Mini Arena 3

[etcircenses]

The kids are picked up from the daycare bright and early, but by the Capitol instead of their parents. It's just like old times in the arenas, with only children to contend.

25 - 24 - 23

Stylists are starting to get used to the mini-arenas, though it doesn't mean they've been allowed to dress tributes in whatever they want. All the tributes will be dressed as proxy copy of a respective video game character. All tributes are reminded about the ticket rules for this round.

20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16

The platforms lift them up, and there is no cornucopia to be seen. The only way tributes will be able to help and protect themselves is if they go out of their way to harm another tribute and get the tickets, which will be tallied by their watches. The lights of the games flicker and glow within the dark. Classic video game fight tunes play overhead. Before them lay a great and stretching obstacle course, filled with animatronic enemies and various other hazards.

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.

[OOC: Remember, this is forwardated by a week.]

Comments

Super Marko Bros. Pt 1: Loki and the Initiate

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy was in trouble.

She knew she was in trouble since the party but to what degree she had no idea until now.

In the outfit they had forced her into she couldn't move her arms. With a grunt and growl she strained but to no avail. The blocks would not bend under her own power.

Casting a glance around the area her eyes fell on the various allies she had and those who she suspected were perfectly comfortable killing a little girl they didn't know.

As the countdown began she knew she would only get one shot to make it through this first area. Where tactics should have been in her mind all that she could find were curses in the various languages that Shepard had taught her.

Maybe they would censor her on the broadcast...maybe not. Either way she had to get them out.

The Gong sounded.

"Out of my way Smegheads!"

It probably didn't do her well to insult her fellow tributes but her legs pumped under her and she was a purple blur racing for the the foam pit. Her first step found purchase on a rounded platform but it wobbled and she made an awkward scrambling leap to the next one. With her arms out to either side it actually helped in her balance...but the outfit wasn't aerodynamic in any sense of the word.

And the ominous cooing and chirping underneath the shifting foam blocks was worrying.

Her next leap found the platform was too smooth to find purchase and she swung wildly in a circle with a yelp "Bosh'tet!"

Super Marko Bros. Pt2: Gary and Clementine

[justoutrunyou]

Still wobbling and swaying Sandy could see the end of her path in sight. All she had to do was focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

She hated to leave the Initiate alone to fight with someone she knew to be a god made mortal, but surely the tall troll could handle one sneaky human right?

Right?

Either way what was done was done and though she couldn't move her arms she was still making great time. She didn't dare take her eyes off the path in front of her in case she mis a step and fall into the foam.

Because of that she did not see who was coming up on her, She just had a feeling she needed to move faster and doubled her speed.

[a_minute_younger]

Following close behind comes the deft feet of a fellow in a cape, and he is approaching alarmingly fast. Gary hardly needs to look at the path to know where he needs to land; he's a natural at these sorts of things and he knows it, and with that sort of confidence one can reasonably focus on other, more interesting matters than where to step next.

For example, that sign on Sandy's back. He can't miss it nor can he pass up the opportunity. Gary's never seen anyone try to pull off a 'kick me' sign--what sort of prankster would he be if he didn't take advantage of such a ready chance? It might be the only one he has! It's screaming at him, practically, just ahead.

With a few more wide strides, Gary sweeps ahead, just behind Sandy, balances deftly on the path with one foot and extends the other. She only needs a gentle tap. Surely nothing can go wrong if she falls into the ball pit. It's a ball pit. Seriously.

"Bonk!"

[justoutrunyou]

Oh Gary you poor sweet fool.

Sandy let out a cry as she was knocked forward and strained her arms instinctively to try and catch herself. Of course they didn't move and she landed on her face hard.

"FUCKING GOD DAMNIT SON OF A BITCH!"

A temporary break from the cursing Shepard had taught her to fall back on a string of blasphemous curse words that she had grown used to hearing from Mindy.

She began to slide to one side and dug her fingers into the platform's soft texture, using her knees to brace herself. It dawned on her that her attacker was still behind her and she let out a frightened yelp thrusting backward with one of her feet while her knee braced against the ground. It was blind and desperate but her foot found purchase in some part of Gary's anatomy.

[a_minute_younger]

Gary has not just stepped over her at this point because he's too busy laughing. Oh my god, he's always wanted to do something like this. He'll worry about how much of an asshole actually going through with it makes him later. Presently, there are other distractions to deal with--first his own amusement, then Sandy's foot in his crotch.

