Aeneas Quatermain [D2] (pietas) wrote in colosseum, @ 2014-04-15 20:18:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! 57th games, - arena, tribute: 57th aeneas quatermain, tribute: 57th pompeia clacher, tribute: 57th shad simmons |
WHO: Aeneas Quatermain [D2] and Shad Simmons [D4] & a cameo from Pompeia Clacher [D2]
WHEN: Arena Day 12
WHERE: The cornucopia
WHAT: the Arena "bros" discuss home.
STATUS: Completed
"I never thought I'd be so glad to smell fish," Shad said, looking up from his pot of stew. "I feel like I oughta bathe in it. Forget District One's fancy cologne." He mimed with his spoon (licked clean), gesturing from his neck to his armpits, and then below his waist. "Smells like home." He paused, appropriating a rueful expression. "Nah, I'll be honest, this smells better than home. My ma didn't make stuff this good. Sorry, Ma." He looked up, shrugging at unseen cameras. If he made it out of the arena alive, she'd be so grateful she'd forgive him the slight. "You want to try it?" he asked Aeneas, figuring he could spare a spoonful, though he wasn't about to pass around the pot. "It's better than Pompeia's lobster." Aeneas was trying to eye Shad's stew with intellectual curiosity more than envy, which was what he was feeling. He couldn't say that the lobster experience had made him eager to eat more seafood, but it did smell good. He wasn't sure that anything wouldn't smell good right now. Even his mother's cooking -- which left a lot to be desired -- seemed good right now. He shifted closer to the other boy, saying, "If you don't mind." He didn't want Shad to think that he was going to bash heads in over stew or something. "We don't have a lot of fish in Two. Something about cactuses and deserts turns them off, for some reason." He paused, looking out at the rain. "No, man, here." He reached the spoon to Aeneas but held the pot, which still gave him some level of control. "We don't get choice fish at home, anyway. I mean, we're not wrestling the gulls for heads and fins, but it's not this rich. It's probably going to make me sick. I oughta find some greens or something, balance it out." He lifted his eyebrows as Aeneas tried it, waiting for the other Career's opinion. "Like it?" he asked. "Better than cactus? You guys don't really eat cactus, do you?" Aeneas, feeling a little better about taking some of Shad's food, took the offered bite, though he made sure it was small. He didn't want to appear to be taking advantage of generosity. That was the kind of thing that made allies kill each other. "Mmm," he said thoughtfully. "Best thing I've had in the arena so far." "Only a couple of kinds of cactus are edible, really," he said. "And we don't eat them much, but I'd take it right now. That and Two weather. I swear, it's rained more here in the last couple of days than it did in Two my whole life." He wrinkled his nose. He had never before considered what a pain in the ass it was to be constantly wet. He sighed wistfully, thinking of the heat and the brief thunderstorms in Two. He didn't admit he was feeling homesick, exactly, but the idea was clear. Shad nodded. "Right?" Even the fresh cakes on their first night after the Bloodbath paled in comparison. He listened to Aeneas, pulling a face at eating a cactus (he wouldn't), but he did agree with the assessment on rain. He appreciated that they had water to drink, but it could stop any time now. He wouldn't be sorry to see some sun, if the rays could even stretch through the mist. "It rains a lot in Four," he said. "You get that, on the water, but this is cold. I'm not a fan of being cold and wet." He took the spoon back, looking interested. "So District 2 isn't like this?" he asked. "Snow and fog and shit?" Aeneas paused, thinking of how to describe Two to someone who'd never been there. "Fog, no. It's too dry. Sometimes, it snows a little in the mountains, in winter. About as much as we had. But when it rains, it's usually summer thunderstorms. Here and gone in an hour." He thought of a thunderstorm he'd walked through once, to meet a girl, and of the sound of rain on the roof of his family's home, and most longingly, of the hot, dry days. He almost asked if Shad missed Four, but doing so felt sentimental. Instead, he said, "In the summertime, it's always hot during the day. My brother used to make me wave a fan at him sometimes. Said it builds character." It occurred to him that this was the first time he'd mentioned Turnus in the Games. He hadn't made his persona about his personal life, which suited him fine. Bringing it up felt weird. "Ha!" Shad's laugh rang out. "Older brother? That sounds familiar. I got three of 'em. Never had to wave a fan, but I got tasked with dumping the guts at the cannery more than once. That's a shitty job. Literally." He wondered if Aeneas felt like he did; that if he became a victor, those tables would turn. Shad wouldn't have to shovel fish or push heavy carts again. Of