they way out.

               it   was   something   peeta   understood.      he   hadn’t   been   a   fighter   either,   or   at   least   he   hadn’t   WANTED   to   be.      if   it   came   down   to   it,   he   would   fight,   but   he   preferred   just…      waiting   it   out.      after   katniss   had   cut   off   the   tracker   jacker   nest,   the   group   had   mostly   dissolved.      well   actually   it   was   just   HIM   that   had   gotten   away.      he’d   survived   by   camouflage   as   well   until   katniss   found   him.      ❝   well   it’s   really   good.      i   know   i   said   that   already   but…      IT   IS.   ❞      they   need   allies,   its   what   haymitch   said.      and   peeta   KNEW   the   first   two   districts   could   never   be   trusted.      ❝   you   know…      i   could   teach   you   a   few   things?      about   fighting?      only   if   you   wanted…   ❞      part   of   him   feels   GUILTY   because   the   reason   they   were   all   here   was   partly   due   to   him.      him   and   katniss.      they   had   DEFIED   snow,   and   now   he   was   trying   to   get   his   REVENGE.      the   least   peeta   could   do   was   try   to   offer   them   some   tips?

              it  was  silly.  the  way  their  heart  could  skip  a  beat  when  the  flashing  one  over  the  email  icon  appeared.  how  it  could  so  quickly  become  the  best  part  of  viktor’s  day.  sometimes  he  would  pour  over  the  words,  just  trying  to  decipher  the  meaning.  it  was  so  difficult  to  tell  if  they  felt  the  same  way  he  did.  if  there  was  a  universal  thread  tugging  them  closer.  

              hello  a,  fast  fingers  fly  over  the  keyboard,  it’s  good  to  hear  from  you.  i’m  sure  you’re  novel  would  be  better  than  mine.  mine  was  just  a  product  of  unusual  circumstances.  unusual  siblings.  

                viktor  knew  that  he  was  the  least  interesting  amongst  the  crew  too.  just  an  introvert  who  liked  to  be  holed  up  in  their  apartment.  with  sparse  friends  and  confidants  they  were  even  more  isolated  than  the  average  person.  

                would  be  happy  to  give  it  a  read!  i’ve  needed  a  new  book  to  add  to  the  list  any  way.    i  would  love  to  hear  you  talk  about  it  too.  i  love  seeing  how  passionate  people  get  over  their  projects,  hearing  how  they  describe  it.  how  their  whole  face  seems  to  light  up.  

                he  hands  paused  over  the  keyboard,  looking  at  the  blinking  cursor.  viktor  took  a  deep  breath  before  they  continued.  

                maybe  after  i  read  it  we  could  talk  about  it  over  coffee?  fingers  hover  over  the  back  button.  only  if  you’d  want  that  of  course.  otherwise  i’m  happy  to  deliver  my  thoughts  via  the  internet.  looking  forward  to  hearing  from  you,  as  always.  v.  he  hits  the  send  button  before  he  loses  his  nerve  rereading  it.  

             having noticed the responses between them getting quicker, ace often times hovered at their desk for many moments, waiting to watch the small number pop up on their screen. when it finally does, the writer puts their cup down once more to fully focus on the words in front of them. reading over viktor’s reply, ace is taken aback by the first half. how could he not see that he was talented, an amazing writer with amazing experiences? fingers touch down on the keys, ready to draft their next letter, only to pause when ace reads the last paragraph. talk about it over coffee... meet up, in real life. see each other in person. meet viktor, the one ace has been talking back and forth with for two months now. flustered, ace has to take their time in replying, hoping they don’t come across too strong.

    it certainly wasn’t eloise. anyone who danced with her was doomed to trodden on toes, a focus on counting the steps, and an inability to even try to keep up. she loathed dancing, and putting the effort in simply never seemed worth it, not when she would rather be anywhere else. half of the time, her dance card was full of made up gentlemen simply so she could avoid exactly that. “am i to assume i don’t make the list?”

           CREAK OF WOODEN FLOOR SETS ELDER HUNTER ON EDGE and it takes a minute for Bobby to remember the offer he’s made. Tensed back relaxes and baby hairs on back of neck settle back into resting place. He turns, offers freshly poured cup of coffee as a greeting and pairs it with a “Mornin’.” Smile graces wrinkled features and Bobby lets the caffeinated elixir sweep down his throat.

