Fandom Hunger Games (Closed)

[ChibiMonkey]

Despite asking his question, he still didn't get much of a response from the woman which left him a bit frustrated, though, her reply was enough to settle him for the time being. But he wouldn't go much longer without some clear questions that weren't so vague or evasive. The woman had simply smiled up at him when he asked who they were, giving a friendly smile in an attempt to help ease him, seeing he was wary and distressed of the whole situation, which she didn't blame him for. "We're here to help you, don't worry. You'll get your answers soon, I promise. For now, just know you can trust us" she assured him. Finnick simply let out a slight huff, but leaned back in his chair before he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his forearm, causing him to instinctively jerk back a bit, and narrow his eyes at her "A bit of a warning next time might help my trust" he muttered a bit bitterly, seeing her dispose of the tracker she'd just removed from his arm.

She gave a small apology, before returning to tending to the rest of his wounds. About ten more minutes or so had passed when someone entered the bay, the man who had first approached him with that woman earlier in the arena. Once identifying the two of them, he gave a short nod to the male before he was telling them where to go. Where they could go for answers. About time, Finnick thought. He was ready to get some clear answers from these people. While he was thankful to be rescued form the arena, he still wasn't sure how much of a rescue he could consider this when he didn't know who they were or why they were helping them. For now, the fact that River and Lillian were being treated and hopefully saved from what were clearly fatal injuries was enough to keep him patient and cooperative.

Thankfully, the woman patching up his wounds didn't take a whole lot longer, because with him being eager for those answers, he probably wouldn't have been able to remain patient as she finished up for much longer. Standing up from his chair, his limbs and muscles still felt stiff and pained from exhaustion, particularly over the recent fight with the careers, but everything else added onto that, surviving the past week in the games was taking it's toll as well. Glancing over to Finnick, he nodded a bit at him "Are you ready to go?" he asked, hoping that he was.

While waiting for his response and the medic to finish patching him up, he spared another glance to River, still unconscious and being tended to on the bed. He didn't really want to leave her alone...but he felt these people were truly trying to help, so that was enough to convince him she would be alright in their hands. He was a bit anxious about her condition though, having not been given much of an update or anything. He couldn't tell if it was good or bad that she didn't need surgery like Lilly did. Was it just because of the type of injuries she had could be cared for without surgery? Or....part of him feared it was because there was nothing more to do for her and surgery wouldn't help. Biting the inside of his cheek, he shook his head along with those negative thoughts as he turned his attention back to Gale "Ready?" he repeated once more, once convincing himself he was okay leaving River there.

 

[Soleil]

Gale sat back in the chair as the woman started to bandage up his forearm where the tracker had been lodged. Not that he minded, but it did hurt like a bitch. After the white gauze was firmly around his arm, he thanked the woman before getting to his feet. He was curious why the man had singled out Finnick and himself, and what kind of answers they would get when they finally made their way over to the east wing. He wasn't aware of any district that had the means of storming the capital, and by the look of it.. getting away with it. He raked his brain for information, but all he had were the memories of 12. Even in school they were pretty strict about the teachings of the districts - they mainly went over the great war and how district 12 came to be. He guessed the capital didn't want the districts to know much about each other, even though it doesn't seem to be working. He started to play with the idea that maybe they were a group that lived on the outskirts of Panem altogether. Was something like that possible? There was more land outside the borders, but no one ever talked about what was out there. The popular answer was that many decades ago, there was a war that had torn apart the entire world.. with Panem rising from it's ashes. But nothing beyond that survived. He had a hard time believing this. If they survived, surely other continents had as well..

He was snapped out of his train of thought when hearing his name being called from across the room. It was Finnick, and Gale nodded to his friend before closing the space between them. "Yeah, I'm ready.. let's find out who the hell these people are." He smirked before walking towards the door that led out into the hallway. While he might of had more inner conflict about leaving if he hadn't been separated from Lilly, he figured he would use this time to figure out what was going on before she was out of surgery. At least it would take his mind off of everything.

He made his way down the dimly lit hallway, trailing his hand against the railing before coming to the end of it. There was a set of double doors to the right, which he could only assume was where they guy had directed them. Was he suppose to knock?

Gripping the handle of the door on the right, he turned it until it popped open and he was able to swing it out of the way. Entering the room, he first noticed the large table in the center. The second thing he noticed was the fact that there were several people standing around it. He wasn't sure how to address the situation, and since they seemed to be fully focused on what was in front of them, it gave Gale a few moments to asses the people in the room. His eyes landed on each person, before stopping short halfway through the group.

"Haymitch?" Gale said, his voice elevated in surprise. No, that couldn't be right. But sure enough it was his mentor standing at the head of the table. "What..how..?" Was all he could get out. So many question buzzed through his mind at that moment as he stared down his mentor.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Once Gale was ready to head out and meet the rest of these people, those who seemed to be in charge around here, Finnick nodded his head with a small smirk on his face at his words "Yeah" he agreed, sparing once more glance to River, seeing a second nurse taking the tracker out of her arm while the first medic was still taking care of he head. Well...trying to be positive, he supposed she at least didn't have to feel that gun like needle taking the tracker out, which tore some flesh and muscle painfully in the process as well. Forcing himself to look away from her and assure himself she would be okay, he gave a final nod to Gale and headed out of the medical bay area, walking down the hall where they had been directed to.

As they paused in front of the double doors, he glanced around them, figuring this had to be it. The room looked important enough, anyways. He glanced to Gale as he grabbed for the doors, and let him open them as the large room opened up to the round table which filled most of the room, and several people all standing surrounding it, looking at papers and what appeared to be a map on the table. A map of Panem, maybe? He figured it was likely for getting out of here. They did after all break into the arena in the middle of the Hunger Games. The Capitol wasn't just going to be okay with that.

Taking a single step into the room to just get past the doors, his eyes scanned the people in the room, as though his eyes along would answer all the questions he had. But they didn't, of course. He did recognize the woman who had approached Gale and himself earlier in the arena when the transporter had landed. But aside from that he didn't really know anyone else. A few of them he felt like he recognized, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it and figure out where from. Certainly he'd never met any of them before.

Before he could speak up and start asking his questions however, Gale spoke first, and Finnick looked to him confused. Looking to Gale, he followed his gaze to an older blond in the room who had lifted his head upon hearing his name, and Finnick furrowed his brows, glancing back to Gale "Do you know him?" he asked, curious and confused, now only having more questions. If Gale knew someone that meant they had to be from 12, right? Looking back to the blond male, he wondered how he knew him. Before after a minute of pondering, he realized why some of the people around the table seemed familiar in the back of his head. Previous victors from the games. And when one spoke up, it only confirmed his conclusion.

