01 rolled in | video

[howherolls]

 [ a haggard looking young man sits on a bed, his hands wringing together over and over again as he speaks. There's a hollowness to his stare, and he takes a little longer than most between his sentences, thoughtfully ]

I was working...on having responsibilities again. I baked bread starting at four in the morning until noon. At noon I fed the geese. Depending on the day, I might have free time after that, but by dinner I helped Katniss cook and I would dead-head the flowers in the garden.

The schedule...helped.

[ his hands spasm erratically for a moment, then still as Peeta clenches his jaw ]

And now I'm here. [ he offers a tight smile ] And that means I'm not feeding geese and the garden's not going anywhere anytime soon. Not to mention there's a possible deer overpopulation problem in District Twelve.

[ he sighs ]

So there go my responsibilities. And schedule. I guess this serves as a fair warning for you all.

Comments

[notdreaming]

If your intention wasn't to threaten then it's safe to say that you've failed.

[howherolls]

That was the idea, actually. [ his fingers flex ] I'm not safe until I know what being here will do to my...condition.

[notdreaming]

Why? If I'm attacked I will fight back.

[howherolls]

You're not everyone.

[notdreaming]

I'll fight back if they're attacked too. [ Apparently it doesn't take much to get Kara to be a superhero. ]

[howherolls]

[ he glares at her, irritation evident on his face ]

You can't save everyone. No one can. And what would you rather have me do? Not say anything and attack them without at least giving them a chance to protect themselves?

[notdreaming]

[ She has super hearing, speed, and strength. She figures she can save a lot. ] How many people are you planning to attack?

[howherolls]

None. But that doesn't mean it won't happen.

[notdreaming]

I would rather you didn't hurt anyone at all.

[howherolls]

[ his patience snaps ] Well that makes two of us then, doesn't it?!

[ he rubs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath, clearly frustrated ]

[notdreaming]

[ Yeah definitely freaking her out. ]

If you didn't this would be a lot simpler.

[howherolls]

[ he looks down at the ground ] No kidding. But we don't always get to have the simple solution when we want it.

[notdreaming]

Okay, well... if I hear people screaming I'm still going to come running.

[howherolls]

That was the idea.

[notdreaming]

You should have said that to start with.

[howherolls]

I did. Most people don't do service announcements for this sort of thing.