acting heartless but i'm not scarless | m³ v s³ | 5

[mat]

〖    b r e n n a n    f i t z g e r a l d    〗

I take Haze's hard sob as permission to cry with her. I've never cried with someone like this. It's always been easier to cover myself underneath bedsheets where nobody will look to find me. But I can't hide from Haizea, whose emotions reveal a deep red passion for those she cares about. Ama's death, as hard as it is, has only made it stronger. I hold her close, mourning through the tears until she finds the strength to let go.

She questions if her god can hear her in the arena. I nod to her without hesitation, yes, of course, he can. Gods, in all forms of literature, draw their strength from those who worship them. Abandoning their followers would relinquish their power. "Racnoss, Sato, Belmont. They want to play god because they know they aren't. Their power is what we afford them to have."

"And how can we change anything." I pause. There's an obvious answer that not everyone watching us through poorly camouflaged cameras is ready to hear. I rip a few extra inches of bandage out of the roll and use the remainder of my slowly-drying blood as a marker. I keep what I'm writing hidden from all angles with all of our supplies huddling around the strip of bandages. One word. Nine letters. Legible and easy to understand as I flip the bandage and pass it over to Haze.

What has always been our best shot at changing things? I smile, trying to keep away any tell of my proposal.

"How can we change anything?" I whisper.

Written in blood on the bandages that will patch the world: Rebellion.

. . .

Every moment that Pierce spends out there is a moment I grow more concerned. I'm waiting for the sound of a cannon to break the silence between Haze and me, especially after the day we've all had. Our base is lonely without his endearing dorkish nature. Our trap at the cave entrance went off sometime while we were gone for the day, but nothing else seems to be touched. Even our spot, marked off in the corner by a line of stones to keep us from rolling our way into the fire.

And there he is. "Fuck, Pierce." I say, relieved. Can you blame me for being worried about him? He's a career who can handle himself until he can't. His leg hasn't gotten any better, either. It's bandaged up to keep from bleeding, but the way he's walking shows that it'll be difficult to get around. I stay away as he approaches Haze and starts to talk to her. I want to punch him in the gut and tell him how reckless it was not to stay with the group, especially in his condition. I've got to let him come to me. I sit in our spot at the far wall, legs crossed, fingers anxiously scratching the dry blood off my skin.

Pierce hobbles over comedically. I would believe someone if they told me it was just Pierce being funny and not that he has a broken leg. I still want to cry now, after everything we've been through today, but his unsteadiness dares me to hold back a laugh from a frown. Our arms touch as he gets down onto the ground beside me.

I fold my hands in my lap, silent as he leans in. "If you kissed me right now I know I'd feel better." Oh, fuck you.

He nudges my side and looks at me with pleading eyes. "What'd you think?" Oh. Fuck. You.

He's luring me in with the bait I'd placed on his fishing rod last night by asking him to sleep with me. It'd be my first kiss.

I turn to him, one hand holding his and the other against his cheek. And then, I kiss him.

I don't know how long it lasts. I don't know if I'm doing it right. I don't know if he feels what I feel, or if he knows that I feel what I feel. What I do know is that it feels good, and I savor it like a sweet candy on my tongue.

Yesterday's moment of contentedness died the moment I saw life crumble out of Ama's body. Here I am today, overinvesting in something that I know cannot last. I want to love him, tell him as much, and hope that it'll be enough to bring that bliss.

I rest my head on his chest as the sky's tone deepens from grey clouds to darkness. I whisper to him. "Do you ever wish things could stay like this? No strings, no consequences, no death. Just us, in here, forever?" Fantasy isn't reality but I stay in his arms pretending as much to try for that comfort again.

. . .

"Maybe we can get up to the top of the mountain without an ambush today."

We've always been on the back foot when fighting. First, it was Yael, then the Boltmares, and then Dorothy and Elm's attacks yesterday. Maybe we just stick out like sore thumbs in this place and don't spend enough time gathering awareness of our surroundings. Especially yesterday, when we were so infatuated with the ruins around us that we weren't thinking about the people around us.

I won't make that mistake again. Today, we know the path we're taking. The hiding places, the best ruins to provide coverage from knives zipping past. We are ready today.

It's not long into our travel that a trio of tributes catch my eye. I recognize their faces: careers. I grab Pierce and Haze in each of my hands and pull them into the ruins. I whisper to them, "Be careful. When they pass us here, that's when we attack. I know they're strong, and they'll kill us if we give them the chance."

Haze and Pierce move to give themselves a nice angle with their weapons. Pierce still looks rather worn down. If they see him, I'm worried they'll go for him as the easiest to kill.

Their footsteps grow as they approach the ruined towers. We have to go for kills, now. If we didn't hide out, they would find us and kill us, eventually. I nod to Pierce a few yards away. Weapon in hand, I'll be the one on the frontline. My long-distance aim sucks, anyway.

When the third and final person comes into our view, I jump out from the ruins and swing. "Now, you guys!" It's Rene who's closest.

I remember the advice I gave Haze. Do what you have to this time in order to change next time for the better. And I'll live by example.

[ brennan attacks rene ; scythe (glaive) ]
1m4ou0s_hoglaive
[ 13170 -- Block -- 0.0 damage ]

accuracy re-roll - day 5
glaive
9.5 + 1.0 Blades

title insp: dark side - bishop briggs

glaive·glaive

[Deleted]

Haizea holds the bloodied wrappings close before tucking it into her bag of many things. 

Rebellion. 

She wouldn't even know how- she doesn't know how. Ever the rule follower, even in a place as lawless as the arena. She's tried honor, she's tried a moral code, it's breaking her down how impossible it is to feel good about yourself, so she stopped. Evolved into simply being for however long she has left. She sheds herself in tears as she's held by Brennan, sobbing so hard in grief it takes a minute or two to realize he's been crying beside her the whole time. 