"You know the kid, Haymitch?" one woman spoke up curiously, raising a broww as she along with the others fianlly noticed the entrance of Gale and Finnick, before she realized "Ah, that's right you're both from the same district. You must have been his advisor huh?" She commented rhetorically, hardly looking for a reply as her brain spoke aloud the facts which answered some of Finnick's questions at least.

 

[Soleil]

Gale stared, a little stunned at the drunk from district 12..who now seemed to be at the head of this operation. Well, he had to hand it to him. No one back home would suspect Haymitch of being a part of anything like this, let alone looking like he was sober for more than five minutes. "He's my mentor." Gale confirmed the dark haired girl's response, shooting a look over at Finnick. Seeing his mentor had brought a bit of relief to Gale, at least he knew someone here. It would make everything a little easier to adjust to with someone he more or less trusted. He didn't know the others around the table, but they did seem slightly familiar and he wondered if they had been in the capital spotlight as much as the rest of them. It made sense why the victors would be revolting. They had been promised a good life, instead the capital decides to throw their names in with the rest of pot.

Haymitch was bent over the table in front of him, going over the layout of the capital when the doors were being slammed open. "Gale, it's good to see you kid." He finally spoke up after looking over at Johanna. "For a minute there I wasn't sure I'd be seeing you again." It was the truth, Haymitch never had much faith in his mentees. They were usually scrawny, poor kids that couldn't make it past the first couple of days in the arena. But this one.. this one had definitely proven something to him. Even the little red head had lasted longer than he would've guessed.

When the older man motioned for the two to come closer, Gale finally found the courage to get his legs working. He made his way further into the room, approaching the table and the others around it. "Yeah it's been hell." Gale said shortly to his mentor's comments, slowing his pace when he finally made it up to the table. He could see what they had been looking at before Finnick and himself showed up. It was a layout.. of the capital no doubt. "So what, this was some sort of rescue mission for the tributes?" Gale still had questions, and he was waiting for someone to answer them.

"Not exactly." Haymitch started, before finally looking up at the two tributes as they approached the table. "At first, it was about him." He said, pointing towards the blond haired tribute. He could see the confusion pass over Gale's features and he knew he should probably start from the beginning. "The districts.." He sighed, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. "While you guys were in the arena.. there's been a number of outbreaks and riots, mainly in the outer districts. We were waiting for the perfect time.. for something like this to happen, to make our first move against the capitol." Haymitch leaned back, taking his hands off the table to stand straight.

"Like.. some sort of uprising?" Gale asked, wearing a skeptical look.

"Exactly something like that, and having all the victors together.. united against the capital is a huge thing for it." Haymitch explained further.

"Which is why you needed him.." Gale said, nodding slightly over at Finnick. Again, it made sense why the victors could be useful for some sort of rebellion attack. Using the capital's prized children against them.

"While getting another victor, it also gave us the chance to show ourselves to the capital." Haymitch responded. Gale nodded, it made a little more sense to him now, though he still wondered what he was doing there.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Hearing Gale confirm that the blond whom he'd just called Haymitch was his mentor, also meaning a previous victor of the games from District 12 confirmed the theories that had started to be put together in his head. Knowing that this man seemed to be someone Gale knew and didn't seem to dislike did help calm Finnick down a bit with their current situation and circumstances. There were still far too many questions to be resolved however, to many uncertainties and things he wanted answered. For now though, he was a bit relieved knowing Gale knew someone on this hovercraft. It at least was one small good sign that these people really might not be so bad. Though, they were also doing their best to keep River and Lilly alive, so that did gain his favor a bit as well.

Finnick didn't interrupt when Gale asked a few questions, based on the map on the table they had previously been discussing over once he and Gale had moved closer to join the people at the table and could see it. After all, it was one of the many questions on his mind - he figured he and Gale both had very similar questions at the moment, and as long as some of them started to get answered and things started clearing up for them a bit, he would be relieved.

When Haymitch first said how the initial goal was to get him, he stared back at the blond, dumbfounded "....Me? What would you want me for?" he asked confused, not understanding. But then Haymitch further explained the reasoning, and what has been going on in the districts and thus their plan to gather previous victors to unite and fight back against the Capitol. He supposed that did make sense, along with his explanation, he could tell he wasn't lying or anything. Looking around the room he recognized a few previous victors now, so it made sense. Slowly, things were starting to make sense.

"But what caused the Districts to start fighting back this year?" he asked curiously, though he supposed it might not be as of much importance. It was simply something these people had been waiting for, for something like this to happen, the reasoning of why might not be as important. Maybe they had something to do with starting them? Not that it would particularly bother Finnick...he was of course as against the Capitol as ever, especially since being dragged into the games a second time when promised a life of peace and stability.

And there was another question in his mind as well as Haymitch continue to talk. He kept talking about 'we' and 'us'. But they still had yet to know just who exactly they all were. "So, your guys are a type of organized rebellion?" he asked for clarification, as that much was relatively clear by Haymitchs words. But where did they come from, exactly. "So, is everyone here from those riots in districts one through twelve, then?" he further asked, not quite knowing where else they could have all come from, and seeing how the victors were all from different districts working together, that seemed to make the most sense, since as far as he knew, district 13 didn't exist and hadn't in a long time, as the capitol wanted them all to believe.

 

[Soleil]

When Finnick spoke, it caused Haymitch to shift his glance from Gale. While for some it was surprising the districts were starting to rise up, it was something he had been anticipating for a number of years now. A couple decades ago, the districts had been completely traumatized by the capital's victory and soon they fell into accepting oppression. It wasn't until recently, with new leaders that things started to shift. "This plan has been in the works for a number of years. We were just waiting for the right time.. it wasn't until this year when the capital decided to pit victors against children." He scoffed a little at this. "The thought of a 35 year old man against 12 year olds' was enough to push the balance of the entire nation.. but of course children against other children was acceptable." He said, his voice dripping in sarcasm at the end of his statement. He had been against the capital ever since entering those games 20 years ago (is he in his thirties?), and working with the others in district 13 not long after that.

"We couldn't let this spark die down. Who knows how many more years it would be before the districts decide to stand up again." Johanna commented, looking at the two tributes who stood across from her. "We had to strike now, while their anger is still fresh in their minds." Johanna was someone who was very passionate about her role in this rebellion. When they approached her several months back, they barely needed to convince her before she was on board.

