it rains when you're gone // bb vs c&b // day 4

[pup]

Will, don't go.

When she turned away she tossed my soul into the abyss. Luna and Xaa were waiting at the bottom and all too ready to gobble it whole like two sharks consuming a snack. The pit in my stomach dropped, and my limbs began to shake with tears that refused to leak out of my eyes no matter how hard I tried to feel something.

I hid for a bit, refusing to see my remaining allies.

Curled against a tree, I forced myself to feel something, anything. There was no sadness to begin with, no happiness which could be found, and even my emotional nyctophobia was gone because when I tripped into the darkness and reached out for someone, Will let me fall; there's nothing to fear anymore. Now, where my soul had been, there's just nothing.

My emotions have always been muted for as long as I remember. They had to be. I can't take care of a patient if I'm spending time worrying or crying or puking at the sight of blood, so I blunted the sharpness of anger and fear and joy until I didn't need them in my life. They normally at least came, however weakly, when the world called to them. I felt fear when I tripped into Will at the bloodbath, I felt relief sitting in the dark that first night knowing that Luna was on watch, and I felt horror when I knew exactly where to slice into Quentin for him to die the fastest.

I held onto my horror, grasping at it desperately as it slipped from my hands. I knew it was all I had left. But when Will left, my body knew to evict emotion when Xaa and Luna shove morbid praise down my throat. Will was my tie to home, my reminder that my job is to help people.

And now she's gone. And my fear and anger and relief and horror left with her, leaving me with nearly nothing.

And now, no matter how hard I try, I can't feel anything besides an overwhelming anger at myself. I don't feel sorry for Quentin, I don't feel horror at myself anymore for dissecting his femoral artery, and I don't even feel sadness at Will leaving because it means I can keep killing without a moral compass, and I hate myself for it.

Luna and Xaa were talking about it last night in whispered tones as I pretended to sleep. I couldn't talk to them now, and I didn't even want to hear what they had to say. All Xaa did was confirm my belief that she was using us. Will and I were her charity cases, her pet projects for her to turn into tools. I was a success, Will was not.

I couldn't leave with Will either. That was never an option. Xaa made me, and now I'm just like her and Luna. I can't leave that if it means I can get closer to getting out.

Before I truly fell asleep and Xaa and Luna returned from their forest-parlay we were visited. I rolled to my feet and raised my spear--I couldn't pick up the axe anymore--pointing it at the antlered creature. It's holding a crown made of the same disease pulsing through the trees in the tar-filled woods. Ignoring my spear, it approaches me, placing it on my head while I'm too stunned to move.

All hail the blight lord, it says, before bowing and leaving. Xaa's not going to like someone else proclaimed to be royalty over her, but besides that I'm not sure what to make of it besides confusion.

"What the hell was that?" But Luna and Xaa seem just as confused as me.

In the morning--at least what we think is morning--my mind is clear of thoughts. I scratch my head, looking up at the blue bleeding into the twilight. With a start, I push myself up and look into one of the mirrors we found on the ground, probably one of the fairy's.

The crown is now one with my body, the fungi seared into my skin. My eyes glow with darkness, and my veins stand with pulsing darkness against my pale skin. There's no sickness, but it's clear that this is my prize for murder. It's the mark of a killer and the sign of a ruler.

We leave in the direction opposite Will went. We silently agree that we don't want to run into her because none of us want to do what we'd have to do now that she's not an ally.

The smell is what hits me first. It's so distinct the disgusting smell of the infection plaguing the rest of the arena. The infection smells like death, but this smells like warm apple slices with cinnamon and tea next to a fire on a winter evening. It has to be a trap, but when we reach the fruit, I still stop and try to reach up for one.

However, before my hands can grasp one, I'm struck by deja vu. Just like how Quentin marched to his death, I hear the steps coming from beside us. My spear is up, my axe now hidden deep in my bag until I can wash Quentin's blood from it.

"Elise, that broken wrist you gave me doesn't look too pretty. Can I get my money back on that makeover you gave me?"

I say, following Xaa and Luna's lead from yesterday. I'm like them now. I remember the anger from the bloodbath, the pain shooting through my arms when Elise and her ally ganged up on me, tearing at my limbs. Suddenly, I feel something fill the hole inside me.

It's rage, but no longer at myself. It's finally directed at someone else and it's all consuming. It floods into me, stuffing the void full. It's horrible and monstrous, and I know that, but it's something. Being angry at Elise is so much easier than being angry at myself, and I need that right now. I need to see her suffer.

