[Her brow furrows. "The odds aren't in your favor" is a shit thing to say to someone. Granted, she just did, but... Hm. She sighs and kicks off her shoes. At some point, she should head back to her room if only to tell Tonbo where she'll be, but that can come later. For now, she slides back to flop down on the bed properly. There's a long moment where she does hog the whole thing, basking in the comfort of not standing around in a stupid ballroom, but then she scoots to one side.]
[There's a long moment in which he might or might not get up, but sooner or later he rises with a groan. Takes another long sip before stumbling over, setting the bottle down and climbing in next to her. Unlike with Monika, there's no hesitation to the way he moves: he bumps up against her and that's fine, because it's inevitable, the two of them tangled together.
Only once they're settled down does he speak, his arm sprawled carelessly over her side. He is exhausted. Maybe more than he realized, because it settles on him heavily as he finally lies down.]
She's not a friend.
[What is Effie, anyway? Friend sounds wrong. Too paltry, too innocent, and that's never been either of them, not for years and years. Certainly not anything friendly, not for the majority of that time. He'd thought her vapid and idiotic, worried only about fashion and escaping the drudgery of 12 for a more glamorous district. And she was, honestly, it's not like that perception was wrong, but . . .
Afterwards is when she'd shone. Down in 13, stripped of her makeup and her stupid wigs and all the fucking nonsense of Panem, she'd gotten a grip on herself. She was still Effie, with that scarf tied around her hair and as much makeup as she could get away with, but it was more . . . contained. More streamlined. Focused, and she'd actually started using her brain, leading instead of following. Barking orders for Katniss' sake, and sure, it was orders about clothing types and makeup options, but it was still--
Or maybe it was earlier than that. Maybe it was during that first Victory tour, when they'd finally had not one but two children to care over (and Katniss and Peeta, no matter what they've gone through, no matter how the Capitol dolled them up and tore them down, are still children). Maybe it was late night speech revisions and drawled out comments; half-eaten dinners on trains and anxious fretting about the most inane things, because there was nothing either of them could do about the looming problems that truly mattered.
Maybe it's been building up all these years, because there's only so long you can ignore the only consistency in your life, no matter what form it takes.
When had he looked at her and saw not something derisive, but desirable? It'd culminated in one easy night, one long look as everyone had slowly gone to bed, and Effie following him, heels clicking and voice just a little breathless, til they'd reached his bed, and gave what comforts they could, easy and unassuming. No promises, nothing so childish, but something recurring, and that's more than he'd had in years and years.
Kind of like Katy, he thinks, and runs an idle thumb against her hip.]
It was a lottery system, back when they picked the kids for the Games. She was the . . . I guess you could call her the showwoman. Picked the names each year, and then she and I would train them. She'd show em how to act, how to look good, impress sponsors while I taught em how to survive in the arena. I dunno if she ever thoughts about it, really. It was just a job for all of us. You did it because you always did.
[He keeps up his stroking pattern, tracing the line of her hip, staring at nothing as he speaks.]
After the revolution . . . she'd gone through it. We all had. She never talks about it, but I know what happened. They tortured her, cuz she didn't get out in time, and our last tributes were the stars of the revolution. It wasn't a good idea to be connected to them, you know? But then it was afterwards, all the fighting done, and it was just me and her a bunch while everybody figured out what the hell we were all doing.
Nobody ever talks about that: what happens after all the killing's over and we all figure out what we're doing now. It's dull and tense, all at once. Kinda like now, [he says, and laughs a little, in a despairing way.] You know you're not gonna die, but you don't know if maybe tomorrow'll be better or worse. So we . . .
She's an idiot. She used to be obsessed with all the Capitol crap, all the fashion and wigs and makeup . . . but after it all fell apart, you could see what she was beneath all that. And she's a good woman. Smarter than she thinks she is.
[God, but he misses her. He really does. But oh . . . he snorts at himself, talking and talking like this, but shit, he's drunk.]
She used to say that. They all did, when they picked the names for the next games. May the odds be ever in your favor.
[Oh, good. He settles in next to her and then his arms find her and it's more than she was expecting, especially given the distance he's been keeping between them since she showed up. She takes full advantage, nestling in close just for the feel of a body against hers.
And then she listens, her fingers idly tracing through his free hand. It's more details that sound so foreign to her, so teetering on the edge of unbelievable, but this time, there's a running theme that she can relate to. She's never really had someone like who he's describing, but she's had her fair share of complicated relationships. It's a human thing more than a who-comes-from-where thing, and there's grounding in that.]
She sounds like a friend. Maybe not a capital-F Friend, but you don't go through all that with a person and not stick a special note in their file.
[As off-base as the comparison is, she's reminded of Stewart. She wouldn't call Stewart her friend, not by a long shot, but she did start a scrap with Tanis and her boys over him. She'd do it again. She'd put money that Haymitch would do the same for this woman.]