It was a lot of information for Gale to take in, the fact that some sort of revolution was taking place - and he had been caught up in the middle of it. Of course, he had always imagined running off into the forest, living off the land and finding a place that had been untouched by the capital. But of course that had only been a dream. He went to comment about why he was dragged into this when Finnick spoke up again. His friend's questions mirrored his own, so he glanced over at Haymitch to explain.

"Not exactly. See, districts 1 through 4 are still heavily filled with loyalists. We couldn't risk them getting wind of it before we could have a chance to build up our reinforcements and sway a few of the districts." He looked to Johanna for a second, hesitant of what he was about to say next. "We.. well the base of everything comes from district 13."

Gale pulled his eyebrows together as he stared at the man. "But, district 13 doesn't exist.. not anymore." Gale said, though as he said it he knew he had no proof to support it.

"And who told you that?" Haymitch snorted, "The capital?" Gale was silent after this, because he knew the man was right. All his information was capital fed. "There was a reason we didn't just pull goldie locks over here out of the arena. Sure, there had been a couple of riots before the games even begun.. but that was just the surface of it. It wasn't until Finnick, and that little blond girl saved yours and the red head's ass." Haymitch said, pointing at Gale.

"When a victor, and a girl from a heavily loyalist district, saved tributes from a lower district.. then against everything, you all stood beside each other..well it showed several of the districts - the ones that were too afraid to do anything - that standing together was possible." This time, it came from the second man beside Haymitch. He hadn't spoken up yet until that moment, but he felt it was the right thing to say.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Despite his question in assuming that this group of rebels was a mixture of people from all the districts, and while it was partially true, he wasn't surprised to hear that districts one through four were still loyal to the capitol and less eager for rebelling against them. The careers in particular would be the hardest to persuade and win favor with, for such a cause. Which is why it also didn't surprise him when explained that when River and himself, tributes from a career district, saved two tributes from the lowest district, that being 12, was one of the big turning points that seemed to inspire hope and belief in the districts that it was possible to come together and fight for their beliefs. He knew how many people looked at the careers, and despite most careers being worthy of such disdain and hate from the lower districts, Finnick himself always had disliked the way the capitol control Panem, especially after his first hunger games and all the broken promises and spoon fed lies he'd learned about. Sure, he wouldn't deny some finer things in life afforded to the careers were nice. However, he never really let such things blind him to the reality of things going on, like most careers did, and especially people who lived within the capitol itself.

The news about district 13 was as surprising to him as it seemed to be for Gale. Of course, he'd heard similar things of 13 having been destroyed a long time ago. But thinking about it now, it made sense why if they survived, whether to the capitols knowledge or not, that the capitol would want to cover up most knew about them. Hardly anything was said about 13 in history lessons other than they had been wiped out when trying to rebel against the capitol. The capitol clearly using them as a warning to other districts not to attempt anything close to rebelling or speaking out against the capitol even. But it made sense now, from what he remember and bits and pieces of what he was told, 13 was supposed to be strong, despite not being a career district they had the most capable abilities in fighting the capitol since they had been the best district for weapons, particularly nuclear ones (forgive me if I'm wrong). Of course the capitol would likely feel most threatened by them and want to erase their existence. And the fact they seemed to survive proved just how strong they were.

He had to agree with them, that so far everything they had done made sense. Why they waited until now, why they initially wanted just him because he was a previous victor, along with everything else they explained so far. While a rebellion was long overdue, he agreed the timing was incredibly important, especially when until now Panem was too scared to do anything. Had this rebellion just started throwing punches at the capitol without anything to inspire change in the districts themselves, it would have certainly been a losing battle. But with districts fighting back now...it not only gave them the distraction they needed, but the aid as well. It all was still incredibly uncertain in Finnick's mind though. While he had nothing against it, it was by no means all perfect now just because the districts were uprising.

"So...what now then? It seems like you got what you came for in the arena. What's next?" he asked, and something else was slightly bothering him as well. He did mostly trust these people, but they definitely had an agenda, one that Haymitch implied earlier hadn't initially included anyone in the arena other than himself. "Before, you explained initially the plan was to get just me, right? Where you just planning to leave Gale, River, and Lilly in the arena if we weren't all together?"

 

[Soleil]

It all made a little more sense to him now, after getting more of the story. It showed that two, completely opposite districts were able to work together, and even stand by each other when all hope was lost. He remembered the decision to rescue the girls - they had never once went over the idea of leaving them to the careers. Seeing someone ready to lay down their own life for what they believed in had the power to ignite the same feeling in others. It spread hope. Gale had been thinking something similar when Finnick spoke up about them only coming to rescue him, which meant they had not been planning on helping out the other tributes. At least not directly. What would've happened if Lilly and himself had never jumped into that river? They would've never been found and probably would've been trapped right now back in the arena, waiting for the capital to arrive. Gale wondered if they had taken anyone else on board, or if they were the only ones who had made it out of there. He wasn't sure he'd like the answer, whatever it was.

Haymitch hesitated a few moments, trying to collect his answer. Damn, he really needed a drink right now if he was going to get into this. "At first, our main priority was you, and we would try to get as many of the tributes out as possible along the way. Thankfully when you all teamed up, you stayed relativity close so we didn't have to figure out a plan to try and get to all of you. After what happened with the girls getting split up though we played around with a few ideas.." He wasn't sure if he should mentioned the few tributes that they weren't able to get to in time. They only had a few short minutes, and when none of the tributes were in the immediate area they had to move on.

"Were you able to get anyone else out?" Gale asked, as if readying the blond mentor's mind.

Beetee stepped in, looking over at the two tributes. "Unfortunately no. Since there were only two others beside yourselves, there was no real way for us to reach them in time unless they had been in the immediate area."

Gale nodded solemnly, shifting his eyes downwards. He knew they weren't lying, the capital probably stormed the arena minutes after the ceiling fell. It just wasn't possible to searching the entire forest with time to spare to escape. He felt sorry for the other two, still stuck waiting in the arena. He had the small hope that the capital would take care of them, but he knew that was just not a reality.

As silence fell over them, Gale finally looked up at his mentor once again. "So what now.. where are we going?" He knew there was no way he could ever return home, but that meant they had to have some destination in mind.

"It's a place I've never been to myself.. with the capital's prying eyes and me being a mentor, there was no way I could leave the district unnoticed." Haymitch responded. "As much as I want to go home as the rest of you.. there's also another reason why we hit the arena when we did." This was the part he was most dreading, especially with Gale in the room. "We've been trying to find the best way to blow up the ceiling of the arena, but with the security levels of the captial it was almost near impossible. It wasn't until.."

