#tqqprompt2

[tributecaroline]

Sneaking Out || Caroline & Quinn

TAGGING → Caroline Fabray & Quinn Fabray

LOCATION → District 4's apartment

TIME FRAME → February 7th

DESCRIPTION → Caroline and Quinn have some sisterly bonding.

Caroline:

Letting out a sigh Caroline grabbed her bathrobe and headed out of her room walking towards the windows she's been sitting at for a while. If anything she just wanted to get and clear her mind. Ever since the reaping her mind had been racing and she had kept to herself not really talking to anyone. Only recently she had been talking to people. As she walked Caroline looked around at the beautiful apartment she was staying in. All of this made her miss her home so much.

When she was finally out in the living area she smiled when she spotted her sister. "Hey..." Caroline said quietly as she sat down across from Quinn. Caroline brought her knees up to her chest and looked out towards the city. "How are you?"

[district12-gianna-blog]

Elevators || Aubree & Gianna

TAGGING → Gianna Lopez & Aubree Young

LOCATION → The Elevator

TIME FRAME → February 8th.

DESCRIPTION → The girls encounter each other in the elevator after training, and well, Aubree is very forward.

Aubree wrung her hands together. She was nervous about the games. She was pretty good with hand to hand combat and getting better everyday, but she was concerned about being killed and not surviving. She was concerned about her sister too; she hadn't seen her in training at all. Walking onto the elevator, she recognized one of the girls from District Twelve and she gave a smile, eyes scanning her from head to toe. "Hello," She offered warmly. "I'm Aubree." She offered a hand to Gianna.

Gianna hesitated before shaking her hand. "Gianna." she said softly. She was afraid to say too much to Aubree, she didn't want to make her dislike her. This girl was kind of her last hope right now as far as finding a possible ally, or friend. As long as she wasn't bitchy to Aubree, she would hopefully be fine. "I saw you in there, you're pretty good." she told her, smiling slightly. Leaning back against the railing at the back of the elevator, Gia loosely crossed her arms.

Aubree bit her bottom lip and tightly wrung her hands together. Her smile brightened and she felt her cheeks blush a soft red. "Thank you," She murmured. "I wish I could say I something back but I haven't seen you in training. You're from District Twelve, right?"

Gianna smiled a little when she noticed the blush forming on the other girl's cheeks. "Anytime." She let out a cold chuckle. "That's not surprising, after the first day or two I started laying low, or staying hidden up in the ropes. I'm kinda not good with anyone here, so I'm trying to avoid training next to them. Yeah, I am, sadly. And you're from Six."

Aubree inhaled sharply. "I don't see why. You're really beautiful and you seem pretty nice to me." She inched a little closer and pushed a few stray strands of hair away from Gianna's face. "You're more than welcome to train with me."

Gianna looked down. "I'm nice to you because my temper hasn't showed up. I've been a bitch to everyone else because I close up too fast and I get really angry over dumb things. But um, thank you.." She glanced up at her, and raised an eyebrow. "Really? What kind of stuff are you good at?"

Aubree kept her eyes trained on Gianna. "I have quite the temper too, so I know exactly what you mean." She murmured. She tried not to get angry, but sometimes she snapped and couldn't help it. "I've been working on hand to hand combat, just in case. I had been pretty handy with an ax but with the intensity these training sessions have, I'm only getting better. What about you?"

Gianna looked at her, and locked her eyes on Aubree's. "Really? You don't seem like the type to be like that. But I mean, I don't know you that well, so..." She nodded. "That's cool. Hand to hand combat isn't something I've tried yet. I'm best with climbing, and throwing knives. I used to sneak out of my district and hunt with throwing knives so I have some good practice."

Aubree giggled. "Back home, I worked as a mechanic with my father." She replied. "I wouldn't mind sparing with you, if you'd like. Honestly, I'm actually really horrible at climbing. I'm.. afraid of heights."

Gianna grinned. "That's really cool. So much more exciting than being a merchant like I was." she said. "I'd like that. Um... Maybe I could help you with that.. I'm sure I could find a way to make it less scary.."

Aubree bit the inside of her cheek and nodded. "I'd like that a lot." She always had issues tackling her fears and getting help from someone might be ideal. Glancing as the elevator dinged for her floor, she smiled and pressed the button for the doors to shut. "I just wanted to make sure you get to your floor okay."

Gianna nodded. "I'll help you then." she said. When the elevator got to the sixth floor, she expected Aubree to go. But when she didn't, Gia smiled. "That's sweet. Thanks." she said, before taking a step closer to her.

Aubree watched the elevator doors whir closed and she kept a smile. She liked Gianna already. She was struggling to find words as the elevator continued to climb floors. She was thankful that they were alone for the rest of the elevator ride. As they approached the twelfth floor, she felt her smile brighten. "I'm really glad I ran into you today." She offered gently and inched closer to Gianna, pressing a soft kiss against her lips.

Gianna was glad that it was Aubree in the elevator with her. Had it been anyone else, she probably would have been overly uncomfortable, and she would have been worried. Getting to her floor, she frowned slightly. She didn't really want to get off the elevator. "Me too.. You seem really nice.." she said. When she was kissed, she was taken completely off guard. She kissed her back gently, and felt her face go red. "You were nice enough to make sure I got here, maybe I should do the same for you."

Aubree felt her heart start to hammer in her chest at Gianna's suggestion and she giggled. "But then you'll be riding the elevator back up here all alone," She replied softly as the doors whirred open. But her eyes fell to Gianna's lips again and she swallowed. "You have.. really soft lips." She whispered and traced her thumb over her bottom lip slowly.

Gianna chuckled. "But then you'll have to ride back down by yourself. Se there's no winning here for either of us." she said. Never in her mind would she have kissed someone that fast after meeting them. It was a little weird, but she didn't mind it. Friends could kiss, right? There was no harm in that. She knew that Kitty had kissed Ryder, and they were friends, so there was no issues with her and Aubree doing it. "Do I? You do too.." she said softly, casting her gaze to the floor.

Aubree gently lifted Gianna's chin and smiled. As the doors whirred shut again, she leaned closer to capture her lips again. She didn't mind the way things were moving, quite a bit faster than she normally did with anyone. But Aubree wanted to make the most of this experience. What if she didn't make it? What if she died? There were so many things she wanted to do with her life and she was going to start making sure she did those things.

Gianna smiled as the doors closed, and she hit the button for the sixth floor again. When Aubree kissed her a second time, she cupped her cheek gently as she kissed her back. This was something she could cross off of her bucketlist before she dies. She was a little afraid that maybe she'd actually start feeling things for Aubree, and something would happen that was bad. She pulled back a bit, and smiled. "This all really caught me by surprise."

Aubree felt a rush of butterflies as she felt Gianna's hand against her cheek. She leaned against her and smiled. "Trust me, it caught me too. Being here made me realize that I need to try to push myself to be more assertive and I.. really wanted to know if your lips were as soft as they looked."

Gianna let her hands move to Aubree's shoulders. "Just don't let yourself get too assertive. I did that and it got me into a deep hole. So be careful. But I kinda liked this a lot. And I hope my lips lived up to their visual expectation." She elevator stopped at the sixth floor again, and she chuckled. "This is your stop. Again."

Aubree nodded softly and licked her lips. She leaned close again and caught her lips once more, deepening the kiss a little bit more than she expected. Pulling back, Aubree breathed unevenly. "I hope to see you again very soon, Gianna." She whispered against her lips and pulled back, stepping off the elevator and gently waving.

[district12-gianna-blog]

First Official Meeting || Kittanna

TAGGING → Gianna Lopez & Kitty Wilde

LOCATION → District 1's apartment

TIME FRAME → January 31st.

DESCRIPTION → Kitty & Gia meet in person and hope to enjoy a nice time together, but an elephant in the room makes things not go quite as planned.

Kitty knew that things had been a little strange with Gianna lately, after the words of Austin came into the picture. Though after her night with him, she was left happier than ever. She didn't want things to be strange with Gianna though, so she wasn't speaking of it around her unless she asked. Looking around her room, she pulled on a pair of her jeans then another shirt before fixing herself to look better for the other girl so she didn't look like a complete slob. After all, the girl was her friend, and possibly could be one of the closest people she let into her life besides a few. Once she could hear the knock on the door, Kitty smiled then walked over to the door to let the girl in. Grabbing the handle, she braced herself then opened the door with a smile on her face. "The internet doesn't do you justice! Hey, Gia. Come on in." She said before stepping back to let her come into the room.

Gianna fiddled with her hands while she waited for the door to open. Once it did, she glanced up, and put a soft smile on her face. Her cheeks grew hot once Kitty spoke, and she cast her gaze down for a moment. "Thanks.. The same goes for you." She stepped inside, and glanced around, her smile growing just slightly. She looked at Kitty, and moved towards her, giving her a quick hug. "Um, I'm glad you told me to come on by... It'll be nice to finally have some real time talking with you, since we're not trapped on trains or anything now." Gia wanted to try and make things as easy, and not tense as possible, because that wouldn't be good for either of them. "How've you been?"

Kitty smiled over at the other girl as she shut the door behind her, laughing slightly to herself before she turned around to look at her. "Thank you." Turning around, she watched her move to her then she couldn't help her smile growing whenever she hugged her. Wrapping her arms around her gently, she hugged her back then looked up at her whenever she spoke up once more. "I know. I thought that having real time talking would be much better. It makes things easier anyway. I don't think there will be many fights around here now that people can see each other." She admitted then walked over to the couch, patting the place beside her for the girl to sit. "I've been good. I'm glad to be off the train, and somewhere that's solid. What about you?" She asked then smiled over at her. "Do you want water or anything at all?"

Gianna licked her lips, and nodded. "You're welcome." She sighed. "I don't think that anything will change too much with the fighting. The difference is, now people can fight on Tumblr and face to face." She followed Kitty over to the couch, and she waited a minute before sitting down on the couch with her, tucking her legs underneath her. She listened, and shrugged. "That's good. Um, I've been okay." She shook her head. "No, that's okay, I don't need anything. But if I change my mind, I'll let you know." She adjusted herself on the couch a little bit. "I like being off the train in a sense, but at the same time, I'm not finding it much different, aside from the fact that we're not on a moving vehicle."

