ARENA 04-Decay

[gamemakers]

For some this is starting to be routine. For some it is new, and little is done to ease them into it. The peacekeepers are never warm on these flights, but they are rougher, quieter today, and after having their tracking devices inserted or reactivated, the tributes don't see them until they are lead to small, metal rooms.

They are dressed quietly by their stylist, and the stylist move quicker this time, dressing them in heavy cargo pants, boots, thick socks, an undershirt and sweater. A light, plastic jacket is laid over the top, with a hood and plenty of pockets.

They are lead to tubes, with a reminder not to leave the pedestal. The tubes are metal this time, thick, the door sliding closed over them and leaving the tributes in the small, dark area. Entombed until they start the smooth rise to the surface.

25 - 24 - 23

Rising to the surfaces, they can see before them a building, ravished by time but still standing. Behind it, cliffs fall to the ocean, glittering in the sun for miles and miles, a dark blue distance that offers no escape. Behind them, the last trails of fog lead into a forest, still spotted with the lingering remains of the buildings that had once stood there. The air is cool, crisp, and the warmth of the sweater can be appreciated quickly.

20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16

One wall of the building before them is gone, exposing deep into the building's heart. There, about 50 yards into the ruins, lies the cornucopia. It's weapons and supplies are scattered among the ruins, dropped haphazardly among crumbling walls and exposed rebar.

11- 10 - 9 - 8

Warned not to move from their pedestals, they are given the last 10 seconds to plans their attack.

5

4

3

2

The gong sounds, clear in the crisp air. Let the games begin.

[OOC: Check here if your character ran for the cornucopia to see your results. Post here to play those out.

Characters on reserve have until Wednesday, Nov 14th to be eligible to tag into this arena and this post, but anyone who did not sign up for the Cornucopia will be handwaved as having not not been part of the Cornucopia battle.]

Comments

[stormcell]

There had been nothing in the chaos near the horn that had struck Thor as essential; some of it, he hadn't even recognized at a glance, and what weapons there were were bound to be a dear commodity. Rather than squabble for trifles with others who he was certain had no more choice in being in this place than he himself had been given, he had opted instead for the forest, the promise of room and cover, and the hope of game.

That others have had the same thought is unsurprising, and that his path should intersect with one of them almost inevitable. He spotted a flash of movement only barely in time, and checked his ground-eating stride, feet skidding on the damp earth as he attempted to shift his own momentum rather than colliding with the girl and toppling them both to the ground.

[makeflowersgrow]

Had Eponine been the type of girl who screamed, she most certainly would have done at that moment. As it was, she drew in a deep breath to stop herself from screaming aloud. She skidded to a halt barely centimetres from Thor, breathing heavily from her running and fear. She looked around warily; there was nobody else in sight.

This was it, wasn't it? This was how she was going to die. Barely five minutes in, and she was dead. Eponine wasn't stupid. Even if the man was unarmed, he was much bigger and stronger than a malnourished seventeen year old. Eyeing him warily, Eponine turned to him.

"Go on, M'sieur. Kill me. Get it over with. I am not afraid of you."

[stormcell]

The surprise on Thor's face might have been comical in any other situation - he looked like nothing quite so much as an oversized puppy that had just been swatted across the snout by an irate cat. He lifted his hands, palms out, hardly a comforting gesture considering their proximity.

"I swear to you, I mean you no harm."

Regardless of what he'd been told was the purpose to their captivity, he could see no honor in killing a mortal girl scarcely out of childhood.

[makeflowersgrow]

What? That was not what Eponine had been expecting.

"You will not kill me, M'sieur? But... Is that not what we are sent here to do? To kill?"

She looks around the pair, her bold eyes flicking from bush to bush with the wariness of a trapped deer.

"I don't want to kill. It is all I would refuse at home. I will not do it here, M'sieur... But please. What are we to do? Hide?"

[stormcell]

"Run," Thor replied simply, though the thought of it rankled. Had those responsible for their predicament been present, he would have been glad enough to face them directly - and the thought that he might lose such a confrontation had not yet had a chance to truly sink in.

He cast about for a moment to orient himself, then nodded towards the deeper slope of the canyon. "This way - the forest seems to deepen. Have you the necessary skills to survive the wilderness on your own for a time?"

[makeflowersgrow]

"Skills, M'sieur?"

Eponine peers down the path chosen by Thor. Yes, the trees seem thicker. Perhaps, if she is lucky, she can climb and hide and it will be over within a few days. ]

"I can... Beg. For food. Or..."

Eponine has never even seen so many trees in her life.

"There is food in trees... And rats are not so bad. I do not mind the cold. Oft, it was that I slept outside in a ditch. Better the cold than a beating, I always say. We slept under the bridges a whole winter, once. My sister cried, but I didn't. Is that the skills you mean?

[stormcell]

Thor nodded gravely, verbal response coming a moment later as he led them deeper into the woods. "They are. Forage and small game look to be plentiful in these woods." Not that he'd seen either yet, but the undergrowth and the thickness of the trees should, to his eyes, bode well.

"Once we're well beneath the trees, we'll go our separate ways. Move cautiously. I'll lay a wider trail, and lead anyone who thinks to follow off."

(whoops - I totally lost this thread - and only just noticed now that AC came up. I am so sorry!!!!)

[makeflowersgrow]

"I'll do as you say, M'sieur."

She didn't really understand why this man was helping her; as far as she had worked out, they were supposed to kill each other and she was easy pickings against such a big man. But she definitely wasn't going to snub the advice either.

"Thank you. And - good luck, I suppose."

And as soon as they're in the woods, she slips off as quietly as she can. Probably best for him even not to know where she is.