July, Walking *{Lightbringer+kittyoemily}*

[Loki]

July, just having come from work, crossed the district square, heading towards home, which was on the opposite side of
town from her current job assignment. Several shopkeepers were lounging in their doorways, and July waved to them and
smiled. When the girl passed by others walking across the cobblestone she nodded politely, and greeted the people she knew with a sunny "Hello." Even though, now, in the early evening, July was tired from cutting down trees for several hours after school, she paused and spoke to the baker, a family friend. The conversation wasn't much, just small-talk, and before long she was moving on towards her home, hands free at her sides.

Wearing heavy coveralls over a red tee and boots, her nose smudged with dirt, July looked as if she had been at work, and her black hair was waving in the breeze. She reached up and ran a hand through that hair, and pushed it back from her face. Anyone observing July would see a girl of medium height with muscles and a quick, graceful stride as she headed homewards. Stopping to window-shop at the candy store, July admired the delicate confections, and decided to go on inside and buy a small treat for her brother and sister and herself - one lemon drop a piece. Frugality crossed her mind before the purchase, however, and she ended up with just two, one for each sibling, wrapped in a little piece of paper in her breast pocket.

Once back out in the square, July looked around and smiled a bit because she knew the purchase would delight her younger sibs. She wasn't really aware of it, but the smile made her look very pretty as well as friendly; she saw a casual friend from school across the square, and waved, approaching the shops at the north end of the square as she did so.

----
((OOC: So, be her friend from school, or be an employee or patron of one of the shops she's headed towards, a boy who likes her and is following her, or whatever else you like, just someone come play with me!))

[kittyoemily]

Daniel Sizzing

The wind was brushing my hair up making it messier than it usually was. A big toothy grin on my face as I kept looking back. Back to make sure they did not follow. I was running sure, not exactly away from something but to something. To excitement. The excitement of just finishing a nice prank of pie in the window of a wood shop, and waiting till the owner noticed myself to start running. He noticed alright. Now I was running. My shoes kicked up dirt. my forehead sweating, and my neck turning back every now and then a bit too fast making me a bit dizzy. Oh this was fun. I saw him still chasing me. I saw some confused peacekeepers now chasing him. Oh this was fun. I continued to run forgetting to look behind me.

At some point I must have lost him, and at some point I must of stopped interpreting where I was running and what was actually in front of me because I slammed against a body. There was no one screaming with excitement because I was now going to be caught. There was only the noise of my thump against the body and the ohing of people in surprise. I think I blanked out for a minute because I did not remember the fall only the ram and the waking up on the dirt floor. I rubbed my forehead as I sat up to see what happened, and who or what did I hit. I looked around and everything was blurry. my head hurt like h***, and I felt the blood seeping out of my head, in fact I could even taste some in my mouth. " uhm sorry miss." I said in a confused manor not knowing If what I hit was a girl or even a person in general. " I did not see you there." I blinked my eyes a fast regaining sight fairly quickly. I started to rub my eyes. I was not about to get up before I can see clearly because who knows if I will run into something else or just make a plain fool of myself and fall flat on the ground again.

(occ I hope this is a cool plot forming? I mean I am allowing you to decide if it was her who he ramned into or someone else or an object, but if it was her I am also leaving it open to if she fell too or if she did not )

[Loki]

July was not even aware of what had happened for a moment as she was knocked off of her feet in half of an instant; she hit the ground underneath the body that had hurtled into her and all the air in her lung was knocked out of her body, she gasped, fruitlessly, for several long seconds before a blessed inrush of air relieved her agony. Then, shoving at the body that had run into her, July was able to begin assessing the damage: her arms and fingers seemed okay, thankfully. She had a pain in her head where she'd probably struck the ground, her elbows were scraped, her back hurt, too. 

Struggling to get up as soon as the boy who'd knocked her down moved up half way off her when he sat, July looked up at him and shoved, "Let me UP," she gasped .."Why the hell were you running like that." July still sounds breathless and rather annoyed and hopes this isn't some criminal and now there are about to be a hundred peacekeepers around who will probably step on her also. At least she didn't sound seriously injured, though she was developing a black eye, probably where an elbow or hand had caught her.

