Third Floor Common Room, Monday Morning

[vanillajello]

Kate had not been pleased to find herself still a dude when she'd woken up today. It wasn't that she had a huge problem with it as such herself, it was just that she was kind of worried for the sanity of a certain someone else.

But there was nothing she could really do about it, so she'd just wandered down into the common room and decided it was a day for baking. Everyone would appreciate chocolate chip muffins, right?

(Kate, by the by, was not mature enough to not laugh at the fact that they had nuts in them.)

A couple of batches of muffins baked and set on the counter to be taken, she flopped down onto one of the couches and started leafing through an issue of Cosmo. Trying to see if she could get a male perspective on it today.

[ooc: Yes, you guessed it, it's an open common room!]

Comments

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"You know, not everyone has to like this stuff," Percy informed her a little pissily. "Just because I don't doesn't mean I'm immature."

[vanillajello]

"Look, all I'm saying is you might have a better time if you just gave it a chance," Kate replied, actually managing a friendlier tone for a moment. "Unless you actually like acting like someone took a dump in your cereal."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"I gave it a chance yesterday and my cousin decided it would be a good idea to start a fight and try and yank this stupid hair out," Percy shared, still sounding pissy.

It was like a default tone of voice now.

[vanillajello]

Kate was going to start thinking he was incapable of speaking in any other way, soon.

"So, you were acting like a couple of chicks," Kate noted, a little bit amused until another point of that statement got her attention. "... Wait, you have relatives here?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, two of them." That he knew of. He hoped there were no other demigods running around. "Why?"

[vanillajello]

"No particular reason," she replied with a shrug of one shoulder. "People who have family here are just kind of a minority."

A minority she... couldn't quite decide how she felt about, sometimes.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"It's just two cousins and it's nothing special. I have a lot of cousins." Percy shrugged carelessly. "They're both annoying sometimes."

[vanillajello]

"I'm so surprised," Kate deadpanned, dryly. "So, which ones are they?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Luke and Nico," he said and shrugged. "They live on this floor. You might know them."

[vanillajello]

"I met Nico at the picnic." And she was a little surprised to find out he was related to Percy, yes. "Is Luke that guy that used to live on some other floor?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, he moved up here recently," Percy said, nodding. "I'd say it was to bother me but I think he just wanted to room with someone familiar. So yeah, we're related. Whoopty doo."

[vanillajello]

Oh, another eye roll, just for him. "You're such a ray of sunshine, kid." And Kate was not helping, and she knew it. But she couldn't help herself.

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I don't have to be happy about this," Percy said, shaking his head. "Just because you are doesn't mean everyone is. Have fun with your new weird body. I'll be waiting for this to wear off."

[vanillajello]

"So you can go back to being oh so very happy?" Kate guessed, raising a brow. She got up from her couch ans wandered to snag another muffin for herself. "I can totally see that happening in my mind's eye."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Happier than I am right now," he muttered, shrugging. "Not like I care about being happy though. It's a freaking illusion."

[vanillajello]

"Amen, brother," she replied, half sarcastic and half meaning it. She flopped back down on her couch, sprawling. "Nothing like cynicism in the morning."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"What, you're not happy?" Percy asked, adopting a tone dripping with sarcasm. "Color me surprised."

[vanillajello]

"Well, there's a careful balance between happiness and utter shit," Kate drawled, picking at her muffin. "Today it's more or less even."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Aww, too bad so bad," he said, not sounding all that sympathetic. Hey, she tended to rag on him so he had no sympathy. "Maybe you'll get a sticker and it'll be all better."

[vanillajello]

Kate neither expected nor particularly wanted sympathy from him of all people, so that actually worked out okay.

"Do you actually ever, like, say things sincerely?" she wondered instead. "Or is sincerity some big illusion too?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

Percy shrugged. "I'm sincere when it's deserved."

[vanillajello]

Kate... looked a bit amused. "Knew you'd say that." Mostly because she said things like that all the time. "But it's kind of a good principle."

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"No use in faking sincerity," he said, shrugging. "No one benefits from that so I don't do it."

[vanillajello]

"Mm." Kate bit off a bit of her muffin and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Sure no one benefits from it, though? I mean, just little bits of fake sincerity to make someone's day better?"

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, what happens when they find out you were faking?" Percy wondered, raising an eyebrow. "You wanna lie to someone to make them feel better one moment only so they feel worse the next?"