[open] London Bridge is broken down

[voiceinthephone]

Who| Phillip Gray and Open
What| Week 5 & 6 Catchall with a closed prompt for Firo
Where| All over the Arena
When| Weeks 5 and 6
Warnings/Notes| FNAF details, Closed prompt contains death by rats,

I- Week 5
A. The Church

It didn't matter that the Capitol stripped the building of any religious connotations, for the ragged Phone Guy, it was still a place that held something special. There was signs of a struggle here but it didn't matter to the Tribute as he settled down on a pew and rested. Food was becoming scarce, and with each passing day, the rats were increasingly aggressive towards anyone who got too close to their scraps. The sudden illness knocked the wind right out of Phillip's lungs, he'd never experienced anything like it…was it just the tributes who were afflicted?

He was all too aware that the Arena was whittling down but as desperate as things turned, Phil had no intention of fighting or killing without provocation. For all intents and purposes, he knew he was on borrowed time, that should the Capitol be bored of him, they could send him back into his gaudy-colored, deranged death. Killing anyone for the sake of winning wouldn't serve any other purpose than to get extra sponsors and break him. Linden knew about his stance on that aspect of the Games, that he would never stoop so low as to be like the serial killer. I'd rather die…self-defense was a whole other story. Gray found himself debating these ideas in a place that, in any other world, would have ended with lightning striking him.

"I miss you Vee…"he whispered into the empty room, not knowing if that someone on the other side of the camera. Whatever idea the Capitol had of Phillip Gray ever letting go of the District Five tribute, it was wrong. He figured he could say something like that in a church, right? "A lot." He whispered three words and allowed himself to rest, one ear open for intruders.

B. The Forest

The Arena's forest bore no resemblance to the clearings Phillip played Pirate when he was a child: there wasn't a hint of the comfortable breeze, only the eerie crackle of branches in the wind. There were signs of blood, of bodies dragged around and away. This was plain survival and the Phone Guy kept it that way. He had to keep his mind busy as he laid down a simple trap for a rabbit to take. He couldn't deny the smile when he caught a frog the other day, and of coursed he named it Kermit before it ended its' life.

Anyone in his reach will get one look before he decides if friend or foe…and react accordingly.

II - Week 6
A. Village Outskirts
How long has it been since Phil saw another Tribute? The lack of activity should have been unnerving, and at times, it was, but this is when Phone Guy thrived the best. So many months have passed but old instincts died hard and it's in the silence of the Village that he becomes aware of the hazards, the environment, everything. Being stuck in that security room for five years, his hearing was fine-tuned to listen for any steps that were not his own, for someone else's breathing. This was the last raid he could make, he had to make it count as he broke pot after pot.

B. Closed to Firo - Castle
It was the howling of the wolves that prompted Phillip to abandon the forest for the time being, he'd made it this far and overgrown dogs weren't going to kill him now. The castle, even with the damage inflicted by that witch girl still seemed sturdy enough to hide from the ravenous beasts. Gray made it a point to avoid the castle as much as he could, the experience in the Catacombs, even if it was just the entrance, left one hell of an impression on him. Too much like the back rooms at Freddy's, dungeon cells replacing the steel drums that held the dismembered limbs that…But times were harsh, and there was only so many threats he could face before he called it in.


"Hello…hello?" he greeted into the walls, hoping an ally would answer.

Comments

Week 6 B!

[foundafamily]

Firo, on the other hand, had stuck to the castle for most of the time since he and Phil had parted ways. He was more comfortable with walls around him, no matter what lay in those walls. By his thinking, the woods probably had creatures just as awful--might as well allow himself this small comfort.

There's no mistaking that voice and Firo couldn't keep a grin from jumping to his face as he rounded the corner, coming into view of his friend.

"Boo. How've you been holdin' up, pal?"

He himself looked somewhat ragged, but not too bad. His and Eowyn's squirreling away of food from an earlier banquet had served him well, even if it wasn't easy living out here.