[kittyoemily]

Daniel Sizzing

My little grin turned into more of a frown when I realized I was on top of someone as she yelled. "Let me UP," and something about why was I running like that. I moaned and moved myself next to her a bout a foot away. I sat there panting and clearing my vision a few more minutes. I pulled my knees a bit closer to me to alleviate the dizziness by balancing myself sitting up a bit. more. I then looked at the person, a girl in fact. Black hair pretty looking face. She seems very dazed too. I put my hand behind my head to slow down the bleeding a bit and I spit the blood out of my mouth to the other side of me where the girl was not. My head was warm and blood was gushing into my hand. I hope this does not need an doctor to look at it. I guess I could claim I fell down off the tree, maybe. My parents will kill me now, well I am sure I can just do some other joke to side track any discipline.

Looking back a her I saw the black eye forming. " ohh." I said with honest concern. I am regretting this run for the moment, and I try to cover up my tracks of guilt with a joke. " If you can guess it, I will let you know why I was running." I smile a bit ignoring the throbbing pain of my head. I must of really slammed my head into the ground. I start to hear background noise and not just what was immediately going on between this girl and I. This noise is filled with confusion and possibly some worried people who have kids of their own.

I swing my head up to see who and how many were looking around. I swung it too fast." owe." I yank my head back down as the blurs make their way to my eyes again. I pull my hand that was on the back of my bleeding head to put it right on my forehead. Now my forehead is covered with blood I am sitting up with my other hand, leaving my bleeding on the back of my head completely free of hands to help clog it. I forget about the girl once again for my own pain. I know I caused mine, while she was just an innocent bystander, but at the moment my pain matters a bit more to me. Blood drips down from my hands onto my eyes, I close my eyes tighter. Well this was a train wreck.

After a minute the pain and dizziness from it subsides, and I lift my hand off of my forehead. By now the excess blood on my hand (from trying to clog the back of my head) is all dry, the blood on my face is dry, but some how the back of my head is still oozing. I know I am going to need to go to the doctors." damn it" I whisper. slowly looking back at her and taking my hand covered in blood off of my forehead that was untouched except for the blood I placed there gripping my forehead with my hand, I give a smile. Then I turn a bit serious." Are you okay? Is the blue berry eye you have there the worst of your problems?" I gave a half grin. " see sorry about what I did there." I pointed with my bloody hand at her eye. " There is nothing else right?" for some reason I keep saying these off hand comments like I don't care, but I do. It just must be a concussion I have making me say these things like that." I mean that blue berry eye does not look that bad." I keep going and it is real stupid of me, and I keep going." You have nothing else, push I did not nock you that hard." This one was slurred I can tell for a fact. not that hard? then why did my eyes roll back like I was going to pass out again?

" It can't be that bad." Now there is concern in my voice, but I am not sure if this is the usual concerned voice I would use. I put my head back against the floor feeling an initial pain that could have sent me springing up to get away from the pressure of the floor against my head but I felt tired, and sleeping was good for a concussion right? " sleep with me." I said in a very delusional voice now. Even I know this is not good with a supposed concussion, but a part of me did not care some how. The background noises become even less distinct. some words I make out is " should we help them?" No I think to myself let me go to the doctors after I get a good rest. the doctors won't let me sleep if I have a concussion, and I want to sleep.

[ Occ hospital visit? I can change it lol, but sorry I kept typing it like that, I mean not sure if I want him to have a concussion yet or just a good nock on the head... )

[Loki]

I could see plainly that the young man who had run into me had a concussion. I had had to take first aid for work like everyone else did, and I was almost certain that that was what I was looking at here. So when the guy muttered about sleeping, I knew that was the worst idea on the list. Despite the fact of my having gotten bashed around, there was no way I was going to let the young man just suffer here in the street, or worse, and I smiled despite the eye and quickly corralled several of the men standing there to help me with the injured boy.



"We'll take him to Mr. Ferree," I said, which was the only place TO take him; the doctor wouldn't see him without being paid in advance, and I had no means to do so. Mr. Ferree, the town medic, knew more about healing than the doctor, anyhow, and now that I'd given the idea to the men, I just had to get out of the way as two of them picked up the boy and hauled him there.



