ARENA 02- let's get this party started

[gamemakers]

There is a different tension in the air. This is the first time anyone has been returning to the arena, and it changes things. For the tributes that know, for those prepping them. It's all under the surface, waiting. The prep goes the same as before.

The tributes are taken from the Training Center, one by one, and placed into the hovercraft that will take them on a long, tense ride to the Arena. New tributes have a tracking device implants in their arm, old tributes have their's activated, a move so similar, so swift it would be hard to notice.

Left alone with their stylist, each tribute is dressed quickly, light colors, cotton fabric, sturdy boots. Nothing waterproof, and nothing that will help against cold, dark nights. Then they are set into the clear tubes, and go up to whatever waits above while the voice counts down.

25 - 24 - 23 - 22 - 21

It late evening, but the summer sun is still high and the day is hot over the ruined city that rises up around them. The air shimmers with it, hot, heavy, pressing down on the tributes.

18 - 17 - 16 - 15

The cornucopia, the only bright, new thing in sight besides the pedestals they stand on shimmer brilliantly in the sun, all the life saving supplies scattered around in, tempting and deadly.

9 - 8 - 7

They've all been warned, don't step off your pedestal early.

4 - 3

2

The sound of the gong releasing them echos into the empty streets. Let the games begin.


[OOC: Don't forget the OOC Arena post, especially those of you running for the Cornucopia. Every single one of you ought to post to this post. There will be a Cornucopia thread, and anyone else feel free to post as you will. Please add a tag with your character's name.]

Comments

CORNUCOPIA

[gamemakers]

Re: CORNUCOPIA

[the_marshal]

For a moment, as his pedestal raises into the light, all Wyatt could feel was the sun and heat, beating down on him; and for moment it felt like home.

But then he blinked the brightness out of his eyes and everything else came into focus. The looming towers of brick and steel, the shining Cornucopia, and the others - his fellow tributes scattered out around him.

Young and old, man and woman, several... Jesus, not even human.

What was this place?

Lost in his confusion, he lost all track of the countdown and by the time he recovered from the start of the gong the others were off their pedestals and racing for the supplies laying willy-nilly.

Instinct kicking in, he raced after them.

[buildingreality]

Ariadne's done this before. After a cursory glance around to see what exactly they're getting themselves into, she's focused again on the Cornucopia; it worked well for her last time, keeping her alive for far longer than she thinks she would have otherwise.

It's hot, but that doesn't much prevent her from racing towards the pile of bags. She'll take whatever she can get at this point - she doesn't see any weapons. That's a problem.

She spies someone else out of the corner of her eye as she runs, grateful for being so petite and having practised her running before coming into this Arena; she's sure that he's going for the bags, too. Another problem.

Eliot

[jadaryl]

Eliot takes in the city-scapegoat as he waits for the gong to sound. The heat felt suffocating, at least as oppressive as the Afghani desert had been. As he looked around, he noticed that he was facing not only trained men and women, but also children. He forced the thought out of his mind. He couldn't afford the distraction yet. He focussed on the mouth of the metal monstrosity a few yards in front of him, eyeing the black bags it held.

After what felt like an hour of suspense, the gong finally sounded. Eliot ran forward, hyper aware of everyone around him. He swerved around a particularly deep crater.

Re: Eliot

[polyturtle]

As Eliot is running one way, so is Don. His steps are much quicker, almost as light as a feather. He leaped over the craters with ease; they reminded him of the more run down parts of the sewers, where holes threatened to open up right under him. He wouldn't let what happened to the first casualty happen to him.

He saw the bag he was hoping to get; now he just had to try and get it. If not, he'd have to go to a Plan B. If he made it that far.

[polyturtle]

He's not a fool. Don knew it. There's no such thing as a free lunch. The Cornocopia was designed to be a death trap. Everyone is meant to fight and claw and kill each other for these supplies.

9 8 7 6

And - looking around at the surroundings - Don immediately knew he would have no choice but to attempt to go for something. He would need to make a pass for supplies. He wasn't going to go for the obvious supplies - the center supplies - but he would go for what he can, grab it, and then leave. And then begin doing what he could.


5 4 3 2

He'd managed to get a great amount of coffee into him throughout the previous two days. With that in his system, he knew he'd stay awake for a good, long time. After the kick wore off, though, he'd have to find other ways to not sleep, or at least sleep minimally.

