stand my ground - cait

[jj jenkins d7. ✨ zozo.]

nessie conradi district two
b r a v e at h e a r t

describing [936228] thinking [c4bdbd] talking [621714]
B I O G R A P H Y

As Nessie Conradi sped along the smooth concrete streets of District 2 in her rollerblades, hair scooped back into a ponytail that flew behind her head, she laughed aloud into the air. Today she was alone, no boys her age tagging along behind her, whooping and hollering as they chased her through the street and attempted to catch her (they always failed, of course, because Nessie is the fastest kid in District 2). Still, she managed to go quite fast along the newly-cleared pathways, being stuck at home and itching with boredom as the District’s main roads were shovelled clear of the heavy snow that had coated her home and the surrounding area. You can only build so many snowmen before your freezing hands become tired and your mind achingly bored.

Reminiscing in her freedom, her gloved hands soared at her sides as she glided along the streets, money jingling in her jacket pocket. Dashing past other citizens and shoppers, Nessie headed towards the shops, hoping to grab herself a cup of coffee to warm her body. Her parents had always warned her not to drink too much, as it set off the hyper child inside of her, but Nessie didn’t really care what they thought. Hell, she didn’t really care what anyone thought. They weren’t here to tell her off, and if they weren’t going to find out, then why not do what she wanted to do?

Satisfied with her decision, a smirk appeared on her face. It was a good thing that she was in such high spirits, otherwise the cold would probably turn her mood sour. Nessie was particularly looking forward to her brother Jem coming to visit her the next day – promising their usual skating, ice cream and general mischief. The mere thought of seeing her brother in what always seemed like forever kept her speeding forward, darting through crowds of people and spinning around small children, who goggled at her skates in awe. A rumble as plastic scraped along concrete vibrated underneath Nessie as she scooted along, deciding to try some backwards skating for the fun of it. Not looking where she was going or who was in front of her, or rather, behind her, she leant to the side and spun herself around, scooting her wheeled feet backwards. As she began to get the hang of travelling backwards, Nessie let out a laugh, spreading her arms out wide as she slid along the pathway... before she felt her body smack into something and lost her balance, heart skipping a beat as her body slipped forwards and crumpled to the ground.

As her gloved palms hit the pavement, braking her fall, she winced as she felt skin scrape across the concrete. Guessing her gloves had ripped and hands had grazed, throbbing rocked through her body as the impact of her fall rocked through her frame. Once the initial shock had worn off and she’d regained herself, Nessie removed her face from the pavement and hopped back up on shaky legs, observing her damaged hands. She cursed under her breath, knowing that her mother would be extremely annoyed with her for ruining her new gloves, instead wiping the little drips of blood that escaped her grazes on her aching legs. Looking up as she grumbled internally about her clumsiness, she tried to spot the person she’d crashed into, a sheepish, apologetic smile on her face.

”Sorry ‘bout that!” she called out, hoping that her victim would appear, and that they wouldn't be too upset with her.

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loud rollerblader feisty thick-skinned mischievous

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[d6a seraphina keoch [cait]]

Doing
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[/color] Why did everybody look so happy?[/color] I knew it was a stupid question – a better question would be when aren’t the people of District 2 happy? But of course, they were, so I just had to tough it out until I got to the Town Square. Then I could get the bread and get back home as soon as possible. These people made me nervous. I considered running there to make the trip quicker; I was the fastest boy in District 2, or close to it. But how stupid would a boy dressed in a suit and tie look running to the Town Square? Quite stupid really. And enough people thought I was weird as it was, so I didn’t need to make a bigger fool out of myself.

As I took a few steps forward, I noticed how cold the weather was. For once in my life, I was grateful for the oversized suit that was shielding me from the cold. Oh, how I hated leaving the house, where nobody could taunt me, tease me, judge me. I considered making up an excuse to return home. I’m sorry father, the weather was too cold. No that wouldn’t work, my father would just call me a sook. I didn’t want that, I’d been working for so long to earn his approval, and I wasn’t going to throw it all away in a moment of weakness. If mother was still alive, I feel certain she would have been able to understand, and probably not even have gotten mad at me. But I don’t know for sure. I never knew her, and for the millionth time in my life, I felt as if I would break into a thousand tiny pieces right there. Growing up with just a father wasn’t easy, and I craved a mother’s loving touch so often. The cold nights where father came home very late from battle training, there was no one there to protect me from the night terrors.

