Eye see what you did there.

[burnedbrighter]

WHO| Azula, Guy Crood and any other poor unfortunate souls in or around her.
WHAT|  Even with one eye and barely armed, Azula is dangerous
WHEN| Week 4
WHERE| Near the labs
WARNINGS|  fighting...probably gonna be violent.


The headaches had mostly subsided.

She could still feel her eyelid functioning just fine but the lights had gone out in her left eye and it was irritating.

Whoever that child was, she knew what she was doing and Azula on some level could admire that...

Especially after seeing her death announced in the night sky.

And so Azula continued as she had each day since arriving. Resting only when she had to. Hunting. Stalking. Preparing.

The short time she had spent with her tribute Diana had been...oddly relaxing. The girl had a talent for making people let their guard down and Azula found that resisting it was more frustrating then it was to accept it and deal with the paranoia that came with.

Worse still, allies of Diana's had moved into the labs and as much as Azula wanted to slit the throat of one and gouge out the eyes of his rock monster friend, she would restrain herself for now and continue her trapping attempts.

Slipping into the forest as silently as she can, the warrior woman would not let her handicap be her undoing.

It would take far more to remove this former champion from the playing field.

Comments

[acroodawakening]

Guy had traversed quite some distance around the island, trying to see everything it had to offer in terms of food and water. Flint had been something that he'd found easily, but it had taken him a while to find a piece large enough for a spearhead.

Eventually he found what he needed, though, and after knapping it into the sharpest spearhead he could manage, he'd crafted himself a spear with a great deal of care. Without any animals to make the strips of leather he needed, he'd spent a good deal of time finding the right tree park to peel off and use to secure the spearhead to the shaft, even soaking it in a little bit of his precious water and stretching it made sure that it held the spearhead to the shaft extra tight.

In short, it was a good spear, the kind of spear a nomad in a very desperate situation could be proud of. Good weight to it, nice and sharp -

- and it was very menacing-looking when Guy held it up in Azula's direction the moment they both walked into an opening in the trees. They'd both been moving so silently they hadn't heard the other coming as they'd entered the little meadow.

One eye. She had one eye.

Guy's eyes narrowed and like a good hunter, instead of springing forward recklessly, scaring off his prey, he made sure he had a good stance and waited to see how it would react now that it had noticed his presence. To Azula, it might have looked like he'd frozen in fear, but fear and patience were two very different animals.

[burnedbrighter]

Her eyes narrowed as she almost stumbled into this figure who she didn't recognize.

"Another new tribute. Just my luck." She sighed looking utterly relaxed despite having a spear pointed at her. The bandages on her face were snug in place over her damaged eye but she could keep her good eye on him just fine while appearing to be at ease.

"Good for you crafting a weapon. That's sure to earn you some fans back home." She added.

[acroodawakening]

"I don't care."

He really didn't. The people magically watching all this suffering and enjoying themselves? they could take all their sickness and vileness and stuff it where the sun didn't shine.

And he didn't mean a cave.

"There was a little girl. Light hair, foul mouth - her leg was mangled and she said a girl with one eye had done it."

[burnedbrighter]

"One eye?" She remarked sounding curious. "Well that's such a curious description. I had two perfectly functioning eyes just recently." She teased.

"I wonder how long she held out with a wound like that." She added in a more conversational tone. "Did she give you any indication?"

[acroodawakening]

Guy didn't say a word. His expression didn't change.

In fact, there was no warning at all that Guy was going to lunge at her, but lunge he did, and he thrust the spear in her direction, trying to stab her in the chest with it.

[burnedbrighter]

Oh...he was good.

This was the second time Azula had been surprised by the skill of those in the Arena. The first time it cost her an eye. This time she would feel the sharp burn of the flint driving into her shoulder.

A grunt of pain and a powerful strike directly to his windpipe was his reward for the hit.

[acroodawakening]

He wasn't good enough to avoid the blow but he was good enough that when it connected, he didn't let go of the spear, wrenching it out of her shoulder as he fell to the ground choking and wheezing, trying to catch his breath.

[burnedbrighter]

She had to move fast. The pain in her shoulder sent a surge of adrenaline into her blood. She felt the heat pulsing off it and hoped it wouldn't impede her arm too much.

Just as well she was faster with her feet. Which she demonstrated as she swung her boot hard to try and crush his nose.

[acroodawakening]

The kick connected, causing his blood to spatter in the dirt. He still didn't lose his grip on the spear but his body was thrown back by the blow, so that he landed on his side. He scrabbled to get to his feet and for a moment he looked like he was going to try to thrust the spear up at her, despite the fact that there wasn't enough distance between them to bring it up to bear.

