Arena 15: In The Eye Of The Capitol

[etcircenses]

For the majority of you, this has become a familiar morning routine. Escorts come to pick up their Tributes and Stylists quickly see to setting them up with the bland and thin grey suits, much to most of their dismay. You'll not hear a word said in complaint though. The staff has gotten the threat to them loud and clear. Only the daring will be willing to offer even a mere "good luck". Peacekeepers quickly collect Tributes to send them off into the launch tubes. If you're from the Districts, it may be one of the last things you ever see.

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18

What everyone rises up to is not much better a sight. It's a war zone out here in every sense. Those native to Panem will recognize the sight before them, having seen it every year in a propaganda tape. The wreckage of District thirteen. The Cornucopia sits at the very center. Offworlders might recognize some of the weapons there, and if not, then they'll certainly be able to spot some familiar scenes far on the outer edges of the arena, perhaps even a beast or two they know well from their worlds.

8

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6

It's muddy and damp and there's plenty of wreckage to cut one's self upon no matter where it is Tributes run. The Cornucopia tempts the Tributes in for its bloodbath. Districter and Offworlder alike, there will only be one winner.

3

2

1

The gong rings out and a voice announces; “The Arena is now open”. The Tributes are free to make their choice; to run or to fight. The Games have begun.

~~~

By the end of the night, one child from each District will have their face shone up into the sky, the first twelve killed at the Cornucopia. Only twelve to go...

Comments

Ruffnut Thorston OTA

[ruffntumblenut]

Ruffnut hits the ground running as soon as the countdown is over, she's got her eye on the Cornucopia and wants to grab as much as she can get away with in case she runs into Hemlock or one of her other allies.

The chaos exploding around her is the usual mix of people who don't want to kill, people who want to kill a lot and people just having short fights over gear. Just as she's reaching for a bag however a scream explodes next to her ear startling her so bad she trips and crashes to the ground rolling.

Eyes wide she spins around looking frantically to see who had been killed but she can't see anyone near where she had been. Another scream and she spins around again braids slapping her face. Still no one.

The item she had been reaching for is gone now, someone had snatched it up so she starts for another pile and throws herself ontop of it even as another scream sends a panic through her and she's swinging a pistol like a club in the direction she thought she heard it in.

Still nothing. Was she finally losing her mind? She wouldn't be surprised except that it took so long.

Realizing what she was holding was not in fact a bludgeoning tool she turned it around and scanned the area. Most of the other items were spoken for. She could stay and fight for more or-

Another scream made the call for her and in a frenzy to escape the maddening shrieks she charged in a random direction with a gun in hand and the rest of her loot under her arm. Look out here she comes!

[inrestlessdreams]

James had made no attempts at the Cornucopia but he's pretty damn sure that the screams and noises were that of children dying in the mess. Sunderland's not looking for a fight but the moment he sees someone with a gun, his instincts go into two choices: risk the damage and take the gun, or high-tail it out of there.

He chooses a variant of the latter, and signal the Tribute to follow him out of there and into the streets. He'd set out to help people in this arena, if to honor a memory.

"Come on!" he called out to Ruffnut before he saw the light flicker away from one of the native children. James has seen a lot of things in Silent Hill but the town had the mercy to never show him that...it tortured him but kept Laura cradled in its' foggy embrace. Panem had no such virtue.

Sandy Marko Part 1 closed to Arya, Part 2 OTA

[justoutrunyou]

The world is a blur around Sandy as she barrels forward for the items. She needs to get as much as she can to protect Char and anyone else she helped get in this mess!

Slowing down long enough to make sure that no one's coming after her she scans the loot and dives for the first thing that looks like a gun barrel. A rifle? Maybe a handgun?

But no, her hand has closed around the neck of a red guitar with some strange modifications. Well she knows how to play guitar so maybe she can...

...but it looks as though someone else has grabbed the base of the instrument as well.

"Let go!" She barks aiming a kick at the girl she only knows slightly from the Tribute Youth Program.

*******************************************************************************************

Limping, tears running down her face Sandy was in pain with every step.

