» cause for hope !, TAGGED || Rod / Stasia

[CALLIOPE COLEMAN]

you're so hypnotizing

Fingers drummed on the arm of the seat that she sat in, eyes following the rolling landscape of the District before her. Looking over her shoulder at her sleeping son, the young mother couldn't help but smile tenderly. Checking the address on the paper that had been sent to her only a few days ago, she looked over at her son. The train ride had put him into a deep sleep, which gave her enough time to look at the different scenes going by her. She had never been to District Nine before and she hadn't heard much about it. Her knowledge only went as far as knowing that the first Victor lived there with his family. Hence the reason that she was even travelling there. It appeared as though he was hosting a BBQ and Callie had been invited to attend. It had taken a lot of time for Callie to finally decide that going would be a good idea, a good chance to see people again. There was always the fact that she would be able to see Juniper, Max and Siren again. As the car pulled up to the house, Callie put her hat ontop of her head and slowly got out of the car. Eyes looked up at the house before her and her eyes were wide. That was massive, even for a Victor house. Slowly, she picked up her son from the back of the car and held him on her hip. He stirred slowly and held onto his mother tightly. Rubbing his back with her free hand, Callie walked over to the door and knocked on it. When she was let in, she followed the person through, looking around with intrest. Her sandles moved soundlessly on the floor and her free hand tugged at the romper she wore. When she was finally outside, Callie held Dimitri closer to her. There was a big pool and a wave of panic went through her at the site of the water. Sitting down in the closest chair, she held onto Dimitri tightly, holding him on her lap firmly as he wiggled about and whined. "Dimitri, hush. You're not crawling around here! Stop it." she muttered, wincing as he grabbed onto her necklace and tugged it.

words:378. outfit: click notes: yay for a bbq! template by kristen loves you! of atf, sds, sp, and caution.

[roderick rex]

of the titles he had, being the first victor was not the one that roderick was the most proud of being. above it was being a father, a husband, and even a brother and a hard worker. the victor status had never meant a thing to him aside from the fact that he'd escaped an early grave simply out of luck. like many others, he had blood on his hands but he knew he'd never be completely free of the echo his victory had left for the rest of the district. where he had won, those who had fallen had failed in a way even though those first twenty-three had no clue what they were getting into. truthfully, none of them did. they hadn't been aware of what hearing their names in the town centre would bring for them and none of them had the brutality engrained in them as the years had passed and some districts worked to better prepare their tributes to hopefully bring one of them home alive. having watched as each new victor stepped forth over the years, it left a lot to his thoughts. initially he had tried to reach out to each one individually to let them know they could come to him if ever they needed anything. while some were less than accepting of it, others seemed to appreciate it.

as the number grew, he invited each one over and slowly it became an annual thing where all could come if they wanted and were free to interact with the other victors who showed up. it was an event roderick often looked forward to in having time for all of them that didn't involve the lows associated with the games when they were forced to pit kids against one another and had once been in their places. he had been gathering things together for the last month or so in preparation and his kids were already flinging themselves into the pool and half falling over themselves in excitement of the guests that would be arriving. thankfully belle had already fenced off a play area of sorts for those under the age of five where their parents could watch over. from what he knew there were a few more who would soon be joining the enclosed pen and that always made rod laugh to himself. most shared the same fear of their kids entering the arena but having them was often more worth the risk. his own concern was with the fact that he wasn't risking just one but nine.

he'd opened the door to find calliope waiting to enter as the newest victor to their lot. it was still recent that she'd left the arena and roderick kept his mouth shut watching as she moved through the house and eventually out onto the deck with her son. "there's a playpen for those who can get into too much mischief over there if it helps." the door had slid shut behind him and he indicated the small pen that had been baby proofed by his wife where three of their own were in various stages of sleeping and being conscious.

words: 526 || tags: drama/callie! || notes: i can't even at rod and his family okay.

