WHO: Annabeth and you! WHERE: all around - mostly de chima, but can make anything work. WHEN: month of june! WHAT: this is my catch-all for annabeth this month! WARNINGS: will update as need be!
[ it had been an easy day at work. most of them generally were, but annabeth still finds herself preferring the ones where her's and jughead's shifts lined up. today, specifically, had given them both an earlier shift, meaning that they were out with plenty of time to head to a near-by cafe for dinner and coffee and not the overhead of you are still at work hanging over them.
so annabeth is in a pretty decent mood, all things considered, as she pulls the strap of her backpack over her shoulder and walks over to where jughead is packing up his own things. she had gotten a feeling there had been something on his mind during the day, but she hadn't wanted to ask. thus, you know, suggesting the coffee date instead. ]
[ There is something on his mind, something he'd like to talk to someone about but doesn't really know how to. Back in Riverdale there was always some other disaster to take care of and so he never gave the intricacies of petty teenage romance squabbles much thought. They had bigger problems and now, when those problems are left back home, he finds himself incapable of working through his own hangups.
Having after work coffee seems like as good a solution to this as any. He hoists his bag up on his shoulder as she approaches, straightening himself out. ]
There's a cafe a few blocks over. It doesn't serve pie, but... [ she gives him a small smile, just some light teasing, before she moves to head out the doors and onto the sidewalk. ]
But there are a couple of places nearby, if you have a preference?
[ she'd memorized most of de chima the first few weeks she started working here, taking too many mental notes on architecture, the street layouts, good places to go that didn't make her more tense and annoyed than relaxed (because really poorly set up restaurants do that to her sometimes!!! so she'd rather just avoid them). she's got a running list of places she's tried - some okay, some bad, some pretty good - so she'll head in the direction of one on the 'pretty good' side. ]
[ He makes an amused noise and rolls his eyes at the teasing. Believe it or not, but he's not totally sick of pie just yet. ]
I'm good with whatever. Wouldn't mind the walk, honestly. [ He should get to know De Chima better, since he works here and it's the closest city to where Betty lives. Can't hurt to have a couple of good eateries on hand, for whenever he needs it. ]
Is it just me, or was today the longest in awhile?
Works for me. [ because she may or may not have a great place in mind that's just a few blocks down the road, that she'll just have to keep a small secret until then.
she laughs a little at his question, though. ]
It was long, but you kind of looked distracted. Something on your mind?
I don't really like parties. [ He admits, though that's not entirely the problem here. ] I don't mind them as much here, actually. We've gone to a few and it's been fine. This one though...
It's on the moon? And I think it's fancy dress, which makes it squarely out of my comfort zone, and it's hosted by this guy I can't stand that Betty dated briefly before I arrived here and they still share a house.
[ not liking parties makes sense. annabeth, herself, is generally more uncomfortable in party scenarios that not. but then jughead keeps going, mentions the moon and this one guy, and annabeth frowns a little. ]
Adam, right? The guy you're talking about who is hosting?
[ He wouldn't be surprised if she did. Quite frankly, it'd be nice to talk this through with someone who knows what Adam's about but isn't smack dab in the middle of the House of Hunks. ]
Sort of. [ she's not a great liar, so it's pretty obvious she has An Opinion about him. and is specifically holding it back for right now. ] I've met him once, and it was...fine. Normal. But I've heard enough about him.
Other than that he dated my girlfriend? [ Honestly, that's probably the smallest problem. ]
We don't mix. He drinks, he has some... some serious anger management issues. I've only talked to him twice and he was a complete asshole both times. I don't know what his problem is, but he's not handling it well.
[ okay, annabeth will sort of snort at that. because alright, fair point. ]
That sounds about what I've heard. [ does she look pissed? because she's feeling a little pissed. but that has more to do with what she's heard and what adam has apparently done than anything else. ]
Verbally. [ He - kind of likes that she looks pissed. It justifies his own feelings quite a bit. ] And I'm sure it would've come to blows if we hadn't been interrupted. He looked ready to punch me.