That only lasted a moment, because what he was really doing was picking up some of the sandy dirt of the forest floor to throw right in the direction of her good eye while he tried to spring back up to his feet.

[polyturtle]

Azula was not the only one hunting.

Don was also on the prowl now, rich with supplies and in the best condition a Tribute could be. But one could only imagine his amusement or, well, decided lack thereof at seeing the figure skulking around, setting a new trap.

Maybe a zombie. Or just darned lucky.

Let's see how much her luck would last he mused. Maybe he'd kill her, maybe she'd find a way to get away. But Don would do his best to make sure she was dead. Why not? He'd vaguely heard about her, how frightening she was and so on and so forth, how inhuman she was.

He'd have to see about that. She didn't have what he had in her, after all.

A loud snap came abruptly from one of Azula's traps, several moments later. It sounded painful. But it all that was there was a rock, if she bothered to come and look.

[burnedbrighter]

Azula's wicked smile turned into a frown when she did in fact come to inspect her trap. Instantly she was alert. Someone was taunting her. Teasing her! She'd had enough nonsense today with holograms of her previous kills tormenting her every few hours.

Swooping to collect her trap she turned a slow circle, listening more then looking. With so much plantlife it would be near impossible to attack without making a sound. Of course she was sure to cast her eyes upward in case she was being stalked from above.

[polyturtle]

There was trees swaying gently, bushes rustling. Any of those sounds could be just like any normal sound. One of the advantages to being a ninja was to use the sounds and shadows to an advantage to blend in. That his color was quite similar to the greenery helped as well.

Was it teasing? Probably. But he had her attention now, and right now, he was in control. He decided what would happen and how. He was fully armed and ready. And he wanted to see how much further Azula would go, what she would do. How she would lash out at the obvious taunts.

Another trap snaps, but in a different direction and distance.

[burnedbrighter]

Her eye twitched in irritation. She was being played now. And she didn't care for it.

Deep breath, in through the mouth, out slowly through the nose. Feel her heartbeat slowing. Focus on your senses. Clear your mind.

Looking more relaxed she set off in the direction of the noise cautiously. She would play this game. But she would not be an easy kill. Each step was calculated to avoid the vines as best she could. Every moment she was focused on a new noise or motion around her.

The knife in her belt was a small comfort. The spikes stored just up her sleeve was even less. But having those spikes soaked in poison at least made her feel if she at least got a hit in they would suffer for daring to interfere.

[polyturtle]

The next thing Azula might have heard and felt, was an inhale of breath, followed by a fwp. And that was all the warning she would get of the blow dart bolt coming towards her. Don didn't plan on wasting his darts on her. But he planned on slowing her down for his attack, if he could.

[burnedbrighter]

The sound was enough. She threw herself to the side and the dart buried itself in a tree as she sprang to her feet and focused her good eye on the direction the sound had come from.

"Show yourself coward." She spat, knowing full well hiding does not always make one a coward.

No, this one was smart whoever he was. But possibly not a coward.

[polyturtle]

She didn't have to wait long for a response. Right behind her was a quick thud, and with that, he was on the attack. With a hard throw, he tossed the razor-edged boomerang, certain that this time, he wouldn't miss his mark.

[burnedbrighter]

She spun, setting the world to a blur of green. Only instinct saved her life as her knife came up and deflected the spinning projectile casting it to the side of her face. It buried itself in a tree trunk.

A cut across her cheek she'd a tear of blood that ran down to her lips as strands of her hair fluttered to the jungle floor. It gave her an even more bedraggled look.

Her tongue slid out and swept the drop of blood from her lips, smirking gently knowingly "You're becoming quite popular since your last arena. I was wondering when we'd meet."

[carnagecarnival]

When he left Sigma, he'd told him he'd be out to hunt. Whether that meant beast or tribute didn't matter and wasn't worth mention. He'd be back, and with luck, he'd be returning from a kill that had something worth finding. As he ripped free a bit of solid tree root from the earth, he wondered if what he's seeing not far from himself might count.

He's different from last she saw him, hair cut shorter, three long purple scratches across his painted face, and ironically, an empty socket where his other eye should be. He gets the feeling though, she's different too.

A grin creeps, feral, across his face, exposing his fangs. Out from between the escapes a low, deep, animalistic growl. From the densenesss of the forest and into the open, before her, he brings himself with the tree root in hand.

