Puddles (Open)

[calistagracious]

District^Calista

_Gracious Eleven

Skipping through her small town, Calista Gracious was not giving a single thought to any hardships the districts were going through currently. The nearly-melted snow under her feet sloshed with her movement. Most were walking slowly- trying to avoid splashing. But this little girl found amusement in jumping in the runny slush, the droplets spraying up and wetting the bottom of her simple plaid brown skirt that stopped just at her knees and brown top with short-sleeves.

Some watched Calista in amusement, other sent her looks of annoyance or agitation, but either way, most knew her to be the little girl that was usually happy no matter how bleak things were around the district. Her long brown hair was dirty and slightly static as strands stuck up was just flying behind her as she jumped and skipped along. The eyes that were uniform in color with the rest of her appearance shone with a childish amusement and naivety. In her hands she carried a large, yet plainly empty, simple faded red bag, which flapped weakly at the movement it was subjected too.

Where was she going? That soon became known as she stopped at a small shop and got a loaf of bread with the little money that she had carried, followed by her retrieval of some milk. Slipping her purchases into the red bag, she left the store, giving the salesman an oblivious, joyful smile.

As she then began her journey back to her home, the sky went from it's already close- to dusk feel, to begin to dip into the night. As the light dimmed, and she dallied along not paying attention to anything then being sure to jump into every single puddle along the way. It was not far from the shop that she slipped and fell on her butt, soaking her skirt and the hem of her shirt. She started to giggle as she struggled to jump onto her feet- slipping in the water. The red bag had fallen on her second attempt and landed next to her, just outside the puddle and luckily it did not drop it's contents. Laughing again, Calista reached for the bag while trying to stand, yet again slipping and finally giving into a long bout of giggles, just sitting in the slushy water.

[Nocturnal]

Aradia glares at Calista, so carefree, so innocent. It made her tiny hands itch to steal something from the small child, but she stopped herself; it wasn't worth it, not with all these curious eyes looking at her.
"Not yet..." She says to nobody in particular, and she slips into the shadows. Watching that girl jump into puddles, angered Aradia for some reason, her blue eyes flashing. She almost reaches out to take those precious groceries from the careless and foolish girl.
Twitching slightly, she scales a small light post, and keeps watch over the girl, waiting for her to, "Let her guard down- and then"; she snaps her slim fingers; "Those, thosewill be mine. They will."
Aradias' eyes narrow to mere slits, and a slight smile flashes across her olive face; anticipating the sweet taste of milk, one she and Bartholomew haven't had for a while...

[calistagracious]

District^Calista

_Gracious Eleven

After a minute or two of her thoughtless laughter, she finally scrambled to her feet - a giggle still passing through her lips every few seconds. As the girl took hold over her bag, she didn't even look around, and therefor didn't even notice the other that was watching her, eying what was not hers. Calista didn't immediately continue on her way- she only slightly scanned the area- not looking up as she should have- and she spotted a flower. It was a pretty patch of lilies. Aunt Lily will love those! She though happily, scurrying over and setting the bag next to her and turning her attention to the flowers. Crouching down she examined each one.

There were five total, the first was small and withered- it's petals ripped and snagged, but it's petal was a pretty soft pink. The second was slightly taller, but it was a darker red, and it's stem was worn down. Next was a young lily, the petals not fully developed in this early spring. The petals were small and hot pinks- but slightly lighter at the edges. The fourth was near death, drooping and the color of a nasty rusty red. And last was the prettiest, tall and white and it's petals perfect it stood just off to the side of the others.

Most wouldn't take the time to even glance at these five flowers- but Calista thought they were simply the best thing in the world. Squealing loudly, she carefully tugged at the roots of three of the, leaving the dying and the new lily. She set these lilies on the ground and scurried to the nearest puddle- cupping water in her hand to water the dying lily.

(OOC, Sorry if this seems like a pointless babble post, but it just shows how Calista 'stops to smell the roses')

[Nocturnal]

Glancing around, to check if any other dismissed workers were out and about the streets, Aradia Sylversnatch, the "Wolf"; as she was known to most in district 11, for her quick fingers and animal-like insticts.

