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always-andshewrites · 4 years ago

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In chapter 2 Katniss has a talk with Madge and inadvertently learns some new information, pushing her to have a talk with her dad. Peeta initiates a talk with Mr. Everdeen, thinking he is going to get scolded for his and Katniss' "late night visits" only to have Mr. Everdeen thank him for helping his family out all those years ago. Dylan takes Katniss to the secret place in the woods where she hopes to get some answers, only to have more questions. Haymitch (with inspiration from Hazelle) does a nice thing for Madge; Poppy chats with her dad with a fancy coin that disrupts the Capitol's "bugs" with an idea to share it with K & P.; Madge and Katniss have "girl talk" and we even get a little bit of Madge/Prim. Katniss wakes up blindfolded, as Peeta whisks her away to the woods for some "alone time" before the tour. Katniss and Peeta wake Haymitch up and on their way home they see a car in his driveway... It can only be one person, right?In Chapter 3 Katniss and Peeta come face to face with the devil himself . . . And let the games begin . . .

Summary:

Katniss and Peeta made it out of the arena together, but little do they know the games are only beginning. Who can they trust as secrets are exposed and identities are revealed? This is the sequel to "Changing the Game"; a Hunger Games - Catching Fire rewrite. Told in several different character POV's.

Chapter 3 - Deal with the Devil

| Peeta |

Using my free hand to open the door because my other hand is being held hostage by the death grip from Katniss’ hand, I slowly push the door open. I tense up when I feel my heart begin to accelerate from the thought of some Capitolite laying their filthy hands on any of my things. It’s true that this is my home, but technically, it is the property of the Capitol, and thus, belongs to President Snow. However, the thought of him or any of his goons in my home sends a murderous rage festering inside me.

The moment my foot passes the threshold my head snaps to the left, meeting Katniss' stare. Both of us immediately recognize the all too familiar rancid aroma of blood and roses filling the air, informing us, without a doubt, who our intruder is.

‘Snow.’ Katniss conveys, casting me a worried glance and gripping even tighter onto my hand.

No one appears to be on the main level of the house, so we tiptoe, quietly making our way up the steps and to the second floor. Stealthily, we creep down the hallway, eager to face our intruder, yet anxious at the same time. I instantly take notice of the door to my art studio, which is always, without fail kept shut and locked up tight; is slightly ajar. It is what grabs my attention, confirming that something is amiss. All of our friends and family; or really anyone who visits us knows to steer clear of that room, aware of what lies beyond the threshold.

Curiosity overpowers our fear, and together we make our way into that room. This is the one and only room I ask Katniss to stay out of, not because I have anything to hide but because I know the sight of my paintings will most likely trigger her gag reflex, in addition to causing her now dormant nightmares to return. They are not so much paintings, but a visual timeline of each of my nightmares, a vivid recollection of our time in the arena.

When I glance down the row of paintings, for the first time I see them as an onlooker would and cannot help but notice how each one is more vibrant than its neighbor. Most likely because the nightmares become more lucid and lifelike the closer the Victory Tour gets.

Katniss doesn’t want or need a visual to remind her of the horrors we faced in the arena. But for me, it’s like . . . like a form of therapy. It’s like if I have the ability to remove the images from my mind and transfer them onto a canvas; by turning them into a still life portrait, something tangible, it grants me control; the power to lock them away forever, or even burn them if that’s what I wanted to do.

As much as I want to forget the horrors we faced and as much as I want to expunge the memories from my mind, at the same time I don’t want to forget. If I forget, then who would remember Thresh and Rue? And what about the other tributes? No, I need to remember, it’s what gives me the motivation to continue living my life. The drive to fight our battle.

Once the door is open, we see the backside of a man with fluffy snow-white hair. He is dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, slowly pacing the length of the room. His hands are clasped behind his back, giving a slight nod here and there, as if offering his approval at the paintings lining the wall.

“Dammit— Lucy . . . Kill . . . Mock—jay . . .” I think I hear him mumble to himself just as his body tenses for a moment. I am instantly intrigued and wonder who this “Lucy” is.

‘Did you—’ I meet Katniss’ eyes, curious as to if I’m hearing things. She nods, confirming my sanity.

'Peeta, I'm scared.' She shudders, squeezing my hand a little tighter, if that is even possible. I reciprocate, entwining our fingers, assuring her that I am not going anywhere.

