thearena | ARENA 10-Placid Hollow

The Tributes are taken early in the morning, most of their support teams seeming in good cheer as they dress them in warm clothes, getting them to their tubes. There is obvious comfort in the familiar for the prep teams, and they chatter with, or in some cases, over the heads of their Tributes as they get them ready and load them up.

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18…

If the Tributes could see the area they are passed up into, they would see a deeply overgrown, dilapidated town green, with a large bandstand rotting away in the middle. The spoils of the cornucopia are not gathered in one spot, instead scattered throughout the thigh high grass and weeds around the town green.

Around the edge of the green, the old business stand a silent sentry, looming out of the fog as it thins and winds into them, providing much desired cover.

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7

6…

But the Tributes cannot see the ground around them. The fog, thicker even than it will be in the rest of the arena, makes the world small around them. The sound of the count down echoes strangely, the tributes seeming too close as the fog brings sounds of their breath, their coughing, the snap of twigs under their feet right to ears of the other Tributes. But with the fog bringing visibility down to only a few feet, it's hard to tell what is a true danger, and what is only the fog playing tricks on them,.

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1

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It would be strange to try to explain why he feels the need to withdraw on himself when talking to Steve now. It would be a start to say that this isn't his Steve, but in a way, is that even so much of a change? He's pretty sure he hasn't been any Steve's Bucky in a very long time. He lost the right to be that man ages ago, somewhere cold, when he had a colder name.

But all of that has only just been laid bare for this Steve, and it hurts a little to talk casually of his own capacity for violence with him. It feels too much like endangering his next chance of being a better man.

And here this Steve is holding out an axe to him. All of a sudden, Bucky finds himself missing the shield, missing that time spent as a better man for certain. But that's no way to think in the middle of a misty deathmatch, so he just reaches out and grabs the handle. "What are you gonna use? I think we're a little short on shields here, Steve."

He continues to watch Bucky's reactions as closely as he can, trying to piece together a man he only hopes to get to know better here and back in his own world. This Bucky who's survived the horrors of his past, no longer the weapon Hydra turned him into.. This man gives him hope for his own Bucky's recovery.

The comment gets a good natured smirk out of Steve "Saw some houses back there, figured there's some trashcan lids that'll make due," the playful tone says he knows how ridiculous that is, but doesn't care.

He's so much more comfortable armed with his fists or a shield, the axe would just get left behind at some point if Steve kept it. If Bucky can find a use for the axe, then he can have it. That or give it to Thor.

The reactions in question are by now swallowed up behind a mask of playful banter, even here. Just like it so often was back in the war--although perhaps less often for this Steve, who knew his Bucky down to the heart, than for the one Bucky knew.

"Trashcan lids?" He gives a little laugh as he tucks the axe into his belt for now. "They better appreciate the honor you're giving 'em, Steve." The joking tone falls away for a moment, though. "They might work, if you weight them with something. That's part of the point of the shield, it's big and heavy and most guys can't handle it."

Bucky's comment gets an amused chuff from Steve. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to tell them just what an honor it is for them to be my shield," the humor is so dry some people might think he's being serious.

"Yeah, thought about that," he was taking Bucky's comment into more serious consideration. He had thought about that, but it's hard when they don't have much in the ways of tools around here. "If the cars weren't so rusted, I'd use a door, but they'd crumble in one hit. Maybe I can I find some less rusted metal from one and fit it into the lid, secure them together." It'd work. Look like shit, but he was already expecting to have it look ridiculous. It's about function, not looks.

Some people, maybe--but even if this isn't the Steve he knows, Bucky still knows him well enough to tell when he's joking. Usually. He hopes. "Real gentlemanly of you," he says to that with a grin.

"There should be some wire around somewhere to tie things together," he muses. "We ought to check every cabinet. Of course, we won't be the only one with the idea of taking a look at the inside of these houses." He pauses, regarding Steve seriously. "You're ready to fight to defend yourself, right?"

Is he ready to defend himself? Yeah, he's already come to terms with the fact that he'll fight to stay alive, is willing to incapacitate people and even kill if necessary. Of course, he'll always help people first and foremost, but that includes surviving for his allies' survival.

So, he meets Bucky's look seriously, "Yeah. I'm ready," though now he cracks a small smile, "I've already survived my first scuffle."

Part of him wonders is he should mention for them not to take the first strike, to let people have the chance to leave or make peace, maybe to find some new allies, but he decides to have faith in the man he's seen Bucky be so far.

"Hey." And Bucky grins in return, although it's a mask, it's always been a mask around Steve--the trick is that the Steve he knew was a guy who made him believe he could become that mask of smiles and bravery, and maybe, just maybe, this one is too. "Just be sure to survive your first real fight too, right?"

He straightens up a bit, glancing around. "Let's go see if we can find any others from our worlds. I hate to think what devastation Natasha could be unleashing on this place already. She's probably tamed two or three of the giant spiders already, made them her pets."

"I think I got it covered," he returns the grin, giving a friendly smack to Bucky's upper right arm. Part of him isn't sure how real it is - that grin of Bucky's - but at the same time, he doesn't dwell on it. He only just met this man, perhaps it's just a difference or something to get used to, a change from being the Winter Soldier.

"Probably pulling her chariot down the street, subjugating everyone to her will," Steve gives an amused huff and starts to move off towards the houses that lined the main street.

"Good chance Stark ran for cover in a house, not sure how to find the other two, but if we find one, we can probably track down the others."

"Not everyone," Bucky protests, still smiling. "She's selective."

He starts towards the houses as well. "Let's split up for now. We'll cover more ground that way. I'll signal to you when I find something. Got that?"

"Yep, got it loud and clear," Steve grins. "If you find something bad, signal too, I feel like we're more likely to find trouble around here than anything."

He nods to the left, "I'll go left, if we don't find anyone by nightfall, we signal, meet up, and look again in the morning."

"You got it, Cap," Bucky says, at ease with plans and strategy, however simple they are. "I'll see you again."

And then he's off, away from the brief respite of the park and the meeting with Steve.

ARENA 10-Placid Hollow

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