Forum Thread

Riggs Oakfrost (Location: Train Enroute to the Capitol)

Riggs regarded the girl before him. Puffy, reddened eyes. Splotches of colour spattered across thin cheeks. Everything about her- her words, her skin, the way her bones jutted through her clothes- It was all so...

Pitiful.

Riggs was moving even before he was aware with it. In a sweeping motion, he'd taken his seat next to her. The feather-light touches of his fingers ran along the silk. Oh yes, this was what he was made for. Luxury. Silk. Beauty. His whole body had longed for it since birth- and alas, with courage, he had won it.

The girl was still beside him. What business did she have being so quiet? Riggs found himself irritated- Ungrateful brat. He'd deigned to talk to her, and what did she give him in return?

"You're right," he replied, her words finally slotting themselves together in his brain. "You are going to die. I'm going to win these games- and you'll be another piece in my legend. A mouse who I crushed." For some odd reason, he didn't feel like smiling. Another flash of irritation- now directed at himself- hit him. He forced a smile on his face, cupping his chin in his hand.

"If you want, you could help me. Stay by my side and help me get the rest of the mice first. You'd have some time to live-" Hope though- He nearly chuckled. Oh, the girl understood that clearly enough. She would die, long before him- and that was why he was offering her this. "An alliance, if you will. I keep you alive in the hearts of Panem- and in exchange, you help me cement my legend."

Absentmindedly, his hand ran through his hair. His scalp felt oddly itchy. Should I be worried? He'd always been so careful to avoid the piggish diseases the people of 7 might pass to him... It wouldn't do to have one just in his moment of triumph. Did it need to be cut? Should he clean it? Did he need medical treatment?

His panic grew rampant in his chest. What kind of winner had parasites? What kind of winner would-

He cut off the line of thought.

No. He was clean. He was perfect. He wouldn't be getting a foul sickness- no, they would stay away from Riggs, because he was special and they could sense it.

Now where was he?

Ah yes, the Mouse.

He turned to face her, finally letting his hand drop from his chin, instead meeting her eyes. Would she say something? Or be quiet and continue that pitiful sobbing?

---

Majoree Sinclair (Location: DISTRICT 9 REAPING

Majoree felt a shudder run up her spine at those words. Yes... this boy certainly understood death. He'd faced it before. She could sense it.

Again, stupidly, she could feel how lucky she was. How privileged to be born into the Sinclair family. Their lives had been so different- but their births the same. And now, their deaths.

She let her head drop.

"You're right." Tears were flooding to her eyes and she fiercely rubbed them away. "I hope... we can become good friends though, before it happens."

Then the Reaping was over. The Peacekeepers were breaking for them.

---

Minya Reedshaw.
Many eyes go through the meadow, but few see the flowers in it. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Minya inched away from him, bit by bit, her face a mask of disgust.

"....w-what sort of person are you?

To say these sort of things at a time like this?

Acting so high and mighty, like you're above all of us."

She exploded, coming out of her state of muteness.

"Oh I'm sorry, your majesty for being such a common District 7 peasant, you're far superior than me.

Oh, you're so amazing, Riggs Oakfrost.

You deserve such luxury."

She said, mocking him, and putting on a fake Capitol accent.

"The winner of this year's Hunger Games, right here people!"

She yelled sarcastically, pointing directly at Riggs.

Minya's eyes burned with hate.

"You think you're such a king? Riggs Oakfrost?
Huh?

Well think again, sweetheart. You're a peasant just like the rest of us.

You're just a low-down, common, rat."

---

Raiyhan Vale.

"I hope so too. Marjoree."

He added, before the Peacekeepers took him away.

Riggs Oakfrost (Location: Train Enroute to Capitol)

In a flash, Riggs was on his feet, a hand reaching for her face, the other slipping to the empty loop on his belt where his axe had formerly sit before it was confiscated.

Fury pounded a rhythm behind his eyes. A peasant? A rat? Fingers enclosed around her throat-

And then relaxed.

He pulled them back.

"You're quite the fool," he remarked. "Can't say I don't like it, though!" He flashed a grin, and added a little giggle onto his words. "Some fire in stupidity- maybe I'll like killing you after all." His grin broadened as he looked down at her expression, still hidden behind layers of puffy red and tears.

