[ | ] Moving on [ | ] {Team EXP vs. Colton Brax}

[ja'mie]

ailia goodnite . the defiant one

It had been a long, cold, and dreary day filled with snow, ice, and on-coming hypothermia, yet Ailia felt strangely energetic. There was the sensation of adrenaline in her veins, pushing her forward, motivating her as she clammored through the snow. Her new boots made her stumble quite a lot, but at least they were warm, and she still had the jacket that they had been given when they were first launched into the arena. All their items (except for their weapons, of course) were safely within the hands of the rest of the alliance members, incase Ailia, Zinnia, and Arbor were to somehow get into a fight during their walk, and lose. That way, if they were defeated, all their items would still be in the hands of the team.

But then again, even if there was someone out here, ready to fight, she doubted if she could see them coming... A light snow was starting to fall, and her vision was becoming a little blurry. The snow was almost up to her mid-calf, not quite, which meant she couldn't flee if need-be and well...

It was just not the best conditions.

Yet, here she was, practically plowing through the snow, happily clinging to her rapier. Ailia still was not sure exactly why she felt this way. She had never liked the cold, or the ice. Maybe it was the rapier in her hand. She liked weapons, she supposed. But it was something else too... Ailia pondered it while she trudged furthur on, pausing only slightly to look back at Zinnia and Arbor. No, it was something else too, she decided. Perhaps... perhaps it was the unknown. That there could be anyone out there, or two people, or three... and then they would fight.

It would be her first real fight. And it would be amazing.

She tried not to get her hopes up, telling herself that everyone was tucked away in the forest, or near the mountain, yet she couldn't help looking around for someone. Anyone.

[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

This arena was miserable. Arbor could scarcely feel his toes, and he was certain that his right hand had frozen to his hunting knife hours ago. It was all he could do to keep trudging behind Alia and Zinnia.

Every step brought another round of complaints from his battle injuries. His minor scrapes and bruises weren't so bad, but he'd been hit hard in the ribs. By the amount of pain still emanating from the region with every footstep, Arbor was fairly certain that it was broken.

Despite his injuries, Arbor's confidence was fairly well bolstered from their recent brawl, which had resulted in the deaths of two girls he hadn't known. Maybe he was a monster for it, but it really didn't bother him. They were two girls, who would have died by someone else's hand if not his own, at some point or another in life. Perhaps he'd even spared them from a lifetime of further atrocity.

Either way, he'd performed better than any blind kid would have been expected to. Whatever the outcome, he was glad for it. Perhaps he could attract some sponsor money. On top of the pity factor--normally an object of loathing, but a tool to utilize nonetheless--Arbor had shown that he wasn't completely useless as a tribute. He wasn't defenseless.

After a brief round of discussion, it was decided that if there was any more fighting to be done, Zinnia, Alia, and he would be the ones to do it, with Jeremy and Archer only stepping in if things got bad. The other two guys had received worse injuries than he had in the previous fight, and therefore would be given a break from combat, while keeping track of the alliance's items--just so they wouldn't be stolen if the three were overpowered before Jeremy or Archer could step in.

Arbor felt like there would be fighting to do today, despite the apparently bleak appearance of the tundra that surrounded the frozen lake. It was just a premonition. More blood would be spilled on this day.

[rizzo13]

Jeremy Houser

Jeremy trudged along right behind Arbor. After the fight they had just had he was starting to believe having a blind homosexual on their team wasn’t such a bad idea. It did provide another body and also helped take the attention off of Jeremy.

His plan was to not get too many sponsors so that no one wanted to take anything from him. He did have an ax, which he had taken back from Archer, and some other minor stuff but nothing that would get him recognized above all others. He was glad that he had lived through his first fight in the games.

Occasionally he reached his hand up to feel of the bandage protecting his wound. It gave Jeremy random headaches and made him even feel light headed sometimes. He knew, however, that he was not going to die because of it. It was just a battle wound and nothing too severe that may cause immediate death. Obviously.

Jeremy, with some of his strength that he had saved, ran up next to Ailia and said in a serious tone, “We need to talk,” he then felt the urge to add, “alone.” He had feelings for her and needed to get them out. He needed to protect her because he loved her. He loved to protect her.

He was the bodyguard, the acrobat, the lover boy, and the background man, whatever the Capital wanted to call him. Nicknames only showed half of someone’s personality, never the whole thing. Hardly ever did the Capital get the person behind the show, behind the curtain. They wouldn’t get beyond Jeremy Houser’s veil. He could only trust Ailia, the one he loved, in these games.

