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[inciting]

Who| Katniss and anyone from District 12 + Those plans have been made with. Drop me a plurk or PM if you wanna jump in so we can plot something.
What| Katniss meeting her tributes, and a few new people.
Where| Within the training center.
When| Since the crowning. Before meeting with Cinna.
Warnings/Notes| None atm

The usually reserved Girl on Fire was everywhere around the Tribute center in the day after the arena, greeting people, sociable (for Katniss at least) as she sought out her Tributes. Peeta was right that she should spend some time with each of them, and after thinking on it, Katniss was ready to dive in.

She had ditched the tablet thing Effie kept pressing on her for a simple notebook, each tribute having their own page, name printed firmly at the top. On each page, she had already scribbled down some thoughts on each tribute. Now she just needed to track them down and talk to them. Given that she couldn't usually get anywhere without being stopped several times, she had a feeling this was going to take a few days.

The crowning had shaken her, but she wasn't going to just shy away from it. They had to be ready.

For what, she wasn't sure. The arenas, of course. But, hopefully, for more.

Comments

[inciting]

"Better late than never." Katniss says, trying to offer a smile and hoping it doesn't look too tight.

"I talked to Pruna recently, and Peeta, and it got the gears moving."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy relaxed a little, Katniss seemed so...normal. Not like on the videos.

"I thought you might be mad at me because I suck at everything." Which was more or less true. So far in the arenas and out her only strong suits had been her speed, and a logical, if not over emotional view of the world around her for someone of such a young age.

"All I've done is run around, get hurt and die...alot."

[inciting]

God, she was glad this wasn't a seam girl, suddenly, strongly.

And the guilt with that was overwhelming and sudden.

"Well, you know, it's not exactly an easy thing, being in the arena. I don't think it means you suck."

[justoutrunyou]

"Compared to the other players it does." Sandy grumbled folding her arms feeling particularly sour now as she ruminated on it. "And sure they bring us back but somehow that makes it feel worse. Like nothing we do matters." If they could take away even death was there anything the capitol couldn't do to them?

"I've never even seen the district I'm letting down every time I die."

[inciting]

She wasn't sure what to say. It was hard to imagine. Her guts was to tell Sandy it was better, but...it had it's own horror to it.

So she focused on the second part.

"I could tell you about it. It's where I'm from."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy looked thoughtful and nodded picking up a cookie from a platter, "Peeta told me a little, Effie told me less. I'd like to know some more. I mean...I'm supposed to be winning this for them right?"

[inciting]

"Effie only came to 12 once a year." And Katniss was sure the woman didn't mind that her new duties didn't include going to 12. She scowled a bit, but focused on the matter at hand.

"They..." She paused, trying to think how to describe 12. A place she both loved and loathed. "They're worn down. We're coal miners, and anyone who can is expected to work long days in the mines. And anyone who can't...finds some way else to work. To bring home whatever they can. There's not a lot of food, or anything, really."

[justoutrunyou]

It was a little different from how Peeta told it, and alot different from Effie.

She listened with a somber expression that betrayed her age. It all rang hauntingly familiar.

"So everyone is poor, hungry and miserable." She concluded. "Does the Capitol see and control everything there the way they do here?"

[inciting]

She nodded, closing her eyes as she thought of home.

"Pretty much. You don't...there's more peace there, than here. But life is hard." She shook her head, realizing how awful it must sound.

"It's not all bad. The people are better. And if you go past the fence, it's beautiful."

[justoutrunyou]

First question: "There are fences?"

Then her cheeks burned because she felt like that was a stupid question so she coughed and corrected herself "What's past the fence?"

[inciting]

Katniss smiled a little, and then closed her eyes, letting herself remember home more than she had, so far, really.

"Yes, all around the District. We're told it's to keep animals out, but it's really to keep us in. It's suppose to be electrified, but it wasn't, a lot." That had been changing, though. "Outside, it is...beautiful. It's the woods. They're peaceful, green, full of life."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy's expression was solemn "The fences around my home were made of lasers. And it rained all the time." She explained. "Lots of police, like here but they wear mostly dark colors."