Her skin was a tough and tight mess of burns disfiguring half her face, her jumpsuit melted and burnt into her skin. She would have to peel it off later if she wanted to heal properly but for now she had to find somewhere to hide. Protection.

Help.

[needlebearer]

Arya had half a mind not to go for the Cornucopia this time, remembering the searing heat and prickling flames that had engulfed her last time. But Sansa was here, and Arya knew she wasn't used to defending herself in the same way that she herself had been, so she needs every advantage she can grab hold of. She dives for the object closest to her, although she has no idea what it is. It looks like a gigantic lute, and at first Arya's certain this is some sort of practical joke on the part of the Gamemakers - what a stupid thing to include, something with no practical value in here at all. But she wasn't about to let it go, and when she feels Sandy grab for it, she snatches back, hoping to knock her off balance.

"I saw it first!"

I hope this is okay!

[alittleknightmusic]

Sayaka had lost it at the cornucopia. In the rush of noise and bodies, she'd just about had the presence of mind to pick up a pair of weapons - one for her, and one for the boy from her district, if she ever caught up with him. She'd seen people die before, she had to remind herself, as she darted back out again, and most of these people would come back good as new.

That said, she still felt her gut rise up into her mouth when she spotted another girl limping in the same direction she'd chosen to run towards. Sayaka slowed her pace when she got closer, almost unable to look at the girl's injuries. Those were burns. Really bad burns. That girl might die if she didn't get help.

"Hey!" Sayaka called, as loudly as she dared. "I have water. Here." Sayaka held out her canister towards the girl, unsure whether she was actually helping or not.

[didnothing]

The instant Luna sees the girl with burns all along her body, she starts running toward Sandy. She doesn't have access to extensive medical databases anymore, but thankfully that still translates to a good understanding of medicine here Those burns look bad, probably more than Luna or anyone can treat without more supplies, but there are things that can be done regardless and so there's no question of what she needs to do. Starting with--

She calls out to the girl as soon as she guesses she's within hearing range. "Please, stop running! You'll make your condition worse." She holds up her hands, weaponless, to show that she means no harm. "I think I can help you. I...I have a medical license."

for Nitou

[crabmunicator]

The only surprise when he's whisked off to get ready for the arena is that he's dressed so plain. It makes him wonder what for, what it might mean of the theme, but it's too bland to gain any hint. It's a bit over a week out since the District kids were reaped, though, and worry sits in his mind that he never did see Maglev at the other tribute center.

The arena, on the other hand, is surprise from start to finish. The first comes when, rising up onto the standard platform, he sees some red, curved, and jagged poking from a backpack.

"Oh, god damn it."

Of course they would stick a copy of his own weapon in the Cornucopia the time he's most determined to avoid it. He might not have seen Maglev in person, but he told her the same: stay away, because it's too dangerous. And what if he did run for it? Knowing his luck, he'd wind up gutted on it before he could get away.

When the gong sounds, he turns and runs.

And here's the second surprise: he recognizes those things in the distance. Beyond the shapes of crumbled buildings he spots trees with blue park and pink leaves, and towering spires of luminous gold and dark purple. Other directions show other things, but he knows those places, and it's them he runs for.

It's just that, well, there's water. It was easier to miss from a distance when things were in the way, but as he nears it's impossible not to notice the stretch of it stuck between the shores he's on and those of the false Alternia. (The towers, it turns out, are part of a separate island.) He spots boats soon enough, but honestly? Fuck rowing. Maglev might be looking for him, and if she is she won't be able to follow so easily that way. Besides, he needs to find her too. With a scowl he turns more easterly, and stomps off in search of a better place to cross, hoping that the water doesn't encircle the arena's center completely.

[infinitemayonnaise]

The Cornucopia turns out to be, for once, very successful for Nitou this round. He's well-armed and well-supplied, and he's not planning on doing anything much with his spoils until he's found a place to take better inventory and figure out how to use this stuff.

