"Where's Will!?" Concerned, Hazelle furrows her brow as she sits before the barrel of clothes, focusing on the job at hand, washing at the garments in her grasp. Confused, she furrows her brow when only seeing Gale return looking tired, shaken, concerned as he pinches the bridge of his temple, leaning against the kitchen table where sitting, scowling at the sight of Gale is a pouting Rory, glaring at him.
"She's fine…just needed a second." Aloofly, Gale waves her off.
"She had one of those episodes didn't she?" Surprised, both Gale and Hazelle's eyes widen at Rory's voice making them both turn to the scowling boy sat at the table.
"…Episodes?" Concerned, Hazelle whispers.
"Don't lie. Prim told me about it!" Angrily, Rory turns to sharply glare directly at Gale, dismissing his mother, turning to point an accusing finger at him.
"Look Rory…" Tiredly, Gale sighs closing his eyes trying to collect some form of patience to deal with his younger brother.
"I'm not a kid! Tell me!" Rudely, Rory cuts Gale off, slamming his hand down on the table, startling both Gale and Hazelle, the two of them glancing to the side at one another, not quite sure hwo to word around someone so young.
"It's none of our business, this is entirely Will and Katniss's issue." Sternly, Gale steps forward scowling.
"But keeping it to themselves isn't helping anyone!" Annoyed, Rory disputes.
"Rory you can't rush them, this is a very sensitive issue for them…" Gently, Hazelle reasons to her son.
"But we can help!" Earnestly, Rory points out.
"Rory, I know you want to help but you can't…" Gale tries to reason with him.
"You can't either, you can't help them both." Bitterly, Rory notes making both Gale and Hazelle's eyes widen from his words.
"Them?" Skeptical, Gale's eyes narrow.
"Katniss and Willow, you can't help them both!" Assertively, Rory states.
"Why not? Katniss and Will are my friends." Gale disputes, pain etched into his tone.
"Katniss isn't your friend don't lie I know how you feel about her!" Rory snaps.
"Enough! You know nothing between us!" Fed up, Gale raises his voice startling both Hazelle and Rory.
"I know that Willow deserves better…" Huffing, Rory stands up and gets off the chair, rushing to his room.
"Rory!" Concerned, Hazelle calls out to him.
"Leave him." Exhausted, Gale sighs slumping as he sits down on the chair, cradling his face in his hands.
"Gale are you…?" Gently, Hazelle questions her eldest.
"Come on we should congratulate the happy couple." Tightly, Gale smiles, bitterness and malice etched into his tone.
"Gale…" Sadly, Hazelle sighs shaking her head.
"Mum is something going on?" Meekly, Posy calls out making Hazelle turn to her two youngest, Vic and Posy.
"Nothing Posy it's nothing." Tenderly, Hazelle smiles softly.
"Is Will okay? Rory said she was freaking out." Worried, Vic calls out, rubbing at his eye as Posy clings to him.
"She's…she wasn't feeling well that's all." Sadly, Hazelle smiles when seeing their worried expressions.
"I hope she gets well soon. Maybe I should make her a card!" Posy considers.
"I'm sure she'd love it." Hazelle reassures her.
"I want to help! I want to help Willow get better!" Eagerly, Vic insists.
"Yeah! It's going to be the best get well soon card ever!" Proudly, Posy declares with Vic the two giggling as they storm off and leave Hazelle sighing tiredly.
"You know he doesn't mean what he said…" Tenderly, Hazelle joins Gale's side leaning over the table, placing her hand on his arm.
"I know I just…he knows how I feel about Katniss…" Frustrated, Gale seethes.
"And what you had felt for Will." Hazelle gathers making Gale grimace, bowing his head at the memory.
Yes had, not anymore. Sternly, Gale corrects his mother.