This is more than enough to put him on the ground. When he recovers enough to actually open his eyes and breathe effectively again, Gary's sense of self-preservation tells him that he does not want Sandy's foot to hit him elsewhere, say, his face. He snaps out a hand and makes a desperate grab at her ankle.

And cue Clementine~

[justoutrunyou]

Feeling the pressure on her ankle should have been somewhat of a comfort as it gave her a little more traction to keep from falling off the platform. Instead it only proceeded to frighten her more and she let out another shout.

"LET ME GO!"

Her foot lashed out blindly once more as she rocked her body back and forth trying to get out of the stupid costume she had been provided.

[smarterthanthem]

"HEY! Let her go!"

Echoing Sandy's demand comes another young girls voice. Clementine is making her way as fast as she dares through the foam pit when she see's an unknown boy grabbing at Sandy, whose unfortunate costume would make Clem wince in sympathy if she wasn't more preoccupied with stopping the attack. Wasting no time she bends down and grabs three of the foam blocks from the surface of the pit (and oh God, did she hear something underneath them?) to throw.

Luckily she's coming up from behind the boy which gives her a wide target and Clem draws back her own to throw the first piece of foam right after she finishes shouting.

[a_minute_younger]

Gary is massively regretting a lot of things right now. Being kicked is not a lot of fun, even if Sandy's strikes are a bit too desperate and erratic to hit anything vital, but Gary doesn't think to actually let go until Clementine intervenes.

"Shit! Alright, I'm--gah!" The foam piece hits him in the back of the head with a dull thump. Though far from fatal, it's enough to get Gary's attention. He relinquishes Sandy's ankle and tries to roll away, although the platform doesn't allow him a lot of room to escape. "I'm off, I'm off! Fucking hell!"

[justoutrunyou]

Hearing his retreat was enough to give Sandy a moment to breathe, and a moment to figure out she needed to dig her shoes into the platform to push further away from the edge.

With her costume restricting her arms though she couldn't stand up on her own. She'd heard Clementine nearby and maybe the initiate was still lurking.

"I can't stand up!" She called hoping that wasn't the same as announcing her weakness to any nearby with murderous intent.

[smarterthanthem]

"You better stay away from us!" Clementine calls after the boy, hurling another foam piece after him before turning her attention to Sandy. "I'm coming!"

In seconds she's made her way over to the other girl and hooked her arms underneath Sandy to try and haul her back up onto her feet. "What the heck have they dressed you as?"

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy's feet lashed out a few times trying to find purchase on the platform before Clementine managed to get her upright.

"I dunno...an easy target I guess?" She offered with an failed attempt at shrugging.

"I can't keep going like this but I can't move my arms." She wiggled her wrists in example "Think you can break these sleeves off?"

[smarterthanthem]

It was at that moment that Clementine saw it, "Oh my God... they put a 'Kick Me' sign on your back!"

The words spilled out in an angry exclamation as her fists tightened. That explained that jerk boy doing what he'd been doing. She doesn't even want to think about the reason why the Capitol is singling Sandy out for this arena, she'd suspected from the moment they'd announced the arena was being done in Sandy's 'honour'. They knew, or at least had good reason to believe they knew, what Sandy had done to Penny.

There's no way to voice that here without confirming the Capitol's suspicions (they must be suspicions only or they'd have executed Sandy outright) so Clementine just clenches her jaw and nods, "I'll try my best."

She reaches for the first one, searching for the seam on the arm.

[justoutrunyou]

There didn't appear to be a seam, so much as the outfit appeared to be a single solid plastic piece thick around her wrists and shoulders to hold her like stocks.

"Break it off if you have to just...hurry please?" Her fingers wriggled and clenched into fists as she strained again.

"Rrrgh, stupid suit. Stupid Capitol!"

[smarterthanthem]

"Urgh, okay." she nodded, grabbing hold of the plastic in her hands on one side first to break. Clementine grunts with the effort as she pulls at the plastic, putting all her strength into it until it slowly gives way and breaks. Her fingers feel pretty sort for it but she doesn't hesitate to move to the other arm. "I wish I had a knife."

[justoutrunyou]

"That makes two of us." Sandy grunted from her prone position. But already she felt better for being able to move her arm slowly. With another CRACK and a grunt as Sandy felt her shoulder take the pressure the second arm comes away.

"I owe ya two." She promised breathlessly as she shoved herself up on her knees and practically ripped the useless plastic sleeves from her arms throwing them into the foam pits where they sank like stones.

