etcircenses: (War)
Panem Events ([personal profile] etcircenses) wrote in [community profile] thearena2016-01-25 04:03 pm

Are you, are you, coming to the tree?

Who| All those on the liberation mission and all those being made to fight against them.
What| The liberation of District 9.
Where| District 9
When| This week.
Warnings/Notes| War, violence, death. Please warn for more in headers.

By now, even the most remote and isolated Districts are well aware of the chaos ravaging Panem. District Nine, golden with wheat and blinding with its expansive blue horizon, is quiet, and yet nothing about it feels safe; the stillness is less like a serene oasis than like tall grass that cannot help but contain lions prowling. An air raid siren was going off an hour ago at the sight of hovercrafts, driving everyone inside. No one is outside working the fields or traveling the dirt roads to the hub of the District, which sits in the center like a spider in its web or the axel of a wheel. Displaced Capitolite and Districter both are hunkered down within the corrugated-metal buildings.

The air is hot, and once outside the hovercrafts one finds that what was previously mistaken for silence is in fact the monotonous hum and whine of insects, too continuous and amorphous to really qualify as actual sound but certainly not the absence of it. The sun glares down from a cloudless sky. The earth was tilled until an hour ago, and many of the fields are only partially plowed. Some still have farm equipment left out. Mills and water towers sit awkwardly at the edge of the fields like sentinels or oversized dominos.

The crops stretch out to the horizon, ranging from waist-height to taller than the average full-grown man, depending on the breed. The sheer variety is astonishing, the quality even moreso; ears of corn are as large as toddlers and the wheat is a flawless golden color, thanks to Capitol technology and genetic modification. There are no pests, as most of the plants have a natural pesticide that is fatal upon ingestion and only removable with sprays available to importers to the Capitol, to prevent theft by the hungry employees.

There are crop circles, many in the Capitol’s logo and a few stamped with the insignias of local Capitol-run businesses. It does not reflect the sentiments of the natives but rather an attempt by those clinging to their echelons to enforce a mindset in vain. The propaganda has largely been repelled from the souls of the people here like bugs to a windshield. Only the rarest bit of graffiti may be spotted saying "All is not lost" and "you are weak" both of which have clear attempts to be scrubbed away.

The war continues, and in the back of everyone's mind is a familiar phrase; may the odds be ever in your favor.
foundafamily: (Default)

[personal profile] foundafamily 2016-02-07 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
That reaction is reassuring, at least, and Firo nods.

He thinks a moment, realizing that the lack of information probably isn't so bad--what would he do with the facts anyway? Firo's not much of a planning person, though he's trying to grow that part of himself. "So we'll recognize it by it bein' the one building that doesn't look like anything special?"

Hiding in plain sight--probably not such a bad idea.
atouchofka: (Don't go)

[personal profile] atouchofka 2016-02-07 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Alain nods. "I hope so. And I wish you all the luck in the world, say true." He ought to leave the conversation there. They've been lucky to have this long to themselves, with the fighting raging around them. Even without that danger, he still has to find Altair.

Still, he can't bring himself to leave. Not without asking. Cort would swat him upside the head for this, but Cort isn't here. "...Roland. Is he alright? Did I give him too deep a hurt?"
foundafamily: (Default)

[personal profile] foundafamily 2016-02-08 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
"Thanks." For the luck in part, but mostly he's deeply grateful for the chance to do something.

He half-smiles. What Roland spilled about his relationship with Alain was confusing, but it seems there's no cause to doubt that Alain is a good guy. "Not too deep, I don't think. It was givin' him some trouble when he walks, but I'm gonna bet you know that that's not the kinda thing to keep him down."
atouchofka: (A certain shadow)

[personal profile] atouchofka 2016-02-08 12:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Alain visibly relaxes. He didn't really expect he'd have killed Roland, but he feels better knowing for sure. Now he can stop worrying, at least about that specific thing. "Thank you," he says, and means it. He even smiles a little, but it fades quickly, and he reaches out to clasp Firo's shoulder. "We should move. If they find us, we're fucked. Good luck, again. Take care."
foundafamily: (pic#6109478)

[personal profile] foundafamily 2016-02-09 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
Brief as it is, Firo smiles back. His hands twitch when Alain reaches out--ready to react--but he stills them. This guy seems all right.

He won't disagree with that assessment; he nods as he takes a step back to start off on his way. "You too."