Silent Sleeper

emmy styx &&. veneer sterling post-announcement, pre-reaping

for the past couple of years, emmy had taken it upon herself to be personally offended by veneer sterling's mere existence. today, though not the day she would stray from this behaviour, she perhaps had more of a reason for it. after the announcement of the games yesterday, of the change the reaping would hold, of the fact that emmy's life might be on the line once more, the dry sarcasm she easily threw his way held more venom to it. she cornered him with ease, with more deliberation than she'd given her previous attempts to annoy him.

"you've been awfully fucking quiet since that reaping twist dropped."

He had been successful for quite some time of avoiding them, until he heard a familiar voice. A certain someone who didn't like him so much. He thought for a moment to keep walking and ignore the girl but was ultimately cornered. With no where to go he took in a deep breath and turned around to face her. "Have I? I suppose there's just really not much to say." He told the Victor from One with his usual calm tone.

iris buckle &&. sparky galvan post-announcement, pre-reaping

"i just want you to know, if it comes down to it, i won't kill you. you might kill me though, and that's fine. i want you to know that's completely fine. i'd say we can still be friends after that, but i wouldn't be alive, so i'm not sure how that would work..."

iris hadn't really stopped talking since the announcement, had prayed not a single silent moment would come to pass. her hands were shaking and she was almost at a point where she was stopping people in the streets. sparky, at least, was more familiar than some of the capitolite strangers she'd previously stopped for chats.

"y'know," she shrugged, "just saying."

He let out a small sigh before speaking. "That means a lot. Funny thing is, I wouldn't kill you either." Sparky told her and it was the truth. "But that really would put us in a sticky situation if you and me were the only ones left, huh?" He let out a small laugh before continuing to speak. "They'd have to send the mutts in after our asses and that would have to decide our fate."

Then he looked at her before talking. "Maybe there's just a chance that we won't be reaped together or at all." Though he knew that chance was very, very slim.

icarus cross &&. veneer sterling post reaping

icarus wasn't one to be taken by everyone else's upset. perhaps he was simply more selfish than that, a little less caring; the weeping capitolites at the reaping hadn't affected him, nor had the reaping of the victors left him shaking in his boots. if anything, he felt more at ease in the commotion -- it made his hands feel less like an afterthought, it made him feel less like he was just killing time. still -- seeing veneer had him muster up some sort of sympathy from the back of his throat. not because he imagined veneer was feeling particularly saddened by the whole ordeal, but simply because icarus thought the man's job must've just gotten four times more intense.

"you holding up okay?" he said it so casually, yet he couldn't quite shake the genuine intent behind his words.

Now that the twenty-four Victors were now rereaped, their anger and bitterness was now at an all time high. Who wouldn't want the opportunity to be a two time victor? Veneer was then quickly brought out of his thoughts as a familiar voice was heard. His shoulder's untensed when he realized it was only a friend.

"I'm holding up fine. Just another day in the office." Veneer replied casually. Sure, he was stressed already. But, he didn't want to be too insensitive to those that had it harder than him. "How about you?" He asked sincerely. "Tell me, will dealing with Victors make your training days easier or more difficult?"

sparky  has  found  his  way  comfortably  into  siku's  heart.  it  was  hard  not  to  be  fond  of  the  boy,  and  to  have  grown  closer  to  the  man  in  the  years  that  followed.  easier  not  to  have  to  keep  a  friend  at  arm’s  length  once  he’d  been  sure  that  he  wasn’t  going  to  lose  him  to  the  arena.  so,  so  sure  they  had  been,  that  at  least  they  had  saved  one.  they  wonder,  now,  if  they  can  pull  it  off  again.  it’s  something  so  much  bigger  now,  and  though  siku  is  aware  that  plans  are  being  made,  wheels  turning  behind  the  scenes,  he  isn’t  privvy  to  a  single  detail  of  the  wider  picture,  so  who’s  to  know  if  sparky  will  make  it  through  all  of  this?

still,  the  damage  is  done.  they  can’t  turn  their  back  on  their  friend  now,  and  they  certainly  can’t  erase  years  of  friendship  built  up  year  after  year  since  his  games.  “you  need  to  get  as  much  sleep  as  you  can.”  they  remind  him,  a  brow  arching  as  they  sit  further  into  the  couch,  pulling  a  long  leg  up  beneath  them  as  they  shift  to  face  their  friend.  he  looks  tired,  as  exhausted  as  siku  feels,  and  yet  he  imagines  there  aren’t  many  sleeping  figures  in  the  centre  tonight.  “isn’t  it  strange?  putting  up  such  a  fuss  and…  it’s  really  just  death  that  they’re  happy  about.  violence  and…  sorry.  this  can’t  be  helping.  how  are  you  coping?”