Like the crab-scythe-thing. Nitou's got no clue what's going on with that, and he's sort of wildly flailing around with it, experimenting. He hadn't been too picky with where he'd stopped off to start testing things, and this is as good a spot as any...and if he's making a bit of noise as he tests this thing, well, that sort of thing happens. It won't matter if he figures out how to use the weapon, right? Right.

steve rogers (au) open

[decommission]

Dog tags sit cold against his chest under the grey suit he'd been stuffed into. This is not familiar to him. None of it.

The bounty at the Cornucopia is tempting, not just for the weapons - and when his eyes scan over a familiar pattern of stars and stripes he goes completely cold for a moment, locked up in a memory (smiling women on a stage, blue lights streaking across a dark battlefield). The gong sounds and he's frozen in place as the Tributes around him scatter, each face a blur.

A few seconds later and whatever plan he had come up with earlier is lost. He begins to retreat to the edges of the broken city, ignoring the Cornucopia and heading in the direction of the forest. But he waits, for a little while, watching the bloodbath from a distance. Should anyone approach him looking for a fight, he won't run.

Should anyone approach him for any other reason, he won't run either.

Ellis | Open

[shiftingurbulls]

For Ellis, this Arena was a chance to prove himself to his mentors and his loved ones that he could fight just as brutally as they could. That they could count on him should things go array and not be the impulsive idiot he was back in the Village or the mini-arena. He studied hard, and took Chuck's lessons to heart...but there was something empathetic about him as he sees the first twelve children die in the Cornucopia. Children that would never come back to their parents...trampled in the clusterfuck.

He opts to forgo the deceptively sweet pot of weapons and supplies and instead heads to the City area to get his bearings. He immediately salvages whatever table leg he can and wanders around...home sweet home he supposes. He'd be found here foraging and making weapons out of scraps, he's got some Career in him yet.

But it's the moment that he hears a chillingly familiar weeping sound that El knows he can't stay in the city for more than a few days. Fuck me sideways, a fuckin' Witch?! he groaned mentally before taking off, careful not to startle the Special Infected. He can try to help anyone lured by the Witch's cries but don't expect him to stick around...

The forest is more difficult to manage but El makes the most out of the situation by keeping a perimeter. People that seem lost will get a friendly face and a helping hand, especially if they're helping one of the District kids.

"Howdy!" would be his chirping sound to welcome his "guest".

City

[glowygreendeath]

Ermac is lured in by the sound of crying. Someone was obviously not coping well with the Arena; killing them would not only improve his chances of winning, but it could almost be considered a kindness. When he sees Ellis approaching him, however, he tenses up. He had no weapons yet, and he was wary of the other Tributes after being poisoned in the last Arena. The man looked harmless, but an innocent face could hide a blood-thirsty mind.

And so, Ermac waits to see what Ellis' next move is, ready to pounce or disappear into the city's many shadows in order to ambush the man. Ermac may be unarmed, but he was still quite deadly.

James Sunderland | Open

[inrestlessdreams]

At least I'm not wearing a stupid jester costume, James thought as he was suited up in the grey suit, tucking in his still broken radio token into his pocket. This time around, Sunderland doesn't want to let his mind wander and make him lose another Arena. No, he's going to give this one the old college try and focus on surviving. He knows he's not the most lucid of District 3's tributes but when he does get to thinking, his mind can get creative.

Silent Hill made sure that if he were to face death again, he'd do it with some dignity. He doesn't want to be left behind, and hurt someone else as he's done in the past. But something about the City is familiar...almost embracing him back into the foggy abyss.

It's here that James thrives and works with the hazards he's know for the better part of the year. As displace as he was, he's here to make something of himself and keep their native Tribute alive. Aurelia Bouchard...Capitolite, got it, he reminds himself as he keeps a weathered eye for those who can be friendly or foes to be dealt with. His own compunctions of murder have lessened somewhat, he remembers killing Eddie back in the town Mary would see in her restless dreams.

Alain Johns | OTA

[atouchofka]

Before the tube has even entirely settled, Alain's keen eyes have fixed on the Cornucopia, and his heart leaps into his throat. Guns! For the first time in all these months, the prospect of some firepower! It would be nice to say that it was the thought of saving the children with his gunslinging skills that makes his pulse quicken, but the truth is, it's something more visceral. With a gun in his hand, he thinks, he could feel whole again. Let himself sink back into the cold fury of his training, be something of his own world again.

