#( interaction. cadence kentwell )

[ceceliaknowsbest]

Location: Whitvale family quarters, day 67 @vengefvlx

It was mid afternoon and Cecelia was alone in the Whitvale's new quarters. Well...it was new to Cecelia, not to Sterling and the kids. She had insisted that she was going to be okay, that Sterling should go about his regular day, and it was the first time that Jax and Satina had gone to school and Juliet to the nursery. Life was going on as it had before her resuce.

And yet...there was so much to wrap her mind around. Sterling, the rebel, Juliet growing bigger, and Jax...Jax had been safe the whole time. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Cecelia had long been used to President Snow's cruelty...and yet, the lie that he had Jax seemed worse than the rest. And Claudia...she had hoped that it had been fake, some of the executions had been fake, but nobody had heard anything from her. Was she still dead in that room? Or had they disposed of her and her parents?

The knock at the door startled her from the spot on the bed that she had been sitting in for far longer than she wanted to admit. She forced herself up, almost mechanical in her motions, and went to the door.

Cadence. She had briefly seen her since arriving in Thirteen, but she hadn't spoken to her.

"Cadie," she greeted, her voice soft. ""I'm so happy to see you." She tried to smile, but it didn't quite light up her face the way it used to "Do you want to come in?"

[calofhearting]

Location: cadie's favorite cafe, day five @ofxcadences

With each passing day, it seemed that the Games were going to be over before they all knew it and Calista wanted to enjoy her time left in the Capitol before she went back to Two. In some ways she couldn't wait to sleep in her own bed, to see her parents again, and to check on them. But another part of her didn't want to leave. The Capitol was a lot, sure, but there just...seemed to be so much to do here, and maybe it was just escaping District Two and her boring life there. Going back home meant getting back to her life and it meant having to figure out what she wanted to do and being haunted by her brother too.

When Calista suggested that she and Cadie meet up, Cadie suggested this cafe near her hotel. It felt weird, to meet Cadie in the Capitol, mostly because it felt weird to see any of the people from District Two in the Capitol.

She was glad that Cadie was already seated towards the back and she weaved her way through the tables. It was busy, which was nice, maybe nobody would bother them. Maybe it had been a mistake revealing their sibling's pasts, and the last thing she wanted was to talk about them.

"Hi, sorry I'm late. I got a bit turned around trying to find this place. I hope you weren't waiting for too long."

[dellcartwrights]

Setting: Caesar's after-party, Pre Broadcast @ofxcadences

Delly was embarrassed to admit it (she wouldn't even admit it to Peeta) but she was a little bit...starstruck seeing famous Capitol people and Victors. She didn't even know why because she was best friends with Peeta. But that was different because he was Peeta. It was a strange feeling, too, because back home Delly was never shy. Peeta always teased her that she never stopped talking and she was usually the ringleader in their group of friends.

But all of these people seemed so different and so much more...elegant than she was and it made her feel weird. She didn't like the feeling. She almost wished that she and Peeta were back at the hotel hanging out.

She was wandering around the Museum and nearly bumped into someone. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She apologized. When she looked at the other person she recognized Cadence Kentwell, the Victor from...Two, she thought. She was intimidating and she was so glad she didn't actually bump into her. "I didn't spill anything on you, did I? Your dress is so pretty, I hope I didn't ruin it."

[dellcartwrights]

Delly could see that her attempts to explain her thinking and Gale were not working. It wasn't even that she was trying to excuse him but to try to explain his behavior. Someone like Cadence would never understand someone like Gale, and even though Delly was trying to explain it, it wasn't working. "Of course not...I just..." she trailed off. "Never mind," she finally settled on saying, glancing down at the floor.

"We weren't a threat," Delly said softly. "My parents...they weren't a threat, my district wasn't a threat. Katniss and Peeta weren't threats, not until he made them," she said, frowning. None of them understood what it was like to be from Twelve. "My family may have been better off than the families in the Seam, but we weren't exactly plotting a rebellion in Twelve. We were all just...we were all just trying to survive." And now they were all gone.

"Yeah...I understand that," Delly agreed softly. She was exhausted, but she was also just barely keeping it together. She had to for her brother, but it was hard. Everything was just hard. "I don't know if it's productive to think like that. But...I don't know. You can't know how things would have turned out differently, you know?" Delly bit down on her lip. "I am sorry about what happened to your sister."

