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holidaywishes · 1 month ago

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not all monsters do monstrous things...

Part 9: The Quell

Summary of Series: Delly Cartwright lost her best friend, Peeta, to the games. Now, the one that took him seems to have a soft spot for her.

Summary of Chapter: The Ceremonies have officially started - the Parades, the Training, the Interviews, - leading Delly and Asher to finally feel how real it all is.

Warning: Angst, some violence

Author’s Note: As always, I’m crediting Ophelia Tate’s story, They Caught Fire, that I read years ago over on Fanfiction.net. Everything past the Reaping, is on me lol, and I’ve changed a pretty big detail in the original story. But hopefully I will do her original story/idea justice. I think this one is gonna be a bit longer because it’s going to be different parts of the Ceremonies plus the start of the Quell from Delly’s perspective. I’m excited to keep going, I was also listening to the audio book of Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes while I wrote this so I felt like I was back in 2012, much simpler times. I hope you enjoy this chapter! If there’s anything that you’d like in further chapters, feel free to send me an ask with your requests!

masterlist

masterlist part ii

the other masterlist

Delly’s P.O.V

Today was the start of the Ceremonies, which meant that soon you’d be in the Arena and, after that, your life would be forever changed. Haymitch and Effie brought you both to the long hallway where the Tributes waited to begin the processional, the horse chariots waiting nearby. As you and Asher got ready for the parade, you looked around for Cato, knowing he was around somewhere, but you couldn’t find him anywhere, though it wouldn’t be like you could see him anyway as your team of stylists and mentors were invading your eye line. Cinna stood in front of you and Asher, adjusting the outfits he had made and gave you a rundown on the idea behind them, calling it an “ode to the old days” with a “hint of tribute to Katniss and Peeta.”

The outfits were coal black, much like Katniss and Peeta’s outfits, but there were hints of gold shimmering down the dress that you wore that matched the shimmering effect throughout Asher’s suit. To you, the gold felt like a nod to the Mockingjay pin that Madge had mentioned she gave to Katniss, but it all felt so dark and bleak - which you weren’t used to. The dress was beautiful though. It was a velvety soft floor length gown, with a sweetheart illusion neckline and an underlay with vibrant oranges and reds, overlaid with a mesh layer that appeared to have a sort of charring along the hem of the dress that moved effortlessly with the wind.

“Is there going to be some kind of flame or something that goes off?” Asher asked, the slight anxiousness on his voice bringing you back to them, Cinna smiled to himself

“There might be something,” he confessed, “to pay homage to your friends. But I couldn’t bring the flames back entirely”

“Why not?” Asher asked inquisitively as he examined his suit and you rolled your eyes at his childish opposition to Cinna’s admission

“That was specific to Katniss,” he said, a look of unresolved grief on his face, “Peeta too, but Katniss was our Girl on Fire. The flames were for her.”

“So,” you said slowly, the sweetness of your tone bringing him back to you. You smiled at him when he met your gaze, “do we get to know what happens?”

“It might be more exciting if you don't,” he smirked and you smiled lightly. This seemed to tug at Cinna’s heartstrings just enough for him to pull you and Asher aside and show what the outfits would do. Below the hints of gold in Asher’s suit ran red and orange lights that pulsed, burning bright when his heart rate quickened and dimmed slightly when he was at ease. The underlay of your dress, the vibrant red and orange threads, mirroring the pulsing on Asher’s suit, but it seemed almost brighter to fight to be seen through the top layer of mesh. The elements were a subtle nod to Katniss and Peeta, you agreed, and you could see that Cinna was proud of what he’d accomplished. It felt like there was a message he was trying to convey, like the fire was still burning…

“The outfits are beautiful, Cinna” you said, giving him a hug just as Haymitch and Effie approached

“Aren’t they marvellous!” Effie exclaimed, “Cinna, you never cease to amaze me.” Cinna smiled coyly, bowing slightly to show his gratitude, while you and Asher smiled together, allowing yourselves to take in a small positive moment before everything would inevitably come crashing down.

That's when you saw him; suddenly and just for a moment. You caught a glimpse of Cato with his team and fellow Victor, Enobaria, as they prepared their chariot for the Parade as well. His outfit was similar to last year but darker, as everything seemed to be this year. Instead of the sharp gold of his previous armoured outfit, both he and Enobaria wore a brassy gladiator inspired outfit, with a red cape on each of their outfits that you envision would flow behind them in the wind. Your eyes lingered for far too long and just as Cato caught your eyes, Haymitch pulled you away

“I swear,” he muttered, tracing your eye line to Cato before standing in front of you to block your view, a flush of red took over your face, “that boy always stares at our Tributes…”

“Oh hush,” Effie said, dismissing Haymitch, and you furrowed your brow once in confusion and embarrassment, “let’s get you two on the chariot.”

“Listen to me, quickly,” he said, stopping you from going onto the chariot just yet, “don’t try to be Katniss and Peeta. Pay your respects but don’t try to emulate them, know your place.” His tone was firm and this felt like proper mentorship, for the first time since you’d arrived at the Captiol. “You can do well in these next few events if you stay focused. Leave Cato and whatever happened before in the past,” he said, taking you by surprise; you hadn’t thought about how much he had known until now, “he’s a Victor. You’re just a girl.” You nodded shyly in agreement and stepped onto the chariot, grabbing Asher’s hand so you didn’t slip. The music started, signalling the District 1 chariot to proceed and all you could think to yourself was there’s no turning back now. You inhaled sharply as the horses pulled the chariot harshly, as if they were scared into trotting, holding Asher’s hand as you went on your way.

