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Tweak says, "POTATO!"

Katniss Everdeen (firegirl) wrote in dunwichgame,
@ 2023-06-12 11:21:00

Entry tags:

!log/thread/narrative, ∙ plot: 005 bad moon rising, ◌ inactive: haymitch abernathy, ◌ inactive: katniss everdeen

KATNISS & HAYMITCH

And now she felt more alone than she had since getting here.

WHAT: Catching up, getting to know each other, something something?
WHERE: Dunwich main square
WHEN: Mid-morning, 12 June
WARNINGS: Hunting, general Hunger Games warnings
STATUS: Incomplete

The last several days had been a struggle. Katniss had been trying her hardest to not withdraw again, because she'd done that before and that had left her living alone in District 12 with Haymitch, Ani, and their geese for neighbors. And that was fine, except here she didn't even have that. Yeah, there were a few others from Panem, but they didn't know her, hadn't known her the way Finnick had. They hadn't been through the rebellion, hadn't stood at her side as she took down two corrupt governments. And now she felt more alone than she had since getting here. Probably more alone than she could remember. It was a stark contrast to just a month or so before, when she thought things were going alright, that maybe she was making progress. She had friends. Katniss nearly always felt better when she had a purpose, and being there for Junia, learning things from Bianca, and commisserating over their families back home with Finnick..well. It wasn't much, but it was something she was doing. And she knew there were other people here, others she could get to know better. But truthfully, she was scared. She didn't want to get close to someone and lose them again. That wasn't really any way to live, she knew, but at the moment it felt easier than the alternatives. Katniss had tried to reach out. Her run with Alexis wasn't so bad, and coffee was good. Katniss felt a little bad that she wasn't the most talkative, but Alexis talked enough for the both of them, and she had some pretty interesting stories. And Sylvie had reached out, even if she thought she wasn't good at peopleing, Katniss hadn't minded. She liked Sylvie and Alligator Loki. Maybe because they were both a little bit prickly, too. Making her way back from Sidewinder State Park, hunting gear in hand, Katniss carried a couple of rabbits at her side. It wasn't much, and she knew she wasn't actually supposed to hunt without a permit, but she'd gone out early and hadn't run into anyone else. And if nothing else, cleaning and cooking the rabbits would give her another something to do, and maybe she'd share the meal with Ani and Haymitch. Or maybe not. She didn't quite know what to make of them here. Ani was Ani, but..not Ani. The Ani she knew had mellowed a little with age and it was weird for Haymitch to look at her with almost no recognition. The banter was all wrong. And she knew it wasn't fair to compare them, but it was like seeing family and them thinking you'd never existed. Because she hadn't for them. Realizing that she hadn't eaten anything yet that day, Katniss made a quick stop into Perkatory for a breakfast sandwich and a coffee, ignoring the looks of some of the patrons when they noticed her hunting gear and animals at her side. After paying and thanking the staff, she made her way outside and out to the square where she took a seat in the grass, ignoring passers-by as she set her bows and hunting bag to the side, unhooked the rabbits from her belt, and opened up her sandwich to take a bite.

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habernathy
2023-06-17 12:55 pm UTC (link)

After days holed up inside with musty books, Haymitch had decided that actually, yeah, he could do with some fresh air. He'd leave it to Ani to make the ~we've all been here before~ post. It'd been her thing, after all. Besides, Odair being taken away had shifted him backward towards struggling to give a fuck. He'd not spoken more than a handful of words to the Victor from 4, but his leaving was just another reminder that all of this could be gone in a goddamn second. He could. Ani could. Donner could. The girl could, though Haymitch was no surer of what to make her of her than he had been to start with.

It was in that somewhat bleak frame of mind that Haymitch saw the girl, sitting alone in the middle of the square, almost finished with a sandwich. On no greater thought process than 'sure, why the fuck not', he sauntered over, flicking Katniss a salute before he eased himself down on the grass next to her. Rather than sit down, he lay down, giving Katniss the instruction, "Shoot anyone who gets too close."

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firegirl
2023-06-17 01:09 pm UTC (link)

Katniss looked up as Haymitch approached, blinking as he saluted. She gave a sort of up-nod of her own and finished the sandwich in her hands before crumpling up the wrapper and shoving it into her hunting bag at her side. "Yeah, sure. If you promise to bail me out."

Reaching for her coffee, she took a long drink. It was hot, but she didn't care- it felt like something when everything else was feeling a little numb. Katniss looked over at Haymitch flopped in the grass. "Where's your partner in crime? Haven't seen either of you much lately, and you two are usually joined at the hip."

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habernathy
2023-06-18 08:39 pm UTC (link)

Haymitch smirked faintly at the easy way she accepted his instruction, and let his eyes go halfway shut. It was risky, being so at ease in the public, but he had to trust that his older self could trust Katniss in a way not dissimilar to how he trusted Donner. "We've been looking into this Bad Moon Festival fuckery. Juuuuuust found something that's —" He made a wiggling motion with his fingers, indicating 'magic strangeness.' "And she's drafting her post to tell everyone else riiiight away."

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firegirl
2023-06-19 11:14 am UTC (link)

"More magic shit? And that's a surprise around here?" Katniss lifted a brow as he waved his fingers, but he seemed to be relaxing. He wasn't shaking- she wondered if he'd been drinking again, or if he was actually somewhat sober for once. Too hard to tell- but she would guess he probably had a flask on him at this very moment. "Guess that's good of her, though."

Katniss took another drink of her coffee, then debated cleaning one of the rabbits right here. It wouldn't be especially difficult- or probably not even that messy- she'd done the worst of it already, but they were in the middle of town. "What else have you been up to? I hardly ever see you around."

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habernathy
2023-07-01 01:05 am UTC (link)

Haymitch shrugged, simultaneously acknowledging her point and advertising his feelings on it. Flickles was all up in arms about it, and he cared because she cared, and because it was more interesting than not, but mostly.... mostly, it just felt like being back in the Capitol, with games playing about him without his consent. Except - somehow - weirder.

"Mostly drinking," he said, which wasn't exactly the truth, but wasn't a lie, either. "Shooting the shit with Flickles. Helping the kids at work~" He continued, putting a varnish of sarcasm on it as if that wasn't, actually, exactly what he was genuinely doing. The last few days, when they'd skipped out early, aside. "Nooot sure what I'm going to do with myself in the summer vacation." It reminded him - of course it reminded him - of the Games, and Mentoring, and how strange his life was now that the kids he had to help didn't die.

This time, when he looked at Katniss, it was shrewd. "What about you, rebel girl? How're you doing?"

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firegirl
2023-07-01 01:17 am UTC (link)

"Hm." Katniss made a sound of acknowledgment as he shrugged.

She nodded. None of that seemed like a surprise- not even helping with the kids. "I'm sure you and Ani can find plenty to fill your days. She's always got something, doesn't she?"

Katniss couldn't help the face she made at his nickname for her, and she took another long drink of her coffee. "Not much to say, really. Keep losing friends, but I guess that's nothing new around here. Still working at the nursery. Started part time at MIST, though. Working with some of the guys on outreach for the under twenties."

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