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

[crabmunicator]

The words themselves are worrying, and in any other circumstance he'd agree wholeheartedly. This place is life and death, in a way all the more solid this time when there are children who won't be revived once it's over.

He's watching, though, and he catches the way Nitou falters--followed by the overt appeal to the sponsors. Is he joking? Karkat's jaw sits ajar, but when (predictably) nothing happens, he wipes the look for something more serious.

"I would give you something if I could. Look--say we run into each other later. Actively look for me then if you want, I don't care. If you find me, I'll share whatever resources I have then. If I have some object you need, or food or clean water--or if there's something in the area to hunt, then I'll hunt it down and either give it or share it with you, depending how big it is. I'd go with you now and help out, but I have someone I have to find, because I need to keep her alive," he pleads, sounding steadily more desperate toward the end. It's there, though, that another tactic occurs to him.

"She's one of the District kids," he explains. "I didn't get to see her before the Arena started, but I told her to run with the last letter I sent, and I won't have anything to defend her with until the sponsors start sending things. I've been here almost a year; they never give anything in the first week. I have a friend who taught me how to make a bow, but I have no tools for it here, and I've been studying how to use the damn thing for less than a week."

Pointing to the sickle again, he finishes, "If I have that, I'll have something I know. I had one just like it before--I made the original myself. I'm going to play things safe, watch out for danger, only fight if I have to, but I'll be doing that much better if I have my old sickle in my prongs again."

He's earnest as anything. There's no deception on his face, nor any in his heart. That sickle really is his best bet, and it's nothing as light as sentimentality drawing him to ask for it.

[infinitemayonnaise]

Hey, the Sponsor thing was so worth a try. So very worth a try. He maintains it was worth a shot.

Nitou's a rather earnest guy, and this is just the sort of thing that works well on him. He considers this, nods thoughtfully, and holds the sickle out. "Alright, man. You've got it. Kids are important and all, y'know?"

There's a nod. "Look, just don't impale me with this thing, maybe we can pool supplies later on, it all works out."

A pushover? Him? Naaaaah.

[crabmunicator]

His eyes go wide. "Wh--Seriously?"

The guy doesn't look like he's lying, and with that dumb idea just a moment ago... Unless he's playing a long game, Karkat can't find much to doubt.

That doesn't, however, mean he's not careful. His approach is slow, his hands back up and open again, and there's a moment of hesitance before he takes the sickle itself. (It's instincts and common sense: don't rush to your own imminent stabbing.) But once it's safe in his hand, full relief breaks over his face. He holds it point down, curve faced inward, with only the smoother back edge toward Nitou.

"Oh sweet Mother Grub, thank you. Thanks so much, dude. I seriously owe you." From there he backs away, making a show of it again: empty hand up, blade down with grip light. No harm, see? "Look for me later and I promise I'll do what I can. Keep yourself safe, alright? I can't pay you back if you don't stick around." He means it, too.

"But hey, before I go, tell me your name so I can find you after the arena if things don't work out. I'm Karkat Vantas, District 6."

[infinitemayonnaise]

"Yeah, seriously. Go on, take it!" Nitou's nowhere near crafty enough to play a long game like this--he means it.

Granted, that doesn't stop him from tensing up a little when Karkat actually takes the sickle, because handing a guy you don't know a weapon he claims to have created is probably not a good idea when you're in a murder arena. But it doesn't seem to be playing out in a "Nitou gets horribly disemboweled" sort of way, and so Nitou is good with this.

And Karkat's happiness at this turn of events makes him feel pretty good about it, he's got to say. He's grinning now. "Hey, you stay safe, too. Can't collect on a debt if you're not here, now can I? I'm Kosuke Nitou, District 5."

[crabmunicator]

Karkat will just hope that Nitou's good enough to survive with the other supplies he's got. The guy has more than him even with the sickle gone, and they must be good enough with how little resistance he put up to lose this weapon.

"Kousuke Nitou," he repeats back, nodding. Then like a promise, "I'll see you around."

What happens then will be its own concern, but the end of the arena is still a ways off. He can afford to help his allies before then, and he's not about to backstab the guy who helped him this much.

After a look to check what's where, Karkat sets off. He's got someone to find, and time's not moving any slower.