five plates {mason/riot}

[k!ah]

Daphne Riot Queen bee

The dinning hall was my favourite place so far. It was an all you could eat buffet and do you know what the best thing was about it? It was all free! Chuckling to myself I grab my fifth plate, filling it up with a rage of cakes that all looked rather splendid. My first few plates were filled with stacks of meat and vegetables and other delicious looking savouries. I wanted to try them all, but a girl could only hold so much, and I think five plates may be pushing it- only a little that is.

Finally I take a seat at the edge of the table. The room was empty by now, tributes off to the training room to gain some knowledge which presumably would help them once they were out in the wild, to fend for their own. I knew that I probably should be looking at some of the stations, but they could wait, right? I mean how was a girl supposed to work on an empty stomach? Chuckling once again I pull my first plate towards me, my eyes alight with excitement as I study the delicious looking potato fritters and what looked like to be an egg dish.

In district four there weren't exactly many egg dishes, the seafront district preferred to eat fish and ocean crustaceans more than anything else, so this was a delicacy in my eyes. Greedily I dig my fork into the stack of egg, pilling it on high before brining the mound to my lips. A moan escapes my lips as the food dances on my tongue and I close my eyes for a moment, allowing my senses to come to life. "Oh wow, this is just delicious," I mumble happily to myself as I move onto the potato fritters, my fork cutting into the edge roughly. "I wonder what you will taste like."

Suddenly I am interrupted. There is the sound of someone dragging out a chair, quickly followed by the slapping of flesh against plastic. I look up, my fork halfway towards my mouth to come eye to eye from the tribute from two. I lower my fork, a smile slipping onto my full lips. "Welllll, look what the cats dragged in, a nice hunk of meat, if you ask me," I almost purr, my smile only growing.

[Cato]

"Dialogue"
"Hearing"
Thoughts
Narration

I've gotten my food. Picking out the delicacies that I've enjoyed the most since arriving. Its been everything I have ever imagined. Being here soaking in the atmosphere. I always thought the process of being in the games would be... stressful. More work. That I would have to subject myself to the unnecessary stuff like the tribute parade. Now I get to do as I please. Train all day and night as I always have. Exhaustion has been my constant companion. Never truly leaving my side as I keep up my regime. I've ate more and talked with some of the other tributes. Now that I have my food, I make my way toward the dining table when I stop short. In front of me is the tribute from four. Nothing like I imagined a career for sure, but maybe there's a surprise in her? Guess I will find out.

With that, I sit down preparing to eat my food. The girl is muttering to herself. Talking to the food? Like what the hell does she think she's doing. I don't begrudge her the tasty food for I myself love a variety of things, but she at least in the first minute or so does not appear to give a damn about training. About winning or glory. Things that I look for. "Welllll, look what the cats dragged in, a nice hunk of meat, if you ask me." The hell kind of talk she be making? I slam my fist down on the table knocking some of the food off her plates. Anger doesn't begin to describe how I feel right now. I wanted to look for fellow careers. Perhaps Hedvig and I teaming up with district four. Or even district one. Right now I'm ruling out the girl in front of me. She's a fucking disgrace.

"What the hell do you think you're doing! You should be training not sitting here. Why are you even here Miss? Doesn't matter what your name is. Get your fucking act together before I fix it myself." The last few words I spew out before abruptly stop my rant. Need to calm down and get through to this woman. If I can make her see some sense then just maybe a career pack will be salvaged. I give the district four girl the deadliest gaze possible. She better explain what she's doing or all hell will break loose right here right now.

[k!ah]

Daphne Riot Queen bee

As soon as the words feel from my lips his fist goes flying into the table only making my skin crawl with excitement. ooooh we have a feisty one here, I purr to myself as I place my elbow on the table, tucking my chin into the palm of my hand. Some of my food falls from a plate and my eyes narrow for a moment before I let them relax, my spare hand snatching it off the table quickly. "Five second rule, right," I say with a smirk, slipping the food into my mouth, licking my fingers clean afterwards. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing! You should be training not sitting here. Why are you even here Miss? Doesn't matter what your name is. Get your fucking act together before I fix it myself." Fix it himself, huh? Now now how would be manage to so that? Most people might have gotten offended by his words, by his harsh tone, but not me, I only sigh a little and bring a plate full of a few pasties closer to me. 

