emptytrousers: (What you saw in me.)
Kíli } son of Dís, daughter of Thrain ([personal profile] emptytrousers) wrote in [community profile] thearena2014-03-02 01:27 pm

At night I can't sleep when I try;

Who| Kili and Mindy
What| IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWWWWWWWN aka Kili can't hide anymore and they both know one of them has to die
Where| Fifth floor
When| Week 7, forward-dated to after the explosion on Monday
Warnings/Notes | Character death, descriptions of starvation; will update if needed.


Empty. That was the word Kili had been searching for the past hour or day or however long it had been since he settled down back in the hovel of dinosaur bones he had declared home since that blinding flash of light and the collapse of the third floor. His skin smoldered with what felt like hundreds of tiny rivers of fire, but no long could he bring himself to care. After all, when the pains of hunger left him, so did any desire to drink from the strange devices called water fountains or fight. The bones that surrounded him had become a place he could sit and listen as friend after friend died, their name announced too loud in a strange metallic voice. Ellie, Hawkeye, R. They had all been killed and somehow he had survived, perhaps by sheer luck, but he can no longer ignore the heavy silence that weighed him down more and more every day as he no longer cared about the bits of dusty leather from his boots that lost their taste around the same time the pain in his stomach did.

If he hated the silence, then he should have been grateful for the explosion, for the brilliant flash of fire and smoke that woke him from the stupor that had taken hold not long after he stopped eating. Trying to stand, however, proved more trying than he ever expected, the armor too heavy on his thinned arms. Smoke clouded the hall before he could wrench the chain mail off and the alarms overhead could never give enough warning for the hideous rain that followed. Within the first few seconds, he could no longer stand the burning, not for the safety of his bone nest, not for his sword with armor and he scurried across the floor with little more than the pajamas he originally arrived in, even the smallest bit of sprinting winding him.

The steel carriage was little better, but it was at least free of stinging rain and the smoke that made every breath stick in his throat. Water. He needed water. He needed food. He needed a million things that he could never get and for the first time in what felt like weeks, he wanted something, anything, to fill the void that had swallowed up his insides and stretched him so thin he didn't know if he could still cast a shadow.

As soon as he exited on the first floor, he thought he heard footsteps, someone moving in the darkness around him and before he could breathe, he nocked an arrow to his bow and swallowed down Hawkeye's words. He had to kill or be killed, that was the game, and his legs could only hold him up for a little longer; he was dying, he knew, in the back of his mind, even if he refused to think about it.

And then he turned to face the footsteps, his chest heaving with the pain of the burns freezing his pajamas to his skin and the sheer exhaustion that ate into his bones.
hit_girl_mindy: (Taking Aim(Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-03 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
Keep going. No rest. Mindy had gotten pretty filthy up to this point despite having access to running water: she only used it for washing wounds anyway, and Christ knows she was lucky enough to get a patch up by Hawkeye.

And then they killed him, the fucks. Him, the guy with a joke who shouldn't be here too good to be here. Amusement probably. She wanted to at least take him out of there but they'd be coming for him soon enough. In the meantime, she still was walking. There was too much at stake to let this go.

She was moving as quietly as she could on the first floor (had seen better days) when she heard something stirring in the dark. Her hand was on her holster, and she slunk low. Nope. She would not get snipered so easily.
Edited 2014-03-03 20:18 (UTC)
hit_girl_mindy: (True Uncertainty (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-03 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Male voice. She assessed the words. Could she believe them? You might make up anything in the dark, likely he wanted someone to say something so he's be able to jump them. If he had a long ranged weapon, he could do just that, and a burst of speed could make that easier. Darkness was both an enemy and friend here, but for right now, caution was really the only thing she could make peace with.

She hated this though. She had killed mercilessly, killed one on one and then killed with best intentions but she was pretty close to exhausting her good form. This needed to be over, and it needed an end, but how badly did she want that to be the case?

One way to find out.

Mindy moved quietly to where she was sure her voice would echo, and said, loudly enough, "Prove it!"
hit_girl_mindy: (Stop breathing my air (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-04 12:29 am (UTC)(link)
She heard something drop on the floor. It could be a lie...but then again if it was he would have said gun, why say bow? That was pretty specific. She lowered her gun, then walked further to reveal herself. Her eyes and ears were open, just in case there was more to what was coming. Right now, she wasn't about to let anyone get an inch on her.

When she laid eyes on the voice, she found he was...shorter than expected. A bow, his size...wait a minute.

