thecapitol | (no subject)

(no subject)

Who| Ellie and Mindy (Closed)
What| Talking about current woes
Where| At the park
When| A few days after the arrival of Damon Macready
Warnings/Notes| It's Ellie and Mindy, so plenty of cursing!

There was at least little to no chance of it, and Mindy was, of course, still nursing her burn scars. She hadn't told dad their origin, and he had respectfully chosen to ignore them, sensing his daughter might not be happy about lying to him about it. There was too much happening in this place that he needed to know about her latest foolhardy attempt to save somebody.

Besides, she was here for a different reason, idly swinging on the swings. In all the craziness of the last few days, with training and dad coming back and the failure to get Ian back, she hadn't gotten to talk to Ellie in a bit. The girl, she could tell, had a lot on her mind, so Mindy suggested they talk, and what better place than the park? They could appear like two kids having fun, and hell, even Mindy enjoyed the swings and the slide more than she let on.

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"Yeah," Ellie admitted, giving a slightly lopsided smile. "I know it's kind of fucked up to want them here, but... I'm really glad he is, anyway."

She wet her lips. "So it's ah... your dad, right? Your mentor? He's the one that came?"

"I can tell," she said, giving her a smile. "And I can't blame you, you told me enough about him. I get it. You're both pretty damn important to each other."

At the mention of her dad there's a smile, but more than just happiness lay there. There was something wistful, contemplative here too.

"You figured that out. I knew you would. But yeah, he's here. That's supposed to be impossible though, but so's a lot of things."

Such as a subject she knew they were moving toward.

Ellie snorted. "Yeah. Tell me about it." She took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh.

"He and Riley don't really get along," She said eventually, slowly. "I wish they did but I guess it's a bit... difficult." She raised her eyes, looking at Mindy as if a little worried. "You... you know about me and Riley, right?"

"Me and him weren't really hitting it off well either," Mindy admitted. "But if you decide to tell me I was raised wrong, you're just gonna be on my shit list. I can figure why he and Riley might not like each other."

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't...think so? You've been sorta secretive lately."

"Sorry," Ellie apologized in a mumble, raising her hands to her face and rubbing it. "Stuff has just been- sort of fucked up. I told you that we were friends, from before, but it... it wasn't the whole truth. Riley and I, we... We were more than friends."

"No kidding." Romance. The most annoying thing because it was something she knew the least about outside of casual flirting as Hitgirl just because she could. But she knew that Riley shouldn't even be here since she died. If that were true, that meant...

"Shit, that's heavy. I mean, granted, as a choice for a girlfriend, you can't get better than Riley, she obviously kicks ass. But now I get why you've been to yourself. She's not supposed to be around anymore. In a way, that's sort of something I get. Dad's not supposed to be here either."

She relaxed slightly as Mindy talked. Ellie didn't really have an idea of homophobia - just didn't really exist where she was from - but she didn't really see Mindy as a person who approved of romantic relationships in general.

"... Yeah," she said, lowly. "Not supposed to be here. That's... that's pretty much it. I just... I'd spent so long getting over her, you know? And then suddenly she's back, and to her it's like no time has passed at all and she wants everything to be back the way it was..."

"Dude, that fucking sucks. I saw her when she got to my District, you know that. I liked her already. But she thought she was dying, because of that shit you have. Yeah, I've seen it. But anyway, she just wanted to be with someone, I could see that in her eyes. She was desperate. In a way its worse than me and dad. At least he knew he, well, you know. He died."

She said it aloud, and that made her feel...better? Worse? She couldn't tell. But it at least felt a little right telling someone.

"So what's happening now with you both?"

She tensed. How the fuck had-- It didn't matter. It didn't matter, anymore. Not with Riley here.

"He knew he was dead?" Ellie asked, confused. But then Mindy asked her a question and she sighed. "... Fuck if I know. We're-- I don't know what we are. I just can't stand to see her so disappointed when I'm not sure how I feel, and..."

"He still remembers how it happened and everything. He might even tell you how it went down one day. It was a pretty intense moment, honestly."

Thinking about it was pretty rough. Better to not think about it right away.

"Look, worry about you, not her. I love the hell out of her, she's awesome, but I think even she would tell you that you need time. If you really care about her and want to be with her, let it come naturally, don't force it. You both deserve that much. What you guys have to start from, at least, sounds like it could be something awesome."

"Yeah, I-- I have no fucking idea, Mindy. The thing is, before she came here, I was kind of - well I kind of fell for... someone else." She winced a bit at the words, and then added quickly: "Not like it would go anywhere! I-- I know it wouldn't, but it just... kind of makes things a little more fucked up."

Mindy shook her head, chuckling. "I swear man, you are so lucky the Capitol is so fucking stupid they resort to lies for gossip. They'd have a field day with all of this."

