thecapitol | [semi-closed]

Entry tags:

[semi-closed]

Who | Ellie and Friends
What | Ellie wakes up, and not everyone wakes up with her.
Where | D1
When | Backdated to before the crowning
Warnings/Notes | Lots of talk of death, probably. Basically anyone who would come check up on Ellie can tag in here, she's going to be moping in her room for a while, but probably won't let anyone she doesn't know in.

Ellie was screaming - dreaming, probably, but screaming - when she suddenly startled awake. Her room was dark, the windows showing a calming scene of the forest, the sounds of far away birds filtering to her. She was breathing hard, her heart pounding, fingers gripping the sheets so tightly that her knuckles were white.

Shakingly, she ran her hands over herself, reminding herself that she was whole, and healthy. That she was back in the capitol. That the arena was nothing but a dream. A horrible, horrible dream. She swallowed, slowly pulling herself from the bed.

Water. She needed something to drink. God, but she needed a drink. She could almost still feel the arena's sticky heat on her skin...

She stopped, however, when she heard something in the darkness, her heart thudding hard in her chest - her eyes wide and alert.

"Who's there?" She demanded.

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There was the one person that Mindy had been waiting for. Her heart had suck when it hadn't been Ellie who'd won the whole thing, but that fucking monster who ate the girl she'd fought only a few days ago. Granted, here things were all the more fucked up and grody, so it would help to have someone catch her up to speed.

It was going to suck, was what Mindy understood by now. That was every day this whole goddamn week, and now she had to let Ellie know.

"Hey. It's me. Mindy/ Feel like opening the door?"

Ellie slowly walked across her room, opening the door. She relaxed slightly when she saw that it was, indeed, Mindy on the other side.

"Yeah, sorry," She said as she pulled the door open wider and stepped back, letting Mindy in. "Just uh... Just came back. You alright?"

"It's cool," she said, watching the girl a moment. Yeesh. Looks like she'd seen better days, that was for sure. It was what she expected most people looked like after coming from the games too, no matter how much they dressed you up. You could see the aging in the eyes.

"Been better," she confessed, shaking her head. "It's been a real fucking heavy week. Have they filled you in at all?"

She shook her head. "Haven't even been able to check that--" She paused, let out a long, worried breath. "... That everyone's been back."

She closed the door behind her and crossed the floor to the couch, throwing herself down.

"But go on."

"People are back, but not all of them. So let's start with the motherfuckers I know for sure are gone. Effie and Holy were carted off. Ian is gone...for good. So's...Guy. He's gone for good too. You might know these other ones, but Hawkeye and Holliday are gone, and so's Pruna. The shit thing is that its not even the only shitty thing going on right now. WE had an outbreak of illness here, and people had to be carted off because they got TB. I'm not sure how the skirmish happened in the District, but...District 3's been purged. No survivors."

Her face falls as Mindy outlines what has happened. Ian, Guy - but when Mindy hits Hawkeye something in Ellie finally breaks, and any emotion on her face quickly wipes away.

She barely hears the bit about the outbreak, or District 3. She'd heard about quarantine zones being purged back home - the army deserting them - so that was hardly a surprise to her.

"... Riley?" She asks, carefully. "Venus? R?"

"R is gone for sure," she said, looking grim. "Venus, I haven't seen her in awhile, but I could be wrong. Riley. Uh. I haven't seen her, but I could be wrong. I really want to be wrong, you know that. It would be stupid, anyway, to take her away after bringing her in the first place. How dumb could you be?"

But that panic hit her. They had taken Pruna, hadn't they? Done so without even a blink, and Sandy, reeling from that, went and lost fucking Effie too, because those assholes weren't satisfied. She had to change the subject.

"Security is tight now, tighter than before. They're not hearing shit from us.

R is gone for sure. It rings through her head, her chest open and hollow, and she stares at the ground.

Hawyeke, R, Pruna, maybe even Venus--

Riley--

She pulled in a hard breath, and nodded, tightly, fiercely.

"Yeah. Silent as the grave. Fucking got it."

She put her hand over the girl's hand. She'd done this earlier, with Sandy, feeling awkward. But not with Ellie. If Riley AND Venus were gone, those were some very important people in Ellie's entourage. Similarly, she was putting up a face, which was more than Sandy had been able to manage. Mindy understood it, of course. Ellie was used to losing people. She was hard there.

"No, I know you. You don't have to say that shit. No screaming or anything dumb like that. I mean, if you want to beat the fuck out of the pillow in frustration, I understand."