"Or at least, I can give you a makeover in return. I promise the stylists will love it."

[attacks elise with festerwood spear]
ZMzfpXGyqIspear
[Stabbed in Stomach -- 9.5 damage]

^{table by ryan!}

spear

[d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi]

She couldn't sleep.

No matter how hard she tried, she continued to toss and turn as sleep evaded her. She couldn't tell if it was the cold, hard, ground or her conscious keeping her awake. Each time she dared to close her eyes, Hespie putting a dagger through Panda's heart played over and over and over again. They wouldn't go away.

And for once, there was nothing Leonora could do.

Instead, she forced herself to stare up at the bright light of the midnight moon, hours after she had already added the flower to her hand made bracelet and ran her fingers along the petals. She forced herself not to cry as Olete's face appeared when the anthem play. She forced herself to fall asleep.

Even when the nightmares kept coming.

The sun finally broke, and the shuffling of her allies woke her. It was awkwardly quiet, a weird tension between the trio. One of them was dead.

And it was by their own hands.

In the silence, she finally opened the jar she had received some odd days ago. It was bright green, and she could swear the scent wafting out of it burned her nose hairs right off. "Woah, look at this," she said showing the jar of green slime to Elise. She turned it in her hands, staring, and wracking her brain for a good use until it finally hit her. Leo pulled a few of her throwing knives from her backpack and dipped them in the green sludge. "I think I'll save these for a rainy day." Her eyes flashed brightly as she showed off her new found weapon to her allies.

Without another word, the three girls gathered their belongings and headed off for the day. Where they were going? Nobody knows, but they moved onward as best they can, keeping their eyes out for danger.

Leonora heard them before she saw them.

A voice rang out and a brief second later the sound of metal slashing through the air, followed by the sickening sound of a blade hitting its mark reached her ears. Elise's blood spilled onto the ground, staining the grass crimson. Her eyes filled with horror as she screamed.

"Elise, no!"

Three others faced them. Three people who wanted them dead just as badly as they wanted to survive. Two Careers, one lower District. One she knew, and the other two who were just faces to add to the sky.

"I'm sorry..." her voice is barely more than a whisper. "But I think I've learned we can't trust careers here."

Her eyes flash to Xaa, a girl who showed her some type of kindness in the training center, and then back to Luna. A career she knew nothing about who may be just as deceitful as Panda.

The sweat dripped down her palm. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her knife.

And she aimed for the other girl's heart.

Quick.

Painless.

Hopefully enough to help her sleep.

[kaitlin]

( leonora attacks luna ; acid dipped throwing knives )
exrHiN5YChthrowing knife
( sc - 4.0 )

acid ;
1-50
( +2 )


throwing knife·1-50

[ryan]

xaa had given you an earful, something that you did not want anyone else to go through. it took so much time that more cannons had sounded through the night. the last one belonging to the other boy from four.

you found it strange, but you didnt know him, so did it really matter.

you dont feel trapped in a cage anymore, you are free enough to do exactly what you need to do. you have already been labeled as the scary career, and while you thought it was funny, it was fitting. your family could at least live with that legacy, seeing as they treated you just like that.

you were the scariest thing to them.

but if you didnt keep yourself alert, you certianly would become nothing more than a memory that would eventually be forgotten.

that was the last thing that you wanted.

time passed, and before you knew it, morning time had come. the sun is bright, and you can see the rays of light poking through the thick forest. you stood up and woke up xaa and tommy, realizing that it really was only three of you now. you didnt waste too much time trying to treat them with kid gloves. they didnt need it.

you move through the forest and end up in a completely different area. you are curious to see what this place has to offer, but before you could even step foot, you heard the ground shift. its a subtle sound, but it is followed by tributes coming out of the woodwork. your spear is already in your hand, but tommy is bolting towards the girl from eleven.

he lashes out against her, and you can tell that he might have a serious taste for blood. you do not have one, but you know that people have to die here, so if they want to call you a bloodthirsty monster, you are completely okay with that. you think about following tommy, but the girl from nine acts quick on you.

she says something about not trusting careers.

she throws a knife at you, and you can feel it sticking into your skin, a searing feeling coming right after.

"the only person that shouldnt be trusted here is you nine." you sneer at her before pulling the knife out and sticking it into the ground. the pain remains, but you embrace it at this point. its what makes you.

