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[Kaneki is in the dining room. He looks less nervous than he has the last few times he's appeared on the network, like he's finally found the right medicine for what's been bothering him.]

I don't know how many people make their own food here. I'm not that great in the kitchen, unless it's coffee.

[He smiles a smile that's part self-deprecating, part dark amusement. Then his entire posture goes pensive, though his expression is serious enough to communicate that he's more than just curious.]

Even if you do cook your own food, the ingredients you use show up magically. Of course, everything pre-made does, too.

I know we don't really have a choice, but does anyone else worry about where it all comes from? I mean, the meat--where does that come from? Is it even real meat?

[He thinks it must be, but...really. In the best case, there's some magical butcher in the depths of the Mansion, killing and slicing up magical animals. And Kaneki can think of lots worse than that.]

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You could hunt.

[She says it matter of factly, as if it's the most obvious solution in the world. And in her eyes, it is. The game might not be all that diverse or even all that big, but there's food out there. Squirrels and small birds. Fish in the lakes. Enough to provide sustenance if someone wanted to be truly independent from the food delivered by the closet.

Because she's not so much concerned with what it is or where it comes from but what'll happen when it suddenly runs out.]

[The suggestion certainly wasn't expected, and it shows on his face, but he only has to think about that for a few seconds to realize it's a viable alternative.]

I don't think I'd be that good at it. I mean, I'm sure I could learn but--

[He fumbles for an excuse for a moment.]

I uh...have some strange food allergies.

[Wow he sounds like a pansy.]

[It really isn't much of an excuse in her eyes. Isn't that one of the benefit of hunting and gathering your own food? You know wall of the ingredients in whatever stew or meal you decide to make from it. Then again, allergies had never been an issue for her. Thankfully. There had been enough restraints on the availability of resources in District 12 growing up. Hollow days aren't easy to forget. More complications?

That wouldn't have been good.

And it doesn't make her oh so willing to listen to anyone else's excuses.]

So?

[That was not the answer he wanted, but he belatedly realizes it's the answer he should have accepted.]

...I can't hunt the only thing I can eat.

[He's starting to wonder why he even tries to conceal what he is anymore.]

The only thing?

[There's a lot of doubt in her voice, and a lot of obvious scorn. Though she doesn't know the reasoning behind his answer, she jumps to conclusions anyway. Picky eaters are not uncommon. She remembers Dany's small dragon and its refusal to eat small meat. The way Effy would look condescendingly at some of the meals served to her during the Reaping.

It's a stupid practice in her opinion. Food is food. You can have favorites but don't be picky.]

[He can definitely hear the scorn and the skepticism and he sighs, looking away from the feed.]

I can't eat anything but one kind of meat. I can't digest anything else.

[She still looks doubtful. What meat can't be hunted? Even... As much as she hates to think of it, she remembers Gale's opinions on the Games. That fighting in the arena wouldn't be all that different than hunting. He had called her the best hunter that he knew. She had survived. The motions had been the same. Pulling back the bow string, releasing the arrow.

You could hunt anything. If you really needed to.]

What meat?

[It's way, way too late in this conversation for him to obfuscate, but he still hesitates as he thinks about it. At home, he'd be coming up with any excuse to change the conversation or end it. He'd lie or he'd cut the feed and pretend that he'd dropped his camera or something. Anything not to reveal himself.

He's getting very tired of it, though. He was at home, too, but at home when a person gets killed, they don't come back. Ever. And a ghoul's death is never pretty.

After a pause that seems to stretch on and on, he takes a deep breath.]

I'd rather not say.

[That wasn't what he'd planned on saying, and despite his feelings of resignation, his voice barely comes out. It's like his mind and his throat have teamed up in a last ditch effort to save him from whatever reaction she might have to the truth. Besides, she seems pretty clever--he doesn't think it would take her long to guess.]

[She can be clever at times. Very clever. But not necessarily so perceptive. Not when she's so caught up in her own thoughts and problems. If she had been more perceptive, more aware of her surroundings, she would have seen what President Snow had to point out to her. He had never lied to her. Not once in the two years they had interacted.

But Coin? Coin used her. Would've kept using her if Katniss hadn't assassinated the woman.

She doesn't focus on the subtleties in his words, what may or may not been said. She's too annoyed. Shaking her head, she scowls at him.]

Then why bother bringing it up?

I'm sorry. [Kaneki looks away, frowning slightly. He doesn't think he should have to apologize, but his conscience won't let him not apologize when he's put someone out.] I was trying to explain.

The point is, I can't digest anything other than that one thing. It will poison my body. So...I'm worried.

[Maybe she could be nicer. It's not exactly his fault that he can only eat one thing, especially if the reason is allergy and not any sort of preference. But she's never been good at being nice. She's never really cared all that much to do so. It's a wonder anyone ever wanted to follow her as the Mockingjay.]

Is it available outside of the closet?

Y-yeah. But it really wouldn't be acceptable--or safe--for me to eat it from the source we have.

[Katniss scoffs in response. She hadn't given a second thought about eating the puppies that had filled Wonderland months ago even when it clearly wasn't socially acceptable. The puppies had been nothing but an easy to catch food source in her eyes, something that could be made into stew and jerky and set aside in Haymitch's food cache.

It's always been relatively easy for her to act without thinking too much of what others might think.]

Who cares what other people think if it means your survival?

Because I eat--

[This is the first time he's actually been exasperated into almost admitting this. He catches himself and closes his eye, silently counting to ten.]

Look, if you think about it for a few minutes, you'll get it.

[Really. He can only eat one kind of meat. It's not acceptable for him to eat it. It's also not safe. Come on, lady.]

[As soon as he breaks off his sentence, she glares at him. He had been so close to admitting whatever it was he ate. And then, last second, he changes his mind. Expects her to guess. It's not a game that she wants to play. She's played far too many games in her life already.

So she replies without thinking and, flippantly, asks:]

People?

[Kaneki shifts uncomfortably. Despite his prediction that she would get it if she tried, he wasn't really ready for her to say it out loud.]

I'd like to keep that off the network.

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