Bon Appetite | Bachelorette Day 3 | Kate&Ben

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

B E N

Lined up with the slowly decreasing number of contestants, again Ben is surprised that he has somehow winged it through this competition. However, the other three remaining contestants seem to be fierce competition, after all there is a former gamemaker in the mix. Even with all the scandals, to Ben he is an ideal candidate, especially with impressing the audience.When Ben signed up, he knew everything about the show would be built up to entertain those watching on the other end of the cameras but having experienced it, he questions whether it is damaging the main piece of the show. But he signed a contract and isn't willing to break it by asking questions.

The next part of the show got Ben excited, he would be performing his culinary skills in front of Katelyn, something he is eager to do from the very start. The rather energetic host spins a wheel to determine when each contestant was going to take Katelyn out. To Ben's disappointment, he is chosen last. Saving the best till last?

Quickly disappearing from the area where the next day introductions began, Ben headed straight to his restaurant to prepare. Despite being tied down with the show, he kept his restaurant open, leaving his trusty sous chef to run the hectic business. Fortunately when he returned, everything was still in one piece.

Having a couple of hours before the cameras were to be fixed around establishment, Ben rounded up his army of staff, pushing them all to get everything pristine. Keeping himself busy in the kitchen while the minutes ticked down, he arranges a variety of ingredients and makes sure his stores are fully stocked. He couldn't embarrass himself by running out of a simple ingredient. He lines out bowls filled with flour and fruits and other savoury treats that would not go sour while sat out in room temperature, just to add an aesthetic of foods for the cameras.

Twenty minutes to go until the cameras arrive to set up, Ben completes his preparation, finding time to change into his chef whites. He is reminded of the prior day while buttoning up his jacket in the mirror. A romantic ice cream for two, even if it was like something out of a novel, it was probably the most perfect date he had been on. A set up date for a tv show, with a younger girl, surprisingly his most memorable. But is he ideal for Katelyn? Would she prefer someone in their youth? Is he actually falling for her?

Like a heard of children, the noisy camera crew burst through the front doors, immediately directing each other to locations to set up the machines. Guiding the head cinematographer, Ben suggested ideal spots to get the perfect shot. They have an hour before Katelyn arrives, everything has to be perfect.

With just fifteen minutes to go, there is a slight panic within the crew, due to some lighting being faulty. Watching from afar, Ben smirks at the busy body's meltdown.

Ben waits with a co-host at the entrance of the restaurant when everything is finally set up. Spreading a smile across his face as he greets Katelyn, he takes her by the hand, leading her into his restaurant. Following behind, the camera crew take shots of the interior, Ben hoping that it would be ideal advertisement for his place.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself with the others, waltzing and at the night club. This will be a bit more calming for you." A chuckle follows his words as he leads her into the restaurant. Letting go of her hand, he presents his kitchen to her and the variety of foods placed across the counter.

"I thought we'd make a two course meal together, something I like and something you like." Forgetting that the cameras are there, his full focus is on Katelyn as he describes what they are going to do. "You get to decide either the main course or dessert and I'll pick whatever is left. Absolutely anything that you want." The smile that had creeped on his face when Katelyn arrived remained on his face, unlikely to go until she left.

[charade]

KATELYN PERSIMMON

It had been a long day.

Clearly, Tinselton or whoever was really in charge of the show had never tried to get through three dates in an eight hour period. Between a soiree for brunch, dancing in the club and learning a frickin waltz, she was exhausted. Yet there was still one more date to go. At least it was more laid back; even the outfit they had her in was far less extravagant than most of them. Making dinner. And sharing it with Ben. Katelyn smiled. A dinner date and then the day was over at last. Then maybe she could finally get around to the forms and paperwork she needed to fill out for Iona and Weaver’s coffins and the eventual funerals.

She’d caught very little of the games while filming the show, but she knew it was winding down. A few more days and it’d be over. And there’d be another victor in the spotlight. She wondered if they’d be more personable than the ones from three. Atticus appeared to be following in Klaus’s footsteps. He seemed to stay out of the public eye and keep to himself. Maybe he was shy. Or he hadn’t adjusted to post-games life just yet. The seventy-second arena hadn’t been a cake walk, but then, they never were. Whoever the new victor was going to be, Katelyn hoped that she’d get a chance to talk with them beyond welcoming them to district eleven on the tour.

