thearena | [OPEN]

Entry tags:

[OPEN]

Who| Kurt and YOU!
What| Guess who's back in the arena?
Where| The jungle.
When| Late afternoon.
Warnings/Notes| Spoilers for episode 5x03 of Glee, talk about death.

[It might have been a nightmare. Kurt had been having a lot of those lately. At first, it seems like that's what it is--and for a moment he holds onto the prospect of being within a dream, because then Finn might not be there. Sometimes he feels like he could accept any reality if he could have his mom or brother back, and then he realizes how foolish that would be.

He realized that right away this time, because all it had taken was a few minutes for him to realize where he was. Because he knows this place. And he would never, ever, ever choose to be here.

All those survival skills he'd picked up last time had popped back into his memory as if they'd been hastily placed there, and here he is now, wandering the jungle alone. There's no way of knowing what had happened after he'd left--or if Blaine was still here. There was nothing to do but try and make it, try and survive, even though he feels like his grief is eating him alive.

Maybe he's distracted, or maybe he's not as skilled at this by now as he'd though, because it only takes a good hour or so before he finds himself in trouble. One of the vines on the forest floor unwinds itself like a snake and wraps around his ankle, yanking him to the ground. He lets out a cry and tries to struggle free, but he doesn't have a weapon and there isn't anything sharp around--and it just keeps gripping tighter.

Perhaps later he'll laugh about this, about the irony of being killed by a plant. But for now, he struggles as hard as he can, unwilling to give up just yet.]

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[Fortunately for him, this part of the jungle is not entirely uninhabited. True, there are the various sorts of wildlife, but they are not actually the first to find him, this time. Instead, it's another tribute that comes across him.

Unfortunately, Iskierka is probably the last thing he wants to see at the moment, largely on account of being a dragon, but this is something that she never quite seems to consider. Still, she's not immediately attacking, and that probably has to count for something.]

Oh, you will never get anywhere like that.

[If this were Kurt's first time in Panem, the sudden appearance of a dragon would likely give him the same reaction Some did--that is, he'd faint on the spot. As it is, though, he just registers some vague shock that is gone right away in favor of struggling against the vine anew.]

Yes, I--I've quite gathered that, thank you!

[There's a moment of silence, as Iskierka decides what to do. After all, there's hardly anyone to tell her what to do here, and it's certainly not as if she cares for someone she's only just met. In the end, it's only the fact that she wouldn't much care to be trapped by a vine that actually stirs her to action.

After all, she's never far from sharp things, and her claws make short work of the vine.]

Oh--

[He flinches when he sees the dragon's claw come down, and it takes him a minute to realize that she'd cut the vine from his leg. He scrambles to his feet, wobbling a little, eyes wide as he stares at her. Because, you know, dragon.]

Th-thank you.

[His reaction is not an uncommon one, and Iskierka doesn't really seem to mind one way or the other. If people haven't seen dragons before that's certainly not her problem. It just means they haven't been looking in the right place.]

It would have been ever so embarrassing to be bested by a plant.

[This is probably meant as the (very) rough equivalent of "you're welcome".]

Yes. To--to say the least.

[His eyes dart around for something to climb onto. His leg hurts, but staying down here is going to mean much more than that. The only real option seems to be climbing a tree, but his leg might not allow for that. The cogs are working in his brain as he tries to find a solution, and he ends up eyeing the dragon's wings at the end as if wrestling with a potentially dangerous decision.]

[If he's expecting to ride her above the treetops he might have to think again. As covered in spines as she is, she is probably not the most comfortable of rides.

(That she can't currently fly isn't something that she isn't about mention, and the damage is easy enough to hide with her wings folded up as they are.)]

Besides, it is hard enough here anyway.

[He nods, and watches her carefully, warily.]

I expect you're faring a little better than most.

[Warily is probably the best way to watch her. As much as she's being friendly now, that doesn't always mean that things will stay that way. She's still a dragon, and one that is generally inclined to assume that she's in the right more often than not.]

Why, I should assume so.

[Yeah...modesty is not really one of her virtues.]

Well, you're quite remarkable. I hope things go well for you.

Can you, um, fly?

Why else should I have wings, if not to fly?

[That she can't currently fly thanks to having gotten injured at the Cornucopia is a fact that is quite entirely irrelevant and so it too doesn't get mentioned.]

Can you show me?

