Insight (Fight; Dice vs. Noelle vs. Larae)

[Deleted]

Noelle opened her eyes, waking up from sleep. The world was empty, wavering in front of her. Noelle instinctively sat up, warmth embracing her. She could see no light, yet darkness did not appeal to her senses either. There was nothing. Noelle blinked, wondering if she was merely stuck in one of those ironic, semi-conscious moments; she wondered if her eyes merely needed some time to adjust. Besides, she still felt the moist ground, still heard the winds whispering, and still sensed the soft smell of life. Though, even when she blinked, she saw nothing.
The world was still blank.

It took a few minutes for Noelle to comprehend anything of what was going on. She started blinking madly, waiting for her vision to return to normal. It’s alright, she told herself. I’m just a little out of it at the moment. I’ll be alright. But she wasn’t, and she realized that in only a matter of time.

She couldn’t see, no matter what she tried. Her vision had scuttled away from her, and was ultimately nowhere to be found. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek almost placidly. She began to rub her eyes, blinking much too many times to count. Though, rubbing and blinking did nothing except make her eyes feel slightly irritated. Noelle was too overwhelmed to wonder how her loss of sight had come to be. She had no desire to think, but rather to act. Devastating fear crushed her insides: it swam through her nerves so quickly, like a spreading flood. She didn’t even try envisioning her surroundings; she knew it was no use. She spread her hands across the ground, trying to grab hold of something, trying to get a grip on herself. More tears started trickling down her cheeks, and Noelle coughed, trying to stifle the sobs that were wedged in her throat. Moss, along with moist grass, peaked beneath her fingers, yet she could only feel it. She could not see the color of the sky, could not tell what time of day it was. Only the sounds, the smells, the feelings, could tell her. The little things like the lack of crickets chirping, the unique smell of daylight that she hadn’t been aware of before, and so much that she had previously missed being conscious of. Having no sight was yet too much, though.

Noelle continued to let the tears trickle down her face, too afraid, too unstable, to wipe them away. She let her hands sweep vigorously across the ground again, her thoughts swirling too much to give her any sense of direction. She half-crawled a few inches, unable to figure out where she was going, nor what was in front of her. Once she had a sense of direction, she tried standing up. She got to the point where she was able to walk a little ways, with her hands out in front of her, until she crashed back down again. She tried to remember what the world looked like, but slowly, her memories of past visions and sights, started to slip away. She tried to snatch them, but they were like soap bubbles wading through the air: the moment she tried to grasp them, they popped. She let her quiet sobs free, her face still drowned in tears. She continued trying to get up, trying to feel her way around, trying to see without her eyes to help her.

How had this happened? She tried to remember everything she had witnessed, everything that had happened. The bloodbath: nothing had happened there that could have caused this. Then, the marsh: she had run into a few slugs that had tried to attack her when she entered, though she had gotten them off of her before they could cause any harm. How could they have been the reason? They had barely touched her before she had run from them, shaking them off. Then, she had hid in the tall grass, waiting to enter the fight that Dice and Ali were caught up in; nothing could have harmed her then.

Maybe it was one of the plants she’d picked. Were there any plants that caused blindness with a single touch? Noelle had many doubts about that; it was extremely unlikely. So, what if none of these things had been the cause? Then, one of her allies must have done it. How? Noelle had no idea. She tried to remember: who had been on watch? Dice. He had been on watch that night. Noelle shook her head, afraid to put her belief in that single possibility. She had trusted Dice; she had trusted both of her allies. It was hard to believe either of them had done it. Had they really betrayed her? Somehow blinded her? Why not just kill her? Maybe it was someone else…maybe her allies were actually dead.
By now, Noelle was up on her feet, walking as carefully as possible. Fear swept through her again, as she thought of everything she would never see. Never again would she see the trees that she knew so well, the color of the water that she purely loved seeing, the sunset as it spread its arms across the sky. Never again would she get to see the visions she put into her artwork, her paintings, which were still hidden beneath the floorboards, under her former bed. She wouldn’t get to face death seeing her killer’s face; instead, she would be forced to die with only her memories of the sounds, smells, and feelings around her.

However, it wasn’t just the fact that she had no sight for her surroundings that bothered her. It was the fact that she had just lost her confidence, almost completely. She was weaker than she could have imagined now, trying to push her way through these games. There was nothing she could do for herself, without relying on others, without losing her natural independence. Every move would be a risk, if she didn’t know where she was going; every action would have an outcome created by pure chance. Noelle brought the back of her hand to her face, trying to wipe away the tears that just kept coming. She wanted to cry out to one of her allies, but she was too afraid to open her mouth, too afraid to call to help that would never come. Who was she kidding?

