open | excuse my ego, can't go incognito

[sophos]

Who: annabeth chase + perhaps you!
When: post emergence event, mid may into mid june
Where: thorne, the horizon, nocwich
What: post event stuff & catch all
Warnings: none right now! will add if/as needed!



[ open & closed starters in the comments! feel free to reach out communism or romanitas @ disco for wildcard plotting/custom starters, or adjust the set up of a prompt as needed! ]

Comments

[sophos]

[ annabeth looks down at the handkerchief, staring for a moment before she takes it with some delay and wipes her face with it. there are a lot of puzzling things about interacting with claire, but the longer she sits with her, the less terrifying it feels - even if it is because of the lingering false memories, she decides to let herself be okay with it in this moment. maybe one day she'll share why she's like this too. ]

I have ADHD. [ it doesn't occur to her that claire might not know what it is, that it might be a weird connection to make to what the older woman's just said. ] So sometimes my concentration is - [ she stops herself briefly, but can't think of another word, and ultimately decides that just because claire is being kind she doesn't have to censor herself. ] - shit. The messages were tricky for me at first too - it just sends whatever you think, right? So I had to figure out how to rein it in once the idea was in my head before it started automatically spamming.

I have a friend in Thorne - Jinora. She's been helping me with the meditation too. It's hard to stay focused sometimes. I want to learn about the Horizon, as much as I can about it.

[ somehow talking about these challenges is less intimidating than falling apart over her parental struggles. and she's... looking forward to maybe getting a little help from claire. ]

The beds are nice. [ she pauses. ] I mean, I know it's all sort of a ruse, and the politics are a mess, but they really are nice beds.

[ and considering she had just spent gods know how long in literal hell, she can be grateful for a mattress while acknowledging how shady the castle is. ] Thorne doesn't... really scare me, despite everything. I think we'll be okay.

i think we could wrap in a tag or two :3

[beautifullies]

[ By Claire's time, ADHD is still largely misdiagnosed and very misunderstood, but she has at least heard of it. Only a year before she traveled in back in time with Brianna's blessing, it was largely known as hyperkinetics. So, she has some idea, and it does help her understand the concentration issues. She decides to try and find out more on her own, if she can, to try and help.

With the mouth of a sailor at times, Claire would be the last person anyone needed to censor themselves with. ]

Thank you for telling me this, it means a lot to me, Annabeth, to have your trust.

[ And it does, she means that sincerely. There's having a fake life and fake memories to help build the foundation of something real, and there's feeling the foundation is strong enough to begin opening up. It may be something Annabeth shares freely, but Claire's still warmed to have been trusted. ]

I've also found myself wanting to understand the Horizon better, and more than that, the Singularity. We could learn together, or at the very least compare notes if that sounds like something you might be interested in.

[ She smiles softly, and her features remain neutral as Annabeth assures Claie she has a bead on Throne. And the beds are acceptable. That makes Claire smile more, and then she can't help but get in a little side squeeze. ]

Alright, then. I'll try not to worry too much.

yes i think so too!

[sophos]

[ she pauses, but when she really thinks about it, she supposes it is a form of trust. she's used to being around demigods who all have the same afflictions - the adhd, the dyslexia - but it's different admitting it aloud to someone who doesn't know, because it acknowledges a struggle annabeth usually prefers to keep to herself - especially when it comes to mortals. she doesn't like to let most people know when she struggles in anything. ]

It's not just me. Percy's the same, and a few of our friends from home. [ is this her not touching the comment about trust? yes. ] Mostly my meditation could use a little work.

[ at any rate, claire's comments on the horizon mean a lot to her in turn. annabeth finds herself smiling faintly, because it's always a little ego boost to be asked for help or collaboration, doubly so when it comes from an adult.

Yeah. I'd like that. I've been known to take a lot of decent notes. [ they tend to be in ancient greek when it comes to literal notes, but they can cross that bridge when they come to it! ] I'm interested in the Singularity too. Wary, but definitely curious.

[beautifullies]

I think a healthy dose of wariness is warranted. We don't truly know how much the Singularity is capable of. I feel a...different sort of connection to it now. 'Connection' might even be too strong of a word. I'm more aware, since we returned from the future.

[ She isn't sure what that means, or why her hair stayed silver and glowing, why her magic was enhanced. Holding out her palm, it begins to glow with the soft blue and white light of the healing magic she had while they dreamed. ]

I kept my magic, and I still have the plant magic I had before, so the Singularity is making me stronger, the longer I'm here. Why?

[ That's just one question of so many, and she lets the glow fade again. ]

One thing at a time, and we'll start with the meditation. I helped someone else, and he's over in Thorne, so I don't doubt I can help you, too.

[sophos]

I almost feel like... it wants our attention. But I've never had a connection with it before.

[ annabeth's gaze drops to the magic in claire's hand, fascinated, and wondering for the first time if she'd taken anything back herself beyond the physical from the strange illusion. she might be a demigod for real, but flashy powers and magic have never really been up her repertoire. ]

[ she absently reaches out, brushing her fingers through the strands of gray in her own curls. it's both new and not, a holdover from her time as a god that stems from a very real experience at home. she's still figuring out how that happened to intertwine them. ]

This is all that came back with me... that I know of. It didn't occur to me magic might have stuck around too.

[ she hums. ] Maybe it was trying to show us something, in the illusion. A warning? A possibility? I don't want it, if that's the case.

But figuring out the Horizon should probably come first for me.

[beautifullies]

[ Claire's gaze drifts to the hand playing with her hair, and she has to wonder what the Singularity is doing. It's another question for another time, one she'd wager they all want the answer to. A part of her wonders if that's even possible, but that feels like she's getting to far ahead. ]

Some think it was the actual future if we're here long enough, but I feel like speculating too much without concrete facts will only lead to anxiety and panic.

[ And so, they'll focus on the meditation first, and Claire squeezes her hand gently with a warm smile. ]

When you're ready, just reach out to me, and we'll take it slow. [ No expectations, no demands. She'll figure out where Annabeth is at and meet her there. ]

[sophos]

I definitely don't want it to be my future. [ for everything she's been struggling with about the illusion, that much she knows wholly. she doesn't want to be a god. being half is bad enough. ]

[ she finds herself absently squeezing claire's hand in return, trying not to second guess the gesture. the older woman wouldn't have done it first without reason, right? ]

Okay. I will. I promise. [ a promise might seem a little silly, but even if she takes a while, she just doesn't want it to come across like she'd changed her mind. ergo, a promise. one day. ]

[ after she reins in some of her emotions, good GODS. ] Thank you.