You looked back quickly at your team, Effie waving, a look of pride mixed with despair on her face, Haymitch watching determinedly as the chariots made their way to the Avenue of Tributes, hand just under his mouth almost nervously while Cinna looked solemn, possibly remembering having to say goodbye to Katniss. You’d see them all again shortly, to prepare for the interviews, but it was clear that every moment was critical. Every impression was make or break and that was nerve wracking. Neither you nor Asher were cut out for this but hopefully any potential Sponsors wouldn’t be displeased about that.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Asher smiled just as the bright lights shone on each of the chariots, squeezing your hand gently, "should we show them?” he asked, referring to the lights on your outfits that could be activated by a small button that Cinna had given you and you nodded with a smirk. The crowd cheered as your chariot got closer to where President Snow sat and everyone finally saw the shimmer of the red, orange and gold lights on yours and Asher’s outfits.

Asher’s P.O.V

You tried to hold back your nerves as the chariot made its way down the long path, loud cheers from the Capitol audience. The Avenue lights dimming slightly when the District 12 chariot came out

“We’re gonna be okay,” you smiled nervously at Delly, squeezing her hand, more to ease your mind than hers, “should we show them?” you asked, and she nodded with a smirk that said let’s do it; the two of you pressing the small black button that Cinna gave each of you. The effect of your outfits were much more subdued than Katniss and Peeta’s, the lights throughout the outfits building from the bottom and creeping up your suit and Delly’s dress, small embers flickering behind you, the hem of Delly’s dress blowing in the wind and the embers flickering along with it.

As the chariot approached President Snow’s perch, the outfits began to pulse in a natural rhythm as if they were echoing each other, embers continuing to glint behind you. The chariot stopped in front of Snow for just a moment and you noticed Delly’s lights dimming and becoming more steady. She was at ease. Well… maybe not at ease, but she was calm. You did your best to calm your breathing but couldn’t manage to get to her level but hopefully you didn’t appear too nervous; you worried that if you did, it could mean something terrible in the Arena. When the chariot began to move again, you smiled at Delly, proud that the crowd seemed to love the effect that Cinna had worked so hard to create.

“You both did so wonderfully!” Effie cooed while you and Delly stepped off the chariot, “those embers flickering off the outfits were like.. like.. like Katniss and Peeta were still here.” Her eyes turned sympathetic as Cinna approached you, “they’ll never be forgotten.” There was a small moment of silence between everyone before the other Tributes filled the space, stealing your attention and taking away any sense of calm.

“We should get going,” Haymitch said, ushering you and Delly back toward your apartment, “before we get bomba-”

“District 12,” Gloss said tauntingly, interrupting your mentor as he and his sister, Cashmere, approached, “always burning…”

“Gloss…” Haymitch said in return, trying to put himself between them and you, “why don’t you head back over there…”

“Asher,” Delly said to grab your attention, Haymitch’s voice becoming faint to you as you focused on what your sister was saying. “We don’t need to wait for Haymitch,” she smirked, “I mean, we could if you wanted to, but do you really want to wait for him here?”

“Don’t you want to see him?” you whispered, noticing her eyes growing wide and she quickly shook her head, leading you to furrow your brow; she knew who you were talking about, but you couldn’t understand the fear in her eyes - no one else knew… did they?

“We have to go prepare for the interviews” she replied, louder than you thought she would, which you imagined was for everyone else’s sake. She grabbed your arm gently and led you into the elevator, “what are you doing?!”

“What?!” you whined, rubbing your arm and she rolled her eyes

“I promised Haymitch we’d stay focused,” she said, clearly distressed that someone might realize her connection to Cato, “he- I- we have to focus on us. On surviving…” Just then, the door chimed, and you realized neither of you had actually pressed anything to bring you to your floor, and Haymitch was there as the door opened, glaring at the two of you without saying anything and you furrowed your brow, until you realized who was behind him

“H-hi,” you stammered to Enobaria and Cato who now filled the empty space in the elevator, leaving everyone in awkward silence. “You’d think the elevators here would be bigger…” you continued, trying to break the tension and Haymitch shook his head, but the ride was over almost as quickly as it began. The elevator reaching the second floor and Enobaria scoffed as she exited while Cato looked back before the doors could close

“See you at the Interviews tomorrow…” he said, looking only at Delly

“Yeah” was all she seemed to muster, looking at Haymitch as if to ask his permission for something and the elevator doors closed slowly with the two of them staring at each other. Whatever happened in District 2 wouldn’t be so easily forgotten but you could tell that someone, most likely Haymitch, had told Delly to put it behind her and she was trying desperately to do it.

“The interviews are important,” Haymitch finally said, “that’s where you’ll get Sponsors…”

“We got this,” you said lightly, “I believe in us.”

Delly’s P.O.V

The Tributes were all lined up, waiting to walk up on stage and complete their interview with Caesar Flickerman. You had to control your breathing, you could feel the tight bodice of your dress restricting any deep breaths but you still had to at least appear calm or the pulsing lights that Cinna had added to yours and Asher’s outfits, continuing the theme from the Parade, would be the only thing the crowd would notice. Maybe that wouldn’t be the worst thing, you thought, maybe that would distract them from my awful answers.

One by one, Tributes went for their interviews and charmed the audience before taking their place at the back of the stage as the dramatic lighting lit the entire room. By the time it was your turn, you were almost too nervous to breathe,

“Look,” you sighed, turning to Asher before you were pulled on stage, “just be yourself. Don’t think too much. Everything will be fine. Try and joke your way out of the awkwardness,” your voice was starting to fade as you got further and further away, “I love you.” More than anything, you wanted him to know that he was safe. It was going to be a stressful few minutes and this was all new, there was no telling what would happen when either of you stepped out on stage.

“DELLY CARTWRIGHT FROM DISTRICT 12!” Caesar introduced you, a bright grin gleaming as he directed you to the chair. The coloured lights moved across the backdrop, behind the Victors, while a spotlight followed you across the stage, your fitted dress constricting your legs just enough that your walk was more of a saunter. When you finally sat down, you waved to the audience, knowing that’s what Haymitch would tell you to do, and smiled at Caesar. “Hello!” he grinned, as he sat in his shimmering blue suit across from you, lavender hair pairing effortlessly.

