:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex

charade
Retired Staff

3,811 POSTS

last seen May 1, 2024 12:08:12 GMT -5

Thinking

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 12, 2019 4:01:30 GMT -5

Post by charade on Feb 12, 2019 4:01:30 GMT -5

KATELYN PERSIMMON

Katelyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thinking about the events of the reaping. It couldn't have been a coincidence, could it? She was finally home, finally back where she belonged, getting back to who she was, and another Rhodes had been reaped. Cue Harbinger’s meltdown. Gideon. The gardener. Katelyn had pinched the bridge of her nose and willed the headache to go away. And then there was Arianna Taylor.

Yeah, she knew the name. Could see the resemblance. This girl was the sister of Harbinger's district partner, and understandably, had brought up a few bad memories of one of the tributes she’d failed. Suddenly, she had been glad, just for a small selfish moment that she'd never had to mentor any Izar-Kranes. But she'd do her best for the girl. Harbinger was going to pour everything he had into saving his brother. Who wouldn’t? But while she considered the Rhodes family, she wasn’t going to leave the girl out in the cold. Someone had to look out for her. Steady, Harb. She had hissed in his ear.

Then she'd heard two words that had taken her by complete surprise, words that had caught her breath in her throat as the speaker had sauntered down to the stage.

I volunteer.

That boy, Rex Antilles had just entered the dining car where she was sitting. She wasn't sure what to make of him, not exactly. Surely he knew what he was doing, putting his life on the line for a total stranger? He didn't seem the bloodthirsty sort, not like some of the careers she'd met over the years. but he was no shrinking violet either. She tossed her hair a little and finished the last bite of waffle and strawberries on her plate.

The dining car was stocked with dozens of different foods, but to her knowledge, district eleven's dining car was the only one that had homemade pastries as a part of its spread. The platter of chocolate chip cookies she'd baked that morning was by the edge of one table, wrapped in plastic and next to the cherry pie she'd baked the night before. As always, she strove to give the tributes a little taste of home. While Capitol food was good, it often tasted manufactured, something she still hadn't gotten used to in the twelve years since her victory.

“You're a brave young man." she said after a moment, wiping traces of maple syrup and whipped cream of off her lips with a lacy napkin. "I hope you realize what you're in for." Katelyn held a hand out and gestured to the free seats, beckoning him to sit down. And I hope you know what your choice means to us, the victors. Our....family. Especially Harbinger. Thank you for saving Gideon. I mean that, from the bottom of my heart." She stared at him in earnest, the look in her azure eyes a mixture of sympathy and admiration.

It was one thing to be reaped and to dig down deep in order to survive. It was another thing entirely to willingly enter this hell to save another. Not for glory, or for blood. But for...

Well, she was sure she'd learn his reasons soon enough.

table coding (c) ghosty

Last Edit: Feb 12, 2019 4:33:22 GMT -5 by charade

16 Jul 12, 23:43
GB: I bet you just sit at your computer with a tea cup and a monocle

Noah Vau - D2 (Cato)
Librarian

2,995 POSTS
Member is Online

I wish Cato didnt die

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 12, 2019 4:28:22 GMT -5

Post by Noah Vau - D2 (Cato) on Feb 12, 2019 4:28:22 GMT -5

Rex Antilles

I enter the dining car to see one of my mentors. I haven't had the nerve to talk to Harbinger yet. No doubt he's still pondering why I saved his brother. Everyone might be. Echo and Fives. Thinking about our plan to feast after the reaping. All I had to do was stay quiet. Let the boy walk on stage and my life goes on. Something compelled me to volunteer. To stand up to the capitol's blatant rigging. Fear has taken hold of me. Hands trembling, heart rate accelerating, I sit down. Only when Katelyn speaks do my nerves seek to vanish if only for a moment. Brave she calls me. I shake my head at that.

"I'm not brave. Far from it. I'm terrified of what I did. I know the chances of coming home are slim to none." I look down unable to look her in the face. I don't want her to know how truly terrified I am. Stupidity in saving Gideon Rhodes? Maybe. I only wanted to do something right. My friends and family will undoubtedly be worrying for weeks on end now due to me. I grab at some pineapple and take a bite. Savoring the sweet taste. I pick at some kind of soup. Rich in taste. I look up forgetting for a moment that Katelyn is in the room. "Seeing another Rhodes reaped. It didn't feel right. Couldn't stand by and watch."

