thecapitol | (no subject)

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"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.

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?"

"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."

"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.

"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."

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.

"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."

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?

"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."

"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.

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."

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.

"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.

Sandy nodded gently and felt a dawning of realization on her.

"I never even had someone like that at home. And now I have Pruna who'd literally die for me. What can I do to live up to someone that loyal?"

Because dieing for Pruna in the arena would only prove so much and probably make Pruna yell at her.

Well, that was a good question. One Katniss herself couldn't even really answer. As all she managed to seem to do was hurt Peeta.

"Just...try to do the same for them. Be honest, as honest as you can. Be there for them, I guess." She let out a little huff, an almost laugh. "I'm not great at this part either."

Sandy nodded, being honest with Pruna was easy. Being there for her was another story.

"I do my best. But when push comes to shove she's the strong one." That had been proven time and time again. "But I'm getting better...I think."

This, at least, Katniss had a solid response for. Which made her feel supremely better.

"Not all strength is the same. Like..." She felt bad for only having her and Peeta for examples, but it was what was at hand. "I can hunt, I can protect Peeta and I, physically. But he's much more clever than me, he knows how to talk to people, what to say."

Well...that sounded hauntingly familiar.

"All I've got going for me was her worlds...primitive." Sandy explained, "She doesn't hide her emotions well. I'm just...sneaky." she tried to find a word she didn't know. "Not sneaky like she's sneaky. She's alot better at sneaking around without being seen...I'm just a better liar." Which was not said with any pride because it shouldn't be.

Except it was necessary.

Katniss nodded. She could see the similarities there, all right. You would have to be blind not to. Which meant that, like her and Peeta, both angles could be played up.

"That isn't something to ignore. A lot of people have won by being smarter than their competition, by seeing things someone else didn't see. When..." She swallowed, before pressing on. "When we won, it wasn't because we were the strongest. Cato was much stronger."

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

No worries~

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