First Entrance

[real_or_notreal]

It only takes one step.

To know this is not his house in Victor's Village.
Not any place found in District 12.
Not Seam or Merchant or Hob.






Peeta's not one of the best people for random surprise locations.
Especially after The Capital & The Arena & Victor's Village.



[Tiny!Victor Tag: Peeta Mellark
Everyone's thread to take place after Gale's.]

Comments

[not_his_pa]

"Thanks, yeah, nice to be able to get ice here. Doesn't really last long at home and its expensive,"

He puts the bandanna on his face and relaxes slightly as his face numbs.

[real_or_notreal]

"It's like that a lot in our district, too."

He doesn't really count himself as an example of everyone anyone. Not since they moved him to Victor's Village. Where the money, as well as the eternal servitude to winning changed the availability of everything.

[not_his_pa]

"Where are you from?"

Its always hard to tell here.

[real_or_notreal]

"District 12 in Panem."

[not_his_pa]

"Don't know it. I'm from outside Bisbee in Arizona Territory."

[real_or_notreal]

"I don't know yours either."

There's some faint relief in getting to help someone his age instead of having to consider the alternative. The fact the alternative creeps around his mind, like a ghost never letting him forget.

"I've heard it's normal here?"

[not_his_pa]

"Seems to be, but I've met folks from home here too,"

His gaze darts over to the rats moving around their feet, seeing his Pa here hurt.

[real_or_notreal]

The rats are still weird. So is the whole idea they serve food to people. It seems terribly unsanitary. His parents shut down things for a day if one was seen. All situations to be handled.


And they were normal here.



"Really?"

[not_his_pa]

William still wasn't used to them, mainly they were something to look at,

"Yes, my Pa and another fellow,"

There's a lot of pushed down hurt and anger in his voice as he tries to find something else to talk about.

[real_or_notreal]

It shows, for anyone paying enough attention. And Peeta is all about the details of this completely impossible, supposedly non-Capitol, place that existed at him for supposedly no reason.

Different tactic. He switches, with a smile, closing the strange ice box back up. Stacking things how they were before he'd ended up moving them.

"How long've you been here?"

[not_his_pa]

"Just found another door, think this is my fourth time, if that. Odd how I've gotten used to it, but can have some time here,"

Also there are books and good food that he doesn't worry about his brother needing more than him.

[real_or_notreal]

None of those actually answers the question he asked. But it is a lot of related details to question he might have had around the other one.

"Really? What do you like best about it?"

[not_his_pa]

Time's strange here and William's not sure if he could work it out,

"The books and the food. I don't have to worry about my brother getting enough of anything and just there's time."

[real_or_notreal]

And suddenly surprise -- "Books?"

[not_his_pa]

"Yeah, there's a library but if you ask Bar she'll just give you books. Even the recent stuff that's not made it to us yet."

[real_or_notreal]

Covering the part of that sentence that did wholly make sense. "I hadn't seen the library yet."

[not_his_pa]

"Its upstairs. I haven't been there yet but been told about it. Want to see if we can find it?"

[real_or_notreal]

"Sure."


He'd make sure to end up back down here again soon enough. Kitchen like this, without any watching it, was asking for some exploration.

[not_his_pa]

William smiles with a wince and heads out of the kitchen and toward the stairs, adjusting the ice on his face.

[real_or_notreal]

Peeta followed effectively more at calm by appearance than he actually felt. The more odd things he found about the place the more it felt like the Capitol and his time spent there.


Still he wasn't going to turn down knowing more. On any and ever level. And it wasn't like he was offered libraries in the Capitol either.

[not_his_pa]

The upstairs is confusing but finally William finds the library and stares through the door before cautiously going in. He's never seen so many books in one place before.