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

[saisamour]

Marius jumped visibly at the voice, then placed a hand above his brow to shield his eyes from the sunlight filtering through the vivid-green forest trees. It took a few seconds for him to finally spot the familiar features of Cosette's radiant face, and his eyes widened instantly once he did. "D-Did you climb?"

His face turned as red as the apples in his pockets when he realized, belatedly, that the disbelief in his voice might have been rather insulting. He hastily shook his head and tried again.

"Can you jump?" He set down their belongings, including the bow and the quiver, to the damp ground as he spoke, just in case. "I will catch you."

[alonelikeme]

At his question, she pressed her lips together and nodded. She did climb. Somehow. Perhaps the training center had helped her after all. The branch wasn't too high, she wasn't that good at climbing after all... But she still worried about jumping, too. "I do not wish to injure you... I will try to climb back down."

And after a deep breath, she does manage to move a little and start to make her way down the tree-- Only to fall back onto Marius when she was halfway down the trunk.

[saisamour]

"Pray be caref—"

Oh. Very well, then. At least he managed to thrust his arms out just in time for her to fall on him with a loud thud. Unfortunately, having grossly underestimated her weight versus his strength, catching her successfully also resulted in him staggering back with a yelp and falling rather ungracefully on his ass. A wince and a hiss of pain escaped him as he thumped onto the ground with her in his arms, the damp soil catching on his khakis and staining them brown.

He bit hard on his lower lip to keep himself from releasing another injured cry and looked Cosette over. A mild blush crept up his cheeks as he noted her less-than-appropriate clothing; he had half the mind to speak with her stylists after the arena, but then again, he had do grudgingly admit to himself that such clothing was more appropriate for climbing trees. Worry was evident in his slightly trembling voice as he asked, "Are you all right?"

[alonelikeme]

Cosette bit back her own yelp as she tumbled back onto him and even as they lay there in the moist ground, she was more concerned over his well being than her own. Scrambling from his lap, she looked him over as well, trying to check for any injuries.

"I am so sorry... I'm alright, are you??"

[saisamour]

He winced again, slowly drawing one knee up and resting an arm on it as he observed himself for injuries. There were some shallow, red scrapes on the back of his legs, and likely some mild bruising from where he hit the ground, but aside from that and his muddied pants there were no other signs of injury. "Worry not, Cosette; I am perfectly fine."

He glanced at her then and took her hand, giving it a light squeeze. "You have climbed up that tree so well, my love!" There was a small, timid smile on his face and unmistakable admiration in his words.

[alonelikeme]

She looked over him, biting down on her lip as she attempted to make sure for herself that he was alright. She nodded slowly when he assured her he was alright and when he squeezed her hand, she looked back at him with a bright smile and leaned in to press a quick kiss to his lips. "Thank you~ I didn't think I'd make it to one of the branches... but I had to try."

[saisamour]

And now his face went ten times redder than usual at the kiss. He sputtered incoherently for a moment before he managed to formulate an actual sentence. "It was a highly exceptional attempt."

He grinned then, stupidly and a little shyly, and averted his eyes to the abstract patterns on the forest floor created by the filter of sunlight through the leaves and branches. He kept holding her warm, gentle hand in his. The faint scent of rain still lingered in the cool air, and he could even hear the distant chirping of birds and the cries and calls of other unidentifiable forest animals.

And for the briefest of moments he completely forgot about the arena, of the danger and the fighting and the deaths. Just for a while it was only him and her and this tiny piece of land that they have made theirs.

Suddenly, however, something slithered around his ankle. He gave out a cry of shock and shot back up to his feet, pulling her along with him. Frantic, he whirled around, eyes darting wildly about the ground. From the corner of his vision he spotted a tendril slink out of sight.