And she wouldn't be able to stop it, which was why she was glad they remained blissfully ignorant about it.

"You can keep it to yourself if you want, its cool. I mean, I know that its private."

Ellie groaned, putting her face in her hands.

"It's not my fault, okay? It was stupid from the beginning, just-- Look, it really doesn't matter. It's over. They are way too old for me, and seeing someone else, but that doesn't stop my stupid brain from being... stupid."

"Ellie, relax!" She held up her hands. "No judging, ok? I mean, you've been here longer and you're way friendlier than I am. You were bound to have a crush."

She shrugged. "Hell, it's good you have two people from you're world here, and one of them's your best friend! Fuck yeah, right?"

Edited 2014-05-05 03:33 (UTC)

"Heh," Ellie said, a smile slipping to her lips. "Fuck yeah. Back from the dead, even. Who could ask for more." Her tone made her sound like she wasn't so sure, though.

"And yeah, I know that you don't-- I didn't think you'd judge, I just... It's just fucked up, you know?"

"It's not something you can just be completely happy about, though, is it? No matter what the history is. Plus, you've seen them die, and you moved on. You grieved. Then this happens. It's like opening wounds all over again, and its the Capitol. You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop."

She said this, and there was no trace of just being impartial here: it was clear Mindy had an idea what might be going on in Mindy's head.

"Life is fucked up. So is love, or romance or whatever you call that moment when two people see something they like. I'm guessing, anyway. Mostly I'm picking cues from the shit you guys tell me."

"Yeah, well, you probably know more than me," Ellie smirked.

She kicked the pebbles under her feet, swinging slowly.

"I'm kind of just... throwing myself into the deep end and hoping I don't fucking drown."

"Aren't you listening?" Mindy shook her head. "Dude, I SUCK with people. I train them, I fight them, I get the job done. But mostly, I stay away from the deep stuff. That's why I won. But you, you make people want to protect you, you're a funny kind of dork, and you bring people around. I can see why Riley likes you, for shit's sake."

She picked up a pebble and rolled it into the grass, then sat back on the swing.

"The thing is, she knows how fucked up this all is. You can see it. So she's trying to back off, to let things happen. You're working with these Capitol fucks all over us, her back from the dead, and you with a guy who protected you after she left, who couldn't possibly get what's happening in your brain now. Its insane. So just...lay back awhile. Let things run their course. Just sit back, hang with her a little. Remember shit. That's about all you can do now."

Edited 2014-05-06 04:29 (UTC)

Ellie listened quietly, her brow furrowing deeper. The problem was, things weren't just about Riley. Or Her. Or Venus. Or the expose. It was about everything, everywhere, and Ellie was bristling.

"Yeah I... I know. But I don't-- Just so you know, Mindy, I don't mean to make anyone want to protect me," She said stiffly. "Because everyone who does - well they just end up gone or dead. I don't -- I don't think I could watch her die again, Mindy. Not again. I don't want to."

"I know. Fuck, believe me, if anyone knows that shit, its me. I'm so happy dad's here, but fucks sake, look where he is! Here! Where he sees me rising up from the fucking slave pits, in the capitol. And its great he's here, but every time I close my eyes I still hear-still smell..."

Oh right. She never did tell Ellie this. Hell, Ellie was one of the few who knew ho her "mentor" was.

"Look. I don't let anyone do that, not at arm's length. I know exactly what you mean. But the thing is? I kind of think this might make you happy, and if anyone deserves to at least have a little of that, its you."

She listens, and she catches that - 'still hear' and the 'still smell' - and she thinks about the fact that she and Mindy are friends, and why. Perhaps there was more of a shared history there than she guessed. But she didn't press for the story.

"I hope you're right," she replied quietly. "Though I... I don't know, Mindy, there are a lot of people here who deserve some happiness more than me. This place? It's already a fucking leg up from home. It's fucked up, but I'm lucky to be here. The rest of my world... not so much."

Especially since her being there meant that their world was completely fucked.

"Yeah, but the Capitol picks and chooses who gets to be happy when it strikes them. You got Joel, then you got Riley. Obviously they're pretty interested in your world. But if you can at least be around familiar people and have them look after you when needed in the Arena, I can't say I think its a bad thing."

She was just glad she had one now too, the only one that really made any sense.

"Uh, sorry about that shit I was babbling about earlier. I have some shit memories of my world right before I left. There's kind of a reason I said 'mentor' and not 'dad.' He was pretty much both, so it makes this ind of hard."

"It's okay," Ellie said, sympathetic.

"You don't need to apologize for shit being fucked up, you know? Dad, mentor, Joel, whatever - who knows what they are, they just-- still are. Right?"

"Yeah, true," she said, smiling a little. "It's crazy. When he's around, I don't feel like I have to be all bad ass and adult, I can just be his babydoll or whatever. Were you like that, when you first got here and Joel wasn't around?"

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