[CALLIOPE COLEMAN]

you're so hypnotizing

This entire experience was already beginning to stress Calliope out. She was far away from home with a group of people that were considered stars. Not to mention the fact that her son was with her and that meant that she wouldn't be able to relax for a single moment. The fact that she didn't know much about the people that she would be spending time with made her feel sick to her stomach and she was regretting coming here every passing moment. How did she even know that this wasn't some kind of trick by the Capitol? Had Siren ever mentioned this kind of event before? Had it been a warning or something to look forward to? Chewing her bottom lip as she held onto her son, dark eyes moved around the house slowly. She was looking for a sign that didn't make sense or that proved that she should get out of there. Yet there was nothing that stood out to her and she couldn't help but feel almost disappointed. Now she had no sane reason to leave. As Callie sat in the backyard, Dimitri fought on her lap for some kind of freedom, beginning to throw a fit about not being allowed to crawl around. Callie was getting more and more frazzled as her son's whines turned into full out screaming and yelling now. "Stop it! You're acting like a spoiled little boy and you are not! Stop it right now Dimitri or we're going home." Eyes were filled with tears, hating the fact that her son couldn't stand to be around her for longer then a minute when he was awake. "Dimitri stop this instant." Bouncing the baby on her knee, she tried her best to make him stop his peircing cries by giving him one of the toys from the baby bag. When he threw it to the ground, she frowned and fought the urge to just set him down and let him go and get hurt. He wanted his freedom then he could fall into the water and get hurt. Shaking her head she tried to focus on the man who was standing near her. "Oh no, you don't want him in there and he isn't leaving my sight at any point and time. No matter how much of a pain he is being." Holding him more protectively again, Callie jumped as he bit down tightly on her hand. Growling lowly she got up and put him down in the play-pen, sucking on the bite to stop the blood from running. "You just wait until we get home mister. You are in so much trouble that you won't know it until you're old enough to be married." The threat was hissed under her breath as she threw his teddy bear into the pen and sat back down in the chair angrily, fighting the urge to break anything around her. Taking a couple deep breaths, she walked back over to the playpen and knelt down, picking up the bear carefully and handing it to her confused looking son before he threw it onto the ground and crawled to the opposite side of the area to avoid her touch. "You're impossible! First all you want is to cuddle and then you could care less if I was alive. Is that really what you want?" Blinking back tears, Callie stood up again and walked over to where Rod was manning a strange looking and smoking device, "Do you have water? Or something to drink?"

words:588. outfit: click notes: -.- i apologize in advance for her attitude right now it has been one of those days! template by kristen loves you! of atf, sds, sp, and caution.

[roderick rex]

he watched on as calliope moved around with the same wariness so many before her had kept about them after leaving the arena. it was an unfamiliar gathering and the new victors didn't always have exposure to the rest of the group prior to the party. on some level, every one of those who attended could relate to what callie was dealing with. roderick, however, felt a certain responsibility to assure her that things were safe and nothing bad would happen to her while she was under his watch. while she had made her way out into the backyard, he had stopped in the kitchen to retrieve some drinks and follow after her with the intent of setting them in the cooler while she scolded the small child in her arms about being spoiled. a small smile was hinted at in his expression as he turned to the grill and reached under to grab the coal bag. he began to pour some of it into the grill casting small glances to see how the toddler was fairing with his overprotective mother. though calliope had every right to be overprotective, he couldn't help but shake his head at her comment. perhaps the terrible twos had arrived early for dimitri as rod saw her finally concede to putting the child in the playpen.

roderick laughed to himself at the fit calliope was throwing over dimitri seeking a bit of independence quieting only when she approached him requesting a drink. he reached into a cooler and offered her a water bottle remembering fondly when he'd been frazzled over a similar situation. "if you think it's difficult with one, try twins." unlike calliope, rod's family had started out with a pair of twins who were their fair share of trouble at first and were the reason they waited longer before having more. "he'll grow out of it. he's excited about all the new things around him. dario was a lot like him come to think of it; never knew quite what made him happy until he discovered dirt at about three years old." although, dario had always been the one most likely to give rod and belle a run for their money regardless of what he was doing. "what's his name?" it would be a while yet before he'd start the grill up and julian had yet to arrive to take turns on when they were grilling what. it was easier to run it with two people watching the food rather than one.