Not sure why I was investing myself, but sure I had to see that the boy would be all right, I followed along, and explained, "He's got a concussion," as they laid the boy on a bare wooden table. "I can see that, young lady," said the medic, a middle aged man with greying hair and a brisk demeanor as he got to work examining the boy. After a few minutes, he said the boy could stay the night, and he'd take care of him; I thanked him and promised to visit first thing in the morning, before school. Then I took one last look at the semi-conscious boy and headed home.



Davys and Marrissa and, of course, Dad, made a big fuss over my black eye an scraped elbows; Dad calmed down once he understood it hadn't been a purposeful attack. The kids were happy once I remembered the candy and gave them each their lemon drop after dinner, and we had another nice and pleasant night like most of them, me falling asleep as usual with Marrissa pressed against my side in our little bed.



Come morning, my head ached and I examined the black eye; the swelling wasn't half as bad as it could have been, nothing that would prevent me from working, happily. I got ready like always but left the house early, remembering I meant to check on the boy who I'd been run over by, and so, minutes later I was standing on the medic's doorstep, being shown in and into the room where the young man was sleeping, probably having just drifted off after being awakened multiple times. 

[kittyoemily]

Daniel Sizzing

I was picked up as soon as I tried to get some sleep. "h" I don't know what I was going to say but it did not come out. I was dazed going in and out of knowing what is happening and thinking about what could happen. No this is a peacekeeper. I tried to struggle, I was just so tired and could not. I felt some coldness of the wooden table. I looked up blurs everywhere still. I could make out the gentle outline of the girl I had rammed. I was going to speak up but I put my head back on the table when the voices were barely audible.

Barely was false. The girl eventually left and I had no clue where I was. The man who seemed like he had some medical back ground, but clearly not a doctor kept nocking me awake. With words that although I did not bother to understand them, they kept me awake. Awake all night. When ever I drifted back off close to getting to sleep. The sleep that I so desperately wanted, I would be awaken. Eventually I came two enough to know that I should probably not keep testing my luck of trying to go to sleep. So I just stared up at the ceiling the rest of the night.

I thought about what my parents are thinking. Would they notice, and if so because they probably did notice, do they think I was playing some kind of prank on them.. I knew that question better than anyone of course they do. I watched the ceiling tracing all of its faults with my finger. This woke the old man a few times who asked me if I was okay. I nodded and would say." Thanks doc." The first time he was taken aback, but I caught his small smile of pride, he was being treated like a real doctor for once. This in turn gave me a small smile.

I watched as the sun rise up, and wondered how much longer until I could go home and sleep, instead of how pretty the sun is. A part of me wondered if I would ever see the girl I nocked into again. I wondered if I could ever find her to apologize, and maybe say thanks for getting me medical attention even though she made me miss out on some good sleep. I knew the answer was no. There were just too many people in district seven to find one person that I don't even know the name of.

I sat up rather quickly scaring the medic that something was wrong." No " I said. Then I asked him a few questions like " how much do I have to pay you, when can I go to sleep, and when can I go home." He answered them fairly quickly. Pretty much just a few more hours. I gave him some money I had in my back pocket and stood sitting up until he had to put me back flat on the table. I told him just look the other way then I could leave. He glared at me and mumbled something like he would be at fault if some how I got hurt bad because he released me. I of course grinned at this and held back a yawn. Some how I was tired, but not nearly as tired as when I got the concussion.

There was a nock on the door, and I took that moment to get to sleep. Click click click. " I am up I am up." I sprung up and looked to see the medic glaring at me again, and another face. I would not have recognize this girl if not for the black eye. I remember what I called it yesterday, and suddenly I felt real awkward. I put my hand up against the back of my neck." Uhhhmmmmm." I looked down at the floor then back at her." Ummmmm sorry miss." I gave a small crooked grin." I did not see you there." The back of my neck was getting a bit sweaty. " I mean you kind of screwed me out of a good nights sleep, but thanks for bringing me here anyways." I gave her another grin. I then looked around, the old man had left this dreaded conversation. " So mind telling me where we are exactly so I can get back to my home, or...." I looked at the school supplies in her hands." I guess I could follow you to school." I chuckled inside my own head, the first thing I do after this concussion is go to school when on a normal day I would think twice about going to school, how ironic.


