#ah128

Freedom was a strange look on Holland, particularly because her freedom was partial, and incomplete. Everyone looked at her, all the time. They watched her while she bought food, and clothes. They watched her while she walked down the street. She’d taken to wearing a hat and sunglasses, but these things didn’t help; everyone knew she was here, back in Six, back in the city, and some of them had even taken to understanding her daily routines. She didn’t think it was a coincidence that she sometimes saw the same people, again and again.

“I should have probably gotten you a ‘sorry about your trial’ gift but... things have been a little busy for me.” Slate sat down across from Carol at a mid-priced lunch spot that wasn’t too far from the Tower. Between working for Lysander and getting shit off the ground with Moxie, he really had been busy. He also didn’t know what to say to Carol. Sorry you had to give the ashes of your dead boyfriend back to his family didn’t really feel right.

“Mav, have you seen my blue hoodie?” he called to Maverick, entering their bedroom with a small frown. They were supposed to be packing to go visit Olive in the Capitol for the opening of her gym, but he was admittedly struggling to stay on-task and had ended up on a highly hyperfocused mission to find his hoodie. 

Georgia was checking out the Tower, wanting to be sure she knew where everything was before the next Games started. She didn’t want to end up looking like an idiot in front of her tributes, after all. She had just gotten done poking her into the tribute cafeteria when she ran into Seraphina. She recognized her, though she looked older than the last photos she’d seen of the Victor. It had been what, two years now? As far as she knew, Seraphina hadn’t taken up a mentor job.

“Where do you wanna go next?” Moxie asked, swinging the shopping bag in her hand, giving Lara a light tap on her shoulder. It was all about making things up – Lara hadn’t overstepped this time, it was all Moxie not letting her in enough. If she wanted people to be in her life, she needed to tell them what was going on in her life even if they weren’t the most pleasant things. Moxie wasn’t going to let that bog her down, though. She was shopping with Lara like they were teenagers again, falling into a familiar rhythm she had to admit she missed.

Cade had arrived the night before, and everything had shifted. The house was usually empty and quiet; Everett took to playing music, cooking, leaving the TV on at all times, just to fill it with some noise. Now, though, there was another person there, and that person was Cade.

The only two times Holland ever saw anyone but the guards were rec hour, when she was allowed out into the yard with the other prisoners, and visiting days. Just about anyone who wanted to visit her was allowed, and a lot of time when she stepped into the visiting room, she was greeted with her lawyers, her mother, or reporters.

Visiting Hestia was always something that brought joy to Moxie; the hustle and bustle of the household in Twelve had engrained endearment deep into her heart. Given how Hestia was much further along than she was, and how grueling she knew the train ride could be, Moxie was more than willing to go out there – she had gifts to give her and she loved how beautiful Twelve looked in November. Especially when it was before the Reaping – everyone seemed to be a little lighter, anticipating Hearth Day and forgetting about the Games for a moment.