The [pain] and the bitter [taste] // DELISH day 2

[kousei ♚]

Narrative

Speech

Thoughts

Ari Newton

The stupid cat things were upon us like a pack of dogs attracted to a sack of meat, quick, vicious and desperate. One minute we were walking, me and Anni were just walking and I was generally feeling quite safe for once but it turns out that feeling of safety can get you killed within an instant. The three cat-like mutts with razor sharp teeth and vicious claws were savages fighting over food as they clawed at us and tried to tear us to shreds. And once again I seemed to be the one most hurt after the mismatched fight.

A cloudy red haze clouds my mind like a thick veil of mist that lingers around my head and refuses to clear itself away. Just when I had thought I had seen enough red for the day. It seemed that there's never enough red, my blood stains my white gi even more and my cuts sting and hinder me as I try to walk. Anni took off after killing the first mutt and after the remaining two took their anger out on my by clawing at me viciously I took off after her and now here we are again, trying to get away from yet another fight, two back-to-back fights in a few hours.

I fucking hate karma.

Barely an hour ago I had been slightly glad that me and Anni were the ones brutally killing Aidin with hour weapons and skills, and I'm the one who sent my burning shuriken into his flesh to send him falling into the sand for the last time. And now here I am, probably paying the price for my brutal killing. I continue walking, stumbling through the sandy beach when all I want to do is collapse and lay down, even with Anni with me. It's clear that I'm hurt but I'm not sure if she knows how hurt I really am.

My breaths come out as strangled wheezes as I slowly trek across this small island. But still, I feel so different, more light headed, is it because I've lost blood? No I can't have lost that much blood could I? There's no way. There's so much more red than usual. My gi sticks to my skin with sticky blood, dried up more by the sun, further adding to how uncomfortable I am. And then suddenly I feel like I am going to hit breaking point. My body feels like it's about to betray me in that moment and I find myself once again face down on the sand. The soft sand is a relief. But I know I can't continue on any more, my fogged mind is doing something to me and I don't feel like I can walk any more. "Anni, I need a break," I try to say but it comes out more as a groan than a request.

I slowly pick my self up and turn so I am in a sitting position. Barely able to see straight I examine my gash on my forearm that seems to mock me with it's harsh, stinging pain and red that spreads over the white gi. And then almost as if on cue two parachutes seem to slowly rain down like divine objects and take their rightful place next to me. "I wonder what these could be," I inquire and begin opening the first package and a vial full of purple liquid and a needle finds itself in my palm.

On the inside I find a white note and try my best to read it without really picking it up

Take this Anti-venom, inject it into your arm, will cure you from mutation poisoning.

I then place the needle in the box and open the next package and my mouth drops in surprise by what I find. "Damn!" I exclaim and find a box full of medical supplies, bandages, needle and thread and I show it to Anni in surprise. "Think you can help me with these?" I ask her.

[Ari took the needle and thread and anti-venom in the tribute maintenance]

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

When she saw the tactical advantage of running away, she didn’t waste a moment to snatch that opportunity. It also meant that she couldn’t pull or even motion at Ari, but Anni could not let the moment go away, not while the vicious cats were still attacking. She had managed to kill one of them, but not after she and Ari had sustained some injuries and while she wasn’t even sure if the mutations could feel, she knew that their attacks would become far worse. It would have been suicidal to stay, to continue attacking, when they were obviously on the losing end. That was why when she had managed to get the cat on the head and saw it fall, she sprinted off.

Anni knew she should have waited for her ally—they were still in this hell together—but she trusted that he would follow when he saw the opportunity to get out as well. He managed to do just that, but not without sustaining a few more injuries, causing Anni’s eyes to widen with alarm at the sight of his bloodied uniform. He seemed to be doing okay, though, as they made their way to somewhere anywhere, but the sound of uneven and troubled breathing told Anni that Ari was going to have to be looked at as soon as they found a safe place to stay. They wouldn’t make it that far as Ari collapsed on to the sand of the beach, and when Anni ran over to him, all she could hear was some grumbling. She was about to help him up when he moved to a sitting position, albeit not without some struggle. She took that moment to give him a quick check, her attention focused on the brightest of the red spots on his uniform. But it was not the gashes that worried her most—it was the cut on the cheek that looked unlike the others. It didn’t look like a deep cut, but it looked irritated and it was the wrong color. Biting her lip, she really hoped it wasn’t poison or an infection because she wasn’t sure they had the supplies to treat it.

As if to answer her thoughts, two parachutes that looked like they were holding something dropped next to Ari. He inquired what they could be to which Anni shrugged, but she hoped that they were something useful. It looked like Ari was a favorite, or at least well-liked by the Capitol, as he opened the first container and revealed a liquid Anni was not entirely familiar with. The note in Ari’s hand said that it was anti-venom, meaning that the cut on his cheek was indeed poisoned, but at least they had something to stop the poison. Ari opened the second package and in it was a medical kit that would be extremely handy in the situation. He asked her to help, to which Anni nodded her head before moving closer to him so that she could figure out what to do.

