Forum Thread

"Perhaps you'd like me to try again? I'm sure I could find another slice of information, if I looked hard enough." Phenix had dropped his eyes to one hand, seemingly rubbing the back of it in an attempt to wipe a bit of grime off. If Maci were to agree, he would look back up. If she were to say no, he would lean on the balcony railing once more. She determined his next actions, to his minor horror.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to take another dive into the depths of my brain" she smiles light heatedly, but her hand was shaking a bit. She wasn't sure if that was from the cold or her nerves. This information was scary, she was learning so much critical things about herself. "I need to know how I got sick" she explains softly. She watches him close waiting for him to use his ability on her again.

Phenix looked up, setting his hand back on the railing. His irises sparkled yellow again, his eyes locking on to hers. It was odd, using the ability. Like one of your eyes stepped into some kind of void, while the other sat still. Each void was different, depending on personality and attitude, as well as various other things, like what somebody thought of themselves. Phenix urged himself deeper into the void, looking for more forgotten memories. He found Maci's "Purgatory," the memories that she had purposefully forgotten, as well as a few that she didn't seem to have wanted to forgotten. He pushed those aside to push up to her after he figured out what had sickened her. Pushing ever deeper, he found it. He was taken aback, but quickly pushed the memory forwards to her eyes, lining up the several pleasant ones after it.

Sitting back up properly, brushing off the dirt on her cloak, Naru wobbled to her feet still managing to look somewhat graceful even if she looked like a newborn fawn with shaking knees and aching ankles from the heeled boots she still wore. Leaning down, she offered a hand to her newest friend, offering to help her up. If she could, she would have called upon the clouds to help prop T'val up but as it stood now, she was too tired to use her powers, let alone have enough finesse to control the cloud's motions and density for the task. It was only a shame that they meet under such unfortunate circumstances, Narukami thought to herself. If they weren't forced to kill each other in a few days, she would have been sure that they would have been great friends. But then again, she was thankful for even getting to know the girl. If they decided to carry their friendship through into the arena, who knows. Perhaps they would survive more than they could have on their own.

---

T'val thankfully accepted the hand up, her legs aching slightly. "I'd offer to walk you to your room, but that might be a step too far," she joked. "Even then, I doubt I could make it." She sighed, then laughed. "I hope you can get back to your mates at home, Naru." While it was a rather sad note to end on, she seemed to be done talking for the night.

Once morning arrived Faith and Salvadore along with the other tributes got dressed in a pair of black pants and a black tight-fitting tank top with a number on the front and back. Once ready, they were sent to the elevator and whisked down to the floor beneath the homing building they were in. They'd be here for three days. The last day would end with each tribute going into a private session with the game makers who'd be judging their skills and give them a number later that night.

Alana was still in bed, trying to stall for as long as she could.

Ariel was tangled in the bedsheets with Sorrento's body curled and framed around hers as if to protect her from the night.

---

"And I hope that if I ever make it back, my mates haven't burnt our home down." She laughed, smiling tiredly. Deep inside, she knew that was an impossibility but that wouldn't be something she would voice out, unwilling to drag down the mood when they had such a wonderful time. Hesitating for a moment, she dropped their hands before waving. "Rest well, T'val. I'd hate to see you passed out somewhere in the hallway." Letting out a small laugh, she turned away and stumbled back towards her room, feeling a smile curl over her face as she collapsed on her bed, not bothering to change out of her clothes until morning came.

---

Murmuring slightly, Sorrento woke up with his back feeling a bit cold. It was odd to only wake up with Ariel beside him, Julian no where in sight. Usually it was their lovable dork of a husband that woke up the last, not a day person at the least. For a moment, he could fool himself into thinking that he was back home and his children would throw open the door at any moment, demanding for their parents to wake up, but after ungluing his eyelashes from the crusted sleep, he let out a sigh. Right, yesterday wasn't a nightmare. Staying in bed, he gently brushed Ariel's hair out of her face, a soft smile stretching across his lips at the angelic sight.

---

Ariel smiled a little in her sleep as she tuned towards Sorrento, she mumbled a bit in her sleep, one hand gently cradling her stomach.

---

T'val had wished Narukami a good night, then shuffled back to her room, taking off the loose tank top she had on before crawling into another one, this one a bit tighter. Loose clothes often went poorly with sleep, as she'd learned the hard way. She fell into a deep, dreamless sleep that she wanted to make last forever, but she knew it wouldn't. It was a sad feeling to feel it leave, the morning sun having quickly heated her room to a comfortable temperature. Sliding out of bed, she stumbled into the bathroom and splashed water across her face, trying to wake up more. After she did, it was a matter of convincing herself to put on the training clothes. Her tank top was either a size too small, or it was made to show off a bit of her belly. Gagging a little, she pulled the top on. The pants were fine, but the top was too much. Stepping into the hallway, she glanced left and right, looking for Naru or another Tribute. Seeing neither, she started towards the training area.