Haizea thinks of Yani, her daring cousin. Braver in every way imaginable, her fight at the district square still vivid in her mind through everything. They pushed her face in concrete and she hasn't seen her since; she'll see her again. Haizea'll make sure of that. Racnoss, Sato, Belmont, spoken like the names of queens, she knows enough to know what Brennan's telling her won't ever make it to broadcast. 

Neither will her response: "they better hope we don't make it out of here then." 

---

Without Amaterasu, they take longer night watches. Everything once cut into fours is now reshaped for their trio, they push on trying to forget what they've lost. I've mourned enough, she thinks to herself, limiting herself from her own sorrows. She's already resigned to needing years of therapy after this, for now she'll pretend nothing's ever wrong. This is all a game, and she, a player, that's how this all works. The gamemakers play God and she delivers. 

Her watch goes even longer as she finds Brennan and Pierce cuddled with each other, the base they've built up feeling smaller than it has before somehow. She waits at the mouth of the cave for what feels like a few hours longer, watching the sunrise alone and wondering where the colors come from. God's not real, the sun's not real, but she's looking right at it. She's looking right at blues and violets and brilliant oranges, yet she knows better now than to believe it. 

Not anymore, at least. 

The boys wake and they set off not too long there after. Pierce, Brennan and Haizea, what's left of the wealth and what's left of their sanity. They have all the room in the world to explore yet she feels as if she's gone stir crazy, weary off a bad night's rest. All she can think of is how badly she wants to get out already, day 5 of 9, so close but so far. This is where things get even harder, she's been lucky to sustain zero injuries but she anticipates war. 

"Maybe we can get up to the top of the mountain without an ambush today."

"Doubt it," she says after a chuckle.

They follow Brennan's lead today, Haizea too spacey to make a decision. If she had it her way, they'd stay at the base all day until the gamemakers pry them out, with flood or freeze or flash storm. Instead, they take the high road - literally, marching back up the stretch of mountain towards the greater peak. The entire trek she figured they'd be interrupted with an announcement, something to draw everyone back together, but things always have a way of finding them it seems.

Brennan's clutches her hand and she instinctively holds her breath until he points out the target: careers. Without Brennan's district partner, she wonders if they axed him themselves until she sees Maverick Marlow.

There's a moment where she tugs at Brennan, wanting to head back down and far, far away from what's about to transpire. Maverick is a good person, she knows that at least, he helped her through the roughest part of her combat training and that very well could have been what aided in ending Dorothy Hope the day prior. Beside him is Dyno Moreno, a boy she's been warned to avoid since the very beginning.

Well, shit.

She looks to Pierce, wondering if he thinks this is any part as crazy as she does, but he looks onward. If they're to kill the careers, this is the only way - an ambush. Just like Svetlana and Dorothy yesterday, Brennan's already learning from their past mistakes. Strategy is almost all they have to think of in here, and so she agrees to fight, she knows it's the only way.

With a nod, she wields her newest weapon, running her fingers across the king etching. She avoids looking at the careers until it's time to pounce, saving her what if's for herself. There's a hesitation and a reluctancy that'll get her killed otherwise, so she follows Brennan without a second thought - "I'm right behind you," she says, before attacking Rene Sumner.

[ attacks rene with king katana ]
gMGPNQy3Hg200+1000
[ 1015 -- Deep Gash on Right Bicep -- 8.0 damage + 1 weapon ]

"Sorry to ruin your morning," she says as the blood flows, the red headed career already not looking too good. This has to work, she thinks to herself, it has to, it has to. There's a second where she makes eye contact with Maverick and regrets it, a feeling of guilt or shame settling into her stomach. "I killed someone, Maverick," she admits, as if to check if he'd be proud or disgusted. As if to say, I'll do it again, in the slyest of ways. 

200+1000

[Baby Wessex d9b [earthling]]

〖    p i e r c e    l i t t l e t o n    〗

He shouldn't have lured Svet. Or rather: he should have done so while sitting squarely on his ass in the very spot where Elm had made minced meat of his leg. By the time he ambles back to his allies, to base camp, his leg is throbbing and his heartbeat kept skittering out of tune.

Course, that could have been from seeing Brennan's sleek red hair.

He made sure to check in with Hazeia first, even though Brennan's "Fuck, Pierce," sent his mind spiraling in a different direction. He recounted Svet's mood, and admitted that he'd told her their intention to conquer the mountain. "As a deterrence," he'd said with conviction. But he wasn't sure Haze believed him.

After, he settled next to Brennan, a slow smile dawning. "If you kissed me right now I know I'd feel better." A wink and a nudge. "What'd you think?"

From one gambit to another, Pierce could not believe his luck. Svet, deadly though she was, hadn't killed him. And even more astoundingly: Brennan kissed him. Not just a cheeky peck. A real kiss, something pure and healing and whole unto itself. He was too stunned to kiss back, really, but the second Brennan broke contact Pierce let a smile stretch contentedly across his face.

"Do you ever wish things could stay like this? No strings, no consequences, no death. Just us, in here, forever?"

He lifted an eyebrow slowly. All his training, his shaping, his molding had taught him to cast the question aside, to deflect for the cameras, to keep amping up the tension. But somewhere along the way his heart had gone soft. So. He wrapped his arms around Brennan, chin atop his head, and said quietly, "let's start with tonight."

It's the perfect night for something new, full of stars to wish upon.

In the morning, they try as they've tried every day: to make up the mountainside. And like every day, they fail. He feels the loss of Ama more acutely in the dawn's grey light. He's thinking about her, about what she would have said or more importantly not said, when Brennan grabs his hand.