Cadence just raised an eyebrow. Was Delly really trying to use that excuse with her? Had she not listened to Cadence when she'd been telling her about Clove. Yes, she felt bad for Gale and all that he had been through. But he wasn't the only person to have had someone he loved go into the games, and at least his mother had come out. Cadie found it hard to be empathetic to someone that couldn't care less about what she'd been through. "It's been really hard for everyone lately. Nobody gets a pass to be a tosser." And she would say that about anyone.

Cadence didn't know too much about 12. Just that nobody had seen them as a threat until they had become a threat. They had been overlooked, by basically everyone. "Nobody saw 12 as a threat until it was too late..." She bit her lip, as she thought. "Equally the Capitol probably didn't think we'd all stand together and become a rebellion either...." They'd tried so hard to keep them all apart, to make them hate each other. It had worked, until now. Cadie was just hoping that all the Districts would come together. That was the only way that they would be able to succeed.

Cadie just shrugged. "They say hard things make you stronger, but they've just made me tired." It had. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. She didn't know if she would change what had happened. Who knew what her life would be like if she hadn't won, if she hadn't been reaped. It might be just as bad as it was now. "I sometimes wonder if becoming a victor was worth it.... if things would've been better for my sister if I'd just died in my games.... she would probably still be alive if I had." Sure she'd have grown up in the orphanage, but she probably would never had wanted to volunteer, if she hadn't shown her the life of being a victor

[cmdrlyme]

[Interrogation] That's a lot of smoke for someone whose District has been involved on the treasonous ways. Let's talk about your...allies. Did the actions of Brutus Steele, Cadence Kentwell, Enobaria Ismene, and Thea Ellis surprise you?

Where there's smoke there's fire...

But she wasn't about to say that. "Allies is a bit of a jump for people who really only interact once a year during the games." Lyme replied breezily, "Wait, no, that's a lie, I talk to Eno a bit. But that's it." they finished with a shrug. "I know you guys watch us, check your tapes or bugs or whatever, you'll see I'm right. I don't play well with others. It's one of the reasons the academy trainers liked me." She had been easy to mold into a weapon. They took someone that was so angry but had only blunt sides and sharpened her until all she had were edges, and she stayed that way for a long time.

"People are complicated things." They began to answer, trying to say nothing while saying something, not trying to flaunt her own knowledge of who might or might not be involved in the rebellion, while also knowing to say they were surprised would be a tacit acknowledgement these victors were apart of the rebellion, or at the very least an agreement at the theory. Lyme knew none of the names mentioned, as far as she had been aware, were apart of the rebellion, which made the fact that some of them were rotting in a capitol cell somewhere while she was free, ironic. "You can never know what's in a person's mind. Sometimes they don't even know themselves. I used to think I could figure everyone out, but I no longer am surprised by the fact that people surprise me."

[ceceliaknowsbest]

Setting: Capitol department store @vengefvlx

According to Woof at dinner the previous night, he had thought that the Games were going to end soon. It was the middle of day six and things had apparently slowed some, but the number of tributes left meant that things could rapidly change. Cecelia hadn't watched much of the Games since losing her tributes, but Woof kept her updated enough in case someone asked her any questions. She was just trying to move on with her life and distract herself with her family.

Satina had thrown a fit when Cecelia told Sterling that she was going to go out for a little bit, so instead of leaving her husband to deal with their middle daughter, she had decided that it was easiest to just take her with her. Sometimes Cecelia worried that she wasn't spending enough time with Satina.

The two of them had stopped in one of the Capitol stores, and Satina was looking at all of the beautiful dresses when Cecelia spotted a familiar face. "Cadie, hi," She greeted. She hadn't seen her since they had had coffee before the Games. "It's nice to see you. Have you met my daughter, Satina?" She questioned. "Satina, this is one of my friends, Cadie." Satina put a hand on her hip and looked up at Cadie for a moment. "Hi," she finally said before going back to looking at all of the dresses.

Cecelia sighed. "We're in a bit of a mood today," she explained quietly. "What are you doing here? Shopping?"

[ceceliaknowsbest]

Setting: Early Afternoon, a few hours before the Tribute Parade @ofxcadences

The District Eight tributes were currently getting ready for the parade later that evening, her husband and children were settled in at the hotel, and Cecelia needed a distraction. There was a certain horror to the Games this year that hadn't been there last year. It was hard for her to wrap her mind around the tributes being so much older this year. Last year had been a blur of newborn exhaustion and she hadn't done her best mentoring. All she had wanted was for the Games to be over and to return back to District Eight. She felt the same, but at least Sterling was in the Capitol to help her get through this.