'It's going to be okay; he's not going to hurt us.' I tell her, though not quite certain myself. It is moments such as these that I am grateful for whatever forces have bestowed us with our telepathic link. The ability to communicate silently while in the presence of others has proven to be more than . . . useful.

“Aghhem . . . Excuse me, can I help you?” I announce our presence, clearing my throat to grab his attention. I would recognize that snowy white hair anywhere, I do not need to see his face to know his identity, but I still need him to turn around and face us.

“These are quite remarkable.” President Snow takes his time turning around as he compliments the painting behind him, presenting his face with an approving smirk. This particular painting details one of his ferocious mutts from the arena; a squirrel foaming at its mouth fills the page, while Katniss and I are drawn as miniscule beings in the far bottom left corner of the canvas. I am leaning over the side of the cornucopia gripping firmly onto Katniss’ calves while she aims the golden arrow at the Queen. Why am I not surprised that this painting brings him pleasure?

On the other hand, I do not miss the way he sneers disapprovingly at the canvas portraying me and Katniss with our allies from District Eleven. I have captured us high up in a tree with our friends, seeking refuge from those who mean us harm. Katniss and I are settled in our sleeping bag on a branch; just below us are Thresh and Rue in an almost mirroring position. I remember that night so clearly as we swapped stories from our district’s.

“President Snow, what an honor, what—” Katniss begins to offer pleasantries, but the deleterious man in front of us cuts her off before she brings it to completion.

“I think we’ll make this whole situation a lot simpler by agreeing not to lie to each other. What do you think?” Snow says with his affected Capitol accent and a hint of arrogancy. His lips are plump and full, the skin appearing painfully tight as he speaks, causing me to believe they must be surgically altered. Lips that full just aren’t natural.

‘I think it’s meant to highlight his features.’ Katniss quips and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to mask my amusement.

“Yes, I think that would save time.” Katniss affirms, her voice confident and steady as she stands tall. She has one hell of a poker face but she can’t fool me. She is utterly terrified, as am I.

Snow continues to marvel over the neighboring paintings for a moment before a sly grin appears on his face. He follows it up with a nod of approval and then his eyes are back on me. “I heard you were talented Mr. Mellark, but I just had to see it for myself. I would never believe that someone from as lowly a district as Twelve could produce such . . . works of art.” He begins, slithering to the far corner of the room and taking a seat in a chair behind a desk. Wait a minute, where did that desk come from? Before today, this room contained only my artwork, an easel, a handful of blank canvases, various containers of paint, my brushes, and a few other random art supplies. Either I’m losing it or, or— did he bring this furniture with him? Is it meant to . . . intimidate us?

'What do you think he wants?' Katniss presses, never removing President Snow from her line of sight.

“Please, why don’t you have a seat?” Snow affirms, motioning for us to take a seat in the sophisticated looking high back chairs in front of him. However, I get the distinct impression the “please” was not merely a request. Katniss and I take a seat, refusing to release our grip on the other’s hand and scoot our chairs closer to the other so that our knees are brushing.

'I have no idea, but I have a feeling we are about to find out. And . . . where did the desk and chairs come from?'

‘No clue.’ She answers without missing a beat.

Unsure as to how I should respond to President Snow’s remark, I say the first thing that pops into my head. “President Snow, my paintings will be on display in the Capitol in just a few weeks, so I know you didn’t come all the way out here just to see them. Why don’t we forgo the pleasantries, and you can tell us why you have chosen to grace us with your presence.” I assert, holding my head up high, recalling my lessons on proper etiquette with Effie as I come off as unperturbed. I really hope he can’t see how utterly terrified I truly am.

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nightcoremoon · 6 years ago

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Top 10 Badass Female Characters in Fire Emblem Fates (in my opinion)

10- Reina/Peri

Okay so the reason why there's two people in this slot is because they're literally the same archetype. They love blood and killing and violence and blah blah blah, BUT ALSO they have at least some levels of depth and complexity to their character to keep them from being boring one note death machines. Problem is Reina doesn't have any supports with anyone so you don't get to know much more about her, but she protected your mom. Peri protects your older brother. Anyone who keeps your family safe is definitely badass.

9- Kagero

Ah Kagero. You get captured all the freakin time but that's not your fault. You're still the best dread fighter hands down, and definitely my favorite ninja (Kaze is too fragile and Saizo is too slow and Soleil is unavailable to a path). Plus she's an artist and while she may not be the best painter she still loves it and enjoys her hobby. She's a loyal servant and an even more loyal friend, and would put her own life on the line to protect your brother.

