#cinna mumbles to herself

[linh-cindy]

Miles Apart (Hunger Games x TLC AU Part 5)

Kai says his goodbyes to Cinder as she enters the arena. Cinder struggles to survive by herself.

Kai adjusted his tailored suit as he waited for Cinder so they could say their final goodbyes.

She was probably still with Cinna, who was adjusting her outfit.

Then the elevator rose up and opened, revealing Cinder in a leather jacket and tight pants. At least... Kai thought they were tight.

Her hair was tied up in her signature ponytail, just like on the day she was reaped. Her expression was practically nothing. She was just looking down.

Kai entered the elevator with her and they descended without a word. It was only when they reached the hard ground Cinder broke the silence.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello," said Kai.

A minute of silence.

"Uh, you... left this on the train," he mumbled, reaching into his pocket and showing her a moon pin.

"Oh," said Cinder. "Peony bought that for my birthday. I can't believe... Oh, no, I left it on the train and I completely forgot about it."

She started to tear up, but she didn't cry. In fact, there was no water in her eyes at all.

Kai took her in for a hug. Cinder gasped and slowly hugged him back.

"I can't cry," she admitted.

"Why not?" Kai spoke into her hair and didn't let go of her.

"I... have this retina display that required removal of my tear ducts so they wouldn't get in the w- ugh, this is useless."

Kai laughed softly.

Cinder pulled away from him, smiling and staring at the ground bashfully.

"Cinder," whispered Kai. "You have to win." He tilted her head up and gazed into her chocolate brown eyes. Her grin faded.

"I can't. I'm too weak," Cinder muttered.

"No, you aren't. Win for your sister, Cinder."

"W-will you take care of her if I lose?" she asked, almost pleadingly.

"Of course." Kai smiled weakly. This was maybe going to be the last time he was going to interact with her. He hoped not. "For you."

His hands slowly made their way to her waist, and he leaned toward her, making her eyes widen. His heart pounded uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry. This is... horribly inappropriate, but..."

Cinder trembled, ever so slightly.

"If you had the chance of leaving but someone was enslaving you... would you stay?" Kai's gaze shifted to Cinder's lips. So dry and peeling. Obvious dehydration.

"Leave?" Cinder's eyes darted from his lips and back to his eyes. She blinked. "Please. I would get executed in a minute. It's not much of a choice."

Cinder slowly began to tilt her head at him, allowing him to lean forward a little bit more, allowing his lips to slightly brush hers... almost... almost...

"Miss Linh," growled a Peacekeeper sternly. "Sir Abernathy."

"Sorry," murmured Cinder automatically. She blew out a breath and said three words to Kai.

"Thanks for everything."

. . .

Kai watched her walk on the rough pavement and up the ramp of the hover. His lips tingled from the almost-kiss. The act was foolish. It was obvious. Cinder did not like him. She did like him, but not in the way he liked her. It was all very confusing.

At one point, Cinder stopped to look at him. She held out three fingers of her left hand and placed them on her lips. Cinder then raised her arm and gave him the three-fingered sign. Her cyborg hand shined in the daylight.

She turned around too quickly so she didn't see Kai give the sign back.

For some reason, Kai felt his eyes water. But one thing was clear. He was going to miss this girl very, very much.

. . .

Cinder watched in silence as a woman stuck a thick syringe in each of the tributes' arms.

She swallowed hard.

The woman had reached Rue, the small, timid girl from District 11. Rue twitched as the syringe entered her flesh.

"What's that?" asked Cinder.

"Your tracker. To know whether you're alive or you're dead."

The specificity of her words made Cinder shudder.

The woman approached Cinder next and a shot of pain flared into her arm. She pushed her gasp of pain down her throat.

Once the hover had made its descent on the arena's ground, they were sent to their platforms.

"60. 59. 58. 57. 56. 55. 54. 53. 52. 51. 50. 49. 48. 47. 46. 45. 44. 43. 42..."

Cinder's finger twitched.

"...23. 22. 21. 20. 19. 18. 17. 16. 15..."

A bead of sweat trailed down her neck.

"...10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1."

Cinder jumped off the platform as it blew up behind her. She collapsed on the ground. Her vision was blurry. Spurts of blood everywhere. Screams. Cries.

The Hunger Games had begun.

#the lunar chronicles #tlc #the rampion crew #kaider #linh cinder #emperor kai #tlc cinder #prince kai #the hunger games #thg

[everlarkrealornot]

This is real...? Chapter 14

Chapters 1 through 13 here

“Wow.” Dr. Aurelius removed his glasses and sat them on his desk. “You two had quite the weekend,” he said as he rubbed his eyes, taking a moment to think it all over.

Peeta had scheduled a follow up session that next Monday morning and decided that it would be a good idea if Katniss attended. They had spent half of the session simply recounting the last couple of days’ events to get him all caught up.  

“Give me one second,” he said holding up a finger. Standing up he moved to the door and quietly called to his assistant to reschedule his follow meeting. After closing the door, he readjusted his tie and turned back to them, sitting in his chair. “Alright, we have some work to do.”

--

“My brain hurts.” Peeta flopped down on the edge of their bed and fell backwards, rubbing his eyes. 

“Mine too,” she agreed. Sitting down on the opposite side of the bed she leaned back and shifted until they were face to face.

“You think he’ll go easier on me at my next session as a reward for all the work we put in this morning?” He rolled on his side, his nose practically brushing hers.

“Keep dreaming.” She smiled before placing a kiss on his forehead; his eyes slid closed at her touch. “Thank you for letting me come with you.”

“Thank you for coming with me.” The smile on his face grew as he leaned in to place a kiss on her lips. “You know, neither of us have to work today,” he gently reminded her as he reached his arms above his head to run his hands under her shirt and across the soft skin of her stomach.

“You’re right…” she hummed at his touch, “I think after all of that work we put in this morning we deserve to treat ourselves.” She raised her arms allowing him to help her wiggle out of her shirt.

“Come here,” he mumbled as he pulled her across the bed, giving him easier access to her shorts. Kissing the spot just above her hip, he popped the button open and tossed them to the ground.

“Why are you still wearing yours?” she asked she as pushed herself up and undid his belt before tugging them down and tossing them over her shoulder. With a smirk she slid her leg over his, straddling his hips. Taking him in hand she positioned him and sighed as she settled down over his length.

“Is that better?” he asked, running a finger under the band of her bra and around the swell of her breast to graze her nipple.

“Much,” she hummed as she gently rocked against him.

--

Next Day

“Sorry I’m late!” Katniss called as she hurried past Cinna towards the kitchen.

“It’s okay,” he chuckled quietly to himself as he followed after his frazzled employee.

“I know tonight is a big night and that the food needs to be perfect!” She opened the fridge and started pulling ingredients out left and right. “I promise that I am here and focused!”

“Katniss,” her name caused her to freeze, “Come sit down for a moment.”

A tight ball formed in her stomach and she could feel her panic rising.

“Okay,” she forced the word out and nodded. Slowly closing the fridge, she forced herself to take three long deep breaths, counting each one.

“Katniss?” Cinna called from his seat in the booth. Still feeling like her head was underwater she nodded once before walking over to sit opposite him. He looked at her for a moment and sighed. “You already know what I’m going to say, don’t you?” She nodded silently as tears started stinging her eyes and she blinked, willing them to stay where they were. “Do you remember the backer I met with last month?”

“Something about tigers?” she asked quietly. He smiled warmly at her.

“The first clothing line she backed was called Tigris.” He swallowed hard. “She has offered me space in New York where I will have an entire team and full creative freedom.

“That’s ama – ” her voice cracked and she cleared her throat quickly. “That’s amazing, Cinna.” He eyed her suspiciously. “No, it really is. You deserve it.”

“Thank you.” He smiled warmly at her. “An offer like this only comes around once in a lifetime.” They were both quiet for a long moment. They had come to mean a lot to each other over the last couple of years and Katniss knew that this move meant he would be gone from her life.

“When do you leave?” she finally asked.

“Six weeks.”

--

June

Despite not wanting to miss any time with Cinna that she could get, she couldn’t deny how relieved she was when she had gotten his text saying that she didn’t need to come in. The last week had been emotionally exhausting and while Peeta found working at the bakery comforting, Katniss needed some space.

She had finished up the last load of laundry and had just started pulling things out to make a simple lunch when there was a knock on the door.

“Haymitch?” she asked in surprise when she opened the door. He had stopped over a few times since finishing the roof to check on things, but she swore the last time he was here she had heard him tell Peeta that things looked great.

“Katniss.” He nodded and walked inside. “It was a heavy rain last night and I just wanted to double check on a few things.” She surprised a sigh as she closed the door; she could tell he was trying and clearly not drunk, so she really didn’t want to snap at him.

“You know, you’ve come over to check on it, like, three times since you finished.”

“Well…I just wanted….uhh…” he stumbled over his words, unable to look her in the eye, fidgeting on his feet.

“Do you want some lunch?” she asked, finally taking pity on him.

“I wouldn’t say no to one of your sandwiches,” he chuckled. She shook her head and headed towards the kitchen.

“Well, how about a grilled wrap?”

“Sounds good to me!” he said happily as he sat down at the kitchen table.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as she heated up the grill pan and assembled the wraps. She couldn’t help but feel like Peeta and she had accidently adopted a grumpy old man into their lives.

“You know, if you’re bored, there are probably lots of people around town who could use some help around their homes,” she suggested.

“Mhhm,” he huffed, but said nothing more.

She suppressed a sigh and placed the wraps in the pan and turned around.

“You just seem to be looking for something and giving back around town might make you feel better than you think it will,” she pushed.

Haymitch opened his mouth but shut it again as the look of anger melted off his face. After a moment he sighed and nodded his head. “Maybe it would help.”

--

Two weeks later

Katniss bounced her legs anxiously as she sat in the booth at the coffee shop in town. Peeta had finally convinced her to reach out to Gale and ask him to meet up, but she was starting to think it was a bad idea. She had accompanied Peeta to several of his therapy appointments recently and Dr. A had been encouraging this as well, but as she continued to remind him, he was not technically her therapist. And as he had reminded her that while that was true, as Peeta’s therapist he believed that what was good for Katniss was good for Peeta.

“Damn you Mellark,” she whispered as she grabbed her phone, getting ready to text Gale that something came up when the door to the shop opened and he walked in. He gave her a weak smile and walked over.

“Hey.” He looked unsure as he rubbed the back of his neck, staring down at her.

“Hey,” she finally managed back, “You can sit if you want.” She gestured to the other side of the booth.

“Right.” Slowly, he lowered himself into the booth and settled in across from her. “I’m, uhh, glad you reached out.”

She didn’t want to lie to him and say, me too, because now that he was here, in front of her, she was not so sure she was glad.

“Before we talk about anything else, I have a few things I need to say.” She swallowed hard and thought back over the many conversations Peeta and she had had to help her prepare for the uncomfortable conversation she knew that needed to happen. Gale simply nodded, looking as if he had anticipated this. “First, I need to say I am sorry for not having been clear about my feelings for you. Just blaming the Initiative for us not being able to be together wasn’t fair.” Gale looked like he wanted to say something, but she pushed on, knowing herself. “Second, I am sorry for having not been more honest with you about my feelings for Peeta from the beginning…not that I owed you an explanation, but I am sorry for having led you to believe that I wasn’t happy.” Gale shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “And last, I need you to know that I am completely in love with my husband, and I will not do anything that would even remotely jeopardize my relationship with him in the eyes of the Initiative.”

He stared at her for a moment, and she held her breath, worried that he might go off on her. The Gale she had known would have but that was three years ago, and a lot had happened since then.

“Fair.” He nodded and relaxed back into the booth. “If we are uh, taking responsibility for our past…behaviors, I feel the need to apologize for having made you feel like you couldn’t be honest with me.” Katniss blinked at him. “I was angry about a lot of stuff…I’m working on that, by the way.” He grabbed a sugar packet and started fidgeting with it. “My mom made me go talk to someone…its helping, actually.”

She was shocked by his honesty, but glad to hear it.

“I’m starving,” she blurted out after a moment of silence.

A genuine smile broke out across his face. “Me too.”

--

“How did it go?” Peeta asked as soon as she walked into the studio. When he had heard her come in the house, he had dropped what he was doing and scrubbed any of the wet paint on his hands away knowing that she would find him moments later.  

“I was honest with him, and told him I was sorry, and made it very clear I wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize us.” She walked directly to him and swung her leg over his and sat down on his lap, letting his arms hold her in place as she rested her feet on the support bars of the stool they were sitting on. “I won’t ever do that again,” she whispered and placed a soft kiss to his lips, linking her hands together behind his neck. When he moved to pull back, she captured his lips again and deepened the kiss, his grip on her tightening automatically.

“I know you won’t,” he reassured her as he rested his forehead against hers. “What else happened?” he asked, rubbing her back.

“We just…talked.” She sighed and lifted her head so she could see him better. “About my job, his job, the classes he’s taking, how Finnick is helping me with my new business idea, how you’ve been doing…everything?” Peeta smiled at her. “It was nice.”

“I’m glad.” He kissed her cheek. “You guys meeting up again?”

“We didn’t plan anything…I think we both need some time to process the interaction…but I think we will.” She shrugged. “It was good to see him. To see how things are changing for him.”

“Maybe the next time my brothers come over we could invite Gale as well,” Peeta suggested.

“I think that would be nice.” She smiled and tightened her grip on him again as she closed her eyes, resting her forehead against his chin.

He let her sit quietly for a moment as he rubbed her back, enjoying her being close but worried about the reason behind it.

“Kat?” he said quietly.

“Mhm?” she hummed, not moving.

“You know that I meant it when I told you that I don’t doubt your feelings for me, right?” He pushed his chin out, nudging her back to look at him.

She looked up at him sheepishly. “Yes…but I worry.” He raised his eyebrows in question. “Our courting year was hard, I don’t want to go back there again, and with these past few months having been hard…” she trailed off and sighed, “I don’t want either of us to build up walls again.”

He gave her a small smile and ran his nose along her cheek. “Me neither…I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She pressed another quick kiss to his lips, before standing up so he could start painting again. “How was therapy?” she asked as she gently rubbed his back.

