Sticks and stones may break my bones

[calledmenasir]

WHO| Nasir and all the people he fights during the week (open)
WHAT| Nasir explores the mall, kicks some ass, and gets his ass kicked
WHEN| Throughout Week 2
WHERE| All over the mall
WARNINGS| Some serious violence, brief mention of past torture

Nasir had not done well during the Arena. His fights had been failures. He had not seen Gannicus since the Cornucopia. And the autobiography of himself had made him burn, not the least of which because he didn't know if the starting chapter was a lie. To make things worse, it taunted him with pictures of better days with Agron.

He was tired. He felt the bruises from his battles here. His muscles were still aching from the torture he'd been through at the hands of the Peacekeepers. He could barely sleep as memories haunted him. Then there was the fear that this was not enough. That they would not return him to life and he would break his promise to Agron. He would fail him and his brother and they would all die for it.

Comments

Around the Mall (pick your place), open

[calledmenasir]

Nasir stalked the halls of the mall, stopping periodically to check a store. He knew he was exposing himself but he needed to find someone to kill. The crowd was not entertained by a man sitting and licking his wounds, giving into fear.

So he searched, knives in hand, for someone. He would have their life.

[failbender]

Zuko was moving fairly silently around the mall as he looked for stores to scavenge for potential weapons and supplies. Some of the others here were not only experienced with other arenas (supposedly - he still really didn't believe people were brought back from the dead) but they'd also already had their pick of what the place had to offer.

As much as he was competent unarmed, he would've been a lot more comfortable with a sword or swords. If he could find something like a jian, he could at least work with it. If he found two blades he could use like his dao, even better. But at this rate, he would settle for long knives if he could find them. It would be better than nothing. All he had at the moment was the blades from the strange bladed ice shoes they'd put him in, tucked at his belt. Good for deflecting blows and maybe causing a little damage but they weren't going to work as well as actual weapons.

Despite his near-silence as he moved, he still had to cross the halls of the mall to get from place to place and that was when he and Nasir both spotted each other at the same time, in front of the sporting goods store. Zuko quickly scanned around to make sure the man was alone - without looking away from him - then locked eyes with him.

Zuko noted that he carried himself with a tension that showed he was ready to spring and probably on the prowl for someone to attack, given how ready those knives were.

"I suggest you walk away," Zuko said imperiously, dropping into a battle-ready stance, taking the two skate blades out of his belt and looping his fingers through the flat bars of them. His voice was commanding, filled with all the forcefulness that came of spending most of his life believing he deserved power and authority and recently even earning the right to it.

He sounded like a man that knew himself enough to know for sure that most wouldn't be able to challenge him and that those who could might be taken down with him anyway.

That tone was a warning.

He was inclined to show mercy under most circumstances and so far, despite all the damage he'd done, he'd managed to never kill before understanding how far he'd fallen. He was especially hesitant to under these circumstances, given they were all trapped here, but he had come to far and had too much to worry about protecting to let someone kill him and if he had to kill first, he was ready to do it.

He needed to survive and he needed to help Aang survive.

[calledmenasir]

The tone did not give Nasir pause. He was used to that, not in Spartacus's commanding voice, no, his was not nearly so imperious. Rather, this was reminiscent of the speech of his dominus issuing an order.

"I will not take my last breath in the arena." Nasir's voice was forceful as well, hardened and determined. It was clear: he was not to be crossed with. He was not going to be merciful. He was out for blood and, if Zuko made one misstep, he would have it.

He could tell that this would be challenging by the way Zuko slipped into his stance but Nasir would not go to Hades without a fight.

He charged at Zuko, knives at the ready, but his first attacks were cautious. This was simply a test.

[failbender]

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Zuko dropped as Nasir got close, into a spinning kick meant to knock him off balance. He knew he'd probably jump over or dodge it but that was the point.

He had his eyes on something else - the shop they were right near. It seemed filled with obstacles and equipment he might be able to use in a fight. That was why he'd been looking to see what he could scavenge from it in the first place.

[calledmenasir]

Nasir was tired, battered, and hurting in more ways than one, but he'd been in battle for so long that this was instinct. He jumped up over Zuko's leg, landing just as the man had broken off into a run. Nasir followed.

