Melody 2 : Action

[rutagraveolens]

[Morning]

[Ever since the fireworks the previous day, Rue was on edge. The fireworks were too much like cannon fire, each boom a notification of another tribute gone. That the fireworks were to announce the departure of people didn't help any.

Nor she get any sleep the previous night. Rue dreamed of whippings and executions, a reaping she couldn't escape from, a game she couldn't win. She saw the boy from District 1 - Marvel - raise the spear, throw-- and woke up tangled in blankets on the floor.

Silence surrounded her as she had breakfast in House 34. She left Melody sleeping in her room and made sure her knife was on her before she slipped out for the day.

She did her usual rounds - library to return some books, bakery to pick up a snack, convenience store for a drink - before wandering the south path parallel to the river. She'd never traveled down the road before and was curious where it went. Eventually Rue found herself by the Art Gallery. After some hesitation, she entered the building. It was nice and quiet, peaceful inside. She roamed the gallery, taking her time looking over the different pieces of artwork there.

When she came across Peeta's paintings and found herself staring at her own face, her face crumbled. She reached up to touch the paintings, drawing back she realized she shouldn't do that. The wings were the right color; the yellow of her own feathered wings, the blue of the dress she wore on stage in the Capitol. Her breath quickened and caught as Rue burst into ugly sobs.]

[Afternoon - behind Slash 'n Crash]

[After calming down, Rue went to Slash 'n Crash for target practice. Bow in hand and a quiver of arrows on her back, Rue methodically shot arrow after arrow into the targets. Her aim wasn't the best, but she was still hitting the target each time. She remembered Katniss' lessons as she drew, notched, and shot each arrow.

When she shot the last arrow in her quiver, Rue went to the targets, pulled out every arrow, put them back into her quiver, walked to her starting place, and began shooting again.]

((ooc; Now with links! The first painting is the one of her looking over a puddle and her reflection, the second is her holding a bouquet of flowers.))

Comments

[savedtheworld]

[A certain teen monk is minding the bakery currently - being one of the two primary employees there and current owner by default. One of those jazz records that Rapunzel left around is playing, while Aang is arranging several types of cookies, cupcakes, muffins and other pastries on display shelves.

He perks up when he hears the door open and beams towards Rue from his side of the counter.]

Rue... Hey!

[rutagraveolens]

[Rue entered the doorway and paused to listen to the music. It was nice and upbeat, something she hadn't heard before. Melody would have like it and she wished she'd brought the mockingjay along for company, but it was cold out for the little bird.]

Hi, Aang.

[She replied, voice quiet and managing a small smile.]

Anything fresh?

[kemanorel]

[Keman has never had much of an interest in art. His mother enjoyed it and, magpie-like, used to bring it back to their Lair after excursions into the two-legger world, but it had never had enough of an impact in his life for him to care. Art was for the bored, cruel elves to look at and create while their human slaves suffered.

Still, the gallery is in a part of the village he still hasn't been to, and he's mildly interested in seeing what the people in Luceti produce to pass the time. He's in the middle of taking off his coat and scarf when he hears the sound of someone crying. A small girl, it turns out.]

Hello? Are you all right?

[rutagraveolens]

[At the sound of Keman's voice, Rue nodded and began wiping tears away. Learning how to hide tears was important in District 11; being the oldest of five, it was her job to keep her younger brothers and sisters safe and not upset them even when things were at their worst.]

I'm--I'm fine. S-sorry, sorry.

[She hiccuped out, tying to take deep breaths to calm down.]

[kemanorel]

[Keman leans down closer to her so that they're eye level, but he keeps his distance.]

You don't need to apologize to me for being upset. Is there anything I can do to help?

[rutagraveolens]

[Rue sniffled and wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve. Help? She's not sure; she's not even sure how to help herself. There's a lot on her mind, but she's not sure how to approach anything.]

I... I don't know. [She peered at him, vaguely recognizing him from the small pictures on the journal.] You're Keman, right? You were looking for your sister.

[kemanorel]

Yes, I'm Keman.

[And then it clicks. Her voice was familiar and now he knows why.]

And you're Rue, right? [He smiles.] Would you like to see a trick, Rue?

[He holds out his hand in front of her and concentrates. His hand blurs as he shifts and then resolves into the same hand, this time holding a small, white handkerchief, which he passes to her.] I think this'll be better than your sleeve.