He could do that. He'd done it enough before.

1

At least get something that would help him survive and stretch out his chances, that much and no more. Being greedy would get him killed.

He wasn't going to do that.

*beep*

He was off the pedestal and on his feet fast. He tried to look for something - anything - he could grab quickly. Not much presented himself. Shell. He was going to have to chance a bag, wasn't he.

He quickly veered left, towards the first one that caught his eye. Run, get it quick, get out of there.

[buildingreality]

She'd already made a kill. It was barely a few minutes into the Games, and she'd already made a kill. She wasn't entirely sure of how to take that, but Ariadne was currently shoving it from mind as she made the rest of the dash towards the bags.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the other Tributes who had tried for the same thing, each failing in turn, some falling. The fact that there wasn't that many weapons resonated with her somewhere in the back of her mind; they'd all have to make do with found objects, or the cans.

Which apparently worked wonders while full, who knew.

[nightlightheart]

The feel of the heat and the shock of the light after emerging from the darkness below stirs up an uncomfortable reminder of his not-so-distant past, but Tony doesn't even allow himself a fully formed second in time to dwell on that. Instead, his eyes begin to scan everything he can get his sights on. Soak up anything he can about his surroundings while he still has time to stand still.

Twenty three others around him, and he may have only been here for a few days but he's memorized their faces, their scores what district they're 'from,' because he doesn't yet know what information he might need later. But he's always been a quick study. And there they stand, a neat and uniformed circle around the monstrosity before them.

It's probably a bit reckless, and maybe says a thing or two about him, but he knows as soon as he steps off this pedestal he's going straight for it, despite the fact that his 'mentors' advised against it. But other people's definition of a good idea, and Tony's definition of a good idea were often very different things.

10, 9, 8, 7

The tributes nearest him he's pretty sure he can take if it comes to blows. Tony looks more unassuming than he is, and he thinks that's an advantage. But Christ on a cracker, what he wouldn't give for any one of his suits right now. Even a piece of one. This could all be over in a moment....

Maybe he can make another. The ruined city around them leads him to believe that scavenging for bits and pieces of things here and there may be his salvation. He just needs to get past today.

And tomorrow. And the next, and the next...

6, 5, 4

A collection of bags, containers full of who knows what; he needs whatever's in them. They wouldn't be here if he didn't.

3, 2, 1

It's instant chaos, and Tony hesitates for just a few short moments. Assesses the situation. Determines his odds. And then heads straight for the objects he believes he can successfully acquire with the least amount of... physical damage.

[x5452]

During the countdown, while Max was assessing the environment and her opponents, her gaze fell briefly on Tony Stark.

There was the most miniscule of nods.

We'll see each other soon.

Re: CORNUCOPIA

[greymatter]

It had all rather been a blur, from the moment he'd awoken in that plastic tube to now. He had not expected to be thrust into the arena mere moments after having been presented before the Gamemakers. He'd thought he'd have time. Time to learn more about this strange world and, hopefully, time to find a way back to his own. Things hadn't quite panned out the way he'd hoped, safe to say.

The first thing he's aware of as his Launch Plate meets the arena is the heat. It seems to press in around him, as if it's filled the entire arena and simply has nowhere else to go. The beginning of the countdown resonates in his ears as his eyes sweep the battlegrounds. A city in ruins. It would be a difficult place to survive without twenty-four other tributes all fighting to the death.

He finds the Cornucopia, and confusion sets in. Where are the weapons? He doesn't see any weapons. Why would they provide weapons for you to show off your weaponry skills before the Gamemakers with and then provide you with none? Fighting to quell his rising irritation, he reasons that they could, perhaps, be within those bags.

The countdown is winding to a close and he takes an opportunity to glance over the tributes he will be up against, taking in what few important details he can before the gong sounds the beginning of the games.

The scientist takes off without a second's hesitation for the Cornucopia sitting there within the twisted remains of the amusement park.

[Interactions welcome, but Grey survives the Cornucopia.]

Re: CORNUCOPIA

[jadaryl]

Eliot grunts quietly as he collided with another Tribute. He raises his hands ready to fight, if need be. In the split second that it takes for the other person to move, he takes in the light brown hair and the cunning, mismatched eyes of the man he'd run into.

