guess the odds aren't exactly in my favor

[ensared]

Gale Hawthorne

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[tokened]

[tokened]

[ District Twelve is alight with activity, the reaping day isn't far off which means the Mayor is intent on tidying up the place a little bit. The Hob has to keep its light dimmer, the markets stay full of people, the Seam folks come and go quietly. Little things to help make the difference when the Capitol entourage appears.

Madge has just left Katniss, both of them outside the school compound talking quietly together. They don't talk much, if ever, but Madge will take any friendship she can get. They talk about the Games, Katniss' chances, even Madge's chances. It's not impossible. But that conversation weighs heavily on her mind, so much so that she actually walks too far, ending up in Seam territory, standing out like a sore thumb. She doesn't come here much -- it's far enough from her home -- but when she looks around, sees even the soot that's gathered on her shoes, she turns around to head back. The miners would be breaking soon, and while she doesn't feel unsafe, she knows many have negative opinions about her. ]

5 Years Later, Hawaii

[lefthandedgenius]

Thank the gods that Lydia has lived in a more rural area before, because while the Big Island is beautiful, Honolulu is were all the action is. But what the Big Island does have is the Mauna Kea Observatories, and Lydia finds it to be a fair trade. She can hop over to the capital whenever she has a free day, and often does.

But for some reason this weekend she's ill-inclined to do her usual island hop for the more metropolitan entertainments that Honolulu has to offer. She finds herself exploring some of the smaller beaches that locals tend to favor, and while she's never been much of an outdoorswoman (not true, she spent more than a fair share of time in the forest with...best to forget about it) when she hears tell of a waterfall that requires a something of a hike, she's oddly drawn to the idea.

Alright, so she knows enough to take care of herself. She knows enough to wear hiking boots and carry water and a compass and a little bit of portable food, and a utility knife along with her phone.

When she finally parks on the side of the road and hikes into the tropical forest, Lydia feels prepared.

[ensared]

Hoth. In his wildest dreams, Gale never could have imagined a place that was so cold. Sure, Alderaan had its fair share of chilly nights and biting winters, but nothing so intense as what they saw here. The base was even carved into a glacier, a world of white and blues so pristine he sometimes wondered how he could even look at it without squinting. It almost made him miss the layer of dust that covered their little town.

Almost.

But then he would remind himself that there was nothing left to miss, and refocus on the task at hand. Sometimes that would mean cleaning his weapon and restocking so he wouldn’t be caught unprepared, should the Empire find them. Sometimes that meant discussing logistics with some of the pilots, debating new tactics to counter AT-ATs or the newest TIE designs with the frigid winds battering their wings. Sometimes it meant coordinating with Katniss and the rest of his own squad, ensuring that they were all at the top of their game and ready to face whatever the Empire had waiting for them for their next deployment. Other times, it was a simple call to his family, safe on Yavin 4.

Gale considered himself lucky that today, he could distract himself with something far more appealing: a hot, steaming cup of soup from the mess. It was hardly the best thing he’d ever tasted - military cuisine, he’d heard others saying, was nothing compared to a good, home-cooked meal - but it was better than steeling himself against the cold and forcing himself to ignore the way his fingers slowly started going numb.

On the other hand, he wasn’t the only person who’d had the same idea. The mess hall was crowded as ever, but Gale didn’t hesitate, joining the line to claim his bowl while scouting the hall for a free seat. They were few and far between, so by the time his food was in his hands, he had little choice but to claim the first chair he found, only pausing to look at his lunch companions after he’d already swallowed the first spoonful - and when he did, his heart skipped a beat.

There was a face he thought he’d never seen again. As far as he’d known, she had died with the rest of their planet, just another life he’d failed to save. His eyebrows furrowed in disbelief, turning his relief at having a warm meal into something more like a scowl as old waves of guilt crashed into him again, making it hard to breathe.

“Undersee?”