[savedtheworld]

Let's see... Right now, the freshest are the muffins. But all the rest of the things are still pretty fresh. So you can take your pick!

[swordprincess]

[Out of boredom, Karla decides to check out Slash 'n Crash to browse the weapons. As she steps out of the building, she hears a faint "thump" noise, so she decides to investigate. There, she sees Rue hitting the target with her arrows, concluding that that was the noise she heard. She steps closer slowly, content on watching her prowess with the bow.]

[rutagraveolens]

Okay. [Rue peered at the display case and all the delicious looking pastries, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods. The store was warm and friendly and everything smelled so good, but Rue didn't have much of an appetite.]

Um... can I just have a blueberry muffin?

[rutagraveolens]

[Rue nodded, eyes focusing on his hands. She gasped when his hand blurred then reappeared with a handkerchief. She took it and dabbed at her eyes then blew her nose.]

Thank you. That was magic, right?

[rutagraveolens]

[Eyes on the target, Rue didn't notice Karla approaching. Breathe in, hold, release. The arrow flew into the target, a few inches off the bullseye. She drew another arrow and raised it, taking aim.]

[swordprincess]

[Karla watches the arrow carefully, smiling when she almost hit the bullseye, and calls out encouragingly.]

You almost had it.

[rutagraveolens]

Ahh!

[Rue jumped, her next shot thudding into the edge of the target. Pay attention to the target, but listen to your surroundings too. If she was in the area...

She looks over at Karla, trying her best to smile, but failing.]

Sorry, I didn't know you were there.

[swordprincess]

Oh...I didn't mean to startle you.

[Sounding apologetic.]

I didn't know you could use a bow.

[rutagraveolens]

It's okay.

[Rue lowered the bow, glad for a chance to rest her arms.]

Katniss taught me. She's really good at archery.

[swordprincess]

Really?

[Pausing for a moment, Karla tries to recall her past conversations with Katniss...even if they could be called conversations.]

Oh yeah...I think I remember, she said that she hunts.

[rutagraveolens]

She's very good at it. [It's one reason House 43 has never been without fresh meat. It's much better than what's offered at the grocery store anyway.]

I'm going to go with her once I'm better at shooting.

[swordprincess]

Ah...you must be really good friends.

I've tried to become friends with her, but she...doesn't talk much...

[And it doesn't help that Karla's not too good at making friends herself.]

[rutagraveolens]

Katniss keeps to herself and can be a little difficult. [Sometimes Rue wonders if her and Katniss would be friends if they hadn't met through the circumstances of the arena.] You have to be patient with her.

[swordprincess]

Hmm...

So...what does she like?

[Maybe Karla can talk about something that she likes, or maybe do something/give her something etc. that she likes?]

[rutagraveolens]

Music. She's really good at singing.

[That's the easiest ones. After that, Rue has to do a bit of thinking.] Hunting, though maybe more out of habit and necessity. Um... Her sister, Prim. [Geeze, this is hard.]

[swordprincess]

[...And Karla already knows about those. Sigh...]

I remember those. I remember when she had the birthday party for Prim. She looked so happy then.

[shenevermisses]

[Clove watches for a few moments. Not a great shot, not like Katniss, but there was potential. Especially starting so old.

Which, she found herself thinking, just went to show her district. To think that a child Rue's age was old to be picking up a weapon. Then again, she'd been trained to fight since she was half her age. Weapons training started at ten. By thirteen, students were expected to be specializing.]

Bow and arrow, huh? Are you learning to hunt? Or to fight?

[There's a distinction in her mind, especially for a girl like this.]

[rutagraveolens]

[Rue fired another arrow into the target - not a bullseye, but it is on the edge of the center spot - as Clove spoke . She lowered her bow and stared ahead at the target.

Hunting an animal was one thing. It was for food, and the skins and bones could be used for other things. Shooting and killing a person was different. She wasn't a Career, trained to kill from a young age, taught to find glory and honor in combat. And in the arena, she was ready to do what it meant to survive, even if it involved dropping a nest of Tracker Jackers onto kids only a few years older than her.

But it was different in Luceti. A different game, but she didn't have to fight. No one had to kill here.

Rue drew another arrow and notched it.]

To protect myself and the people I care about.

[Release. Off-center.]