[ a nod, before annabeth pauses - thinking - before her mouth tightens into a line. ]
I don't trust him. He's hurt too many people I care about already. It makes sense you wouldn't get along with him- I doubt I would.
[ a dangerous, competitive, aggressive part of her almost wants to see that. to get to a point where it could have come to blows. too many conversations with magnus, hearing what apparently happened to gansey. too many.
annabeth takes a breath and recenters, tries to push away from her own anger. ]
Yeah, I don't blame you for not wanting to go. [ she says this right as they come to a slow stop in front of the restaurant, waiting just a moment to make sure he's following before she steps inside. ] And you said Betty dated him?
[ Jug is more often the punched than the punchee but in Adam's case he's not sure he'd be able to just take it. Hell, chances are he'd be the first to throw the punch if it came to it. There's a lot about Adam that rubs him the wrong way and hearing Annabeth feels the same only puts fuel on the fire. ]
Yeah, before I arrived. I'm not mad about it- [ Really ] - I just don't understand why it happened in the first place. What she sees in the guy.
[ He sighs as he follows her along into the restaurant. ]
I don't want to go, but I was making an effort. She talked about it like she'd already made up my mind for me, like asking was just a formality.
[ she open so her mouth to agree with him, realizes what she would say would be questioning betty specifically, and decides against it - letting an easy silence happen as she tells the waiter two and they’re taken to a spot by the window. she drops her bag under the table and settles. ]
Doesn’t she know the two of you don’t get along? [ she picks up the menu and glances over it. ] But either way, she should have asked. Actually asked.
She knows. [ At least, he thinks she knows. She's said that she knows, but maybe she doesn't realise the extent of the issues and goddamnit, he's trying to be a good, non-jealous boyfriend here but it's getting increasingly difficult. Even more so with this.
He takes a moment and a deep breath, trying to collect himself. Annabeth is a good friend and he'd rather not take out his frustrations on her just because she's nice enough to listen to him. ]
It just feels like it would be worse if I didn't go. That it'd be used against me - not by her, but by him.
[ honestly, it's really okay. not only does she get the jealous undertones, but the frustration too. the worst part of it all is that he's right, in the end. if adam is anything she's heard, which she would put money on that he is, that would definitely be used against him.
so annabeth nods, letting out a breath herself. thankfully, the waiter comes back by and takes their drink order - a gentle pause in the conversation - before they leave and annabeth turns back to him. ]
I think you need to go, for that exact reason. [ she gives him a sympathetic look. ] Would it be easier if you had more friends there? Just to ignore the whole set-up?
[ It was a good idea to talk to Annabeth, he knows that without a doubt now. It allows him to relax a bit, get to the bottom of what he's actually asking for help with. ]
Maybe? Though a part of me wants to... really get it right. Betty's life has been so different from my own and for once I'd like to live up to her standards rather than her accepting that I'm essentially trailer trash.
[ He wants do this right, wants to actually make an effort and impress her. ]
[ and she's just going to. stare at him at that. stare, and then very slowly start to frown. ]
Is that what you think about yourself?
[ because okay, there's a lot more she could say about that. about how she kind of agrees with him, how it's good that he wants to do that for betty, but in the same breath she can't really just let that last bit go. ]
[ He frowns a bit in return - it had been a self-deprecating comment, but he wasn't all that serious about it. It's not like he's suffering from a lack of confidence. ]
More like a factual statement. I literally live in a trailer park back home.
[ Wrong side of the tracks and sure, that part has been cause for some tension but it's less about him and more about the Northside Southside divide. ]
[ she actually relaxes a bit at his answer, whatever tension had been building slowly releasing from her. not entirely, but enough that it doesn't look like she's about to shove some kind of supportive friend bs down his throat. ]
Where you live is hardly an indicator for the kind of person you are, and I doubt Betty thinks that about you.
Well... she doesn't. [ She's amazing like that. ] Everyone else does - Riverdale is divided in the Northside and the Southside. I'm Southside - wrong side of the tracks. Less opportunities. More crime.
So maybe the geographical location isn't an indicator, but the socio-economic status of that geographical location can be pretty accurate.
