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]

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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...