[cowardfacinghappiness]

Momoko spares one short, longing look for the Cornucopia when the countdown starts, but quickly turns her back on it. There's no chance she would survive the bloodbath that's about to ensue, she's much better off taking her chance rummaging for resources elsewhere in the Arena.

The gong sounds and she takes off in the opposite direction of the Cornucopia, absurdly grateful at the form this arena taken. Sure, it's dreadfully hot and crumbling to ruins, but she knows her way around a city a hell of a lot better than she does a forest or most any other place they could have dreamed up.

She doesn't go far, darting into a building fairly close to the Cornucopia, one with windows and stairs so she can get some sort of high ground, a vantage point to watch the initial fighting, perhaps get an early look at who dies this first day. The only way Momoko has a chance of surviving is if she stays informed and stays hidden.

[buildingreality]

Bag obtained and tightly clung to, Ariadne makes her escape from the Cornucopia quickly before she can get pulled into any more of the bloodbath going down around there. She ducks into the nearest building, unaware that it's already inhabited by another the Tributes.

Her heart is still in her throat as she carefully shuts the door behind her, leaning against a nearby wall as she waits for her heartbeat to calm down enough for her to actually go through her bag. At some point, she knows that she needs to check around, make sure that she's alone, that she won't be killed in her sleep if she stays there. But for now, she just wants to catch her breath.

[cowardfacinghappiness]

Momoko had quickly found a perch on the second floor--she'd have preferred to be higher but the building barely looked trustworthy enough to enter, much less risk climbing to the top. She had a decent enough view, but unfortunately she was so focused on the Cornucopia, making only a mental note of the direction they went in when it came to the tributes who ran as Momoko had, she didn't realise she had company until she heard sounds coming from the floor below.

Though a large part of her wanted to simply stay huddled in her spot of relative safety, the thought of being cornered by some unknown foe forced her to move, slowly and softly to the top the stairs. There she peered towards the door. Upon recognizing not only one of the experienced tributes but the woman who had just recently bludgeoned a man to death, Momoko couldn't help the small, startled sound that escaped her. Slapping a hand over her mouth she drew back, out of sight again.

[keelah_se_lai]

Tali took one look at the mass of supplies, glittering with temptation, and knew exactly which direction she needed to go, the other way. She could find thing hidden in the city to help her survive, at least long enough for her to starve to death or die of infection.

As soon as she heard the gong she ran as fast as she could away from the other people. She needed to find a place to hide and quick. She felt naked with out a side arm, but she would make due. Ducking behind a pile of rubble, she stopped for a moment to plan her next move.

post-cornocopia

[polyturtle]

Don ran. He ran as fast and hard as he could after getting his loot. That was the first thing. The second thing was to hide. Regroup and organize. He just had to find the right place.

One presented itself after a few minutes once Don found himself deep enough in the city. A garbage dumpster. Old, bent from the rubble that hit it, lopsided from some of its wheels gone, one of the tops ripped off, debris all around it. It would do for now, until he could figure out the supplies he picked up and a plan of action.

With a quick flip he lands into the dumpster, met with the godawful smell of...well, whatever it was, it made the sewers back home smell pleasant. He quickly steadied his breath, readying himself to look at his supplies.

Re: post-cornocopia

[keelah_se_lai]

Spotting the odd species Tali grabbed a piece of re-bar from the crumbled pile. She wasn't sure what he was but he was different like her, she might find an ally in him. She approached cautiously holding her new found weapon at her side.

"Excuse me?" Her voice was soft as not to alert any others. She watched for any sign of fight in him as she waited for the response.

Re: post-cornocopia

[polyturtle]

Don was just about to look into his supplies when he heard the voice. Shell. Someone saw him?

So, he didn't respond. Not verbally, at least. Slowly, his head came partly up, revealing only two eyes and part of a head. And those eyes are looking at the newcomer with wariness - not so much of her, but of others who could have been around.

Silently, he beckoned her to come closer.

[needsaprince]

It was hard for Lottie to wait to get off the pedestal. And the thought crossed her kind that maybe that would be better. Get right back to the Capitol nice and fast.

But the count down was over before she could really make up her mind to do that.

And as soon as the buzzard sounded, she bolted. As fast and as far as she could.

