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[prettywithawill]

Valkyrie wiped the sweat out of her eyes and for not the first time since arriving on the island, lamented the loss of her magic. She didn't realize how many tiny ways she had used it every day, for things even as simple as keeping a cool breeze on her so she didn't get all sweaty. In a place as humid as the island, that skill would have been

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[tooktheblack]

There were several people on the island who seemed deft with a sword and Jon had tried to make a point of getting familiar with each, knowing who he could count on in a fight or, if things went sour, who to watch out for lest he ended up with a knife in his back.

"You've got good form so far," he remarked as he passed by the girl, appraising her the way he would have one of the new boys up on the Wall.

[prettywithawill]

If there was one thing that Valkyrie liked- and there wasn't, she liked several things- it was compliments. Compliments from handsome men were especially nice to get.

"Thank you," she said, keeping her focus on her sword-work as she glanced at the sound of the voice from the corner of her eye.

"I've only been at it for about a week now."

[tooktheblack]

"Then it's even more impressive," Jon said, the smirk smoothing out into an actual smile. He wasn't so far removed from the Wall that he'd forgotten how to teach a man to hold a sword, or guard his back, and he drew a little closer.

"I could help, if you wanted. I've taught dozens of people how to fight with swords and daggers."

[prettywithawill]

"That would be brilliant, actually," she said. It wasn't that she thought Edmund's teaching would be lacking. Quite the opposite. She liked to excel though, and if she could surprise him by how much she was progressing by getting some extra help, that would be great.

"It would be nice if I could learn a bit extra before my next lesson. And I don't mind working extra hard to learn."

[percy_jackson]

Finished with my classes that morning, I walked through the halls of the Compound, heading for the kitchen. Looking ahead, I was pleasantly surprised to see Valkyrie in the corridor, looking around. Pleasantly surprised and... suddenly rather nervous. If I wanted to ask Valkyrie to be my date at Zell's wedding, now was the time. But... that would mean asking Valkyrie to be my date. That was harder than it sounded.

But it really was now or never, so it was time to man up. "Hey, Valkyrie!" I called. I waved to her as I came closer.

[prettywithawill]

It was rather convenient that Percy had found her, especially since she was hoping to find him without actually looking really hard to find him. She didn't want to seem that stuck on him or anything, she just... wanted to see him.

"Hey Percy," she said, smiling at him and giving a wave.

[percy_jackson]

"Hey," I said in return. Then realized I'd just said that, and that if I didn't do something quick, we could be doomed to be just standing here, saying 'hey' to each other a lot. I took a deep breath. "I was just going to get some lunch. Want to join me?"

Well, partial success. I'd invited her, but to lunch, not to a wedding. Why was it so hard?

[prettywithawill]

Percy was kind of awkward at times, but it was endearing. Sort of like a puppy that got so excited to see you it peed on the carpet. Only fortunately with Percy the pee was just metaphorical.

"Yeah, sure, I could eat," she said with a shrug, trying not to sound too excited about the prospect. "What have you been up to today?"