[Gigi]

He was an idiot. A useless, good-for-nothing, first class idiot. Insane. Crazy from cold. Whatever. What type of person thought they saw something that wasn't there? A lunatic. Him. He was such an idiot.

God, he hated himself right now. A stupid fool, that's what he was. Colton really didn't know that he had been so cold, but he couldn't think of another explanation. Was extreme cold a good enough reason for him to be certifiably insane? Maybe. Or perhaps it was just the fact that he was a Hunger Games tribute. Either way, he had wasted his entire day yesterday wandering in circles, not really even getting near to his destination, which were the mountains.

Furthermore, Colton had basically collapsed once he thought he spotted the mountains and cliffs. After a long day of lonely, homesick traveling, he was elated to finally reach his short-term goal. He had slept right through the anthem (which was nearly impossible; it was so loud). He missed the death count (he didn't know if Ruby and Iris were still alive), and he had spent a night halfway frozen out in the open, where any other person crazy enough to actually travel through this god-forsaken tundra could be!

He was an idiot.

It wasn't as cold today. Colton wondered if that was because he was closer to the lake. He definitely wasn't closer to the mountains and cliffs, he couldn't see them, but there wasn't as much snow and he could see better. He hoped that he actually had a stroke of good luck and that the weather wasn't so bad today. He didn't want to go too close to the lake. He had a feeling that there would be many tributes, something he didn't want to deal with.

Anyways, he kept trudging on in the direction he fervently hoped the mountains were. As it slowly got cooler, he had a feeling that his instincts were correct. It was hard to tell, though. His adventures yesterday had severely confused him. Colton hated that feeling.

He wondered if anyone else was out here. He hadn't seen a single living thing since the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Not even a rabbit or something. He felt a bit starved, but he also had some peanut butter to eat. And his stomach was tiny; he had made sure of that before going into the Games. He didn't want to be stuffed then starved. It probably wasn't a good idea.

If there were any other tributes out here, Colton had to wonder if he would run into them. Maybe he hadn't so far, but he could, if he didn't play his cards right. So far, he hadn't. He was disoriented. Confused in his direction. Overcome with emotion. He knew he needed to concentrate, but he found it so hard. He would be in trouble if he ran into something. Or someone.

ooc: I don't know if it's possible to see things you wish were there because of cold, but he was actually near the Fissure, so this was the only thing I could think of doing. I figured it would sort of be the first steps of hypothermia...

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke,
Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat

And if that billy goat won't pull,
Mama's gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull turn over,
Mama's going to buy you a dog named Rover.

And if that dog named Rover won't bark,
Mama's going to buy you a horse and cart.

And if that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

Day Three

[/u]

It had been a long two days in the Arena, for Zinnia Yaren, but not because of hunger or cold or homesickness. The hunger she could handle, she had gone hungry for most of her life and had been inches from starvation on many occasions. The cold was nothing, she had spent too many days outside in the bitter air, without a place to stay. As for homesickness? There was nothing she liked about District One. Without a family, without any friends, without someone to love, she had nothing to go back to. The Arena, the most horrible place to be on earth, was never daunting to her. In fact, it was her last opportunity to be someone, to make a statement.

So, why was she so unhappy? She wanted to kill. The last kill that she had was that of the District 10 male, Jayson something. Gosh, have I gone crazy? She silently asked herself for the second time, though again the question was pointless. She was no longer a normal 15 year old. Murdering her father, murdering a pedestrian, murdering an innocent boy in the Games who she hadn't even known.. and she enjoyed it thoroughly?

She turned her gaze downwards and glared at the ground at the thought, mumbling something to herself that only she could hear. "Not the best time to be feeling bad, just don't even think about it.." Sympathetic thoughts in the middle of the Games weren't a good thing. For a moment, her need to kill waned a slight bit as she wondered if she was a bad person, and what her mother would think about her at that moment, if she was watching. "Didn't I teach her to be kind?" or "She's so different.." No matter what her mother would think, Zinnia knew that her actions wouldn't be making her proud.

Zinnia shut that thought out of her mind in an instant and lifted her light-eyed gaze towards her other alliance members, searching their faces for any sign that they had heard her words, or noticed that she was thinking about something important. If nothing else, she wanted to look like she was in control of everything, and not a weak-minded, emotional teenage girl struggling to figure out who she was or what had happened to her. She turned her head and smiled at them, a smile that clearly said that she was on top of the world, ready for anything. Her smile showed control, even if she wasn't.

