arrays | [ open ] we'll keep dancing til we die

Some girls dance in the clubs, other girls dance. While most of the girls are glammed up, wearing heels, and basically shuffling and maybe moving their hips in some way that generally promotes sex... Sasha was not these girls, she was showing real dancing talent on the floor, mixing some proper club moves with a few different things and using her ballet training for some extensive showing off.

But, eventually, she skipped her way over to the bar for a drink and to relax. She looks for anyone that might buy her a drink, she didn't have the bust or shoes (both could be accurately described with flats) to grab most attentions, but being as flexible as her should catch a few eyes and earn her a drink.

Gale's earned a bit of a reputation for being a party guy at his school - places like this are just his scene, and it comes with the bonus of having plenty of willing girls around. He does his share of dancing, of course, but he's been hanging around the bar more tonight, simply swaying to the music with drink in hand and watching the undulations of the crowd.

One girl, he notices, stands out from the rest. From what he can tell, she's not exactly his type, but she puts the other girls on the floor to shame, and everyone knows it. She's being pointedly ignored by the girls who are out for a good time, and gets glares from those who are after a little more. The show she put on is intriguing enough, and Gale decides to go have a chat while she takes a break, taking his drink with him.

"There aren't many people who come to a place like this to dance like that," he comments when he's close enough, speaking loudly over the music.

"There aren't many people that can dance like that," Sasha responded. Her reputation was for being an egomaniac ballet dancer. Of course, nothing about her ego wasn't well supported by raw natural talent. She leaned against the bar, trying to look as flirty as she could manage (she's terrible at it, honestly).

"Why, like something you saw?"

He nodded, conceding the point, but chose to ignore the question she posed. It was clear what she was after, and while Gale was hardly here out of completely innocent intentions, it was almost comical how obvious she was being.

"If you want a free drink," he said plainly, tipping his glass to point to a table to his left, "you'll have better luck talking to those guys. Bend the right way, and they'll give you whatever you want. But they're the types that expect more for their trouble." Gale, for his part, was distinctly lacking in cash. More often than not, he snuck in a beer or two with Thom, but today he'd indulged himself in a glass of the house brew.

While it was always nice when a boy bought her a drink, she didn't actually require it. Her parents were both rich and happy to throw shame money at her because of their own issues. She turned to the bartender, "One of what he's having."

She smiled, just a bit smugly, "I'm sure if I took my top off I'd get all sorts of offers too. Pass. I'd rather have company with taste, good diction, and aren't actively willing my clothes off instead of having a conversation with me." She glanced over at him, a little more sarcastic than the flirty look she started with, "Think you can manage that?"

"I'm not so sure about that," Gale countered. "You may have the dancing part down, but you're a little lacking up top, compared to most other girls. Stick to showing off how flexible you can be and you might have better luck."

Yes, he'd looked, and was not ashamed of it in the least.

"It might be tough," he continued, tone dry as a desert. She's still not his type. "But I think I can manage."

New York City is full of beautiful people. It's this fact that allows Lydia her camouflage as she moves through the club. She's just another beautiful face, lost in a sea of bobbing bodies, controlled by the beat of the music.

Lydia isn't listening to the music. She traces a path along the edge of the dance floor, listening with her mind, rather than her ears. She had sensed the budding Break Out and it had brought her here, to the club. Ignoring the throb of the music, she curses her petite height as she scans the crowd, trying to find him. Him? Yes. Definitely him.

Even in a club like this, Gale stands out, if only for his height. He's one of the taller people in here, and he's already gotten plenty of attention from the ladies here, whether they express it outwardly or he just so happens to "hear" it. Sometimes it's hard to stop from hearing the thoughts of those around him, but it doesn't always hurt. It's gotten him more than a few hookups since it started - nothing permanent, nothing real, nothing that matters - and he's taken full advantage of these developing powers and plans to continue. He's already found ways for them to help his family. Using them for a little fun never hurt.

