miles rhodes; mentor, district six (milesperhr) wrote in colosseum, @ 2014-03-21 15:43:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ! interim, - districts, victor: 49th miles rhodes, victor: 56th halle gremlin |
Who: Miles Rhodes [D6] and Halle Gremlin [D6]
When: Throughout the interim
Where: District 6
What: Art and bonding
Status/Warnings: None
Prompt: Eternity
Life after the arena was treating Halle pretty well. She was eating well (and consistently!) for the first time in her life. Her house, though filled with other Gremlins, was bigger than she ever dreamed. She woke up in a cold sweat sometimes, but it was better than not waking up at all. Her life may not have gone back to anything like normal, but who needed normal? She knew she'd have to start worrying about her victory tour sooner or later, but that didn't have to be today. Today, she wanted to learn how to paint like Miles did. She sought him out to ask him to teach her some things. The car was hidden from public view in the garage that was attached to the back of Miles’ house, protected from prying eyes by the tall fence that boxed in his yard. “It’s spraypaint,” he told her, shaking the can in his hand. “Won’t truly harden for months. Good start for seeing how well you like a design.” It was mostly an excuse to use aerosol; but the burning intoxication of fumes wasn’t why Halle was here. She watched him work, considering what kind of design she would like to try. Halle had never really gotten a chance to express her thoughts artistically; even when she was creative in the arena, everything was literal and functional. "Spray paint," she said, teasing. "You're not going to turn into a secret graffiti artist on us now, are you?" Miles smiled and chuckled slightly, glad to see she seemed to be in good spirits. “Well, now that you mention it...” He gave her a conspiratory wink as he held out one of the cans for her. “What do you want to tag first?” "I think maybe…" she said, considering. She didn't have some great image in her head, or even any solid idea. "Maybe I'll just start something and see what happens." The rocky mountain of District Two were felt immediately. The train rolled on rickety tracks as it went up and down and through dark tunnels. He wished he was back in District Six, but at least it’s almost over. Miles used to love being on the trains. Or at least, he thought he did. It’s difficult to remember a life before the Games. Halle looked rough in Three but Miles didn’t ask how she was feeling. He’d seen it. “Art lasts forever,” he said, breaking the silence as he nodded at his canvas. Forever wasn't a concept Halle gave a lot of thought. She'd barely considered past the end of the tour, and right now, worries about the upcoming stop in District Two were consuming her for the most. The awkwardness of Ten combined with the career and expectation culture of Four didn't seem promising. She watched the mountains pass by outside the train windows. "Nothing lasts forever." To Halle, it wasn't a depressing statement, but a hopeful one. Miles opened his mouth to disagree but shook his head. She’d find out soon enough that she was wrong. On the canvas he had drawn a the rough outline of a sphere. Only Panem was discernible through all of the pencil lines and loops. The rest of the world was empty; an unimaginable void. “How’s it with your brothers?” Miles asked as he leaned against the kitchen counter in Halle’s house. It was the first time she was the only one home when he’d come by. Although he lived more or less alone, it still felt strange to hear the silence here. “Everyone’s.... adjusting?” Halle had poured a bunch of dried beans out on the counter and was now absentmindedly playing with them, arranging them into little designs and waves and abstract patterns. It was a habit she'd picked up in the last few weeks, something to focus on so she could drown out all the noise going on around her. She shrugged at the question. "Everyone's adjusted to the house and having more stuff and food and to everybody in the district recognizing them," she said. "I just don't think they've adjusted to … me. You know? Like it's only a matter of time until I go back to normal." Miles watched her hands as the beans shifted and moved across the counter. It was a strange thing to watch but nonetheless he found himself unable to look away and started evaluating the artistic value of the patterns. He nodded quietly at her assessments and let the moment hang before asking, “What do you think? About being ‘normal’, I mean.” She nudged a few more beans into place, stared at her design, then pushed them all back into a pile to start again. "I don't think 'normal' applies to Victors." “It doesn’t,” he affirmed. Miles found himself thankful she was so young and hoping fervently that by the time she was old enough for things, no one would care about her anymore. “But we’re stuck now. Anyway, you can come over anytime you want to escape -” Miles waved his hands around to indicate everything associated with her new family life. “Terra’s too.” Halle didn't say anything for a moment. It probably wasn't what he meant, but Halle couldn't help but think about what she knew of Miles and Terra's preferred forms of escape. She saw the appeal, but didn't feel the need just now to follow down that rabbit hole. "You'll get sick of me," she said with a small laugh. “Can’t afford too,” he relied, offering a small smile. Then he added wryly, “We’ve got an eternity together.” |