Characters: Prim & Gibbs Where: Coffee Shop When: This afternoon What: Random Meeting Rating: low! Status: Closed; Incomplete
While not a crazy addict for coffee, Primrose did like hot chocolate, especially on somewhat chilly days like this one. Though the winter had been quite mild, even a hint of cold in the air called for a delicious cup of the chocolatey goodness and Primrose decided to treat herself. Besides, they usually put a dollop of whip cream on it and Primrose loved the light fluffy sweetness. Besides, she could use a little bit of a pick up before she started on her homework. She did have quite a lot of it and it promised her a full day of work for a Saturday.
Pushing open the door, Primrose took a moment to inhale the smell of freshly brewed coffee before she headed for the counter. It was surprisingly uncrowded for a Saturday and Primrose only had to wait in line a little while before she was placing her order. Cupping the steaming cup of hot chocolate, the blond searched out an empty seat by the window and took out her phone, skimming the network for anything interesting. Reaching for the cup, she took a tentative sip from the edge and winced as she hot liquid burnt her tongue. In response, she took a nibble of the swirl of cool whip cream. Unfortunately, it did little to soothe her sore tongue and she frowned.
***
Gibbs hit the Coffee Shop every day, multiple times a day. He preferred that over Starbucks and even though it wasn't quite as good as what he was used to, it could be worse. With all of this being stuck where they shouldn't be, he was doing his best to be fairly unflappable, more for Emily's sake than anything. He'd gotten work at a construction company that seemed reliable enough and kept him occupied throughout the day. He hit up the shooting range once a week or so, just to keep his skills sharp.
He ended up in line behind a young girl, a kid really, and she reminded him of Kelly in a way. Gibbs found himself wondering if she was a refugee here or not, and after noticing her looking through the network, he guessed that she was. It was then that he recognized her as one of the first people he'd spoken to on the thing. She was on her own though, and apparently her drink was a little too hot. That made him smile, the way she frowned.
"Careful," he said, when he passed by her little nook. "Tends to be kind of hot right off the bat."
***
At the comment, Primrose looked up, cheeks burning beet red. Silly adolescent pride so easily broken was not lost on Prim despite the mature circumstances she’d grown up in. Though she tried to be less childish than those around her age, often willpower was just not enough to fight back again hormones or typical teenagerish behavior. The drive to keep one from looking stupid remained firmly intact as was evident by the bright red flooding her cheeks. It remained until she recognized him from the network. He was a fairly new arrival and she remembered him asking if she was all alone here to which Prim responded she wasn’t because of her sister, Katniss.
Prim knew she was lucky in that respect because a lot of underage kids did not come with someone from home they knew to be their guardian. Often, they were stuck with strangers from other worlds themselves. Still, she imagined it was less horrible than being stuck with some of the citizens here. Some of them were known to be quite mean to the outsiders and living in their home, constantly exposed to the possible dislike, well that would serve to be too much for Prim. “I can be childish like that sometimes,” she replied, giving him a small, sheepish smile. “You’re Gibbs, right? I met you on the network a few weeks ago. How are you doing?”
***
He didn't think any less of her for it. "I think that's allowed, more than just sometimes," he replied. Gibbs was pleased to see that she recognized him as well. "I am," he replied, nodding his head. "Do you mind having some company?" He waited until she agreed before he took a seat next to her. She was pretty young, and seemed a little younger than maybe she actually was, but there wasn't anything wrong with that. It made it easier to talk to her, he thought.
"I've been doing well. Settling in and adjusting, just like everyone else. Having my niece here makes a difference." Gibbs was determined to make things as normal as possible for her, whatever it took. If that meant getting a job in construction and looking to get a house for the two of them to live in, that was what he was going to do. He was going to be there for Em the same was he always was, and he'd do Fornell proud so that the other man won't have any cause to shoot him if he ever showed up.
"How have things been for you? You've been keeping safe?"
***
The comment made Primrose smile and she relaxed a little in her seat. Gibbs reminded her a little of Haymitch and the other man always made her feel right at home. She sensed Gibbs might end up being her friend like Haymitch. At the question, Primrose shook her head quickly. “No, no I’d like that,” she replied eagerly. Katniss was always prodding her to make friends and to not spend so much time by herself. It just fell that way that the blond seemed to get along better with animals than she did with people a good majority of the time. Mostly, it was because animals were easier to understand and people were complicated. “Please have a seat,” she added, shifting her hot cocoa over to give him room on the table for his coffee. At the words, Primrose smiled. It was good to hear he was settling in. She knew for some people this world was too different for them to ever feel truly comfortable here. Primrose guessed it was because of her sister and the others from her world that she was able to adjust so easily. Plus, this was her second chance and if she didn’t grasp it as soon as she could, well, she could be sent back and everyone here knew what that would mean for the blond. The mention of her niece pulled Primrose from his melancholy thoughts. “Really? What’s her name?” Primrose was curious to know if she’d run into her or not. Being that this place was big, there was a chance she did not. Still, this way she would keep an eye out for her.
