And... you are? \Nate\

[Iris Grear]

Welllll… this was it, she supposed. She couldn't keep standing outside forever. The cabin had warm, worn, brick walls, and smokestacks coming out the top issuing plumes of grey smoke from time to time. The whole building looked like some kind of outlandish invention that few would really appreciate, for it was cluttered with gears and cogs, pistons, and soot in places you would never think a structure would get dirty. From where she stood in the metal doorway, the inside of the cabin looked messy and chaotic, but it had a very lived in and homey quality to it. For a foreign girl on her first day at camp, it was a small but solid comfort in this place she knew almost nothing of.

Giving a fleeting glance at what she could see from just outside the circular door that stood ajar, Iris took a deep breath. It was a little hard to see what was going on inside from here, but panicky nerves told her "STOP, don't go in! What if you're not welcome?". Squeezing her eyes shut for a few seconds, she mustered up the courage she could coax out of hiding. Her foot felt like it weighed a ton as she lifted it and stepped into the cabin. Sure, she might've woken up in here after her fainting spell the previous night, but this was the first time she was entering this building. This was the Hephaestus cabin, and she was a child of such a god, so she belonged. Or so a small voice in her mind told her. Iris was still slightly skeptical about this whole demigod thing. She was going to roll with it until something crazy happened. Then she was going to wake up from this wild, vivid dream, right? Waking up would bring her right back to London, in her own bed, with mom downstairs, brewing coffee and buttering toast. But for now...

"Err... hi," it was all she could think of saying. Same cabin meant same parent, so whoever she found in here were her... half... siblings? Such an odd thought for someone who grew up as an only child. What did you say to a sibling? She hadn't a clue, and could not find it in her to say any more, lest she felt stupid. Her heart was beating up a storm, as she stood there, now silently, not knowing what to do. Biting her lip which started to quiver, Iris' eyes darted around the room seeing, but not processing. She was just avoiding looking at other people after all. Just a distraction, while she was feeling very confused, and very left alone.

_{Words: 453
I suppose this is a slight continuation of this.}

[Nathaniel Ryder]

Nathan was stuck half way under his bunk. Only his legs from the knees down stuck out. No one cared to help him. He didn’t need much help anyway unless the person wanted to locate the exact place where Nathan had left his favorite screwdriver. “Where are you?” he grumbled inhaling bits of dust bunnies. His way of cleaning was shoving things under his bunk and forgetting they existed which worked until he realized he was missing something.

His hand wrapped around what he thought to be a gear. But the gear had legs and began to crawl over his palm. Surprised by this Nathan screamed and automatically tried to push up. He hit his head on the bunk and fell back to the ground. His head throbbed. Nathan cursed in Greek and slowly maneuvered his way out from under the bed. He sat up and rubbed the back of his head gingerly. That was going to be a lump. His quest proved unsuccessful, no screwdriver. It wasn’t like he didn’t have another one but this particular tool just so happened to be his favorite.

“Err…hi”

Nathan turned his head toward the door of the cabin. A girl stood there, looking nervous as if she had just walked into a hungry lions den. New girl. There were two more of his siblings in the cabin but they were preoccupied with their own affairs or projects to really give the girl a second glance. Nathan glared at them and got to his feet. “Nobody move, just stay where you are.” he said to them. They looked up only for a moment before returning to their things. Nathan shook his head. He brushed the dirt from the front of his clothing but it didn’t matter as his shirt and pants were caked with grease stains to begin with. A wrench stuck absurdly from his belt. It looked as though it would fall out any moment, but it stayed in.

“Hiya!” Nathan said with a wave. He walked up to the girl and glanced her up and down like he was analyzing her. “Welcome to Hephaestus cabin I suppose. Our leader is out and about doing usual camp stuff. Umm, these two won’t be much help.” Nathan wasn’t good at this kind of stuff. He scratched his head; dust fell from his dark hair. “Not like I’ll be much help either. I’m Nathan Ryder, or Nate. Take your pick I really don’t mind.” He noticed how clean she looked, “Hmm, I hope you don’t mind your clothes getting a bit of grease and oil on them. It’s going to happen.” he looked down at his own outfit-covered n the stuff. His hands were even covered in grease smudges. Self-consciously he rubbed them on his pants trying to clean them off. It didn’t work.

WORD COUNT//

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NOTES//[/size]Nathan makes me smile[/center]

[Iris Grear]

She was oh so very nervous. And it was completely visible-- it was like she was a book. A picture book, maybe, because then even a baby could read her anxiety. Iris felt like it was so obvious that it would put people off. She used to have a little bit of a problem with this back in her school in London: she didn't do that well in her subjects, she didn't like going there, and was so engrossed in making a friend, she scared them away. After a few repeats of that scenario, she became a little discouraged, and she didn't try much anymore. She just expected people to be weirded out by the class dyslexic.

Keeping still even as one of her "alleged brothers" came crawling out from under a bunk, the only thing about her that moved were her eyes, darting around the cluttered room, and her fingers fiddling with the hem of her shirt. He said something, though she didn't hear it. Iris didn't get the feel that it was directed at her, so she didn't register it. Though the boy's words seemed to gather the attention of the others in the cabin, and as they looked up and gave her a glance, she looked at the other people for the first time, and counted the eyes. Four-- six including the pair getting closer and closer to her.

Quickly giving him an eye over, she put away any threatened feelings and thoughts she had. He didn't look scary, but she was still running on her nerves; also known as, natural adrenaline. Heart beating and fluttering as if she was going to entirely convulse, Iris had to feed herself reasons why she shouldn't turn tail and run. The boy had a rather pleasant look on his face, so she shouldn't worry that he was angry at her presence. His clothes looked like some of hers-- a fellow mechanic? And he had a rather worn, and aged wrench sticking out of his pocket. Even if he were to whip is out and bonk her over the head with it, she was now curious about how old and what brand of tool it was.

Now that she was for sure being spoken to she gave the boy her rapt attention. Her wide eyes stuck to his, carefully looking for a disapproving look or something similar. But she had no idea who a leader was or anything, so she thought it might be a good idea to listen even more closely. Every word was committed to memory as best she could. She might need this. One: leader was out, two: they will not be much help (this was a bit frightening to hear), three: he was Nathaniel. The last part made her look down, feeling self-concious at the discussion of clothes. She never was one for style, and to be quite honest, all her favorite clothes were covered in--

Wait a minute. He expected stains. Was this normal? Wasn't it usually the other way around? With the fashionistas... and, and the ratty work clothes she liked... and it wasn't proper public... what?
"N-no, this is just... well my mum wouldn't let me out and onto the aeroplane without changing. Might think I'm mental for being in public with my clothes," she said, rather quickly as she usually did under pressure. Blinking a few times, and looking back between her own attire, to his, and then around the cabin, a small part of her rejoiced at a new found fact. "But... seems like... you guys don't give a bloody damn if I've been under a car or not."

A snippet of her personality came with the rude word she let out, as she realized she might perhaps maybe fit in here. She was as quiet and timid as a rabbit, but when she was comfortable in her surroundings, she could be a little blunt. That raging heart of hers was trying to calm now. Even if that friendly, handsome Cameron from earlier said she didn't dress so well, at least it looked like these guys might not mind.

Words: 712
Uh, sorry for the length...