[center][h1][color=Aquamarine]Claire Bellerose[/color] & [color=lightsteelblue]Roy Montag[/color][/h1][/center]
[center][h2]The Lake ~ Camp Half-Blood[/h2][/center]

Claire smiled and laughed, petting the top of Hircine's head as she took the wooden dolphin. "It iz [i]belle[/i], Roy," she said with a small smile. She examined the wooden dolphin. The dolphin was not the symbol of Posideon, but since they were in the water, she loved them all the same. The wood was smooth to the touch and she looked around, looking for a place to put the wooden dolphin so she couldn't break it. Finally, she just decided to hang out to it and let her hand fall down by her side, the wooden dolphin still clutched in it. 

"How vas your trip?" Claire asked him, smiling up at him as she stroked the puppy's fur. Her French accent was coming out again because of her excitement and she couldn't suppress it very well. "I hope it was alright. It zeems az if you came back without harm or a..." For some reason her mind lost the word for it in English. "... uhhh..." She bit her lower lip and sighed before her face lit up when she remembered the word. "Scratch! Scratch. Zat is the word." She laughed lightly and stepped back away from him awkwardly. She crossed her hands in front of herself, gripping her wrist with her free hand. She stared carefully at the ground, her smile flitting across her face a little bit while looking up through her eyelashes at Roy. She was happy that Roy was back and safe, and now she could actually keep an eye on him again. 

"Oh, the trip went well. Saved a few lives, slew a few monsters, all in a day's work." Roy replied modestly, sounding slightly nervous in tone, though he attempted to keep it covert. 

"I've missed it here, though. You always forget just how beautiful Camp Half-Blood is 'til you leave for awhile." Roy added wistfully, smiling softly to himself. 

"Now, what have I missed? What've you been up to, Sea-Biscuit?" He asked with a humorous smile, moving both hands to his hoodie pockets. 

Claire giggled at the first part of his story-telling. The boy did not go into much detail about his adventures, but that was alright. She didn't mind the short synopsis as long as she was able to talk to him. "I bet you also forgot how loud it was as well," Claire said, looking toward the DJ turntables. "Arianna has chosen pretty good music, I will admit."

"You haven't missed much. A new student arrived today, son of Jupiter, Zeus's counterpart," Claire said. "Erin gave him a tour, being the ray of sunshine that she is, and I do not know where he disappeared to afterwards. A newer girl who just arrived at the camp a couple months ago tried to save me from drowning and then Jericho had to save her from drowning... and that's about it. Oh! And Archer and Gideon got into another fight. Again." She smiled at him. 

As if counting off the number of events that had occurred in his absence, Roy grinned. "Ok, new camper, that's pretty interesting - and a Roman! Another camper almost drowned trying to stop [i]you[/i] from drowning...not uncommon. Archer and Gideon getting into a fight? Well, that's typical, now isn't it?" Roy smiled. But it wouldn't take a mind-reader to see that Roy's eyes, his gaze, was hardened -- frigid. What [i]did[/i] happen on his quest? 

"Well, while we're at a party and I'm just now seeing you again. Could I get you a drink?" Roy offered politely, inclining his head in her direction. 

As Claire watched Roy carefully, she noticed his hardening gaze after he spoke of Gideon and Archer being "typical". That was quite unusual as Roy was normally so kind toward most of the people in the camp. She looked into his eyes. "Are you alright, Roy?" she asked softly, examining his face. She lifted her hands up to cup his face, unfortunately having to get on her toes to do so. "What exactly happened on your quest?" 

Roy wouldn't deny the chilling sensation that seemed to run down his back and through his entire body as Claire cupped his face in her delicate hands. Why was his heart beating this fast...? Was he ever this predictable? 

"Nothing you need to worry about, Sea-Biscuit. I'm just a bit tired, is all - had a long day. Buuut, my offer for a drink still stands. If you want, that is." Roy quickly switched the subject, stammering slightly as he delivered his last sentence. It was true...smooth subtlety was never his strong suit...might need to ask Simon for a few tips later. 

Claire dropped her hands from his face, a little insulted that he didn't want to entrust her with that information. But she wouldn't hold onto it very long. She smiled delicately and said, "Sure. Of course." She wrung her hands together and muttered under her breath, "I could sure use one right now." She looked up at him and said, "Will you just get me a beer? I'm not looking for anything too fancy." She chuckled. 

Roy picked up the words she had muttered quietly, raising a single brow and smirking in amusement. Claire was always a very 'proper' (in his mind) girl. To hear her asking for a beer was both highly amusing and somewhat comforting at the same time. 

