The Justice Building {Eastern}

[Tsarashi 2.0]

After standing on stage to show her face to all of Panem and accept her position as District 12’s female tribute in the Hunger Games Heron was whisked away by Peacekeepers to a room in the Justice Building. The building was not overly large, but it was richly decorated with thick rugs and chairs and couches that were made of a material that she had never seen before. She couldn’t determine if the couch she was sitting on felt soft or bristly since it seemed to change depending on which way she stroked it. The meeting with her parents was not long ago and many tears were shed. They had apologized to her for things out of their control, and she had apologized for not being able to fully live up to her expectations. They didn’t have anything that she could use as a token in the games, but she denied their offer to buy something new. ‘Now that I’m gone they’re going to need the money.’

Everything was going fairly smoothly until her mother burst out crying. The woman had already lost one child and now she was sure to lose another. Heron had stroked her mother’s hair as she wept on her lap like a child. Had her mother always been so small and fragile? Her father, Arrow, had brushed away the hair from her forehead and kissed her the same way he always had when her brother was still alive. “Don’t forget that you’re my baby girl.” He had told her in his most loving voice. All her life he had been the strongest person she had ever known, but now he looked old and worn with bags under his eyes. But above all his voice never once wavered. He could still be strong even in the hardest times. “I’ll be borrowing your strength Father.” Heron had said to him, but in her mind she couldn’t help but call him ‘daddy’. He only shook his head and smiled weakly. “There’s no need, you’re strong enough on your own.”

Not much else passed between them conversation wise and the next thing she knew there were peacekeepers escorting them away. Their time together was too short, but that was for the best. Now she was waiting for the large doors to swing open again on their well oiled hinges to allow the only other person she wanted to see in. Fletcher. She needed to talk to him, she needed his reassurance that she had a chance to make it through the games. And above all else she needed to see him smile in that goofy way of his that made her heart soar. Deep in her gut she needed to know that nothing would change between them. Heron needed that reason to survive.

[Eastern Orange]

For the first time in his life, Fletcher could not smile. He could not find the silver lining in this big ugly storm cloud that now settled over his head. His eyes were not dancing with laughter, but were holding back tears. He felt utterly crushed. He was losing his friend, his ally.

Fletcher stood outside of the doors, waiting on his turn. He struggled to control his emotions, trying to put on a brave face for Heron. It didn't work. He nearly broke down when her family came out, and her mom was weeping, completely shattered. Fletcher found it difficult to breathe.

He sucked in a deep breath and opened the door. He didn't look at her as he walked toward her, and sat down. He clutched something in his hands, but didn't let it show. He just sat and stared at his clenched hands. "Girl." He finally whispered. "Girl tastes like raspberries." He said it so quietly that he could barely hear himself. He was of course referring to the time she asked him what word tasted like raspberries when they were lost in the mines. His breathing quickened as he remembered their little misadventure, happy despite the circumstances.

He was gonna cry. He couldn't stop himself. He was not a man. What man would cry? He let out a shuddering breath trying to calm down, but it turned into a sob. He pressed a fist to his mouth, and bit down on his knuckle.

[Tsarashi 2.0]

Heron watched silently as Fletcher entered the room and made his way to the couch. The poor boy looked just as torn as she did. His blue eyes were dull, if not duller than hers at that moment. It hurt her deeply to know that she had been the one to take that energy and life away from him. He had been like a hyper child where now he was a mere shadow of his former self. She figured that she looked the same from his perspective. What she wouldn’t give to make him laugh again. He was her ally, more than that he was her best friend. Heron looked down at her hands that were clenching the cushion beneath her. Finally she allowed herself to admit it. ‘He’s the only other person I love besides my parents.’

There was that strange word again; love. She hated using that word with other people since for as long as she could remember it had been tied to her family, and more importantly to her brother. It’s what set him apart from the guys she hung out with on a daily basis. That one insignificant word kept him safe, locked away safe in a special category. But now Fletcher had transcended that invisible barrier that she had created to keep her emotions safe. As a man she had never expected to love anybody other than her family. But as a woman… Heron bit her lip, drawing out the iron taste of blood from her soft flesh. It was too late for those thoughts, but at the same time it was also too early if she managed to beat the odds and survive.

The black haired girl couldn’t help but smile at his comment that she strained to hear. It made her heart leap in her chest. Her smile looked crooked though, since her eyebrows were creased with sadness. “I love raspberries.” Her reply was almost as quiet as his was as she confirmed to him that what he said cheered her up a bit. But how could she truly be happy when she knew that as soon as they were separated her happiness would stay behind with him?

Her heart broke again three times over when he started to cry. All her life she was raised thinking that men never cried in front of others. Even her Father hadn’t shed a tear when her brother died or even just now when he was seeing her off to her death. But she remembered hearing his sobs at night when she was a child and his door was shut. He had only ever shown his tears to her mother. With that in mind Heron scooted closer to her ally on the couch and drew him close, tucking his head under her chin. “I’m so sorry.” She repeated again as she hid her nose among his brown hair. “I couldn’t tell you… but I can now. I needed to be a guy for the higher pay.” Tears rolled down her face as she continued “I couldn’t tell anybody. I’m going to try my hardest to get back here alright? Try not to worry about me too much. I can’t stand you not smiling like an idiot.”