Her wrists had angry red lines around them from where they'd been trapped and her shoulders ached but she had her arms back and that would give her a fighting chance.

[smarterthanthem]

"No, you're okay." Clementine winces and rubs her hands, though they don't look nearly as bad as the red lines around Sandy's wrists. They probably hurt anywhere near as bad either. "I couldn't leave you like that."

It was a death sentence, as the Capitol intended. Maybe Clem should be worried that they'd retaliate against her for helping Sandy but she can't bring herself to regret it. If they think she'd ever leave a friend in danger they had another thing coming. "I could try and get that sign off too."

[justoutrunyou]

"Couldn't hurt." She agreed and turned to present her back to Clementine, showing just how much she trusted the other girl not to betray her suddenly.

Unfortunately the sign was affixed to her costume making it impossible to remove. To get the costume itself off would take more time then they had to spare.

"You'd think this would teach me to keep my mouth shut, but it just makes me madder." She sighed hopelessly. "Buncha idiot adults running this place."

[smarterthanthem]

It's paper, paper shouldn't be hard to tear off.

Then Clementine gets her hands on it and finds different. The first tug yields no result except to pull on Sandy, so for the second one she puts her hand on Sandy's shoulder to brace and pulls harder at the paper. "The heck is this thing made of!"

Finally, arm feeling sore she lets go. "Sorry. Yeah, you're right there."

[onedirectiony]

He remembered her - and not from the kick-me sign that the Capitol had basically painted on her. She had taken part in an attack on him and Dave, so she clearly valued her own life little enough to blindly attack people she seemed to know nothing about. As someone who plans and plots, one was already forming in his head as he made his way towards her as soon as the countdown had ended.

She knew him, and he knew that she would figure he didn't care about killing anyone. When she started taking off, he kept j ust an arm's distance behind her, moving quickly. His own outfit was easy to move in.

"Bit insult for a little girl," he said, keeping near her. He was trying to close the distance to make an attack.

[justoutrunyou]

"What?" Sandy heard the voice and spun to face him before she could process who it was. The blocky sleeves of her costume swung wide threatening Loki in an unintentional sweep of her fist which was stuck at the end of this useless outfit.

When she saw who it was her blood ran cold. This was bad...this was exceptionally bad. How close was Pruna? Not close enough, Sandy had seen her at the start of the arena and she suspected it was not coincidence that the Gamemakers had placed the two of them at exact opposite ends of the starting line.

[onedirectiony]

It wasn't like he was chasing her quickly, but his steps were just long enough (thanks to the height advantage he had over many of the tributes in this current arena) that it would be intimidating. That was his point. It wasn't that he really held grudges as a result of the things that happened in the arenas, there was no reason for him to care much beyond his winning efforts.

However, the whole effort seemed to follow a decent storyline. And that seemed good enough to get people to enjoy watching him in an arena. He shifted back a few steps.

"Yes?" he said. "What's so confusing about what I said? I thought it sounded pretty straight forward."

Her outfit already put her at a pretty nasty disadvantage.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy was beyond that though, she was already piecing together her odds of getting knocked into the foam pit by Loki and they were not in her favor.

"Just...keep back. There's no reason to play their game the way they want us to." She insisted as she began backing up along the pathway inch by inch so she wouldn't accidentally fall off.

[onedirectiony]

"Oh yes, telling me to step back always works," he sounds bored. "You have a lot to learn about getting what you want." Of course, as far as he was concerned - it was a mistake to try and talk him down of all people. He didn't like being told what to do, and especially not by a child.

He charged her. No more playing, he supposed. He was going for a kick, down low at first.

[carnagecarnival]

"AND WHAT ALL IF THIS MOTHERFUCKER TELLS ON IT!" Comes the growl just a short ways off.

The Initiate wastes no time making his way there, his costume giving him just enough movement for the former Carnival player to make his way through with ease. He dives in quick, bring his arms up to stop the kick from reaching her. If he has to, he'll rip the goddamn ground out from under this fucker, to stop any attack from reaching Sandy.

[onedirectiony]

Oh good. Another one of them.

Not that he minded the Trolls, but he somehow always found himself face-to-face with one. He had every intention of living through this, too, if at all possible. This guy...was intimidating enough on appearance. (Not that Loki would ever admit to being intimidated by anyone).

"I might consider it," Loki said. His trademark grin spread across his features. "Maybe."