Tell Me I'm Gonna Be Alright [Open]

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

WHO| Howard and OPEN
WHAT| Binge-eating is a public sport.
WHERE| Below Timberline
WHEN| A few days after the rave.
WARNINGS| None yet.

It was a bad idea to give Howard a credit card. At least, unless the Gamemakers intended for him to get himself into ridiculous amounts of debt in record time eating out, which they probably did. As soon as he found a restaurant and the fact that the credit card apparently meant 'infinite money' to him, his mind was set on milking it for all it's worth.

Which is, at the moment, a few plates and some doggie boxes full of food to take home. It doesn't matter that there's foods in the suites. For the moment, he's living in the land of plenty, and he's going to take every opportunity he can to enjoy it. His stomach perpetually aches and cramps with the feeling of being too full, but after too many months of brutal starvation, he'll take that feeling over hunger. After two plates he's even managed to stop eating with his hands and go back to using silverware, although he still brings each plate close to him as if certain the other patrons are going to try and take it from him.

He just wishes people would stop staring at him. He knows it's inevitable, he's a tribute, and while he isn't one who did very well he did bash someone's head in. Every time they look at him, he's reminded of that. He tells himself that Lottie's alive and death isn't real in the arena, but just the idea of it makes the otherwise delicious food seem tasteless.

"There is a limit on this card, you know," someone says as they ring it up for another plate.

"Shut up," he says in return.

And when there's another full plate in front of him he starts on that, too, the taste on his tongue reminding him that here in the Capitol, he's safe. In this place, the bad things are temporary inconveniences until you come back to this life of luxury. He's going to be okay.

Another forkful, he's going to be okay.

Comments

[overbite]

For a moment she hums thoughtfully, considering that. "Good point! But I probably am only hungry enough for one meal so I am determined to make it count." The entire menu looks appetizing, just not all together at once.

"Bucky?" Jade repeats, rolls her eyes, and makes an effort to return that with the most exaggerated face of false frustration she can manage. It only serves to make her teeth more prominent. Of course, she's back to her usual bright smile when she answers, "Jade Harley! What's your name?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"That's because you only eat when you're hungry." Howard's eating out of a combination of fear, stress, boredom and compulsion. He wonders how long it will take him to get to the point of eating just enough to sate hunger.

The fact that she rolled her eyes means he's determined that the nickname will stick. "I like my name for you better. I'm Howard."

sorry for the backtagging, i had a holiday season to beat up fkjhfg

[overbite]

"Every single teeth joke in the world has already been made," she objects, pouting in her previous over-the-top manner. The look doesn't last long, of course; she goes back to her usual friendly smile and hums, "I never thought about eating for any other reason than that. Do you mind if I sit with you, Howard?" Too late, she's already hopping over to the table, as social as always. "So no recommendations at all?"

No problem! Just make sure you check in to AC :)

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"None." He guesses he can't really tell her to go away now, can he? "Except add butter to everything. It's free calories, good for packing it on before they put us back in the arena."

taken care of!! thank you uvu

[overbite]

She turns a menu over in her hands with a little sigh, still indecisive, then squints over at Howard. "Are you already thinking about that?" she asks, disapproving of the conversational topic. "There are less awful things to think about than murder contests when we aren't involved in murder contests." Yet, anyway.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"You're thinking about anything else?" Howard rolls his eyes and shoves another overladen forkful into his mouth. "It's our lives now."

[overbite]

"Right now I am thinking about whether or not I should settle for a burger," she answers casually. "We get brought back anyway, don't we?" The memory of how the last arena ended for her comes back and her canine ear set flattens against her head in reactive repulsion, but she goes on without pausing, "So it isn't that bad."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"No. It's that bad. Because each time, we better hope they liked us or it'll be our last one. Every time we die we don't know if it's our last time." He scrapes some sauce with his fork, then gives up and just licks it straight off the plate.