      Had he known he’d be host to a new room mate Bobby might’ve tidied a smidge before Ace’s arrival; such was the case his home looks much like it always does, books and lore strewn this way and that, tools lay stranded from their homes here and there. “Coffee?” He suggests, using the mug once more as a tool to gesture. “Ain’t had much time to scare up breakfast– LOOKS LIKE I’M NOT THE ONLY EARLY RISER ANYMORE.”

she  knew  what  ace  was  focusing  on,  and  she  resisted  the  urge  to  turn  away  —  to  hide  from  the  other.  she  watched  as  they  walked  over  to  the  refrigerator,  and  exhaled  a  sigh  when  she  realized  what  they  were  doing.  “ace,”  she  started,  but  trailed  of  because  what  was  she  going  to  say?  you  don’t  have  to  do  that.  i’m  okay.  or  some  other  lie.  she  didn’t  protest  when  they  lifted  the  frozen  vegetables  to  her  eye.  “they  started  it,”  she  complained,  but  she  knew  that  wasn’t  a  good  enough  answer.  she  leaned  into  the  cold  because  it  felt  good.  “what  am  i  supposed  to  do,  ace?  let  them  keep  bullying  my  friends?  no  freaking  way.”

            the warning of the dangers that lingered within the confines of the storm prompted the smaller brunette to lean her head back slightly , eyes peering into the heavy and daunting clouds of sand around them . simple , lightweight cloths wrapped around her head weren’t going to be enough to protect her respiratory system once those clouds came crashing down with the full impact of the storm . whilst that realization came to mind , the girl brought her head back down to gaze upon the other , meeting their face once more . considering that they weren’t wrong in terms of safety , mouse couldn’t think of anything to counter their statement . 

    ❝ furiosa . . said it was okay , but to stay in sight . ❞ both hands raise , gesturing toward the messenger whilst a quiet hum slips past red-stained lips , to signify that she had chosen her watcher .  ❝ you can fight , yes ? . . i’ll stay where you can see me , but i don’t want to be in the rig right now . it’s . .  crowded . ❞ there’s a pause in her movements , as this happened to be the most she had spoken ever since she had left the Citadel . then , the question is repeated with more curiosity . emphasis on the other’s capabilities . ❝ . . can you fight ? ❞

             strange that furiosa was letting the wives out of the rig at all, considering the circumstances. should any of the warboys, or even immortan himself, finally catch up to them, ace and the imperator would be dead, and the wives would go right back to where they came from. but ace had no intention of questioning furiosa. again, the mutual trust they now bared for each other wouldn’t crumble that easily. and since ace had promised to help keep watch of the young women that once belonged to the citadel, they supposed they couldn’t do anything but nod once in acceptance. they could understand wanting to be a little more free. just for a little while.

        “I’m  like  not  the  most  talented  in  spells  either.  I’m  like  so  totally  connected  to  an  arcane  power  from  the  dawn  of  time.  I  mean,  technically,  I  am  time  and  space  embodied  in  human  form.  My  powers  are  mostly  connected  with  that  –  I  dunno  much,  though.  I  ran  away  before  I  found  out  much  of  my  past…What  I  can  help  you  with  is..dadada!  Potions!”  Lulu  posed  dramatically before  she  began  to  remove  various  ingredients  from  her  satchel.  “I’m  like  super  dope  at  the  healing  ones  and  the  ones  that  go  boom!”  Ace’s  words  caused Lulu pause, as her head tilted.  “You  are  like  a  lot  of  things  Ace  –  but  boring  is  not  one  of  them.”

ted  glances  up  the  second  they  begin  their  ranting,     fingers  pausing  against  the  keyboard  of  his  phone  to  listen.          “     roy’s  runnin’  drills  out  on  the  pitch  right  now,     ”          he  replies,     while  easily  allowing  himself  to  rock  back  and  forth  with  ace’s  insistent  tugs  atop  his  shoulders.          “     which  means  it’s  probably  the  loudest  place  this  side  of  the  pond  right  now.     i’d  be  happy  to  go  sit  in  the  stands  with  ya,     if  you  want.     ”

              alice  felt  herself  drift.  eyes  unfocused  for  a  moment,  she  can  register  that  ace  is  talking  but  is  having  a  difficult  time  taking  it  in.  though  they  are  both  walking,  alice  feels  like  she’s  never  stopped  running.  it  felt  like  the  world  had  devolved  into  chaos  and  alice  was  running,  and  running,  and  running.  it  didn’t  matter  how  much  her  lungs  ached.  or  the  people  who  were  no  longer  there  to  walk  with  her.  couldn’t  they  just  rest  a  moment.  “  i  wish  i  was  as  tall  as  you.  ”  she  found  herself  saying.  “  i  have  to  look  up  at  most  of  them.  i  wish  i  didn’t  have  to  see  their  eyes.  ”  alice  rummaged  through  her  bag,  offering  ace  half  a  cookie.  “  do  you  know  how  much  longer  we  have  ?  ”