"It's fine, it's not my first go around. You don't have to be sensitive." He said as he waved them off. He knew why the Capitol Citizens were happy and it was quite literally death. But the boy had already figured that out the first time he was a tribute. "I'm.. okay." He answered honestly, finally looking at Siku. "I don't know if it's really fully hit me yet, strangely enough. Maybe because I'm just used to spending summer here." He then sighed. "I'm just glad it was me over you."

The room buzzed around them, tribute chatter, the hollow clang of weapons meeting metal, Capitol staff pretending not to watch too closely. Everything smelled like disinfectant and static.

She hadn’t spoken to Sparky Galvan since the names were called. Not really. Just a passing nod during transport, a shared glance in the hallway when the uniforms were handed out. She hadn’t known him well before, not during his Games, not after. But she remembered the way he’d handled himself. Clever. Composed. More spark than fire. It stayed with you, that kind of thing.

She approached slowly, not stealthy, just deliberate, like she wasn’t trying to corner him but wouldn’t be shaken off either.

“You hiding,” she asked, stopping just short of his peripheral vision, “or just avoiding eye contact with everyone too enthusiastic about a spear rack?” Her tone was light, edged with dry humor, but not unkind. She tilted her head, watching him.

“Figured if I’m gonna die in a week, I might as well talk to the other people who know what that feels like.” Then, a beat. The corners of her mouth pulled into something resembling a real smile. “You holding up okay, Galvan?”

Though, the being alone part didn't last long at all. He saw Camden making way towards him and he immediately let out a small laugh. "Both, actually. But it seems as though my hiding spot wasn't the greatest." He joked before looking at her.

Camden was someone Sparky hadn't spoken to much before this year. It was always casual and friendly smiles as they walked passed each other. Now he was really starting to wonder why. She seemed nice, maybe it was just Sparky that avoided her.

"You don't know that you're going to die. You could win again." His voice was sympathetic though he couldn't help but feel like a hypocrite. Sparky had felt the same way. He had no motivation to win again and had already written himself off the moment he heard his name called. But, he didn't want Camden feeling the same way. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just.. tired." Sparky answered honestly before letting out a small sigh. "Just feels a little harder being here this time than the first, you know?" He asked before looking at her, wondering if she felt the same. "How are you holding up? You don't seem to be hiding so well, I hope?"

Hani leaned against the edge of the training center’s observation deck railing, arms crossed, chewing the inside of her cheek like she was thinking something over. Down below, the tributes were scattered across the floor, some in drills, some stalling for time, others pretending they still had a chance to sleep through the rest of this nightmare. From where she stood, it was all muscle memory: watching, weighing, sizing up the angles.

Her eyes landed on Sparky Galvan, and they stayed there longer than she let them linger on most. She didn’t announce herself, just wandered over to where he was paused near the hand-to-hand station, pulling a bandage tighter around one wrist. She tapped the nearest padded mat with the toe of her boot, then tilted her head at him.

“You know,” she said, voice low and dry, “if you’re gonna keep acting like you’ve got nothing to lose, you should at least make it look more fun.”

There was a flicker of something behind her tone. Teasing, maybe. Or maybe just recognition. “I’d offer advice, but I was never much for the clean fight.” She shrugged, a smirk twitching at her mouth. “You ever tried biting someone in a clinch? Messy, but effective. Gets the point across.”

She glanced sideways at him then, like she was checking if he’d bite back. “What’s the plan, Galvan? Go down noble, or win dirty?”

So Sparky decided to work on his hand to hand skills. He stood by the mats and cracked his knuckles anxiously as he waited for his turn. Though his attention was taken away from the mats and towards the girl who was now speaking to him. He couldn't help but let out a small scoff come out of his mouth at what she said. "Am I making it that obvious?" Sparky questioned.

Sparky noticed the smirk on her face and couldn't help but make a face at her question. "Bite someone? No, never. But really I guess I never really needed to." The question really made him wonder if he would ever bite someone though. "Sounds a bit cheap, you know? Kind-a like a kick to the balls. Unfair." He started, his arms crossing over his chest. "I wouldn't call it noble but I just don't know if dirty is my thing. I'm not one for cheap shots."

"the careers are going to overestimate themselves. the first time round, they were proven right on their whole 'i can train for years and easily beat the games' shtick. you've got caution on your side here. they'll take risks you wouldn't, and you being careful might actually save your life out there. i wouldn't worry too much about them." though that was probably easier said than done. even icarus felt a little intimidated by them sometimes, mainly because they were intruding on his territory now, his training centre. "and they're older, too. you've got youth on your side now, don't you?" which had never been an advantage in the games before, but maybe could be now. when icarus said it, it was like he was talking through possibilities he hadn't considered before, like he was changing his strategy on the spot.

he nodded decisively. "i think so. for real. you've got a shot at it. 'cause hey, you might've only managed a few laps of running just now, but that's more than i can run. you've got me beat on that. i'm sure there's other things you can outdo others at." he wasn't sure where the kindness was flowing from, though. normally, he cheered on the littlest tributes, the babies. it didn't quite feel the same, though. sparky was hardly a baby. maybe he was still a kid. "you trying to get back to anyone at home, sparky?"

