rutagraveolens | Melody 1 : Action/Voice [Backdated to the afternoon of Wednesday, 12/4]

[Action around the village]

[With the laws of the land already explained by Katniss and the stores in the village pointed out, Rue sets out to do a bit of exploring and gathering up items. Feeling a bad over borrowing some of Prim's clothes, Rue first heads to the clothing store.

The amount of clothes and the different styles are staggering to a girl used to wearing worn, drab hand-me-downs. She takes her time going through the store, feeling all the different textures, admiring the colors. That everything is free is astounding as well; as Rue puts her selected outfits into a bag, she'll look around warily before carefully leaving the store.

Her next stop is the grocery store and the experience is also as remarkable. The rows and rows of food, it's almost too much to take. A single shelf could last a family in District 11 the whole year. Rue takes her time, reverently going through each aisle. Most of the packaged foods in bright colorful boxes and containers are things she's never seen, though the pictures and some of the names are descriptive enough.

After stocking up on food, Rue takes a final trip to the weapon shop. There she'll take her times looking over small knives and any slings that might be around.]

[Action for House 34]

[Once Rue returns to the house, she dutifully puts all the food away in the kitchen. A few things - some candy, a box of cookies, fresh apples - will be placed on the counter with a note near by ("Thank you. -Rue). From there, Rue begins to explore the wonders of the house.

She's never been in a house so nice. The soft carpet, the drapes on the windows (the windows open and close too!), running water, electricity, Rue takes her time marveling over everything. She'll open every door to peek in side. If it looks like a bedroom, she'll quickly close the door. Everything else is fair game for the curious girl.]

[Voice - early evening]

[The journal is a strange, strange thing. A book that can be written into to communicate with others, it's remarkable. Rue spends some time flipping through the pages and trying to familiarize herself with everything before making her first recording.]

Um, hello? I hope this is recording. To anyone that can hear me, my name is Rue! I just arrived. I'm from Panem, District 11. Katniss says I was here before, though I don't remember any of it, so I'm sorry if we've met before and I don't remember you!

[A brief pause as she tries to figure out what to say.]

Um... what's your favorite thing? It doesn't have to be something here, it can be anything you really like. I like music a lot, singing especially. Does anyone else like music?

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[The girl in the picture window is clearly Asian, perhaps in her late teens or early twenties. She starts easily, because it worries her to see Rue again (trapped here) and because Rue is still young.]

I'm Ami Mizuno. I'm sorry if it seems confusing, but we've met before.

[Rue frowns slightly, only because it's troubling to not remember someone.]

Hi Ami, it's nice to meet you again. I'm sorry I don't remember you. [She knows she already said that in the journal, but it bears repeating.]

[Ami, with a notable and very crucial gap in her memories back in her world, fully understands, and is quick to at least try to be reassuring.]

It's alright. It happens here sometimes.

{Granted, in her case, reassuring tends to verge on simple rationalization.]

Edited 2013-12-08 06:56 (UTC)

Does anyone know why?

We can't be sure, but it probably has to do with the way we're brought here, a mechanism so that it will be more difficult for outside elements to learn about this place and interfere. [She most definitely does not approve.]

Oh, I see.

Were we friends?

I'm sorry; we didn't know each other very well. We only spoke a few times, but I enjoyed those conversations.

[She doesn't like effectively saying no, but she figures it's better to be honest than seem deceptive; besides, friendship is... a complicated concept for her.]

[Rue feels better knowing they weren't friends; it would have been harder not remembering Ami otherwise.]

I hope we can talk again.

I'd like that. I work at the clinic, the one in the village. If you ever need anything, please come to see us right away. It's staffed at all hours as much as possible.

Oh! Do you know Prim? She's helping out at the clinic and learning how to become a doctor!

[Oh, she knows Prim very well, but that's a bit hard to explain (how do you tell someone 'she was my nephew's girlfriend, only he wasn't really my nephew and she wasn't his girlfriend, we all just thought that because of the- no, not the Malnosso that time, an invasion force using illusions and...')]

Mm. She does a lot of hard work.

She's very nice. I like her.

[A small pause.]

Um, do you think I can help out at the clinic too? I know all about medicinal plants! I bet I could find some for the clinic.

I think everyone would appreciate that very much. Me, too. [Always grateful for extra hands.]

I don't know a lot about the plants myself; I'd like it if you could show me some of what you've learned, if it's alright.

Of course! I'll have to see what plants grow in the forest and what the flower shop has. It might be a little harder since we're in the winter, but some plants are hardy.

We can plan for Spring, too. We might be able to find seeds to plant, if you know which ones to look for and which ones you're used to working with.

I'll try to put a list together! I also don't know all of the names, but I'd recognize them if I saw them.

That's a good start. We can identify them from now on, based on those. [And she might recall a few names herself once she sees them, too, but that's more doubtful; botany wasn't exactly her specialization.]

[And Rue is happy. She'll have to ask Katniss and Prim about plants from District 12 that might be useful.

Another thought occurs to her.]

Do you think I could learn to become a healer or doctor? I want to be able to help people.

[Ami, who knows what it is to want to be useful and to be needed, is certainly not going to turn someone interested away.]

I think you'll be a good one. [Granted, things are rather different here. If Ami doesn't know much herb lore, she considers Rue may not know a lot of modern medical practices and discoveries. But she's quite willing to teach and, if nothing else, basic first-aid hasn't changed much over time.]

[Rue grins.] Do you think so?

Mm. I think so. If you work hard at it, you'll learn what you need to know, and you'll be able to help a lot of people.

[Rue nods in agreement. She wants to help people and protect people close to her.]

Is that why you help out at the clinic? So you can help a lot of people?

I was a doctor back home. [If she looks too young for this, it's because even now, she's only just into her twenties. She became a doctor at nineteen.] So I guess I thought, it was something I should continue to do here, too. It's important to me.

[She does look young, but Rue doesn't think anything of it. People began their careers early in Panem.]

I bet you're a very good doctor.

I want to be. I'm sure I still have a lot to learn. [This is both modesty, and truthfulness. She is considered a prodigy, but there is always more to learn, more to perfect, more she wants to know and be able to do.]

[Voice]

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