Back at last

[knifewithnoname]

Who| Pruna and open
What| Pruna finally gets revived
Where| Tribute tower
When| Current
Warnings/Notes| mentions of death, teeth being pulled out

[District 12 suites] Pruna woke up to smiling stylists, she sat up on the metal cot and after a few moments had convinced them she was fine to go back to the tribute tower. Unlike the first time she had woken up she was no longer worried or upset about coming back. She just wanted to get on with things, and get away from all the prodding and poking.

The first thing she did when she got into her room was yank out her wobbly tooth. It was time for it to come out, it had fallen out twice now and it was stupid that it was back and wobbly again. She rinsed the blood out of her mouth and pulled on a jumper and some training trousers. It was a lot colder than it had been before, even though she was inside.

Once she was ready she ran out of her room. "Sandy? Do you be being back yet? Can we be getting ice cream?" She yelled not caring what time it was or if she woke anyone up or disturbed anyone.

[Common room downstairs] Pruna sat huddled on a chair, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, watching the television screens. She had missed a lot it seemed, since her and Sandy had got eaten by the eel. Sandy had told her she had woken up ages ago, and Pruna hadn't. Why had they waited? Was she harder to bring back? Was it a warning? She scowled and threw the controller at the television, not caring if it hit anyone who was in the way.

Comments

[carnagecarnival]

It's just as he gets near to her that he sees the remote go flying and hit the television. The initiate looks from her, all huddled in her chair, to the TV. Its a guess sure, but he goes on it as he walks over to turn the thing off. He moves back away and settles down by her side, on the floor.

He doesn't exactly know if she'll want him there in that moment, but he sits anyway. He doesn't speak just yet, waiting to see if she might prefer the silence.

[knifewithnoname]

She blinks as the television goes off and opens her mouth to complain but then realises it is the Initiate and shuts her mouth.

She sits quietly for a moment before she speaks, he is probably one of the few people she would talk about such things with. "I did just be waking up. Sandy did be thinking I did never be coming back."

[carnagecarnival]

He nods. "They take longer with the bringing back all if the body's condition ain't being close as it is meant all to be. MOTHERFUCKERS TAKE AT THEIR DAMN TIME IN THE RECONSTRUCTING." It was unnerving to think about, to even consider. He doubted she would like the idea of them doing that any more than he or anyone else. But he knows from the Helmsman, who comes back worn as he does, that that's how it works.

He also knows, as well as she does he'd bet, that sometimes it's about a good show. He doesn't think that would be her issue.

"They ain't go reason not to keep you girl. YOU GOT AT THE SKILL. You got for the motherfucking charm about you what he ain't even got. YOU'RE MORE INTERESTING THAN MOST MOTHERFUCKERS CAN HOPE, HE'D ALL SAY. Besides," He adds her in a hushed word, "I wouldn't let the fuckers rest until you were returned true. A SISTER LEAVES WHEN ALL SHE WILLS TO."

[knifewithnoname]

She nodded, but it still didn't make sense, they had brought her back quickly the last two times. She toyed with the edge of the mug for a moment before handing it to him, "Do you be wanting some?" He might not know it but Pruna sharing food or drink with anyone was a huge leap of friendship.

She grinned when he complimented her, "I will no be leaving without a fight, I will be clawing their eyes out if they do be trying to be getting me." She knew she probably wouldn't have the chance, but it made her feel better to say that.

[carnagecarnival]

He grins wide at her response and it reaches up to his eyes. "Good. AS THEY WOULD UP AND HAVE EARNED AND SO AS THEY WOULD BE FELLED BY IF THEY TRIED." He doesn't care for probability either.

He might not know the leaps she's taking, but he's always been a paranoid, distrusting person. He looks from the mug to her, then takes a leap of his own. He reaches out carefully, studying it, and asks, "What is it?"

[knifewithnoname]

"It do be being called hot chocolate." She told him, "It do be being tasty, and very sweet." And not too hot, the first time she had tried it she had burned her tongue. But the cup she had handed over was cool enough to drink.

[carnagecarnival]

The cup feels warm in his hands, if not from the drink itself, then from being in her hands only moments before. It smells good, this murky drink. As far as he can tell, there ain't no sign of poison. He lifts it to his lips, then, gives a strange surprised sort of clicking chirrup. He looks up at her then back to the cup. Then takes another sip.

"IT'S SWEET!" He exclaims. "Not like elixir proper's all like at to be. BUT GOOD." He smiles at her. With the side of his hand, he wipes the faint mark of paint off the mug, then passes it carefully back.

[justoutrunyou]

The all of her friend seemed almost too good to be true! Sandy had been worrying herself sick over Pruna's absence and had convinced herself that Pruna was dead or worse.

And clearly it was all Sandy's fault.

But hearing Pruna shouting for her, scarcely daring to believe her ears Sandy launched out of bed and came scrambling out of her room wild eyed and afraid that she might have imagined the whole thing.

"Ashley?!"