He furrowed his brow as he picked back up his brush to finish the commission he was working on. “Uncomfortable.” He let the brush glide over the canvas and Katniss could tell he was trying to put it into words for her. “Doc has been pushing me a lot to work on my confidence and to figure out where my lack of self-esteem stems from.” He dropped the brush away from the canvas, just staring at it for a moment. “I told him that my mom used to tell me that my art wasn’t going to take me anywhere, that it was a waste of time. He asked if I could share a specific time when she did this and I told him about this one parent-teacher conference night when we were in middle school. I had been so proud of my art project and dragged my dad over to look at in the library. Our teacher had come over and was talking to my dad, telling him how much she enjoyed having me in class and that I had a lot of potential. As they were talking my mom found us…my teacher excitedly told her about an art contest she thought I might be interested in entering. My mom looked her dead in the face and said, why would a pathetic, no talent kid be interested in something like that? What a waste of time.” Katniss’s hands stilled on his back for a moment. “I of course started crying. My dad scooped me up, despite the fact that I was far too big to be carried at that point, and walked me to the car. He did his best to reassure me that she was wrong, and I remember them fighting the entire way home about it.” He looked up over his shoulder at her. “Are we surprised that she is the source of all my issues?” He gave a half-hearted attempt at a laugh.

She felt the hot sting of angry tears as she stared down at her amazing husband, knowing that whatever words of encouragement and support she came up with were going to fall short in comparison to an entire childhood of mental abuse. But she was going to try anyways. “I am so sorry you were stuck in that.” She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and leaned down to rest her forehead on his again. “In all aspects that I can think of, you are the most beautiful person I know.”

#everlark #thg #the hunger games #kate writes #you are getting two chapters today #in fact you might get the last chapter as well #I have it all written #i just have to edit it

[sucuretcannelle]

*There was a man with pink hair standing over another man who was on the ground, the pink haired man had a gun to the other's head. The pink haired guy turns and looks at Cinna, his eyes were glazed over and looked yellow. The guy on the ground slams his heel into the ground before violently kicking his foot up into the pink haired guy's neck. The pink haired guy stumbles back, blood pouring out if his neck from...what seems like a cut, he proceeds to vanish. The guy on the ground then seems to pass out, he was drenched in blood*

- Noodles

[*Cinna starts mumbling to herself before nudging the body with her shoe*]

[*She then kneels down and hovers her hand over them*]

ewewewewew gross ew—

[*A purple light surrounds them before it vanishes, the blood and injuries going away with it. She then picks them up and walks back into the estate*]

------

Look what I found.

Another one?

Dj Khaled—

Shut up.

Damn, okay.

#noodle anon

[district7]

A Mockingjay Joniss AU - pt. 1: i’ve made up my mind (i’m never going back)

11.11.19 

A Mockingjay Joniss AU - pt. 1: i’ve made up my mind (i’m never going back) 

A Mockingjay AU WIP where Katniss reevaluates whether her best future is a path she had never considered. After Johanna fails the Block, it occurs to Katniss that her future is not pre-destined, that she’s done enough, and that she doesn’t owe any one, or any cause, a suicide mission. 

A/N: There are no promises of quality assurance. Also, I make no promises about updates. (If I add that sort of pressure on myself about it, I’ll end up loathe to work on it.) This will likely hold a lot of things in common with other Mockingjay Joniss AUs, namely a return to District 7 instead of District 12, and an emphasis on the pair helping each other recover set against a backdrop of quasi-homesteading. I make zero assertions POV and tense will stay consistent across updates. This is an adventure in pantsting with a general goal in mind, rather than something I’m pre-plotting.

Feel free to send me constructive witticisms, requests, asks, comments, trolling, whatever.

_______________________

District 13 - Medical

Johanna’s limbs twitched, body emitting a mix of grunts and whimpers. Katniss guessed she was fighting in her sleep.

Or maybe running. The morphling line in her IV was a rifle with vicious recoil. Awake, it tricked you into believing pain was farther away and anxiety quieter than they actually were. Helpful. Maybe. Asleep, it made it harder to wake from the nightmares.

“Jo...” 

Katniss nudged her shoulder with a knuckle, leaning forward out of her visitor’s chair only far enough to breach the edge of Johanna’s medical bed. Best to keep out of the way of swinging arms, if Johanna woke up fighting. “Johanna, wake up.”

In response, Johanna’s grunts and twitches ratcheted in intensity. 

Katniss guessed at what she was dreaming. Maybe fighting mutts while they tried to pull her under water. What kind of mutts might the Capitol design for that? Giant fish with fiery eyes, men’s arms, and children’s hands?  Eels with multiple tails which encapsulate you while the monsters drag you deeper into the pressing blackness, down until you finally have no choice but to gasp in water and drown yourself?

The Capitol and its mutts. 

Katniss tried again to wake Johanna, but she only rolled in her hospital bed, tangling herself and her IV line in her bleached, too-white sheets while letting out a sleep-garbled plea.

Maybe not Capitol mutts, Katniss thought. This happened in The Block, the Rebellion’s own customizable mini-Arena. So, Rebellion mutts. Coin and her well-oiled machine could squeeze and fracture a person every bit as well as Snow and the Games could a Tribute. Less horrific and premeditated, definitely. Better justified, absolutely. Without the evil intent, hopefully.  But they could still do it, all the same.

What was it Peeta had said in that interview? 

Once you’re in the arena, the rest of the world becomes very distant. All the people and things you loved or cared about almost cease to exist. As bad as it makes you feel, you’re going to have to do some killing, because in the arena, you only get one wish. And it’s very costly. It costs a lot more than your life. To murder innocent people? It costs everything you are. So you hold on to your wish.

His wish had been for Katniss to live. Katniss’ had been for him to. And here they were. Everyone, except for Cinna, who she’d gone into the Quarter Quell caring about was somehow, miraculously, still alive. Prim. Her mother. Gale. Haymitch. Effie. Peeta might still be mentally disordered, but at least with her staying away, he was progressing well enough to decorate a wedding cake. 

A wedding cake. That image made Katniss grunt. Finnick and Annie.

It wasn’t just those she cared about before the Quarter Quell who were still alive, it was also those she newly cared about. Those two. Beetee.

Johanna.

Johanna, for whom Katniss had experienced the impulse to volunteer as roommate. The one she’d sidled up to as a training partner. The one whose nightmares and traumas she’d been ready-fit acquaintances with. And also the one whose crass, doesn’t-give-a-fuck facade had gone from infuriating Katniss, when they’d first met, to actually making her laugh.

She sat on the edge of the bed and made one last, forceful attempt to stir Johanna, managing to cajole her onto her back and into wakefulness enough that she blinked with hazy recognition.

“Shit. Can’t a girl sleep without being molested?” Johanna was mumbling, voice rough.

“You were having a nightmare.”

“I can see your face, so clearly I must still be having it.”

“Funny.”

Johanna’s lids drifted shut.

“Have to be good for at least something, brainless, or else these wonderful District Thirteen people might decide it’s not worth the cost-benefit to feed me.”

“You’re good at lot of things,” Katniss joked. “Or at least that’s what you’re always going on to everyone about.”

Still with eyes closed, Johanna’s face pulled a smirk. “And wouldn’t you be lucky to experience every last one of those things, Everdeen.”

Katniss snorted and rolled her eyes. “You’re incredible.”

“Most wait ‘till after to tell me that.”

“You know what I meant,” Katniss corrected, refusing to fall prey to the attempt at embarrassing her. She started untangling the sheet from around the IV as something else to focus on.

Johanna peeked open one eye to watch, then wiggled the rest of her arm free from the bedding as soon as Katniss was done, purposefully floundering it through the air until she thwacked her palm against Katniss’ cheek. She pushed her face away with token force, punctuated by a complaining groan.

“Go a-way. Your sickening goodness makes my ass itch. How’s a mentally disordered person supposed to sleep?"

Katniss managed to huff like she was offended, but when Johanna’s hand didn’t move away from her face, she pulled it down to her lap and held onto it, frowning.

“They’re re-classifying you as that again?”

Johanna’s hand twitched in Katniss’.

“What? No. It’s nothing.”

“Johanna...”

“I’m fine, leave it.”  She yanked her hand free. “Aren’t you supposed to be prepping for an assassination mission right now anyway? Why are you here?”

Katniss frowned again at the abruptly acerbic tone, but she’d built up some resistance to it over time, and was tired herself, so she chose not walk into the trap. She was about to lay her own, anyway, after a fashion.

“You mean the suicide mission?” Her voice was a whisper, and she said it only after looking away from Johanna and picking her cuticles for a few long moments.

“What?” Johanna shimmied up into a sitting position, eyes wide and body instantly tense. “What are you talking about?”

Boggs’ words from a group meeting with Coin weeks before had been revolving through Katniss’ mind for the previous twenty-four hours.

Even if we’re careful, we can’t guarantee her safety. She’ll be a target for every-

He hadn’t gotten to finish, because Katniss herself had interrupted him. But she could definitely fill in the blank herself.

“Think about, Johanna. Because since the Block, I’ve certainly been thinking about it. At best, it’s a mission doomed to fail. At worst, it’s a death sentence. I think I’ve slept less than you in the last forty-eight hours.”

“You promised.” Johanna and pulled her arms tightly around her shoulders to make herself smaller. Triggered into a minor episode, she shook her head non-stop, as if doing so could change the reality of what Katniss had said. “You promised you’d kill him for me. I need him to be dead!”

Katniss sighed loudly and stared up at ceiling, fighting her own frustration as well as Johanna’s. Fighting to keep her voice calm.

“I know. I know I did, Johanna. And he will.“ She put a hand on Johanna’s knee to calm her, only to have Johanna swipe it away. But she went on. “We’ve breached the Capitol. We have forces there. Everyone wants Snow’s head. The Rebellion has come too far to stop, and Coin is going to make sure he ends up dead one way or another. But think about it. I’m not a trained assassin, I’m barely a solider. I don’t have an anonymous face. What chance do I really have? I’m a girl with a rifle and a bow. In the middle of a city decked out with Gamemakers’ traps, thousands of peacekeeper who know my face, and tens of thousands of Capitol citizens ready to raise an alert.” She gave Johanna a grim smile. “Those odds are way higher against than we faced in all of our games combined. And my target? One man on the far side of a war zone, almost certainly sealed away in a well-guarded bomb shelter.”

Katniss gave a weak shrug. “Boggs is right. He didn’t call it a suicide mission out loud, but he knows it is. I’ve been seeing it in his eyes, the hoping that I'd see it for myself.”

“Fuck,” Johanna hissed. “I’m so fucking tired of all this SHIT!”

The sudden screaming brought in the medical staff. Johanna shouted wild curses at them, alarming them all the more, but Katniss eventually talked them into leaving. It took long minutes, but Johanna’s shaking slowly evolved to despondent rocking. And then her chin sank to her chest, followed a moment later by a sniff, and then her dragging an arm across her face to wipe at it. Finally, she gripped her skull and let herself fall back flat onto the bed.

“Jo, I don’t know what kind of a life you want to have when this is over, but I’ve made up my mind. I’m not going back. I’ve done enough. We’ve both done enough. We don’t owe anyone. It’s not selfish: We’ve reached the point where we’re no longer necessary. Coin and the other District Leaders can duke it out; it doesn’t need to be Mockingay business. The only thing I want is to live a quiet life where I know Prim is safe and I can shrink out from under the spotlight. That’s what started this for me. That’s the promise I need to keep. The one I made to her on Reaping Day. That I’d live and come back to her.” She added, “You can’t tell me that at least part of you isn’t interested.”

There was more sniffling, and more face wiping. And a few ragged breaths before there was an exhausted response.

“Do you really believe that’s possible?”

“I think Coin will give it to us. She needs popular Victors around after the Capitol falls like a bear needs bees stinging at its nose when it wants honey. At this stage, my quiet exit might be as tempting for her as it is for me. And face it, from her perspective- If I’m right- if I do go, at best my death makes a good propo, except that it comes at the cost of the Capitol claiming credit for killing me. But if I actually succeeded, she risks me having an even bigger voice in Panem’s future. Considering how we’ve butted heads already, that’s not something she’s likely to want. And that puts not just me, but everyone I care about right back in danger.” Katniss had risked sneaking that train of thought into a whispered conversation with Boggs over that morning’s breakfast.

The look he’d given her had been answer enough.

“For once, I’d like the chance to choose my own fate instead of being manipulated into one.”

Johanna continued to stare up at the ceiling.

“You’re serious about this.”

“I have the bone-chilling feeling I need to be.”

“And so what,” Johanna struggled for the energy to push herself up on her elbows, glaring, “this is you asking my blessing to beg Coin to send you, your family, and lover boy back to Twelve so you can have a guilt-free happily ever after?”

Katniss gave herself time to cycle through a slow breath. Being about to say it aloud made it feel more like killing someone than letting them go. But Johanna was impatient.

“I’m sick of this visit, Katniss. Just say whatever it is and get it over with.”

“Fine.” Katniss sucked in a breath. “Peeta’s a long way from being able to go anywhere without a counselor. Maybe things could be different. In the future, after time passes and he’s better and I don’t feel constantly conflicted over what I should be feeling and how much of that is me over what people keep telling me I feel. And-”

“There goes your self-righteous we-really-love-each-other act, princess.”

“Shut up, Johanna! It’s complicated and you know it. And like I said, maybe things could be different. None of us knows that, though. But what I do know is that neither he or I need that sort of pressure right now, and right now is when I need to make a decision for the people who are still within my reach.”

Johanna relented, begrudgingly.

“If you go back to Twelve, you realize he’ll just end up back there at some point. If you go home, he follows. He won’t be able to help it.”

Katniss hesitated, but then nodded sadly. “I know.”

“Is that what you want?”

Katniss didn’t respond. Instead, after some quiet, she reached over to the nightstand for Johanna’s pine bundle, laying it on the bed. Her fingers lingered on it briefly before withdrawing.

“This was on the floor when I came in. Decided you didn’t like it after all?”

“Probably fell out while I was sleeping.” Johanna picked it up and took a sniff, then kept it at her nose to breathe the scent.

“Had you wanted to go back to Seven when this was all done?”

“I...” Johanna’s shoulders slowly sagged. “I don’t know,” she said simply, expression carefully neutral. “I don’t have anything there. Haven’t for a long time. And I haven’t even been able to picture a world that’s that normal enough to even try thinking about it.”

“Well, do. At this point, the three us of would rather go to Seven with you than back to Twelve.” Johanna narrowed her eyes, surprised. Perhaps suspicious. It didn’t phase Katniss. “Haymitch and Finnick have both agreed to help me make the argument to Coin for us.” And when Johanna only continued to study Katniss, without voicing an objection, Katniss hazarded some levity, "And anyway, you’re practically required to say yes: Prim insists she wants to adopt you into the family.”