He jumps, just a little. It sends a jolt through his well patched but mangled leg. They organize themselves quickly, almost silently, with Haze behind Brennan. Pierce pivots half behind a fallen rock, or possibly a pillar of the temple, so that he can string his bow. His allies are fast - so fast - that he feels a little thrill of pride in how far they've come.

They're going to need it to face these tributes.

The element of surprise is long past but Pierce can't help himself. He's been hoping, secretly, to face the famous Moreno for days. "What's up?" He says as casually as he can manage and lets the bow do the rest of the talking.

[Pierce attacks Dyno; Longbow of the Sky]

Z1OBck2rVrbow

[MISS]

[Longbow Charge 1/2]

1-50

[MINOR BURN, +2 dmg]

[accuracy; day ...5?]

bow

[SHALLOW CUT ON LEFT THIGH, +3.5 dmg]

bow·1-50·bow

[Knuckles]

"Death keeps knocking. I'll have to answer him sooner rather than later it seems." Hearing these words hurt, yet it's the reality of the game, and Mav knows if he wants to make it home alive, both Rene and Dyno have to die, but it doesn't make it any easier. Living in this reality is cruel, and it's even more difficult for him knowing that he had the perfect chance to live the rest of his years out in peace. As much as he doesn't want to care, it's hard not to. Rene and Dyno have become a family to him, and even though he knows they're both very likely to kill him, Mav wants them to stick together until they no longer can. Everyone here is just another pawn used in the game, and only the king will stand at the end when they've masterfully played across the board.

But everything hits differently when Dyno brings up Rene getting her first kill, and he makes the comments about it costing her an arm and a leg. It seems as though Dyno is very proud of her, and Maverick doesn't want any part of it. Why is he proud? Being a career comes with a cost, and Mav is realizing the price he has to pay for trying to live up to name he gave himself so others would be pleased with him.

"Hope you and Dyno have a plan for when I'm gone."

The plan is to live, to make it out of this madness alive, and maybe that's where he fails. Surviving isn't easy here. It's damn near impossible, but every day the numbers are dwindling, and Maverick knows the end is getting closer. It's just a matter of getting there. Otherwise, Mav is horrible at making plans, and having to think so far in advance to figure out where people are moving and what they're going to do, it's all impossible.

Before he can answer, Rene is talking to Dyno, and Dyno is answering about how he'll fight death before the grim reaper can snatch Rene away.

"Punching death in the face sounds fun." It's mostly to try to keep the mood light, but he's having trouble coming to terms with the idea of losing someone he's grown to care about. She's knocked him off his pedestal a few times. It's just who she is though. Rene is blunt and not afraid to speak her mind, and she's everything Maverick has spent his whole life trying to be. It's not who he is though. The mask he wears as he's trying to prevent himself from slipping is becoming too much to wear. Every day he makes more mistakes, and it's about time someone catches him up in the lie and shows all Panem just who vulnerable and weak he is.

But he can't keep his eyes off the two careers even though Rene is barely hanging on.

What if they drop me for not being able to get a kill? What if they find out that I'm not who I really say I am?

All of these race through his mind, and he's struggling to pull himself together. It's hard to sit still with so much anxious energy crawling through his veins, and that's when he turns towards the stream. Something about the flow of water calms his nerves. It always has and it always will. Just hearing the water moving, while it's not like the waves crashing on the sandy shore back home, it's the closest he can get right now. Many times, after everyone went to sleep, Maverick would sit on the beach just listening to the waves. Time would drift away in the blink of an eye, and that's exactly what happens here.

The anthem is playing over his head, and he watches the faces fly by. A third of the tributes are gone, lost forever. It's hard to think about, but it does bring him one step closer to the goal of wearing the crown at the end when putting the last remaining player into checkmate. It's impossible to sleep, though. All he cares about is making sure Rene and Dyno have a peaceful night if they even fall asleep, but whether they do or not, Maverick will make sure nobody sneaks up on them. Staying up late at night is getting easier, yet it's making the journey through the arena much more difficult. Part of him wants to leave them behind and make his own journey from here, but now isn't the time. Not with so many still lingering within the walls of this abyss.

And family never leaves family behind.

Whether he wants to admit it or not, they're his family while they're here, and it makes things even worse because the world will crash down around him.

I just hope I don't have to kill them.

A heavy sigh leaves his chest as he turns his gaze back towards the water. Another day is gone, but a new day is only beginning.

As the night starts turning into daylight, Maverick gathers his belongings and waits for the others to rise. His bloodshot eyes are heavy with bags weighing them down making it almost impossible to keep his head up, but it's important to get moving before anyone can find them where they are. Right now, they have a truce, and he doesn't want to break it by doing something stupid. They both could kill him even though Rene isn't whole, and Mav doesn't stand a chance against them. His life has proven it time and time again, but maybe he'll be remembered as someone who is always a friend.

Soon they're on they're on their way, and Mav starts hiking up this mountain, and it takes his breath away. Just looking at the beauty of the arena makes it feel that much worse. How can something look so magnificent while being so horrendous? Appreciating the beauty is incredibly difficult, and he loves nature, but he can't stop to smell the flowers in a place like this. The mountains are tall, and trying to scale one is difficult, and just as he reaches a nice flat area, he stares at everything down below, and a huge grin spreads across his face. Fighting in this arena, the beautiful creation built for murder, is an honor.

But nothing is ever as it seems.