He's off his platform while the gong is still sounding, head down and stocky legs pumping. His eye is on the gunslinger's pistols, sitting so calmly in their holsters, but he's willing to settle. And, for all his killer instinct, his stomach twists to see the District children fighting. He can't find it in himself to be part of that.

[lockedinthechrysalis]

Hemlock doesn't wait a second longer than she has to. The adults on their podiums tower over her, and she knows they're stronger and more skilled than her. Her only hope is that they won't catch her. So she's away from the podium as soon as she hears the gong, turning on her toes and sprinting away.

The pessimistic voice at the back of her head is saying Oh, what's the use? You're done for anyway. But Hemlock's survival instinct has seen her through years of hard living, and it balks at surrender. So she runs, runs with her legs pumping and her heart pounding, until she gets to the water, and then she stops dead. She can swim, in a doggy-paddle kind of way, but she's not going to be able to swim out over all that unthinkable reach of water, if there even is another side to it. Swallowing hard on the lump in her throat, she steels herself and starts walking, wary as a hunted deer, looking for cover and high places.

Eventually, she'll make it to the forest. But she's got a long, long way to go.

[ruffntumblenut]

Ruffnut wasn't necessarily following Hemlock really, she just wound up going the same way, wandering away from the Cornucopia studying her new pistols curiously. She'd held guns before and even used them but they always seemed different. The weight, the balance she gave the barrel a lick and sure enough it even tasted different from the weapons the peacekeepers used or the rifle she had one once in an arena.

Glancing ahead she saw an vaguely familiar girl and opted to see where she was going. She seemed to have a pretty good direction in mind.

[porcelainandsteel]

She'd told herself over and over again that it was all just a nasty trial, like having the pox as a child, something unpleasant but unavoidable. When she'd put it like that to herself, in the strange and wonderful light of her room in the Capitol, it was easy to feel strong and in control. She'd survived Joffrey, after all, and Cersei, and Father's death. What more could they throw at her?

In the light of the Arena, though, it was harder to believe that. From the moment Sansa rose up onto her platform, her heart was fluttering in her chest like a bird, and she was going to faint, she just knew it. If she was wrong... if they didn't like her, or if something went wrong...

She swallowed down the urge to scream or be sick, and focused on the countdown. There's a split second of hesitation, and then she hears someone shout, and she's running, fuelled by sheer animal instinct. She doesn't care where she runs to, so long as it's away.

[jackiewashere]

The urge to scream is echoed within Maglev. The panic is in her chest, foreign and animal and she doesn't like it. She recognizes other from District 6 around her, and some she infers to be from her District simply by their proximity and what she vaguely remembers from the Caesar show recaps. There's a girl younger than her here and she still can't put on a brave face. Oh, but she must. She knows already she'll be running far from the Cornucopia. She can't kill anyone, a weapon is useless to her. She doesn't know that when the countdown ends and the gong rings out, she's going to cry out; "Wait!" The girl, Sansa, shouldn't get too close to the bloodbath.

Éowyn | OTA

[shieldofrohan]

Éowyn's blood is boiling in her veins. It's all she can do to keep herself steady as she waits for the countdown, all the anger and grief she feels starting to push towards some kind of breaking point. They pit children against us? Their own children? It disgusts her on every level, and she has to be angry at it, because if she doesn't rage, she'll cry.

So she lets that anger and futile hate build up inside her, and then she runs, long legs thundering across the sterile, scorched earth. I can't do this, she thinks, not again. But part of her thrills to the sudden rush of adrenaline she feels surge through her veins, and she doesn't hesitate, her head down and her braided hair slapping against her back as she dives for the Cornucopia.

And then her hand is on a backpack, one that feels reassuringly heavy, one that has a sword visible from the haft upwards sticking out of the top. A fine prize, she thinks, and even as she slings it onto her shoulder, looks about for the inevitable competition.

Luna | Open

[didnothing]