"The games was my first time ever being outside the city." As sad as that was.

[inciting]

"If we ever get to 12, if I can, I'll take you out."

It weighed hard on Katniss, to realize there were places worse off than here. It didn't seem possible.

[justoutrunyou]

That actually earned Katniss an honest smile.

"Exploring nature without having to worry I'm gonna get killed? Sounds too good to be true."

After a beat she added "you guys have family back there right?"

[inciting]

"No one should be denied it."

She wondered...people had to leave the Capitol, go into these mountains some times. She would have to ask, for Sandy.

"I do, my mother is there. And Peeta has parents, brothers."

[justoutrunyou]

"I met Prim already." Sandy acknowledged. "She's been really nice."

"I had a mom and dad back home. They weren't together...and Mom really wasn't all together for a long time. The last thing I remember there were these monsters and things...I don't know what happened." She sounded guilty about it.

[inciting]

"I'm glad she has girls here, near her age." Even Pruna, now she had gotten to know her better. In fact, if anything, she felt safer with Pruna knowing Prim.

She was silent for a long moment after Sandy discussed her parents. "My mother...my father died when I was younger, and my mom...she wasn't there for too long. We almost didn't make it."

[justoutrunyou]

Having a shared connection like broken families made Sandy's stomach flip.

"What did you do?" Sandy thought back to when she finally started taking care of herself. She had to stand on chairs to use the microwave and most everything she bought with her mother's checks was instant and easy to make.

[inciting]

"Everything I could. Prim was little, so I tried to sell things...I couldn't sign up for tessera yet, I was too young..."

She paused, realizing Sandy wouldn't know what that was. How strange, which parts of Panem life they'd been forced into, and which parts meant nothing. "Tessera are what everyone in Panem receives for...basics. Food, oil...you can sign up for extra, but when you do, your name is put into the reaping more. The reaping is where they use to get Tributes from."

[justoutrunyou]

That made sense...it was terrible but it made sense.

She was quiet for a moment, couldn't bring herself to look at Katniss when she asked her last question.

"You and Peeta were the first ones to win together, and the last ones to win before they started bringing us in here. Why?" It was something that had been nagging at her for awhile. Why change the whole system just because of that? What purpose did it serve that the old system couldn't?

[inciting]

"Why were we the last, or why..."

She trailed off because, at the end of it all, it really was the same question.

"Because, what we did...it changed things. We did it because we loved each other." It was a lie, but not a lie Sandy needed to be involved with. "But some saw it...as if we were intentionally under minding the Capitol."

[justoutrunyou]

"Undermining." She had heard the word before and only vaguely knew what it meant. It wasn't good.

"I heard that's why it happened." She explained. "That's why I asked Pruna to be my girlfriend. I thought that people would sponsor us more that way. Since everyone seems to like you know...couples. And kissing and stuff."

It was devious for someone her age, but the videos of the arena had shown that the bond she and Pruna shared wasn't simply one born out of a plot or deception. They seemed honestly close to one another despite how in the first arena that they had met in Pruna had though Sandy a weak coward.

[inciting]

Katniss pressed her lips together, trying to not look like she was smiling, not wanting Sandy to feel mocked in any way.

"It's a good idea. I don't know that you two need to kiss too much." She luaghed softly. "Unless you want to. But you take care of each other. It's good. It's good not to be alone. And the Capitol like it but...it's more than that."

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy relaxed when she realized she hadn't made the wrong choice encouraging Pruna into this relationship after all.

"It's more then that?" She didn't follow.

god I am so sorry for all the typos in that last tag

[inciting]

"It's good not to be alone. It's good to have someone here who...who you know has your back. Who you can turn to."

Even with the lies of their "romance" Katniss couldn't deny how important Peeta was to her. She wouldn't be sane, here, without him. She barely made it, when they kept him away.