Standing in the lobby of the Training Center, she turned her head when the elevator door opened and Cadence Kentwell stepped into the lobby. Cadie was someone she knew well, and while she wouldn't say that they were friends, she had thought of her over the last year, since Clove's death. Cecelia didn't always like Cadence, but she was grieving, and Cece's heart went out to her.

"Cadie, hello," she greeted, smiling at her. "I was hoping to run into you. How are you?"

[calofhearting]

Calista had never really considered what it was like for the mentors before last year. It was just something that they did. She had never imagined being close to any of them, and while she wouldn't say she and Cadie were best friends, there was a closeness there with their shared grief for their siblings. She nodded. "It would be nice for District Two to have another victor," she agreed. At her suggestion, she nodded her head. "I would love to. I know you'll probably be busy tomorrow, but maybe the day after?"

She nodded. "Sure, go ahead," Calista replied, figuring that she probably had people she needed to talk to. "Thanks for being here for me, and don't forget that I'm here for you too, okay? I'll see you later, try to enjoy today...at least a tiny bit."

Fin.

Cadence just smiled at Calista. She honestly wondered how the girl was dealing with being here. If she'd had a choice she wouldn't be here. But when one won the Hunger Games, one never really escaped the Arena. They just ended up in another Arena, one where Snow could control everything. It was part of the reason Cadence had been so careful about making sure nobody found out about her true relationships with Thea and Ezra. If they didn't know, Snow couldn't use them against her. For all the world knew the only person Cadence loved was dead. And the longer it stayed that way, the better.

"I hope so." She had a personal reason for wanting Ezra to far. He needed to get out of there. Cadie couldn't lose anyone else that she loved. And she really did not think she'd be able to contain herself if anything happened. She was glad that the conversation turned away from the games though. "I know a couple of good cafes if you want to go together...." It might be a good distraction from the games.

Sighing, Cadie pushed back her hair, and just smiled at Calista. "I should probably go mingle." She was supposed to be talking to the sponsors after all. "If you need anything Cali.... just come find me okay? I'm always here for you."

[calofhearting]

Nobody wanted to acknowledge the situation that Calista had been forced into when the rebellion started. She had never asked to be left in the Capitol, just like she had never asked to be invited in the first place. Every choice that Calista had made was to ensure that she survived and that her family survived. She could still remember how terrified she had been when she met President Snow and every subsequent time they interacted. Had she enjoyed herself? Sure. But she had never asked to be there in the first place. Just like she had never asked to be brought here, to Thirteen. Calista wanted to be home in District Two with her parents. She wanted to forget everything.

"How was I supposed to know that?" Calista retorted, her voice defensive. Cadie said it like Calista should have any idea of what was really going on. They certainly didn't tell her things while she was locked up in here. Calista felt guilty that the people from her District had been treated so terribly while she was free to roam the Capitol. But that wasn't her fault, either! Deep down, Calista had suspected something had been off from the whispers she heard in Domi's home, but still, she wasn't ready to face that. "Do you think that they would have told me that?"

"I didn't even...I didn't even know that there was a rebellion until things happened," Calista said softly. Again, she had been kept out of everything and somehow expected that she should have known that something was happening. Calista shook her head. "I don't think that they're ever going to let me out of here. Not while my parents are still working for the Capitol." Did her parents even care that she was locked up here?

Cadence knew she should turn around and not bother Calista. She was just angry. And bothering her former friend was better than storming the hospital, and ending up in a cell next to Calista. As she looked at the blonde she wondered how life had taken from on such different paths. She supposed she could well be in Calista's position had she not been a victor. But she was a victor. And she'd faced the torment and the consequences that came with being a victor. She supposed that was what made their opinions different. Calista didn't know the trauma that the Capitol could put on a person. She wondered if Calista would even believe her if she told her what the Capitol had done to her over the years.

"You think we all left you?" Cadie laughed, rolling her eyes. "Enobaria and Thea were right with you in the Capitol. Only they were in cells whilst you were flouncing around. Thea was half dead when Ezra found her." She knew she probably shouldn't be telling her. But she didn't care. Calista had to know what they'd been through. She had to understand. If only so that it might make things easier for herself in the long run. And as much as Cadie was hurting, and angry right now, she didn't like seeing Calista down here. The girl was still from 2. She was from Cadie's home, and that meant she automatically cared, even if they were maybe not on the same side right now.

