location: district 7
closed for @viciousfm
It was a stupid place to choose. The little diner right around the corner from his house, the place where he and Nash had spent so much time together, the place practically across town from the Victor’s Village. It was a dumb choice to make Nash travel all that way to see him, especially when Nash would be so caught up in preparations for the Games. A selfish choice.
Or perhaps it was stupid to overthink the choice. Maybe that was the actual threat - overthinking an otherwise innocuous invitation. This was standard; Nash always met up with the people he cared about – Albany course corrected his thoughts. Nash always met up with his friends before leaving for the games. He had met up with Albany every year for the past… however many. For a moment it struck Benny that he couldn’t remember the last time he hadn’t seen Nash before the Games - surely it was nearly ten years or so of well wishes and sendoffs. It was crazy how much could change in a decade.
Regardless, the diner was selected and, as was Benny’s nature, he arrived notably earlier than initially planned. What was unusual was the anticipation Albany felt in the pit of his stomach. A stupid feeling, to be sure. Albany poked at his stomach in some attempt to disperse it, but only ended up creasing his shirt. Another annoyance. A boisterous older woman named Talley, who had been working at the diner as long as Albany could remember, approached with a pen and pad.
“Mr. Rooke,” she cawed, her voice sounding like an old violin in desperate need of tuning, “A pleasure. Coffee?”
Benny gave a small smile. “Yes, please, ma’am. And, uh… Nash’s typical as well.”
“Mr. Kaine is joining you? How wonderful. Comin’ right up. One bill or two?”
“Just one, thanks. I’ll get this one.” With a flourish of her pen, Talley turned away. Benny fiddled with the hem of his shirt, trying his best to get the crinkle out of it. It stubbornly remained. Thankfully Talley returned with his mug of coffee shortly, so he had something else to preoccupy his hands with. It did not, however, grant him the foresight to let it cool before taking a sip, and he ended up scorching the inside of his mouth.
𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓. little habits developed over years. things that were just expected before a trip. he’d spend his last day before the reaping & going to the capitol with his folks & the greene siblings. before that, however, the days leading up to his leave were spent among friends. letting them pick the when & where — enough was already on one’s mind thinking of what would be thrown at him the second he stepped off the train in the capitol. it was an easier thing for the friends to decide. it was albany’s turn. of course he picked the little hole in the wall of a diner on the opposite side of town. not that nash minded the walk. it was a good spot, decent cup of coffee before a long days work. stepping into the diner, dark gaze fell on the fellow lumberjack easily enough. a few long strides & he claps a hand on albany’s shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. ❝ hey, benny. ❞ said kindly. a touch of affection that comes from familiarity seeping in. releasing the other man, he moves to take the opposite seat. before even settling in, talley came by placing another mug of his usual brew on the table. a grin, a quick thank you & she was off again. his attention falling back to the man in front of him. ❝ i didn’t keep you waiting long, did i ? i had to answer a message from the capitol & then got caught up in packing. how have you been ? ❞