[There's a moment of silence at that, and while Iskierka's face isn't really much built for expression she seems to almost be sheepish about the whole thing. Eventually however, she spreads her wings, revealing that are quite entirely too tattered to fly at the moment. The wounds are long since healed, but she'll not be flying for some time, it seems.]

Edited 2013-12-16 05:18 (UTC)

[Now, Hawkeye's not suicidal. That's the reason why he hesitates before stepping out from where he'd hid when he first heard another's footsteps nearby despite now seeing it's a boy that was struggling. He hadn't seen the fella before- hadn't seen a lot of people before. He knew, however, that partnerships happened. He knew tricks were played and that cons would only abound when there was the incentive of money to kill. So he first looks around- blue eyes darting this way and that, his gaze steady in one place only long enough to confirm that he can't find anyone hiding.

Then it takes a second to muster up courage- silly, isn't it, that he had to even think about his own health approaching a kid? But once he steps out from where he had stayed, Hawkeye was resolved. Chicken hearted, but determined to do his job for once and help. He wasn't sure if the kid could see his hands raised or if he would even care, but he sports the signal nonetheless while he closes the distance.]

Relax, huh? Save your breath and your strength. Don't panic, I'm a doctor.

[He also didn't have a weapon to cut the vines with and didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Carnivorous plants hadn't been such a big problem in his life before, see. He kneels and hopes half way that he kid doesn't kick him, half way that the vines don't end up wrapping around him, too.] I'm going to try to help you out.

[Kurt knows better than to trust anyone around here--not right off the bat, anyway--but he's in no place to have a moral quandary about it. If this guy was out to win the arena, all he'd have to do was walk away and this plant thing would have done the work for him.

Maybe he's not like that, Kurt thinks despairingly. Maybe he's one of those people who kill to win, who like to kill...

That line of thinking won't get him anywhere, he quickly decides, and he's had it with having so little faith in people-- So he holds out his hand.]

Please. Help.

[Good. He takes the hand, holds on to it with a firm grip. Tightens his jaw and squares his shoulders and braces himself with one leg out to dig into the ground. 'Help' the boy had said. Hawkeye has half a mind to snap that that was his intention. Instead he positions himself.] Gee, why didn't I think of that?

[And he tugs- jerks, rather. His other hand goes to latch itself just under one of the boy's armpits. Heel dug into the mud, he starts to rise from where he'd knelt. If Kurt helped and got with program, maybe they could overpower the vine because Hawkeye sure wasn't going to do it alone. He didn't have the strength, he knew, even for this. But the effort was sure there. Failing all, he figures he might pop the boy's shoulder out of its socket but then that would just put everyone in a bad mood, huh?] Who knew taking- nng- the scenic route could be so exciting? I prefer treating poison ivy, honestly.

[This boy is nothing if not a fighter, and he holds onto Hawkeye and wrestles his leg away from the vine with all his might. It ends up releasing him rather abruptly, which has him colliding with the other man--and flopping on top of him in a rather undignified fashion. He squeaks loudly as they land.]

[He did about all he could to avoid a headbutt. Before he knew it, he was feeling the weight of the boy crash into him -and that was great because it meant the leg was free- and then he's falling straight on his ass with a muffled 'oof', which was significantly less great feeling than the realization that they'd made it. And he sits there for a while, catching his breath and watching the vine slither and wind this way and that. And he notes the boy's clothing was significantly less rancid than his own.

Someone was fresh into the arena. That he could tell.]

So you really don't have a knife or anything on ya?

[It was weird, and Hawkeye will wait until Kurt gets to his feet before he follows suit. It'll be a good way to assess if there's been any strain on the leg.] Guess not. You could have just stabbed me back then- after you cut yourself from the plant, of course. They're alive. Who knew? Frankly, I miss when plants only had a taste for fly flesh. You alright? How would you rate my cushioning your fall?

[Kurt is beyond embarrassed, apologizing profusely even after he's back on his feet. Once the embarrassment fades a bit, he's back to feeling the grief stinging in his chest, along with the numb dread that comes from being in this horrible place. What kind of horrible things are waiting for them in this arena?]

It--was fine, thank you. [Weird.] And no, I-- I don't have any weapons. I've only just arrived, but I've been here before. Done this before. [Died here before.]

[It damn well better have been fine. Hawkeye gives a grunt of acknowledgement, cranes his neck a little to o try and find the culprit plant among the hundreds others that are ahead. Of course, it's hopeless. He figures that out in a second, and draws his attention back to the guy. Boy. Kid. Old enough to pass as an enlisted man.]