Before he has a chance to really take in his surroundings, an alliance completely jumps out ambushing them, and two of them instantly go for Rene. Of course, they would pick the weakest tribute to attack out of them all. "Fuck!" He shouts at the top of his lungs. "Rene! Dyno! Look out!" Of course, it doesn't do any good though. The element of surprise always gives someone the upper hand. Spending as much time as he was looking around, Maverick can't help but wonder if this is his fault.

It's always my fault.

Yet the tide changes when Maverick makes eye contact with Haizea.

"I killed someone, Maverick."

It hurts his heart, but he forces a smile on his face. The career in him wants to congratulate her on succeeding in eliminating someone from this arena, but the other part of him, the side that nobody sees, is crying. A bleeding heart can only beat for so long, and it's hard to imagine what it would actually feel like taking someone out of this game of life forever.

Thankfully Rene gives him some time to gather his thoughts by calling them stupid for attacking her when she's on the verge of death anyway, and two healthier careers are standing next to her. She isn't wrong.

"Congrats on your kill, Haizea. It's a huge accomplishment." It pains him to say these words, but he can't let himself get lost in the feelings of his own emotions. Killing isn't an accomplishment. It's not something to be proud of. It's not about the honor and glory. No, people are dying, and he has to pretend he's happy and that he isn't fazed by their death. "Just don't lose sight of yourself now that you've tasted blood."

Maverick tightens his grip on his spear.

May today be the day I shine.

credit to griffin <3

Maverick attacks Pierce with spear
tuBfBLTo0Ispear
3093 -- Shallow Cut on Right Calf -- 3.5 damage
spear

[Tom]

I'll fight death before that happens.

Fingers gripped around the pole of Yael's glaive; he can't find the way his heart burns. Rising flame along the tips of stomach, burning whatever feeling's rising from the depths of his acclaimed blackened heart. Ripped pages left underneath the mattress of his sister's bed; love, care, and fear for her to see. Dyno Moreno's emotions reside back in One where his sister could destroy them. Set the off white pages aflame, burning away every piece of who Dyno Moreno used to be. A legend is all he wanted to ever be, but as he rests in the stream side with Maverick and Rene he can see the faint flickering of a feeling. Small, but growing. Deep and heartbreaking in every moment.

Careers don't care. It's all just a game built for him. Pieces to move one by one into place until the golden crown is placed upon his righteous head. Piercing his skull with the ego he's carried since the ripe age of twelve. What's the cost of this game? Is it worth it? Burnt on his tongue; he tastes the words. Fluttered them to his page; dance with them across the inner thoughts of his mind. The cost will always be worth the crown. Even if he's to rip himself apart, bleed for an eternity, the price will always be worth the end. A means to an end. These two are people who understand. Their words, their beliefs, and their actions are all the same as his own. Rene had killed Steele Cassidy to survive. He'd killed Yael Damaris to feel powerful. To be strong. To smile in the face of death and become the legend he always dreamed of.

When night falls, the sound of PITA chimes near him. Having given up swatting the damn thing, he speaks carefully to the open air. "I've always hated plot twists." The faces appear in the sky. Steele Cassidy stares back at him. Remorse doesn't come, but there's a pang of something deep and dark at the bottom of his heart. A worry of the future. What will he tell her family, her friends, or anyone else who would care about Steele? Nothing. His mind supplies as if he's able to control his thoughts. There's a chill in the way he grips the grass at his side, tugging strands from the earth to numb his annoyance, his head. The next face is a good sign. Johnny's partner is gone. Deservedly so. He didn't know the girl. She was just another lost tale in his story.

Dorothy Hope comes next.

Annoyance filters into his head; white hot and filled with all the fury he'd had on the second day of being a true tribute. Svetlana's alliance. Bruises still fading away from their encounter. Dorothy Hope had taken Duke Nixton from Dyno. A debt was meant to be paid, but now she's dead. His voice is angry as he speaks softly to himself; a raging storm of ink behind his eyes. "She was supposed to die by my hands." As the anthem fades away, Dyno Moreno goes to sleep with anger at the forefront of his mind. Burning ink behind his thoughts, supplying him with all of that rage. The rage he's always carried throughout life, but he's calmed all of the feeling to a quiet hum underneath his throat. Building in the desire to continue to make a name for himself.

Morning comes quick; filled with quiet mutterings and a slowness of exhaustion from the day before. Rene's looking rough, but alive. Eyes glancing about the upcoming mountain where he's pointed out. Words on his lips, just barely audible in the cool morning air. "Tributes have problem taken shelter up there. We should hunt them down." Yael's glaive against his back as he holds it over his shoulders to rest his arms and keep the weight evenly distributed with his pack. An ease to the way they move up the mountain. The beauty of the space surrounding them was pointless. Beauty hides what's really there. Hidden beneath the surface where death could come out; rip apart anyone who's not paying attention.

The towering gate feels ethereal as they cross into the ruins of a time long lost. Dyno's attention falters for a moment, watching the area around them. A pause in the air as Dyno stares ahead for a second too long. An eerie silence as he squints trying to see further up the path. Isn't it always exciting? The gamemakers usually had some sort of plan for them, but Dyno could've sworn someone would be in these ruins. A silence fills him as the air flutters gently. The chill is cold enough to make him stop for a second. The rising action before a climax; Dyno Moreno could tell something was off about this. As he's about to say the words aloud, chaos erupts.

