Living inside the shell

[hit_girl_mindy]

Who| Mindy, open
What| The victor returns to the Capitol.
Where| Various Places
When| After being patched up
Warnings/Notes| Mindy, so foul language and descriptions of violence.


After the last few weeks, it was a breath of fresh air to be back in the Capitol. It was not something she would have easily admitted to herself, but at least here there was a sense of ease, knowing that she didn't have to be watching her back for death.

Mostly.

It was strange too. She almost felt alien, coming back here with the win. Death had at least made her an equal: now she was an object, to be striven for or hated or stared at or asked questions to. The crowing would come soon enough, she knew that, and what a pain that would be. Words to say,things to plan, and really, all she wanted was to make sure all her friends were all right. certain ones would hare her now, of course, but that was expected. She had, after all, let the games' nature affect her.

She was more than happy to be restored though: all the bleeding and the aching had taken a toll on her, and she was ready for aching she at least only inflicted on herself. There were several ways of going through with this.

1. The Training room. It was always Mindy's "go to" place, and even now there was no reason not to go. She was aware of the stares and the whispers, but she ignored these: after all, she'd come here last time after her defeat, why should her victory be any different? Mindy is hard at work on the treadmill, looking to see if she can increase her speed. There was a lot to think about, and this was the perfect way to NOT have to do that right now. Cut everyone out, hear some mindless music, run like the wind. Easy.

2. Eventually though, there's a place she needed to go: over to District 12, at the top tower to see Sandy. She hated, more than anything, to apologize or even explain herself unnecessarily but in this case it was needed. Sandy wasn't just some girl to her: she was one of the first friends she made, and after what she'd done, she needed to at least talk to her about it. The girl might not listen or care, but Mindy still needed to explain herself. She might run into anyone in District 12 though.

3. In her own tower, she made the unwise choice of attempting to sleep. After that, she thought a mushroom trip might have been more peaceful. Now she just had visions of the worse things in the Arena: beheading, throat slitting, bombs going off, and all of the dead looking at her as if she were the cause. It was pretty gory, and Mindy had awoken wide eyed and breathing hard. So anyone in the Tribute tower, especially in her District, can see the girl sitting in the room now, oversized shirt on, watching a replay of the games, almost glassy eyed.

Comments

[acroodawakening]

"She's wearing a ridiculous hat so I'm all for it," Guy said, leaning back against the couch and drawing up his legs. "That's my new rule for movies. The more ridiculous the lady's hat is on the picture the more ridiculous - and funnier by extension - the movie is."

Because all of Panem's movies were ridiculous. He probably told better stories while talking in his sleep.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Yeah, actually, that is a pretty fucking stupid hat." Actually, the best thing about these movies was when she got to riff on them. Her favorite thing was giving them new lines and dumber voices for shits and giggles. It was always better to do it with a friend. It made her look less crazy.

"Ok, but only if you promise to do the girl in a weird falsetto voice, ok?"

[acroodawakening]

"Oh, gladly," Guy said, sitting forward eagerly. It was not long before he was doing it, either.

"Oh Septimus, daaahling! How wonderful to see you here!" said the woman on screen. "You've grown so much since we were children."

"Somehow I didn't see you for ten years even though we live in the same city, tee hee hee hee," Guy said in his falsetto lady voice. "Apparently, I don't know how to walk outside my house to go to someone else's house, but maybe that's because I had my feet turned into glass because it was in fashion."

They cared an awful lot about that here, things being 'in fashion' and they seemed to be willing to do ridiculous things for it to happen.

"Mwaa mwaa mwaa mwaa, I'm going to kiss at the air around your face because I can't aim," he mimicked as she did an air kiss of both of the man's cheeks.

[hit_girl_mindy]

So Guy could totally be out of touch on a lot of things, but this? This was something he was made for.

My dear Maude, it had been too long! Ah, but duties to the Capitol, such things do keep one busy! I see you have kept well!

"Stiff upper lip, bully and all that!" Mindy said, snickering at Guy's voice and sounding foppishly English. "The Capitol has kept me hard up, but you know, they say, blue balls are SO in this season! I'm going to repeat your compliment because I'm such a tool I can't think up my own!"

Oh god, another air kiss. Mindy was dissolving into giggles now.

[acroodawakening]

That was a whole lot of air kissing.

"Either they have bad vision and can't find each other's faces or they just seem really in love with the air instead of each other, but if it's them being in love with the air, I'm happy for them," Guy said cheerfully. "Really, I am. when you think about it, air keeps us alive and it really deserves to be loved for that. Even better if it's by two people."

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy made a noise of disgust.

"It's superficial. I think the Capitol's idea of romance related only to keeping people in check. That kind of love is only permissible if, in the long run, the real love is connected with service to the way you serve your state. It's like...a caste, I guess?"