[knifewithnoname]

Pruna span around at the sound of the name only one person ever called her. She grinned, "Sandy. There you do be being."

She wrinkled her nose a moment later at the wild eyes and look of fear. "Did you be having another nightmare?" Thinking about it, being eaten by a giant eel was probably something Sandy would have nightmares about...

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy couldn't hang back a moment longer and dashed for Pruna, crossing the space in a few long steps and embracing the girl firmly, no fear of how someone like Pruna would normally react to being rushed.

[knifewithnoname]

Pruna held no fear from Sandy, not because she fully trusted her but because she knew she could easily beat her in a fight. She blinked as she was hugged. After a few moments of slightly confused blinking she wrapped her arms around her back.

[justoutrunyou]

The hug came with a squeeze and a shudder as Sandy let go of all the tension she'd been building up.

"I've been alone for days. I was afraid they weren't going to bring you back." She gripped the back of Pruna's shirt gently and slowly relaxed.

"I would have torn this place apart if that was true." She added knowing Pruna liked to hear things like that.

[knifewithnoname]

"Days?" Pruna pulled back and blinked at Sandy, not sure what she thought about that. They hadn't brought her back right away? They hadn't brought her back with Sandy even though they had died together.

She nodded at her words. "Yes you would have been being." She bared her teeth, "Why did they no be bringing me back? They should have been being!"

[gardienne]

Eponine had just walked into the room when Pruna threw the remote, and she began to laugh a hoarse, throaty laugh that ended in a bout of hacking coughs.

"Oh mademoiselle Pruna! That is not the way to use such a device. Do you not know? Here -"

She picked up the remote and brought it back to Pruna. "You press the button and the screen will change it's picture. You see?"

She grinned, and Pruna might notice that Eponine's formerly white teeth have gone: in their place are Eponine's natural ones. They're brown and cracked and completely missing in places. In fact, Eponine all over was looking a great deal shabbier since her return to the Capitol. She herself didn't seem at all perturbed though.

[knifewithnoname]

She glared at the laughter and glared at Eponine as she showed her how to change the picture. "I do no be being stupid." She muttered, playing with a fray strand of her jumper.

She did notice, and wrinkled her nose. "Your teeth do no be being pretty anymore." She hugged her knees, she wasn't saying it in spite, Eponine looked more like those in her own city. "Did they be deciding they did no be liking you so much?"

[gardienne]

"Then why did you throw the stick?"

She ignored the glares, and settled down on the chair next to Pruna, pulling her bare legs up beneath her.

"No. I do not think they like me so much. But it does not matter - I asked them not to change me. I am fed up of being dressed up so. It doesn't make a difference in the end, does it? I thought it might, but..." She sighed. "I was wrong, Mademoiselle."

[knifewithnoname]

"Because it do be being stupid." She wrinkled her nose again and watched Eponine thinking about her words.

"Effie did be saying that you should be looking nice so that people will be wanting to be sponsoring you. You do be having to be looking nice and acting good and they will be giving you food and knives." She studied her hands.

"But Lin did be saying that no one should be doing anything to your body if you do no be wanting them to. So maybe you did be doing the right thing." Pruna didn't know, it was a complicated thing.

[gardienne]

"Well, perhaps I do not care about sponsors. They will not sponsor me now, whatever I look like. Not without Howard." She shrugged. "So what does it matter?"

Eponine herself, still insecure about how she looked, tried to steer the conversation back to Pruna.

"Why is it stupid? Did it bite you, Mademoiselle?"

She laughed again.

[knifewithnoname]

"What did Howard be doing?" She hadn't seen him at all last arena, and good thing too because he would have just been laughing at her. Stupid Howard.

"No..." She took another mouthful of hot chocolate. "But it do still be being stupid."

[andproper]

Prim. She didn't quite wake Prim, but she did disturb the girl from her rooms - another person back. Not a very nice person. But a person. A girl, like her. If she happens to see a little blood, that will galvanize her toward movement, too - but either way, she's coming closer.

"Pruna?"

[knifewithnoname]

Pruna's nose wrinkled immidiately at the sight of Prim. "Prim."

She didn't much like Prim, but she liked her sister so she supposed she should at least be nice to Prim. "You do be being okay?"

[andproper]

She nodded faintly, cautiously. She never knew what to make of Pruna. The girl was different than anyone Prim had ever met. And she was dangerous. But Prim didn't feel scared of her.

"Katniss is still in there." That was bad. Wrong.

[knifewithnoname]

"She do be?" Pruna nodded, "She do be being strong, of course she do still be being in there."

Pruna had no idea how Katniss and Prim were sisters, they were nothing alike.

[andproper]

They had one thing in common, though it might surprise Pruna to learn it: a will to fight. It was hard to tell, the way Prim's lip trembled and her hands clutched. But right then, she would have done anything to take the Capitol down.

"She shouldn't be in there at all." Not when Prim knew they wouldn't let her win.

[knifewithnoname]

"They did be cheating, but she will be being okay." Pruna shrugged, "Everyone do be liking her, she will be coming back."