Brennan of Three rushes from behind some of the ruins, pushing towards Rene who's ahead of them. The glittering metal of a scythe, just as if the boy was death themselves, cuts into Rene. Blood dripping heavily already. Dyno could feel the tension rise in his skin, blood boiling at the sight of Brennan's scythe cutting into Rene. The next moment is what fully sends him over the edge; dripping with the smirk of the demon he's always been. Izar rips flesh with a katana. Blood dripping redder than the day before. Eyes glaring into hers as he hears her speaking to Maverick. "I killed someone, Maverick,"

Before the venom spills from his lips, an arrow flies past him. The wind having hit the thing just right to give Dyno a moment's notice to see the last career besides them left. Pierce Littleton with the biggest bow he's seen anyone use. Wealth. They had to have been the alliance that won wealth. The smirk on his lips darkens a bit more as he sets his eyes on the new prey he wishes to demolish into nothing. Burn away whatever is there of Pierce. Two were faulty careers. Trash to be taken out and burned.

The static of the air from before comes back, raising the hairs on his skin. Maverick yells out about the surprise attack as another arrow comes fluttering towards him. Dyno swings the glaive outward striking into the arrow as it strikes into his leg, burning with electricity as he watches his skin burn into these long strands. Swiveling Yael's glaive around, he smirks at Pierce who's acting casual about having just shot him.

Maverick is quicker than him. Moving with words along the win. Lost at the taste of blood for the first time. A smirk pulls on his lips as he lets his words drip from his lips; eyes darkening in excitement at a new fight on a new day. "You've killed. I've killed. Rene's killed." Glancing at Izar, he lets the feeling fester in his stomach, burning with the full fury of being surprised. Looking to Brennan, swirling the glaive in his hands to shine the sun towards them, letting the heat ease him a little bit more.

"Pierce. So lovely to see you." Swiveling the glaive around, he looks into the reflection, letting his eyes glare to the to other through it. "I killed Yael two days ago. She fought until the end." The memory of her anger, the disappointment, and the acceptance fills his mind. A pang of a feeling in the bottom of his stomach alights, but he stares at Pierce for a little longer as he smirks, letting his hands tighten on the glaive. "I took her weapon from her dying corpse." Stepping closer, he swirls it once more.

"Wouldn't it just be perfection for you to die by her weapon?"

A laugh drips from between his teeth as he steps closer once more. "I wonder if your ending will be just as satisfying as hers?" Blood dripping from his leg as he moves faster as he swirls the glaive in his hands. The reflection catching the darkening of his eyes as he pushes forward, lunging towards Pierce.

"Bleed for me."

Please.

(Dyno Moreno attacks Pierce Littleton with Naginata [Glaive])
1c7ZKzXd7Oglaive
(Shallow Cut on Cheek 3.5)

glaive

[Cato]

I'm tired. Fighting to keep myself alive is getting exhausting. I've already accomplished so much since I've been in here, and I realize that people aren't going to leave me alone as they see me. I'm the weak one, the one they'll keep pouncing on, and I'm not even sure why. Some of these tributes are dumb, some of them are people who I don't think could fight their way out of a plastic bag even if I showed them the way, but who am I? I'm nobody to them. Just another career soon to be a face in the sky. Living is hard now. I've kept myself alive this long. I've made friends. I've formed bonds. I've killed someone. All of these are on my bucket list, and I've marked them off. I want to win, who doesn't? But I know making it there is almost impossible. I'm tired of fighting, and I yearn for my eternal rest.

I stay relatively close to Maverick and Dyno when the arena turns to night. It's important to be close by, I mean look at me. There isn't much I can do by myself right now, but I'm still kicking, and I'm still capable of killing, but I'm struggling to thrive. I lay on my back staring at the sky as the anthem plays. Part of me wants this all to come to an end because all I can do right now is make a name for myself and a legacy for my family. I want to be remembered for years to come. Once the anthem ends, I wrap my hand tightly around the spear, and I let myself fall asleep again partially hoping I don't wake up in the morning.

The next morning when I wake up, I see that Mav and Dyno are already awake. It's nice of them to wait for me, and I wonder why they're still here. They both are better off without me, but it makes me happy knowing they aren't just leaving me to die. I would've left them if the roles were reversed, but thankfully, they haven't left my side. I look at where Dyno is pointing, and I watch Mav lead the way, and I throw my backpack on my back, and I grab the spear, and I starts crawling along behind them. I feel like they'll want to help me, but I don't need their help right now. I'm capable of getting to places on my own without any assistance.

Maybe that was a mistake, though. We're barely up the mountain when a couple of blades slice deep into my skin, and it makes me even more exhausted. I address Dyno and Mav. "Get a load of these fools. Attacking the one legged on the verge of death while you two are healthy.. Make it make sense."Maybe this is where I finally close my eyes and rest. Maybe this is where I take my leave from this world. Mav yells. Dyno starts talking to Pierce. I hear Haizea telling Mav she got a kill, and Maverick's response to her is heartwarming. He's learning, and that's important. I ready my spear though, and I steady myself the best way I possibly can. I know I'm capable of killing. I've already proven it once, and I hope to prove it again. But the truth is, I've fought, I'm tired, and now I can rest.

Rene attacks Brennan | Spear

b|oVALnObWspear
spear

[mat]

〖    b r e n n a n    f i t z g e r a l d    〗

"I'm right behind you." Haze's knife flies forward just as I rip my scythe from Rene's side. It brings comfort to know that she and Pierce, who's already casually conversing with Dyno, are by my side. The days of cold feet are so far gone that they've turned ablaze, making us jump and scatter on coals at the sense of blood. Haze and I have a tall posture now, the one Pierce has had all along. We've agreed, it seems, to play the game now and worry about the future later. Her god will understand. And if they don't… too bad.

Dyno, Maverick, and Rene don't appear to be the type to hold it against us. Their walking in a neat pack, not abandoning an injured Rene, tells me all I need to know. Survival is important to them. People from their districts learn from a young age that to win the Games is honorable, commendable. Their districts won't hold a grudge toward me as Twelve will for Calamity, right? Or Eight with Dorothy? Justifications build my confidence against an already exhausting Rene and I ready my scythe again.