First of all - you don't know Riverdale doesn't exist here. [ He hasn't checked yet. It might be there, filled with strangers. ]
And second, I think you're reading too much into this. Betty's made an effort to fit in with my world before, so I want to do the same for her. That's all.
[ It's a bit more complicated than that, but in the end that's what it boils down to. A nice gesture and a big fuck you to Adam. ]
It might exist, but it won't exist in the same way you remember, or with the same people. Unless your home town has a much more direct connection to what this place is in the first place.
[ she doesn't mean to sound like she's!!! arguing!!! she's just quite literally checked every single place who ever meant anything to her. and it's all wrong.
it's that second comment that she ends up nodding a bit. ] That's possible. I tend to do that a lot. [ something that has taken her a LONG time to come to terms with herself. ]
But then I think you have your answer? [ the big fuck you to adam bit, she means. ] About the party.
[ It's a trip he's going to make himself in a couple of weeks and regardless if Riverdale is actually physiscally here or not, he still carries the weight of that town with him. My lands only borders lie around my heart and all that.
He's not going to harp on about it though, the baggage stuff or whether it's a good idea to make an effort for his girlfriend - no, this is a much greater problem, one he hasn't even begun to approach. ]
Right... there's just one thing. [ He hesitates. ] Could you help me pick out an outfit?
[ Yep, that's it, that's the big anxious problem this teen has been worrying about all day. Sure, the implications of the party itself and the sort of fight with Betty over whether or not he should go contributed, but this is the big thing. He wants to impress her, but he's not confident that he knows how to. ]
[ at first, annabeth doesn't quite hear the question - confused, a bit curious - but then she gets it. because at first she'd been wondering if jughead was caught up in something else related to this. if something more was under the surface. but with his question, and the whole of it settles into place.
then, when it does, annabeth gives him a small smile. ]
I'd be happy to. [ because she can put the pieces together - she can see a bit of where this comes from and a bit of that self consciousness tucked under it. ]
[ With his whole image and intellect and social consciousness, it's easy to forget that he's sixteen and change. He doesn't have his usual social safety net here, with their fashion sense and encouraging words. It makes everything more difficult. ]
Enough? [ Is that an answer. ] I don't want to compromise my integrity entirely, but it'd be nice to fit in for a change. It's a... a black and white... thing?
[ they have that in common, then. the loss of connection to their age, the feeling of living somewhere outside of it. while annabeth's has a bit more to do with being a demigod than just a teenager, she has a kind of respect for moments that she can just...be seventeen. and help a friend pick out an outfit for a party.
she sets her elbow down on the counter, placing her chin on her palm and tapping her fingers against her cheek - thinking. there is a moment, and then another, that she simply looks jughead over. after those few seconds pass, she nods a bit to herself. ]
I'm no daughter of Aphrodite, so don't expect anything crazy, but I can work with that. Black and white, nice, classy.
[ really, this has been a long time coming. the fact it's taken this long is a testament more to how busy or distracted they both have been than anything else. but after the last few days, annabeth is feeling increasingly frustrated and out of sorts, so what better way to fix that than...well. ]
You're late.
[ they're out in from of fauxhalla, a small clearing of grass that works, well enough, for a small training arena. annabeth is in work out clothes - a tank and shorts - and looks as though she's been here for a bit herself, warming up, stretching, etc. when clarisse gets there, annabeth will already have a bō in hand, twirling it once.
it had been something of a cold call from annabeth - a random text with no response - you up for a spar? i know you're not at work, and she knew clarisse would come. ]
( even if she had been at work, it's not like carl wouldn't have let her go. they don't really work half the time, anyway. it's mostly them smoking and playing video games and occasionally selling a gun or two. neither of them knows how to run a business, but it doesn't seem to matter too much either way.
she'll always drop what she's doing to spar with annabeth. that's just how it is. it's the kind of thing she just can't say no to, her ares predisposition aside. these days, it's hard to say no to annabeth in general, but that's an entirely different matter she doesn't want to think about. she can't have anyone thinking she's gone soft.
when she finally arrives, she's wearing a black sports bra and camo leggings, her hair pulled up into a messy bun. she raises an eyebrow at annabeth, then the staff in her hand, already forming a strategy in her head. she'll need it against annabeth. )
Maybe you're just early. ( but she flicks her wrist and a reddish quarterstaff appears in her hand, poised behind her forearm. she takes her stance. ) Ready?