"The rebellion isn't bad Calista." It wasn't all that great either, but she didn't need to know that. "They're better than the Capitol at least. We just want a better life for everyone Cal.... nobody else should have to go through what we have.... nobody else should have to be tortured, or lose their family..... " She didn't know if Calista would believe her, but it was the truth. "The sooner you agree with that.... the sooner you'll probably be out of this cell."

[calofhearting]

Calista didn't know how she was going to feel when the Hunger Games started. Would it bring up all of the memories from last year? Or would it not be as painful because Cato wasn't there? Last year the Games had been a mix of excitement and anxiety and fear because they hadn't doubted Cato's abilities. And maybe if Katniss and Peeta hadn't been there, things could have been different. But those thoughts weren't productive, and they just left her feeling worse.

At the mention of the scores, Calista was glad to have a bit of a change of topic. "Ambrosia and Ezra have great scores. You and the other mentors must be proud. Are you...mentoring this year?"

She could sense that Cadie didn't want to talk about this anymore, and she agreed. "I've been a bit...overwhelmed with everything," She admitted, looking at Cadie. "What's your favorite part about the Capitol?"

"I can imagine they were...." Most people back at District Two still adored the games. A few years ago that was Cadie. She loved nothing more than talking about her games. It had all changed now. The people of District 2 got more of the true picture of Cadie. She had isolated herself a lot over the last year. But now that she was hear back at the Capitol, she was having to pretend that everything was okay. It was exhausting, and she couldn't wait for it to all be over. Of course, that also came with the thoughts of taking Ezra back home in a wooden box just like she'd done with Clove last year. But she was trying not to focus on that.

"They did..." She murmured with a nod. "And no surprise scores from anyone else this year" Cadie could still vividly remember the scoring from last year, the reactions from every one. Cadie decided to keep Cato's reaction to herself. Calista did not need to know that.

Cadie just shrugged. She really didn't want to talk about this anymore. It made her at risk of saying that she really said. And she couldn't afford to do that. "I suppose that is true." And that was all she was going to say on the subject.

[dellcartwrights]

"Of course it doesn't," Delly replied, feeling a little bit defensive. She had never said that, and she had no idea what Gale had said or done, but her first instinct was to defend him. Their traumas, Gale, and Delly, and Katniss, and Peeta, and the rest of District Twelve was so fresh and new. It shouldn't take away from Cadence's, and it wasn't a competition, but she could see a world where Gale may have said something not particularly kind. "It's just been really hard for him, with his mom in the Games and everything that happened with the bombing in Twelve." Everything had been so hard for all of them lately.

"Growing up all the way in Twelve...I don't know. It felt different from other places, I think. We barely saw the Capitol...we were mostly left alone until after...after Katniss and Peeta won." It was especially true for the people who grew up in the town. Delly glanced down. "It makes sense when you put it that way. The Games, and everything that they did...it kept us down and unwilling to take a stand." Until now. Now things had seemed to change.

Delly's sole focus was trying to find ways to bring back Peeta and to save him from wherever he was. Delly just desperately wanted to find him and rescue him. She couldn't think about Snow's downfall, and she wasn't even sure that that was something that she wanted. Delly glanced at Cadence. "I'm sorry you had to go through the things you had to go through."

Cadence should have stayed quiet about Gale. What was that saying? If you haven't got anything good to say don't say anything at all. Shame that Cadie had never had a parental figure to say that to her. And she honestly thought that Gale would be saying all the bad things about her. Cadie knew he'd been through a lot. Everyone here had. But that didn't mean she hadn't either, or that it hadn't been traumatic to her, even if he didn't think it was a bad as his trauma. Cadence didn't like him, and she had the feeling it was a mutual feeling. "Him having been through things doesn't give him a pass to decide I haven't." And she would say that about anything. Comparing trauma to see who'd had the worse life was not going to win the war.

"Of course they want us to stay unhappy." Cadie murmured with a little hollow laugh. "They wouldn't have done the games for so long if they cared about us or our happiness." If the people of Panem had gotten happy they might have challenged the Capitol. Of course it was quite amusing because they'd done that anyway. "Being a victor puts a different perspective on things...." She murmured with a shrug. "Though I didn't realise it until Clove died. The Capitol are very good at making you believe what they want you to."