words: 419 || tags: drama/callie! || notes: sorry it's short but rod. <3

[CALLIOPE COLEMAN]

you're so hypnotizing

Where her son found the energy to act out like this was beyond his mother. She had never delt with a child like this before and she was none too pleased to be doing so now. Frowning a tad, she tried to control him before finally letting him get away with his outburst. If he was going to act like a little brat then she would ignore him the next time he cried or wanted to cuddle with her. No, she wouldn't, she couldn't do that to her baby boy. She was desperate to spend time with him and to show to him that she loved him that nothing he did was going to be held against him for too long. Sucking on her finger as she walked over towards where the Victor was pouring coal into the strange looking device, she tried to stop it from stinging. It didn't matter what stung more, the fact that it was sharp or that her son had done it. Giving up spending time with the child, she walked over towards one of the closest adults. "Thank you." Taking the bottle of water from him, she opened it and took a drink of it before grabbing a napkin and wrapping it around her finger slowly. "Oh goodness, I couldn't do that alone. I'm having a hard enough time trying to keep him under control." Glancing back over to the pen she nodded her head slowly, listening to the man that seemed to have some kind of experience with children. "So you have three? The twins and...Dario I believe you said. I'm not looking forward to him walking and running. It is going to end terribly for me, I can tell already. He will take off in every direction." Taking another drink from the water she gave a small smile, "Dimitri Helio Coleman. I know it isn't the most common of names but his father liked it and it was the only boy's name we ever mentioned. I don't believe I introduced myself. I'm Calliope, call me Callie though. It is a pleasure to be at your house."

words:354. outfit: click notes: -.- i apologize in advance for her attitude right now it has been one of those days! template by kristen loves you! of atf, sds, sp, and caution.

[roderick rex]

perhaps roderick should have better introduced himself to callie before he'd initiated the conversation. it was some serious damage she'd taken from dimitri biting at her finger and he was sure there was a first aid kit inside he could get to better stitch it up than the napkin would do. he'd been lucky that nothing had happened to belle thus far and that she was safe in his bed every night. some people in nine were less than lucky when it came to having kids as not all women necessarily survived it. part of it probably had to do with the fact that he was a victor but she had never left the district nor requested any sort of special treatment. if he'd had to raise any of their kids on his own, he would have been at a loss for quite some time before finally getting the hang of it. without her, roderick would easily still be on his own much like the rest of the victors and possibly traveled down one of the darker roads offered to so many in honor of their victories. prior to meeting belle, rod hadn't been in the best of places in terms of how he put up with those around him. after, well, he was a changed person and it was for the better. if anything, it was the one thing he'd known he did right in his life.

"nice to meet you at last, callie. hopefully you know my name is roderick; rod for short. and dimitri's a fine name." there were a fair number of strange names that came from all over the districts. while some were geared more towards honoring the districts, others were more common and could be found anywhere. his own had been from a distant relative that his parents had picked for the sake of reminding them of their home in the capitol. "when he does, he'll wear out faster. it'll be more difficult to get him to slow down but naps will get easier if he's worn out enough." he wasn't sheepish as he looked to the pen and grabbed his own drink to take a sip of it. rod's head shook as callie asked about just having three kids. there was never an easy way to say exactly how many he had. "actually i've got eight." after three or four, people tended to ask why they had continued having kids and the truth was, he and belle simply wanted a big family. there were others who had been in similar situations but since then, it wasn't an incredibly common practice. part of him didn't want to mention that there would most likely be another before they called it quits but that could be shared at any time if he felt like it.

words: 469 || tags: drama/callie! || notes: lol eight kids.