"isnt district nine the new capitol bootlickers?" you know well that your districts main commodity had been moved to nine because of the lack of district two winners in the recent years.

"youre right not to trust me." you laugh.

you lift up your spear. "but ill give you something to trust in though." you take aim.

"death."

and you strike.

[d2a luna goodwin attacks d9b leonora spring with her festerwood spear | spear]
Ofac4aA|B9spear
[+8]

spear

[d7m fraser birk ♚ frankel]

{   e l i s e    k r a n e    }

Guilt can be painful. It can fester in the mind after lying ignored and dormant. A toxic attack that is keeping Elise’s brain awake all night long. Behind the dying face of Panda, she see’s all those poor kids that her group of “friends” tormented at school. All with their own pain. Nightmares. And they will only remember Elise as one of the bullies. It is too late to detach herself from them. Just as it is too late to save Panda.

There is no sleeping tonight for Elise. The mirror is tucked in deep amongst her basket, instead she holds the spear tight to her chest. One eye on Hespie. The moment of her ally driving the knife deep into their friend’s chest replays in her head. Sometimes it is Leo who Hespie is killing. Sometimes it is herself. It has completely gone, the little trust that Elise had for Hespie. How easy it was for her to persuade Elise to maim someone she was so desperate to stand up for. There is one flaw written in bold, smeared in blood. Elise Krane is so easily influenced. So incapable of standing up for herself and making her own decisions. Now she must fail to sleep with a weapon pressed against her torso, she is not even strong enough to avenge Panda. All she can do is endure the anxiety that it may be her next.

Seeing the sun is a relief but the continued silence between the trio is causing cracks to rupture across Elise. Eyes side Hespie then they side Leo, back to Hespie again for a longer look. She stands closest to Leo, following her away from the forest where they left Panda to bleed.

Leo breaks the silence, showing off an obscure jar of slime. Elise wants to be interested but she can’t, not when the presence of another overshadows everything. ”It could be useful, save us from a situation…” If her eyes could, they would roll to the back of her head and take another peek at Hespie. The situation behind her.

Meanwhile there is a situation ahead of her that she must defend herself from.

She gulps. Breathing drops immediately and one hand drops to her barkskin torso armour as Thomas O’Quinn pulls back their spear. Tears glace her eyes and her warm palm reveals the new blood that pours from her broken armour.

It all erupts so quickly around her before she can react. That green slime that was going to get them out of the situation is ignited and it is Leo who is on the receiving end of the next spear head.

”I can’t return anything to you Thomas but we don’t need to do this. Not to each other.” Elise’s head is spinning. Is she being the bully or is she standing up to one? Is she wearing the head of Meredith from back home or is she spitting in that bitch’s face?!

”You are all so fixed on death that you have not even noticed the one over there begging for it.” Elise says after Luna speaks. She extends out her finger now covered in blood, a drop drips from her mutated nails to the orchard’s floor. She is pointing at Hespie. ”If anyone deserves to die today it is her. She killed our ally. Our friend!”

Elise extends out her mutated sword like nails, there is still blood dripping from them. She wants to dance them across Hespie’s face just like she did to the trainer in her private session. ”You deserve this.”

Rave.

Elise attacks Hespie | knife (clawed hands)
GpS9qdw2Vnknife
[3.5]

knife

[Hafen d4 ⚓︎ minie]

I did not sleep very well.

”You delusional piece of work”

Will’s words still rang clear in my ears.

Even after my chat with Luna, I just sat there criss cross applesauce tossing stones at trees, smiling to myself. There was something comedic to this whole ordeal I could not place my finger on when exactly my anger and hurt turned into amusement. Will was the delusional one. She was out of her mind storming off like that. I wanted to save her, be her salvation but there comes a time where all disciples are tested, and she proved faithless.

The pebbles clashed against the trees.

clink

clink

clink

I found a rhythm that accompanied my thoughts almost perfectly. An improvised melody as my mind sings a comedic ballad of all the words that were wasted on a lover’s quarrel. My empty threats, Will’s disbelief, Tommy’s hurt, Luna’s calming words.

Luna had proven to be a better friend and advisor than I thought she would have been. I chose her because she was terrifying, she reeked of danger when she spoke and when she walked into a room. To my dismay, she was the one who I confided in. My feelings were locked away in a vault that only the two of us had the keys to.

