Outskirts [Ion and Nash]

[Skylar]

Ion Olith
District 3
Outskirts by Schmoop

Ion had managed to get out of the house. Mom had decided to shut down the store that day and there wasn't any school on the weekends - a rare break in her obligations as a daughter. Mom stayed back at the house with Copper and Coil, managing to get some cleaning done around the house while the twins kept themselves entertained. It seemed that as it started to warm up outside, Mom had found some kind of new life. Ion wasn't sure how much of that was feigned or if she really was feeling better, but nevertheless it was a welcome change. Still though, Ion would notice Mom lingering on pictures with Dad around the living room, soaking in their sentiment before getting back to distracting herself with dust bunnies and dirty laundry.

Luckily District 3 hadn't had any snow in weeks now that spring had started to show its face, but the tail of winter still lingered in the air, dancing around sunlight beams with cold whips of wind. "Going for a walk," she'd said to Mom, slipping out of the front door before Mom could say otherwise. If anything, Ion had earned this little moment to herself. Well, maybe it wouldn't be completely to herself. Recently she'd been meeting up with Nash, a boy that lived just a few houses down. She found that Nash and herself carried themselves in a similar way, chiseled away and aged by the iron fists of their parents, though Ion could tell in Nash's eyes that he suffered a viciousness that Ion did not quite understand. She secretly hoped he'd be there.

They weren't in the nicest part of the district by any means, the bricks had been darkened by a layer of residue of the District's factories and litter lay strewn at the base of buildings. This had only been worsened over the years as the industry changed and demand grew for vehicles within the District, especially in the way of tire production. Ion looked on in envy as a vehicle passed by her. She kept her hands in her pockets as she walked on, watching the vehicle turn left at the next block.

Out here on the edge of the District where she lived, the District Square lay in the distance. Steam rolled from towers decorating the District's skyline. Sometimes Ion thought it was nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of everything, but it certainly could get lonely. 

With the warmth of the sun managing to pierce its way through the biting breeze, she approached her spot. It wasn't much of a view out here, but her focus was caught by the sight of a tall lanky figure standing along the chain link fence. It was Nash. A large brick factory towered over the boy, brutal even in its dormancy. The place had been shut down several years prior in favor of the industry change. It still served a purpose for Ion even after its closure, and Ion couldn't help but to think about places lost to time. She found one of those places inside of herself with the loss of her dad still looming over her family. She did her best to keep her head down and abide by the rules laid forth by her mother, hoping that in those efforts to appease her that she would be able to distract herself or run from her grief, but it was always there surrounding her, much like the grey jacket she wore now.

They'd became smoking buddies over the last few times of seeing each other. Ion felt a sense of camaraderie between them, meeting up every once in a blue moon to get away from their lives back home. The first few meetings were quiet, but Ion found herself becoming more interested in the boy. She pulled a silver case from her pocket as she approached him, unclipping it to reveal five hand-rolled cigarettes and a match book. Taking one from the case and striking a match, she brought the cigarette to her lips, watching the smoke flow from the end as she made eye contact with Nash. She took the cigarette between her fingers, flicking it nervously. "What's up, buttercup?" she asked, taking another drag. From this part of the District, beyond the factory yard that lay behind them and through the chain link fences, she looked at the sun beaming down on the trees, taking in the green speckles of new growth.

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e68419

[gamemaker ☢️ ivan korsch]

NASH TATUM

His father’s new fond obsession is a blessing in disguise for Nash. Always the one to follow the trends, his father’s focus has been planted on his project of building the most reliable transport truck in Panem. The preoccupation has its perks and problems for Nash however. Now the boy must run errands, racing around District Three to try and find the perfect parts. Though these errand runs have given him the opportunity to take a detour now and then, finding new performance troops along the way and even catching a smoke break now and then. So long as Nash delivers the goods back to his father at the end of the day, the brisk hand of his father lays dormant.

Today is no exception. A note sits crumbled in his hands with a list of very specific engine oils, grease, and lubricants that Nash must collect. He knows exactly the place that sells them, it will take only ten minutes to walk there on foot. Nash will make it three hours though, he has someone to meet today.

The gangly boy walks in the opposite direction of the mechanic’s store, taking the road down to the derelict building that has become a hotspot for many parts of his life. Now that District Three’s industry has evolved, many areas now lie dormant. His acting troop now has so many more stages and settings to claim as their own. Even more factory workers are joining the audiences after their shifts, his secret side hobby is beaming, and little part of Nash can say that right now has been the best time of his life. Though he knows it is too fragile to get lost in the ecstasy just yet, it will only take one miniscule upset for his father to be sucked away from his distraction.

Nash waits by the wired fence while patting down every pocket in his black jacket and grey trousers. He has left his pack of cigarettes back home. He can see them now, on the floor next to his bed. What a perfect start to the day. It is too late to head back now; Ion is already approaching. Nash eyes the silver case that Ion handles while greeting him. He points down at the case before over-exaggeratedly begging with his palms pressed together. ” Yes I know I already owe you two, but please! I have forgotten my pack again!” He says, adding to the growing debt to his friend.

[Skylar]

Ion Olith
District 3

She watched Nash fumble in his pockets as she approached. From a ways off, past the factory yard and fences and in the open forest that lay in the horizon, she saw a flock of birds fly off into the distance. It was easy for Ion to get caught up in the ebb and flow of District life. She put too much stock into things that ultimately didn't matter, internalizing the feeling that all of this was temporary. Still she couldn't help but to feel envy at how easily the birds took off from their branches. Her wings were clipped; flightless under the weight of the world - or in her case the weight of her mother's iron fist.

She made eye contact with Nash as he looked up and asked in a breath of defeat, ”Yes, I know I already owe you two, but please! I have forgotten my pack again!” Ion really didn't even give it a second thought before she had pulled the silver case back out of her jacket pocket and flicked it open, presenting it to Nash. The boy took it, grabbed a cigarette and lit it with a match from Ion's matchbook. Ion observed how nonchalant the boy's movements were, internalizing how cool he was coming off in comparison to her.

Every once in a while Nash showed up without his own pack of smokes, which really wasn't a bother to Ion because she had her own bag of tobacco and rolling papers back at the house. Well, that and the fact that Ion had made a conscious effort to keep her usage to a minimum. It had slowly started to grow from just a single cigarette every couple of days to at least daily, and had increased to multiple times a day as of recently, but still Ion was oblivious to the change in her behaviors. Mom wasn't. Despite the blows that Mom had taken, she seemed to be another one of District 3's machines - designed by Panem to serve a sole purpose of keeping Ion's head down and to the grind. Ion wondered to herself if maybe this was normal and that having a mother like she did wasn't too far from the norm. The isolation she experienced growing up kept her from knowing the answer though, which to Ion's own ignorance should have answered the question in the first place. It was a result of Mom's overbearance.

That was something that Ion had realized about the dynamic between the two of them. Ion was observant, and after she'd seen bruises on Nash for the first time, it clicked. The thought of Nash suffering abuse at the hands of his parents put things into perspective for Ion, and she always left their meetings with a mixture of emotions. She'd refrained from broaching the subject so far though, knowing that if she was correct that their meetings were meant to serve as an escape from those realities. She pondered this as she replied, "Oh, don't sweat it." She took a drag of her cigarette, looking up at the blue-grey sky and the wispy clouds above them before looking back at Nash. "So last time we were here you said something about a troop or something? You training to be a Peacekeeper? Maybe a little far from District 9 for that," she said playfully, knowing good and well that couldn't be further from the truth.

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