stillplaying | 15th Game [action/video]

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15th Game [action/video]

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[She awoke that morning to find them gone. Those beautiful, amazing iridescent wings were gone. And in their place, the damn mockingjay wings had returned. Small, useless. Reminders of a life she would have happily left behind. She fit easily on the couch again, her bed of the last two months. But at the cost of her flight. At the cost of being grounded once more.

If it was not for the overwhelming guilt she felt shortly after - guilt for cancelling her sister's party under paranoia of too many people in their living quarters - she probably would have spent the day sulking. And it was tempting, so tempting to just disappear into the woods all day. But she couldn't afford that luxury. Not anymore. If her wings were gone, that meant that there was a good chance the spirit possession had ended. Life had returned to what passed for normal around here.

And she had a party to plan.

But first, she had a sister to seek out. And surprise with breakfast in bed: pancakes and maple syrup, with a mug of hot chocolate and glass of orange juice.

Later that day, Katniss could be found going about her regular daily schedule. Spending time hunting in the woods, guitar lessons at Cloud Nine, browsing the various shops. The recent event reminded her that Prim was relatively undefended here, a situation that needed to be corrected. Even a small knife, anything to give her sister the advantage if Katniss wasn't around to protect her. Food for the party was also a necessity. As well as any remaining decorations.

It wasn't until later that night that she finally opened up her journal. But rather than being at home, she's made herself comfortable in one of the newfeather watch towers, where she had been stashing most of the party supplies prior to the possessions. She opened the journal and made certain to key in a quick filter before recording:]

[Video - filtered away from Primrose Everdeen]

I wasn't exactly myself when I cancelled Prim's birthday last week. But I want to make it up to her. She deserves this party. More than anyone I know. She's fourteen now and... [She had to pause for a moment, force a smile on her face and block all memories of her sister burning to death from her mind.] She's never had a real party before.

So, this Saturday. At House 43. 5 P.M. You don't have to bring any kind of gift. It's not necessary. It's enough to have people there. To have the sort of celebration she never had back in District 12. If you know me, or you know Prim, I'd like you to come.

[She realized that she was taking a big risk saying that. And it did make her uncomfortable, the thought of so many people in her living space. But a party was supposed to have people in it, isn't it? A lot of people. And the more there, the more that want to celebrate the life Prim should have had, the better. Prim deserved the world.]

Rapunzel? Would you still be willing to make that cake? Teddy, will you still help with music? [Katniss paused, tilting her head thoughtfully and biting her lip. Was there anything else that she was missing? What else was necessary for planning a party? She already felt as if she owed so many people so much. She hated accumulating more debt. But for Prim, it was worth it/] And Aang, would you mind helping to decor-

I need someone to distract Prim that day, too.

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[He settled to the side to watch- the arrow was a curious thing and a bit of a reminder that he'd missed a vital date. He hadn't meant to slip up quite so much. Aside from a mental note to rectify this he doesn't let himself wallow. There are more important things afoot.

Such as a hunt and an idle question once the hunt was over.]

[Content that he would be sufficiently quiet, she turned her attention back to the deer. It was her first time using one of Artemis' arrows for a hunt. And though she had made certain to get in lots of practice before testing it in the woods, she still felt a twinge of doubt. It wasn't an arrow she wanted to lose. Nor, in this case, was the deer a prey she wanted to get away.

She took a deep breath before pulling back the string of the bow again. Closing one eye, she aimed the arrow in the direction of the young buck. At the rib-cage, an area she normally wouldn't aim at in a situation like this. But she remembered how this arrow was supposed to work.

Exhaling, she released the string. Her body remained still, bow still pointing forward, as it went flying towards the animal. Less than a foot to impact and the front of the arrow opened to release a net. Panicked, the deer attempted to leap away. Only to be further tangled within the net.

She felt a surge of exhilaration and quickly reached for another arrow. A normal arrow. And she fired that in quick succession, this time going for the kill shot.]

[At first he doesn't think anything of the shot. It's cleanly made, as quick and certain as any of Katniss' work. And then the arrow shifts mid air into something more than a mere projectile and he's lost somewhere trying to sort out at what moment it became less of an arrow and more of a net and how it was that an arrow could be a net in the first place.

The second shot was a normal arrow, it struck true, and he had to applaud her for it.]

That is a terribly sexy arrow, Katniss. Were I a free man I'd offer myself in return for it.

[She gave him a smug smile before slinging her bow back over her shoulder. Though the compliment made her flush a little, pride in her kill outweighed any embarrassment she might otherwise feel. Her hand played with the silver button and bead necklace around her neck before she gestured for him to follow.]

It was a gift.