He didn't know if Zuko's words were meant to scare him off or if it was a threat he meant. But he did recognize the store. It was the same one he'd found his knives in, which meant that once Zuko armed himself, he would present a challenge.

Nasir didn't say a word as he raced after Zuko and into the store.

[failbender]

He wanted the man to give chase. The sporting good store had plenty he could work with even before he got his hands on a weapon.

As he ran down an aisle, he swiped at a whole display of fishing rods - some with hooks attached - knocking it on Nasir as he passed by.

All he needed to do was impede his way long enough to grab something to use as a weapon and then he'd possibly have the edge.

[calledmenasir]

Nasir had to halt immediately as the fishing rods fell on him. The hooks dug into his skin and caught in his hair. It took time to pry them off him and there were several cuts left on his face.

He was more cautious this time as he resumed his pursuit. Zuko was no longer in sight and he would not be taken by surprises. He walked quickly, searching the store for his opponent. If Zuko had made an escape it would not give the Capitol a favorable opinion of Nasir, who would once more have failed to take a life.

For Sigma

[calledmenasir]

Nasir had found a bathroom in one of the stores. He washed himself off, cleansing himself from the fights he’d been in, and left to step into the halls. He soon went from aching into full alert as he saw that he was not alone. He recognized this one, both from in passing and also from his statements regarding the Games. Sigma had arranged them in his world. Nasir would make him pay for that.

"I seek your blood."

[futilecycle]

Appearing much the worse for wear, Sigma was in a sorry state, indeed. His right arm had been charred black and pierced through with metal shrapnel - somehow, he was still able to move it. Following his encounter with Harley, Dr. Klim had changed into a thick woolen jacket to cover his injuries and the burns on his chest. But when he sees Nasir approaching, Sigma reaches over to roll up the sleeve of his left arm - all that peeks out from the hem is a sharp metal stake, sharpened and glistening silver. The gears that operate his functional hand groan, the wires that move his cybernetic skeleton up and down can be seen tensing through damaged flesh. This man is no longer wholly human, and has not been for a very long time, in more than one sense of the word.

Upon hearing the challenge, the Doctor throws back his head and laughs, genuinely amused. Once he is calm, he watches Nasir curiously, a smile on his lips, arms behind his back and standing straight and tall as if he were a figure worthy of respect. "It appears I am being challenged to a duel. Are you certain that is wise, sir?" He wonders if this man is simply bloodthirsty, or if this was about his identity. He remembers the Initiate's warning: you will be hunted. It was about time. "I imagine you have taken some issue over my previous occupation... How unbelievably ignorant."

[calledmenasir]

Nasir had seen a metal limb before. It did not take him off guard though it would pose an extra challenge. It was sharp enough to function as a blade and had a farther reach than Nasir's knives. Still, he was not going to back down, especially not from one such as him.

"You stand now upon arena not of your making. I give no shit to your excuses. I will have your head now."

Nasir did not care for any more talking. He moved forward to press his attack. He darted to the side opposite the metal arm to take advantage of his weakness there. He slashed his knives both high and low, aiming to strike the neck and shoulder, to follow through on his words.

[futilecycle]

So his assumptions were correct. Sigma is still smiling until Nasir takes a slash at him - he jumps back in alarm, raising his cybernetics like a shield around his neck, catching the strike with his upper arms. His left hand may be useless other than for stabbing, but at least there is still strength above the wrist. Knives. Of course this Tribute fought with knives. To have them close to his shoulder and head make Sigma anxious, and it pulls his fight-or-flight response into overdrive. He'd already lost his real arms and eye to knives once and wasn't about to let the same happen to his head.

Prioritizing his neck, when the knife is deflected the tips of the blade sink into the skin of his upper body. Sigma hisses in annoyance, and then charges towards Nasir with rage in his eyes, aiming to punch him in the stomach with all the force his metal right arm can muster.

[calledmenasir]

Nasir was an agile fighter and he moves fast. Pushing himself to the side of Sigma, he avoided the blow. He made to circle him, swinging his knives again to cut skin. He didn't say a word but hissed as he slashed the blades through air and, hopefully, skin.