“Hi!” you returned, in just as peppy of a voice

“How are you feeling?”

“Would you hate me if I said ‘nervous’?”

“Of course not!” Caesar chuckled, teasingly smacking your hand, “why are you nervous, Delly?”

“Well,” you started, “my brother and I are the only non-Victor Tributes. It’s a little intimidating…”

“Of course,” he replied, smile fading and his expression changed to one more serious, “but at the same time, you know what to expect from them. They don’t know what to expect from you”

“I didn’t think of it that way,” you smiled, giving Caesar a playful wink, “I guess you’re right!”

“I usually am,” he said quickly, the audience giggling along, earning a knowing smile from Caesar and a small wink. “Now, Delly,” he asked, letting the silence fall back over the audience, which you knew meant more serious questions, “District 12 has a knack for heart wrenching stories. Katniss volunteering for her younger sister, Star Crossed Lovers and now…” his words faded as he outstretched his arms to you and you smiled shyly. “You and your brother’s names were drawn on Reaping Day and there were no volunteers this year”

“No, Caesar,” you replied, solemnly, “there weren’t”

“How are you feeling going into the arena with your brother?” you took a second to look out into the crowd, contemplating your answer

“I’m conflicted,” you admitted but chose your words carefully, “I’m nervous about what’s going to happen in the Arena. I’m sad that either of us have to risk our lives for the other but I’m grateful that I get to spend as much time as I can with him”

“Awwwwwww,” Caesar cooed, getting the crowd involved as well, “that’s so sweet. Now, tell me,” he switched abruptly, catching you off guard and your eyes grew wide, “for a district so… dark, we’re getting a lot of fire from the Tributes of 12.” Caesar said, pivoting to a question that was sure to get a reaction from the audience, “Katniss, infamously, was the Girl on Fire”

“She was such a spark wasn’t she?” you added, wanting to linger on the strength of someone else instead of trying to evade your lack thereof

“She was— Oh I like what you did there!” he laughed heartily and you smiled brightly in return, “but you and your brother during the Parade were sparkling too. I think I saw real embers flying off the two of you”

“Well Cinna is a magician,” you smiled playfully, “and he is very good at what he does”

“Well, yes, of course. But why not represent District 12 as what it is? A coal district. Put on some dust and a black outfit and call it a day…”

“Like I’m wearing right now?” you asked, almost in a teasing way, gesturing to the matte charcoal dress on your body

“Well, yes,” he replied as he leaned in, “to be honest, I’m surprised Cinna let you out like this. So simple, so… subdued. Is that all there is?” He raised an eyebrow before a grin creeped onto his face. You looked into the audience, finding Cinna and he nodded, letting you know it was the right time

“You’re right, Cinna always leaves a spark.” you smiled softly, “Would you like to see?” The audience cheered as you stood up, Caesar laughing eagerly. You glanced at the Victors at the back of the stage, only now starting to feel a little silly, but you noticed Cato give you a comforting nod, like permission to be innocent one last time. You took a breath and began to slowly turn, the seams of the dress began to glow brighter as the charcoal overlay fell away like ash, revealing a soft Canary yellow tulle gown with a modest ball gown skirt, flutter tulle sleeves, a corset bodice and subtle glowing ember threads embedded in the fabric.

For the first time since coming here, you felt like you. The dark colours, the symbolism, it all made sense, but you needed the brightness. You needed the light.

“Would you look at that folks!” Caesar grinned, his smile sparkling, “from Coal to Canary. Very reminiscent of District 12 I would say, wouldn’t you?” you nodded in return, urging him to continue, “Coal mines always used to have Canaries didn’t they? To signal danger?”

“That’s very true, Caesar,” you said, matching his smile

“So is that what they mean?” he asked and you tilted your head, feigning confusion, “are you signalling danger?”

“Ah, I see,” you smiled, looking out at the audience with a playful throw away d’oy gesture to yourself. “No, no, well, yes, there is danger ahead, but this,” you said, straightening the soft tulle of your dress as you spoke, “I think it shows our resilience, our ability to shine through the darkness. It shows that where there is light, there is strength”

“That is beautiful,” he said before ending the interview, “Delly Cartwright, everyone!” You waved to the crowd as you walked back up the stairs at the back of the stage toward the Victors, taking your place beside Chaff. You had done your part and now it was Asher’s turn.

Asher stumbled a little but he was the youngest Tribute here, you hoped that would give him grace, but you knew he just needed one good line. Something that the crowd could latch onto. His outfit, like yours, flickered as he breathed

“Asher,” Caesar began, “you’re so composed tonight, nervous?”

“Very,” he laughed lightly, clearing his throat, “I keep thinking I’ll wake up back home but I never do…”

“Speaking of home,” Caesar pressed, “are Katniss and Peeta’s legacies still felt?”

“Sure,” he said and your face contorted into worry for your brother, “but it’s more of a shadow. We just try not to get lost in it…” It felt like he was getting more nervous as the interview went on and you hoped he could find his way back

“What is your strategy for the Arena?” Caesar grinned, trying to pull something out of your brother

“I can’t tell you that,” Asher joked, trying to provide some ere of mystery, “let me just say I’m gonna do my best”

“Okay,” Caesar said, you could tell he was bored by the answer and you dropped your head in early defeat, before remembering the audience could see you. “Alright. Let me ask you this,” Caesar continued, “this is the first time you’ve been out of District 12, what has been your favourite part so far?” You could tell that Caesar was trying to bring light back to the interview to show the crowd that Asher was still young and eager

“The train ride here was so exciting!” he smiled youthfully and you saw the brother you loved, the boy that you knew the Capitol would love as well. The lights on his suit now pulsing as his excitement grew, “it was so fast and everything was so pristine and beautiful. It’s unlike anything I’d ever seen”

“What about the food?” Caesar said

“There’s so much of it!” Asher laughed, “I couldn’t fill my pockets fast enough.” It seemed like Caesar found Asher’s footing for him and, for that, you would be eternally grateful. Both of you needed all the help you could get and the easiest help would come from the Sponsors. As Asher finished his interview, and walked up to meet you, he took your hand and squeezed it in relief, leading you to take Chaff’s hand; the rest of the Victors’ raising their hands in succession. A move you didn’t expect. It was clearly somewhat a show of defiance from the Victors, but it also felt like there could be some camaraderie among them as well. As you and Asher stood next to each other, hands raised, the lights in your outfits pulsed in sync - like two embers glowing in the dark.