"Kind of crazy to think that being younger could actually be a good thing this time around." Sparky couldn't help but scoff at the realization. But, there were a lot of fit thirty and younger forty year old tributes this year, and that's what worried him most. Not the poor tributes in their sixties that certainly have zero chance. "I guess I will just hope maybe they take each other out or like you said, are just not careful." He did worry that that wouldn't be the case, though. Things were different this time. These people had families so Sparky doubted the Careers would really be careless. It was a nice thought, though.

"Thanks." Sparky said as he looked at Icarus, a slight smile on his face. "I'm trying to pretend I'm not about to fall from not being able to catch my breath." The boy actually let out a small laugh, finally taking a deep breath and not trying to play it off. Before now, it was hard to imagine a time where Icarus was being the nice, positive one in the conversation while Sparky was being mopey. At this point, Sparky truly was appreciating everything Icarus was saying to him. Each word meant so much. Then, Icarus' final question made him freeze. He thought about lying as he chewed down on his bottom lip. But instead he just shook his head. "I don't have anyone." He said simply. "Lunar left and took Watt with her."

they  watch  the  reruns  playing  out  on  screens  larger  than  their  pre-arena  home,  dark  eyes  examining  every  movement  from  the  way  their  tributes  wave,  to  the  reaction  of  the  crowd  as  it  roars  in  response  to  such  a  momentous  hunger  games.  it’s  hard  not  to  despair,  to  watch  friends  going  back  into  the  hell  he  himself  had  lived  through.  it  feels  like  so  long  ago  now,  like  the  arena  spat  him  out  into  the  world  and  turned  him  into  someone  new,  someone  broken  and  battered,  but  primed  to  fight.  eyes  closing,  exhaustion  seems  to  wear  heavily  upon  them,  drooping  their  shoulders  as  the  night  ticks  its  way  towards  morning.  the  floor  is  mostly  empty,  with  siku  watching  the  screens  from  one  of  the  plush  sofas,  a  drink  clutched  between  long  fingers,  grip  growing  tighter  as  they  take  in  the  tribute  parade  from  just  hours  before.  footsteps  call  their  attention,  dragging  their  eyes  from  the  screen  to  a  new  companion,  another  awake  at  such  an  ungodly  hour.  “couldn’t  sleep?”  he  asks,  his  voice  retaining  its  almost  boyish  quality  despite  the  hour.  “it’s  too  loud  outside.  they  always  party  after  the  parade.  makes  me  wonder  what  exactly  they’re  celebrating.”

Once he walked to the bottom floor, he immediately stopped when he saw someone already sitting down there. If it were anyone else, it would have been so easy to just keep walking and ignore that person. But no, life is never easy and it was Siku. His past and current mentor, his best friend. As silently as possible, he took a few quiet steps back and immediately realized his failure when they spoke up. "Nah, not really." Sparky said simply before hesitantly walking to the other couch and taking a seat. He subconsciously toyed with the arm rest of the seat, avoiding eye contact with his friend. "It's hard to tell if outside is too loud or my head." Sparky almost mumbled before letting out a small sigh. "It's their favorite time of the year, I don't think they need an exact reason to celebrate. I think they are just happy about all of it."

Finnick had been standing at the plants station, learning all about what to eat and what not to eat while in the area. It was something he hadn't worried about much when he was a kid, far too cocky to believe he'd go without food for any amount of time. The last thing on his mind then was being taught which plants would lead to his demise. He turns his attention to the closest person to him and he holds up a demonstration of some kind of plant. "What would you say this is? Safe to eat or not safe to eat? And if it's not safe to eat how long to do think before your slow and painful death?" He asked, turning the leaf in his hand casually.

He was slightly surprised that Finnick was questioning him, though he just cleared his throat and stared at the plant in his hands. "Um.. I think it's poison hemlock." He started before looking from the plant to Finnick. "Definitely poisonous but I'm not sure how long it would take.. Maybe an hour or so?" Was the timeframe really an important thing to know? If you eat it, you have a death sentence, that's all Sparky needed to know.

And perhaps that's why they felt a bit of excitement at the sight of Sparky. They felt a bit useless in the training center, but with a patient, they were reminded of their purpose. They gently took hold of the tribute's hand, examining the swollen digit carefully. "It looks sprained to me, but there's no deformities or misalignments, so it shouldn't be too serious. Can you bend it for me? Just a little bit would be fine."

iris turned then, looked him in the eye, if only to convey her growing skepticism. "i don't think they'd tell us the menu, sparky, even if we asked," she said. "and i'm kind of really sad about that. i just feel like we've earned it. like we should've earned something from this. i feel like i've gotten nowhere the past few years and now i'm just going back into the games."