She watches as the naive little girl bends down to examine a small grouping of flowers. This simple gesture sends a jolt of pain down her spine, reminding her of the fleeting days she spent in the meadows, those few days that cost so much...Mother..Father...

Aradia is in the green bright meadows that surround district 11, and the smell of flowers is in the air. She laughs a long carefree laugh, and throws her thin arms in the air; no boundaries. No limits. So unlike the strict rules that one must follow here, she thinks.

A squirrel darts across her sight of vision, and Aradia bends down; her unruly hair flattened by the wind, and her footsteps as light as a rabbits'. She takes out her iron knife, and silently pads after her dinner, when a sudden noise from the forest alerts it of her presence; and the coppery orange squirrel darts away, and pelts for the nearest tree.

Aradia's eyes are glazed as she remembers her first meeting with another of her kind, those sweet brown eyes, and the lopsided smile that said "I'm not perfect." Suddenly, she remembers that she has a job to do, and Aradia reaches for the next street light, and nimbly hops on top of it, silent as the quickly-falling night.

[calistagracious]

District^Calista

_Gracious Eleven

After the flowers were watered, Calista stood up and admired her work for a moment before she went to a tree not far from the flowers, there she pulled three leaves half the size of her hand and one the size of her hand. Taking the flowers she had picked- she wrapped the small leaves around the three stems, and took the bigger one to hold all of the roses together. This she placed delicately in a small pocket that was on the side of the red bag.

Before she grabbed the bag- she looked around, and noticed that their were very precious few people left, and then she looked up to check the sky. That's when she noticed the thief. Of course Calista thought it strange that their was a girl not much older then herself to be on a pole. But nevertheless, she couldn't possibly fail to notice that the girl was staring at her. So, in response Calista raised her hand and waved,

"Hi!" She called happily, "How did you get up there? That's really cool! My named Calista Gracious, what about you?" Never did it cross her mind that this nameless person might not be friendly.

[Nocturnal]

Aradia jumps, startled by the curious young girl. No one, NO ONE, had ever seen her while she was shadowing before. Who was this person? Aradia only hears one in every few words that come out of the child's thin mouth. "Calista Gracious," was one of the few phrases she caught, wound up in her own devious thoughts. "So that was her name.." Aradia thinks, and narrows her deep forest green eyes; she prefered not to know her targets, to her, they merely provided dinner. But this one, this one saw...

Unable to speak, and completely flabbergasted, (Got to use my favorite word! *dances*) Aradia sits and stares for a few empty seconds. She knows that the girl is expecting an answer, and for some reason completely beyond her, she replies "My name is Aradia Sylversnatch, or you may know me by Wolf. Depends who you are."

The cold metal post starts burning under her sweaty hands, and she knows that she'll fall soon anyways, so Aradia slides down from her perch, and her lithe body allows her to land squarely on her 2 thin feet. She eyes the flowers, noticing how they are bound together. It strikes up a memory from somewhere, but she can't quite recall. She isn't really sure what to say; the only thought that bounces around her head, like those red rubber balls they play with at school, is "She saw. I am dead." Over and over this though echoed and reflected off of the smooth inner surface of her head, which seemed to be ready to split.

The wind isn't as bad down on the ground, but none the less, Aradia still has to clutch her roughly woven, home made jacket down into her thin frame. Then, when her deadly mono-thought loses some of its momentum, her thoughts become less muddled, and she realizes that she must look like a complete and utter idiot, just standing there and arguing with herself.

"I work at the orchards." Aradia replies, hoping that the simple statement staunched the flow of questions from the inquisitive girl, not much younger than herself, she could see. Soon, this child would be exposed to the reaping, and the terrible work that all district 11 inhabitants did to survive.

[calistagracious]

District^Calista

_Gracious Eleven

Calista was in awe to say the very least as she watched the other girl slide down the pole, "My name is Aradia Sylversnatch, or you may know me by Wolf. Depends who you are." She had said, Aradia, a suitable name for such an able girl. Calista followed the eyes of Aradia to her flowers for a few moments before she looked up again.