But all that would have to wait. She strode to the door of Ben’s restaurant with purpose, smiling demurely when he took her hand and led her inside. “I hope you enjoyed yourself,” he said, referring to the other dates. She wasn’t sure if she had. He led her to the kitchen and her eyes widened. It was larger than any kitchen she’d ever prepared food in and she’d thought the one in her mansion was big. Ingredients everywhere, more than she recognized, and they grew nearly everything in eleven. Who knew there could be seventeen different types of cheese?

He implored her to choose between making the main course or the dessert, and he’d design the other. She thought about making the former, but if she made his favorite dinner, there was the possibility that it was some Capitol dish she’d never heard of. Or didn’t know how to make. Like those quiche things. Maybe it was best to play it safe. If the Capitol wanted to make a fool out of her, they’d have no help from her.  “Well if you want to cook me dinner, you should know that I like spicy.” She said with a grin and a raised eyebrow.

“What do you think about a five alarm chili?” The one her mother always made for the harvest festival was delicious. Jalepeno, chipotle, ancho, cayenne, chili powder. She loved peppers. “And then on the side, well, in eleven we make a dark bread out of ration grain. Its crescent shaped. Sprinkled with seeds, and usually dipped in olive oil for flavoring as most people don’t have ready access to butter. Do you think you can handle the heat?” While she spoke, she admired his chef whites; he looked crisp in them. An avox approached her bearing a small package and she looked at her confused for a moment, but accepted it and opened it.

Her apron was inside, the white one with the red trim and the tiny embroidered cherries. She started to smile and then clenched her jaw. She’d left this one at home. Someone from the Capitol had been inside her home. Message received, she thought grimly. Her mind wandered back to the piece of cloth she’d found with the sickle on it and grimaced, but let it slide off her face as she didn’t want Ben to think her anger was directed at him. Katelyn took the apron out and unfurled it, smoothing it out and tying it around her waist before turning her pearly whites to Ben. "So, while you work on that, tell me, what kind of dessert did you have in mind?”

"Don't put my story back on it's shelf

I was choked up but my tongue untied itself."

table coding (c) ghosty

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

B E N

It's quite overwhelming for Ben, seeing the hoards of cameras and crew, working their equipment in his restaurant. He had a small camera crew in here before but that was for shooting interior shots of his restaurant for a small television advertisement. Hopefully today's episode would be a cheap way to advertise his place, showing the Capitol what he had to offer for them on their plates. And the shots of the interior of his kitchen would prove there was no funny business unfolding behind the kitchen doors. (Like the restaurant across the street.) Unlike them, he knew how to wash his dishes pristinely.

The building where everyone stands, is Ben's life. He had to drag it up from the dirt, without help from anyone. Being the second youngest of five children, he didn't exactly have the help of inheritance to guide him in his adult life. His father poured all of his wealth into his eldest, leaving his four other children to take the path of life on their own. Inspired by the way food brought people together, Ben sought a career in the culinary business, starting off as soux chef for a celebrated chef in the Capitol. Before long, he found himself refurbishing an old rundown restaurant and calling it his own.

Giving Katelyn the choice on what he was to make, he hadn't exactly decided what he wanted to eat. Having a diverse taste, he enjoyed everything. Sweet dishes, sour fruits, the most fiery spicy chillies, anything that tickled his tastebuds, he put into his mouth. Deciding to create something that went well with what Katelyn chooses, he was delighted to hear her choice. A hot dish to turn up the temperature, it really was the heat of the competition. Grinning as she described the dish, he picks up a towel from a counter, rubbing sweat from his brow as if implying the already existing heat. "Mmm, sounds delicious, I am sure I can handle it."

Pondering on what would go well with the hot dish of Katelyn's, an array of desserts would flash through his mind. Something to maybe counteract the heat? Thinking back to the ice-cream sundae they shared in the statue park, he glances to a cupboard, containing a machine that would come handy with his idea. "Banana and cinnamon ice-cream cake. Just like a cheese cake if you've had one. A nice crunchy base and a cold filling to cool us off. But I haven't forgot your taste for spice as the delightful cinnamon will be mixed in with the banana." Gesturing towards a cupboard as he speaks, slowly he begins to forget the cameras are watching them. "There is a machine in there that makes ice cream almost instantly, none of that waiting for hours for it to set in a freezer nonsense. Although I have a tub of vanilla ice cream, if you want to cheat." He'd chuckle at his final words.