[voiceinthephone]

Even with the messy appearances and the plague doctor's mask on the side, Phillip grinned like a loon as he saw Firo still alive and well. "Well look at you! Not a day older and not a scratch on you!" This was the best news he'd had all week, especially after seeing so many cannons go off. As a deeper sign of trust, Gray put his knife back onto his belt, just as he'd done in the catacombs.

"I've been good! I've settled in a camp somewhere in the forest outskirts with a couple of guys and this kid named Vivi...forest's a no-go I'm afraid. It's gotten...hazardous."

He was damn sure he saw one of the trees murder a Tribute, something uncomfortably familiar to The Evil Dead.

[foundafamily]

"You look all right yourself." His spirits were up and that's what mattered, right?

A camp, that's good; Firo didn't set one up himself, but he nodded with relief to know that Phil had one.

His expression darkened at the news of the forest. "Can't say I'm too surprised. Eowyn said there was some weird stuff goin' on there and the place looked creepy as hell anyway. Nothin' good can come outta all those weird lookin' trees."

Firo made no pretense at being anything but a city boy through and through.

"Are you just lookin' for shelter here, then? It's pretty good for that, at least--it's dry, almost clean, has all its walls and a roof."

He smiled, trying to keep upbeat. And he was truly grateful for all those things; he'd spent many years living in places that had none of that.

[voiceinthephone]

"I was until I, well, I keep spotting rats around these parts," Phil admitted sheepishly, "It's more from a restaurant employee's perspective but they're disgusting little vermin." Even killing one for substenance was a gamble, "Not to mention, they're getting more territorial." That was the creepy part: that the Capitol was somehow increasing the animals' aggression but for what? There were fewer tributes now than they had been in the past and the Arena's hazards took even more lives in gruesome ways.

"But hey! You've lasted this long, there's gotta be something right going on here!"

[foundafamily]

Firo nearly wanted to laugh at the character of Phil's concern--worrying about hygiene here, really?--but he growled just at the thought of rats. "Those things are gross. We had huge ones back home, especially if you were down at the harbor--one a' the first things you learned on the street was that there was a reason people don't sleep in those nice abandoned warehouses."

Even if it was shelter... Well, the rats had gotten there first and their numbers were greater. A shelter for the night wasn't worth getting chewed to bits.

He shook his head. "I could say the same for you." And, despite the plan they've agreed to, he couldn't help but smile a little as he reached out to punch Phil's shoulder. "Maybe this'll be the time you'll make it out."

cw: slight mention of suicidal thoughts, dead children

[voiceinthephone]

Gray shot a look towards his fellow Tribute that read don't judge but he can see how people can be so adverse to the vermin. "I heard rats in New York get to be dog-sized but-"

The punch and what Firo said, Phil shook his head, "It's not in my hands if I make it out of here, Firo, it's the odds, just as they are yours. I'm just trying to survive as best as I can without backing out of my promises. My luck is that I'll end up beheaded or torn apart."

He knew his luck and deep down, some part of him wanted to die gruesomely, to make up for what happened with the kids. They were mangled beyond recognition, so much so that they were listed as Missing, there was no way to tell who was who. The killer did a terrifyingly good job at making sure their parents would never find peace.

[foundafamily]

The odds. Managing a casino teaches you a little something about the odds and Firo barely kept back a sigh as he thought of them--theirs weren't all that good.

"'Least getting your head taken off is pretty quick, right? Even if it ain't as painless as they say."

There weren't many ways to make this a brighter conversation, Firo realized as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "If somebody does that shit to you, we'll just get 'em next time, okay?" He tried to smile, as if words of revenge would bring comfort.

[voiceinthephone]

Phillip chuckled at the somewhat comforting promise of revenge, "Hey now, I won't hold it against them if they're doing it for survival...death match and all." It would be a different thing all together if the killer actually enjoyed the murders in the first place. Dandy Mott may be gone, but his impression in the Phone Guy was as clear as it could ever be: some Tributes could become monsters.

"Likewise though, even if I'm not one to play the revenge game." That wasn't entirely true, "Okay, not play the revenge game in Panem." Better.

