I Like to Keep my Issues Strong [Damen]

[sbeeg]

Dandy Gordon

On days off from school, your brain wakes you up early in the morning and then your feet carrying you all around the District. There aren't any errands to run, no one that needs to be seen, you just like looking at the district. Some might say there is not much to see, but you see everything. Every single detail. You know every face you walk past, and everyone tends to wave as you pass them. You like to share your smile with the rest of District Twelve because most of them can't afford to do it themselves. Mornings were the best time to go on these little walks because that's when everyone is the most open to hope. By late afternoon everyone is so frustrated at their work, their lives and everyone else, a simple smile might just make it worse. That's why you live in the morning time.

On your right a small group of children are picking flowers in the small field. Only they aren't real flowers, they're weeds. Dandelions, to be exact. You can't help but chuckle at that, after all you are named after the annoying yellow plant. Walking over, you kneel next to them. Some of them recognize you and offer you a single dandelion, the rest must be taken home for their families. You accept the gift, of course, and continue on your walk. Holding onto the stem and looking at the yellow petals. Turning down an alley way between a boarded up building and an old shoe shop, your eyes are still trained on the plant. Your eyes look up just in time to see the back that you knock into. Surprised, the dandelion falls from your fingers and you can only stare at the person in front of you. They're male, taller and bigger than you. Your smile vanishes and your voice is suddenly small and meek.

"I- I'm sorry, I di-didn't mean to, uh,"

[∂αмєη]

[61536C] [4B416B] [59567B]

Every step feels like an eternity. Every breath exhausts my reserve of energy more and more, as if the world is on my shoulders and I'm struggling to keep myself up, let alone keeping the exchange of air in and out from my lungs regulated and normal. Between the elevated beating of my heart and the dampness that has now formed in my palms, it's obvious that I'm getting myself worked up again. Every part of me aches and threatens to crumble into several million pieces. It's as if I can feel the medication working its way into my system and pumping through my blood stream. I feel heavier and the ache deep in my bones is constantly present. Cinder blocks are seemingly attached to both of my feet. Hence the eternity it takes to shuffle through the District.

Ma' asked me to make my way to the shoe shop, hadn't she? I wasn't sure. The clouds formed over that memory once again, covering everything that had happened within the past few hours. I wasn't even sure how I had found myself standing in the alleyway. My hands press against the walls on either side of me as I struggle to inhale as much oxygen as possible, not wanting to get rid of it and instead holding my breath for a bit. Why do I still have to take this medication if all it does to me is nearly leave me dying in an alley. And it still continues to eat away at my memory like it's a buffet. Small things disappear. And then the big things. I forgot my twelfth birthday. That was just a few years ago. How can I not remember celebrating the most important day of my life?

And then it hits me. Quite literally. The force colliding with my back yanks me out of the drunken stupor that the medication imposed and I almost launch forward and onto my face. Luckily, I gain my balance before ripping around and facing the person who had just ran into me. A yellow flower lies on the ground, one whose name has abandoned me when I need it most. She simply stares at me instead of reaching down to get it, so I bend over instead in order to grasp the green stem between my fingers gently. I offer it back to her, smiling feebly in order to seem friendly. "It's okay. Shouldn't have been, uh, standing there. Here's your flower." She's pretty. Which worries me. My eyes start feeling heavy again and I can feel the edges of my mind blurring again. Maybe I shouldn't be talking to somebody while in this state. And yet, I can't leave until she moves out of the way.

[sbeeg]

Dandy Gordon

Once the stranger turned around, Dandy was not sure what to think of him. The girl could not decide whether he was young or older than her. He looked ragged and not quite all there. He was keeping himself up by bracing himself between the walls of the alleyway. Immediately a red flag went up in Dandy's mind but she was too shocked to move. Nothing eventful is supposed to happen on her morning walks. Nothing like this anyway. Wide yes, she watched every move the stranger made, watching as he bent down and retrieved her weed from the alley floor. Holding out the yellow bud to her, the stranger's mouth morphed into... she guess a smile. It was a very weak one with no real meaning behind it. A forced grin that left her cold. Dandy knew a real smile when she saw one and that was no where near authentic.

However, despite the stranger's worn appearance his voice was fairly gentle, offering her "flower" back.

"It isn't a flower," she said matter-of-factly. She wasn't angry at him for something so petty, it was just an automatic response. She reached her hand forward, taking the exposed part of the stem in her fingers. Which was somewhat hard because the boy's hand held much of the green part. Her fingers brushed his for a second and snapped back to her side without grabbing the plant. Calm down she told herself Not all strangers are dangerous. "Dandelions are weeds."

Morning walks are definitely not supposed to end up in alleyways with loopy looking strangers.

OOC: Changed to third, 2nd just isn't working for me right now.

[∂αмєη]

[61536C] [4B416B] [59567B]

She seems almost afraid of me. There's a look in her eyes that isn't normal and the way she's standing makes me feel as if I'm somehow intimidating her or something. She corrects my word usage, stating that it's not actually a flower. In return, I genuinely smile. It seems to push away the dull throb of the drugs for a moment, allowing me some clarity. I notice her eyes. They're blue. So very blue. Perhaps they seem a lot brighter because there is still a bit in my system but still, they're beautiful to look at. I straighten myself up now that my shoulders don't feel like heavy cannon balls. Stretching my back and exhaling brings me even closer to coherence. It's like being born and stepping out into the world after being in such a confined space. That's what I have to do every day whenever I feel too much energy. I need to put a cap on it and throw myself back into the depressive state of being drugged.

I notice the colour of her skin now, similar to that of most people in District Twelve. The bright flower - or weed, rather - stands out against her skin and I can easily recall the name now. Dandelion. It's one of the most beautiful weeds I've ever seen at least. "Sorry. I'm not very smart when it comes to plants." A real smile appears again and I can feel myself coming back through. So sudden. So immediate. The girl in front of me probably thinks I'm some freak of nature. I seemingly transformed right in front of her eyes. A thin layer of sweat has formed on my forehead and I wipe it away swiftly while keeping my eyes on the girl. I suppose I owe her some sort of explanation. Although, maybe she didn't notice?

"I'm Callen. You look familiar. I think I may have seen you around the District before?"



[[ooc; okay that's a terrible post. no more posts for me this late.]]

[sbeeg]

Dandy Gordon

A funny thing happened then and Dandy wasn't entirely sure how to take it. The boy stretched to his full height, which she didn't appreciate very much because it made him even bigger than she was, but there was something else too. He smiled, but it wasn't like the first one. It was genuine. Almost charming. After his comment about his knowledge of plants (or lack thereof) she had to smile to. One of her big, flashy grins that showed off her teeth. Maybe she had just caught him at a bad time. He was quiet strange, this boy in the alleyway. What was he doing just standing there anyway?

She finally worked up the courage to take the dandelion into her own fingers, holding it with both hands in front of her like a bride holds her wedding bouquet. Dandy didn't know what to do with this nice stranger that had replaced the seemingly scary one that had been in front of her only seconds before. I'm Callen. Callen her mind worked around the name but it didn't sound familiar.

"Perhaps," she answered. She was always walking around the District and many people knew her face. However something else worried her, the boy was sweating- he had already wiped the sheen from his forehead once but it was building back up again. "Ar- Are you sick? Do you need help?"

Her face screwed up in concern, looking at the boy's face and trying to look under that charming smile. His eyes looked tired and his face was shining with sweat. That explained it- fevers can make anyone act strange.

"If you are you shouldn't be in some alleyway, you need to rest," Dandy wasn't exactly a nurse, but rest seemed to be the best cure anyone had in the District Twelve.