#Sunrises in Valdez project

[shitposting-puppet]

@bishipsaremyships Denichii siv

[erosjournal]

‧₊˚໒꒱ all along there were some, invisible strings...

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~ characters : leo valdez x daughter of iris

~ synopsis : you and leo have met on multiple occasions. three times, you guys have met, and you've never been friends. so why is it only now that he might be someone you don't want to leave?

~ tw(s) : nothing i can think of?

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1st time.

you shot up in bed, sitting and shaking while your breath heaved. you'd had another nightmare, which wasn't unusual at this point, but you still felt the rush of anxiety through you after it had happened. you looked around, making sure everything was ok around you. yup, your sleeping siblings still were safe in their beds.

you got up, and threw on a hoodie over your pajamas, then slipped on some shoes. you needed a walk to clear your head, and that nightmare was still embedded in your mind. you walked over to the door, stepping carefully. you opened the door and sneaked outside, closing it carefully to ensure your siblings wouldn't wake up.

it was a strangely cold summer morning, very early, right after sunrise. though, you wouldn't be able to tell with the clouds covering the sky. you took in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of the cold.

you decided to go sit by the lake, which wasn't very far. no one else was awake, and you thought about your nightmare as you walked. it was a repetitive one. one you wouldn't never let go, the memory haunting you forever.

you snapped out of your mind as you noticed someone was already sitting at your favorite bench. he had dark curls, and seemed to be tinkering with something. you didn't know anyone else that could've been awake at this point.

"you're in my spot." you said. walking closer. the turned around and smiled. he had a sharp grin on, and his dark brown eyes seemed to gleam with mischief. you felt your cheeks warm, probably from the cold.

"actually, i was here first." he announced, scooting so he sat directly in the middle of the bench, so there was no space for you to sit comfortably. you frowned and crossed your arms.

"hey, man, just let me sit here in peace. i need it." you sighed, watching him twitch with energy.

"no thank you, princess, i'd prefer to be here too." he went back to the project in his hands. it was a small, toy dragon. yet it was made of celestial bronze. odd. you walked around so you were facing him, and kicked him in the shins.

"dude, just go find another spot. there's like, dozens of benches." you groaned. he winced but just laughed.

"so why don't you go find one?" he smirked, spinning the tail on his toy. you bit your lip, frustrated at his stubborness.

"because.." this is my favorite bench, not yours, you wanted to say, but held back. "because i like it. okay? at least make room for me." you finally offered. he thought a bit, and nodded.

"sure, i'd love to sit next to a beautiful girl like you." he adjusted, so there was space for you. you sat next to him, watching the lake ripple and sway.

"soo... whatcha doin out here this early?" he asked, is eyes fixated on the dragon.

"says you." you glanced over, smirking a little. he looked up and noticed your smile, causing him to grin too.

"well, i wanted some time alone. obviously, it didn't end up that way, but i just needed some... time." he said, glancing at his dragon. he seemed so obsessed with it. you wanted to ask, but decided against it.

"yeah..." you nodded. after a bit more silence, broken by the occasional squeak of metal grinding against each other, you sighed.

"so, what's your name?" you asked, looking over at the boy. he smiled.

"leo valdez, at your service." he grinned. "and my dragon, festus!" he lifted the dragon up, so the light shone on it. you nodded.

"what about you, princess?" he asked. you were about to say, when a bell rang. wow you guys had been out there for a while. it was breakfast time, and you wanted to hurry back to change. you smiled at him, and got up.

"next time we meet, maybe you'll know." you teased, and ran off.

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2nd time.

camp half-blood had finished, summer was over. autumn had rolled in, and you were off to go back home. you promised your siblings to come back to visit, but you dearly missed your dad. he was always supportive of you, and when you were a kid he'd share amazing stories of your mother. you always thought he was joking, or trying to make you feel better, but you realized he was in love.

now, the hermes cabin and decided to play a prank on leaving campers. see, the campers had to drop off their suitcases (if they had them) with their things in the big house, so it could be watched over before they left.

the next day, wandered over to the big house. as you did, you noticed the disarray of confused campers and one upset chiron. you sneaked past them, into the room, to see the mess. the suitcases were all over the ground, the stuff in them had been switched into others, the tags crossed out and tossed. it was chaotic.

"oh my gods..." you gasped, seeing your favorite shirt on the couch, your suitcase on the other side of the room. you dashed to pick it up, weaving through the other campers.

as you stuck your hand out to grab it, you heard the sigh of the camp director.

"you all better help! this is going to set us back by at least a day!" he groaned, talking to the hermes kids. they all seemed pleased, but put on a poker face of sadness and remorse.

you walked around the room, snatching up skewed items of yours. as you came across your suitcase, you noticed a black haired boy rummaging through it, cursing as he kept pulling out bolts and pieces.