“I’m not a fucking pet,” Johanna responded, eventually, but without real heat.

“Whatever you say, lumber-woman.” Katniss chuckled at the dirty face Johanna made at that, before standing to leave. “I think we both know Prim's pretty good at getting what she wants.”

“It should be illegal to be that fucking adorable.”

“Yeah,” Katniss agreed, to be polite. “Okay, well, I’m going to go talk to Haymitch. You aren’t laying a string of profanity down on me, so I’m going to run with it.”

Johanna pulled her knees to her chest, making herself small again.

“What is it?”

Johanna shook her head.

“Come on, Johanna.”

“I... don’t want to get dragged there and then dumped, if you guys don’t like it.” A tear raced down her cheek, then another, which Johanna cursed even as she wiped them away. “I... Fuck, I can’t believe I’m saying this. If you tell anyone, especially that stupid head doctor, that I'm saying this, I’ll rip your spine out.”  The tears were still coming. “But I don’t think I can handle having people and then losing them again.”

Again. The weight of that word settled on Katniss’ shoulders.

She struggled with how to respond, in the end climbing onto the bed and letting Johanna curl into her side.

#joniss #johanna and katniss #katniss and johanna #johanna mason #katniss everdeen #the hunger games #johanna x katniss #katniss x johanna #mockingjay #moockingjay au #district 7

[ilianchant]

sunrunnerrs asked: what if: vanora almost got shot but when she looks over it's just a very surprised looking cinna trying to get her bow out of wolfie's mouth

A sharp gasp escapes her throat; the kind that lets the heart skip and drop as the body realises even before the mind does that it very narrowly escaped death, the brief rush of adrenaline that ebbed as quickly. She caught herself as fast; not the arrow in itself, but the training and constant danger had to count for something.

She stared at Cinna, then at her companion that was- Vanora blinked yet again, opening her mouth as if there was anything she could’ve said that made sense in this moment, even while not being too sure about what exactly happened at all. Did the animal shoot a bow? Did Cinna just quickly put it in its snout to hide the fact that she accidentally almost killed her?

Whatever it was, with a pounding heart and head, she just gave a lengthy sigh.

“Belore, I-” She blinked once again, shaking her head with curls dangling in front of her face, and it didn’t matter that the war paint smeared now as she buried her head in her hands, only mumbling something for herself that wasn’t meant for anyone else. “I’m getting too old for this.”

source: (UN)PROMPTED (always accepting) | @sunrunnerrs​

#sunrunnerrs #vanora is is just overwhelmed #{ SING OH MUSE // answered. } #{ PATIENCE AND I ARE OLD FRIENDS // queue. }

[your-dr-imagines]

Long time no talk, you guys! I came here to request something but just thought I'd say hi first, since it's been a while since I've dropped by! But, uhm, if you wouldn't mind, can I get Mondo, Gonta, Gundham, and Sakura with a Fem!S/O who's a big hugger? Like she just gives them one hug then it escalates into two or three, etc-

What a wonderfully cute request! I hope you enjoy, Cinna!

Gonta Gokuhara

Gonta is a really affectionate boyfriend. He loves his S/O, so of course, he wants to show that to her! He does get a bit more flustered about affection in public, especially at the beginning of your relationship.

He doesn’t have much experience, more like none, when it comes to relationships. Gonta is pretty insecure about this, so you showing affection so freely makes him very happy. He grows to adore it.

Though he’ll still blush a little over it in public, he gladly pulls you in for a hug. Because of his height and depending on how tall you are, he might even accidentally lift you off the ground a little. He tends to giggle and laugh a lot while hugging.

He’s actually a bit touch starved since people usually don’t just walk up to him due to his intimidating appearance. That’s the reason he might squeeze you a little bit too hard the first time you hug. However, he really does not mean to! He’d almost burst into tears if you mentioned it hurt.

Gundham Tanaka

He’s really not used to receiving affection and will be turned into blushing, sputtering mess both in private and public. It takes a while for him to get remotely used to it. He’d prefer if you warned him before touching him.

In moderation, he thinks your hugs are nice. But he still doesn’t want most people touching him. Gundham simply doesn’t really know how to react in such a situation, usually resorting to pulling his scarf up.

Much like Gonta, he doesn’t have a lot of experience and is usually unsure of what to do. His touch aversion doesn’t help in the slightest. Most commonly he’ll ramble thinly veiled complements in his usual grandeur fashion, calling you his ‘Dark Queen’ and the like.

Nevertheless, you’ve gotta be careful about the Four Dark Devas of Destruction, since you don’t want to accidentally squish them while hugging your boyfriend, would you?

Mondo Oowada

He loves how clingy you are, both in public and private. Mondo’s not shy about being affectionate with you, he wants to show how much he loves you, after all, so he definitely doesn’t mind.

In fact, once he finds out how much you love hugs, he’d probably pull you in for one often as well. He thinks how much you love them is cute.

Because of what happened earlier on in his life, he fully realizes how much of a treasure you are. That’s why he tries to be very open with how he feels and since he has difficulty some putting it into words, he uses affection.

Though Mondo might tease from time to time you about your tendency, no one else should do so. He’ll actually get mad at them, mumbling about how they shouldn’t dare insult you like that.

Sakura Ogami

Definitely when you haven’t been dating for too long, she’ll still be a bit embarrassed about being together with you, since being in a relationship doesn’t fit the image most people have of her. Especially when the two of you are in public, she’s afraid that people might judge her, or even worse you for choosing to date her.

But you showering her so easily with hugs causes her to quickly grow a lot more comfortable with it. Soon enough, she doesn’t care whether people are looking at her a bit weirdly when you wrap her into one of your familiar hugs.

Even if she’s still hesitant about initiating PDA herself, she grows to love whenever you do it. She’s intimidating and is aware of this, so anyone touching her so sweetly without a second of consideration is a really nice experience.

#danganronpa #dr #gonta gokuhara #gundham tanaka #danganronpa imagine #sakura ogami #mondo owada #mod kiyo #cinna-freaking-vanilla

[justanotherwriter280]

The Things We Beg For

Pairing: Haymitch Abernathy x Effie Trinkett

Warnings: mention of torture

What if Effie had been tortured with the other victors in the Capitol?

“If you’re someone else who’s come to tell me I’m safe and I’m okay, I can assure you I really can’t stand to hear the words again.” The words fall out of Effie Trinket’s mouth as hollow as possible. She just doesn’t know how to deal with it. Joanna’s drugging herself to forget it all, Annie has Finnick to cling to, and Peeta will never be the same. Effie has always known exactly what to say, exactly what to do, how to feel. But that’s all gone now. These things tend to happen when the people who have been telling you what to do so long you almost forget who you are (almost…) begin to beat you so mercilessly that you really do forget. Peeta, Joanna, Annie…they really didn’t deserve this. They had spent a lot of time simply trying to do what’s right and what will get them through to the next sunrise. But she, Effie Trinket, had she really not done anything to deserve the wounds the Capitol had inflicted upon her, or was she just as much a piece in their game as the next unwitting citizen?

“You’re no more okay than anyone else is.” His voice was not the one she was expecting at all. She turns to see none other than Haymitch Abernathy – sober Haymitch Abernathy, no less – in the doorway of her room. He invites himself in and sits down on the corner of her bed. She has a thought and smiles weakly, silently allowing a chuckle to escape her lungs. He smiles back. It’s small, but there’s a genuine feeling behind it that’s a far cry from anything she’s felt in a long time.

“What?”

“I get it now,” she replies vaguely. He cocks his head.

“Get what?”

“Why you hate them so much. The Capitol. I thought I knew how awful they were when Katniss and Peeta were forced into a second games. I was wrong.” She wanted to ask him if he was happy now. Happy that she had suffered the way that he had. Happy that she was finally a shell of the person he had always hated. Happy that her whole world had fallen on top of her and that she had been trapped in its wreckage.

“The Capitol personally victimizes everyone. They just handpicked you and the others to give their worst to.  I’m –” He’s cut off by her audible bark of laughter. It’s cold, unyielding. There is no humor behind it. Only the most vicious and unforgiving kind of self-hatred.

“I hate that word so much.” The venom in her is evident. This is a whole new Effie Trinket. One Haymitch has never met. And he has no idea how to deal with her.

“What?” He has no idea what she means – or where she’s going with this line of thinking. But he lets her get there so he can understand. She deserves at least that much, especially from him.

“I hate that word. ‘Victim’. Peeta was hijacked. I heard him mumble and rock himself back and forth at night muttering the things they taught him about Katniss. Even in his sleep. They soaked Joanna with water and shocked her till her heart nearly gave out. Sometimes it did, and they had to get her back. I listened to Annie scream so much.” She looks at him. “So much, Haymitch. They beat her almost every day. She couldn’t even tell them anything. She had no idea. They just enjoyed it. I heard at night how she laid in her bed and sobbed for Finnick. They are victims. The Capitol put them through the Games and then they paid for their victory with blood and tears and pain. No one ever wins; I thought I knew that before. I do now. They were supposed to get to live the rest of their lives in peace – what was left of them after the Games, anyway. I always said what they wanted me to say, did what they told me to do, and was what they wanted me to be for so long, Haymitch.” She pauses again, partly for breath, and partly to see his face. Check for any signs of agreement. She can’t find any. She must not be making it clear enough. “I just got what was coming to me. I deserved every bit of what they did to me. I earned it. So don’t call me a victim. We both know I’m not. You of all people must understand that.” He looks as though she’s slapped him. Little does she know that it would’ve hurt him less if she had.

“Effie…” He takes a breath. “I used to think you were just another piece of Capitol trash on their payroll. I haven’t thought that for a long time. Peeta told me about the locket you made for him. I knew when you said that Katniss and Peeta deserved better that you knew how evil the Games were. I knew you were different. I never for a second thought that you deserved what was happening to you. You were doing what you had to to survive just as much as those kids in the arena were. You just had to do it differently. You never had to kill anyone, but you had to watch the kids you helped reap die in that arena more times than anyone could count. You heard how they beat Cinna to death for that dress, and they probably laughed about it. You are a victim, Effie. No one thinks any less of you.” She scoffed.

“I do.” They both let that hang in the air for a moment. Effie looked down at the hospital bed she lied in. She wanted to believe Haymitch. She believed that he thought what he was saying was true. It warmed her heart to know that someone she thought that much of at least liked her. She had missed him.

He watched her as she finally leaned back on her pillows, shoulders sunk in defeat. She stared into the blanket that lay over her body. He stares at her face. It’s a bit sunken in – from starvation, no doubt. Her skin looks unhealthy. Lack of exposure to the sun, he supposes. Then he studies her arms. They are no longer clad in the latest fashions of Capitol designers, but instead with burn, cut, and other various wound scars that make her look so delicate, so breakable. He’s been where she is – quite recently, too – and he knows that underneath all of the hate, all of the blame, she is hurting so much that she wishes it would just kill her and get it over with. But it won’t. He understands her better than anyone else now. He has for a long time. He doesn’t notice that she’s been watching him until he catches a glimpse of her once famously made up eyes, now barren in so many ways. In a moment of instinct, he reaches for her hand. It’s cold, thin, but soft. She jumps at the sudden touch, and it strikes him right in the heart. But when he looks into her eyes, she doesn’t pull away from him. Her fingers grip his as tightly as they can. He stares at their hands for a moment. The next he hears the quiet tears begin to fall in her breath, and he lays down on the bed with her. To his surprise, she turns into his chest and finally allows herself time to fall apart. He wraps an arm around her back, and she moves closer to him, breathing in his scent. He smells of disinfectant from the room where he sobered up and of the light soap everyone uses here in 13. There’s something about it, though, that is unique to Haymitch himself, and that’s what she can’t get enough of. She’s confessed everything else to him. Given what’s going on, telling him the rest of what she wants him to know doesn’t seem like that big a deal. She eventually calms down enough that her tears stop, and she’s able to look at him.

“Haymitch?” He looks down at her.

“Yeah, sweetheart?” He replies in a whisper.

“Everyone begged for something. Peeta wanted to be free. Annie wanted Finnick. Joanna wanted Snow dead. And her ax.” She smiles, stopping short of her feelings for a moment – but only for a moment. “Everyone begged for what they thought would end all of it – what could heal them. I begged for you.” It hits him like a ton of bricks what she means. He had been trying to sort out his feelings for Effie for a long time. Evidently she had been trying to do the same.

“I’m not going anywhere.” That’s the last thing she remembers before falling asleep in his arms.

#the hunger games #haymitch abernathy #effie trinkett #haymitch x effie #haymitch abernathy x effie trinkett #suzanne collins #hayffie #tw torture mention

[raphpanda21]

Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you

Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you

Last Time

Taking off her sunglasses Hera glanced back at Hermes

Hera: Leave the boxes I will have them seen too later. For now let us have a look at the facilities. I think we all could use a good rest after this evening.

Striding ahead Persephone and Hermes quickly followed her . As she came to the largest of the warehouse’s doors the cyclops at post pulled it open motioning then into the dimly light space. Ahead seated on a rather large chair a cyclops waited at his post by what appeared to be a freight elevator. Seeing them approach he stoodhaving to stoop slightly to avoid hitting his head.

In a gruff gravely voice the cyclops breaks the hanging silence.

Cyclops: Zeus called. Told me you was coming. Said from now on plans had changed. That you are the new boss and what you says goes.”

Hera smiled in satisfaction hearing this .

Hera: How sweet or him. Well the person staying here will be Ms. Persephone and I assume you will be able to prevent any press harassing her while she is here ?

Cyclops: We Bellyhands have had plenty experience with that lot. They know well not to mess with our lot.

Extending his giant hand past Hera He holds it out to Persephone who shyly reached out marveling as her hand disappeared in his.

Cyclops: You are in good hands Ms Persephone.

Hermes: Big hands

As soon as he said it Hermes slapped his hand over his mouth looking sheepish as all eyes turn to him.

Cyclops: This one with you is a real funny man huh? My big hands have seen too taking care of many a funny men in the past.

Hermes eyes widen and he backs away a little.

Hera: He isn’t normally the funny sort so perhaps you can let him pass just this once.

The cyclops hmmms glaring at Hermes one last time before letting go of Persephone’s hand

Cyclops: Just this once then. You lot go on up and see to the facilities. Once you do that we can work out some of the finer details.