[polyturtle]

"Lottie!" Sometime later, a quick, quiet voice came from...well, somewhere. It rather sounded like Don. "Lottie, over here!"

And surprise, it was Don. He'd gotten away, and had supplies, which was good. But he'd found Lottie now, and he saw she had no supplies whatsoever, which was bad. Especially in this kind of situation where it was just hot as all heck.

[x5452]

As Max stood on her pedestal, she took a look at the other competitors. She spent the time taking in everything, the environment (Urban, desolate, probably lots of resources if she kept her head, but obviously heat and water would be an issue, as would her inconvenient medical need...) and her fellow competitors (the ditzy blonde, the guy who looks like an extra from Young Guns II, the blonde in pink...was that a TURTLE? Did another Manticore experiment wind up here?

...3, 2, 1!

Max had every intention of making straight for the cornucopia. She wasn't stupid - she knew it'd be a bloodbath, but she felt confident that even without full access to her genetic enhancements, she was steal at maximum human potential. Even if some of her competitors weren't human at all, it would be worth the risk. She leaped off her pedestal and hit the ground running...

But when the cowboy dude just fell over and the petite brunette just curbstomped him, it was clearly time for a different tactic. Eyes darting to and fro, the nearest resources were just a couple of cans. Max dove and rolled, and when she came up to her feet again, she had one in each hand. Regretfully she looked at the bags, but what she had would have to do. She could always come back when the massacre was over.

She darted off for cover, some small distance away in an abandoned building - she wanted to spend a few moments watching the rest of the bloodbath, to get an idea of her opponents and who they were...how they killed. Whether they stayed and fought, and whether they ran. If any were left that would try to hold the cornucopia, maybe she could ally with them.

[polyturtle]

He'd spotted her as he fled the scene. She was clearly eying the cornucopia. But he obviously wasn't going to ask her at the time, since he was trying to get away with what he had.

Now, it was a little later. He could - he hoped - risk another shot at the Cornucopia. It was stupid and dangerous, but given he'd already met two people who lacked supplies - one of whom he did want to help - he could at least try again.

And behold, there she was. He couldn't see her, per se - simply her shadow on the far walls as the sun shone through the building. Quietly, he began to walk towards the Cornucopia, keeping an eye fixed on that building. Eventually, she was bound to come out for supplies when she saw him.

[talkaboutme]

The first thing Kevin noticed was that there were no weapons around. Wow. He had planned to go for a bow for himself and some knives or a sword or something for Tate, but all he saw were bags and cans.

The weapons could at least be in some of the bags, and a random weapon is better than no weapon at all. He didn't bother looking to Tate for approval, just in case any of the other tributes were observing. Better to think they were both going independently, at least in the cornucopia.

As the countdown finished, he bolted off as fast as he could towards one of the bags.

[theworsekind]

Tate listened to the countdown, shielding his eyes as they are exposed to the hot sun. Just like before he sees the tributes standing on their pedestals, waiting for that canon to let them run free.

Like Kevin he immediately notices that unlike the time before there aren't any weapons. It's rather lucky that Tate is good with his hands. While he isn't trained in any sort of martial art, he simply knows how to snap a neck or break a nose into someone's skull if need be.

He looks around for the tribute he had teamed up with - both swearing to the other to work together as long as they can, finding that the other is a worthy opponent if it came down to just the two of them.

Rather than bolt at the canon, Tate held back until he was sure he had spotted Kevin. Without a weapon he would have to move quickly and watch the moves of the tributes behind him as Kevin followed their plan to snatch what would have originally been a weapon or any supplies. Had there been weapons they would have stayed and fought together, but instead they would have to bail and run for cover. So Tate moved towards Kevin's direction to get his back if anyone tried to interfere.

[ssa_derekmorgan]

Derek immediately took off and ran for a bag, knowing that he probably needed as much supplies as he could get to stay alive. Taking note of everything and everyone around him, he did his best to profile his opponents. He saw some people with a lot of potential, which meant they'd be a huge threat to him.

He didn't have any more time to think before he dived towards a bag but missed and someone else had grabbed the bag and took off.

"Damn it!" he cursed silently, looking around for another bag. Then he saw someone with a bag but he seemed to be an easy target. He never thought it had to come to this but if he wanted to live, he had to steal...