"But of course, m'lady." Roy bid with a mock bow and a grin before sauntering off to brave through the crowd of demigods and satyrs, all the while being met with various calls of "Hey, it's Roy!" "Iceman's back!" "You grew a [i]beard[/i]?" 

Finally after nearly five minutes had passed, Roy could be seen through the midst of the crowd, holding two solo posts aloft as though they were his coat of arms to herald. Looking slightly disheveled but otherwise unharmed, Roy held one of the cups out for her to take, that same soft, sincere smile plain along his features. 

"...And I thought Empousai were bad." He commented, motioning his head towards the still-dancing crowd. 

Claire giggled and took the beer, taking a sip. She smiled at him as he motioned toward the crowd and agreed with the nod of a head. She sipped again carefully, watching Roy's eyes. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She took a deep breath and said, "Roy. Please tell me what happened on the trip. I know you well and I know you're lying about nothing I need to worry about." She reached over and gently touched his shoulder. "You can tell me anything." 

Gently, Roy took the hand that rested on his shoulder and held it in his own hand, as if trying to warm it (though, much to Roy's resentment, he knew it would only cool her). 

"Can...can we go down to the lake? I'll tell you there, but...not here." Roy requested, an imploring look in his eyes confirming his sincerity. In truth, he'd rather not share what had happened at all -- but with Claire, well...there was a certain air about her, something that made her so intoxicatingly convincing. He just had to. 

Claire glanced down at her hand and looked back up at Roy. His hand was cool in comparison to her slightly warmer hand. She nodded carefully, her blue eyes wide and curious. She stood up and took his hand in hers. She proceeded to pull him out the door, heading toward the lake. At least she would be more comfortable in her own domain. 

The sky was beginning to get darker and they began going toward the lake. They passed by the Posideon Cabin as they made their way to the lake. She let go off his hand, the water beginning to call to her. Being bare foot as it was, she made her way down to the lake, sticking her toes in the water. She smiled happily and looked back at Roy. "So what did you need to talk about?" 

Roy initially was wordless, merely crouching down for a moment to scratch Hircine behind his ear, the large dog apparently pleased by the sensation, squinting his beady eyes to a close until Roy relinquished his hand, standing back up to face Claire. 

"I suppose..I'm just feeling a little homesick is all. I mean, you look at...Griffin, or Simon, they talk to their parent all the time. But me...Boreas...was never a part of my life until I was already a teenager - and even then it was just to claim me as his own. Not even like...a child, but like a piece of property. In a way...maybe I wish I [i]wasn't[/i] his son. My...well, I suppose, [i]step[/i]-father. He was more of a dad to me than Boreas ever was. And, in a way, I miss that. Being out, on a quest. Kinda reignites those feelings." Roy let out a heavy sigh, hardly choosing to look at Claire at all. 

"You must think me a wreck, don't you?" Roy asked with a small, hollow chuckle, looking out over the shimmering waters of the lake - looking for something to give him comfort. 

"I never think of anyone as a wreck," Claire said quietly, not looking at Roy. She knew exactly how he felt, being Posideon's daughter and only realizing it a few days before coming here all those years ago. He was never a part of her life until then, but still... "Our fathers, no matter how much we don't know it, always watched out for us when we were younger. They watched over everyone, but they watched over us importantly."

She pushed herself forward into the water, walking directly on top of it. Taking two ballet steps forward, she maneuvered herself more out into the lake. Spinning in a circle, she smiled, tilting her head back. "All of us have our issues, Roy, and it is our burden to bear. But if you have someone that can share those burdens, it lightens the load to be more tolerable." Spinning around in a circle, she begin dancing across the surface of the lake, smiling as she went. As her feet brushed across the surface, ripples spread out, creating a lovely pattern. She paused out towards the middle of the lake before making her way closer again. "Everyone has someone or something to lighten the load. I have my dancing and water. What do you have?" She asked it philosophically, as she already knew, but she was curious if he would respond the same. 

At first, Roy was silent; entranced by watching Claire dance atop the lake as though it were her own stage. His eyes lit up slightly, feeling as though all his troubles were starting to melt away...it wouldn't last - he knew that much. Sooner or later, his own worries would return, ready to swallow him whole. But for now. Well...everything was alright. 

Roy let one foot hover at the water's edge, easing his foot down slowly. The instant the toe of his shoe hit the water, a sheen of ice began to form atop the lake, just thick enough to allow one to comfortably stand. 

Moving his other foot atop the spreading patch of ice, Roy ensured that only the area around his general person was frozen - leaving the rest of the undisturbed liquid for Claire to dance on. 