Looking over at her fellow alliance members, she saw that Ailia seemed almost exhilarated, Arbor looked tired and beaten up, and Jeremy was running up to where Ailia was walking. Faintly, Zinnia could hear what he was saying. "“We need to talk... alone."

It was more then obvious that he was in love with Ailia, but the thought was silly to Zinnia. Love in general was a horrible emotion, just because it could leave someone so hurt and broken in the end. And of all places, the Arena? It was insane, but she would say nothing about it. If they wanted to go fall in love in the Arena, that was their choice.

Her silent thoughts were halted when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Instantly all of her sympathetic, weak-minded thoughts were cast away from her brain, and she tightened the grip that she had around her weapons. With a deadly hunting knife in her left hand and a well-mastered spear in her right, her head spun to see what the motion was from, whether it be a random animal or a bloodthirsty tribute. The look of want in her eyes only increased when she turned and saw that the enemy wasn't a stray animal, but a tribute. One lonely tribute.

She turned to the others, wondering if they had seen the motion too. Obviously Arbor had not, but it didn't matter. "I think I see someone! Let's go.." She said to them excitedly, pointing towards who would surely be their next target. She didn't care what the rest of them thought, but she wanted nothing more then to take her anger out on a lone tribute. Without a second thought, she was running towards whoever it was, with a smile upon her face once again.




[/center][/color][/size]

[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

And out of nowhere, it was time for them to fight. Zinnia announced the lone tribute that was out somewhere in the blackness, and they were off. The blind kid charged behind his two female allies, steering himself based on the crunch of their boots on snow. His broken rib protested with every footfall, but it the pain was minimal when compared to the excitement that would ensue.

What Arbor did not expect to discover in the Arena was how much he loved to fight. But he was ecstatic at the prospect of another scrap with other tributes. Maybe if he were at home, he would be sickened by the tribute who wore a maniacal grin as he eagerly dashed in for another fight. But now that the tribute was him? Who was he to judge? Who was anyone to judge what tributes were decent people?

All sense of moral being had to be abandoned with the gong. Because if you didn't embrace the monster the Capitol needed you to become, you had a scarce chance of making it as far as you could. The Capitol liked those who would be their pawns. At first, the idea had sickened Arbor. But he had resigned himself to it. There was little else that could be done.

In the din of running tributes, Arbor couldn't be sure if Archer and Jeremy had followed the plan and stayed put. He certainly hoped so. The alliance didn't need their most injured members getting even more battle-damaged.

Arbor was scarcely worn out by the time they reached their target. Rather, he was energized, ready to go. Knife in hand, he lashed out at their opponent.

[dice=165+8065001]

[rand=078620448555544623749548318829382910019415093458405016671934150119]

[Gigi]

Colton was running. The other tributes had spotted him. Not before he had time to see and analyze them, but before he had gotten far enough away. It was that last girl. Colton really didn't like the look of her. All three of her companions had been relatively calm and not too aware, but she had been scanning the barren landscape, looking for any sign of life. There was also a tiny girl, a boy who seemed to be trying to talk to her, and the blind boy he remembered from the interviews. Wasn't he teamed up with that guy from District Two?

Suddenly, Colton tripped. Wow, what a great time for clumsiness. He hated how his feet were so big. They were too large for his body, and right now, they could very well be what brought about the end of his life. Colton knew that these tributes weren't hoping for another member to their party. They were hunting. They wanted blood.

Colton stood up, making sure he was holding his sword firmly in his hand. The other tributes were upon him, and the blind kid took a knife and swiped at him. Thank God, he missed. Colton calmed down his shaking muscles, knowing his family was anxiously watching him at home, hoping for the best. Yeah, well, he was to.

This is for you, Sherif.

(attacks Zinnia)

[dice=165+8065001][rand=83001102630738314632109437286545759188762447802006442793408445557]

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Day Three

[/u]
It was as if Zinnia was back in her filthy District One home, her old home during the time when her father was still alive. It was like the time when she marched right in through the door, and her father was standing there, drunk and hungry. She remembered almost exactly what it was that he said, exactly how she felt.

"Where were you?"He had asked in a slurred voice.

It was then that he had slapped her, then that she had become so angry and defiant that she acted so foolishly.

"Eat up your food, piggy piggy." She said.

