Monstrous Stroll

"I guess I'm just a Camp Half Blood boy, best home I've got." Hunter smiled softly. He played with Niamh's long hair, twirling it with his fingers. "I'm not that short! There are much more people shorter in Ireland than me!" She protested. Hunter laughed at her defensiveness and held up his hands in a surrender like way, dropping her hair.
"I'm just saying and if there are more people shorter than you in Ireland then everyone must be leprechauns." He said. "You must be their leader: Greetings Your Majesty, Niamh of the Leprechauns!" Hunter mocked as he stood up and bowed with his hand outstretched.

"Your welcome your Majesty," Hunter smirked as he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"I know, fair queen, that I am just a lowly knight. But would your Grace grant me the honor of a dance?" He continued to play on as he took a couple steps closer to Niamh with her hand still in his own. It was cliche to think but he thought her hand fit completely with his and he could feel the heat between the two of them. He didn't know how to properly dance or the whole shebang but he knew the basic footing and twirls and he hoped that was enough if she did say yes.

"I would be honored to dance, even though you're just a lowly knight." She teased and Hunter hoped that the huge grin on his face didn't freak her out. He took one more step closer to her as he laid one hand hand on her waist with his hand entwined with hers in the other. He rested his forehead on hers lightly and laughed quietly, "The honor's all mine to be dancing with such a beautiful queen." He smiled.

It's weird to think that he just met not less than an hour ago, or was it more? He wasn't sure since time seemed to pass when he was with her. But even so he just felt like it wasn't weird at all and it was just right. She was fun and easy to talk to and he really thought she was amazing.

They swayed slightly moving to a slow beat that wasn't there with only the moon giving them light now that the sun had passed. The forest gave sound to cricket's and the rhythmical hum of the nature around them. It was the Deadly Forest but it didn't seem so deadly at all now.

Hunter laughed as he twirled Niamh around so that when she came to rest, her back was at his chest and her arms were crossed to where he held them gently at his side. He rested his head on the crook of her neck and shook his head, "Mmm not much I would say. I'm no ballroom master but I do like to think I've got down the basics," He said as he spun her back around so that they were face to face.

"What about you Lady Niamh? Ever danced with the royal court?" Hunter asked.

"You and I both," Hunter responded with a grin. He wanted to get to know her more. He barely knew anything yet, she was like an iceberg and he'd only seen the top. Maybe like the Titanic he'd fall once he hit her though they sunk more then fell. He started to hum softly to a song he'd once heard from his mom when she'd sing him to sleep. It was a soft gentle melody that sounded clumsy on his own lips. He still remembered the words to it but couldn't bring to sing them, not even just a whisper would be heard before he'd stop abruptly. But humming was good enough and he did so with a little smile as he continued to sway his body softly next to Niamh's.

"So if you don't normally take absent minded strolls through the Deadly Forest, what do you do for fun?" He asked teasingly.

"And I like hanging out with beautiful ladies such as yourself," Hunter teased back with a wink of his own. Suddenly he felt Niamh's hands that once held lightly onto him now gripped him for support. "Um, could we stop right now? My ankle really hurts." She said and he looked at her ankle and immediately without thinking scooped her up in his arms. Though he wasn't a really buff guy Niamh's weight was way lighter than anticipated. He gently held her leg and looked down to inspect her ankle. It didn't look swollen but definitely seemed sprained. He looked at her worriedly with concern lacing through his mind.

"How much does it hurt? Can you walk okay? Want me to take you to the infirmary? Cause I can do that. I'll run you over there and have them fix you up. Oh wait, hold on-" Hunter stopped his ranting and set Niamh on the ground and rummaged through his pockets while praying to the gods that he had some backup ambrosia. Seeing Niamh's ankle reminded him of the own pain resounding from his head but he could bear through that. Finally he found some in his back pocket, mostly crumbled from when he fell but there was a good portion of it, enough to heal her ankle. He offered the plastic bag containing the crumbled ambrosia to her.

"Can't believe I forgot I had that." Hunter laughed at himself as he crouched to her level.

Hunter smiled at her reaction of relief and happiness thinking of how amusing it was when she squealed excitedly. Niamh took the crumbled bag of ambrosia in her own hands after giving him a grateful hug and looked about ready to gobble it all up before she hesitated. "What about ya? Ya need the ambrosia more than me?" She asked him. He shrugged her off and took the discarded plastic bag from her as she held the ambrosia in her hands.