In those moment, Calista took the time to examin Aradia, she was certainly not the best care for girl. Her hair was dirt and tangled, her eyes had a kind of... worried and suspicious demeanor. But it was the simple movement of her clutching the frail and ragged jacket that ignited the biggest response, surely it wouldn't provide much warmth? The gesture seemed to remind Calista of the fact that is was cold- and she was very wet. Plus the fact that the girl was wearing only a short-sleeved had Calista instinctively raise her bag slightly to hug.

"I work at the orchards." Continued the girl in a sort of finalized voice, but never before did Calista every drop a subject just because someone used that particular tone, and now was no exception. The small body slightly shivered from an element in her mind rather then a physical element- the element of memory, shoving the stupid memory into the back of her mind, Calista replied-

"I don't liked the orchards, Flowers are much prettier." At this she smiled and nodded at her roses. After a moment she continued, "Which way are you going?" Calista cocked her head to the side before suggesting happily, "Maybe we can walk together!" The tone was slightly that of a high-pitched squeal.

[Nocturnal]

Aradia sighs, realizing that Calista wouldn't, no; COULDN'T stop questioning her, no matter what. Also, her fox-like eyes catch the short flicker of movement that passes through the child body. Then and there, without regard for looking strange, or dumb, she launches into a full thrown war in her head

"I can't take that girls stuff. Yes; you can, you have before and you will again. But this isn't right! You need to feed Bartholomew, all feelings beside." While this argument rages inside her skull, a blank look appears on her olive face, and a neutral look stares down the younger girl.

Finally, she reasons that Calista would just bawl and wail if she stole her things, so Aradia decides not to take anything; it would put them in more danger then they already were, she telling the naive girl her name and all.

She hears Calista lecture her, "I don't liked the orchards, Flowers are much prettier." As the girl smiles, Aradia cannot help but smile back, the first smile she had actually given with her whole heart with it. None of that, 'it'll all be okay' smiles, without any feeling behind it. Tilting her head to the side, she replies with a full and happy tone, "Well, first comes the flowers, before the fruit." Aradia makes dramatic motions to accompany her sentence, making an elaborate twirling gesture, and then reaching up into the sky.

She lets her thin , spidery hand fall gracefully down, and laughs a short, gleeful laugh. Hearing the child's request, Aradia points in a random direction, hoping it was anywhere but home. She motions for her inquisitor to follow, nodding in answer to her second question, remembering her place. Thief. Nothing else; not friend, not person. Just thief.
A small murmur of a song escapes her lips, as she thinks how much Calista is like Bartholomew, in her odd little ways. A bubble of the familiar song pops out of her mouth, the melody sweet yet solemn, it had a way of cloaking you in sweet oblivion, and wrapping itself around your heart.
Will the wolf still howl?
Will the still shine bright?
Will the sun rise for another day,
Another night?

[calistagracious]

District^Calista

_Gracious Eleven

As Calista stood their- a strange look passed over the other girls face- it was a slightly blank look. But it was gone within moments, so Calista shrugged it off. It didn't matter, Calista was just happy to see a potential friend.

"Well, first comes the flowers, before the fruit." Aradia said, smiling. When she did a weird motion with her hands- bringing them up in a spiral motion and letting them fall, Calista couldn't help but burst into giggles. "Yeah!" She exclaimed before attempting the motion and laughing again.

When Aradia pointed wildly, is happened to fall in in a direction with no road- so Calista assumed she would turn after a bit of walking, but it was in the same general direction as her own home, so she was ecstatic. "Great!" She said happily, "Thats my direction too! Let's go." She then slung her bag back around her shoulders, letting it fall next to her, she clutched her flowers and skipped a few steps before checking to make sure the other girl was following.

But as she turned to check, she caught the tune of the song... not the exact words, but the general rhythm and such- "Thats sounds nice." She said smiling, "Can you sing it again?"

[Nocturnal]

Aradia turns and looks back over her shoulder, to catch the last few seconds of the girl trying to mimic her elaborate hand gesture, and a fit of giggles bubbles forth from her lips, rolling and swishing around like a stream, with a bit of a graceful echo.

She sighs, as Aradia was expecting herself to point in a direction that Calista wouldn't follow her. That little girl was too full of fun for her own good. She needed to learn to keep her head down, and just keep walking. "But," She repeats to herself, "She probably never will."