The trick to this, he knew, would be staying away from the thing that Sigma now possessed as an arm.

[futilecycle]

This would not be a long fight, Sigma realized, if he did not get some distance between them. As adept Sigma was at making games, he was not the most accomplished competitor, and relied heavily on brute force. Experience and speed would wear him down, in time.

If he could stop Nasir from moving, he could turn this battle in his favour. Sigma lowered his splintered arm and willingly took a slice through his jacket and lower neck - the instant he felt Nasir had drawn blood, with all the strength he could summon Sigma slashed horizontally in a half-circle around him, hoping to push Nasir back or to break his guard.

For Albert

[calledmenasir]

It took time, but Nasir had found a makeshift sling for his broken arm. He’d nearly broken his teeth as well as he set the arm himself and bound a board to it. The pain was still sharp and he slumped against a rack in the lingerie store, which he had ransacked in search of cloth to use as binding.

Panting, he stood and stumbled forward. He steeled himself and regained his strength more as he walked. He tried to set the pain from his mind, as he had years ago when he’d been stabbed, but it was a difficult feat.

[silberfuchs]

He doesn't make rounds anymore; really, Albert only left his and Jet's encampment on the third floor to run for food or some kind of entertainment to keep his fiance sane in his blindness, though that's an uphill battle with Jet seeming more surly and irritable as the arena wears on. He's starting to feel a little helpless, but that doesn't mean he's going to stop trying to lift morale.

A book in hand, food in his bag, and acquired sword at his hip, Albert walks his way back to where he'd left his rope, his way to climb back up without having to go anywhere near the escalators. And who should stumble across his path suddenly but a bedraggled gladiator, arm in a splint and a sheen of sweat betraying the amount of pain the man must be in.

Once, Albert might have been willing to help Nasir. He had some of the first aid supplies from Jet's sponsor left over, but after what the other man had done, the state he'd left Jet in, the German is in no rush for mercy.

In fact, for only the second time in his entire stay in Panem, he'd rather this be an intentional kill.

There's little pause as he drops the book and storms over to the faltering man before him with all the rage of an oncoming thunderstorm. If Nasir doesn't move, Albert will have him by the neck in moments.

[calledmenasir]

Nasir's head jerked up when he heard someone coming closer. He harbored no grudge against Albert. In fact he'd thought of him somewhat favorably after their first encounter, but that would not have saved him from dying at his blade. Ordinarily. Now Nasir knew he was in no condition to fight, not until the edge of his pain died. Judging from the look in Albert's eyes, he was not going to have a choice in the matter.

Nasir immediately raised his knife. He pointed it out so that if Albert came close he would end up with a blade lodged in his stomach.

"I have no quarrel with you." But he knew that here, no quarrel was needed. He himself operated under that attitude. Now he was at the other end of it.

[silberfuchs]

"I have one with you." He doesn't hesitate, just makes a grab for the hand holding the knife, looking to crush Nasir's wrist or otherwise make him drop the blade. He doesn't seem too worried about getting cut, angry as he is, but it's a frigid rage. Whereas many are akin to a bonfire when truly incensed, Albert goes cold, the deep cold that makes breathing painful and covers everything with a metaphoric layer of frost. The cold of deep oceans and no raft in sight. Empty and glacial.

"You blinded my fiance."

[calledmenasir]

Nasir jerked back his knife and automatically lunged forward to swipe it across Albert's hand. But as soon as he made the attack he stepped back.

At Albert's words a sinking feeling came over him. There was the realization that he'd made a mistake earlier and now he would pay for it. He knew it was useless to protest or try to convince Albert not to attack. If it were Agron who had been blinded, he would have done the same. He would also make whoever did it bled for a long time, from many different cuts.

"I do not deny the deed," Nasir said evenly against the fear that tightened his chest. "We do what we must in the arena. As will you."

He planted his feet on the ground and held firm, ready for the attack that would follow.

[silberfuchs]

He doesn't answer, instead focusing on Nasir. His pupilless eyes glint dully in the artificial light, calculating and deathly calm despite the knife being brandished at him and the superficial cut Nasir had landed on his hand with his swipe. He barely feels it, his rage making him numb in its frozen presence.

