#othcrhalf

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Twenty years. You’ve been working for them tor Twenty. Fucking. Years. It’s not the time wasted that’s the current source of her anguish, but rather the knowledge she has obtained during her years as the Capitol’s little perfect pet. Avoxes are up early. They make their rounds, getting everything ready just before dawn. One of them ought to have found her by now.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Diose has been using her elbow to make as much noise as she can, but she momentarily regains control of her hands. The numbness is gone and she is able to ball them into a fist, using her remaining strength to hit the metal walls that are keeping her prisoner. Before she can try again, she is betrayed by her body once more and her hands begin tingling again. Sweat drips from her neck, the sheet she is covered in not doing much to fix how cold she is. Sweat. Cold. That’s not normal. The only constant these past few days is how exhausted she’s felt. Wishing for the pain to end, she gives up, drops her arm back on top of the garbage bags she is resting on and closes her eyes. 

Please, let it be quick

There hasn’t been much talking between Roux and Robyn. First he was too mad and too stupid to even wish them a good day, then bullshit started happening time and time again and the two of them became engrossed in their own things. Or more like Robyn actively has been trying to help while Roux skates by, unable to learn how to navigate this new situation where he isn’t the center of attention. 

 Dropping his fork, Roux looks up and studies Robyn’s face, notices how tired they look. It reminds him of the days he spent worried sick over Swann, wondering if she’d ever come back. Shit is getting real and Roux is having a hard time ignoring the signs. 

“I think... I know how you feel. The crazy bitch from Seven didn’t let me come close to Swann for a day, but after that... I didn’t sleep. Just sat outside her room, popping in every once in a while to make sure she was still there.“ 

Blythe is hard at work, finding innovative ways to keep herself busy so she doesn’t end up doing something stupider than what she’s been doing. She wants to think she is kind of good at keeping it together while Harbor is around since she doesn’t want him to worry, but she doesn’t know how true that is. 

They watch him as he finishes his breakfast, her right hand playing with a knife she hasn’t realized she’s been been keeping close to her for days now. She is on guard, ready to go on attack at any moment now. Harbor excuses himself, and Blythe lovingly tells him to have a good day before they’re gone.

Robyn’s presence startles her. She figures someone let them in, which annoys her since she wants everyone on Seven to be extra careful. But whatever, they’re there now. 

“You look like shit.“

The reception so far has been rather... Enlightening. While she’d usually be in the middle of everything, allow herself to be the center of attention and have people fawn over her, Diose makes the choice to respect her plus one’s limits and keep a low profile. That allows her to watch the others guests, a smile playing on her face as she focus her eyes on a particular one.

She makes her way to Robyn the second she sees they’re along, not wanting to miss the chance to ask her beloved friend about all the new developments she seems to have missed. Glass of champagne in hand, she takes a seat on the empty chair beside them and offers them a playful smile. 

“You know, while part of me is rather insulted you didn’t come to me so I could dress you tonight, I must admit I am relieved to see you have chosen to not wear another turtleneck tonight.“

Sleep is something foreign to her now. Every time she closes her eyes, she swears she hears footsteps, knocks on her door, people banging on her windows, scrambling to get inside her room. So she opens her eyes, confronts the darkness around her.

But the knocking persists. She clutches her glass of wine, knowing it’s the only available weapon she has at her disposal. Logically, if someone were looking to hurt her they wouldn’t waste time knocking on her door, but she hasn’t been thinking straight. 

The dark keeps her face obscured as she opens the door, the scent of Robyn’s lotions making her wake up from her trance. 

“W-what.. What are you doing here?“

Now more than ever, you need to be strong. For Slate, who you spent the entire night attempting to comfort. For Virgo, who even if you can see them, you know needs you more than ever. And Robyn. They seem like a completely different person now. Not in the same way Harbor’s has changed, but the shift is there. 

“He is with people that love him. They’re not letting anything happen to him.“ As much as you try, your anger is still pretend in the tone of your voice. You still don’t like those people, and still think they’re the ones to blame for what happened to Harbor, but that’s not what Robyn needs to hear right now. You rub their back, your forehead resting on the top of their head. Every couple of seconds you squeeze Robyn, place a kiss or two on their head. There are many times you’ve not a very good friend to them, so maybe now it’s time to make up for that.

“You need to be strong. There’s people that need us.“ She needs them.

Even if she spent most of that cursed retirement home meeting downing alcohol, Blythe needs another drink. She avoids the people that attempt to approach her with questions she doesn’t want to answer. Yes, it’d would probably be wise to maybe be a bit more forthcoming with people but... She needs a drink first.

Blythe is in the process of preparing herself a drink when out of the corner of her eye, she spots them. She’s been avoiding people lately, but especially Robyn, hiding when they come around to visit Harbor because she doesn’t feel like acknowledging that she had more feelings other than anger. But there is no point in waking away now, especially not when she kind of is dying to  ask how the managed to get Silver in tip-top shape for the party.

With two drinks in hand, Blythe silently approaches them and hands Robyn one of the (strong) cocktails she prepared. 

“Did Silver not tell you about my offer? I hate you two had to wait until Dawn’s party to have me force you to move here.”