This was the arena: she had no allies. Not anymore. She knew that if her allies would turn on her the moment it came down to it; they didn’t care. Everyone in this arena was merely an object; no humans were left in this seemingly fictional, but shamefully true world. Noelle did not know where she was anymore. Was she walking in circles? Had she been the one to wander away from her allies? Where was her hope?
That’s when she realized it: she had nothing with her. Her satchel, her longsword, and her water jug had been right next to her on the ground where she had been sleeping, and now, she had left them both, out of fear, out of lack of reasoning. She quickly dropped to the ground, feeling her way around. Her items were her life out here in the arena. She crawled, trying to keep her sense of direction, but losing it quickly. Finally, she felt the handle of Dice's whip and she let herself relax a bit. It was better than nothing. She managed to get the strap of her satchel over her head, with a firm grip still on the whip. She missed her longsword a bit, but she didn't have much time to think about that. She couldn't find it.

She felt her heart beating quickly against her heart, her breath heavier by the second. She finally felt enough strength to say the words, to call out for help. “Dice!” Noelle cried out in fear. She stumbled to her feet cautiously. She wanted to see. She needed to see. The desire to know what was going on, kept creeping up on her, forcing her into insanity. She heard no response from either of her allies right away. She wished she knew the District Ten girl’s name; though, she had been too preoccupied the day before, to ask.

“Dice!” She called louder this time, her words muffled by more tears. She had never remembered being this afraid before. At least, when she had entered the arena, she knew what was going on around her, and she knew that even if she was being hunted down, her attacker would always be in her line of vision.

Noelle kept her balance, standing still, her ears listening for a response. She kept the whip raised, not that it would be much use to her, but just in case someone else was there, ready to attack. Noelle was finished with trust. She still hadn’t had the sense to know how she had become blind in the first place, but she didn’t linger on that anymore. It was mostly the fact that she hadn’t heard her allies answer her, that she couldn’t see them, that insanity was starting to replace fear. Confusion swept through her just as fast as fear had, making her feel unstable. She felt that insane, deathly feeling overcoming her again. She needed to attack; she needed to kill, before it was too late. Maybe if she killed...if she got it over with...she wouldn't feel as confused, or as bad. Common sense drifted quite far from Noelle's mind, as she flipped through her thoughts. Confusion and fear were the two worst things when it came to compatibility. Noelle was rarely afraid, and usually far from confusion, so the feeling of them combined, was almost new to her. All she needed was a bit of insight: insight without sight, perception without visual instinct, to get her through.

Yet, instinct told Noelle that she was ready to attack whoever came near her. Too much fear was building up, overcoming her, while she had nowhere near enough insight to get her through the moment.

[plantix]

There are no signs of other tributes and no huge mutts thrown at us by the capitol through the night. I see the sun rise and feel its rays touching my skin, like that morning on reaping day. It won’t be too long until the sun has the ability to scorch us all. I turn back to the two sleeping girls and watch how quietly they’re sleeping. Since I was on watch duty, I didn’t get as much sleep as the other two. I still have a lot of energy though, because back in district 6, I’d stay up late and sneak outside to meet up with Lacey.

Alikia and five other faces appeared in the sky last night. I still remember Alikia in my arms and the blood stains on my shirt remind me of it. I look at my bracelet and see that one of the beads is missing. That bead was my final gift to Alikia… I start to wonder what the rest of these games will be like; who’s going to die next? Who much longer until I die… Who will I kill? Starring into the sword Noelle gave me, I wonder how much blood will pour from this sword. When I look into the sword I see a reflection of the two sleeping girls, I noticed that Noelle has started waking up. I smile and continue to be on a look out so that she’ll see that I stayed true to my word.

“Dice” I hear her voice cry. She repeats my name again and I look around to see what wrong. She’s crying. There’s nothing wrong with her at all. For some reason, she looks like a stunned rabbit about to be eaten. She raises her whip into the air, ready to attack and I’m completely perplexed at her.

“Noelle! What’s wrong?” I ask her. When I look and make eye contact with her I get a girl with white eyes in response. “What Happened to your eyes!?” I ask, scared for her. I know that she cannot see anymore, and it scares me because I’m wondering how she’s going to survive these games like that. I run up to her and hug her before saying “Don’t worry, it’s me! I’m not going to hurt you.” I wipe away her tears and look straight into her milky eyes. Her beautiful, green eyes are now replaced with large white beads.

Someone must of done that to her. I look around and see that the district ten girl has not been moved. I think it was a herb she ate… No we all ate the same hers and used the same herbs as medicine. What else could go wrong? When I look to my side to where Noelle was sleeping, I see a patch of weeds and some very small slugs crawling on it. Oh man, I think that plant made her blind. No one else was around that plant except for her. I take a mental note to steer clear from that plant and focus my attention on her.

“Don’t worry, I’m here for you.” I say to give her assurance in a hug.

[Lia Vacanti]

"Dice!" This single word roused Larae. What was going on? Rae only knew pain at that moment, forget any sort of mental clarity beyond it. Looking around through foggy vision, Rae saw the other girl...Noelle?...freaking out. Apparently, she had gone blind and now she was being comforted by the boy. Rae saw opportunity to attack either one, to guarantee that there would be one, maybe two, less to contend with.

