Ronnie and Rafael's adventures

Rafael felt a wave of relief after the Apollo girl left, but his mind could tell there was something different about him. Then Rafael heard Ronnie ask him about what had happened. He really couldn't remember much but the worry in Ronnie's eyes and voice made him want to try. Well...we went to supper after I saved you from drowning. A waiter at the restaurant was rude so I was rude back. I tried to help some kid...then I woke up on the floor of the restaurant and asked you out. You said yes and we left...then I woke up here just now. Rafael rubbed his neck where the hand print was.

Rafael tried to figure out why he felt so odd. He wanted to hug Ronnie but knew that if he did she would probably get upset. Instead Rafael took his hands and rubbed his arms. Finally he looked up at Ronnie and remembered a question he had asked her.

Ronnie, did you say yes to going out with me just to make me feel better? Rafael normally wouldn't care, but he wanted to know if he was right. So, Rafael looked down and realized he couldn't look at Ronnie right then

Rafael felt his heart stop for a few seconds after Ronnie finished talking but then a haze seemed to lift and he saw all the events from the restaurant happening in his mind. Suddenly he felt tears leak from his eyes as he realized that Ronnie had saved his life and actually cared about him. Rafael blinked a couple times to rid his vision of any tears and then reached out and held Ronnie's hand. Thank you, and yeah, I agree. Rafael stopped thinking and leaned over and kissed Ronnie on her cheek

((I am SO sorry! I typed up a nice long response to this last night, but I guess I forgot to post it or something... :/ Anyway, here we go again....))

Ronnie's heart wrenched as she saw his eyes welling up in tears, and it took her a moment to realize that he was crying tears of happiness, not sadness. He took her hand and she let him, wrapping her fingers gently around his palm. He kissed her on the cheek and she blushed, though it didn't bother her. On another impulse, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, careful to avoid hurting him further as she leaned into him. "You're welcome... and thank you," she replied, smiling smally up at him. A wave of gratefulness hit her, overwhelming her. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she wouldn't let them shed. "I really thought that I was going to lose you, before..." she swallowed, collecting herself. She shouldn't have cared so much, because she hadn't even known Rafael for that long, but... he was the first person she'd found in years that she'd had the courage to talk to about her life, who took it seriously and treated her like anybody else. He was sweet, and generous, and he understood her, for the most part. The thought of losing the first real friend she'd had in a while made her heart pang.

It seemed that in her life, she lost everything too quickly, whether it be her childhood homes and friends, her father, her family, her innocence, or even her own daughter. Of course, she hadn't really lost her daughter, but she'd still been forced to give her up, which killed her. Her adoptive family sent Ronnie photos many times a year, and updates about how she was doing, but sometimes that didn't make things any better. The pictures just reminded her of what she was missing, what she had given up, what had happened in the first place. The girl so closely resembled Veronica when she was little, with her long, dark, unmanageable waves that cascaded over her thin frame, her frail features, her long lanky figure... except for those clear emerald green eyes that killed Ronnie, that looked so much like Samuel. And even though looking at photos her daughter broke her, she couldn't help but carry a photo of her everywhere, a constant reminder of everything.

Rafael felt strange when Ronnie didnt try and stop him. What really took him by surprise was the thought of how Ronnie was hugging him. Then she told him how she had been worried about him and if she would lose him or not. Rafael smiled and ended the embrace. Ronnie, I love you and would tear down the world and heavens just to keep you nearby and far from pain. Rafael wasn sure how it would be taken by Ronnie but he meant every word he said while he held her warm and soft hands

((I apologize ahead of time for a sh***y post. I'm really tired si it'll be bad))

Rafael saw Ronnie go for something in her wristlet and he watched as she removed a picture of a young girl who looked a lot like Ronnie. Ronnie spoke about her daughter and the paused. Rafael smiled warmly and replied to the unspoken question. Ronnie, she's beautiful. I understand why you keep a picture of her with you. I just wish that I could see her in person to tell her she has a wonderful mother. Rafael hoped that he hadn't said something wrong.