Cato’s P.O.V

Walking into the Training Centre should’ve felt familiar, comfortable even, but you felt everyone’s eyes on you. Was it because you were the latest Victor or was it because they knew something you didn’t?

“Time to step up, Golden Boy,” Cashmere teased, “you better have something exciting this year…” You shook your head, picking up a large sword before taking a look around the room. Victors in every space working on their combat skills, knowing that more than likely that’s what they’d have to rely on, Gamemakers atop the Centre watching from a protected area - something you were sure was because of Katniss’ stunt last year - and Asher and Delly on the sidelines.

You continued on with your training, feeling the weight of the sword before you swept it across the chest of the mannequin in front of you. The sword almost felt part of you, like an extension, and that fact was proof enough that the Capitol had sculpted you exactly how they wanted you. This sword was put there for you but you couldn’t give them the satisfaction. You had been very theatrical last year, a lot of show, because that’s what you’d be trained to do - make the others fear you, let them know what you were capable of - but you didn’t need to do that now. You had nothing to prove. There was part of you, though, that knew you had to show up. Show up the way Snow wanted you to or it would be suspicious. You looked over at Delly and Asher, keeping to themselves as they tried to figure out the best moves to make

“You gonna say something to her?” Finnick said, his back to you as if he was pretending not to have a conversation, “she could probably use your support”

“Trust me,” you sighed, “it’s better for her if I keep my distance. I can’t give anyone here any ammo to torment her.” Finnick stretched lazily before grabbing a Trident and throwing it towards the Cartwrights; your breath nearly knocked out of you. Fuck, you exhaled sharply, hands gripping the sword tightly, turning away quickly when you noticed Delly finally look at you.

“Snow is gonna hold this over your head as long as you let him,” Finnick said, raising his hand at Delly as she looked at him with fear on her features, “he owns us. But he doesn’t own her.”

“She’s only here because…” you hesitated

“Because you fell in love with her,” he finished your thought, turning his body just enough to face you, “you know I know how this goes. How it feels to love someone so soft, so innocent, when you’ve spent your entire life being sharpened. But you don’t have to continue to be the villain in her story.” You furrowed your brow at him,

“How am I supposed to be anything else?” you said, a bite to your words, “to the Capitol, I’m the Victor who killed her best friend and the one who got her other friend whipped. There’s no way they’d believe that she wouldn’t see me as a villain”

“Are you sure about that?” he smirked, “isn’t that exactly what happened?” He finally walked toward Delly and Asher, picking up his Trident and placing his hand on his chest to apologize. You couldn’t overhear what they were saying but you knew he was playing up his charm, putting the two of them at ease. You thought you were doing the right thing by keeping your distance. You couldn’t let anyone know that you had any connection to her or what plan you were concocting. It might have been a crazy one, but if your plan was going to work, the relationship had to develop in the Arena. Which meant you had to wait.

Delly’s P.O.V

Cato ignored you during the entire Training session in the Centre. You tried to focus on different things, what weapons you could use if needed, what Asher could manage, but every time you picked up any type of weapon, it felt unnatural.

“What about this one?” Asher asked, holding up a small knife, “I can hide it, maybe no one would be able to tell…”

“That’s great, Ash,” you smiled, “do you want to practice with it?”

“Should I?” he said, looking over at the sibling pair from District 1, “would that give any edge I have away?”

“Better to give them something than nothing,” you admitted, “at least if they see you attempting and failing, they could underestimate you and you could use that to your advantage somehow.” He nodded and made his way to a row of moving targets alternating left to right. He threw the knife and missed the first target, you smiled sympathetically but encouraged him to continue. The first knife had bounced back and landed in front of his feet, Asher knelt down to pick it up and you noticed him look to the others quickly, the sounds of Gloss, Cashmere and Enobaria snickering coming from across the room. He stood back up and took a strong stance, throwing the knife with seemingly all the force he could muster - it had flown high and you almost didn’t realize that there was a net above the targets, until you heard the slice and fake fruit came crashing down. You smiled at your brother, clutching both his hands in yours before giving him a hug. “Perfect” you said, excited for your brother and proud of what this could mean for him.

By the time of your private session, you hadn’t really landed on a skill. Haymitch told you to be flashy, “It worked for Katniss” he said, but you weren’t Katniss. You had always managed to stay in the background, watching and taking in everything. You didn’t think there was anything wrong with that but maybe you had to try something new… You walked into the Training Centre, composed, trying to be as steady as you could be, and looked at the table of weapons the Gamemakers had laid out. A Trident, a sword, a few daggers, a bow and arrow and a small, almost invisible, slingshot. You picked it up and got a feel for it, heavier than a normal slingshot than you might have at home, but easy to carry. You and Peeta used to use slingshots sometimes when he’d paint

“It makes this really cool splashing effect,” he’d say with his signature smile. It was a lot of fun and it didn’t require you to be the best shot so you tried to use the little knowledge you had of it to show the Gamemakers that you could manage. You set up a small row of objects but varied them slightly so they weren’t in a perfect line - some were close together, some were farther apart, - and you stood about 10 feet away. I hope this works, you thought to yourself as you took a deep breath, placing a small rock in the slingshot and firing at the first object; the rock hit the first object and ricocheted off, hitting the next object diagonal from the first - hopefully, that looked intentional. You got through that with relatively no trouble but you looked up at the Gamemakers and they seemed to be sitting back. You tried not to focus on them, maybe if you acted like they weren’t there you’d do better.