Kitty took in the vibe from the room, smiling to herself that it wasn't that bad after they got past the first part of the meeting anyway. "Probably not. I wouldn't be surprised if someone got into a fight tomorrow, but here's to hoping that they won't. I can't say that I wouldn't be able to punch Hailey in the face if I see her though." She added, a smile pressed against her face then scrunched up her nose a little. "I don't like her. I'm sorry, but no." Crossing her legs, she turned towards her more before tucking her legs underneath herself. "That's good. I mean, those beds make it hard to not be even better." Listening, she nodded her head in agreement then propped her head up with her hand gently while looking over at her. "Why do you say that? Not being on a moving vehicle is much nicer than being on a moving one. My body was growing tired of a moving thing." She admitted, laughing softly as she looked over at her, feeling the mood starting to lighten more with conversation.

Gianna chuckled slightly. "Fights aren't easy to avoid. Everyone has strong personalities and opinions, and we all clash in some way or another, fights are inevitable. But look, don't punch her, that would only make things worse, and it'll make you look worse and people are going to want you dead even more, probably." She fiddled with the end of her braid. "The beds are great, they actually let me get sleep without being drunk." She tapped her fingers on her leg gently. "For me, it just isn't that different. I'm still not really talking to people in person, aside from you, things up in my part of the building, things are just as quiet as they were on the train. I made myself a friend today though, I drew a face on a pillow so that I could have someone there while I sleep. But I kind of want to find a way to get it in Sam's room, just because we were talking about it earlier, and he doesn't think it coming to get him would happen."

Kitty laughed a little then shook her head a little. "I know they aren't. I mean, people will fight. I'm trying to avoid it while I can though. I don't want people to want me dead even more though. She has a way with words that makes me even more mad than you could believe." She said then twisted a piece of her blonde hair around her finger while she tried to figure out how to not do that in the back of her mind. Listening to her, she couldn't help the laugh that happened after that. "You were getting along with Sam? That's interesting, and it's good. You were doing great whenever I checked. I was starting to think that you actually like some of these people, after your last comment to me about some of them. Some aren't that bad though. It depends on who you're talking to." Letting her hand fall from her hair, she smiled over at her. "A face on a pillow is smart though. That's a good way to make a friend. I like it. So you want to get into Sam's room to make your new friend come get him? Can I pay to get a picture of that?" She asked jokingly.

Gianna shrugged. "At least you have some people who want you alive, as long as you keep them around, you're fine. But I get how infuriating Hailey can be, but just let her be." She crinkled up her face a little bit. "I'm not sure if that's what it was. I think we were getting along a little bit. But I've been getting along with that girl from his district, Lydia. She suggested we kill time together at some point. Me liking most of the people around is mostly an act, there's a select few who I like, but deep down, I would love to kill a lot of them." She laughed. "I need a friend who I can have in bed with me. But yeah, I do want to do that, the face on the pillow is so creepy."

Kitty kept herself propped up while she listened to her talk. "That's what I'm going for. Keeping people around, I don't really want to die until the end if I do. I don't want to die before Hailey though. I will take her down if it's my last dying wish." She admitted then laughed a little while she wondered more about her seeing Lydia. She didn't have a problem with her, and she looked nice enough anyway. "Then you should. Hang out with her. Get to know her, and see what happens. I mean, she looks nice, but you never know." She admitted. "I'm glad that you still are on the same page with that though. They all make me want to claw my eyes out. Not all of them, but some. Some more than everyone else." Laughing again, she shook her head. "It is creepy. You should. Tell me all about it whenever you do because I need this."

Gianna nodded. "I'm sort of preparing myself to die. I want to win, but I don't see it happening, so I almost don't care when I go, I suppose. Just go for Hailey first, I doubt she'll have people having her back." Gia glanced down. "I'm hesitant though, because when I first spoke to her, we got off on a really bad foot, and even if we're okay now, I feel like it'd be a bad idea." She paused. "I should ask Lydia to help me out. I could get her to slip it into his room for me." she said, her face lighting up slightly. "I can just picture him rolling over, and seeing this face next to him." She stretched her arms out above her head, before fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "I'm not sure what else we can talk about..."

Kitty shook her head while looking over at the girl with a soft smile that graced her features. "I won't let you die. Remember we can be the girls who attack with knives. Logic. She's my main one, but I don't think I will. Not yet. She will be expecting me, and I don't want her to have that pleasure. Not giving it to her." Listening to her, she reached over gently to push her hair that was a stray from her face then smiled. "I think you should. Don't give her your secrets though. Remember what I said about that? Find out what you can, but she is another career who isn't as great as Ryder and I. Don't let her fool you." She suggested then laughed again. "You could get in there if you go hang out. There's even more of a reason to go. You should do it." Thinking a little, Kitty stood up then walked over to the wall, tucking her shirt into her jeans while smiling up at her. "Check it out. We spoke about this on the trains." Kicking herself up onto her hands, she tried to walk , but didn't get far before she fell down onto her back, laughing.

Gianna nodded. "And I won't let you die either. Mm, you're right. You need to get her when she expects it the least. Let her start forgetting about you, have her focused on avoiding someone else, and swoop in." Gia smirked. "Secrets? Please, I have more of those than I can count, and nobody knows even half of them. I'll see if I can get anything out of her though." She tapped her fingers on her chin. "Yes, that's true. Maybe I'll do it." Gianna stared at Kitty as she got up, and she watched her trying to walk on her hands. Gia followed, and go up, before doing what Kitty did, although she managed to walk on her hands a foot or two before she gracefully got herself back on her feet. "You did a good try, Kitty. At least you can get yourself up."

Kitty was glad that they were on some kind of level of agreement on game. They needed to talk more, but she knew they could whenever Ryder arrived. "That's what I was thinking. I need to be sneaky. Someone will see it coming if I go after her then I'm good as dead." She admitted then laughed quietly at her next comment. "You don't have to be close to someone to get their secrets. All you have to do is be able to get under her skin without her knowing." Looking at her while she walked, she smiled. "Move fast while they are being so welcoming. Every other day they change their moods." After standing up, she shrugged her shoulders with a small laugh. "Yeah, I chose to land on my back because well I'm not sure. I'm strange, but thank you. I'll learn one day. I can do other stuff though that will help us out there." Walking over, she grabbed out a water for herself then Gianna in case as she walked over to her. "Can we get the elephant out of the room?" She asked with a little smile on her face. She knew it was going to happen anyway. "You, dear, are the last person that I want to be strange with because you are the closest girl friend that I have here. Almost the girl best friend role filled. I don't want things to be strange with us ever." She admitted while walking over to her, offering her a soft smile along with the water.

Gianna grinned. "Sneaky. Yeah. You have a point." she nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm just not sure I totally know how to do that yet, but I might figure it out." Kitty was right about everyone changing their moods. These people were all over the place, and you could never be completely sure about where you stand with them. "Maybe while we're here I can help you work on it." she suggested. She raised an eyebrow at the blonde. She shifted awkwardly as Kitty spoke. The tension in the air had been obvious the whole time. They had always been good until Austin came into the picture, and then things just felt weird. "But things are kind of strange. And I don't know how easily the tension can be avoided or anything.." She said slowly, accepting the water. "Thanks.."

Kitty laughed. "You will. If you need anything then you can ask me for help. I'll be your go to for that." Looking around, she smiled to the girl while they stood together. "I wouldn't mind that. It would be good." She said softly then leaned against the couch while she looked at her, trying to get her thoughts together. "Things are strange because I think you like the boy that I really like. If you don't then I'm wrong, and I'm sorry. I think I'm right though." She said softly as she looked at her then played with her own shirt hem. "I can't figure out what you're thinking with him, but it's kind of important so we can try to make things better."

Gianna "alright, that will be good then." She pushed her bangs to the side, and looked everywhere except at her friend. "No, you're spot on actually. But I mean, it doesn't matter. I'm working on getting over it. It's not like I'd have a shot anyway." She muttered her words, holding on to the water a little tighter. "I don't want to talk about this, there's no point, Kitty. No point at all."

Kitty looked at her whenever she started to spoke about Austin, looking down at the water in her hands. "No shot? What are you talking about? You're really pretty, and you're great so if you ask me you have a shot." Looking over to her, she gently placed her hand out for the girl to come closer to her if she would. "I don't know what else to do besides not talk about him around you, and if we're working together it can't be awkward. We have to come to an agreement. Something because I don't want to lose you as my almost best girl friend or anything."

Gianna frowned. "I mean exactly what I said. No shot. Not against you. You're the gorgeous, nice, district one princess, I'm surprised that all of the guys aren't fawning over you." Gia shook her head, and took a step back. "Even if he isn't brought into conversation, that won't change much. Because I'd still be thinking about it, and it sucks. But like I said, it doesn't matter. I'll make myself get over it I guess. It's kinda my only option. I have to let you go after him and be all happy and shit."

Kitty let her hand drop as she looked down. "I'm not perfect. I don't know why you say district one princess, but I'm not perfect." She rambled softly then looked up at her as she went on. "I'm a horrible friend to you. I'm sorry. It's not fair." She said softly as she blinked a few times before trying to keep herself from getting upset. "It's going to work against us if we don't, but I would never kill you. Not ever." She said, shaking her head in the process.

Gianna resisted the urge she had to roll her eyes. "You may not be, but you seem to be pretty damn close. It's not like male attention is anything new to you." She shook her head. You're a fine friend, it's all my fault anyway." She said, her voice cracking at the end as she felt herself getting more worked up than she wanted. "It'd be easier if you would. For you, for everyone really." She whispered, almost inaudibly. She sat down on the floor, and tugged her knees up to her chest.

Kitty laughed quietly as she looked over at her. "You act like I have guys falling at my feet, but I don't. I don't by far. I know that by you saying what you did that this will shock you, but I'm not. I'm not the one around all of the guys. I mean, Ryder is my best friend, but that's really it." She said softly before walking over to her when she watched her sit down, gently sitting down beside her while looking over at her. "No it wouldn't be. Because you're really a great person. You're strong. You're great so no. It wouldn't be." She admitted softly, chewing on the inside of her lip.

Gianna glanced up at Kitty with a look that was a combination of nerves, anger, and sadness. "I don't believe that for a second." She tensed up when Kitty came over to her. She was regretting coming by. She didn't think they would be having a conversation like this. "No. No, you're wrong. I am not those things." Gia tightened her arms around her legs. "Coming by was a stupid idea."