“Looks like the Capitol really likes you,” she said, her eyes trained on him. Was she jealous that he had gotten these items? Yes, but she also knew that he really needed it and if she was going to survive as long as possible in the arena, she needed him to be alive. She gestured at his leg—where there was a large, red spot—and said, “Let’s take care of that first. You get that anti-venom in you while I take care of the leg.” She wished she could have washed the injury to prevent infection, but she didn’t trust the water of the sea and she knew that the jug of water by her side would save her life at some point. Once she had sectioned off as much of the medical supply she thought she would need, she handed the medical kit back to Ari so he could tend to the smaller injuries that were more easily accessible.

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[kousei ♚]

Narrative

Speech

Thoughts

Ari Newton

I exhale in sweet relief when she says that she'll help me out with getting me into the best state she can for now. I'm so lucky I have sponsors. I honestly don't understand what I've done to get in the Capitol's good books, is it because of my decent training score? I will admit a seven is nothing to be laughed at, especially considering I'm one of the youngest tributes in this arena, or maybe it was just because of that kill I got on Aidin, in some people's eyes that probably makes me a monster. Did he have a girlfriend back home? A brother? A sister? Does he have people who loved him who are begging for my head on a stick right now?

I quickly shove those unpleasant thoughts out of my head for now and realize I need to focus on making sure I don't die from my injuries or the deadly poison that is apparently making it's way through my veins right at this moment. I need to forget about him, it wasn't even my fault, he-he went for me didn't he? In hindsight maybe could have ran away but I know and Anni knows that would have come back to bite us later because of the Game makers. Back to my injuries!

I take a look at my bloodied gi and stinging cuts that the cats made across my skinny body. "Th-thanks" I say as she hands me part of the medical kit, I see the vial of Anti-venom and pick it up, better to start with that first I guess. It's just sticking a needle in my arm, it can't be that hard right? But then why is the needle shaking along with my hand as I hover it above my arm. Stab, stab, stab, just do it! But I find it so hard, gripping the vial tighter than ever I inch it closer to my arm but still don't jab the needle in my arm. It's just a needle. "I- I guess I should start with this first." I wheeze, trying my best to steady my shivering hand.

"I can do this." I tell myself and shut my eyes as tight as I can and with what feels like all my willpower I shove the needle into my own arm and the pain explodes through my arm and I let out a small yell of pain. That hurts much more than I expected! My laboured wheezing grows more rapid as I take a glance at the vial sticking out of my arm like I'm some sort of hedgehog. And it's just causing more and more red. I push down on the back of the vial, letting the life-saving liquid enter my system and cleanse me of the poison that slowly eats and corrodes at my life. Putting the ticking clock that times my life on halt. And yet I don't smile in relief.

Because it fucking hurts!

I wince and let out more strangled groans of pain as I yank the now clear needle out of my arm and throw it in the sand and I feel a wave of nausea overwhelm me and I feel the urge to collapse on my back and into the sand. But the light-headedness and the drowsiness is slowly clearing away, the anti-venom must be doing it's work because they're being chased out of mind and I can't help but fall back and allow a small grin to form on my mouth despite the pain in my cheek and the need to throw up. "I think it worked." I say softly.

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

It looked like he was struggling to insert the needle—and a part of Anni felt like he was doing it wrong—but she was so busy working on the deep cut on his leg that she knew he would have to handle it himself. She could hear him talking to himself, though, and worried that he wouldn’t be able to go through with it. A loud yell caused her to jump back and stop what she was doing momentarily. She didn’t know if it was her fault—perhaps she had tightened the bandage too tight—but once she saw the needle in her arm, she relaxed her tense body and resumed what she was doing so that Ari could do what he had to do in relative peace.

Throughout the whole time, all she could hear was labored breathing and groans, but she tried to block it out of her mind so that she could concentrate on the leg. Once it was bandaged up, though, she was able to look up in time to see Ari throw the needle. She opened her mouth to warn him that it wouldn’t be safe, but closed it after she realized that she had no reason for caring. As long as she knew where it was, any of the other tributes could step on it. Still, a part of her was hoping that Ari had not disposed of it—perhaps she could have used it as a pin for some mechanism if she lived long enough to construct something. Ari was speaking again, and Anni looked back at her ally as he laid on the sand and slowly grinned.