”She was scared, Xaa. The two of you were too close for comfort. She probably could not take that kind of pressure.”

Too close.

”She got one thing right. Violence, murder, insanity. It is your birthright Xaahira. You need to start acting like it.” Luna claims as she heads back towards where Tommy is camped.

My birthright. What would she know about my birthright. My family really did leave a real fucking legacy. A name known well in the shadows, a name with a lot of weight for those who were aware of our existence. Hands deep into almost every questionable operation in the country. A home-grown family business expanding its ways across multiple districts. An empire built on fear mongering and violence. I had the fear mongering down, violence was never my strong suit.

Maybe, Luna had a point. Maybe she didn’t.

If we were going to die then why not live life to the fullest? Her fear was irrational and childish, this was exactly the time to get close to someone, have the experiences you did not have the opportunity to have before. And draw some blood while were at it. Her fucking loss. All of this was her fucking loss. I would be better off without a scared little girl running with her tail between her legs.

Good fucking riddance. That was the end of it.

***

Tommy became one with the crown that was placed on his head. It made my antler crown almost pathetic in comparison. He was chosen by the dark figure for royal status. Whatever, let him have it. Even kings worshiped the gods. I did not have the energy to be mad about another one of my little leaps of faith. At least that one was fairing very well. You win some and you lose some. Tommy’s surprising bloodlust was just the win I needed.

Another silent morning.

We walked through the woods until we reached what seemed to be an orchid, fruitful and plenty. The apples hanging from the tree glistened in the daylight all too perfectly. The were inviting as if the trees wanted you to harvest their fruit. It lured you in like a trap and there was a small voice in the back of my head yelling not to eat the fruit. They had to be poisonous, there had to be a catch. I slowly moved forward towards one of the green trees. So full of life like I have never seen a tree before. My arm reaching out to pick one of the fruits off a low hanging branch until…

…Slice.

Tommy’s spear found its latest victim.

Elise Krane. How fun this was going to be.

She pleaded out for us to kill her friend. My jaw was on the floor. The very girl who told me that what angered her most was being stuck with people like me was doing whatever it took to survive.

I was right again; she would turn into someone just like me. No, even worse than me because I would never turn my back on my friends.

My laughter echoed off of the leaves and was carried through the orchids by the wind. A symphony composed of a fear inducing manic cackle.

”Careful darling, you only get three wishes” I hissed at her between the laughter. She wanted her friend dead. I could help with that. The girl in question never did me any wrong but also never did me any favors. She just existed for me, begging for death. Pathetic and weak. I could not care less if she lived or died, so death it was.

Table by ryan

[Xaa attacks Hespie; Moss covered club (Spiked blunt)]
8iF|JqXcqAspiked blunt
14160 -- BROKEN RIGHT FEMUR -- 7.5 damage
(Spiked Blunt)spiked blunt

[Deleted]

After Panda dies, by her hand no less, Hespie says no word to anyone but God. 

She prays, to herself, for almost twenty four hours. In a way, she thinks she's pleased Him. Ever since Panda died, there seems to be less problems. They hadn't ran into any other tributes for a long stretch of time, almost two days of no combat other than their mutiny. Their betrayal. Their sacrifice. Panda Scope needed to die, Panda Scope had to die. 

And she was next. 

She woke up that morning and knew it from the moss cascading from her forehead, from the mushroom antlers that sprouted like horns from her skull. Hesperos Bridger had forsaken God. Perhaps this was her divine punishment, biblical revenge for a kiss she refused to regret. Hespie tried to make do at first, to hide her face and follow along the other two girls, her allies. Her remaining allies. But she can't see, she can hardly think straight, with every step she feels as if she's marching to her grave. An ambivalent knowledge, it's coming, it's coming, it's coming. 

There's a moment where she can hear the beginnings of the scuffle, the pangs of pain imminating from Elise and Leonora out into the air. She throws a knife weakly, loosely, aimlessly, but it's useless. She can't fight like this, she can't save herself like this. The blighted queen can feel the moss growing even further, like hair in front of her face, a curtain she can't move. She collapses to her knees and shakes with the inevitable - she's useless. 

Even worse, she killed a boy in his sleep. 

This is what happens to cowards. 