Luna runs away from the Cornucopia and hates herself a little more for it. It isn't that she wants anything there - just the opposite. She can't use a weapon, and nothing else would be worth taking from others who might need it more than someone who's resigned to dying here already. The only reason for her to go is because she knows there's going to be fighting and killing there, and she ought to be doing what she can to stop it even if it's going to get her killed too.

But another part of her is scared to dive headfirst into that kind of action and a third side says that it doesn't matter if only one of them will live in the end anyway, regardless of who she saves. And that is the most logical conclusion, but the rest of her rails against that idea anyway. If it doesn't matter, after all, what's the point in her whole life? The end result is that soon enough she slows down and turns around as she crosses the border between the Dead District and the desert, coming to a halt and staring back the way she came.

Should she run back towards the Cornucopia? Her instincts are urging her forward and pulling her back at the same time and the effects cancel each other out, leaving her rooted in place as she looks on. She's vulnerable out in the open like this, easy pickings for any Tribute on their way back from the Cornucopia with a shiny new weapon, but that barely registers on her mind as she wrestles with what she actually wants to do.

[foundafamily]

Once Firo's put some distance between himself and the carnage, he slows, suddenly struck by an uncomfortable realization. He has a goal, of course: find and protect the District kids then find and protect his friends. It's just a little hard when he can't actually see where they are.

But he has to start somewhere. He picks up walking in a wholly random direction, intent on moving until either he finds someone or drops. It isn't too long until he does spot someone, though not one of the people he's hoping.

Seeing her out in the open, he's suddenly reminded of Arwen's first Arena. He stops a few paces away, keeping his empty hands in plain view. "What the hell're doin' out here? You might as well just ask somebody to come after you!"

[porcelainandsteel]

Sansa sees the other girl as she crosses over into the desert herself, and describes a broad wheel in her running, slowing to a walk as she approaches. She puts her hands up, just in case Luna thinks she's armed and attacking, and then reaches for Luna's arm.

"Come on!" she urges. "Why have you stopped? There's no cover here! We have to get somewhere safe!"

Cullen | OTA

[revocation]

He's cautious with the cornucopia. Part of this is the fact that Cullen is risk-averse by nature, that he understands just how much he stands to lose, if something doesn't go his way. Part of it, this time, is his understanding that he has sponsors, several important ones, who may very well help him out this time.

He's paid lip service to these people, made a spectacle of himself and his private relationships, and now he feels it's time they step up and do their part to help him. That's what this is all about, right?

Not that he fully trusts it, not that he plans to count on them for survival. For that, he plans to depend on himself and his allies, as always. And so, he doesn't go for the cornucopia, but nor does he run away from it, instead finding shelter in the nearby wreckage, setting up a vantage point from which he can try to spot them - Adella, Tabris, Maxwell, Bayard, others.

That's how they get through this. No matter how many of them die and don't come back, he remains firm in his conviction that they who are left need to stick together.

[timetoshine]

She didn't hesitate. She ran for the cornucopia the minute that countdown ended, dodging through wreckage like it was an obstacle course. But the wreckage wasn't the only obstacle to face, there were people too. Most of them were scattering like cowards, running off into the distance and avoiding their chance at supplies. Not all, though. Not even ten feet from her was the boy from her very own district, keeping pace with her as they closed in on the spoils.

In another life, had these been the Games as they used to be, they'd probably be on the same side to start. One, two and four historically teamed up to form the career pack. But not this time, these weren't normal games and he wasn't going to be her ally.

He veered towards her and she shifted her weight to intersect with him. It was a violent collision that had her tripping past a jagged scrap of metal that sliced into her thigh and hip. It should have scared her, an injury this early, but it just made her mad. So mad, in fact, that when he came back towards her to maybe finish the job, she shoved him with all of her weight...right into a sharp and broken pole jutting out of the ground. The boy was impaled through the chest and Aemila stood there, watching as he choked and spat blood and fell further onto his death bed, eyes dimming a full and slow minute later.

