[text] Hey, are you up? If you’re not, can you wake up? I need some help. / [text] So it involves feces and large birds. / [text] She said that to you? Why? ( Savy )

[text] Hey, are you up? If you’re not, can you wake up? I need some help.

[text] I’m up now thanks to your text.[text] Remind me to set my phone on silent next time,[text] But what’s up?

[text] So it involves feces and large birds.

[text] …Savy.[text] No.

[text] She said that to you? Why?

[text] I don’t know, you tell me.[text] Isn’t that what girls usually say to the person they’re in love with?[text] Dammit Savy.[text] You’re supposed to be helping, not making me more confused.

Leaning forward, Walden tucked a strand of Alice's hair behind her ear. "You're impossible," he said, though there was a hint of a laugh hidden in his voice. "Too smart for your own good, that's what you are. But yes, if you must know, it is you. So, Alice, would flowers be too cliche?"

"That’s a good argument, but you are the one asking for advice that you seem to possibly really need. I technically have the advantage — I have the answer, you’re looking for it." Knowing Walden, the teasing by now was driving him insane — which she loved to do. A past time of hers, really. "I don’t know, that wasn’t even the original question you asked.”

"Well I mean, being our keeper isn't a bad thing either. Someone needs to keep all of us in line," he responded with a shrug of his shoulders. Okay, maybe Aiden or Jean didn't really need 'keeping in line', but Walden Fortescue himself certainly did. Who knew where he'd be without Callista, really? She was almost like an older sister to him, the way he saw Aiden as an elder brother ( they were brothers, but Walden felt closest to Aiden than to his other half-siblings, so that countered as something different than just the "kids of Hephaestus" relationship, right? ). 

"No flicking noses to keep us in line, though. And I said, giving her my shirt wouldn't be a bad idea. That's not, is it? It's cheap and meaningful, no?" He was aware that he was pushing it a little, but hey, surely she wouldn't really slap him for that, right? Besides, Alice probably would appreciate the gift.

"I’d like to think I’m somewhere along those lines, I may just be all of your guys’ keeper.” Her eyes were glimmering with excitement about the fact that her idea seemed to work. While Callista wasn’t always one to pry into others personal sex lives ( romantic lives were a completely different story ) — though she wasn’t adverse to hearing about it — she was able to make comments about it unabashedly. It was what she did. Everything he said was good up until the point she saw the grin on his face and the words that came out of them. “Walden Fortescue, would you like to try that sentence over again or do I have to flick your nose?”

"Oh, but I'm not the one guessing, am I?" Walden countered, trying to resist the urge to kiss that cheeky grin off his girlfriend's face. Let her have her fun, he thought. "You're the one guessing. So do you think it's you?"

A grin spread across Alice’s face before she laughed. Just one more time. “What’s the answer? All I heard was ‘dammit Alice’, not really an actual guess. And I am! Oh — wait, you’re guessing me?”

"So, what's the flower for 'I think you're pretty and I like you'? Could you maybe help me out on that one?"

"Depends, I think she might look more into the meaning of the flowers you give her- so be careful. "

"Don't know, Jean, you tell me," he replied, his tone laced with sarcasm. "You think that Alice would appreciate it?"

"Would you appreciate getting a socket wrench?"

"Young grasshopper?" Walden repeated incredulously. "We're the same age, Skylar. But okay then, Daughter of Love. What gift should I get my girlfriend?"

"Oh boy. You have a lot to learn, young grasshopper."

"Dammit, Alice," he breathed out in frustration, finally dropping his act. "There you go, that's your answer. Aren't you a daughter of Persephone?"

"I r e a l l y don’t know, my memory isn’t the best. There are just soo many people on the island and so many siblings of mine. Mum really knew how to reproduce. Are you sure you’re not getting Demeter and Persephone confused?”

"Well, then. I guess you do have a point. I still need to get my girlfriend something, though."

Considering the fact that their grandmother is Demeter and that you had to physically ask yourself that question, I’d say that you need to rethink your gift choice.

"Well then, oh Great One, a little advice about what to give my girlfriend would be nice."

I am personally offended that you’re going to do something that cliche.

"I mean, she is my girlfriend. I sure do hope that she'll like me giving her flowers. And until I think of anything better, I'm going with flowers."

“The whole thing’s a cliche, really… Even if the girl isn’t a daughter of Persephone. But girls do like boys giving them flowers, you know?”

"You, Callista Bayliss, are our fairy godmother," Walden quipped, shaking his head in amusement. Leave it to her to be there when he needed advice. It wasn't always what he was looking for, but he always appreciated the fact that she would try to help him out. "My shirt, hm? Actually, that's not a bad gift," he added, the smile on his face morphing into a more mischievous grin. "I'm sure that she'd appreciate it, yeah. And I think that I'd appreciate seeing her in it, too."

“Always here when you Hephaestus kids need me. I have a psychic link to you all I think at this point.” Callista smiled back, listening to him speak. Weighing the options in her mind, she did her best to give him some semblance of advice. “I think she’d appreciate anything you gave her, really. I could see you giving her your shirt, and she’d still love it, really. I think just reminding her you respect her and that she’s a queen or something like that is good, though. Unless you want to give her your shirt while talking to her, I think that could lead to a nice present of sorts,” Cal smirked.

"Hm, I guess I can assure you that it's not Astrid. Are there any other daughters of Persephone that you know of? C'mon, take a guess, MacNair. Who do you think it is?"

"Well, Astrid is a daughter of Persephone and flowers suit her quite nicely — as much as she doesn’t want to be around them. I’d like to think I know you well. I suppose I should, but care to remind me?”

Jumping in surprise when he heard a voice behind him, Walden spun on his heels to find himself face to face with Callista. Letting a small smile grace his lips, he said, "Ah, Lis. Just the person that I wanted to see. Do you think she'd appreciate the flowers? Or is that a cliche?"

"The look on your face is adorable, really. I’d imagine Alice likes flowers, right? Is there anything she likes more?”

"Oh, I don't know. Who do you think I'm talking about? You know me well, don't you? Shouldn't you know who this special person is?"

"And just who are we talking about? I don’t know any daughters of Persephone, Fortescue. Should I be concerned there’s someone else?”

"...Is giving a daughter of Persephone flowers too cliche?"

        what people forget is  

          ”soulmates"  

                   doesn’t always mean 

          "happy-ever-after"  

                                all it means is 

                   "i can’t be without you" 

no matter how much i should be