[ they used to do this a lot more back at camp - when they were younger, annabeth more angry, more time and energy on their hands. that was before annabeth was living in new york city, before clarisse went off to college. seeing clarisse step into the small ring, annabeth almost feels herself smile, adrenaline thrumming under her skin.
there's a reason they don't usually let campers spar with children of athena, or of areas, when they're starting out. why everything is a bit more separated. annabeth, easily, moves a few steps to the side, settling into a stance of her own. ]
I'm always early, that's besides the point.
[ a pause, as annabeth watches clarisse - strategizes, but also pushes herself to let go of the scrolling mass of thoughts and ideas, pushing herself to breathe, and to settle in her stance, nodding once in answer. ]
( annabeth nods and clarisse's grip tightens around her staff, her lips drawn into a smirk. there's less cockiness to it than there used to be, but there's still no shortage of confidence. that confidence is just more natural now instead of largely performative. she knows her own strengths and weaknesses, just as she knows annabeth's, but she doesn't see herself as better anymore, not really. she's willing to concede that they're equals, at least when it comes to this.
she lunges, twisting the staff above her head, fully expecting it to come crashing down against annabeth's. she doesn't need omniscience to know annabeth isn't that easy. besides, there's always been a kind of rhythm to the way they fight, like the heavy beat of drums. blow after blow connects and clarisse can feel it in her chest, too, her pulse quickening with every move. )
Good to know you haven't gotten rusty being here all that time without me.
( the timbre of her voice borders on flirtatious, or it could just be from the exertion. that's for annabeth to decide. )
[ clarisse is right to assume annabeth's staff will rise to meet her's, and then again and again and again. they move in time with each other, the end of their respective staffs meeting with each movement, a clack, clack, clack in time with their steps. it is a lot more like a dance than annabeth is really ever ready to admit, her moving forward two steps, then clarisse returning the steps.
annabeth huffs an almost-laugh as she sidesteps once - breaking the pattern they'd set to swipe down at clarisse's knees, the other end of her staff meeting when clarisse counters, swinging for annabeth's head. and then they're back in step again, back in rhythm. ]
And it's good to know you haven't gotten slower.
[ swipe swipe pause. annabeth stops her staff just short of clarisse's ear, smirking.
one point athena.
and then annabeth takes a step away from clarisse, resetting. ]
[Gansey is not far behind and meets her out front, leading her in to the vintage diner. He had been to a few of these before but none were open very late and when he was in the mood to go, they were closed or he had no one to go with.
They sit down in a booth, Gansey getting in across from Annabeth, whichever way she wants to face. Gansey meanwhile is looking around the diner at the decor--metal and vinyl with a jukebox and memorabilia hanging on the walls.]
Charming, [he declares before turning his attention back to Annabeth.]
After what happened last time, I thought perhaps having a more neutral location in the rotation may be wise.
[He looks at her apologetically.]
I'm sorry, I didn't really...think about that happening.
[ annabeth follows him fairly easily- in the diner, to a booth, into her seat. it's very casual, and part of her almost wonders why they haven't gone out to more of these twenty four hour places during their longer nights.
when he says charming, annabeth just kind of snorts lightly, pulling open her menu to look over the food. ]
You've been to these before, right? [ and then, when he continues on to the apologizing, she just kind of shakes her hand at him. ]
It's not your fault- or anyone's fault. Just a bad misunderstanding. [ and then she looks up at him, over the menu. ] Is everything okay?
[ Contrary to popular belief, Apollo wasn't totally against the pursuit of knowledge. Learning how to strum a guitar, or figuring out the cure for some deadly disease (that he unleashed upon an unwitting population) - those were all fine, well, and dandy.
