fairy floss high {Clio/Corvan}

[k!ah]

c l i o .

Oh. My. God.

The world around me seemed to move faster than I remembered, a sickly sweet after taste clinging to my taste buds, and my body buzzed with an energy that felt foreign. The candy on the stick melted the moment it touched my lips, coating them with a sticky gloss. I had never tasted anything like it, it was so light, so fluffy, so beautiful. A grin split my lips, my mouth catching some of the floss once again, a moan escaping my lips. "Oh my god, this is so gooooooood!" I say around a mouthful, excited eyes meeting the person behind the counter, who stared at me with amusement, handing me another stick. "Ahhhh, thank you so much!" I gush, smacking my lips together as I discard the finished stick into the bin.

The woman chuckles, giving me a warm smile, "your welcome, honey." Returning it, I turn to face the crowd. The air buzzed with excitement, people moving around a district that was unfamiliar to me. This was the first time I had ever been out of district nine, the opportunity arsing at the perfect time. Having just received a promotion at work, I had enough money to do something for myself, and even though a knot of guilt twisted my stomach at the thought of leaving by brother and sister behind, I tried my best to ignore it, for the first time in many years putting myself first.

"This is crazy," she breathes, taking in the rolling hills that were lite up by the huge fire pit at the centre of the festival. Fairy lights lined the streets, and people moved around with wide smiles, some holding hands, other with arms wrapped around shoulders, and others like herself, wide eyed and enthralled by our surroundings. "Oh my god, isn't it just amazing," she breathes, grabbing the arm of the person beside her without thinking, "and this fairy floss stuff? Bloody delicious, have you tried it? You've got to try it!"

[Cait]

c o r v a n .

There’s never been so many people in District Ten, this I’m certain of. It’s kind of bugging me, if I’m being honest. Usually these streets are deserted and I’m free to wander them alone until the sun sets. I prefer those days; I’m a fairly private person, forced to play family with another ten or so travelling ghosts on the house on the hill, but it’s a small price to pay for somewhere to call home.

So being surrounded by families of screaming children and couples holding hands isn’t exactly my idea of enjoyable. But I’d heard whispers through the town that this was going to be a big event – like nothing we’d ever seen before. And with those whispers came rumours of events and prizes and animals and foods from all over Panem.

I’ve accepted there’s not much hope left for me. But that won’t stop me from trying to bring a little more light to the lives of the other children living in Julia. It’s the main reason I’m even here, trying to navigate through the crowded streets. It’s never for me; it’s always for them.

“This is crazy,” a girl next to me gasps, and I turn my head in time to see her spinning around in awe at the fairy lights, breath mingled with the cool air of the afternoon.

I wonder what it must be like to still find beauty in the world. I miss knowing the feeling.

I’m deciding between the idea of replying or moving away to avoid conversation when her small hand grasps onto my arm to steady herself, making the choice for me.

“And this fairy floss stuff? Bloody delicious, have you tried it? You've got to try it!” I feel my eyes widen as I take in the sight in front of me. She’s a foot shorter than me, yet the stick of sugar makes up the difference in our sizes, it’s as big as her head! She’s already on her second stick, pink and sticky, artificial and bound to give her a cavity, but that’s the least of her concerns.

I see some of Zariah in her – that overly excited energy of a girl trying to hold onto her youth.

I decide I like her immediately.

“No I haven’t!” I laugh at the joy enveloping her face and feel my own smile widen. Her energy is infectious, even if I can’t quite grasp onto the feelings she’s harbouring. “I’m not really a sweet tooth,” I confide in her. “But I am on the hunt for some snacks for my family back home.” Family, the word snags my heart and I smile even wider.

“I’m guessing you endorse this… fairy floss snack? Or maybe there’s something else around here that’s even better?” Yet something in my chest tells me we’ll be hard-fetched finding anything more enjoyable than this.

[k!ah]

c l i o .

