oh, the times// Marlboro/ Kieran blitz

His face tightens just a little before relaxing to take about his kids. Though his voice betrays no emotion. That’s good. He’ll need that for the upcoming debates. “Just an observation,” I say putting my hands up in a placating gesture. “Didn’t mean harm by it.” He might not see it that way, but I know there are some folks who do. He’s going to be under a lot of scrutiny. People will compare him to his father and his aunt first thing. I hope he’s ready for that.

Politics can be a nasty business sometimes.

“Never had the time for kids myself,” I remark offhandedly. “I’m glad to hear you and yours are doing alright.” Heh. You know, I didn’t really have a plan when I approached him. Suppose I just wanted to see what kind of man Mace and Saffron raised. Call me curious. I shake my head, another topic coming to mind. “Moving on though, nasty business the quell twist. It ain’t right, in my opinion. Playing God, giving people a false hope.” I adjust my hat. “Seems things get worse every year. I guess that's part of why I left my ranch for this.”

As I advance in age I think I might be getting a tad more cynical.

I’d say it’s better to know the quick pain of a harsh truth than the slow death of clinging to a false hope. Sure, those four children got their second chance, but three of them got nothing to show for it but the pain of dying a second death. Did he not see how fragile their heads were at the end of it? I refrain from arguing about that though. My thoughts on that injustice lean towards something I doubt the Capitol would be pleased with.

I don’t rightly know if Kieran understands. His parents might be less prone to drama than some of the victors from other places, but they are victors all the same. He’s grown up in that culture. Visited the Capitol more than most folks ever will. I’m not quite sure he gets it, growing up with that sort of privilege. I nod thoughtfully, ruminating on his second statement. “We've made progress here. We have at that.” I suck at the inside of my cheek a moment. We’ve always been a district that kept our noses clean.

Nine, eleven and twelve have all caused the Capitol grief at some point in the last few decades. The first two was causing trouble just earlier this year. “But district ten is just one part of a whole. We’ve contributed our fair share, sure. I suppose I’m just under the impression that everything going on in the rest of Panem is going to start to halt that progress.”

Sometimes I forget how old I’m getting. Then young men like Kieran find a way to remind me. That youthful optimism. But a good influence of the other districts? We’re a shining example of the kind of district the Capitol wants. We don’t cause trouble. We meet our quotas on time. Our victors live quiet lives, smiling for the cameras when they need to and keeping out of the spotlight otherwise.

Some would call us cautious. Others might say that we’re content to in the Capitol’s back pocket. I might not socialize all the much, but I keep up on current events. I doubt that someone like Vasco Izar would see us as any sort of place to aspire to be. Nine is hardly holding together some days the way the news tells it. Talon— We never interacted much, but she took office around the same time I did. Only she stuck with it.

Does Kieran seriously think that the career districts see us as anything other than a bunch of hick rednecks? Who exactly are we supposed to be influencing in his mind? I remind myself that this sort of thinking is best left for the debates. Right now I’m just trying to get the measure of him. Optimism is healthy, but too much and it hurts all the more when reality brings those lofty ideals crashing down around your head.

I know. I used to be an optimist myself.

Ten years of seeing the true face of Panem changed that.

"That it will," I say instead. "It would be nice to see some new faces around here."