"Until the fuckers in the capital decided to blow up an entire district." Johanna cut in. While she hadn't been exactly connected to district 12, this was something she could not ignore or think lightly of. "..All those people in 12."

"District 12? THEY BOMBED DISTRICT 12?" Gale raised his voice, his body slightly trembling at the thought of his family.. his home being destroyed. "..my family.. did anyone get out?"

Haymitch looked back at Gale. While he didn't have any family, or really any friends there, it was still his home too. "Some.. they've been taken to district 13. Where we're headed. While I wouldn't wish this to be there reason we were able to enter the capital, it is. It gave us time to get in undetected while the capital's back was turned."

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Hearing Finnick's response as well as Beetee's continued answer to Gale's question branching off of his own first one, regarding their intentions on who to save, Finnick frowned a bit, not all too pleased by it. Though, at the same time he couldn't entirely blame them, as it did make sense. Though he did feel regret for the two who had been left in the arena. He couldn't remember which two were left, and which districts they may be from, but regardless he doubted the Capitol would treat them well. Or, they might act like they would, but of course it would all be lies. What would happen to them, he wondered? Would they try to finish the games since two tributes were left in their hands? Or would they make examples out of them? Well, it's not like there was much of an example to make out of two kids they'd already planned to be killed in the arena.

He sighed a bit in frustration, rubbing his head and running his fingers through his locks. He tried to shake the worries of those tributes from his mind. He knew Beetee was right, and there wasn't much they could do if they weren't in the immediate area, not without risking the entire plan busting and everyone getting either killed or captured by the capitol.

Turning his attention back to focus as the conversation continued on, Finnick listened as they explained there was another reason for this specific timing of the bombing on the arena to break into it and rescue them. It didn't surprise him there was another reason, timing was absolutely everything in such a risky plan like this one. But he didn't quite expect the answer they got when it was given by a rather calloused Johanna.

Her remark caused Even Beetee to frown and give her a slightly pointed look "Johanna" he lightly reprimanded the fiery girl, his eyes darting to Gale before back to her as if to remind her that some of the tributes they rescued - one of which was Gale standing right before them - were standing just before them, and it should have been subconsciously easy enough to understand such information should have been dealt with a little more delicately. But then again they all knew Johanna wasn't one for delicacy or subtleties.

Finnick was stunned in silence - he may not really have any personal connection to twelve, aside from his new friends Gale and Lilly being from there, but it was still a shock to learned the Capitol had gone as far as to blow a district up. He could understand why they might not target four even though he was in it, due to it still being rather loyalist and technically a career district. However, he still couldn't understand why they would bomb a district - even one of the outermost and lower ones such as 12. "Why?" he breathed when he finally got over his shock as he looked to Haymitch again "Why would they bomb 12? Because of the riots you mentioned? That still seems rather excessive - even for the capitol."

 

[Soleil]

Gale ran his hands aggressively through his hair, he could hardly believe what was going on. Not even an hour ago he was back in the arena, wondering how he was going to get through the night. Now, here he was on his way to district 13 without any indication that his family was still alive or not. Not only that, but he was still reeling from the affects of what was going on with Lilly. He felt useless, like he was there and fully capable of doing something.. but there was just nothing he could do. Part of him knew he should just be grateful for those in the room with him, risking their own safety to get them out of the capital - and just be grateful for being alive. Even providing medical supplies was something of a miracle. But the other part fought with the intense rage he felt at that moment towards the capital, as if all he could see was red.

Haymitch snorted at the blonde tribute's comment, turning his attention away from Gale and the others. "Nothing is excessive when it comes to the capital boy. It would be wise to remember that." It was true, the capital.. Snow.. would do whatever he thought necessary to snuff out anything that looked like it might be leaning towards a rebellion. He sighed then, taking a seat in front of the table he had been leaning against. "While district 12 was not necessarily involved with the riots.. we think the capital was trying to make an example of them." Glancing at Gale quickly, he turned his attention back towards Finnick. "..And unfortunately for my district they were an easy target."

Beetee spoke up then, looking at the others. "I assume they had meant to target your district as well.." Looking over at Finnick for a moment. "But since four is majorly a loyalist district.. they couldn't take the risk." He said, knowing it was most likely the truth. The capital probably would've taken it out on four as well, but they needed all the allies they could get.

"It does mean one thing.. they're afraid." Haymitch stated abruptly. "They wouldn't have bombed an entire district unless they were getting desperate.."

"But what can we do.. the districts have tried before.." And we know how that ended. Gale sighed out, folding his arms in front of him. "We would need all the districts.. and weapons." While he wanted to imagine a possible end where this ended in their favor.. they wouldn't get far against the capital's technology and weapon advancements. And by the way his mentor and the others were speaking, it was as if they were preparing for battle. "You speak as if there's a war already.."

"Leave the weapons to district 13.. as for the districts that's where you four come in." Haymitch stated, pointing towards Gale then at Finnick. "We need someone..something to inspire them. We can't let this spark die out, but it won't continue unless we give them something to look to.."

"To believe in." Beetee said, nodding his head curtly.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Finnick couldn't help but agree when Haymitch snorted at his comment of the bombing seeming explosive. Realistically, he knew nothing was 'too much' or 'too extreme' for the capitol to do if they wanted to. But still....it certainly was excessive, even for the capitol, it seemed like they had just panicked and were like children throwing tantrums, wanting to prove they still had something to show for their position and they were in control. In a way, he supposed it was good if they were panicking. It probably meant more casualties, which wasn't good, but like Haymitch pointed out, this sort of reaction from them showed that they were scared and felt threatened. This rise of a rebellion wasn't just another small ember they thought they could easily step on to smolder. It was already a larger fire, in which they were desperate to put out before it got out of control. After all they all knew how much the Capitol loved their control.

A lot more had been explained to them over the course of another hour or two, everyone in the room filling both him and Gale in on any other details regarding their current plans the this rebellion in general. Now with most of the basics covered, the big important questions taken care of for Finnick and Gale such as who they were, why they saved them, why now, and such things. After it all, it did make a lot of sense. And while Finnick had been a bit skeptical at first, he was on board with this whole plan. A rebellion. He'd long since wanted one - a successful one - and while many districts and groups had protested and tried before, they'd all been easily quieted by the capitol. But this....this was a fully formed and functional organized group with a plan, with logic and rhyme and reason. This....this could, might, actually work.

