#🌗 ( cato ) i'm dead anyway! i always was... right?

[moonglowmuses]

he supposed that he had always been doomed. he'd been reared in a district with strong bloodlust. why in the world had he volunteered to be butchered? he had fallen for all of the propaganda. he believed that it was inevitable for him to WIN the games, but he had been dead wrong. his desire to murder the girl from district twelve only waned because she had shown him MERCY once it was his time to die. she could have made him suffer MORE, at the depravity of capitol mutts, but she had chosen humanity. at the moment, the young man was kneeling in a SEA OF GRASS. being in nature was something that he found soothing, like so many people did. "i am not in the mood to be DISTURBED," cato said without looking at his company. "i want to be left alone, so leave the way that you came."

@walstarterblog

[moonglowmuses]

"what's up, man?" cato asked as he turned to face the other. "i'm not dead no more, if that's what you're getting at, dude?" cato offered the other a shrug before he crossed his arms over his chest. "can you smell it on me? that i'm a DEAD MAN WALKING?" he couldn't be dead now, though, could he? there were so many people who had expired, UP AND ABOUT the city these days. "how about you? did you ever die YOURSELF?" for some reason that the man could not name, cato doubted it. "i'm always down to SELL WHAT CAN BE SOLD. you could be on to something!"

"Hey, you." Rocket called over from where he was stood. "You ever thought about how weird it is that some folks that you thought were dead are just kinda not dead no more?" He'd been thinking about it for a while now. "How would you like to conduct some research? If we figure it out, we can harness it. Sell it. You ever wanted to be the kinda person that grants wishes?"

@walstarterblog

[moonglowmuses]

"Is this a bad time?"

is this a bad time? cato knew that he could turn up on carlos' doorstep without needing to announce himself ahead of time. that was just the kind of friendship that they had, and the man was grateful for that. he'd never known that kind of friendship apart from clove, and even that was different. he was in love with clove. therefore, he'd never had a friend that he was not also in love with. god, this whole situation felt messy. "i'm sorry for turning up like this, out of the blue," cato admitted with a shake of his head. "i was wondering if i can come inside so that we can talk? i'm not sure who else to turn to."

@demongemz

[moonglowmuses]

"Everybody here was someone else before.” ( Cato & Leo )

cato nodded, an action that indicated that he agreed. "we all have our own pasts to deal with," cato said, able to reflect on what had occurred during his childhood and adolescence. clove made the painful things less burdensome, but pain did not dissipate completely. how could it ever? "who were you BEFORE? and before WHAT?" he did not know leo all that well, but he appreciated getting to know the other. it was important to have reliable friendships in this city. people were better off when they were more connected. that was how cato felt, anyways. he'd been unable to rely on people, other than clove, in his past universe. he could acknowledge that distress while still committing to moving forward.

@theriddleman

[moonglowmuses]

"Boys only want love if it’s torture." ( Cato & Clove ) 

"BOYS? TORTURE?" cato could not help but to appear as flabbergasted as he felt internally. "you're the one who has been torturing ME! clove, i can't take this for another second!" cato stopped speaking then, reaching for clove's hands. he held them between his own steadfastly. "i need you to tell me how we are going to proceed. only you can decide this." cato had done his fair share of TRYING. now, she was going to decide where they went from here. "i'm either going to be heartbroken or happy. you get to decide my fate." cato searched clove's features. "do you love me back? it's a simple YES OR NO."

@lcvenderhcze

[moonglowmuses]

that afternoon, cato had a nightmare about them. about marvel and glimmer. he dreamed about them sometimes. he unconsciously remembered how they had helped one another in the most dire of contexts and circumstances. of course, as soon as the number of tributes dwindled, ALLEGIANCES CHANGED. still, they'd been children just like him and clove at the time, and no matter how evil the cog, the parts in the machine could be evil, too. he did not know how to feel about all of that. since he could not shake the uneasy feeling, cato found himself at the bar, talking to a stranger. "not a lot of people come to the bar just looking to drink COKE. not that i'm judging you, dude, it's just... DIFFERENT, is all."

IT WAS DONE. peter strahm was dead. dead and buried as a matter of fact. there was such a heavy part of mark that wanted to drown at the bottom of a whiskey bottle... but he knew that wasn't going to cut it this time. he'd promised he'd SURVIVE and the truth was; he had no idea what that was going to look like without his husband. only that he was about to find out. starting with leaving the farm which had been easier than imagined. not that he expected it to remain that way but for now it was a good move forward. like fuck was he hanging around there, waiting for the next knife flying around to end up in his back. "it's just coke. not that i'm sure what difference that should make to you?" cupping his hands around the small glass which in fact, did only obtain coke. painfully. @walstarterblog

[moonglowmuses]

“In my wildest dreams, I never dreamed of this."  ( Cato & Evelyn )

cato had never been the sort to have friends. instead, he had ALLIES. he was taught from a young age to only surround oneself with others who possessed UTILITY. otherwise, you left people high and dry. clove was the one constant person in his life. she was the one person he could rely on who would never hurt him. they'd been one another's EXCEPTIONS, one could phrase it as. "it's BEAUTIFUL, isn't it?" cato nodded in the direction of the SETTING SUN. "i never used to care about sunsets," cato admitted with a short nod. "but ever since i DIED? i started to appreciate them more and more." they were beautiful and promised opportunity and LIGHT.