As I came back to reality, I felt my eyes beginning to fill with water. No, I can’t cry. Not here. Just get the bread, and get home. Then you can cry as much as you want, where no one will hear you.[/color] As I reached this conclusion, I stood up a little straighter and continued walking as if nothing had even happened. I had only paused for about a minute, but you never knew who could be watching out here in the open. Any sign of weakness shown would be the death of me. Because here, weakness was not an option. You were expected to be aggressive, loud, a skilled fighter. Everything I wasn’t. Except for maybe the aggressive part. When I got mad, you did not want to be on the other side of the line.

Without even realising I was doing it, I had reached the Town Square. See, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?[/color] my subconscious told me. But I still felt uneasy out here in the open. As I quickly entered the store to get the bread, I took in the smell of freshly baked bread. My mouth instantly began to water, and I couldn’t resist buying two loaves of bread instead of just one. Yes, my father would probably get up me for wasting money on a second loaf, but he and I would earn it back tomorrow, him testing out new weapons whilst I produce them. Walking out of the warm store, was again a shock, as I forgot yet again that the weather outside was quite unforgiving. As I briskly walked, trying to keep to myself and keeping my head down, bread wrapped in my warm suit, I hardly noticed the strange, rollerblading girl coming at me. I barely had time to look up – was she skating backwards? – before she crashed into me.

We both fell over, the bread leaving my hands and falling somewhere on the ground nearby. Already the girl was getting up again, dusting herself off without a care. She looked around and apologised, and I had to grimace. I didn’t want any apologies. This girl was happy, unlike me. I envied her. She hadn’t meant to run into me, and surprisingly, I wasn’t annoyed. As I gathered the two loaves of bread I had dropped, I looked back up at the girl from my position on the ground, my blue eyes staring right into her hazel ones, and muttered, ”You should watch where you’re going.”[/b] My tone had been harsh and cold, but I didn’t care. She was just a distraction from me getting home.[/size][/ul]

[jj jenkins d7. ✨ zozo.]

nessie conradi district two
b r a v e at h e a r t

ooc; Switching to first person, apologies for the short post, sorry! D: <3

My eyes laid on a boy, perhaps a few years older than me, hopping up as he gathered his shopping. Bread, I noticed. I was all for to skate over there and help him collect his food - but he'd already finished. Feeling a little awkward just standing there, compassion began to kick in, and I thought about offering to buy him some more, if I'd ruined his purchases. Beginning to open my mouth, I caught his glare and muttered comment. ”You should watch where you’re going.”

Instantly, all guilt I'd felt melted out of my system. His eyes looked sad, and perhaps if he hadn't talked I would have asked him what was wrong, but his comment took me back. I mean, yes, I should have been watching where I was going - but his harsh tone annoyed me. Hell, he shouldn't have been in my way! What did he think he was doing, jumping out like that from nowhere. If you see someone skating backwards, they obviously won't see you coming. At least have the common sense to steer clear of them!

"Well, maybe you should watch where you're walkin'!"I huffed, fists clenched together. I never could stand back from a confrontation, everyone said it, and what they said is true. I'm stubborn, I know, but you don't push Nessie Conradi around. Whether it's the girls at school or some passer-by, I'd let you know what I thought. Wishing that I had Jem or one of the boys to back me up, I gritted my teeth and stood my ground.

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loud rollerblader feisty thick-skinned mischievous

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[d6a seraphina keoch [cait]]

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What day is it? And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive.

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Or maybe the girl wasn't entirely to blame. Of course she had been part of the incident; had she not been roller-skating backwards it would not have even happened. But if I hadn't been so caught up in my own little world, trying to avoid everyone around me, maybe I would have noticed the girl, who had been so immaturely, so carelessly skating around, as happy as could be. I instantly began to feel guilty for lashing out at the girl. It was not her fault, after all, that I was a depressed bastard. I shouldn't make other people suffer because of how I'm feeling.

I was just about to apologise for my rudeness, when I caught the girl's cold glare.[/color] Too late, she's pissed.[/color] I braced myself for a long lecture, but was only met with a short, 8-word speech. And just like that, I knew I'd made a mistake. The girl looked like she meant business, but that didn't faze me. If she wanted a fight, she would get one. But not quite yet. The previous apology I had been planning in my head moments earlier had been wiped, and in its place was silence. I couldn't think of what to say. I was feeling mixed emotions, and for once in my life was unsure of what to do next.

