action ☁ feb 26

[clearasil]

[ Natalie has always been a private person.  It might be obvious to those who are especially concerned about her that she hasn't been seen in a couple of days since the quest departure.

What a waste of her last drachma for the month, she thinks.

She doesn't want to bog anyone down with her troubles - there are things far bigger than her happening all around, and she is only one girl, one girl who likes to think she can handle it all, but in truth is unprepared for everything sent her way. The only person worse than Natalie at trying to fool the world is her own father, who she had spoken to via Iris Message just after Leo and the others left.

There are a few signs to her poor state, like two singed targets at the archery range and a trail of smoke that follows her when she finally emerges from her various treks around camp and away from everything else. She leans against a stone column outside of Hecate cabin and pulls her parka hood over her head, hugging herself around her empty stomach.

Your vision might go a little haywire if you approach her, with various dizzying effects. She's having a few control problems. ]





( ooc | preemptive warning for discussion of mental illness as portrayed in her canon. nat isn't entirely clear about the subject. )

Comments

[dromomania]

[It's not hard to connect the dots between a severely upset Hecate camper and wonky vision. Doesn't the Mist have a lot to do with what you see? Rhys, coming back to the cabin and feeling things start to go uncannily blurry, stops by Natalie when he sees her.]

Something up, Natalie?

[clearasil]

Hi.

I forgot to have breakfast. [ Natalie says, her voice rough from lack of use for a day or so. She clears her throat a few times, at least looking a little sheepish when she looks up to see her cabinmate, pushing the fur of her hood aside. ]

[dromomania]

You want me to go grab you something?

[Rhys is actually a decent guy. Especially to his cabinmates. And hey, if she's dizzy from lack of food herself it might explain the dizzy thing.]

You look like you could use the food.

[clearasil]

[ She pulls a hand out of her pocket and waves it carelessly. ] No, no, I mean, I can go get it myself. It's almost lunch, right?

Um, thank - thanks though, I appreciate that. [ Her first instinct is to just hide under her covers, but she doesn't want to shut him down completely. ] D'you wanna head there?

[dromomania]

Sure, but first it would be great if you turned off the wave machine.

[He makes a wavy hand motion to suggest the fact that she i smaking him as dizzy as hell.]

I mean, I find it pleasantly surreal but the rest of the lunch crowd might be less enthused.

[annieisntokay]

[Annie doesn't know Natalie. Probably for the best. Though both girls are from Washington, they're still from different pantheons, and, well, an interesting history when it came to the mental health of themselves and others. Not that either of them knew it. Natalie was already a full-time camper when Annie's family had been murdered, and she'd been committed.

But today, today these young women were about to meet. Cue lighting and thunder and title card.

Annie didn't even notice Natalie at the entrance to Hecate cabin. It was only when she walked by and was hit with a sudden wave of dizziness and disorientation. It's enough to knock her against the porch, a hand on her head as she tries to steady herself.] No no no, [she mutters.] took my medicine, can't be that.

[Looking around, Annie has no idea what's causing this, but all signs point to her own mental instability. And she'd been doing so well, too! The whole thing made her want to cry out in irritation. Well, her cabin wasn't too far, Finnick's even closer. If she could get to one of those, then she could be okay. She was sure of it.

So, still holding on to the railing of the porch, she's going to try to keep walking.] It's all in your head, Cresta. C'mon, [She mutters.]

[clearasil]

Shit.

[ That's enough to get Natalie to snap out of her own self-centered thoughts. Before jumping to the girl's help, she shuts her eyes tightly, willing herself to turn it off. Don't feel anything. Allowing her feelings to get the better of her only has horrible repercussions for her magic, as she's displayed in her earlier years at camp, making a mess of things before eventually finding some center of balance. Of course, that is easily tipped. ]

I'm so sorry - [ Natalie starts, pushing herself off the porch but still leaning against a stony column. One arm extends to help her but she doesn't touch. Natalie's weird about personal space so she doesn't impose on other people. ] That was me, all me.

[annieisntokay]

[And just like that, the dizziness has passed, and there's a girl in front of her. Annie looks at her arm, but she doesn't take it. Instead, she wraps her arms around herself.] Oh- what did you do?

[It wasn't accusatory, just curious. Then, she looked up at the cabin she was in front of.] You're a daughter of Hecate.

[clearasil]

Sorry, it's, like - it's a part of my powers, controlling what people can see. I can play with the Mist and sometimes it goes out of control and I guess.... that has to do with a lot of factors. [ Natalie explains with a slight tremor in her voice because she may have been emotionally wrought last night and actually talking to other people might get her started again. Crying isn't something she does in public, it just isn't.

She does feel badly for what she's done to the other girl - it's a heightened concern for reasons she'll soon realize - even as she slips her hand into her coat pocket again. ] You - you okay?

[annieisntokay]

[Controlling what people could see. Annie's eyes darken for a moment and she frowns. that was... terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. The next time she looks at Natalie, it's almost warily. Though the waver in her voice is enough for Annie to be concerned.