"Gale…feelings don't fade no matter how hard you want it too. This is to do with him isn't it? It's due to Jack isn't it?" Hazelle reminds Gale grimacing at the memory, they were funs, he and Jack were friends, in the same year, he knew he had eyes for Willow and so stood back for him, even if it did hurt, this was during the time Gale knew Willow would never see him the way he had wanted so stuck with Katniss but Jack…Jack did NOT give up, he never did.
He told me he loved her, he would look out for her and he….he…" Seething, Gale snarls, slamming his teeth together grinding them in frustration.
Gale he's gone now he can't hurt her anymore." Gently, she whispers to him as he bows his head pained at the memory.
Just because he's gone doesn't mean he can't do anymore damage. Look at her mum, look at what he and the games did to her!" Furious, Gale snarls slamming his fist down on the table, ignoring the burning ache of his muscles.
Sweetheart…" Delicately, Hazelle drapes her arm over his.
I'm going to bed." Groggily, Gale stands up, his eyes closed exhaling shakily.
Alright…rest up sweetheart." Sweetly, Hazelle smiles watching as he leans down, bringing her into a side hug.
I know night mom, love you." Fondly, Gale places his lips upon her temple making her smile shyly as he leaves, heading to bed.
Scowling, Roy stares down at the gushing watery waves bestowed before him, leaning down sharpening the wood in his grasp with a blade, scowling at the memory of last night.
"Rory I'm sorry you had to see that…" Apologetic, I sigh when I find him in a familiar forest, his brow furrowed silently staring down at the gushing watery waves of blue, pouting almost. Tiredly, I exhale, adjusting my bow string strap as I make my way over, sitting down, perching myself by his side.
"Was that…was that an episode?" Gently, Rory whispers, his voice timid making my features soften at the poor boy looking so saddened, so guilty, so upset.
"So, you know?" Softly, I gather from his curt nod.
"Prim told me about Katniss having episodes she never mentions yours I didn't think you'd have them too." Honestly, Rory confesses to me making me sigh.
"Rory I'm sorry you had to see that, that much have been scary, I just… killing people is difficult…" Strained, I attempt to explain only to grimace glancing to the side when seeing brief flickers of them, I thought I had gotten better, I thought I was better, I thought…
"But not animals." Curtly, Rory cuts me off making me sigh.
"Animals don't…it's hard to understand until you've killed a fellow human being. You find yourself relating to your enemy, they have their own family, their own reason to survive and it…it doesn't make it easy. You wouldn't get it not that I am condoning you too." Tiredly, I try to explain before quickly correcting him.
"I'm sorry…" Saddened, he stares down at the stream below him.
"Hm?" Surprised, I raise a brow humming at him to continue.
"If I hadn't asked for these lessons…" Rory begins making me furrow my brow at the logic, or well lack of used there.
"Oi! Don't say that!" Sternly, I snap making Rory's eyes widen in alarm as I lightly whack him on the shoulder.
"Ow what was that for!?" Hissing, Rory glares lightly at me cradling his shoulder.
"For being a dummy." Bluntly, I state the fact making him whine as I tousle his head, nooging his head, making him whine.
"What do you mean?" Frustrated, he pushes me back a bit making me smirk amused.
"I offered you these lessons besides it's good for me to do this." Lightly, I smile making his eyes widen from my small smirk.
"Why?" Confused, he furrows his brow, his nose scrunching up making me chuckle.
"It's hard to explain but hunting is eerily similar to killing and well the more I do it, the more exposed I am normalising it." Calmly, I explain to Rory his eyes wide in surprise, uncertainty in his tone.
"Is that what you did after the games?" Rory enquires.
"No, I had to go to hospital." I respond.
"You were sick?" Worried, Rory gasps.
"In a way…yeah, I was, I was very sick." Awkwardly, I glance to the side not quite sure how to put it.
"I wouldn't be surprised but what I am surprised by is someone hadn't dropped dead from the poor healthcare." Bluntly, Rory deadpans making me chuckle.