[Because even if it had been her shot that caught the deer, the arrow was all Artemis' doing. She owed the girl. And wondered, briefly, just when her birthday might be. Or if she liked venison.]

Edited 2013-06-08 03:31 (UTC)

A worthy gift for a worthy woman.

[Young as she was, Katniss is more than her own woman. She certainly didn't require protection and had come into her own, here. Sometime when he wasn't looking. He could brood over this, and very well began to do so until that smile. That sweet and earnest and so very much the opposite of everything his past few days have been.

Strange that so small a thing helped him set all that darkness and grief and guilt and horror out of his mind entirely to simply enjoy the day. He grinned and it wasn't forced, went lax and languid and it felt right to do so.]

Remind me to make you something lovely before the month is over. I seem to have missed the gift giving event. Or is there some handsome fellow that dotes upon you with such thoughtful things?

[She tried her best to shrug off his words. Because she still didn't think that she was all that worthy. She barely knew Artemis, and if not for a chance occurrence with a shift, wondered if she really would have bothered to get to know the other girl. Maybe. But she couldn't say for certain. And since Prim's arrival, she had been trying her best not to dwell too much on the past. On the what-ifs and the what-could-have-beens.

It wasn't always easy. But she tried.

Stopping at the deer, she pulled out the normal arrow first. Katniss pulled a rag from her bag to wipe the arrow clean. She glanced at him when he continued to talk and then blushed some at his words.]

Not really.

[Though Sokka had made her the necklace she currently wore.]

Oh, how she blushes.

[He grinned and walked around to take a closer look at the net, wondering if, perhaps, he might replicate the mechanism. Most likely not as it was too fine and too complicated for him to sort out exactly how it had been done at the moment.]

There is someone, isn't there? You may tell me. I promise I will not teas. Well. I promise I will not tease too much.

[She turned to scowl at him when he called her on her embarrassment. She hated how obvious her reactions could be some times. Especially when it came to these matters.

Truth be told, while she had mentioned her new relationship situation with Richard, she hadn't told anyone else. Not even Prim. But she had needed some sort of reassurance that what she was doing wasn't wrong. That it was okay to share this sort of thing with someone when love wasn't involved. Only like.]

It's nothing all that important.

And she keeps secrets now. How will my wounded heart ever survive?

[Said with a sigh and a hand resting upon the aforementioned heart, overdramatic and playful as ever. At least for a moment before he remembered a similar situation with hands and hearts that ended in blood and fire not long ago. He didn't flinch. To his credit, he did not flinch. His face blanked for a moment before he shrugged.]

A woman is entitled to her secrets. I will manage, mm? Though I will admit, I am dying of curiosity.

[The red deepened at the mention of secrets. She hadn't meant to make it a secret. Not really. It just sort of wound up becoming one. As if saying something aloud, as if flaunting the relationship would be a betrayal of Peeta's memory.

But this was Zevran. He had been one of her closest friends here for so long. Had been there to comfort her when Peeta left. In many ways, he had even suggested this. Sex with a friend, no worries of love being a factor at all.

She smiled shyly at him, forgetting the deer for a moment.]

It's Sokka. The blacksmith? We've hunted together for a while now. And... [She shrugged.] His girlfriend had broken up with him. Peeta was gone. It just sort of happened.

[And it had been nice. Comforting to feel that she could be desired. She couldn't bring herself to stop.]

I don't love him. Not like I love Peeta. But I don't want to be alone, Zevran.

Hunting, is that what they call it now?

[Teasing, teasing, and he rubbed a hand along her shoulder to confirm it to be so. She was happy. She was relaxed. She wasn't leaving herself vulnerable and that, to him, was worth everything. Peeta had left her wretched and worn and awful; this would likely not end in the same way. Comfort for the sake of comfort. Companionship for the sake of companionship.

It was something he could understand very well.]

I have seen him before. He is certainly a handsome young man. As ever, you've excellent taste, Solano. You need not love him to desire him, and you need not love him to have him, yes? It makes you happy.

[He grinned, ignoring the weight of the stud in his ear.]

That is enough for me.

[They did hunt. Because they were good at it, worked well together. But now they did other things. Kissed upon greeting. Had sex on a very regular basis. And it was fun. It was a lot of fun. And felt very, very good, too. Both physically and, she had been surprised to discover, emotionally.

Though she would have continued seeing Sokka regardless, hearing Zevran's approval made her smile. Put her a little at ease in talking about this. Maybe it was time to stop hiding. She loved Peeta, but Peeta wouldn't want her mourning his absence forever. Right?]

It does. [And then, awkwardly, she added in:] You were right. About sex. About this kind of relationship. It's... good. [She smiled a little more confidently.] It's really good.

