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[ continued from here. ]
"Maybe for moving the chairs and tables that are meant to go around the dance floor into the gym, but that's the only heavy lifting left that I can think of." And honestly, she'd welcome the help. Considering that the dance committee is mostly made up of girls who don't do a lot of heavy lifting in general (Prim included), that's probably the biggest hurdle to overcome.
The admission just wins a shy smile from her. After all, she had known that. Or at least...she'd paid attention to Chouji, in the way people tend to sort of keep tabs on their crushes, in a sort of people-watching way. "You're my first boyfriend, too." It's probably obvious, or at least she sometimes feels like it is, but...
Everything feels really new. And exciting. And she doesn't like to think about "first" being first. Not in the sense that other numbers come after it. So she doesn't, normally. "I'm glad our first dance will be together, anyway."
And if that was a little selfish of her, she didn't actually mind. Much.
"Maybe for moving the chairs and tables that are meant to go around the dance floor into the gym, but that's the only heavy lifting left that I can think of." And honestly, she'd welcome the help. Considering that the dance committee is mostly made up of girls who don't do a lot of heavy lifting in general (Prim included), that's probably the biggest hurdle to overcome.
The admission just wins a shy smile from her. After all, she had known that. Or at least...she'd paid attention to Chouji, in the way people tend to sort of keep tabs on their crushes, in a sort of people-watching way. "You're my first boyfriend, too." It's probably obvious, or at least she sometimes feels like it is, but...
Everything feels really new. And exciting. And she doesn't like to think about "first" being first. Not in the sense that other numbers come after it. So she doesn't, normally. "I'm glad our first dance will be together, anyway."
And if that was a little selfish of her, she didn't actually mind. Much.
[ continued from here. ]
Economics? [ For a doctor, that's a bit of an interesting choice...especially considering the current problem. Prim guesses Ami might be doing research on it, but...well, it's worth notice.
She nods at the question. ] I just needed some extra references for my Biology homework, actually.
Economics? [ For a doctor, that's a bit of an interesting choice...especially considering the current problem. Prim guesses Ami might be doing research on it, but...well, it's worth notice.
She nods at the question. ] I just needed some extra references for my Biology homework, actually.
[Ami brightens at the answer, and is quick to turn the subject to that.]
I just thought it would be interesting. What's the topic of your paper? I might be able to help you find a few of those references.
I just thought it would be interesting. What's the topic of your paper? I might be able to help you find a few of those references.
Ah. [She was hoping for this. Makie gestures at the couch as she unwraps the flowers, arranging them delicately in a vase.] Sit. Tell me all the gossip. Would you like a drink?
Yes, I heard he went to the men of the house first. I'm not that frightening, am I? Or perhaps Mother's the problem?
[Since she has already eaten, Mia stands behind Prim at the table and fiddles with her hair. The soft waves are something she has always envied and playing with them has led to quite a few creative looks for her sister.]
[Since she has already eaten, Mia stands behind Prim at the table and fiddles with her hair. The soft waves are something she has always envied and playing with them has led to quite a few creative looks for her sister.]
[He looks sheepish. He should have known, really. But he's been so busy with classes and football...]
Of course. I can't wait to see you in it.
Of course. I can't wait to see you in it.
Chouji is scarce for the first day once he comes back to himself. He stays out of the house, throwing himself into training as a distraction, grounding himself in the reality of which world, which set of memories, are his. All of the reflexes and techniques are there, those of a shinobi, not a football player. Eventually, he makes the easier visits, hesitating on this last one. When he wakes up on the morning of the 13th, though, Chouji knows he can't put this off any longer.
Prim is the hardest to face.
Chouji never believed anyone would be interested in him romantically, and Prim being interested on top of her calm kindness and determined optimism is a very big thing to lose. It is a loss, even if he can still seek her out here. He can remember the incredulous joy of it clearly enough that the absence sinks down into the pit of his stomach. The Chouji and Prim who were dating weren't real, nor was their relationship. Chouji isn't even sure how he feels now. If he wasn't in love with Prim in whatever dream they were stuck in, he was close enough to it. His attachment to her still hasn't vanished entirely. And he was due for a hard conversation with his friend even before events interfered.
The recent revelation from Katniss wasn't surprising, exactly. Prim is hardly the first person Chouji knows living on her second chance here; he knows others, from his own world and hers, who are dead at home. But they haven't talked about it since he learned, leaving unspoken grief tangled up in the mess of feelings that were already hard enough to sort out.
Chouji has to force himself to go to Prim's house, to knock on the door. She deserves it. Prim deserves an actual conversation, not an awkward skirting of subjects the next time they share a shift at Seventh Heaven.
He just isn't sure what he'll say.
Prim is the hardest to face.
Chouji never believed anyone would be interested in him romantically, and Prim being interested on top of her calm kindness and determined optimism is a very big thing to lose. It is a loss, even if he can still seek her out here. He can remember the incredulous joy of it clearly enough that the absence sinks down into the pit of his stomach. The Chouji and Prim who were dating weren't real, nor was their relationship. Chouji isn't even sure how he feels now. If he wasn't in love with Prim in whatever dream they were stuck in, he was close enough to it. His attachment to her still hasn't vanished entirely. And he was due for a hard conversation with his friend even before events interfered.
The recent revelation from Katniss wasn't surprising, exactly. Prim is hardly the first person Chouji knows living on her second chance here; he knows others, from his own world and hers, who are dead at home. But they haven't talked about it since he learned, leaving unspoken grief tangled up in the mess of feelings that were already hard enough to sort out.