course, he wasn't going to bond over what-ifs now. Supporting the possibility of someone else's victory wouldn't do anything but cause Capitol viewers to question his potential. "Probably best it's not hot here, anyway. The only people we got here to do fanning are Shimmer and Pompeia, and I think both of them would use the ends of their swords to do the job." He brought the spoon down in front of his face like it was cleaving him in half, then stuck his tongue out and rolled his eyes back. "One older brother was fucking plenty for me. Not that we don't get on, but..." Aeneas trailed off, shaking his head a little at the idea of three of Turnus. His relationship with his brother was too complicated to explain to Shad without getting uncomfortable. He'd spent his whole life both envying and admiring Turnus, and now, he worried he'd fall short of expectations. That everyone would say Turnus would have done better. He wondered if Shad's brothers were trained, too, if he felt the same weight of expectations, but didn't ask. Instead, he snorted at Shad's impression of death by condescending girls. "I feel like Shimmer and Pompeia wouldn't be much more in favor of the idea of huddling together for warmth than they would for fanning anybody. Pompeia'd probably just kick you while spooning." Not that he had much desire to huddle up with either of them, like two tributes he wouldn't name had last year. "I get it," said Shad. He thought he did, anyhow. He'd trailed after three brothers his entire life, and volunteering had been his way of striking out on his own. It was unfortunate there were only two ways to close his journey, but he tried not to think about that. The small glimpses he'd had of his own mortality (healing up nicely with the cream from Mags and Char), had made him less certain that death was better than life in the cannery. "I think she'd kick me just because," Shad answered with a laugh. "I don't know if all the girls are like that in your district, but man." Raising his eyebrows, Aeneas gave Shad a skeptical look. "I'm surprised you're not more used to the idea of girls being able to kick your ass, being from Four," he said, remembering the infamous girls are sensitive comment back in the Capitol. Coming from Two, you just didn't think that kind of thing. Most of the girls Aeneas knew, even if they weren't as intense as Pompeia, were anything but sensitive. Even Minerva, who had never been good at training for the Games, gave the impression of not being someone to cross. "I mean, Pompeia is the extreme," he continued. "Other girls laugh and have fun and probably wouldn't kick you just because. But that doesn't mean you should fuck with them." Shad opened his mouth, shut it, and then opened it again. He was pretty sure Mags would consider what he wanted to say 'cannery talk', and she'd warned him against it. "I mean, there are some girls there that I'd welcome a good ass kicking from," he said, smiling crookedly. "If you know what I mean." Amusement settled across his features as Aeneas compared Pompeia to the rest of District Two's female population. "Yeah, I guess she probably laughs and has fun on the inside," said Shad. "While she plants rocks or whatever." He couldn't remember everything she'd said about rock gardening. "Anyway, I don't fuck with anyone who doesn't have it coming." "What?" Pompeia called out from the back of the Cornucopia. Patched up and reeking of cologne, she was in the middle of stuffing a wristlet and clutch into an unused purse. "What are you saying about me?" Shad glanced at Aeneas, deciding it was better if her district partner answered. I'm not getting kicked. "Nothing bad," Aeneas said, trying not to sound defensive. The last thing he needed was to give Pompeia a reason to be mad at him. And besides, it was true, at least for him. He might think Pompeia was extreme and intense, but that wasn't a bad thing. It was just... Pompeia. "Shad just wanted to know if all the girls in Two are as... focused as you are." "Rock gardening is a relaxing activity." Shad widened his eyes, but did not look back to where Pompeia was standing. "I'm sure it is!" he responded. He sounded unconvinced but not patronizing, but gave Aeneas a Look before spooning out some more stew. "Aeneas," he said, lowering his voice a notch, "I hope you didn't spend your spare time planting rocks." Aeneas wanted to throw up his arms at these two. Instead, he just shook his head. "Rock gardening's fine, but I had other things to do," he said, though reflecting on it, he hadn't really had any hobbies back in Two. His time had been divided between training, school, and people. "And there are other ways to relax." He shrugged. Aeneas was so damn nonchalant about everything. Shad gave him an amused look, then kicked up his feet onto the top of an old chest. "Yeah?" he said, "tell me about them, then. Since we're moving tomorrow, we oughta try at least a few of them tonight." |