entrancelogs | Here it's safe, here it's warm... [OPEN]

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Here it's safe, here it's warm... [OPEN]

Who: Kitty Archer (Katniss Everdeen) and YOU
Where: All around town
When: October 24 - October 28
Rating: PG-13?
Summary: Kitty's just turned 21 and family is everything. Who needs to ever leave Storybrooke when everything you want is right in front of you?
The Story:

Day 1: October 24
It's been a couple of weeks since their birthday. But if you ask Kitty, twenty-one doesn't feel all that much different from twenty. Maybe the most noticeable difference is that her twin has started to dye her hair. It's easier to tell Rachel and Kitty Archer apart now. Just look for the blonde one and look for the brunette. She still hasn't entirely adjusted to the change. It's weird to look Rachel in the eye and not see her mirror image.

When not at home with her sister, father, Robert, and younger brother, Jake, she's usually at work. Working as a trainer in Peter's fitness center isn't exactly the most exciting thing in the world, but it makes money. And any little bit helps the family. So it's worth it, even when she has to deal with strangers. She's never been so good at making friends, even though she tries.

Day 2-4, October 25-27
Though she's always been good at archery, practicing at the fitness center no longer seems like enough to her. She wants to lose herself in the outdoors and in the woods, be away from everyone and everything in town and alone. At peace. Providing for her family not by working but by hunting. She thinks she knows how to set traps now, oddly enough. And what plants might have an edible component to them.

But she tries to ignore this best she can and keep up with life as normal.

Day 5, October 28
Kitty Archer has a twin sister and a little brother. She has her father. Even if it's missing their mother, she has a family. A family that loves her and needs her and supports her through her dreams. But Katniss Everdeen? Katniss doesn't have any of that. Her sister died because of her actions. Her father had been dead far longer. She's broken and bitter and doesn't know how to trust anyone anymore.

Kitty wants nothing more than to think the girl a figment of her imagination. She's Kitty, not Katniss.

Today, it's easiest to give in to that feeling of hiding in the woods with her archery equipment. She doesn't want to be around others. She just wants her sibling to hold her and tell her things will be alright. But which, she doesn't know. Rachel? Prim? Jake?

It's a horrible game of Real or Not Real and all she wants is for it to be over.

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Smiling and pretending that everything is fine is something that Rachel's always been been pretty good at. It's come easier to her than her sister, but Rachel doesn't mind that Kitty's more no-nonsense than her. They're happy, and they get along - people had always told them that twins were destined to, but sometimes she felt like it was more than that.

She knows people are going to shoot her dirty looks for bringing a slice of Fred's pie in to her sister at the fitness centre (some people are looking at her like they want to mug her and devour that pie all at once), but she's on her lunch break and she's started to make it a tradition. Rachel knocks on the wall near where Kitty's set up.

"Time for a break, sis."

Sometimes, she wishes that she could pretend as easily as Rachel does. Because she wants to pretend that Rach's new hair style doesn't bother her. But it does. She hates looking at her sister now and not seeing an identical image. So much of her life has been caught up in being a twin and older sister. She's loved being able to play tricks on her boss and Rachel's growing up. On their teachers and classmates and, when they could actually get away with it, their brother Jake.

But they can't do any of that now, can they? Not so long as Rachel remains blonde.

Still, she pushes all those thoughts aside when Rachel walks in to the gym. But there's a flicker of uncertainty that remains on her face even as she tries to smile.

"What kind of pie did Fred make today?"

"Good old-fashioned apple." She lifts the little take-out container out of the bag she brought it in, trying to ignore the hint of a look that she gets from Kitty. She knows that her sister doesn't like her hair, even if she hasn't said anything yet.

"He wanted to put some sort of cheese on top of it, but I stopped that nonsense right away. It just seems -- weird." She motions back at the rest of the gym. "Busy day today. People must be gearing up to stuff themselves over the weekend or something." Because they're sisters, it's easy for her to tell something is wrong with Kitty -- but she can't feel certain there isn't something wrong with her, too.

Apple and cheese. It doesn't sound like that bad of a combination. But then again, Kitty's never been all that picky about the food she chooses to eat. If Fred wanted to put cheese on it, she'd give it a shot. The very fact he constantly let Rach bring her pie for free was more than enough. Still, she gives a small grin at her sister's comment.

"I would have eaten it anyway," she says, pushing the fork out of the plastic. But it's really not all that necessary to say. Working here tended to create an appetite. "Is it this busy over at the Pie Hole, too?"