"There have been a few in the past too but yeah it wasn't easy." Sadly, I smile at the memory.
"Is that why you didn't come back?" Rory quirks his head to the side.
"The state I was in, I would have been more of a burden to my family…" Sadly, I state the fact to him, closing my eyes grimacing at the memory, attempting to resurface, feeling my blood feel as cold as ice as heavy as iron.
"But you would have had your victory cottage." Rory points out making me tightly smile at the sad lie, I had fought for only to be denied but when Katniss got it…
"I wish that was true…" Softly, I whisper, a strained smile on my lips noting my hands entwining, shaking, quivering, quaking at the memory.
"What do you mean?" Rory enquires fascinated.
"It's complicated now come on how about we check that snare of yours." I offer patting him on the back making his eyes expand.
"O-Okay!" Surprised, he nods his head and stands up as I follow after him as he leads the way towards his snare.
"Will! Will we caught something!" Happily, Rory's voice rings out to me, making me chuckle at his enthusiasm.
"A rabbit from the looks of things." I mutter leaning over joining Rory's side peering over his shoulder, my arms crossed over my chest as I look down at the limp figure that is the rabbit.
"Alright! Will we did it we did it!" Victorious, Rory cheers bringing a small chuckle to my lips as he celebrates with a small shy dance, celebrating his first pouch.
"You did it. I'm sure your mum will love this for food tonight." Pleased, I reassure him making him beams brightly at the thought.
"Posy is going to be so happy, heh, Vic is going to be jealous!" Smugly, Rory dictates making me chuckle amused by his confidence.
"Why don't you teach him?" Gently, I offer smiling softly at him.
"You think I could?" Hopeful, Rory raises a brow.
"I don't see why not though I should warn you, don't get crazy with hunting." Sternly, I warn him.
"Why not?" Rory furrows his brow quirking his head to the side.
"Nature needs time to replenish what we've caught…" Calmly, I attempt to explain to him.
"Ooh…you mean mating…" Smugly, Rory leans back making me chuckle.
"In cruder worders yes, yes I do." Bluntly, I deadpan.
"Will I hit something! I hit something!" Excitedly, Rory gushes as my eyes widen when he aims his bow sky high releasing a quick strike. My ears grimace at the gurgled cry of a bird making me dart down to the creature having collapsed to the ground.
"Rory be careful remember the traps!" Worried, I call out reaching out to him as he rushes over to the bird's side.
"O-Oh right! Oh no…" Horrified, Rory cries out altering me feeling my muscles tighten, my blood boils on edge, my eyes narrowing, my eyes widening at the flickers of forest and…no, no, no I won't fail, not again, not again, not again!
"What is it?" Urgently, I kneel down by side noting his tears as I see the ruby red droplets descending down his open palms.
"The bird it's…it's still alive what do we do?" Whimpering, Rory's voice breaks as I stare down at the spasming bird making me sigh sadly.
"This is why we mustn't rush our hits," Tiredly, I sigh shaking my head as I gently take Rory's hand in mind.
"Is it…still alive?" Uneasily, he questions me as we coil our fingertips around the arrow.
"I'm afraid so…" Sadly, I sigh.
"What do we do?" Rory turns to look up at me.
"The only thing we can…" I sigh guiding his arrow into the heart of the bird making it go limp.
"You…killed it." Stunned, Rory whispers.
"I put it out of its mercy, sometimes Rory the most painful choice of actions can be for the greater good. We put the poor bird out of its misery." I tell him how it is making him furrow his brow.
"I'm so sorry Mr birdie…" Guilty, he bows his head pained as I drape my arm over his.
"Come on I'm sure your mother wouldn't like you coming home to dinner with bloodied hand." Gently, I whisper bringing me into a hug. I feel him return it just as I then guide his hands into the lake, cleaning his bloodied hands.
"Y-Yeah…Willow thanks." Grateful, Rory nods his head as I simply nod helping clean him up for dinner.