Hunger Games 2

The bundle of nerves disentangled, and for once, Piper felt like herself. A portion of the gang welcomed her back with open arms; in fact, they had seemingly missed her. She planted herself upon the plush sofa; all the while, she toyed with her golden locks of hair. It was a nervous mechanism, one to occupy her idle hands. She stole a glimpse up at Leon and cloaked the smirk that fell upon her lips. Although he appeared quite intimidating, she was acquainted with his true persona. As Noah fumbled to produce a coherent sentence, a surge of pink coated cheeks, an act of pure betrayal. "Noah, that isn't important right now," Astrid cut in, huddling beside him on the opposite side of the couch. "What I want to know is....well, to put it bluntly, how the hell are you alive?"

Noah glanced up at Astrid when she spoke, though he had his answer when he saw the way she blushed. He wondered how Piper wasn't terrified of the guy like he was. He was just so...stoic. In a very creepy way. "Yeah, how are you alive? We...we saw you die," he said, almost hardly believing that she was alive himself. He missed her so much, but there had to be a reason she was brought back. The man beside her finally spoke and said, "Maybe we should discuss this in a more secure place," he said. He didn't need everyone in the house to know what they knew. Dominic's true self. Aspen knew that she was right. His anger wasn't going to get them anywhere. He needed to calm down and think of something. "Okay," he whispered, setting the bottle aside and leaning against the wall in hopes that he would be able to chill out. "How are we going to find evidence to prove out innocence?" he asked.

Upon the intent stares geared in her direction, Piper dipped her head, strategically allowing wheat tinted tendrils to spill over her shoulders and cloak the surge of color. Toying with the silky strands, she stole a glimpse up at Leon; the suggestion offered an ounce of relief, for the grand estate was quite intimidating and a secluded location would offer a shield. "Where exactly do you propose we go?" Astrid inquired, apprehension gleaning in her bright gaze. Although she trusted Piper, she was cautious when it regarded the newcomer. Careening against the far wall, Caroline pondered over the inquiry. She tapped her boots against the barren pavement, a rhythmic motion that helped her train of thought. "We need a witness. Someone who can confess. Our word is as good as dead. We need someone who is innocent. Someone who knows first hand what Dominic is capable of."

Leon could see how apprehensive the two were of him. Was he really that scary? Well, at least he could say he inherited that from his father. His father always had been quite a scary man. "I hate to be an inconvenience, but I feel that it would be best that we talk about this where Piper and I have been staying. That is unless you have had a more secluded place around here that we can be sure no one would be able to hear us in," he said, looking between the two, though his gaze lingered on the confused face of Noah. "What the hell is so secret about this? God, who are you, James Bond?" Aspen listened carefully, hoping that maybe if he did he would be able to come up with some explanation to get him out of this mess. To get his wife to believe him. "Witness? Caroline, who do we have to turn to. By now...everyone thinks I'm a traitor. I have no one who would willingly be a witness for me," he said, running a hand through his hair. He was sure that Caroline had been doing this for so long that she had lost connection with everyone. "Do you have someone?" he asked.

Tentatively, Piper planted her dainty hand over his own; though, it was unclear as to whether she was offering support or seeking it. A frown was plastered upon Astrid's features, and she gazed between the pair with a calculating expression. "This sounds like a death trap. You don't plan to chop us up or anything, right?" she pressed, a nervous chime of laughter spilling from her lips in feigned nonchalance. Rising from the plush sofa, Piper laced her lean fingers together. "We just have to take every precaution. It is vital that no one overhears. Plus, this house could be bugged." Lurching forward, Caroline downed the remaining liquid that had settled along the bottom of the bottle. A heavy sigh fell from her lips as she skirted the cluttered desk. "That's the thing. We need someone from the inside. Dominic has alibis, but he also has victims. Someone would be willing to testify if we save their life, don't you think?"

Leon couldn't help but laugh a bit when he heard Astrid. She actually seemed scared, but he still found it rather funny that it was a real fear of what seemed like everyone who had to come to his house. Was he really that scary? "Chopping isn't involved at all, or as far as I know at least. I can't say the same for Piper," he joked, pushing her playfully, though he quickly grew serious, know that the matter at hand was pressing. "Bugged? My house isn't bugged. I think I would know," Noah protested, not liking this idea at all, but his protests quickly died away with another look from Leon. Could his house be bugged? Aspen thought for a moment, trying his best to think of anyone who Dominic could have possibly hurt. "Do you know anything about the Piper girl that was in the games with Felix. I think I heard him saying something a little bit ago about how she was alive now. I think Dominic might have something to do with that," he said honestly. He knew he wasn't supposed to hear his son talking about Piper, but he had to check on his son, especially when he thought he was hurting, and the night after the party was one of those times.

A tentative smile fell upon Piper's lips; joy illuminated in the depths of her gaze, an emotion that was once nonexistent. "I would never," she mused, bumping Leon in response. The lighthearted atmosphere disintegrated, and a cloud of worry cloaked the pair. Strategically, Astrid dropped onto the carpeted flooring and felt beneath the coffee table. Sure enough, a microphone was latched beneath the surface. However, she had to choose her words carefully in order to through off the culprit. "I didn't find anything," she mused, but indicated with a slender finger that she had, in fact, discovered something. "Though, there could be bugs just about anywhere...such as President Sherwood's office. I think it is better to be safe." Tracing the rim of the glass bottle, Caroline evaluated the notion; her brows furrowed, uncertainty playing on her features. "Vaguely. She was well acquainted with my daughter," she mused, tracing a path through the garbage that spanned over the area. "But how will we ever get in contact with her? She is more than liking in hiding, and Dominic is probably already attempting to track her down. It will be a race to see who actually finds her first, and newsflash...Dominic always wins," she spat, distate brimming throughout the notion. She hated to admit it, but Dominic was quite witty and underhanded - unfortunately for him, so was she.

Noah paused, watching as his friend made her way to the ground, checking for bugs, and sure enough there was one. Noah felt as if he couldn't breathe. Someone really bugged his house. That meant that whoever was working against them was someone close to them...someone his father really trusted. He felt as if he were going to be sick. "Y-yeah. Let's go just in case," he said, starting to head out the door. Leon followed behind the boy, getting into his car and offering a spot for everyone. He had enough room for all of them to go to his house so they could actually talk about the pressing matters at hand. The moment they were all in the car, he looked back at the group. "I hate to drop this on you, but we need your help," he said simply. Aspen looked at Caroline for a moment, listening to her talk. He took another bottle, taking a swig. God, he really needed to stop drinking. "Maybe I can talk to Felix and see if he knows...I just have to make sure Ann doesn't know we have talked," he said, pulling out his phone. He didn't want to drag his son into this mess that he made, but he didn't have much of another option, really. They all had a lot of work to do. If he couldn't contact his son then he would find another way. He would get his family back, that he would swear.