Primrose shrugged and took a small sip of her hot cocoa. “I guess alright. They are how they always been here. No complaints. It’s better than being dead for sure,” Primrose replied.
***
Gibbs smiled at how polite she was. She had great manners and was probably not from a world similar to this one if he had to guess. "Thank you," he replied, setting his coffee down after taking another sip. He was very lucky that there was a place around here with a decent brew. "Really. Her name's Emily Fornell," Gibbs told her, figuring Emily might be a good role model for the younger girl, at least to help her get out of her shell a little more. Em was strong, having been through so much already for fifteen year old, and smart as hell. It made sense, given that her father was FBI and had her for an Uncle.
When Primrose said it was better than being dead, Gibbs quirked an eyebrow. So that was a thing now, too. Would Ziva show up? Kate? Jenny? Shannon and Kelly? He forced those thoughts out of his mind quickly. It wouldn't do to dwell on any of it, especially when he had no control over any of it. He kept his wife and daughter alive in his own way, and that was enough.
"That's one heck of a second chance. I hope you're having some fun every once in a while."
***
Primrose nodded. She didn’t think she’d come across this particular Emily yet, but if given the chance, she would like to meet her. Gibbs was nice and had a smile that Primrose perceived was hard fought. To have gained it so quickly gave Prim a strange sense of pride if not a bit of courage too and she smiled. “I don’t think I’ve met her yet, but I want to. I’ll keep a look out for her,” she replied. Prim took a sip of her hot chocolate and came away with a bit of whip cream on her nose. Flushing, the blond quickly reached for a napkin and blotted it away. The one time she had company and she was getting whip cream on her nose.
The quirk of a brow was all Prim needed to know that she’d said too much. Normally, she would not have mentioned anything relating to it. This was because people already knew that Prim died back home because of an untimely truth spell, but Gibbs had not been here yet to hear it. When she said it, she didn’t think she gave so much away, but his following statement had her realize she was speaking with someone who was quite capable and precise. In that case, there was no reason for her to lie or play it off on another. She had to simply own up to it. “It is. I died in Panem. When I came here, I didn’t remember right away, but I slowly did,” Primrose looked down into her hot cocoa and took a deep breath. “I guess it depends on what you consider fun.”
***
Gibbs was pleased that Prim would be keeping an eye out for Emily, and he made a mental note to tell Em to do the same. It surprised him that she seemed to have not meant to say it so frankly as she had, but he liked that candor from her. It told him that she owned what had happened to her. For someone so timid, it had seemed a little outside what he expected from her, but pleasantly so. She was a good kid.
It wasn't an easy thing to live with, he was sure, but she was doing so with grace. "What matters is if you consider it fun," Gibbs countered. "My idea of fun is building. In my world, I built boats. Here, I've got a job with a construction company." Building things was soothing, though he'd find a way to start building a boat once he found a home for him and Em to move into. "What do you like to do?"
***
Primrose was always hoping to make new friends...even if a lot of the time she was not very good at it. It was difficult when you preferred animals to people a lot of the time. She guessed if people were as simple as animals in a way, Prim might have found it easier to befriend them too. Unfortunately, she knew people were complicated, including herself. It took more time and effort to understand them. Then, there was always the fear that they would not exactly understand you or at least try to after everything. Animals could just...sense. They just knew things about someone without having to ask. They offered comfort without the weight of a heavy conversation and Primrose often took that route over trying to reach out to people. Even talking Gibbs right now was a bit out of the ordinary for Primrose, but she sensed from the moment she met him that he could understand how she felt.
“You built a boat?” Primrose’s eyes widened and she leaned over the table in obvious curiosity. “That’s...amazing. All by yourself?” A bit of childish wonder couldn’t help, but be found in her voice and she blushed. She took the question as an opportunity to sort of get herself back together. “Um, I like to help. I’m a healer or I was in Panem. My mom was the best in District 12 and she taught me everything I know.” The thought of her mother brought a wave of longing washing over her and she reached for her hot cocoa. “I like animals too. A lot. I can heal either animals or people, but here...I’m just a kind of a teenager.”
~~~~
He found her amazement endearing and couldn't help but smile. "I've built a couple of them," Gibbs confirmed. "Sometimes I get some help sanding pieces here and there, but for the most part, it's just me." That was how he liked it, truth be told, because the boats were his way of honoring the people he'd lost. "Helps me think," he offered as an explanation, even though it wasn't the whole story by any means.
It was more interesting to hear about what she liked and what she'd done in her world. Being a healer at such a young age was impressive, particularly if she could care for both humans and animals. Gibbs had seen enough on the network of that guy who worked at the animal shelter and he found himself wondering if maybe there was a way she could do something to make her feel a little less like she was just a teenager.