He faced her and returned the look in her eye before letting out a sigh. "Yeah, you're probably right." As the girl went on, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. Iris had only won a few years ago, Sparky remembered it well. She had only had a few years to feel safe, to have food and money.. And now all of that had ended. Sparky had a full eight years of that safety. It had given him enough time to have a family and really just live. "We definitely deserve better but you could win, Iris. Win and really earn your safety. I mean, I doubt they would rereap winners again, right?" Sparky asked in a hopeful tone, though not being able to help the small laugh that came out of his mouth. The Capitol was unpredictable, Sparky knew that. But surely the Victors would be safe for a while after this.

icarus had truly thought his soft spots couldn't be poked anymore. that he would've toughened up this year maybe, that he'd be less of a bleeding heart because the tributes weren't really tributes now, that they were these hardened victors instead of kids. that he could've had a fucking break for once if he'd chosen to stay on the sidelines of the training centre, because most victors didn't carry that panic that young kids did, this belief that some random trainer could make a difference in a few days and teach them exactly how to cut throats.

but maybe icarus wouldn't be himself if there wasn't always some bitter sympathy flowing from him, this cursed urge to try anyway, even if he carried his chin high like it mattered to him the least. because there was sparky, this kid ( in icarus' mind, still a kid ) from five. and icarus remembered him clear as day, he'd won the year after the 83rd ( dreaded fucking 83rd ), he'd been so quiet, he'd seemed so calm. icarus couldn't recall if he'd rooted for him back in his games, that year was too much of a blur.

( he tried to keep this thought down. that he'd once been written down as the favourite pick to represent district two in the 84th games. that in some different life, he would've been in sparky's arena ).

"c'mon," icarus said, finally stepping from the shadows at the edges of the training centre as though he was greeting an old friend. "do you want me to show you anything? you'll have to learn quickly, but honestly, i think you've got a good chance of beating most other tributes here. you've not given up yet, have you?"

He chose to start with endurance. Being able to run fast and in long distances was important so he ran a few laps around the entire center. But now, he was out of breath, truly showing how out of shape he was. He decided to hang out in a corner and try to catch his breath while no one was looking. His hand rested over his chest as he struggled and felt his heart race. Only then was he brought out of his thoughts when he heard a voice. A familiar voice.

It was Icarus, and Sparky quickly tried to pull it together. He stood up straight even though he felt his lungs were about to explode and he quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You think so?" Sparky questioned, because he felt far from it. "Not sure if I've given up but I don't have high hopes. Somehow the Careers now are even more terrifying than the last time I was a tribute." Maybe because they did stay in shape and were huge compared to Sparky. "I wouldn't even know what to have you show me."

"you know, i just worry--" she'd started a ramble without truly noticing, had come to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him as though it was incidental. maybe it was. iris was never quite sure of her own movements these days, like everything was something that happened to her rather than something she actively participated in ( it truly felt more and more like that now ). "what if there's no good food in the arena? i mean, last time there wasn't, obviously. i just think that, i don't know, maybe we'd deserve a nice meal on the way out or something. like, we've done our duty here, surely we should get something out of it--" and that something might've been safety, it had been until it wasn't, so now iris settled for less. "should we just eat each other maybe, sparky? i'm from ten, i don't think i'd want my final supper to be something silly like a dry sponsored bread or some mushrooms we've found or whatever."

He listened closely to what Iris was saying and his once relaxed face became puzzled. "Eat each other?" He questioned before looking at her, trying to read her face. It was definitely not something he had planned on hearing but he thought it over for just a moment before letting out a sigh. "How about we see what food the arena has to offer and then we revisit the conversation, yeah?" Hey, if it made the girl feel better than fine, he had nothing to lose. "Maybe we could find a Gamemaker and ask for the arena dinner menu." He joked. "I'm not from Ten and even I don't want dry bread or mushrooms either."

THE CAPITOL WAS MORE EXTRAVAGANT THAN PRIMROSE IMAGINED. They were intimidated by the size and scale of the training center, especially in comparison to their small village back in District 12. The center almost felt like a town in itself, with tributes and staff racing around the facilities in preparation for the games. Primrose felt the need to shy away from it all, to crawl back to their humble home in their district and go back to their quiet life, but they knew they needed to stick around for Katniss and Peeta's sake. This could be the last time they're able to see their kin, and they're not willing to lose that.

They tucked themself near the wall, close to the gauntlet and the sword stations. They organized all of their medical tools to distract themself from the violence surrounding them, only glancing up once they heard footsteps and noticed a shadow hovering above them. Without missing a beat, they lifted their head and spoke, "If you're injured, I'm happy to take a look and help fix you up."