The painful memory resurfaces and Maci quickly remembers why she tried so hard to forget it.

Her, her cousin, and her uncle are back at the gym. Her and her cousin are both eager to have a sparring session. Her uncle joins the two and all three fight eachother. But it quickly becomes a match of them versus Maci. They were unable to use their ability, and both struggled to fight Maci, who was strong and skilled at fighting for her age. Even her uncle, who was going easy on her, had to use his full strength at times against her.
Once the match was done her uncle urges them to fight again.
"Focus on your powers Maci" he coaches. "Your powers are more dangerous than you think. If you focus hard enough, you can totally disable someone's power."
"That's a lie!" Maci says with a laugh. She was only half listening, too focused on dodging a few punches from her cousin.
"Disable his powers!" Her uncle commands, which she ignores. On the corner of her eye, she sees her uncle activate his powers. Like her cousin, he can create deadly bubbles. She doesn't react fast enough and is quickly trapped. She tries to escape but panic takes over, she finds that she can't do anything.
"Stop!" Her cousin shouts. "You'll kill her!" But her uncle doesn't listen. Right when Maci is sure she'll pass out she is finally free. She lands on the ground and desperately takes in mouthfuls of oxygen.
"Do it!" Her uncle roars.
"No!" Maci manages to fire back. Once again, her uncle activates his power and she is too weak to stop it. This time, her cousin tries to help. He tries to use his powers on her uncle. A bubble, which is more purple than black, flies at him. The more solid ball hits him, which makes him go flying. Maci screams in rage, water pouring into her mouth. It suddenly hits her that she is going to die. Right here at the hands of uncle. But before death can come, she is released. Her uncle stands over her with a menacing look. He watches her struggle to breath.
"Do it, ot he'll die!" Her uncle growls. "Don't waste this power Maci. You can become my apprentice. I'll train you to do what your father fears. You can be a solider, the most powerful solider in the world!" She raises up her eyes and does as told. But, instead of using her power on her cousin, she focuses on him. Red light spills out of her, hitting her uncle. She can feel his powers draining. He can too, because he screams out in fear. Her eyes widen, she realizes she can't control this power. With a mind of it's own, the light grabs her cousin, draining him of his power. Then it turns on her. The last thing she sees is a great light filing the room. It was blinding. Even worse, was the feeling of her powers leaving. It felt like her life was draining away as well. Then suddenly, there is darkness.

Sweat pours down Maci's face. The cold was no longer affecting her. Even with the good memories- her and Jaxon, all she can think about was what she just witnessed, what she just remembered. It now dawns on her that she had not seen her uncle or cousin again after that day. Did she kill them?
"Thank you." She whispers to Phenix. She slowly enters her room and crawls into bed. Too shocked to do anything else. She finds that she cannot sleep. Everytime she shuts her eyes, all she sees is that horrible red. Even worse, she hears their screams. She isn't certain that she slept, but she is aware of the light that pours into the room. She doesn't get up right away. Questions continued to plague her mind. Did her parents know? Did they purposely hide this information from her? Was she never sick, but instead, dying? There were too many questions and no possible way to answer them.

Alana finally got up and slowly made her way to the training area, her tail dragging on the ground and the ears drooped lightly, she was clearly anxious about the other tributes.

---

Phenix had nodded, then quickly slipped inside his own room hen Maci left. The crimson cloak was hung with care on a hook, the grey suit... Not so much care, but it was still hung up. His sleep had been light, the whispers of dreams still lingering in his mind when he awoke. Music tickled his ears, ever so quietly. Slipping quickly into the tank top and pants provided, he started towards the training room. The music didn't seem to grow louder, much to his dismay.

It was odd, waking up alone. There was no tangle of limbs to slip out of, no smell of breakfast being made, not even the tacky feeling of half dried marker on her face. There was nothing that was familiar. That... stung. A lot. Curling up within herself, Narukami reached across the bed where the sheets were cold and devoid of any sign that anyone had been there earlier, loneliness crawling across her chest. This had been the first time in a very very very long while since she had been utterly alone, without one of her mates by her side. While she wasn't co-dependent on them, not in the least, it was an alien feeling of being so small in a world that was out to get her.