There should have been a sense of success, she'd bested her opponent and won her life, but all she felt was an unpleasant twisting in her gut before the pain seared in her torn muscles and reminded her that she needed to find safer ground. The unease in her core and pain in her leg, she looked around for the closest item to her. There were still plenty of bodies at the cornucopia and plenty of items, but more blood was being spilled there and she didn't stand a chance like this. With the meager thought 'maybe this will help with the sun' she carefully picked up a hat that definitely came from the off-worlder's style and limped off the battlefield.

[jackiewashere]

Maglev had been one of those scattering cowards. With Sansa seen off, she was quick to return back to the most basic levels of self preservation and fear. The District six boy had dared. Maglev wishes he hadn't. She thinks she recognizes his corpse there among the fray and she feels she may be sick. She wishes she hadn't come looking for him. She wishes she hadn't seen what she just had. She wishes she wasn't frozen in the face of a bloodied Career Tribute. Finally, finally, she recovers some of her senses. She turns around and, like a hare from a dog, she runs. It's not a graceful run though. There's mud and broken bits of trees and what looks like buildings. District thirteen, her mind supplies, and for a sharp, sickening moment, she forgets about herself and worries about six. The jagged melt at her ankle sends her toppling to the ground, the mud splashing up and getting caught in her golden hair. She dares a glance back.

The Batter | OTA

[expurge]

He's not going to fail this time, that much is assured.

The Batter's previous arena experience - not even a real arena, as he's found out - was a disaster. Barely a full two days into the event and he was taken out, by a most unworthy opponent. It's completely unfair and preposterous, he's a far better fighter than that. But after building himself up in the eyes of his superiors only to let them down wasn't exactly helping his case. This time, he has to do better, and he's all the more determined to see it through to the end.

Hearing the announcement of the children being forced to join in the arena didn't cause him any concern. If that was how it was going to be, that was how it was going to be.

The very second the gong rings, the Batter rushes to the Cornucopia as fast as he can. Pointed ends and scraps from the surrounding wreckage scrape his arms along the way but he pays it no mind. He needs weapons, and he needs to take out as many of the other tributes as possible. He's fast, he can reach the weapons quickly just like last time.

And at the very least, children are easier to eliminate.

hi

[inrestlessdreams]

There are things that James could have gone without seeing: a fellow offworld tribute leaving a trail of death onto the native children is one of them. He just watches for a moment before he realizes just how deadly this guy is. He acts more like one of the old Victors from the Mini-Arena. James breathed easy then, he wasn't reaped for that mess...


Though this one's not much better. He prefers to hide into one of the halls before anything caught his eyes.

Firo Prochainezo | ota + closed

[foundafamily]

[Open]

Firo wanders with little goal save for finding people, with occasional stops to scavenge for food. He soon makes his way into the desert town, peeking about in the remaining buildings and around the edges of town.

If someone hears a radio sputtering its way through static and announcement snippets, it just might be Firo fumbling with the thing in a nearby room.

Later on, he continues into the city. He’ll linger a short while outside the prison, a shiver running down his spine when he even thinks of going inside. He’s had enough of those to last him a while. His route takes him deeper into the city; he's staying on the move, so it's likely that he'll run into someone in any part of it.

[Closed to Sandy]

The city is the most logical destination for Firo, and he makes straight for it once he sees it on the horizon.

He stops in the shell of what could have been an old shop. While he’s sweeping through the place looking for any other Tributes, he spots one of the weird masks on the store shelf and stops to consider it. Of course, he’s still watching out of the corner of his eye for any attempted attackers. “The hell’re these things?”

[inrestlessdreams]

James has been in the city for a while and...for the first time since he's been in Panem, his radio has gone off. This brought no comfort to the man because there was one explanation: Silent Hill has somehow infected a part of the Arena. God he still remembers the sounds and thundering steps of the Mandarin or the other monsters he's familiar with.

When he spotted the other Tribute, he immediately tried to call the man's attention by running up to him. "You really shouldn't be out here...there's things here. You should head inside."