"KILL me," she breaks her silence, hands gripping at her knees - "kill me, fucking kill me, oh, God-" let it come quick. She braces for the pain as sobs begin to quake her body, she doesn't just embrace the hit from Elise, but the invitation to the end. This world was made against her, for whatever reason. God made her imperfect; God made her gay, and then punished her for it. She indulged, and she indulged, and she indulged. 

And now it's time for retribution. 

[ hespie waits for the sweet release of death ]

[pup]

When she turns, my blood's temperature reaches its peak. My breathing grows heavy and my grip tightens around the spear. The anger comes in waves, lapping over deep tides and my hands with the will to attack.

How dare Elise turn away from me, trying to redirect my anger. She's just like Will, uncaring about the needs of others. And while Will cast me into oblivion with her pivot away, Elise draws me out of nothingness and into to pain. Even with the stain widening around the hole my spear made, just a few inches from a vital organ, she turns to someone she thinks is more important, her claws outstretched to rake across the girl's face. With a heaving breath, I turn to see the girl also.

She has a crown that matches mine. In theory we're different: I killed an enemy and she killed an ally. But I know her soul is emptying itself of everything now too. I'm just taking it better. Rather than swimming with the torrent of nothingness, she's letting it sweep her away. Her wails are almost pitiful, the moss slowly growing as if to consume her. It's in agreement with her, she needs to die.

We'll make it quick. Xaa's already smashed her leg. Elise has already drawn blood.

Despite my anger at Elise, despite my need to see her suffer just like she made me suffer, I know that someone who wears a crown only deserves to be killed by someone who wears a crown. Xaa taught me that one.

I line my spear up with the girl, just like how Luna did with the snakes. It's easier than aiming, and this target is slightly less slippery. She's begging while the snakes fought back--this will be easy.

I take another glare at Elise, "This isn't going to be over when she's dead."

My weapon points at her, the sobs racking through her body growing louder by the moment. It's not like how Quentin died, putting up a fight. For a moment, I hopefully wonder if finally the cold and guilt will settle in my veins and if killing this girl will finally make me feel something other than anger and apathy, but it's unlikely-- I don't falter when my spear falls down towards her.

[attacks hespie with festerwood spear]
KXaR_EJV5Pspear
[Shallow Cut on Left Bicep -- 3.5 damage]

^{table by ryan!}

spear

[d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi]

I am so so sorry it has been two hell of days!! so a filler so I can properly sleep sksksk


basically shes panicking! shes like wtf is happening!!

ahhhh peer pressure!

shes gonna cry tonight for sure

"I don't know what else you want from me Hespie, I've tried to give you everything I can."

looks at Thomas.

"You're right, this isn't going to be over. It never will be. Even when someone wins, they'll be haunted by our ghosts"

[kaitlin]

( leonora attacks hespie ; acid dipped throwing knives )
dkCF64wQSOthrowing knife
( result )

acid ;
1-50
( result )



throwing knife·1-50

[ryan]

everyone comes to a halt and you are slightly confused. it was like they were ready to do battle one second and then the next, they had all the motivation drained out of them. you looked down for a second, realizing that the girl from eleven and xaa had been focusing on someone else, even though you remembered that both tommy and xaa had a bone to pick with her.

the girl from seven was begging for death.

that was a calculated move, she knew that much. however, it seemed like everyone, including her own allies were game for the idea of killing her. you remembered seeing the boy from fours portrait and according to elise, hespie is the reason why they killed them.

a mutiny?

fascinating.

who were you to tell them any differently.

you held up your spear and thought for a second. you could use this opportunity to stick it deep into the girl from nine. however, the cries from the girl is more than enough to seude you. you dont need to die here, just her.

"tommy is one wish." you look at the girl from seven.

you hold your spear tightly.

"nine, is two." you pull your arm back.

"guess im your third wish. ill make it come true." you are way too confident. "there are no gods here hespie." you are ready to strike.

"just devils ready to reap what they are owed."

and you strike.

[d2a luna goodwin attacks d7a hesperos bridger with her festerwood spear | spear]
C3w3is0pldspear
[+10]

spear

[d7m fraser birk ♚ frankel]

{   e l i s e    k r a n e    }

Does Hespie’s pleas make it easier? Or what about her actions the day before? Elise does not see herself as a punisher but in this instant of survival, it is her only chance of deflecting the pain from herself to someone more deserving of it. Hespie’s only crime is trying to survive. A hunch about a trained killer but a trust was broken that they swore to one and other.