Persephone smiled trying not to laugh at Hermes misfortune.

Persephone: Thank you sir. What should I call you?

The cyclops turns after lifting up the wood front on the fright eleveator.

Cyclops: We don’t hold much with names us Bellyhands. Foolish novelty all that.Simple count works good enough for us. I am number 1 and I expect you will meet the other 6 in time. Now off with the lot of you there will be time for questions later.

The three of then enter the elevator. It seemed as old and run down as the rest of the place and the lurch as it kicked into gear was quite startling .

They rode in silence as the elevator made its slow climb up finally coming to a jarring stop. The doors opened up revealing a nearly blinding stark whiteness. Hermes lifted the wooden drop gate holding it up long enough to allow the ladies to step out before stepping out himself.

The sound of their footfalls echoed in the stark white hallway as they make their way into the loft quickly coming upon an open floor plan floating stairs leading upstairs to presumably more rooms. The downstairs room was dominated by the near two story windows that encompassed the entirety of the exterior wall giving an impressive view of the city skyline.

Persephone walked away from the group walking right up to the glass laying her hands upon it as she looked out.

Persephone: This is far to much Hera. I can’t stay here.

Hera: Nonsense, this is nothing at all and I won’t hear another word of protest.

Persephone smiled nodding her head in acceptance as Hermes came to stand beside her tapping the glass with curiosity.

Hermes: For such a high security place these windows seem to defeat the purpose.

Hera snorts softly walking up to tap the glass with her finely manicured nails

Hera: It is one way glass darling. You can see out but nobody can see in.

Persephone had turned away from the window turning to take in the rest of the space. Nice open kitchen at the back looking out on the living room. The living room was massive an electric fire place on one wall and the majority of the rooms space dominated by the sunken conversation pit sitting arrangement in the middle of the room. The pit was a large square shaped space the edges covered in black couch cushions and the middle filled up with pillows and furs making it look every bit a pit of reclining decadence . Finally her vision fell on a strange leather swing placed near the window.

Persephone:How delightfully peculiar. a swing inside the house. What a fun idea. Perhaps I should give it a try!

Hearing her mention swing both Hera and Hermes look to see what she was talking about and identical looks of horror come to their face as they both shout in unison.

Hera & Hermes: Don’t touch that!

Startled Persephone stopped herself from stepping closer to the swing tilting her head at the two of them in confusion.

Hermes: That is a special swing ummm custom only for a certain user. It could hurt you and Hera will just get arrange for it to be removed right ?

Hera nodded her head in agreement putting on a forced smile.

Hera: Of course! Removed for sure and I think I will actually go down and speak to Mister 1 about having a white glove treatment done to this place. Don’t touch anything in here until then. Alright dear ?

Persephone nods glancing back at the swing with curiosity it didn’t look dangerous but she took their advice.

Hera: Hermes go and get Persephone settled in a guest room while I make some arrangements. She needs to get some rest after her harrowing evening .

Hermes : Sure thing. You heard her. Let’s go upstairs and see what options there are.

Following Hermes they make short work of exploring the upstairs. There were two spare bedrooms and one bath in addition to the master suite. Upstairs in contrast to downstairs was decorated in blacks with contrasts of white and silver giving the whole floor a night inspired vibe.

Hermes: Well master bedroom is out until the cleaners come and give it some care. Let’s get you settled in one of the guest rooms and I will go see if Hera needs help before I head out.

Persephone: Alright, I won’t deny sleep sounds very good right now.

Hermes chuckled holding open one of the guest room doors for her. Inside a queen sized bed covered in a downy white comforter and silver white pillows called invitingly to Persephone’s tired body. The floor to ceiling windows continued in this room the faint sign of approaching sunrise visible through the heavy white and silver swirled drapes.

Hermes: I will leave you too it. Try not to worry. Hera I am sure has a plan for all of this. We will see it sorted somehow.

Persephone smiled stepping up to him and wrapping her arms about his waist giving him a hug. Hermes dropped his arms quickly wrapping them around her back and returning the affection in kind.

Persephone: Thank you for everything Hermes. I always seem to be so lucky that in the worst of times a knight comes to my rescue. Sorry you had to dress in drag to save me this time.

Hermes rested his cheek on the top of her head chuckling into her hair

Hermes: What is a little gender bending between friends? I would do it everyday if it helped you somehow.

Persephone gave him a tight squeeze in thanks not seeing the look of deep affection that followed his vow of devotion.

Persephone: Let us hope it doesn’t come to that. Good night or I guess morning Hermes

Pulling away from him she proceeded into the room toeing of her shoes before climbing into bed. Seeing only her eyes peering out Hermes pulled the door closed and headed back downstairs to find. Hera.

A few hours later saw Hades slamming his car door as he approached the usual brunch location. He was early but he needed a drink or two in his system before having to face his brothers. Walking in the hostesses started to say something snide but seeing the dark look to Hades features she wisely decides against it instead motioning for a waitresses to see to him.

Settling at a table as far away from the stage and any aquarium he made short work of two scotches on the rocks before starting on a large black coffee. After having two healthy sips from his cup the usual clamor that announced his brothers’ arrival anywhere was heard. Glancing up he sighed already exhausted as he watched them coming his way . This meeting would be anything but a picnic. Standing to greet them seemed was a mistake as Poseidon nearly tackled him with his sudden hug

Poseidon: Hades, my poor brother! Why must they torment you so! I tried to summon a tsunami for you but Zeus shut me down.

Zeus snorted as he pulled out a chair getting settled.

Zeus: That press office isn’t anywhere near the ocean thusly you would have negatively impacted a lot of innocent parties.

Poseidon pouts pulling away and going to his own chair mumbling under his breathe something that sounds like it’s just a little water.

Hades brushed himself off before settling back into his chair quickly becoming very uncomfortable with his brothers silent stares.

Hades: What!?

Zeus: So is there any truth to the rumors?

Poseidon squirms in his chair with barely constrained excitement.

Poseidon: Are you going to be a daddy?!

Hades: No, there is no more truth to this story than there was to then last one.

Zeus and Poseidon look at one another before looking back at him with skepticism.

Poseidon: Bro, you know we won’t judge if you were banging her. She is one fine little cream puff that I would gladly make one of my consorts.

Hades eyes snap to blood red at Poseidon words his voice coming out in a threatening growl

Hades: If you even so much as proposition her I will remove your hook and tackle personally.

Poseidon and Zeus look at him with visible shock as a waitress quickly deposits their ordered drinks and scurries away. Calming down Hades looks on confused as Poseidon pulls out a large wad of cash and hands it to a satisfied looking Zeus.

Poseidon: Don’t gloat Zeus. It was a fair bet that I would win. He got back with ol Spicy Cinna Minthe again on Fatesbook after all.

Zeus: When it comes to knowing a men’s desires I rarely miss the mark brother.

Hades anger flares at both of his brothers a soft growl building up

Hades: You are betting on me?! Is my life that much of a joke to you.

Zeus sighed reaching out to grasp Hades shoulder giving it a strong squeeze a glare of his own backing up his assertive tone.

Zeus: Calm yourself brother. A little levity even at the worst of times isn’t bad. We are your brothers and you should know that we will always back you up.

Hades tense shoulders sagged under Zeus hand a defeated sigh slipping out as he hung his head in defeat.

Hades: I am sorry, I feel like I am having to say that a lot recently.

Poseidon: You are good bro. I honestly feel for you, I mean I would be wrecked if the girl I was hankering was stepping out with some other fella.

Zeus: Mmm, the other element of the story is interesting for sure. Do you think Thanatos has made moves on her?

Hades: I wouldn’t know but there will be a lengthy conversation Monday with him I assure you. He is as old as me if not older.

Poseidon: Age is just a state of mind bro and a chick with her curves could raise the dead.

Hades glares at him and Zeus elbows him

Poseidon: What!? It is true. I get you have this kink thing going with that nymph but you deserve better.

A look of sadness comes over Hades features his eyes getting lost in the dark depths of his coffee mug.

Hades: Better isn’t a option for me... I don’t deserve it.

Poseidon frowns reaching out to lay his hand over one of Hades

Poseidon: You are too hard on yourself. Where is your confidence?

Leaning closer he glanced around for any possible ease-droppers

Poseidon: Is your worm tiny bro or not rising to the occasion? I can help you. I got some essence of clam that will fix you right up.

Zeus and Hades both look at Poseidon neither saying anything.

Poseidon: What?

Zeus rolls his eyes

Zeus: Nothing Poseidon nothing. Getting back to a serious topic. Hera has gotten involved and is seeing that Persephone is shielded as much as possible during this time.

Hades: Is she okay?! Where is she ?!

Poseidon smiles over the top his glass having pulled back his hand at Hades panicked rambling

Zeus: I don’t know. Hera has been gone since last night. As for the where , I do know that and I can tell you that she will be safer there than anywhere else.

Hades: You can’t tell me or you won’t ?

Poseidon chuckles spinning the colorful umbrella in his drink

Poseidon: Even I know the answer is won’t Hades. You , her, and probably Thanatos are going be hounded by the paparazzi. Hell for all we know they are here watching us now.

Poseidon eyes widen as he breed his own paranoia and he slowly began to slide under the table.

Zeus: Poseidon, what are you doing?

Poseidon: Shhh! Don’t use my name they might be listening. Amphitrite will kill me if she hears about me being here. I told her we were meeting up with you at the Falafel House.

Zeus and Hades both sigh knowing there is no arguing with Poseidon when he got like this. Better to let him do as he wished.

Zeus: Be patient Hades. If she shows up to work you can talk to her then.

Hades: If being the key word.

Zeus downs his beverage before eying him coldly

Zeus: As Poseidon said earlier you chose to get back wit the nymph so seeking Persephone out outside of work will stir up both Minthe’s ire and the presses interest. Better to keep your distance than to feed the horde.

Hades steepled his fingers beneath his chin eyes again as red as freshly spilled blood.

Hades: Let then come for me. It isn’t the first time I have handled the press and I am owed far much more than a pound of flesh for their current slight.

From under the table the sound of Poseidon’s voice can be heard

Poseidon: I can’t see Hades right now but from down here he sounds badass. Can we order brunch now? I think my stomach is starting to eat my spleen down here.

Zeus motions for a waitress locking eyes with Hades as he gets in the last word before her arrival.

Zeus: You are a badass for sure but you really can be a dumbass too. You need to figure out what you really want before you do anything dramatic.

Hades started to say something back in defense but Zeus’s glare as the waitress arrived made him clam up. Orders were taken swiftly and the rest of the brunch continued on with idle chatter. Zeus made it clear that they were done discussing the matter. Hades was on his own to clean up the mess but he knew that his brothers would help him if things became dire. He could only hope it wouldn’t come to that as he had experienced far too much pity in his life and found the taste of it off putting.

#greekgods #loreolympus #inspired #drabble #persephone #hades #zeus #poseidon #hera #hermes #lore olympus

[ellanainthetardis]

Enjoy ! 

[ff] or {[ao3]

Chapter 10 : Bookkeeping

“Stop trying to distract me.”

Effie’s giggles didn’t encourage him to obey. Haymitch brushed her blond hair to the side to get access to her nape and kept on dropping kisses all over her neck. She valiantly tried to remain focused on her leather bound books, her pen hovering in the air as she mentally tried to do the math…

They were sitting on her bed, with him behind her, and there were papers and books spread around. She was trying to do the bookkeeping because it was the end of the month and he was very much trying to do something else.

“You’re so easily distracted, maybe you want to be.” he retorted against her skin, his lips stretching into a smirk.

His hand strayed from her hip to the little bow on her belt. He had tried to pull on it twice already but she had stopped him each time. He was pretty sure getting rid of the bow wouldn’t loosen her blue dress anyway. There was a row of buttons that was running between her breasts to her waist but he hadn’t dared try that yet.

“Do you want everyone to get paid tomorrow?” she hummed, scribbling down a number down a column before tapping another with the tip of her pen.

“I think I’m being pretty clear on what I want…” he snorted, brushing his lips against her nape again.

“We have an agreement.” she grinned. “Am I still grounded?”

He groaned but refused to be deterred and toyed with that little bow a little more frankly. The fucking bow was a tease anyway. It begged to be undone.  

He felt like a fifteen year-old boy again. In the last two weeks, they had kissed and grown flustered with need only to stop before it could get serious. Again and again. It had been his doing at first because he hadn’t wanted to take it further while her shoulder still bothered her but then she had started getting better and she had begun to sulk about not being allowed back in the air…

“Talk to Finnick.” he grumbled. “He’s your partner. I’ve got no say.”

A few men from the crew had made the trip to the supplier and came back with replacement for everything Chaff had deemed too busted to use – hence the needed adjustments to the accounts. That also meant the frayed ropes had been replaced and it was safe for the aerial artists again.

Finnick had been very reluctant to let Effie come back too soon though. He didn’t want her to hurt herself further and had forbidden her to get back on the tightrope or the trapezes. When Effie had pitched a fit, the young man had said she should take it up with Haymitch who, per their agreement, was after all in charge of the show.

Haymitch had found himself between a rock and a hard place because he knew Effie had a tendency to downplay serious injuries but he also didn’t want to tell the circus’ owner that she should remain on the ground.

Hell, no…

That was a lie.

He wouldn’t have had any problems telling her she was banned from going up there if she had still been just the circus owner. But she had tricks and pouts and she had vowed he wouldn’t have her until she was back on a trapeze and, so far, she was staying true to that promise.

She had started stretching and doing warm-ups again but Finnick still didn’t want her to go back in the air.

“Don’t you have a say?” she challenged with a knowing tone.

“It’s your circus, sweetheart.” he said innocently, nuzzling the side of her neck. She tilted her head to the side and he took that as the only invitation he needed. He nibbled on the delicate flesh and pulled on that damned bow… The belt fell away but the dress remained in place, just like he had thought.

Could she feel his frustration? Probably. It amused her, he guessed.

“Shouldn’t you be rehearsing?” she asked.

It was that time of the afternoon when most of them gathered under the Big Top to go over their acts or try something new. He was still trying to perfect the fish tank act. He was escaping from a locked box for now during the shows but he didn’t find it as impressive.

“My assistant’s missing.” he reminded her, letting his hand fall on her thigh. He slowly rubbed her leg a few times before hitching the fabric up…

“I am sure you could find a suitable replacement.” she replied. “Johanna is not doing such a bad job during the shows,  is she?”

