on making her feel welcome. That's what Camp Half-Blood was all about after all, being away from all the dangers of outside. In here they were a family. Out there they were the hunter or the hunted, Dimitri guessed that this girl was one of those who hunted rather than got hunted. Either way, out there the hunt never stopped. And it was only in here that safety was a true feeling. Dimitri wondered how long this girl had been out there, the thought of it made him shutter.

Greeko was a neat term, and as much as he would never acknowledge it, it was starting to grow on him. "Still, my parents taught me it's the right thing t'do." Dimitri insisted. "I'd rather be sorry even if I shouldn't be, so you at least have an apology from one've us." He said, giving her an assuring nod. He, of course, didn't want to lay it on too thickly. He gazed at her, making observations. Of course, staring was rude as his mother taught him, so he avoided excessive looking. The most abundant observation was her stance. She just looked, quite literally, ready to fight at any second. Dimitri physically had the ability to fight, but he could tell he'd be beaten fast in a fight with someone like this person.

The right thing to do. Dimitri knew that that phrase summed him up. He strove to always see the best in people, never the worst. And although in this case she was justified for throwing that kid, even if she wasn't, Dimitri would still be standing right where he was. She certainly wasn't a bad person, that much he could see. "Dimitri." He answered, bringing himself back into reality. "But if it makes you any more happy, y'can always call me Southboy." He replied jokingly. "What about you? Who are you?" He asked, curiosity rang in his voice.

The question likely sounded like he wanted to know her name. But as with everyone, he wanted to know more. What she had to do to be alive right now and who she had viewed as her friends and guardians. What her life had been and which god had claimed her. What routine possibly had kept her so strong. Of course, without proper social barriers, Dimitri wasn't afraid to ask these things.

Niall shrugged the commentary off. She couldn't help but feel slightly jealous; Dimitri had two parents who'd taken care of him. Sure, it might not've been his real mother, or father, but it was certainly better than not having one or the other. Brianna had only had her mother for the longest time, never really knowing her god parent but for his name and deeds. There wasn't a day that went by where she didn't send her father offerings, or upheld the ideals he would have wanted in her. Still...there was a part of her that wanted to know him more than just as a god.

"Righto. That's well'n polite o'you. S'more than I can say for that lad back there, but Law's just n' fair n'all it's ways. It keeps its scales a'right, even f' it takes a while," she admitted, with a small smile. "T'sa pleasure meetin' you then, D'mitri," the girl replied, butchering his name rather horrendously with the lack of pronunciation.
"I do believe you're the first Greeko to come abouts introducin' themselves t'me. Others got the rights t'be wary o'me though, same as any other stranger. I 'spose what I've been off and about doin' to folks hadn't been much good for m'reputation neither..." she trailed off.

With the sudden halt within the conversation, the Norseling kicked at the dirt on the ground before her, unsure of how to continue with this social interaction. Being around people was difficult enough, but she was sure this was the longest conversation she'd had with anybody since her interview coming into camp...and before that... Well, she honestly couldn't even remember how long it'd been since she'd talked to any regular mortal, that was for sure. How long was this going to last? It felt like this was dragging on forever. Part of her wanted to tell him to piss off, but at the same time...she was rather glad to have someone to actually talk to that wasn't balking at the sight of her.
She was pretty sure he was still being wary of setting her off...maybe he wasn't as dumb as everybody else she'd come across after all. It was a pleasant change of pace.

"There's no need t'be standin' on pins 'n needles on my account D'mitri. I aren't sore at you enough t'do much o'nothin to you anyway, n' I'd feel bad o'bout it even if I did. Y'don't have t'avert your eyes or nothin' o' the sort, I aren't one for biting. M'name's Brianna Niall...Daughter o' Tyr, f'it's all the same t'you. Norse god. Law, war 'n such. Y'can call me what you feel like, given I've thrust one on you."
She peered down at him from her great height, glancing past her nose.
"You're an awful quiet lad ain't ya? Y'got somethin'r other on your mind, boyo? Y'don't have to keep your gob shut n' my account."

Dimitri always had something or other floating around on his mind, though it wasn't always a thought. Often he had tasks to finish and they occupied his time and space, which made him content. In this case he couldn't help but feel almost guilty. This girl, Brianna Niall, was so comfortable with not knowing or talking to anyone. He couldn't help but wonder what she had seen out there. What sorts of things did she have to do just to stay alive? Who did she lose? He imagined several scenarios of what the answers might have been, but none of them ended well at all.

"Yessum." Dimitri replied, on natural instinct. He couldn't lie to save his life, not that it mattered; he never attempted to anyway. "I think a lot about how my parents are doin' without me 'round anymore. I guess you could say it sometimes make me quiet when I'm thinkin' 'bout home." Dimitri said, just mentioning made him miss how things were. Before monsters existed and he knew every inch of the short amount of miles he called home. Just walking around Camp Half-Blood wasn't even the same, no matter how well he knew it. He would never know it as much as he did his farm.