"Busier than I remember it being in a while," she admits with a soft shrug of her shoulders. Fred was a good employer, it was true -- she always assumed it was because she was a hard worker who didn't fool around. No need to make any trouble for the pie-maker.

"And I know you have, but it might've been weird. This way I know for sure you'll enjoy it." Because she thinks it's polite to make conversation, she glances toward Kitty.

"What'd Jake get you for our birthday? I'm curious."

She finishes chewing and swallows before glancing up at her sister. Unlike Rachel, she's okay with silence between them. She's always been the quietest of the three Archer children. But she smiles anyway as Rach attempts conversation. She'll do anything to appease her sister, even engage in what she otherwise would think of as pointless conversation.

"Perfume and sweets," she answers, dipping the fork into the pie for another piece. "Same as you. Except mine smells like primroses."

She grins. Hers smelled sweeter, like vanilla and sugar.

"He really did a good job this year -- I think he must've gotten someone to help him pick it out." It's strange getting perfume from their brother, and she can't help thinking that if they'd had a mother, she would've helped him pick it out.

She shifts to the side a little, shoving her hands in her pockets. "You have many appointments for the afternoon, or will it be slack?"

She smiles at the thought, but really, Kitty doesn't care if he had help or not. Jake's never forgotten a birthday since he'd been old enough to understand the idea of gift giving. It doesn't matter what he gets her; she tends to love it all the same. The same goes for any gift from her sister or father. Even if there had been tragedy in their lives, the Archers were still a close knit family.

She's lucky. She knows that she's lucky.

"It's Friday," Kitty comments, gesturing for her twin to take a seat on an empty stool. "Weekend likes to come early sometimes."

"For you," she points out with a laugh, dropping down onto the stool and grabbing the edges with her fingertips so she can sit on it a little more comfortably. "I can't say I blame anyone for wanting to stuff their face with pie after a week of hard work, though."

She waves a hand over toward her sister.

"Sooo...do you have any special plans for the weekend? I hear we should be celebrating." As a matter of fact, she's pretty sure Kitty has plans and she knows exactly what they are.

"Our birthday was last week." It's said in a very matter-of-fact manner despite the amused twinkle in her eye. Come tomorrow, their birthday would have been eight days in the past. And yet? "The celebration should be over by now."

Kitty smiles at her twin, letting her know that she's teasing. Mostly. It's good to be twenty-one, to know she's survived yet another year in Storybrooke. As has her sister, her brother, and her father. Everyone important.

Still, she shakes her head. "No plans."

"Oh, I was thinking more -- one-on-one plans. Maybe the romantic kind, where your sister has to pick out a dress for you."

She raises her eyebrow at Kitty. It isn't that she doesn't trust the other girl to pick out clothing, it's just that she doesn't trust her to pick out something that's a little girly and maybe shows off some ankle.

"You know, the kind with an awkward kiss at the end?"

She can feel her cheeks flush in embarrassment. A date. Rachel wants her to go on a date. They've tried this before in the past. Both of them have, really. Kitty's attempted to set Rachel up with boys and her sister has done exactly the same. Both trying to find happiness for the other rather than themselves.

It's an old game and yet, it's not a game that she's yet grown accustomed to. She always feels flustered and awkward whenever the subject is brought up.

Her eyes goes wide and she looks more closely at her sister. "What?"

"You remember Daniel, right? The nice kid who's always hanging around in the library, being quiet and studying?" He'd seemed more like Kitty's type than hers, and it had been a while since she'd tried to set her sister up.

She wants to get at least one more blind date in for Kitty before her sister finds someone for her. She doesn't want to admit that she might be just fine with messing around with Bucky because it's nothing serious, nothing she can get hurt doing.

She remembers him. Cute, quiet, but not someone that she regularly talked to. Has she even ever talked to him at all? Kitty can't remember. Odds are she hasn't. She's never been the outgoing type, the friendly person so good at socializing with her peers. But Rach is aware of that, maybe better than anyone else they know. Someone quiet, perhaps just as socially awkward?

Maybe that could work.

Still, she eyes Rachel skeptically. "What about Daniel?"

Daniel's neck is a little sore from spending the day in the library researching, and he finds himself tracing sigils on the steering wheel as he drives over to the diner, but -- whatever. He's feeling good; things are looking up. He's feeling energized, which means it's actually probably a good night for a blind date. If there's ever such a thing.