"You're the dwarf that was friends with Ellie?"
hit_girl_mindy: (Black and white (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-04 03:17 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm Mindy," she said quiet. Fucking shit. Just when she thought that there wasn't going to be yet another kill to regret. A bow and arrow, and if he was a dwarf like in those Lord of the Ring fucking movies, no way this was going to go easy. They already saw each other, that was over. This would be another time that their terms would be laid out, and honestly? Mindy was curious.

"Haven't seen another myself," she said, shifting from one leg to the other. They were both pretty bad, and now that she knew she wasn't going to have to go and kill all crazed, she was a little relaxed

"You look pretty bad, Kili, don't mind me saying. I've got this one last piece of cheese. This place is gonna go down pretty soon. Want a piece?"
hit_girl_mindy: (Stare (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-04 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
"It's not poisoned or anything," she tried to reassure him. "But its been around so, you know I don't want it to spoil. Not as hungry as I was in the last Arena. There was at least more food here. But I'm not going to hang on to it much longer."

No, this was pretty much where all of this was going to end. She'd fought, been stabbed, thrown, seen people die she never wanted to see again. Right about now all that was left was this: she was going to find a way out or die. Food was something she didn't consider now: little bit here and there and strangely enough, her stomach was starting to adjust.

This meeting would end with one of them dying, she knew that. He might, but was buying time. That was all right for now. Death was coming, would come, but until it flat out danced around them she could take a moment.

"Know who set off the rest of the museum, by chance?"
hit_girl_mindy: (Black and white (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-04 02:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"Wasn't going to go near the upper floors anyway," Mindy grumbled. "That volcano already made a mess of things figured it would only get worse from there."

She chuckled. "Thought that from the last Arena too, since they stiffed us. Near;y starved to death in it though. Potatoes never tasted so damn good in my life, let me tell you."

She took a drink of water, then sighed. "You get anybody in this one?"
hit_girl_mindy: (Face. Nothing but.)

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-04 07:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Mindy nodded. So he'd ducked and covered. It was a good strategy wasn't it? you could avoid killing and hurting people, just wait, and there you go. You wouldn't have to take anyone out until the end. Why couldn't she have done that?

Pfft. Right. Yeah. That was exactly what was wrong with people's thinking. You could just pretend it wasn't happening, just avoid the deaths of people around you because you knew they'd be back, right? Except you DIDN'T, there was no way of knowing that, who would sponsor you, who would leave you to die. It was a game of chance you played because you didn't have a choice. What was more, it was not a choice Mindy could make. She wasn't passive enough for it. Her worth in the games, when people looked at her, needed, like anything else, to be shown. In the end, it was what it came down to.

"I could." She said it loud enough that he heard her. Three already, and enough injuries to think long and hard about it. "There's more at stake than just killing someone. You have sponsors. The things you get can help someone out later if that's how you think. You might come back to life, but it keeps asking you the same shitty question: how do you want your death to be remembered?"
Edited 2014-03-04 19:01 (UTC)
hit_girl_mindy: (The world is mine (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-04 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
"Your choice," she said shrugging, "but you know, I was gonna let you eat before we got into it. I'm a killer, not an asshole."

She kicked herself up "Ok, so here's how we'll do this. I'm gonna head into the darkness. Cont to fifty, and after that, we go at each other like we're supposed to. I shouldn't have to tell you to care that I'm a little kid: I'm trying to end your life, and you wanna live, right? So if you get me, I'm your first kill, and you can at least have that after this. If not, well, I go on, do my thing. Go get yoir bow. I'll be after you soon."

With that the girl retreated back to where the light didn't show her: all was silent now.
hit_girl_mindy: (The darkness)

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-04 09:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Mindy had liked him enough too but she was no fool. This guy was likely to be Lord of the Rings dwarves, and that meant he was going to be excellent with the arrow. Once she was in the dark she was already tying her pajama hat to her heat tightly. This was going to have to go as smoothly as possible, or else that was the end. She could have possibly stabbed him in the dark and avoided this, but for now she was patched up and could afford an honest to goodness fight.

She moved with quiet ease, keeping her ears open to hear him give anything away. All she needed was one noise, one ruffle and she would be quick in that direction. She was so intent on this though that she missed her hat coming undone and in the most stomach twisting moments, fell to the floor with a light plop.

