thecapitol | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who| Katniss and Guy
What| Deep talking.
Where| A park.
When| Backdated to a few days before the Peeta thread
Warnings/Notes| None atm.

She found herself in the park they had escaped to, after the crowning ceremony.

It wasn't the biggest park in the Capitol, but it was the closest one to the training center that became a real taste of the out doors. She couldn't entirely escape the city, not within it's limits, but this was close.

Her mind was buzzing with all sorts of thoughts, and without the woods, she couldn't get it cleared out. So many layers, the Games, her tributes, home, her family, Gale, Peeta, the urge to want to rebel, to fix things.

Reaching up, she grabbed a hold of one of the lower branches, heaving herself up, and kicking off her shoes as she did, not caring where they went. Just wanting to be barefoot on this early spring day.

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He missed green and growing things. He missed moving. It wasn't the same in the arenas, all the running around scared, and the last arena was still an enclosed space, still somewhere where the running around wasn't even happening in the right place.

In the park, the sky was open and the air smelled greener, and there was at least the illusion of warmth because of the light of the sun. Not the warmth he was used to but it was warm for this place.

Then he spotted Katniss hanging there, tilting his head slightly so it was angled more towards her.

"Hi."

Looking down, she smiled softly. Although Katniss wasn't exactly a person ever excited about company, of the people to run into, this wasn't an unpleasant surprise.

She hadn't seen him since the arena, not face to face like this, but that had been enough for him to make an impact on her.

"Hey you." She said from her branch, leaning forward to look down at him. "Looking for some fresh air? They're in short supply here."

"Is there something they do to it? Because sometimes it smells like a tar pit. Or like someone left a fire burning too long."

He started to climb up to join her, not even reaching for the branches at first. He just dug his fingers into the bark and pulled himself up almost effortlessly.

"Dump chemicals into it, mainly."

The woods in 12 were beautiful, but in the middle of the District, fresh air wasn't in high supply either. Especially when you got close to the mines. So she knew at least this particular way the Capitol was screwing things up.

She scooted over, giving him room to sit.

"How are you?"

He wasn't sure what "chemicals" really were but they always sounded so bad.

He climbed up and over, sitting next to her on the branch.

In answer to her question, he shrugged.

"Surviving," he said. "Which is a step below living, but a step above dying, I guess."

It was better than nothing. He was living a 'better than nothing' life now.

"I'm glad you got out of that arena okay."

She'd been revived, at least, and he hasn't seen any signs mentors like her had been thrown back in.

She chuckled at his description.

"That can describe life in Panem as a whole, I think."

In the Districts they had nothing. She wouldn't lie and say they were missing food, but had love, or some tripe like that. 12 was full of bitter, broken people.

But here, they had everything they needed, but there was still something so morally corrupt about them. She didn't want that, either.

"Thanks. You too."

"I met Peeta. He's a nice kid."

He knew now from the arena footage that the blood that had been all over her since he met her was his.

"I like knowing that. Sometimes it's all I can do to not want to see this whole world just burn to the ground, but I like remembering there are good people from here, too. People like you and him from the Districts, and I met Cinna and Effie and they were nice. So I know even people from here aren't all...you know."

It made it easier to be himself, knowing there were good people.

"Helps fight the hate a little bit."

Edited 2014-05-16 07:02 (UTC)

It made her strangely happy to hear that Cinna and Effie helped him with that. Especially Cinna, since he helped her own opinions in that matter. Granted, she still wouldn't walk far for most of those in the Capitol, but it was true. It helped make them...people.

"I know what you mean. It breaks things down, somehow." She looked over at the mention of Peeta, arching a brow. That hit her thoughts on the head there, and she tried to find a way to subtly nudge the conversation that way.

"I'm glad you think so. About Peeta."

Guy climbed so that he was turned around on the branch and started to dangle from it by his knees, looking up at her.

He made a sort of "ooooh, someone's got a crush" face.

"You liiike him. I know they paint you guys as a couple, true love and all that, but I never really buy into that stuff unless I get it from the actual person."

When the Capitol made a big deal about something, it was often false.

"But you liiiike him."

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