She had no weapons. Her mind and her fists, that was all, and even those were questionable in her injured state. If only I had a knife... she thought. She wouldn't make a move yet. She didn't know what she would be able to do if she somehow spooked Dice or Noelle into attacking.

[Deleted]

Noelle scrambled to get out of Dice’s arms, suddenly afraid of making any sort of contact with him. “You say that like it’s the truth,” she said coldly, her tears now dry on her face. “You can’t trust anyone in the arena,” she said, her voice raised. For once, Noelle felt like she had lost her inner-courage, her inner-strength. She needed it back. “I…I can’t…” She didn’t finish the sentence, for her breathing became too heavy to speak. She wanted to see Dice’s face: to know if what he was saying was genuinely true or not. She wanted to know how she had gotten to this point: if it had been one of her allies, one of her enemies, or something else completely that had ultimately altered her vision and destroyed her senses.

Noelle wondered if her family was watching her right now on television; she wondered how they reacted to all of this. She was positive that her little sister, Bernie, was watching every moment, along with her older brother, Ryn. Even if no one else in her family cared, she knew that there were two brave souls that did: Bernie and Ryn. Maybe the rest of her family did too: Noelle never really knew, and probably would never know. Noelle hoped that they weren’t watching though; as much as she craved support from her family, she didn’t want any of them to see her like this. She feared bringing shame to her older brother, and fear to her younger sister. She feared showing everyone a side of her that she felt ashamed of. If she wanted to have any chance of seeing their faces again, she would have to. Maybe, she thought, finding her way home would make up for everything she was about to do in this arena. Maybe she still did have hope; maybe her family was watching her, cheering her on, showing more support than she had ever thought they could give. Or maybe this was one big paradox: a puzzle that could not be solved.

Noelle put a hand to her necklace serenely. She had thought that having a token that reminded her of who she was would make her stronger in this arena. Before the games, she had assumed that by reminding herself of her past, would remind her that she wanted to die as herself, portraying one last message of her spirit. Though, she realized, her token did so much less for her than she could have hoped. Her token merely reminded her of how much more time she wanted, and even how much more time she needed, in her life. She put her finger on the small pine tree pendant that hung from her necklace. I am Noelle Pines. District 7, she thought. The girl born into a strong family…a family who could handle what I’m about to do…what I need to do…to survive…. She felt a bit ashamed of herself as she let her hand drop from her necklace. She was trying to convince herself to take action as a result of her fear.

Still, Noelle could not see. She figured there was nothing anyone could do for her, from this point on. She didn’t want to think any more about the ethics of what she was about to do. For all she knew, her allies had turned on her; they didn’t want her. She couldn’t let that get in her way. On instinct, she raised her whip, her heart beating faster. She had no idea where the whip would land; she obviously could not see Dice, or the District Ten girl, but she willed herself to at least try. She figured she would miss both of, considering she had no sense of their location. Noelle took a deep breath. Then, before she could let her mind wander any more, she brought the whip down, aiming to strike.

[attacks Larae, whip]
[dice=200+6000]
[Deep Gash on Chest, 9.5]

Noelle put a hand to her mouth to stifle the gasp that was escaping, the moment she heard the whip make contact. Who had she hurt? What had happened? She wished she could see what was going on...or maybe it was better she didn't. She couldn't help but admit her curiosity, along with her fear. Had she just attacked her allies? The idea was horrific, but she tried to close her mind from the thoughts that were rushing in. It's better to be neutral. Stop thinking, she willed herself.

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[plantix]

Noelle struggles to break free from our hug and says “You say that like it’s the truth,”. It is the truth. Even though she’s blind, I don’t ever betray my friends. Not now, not ever. “You can’t trust anyone in the arena,” she shouts coldly. Why did our alliance get so sour so fast?

“I…I can’t…” Noelle says before touching her necklace. It was her token; a silver pinecone on a chain necklace. She looks like a rabbit in headlights right now, so afraid of what she does not know… or see for that matter. The sense of sight is very important especially in these games where it’s either do or die. I wish to be her eyes, but she must trust me first. I need to show her that it’s me, but how? I know! I have to make her touch my wounds that she remembers me having; a swollen lip and a small hole in my chest.

When I take a first step towards her in an attempt to show that it’s me. She raises the whip I gave to her, ready to attack. My eyes widen and I know she’s going to attack. “No!” I give a warning to myself to get away from her attack. I manage to evade her attack and I see that she attacks the district ten girl instead. Noelle hits her on her chest and it bleeds so heavily. From that look in both their eyes, I knew that the district seven girl and district ten girl have turned against each other, and I’m caught up in it. I look at my two options and weight which one is better as an ally. Noelle is blind and can’t do so much, and I could just kill her for her items, but the district ten girl is severely wounded and I don’t know her well. It will be a duel between the two of them and one must die for the conflict to be resolved, If I aide Noelle, there’s a chance that she’ll keep on attacking me where as if I side with the other girl, she’ll probably help me. I have my morals and that counts more than logic, so I choose friends over what is smarter

