I cannot pretend; I find myself against all the odds again (Monday W1)

[hydrokinetics]

[Monday finds Percy getting a head start on exploring the land. Thanks to Hannibal, Percy's realized there's a lake in this town and he's made it his mission to find it. Early Monday, not long after the rest of them are just starting to stir and start their day, Percy and Mrs. O'Leary head down to the lake.

There's hardly a moment's hesitation as he looks at the water, concentrating to see if he can get a feel for it. It feels warm and pliable, the kind of water he thinks he can work with. It doesn't take long for him to glance around and look up at the puppy sitting on the dock.]

Stay here, girl.

[There's an affirming "woof" as Mrs. O'Leary lays down on Percy's cowboy hat, chewing it idly to her heart's content. Percy watches for a moment before Mrs. O'Leary wags her tail, a signal that she's happy and she'll keep watch. Without another thought, Percy looks over his shoulder one more time before taking a few quick steps off of the dock and plunging into the water.

This is the scene Will will find as he approaches. He may want to fish all alone, but instead he'll find one (1) small furry friend trying to tear up the cowboy hat. Upon hearing Will's approach, however, she'll turn her head and bark at him. Are you a friend? Are you alone? Who are you?

And yet Percy remains unseen, still under the water's surface and trying to do his thing.]

Comments

[hydrokinetics]

[He doesn't seem to mind. Percy's used to all kinds of people and if Will's happier back there with Mrs. O'Leary than so be it. Percy is currently just one kid who's in the lake and though he's kind of uncertain he's happier here than he was back at the hotel. Water, even if it doesn't have the desired effect, helps him calm down.]

Winston, huh. [There's a grin when the dog licks his hand and he's taking Will's permission to pet the dog and scratch behind the ears. Prior to obtaining Mrs. O'Leary Percy's never had a pet. New York apartments aren't meant for them, and so this is still something he will take advantage of.]

Percy. Nice to meet you. [He looks up at Will again, though there's a slight light of recognition in his eyes.] ...oh. You're Will. [...yes, Percy, he just said that.] Mr. Lecter told me about you.

[Judging by the way he responds, nothing Hannibal said was bad. There's also something to be said about the fact he's calling Hannibal "Mr. Lecter" still. Once he's more comfortable that may change but he's trying to keep his nose clean and not get in trouble with adults just yet. (Except the sheriff. That guy can fuck right off.) He's treading water and using one hand to pet Winston while the other balances him on the dock, allowing his gaze to drift back to Mrs. O'Leary who's completely pleased with this change of hands.] I guess that explains why Mrs. O'Leary likes you.

[sweats]

[ Looks like they're talking now, huh? Or at least, Percy's not leaving and Will isn't either and Will's pretty happy to sit here and pet this puppy. So, he shifts to sit cross legged on the docks, facing Percy properly and encourages Mrs O'Leary to come flop into his lap so he can continue petting her. Winston, on the other hand, just lets out another huff but pressing into Percy's hand. Even with the water, he's quite happy to be pet, fluffy tail wagging as it continues.

Of course, then Percy has to act like he knows him and Will just blinks up in confusion at him -- until he mentions Hannibal. Then Will just looks a little strange, like he's not quite sure what expression to make. ]

Hannibal? He -- [ Uh. ] I -- [ Hm. ] He said something about dogs, didn't he?

[ And Will, of course, looks a bit flustered too but he'd be grateful if you didn't mention it, Percy. ]

[hydrokinetics]

[In a weird way this is kind of like talking to Nico where Percy knows he needs to keep a bit of distance until he can get a better read on who Will is as a person. He kept his distance with Hannibal as well until he felt like the man wasn't actually out to get him. Will, for the most part, looks entirely non-threatening anyway.

There's also the fact that if something were wrong Mrs. O'Leary would attack immediately, but seeing how she's flat out flopping over in Will's lap belly-up there is really not a problem. It's unfortunate that he's still wet and didn't bring a towel because he had the faintest hope things would work the way they're supposed to, but...no. So instead he's keeping his hand out of the water to dry long enough to keep Winston company even as he floats.