"leo?!" you asked, kicking him off of it. he winced but glanced up.

"oh, hey princess." he grinned. he backed up, pointing at the suitcase. "the hermes cabin stole some of my nuts and bolts and threw them around into the suitcases. i need them all for my project." he sighed. "is this your suitcase?"

"yes, it is mine. i would appreciate if you didn't go through it." you said sharply, kneeling to shove your clothes in it. he backed up, blushing.

"oh, sorry. i didn't mean to, i just needed the scraps that had fallen in..." he promised, opening his hand to reveal the items. you glanced and shrugged.

"okay, whatever," you said, and quickly zipped up your bag, and stood up, facing leo. he gave you a nervous grin, and fidgeted. his fingers were twitching.

"so, uh, princess, never got that name of yours." he said, smirking. he hoped you would lay off your bitter words.

"never threw it." you teased back, grinning. he smiled, rubbing his arms. you bit your lip, then told him.

"gods, that's a really pretty na-" suddenly was a loud crashing sound from outside.

"AH! KIDS!" chiron said, as some hermes campers had fallen off of a makeshift stack of luggage. he groaned and walked inside, nervous at the disarray.

"if anyone's ready, we have a bus prepared." he said, trying his best to be calm. a couple kids hurried out, and you looked back at leo.

"see ya next summer, leo." you smiled, and started walking out.

"you too, princess!" he called back, grinning.

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3rd time.

it was the next summer, and you were chosen to go on a quest. one you couldn't possibly go on. you were sitting on the steps of your cabin, slightly shivering at the thought of terrors ahead.

you were so caught up in your mind, you hadn't noticed the boy who'd come up to you.

"hey, um, everything ok?" a voice asked. you looked up. leo was standing there, awkwardly. he had worry written all over his face, and you felt bad.

"yeah yeah, of course." you assured, trying to stop your quaking. he shook his head, and sat right next to you.

"it's ok if you're not. quests can be really scary. not the actual thing, sometimes, but just the idea." you felt like breaking down. you'd been stressed recently, and the idea of crying into leo's arms was becoming more and more appealing.

"thanks." you said, and went back to staring off in the distance, your mind lingering. leo nodded, and took your hand in his. it made your heart flutter, but you shook it off as nerves. he made gentle circles with his thumb, reassuring you.

"just so you know, i think you're gonna do great. you're the best fighter i've seen." he said it seriously. whether or not that was true, you'd never know. but you smiled.

"thanks, like, seriously. i'd been stressed for a bit, and this on top..." you responded, shaking your head. he listened.

"hey, if you ever need to talk, drop by my cabin. i'll listen." he said. you felt you heart skip again. i'll listen. gods, this boy was gonna drive you crazy. you nodded, and leaned on leo's shoulder. he let you, not trying to do anything romantic or cheesy. he just wanted to be a comforting friend.

"leo, what was the first quest you'd ever done?" you said quietly. he sighed, relaxing his shoulders a little.

"me, piper, and jason had just gotten to camp half-blood. then we were sent to go beat up some giants to stop the first part of gaeas plan of rising. i think we did well." he grinned, looking over at you. you smiled.

"i.. i'm really scared." you admitted. he nodded slowly, motioning for you to continue. "i've never gone on a quest, and what good would i do?" you asked nervously. he looked surprised and shook his head.

"what do you mean 'what good would you do'? everyone has a key role to play. even you. i swear." he said, smiling reassuringly. you nodded.

"can you stay here for a bit?" you asked, shaking still ever so slightly. he nodded. you to sat there, enjoying each others company in silence.

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you'd just gotten back from you quest, and gods did it feel good to be back. your clothes were tattered, and you were exhausted. campers cheered as you and your fellow buddies from the quest arrived, grinning and hugging you guys. you hugged them all back, but searched the crowd. nothing.

"hey, princess!" you glanced over and smiled at the voice. leo was standing towards the back, on top of something to get his height up. you released the person you'd been hugging and quickly ran around the campers. you stopped in front of leo, who'd been standing on a brick.

"leo, get down here!" you cried over the voices of the other campers yelling. he nodded, and crawled down, and you threw your arms around him. "gods, i missed you!" you exclaimed, holding him tight.

leo was very surprised, but quickly held you tight against him too. you bit your lip, stepping back to look into his eyes. after a week of thinking, you had realizations.

"leo, can i-" you were broken of by leo's lips pressing against yours, hungry with love and longing. you felt yourself gasp, but kissed him back. gods you hadn't realized how much you'd wanted this.

you two stood there, in each others presence like nothing else mattered. it felt like the world had stopped. he was kissing you. and you loved it.

