Just meat sacks // DELISH vs Boar-Q-Pine [Day 4]

[kousei ♚]

Narrative
"Speech"
Thoughts

Ari Newton

Getting to sleep was so much easier than it was the other nights, probably because no tributes tried to take my life. It was just stupid platypus bears that tried to take my life this time. But they failed. I don't know if it's dumb luck or intentional skill that has kept me an Anni alive all of this time. Three pain filled days. I keep wondering if I should even be alive right now. When Argonite Shore swung his blade towards me should I not have died? Maybe it was only luck my leg wasn't cleaved in two or the red smile only appeared on my thigh and not my neck. When Aidin Grasswood came at us armed with a sai and shield wasn't it only luck he didn't stab me in the neck but only left a scare on my cheek? When the cats attacked us and I was left on the edge of death why did I live?

I am so lucky.

As me and Anni sit in silence in the dark the sickening booming of the anthem plays overhead and as always my head shoots up to see the list of unlucky souls who were feasted on by Death. But there's only one death.

Henry Fleet, District seven.

He left no impression on me in training, I don't think I even talked to him, nor do I remember his interview or his training score. But I'll still remember his face. I just hope he didn't die too painfully. But that's still one less person to deal with I guess so who am I to complain?

Sleep comes much easier than before and I find myself drift away once again.

___________

The rain slaps me into conciousness.

I groggily get up as my eyes quickly flutter open. Funny how this weather seems to so accurately reflect my mood. I look around me as the water mixes with the red that stains me, it's slaps makes my scar on my cheek sting with every light hit and patter. I try my best to ignore the grey clouds floating overhead, I don't like the way they're constantly staring at me. I never liked the rain because it always gave my brother a harder time when he worked, now it's just going to give me a harder time when I fight for my life. It's not just a minor work inconvenience, the damn rain could be the difference between my shurikens missing completely or landing in someone's eye.

Once Anni wakes up I grab my rucksack full of supplies and spoils and throw it over my back and once again me and Anni are walking. I must admit that a wave of relief flushes through me when I see that her wound is so much better and that there is so much less red that before. However, I'm not sure if she's still in a lot of pain. "Your wound looks so much better," I say over the sound of the rain that's getting us both soaked. Out of all the useful things I have the one thing I actually do need is an umbrella.

The rain is almost blinding so I don't completely notice when we are out of the area where there are many vines, leaves and boulders. But I do notice the large outline of what seems to be some sort of volcano. This arena never ceases to surprise me. Although what I am more worried about is a the volcano erupting and spewing lava that burns me and Anni of our skin and leaves us as nothing but charred bones. I quickly shakes the negative thoughts out of my mind and just try and push on through the miserable weather that only seems to be making life that little bit more difficult.

And despite the pitter patter the rain makes when it slaps the ground I hear something that makes my hair stand on edge and my muscles tense. Heavy footsteps and grunting that is not coming from us. For that split second I stop, my legs coming to a well-deserved halt but I fear more hard work is to come for them, for that moment of pure awareness I feel absolutely weightless. My wet and shivering hands slowly unzips my bag and pulls out one of my shurikens, trying not to startle whatever it is that's behind us. "Anni, something's behind me." I say (loud enough for her to hear me) not a second before I spin on my heels and send my shuriken slicing through the air and the rain towards my foe.

[Ari throws shuriken at Boar-Q-Pine]

wsg5TabA200+9000

[9177 -- Deep Gash on Hand -- 7.5 damage (Thrown Knife)]

200+9000

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

The pain was still there. Anni had spent the night lying awake, half running through the fights she and Ari had gone through and half trying to ease her mind from the pain that would still sometimes shoot through her body. She knew she had to get some rest—the days would only seem longer and her body would ache more if she didn’t sleep—but it was so difficult for her to close her eyes when danger was present all the time. The anthem was a welcome distraction, and she didn’t recognize the only face that flashed across the sky, but pretty soon the hours started to drag and Anni felt the pressure to let her body pass into the darkness.

