Mini Arena 2

[etcircenses]

Tributes are woken early, and the hovercraft ride is a long one. Not the longest some have experienced, but they are clearly going far.

25 - 24 - 23

They land on the deck of the boat, and are ushered underneath, to the lower levels, quickly. Their stylists go from cabin to cabin, decking them out in over the top finery, before loading them into the pods installed into the corners of the rooms.

20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16

The platforms lift them up, and they are all ringed around a grand buffet table, loaded with a grand feast looking ready to sag down from the weight. Among the food are supplies, plenty of them, all for the taking.

11- 10 - 9 - 8

They've all been warned, don't step off your pedestal early. They have also been warned to put on a good show. That's all this is about, a good show. None of them have been told that there can be multiple winners this time around.

5 - 4

3

2

The sound of the gong plays crystal clear across the opening. The games have begun.

Comments

[biomechatronic]

In his mind it's less cocky than figuring no one would particularly bother with a harmless man like him.

"S-something? What kind of something?" Because he's developed a nervous tic about knitting needles, let him tell you. "Of course I trust you, Clara." He still can't imagine killing anyone. Or Clara killing him. The slap, well, that had been deserved.

[seestheman]

Clara has very serious doubts that the people in charge here think any of them are harmless.

"I don't know what kind of something, but I'm sure it's probably horrible." Which isn't her trying to scare him, honest. It's just her thinking about what she saw in the previous Arena and trying to imagine what they'd put on a sinking ship to top that. "While that's very kind of you, trusting anyone in here might not be the best idea." Which is kind of weird coming from her, but she's made connections and she knows who she can trust, instead of blindly putting faith in the fact that people are generally good and they'll stick to that in a deathmatch.

[biomechatronic]

Well, it was probably a stupid question on his part. Of course she wouldn't know. He'd hate to think anyone here, much less anyone like Clara, would be able to be on the same vibe as their captors.

"You're right. That probably goes without saying." But look! He has a knife this time. He's...50% more prepared than last time.

"Clara, you wouldn't kill me. I wouldn't kill you!" It's that whole Hobbesian social contract, really, and surely he can at least count on covenant theory?

[seestheman]

While Clara's starting to understand how all this works, she still doesn't understand how the Gamemakers think. And quite honestly, she doesn't want to know.

“You're right, we wouldn't kill each other, but we also wouldn't be much help to each other.” And there are people in here who she'd like to see win over her (like Dave), and she won't be able to do anything about that if she's making sure Dennett doesn't get them killed.

Anyways, she's not going to say it aloud, but in her opinion it's better that both of them die in here and end up in the next Arena so Alex has a fighting chance.

[biomechatronic]

Dennett probably doesn't want to know, either, but there's a part of him that's beginning to feel that if he understood it, he could use it. Knowledge was power, after all.

"Clara, there's always safety in numbers. I'm not...that useless." He is, though, pretty useless in a survival scenario. Just not entirely so.

sob this is the latest, sorry. aaand are you cool if we just consider this a thread wrap?

[seestheman]

"No, you're not. But I am," she says with a shrug and a sad smile. "And I refuse to weigh someone else who might be able to figure out a way to win this down and get them killed."

She backs away, trying to make sure not to step on her skirt and trip herself. "I'm sorry. Good luck."

wrap is fine with me!

[biomechatronic]

"You're not useless." No, seriously. He doesn't know what happened between her and Sellars, but it was clear from what he'd pieced together that she had stood up to Raymond.

Dennett couldn't even stand up to Sellars.

But she's on the move before he can figure it out, and though he's hardly a saint, he can take a hint. "Good luck out there, Clara," he says forlornly, after the after the retreating swish of her skirts.