"It's nice to meet you, Brianna." Dimitri said, kindly. She was different from all the others, in her own way. But still, she was one of them, and Dimitri had made up his mind. He wanted her to feel like one of them. To have to sigh in embarrassment when the Hermes kids acted out. To have to watch the Athena and Ares cabins bicker. To notice how early the Demeter cabin woke compared to everyone else. And of course, to watch the Apollo cabin desperately attempt to out-charm the Aphrodite cabin. It was all a secret code that they were all in this together. And she didn't know this.

She was new, but Dimitri knew she wasn't brand new. Could he truly have been the first to introduce himself to her? The thought of it nearly made him physically shudder. Dimitri thrived on the people around him, it's how he survived and remained strong. He briefly thought about what it would have been like for him if he didn't talk to anyone. "Am I really the first?" Dimitri asked without really thinking before he spoke, it just happened. He was hoping that he wasn't, someone should have had the sense of right and wrong to approach this girl by now. "Doesn't that get lonely? Not talkin' to anyone? Not eatin' with your cabin mates? Not havin' the safety of the presence of others?"

Brianna grinned, although the smile almost made it look like she was in pain, rather than enjoying herself. Noticing it, she quickly shut it down. Hers wasn't a face meant for much more than a warlike scowl, she knew. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying this, she was, but her muscles weren't quite used to the expression. It felt rather awkward and unusual to her, to be grinning like that.
So it hadn't been a misheard mistake when she'd been listening--Dimitri really did have two parents--Well, two that were actually around. Most demigod children she'd seen only mentioned one, their mortal parent. Some didn't have either; their mortal parent had died somehow by some force or reason. It wasn't often someone had (by technicality) three parents. From what she understood, a lot of kids didn't even count their god parent, as a parent. Niall couldn't honestly blame them...what with them not being around so much and all. Still...she loved her father, despite him never so much as speaking to her. For all she knew, Tyr didn't even notice her for all the offerings she gave, or how often she spoke to him. It was a personal opinion that saying a demigod had only one parent was disrespectful to the gods...but in a way, respect was a mutual thing.

Brianna supposed that's what that "Second Olympian War" deal had gone on about...or so she'd been told. Respect. Equality, as best as the god's stubborn pride would allow. It was a small start, given how slowly that the Greeko's gods moved. Thousands of years of stubborn resoluteness had boiled down to a battle that, from what she understood, had nearly destroyed them all. The daughter of Tyr hadn't been very attuned to the events going on in the states, given where she'd been at the time all that had happened. She'd missed a lot. Part of her wished she'd been involved in a fight so glorious...but, that hadn't been her war to fight, she supposed.

"I appreciate that extension o'kindness D'mitri," she muttered, snapping back to the conversation. "Hm, b't aye, you're the first. Folks tend t'avoid the likes've me, for what all I do. S'not a nice job, but someone's got to do it, aye?"

She noticed he'd gotten a little tense, and she laughed. She wasn't sure WHY she'd laughed, but she did. Somehow, the idea of him getting nervous about his words just seemed funny to her.
"Sorry lad. Didn't mean for that. Y'don't have to get jumpy f'r my likes. I aren't anywhere close t' throwin' you nowhere. I weren't nothing much for hurting folks who didn't earn themselves bruises." With a shrug, she continued. "As f'r that question, I s'pose I'm used to it. I run off from m'mum when I weren't too much younger than nine. I had to. Y'know how it is, with them bloody beasts. Trolls, giants, elves from time to time, all comin' for a chow-down on me every other day o' the week. M'da, as far as I know, sent some help now and then, but for the most part, she and I just ran. 'T came time that I got sick of it. I went someplace where no'ne, not even the damn dusties could follow me n' droves. Thick woods, up there in Scandinavia. Perfect place where y'don't want to be found. I learned n' my own for fendin' m'self. Da sent weapons, n' I took them to use."

Smiling lightly (although, it looked more like she had a headache) Brianna paused in their trek, looking out at the strawberry fields with a wistful gaze.
"Aye, there's times n' times where I feel outsideish. Be it what it may, you're all just wee kids still. Most o' you hadn't had to do much terrible fightin, for what it's worth. It's a blessin and a curse. Y'could do with more training. I don't mind it much."

"I think it'sa very nice job." Dimitri said in her own defense. "Law is placed under the intention of good morals, and in that sense, keepin' it upheld can be vital. I understand sometimes holdin' up the law is difficult to do." He said, as though to let her know that nothing she had done made Dimitri think badly of her.

"It ain't really a fear of gettin' hurt. 'Snot like it would matter all that much, I'm sure you could knock me to my knees and all, but I wouldn't die or anythin'." Dimitri said, though it wasn't a challenge, more of an explanation. "We have healers of all sorts 'round here. And either way, you don't seem the type to brutally injure people who don't deserve. it." He related back to the Hermes kid she'd thrown out of his own cabin. He wasn't injured in any way that would lead to serious or long-term medical complications, all he had were scratches and bruises. And Dimitri was oddly certain that she'd intended for it to be just like that; nothing serious.

