thearena | ARENA 09 - THE MUSEUM

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ARENA 09 - THE MUSEUM

The Tributes are woken up early for this Arena, and switched from whatever sleeping attire they're currently in to a set of pajamas, each designed for the individual in questions. Women wear onesies, and most of the men wear two-pieces, but other than that any similarities are at random - the outfits are in all sorts of colors and patterns.

The floor of the helicopter taking them to their Arena location, and of the underground entrance to the tubes that hoist them to the surface, will feel cold under their bare feet.

Rather than bringing them to sunlight, like the tubes have in the past, instead the Tributes are presented to a dark concrete ceiling in a badly-lit parking lot. Fluorescent lights do little to illuminate the cavernous space.

The countdown begins, announced as if from far away.

20

19

18…

The Cornucopia, a ghastly thing carved from stone and concrete, sits at the center of a pattern of white and yellow lines reminiscent of spots for parked cars. The painted lines create a sort of spoked wheel, providing lanes for the Tributes leading to the prizes at the center. Some of the more unfortunate Tributes will find the concrete architecture has placed pillars in their lanes.

8

7

6…

Six parked cars lie around the outskirts of the huge lot, barely visible in the dim lighting. Glowing exit signs on two opposite sides of the chamber announce where Tributes should go to escape the bloodbath. Elevator doors are perched beneath them.

3

2

1

The gong rings out, and the countdown's voice announces "the Arena is now open". The Games have begun.

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"Christ, guy gets around then huh?" He sounded like an asshole really, but what did she know about guys? She wasn't even into that yet. Hell, she knew enough to know the bastards, but that was about it.

"A shoe store?" Mindy grinned. "But one in New York. Well. You might as well be an assassin at that point."

"You have no idea. When you're ten years older, whatever you do, don't let a good looking guy set up shop in your apartment for a few days. You'll regret it." Not just for Charming, but for any guy. See, she's good at giving advice to kids! Sort of. She's good at giving advice?

Cindy laughed. "Could I be a spy instead? Collecting information for someone, I like the idea of that. People talk all the time, I'm really the best gossiper you'll ever know." She grinned at her.

"Dude, trust me, the last thing that I'm going to do is let some dude try to charm his way into my pants. I learned how to not trust people in general a long time ago."

She was...well, she was fun, that was fine with her. Not fun like Harley, but really, who was?

"Hey, in a place like this? I think you'll be perfect. Could even use one myself."

"You know, I know this is the time where I should go 'oh, but you have to trust someone which will lead to people as a whole, we're all good in the end'." Cindy did a high pitched voice for it, the whole silly girl believing in the power of love kind of voice. And then it dropped right back to her own regular one.

"But fuck that. That's a good thing to learn, especially when you're young. Sure it fucks up that whole playing with other kids at the playground deal, but life is definitely not a box of chocolates."

She grinned in response, stretching her arms above her head for a moment. Had to stay ready for anything. "Yeah? We can be mini spies together, then! Start being a gossip queen at parties, and it's all champagne and bubbles forever."

"Please don't, had enough people looking at me like I'm a fucking alien from another planet. The irony of that shit is, if I was like that, how long do you think I'd last in this thing? I'd be a sitting duck. You think I'm expecting everyone to take it easy on me because I'm a little girl?"

No, they wouldn't. She knew that for sure. Happily, so did she.

"I'll still play with kids on the playground. They'll just have a knife in their pocket, like me, whenever a van comes and a stranger with candy baits us. Better a safe kid than a dead one."

She laughed. "Oh, I bet they'll be crying because I'm too young for champagne! But spies I have no problem with. I want to win this thing as bad as anyone else. For my own reasons."

"You wouldn't believe how much people are willing to do when it comes to protecting a little girl." She shrugged as she went over to stand in front of a suit of armor kind of guy? There were a few things that could possibly work, but... need to keep looking.

"That's a good Gretel to play. Stick the bitch before she tries to eat you, and then eat all you want without harm." But back home... Gretel was dead. They could use another Gretel, everywhere could. "Always choose the path that's easiest after you've cleared everything out to make it an easy path." Cindy just grinned, looking back at her young friend (and she did think they could be good friends).

"Please, too young for champagne? That's what they give kids in France, before they can get the better wine that they tend to have." She kept walking and then stopped in front of a beautiful display of ancient weapons and armor. "Okay, you'll be double oh six, and I'll be double oh seven. Six and Seven, our new codename in the arena. For whatever happens." She put a hand out, feeling the hard ridges of the armor plate under her fingers.

"But you're going to win the games for your own reasons that have nothing to do with getting the hell out of a place where you're going to die over and over again?"

"I think I have an idea," Mindy said, winking, thinking if how she'd gotten access into D'Amico's building in the first place. A little "lost girl with pigtail" routine and those fucks were all over themselves trying to help her out. Never even saw the gun coming.

