picking up the pieces - [ash/lock]

[lyss]

ash owens

Outside of her brothers, Ash didn’t really run into anybody she recognized from back home. She knew that the whole point of the fair was inter-district mingling, but she wasn’t sure she was quite up for the challenge yet. She had to work her way up to that point by starting with something more familiar. At the hay bale toss, there was no mistaking the red-headed O’Malley who had competed just before her. She couldn’t quite place which O’Malley he was, but she knew she had seen him in the halls at school before. She wasn’t sure which siblings were in the same grade as her, but she guessed that this one was probably the same age as her older brother Bay.

Ash didn’t know much about the O’Malleys, only that there was a lot of them, and that their brother Six had been a tribute this past games. She knew that most of them kept to themselves and only had their siblings as friends, just like herself. She hadn’t had much luck making friends in her grade, so she figured this was just as good a place to start as any. She had no idea what they would talk about, or if he would even want to talk to her. She knew that in the months after her dad died, she barely even wanted to talk to her brothers. She couldn’t help but wonder if it would’ve been any easier if she had somebody to talk to and take her mind off of things.

With that thought lingering in the back of her mind, Ash set off, determined to at least be a friendly face to the O’Malley boy.

The winners of the hay bale toss had been announced less than an hour ago, so Ash figured the boy couldn’t have gone far. She wove in and out of the crowds until she spotted that familiar head of hair. She jogged up to him and realized she didn’t know how to not make this not weird. What would she say? Hey, I followed you over here because my brother said I need to get over myself and make a friend? Before she could think of anything intelligent to say, she angled herself in front of him.

“Hey, uh, sorry to bother you, but we were both at the hay bale toss, and I think I recognize you from school. I think my brother Bay might be in the same grade as you. I’m Ash Owens.”

[bailee]

lock o'malley.

They said keep your eyes open
And we'll teach you to dream while you are awake
Well, they haven't spoken
Since their branches were broken for the fire that they told me toburn

Nothing was more shameful than being a sixteen-year-old farm boy who was beaten out at the hay bale toss by a drunken middle-aged lady. With my head hung low, I embarrassingly walked away from the circle of people who cheered amongst the stronger members of the agricultural Districts.

As I looked down at my hands, etched in by the sharp ends of the straw that dug into my skin, I thought maybe if I were a little more like Prop or even my cousin Cain I probably could've avoided making a fool of myself at the county fair. Maybe I would even be able to talk to some people besides the poor guy at the ice cream stand and his ginger cat. Maybe here people didn't know the O'Malley's and wouldn't want to avoid me.

That was, until a voice approached me and took me out of my ever-so-lonely pity party.

Ash Owens, she said her name was. She knew me. She knew who I was. And she still came up to me.

Maybe she was just as miserable as I was here.

I extended my hand towards her, grinning at her as I looked at her. The name was not familiar, and I didn't want to tell her brother wasn't either, but I was happy for the company and I wasn't about to chase it away. "Lock," I told her, "O'Malley. Lock O'Malley."

I ran a finger through my hair sheepishly as she told me she saw me at the hay bale toss. A pretty girl saw me totally choke? I nervously giggled and added, "I'm sorry if you saw me at the competition... totally got nervous and choked. I swear I'm a farm boy."

[lyss]

ash owens

The O’Malley boy stuck his hand out and introduced himself with a smile, "Lock. O'Malley. Lock O'Malley."

Ash shook his hand and returned his grin. "Lock… I like that name. Nice to meet you, Lock O’Malley.:

Lock ran his hand through his hair and giggled, "I'm sorry if you saw me at the competition... totally got nervous and choked. I swear I'm a farm boy."

"Oh don’t worry," Ash laughed back. "I didn’t do much better."

Ash had gone right after Lock in the competition, so she had seen his tosses. They were a little pitiful for a self-proclaimed farm boy, but the star of the competition had been the pastry lady that Ash had met earlier. She had thrown her bales twice as far as the rest of the competitors. It was incredibly impressive, and Ash could only hope she’d be that strong at any point in her life.

"How about the pastry lady, though? None of us stood a chance against her!"

Ash giggled and nervously fiddled with the hem of her shirt. It had been so long since she had talked to anybody outside of her family, and she was already starting to regret breaking that streak. She knew it was a step in the right direction to initiate the conversation, but she had no idea what to talk about with a boy she barely knew. She could feel her smile begin to falter as her mind raced to find something else to say.

After a beat of silence, Ash spit out the first thing that came to mind. "You wouldn’t have known I grew up with four older brothers by the way I faired in the competition. Knife-throwing, on the other hand, I'm an apparent expert at. I’ve never thrown knives before and I landed three bullseyes in the competition today. You might wanna watch out,” she added with a wink.