Any other time I would have been embarrassed by the way I grabbed at a stranger's arm, looking at him with childlike wonder and excitement. Generally, I was an extremely quiet and shy girl, one who preferred the company of myself and my sisters to others. I don't know exactly why, maybe it was because of my deep-rooted fear of being rejected or abandoned if I opened up to someone only to have them up and leave me just like my parents had.

But the sugar and the high of being somewhere new was doing things for me, good things. Here in district Ten, I had no responsibilities, I had no pressures, absolutely no one had any expectations of me and that gave me a chance to breathe, to relax. And for the first time in a long time in a very long time, I felt free.

“No I haven’t!” he laughs- at me, I don't know, but I decided that I wouldn't mind if he did because he had a nice laugh. It reminded me of a hug, warm and inviting.

“I’m not really a sweet tooth,” he confesses and I look at him as though he had just crushed my dreams, my hand moving to my chest, mock disbelief slipping onto the features of my face. But before I can say anything, he redeems himself, not totally dissmissing the sugary sweet. “but I am on the hunt for some snacks for my family back home. I’m guessing you endorse this… fairy floss snack?" he questions and I nod back furiously, taking another large bite of the sickly sweet treat, enjoying the feeling of it melting against my tongue.

"Or maybe there’s something else around here that’s even better?”

"Oooh! There just might be!" I exclaim, linking my arm with his, "the best thing about it, is that tasting is free!" I drag him a few steps deeper into the festival, my eyes catching a stand that was advertising a range of fired meats. "Do you like meat?"

[Cait]

c o r v a n .

The exciteable girl continues to snack on her sugary treat as I speak, and I watch her eyes widen in disbelief as I admit my own indifference to sweets. She recovers quickly though, and it isn’t long until she’s taking my bait, looping her arm through my own and pulling me deeper into the throng in search of more food.

“Yes! I love meat!” There’s nothing wrong with being a vegetarian, but I couldn’t live that lifestyle. There’s a vague memory edging forward in my mind of Zariah trying out a herbivore diet for a few days, before I caught her late one night digging through the fridge for leftover mince. I can’t help but laugh again, grimacing slightly at the unfamiliar feeling in my chest, but I don’t try to stifle it.

I’m grateful to have her guiding me through the crowd. I can barely see straight on my own, the faces and stalls blurring together as we’re jogging through the street. Eighteen years I’ve lived in this place, and yet I still manage to feel out of place.

“You seem to know you’re way around here pretty well,” I remark. “Do you live in Ten as well? Or are you just a foodie?” I smile and look down at her small face, her large brown eyes scanning the market, glittering with excitement and wonder.

We come to a stop much too soon, with the new smells of barbecue hitting my nostrils at full force. I feel my mouth salivate instantly and I’m already trying to calculate just how many free samples I’ll have to scrounge up to feed all the littles back home.

Ah well. If it came down to it, there’s a few coins in my front pocket saved for a rainy day emergency.

[k!ah]

c l i o .

He doesn't fight me as I lead him through the busy crowd, in fact, I feel like he encourages me to take the lead, smiling to himself as we push our way to the front of a stall. He confirms that he has a love of meat and I hope that means ALL things fried because I had plans to make him try absolutely everything that would allow me to get my hands on. My eyes read a sign that said deep-fried bull balls and I stick my nose up at it slightly but quickly push the feelings of disgust away because I had come here with an open mind and that meant trying new things. I indicate to the stall owner for two pieces.

“You seem to know you’re way around here pretty well. Do you live in Ten as well? Or are you just a foodie?” He says with a smile. He had a nice smile. A kind smile. A warm one- could you describe a smile as warm? Maybe not, but I would describe his smile as warm, I think as I take the fried balls from the stall owner, thanking them loudly.

"Just a simple girl from nine who loves her food," I chuckle, biting my lip for a moment before I hold out the deep-fried surprise. It was unlike me to be so confident, so loud, but here I didn't have any presets of who I was. And it was easier to push down my unease. "Are you feeling daring?"

[Cait]

c o r v a n .

I can’t match this girl’s energy – there’s no point even trying.

“Just a simple girl from nine who loves her food.”

