"Okay!" he said suddenly when the most adorable tantrum came to a rest. He wanted to hug her but given the circumstances, he figured it was well and truly best to lay off. At least until he explained himself first and she didn't shun him.
Daniel gestured off trail, and began to head that way hoping Cherise had enough trust or respect in him to follow. For once in his life he didn't actually want to cause a scene. Once they got to a nice clearing , for some reason he imagined them sitting down and talking about it easily. The reality was he was far too restless to take a seat on the inviting sunlit grass or even stand still in one spot.
"I owe you an explanation or two, that's true. But I didn't lie to you. It's..." he sighed out. Where did he even begin? "My name is Daniel. That's who I am and who I've been for most my life. But last year, there was a war. The camp got invaded and we didn't all make it to the other side. We won," he threw his hands up in gesture to the whole place that was obviously still standing and teeming with life. "But...we didn't all survive."
He gnawed on his lip able to transport himself right back to the war zone their haven had become. The stress, anxiety and determination...how chaotic and helpless they really were in the end. Daniel could recall every damn minute of it and every sensation until his last breath was drawn. His eyes moved back to the sweet and patient brunette. She didn't need to fret, story time wasn't over but it was better to show and tell. He peeled off his jumper then unbuttoned his shirt shaking it down to his elbows. Daniel's torso was painted with a series of scars, mostly faded and foolishly caused by conjurations gone haywire, but there was a predominant one. Darker, bigger and badder than the rest. "I tried to take one of the giants down and while I was focusing on him, I was attacked from behind." He shifted to reveal a near identical scar on his back.
There was little room to doubt the blade went all the way through him. He could almost feel it again like a phantom pain when the war was brought up. Daniel rubbed his sternum as if assuring himself he was in one piece then flickered up a weak smile to Cherise. "I died, Cherise. I was dead. But mom being mom couldn’t leave well enough alone. She revived me but..." he pressed his tongue to his cheek caging in some raw emotion. "Not as myself. I don't know if it was by accident or she wanted to remodel me or what. All I had was false memories and a false identity. For months. 'Keith'."
He flicked up his shirt and took a couple paces. As he was talking about it, it's like he was unravelling the mystery and trying to comprehend it with her. "I guess being in the camp environment again, forced to face peers and reality ruined the whole blockade. I only came back around as myself yesterday."
Did that all sound crazy? He spun on his heels and covered those few steps back with a lot more hesitance. Daniel risked a guilty glance to her face. If she was open enough to believe him then he also owed her an explanation as to why it was only coming out now. "I like you and I don't know what version of me you like. I've been afraid to tell you because I didn't want you thinking I've been using you or lying to you." Which is obviously too late the cynic in him chimed. "I didn't want to risk what we had."
What would follow would make or break the man. A smack for some long winded exotic tale? A hug? Or one of her warm trusting smiles that just enveloped him in comfort? Maybe she'd walk off without a word... Daniel braced himself from best to worse. Not to say the daughter of Apollo couldn't surprise him.