Her words had angered him even more and he had given her another slap to the face, this time sending her to the ground. "Think you're funny? You're gonna think this is hilarious." He said just as he kicked her in in the ribs. Zinnia couldn't remember if she had screamed or not, but she was fed up with his actions.

She had stood up then, and threw herself at him with as much force as possible. He obviously hadn't expected it, because he had fallen over.

It was at that point that she had started to laugh hysterically for no apparent reason, and strongly spoke again. "Go to hell."

Zinnia remembered that fight as if it were yesterday, and anger boiled up inside of her. Her father was dead, of course, but just the thought made her want to scream at something. To fight someone.

Thankfully, there was that option.

As she got closer to her fellow tribute, he didn't hesitate to attack her with his sword, but she was able to move out of the way and only ended up getting a shallow cut to the back. Nothing I haven't experienced before.. She told herself, though mad that she had gotten even slightly hurt.

Angrily, she stepped back for a moment, gripped both of her weapons as tightly as she could, and flung her spear towards him, even at such a short distance. It was her best weapon, one of the only ones she had practiced using in training.

Go to hell.

(Attacks Colton)
[dice=165+8065001]

OOC: I'm not quite sure how a spear could cause a bruised left leg, but whatever. I believe it's Kara's turn to post with Ailia next.

[/center][/color][/size][rand=6836109878889568021595715878961808554205370185158719943643487565743]

[ja'mie]

ailia goodnite . the defiant one

“We need to talk.” The voice startled Ailia out of her thoughts, and she looked up, noticing Jeremy, who was now walking next to her.

“Alone.”

It was funny, how Ailia's mind was suddenly muddled beyond belief; she couldn't think, and her breath choked... Stopping mid-stride, she bit her lip, and looked down at the ground. SHe shut her eyes.

The whoosh of the chilled air whistled in her ears and the crunch of footsteps upon the snow echoed around her, yet everything felt so silent, as if time had stopped.

Then time started again, and suddenly her mind was crystal clear. Without looking at Jeremy, she nodded her consent. Ailia had put off speaking about such things ever since that fateful day of the reaping, telling herself that the time to talk would come later; now was later.

"I think I see someone! Let's go.."

The words rang out clear of day, and Ailia looked back to see Zinnia rushing towards a shadowed figure. She was immediately in pursuit, her breathing falling hard as she rushed towards the figure herself.

Arbor was the first to attack, even though he was injured.. Then again, he technically had the most real fighting experiance (due to the previous fight) so why not. The figure, who had seemed to be running before, now stopped and Ailia got a better look at him. A male. He seemed young... fourteen, maybe? Easy. She grinned happily, but the expression faultered when the boy lashed out at Zinnia with a sword. Naturally, Zinnia returned the favor, handling her spear. Good trade, Ailia thought, the grin returning to her face. She gripped her rapier, slashing at her target.

May as well join the party.

[dice=165+8065001][/blockquote][rand=81464178085528850699587281746948425057178790637316532140254390948]

[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

He missed. How mortifying, he missed his target. That was what everyone would expect, of course, given his blindness. But Arbor hated being typical. He would have to do much better than that.

Shake it off, man, he told himself. It was just the one opponent. They had the numbers to win, and for him to take a break to gather his thoughts before he attacked again, without worrying about receiving any further wounds. The girls had his back.

Arbor took a deep breath. In hindsight, it wasn't the best idea--pain shot up from his broken rib. But he was ready to strike again. He listened hard, and lashed out with his knife.

[dice=165+8065001]

[rand=9237221557956389593746056785878108024731193488188941055584774823]

[Gigi]

The girl attacked him back, probably angered at the cut she received. Colton felt bad about it, he truly did, but these were the Hunger Games. You did what you had to survive. If that involved killing other kids, so be it. At least, that was the mindset of most people in the arena. Colton didn't really share it. That worried him. Only the cruel survived the Games.

She bruised him on the leg. I've had much worse after riding Sherif all day, Colton thought. It was true. He could barely feel anything at all, but if he was still alive tomorrow, he had a feeling that would change.

Her allies joined in on the fight. The tiny girl obviously could do more than he originally thought. He shouldn't have underestimated her. It's going to get me killed. She dealt him a blow, cutting him shallowly across his torso. It hurt like hell, but again, he ignored it. Not use dwelling on pain now. He had bigger fish to fry, so to speak.

