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[stillplaying]

She wouldn't say that she had gotten used to the roses exactly but she had eventually learned to ignore them after the initial shock had passed. But she had been visibly relieved the morning she had woken up to find all of the roses gone. It had been at that point in which she had started feeling a little more comfortable in in Itinere. She's still been hesitant to see if she can go back and forth between the city and District 12. The chance of not being able to come back here and not seeing Prim again is too much.

But she misses her forest. She misses Peeta and Haymitch. She even misses her telephone chats (or lack there of) with Dr. Aurelius. Right now, though, she doesn't have much of a choice. With the doors locked, she's stuck here. It's not so bad. At least, it hadn't been until she started getting sick.

It started with a headache, which wasn't so bad. At least, when the pain in her head resided, she could go for long walks. Usually, she covers any accessible parts of Itinere during those walks. It's not the same as hunting but it does seem to distract her. Especially when she follows it up with time spent in the gym at the archery range. But as the headaches have gotten worse, she's had to cut her treks down by hours.

The headache has since given way to a bad cold. She still attempts her morning routine, walking aimlessly with her bow. But after a while, she stops by a nearby fountain to sit. She hasn't felt this tired since she first returned to District 12 after her trial.

She's even too tired to bother scowling at anyone who might join her. Company, for once, might actually be a welcome distraction.

Comments

[stillplaying]

If she understood the concept of dumb ass, Katniss would certainly think that right about now. She's been here long enough in Itinere to understand that there are worlds that aren't Panem. It's a little confusing, especially if she thinks too hard about it, but she'll accept that fact. Anything that means that she gets to spend time with her sister again.

Apparently, this boy hasn't figured it out yet.

Katniss scowls at him. It would be intimidating if not interrupted by another sneezing fit. As soon as she stops sneezing, she scowls again (although this time at this damn cold she caught).

"Amish?"

[fictor]

Ronan will teach her all about dumbasses and swearing. They're the two things he does best. He's also confusing because he doesn't explain anything at all. As for accepting this place, Ronan takes it in spurts. There are things he gets to have here (like Adam) that he doesn't think he'd get back home, but he misses Gansey and Noah. He misses ample idiots to race.

Oh, he has. He just willfully ignores such things and doesn't give a damn whether people actually understand him or not. Communicating isn't something he cares much about.

Yes. Oh so intimidating, except that it makes him like this girl.

"Weirdos who don't use technology and shit. It's some religious bullshit."

Which is funny because Ronan is actually very religious (Catholic).

[stillplaying]

That she's not particularly asking for explanations probably doesn't help the situation. But asking too many questions is akin to admitting she doesn't know something and ignorance can so quickly be read as a sign of weakness. Katniss doesn't think that Itinere is a game. At least, she doesn't think it's a game in the way the Hunger Games worked. She still refuses to take any chances.

Not that giving Ronan belittling looks is a much better idea. But she's a lot better at anger than anything else. Except maybe giving in to her sadness and regret. She's far too good at that, too.

Her eyes narrow and the glower stays exactly where it had been before he bothered to reply. "We have technology in Panem. No religious bullshit."

Whatever that is.

[fictor]

Well, no. They probably are doomed to miscommunicate for a while. As for ignorance and asking questions, Ronan doesn't ask because he doesn't feel like using his words (he has problems expressing himself) and being interested in something sort of marrs his scary guy image. Besides, he's usually got Adam or Gansey around to ask questions.

Yeah, the belittling looks only make him smirk. He's immune to such a thing because he would have to care what Katniss thought in order for such a look to have any effect on him. He doesn't. Not now. They've got the 'better at anger' thing in common at least, which is probably why neither of them have scared the other off yet.

"The fuck your country is named bread?" Yeah. That's what he picks out.

[stillplaying]

Words are sort of overrated. At least, Katniss tends to find talking to be overrated. Her closest friends growing up had been those that had appreciated silence just as much as she did. She'll talk when she has to. Over the past few years, those occasions seemed to have occurred more often than not.

Just as he's immune to her scowls, she's also immune to any scary guy image that he's trying to project. He's not a Career or a muttation and even if he was, Katniss has no doubt that she could kill him if she needed to. What's one more death on her hands at this point in her life? Something that might destroy what little sanity she thinks that she has left sometimes. But survival still comes first.

She frowns a little at the question. Not so much in anger but in recollection. What was it that Plutarch had said? "Panem et circenses. That's how they kept the Capitol in line."

[fictor]

At least they can agree on this.

Ronan doesn't like that he's not the scariest thing around in this place. There's a certain sort of safety in being that guy, but he's learning how to cope with that. Hey, let's take it easy with the killing. There's no need to kill anyone.

Ronan considers that, frowning a little. "Bread and circuses," he responds. "The fuck does that mean? The bread part I get." Obviously they controlled the food sources. He frowns a little, considering what he knows about Romans and their culture. "Gladiator fights? They throw the people who pissed them off in there?"

