the line. rook.
Jun 2, 2015 17:14:28 GMT -5
Post by Wonder on Jun 2, 2015 17:14:28 GMT -5
His shoes are lined with splotches of ash, their once black exterior callously lined with small holes and messily tied laces. They were, of course, not the shoes of someone going out of their way to impress. They say with age came infinite wisdom, but now at the stark age of twenty-five, Peridot was no more adult than child, no more victor than loser. Somewhere along the line he got lost in normalcy and simplicity. The perfect revenge, once in his emerald eyes, was to live the life of a man unaffected, never to become to waving flag that Glamour Kinkade had intended his career victor to be.
Perhaps his revenge had worked too well. The warm filter blazed between his thumb and index finger burning slowly as it waited. After a pregnant pause, he drew the butt to his crackled lips and drew a huge breath, allowing the steam to vaporize his lungs. There was a time years ago where he couldn’t even imagine smoking, a young innocent child of sixteen, bullied and beaten, wondering about the marketplace of One imagining what life would be like if only he were a bit stronger. It was this stark innocence that Peri attempted to anchor himself in. There was a time, though long ago, where he believe the world could be truly good if only he were stronger.
A Capitolite salutes as he passes, dressed to his neck in white linens, as Peri finally let’s go the cloud of smoke gathering in his chest. Hello, Aria. Hello, Mum. Hello, Dad. With a last push, he releases every last bit of tar and sighs. Smashing the remaining filter beneath his toes, he wandered back towards the training centre. The glass doors swing open as he parades back in, tip toeing as if though sneaking on a prey. There were some habits he could not seem to destroy, being light-footed, walking cautiously, even eight years out of the games, there was a looming threat that could not be erased.
“Peridot,” as a worker acknowledged him, Peri grunted in reprehension. Babysitting, again. There was no point in ripping him from his day to day life when they knew he wasn’t going to be doing anything. From the day Opal had won, the responsibility had been all on her to take care of the kids. And what a bloody lot of fodder they were this year, he couldn’t help but grumble to himself, his clenched lips tightening further. Some child named Rhyme, probably some high school plastic brat, and some fortress that volunteered. Tyrant? Something of the sorts - an idiot, no less. Muscle for brains. Fodder, really.
As he trotted along the training floor, he thanked Ripred the Quell hadn’t affected their District. Poor Cricket and Julian had four brats to look after, in the most annoying District. Serves them right for being full of over-confident fools. He’d passed one in the hallway the night prior, and she’d had on an eyepatch. It was just so ludicrous. Silly, even.
He was getting to the age now where these tributes had grown up watching his Games, they were no longer companions, close in age. They were children, self-sacrificing, hormone-frantic apes that lined the walls. Whether they deserved the credit was no different, there were victors old enough to be Peri’s grandfather, it was no longer a matter of getting along. Heck - some of this years batch wasn’t even born when Arbor had won, and to acknowledge the fact that Peri had indeed slept with the man wouldn’t even affect their brains.
Julian, Klaus, himself, were no longer points of Capitol relevance, there would be no scandals surrounding them, impressive nude photoshoots. They were simply victors of the past slaved away into some cult of attention seeking little twats. He sighed, Topaz, Ara, Mace, Lethe - Lethe. Hadn’t she just pushed out another child? God that woman liked to fuck. Where was she staying? Clutching his necklace, he strolled forward towards the gym.
He noticed the younger victor from far away, training away as though she’d be called to arms at any minute. Peri couldn’t blame her, it was almost typical procedure. He, of course, had taken up training young careers for the couple of years after his win, before realizing that not everyone could be saved. Matty? Gosh - what was her name. He knew that she had come from Five, Lethe had appreciated the break from mentoring, especially with Eden growing older, and Jasper being so dramatic all the time. God. “Oi, you.” He called over, real subtle. “Seen Lethe?”
