§ Camp Clearlake § Book 2: Lycanthropy

Jake practically ignored Blaze. "So, Violet, from your eyes and teeth, I can tell your a vampire. Where you from?"
"Around. I actually come here all the time."

((I love that idea!)) As their lips met, Fawn's concentration shattered like glass, and water crashed over them.

Ivy smiled. "Let's go!"

"Funny, we've never run into you before. Well, Jake, we really should be going."

((I love "Fawn's concentration shattered like glass" !!))
Alexander kissed her as the water crashed over their heads. Laughing, he pulled back. "Now that was cool." He wrapped his arms around her, grinning. "I'm so lucky to have such a talented girl to call my own."

Stain grinned, leading Ivy through the forest. ((Where should they go?))

Violet nodded, frowning. "Going so soon?"
"Yeah, Blaze, we don't need to go for a while. We were supposed to be swimming the whole day!"

((I love.. um... metaphors...? Ugh, correct me if I'm wrong. I always forget those ))
"Hey, you've got some talent too!" she said, wringing the water out of her hair. It dried instantly. "Here, let me dry you off!" she said, pulling the water out of his hair.

((Hmm.. Maybe up in a tree canopy or something?))

"Fine... I'm gonna go sit over there," said Blaze, swimming over to the cliff beneath the waterfall to watch them undercover. Didn't Jake see how it was bothering her? Didn't he realize that he shouldn't start flirting with a curvy blonde girl in a bikini right in front of her... or at all?

((That's a simile, but same haha. ))
"So cool," Alexander smiled. "And thank you, love."

((OOoh! How about a giant, easily climbable tree? Like in Avatar?))

"Sure babe, do what you like!" he called. For the second time, he looked Violet up and down.
She giggled. "Do I look good?"

((Thanks! Lol))
Fawn grinned, leaning against him. Suddenly, she gasped. "We can go deep sea diving and not worry about coming up for air!" she exclaimed.

((Ooh, good idea! I call not starting >=D))

Blaze stared at him in disbelief, watching his eyes travel up and down Violet's body. Bastard...

"Awesome!" Alexander grinned. "Although I don't know when that opportunity will arise."

((Damn you! xD))
"We're almost there," Stain smiled.

Violet slid underwater, and popped back up, motioning for Jake to do the same. When Jake dove underwater, she began paddling, still underwater, until she disappeared. Dumbfounded, Jake bobbed back up, looking for where she'd gone. "Violet?" he called. He spotted Blaze while looking, and waved at her grinning.

"True. Well, maybe not deep sea diving though," she said laughing. "I am so... amazed by this still."

Ivy grinned. "Cool!"

Blaze waved back half-heartedly. Violet popped back up in front of Jake, obscuring his view of Blaze, and threw her arms around him, squealing and giggling. ((Can I control Violet?))

"Me, too," Alexander grinned. "Try something else!"

They soon turned a corner and stopped short. Every time Stain saw the enormous tree, he was wonderstruck, no matter how much time he spent here.

((Yes, I think it would be easier that way. )) Jake laughed, putting one arm around her. "You're fun!" he said, still laughing.

"All right!" Fawn jogged back over to the stream, thinking of what to do... "Aha!" she exclaimed, and pulled the water out of the stream. "I wonder if I can freeze it? I could make a ice castle!"

"Whoa," Ivy breathed, gazing up at the enormous tree. "This is incredible..."

"You know it," she grinned mischievously, trailing a finger down his chest. "Damn, you've got abs, boy."
Blaze couldn't take it any longer. Xander, where are you? I'm coming. She thought to Alexander.

"I dunno--hey, Blaze just contacted me," said Alexander, slightly confused. At the rune. What's up?
A moment later Blaze appeared beside them, wet and shivering. She conjured up a flame and dried herself off before morphing her bikini into a tank top and shorts. "Nothing. Just wanted to hang out with you guys for a while. That okay?"

"Isn't it?" Stain whispered back. He led her towards the massive, winding trunk that was practically a ramp for them from the ground to the top.

Jake grinned. "Yeah. I, uh, work out. I could show you one time, if you like."

"Ooh, I'd love to," she grinned, pressing her hands to his chest and glancing over her shoulder. "Your girlfriend left you. What a catch..."

((What the heck happened to Fawn, Xander, Ivy and Stain? It appears my posts were deleted, because I swore I replied...))

Jake glanced behind her as well. "Huh. I guess she did...." He frowned. "I think I should be going as well,"

Fawn blinked. "Hey Blaze! You will not believe this!" she said, straightening up. She used all of her strength to pull water from the stream, and glide it around the room. "I'm gifted," she murmured, stepping over to Blaze. "Just like you!"

"I'd be willing to fight anyone who tries to cut it down- though I'm sure no one would- or could, for that matter."

((Yeah, I was wondering the same thing... bizarre.))

"Why? She obviously loves you too much to completely ditch you. She'll be back in no time, don't worry about it."

