15th Throw - [ written ]

[shenevermisses]

[It's a question that's been on Clove's mind.

Okay, she's had a lot of questions lately. Valentine's Day and that whole week... It wasn't unkind, but it made her think too much. There were too many uncertainies. The ones with Cato... She didn't feel like thinking about.

But Katniss. She can talk about some of that.]

What do you all do for a living, where you're from? Or what were you going to do? Does everyone in your area do it?

In Panem... your district says a lot about what your job will be. Not always, but probably. Like me... If I hadn't gone to the Games? I'd probably have been the foreman in a factory. Or an overseer of a quarry.

And what you do... When did you learn to do it? And from who?

Comments

[shenevermisses]

[She has some idea of what magic means, and "exorcist" has been mentioned to her before, but the actual meaning of it all... She doesn't even try. Not in this place. There are too many strange things here.]

And no one cares it's not what you were going to do?

[abjurer]

Maybe. It was kind of expected that I'd go into politics, or diplomacy. Like my brothers. Maybe get a PhD. Don't much care what they think though.

[shenevermisses]

[It's the last statement that Clove... doesn't really understand. She's seen a lot of it here. What looks to her like open rebellion. And even this long in Luceti, she can't quite get it.]

Why didn't you do any of that?

[abjurer]

[Because that kind of power terrified him? Because he didn't want to get shown up as not as good as them like when people had laughed at his magical aptitudes, not half as grand and showy as theirs had been? Because he might actually be able to help someone this way?]

Why follow in their footsteps? I'm good at what I do. I enjoy it.

And I like being contrary.

[shenevermisses]

["I'm good at what I do. I enjoy it."

Now that makes sense to her. But, then, she was trained to be good at what she did. She was taught to enjoy it. Without enjoying it, there was nothing to enjoy.

Still, it's close enough.]

And they let you.

[That's the other surprising thing.]

[abjurer]

Well, yeah. What were they going to do? I was twenty three.

[Not that they hadn't given him disappointed looks and there had been a lot of talk about it being just a phase.]

[shenevermisses]

And do you enjoy it? What you... decided to do?

[abjurer]

...yeah. I do actually. Most of it.

[shenevermisses]

That's... That's good.

[abjurer]

Works out well for me. Gives me time to do research.

[shenevermisses]

What sort of research?

[abjurer]

Magic research. I like improving my skills. And I find rare items for people occasionally.

[shenevermisses]

[To a girl trained to fight, research and finding things sounds pretty dull.

Still.]

Good that you like it.

[abjurer]

It is, yeah. Keeps me from getting bored. A bored mage is something that no-one wants.

[shenevermisses]

I don't really think a bored anyone is good.

[Not that she really knows what a mage is. Way she sees it, it doesn't really change facts.]

[abjurer]

True, but bored humans don't usually lead to explosions and demon summonings.

[shenevermisses]

[She's heard of demons, but those are out of her knowledge. She can't comment there.]

People are capable of explosions.

[The stockpile of food. The landmines made by the Capitol. Even bored idiots she's heard of playing with sparks near flammable material from the mines.]

[abjurer]

True, but humans normally require a few more factors than skill and intention. Like something actually explosive.

[shenevermisses]

Something explosive isn't really hard to come by. Not where I'm from, at least.

[abjurer]

Ah well, that does help.

Not that I'm particularly in the habit of blowing things up. My talents lie elsewhere.