4th Game [action]

[stillplaying]

[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.

Comments

[arturius]

[He'd seen Katniss enter the restaurant just as he was entering the plaza. Which to him was an amusing sight, because he was sure that her going to be served food would be quite the sight. Besides, he was hungry himself and could use lunch. He entered just as she was leaving, leaving him blocking the door.]

Are there no tables available?

[hisdarkmark]

[Someone's been perched up on one of the taller buildings watching, trying to figure out just what the hell she's doing as he watches her walk back and forth around the plaza. It isn't until she disappears into the items shop that he allows himself to get down and follow in after her. Call it curiosity. He spots her looking at a book once he makes his way into the shop, and he raises an eyebrow.]

Something interesting?

[action]

[victorbychance]

[Whenever she comes home at last, the living room will be tastefully set up. On the dining room table is a decorated cake. And someone appears to be in your room with the door cracked, working on another surprise.]

[generalflirt]

[I am going to overhead assume in and out of shops includes the grocery at some point(s) - the second time she comes in Masaomi Kida, who witnessed her doing it the first time too, quirks into a smirk on his lips and saunters on over, eating a bag of spicy cheetos. And as he does, here it comes, one of his amazing pick up lines! It's, it's...!]

Hey, hey, looking to spice up your life? I gotta say, you don't need it because you already seem quite hot.

[thebellthatbinds]

[Today Sabriel is relaxing on the windowsill of the house. Being small made it too difficult to use the front door and she had wanted to get some fresh air. She has a crumb of bread and cheese with her to snack on but they're carefully wrapped in a piece of napkin at the moment. When Katniss steps out from the house next door it certainly catches her attention. Guess the treehouse was given up for the sake of convenience...but still, this area of town was pretty quiet so it was pretty nice. Either that or she's on her way home from visiting someone but Sabriel doesn't remember that house being occupied...

Sitting up a little she cups her hands around her mouth and calls out. Hopefully the other girl will hear her.]

Katniss, good morning!

[rutagraveolens]

[A house! Their very own house! Rue admittedly misses the treehouse since it was their treehouse and perfect for hunting, but the house in the village is nice too. It's not like the house they stayed in with Uncle Rick, this one is really theirs. Just Katniss, Peeta, and her.

She comes across Katniss by the river, her mockingjay flitting from tree to tree.]

Hi, Katniss!