(no subject)

[justoutrunyou]

Who: Sandy Marko and open to all.
What: Seeking inspiration
Where: Training Center Restaurant
When: Mid day.
Warnings: Not yet?

Having come in from her morning run through the city Sandy had showered, changed clothes from workout to casual and was sitting at the restaurant with an over sized stack of red velvet pancakes with cream cheese icing and whipped cream with some kind of glittering gemlike sprinkles. A half drank glass of milk sat next to a plate of sausages, one of them with a fork sticking out of it and a bite missing.

She had taken a few bites out of it but was deeply invested in using a pencil to try and map out her next painting. On a paper in front of her was some kind of gooey dripping monster.

It had been awhile since she dreamed about the monsters that had fallen from the sky. About the last horrible thing she'd done before waking up here. Maybe someone in that church had gotten away.

But she wasn't hopeful enough to lie to herself about it.

Having had a nightmare about them (Despite Effie's special sleep tea and Pruna's anti-nightmare head poke) Sandy decided the best way to get it out of her head was to put it in paint.

And so here we found her, wasting another day when she could, should be preparing for the next arena.

Comments

[knifewithnoname]

"There you do be being." Pruna sat on the bench opposite and grinned, before snatching the top pancake. It was habit, her and her sister had always shared food and she just assumed that was what you did with people you liked.

"Do you be wanting to be training after this?" She picked up the paper and wrinkled her nose.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy smiled hearing Pruna's voice and looked up in time to watch her snag the pancake. Once upon a time Sandy would have defended her food much more strongly, but that was back when she was poor and hungry most the time. Pruna was her best friend and the food was free. So she just slid the plate closer so it was in between the two of them.

"Yeah sure. I've only done some running today." When she saw Pruna's reaction to the monster she was drawing she looked embarrassed and tried to hide it in drinking some milk.

[knifewithnoname]

"Okay then we will be training with daggers today." She informed her and looked back at the painting. "Did this be coming in your head?"

[justoutrunyou]

Daggers. Good. Daggers were a good weapon for someone small right? Quick and easy and could be used as a tool and...oh Pruna's asking about the drawing. Sandy gulped down the mouthful of milk and wiped her milk mustache on the sleeve of her shirt. Somewhere her stylist was shuddering.

"Sort of. It's a memory I had from back home. Right before I came here monsters like this one fell out of the sky and started eating people." Sandy had made the mistake at first of thinking they might be angels falling from the sky. That misconception didn't last long.

[gruesome]

Some had been approaching to see if Pruna minded him joining them, his own plate in hand, but Sandy's last words stopped him in his tracks, just a few feet away. It took him a few breaths to convince himself they weren't speaking about him.

"Ah... Pruna, hello? May I join?"

[knifewithnoname]

She wrinkled her nose again, wondering what kind of monsters just fell from the sky, it didn't even have wings. She looked round when someone said her name. She grinned at Some. "Hello Some, you can be being if you do be wanting to." She looked at Sandy to check that was alright.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy couldn't help from starring at Some, she'd only ever seen him at a distance and on the TV screens but up close she could see him in much more clear detail.

She hated to admit it but there was a bit of a resemblance.

"Y-yeah sure...why not?" She mumbled and distracted herself by rolling up one of her red pancakes and chewing on it.

[gruesome]

Some nudged one of the chairs out of the way. Sitting on the floor, the table was the right height for him. He had just a slab of something that looked like rusting tofu, though true to the Capitol, it was plated with an artful swirl of sauce and dusted with something that looked like black glitter. And it was Sandy's food he was peering at curiously.

"What is that?"

[knifewithnoname]

"I do no be knowing but they do be being tasty." She grinned and ripped a bit off, offering it to Some. "Do you be knowing each other?"

[justoutrunyou]

After she got over her initial shock and saw Pruna conversing with Some like any other person Sandy found it a little easier to swallow her nerves, especially when explaining something she actually understood.