That day had been a lot of questions and information, but for the most part it all stuck with Finnick's head. At first it was weird, hearing that woman, who they now learned was called President Coin, wanted the four of them; himself, Gale, River, and Lilly, to represent the rebellion to help gather more on their side for the cause of taking down the Capitol. But the more Beetee and the others explained it, that they were something that people could believe in, as the four of them had not only been in the games and survived, but more importantly they survived by working together, despite two being from a career district and the other two a complete opposite, at the other end of the spectrum from district 12. They were a sign that the districts could work together, despite class, and that it was possible to survive by working together if they could just put the past of their districts behind them, and work together for their common goal of survival. Just like what needed to happen now, with all the districts coming together to overthrow the Capitol, for all of their freedoms and survival. Like Beetee said, they were proof of hope and something to believe in.

Now, the only thing was two of the four of them were still unconscious.

The next few days seemed agonizingly slow. It might as well have taken them a year to get back to 13. The suspense of not knowing when the girls would wake up - if they would wake up, at first - along with if the Capitol would find them before they safely made it back to 13 were both two great uncertainties that nagged at Finnick the whole time. After the first day, he was eventually informed that River would survive, and that had taken an immense amount of weight off his shoulders. They still didn't know how 'okay' she would be once she woke up though. While she was physically taken care of, the injured stitched up and everything, the greatest concern would be if she had any head trauma, something that they wouldn't really be able to determine and find out more about until she woke up, which was also uncertain.

Lilly wasn't in much better condition either. The surgery she had undergone took several excruciatingly long hours. While the medics working on her hadn't said anything to Gale or Finnick, not wanting to cause them more concern or stress if unneeded, the murmured whispers between the nurses didn't go unheard, as they were pretty certain the redhead wasn't going to make it. while they did have properly trained and knowledgeable medical staff, it still wasn't as exceptional as those in the capitol, nor was the equipment they had to work with. It was sufficient enough to provide the needed tools and equipment, but it wasn't the best. Thankfully, while there was great internal damage and trauma, it wasn't as though she would need any organs replaced/transplanted. It wasn't like they had any spare livers or anything lying around to give to her should she have needed any. They did the best with what they had and could do for her, and in the end, everything had eventually been stabilized and the bleeding stopped. She had lost a lot of blood and now had remained unconscious and recovering over the remainder of the course of the trip back to 13. While she was physically stabilized, her health was still uncertain as well as to when/if she would wake up.

Needless to say, Finnick had remained beside River as much as he could during the travel, wanting to be immediatly up to date to any changes in her health and when she woke up. Even after they had arrived at 13, Finnick remained close to River as the medics were transporting her off of the vehicle and into the base of district 13. He supposed it shouldn't have surprised him that it was underground - it would make sense for how long they have gone undetected by the Capitol.

 

[Soleil]

The next few days were some of the longest in Gale's life.. even considering the days he spent without food, while trying to continue hunting to support his family. That type of exhaustion was present again, though this time the cost of his life was different. It wasn't just food he needed to worry about anymore, the problem was coming at him from all corners. He stayed mainly in the strategy deck, going over different tactics and the inner workings of the capital. Apparently, many of the members leading this had escaped from the capital and were able to give useful information that stoked the fire of the rebellion. He was wary at first, but after the first few days it almost seemed non-existent. After seeing the plans laid out, and the resources they had acquired it almost seemed possible to Gale.

After many sleepless nights they finally arrived at district 13, a place where once he had believed was all ruble from a ruined city. He stared out of the small windows of the hovercraft as they began their descent. It made sense why they were located underground, how they were able to survive as long as they did without the eyes of the capital.. or the rest of the country. As the outside light disappeared, Gale swallowed back the small claustrophobic moment he was about to have and moved towards the medical bay. He hadn't seen Lilly since they wheeled her away days ago.. he had gotten a glimpse the night before, but they still wanted Lilly under observation with minimal contact from any outside source.. meaning him. A small blond nurse took pity on him and came out to tell him that he would be able to see Lilly once they set her up in 13 - which only slightly lessened his tension. They would be transporting her out today, which meant he was counting down the minutes until they landed.

He walked through the doors, spotting Finnick almost immediately. "I thought we'd never get here.." He attempted at a joke, chuckling slightly. He told Finnick he'd check up on them later tonight, and moved quickly to where Lilly was being kept. It felt like hours, but finally he was ushered off the loading dock and into the hospital wing of district 13. He followed the nurse down a few corridors until stopping in front of a dull, beige colored door. It was hard for him to get a sense of where he was at, since all he could think about was seeing Lilly again. He would have to pay more attention next time. He sighed, opening the door finally and slipping into the dim room. She was hooked up to many wires, the heart monitor beeping quietly.. though he didn't mind. It meant she was alive. He pulled up a plastic chair, moving to sit beside her small bed and his eyes raked over her small form. She looked fragile, as if just looking at her would make her break. "Hey.." He laughed at the simplistic word. He tucked a few strands of hair out of her face, not wanting to do much more than that. He didn't know if she would ever wake again, all he knew was it would take a freight train to drag him away from that chair.


+


River had been unconscious for a little under a week. She laid limp on the bed the entire ride back to district 13, unaware of her surroundings. The nurses treated her well, and were quite optimistic in her recovery since there wasn't anything surgical that needed to be done. Head injuries however are the hardest to treat, since each one is different and there would be no knowing the full extent of the damage until she woke up. If she woke up. Which she did, days later, in a hospital bed underground in 13. The first thing she became aware of was the striking pain in the left side of her head. And when she groaned at the pain, a stiff dryness was evident in her throat. What was going on? Her eyelids were heavy, making it nearly impossible to pry open one eye. She winced a little, but the room was dark and she was slowly able to adjust to her surroundings. Where am I? The monitor beside her began to pick up at the elevation in her heart rate. Why was she here? She could see she was in a hospital bed, but why did she need to be in one? She couldn't move, the pounding in her head only worsened each time she tried.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

The ride back to District 13 was a long one, and Finnick started to question if they took a wrong turn. Living in a career district, he'd never been so far before in Panem, and it was putting a bit into perspective just how large it was. Of course, he'd seen maps and knew the facts of the district placements around Panem, however it being the first time he traveled this far away from his district, it was really putting all of it into perspective. And also all the incredibly large amount of people suffering under the capitol. Of course, that he didn't doubt before, he already knew that, however, it was still a bit overwhelming to take in. The time that he wasn't close beside River and watching over her, he was usually in the meeting room, learning more about the plans and ideas for what was coming next, along with just learning more about 13 as well.

