[PERCY]

[thatsthespirit]

[private convos with Percy for RW!]

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week 4, tuesday, mid-morning

[thatsthespirit]

[Milla had spent most of Monday thinking about the things she had learned during the meeting with Percy, Noctis, Harry, Jason and Natalie. she debates heavily on whether she should even try to catch Percy on his own on Tuesday morning. but. . . well]

[someone else in this game had told her that trusting others would require a leap of faith. maybe it's time she make one]

[she catches Percy while he's seated on the porch of the hotel, long after everyone has left. she silently sits down next to him, folding her hands into her lap as she does so]

Good morning, Percy.

[a simple, typical greeting]

Did you sleep well last night?

[hydrokinetics]

[He looks up from where he's staring at Mrs. O'Leary in his lap, blinking away stray thoughts and watching Milla thoughtfully for a moment. She means well, and he appreciates that. After Sunday he's found he also trusts her more and so he offers her a little, lopsided smile.]

About as well as anybody could expect to sleep here, I guess. At least we moved the horse out of our room. [A slight pause.] Doing okay?

[thatsthespirit]

. . . there was a horse in your room?

[SHE MISSED THESE SHENANIGANS??? possibly for the best. at any rate, she shakes her head]

I am, yes. So far this week.

[. . .]

But I did have a few further inquiries into the topics we discussed the other night.

[hydrokinetics]

[A flat look.] Don't ask. Harry, Xion and I woke up yesterday and it was just there. No idea why, but pretty sure the Sheriff just thought it was funny. [Jerk.

But his expression skews to something more curious when she continues and he nods agreeably.]

Okay, sure. Um. Do you want to go somewhere else or just stay out here? It's late enough in the morning that most of the people who would be leaving have left already.

[thatsthespirit]

Ah. For "entertainment value," I assume.

[THAAAAT'S THE SHERIFF FOR YOU. . . also, she lifts a hand to her chin]

It's best if we go somewhere else, I think. I don't want to risk being overheard.

[hydrokinetics]

Seems to be the name of the game. [He nods though because he can understand it.]

Up for a walk? We can head to the lake. The trail's usually empty and it'll take a while anyway.

[thatsthespirit]

[she nods, and then pushes herself to her feet, lifting her arms above her head in a stretch after she does so]

A calm walk to the lake sounds nice. It'll help us both keep our heads clear for the discussion ahead.

[hydrokinetics]

[And he's quick to follow, Mrs. O'Leary in his arms and stretching out his shoulders before he nods.]

I think so, too. C'mon. [He seems a tiny bit more spirited from Sunday, not anywhere near back to his old self but still more willing to interact with the world around him. He keeps his dog in his arms, still determined to carry her the whole way. Being this size helps, at least. He begins to walk, though he turns to look at her anyway.]

So...what's on your mind?

[thatsthespirit]

[Milla doesn't answer immediately, as though she is carefully choosing her words before she speaks]

. . . the person you said could end this game.

[she begins slowly, purposefully]

I still don't want you to tell me who they are, but if it's possible I'd like to meet them. I believe there's a good chance they're looking for me.

[hydrokinetics]

[...naturally. Why wouldn't that be it? He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, closing his eyes for a moment even as they walk.]

Oh yeah? [Keep it light for now.] Can I ask why you think it might be you? [He doesn't sound disbelieving, but more resigned that this is happening at all.]

[thatsthespirit]

[she's grateful he's keeping it light, even if her determined and driven expression doesn't make that fact obvious]

To be clear, I don't think I'm the one this role has to kill to end the game.

[just in case he was worried about that]

But I believe I'm in a position-- no, I believe it's my duty-- to assist them in this game so it can end as soon as possible.

[hydrokinetics]

[Somehow, the way she says it is what's convincing and he's more than curious now. Mrs. O'Leary woofs uncertainly and he shifts her in his arms.]

Being able to do something and feeling that it's your job two are two different things, Milla. [He should know, considering what just happened with Annabeth.] Is this something you were told by someone else, or a hunch? If the person with this role doesn't know who they're looking for, it wouldn't surprise me if everybody else was just as in the dark.

[thatsthespirit]

Hmm. . . I suppose it's a bit of both. Something someone told me, and a hunch.

I was specifically advised that this role is looking for me, and that it's my job to assist them. And that's why I asked you the name of this person's role the other day. I wanted to make sure it was the correct one.

[as a super straightforward person, Milla doesn't like to mince words, and yet. . . here she is. trying to be vague and clear all at once]

From your description, I think it is. And if I'm right. . . if you tell them, "I know of someone for whom you are looking, but not supposed to kill," then they should understand immediately who I am to them.

week 6, tuesday night

[thatsthespirit]

[the body is weak, but the spirit willing. Milla had heard of this phrase before, and had even experienced the limits of the human body when her legs stopped working back home. but it was only now, while she waits for cracked ribs and lacerated arms to heal, that she feels like she truly understands the meaning]

[Milla spent most of Tuesday in her room, which was expressly against everything she actually wanted to be doing at the moment. she felt like there was still so much work waiting for her-- buildings to be broken into, questions to be asked of the Sheriff, letters to be written, people to conspire with around town-- but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to do any of it if she let herself fall apart. and so she finally heeded the advice of so many others and took a well-deserved break]

[it's only that evening that she wanders from the room she formerly shared with Yuna to the kitchen, in order to scrounge up a quick meal for herself. by the time Percy enters for his juice, she's sitting at the table with several half sandwiches piled on her plate]

[she sits up and offers her ally a smile]

Good evening, Percy. I haven't seen you all day.

