@vengefvlx sent: five times smiled: ( five times the sender made the receiver smile )
one. annie cresta meets cadence kentwell for the first time following the end of the seventieth hunger games. it's in passing. the smile is reflexive in an attempt to be friendly while heart aches. it doesn't even hit the newest victor until their paths had crossed and went. that was cadence kentwell, a woman who so brutally came out victorious just a few years prior, annie will tell herself. she had given the woman from two a smile, but she should have been more present. it's too soon to be, but she's trying.
two. the following year, johanna mason is added to the victors' billing. the latest victor from four is becoming just a forgettable blip, much to the relief of the president and gamemakers alike. and yet, somehow she captures cadie's attention, even if fleeting. she's yet to learn the solace of remaining on the outskirts of these events. soon annie will, and it will be a saving grace. and for victors like cadie, they'll probably be delighted to only need to rub shoulders when absolutely needed.
the mystic of the seventy-first winner is lost on few. johanna creeps into their conversation too. the sights on the holo filled annie with dread, different than watching games prior to victorship. she's not suppose to say that though, she's realized. but apparently even deflected words are the wrong thing to say. you’re about as intimidating as a butterfly, cadence tells her. it's unprompted and brazen, and annie lips curl - though not out of amusement. " i don't consider that a bad thing, " she remarks. but oh, cadence kentwell does. she isn't your friend, annie.
three. they talk sparingly the next few years in very superficial ways. annie has learned that her neighbor in the victor village regards cadie fondly. she holds his judgement highly, so she knows there must be another side to cadie. but while she has a reputation to grow on people, she doesn't stick herself on kentwell. sometimes even annie cresta can get the hint.
it's on a city visit after the seventy-fourth games that somehow they end up in the same hallway of a game sponsor's upstairs. the gathering is lively downstairs. she isn't sure why she's here, just that she's expected. tomorrow morning she'll be on the train home. annie is sober ; she doesn't think cadence is. but weariness of loss drowns the woman more than any drink could. the older victor is so small against annie's frame. head has found permanent residence in cresta's shoulder. she cannot wipe away tears, so she just listens.
it's maybe an hour later where cadence falls asleep against annie. the smile that spreads on features is not one out of happiness, rather a sense of relief. cadie can use some rest. once she wakes up, annie will find her some water and attempt to get her safely to kentwell's residence in the city.
four. one hand is cold, the other is warm. annie was not sure what variety of coffee cadence would prefer during the evening. they have many hours ahead of them. soon, it will be the first night of the quarter quell. ezra klair and fletcher cresta are both names spoken during the reaping, even if one is a volunteer. heartache is a prominent symptom of the games. it's nothing new, just a harsh reality. but if she had to return to the capitol and watch the quell, it's a relief to have the company of cadie.
the hotel suite door opens, and teeth make an appearance in this smile. genuine and friendly, it's easy. no amount of time can pass where annie will be someone who can convincing feign and act within city limits. truth is, she'd happily give a welcoming embrace to her friend. she worries cadence isn't tactile like that. so a warm grin will have to do.
five. she wants to cry as figures that look like cadence kentwell and johanna mason make their way onto the fourth floor. it's so much to take in after the argument her and sarah kline were just in the middle of. is it another test ? annie and the others have had so many ; will they ever stop ? will her approaching them mean that she will be punished - or worse her son ?
both are real. fingertips graze arms of both women, of both of her friends. not even the government could falsify something so vividly. though a part of her consciousness wonders if they are merely lookalikes. yet, they're walking further and further away from the cells. if this is just a lie, she has no choice to believe it. a hovercraft is near. the roar is getting more prominent. slender fingers reach out and take cadence's smaller hand in hers. eyes scan over the other, taking in ever detail. hesitant smile is flashed, the same one she'd often throw her fellow cellmates. " cadie, " she begins though not sure where to end. together - with sarah and johanna - they head onto the hover.