Everyone speaks in turn before arrows fly, spears pierce, and blades flash by. I like to think that people have been trained to battle in slow motion so that they won't be forgotten. Silence bears nothing to remember us by except for a dead body. And contrary to what physics will tell you, a dead body carries no weight but final words burden in the tons.

"I killed someone, Maverick." I hear the division in her voice. Yesterday, we cried. Today, we forget.

"Congrats on your kill, Haizea. It's a huge accomplishment." Almost an automated response from Mav. Does he know that we play pretend with bold and overconfident faces?

"You've killed, I've killed, Rene's killed." I almost want to interrupt. I've killed, too, Dyno Moreno. You may have forgotten me from when we hung on that tree together. I was probably an insect for you to crush at that time, nothing more than a thing you had to beat. And you did, I'll give you that. I lost two weeks ago, but every second that goes by is a second that I grow stronger. That includes the attention I divert to his grandstanding to Pierce. My eyes hold to focus on them as Rene catches herself and prepares her spear. He's taunting Pierce with the weapon that Dyno claims to be Yael's, Pierce's district partner. Little does he know that Yael tried, and failed, to kill him with the very same glaive. He survived that day, and he'll survive this one, too.

"Bleed for me."

Luckily, it's only a swipe at his cheek, the cheek I've rested against for the past two nights. My eyes are big as I look at him. Just a little while longer, I'll make it better with another kiss on the cheek. I want to protect him, but he's too far away. We have to finish this quickly for Pierce's sake. The best way to do that is to take a kill and pressure the others away.

That means giving Rene her chance. She addresses her allies, rather than us directly. She mocks us for going after her as if Rene and her leg (a nauseating sight to see in person) aren't just as much a barrier to victory as Dyno's canned career lines.

Her spear digs into my chest plate. I pull back quickly enough to avoid it breaking the skin. I should be more scared right now. District One, District Four, District Four. They've got three goliaths and we have just one. Everything the advice from Atticus six days ago has wisped away. Don't go near them, they seem scary. Especially this year. Here I am, face-to-face with Rene Sumner and I haven't even turned a heel to prepare a getaway.

"His leg is fucked up pretty badly, and Dyno's over there growling at him. So don't be a hypocrite."

I swing my scythe low at first, readying its momentum. I fake my smile, a disguise for the trauma that I need to hide for a while more. "Make it make sense? The battling quips just write themselves." Am I doing this right, playing as if I've got twice my strength just to buy myself some time?

The pendulum of my scythe grows and grows until it's ready for release. Battle quips, battle cries, battle weapons graze the battlefield again. And the battle won't subside until another soldier falls against the rubble.

[ brennan attacks rene ; scythe ]
S9kUIpNzJkglaive
[13133 -- Shallow Cut on Right Hip -- 3.5 damage]

glaive

[Deleted]

There's a somber moment, meeting Maverick here like this, that she feels overwhelmed by. His congratulations does nothing for her pride but make her feel gross, ashamed almost; she doesn't know why. Part of her hoped he would judge her, call her heartless, make her feel guilty for speaking of it like a victory. She killed somebody, and they talk about it as if it's just another part of the game. 

Dorothy Hope lost her life; +1 for Haizea. 

"Just don't lose sight of yourself now that you've tasted blood," Maverick advises her, and at first she just nods. It has the same affect on her as advice from Harbinger did, and she realizes she respects the careers much more than she thought before. They come with a head start, but they aren't bad people, not anymore than Haizea herself was becoming. "Thank you," she says to Maverick, "and I won't," she speaks mostly to her sword, quieter than before. 

She doesn't look Maverick in the eyes again, once she diverts her gaze she tries to get back into game mode. The attacks on Pierce and Brennan come quick, just as she imagined they would, but she steadies herself in the midst of it. In previous fights she always lost herself mid-combat, her senses under attack by the drum of war. She'd see, hear, smell and taste death coming yesterday, it's difficult not to lose yourself to it or the madness that comes in tandem. 

Rene is the last to attack, and Haizea tries not to fall smitten to her beauty. Gorgeous red hair, just like Brennan's, her heart tugs as she imagines how proud her career parents must be of her and her kill. Strange, almost, she tries not to picture how her own mother must be weeping when she watches. You've killed, I've killed, Rene's killed, it's almost a sign of the times. Coming to age as simple as taking a life, "so has Brennan," Haizea says with a cold stone face. 

Almost as if to say don't count us out, the unexpected. Rene calls them a bunch of fools and she can't help but agree for different reasons. She readies her sword again, defensively, just as Pierce taught her after his outing with Svetlana. It's the only thing between her and the enemy's weapon, wield it as such. "Do you not do the same attacking Pierce with his busted leg? He hasn't caught a break in days," this late in the game, tributes can smell blood from a mile away.

Death isn't too far from it. 

"You shouldn't spend your last words degrading yourself, Rene," she says, circling her like a scorpion waiting to strike, just as Dyno torments Pierce. Her hands shake, but her knees are steady. You're still a threat, Rene, the weakest of them could still take Haizea one on one, no question. There's a now or never moment sinking in that she can't ignore, "you deserve better than that." 

[ attacks rene with king katana ]
XwHJ4qN7Xf200+1000
[ 1028 -- Severed Right Foot at Ankle -- 9.0 damage + 1 weapon ]

200+1000

[Baby Wessex d9b [earthling]]

〖    p i e r c e    l i t t l e t o n    〗

"So lovely to see you." He knows, he just knows, that line is going to haunt his dreams. And more than anything else, that infuriates Pierce. Dyno Moreno isn't special; he's exactly like half a dozen Careers Pierce left behind in Two. But to find that the Career bully archetype has followed him across the country and into the arena - he hates it. The feeling flickers across his face in the darkening of his eyes and a twitch of his upper lip.