"Such mother fucking glory, don't you think? NOW YOU CAN TAKE AT FOR YOUR OWNSELF WHAT ALL YOU WANTED FOR SO VERY BADLY," He near purrs. He likes Azula, but he likes her for his chance to be of purest self. He respects her well enough- sees similarity in her enough- he can't resist a little play. "And ain't that all the fuck better? BEEN ADAPTING WELL HE DOES SO UP AND HOPE, SISTER AZULA."

[burnedbrighter]

When he approached her hackles were up, taking her a moment to adjust to the idea that for once, there was a tribute she wasn't going to have to fight. When she relaxed he even earned a wary smile.

"Were that it be so easy. I won't know just how much...if any respect I'll have earned till I leave here victorious." She reasoned. "But I have been adapting well as you suspect." She had to shrug off his calling her sister. She had issues with her own sister that were long since unresolved.

[carnagecarnival]

He notes that she doesn't relax. It's a false sort of easing, a good illusion, but a hair trigger disguised was still a hair trigger. He should know.

"Point," He concedes. "BUT HE SHOULD SAY AT LEAST OF THE NOW IT AIN'T DEPENDENT ON NO MOTHERFUCKER BUT YOU. Must all have been a goddamn pain at to have done for naught but watch and little else beforeways."

He gives the tree root an expirmental spin, testing the balance, weighing it.

"BUT NOW NOT ONLY DID SHE CLAIM OPPORTUNITY FOR TEACHING, she has at her ability for the application of her own methods, shown and proved through motherfucking example. AT VERY DAMN LEAST IT SHALL MAKE FOR EFFICIENT TUTELAGE."

[burnedbrighter]

The way he spoke was amusing and grandiose in it's own way. But withdrawal from her medication and the injuries she had suffered had exhausted her beyond getting fired up by his words.

"It's easier to teach more if I can actually find them all. We're too spread out. So far most of the education has been focused on one tribute. The one smart enough to follow me around hoping I'll protect her." She sighed and shook her head.

"She is one of our weakest tributes but the fact remains I'm only able to do so much from here. I'll have to sit down and review the tapes when I get home to see what the rest of you can learn from this arena."

[carnagecarnival]

"Come now, A TEACHER CAN ALWAYS UP AND INSPIRE. If they can't be all like to be taught proper, you need a means at for gaining their attentions. MAKE ALL LIKE TO PUT UP GREATEST OF PERFORMANCE ALL TO SHOW THEM BEST. Your second chance all being up within arena as it is," He says, giving a wave of his free hand.

"NOT ALL TO SAY REVIEWING OF PAST THINGS WOULD MAKE LIKE TO HURT. But can both things not all be done?"

Up goes the branch in hand, spinning, then down. His grin flicks away for a moment.

"UNLESS OF COURSE, SHE IS WORN ALL TOO MUCH." He draws an imaginary circle in the air around his own missing eye, then nods at her. Similar enough injury.

[burnedbrighter]

She listened carefully and took a deep breath, pulling herself together unwilling to appear weakened in front of one of the only tributes who gave her the respect she deserved.

"Of course not. There will be time to sleep once I am victorious or dead. It's simply a matter of frustration that the education is so inefficient in this setting. I've made due with limited resources of course." Gesturing to the bear trap on her hip.

"When we've all returned home we'll review each others tapes to learn from one another."

[carnagecarnival]

He grins again. "Under victory or death. THAT'S THE MOTHERFUCKING SPIRIT PROPER OF IT," He says. "Only mentor you up and are what has sense to her. BUT CALL HIM MOTHERFUCKING BIASED." He shrugs.

He wants to ask what she's done with that bear trap, what she plans to do. There could be so many uses after all. But then, why spoil the surprise, the show later.

"He shall look forward to them tapes of what all she speaks. LIKE BRIGHT MOONS THE FUCK OVER HEAD HE SHALL LOOK. But this inefficiency has at him to wonder, does she think she may return to arena again? PERHAPS THEY WAY ALL US SORRY SUCKERS ELSE DO? It ain't like true death, don't you know, not all the fuck really. SOFT SWATHED DARK VEILS OVER THE EYES AND BODIES OF EACH. Just a little more hurt all to get there," He laughs. "JUST A LITTLE HURT FOR THE TICKET TO TAKE."

[burnedbrighter]

Her lips curled in an appreciative smile. It was nice to be reminded that at least a couple of her tributes respected her.

As for his curiosity, "Perhaps if I am allowed, I can't imagine the gamemakers would allow such a twist to become common. They rarely repeat a trick twice."

And though the story was that she had volunteered for this position, she deeply hoped she wouldn't have to do it twice.