Cadence just shrugged. She was angry. Death was easy. But it would mean he was gone. It would mean there was never a chance of him taking power again. Deep down Cadie knew that killing Snow wouldn't change things in her life, and it certainly wouldn't bring back Clove. But it would make her feel better for that split second, and she would take that. "Me too." She murmured with a little sad smile. "Me too"

[calofhearting]

It was going to be a hard week full of memories of last year, but Calista wanted to try to find distractions as much as she could. She told herself that she couldn't dwell on what could and should have been, even though she was sure that it was going to be something that she did. The what if's couldn't be answered. Cato was gone and nothing was going to change that.

She nodded her head. There had been some talk in Two when they announced the age change for the Quarter Quell if the tributes would be prepared the ways that the tributes that went through the academy would be prepared. "I'm sure that they are going to go far."

Calista wondered if Cadie preferred it here or at home, but it didn't seem appropriate to ask her that, not here. "I will have to try that then," she nodded.

Cadence was grateful that they were talking about something other than their siblings now. Whilst she loved talking about Clove and Cato, it was just too close to home whilst they were in the Capitol. If she closed her eyes she would just imagine what it would be like to have Clove by her side. She had so vividly seen it last year, that it felt a little like whiplash to be here without it. She couldn't imagine what it was like for Calista. At least Cadie had the distraction of having to get the tributes ready for the games.

"They really have done well." She wasn't surprised. They usually did really well. It would have been more of a shock if that had done badly. And she supposed at least they did not have any surprises from anyone else this year. Though she would not put it past any of the outlier districts to throw up a surprise. Last year had shown that anything was possible.

"I'm not surprised...." She mused, a little smile on her face. "I don't know....." She didn't like many parts of it. She much preferred being at home. "The coffee here is better than at home."

[calofhearting]

Even though Calista had never had any ambitions to be in the Hunger Games, and even though she had struggled with her aversion for blood, talking about the Hunger Games had been a prominent part of her childhood. She and Cato used to spend hours talking about the Games, about strategies for winning, about how to survive, about the best weapons to use. The talks had been endless, and it was how she preferred to remember her brother, passionately talking about how he was going to win.

Now...it was just silent. Home felt too quiet, and they were all missing Cato's presence in their life.

"I guess they went all out for the Quarter Quell," she mused, looking at Cadie.

It went unsaid that they both wanted Cato and Clove to be there with them. "Nowhere...really feels like home anymore," she admitted, glancing at the armor again. Calista wished that there was something that she could say to make it better, but she knew that there wasn't. She glanced down for a moment. "I'm sorry that she didn't wait. Maybe...maybe she would have had a better chance."

Cadence wasn't worried about herself. When she was at the Capitol she found it easier to compartmentalise her life. She could push her feelings aside her more. Or on previous years she'd been able too. This year she had the double torment of grieving for Clove, and worrying about Ezra going into the games. She still tried to not worry about herself though. If she did that she would be no use to anyone, and there would have been no point in her putting herself through hell being at the Capitol.

"Yeah.... all the more reason for them to celebrate." Cadie hated it. Two years ago, even last year before the Games, she'd have been excited. Excited for the Quarter Quell, and what it brought. But the games had a different meaning now. They didn't quite sit the same when she'd lost Clove.

"Yeah..... I wish I was at home too..." She really did. It wouldn't be easier there. But she wouldn't have to act and pretend that she was happy. People understood at two and she missed that. But she was here now, and she was trying her best to stay present, and not let her depression over run her. "Honestly? No." She felt like she could trust Calista. "I used to love it here. They all loved me. They loved talking about my games, my win. But now it's all tarnished by Clove. I thought we would be experiencing that together this year..... but I'm not...... and nobody really cares."

[dellcartwrights]

Delly felt a strange surge of something when Cadence commented about Gale. What was that? Was she feeling...protective? It was confusing. Delly and Gale had become unlikely friends since the beginning of the Quarter Quell, but everything was so new between them, so the surge of wanting to defend Gale took her by surprise. She didn't like anyone talking badly about him. "He saved my life. And my brothers. He tried to save my parents. He's been through a lot." Delly didn't think that she even knew half of Gale's life, just what he had shared with her during their week in the Capitol. But she knew the way that he felt about the Capitol and the people that were from there.