Libraries also held the keys to information disseminated vocally, and classes that occasionally wanted an imPort to present his "musical knowledge." As far as the mass media was concerned, he was some sort of prodigy, unparalleled with Mozart. Who better, then, to help a bunch of little ones learn how to create their very first podcast? Or create a video that they can then upload to Bluetube for millions of subscribers (or their loving mom)??
The class, held in one of the library's back rooms and thus tucked away from most of the library chaos, had gone moderately well - or as well as a class taught by a god-turned-mortal could go, anyway - and as he's cleaning the room up, he glances over at Annabeth. ]
Hey. [ He waves, juggling cameras and microphones that he had borrowed from gods-knows-where. He's managing them better than expected - and not because he'd broken a few before. Of course not. ] Didn't realize you were on duty today.
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jughead.
so annabeth is in a pretty decent mood, all things considered, as she pulls the strap of her backpack over her shoulder and walks over to where jughead is packing up his own things. she had gotten a feeling there had been something on his mind during the day, but she hadn't wanted to ask. thus, you know, suggesting the coffee date instead. ]
You ready?
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Having after work coffee seems like as good a solution to this as any. He hoists his bag up on his shoulder as she approaches, straightening himself out. ]
Yeah, just about. You got a place in mind?
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But there are a couple of places nearby, if you have a preference?
[ she'd memorized most of de chima the first few weeks she started working here, taking too many mental notes on architecture, the street layouts, good places to go that didn't make her more tense and annoyed than relaxed (because really poorly set up restaurants do that to her sometimes!!! so she'd rather just avoid them). she's got a running list of places she's tried - some okay, some bad, some pretty good - so she'll head in the direction of one on the 'pretty good' side. ]
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I'm good with whatever. Wouldn't mind the walk, honestly. [ He should get to know De Chima better, since he works here and it's the closest city to where Betty lives. Can't hurt to have a couple of good eateries on hand, for whenever he needs it. ]
Is it just me, or was today the longest in awhile?
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Works for me. [ because she may or may not have a great place in mind that's just a few blocks down the road, that she'll just have to keep a small secret until then.
she laughs a little at his question, though. ]
It was long, but you kind of looked distracted. Something on your mind?
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It's just... Betty's invited me to this party and it became this whole big thing. I don't really know what to do about it.
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[ plus, anyone in that 'friend' column gets special attention when it comes to Something Is Going On But I'm Not Talking About It. ]
Is there something wrong with the party? Or did you just not want to go?
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It's on the moon? And I think it's fancy dress, which makes it squarely out of my comfort zone, and it's hosted by this guy I can't stand that Betty dated briefly before I arrived here and they still share a house.
[ There. That's the problem. ]
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Adam, right? The guy you're talking about who is hosting?
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[ He wouldn't be surprised if she did. Quite frankly, it'd be nice to talk this through with someone who knows what Adam's about but isn't smack dab in the middle of the House of Hunks. ]
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Sort of. [ she's not a great liar, so it's pretty obvious she has An Opinion about him. and is specifically holding it back for right now. ] I've met him once, and it was...fine. Normal. But I've heard enough about him.
Can I ask why you can't stand him?
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We don't mix. He drinks, he has some... some serious anger management issues. I've only talked to him twice and he was a complete asshole both times. I don't know what his problem is, but he's not handling it well.
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That sounds about what I've heard. [ does she look pissed? because she's feeling a little pissed. but that has more to do with what she's heard and what adam has apparently done than anything else. ]
Did you get in a fight with him?
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I don't trust him. He's hurt too many people I care about already. It makes sense you wouldn't get along with him- I doubt I would.
[ a dangerous, competitive, aggressive part of her almost wants to see that. to get to a point where it could have come to blows. too many conversations with magnus, hearing what apparently happened to gansey. too many.
annabeth takes a breath and recenters, tries to push away from her own anger. ]
Yeah, I don't blame you for not wanting to go. [ she says this right as they come to a slow stop in front of the restaurant, waiting just a moment to make sure he's following before she steps inside. ] And you said Betty dated him?
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Yeah, before I arrived. I'm not mad about it- [ Really ] - I just don't understand why it happened in the first place. What she sees in the guy.