He keeps advancing, pulling the sabre from his belt with a scrape of metal. He's not trained with a sword, but the concept is simple; use the pointy end to make the other guy hurt. And he intends to.

There's little warning as Albert lunges forward, still aiming to disarm but much more literally than simply forcing Nasir to drop the knife.

[celebrityskinned]

Venus has fared nearly as poorly as Gannicus has this Arena. Venus limps around on muscles battered by ill-advised fights, dressed in her PARTICIPANT t-shirt that's been belted and cut up into a sort of tunic. She hasn't done anything but make enemies this Arena, and her sleep is interrupted by the feeling of suffocation right as she's about to go under every time. She's tired, and all the makeup in the mall can't hide the dark circles under her eyes.

Her saving grace is that she knows Kankri is, for the moment, safe. His success is her one goal right now, the beacon of light in her bloody tunnel filled with horrible memories and question marks where there once were friendships.

She's gunning for the high-scored Tributes now. It's the best she can do.

"Nasir," she calls, the same as last time, so that they may repeat the dance they started before even the last Arena, but this time her voice is tired, resigned. Hollowed out. She raises her baseball bat with both hands.

[calledmenasir]

Seeing Venus made his own bruises ache in sympathy and, in spite of himself, he felt a part of him go out to the woman he respected. But the other part of his mind, the one that had learned how to size up the vulnerable, knew that this would make Venus an easier mark.

The problem was, Nasir was almost as bruised. Fighting after the "interrogations" at the hands of the Peacekeeper had not given him the time to heal and he already suffered from shallow cuts from his battles here.

Nasir nodded at his fellow warrior. "Venus." No more words were necessary. They both knew how this would play out and this time, Nasir was resolved that one of them would die.

He raised his knives and did not charge Venus but walked calmly toward her.

[celebrityskinned]

"Where's your friend?" She lazily swings the bat, flicking her wrist like a cat would flick its tail. She tilts her head, listening for anything over the Sleigh Ride in the background to try and hear if she's going to be tag-teamed again. "Gannicus?"

It's not a fight she's entirely against picking. If she's going to die, she trusts Gannicus and Nasir to do it fast, and she trusts it'll be dramatic. It'll be a good way to go out, a respectable coda to the downhill slide that's been her life lately.

She circles Nasir - he approaches, she sidesteps, keeping him at bay a second longer - and then she swings.

[calledmenasir]

Where is Gannicus? That was a question that had been on Nasir's mind since leaving the Cornucopia. He hadn't seen the man since then and it was cause for worry. Did he now blame Nasir for their capture, imprisonment, and torture?

"Gannicus is of no concern to you," Nasir responded steadily. "I am."

Nasir tried to spring back and out of the bat's reach but it struck his side. His sharp cry of pain as it slammed against a bruise turned into a hiss. Nasir's eyes snapped back to Venus in a glare that hadn't been seen in their past fights.

He was tired of this. He was tired of being constantly beaten and thrown and cut.

He released one of his knives and shot his hand out in an attempt to grab the bat and wrest it from her or at least keep it in his hand for a moment.

[celebrityskinned]

Venus, for her part, is impassive, nearly an automaton. Nothing that happens here truly matters, only furthering her pitiful agenda, and she can do that practically as well by dying as by killing. She is tired too, but unlike Nasir, she takes the burden of exhaustion and turns it inwards; it quenches her fires while it stokes his.

She lets the bat go unexpectedly quickly, like a lizard shedding its tail or a starfish loosing her limb to a predator. It gives her the flexibility to avoid the knife that zips past her ribs. She twists inwards, ramming her shoulder into Nasir's chest to try and drive them both to the floor.

[calledmenasir]

Nasir didn't have time to move aside. Venus's weight pressed against him and he lost his footing. As he fell back, he attempted to stab Venus's side with his knife. The bat dropped from his other hand as he tried to break his fall with it. He'd fallen once from a great height, thanks to Zuko, and he knew that his spine would not appreciate the impact.

It did not. He groaned as his body was crushed against the floor, causing more vessels to burst beneath his bruised skin.