Watching as Katelyn tied the apron to herself, he'd admire it with a smile. "Lovely little apron."

Grabbing a wine bottle from the counter where they both stand, he'd pop it open, pouring the contents into two glasses. "Strawberry and elderflower rosé wine, something to keep us quenched while we work."

Collecting together ingredients, he'd whisper to an avox to gather together what Katelyn needs and excitement began to creep inside of him. "All the ingredients are available on the table, bowls and what not are in the cupboard beneath. If you need anything frozen or chilled, everything will be in the middle refrigerator." He points towards the three large fridges behind them.

Picking up a jalapeño, he didn't want to get too stuck into the cooking that he'd forget that Katelyn was there so he got the conversation ball rolling. "What got you into baking? I do love the ingredients that I get from Eleven, I'd love to see the way they're produced."

[charade]

KATELYN PERSIMMON

“My mother and grandmother. They started teaching me when I was young.” Her eyes flickered with warmth, memories of a dozen holidays. Birthday cakes made from scratch. A few jars of preserves being attended to after all the rest of the cherries had been sent off. Flour in the air. Raw cookie dough being snuck out of bowls. Powdered sugar on the ends of noses. But then she thought about the second part of his statement. About how he’s like to see how it was all produced since in the Capitol everything was shipped in.

She glanced at the cameras and debated saying what was on her mind. “Hard work. Elbow grease and love.“ She smiled wanly after a moment. “That’s how we get things ready for the harvest. It’s not easy, shouldering the brunt of Panem’s food production. But we make do.” She collected the bananas and started slicing them up into circles. It was an interesting choice he’d picked. She’d never made an ice cream cake before but she could guess at it. She’d make a buttercream cake and replace the filling with filling with the frozen treat instead. It was going to take a while to make though.

At least they had time. Katelyn hummed a harvesting tune and piled the sliced bananas on a plate, before going to gather flour, milk, eggs, sugar and a little bit of salt and water. She measured out what she would have for a buttercream cake and started mixing them together in a large bowl. There was an electric mixer, but she passed over it in favor of a set of mixing tools. It was more personal. She continued doing that for several minutes until the batter looked smooth and poured the mixture into two cake pans. It would take near around twenty-three minutes for them to bake. Another half hour to cool. So she supposed she should start on the ice cream and the topping.

“What about you Ben? Can I call you Ben?” she asked with a raised eyebrow as she grabbed a skillet. Time had been passing in silence as she got focused on the dessert making, but she aimed to rectify that. “How’d you get into cooking? Running your own restaurant?” She spooned some butter into the skillet and turned the burner on, shaking it back and forth as the butter melted. As soon as bubbles appeared, she dumped the banana slices in and added the cinnamon. But she felt like something was missing. She pored over the ingredients he had left everywhere and finally settled on a caramel sauce. She added that and sautéed the bananas for less than three minutes and set them aside to cool down.

That left the ice cream, but she didn’t know how to work the machine, so she decided she was going to cheat like he had said and use the one that was already made. But she wasn’t going to touch it until the cake itself was ready. She sighed, drumming the palms of her hands on her thighs. She could smell the chili that Ben was working on the station over, and it tickled her nose. Katelyn pulled up a stool and sat down, resting her elbows on the counter. It would be some time before the cake was done. Hopefully the chili would be done well enough before that to give her time to finish it. “It’s always nice to meet someone else who enjoys making food.” She remarked.

Katelyn looked down at her sleeves. She’d gotten some flour on them at some point. But it was a more more normal outfit than the last couple, so it didn’t bother her much. She drummed on the counter with her fingers. “Well, since we have a little downtime I guess now’s as good a time as any for us to talk.” Katelyn affixed her eyes on him while he messed with ingredients and smiled. “Why did you want the chance to go on dates with me?”