"I don't want to take a life. It frightens me. I'll have to though won't I?. To come home. No one has ever won without a kill right? I could try to be the first." A pitiful hope. To make it home without killing someone. The game makers could have instructions to send the deadliest mutts in existence to hunt me down for my actions. Steer a career pack in my direction. Any number of things to put on a show. "I..... I'm... I'm afraid. I don't think I'm coming home." I look out the window after speaking. Trying to imagine what's going on through my friends heads. Through Gideon's. Despite my fear, my hope is that they understand what I did. It felt like the right thing to do. Right?

81st Hunger Games

[googlefont="Oswald:400"]

charade
Retired Staff

3,811 POSTS

last seen May 1, 2024 12:08:12 GMT -5

Thinking

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 12, 2019 21:13:45 GMT -5

Post by charade on Feb 12, 2019 21:13:45 GMT -5

KATELYN PERSIMMON

Katelyn listened to him in silence. There was real fear on his face, noticeable even though he kept his head down. He told her that he thought it was wrong that the Capitol kept sending Rhodes into the games. He admitted that he was afraid, that he didn't know if he was coming home. Regret was a natural emotion. It was a lot to take in. Heavy stuff, coming from Rex. Should she offer him false hope? After all, it'd been a decade since eleven's last victor, and the trend didn't seem to be all that well.

“I didn't want to kill anyone either. But in that moment, where it comes down to you or them?" she sighed, thinking about Chaske and the argument they'd had as they tried to kill each other. About how her anger at Margaret having killed two of her allies had rapidly devolved into a desperate struggle to stay alive. How she'd panicked when Dillon had tapped her knee and had swung the ice pick down.

"You'll pick you."

What advice could she give someone who didn't think they had what it took to kill someone? Katelyn folded her hands on the table, her fingers intertwined, remembering a seventeen year old that just wanted to survive. "You could run away from the bloodbath," she said after a moment. "It might make it harder for us to convince sponsors to send you stuff, but we'll do our best."

Would it be difficult? Probably. But Katelyn had long since learned that every tribute was different. She couldn't mentor them all he same way and expect it to stick. "In the weeks before the arena, you'll have time to train. Focus on the survival skills, Things like how to make a fire, how to set traps for small animals. The camouflage trainer can teach you how to hide." She thought about the stations she had taken, and then shook her head.

"If you go it alone, you're less likely to wind up fighting tributes for the first few days." Her hands came apart and she drummed the fingers of her left hand on the table. "Though, if it's not too much to ask, I'd like you to keep an eye on Arianna. She's young. And while other districts have a history of turning on each other, I'd prefer not to join them."

table coding (c) ghosty

Last Edit: Feb 12, 2019 21:15:02 GMT -5 by charade

16 Jul 12, 23:43
GB: I bet you just sit at your computer with a tea cup and a monocle

Noah Vau - D2 (Cato)
Librarian

2,995 POSTS
Member is Online

I wish Cato didnt die

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 12, 2019 21:50:46 GMT -5

Post by Noah Vau - D2 (Cato) on Feb 12, 2019 21:50:46 GMT -5

Rex Antilles

I pick up another piece of pineapple and munch on it. It's one of my favorite foods, and this is so much better than the old rotten ones I've ate before. The juice, everything about it is simply amazing, but it doesn't change anything at all. Eating is hard. Knowing that I could've had a decent meal with my friends. I can't help but wonder if they even cooked it. I believe they understand, but at the same time, I feel they're questioning why. I had to stand my ground. I believe in what's right even though I am very afraid.

I listen as she answers the questions because I need to take it all in. I need to know how I can survive this. The odds aren't in my favor, and it scares me so bad. I wonder if this is a mistake. Volunteering. Trying to save a Rhodes. Surely Snow wants me dead now. I turn my head while focusing my eyes on the outside world. I'm almost free. Freedom is where the heart is, and maybe this is my chance to finally taste it. To have the answers I need. I know my family is worried, and they're not happy with me, but I explained why, and I just hope it's enough.

She talks a lot about different ideas, but when she asks me to look out for my district partner, my heart drops slightly. It's hard watching someone young venture into the arena against their own desire. I want to protect her as much as I can because she deserves a chance. I want to keep her safe as much as I can. I fiddle with a piece of pineapple in my hand before turning my gaze towards her. I'll die for her, but I don't want anyone to think that I'm giving up now. I simply nod my head, words refusing to leave my tongue. I swallow hard removing the lump because it allows me a chance to speak. "I'll try to look out for Ari. I won't be the one to drag Eleven into killing one another. If it comes down to it between Ari and I. Well....."