In hindsight, her world seemed so small. Delly hadn't really ever thought about the other districts or the people from those Districts. Of course, she had known that the closer Districts had it better than her, but Delly hadn't thought that things might be hard there too. "I never really thought about it like that," Delly admitted. "I've never thought about how it might be in other Districts, or how they wanted us to stay unhappy." Delly couldn't say that she was happy with the way things were, but she had never thought about how it could be different. Her parents had never really encouraged her to question the status quo. "It makes sense when you put it that way."

She was slightly taken aback by Cadie's honesty about wanting to kill Snow. Did Delly feel like that? Did she want him dead for killing her parents? Delly wasn't sure. She didn't know if that was the answer. But she couldn't fault her for wanting that. "I want him to pay for what he did to my parents...but I don't know. Death...it seems...easy," she murmured. Delly wanted to believe so bad that they were going to save Peeta. "I hope you're right."

Cadence was rarely this open. She was rarely this open about her feelings with the people that were the closest to her. She really struggled with being vulnerable, with letting her guard down. She supposed that was due to years of people preying on her. For having to live at the beck and call of the Capitol. Cadie didn't think she would ever get over having to drop everything when Snow requested her presence. The first few times had been exciting. Why wouldn't it have been when she President wanted her presence? But Cadence had quickly learnt that it wasn't actually Snow that wanted her presence, it was the Capitolite that had paid an extortionate amount of money for her presence. Of course it wasn't only her presence at parties they had wanted. Cadie had soon learnt that her body was a lot more wanted than her personality. It had quickly put a sour note on her excitement at being called to the Capitol. It had all only added to Cadence's trust issues. And so the fact that she was opening up to Delly was a big deal for her.

"Gale?" She knew who he was. And she had decided that she did not like her. "Good to know he can be decent when he wants to be." It wasn't going to make her like him anymore. He could drop dead tomorrow or be taken out by a stray knife and she wouldn't care. Whilst Cadie didn't want any more innocents to die she knew that Gale wouldn't exactly care if she died, and so she was going to think exactly the same in return.

"We were just as exploited as any other District." Cadie muttered, shaking her head. She wondered if the other districts were ever going to trust them, or stop aligning them with the Capitol. "Yes we might not have gone hungry like some of the outlier districts, but it was hard. And the Capitol uses our mistrust of each other to keep us from aligning together. If all the other districts think 2 is having better treatment the Capitol know you'll never see us as your allies..... makes us all easier to control." She hadn't seen it. Not until this last year. Not until she had lost Clove and all her priorities changed. So, it didn't surprise her when the other Districts mistrusted them, or thought they all sat in the pocket of the Capitol.

"Snow's a bastard. Honestly, if I could just get him with one of my knives right now I would." But there was a plan apparently. Cadie also knew that unless the Capitol fell, taking out Snow first would not help. Someone would just rise to take his place. "We'll rescue him. And all the others. I can't lose Thea and Enobaria too. They are my family.....the only ones I have left....." She didn't want to bury anyone else. "I refuse to bury any one else. We are getting them back."

[dellcartwrights]

It still didn't quite feel real that her parents were gone along with her home and her District. A part of her still thought that her parents were just going about their lives every day while she and Dirk took a little vacation. But then she saw Dirk's tear-stained face and the reminders around her that they were dead and that fantasy immediately disappeared. Delly didn't know if it would feel more real if she was allowed to go back to Twelve to see it in person. She didn't know if she wanted to go back and see what remained of her home. That seemed too painful, somehow. It made her think of questions that she didn't want to think about or answer.

Delly knew that she was lucky that she still had Dirk. But was it really luck when Gale had thrown himself into danger and fire to save her brother? She felt like they were both indebted to each other at this point, their lives had become more twisted together than she ever would have dreamed of. "Gale saved him, I don't...know what I would do if he didn't."

She may not have been a victor but her best friend had been one. She didn't think that she could ever fully understand the awful things that Peeta had to do, but Peeta had only won last year. What would they have made him do if it went on for longer? What were they doing to him right now? "Seeing Peeta go through it made me see that things...were hard too. But I guess I thought that maybe it was better if you were from the other Districts," she admitted.