"Red Velvet pancakes with Cream Cheese frosting." A pause. "They aren't actually made of velvet. It's just a name because they're kind of smooth like velvet I guess." She didn't actually know but she didn't want Pruna trying to eat a velvet dress on accident.

[gruesome]

Some accepted the bit, but after a discreet sniff, offered it back. There was nothing in that he could eat. "That sounds good, but I think I will have to settle for my own.

"We have not met, I think. And I am afraid I don't have your name," he said, tilting his head towards Sandy.

[knifewithnoname]

Pruna shrugged and took it back, eating it. "She do be being called Sandy, she do be being my friend." The word friend was said with emphasis, it was very important. She grinned at Sandy, "And this do be being Some, he do be being a grue priest."

[justoutrunyou]

Every time Pruna referred to Sandy as her friend, Sandy couldn't help but notice how important it sounded. It made her cheeks pink and made her sit a little straighter. Was a pride? Maybe.

"A priest?" The title brought Sandy back to her discussions with Pruna about Chaos Priestesses and what her job would be if she wanted to come back home with Pruna when all this was over.

"That's cool." Only slightly honest of her, but she was polite. She hadn't met many religious figures in her life, and given the last time she saw the creature she had been drawing it was in a church...her feelings were mixed on the subject to say the least.

[splendid_roman]

Ian, carrying a tray with an omelette and a drink on it, saw Sandy sitting by herself and went over. If she wanted to be alone he'd leave, but he was all for not eating alone. "Mind if I join you?" he asked, putting his tray on the table.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy looked up from her drawing and after a moment recognition dawned on her features. There were so many adults around she was starting to lose track, but at least she knew this one.

Didn't mean she trusted him, but she knew him.

"Help yourself." She nodded gently and to avoid having to start any conversation took a bite out of her pancake stack, cutting a large piece and putting it in her mouth.

[splendid_roman]

"Thanks." He sat down and busied himself with his food, and got a good look at her drawing. "That's very good," he said, once he'd had a couple of mouthfuls. "Do you draw often?"

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy was clearly hesitant to answer but after a moment, "Yeah...just to get ready to paint though...you know> Planning." She mumbled not used to people praising her work. Usually people were just cursing it as a stain on the side of their buildings.

[splendid_roman]

"You paint too?" Ian was impressed and he sounded it too. It was partly because he couldn't draw himself. But he couldn't see what she was so hesitant about. Why wouldn't someone be happy to be praised for their drawing? "What sort of things do you paint?"

[justoutrunyou]

She set the pencil down "Lately, just stuff, nightmares. Things I wanna get outta my head." While she confessed these things matter of factory she took her glass of juice and drank from it to try and hide her embarrassment and the fact that she knew normal girls her age weren't so messed up they had to use art like that.

[splendid_roman]

Ian could understand that. Especially in a place like this. If it didn't give her nightmares he'd be more worried. "Does it help?" he asked, and had some more of his omelette.

[justoutrunyou]

She looked back to the picture thoughtfully and answered carefully, "I've got a few things I do...sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't. I'll try anything really. I just want a good sleep." She sighed and felt her cheeks burn at being so honest with a stranger. Then again it's not like she had that many secrets anymore the way the Capital Paparazzi worked.

[splendid_roman]

He nodded. "I can't say I've found anything that works every time. Wearing yourself out during the day helps you get to sleep, but doesn't do anything for the nightmares."

[justoutrunyou]

"Maybe I just need more tea." Sandy sighed still watching the picture grimly. The tea made her sleep heavier yes, but she still had the nightmares. They just didn't wake her up as badly. When she did wake up her mind was in such a foggy haze she usually went back to sleep quickly.

"It's strong stuff." She added.

[splendid_roman]

Ian had mostly just resigned himself to having nightmares and tried to ignore their existence during the day. He hadn't tried tea, since as far as he was concerned it was what you drank at breakfast to wake you up. "Does it work?"

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy gave a gentle shrug "It puts me to sleep faster and makes it harder to wake up. Sometimes I forget what happened in the nightmares before I wake up." Which was why she hadn't stopped drinking Effie's tea every night like clockwork.