It was a herculean task to even get out of bed, her limbs heavy as she went about cleaning up her face. She didn't have her regular products on hand but she made do, going through what little bits of her morning routine she could with the limited resources, carefully moisturizing her face and applying what little makeup was available, scowling at her reflection all the while. Putting on the clothes was another challenge in of itself, the tight material of the shirt hugging each jagged edge of her body. Broad shoulders brushed against the air, showing of muscles that she worked hard for, the hard planes of her abs showing through the training shirt. As a model, she was expected to keep a certain figure and Narukami certainly fit the bill with a figure that was evidently obtained through years and years of regimented workout. But beneath the picture perfect gym body was everything Narukmai despised about her appearance. While she couldn't help being as flat as a washboard (Ritsu had once made a joke about using her entire upper body as a washboard for how toned it was in comparison to the rest of her mates and he received a smack on the head and a promise of sleeping on the couch for that), she absolutely hated how the shirt was adamant on showing off the more masculine traits of her body rather than the soft feminine ones that Narukami vastly preferred. In simpler terms, the outfit was simply not her style. At all. Even the pants were much too baggy to perfectly show off her legs. Experimentally kicking the air, the sloppy action hampered by the unfamiliar clothes, Narukami could only feel her stomach twist in disgust as her brain nitpicked on the bits and parts that didn't feel right about herself, about everything really.

With a sigh, she put her attention elsewhere away from the garish ensemble, slapping her cheeks once, twice, before grinning brightly. "I love myself most, no matter who I am." She told herself, the returned smile in the mirror across the room seeming dull. Frowning, she tried again the work smile that she always put on coming to the surface. It wasn't a bad smile, not by a long shot, but it didn't quite feel right, just a bit off if someone looked closely. Ah, so it would be one of those days, hn. It couldn't be helped, but she patted her cheeks once more before going straight towards the training area.

---

There was a small laugh as Sorrento watch Ariel mumble in her sleep. He gently got out of bed, working quickly to brush his teeth and freshen up, dragging the waste bin close to the bed just in case before taking out the day's clothes for the two of them. With all of the small things out of the way, he crawled back into bed, sighing as he closed his eyes at the familiar feeling of Ariel in his arms.

---

Ariel woke up not long after Sorrento had pulled her into her arms, at first she believed to be home, but then she remembered the events of yesterday and there was a slight dull ache in her heart. But Sorrento was here with her, which lessoned the ache some. She kissed his cheek and nuzzled her face into his shoulder, it was apparent she was extra cuddly this morning. "Morning~"

Alana arrived with most of the other tributes, she stood between Phenix and Maci. Her left wrist had been wrapped in vet wrap and she was fidgeting with it a little, trying to make sure that it was still covering her wound.

---

It was eventually time for Maci to get up. She was suddenly eager to take a shower and wipe off her makeup from the previous day. She needed to move just as much as she needed to think. Luckily she could do both. She already knew that she was going to work out today. Maybe even spar. If she was that good at fighting, then she could probably bring back those skills. Muscle memory... As she walks the short distance to her shower, she suddenly feels much more aware of her body. She can feel something missing, she literally felt like a hollow shell. Even more curious, was the weakness she felt. She was so strong, so quick in her memory. But that was gone too. She pauses at her reflection and stares at herself. She finds that she is annoyed by the dark circles under her eyes, displeased with her scrawny figure. I'll find a way to bring the old me back, I'll reverse this spell...
She was quite happy with the tank top and shorts, it was nice wearing something that wasn't a dress. Her pleased smile vanishes when a Peacekeeper enters her room to give her a new dose of medicine.
"What's even in this medicine?" She asks as casually as possible. The Peacekeeper doesn't respond. This only makes her more curious. Whatever it was, it wasn't trying to cure her, it was trying to keep her alive.
She was one of the first to make it to the training room. This surprised her, she thought she would be late. She stands next to Phenix, but awkwardly keeps her distance. She struggles to think of something to say. She relaxes when Alana appears.
"Morning" she mumbles.
.....
"Morning!" Zahara shouts cheerfully. She enters the room, already munching on candy. She takes her place away from them, leaning against the wall and watching all three closely. "Man it's as quiet as a funeral home here!"

"Morning," Phenix mumbled back. After a moment, he turned his head and looked directly at Maci, proclaiming, "I didn't copy those memories of yours. I hardly remember how many I lined up. As far as I'm concerned, I still know next to nothing about you." Turning his head back to where it had been, he stayed quiet. His slim body and arms were, quite surprisingly, lined with plenty of lean muscle, creating a sort of texture along his skin. The tank top seemed intent on showing off his ribs, the holes for the arms stretching nearly down to his waist. He didn't seem to enjoy it, with his arms kept at his sides and his back stiff.

