expensive tears ;; Jack

[freshy ☼]

MARLIE CAWILRA
• district 3•

you shout it loud,
but i can't hear a word you say
i'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet
you shoot me down, but i get up

---

Damn it, damn it, damn it...
Ari's thoughts were on loop. It was quite an annoying melody, the ringtone everyone hated. Her mother kicked her out of the house. Again. She was standing in a dirty puddle, the water soaking through her once-white socks. Fat raindrops fell onto her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away. No. None of the people on this street can think I'm crying. They'll think I'm a wimp. She lowered her bottom into the puddle, not caring if her expensive leather trousers got wet. If her mother didn't care about whether she got hypothermia, she wouldn't care about the clothes either.
Ari twisted a lock of dark hair around her ring finger, worming her index and middle finger through the tangles. Her hair was like a web; thick and captivating, holding in all the secrets and worries of the world. She'd give anything to be in the Games right now; maybe fighting someone like Cricket or River would bring some honor to herself, her family, and her district.
But of course, like the short yellow camisole she was wearing, her dreams were outgrown. Wrapping her denim jacket tighter around her slim body and burying her head in her collar, Ari's angry thoughts threatened to burst out of her mind and swallow her whole.
Damn it, damn it...
The song was on repeat again.
And the elusive, diamond tears would not come. Not as cheap as the rain.

---

bulletproof, nothing to lose
fire away, fire away
ricochet, you take your aim
fire away, fire away

_{'titanium' lyrics (c) david guetta
character & template (c) freshy}

^{[thread recycled. originally open to all.]}

[Jack Lexington]

How long have I been walking? Not sure...a few days? If you can even call this walking. The rain that started falling two hours ago doesn't help my poor state at all. Somewhere beyond the group of trees that lies ahead of me district three is waiting with anything but open arms with me. They don't know I'm coming yet and hopefully they never will. I've never been here before and don't know what to expect. Usually I venture to the lower districts but since they have outstanding warrants for me I cannot go there any more. My only options was going west.

I have to take a long break. With my hands on a fallen tree I lower myself down onto the wet stem to regain a little bit of strength. Setting my canteen to my lips the last few drops run into my mouth but don't do much for me. So I tilt my head back and let the rain fall into my mouth. It only teases my senses but doesn't quench my thirst.

Breathing is still so hard that it takes me much longer to get back onto my feet and walking. I feel a hundred years old today. Only weeks ago I was a strong fisherman, spearing cod and even fighting smaller sharks. Damn sharks.

I smile weakly at the memories of my boat out on the ocean, the waves, my nets, the fish and islands.
Now I'm stuck in between trees and rocks.

Half an hour later I've finally dragged my tired ass to a look out where I can see the fence, which is much higher and better protected than in any other district I know. How can I possible get across it?
Behind me, not too far away a sound startles me, so I spin around and instantly duck behind a bush.

[freshy ☼]

[bg=B0E2FF]marlie cawilra – district three – female you shout it loud, but i can't hear a word you say i'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet you shoot me down, but i get up

[bg=0D4F8B][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=width,600,true][atrb=height,400,true] The sound of rustling caused Marlie to look up. The fence was a good deal of feet away, high and captivating. Silver sparks flew up sharply from the rusted metal, and there was a bluish aura of electric charges radiating from it. The air around the fence rippled with heat, and through the waves she could make out a dark form lurking behind a bush. What the hell? Marlie crept forward, eyes narrowed. She tossed her wet hair over her shoulder, cautiously approaching the fence. Water and electricity did not mix. That was the first thing any good electrician knew. As she peered closer, she could distinguish the face of a wanderer, a young, bearded man at that. She contemplated whether speaking was the best idea. What if he was a creep? Would he steal her away, lock her in a cage and maybe parade her like a circus clown? Oh well, I don’t care. She saluted the man in the shadows, eyes narrowed. ”Yo,” she greeted. ”What are you doing out in the rain?”