8- Anna

Can't fault a girl for war profiteering. Strong independent woman don't need no man, been around the block for centuries and across kingdoms, crack shot with a bow, gold farmer, feisty redhead, runs circles around the L crew, I could go on. She's always on my team and is supported by MC for dem stats and the unity ability in pretty sure procs make a killing but idk. Regardless she's still gr9.

7- Arete

She gets killed like four times before finally going down, and that first time was fairly heroic honestly. Definitely one of the most important people in regards to lore.

6- Camilla

What list would be complete without the best sister??? No not because of her giant tiddies (awesome to look at they may be) or the giant ass window (also awesome to look at) or even the weird incest thing going on (I guess from a Japanese lens that's awesome too but eeehhh) but because she's actually a great combat unit especially if she spends a couple levels as a hero getting those skills. Axes AND magic AND an attack buff means she should always be out on the field. She may be insane and has a lust for blood rivaling Peri, but she's a good sister, a good ruler, and a good unit.

5- Soleil

Oh yes. FUCKING SUPERB YOU FUNKY LITTLE LESBIAN! She's a big glass cannon so I always make her a master ninja and god is she a good ninja. She never gives up even in the face of innumerable odds, she's got great stats all depending on who her mom is, she's SUPER FUCKING GAY FOR GIRLS, oh yeah and she's a teenager leading a band of mercenaries; how fucking cool is that?

4- Rinkah

Stomp on me like you stomp on enemies. Oni savages are like fighters with better stats and both blacksmiths and chieftains have some top notch skills and she's the only one in the game who can do that naturally. She's an adamantly staunch advocate for her people, and makes leaps and bounds of character development through her supports. She's also clearly the most visibly sculpted lady sans for maybe Effie and anyone packing that much solid muscle has got to be pretty fucking awesome.

3- Hinoka

Real talk tho Hinoka is the actual best sister slash mom. Proof? Setsuna and Azama are both still alive somehow. The providence that protects them from traps and getting choked to death has got to be the pegasus knight. She's the second best female offensive lance user in the game (excluding knight/cavalier/merchant/basara/etc who have different roles than pure adjacent physical lance-based dps), especially if she A+'s either Camilla or Setsuna and S's either Xander or Silas. She's got enough variety to her that I feel the Lucina seal would simply be wasted on her. My only complaint is that without reclassify she kinda sucks but hey, just buy a freakin heart seal.

2- Scarlet

VIVA LA REVOLUCION! Tragic you can only use her in one path. I romanced her in my very first playthrough to give stats to my Kana (and also because I knew it would be my only chance to really use her). She deserves so much better than to just be fridge stuffing to give Ryoma that manpain. Dammit Japan. At least she's got the coolest armor design.

HONORABLE MENTIONS TIME!

Azura: the fucking queen of Valla who carries the plot on her shoulders. literally the most important person in canon. deserves better.

Felicia: accidental badassery still counts, right? slap on a flame shuriken and watch heads roll.

Hana: best samurai. like lon'qu but actually with personality. rough and abrasive but has a heart of gold.

Beruka: cold blooded contract killer trying to learn how to feel. similar to Reina/Peri but she doesn't kill for fun, she kills to survive. she's just really good at it.

Lilith: f

Cassita: she bakes you cookies. SHE. BAKES. YOU. COOKIES. okay. when will your fave ever? except for camilla, she baked you cookies too, but camilla has crippling depression, mommy issues, a whole lotta weird borderline incest stuff going on (even though you're adopted so it's okay according to japan... oh, who am I kidding, I fucked leo to have dragon forrest and because FOLGERS COFFEE COMMERCIAL). anyway. cassita only knows that you're armed, dangerous, here to kill the king, and once knew her darling elise, but she shelters your entire fucking army and then BAKES. YOU. NICE HOT FRESH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. bless her big beautiful heart. you can be badass without kicking someone's ass.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

1- Oboro

fuck, man, she is just the best. best outfit, best stats, best combat ability, best class, and has a personality and hobbies and interests and likes and dislikes and flaws... I literally cried a little bit when I had to kill her in conquest. she is my favorite character in the whole game and she just kicks so much ass. I can't adequately put it into words, it's just... agh, she's great. 10/10

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gabzep · 6 years ago

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Betrayal (6)

The next few days at the cabin go by in a blur. They took this time to catch up on things they have missed while apart. Peeta had told her that he had spoken to Darius before he came out to the cabin and exposed Delly’s deception. She needed to talk to Darius and see what he planned on doing about it. They couldn’t let that go unpunished. Could they? What kind of message will that send to the rest of the district? If a single merchant girl can drug someone and walk away unharmed, what’s to say that others couldn’t do the same. She shudders at the thought.