"Screaming didn't fucking help last time." At least then they'd come back. It had seemed more unfair, somehow, then, when they'd chosen them randomly. But the arena was something else. The arena was something they all had to do, every time. And now--

And now people weren't coming back.

"I killed him," She said, bluntly. "R. I killed him, and I didn't even get to say that I was sorry."

"I saw," she said, just as blunt "And he was trying to eat you, so don't feel sorry. If you think he wouldn't have, I saw him chowing down on Eponine. You can't do anything when they're making you guys attack each other. Same shit happened with Clem and Sandy."

She shook her head. "I don't want Riley gone. Honestly, when you guys were all around, it helps. I feel less fucked up and alone around here, you know?"

"That doesn't mean I don't want to fucking apologize," She said, the anger rising in her voice. She wasn't angry at Mindy, of course, but god was she angry in general. "They could have cured him, Mindy. They fucking could have. They had the fucking cure, I saw him on it. But no. They let him turn into a rabid fucking dog and then made me kill him and now he's dead. Gone. For good."

She snapped her head away, not wanting to look at Mindy as her eyes started to sting. She wasn't going to cry.

"Yeah. Fucked up and alone. I know the feeling."

"Of course they did." There was lies to make people feel better, and Mindy was shit at them and she knew it. Why would Ellie want that now anyway? She knew she wouldn't. "What would be useful for them if R was rehabilitated? He'd be another warm body that dies, and the joy that'd bring him? Not sensational. But have him fight a friend and have him die? That's television. Our misery is their tally. "

She looked down a minute. "Nah. Not alone. If you don't want to be, anyway. I mean, I get it: the less you feel, the less fucked up shit will be in the end. You know that better than anyone. You seen it. But it doesn't have to be that way."

And she COULD cry. Mindy would feel awkward if it were anyone else. Ellie, she wouldn't look down or act stupid. If Ellie kept it in and exploded though? That would be the worst case scenario.

"It's fucking bullshit," She said hotly, but then turned her head hard, away, so she didn't have to look at Mindy when she spoke.

"Yeah. Not alone for now. But we all know that's how we end up in the end. Arena or what the fuck ever. Even if I go back home, I'm just going to end up fucking alone."

"No, you'll have Joel. Last I checked that guy was not going to give up on you anytime soon. You're lucky he's here. Wherever Riley is, she'll be happy you have him around."

Mindy offered the girl a smile. "Its worth something, yeah?"

The moment Joel heard the announcement - Ellie, district one - he dropped what he was doing and made his way to the suite. He was going to be there when she woke up, just like she had for him. He wouldn't make her wait and wonder if he got back okay.

He had with him a couple bottles of water, and was toying idly with the cap of one when he heard her voice. "It's me," he said, standing up and moving towards her. He held out the unopened bottle of water, perching on the edge of the bed next to her.

She relaxed immediately when she heard his voice, the low drawl being the most perfect sound she'd heard in days. She surged forward, ignoring the water, wrapping her arms tight around him and burying her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," She mumbled into the fabric. "I couldn't stop him--"

"Hey, it's alright, don't worry about it," Joel said immediately, his hand on her head, brushing back her hair gently. "Nothin' you could've done."

Which was true enough - it wasn't her fault they got attacked. "It's good to have you back, kiddo."

She held on tight for a long minute, just reassuring herself that he was still there, before she slowly drew back while letting out a long breath.

"I really don't want to do that again," She said, her voice quiet. It was then that she noticed the water bottle in his hand, like he had read her mind, and she reached out and grabbed it instantly. She tore off the cap and gulped it down. It wasn't that she was actually thirsty - it was just the memory that made her so thirsty.

"You're-- everything's okay, right? You're okay."

"I'm fine," Joel said with a faint smile. Frankly, now that Ellie was back, he was totally and completely fine. Not having her around just threw him all off-kilter.

"I kept makin' too much food, everyone in district eight is startin' to gain weight," he said lightly. If he kept things light, then it would be okay. No point talking about the bad stuff. There was enough of it in the world. "I took Clementine out for ice cream."

She gave him a small smile, clutching he bottle.

"You've been cooking, huh?" She said quietly. "Won't deny that a real, actual meal sounds pretty amazing right now. And ice cream even better. Clem's alright, then?"

"Not much else to do around here, except teach some of the new people how to build fires and whatnot," Joel says with a snort.

"Now you're back, though, we'll all go out for ice cream."

All meaning her, him, Clem, and whoever else she wants to invite along. As long as he's got her with him.

"All of us, huh?" She said a slight smirk. "You hate half my friends," She reminded him setting the bottle down so she could lean in against his short, half collapsing there.