You tried to think of how you could really win points but you were starting to panic when you noticed a bag of something and you laid it out on the floor, forcing the Gamemakers to pay attention now. As their eyes all turned to you, you gulped slightly, they probably think you’re making a fool of yourself, you sighed, just keep going Delly. You began laying out the soil in the bag into a trail of sorts. Trying to make it thick enough to keep a visible footprint. You looked up at the Gamemakers before taking off the light jacket the Capitol had provided in the Training Uniforms and ripping it apart until it was thin. Before doing anything else, you checked to see if there were any twigs or anything that could be used to imitate twigs, something that would snap, placing a few small pieces of wood along the soil path you’d made. Next, you took the thin pieces of ripped up fabric and wrapped them tightly around your feet, making sure nothing was dragging; they were to be a second skin, nothing more.

The Gamemakers were closer to the edge now, as close as they could go without risking their safety, watching as you padded your way across the soil, lightly first and then more deliberately - no footprints. You smiled, feeling accomplished by your skill, but they went back to how they were. Your time was almost up but you had one more choice, “Can I get one of you to join me please?” you asked politely, hearing them chuckle from above, “I won’t bite, I promise”

“What do you need, girl?” Seneca Crane called out

“I just need you to follow me…” you said, Crane narrowing his eyes but his intrigue must have gotten the best of him because he joined you on the main floor. “I’m going to.. disappear. When you don’t see me anymore, I want you to follow my footsteps.” you said, telling him to keep track as best he could of your movements.

“Like hide and seek?” he smirked

“Yeah,” you smiled, “like hide and seek.” He nodded in return, almost excited now to be part of your game and you began walking around the room in a small loop at first, before switching it up and zigzagging across the room, you heard a giggle from the Gamemakers and took a sharp turn behind a post. After a moment, you heard the scuffling of shoes and you circled back to where you started, careful not to let any of the other Gamemakers see you just yet, in case they gave your location away. It took Seneca Crane another 5 minutes to follow your path, the exact way you’d done it, before he got to the post where you had turned. When he noticed that you weren’t there, he looked around in surprise, but he never went behind the post. You finally decided to creep up behind him, looking up at the Gamemakers with your index finger in front of your lips, finally tapping his shoulder when you got behind him, smiling gently

“Whoa,” he laughed, whether he was feigning surprise or actually surprised, you weren’t sure but you would take the win, “there you are!” He laughed in turn before heading back to his spot up top.

You were just happy it was over. You hoped Asher’s session went just as well or better. As you walked out of the Centre and back to your apartment, all you could think to yourself was “if I can’t win fighting, I can survive in the shadows.”

Cato’s P.O.V

Sitting on the hard, charcoal grey couch, you began watching the scores of the Tributes’ private sessions in the training centre. Nothing was overly surprising in a group of Victors - everyone received 11’s, except for Mags and Wiress, who each received 8’s

“Now for District 12,” Caesar said. The ratings weren’t a time for entertainment, it was all about facts, so he was straight to the point. “The male Tribute, Asher, receives a score of 6,” you nodded contently, you weren’t expecting anything major, he was young and meek, “and last but definitely not least, our District 12 female Tribute, Delly, has been awarded…” Caesar started, flipping to his last piece of paper, unintentionally prolonging the broadcast, “a score of 8.”

“I wonder what she did to get an 8,” Enobaria asked as the TV screen went blank, the broadcast having finished, “that girl just seems like she’d sing a lullaby or something. I would’ve put money on her getting a 3, at most”

“Well, then,” you smirked, “I guess you would’ve lost. You worried, Enobaria?”

“Oh yeah,” she scoffed, “I’m shaking.” You rolled your eyes and grabbed something from the kitchen before going to bed. The morning seemed like it came before you could breathe. You lay there, under the black comforter, waiting to feel the excitement you had felt last year on the first day of the Quell. But this wasn’t like that. Nothing felt right and for the first time, you could understand why the outer Districts loved Katniss so much. You had been raised to believe that fighting in the Games meant you were fighting to represent Panem, that fighting for the Capitol was valiant, but now that you’ve won, now that you've seen what everyone has had to endure, you see that it’s the opposite. Katniss wasn’t a fan favourite because she volunteered for her sister, it was because she was fighting against the Capitol. Against Snow. For Panem.

Delly’s P.O.V

“What do you think will be up there?” you asked Cinna as you stood on the small silver platform that would take you up into the Arena. Cinna fidgeted with the sleeves of the tight jumpsuit that the Capitol provided each of the Tributes

“I never know,” he smiled before taking a step back, “what do you want it to be?”

“Something soft,” you joked, trying to keep the moment innocent, “a field of flowers, with Teddy Bears and blankets to keep everybody warm”

“That sounds nice,” he added, “warm sun, cool breeze.” You nodded in return but the lightness turned solemn as the thought of blood spilling over everything clouded your mind

“...and no bloodshed” you said, dropping your head

“Listen, Delly,” he said, placing his hands on your shoulders, “don’t lose yourself in there. It’s easy to do, I’ve watched these kids do anything they could to survive..”

“Isn’t that the point?” you interrupted

“Maybe,” he added, “but they change into something they never would have imagined and it didn’t help them in the end. I see so much of Peeta in you,” he smiled, placing his hands softly on either side of your face, and you felt your eyes burning with tears, “keep that kindness. It is your best quality and your fiercest strength”

“Thank you, Cinna,” you said as you composed yourself again, a whirring beginning around you, you quickly gave Cinna a hug before a cylinder of glass surrounded you and you were raised up, blinded by the bright sun when you finally reached the top. You searched for Asher first, not noticing anything else but no matter how long you searched, you didn’t see Asher. Cashmere and Enobaria were on either side of you but past them you had to squint to see who was past them - the distance between everyone was far wider than you anticipated and you felt disoriented.