[CALLIOPE COLEMAN]

you're so hypnotizing

Taking another napkin, she wrapped it around the finger and just let it stay like that. She was used to getting cut and scraps, the prep team would just polish them away next time they saw her. Tugging her hat a little bit to sit properly on head head, Calliope looked past Rod to try and find some other familiar faces as well. The man before her seemed to be nice but she wanted to know that this wasn't something underhanded. Looking back over her shoulder to Dimitri she felt her stomach flipping from nerves. She didn't know what to do because she was terrifed that someone was going to just take him away from her, especially with his love of strangers. Chewing on her bottom lip, she took another drink from the water bottle trying not to spill it everywhere from her shaking hands. She was fighting the need to run and hold her son and never let go. Whipping her head back around to look at Roderick she nodded her head sowly, "The pleasure is all mine. Thank you, his father picked it. If he hadn't, then it would have been a lot harder to name him. We--I was expecting a girl." How Nolan had picked this name she didn't know but she didn't care to find out either. It didn't matter what had happened in the past, she just had to focus on the future. Smiling a bit she shook her head, "I hope you're right. He is too much of a handful alone. I just don't know how people do it." Spitting out the water that she had in her mouth, Callie coughed and gripped onto his arm to keep from falling over. "Eight! Eight children!" Looking at him like he was mad she shook her head slowly, "You're kidding. That is insane. I have a hard enough time with just one. What are their ages?"

words:320. outfit: click notes:aw cute. gotta love daddy rod! template by kristen loves you! of atf, sds, sp, and caution.

[roderick rex]

calliope's nerves about being in a new place was obvious as roderick watched her tremors more curious as to what the cause might have been. while the games would certainly have messed with her, not all newcomers were this jittery so much as cautious of their surroundings. it was understandable that being a victor was still a new experience for her and that she was probably wondering why she was in district nine. given time, rod was sure she'd realize it was a safe place as opposed to so much of panem when it came to being a new victor. her son was in her eyesight, he wasn't breaking anything, and he wasn't in danger of injuring himself any time soon. his head tilted and an eyebrow arched in thought as he caught her correction on the matter of what gender dimitri might have turned out to be. "sometimes they just like to throw curveballs at us." it had become a bit of a joke among the healers in district nine that it was often a test the kids put their parents through to see what sort of life they'd get. the more receptive the parents were of the change, the more likely the child would supposedly be raised with enough love. in a way, it was true in any family. sons were more valued in some households just as daughters were in others.

rod's thoughts were on to the wondering of why she seemed to be a single mother at such a young age. one of his own tributes in her year had been expecting and unfortunately she had passed on like all the others minus callie. however, they were distracted as she went into being shocked over how many kids he had and the grip on his arm would have been enough to pull anyone from their subconscious. "yup. eight of them." a chuckle escaped him as she spit out her water at the idea of having so many running around. for him, it was something both he and belle had wanted since they'd been married and they'd put it off for long enough when they finally did have the twins. "i've got the spectrum from infant to fifteen year olds." now there was a real challenge when they reached that age where suddenly it was a good thing to argue with their parents on things that had long since been a final decision. "amber and ruby are the twins at fifteen, jordan's ten, tove's nine, dario is seven, lina is four, samson is two, and bryan is the newest. he won't be one until spring of next year. and it's easier when you've got a bit of experience and help on your side." though he typically took night shifts, belle and rod had taking care of the kids down to a fine science of everyone's wants and needs. at this point, it ought to be considered a superpower of theirs. it was second nature for rod when a cry would wake him up at some obscene hour of the morning and he'd return only for the alarm clock to go off much too soon and the stampede of those who could walk began. "when's dimitri's birthday?" an innocent enough question for the sake of sending the child something when it came around. it was a habit rod had taken to and it had only expanded since he'd had his own children.

words: 574 || tags: drama/callie! || notes: oh rod.