It was also a time of healing and getting reacquainted with one another. The one thing that was new were the nightmares, they would both get. His were always about losing her again; he would wake up paralyzed in fear but when he’d find her next to him, he would scoop her up in him arms, snuggle her close to him and things would be right with the world. Her nightmares where not so easy to overcome, with some he would be able to comfort her right away. But on the nights that they were about him and Delly, she would push him away feeling the renewed pain but she also felt guilt, knowing she was hurting him. He understood and once she’d calm down she would be right back in his arms.

They never had this much time alone together so there was a lot of making out, at all times throughout the day, every night and everywhere. It was getting harder to hold on to their promise of waiting for marriage and even though they would bring each other to completion, they hungered for more. There were a couple of times they almost give into their desire but either one or the other would pull away. It might seem silly to wait but they wanted to follow through on one thing they had agreed upon before everything had gone to hell. Still they were done waiting and planned on toasting as soon as the annulment came through.

On their last night at the cabin Peeta remembers Madge’s note. Rye had put it in one of the zip up compartment in his backpack and he had completely forgotten about it. There had been so many other things that had kept him blissfully occupied. As he pulls out the envelope a strip of condoms falls out. Dammit Rye. He quickly shoves them back into his pack before Katniss could see them. He doesn’t want her to think he was expecting something like that to happen. The envelope was pretty thick for being a note. He handed it to Katniss and she read it out loud.

Dear Katniss & Peeta,

I hope you both find yourselves well and I’m so glad you have made up.

I was able to call in a favor with Effie Trinket and you would not believe how she gushed over your ‘tragic star-crossed lover’s story’ her words not mine. She was tripping all over herself to help you two.

Let me tell you she can talk ones ear off. I actually feel sorry for Haymitch now. She was going on about coal and pearls and what not.

Anyway, I digress, we managed to put in a rush on the annulment and Peeta is a free man. As per Rye, Peeta is single and ready to mingle. We can’t wait for the toasting.

Love,

Madge & Rye

P.S. I put in a little gift, wrap it up baby bro. RM

He rolled his eyes at Rye scribbled words. They go through the rest of the paperwork and sure enough it was a copy of his annulment request, approved and stamped with the capital seal. Madge must have done it the minute he submitted the paperwork. He’s surprised that she would have gone out of her way for him. She hadn’t spoken one word to him since the day after the aging out party. It must be because she and Katniss are friends. Well then, when they get back home he’s going to thank her by baking her favorite pastry; strawberry turnovers.

“It looks like you will be Mrs. Mellark sooner than we thought. That is if you’ll allow it?” Peeta asks. He gives her a crooked smile that dimpled one of his cheeks, the one that she loves so much. She could hear the tone of uncertainly in his voice, as if he believed she would actually change her mind and say ‘no’.

She leaned into him “I’ll allow it” she says and sealed it with a kiss.

In the morning she bagged several waterfowl to take back to the bakery. They will make for delicious roasted duck meat pies. She hummed as she collected eggs hidden in the grass for breakfast. Could it really have only been a week ago, that she had resigned herself to living a half life, a joyless life? Basically she had accepted to living a life without Peeta.

She laughed to herself thinking of all the gossip that is going on in the district. She and Madge were never gossipy but ever since Madge started dated Rye there really wasn’t a way of avoiding it. He was worst then some of the girls. She is sure that Greasy Sae and Darius, who rival Rye in the rumor making department are having a field day at her expense.

She feels guilty now knowing how hurt Peeta had been a few weeks ago when he thought the rumors about her and Darius were true but a part of her, a very small part was secretly glad he got a little taste of what she had suffered for months. Overall though she’s just glad they were given another chance at happiness and she’s not going to give it up, especially now that she has Peeta’s by her side again.

As he pulls their clean clothes from the dry line, he watches Katniss winding through the tall green grass hunting for duck eggs. He will be forever thankful that she welcomed him back into her life and now they will be getting married soon.

His mind wonders back to Delly. How did he not see the type of person Delly had become? How blinded by their childhood friendship was he, that he had not noticed the changes in her?