Kitty tried to keep her calm, but it wasn't working while she was trying her hardest. "Don't believe me then. Don't. I can't make you, but it's true." She said softly then stood up again as she noticed Gia starting to get tense. "Coming by wasn't stupid, but I can't make you think any differently. If you want to let Austin come between our friendship, I can't stop you, but I'm trying to not let that happen." She said softly, looking down again.

Gianna couldn't let herself boil over. If she got pushed over her edge, it would be really bad. "From the things I've heard about your district, you guys don't have it too hard. Hence the reason the word princess was said." Her body hurt it was so tense. She breathed deeply. "If you haven't noticed, I'm the one who said I would force myself to get over it. And I should be allowed to feel a little hurt about everything."

Kitty looked over at Gianna with narrowed eyes, her hands on her hips then tried to calm herself down. "Now you're judging me by my district? I didn't think that you were going to do that to me. Because I'm different, and you know it." She said softly then looked down whenever tried to calm down as her hands fell to her sides. "I get it. Fine. I can't change anything so there. I'm sorry for what it's worth, but apparently that's not worth much from my district." She admitted then pushed her hands into the couch.

Gianna rolled her eyes. She wasn't bothering to think before she spoke at this point. "You're different? Because I wonder if that's really true." The dark haired girl pushed herself up off the ground, and crossed her arms. "You know, you shouldn't have even brought any of this up, look what it accomplished. Being strange around you was a lot easier than having to lay it on the table and try to clear the air." She took a few steps away from where the couch was gravitating slightly in the direction the door was in.

Kitty pushed herself up off of the couch at her next comment, walking closer to her only by a few steps. "A girl that you're in an alliance with. You're judging me by my district. Whenever I've been completely good with you, and you're judging me by my district now?" She asked as she tried to calm down. She didn't want to fight over this. "I didn't think that it was a problem whenever people normally try to clear the air, it makes it better." She stopped walking over to her to the couch again while looking over at her.

Gianna stared at the other girl. It felt weird being in an alliance with Kitty right now, everything they had talked about was the entire reason why. But she didn't want to tell her that. "Kinda, yeah." she said softly. She shook her head. "Well, what do you think? Do you think that it was a good idea now? Because I'm certain that this made just about nothing better." Gianna would have preferred to keep everything to herself. She didn't like having to tell people about how she was feeling, and the only time she did it was when she was close to her breaking point. Kitty didn't need to try and clear the air, things would have been better without doing that.

Kitty rolled her eyes as she looked at her, crossing her arms over her chest while she did. "That's good to know. That you're judging me over my district. I'll remember that." She said softly then she tried to avoid getting upset. "I regret it. So that's my fault. I'm sorry for trying to make things better. My mistake." Kitty wasn't sure what else to do. She didn't want to fight with her, but that wasn't going to well for her. She didn't need to try anymore. She needed to keep to herself whenever she had these problems. It was showing, and now she planned on it.

Gianna nodded. "Okay, remember that, I don't care." she whispered. She felt horrible. None of this was supposed to escalate the way it did. She didn't know what else to say to Kitty. She was afraid to say anything else, it wasn't doing much for her by opening her mouth. Taking a few more steps away, she wiped along her lashline, and sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just.. I'm gonna go..."

Kitty caught the comment that she said, letting her eyes close soon after. Holding herself up on the couch, she looked over at her finally while trying to get the thoughts in her head together. "I'm sorry." She admitted then turned around to walk over to the couch then sat down while pulling her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees, unsure of what else she could do to make Gia believe her. If there was a low blow that Gianna could have taken, it was judging her by her district.

Gianna walked away, making it to the door. She put her hand on the knob, and tightened her grip around it. Everything in her head was screaming at her to just get out of there. But deep down, she felt too bad about what had happened to leave. Kitty wasn't the one in the wrong here. Even though her brain was yelling at her, she turned, going to the couch where Kitty sat, and she climbed next to her, and put her arms around her. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I wasn't thinking. And I'm so sorry."

Kitty held onto her legs as she looked out of the window that was placed in front of her at the time. She was trying to get her thoughts together before she felt Gianna's arms wrap around her, and Kitty tried to not let herself cry. It was nearly impossible because she was upset, and there was so much going on that she couldn't avoid it. "I'm sorry for bringing things up." She said softly as she let her head rest over onto her arm instead of her knees.

Gianna held on to Kitty tightly. She ignored the tears that slid down her face, and she shook her head slightly. "No, don't apologize, you don't need to... This isn't your fault." she told her. "You didn't do a thing wrong.. You were trying to make things better, and I was just being a bitch. Judging you the way I did wasn't fair, and I don't expect you to forgive me for that. But I don't want to lose you because I'm being an idiot over something so small."

Kitty looked over at her from her arm while she held onto her, reaching up to push a tear off of her face before letting her hand rest onto her arm after. "I don't want to lose you because of this either. I didn't expect to fight over this, and I know that you didn't mean those things. People say things whenever they are mad that they don't mean." She admitted softly, as she kept her grip on the girl, trying to keep herself from crying more.

Gianna looked down. "It got to me more than I thought I would ever let it. There's just a lot of things that I feel to add on to the frustration of the whole topic, and it boiled over. I say a lot of things I don't mean when I get mad and upset, it's like I can't hear myself while I'm talking, in a sense.." she said, glancing over at Kitty. Their friendship was strong enough that this couldn't break them. She wouldn't let it. "I care about you, Kitty.."

Kitty listened to her whenever she spoke, knowing that things boiled over more than either of them planned. She hated that it had gotten so bad, and she wanted things to go back to normal. "I get what you mean. It's not only you that gets that way, I get that way. I don't all of the time, but sometimes I can't control it." She said, looking over at Gianna. "I care about you, Gianna. I don't want things to be hard for us."

Gianna nodded just slightly. "Yeah.. I um.. I think it happens to us all at some point..." She bit her lower lip, hard. "Then what do we do o make it not hard? Because clearly it's not working, what we've tried so far.." she said quietly, loosening her grip on the other girl. She didn't know what they could do to make things easier. But she knew that something had to happen, or they wouldn't get very far at all.

Kitty felt her grip loosen then she let her arms gently unwrap from around her legs. Whenever she asked her what to do, she looked around the room in thought before back to Gianna. "The only thing I can think of is that I don't mention Austin around you. Besides that, there isn't much that I can really think of. Do you have any idea? Because I don't want to keep going in circles, and I think that's what will happen if we don't figure it out." She said softly as she looked over at her, giving her a small smile. "Is there anyone else here that you can say that you could possibly get along with or like that isn't someone who makes you want to punch them in the face?" She asked as she smiled over at her. "We could have some fun before we go into the arena for you."

Gianna sighed. "Not mentioning him isn't a surefire way to eliminate the issue, and I still may get bitchy about it, but it's a good way to start, I think. No, I have no ideas.." She wanted to smile back at Kitty, but she didn't. "There's a lot of people who I get along with and don't want to punch in the face. Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She leaned back a bit. "Fun like what, Kitty?" She wasn't sure what kind of fun they could have. She was open to hearing what she had to suggest though.

Kitty let the smile on her face drop a little then she made herself get situated on the couch. "Yeah. It's worth a shot anyway. Because any other thing is going to try to drive a wedge between us." She said softly as she tapped her fingers on her forehead, thinking a little. "What if you hang out with that Noah guy? Do you like him? Because you should get to know the guys around here, even. I think I saw you both talking so that could be a good place to start." She admitted then pulled her legs under herself while she tried to figure things out. "No like make you feel weird fun, but still fun as in getting to know other guys?" She asked, smiling at her.

Gianna pressed her lips together. "That's true. That's exactly what would happen." She smiled slightly. "I doubt he'd hang out with me, Kitty. I think he's cool, and I will admit that I was trying to flirt with him a little bit, not that I think I succeeded in doing so. The only guy around here I'm friends with is Kurt, and well.." she glanced to the side. "I've been trying to talk to the guys, but I'm not the girl they want to talk with." she told her. She moved towards Kitty more, and put her head on her shoulder. She shrugged. "Um... I don't know."

Kitty smiled a little whenever Gianna did then she reached up to push her hair from her face to behind her ear. "You were succeeding in doing so whenever I was watching. He looked like he wanted to talk to you, so I think that you have a chance with him. To hang out, and anything else that you want to do." She said softly before feeling her head on her shoulder, letting her own head lean back over onto Gianna's, wrapping her arms around her gently. "It's making friends. Then seeing what happens, but he looks like he liked the conversation you were having the other day." She said, looking around while keeping her head on the girls gently.

Gianna frowned a bit. "Was I? I really doubt that he's gonna want to go out of his way to talk to me or hang out or anything. Aside from that time, we only spoke a little bit before then.." she said. Gianna relaxed a little more than she already had when Kitty wrapped her arms around her. "Making friends isn't too hard I don't think, but I really doubt he cared about the conversation. I feel like it'd end badly for me." she admitted. Gia didn't think her people skills were good enough to keep people interested in as much as a conversation for more than a few minutes. "I'm awkward and bad at that kind of thing."

Kitty looked over at Gianna whenever she spoke, keeping her arms wrapped around the girl with a soft smile on her features. "I think he would. You should message him then ask to hang out. You never know unless you try, don't you think?" She asked her softly while reaching for a reaching for a small blanket to pull down as a draft came into the room. "No. You can't think that way. Think positive. Try it out because if you keep thinking how you are then you may never know." She admitted then smiled to herself in thought. "I'm awkward. You should give it a go. Gia, you're beautiful. Very beautiful. You can have any of the guys around here." She was serious, Gianna could.

Gianna stared at her lap. "And what if he says no? Then what? Because it's more likely that he would say no than yes. Especially since it won't be too long until training starts." She watched Kitty for a moment. "Positive thinking isn;t going to get me anywhere, not in this situation. Please, you're not awkward. But I'm not that pretty, and the other girls around here are hot, so I do not know why he would pay me any attention. I can't have any of the guys. That's why I have my face pillow."