81st Hunger Games

[googlefont="Oswald:400"]

charade
Retired Staff

3,811 POSTS

last seen May 1, 2024 12:08:12 GMT -5

Thinking

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 12, 2019 23:03:48 GMT -5

Post by charade on Feb 12, 2019 23:03:48 GMT -5

KATELYN PERSIMMON

Rex's choice weighed heavily on him, that much she was sure of; he was more interested in the pineapple than anything else. Maybe it was best to leave him to his thoughts. Still, she was proud of him in a way, having the guts to stick up for his convictions, to stand up against an injustice. She felt a measure of relief knowing that he was willing to look out for the Taylor girl, but it also brought her some unease. She'd had a similar conversation with Harbinger several years ago; Annora had struck out on her own though, and died for it. H

Harb had come home.

She wondered if history would repeat itself, being kinder to the Taylors this time around. She didn't know the family, but she knew she was glad Mayor Izar at least, held her no ill will for coming home instead of his nephew. She didn't know if Arianna resented Harb in any capacity, but she decided she would need to find out. "If it comes down to the two of you, then you went above and beyond the call."

The spread of food entered her field of vision again and she sighed. In all likelihood she'd be burying another pair of tributes by the time this games was done. Her thoughts turned to Mace, to Opal and the other victors she considered friends. How were they doing? It had been a couple years since either of them had brought home a victor too.

The Capitol was awash in the younger generation of victors, many from districts that hadn't had a victor in decades. Time to reach out, she thought. As cliche as it sounds, we're all in this together. We've all lived through this bullshit. We get it. Katelyn leaned back in her chair and watched Rex mess with the pineapple slice some more.

“If there's any other advice you need, let me know.”

table coding (c) ghosty

Last Edit: Feb 13, 2019 4:02:29 GMT -5 by charade

16 Jul 12, 23:43
GB: I bet you just sit at your computer with a tea cup and a monocle

Noah Vau - D2 (Cato)
Librarian

2,995 POSTS
Member is Online

I wish Cato didnt die

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 13, 2019 3:09:27 GMT -5

Post by Noah Vau - D2 (Cato) on Feb 13, 2019 3:09:27 GMT -5

Rex Antilles

I feel somewhat at ease around Kate. She's offering advice. She's trying to help. She's doing everything she possibly can to try to give me some peace of mind, but it's hard. Sometimes life is a challenge. There's so much questions I want to ask. What weapons to grab, items to fight for, and so much more. I can't look her in the eyes despite feeling relaxed in her presence. Mayor Vasco, Kate, and Harbinger all thanking me for what I did. Is the world so messed up that saving one life means being showered in good will? I ponder the first question I'd like to ask. "What's it like having people depend on you in the arena. Losing those same people and being alone at the end. I might have been brave at the reaping, but I don't know if I could form a friendship and see that person die in my arms. To potentially see Ari like that....." The very image of that is too much.

The juice of the pineapple running down my arm and dripping onto my pants gives me one more piece of advice to seek. Food has very rarely been problematic for tributes in the arena. "How did you deal with the hunger? Should I gorge myself prior to going in? I've never had what seems like limitless amounts of food before. Not sure if its best to eat a lot and go into the arena starving at night on day one." I get up and walk around the room feeling sick. Not from the food, but from the stress. I've thrust myself into the spotlight with the uttering of two words.

Weapon of choice is in my thoughts as well. It seems too disturbing to ask about the best tool for ending a life so I opt to keep that question to myself. Its something I'll deal with when the time comes. I think back to my conversation with Echo and Fives. None of us had any idea what I'd do. They'll be watching every day praying they don't hear my cannon. Gideon might as well. Despite my fear, my questioning what I did, it still feels good to have made a difference.

81st Hunger Games

[googlefont="Oswald:400"]

charade
Retired Staff

3,811 POSTS

last seen May 1, 2024 12:08:12 GMT -5

Thinking

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 13, 2019 4:34:16 GMT -5

Post by charade on Feb 13, 2019 4:34:16 GMT -5

KATELYN PERSIMMON

It was a series of rapid fire questions, but she was glad he asked them. It gave her a sense of normalcy, slipping back into her role as a mentor after six years. Not to mention that she was glad that he wanted the help. Hopefully, Arianna would listen as well. Katelyn briefly wondered what car the girl was in, whether she was sleeping or not. Fifteen. The games had been hell at seventeen. She couldn’t imagine what they were like at an even younger age.

Rex still wouldn’t look at her though, opting to look down instead. That was alright, they were questions that cut right to the heart of the matter.

She took them one at a time.