I knew I coudn't just randomly attack this girl, but then I re-considered the thought. Why couldn't I? It is District 2, after all. People here love a good fight every now and then. But even though I didn't want to admit it, I knew the chances of me winning a fight, even to a girl, were very slim. So instead I did the only rational thing, apart from running away. I spoke. Though I'm not sure why. It hadn't done much for me so far.

"I don't really see how this is my fault. You were the one who ran into me. I was just minding my own business. If you hadn't been so careless, this wouldn't have happened in the first place."

Great work Finch, that's the way to go, piss her off even more...
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I can't keep up, and I can't back down.
I've been losing so much time.

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[jj jenkins d7. ✨ zozo.]

nessie conradi district two
b r a v e at h e a r t

I was pissed. Really pissed. It was times like this where I wished I could punch whoever I damn well wanted to - but the last time I did that I got into a heap of trouble with Mom and Dad. I didn't want my skates taken off of me, or worse, to be banned from seeing Jem, so reluctantly, I kept my fists to myself - torn with wanting to speak my mind, but restricted by my parent's rules.

"I don't really see how this is my fault" the boy began. "You were the one who ran into me. I was just minding my own business. If you hadn't been so careless, this wouldn't have happened in the first place."

Gritting my teeth, I said nothing. The guy did have a point, after all, and I'm infamous for my clumsiness. I wasn't watching where I was going, either, I should have probably looked for others on the pathway. Still, right or wrong, I was not going to get snarled at by this boy, no matter what had happened. He didn't really have a right to talk to me like that, I mean, come on! It was an accident, after all.

"Well, if you'd been a lot nicer 'bout it, insteada being rude, I woulda apologised" I argued, skating a little closer to him so I was sure he'd hear me. "No need to get all harsh and up in my face, geez!"I finished, folding my arms across my body, a frown spread across my anguished face as I stared at him.

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loud rollerblader feisty thick-skinned mischievous

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[d6a seraphina keoch [cait]]

[/color][/size] She should act her age.

I felt my mind wandering off to a time in the past where I had become so pissed - I can't even remember what for - that I had randomly lashed out at the nearest person to me. Yeah, not really the smartest thing to do. I was knocked down to my feet in 3 seconds flat. The only thing that stopped me from getting into a proper fight with the guy and developing serious injuries was my speed. Not even completely sure what I hda been doing i'd got back on my feet and sprinted for my life. Of course, the guy didn't catch me. Nobody could.

Coming back to reality, I noticed the girl's lips moving. As I listened to her, I noticed she had a funny accent. Her words weren't as smooth sounding as mine, but more country-ish. This only enhanced the idea of the girl appearing as a young, immature teenager. That doesn't make sense.. I thought vaguely, shaking my head in confusion. As the girl crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for me to speak again, I sized up things to say.

Wait, why am I still even here? I could just leave now. But no, I wouldn't leave yet. Besides, something about the girl was intriguing me, and I racked my brain to try and work out what it was. Then it came to me, like a sudden jolt of lightning. "You're.... you're... I know you. You go to my school." How had he not recognized her earlier? It was so obvious now, and I stared at the girl before me iin bewilderment. What was her name?

Nessie. That was her name. "Nessie,"[/b] I muttered, my voice barely audible. Great... now she probably thinks I'm a weirdo. Wouldn't be the first to think so either. As I stared at the girl, I silently prayed that she hadn't heard my idiotic muttering, but I knew she must have. Desperate to change the subject, I pounced on the girl's statement. "Yes, I guess I was a bit rude, but that's just who I am."[/b] Ha, what a joke. Maybe trying to be nice would be the best way to go here... "We didn't really start off on the best note. Hi, I'm Finch." I held out my hand as I said it, silently hoping she would take it. The sooner we got over this, the sooner I got home.

I didn't like pretending to be nice. It felt like lying or something like that. But my hand was there now, hers for the taking, out in the open. I couldn't take it back either, and kind of regretted my great plan to be nice, quite a foreign word to me. But all I could do now was wait. Anything to distract the girl from my strange remark earlier on.[/ul][/size]