Eventually, she would close her eyes and a part of her wished that they had remained closed and would open them again. She would have to pick herself up off the ground and tiredly follow her ally as he led to them to another area that she could only distinguish by the dark ground and the volcano that rose above her. Her limbs shook and a chill ran down her spine as her eyes widened to completely take in the scene, and fear flushed through her at the dormant so far volcano. Ari’s voice punctured the silence and distracted her from the giant as she saw him looking at her back. She nodded her head slowly—her back did feel better—and she replied, “Yes, thank you for helping with it.” Had she not been so struck with fear, the gratitude that she felt might have been more clearly expressed, but her eyes immediately moved to the volcano.

The rain that had been falling down started to increase in velocity, and Anni had to shield her eyes and could only focus on the next step. It was difficult for her to hear Ari, but his voice became clear and Anni turned around just in time to see the thing that Ari had mentioned behind him. Her eyes widened, but she knew that she could waste no time as she too rushed forward to strike at the mutt. Her body still needed to heal, however, as the rain and the spasms in her muscle caused her to miss her target. Frustrated, she gritted her teeth and stepped backward, hoping that this fight would be quick and the two of them could run away.

[attacks Boar Q-Pine; Cat O nine tails]
Us3bGMOxflail
[Miss -- 0.0 damage]


Template credit to Shrimpers

flail

[cass]

Barnabis Bushcoat —

She was hardly a mutation one could look at and not feel immediate fear set into their bodies. Luckily for her it was that type of fear that generally made most people freeze. She loved it when they freezes. The scientist she had killed before ending up in this glorious habitat had frozen right in front of her and the large beast had stop, watching as he peed himself, watching as he panted, watching as he saw himself die. And then she killed him. She’d smashed into him, no regards to anything, her spiky coat had pierced his body and blood and guts and gore had rained down upon her.

Oh ho ho, what a devilish child.

Scientists.

It was the one word she could define, and that scent was the one thing she knew better then any. And then there they were, in front of her, two of them. And if she could have cackled she would have hacked and spat like a blood thirsty witch. Feet graded the ground, enraged movements (round up, round up, the beast is about to charge). When the weapon hit her she knew then two were different. They hadn’t frozen and that made her angry. And her vision danced with read and the guy with the shiny thing that had wounded her was all she could see.

With a war cry of spit, rage and hormones she charged.

[Barnabis (Bear-Q-Pine) attacks Ari Newton — Spiked Coat (Knife)]

drb0RGyBknife

[Shallow Cut on Right Forearm -- 3.5 damage]

knife

[kousei ♚]

Filler cos I need to get back to sleep.

[Ari throws shuriken at Boar-Q-Pine]

AOxdjB7i200+9000

[9080 -- Deep Gash on Stomach -- 9.0 damage (Thrown Knife)]

200+9000

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as her body’s aches held her in position. She watched as the mutt circled around, its great body that was shaped like a boar but with needles that bristled after their attacks. Step, step, step, before the mutt cried out and charged towards Ari. Her eyes took in the sit as one of the needles on the mutt’s body made contact with Ari’s right arm. Once she saw the light red that followed the movement of the needle, time began to move at a normal speed as Ari threw his weapon at the mutt.

The weapon struck the underside of the mutt, but Anni could see the heavy flow of blood falling from that point and she knew that it would not be much longer until the mutt was gone. She took the opportunity as she pulled out the weapon that had once been Aidin’s and lunged at the mutt.

[attacks Barnabis; Sai]
SNRHBW|cknife
[Miss -- 0.0 damage]


Template credit to Shrimpers

knife

[cass]

Barnabis Bushcoat —

That human hit her again, it seemed the other one was pretty defenceless as soon as she got rid of the one that was attacking her she would have no problems with the second. And she was angry. This human had hit her hard, she could feel her own blood well up, she could feel it race down her spiked coat and pool onto the ground beneath her feet. She was hurting. And it was all because of that goddamn human. Stupid humans. They always got in the way. But then... how could she hate them, after all they were the things she got to oil time and time again. And killing was just oh so much fun.