[CALLIOPE COLEMAN]

you're so hypnotizing

The feeling of being nervous and scared was something everpresent since her victory. She was scared to move anywhere that wasn't familiar or without someone that was familiar to her. Right now, she didn't want to have to deal with all of the new people and strange faces in the building. Licking her lips, she tried to stop trembling so badly. She needed to calm down, she needed to relax before she did or said something completely stupid. The cold water did little to calm her nerves but it did help to keep her mind pre-occupied on something other then the people around. It sounded terrible, she knew that, to wish that her heathly and happy baby boy was a girl instead. A girl would have been eaiser to raise on her own right? A baby girl would have been eaiser to bond with right? "Curve balls indeed. I didn't expect to be raising a baby alone at eighteen. Nor did I expect to be in the Games like that. I guess there isn't much to be done about those curveballs." Calliope loved her son more then anything else and wouldn't trade him for anything in the world. He was her pride and joy, nothing was going to prevent her from giving him the best in the world. Smiling at Rodrick, Callie tried to keep herself calm. He didn't look like a bad man and he didn't seem like the kind of person who would try and hurt any of the people here. When he dropped the bomb about the amount of children he as raising it took all her strength not to faint. How on earth could anyone do that! It was unheard of normally. In twelve, if you had that many kids, they didn't live very long. There wasn't enough food or water to go around like that. Especially not on the Seam. "You must go crazy with that many children! I couldn't do anything like that. Your wife must be a life saver!" Listening to the long list of children she shook her head slowly, eyes still wide with shock. She could not believe that this was his family. That was so strange, yet she could tell that he loved them all so much. "It must always be busy at home then. At least you have the two older girls to help out a little bit." At the question about her son's own age she smiled softly and looke over to the pen with children, "He'll be a year old this coming month. He's growing up so quickly." Shaking her head she pulled her hat down again and sipped her water, "He looks more like his father and uncle every day."

words:454. outfit: click notes:aw cute. gotta love daddy rod! template by kristen loves you! of atf, sds, sp, and caution.

[roderick rex]

she had succeeded in drawing rod's attention away from the kids in the playpen as he moved off to a chair at the outdoor table reclining in it. "no there isn't." concurring was the only thing he could do as he took a sip of his drink. "what became of his father?" rod's eyebrows furrowing together only wondering what might have happened to split the couple up. perhaps he'd simply been lucky when finding belle but he liked to think others eventually had what he'd received with her. aside from that, it was probably the fact that he'd always liked the idea of being a dad that he couldn't imagine someone walking out on any child. it was difficult enough to raise them with two parents at one time let alone one. "to your credit it means you're more than capable of handling him with your credentials." it was possibly a bit too soon for such humor but in a way, it spoke more to calliope's ability to deal with whatever came her way. being a single mom on top of it all was difficult but when she was even able to overcome that, it was no wonder she had walked out of the arena as the newest victor from district twelve.

his eyes glanced over at a few of his kids who were jumping into the pool reflecting more on what the last twenty years had offered him. the smile on his face turned to a frown at the suggestion that belle was merely a lifesaver when it came to raising their children. it was a far cry in his mind of what came with her name. for roderick, she was his rock, his lover, and his best friend wrapped up in one. even more than that in some ways, she made him a better person and more often than not kept him on his toes. to him, equating her to a lifesaver was dangerously nearing the borderline of insult. she didn't just raise the kids; they both did. it was a team effort rather than dependent on one to help the other succeed. there were times when he'd find himself watching her for the sake of watching how she moved and falling in love all over again. lifesaver was an irrelevant term. life giver was more appropriate with how she'd worked with him to give both of their lives a family to care for and nurture. he didn't know where he would have wound up if he hadn't found her and he never wanted to know.

the frown again changed to the smile from before as the thoughts passed through his mind and he still looked around expecting belle to be outside even though she very much so was inside most likely with bryan if he was being fussy. having the opportunity to see her tended to brighten his day and improve his mood at least a noticeable amount. "we ask them to help out sometimes but after the third it's easier to pick up the old habits. life can get busy at times but it's not something we'd trade for anything." there wasn't a thing in his life that he could possibly regret even including his games. if they hadn't happened, he probably never would have met her and that would have been a sad life indeed. "you'll begin to notice bits of yourself in him, too." it was an offer rod gave her as she seemed to have hoped for a little girl rather than a little boy. it just would take a bit of time before she'd notice.

words: 603 || tags: drama/callie! || notes: that gush. ;~; is a fraction of what goes on in my head.