And just as quickly as the storm descends, it clears. His face isn't relaxed; quite the contrary, as Dyno details Yael's death and the pillaging of her things, tension radiates from his nose to his ears. He's holding his lips flat, blinking slowly, listening but deliberately not reacting.

Yael. Maybe he should have been the one to kill her days ago. At least he would have been fucking respectful about it. He shouldn't left her to be taken apart by a trumped up One. By a Moreno, who presently had his naginata resting against Pierce's cheek.

The lunge knicked him, no worse than a shaving cut. But it's enough to pull Pierce back from the brink of Yael is dead, home is gone and into the present.

He lowers his bow to free a hand, then touches the cut. "I get it," he says, looking at his red-stained fingers, listening to the commotion beyond them. It's clear to him that Brennan and Haze have found their rhythm, are by the day becoming confident and competent fighters. "You were the top dog at home and you're convinced you can win this, alone if you have to."

All at once he brings the Longbow to the level of Dyno's eye. So close, he's sure not to miss. "Have you told Marlow yet that you'll be the one claiming the crown?" Pierce smirks and takes one step, then another, backwards. Pain archs up and down his crushed leg making his smirk tight. "I think it's too late to let Sumner know."

The next step is more of a limp. He wouldn't miss but he's more than sure Dyno could kill him, too. "Bren! Haze! That's the lunch bell!" He shouts as the cannon booms.

[Pierce flees.]

[Knuckles]

From the moment the fight began, Mav knew the odds weren't in their favor, and he knew it was almost impossible for all three of them to make it out of this mess alive, yet he was stupid and believed they could do it. Hope can keep people alive, but it never brings the outcome one desires. At the end of the day, the living tributes are all searching for an outcome that ends horribly for him.

Even Rene and Dyno.

Caring only breaks hearts, and Maverick found this out the hard way when Dorothy murdered Duke right before his eyes. Caring only crushes the soul of someone who isn't prepared, and Mav isn't prepared. He's never prepared for the heartstrings that end up severed when someone passes away. It's all part of the game.

But nothing prepares him for this day. Rene has been so close to death so many times, and saving her has becoming increasingly difficult, and Mav had hoped that something would go right again, and they would all walk away from this alive again. The element of surprise though. The way they jumped them, the way they were prepared.

Where did we go wrong?

Where did I go wrong?

His heart aches when his spear barely touches Pierce, and he watches Dyno and Rene barely do any damage, and he watches Brennan attack her again, but everything slows down when Haizea draws closer.

"Rene! Look -" The words are cut off as Haizea brings down the weapon. There's so much blood everywhere, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell what has happened. A broken heart cries within the walls of his chest, and his eyes are wide, and his entire body feels heavy as the cannon echoes through the sky. Tears well up in the corner of his eyes as he fights with every ounce of his being to blink them away. Each breath catches in the back of his throat making it impossible to breath.

And he stands in place watching Pierce run away like a coward.

Mav turns towards Dyno unable to say anything as the tears start pouring down his face. It's hard to care about someone, but Rene was from home, and even though she never outwardly showed any sort of compassion towards him, Mav always looked to her for answers.

"No. No. No. No!" His voice cracks as the words leave his lips, and all he can do is stand there taking it all in. It's impossible to think as he stares at her lifeless body lying on the ground before him, and all he wants to do is destroy those who have destroyed him. Nothing makes sense anymore. Nothing ever makes sense, and right now all he can do is bring himself to slowly start moving away.

Hate is a strong word, and while Maverick will never fault someone for doing what they have to do to keep themselves alive, it's hard to move past this.

At least I didn't have to kill her.

Turning away, he tucks his tail and sprints away from his fight clutching his hand against his chest as the tears start falling faster and uncontrollably living his life as a failure.

I am an imposter, a fake career, and that's okay because at least I'll always be me. A failure who always lets everyone down.

credit to griffin <3

Maverick flees

[Tom]

Blood drips from the cheek, coated metal slicing at the other. Battle worn, adrenaline rushing, and overzealous words. Dyno Moreno never feels alive except for when he's spilling blood. The taste of victory is on his tongue, burning with the wretched sweetness of deniability. Bleeding for him. Pierce was bleeding for him and only him. His focus stays to the other man; watching the bow in his hand extend, larger than normal and deadlier than usual. Death tastes so close, but Dyno Moreno couldn't tell where. The reaper hiding behind the shadows of ruins. Dyno Moreno can taste the blood on his sword; burning with the pride of knowing he'll be the one to take Pierce Littleton down. Watch him die just like Yael had. The spark of life behind the eyes fade away, but instead, there's a quiet silence as he watches Rene strike. Words behind her tongue.

The most injured? Rene was still a threat. Understanding of their choices, Dyno knew why Rene kept being picked over him. Killing a career was the greatest gift to those who didn't have the same power. Blinded by their homes, their weakness, and their naivety. Three spits out words about himself; hurting Pierce. A smirk burns on his lips as swirls his naginata in the direction of Pierce once more, circling a little more, but focusing on the others. Three strikes and Dyno can't help but smile to himself, even though Rene is dying. Blood spilled is still blood earned. Dyno Moreno also can't help the feeling in his chest, the beat of his heart that's shaking at the sight, but he's tougher than his heart.

