muffled mask [Zori/Blitz]

[School is the bane of my life]

Im standing in Brooklyn just waiting for something to happen

I can't help but love thinking that everyone doesn't get it
To my left there's a window, where did I go?
My reflection just blends to rows of clothes
And bad ideas, ideas nonetheless, in a song[/center][/color][/size]

Ever since my foot stepped onto the train, I knew I was transported into a different world. One where even thinking is hard to do. My mind can’t alter worlds so easily; my thought process won’t work like that. I thoughts still feel stuck in District 3 where I was the awkward District 3 boy who talked when he was talked to and barley left his home. I was like a ghost in my old home and here I feel like a forced star, all lights focused on me and twenty three others. A star can’t be born in a blink of an eye, they can’t expect me to want to take charge, pick up a sword and rip my mind away from my old home.

But I can’t oppose them either, I’m always being watched by the beady eyes of the game makers. Ones I use to look up to, ones where my talents emerged from. Now I am just thrown into their game, what am I supposed to do with a body full of pain and regret? For now I have to slip on mask, concealing my true face and follow the current of the games. I crane my neck, letting my disguise slip on while I peer at a boy. Standing there with no one near him, I could use this chance. To talk to him, my heart flutters, I will be the one to spark the discussion. Something I’ve never done but it’s the only way to roll with this game and blend in. I walk over to him and relax against the spot beside him, shifting a little more nervously then I hoped I would,

[/size]“You’re the District eleven male right? I’m Ezra, district 3 male.”[/color][/blockquote][/justify]

[Deleted]

Benat Izar

•••
Those you’ve known
And lost, still walk behind you
All alone
They linger till they find you
•••

There was something about the training center that made Benat think of the races he would run with his younger brothers. They would press through the fields, and he’d give them a five second head start. But with their little legs, five seconds was barely enough for them to get a few feet out in front. His big body burst forth through the stalks of corn, causing them to shriek with laughter as he came up fast behind them. And it would be only a few moments before he overtook them, obviously stronger and faster than they could ever be then. Now he was them—his body and legs too weak, too little—and the others around him were rushing up quickly behind, ready to take him down and end everything. It sent a shiver through him, his hand shaking once more as he gripped a sword.

He was nearly startled at the sound of a voice in the corner near him. Benat blinked a few times before turning slowly to face the District Three boy—Ezra, was it? In truth, he was happy for the interruption. “Well,” Benat pointed the sword down at his side and gave a wave to the boy. He found nothing wrong in saying hello to those around him, despite the frequent warnings from others. If he was going to die, why shouldn’t they know a little about him? After all, maybe he might have even liked some of these kids, had their fates been a little different. “Hello there, Ezra. Is standing in corners a hobby of yours? Or were you trying to give me a heart attack?” He gave a grin before setting down the sword altogether on a sword rack. “What’s up, buttercup?” He affectionately named the doughy faced boy he’d just met. “Enjoying your time getting sweaty, or are you ready to get back to your room and stuff your face like I am?”

•••
Without them
The world grows dark around you
And nothing is the same until you know that they have found you
•••

[/size][/justify]

[School is the bane of my life]

Im standing in Brooklyn just waiting for something to happen

I can't help but love thinking that everyone doesn't get it
To my left there's a window, where did I go?
My reflection just blends to rows of clothes
And bad ideas, ideas nonetheless, in a song[/center][/color][/size]

There was a reason I had wanted to talk to this boy. Not that he was just alone but he had a dreamlike state over him as well, like he was remembering his memories from just a short while ago; something I’m prone to doing at this point in my life. But unlike him, I’m sure he does not think about arenas he has created, why would he do that? Help make up arenas used for death like this? That is for me to dream about and try my best to get rid off.