((It's fine!))

Ronnie smiled as he spoke, his words full of warmth and comfort. He wished he could see her... Ronnie frowned slightly, relaxing against the wall of the infirmary. "I- sometimes I wish I could see her soon. Her parents left the option open to me, they said that I could come see her if I ever wanted to, but I don't know. I feel like going to see her would make me feel so insufficient, knowing that I gave her up of my own accord. She wouldn't even know who I am, and I don't know how I would respond to seeing her again. I haven't seen her since she was born, really... I'd love to, but at the same time I'm not sure if it's the right thing to do."

Rafael realized that they were still holding hands and that made him a little nervous. So he let his hand slide away from her's and then he looked at her. Rafael was unsure of how to respond, with all the antiseptic smells involved. Finally he stopped and spoke of instinct. I...I would go with you, if that would help in any way. I mean, it will only hurt more if you deny yourself a visit with her. Rafael looked away to see who all was in the infirmary. No one was so it didn't matter.

Rafael nodded in agreement as she asked him if he meant what he had said. It was an odd conversation but Rafael had meant every word he had ever said to Ronnie. Ronnie, I will go with you because I believe that is what will help. That is what a friend would say and a boyfriend would act upon his words. It will help you a lot if you do go and have support in your visit. [color=gray]Rafael grinned in response to his thoughts and words. [color=gray]Besides, I wanna meet the people who adopted your daughter. Tell them that they are 'heaven-sent' and that I am thankful they are nice to you.

((How old is Rose?))

((She's only a little over a year old))

Ronnie thought for a moment, still not entirely convinced, but starting to come to terms with the idea. Rafael looked at her, grinning, and she couldn't help but flash a small, brief smile back at him. "I need to see them again, too. They've been so good to me, offering to let me see her, even though I haven't wanted to. They knew part of my situation, so I guess they kind of had to be..." she trailed off, tracing the fabric of her jeans with her thumb uncomfortably. "But... I think I'd like to go, if you came with me. I don't know how much it's going to help me, but I think that I need to see her, so I won't regret it later," she concluded, though the idea still made her a little nervous.

Rafael saw how Ronnie was getting nervous and he was really happy when she said she wanted to go if Rafael decided to go. Rafael stood up, feeling tons better and then spoke to Ronnie. Well, I'll go with you to see her. So, whenever you want to go see your daughter, I'm ready. Rafael held his hand out for Ronnie.

"We can go see her whenever we want, probably... I just need to get in contact with her parents. They don't live that far, maybe two hours away by car, in a town in Pennsylvania," she spoke, taking his hand and standing up. They stood for a moment before, on a whim, Ronnie hugged Rafael fervently once more, pulling away a few seconds later. "Thank you," she murmured, grateful to have someone who would do this for her.

Rafael was shocked the second that Ronnie hugged him. It was another hug and he was beginning to feel strange, almost as if the hug was reaching to his soul. Well, I guess we could leave now or something. Whatever works for you. Rafael stared into Ronnie's eyes and wondered how anyone could ever hurt her. It was just not right at all.

Rafael saw the wisdom in Ronnie's words and so he relented. He was actually still really tired from the monster assault and he was sure Ronnie was sore from her fall into the lake. Alright, Ronnie, we can wait until you are ready. I should probably sleep anyhow. Rafael went off of instinct and leaned forward. He kissed Ronnie briefly and then smiled in embarrassment. Bye, Ronnie. See you whenever. Rafael turned away and walked out with his mind fuzzy from the kiss.