Kitty gently lifted Gianna's head from her shoulder, cupping her face in her hands with a soft smile that placed on her lips. "You are beautiful, Gianna. Look at you. You have these beautiful eyes that could get lost in. You have a rocking body, and you are hot. You are hot. Take it from me. I don't like girls, but I would so get with that if I did." She said laughing a little then letting her go back to her head on her shoulder while she wrapped her arms back around her. "Face pillow needs Sam. Not you, but I don't think he will. You should ask." She smiled down at her, then leaned her head down again.

Gianna looked into Kitty's eyes. "Do you really think so? It's just hard to believe because like... I've only ever heard these things from you. See, I like both girls and boys, but the girls wouldn't go for me either." she said, chuckling slightly. She rested her head again, and laughed a little more. "Face pillow does need Sam, and at some point, it'll get Sam. I can't just ask! That's like.. I just.. no, I can't." she told her. Gianna was nervous just thinking about it. "I don't wanna die as some virgin who's never been kissed." she said, before groaning. "That was supposed to stay in my head, not be said out loud."

Kitty smiled a little as she looked at her, brushing her thumbs over her cheek bones gently. "Yeah, I do. I really think so." She said softly as she smiled up at her. Thinking to herself, she turned a little more to her, trying to put her thoughts together quietly in her head. "Gia. Can I ask you a question?" She asked softly before smiling over at her with a soft look upon her gestures. "Do you really think you will die a virgin who's never been kissed? Because I think everyone should have one kiss in their lives. One if any at all." She admitted, letting her hands find the other girls.

Gianna blushed. "You're really just too nice to me. You see this? You make my cheeks turn this colour more than anyone else does." she said. She nodded. "Of course you can." she said, looking at her with curiosity. Gianna nodded. "I do. I don't see either of those happening before the games, and especially not during them, and I already told you that I don't totally think I'm gonna win, which would mean I'd die without those things happening." She shrugged, and glanced down to their hands when Kitty's found hers. "It is what it is, y'know?"

Kitty couldn't help the small laugh that came from her, making her eyes find hers again. "I'm telling you the truth. You don't see it enough in yourself how beautiful that you are. Me making you make your cheeks change colors though, I won't complain. Means that you're listening to me, and even so you could possibly like me! Then what?" She asked the girl with a soft smile. "What if I told you that I know someone that will kiss you? Even if it's a small one, I know someone who would kiss you just to make sure that you have something that you want, because you deserve it?" She asked the girl, playing with her fingers gently.

Gianna grinned. This was so much nicer than things were earlier when she first got there. "I don't see it, but it's nice hearing it from you. I'll admit something though, I know that I have a wicked ass. You make me feel better about myself though. People aren't quick to give out compliments to each other in Twelve." she said, a little playfully. She shrugged, and continued to listen to her. "If you told me that, I would probably think that you were crazy, and pulling my leg. And who might this someone be, hm? I wouldn't say I deserve it though." she replied, giving Kitty's hand a light squeeze.

Kitty laughed a little whenever she went on to talk to her about how things were for her. "It's not a problem for me to admit to you, it's true." Feeling her smile grow wider, she laughed to herself. "You have a great ass. I won't deny that at all." Still smiling, she looked at their hands then looked back over at her. "Don't count yourself out yet for that kiss. You never know when it will happen." She said softly then leaned over to her, pressing her lips softly onto her cheek, close to her lips then she pulled back, looking into her eyes. "Can you do that for me?" She asked, squeezing her hands gently.

Gianna smiled. "Well thanks." She winked at her friend. "If anything, I think it's my best physical asset." She said, laughing at the little joke she made there. "Is that like the whole saying about expecting the unexpected?" She asked. She bit the inside of the opposite cheek that Kitty kissed. Gia nodded slowly. "Yeah.. I think I can do that."

Kitty smiled over at her. "You're welcome." She said softly, laugh at the joke that Gianna made before sitting back into the couch. "Expect the unexpected. You never know what will happen until you try." She winked over at her then closed her eyes as she made herself comfortable into the couch.

Gianna let go of Kitty's hand for a moment, tugging her hair out of the braid she had thrown it in, sliding the elastic on to her wrist. She let her hands go back to where they were before, and she sighed. "I'll expect something unexpected then." She said with a slight giggle. She inhaled deeply, and adjusted her position slightly. "This is really comfy, Kitty."

Kitty watched as she took her hair down, smiling a little more as she noticed the girl getting more comfortable with herself. She liked that she was able to do that around her. She felt comfortable enough to do that around her. "It is. I could probably fall asleep if I tried hard enough." She admitted as she smiled over at her, peaking from her eyes to the girl as she gently squeezed her hands.

Gianna snuggled closer to Kitty. She smiled at her confession. "I can't lie, I probably could to. All I would need to do is close my eyes and I'd be asleep, which would suck for you since I am leaning on you and everything." She paused. "Damn you and the couch for being so lovely." She joked.

Kitty laughed as she pulled the covers over them more, thinking a little then slowly looking around. "Let's go nap? We can go to my room so people won't wake us up." She suggested softly to the girl.

Gianna chuckled, and nodded. "A nap might be nice. I never have those. Going to your room would be better though." She agreed, sitting up a little bit. She took Kitty's hand, and helped her up, before starting to walk to wards the bedroom.

[littlerosefromthree-blog]

GETTING TO KNOW YOU BETTER → RYLEY

Tagging → Marley Rose & Ryder Lynn

When → January 30th

Where → The elevator then up to District 3's apartment.

Notes → Marley is heading up the elevator whenever Ryder joins her. They go to District 3, and spend time together for a while. This is Prompt #2.

Marley walked through the crowd of people who surrounded the apartment, trying to figure things out for herself. Her brown hair in long curls over her shoulders while she played with the tips of it. Not being very sure of what she was supposed to be doing right then, she made her way down the elevator then stepped out only to be stopped. "No no. In the elevator." Going back in, Marley rushed before looking around with wide eyes while she waited for the elevator to close. Going out wasn't exactly allowed, and now she knew it.

Ryder finished talking to his brother, told him goodbye and made his way off to find Kitty. She couldn’t have been that far since they were close enough to one another in the parade. Noticing the blonde far off chatting with a few people he decided to just wait for her to get back to the room. He slowly made his way through the crowd of people, bumping shoulders with every other person he walked past. Running toward the elevator that lead to his floor he stopped the door as it was closing and slid the opening. Looking up at the person that stood beside him he got quiet when he noticed who it was. Biting his bottom lip to keep himself from talking he flashed a casual smile her way.

Marley looked around the elevator quietly before she noticed someone running into it right before the doors closed. Looking up at the same time that he did, her eyes grew wide then she gave him a casual smile back then looked down at her feet. Letting her hair brush over her cheek, she played with the tips before she looked through her hair up at him. She wanted to talk to him, but they left things off so awkwardly on the dash that it was hard for her to. Taking in her pride, she looked at him, still playing with her hair. "Hey." She said in a soft tone, biting on her lip a little in the process.

Ryder stood up tall and faced the elevator doors trying not to look at her. I t was pointless considering he could see her reflection in the door. Noticing her look over at him he smiled a little before he was shaken by her speaking up. “Hey.” He replied back faster than he should have and felt dumb by the way it sounded. Reaching up to the back of his head he gripped the bottom of his hair and tugged on it, trying to get himself together. “You uhh, look nice.” He said softly looking over toward her before dropping his hand out in front of her. “I guess I should properly introduce myself I’m Ryder Lynn.” He said mentally slapping himself moments after the words slipped out. He was just nervous for some reason and didn’t know what else to do.

Marley tried to not get herself worked up about Ryder being there with her finally in the elevator, but it was hard not to. After everything that they had been talking about on the dash, and the awkward situations that they had both been in, it was easier to try to not jump at him with excitement. Chewing on her bottom lip, she smiled a little as she looked over at him when he said that she looked nice. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red then she finally pushed her hair back from in front of her face, because he could see her after all. Looking at his hand, Marley turned to face him before she spoke up. "I'm Marley Rose. Since we're properly introducing ourselves. It's nice to finally meet you face to face." She said softly before noticing that his hand was out in front of her. Panicking, she placed her hand into his, shaking it a little faster than she planned before slowing down. "Sorry. I'm awkward."

Ryder stood their silently with his hand held out waiting for her to return the gesture. He felt her small hand grab on to his and suddenly felt his arm get yanked down by her quick movements. “Easy there, we aren’t even in the arena yet.” He said smiling as he looked over at her. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.” He repeated back to her, dropping his hand back to his side. “No need to be sorry I wasn’t helping the situation much.” Looking back to the elevator door he forgot he hadn’t pushed the button to his floor and let his head fall back. “Which floor are you going to? I got distracted and missed mine.”

Marley felt her face turn red as she looked up at him with wide eyes, looking down at her hand as she did. "I'm sorry. Sorry." She said laughing a little to herself, looking down before back up to him. "It's nice to finally meet you in person as well." She said softly, smiling to herself as she did then let her hand fall down to her side. Running her hands over her dress, she pulled it up a little before looking back up at him. "I'm going to three. Do you want to come to my floor for a while? I don't know where anyone is really." She admitted softly, smiling a little up at him.

Ryder gazed over at her with a smile plastered across his face when she went on repeating her apology. "You like to say sorry a lot, don't you?" He asked her nodding his head back and forth. Looking back and forth between her and the elevator door he thought on her offer for a moment. "Yeah, sure I don't see why not. I don't have anything else to do." He answered smiling over at her. "Not that hanging out with you is like a second option or anything, I just didn't know if you ever wanted to talk to me again or anytime soon..." He rambled making himself shut up. Watching as the door opened he stepped back and held his hand out allowing her to go in first.

Marley laughed quietly whenever he called her out on saying she was sorry. Her smile never fading once while she did. "Yeah, I do. I can't help it. It's something that I'm used to saying, I think." She admitted then bit her bottom lip while waiting for his answer to her offer. When he said yes, she couldn't break the smile on her face as she looked up at him, bouncing a little on her feet. "Thank you. I mean, I didn't know if you would want to anyway? I mean, I was just nervous." She rambled then smiled up at him with her nose scrunched slightly. "I was going to ignore you forever, but then I thought, I better not. He's kinda cute." She joked with him, laughing then walking out of the elevator, looking around. "Welcome to my floor, apartment, thing?" She rambled, laughing a little.