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~ an:

OMG HI GUYS! I FINISHED THIS! I HOPE YALL DONT THINK IT SUCKS, I TRIED MY HARDEST :((

I HOPE YALL R DOING WELL AND I LOVE ALL OF U WHO READ MY FICS :333

[pvgoestosouthafrica-blog]

Yay for the weekend! After planning time on Friday, we went out to Mojo Market in Seapoint. Similar to Hout Bay market, there are several stalls of food and goods for shopping. After doing a lap, we decided upon pizza and ramen and some pastries for dessert. Brooke was infatuated with the edible glitter on some of the pastries. She had no idea that existed! On Saturday morning, we left for Inverdoorn. A van came to pick us up and drive us the 2.5 hours to get to the game lodge. After checking in with reception, we got to see our Chalet. It was beautiful, clean, and WARM! Heaters don't seem to be popular here in South Africa and it is often just as chilly inside as it is outside at our volunteer house. In the winter time, the temps are often in the 50s with lows in the 40s at night. We're always wearing layers to stay warm. At lunchtime, we were told to meet under the gum tree for a buffet lunch. It was so enjoyable, even the birds joined us at the table. We explored the property and found the pool area. It was too cold to swim but it felt soothing to sit in the sun near the water. Brooke was thrilled to find several hanging nest seats to relax in and Jodi popped her head over the wall to see one of the facility's ambassador cheetahs! At 4 o'clock, we got into our 4x4 safari vehicle and headed out to look for some animals. We first went to the cheetah rehabilitation area. These cheetahs were rescued from people's apartments and taken here to teach them how to run and hunt so they could eventually be reintroduced to the wild. First they teach them to run by training them to chase a cloth on a bungee-like cord. After they learn to chase the cloth, they are rewarded with food. Eventually they are placed in the game reserve to hunt some of the zebras and impala. Once they are capable of hunting on the reserve, they are ready to be released into the wild. We were able to see the cheetahs in action as they chased a cloth and were rewarded with chickens. Even though chicken isn't typically part of their diet, it's still good for them and it offers some variety. After the cheetahs, we went into the lion territory. We were able to see the two lionesses and the black mane Barbary Cape lion. On the rest of the reserve we saw zebras, antelope, wildebeest, Cape buffalo, a few giraffes, and a rhino. Unfortunately it was getting dark so the giraffes and rhino were difficult to see. Upon our return, we had dinner by the fire place in their cozy lodge. On Sunday morning we were up bright and early for another safari. We wore multiple layers and wrapped ourselves in a blanket for our chilly drive on the reserve. The sunrise over the mountains was absolutely breathtaking and the sun almost seemed to rise with rapid speed. We were able to see more wildebeest, Cape buffalo, and zebra. We also got pretty close to a giraffe and a few elephants. We expected to be able to get out and walk with the giraffes but our ranger said they were too wild so we were quite disappointed. Even though we were freezing and Brooke almost peed herself, we had a good time. After breakfast, Jodi spoke to the head ranger about the giraffe walk. She arranged to have us go back on the reserve to try to walk with some giraffes. But we had a date with a cheetah first! Inverdoorn also has cheetah encounters. Many of their cheetahs are rescued from bad situations and some cannot be rehabilitated and returned to the wild, like our new cheetah friend Valdez. Valdez was rescued as a baby right before she was sold to some sheik and sent to Dubai. She and her siblings were weak and injured when they were found and since they probably weren't going to survive the flight, they were given up. Valdez' tail is bent at a 90 degree angle near the tip, possibly from getting caught in a door. When she was found, the damage had been done and they couldn't repair it. Since they use their tail for speed and balance, Valdez couldn't run as fast as she needed to be able to for hunting. As a cheetah ambassador, Valdez is more tame than the cheetahs they are trying to release back into the wild. Cheetahs are the only big cat that when tamed at a young age, can remain that way. When it was time for our encounter, we approached a safari vehicle with Valdez in the passenger seat. One of the cheetah handlers sat behind her, holding her leash and petting her. We drove out to a quiet space while Brooke giggled like a schoolgirl about a cheetah riding shotgun. We were able to walk with Valdez, watch her run, and pet her back. She purred like a kitten as we all took turns stroking her back. Apparently cheetahs are the only big cats that purr. We had such a fantastic time meeting Valdez, we didn't want it to end. We drove back to the lodge while she sat shotgun again. Jodi got cheetah hair in her mouth from sitting downwind from Valdez. After the cheetah encounter, we got in another safari vehicle to go back on the reserve to look for some giraffes. The older, male giraffes are a little more easy going about humans walking nearby. We had to walk slowly in a line as we approached the giraffes so as not to frighten them away. After a few attempts, we were able to get within about 15 feet of a male giraffe munching on a tree. Luckily the Cape buffalo (the most dangerous of the Big 5) laying behind the trees didn't seem to notice us. Sorry for another long post but it was such a fun weekend! We're ready to start our final week on project.