You are being...safe about this, yes? I'll not see a little Everdeen running about anytime soon?

[It was an obligatory question, Katniss knew well enough to be careful- it is Sokka he did not know well enough to judge. Better to ask and be certain than wallow in doubt.]

Aside from that- it can be. At the moment you'll be enjoying that far more than I. At least... [He counted the days upon his fingers.] for one month more.

[Her eyes went wide, grip on her arrow and rag faltering. Did he just...? Yes. Yes, he did just... She couldn't even bring herself to form the thoughts, let alone say anything aloud. Just as the blush had finally faded, it returned in full force. Complete with gawking, sputtering, and eventually, scowling.

The question was enough to make her miss most of the rest he had to say.]

There's... there's a tea, Zevran. You can get it at the clinic and... [And did he really just ask that? Did he?] I drink it daily.

I'm not going to... Never. Not with anyone.

I have never lain with a woman in this place, Katnss. It hasn't been something I needed to check.

[He shrugged and allowed his smile to soften, to gentle his teasing since this was so very mortifying for her.]

Good. Not that I do not think you would make an excellent mother, in time, with someone you truly care for- but this is no place for children or having them.

[She shook her head quickly, not understanding at all why he might think such a thing. She wouldn't make a good mother. Wouldn't have the patience or the aptitude to love like a child needed. And she couldn't, wouldn't, ever be able to bring a child to such a dangerous world. Be it Luceti or Panem.]

I'm never having kids. [The words were said with absolute certainty as she finally met her gaze.] And I'm not falling in love again. With anyone.

[The hand on her shoulder slid to her back, rubbing in small circles. He'd strayed into something here and would rather stray back out of it.]

Then you are a far wiser person than I. [Not that he wanted children. Not that he knew what he might do with them. But the loving bit, that. That he could do without at the moment.

Life was much simpler without.]

[She shrugged. She didn't know if she was so wise. Selfish, maybe. Selfish and preoccupied with her own survival. Losing Peeta had showed just how much love didn't work for her. How much it put her at risk. She couldn't afford that sort of weakness again.]

Maybe.

Most certainly. You've a relationship that will not bring you to harm. I've...

[He waved a hand vaguely, batting away the thought.]

Complications. At this moment you are far, far wiser than I.

[She wasn't that naive. Eventually, she knew, this relationship with Sokka would bring her pain. Maybe not pain like what she felt with losing Peeta, but pain nonetheless. Whenever it ended - because nothing good lasted forever in her life - she knew she'd be hurt. How could you not be upset when anything good came to an end?

But she pushed those thoughts away. Because she had to focus on the now. Had to for Prim's sake.

And it helped to have this distraction of whatever it was bothering Zevran.]

Is everything okay?

Not as much as I might have liked.

[He scrubbed a hand along his face, weary and uncertain as to how much detail he ought to go into. The argument, the relatively understated marriage, the murder. It had been a busy month, now that he thought on it.]

Jack, Eugene, and I are...arguing.

[That was safe enough.]

It is difficult to explain my view of things when we are quite literally from very different worlds.

[It still amazed her that she could possibly have a relationship not with one, but with two, people. The physical logistics puzzled her when she dared to think about them. When she could bring herself to even possibly entertaining such thoughts without feeling too embarrassed. Let alone the emotional consequences.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she was the wiser one. This... whatever had developed with Sokka was something she could do. It was fun. Comforting. Everything she wanted right now.

If she thought about it, she wasn't all that surprise to hear he was having troubles.]

What kind of htings?

[He never had a form of reference for relationships. There had been Rinna, bright, brilliant, wonderful Rinna but even then they were not at all monogamous. It wasn't in them to do so. This was new and strange and as far from anything he'd ever done before. Why not attempt it with two? They fit, at least when they fit well; the rest of the time was confusion and miscommunication but it had never before been this bad.]

Primarily? Isaac. My reluctance to demonize him or blame him for things not in his power to control.

[Issac.

The mention of his name made her uncomfortable. Not so much for the roll he played in Zevran's death during the draft, but for more recent events. For the way he had attempted to manipulate her during the possession. And even though she knew he probably couldn't fully be blamed for that, she still felt reluctant to go near him anytime soon.

Still, she had to wonder what else he might have done. Especially to people so important in Zevran's life.]

The draft?

The week we sent possessed. He attacked and frightened Jack while not in his right mind.

[Bland, bland, bland, as though commenting upon the weather or an exceptional shot. What it had been had been discussed, recompense made and now- well. He wasn't certain anymore.]

Though what he did for me during the draft is likely something that leaves them uncomfortable as well.

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