He remembers the sneers and smirks she had given him in the Justice Building upon seeing his distress while they where getting married. The whining to her parents when she didn’t get her way. Then when they were married she would ridicule and taunt him every chance she got. After a while he didn’t hold back either, two can play the asshole card.

Thinking back on it now, they had started growing part when he and Katniss began dating, at 16. They would constantly invite her to sit with them and Madge during lunch time or asked her to dinners and family gatherings but Delly would always refuse. After some time she started hanging around with a different group of friends, some of the snobbier merchants in town. On the day of the reaping party he had even invited her to their toasting and she seemed genuinely happy for them. Little did he know Delly was plotting his downfall that very night. Well, no matter. Katniss took him back and finally he could move on from that living nightmare he had endured.

One more obstacle he will have to overcome is Gale. He rubs the side of his jaw remembering the day Gale had decked him. It was a Sunday, the day after the reaping party and he was heading home after trying and failing to get Katniss to forgive him. He knew she wouldn’t but he had to at least acknowledge what he thought he had done and to apologize for it.

“I knew it; I knew you two merchants weren’t any better than the rest. I had warned Catnip and Thom but they wouldn’t listen and now look were they are. Humiliated and heartbroken” then Gale took a wing at him and he didn’t bother to dodge it, he deserved that and more.

“You had actually won me over bread boy. It had been hard to hate you but not anymore. Leave Katniss alone and tell that floozy Delly to stay away from Thom or I’ll have Leevy take her down.” Gale scuffed and walked away. He had been so distraught at the time that he didn’t try to understand nor did he care why Gale had mentioned Thom that day.

After breakfast of duck eggs and boiled katniss tubers they help each other wash up at the lake. It took longer than usual because he had thrown her on a towel and devoured her with his mouth making her sing. Afterwards they cleaned up the cabin and headed on home dragging their haul behind them.

“How about a song?” he asks. He knows she doesn’t like singing in front of other people but she’ll usually allow it when it’s just them because she knows how much he loves her singing.

“A song? What about?” She asks. Peeta and Prim are the only ones that can wheedle one out of her.

“Something happy” he said, wanting a song to go with his mood.

She racks her brain for a happy song and starts laughing. Peeta raises an eyebrow at her. It was on her mind this morning and he’ll get it once she starts singing. She clears her throat and begins.

People are talkin', talkin' 'bout people

I hear them whisper, you won't believe it

They think we're lovers kept under covers

I just ignore it, but they keep saying

We laugh just a little too loud

We stand just a little too close

We stare just a little too long

Maybe they're seeing something we don't, darlin'

Let's give them something to talk about

How about love?

I feel so foolish, I never noticed

You'd act so nervous

Could you be falling for me?

It took a rumor to make me wonder

Now I'm convinced I'm going under

Thinking 'bout you every day

Dreaming 'bout you every night

Hoping that you feel the same way

Now that we know it, let's really show it, darlin'

He cracks up! Whether it’s about them, her and Darius, or really anyone else in twelve, this song definitely describes their district. He grabs her braid and gives it a gentle tug. He remembers the rumors that had gone rampant in the district when they first started dating. There was the one where he had gotten her pregnant but his favorite was that Katniss had used her mother’s healer’s knowledge and brewed up some love potion that she would put in his tea with a lot of sugar to mask the taste.

They made it as far as the snare line that she shared with Gale and Rory when they hear a voice.

“I see she didn’t finish you off, lover boy” they whip around as Gale materialized from behind some bushes. “At least half the district will be happy to know you’re still alive” Gale said going up to Peeta and shaking his hand. “Glad to know I was wrong about one of you but Delly though” Gale said shaking his head. “I’d tell Thom to drop her, if it weren’t for the baby.” He turns to Katniss “you’d better make an honesty man out of him” he tells her.

“Why, what have they been saying?” she asks rolling her eye.

“Oh no, I just listen. Against my will mostly, Leevy can’t seem to help herself. Anyway I’m sure Prim will be all too happy to tell you all about it. I’ll catch you up later” Gale said and went off to finish checking the snare line.

As they make their way through the seam towards her house they were taken aback at the reaction of some of the people they come across. Some would clap as they walked by while others would smile and nodded at them. They actually seemed happy to see them back together.

Once they arrived to her house her mom and sister were not surprised to see Peeta with her. Prim ran up to him, gave him a big hug and asked when they plan on toasting. She gives her sister and incredulous look.