[ )[/quote]

[Loki]

On the way to the medic's house, I wonder who the boy is; it seems like I may have seen him around at some point, but I know I don't know him, since I can't even put a name to his face. My eye kind of stings, but it's nothing I can't deal with; I've gotten clipped with the haft of a swung axe before, and that hurt much worse. This time I am sure nothing is broke, anyhow.

I head to Mr. Ferree's house, and knock on the door, and he lets me in, looking exhausted, and he sighs, and mutters that the boy is better now.

The boy who ran into me is apologizing, and so I nod, and give him little smile, and say, "Its ok. No harm done, really." I shrug and say, "I've been in worse accidents. My name's July, by the way." I heft my pack up onto my shoulder again since it'd slipped down, and slide my hands into the pockets of my jeans. I know my clothes aren't exciting or anything, but I have work after school.

He asks if he can follow me to school, so I reply, "If Mr. Ferree says you can leave, you can follow me to school, sure," I say, a bit amused at the young man's tongue tied condition. He isn't in my grade, though he has a sort of familiar face, liks I've seen him around somewhere.

I tell him, "I'll be right back," and go and talk to the medic. I thank the older man for taking care of the boy and ask whether he can leave; he can, as long as he has someone to watch out for him, which would be me, apparently, and so I come back and say, "Ok, get up, but slowly." I know enough to know that concussions are tricky things. "You can tell me why you were running like that while we walk."

[kittyoemily]

Daniel Sizzing

I wait for her reply. She tells me no problem, and how her name is July. A very pretty name is what I think. I am ready to tell her my not so pretty name when she carries on the conversation. She replies back to my question saying if, blah something to do with the guys name, but sure pops out to me. Before I get to say thanks she walked away. I am a bit confused, but then I realize she was asking for permission for me to leave. I rolled my eyes. She realizes I could just leave with out him ever finding out that it was me who left. It was not like I gave him my name or anything...... I suppose I have gotten around enough that you can describe me to a crowd of people, and at least one of them has dealt with me. A quick grin came on my face. Oh pranks so cool.

When the girl comes back I try and think if I have seen her before, I feel like I have. I mean never talked to her, but she must either work in the forest, or we have crossed paths at school. Totally not in my grade. The girl spoke up before I could ask her my question. "Ok, get up, but slowly." I of course do the opposite and hop up very fast sending some vertigo to myself, but still standing." Ok I am up." I blow a piece of my hair that was hovering over my forehead and looked back at her. She continued to speak. "You can tell me why you were running like that while we walk." I raise my eyebrows. I guess I owed her that much, but maybe we could play a little guessing game. I put on a more serious face and nodded in agreement thinking no shot in my head.

I walked over to the door hiding some of the backlash from getting up so quickly and I opened the door and left the place. When I got out the sun was shining and the clouds were all white and puffy. It was almost as if they did not care about my concussion, then again do they ever care about the games and the twenty three people that die every year in them. Nope, so why would they care about a still living person with an concussion that the person caused upon himself?

I took a few breaths of the fresh air. It was good to be out of that muggy place. Even if my head still hurt like a tree fell on it, everything seemed to be going pretty good. I stretched my arms a bit and spoke to July who I was assuming was behind me by now, and out side, as I stretched my legs. " So what age are you again, sorry I forgot." I don't know if she ever mentioned it or not, but this is a way to ask none the less.

[Loki]

Walking out with the boy, I realize I don't know his name yet, and I speak at the same time he does: him, asking my age, and me saying, "So what's your name?" I giggle when we overlap like that, but I answer his question first, "I'm sixteen." I feel silly for giggling about it, but something about him makes me feel giddy. Or, more likely, I have a touch of concussion myself. I start to head to school, as long as he walks beside me. School, which makes me sigh a little, I rarely find school to be a productive way to spend my day.