Eventually though, they did arrive in district 13 - when it was being announced Finnick was a bit confused, since he didn't see any signs of a civilization. Of course he knew they lived underground, that's what they'd been told and also what made sense for as to how they haven't been wiped out by the capitol yet. Once they landed though, and tunnels opened up to lead them inside, he was a bit impressed with the structure of it all - it really was completely underground. Of course he knew that from what they'd told them, but it was still hard to think of a whole mass of people living underground. As they got off, he glanced to Gale when he made a comment and he chuckled lightly, with a nod "Yeah, well, I think we're about to have plenty of ground to make up for how long we were in the air" he joked back lightly, since they would now be living underground. Finnick had the same plans as Gale, and once River was set up in the hospital wing and he was allowed to see he, he immediately went and had a nurse show him the way. He was a bit more perceptive of his surroundings, trying to remember the way so he wouldn't get lost, though even then it was a bit difficult, as everything looked the same. He was sure he'd eventually get used to it once living down here for a while, but it really was quite a change.

Finnick spent most of the time by Rivers side, except for when he went to eat and otherwise wasn't allowed to stay in the hospital wing, such as during the night due to curfews, or some silly rule like that. It wasn't taking long being here for Finnick to realize there were a lot of rules here, and he wasn't particularly fond of many of them, though kept his complaints to himself. All that mattered was they were on the same side, to overthrow the capitol, and also for River and Lilly to get better. Finnick started to really panic that River never would wake up. He kept asking the nurses constantly if there were any signs of improvement or change that would indicate she'd wake up soon, but he just kept hearing the same thing over and over again, brain trauma was difficult to predict, especially when the injured was unconscious. Waiting by River's side, Finnick had dozed off, half asleep when his ears picked up on the new sound to the room, the increased beeping of the heart monitor. His eyes shot open in panic, before he saw that she was waking up, and his eyes widened as he jumped to his feet "River! Oh god...you're awake" he breathed, nearly in tears as he gently took hold of her hand "It's alright River, you're safe" he gently tried to calm her, seeing her confused and possibly a bit panicked at the unfamiliar surroundings.

~

It had been days since they had arrived in district 13, and Lilly hadn't shown any signs of waking up. Aside from her unconscious state, her body was healing, albeit slowly due to how severely it'd been injured, having needed quite a lot of stitches both inside and out of her body. If anything the stitches needed to suture up the flesh part of the wound where she'd been stabbed was less than what she needed done on the inside, since the injury was most concerning and serious inside her than on the flesh itself. However, with a lot of stitches and time for surgery even after arriving back in the district, since they could only do so much on the hovercraft that only consisted as temporary work until they got to the medical bay in 13 with much better supplies and resources, her body was healing. While she had yet to wake up, the slow but steady signs of physical healing in her body made the doctors and nurses hopeful that she should wake up.

Finally, days after having arrived in 13, Lilly did finally start to wake up. As consciousness slowly started to register in her brain again and she slowly woke up, she first noticed the stiff and soreness in her body. She then tried to open her eyes, though having been closed for so long were a bit dried out, causing them to blink and flutter a few times before they opened, staring up at the ceiling in a slight daze as she was still half asleep and groggy. As seconds passed by and consciousness started to return more to her with each passing second, her eyes slowly widened as she vaguely recalled her last memories before falling unconscious - a fight with the other careers, and being in the games, causing her to attempt to quickly sit up, her first thoughts causing her to assume and think they were still in the games. The second she shot up though, she hardly lifted herself a few inches from her back laying down before she was inhaling sharlply, gasping out a slight yelp of pain as a hand naturally flung to the source of the pain, clutching at the side of her stomach painfully.

 

[Soleil]

The second thing she noticed was the strong scent of sterile cleaners, and the cold stiff air that hung in the room. The pain radiating out of her skull was enough to distract her from her surroundings, if not briefly. She couldn't recall why her head felt the way it did, or what had been done to her before waking up. In fact, as she trudged through the fog that was her memory, she realized she couldn't remember anything. Who were her parents? Where did she grow up? Blank. She couldn't pull anything out her her memory except these last few minutes of consciousness. This in itself troubled her. She had to have some sort of life before waking up in this hospital right? Panic started to rise in her throat, what had these people done to her to make her forget? The instinct to run increased, but she was hooked up to too many tubes - she wanted to rip out the sight of them immediately.

Her fingers trembled at her attempt to lift them, but she didn't get far as a shadow caught her eye beside her. It was a man, and her eyes widened in panic as she took in his full form. Did she know him? He greeted her presence with pleasure, so it was obvious he knew of her. Her heart monitor picked up again, beeping in tune with her panicked heart. Was he the one who put her here? It was a logical question enough since she couldn't think of any other reason this stranger was in her room. "Whe- where.. am I?" Her voice was horse from lack of use, "What happened--did.. you do this?" Was all she could get out, her statement thrown out in an accusatory manner. His face was still unfamiliar to her, and she pulled back her hand from his grasp feeling like she was overseeing something intimate that she was not supposed to be apart of.

Tears pricked at her eyes, though none fell. The unknown of this place and her life was crippling, and she felt the weight of it harshly - but almost out of nowhere, a realization hit her. Maybe this was actually just a hospital, and whoever or whatever did this to her wasn't near. But how was she to know? "Are you a nurse?" She lowered her voice, it was less painful this way and she could talk without an obvious break in her voice. There was an appearance of obvious confusion laced over her expression as she waited for him to speak. Maybe he would have some answer for her at least.

+

The days here hadn't moved by at an normal pace. Without the obvious clock hanging on the wall he would never know what time it was, and it felt like time stretched out infinitely. He had to start gauging when he was tired, and when he was hungry without the position of the sun to tell him otherwise. It seemed like they ran a pretty tight ship down here in 13, as every moment was planned out from him. They even wore the exact same outfit, and lived in similar dwellings that were cramped and undecorated. Which he didn't mind much, except it only seemed to magnify where he was, and remind him that this was not a warm an inviting place. To the people of 13, this was still a war zone. They were still battling Snow and the capital even after years of being underground. It was quite impressive how they were able to manage food production with the number of people here, let alone weapons.

But when he had free time he was here, sitting beside Lilly and just waiting until she woke up. He hadn't been given anymore answers, and he rarely saw a doctor during visiting hours though a few nurses would stop by to check in on her. He could only assume they were understaffed here, and had to be grateful for what they had on hand. It was also easy to tell time by the visiting hours, when they threw him out every night. The strictness of the place was slightly overbearing, and he found it difficult to follow their specific rules. He wasn't sure how long it would take to remember every single one of them, or if he really even agreed with most of them. He had been so lost in thought about his new home he almost missed the slight yelp from the bed beside him.