[CALLIOPE COLEMAN]

you're so hypnotizing

Nodding slowly, Callie looked into her drink before sitting down on the edge of a chair by his own, watching the water swirl around with each tremble of her hands. "He died. In a mining accident. Just before our son was born...I went into early labour from the trauma." Nothing but death would have seperated her from her husband, they had grown up together and a number of people expected they would marry at some time. Nolan had taken care of her the best when Helio had been killed in the Games, he was the only one who looked out for her best intrests all the time. Hell, he even got her fresh fruit when there was none left in the market. How? She would never know but he had been her complete and total world. "I miss him more then anything else. I would trade anything to have him back again." Most of her nightmares now consisted of him coming and trying to take her back with him but she would survive, watch everyone else disappearing before her. Nameless faces who died in the blood bath and throughout the Games. Friends that had helped her and family she had seen dead. As he gave a smile and looked at his children, she couldn't help but smile as well. However, it quickly turned into a frown and Calliope shifted slowly, trying her best not to feel awkward. What had she said that had made him so angry looking all of a sudden? She had jsut said what was true, she was a lifesaver. What she wouldn't give for someone, anyone, to stay with her and help her with the nightmares. To hold onto her when she woke up screaming, covered in sweat and cut her palms just to make sure that it was real. It wasn't fair to drag people to her house from all over the place when she had the smallest nightmare and the smallest fit of terrors. She just had to learn to cope on her own and pray that it didn't do more damage to the relationship with her son. "I'm sorry for whatever I said. I didn't mean it like that..." "I still can't imagine having that many children. I guess it means they never have to worry about being lonely. They always have a friend. In twelve there are so few children around Dimitri's age. Many don't surive and those that do aren't able to move around as much and they are still so little." Shaking her head slowly she took another drink from her water, her dark eyes following her son's slow movements in the pen. "I don't want to. His father and brother were much better people then I'll ever be. I would rather he looked and acted like them then anything else. If he does, then he will be the best boy in the world."

words:483. outfit: click notes:aw cute. gotta love daddy rod! template by kristen loves you! of atf, sds, sp, and caution.

[roderick rex]

roderick listened as calliope recounted the events that had ultimately left her alone with dimitri. part of him didn't want to further speak on the subject that would have equally pained him if their roles were reversed. recalling a phrase he'd heard earlier, rod took a sip of his drink and spoke, "be glad you had the time with him that you did. and he's left you a piece of him with dimitri." he'd be lost without belle there, of that much he knew and was hardly ashamed to admit. she'd done more for him than she knew and he was eternally thankful that she'd picked him when she could have anyone she very well wanted and walked away without a second thought his way. "look at it as his final gift. winding up with a boy that looks more like him by the passing day instead of a small girl." perhaps if dimitri grew up to look enough like his father or uncle, that might ease callie's aching heart for her boyfriend who left all too soon.

his head shook as she tried to apologize, a flippant hand gesture dismissing it as one finger tapped on the side of the glass slicking some of the water droplets out. "it's just that i happen to think belle is so much more than the mother of my children." even though it had been years since his own games, he still woke up some nights convinced his life thus far had been a dream and he'd find himself waking up in a cave. thankfully, belle was never too far and normally all it required to soothe his racing pulse was find her hand in the darkness or feel his feet on the hardwood floor as he made his way into the living room and often enough out to the front porch swing. sometimes if he'd roused her, she'd sit with him but looking at the stars was often all he needed and having her with him made it better in some ways. if need be, he might have even told her about what his thoughts had been doing while he was asleep and her listening did more than enough for him to feel confident enough to brave sleep again. while that might lend to her being a lifesaver, rod just could not bear the idea of classifying her under just one term when she was the woman who did all these things and never complained even when it was warranted.