Ryder followed behind her onto her floor and looked around a little. "You don't have to say you're sorry around me." He admitted. "Well, I'm glad my good looks got you to second guess wanting to talk to me. Yours just makes me want to talk to you more." He confessed smiling over at her. "Thanks for having me. I really don't want things to be awkward between us because I acted stupid."

Marley turned around with a small smile that was still on her face. She couldn't help her smile, it was different around him. "It's a habit, but I'll try to break it so I don't say it so much." She said then looked around as she tugged at her dress a little. "More? That's flattering. It won't be awkward. I mean, you were a little stupid, but you made up for it. That or you're making up for it anyway." She admitted softly before sitting down on the couch, patting beside her for him to join.

Ryder followed her over to the couch and made himself comfort, to an extent. "I'm the one that needs to do the apologizing, I think I've been doing that a lot lately." He said softly stealing a glance at her. "You're fun to talk to and you are one of the few people that actually still do it." Turning toward her he looked over her dress. She really did look good in person he just wasn't sure about the clothing they made her wear, he wouldn't complain because his wasn't any better. "I'm trying." He confessed letting out a deep breath. "Do you maybe want to go change? I didn't feel as awkward after I changed. I mean you look great I can just tell you don't feel comfortable. I'm gonna shut up now."

Marley looked up at him whenever he sat down beside her, letting her hair fall beside her face a little before pushing it back behind her ear. "You don't need to apologize anymore. I mean, I know that there was a mistake, but you made up for it to me. You said sorry more times than anyone ever has to me." Feeling her cheeks turn a light red again, she looked around the room then back over at him. He was very attractive in person, and out of the outfit he was wearing before it was even better. "You're fun to talk to. Yeah I think I will change. Don't move." She said before standing up to walk to her room. Taking off her dress, she put on a pair on her pajama pants the a tank top then walked back out to him. "Much better." She admitted then sat down, turning to face him. "So what do you think of all of this?"

Ryder brought his hands up to his face and rubbed over his eyes roughly. "I think we can both agree I did a stupid thing and I don't even know why I did it." He confessed talking into his hands loud enough for her to hear him. "Not moving." He answered bringing his hands down and noticing the white shit they made him wear on his hands. Standing up he lifted the bottom of his shirt up and wiped at his face till it hurt from the fabric and sat back down when he heard her. "That's a very cocky comment, Rose." He said laughing as he sat back and extended his arms on the back of the couch looking over at her. "I mean, I think you look even better in person and out of that outfit that's for sure. I give you an all around eleven out of ten." He confessed biting his bottom lip and staring over at her. Noticing the look on her face he knew she meant something totally different. "Oh. Oh. Oh. My bad. You meant the place. It's nice, too." He said laughing. "What do you think about all this?" He asked pointing around the room and making sure to end pointing at himself.

Marley listened to him while she was changing clothes, the smile never fading on her face. "It happened. I mean it happened, and it was over. It's not a big deal to me though. I'm not mad at you. That's the last thing that I am anymore. I was for a while, but I'm not mad anymore." After sitting down, she listened to him, her eyes growing wide as she felt her cheeks turn even darker red. She was completely taken off by that comment. She didn't expect him to say that to her, and when she did she couldn't cover the smile as she looked down at the couch. Looking back up at him, she laughed then went on. "I did mean the place, but thank you. I like all of this. It's beautiful here. More than what I'm used to. As for you though, you're a solid ten out of ten. I'll take your line." She said softly, laughing a little as she leaned over to him then brought her hand up to move her thumb over his cheek to get some of the white off. "Now you're an eleven." She admitted, letting her hand fall.

Ryder let his head fall back on the top of the couch trying not to laugh from her comment. “Maybe I knew what you meant to begin with. Maybe I felt like awkwardly commenting you. You will never though.” He said with a cocky tone as he turned his face to look in her direction. “Yeah, it’s all fancy..” He drifted off hearing her only call him a ten his jaw dropped then he quickly shut it feeling her hand on his cheek. “That was rather smooth, Marley.” He confessed smiling over at her laughing a little. “I would have said I was a twelve but after you saw me in that ridiculous outfit..” He caught himself too late and closed his mouth pressing his lips tightly together. “I mean my brother.” He tried to correct himself winking at her slightly. “Yeah, let’s just skip over that last part and talk about us. Yeah, let’s talk about us.” He said sitting up turning to face her, hoping his last comment would shock her enough to forget him contradicting himself.

Marley looked up at him whenever she heard his comment, trying to not laugh, but it wasn't possible. She couldn't avoid the laugh. "I have a feeling that you were doing that now that you said it." She said laughing a little more as she couldn't avoid her red face growing even more red. "I don't think my face can get any redder than it is now. It's the most red that I've ever been, and I can feel it." She rambled then smiled up at him whenever he called her smooth, making her wink over at him. She wasn't trying to be, but she was going to take it. "I'll take being smooth. Wasn't trying, but I'll take it." Hearing his last comment, she laughed loudly then covered her mouth afterwards. "It was you. It was you! You said it. Done. It was you. I told you. You could have met me then!" She said then her jaw dropped a little at his last comment. "Us?" She asked him with a shocked face then tried to shake it, but couldn't. "What?" She asked again quietly.

Ryder rolled his eyes at her playfully. “It’s okay; it’s kind of cute, you getting all nervous around me and stuff.” Noticing her reaction he knew that she wasn’t going to let it go anytime soon. “So, maybe it was me. I wasn’t going to meet you in that horrible outfit. Go ahead gloat, let me have it.” He said jokingly as he let his head fall back and closed his eyes. “That was my way of trying to distract you. I mean unless you want to talk about stuff.”

Marley couldn't stop her laugh that came afterwards as her hands moved up to cover her face. "You like to make me all red faced. You know you do." She admitted then she peaked through her fingers at him, trying to cover her smile. "I won't gloat, but I will say I'm offended you didn't want to meet me sooner!" After hearing his last part, she let her hands fall into her lap then went on. "What about stuff? I mean, what about us?"

Ryder looked at her through her hands and laughed. “It’s not that hard to do. Now I can watch you all red in the face in person, which is so much better.” He confessed raising his eyebrows toward her. Hearing her comment he rolled his eyes at her and dropped his head toward her. “Don’t try and pull that card on me. I’ve wanted to meet you for days now. I just didn’t want it to be with me looking like that.” He said softly looking up at her. Lifting his head up to her slowly he looked in her eyes for a moment before speaking. “I mean we can talk about not being so awkward around each other, if you want. We can talk about the stuff to come, the games or we can talk about nothing. You Pick, it doesn’t have to be us related.”

Marley tried to not let him see her blushing through her hands, but she was sure that he could see her anyway. It was simple to do after all. "You like to see me embarrassed. Probably because I can't hide it like I could on the internet. Sad to say." She rambled a little then she watched his head drop, laughing because she was right on this part. "You didn't look that bad. While they had you looking like some kind of fairy? You didn't look bad. You shouldn't be wearing make up though so no more of that. I won't allow it." She said while her hands fell down as she looked into his eyes. He was rambling, and it was adorable. "Let's talk about not being so awkward around each other. Because I don't like to fight with you or being awkward. You're the person I like the most around here." She admitted then smiled over at him softly.

Ryder sat up and listened to her talk to him. “I know I’m good looking. The clothes and make up was just too much and I didn’t want to meet you like that.” Listening to her answer he moved his body and laid out on the couch placing his head in her lap. “Okay, counselor Marley. Let’s have a therapy session.” He said smiling widely up at her. “I hope this too uncomfortable for you because it kind of makes me want to fall asleep.” He said looking up at her. “If it does though I will move, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable with my weirdness. I mean after all we just met but I kind of feel like I’ve know you longer than a week.” Closing his eyes briefly he thought on where to start. “I think we should start with your stubborn ways and how you can’t drop things. I’m joking don’t smack me.” He finished covering his face and looking up at her with through his fingers. When the coast was clear he lowered his hands onto his stomach and laced his fingers together. “Seriously though, I will start.” Clearing his throat he looked up at her not breaking eye contact. “I want to earn your trust back. Not like amazing trust but just get back to where we were. I’m sorry for playing mind games with you. Well, not in the begging those were lessons. I mean when we fought and I lied to you. You never overstepped, I just kind of panicked and then everything went downhill.”

Marley looked over at him more as she sat up carefully in her spot. "You know you're good looking, do you? You didn't look horrible, but you could have done without the makeup. Didn't anyone ever tell you that you're beautiful without make up?" She asked, winking at him. Whenever his head hit her lap, she wasn't expecting it, making her look down at him with wide eyes before laughing a little to herself. "Counselor Marley?" She asked with a confused look on her face before listening to him ramble on. He rambled so much with her, it was cute. She liked it, because she rambled. "You're fine. You don't have to move. I won't say that I won't play with your hair though." She said as she let her arm fall down across the top of his chest before her other hand started to play with his hair. She listened to him, staying quiet as she did then looked down at him with narrowed eyes. "You should be glad that you're cute because I would have smacked you much sooner." She rambled a little then stopped as they started to get serious again. She knew that he meant it, and she wanted to trust him again so it was going to be work again. "Why did you panic? I don't get why you did, that's all."

Ryder looked up at her and couldn’t help but crack a smile at her comment. “No they haven’t but I’m so glad I have you to help point that out.” He said sarcastically reaching his hand up and pinching her cheek playfully. “Yeah, counselor Marley, just a little stubborn though.” He admitted pulling his hand down and placing back on his stomach. He looked up at her and smiled in the process when she was comfortable enough to let him stay in that spot. “Totally, fine with me just don’t try and braid my hair like one of your Barbie dolls. This is just your way of trying to get me to stay the night because it will probably put me sleep.” He said softly closing his eyes and then opening them back up when she started to speak. “Then it’s a good thing we are in person so that you can be persuaded to not hurt me.” He said winking at her quickly before getting serious again. “I honestly don’t know why I panicked. I don’t think it had to do anything with the games though. I like talking to you and all this..” He paused twirling his hand around. “It honestly scares the shit out of me. The games and being here with my brother and my best friend and then there’s you.”