"Lilly!" He sprung up from his chair almost instantly, knocking it to the floor as he made his was over to her. "I'm so glad you're awake.." He trailed off, seeing her obviously pain towards her injury. He went to put an hand on her arm, wanting to comfort her, but dropped seconds later as if his hand would only make it worse. "I know it hurts, try not to pull on it too much and it should be okay. Do you want me to grab a doctor?" He tried to inspect her wound, making sure it hadn't reopened or any other obvious sign that she may need immediate medical attention. He wasn't a physician of any kind, so he figured it would determine on her answer, and how much pain she was in.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

When she had woken up, the first thing she felt was pain. Enough to overwhelm her senses, causing her hand to clutch to the main source of pain, despite the logic that touching or holding at it would only further increase the pain from the source of the wound. Initially, she didn't entirely remember the specifics of the injury. She did remember getting injured, and that there was a fight with the careers, but she didn't remember the specifics of the fight at the moment, everything having happened in a blur. She did remember the fighting in general, and more specifically, the games. Which was the reason for her sudden movement in her attempt to shoot up from the bed in panic, her mind still fully convinced they were in the games. After all, what reason would she have to believe otherwise, when she had passed out before the rebels from 13 had broken into the arena and saved the remaining tributes they could get to. She had no idea that it had been weeks since she'd nearly been killed.

Clutching to her wound in pain, she could hear Gale's voice calling out to her, resulting in her eyes opening quickly in relief at the sound of his voice "Gale-" she breathed, before getting cut off by a slight cough from her raspy, dry and unused vocal cords. His words however were confusing, her mind jumbled as she just shook her head in confusion. A doctor? Where would they get one of those? More importantly what had happened - to the careers, to Finnick, and River. "What? No, where..." she tried again, clearing her throat a bit to try and talk a bit, her voice hurried in a slight panic, still in survival mode thinking they were in the games, the monitor of her heart picking up in pace to match the worry and hushed fear and panic in her voice.

The surroundings of the hospital-like room not having registered in her mind yet, her focus on her pain, the game, and her friends. "Finnick and River...the careers. What happened to them?" She asked, trying to sit up again, only for her wound to throb in pain and keep her bedridden "How many people are left?" she questioned, further indicating her confusion and lack of understanding of just what all had exactly happened in the past few weeks that she had been unconscious, time having slowed to her during the time she had been in a coma, thinking that it had only been hours since she had been attacked, maybe a day or two at most.

~

As he moved to River's bedside, gently taking her hand as he watched her wake up a bit more, he was overcome with overwhelming relief. He was just so glad that she woke up. The doctors hadn't been so sure, and the longer time had passed that she lay unconscious in this bed, the harder it was for Finnick to hold on to hope that she would pull through. He never wanted to doubt it, but it'd been a while, and the logical part of his brain couldn't help but remind him it was possible she may never wake up. She was alive, but not conscious. Until today. She'd finally woken up, and he was just so relieved to see her eyes again, even if they were slightly pained and full of confusion...he thought it made sense, considering it had been a while, and the last time she was conscious she was in the games fighting.

"It's alright, River" he tried to calmly assure her again when he noticed the sound of her hear monitor picking up pace, glancing to it with slight concern before back at the blonde girl "You're safe. You don't need to worry" he repeated, before she was soon pulling her hand away from his own and started questioning things that confused him. He figured she'd have questions...but the ones she had didn't make sense, and he frowned a but at her initial accusatory tone "What? No, of course not" he assured, his own bit of confusion starting to spill into his voice as he looked at her with furrowed brows, confused. Maybe she just wasn't fully awake yet, and she just needed to jog her memory a bit of the events that last happened to her.

When further asked if he was a nurse, he just frowned slightly, shaking his head "No, I'm not...I'm Finnick, remember?" he spoke, a slight tone of hurt in his voice at her clear confusion and lack of memory of him. "You're in the medical bay of district 13....a...lot has happened. So it might not make sense at first but I'll explain everything to you" he assured, since hardly anyone even knew or believed 13 even existed anymore, so that was something to explain in itself. "The important thing is we're safe. We're out of the games now" He said, though still concerned about her strong lack of memory. Forgetting if he was the one that hurt her, he supposed that could be logical confusion upon first waking up and recalling events, but if he was a nurse? "Does your head hurt?" he tried to prompt her, hoping it might help her remember why it hurt "You were pretty badly injured there" he added in to help clarify.

 

[Soleil]

Beep...beep..beep...

River had been unconscious for a little under a week. She laid limp on the bed the entire ride back to district 13, unaware of her surroundings. Head injuries. however, are hard to treat since each one is different and there would be no knowing the full extent of the damage until she woke up. If she woke up. Which she did, days later, in a hospital bed underground in 13. The first thing she became aware of was the striking pain in the left side of her head. And when she groaned at the pain, a stiff dryness was evident in her throat. What was going on? Her eyelids were heavy, making it nearly impossible to pry open one eye. She winced a little, but the room was dark and she was slowly able to adjust to her surroundings. Where am I? The monitor beside her began to pick up at the elevation in her heart rate. Why was she here? She could see she was in a hospital bed, but why did she need to be in one? She couldn't move, the pounding in her head only worsened each time she tried.

The sight of the bronze haired man only made her panic increasing, as she inched away from his touch. They talked quietly for a few moments, but it only made her confusion set in. The games? He mentioned the games.. THE GAMES? Her heart quickened, and the need to vomit over took her but she doesn't.. Because in all reality, she didn't' remember the games. But why does it feel so familiar? Like her life is in danger? She straightens herself up, looking for her opponent lurking in the dark corner, but one never appears. It's only the man who calls himself Finnick. "Finnick?" She tests the word out on her tongue but it still seems foreign to her. "Wha..what happened? I can't.." Her confused glance towards him was something she couldn't conceal. She searched her brain for any kind of recognition. Her throat felt like it was inhaling flames, "My head.." She starts to become aware this is not a doctor, then what is he doing here?

"I.. have to get out of here!" She almost exclaims, tearing out the tubes in her arms so she can get free.




++

Being surrounded by the walls of thirteen was still something Gale hadn't gotten used to. Being a hunter, the thought of living underground sends electric shock waves through him from time to time. Fear shock waves, like an animal trapped in one of his snares. He tried to remember that he was destined for this life anyways regardless of the games and being sent to district 13.. A life under the ground. If he hadn't be thrown into the games, he would've spent the rest of his life in the mines working to support his family. 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week.. the thought of this always sends a shiver racing down his back. He prefers the woods, and supporting his family through fresh game and wild herbs.