She shakes her head, trying to laugh it off, all the same. She's a Centurion. She helped capture a werewolf that tried to attack the camp. She's okay. She has to be okay.] Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry- I just- ah, sorry. [She shoves her own hands in her pockets, unaware she's mimicking Natalie's movements.] I thought it was my head. Messing things up again, [she admits, looking down.]

[pyrkagia]

[To be perfectly honest, Dany hasn't been doing so well lately, either. She's been trying to busy herself since she couldn't leave after her own dragons - working hard in the forges, spending time with Enjolras (who's been prone to falling asleep on the Hephaestus cabin floor). The talent show was a good moment's reprieve, but Leo was pulled away on the quest and it couldn't be helped, and the world seemed even more dire.

Natalie is older - she is a counselor, and more importantly, she's as close to Leo as Dany thinks she is - albeit on another level. Natalie will know what to do.

She's already looking frazzled, but she becomes even moreso when approaching the Hecate cabin. She feels almost like she's crosseyed, shaky.]

[clearasil]

[ Seeing Dany, she can only assume she has food for her, like she used to the summer before. Natalie blinks a few times so her own vision clears, tilting her head confusedly when she sees her falter. ]

Hey ... [ Which is soft and comes out almost like a question. ]

[pyrkagia]

[Actually, she doesn't - if only because Natalie's gotten much better - or at least, it seems that way to Daenerys.

She's also not been eating as well as she should lately, either.]

I can't see well.

[Which isn't totally true, but she is stumbling.]

[clearasil]

Shit. [ Comes the swear as Natalie winces, letting her head loll backwards in frustration. She rubs her eyes with the heels of her hands, shaking her head a few times as if trying to clear it.

Hopefully the concentration works. She should have just stayed inside the cabin instead of standing in public where she can physically pull everyone into her bad mood just by breathing. ]

[pyrkagia]

[In what feels like a slow instant, Dany finds herself coming to her senses again, and she's...not quite sure if that's what inebriation feels like, but if so, she doesn't want to ever feel that out of control again.

She frowns a little. Natalie's as troubled as she is. She cuts right to the chase.]

I'm worried about him.

[usernameallison]

[So...this looks bad.

Because Scott thought the haziness and everything was done with now. He'd survived his first full moon - somehow. But now...as he's crossing towards the rock climbing wall, it changes again. He feels dizzy, shaky.

So disoriented that the normally agile legacy of Victoria's stumbling over his feet.]

[clearasil]

[ It looks like Nat will be way more social than she intended today. She pushes her hood off again, suppressing a yawn and rubbing her eyes just to make sure she's not seeing things. ]

Scott? [ She glances over her shoulder to see if Stiles is even inside. Nope. ] Watch your- crap. Crap. [ It suddenly hits her and Natalie smacks her forehead, calling off the Mist play. ]

[usernameallison]

Yeah? I-

[Really, that's all he manages to get out before he clocks his head against the ground. It won't do much damage - after all, it's soft grass under his feet and he's both got Victoria and his werewolfitude on his side, but. He's down and then up slowly, shaking himself off.]

That was weird.

[Statement of the century.]

[clearasil]

My - my fault, [ Natalie mumbles, rubbing the back of her neck, under her hair.

She's about to step off the porch but he's already helping himself up so the most she can do is look apologetic about it. ] I'm kind of... out of it.

[usernameallison]

Oh. It's - are those your powers?

[It occurs to Scott he's never really experienced Natalie doing magic before.

He also doesn't know about her and Leo.]

[weneedasign]

[The singed targets made him pause at the brooding archery range. For some reason he has an inkling of where they came from.

Which is why he shoulders his bow and makes his way over to the Hecate cabin. He's been meaning to see how Natalie was after the quest began but... Well he's been a bit preoccupied making sure Dany was alright.

He has to pause when he gets closer to the cabin, a wave of dizziness making him stumble. Shaking his head he focuses on Natalie, slowly making his way over and when he does he places a hand against the column to steady himself.]

Natalie?

[clearasil]

[ It is certainly wishful thinking to even consider the idea that there might just be a bug going around camp and she and Enjolras are just victims. She has a feeling that he's come to check on her, but his immediate reaction confuses her. At least for a second.

She furrows her brow, clearing her throat before speaking. ]

Um. Yes? What's - what's up?

[weneedasign]

[If only it was a bug. That might be the most normal thing to befall them in a long while.]

I could ask you the same thing. Everything alright?

[And he will call 'bullshit' if she tries to wave it off as everything was fine, because it's clear something is very wrong here.]

[clearasil]

No.

[ Her shoulders slump and she lets her head drop and she leans it against the column, sighing deeply. They know each other well enough and she is at least somewhat comfortable with disclosing some information about her personal life. ]

I talked to dad.

[weneedasign]

[A red flag goes up at that. He frowns, more concerned then before.]

Something happened back home, didn't it?

[He doesn't know the full story of the Goodman family, but from the bits and pieces he's gotten... Well, this doesn't bode well at all.]