[hydrokinetics]

[When he woke up, it was dark outside. It was dark and he was bewildered and immediately panicked a bit, throwing the covers off and staring around the room with wide eyes before settling. It's okay. It's only Tuesday. Everyone is still okay.

It takes him a few minutes to regain his bearings, to calm down a little as he slips out of bed and rubs his eyes tiredly. It's...confusing? It's confusing and disorienting, and part of him still wants to roll over and go back to bed. That doesn't seem feasible though.

The hotel's much quieter now with only 14 of them, so when he enters the kitchen he's not expecting anyone to be there. For a moment, he stares at Milla like she's someone he doesn't recognize. He's still in pajama pants and a t-shirt, hair sticking up in several directions and blinking away sleep as he moves from the pile of sandwiches to Milla back to the sandwiches.

At least it's Milla though.]

Funny enough, I haven't seen anyone all day. [There's a small half-hearted smile.] Feeding an army or what?

[thatsthespirit]

You look like you've been sleeping all day, so I imagine that's why.

[her tone is slightly teasing. LET PERCY JACKSON REST???]

[she next blinks in confusion at his question, gaze flickering to the sandwiches and then up again]

Oh, no. These are for me. It's dinnertime, after all.

[and she's HUNGRY. Milla is a one-woman army, basically]

[hydrokinetics]

[At least this time she gets a real laugh, quiet though it may be. He's even running a hand through his hair to try and make it less messy.]

I just woke up. It was not Tuesday when I fell asleep. [The response is enough for him to look startled, lifting an eyebrow suddenly and feeling more awake.]

...Milla, there's like twenty sandwiches there. [An exaggeration, sure, but by how much?]

[thatsthespirit]

[there are like, ten sandwiches, so it's an exaggeration but it isn't a far off one]

My stomach is indicating to me a craving for calories. I haven't eaten much all day.

[is all she says in response, although she does nudge the plate across the table a bit and gesture to one of the seats next to her]

But if you'd like one, you're welcome to it.

[hydrokinetics]

[He shakes his head in amusement before he considers the seat she's offered...and he's turning, moving for the fridge instead to get a half-empty bottle of juice. He started this yesterday. Maybe he should worry that someone's poisoned it or something but who even cares anymore? Instead, he takes his juice and moves to sit across the table from her, eyeing the sandwiches curiously.]

I appreciate the offer, but maybe later. [Even if he'll keep staring at them on and off. Don't mind him. Still, he eventually settles for giving her a level look, taking a drink as he relaxes slightly.]

How are you? [It's not a question he usually asks, but he knows the past couple of days have been especially hard on some of them. Milla isn't excluded from that, even if she seems to be holding up better than most.]

[thatsthespirit]

[who would ruin good juice with poison. who]

[Milla takes a sandwich for herself before she answers that question, and a flash of exhaustion appears on her features in response to it. it isn't every day that she lets down her guard like this, but. . . well. she's tired, and Percy knows it]

I'm moving forward, of course.

[as she always does. as she has to]

It's. . . tiring, I suppose. But It isn't as though I have much of a choice. [a beat] And yourself. . .?

[hydrokinetics]

[Kill our friends but leave our juice alone tbh.

He catches the look though and it causes a slight frown. He hates that this game's starting to wear on all of them in different ways. Not for the first time this week does he think it's completely unfair.]

I think we're all about the same place. We have to keep moving because the game isn't stopping. [He settles for sort of spinning the cap of his juice bottle on the table top.] I just slept for like twenty-four hours so I guess that's about how well I'm doing. There's...a lot of stuff to process before we meet everybody else in a few days.

[thatsthespirit]

[ha. . . she can only hope those 24 hours of sleep he got helped him recharge. helped him recover. she's had a rough week, what with Yuna and Sara's deaths still hanging over her. but Percy saw his roommate beheaded right before his eyes on top of learning who his girlfriend's killer was. she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a bit worried for him, despite whatever faith she might have in his strength]

There is, it's true. [she exhales and takes a bit of her sandwich, chewing it in silence] . . . to be honest, in some ways, I feel a bit-- guilty? For the game having gone on this long.

[they've lost over half of their numbers by now. that sucks]

[hydrokinetics]

[It's something. Eventually...a hand sneaks forward to take one of those sandwiches, though he doesn't quite eat it yet.]

...that's not something we should be feeling guilty for. But I understand. I do, too. [It's the hardest part about playing.] It feels like we should be better at this after so many weeks, but things keep changing. Hal's putting us in a game it's almost like we can't win just yet. How's that fair?

[thatsthespirit]

[yes good, eat all the sandwiches, Percy Jackson]

It isn't fair, but to be frank this game hasn't been fair since the very beginning.

[considering. . . murder, and all that]

We're six weeks in now, and we still have yet to figure out a way to end this game in a way where Damian doesn't have to kill the Deputy. It adds to the frustration. To the. . . pain of loss.

[she grimaces, and takes another bite of her sandwich, which she chews in clear frustration.]

[hydrokinetics]

[He's mostly picking at it, but he'll at least breaks off chunks of said-sandwich to eat because Milla's right, this game sucks.]

We've been at a disadvantage from the very beginning, and Hal knew that. I have a feeling everybody who was put into roles felt that way. Think about Sara and Yuna. [Those poor people...]

There's another route. Hal's a robot, but he's not stupid. It just means we need to be asking him better questions to figure out how the game ends and if we can even end it with the Deputy still alive. All of us are frustrated and I guess...I dunno. Maybe I'm worried we're going to overreact and screw up.