Haizea's speaking to him. Brennan's killed. Threes tended to be less threatening than most, but it's almost as if Brennan's broken that curse. A laugh leaves his lips as he smirks with words in the air. "Doesn't change anything. Boys become killers. Girls become killers." The words are about to continue until he watches Izar ruin Rene with her katana. The drop of his smirk is enough to give a small fraction of a reaction. Biting back his words, he can hear Maverick's tears beginning to spill. The end of Rene wasn't supposed to hurt, but Dyno Moreno could feel his own annoyance beginning to rise. Plastering a smirk on his lips, he keeps his face devoid of any emotion. Careers weren't emotional. Careers were tough. Rene would have to die for his legend anyways.

Pierce's words have a bite to them, but he's over the words. No one gets what's going through his head. Dyno Moreno's plan was perfection. A plan born out of obsession and planning. No one understands what's on his mind. That's how he liked it. Only, the next words make him smirk in a devilish way, the blood of his small wound dripping down as he listens to Pierce. Words stuck in his mouth as he replies back with all the same fervor as before. "Is that how you see me Pierce?" A smirk on his lips as he still stands close to Pierce, eyes filled with all the grim determination a true career can have. Someone who's loved to spill the ink onto the pages and write his own story.

"Alone? No. A story is about the rise and falls, the build up to the end. Alone, there'd be no story, Pierce. Don't you see? This is my legend, my tale. You're just pawns in my own game. I don't need anyone, but it's beneficial to have others." A smirk on his lips as he hears the next words, the addition of Rene's death to them. Another career who's think they got him figured out. Blood stained hands, unhinged attitude, and the confidence to bleed away others. Dyno Moreno was more complex than just an uncaring career. The way his heart still twinged at the mention of Rene. He bites the feeling down giving a glance to Brennen and Izar. His words tumble forth with a smirk, the annoyance hidden behind his irises as he speaks.

"We're one in the same, Littleton. Don't you see?" Circling for a second linger, Dyno reaches up with a free hand to his leg, smudging some of his blood, letting it soak his fingers as he gets closer. Grabbing his arm for a second, letting his own blood soak the skin there, smiling at leaving a mark. "Have you told Three and Eleven yet? Do you think they'll understand? You'll come to regret who've you chosen to stand by, Littleton." A smirk on his lips as he hears Maverick's words and the tears still streaming down.

The cannon sounds and he doesn't listen to Pierce's comment. Instead, he turns away with a smirk as speaks loudly to them all. "Izar, don't think you've escaped me just yet. I don't forget. I could stay and tear you three apart, but that's no fun." Stepping back, holding his naginata out. He grits his teeth before glaring towards them all and speaking once more. "Everybody loves a good rivalry." Winking, he steps away. Chasing after the big guy who's decided to run away in tears as if that'd bring Rene back.

Maverick's tears had left a shallow hole in his chest, but he ignores the pang of guilt there. Dyno Moreno couldn't care less about who dies as long as he's going farther and farther. People die. People live. It'd happen in the story eventually. Ink swirling onto the page, forming a chapter of loss. The rise and falls happen. All he can do is hope to get Maverick back on the rise. A career who's emotions get to them is useless to him. They're not meant to cry. They're not meant to be weak. Was this a mistake? Only, Dyno could understand the emotion. Following the direction Maverick went, Dyno can only do one thing.

Bleed.

Be angry.

Revenge will come.

Dyno Moreno doesn't forget.

This legend just got a bit more interesting.

(Dyno Moreno flees begrudgingly)

[mat]

〖    b r e n n a n    f i t z g e r a l d    〗

Haizea pops up from my backside, wielding the new sword that she'd found in the ruins yesterday. My eyes widen as it's the first time since the bloodbath that I've ever seen her wield something in close proximity to other tributes. I back up to the stone pillars again, careful to give her the space to do what she needs after my turn didn't do enough. She speaks with a chip on her shoulder like she knows the odds of this fight are in her favor. With Pierce, Rene, and Dyno around, it's a big ask to speak with such courage. But I hear the valor, too, as she takes one more strike at Rene before she falls. There's valor in the things that she says to Sumner. Don't degrade yourself. You deserve better than that. I'll never understand what drove someone like Rene to feel so confident and bold in her capabilities. It's too easy in moments like these to reduce our opponents to a whatever-th place on a chart. As she falls against the stone, I take a breath and nod to Haze. She's just doing what she has to do.

I look to Pierce, who's holding smug against Dyno's polearm. It sinks in for me again when I hear him talking about Dyno's plans to win that no matter how warm and fuzzy I feel toward Pierce, we can't both win. Dyno is fast enough to say as much in his response as Pierce begins to limp away from the scene. And the look of trauma on Maverick's face makes me wonder if he'll be okay. It's similar to Elm Errington from yesterday, muttering I can't do this over and over again. Had the battle not continued after Ama died, I may have done the same thing. I shoot Mav a gentle look, an 'I'm sorry but' kind of gesture before he moves away.

I can't do the same for Dyno. He and Maverick are not the same from what I can tell. Maverick didn't just threaten to tear Pierce, Haze, and me apart. He moves frustratingly behind Maverick's stride. I raise my middle finger timidly and low to the ground, careful not to be so high and mighty about it in case he turns around. I can't speak for Pierce and Haze, but he could definitely rip me to shreds in a one-on-one fight.

Haze and I are the last two on the field, standing beside the person we'd just ganged up on together. I sigh. "We're doing the right thing. I keep telling myself that we're doing the right thing." It's hard to look away from Rene. "Sometimes, I wonder if that'd be an easier sell if we were like them." I'm referring to the four careers we'd just been fighting: one with and three against.

I nod to Haze and then rush to Pierce. His injury isn't getting much better, and I'm concerned that if he's out on his own, he might just completely fall over.

[flees]

[Deleted]

haze fleeing aka getting tf away from dyno challenge