Knock me down {Rade VT}

[ali]

[googlefont="Satisfy:400"]

Canaria

Grey

Truth is in us all, cradle to the grave
We're just animals still learning to behave

It hardly seems like a year has passed since I, Canaria Grey, bought Patricia Valeferino to her knees in a demonstration at the training center. It was a wonderful moment, watching the red head fall to her knees; I thought she might of begged for mercy but the instructor closed the fight before I could hit her again. I am surprised in all honesty she managed to win the games at all, maybe she just wasn't trying what with that fake hand of hers lugging her down. 

Now I am stood in the sea of people again watching the girl from eleven make the same speech as last year. I hear people mutter around me about how touching her words are and such a sweet girl and such strong words from a strong girl they all clearly don't remember how Patricia had spoken the same words last year, par the names she mentioned.

This year, Mason Hammerfell and Hedvig Fabre's names are mentioned in place of the two who died last year. No one really remembers who lost last year, people are too quick to forget these things and Mason and Hedvig will be forgotten too; I am guilty at forgetting these failures. 

Once the crowd gives a pathetic round of applause for Katelyn, I roll my eyes in discontent and make my way through the crowd towards the Career training center. I try to move quickly, my mother would stop me if she caught me sneaking off- how can you fight like such a beast?! I hear her say, her shrill voice echoing through my head. I laugh to myself as I enter the training center where people are already preparing for the victors arrival. They all run about like headless chickens, excitedly clucking about how she'll be here any moment now. 

I laugh as I prop myself against the wall as I watch Careers roll out training mats, while others try to impersonate Katelyn's fighting style (fighting style? what fighting style?) from her time in the arena. I smile as I lazily fold my arms and watch them all hurry about like ants as the sounds of a car pull up out the front of the building. 

"Everyone in positions!!" yells a female trainer, big beefy blonde woman- who on some occasions I've mistaken for a man- as she enters the room. She notices me, leaning against the wall and she glares "Get off the wall girl." 

I roll my eyes with an elongated sigh. I shoot her a quick salute as I push myself off the wall, sarcastically drawling out a "Yes Sir" as I walk to join the other careers in the huddle they've formed. 

table by ali

[charade]

[googlefont="Ubuntu:400"]

Katelyn

Persimmon

While the general reception had seemed frosty, after leaving the girl behind and heading for the training center, her escort had explained that while district two did not generally fawn over victors the way that district one did, most careers enjoyed meeting the newest victor solely so they could learn how they had managed to win and add it to their training regimen in case they received the honor of being reaped the following year. She rubbed at tired eyes as he went on, already feeling exhausted by the days events.

She supposed that they wanted to figure out how she had won when Mason and Hedvig had not. But if they were anything like Mason, they were looking in the wrong places. The throwing axes and the ice pick might have kept her alive, but it was Marchello and Ellexias who had kept her from losing herself or going mad as other tributes had.

Skill could only get a person so far. Katelyn hadn't had any practice with weapons before hand. Even in the training center in the Capitol, she had stayed by the survival stations and abhorred the combat stations. She hadn't had a fighting style beyond swinging or throwing and hoping that the hit would connect.

Upon entering the center, she was greeted by far more fanfare than she would have liked, as well as far more careers than she would have liked. But this was her life now, and she had to make the best of it. Katelyn waved to the careers and waited to see what it was they wanted to show her.  

made by anzie

[ali]

[googlefont="Satisfy:400"]

Canaria

Grey

Truth is in us all, cradle to the grave
We're just animals still learning to behave

The other careers stand around me, muttering excitedly as the door opened. I rolled my eyes at their overly childish chatter, before turning my gaze to the girl who was striding through the door. A tall skinny thing, probably skinnier than she had been prior to the games, with dirty blonde hair that reminded me of the inside of a tree- varying shades of brown and golden interweaved. I take note of her startling blue eyes, the colour of winter skies; ironic considering the arena she'd won the games in. She's pretty I think as she gives the crowd a meek wave not exactly what I was expecting though.