I try my best smile as he talks to me, but it ends up coming on my face more as a lingering expression of doubt. Hey there buttercup? Going to get sweaty? How would I respond to that, my basic human interaction comes with ‘hello, how are you? Good day.” Not anything to keep up with the rhythm of his tone. I blink a few times and gazed down at the sword he had put back. Long and sharpened with a lethal blade. Was he putting his heart into training? I guess he wanted to come back home too. Everyone wants to come back, but does he have doubt about coming back like I do?

[/size] “Well I’d prefer to go back and stuff my face, the free drinks were nice and the food was great... So how has you training been going?”[/size][/blockquote][/justify]

[Deleted]

Benat Izar

•••
Those you’ve known
And lost, still walk behind you
All alone
They linger till they find you
•••

“A man after my own heart. I’m Benat Izar,” Benat said in reply before gently pounding a fist to the boy’s shoulder. He let out a chuckle as he placed his hands onto his hips. He was pretty good at reading people, and it appeared that Ezra was less of a talker than he—not that that was a problem for Benat. He enjoyed the attention, and could suck up most of the oxygen in the room with his own stories and yarns. And it mean that he didn’t have to actually resume training, despite the angry looks his mentor was no doubt giving him. He’d chalk this up to strategy—after all, getting to know someone made it harder for them to kill you, right? Benat was trusting in this way—he wouldn’t believe that any of these kids were blood thirsty killers so long as he could hold a conversation with them.

“Nah, I’m absolutely rotten at all of this.” Benat shrugged his shoulders. He freely admitted he was most likely one of the worst tributes there. The facts were all against him: being from district eleven, having no interest in training, never having held a weapon in his life, and a demeanor that some would say made him more of a teddy bear than a brawler. He was absolutely useless at any of this stuff—though he did pride himself on being able to turn a good distance before becoming winded. “I’d much rather just spend the whole week on the couch upstairs in my quarters, eating all those chocolates and drinking all that booze. I think it would be better training for me, anyway,” Benat laughed. A part of him wondered if this boy had any real skill at all, and whether or not he was just as useless. “What about you, buttercup?”

•••
Without them
The world grows dark around you
And nothing is the same until you know that they have found you
•••

[/size][/justify]

[School is the bane of my life]

Im standing in Brooklyn just waiting for something to happen

I can't help but love thinking that everyone doesn't get it
To my left there's a window, where did I go?
My reflection just blends to rows of clothes
And bad ideas, ideas nonetheless, in a song[/center][/color][/size]

Someone like Benet was not uncommon in District 3. Charismatic, joker, cool, relaxed. I have been faced with many of them before, either in school, work or on the streets. None of them had ever backed down from a starting a chat and even invited the ignored kid around to join them. It makes sense that I can hardly believe I had started the conversation. It should feel like a success, few lines have already been exchanged and the barrier surrounding strangers has been broken by the light punch to my arm; but I can’t tug the feeling of doubt off my back. It rips away at my mask, I’m worried it will slip. I finger a piece of hair and pull it back to rest back where the sweat was holding it with a hopeful thought that maybe my mask will become glued to my face just for the rest of our conversation.

As he rolls along talking, confessing to me his training habits, the lingering expression of doubt twists into a real smile. Is it because I’m becoming more confidence or am I actually wanting to become friends with him? Whatever it is makes me want to keep the conversation going on longer. Quickly, I take a peek at my hands before giving him a few of my own confessions. “Well if we are talking about how bad we are at training then you can count me in too.” My hands revel the faint lines and the rapid burn of rope twisting through scarred hands. “My best talent is with string, most likely because of my talent of making gadgets back at home. But I could also take some of those chocolates to relax with, expect I never tired booze before so I would have to pass on that.” I admit, managing a muffled laugh ( the mask must be blocking this laugh.) After he had finished he had ended with a buttercup and now when I stand facing him in the same position he was just in I realize, I like buttercup.