As he said that, suddenly, a door at the end of the hall slid open-

And in came their mentors.

---

Majoree Sinclair (DISTRICT 9 POST-REAPING)

Majoree's eyes went wide.

Majoree. Majoree. He knew her name- he knew her name and he was going with that tragic smile and those terrified eyes and she was just-

"Raiyhan! Raiyhan!" she called desperately back at him. "I promise! I'll protect you! We can- we can work together-" Peacekeepers flooded in from backstage, separating the two tributes. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder and another on her back start to guide her to a room. "I swear, I won't- I'll do my best so you live-"

The door slammed shut and she saw nothing more of him.

In an instant, she'd crumbled to a heap on the filthy, filthy floor, something so unsuited for a Sinclair, and burst into sobs.

---

Raiyhan Vale.
Who's no longer quite so cheery. Poor lamb.

Raiyhan sighed.

The calling of his name faded away. He did hope, that he could make a friend. Maybe they'd form a team, work together in the Arena, maybe kill a few Tributes.

But they can't both win.

He knew that, deep down.

---

Minya Reedshaw.

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. —Langston Hughes.

"Fool? Eh?"

Mina stood up in a flash.

"You get those peasant fingers, off my throat!

You-"

Minya was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening.

Faith flops down beside Aether. “Hello…” She stated dully. “So, which district are you from? Not that it matters much, most of us are just going to die here anyways. This is a hellhole of a place. Anyone going in the Hunger Games will never come out. But honestly? I don’t really care. We’re all going to die eventually. Living here, I’d prefer it was sooner rather than later.” Her tone was blunt and devoid of emotion. She didn’t seem to be affected by the fact she could possibly die.


Oh she’s sweet but a psycho, a little bit psycho
Lilith ignores the Peacekeepers, holding her doll, as she boarded the train. She used her doll’s arms to wave goodbye to them, smiling sweetly. Her wrist cracked, and she rotated it a 180 degrees, waving at them just like how her doll waved, then cracked it back into place with a pop!
“Grab a cop gun” kinda crazy. She's poison but tasty. Yeah, people say, "Run, don't walk away"
She then holds her doll out with a puppy eyes look, seemingly asking one of them Peacekeepers to take the doll. After much hesitation one of them does, and she smiles, her eyes lighting up with a kind of feverish madness. The peacekeeper holding the doll looks utterly terrified, for one reason and one only. The doll was so frighteningly lifelike he could have sworn it moved and said “I’m coming to kill you” But it couldn’t have! It was a doll. Besides, he was the only Peacekeeper terrified. She bends down to tie her shoelace, before stretching her hands out in the “give it here” motion. She happily takes the doll back and skips away.
Oh she’s sweet but a psycho, a lil bit psycho, at night she’s screaming I’m ma ma ma out of my mind

---

*Grimm would find a seat on the train towards the back, she knew everyone was staring at her, her mask made everyone do that. She sat down and tried to make herself as uninteresting as possible, she didn’t have to do much. She would make a silent sighing motion and would curl into a ball*

---

Kendo, who was silently sitting on the chairs, numb to all feelings by now, stared blankly at the wall, the only movement being the silent taps of his finger on his knee. He looked down, Noticing the female tribute come in, immediatly heading to the corner of the room. she was shaking, and seemed terrified, and he didn't blame her. "Hey. You... alright there?" Kendo spoke up for the first time in a while, his voice cracking in the middle of the simple sentence.

---

Agria looked up with alarm. She wasn't expecting the other tribute to talk. She recgonized him a little. His name was Kendo, wasn't it? She hadn't spent much time outside of Auntie's house, so she couldn't quite place him. But she had seen him enough that she knew who it was. She shook her head, gesturing to her throat, hoping that was enough to tell him that she couldn't respond, but the thoughts in her head screamed an answer.

No, she wasn't alright. She was frightened, and tired, and hoping that she could keep her promise to come home, and maybe not kill anyone in the meantime. Would she be able to do it if she had to? That thought scared her so much she pushed it out.

