asgardeventide | Fifth Catch -Video- [Filtered from Annie Cresta]

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Fifth Catch -Video- [Filtered from Annie Cresta]

[When the video cuts on, Finnick is sitting on his bed with his back against the wall. He's wearing a pair of pajama pants barely visible, but his torso is naked showing off his muscular figure. His head hits the wall behind him with a soft thud as he gives a small grin.]

So, I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Who is actually going to stand up and fight a war that isn't even theirs to fight?

Is it worth it to you all to save some place that you aren't even all that attached to?

[He smiles reaching down beside him, the sound of a paper bag rustling before he holds up his hand which has a single sugar cube between his pointer and thumb. He studies it before popping it into his mouth, and then licking his lips.]

I'm just curious. After all, I have to know who is going to stand beside me when the time comes, right?

[Finnick gives a smile and a small wave.]

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[ She tries to keep calm about this. Her voice is as steady as it can be. ]

Because we need you to help make sure everyone is safe, and keeps fed. They can't kill you if they can't catch you. Remember?

[Chewing on her lips now.]

But nobody else is running. I don't want to run if we don't need to fight each other.

I don't want you to run -- I want you to help keep everyone else taken care of, and stay hidden. Safe. I want you to be safe, Rue, I can't -- [ Her voice threatens to break for a moment, before she regains her composure. ] - You have to be safe.

[Rue might not get a lot of what goes on between the older Tributes, especially with Katniss and Peeta, but this is one of the moments where something does click for her, even if Katniss isn't saying anything.]

Is it because I died before?

[ All at once, it's like the moments rush back to her. Every inch of the spear that was buried in the girl's body, the flowers, the way Rue asked her to sing. It smacks her in the face and she feels like the wind has left her. Rue knows. Someone told her.

Or she remembers.

Why haven't they talked about this before? She was under the impression that Rue didn't remember it, didn't know it, and Katniss made every effort to keep her in the dark. So, why now? Her voice tight, chest even tighter, and her eyes burning, she finds her mouth too dry to respond with much more than a croak. ]

Yes. It is.

It's okay.

[No, it's not. It's just something she's come to terms with already, had come to terms with even during the Games.]

I wanted you to win.

It's not okay!! [ She realizes it's Rue's death they're talking about, and immediately she wants to take back the shout. Her voice falls quieter again. ] I'm sorry -- Rue, I'm so, so sorry -- I should have gotten back faster, but the explosion... It took my left ear, I was so dizzy, so, so dizzy, I couldn't make it back... If I'd just kept running, maybe we could have saved you... [ All of her feelings are pouring out of her now, and she feels the wracking sobs threatening to overtake the control she has over herself. ] We told your family -- we told them, on the victory tour, and Thresh's -- it was Peeta's idea -- that we would give them one month's worth of our winnings, every year, as long as we lived... But it wasn't enough, Rue, it wasn't fair. I wanted to save you. I wanted you to be able to meet my little sister, you two would have gotten along, so well... I tried -- [ She can't continue. She just. Cannot. ]

I'm sorry.

Peeta said the same thing, about the winnings. [It's one reason she's been so attached to the other two Tributes, knowing they did something like that for her. And they haven't known each other that long, either.] Thank you.

[Rue toys with a curl, looking down.]

Do you think my family's okay?

I had no idea just how terrifying it must have been for you, living there. [ She wets her lips, swallows. Composes herself. For Rue. ]

Last I knew from anyone, they were safe. The Districts are rising up against the Capitol, Rue. Did Peeta tell you?

No. [Now there's a definitely sulk to her tone.]

Nobody tells me anything.

[ Ouch. That feels bad. ] We're just trying to protect you. Keep you safe, let you have some sort of normal life here. The life a girl your age should have. I never wanted you to have to deal with this. You shouldn't. We just wanted you to be able to be a kid. Not a Tribute. Not a worker in an orchard with cruel Peacekeepers surrounding you. Just Rue.

But I'm already dead, Katniss. I don't have to work in the orchards or look out for the Peacekeepers here.

[It's sort of weird for her, feeling frustrated that the older Tributes aren't understanding where she's coming from. It's partially remembering and knowing how bad it was back in Panem that makes Asgard so welcoming to her.]

I just wanna know what's happening back home.

[ Her walls shatter again. ] I know. I remember. I sang you to sleep -- to death. And after, before they could take your body... [ Katniss swallows and tries her best to remain in control of herself. Tears still come. ] Flowers. I covered you in flowers. I couldn't let them take you away like that. I know. That doesn't change my mind about protecting you here.

[ But this is Rue. And she'll have to relent, at least a little. ]

I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. We'll talk soon, just you and me. About everything that happened after the Games. Alright?

Okay. [Katniss is the first Tribute she knew, and the first she trusted. Of course Rue's going to forgive her easily.]

Promise you won't keep anything out?

[And she adds something else a bit shyly, after that. ] I liked the flowers.

We weren't just allies, Rue. You know that, don't you? [ She never openly told Rue she cared. Not like she wound up caring. ]

I promise. [ Wait.

Wait -- ]

How did you know?

We're friends, right? [She's always assumed so, since Katniss started taking care of her. She hopes so.]

Oh...they were in my hair when I woke up here. I didn't know where they came from until Peeta told me.

More than that, little bird. [ It almost feels like she's betraying Prim in some way, saying little bird - but Prim is still her little duck, and always will be. This is Rue. It's different. ] We're family. Aren't we?

[ She swallows. ] I'm glad you liked them. I knew you would have, if -- [ Can't finish the sentence. Nope. ]

We are? [You can't blame the amount of awe Rue's feeling right now. In all the years of the Games, no one's ever heard of Tributes from another district connecting like this.

But still, it's been months since Panem, and Katniss and Peeta and everybody has been taking care of her, even if she doesn't like some of it. They look after her like she would with her own siblings.]

Okay. [She smiles brightly, nodding.] We are!

Good. [ She's glad Rue sees it that way, too. It might actually crush her if she didn't. She knows she can be a little too parental with the girl sometimes. But with everything that happened... She wants no risks for her. ] Which means I'll always protect you.

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