((I guess that I will just post back here in this topic, since it has encompassed much of the camp so far.))
Rafael slowly walked out of the cabin where he had slept and stretched a bit. His limbs were sore but he was mostly rested. It was still a blur as to why he was so tired and in such a beat up state, yet he did remember some things from the day before. It was was rather interesting to think back and realize that all he had really done was just end up hurting Ronnie and then somehow he had pissed off a demon-child and the kid had tried to kill him for it. Now he was dead and Rafael was standing in the courtyard yawning from his long sleep, he hadn't even had anything to eat the night before, so he walked toward the open air pavilion and grabbed some fruit, mostly an apple and a small melon that he could eat as well. Then Rafael walked to the flames and thought for a second. He took the melon and sent a prayer to Hecate as he dropped the fruit into the fire. He kept the apple so that he had something and then grabbed a large mug from the Hecate table and spoke to it. Rafael asked for a mug of coffee with creamer and sugar in it and a small squirt vanilla syrup flowed through the liquid. The mug immediately filled and Rafael walked back to the cabins to sit on the fountain wall and just enjoy the early morning air. It was a nice day and he could think back upon the last thing he had said to Ronnie. His lips still tingled as if through an electric shock that had hit him. He had a fuzzy mind from everything and then he remembered that he had walked out right after kissing his girlfriend. That still surprised him that he was actually dating Ronnie at all.

((Why not? Maybe we should change the title though? not that it matters))

It was about eight o'clock in the morning when Ronnie entered the courtyard, bagged breakfast in hand, tired but ready to face the day. She'd had a long night. After having gotten washed up, she had managed to contact Rose's parents pretty easily, and they told her that they'd be glad to have her and that they'd expect her the next day. They seemed excited, somehow... she was kind of surprised. Were you supposed to be happy when the biological mother of your adopted child wants to come visit? Then again, Ronnie was only sixteen, so she couldn't have been seen as much of a threat.

Ronnie had tried to go to bed early after their conversation, but she ended up calling her stepmother, who seemed to think that her visiting Rose was an excellent idea, and proceeded to tell her about how she wished she could be there. Ronnie was going to tell Amy about Rafael, but she couldn't bring herself to. She would either be extremely happy for Ronnie, though surprised, or she'd be concerned about her well-being, because she knew a bit about Ronnie's experiences and she wouldn't want to see her hurt again. She didn't feel like discussing it, so she just didn't bring it up.

Around midnight, Ronnie had finally tried to fall asleep, though it was kind of pointless. Everything that had occurred during the day left her feeling wide awake, especially after Rafael kissed her. Anyway, she'd managed to fall asleep after struggling to, though she'd only gotten a few hours worth. She was kind of exhausted, but she figured she'd have to face the day if she was ever going to get some sleep.

Ronnie approached Rafael in the courtyard, sitting beside him on the fountain at its center.

"Hey!" she greeted, smiling at him. The lump on her crown of her had shrunken to nearly nothing by the morning, for which Ronnie was grateful, and she dressed for the fall, with a pair of dark wash jeans and a long-sleeved sweater with boots. She wore a light bit of makeup, but not so much that it was obvious, and she hadn't spent too much time doing it. She had tried her best to look good, since she was after all meeting the adoptive parents of her child, but she didn't try to look formal or anything. She met Rafael's eyes, hoping the fact that she was exhausted wasn't too obvious. She took a sip of her tea, which she'd transferred into a to-go cup in the mess hall, hoping its caffeine would take hold of her energy.

Rafael saw Ronnie appear through a door and he smiled. With the warmth of his mug of coffee, he blamed the nervous-sweaty palms on that. He still wasn't sure of how Ronnie would react to him after he kissed her. Rafael then pulled his jacket up on his shoulders and realized his mask had been lost the day before. Then he spoke what he had to. Hey, I'm sorry for kissing you last night. I don't know what happened. Rafael held the core of his apple and the set his coffee and core down next to him.

Rafael smiled when Ronnie said it was okay. He had been worried that she would hate him for it and that he would have made an enemy in the process. Now that she had said that he just decided that he wouldn't kiss her for a while. It would be better if he didn't make her uncomfortable. Then he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and spoke to her. So is it alright if I hug you then? He was still feeling the effects of that one kiss and then he realized that he had seen the hand print on his neck earlier. It hadn't been real noticeable but it was still there. That could be a problem with his visit with Ronnie's daughter. It was in fact, something that he was going to for Ronnie and he didn't want to mess it up.