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]

[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.