My mind is set and I must go with Noelle, regardless of the risk I’m taking. I may get a knife in my back if I’m with the other girl anyways. The feeling of grief for that district ten girl pushes itself on to me and I will have nightmares if I kill her, but she must know that it has to happen. I wonder if she has a boy friend, I wonder how much her family loves her, I wonder what she thinks…

Time to attack…

[Attacks Larae] (using sword)
[dice=200+1000]

[Deep gash on neck=10.0]
[+1 from taking the Blades station]

[ :C... ]


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[Deleted]

The next few seconds went by much too fast for Noelle to comprehend. She kept her ears as alert as possible, yet she still had trouble keeping up. She first heard footsteps, a grunt, possibly a gasp, and then a thud, as though something had just fallen. Noelle tried putting the pieces together, and slowly realized what had just happened. She gasped, only stimulating more tears, as she threw herself to the ground. She started crawling across the soft ground, feeling her way towards her destination, tears of guilt dripping down her cheeks. She needed to know if it was true: if her rash actions had come back to get her. Her hands found something sticky and she quickly realized it was blood. It was the girl’s, she realized. She could almost see the sanguine red color, staining the ground beneath her. She could see the river of blood, incessantly flowing. She didn’t need her eyes to know what was before her.

She slowly let her hands wander a little farther, ignoring the sticky sensation of blood. Her hands finally passed over something of substance, a body. She stopped crawling, and instead, knelt over whatever she couldn’t see. She realized that one of her knees was covering the girl’s long thick hair, and quickly she moved, not wanting to ruin any last piece of this girl. She moved her hand a little upwards, trying to find the source of all of the blood. She realized, however, that there was too much blood, too many wounds, and that there was no one place to pinpoint.

As placidly as Noelle could, she put her ear to the girl’s chest, trying to listen for a heartbeat. Though, she was afraid of the result that she would have to face. She knew that if this girl wasn’t dead already, she was extremely close to it. Noelle listened closely, trying to find the girl’s heartbeat. It was still there, beating slowly, but still alive. Noelle lifted her head again, her hand on the girl’s wrist, holding on to it for dear life. She felt the tears, tears for someone she barely knew, tears for someone who had died because of her. Noelle felt extreme guilt creeping in. Dice had made the final move, but it had been her choice to attack. What had gotten into her, she wondered? Fear: that’s what had gotten into her. She had let paranoia seep into her senses, and had ultimately let her sanity drift farther away. Noelle pondered on her selfishness: she hadn’t given this girl even as much thought as she had deserved. She hadn’t cared to ask for her name in the first place, though had accepted her as part of the alliance, and then had attacked her unfairly, while the girl was still unarmed. It was betrayal, fully-intended betrayal.

Noelle started digging deep into her memory, trying to remember the girl’s name. She had to have heard it before: at training, at interviews, somewhere. Janae? No, that wasn’t it. Lanae? That wasn’t it either…Larae! That was the girl’s name! She couldn’t believe she had paid no attention to the girl’s name in the first place. She felt horrible about it all. It seemed almost unreal, as though she had been consumed by someone else, as though someone else had been the one to bring down the whip. Noelle realized how little she knew about Larae: she had barely just remembered her name. The only other thing she knew about this girl was that she was from District 10. Everything else was a lost mystery, a mystery she would never know. She knew nothing about this girl’s life, about her feelings, about her family. She couldn’t even remember the girl’s interview. Who was this girl, lying before her, only a few minutes away from death? She had just as much of a right to life as Noelle had, yet she had been the one to die first.

None of it made sense, not then, not ever.

Noelle wished she could Larae’s face, one last time before she was gone. She wanted to keep an image in her head, as a reminder of the unfairness of it all. Noelle tried to stop the tears from coming out, wanting to say something to Larae before she was gone. She wondered what Larae thought of her: she was probably a monster in Larae’s mind. Noelle knew her own mind reflected that idea, at least.

“I…I’m sorry,” Noelle croaked softly, warm blood still coating her hands. “It was my fault. I..I wish I could say that I saw you. I wish I could say that I knew you. But…I can’t.” She didn’t know what else to say. Noelle didn’t want Larae to remember her as a monster, but she knew, it didn’t matter. She was one anyways. The tears started up again, the tears of guilt, of insanity. She pushed down all the monstrous instincts that she had left in her. They had gotten her to this point; they had caused her to kill Larae. Now, here she was, beating herself up for it. Wasn’t she supposed to learn a lesson from this?

Noelle knew there was no lesson to be learned. It was either kill or be killed. Although killing resulted in more strenuous pain, it had more rewards. It was the rewards that everyone wanted. No one wanted to lose their life. Dice had attacked Larae out of mercy. Although he had been the one to finish her off, Noelle had been the one to attack out of fear, out of full intention. Noelle wanted to scream, out of fury at her own actions. She had to move on from this, get over it, and keep killing to preserve her own life, or…she had to end it now.