He feels her attention more than he hears it for once, instinctively turning to see who it is. And, Gale realizes, she's a bombshell, with something in her eye that tells him she's here for something more than a dance or two. Maybe she'll be the one tonight, he wonders idly, offering her a faint smile as he opens his mind to listen.

I wouldn't mind dancing with you, actually. But we have more important things we need to talk about.

Her smile doesn't falter, even as her mind registers surprise. Lydia's a strong enough telepath, but putting her thoughts into the minds of others always requires just a touch of push, and the ease with which she's able to slip into Gale's mind takes her aback.

Inclining his head, Gale doesn't even register the possibility that she may be like him. As far as he can tell, he's simply reading one girl's mind in a sea of them, with plenty close by echoing the same sort of thought - let's dance. He can sense the surprise from her, but only muses on it briefly as he approaches with a smile.

"Too busy to dance?" he asks. Best to play off what he heard as if he'd gotten the impression that she had somewhere else to be, he'd learned. That way, it doesn't come off so creepy.

"I told you. We have more important things to talk about." Up close, how tall he is becomes immediately apparent, and it makes it difficult for her to keep an easy eye on their surroundings. But also - the connection with his mind, something about him makes her feel tugged toward him, and it's like nothing she's felt from all the other Breakouts she's helped.

But another consciousness tugs at the corner of her brain, and without having to delve too deep, she's certain - Ultra is here. She needs to get someplace where she can look around, and try to get an idea of an exit strategy.

"But let's dance anyway." she says abruptly, grabbing his hand and pretty much trying to haul him onto the dance floor. She can buy time by blending into the crowd.

Eyes narrowing, his immediate thought is to wonder if she's like him - after all, he can't be the only one, right? So even as she pulls him to the dance floor, he ventures to ask, You can hear me?

"Why the change of heart?" he asks aloud, sinking into the routine of the dancing with some unknown girl in a random bar. The rhythm is easy to match, but she seemed determined to get him out of here, and not for the same reason as most of the other girls that drag him off somewhere.

She has to lift her feet a bit because he's so tall, but now that they're among the throng she's a little less worried about being immediately spotted. She tilts her head back so she can look at him, but also so he can see the fact that her mouth isn't moving.

Yes, I can hear you. And you can hear me. And the change of heart is because Ultra is on its way and you don't want them to catch you. Did you think you were the only person this has happened to?

Aloud, she remarks conversationally, "Wanna get out of here?"

Dancing is a little difficult to focus on when you're in the middle of a telepathic conversation like this, but Gale manages to keep swaying to the music regardless.

No, he replies, the scoff clear even in his thoughts. I knew there had to be others, I just didn't know where. And I've never heard of Ultra.

It's easy to guess why they would want to catch him, though, even if the intentions for doing so remain cloudy. Gale is not a big fan of having his freedom taken away, however, and it sounds like that's what they're out to do.

"Okay," he says. "What did you have in mind?"

It's not too difficult for Lydia, but she's been at this longer.

"We need to leave." she says, "And before we can get far away enough we need to get out of this building." It's the reason she's slowly drawing him to the edge of the floor.

Seizing his hand, she starts to tug him through the throng. Ultra is dedicated to finding us and capturing us. They either turn us against each other or take away our powers completely.

He follows without protest, but not without a healthy dose of suspicion. How do I know you're not just like them?

How can Gale really trust her, even if she is like him? Why would anyone catch and turn them against each other? And for that matter, how could anyone take away their powers?

It's only been a minute or two, and already he's full of questions.

Because -

She starts to explain, but then surprise genuinely registers on her face as she grips his forearms and with surprising force, manages to whirl him around so that their positions are reversed. That plainly isn't enough though, as seemingly out of nowhere she lifts up as best she can given his height, wraps her arms around his neck, and proceeds to kiss him thoroughly. It's a diversionary tactic, one would assume.