Sure, she'd just woken up, but she was so fucking tired.

"I don't hate 'em," he says quietly, his arm going around her. "I just don't like 'em much, that's all. But we'll bring along whoever you want. Laser tag, or the arcade maybe? And ice cream."

Clementine knocks quietly at Ellie's door a little while after she'll have woken up.

"Ellie? It's Clementine, can I come in?" she asks, raising her voice to be heard and glancing back at the District 1 lounge, empty at the moment.

"Hey, Clem," Ellie said quietly as she opened the door, relieved to find the girl on the other side of it. She slowly opened it, letting her in. She closed the door behind her.

"You alright?"

She slips inside as soon as the gap is wide enough, moving clear to let Ellie shut it behind her before facing her friend.

"I'm okay." It was mostly true now, Clementine had had the worst of it when Ellie was still in the arena and she certainly wouldn't say any different, not when she knew what it was like to wake up from the arena now. "How are... are you alright?"

Ellie had been alone for days before she died, making it worse in Clementine's mind.

"No," Ellie says, honestly, but quickly follows with, "Though I'm about as fucking good as I can be, given the circumstances. Just glad you made it back okay." She ran a hand through her hair as she walked over to the windows, the serene forest scene stretching out beyond her.

She stepped over to the table, taking a glass off of it and moving to get some water.

"It was... pretty fucked up, huh." To put it lightly.

"I'm glad you're back too." Clementine just watches at first, then moves deeper into Ellie's room and leaning against the dresser, fingers curling in the hem of the shirt she's wearing.

"Yeah, that about sums it up. I guess it's not something you can get used to."

The first few weeks after the foggy Arena Riley can't remember so well. She comes back to herself in bits and pieces. As far as she can gather, the Capitol assholes letting her infection start flaring up for Arena drama backfired, and she's been quarantined for study and treatment ever since.

At least she didn't have to go to that shitty party everyone in her iso ward was fluttering about. Sounded awful. But she's out now, and that's what's important. District 1 has to be her first stop.

"It's me, El," she says tiredly when she hears that familiar (but so terrified, and god, fuck all these people) voice challenge her knock. "Riley. Don't tell me you forgot about me already."

She tries to make it sound like a joke, but her voice is too damn shaky for that.

"Can I come in?"

Edited 2014-07-27 19:38 (UTC)

All hope had been lost. As each day passed, Ellie's heart sank. Riley not being at the crowning sealed it.

Ellie had lost her again.

She didn't say anything to anyone about it. Didn't wail and cry. Hawkeye, R, and now Riley.

Maybe if she pretended it didn't matter the Capitol wouldn't keep it away.

When she heard Riley's voice, however, her heart nearly leapt out of her throat - and her body really did leap, right up out of her bed, wearing nothing but a knee-long shirt as a nightgown, she threw open the door.

And saw a ghost. Again. Her throat tightened, and she pulled the girl inside.

"What the fuck, Riley? Is this a fucking joke?"

"If it is, I stopped laughing a while back." Riley closed the door behind her, grabbing Ellie up in a hug as tight as she could get it. It still felt weak. Fucking doctors.

"It turns out that letting someone with a mutant hellfungus get worse for TV ratings in the middle of a fucking epidemic isn't a great idea. Who knew, right? I've had their science spooks prodding at me nonstop. I, uh...how long has it been? I sorta lost track of time, for a bit, there."

She was reluctant to admit that. She didn't want Ellie to know how bad it had gotten. But more than that, she didn't want Ellie to think Riley had left her.

She pulled out of the hug, taking a firm step back, her brows furrowed hard.

"And you couldn't fucking send me a note? 'Hey, Ellie, just so you know, I'm not fucking dead'?" Her tone was getting angrier the more she thought about it, the relief incredibly sharp, but the fury riding on its heels incredibly fast.

"Ellie..." She looked at her feet, exhausted. "The docs burned everything I touched, babe. They wouldn't tell me anything about you, either. They only just let me out, I wasn't even...even sure you'd be here. Only things I heard about were some huge disease thing going on and someone's victory party."

"Fuck, Riley," She said, turning hard away, her throat burning. She could barely figure out how she felt, but the relief was starting to overwhelm everything else.

"Don't you--" She turned back, glaring, but sad. "Don't you fucking die on me again. Okay? Don't-- don't you fucking dare."

"Been doing my best not to, I swear." Riley gives her an awkward smile. "Sorry. To, uh, freak you out like that. I missed you."

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a few days after the crowning because what am being around

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