((OOC - sorry so short but I want to give him a chance to introduce himself and etc.))

[kittyoemily]

Daniel Sizzing

I catch the end of what she was saying. Name. That is all I knew, but I knew she must have been asking for my name. She answered my question first which I was glad seeing as with a name like July, Daniel seems pretty bland. I hear her giggle before going on."I'm sixteen." Still a bit in a bouncy nature. I chuckled to myself a bit. " I am fourteen." I thought she would want to know the age of the person who ran her over before the name in case she wanted to talk down to me like I was a little kid who did not know better.... Not claiming that I do know better... but I feel like I do.

She starts walking on ahead I catch up a bit and set our pace a bit faster than she started off as. " I am Daniel by the way. " I had on a quirky little smile that I usually had on and walked on for a bit. I wondered what my head looked liked now that it stopped bleeding. It must looked a bit bad since it caused the concussion. I was interrupted of my deep thoughts by July sighing near me. I turned my head to look at her and continued to walk while I spoke to her." Yeah I know what you mean, I did not even get any sleep, led alone having to go to school." The sun started to glare in my eyes so I squinted. " Ya know we could skip school." I smiled mischievously. " I mean not claiming that I have before." and I have quite a few times I am just not going to tell her incase she is a goody too shoe. She probably is since she did not kick me in the face when I was down after I plowed her over, no she took it farther as a goody too shoe and she got me some medical help when I could of perfectly fallen asleep and been killed off by the concussion leaving her no dirty work to be done. This makes me laugh and chuckle a bit out loud at the thought of me walking to school with a girl like her. That's right a perfect little Panem citizen.


occ not a problem I understand I did mine a bit short for that reason too

[Loki]

So his name is Daniel and he's two years younger than me. That's funny, somehow I was imagining he'd be older, but it explains why I don't really know him yet. His head has a huge lump, but at least the blood has been cleaned away. Well, I don't mind that he's fourteen, as long as he doesn't act like a bratty little kid. I know he is lying when he says he hasn't skipped school before - I know he has, somehow. So have I, for that matter, I just don't make a habit of it so I never really get in trouble for it. I smile back at Daniel and I say, "Ok, we'll skip school but I have to be at work in the afternoon." One thing I don't do is skip work. Work actually matters: work helps feed my family. "I guess we could go hang out in the woods where they're not cutting today, if you wanted. Unless you have a better idea?" I look at him with a smile, to let him know I actually want to hear what his idea is.

As we walk, I wonder just why he was running yesterday, and how he seems to be avoiding the question. He pretty obviously was running from someone, so I am curious from whom, and why. He could have stolen something, or else played some sort of prank; those seem the most obvious reasons. I can't, of course, afford to get caught up with a real troublemaker, but I don't know that Daniel is one, yet, so I can spend the morning with him, anyhow. "Everyone else who isn't at school or work is somewhere watching the Games.." I say, casually, not going so far as to say I don't really care to do so, which I don't, but wondering what he will say.

[kittyoemily]

Daniel Sizzing

I was taking in the fresh air once again zoning out to just walking and not really thinking for the moment. Cutting my vacation from not thinking short July replied back that we could skip school. This actually surprised me greatly. I stopped walking for a few steps until I remembered that we were walking together then I caught up again and kept our pace. Of course she says she have to be at work later. Oh so she works too. That's funny since she is a girl and I knew ladies worked, but not that female kids actually worked. I suppose she was older and could have started recently... but still. I nod in agreement with having to work, school I could get away with skipping but not work since I was the leader of our shift of working kids.

Then she says we could hang out in the woods where they were not cutting today. My expression shows what I was thinking very clearly when I raise my eyebrows and try and keep my face away pretending to look at something to my left so she did not see my expression as we walked. Sincerely I love the woods and climbing trees, but if we were going to skip school to be near work again, it kind of took off the whole fun of skipping. Then I started to try and think of a better place that we could go and I could show off that it was a better idea. All of them made me think that some how we would be snitched on by a random person who spotted us teens out of school. That never goes well either. Then I thought about how fun it is to climb the trees, and even if she does not actually know how to I could just quickly teach her to climb them. It would be easier than teaching some seven year old to climb, and we would have a lot of fun. No way of people finding us in the trees....