[/color]
[/size]

[Deleted]

Benat Izar

•••
Those you’ve known
And lost, still walk behind you
All alone
They linger till they find you
•••

“Gadgets and gizmos huh? That’s what you guys are known for, right?” Benat leaned in to get a closer look at the boy. Not that Benat himself was very imposing. There was only so much a five foot seven man boy could do, especially one that had a tendency to bounce back and forth on his feet. He knew a little bit of geography from the barebones schooling they got in district eleven, but as one might have been able to guess, school had never been his forte, and therefore he didn’t remember much about any of the districts. He envisioned high tech hovercrafts and gigantic magnets when he thought of district three. None of it fascinated Benat as much as the world outside and the fresh smell of grass, so he figured it must not have been very fun for the boy growing up there.

“And you mean to say you’ve never even had a drink in your life?” Benat put both of his hands on his hips. He shook his head. “No. No. Nope.” He continued to shake his hand as he moved closer and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You’re going to get a taste of alcohol, I give you my word—I don’t think anyone should live their lives without it,” Benat said with a grin. “Though the stuff they have here is nothing, nothing like what I had back in district eleven. We made our stuff from potatoes. It was… well, it was a little bit like drinking acid. But it got the job done, if you know what I mean!” He leaned over once more to give a soft elbow into the boy’s gut.

[/size][/justify]

[School is the bane of my life]

Im standing in Brooklyn just waiting for something to happen

I can't help but love thinking that everyone doesn't get it
To my left there's a window, where did I go?
My reflection just blends to rows of clothes
And bad ideas, ideas nonetheless, in a song[/center][/color][/size]

“Gadgets and gizmos,”

I echoed his words. It was true, everything in District 3 revolved around gadget making. Small chips as big as a fingernail storing hours of music and songs. Along with handheld devices used for the convention for the capitol. Everything we produce is sent straight to the Capitol, even in my short time here I have spotted many different items scattered around in their proper order. Each one targeting a different emotion in my brain, some shatter like glass and the others refuse to break. I stayed planted as he came closer, I found my eyes scanning his face. Taking every spot, faded wrinkle and unshaven hair.

My head shook back in a slight shake, leaning me back a bit as he proclaimed I would be drinking. A line of remembrance crinkled over my eye. my experiences of drinking were the tiny sips fed to me by my parents at an age when I thought it was just a drink. I ended up gagging and coughing, regretting every drop on my tongue. It spoiled it and to this day the mere mention does not do good with me, but what can I do. Refuse? I have to be a new person here I can’t let my past life help me in my present. “One day before we go, I would love you to treat me to some drinks. I guess it would be fun seeing I don’t have longer to live,” I tried a bigger smile and accepted the elbow in the gut. Being a friend was easier than I thought.

Graphic credits to the wonderful Zoe!
occ: i'm sorry, the exams took it out of me.

[/justify][/size]

[Deleted]

Benat Izar

•••
Those you’ve known
And lost, still walk behind you
All alone
They linger till they find you
•••

Benat opened and closed his mouth, his breath caught at the back of his throat. Like a deflating balloon, he let out a little thhhhpt, with his tongue against his lip. Any mention of the games and death was an unfortunate drag, one that he would not allow himself to be a part of, not here. Buttercup was a little bit unfortunate—maybe a little scrappier than Benat—and the boy seemed like he hadn’t had as much of a chance to be free as Benat. District three sounded like a place where they were locked away, hounded to put together trinkets and gadgets that they’d never use. He’d heard of smelly smog and cities lit up at night with fire and sulfur—he wondered if all of this was some kind of lie, as the description scared him—but he conceded he knew little about other districts.

“Hey man,” Benat pulled closer to Ezra, lowering his voice. “It’s not time to worry about that yet. You got to keep things positive. See,” Benat brought his fingers to his lips and curved them upward, reinforcing his smile. “Helps when everything seems bad you know? I don’t think about when things aren’t gonna be, because when it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go. Fate, and all that…” Benat said with a shrug and a laugh. He hoped that if he said it enough times, he would believe it.

[/color] “And what else might be on your list of things to do this week?”


[/blockquote][/size][/justify]