They say it's my birthday

[waterproofed]

It's my birthday today. So if I were back home, I would've already been old enough to vote and I'm one year away from legally drinking alcohol. [let's not point out the fact that he's already had some alcohol here. Paradisa goes by different rules]

I wonder if I'd be in college? Would I even get to go to college?

Comments

[waterproofed]

That's really cool.

[the_effect_she_has]

[She feels her lips curve up at the corners, faintly embarrassed.] He was a ... pretty cool guy. I miss him.

[waterproofed]

I bet he was. I mean, you got your coolness from somewhere!

[the_effect_she_has]

Well, it certainly wasn't my mother ... [All this time, and she was still bitter. Sigh.] You would have liked him. He was funny, and warm. A good person, through and through. I wish I could have been more like him.

[waterproofed]

[he smiles. Talking about parents is kind of bittersweet. He misses his a lot]

I bet he'd still be proud of you.

[the_effect_she_has]

I don't know ... I didn't keep Prim safe. [She looked down at her feet, before she smiled quietly.] But then again, Prim was his daughter too. He understood about standing up, when you could.

[waterproofed]

[he gets what she means. When he thought he lost Tyson, he was devastated. The big guy seems like such a little kid sometimes and Poseidon did try keeping him out of the fight. But hsometimes you just gotta do what's right anyway]

I wish there was a way we could protect every single person we love. But I learned that sometimes you gotta let them take care of their own lives.

[the_effect_she_has]

[She played with the end of her boot, her grey eyes quiet.]

I wish there was too -- but you're right. There's nothing we can do to protect them all the time. They ... they have to live their own lives.

[waterproofed]

Being the older sibling can be hard. [it's something he's glad he and Katniss have in common. Something he and Violet had in common, too] I got lucky with Tyson. Not all children of Poseidon are that good.

[the_effect_she_has]

Tell me about it. [She sighed, rubbing her face.] You never know what you're going to get with siblings, and you never know if you can let them go on their own ... or you trust them enough to know their own path.

[waterproofed]

[he thinks of other pairs of siblings he knows: Bianca and Nico, Nico and Hazel, even Zoe and her siblings]

But we don't have to worry about them here. That's good.

[the_effect_she_has]

No, we just have to worry about those that we see like brothers or sisters.

[She smirked faintly, before resting her cheek on her hand.] But then again, some of them I don't have to worry about, do I? Unless they get very, very drunk on their birthday.

[waterproofed]

Alcohol isn't really as great as you'd think. I only drank it that one time with Violet.

[the_effect_she_has]

I know. I once got violently ill off of some nasty home brew ...[She shook her head faintly.] Desperate time, desperate measures. I wouldn't do it again.

[waterproofed]

Well, good. You'd probably be a really dangerous drunk.

[the_effect_she_has]

[She snorts.] Oh yes - quite the dangerous drunk. Falling on my face. Saying embarrassing things ... you know what? You're right. Very dangerous.

[waterproofed]

Extremely dangerous.

[the_effect_she_has]

But you'd have my back. Just in case I said something stupid. In front of someone. In fact ... you could help me not say idiotic things. In front of someone.

[waterproofed]

Really? 'Cause I say idiotic things in front of people all the time.

[the_effect_she_has]

...You make an excellent point. I might have to seek assistance elsewhere.

[waterproofed]

Probably a good idea.

[the_effect_she_has]

But, I have your back. So if you want to get drunk, I'll keep you from saying idiotic things.

[waterproofed]

Thanks, Katniss, but I think I'll lay off the booze this year.

[the_effect_she_has]

Good. What do you want to do instead?

[waterproofed]

I donno. Probably just eat some blue cake.