stillplaying | 4th Game [action]

[Today is a day that Katniss Everdeen never should have lived to see. Today - give or take the few days difference between Luceti's calender and Panem's - is the day she turns eighteen.

Life in the Seam. Two arenas. An uprising. Becoming the Mockingjay. Acting as assassin. Her own attempts at suicide. The bombs that took the wrong life.

The odds were never in her favor. Today was a day she never should have lived to see.

It's like any other day. She wakes up in her bed, shaking and sweating from a nightmare that lingers in the back of her mind. Watching Prim die again and again. Being physically incapable of rescuing her sister each and every time. And then panicking when she wakes up in a still unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar bed.

Peeta had won. Maybe she hadn't fought this argument hard enough. But earlier this week, they packed up their treehouse shelter and moved into town. To house 43. Where Peeta's leg won't make it difficult for him to travel to town or climb up ladders. Where they live close to a bakery he could work at. Where Rue could more easily attend school.

Where she could wander around the village for the rest of the day, trying to forget every little event that led to today even as she reminds herself of all the deaths that led to her being able to turn eighteen. She carries her bow and arrow, but she has no intention to hunt. Today is an amnesty. Even if she never considered the game killed for food a part of her death toll, she can't bring herself to kill anything.

Instead, she explores the town in a way she's never bothered to before. She spends time inspecting the river and parts of the north eastern woods not too far from the house. Studying the other buildings. Going in and out of shops. She goes to the bakery and the library. Returns to the welcome center and the clothing store. Even steps into the Seventh Heaven restaurant to look but not eat. She has no appetite.

Her final stop of the day, before heading back to her new home, is at the item shop. It's easy to lose herself inside of there. To examine strange objects from other worlds that she's never seen before. And then to find something unexpected: her father's plant book.

As she flips through it, each page earning a careful caress as she studies her father's handwriting. And wonders what he would think if he were here in Luceti with her today. Would he be proud? Or would he be disappointed, loathe the girl she grew up to be?

She clutches the book to her chest before heading out and quietly whispers:] Happy birthday, Katniss Everdeen.

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[The mockingjay quickly picks up the notes, repeating them in turn in its own key. Rue looks up at the clouds and gives a small nod.]

I won't, I promise. I was going to look around some more, maybe visit the library.

[She closes her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sound of the mockingjay. Remembering how her father would sing to them when he was alive. It's not such a bad memory, all things given.]

It's a good place to visit. There are a lot of books there. More than I've ever seen before.

[Even Mayor Undersee didn't have that many in his house.]

Adele says you could learn anything you want from the library, and Helios says there are lots of fairy tales to read. I thought I'd get a few books.

[A frown. She remembers them. But not fondly.]

The candy exploders?

[Rue gives a slight frown of their own.]

They didn't mean to make candy explode!

[Whether they meant to or not, they did. And frightened little Rue so very badly. It'll take her a long time to forgive both of them.]

They still shouldn't have aired it on the journals.

I don't think they meant for things to explode. If they knew, I don't think they would have shown it to everyone. I like them, Katniss. They're good people and I think they can be good allies too.

[Her look is still doubtful. It's something she'll have to think on though. And definitely not trust that'll come any time soon. Redemption in some way will have to come first.]

Maybe.

[Rue has enough sense to know when the change the topic, but she hopes in time Katniss will see their neighbors can be good allies.]

Where are you going?

[She shrugs. Really, she has no idea where she's going. Maybe to the library to hide in her corner. Or out in the woods. But it's going to rain again soon, isn't it? Maybe she should just head back indoors.]

I don't know.

Are you okay? [Katniss doesn't seem okay and that makes Rue worry and fret. Was it because she was standing up for Helios and Adele?]

[She doesn't want to worry Rue. That's one of the last things she'd ever want. Here, even though they're in another game, it's a safer one than the last. One, she's decided, where Rue could have the childhood she deserves.]

Just a lost day. [Hopefully she understands that. Saying that it's her birthday seems... a little too much right now.] Too many memories.

Oh, I see. [Rue knows better than to press on the topic, even if she's worried.] Do you want me to leave you alone?

[A nod. She doesn't like doing this. Doesn't like making Rue worry. But some days, she just can't help it. And after the first lost day in Luceti, she's simply learned to accept Rue's generosity.]

I'll be okay. [Because she has to say something.] Later.

[Rue nods in agreement and rushes in to give Katniss a tight hug. No matter what, she's here for her big ally and friend.]

We can talk later.

[She hugs the girl back tightly, closing her eyes and letting herself pretend, just for a moment, that it's Prim. That her sister is alive and well and happy.

She ought to be stronger than this. Especially in front of Rue. But it's hard today. On her birthday.

One more hug and then she turns to leave, slowly continuing her way into town.]

[Rue watches her walk away. It reminds her of another hug, another time Katniss was walking away. Katniss walking off to destroy the careers' food supply, Rue heading off to set a distraction. Rue watches Katniss walk away, but isn't worried since she knows Katniss will come back. She always does. It's what allies, friends, do for each other.

Silently, Rue presses the three center fingers of her left hand to her lips, then raises them in front of her.

Later on, Rue can be found inside the living room, sitting cross-legged on the floor and with a neat pile of long stems of grass at her side. She whistles to her mockingjay as she weaves the grass together, forming a little bracelet.]

[It's much later now. She's had her fill of tears, crying in Peeta's arms. At his insistence, they found Rue and cut the cake. And while he had gone to clean the kitchen, Katniss sits in the living room with Rue. Cake untouched. Buttercup sitting protectively on her lap.

The cat's ignored. Most matters are. But she watches the mockingjay hop around. Watches Rue work on the bracelet.]

[Rue feels a little not having realized it was Katniss' birthday, but it wasn't anything they'd told her either. Either way, it was a nice sort of thing, the three of them, the two animals.

She finishes the bracelet and carefully ties it off. After testing the strength of it, she gets up and goes over to Katniss. Without saying anything, she takes the other girl's hand and carefully slips the bracelet onto her wrist.]

[Her birthday hadn't been something she had wanted to celebrate. That had been all Peeta's idea. Peeta's fault. He saw her birthday as something that ought to be celebrated. The good in the bad. But she still had trouble seeing how her birthday could be anything good.

She watches Rue come close and pick up her hand. When the bracelet is slid on to her wrist, she gives the girl a small smile.] It's beautiful.

We make them in Eleven. They're friendship bracelets. You make one for yourself and then you make another one to give away. I'm going to make Peeta one too.

[Little customs. Differences in Districts. The sort of things that the Capitol tried to keep form them for so long. It's nice to see it now.

She brushes the bracelet gently with one finger and smiles.] I think he'd like that.

4th Game [action]

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