"I'm sorry about your sister," she told her softly. "Snow threatened me too. I um...I got a rose last year as a...reminder to Peeta." She glanced down. "I didn't think that any of this would ever be possible. I just wish that Peeta was here." And that they had never...bombed her home.

Cadence couldn't imagine what Delly was going through, or any of the others from twelve. But she could tell that Delly had loved her parents. Cadie hadn't. She'd never really had any positive adult relationships whilst she was growing up. Of course she had the trainers, she'd had Brutus. But that didn't count. And she was pretty sure the trainers hadn't really known she'd existed until she'd gotten reaped. She was only 17 after all. And she was the underdog. Cadie might have been impressive in regard to knives, but apart from that she was small, and had mostly stayed in the shadows. But she'd made it count in the games, and that was all that mattered to her.

Cadie thought Delly was lucky in a way. Cadie would do anything to have her sister back. But Cadie had the sense to not say that out loud. How could one be lucky when their entire district had been bombed? She supposed it must be felt bittersweet. "It's good that you've got each other." Cadie said eventually, after having decided what she wanted to say.

Cadie shrugged at her words. She hadn't thought about it too much. She was here now. That was what mattered to her. But she hadn't really thought too much about what others had thought. Their opinion didn't matter to her that much. "No." She hadn't had to think about it much. "The Capitol made my life hell. I thought being a victor would make my life perfect, but in reality it just made me theirs forever....." She cut off, thinking about the last time she'd told someone from 12 about her experiences. Gale had been less than pleasant. But, she had a feeling Delly would be more empathetic.

"Being a victor isn't all it is cracked up to be. It might have looked like I had it all, but it came at a cost. One that I've gotten tired of paying. It took my free will from me, and when I wanted to say no, they threatened my little sister. And despite it all, she ended up dead anyway." She paused, turning away as she blinked back tears. "It has to stop. Enough is enough."

[dellcartwrights]

There was a little bit of comfort in knowing that she wasn't the only one who was struggling with loss. So many people in Panem were struggling with loss, but the survivors from District Twelve were all going through the same thing. Delly felt like she fit into two different boxes, the survivors from Twelve and the survivors that had made it out of the Capitol. Delly had met so many people from the Capitol who were now in District Thirteen.

"Thank you," Delly replied softly, without really thinking about it. How many people had offered her their condolences for the loss of her parents? It still didn't quite feel real that her parents were gone. When would it really hit her that they were gone and she wasn't ever going to see them again? A part of her liked to pretend that they were still in Twelve, going on their daily business like they always had been. But then she looked at Dirk and remembered what he had been through and seen and that fantasy disappeared.

"He's twelve," she nodded. "His name is Dirk and he saw...everything. So I've just been trying to focus on helping him through this, you know? He's already gone through so much, so I've been trying to be strong for him. I don't know...what I'd do if I didn't have him," she admitted. If Delly had lost him too she would have completely fallen to pieces and she didn't think that anybody would be able to fix her.

It was sort of comforting to know that it was okay that she was a mess and that they all were. "I know," she said softly. "It makes it... a little easier to know that I'm not alone in this." Delly paused. "Was it hard? Coming here?" She asked. On the outside, it had appeared that Cadence had everything.

Cadence really did not know what she was going to say to Delly. She'd never been very good at comforting people. Even with her own little sister she'd struggled. She supposed in recent weeks she had got a little better at it. She was looking after little Mirabelle after all. Cadie just wasn't hugely good at feelings. She was pretty sure a 'it'll be okay' wasn't going to help right now. But she knew, if she was upset, she would want someone to want to talk with her, or at least offer to. So, she would try.

But she really did not know how to comfort someone on the loss of parents. She could relate. Her father was dead too. But she had huge daddy and mommy issues. Her mother could drop dead now and she wouldn't care. Though by how Delly was talking, Cadie figured she had actually cared hers. "I'm sorry about your parents...." She really didn't know what else to say, especially since she figured nothing was actually going to help.

"You have your brother.... that is good..... it's something....." Cadence could at least relate to that, a little anyway. The Victors in 2 had created a patchwork found family. Of course, as far as she knew most of that family could be dead now. But she was trying not to think about that. At least she was here with Brutus, even if he did hate her.

"I'd be more shocked if you weren't a mess Delly. You've been through trauma..... everyone has..." Some of them might manage better, or keep it hidden away better. But they all had been through a lot. "It'll get better..... it has too...." She murmured, biting her lip. "That's why I came here."