The countdown began after a short announcement and you finally looked around; the sun shimmering off fast-flowing water, rows of black rocks leading to the sharp edged Cornucopia in the centre of a circle. Past the rocks and the Cornucopia was a beach surrounded by palm trees that engulfed the entire space. What was past the trees, you thought to yourself as the countdown continued, should I run to the Cornucopia or swim to the beach? You couldn’t run very fast, that wasn’t a question, but the question was would anyone notice you swimming the other way? You finally focused on the clock as it got down to the last 10 seconds, trying to make up your mind. Risk it or run straight into the chaos?

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1,” the voice continued and a boom echoed, signalling the start of the games, everyone jumping off their platforms and heading for the middle. You lingered a few seconds, “make a choice, Delly” you urged yourself, finally jumping into the water and turning around - there was nothing in the Cornucopia that you could see yourself being able to use, it wasn’t like you got to sort through what was there, so you swam as fast as you could to find refuge on a beach, hoping that Asher would do the same.

As the cannons went off, you took a look of what was around you. The beaches around you didn’t look different from each other, it was just a big circle of trees and sand and water, but there had to be something different; something about the set up of the ring gave you pause. Like you recognized it but weren’t sure how. You walked along the beach to see if anyone was around but you were pretty sure that no one had beaten you to this spot, and from what you could tell, it was just you. Even as you made your way through the trees, you didn’t find any footprints or broken branches, so you made your way back to the beach. If it weren’t for what this place was, it would actually be very beautiful. The water was crystal clear, the bright sun sparkling off of it, and the trees were the greenest you’d ever seen; it was like a dream. A dream that would slowly shift into a nightmare. As the night came to an end, you’d managed, somehow, to make it through the night but when the sky lit up with the Capitol emblem and music, your heart raced as you hoped that Asher wouldn’t be up there, a sigh of relief escaping you when he wasn’t. Stay safe, Ash, you whispered to yourself, before closing your eyes for the night.

You woke up at the sudden, loud, long hollow gong echoing through the Arena. There were 12 gongs, what’s that about? you thought, 12 districts? Maybe midnight? Once it stopped, you heard a sharp crack from above you. You moved closer to the water to see what the noise was, finding a tree on top of a mountain being repeatedly struck by lightning; one right after the other, there were three in total but nothing more than the lightning, leaving you a little confused. You walked along the beach once more, to see if anything had changed, even more confused when it didn’t seem like it did, deciding to walk up to find the tree; Something must have changed, you pondered as you continued walking. The walk up the hill was steep but it was quiet, telling you that no one was around just yet, and when you finally got to the tree that the lightning had struck, you took a look around. There was virtually no light, so it was hard to see anything but you could tell the ground at the base of the tree was lightly charred, which must mean that the lightning was more than you expected, amplified for the Arena.

“Sst–” you jerked your hand back from the tree, looking at your palm to see if your skin was burning. Shit, that hurt, you winced to yourself, not daring to curse out loud. You wanted to climb the tree to see if you could get a better vantage point of everything, considering it was the tallest tree, but you weren’t sure if you could find anything to keep the heat away while also keeping your grip. You looked around for a while but couldn’t find anything that would work, that’s when you heard a small noise, almost like a wind chime but more robotic, and you saw a small silver container falling from the sky. You ran to it, hoping this would be exactly what you needed, opening the cover and quickly taking out a soft, black scarf.

“This should help, x Cinna.” The note attached to the small container read. The scarf was thin enough not to cause bulk if you needed to keep it, and long enough that you could use it easily to hoist yourself up the tree. Something about the scarf caught your eye and you took a closer look, finding different coloured threads throughout, reminding you of your parade and interview looks - those slow burning ember veins throughout the fabric - and there was something stitched inside.

It must be something Cinna didn’t want anyone to see but you weren’t sure if you could keep it hidden from all the cameras surrounding you. “Still glowing, he is too” the message said. Asher, you said out loud, eyes widened at the newfound knowledge that your brother was alive; thank you, you smiled to the camera, hoping Cinna would know you were talking to him as you held the scarf to your chest. You moved close to the tree again, looking up before slowly touching the trunk, cooler now but still too hot to climb without some kind of protection. You wrapped the scarf around your right hand, bunching it before tossing it around to the other side of the tree and grabbing the other end with your left hand - the base of the tree was almost too thick for your arms to stretch but you had to push through. You took a deep breath before pulling the scarf tightly slightly above your head and began to climb, one foot after the other

“Keep going, Delly,” you said to yourself, repeating the words that your dad had said to you and Asher before you were pulled from them in District 12. You grunted as you continued to pull yourself up, body rising slowly up the tree and you tried to even out your breathing. You slipped once, the scarf only folding slightly down, and you nearly froze but you were too close to stop now. Once the other trees were underneath you, you moved to a sturdy branch and sat down, smiling to yourself with pride and looking out at the Arena. There was a faint shine from the moon that let you see the Arena from the top of the tree and you furrowed your brow, clearly seeing the layout now, noticing that the tail of the Cornucopia was pointing to where you were. Another gong rang out and you looked around, noticing heavy clouds forming over the trees to your left and nowhere else.