The blind kid attacked again. Holy s***, that hurt! Damn it! Colton felt his jaw crack, causing immense pain. It messed up his senses, and his morals. In a fit of rage he attacked the kid, trying to keep a watch on the other two girls but sort of failing. He attacked again with his sword, hoping that his pain hadn't screwed with his coordination.

(attacks Arbor)
[dice=165+8065001]

[rand=5540857544670204218178457711576075136454381463742004376693081623029]

[Sunrise Rainier D2 // [Thundy]]

Day Three

[/u]

Soon, Ailia and Arbor were right there with her, attacking the boy. She didn't remember the boy's face, let alone his name or District, but she wanted him dead. Right then, she wanted to blame all her problems on someone, and it was going to be him. Killing him would satisfy her, but not for long. Her problems would still be there in the morning, no matter what.

Ailia and Arbor both immediately started attacking the boy alongside her, and he was severely outnumbered then. It wasn't likely that he would live, but then it was always bad to underestimate people. Very bad.

She stepped back for a moment and watched as Arbor and Ailia both gave blows to the boy, waiting until it was her turn to attack again. When Ailia attacked, the boy's torso was cut open slightly, though it was most likely painful. However, it wasn't quite as bad as when Arbor attacked; Zinnia could hear the boy's jaw break painfully.

She didn't pity him one bit. She smiled from the look of pain on his face, enjoyed it. Without hesitation she attacked him again, this time with her hunting knife.



(Attacks Colton)
[dice=165+8065001]
[/center][/color][/size][rand=6065532394660611922045372825192219166554974159418079154611256191]

[ja'mie]

ailia goodnite . the defiant one

Ailia drummed her fingers on her knee, watching quietly as Arbor attacked again; this time he broke the kid's jaw. The pain seemed to be immediate, and the enraged boy attacked Arbor. It didn't seem like a bad blow... maybe it would cause some sort of bruise, but that was it.

Ailia glanced at both of the members in her alliance; They both seemed rather bellicose, and Ailia wondered if she was the only one who was disapointed. Her previous attitude, one of remarkable enthusiasm for such a fight, was gone now, replaced by calamity and discontent.

This boy was outnumbered, seemingly unprepared, and already enduring intense pain... Where was the thrill? Where was the excitement? Her first fight would consist of picking on a younger, solo tribute.

But, might as well go along and finish this up. Ailia shrugged and stepped forward, slashing again with her rapier.

[dice=165+8065001]

[rand=8531739177474067415489901141748151104162692840929482645144884617]

[aya]

Halt, Arbor C.

It almost made Arbor feel bad to think of how poorly the fight must be going for their enemy. It wasn't an even match, really. One guy versus two girls and a wounded blind kid. Was that fair?

Probably not. But everything about the Games was unfair. It was unfair that 24 kids would be taken from their homes and forced to kill each other. It was unfair that Arbor was still alive when many others who had a better chance at a happy life outside of the Arena were not. It was unfair that the Districts lived in poverty while the Capitol dined lavishly and did not have to work.

That was the point. Like it or not, life wasn't fair. And there is nothing to be done about it, except for accept it and go with it. Arbor had been given his first bit of luck since he met Shaw, and he wasn't going to waste it because it wasn't fair to someone else.

So he sliced at the other boy again. It was easy to make himself do it, to not think about what pain he was causing, who he was killing. This boy would die with or without Arbor's help, so he may as well speed up the process. That seemed like the right thing to do. It was, wasn't it?

[dice=165+8065001]

[rand=05307857535995886937277824692679104615989696404365647752532146434]

[Gigi]

The taller girl caught Colton on unawares, and as he attacks the blind kid, she cut him deep in the leg with her spear. More damage than he was able to do. He hissed in, causing pain for his jaw. Then he took a step back, collecting himself for just a moment. The short girl landed a blow, but it didn't do much. Maybe bruised his bones a bit. Nothing bad. He felt that she sort of pitied him. A lone tribute. Nothing special. At least he was going down with a fight...

The blind kid attacked him again with a knife, and somehow managed to trip him. With a knife? Colton put his arms out to stop from falling on his face and managed to push himself back up. He had dropped his sword, but he scooped it up again before any of his opponents had a chance to take it. God knows that would be a disaster.

Colton took his sword and attacked the mean girl again. She didn't pity him. Why should he feel any remorse?

(attacks Zinnia)

[dice=165+8065001][rand=163981944277929238842879573822758441119379134557233336736134019125]