Find yourself one when you can. Or make one, if you know how. I got caught in some guy's snare- he had a knife made from rock. [He would hardly believe what he's saying, but it's quickly followed by the cause.] The plants here are tough, not that I've ever gotten in a skirmish with them before coming here. [--huh. He rolls his shoulders, strains his hearing to see if anyone else was coming close. Hey, he'd at least gotten better at it.]

Done this before? You're not the first one to tell me this isn't exactly a one-time deal. I refuse to believe it just yet, you understand. I'm a doctor, I-- [Would rather none of this happened at all, but wasn't that everyone's sentiment?] I like facts. Records I can keep. You'll make me feel a hell of a lot better if you told me you were usually a lot more careful about where you step than this, fella. Not everybody's a saint like I am.

[A 'saint'? Well, that's a bit of a stretch, but Kurt is grateful to the man for helping him. He glances around the area, trying to pick a direction quickly; it's never a good idea to stay in one place for very long around here, and it's going to get dark soon.]

I can't say I have a whole lot of experience with man-eating plants, but I try to keep my wits about me. As for facts, well... [He picks a direction and starts moving.] There isn't much of a logical explanation for any of this, don't you think?

Nah, there is. [There always was. Logic was funny in that it sometimes made sense to only one person at a time, but it was always there. Explain Nazi Germany, then, if people hadn't followed what they thought logical. What a stretch, Hawkeye thinks, and wonders if it really is. Man-eating plants. He was the one obviously in the dark. And seeing how his path went opposite ways of where the boy had turned, he figured he wouldn't do any good to follow.

Probably just unnerve the boy more, though it hurt to see him off.] Just that no one's had the sense to tell it to me yet. [He gives a salute and it's not serious at all- he does't know the boy at all- and he doesn't care if it was seen or not. Supposedly there were cameras rolling all around.] Good luck. [That's all. He gets it. He gets the survival aspect of it. Christ, he just hopes the boy doesn't die and he knows it won't help to wish for the impossible. Never stopped him before, definitely wouldn't now.]

You too.

[He realizes this is probably where they part ways, and it's strange--painful and scary, really, how they'll either end up dead or end up killing one another. This place is cruel like that, and sometimes it's easier to say goodbye and get it over with. Still--]

I'm Kurt.

[Awh, gee. And he hated the kid fleetingly for having given him his name. It was just like sending a boy to the front. They were going to die- why make it personal? Hawkeye stilled and fought back the grimace. He showed compassion befitting an officer. What else could he offer? He had nothing. He didn't trust the boy as much as he knew he should, and chalked it up to the paranoia of hunger.]

Hawkeye. Either Doctor or Captain, take your pick. 'Pierce', if you feel like being formal.

All right, Doctor Hawkeye. Thank you for your help.

[He's 100% harmless, Hawkeye, and that's probably the worst thing he's got going for him.]

I'll be on my way now. Good luck to you too.

[The vines were an annoyance, meaning that they couldn't stay still for a moment before they tried to grab hold of them and drag them away. They ate up in the trees, tried to seek out the caves for sleeping.

When there was a cry Ian looked at Blaine and ran towards it. He was still cautious, no need in getting himself or Blaine killed. But someone needed help, his eyes widened when he realised who it was and what was happening.]

Kurt! [He drew his dagger and ran towards him, to hack at the vines.]

[Blaine feels his heart leap into his throat at the sight of the boy who is being attacked by the vines. He gets tunnel vision as all he can think is Help Kurt. Save Kurt.

He worked with Ian to get Kurt free.]

[It takes a bit of maneuvering, but the boys manage to get Kurt free and he's all but collapsing into Blaine's arms afterwards, clinging to him like a lifeline. He's quiet for a long time, trying to catch his breath while his ankle and calf throb with pain, and then he turns toward Ian, still clutching Blaine.]

Th-thank you.

[Ian kicked the cut up vines as far away as possible keeping an eye out for any more coming at them.] Don't mention it. [He looked across at Blaine and Kurt and felt a stab of jealousy, not of them at all. But at the fact that Kurt was back, not dead, and with Blaine. He was alive and Mickey wasn't.

It only lasted a moment, because it was a pretty shit move to be jealous of someone not being killed by the murderous government that had enslaved them all. So he grinned instead] You gave us a fright. [A vine began slithering towards him again] Shit. We have to keep moving.

