So hungry!!! [Dee] //blitz

[kousei ♚]

Ari Newton

It's become pretty evident that I can't wield a big sword to save my life. Within seconds the trainer had disarmed me and had the tip of the blade pressed against my throat, luckily the blade was fake but I would hate to think what would have happened if that was in the arena, with a real sword. I for one do not want to be the next Locust Lovelace; ended with a blade to the neck. I guess I should just avoid swords in the arena because I know that I'll probably just end up hurting myself if I use one; yea that would be quite a funny way to die, slipped and fell on your own sword.

However as I sit on the hard floor, embarrassment flushed on my face lunch is called. The trainer doesn't even help me up, he just gives me a disappointed look and walks away, the prick is actually judging me. I get myself up and dust off my wounded pride my shirt and stroll to the dinning hall.

When I get there I simply grab my plate and tray and wait in line. The smell of the food already makes my stomach growl and yearn for food, it begs for me to actually eat something despite the fact I'd eaten a hot oatmeal and toast about four hours earlier. The Capitol is making you greedy mister stomach. But then again I've never eaten anything like the Capitol can give me, despite the fact that Damien has probably made most of this food. I grab my lunch, hot food with lemonade on the side. What is this lemonade? It's the best drink I've ever tasted, I must have more, more, more.

Great, now there's only the task of finding somewhere to sit. Quite a few of the tables have a lot of people sitting on it. So I find a table with only one other girl sitting on it, I think she's from three? I can see the number three on her arm. I walk over to her but I find myself freezing. Come on, don't be scared, just sit down, it's not like she owns the table or anything. I find myself wanting to put the tray opposite her and sit down but I just can't. "Er, hey, can I sit here?"

Fucking stupid Ari.

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

Perhaps she should have made a greater effort to meet the other tributes, but she wasn’t one to sit at another table and at that point, it was clear the groups that were being formed. It was also clear to Anni that she was going to be alone going to the arena and most likely an easy target for all those big groups. So she sat by herself at an empty table, picking at the food on her plate. She knew she needed to eat, to build up her bodyso she would have a chance of surviving—these would be the last meals she would ever have—but she hardly had the appetite to take more than a few bites.

Her fork was moving across the plate with no clear purpose when she heard a boy’s voice above her. Without moving the rest of her body, her eyes flickered up to see who it was. It was the District 11 boy, holding a plate of food that still looked hot. He was asking to sit across from her for some reason she didn’t understand. She nodded her head, wondering if he too was alone or if he was going to try to torment her. She knew better than to trust the other tributes, always keeping her guard up, but they couldn’t all be bad, right? Some of them had to be just as frightened as her. “You’re from District 11, right?” It was a question with a very obvious answer; she had watched all of the district reapings and the number on his uniform gave her the answer. She didn’t know how else to start the conversation, though, and she hated the tense silence that always happened when no one was talking. "Why aren't you sitting with the others?" she asked bluntly. Surely, he had been sought out by the other tributes.

[kousei ♚]

Ari Newton

I simply not when she asks if I'm from district eleven, she must be able to see it on the arm of my sleeve. "Yea." I say as I have a mouthful of food and swallow it. Still the best food I've ever tasted. Compared to district eleven this is the kind of food kings would eat at feasts and celebrations, not the kind of food kids going to die would eat for lunch. "Why aren't you sitting with the others?" She asks me, almost as if she doesn't want me sitting here. Why aren't I sitting over there? It's simple really, I just don't know or trust those other tributes. I feel like if I tried to talk to those tributes they'd either disregard me or laugh at me. I've never really been one for big crowds anyway.

"I don't trust them," I answer bluntly as well. "I've never really been one for big cliques anyway." That's really more what my brother's about. I take another mouthful of food and swallow. "My name's Ari, Ari Newton and yea I am from eleven." I say. I take another quick glance and the big silver three on her sleeve. "And you're from district three right?"I ask.

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

She didn’t know who he was other than by his district number and gender, but she let out a little laugh when he said he didn’t trust them. And he thought that he could trust her? Or maybe he just wanted a place to sit. She smiled as she looked at her half-eaten food. She understood what he meant by not liking big cliques—she was rather shy herself—but she didn’t know what to show any sympathy. He was just another tribute after all.

But when he gave her his name, she knew she had to at least return the favor. “Hi, Ari. I’m Anni.” She went back to picking at her food, before looking back up at him curiously. “You say you don’t trust them. Then why would you trust me?” Going through the motions, she scooped a bit of lunch and ate it, mulling over what she had just asked. “I don’t trust you,” she said earnestly before eating more of her lunch. She wasn’t even that hungry, but it felt like she needed to do something other than stare at the boy who sat in the seat across from her.

"But you seem pretty interesting."

[kousei ♚]

Ari Newton

She states that she doesn't even trust me, not that I was expecting her to trust me or anything after all the only thing I know about her is her district; however, I would rather be sitting with one person who I don't trust than surrounded by a whole group of people I don't trust, simple as that. "Well those are large groups of people I don't trust, here there's only one person so I think I'd rather take my chances here." I reply. It's quite hard being in a room full of other kids I don't trust, for all I know one of them would be planning to slit my throat in a few days time. It's tough.

"But you seem pretty interesting." She says to me.

Now why would she think that? Is it because I volunteered? Is it because I chose to sit with her? Or maybe it's because I'm from a poorer district.

Either way I have no idea how to respond to that. "Thanks, you seem pretty interesting as well." I say, deciding to take that statement as a compliment. "So, what's your name?" I ask her curiously.

