Fire! (open)

[splendid_roman]

Who| Ian Chesterton - open
What| Cooking dinner - come and share/take it or attack him - the smoke from the fire will be visible from a little way away
Where| Frontierland
When| Dusk on the first day
Warnings/Notes| None yet

So far everything had been quite quiet, aside from the scrum Ian had witnessed at the cornucopia. But now he was alone and settled down to some dinner. He had scratches on his hands and torn clothing, but he'd managed to catch a duck in the end. Along with some berries he'd stored in his pockets, he had a decent meal. Fortunately, there was enough wood around that it didn't take much to tear it loose. Starting the fire had taken a while and now he was cooking the duck on it. He knew the fire would be a risk, but at least he would be able to eat and be warm and kept an ear and an eye out for predators or anyone else around.

Comments

[make_my_mark]

First things first, Lara had done something about the ridiculous ballgown they'd put her in. Ripping and tearing, she'd shortened the skirt and slip beneath to mid-thigh (she was probably giving the camera a thrill everytime she moved, but she could handle a little embarrassment if it meant staying alive) and then, typing her caplet into a pouch, saved the scraps away for later. Clean material for bandages, strips to tie things together... one never knew what one might need.

Then was time to focus on the biologic necessities. Food. Water. Shelter.

Water was easy enough, but something about the ducks had moved, had immediately gathered and paddled toward her had seemed - off somehow. Even if people had once fed their ancestors, there was no reason why those ones should be so eager, should look at her they way they had....

Trusting her instincts, she slipped away quickly, discouraged.

Until she smelled the smoke. Until she smelled the cooking meat.

Then she was too busy weighing the risks of approaching another tribute and trying to be quiet to feel sorry for herself.

[splendid_roman]

Ian was aware of something moving and wasn't sure at first if he was being paranoid and imagining it. But if there was someone there they already knew where he was, so he surreptitiously put the end of piece of fence into the fire and said, "I know you're there. You might as well show yourself."

[make_my_mark]

She had just reached the corner of a nearby building, had just spotted the side of his glossy, dark-haired head, when he spoke.

Shit.

Snatching back, she pressed against the splintered wood and waited as he words carried and slowly fell, fading in the gathering shadows of twilight. Heart pounding, she chewed her lip and considered her options.

If she waited, silent and still as mouse, he might get up and go looking... leaving whatever it was that he was cooking behind. Maybe she could knick it before he spotted her? (A low twist of guilt told her exactly what her conscience felt about that plan.) Or maybe she could risk it? If anything went wrong, she was young and fast, and he was - well, it was only a brief look, but he was definitely not as young.

[splendid_roman]

When no one came out Ian was almost convinced he'd imagined it, but not enough to ignore the feeling of being watched. So he stood up, holding his burning branch up. He didn't go far though, just circled around the fire. "There's enough here to share," he shouted.

[make_my_mark]

Lara's eyes consulted her shoes, her mind whirling - and finally pushed away from the wall.

"Here," she called out to his back. "Over here, I'm coming out."

She took a few wary steps toward the light of the fire and paused, watching him carefully, her dark eyes flicking from the make-shift torch in his hands, to his feet, and finally to his face. In that order.

She was ready to bolt, or fight, whichever might be more appropriate.

[splendid_roman]

He whirled around at the sound of her voice coming from behind him. he smiled when he saw her, trying to look non-threatening, despite the torch. After a brief look at her he made sure to keep his gaze up with the amount of leg on show. "Would you like some of the duck?"

[make_my_mark]

He might have looked safe enough, but Lara remembered all too well what happened with the last 'harmless' man she'd met.

"I can trade," she said carefully. "If you really don't mind sharing, I've got some extra cloth. You can have some."

Maybe by offering something she could afford to lose in return for food, he'd be less inclined to attempt to take something else.

[pieceofcake]

A fire? Out in the open? This had to be the most obvious trap Gaius had ever encountered. Well, either that or a genuine gesture of... something.

In any case, a couple handfuls of the berries growing around the area had improved his mood, and he smelled game, so it was inevitable that Gaius would eventually make his way toward the glow of the flames.

"Hey. Whatcha cooking?" It was a softball question; Gaius could tell it was some kind of game bird. But it gave him an excuse to give Ian and his catch a once-over.

[splendid_roman]

Ian looked up and smiled. Not being attacked meant that he'd treat the other person as a friend. For now. "Duck," he replied. "There's some berries to go with it too, if you'd like some."

[pieceofcake]

"Would I?" Gaius said, one eyebrow raised. "Waaait a second. You wouldn't be trying to pull one over on ol' Gaius, would you? Like maybe a hidden pitfall? Or one of those nasty spring-loaded nets?"

Despite the questions, his posture relaxed slightly. Gaius heartily approved of bribery.

[splendid_roman]

Ian chuckled and shook his head. "No. But if it makes you feel better I'm hoping that sharing will make you less likely to kill me."