"Don't put my story back on it's shelf

I was choked up but my tongue untied itself."

table coding (c) ghosty

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

B E N

Rolling up his sleeves, Ben dips his hands into the wash basin, thoroughly washing them. Bubbles build up in the sink as he washes away the bacteria before he handles the food. Drying them off onto a towel, he’d turn back to the counter, deciding how he would begin preparing the chilli that Katelyn requested. Already making his mouth water, the two-course meal sounds a delight. Maybe the date will turn out just as good as the quality of the food. Turning to the assortment of chillis and peppers, he attacks them all with his knife, chopping them up into appropriate sizes.

Listening contently to Katelyn describing how food is produced in eleven, Ben minces a garlic glove, mashing it into paste. Adding half a tablespoon of cumin, salt and chilli powder to the mix, he mixes the mixture into the minced beef in a large bowl. He tries not to lose himself in the preparation, glancing over to Katelyn now and then while she creates the sweet treat. Placing a large pot on a stove, he adds two tablespoons of olive oil into it before turning up the heat. Allowing the meat to cook for five minutes, he’d put half of his attention on Katelyn, occasionally turning over the beef. ”Yes of course, you can call me Ben.” Removing the beef from the pot, he’d place it into a bowl, ignoring it for a couple of minutes. The next step was the puree the chillis with tomatoes, to create the sauce so he adds the anchos, chipotles, adobo, cilantro,two garlic cloves and a pinch of salt into the blender. Attacking the assortment of ingredients with its blades, the blender produces a smooth puree to add to the pot.

Cooking chopped onions and garlic in the pot,Ben reminisces how he got his career, while continuing with the recipe. ”Unfortunately, I wasn’t taught by any of my family members.” Remembering the times where he raided his mother’s cabinets for different ingredients as a youngster, he didn’t exactly have anyone to guide him. ”I always loved how food brought people together like at restaurants, parties, picnics in parks and well…food tastes great too.” Adding spices to the pot as the onions cook, he pours in the puree he blended earlier, allowing it to cook before adding the meat. ”I got lucky though when I was teenager, I was granted the opportunity to work under celebrated chef, where I learnt so much.” Moving his eyes from the pot to Katelyn as he spoke, the presence of the cameras slowly becomes invisible for him. ”Then I bought this place and made it my own.” Grinning, he reunites the beef with the pot along with some water. Raiding his alcohol cupboard once again, he pops open a bottle of beer, pouring some of the liquid into pot. Leaving it to cook, he reminds himself to stir the pan every so often as he turns towards the bread.

Creating the dough for the bread in a bowl, Ben finds a way to allow it to raise, the room temperature being scorchio so it’d likely to double in size in no time. However he places it into one of his cheat machines, trying to take away valuable time that shouldn’t be wasted while watching bread rise. But as he leave the dough and turns to the pot to stir it, Katelyn grants him the questions he had been pondering on since signing up for the show.

Removing his eyes from the pan, he smiles at Katelyn, quickly conjuring up an answer. ”Because you have a lot in common with me and I wanted to get to know someone who is passionate in baking and cooking that isn’t in it just for…” Covering up the microphone that is attached to his chef jacket as he leans his lips to Katelyn ear, he whispers the last of his words.”The money and popularity…like so many here.” Glancing at the cameras, he quickly takes the dough to the counter, flouring the surface before kneading it. ”And you generally seem like kind beautiful woman on the television screens. And well, you are real life too.” Smiling at Katelyn, his eyes are fixated on her. He’d place the kneaded dough back into the raising machine before stirring the pot again. ”And well the dates so far have been a blessing, so I am happy that I did sign up for this.”

[charade]

KATELYN PERSIMMON

A lot in common.

Katelyn wouldn’t have necessarily thought that based on a shared love of cooking, but points for trying at least. She traced invisible designs on the counter with her finger as she watched him. Ben seemed like a nice guy; he had definitely earned points with her for turning down the kiss that Tinselton had tried to force her into. But she was sorely reminded that most people only saw the veneer that was cultivated for television. She didn’t know what she expected him to say, but she should have known. She was grateful that he focused on the non-game things as it was surprising how many people didn’t realize how uncomfortable the subject of the games was for victors.