She gathered herself, dragging her anger into each of her movements. Pawing at the ground she stepped forwards. Then all at once she charged at the boy who had hurt her.

[Barnabis (Bear-Q-Pine) attacks Ari Newton — Spiked Coat (Knife)]

JUlRtIcOknife

[Shallow Cut on Back -- 4.0 damage]

knife

[kousei ♚]

Narrative
"Speech"
Thoughts

Ari Newton

My previous blow on the beast left it weak. Good, it will be dead soon. Maybe with just Anni's blow she'll kill it and then we can cook it and eat it, it looks very edible after all. The stinging in my forearm however is getting to me but I know I should be grateful I wasn't skewered like a kebab by the damn thing. I try to ignore the rapid stinging in my forearm as I watch Anni attack the beast with high hopes.

And then I am met with disappointment and frustration. Anni's knife soars way past the beast and misses it completely which prompts me to groan in frustration because now we have to keep fighting it until one of us dies. If Anni had just killed the thing when I wanted it to we would be fine right now and in the clear but since it is still kicking strong that's not the case. And to make matters worse my eyes can only widen in fear as the mutation look pretty angry, but I guess that's reasonable because we had tried to kill it. "Anni, get back!" I call out because if the beats lashes out it might end up skewering her.

But calling out like that maybe wasn't such a good idea. The sound of my fearful voice seems to have drawn it's attention to me and it only grows as it's rage infested eyes rest themselves on my weak, skinny and bloody form. Not again. It began to paw the ground over and over again meaning that it was ready to skewer me. Just dodge, it's not that hard. Despite my body feeling ten times heavier than before I know I need to dodge or it will be my face and details in sky. Just another corpse to entertain the viewers. I reach out and ready another shuriken and then it comes charging towards me full pelt.

I turn and dive out of the way but it seems that wasn't enough because I feel yet another burst of pain across my back and I don't have any idea how deep it is but I can already feel the warm, sticky fluid that is my blood begin to run down my back and stain my clothes; it has cut me. My body hits the ground with a thump and the air is knocked out of my lungs, leaving me coughing and sputtering as I spin around so I'm facing the mutation yet again. I can kill it now. I should, now is the perfect opportunity because it's perfectly exposed bind side is a calling for me to throw the sharp steel so it pierces it's back.

So I do.

The shuriken slices through the air as it makes its dangerous path towards the mutation's back however it seems my aim was slightly off because instead of making it's home in the mutation's back it slices across it. But it was still enough. The stupid mutt that tried to tear me to pieces lets out a groan and collapses to the ground, unmoving. I can already see a pool of crimson beginning to form around the dirtied and dead mutation. It deserved it. No guilt wells up within me like the way I killed Aidin, a mask of unforgiveness shrouds my face as I watch the red mix with rain and it creates several different red streams across the ground. It tried to kill me, it tried to skewer me alive. It deserved every single bit of pain that I delivered it.

All these stupid lab rats of the Capitol, they all tried to kill me and they also tried to kill Anni. First the damn mutated cats that tried to brutally rip me to pieces not two days ago and send their poison coursing through my veins. And then the second day there were the bears that didn't deal any significant damage to me but they attacked Anni. They left a deep wound on her back that left her a sobbing mess and I did my best to heal and comfort her. It's always the damn mutations, always the damn Capitol lab rats trying to destroy me. Yesterday I felt sympathy for the lone platypus that was left after I killed it's friend, or brother, or partner, or whatever (I don't care), but today. This stupid Boar thing deserves no mercy from me or any sympathy because like every other damn mutation in this arena it's caused me never ending pain. And now, I've finally had enough.

