Caged Nightingale [Hunger Games Fanfic]

Food (II)

Hot Fudge Sundae:

She's nearly bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation. Her visits to the Capitol are actually much more allowable now, but they were always monitored and never really for leisure or a simple outing for fun. Even when she sneaks out, she tells him that she only goes to the outskirts and visits randomly around and making small talk with Capitol citizens.

The authorized visits are more for the benefit of the people –President Snow had originally never wanted her to leave her home, but the inquiries and strong desire of the people had persuaded him that it would be prudent to perhaps allow her some visits to the Capitol (under watch, of course) to let them see she is happy and content, that she is 'willingly' there and living amongst them, and to keep the people of the Capitol satisfied seeing her. That especially was important to Snow, making sure the people stayed blissful and ignorant, and if they wanted Katniss Everdeen then they can have her. It allowed them to be distracted from the rebellion, to be busy dealing with Katniss and keeping her busy in turn, and Snow had managed to placate them with these visits and glimpses of the Girl on Fire.

Seneca wonders whether Snow knows now that the citizens have now become absolutely infatuated with Katniss; that their interest, attention, and affection for her have now become more than that. And if he did, Seneca wonders if the President was aware of the level it had grown, of how much exactly this attachment now ran deeply between the people and her (not that she knew) –so much so that it was evolving into devotion, a dangerous sort of devotion, where they were willing and capable of doing anything in her name. Their care of her borne from the games had now become attachment, and it keeps escalating.

It would be hard to believe that Snow would allow such level of devotion to exist, where the citizens where absolutely besotted, in a way similar to where crushes became full blown love (and that was actually literal in some cases). The relationship between the people and Katniss was like loving her and now being in love with her.

Seneca was just glad for the visits being allowed in the first place, regardless of Snow and the people, simply because it allowed Katniss not to go stir crazy in her home.

He had been assigned as the one to go with her when she made these visits to the Capitol, but this time would be one of the times where they were just sneaking out to the Capitol. Seneca hadn't bothered to get permission, so this made the visit 'unofficial' and unauthorized, but he figures a little rebellion right now would be warranted.

And right now, she was excited because he'd promised to take her out to some ice cream. Her authorized visits had been limited to certain areas, and were meant more for her to be seen, as what Snow had wanted. Her sneaking out didn't allow her to visit long and she didn't know anywhere well enough to go to, or where anything was.

He can't help smiling at her enthusiasm and glad to be part of the reason.

She immediately orders a hot fudge sundae eagerly, and impatiently waits for him to order.

"I don't know what to get," he murmurs, playing down his smile.

She grabs his arm and tugs once harshly. He thinks in his mind, though, that this was a delicacy she probably had rarely had, maybe not even ever.

"Just share with me. I saw one those things and it's a big sucker."

He laughs lightly, ignoring some of the startled looks around him at the action (he understands he doesn't show emotion and do such things in public so freely, but they could do without the staring –especially when he's with Katniss). He agrees to the suggestion and they await the sundae at a table.