"That's an interesting comparison, but I guess it works, yeah? I don't dawdle, I just get the job done. Makes me job a hell of a lot easier."

She like this girl's style, seriously. What was her name again?

"Yeah, it always seemed like it was more bubbles and fizz than alcohol. Double oh six? Come on, no one cool was ever named that, don't we have a cooler thing we can use with names?"

She did eye the armor plate though. "New acquisition?"

She smirked. "I'm looking for a more permanent solution. Winning the games so I don't have to compete only means I become a Capitol fat cat. Does that sound like something I'd want?"

There was a story there, and Cindy wanted to know it. But she'll have to wait till they're out of this place. It seems like the kind of story you really need to sit down and savor.

"What can I say, I like fairytales. They're good for real world comparisons." And this girl could be Gretel. Really, Gretel was a badass. Her brother was one fucked up guy, with his whole vendetta against witches, which then just switched to everyone he deemed 'immoral'. But Gretel was learning magic herself. A real badass.

"I couldn't pull it off, even if I wanted to." Cindy shook her head, letting her hand drop back to her side. Not the iron plate, then. But the belt. That she could use, so she leans back in, pulling it apart.

"Okay, not double oh six." She looked at her with a grin. "So if you don't want to be a fat cat, and not a dead once a month girl, please tell me you're not going to go find a nice ocean close by and walk into it."

Oh, it was a story all right, but it was not one that Mindy was going to say to just anyone. She knew enough that her image was going to be forged by what she did. Dragging in the ghosts of the past wasn't going to do her any good.

"I was always more of a realist myself. Then again, I love comics, so I guess I can't be that ingrained in the real. It's trippy enough that there's comic book characters here anyway."

She chuckled. "Give it time. Who knows what you can do if you're pushed? But me, go kill myself? Not my style. I'm a fighter. I'll fight because its what I do, not because I care about giving them a show. Besides, you earn a lot about the people you meet in a fighting situation."

It's what you did and didn't do, here in the arena. That defines you here. Outside of the arena? A whole different story. When they're back out of this place, she'll take Mindy to lunch. Or the training room, either/or.

"Comics are just as good as a fairytale. A lot of them get their stuff from the older models." Oh, didn't she know it. And there were people here from comics, and tales, and things that shouldn't be possible. They were all here. And Cindy wasn't fazed in the least.

"So you'll fight. Doesn't matter where, you'll just fight." Cindy wraps the belt around her waist. "I like it. It's not a bad thing to live by. Sounds kind of fun, actually."

It sounds a lot of fun. She'd say more, but there was a beautiful saber right there, and she had to have it. She went over, pulling the blade out and examining it.

"Fuck yes, look at this. This is perfect."

They would have an interesting talk. Granted, Mindy might be a mini wreck after the Arena, but she was remarkable good at keeping things like that to herself.

"You better believe they're just as good as fairy tales. Learned some of my best moves and motivations from comics. Frank Castle, Rorschach...wealth of knowledge and a bunch of kickass stories later, you have someone like me around. But yeah, they pretty much are the new fairytale in a way."

And much more, really.

"Pretty much. Had to fight for just about everything I have, and at times, for a decent amount of respect. I get it enough, even if I still get the flack for being young, probably always will. Them's the breaks though. Fun? Yeah, its pretty fucking fun, most of the time."

She looked over the girl's shoulder, nodding in agreement.

It was scary, how Cindy was doing after the arenas so far. The first, yes, as horrifying. Just horrifying. Getting your head cut off by the victor just demoralizes you for awhile. Fables don't get killed easily, but it doesn't matter who you are, if your tale is one of the more popular ones; you'll die.

"The second one, he's the guy with the mask, right?" Comics weren't her thing. Boy Blue or Pinocchio would be the ones to talk to on that, and unfortunately (or fortunately), they weren't here. But Rorschach, that was a test, so she assumed it was the masked dude.

The saber was hers, now. If only there was some way to bring it out of the arena with her, she'd love it. Now she just needed a belt for it, and as luck would have it, the guy next to the stand had a good leather one. That'd work.

"Being a woman, girl, whatever, is working for respect. So you beat the ever loving fuck out of anyone who gets in your way." She looked back and grinned. "I like you, kid. Seriously, you're like a younger me, and it's pretty damn awesome."

They were bound to have more interesting conversations in the future if they talked more about Cindy's life.

"The best guy with the mask, yeah," Mindy said. "He's the guy that's blood and guts, but does what he has to because its the best decision in the long run. He doesn't even look super impressive with the mask off, but that's sorta the point. He's kind of an every man who chooses to be a hero because it'll make a difference. As you can tell, I can relate."

