in these hollow chests {pillar vs hyacinth}

[eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris]

"You look like a winter night — I could sleep inside the cold of you."

Pain grabs her by the hair with his sharpened claws, and her helmet is reduced to shards by the sheer force of Hyacinth's blade — the armor manages to save her from ruin, but it's not enough to stop the explosion that now burns through the marrow of her skull. She stumbles back, a hoarse scream breaking loose from her lips, and her free hand is left clutching at her pounding head. She inhales and exhales through gritted teeth, watering eyes tightly shut, and she knows that something has been spoken to her, but the words cannot be heard over the shrill ringing that she is currently battling.

She tries to catch her breath, crumbling in on herself and crouching down onto her bent legs. Her thigh burns from the movement, and she digs her sword lazily into the earth and leans her weight against it. The sight of her brought nearly to her knees is a pathetic thing to witness, but she tries to ignore the strong urge to pity herself. Tears on her cheeks, she swallows dryly, letting herself rest despite the immediate danger. She's not able to swing a sword like this, and she sure as Hell can't hold a conversation. 

She stays seated for another minute, looking up with bloodshot eyes to find that she hasn't been slaughtered while she was down. Maybe Hyacinth didn't realize that she had a perfect shot for a quick victory, or maybe the girl simply has good morals — not that it matters, though. No one will remember a girl's kindness when they lay her down to rest; they'll remember her savagery and her beauty, but hearts have always been meant to rot. After all, they're not worth anything if they're not fresh.

She rises up on shaking legs, frowning and grunting in frustration. She blinks, nodding her head slowly to test her balance. It's a fair argument to say that she's never felt worse in her life, but she refuses to die like this. She'll be standing if and when Hyacinth manages to strike her down. She steps forward, extending her sword while her brow furrows in confusion. She's not sure what to say — if there's even anything that needs to be said. She can't remember her thoughts from earlier, and it's an awkward feeling  for her to cope with.

She laughs like a little girl who tells jokes to ignore how cruel the world is

— "If you wanted me to shut up,
all you had to do was ask.
Not try and crush my skull."

And much like any other child, she lunges with a reckless snarl. She's never known how to quit

— and she won't learn how today.

---

[ pillar attacks hyacinth with her sword ]
6wQeqvFOsword
[ Stabbed in Bicep -- 8.5 damage]

sword

[Python]

H

dig up her bones but leave the soul alone
boy with a broken soul, heart with a gaping hole
dark twisted fantasy turned to reality
kissing d e a t h and losing my b r e a t h

Exhaustion hadn’t crept through her core; it was a flood, pouring into her hollow chest and wilting veins. Her body was fed up with the fight, the constant jerking left and right toward life and death, the stress of wondering how she would die, and if she would leave her family in ruins. Her mind was fed up with tributes; watching them die and deciding whether it was worth feeling guilty or not, suppressing the idea of missing Mordecai her friend, and Mitchell her home. Most of all, listening to voices taunting, assuming, pretending to know Hyacinth like she was an open book. Careers liked to cut deep with words and weapons alike, but she was forged of steel. Asha would not discover her truth, and neither would Pillar.

She aimed not only to kill, but to hurt. Silver clashed hard into Pillar’s helmet, echoing the sound of metal breaking. Skulls bled more than bodies, and it disoriented her. A taste of iron and pain for the career. She did not revel in the suffering of others, but she experienced a surge of conquest that subdued the exhaustion in her bones. Despite all of the blood, sweat, and agony, she had days’ worth of energy to fight a worthy opponent. The training didn’t matter anymore – I can kill her. Now that she understood, she would not back down.

She planted her feet solid and steady against the ground, but couldn’t rely on reflexes to save herself. Pillar’s sword gnawed into tender flesh, already split and bleeding from previous wounds, and it was close enough to lick her bone. She cried out in simultaneous anger and agony, cradling the arm to her chest as soon as she wrenched herself away. Blood gushed and streamed down her arm, engulfed in crimson tendrils that wrapped around the elbow as if it had a mind of its own.

Her vision started to blur. Blood was draining and she was wasting precious time. As soon as Pillar’s heart stopped beating she would be saved, and it had to be now. Arm trembling, she raised her sword and blinked away the disorientation. She had passed out before from pain; she would not let a little bit of blood loss stand in her path.

”That’s why I’m here,” she panted, ”To kill you.”

And despite her weakness, she lunged with enthusiasm.

lost in the pages of self-made cages
life slips away and g h o s t s come to play
these are the h a r d times
these are the hard times for dreamers

[attacks Pillar - sword]
fTg3SMnlsword
Shallow Cut on Left Shoulder -- 3.5 damage

sword

[eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris]

"You look like a winter night — I could sleep inside the cold of you."

Filler.

She's not sure if there's acid or blood trickling down her chin, but it burns all the same;
"I'm not dying for you, Hyacinth."

---

[ pillar attacks hyacinth with her sword ]
tcmXsTdpsword
[ Block -- 0.0 damage]

sword

[Python]

H

dig up her bones but leave the soul alone
boy with a broken soul, heart with a gaping hole
dark twisted fantasy turned to reality
kissing d e a t h and losing my b r e a t h

She staggered through a haze of disorientation, blood feeding the rift’s hungry jaws. She had wanted to strike with all her might, but Pillar mirrored her level of determination. She, too, would cling to life like a leech until the last possible second. They would bleed and bleed until one finally outlasted the other, turning her back on death and his hollow gaze. Perhaps now they were finally equal, or as close to being equal as they would ever be.

Unless they both ended up as corpses.

”I’m not dying for you, Hyacinth.”

Their movements were sluggish now, and their blades clanged together. She held her tongue. You don’t get to make that choice. Life would be so much simpler if people could. Death didn’t discriminate – he stole the young and the old, the deserving and undeserving alike, but time was what made everything different. She did not want her time to be now. She could cheat fate if it existed, evade death for another day. Even if she felt empty, her life had purpose. She had a family to protect and she did not want them fading into dust. Celia was first, and she needed to be the last.

Hyacinth clenched her teeth. This dance was becoming tiresome; two girls playing at death but not calling him, both on the verge of finding him. It was not as the stories told – life flashing before her eyes, memories old and new reminding her of terrible times and cherished times. There was no revelation about the meaning of life, only a fierce goal to steal the heartbeat of the career in front of her. Where was the queen of hearts? Crumpled in her bag, or standing with a sword in hand?

Or nonexistent?

She felt as if she were on her last breaths, so she made them count.

”Then die for something else.”

For anything.

Just die.

lost in the pages of self-made cages
life slips away and g h o s t s come to play
these are the h a r d times
these are the hard times for dreamers

[attacks Pillar - sword]
Gfa611ugsword
Deep Gash on Right Bicep -- 8.0 damage

sword