Her schooling was spotty.

[acroodawakening]

"I have no idea what most of what you said is so I'm just going to nod in agreement -" He nodded "- and point that they must not know what real love is if there's room for them loving their state or government or whatever it's called in it. There's no room for anything else if it's real love. Only room other types of love for people, maybe, like family and friends - and those are just as big, and just as important, even if they're different types of love."

His eyes lingered on his bone bracelet.

"But real love doesn't leave a lot of room for a love of things."

There was only room in your heart for more people.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy opened her mouth to try and debate this, mostly because she didn't think it was always necessary to have that concept of love. Hadn't she resolved herself, after all, not to do a Pruna/Sandy thing? But of course, romantic love was not the only way to go.

Damon Macready, after all, had never really left Mindy.

"Yeah," she agreed with Guy. "You have a point."

[acroodawakening]

"Just as I have a point about their feelings about the air. Look at that."

They were meeting with other friends at some extravagant Capitol party and now there were yet more air kisses.

"I don't get it, are there invisible people? Is that what's going on?"

[hit_girl_mindy]

"It's the way they greet each other," Mindy said, with a look that plainly said what she thought of that. "Social garbage that upper class fuckers do. At least, what passes for upper class here anyway. I should have known this was how they were going to portray actual romance."

She grinned. "It's even better than I thought. We should have made popcorn!"

[acroodawakening]

"I'm assuming that's a snack and agree completely. This is a situation that calls for having something to throw."

This was terrible.

"Is she going to spend the whole movie tripping into his arms?"

[hit_girl_mindy]

"The best snack for good and bad movies, even better with the fake, artery closing butter!"

She got up to make some, all the while watching the movie.

"Jesus, is this supposed to be a comedy too?"

[acroodawakening]

"Maybe not intentionally..."

Beyond the thrill of things like movies just existing he was thoroughly enjoying the many nuances that could be found in their existence. Like aside from the movies that seemed just genuinely good (of which there weren't many) some were so bad they were good.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy could agree on that. Even more though, the fact of the two of them being able to sit and laugh at a shitty movie like regular kids, she could almost, well, FEEL like one. It felt really amazing.

"Ok, if it wasn't intentional, can you fucking imagine what an actual review sounds like? Would this shit have fans, gushing about how the two actors kissed almost close enough to their lips they almost exchanged saliva?"

[acroodawakening]

"What's a review?"

He honestly didn't know there was such thing as a job criticizing movies. He'd just been exposed to the idea of movies existing at all.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"It's someone who watched this stuff for a living and tells you why its good or why it sucks," Mindy said. "Usually for people who want to watch the movie but not sure what to expect, this is pretty helpful."

And for someone like Guy, she realized how weird that must sound.

[acroodawakening]

"Why don't people watch it and decide for themselves? If it's good, they can enjoy it, if it's bad, they can make fun of it."

A pause.

"Is this one of those job things? People get paid money for it?"

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Some people like to get an idea if they will like or dislike something. If you have to pay to see something, you generally don't want it to be something you hate. It's money wasted."

She chuckled. "Yeah, actually. It can be a pretty lucrative business. There's always shit to criticize, and you gain clout with it too."

[acroodawakening]

"Weird."

Even stranger, though...

"Movie stories cost money?"

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Of course they do. You start out watching it in the theater, this big room with a huge screen in the dark, and then, after awhile, you can own them in your house. But doing all that costs money, not to mention making the thing, so you have to pay for it too."

[acroodawakening]

"I guess that's a lot more complicated than just sharing stories, then," said Guy, pursing his lips together and shrugging. "Do people still just share stories sometimes?"

A pause.

"Well, people other than the ones here."

He didn't really think Capitol people would have much imagination, if this movie was any indication.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Well yeah. You can go on outings, or drink together, and you exchange stories. We don't really call it that though. That sounds really formal. I'm sorta surprised you haven't done some of that with people already."

[acroodawakening]

"What, hanging out? I hang out with people and we talk about things but I haven't done much storytelling."

He'd used it to get to know Signless and Venus, and had done his joke post but it didn't seem to be something people did in general.

"Some seemed interested in it. Apparently his people do something called a story walk that uses what you're walking past to help with telling the story."

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Then maybe you ought to tell me more about what storytelling is, what's included, what we can say and what we can't. I have stories, but they're not all nice ones, you know? Some of them get graphic, and some of them are just mean. My stories are pretty hardcore."

One story in particular did not end happy, though whens he would ever tell that one was anyone's guess.

[acroodawakening]

"Stories can be anything you want, but I like ones that teach a lesson or just...tell a truth. Or they carry something beautiful with them. The real world is ugly - as much as it was beautiful back home, it was ugly there sometimes, too." He held up his hands, fingers pinched together as if he was catching something out of the air. "I like the ones that catch just a moment of beauty."