She grinned. "Planned on it. You know, I kinda like you too. Try not to get fucked up too bad if it comes to it. We both have a chance to win this, right?"

"That's a glowing endorsement for me to start reading comic books." She's actually serious about that one. He sounds really cool, and she can totally get behind that. Cindy takes the belt, and threads the scabbard through it, before putting it on herself.

There we go. Doesn't the blonde girl in a one piece pajama set, with a belt and a sword on look incredibly intimidating? Hell no. She looks ridiculous. Which is exactly the point.

"Of course we do! Let's just hope it doesn't come down to the two of us. Because I really hope you don't go too easy on me." She might not like fighting children, but she's not going to underestimate any of them. Especially Mindy here.

"Yeah, too bad the author went off his nut years later," Mindy said, shrugging. "That's what happens when Hollywood shits all over your comics for shitty movies though."

Mindy got an eye view, and looked amused. Did she look ridiculous? Yes. Was that in her favor? Yes again.

"See, that's why I like you. You actually know its possible I can fuck you up, when other people are so concerned about killing a kid. It's like they forgot who used to exclusively compete in the Hunger Games."

"Most authors do that. They go nuts, their characters go nuts, and it's just one big clusterfuck of nut job fictional characters with terrible writers." Cindy laughed. Didn't she know that to be true. A big, goddamn clusterfuck.

Cindy went to adjusting the belt again, just to make sure it was sitting right where she wanted it. She looked up and gave Mindy an amused look.

"Right? They used to have 12 year olds in this thing, and so far the kids I've seen in and out of the arena? They are fucking little killers. They'll knife whatever part of you they can reach. I don't underestimate children." Cindy shook her head. "But if they're friends, then sure. I mean, I'd like to think that we won't kill each other, unless it's between the two of us for the crown."

"I don't think he's a terrible writer" Mindy said, thinking of his other titles, "just a fucking weirdo. But maybe you have a point in what you say. For all I know, most writers do crazy when they make their shit. It would explain the Twilight series anyway."

Though not why so many fuckwits read it.

Mindy shrugged. "Think so? I've only met one like that. The other two will fight if they have to but I'm working on that with them. Mostly because the right kind of adult will see a kid and think they have it easy and try to kill them early. I guess you could say I try to keep the spirit of the old games alive."

As for that who could say? Hopefully that would be the case.

"Twilight? Like the book with the sparkly vampires in it?" Cindy made a face. "I'm pretty sure she went crazy with the idea of herself, more then the characters." Those things are awful. Mindy, why would you bring something like that up? Terrible! Terrible.

"Keeping the old spirit of the games alive?" She really did have to try not to laugh. Not that it was in any way stupid, but just funny. Because she probably was. And that was funny. If you had to do anything, it wouldn't be to do that, but hey. Dream big.

"Well, you've made me remember how the games used to be, and I was never here for them." She ran a finger along the hilt of the saber and felt a lot more comfortable then she did before. "So where are you going from here?"

"She was just crazy from the start," Mindy said. "The retardation of people is pretty amazing. Taking something like a monster and making it poor and misunderstood...that's how you fuck up people in general. They get stupid, and they get killed. This isn't any different. You think kids aren't bad because they're young? Adults are just kids who got crippled enough to try to fit into the role. A kid think they're fucking King Kong."

A good question. "I keep going. This time around our main mentor told me to fuck off, and so I'm gonna start by surviving enough to spite her. But I don't have a real destination yet."

Cindy did laugh with that. Crazy from the start did make sense more then slowly becoming it, in her case. The writer could be crazy, but most of the fictional characters they write become crazy over time. Those are, Cindy knows, the better characters out there.

More solid backgrounds. Emotions. Everything making sense. That's a good character, a good, solid character.

"Monsters, people who act like monsters, let's not worry about them when it comes down to what we have to do to survive, inside here and out." Cindy looked at her new found friend, and a crackle started. The fighting at the cornucopia must have stopped, or slowed down.

"Keep moving. If you see a friend, make sure they see you too, but keep distance between you till you get an understanding. And try not to hide, except when you're sleeping." Cindy nodded. "Keep moving. This is an arena where we need to keep moving." The names started being read, and she frowned.

"Probably a good clue or something that maybe I should get going."

Monsters and people who acted like monsters. Mindy knew she was straddling the line, but times like these reminded her she wasn't there yet, that even in a place as dark as the arena, there was still a moment of reflection, of bitter laughter at shard plight that just made things a little easier.

Mindy nodded. "I'm not green to life and death situations, but I'll gladly take the advice. Wish we had more time to talk: tell you what. Whatever happens later, meet up with me. I'm in District Nine. Oh, and don't worry about me here, I know how to make myself scarce."

As if to demonstrate, Mindy shuffled along backward and disappeared into the darkness.

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ARENA 09 - THE MUSEUM

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