entranceway | [video + action]

[In the end, she's at least grateful that her memories haven't been affected this time. She knows who she is. Katniss Everdeen. Eighteen Years old. From District 12. The former girl on fire, the former Mockingjay. A Tribute and a Victor who shouldn't be alive today but somehow was. Someone who probably deserved this, deserved to be trapped in someone else's game. A pawn for new Gamemakers to be used for their amusement.

She hates remembering. But it's more comforting than thinking she's someone she's not. A girl with lots of family. Someone who was a little bit of a loner but never alone.

This time, it's her vision that's strange. Not being able to see color, seeing the world in black and white and shades of grey is disconcerting to say the least. Uncomfortable and very unwelcome. But that's not what really grates on her nerves again. What has her scowling at the camera doesn't have anything to do with those changes and everything to do with the pack of small, yipping puppies that won't leave her alone.

She's tried hiding in her room. They appear in her closet. Tried escaping on to the grounds and into the forest. But it doesn't work. She's not Prim. She's not good with animals. Doesn't really care for them as anything but meat.

he stands by the outskirts of the forest, looking utterly displeased at the latest puppy to attempt to wriggle its way into one of her squirrel traps as she reset it. More circle around her boots. The camera pans around them before she he holds up one pup in particular by the scruff of its neck. It yips at the phone and wiggles in her grasp but Katniss ignores it.]

Do these belong to someone, too? Or are they fair game?

[Because these aren't hunting dogs. Clearly. Aside from providing meat or fur, she can't think of any other use for them. For all she can't stand Buttercup, at least he knew how to make himself useful at times. These things? So far, not in the slightest.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Pretty sure they don't belong to anyone, judging by the number of them.

[What's that? Oh, yeah, those are more puppies on Wash's end, bouncing around him as he sits on his bed. Because of course, he'd been ridiculous enough to think that his room would be a safe zone, away from the yipping, slobbering things.

Unfortunately, not the case. Several can be seen coming in and out of view all around him, and he does his best to ignore them.]

Katniss, right? [He met her once before, months ago...but he's pretty sure that's her name.] Are you planning on adopting some...?

[That's what he wants to take the "fair game" comment as. But the expression on her face is already telling him otherwise.]

[She attempts to ignore them, too. The puppies still scrambling up her legs for attention even as she tries to shake them off. If she thought she could find some peace out by the woods, she was wrong. There's no escape from these damned dogs. Not anywhere.

She scowls and shakes her head, letting the puppy fall back to the ground with a yelp of surprise. She doesn't know the man. And she doesn't like his apparent familiarity with her. But for once, she ignores it. If just to shake another puppy off her pants leg.]

No. I don't want any of them.

[Yep, that's what he thought. And that's what concerns him. He's not a dog person, not at all, but if he's guessing what she really meant by "fair game" correctly... Well. It's not right to eat a puppy!]

Right. Well, uh, your plan isn't to...hunt them, is it? [The words are cautious, but awkward. He doesn't want to offend if that's not what she meant, but at the same time... He'd rather she didn't kill any puppies, regardless of how annoying they are.] Because, I mean, you know you can get as much food as you want in the dining room, right? There's no need to start...murdering puppies...

[Her eyebrows raise. That is her plan. And she doesn't exactly think there's anything offensive about it. They're young, yes, but that doesn't mean anything. Not to her. Not when she's had days in which she's starved in the past, not when she's been in other games.]

It's not murdering. It's survival.

[And safer, she thinks, much safer than relying on food from mysterious sources. At least when she hunts and forages, she knows for certain where her food is coming from.]

Except that you can get whatever food you want from the dining room, kitchen, or your closet.

[While speaking, he makes very pointed hand gestures while his brow furrows slightly. He remembers from when he talked to Katniss before that her life had been rough, that her world was far from pleasant, but killing puppies... It's just unnecessary.]

So I'd say it's not really survival and kind of is murder. If only because it's unnecessary when we already have plenty of food.

And be dependent on them?

[She says the word like it's something evil, something too horrible to even dare to comprehend. Because in her mind, it is. The Hunger Games are over. It's a new Capitol in place, a new Panem. She shouldn't have to be here, she shouldn't have to be trapped in another game. Not so soon.

Is this all her life is meant to be? Another piece in someone else's games?]

I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to play by their rules.

...Them?

[He can sort of understand the not wanting to be fully reliant on the mansion or Wonderland itself, but... There's a point where it's necessary for survival here. Particularly when it comes to food.

And how can anyone possibly even consider eating a poor, innocent puppy???]

Who's them? There's no "they" here, more of an...it. Or something.

[At the end of the day, it's just a dog in her eyes. No matter how cute all these puppies might seem for some, all she can see is the potential for food and other resources. Too many days of starvation as a child. Too many days of watching others starve.

It's a mindset that settled even before she volunteered as Tribute.]

The Gamemakers. [She tilts her head and studies him for a couple of seconds, trying to see if there's any flicker of recognition in his eyes.] Whoever brought us here.

[The Gamemakers? That's completely unfamiliar to him, however... The first time he spoke with Katniss, he remembers her mentioning a Game. Does she...still think they're in one?]

Gamemakers. Are they the ones that made that game you were trying to save...what was the name--Peeta?--from months ago?

[He can't help but ask, not realizing that this Katniss isn't exactly the one he'd spoken to before. He also wants to point out that they're not the ones behind all this, but he wants to wait for confirmation before doing that.

Also, if they keep talking, she can't kill puppies.]

[She knows that there are people who met her here before. Haymitch had at least warned her of that much. She had been here before and while she had no memories of these people, they apparently remembered her. She had tried to warn them away in her first message on this device. She had tried telling them that it wasn't worth getting to know her.

Apparently this man didn't listen.

Not that that matters right now. Because she's almost frozen at the mention of Peeta. They play a game almost every day: "real or not real." Or, at least, they did before she arrived here. She doubts it's the game this man is referring to.]

Was he here?

[Did Haymitch purposely fail to mention that to her? Because any other game, the Hunger Games, had been over a year ago. At least.]

[That question makes it click for him. She knew Peeta wasn't here before, but now she's asking? No wonder she's seemed so...different. She must have gone home and come back at some point, with no memory.

Now it all makes sense.]

No. At least, not that I've ever been aware of.

[Shaking his head, he offers her an apologetic look.]

[video + action]

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;

video;