He found her attractive; but then, most of the contestants must have. He thought she seemed like a caring person, and she was glad that was apparent even from afar. He loved the opportunity to meet someone who cooked because they enjoyed it and not because they wanted to make money. It amazed her for a moment. Sure, there were a handful of small eateries and bars in eleven, but it wasn’t like they were lucrative. Then again, in the Capitol, everything revolved around entertainment. The largest jobs had to do with the government or the games, but nearly everything else catered to any want that any capitolite might have. If you were born in the capitol, you didn’t have to survive, you just had to live.

And yet Ben appeared to yearn for something else; for something simpler. She could appreciate that. All the glitz and the glam probably lost its luster for some people after growing up in it. Especially at his age. At thirty-seven he was only five years younger than her father; and sixteen years older than her. Didn’t mean he wasn’t attractive. She didn’t think it was that big of a difference, but she could hear some of the people back home talking already. That was when she was reminded that whoever won the contest would have to meet her parents at some point.

And that her parents were probably watching the show. And that she’d completely forgotten to call them at any point since the day Iona and Weaver had died. Katelyn took in a sharp breath, wondering what her parents would think. She’d never gone on a single date in eleven and here she was going on multiple dates on national television. Her stomach twisted. It had taken time to repair their relationships. She’d distanced herself after the games. It had been too difficult, her father treating her like she was made of glass and her mother seeming afraid of her. They had lost their closeness. Another casualty of the arena. They had only really gotten closer again the year Harbinger won, but it still wasn’t the same.

They made it out to the holiday gatherings with the Rhodes and the Miristiomas and seemed to get along well with the other parents, but her conversations with them never dipped below casual anymore. It was difficult to find the time to visit them. Things were still strained and she didn’t want them to get pushed farther away. She refocused on Ben, turning over his words in her head. Food could bring people together; it was true. It was one of the things she liked about cooking for the holidays. Ben had interned with some famous chef and made the restaurant himself. She liked that. He had known what he wanted and pursued it. Was it the same with her? Or did she make him too uncomfortable to really go for it?  

Maybe she’d be able to focus better once she got some food into her stomach. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. Her hand snaked forward slowly and nicked a tomato slice. She munched on it and watched him continue with the food. “I’m glad you did too.” she said. “It’s not often that victors get a chance to unwind.” She told him a little bit about the other dates and started talking about eleven, about the cherry orchard her father managed and the jars of jams and preserves that she helped her mother package. She told him about the pastry she had carried with her the day she’d been reaped, intending to gift it to the families of whoever was picked, never imagining that she’d be one of the two.

She asked him about the chef he had studied under and what it was like running his own business. Time started to get away from her until a timer beeped and she got up to take the two cake pans out. They had risen well. But it’d still take some time for them to cool enough to add the ice cream and the other stuff she was working on. She set them aside and turned back to Ben. ”How’s dinner coming along? I’m famished.” She said with an exhausted smile.

"Don't put my story back on it's shelf

I was choked up but my tongue untied itself."

table coding (c) ghosty

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

B E N

Finally he got the bread into the oven; all he had to do now was stir the pot and wait, which made plenty of time to converse with Katelyn. Every question that he had been thrown at throughout the show, he tried his best to think of a reasonable yet winning answer to give but at the same time staying truthful. His words are likely the thing to put him on the line, he’s been known in the past to be a bit too boisterous in a conversation which is probably why he only caters for most parties instead of being the guest.

Checking on the chilli, Ben listens as Katelyn shares her life stories, being rather much exciting to him. Everything in the Capitol is rooted while it seems District life is pretty much unpredictable. Living purely to survive and provide for oneself and others, a lot more of a demanding life compared to a Capitolite. For some reason, it seems like a simpler alternative to the glitziness that Ben’s life has to offer, not having to worry about what everyone else thinks. Camaraderie also appears to be a major aspect while working together is not exactly a thing in the Capitol, every man for himself. Ben just wants to enjoy the company of others while working to better their lives and his own.