“Oh, come on Katniss, when Peeta didn’t return the day he left, we figured you either shot him with an arrow or took him back” she said. “The most popular rumor has you feeding him to the flesh eaters outside the fence. ��Followed by the one where you turned him into your plaything” Prim laughs when she sees Katniss scowling at that one. Why is she the one always coming off as the bad one in these rumors?

“That last one sounds like something Rye would spread” Peeta said wiggling his eyebrows at her while she glares at them. She huffs and heads off to the kitchen leaving them to their gossip, her mother following closely behind.

“Are you still taking the medicine?” her mom asks. Lily Everdeen started treating Katniss with the same medication she used when she found out her oldest daughter was slipping into depression.

“No” she answers sheepishly. Ever since Peeta show up at the cabin she hasn’t felt the need to use it. Her mom gives her a knowing smile.

“That’s good, you will need to start taking the tea to prevent pregnancy and that other medicine will block out its effectiveness, you’ll have to drink one cup every morning.” Katniss feels her cheek grow hot but nods as her mom continues to give her ‘the talk.’

She had noticed a change in her mother these pass few months. Lily was pleased that she had begun accepting her help instead of brushing it aside like she had been doing for years. She had also come to realize how much she missed and craved her mother’s affection. So at least one good thing could be said about the terrible ordeal she had gone through. It helped to mend her relationship with her mother.

They left a good portion of her haul at home to trade in town and at the hob later. But they still had a lot and not wanting to seem like she was rubbing it in the peacekeepers faces they took the back streets and alleyways to get to the back of the bakery. The minute they entered the door Mrs. Mellark was ready to pounce on Peeta because he had been gone longer then she thought necessary. He showed her their haul, two fat wild turkeys, a half dozen waterfowl, rabbits, squirrels and wild vegetables; katniss tubers, wild onion, mushrooms and a handful of cooking herbs. She about squealed in delight actually hugged Katniss and then hurried off to clean the game. Making a mental calculation of the profit they’ll make.

He goes upstairs to drop off his stuff leaving Katniss with his dad, who genuinely was happy to see her. Back at the cabin in a moment of weakness or more like post orgasmic bliss Katniss had actually let him sketch her naked saying it was for his eyes only and with a promise of inflicting bodily harm if anyone else saw it. So he was desperate to hide his sketchbook in his safe box. He couldn’t afford to let Rye get his hands on it. He had a loose floor board under his bed where he kept his lockbox. He stashed his sketchbook in there, locked it and hid it away.

While Peeta headed upstairs Rye who had been tending to customer up front walks to the back of the bakery and gives her a big bear hug picking her off the ground ignoring her protest.

“Oh thank god, you here” he said placing her back down “Now Peeta will stop being such a moody asshole.”

“Rye, give your brother a break, he had it rough. No thanks to us.” Mr. Mellark said moving towards the store front to let them talk.

“Was it really that bad?” she asks him.

“At one point, he even wished he was dead.” Rye said. Seeing the pained look on her face he adds quickly “Of course he was drunk out of his mind so I don’t think he remembers.” Hearing Rye say that makes her heart ache for Peeta.

“Darius said Cray’s not going to charger her with anything” Rye continues “But we managed to show her that what she did was not going to be ignored.”

“What did you do?” Peeta asked from the stairs startling them.

“The shoe shop got a makeover, come look” Rye tells them with a self satisfying grin on his face. Peeta grabs a hold of her hand pulling her towards the front of the bakery but instead of seeing the shoe shops new look she sees Delly and all the rage she had bottled up at the lake, came rushing back. Letting go of Peeta’s hand she stalks out of the bakery. Hearing Rye say ‘Oh this is going to be good’ as they follow after her. Thom tries to intercept her first.

“Katniss, please I know…” Thom begins but she doesn’t let him finish.

“Don’t start” she pushes pass him. Delly puts her hands up, placating.

“Just let me explain, I think you of all people might actually be able to understand.” Delly starts off.

“How in the hell would I possibly understand?” she yells “Can’t you see all the lives you turned upside down? Peeta’s most of all, he was your friend and you used him Delly.”

“I just thought I was going to end up an outcast living out in the seam. Kind of like your mother. Not that it matters I’m an outcast now anyways” Delly says dejectedly.

“So you think that justifies what you did to Peeta and everyone else that was hurt in the process?” she asks incredulously. Delly just shrugs. “Are you for real?

“I messed up, I realized that now” Delly said lamely.