"Just being a teenager isn't a bad thing," he counseled, "but I bet the Animal Shelter could use a volunteer on the weekends or a day or two during the week to help take care of the ones up for adoption." Gibbs understood about keeping busy and having a purpose, and he also understood that summer sometimes left people at loose ends. He was glad that he didn't have to worry about Em in that regard, but if he could help Primrose, he'd try.
***
For Prim, thinking could be a dangerous proposition because it usually led her to thoughts about her world and there were more than a few disturbing things about it. She preferred activities that had her distraction like reading. The only time she allowed her mind to wander was when she was with animals, particularly at the farm. Though she wasn’t a fan of school sometimes, she paid attention if only to have something else to focus on instead of sadness of her haunting past. “I don’t like to think about it too much sometimes,” Primrose replied. “Being with animals helps me clear my head though.” That was probably what Gibbs meant anyway. It helped to clear his head, right?
At the mention of the animal shelter, Primrose actually smiled. She’d been kicking around the idea of working there, like he said, on the weekends. She’d only stepped into the place a few times, but the feelings remained strong long after she left. Maybe she should take his suggestion. “I’ve been there before. Those animals need a lot of love,” she replied, taking a sip from her hot cocoa. “I don’t know why I haven’t thought about asking about a job there before, but I will now. Animals always make me feel better,” she finished with a small smile. “And I know I shouldn’t be upset. The alternative is much worse, but it was just different.”
***
That was exactly what he meant, so he was glad to hear that she had something similar to keep herself sorted out. "Sometimes it takes thinking to clear your head. Other times, it means thinking as little as possible." Gibbs understood both approaches and they each had their merits. The important part was that it worked for her, so as long as she wasn't hurting anyone? More power to her.
"You might be a little young for a conventional job," he mused, "but volunteers? No one's ever turned down volunteers as far as I know. If you are looking to make some money, I bet there's a couple of dogs that could use walking around town, or pets that need sitting." Probably not so much about the latter because it wasn't like people could go on vacations, but maybe there was something there. Gibbs was glad at least that she was thinking about what to do with her time so that she could make the most of this second chance she'd been given.
***
Primrose had not even thought about getting a job even though she knew her sister had one. Maybe volunteering at the animal shelter would be a good first step for Primrose. After all, she needed to get out more and meet people. Outside her sister and few others from home, she did not really have many friends. “I opt for the latter strategy if I can,” she replied with a small smile. She figured a lot of people from her world did the same; Panem was a difficult thing to think about during any point in her life or in their lives. It was just a depressing, horrible situation that involved death and pain. Prim had experienced both, but through sheer luck, she’d managed to get a second chance here with her sister and friends.
“You really think I could? I’d love to pet sit and walk their dogs. I could do that all day,” she replied, smile widening to epic proportions. She could never understand how people could ever not want to be around animals at any point. They just made you feel better or, at least for Prim they did anyway. “Animals are so sweet. They are so cute and kind. They are empathetic too, you know?” She knew her own little kitten Katniss got her could sense when she was sad and would come over, rubbing on her leg, and purring.
~~~~
GIbbs smiled reassuringly. The latter option was just as valid and if it was working for her, that was all that mattered. Finding healthy coping strategies was important and it didn't always work out in a positive manner like it was for Prim, especially in a place like Madison Valley. He took a sip of his coffee as she all but lit up at the prospect of pet sitting and dog walking.
He understood the connection she felt to animals, even though he didn't experience it quite to the level that she did. Gibbs liked her excitement and enthusiasm, and if she showed half of that on any interview, she'd ace it and be making some good money for herself. "I think if you say that to anyone at the shelter or any pet owner, you'll have plenty to keep you busy in no time," he assured her.
*** The sentiment inspired Primrose and she smiled brightly behind her hot cocoa. “I’ll give it a try then. I think it would be good for me. And for the animals,” she replied happily. Maybe helping animals find homes or merely just taking care of them would be enough to help Prim deal with her own past and demons that still remained powerful in her life. It was something to hope for and being in Madison Valley, she realized how wonderful it was to have hope again. In Panem, it’d remained a rarity at best because people were just focused on survival and nothing else. All that kept them going was destroying the Capitol at all costs. Here there was more to life than war and pain. For Primrose, that made a lot of difference.
~~~~~
"That's all we can really hope for, isn't it?" he asked, a kind smile being sent in her direction. Seemed to him like she was well on her way to being happier in Madison Valley. Gibbs was glad he had been able to do that for her. Sometimes, he didn't feel like he was good for all that much these days, except an extra set of hands on a construction site and taking care of Em.
He finished off his coffee with another long swallow. "Got anything good planned for today?" he asked, knowing he probably had to head out soon to make his training session with Natasha.