Mindy swallowed a swear, hoping Kili didn't hear.
hit_girl_mindy: (Pained (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-04 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
She heard the whistle of the arrow and hastened to get out of the way, and she almost did make it. The arrow got her in the shoulder, and she threw a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream. He was likely already readying for the next arrow. She abandoned the fallen hat and was rushing now. She just needed to head toward where the arrow came and...and he was stepping out of the dark. She was tearing, because FUCK did that hurt, but even through that she was on him quick, knife digging right into his back.
hit_girl_mindy: (Slicing)

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-04 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
He was hesitating, and she warned him. She wouldn't feel bad now. She pulled the knife out and rolled away, but kipped to her feet again and went for a forward thrust, fast on her feet, moving by pure adrenaline. She wasn't going to go far.

One stop to think about the arrow and she would be in for it. For now, attacking would have to stay on her mind. They'd have this fight now, and see what became of it.
hit_girl_mindy: (Start me up)

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-05 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
Mindy was on the offensive now, because he was still giving her enough berth to do so, and the hesitation on his part was much more of an insult than he knew. In any case, she could still move and was not about to give him even an inch. She shifted quick and went for a hit to his legs now, her hand slicing down to keep his body pinned.
hit_girl_mindy: (slumped over)

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-05 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
Mindy moved back, grunting as she did: she may have gotten two stabs in, which would lead to death, but there was still very much an arrow sticking into her shoulder, and every move she made just made it worse. She needed to end this quickly because she needed to take care of this wound. Shen pulled the knife out, panting, and she made one more slash in the chest area.

She really wished this would be over. Under any circumstances, she would likely have gotten along with the guy, but there was just too much for her to lose right now, and she needed this to end so she could regroup.
hit_girl_mindy: (Striking a pose (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-05 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
That was it. That was the killing point. They both knew it, and she could see the hesitancy in him had ended this fight. That was annoying, at least to the part of her that relied on her skill, but the lingering part of her that saw what this had made her, what she was doing now. It was only the second Arena but she was moving up fast, taking down the people in her way. In the end, it was the drive that kept her going, that let her continue to move despite this violating the very core of who she was.

But the games brought them back. She had to remember that. The illusion of permanent death stopped most people, the REAL version of the Hunger Games that had ended with Katniss. Whatever hang ups, whatever moral fiber, it was all to allow others to go on, move through the throng and get to the prize. It was brutal and mind fuckery at best, and she had to separate herself from that. She killed, but only the murderous, and this game had undone her very tenants.

Him saying that made this worse. She narrowed her eyes, and closed them. For a moment that doubt washed over her: the boy, his mate, Pruna, Sandy and now Kili. The arrow in her shoulder: it at least reminded her that she was not getting out of this easy and free, and she deserved that.

"I'm taking the armor too," she said quietly. "You'll wake up again, in the Capitol. Friendly advice: don't hold back because we're children. They use to be the only competitors here, and they are brutal. You shouldn't have hesitated, you fucked up there. You're better than that."

She paused. "I'll look you up, Kili. If it wasn't for this, we'd have better shit to talk about."
hit_girl_mindy: (Hoodie (Mindy))

[personal profile] hit_girl_mindy 2014-03-05 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
Stay.

It jolted her and there was a look on Mindy's face now: one of surprise and, clearly, pain. She could stand Pruna's defiant stare, Sandy's confusion and anger and even the boy's look of surprise when she slit his throat: that would only haunt her at night, she knew, in the time she had no control over her subconscious mind.

But stay? Her? She killed him. She told him quickly and quietly, and then killed him. Why would he want her to stay?

When Guy had killed her, it was out of mercy. Legless she knew blood wouldn't clot fast enough, that she would die of either loss or shock, and it meant something that he stayed for her and mercy killed her. But she had caused this to Kili and he wanted her company.

Either way, he passed now, right before her. Mindy sank to the floor now, sighing, moving for the knives. She'd need them. Next, the armor. She would need that too but she would be careful, because the arrow was there and she knew enough that it had to stay there or the wound would get worse. She only needed to last a little longer, hopefully.

Once she took the items, she dragged his body with her back in the darkness. Staying in the light was stupid: they would get killed. In the dark, no one could see her, and she could at least let a few tears go. He died slow, quiet, with a dignity the others hadn't. It reminded her of the death that had always lingered on her mind, before the games: dad, burned, accepting his fate and saying goodbye. This was too much like that for her to get anything but pan from this.

"I would have stayed," she mumbled quietly, answering no one but the dark. "But I'm shitty company these days. You were better off with Ellie."
Edited 2014-03-05 04:40 (UTC)