It's cruel, I know it's cruel and heartless but that's all it is, a mutation that tried to skewer me alive, I owe nothing to that boar but a shuriken in it's body. It's not like Aidin were I was filled with determination and when I killed him I felt like a thousand pair of eyes were judging me and damning me. This was a wild animal that tried to kill me. Anni wasn't touched, Anni couldn't even touch it I killed it with with three shurikens. I grit my teeth and try to ignore the pitter patter, pitter patter of the rain hitting the ground and the top of my head and walk up to the Boar-Q-Pine corpse and I know what we need to do. "Anni, can I borrow your knife quick?" I ask and then shoot a quick glance at her. "Please."

[Ari throws shuriken at Boar-Q-Pine-]

TIuCFim4200+9000

[9161 -- Shallow Cut on Back -- 4.0 damage (Thrown Knife)]

[Ari uses first aid for -3]
[Ari uses 5ft of bandages for -1]
[Ari collects his shurikens back
Ari does not flee]
WIP will add in more.

200+9000

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

She was going to have to learn how to control the pain, to not let it take over her body when she needed to be most focused. She would not be learning how to do that with this fight, though, as her arm once again moved on its own and missed the mutt. She gritted her teeth, mad at herself and hoping that Ari would not be mad at her as well. She had felt completely useless and vulnerable as she kept missing the mutt and had to watch mutt attack Ari instead. It should be attacking me! I’m the useless one here! She could see the hunger in its eyes as it crouched towards her, and instead of doing the sensible thing and running away, she simply stood there.

Had Ari not shouted at her, she would have remained frozen, an easy target for the mutt. Instead, he managed to get her attention back to reality—and direct the mutt’s attention at him. “NO!” she shouted as she watched the mutt turn its direction and lunge at Ari instead. Ari was far faster and a better fighter in general than Anni was, and managed to get himself out of the way, but Anni saw the mutt make contact with his back and she ran over to him, her weapon ready. He was resilient, though, as he found the energy and concentration to throw his weapon at the mutt and a clean cut went across its back. Anni paused as she watched the mutt fall to the ground—it feels like a replay before my eyes—and it stopped moving once it made the loud thud.

After the initial realization of what had happened, she ran over to Ari to make sure that his back was not damaged like hers had been just a day ago. With a little effort, she helped him sit up—so she could see his back—and a sigh of relief let her barely parted lips as she saw that the cut was not deep. Of course, it would have to be tended to, but the blood did not flow from it as it had after they had fought the cat-like things. “Stay still. I’ll fix your back as you tend to your arm,” she said, her head nodding towards the cut that was on his right forearm. Her eyes briefly grazed the cut on his cheek, noting how it was looking better, but it would be a while before it completely healed—if Ari even made it that far.

As she tended to cut on his back, she couldn’t help thinking about how their fate could be determined in a matter of days—and there was no guarantee that she and Ari would not have to face each other in a fight. Had she still been the logical, untrustworthy girl that she was when she had met the boy from District 11, she would not have bothered to help him when he had been heavily attacked by the mutts. That girl would have left him, running far away and leaving him to fend for himself as he dealt with all of his injuries. Anni would have been lying if she said that she had not thought about it then—he was merely an ally at that point.

But definitions had a way of changing in the arena and after the number of fights they had gone through, the number of deaths they had seen, Anni knew that there was no way she could see Ari as someone she distrusted a little less compared to the others. They had taken care of each other for the past few days and while Anni was still tentative to call him anything more than an ally—for friends could go away so soon in the arena—the meaning of ally had changed. With that final thought, she had finished the last part of what she could do with his back and she gave him a small pat on the shoulder so that he was aware.

She took a minute to take a drink of water from the jug—she was so damn thirsty—before she offered the jug to him. He would need some water in his system, especially if he was going to speed up the healing. “You really should get some rest. I can take watch for today.” But Ari had something different in mind as he asked for her knife. There was a look of emergency in his glance, but Anni could not perceive any threat around them and she had to admit she would have been worried had he not been standing next to the mutt’s corpse. The weapon that had failed her had been put back in its little makeshift holder, but Anni drew it out again, this time for a purpose she did not know. She grabbed the weapon by its blade, the handle facing away from her and she handed it to Ari. “What do you need it for?” How strange of her to not have asked that question before.