“Are you kidding me, messed up? Putting salt in his tea is messing up, putting drugs in his drinks is a crime Delly” she yells. Rye repeats what he had said in the bakery about Delly not being charged and without realizing it Delly smirked. She was pleased knowing that she had gotten away with something big without being personally punished for it. Her smile shocked the people around her except for maybe Peeta. He had lived with her long enough to know that she had a nasty side to her. A cruel side that found pleasure in seeing other peoples misery. If she wasn’t happy she made sure no one around her was happy.

Thank goodness she doesn’t have her bow on her because all Katniss could see was red. She steps forward before anyone could react and punches Delly so hard she’d see stars. She doesn’t have time to do anything else because strong arms circle her waist and toss her over his shoulder.

“Come on tiger, you’ve made your point and have restored my honor” Peeta chuckles.

“Put me down” she bellows “I’m not finished with her yet” she struggles against his shoulder but it’s no good he’s much to strong and tightens his grip on her even more as he carries her away from the square. She hears laughter coming from some of people that had gathered around them while she continued to yell profanities at Delly.

She lets her body go limp knowing Peeta was not going to let her go and starts smacking his fine ass.

“Ouch, stop that” he tells her. Rye comes running up behind them. Giddy as a school girl with a new hair ribbon.

“That was so badass Katniss! I’m no healer but I think you broke her nose” Rye said. For a moment she felt a pang of guilt. She didn’t mean to get violent. She just wanted to give Delly a piece of her mind for the way she treated Peeta.

They make it to the bakery but he still won’t let her down instead her carries her up the stairs taking two at a time heading to his room. He tosses her on his bed and locking the door behind him.

She thought he was going to be mad but when she looked up at him his eyes were almost feral, wild with lust.

“No one has ever defending me like that before” he said. His voice sounded husky and full of need. She looks down his body and sees him straining against his pants. “Can you see how hard you’ve made me?” she licks her lip as he starts removing his shirt.

“Your parents are down stairs” she whispers but that doesn’t stop her from taking off her own shirt.

“Then we better be quiet.”

AO3

#betrayal #everlark #Peeta Mellark #katniss everdeen

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4ourleafclover · 8 years ago

Text

Despair [Mediator Challenge Part 2]

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warnings: description of injury/bleeding, depression

5:51

Clover didn’t waste any time getting out of the little cavern at the top of the ladder, quite certain that the lizard thing would be chasing her. However, she still found herself just a little bit hopeful. Somehow, she’d managed to think of a plan to save herself. She, a girl with no real talent outside of accessing the morphogenetic fields, had been able to think of something without Light or Junpei or Alice or Phi to help her.

That was really good, wasn’t it?

Clover knew that she’d never been very good at being independent. Ever since the first nonary game she’d clung to Light’s side, and after the second she’d found herself just as attached to Alice. Obviously, it was good to trust people. It was very good to have people she could rely on and love and care about, but she knew that the way she trusted could be… unhealthy.

It wasn’t fair of her to depend so heavily on others, but she really didn’t know how not to depend on people. Oh, she could make do on her own, but it was just so much easier when she had people giving her instructions. Besides, if she could help the people she cared about and make them happy, then it made her happy. It had never really been something she wanted to question- not until now.

She’d just come up with a way to distract that thing all by herself, and she’d managed to get it to go off relatively well. Wasn’t that proof that she could do things by herself? Wasn’t she proving that she wasn’t someone who always needed to rely on others? At the very least, it was a start- and maybe, just maybe, she could make it through this place all by herself.

5:22

Clearly the good luck at the last floor had put a spring in Clover’s step, because she’d managed to reach the next in good time. She was taken aback by what she found inside the room, though- it was lined with what appeared to be a phosphorescent moss, making the entire cave glow with an ethereal light. It looked quite alien, to be honest; and yet there was something beautiful about it. If it wasn’t for the death chasing her, she might’ve even wanted to stop and take a picture.

4: 47

The moss seemed to have grown everywhere on this floor, and that was proving to be a blessing and a curse. While it did make seeing easier, it was making navigation significantly harder. There were plenty of rocks that had been loosened and fallen thanks to it, and they made running next to impossible unless she wanted to risk breaking her ankle.

Seeing as that was obviously not desirable, she’d been forced to take her time. These caverns were at least nice to look at, and she hadn’t once heard that lizard-thing, which was a major positive.

“At least I don’t have to ru- aagh!”