“Jo’s not as hot as you.” he mumbled against her shoulder.

Her dress was bunched around her waist now and her legs were on display… He had seen them bared often enough during the performances but he had never really touched before. He brushed his fingertips against the length of her thigh, marveling at the goosebumps the caress left in its wake…

“I certainly hope not.” she huffed, dropping her head back on his shoulder. “Still… You should be practicing and I should be taking care of the books.”

“Oh, I’m practicing…” he chuckled in her ear. “Wanna see a magic trick?”

He rubbed his hands together in front of her face and then placed one back on her inner thigh, much higher than before. That got a soft gasp out of her and she barely noticed when he passed his other hand over her front.

She did notice all the buttons of her dress popping open though…

“How…” she exclaimed.

“Magic.” he smirked smugly, already reaching inside her dress to cup a breast. He couldn’t get a good view of her bra but the fabric felt lacy under his palm and he swallowed back a groan, his hips jerking forward a little. His thumb rubbed her already hard nipple and his other hand searched its way beneath her dress. “You want to stop, now’s a good time to say it…”

He was starting to grow desperate.

His hand was a poor substitute and he really, really needed…

“Haymitch…” she breathed out.

She leaned harder against him, her legs opening even more… He had barely touched her over her panties, his other hand instinctively clutching her breast, when she reached behind her for his neck and pulled him down in a kiss. The angle was a little awkward for kissing but it was perfect for the rest and he didn’t wait before slipping his fingers under the lace of her underwear, his hips jerking again when he realized she was already wet. She must have been more distracted than she had let on.

He stroked her slowly, spurred on by the noises she was making but slowed down by the lack of room her panties allowed. He wasn’t sure when he had tugged down her bra but her breasts were spilling over its cups now, small but round and firm. Perfect. So perfect he wanted to taste and lick and maybe bite a little… But first…

Her hands were gripping his thighs hard enough to bruise, her head was tossed back on his shoulder and her eyes were closed. Her breathing was speeding up and her hips were rolling every time he touched her clit. When he slipped a finger inside, she mewled.

“More. Please, Haymitch, I need more.” she demanded, squeezing his thighs even harder.

He added another finger and watched, in awe, as her soft whimpers turned into full blown moans. He had never been with a woman that vocal but he wasn’t surprised she couldn’t shut up even in bed. He decided he liked it though. It was easier to figure out what was working for her and what wasn’t.

He kept her on the edge on purpose, rather enjoying watching her wriggle and beg him for more… He was hard and throbbing and being trapped in his pants was starting to get painful so he stopped toying with her breasts to undo his belt and pop his jeans open.

He was going to finish her with his fingers first though, finish her, take her, have her climax again… He wanted…

“Effie!” The knocks on the door barely preceded Glimmer’s voice and the handle rattled…

Haymitch snatched both hands away, pretty sure he hadn’t locked the door behind him because he hadn’t exactly been planning on this when he had stalked Effie all the way back to her trailer earlier. He had honestly just wanted to talk about the circus.

“Don’t come in!” Effie screamed in panic, bolting away from the bed.

The door froze half open and Haymitch quickly turned his back to it to cover himself. Not as easy as it seemed with a raging erection and jeans that were becoming a bit too tight thanks to Sae’s cooking. Effie was quicker, it seemed, because she was suddenly in front of the door, blocking the girl’s view of the inside of the trailer.

“What is it, dear?” she asked in the same cheerful caring voice she always used with the kids. She had her favorites, of course – Peeta, Prim, Finnick, Annie and Rue being amongst those – but she always made a point of treating them all the same way.

“Cinna’s here!” Glimmer told her with obvious joy.

A joy Effie echoed with a happy exclamation and, before Haymitch could understand what was going on, they had both jogged away.

He blinked, left alone with an ajar door, and jeans that were extremely uncomfortable. Well, the jeans were fine. The hard-on on the other hand…

Too curious – and a bit irritated – to remain there and wait for his problem to pass, he wandered out of the trailer and followed the noises to the edge of their camp. He reached the crowd in time to see Effie fling herself in a black man’s arms without a care for the propriety she always lectured him on.

Haymitch’s jaw clenched. The stranger was wearing jeans, a soft blue shirt and a suit jacket in an odd mismatch of clothes that somehow looked stylish rather ridiculous. He was also hugging Effie far too intimately for his taste. The man’s face was pressed against the neck he had spent hours kissing and…

Effie tore herself from his arms to embrace the black woman standing next to the man. Haymitch hadn’t noticed her but once he did, he wasn’t sure how he could have missed her. She was beautiful. And crying. So was Effie though. But they seemed to be tears of joy. They didn’t appear to be able to stop clinging to each other.

“Cinna!”

The cry came from somewhere behind him and Haymitch turned just in time to see Katniss run all the way from the animals paddock, followed at a slower pace by Prim and Annie. The girl jumped on the man, laughing in a childish display he had rarely witnessed from her. The so-called Cinna actually swung her around in the air, laughing himself, before placing her down on the ground.

“How’s my girl on fire?” the man asked, placing a hand on the top of her head. “You’ve grown bigger again.”

“I’m not a child anymore.” she scoffed, batting away the hand but the usual scowl didn’t appear on her face. She was actually smiling.

There was more hugging. Prim and Annie had reached them and they seemed just as happy to see the man as the others were. They hugged the woman Effie had finally released too.

“Are you back for good?” Rue asked, her dark eyes full of hope.

Cinna shook his head, a shadow passing on his face. “I’m going back in a couple of days.”

The way he said that… Haymitch didn’t need to ask where he was going back to. He could see it now. The tension in the man’s shoulders, the way his eyes kept darting around, the nervous clenching of his fist at his side and the discreet struggle to keep the smile on his face…

He wasn’t the only one who had noticed. A few members of the work crew had gathered to see what the commotion was about and were now turning away, knowing looks on their faces. Haunted looks for some. Sometimes, it was easy to forget about the war. The circus was a closed world. They lived in their own bubble.

“But we couldn’t not come and see you!” the woman added with the same kind of cheer Effie sometimes used. The one that was fake but aimed at reassuring frightened children. “It’s been so long!”

“Do not remind me!” Effie laughed. And while the laughter wasn’t fake, it had a worried edge to it. “You could always stay, you know. You are always welcome…”

“The shop is doing well.” the stranger refused with a smile. “And someone needs to keep the fort while Cinna is gone.” She pressed Effie’s arm. “I have new costumes in the car though. And dresses for you if you are interested.”

“I am always interested.” Effie grinned.

Cinna was dragged away to the Big Top by excited teenagers who all wanted to show him something or other and the rest of the crowd started to scatter, leaving only the two women and Haymitch who was leaning against the side of a trailer, hands in his pockets.

“I am so happy to see you!” Effie beamed, her voice softer, more genuine.

“Me too. You have no idea.” the woman sighed.

And then they were hugging again and Haymitch suddenly felt like an intruder. He pushed himself away, intending to go see if Chaff needed help with something – or maybe ask if he knew who they were since he always seemed to know everything that was going on in the circus, as a foreman should – but the sudden movement caught Effie’s attention and she waved him closer.

Too curious to pass, he joined them. Too fast for the woman to completely blink away the tears in her eyes.

“Hi.” he said, feeling a bit awkward. He didn’t do well with emotional women.

“Portia, this is Haymitch.” Effie grinned.

“Oh, the infamous Haymitch.” Portia said, her eyebrows lifting up as her eyes roamed over him, assessing him. “Effie writes about you all the time.”

“Hush.” Effie chided her without any heat, her eyes sparkling with a happiness so pure he couldn’t help but smile a little at her, his earlier annoyance at being interrupted slowly fading. “Portia is my best friend.”

He didn’t even ask how someone with a background like hers – someone with a mother like hers – could have a black woman for a best friend in that day and age. It was Effie and Effie, surprisingly, didn’t have a prejudiced bone in her body. Or if she did, she was hiding it very well.

On a more practical level, Haymitch suddenly felt very conscious of his rumpled shirt and his still too-tight jeans. Meeting the best friend seemed just as huge as meeting the family – more even because he was pretty sure he wasn’t actually going to ever meet the elusive Trinkets. The pressure was on and…

“I know we had the books to review but you do not mind if I play hooky, do you?” Effie asked with a sweet smile that might have been an attempt at placating him or a way to trick him into caving to her wishes.

He rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna finish the books so you can go gossip with your friend but don’t complain if there are mistakes.”

“You are the absolute best.” she purred, trailing a hand down his arm before dragging her best friend away.

“Don’t you forget it!” he shouted after her.

She didn’t even look back.

#hayffie #effie trinket #haymitch abernathy #thg circus au

[set-in-ink]

Spice of Life 2

Please note, I do not speak Spanish, Greek or Sinhala. So these translations could be completely wrong. Thanks. @tomsfireheart you seem to love this for some reason so here it is.

Riki cursed, spilling some of the liquid she had been carefully transferring to another flask. Miraculously, she had gotten none of it on her clothes. Her mixtures were a pain to remove if stained.

"Language" Saff called from outside.

"Cierra la boca Crocus"

"I did not mean change languages and you know it" the blonde snapped, hitting the closed door. Riki laughed.

"σας μισώ όλους" Saff mumbled.

"ඒයි! නමුත් ඔබ මට චන්බෙරී ඇත!" Cinna frowned, coming into the hall with her hands on her hips. Saff sighed and went to her room, Hazel following happily.

Riki shook her head, returning to her task. A small smile could be found upon her lips, though only because no one could see.

---

"The donuts are ready Riki" Cinna announced, knocking softly. Riki opened, her short hair a mess.

"They're on the counter" the brunette smiled. Riki nodded, holding up a small silver case.

Cinna watched as Riki carefully injected the donuts with her concoction.

"Now all we need to do is package them and leave them in the fridge overnight."

Cinna nodded, pulling out the container she used for all her donuts. Once they were in the fridge, she held up her hand for a high-five. Riki rolled her eyes, but smiled as she held up her own. Cinna enthusiastically slapped their hands together, before turning and skipping to the bathroom to freshen up.

"Do you need help for the cafe?" Riki called.

"Nope, I did all the baking yesterday and I'm good at coffee" Cinna's reply came, echoing slightly.

"I'll be upstairs" Riki sighed, unsure of what to do now.

"Actually.." Cinna popped her head around the hallway, half of her hair dripping. Riki raised an eyebrow as Cinna bit her lip.

"Why is your hair wet?" Riki asked, unable to stop herself to allow Cinna to continue.

"It was annoying me. Anyway, could you please deal with the cafe for an hour?"

"Of course, might I ask why?"

"Meg is coming to visit!" Cinna said brightly.

"And you only mention it now?!" Riki exclaimed, looking around their living space. Books and papers and rubbish were everywhere.

"Yes?" Cinna said, her voice lifting at the end so it was posed more as a question than an answer.

"¿Estás jugando?" Riki half shouted, throwing her hands up.

"¿Do seas así, por favor?" Cinna sighed, accidentally replying in Rikis tongue. Riki waved a hand dismissively.

"I'm gonna go get changed" she said.

"Riki.." Cinna trailed off.

(Shut your mouth Crocus.

I hate you all.

Hey! But you bought me blackberries!

Are you kidding me?

Don't be like this, please?)

#my writing #spice of life

[cerillosvillage]

<<Prev | List | Next Arc>>

Seventeen: Kamikaze

Let them talk/ It's not about the crown/ We could share the kingdom

"What the hell is your game, witch?" Ib snarled as he threw aside the tent flap, storming into the tent and grabbing Badb roughly by the arm.

The witch didn't even look down at his hand, just maintained perfect eye contact with him as the edges of her mouth pulled up into a coy smile. She did not look at all surprised to have him bursting into her home.

"Whatever do you mean, Ib?" She asked in a mock-innocent tone.

"Ajra!" He snapped. "You said you were taking away her love, but she was praising me and invited me down into her chambers."

Badb tilted her head back in a laugh. Ib growled, throwing her down onto a pile of cushions. His hand went to a knife at his side.

The witch stopped laughing, leveling her gaze at him, but her smile did not leave her face. Nor did her body language seem at all threatened. She lay like she was lounging, like she had made the choice to sprawl herself out on the cushions.

"Do you really think I'm scared of a little knife?" She asked. Her voice was still mirthful, but beneath the amusement lurked something darker. She lifted a hand and Ib felt a breeze against his back. He turned to look at the tent flap, to see a stiff wind blowing it open. Dust swirled in that wind, and he froze, on the alert, nervous that Nelan would appear again, that he had not really defeated the spirit.

The spirit did not appear. The wind faded and the dust settled on the rug floor of the tent.

"Shall we try that again?" Badb said from where she lay. "And this time, being civil?"

Ib cast a sidelong glance at her. She was smiling broadly. No, he didn't have to worry about Nelan.

But he might have to worry about Badb.

He sheathed his knife. Once the blade was put away, Badb patted the cushions beside herself, inviting Ib to sit down. He was now much more wary of showing her any vulnerability, but he sat anyways, crossing his legs underneath himself. It was a power move he'd developed years ago, due to his tendency towards kilts, but Badb remained unphased.

"You said Ajra wouldn't love me," he said, cutting right to the point. He was sure Badb would play games if he didn't.

"Oh, Ib," she reached out and patted one of his hands. "You of all people should know that sex doesn't equal love."

"She praised me, though. She never does that for anyone."

Badb flashed him a grin and shrugged. "I never said she wouldn't respect you."

"But…" Ib began, but stopped as he thought about what he was going to say. And what was that, exactly? He certainly felt like he had been denied, rejected, but at the same time, he couldn't say that he really had been. He'd been offered something that he would've wanted only a few days ago, before he'd even thought that Ajra might love him.

But if he'd never come to the tent, he could've had her love in addition to her respect and sex. Wouldn't he? He tried to think if things had gone differently. If he had never come to the tent, he never wouldn't received the sword, never would have fought Nelan. And thus, he never would've earned Ajra's respect. And he knew enough about her to know that she didn't like anyone she didn't respect. So he never would've gotten her love without going through the fight.

He chased his thoughts in circles for a few moments. Everything always came back to the tent -- and to what Ajra had said. She wanted to die, and she wanted to stop thinking about death. That wouldn't have changed no matter what he did. And if she was thinking only about her death, there was no way she would think of love…

"She was never going to love me in the first place, was she?" He said under his breath, staring at his hands.

