Third Floor Common Room | Afternoon | Monday | September 6

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

One of the benefits of being a demigod was that Percy wasn't showing any effects of his fight with Luke yesterday. He'd gone down to the beach and done some swimming which had taken care of the cut on the back of his shoulder and the bruises on his hand. Even if Luke had beaten him, Percy was glad that he wasn't going to show obvious signs of that which would bring questions which would mean he'd have to tell people what happened.

And he really didn't want to tell people he'd gotten beaten.

There was a bad action movie on the television that had gotten Percy's attention almost immediately. He spent so much time training and running from monsters that getting to just chill out and watch movies had become a rare thing. He was taking advantage of it while he could.

Even the action movie couldn't completely hold his attention so if it looked like Percy wasn't paying attention, he probably wasn't. His thoughts were pinballing around every so often. If some of those thoughts included his cousins, well, oh well.

[It's a common room so it's open, dontcha know]

Comments

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"What are you watching?" Katniss asked, immediately ducking into the kitchen to grab something to eat as she entered the common room. Yes, it was a floor above her own, but she was -- though she'd never admit it -- a bit lonely.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Uh, I don't know," Percy said, realizing that he had no idea what the movie was called. "I haven't really been paying attention. It's loud."

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"It is that," Katniss agreed, frowning a little as she selected a box of crackers and wandered over to sit. "Did you pick it because of that?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"I thought it might hold my attention for a few minutes." It hadn't. The explosions had drawn his attention back briefly but never for too long. "And then I just haven't changed it yet. Too loud for you?"

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"Maybe a little," Katniss said, eyeing the television, "but it's hardly going to do lasting damage." She knew that all too well. "Why aren't you watching something more engaging, if holding your attention is the goal?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Nothing really holds my attention," he said truthfully, shrugging. "Loud or not, I'd end up distracted by something else. It happens. I've got ADHD."

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"You have what?" Katniss asked, staring. She knew her alphabet, sure, but that combination of letters meant nothing to her.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"ADHD," he said a little more slowly. Despite the warnings, he still didn't immediately think people were from other worlds. "Uh, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder."

It wasn't something he would have readily admitted in the past but now that he knew it's true purpose, he wasn't ashamed of admitting it.

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Katniss continued to kind of stare, before admitting, "I know all those words but I'm not sure what that means."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Oh. Uh, sorry," Percy said, trying to figure out the best way to explain the whole thing. "Basically, my attention wanders a lot. I get distracted really easily."

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"And you've been diagnosed with a disorder because you get distracted?" Katniss wondered. "It isn't simply that you can't focus on things?"

So blunt.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"It's more than that," Percy said, resisting an eyeroll. He didn't realize she didn't know. "It's a lot more severe. Everyone has moments where they can't focus on things. I can't focus on things the majority of the time."

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"How are you focusing on this conversation?" she wondered, honestly curious but -- as always -- completely failing at expressing as much in any sort of tactful way.

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

Bobby gave a little wave to the girl he didn't know. "Hi! I'm Bobby McCallister. What's your name?"

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

She eyed the boy curiously. Someday, she'd get used to these unnervingly friendly people. Until then, she'd just try to keep from running from them. "Katniss. Hello."

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

Huh, she was kinda like Cara with the whole not a lot of words thing. "Katniss is a pretty name," he decided. "I like it. How do you spell it?"

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"K-A-T-N-I-S-S. It's a plant," she told him carefully. She paused, glancing from him to Percy and back again. The resemblance was a bit startling, once she noticed it. "Is that your brother?"

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

"Ooh, I wish I was named after a plant. I was just named after my dad," Bobby said dejectedly. He looked over at Percy and made a face. "No! My brother is Jack. That's Percy. I don't know why he and Jason look like me. It's kinda weird, you know?"

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"It's very weird," Katniss said, frowning. "There's another one who looks like you, too? And no one's related?"

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

"Well, I'm related to Jack," he replied, not entirely sure what she meant. "But not Jason or Percy. I don't thnk they are either. They don't like each other. Jason says Percy's mean."

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"Right, you're related to your brother," Katniss agreed, "but not to Percy or to Jason. But you look like them. Are you from the same area?"

Maybe it was like how everyone from the Seam looked the same.

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

"I think we're from different worlds," Bobby said with an easiness that would make Jack headdesk. "I'm from Missouri though."

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

Well. That was unnerving. What if someone turned up with her face? Or Gale's, or Peeta's, or Prim's....

"Where is Missouri?" she asked politely, hiding her confusion for the time being.

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

"It's one of the United States!" he said quickly. "We live in Hart, and it's about 1,196 miles that way." Bobby pointed west. Yes, the dork had looked it up. "Where are you from?"

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

"Panem," she answered, raising an eyebrow because that was quite a lot to digest. "It's a country that doesn't exist yet, I think."