"Well, hun, what does it look like I am doing here? I am eating. If you've got a problem with that how about you take your fat ass somewhere else, maybe to someone who cares about the words slipping rom your lips, cause this face? This face dont care." I don't stand up, I don't even raise my voice, in fact my voice was laced with a challenge more than anything else. "and maybe before you get all high on your horse, how about you pass me that plate with the steak?"

[Cato]

"Dialogue"
"Hearing"
Thoughts
Narration

She asks me to pass her a plate that has steak on it not even phased one bit by my outburst. Either she has a death wish or does not realize the danger she will be in. I can feel the anger slowly but surely building up. Somehow someway this girl from four is able to push my buttons worse than anyone ever has. Her whole attitude coupled with her apparent disregard for the status of being a career sickens me. So much that I want nothing to do with her. In fact, miss Riot is on my short list to kill as soon as the games start. A bit harsh when in fact there could be a hidden motive, but right now I don't give a damn. With that, I pick up the plate but do not hand it over. Instead I chow down myself on the juicy meat before loudly burping. If she wants to be like this then so be it.

"The meat tastes good. Which is why you get it your damn self if you want it. Not your servant." I'm not sure what I will do after my lunch is over. Go upstairs and rest? Train some more and test my endurance? Throw some spears and watch the dummies recoil from the impact? So many options in so little time. There hasn't been much in the way of mentoring at least nothing too scary. I dread the moment when either of my mentors want to talk with me. Pretty sure any criticism on their part will sting more than any wound I will receive. Their approval matters so much. I can almost hear everything that's wrong with me. Its one reason I half hope to avoid them, but that's extremely unlikely.

One thing that I guess should happen would be finding allies. Haven't really decided who to ask. The pair from one, Hedvig, and the boy from four are obvious choices, but would they want me as an ally? At this point I assume we'll all avoid each other if not teaming up. Which leaves me to consider other districts. My immediate thought turns to eleven. The tributes from that district have been superb in the past few years. That mountain of a tribute from last games nearly won it all. There are options out there. I just don't know what to do at this point. What I would give for a days rest without a thought about the games. Funny considering I've wanted this for years.

[k!ah]

Daphne Riot Queen bee

I watch as he chows down the steak himself, his lips smacking heavily against each other as he chew the meat intently, his eyes burning into my own with an intensity which was contagious. I watch he eats every scrap, my mouth dropping as he finish's with a loud burp, his lips greasy due to the oil residue of the steak- my steak. I could feel my frustration building in my stomach as he sis back, his eyes on me, his lips preparing for his next speech. 

"The meat tastes good. Which is why you get it your damn self if you want it. Not your servant." His words barely even reach me before my eyes narrow into slits. Get the meat myself? I did get it, and I brought it to this table, so really he was stealing and stealing was a crime and crime couldn't be left unpunished. My mouth twitches, my thoughts slowing down just enough to I could sort through them enough to make some sense from them. 

"Excuse me, your highness, but that meat I actually did get myself," I growl at him, my eyes flashing as I get to my feet and lean over the table, my hands pressed onto his part of the table, "'Not my servant' you will be my damn servant if you don't watch your tongue, or keep your fingers to yourself." I say roughly, leaning in that bit closer, my platinum hair almost grazing his forehead. "Never eat my food again, understand, asshole?"

[Cato]

"Dialogue"
"Hearing"
Thoughts
Narration

She makes an attempt at threatening me. Me of all people all because of a stolen piece of food. If that's all it takes to anger this woman well she will be one of the first to die by my hand. I'm much faster than her and infinitely stronger. It'll be easy to take her down and break her neck. She's practically in my face now calling me an asshole. So what. If she wants us a fight, I will give her one here and now. "Or what hmm? Stab me with that fork? If you want a fight then bring it. If not why don't you fuck off. Don't make me snap your arm Riot. That's not a threat either. I'm promising you that."

[k!ah]

Daphne Riot Queen bee

"Or what hmm? Stab me with that fork? If you want a fight then bring it. If not why don't you fuck off. Don't make me snap your arm Riot. That's not a threat either. I'm promising you that." His words a laced with venom and I knew that I should feel fear, any normal person should be shaking in their shoes. I mean look at him, look at the defined muscle that coated his body, the darkness in the back of his eyes. This guy would kill and he would kill without a second thought so why wasn't I fumbling around with my plate, ready to move to a different table? Why instead was  furious at the way he spoke to me? Was it because he spoke in such a superior way that it made my skin crawl, my lips turn back into a snarl? 