Sharing his life as being the chef’s apprentice, he included all the exciting details. Like the time a live crab sent from District Four, fought a great fight to not be placed into a boiling pan, which it ultimately won and spent its days in a tank instead of becoming someone’s platter. And the time he created the greatest lemon meringue pie, that someone demanded that he created them a batch although it was probably the first time he had been greatly praised for his work so it stuck with him, even if he had to whip thirty egg whites afterwards. For so long his father ignored his work in his family kitchen when he was young but as soon as he opened his restaurant, he became happy by just seeing empty plates arriving to his kitchen to be cleaned.

Turning the chilli down to a simmer, his stomach grumbles as the aroma of all the spices fill the room. Earlier on he’d boiled some rice to add to the chilli as an extra condiment, the bubbles in the water of the boiled rice indicating that it is also ready. Ping. At last the timer brings great news, the bread is able to be taken out of the oven.”It seems, the food is ready. Doesn’t it smell delicious?” Removing the bread from the oven, he’d allow it to cool while serving the chilli into dishes for himself and Katelyn. Working on his presentation, he’d place the crescent shaped loaf onto a separate plate. A table had been set up for them both to sit on, cameras pointed at every angle so that they’d pick up every detail. All the silverware already lines the surface, all it’s waiting for is the food and the people. Setting down the plates himself, ignoring the avoxes that he’d been advised to use, he’d pull out a chair for Katelyn. ”Come sit down, it’s time to tuck in.”

[charade]

KATELYN PERSIMMON

His stories filled her with a small sense of wonder. She’d never prepared live seafood, or seafood at all for that matter. A lemon pie sounded delicious and in turn she told him of a poppy seed and lemon cake that her grandmother had made for her birthday one year, before grimacing upon remembering the name of the district twelve tribute from a few years back. Another thing the Capitol had ruined for her. Ben just had so much experience, but his personality belayed his age. He could have been a younger man, with the way he acted. Unless it was an act, but Katelyn pushed the paranoia back. They couldn’t all be capitol plants.

Katelyn sat in the chair that he pulled out for her and dug in happily. Lunch had been so long ago that she could feel a gnawing in her stomach, and the chili soothed that. Say what you would about the Capitol, but Ben knew his craft. It tasted like home, and Katelyn sighed longingly as she bit into one of the rolls. One of her elbows leaned on the table and she rested her cheek on her fist, and kept her eyes on him as she brought a fork covered in beef and peppers up to her mouth. “We’d make an interesting pair, wouldn’t we?” A chef from the Capitol and a victor from district eleven. Not a storybook romance, but she thought maybe she could see it. Her mother would certainly approve of him.

But...

Regardless of who wound up being the last to get a rose, even if they picked her back instead of one of the other prizes, it would largely be a long distance relationship. She'd be dating them and wouldn't hardly get to see them, nor they her. She dipped one of the rolls in olive oil and kept staring at him while he ate. What did he look for in a significant other? What did any of them? Was there anything beyond a physical attraction? Did Ben want a housewife or someone to run his restaurant with him? Or just a piece of young arm candy?

Then again, it wasn't like any of them had really gotten to know the real her. She thought back to the other dates before Ben. It was obvious what Glamour wanted. Bay, she assumed wanted someone to share fun with. Evening didn't seem to have figured out herself, let alone Katelyn. A timer beeped and Katelyn got up in thankfulness, she was going to drive herself insane if she kept trying to figure out what people thought of her. It was too much to think about. She got the last supplies ready and gave Ben a wink.

Spreading the ice cream on the bottom cake layer was easy enough, she put a liberal amount before shaking some granulated cinnamon over it. Then the next cake layer. Then the sautéed bananas and caramel mixture went on top and around it. She wasn’t sure if it was exactly what he had in mind, but it was the best she could come up when she’d never made one before. It looked more like a giant sandwich than a cake in her opinion, but hopefully that’s what ice cream cake was supposed to look like. Within a few minutes, she had grabbed a pair of plates, and cut two slices of the confection out for them, serving him his plate and finding her seat again.

I don't think its my best work," she said with a light chuckle. "But hopefully it compliments the chili well."

"Don't put my story back on it's shelf

I was choked up but my tongue untied itself."