“My allies—” she began. “I like to think we were a little family. We each had our role to play. You might be strangers before the arena, but life and death has a way of bringing people together.” Katelyn stopped a moment to roll out a kink in her neck. “I wouldn’t worry about being alone in the end though.It’s better than having to kill your allies, your friends for the crown in the finale. As for watching them die…”

Her eyes felt misty, and she blinked them away. “Only one of my allies died in front of me,” A snow angel with a crimson halo. ”Though not in my arms; It still was—agonizing, watching her fade away, I can tell you that much. A career cracked her skull with bare hands; she lasted for a couple minutes, but the internal bleeding in her brain…” Katelyn shook her head, willing the images away. “As for the others, we got separated twice, and both times I only saw them in the sky afterwards." Touch her again and I’ll kill you!

“Does it hurt, knowing that the people you bled for, bled with are dead? Yeah. It does. But you gotta move past it.” That was all she wanted to say on the matter for the moment. Katelyn cleared her throat and tried to answer the questions he had on another topic to the best of her ability.

“When it comes to supplies, what food is and how easy it is to get it really depends on the climate of the arena. Fish, small mutts, birds, roots and mushrooms,” she waved a hand. “Occasionally, they’ll put packaged food in the Cornucopia," she continued, remembering the can of tuna she’s greedily slurped down in the snow. “But as for the hunger itself—“ Katelyn paused as a wealth of memories washed over her.

“Most of the time I barely felt the hunger. I was just numb. It was – cold. Colder than the coldest winters in district eleven.”Katelyn shook her head. “Though what the weather will be like for you is anyone’s guess.” Desert sands? Tropical jungle? Crumbling city ruins? It was impossible to tell really, though she figured it would be noticeably different from the previous year. Katelyn shrugged her shoulders and looked over at the trays of food.

“Honestly? I would enjoy this while you can. You’ll be missing this type of food once you’re in there.”

table coding (c) ghosty

16 Jul 12, 23:43
GB: I bet you just sit at your computer with a tea cup and a monocle

Noah Vau - D2 (Cato)
Librarian

2,995 POSTS
Member is Online

I wish Cato didnt die

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 14, 2019 22:45:13 GMT -5

Post by Noah Vau - D2 (Cato) on Feb 14, 2019 22:45:13 GMT -5

Rex Antilles

I listen as she speaks. Taking in every word is important. My heart is hurting for her. It's like asking her to relive her worse memories for my sake. I almost hate myself for asking her these questions, but I wanted to know. I had to know some of what it's like, and this is the best way to really make sense of things. Being alone isn't bad at all maybe. Maybe it's best to just go alone so I don't get close to anyone, and I don't have to worry about watching allies die. I don't think I could handle holding a friend's hand while their life comes to an end. I hope Echo and Fives don't suffer too much.

She talks about supplies, and that's the most important part of the game. Supplies and food of course. She talks about fishing and small mutts and birds. Anything that's edible really. I don't know much about fish or birds or anything else, but maybe I can find some plants that's worth eating. She goes on talking about hunger itself, and she said she was just numb. I don't remember much of her game because I was young, but I can't imagine being in temps colder than the winters here. I offer a small smile as she tells me to enjoy what's here.

I look at all the food spread across the table, and I think about how gaining some weight could help. I think about enjoying the food until I'm sick, but I think of my friends and family starving at home. I think of how long this food would last them. I think of everything, and I just gave it all away. "Thanks for all that. It's a lot to take in, but it'll help." I lift some more pineapples from the plate. I wonder if they'll have any of these in the arena. "How can I tell which mutt is edible and which mutts aren't?" Maybe she can help even more because I have a lot of questions, and I don't believe they'll all get answered.

81st Hunger Games

[googlefont="Oswald:400"]

charade
Retired Staff

3,811 POSTS

last seen May 1, 2024 12:08:12 GMT -5

Thinking

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 15, 2019 0:56:34 GMT -5

Post by charade on Feb 15, 2019 0:56:34 GMT -5

KATELYN PERSIMMON

Rex listened in silence for the most part, taking in all the information as she spoke. When she had finished, he asked how to tell the difference between a mutt that he could kill and eat, and one that he couldn’t. It wasn’t a question she had an answer ready for, so she paused for a moment and thought about it, thinking about the climates that the last few games had had.

“Well,” she began, “Nearly every game for the last decade or so has had Delivery Words, these little birds that can be used to send messages. They’re safe to eat. It’s not guaranteed, but very likely they’ll be in the arena again.” Katelyn thought about the saber-toothed cat she’d killed, and how unprepared she’d been for its appearance.

“In general it’s difficult because they don’t release a list of mutations to the public until the games have started. From what I’ve seen though, I’d say that insects and reptiles have a greater chance of being poisonous or venomous than other mutt types. The difference there being that if a mutt bites you and it makes you sick, it's venomous, and if you bite the mutt and it makes you sick, then it's poisonous.”