As he spied their surroundings, Gray noted the beacon over Firo's head and scraps of food. "How long have you been in here?"

[foundafamily]

"Hey, it's the whole... what do they say..? The principle of the thing. Need to make sure people know not to mess with you the next time."

At home, there often wasn't a next time. But Firo knew firsthand that dying repeatedly was never pleasant, so he wanted Phil to be spared that as much as possible.

"A while." His mouth quirked up in something like a smile. "This place is so huge you can still stay on the move even if you don't leave. There wasn't a tenement on the block that was even a quarter the size of this place."

Not that tenements were known as an impressive unit of measurement, but it was the only reference Firo had.

He thought back to what Phil had said a moment ago. "If you already have a camp and you don't want to hang out with the rats... Are you lookin' for something?"

[voiceinthephone]

"I may be from a small town but this place sounds scary big. I've been avoiding it, heard people went nuts in here. Guess I was wrong." No, but those hazards were nothing compared to the actual threats that inhabited the castle.

Firo caught Phil in his plans and he gave the mobster a sheepish smile, "I figured if there's a castle, and the Capitol wants to go full on fairytale, there should be suits of armor, right? Maybe it'll the others, they're way more experienced than I am. Uh, Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes, you know them?"

They looked grizzly enough to be considered veterans.

[foundafamily]

"Nah, I don't." And he wanted to tell Phil to stop undervaluing himself, but held his tongue. Maybe there'd be time for that after the Arena.

"All right, then. Armor, got it. Where do you wanna start lookin'?"

Firo didn't seem to even consider the idea that he might not be invited along.

"I thought there'd be more random ones in the halls--that's how it is in movies and books, you know?--but I can tell you which places I've been that don't have them."

[voiceinthephone]

For Phillip, Firo was invited by default, there's no questions needed. "I was about to suggest the armory or the torture chambers because why not, but that would be too easy," he almost let slip out too kind of the Capitol t just have weapon blocking armor just lying about. He offered Firo half an apple for his trouble.

The castle walls were overpowering, and Gray wondered just how Firo managed to not lose his mind in these halls. The former guard was not thinking things through as he should have. "And ghosts? Have you found them?" That one? He's intimate with, unfortunately.

[foundafamily]

"Armory does make sense... So how about we check out those places first? Maybe it'll be there, just, like... with traps or something?" The Capitol wouldn't make it too easy, but sometimes they threw you a bone. Usually with a hefty price attached.

Firo thought of the flashes of a long dead--should be dead--man he encountered on a lone foray into the catacombs. It seemed he couldn't escape being haunted by Szilard even here. Realizing he had paused, he shook his head. "...No. No ghosts. I don't believe in crap like that, do you?"

I A

[actually112]

Aang is as far from a Christian as one can get. He doesn't even know what a Christian is. Even so, the church and it's quiet, contemplative atmosphere attracts him. He likes to go there to meditate and think on things.

Today, there's someone in there. Aang hear's the man's voice. His footsteps are quiet, nearly silent, as he pads to the grand entrance and peeks inside.

"Mind if I come in?"

Aang isn't listening for an answer as much as he's waiting to see the man's reaction, whether he seems ready to attack or wants nothing to do with fighting. Aang's been getting better and better at telling the difference between people.

[voiceinthephone]

Aang would be in luck, Phillip's not the violent type and even less when it comes to the younger Tributes. The former night guard sat up slowly, listening to any weapons or actions that could betray any intent to attack. This was still a death match and he'd rather make a clean getaway than to engage in fighting.

"Uh, not at all..."

This was a strange looking boy, even with the costumes given to them back in the beginning of the Arena. Not from his District, hadn't seen him in the D6 suites. Then again, Gray had been Panem for a few months, this one was here for far longer.

"What's your name?"

[actually112]

Aang shows his hands. He has no weapons. The bright beacon over his head implies that he wouldn't need weapons if he really wanted to attack, but it's the thought that counts.

"I'm Aang."

He walks slowly inside, but he stays a safe distance away. He is also aware that this is a death match; while he's not always as cautious as he should be, Bucky has really been pushing him to be more safe, so he tries. "What's your name?"