Before she could think about it anymore, she said, her voice confident and almost demanding, “Dice. Kill me now.” She wondered what he thought of all this. Noelle buried her face in her hands, overburdened by her own actions. Maybe he felt just as guilty, if not, more. Noelle knew his guilt was just as much her own fault. She stood up from the ground, wondering whether Larae was dead yet. She hadn’t heard a cannon sound, though she knew she could have easily missed it. If Larae was still alive, Noelle wanted to leave her with something of a “Goodbye” at least, though she felt her throat choking on words that would never release themselves, unable to say any more.

(OOC: I know I'm posting out of order, but since I'm leaving tomorrow, since the fight is technically over unless Dice chooses to continue it, and since Larae just has a death post to write, I really wanted to get Noelle's reaction to Larae's death out. Hope that's alright......RIP Larae!)

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[plantix]

(OOC: Sorry if my post is crappy with all it's mistakes and possibly choppiness : / )

I look at the tribute 10 girl dying on the ground and I don’t even know her name, but I delivered a final blow. She originally had quite a deep gash on her neck, and I gave her another on the other side with my sword. It looks all too painful, for the both of us. I just killed a girl who I don’t even know the name of, and she’s lying down with all of those wounds. Just one of those wounds would cause significant damage, but all of the wounds that have accumulated on her body would cause fatal damage. I look to where I hit her and I realize that it’s close to her artery, meaning that she’ll die from blood loss.

Noelle crawled to where the girl I killed lay. The innocent younger girl checked my victim for a sign of life; a heartbeat, a pulse, anything. I feel the regret and guilt in Noelle and watch as it slowly took her. I never have guilt… At least not until the games started. In District six, I beat up people that are in gangs until they were really hurt. Hurting people made me feel powerful, but these games twisted my already demented perspective of inflicting pain. This murder has already confused me and caused guilt to enter in. Guilt is so foreign to me; I’ve never felt it before. She was my ally, for at least half a day and I killed her. It feels like I’ve stabbed her in the back, and I never do that to friends.

“I…I’m sorry,” I hear Noelle whisper into the older girl’s body. “It was my fault. I..I wish I could say that I saw you. I wish I could say that I knew you. But…I can’t.” she continues. I echo her thoughts and feel the guilt press down heavier. Not only did I kill her, I don’t even know her name. The only thing I can say is that I killed the girl from District 10. That’s it. This murder is what strips away my moral and asks me who I really am.

Noelle suddenly surprises me by commanding me to kill her. She looks so serious with that command, but I won’t be held responsible for a friend’s death. This poor fourteen-year-old girl has been engulfed by guilt, so I have to swallow mine to save her from it. I come close to her with my sword and place my weapon beside the two of us when I’m close enough.

I hug her and hold her close and say“Please, don’t say that. You’re the only one I have left.” The hug I give loosens a bit and I hold her left hand. I push that hand to the part of my chest where Anya, the District eight girl who killed Ali, had shot me. Now she knows that it’s me. “Yes. I’m Dice. Please Noelle, you have to keep the will to live. You’re blind right? So it was smart of you to try and defend yourself. If you attacked in defence, it means you want to live. The strike you gave her would give a reason to attack you, so I had to defend you from her.”

If I die, I want to die from her hands and no one else in a final duel against each other, just like Alikia. At least we’ll both know that I died to an opponent worthy to be crowned victor. I don’t want to die to someone not worthy of being called victor, so if I die from another tribute I want them to win; for me and for Ali.

In the background I hear the low hum of a helicopter in the distance. They want to take the district 10 girl’s body away. I don’t want to sound cold, but I know that we should move before something bad happens to us. “Come on, I’ll carry you.” I hold her in my arms in a similar way to when I held Ali and continued on away with Noelle from the District Ten tribute's body.

(You can continue here or make a new thread)

[Deleted]

Noelle didn’t like the feeling that she was experiencing; she didn’t like it at all.

Weakness.

Feeling weak was the worst thing, especially when there was nothing anyone could do about it. Weakness was the only word Noelle could think of to describe herself. She had lost her sight, and now she was weak beyond measure. She knew death was near: she knew it was creeping up on her. Sooner or later, it would strike. From whose hands? She did not know yet.

Noelle rested her head against Dice’s shoulder as he carried her. She felt guilty for having to be carried. She knew she was making it harder for Dice; he could have easily killed her, and it would have been over. If she was dead, he wouldn’t have to deal with her disability, and he would only be closer to winning. Noelle knew that if she wanted anyone returning home, she wanted it to be Dice. Noelle sighed; she wasn’t sure whether she even wanted to make it home. She was afraid of seeing home. She didn’t want to die, yet at the same time, she didn’t want to see her family’s reactions…to it all.