The other’s are not reluctant to disobey Hespie’s pleas. Elise steps back after slashing her new claws and Xaahira is quick to take her place. Xaahira, someone she once tried to prove herself to just a few days ago. She still compares her to Meredith. It must be a surprise to the highly skilled career to see Elise still breathing the same air as her.

”Don’t worry, it will only take three wishes.” Pretending to be intimidating seems to be the hit thing in here and Elise has proven to be the type to follow the trends. Except it is true, one wish to go home alive, that is all she needs. She can waste the other too on wishing an ex friend dead and maybe the third can be a lotion to cure the irritating itch on her scalp that is driving her insane.

Or maybe the third one can be to wish the impossible. Wish that she can get out of here with Leo too. Not alone with a trail of bodies behind her.

Thomas is right. It is not over when Hespie dies. It will leave Leo and Elise outnumbered.

Elise doesn’t want to be the one to draw away Hespie’s last breath. She has drawn the pack to pile on and she can step back.

”Just leave us when this is over. Let us run away.” She says to Luna, retracting her claws.

Rave.

Elise attacks D2 Luna | unarmed
5eppm1zUlnunarmed
[3.5]

unarmed

[Hafen d4 ⚓︎ minie]

I can hear her right femur crunch at the impact of my club.

The sound of a small victory and satisfying display of what Luna called my birthright. It felt almost too good to hold that power in my hand, something I was weary of before. I was never a fighter, never wanted to be one. The idea of violence was unsettling in a sense of not knowing what I was capable of. There was the lingering thought that I would lose control of my actions once I got a real taste for blood. I saw it happen with Yannis, my cousin that once was nothing but a loveable bear. He still was a loveable bear, only now he had the taste for murder.

He lacked all control when it came to his bloodlust, not exactly ideal.

I wanted to break another bone. I wanted to feel that crunch of the other girl’s leg.

My allies took their swings at her, one after the other. Her allies took their swings too. It was a free for all on the death of the girl from district 7. A hunger games circus spectacular, the bitches were beating down on an already dying hound.

It was almost lame. There was no fun in striking down someone at their worst. There was no challenge to be met. No game to be played. It was not worth my time, if the others wanted to take the life of a lifeless creature, they could have at it. I wanted fresh blood, specifically from the rosy cheeked pseudo social media princess.

Elise calls out for us to let them off easy, let them run off once the vultures finished picking their scraps. Stupid girl, I had no intention on letting her walk out of her alive. It was unfathomable that she got this far already between her useless allies, the mutiny, oh and I how could I forget…her inability to throw a halfway decent party. The very sight of her just pissed me off.

”I never had any intention of letting you out of this alive, my dear. Someone has to pay the devil their price for taking your friends life, and it ain’t going to be cheap.”

table by ryan

[xaa attacks Elise; Moss covered club (Spiked blunt)]
dmTyo4Bd2dspiked blunt
14081 -- BROKEN RIGHT HAND -- 6.0 damage
(Spiked Blunt) +1 rivalryspiked blunt

[Deleted]

Filler bc I won’t be home for another 12 hours 🥲

“I know Leo,” she starts, hands grasping at her knees, the only way she’s staying straight up from the blood loss. “I thought I would- would be stronger,” for herself, for Elise and Leo, for Dot. “Don’t visit me in hell; get out of here, you can do it.”

She starts to melt away into a puddle of blood, looking up sparingly to Luna, “I wish I could say God is dead, I wish, I wish, I wish-“ the only God she worships now is Dottie. Dot, Dot, Dot, “he hates me, he’s going to punish me,” she rambles into hysterics at the thought of eternal damnation. Luna fucks her up good, leaving Hespie to collapse completely on the ground, too weak to stand. She uses her last words to tell the girl from 2, “thank you.”

[pup]

They talk about wishes and devils as if they're real. I don't think they are. I never thought magic was real as I patched up a wound or helped someone through a fever. If it is, there's no point in doing any actual work.

And even though Luna says it, we are not really devils either. We are not monsters. Soulless, yes, but monsters, no. We are not fantastical beasts strung together by human belief. That isn't possible. Even the mutts and the fae surrounding us in the arena aren't magical, they're just pieces of scientific atrocities. We are just humans, driven by hormones and reactions happening in the dark recesses of our brains. If I could have sold my soul, I would have. Instead, it just left, hanging on Will's coattails, leaving me empty.