[Blaine held onto Kurt like he thought that the other boy was going to disappear. He only let go when Ian's urgent point that they had to move made sense. He nodded.]

Can you walk? Did they hurt your leg at all? [He asked Kurt as he quickly looked over Kurt's body. His throat felt heavy and thick, like he wasn't sure he was breathing properly.]

I- I'm fine. It just stings a little. [Kurt doesn't want to let go. He holds onto Blaine for a long time, until he realizes they can't really move like that. So instead he reaches down and holds Blaine's hand tightly, looking over at Ian.]

Where should we go? Those things are everywhere.

You can avoid them if you keep moving, or we can climb. [He led the way, glancing back every now and again to make sure they were following] Is your leg okay to climb?

[Blaine kept a hold of Kurt's hand too and squeezed just a bit to reassure Kurt that he was there, and to prove to himself that Kurt was really there too. He looked over at Kurt to let him answer Ian's question.]

I'm fine. Let's get somewhere--er, safer. [Because nothing is actually safe around here. He holds onto Blaine and lets the other boy support him a bit, since yeah, his leg does smart. Not enough to keep him from trucking on, though, at least to keep him from dwelling on the horrible grief he still feels.]

[Ian nodded, helping him along and wondering if it was safe to climb. It was probably better to climb, since they were going slowly, and the vines could still get them.] Blaine if you go up first, you can help Kurt up, I'll follow in case you fall.

[Blaine nodded. He had to let go of Kurt then, though it obviously pained him to do so. Before he moved to start climbing though, he paused just for a second to pat Ian on the arm. It was mostly meant as a thank you, but it was also an acknowledgment that he knew this might be a little awkward for Ian. He didn't want him to feel like a third wheel.

He didn't say anything though, mostly just let himself focus on getting all three of them somewhere a little more safe.]

[Kurt waits for Blaine to climb up and then reaches for him. He wants help up, but he also just wants to be close to Blaine. His heart is still aching from grief and horror and a mess of emotions he feels like he can't deal with on his own.

Besides, it's different now. This time in the arena, Kurt wants to be with Blaine. He just isn't sure when will be the right time to tell him.]

[Ian smiled, he got it and he really didn't mind. Even though he couldn't stop the jellousy that Blaine and Kurt got to be together and Micky had been gone for months now. He was used to disappointment and so just swallowed it, he could be happy for his friend. Even if he did feel a bit like a third wheel.

He could at least be a useful one, he began climbing behind them, watching Kurt carefully in case he slipped.]

[Once Blaine got to a space place on the three he turned to make sure that Kurt joined him. He held onto him carefully, wanting to secure him to stop him from falling. Then he focused on Ian until all three of them were in a safer space.]

How's your leg feeling? [He asked of Kurt, worried about what the climb had done to him.]

It's sore. But I'm all right. I'll be all right.

[There's so much he wants to say. Instead he holds his tongue for a while, relying on Ian and Blaine to lead them somewhere marginally safe. Safer, rather. Nowhere was totally safe around here.

He holds tight to Blaine's hand; he doesn't care what the spectators think of it. He's beyond that, and he's beyond playing the game too.]

How long have I been gone? [He poses the question to both of them when they get somewhere a little quieter.]

Too fucking long. [Was Ian's answer to that, as he scanned the trees for a route, and pointed it out to Blaine] That way.

[He shrugged at Kurt] Few weeks I'd say [He hadn't been counting and it didn't matter if it was a few weeks or a few days, they shouldn't have taken him, it wasn't fair on him, and it wasn't fair on Blaine.]

[Blaine frowned a bit and nodded at Ian's assessment.] Do you remember anything about where you were? [He glanced at Ian then too, thinking that Kurt's answer might also have some clue about what happened to Mickey.]

I was home.

[His chest clenches.] I...I went home.

Home? [Relief sprung up in him but he kept it under control, at least until he knew why Kurt didn't sound happy about that]

[Blaine sighs a bit and feels a bit of relief in his chest. At least Kurt hadn't been in some torture room.]

What was it like? Did you remember being here?

No. [His hand darts out to grip Blaine's as they walk, and his voice lowers.] But we have a lot to talk about.

[Didn't remember? Ian walked ahead, listening whilst trying to give the two some semblance of privacy.]

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I'm sorry this is so late!

Totally fine!

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Blaine is also tagging in here!

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