Again Badb patted one of them. "No, but now you know that. Which means you can make a better decision -- leave her because she won't reciprocate your love, or stay and take what you can, being honest with yourself that you may not get exactly what you want, but that you can still be one of her closest companions."

Ib looked up. Badb's smile had vanished, and she looked at him with all seriousness. Her dark, almost black eyes displayed a deep sympathy for him, but she didn't make him feel pathetic. She felt for him, but she was not sorry for him.

And it made him realize -- he had paid a price that didn't exist. She hadn't taken anything from him, she simply made it so he would reach the realization that he won't get exactly what he wanted from Ajra a lot quicker. Which made him wonder…

"That sword you gave me -- it didn't feel like a magic object. It didn't make me feel stronger or better -- if anything, I won fairly easily. And I used one of Nelan’s own swords."

The grin returned to Badb's face. "I never said it was magic. I simply said it would enable you to win, if you chose to fight. Nelan was rusty -- a few millenia inside a crypt will do that to you."

Ib squinted at her. "Are you even a real witch?" He asked.

"I'm whatever you make of me. Whatever helps you sleep at night," she replied.

Ib sighed and got to his feet. He was tired again, having somehow managed to maintain his frustration and rage for the two days' journey to her tent. But this time he had no intention of staying. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and her as possible, as quickly as possible.

"Oh, by the way," she said as he headed for the flap, "be careful with how you use her. She needs very clear instructions, unless you want to wipe out the entire village's crops again."

He paused, glancing over his shoulder. "Who?"

"Nelan, of course. You are her new master, after all."

* * *

After four days of riding, Ib was sore and tired, and wanted nothing more than a bath and some sleep. But as he made his way through the village, back to his tiny and lonesome quarters, a voice called out to him.

He turned to see one of the villagers bustling towards him. She was short and broad, with brown skin and reddish hair. She held a brightly patterned blanket around her shoulders. He had seen her before, but never up close. Up close he realized she was younger than he thought she was. She carried herself like an elder woman, and her face certainly had some lines from hard living, but she wasn't any older than himself -- younger, even.

"...Magdalena, right?" He asked when she stopped in front of him.

"Yes. And you are Ib, correct?"

He nodded, not sure what else to say to her. They stood looking at each other awkwardly for a good long moment, before she took a deep breath and began to talk.

"I realize that the village has not given you the kindest of welcomes. I must admit, we were all wary of a mercenary in our midst, especially since you are close to Ajra. But you saved all of us, and for that, I -- we -- are grateful."

She bent into a deep bow. Ib felt even more awkward as he looked down at her. No one ever bowed to a mercenary.

"Uh, you're welcome," he mumbled. "It was nothing."

"It means everything to us," she said as she straightened. "My village -- our village -- is small. We've only been here for a little over a year. We aren't fighters, so we didn't plan for this -- which is my fault. I am the leader here, and my old village was destroyed because we were unprepared for an attack."

"Sorry to hear that," he mumbled again, unsure what to say to this small, unsure woman. He was used to leaders who were always ready for war, and who never took the blame for anything, even when it was their fault.

"I would like to ask you something," she said, though she didn't give him time to respond before continuing. "Our village is unprepared for an attack -- we have Cinna, but he's only one patrolman. You saved our village, and you're used to fighting… I wanted to ask, would you consider becoming the head of our guard, and training those who are willing to fight? I know you're a mercenary, and we don't have much, but we can reopen the mines and pay you in that--"

"That's unnecessary," he cut her off. He watched as her face fell, clearly interpreting that as a 'no'. And he could certainly give that as his answer. He could be done with this village for good. Just pack up and leave, since the person he'd come to serve didn't seem like she was going to let him lead her to greatness any time soon.

But he wanted to serve someone. If he left, he'd just have to find someone new.

And here was this small woman standing in front of him, trying her best to lead a village despite having no idea how.

He glanced around the village. It was in an easily defensible location. There was farmland on the canyon above, game out on the plains, plenty of room for a growing population…

He looked at Magdalena. She spoke with such uncertainty and timidness, but she held herself with a kind of grace that was rare. She took more responsibility than any ruler he had ever known, and she was trying to make her village better.

"Payment is unnecessary," he repeated, "but I want different quarters. Bigger ones, in the middle of the village."

She blinked, unsure for just a moment, before her face filled with hope and happiness.

"Yes," she said, "yes, that can be arranged. Right away. I'll see which quarters would be most suitable for you and send someone to you in the morning to help you move your belongings."

Ib nodded as she babbled more thanks, eventually shooing her away so he could get some sleep.

This could do, he told himself. It wasn't what he'd expected, but it could do. He could lead this village to greatness.

As he made his way along the back wall of the village, he passed by the mines. A lit lantern was hanging just outside of the entryway, something he had never seen done. It made the mines seem almost welcoming.

He felt that strange pull again, the force that had compelled him all the way to the bottom of the mines.

He paused, glancing towards his quarters, then back at the mine.

He pivoted where he stood, and stepped inside the cave. He followed the pull all the way to the bottom.

All the way to her.

#rockbreaker lore #long post #FINALLY DONE WITH THIS ARC!!

[blckxiii]

            ☾˟    ━━━      .   .   .      &.  NOW LOADING        ▆▆      ▆▆                                                                ___     (     SIM B: COLLECT10N     )     ___   ¹³

sometimes, it feels like being put in the simulations feels a bit like acting in a movie with a very real risk of pain.  if you think about it though, it’s true - there’s always the damsel in distress, the beautiful boy, the villain and the hero.  maybe that’s why the collective likes to play around with them so much .. they’re just characters in a movie to them. maybe that’s why they’ve got fans.  xiii always wonders which role she’s been forced in, though, and she’s never gotten an answer.  she doesn’t think that’s going to change now.  in fact, she doesn’t think it’ll ever change.

her feet are slow moving as xiii brings herself to the assigned room, passing by other candidates who look dead in the eyes or just dead tired.  something about this simulation itself isn’t quite normal; of that much, she’s sure.  it’s not like she hasn’t seen this kind of look before,  but not often from coming out of the simulation room.  usually it’s after a mission, and that gets her thinking.  but her feet don’t take her backwards, they only take her forwards - after all, xiii was picked for this test group after all.

   ___     (     EVERYONE KNOWS YOU DON’T SAY NO TO THE COLLECTIVE.     )     ___

she never had much of a choice.

going under is a little unusual, but nothing xiii is too bothered by.  it takes a lot longer for the system to boot, which she supposes could be a little nerve wracking for the candidates who haven’t hardened to the situation they’ve been put in yet, but xiii is patient.  she waits.

                               ___     (     NOW _ CONNECTED _ TO . . .     )     ___

- EFFIE - MOUSE - CINNA - AVOX

she barely has enough time to react to the idea that her entire mind is now connected to not only someone else’s, but more than one - for this simulation, there’s a team, and that’s something new.  usually, there’s often just a bunch of npc players she doesn’t really care about. this simulation, though, feels a little too real.  especially in the sense that mouse is there with her.  it’s not like she was given names, she can just feel the differences and the thought processes but mouse is so familiar to her; she just .. knows.  xiii can always find him no matter where he hides.

just the fact that they stuck him in the trial with her is possibly something that xiii should be thinking about because this is the collective.  this is quite possibly their way of telling her that they know, but again, she doesn’t have the time to spare.

          >  DO YOU THINK THEY KNOW ....?

her hands go to her head, eyes squinting shut as she practically hears mouse’s voice swimming across the stream of her thoughts - are these his? is this what he’s thinking? can this machine actually allow her to hear his thoughts? - ... and can he hear hers? one eye opens and it’s still dark, hesitantly she reaches out and calls his name - not with her voice, but with her head.

but there’s no time.

there’s never any time for anything.

all that she has time to do is sink, or swim.

quite literally, because the minute that they’re all connected she’s dropped in the middle of a body of water.  it’s a little unexpected but then, this entire lifestyle brings with it the unexpected.  for just a few seconds, her lungs fill with water and then she’s rushing to swim to the surface.  a gasp of air is all she manages to get before she hears the sound of gunshots, then the sight of bullets sling into her line of vision.  there’s a shout of pain, but xiii pays it no mind.  it doesn’t feel like mouse, it doesn’t sound like mouse, so she just dives back under the water and does her best to swim as far as she can without much air.

when xiii is finally in safer waters, she surfaces.  her eyes quickly scan the group, body drifting of its own accord to mouse’s side.  there’s blood in the water, but it’s not his.  she would know it.  her eyes look through the rest of the faces, all rather unfamiliar to her but only sees effie’s face screwed up in pain.  her eyes quickly glance to mouse and then back - she knows what’s bound to happen.

cinna is the one to speak it into existence.  “ shoot her.” his lips are pressed into a thin line - it doesn’t look like he’s happy about it, but xiii knows they don’t have a choice.  it’s probably for the better, anyway - and this is only a simulation.

effie won’t really die.  she’ll just feel it.

one gunshot, and she sinks below the water.  xiii doesn’t turn her eyes away.

four remaining.  usually, xiii doesn’t group up with more than one person but for a situation like this, one far more combative and a lot more demanding, she thinks it’s probably for the best.  the idea of dealing with blood diamonds is already problematic in and of itself - everyone knows all too well the demons and the stories that surround those precious gems.  she wonders if this is a kind of mission that the collective really expect of them, in the future.  honestly, xiii knows better than to ask.

avox is the one to speak up this time, silent up until now.  xiii’s eyes cast over to him, eyes dull as she pulls her braids up under her helmet.  “ so what is it all of you can do? what’s your weapon?” xiii knew it was a question that needed to be asked, but it’s one that cinna and avox surely won’t like the answer to when they all look at her.  mouse knows all too well what she can do.  the problem is, she couldn’t bring in another weapon on her body besides her cylinder.  which, in most terms of the word, is almost useless in a combat situation.  “ just this.” she finally mumbles, showing off all her defensive gear.  

there’s a derisive sound from avox, and she can hear him mutter that they might as well kill her themselves.  dead weight.  xiii’s eyes flash and in that instant, the helmet starts to fuse to her scalp, closing her off to the world.  “ just below the knee, you have a wound.  you’re suffering from tendinitis.  your shoulder is weak, probably from the way you fell into the water.” he looks at her incredulously - xiii knows it, even if she can’t see it.

“ i’m far from dead weight.” her dull voice mutters, sitting cross legged on the ground.  “ i can tell you where exactly the weaknesses are in the infrastructure, even from all the way over here.”  she can feel mouse’s fury roll off of him in waves, even if he doesn’t express it - even if he doesn’t appear to be angry at all.  it’s just the tenseness of his shoulders, and the way his eyes are on constant alert.

there’s also his voice in her head, cursing avox out in words she doesn’t feel the need to repeat.  her fingers brush against his hip as she lays out a detailed plan - as much as she can, anyway, before the second state shivers and leaves her weak again.  

          >  HE’S RIGHT.           >  IT’S OKAY.  JUST STAY WITH ME.           >  ...

their conversation is silent, and it goes unnoticed by the other two muttering beneath their breath, more than likely about the best way to infiltrate.  her eyes fall on mouse, busy inspecting his weapon and barely paying attention to their mutterings - probably more focused on the conversation they’re having together, than the one they should be having as a team.

          >  MOUSE -           >  DON’T.

xiii sighs a little and decides not to press the topic.  the last thing they need is for mouse to be distracted when he’s the one that’s supposed to take out the two guards in the weakest area so that the other two can sneak in unhindered.  xiii is only going with mouse to make sure that if anything comes up and tries to take him out before he manages to do the one thing he’s tasked with, she’s the one who deals with it - by any means necessary.

his feelings start to swell in her, his unsettled manner - at the situation, at what he has to do, at being here with her and knowing all too well what could happen.  there’s other things mixed in, too: how warm she feels in the morning, how his heart catches somewhere in his throat whenever she looks at him a certain way, the way his eyes linger on her when she turns away.  if avox and cinna see it, they don’t mention it.  but then again, she hasn’t heard them in her mind.  she hasn’t felt them.

she’s only felt mouse.

her eyes lift to him again and stare.  he pointedly doesn’t look at her, but he doesn’t have to.  she knows what he’s feeling.

cinna and avox stand, and the moment’s broken.  xiii’s distracted, but not enough from the feeling of odd contentment, but also the unsettled nerves resting somewhere in her chest.  she hasn’t felt like this before.

but there’s no time to sit and think on it.  there’s never been any time.

it really does start to feel too much like a movie.  the two lovers alone in a dangerous situation, hearts beating as one.  she might have even thought it, at one moment.  xiii could have sworn she heard mouse snort.

          >  I’D HAVE PICKED A BETTER MOVIE.           >  I’LL BE IN ANY MOVIE WITH YOU.

his eyes sneak back at her, though xiii’s face doesn’t portray the thought.  it’s still just the same as before, staring dully back at him until she nods at his gun.  “ pay attention.” this, she says aloud - probably a mistake.  xiii isn’t usually prone to making them, but she thought they were safe.  she thinks anywhere with mouse is safe.  but if this is a movie, there’s bound to be some trouble around the corner.  the collective wouldn’t stand for something as boring as the star crossed lovers taking the easy path - and they are in blood diamond, gang territory.  there is a warlord on a rampage.  she should have known better.

a child soldier slips from the tall grasses they set camp in, and in his hands: a gun.  first, she thinks of the mission - then she thinks of mouse.  she wonders if they’re both one and the same when she blocks the shot with her own body, because mouse is too slow to react.  it’s not as if he has eyes in the back of his head.  

but the gunshot alerts him, and even though his weapon is far more suitable for long range, it does just as well when the bullet rips through the child’s chest and spatters blood and other parts of his humanity on the grass.  but xiii doesn’t pay attention to what happens to him, she knows there’s no time - 

there was never any time.

her fingers are stained red as she pulls them away from the wound in her belly - xiii knows she’s going into shock, with the way her body shakes.  she grows cold and alarmingly hot at the same time, eyes clenched shut and jaw set - 

and there’s still the wild thoughts that run through her head.  the cursing, the scrambling, pain that isn’t her own mixing with her own, a constant struggle - she opens her eyes to see mouse hovering over her, fussing over the wound, screaming in his head, wild eyed and wild thoughts.

her hand clenches at his shirt and she looks at him with vacant eyes.

