desert sand feels warm at night | fish & fuses day 1

[D'Arcy Mason d6b [Tyler]]

[googlefont="Cinzel Decorative"]

Safina Roy

desert sand feels warm at night - I

I didn't know how long I'd been running for. It could've been 5 minutes, it could've been 25 minutes. I just knew that I needed to get away from the noise and out into… well, who knows what was out here? I found myself running into the rolling hills of sand, extending out into the distance as far as the eye could see. I passed mound after mound as the sands of time continued their count.

Finally the music seemed far enough away that I could hazard a pause, a look behind me. Between laboured breaths my eyes darted around for the glint of sun off of a weapon poised ready to strike me down. None came, only vague dots and details visible in the darkness that was descending around us. I started to relax. My running had earned me a moment to rest and gather my bearings of my new chaotic world.

As the adrenaline wore down its protection from the throbbing of my right wrist went with it. Looks like I didn't make it out unscathed after all. I inspect it - just a bruise. Straightforward enough to know how to take care of it, and by tomorrow it will be just a memory. If I make it that far.

That's when I remember the fishnets I didn't have the chance to put on. For a moment I think there's a high chance that I dropped them in my haste to get away from the carnage, but then my hands touch the strange fabric. As I pull them on I pause. Wait a minute… are they… glowing? As I stare they do, a bit clearer the more the deep blue takes over the faint warms of a sun now well below the horizon, rivaling the specks of faint light from the stars that are now appearing little by little.

I'm a bit in awe of the night sky like this. Back in three there's always too much light pollution to see anything other than the murky grey of district lights shining back down at us all. I don't remember the last time I've even seen a star before, and now here I am surrounded by the brilliant speckles of billions of distant suns. I'm so wrapped up in the magic of it all that I don't notice the parachute that drops in the sand to my right until it lands. A sponsor gift? This early? I can't hide the grin that breaks across my face as I sift my feet through the sand in its direction. Looks like I've already got some fans out there. I reach the parachute and open the little parcel its connected to. Inside is a bag made of some sort of durable material. I open it up to find its contents include 3 iodine tablets and a Walkie-Talkie. Nothing too much yet, it seems. The iodine tablets remind me of the desert I'm in, and how soon water will become a need. Not to mention food. In a desert the task of survival seems like it's a Mutt of its own in this arena.

Lucky I'm a resourceful gal.

I also know that I won't survive long out here on my own. I need to find Sera and Tide. I saw them, I know they got out of that bloodbath alive, now where did they end up? Did they get followed by the others? Perhaps they're already dead. A chill runs down my spine that has nothing to do with the coolness of the night settling in. Strange how quickly you turn to needing someone in a place like this.

I start to wander around in a bit of a panic, trying to think of what to do. Is it worth it to keep venturing out at night, or should I stay put and find them in the morning? What if there is no morning? I weigh that option too. Low vision makes paranoia a threat, but the cooler air might help survival. The desert sand at my feet still feels warm to the touch. Would it be worth it? Am I overthinking?

Then I spot the figures approaching. Crap, they probably see these damn leggings I think to myself, still reflexively dropping to the ground as if it would do me any good. It's hard to make out the silhouettes at first, but then I see clearly; the boy and the girl I've been looking for.

Relief relaxes the paranoia and the overthinking. I give my head a light smack. Get it together, Saf. The chaos at the Cornucopia still had my head in a buzz, but I knew I couldn't let this happen again. Get my head in the game. The only other option is death.

Which means there is no other option.

My two allies reach me in a matter of minutes. "There you are!" I greet them, "I was getting worried you guys didn't make it out of there. Any idea where half of the competition is?"

[Safina attempts to trap large game w/ Trapping station]
Tz3W|iBwcj1-2
[2 - Failure. Womp womp!]

[WC: 852]

1-2

[d9 kristof parks {ems}]

❦

Sweat drips from his brow as he runs away from the bloodbath unsure of where he's going, yet his mind races wondering where his allies could be. He doesn't remember seeing them, but they could be anywhere in this godforsaken arena, yet he keeps sprinting forward knowing he'll run into them eventually. At least, that's his hope. Being alone might be for the best. Nothing to worry about. No one to hold him back, yet Tide doesn't want to be alone. Friends are importantly even though he's simply using them for his own betterment just like they're using him. Everyone should be very aware.

Even now, he doesn't know how long or far he's ran once he left the bloodbath. He doesn't know where he's going. But he knows he needs a weapon or something to at least give himself a chance to making it out of this mess alive. Maybe fleeing the bloodbath wasn't the smartest idea. Maybe it was worth staying, but with less than half the tributes there, Tide didn't want to risk it. Sometimes running is for the best. It's easy enough to think of, but it still didn't dawn on him until he's placed in that moment.

After what feels like an eternity, he stops long enough to catch his breath. Training really pays off. It's give him the strength he needs, the courage to keep moving forward. But most importantly, he knows that this is the moment he's been waiting for.

"There you are!"

He relaxes almost immediately. Everything is falling into place, and now he wants nothing more than to collapse in the sand. It seems like such a nice resting place, but right now, it's nice just to catch up.

"I've been wondering the same thing. Even the bloodbath was small. I don't understand what's going on, but I hope we figure it out soon."

A smile spreads across his face as he looks around trying to keep himself calm.

"We shouldn't stay here long. We should keep moving."

This seems strange, and he wants nothing to do with it.

credit to fox

[Skiplaurel Hayjer - D7a]

Sera does eventually stop running. The arena seemed to be a big desert, for the most part, and she was currently lost amongst the various dunes. It was a sea of sand, like nothing she had ever seen before. She shuttered to think what horrors beneath the earth the Gamemakers might have in store for her and the other Tributes. But she had escaped the Bloodbath, and now she simply had to get her bearings.

Everything from the ground level looked the same, but the sun had to have been setting in the west, which is the direction she is currently traveling in. She was mostly just trying to follow to where she believed Tide and Safina had gone. She had kept eyes on them in the Bloodbath, but even without all the Tributes to participate, it had still been chaos. The boy from District 10... it really begins to set it for Sera that she had burned him alive on national television. She would almost like to play it off as an accident, but it hadn't been: she had seen an opportunity to eliminate a competitor and taken it.

Sera has the good grace to feel sick to her stomach, but there was not any time to ruminate. She needed to find her allies. The other Tributes, at least, the ones she had seen above the surface, were still around, and she had traded the safety of daylight for the much more tender mercies of nighttime.

She hears Safina's voice call out to her, and relief washes over Sera. She moves to meet up with Safina and Tide.

"I doubt it was an accident. Nothing happens in the arena that the Gamemakers aren't aware of." That wasn't true, strictly speaking, but she was on camera and it behooved her to talk about the Gamemakers as if they were omniscient. "I've heard a few cannons, but not enough to cover everyone who was missing. We have to assume they're still around here somewhere." Sera wipes some sweat off her brow.

"I agree with Tide, we have to stay mobile. The nights will be cooler to travel in, anyways."

table by tylerjames