[/color][/justify][/td][/tr]
[tr][td]

[bg=B0E2FF]bulletproof, nothing to lose
fire away, fire away
ricochet, you take your aim
fire away, fire away

_{'titanium' lyrics (c) david guetta
character & template (c) freshy}

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Jack Lexington]

Her voice scares the crap out of me making me jump. For a moment my heart beats like a train in my chest but then I turn to face the female, who had been calling out from the other side of the fence. Aparantly I haven't been careful enough. If this woman can spot me, peace keepers can as well. And I don't ever want to run into one of them again. The last time they got their hands on me wasn't very long ago and damn near cost me my life.

The sudden rush of adrenalin makes me cough but instantly I regret it because my chest seems to explode with the motion. Grimacing I force myself not to cough anymore but focus on the young woman instead, who asked me such an odd question. Not 'why are you beyond the fence' but 'what are you doing out in the rain.'
Her question almost makes me laugh so I reply. "Catching a cold and you?"
Before she can answer I say in a more hushed voice.
"Are there any patrols nearby? Do you know a gap or any other spot where I can get inside?"
The rains makes seeing and hearing her harder since drops are falling all around us on old leaves and create a lot of noise. Add the sound of water on the electric fence and you can't hear a damn thing.

[freshy ☼]

[bg=B0E2FF]marlie cawilra – district three – female you shout it loud, but i can't hear a word you say i'm criticized, but all your bullets ricochet you shoot me down, but i get up

[bg=0D4F8B][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=width,600,true][atrb=height,400,true] Marlie just barely heard the guy, and frowned at this random guy's sarcasm. He added something in a quieter voice, and she strained her ears to hear him. "What was that?" she called over the buzz of the fence. "Did you ask if there's any sweet rolls you can buy? You wanna get inside?" She moved closer, pale fingers dancing within electrocution range. "Come closer. Repeat what you said. Please." The rain was falling harder, and she wiped the raindrops away from her eyes. They shimmered with a thin layer of tears. What the hell was she crying for? Stop it, you. You're feeling sorry for yourself. Ari moved an inch closer, cautiously stretching her arm over the fence. She motioned for the man to follow her around the perimeter, eyes flitting about suspiciously.

[bg=B0E2FF]bulletproof, nothing to lose fire away, fire away ricochet, you take your aim fire away, fire away 'titanium' lyrics (c) david guetta character & template (c) freshy

[Jack Lexington]

NICK TRAVIS

The girl moves so close to the fence that I have to assume she's either careless or that there's nobody around. Carefully scanning the area I take my sweet time to make sure there aren't any pks around.
Over the rain I can hear the girl say something about rolls. Is she kidding? Or making fun of me? Or simply can't hear me?
With a frown I sneak up to the fence and look in the direction she's motioning in.
Exhaustion has long taken over and I'm desperate for some water and food, which I simply couldn't find in the forest. I was lucky enough not to get attacked by one of the wild creatures that live in the depths of the large forest in between the districts.

"I need to find a way into your district. Do you know any spot where I get under the fence or maybe over or a hole or something."
Looking up at the top of the roughly three meter high fence and it's barb wire on top I'm quickly ruling that option out, especially since I'm in no shape to be climbing over a fence this high, not even if it wasn't turned on.
"Quick! I'm a little desperate here."
Small sparks fly off the fence every now and then when raindrops fall onto the charged elements. So I back up. "Careful."

[freshy ☼]

[ooc; sorry for the long wait, jack. This post is rushed, and can easily be edited at any moment.

A hiccup wrestled its way out of Marlie's mouth as she hurried through the rain, head lowered and body compressed into a rabbit's build. She didn't look over her shoulder to see if the man was following; she knew he was. Wanderers. Can't they keep out of our boundaries once they take off like that? she thought scornfully, dabbing her brow with her long, wet sleeve. Her leather boot flew under the fence, and flying sparks sent a sharp pain shooting up her leg. Flinching a bit, she continued down to the back of the fence. A huge hole in the barbed wire caused a discontinuation in electricity, and there was no guard blocking off the outside world. It was dangerous to keep this here, but no animals had broken into the district yet, so it was never fixed. Few people knew about it, not even Marlie's own family. People tended to keep away from this part of town. What the people didn't know wouldn't hurt them.