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

Anni couldn’t maintain her stoic expression anymore when he responded. He had such a logical way of thinking that was rather welcoming compared to the brute force she had expected from the other tributes, especially the volunteers. After all, no one was crazy enough to do that unless they were confident they were going to make it. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. It was just a good response, I had to appreciate it.” Anni was talking a lot, uncharacteristic of her, but for some reason, she felt almost obligated to explain her laughter.

Her expression went back to indifferent as he responded to her observation. He didn’t really add much, seeming to think she was “interesting” as well. If anything, she was certain that he had said that either out of respect or confusion because there was really nothing interesting about her. He asked for her name meaning he had not heard her, something she was not surprised by. “I’m Anni,” she repeated, speaking a little more clearly before eating the last bit of her food.

“Why did you volunteer? Not many people do from District 11.”

[kousei ♚]

Ari Newton

I have to admit I am a little bit confused when she lets out a small laugh when I explain to her my reason for not sitting with the others. What part of that is in anyway funny? Although I'm not exactly pissed off, more confused. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. It was just a good response, I had to appreciate it.” She says and I give out my own small chuckle of relief. Alright so she doesn't think I'm total idiot. I seem to have almost forgotten my food, fixated on the conversation. It's been so long since I have had an actual genuine conversation with someone.

And then she says her name is Anni, Anni from district three. And then she asks a question that a lot of people have asked me ever since I got to the Capitol. “Why did you volunteer? Not many people do from District 11.” That question is like a broken tapre recorder at this point. Everyone asking me that question. Why did I volunteer? I don't know if they'd ever understand why I volunteered. They don't live the way I used to live. "It's kind of complicated," I begin, "you see it's horrible in eleven, people I know drop dead from starvation everyday, it's impossible to live. I guess I volunteered because my family needs help, they're dying and this is the only way I can help them." I leave out the part about me being alive causing most of these problems for my family. I only just met her.

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

She didn’t really see how the answer was complicated so much that it was flawed. She had heard about the conditions in District Eleven, but barely, and it was difficult for her to imagine a place that was so terrible that a kid would volunteer to go to the Hunger Games just to escape. Not only was he trying to escape, he was coming into the mentality that he was going to win the Games. How else was he supposed to be helping his family? Sure, he would be one less mouth for them to feed, but she really couldn’t comprehend any other solution besides winning the Games and bringing some fortune to District Eleven.

She nodded slowly, but she kept her puzzled look on her face. Yes, he was definitely interesting, but Anni couldn’t quite pinpoint why. Deciding that this conversation would not go anywhere if they lingered on the question of him volunteering, she changed her posture and decided to treat him like someone to talk to, not someone she would have to face in a fight later on. “So what do you think of the training?” Anni considered adding how terrible she was doing in the training center, but knew better than to disclose such information to a potential enemy. But if he was a potential friend, wouldn’t she want him to know so that he could help her? The atmosphere of the Games was starting to screw with her mind.

[kousei ♚]

Ari Newton

The puzzled look on her face doesn't surprise me one bit to be honest. She wouldn't understand, she's from a much wealthier district than me. I remember that I have food in front of me that is slowly turning cold and I begin to eat some more of that and take a sip of that fizzy lemonade that always leaves a sweet and funny taste in my mouth. District eleven is that bad. My brother told me that a boy at work got his throat slit by a peacekeeper for keeping a pair of night vision goggles. She doesn't understand because she's not from eleven.

She then decides to change the subject, honestly I would rather not talk about me volunteering to be in the games. “So what do you think of the training?” She asks. Ugh the training, that question is only bringing back the painful memories of the sword training I went through, I wasn't expecting to be a master straight away but still. I've seen cripples tributes wield a sword better than I did a few minutes ago. But I don't want to embarrass myself or make her see me as weak if I tell her I struggle to wield a sword. "Well it's going okay, I've just been taking it as it comes I guess; I'm hoping to learn as much as I can because you can never 'know too many skills' when it comes to the arena after all." I answer as truthfully as possible. Not downright lying but not giving away too much either. "What about you?" I ask, wanting to take the spotlight off me.

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

Anni noticed how he was eating the food with such a fervor that she could not understand. Maybe it had something to do with the difference between the two districts, but Anni didn’t know how it was possible for someone to eat so quickly without upsetting their stomach. She could see from his facial expression that training wasn’t a topic that he wanted to talk about, but he answered her question rather smoothly and vaguely. She had no idea if he meant that he was doing poorly or he just had a little room for improvement. The only indicator she was able to glean was that it wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t jumping from joy.

He pushed the question back onto her, and she squirmed in her seat, feeling a little uncomfortable. It was much harder for her to make small talk than she thought it would be, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him how badly she had been doing in training. “It’s alright. I’m learning a lot, which I suppose is good. I just wish I had more time.” She was aware that her last sentence could indicate how poorly she was doing, but she really didn’t think much of it. There was really nothing she could do if he decided that he was going to be her enemy in the arena.

[kousei ♚]

Ari Newton

Her response is understandable. I wish I could train longer and longer until I master every single useful station I can think of because the arena would be one hundred times easier. Whenever I look at the careers and see them wield every dangerous weapon with ease and deadly proficiency I am struck with envy and frustration because I can't even wield a simple sword to save my life. It's so frustrating because these guys have trained their entire lives to be able to do such things.I have to get better. But how am I going to get better with only three days to learn?

I continue eating the food on my plate, this is truly some of the best food I have ever tasted. and reply to her statement with a nod. Desperate to take the subject off training I ask her something else, and not just because I'm desperate to not talk about training but because I am genuinely interested. "So what is District three like?"I ask. "I was just wondering, after all I have told you how horrible District eleven is."