But of course, this life will never come to pass. Instead, he sits stories below the earth for an entirely different reason. They survived seventy five years down here already.. whats another couple? He thought briefly to himself, trying to calm his shaking nerves and remind himself that the earth has yet to collapse. While he sits confined within the gray walls, the person lying in the bed opposite of him keeps himself sane. Keeps him from thinking of the miles of earth above him.

When Lilly stirs, she is rapid with questions. So much so, that he doesn't even have the time to think of the answers. "Woah woah, don't strain yourself too much." When he heart monitor beeps at her obvious distress, he inches closer, inspecting her body to make sure everything was still in place. It seemed nothing had changed, though she gripped her side in obvious pain but he had expected as much.. so he let out a breath before trying to tackle her questions. Finnck and River? She almost dies and her first question is about someone else? He almost wants to argue the point but reigns himself back in. Of course that is the last thing she remembers, being attacked by the careers with River beside her. But its the last part of her sentence that catches him off guard. "Who's left?" He says quietly, almost confused. She must not know shes no longer in the games. "We've been out of the games for weeks.. I don't know about the careers.." He trailed off wondering slightly about the pack of ruthless past victors. Looking back to Lilly he continued, "You're safe now, we're not near the capital anymore.. River and Finnick are here with us.. River got a pretty nasty injury but she's okay. She's a couple doors away." He didn't want to delve into River's situation yet, because he didn't want to upset her.. and he wasn't sure exactly what was happening at the moment. He knew she was stable so he went off that knowledge. "How do you feel, are you okay?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

When Lilly had first woken up and vision returned to her as well as consciousness, she had initially started to panic and freak out, thinking she was still in the games and, as was always in the case of the games, was in danger. More than that, she recalled the friends and allies she'd made in the game, whom she'd helped work together with to survive. Were they okay? Where were they? How many other tributes had died while she was unconscious? How long had she been out for? Hours? Days? She hardly thought it had been weeks, let alone that she wasn't even in the games any longer. The room was dimly lit, so with her still clearing vision, she didn't recognize the unnatural room that wouldn't be found in the games this year, and was that of a medical looking room.

As Gale approached her and tried to calm her, she had so many questions - but despite her attempt to move, all she was met with was a sharp, almost blinding pain in her abdomen, her hand immediately reaching to grasp over the pained area as she collapsed back into the bed with a whine of pain. Despite the blinding pain though, she ignored it and turned her eyes opened once more to fall on Gale, as he slowly but surely started to address her questions and concerns. She was glad to see he seemed alright, at least, and it was the one thing that relieved her at least a little bit, while she anxiously waited for the answers to her questions.

When he first explained they'd been out of the games for weeks, while it eased her inner alarms of paranoia and danger that she was still in the games, and calmed her instincts on that level of needing to survive at least, she still found herself not any less confused, and, if anything, more confused than she was before the question, if only at least slightly calmed. Gale's response of them being out of the games, and his apparent calm demeanor indicated safety and no need for concern or worry, so that did help to convince her she could relax, albeit, just a little bit, until she had further questions and confusions of hers answered. Aside from that, her first priority and concern with the others, not herself. Gale she could see was alright, which eased her. However where were Finnick and River? She looked to Gale expectantly, and worriedly, as the worst started to cross her mind when he was a bit too slow to answer and get to that question.

Thankfully though, she did get a proper answer from him...it may not have been a detailed one, but River and Finnick were safe, and okay, and that was all she needed to know right now to relax, a heavy breath of relief falling from her lips as she rested her head back against the bed once more "Thank god..." she murmured softly, eyes closing for a moment as she calmed down, before opening them once more and glancing back to Gale as he asked about her. "I'm okay....i think. It hurts a lot, though..." she trailed off softly, glancing down to her abdomen, pulling the hem of her shirt up slightly and seeing the layer of bandages wrapped around her torso, vaguely recalling what happened to her. She didn't recall the details, more so just flashes of images of memory. Sighing softly, she let go of her shirt and pulled the blankets back up above her. "How are we....where....away from the capitol? How....how are we all alive?" she asked, the next biggest confusion on how they were no longer in the games, yet four of them alive? Everyone knew there was only one winner of the games...how was it they were no longer in them, yet all alive?

~

Upon seeing River's confusion, Finnick grew concerned and worried, as well as a bit hurt by the fact the person he'd seemed to grow close with, whom he'd survived so much with, didn't seem to remember him at all. More than that, she seemed scared of him. As she seemed to start to panic again despite his, Finnick himself started to panic, trying to figure out what he could do to ease her concern. He knew he should call a doctor in because she had just woken up finally for the first time...but he worried that in this moment, and her panicked state, that more unfamiliar people would cause her further panic...he especially didn't want them having to forcefully sedate her if they couldn't get her to relax and calm down.

He knew this was something the doctor had been warning him about. A head injury and such trauma that River had sustained to her head was unpredictable, especially before she woke up, there was no way of knowing the extent of the damage. They had warned him how severe the damage could be, from the best case to worst case scenario. Best case, was of course she was fine and her memory or brain wasn't damaged in any permanent way, or even temporary. Worst cast, she had permanent memory loss, or possibly even brain damage itself, aside from memory. They had warned and prepared him that should she wake, there was a strong possibility her memory would be affected, as was a common trait with such severe head injuries. However, the extent was unpredictable until she woke up, they cautioned him the strong possibility she may have at least temporary memory loss...but it could be worse. Finnick hadn't tried to think too much of it...but now, faced with the reality River clearly didn't recognize him, he grew worried.

Eyes widened as she was ripping at the IVs stuck in her arm, though, he thankfully wasn't too concerned since, physically, she was in good health, so the IV's had more so just been to keep her nutrients up and monitor her heart while she remained unconscious. Now that she was awake, they weren't all too necessary, though he did worry of her panicking too much and causing herself injury by carelessly ripping the needles out of her arms. He quickly stood up and closer to her, but he didn't touch her, seeing the last time he touched her hand she had yanked it away. Instead, he stood by her bed in her way before she could get up, but he put his hands up holding them up defensively, palms open as though to physically show he meant no harm. He did grab a cup of water, and offered it to her after a moment, able to see the discomfort as she tried to speak and hearing the dry rasp in her voice.

"River please, I won't hurt you. No one here will hurt you. We're not in the games anymore. You're safe....we're friends. I promise" He spoke calmly, looking to her worriedly and with a genuine and hopeful gaze "I can explain everything to you, I promise....You don't remember much? You got a nasty head injury...Do you want me to call the doctor in?" he asked, waiting for her permission before he did such, not wanting someone else unfamiliar to come in and cause her more concern if she wasn't ready for another unfamiliar face yet.