"guess i shouldn't say that we've been thinking 'bout another, then," rod mused before tagging on, "i'm sure belle wouldn't be opposed to you bringing dimitri over from time to time for play dates." while she might have the final call, he could still give suggestions as they seemed like enough in mind and willingness to be there for others when necessary. although, at callie's next words, rod was left feeling a bit wounded while they had nothing to do with him. "i'd say being a fighter is something you'd want to see. he has an equal part of his father and you in him and whether he shows parts of it or not, eventually he will come around and you'll have to see those things that are as much from you as he may have from his dad. i'm sure belle wishes dario hadn't inherited his love for dirt from me but she still sees things in him that are plenty of her." even rod could pick out things among his kids that were from both their parents and leaned stronger to one than the other. dario had his mother's smile and lina had her laugh but they were still theirs and he loved them for it.

words: 626 || tags: drama/callie! || notes: gah. rod. what even.

[CALLIOPE COLEMAN]

you're so hypnotizing

Callie hated talking about her husband and really didn't like doing it to someone that she hardly knew. The thought of her husband's death, how slow and painful it must have been still twisted her stomach and made her feel sick. It was silly to make her feel this bad after almost a year now but she was still hurt by the fact that he left. She felt like it was her fault, though that was impossible. How could she have stopped that kind of thing from happening? How could anyone? "I am glad that I had him, but I've lost everyone that I ever wanted to stay close. My brother died in the Games, my husband died in the mine before we were married a year, my family disowned me. Sometimes I think it would have been eaiser to have never fallen in love." Callie blinked back the tears that were brimming up. She didn't want to think about this anymore, she didn't want to talk about her husband or her brother. "Can we stop please? I would rather not start crying at your party." Eyes looked up to him, pleading to drop the subject of final gifts from deceased loved ones. Settling back in the chair as he tried to dismiss her apology she sighed and rubbed her forehead, "I would kill to have someone like that. He doesn't like to nap much anymore which means I don't get much sleep anymore. Especially not with all the surprise outings they drag me through. Belle sounds like an amazing woman Rodrick, I'm really glad that you found one another." The nightmares were the worst part of being woken up from a screaming child. All she could hear were the cries of people in the Arena, people that may have never made a noise. It scared her to wake up in the dark in a place that was still unfamiliar to her. "I just wish I wasn't so alone anymore. It would make this all eaiser I'm sure and I wouldn't have this resent for my son." Callie shook her head and finished the water bottle, crushing the bottle in her hand slightly to try and stop from shaking even more."I'm sorry, you don't need to know any of this." Callie gave a smile at the mention of another child and she shook her head, "If that is something that you two like, then go for it. I just don't know if I could deal with that many different ages all the time. I commend the both of you." The mention of a playdate caused her to tense up and she bit down on her bottom lip tightly, "I--I don't want to impose on you like that. Especially not if he is going to be difficult like this. Maybe--maybe when he is older or something." The truth was she was still not sure about the people she had met since her exit from the Games. Juniper and her son had already seen her break down into a terror and she didn't want to do that to another person. That was another reason she hadn't been to visit the victor from seven at all since their initial meeting. A small frown passed over her lips for a second before she shook her head, "I don't know. All I know is that he is never going to get the chance to be a fighter. He's going no where near what I went through." Eyes clouded over darkly before she looked down at the sun on the water, "I just can't shake this feeling that my life hasn't been turned upside down enough yet."

words:611. outfit: click notes:aw cute. gotta love daddy rod! template by kristen loves you! of atf, sds, sp, and caution.