Clover let out a scream of pain as her foot caught in a crevice that had been hidden by the moss growing on the floor, tumbling to the ground. The fall scraped her knees and hands, and she was covered in the strange glowing stuff, but she was more worried about her foot.

“Dammit… dammit, it hurts…”

She looked at the bracelet, and felt her mouth set in a tense line. There wasn’t enough time for her to rest- she had no idea how many floors more this place had. She had to keep moving…

Gingerly, she rotated her ankle- well, it didn’t hurt to move, at least. Next, she put a bit of pressure on it- oh yep, that hurt. She had her bag with her, but it didn’t hold anything other than her phone and some pokemon food- she’d checked earlier for Nils and Effie, but both of their pokeballs were gone. Made sense, if she was supposed to be doing this alone… but now what?

“I don’t have much of a choice… this sucks, though.”

She tore the left sleeve of her shirt off, ripping it into strips that could be used to wrap her ankle. It was the best she could do with limited resources, and she had to do something to let her keep moving.

3:56

She’d been slowed down significantly at first by her ankle, but the fact that she was only walking had given it time to feel far less sore. It hardly even hurt by the time she made it to the next floor- but this one was enough to make her skin crawl.

It was completely unlit.

There was a faint glow off her, from where bits of the moss had stuck to her clothes, but aside from that there was nothing to light her way. Her phone was a limited resource- as good as the battery was, she knew that it would definitely die in under an hour if she used it as a flashlight. What else, then? Well, this moss was still glowing, even after a significant amount of time… maybe that.

It was probably a stupid idea, but it really was the best that she had.

It took her about five minutes to head back to the previous floor, stuff a bunch of moss into the clear plastic baggie, and climb back up. When it was all compacted it actually glowed even stronger- it was no flashlight, but it’d do just fine.

3:10

Clover could hardly breathe, but she had to keep running. That monster was right behind her, it was far too close- she’d fucked up. She was going to die.

Her ankle ached and her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was going to burst- she hadn’t felt this terrified since the first time she’d gone through a numbered door, back when she was a child.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAIIII!”

Her scream echoed off the halls as the creature’s claws tore through her arm, ripping up her flesh as if it was nothing. The force threw her to the ground, and the tears started to well up- it hurt. It hurt. It hurt so bad.

No, there was no time for this. She had to run. She had to live. Even though it was pointless, she had to try to live, for just a little bit longer.

The creature swung at her again, but she managed to roll out of the way in time and force herself up to her feet, taking off at a sprint once more. She clutched onto where her arm had been injured with her good hand, feeling the blood pour from the wound. There was so much blood. If she didn’t pass out from exsanguination, she might just pass out from shock…

Desperate eyes scanned the hallways as her injured arm attempted to keep a grasp on the baggie, her mind only processing ‘hall’ or ‘rock’. She could tell this thing was playing with her, the way it continued to chase without ever getting too close- it wasn’t just hunting. It was enjoying the hunt.

3:04

Clover had found the ladder, but the creature hadn’t let up the entire time. Practically the second she’d seen it, the thing had thrown her into a wall- she slid to the ground with a grunt of pain, unable to do anything as the wind was knocked out of her lungs.

‘I was so close… so close…’

Despite everything, she found that she couldn’t cry. Perhaps she’d lost too much water from the bleeding, or perhaps it was because she was in shock, she didn’t know for sure. However, she could see this damned thing approaching, taking its time.

“I… I don’t wanna die… I don’t…”

Her voice was hardly more than a whisper, and her eye couldn’t leave the monster. What could she do? Was it really possible to do anything? Was it even worth trying anymore? Everything… everything was futile.

“What’re you waiting for, you bastard? Just kill me. Get it over with.”

She glared at the creature, but it didn’t respond. Well, it was clear from just one look that it wasn’t capable of speech, so what could she have really expected? It just continued to watch her, hissing and spitting but not finishing her off.

“What are you waiting for?! If you’re gonna kill me, then just kill me!”

She threw the glowing baggie at the monster in frustration, and it let out a high pitched shriek. Clover winced in pain, before looking- was it backing up? What was going on?

No, don’t think about that now! Just fucking run!!!

The scramble for the ladder felt like an eternity, and she could only use one arm to climb it, but she eventually succeeded, and found herself on the next floor.

2 hours and 49 minutes left until game over.

#askyourscientificgods #Hive mind [CITTA UPDATES]#Memories from the Field [DRABBLE]#mediator challenge

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always-andshewrites · 4 years ago

Link

Chapter 3 : Deal with the Devil