He did his hair, and he's kind of self conscious about it. Once he gets to the parking lot, he stops and fusses with it in the rearview, and then soon gives up. Well, he's here. He smells nice, and he's wearing a nice shirt, but not too nice. He actually feels pretty confident about it.

Checking his watch, he thinks he might be early, if she's not also the early type. He goes in and quickly scans for her, but doesn't see her, so he gets them a table and waits.

Edited 2014-10-26 06:27 (UTC)

She's been reluctant about this date all day, nervous, ever since Rachel mentioned setting her up with Daniel. But these attempts to try and find her a boyfriend seem to make her sister happy. It won't hurt to go on this one date, even if something in the back of her mind seems to tell her that this is wrong. She shouldn't be dating anyone. She doesn't even know if she's capable of loving someone outside her family. She can't help but think that she doesn't deserve anyone else in her life.

They're strange thoughts. Thoughts that hadn't been there two days ago.

Thoughts that she does her best to push out of her head as she walks into the diner, hair back in a simple braid and wearing the dress that Rachel had picked out for her. She forces a smile on her face instead, doing her best to look friendly and open as she walks over to the table the waitress pointed to.

"Daniel?"

"Hey."

He smiles and stands up, and automatically sticks his hand out. That's pretty stupid, but he's not taking it back now. They're doing this; they're shaking hello.

"Kitty. You look nice." And she does; he's not just saying it, even if he knows that that's a thing he should say. It's been so long since he dated anyone, and his mother's passing made it hard for him to really think about anything else for a while. Does he remember how to function on a date? That's a very good question.

"Um, how was your day?"

Edited 2014-10-27 22:27 (UTC)

She eyes his hand for a moment, looking a little confused. Not that Kitty's been on many dates in her life, but handshakes, she's pretty sure, aren't common place. Isn't it usually a hug or something? Whatever. Drawing attention to it would probably make them both feel more awkward? She's been spent five minutes with the boy and already, she wants to yell at Rachel for setting her up.

She's not good at this. At forming any sort of connection outside of her family.

"Thank you," she remembers to reply a second as she shakes his hand firmly and with a smile on her face. "It was good. Um, have you been waiting long?"

The table seems like it's in the way! Anyway, she's probably right; he should've hugged her. He doesn't realize that he's already made a mistake; the atmosphere seems awkward by default, anyway.

"No, I just got here."

He sits back down and then wonders what he ought to do. He'd been feeling so confident before, but now he's mostly nervous. What had he been thinking, feeling like this was going to go flawlessly?

"Um, did you do anything fun today?"

She sits down across from him, mentally cursing her sister for setting her up on this date to begin with. She's not good at these things. At being social or making friends or any of it. Let alone dating. Is she supposed to compliment him? Tell him that she likes his choice of restaurant? Or just answer his questions?

Does the napkin go on her nap or can she act casually, like she was having a dinner at home with her family?

She takes the napkin off the table and places it on her lap. At the very least, it gives her something to play with.

"I worked." That's not much of an answer, is it? "At the gym. Did Rachel mention that?"

"I've seen you around before. Peter works there; I've seen him around, too."

Daniel puts his napkin in his lap and reaches for his water, taking a quick sip and trying to be casual about it. He can survive this, he knows he can; it's been a while since he dated anyone, but that doesn't mean he's undatable now, right?

"Do you like working there?"

"I do," she answers, reaching for her own water to take a sip. Her hands cup around the glass and she can't help but smile at the thought of her boss. She hadn't been aware that Daniel knew Peter, or vice versa. Then again, he wasn't always all that open about his social life.

She glance at David again and smiles. "Peter owns the gym. He's a great boss."

Robert Archer, above all, is a family man. He utterly adores his children, and despite there being a constant void in his heart from the loss of his wife, he's happy because his girls and his son make his life whole. Unlike Robin Hood, this cursed persona of him is more of an introvert, going outside only when his children express an interest, when he can have fun with them and do things with them. Never for any other reason.

He's proud of the archery skills Kitty has picked up, and despite living in a nice home, they still live off the land in a way, with Robert often preparing and cooking with the game his daughter has hunted. It's cleaner, they know where it's come from, and they tend to have enough meals to last for days this way.

When she comes home, she'll be greeted with the aroma of freshly baked bread and warm apple pie. He's waiting until she's returned to get the stew made.

She always worries about Peter whenever she leaves work. He's been in such a rough state since his wife left him. All Kitty wants is for her boss to be happy. Happy and taken care of, with a woman that deserves him. That won't leave him for whatever the reason. It's not a crush. She refuses to think of it as a crush or any romantic attachment of any sort. Any good person would be concerned about their employer.