Marley stuck her tongue out at him a little whenever he commented. "You're welcome. That's what I'm here for, I mean, I like to be helpful!" Puffing out her cheeks whenever he pinched her cheek, she reached up to pinch the tip of his nose gently. "Just a little stubborn." She said before she placed her hand back onto his chest gently before she continued to play with his hair, twirling a piece of it around her finger while looking at him. "I don't have a Barbie doll, and if I wanted you to stay the night, I would just ask." She said sticking her tongue out. "No I wouldn't, I'm shy so this would probably suffice." Letting her head fall back gently, she closed her eyes then went on. "Yeah, don't count yourself so in the clear yet." She admitted as he went on, looking down into his eyes whenever he commented again about everything. "It scares you? It scares me just as much. I came here scared out of my mind, and then there was my sister who doesn't talk to me so much. Then there was you." She admitted softly, smiling down at him a little. "The one I didn't see coming."

Ryder scrunched up his face when she pinched his nose and closed his eyes in the process as a reflex. “Or a lot of stubborn. Kidding.” He shot back at her playfully. “But you used to have Barbie dolls and I’m sure you still have them. Exactly, score ten Ryder. No need to applaud me.” He said in a cocky tone looking up at her. “Seriously though, I don’t think I could with the rules and all.” He confessed giving her a slight smile. “You would never slap me. Remember a few days ago you were yelling at me via the web? You said you were going to slap me and yet nothing.” He reached up and held onto her wrist gently that laid across his chest just to make sure he wasn’t pushing his luck. “It scares me; I didn’t expect to be here in the first place my brother volunteered us. But I would have volunteered anyway since Kitty did.” He said looking up at her running his finger tips her arm gently. “Why don’t you and your sister talk that much?” He asked curiously wanting to know more about her. “Then there’s you, Marley Rose. The girl I never imagined meeting especially here. People can say I’m stupid all they want but I’m going to spend as much time as possible with you considering our fate.”

Marley watched his face scrunch up, finding it really the most adorable thing that he did. "Not that much stubborn." She said back down to him as she kept the smile on her face. "Don't get cocky, Ryder. Don't do it." She added on, laughing as she did. He was adorable to her. Hearing his next comment, she narrowing her eyes down at him as she leaned closer to his face trying to keep a serious expression. "Are you sure that you don't want me to slap you? Because you're here, and your head is in my lap." She admitted then leaned up, laughing a little to show that she was joking. Whenever he held onto her wrist, she looked down at his hands then smiled a little while watching his fingers move along her arm. Snapping from her thoughts, she looked back at him while he spoke. She didn't even ask about his story much, but she was going to learn more about him anyway. "You would have volunteered with Kitty? She must really be your best friend." Marley admitted then heard his question about her sister. "I don't know. She doesn't really talk to me much. I'm not sure why. I'm a nerd, and she's not really." She admitted then smiled down at him whenever he spoke about her. "You're not stupid. Because I want to spend all the time that I can with you while we're here. I never expected you, and really not here. I wasn't sure what to expect, but you took me off guard." She admitted with a smile. "In a good way." She finished then leaned down to rub her nose gently against his before leaning back up with a soft smile on her lips.

Ryder looked up at her and crossed his eyes laughing a little. “Yes ma’am.” He said back in a agreeing tone smiling up at her. “If you really must slap me go ahead.” He replied with a pout and stuck out his bottom lip in the process. Thinking on her question he traced her fingers with the tip of his index finger. “I mean I saw her volunteer and I wouldn’t let her go in that arena alone even if one of us could only come out.” Listening to her speak she smiled up at her when she spoke about her sister. “It’s okay though I will talk to you all day everyday and never get bored once. Even we fight I still want to talk to you, its weird how that works out. You can be my nerd.” He admitted raising his eyebrows up at hr playfully. Ryder closed his eyes when she leaned down to him and just took in the moment. He planned on doing that a lot now that he knew his days were numbered. “In a good way.” He repeated back to her smiling slightly. “What about game talk? You still want to be aligned with the idiot that has a sign on his face saying kill me first?” He asked sarcastically nodded his head not really expecting an answer. Sticking his tongue out at her he quickly rolled his body over running his shoulder blades over her legs in the process, placing his chin on the edge of her knee and stared down at the couch. “Is it weird for me to be this comfortable around you? Also, is it weird for me to ask you to step on my back?” He asked in a serious tone lifting his head up and smiling at her like a child.

Marley looked down at him, laughing a little as she did, crossing her eyes back at him. "I don't want to slap you now, but don't think that I won't one day." She said as she looked at his bottom lip then tried to not pay attention to that for long whenever she looked back at him. "That's sweet of you. She's really a lucky girl to have you." She admitted then she felt her smile growing wider when he said that he wanted to talk to her. "I know the feeling. Whenever we fight I hate to go from you. I want to keep talking, but I know that is probably strange. I would love to be your nerd." She said in a soft tone as she looked down at him then tried to not laugh at his next comment. "Yeah I do. I mean, I think that I probably have one around like my back or something." She said, sticking her tongue out whenever he turned over, watching him before he was situated on her lap again, hearing his questions. "No, it's not weird. I like that you are because I'm the same way. Except the back thing, but I can do that if you want." She admitted as she played with his hair more, smiling widely down at him waiting for his answer.

Ryder returned her mocking gesture and laughed. "You would never do it. I can guarantee it. Nope, it would never happen." He continued not letting it go teasing her slightly. "Yeah, I guess so. I have just never thought about it like that." He got quiet once more when she continued to talk pinched her thighs in the process. "I get bored easily." He said trying to defend himself. "I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way though. You can be my nerd." Hearing her joke back with him he rolled off her lap and landed on the floor. Positioning himself on his knees he placed his elbows on her thighs and reached around her body placing both his hands on her back. Moving his hands around he squinted his eyes. "Nope I didn't find it." He said laughing. "Also if you can't tell I don't like to sit still." He confessed placing his arms on both sides of her body and leaning toward her slightly. "Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels that way. The back thing was just an option I tossed out there."

Marley laughed as she looked down at him, rolling her eyes whenever she did. "I say that I will. You will never see it coming either. That makes it even better." She admitted then she felt him pinching her thighs, laughing a little to herself while she wondered what he was doing. "I can tell.I was about to ask you what you were doing pinching my thighs." She admitted before laughing quietly to herself. "I am your nerd." She said before watching him roll off her lap onto the floor, laughing because she couldn't avoid it anyway. It was funny to her anyway. Sitting up a little to let him position himself between her legs, she felt his hands on her back, trying to control her laughter until he did. "I'm sure it's there, you can't find it though." Letting her arms wrap around his neck whenever he leaned forward, she let her forehead lean gently against his. "You aren't. It's strange how I feel like this around you. Like there's nothing that has ever kept us apart, and I've known you for so long."

Ryder turned his head toward her and looked at her with a confused face. "What are you going to do slap me in my sleep?" He asked narrowing his eyes but laughing shortly after. He gently rubbed the place on her thigh he had pinched and then returned his gaze to her. "Yeah, sorry." He said playfully. Listening to her accept his offer he smiled and nodded his head quickly. "I'm glad we can agree on that." Feeling her back one more time he shook his head from side to side "Nope, I don't feel it, unless it's either invisible or under your shirt but I'm not going to push my luck." He better positioned himself allowing his hands to rest on the outside of her legs on the couch. Feeling her arms go around his neck he leaned his forehead against hers. "It's all apart of my charm. It's happens with every girl I talk to." He said raising one of his eyebrows up at her. "I'm kidding." He said quickly defending himself. Leaning in he kissed the side of her cheek letting his lips linger against her soft skin a little longer than he would have for any other girl. "So...." He said as he pulled back wanting to talk about more because he didn't want to leave just yet.

Marley smiled down at him as she continued to play with his hair. "Yeah, I am. Watch yourself. Sleep with one eye open." She said, laughing soon after while he rubbed her thigh. He was touchy feely with her, and it was new. She liked it though, it made her feel like she wasn't that alone. "I don't mind it. It's cute." Smiling at him as he felt on her back, she stayed still to let him. She didn't mind the way that he made her feel anyway, it was nice. "It's probably under my shirt. It will come out whenever I'm in the arena. You can check if you want to. Narrowing her eyes at him, she almost spoke up before laughing quietly. "You were fast to defend yourself. Smart move." Closing her eyes as he kissed her cheek, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Her smile was bigger than it had been since she had been there, and she liked it. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked him softly as she leaned back a little, but kept her arms around his neck.

Ryder closed his eyes; the feeling of her hand running through his hair honestly could put him to sleep. “Or I could just sleep with you so I can sleep with my eyes on you.” He said laughing to himself after he said it. “Yeah, let’s never mention I said that like ever.” He said looking up at her with pleading eyes. He looked up at her when she answered him back but just smiled. “I don’t want to over so it.” He said smiling slightly before laughing again. “I just wanted to make sure you knew I was joking, that’s all.” He said shrugging his shoulders. He moved his arms up to take a hold of her hands behind his head. Grabbing his small hands in his he smiled up at her and brought them down t her lap. “You should pick since I picked the first time.” He said softly smiling up at her still holding onto her hands. Letting go of her hands he got up slowly and sat down beside her wrapping his arm closets to her behind the couch.

Marley looked down at him, laughing quiet as she did while she kept playing with his hair. "If you sleep with me then that means you would be breaking the rules." She said, laughing after he did. "I won't. Like I said, if you weren't so cute I can't say that I wouldn't say anything though." She admitted, sticking her tongue back out at him then took it back in. Hearing him explain himself, she couldn't stop herself from leaning over to kiss his cheek gently, letting her lips linger on it. "You're sweet." She said softly then let him move her hands before she held onto his with a smile as she looked down at them. One he let them go, she scooted a little closer to him once his arm moved behind her then turned sideways to lay her head on his lap this time. "Now I'm going to lay on you. How about we talk about what you like? Like what kind of things?" She asked softly, reaching for his hand to pull it down to her carefully.

Ryder looked at her playfully when she came back at him. “I like breaking rules.” He confessed smiling up her. “It’s a good thing I have my looks to fall back on then.” He said nodded his head with a cocky smirk across his face. He waited patiently for her to get situated and smiled a little as she got more comfortable lying on top of him this time. “I can’t promise I won’t play with your hair and make it one big knot.” Looking down at her he watched as she grabbed his arm and placed it where she wanted it. “About me..” He said letting the words linger off his lips as he looked around the room thinking and then returned his eyes to the blue eyed girl. “Well, I don’t like much. I mean I work and that’s about it, now that I think about it.” He said with a straight face trying to think of at least one thing. “I like to wrestle. Does that count?” He asked with wide eyes and a straight smile.