Except with the connection of such intimate contact, it also opens up a door into her mind. Flashes - of Lydia watching her parents argue, of her father leaving. Of her mother promising her that she's not strange, she's brilliant and special, of the black van that showed up at their door and her mother screaming at her to run just as one of the ULTRA agents shoved a needly into her mom's shoulder.

Lydia in the streets just after her breakout, using her powers to keep herself alive, to keep herself from being caught. Getting cornered in an alley by ULTRA. Her rescue. Flashes of the underground lair, but by this point Lydia understands what's happening and begins to gently but firmly push Gale out of her mind, even after the certainty that maybe she enjoyed that kiss way more than she should have lingers like perfume as their thoughts slide away from each other.

Unsuspecting, Gale is too surprised to argue when she pulls him down into a heated kiss. Having gone through this with a number of girls before, however, the hesitation is short, and in no time he's snaking his arms around her waist.

And then come the flashes, and his attention on the kiss fades as he tries to process it all. There's a lot happening and Gale can feel it bringing his own memories to the surface - the man at the door bringing news of his father's death five years ago, having to find a job to help support the family and keep them all alive and together, the day he discovered his powers and suddenly everything seemed so much easier...

But then he's being pushed away, and he's too confused to fight it.

"What," he asks quietly when they finally break apart, "was that?"

"That was an ULTRA agent about to spot you and try to scan your mind." Her gaze darts slightly to the side of him. "I think we can try to slip out now. When we go, don't turn your head, but if you look on your right, you'll see her."

She looks up at him. "Gale," she says fervently, "I'm trying to help you." She holds out her hand. It may just seem like she's a girl who's about to make a guy very lucky. In a way, she kind of is.

That isn't what he'd meant, and he has no doubt that she is fully aware of that. She's deliberately avoiding an explanation, but given how often he's done that in his own time, Gale can't force her to say more on the matter without being hypocritical. That's the last thing either of them need.

He looks down at her hand. "I don't know if I really need your help," he says flatly, and though his eyes are still wary, he takes her hand. "But fine. Don't make me regret this."

Believe me, you don't want to find yourself in ULTRA's hands.

She guides him through the club, for all appearance like a hot girl who's just scored herself some action, but he's already got a line on what's going on beneath the surface. She is genuinely afraid for both of them, but she also genuinely believes that she's doing the right thing, and this is a thing she needs to do despite her fear.

When she finally gets him past the exit, the cool air is a shock on her skin after the heat of the club. She closes her eyes and takes a breath before she curls her arm against his, leans in, and begins to walk down the street.

"Gotta get to the subway." she murmurs, leaning her head on his bicep. "Put your arm around me. It'll be easier. You're so tall." It's both a compliment and a complaint.

He does as bid without any more complaints, playing the part as easily as breathing. Gale has been here many times before, so adjusting to this is easy, if strange under the circumstances. Another telepath is the one thing he hasn't encountered yet, and he has to remind himself to stay relaxed to avoid unnecessary attention. Getting tense and watching her carefully like his instincts would have him do is not going to help here.

"Why the subway? Where exactly are we going?"

"I know this might be a revelation, but the subway is generally what one takes to from point A to point B." She grins at him. "And in this case, it's how we get to a place where ULTRA can't find you."

With her cheek leaning against his arm, she knows they project the image of a young couple flush with affection, and that's exactly how she wants it to appear. "I won't make you come. You can tell me to go to hell and leave any time you want between now and when we get on the subway. But once we do, you need to stick with me, and let me show you everything. And then if you still want to take your chance on your own, I'll bring you back myself. I promise."

You can look for yourself to see if I'm lying. If you don't think we can help you, if you don't want to stay, I'll bring you back.

"That's not what I meant," he grouses, knowing she's well aware of the fact. Despite it all, he offers a faint smile. They might as well keep up the show, on the off chance that she's right and this ULTRA is going to come after him - them.

I'll come. I meant, why not just teleport there?

gale hawthorne | the hunger games

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