---

Mike sat down on a chair and looked around, he tried his best to act calm but he started fail and he fell down of his chair, but quickly got up and sat back down. He sighed before he looked at the ground, "I'm going to die..." He said quietly to himself. He had already said goodbye to his family and friends but he didn't think it would be time for him to die just yet. He barely got any sleep because of the worry that he had.

"Oh. You're the mute from the orphanage." Kendo recognized her now that he saw her up close. "Heh... Sorry for asking such a stupid question. 'course you wouldn't be okay. You're just... well, you're not a kid, but you're younger than me." Kendo paused for a moment. "... Get some rest. You seem tired. And I know that old hag you call Auntie don't treat you so good."

---

Agria blinked slowly, the nodded. She was glad that he didn't ask too many questions. She gave him a half-hearted smile, putting the necklace around her neck. Sleep was something that she really, really needed, and didn't question any oppurtunity to get it. She dug around in her pocket, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and a pencil stub. She always kept them for emegencies. She scrawled out carefully, "Now that I'm here, I probablly won't see her again. And it's not so bad, when you're used to it..." She placed the peice of paper in his hand, signed out, "I'm going to sleep now." Then curled up on the seat.

---

Kendo nodded, a small smile forming on his face. He then turned away, staring out the windows of the train.
"..."
"I don't know how I can get through this."
"I don't know what I should do."
"I don't want to die."
"But... I don't have a choice, do I?"
"Because It's kill or be killed. And only the strong may survive."
"But the other tributes, they must be just as scared as me or this girl."
"What am I supposed to do?"

---

Mike started to calm down, as he saw the other tributes he tried to think of ways to survive, but he had nothing. Finally he gave up thinking and closed looked around again, he never really decided if he wanted to kill someone but the thought of doing that was in his mind often, he put of a straw hat he had he put it on, he wished that he could see his family and friends again. He decided to walk around and look for someone to talk to that could understand what he was going through. While walking he saw a little girl and waved to her.

The train cabin that he was in was quiet. It didn't bother Asahiko at the slightest, enjoying the peace. His lanky limbs were pulled up to his chest as he gazed at the cabin, unseeing. His mind was in another place and frankly that was all that he needed. No one to bother him and no one to poke and prod at his eccentric oddities. That peace was soon shattered as a girl skipped into the cabin holding what had to be the creepiest doll Asahiko had seen in a while. It was frighteningly realistic, a stark contrast to the girl's innocent airs. But all that he did was raise an eyebrow before twisting around to stare out the window at the rapidly passing scenery. What others did was none of his business.

---

Sequestered away in one of the cabins was a small girl, curled up with her knees hiding her tear stained cheeks. Soft little gasps puffed out as the singular image flashed before her eyes on loop, Seyoung lying face down in a pool of blood, drowning in the very thing that gave him life. She hadn't even gotten the chance to say goodbye to him or even check if he had been okay. It haunted her but a part of her berated the poor child for being so fragile. Just because Seyoung wasn't here anymore didn't mean that she could break down and crumble before people who would surely latch onto such a weakness with unforgiving viciousness. Everyone here was out to kill her and she didn't need to give anyone more of a reason to target her.

Snuffling, Hwa wiped her eyes, tears smudging the thing layer of grime that was always present on the citizens of District 11. She would be fine, it would just be like how she survived eight years ago before meeting Seyoung. She had the experience, she just needed time to get back into the right headspace.

As her first course of action, Hwa gently crawled out from the corner she had pressed herself into, taking a seat on one of the opulent seats that lined the cabin before she got to planning. She didn't know her District mate that well and that would be a problem. Statistically, it would be easier to stick with someone that could help you survive and if she had familiarized herself with those from her district better, it would have given her an advantage. As it stood, she would have to choose who to stick with during training, when people showed off their skills. Of course, she could always strike out on her own. She knew her plants and could survive with minimal food but she wasn't a fighter. If anything, she was likely to die during the bloodbath. The idea of going so soon was appealing in some aspects. She wouldn't have to suffer through a long and arduous game, but it also felt like giving up. Nothing infuriated Hwa quite like giving the capital what it wanted so she would have to be smart about it. Suicide, then, became the next idea to pop into her head. Nightshade berries, if she could find any, would be a painless and uneventful death. It was sure to piss off the capital and that thought sent vicious glee down her spine