She thanked God it wasn’t a quell, or there’d be more crap to worry about, the like the automatons that tributes in Kirito’s games had had to deal with. Or some other bullshit like there not being any food in the arena at all. “I’d suggest spending some time at the trapping and mutt tamer stations in the training center,” she “The coaches will be able to help you more than I in that regard.”

Curling one arm up, she rested her cheek on her fist as she thought about Rex’s partner, wondering if it was going to unnerve her every time the female tribute was blonde. Arianna had yet to enter the dining car in search of food, and Katelyn was starting to wonder if she ever would. Worst come to worst, she’d search her out in the training center.

Some tributes needed more time than others to adjust to the reality of what they were up against, and she wasn’t going to force the issue one someone who hadn’t adjusted just yet. She would need to talk to her eventually though; no way was she going to send a tribute in unprepared. Not now, not now that she was back. She focused her gaze on Rex and his obsession with the pineapple pieces.

“I can see about baking a pineapple upside down cake, if you’d like.” She said with a smile. “I’ll need something to keep me occupied when the two of you are in training.”

table coding (c) ghosty

16 Jul 12, 23:43
GB: I bet you just sit at your computer with a tea cup and a monocle

Noah Vau - D2 (Cato)
Librarian

2,995 POSTS
Member is Online

I wish Cato didnt die

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 16, 2019 0:25:31 GMT -5

Post by Noah Vau - D2 (Cato) on Feb 16, 2019 0:25:31 GMT -5

Rex Antilles

Talking is a distraction, yet the words are a constant reminder of what's going on. Never knew there was a difference between venomous and poisonous. Guess I learn something every single day, and being on the way to the Capitol for a death games is a great place to learn every possible tip to survive. I just have to keep that all in mind. It's still so much to take in, and I want nothing more than to just crawl away and undo what I've done. Some say I am brave, but I only doing what I thought was right. I nod my head as she finishes talking.

"It all makes sense. I will really pay attention during training." Training is the difference between life and death, and I want to take her words seriously. I want her to know that I am taking in everything and not just wasting her time. Before I can say another word, she mentions a pineapple upside down cake. My mouth drops open as I imagine devouring one of those before heading into the arena. Anything pineapple is simply amazing. "I'd like that, and I think Ari would like that too."

I haven't talked to her, and I want her to know that she's cared for. I lift a pineapple to take a bite before sitting it down on the table. "Take care of her will you? Make sure she's safe. I like helping people, and her life is just as important if not more important for mine." I need to know she's safe. I need to know she's okay because in all reality, I will die for her. "Thanks for the help. I'm going to go lay down and try to relax." I nod my head before standing up and walking away. She's given me a lot, and I just hope she does the same for Ari, and if she doesn't, I'll pass the knowledge along. It's the least I can do.

81st Hunger Games

[googlefont="Oswald:400"]

charade
Retired Staff

3,811 POSTS

last seen May 1, 2024 12:08:12 GMT -5

Thinking

:caught in the hands of time: Kate/Rex Feb 16, 2019 6:41:12 GMT -5

Post by charade on Feb 16, 2019 6:41:12 GMT -5

KATELYN PERSIMMON

Katelyn was glad that he found her advice helpful, as for a moment, she’d started to wonder if she was just rambling. There was just so much that went into games strategy. She hadn’t even touched upon allies and enemies, things to do for sponsorship, districts to avoid and a dozen other things. But there was time enough for all of that, and she didn’t want to needlessly bombard him with all the information at once, even if she felt like she needed to.

It was heartening that he took her up on her offer of cake, removed any lingering doubts she had about his mental state. Rex was braver than he gave himself credit for, and if the worst should come to pass, she decided that she would seek out his family or his friends, and let them know that he faced the arena with dignity.

Katelyn smiled warmly, slightly wanly as she started to make a mental list of the ingredients she would need to purchase in the Capitol. Rex went on for a moment, detailing his thoughts about his partner and himself in a manner that suggested he held Arianna as being the more valuable of the pair.

“You’re equally important, but yes, I will do my best for her.” Katelyn replied. She watched him go and as soon as she door shut behind him, she let out a heavy sigh, feeling tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. Even after a few years of not mentoring, the thought of sending tributes, (whether brave or scared out of their wits) to their deaths still elicited the same feelings from her.

Rage. Despair. Pity. Katelyn rose from her seat and headed over to the stacks of food, selecting a croissant and spreading some butter on it. She was going to try her damnedest this time around, and if still wasn’t enough, at least she could say that she had given her all.

table coding (c) ghosty

16 Jul 12, 23:43
GB: I bet you just sit at your computer with a tea cup and a monocle