thecapitol | New kind of victory.

The place might be crowded, but there's a wide margin of space around Johanna. She sat in her stupid tree dress, holding her stupid pretend axe, with a scowl on her face.

She HATED being paraded like this. She hated feeling like she was on display. She hated the accusing glares and the frightened glances, and the way stupid little brats dared each other to take a step closer to her. She hated that intense isolation that came when she was surrounded by people. And she hated how readily her District welcomed these foreign people, and praised them for dying over and over again. All to save their own skins. "Cowards," She muttered, to nobody in particular. This whole thing made her sick.

Never one to be upstaged, Penny has dressed in an unnecessarily extravagant and expensive gown. Unfortunately, it hasn't paid off as she liked; her reputation has preceded her and not in the way she'd like. She would have welcomed fear and reverence, but instead is met with disgust. The Traitor to her district. The exiled middle sister of two brave Tributes.

Over the course of the evening the features of her face morph into a gargoyle-like scowl, and the champagne flute in her hands empties and fills several times over. By the time she sits down next to Johanna, her rage is tempered not by acceptance but simply by the lethargy granted to her by the alcohol.

"It's sickening, isn't it?"

"You're sickening." Johanna shoots back immediately, carefully shifting to give more of her elbow to Penny. She might be feared in her district. She might be somewhat a figure of fun as well. But she's still united with them in her disgust for Penny.

"I don't know why you even bothered to come back. They want you here less than they want me!"

Penny recoils slightly, her eyes narrowing, her brow folding along the fault lines of her musculature. It's not unlike a cobra rearing back to strike. Her hand comes forward and locks around Johanna's wrist, all red nails and lotion.

"What did you say to me?"

Johanna doesn't flinch, not even when Penny's hand squeezes her wrist.

"Temper, temper, Penny. You know you can't touch me. What would District Seven do if you killed their ever-so-loving Victor, Johanna, huh?"

She laughs, and with her free hand, strokes Penny's. "Let go," she hisses.

"Who said anything about killing, Johanna?"

Penny only squeezes tighter, and digs her red nails into Johanna's skin. Blood pools in her cheeks from anger; her veins stand out in her elbow and wrist. "You can't touch me either. I'm a Peacekeeper."

Johanna grits her teeth as the pressure on her hand increases. No doubt Penny could - and would - break her wrist.

"Let go right now," she hisses through her teeth. "Or you'll find yourself waking up without a head tomorrow. Peacekeeper or not, you can't touch me."

"That better be a threat you're willing to back up." Penny leans in and breaths on Johanna's ear. "Our immunity goes both ways, Johanna. Don't take for granted that you still have things left to lose."

"And what have I got to lose?" Johanna breaks into a mad sort of cackle. "Tributes? You're going to kill them anyway. So screw you, Penny. Are you mad that I've beaten you?"

She smiles triumphantly. "How does it feel being powerless?"

"Are you willing to make that bet, Johanna? It turned out pretty badly for you last time." Penny seems to light up, feeling victory so close.

"Shut up." Her laughter stops abruptly. Her expression contorts - fear, pain... Loathing.

"You wouldn't dare touch Finnick or Haymitch or your precious girl on fire. Think of it. There'd be uproar. Everybody would hate you, even more than they already do." She starts to chuckle quietly again. "Now let go before I lose my temper."

"You don't know what I'd be allowed to do, Ms. Mason. I'm Cruentus' right-hand lady." And gunning for Cruentus' position, out of egomania rather than jealousy, truth be told.

"Now tell me please or you'll find out what I'm capable of."

"I'm not telling you anything. Make a move and you'll have all these District idiots to deal with." Once more, she tries to pull her hand free.

"I'm not moving until you say please." Penny manages to pout and show her canine teeth all at once.

Johanna once more tries to pull her hand free of Penny's grip, even standing up to try to shake her off.

"Well, brainless, looks like we're going to be spending lots more time together because I am not giving in to you."