Marley raised her eyebrows in shock whenever he came back at her, her smile unable to drop. "You like to break the rules, do you?" She asked softly then laughed a little more. "It is a good thing. It works for you often." She admitted then made herself comfortable on top of him then looked up at him. "You better not get it in a knot. That lady tugged at my hair enough, and I can't do with that anymore." She said as she ran her finger tips over his arm gently while she listened to him, laughing quietly. "Wrestling does count. I can't say what I like much besides dancing, and I love spinning around in dresses. I sing some. You didn't ask about me to I'm going to shut up." She said as she felt her cheeks turn a light red, smiling up at him a little.

Ryder stared down at her and winked heavily. "Haven't you noticed I barely follow the rules?" He placed his hand on the top of her head and ran it backwards along her hair. "I can try my hardest to not tangle it but I make no promises." He looked down at her jokingly. He got quiet when she started talking about herself and just decided to listen. He liked hearing about her, he wanted to know a lot about her. Honestly, he could listen to her talk about nothing all day and be perfectly content. 'don't shut up." He answered quickly interrupting her. "I want to hear about you. I was going to ask next. I can imagine you spinning around your room like some adorable princess." He added in smiling down at her. "You like to sing?" He asked curiously. "What is your favorites song to sing?"

Marley narrowed her eyes a little whenever he winked at her then she let a small laugh come from her. "I have noticed. I'm not complaining though." Closing her eyes whenever she felt his fingers running through her hair, she smiled to herself before opening her eyes to meet his once more. "Don't tangle it." She said seriously, then cracked another smile. She rambled on before he told her to not shut up, making her laugh again. Something she did often while she was with him. How is was possible for him to be so perfect to her, it was amazing. "Adorable princess? I can confirm that I do that." She admitted then started to think again. "I do. I like to sing anything, but back at home there's these little kids that live not far from me. I've kept them plenty before, and I sang them to sleep with twinkle twinkle little star. So I think that's mine."

Ryder checked the watch on his wrist noticing it was later than he thought it was. "It's pretty late. I might want to start following the rules now." He said seriously before looking back down at her. "That sounds fun. I'm sure you're great at it." He admitted lifting her off of him gently. "I think it's time for me to head out but we should do this again soon." He suggested standing up and smiling down at her. "I'll catch you around." He said as he walked off and headed to the door.

Marley smiled a little whenever he looked at his time, laughing a little to herself before she sat up."Well yeah, we should." She said softly then watched him as he walked to the door. Walking over with him, she kissed his cheek then smiled to herself. "Goodnight, Ryder." She said softly as she took a step back.

[n-lumberpuck]

Bullyville || Kurt and Puck

WHO → Kurt Hummel & Noah Puckerman

WHEN → Early evening

WHERE → The elevator

NOTES → Kurt and Puck have a not so friendly run in on their way up to their respective floors.

Puck:

Noah had a certain way about him when other tributes were around, especially if they were male. Even if Kurt was more feminine than most, it didn't make a difference. He felt the need to walk with clenched fists, his chest almost obnoxiously puffed out, and insisted on stepping as heavily as possible. He wasn't entirely sure how effective it was or if it intimidated anyone in the least, but it certainly gave off the impression that he wasn't one to be messed with, whether or not it invoked any sort of fear in the other person.

Kurt seemed like an easy target, at least that's what Noah thought. He was skinny, from a poor district, and while he did have a sharp tongue and a seemingly quick wit, those things couldn't hold up against someone with brute strength. So of course, when he spotted the elevator doors closing and the Hummel twin patiently waiting inside, Noah sprinted to make it there before the doors closed. Not only would it give him an opportunity to size up his competition, he got to show off a little too.

"Hey, buddy." He smirked, completely invading Kurt's personal space, before turning and pressing every floor button that came before his own. "I just figured we'd take a longer ride. Get to know each other better. Do you think they have cameras in here or could tributes start taking each other out early?" He asked, looking towards the ceiling, then finally back at Kurt with a piercing stare.

[district2lydia]

PROMPT #2: AT ODDS → JYDIA

TAGGING → Justin Evans & Lydia Pierce.

TIME FRAME → Wednesday night, 1/29.

LOCATION → Justin's "room" on the train.

NOTES → Lydia attempts to talk strategy with Justin, on Sam's behalf, and it doesn't go well at all.

Lydia knew things were getting down to the wire. While she had worked out an alliance with another District, it was a career District. In her eyes, they typically started together in the beginning of the games over the past years. One just didn't seem interested in taking part of that and not just because one of them fought with both of the Evans'. It was simply just that - they didn't seem interested. Occasionally small talk had been exchanged here and there, but that was the extent of it. If they had other stuff worked out and that's why they didn't care to be in an alliance with their District, then so be it. It was no skin off her back. However, she thought it was extremely stupid to pair off with other District's as of now. And if one wasn't working with two or four, is that what they had done? Without even seeing them in training? Stupid. Again, it really wasn't her concern. Her concern at the moment though, was Sam's request and how to deliver the news to Justin. Truth be told, she didn't know how he would take it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, maybe he would reject it right away. Going in search for him in his room, she heard his shower running and smirked. Moving over to the sliding glass door of the shower, she banged on it. "Nice to see you're finally deciding to bathe!"

Justin had been minding his own business for the greater part of the day. That meant having breakfast and going back into his room to continue sleeping. He was so anxious to get off the train already and arrive at the Capitol to at last meet the other tributes. One in particular that he wanted to rip to shreds but he kept promising himself he would try to be as civil as possible unless provoked. It was about time he got up and went in for a shower and so he did just that. With the intention of seeing Lydia afterwards but apparently she had other plans to catch up to him beforehand. Naturally the banging on the shower's glass door startled him. "What the hell!" He yelled, huffing when he finally acknowledged it was her. "What are you doing in my bathroom? I know you want to see naked but this is uncalled for." He smirked as he began to rinse off his hair. "And I shower regularly for your information."

Lydia was still aware that her and Justin hadn't talked game strategy or anything along those lines. Stupid of them, really, but they had been so wrapped up with their other... stuff, it hadn't been the first thing on their minds. Even now, it would be so easy to just let go and pal around with him instead of sit and talk business, but it had to be done eventually. They barely even spoke about how he felt after his own altercation with the dick from District one, she just distracted him from it. She let out a laugh when he reacted, obviously startled. Truth be told, she hadn't even thought about the fact that he was naked just behind the shower door and it really wasn't a good idea for her to be around him when he first came out, but she was curious to see. Leaning her back against the side of the shower, she shook her head although he couldn't see it. "I had to talk to you about something and I don't know how you're going to feel about it." Maybe if she made the conversation serious, she could get dirty things off her mind.

Justin had no idea why Lydia would show up in his bathroom while he was in the middle of a shower but whatever it was, he assumed it had to be a good reason but none came to mind. He was doing his best to get rinsed off completely so he could step out of the shower when she finally spoke up again revealing why she walked in on him. His brow furrowed as his hands ran through his hair and he reached to turn off the running water. "Talk to me about what?" He asked, standing there for a moment as he thought about how he was going to step out with her still there. Not that he cared at all if she saw him nude. He reached out blindly reaching for his towel he'd left hanging outside and wrapped it around his lower region before finally stepping out.

Lydia hadn't known that he was in the shower, she had just thought that he was being a lazy ass on his bed as usually. If he wasn't eating, or annoying her, that's usually where she could find him. Then again, once she realized that's where he was, she could have left and came back. There was such a huge part of her that wanted to jump in along with him. A fleeting feeling of just wanting to be that close to him, but before she could potentially act on it, she heard the shower shut off. It was a relief really. If they were going to be together in that way, she still wanted to stick to waiting till they were where they would be staying. It suddenly dawned on her that they would be there tomorrow and she wouldn't have any other excuse to keep it from happening. It took her a second to realize he had stepped out with just his towel on in the appropriate place. "Oh, um..." She turned away, so that he could change if he wanted. And also to keep herself from wanting to jump him. "About.... okay, I don't want to talk about your brother while you're naked so, yeah."

Justin was more than amused by how she was reacting. He hadn't even noticed up until he stepped out of the shower and saw the look on her face that spoke for itself as if she had just realized he was practically in front of her naked. Nevertheless, he still tried to maintain a straight face but he couldn't help the small tug at the corners of his lips when she seemed to be flustered as she turned around. Reaching for a small towel to dry off his head with, he began to shag it around when she decided she wouldn't speak to him like this. "Oh c'mon. I have a towel on and I'm shirtless on a daily basis. You're overreacting." He teased. Knowing she wouldn't give in so easily, he sighed and dropped the towel to grab his pair of boxers. "So what's up with my brother?"

Lydia hated how worked up she was getting. Ironically, it was less about the fact that he was naked and more about that fact that him being naked was putting thoughts in her head. Things such as them both naked. Together. Maybe in the shower, or not. Either way, she was trying to push the thoughts from her mind knowing he was probably getting a kick out of it. She hadn't been able to hide much how it was making her feel. "I'm not overreacting. I just don't want to see it before I... see it." She said the last phrase in a different tone, indicating that she did plan on actually being with him in that way. "He wants one of the girls from District one to be in our alliance." She blurted out. At least if she got the conversation started, he would stop teasing and focus on speaking.

Justin was definitely having himself a good time teasing her. It was obvious that it was working and he'd never had this much of an upper hand before. At least not one that lasted long enough because she usually fought her way out of the teasing by either physically attacking him or jabbing at his ego but now she seemed to flustered to do either. That and the fact that she was clearly trying to get a point across at the same time. He raised a brow at her explanation which made sense to him and he nodded, smiling to himself as he reached for his pair of pants. Now he could be sure of it when she said she did want to be with him. His expression changed for the worst with the next words that came out of her mouth. "What? Is he stupid?!" He practically yelled, seizing his movements altogether. "Why would he want that? That asshole guy's from District one. What makes him think this isn't some kind of scheme for her to be their eyes and ears? He's out of his mind." He shook his head in disbelief, grabbing his towel as he walked past her back into his room.