[Eastern Orange]

"I honestly don't care what you are." Fletcher whispered, and pulled away, so he could look at Heron. He laid one of his hands on the side of her face. "You are my best friend, no matter what." He offered a weak smile. He looked down, his tears finally falling. "I have something for you." He said abruptly, and held up his still-clenched fist. He opened a few fingers, and a silver necklace fell loose, a pickaxe pendant swinging wildly from the end.

"It was the one we went looking for." He explained. The silver was tarnished by a layer of coal dust. "I didn't have time to wash it..." His voice trembled, but he was able to steady it. He leaned forward to fasten it around her neck before she could argue. "It was my father's. My inheritance. I'm giving it to you. When you look at it, you can remember our times in the mines. You can remember that we made it out alive. We survived." He said the last word fiercely. "If you made it out of that mine, then you will make it out of the arena."

[Tsarashi 2.0]

Heron grasped at the chain on her neck. The metal was still warm from his body heat and a trace amount of black dust transferred onto her fingers. It was definitely the same necklace that they had gone so deep into the mines to retrieve. It smelt of the humid mines as well, but in a softer way that reminded her of Fletcher. If she looked hard enough she was positive that she would have been able to see specks of dried blood from that night. Now not only would it have his blood on it, but hers as well. Before when he first claimed that he had lost his mother’s necklace Heron thought that it seemed odd. They were taking too much of a risk for a simple necklace belonging to his mother. But now she understood why it meant so much to him. She looked down, angry that he would give her something that was so important to him. “I shouldn’t accept this.”

But she yet she couldn’t bring herself to let it go. If it was so significant to him, she could only imagine what it meant for him to entrust her with it. Heron’s hand fell away from the necklace to rest at her side and her eyes stayed locked to her lap. She wasn’t able to look at him. “I’ll remember.” The smile that formed on her lips was faint but true and it reached to her eyes, allowing them to hold some of the light that they once had. “Even without this… There’s no way that I’d be able to forget about you.”

Heron was going to end on that note, but something that was a little slow to register finally made it to her ears. “Wait… this is the first time you’ve ever used the word ‘friend’ with me…” Her voice faded away as she thought back to the first time that the two of them had ever met. He spoke the word as if it hurt him in some way. Putting two and two together, she finally realized what she had been missing. Heron’s eyes went wide and she looked up at him to search his face for any clues as to why he would call her something that didn’t taste good. Finally she found herself forcing her eyes shut and shaking her head back and forth. She didn’t want Fletcher to do that to himself even if it was for her sake.

“No, not friends.” She told him, wiping a tear from her drying eyes. Her eyes stung and begged for more, but her tears had run dry. She hadn’t cried this much in years. “Don’t call me that.” She paused for a few moments and refused to meet his gaze until she thought of something that could be a substitute other than ‘ally’. Nodding to herself in an awkward motion Heron looked up at him and stated “you are mine, and I am yours.” It made sense in her head, since if anyone had ever asked what her relationship was to him her first response would be: ‘He is mine.’

[Eastern Orange]

Fletcher grinned at her, finally able to give her what she wanted. He guessed that she figured out that the word friend tasted bad, which surprised him because he didn't think that anyone really paid attention to his condition. "You are mine." Fletcher confirmed. He reached forward with both hands and griped her's.

"While you're gone, I'll look in on your parents for you... I know I've never met them, but maybe I can give them some hope by telling them about the mine." He smiled again, the tears stopping because he had to be strong. He had to let Heron know that he'd be okay, so that she wouldn't worry about him. "But they probably already know that you're a fighter."

Images of the past hunger games flashed before his eyes. Kids being blown up, torn apart, poisoned, shot, skewered, everything imaginable. That is what Heron will be facing. Fletcher looked down, fighting the panic again. "I thought I was safe." He finally said. "I turned 19 this year...I thought that I was safe. But then I met you, and they are putting you in that arena." He shook his head.

Fahrenheit stood outside the doors, waiting for the lovers' time to be up. He cringed at the thought. He hated when couples were back there. There was no telling what he would walk in on. He has walked in on suicide packs, attempted murders, fights, and the most common, sex. Yes, sex. It was terribly awkward to pull a kid out with his or her pants around their ankles. This is why their visiting time is so short.

Fahrenheit nodded as another peacekeeper gave the signal that their time was up. He pulled open the doors almost tentatively, and was relieved when they were just sitting on the couch holding hands. He crossed the distance in a couple long strides, and gripped the boy's arm. The boy looked up at him, heartbroken that he would never see his lover again. The sight made Fahrenheit's chest hurt.

The boy looked back at the tribute. "I'll be with you there always! I'm your ally, and you are mine. Whenever you are feeling lonely, just remember that I'm watching." He winced like he realized that it wasn't the best parting words. "Heron..."

[/i]And with that he put one the most upbeat smile Fahrenheit has ever seen in this room. He had to applaud the kid. The boy knew that there wasn't much he could say, but he said all he could with that smile.

Fahrenheit couldn't stall any longer. He tugged the boy to his feet, and looked at the tribute apologetically. He wished he could smuggle them both out of the district and take them somewhere safe. He dragged the boy back towards the doors. Hating the fact that this kids would never see each other again.

ooc: sorry it took so long. ;--; I didn't want to write the last time that Fletcher and Heron would ever be together.
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