Dimitri let it all sink in for a minute, that she considered the all to be children. It didn't offend him, so much as it made him imagine what she must have seen out there. Trolls, giants, and elves, and he imagined they didn't find her to make friends. "I ain't never left the country, let alone seen Scandinavia." Dimitri commented, hopeful to lighten her mood. She grew up alone, and it made Dimitri terribly upset to imagine. She was clearly strong, but it wasn't like she carried the towering height of an amazon. And when it came to the amazons, at least they had each other. Brianna Niall seemed as though she counted on nobody but herself.

That was no way to live.

The more he thought about it, the more he was sure. Everyone in Camp Half-Blood counted on someone, whether it be their best friend or their brothers and sisters. Whether it be just Chiron or some random kid they met in archery, everyone had a friend that meant a lot to them. So why shouldn't Brianna as well? "I was just thinkin', have you ever seen New York City? It ain't far from Long Island." Dimitri asked, he'd only gone two other times now.

The daughter of Tyr shook her head.
"Na, I s'pose others think o' me as some manner o'brute. After all, y'don't see Dike's lot strollin' about n' the likes of me, aye?" She paused, thinking for a moment. "It is Dike for you Greekos--the justice goddess--right? 'R maybe I'm getting mine all mixed about, anyroad; I've been one to be told that aren't precisely the proper methods o' dealin' with them sorts o' things." A rather sour expression crossed her face, just as her arms crossed along her chest.
"Aye, there's folks f'r enforcin' the law themselves. That're what their jobs are, at any rate, but sometimes 's too slow for my tastes. N' some things aren't rules that're written, but just common kindnesses. Some folks forget that, most times. B't nah, I aren't much one f'r takin' off someone who weren't deserving of it, yourself included. I'm sociable," she added jokingly, although the grin she paired that up along with made her look more like she was a serial killer.

"Scandie," she continued, with a shrug, "aren't much o' a place f'r takin' picnics. By the by, s'a harsh mistress. Y'got to learn her b'fore you try anythin, learn the law o' the land n' such. Otherwise, she'll knock y'flat down on your bum n' make sure you don't get up for a while. She's got her trees, her icy winds, her wild beasties...but Scandinavia, she's like m'da; she never punishes nobody who aren't well deservin' of it. Go prepared, n' she welcomes you warmly." Brianna glanced over her shoulder at the other. "Don' get me wrong, D'mitri, I aren't one for homesickness. I miss 'er, from time to time. Still, this place 's growin on me, admittedly so. On the down-low, 'm glad I didn't go off n' about lookin' for the Egyptians 'r those bloody Romans. T'sa shame there aren't no places for m'own kind o' demigod, b't then again, there aren't too many o' our numbers t'start off with. Part o' me is glad yours found m'cousins n' such before anyone else did...yours treat them well, n' with proper respects. I'm grateful."

On the mention of New York City, Brianna turned around to face the other youth fully. The expression on her face could've been translated into something between stomach pains and puzzled contemplation, though it was certainly the latter. Again, her muscles weren't quite accustomed to showing basic emotions on them. It was going to take a long while before they started resembling anything other than a frozen scowl.
"I walked this way from Canada lad," she said, thoughtfully. "I don't think I saw a bloody inch o' New York City from where I came. Is it not that far?" The teenager glanced upwards at the sky. "Funny thing that; so close to the city, n' yet all those starts at night. Makes y'wonder if our folks watch o'er us after all." With a shrug, Brianna shook her head. "Nah D'mitri. I've not seen her yet. Why d'you mention it?"

Dimitri couldn't help but hold back the smirk on his face when she mentioned the goddess "Dike" to him. "I think you mean Nike. But I'm still learnin' about all the gods and goddesses myself. Just don't let any of her kids hear you say that, they won't be all too happy with you." Dimitri said, considering the scenario. "Then again, I don't think you'd have that much trouble takin' them on." Dimitri jested toward her.

"I'm one for bein' homesick." Dimitri admitted, it was certainly no secret to anyone that knew him well. Nothing really ever felt like home, and although slowly Camp Half-Blood had started growing on him, it didn't replace the void. His mom and dad were both out there at home still, probably living happily. The thought always made him depressed, because he missed them and he was certain they missed him. "If I was certain I would survive the trip, I'd go home right now. Sadly, that just ain't gonna happen." Dimitri said, his thoughts now spiraled onto the fondness of the farm he grew up on. One day, he promised himself. "One day I'll get to go back." He said, speaking softer than before. He hoped it was one day soon.

Dimitri glanced at her once more, she had after all said she didn't mind him looking. Her expressions and tones didn't match, and that made Dimitri curious even further. She was very much a unique case, he imagined she would go very far in Camp Half-Blood. Her experience, both demigod and mortal related, seemed to have taught her a lot. "You should go. I'll go with you, if you'd like. New York City is very alive." Dimitri couldn't think of any word better to explain it than 'alive.' "It's like nothin' I've ever seen before. Buildings soar, people roam everywhere and all of them are very diverse, it's a gatherin' of all walks of life. And in a way, our walk of life exists there too. I ain't ever seen Canada or Scandinavia, but I have seen New York. I think you might like it."