[stillplaying]

She's seen much, much scarier. Mostly, she's starting to think of this boy as little more than annoying. She hasn't met many people here yet. Katniss much prefers to stay on her own or around Prim. And there's a reason, she's starting to realize. Other people just aren't worth the effort.

Really, she should just leave. That she hasn't yet surprises even her.

"Kids," she shoots back, not at all happy how he was able to piece things together from her brief answer. She hasn't been able to do any of that with the words Ronan has said. "Once a year, they'd have children from the Districts fight to the death to honor those that died in the uprising."

The way she says honor makes it clear that she disagrees. The haunted look that replaces the anger can be left to Ronan's own interpretation.

[fictor]

Ronan is surprised she hasn't left either. Most people don't stick around him for long. Most people that aren't already his friends that is.

Ronan gives her a 'you have got to be fucking kidding me' look. "Man. That is fucked up. People stand for that shit? They don't like riot and stuff?"

[stillplaying]

It’s a combination of things. Boredom and loneliness that she refused to admit to being at the top of that list. Besides, there’s something interesting about someone as rude and mean as she is. Maybe not the sort of person that she should be talking to but it is a welcome relief from meeting yet another person that only wants to help get her adjusted to life here. She’s done with that. And doesn’t trust any of those people so much. They have nothing to gain in assisting her with anything. Aside from her debt.

She likes that Ronan hasn’t tried to do that.

Even if she thinks he’s a little dumb. “Did you miss the part where I said it was punishment for the last uprising?” But they did rise up. This time, for now, they succeeded. She shakes her head and looks away for a second. “Doesn’t matter. We did and it’s over now.” When she looks back, there’s a haunted look in her eyes that says just how much that new rebellion cost.

[fictor]

At least they're unlikely to offend each other? Ronan understands about not wanting to accept help. He's not big on it unless he knows a person well and trust...well that's an even more difficult subject for him to tackle. He tries to nip all of that in the bud by pushing people away through his appearance, his behavior and his dialogue. Really, it's much easier if no one ever approaches him in his opinion and he's got Adam here so he's covered on the lonely parts of things. He'll just go bug the crap out of him when he gets lonely.

He won't either. What a relief? right?

She wouldn't be the only person to think Ronan is dumb. She's wrong, and so are all of the others, but he won't do anything to correct that error. "Nope. I just don't understand not getting up when you're knocked down." Individually at least he doesn't understand it and that's the only real experience he's got with rebellions and uprisings. His brow furrows and he considers picking at her wound, but he's found it's much more fun to pick his own wounds than other people's. In fact, just watching her makes him pick idly at the scab on his knuckles. "Least you won't have to deal with that shit here. They placate us with everything we could ever want. Sort of makes me want to blow up the whole place."

No. Literally.

[stillplaying]

At least. The inability to offend one another is the basis of all great friendships really.

No, maybe he's not dumb. He's naive. He's not necessarily naive in all things because something must have made him a prickly as she can be. When it comes to the cost of war, it's clear that he doesn't have any experience. For a moment, Katniss wants to envy him. She's lived with the cost of war her whole life. All the Districts have. The rebellion she helped to lead only provided more recent consequences.

She's ready to snap back when he changes the topic just enough to get it away from her. Katniss' brow furrows as she tries to see what game he's playing. She watches him pick his nails as she idly fingers the feathers making up a fletching. He's not playing a game. He's only being honest and upfront.

It makes her curious. "How do you think they'd react?"

[fictor]

It's true. He's ridiculously naive in that sense. He wouldn't know where to start with an actual uprising if he tried. Personal rebellion, he's got down, but even that looks different in his world than it does in hers. He's well versed in wars with brothers and society in an abstract sense, but actual war is just a word to him.

Nope. He's not playing a game. Destruction both of self and property is something that Ronan is excellent at. He shrugs at Katniss' question.

"Want to find out?"

He's already pondering whether this place will let him dream a bomb or whether he'll have to make it. He's never done either (Molotov cocktails don't count). It could be fun.

[stillplaying]

She had explosive arrows once. Explosive ones and incinerary ones that would cause more damage than her normal arrows ever would. She had never considered how Beetee had gotten them to work. All that had mattered at the time was that they did. They had a significant effect on the hovercrafts that attacked District 8. They had done what she needed them to do.

It had been bot ha war and a game though she hadn't realized the latter until it was too late. Ronan doesn't want to play games but she doesn't think he means to start a war, either. The idea of idly causing trouble isn't one that Katniss quite comprehends. Consequences were far too severe in Panem to entertain those sort of thoughts.

Maybe he just wants to test the boundaries of this place. See how they'd react, just like she wants. "Do you have any explosives?"

[fictor]

Explosive and incinerary arrows would be awesome. He and Noah would blow up untold amounts of crap with access to those, which is probably why no one ever gives them access to cool things like that.

He's never been in a war and he's got no intention of starting a war. It really is more of a game to him, the same way he and Noah throw things out the window; they enjoy the destruction, the power of it, the way everything comes apart.

Maybe he just wants to blow things up. Really, no deeper reasoning than that. "Nope, but I can get my hands on some."