Will's reaction to Hannibal's name is interesting, too. He doesn't know what to make of it, and though Percy catches the flustered expression he also thinks nothing of it.]

Yeah, more or less. He met Mrs. O'Leary too and told me that Winston was waiting for you here. And that you love dogs which...[He sort of gestures because that's obvious.] It's kind of nice having another person from home, isn't it?

[It's said without the slightest hint of irony, but the smile turns to something a little more amused, like he knows a little more than he's going to let on. It's not his business if they're friends or "friends" or whatever. He'll let Will decide how to interpret that.]

[sweats]

[ Will focuses on Mrs O'Leary for a bit as he considers where to go with this. See, he sits here and stresses over what to refer to Hannibal as, what even to speak about when it comes to Hannibal, but he's sure Hannibal has no problems in this regard. It kind of annoys him, if he's honest. Everything's so complicated for him while in turn, incredibly simple for the other man.

So, he sighs and tries to put his thoughts into order. He's not good at this on a normal day, even more so now. It's easier to talk to people who already know how dysfunctional he is. Here, he has to pretend otherwise. ]

Wasn't wrong, no. I like dogs. Have... a lot of them myself. Ten or so. [ Well, he did. He and Molly both but now he wonders if his dogs are even his anymore, now that he's left Molly and Walter out to dry. ] Been a while since I've seen them though so it's nice to see Winston again.

[ Which is actually a misunderstanding on Will's part. He thinks Percy's referring to their dogs when he says having another person from home. It'll take him a moment to realize his mistake but the moment gets lost a little as --

Well, Winston figures Percy looks a little lonely. So, after a bit, Winston decides to just hop in the water to join Percy. At least Percy doesn't have to worry about staying dry now? ]

-- Winston!

[hydrokinetics]

[Take your time, friend, a gay crisis is a lot to deal with. Not that Percy knows that but you know what he also spent several years trying to figure out his feelings for Annabeth. It's a complicated manner. Instead, his eyes widen a little at the idea of so many dogs.]

Ten...I don't think we could even keep one in my apartment back home. [He smiles again.] Mrs. O'Leary and I haven't seen each other in months either. She...was with my brother for a while. It's nice to see her again, too.

[Even if she's the wrong size. He doesn't exactly correct Will either, and he doesn't get a chance to yet because soon there's a dog splashing him and Percy lets go of the dock.] Whoa, hey! [But given the fact he immediately starts laughing he's not bothered. In fact, he's swimming away from the dock a bit, coaxing Winston to follow so that they can play a bit and he can see Will better from his place on the dock.] He can swim okay, can't he? [It's only when he's out in the water and grinning that Will might notice how young Percy actually is, completely oblivious to anything that might be awkward and mostly interested in playing with the dogs and getting to know someone else. That's how he's always operated, really. Tentative skepticism followed by quickly befriending people. But if Will wants Winston out of the water he'll help. Soonish.]

[sweats]

[ At Percy's genuine delight at the amount of dogs Will has, Will can't help but smile too. He grins, full of teeth and nods solemnly at Percy's response. ]

Yeah, that happens. I kind of, uh, live out in the middle of nowhere. Plenty of space for them to roam.

[ A shrug but at the turn towards Mrs. O'Leary -- ]

I understand that. I haven't seen Winston in a while myself, been kind of busy.

[ And then Winston DOES THAT and after the initial shock, Will just dials back into mild frustration. Thanks, Winston!! ]

He's -- he's fine. He comes with me fishing a lot, he's just curious, really.

[ God, now he's going to have to bathe him, isn't he? He rolls his eyes but Winston seems fine with everything. Like, really, he's biting at the water and swimming around Percy and licking his face. He's a good dog having a lot of fun. ]

[hydrokinetics]

[That's a good response. He likes that response. He's perfectly content to swimming with Winston while Mrs. O'Leary lounges in Will's lap and he pushes at Winston's face a bit when the dog licks at him. He's still laughing to himself, keeping his eyes on Will anyway.]

Manhattan's kind of the opposite of the middle of nowhere. [But he pauses when Will mentions fishing and he stops.] Is that why you two are out here? Fishing. [He glances at the water.] They've been pretty quiet so far.