When she finishes her little song, she notices that Calista is looking at her, her eyes wide moons of curiosity. "Can you sing it again?" She asks, her tiny mouth forming words. Aradia nods in response, and quietly sings the lullaby again.

Will the wolf still howl?
Will the still shine bright?
Will the sun rise for another day,
Another night?

The solemn melody wraps around her spine, and makes her shiver. She wonders if her parents have told her about the hunger games yet, and if not, whether she was allowed to sing the rest of the song, as it was about the hunger games; written by a victor a long time back.

OOC: sorry, but I'm a bit low on muse

[calistagracious]

(Sorry bout such a long wait! Also sorry for the short post)

District^Calista

_Gracious Eleven

Calista waited, and listened as Aradia redid her song- it was pretty. "I love it!" She exclaimed, before she followed by copying the song, except her version was upbeat and was falling up and down pitch wise as she skipped along.

It wasn't far down the road that Calista then asked, "What do your parents do? Do you have any siblings?"

[Nocturnal]

The little girl enthusiastically watches as Aradia resings her favorite lullaby. Her youthful face spreads itself into a wide smile. "I love it!" She shouts blissfully unaware of the underlying, darker meaning of the song. Calista sings the song back to her. The girl eliminates all sense of sadness that had accompanied the song. The song she sings is uplift, and happy, sounding more modern then the age-old regular song.

Her next question startles Aradia, her tone unchanged, her posture exactly the same. "What do your parents do? Do you have any siblings?" Aradias forest green eyes revive the cold, guarded look that she had held before. She answers carefully, picking her words from a large selection. "My parents work at the Orchards." Technically, this was true, they did. At one point. "I have one brother...His name is Bartholomew." Again, not a complete lie. Aradia retreats slightly, and increases her brisk pace to a slow trot.

[calistagracious]

District^Calista

_Gracious Eleven

After her demonstration of the song, Calista waited for the other girls answer. Calista noticed the slight change in Aradia, because it was one Jade took on whenever their parents were mentioned... Sensing this was bad, she listened intently. "My parents work at the Orchards. I have one brother...His name is Bartholomew." Calista giggled slightly at Aradia's brothers name before she replied in a surprisingly serious tone.

"My parents worked in the orchards too!" She exclaimed, Calista, unlike the other girl, put emphasis on the past-tense word, she, unlike Aradia, had no reason other then sorrow to hide the fact her parents were dead. "I have a sister named Jade! Also, I have three cousins, who are like my siblings. Two girls named Florida and Georgia, lastly is a boy named Louis. Plus a fourth child on the way. My aunt and uncle are named Lily and Benjamin."

[Nocturnal]

Aradias gaze is hesitant, and her step more brisk, as Calista bubbles along, bouncing with excitement and anticipation. Watching for any signs of recognition, the thief stares intently at the girl. She giggles like the naive child she is, when she hears the absurd name of Aradias little brother. Though he was her world, Aradia thought his name was incredibly ridiculous too; it had been the result of a lost bet.

"My parents worked in the orchards too!" Suddenly, her tone is more serious, and Calista uses a past tense one the word 'worked . So, her parents are dead. Or, at least out of job. The latter of the two options made little sense, as all people in district 11 were forced to work if they were able.

"I have a sister named Jade! Also, I have three cousins, who are like my siblings. Two girls named Florida and Georgia, lastly is a boy named Louis. Plus a fourth child on the way. My aunt and uncle are named Lily and Benjamin." Aradia struggles to look interested in the conversation, not liking where it was going. The clueless kid babbles about her extensive family, while Aradia turns her head, to look in the direction of home. Bart will be expecting me home soon.. A whisper of doubt snaked through her mind, And all I've got is some dried fruit... She shakes her head, causing the birds-nest of black hair to slap her face.

"look kid...Calista, I got to get home now." Aradia doesn't look back, as she scurries off to the nearest light post, and hand over hand, climbs it. The cold metal sears her delicate flesh, and her feet are starting to numb. Hoping that the youth doesn't follow her, she hops to the next light post, and the next, swinging like the chimpanzee she saw once when a traveling circus came to town. The word circus sparked something ironic in her head. Panem et circus.. Bread and circuses..Something that nobody in Panem actually had. Except for those detestable creatures in the Capitol, but Aradia didn't consider them human.