Penny tightens her hold, although she stays stubbornly seated in her chair. "I can wait. I'm on vacation, after all."

"Let GO, you crazy idiot." Johanna winces as Penny's grip tightens, pulling her back into her seat.

"Do you actually WANT to feel my axe in your face?"

She tightens her grip on the fake axe that the fool from the Capitol had given her. Perhaps there was some miraculous way that Penny didn't know it was fake. God, Johanna wishes she could have a real one and finish this once and for all.

"Do it. I'm not foolish enough to think that they would give you a real axe here." Penny leans in and breathes on Johanna's neck. "You're a loose cannon, Ms. Mason. You haven't done a very good job hiding it."

Re: District Seven

nooneleft - 2014-01-22 22:26 (UTC) - Expand

Re: District Seven

fearisinthemind - 2014-01-23 19:29 (UTC) - Expand

Re: District Seven

nooneleft - 2014-01-23 20:05 (UTC) - Expand

Re: District Seven

fearisinthemind - 2014-01-27 06:26 (UTC) - Expand

Re: District Seven

nooneleft - 2014-01-27 07:14 (UTC) - Expand

If most people didn't feel willing to associate with Johanna, Homura was not on that list of people. Or, perhaps she didn't care, either way. But, at some point in the night, she found herself near her Mentor. Her rather crass and rude Mentor, who looked completely and utterly angry at being here. Who was uttering various insults under her breath at the congregation.

At least, unlike Johanna, she wasn't wearing a tree dress. It was a small comfort.

"That is not a real axe."

Johanna doesn't even look at Homura. "Do you really think they'd let me have a real one?" She laughed abruptly. "Nah. They'd be worried I couldn't control myself and stick it in one of them."

Homura looked at Johanna at this, the stare deepening, ever so slightly.

"Would you?"

"Got nothing stopping me." She laughed, but stopped as abruptly as she had started.

Most of these fools were harmless enough. She had no reason to kill any of these people. And despite preconceptions. Johanna did not revel in killing. She did what she had to do and she got out of there.

But that wasn't good to keep people scared off her. Better they think she was bloodthirsty.

"I see," Homura replied, delicately folding her hands together, fingers like fans, near her chest. Flexing her fingers. "I suppose I can understand your annoyance, all things considered. At least, to an extent."

"What? You a head doctor now as well?" She rolled her eyes. "Go on, Doc. Bore me with whatever the hell you want to say and I'll pretend to listen."

If Homura was insulted, she didn't show it.

"In order to grant any hope in a system, an even amount of despair must be placed somewhere else, as the price. To bring something akin to peace to this world, a group of people, then, must shoulder the brunt of the world's curses."

Homura stared at the party, watching the District citizens revel and smile. Quietly, her hand went up to her hair.

"Before this, it was the Reaped Tributes of the Districts, forced to fight in the Arenas, who bore the curse. As a result, there was a level of suffering and sadness which accompanied those families who lost their children. Either to death...or to victory. Now, of course, they no longer have to shoulder the sacrifice. No longer tainted by the uncertainty of whether their children would be taken from them through the Games, of course they have been given a happiness that they have not known for many years - perhaps some have never known it."

Her hand slide through her hand, flipping it into the air.

"But what these people do not understand - something that you, perhaps, can, as one who has been through the Games - is that the system has not truly changed at all. They are still just as monitored and regulated as before. The only difference is that the ones who bear the curses has shifted, been outsourced. This 'change' in the system thus allows the Capitol the means to in fact continue the system as before, taking away one qualm of the Districts, without actually conceding anything substantial on their end."

Her hair settled from the flip.

"The children will still die from the circumstances which Panem has foisted on them. They simply will not die from the Games. But that is all. Still the people here...will cling to it because it is what they want to hear. It is what they believe they truly and fully want, and as long as they believe it...nothing more will change."

At this Homura turned to Johanna.

"If I am out of place, of course, please tell me so. And I shall apologize for my impudence."

Edited 2014-01-14 23:04 (UTC)