Katniss' POV:
Her mind was reeling from the information.
If he- James- really wasn't lying, then that meant that she was very, very far from home. Farther from Prim.
But what was the "New York" James was talking about? Was it like the Seam? What district were they in? She wasn't even going to touch on the topic of the year yet, too busy freaking out about where she was- or, rather, wasn't.
With the obviously high-quality materials making up the room- a tower is what James said- they weren't in any of the lower districts; perhaps they were in One? Three? But what District had towers that housed civilians?
James ran a hand through his hair and she tracked the movement with wary eyes. What was his deal, anyways? He looked like a Career from his build and easy manipulation of his body, so why was he acting so kind? Careers rarely, if ever, partnered with the coal miners, so what was his plan?
He smiled softly at her, and she mentally cursed him for appearing so innocent.
"District," she demanded.
James gave her a confused expression. "District? Do you mean what district are we in? We, uh…we're currently in Manhattan…"
She sneered at him. "Don't act stupid, James. Where are we? One? Three?"
"What?" He creased his brow, still acting confused. What was his deal?
Just as she was about to start interrogating him, though, the door on the far right burst open and three people- two men and a woman- charged in, all of them armed with some sort of weapon.
Quickly, she raised herself to a crouched position, legs tensed to pounce, ready to fight her way out if necessary— an option that was looking more and more likely, and one that she knew she wouldn't win. She surveyed the hostiles, noting with surprise that one of the men appeared to be half metal, although it wasn't so beyond the pale considering the other body modifications she had seen while in the Capital.
Before she could shoot them, however, James jumped up and placed himself between the two parties, speaking quickly to the three newcomers, likely appraising them of the happenings of the past 5 minutes. None of the three looked any more relaxed, but they were surprised by the sudden interference in apprehending what they assumed was an intruder.
She used the distraction to scale up the windows and into the rafters. Between the floor and the ceiling, higher ground was always more strategic and never failed to make her feel safer; high above them, far from reach, and nowhere close to their hands was always an ideal stationing. Katniss was so focused on the three, though, that she startled at her new…friend's, voice.
"Katniss?" He called softly to her, in the same coaxing tone that she often used on her little sister after a nightmare. "Katniss, you can come down now. They won't hurt you; they're friends of mine. I promise that they won't hurt you."
She resolutely remained on her perch. It's a trap, it's a trap, it's a trap-
"Katniss, I won't let them hurt you, okay?"
Liar, he's lying, don't trust him-
"We're not going to force you down here, but they would like to meet you. Why don't you come down and say 'Hello'? We just want to help."
May the odds be ever in your favor- District 12!- They loved you, kid- Rue!-
She snarled at the thoughts going through her head. What was she supposed to do, just hide from them the entire time she was here? She had no way home, and no idea where she even was, and there didn't seem to be any forest areas that she could disappear into. She was stuck and she hated it. There was no way around though she was out of reach of the others, she was essentially stuck in the little room unless there was some vent or other to travel the hall.
She may not have been a feral animal, but sometimes, with how she was treated, Katniss Everdeen wished for nothing more than to be an unthinking beast. Beasts could mourn their freedom, but at least they could become content in domestication.
"James," she hissed. He looked relieved at finally getting a response. "Who are they?"
The man with the body modifications looked offended. "Who am I? How do you not know who I am? Everyone knows who I am!" The metal had begun to retreat back into him as he spoke, and she watched with unabashed fascination as it disappeared into his chest. What was he? "This is completely unacceptable! What, were you born under a rock?"
The woman clicked her tongue at the pouting man.
"James," she stressed. If there was one thing Katniss didn't like, it was being willfully kept in the dark.
James sighed heavily before pivoting on his feel to face his body in her direction, head tilted up to speak to her. "Why don't we all sit down for a second and talk, yeah? And avoid shooting each other…"
She scrunched her nose at the request, but set her bow aside a few moments after the others reluctantly acquiesced, still available but no longer a danger.
For the first time, Katniss directly addressed James' friends- "Where is Peeta? What District is this? How many days have has it been since the Cornucopia?"- but was frustrated at the lack of information presented.
The blonde snorted at the questions as if I were a child asking after a doll. "Kid, we have no fucking clue who you are, much less a Peeta- what type of stupid ass name is that anyways?- and you should be the one getting questioned here. You just fell out of our fucking ceiling!"
The woman, her hair a vibrant crimson, remained silent and emotionless beside him. Katniss, though, never one to be able to reign in her temper, hissed like a pissed off cat.
"I guess you're going to act dumb too, then."
The woman- she was now to be called 'Robin' in her mind- took a small step forward to address her, forcing Katniss to focus on her presence. Despite her perch that kept her high above them, Katniss felt a chill race up her spine at the dead eyes staring through her. They stayed locked in a tense silence for half a minute before the woman turned to the metal man- 'Mod' as she would call him- and said, with no doubt in her voice, "She's not Hydra. She's not from here. This is your fuck-up, so fix it."
Robin made as if to leave the room, but Katniss had an inexplicable urge to keep her close; she wanted the other to stay, much like how she wanted James to stay.
Unbidden, a whine escaped her throat and she flushed in embarrassment as the four adults looked at her questioningly. Katniss could feel her ears turn a bright red, and she mentally scolded herself for allowing a sign of weakness in front of these strangers. She didn't even know Robin! They haven't said a word to each other, but for some reason Katniss felt the inexplicable urge to hoard and protect her.
Mod was making strange faces, but Robin simply looked at her calculatingly; what was it about the woman that Katniss wanted to keep her close?