Welcome to the 2nd Annual Hunger Games

[peeta_bread]

[Peeta is in the kitchen, cracking eggs and measuring flour. But something’s on his mind, and he feels he must do something to clear his conscience.]

Filtered to anyone encountered on arrival
Thank you, for helping me out. I can’t deny that I killed someone, and I’ll live with that for the rest of my life, but you should know the whole story before you judge, if I didn’t already tell you.

I'm from a nation called Panem. In that nation, there is the Capitol, and there were 13 districts. The districts rebelled, but they lost, so the Capitol blew the 13th sky high as a show of power. Ever since then, they've held the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a competition of sorts. Two tributes from each district, a boy and a girl aged between 12 and 18, are selected to take part in the Games. I was one of those tributes.

It's a televised event in which children are forced to kill each other, or be killed. The last one standing wins.

I once said I didn't want the Games to change me, to become a piece of their Games. But they have changed me. It may not count for anything, but I killed that person to save the girl I love.

You can think what you want, but I thought you should know. I would appreciate it if you didn’t go around telling people, though. Obviously, it’s kind of a sensitive area with me. Thanks.
/Filter

 
[There’s a break in between the first filter and the second one in which he cooks for a while, clanging things around as he works. The following filter is thrown out there just in case.]


Filtered to Katniss Everdeen
Are you here?
/Filter

 
[If one were to enter the kitchen right now, they would find it a complete mess. Bread is EVERYWHERE. But don’t try to eat it; it will either be half-done or burnt. A completely frustrated Peeta is taking it out on cakes. Egg shells are scattered across the counters, flour is lightly dusting the surface, a bit of icing lies on the floor. On one counter is a completed cake, all decorated and pretty. It looks something like this: http://www.cabaretsquidoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/985494702_3d5bd9f4cf.jpg . In the middle of the table is a larger, four tier cake. It’s white, a blank canvas, except the small pink rose Peeta just sculpted out of fondant. Peeta himself is covered in flour. It looks like he’s been here for hours.]

I made some cake, if anyone would like some? I’m in the kitchen. Sorry about the mess.

[He pauses, then adds:]

Also, if anyone has a birthday or a wedding coming up… or if you just want a cake, I’d be happy to make you one.

[ooc: Oh so open, in person or over the journals. Also, I apologize for my slowness on the lj tags. If you wanna answer this, but want to play out the arrival more, you can leave a placeholder? :3 ]

Comments

woo forever

[peeta_bread]

You did?! When? Here? Now?

[delincuente]

It was, like, months ago, I-D-K. She didn't know what New York was.

[peeta_bread]

Months ago...

[After a long, brooding pause, he clears his throat and attempts to sound more cheerful.]

Ah...anyway...it's Alex, right? I made some cake, if you'd like some.

[delincuente]

Yeah. Alex Russo.

[Her voice perks up at "cake".]

If it's got more sugar than I should probably be consuming in one sitting, then I'm all over that.

[peeta_bread]

Then, sugar rush, here we come.

I'm in the kitchen.

[delincuente]

Well, I'll be down in a sec.

[Unfortunately it takes her quite a bit longer to get there, and when she does she may or may not be dripping wet. Someone just forgot that her teleportation magic doesn't work anymore.]

[peeta_bread]

[He turns from working on a cake, looking her up and down in surprise. And then he lets out a long, hard laugh.]

Get a little lost?

[delincuente]

[She's trying to wring out her ponytail.]

Ugh, the castle dumped me in the pool.

[peeta_bread]

[He chuckles a little.] The castle did? That was mean of it.

[delincuente]

It's my loss, apparently.

... My extra loss, because apparently I'm just extra special.

[She says this last part with utmost saccharine derision.]

[peeta_bread]

Your loss is to be tossed in pools?

Wait, extra loss? You have two losses?

[delincuente]

Yeah, castle loaded me down with another one when I came back from Paris. Can't use some of my magic.

[peeta_bread]

[He gestures to a chair, taking a knife and slicing into the little cake.]

You have magic, huh? That's pretty cool. There isn't any magic in my world.

[He stops, thinking.] At least, I don't think there is.

[delincuente]

Yeah, there's a lot of that going around.

[She takes a seat, pulling her legs up criss-cross in the chair. She has a horrible slouch.]

And believe me, you'd be surprised what all you can't see, even on Earth.

[peeta_bread]

[He slices two pieces, putting one on each plate. He sets a piece in front of Alex and slides a fork over.]

It's kind of eye-opening. I mean, I heard stories growing up, but nothing like this.

Are people open to magic in your world? Or do you hide it?

[delincuente]

[She shovels a bite into her mouth and has it about half swallowed when she starts talking.]

We have to hide it. That's the only great thing about Paradisa. No one's gonna slap some handcuffs on me and drag me off to the Secret Security, or whatever.

[peeta_bread]

[He doesn't really get to eat his own cake very often, so he smiles at his first bite. He taps his fork on his plate, thinking about what she said.]

I guess Paradisa is really good, in a lot of ways. I mean, it's bad that it plays tricks on us. But you can use your magic, I don't have to fight... sometimes it's good.

[delincuente]

[She raises her eyebrows at his comment about fighting, as she recalls her conversation with Katniss last year.]

If you want to look at it that way, sure.

[peeta_bread]

Do you think it's all bad?

[delincuente]

Go back in time and ask me that when I'd only been here, like, a month. It was pretty great for awhile.

[peeta_bread]

What changed your mind?

[delincuente]

... I started to miss New York, mainly. And I just realized that this place isn't really all that great, you know? I mean, dangerous crap happens. People die sometimes. It's a mess.