I was just about to agree to her terms when she spoke up saying "Everyone else who isn't at school or work is somewhere watching the Games.." I shook my head quick while my grin turned quickly to a frown. I caught myself and put my smile back to normal. I had to play it cool like it did not matter if she wanted to watch the games. So I smiled at her and said while walking back wards so I could stare her in the eyes. I walked a bit slower since backwards made me a bit dizzy again and spoke to her in a very joking manor. " Okay miss princess we can watch the games again..." I grinned even though it pained me a bit to joke about this subject of people liking the games." It is the least I can do since you saved my life, watch other kids be killed with you." The word Killed came out a bit harsh to where I did not mean it but at least the rest sounded like I was totally cool with the idea of watching the games.

[Loki]

"Actually," I say, frowning, and keeping my voice down quiet, "I'd rather not watch the Games if it's all the same." I know I should never admit something like that aloud, at least not to someone I am just getting to know, but I can't help myself, and it seems somehow as if Daniel might understand. He's obviously some kind of rebel in his own way, running away from people and skipping school, so there is this part of me that hopes he will understand the rebellious part of me, the part that doesn't watch the games except the parts we have to watch in public with everyone else. "We can do whatever else, just so long as we don't get caught; you're not great at running away." I say the last part with a grin, to show Daniel I am teasing him.

As I follow along where he leads, I contemplate why this seemed such a fun thing to do today. Granted, I just plain don't have much use for school. They should let us quit when we want and work full time, instead, if we choose. It isn't as though they teach us anything new - they teach the same things basically that we learned when we were six, just with bigger words now. But, at least today might be interesting, though hopefully without Daniel getting me into very serious trouble. I watch him, trying to gauge how he'll react to what I just said. I don't know why I care so much, just for some odd reason, I do.

[kittyoemily]

Daniel Sizzing

"Actually...I'd rather not watch the Games if it's all the same." Is what I hear, and I almost tripped back wards after I heard this comment. I quickly turned back around so we were walking the regular way again. " Hold on." I looked back and forth in a joking manor. " Ok we are clear, yeah you dodged a bullet there. I agree, well on the doing the big no to panem. " I chuckled. She continues by saying "We can do whatever else, just so long as we don't get caught; you're not great at running away." I grinned back at her especially when I saw she was joking too. " Yeah lets go in the forest so we can have fun." " You know how to climb trees right?" I started to walk a bit faster at this because the trees were truly my domain. I grinned at this. I put my hand to my hand and felt the mound on it. Ugh. It felt all scabbed and everything. I sure hope it does not look as bad as it felt. I did not need July being grossed out while we climbed the trees. I imagined climbing while I waited for a reply from her. I mean it did not matter if she could or not, just if she could I would not have to teach her then we could get up in the trees faster so we would be less likely to be caught and such. Do I really care? Teaching her could be fun in itself. Or I could make a complete fool of myself. This made me a bit dizzy thinking about it. I pulled my hand off of the back of my hand and I put it on my forehead trying to get the dizziness stable.

[Loki]

I am relieved, and grateful, when Daniel quickly accepts the idea of doing something else, and I am happy to reassure him quickly: "I can climb trees just fine." He touches his head where the big knot is, and I wince in sympathy. It looks like it must be really pretty painful. He also looks as if he might be slightly dizzy, and I wonder how good an idea climbing trees is, really, but, then again, if he feels he can do it, who am I to argue?

I walk along with him, and I smile at him, and I realize I am enjoying spending time with a boy, for the first time since I broke up with a certain person who shall not be named. I guess this is good, as it means I am over it. Excellent. I decide it's not too damn awkward that Daniel is two years younger than me. Probably more like one-and-a-half since I only just turned sixteen. That was a big deal because it meant I could work longer hours, which was good for the family. Between Dad and I we do keep everyone fed well.

I am not going to think about serious stuff now, just enjoying my freedom from school and what might be a new friendship. "So what do you like to do besides climb trees and run for your life?" I ask Daniel, with a grin.