          >  KILL ME.           >  NO.  WE CAN MAKE IT.           >  YOU KNOW WE’RE BOTH BETTER OFF.  

he doesn’t want to.  in his head, there’s the picture: xiii sleeping in his bed, xiii kissing him in the dead of night, xiii using her fingers to raise goosebumps on his skin.  all of it is now tainted with xiii, now bleeding, xiii - now dying.  she takes in a raspy breath; she knows he doesn’t want to.  but he has to.

          >  THEY’RE WAITING FOR YOU.  AND I’LL BE ON THE OTHER SIDE.           >  I CAN -           >  MOUSE.  PLEASE.

xiii has never asked him for anything like this before.  she hopes she never has to do it again.

the last thing she sees is the pain in his eyes, 

then white.  they’ll succeed without her.

she remembers sitting in a room, at a terminal, answering questions.  funny that xiii is brought back to the start of her life here, and in this moment, there’s that question again on the computer screen:

                     ___     (     WHAT’S AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?     )     ___

she was right back then.  there’s   N   O   T   H   I   N   G   .

#blcktmpl ; softexclusive #˟ featured #mouseblck #tw: death #tw: violence #; honestly this is a mess but the deadline ... #i'll probably edit it later #wc: 2195 #˟ mission log

[everlarkrealornot]

This is real...? Chapter Two

Chapter One here

Next Week

Katniss slammed the door closed and pulled her shoes off dramatically, tossing them into the hall closet. It was quiet, which meant Peeta was in his studio. She dragged herself to the back of the house and threw herself onto the couch – nay, the Chaise Lounge. She had had to look up what it was called when they first moved in. It was the only thing in their house that looked like it came from the Victorian age and one of the few items that had been left in the house that they didn’t either repaint or throw away when they had moved in. And Katniss loved the ugly thing.

“Hello my beautiful wife, you seem like you had a great day.” Peeta’s words were dripping with sarcasm.

“Bite me,” she snapped.

“I would, but I’m in the middle of a commission for a client.” He readjusted the photos on the stand beside him and continued painting. She lifted her head so she could see over his shoulder, realizing what she thought was a snow scene was actually a white dog.

“A dog?” she asked skeptically.

“Yes. A dog.” He leaned backed and looked at her. “Mrs. Norman, a regular at the bakery, had to put down her 14-year-old Schnauzer last month. Her husband brought me these photos,” he gestured to the stand, “the other day and asked if I could do something for her.” Katniss nodded and laid her head down. He frowned. Setting down his brush, he stood up and walked to her before squatting down so he was face to face with her. “What’s going on?”

Sighing, she shifted in her seat and felt the tears start to sting her eyes. Shutting them quickly, she shook her head.

“Is Cinna getting more job offers?” he asked quietly. She nodded, her eyes still shut. She took a deep breath and rubbed her face.

“I know it’s stupid to get this upset about a job,” she sat up, “but I love what I do.”

“Kat, Cinna hasn’t taken any offers yet and – ”

“Yet, Peeta, yet,” she stressed her words. “I mean, I don’t know that I could work for anyone else…I’m not the easiest person to get along with.” Peeta smirked and nodded his head in agreement. “Thanks, babe!” she said and shoved him back, causing him to fall on his butt, laughing. “I feel loved.”

“I’m glad!” He got back to his feet, still chuckling. She huffed and crossed her arms. He gave her a sympathetic smile and took her face in his hands. “Try to focus on the fact that Cinna is still here and that you get to do something you love doing…and don’t let it ruin your whole weekend.” Dropping a kiss on her forehead, he went back to his painting.

--

Next day

Katniss was startled as the front door of the house was slammed open and then closed.

“I’M STARVING!!” came Prim’s voice from the entry way.

“At least take off your shoes before you track mud and snow everywhere!” she called back. “Little sisters,” she mumbled to herself as she picked up the food she had flung on the floor.

“Why are you making a mess?” Prim asked as she walked around her big sister, not offering to help.

“Because someone scared the shit out of me!” Katniss frowned as she threw away what she had picked up. “You’re lucky I didn’t throw your entire lunch on the floor.” She motioned to the paninis that she had just finished.

“They smell good!” Prim gave her a sweet smile and Katniss had to roll her eyes. She couldn’t believe that her little sister, her little duck, was almost seventeen and in eleventh grade. When she gave Katniss that smile, she had to remind herself that Prim was no longer a child and that she would be graduating next year.

“I bet they taste good too.” She reached over and booped Prim on the nose, who rolled her eyes in return.

“I thought Peeta was going to be here?”

“Studio – can you go tell him that – ”

“No need!” Peeta’s voice behind her made her jump.

“Damn it!” Katniss’s hand flew to her chest. “You guys needs to stop scaring me.”

“Sorry, babe.” But for some reason the giant smile on his face made her think he wasn’t being sincere. “Lil’ sis!” Peeta shouted as he grabbed Prim up into a back cracking hug.

“Okay!” she squeaked. “Need air!”

“So dramatic,” Peeta muttered as he let her go. “Where’s your mom?” Katniss sighed inwardly. She had told Peeta the day before that her mom wasn’t going to be there but she had made the mistake of doing so when he was finishing up a painting – she made a mental note to remind him later of the other important things she had told him during that conversation.

“Traded shifts with the weekend nurse manager,” she turned to Katniss, “She was complaining the entire time she was getting ready this morning about it. I told her that as the head nurse there, she needed to stop being so nice.”

“True,” Katniss agreed. Her mom has been working at that hospital since she had become a nurse. She worked hard and moved up the ranks, getting the promotions only after putting is more effort than she should’ve had to. “Here.” She handed each of them a plate and they sat down at the table to eat.

“I told her that they won’t respect her as the boss if she doesn’t start acting like it.” Prim shrugged. “But what do I know?”

“Hey, how did the college tour go last week?” Peeta asked as he opened a bag of chips. Prim’s scrunched up her face and sighed. “Not great.”

“No, it was fine.” Prim sat down her sandwich and leaned heavily on the table. “It’s just that I’ve been thinking a lot about changing my major.”

“What?!” Katniss sputtered, choking on her food. For as long as she could remember, Prim had wanted to be a nurse like their mom. She had the grades for it and was a natural in a crisis.

“I think what Kat means,” Peeta said as he pattered her on the back as she continued to cough, “Is what are you thinking about switching to?” Prim took a deep breath and straightened her back.

“It’s still in the same field, just more schooling…” she said as she stretched her arms out awkwardly, trying to release some of the tension she was feeling. “Well, a lot more schooling…I want to go to med school.”

“You want to be a doctor?” Peeta asked, impressed.

“Yeah.” Prim smiled shyly.

“That’s awesome!” He raised his hand for her to high five.

“Wow.” Katniss had finally recovered from her coughing fit. “That’s amazing, Prim!” She squeezed her hand. “Dr. Primrose – it has a nice ring to it.”

“Eww!” Prim hated her name. “Dr. Everdeen, thank you very much!”

“So Prim’s going to be a doctor,” Peeta said later that night as they crawled into bed.

“I still can’t believe she is old enough to drive, let alone go to college to become a doctor.” Katniss tossed her arms up. “I’ve decided she can’t grow up any more.” Peeta chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Is this how you are going to be with our kids?” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Not wanting them to grow up…keep them young forever?”

“Oh, yes. Definitely.” She nodded. “If they are young and at home, I get to control what happens…once they grow up, that’s it.” He kissed her shoulder.

“Kat, you can’t protect everyone forever,” he said nuzzling his nose against her neck.

“And who says I can’t?” she challenged.

“Reality,” he chuckled.

“I don’t like reality.” She felt him shake his head before pressing kisses to her neck as he slid his hand down her body and between her legs.

“I like this reality,” he moaned as she ground her hips back against him.

--

Two days later

From her spot in the booth in Cinna’s kitchen, Katniss could see that it had started to snow again. She sighed as she pulled her knees up under her chin. The roast had another hour before it would be done and she wanted to wait until the last minute to put the dessert together for the dinner party.

“I can take the roast out.” Cinna suddenly appeared above the back of the booth.

“No, it’s my job…besides I need to put the desserts together and I want them to be as fresh as possible.” She sat down her phone and straightened the stack of new recipe cards she had been going through.

“You’re just afraid I’ll mess it up.” He walked around and sat down across from her.

“Yes…yes, I am,” she said with a straight face.

“Probably,” he agreed with a smile. “So, any for me to look through?” He nodded to the recipes.

“Here.” She picked up the smallest pile. “These are the ones I am ninety-five percent sure you are going to like.” She handed it to him and then grabbed the biggest pile. “These are the ones I am pretty sure you are going to like if I make the changes that I’ve written on them.” She sat them down in front of him. “And these I’m still reading through.” She patted the last stack. She started reading through another recipe while Cinna did the same.

“These are all original recipes, aren’t they?” he asked, indicating the small collection in his hand. She shrugged and nodded yes. “They sound amazing.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.” She smiled.

--

Her drive home had taken her twice as long and there had been several places along the road where she could see cars had slid off. By the time she pulled into their driveway, her nerves were shot and her hands were shaking, made worse when she opened the garage and Peeta’s car wasn’t inside.

Gathering her things, she pulled her phone out and tried to dial Peeta’s number, but he didn’t answer. She clicked through her phone and dialed the bakery as she hung up her coat and it went straight to answering. Huffing in frustrating she slipped out of her shoes and called Henry.

“Hey Katniss!” his cheery voice greeted her.

“Hey – is Peeta still there?” She loved her father-in-law, but it had been a long day and small talk was not on her list right now.

“No, he left about forty minutes ago.” The worry in his voice was evident.

“The roads are terrible…maybe he stopped to help someone out of a ditch,” she suggested, trying to keep her anxiety at bay.

“Probably…call me when he gets home?” Henry asked.

“Of course.”

She dialed his number for the sixth time in ten minutes and was sent straight to voicemail. Groaning in frustration, she flopped onto the couch, debating her choices. Her phone vibrated in her hand.

Peeta home? – Henry

It had been an hour since she had gotten off the phone with him and he was probably a worrying mess too.

Not yet. – Katniss

After sending the text, she slumped on her side and sighed in frustration.

She woke with a start, almost dropping her vibrating phone. She glanced at the clock - she had only been asleep for about twenty minutes. Looking at the caller she groaned – she didn’t have the patience to deal with an Initiative Surveyor and attempted to end the call, shoving the phone into the pocket of her hoodie as she stood up.

“Mrs. Mellark?” a muffled voice came from her pocket as she walked to the kitchen. “Mrs. Mellark? Hello?” Grinding her teeth in frustration, she pulled out her phone, intending to end the call. “Hello? This is in regard to Mr. Mellark….Peeta Mellark.”

“Hello?!” she shouted, bringing the phone up to her face. “Yes – I’m here!”

“Mrs. Katniss Mellark?” the man asked.

“Yes, this is she.”

“Married to Mr. Peeta Mellark?” he clarified.

“Yes.”

“Can you verify your address and Initiative match number?” Katniss quickly rattled off the memorized numbers. “Thank you, Mrs. Mellark.”

“Katniss,” she corrected.

“Thank you, Katniss.” The man paused.

“You said something about Peeta?” she whispered.

“Yes, ma’am…your husband was in an accident.”

#everlark #thg #the hunger games #kate writes

[sucuretcannelle]

*Finn glances at me* You not gonna go comfort your boyfriend? *I look at Finn* I don't know if I can really do anything here...*Vex looks at the ground* I'm s-so c-confused...

- Noodles

*Cinna starts mumbling something to herself*

#noodle anon

[javistg]

Prompt idea: an alternate ending for the Hunger games where katniss chooses gale instead of peeta

Hello there! First, I’d like to apologise for not writing the story that you requested. 

I really tried, I promise, but I just couldn’t do it. It’s not because I hate Gale, because I don’t. But, honestly, I think that to have the ending you want, I’d need to re-write the entire trilogy. Because, IMO, Katniss didn’t choose Peeta at the end, when they’re both back in D12. I think she chose him before. 

Maybe she didn’t know how to put it into words, but the feelings were there. More importantly, I think that there are many moments through the trilogy (especially Mockingjay) when we see her NOT choosing Gale. Their relationship becomes strained and distant. The more I thought about it the less likely it seemed.

In the end, Katniss says it best. What I need is the dandelion in the spring… And only Peeta can give me that.

Now, this whole intro doesn’t mean I didn’t write anything. It just means I wrote something else. Canon divergent. There’s a lot of Gale here, but it’s still Everlark.

For those of you still reading, hope you enjoy.

She had been sitting by the fire, drifting in and outof sleep for two weeks, when he knocked on her door.

Sae answered and let him in, making a big fuss abouthis appearance and his new position in District 2.

For the first time since she’d come back to Twelve,Katniss looked up from the flames.

Gale looked good. Healthy. Well fed. His hair was abit on the short side, but Sae was right, the dark uniform he wore suited him.The almost black fabric made his eyes pop.

Gale smiled. His gray eyes soft and worried as he tookher in.

“Hey, Catnip,” he whispered.

“What are you doing here?” she bit back.

“Came to see how you were doing,” he explained.

Katniss looked away. She didn’t want him there,bearing witness to her pain –pain he had partially caused. But she was tiredand lonely.

Her mother was in Four. Her sister was dead.

Haymitch was too busy drowning his sorrow away. AndPeeta… Wherever Peeta was, she hoped he was safe.

Still, she was stubborn, and she had every reason tobe mad at him.

Gale was a big boy –who, apparently, had a big job inTwo—he could take her anger. “Well, you’ve seen me. You can go now,” sheinstructed.

Gale nodded. “I’ll let you be for now. But I’m notleaving. Not yet anyway. I’ll be staying down the street, with the cityplanners. They’re using the house that’s closest to the gates. I’ll be back tosee you later.”

With a quick goodbye to Sae, he was out the door.

Katniss released a slow, deep breath.

She closed her eyes and listened to the wood cracklingin the hearth and let tears, warm and fat, stream down her cheeks.

XXXXX

True to his word, Gale came back.

His visits were never long, but hey were frequent. Henever said much half of the time, just pulled a small stool and sat byKatniss’s side to watch the fire.

These long, shared silences –so similar to the timethey’d spent while out hunting in the woods– reminded her of a different time.Of a different girl and a different boy and the special bond they’d shared.

Katniss said nothing, did nothing. She had nothingleft. The darkness in her soul ran too deep.

On the third day of his trip, Gale removed the shawlcovering Katniss’s shoulders and pulled her up to her feet.

“What are you doing?” she grumbled.

In one swift motion, Gale wrapped her in a thick woolblanket. “I’m taking you out for a walk,” he stated.

