[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/GbLHJfI.png[/img]
[h2][color=00a651]Ericka Yumia[/color][/h2]
[i]Location: Camp Half Blood, Mess Hall ---> Armory[/i][/center]

It didn't take long for the hungry bunching of fellow campers to keep walking toward the dining hall. Ericka bid them a brief farewell and then resumed her walk. There was work to be done after all. Along the way she saw Ryland, also headed in to eat, and from a distance he gave her a wave and a smile. Not a genuine smile, it seemed, but rather his typical 'I'm okay, don't worry' smile. Something was up with him. Again. But, with the time she'd already spent, Ericka had little chance to approach him about it. Whatever it was that was eating at Ry would have to wait. So, with a reciprocated wave and smile, Ericka kept on her way to the Armory.

Which already had an occupant, judging from the noise. 

"Stupid thing! Why is there a lock here?!"

A very irate occupant at that. She stepped inside, and saw one of the older campers crouched in front of what was unmistakably the Stygian locker. Based on the sound of his voice, and the very short list of campers stupid enough to try what he was, this could only be...

[color=00a651]"May I help you with anything, Gregory?"[/color] she asked seethingly.

Gregory Samsor, Son of Ares, immediately rose to his feet in a fighting stance out of alarm. He quickly regained his composure upon seeing Ericka however, either out of relief or perhaps arrogance. "Ericka," he said with a slight snarl, "What are you doing here?"

He was a brute of a man, even by Ares standards. Average height but quite broad shouldered, and always easily seen on the practice field doing drills. He never was the brightest, however; the Ares cabin primarily used him as dumb muscle.

[color=00a651]"I'm here to do my job, Gregory. As for why you're here, based on what I heard and saw coming in I can only assume you were looking to rent one of the Stygian Iron weapons. Unfortunately, given your conduct just now, I'm afraid I can't allow that."[/color]

"It's open rent on the weapons, you can't stop me," Gregory said in what Ericka guessed was supposed to be smugness, "I know the rules."

[color=00a651]"I'm sure you do, seeing as they're not particularly complicated,"[/color] she replied, [color=00a651]"However, the two Stygian weapons are under lock and key, as you discovered, so without me or one of my sibling's assistance, you will not be using either of them."[/color]

"And why the hell are they locked up?" Gregory bellowed.

[color=00a651]"Because they're [b]Stygian Iron[/b], Gregory,"[/color] Ericka responded with a sharpness to match his volume, [color=00a651]"They're capable of causing drastically more harm than anything else in this building, so the task falls to me and mine to make sure that they are used with responsibility and care. Two concepts I have zero reason to believe you have even a basic grasp of at this point."[/color]

"But the two Hades brats can swing theirs around at will?!"

[color=00a651]"Ash and Arthur's Irons are their personal weapons, and are outside of my authority. If you'd like to get technical beyond that, if an incident occurred with Stygian Iron involved, as long as the sword and dagger in that locker are accounted for that rather narrows it down to one of the two of them, not that I believe for a moment either one would actually do something so stupid. On the other hand, if the rentals could be grabbed from in here at will, all someone would have to do is take them at a point where the Armory is empty, disregard the sign-out sheet completely, and we would have no way of knowing who it was. Which, I'm sure, was the idea of whomever put you up to this."[/color]

[color=00a651]"Now then,"[/color] she continued, brushing a lock of her hair out of her face, [color=00a651]"If you have no further business in here, I'm going to ask that you leave. I have things to do, after all."[/color]

With that she walked past him and set her backpack down at the desk. Gregory did not move except to turn and continue facing her, however.

"And what if I pummel you and take the key?" he asked menacingly. 

[color=00a651]"A poor strategy, I suggest you abandon it immediately."[/color] Ericka was far from impressed.

"OH YEAH?" The boy yelled as he took a lumbering step forward. 

In a flash Ericka had grabbed a recently returned bronze sword off of the desk and whipped around, leveling the tip at Gregory's nose without batting an eyelash. That stopped him rather quickly.

[color=00a651]"Gregory, I'd already sorted out nine different methods to put a new dent in the floor using your thick skull by the time I started moving,"[/color] she said, very matter-of-factually but with plenty of venom dripping from the words, [color=00a651]"Now I'm up to about thirteen, and the longer you stand here the more I'm going to find. Turn around, and walk out the door. [i]Now.[/i]"[/color]

Gregory seemed to stand there in stunned silence for a moment, until a flick of the sword's tip in his general direction spurred him to action and sent him backing up and then stomping out of the Armory. [color=00a651]"Good riddance,"[/color] Ericka said as she put the sword down and went to inspect the Stygian locker to make sure there had been no damage. Thankfully it seemed there hadn't been, so she was able to sit down behind the desk and get right to work.