I blink at her a few times, mulling her words over in my head. District Nine. Weren’t they notoriously known for the largest number of gangs and highest crime rates in Panem? This girl doesn’t seem like the type to get mixed up in any of that – but I shouldn’t be so close-minded. After all, District Ten isn’t just a town of cowboys and farmers.

Still, I find myself becoming all the more invested in the exuberant girl beside me, wanting to know more about her life back in Nine. I don’t know how to feel about it.

I don’t have the time to ask any more questions, as she’s taking two sticks of fried food from the vendor and turning to face me.

“Are you feeling daring?”

It’s a solid five seconds before I realise she wants me to try the food. And well, I guess I should have expected this.

“Oh, I wasn’t– the food wasn’t meant to be for–” I stutter my words as she looks at me, one eyebrow raised inquisitively, one small hand outstretched towards me.

I observe the sign in front of the stall more closely, eyes bulging slightly when I finally comprehend the words stamped on it: deep fried bull balls.

Okay. Maybe I could take this one for the team. I take one of the sticks of food from her, giving it a tentative sniff.

“On three?”

[k!ah]

c l i o .

He looks at me with interest when I mention where I am from, and for a moment the sugar high drops, and I think about my siblings who I had left at home under the care of one of the few people I called call a friend. I had felt bad about leaving, but Jasper had insisted I go, begging me to do something for myself as I'm always putting them before me. "Please Clio, go! We'll be okay. I want you to go," he had whined, pushing me out the door. "How many chances do you get to go to another district!" He supplies in a way of luring me onto the trip of a lifetime.

"If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me," he argued, and how could I say no to that?

Shaking my head slightly I push the thoughts of Jasper to the back of my mind, smiling as the boy- oh my god! I hadn't even asked his name! I put that on my to-do list as he tentatively takes the skewer I had offered him stumbling over his words slightly before giving it a careful sniff, caving into the fact that he was about to eat the balls of a bull.

I sniff mine as well, my nose crinkling slightly.

“On three?” He says and I give him a nod, giving him a cringey smile

"One. Two. Three!"

I shove the balls into my mouth, ripping the meat from the skewer and chewing quickly.

"Oh my god," I say around the mouthful of meat. Swallowing too quickly and nearly choking as large chunks are forced down my throat. "Taste like chicken?" I supply unsure exactly what it tasted like, grinning as I toss the skewer into the bin. "I'm Clio, by the way."

[Cait]

c o r v a n .

“One. Two. Three!”

I take a bite before I can let myself back out, teeth tearing through the deep fried dough and being met with a chewy kind of resistance. I don’t know what to think.

“Tastes like chicken?”

I look down at her, look back at the food, look at her face again, contemplating. I… guess so? It’s not an unpleasant taste but it’s definitely… different.

I take another bite anyway – before watching as she chokes slightly around her own mouthful of food. My hand is out in an instant, gently cupping her back, prepared to help if things take a turn for the worst. “Are you okay?” I ask, but she’s recovering just as the words leave my mouth, and I feel my face heat up slightly at my excessive caution. Of course she’s okay, idiot.

I shake my head, am tempted to pull my hand away, but some magnetic force holds it in place a little while longer.

“I’m Clio, by the way.”

God dammit, I really am a fucking idiot. All this time spent with her and I hadn’t even asked her name. My face flares even more, and I can practically feel the warmth settling in my cheeks.

“I’m Corvan,” I respond in turn, rolling her name over in my head, considering how it settles.

I finish my skewer and follow her lead, tossing the wooden stick into the nearby bin. There’s still plenty of food stalls left, but I’m vaguely aware of the darkening sky, the distant setting sun. I should be getting home soon, and I’m determined not to leave here empty-handed.

I take a deep breath before I speak again. “I was actually trying to find some food samples to take back home for my siblings. They’re too young and there’s too many of them to try and look after them all at once here.” I chuckle at that, can see myself desperately trying to keep track of five children roaming free around the fairgrounds.

“Do you think you could help me find some more treats I can bring home to them?” I ask timidly, hoping she wouldn’t find my request lame or absolutely cringe.