It was only after arriving at her room, having spent a couple of hours at the medical bay being fussed over by nameless, faceless doctors, that Clove finally lost it. Their intentions were only mostly good and after the second time someone mentioned her weak arm, she realized that they probably knew very little, if anything at all of what had happened to her earlier in the hovercraft. Of what she'd been subject to by the 'birds'. Of course, the entirety of them still pissed the hell out of her. Like a wild animal, she growled and snapped. If it weren't for the sharp ache which still resonated from the side of her chest, she might have even tried to attack them.

She didn't.

Her bruises were looked at. Clove was sure that the bleeding wound on her side had been re-stitched. However, nothing beyond those two procedures were offered to her. Not that she would have accepted the extra-help. She sneered at the coddling, while still being secretly glad for not having to deal with having being drugged and knocked unconscious, again. Although the slow and steady pain which flared up with every breath nearly drove her to insanity right there and then, the idea of having been helpless to fight it was almost too much to bear.

Clutching the back of her neck, she broke into a fit of panic-induced hyperventilating.

Clove knew that the people around her had noticed her erratic behaviour; the way her hands dropped from around her own throat and curled into tight fists, the crease of her forehead and how her eyes narrowed to slits. Still, it was with surprise as well as a touch of bitterness that she got released from their care and escorted back to Two's quarters.

This time instead of the group of Avoxes, a pair of peacekeepers walked slowly behind her. They acted obnoxiously and she practically seethed at them. Of course, she should have been aware of it already, the way they are obviously louder and far less contained, but the two men drag their boots on the floor and all she can think of is Cato and the way he made quick work of her and how he could have easily cracked her ribs or kill her.

Cato. A cold lump run down her throat, reminiscing of the tubes she's that had been forced past her nostrils earlier. Clove felt like she might have to puke but that is not what caused her to pause and heave near violently. Her chest moved up and down several times and she groaned. She could practically the pressure of Cato's feet on her chest and it caused her eyes to slide shut, not out of fear. Not yet.

Before she has the time to collect her thoughts, Clove realizes that fingers brushed one of her shoulders and although the touch was not painful, she still reacted negatively to it, flinging herself off and wincing as the side of her body was forced against the cold, far too cold wall. She can almost hear the sickening crunch of bone snapping under the weight but the expected pain never comes and Clove realizes she must've been imagining it. She must have gone crazy and that was the least of her worries.

"Get off me." Her head snapped up and her eyes narrowed cooly at the peacekeeper which'd reached for her and she growled, baring her teeth at him.

There's an 'or else' expression on her face which she didn't bother to add out loud. It doesn't matter, since the guy's arm retreats back as soon as she'd moved. Instead, Clove forces, once again, her throat to work and she exhales slowly, feeling the air flowing past his lips. Calming herself down is, at that point, easier said than done and it takes a good few seconds before she manages to stop panting.

Despite not looking at them, Clove was perfectly aware of how the peacekeepers's eyes were, more likely than not, trained on her every move. She had never considered herself to be particularly paranoid but right then Clove felt like a trapped animal whose only option was backing down. She fidgeted, not nervous as much as she was She urged to stride past them and well as to ignore the conversation which sparked up around her.

"She's a feisty one." The same peacekeeper which had tried to help her joked aloud but did otherwise move away, taking a couple steps backwards so that there was a careful distance between the pair of them and the girl. He was tall, although not as big or wide as Cato had been and—she froze and ground her teeth together.

No. No. She couldn't start to think about HIM now, not again. She shook his head and if they hadn't thought her insane already, they most likely did now. Clove wasn't sure if the fact that she didn't care one way or another was something she ought to prize or hold against herself. Ultimately, it wasn't like either of these emotions mattered, since they would discard her at the room and would never be seen again. However the way they talked about her as if she weren't there was still difficult to withstand.

"Come on... this one is obviously nuts," the second guy, far taller but thin as a string spoke up as if it really didn't matter whether Clove could hear him. His voice sounded strange to her ears and she urged nothing more than to slam a knife down his pale long throat. What was it with people insisting she was insane?

"Don't think nuts starts to cover it, boss. Did ya see the way she flinched?" Consciously or not, the man moved his hand and shielded his eyes from Clove's vision, moving the cap straighter on his head.

It probably did not matter in the least and this was probably a courtesy that had been offered to her. If Clove had known it sooner, she would have refused it. For all she knew, they believed she would be of any danger to herself, or something. It was difficult to think already, even more when the taunting words reached her ears.

"Hell yeah. Doesn't matter. We have more than enough to do, ignore her." The tips of his fingers caressed the bat that he wore by his waist and Clove just about toyed with the idea of darting forward and taking it. She shot it down for its recklessness. She was not Cato, she didn't have his guts and she was capable of seeing how it would never work.

Cato...fucking hell.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Clove fought to focus on the corridor. On the floor she was standing on. On anything but on either the two asshole excuses for peacekeepers, or Cato, or that he practically beat the crap out of her earlier... definitely not that. Above her, the lights appeared to flicker and she forced one of her elbows ont he wall, pushing her stiff body forward. She hissed at the ache which shot up her spine and seemingly lodged inside her chest.

Everything hurt and Clove glared down at the floor for long enough to make sure she wasn't going to stumble down. In retrospect, she could now see how silly it had been to stop at all and it only made resuming the walk more difficult. She didn't, however, hesitate and as soon as possible, she stepped forward, somewhat glad that inhaling didn't cause her lungs to burn as much as minutes earlier. At times, she found herself appreciating small things that were not long and sharp, like knifes. This was one of these.

Clove didn't miss the apprehensive looks they shot at the back of her head nor the continuously whispered grumbles as she closed the distance between them and quickly pushed ahead... Although some part of her urged to spin on her feet and seethe venomously on their faces, Clove resisted. With futile stubbornness she darted forward and rose her head at the sight of a door ahead.