Noelle felt Dice come to a stop, and Noelle let herself down from his arms. She kept her eyes closed, knowing there was no point in keeping her eyes open anyways: not when she was blind. Guilt rushed through her: too much of it. She felt guilt for the effects of her blindness, for ultimately making the choice to kill Larae, and so much more that she couldn’t even verbalize. She kept her hand intertwined in Dice’s hand, not wanting to let go. She stayed close to him, wanting his protection. They sat down and Noelle once again, rested her head on Dice’s shoulder. Noelle shivered, not out of coldness, but more so, out of fear. She was afraid of having fear—fear was just as much of a weakness as everything else. Somehow, knowing that Dice was there for her, caused a bit of the fear to disintegrate. To what extent was she supposed to trust him, though? Noelle pushed away the thoughts, wishing to not be troubled by her own mind.

For a moment, all Noelle heard was the lulling vibration of silence. She didn’t hear thoughts trying to escape, nor words or exterior sounds: just silence.

It was a familiar sound; although Noelle didn’t have much of a chance to hear it at home, she remembered it clearly. She heard the vibration of silence every night when she was in bed, unable to sleep, when she let herself remain awake until approximately sunrise. Usually, even in the night, there was no silence, until that moment, at sunrise, when no one was up: not anyone, except for Noelle.

Silence was an awkward thing for Noelle: an awkward but beautiful thing. It was something she was only used to when it was dark, when no one was around. Yet, Dice was right next to her, and the silence was still lingering. Noelle decided to break the silence, knowing it was finally time. “We should probably drink and eat something soon.” Noelle felt for her satchel and dug through it to find her edible plants. “Here, you can have these. I’ll get my own later.” She handed the plants to him. She wondered how well she could still identify plants, without her vision. A lot of it was based on the feel of the plant, so she would probably be okay. Quickly, she let her hands sweep over the ground around her. She felt a sticky plant and tried to identify it. Relieved, she knew it was safe. She picked as much as she could find: enough for two people. "And here, save these for later.". She handed the plants to Dice, and ate her own. It wasn't the most pleasant, but it was edible at least. She felt around a bit more, and her hands came over a bit of medicinal plant. She picked a few of the herbs, and gave one portion to Dice. "Last but not least. We might need these in the future. Might as well store them." Noelle put her own in her satchel.

Noelle sighed, her tears from before, gone. She felt sanity leaking back into her slowly. Though, guilt still consumed her; she couldn’t deny it. The guilt was too difficult to avoid. Noelle gripped Dice’s hand even tighter. She wanted to know who he was; she wanted to talk to him. She wanted to know that he was really there, beside her. She felt the words flow out of her mouth, stabbing the silence. “Who are you?” It was such an abrupt, general question, but she couldn’t help it. Really, she didn’t know Dice as much as she wanted to. “Before I die, I want to know who you are. I want to know everything about you.” She was ready to listen; she wanted to listen so badly. She needed to hear words, stories, something to keep her sanity with her. He had done so much for her: he had carried her, he had helped her, and yet, she had barely returned the favors.

The next moment, Noelle couldn’t help herself. She leaned over, wanting to thank him with a quick, slight kiss on the cheek, but she had missed it.

She felt her lips touch his.

She let it last for only a couple of seconds, before she pulled back. She had been way off.

Guilt suddenly rushed through Noelle’s mind; her insides were burning. She felt like she had just made a total mistake. She had been so insensitive; Dice had been with Alikia, hadn’t he? Or if he hadn’t, they had had some sort of connection. And now….had she just…invaded that? Noelle felt her face becoming hot. She wished she could see Dice’s reaction; then, she would know if what she had done had been stupid or not. What was she doing anyways, getting attached to someone that would most likely end up dead, just like her? She wanted to say sorry...but she knew she wasn't. As much as she had just regretted what she had done, she had loved the moment all the same. As short as it had been, it had been the first time she had kissed a boy. She didn't want to regret it, though she couldn't deny it: she felt guilty.

(OOC: Eh, too lazy to start a new thread. I mean, only 3 more days till Day 2's over anyways so...yeah. We can just thread here. Anyways...I hope my post was okay......xP)

[plantix]

I don’t know how long I’ve been trying to get away from where I killed that innocent woman with Noelle, who is now blind, in my arms. It’s probably been a while because I feel the beads of sweat on my forehead dripping down my face. The physical effort, the sun’s heat or possible both made this arena unique in a malicious way. A few years ago the arena was a huge field of ice. The tributes must have complained about how cold it was. When I think about the tributes from this year’s games compared to that one years ago, it seems like making a decision on whether it was better to burn to death from the sun or to freeze until you’re so numb, you don’t ever move or wake up again. For some reason the second of the two sounds more merciful.

I wish that there was some sort of breeze to cool us off, but the air remains stagnant. When I take a breath of the air, I feel its dryness scratch the insides of my throat. That’s when I notice that Noelle wants to get off, so I put her down on a dry piece of land. For a second I forget that she’s able to stand on her own and I get surprised when she stands on her two feet. I breathe silent and heavy breaths while Noelle doesn’t speak either.