[Anni uses first aid on Ari]
[Anni drinks from her purified water jug]
[Anni gives Ari her (1) bundle of firewood to Ari]


Template credit to Shrimpers

[kousei ♚]

Narrative
"Speech"
Thoughts

Ari Newton

She tends to my back while I wrap some of my bandages around the painful slice on by forearm. I am so damn hungry and this might be our only chance to get food, it has to be edible. She asks why I want to borrow her knife and I can only give the best reply I can. "I'm giving it what it deserves." I only reply, my voice hoarse and seemingly straining and my shaking hand grips the handle of the knife and I slowly slip it out of her hand. I grip the knife in my hand so tightly they feel numb as I glare down at the mutations that tried to skewer me alive and leave me for dead.

"I'm so tired."

I hold the knife in both my hands as I create the first slit in the stomach of the mutt and the blood already begins oozing out. The red is making my hands shake uncontrollably. I grit my teeth and clench my arms so I don't begin making mistakes and stab myself in the leg but there is so much red oozing from it. I already know I'm in for a tough few hours. This is so hard, I don't even know if I can do this. But then I allow it's rage infested eyes to take control and the image of my would be corpse impaled onto the needles take over and once again the anger pulses through my body.

I'm giving it what it deserves.

And then I begin to continue cutting, just cut, just cut, just cut. I don't even think I'm doing this right, I'm just cutting where it feels soft and slowly take off the skin.

But so much red, so much red, so much red.

I start aimlessly slicing at outer organs that get in the way. I've seen many severed limbs and body parts. I try to push the grim memories out of the way.

Just keep cutting, despite all the red I must keep on cutting.

The red is swimming in my vision but I know I must continue cutting because this Boar doesn't deserve any of my damn mercy. Just, cut, just cut, just cut. The cuts are shallow (I think) and I have a feeling I'm doing this wrong but at least the skin is peeling off right?Ignore the red, all the damn red that's in the way, just ignore it. But it's so hard to ignore a red sticky substance staining your hands and weapon.

I'm sure I'm nearly done because I think I can see it's organs.

I retch because it's so disgusting. The needles occasionally prick my arms and hands as I try to hack away at it's skin and split the animal open. I don't want to touch them, the red, sticky organs but I need to eat, so with shaking hands and my stomach doing back flips in my body I manage to throw the soft internal organs out of the corpse and the sight of it's heart makes me retch some more. This is too disgusting (this heart was once beating and full of life at one point) and now it's just a hunk of red meat that was once a functioning organ in my hand, it's almost as squishy as a pillow and I experimentally squeeze a few times. I gag and retch as few times as quickly I toss it away, out of sight, out of mind. I've surely made a few mistakes already I must have done some things wrong. The rain hitting the corpse and mixing in with the crimson makes me want to vomit but I have nothing to vomit. I can do this, just keep cutting. Ignore the red, ignore the guts, ignore the organs.

I don't think I can.

__________________

It's a bloody mess and I feel the urge to vomit but I have absolutely no food in my system what so ever. But at least I've made at least an interesting needle blanket. I hold up the pierces and bloody needle blanket that can either be used as a weapon or something and the corpse is still there. We can eat that right?

"This - this looks edible right?" I say, slinging the inside of the needle blanket thing over my shoulders so the needles are facing the outside and the inside doesn't start pricking me despite the overwhelming urge to throw up I'd say this is kind of edible and hey, I got the blanket/pelt right? I look at the mess and the pool of blood that's slowly being beaten by the strong rain. My hands are shaking and shivering as I grip the blanket so tightly which in turn makes the rest of the blanket shake quickly. I tightly bite my quivering lip and keep my back turned from the pile of mutilated internal organs that I've obviously not cut out cleanly or properly. I try to ignore the squelch of the rain smashing into the organs but I only focus on the edible mess in front of me.

"It, it tried to kill me..." I say to no one in particular before sniffing.

It's only fair.