Before the peacekeepers could say anything at all, she raised one hand up in the air. "You jerks can go now," she ordered briskly. Instantly, her palm reached forward and she pushed down on the doorknob all but ignoring the men where they stood somewhere behind her.

"Oh hey, she talks," the lankier, definitely sleazier one spoke up, "Surprising." His mouth twisted in a scoff and Clove tilted her head, and glanced over her shoulder to shoot him a disgusted look. She briefly considered the distance between them and tugged more forcefully at the metal beneath her fingers. As had happened before, her hand refused to cooperate and she rapidly grew more and more frustrated with its uselessness.

"In a hurry? Do us a favour, dear, and you can take even longer. If you want. But we're not going anywhere."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Rob," the other grumbled, ""leave her alone and let's leave before..." he didn't end that sentence but Clove heard, more than watched as he took a step away. The heavy sound of the boots (sound) on the floor alone was enough to send a shiver running down her spine.

Before the other – whose name was apparently Rob - could follow. Before anything else could be said or done, the door flew open against her palm and banged loudly on the wall beside where she stood. It was with intense satisfaction that she saw the guy jump at how suddenly and how loudly the sound echoed through the corridor and rung harshly on both their ears.

Without skipping a beat, Clove slid inside and pushed the door shut behind her back. There was no key and she couldn't lock it. Instead, she pressed her back against it and momentarily moved a hand down to cover her eyes.

Entering the room flooded her every pore with relief. It came crashing down on her and took all her breath away, until she was left there, completely breathless, panting roughly and sliding down until she fell on her knees by the door. Maybe she should have considered the area to be the source of all her nightmares but as her head lolled forward, only the

Only after a couple minutes did she notice him. Her face scanned the room and Clove recognized him as the one Avox who had stood, silently watching over her ever since her arrival back on the building. Despite everything he had (or not) done for her, the presence still cause her to lose her mind all over again.

"Get out!" She shrieked and despite not moving from here place sitting down, Clove's arms moved in what was intended a stabbing motion towards him before crossing around her chest. She practically shouted atop her lungs. "Get the hell out! Now!"

Maybe the peacekeepers would hear, maybe they would try to barge in.

The Avox, whose name she had never bothered to learn – though there was probably a tag somewhere – didn't move, at first. He remained perfectly still and the impassiveness further fuelled Clove's ire. She snapped, all brimstone and fire, eyes narrowing until there was nothing but searing hatred burning within them. They weren't exactly directed at the Avox, of course, but that he had nothing to do with the situation as a whole didn't quite cross her mind.

"Don't make me repeat myself," her tone was low, hot and angry. It matched her expression. She met the Avox's eyes and what she saw there, a spark of defiance, nearly threw her own anger off the loop.

Whatever it was, she knew it wasn't supposed to be there at all and although it lasted only a moment, it still tugged a surprised, outraged reaction out of her. Only when it was finally replaced by the same complacency of before, did Clove growl. The man's face dropped lower and a wicked grin tugged at the corners of her lips. It wasn't victory, it wasn't anything at all, but it was good enough for her moment of mindlessness.

Clove could have questioned his future, the fact that obviously, this was not the broken down servant that the Capitol had wanted for. But she didn't care. Pushing herself up, she continued to glare at him and slowly made it towards the middle of the room, leaving the way to the door open. She motioned towards it with a tilt of her head.

"Go on, fuck the hell off!" Clove swore she could see the Avox's eyebrow rise in his head and that his otherwise perfectly still features had creased slightly and it only pissed her off further. How dare he? How the fuck dare he? She stomped forward and watched him leave.

For the first time, she actually took in the silent man's features, snorting. In spite of having seen him many times, Clove had never bothered to pay him much, if any attention. Now, as he walked through the doorway, she finally locked her gaze on his. Her eyes narrowed. He was tall with nearly androgynous features, which vaguely pushed a half forgotten, hazy memory on the top of her mind. It was not—she gasped, jaw hanging slack open.

Clove's heart appeared to catch in her throat. She could feel it thud wildly on her windpipe. Her stomach lurched and for the moment it took her to refocus her gaze on the retreating form, she thought she might have to throw up, from the sudden spell of nausea which hit her like a freight train.

No. Although she could taste acid bile swirling on the tip of her tongue, as her eyes darted across the bald back of the Avox's head, she realized that no, he didn't have nasty, inky feathers sprouting in every direction. That he wasn't the very same madmen which had made sure her hand was now practically unusable.

The realization both fuelled as well as put a damper on her mood, on her madness. It was surprising to acknowledge it, but Clove didn't want him punished by the Capitol. Hell no. She seethed, violently slamming her weak palm down on the wall beside her head. A faint ache rippled up her arm at the same time the door fell shut again. She ignored it.

No one had come for her. "Fuck," she breathed. Something hot, wet and mostly unknown sprouted from the corners of her eyes. Before she realized what had happened, a pair of furious tears had ran down her cheeks and she swayed on her feet.

When Clove collapsed down on the bed its mattress sunk under her weight and the metal support bellow screeched. She was completely alone and whatever surveillance devices the Capitol might have installed in the room were not of her concern. They had already done this to her, they had made sure her everything had shattered. What else did they want?

She didn't know, and she didn't have to press any further. The tears kept on flowing, slowly growing from a couple of droplets rolling down her face to a full-blown stream. It was maddening, more so now that she couldn't hold it back. Her movements grew more and more aimless. And at some point, Clove could not do anything but draw her knees against her chest as the sobs racked through her frame, shaking her asunder.

Maybe if Cato were there he would've made it better. He would've pushed his fingers around her throat and squeezed until it all went away. As idiotic as the idea was, she still wished for it.