Shiloh had spent much of her time staring at a wall and thinking. She didn't have to let the problems overwhelm her, right? There were plenty of ways that she could survive. Ian wouldn't want her to fall into a pit of her own making. She knew that he would pick her back up, and help her go her own way. That was what she had wanted so badly after the accident. To be independent. And now that she was here, she could prove that. For Ian, she would be independent and strong. The next day, Shiloh had changed the dress for a pair of tight grey pants and a black tank top. Ordinary. Wouldn't attract attention. She had also removed the layers of makeup, so that she would attract no attention. It was perfect.

---

"I wouldn't really care if you remembered my memories" Maci admits. "I apologise for the way I reacted, I was just shocked. I never expected that I'm the reason why I got sick. That I'm the reason why my uncle and cousin vanished." She pauses. "I couldn't control my powers. Apparently I could cancel and disable powers." She clarifies. None of that mattered now. While it still shocked her, she had to look into the future. More importantly, she had to bring her old powers back, if not to use them, to finally cure herself! The familiar spark reappears in her eyes, the challenging look had returned. She eyes one of the training mats. She was itching to spar someone, maybe one of the Peacemakers.

"Morning," Alana chirped somewhat tiredly rubbing her eyes.

Ariel and Sorrento came down, their arms locked around the other. "Mornin'" Ariel yawned.

The training area itself was a gymnasium filled with various obstacle courses and weapons. Above them were the game makers, the ones in charge of the arena once the games started. Over the next four days, they would observe and make scores upon each tribute's skill level.

As soon as the last of the tributes arrived a tall athletic capital woman stepped forward and began to explain the training schedule. There were different stations, some taught survival skills and others fighting techniques, experts were at each station per their expertise. Engaging with other tributes for combative exercises was forbidden, as there were assistants on hand if anyone wanted to practice with a partner. There were four compulsery exercises and the rest was individual training.

She then spoke words of warning: "In two weeks, twenty-three of you will be dead and one of you will be alive. Which one of you survives depends on who well you pay attention over the next four days, particularly to what I'm about to say. My advice is this, don't ignore the survival skills. Everyone wants a sword or axe, but exposure can kill just like a knife. Most of you will die from natural causes. Ten percent from infection. Twenty percent from dehydration." She then sent everyone on their way.

---

There was no question about it, Maci was going to try and fight one of the instructors. But she finds that none of them want to fight her. It takes her a few minutes to actually convince one of them to fight her.
She steps onto the mat and watches her opponent closely. She notices that he wasn't as built as the rest, he lacked muscle on his arms, but had plenty on his legs. She would have to look out for kicks, that was probably his main fighting tactic. He was also very tall, which meant he could easily reach her.
He smirks, already expecting to beat her. A bell rings and he shoots forward, a kick fires out towards her. Maci just manages to duck under the kick. She leaps forward right as his foot comes back down onto the mat. She manages to throw a punch right at the same time as his leg is up again. They hit eachother at the same time. Maci winces slightly as she rises to her feet. She was rusty, that was for sure. But to her surprise, her reflexes were still sharp. She throws herself back into the fight. Everytime she is knocked down, she gets right back up. She was quickly wearing her opponent down as she learned more and more about him. He tended to hop onto the balls of his foot when he was about to kick, the opposite foot would be what he kicked her with. He also over exaggerated his punches, which made his blows powerful, it was necessary with his limited muscle. But that also gave her time to react. After awhile, the two seemed to be evenly matched. Even with Maci quickly becoming tired, she was still a good match for him. She may not have been able to punch or kick him hard enough to cause damage, but she was managing to dodge his blows almost everytime. The instructor started kicking even harder, clearly mad he couldn't get her. This only made it easier to dodge as his moves were much more noticeable.
Finally, they both stop. They were both exhausted. The instructors legs were shaking from having kicked so many times while Maci was shaking all over. It had been years since she had exercised this intensely. She was always scared that it would kill her. But, to her surprise, besides the obvious exhaustion, she wasn't showing signs of being sick. She actually felt good! She thanks her instructor and steps aside to pace around the gym and catch her breath.
....
Zahara watches Maci for a bit. She quickly got bored, especially when Maci and the instructor seemed to be evenly matched and were dodging each blow. It was much more interesting to watch Maci get thrown around. She skips over to one of the fire making stations. She stacks a bunch of wood and sticks together, clearly intending on making her fire as big as possible.