A part of her chided her for thinking about her own death as if it was an inevitability but Hwa firmly pushed it aside. She knew that she was going to die anyways and while it was unfair to Seyoung who would undoubtedly pray for her safe return, she would make the best out of her death

---

Mike looked at the little girl that he saw, he realized that she was her district partner. "Oh, hello there! Are you ok?" Mike asked. Mike rolled up his sleeves showing the scars all over his arms, he also put of. his straw hat. He smiled as he closed his eyes and sighed, he was starting to calm down from all the panicking. He was confident that he would survive the games.

Lilith spots Asaikho, and trots over to him, plopping down opposite him. “Hihi~ How are you?” She places the doll on her lap, rocking gently as she brushes the dolls hair. She seems to also be a ventriloquist, as her lips don’t move, yet she seems to be singing rock-a-bye-baby.

---

Jumping from where she was seated, Hwa nervously glanced at who had spoken. When she saw that it was simply her district mate, she relaxed slightly before putting her guard up again. Why he was seeking her out, she didn't know but it couldn't be anything good. A part of her hoped that it was to propose and alliance but even that seemed unlikely. In the arena, it was every person for themself and they doubted that it would change anytime soon. "I'm... okay. Are you?" Was the hesitant venture, feeling like it was only good manners to return the sentiment. Even if they were going to be enemies in the arena, if Hwa showed some kindness, perhaps he would be more inclined to show some mercy

Brown eyes flickered down to follow the motion of rolled sleeves and Hwa paled slightly. Was this... a threat? Was Mike subtly telling her that it was useless to fight since he had survived worse or had battle experience? It could just be scars from herding cattle as was a common occupation in their district, Hwa tried to reason desperately, fighting against the nausea and fear battling for control in their mind. Biting her lip, Hwa gave a shaky smile and hoped that she looked much less scared than she felt.

---

He didn't quite expect someone to talk to him but he inclined his head in a brief greeting. The girl looked unreasonably pleased to be here and he took note of it. She would be someone he would have to look out for but for now pleasantries wouldn't hurt. "Well enough." He replied shortly, turning back to look out the window. Hesitating for a moment, he continued by gesturing towards the doll. "Creepy. Cute though."

Truly, a man of many words this one

---

"... I should follow my own advice," Kendo said to himself, once he stopped contemplating how or what he was going to do. "I'll need my strength for whatever'll come after we get off this train." He lay down on the chairs, and closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

---

Aether didn't respond immediately, as she was still stuck in a pool of her own thoughts and memories. She hadn't even noticed that Faith had come up to her, and nearly jumped when she did. She didn't know exactly how to respond to that, she didn't really care either, but she still thought hard to come up with something. The stranger was right, everyone was going to die anyways, and communicating didn't matter in the slightest. It was still nice though, having someone to talk to again. This girl seemed to be like her, void of emotion or care for their own life. In fact, she didn't seem to care about anything, just like Aether. She could get behind this, after all, it was hard finding someone with a similar personality. "I'm from District 10..." She muttered under her breath, barely loud enough for Faith to hear. She propped her chin onto her knees and looked straight ahead instead of looking over at the stranger, waiting for something to happen. Well, soon enough, she got her wish, but not in the way she wanted it. A sudden flash of unspeakable pain burst through her head, similar to the impact of a punch, but no outside force collided with her. She winced and grabbed the sides of her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She tried so hard not to scream in pain, but a small squeak made it's way through her mouth. "Aether! Aether, please! Please don't do it!" That one cry begun to echo through her mind, booming against her skull and making the pain worse. She knew exactly what that cry was and who was saying it. After all, that plead was heard all throughout the town the night of her parent's cruel demise.

---

Mike looked at her and could tell that she was scared, "Yes I am ok, and don't worry, I won't hurt you." Mike said. Mike rolled back up his sleeves covering the scars. "Please, trust me..." Mike said, he reached out his hand toward Hwa with a smile on his face.