@daydrcamings

[moonglowmuses]

cato was trying to clear his mind as best as he could. the possibility of losing clove and her friendship was almost too much for him. but working out helped. at least momentarily, it took his mind off of what he could lose because he had been a fool. he should have handled things better. maybe he should have kept his feelings to himself. now, he was working out on a leg machine. that was when he felt and saw the person towering over him, from where he was seated. "did you want to use this machine?" he asked the other. "i don't mind moving. i have to do my arms next anyways."

@xtinyslip

[moonglowmuses]

"i told her and i fucked things all up." cato sighed, expressing himself to a friend because he needed to. he needed to be near someone else again. these days, clove was not talking to him. "i told her that i love her, and... now, i'm worried that i'm going to lose her as a friend." he needed her as a friend. what was he supposed to do without her? "we grew up together," cato continued. "we were inseparable. do you think that i have a CHANCE at redeeming things? or do you think that i totally screwed myself over when it comes to this?"

@daydrcamings

[moonglowmuses]

"we need to talk about this at SOME POINT, you know." cato sighed, feeling forlorn and lost and confused. he did not know how to proceed when it came to their current situation. "i told you that i have feelings for you, and you're acting like we aren't even FRIENDS. i can't lose you from my life over telling you that i love you." cato paused, shaking his head, settling into his seat, trying like hell to understand things from clove's perspective. "tell me what i need to do to GET YOU BACK. even as a friend, all right?"

@lcvenderhcze

[moonglowmuses]

❛ You know the whole, horrible, embarrassing story. ❜

"are you being for real? why do you want to know about my story? we've only known each other for, like, a week." cato wasn't offended per se, he was just on his guard. he didn't let people in all that easily. he preferred to keep to himself and to confide in clove when need be. carlos was a change for him, too. but apart from THOSE TWO? the man kept to himself and he tried to mind his own business. that was a huge departure from who he used to be. "if i tell you my story, then you have to tell me yours. DOES THAT SEEM FAIR?"

@xtinyslip

[moonglowmuses]

❛ Maybe it’s time to dig a little deeper. ❜

"maybe, my man. but how's your homework going? i'm not sure how talented i am at EXISTENTIAL questions." in the past, while full offense was intended, cato had not been particularly smart. time and tragedy had changed that about him. now, he tried to use his head more often, even if he wasn't especially book smart. that was what he had clove for. she was the brightest person he'd ever known while also showing great physical prowess. "i mean it, though. i'd love to hear about how your STUDIES are going. that could be a way of digging a little deeper." carlos would understand what he meant.

@demongemz

[moonglowmuses]

❛ Well we don’t want you getting arrested.  ❜

cato stifled the laugh that threatened to part from his lips. he felt odd, having told clove what he felt for her. he wanted to say more, to do more, but he couldn't. he had to respect her wishes. he just hoped that she would tell him what those wishes were. "you and me both know that i could get arrested at any time," cato said, his smile little but fond. "if i do get arrested, will you BAIL ME OUT?" cato had to know that he could count on clove, even in a rhetorical situation.

@lcvenderhcze

[moonglowmuses]

PRESENT: for one muse to give the other a gift.

cato had a little smile on his face when clove handed him the box. he tilted his head, narrowing his eyes for a second, trying to scope out what she was doing. "can i shake the box?" he asked, wondering if that could be possible so that he could get a better idea about what was inside. "you are full of surprises, clove," cato said. it was one of his favorite things about her, if he was being honest with himself. she was never boring like so many other people in their lives had been. that could not be denied. "should i open it now, or do you want me to wait?" he could, if need be. although, his curiosity might get the BEST OF HIM.

@lcvenderhcze

[moonglowmuses]

"Please don’t give up."

"please don't give up on your dreams. i know how challenging things have been. but you've got this, you know? you've totally got this." cato was not always the best at PEP TALKS, but he wanted his friend to know that they had this in the bag. that they were capable of achieving their goals, even when said goals felt impossible. "i'm free all night, just in case you want to talk things out." cato knew that there were multiple times when he felt like he could not improve the status of his life. but he was actively trying to do that right now. he wanted to be better not just for himself, but for clove as well. he wanted... to be the sort of man she could see herself with. WAS THAT POSSIBLE? WAS THAT JUST A PIPE DREAM?

@xtinyslip

[moonglowmuses]

cato wasn't doing anything specific. he was just getting to know his surroundings better. he tried to remind himself that he was no longer in that blasted arena, but ABSORBING that fact was harder than simply knowing it. he'd encountered multiple people from his past here. clove was the most important one. he wanted to be there for her, even if she did not return his romantic feelings. he wouldn't blame her if she wanted nothing to do with him. cato didn't know why he was near the courthouse, but he was. in his past, he'd probably done a million things that he could be arrested for, but so far? well, he was being on his best behavior, which was a good thing. he couldn't be there for clove if he was locked up somewhere. "i... you ran into me!" cato exclaimed, more annoyed at the accusation than the accident. "it's... you know, what? it's fine. i'll just be on my way."

usually Laurel prided herself on being on time - early, if she could manage it. but she didn't know if the power had gone out sometime last night & messed with her alarm or if she had just been in such a deep sleep that she hit snooze one too many times, now having to rush up the stairs to the courthouse to keep the judge from waiting any longer. but the good thing about being a prosecutor was that the trial typically didn't start without you. too focused on making sure she didn't trip Laurel ran straight into someone coming down the stairs & let out an frustrated sigh. ❝can you watch where you're going next time?❞ annoyance laced her tone even if she knew that it was more than likely her fault in the first place. @walstarterblog