[001. Video]

[frostingdefense]

Finally got this thing to work. I'm usually good at this but never ended up with wings before.

Where am I?

Comments

[stillplaying]

[Oh, that voice. She knows that voice far before ever looking at the picture which accompanies it.

She's out hunting (as she is most days) when she hears it. The journal's with her as a precaution, a way for Rue to easily get in touch with her in case anything happens.

But she doesn't expect this. No. No, he's not supposed to be here. He's supposed to be safe. Safe in District 12 where there's no one that can hurt him any more.

And she wants to scream. She wants to cry. Because she's worked so hard to keep him safe and... and he's here.

Her voice is meek when she finally replies:]

Peeta?

[frostingdefense]

[There was no denying that voice. It made him pause, no she was here? He'd been selflessly hoping she wasn't. That it was just him.]

Katniss?

[stillplaying]

Peeta.

[Despite all the emotion in her voice, the word still comes out little more than a whisper. A prayer, a reverent admiration of the very name itself. As if she cannot believe what she is seeing. Hearing.

As if she cannot believe the fear overtaking her, the memories of one of the last time they were reunited. Back in District 13. Back with the jacking.]

Damn it! [And now she's screaming and cursing even as she studies the image to try to get a sense of where he is.] Damn you! You're not supposed to be here, Peeta! You're supposed to be in District 12. Where I can keep you safe.

[She scowls and a desperate look crosses her face. It's clear she's not addressing Peeta anymore when she continues.]

Send him back. Send him back! I know you're listening. You're just Gamemakers with a different name. Of course you're listening. Send him back!

[frostingdefense]

I was about to say the same thing about you.

Katniss....I....

[Then she's yelling at the gamemakers.]

[stillplaying]

[She still can't believe it. Still doesn't want to believe it. But the Gamemakers, the Malnosso, are quiet. Wherever they are. Whether they've chosen to listen in or not. But she thinks they are. What Gamemakers wouldn't watch their pawns?

And in thinking this, she decides she won't give them the satisfaction. If this is a game, an experiment, whatever, she'll play along. She'll cheat, like Jack suggested. And she'll win.

So she allows herself one more shuddering breath before she wipes away the tears and looks at the screen again. But she can't figure it out from the image alone. Where he is. How far he is from her.]

Look around you. Tell me what you see.

[frostingdefense]

Trees. Lots of trees.

[stillplaying]

[That doesn't help. That doesn't help at all. She needs a landmark, something different. Something she can use to find him. Because even though she's learning these woods as well as she knew her own, it doesn't help. He should know that, she thinks. Even when she never wanted it, he always gave her something to work with. Something that helps her.

And she knows he can't climb a tree, not like she and Rue can. So her options are limited.]

I need a landmark. Do you see water? Or buildings? Come on, Peeta!

[frostingdefense]

[He's a bit out of sorts being here, finding out she's here. And Rue. He takes a good look around.]

I can hear water nearby.

[And what Haymitch said comes back to him.]

I can go find the water source.

[stillplaying]

Follow it to the lake.

[That'd be good. She knows where both lakes are. Her own and the other one, in the east.

Who'd have known Haymtich's advice could still be useful? And that, for once, she'd actually listen to it.]

[frostingdefense]

I'll be there Katniss.

[There's a soft tone to his voice, a fondness for her he could never hide now. Not after everything they have been through.

It's clear by the way things move and the way the screen bounces that Peeta is now on the move. Haymitch would be proud or at least look smug that they were following his advice even here. It doesn't take him too terribly long to find the source of water, to watch how it flows, to follow it to the lake. Once there he looks around then the thought hits him and he moves the device around. Letting the video of where he is show right up on her screen so she'd know. He was at the Eastern Lake. Then his voice sounds for her.]

Does that help?

[stillplaying]

[But he's not. He's not there, not at her lake. And it makes her want to scream, curse again at the Gamemakers for doing this. They put Buttercup right in front of her path, dammit! Why did they have to have Peeta so far away?]

Yes. No. [Because it does help. Because all she hears is his voice through the journal. There's nothing echoed in the forest trees. Nothing at all. He's too far away.] I can't hear you.

[And she remembers Jack's muttations. The honey badgers and the shift hunters. There's so much out there and he's in a part of the forest she doesn't know nearly as well.]

Stay there. By the lake. I'll be right there. Promise me you'll stay there.

[voice]

[idealism]

Oh, you're a new feather, huh?

[voice]

[frostingdefense]

New feather?

[voice]

[idealism]

You haven't been to Luceti before. Am I right?

[voice]

[frostingdefense]

No I haven't.

[voice]

[idealism]

You'll do fine. The town has most of what you need. Especially the bakery!

[voice]

[frostingdefense]

I--

[Then there is a pause, clearly something distracted him. He hears bakery and it's as if his hands start to itch to make something.]

Bakery?

[voice]

[idealism]

Yes! They have the best cinnabons there. Even if the town's kind of drowsy, the bakery is superb.

Why? Are you hungry?

[voice]

[frostingdefense]

[Well not that it was mentioned he kind of was, but that's not why he got excited.]

I'm a baker myself.

[voice]

[idealism]

[It becomes so obvious that Tsuzuki's interest spikes, because his voice rises.] Really? Do you have any specialties?

[voice]

[frostingdefense]

[Oh god, here we go with Peeta. His voice takes on a wistful tone.]

Cheese bread, actually many different kinds of breads. I'm also really good with decorating cakes. I used to do all the cake decorating at my family's bakery back home. I even got to decorate the Wedding cake for friends when they got married.

[Though at the mention of that there's a sad edge to the words.]

[voice]

[idealism]

[It's a good thing they're only on voice-feeds, because otherwise Peeta would have seen the utterly fanboyish face Tsuzuki was making. He is a big lover of food, and especially food done well.]

That sounds so good. I don't think I've eaten cheese bread since my sister taught me to cook, and that's ages ago.

....Used to? What happened?

[voice]

[frostingdefense]

[Peeta swallows hard then, how to explain this. He went with simple, and would expand on it if asked. Sure his mother had been not so nice at times, but she was still his mother.]

The Capitol bombed my District and my family was killed.

[voice]

[idealism]

... [He knows the panic that comes with bombings, so his heart sinks.]

I'm so sorry. Really, I mean that.

Why would they do such a thing?

[rutagraveolens]

[That voice. The face. He's here.

Rue feels guilty; hadn't she wished he were here so Katniss and him could be together, and also so she could finally meet him, and now here he was!]

You're Peeta.

[frostingdefense]

Rue, right?

[Voice]

[rutagraveolens]

Yes, that's right. District Eleven.

...Hello.

Re: [Voice]

[frostingdefense]

...Hello.

[Voice]

[rutagraveolens]

We're not in Panem anymore. We're in Luceti now. Katniss is here too.

[Voice]

[frostingdefense]

[He's still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Rue is here. He knew the voice at least, and he's still wondering how it's possible. He knew she died, he even promised part of his winning to her family as well as Thresh's. He was trying to be nice and not ask, but he's failing.]

How are you here? Luceti? Where is that?

[He knew Panem couldn't be the only place in the world left.]

[Voice]

[rutagraveolens]

I don't really know. I... [She pauses, swallows quietly.] I woke up here. Um, I'm not really sure where Luceti is, I don't think anyone knows.

[There's a small pause before she ventures carefully:] Are you okay?