Elise wants us to leave her in peace after we finish mutilating her ally. At least Xaa agrees with me that we cannot do that. We can't just let them walk away. We're not devils, but we know that they have to die. Xaa turning as we start to finish off the other girl is the start of a great plan. The girl on the floor first and then Elise and then the other one. One after another.

In my dark fantasy, I almost forgot the girl on the ground needed to be killed first. She starts talking.

The girl before us, bloodied and bruised, begs to be forced into hell. It's not worth telling her that there's no such thing, that her fears of damnation are holy unfounded. She talks of gods and punishment, and all I can do is eye her silently.

I've never believed in any of that shit. It's not real. If her fear is judgement from above, she's ignoring the judgement in the real world. I want to scream and tell her to get up, to fight back. I want to tell her that heaven and hell aren't real and she's finding punishment in all the wrong places.

But we all have our own delusions I guess. Xaa thinks she's an empress. Luna thinks she's a devil. And I keep telling myself that I will be able to feel something after this next strike even though none of my other attacks made me feel anything. So I don't tell her that her fairytales aren't real.

I've never been good with deathbeds. My parents are always good at sitting next to people as they die. I'm better with the silence that comes after. But I remember what they do. I should crouch down next to her and speak in soft overtones, telling her that it will be alright, that there's something after life that will right her wrongs. It's what my parents trained me to do. It's a lie. And after Will walking out on me despite agreeing that night on the rooftop that we will stand together in here, I'm no longer in the mood for lying, but I won't rip her fantasy away.

Even though Luna and Xaa try to make me like them, I'm not cruel. Killing Quentin was quick, I knew how not to make it torturous. I'm not in the business of making this girl I don't know feel pain.

So I ready my spear once more, standing above the girl, my feet wet in a puddle of her blood. I don't speak reassuringly like my parents and I don't crouch next to her deathbed to help her through remorse. Instead, I say a few quick words before I bring my spear down on her.

"You have other things to worry about besides divine punishment."

[attacks hespie with festerwood spear]
41o9dfhoQkspear
[Shallow Cut on Right Bicep -- 3.5 damage]

^{table by ryan!}

spear

[d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi]

It wasn't meant to end like this.

If you had asked her days ago, she would have written a different tale for herself, for her allies.

If you had asked months, years, Leonora would have changed her story entirely.

She wouldn't have ran away from her mother, she would have picked anyone else to adopt her, she would have ran away from the Spring's, she would have held her tongue and been the perfect daughter. The list goes on and on.

Hell, maybe she would have even chosen not to be born.

But here she was, with her fate prewritten by her father, and a dying ally begging for the sweet release of death while supposed friends and enemies surrounded her. There wasn't much to do, nor to say. The ending of this treacherous day was very clear and it took everything inside of her not to sob. She forced herself to remember that one more dead, was one more closer to freedom.

No matter who it was.

"Elise?" Her fingers gripped tightly around her knife. "Run, okay? Run as far as you can. I'll be right behind you," she forced her voice to be steady. She forced herself to look calm. She forced herself to take her life into her own hands.

It was time Leo finally wrote her own ending.

[kaitlin]

( leonora attacks hespie ; acid dipped throwing knives )
9dNg2Hx|93throwing knife
( sc - 3.5 )

acid ;
1-50
( 0 )




throwing knife·1-50

[ryan]

you have your spear in the heart of her throat.

its just like quentin all over again, however, this one feels different. you can feel every last word she says as she tries to thank you for doing what everyone else couldnt do. its sad. completely devestating to be quite honest. you are trying to figure out a way to make this painless, but then again, you remember yourself.

this is the hunger games, people needed to die here, and if that meant you had to to be the heartless one, then you would, because you wanted to go home just as much as the rest of them did.

they talk about running, and you want to chide them for that. they can run as much as they want, it did not mean that they were safe. hespie talks about god, and you are confused and honest "i cannot speak for anyone i do not know hespie." you are standing over her, tommy and the girl from nine throw down their weapons but tiny paper cuts are all that they are able to manage.

"i guess youll just have to answer for yourself when you get there." you look at elise and the girl from nine, who are making their way out of the area.

you frown.

you lift up your spear.

"heres your wish hespie."

you plunge it down.

"its been granted."

[d2a luna goodwin attacks d7a hesperos bridger with her festerwood spear | spear]
5XMon5g0buspear
[result]

accuracy day 4

spear
[+9]

spear·spear