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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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.

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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.

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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

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.

It's perfect~ You're perfect!

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy was limping along, doing her best but she knew she was a sitting duck out here. She almost didn't dare turn to look at the person coming up behind her but the shout was a sign she couldn't keep hobbling away.

Turning halfway she studied the girl, for a moment and found a small twinge of relief that she was younger. Adults weren't always useful or trustworthy but the younger a tribute was the more likely they were to help.

"T-thanks..." She rasped her voice strained and scratchy from all her screaming when she was burned. She brought a hand up but it was shaking too much.

"C-can you just...pour a little on...on here please?" Pointing her good hand at the burns on her face. "Not much...don't waste it."

^^

[alittleknightmusic]

Sayaka winces at the sound of the girl's raspy voice. At least she's letting Sayaka help, though - from what she'd just witnessed at the cornucopia she was half expecting her to attack on sight.

"Hold still." She says, unscrewing the top of the canister and pouring a few drops of water onto the burns. She bites her lip. It doesn't look like it's been very effective.

"I'm sure there's plenty of water." Sayaka sounds more like she's convincing herself than anyone else. There's not a single thing here she can be certain of. She splashes a little more water onto the other girl's wounds, but again, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference.

"Does that feel any better?" She asks, a note of hope in her voice.

[justoutrunyou]

Not particularly, but the girl is trying so hard and Sandy hasn't seen her before so she must be new.

"Yeah a little thanks..." She croaks and feels her muscles screaming out for more relief then what a tiny bit of water can offer.

"The trick is..." she grunts starting to hobble along again not wanting to get caught out in the open "Finding clean water. If you wash an open wound in filthy water you're gonna get sick." She reasoned thinking back to one of the medical training stations in the Training Center.

"If I can last the week maybe someone will send me some burn cream." She hopes.

[alittleknightmusic]

Sayaka sighs in relief, not so much at the girl's words but at the way she resolutely continues to hobble along. She knows from experience that willpower is the best painkiller.

"That's true." She says, and thinks for a moment. They're both walking in the direction of the city, and a city should have clean running water, right? She's about to voice this thought when she hears about the burn cream.

"R-right. Maybe they will." Sayaka says with a shaky smile. Normally she wouldn't lie to someone, but she can't just crush the girl's hope like that. "Or maybe once we reach the city we can find some more supplies."

[justoutrunyou]

Her breathing shallow and heavy, the burnt flesh looking a bit like melted wax as she begins to sweat making her skin shiny.

"Yeah...yeah this...this is nothing." She mumbled in her scratchy new voice. "In my third arena, a bear trap ripped right into my leg bone and I had to drag that stupid thing around for about two months. Now THAT was awful." she spat almost angry at herself.

[alittleknightmusic]

"Two months?" At the rate she'd seen people cut down at the cornucopia, Sayaka had been expecting the arena to last a week or two at most. Then again, that was proof of the sentiments she'd heard expressed in the training centre - it seemed like most of the other tributes really were reluctant to kill each other. It also seemed as though she'd read the other girl all wrong.

"You've been doing this a long time, then?" It wasn't that she wanted to keep the other girl talking, especially not with that worn-out voice, but Sayaka remembered hearing somewhere that you had to keep talking to people after they'd had a bad injury. Besides, it looked like the girl could use a distraction.

[justoutrunyou]

The talking helped, more then Sandy would know. She had read about the symptoms of shock but in the heat of the moment it was hard to keep her head clear.

"Y-yeah, almost three years now." She explained, in too much pain to appreciate the usual look of surprise and pity that usually came after she admitted that to newbies.