Gale Hawthorne {belongs in the woods} (chevalier_noire) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2015-09-19 09:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, gale hawthorne, rue |
Who: Gale and Rue
When: Friday morning/afternoon
Where: Outside the Tower, in Stressville
What: Gale needs another little sister like he needs a hole in the head, but he's gettin' one today.
Rating: low
Gale had risen to a perfectly normal day. That was one benefit of beating the sun; everything seems normal when the whole world is still asleep. That didn't last long, as Gale checked the network to see a frenzy of people from Pott's Tower, their loved ones locked away from them. His heart froze and he began scanning the pages for anything from anyone he knew. Good news, hopefully. It seemed some people were on the outside.
And for once in his life, there was a little of that good news. Katniss had been spared, caught outside the Tower just like himself. Although spared might have been a little optimistic. Prim and Peeta were caught inside, so while she was physically safe, she was far from okay. And Rue was with her. Gale had searched around Pott's tower with Katniss, but he had come late to the party and was willing to believe everyone else when they said they'd been trying to get in for hours to no avail. Eventually, he had to make the hard choice.
Standing there panicking wasn't going to help Prim or Peeta, and it was only making the three of them feel worse. Kindly, but as sternly as he needed to get through to her, Gale suggested he, Katniss, and Rue find a place to rest for awhile. Or at least a place where they didn't have to look at the behemoth holding their loved ones hostage. So he made a path to a nearby hotel, got a room, and left Katniss and Rue there temporarily while he scored something he still wasn't used to -- food someone else had cooked.
It was something called manicotti and it smelled delicious. He'd brought some lasagna, too, whatever that was. Gale left some food for Katniss, but she was lost in a world of worry he couldn't save her from. Oh, he was worried, too. He thought of Prim as another of his own little siblings. The thought of some monster getting to her made him frantic. He wanted to break things, smash the building apart until it gave him back the people he needed. While he was focused on that, he couldn't help but notice the scared little girl still with them. Maybe Prim needed more help, but right now Rue was the one who needed support. Gale thought this must all be pretty scary for her, even though she'd been in the Hunger Games. It was scary for him, and he'd been through a war.
So he asked her if she'd like to sit on the front stoop with him, rather than cooped up in the room. He hoped, too, that Katniss might finally get a little sleep if the room was dark and quiet enough. He left the door cracked, though, just in case she needed him, and then devoted the rest of his attention to this little girl he didn't know, but whose death he had mourned not too long ago. "So..." He faltered as he turned to look at her. He didn't know where to start talking to this stranger that his best friend cared so much for. He figured there were a few places that offered some conversational material, but only one that didn't require too much of him right now. He was emotionally exhausted and would have liked to be lying in the hotel room, looking after Katniss. He couldn't leave Rue alone, though. Something in him wouldn't let a little girl be scared or lonely if he could fix it. "Is this better or worse than Mexican food?"