Welcome To Arena 08

[gamemakers]

Today begins particularly early by normal standards. Long before the sun, or even a hint of dawn arrives. When the world is still and black and quiet, save for the parties still raging on from the night before. Night owls still have not gone to sleep. Everyone knows what today is, even if you've only just arrived.

There is a palpable tension in the air as everyone is ushered out under the cover of darkness to board the hovercrafts. A stream of faces both familiar and unknown filter in and take their seats, and very little is said as tributes are strapped in and attendants make their rounds, activating tracking devices. There are no windows, no openings no view of the outside world as it passes silently, below. The journey takes hours. And when everyone finally arrives, there is no hint of sky or grass or cloud or tree. Just long concrete hallways and rows of uniformed peacekeepers that remind everyone to keep in line in the underbelly of the unknown.

One by one, each tribute is lead into a small concrete room where stylists outfit tributes in their only bit of protection for the next coming weeks. Little is given away by the clothing each stylists put their tribute in. No flair or flourish or costumed monstrosity this time. Just simple, functional mundane civilian clothing. Khakis, cotton shirts, boots.

There is little time to dress and say goodbyes. Only a few small moments left to gather your thoughts. And then, the countdown starts. A countdown displayed in holographic blue begins:

25. 24. 23. 22....

The smell of earth and grass and a general damp green fills your lungs as you rise, slowly into a large grass field. At first, its the only thing you can see in all directions until the pedestal locks in place.

20. 19. 18. 17....

In the near distance, the cornucopia looms. Massive. Copper. Even hidden by the grass you can see its spoils are plentiful, tempting anyone with even a mild curiosity streak to come explore. Some may see this as a warning sign already .

15. 14. 13...

You can see the others, around you. Their heads, maybe the shoulders of taller tributes, and very little else. If there is anything hidden in this field you would never know it. The grass is too tall and too thick to show what might be lurking near the ground.

10. 9. 8....

There is just a hint of a breeze and the lingering scent of recent rain. The humidity is more uncomfortable than the heat., its a thick, jungle-like warm. You can see a dense tangle of trees in the distance. Blue sky filled with towering white clouds. Its the sort of place where nothing ever truly seems to be dry. At least you might not have to worry about freezing to death.

6. 5. 4...

For just a moment, everything goes perfectly still. Perfectly silent.

The grass rustles.

You feel the breeze.

2.

1.

0.

You will have two hours until a short warning alarm will sound and the sonic fences turn on across the entire arena.

Comments

PJ - clearly the best way to intro him amirite

[ohgawhawhawd]

Today has been a very, very strange and overwhelming day for PJ. From the moment he woke up (strange in itself, since he hasn't slept since he died), everything has been new and people have been talking to him and he's been able to breathe and touch things and he has legs! He knows, vaguely, what he's doing here -- some kind of game? -- but he's been so utterly overloaded with input that it hasn't yet sunk in where he is. Probably some kind of purgatory (so purgatory is a thing?), but if it's a purgatory where he gets to be alive again then it's the best purgatory ever.

The scene he's presented with, after years and years spent inside the same house, makes him thrum with excitement. There's grass and trees and a breeze and heat, he can feel the heat, and holding still until the clock counts down is so difficult.

The moment it hits one he's off, moving away from the cornucopia (if this game is basically just really intense super tag, which is his understanding of it, he doesn't want to be where the people are, right?). The problem is he hasn't had legs for so long that using them is still difficult for him. He gets all of six feet before he trips over absolutely nothing and falls face-first to the ground, becoming effectively invisible within the grass.

He can feel pain.

That's awesome.

[thebestoffense]

PJ is promptly run over by someone else who is scrambling much more vigorously. Volanz couldn't even be looking where he's going if he tried, he's just too small to see over the grass.

"Oof!" he yelps as one foot connects with PJ's ribs and he topples over without an ounce of dignity. Even as he falls his limbs are already flailing in an effort to get upright again. OH MY GOD WHAT DID HE HIT IS IT A PERSON WILL THEY STAB HIM

[ohgawhawhawd]

PJ shouts as he's tripped over (he can feel pain all over, this is great). Unless this means he's it already, which means he's doing awfully at super intense tag. He scrambles upright to take a look at this person who's probably given him his first bruise in who knows how long.

"Sorry! Sorry, sorry-- wow, are those horns?"

His eyes are so big.

[thebestoffense]

Volanz has not managed to stand up. All he's managed to do is tangle one of his legs in grass, which is extremely distressing.

It takes him about a second longer than normal to register that words are being said to him, then he stares at PJ.

He blinks.

"They are?" he answers, squeaking a little on the upswing that makes the statement sound too much like a question.

[ohgawhawhawd]

"Yoooooooo," he murmurs, and reaches out to touch one. Then he realizes that that's probably intensely rude and snatches his hand back. "Sorry, wow, PJ, how about you just go around with a big old sign saying 'don't talk to me ever', how about that. Only wow, that's really cool, the whole horns thing. Uh."

He fidgets awkwardly.

[thebestoffense]

Volanz frowns very seriously as he completely misses PJ's use of the third person. By like a mile and a half.

"My name's actually Volanz?" he says. "Did I do something wrong? I mean it's not like I really need people to talk to me ever but then again-"

Waaaiiiit a second.

He shakes his head a little and gets up.

"I should be running right now actually and you should too? I mean. Probably. Unless you didn't want to do that, in which case you can keep laying down or whatever it is."

[ohgawhawhawd]

"Oh, right, right, because we don't want to lose the game." He nods seriously. "We should find a place to hide, I guess? I'm not used to having to hide, since most people just don't see me ever, but them's the breaks, I'll have to just --"

Someone in the distance screams.

"WOW OKAY COME ON LET'S GO!"

He grabs Volanz's hand and attempts to drag him toward the trees. He has the same amount of strength as a piece of boiled cabbage.

[thebestoffense]

Really, the scream is more than Volanz needed to get him moving. PJ's tugging may not be all that strong but it doesn't have to be, Volanz is totally on board with getting the hell out of dodge.

He tries to talk while he runs, which is awkward because as usual Volanz is utterly incapable of cutting out excess words.

"So I'm just gonna guess that this is your first arena, and if it's not I'm super sorry I don't mean to offend you or anything, I just am guessing because I haven't seen you before and I-"

Volanz's words pick up speed and he manages to weave an impressive net of apologetic natter in between huffing and puffing for breath as they run.