And all of this begun because he was being a judgmental prick. 

"You know what, hotstuff?" My voice is no longer heightened in a joke, I was dead serious. Little did this guy know that I was a professional wrestler, little did he know that I had fucked people up, people who were bigger than them, big Barry couldnt even take me on without breaking into a sweat- and he was twice this guys size.

But did I really believe that>?

My thoughts are all over the place, my body hot and cold at the same time. I wanted to fight with him, I waned to scream and punch and hurt him. What was this feeling? Sighing I sit back down, and look away from Mason, maybe I really was scared, not of mason, but of this whole situation. I hadn't thought anything through when I walked up onto the stage, nothing at all... maybe I really was scared that I was going to die.

Defeated my words are barely audible, "Mason, you know what? Just go away, people have judged me my whole life and I have always tried to turn it around, make myself see it in the way I want it to be seen, so just go away, I dont want to have to fight with you. I don't want to have to look at your disgusted face as I eat. I don't need too. If you have a problem, you should be the one to leave, not me." The words slip past my lips and they sound like they belong to a totally different person. What was this feeling of sadness within me and why did I feel like I wanted to cry? 

What was happening to me?

[Cato]

"Dialogue"
"Hearing"
Thoughts
Narration

I've struck a nerve. That much is obvious when she has an angry outburst of words directed at me. People made fun of her? So what. Its her damn attitude that's brought on the shit she must take back home. She wants me to leave? Too damn bad. "You want me to leave? Why don't you get up and make me! I will not leave here just because you sit on your seat barking orders. You're all bark and no bite. Get up and make me leave or I will stay here as I please." I can feel myself shake in anger. Something about her makes me angry. She doesn't even have to try. Her attitude. I see too much of myself in her. Probably why everyone here wants me dead. Its the same at home. People tolerating me. Here? Everyone will want me dead. Its nothing new for me.

"You're not the only one who's grown up with a tough life. You might have an idea being from four. The expectations of being trained for the games. I never had a choice in the matter. It was either training or be shunned from the family. What do you think I chose?" I have no idea why I'm opening up about my past. My parents saw the fault in their manner of parenting. It was too little too late for them. They raised my brother a bit differently. He had been the good child where as I begun the path that has no return. The path of a career. By the time they realized devotion to that path was wrong, I was too far gone. What they don't realize is, I am the walking dead.

"So before you go off on another angry tirade about a hard life growing up. Just remember you're not the only one." I begin to eat in silence waiting for her inevitable insults against me. There's nothing left to say to her. She'll call me names, I will yell back same as few seconds before. I'm hungry and intend to eat before I go insane. Her words continue to ring in my head though. A very small part wants to apologize. If she wasn't so angry with me maybe I would. The words I'm sorry are hard to utter. Saying it to her would only make her laugh at me. She wouldn't expect someone like me to show any kindness.

[k!ah]

Daphne Riot Queen bee

My words seem to have no effect on him at all. He is like stone, his features permanently engraved in the stern facial expression which was plastered to his face now. His words are laced with venom and anger as he challenges me on and on and on and I slowly feel my anger dissolving begin replaced with some sort of sympathy because it was only now when I realise that I was not the only one, everyone here (all of them) have ha a life of hard ache, especially ones from the lower districts but here I was complaining, complaining to an arrogant fool at that.

Finally when he stops speaking a silence falls over us and he eats silently, his chewing the only things that I could hear as we both get lost in our own thoughts. I had never thought someone could make me so worked up, so angry in the matter of moments and then knock it down in seconds... but this guy had. He was different to other people, he didn't believe in puppy love, her was all about tough love and maybe that it what I needed, maybe I just needed a slap across the face.

How could one person make my whole mood swing so easily?

Sighing I reach forwards, my hand closing around a bread roll which I bring to my lips, taking a bite but I was no longer hungry (surprise, right?) Instead I felt sick and I cant stop myself, I never can lets be honest, as an apology slips past my lips. "Sorry. Sorry for being a disgrace, sorry for not living up to expectations of a career. Sorry for being weak." The apology sounds awkward as I stare at the table and I am not even sure if I was even doing it right. "And sorry for you being an arrogant prick," I finish, knowing as soon as the words slip past my guard that I had just crushed the whole situation. 

I guess somethings cant be helped, but I tried right?