Chouji has to force himself to go to Prim's house, to knock on the door. She deserves it. Prim deserves an actual conversation, not an awkward skirting of subjects the next time they share a shift at Seventh Heaven.
He just isn't sure what he'll say.
"Sure, I can do that. When should I be there to help out?" Mentally he goes over his schedule. Prim isn't the only one who's been more busy than usual lately. Between football practice and work on the farm, Chouji has a lot going on.
Chouji doesn't like thinking about endings, but he's also afraid to think about the long term. He'll be happy with Prim for as long as she'll have him, he thinks. He smiles back at her, only slightly distracted by how pretty she is when her face lights up like that.
"I am too." He reaches a free hand across the table, leaving it open in case Prim wants to take it. Chouji can't even worry about being selfish. He's still too grateful for what's forming between them to think too hard about consequences.
Chouji doesn't like thinking about endings, but he's also afraid to think about the long term. He'll be happy with Prim for as long as she'll have him, he thinks. He smiles back at her, only slightly distracted by how pretty she is when her face lights up like that.
"I am too." He reaches a free hand across the table, leaving it open in case Prim wants to take it. Chouji can't even worry about being selfish. He's still too grateful for what's forming between them to think too hard about consequences.
You're positively terrifying.
[ Prim deadpans that for all of a second before bursting into giggles. ]
I think he has yet to meet Mother, too, actually...
[ Mia's hands on her hair are soothing. It brings back memories of childhood - her sister braiding her hair, playing with it. While Mia envies Prim's hair, Prim has always envied Mia's, a little. Hair that blue is pretty. ]
[ Prim deadpans that for all of a second before bursting into giggles. ]
I think he has yet to meet Mother, too, actually...
[ Mia's hands on her hair are soothing. It brings back memories of childhood - her sister braiding her hair, playing with it. While Mia envies Prim's hair, Prim has always envied Mia's, a little. Hair that blue is pretty. ]
Fear of our mother is something I can believe. It's a healthy state of mind. [Mrs. Rogers was a wonderful woman and a loving mother and her opinions were right there in front of anyone who crossed her.]
I can't wait to see you in your gown again. Will you try to wait until I get back from work?
I can't wait to see you in your gown again. Will you try to wait until I get back from work?
For her part, Prim spends her time trying to be there for Katniss. Trying...not to think about the last few days of the event, all the fighting, and the part where she'd seen a man burn alive. A pyrokinetic breaththrough from another Lucetian, but...it brought back memories of her own end a bit too strongly, and of the war at home. That was, probably, the part that was sticking with her the most. She didn't blame the girl who had done that, and understood that it was probably for the best, when those policemen were invaders of some kind, but...
...If she didn't watch her thoughts, it came back to her.
The other memories are easier to deal with, if hard in their own way. A life without Katniss as her sister - it's...troubling. For the first day or so she finds herself thinking about Mia and Theo - no, it's Teddy - first and foremost. And that's not right. She shouldn't be wanting to speak to Steve and Peggy about her problems, or find her elder sister and brother, because it's Katniss who's her sister, and Katniss and Sharpe she should speak with. And while Rapunzel is a friend, they didn't grow up together.
And she isn't dating Chouji, the farm boy on the football team. They're friends, but they didn't meet at her brother's practices, because she doesn't have a brother. He didn't ask her out a month ago and they hadn't gone on dates to the soda shop. It's just...hard adjusting to the double layer of memories, and sorting out which is which, for the first day. After that, it gets easier, but the feelings for all her "other life" friends and family are hard to ignore, when Prim has always care too much.
She'd been considering going to track down Chouji herself, but she finds she's not sure exactly where he lives. In the Community Housing, yes, but which room...?
So it's lucky Chouji comes knocking. And he's in luck: it's Primrose who answers the door, hands newly dried from cleaning the dishes, a curious look on her face (Katniss and Sharpe wouldn't knock, and she hadn't been expecting anyone) that filters into surprise. "Chouji?" She probably shouldn't be so surprised, and it tangles her up, because she wants to greet him in two different ways.
...If she didn't watch her thoughts, it came back to her.
The other memories are easier to deal with, if hard in their own way. A life without Katniss as her sister - it's...troubling. For the first day or so she finds herself thinking about Mia and Theo - no, it's Teddy - first and foremost. And that's not right. She shouldn't be wanting to speak to Steve and Peggy about her problems, or find her elder sister and brother, because it's Katniss who's her sister, and Katniss and Sharpe she should speak with. And while Rapunzel is a friend, they didn't grow up together.
And she isn't dating Chouji, the farm boy on the football team. They're friends, but they didn't meet at her brother's practices, because she doesn't have a brother. He didn't ask her out a month ago and they hadn't gone on dates to the soda shop. It's just...hard adjusting to the double layer of memories, and sorting out which is which, for the first day. After that, it gets easier, but the feelings for all her "other life" friends and family are hard to ignore, when Prim has always care too much.
She'd been considering going to track down Chouji herself, but she finds she's not sure exactly where he lives. In the Community Housing, yes, but which room...?
So it's lucky Chouji comes knocking. And he's in luck: it's Primrose who answers the door, hands newly dried from cleaning the dishes, a curious look on her face (Katniss and Sharpe wouldn't knock, and she hadn't been expecting anyone) that filters into surprise. "Chouji?" She probably shouldn't be so surprised, and it tangles her up, because she wants to greet him in two different ways.
[It's alright, she expects high school bio to be general.]
If you'd like, I have some Chemical Biology textbooks that you could borrow.
[They're from her university days, but Prim is pretty bright.]
If you'd like, I have some Chemical Biology textbooks that you could borrow.
[They're from her university days, but Prim is pretty bright.]
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