[roderick rex]

he was left feeling wrong for having touched on the subject of callie's loss. however, rod had never intended to upset her with his words and such a reaction was unexpected. "of course. although you wouldn't be the first to shed a few tears at this thing. it's specifically for things like this." he pulled a napkin from the center of the table and held it out for her to take. rod opted to keep silent when it came to the question of having fallen in love knowing only the fact that his life would have been quite different if he hadn't given love a chance. perhaps calliope might not have made it out of that arena if she'd never fallen in love or maybe she would have never entered it. there were so many possibilities but something in rod told him that one day her mind might be changed. things might be difficult now but as time went on, it wouldn't erase old wounds but it would certainly soothe them. it was fine that calliope was talking to him even if she wasn't completely happy about the content. it was better than nothing and rod intended to listen any time one of the victors might have needed it. if no one took the time to listen, well, what good was it for them to gather when there were kids going to die and then go their separate ways rather than help one another?

"has warm milk stopped working already?" it was often enough to settle his own bunch down when they wouldn't keep quiet. "sometimes a bit of honey in it works, too." if they were being particularly difficult, there sometimes was no way around it but to stay up and work through it until whatever had them worked up had been forgotten about. they were certainly more trying times but after a while, similarities began to crop up and could be referred to when needed. "he's not being that difficult. the first year amber and ruby were brought to this, amber hardly kept quiet and ruby always followed suit. they didn't quiet down until it was closer to late afternoon and they'd tuckered themselves out. i'd say he's doing just fine in comparison." to each their own but any child that arrived at these gatherings typically had rod wrapped around their finger in terms of the do-no-wrong aspect. while kids were mischievous, he hardly found them to be that big of a hassle in the long run.

his head tilted in wondering what she was going on about. "if you search out for the negative, you'll find it just as easily as when you search for the positive. and there's no need to go looking for trouble because then you'll definitely find it. but at least the older he gets, the easier things will be. when they finally sleep through the night, it's a good sign for the state of things in your home." call him a blind optimist but rod tended to prefer the brighter side of life. there were always plenty of negative things to focus on but what good would that do for anyone? the best he could do was simply try to live his life and hope things turned out for the best.

words: 549 || tags: drama/callie! || notes: belle will probs offer them play dates anyway.

[CALLIOPE COLEMAN]

you're so hypnotizing

There was a lot of things that were going through her might right now. She was scared that crying here would make her look even weaker then she seemed now. Running a hand through her hair she chewed her bottom lip and looked at Rodrick with a shake of her head, "No, if I cry then I am going to end up leaving, in one way or another...Thank you." Taking the napkin from him, she wiped her eyes slowly and took a couple of deep breaths. Would falling in love ever turn out to be a good thing for her? Or would it always end in this kind of misery? Would that be what happened more often then not? Running a hand through her hair slowly she took another deep breath before looking at him, "I'm sorry, I'm going off on a tanget about nothing to concern you really. I guess I am just still a mess..." Wiping her eyes once again, she tired her best to stop the flood gates of tears from opening. She didn't want to look like the affects of the Arena were still holding on as tightly as they were. "He doesn't like milk much. We didn't really have it before the Games, we barely had anything. I've tried everything to calm him down. Honey? I don't know what is...Is it like, uh, jam?" The amount of new foods that they had been exposed to reccently was amazing. Neither of them had seen or heard of half the food that suddenly filled their cupboards and fridge. "I think he is just because he has the energy now. The other children around hardly run around or do much. There isn't much time for it either..." Looking over at Dimitri as he banged blocks together, laughing loudly at the noise she frowned, "I should have taken those out of his toys. Now he has things to throw and make noise." Eyes narrowed as he looked right at her and stopped laughing, banging it much louger then before. "I hope you are right and he grows out of it...and soon." Listening to Rodrick she understood that it was exactly what everyone must be saying to her. Nodding slowly, she ran a hand through her hair and smiled, "Thank you for the hope. I'm going to take your advice since you've been around the block a few times now." So long as she could keep that kind of optimistic outlook on her own life then maybe she could listen to the advice of other people around her. Maybe she would be able to spend more time with new people and wouldn't feel like running away from here right now. "So how many boys have you raised to be strapping young lads like yourself?"

words:464. outfit: click notes:bahaha sounds good! template by kristen loves you! of atf, sds, sp, and caution.