[voiceinthephone]

The beacon is a warning alright but the fact that this young man still wanted to show his refusal to fight is enough for Gray to set aside his trusted knife and respond, "Phil Gray." He'd agree with this caretaker, that Aang should be more careful around these parts, "Are you okay, Aang?"

He carefully drew his bag..."Are there any other survi-" Whoops, that is not the correct term, "Um, Tributes out there?"

[actually112]

There's the remainder of a rip in his arm, like something with teeth got him some time ago, but it's healed for the most part. He gives a little nod and a smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. As okay as you can be here, at least."

Aang slides between the pews. It doesn't look like it, but it's a defense. The bigger man would have trouble running at Aang through the narrow path between the pews, and Aang would have an easy time jumping over them like a monkey and running out the door. The man putting away his knife is comforting, but Aang will be cautious nonetheless. "Not that I saw, but they're around." He can feel them. He doesn't have to see them to feel the vibrations in the ground when they move. "What about you? Are you okay, Phil?"

[voiceinthephone]

The answer to Aang's question is complex, much more than the succinct "I've had better days" Phil tries to pass off. On one hand, he was relatively healthy though he missed the bitter numbness of alcohol. He was doing good for his District, and he was doing his best to survive to the end. On the other, he was pretty sure that something was hollowed out during this Arena. "This isn't your first Arena, now is it?" the words bounced off the walls.

[actually112]

"No. This is my... fifth arena, I think."

The mall, the arcade, the base, the snow, and now the castle. It's been eleven months, now. He'll be turning one hundred and fourteen soon enough, and as far as his body is concerned, he's still twelve. There's something profoundly wrong with that.

There's something profoundly wrong with all of this, but he's known that since the start. "What about you?"

[voiceinthephone]

"This would be my second arena," Phil admitted with horror as he saw someone so young looking go through the endless cycles and still not be safe. He can't say that he would win, as he tossed a scrap of food over to the younger tribute, making the small package roll into the pew in between them. If anything, he was helping others get to the top...speaking of...

"Have you met a girl named Clementine? My mentor told me to find her and keep her safe. What's she like?"

[actually112]

Aang eyed him warily before zipping out to grab the package and then backing up back to his somewhat protected position. "Thanks." He probably shouldn't be taking food from strangers in the arena, but this late in the game, he couldn't say no to food no matter what the source.

At the question about Clementine, Aang looked up sharply at the man. "Yeah... she's my, uh, she's my girlfriend." His fake girlfriend who he just holds hands with for Sponsors, but hey, they're still close, fake relationship or no. The admittance makes his face flush, but he's still a little concerned about a stranger asking about Clementine. "She's cool. And she's tough."

[voiceinthephone]

Phil's amused at the skittishness Aang was suddenly displaying, "She is? Well, that means you can keep an eye on her just fine." Not that he wouldn't stop making it easier for the kids to live another day but look at that! Young love in the Tribute Tower. "You keep her safe, all right? I'm in District 6, I was told by Linden that if I should find her, that I should keep her safe."

This and if she needed to kill him to get the Crown, Phil wouldn't give her a fight. Okay, that part he added but he knows Lockhearst is aware that Phone Guy will not lift a hand against a child.

[actually112]

"I do my best. But she's pretty good at keeping herself safe, too. She usually lasts a while in these arenas."

But Aang has a sinking feeling she already died in this arena. She'll be back in the Capitol, though. (Hopefully.)

"People treat her well. They treat me well, too. Usually. Most of the Tributes don't want to hurt kids."

[voiceinthephone]

"If people were to treat her well..." the look on the man's face said all they would keep her out of the Arenas.. It was something that bothered Phil to no end: that the Capitol would spoil and make celebrities out of children then send them off to be slaughtered. The adults were older, they could make for better Tributes, more drama. But it wasn't his place to question the Hunger Games.

"You two, you've been through the ringer, isn't there any way you can ask to be excluded? I think the word was petition?"

There had to be options to spare as many Tributes as possible.