“Heavy rain?” you thought, brows still furrowed, “maybe there’s no shelter there… but the trees look the same.” If it’s the only spot with water, then anyone on the opposite beaches would have to find something else or walk all that way, potentially causing Tributes to fall along the way but something told you it wasn’t that simple. It couldn’t be. Not in the Hunger Games. You waited a moment, trying to get a better idea of what the layout meant before you made any firm choices. A few minutes passed before you finally decided to climb back down the tree, keeping the scarf around your shoulders when your feet were planted on the ground. You weren’t sure how long you would be safe here so you had to keep moving but as you walked through the forest, you noticed a discoloration on some of the leaves, although the darkness made it difficult to know for sure, so you moved towards it; blood? you said, rubbing the thick gooey substance between your thumb and middle finger, there was still rain falling from the sky but it wasn’t water, it was blood. It seemed not to cross the line where you were, only the occasional drop ricocheting off something and landing on a rock or branch in the area you continued to walk.

You watched as the bloodrain slowly came to an end and the cloud dissipated. After a moment, a single cannon sounded and you dropped your head in remembrance of whoever had fallen; You would have to wait until the end of the night to see who it was, having to hope once more that Asher would not be on the screen. The water in the middle of the arena, where the platforms rose from, was salt water, you had gotten some in your mouth when you jumped in and swam to the beach, so you knew you couldn’t drink it but you’d have to get some water soon, you felt your lips beginning to crack as they dried.

As you walked down the mountainside, you noticed someone moving through the trees beside you, in the area where it had rained, but you couldn’t make out any physical descriptors. You didn’t know if it was a friend or foe, so you kept your distance. It wasn’t until you got closer to the beach that you saw Johanna, covered in blood before washing just enough of it off so she could see clearly. You weren’t sure if you should talk to her, she had only met you that one time, she was nice, but maybe the Games, the Arena, would bring something out in her that you couldn’t trust. You kept your distance, choosing instead to walk East, away from Johanna, instead of West. You got to another area, again looking around for something that could be different or any other Tribute, when another gong went off. To your left was the District 10 male Tribute, Victor - you still couldn’t figure out what to call them - but his name had completely escaped you. You both stood still for what felt like ages, waiting for the other to make a move.

You felt a small tear form in the corner of your eye. You weren’t ready to die but you didn’t have anything to fight him off with. Except the scarf. He came at you suddenly, knocking you onto the ground before his hands clasped around your neck and you struggled to get out of his grasp. His grip tightened and your vision started to cloud with spots, leading you to claw at the District 10 male’s hands until you finally swept your hand around the dirt around you, picking up a rock and mustering up the strength to hit him over the head just enough to get free. You began to run away from the Victor behind you, when you slipped and began to roll down the steep hill, colliding with trees the further down you fell, until you were able to grab hold of something to stop you from falling. Once you got your bearings, you looked to see where the District 10 male had gone, continuing to hide behind trees; doing your best to get to the beach, your best bet for safety.

He caught up with you just once, the Victor, knocking you down before you made it to the soft sand on the beach. You stood back up quickly and backed up, looking around you to find something, anything, that you could use to keep him away - surprised when an axe flew past your head and landed in the District 12 male’s chest. You felt your breath stay in your throat, as if it couldn’t reach your mouth to escape, and you were stiff, too scared to move. When you finally took your eyes off the body laying on the ground, blood now spilling on the once pure sand, you were met with Johanna’s stare. She was covered in blood, she must have been hit by the rain, you thought to yourself before glancing around at who was with her, seeing Beetee and Wiress in the distance.

“Hey” Johanna smirked and, out of fear, you ran to the water and swam as fast as you could, as far as you could, before you could find out what would happen next. It didn’t take long until you were dizzy, the lack of water finally getting to you, and you had to hold onto one of the platforms that you had reached to steady yourself and get your bearings. You looked back to the beach and saw Johanna, Beetee and Wiress, with the help of the fake moonlight, washing the blood off themselves and it seemed like they had no opinions of you at all; they weren’t chasing you, Johanna hadn’t moved, she had watched you swim until she thought you were safe. As if she was making sure no one else was in the water with you, and then she turned to the two with her, directing them to sit on the beach, clutching her head in her hands - you’re fine, you said to yourself, she didn’t want to hurt you. The thought confused you, but you couldn’t dwell on it, you had to keep going. You continued swimming until you got to the rocks, climbing up and walking along them slowly until you got to the Cornucopia, eyes tracing up the tail almost to confirm what you had thought, it pointed right at the tree. 12. You thought to yourself, writing on your palm. Next to the beach that you were on was were Johanna was, where the blood had fallen and covered them from head to toe

“BOOM, BOOM,” the cannon sounded twice, once for the District 10 male and the other was uncertain. A Capitol helicopter came through and picked up the bodies without touched the ground, and you glanced up at the moon, noticing it hovering over Johanna, the cold blue light shining almost eerily, and you said to yourself, 1, continuing your thought from a moment ago, keeping your eyes focused on Johanna. Something was telling you to focus on the moon, like a grumbling from below telling you that the sky was safe but the ground wasn’t. You looked around at the rows of rocks, all equal sized wedges that seemed to divide the beaches.

“I’m right…” you whispered, shocked by how you figured it out, you weren’t really sure when you realized it, but you felt it in your bones, “it’s a clock.” A small smile started to grow on your face in quiet pride but it didn’t last long. As if the Gamemakers wanted to show their anger, the ground began to groan and rumble, vibrating under your feet and your eyes went wide with fear.

Before you knew it, everything shifted and you were thrown into the water, your body crashing into the rocks before the tide took you under. I should’ve known, you thought as you struggled to make it to the surface, there’s no getting out of here.