I wonder how she could even pull of the appearence of a victor, behind the Capitol make up and clothing style she must be so...so plain; though there are scars that appear to be healing, there is nothing like Patricia's fake hand or Lethe Turners glass eye. She had it easy. She was lucky. I smirk, Not for much longer though...

I turn my attention to the butch career trainer who welcomes Katelyn with exciting yet strong words of "Congratulations" and "It's an honour to be in your presence" before she goes onto asking the dirty blonde whether she'd want to give the young trainee's a demonstration in fighting; this causes a few of the careers stood beside me, to back away from the front of the crowd.

A few stand strong but I can tell that inside they're shitting themselves. They saw her in the games, and their shitting their pants at the thought of fighting her. I stifle back a cackle, putting my hand over my mouth. 

"Would anyone like to 'duel'" the trainer says this with obvious quotation marks, as she knows as well as I that a demonstration given by the victor wouldn't be anything like a real duel "Miss Persimmon?" 

Here is your chance.. I think, as a small smirk forms on my lips Second year in a row to beat the victor of the games?  Perhaps my pride gets the better of me as I step forward, out of the crowd of Careers and raise my hand in the air quite casually. 

"I wouldn't mind taking a...swing at Katelyn here..." I shoot the victor a sly glare "of course, that is if she wants to." 

I raise my eyebrows glancing to the trainer and to the other Careers who all seem to be staring at me in disbelief before their eyes- and mine- fall back on Katelyn. 

table by ali

[charade]

[googlefont="Ubuntu:400"]

Katelyn

Persimmon

They wanted someone to duel her. Katelyn nearly snorted in disbelief at the ridiculousness of it all. But almost immediately, some if not most of the careers in the front backed up, and Katelyn slowly turned to quizzically stare at them. They didn't see her as the lamb that had told stories to her allies or that barreled out of the trees to save Lexi. Not like Orion had. No, these careers saw her as the lion that had severed two legs.

That had killed three other tributes despite not having any formal training with the weapons she had wielded. And it...scared them? Kateyln knew that if she had been standing a foot away from a victor prior to being reaped, she would have been intimidated too. Not now though,or never again. Not after the eight days she had suffered in the arena. Though that didn't mean she was spoiling for a fight. If they had paid attention to anything other than her fights, they would have known that. 

One of the girls volunteered with a malicious grin and Katelyn grimaced. Politely declining was something she considered strongly. But...as much as she hated to admit it, the girls cockiness got under her skin. It was something she had seen in the arena far too often. Mason floated back into her head and she wondered what was considered the proper response in district two.

Judging from the the man mountain's outlook on life, training, and the games, one had to show that they were the top dog, that they ruled the roost. That those who wanted to screw with them needed to think twice. If Mason had gone home a victor he probably would have pounded any challengers into the mat without a second thought. That type of brutality was not in her nature.

But she had learned well that there were different kinds of courage.

Katelyn nodded at the instructor and stalked over to the array of wooden weapons. The sight made her blood freeze, but she stifled the urge to scream. These weapons were not real, and she would not fighting for her life or trying not to die, only putting on a show for Mason's ilk. She wondered how they viewed her. She had managed to make it through the games without losing a limb, a fairly hard feat.

Her arms were still criss-crossed in scars as well as possible nerve damage, according to the doctors in the Capitol. Her throat they had worked wonders on as they wanted her to be able to speak during the Victory Tour without sounding horrid.

The stitch on her cheek was still quite visible however. They said it added to her look. Once she was standing across from the other girl. Katelyn raised an eyebrow and then tossed the practice weapon down at her feet, to gasps and mutters of surprise. They wanted to see her weapons in action? Her words had been her greatest blade in the arena, or so she felt."I'm not going to fight you. You have no challenge to offer me." she said simply, feeling her courage rising as it had after Margaret had stabbed her in the neck.

"Both of your districts tributes fell to careers from district four. I crippled one of them." Katelyn turned her head slowly and methodically to look at the other careers in the room before looking back at the brunette. "I survived wounds that should have killed me. I killed people that should have killed me. Hit me with your best shot. I promise you I'll still be standing." The heat rising in her chest set her face ablaze and her eyes flashed with a cold fire. If they wanted the lion, they would get her.