[Beautiful and soft and idiotic and nattering, clever about all the wrong things, surviving despite the odds, as grimly and determinedly as any tribute she'd sent to the chopping block.]
She gave me this.
[He lifts his hand, flexing his wrist to show the bracelet.]
[She smiles to herself as he reveals the bracelet. Oh, they're totally friends, if not more from the way he's digging his heels in at the label despite talking about her so fondly. Good for him. She's glad he's got someone waiting for him back home.]
Sounds to me like she's chipping in like she knows how. And she's got good taste.
[Both in him and in the bracelet. She runs her fingers along the gold. It's nice, getting a glimpse of where he's from—
Wait. Her eyebrows knit together.]
I thought you came here with a knife.
[Aren't they only supposed to get one thing from home?]
Yeah. Came at the start of the week anyway, dunno what that's about.
[So what the fuck is that about, he just doesn't know. But he's grateful for it, honestly, and he lets her touch, examining it. It's real gold, knowing Effie.]
[Hey, she's sitting up now. She's not suspicious of him, of course, but this warrants further thought. Why is Haymitch getting freebies from home when she literally had to suck a dick for a lighter?]
[OH my god, oh my god? It's not that stupid a thing to think, all things considered, but also, she wasn't done riding the high of him catching Monika. She'd just assumed he would think of these things before her, or at least at the same time.]
I got a token for fucking you. Used it to buy a lighter.
[Priorities. But, also, her point is: Imbalance!]
You get something personal from home, and I get the Chuck E. Cheese economy? Something's up. That, or the pay-off for sucking cock is wildly skewed.
[Not that there's much she'd want from home, but still.]
[She's quiet for a moment, but then she untangles herself from his arms and sits up to face him.]
I'll be careful, and so will you, and likewise, we'll keep each other informed as to what we're getting up to. And most importantly: If anything happens to either of us, it's not the other's fault. Those are the new terms of our alliance. Got it?
[It's not a negotiation.]
I mean it, Haymitch. No matter what happens, I'm not forty-seven.
[She gives him a nod. It's settled. Trying is good enough for now.]
My brother would like you. That's saying something.
[She's maybe the first man he's slept with that Wayne might actually get along with. She's not sure what that says about this bizarre situation she's found herself in.]
[He hadn't even known she'd had a brother. He doesn't know a lot about her, he realizes, and that seems grossly unfair right now. His hand drifts up, slipping beneath her shirt-- not for a grope, but just to brush his fingers against bare skin.]
My big brother is the best man you'll ever meet, is what he's like. He's the toughest guy in Letterkenny, and he pert near runs the town, though he'd never admit to that sort of self-importance.
[Her smile drops for just a second as she licks her lips. She's been trying not to think about Wayne much. He's likely broken more than a few bones trying to track her down.]
Some worm pickers were giving us trouble some years back. Kept coming through the farm at night, trampling on the beans, causing a fuss. He dug a crop of holes, six foot deep, and dropped a skunk in each one. Didn't have any trouble with worm pickers after that.
[...]
That's what we get up to back home. We've got a farm... Though I'd gone off to try modeling in the city before ending up here.
I do. It's boring as shit, though. A monkey could do it. Plus, I'm like to miss sledding season at this rate.
[Again, priorities, but there's not much money in it either, truth be told. She whumps a fist against his chest at the tease.]
I do my share. I'm no slouch.
[But it's not as if she wants to work on the farm forever, hence the attempt at modeling. It was worth a shot, even if it isn't bound to stick.]
Geese, huh? Couldn't've picked a finer animal to raise, if you want my opinion. You know, the mutants down at the golf club wanted to oil up the Canadian goose eggs so they wouldn't hatch and shit all over the course. We rose such a fuss we got 'em to scrap that stupid fucking plan, though.
[skips ahead in her timeline a little but if they can't bond over their mutual love of geese then what's the fucking point]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 07:51 am (UTC)Come here and tell me about your friend, then.
[She pats the space next to her.]
I'm exhausted, and I know you are too.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 08:05 pm (UTC)Only once they're settled down does he speak, his arm sprawled carelessly over her side. He is exhausted. Maybe more than he realized, because it settles on him heavily as he finally lies down.]
She's not a friend.
[What is Effie, anyway? Friend sounds wrong. Too paltry, too innocent, and that's never been either of them, not for years and years. Certainly not anything friendly, not for the majority of that time. He'd thought her vapid and idiotic, worried only about fashion and escaping the drudgery of 12 for a more glamorous district. And she was, honestly, it's not like that perception was wrong, but . . .
