Icy(OPEN)

[Solace]

Dirt covered Iris' once dark blue clothes and scratches lined her face. She was panting while sweat left her pores in gallons. There was a faint dizziness forming in the back of her head. She kept attacking the straw dummy and watched clumps of straw fall from it with each hit. Iris tried to pretend it was blood, what her mind was too tired to even try it. Her ice blue eyes were gleaming with anger. She felt like an animal and, in a sense, it felt good. Iris' frustrations were being taken out without her getting in trouble. Her father would definitely appreciate that, so would that idiot that gave birth to her too, if she even knew when Iris got in trouble, that it.

It went on for what seemed like an eternity, but probably only for a couple of hours. The dizziness caused Iris' vision to go blurry. She took a long drink of her canteen. Iris was thankful that the water had remained at the icy cold temperature she liked, otherwise she may have passed out. She had fallen back, but hadn't been cut. She just laid in the dirt painting. Her anger had diminished, though it was still going strong. Iris shut her ice colored eyes on impulse but opened them a moment later.

Her anger stemmed from the Reaping in District Two that went just the day before. Iris was sure, damn sure actually, that this was her year. The disappoint and anger that followed it Iris couldn't help but still felt shame over. She was raised to act better and she should have. Somehow, the shame had filled Iris' anger to breaking point. Her family and the one or two people outside of that who talked to her knew it was time to leave her alone. Iris had done this every year since she was twelve. They knew it was better to just let her cool off.

Now, she laid down and allowed the hot sun to touch her skin, it would probably would end up in a nasty sunburn later on. As if I don't have time to recover. Iris thought bitterly. She was a future career and a damn impatient one. Her year would be coming soon, even if she had to kill another girl for the spot. For now, Iris just watched the birds and drank her icy water. Iris would probably go back up to her house and have lunch soon. For now, silence was blissful.

[Gale Hawthorne: Ace Attorney]

His leisurely walk wasn't calming him down the way it should have. Taking one of the three water bottles from his bag, the the cold texture against his throat only provided small comfort- not relief. Even though he knew as well as anyone that he'd be staying home this year, but having to show up to the Reaping was just a crude reminder of the fact. It was almost unfair- all the children from the lower districts had to be forced to go, and he couldn't enter willingly? With only one more year ahead of him to either enter by chance or volunteer, he was more than a little disheartened.

Razor Creel. Was that even a name? It was almost as if the Capitol was trying to make District 2 scary on purpose. The tributes were zealous enough as it was, but that name... who were they putting in the Games next year, Bruiser Khang? It's as if no matter how many tesserae he signed for, he wouldn't be getting anything from it but food and supplies- the Reapings seemed more and more pre-determined. by the year. Twelve year-olds randomly getting selected, crippled children who just happened to be thrown in, and now Mr. Slaughterhouse Jefferson just happens to get reaped? No.

Well, back to business as usual, then. He still had friends to meet, places to go, and hopefully stories to write. The underlying sense of disappointment couldn't last forever, after all. He'd just have to challenge it to a war of attrition- outlast it. He could do that much just by existing (along with not killing himself, needless to say), but to really make it bearable, he'd need a distraction- something he found in the shape of what appeared to be a fellow career.

Blue seemed to be her color. Most of her clothing was dark blue, contrasting eyes that almost perfectly mirrored the color of ice- they managed to draw attention even though she was lying dirty on the ground. He wasn't much taller than her, and she seemed about as distressed as he was, if not more."...Need some water?" He opened. As much fun as it would be to comment on her methods, he didn't want this to be much like his... other recent encounter.

[Solace]

At first Iris favored the boy who had approached her with an annoyed glance but that had changed quickly. Iris recognized the boy from the Reaping. He was another future career that didn't get in. Iris was willing to bet he was as frustrated as she was. Besides, Iris was known to be a bitch, and in her opinion there was something to be admired about approached someone who would just be mean. For all of these reasons, she decided to be nice to the boy who approached her.

"No thanks, I have my own." Iris spoke to him in an completely indifferent tone of voice. Her smile was somewhere in between a nice one and a smug one. "I have my own." she showed him the canteen with the icy water inside. She'd probably have had a heat stroke if it wouldn't for it. For a moment, she went back to watching the blue jays and robins fly. They were the last signs up spring for District Two and Iris couldn't say she gave a damn whether the stayed or went.

Iris' attention went back to the boy. "I'm Iris." she told him. Despite her personality, she liked her name. It was a name of goddess, though a minor one. She waited for him to returned the introduction with his own name. A bird flew by. It was close enough to Iris' head that she could feel a gust of wind as it went by. "Goddamn!" Iris spat and jumped back onto her feet, almost stumbling in the process. That was way to close for comfort, even for her.