Really.

But for all her worries, there's always a sense of relief at the end of the day when she gets home. Because from this point on, she can be with her family. And that's what really means most to her, more than anything in the world.

She inhales deeply when gets home, smiling brightly at the smell of bread and pie. Her father's been busy, hasn't he?

"Dad?"

"In here, sweetheart," he calls out, and that's his cue to get the stew made completely; it's the type that will certainly keep and reheat well for leftovers, but he wants it to be freshly made for their meal tonight. There's not much left to it, with the carrots, potatoes and celery nearly cooked through. The meat won't take long, and so he puts the lid on the pot and lets it come to a boil.

"I always love the sound of you coming home."

"You say that to all of us kids, Dad," Kitty responds as she enters the kitchen, a slight blush on her face. He so easily could have shut down after the death of their mother but Robert had hung in there instead. She'll always be thankful for that. To lose one parent had been hard, but Kitty can't imagine trying to lose them both at once. She doesn't want to. "I've heard you. It doesn't matter if it's me or Rachel or Jake."

She smiles brightly at him, walking over to hug her father and place a kiss on his cheek. "But we all love hearing it."

"I do, yes, but it never stops being true," he says firmly.

That hug, though, is the best thing, and he'll never stop being grateful just to feel it. His children mean absolutely everything to him, they've always been the bright spot in his life, especially since the loss of their mother. Responding in kind, he hugs her tightly, then kisses her forehead.

"It's getting quite a bit colder these days, so I thought stew, warm bread, and pie might be welcomed. I hope you have an appetite?"

It doesn't matter how many slices of pie Rachel tends to bring her during lunch, she always manages to work up an appetite when at work. One of the benefits of having a job that involves a lot of physical activity. It gives her an excuse to usually eat as much as she wants.

Food has always been one of her favorite things.

"Do you even have to ask?"

"Good point," he chuckles softly.

The bread is still warm, so he grabs a bread knife and slices a few large pieces for both of them, plopping it down on a plate and grabbing the butter, and a knife.

"To tide us over until the meat's cooked through," he gestures, waiting for her to go first before he butters some bread up for himself. "Tell me how your day was, love."

She does her best to beat her father to the fridge, not wanting him to have to do all the work. But her father's quick, like always, and she smiles and gives in, making herself utterly useless in the kitchen. She much prefers it to be the other way, actually doing something and helping her family. But she's almost certain that if her father got his way, none of the three Archer children would have to work a day in their lives.

She loves him so much for that.

And that makes it almost easier to busy herself with buttering up some bread for both of them than admit how her day's been. Because today's been... weird. Almost as if she's living someone else's life lately.

"I was late for work today."

When she butters up bread for both of them, he just smiles softly, because it's so much like him. Even something simple like that, she wants to do and help with, and he's always been the same way; her father's daughter, certainly. But then she mentions having been late for work, and he frowns slightly.

He's not upset, he has no reason to be. He's been late to work before.

But it's more the question of why she was late that has him worried.

"It's happened to all of us on occasion. Any particular reason you were late today, though?"

"I thought it would be fun to take a detour through the woods." She says the words slowly, as if thinking over each and every word she chooses. A frown crosses her face for a second and she bites down on her lower lip. She's not so good at talking about her emotions, not even with her twin sister.

And there are a lot of emotions up in the air today. All around town, it almost seems.

Katniss places the current piece of bread on the plate and picks up the next. It's better than meeting his gaze. How long has it been since she last spent time in the woods like today? Since before her mother died? "I lost track of time."

He's not trying to scrutinize her, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, but when she speaks, his eyes linger on her for a moment before he takes a bite of bread, chewing thoughtfully as he lets that sink in, wondering what compelled her to do that today.

Perhaps it's something simple, just a need for fresh air to clear her thoughts. Perhaps it's more complex.

"Is everything alright?"

She shrugs, unsure of the answer herself. She can't think of what might be wrong, but regardless, it feels like something is. It's hard to vocalize, to put into words exactly what she might be feeling. But something feels different today.

It's a feeling she's learning to dislike. Very, very quickly.

"Something feels... strange today. But I don't know what."

He's noticed it, too, but hasn't thought on it for any length of time. He's been busy around the house, his thoughts preoccupied with chores and cooking, and what his children are up to. But now that he has time to slow down and think, he wonders what it is, exactly.