Afterwards is when she'd shone. Down in 13, stripped of her makeup and her stupid wigs and all the fucking nonsense of Panem, she'd gotten a grip on herself. She was still Effie, with that scarf tied around her hair and as much makeup as she could get away with, but it was more . . . contained. More streamlined. Focused, and she'd actually started using her brain, leading instead of following. Barking orders for Katniss' sake, and sure, it was orders about clothing types and makeup options, but it was still--
Or maybe it was earlier than that. Maybe it was during that first Victory tour, when they'd finally had not one but two children to care over (and Katniss and Peeta, no matter what they've gone through, no matter how the Capitol dolled them up and tore them down, are still children). Maybe it was late night speech revisions and drawled out comments; half-eaten dinners on trains and anxious fretting about the most inane things, because there was nothing either of them could do about the looming problems that truly mattered.
Maybe it's been building up all these years, because there's only so long you can ignore the only consistency in your life, no matter what form it takes.
When had he looked at her and saw not something derisive, but desirable? It'd culminated in one easy night, one long look as everyone had slowly gone to bed, and Effie following him, heels clicking and voice just a little breathless, til they'd reached his bed, and gave what comforts they could, easy and unassuming. No promises, nothing so childish, but something recurring, and that's more than he'd had in years and years.
Kind of like Katy, he thinks, and runs an idle thumb against her hip.]
It was a lottery system, back when they picked the kids for the Games. She was the . . . I guess you could call her the showwoman. Picked the names each year, and then she and I would train them. She'd show em how to act, how to look good, impress sponsors while I taught em how to survive in the arena. I dunno if she ever thoughts about it, really. It was just a job for all of us. You did it because you always did.
[He keeps up his stroking pattern, tracing the line of her hip, staring at nothing as he speaks.]
After the revolution . . . she'd gone through it. We all had. She never talks about it, but I know what happened. They tortured her, cuz she didn't get out in time, and our last tributes were the stars of the revolution. It wasn't a good idea to be connected to them, you know? But then it was afterwards, all the fighting done, and it was just me and her a bunch while everybody figured out what the hell we were all doing.
Nobody ever talks about that: what happens after all the killing's over and we all figure out what we're doing now. It's dull and tense, all at once. Kinda like now, [he says, and laughs a little, in a despairing way.] You know you're not gonna die, but you don't know if maybe tomorrow'll be better or worse. So we . . .
She's an idiot. She used to be obsessed with all the Capitol crap, all the fashion and wigs and makeup . . . but after it all fell apart, you could see what she was beneath all that. And she's a good woman. Smarter than she thinks she is.
[God, but he misses her. He really does. But oh . . . he snorts at himself, talking and talking like this, but shit, he's drunk.]
She used to say that. They all did, when they picked the names for the next games. May the odds be ever in your favor.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 08:55 pm (UTC)And then she listens, her fingers idly tracing through his free hand. It's more details that sound so foreign to her, so teetering on the edge of unbelievable, but this time, there's a running theme that she can relate to. She's never really had someone like who he's describing, but she's had her fair share of complicated relationships. It's a human thing more than a who-comes-from-where thing, and there's grounding in that.]
She sounds like a friend. Maybe not a capital-F Friend, but you don't go through all that with a person and not stick a special note in their file.
[As off-base as the comparison is, she's reminded of Stewart. She wouldn't call Stewart her friend, not by a long shot, but she did start a scrap with Tanis and her boys over him. She'd do it again. She'd put money that Haymitch would do the same for this woman.]
What's her name?
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 09:19 pm (UTC)[Beautiful and soft and idiotic and nattering, clever about all the wrong things, surviving despite the odds, as grimly and determinedly as any tribute she'd sent to the chopping block.]
She gave me this.
[He lifts his hand, flexing his wrist to show the bracelet.]
Me, and our two tributes. Said it made us a team.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 09:36 pm (UTC)Sounds to me like she's chipping in like she knows how. And she's got good taste.
[Both in him and in the bracelet. She runs her fingers along the gold. It's nice, getting a glimpse of where he's from—
Wait. Her eyebrows knit together.]
I thought you came here with a knife.
[Aren't they only supposed to get one thing from home?]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 09:58 pm (UTC)[So what the fuck is that about, he just doesn't know. But he's grateful for it, honestly, and he lets her touch, examining it. It's real gold, knowing Effie.]
Pretty nice, though.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 10:01 pm (UTC)And you don't find that suspicious?
[Hey, she's sitting up now. She's not suspicious of him, of course, but this warrants further thought. Why is Haymitch getting freebies from home when she literally had to suck a dick for a lighter?]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 10:02 pm (UTC)[he stares up at her. Honestly, he hadn't given it much of a thought beyond mild surprise, but now that she brings it up . . .]
What, you think it's not?
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 10:11 pm (UTC)[OH my god, oh my god? It's not that stupid a thing to think, all things considered, but also, she wasn't done riding the high of him catching Monika. She'd just assumed he would think of these things before her, or at least at the same time.]