[d6a georgie cham 🍓🐢 frankel]

B E N

Fillings his mouth with the chilli, the taste is just as thrilling as the aroma that fills the room, another perfected meal created in his establishment. Glancing up from his plate as Katelyn eats; he makes sure that she is enjoying it as much as he is. It was created for her after all and it’s her idea, its Katelyn’s opinion he cares mostly about right now. Ben had saved a small portion for the crew to try as they had demanded, behind the scenes of the camera; the plate is passed around a few nods appearing here and there. So these people have actual taste buds then…

Taking a piece of the bread, it accompanies the meal perfectly as he finishes it off. Resting his forearms on the table, he’d be sure not to place his elbows on the surface, a dining etiquette that had been drilled into him since a child. Although seeing Katelyn with her elbow on the table, Ben dares to rest the whole of his left arm as he waits for Katelyn to finish up. ”Indeed, I believe we would.” He answers the surprising question with a slight smile painted on his face. Does that mean something? Is he doing it right? Or is it just something that the producers of the show have told her to say…a part of the act.

An interesting pair. Would they really be though? Ben has so many years on Katelyn but is age such a barrier in these moments? Would everyone approve of such a pairing, he knows for a fact that he likely not the favourite in winning this show. It’s likely the ex gamemaker that the viewers want to see taking her hand or one of the younger women. Ben is sure the show’s producers will likely have a say in the final pairing, after all he bets there will likely be another series of it with another bachelorette victor. But from what he has learned, Katelyn is the only special one out of all the victors…

Pleased with the arrival of the dessert, the avox is finally made to work as they swipe away the plates from the main meal. Tasting a spoonful of Katelyn’s cake, the mix of flavours flail inside his mouth as his taste buds confirm that it is delicious. ”Oh it’s wonderful Katelyn, I love the caramel that you added.”Another smile creeps after his words as he reaches out for a bottle placed on the table. Popping open the bottle of the same wine that they had while preparing the food, he’d offer it to Kateln. ”Would you like a glass to accompany the dessert? There is a jug of juice if you prefer something softer.” He didn’t exactly know how much she had been drinking all day with the other dates, he’s seen people make fools of themselves on television while intoxicated; he’d rather not be a part of it.

[charade]

KATELYN PERSIMMON

He liked it.

She smiled in spite of herself. She had yet to meet someone who didn’t enjoy her baking; thank her mother for that. She glanced at the avox who cleared away the plates and felt disgusted. She should have just grabbed the plates before she brought dessert. She wondered briefly who they were and what they had done before the Capitol had stolen their voice and their life away. Tinselton certainly kept a good number of them in his employ. Another reason to despise the man. Ben offered her elderflower wine again, but she declined, reaching for the juice instead. Alcohol wouldn’t do anything to help her head. Especially come the morning.

It had been a long, long day. Battling Glamour. Going out to dance not once, but twice. Katelyn had been up since six am and hadn’t stopped moving once. It was nine pm and her feet were killing her. She poured a glass of a mango pineapple blend and chugged it in a fairly unladylike manner, placing the glass down and rubbing her forehead. Focusing on making the cake had used up her last erg of energy. On top of that she was mentally exhausted and she still had to string sentences together. Or perhaps she didn’t. There was always room to cut the date short. Hopefully Tinselton wouldn’t mind. Oh, whatever. She was past caring what Tinselton thought. Glamour and Evening had seen to that, though for different reasons.

Katelyn opened her purse and yawned. Nothing sounded sweeter than the bed in her suite.

She laid the rose across his plate and smiled at him.


“I’ll be seeing you tomorrow then. Thank you for dinner; it was a lovely reminder of home.” A home she desperately wanted to go back to. She’d be going soon enough. Once all the Capitol fluff was dealt with the victory tour for Justice Fray would get underway. And as eleven was the second stop this year, she knew they’d be bundling up the victors to go home quickly. She figured she’d barely have time for the final rose ceremony to be filmed before she was on the train. Maybe it was better that way. Less for her to think about and she wouldn’t have to see the winner for almost a year, if they even picked her. It’d give her time to recuperate. Maybe they’d move on. She laughed internally. Or maybe she was wrong and things would all work out. Maybe one of them really could be something more.

She was too tired to keep thinking about it, it felt like her brain was shutting down.

Katelyn waved goodbye to Ben, blowing him a kiss and headed out the door.


She needed a break from reality.

"I'm a realist, and an optimist,
but I swear to you, I'm not getting over this."