She broke the silence by saying “We should probably drink and eat something soon.” Then she reaches into her bag and pulls out a few plants before handing them to me. “Here, you can have these. I’ll get my own later.” I accept the plants she gives me and take a bite into them as she puts her hands to the ground in search of something else. I have no idea what the plant I’m eating is and it’s slightly bitter and sour, but it must be healthy. I’m tempted to spit it out, but I don’t know when I’m going to get a next meal so I swallow it.

Noelle ends up with a few other plants I don’t know in her hands that I trust are edible. "Last but not least. We might need these in the future. Might as well store them." I take the plants and study what they are. I’m guessing that have medicinal purposes as well as being edible, so I gratefully take the plants and store them in my bag.

There was a short pause in-between the two of us, so she brakes the silence again by asking “Who are you?”. At first the question confuses me, but she explains what she meant by that “Before I die, I want to know who you are. I want to know everything about you.” Although it may sound weird to confess who you are to another person, I accept her request.

Just when I’m about to speak a response, she leans in and kisses me. Was she aiming there? No, she can’t see and probably miscalculated where she wanted to kiss… Or maybe she did want to kiss and got it perfectly. I think into the minds of my past girl friends and of Lacey and try to figure out what they think. What does the whole population of Panem think of this? A district six boy and a district seven girl having a relationship is so impossible because you can’t get into another district. It’s a forbidden relationship, but it’s not like we were in one in the first place. I have to admit, in the short time I was with Alikia I developed a sort of bond with her, but it was severed when that district 8 girl, Anya, killed her.

In the middle of my thoughts we disband from the kiss and I notice her face seems to be filling with blush. In light-heartedness a huge grin is on my face from the kiss and her reaction to it, but she can’t see it. I get out my response “You’re a good kisser”[/b]. I just smile at her even though she can’t see it.

I act like the kiss didn’t happen for her sake and continue with responding with her question. “I’m Dicentra Gambler, the district six tribute. My parents sell art supplies and I help them in their shop. I have two older sisters; Molly and Selah that are too old to be reaped. My best friend is a girl named Lacey Malice who is 12 years old and had her first reaping this year. Like I said before, my parents own a shop so we live in the relatively richer side of district six. Is there anything else you’d like to know?”[/i] I could have said ‘I also steal things, but that’d expose me and Lacey for the crimes we did.

I'm really thirst and I almost take a drink of the water, but I remember that it needs to be purified first. I have to make a fire for the both of us. In my training, I remember that we need the tinder and wood to start and keep a fire. Luckily, there is a tree near by with weak branches and paper like bark that should be good for a fire. I collect a lot of wood as she says her response to me and by the time she's done, I've collected a decent amount of tinder and wood for the fire.

Alright, time to start this... I place the paper like bark on a dry path of land close to Noelle. Now I have to get a rock to start a spark with my sword. By another coincidence, there is a large rock near by, but it's not smooth and it's quite rough. Not Ideal, but it'll have to do. I roll the boulder that's an inch deep into the murky water and eventually get it next to where the fuel for the fire is.

I take a deep breath and tell Noelle "Let's hope this works."[/i] I strike my sword against the rock and it causes only a few sparks. Again. The sword strikes the rock again and more sparks rain down, but still, nothing. Once more! I strike several times now causing waves or sparks to fly down on the bark, it finally caught fire on the papery substance. I chuckle a bit at my accomplishment and I start to feed the fire.

After a feeding it the rest of the wood I've gathered, I know that it should stay stable for at least an hour. "Finally!" I say in success. After taking the lids of our jugs off revealing the dirty water, I put the jugs on the edge of the fire to get them to a boil. After twelve minutes of a rolling boil, most of the harmful bacteria is gone and I take two of the jugs and submerge the bottom half in the water to cool it. The jugs have cooled and I hand one of them to Noelle before taking a sip of mine.

The water tastes like tea, and it's almost too hot to drink. But I need water in my body, so I go on to drink it like when I was eating the plants.

[/color]

(again, sorry if it's really choppy. I have fire making and Aya allowed me to make a fire using my sword.)

[Deleted]

“You’re a good kisser”. That was Dice’s response. A good kisser? What was that supposed to mean? Did that mean that he had liked it? Was it just a remark he wanted to put out there, just because he had nothing else to say? Noelle was suddenly confused, and even quite a bit frustrated. She wished she could see his face; she desperately wanted the ability to read his expression.

Then, Dice produced a response to Noelle’s question. He started talking a bit about himself, about his life. Noelle was eager to listen. Her attention perked when he spoke about his parents running a shop that sold art supplies. The subject of art caught her attention, even as he spoke on. “An art shop?” She exclaimed. When he mentioned the girl, Lacey, Noelle couldn’t help but think of Ruby. Noelle tried to picture Dice’s life; she tried to picture everything, yet somehow she couldn’t. It was as though her loss of vision had also taken away all of her visual imagination. It was as though that portion of her brain was blocked off, locked away, and unable to reach. At the end, Dice asked if there was anything else Noelle wanted to know. There were a lot of things she still wanted to know, but the words didn’t come. Noelle thought of her own life: how different it seemed from Dice’s, yet still how similar.