[Gale Hawthorne: Ace Attorney]

She introduced herself first? That was different- pleasingly different. He'd forced himself to become quite adept at getting his name out simply because of how often he needed to do it. The change of pace brought on a natural smile. Perhaps it was unfair that he was allowing a single human being to make his day, but with the next Games around the corner, it didn't feel right to underestimate what a single human being could do. Iris, he repeated."I like it.

The bird bolting by his new friend (or at least who he hoped was a new friend) did bother him a bit. Her reaction, though surprising and certainly not the most elegant he'd ever seen, was something he'd wholly admit he may have done himself. Overall, her speed actually impressed him. "For how interesting the woods can be on a good day, you'd think animals would be a bit more pleasant to run into,"He muttered, shooting a dark glance in the direction the bird was flying.

"Anyway, Thomas." He extended a hand, trying to take her mind off of the bird. "It's nowhere near as nice as Iris, as far as names go, but it'll do for me. Anyway, it's a pleasure."His other hand moved to put what water he had back in his bag.

[Solace]

The boy was definite flirt, this was completely obvious to Iris. "Thank you." she said nicely. Iris took a look at the boy while trying not to look like she was doing. From her opinion, he was pretty cute. Iris flipped her hair back over her shoulder and smiled a little cutesy smile. iris may not have flirted much before, but she was trying. If the boy laughed, Iris could just beat the Hell out of him of course. She hoped it wouldn't end that way though. That would be a bad ending to really bad couple of days.

Despite the fact that she was pretty sure she knew the answer,Iris asked. "What do you think of the Reaping? Utter bullshit, right?" she asked, assuming the boy would share her opinion. Iris thought he was career like her, most kids that were of Games age in District Two were. Iris assumed he would laugh at her of the bird, but had just introduced himself instead. His name was Thomas, Iris found this cute also. Iris blushed lightly when his complement about her name. Iris shook his hand after she stood. "Thomas is a nice name." she said.

[Gale Hawthorne: Ace Attorney]

"Thank you." He smiled softly, and a slight tint of red in his own expression covered the fact that the girl was beginning to worry him. Perhaps I may have... come off a bit too on-edge with that compliment. About a week ago, attention from someone as pretty as Iris would've been something to die for, but his circumstances were changing. Unsure whether or not he was actually taken, he decided it was best to go through the motions for now. At this point, it's just a conversation- all I have to do is keep it that way.


"Oh, God... the Reaping," He palmed his own face, chuckling lightly."I'm almost completely certain the things are rigged now. Nobody names their kid... Razor." Perhaps getting a bit absorbed in the thought, he sighed. "Either the Capitol or the Mayor is trying to make us look bloodthirsty... I admit, there is a pang of truth in that, but it's nothing to go rigging a Reaping over."Iris did strike him as sharp, at the very least- and she took the Games seriously enough. He briefly considered letting her in on the sabotage plan he'd been contemplating... if it wasn't too soon.

[Solace]

Iris' smile widen a little at the tint of red that appeared on Thomas' face. It added to his cuteness. He looked as if he was getting a bit nervous too. Iris thought that this might go well after all, when she had a thought. What if they were both put in the same Games? That would be an honest to God nightmare to go against a potential love interest. That might even mess up what she had been working for since she was seven years old. Even more so, what would her father think?

A laugh escaped Iris when Thomas made fun of Razor Creel's name. It was a bit ridiculous to name a kid Razor. Razor was the name of something you shave with. "Yeah, it's kind of stupid." Iris said to him. She made a face and said "What's up with the name Sylvania Legend? Sounds like the name of some character in a kid's story." she told Thomas honestly. Next year, it might just be Sparkle Powerpuff in the Games.

[Gale Hawthorne: Ace Attorney]

((Just for the record, no hard feelings, guys. Both names are epic, in my humble opinion- especially Creel's . ))

"You know, I forgot her name until you reminded me," he admitted."But was that really it?"Sylvania Legend. The given name was lyrical, at least, and he would admit that much without a problem, but the fact that the last name was such a natural word threw him off. Maybe if she loses, I'll go ahead and name a character after her one day."That sounds... Elvish." His eyes shifted.

"Well, as much as I'd love to see Two win and reap the rewards it's meant to, there's a good shot they'll get cut down by the Twelves." His expression was sarcastic, but he was on the right track now. Though the scale was small, this had become a true Xanatos Gambit- no matter what her reaction was, a brief examination of her character told him that he had come upon a new ally.