[ He sighs as he follows her along into the restaurant. ]
I don't want to go, but I was making an effort. She talked about it like she'd already made up my mind for me, like asking was just a formality.
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Doesn’t she know the two of you don’t get along? [ she picks up the menu and glances over it. ] But either way, she should have asked. Actually asked.
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He takes a moment and a deep breath, trying to collect himself. Annabeth is a good friend and he'd rather not take out his frustrations on her just because she's nice enough to listen to him. ]
It just feels like it would be worse if I didn't go. That it'd be used against me - not by her, but by him.
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so annabeth nods, letting out a breath herself. thankfully, the waiter comes back by and takes their drink order - a gentle pause in the conversation - before they leave and annabeth turns back to him. ]
I think you need to go, for that exact reason. [ she gives him a sympathetic look. ] Would it be easier if you had more friends there? Just to ignore the whole set-up?
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Maybe? Though a part of me wants to... really get it right. Betty's life has been so different from my own and for once I'd like to live up to her standards rather than her accepting that I'm essentially trailer trash.
[ He wants do this right, wants to actually make an effort and impress her. ]
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Is that what you think about yourself?
[ because okay, there's a lot more she could say about that. about how she kind of agrees with him, how it's good that he wants to do that for betty, but in the same breath she can't really just let that last bit go. ]
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More like a factual statement. I literally live in a trailer park back home.
[ Wrong side of the tracks and sure, that part has been cause for some tension but it's less about him and more about the Northside Southside divide. ]
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Where you live is hardly an indicator for the kind of person you are, and I doubt Betty thinks that about you.
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So maybe the geographical location isn't an indicator, but the socio-economic status of that geographical location can be pretty accurate.
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[ she's trying to prove a point here. ]
If Betty doesn't believe that about you, I feel like that simplifies your problem.
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And second, I think you're reading too much into this. Betty's made an effort to fit in with my world before, so I want to do the same for her. That's all.
[ It's a bit more complicated than that, but in the end that's what it boils down to. A nice gesture and a big fuck you to Adam. ]
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[ she doesn't mean to sound like she's!!! arguing!!! she's just quite literally checked every single place who ever meant anything to her. and it's all wrong.
it's that second comment that she ends up nodding a bit. ] That's possible. I tend to do that a lot. [ something that has taken her a LONG time to come to terms with herself. ]
But then I think you have your answer? [ the big fuck you to adam bit, she means. ] About the party.
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He's not going to harp on about it though, the baggage stuff or whether it's a good idea to make an effort for his girlfriend - no, this is a much greater problem, one he hasn't even begun to approach. ]
Right... there's just one thing. [ He hesitates. ] Could you help me pick out an outfit?
[ Yep, that's it, that's the big anxious problem this teen has been worrying about all day. Sure, the implications of the party itself and the sort of fight with Betty over whether or not he should go contributed, but this is the big thing. He wants to impress her, but he's not confident that he knows how to. ]
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then, when it does, annabeth gives him a small smile. ]
I'd be happy to. [ because she can put the pieces together - she can see a bit of where this comes from and a bit of that self consciousness tucked under it. ]
How fancy do you need to be for this party?
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Enough? [ Is that an answer. ] I don't want to compromise my integrity entirely, but it'd be nice to fit in for a change. It's a... a black and white... thing?
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she sets her elbow down on the counter, placing her chin on her palm and tapping her fingers against her cheek - thinking. there is a moment, and then another, that she simply looks jughead over. after those few seconds pass, she nods a bit to herself. ]
I'm no daughter of Aphrodite, so don't expect anything crazy, but I can work with that. Black and white, nice, classy.
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[ Something nice, something that fits him and the event, anything really would be better than what he could come up with on his own. ]
Thank you - I'll owe you a big one. Really.
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You don't owe me anything, I'm happy to help. When is the party again? We can go check some stuff out after work one day.
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It's a plan, then. After work.
clarisse.
You're late.
