Karla highly doubted that Katniss was up to seeing her yet. Hell's fire, Karla wasn't certain if Katniss ever would be. The only thing she was certain of? That Katniss wouldn't be sleeping. And that lack of sleep would be horribly detrimental for her.
After a while of trying to figure out what to do, Karla eventually put together a small basket of teas. Honey, lavender, chamomile...all teas that would help Katniss sleep and a bit of Craft to ensure that sleep was dreamless. Tucked into the basket was a note: Brew a cup or two before bed. Non-narcotic, non-addictive. No dreams, either.
Not the most restful sleep ever, but better than nothing, which was what Karla was betting Katniss was getting now.
Karla set the box down in front of Katniss's door and knocked loudly. Then darted down the hall towards the stairs. Maybe Katniss wouldn't open the door until Karla was safely out of sight.
[Feel free to have Katniss catch her or just open the door for the tea!]
No such luck for Karla. Considering how jumpy Katniss had been, it was a wonder it even took that long for her to answer the door.
"Running away from me?" she called softly after her. While she didn't want to see Karla, really, she wasn't going to ingest something without talking to the person who made it, either. These were her thoughts as she knelt a bit to pick up the basket.
Karla stopped and sighed before slowly turning around to face Katniss. "Not exactly," she said. "But I'm assuming I'm not high up on the list of people you want to see right now. Figured it might be easier all the way around if I wasn't there when you opened the door."
"Mmm." Katniss was being good and not commenting on just how little indeed she had wanted to see Karla. She wasn't ready. Or she thought she wasn't, anyway. She'd been wrong about her readiness a lot, lately. "What are these?" she asked, waving vaguely with the basket.
"Sleepy teas," Karla said, latching onto that topic of conversation with gratitude. Nice, safe, easy conversation. Neutral. "I make them for a lot of people around here. They help you fall asleep and ensure that you don't dream. Or, at least, not enough to wake yourself up and remember later. It's Craft, though, not chemicals, so you don't have to worry about getting addicted to them. Take them as needed and stop when you don't. Easy."
She nodded at the basket again. "There're a few peppermint ones at the bottom, too. Help soothe your stomach. Maybe help you feel hungry a bit, too."
That was...annoyingly kind. Katniss wasn't really ready -- really wasn't, not just suspected she wasn't -- to share her nightmares with Karla, but it wasn't surprising that the other girl had figured out she was having them at all.
"Why?" she asked after a moment. "Why did you make these for me?"
Karla shrugged, going for casual but falling short of the mark by a long shot. "Because I knew you'd need them. That's not the kind of thing you can see without nightmares. None of it is. And I know you're feeling every death on your conscience, not just--"
Couldn't say it. Couldn't say her name. Not without bringing up--couldn't say it.
"It's not an unfamiliar feeling. And there are better ways to deal with it all, but they take time. I thought you might appreciate having a short-term answer to buy you the time to start on the long-term solutions."
And because it's the only apology I think you can handle from me right now.
After a while of trying to figure out what to do, Karla eventually put together a small basket of teas. Honey, lavender, chamomile...all teas that would help Katniss sleep and a bit of Craft to ensure that sleep was dreamless. Tucked into the basket was a note: Brew a cup or two before bed. Non-narcotic, non-addictive. No dreams, either.
Not the most restful sleep ever, but better than nothing, which was what Karla was betting Katniss was getting now.
Karla set the box down in front of Katniss's door and knocked loudly. Then darted down the hall towards the stairs. Maybe Katniss wouldn't open the door until Karla was safely out of sight.
[Feel free to have Katniss catch her or just open the door for the tea!]
Reply
"Running away from me?" she called softly after her. While she didn't want to see Karla, really, she wasn't going to ingest something without talking to the person who made it, either. These were her thoughts as she knelt a bit to pick up the basket.
Reply
Reply
Reply
She nodded at the basket again. "There're a few peppermint ones at the bottom, too. Help soothe your stomach. Maybe help you feel hungry a bit, too."
Reply
"Why?" she asked after a moment. "Why did you make these for me?"
Reply
Couldn't say it. Couldn't say her name. Not without bringing up--couldn't say it.
"It's not an unfamiliar feeling. And there are better ways to deal with it all, but they take time. I thought you might appreciate having a short-term answer to buy you the time to start on the long-term solutions."
And because it's the only apology I think you can handle from me right now.
Reply
Leave a comment