And maybe some of the careers would learn a hard lesson. It wasn't about training, or how good you were with a weapon. It was about what you were willing to do, and whether or not you could live yourself afterwards. With the kind words from people like Orion and Diamond ringing in her ears, Katelyn believed that she could do just that.

made by anzie

[ali]

[googlefont="Satisfy:400"]

Canaria

Grey

Truth is in us all, cradle to the grave
We're just animals still learning to behave

For a moment, I believe that Katelyn Permission is going to turn me down so it's a surprise when she nods to the instructor and stalks her way over, slowly, to the weapons rack. I raise an eyebrow as I watch her. I am surprised that the little mouse of a girl is brave enough to fight after her throat had be cut open during the finale, brave enough to pick up a weapon without complaint. She is better at biting her tongue than Patricia...

As she gazes at the row of weapons, I take note of the scar on her cheek. I don't recall who gave her that scar but I am surprised it hasn't been 'erased' by the Capitol- the ones that criss-crossed her arms like stitches on clothing appear to remain strong too. They look worse, or so it seems, depending on the angle of the light; but it doesn't phase me.

The victor moves to face me and tosses a wooden at my feet, this elicits gasps and shocked muttering from the other careers but stifles no reaction from me. I remain still watching the girl before I glance from the weapon and to the girls face. Her eyebrow is raised in a look that is judgmental, almost looking at me like I am crazy or perhaps too cocky for my own good. I hold back a sneer and just watch as her mouth begins to move and she speaks.

Her voice is almost perfect, which is surprising considering what happened to her throat in those last days of the games. 

"I'm not going to fight you. You have no challenge to offer me."

I smirk at this, wondering whether Patricia Valerfrino thought the same thing.

"Both of your districts tributes fell to careers from district four. I crippled one of them. "I survived wounds that should have killed me. I killed people that should have killed me. Hit me with your best shot. I promise you I'll still be standing."

The fire in her words and the determination makes my smile, my cocky little smile, falter just. I stare at her coldly for a long hard moment before I scoop up the weapon in my hand and hold it tightly. I clench my jaw. I'll show her. After a moment of silence, I smile coldly at Katelyn, gracefully I begin to circle her slowly...carefully and on the balls of my feet. 

"The little song bird can speak... I am surprised you know..." I grip the weapon a little tighter as I stretch. My words are sharp and cool, like ice, as I look to her and take my place again. "the question is..the thing I am wondering is....can the little song bird dance" 

I smirk again, before I swing for the girl with a lunging cry. 

table by ali

[charade]

[googlefont="Ubuntu:400"]

Katelyn

Persimmon

The smile faltered as it grew so quiet in the center that Katelyn thought she could hear her own heart beating. "The little song bird can speak... I am surprised you know...the question is..the thing I am wondering is....can the little song bird dance?" The words were cold, icy. The product of wounded pride. Katelyn had seen enough of that in the arena to last her for years. The career lunged at her, and she braced herself involuntarily for the hit,trying to dodge it instinctively.

It smacked into her jaw and she tasted iron on her tongue, spinning her body to one side, but she stayed on her feet true to her word. There would be a bruise for certain; perhaps it was already visible. Katelyn spat blood at the mat and glared at the girl. Careers just didn't get it unless they were bleeding to death in the snow. "Are you done? Good. Now imagine that hit killed me. That I'm bleeding to death on the ground. Or maybe I shrugged it off and stuck a blade through your stomach. Maybe you're the one dying."

As she talked, her eyes filtered over the other careers in the training center "Death. Finality. That's what the games are. There are no do overs, no second tries." Katelyn turned back to the career that hit her."Remember that if you get reaped. And hope that your training will be enough. She thought back to the arena, and the six careers faces that she had seen in the sky as she started walking towards the exit of the training center, casting a glance over her shoulder at the girl as she did so.

"It won't be."

made by anzie