[ they're out in from of fauxhalla, a small clearing of grass that works, well enough, for a small training arena. annabeth is in work out clothes - a tank and shorts - and looks as though she's been here for a bit herself, warming up, stretching, etc. when clarisse gets there, annabeth will already have a bō in hand, twirling it once.
it had been something of a cold call from annabeth - a random text with no response - you up for a spar? i know you're not at work, and she knew clarisse would come. ]
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she'll always drop what she's doing to spar with annabeth. that's just how it is. it's the kind of thing she just can't say no to, her ares predisposition aside. these days, it's hard to say no to annabeth in general, but that's an entirely different matter she doesn't want to think about. she can't have anyone thinking she's gone soft.
when she finally arrives, she's wearing a black sports bra and camo leggings, her hair pulled up into a messy bun. she raises an eyebrow at annabeth, then the staff in her hand, already forming a strategy in her head. she'll need it against annabeth. )
Maybe you're just early. ( but she flicks her wrist and a reddish quarterstaff appears in her hand, poised behind her forearm. she takes her stance. ) Ready?
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there's a reason they don't usually let campers spar with children of athena, or of areas, when they're starting out. why everything is a bit more separated. annabeth, easily, moves a few steps to the side, settling into a stance of her own. ]
I'm always early, that's besides the point.
[ a pause, as annabeth watches clarisse - strategizes, but also pushes herself to let go of the scrolling mass of thoughts and ideas, pushing herself to breathe, and to settle in her stance, nodding once in answer. ]
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she lunges, twisting the staff above her head, fully expecting it to come crashing down against annabeth's. she doesn't need omniscience to know annabeth isn't that easy. besides, there's always been a kind of rhythm to the way they fight, like the heavy beat of drums. blow after blow connects and clarisse can feel it in her chest, too, her pulse quickening with every move. )
Good to know you haven't gotten rusty being here all that time without me.
( the timbre of her voice borders on flirtatious, or it could just be from the exertion. that's for annabeth to decide. )
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annabeth huffs an almost-laugh as she sidesteps once - breaking the pattern they'd set to swipe down at clarisse's knees, the other end of her staff meeting when clarisse counters, swinging for annabeth's head. and then they're back in step again, back in rhythm. ]
And it's good to know you haven't gotten slower.
[ swipe swipe pause. annabeth stops her staff just short of clarisse's ear, smirking.
one point athena.
and then annabeth takes a step away from clarisse, resetting. ]
Or- much slower.
Text! Late at night a small usual
text. :3
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Meet you there in 10?
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[ and, true to form, annabeth will be there. maybe a minute or two early? the nerd that she is. ]
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They sit down in a booth, Gansey getting in across from Annabeth, whichever way she wants to face. Gansey meanwhile is looking around the diner at the decor--metal and vinyl with a jukebox and memorabilia hanging on the walls.]
Charming, [he declares before turning his attention back to Annabeth.]
After what happened last time, I thought perhaps having a more neutral location in the rotation may be wise.
[He looks at her apologetically.]
I'm sorry, I didn't really...think about that happening.
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when he says charming, annabeth just kind of snorts lightly, pulling open her menu to look over the food. ]
You've been to these before, right? [ and then, when he continues on to the apologizing, she just kind of shakes her hand at him. ]
It's not your fault- or anyone's fault. Just a bad misunderstanding. [ and then she looks up at him, over the menu. ] Is everything okay?
the library!
Libraries also held the keys to information disseminated vocally, and classes that occasionally wanted an imPort to present his "musical knowledge." As far as the mass media was concerned, he was some sort of prodigy, unparalleled with Mozart. Who better, then, to help a bunch of little ones learn how to create their very first podcast? Or create a video that they can then upload to Bluetube for millions of subscribers (or their loving mom)??
The class, held in one of the library's back rooms and thus tucked away from most of the library chaos, had gone moderately well - or as well as a class taught by a god-turned-mortal could go, anyway - and as he's cleaning the room up, he glances over at Annabeth. ]
Hey. [ He waves, juggling cameras and microphones that he had borrowed from gods-knows-where. He's managing them better than expected - and not because he'd broken a few before. Of course not. ] Didn't realize you were on duty today.