[Ari skins the Boar-Q-Pine to make a pelt/blanket]
[Ari cooks the Boar-Q-Pine using Anni's firewood]
[Ari eats 1 serving of Boar-Q-Pine]

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

When Ari said “what it deserves”, Anni’s back tensed up just by his tone. She really didn’t like the sound of where he was going with it—and it probably would have been better if they didn’t linger for who else was in the area—but she complied as he took the knife from her. For a bit, he was just staring at the mutt, but then he started cutting open the mutt and Anni could only just watch. She had never had to undress an animal before and not too much longer, she began to regret it.

It was disgusting, almost inhumane. She had only seen it done once, but once was enough for her. The stench had been controlled, mostly just a new nuisance, but now that Ari was doing it on his own, there was so much blood and the smell was far more intense. Once he started pulling out the organs, Anni had to turn away but the smell lingered in her nose. She didn’t know how she was supposed to eat the meat, but the loud growls of her stomach and the fatigue in her body told her that she needed to eat, especially meat. Her body started shaking and she was having a difficult time figuring out if it had to do with the lack of food, the lack of rest, or the stench. She had to let Ari do his thing, though, and she had to keep watch while he took care of the mutt.

After a long time, it was finally finished and Ari was wearing the skin of the mutt. Anni knew that it would be effective and she was proud of his resourcefulness, but the thought that it had just been on the mutt a few hours ago made her want to throw up. She weakly nodded at his question—as long as it was cooked, she was sure it could be eaten. Otherwise, it would have been a huge waste of meat. But as she stared at the raw meat, she wasn’t even sure if she could stomach eating it. Anni looked back at Ari just to see him shaking—or rather his needle cover shaking. A mixture of sympathy and pain filled her face as she wanted to pat him on the back but could find no way to do so.

“Just…just eat the meat, okay?” She wanted to so badly hug him but instead moved so that she was in front of him. “You can’t let it get to you. You’ve won. You’re going to win.” What did she mean by her words? He had won that fight, that much was certain, but had she gone too far when she said that he would win? A part of her really did believe that if either of them were going to survive, it would be him. He knew what he was doing, he knew how to fight. She placed a hand on the exposed part of his hand. “Only a few more days and you’ll be back with your family. You’ll help your family,” she said slowly, recalling their first conversation. That was the reason why he had wanted to be in the Games, wasn’t it? To help his family?

Anni didn’t want to, but she forced herself to eat some of the meat in front of her. It felt so good to have some food in her mouth, to get something to her stomach, that she wanted to keep eating. It didn’t take long for her stomach to get filled, though, and the last thing she needed was to let it all go so soon. She shook her head, refusing to continue eating as the image of the mutt’s dead body kept appearing behind her eyelids. Was this going to happen every day? Was she going to constantly be afflicted by the images of dead bodies? Were they all she would ever see? What type of world could she live in if all she ever saw was death? Even the living would eventually be overcome by death—but not Ari. As she looked sadly at her ally, she could not see death taking him for he had become a master of death. He had killed and would have to continue to kill, but death would not take him so readily for who would ever betray their master?

[Anni eats 1 serving of Boar Q-Pine]


Template credit to Shrimpers

[kousei ♚]

Narrative
"Speech"
Thoughts

Ari Newton

The way the whole blanket shook must have been so obvious because Anni then moves in front of me and her tone drops into what seems to be a comforting one. “You can’t let it get to you. You’ve won. You’re going to win.” My head lifts up so my face is facing hers. Does she really believe that? Everyone had written me off when I volunteered, Quinten's sister's voice rings through my ears; "Are you ready to die? To see things that will haunt you for the rest of your life- weather it be no loner than a few weeks or many years to come?" Mt jaw clenched even as I remembered those words, I saved her brother's life and even she had written me off to die.

Everyone in my district had thrown their hands up and written me off as dead, my home wrote me off for dead. But not Anni, she actually believed I could win even though she's a tribute her self. Funny how the only person who has faith in me is from a different district, not even from home but she actually gets it. But she's way better, kinder and stronger than any of those people from home. Her words are enough to stop the shaking.