Katniss glared at him, but she didn’t resist.

Gently, Gale pushed her out the door.

Cold winter air kissed her cheeks as she walked downthe steps of her house. Katniss tightened her hold on the blanket, wrapping itsnugly around her body to keep the biting chill at bay.

Gale placed his hands on her shoulders and slowlydirected her towards the main gate.

After the months of inactivity, every step was astruggle. But the cold air filling her lungs and Gale’s soft insistence kepther going.

By the time she reached Peeta’s house, she was winded.She stopped and looked up. The place was as dark and empty as it had been whenshe’d last seen it.

“Where is he?” she asked before she could stopherself.

“The Capitol.”

Katniss nodded. A moment later, she turned and headedback to her house.

The next day, Gale repeated the process. This time,Katniss made it all the way to the gates of the village before coming back.

Slowly, Katniss recovered her strength. Each day sheventured further away.

One morning, Gale offered her one of her jacketsinstead of the usual blanket. The sight of the beautiful garment created byCinna’s hands brought tears to her eyes.

Fueled by anger and despair, she snatched the jacketfrom Gale’s grasp and, clutching it against her chest, went back to sit by thefire.

She didn’t leave the house that day.

XXXXX

“The mayor’s coming in tomorrow,” Gale saidone afternoon.

Intrigued, Katniss turned to look at him. “MayorUndersee?”

Gale’s face went paper white. “No. A new mayor.Mayor Undersee is… He didn’t escape. The cleanup crew found five bodies inthe remains of his house.”

A soft, shaky sigh escaped Katniss’s lips as sheconsidered this new information. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she hadhoped that Madge had somehow managed to run away on the night of the attack onTwelve.

Her eyes, sharp and pained, locked with Gale’s.“Did you ever thank her?”

He scrunched up his nose. “Who?”

“Madge. She gave you her mother’s medicine, Gale.She saved your life.”

Gale released all the air from his lungs and hunchedforward, burying his hands in his hair. “I didn’t know,” he mumbled.“I didn’t know.”

XXXXX

Days became longer. The snow began to melt. Gradually,Katniss remembered the person she’d once been but, with the memories came thepain, the sorrow, the acute realization of everything she had lost.

They were coming back from one of their walks whenthey heard Katniss’s telephone ringing. It wasn’t unusual, the phone rung everyother day. Katniss always ignored it.

Without giving her any notice, Gale went into thestudy and answered the call.

The conversation was short —just a series of ‘yeses’and ‘nos.’ When it was over, Gale stepped out of the room.

“That was Dr. Aurelius,” he explained pointing at thephone.

A chill ran down Katniss’s back. “What did he want?”

“He says he’s been assigned to your case. He needs totalk to you once a week to fill out a report.”

Katniss scowled. She remembered Doctor Aurelius andhis long naps by her bedside. As far as head doctors went, he wasn’t that bad.But these telephone conversations sounded like a lot of work. She didn’t wantto talk, she just wanted to be left alone.

“Next time the phone rings, just let it ring,” sheinstructed.

For the first time since he’d come back, Gale’s eyesdarkened. His loud, booming voice bounced off the walls. “Enough! This has gotto stop!”

Katniss took a step back. Her hands balled into tightfists at her sides. Her eyes hardened.

“You need to pull yourself out of this funk!” Galeyelled. “You can’t spend your life sleeping in that rocking chair and lookingat the fire, eating the bare minimum and going out for short walks.” He shookhis head and crossed his arms over his chest. “You need to wake up, Katniss!”

Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “And youneed to shower, you’ve barely changed your clothes in all the time I’ve beenhere.”

“I have towake up?” she bit back, her chest heaving and her eyes wild. “How about you? Whatare you even doing here, Gale? Don’t you have a job back in Two?”

“Never mind about my work,” he muttered. “I’m here tohelp you.”

A dark chuckle escaped her lips. “Help me? How? Byforcing me out of the house and telling me to shower? Do you think that’shelping me?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted throwing his arms in theair. “But I’m not going to stop trying. Whatever you need, I’ll do. Just talkto me, tell me what you want, and we’ll figure it out together.”

“You want to know what I want?”

Gale nodded.

Katniss closed her eyes and swallowed back her pain.Her whispered words echoed in the room like a clap of thunder. “How about yougive me back my sister?”

Right between the eyes.

Wasn’t that how Peeta once described her archeryskills? She could still see him —the shy, innocent boy who rode with her to theCapitol— telling Haymitch about the squirrels she traded with his dad.

She had never been particularly good with words, butthe hurt in Gale’s face told her she’d done it again. With one clean shot, shehad brought her target down.

Gale’s face crumbled. His anger and frustration seepedout of him leaving nothing but a defeated, empty shell.

Without another word, Katniss ran up the stairs. Thesound of her bedroom door slamming shut reverberated through the building.

XXXXX

Gale was still pacing in circles around the hallwaywhen Katniss rushed back down the stairs with a flower vase in her hands.

Without stopping, she reached the kitchen and threwthe vase’s contents into the embers.

The flowers flared up. A burst of blue flame envelopeda single white rose and devoured it.

With a sharp cry, Katniss smashed the vase on thefloor.

Silence followed.

“He’s gone,” Katniss whispered after a moment.

Gale moved to stand by her side. “Who?”

“President Snow,” she explained. “That was his lastrose, his last message. He’s gone.”

Gale nodded.

A peaceful silence settled over them as they watchedthe rest of the flowers go up in flames.

Looking up to find his eyes, so similar to her own,Katniss asked, “How’s your family?”

“They’re ok. Posy’s going back to school in a coupleof weeks.”

A sad smile settled on Katniss’s lips. “That’s why wedid it all, isn’t it? That’s why we went under the fence every day, why wehunted, and fought, and bled.” A tear ran down her cheek, she wiped it away.“That’s why I volunteered. For her. To keep her safe, to give her a shot at abetter future.”

With a shaky sigh, she continued, “You shouldn’t behere, Gale. You should be there, with them. It may not look that way, but Rory,Vick, and Posy need you a lot more than I do. You are their brother.”

Gale’s voice was broken and full of sorrow. “Katniss,I–,”

“No,” she interrupted, “you fought to give them abetter world. You should be teaching them how to live in it.”

Gale nodded. Tears streaked his cheeks, he didn’t hidethem from her. His pained whisper pushed the air out of her lungs. “Catnip, I’mso so–,”

“Don’t!” she snapped. “Don’t apologize. I know you’resorry, but I’m not ready to forgive you. I know you’re in pain. I know you wantto help. I appreciate what you’ve done, but you need to go back to your family,Gale. There’s nothing left for you here.”

XXXXX

The scraping of a shovel woke her up from a nightmarea couple of days later.  

Dazed, she ran out the front door and around the sideof her house only to stop short.

There, in front of her, was her district partner, herfriend, her neighbor.

His face was flushed from digging the ground under thewindows, but he looked well, thin and covered in scars –like her.

His deep blue eyes had lost the clouded, tortured lookshe had grown used to.  

“You’re back,” she said.

Peeta’s voice was soft and warm in the morning breeze.“Dr. Aurelius wouldn’t let me leave the Capitol until yesterday,” he explained.“By the way, he said to tell you he can’t keep pretending he’s treating youforever. You have to pick up the phone.”

Katniss nodded. “I know. He left me a message theother day. I’ll call him back.”

“He’s not that bad, you know?” Peeta said digging thetoe of his boot into the loose earth.

“What are you doing?” she asked, suddenly curious.

“I went to the woods this morning and dug these up,”he said, pointing to a wheelbarrow loaded with scraggly bushes behind him.

Katniss looked past him. Evening primrose, she thought as soon as her eyes landed on theflowers.

“For her,” Peeta added. “I thought we could plant themby the side of the house.”

Without a word, Katniss closed the distance betweenthem and threw her arms around Peeta’s neck. “Thank you.”

Peeta nodded. His arms wrapped around her frame andheld her tight. “I’m sorry, Katniss,” he whispered.

After a long moment, she pulled back. Her eyes wereheavy with tears, but she smiled. “Want to come over for breakfast? Sae iscooking.”

“Sure.” Letting go of her, Peeta took a small stepback. “I’d love to.”

Katniss smiled. “See you later then,” she said, beforeturning and making her way back into her house.

#things I write #javis answers #thanks for the prompt #I still appreciate it #Friends #canon divergent

[onceuponanaromantic]

The Writing’s On the Wall

(Phoenix and Caihong’s relationship pre-Hellverse)

“Oh Phe. Do you really have to antagonise her all the time?” Cinna pushes her way into her little sibling’s huddle. Phoenix just sniffles and curls deeper into her mess of blankets.

 Cinna sighs, and Phoenix turns away from her.

 “You know how Ma feels about the snake, Phe. Can’t you just… find someone else? Like, anyone else in the nest?”

             “What are you doing here?” he asks.

 Phoenix stifles a gasp as the snake turns into a human. The other shapeshifter is a bit scruffy, as if he had never been groomed before, and his clothes were a little torn and dirty in places.

             “None of your business.” Phoenix says, making her back face him. So this was the snakeshifter.

             “What’s your name?” He persists on asking, refusing to give his own, even as he demands hers.

             “You first. And I’m not talking to you.” Phoenix says, turning away.

             “I’m Caihong.” He says as he moves around her. “What’s your name?”

             “Phoenix.” She says, stiffly. It’s a matter of time before her guardian finds her running away from her work if Caihong isn’t quieter.

             “What are you doing, Phoenix?” He asks again, turning into a snake to move around her, forcing her to sidestep to avoid his curling body.

             “Is that any of your business?” She snaps, angling the mirror to see if she can do the shimmery thing with the water and the glass again.

             “I’m curious.” He turns back into a human and shrugs.

             “I like Caihong.” Phoenix mumbles into her blanket, making Cinna strain to hear her. Cinna grits her teeth, and moves forward, refusing to allow Phoenix to just hide away from her problems.

             “So? Why can’t you just talk to any of the other members of the nest?” Cinna asks, prying the blanket off Phoenix.

             “Everyone’s either too old or only want to talk about transforming or other members of the nest.” Phoenix politely does not mention that Caihong is the only shifter who seems even remotely interested in hearing her talk about her experiments, or who doesn’t yell at her when she destroys her things in the name of learning. Or look aghast, and then run off to whisper about her.

             Cinna runs her fingers through Phoenix’s hair, combing and grooming the strands into something neat, as she tries to think of what to say next.

             “Does it have to be Caihong?” Cinna finally asks, once Phoenix’s hair is something resembling decent again.

             “What’s wrong with Caihong?” Phoenix bites out, careful to temper her irritation. She might get yelled at for being rude again after all. She has never mastered the whole ‘carefully neutral’ tone that her broodmates use when talking politics in the supernatural community, but she does her best.

             “Caihong.” Cinna wrinkles her nose. “He’s well. He’s a snake, Phe. He’s bad luck.”

             “Why did you come back?” Caihong asks, on her third visit. Phoenix has cautiously decided that he seems worth trusting and he seems more interesting than her other broodmates after all. And he has interesting insights sometimes.

             (If Phoenix was more careful, she wouldn’t say that he was a friend to be exact. But definitely something approaching one.)

             “Why not?” Phoenix retorts, turning into a bird to peck Caihong on the head.

             “I’m bad luck? Everyone says so? And I’m also a snake?” Caihong lists, casually, as if ‘snake’ is an epithet that he doesn’t want to let slide of his tongue.

             Phoenix looks at Caihong. Really looks at him. Caihong’s scruffiness, as it turned out, was more due to a lack of people willing to help groom the parts of his being that he couldn’t get on his own. And a lack of ability to access the pools without everyone whispering about him. But he was smart and curious and kind. He helped smaller animals out, when they needed it. He helped her hide out in a classroom and taught her how to read and write. He made puns (bad puns which always made her laugh) on a regular basis.

             “You’re not bad luck.” Phoenix says, hiding her face in her latest experiment.

             “He’s my friend.” Phoenix says, firmly as she looks Cinna in the eye for a moment, before averting her gaze.

             “Well, I think you need to seriously consider whether getting kicked out of the nest is worth being his friend.” Cinna says, sternly. As if Phoenix hadn’t thought of that months ago. As if Caihong hadn’t brought that up of his own accord a long time ago, and told her that if she wanted to stop being friends with him, she could.

             “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m your friend. And if you don’t want me, I’ll go. But you have to say it.”

             Caihong gapes at her for a moment and then throws his arms around her.

             Phoenix would like to say she doesn’t know why he’s so grateful. But she has to say that she knows. Or suspects. None of the other shapeshifters will talk to him.

             Caihong has no Nest.

             Phoenix pulls the blanket away from Cinna and wraps herself in it. It’s not the first time she’s had this argument. And it’s not the first time that she knows nothing will come of it.

             “She threatened to kick you out of the Nest, Phe. You won’t ever be able to Nest.” Cinna warns, coming to sit next to Phoenix, and beginning to braid her hair. Phoenix tries to swat her hand away, but Cinna just keeps braiding.

             Phoenix hates the sensation of braids on her hair. She prefers leaving it free, if she doesn’t have it tied back for work.

             And maybe it’s time to take one of those leaps of faith that she’s always seeing in humans.

             “Maybe I don’t care.” Phoenix says quietly.

             Cinna stops braiding long enough to smack Phoenix’s ear. “Don’t be ridiculous, Phoenix. What will you do without a Nest? Every shifter needs a Nest to come home to at the end of the day, Phoenix. Stop this.”

             “Caihong has no Nest.” Phoenix mutters, squirming.

             “For a good reason. No one should be accepting a snake into their brood.” Cinna sniffs. “I don’t even know why you stay around him, Phe. I really don’t.”

             “He’s not just a snake!” Phoenix yells, quieting when Cinna pulls hard on her hair. “He listens to me!”

             “You’re odd, Phoenix. Your transformation is good, and you’re doing them faster. You’re mastering them faster at least, than your broodmates. But don’t get arrogant. You’re not better than your broodmates. So don’t give me that.” Cinna yanks her hair again, making Phoenix yelp in pain.

             Cinna finishes the braid and pins it up neatly, slapping Phoenix’s hand away when she tries to mess it up.

             “Now you’re ready to explain yourself to our brood guardian again. This time, just be nice, and hold your tongue, Phoenix.” Cinna says, patting Phoenix on her head. “Maybe do your latest transformation.”

#phoenix #a match made in hell #hellverse #caihong