"It's nothing I can't handle. Besides," He said glancing back at her ankle. "You look like you need it more than me. So eat up before you can't walk anymore and I don't wanna be forced to drag your heavy butt back to camp." He joked while poking her side with his index fingers. He wondered if she was ticklish. He'd find out later after she ate the ambrosia so if she sat back on her ankle, she wouldn't be as much hurt. But he gave his fingers a soft little wiggle just to test it out anyway.

"No problem." Hunter shrugged as he stood up, stretching his arms while rolling his head from side to side. Ah that's better, he thought as tension was relieved from his body. He felt more relaxed as he walked over to where Niamh was heading which was the way back to camp. It was so dark that he could barely see what was in front of him. The only source of light was the beaming white moon from above. Hunter hoped they wouldn't get lost. His sense of direction was totally screwed and he prayed to the gods that Niamh's sense was a hundred times better than his.

"What do you taste when you eat the ambrosia?" He asked. Looking down he kicked random rocks with his ratty black Converse which couldn't get any worse for wear. He glanced back up to only see that he was still behind Niamh and he ran back up to keep pace, walking by her side.

-

ooc: sorry for the late reply :c

"Oh, it was a dish I like to eat. Ma step-mum makes it." Niamh answered. Upon hearing that Hunter could only remember his mom and the drool worthy sugar cookies his mom used to bake him for him whenever he was sad or something. Too bad that now the only thing that let him remember the taste was the ambrosia itself. He missed his mom immensely and kept thinking about her until he was shaken from his thoughts when Niamh abruptly grabbed his hand. He looked down at her, taking in her blush with wide startled eyes. She was holding his hand and he really didn't mind that.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a surprised tone.
"I-I'm sorry, I thought I heard somethin." She stuttered out. Hunter looked around them cautiously with his other hand already gripping one of his daggers. That was strange, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. But then again it was the Deadly Forest. It wasn't exactly predictable. He looked back down at the scared girl beside him and couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked. She reminded him of his little sister back in Florida, May would always ling onto him whenever something was scary. Hunter put his dagger back in its place and patted Niamh's head softly.

"It's alright there's nothing here right now. And if there is then they'll have to get through me." Hunter reassured her lightly, still teasing her with his second part as he winked. He tugged her hand gently so they would continue to walk forward.

"You're a dork," Was all Hunter could reply to her with when she winked at him making him feel anxious for no reason at all maybe except for the fact that she was unnervingly beautiful and she had kept blushing and giggling at him like he was actually funny or cool. Where was that cool Hunter from the woods? He looked away from her face and blushed at the woods as lights came into view. He looked back, confused at the occasion. Was there something special going on or was it usually like this? At times he could admit that he was a little slow on things.

"Here already?" He muttered in a disappointed way. Hunter had liked spending time alone with her in the woods where it was just them and the surrounding silence.

Did he hear correctly? Did she just ask him to prom? Hunter couldn't exactly believe it so he just stood there for a moment, completely baffled. Snap out of it, he scolded himself. A grin went back onto his face and he took Niamh's hand that was holding his chin and he twirled her around before he kissed the back of her hand and winked at her.

"I guess it could be done since you practically begged me," Hunter joked with dramatic flair. He hesitated for a second, cocking an eyebrow at her. "You sure you wanna go with me? We just met and all. Not saying that I don't wanna go out with you, out to prom that is, I mean you're gorgeous and funny why wouldn't I? But I guess that's exactly the point since you're gorgeous and funny you should have a line of guys begging to take you to prom and here you ask me, I'm just plain and b- Okay shutting up now." He stopped himself from rambling even further.

"What makes you think your plain and boring. You're actually quite funny and interesting. But if you don't wanna go with me I'll go with one of the many guys outside my cabin who are begging me to go." Niamh teased. Hunter could only watch for a second as he registered that she had started to walk away from him, following behind her as she continued to talk. "Maybe somebody else can be my prince Philip cause I was planning on going as Sleeping Beauty." He walked in front of her and held his hands out in an "I surrender" fashion.

"Hey I never said I didn't want to go with you. In fact, it would be an honor if I could be the Prince Philip to your Sleeping Beauty." Hunter stated as he took her hands in his and looked at her, feigning a serious expression, "I just have one question."