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findafight · 2 years ago

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i do want catws opinions!! so much!!! mcu cap am was one of my major interests for quite some time, so i am Very interested! tbh don't much care for the rest of the mcu all that much, like ive seen quite a few of the movies but absolutely far from all of them. and like tbh i cared the most about catfa & catws and then steve and his relationship with people, idk i just love his character so much, I've done some sort of analysis inside my head of his character, but it's been A While so i don't remember any of it in words, just vibes lol. also idk how i feel about cacw, it just sorta didn't feel like His story, it felt more like avengers 2.5 or smth.

also related to steve & peggy, i feel like the thing that makes their story stay so strong Is the missed opportunity, the longing for something that can never be. it's this thing that was on the brink of possibility, and where the potential was so big and tangible, and they both felt it, and then all of a sudden the possibility is gone, it's lost, forever. idk like i think steve going back in time to dance with peggy would be sweet, But, it just doesn't move me as much unless peggy also knows that the moment is a promise fullfilled and a dream that can never be, it's one more aching moment together and then it's goodbye. idk like i thought the scene in endgame when they danced was absolutely beautiful, but to me it is a dream, and to me it feels kinda disrespectful to all of them(steve peggy & bucky) to have steve go backwards, that's not him, maybe when he first woke up after the ice, if presented with the possibility he wouldn't be able to resist, but otherwise his character is LITERALLY about getting back up again!! and then also peggy had a life?? with someone else!! and she was happy with her life! he literally knows this, he talked to her when she was old! why would he disregard that?? and then why would he live the rest of his life knowing bucky is the winter soldier and then NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT????????? idk it's just like, when SO MUCH of steves story is so closely intertwined with bucky it just doesn't make any sense to leave him??

also while i am a romantic stucky believer, truly more than that i am a soulmates stucky believer! so the stobin tws au really really hit me in the feels yk.

Okay so. What makes CAWS so good, and one of the best mcu films, is that it uses superheroes not as a genre, but as a vehicle for a genre. Winter Soldier is a spy thriller. Arguably TFA also does this by being a war film? But WS embraces it. It's so clearly a spy thriller with a superhero setting! More superhero movies should have co-genre I think. It can be watched as a stand alone, with good solid introductions to characters, to the point that it's bascially the only mcu movie I've watched with my mother that she hasn't asked "who's that?" and why they were doing stuff. Basically every other one, besides the first in their series require prior knowledge of characters for most of the impact of them.

WS doesn't? We see Steve and Natasha have a friendly relationship, that steve's a supersoldier and also takes risks (no parachute), that they're some kind of soldiers, that there's some secret operations going on. We get this! Then we meet Sam and we see that Steve is also incredibly lonely, we see him at the Howling Commandos exhibit, and sure maybe it's hamfisted by focusing on bucky or whatever but that sets it up! we now who steve is, why he's lonely, and some of his values.

and even without TFA, as soon as the mask comes off, we know this is someone steve knows. When he insists on saving Bucky, he uses the line "even when I had nothing, I had Bucky" having watched tfa before just makes it hit harder.

I'm going to be real with you I've watched civil war once and was like "this is kinda stupid? very stupid" and then stopped really paying attention to most marvel movies.

oh yes so true about Steve and Peggy. It's compelling because the could have beens. If that had happened, but then steve went back to present, I would not be mad. It wouldn't be weirdly stealing someone else's life? Especially combined with the Agent Carter Tv series, Peggy has closure for Steve's death. Though it's still an ache, and she mourns and misses him, she's still living her life. She isn't caught up on him as a romantic interests. She has multiple (they should have given us more cartinelli tbh we were robbed in s2) in the series! She had a good, long, and happy life. Steve just dropping in sometime in the 40s(?) with the expectation of pursuing a romantic relationship with her would likely be a shock, and unwanted. They both would have changed from where they left off, both having mourned each other and their relationship. It wouldn't have worked! But to have him drop in. tell her "hey. I can't stay for long. I'm sorry it has to be this way. But I owe you a dance, and it's been killing me breaking a promise to my best girl." That!!! would have!! been! so sweet! A final goodbye for both of them. The final closure and fulfilled promise from oh so long ago.

Steve had spent at least ten years out of the ice before endgame. I just. How could they slide him back to what he would have done directly after being thawed? Like I don't think even lost sadman beginning of ws steve would have stayed back. He's changed and he can't go back to what things were. he keeps getting up, even when he shouldn't! That's what's endearing about Steve, his stubbornness, and his willingness to put himself on the line to protect people. That's why he was the first and only (official) American supersoldier. He carries on, even when it's almost unbearable for him to do so.

It's so... It felt cheap and insulting to him and Peggy and Bucky. Because you're correct!! It means Steve went back to nineteen fourty-whatever and chose not to do anything about the 80+ years of horrible things that happened in the world. Especially chose not to do anything when he knew exactly where Bucky, who he had previously jumped behind enemy lines with nothing but a wing a prayer and a shield to save, who he had defied governments for, who he's nearly died for multiple times, was??? how in the WORLD did the same screenwriters and directors who made one of the best marvel movies that highlighted and used their friendship in such a compelling way also write/direct that for them? how? valuing romance over any other kind of relationship I guess?

yeah I think what's compelling about stucky is that there is so much love there, that they've known each other for their whole lives, and will continue to be (or should be) a vast part of each other's worlds no matter what that relationship looks like. They're soulmates, whatever that looks like for them. and if it's romance then that romance is built upon the deep devoted friendship they have. That's everything about them. Everything is built on a sickly and scrappy kid who couldn't leave well enough alone and got pushed into the dirt by bullies he stood up to over, and over, and over again, and some charming schmuck who looked at him and thought "I'm gonna help him keep get back up". to the point where they broke over half a century of brain washing because of it.

#findaanswers #anon do you remember the glory days of like. 2012-2014 avengers fandom. esp 2014 post winter soldier #my god. it was simpler times. didn't know what we had until we lost it.#mcu #caws #captain america #stucky #cap #tbh it's kinda similar to how I see blr? like the romance is interesting and heartbreaking because they are friends first #and that anything other than that must be built with that massively devoted friendship in mind #but obviously yeah stobin fits ws because they're unhinged and decidedly abnormal about each other. they're soulmates #Robin WOULD go behind enemy lines for steve. steve would break decades of brainwashing and torture by seeing robin's face #anonasaurus #finda's rambles #meta #steggy

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