Lydia had originally anticipated him flipping out about it, but there was part of her that thought maybe he would be accepting of it - provided the girl proved herself - because she did come from a Career district and one more person in their alliance, meant one less person in theirs. Nevertheless, he proved her first thought true and she couldn't blame him. He also wasn't wrong, as he yelled and booked toward his room. "Justin..." She trailed off with a sigh as she went after him, her hands wiping down her face knowing she was in for a rough time. She still wasn't even convinced herself it was a good idea, but that's why she needed to talk to him. If he was deadset against it, at least she could play devil's advocate and maybe they could come up with the best solution. "Well, if you don't at least attempt to consider it, you're going to lose your brother. Either way he's going to try and protect her. What if we spend training telling her stuff that isn't true and if it gets back to District 1, we know we have to cut her loose? She doesn't need to know our actual plans, she can just stick by us..." Moving around him to making him come to a halt in his room, she reached her hands up to cup his cheeks. "I know, I get where you're coming from, I do. I already said this stuff to him. You don't need to say yes right now, it's just... I think it's something we should talk about."

Justin didn't want to hear it. Point blank. It didn't make sense to him why his brother who went at it with someone from District one as well would even consider allowing someone from that district into their alliance. Sure, she was a girl but did that really change anything? As far as Justin knew, she hadn't proved herself to him and so he had no reason to think this was a good idea at all. There was obviously a reason that Lydia was telling him this and not his brother. Knowing Sam, he probably knew he wouldn't be okay with this and so he sent Lydia thinking he'd take it any easier. He stopped short in his room as he thought of this strategy she suggested which was a fairly good idea. He still didn't open his mouth and refused to look into her eyes as she cupped his cheeks, shaking his head slightly as she went on trying to convince him. "Are you saying you're on board with this?" He simply asked with a stern look, finally meeting her eyes as he folded his arms over his chest. "Why does he want her to join us in the first place? Is he messing with this girl? She could be trying to play him for all we know!"

Lydia didn't want to fight with him over this, but at the very least - he wouldn't punch her in the face. Which is what he might have done to Sam, then Sam would have fought back, and it would have just been a disaster. No, this was the better option even if he was still flipping out. Lydia wasn't stupid, she could see the appeal in it... provided she proved herself as much as she could within the next month before the games. Sam wasn't thinking straight, because it seemed more personal for him than strategic, but she could see the potential strategy in it. Her hands slipped from his face after he shook his head and gave her a pointed look. "I'm just saying I'm not totally against it. It's not like it's a sealed deal yet or something." Then again, she didn't really know what Sam had told the girl, but if Sam wanted to have her back that was on him. It didn't have to fall on the rest of them unless they agreed. "No, he's not messing with her. He.. I don't really know. He's... oddly developed this desire to protect her. I don't really understand it but..." shaking her own head, she trailed off. "We're going into this with two separate career packs, it would be smart to at least attempt to recruit someone from the other pack."

Justin could understand why Sam would want to do such a thing. Sam was always the more receptive twin. They both did have something in common however and that was how protective they could be. If he disagreed to this, he knew he would more than likely still stick to wanting to be on her side and he didn't want to make a dent on his relationship with his brother. Not at a time like this. There would be sacrifices needed to be made at some point throughout the game anyway and he was well aware of that. Lydia had made her point by pointing out that nothing was set in stone just yet and that did relieve him. "Just like that dude's oddly developed this desire to protect that other Marley girl even if they're not together?" He raised a brow. At her next statement, he sighed and threw his hands out. "Whatever. Let him do whatever he wants. But if this girl flips on us, its on him." He reminded her.

Lydia knew that Justin would be the hardest to break out of all of them. She figured if she could get him to accept it, then she could work on officially doing so as well. However, part of her didn't know if he would simply agree because she was talking him into it, or if because he was accepting it. Did she really have the right to talk him into something he knew was a bad idea; that she knew was probably a bad idea? His words caused her to furrow her brow, and although she didn't know, nor did she care about what was going on between the nice girl and the district 1 jerk, but the words still hit her. "So, what are you saying? You can only have the desire to protect someone if you're with them?" It sounded like he was saying they were together. After all, he had said countless times he would protect her. Biting on her lip, she didn't know whether this was a victory or not. "Or it's on me, you mean." She was the one that was trying to talk him into it.

Justin was trying his best not get worked up over this. No one was threat to him so far. This shouldn't be anything that would faze him at all. It wasn't him he was worried about her turning on. It was everyone else he was trying to protect. The bottom line was, he had yet to meet this girl and while he knew he didn't have to give them a straight answer just yet, he couldn't help but be bothered by this idea. His own brow furrowed when she seemed to be turning what he had said around. Making it obvious what she was thinking. "No. That's not what I'm saying. You can have that desire even if you're not with them. Who knows? Maybe he likes this girl, and this isn't the time to let his feelings drive him in a crazy direction and put us all at risk. That's what I'm saying." He explained himself confidently. He hadn't expected what she said next and so he licked his lips, breaking eye contact as he plopped down on the edge of his bed. "Why are you trying to get me to agree to this when you're not even sure about it yourself. You know you aren't." He raised a knowing brow at her. "You think I'm stupid? Why didn't he come to me about this? Because he thinks I'm more likely to give into you than him and apparently you think so too." It wasn't that it wasn't true. It definitely was. What bothered him the most was the fact that it was now obvious Lydia was the chink in his armor.

Lydia was amazed at how somehow things always went back to their feelings for each other. Maybe not directly, but it appeared that it seemed to be such a focus for Lydia. She knew that wasn't good. She couldn't let herself be distracted by it when they had to discuss things. And she had been the one to broach the subject to begin with, so she had to follow through with things. "Right. It's not the time to let feelings put people at risk, I get that." She couldn't help but relate it to their own situation. Or maybe just her situation, since he didn't seem to think along those lines. She watched him take a seat on the bed, not knowing which move to take next and so she remained standing in her spot. "I don't know?" Her arms flopped to her sides, "Because if there's a chance that he feels a fraction for this girl the way I feel for you, who am I to tell him he can't feel like that?" She explained softly, shaking her head. "Of course I don't think you're stupid... I'm not trying to.. make you seem weak here, or anything." She said defensively, feeling like she was in trouble with him. "I told him I'd talk to you, that's it. I can go find him if you would rather talk to him about it, if that's what you want." She continued, taking a few steps back.

Justin knew that somehow what was going on with this girl and Sam was easy to relate to their situation but not completely and so he couldn't put himself in their shoes. With the way she had phrased herself, he could tell that she was definitely implying the same with whatever they had going on and he didn't agree. "Its not the same with us. We're together in this. She's from a different district. We haven't even really met her yet." He argued his point with a shake of his head. Even if she wasn't trying to convince him with the thought that she definitely had the upper hand on him, he couldn't help but see it that way. He'd always been the one to hold up a front but ever since he let things with her run its course, he found himself letting it down and now it was easy access for her to get past it. Meaning if anyone knew she could get through to him, they could use her to do that if they wanted to but he also knew Lydia wasn't stupid either. "Its different, Lydia! And that may not be what you're doing but its what it looks like to me." He exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. That was until she suggested to get Sam to talk to him and he lowered his voice. "No. Let him do whatever he wants. Like I said, its on him." He replied with a reluctant shrug.

Lydia knew that the situations weren't exactly the same. They obviously didn't know each other the way her and Justin did. They hadn't even met yet, which he had pointed out. Her feelings for him had somehow managed to make her more susceptible those times of feeling in general, ultimately clouding her judgement an making her seem weak herself. She knew this wasn't the time to let romantic feelings make her soft, but she didn't think Sam would bring danger on them. At some point things had taken an awful turn between them. It wasn't just about the problem at hand, but clearly he was bothered for other reasons. Other reasons that were now causing them to fight. She didn't want to fight with him and she didn't even know how to begin to reply to the fact that he seemed to think she was trying to emasculate him. "What's different?!" She exclaimed in return, trying to get angry back instead of hurt. "I'm not trying to make you weak or pick at your armor! And so what if for two seconds, around me, you let your guard down? It's just me! I thought things were happening between us, but I guess I was wrong." She didn't even bother to answer the part that got them started on all of this. She was mad, but most of all she couldn't believe he thought that she was trying to break him down to get him to give into her demands.

Justin couldn't imagine Lydia trying to get to him all because she knew he was more prone to giving into her than anyone else. That, he had surely made obvious and it didn't bother him at all that she made him drop his guard sometimes. He admired that she was the only one who could do that because it made him realize if he was falling in love with anyone, it had to be with someone who could treat him the way she did. Someone who could make him react and be a different version of himself. A better one, of course. It wasn't that he thought she was trying to get in his head for Sam but the fact that Sam had more than likely tried to get her to talk to him because he thought he would listen to her. "I don't have feelings for someone who I don't know and have never seen before! That's what's so different. I trust you. I don't trust her!" He threw back, giving her just as much as she was giving him. His brow furrowed at what came next and he failed to respond immediately. Instead, he shook his head and leaned down to bury his face into the palms of his hands. "I don't want to talk anymore."

Lydia could tell he was too mad to try to make her feel better or, at the very least, take back the things that he said that that bothered her. Even if he wasn't, she knew it was pretty stupid of her to think that he was going to try to make her feel better. However, the other night he had done just that when she had been upset. This was different, though. Last time she hadn't annoyed him. "I get that that's different! I don't trust her either. I get all that, alright?" She sighed, hating the mess that this felt like now. Not just with what to do with the alliance, but she hated feeling like she disappointed him or let him down. As if he was the leader and she knew sticking with him would keep her alive for as long as possible, so why question him and jeopardize that? "Is this how it's going to be every time I suggest something you don't like? You're going to shut me out and tell me you don't want to talk anymore? That's not going to be an option when we're in the games, Justin. So, whatever, do your stupid brooding thing." Turning on her heel, she walked away.

Justin didn't understand how quickly the mood had changed between them. He'd gone from teasing her one minute to completely wanting to zone her out. It wasn't her fault to begin with and he was trying to remember that but as she stood there still trying to reason with him, he couldn't help but feel she was in this too. He was always confident about his choices and decisions and hoped everyone took them into consideration. Of course her trying to convince him despite the fact that she understood him made him feel like this would be an issue in the games. "You don't trust her but you still think we should let her in. Okay." He nodded passively. His head didn't raise to meet her eyes as she spoke down to him and as he felt her walk out from the corner of his eye, he didn't bother chasing her.