“That’s good,” she responded, a little more robotic than she would have liked. Of course she was happy that he was feeling better, but he also looked too casual for someone who was in the Games. If anyone else saw them, they would have taken advantage of that. She looked up and around the area to make sure it was clear before looking back down at Ari. “You can rest up here; I’ll stay on guard while you’re resting.” She picked herself up and held a weapon in each hand. Aidin’s sai looked like it had gone through some damage, but Anni wasn’t thinking about that as she stared at the unusual-looking weapon. She was thinking about the fact that the only other person she had a reason to trust in the arena was gone, and that she was part of the reason for that.

Blinking the thought out, she returned to focusing on keeping her attention on the area. The last thing she wanted was someone to attack them while Ari was weak. At least he’s recovering, though. A shred of hope left in the demoralizing place.

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[kousei ♚]

Narrative

Speech

Thoughts

Ari Newton

I feel so useless. I'm sitting here, resting because I'm too injured while Anni has to look after me simply because a few mutations tried to tear me apart with their teeth. If she wanted to Anni could attack me right now and try and kill me and there's nothing I could do about it, that would be the most logical thing to do. I'm a burden, simply laying here while she tries to heal me up and look after me, she has every reason to attack me but I really hope she doesn't. She's my ally, we need each other, at least that's how I think it works. I've never been the smartest when it comes to these kinds of things.

Sitting here in the soft, grainy sand while she treats me reminds me of the many times Damien has been whipped so badly he's almost unconscious and me and my mum try and look after him, well it's mostly my mum who did most of the work, I'd just be sitting there watching and trying talking to him to try and keep him awake. He was so weak and vulnerable. I guess now I know what it feels like to be the injured one, trying my best to stay awake. I feel like such a baby being looked after, can't walk for myself, can't fight for myself. I hate this feeling, the constant feeling that made me feel useless back in eleven.

She says she'll keep watch while I lay here and rest. She holds her weapons (she now has a knife from the boy from twelve while I let her keep) in both her hands and keeps her attention to the area around us. It sure would suck to be attacked at a time like this. But that very thought of being attacked while I'm weak and vulnerable makes my heart race faster than those fancy cars here in the Capitol and makes my laboured and uneven wheezing happen at a much faster rate than usual. No more red, no more red, please no more red, please, just no more red.

"Th-thanks." I manage to get out through my scared, laboured wheezing. Just calm down, no one will come for you, not yet anyway. I internally tell myself this over and over again because it seems to work, anything but more red, I've seen too much red today, can't the Gamemakers give me a break? The thick, crimson blood that stains my liquid is a constant reminder of today and I don't want any more reminders. Anni will protect me, I think. No, I know she'll protect me, if she wanted me dead she wouldn't have helped stitching me up, if she wanted me dead I would be dead already, she wouldn't have helped me kill that boy who only went for me.

She'll help me, I trust her, it's the least I can do, trust her because of all the trouble we've been through together. I'll trust her because right now I can't trust myself, not in this state. "How long do you think we'll stay here for? I ask her because this place is already making me paranoid; the only reason I stopped was because I couldn't move anymore but maybe it was a mistake stopping here, in the open where anyone could see us from a mile away. What if the cats come back?

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

Anni could still hear his labored breathing, but he did seem to look better as she kept glancing at him every now and then to make sure that he was in fact, okay. He was even able to talk, but Anni knew that he was going to be having trouble for at least the rest of the day. He was barely able to thank her, to which she nodded back. “Just focus on resting,” she said, even though she wished that he too could stay alert. The muttations were not doubt still after them, and the last thing she wanted was to be caught unaware and have to drag Ari across the beach. He really wasn’t that big, but neither was she and strength was something she never had to rely on before.

As she kept circling around him, her head moving along as she continued scanning, a part of her considered picking up the discarded needle. It would be useful, she kept telling herself, she could use it in some defense mechanism in case something like those damn cats came up to them. A defense mechanism was really what they needed at that moment, with Ari basically incapacitated—but they lacked the materials and the attention needed to construct something. Even if she had all the materials required, there would be no one on guard and she would have to divide her attention to both tasks, leaving the two of them vulnerable. It was not worth it, not at the moment, and Anni could only hope that the chance would come up at some other time.

Ari spoke up again, asking her an extremely valid and rather important question. She had to consider all of the different factors: the proximity to the next safe place, how close the muttations were, the state of Ari’s health. Nothing was holding her back save for those three factors, but they meant a lot and she took a few minutes to think about the answer. She turned her gaze back to Ari, “As soon as you are able to stand up, we’ll have to move. I don’t like the idea that we’re just sitting ducks for the muttations or other tributes.” She nodded at Ari’s leg. “But first, you have to make sure you can move. I can help, but only as a support. You’ll have to do some heavy work—and I can carry your supplies for you.” It was going to be a lot to carry: her supplies, his supplies, and also part of Ari’s weight. However, she really didn’t like taking their chances, so it only seemed logical that they kept moving. She just hoped that they wouldn’t run into anyone else for the time being—or ever if possible.

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