[pieceofcake]

"Sounds fair," said Gaius, taking a seat next to the fire. As far as he was concerned, the less innocent people he had to knock off around here, the better. There was a difference between survival and flat-out murder, and he wasn't crazy about the latter.

Gaius reached into the slightly ragged-looking sack on his shoulder, produced an orange, and tossed it at Ian. "Try it. Kind of adds a little tang."

[splendid_roman]

"Thanks." Ian caught the orange and started peeling it. "That'll go well with the duck." Which was nearly cooked, but he'd rather have it burnt than undercooked and end up ill. "Have you been collecting up fruit?"

[teethofneedles]

Karis was on the prowl. After the bloody mess at the Cornucopia, she'd managed to snag a bag with some supplies and now she was quietly staking out the different parts of the arena - at least the ones she could reach. Tearing her dress to above the knee certainly helped as well. Then she'd just ditched the cape. She didn't need it and it'd proven a detriment in her last dust-up. As she edged northward, she became aware that she wasn't alone (well, of course she wouldn't be) - but someone had busted her shoulder up and even if she could still use her left arm, it wasn't quite as responsive as she'd like. Maybe she avoid a fight - at least for the moment.

The sight of a fire almost made her laugh. That was pretty much a "come and kill me" sign.

Bag in one hand, she crept toward the flickering flame, sticking to the shadows and trying to approach unseen. If nothing else, she'd see what there was to see.

[splendid_roman]

The only trouble with a fire - aside from the visible smoke, was the crackling that meant Ian could never be quite sure if he'd heard anyone. And the shifting shadows from the fire didn't help either. So he wasn't sure what he thought he'd seen.

"I've got enough to share," he said on the basis that either there was no one there, or there was and they might show themselves and not attack him. Although he had a piece of fence next to him, so he could reach for it if he had to.

[teethofneedles]

Karis inched closer and tried to will her busted shoulder into working a bit better. If she were alive and actually worried about that sort of thing, it'd be more of an impediment. As it was, it was still incredibly inconvenient. He had a crude weapon, but that didn't much matter to her. She didn't bother replying - instead she tried to slide around the little circle of light. She wanted to get behind him, then throttle him.

That would work just fine.

[splendid_roman]

Now he was sure there was definitely someone there - he'd seen their shadow. Either they hadn't made themselves known because they were afraid of him or were planning to attack. As much as Ian didn't want to scare someone, he didn't want to be killed either.

He put his hand round the fence piece, but didn't pick it up yet, and followed the shadow of this person - or at least where he thought they were. "I'm not going to hurt you, if you don't hurt me."

[teethofneedles]

Well, he knows she's there. To hell with the subtle approach. Karis steps out into the light and bares her teeth in a rigid, nasty-looking grin.

"Too bad. Because I wanna hurt you."

[splendid_roman]

Well, he knew he couldn't be lucky all the time - sooner or later he would have to fight. "I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to." But he picked the fence piece up and stood - she didn't look that friendly.

[originalgaangster]

Sokka's been creeping around Frontierland, trying to find himself a weapon. He manages to cobble together a crude club froma chair leg, discarded wiring and a chunk of faux-antler. It's not really what he'd call his best work, but it's something. His cape has been tugged off and lashed around his waist, considering the danger of tripping himself up or getting snagged on something. He's just trying to find a place to bed down for the night when the smell of smoke catches his nostrils, then the light of the fire. Curious, he creeps closer--it has to be one of the other tributes.

But maybe it's a trap. The young man creeps closer, silent as he can manage in these odd clothes and in this strange environment, frowning as he spots the man sitting there. Would he attack? Should Sokka attack him? He bites his lip--he doesn't want to just attack the guy without warning. It doesn't seem right. So he slowly eases himself into the circle of firelight, barely breathing.

"You have a fire." It's kind of a 'duh' statement, but how else do you greet someone you're supposed to fight to the death?

[splendid_roman]

Ian looked up as someone came into the light of the fire. "I do," he said. "It's good for cooking things and for keeping warm."

[originalgaangster]

Sokka stoops to warm his hands, keeping an eye on Ian as he moves.

"And it's a giant target, too. Aren't you worried about that?"

[splendid_roman]

"I am a little." Ian checked on the duck, making sure he could still see the stranger out the corner of his eye. "But I thought the heat and cooking was worth it."

Parts of the duck were cooked better than others, so Ian tore a piece of meat off one leg, then handed over half. "There's no plates or cutlery I'm afraid."

[originalgaangster]

"Yeah, might be." Sokka's stomach rumbles a little as he remember he hasn't eaten since that morning. He hesitates as Ian offers him a piece of duck, then reaches out and takes it, hungrily chowing down on the scrap of meat.

"...Thanks."

[splendid_roman]

The duck was well cooked, Ian found when he tasted his piece. "Have you had to fight anyone yet today?"