Her mind drifted back to the art shop. She remembered an art shop in District 7, a small one that ended up running out of business, and closing down. She remembered walking in there when she could, and just looking at all of the different colored paints. The colors were vague in her memory; it was hard to remember what colors looked like now. Though, she recalled how happy it made her: to see all of the colors, all of the paintbrushes. Everything. She remembered sitting at the creek, painting pictures in the grass, while Ruby sat on a rock, reading a book.

She recalled the sweet and happy, but sad feeling that possessed her every time she walked in to the art shop, knowing she had no money to spend on paints. She remembered the irritated shopkeeper, telling her to get out of his store if she had nothing to buy. She remembered that one time: when she had been so angry for being half-thrown out by the shopkeeper…that she stole from his shop anyways. She remembered when her parents caught her; she remembered the amount of trouble she had put not only herself in, but her family. Her family was too poor for any of that, with so many people in the family. Art supplies were too expensive; recreational activities were not necessities, as her parents said. Any money that Noelle received from working or helping, she usually had to use for clothing, other necessities, or even food. Her family didn’t have enough money to repeatedly support every child in the family for every single meal. It was a miracle that all of their children, or at least, almost all of them, were still living and breathing. Or maybe it wasn’t a miracle. Maybe it was just the result of gruesomely hard work. But in any case, Noelle’s one little trick, was an ultimate fall in the Pines’ reputation. Noelle recalled the guilt she had felt, the guilt that always seemed to weave its way into her life; it wasn’t much of a problem though, considering people forgot things so easily, with time.

Noelle’s mind was caught up in her own thoughts and memories. She felt a certain tightness in her throat: the same tightness you feel when you’re trying to hold back tears. She didn’t feel tears though; she only heard them echoing through her mind, like raindrops. She would never get to see all of those beautiful colors again: not the mellow sunset orange, not the soft sweet lilac, not the bright vibrant red, and not even her favorite of all: the mystical forest green; the familiar, but lovely green that filled the district, that sparkled through the trees, that symbolized home. Noelle quickly stepped out of her mind, clearing her throat.

Noelle listened to Dice as he began moving around. What was he doing? she thought. Then she heard a spark crackling. It was a fire. She could feel its warmth at a close distance. She could feel the warmth, but she couldn’t see the flames. She put her hand out, to sense where the fire was. She moved it a bit closer and closer, and finally felt the tip of a flame right next to her fingers. Quickly she pulled back.

Noelle felt a hot water jug being placed in her hands. She almost dropped it, the heat warming her hands unexpectedly, but she was able to get her grip on it. She put her lips to the tip of the bottle, and felt around for the opening. When she found it, she began sipping the water. She was thirsty enough to gulp it down, but it was much too hot for that. If only it could have been cold; she missed ice water. In this scorching hot arena, ice water seemed like heaven. Yet, it was something she had taken for granted at home. There were too many things she had taken for granted back in District Seven, any of them she would die to have now.

When Noelle was finished with her water, she put the jug down, ready to answer Dice, extremely late. “Yes, there are a few things I still want to know, although I very much do not know how to word them,” she teased, knowing that they had to do something to pass time. “What’s the best thing you’ve ever done…and what’s the worst?” She smiled both mischievously and teasingly. She was curious to hear his answer. “You don’t need to worry about the cameras. If you ever get out of here alive, I very much doubt anyone will be questioning you about what you said this exact moment.” She knew that there were probably cameras on them now, or at least, there were cameras. The cameras captured every piece of the games, but did they really show every piece? Noelle felt a pang in her stomach. She was getting too close to Dice; didn’t she know they would only last together for so long?

She wasn’t completely sure of what her feelings were; in fact, maybe it was just her mind messing with her. It couldn’t be, she told herself. She knew she was feeling something when she felt Dice near. He was so protective, so trusting. He was the person that Noelle wanted to win. She was suddenly confused. She needed to erase these thoughts from her brain; one of them would most surely die. That was a fact. And it was a pretty wavering, but likely fact that the other would die too. Besides, Dice wasn’t feeling the same thing, was he? Why would he? Noelle knew what she was: a helpless blind girl who had no attractive or special qualities: someone that no one wanted, that no one cared for. She was that girl with too many words: words no one wanted to hear, words that would go forever unsaid. She was the girl with too many dreams that would never come true. And what could she do about that?
Nothing.

Noelle desperately wanted to listen to Dice; she wanted to listen to his words. All Noelle wanted was a story.

A story to calm her down, a story to wash away all of the gruesome thoughts that overwhelmed her mind. A story was all she needed.
She was afraid though, that she wouldn’t get one. She missed hearing stories from others; the only stories she ever had anymore, were dreams and imaginative thoughts of her own mind. Noelle waited for Dice to say something.

OOC: No, your post was great! Mine's the one that sucks. XP

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