take me away // kari VT

k a t e l y n .

I saw your soul leave this room like it was sick of you
you had this look on your face like you were thinking
just take me away

If not for one of Opal’s tributes making it all the way to the finale, she wouldn’t have bothered to keep watching after Arabella fell. But one did, and she had. Lysander Mae. First victor from five since Pat. She hoped it gave the redhead some measure of peace. Victory tours never changed, though quells always had some extra pomp and flair. Still, knowing that a certain secretary wouldn’t be breathing down her neck for a while was enough of a comfort that she could keep her focus on the present.

While there were exceptions, things tended to be laxer in eleven than in some of the higher districts. Lysander would not get mobbed here, would not suffer a parade of people wanting things to be autographed. There was of course, a sinking feeling in Katelyn’s gut that Lys would have to endure a photo op with Cyro and Arabella’s families, but some things in life were unavoidable.

Especially when a victor had allied with both of a district’s tributes.

Katelyn sighed.

Ever since meeting Annie in the tribute museum the year her imprisonment had ended, Katelyn had felt a pressing need to look out for the younger victors. Someone had to. Annie had looked so tired, resigned. Like she had expected Katelyn to hate her for existing. Still did half the time, when she was drowning in alcohol and self-pity. Nico had been eyes brimming with unshed tears, the stitches he’d sewn into his heart bursting at the seams, while Kass was a firecracker who refused to be defused..

As far as Katelyn could tell, she was content to work through her problems angry and alone, so she’d taken a step back from trying to treat her like Kirito and Harbinger all those years ago. She hadn’t ever sat down with Ridley but from what she’d seen of Beck she could tell that he was a very wounded little boy trying his hardest to be a man. Lysander though, she looked stiff. Like she was trying hard not to show any emotions, locking them all away and throwing away the key. Katelyn knew that sort of stoniness all too well.

The speech was done, the cameras were off, the escorts busy, and Katelyn took a seat across from Lysander at the picnic table she was sitting at while the Capitol people figured out where the rest of her schedule was going to take her. “Well, welcome to district eleven, Lysander. I’m Katelyn Persimmon,” she began, adjusting her sunhat. “They’ll probably have you do a few photo ops with the others before the day is out, just so you know.” She could only hope that Kass didn’t decide to tear the new victor a new asshole before the day was out as well. Kass was so hard to read sometimes.

There was quite a bit she wanted to say to Lysander, but she didn’t want to overwhelm the poor girl either. Katelyn reached into her bag and pulled out a cookie tin containing around two dozen. “Sugar cookies. Baked them last night for you.” She slid the tin across the table carefully. “But let me know what your favorite dessert is, I like to bake for my fellow victors while the games are in progress.” That genial, motherly smile that came so naturally to her appeared as she gazed at Lysander knowingly, her eyes tinged with sadness.

“How are you holding up, dear?”