Roy took to approaching her, new ice forming each step ahead of him and dissipating each step behind, leaving him on a constant, reforming patch. 

"Well...I suppose I have whittling - that seems to make me feel better, give me something to do with my hands. Or music." Roy replied thoughtfully, exploring his memories to answer her question. 

"Or talking to whoever will listen." Roy added after a beat of silence, closing the distance until he was merely a foot from her, a soft, if sad smile still plain on his features. 

"You're a beautiful dancer." He commented quietly, as though making the observation embarrassed him. "I can see why children of Poseidon love the water so. You look more content there than on land." 

Claire laughed. "I suppose you do," she said with a smile. She watched him as he approached. Those weren't quite the answers she was thinking of, but she had come close. She noticed the water began to freeze and she smiled as he walked out onto the lake. 

He made the comment about being a beautiful dancer and she sighed. "I kind of have to be, right? My mother forcing me to dance as she did." She took a deep breath. "Not to make this more depressing." She laughed. "We are much more comfortable in water than on land. It's just what makes us... us. As you are more comfortable with cold, Iceman," she teased with a smirk on her face. 

Spinning around the water once again, she brushed her feet out, creating beautiful ripples in the waters once more, before turning to face Roy again. She sat down on top of the water, her dress spreading out in the ripples around her. "You wanna sit?" she asked, patting the top of the water.

Roy winced slightly as Claire brought up her mother. He wouldn't claim to know everything about Claire's childhood before Camp Half-Blood...but from what he [i]did[/i] know - it wasn't exactly happy. "Well, someone's gotta appreciate winter. Guess dear old dad made sure Christmas was enjoyable." Roy joked with a chuckle. 

Wordlessly accepting her offer, Roy eased himself into a sitting position, the patch of ice below him extending just enough to comfortably give him space to sit. He let his fingertips dance beneath the surface of the unfrozen water, the cool, wet sensation both comfortable and calming at the same time. 

"I can see why you like coming out here. The water is very...relaxing. Simon would probably compare it to how a stream is a cause-and-effect metaphor. But it's just water: cool, clear, transparent. Much like ice." Roy commented, his gaze fixed on the rippling of the water's surface, as if finding solace in its disorderly rhythm. 

"Depends on the ice," Claire said, moving her fingers over the water. The water rippled again. "You can have cloudy ice, pure ice, multicolored ice..." She grinned a little bit. "I seem to know more about ice that you do." She laughed softly before moved her fingers back and forth, causing a wave like effect in the water. 

"The main reason I like coming out here is because I feel like I can talk to my father," Claire said, taking a deep breath. Because of the ice on the water, her breath came out as an icy cloud, but she wasn't cold. "I know he almost never listens, but it's nice to know he's there... It's nice to know someone is watching over you... you know?" 

"Well, well, look who's been reading up on the arctic!" Roy responded in an easygoing tone, chuckling at her words. 

Noting her icy breath, Roy moved to unzip and remove his hoodie, holding it out for her to take. "In case you get cold...I forget I have a tendency of doing that to people." Roy offered, his words and expression kind, but there was the slightest hint at resentment as he finished the sentence; as though the nature of his powers disgusted him in a way. How could he be close to someone if all they did was freeze...? 

"As for someone watching over you, well. There is a comforting effect to it. To not feel as though you're alone or without aid. We each come from broken families, were born into them. I suppose it makes each time we connect with them that much more, well, [i]special[/i]." Roy finished in an almost wistful tone, letting his eyes flutter shut for just a brief moment. 

Suddenly, Roy was interrupted by the sound of his cell-phone vibrating, causing him to grimace slightly at the interruption. Fishing through the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out his phone, the screen flashing bright with the word "Mom" plastered on the phone. 

Knowing that ignoring a call from his mother would be a fate worse than spitting in Zeus' eye, Roy let out a deep sigh. "I'm afraid I've gotta go for a bit Sea-Biscuit. Mom calls, and I'd rather live past twenty-five if possible. But...I'll be seeing you around!" Suddenly, acting more on impulse than logic, Roy leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before quickly making an ice trail leading back to shore, hurrying to stand just as a deep blush was settling on his cheeks. "Oh! You can keep the jacket! Lord knows it'll be getting colder soon." Roy called from the pathway before fast-walking to the shore and disappearing from view. 

Watching him disappearing, Claire smiled softly, touching her hand to her face where he had kissed her. A creeping red flush ran up on her cheeks and she bit her lower lip, watching him disappear. She took the jacket and pulled it in close around her, watching the ice boy disappear over the lake with the trail behind him.

"Au revoir," she murmured quietly before making her way off the lake and heading back toward her cabin.