I got a token for fucking you. Used it to buy a lighter.
[Priorities. But, also, her point is: Imbalance!]
You get something personal from home, and I get the Chuck E. Cheese economy? Something's up. That, or the pay-off for sucking cock is wildly skewed.
[Not that there's much she'd want from home, but still.]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 10:20 pm (UTC)[Said vaguely.]
I got a token too. Still haven't spent it. This was just . . . extra, I guess.
[Now he's worried. But it's the same gold bangle he remembers, the intricate vine pattern, the metal digging into his skin.]
Listen, worry less about this shit and more about the other people. It's all just gimmicks.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 10:38 pm (UTC)It can't be just gimmicks. This whole place functions on rules. Maybe what it means isn't that important, but it still means something.
[But, in any case, she's willing to let it go for the night. She settles back in next to him, tugging at his arm to return it to where it was before.]
Nathan might know. He can talk to the people that were here before us.
[...]
You have to send nudes to get him to talk to you, though. It's a shit system. I punched him for it.
[Not that he designed the system, but.]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 11:32 pm (UTC)Of course you did.
[And speaking of punching--]
Where the hell did that kick come from?
no subject
Date: 2019-10-20 11:46 pm (UTC)What do you mean?
[But then she shrugs.]
It's not like you could slug her. I was lookin' out.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 01:34 am (UTC)[A few seconds pass, and he makes an odd sort of expression before finally settling on:]
Thanks.
And nice shot.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 01:57 am (UTC)Where I come from, you always back up your pals. No questions asked.
[...]
If I'm honest, I'm disappointed she didn't retaliate. It's not often I get a chance at a good scrap.
[Maybe don't immediately drop people with box shots and you'd get the fight you're looking for, Katy???]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 01:58 am (UTC)[It's mocking, but it brings to mind an uneasy truth: sooner or later, somebody's gonna go after Katy. Or him. Or both.]
Listen. You stick close, all right? Do what you want, but tell me before you go off somewhere.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 02:20 am (UTC)I'm not talking about the life or death shit. I'm talking about a good, clean fight. It's different.
[And then she sighs. She wants to go back to talking about how impressed he was.]
The only night that matters is Thursday, and if anything's gonna happen to me over curfew, you won't be able to do much about it.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 02:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 02:36 am (UTC)I'll be careful, and so will you, and likewise, we'll keep each other informed as to what we're getting up to. And most importantly: If anything happens to either of us, it's not the other's fault. Those are the new terms of our alliance. Got it?
[It's not a negotiation.]
I mean it, Haymitch. No matter what happens, I'm not forty-seven.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 02:48 am (UTC)You ask for a lot, Katy. More than you realize.
But I can try.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 02:55 am (UTC)My brother would like you. That's saying something.
[She's maybe the first man he's slept with that Wayne might actually get along with. She's not sure what that says about this bizarre situation she's found herself in.]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 03:02 am (UTC)[He hadn't even known she'd had a brother. He doesn't know a lot about her, he realizes, and that seems grossly unfair right now. His hand drifts up, slipping beneath her shirt-- not for a grope, but just to brush his fingers against bare skin.]
What's he like?
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 03:54 am (UTC)My big brother is the best man you'll ever meet, is what he's like. He's the toughest guy in Letterkenny, and he pert near runs the town, though he'd never admit to that sort of self-importance.
[Her smile drops for just a second as she licks her lips. She's been trying not to think about Wayne much. He's likely broken more than a few bones trying to track her down.]
Some worm pickers were giving us trouble some years back. Kept coming through the farm at night, trampling on the beans, causing a fuss. He dug a crop of holes, six foot deep, and dropped a skunk in each one. Didn't have any trouble with worm pickers after that.
[...]
That's what we get up to back home. We've got a farm... Though I'd gone off to try modeling in the city before ending up here.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 04:06 am (UTC)[He says it as he strokes a thumb against the curve of her stomach.]
I keep geese. Not a farm-- I told you, we were a mining family-- but I at least know what it is to go around an do chores.
Unless you left all that to your brother.
[He's teasing.]
no subject
Date: 2019-10-21 05:51 am (UTC)[Again, priorities, but there's not much money in it either, truth be told. She whumps a fist against his chest at the tease.]
I do my share. I'm no slouch.
[But it's not as if she wants to work on the farm forever, hence the attempt at modeling. It was worth a shot, even if it isn't bound to stick.]
Geese, huh? Couldn't've picked a finer animal to raise, if you want my opinion. You know, the mutants down at the golf club wanted to oil up the Canadian goose eggs so they wouldn't hatch and shit all over the course. We rose such a fuss we got 'em to scrap that stupid fucking plan, though.
[skips ahead in her timeline a little but if they can't bond over their mutual love of geese then what's the fucking point]
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