Setting his bread down, he steps forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Whatever it is, we're here together now, and I fully intend to pull a few good smiles and laughs out of you before the night is over."

Jake... no James... no Jake.

He can't decide which one he is. Jake has sisters and a father, and gets to play football and run track and things that James has only read about. James... James helped save the world, helped stop the mechanical menace that was slowly wiping out the human race.

Jake just bought birthday presents for his sisters that he earned the money for himself.

He doesn't want to be Jake. He doesn't want to be James. He wants to be both. Saving the world, but with family at his side and sometimes just being able to do the simple things in life.

But his back feels naked. His back feels naked and he isn't sure just... His feet scuff through the leaflitter and finds himself staring at one of his "sisters", Kitty. "Hi." He offers, tucking hands into his pockets.

She hears the scuffling of leaves on the forest floor and her spine straightens, her whole body going rigid. Her bow and quiver rest against the same tree she had previously slumped against. Blinking rapidly, her head darts back and forth as she tries to determine where the noise comes from. Because this isn't a home, is it? It's a game.

As she rises to her feet, her hand closes around the grip of her bow. A second later, when Jake comes into view, she suddenly feels guilty. Katniss doesn't know Jake. But Kitty? Kitty loves him. He's her brother. Someone she's supposed to take care of, not distrust.

But her grip doesn't loosen. Instead, she hangs her head in shame. Would she have shot her own brother? Is he her brother? Real or not real, again and again and again.

"Hi. Jake?"

Jake is surprised to see Kitty with the archery equipment. James can tell she's familiar enough with it to be comfortable. Lucky. His shield is missing.

Shield? What shield? Jake doesn't have a - no James, James has his father's shield. His dead father's... but Jake has a father. Jake has a father, and James doesn't.

"Y-no... I don't know." He finally admits, sighing out in defeat. He isn't sure what's going on. "Do you know what's going on?"

She doesn't know either. But she has no other name to call him. In the other set of memories, in the ones belonging to Katniss Everdeen, she's never met this boy. She doesn't have a brother. Only a dead sister, to go along with a dead father and a mother who'll never be what she needs from her. Not that Katniss needs anything from anyone.

Katniss Everdeen is a girl who's best off on her own.

But Kitty? Kitty walks over to Jake and wraps her arms around him, never letting go of the archery equipment but hugging her brother just as tight. She's going to fail him. She already knows that. It's something Katniss is used to.

"I don't know."

James's sister is Torrun, an Asgardian princess. But Jake wraps his arms around Kitty and clings to her, because he likes having a pair of older sisters who love him the way these two do. and he knows that she cares.

He closes his eyes, reveling in the care and honesty he knows she feels. James has been lost since... leaving his family? Losing them? Something like that. James misses them like a physical ache.

Jake can feel that ache and being in Kitty's arms helps alleviate some of it. "What are you doing out here?"

She's happy to hold him for however long he wants to be held. It reminds her a little bit of when she once held Prim in her arms, calmed her sister's tears, and made soothing promises that she'd never be able to keep. Katniss loved her little sister. Still loves her. How could she not?

But Katniss would never get to hold Prim again. Holding Kitty's little brother wasn't the same, but it was better than any alternative.

"I needed to get away," she answers and then frowns a little bit. "What are you doing out here, Jake?"

Jake doesn't mind being held by his older sisters. They're the ones who soothed scraped knees and helped him ride a bike. They're the ones who helped him understand their mother's death.

James had... James had Tony. Tony, an Avenger, the Knight, his only parent for a very long time.

James never learned to ride a bike, but he could hotwire a car and most computers.

"I couldn't concentrate on my homework. My head's all muddled." Which is one way to put it.

There has to be something comforting to say. Something she can tell Jake and actually believe in herself. She doesn't want to lie to her little brother. Or whoever this boy might be. A boy being used by Gamemakers for some reason she has yet to understand.

She knows how much it hurts to be a pawn in someone else's game. How much it could wear on you time and time again.

"Mine, too." She pats his hair gently, soothingly. "It's hard to concentrate on anything, isn't it?"

He nods his head against her shoulder. He's not even sure what his name is any more. So many memories swirl through his mind, that he can't pick out which ones are his and which ones aren't.

None of it makes any sense.

"I haven't seen Rach or Dad, so I came out here." He's not sure that being around them would help.

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Here it's safe, here it's warm... [OPEN]

Oct 24!

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Oct. 25, awkward dates!

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Oct. 26 :)

:D

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28th, because I'm mean

you aaaare XD

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