Blaze hugged Fawn happily. "Oh my god! That's awesome!" she grinned.

"It'd be almost impossible," Stain agreed, stepping onto the ramp-like limb winding its way around the tree.

((Hmm.. Oh well.))

"I guess so. I wonder how she left so quickly?" Jake said, though he knew exactly how: she teleported.

"Isn't it? Hehe, I ccan make water creatures, and you can make fire ones! Though I haven't tried making any yet..."

Ivy followed him up. "It's not even hard to climb!"

((But isn't Violet a vampire too? Only mages could get to the lake...))

"That's so cool! I'm so happy for you!" Blaze grinned, but after a few moments her smile faded back into a frown.
Alexander frowned as well. "What's wrong, Blaze?"
Blaze bit her lip, conjuring up a flame in the palm of her hand and morphing it. "Jake."

"It's great, isn't it?"

((Oh, right, right, right!))

"So, what would you like to do?" Jake asked, casually leaning back into the lake.

Fawn frowned. "What's wrong- er, 'what happened?', I guess would be the better term," she said hastily, trotting over to Blaze. A water-butterfly fluttered around her shoulder.

"Really, it is. This place is..." she searched for another word, "really amazing." ((Something should happen when they get to the top. Like, she slips, and he saves her, and she's all "How did you do that?!"))

"Oh, I don't know," Violet smiled, pressing her hands to his chest. "What do you have in mind?"

"It' stupid, I'm probably just overreacting," Blaze sighed, sitting cross-legged on the ground and twirling the flame around her finger.
"Blaze, you under-react to everything," said Alexander, concerned.

"It is," smiled Stain. They were halfway up the tree by now, and it was magical.
((Sure, but she can't find out until after they've been dating for a while, remember? So it'll be a huge omg-I-trusted-you-you've-been-hiding-so-much-wtf sort of thing but they'll end up together.))

Jake shrugged, grinning. "What ever you want, pretty much. I'm free all day!"

"Yeah," Fawn said, "do you want to talk about it? Would we be able to help with anything?" The butterfly flitted around Blaze, before morphing into a seahorse.

"Thank you for taking me here! I don't think I ever would've stumbled upon this place if it wasn't for you," she said. ((Okay. ))

"Great," smirked Violet. She slunk back into the water, her silky blonde hair flowing around her. She grabbed his hand. "Come on, there's a really cool cave behind the waterfall that I think I've been the only one to discover."
((When they cheat, they should probably go all the way so it's like really serious... and Blaze could cheat with Erik and it could be all like OMG. I forget if I already said that or not. ))

"No, you can't help. I'm just being stupid and jealous."
"What do you mean?"
"Jake was talking to this gorgeous blonde mage, Violet, at the lake and I got jealous and left."
"Oh..." Alexander sighed. For once, Blaze was probably just overreacting. "It's okay. You can hang out with us, and go back later once you've cooled off a bit."

"No, probably not," said Stain. "And thank you for coming along. I've had an excellent day so far," he smiled.

Jake grinned, and swam after her. "A cave? Sweet." ((I like your idea. And, no, I don't think you already said it, so it's all good.))

"I could help you cool off, if you like," Fawn said, smiling. "I can cool off the water for you! I think... All right, I'm being insensative. So, yeah, we can make animals together!"

Ivy returned his smile. "Me too. It's good to hang out with someone that I can relate to!"

((Alrighty, cool. I'm forgetful. ))
"It is," grinned Violet, passing under the waterfall.

"Yeah," Blaze said with a flicker of a smile.

Stain smiled at her. They had now reached the top of the tree, and several large branches intertwined with smaller ones to make a kind of nest, cushioned by leaves. Stain gazed out over the horizon. "Have you ever felt like, when you first meet someone, that you've known them for years?"

((Haha, it's fine. Me too. ))

Jake easily swam after her, showing off by taking long strokes. "I could swim all day," he said, grinning.

Fawn smiled as well, as a puffer fish emerged from the stream, and flitted around the rune. "When did you first find out that you were a pyro mage, Blaze?"

"Kind of," Ivy admitted. "Why? Do you feel that about someone?"

"Cool," said Violet. She ran her hand along the rough, moist rock behind the waterfall and stopped at a certain point. "It's here," she said, shooting small vines out of her fingers to trace the outline of the doorway. A moment later it faded nd she hoisted herself inside, crawling on hands and knees. "C'mon, sexy," she called to Jake, starting into the darkness.

"My first night in the Blood City."
"Yeah, she reached into a fire and pulled out a handful. She took onto it right away. Almost as if she knew," said Alexander.

"Yeah," Stain smiled. "I met someone recently who I felt like I've been dreaming about for years."

Jake followed her up, also on his hands and knees, grinning. "Ah, so you're gifted? My girl, Blaze, is a pyro Mage herself."

Fawn smiled. "It must've been a bit of a shock when she first stuck her hand in there. What drew you to the fire, Blaze?"

Ivy smiled. "May I ask who they are?"