Her touch is enough to steady my completely. “Only a few more days and you’ll be back with your family. You’ll help your family,” I can, I can do it. I repeated these words to myself everyday for the past week but to hear someone else say it is so much more satisfying. Even as she speaks I can ignore the rain, the volcano, the pelt, the boar meat because she has reminded me that they can't and won't break me. I won't be broken, I can't be broken. I've killed, I've survived, I've saved. To die here would show everyone back home I'm weak, it would prove everyone in that garbage heap I used to call a home right. Just stupid non-believers who all turned their backs on me. They're not my former neighbours or classmates. Why should I care about them? It's my family I want to help not bring glory to that place.

They never cared, or believed, I'm just the kid who brought himself here to die in their eyes.

But Anni, she cares, she actually knows me, she actually gets me. "Th-thanks," I manage to get out as she begins to get back to devouring her meat, "I don't want to die here, but neither does anyone else here, and they don't deserve to." I say, more looking at the ground than at her, I know it seems selfish because they don't deserve to die, that canon I heard today, who's ever that was didn't deserve to die. Aidin didnt deserve to die. Maybe I deserve the constant feeling of judgement I get -the image of Aidin's face in the sky flashes across my mind once again- because I'm being slightly selfish.

Maybe Anni deserves to go home more than I do. I push the negative thoughts out of my head. "You're the only one who doesn't look at me like I'm some sort of idiot or fool for volunteering, even my own stupid district just looked down on me and wrote me off as if I'm doing to die. You're the only one who's even said I have a chance, thank you," I say to her, this time looking directly at her face again. She may be just an ally, but I'd take her over the whole of that crummy place -District eleven- any day.

[ᕙʕ•ᴥ•ʔᕗ]

Anni tried to understand what Ari was thinking as he sat there silent. What she wouldn’t have given to be allowed a glimpse into his mind for a second. But the mind was a personal space and she knew better than to ask him. Instead, she took her time to just be there for him. Just like he had been there for her the previous day as she was suffering from her own wounds. She noticed that he wasn’t shaking as much ever since she placed her hand on his. It gave her a little comfort that he seemed to be finding some solace in the situation—all she wanted was for him to be calm of mind.

She had to keep her thoughts to herself after Ari spoke next. She knew she couldn’t upset him again—he was in such a fragile state—but she had already accepted that there was going to be more death in the arena; she just didn’t want Ari to be one of them. She agreed that no one in the arena deserved to—besides the bloodthirsty tributes who wanted nothing more than to cleave someone’s head off their body. “You’re right; none of us deserve to die. But we can’t help that, Ari, you know that.” She squeezed his hand slightly before continuing. “You can’t think about everyone else. You have to think about yourself, okay? I’ll support you all the way, but you can’t think about anyone else here.”

A laugh managed to escape during such a solemn time as Ari told her that she was the only one who had not scoffed at him. He really doesn’t know. She had to look away though as he looked directly at her, trying to compose herself in this moment. Composure could not hold back the look of surprise as he thanked her for a reason that she could not entirely understand. She had done nothing for him besides being his ally and that was hardly worth any thanks. “I…I have to admit I thought you were crazy for volunteering at first. Back when you first sat at my table in the dining hall.” Back when she felt truly alone and wanted to isolate herself. Their alliance at the time was not yet formed in spirit or word, but it was the start of a good feeling, one of knowing that someone else was there.

It was weird, reaching the point of trust in this bond. Preferring to keep herself isolated, Anni found no reason to have to think about trusting anyone. She had found quickly that there was no way she would have been able to survive if she had kept that mentality while entering the Games. The start of the Games, when everyone was at the center, had been absolute madness and she was barely able to get out with just her weapon. Had she not been allied with Ari, she would not have had the supplies they used or the support when facing a fight. Solitude could no longer be a part of who she was, not since she relied on him.

Template credit to Shrimpers