Future Duels Need Practice

[WT]

((OOC- Writing for her makes me squee. <33))

Standing on her tiptoes wasn't a conscious reaction to Papero lowering himself. However, that's probably a good thing, because if Aranica had actually tried to look that adorable, she probably wouldn't have succeeded. As it was, her attempt to be taller amplified the aura of "way too innocent to be here" that she was sending out, making her look even younger (and, by consequence, cuter) than she had a moment ago.

"Mm-hmm. I dunno what an aca-acquat-acquanantenence is, and I didn't know I had one, but I guess it's happy to meet you too. I am- happy to meet you, that is." She took a break for breath, then nodded enthusiastically. Her hair floated around a little from the force of the nodding, but it was long enough to carry enough weight to keep it form flying everywhere, so she didn't really pay any attention to it. "Yup. I play with rocks a lot, see, and some of my old friends and I, we figured it out. It took a long time, and I had to talk some trees into giving me wood when I couldn't find any on the ground, but I got the hang of it eventually. I think maybe my brother showed me how to do it better, but I'm not really sure if I ever had a brother at all, so I don't know." It was time for another breath, conveniently timed so that the other two girls could give their names. "Hi, Nachele! Hi, Alba! It's nice to meet you guys."

It's a good thing that Nachele picked that moment to pull Aranica into the first hug she'd been given in ages, because that was probably the only thing that would shut her up. (She could be a juggernaut when it came to talking; get her started, and you'd never be able to stop her.)

Ara was, actually, stunned into complete silence. She couldn't remember the last time someone had voluntarily given her a hug. Sometimes people returned them, but she always had to hug first- and even then, a lot of people hit her on the head and ran away. This was really weird. It made her happy, though- and happy in a different way than her usual fountain-of-bubbles attitude. This was... not exactly more basic, but more fundamental. It was the sort of happiness she ought to have known as a small child, had her life then not been spent on the run or in isolation.

She returned the hug carefully, almost hesitatingly; when Nachele didn't hit her over the head, she allowed herself to latch onto the older girl, an almost wondering smile lighting up her face. She melted into the embrace, wanting to immerse herself in it so she could remember it later, if she was lonely in the Arena. She wanted to thank Nachele, but she didn't really know how, so she just clung a little tighter and hoped the message would pass through.

A new voice poked its way through her thoughts, and though she would only let go when Nachele did, she turned her head to face the new speaker. "Hello, Kale," she said brightly. "I'd introduce myself, but we know each other already from the train ride."

[Prince Inigo]

Papero tilted his head and gave an almost-fatherly smile, listening to the little District 12 Tribute talk. "My, you're a smart little girl, Aranica. I don't even know how to start a fire without striking stones like an ape. I would love for you to show these fine people here, including me, how to produce a fire."

An expression of surprise showed as Nachele had squeezed his shoulder, then proceeded to hug Aranica. A few moments, he reverted back to normalcy. The tan Tribute glowed at the family-like moment. Papero had almost forgotten that even if trust was easily ruptured, the feeling of goodness was always in the Arena. He had volunteered for the little bit of kindness to his people. District 11 was not worse then District 12, but even in the agricultural area was the term 'Hunger Games' a substitute for 'corpse' or 'inevitable death'.

A deep voice interrupted the tender moment. Papero looked to the newcomer, slowly rising to full height. The arrived was blunt, introducing his name and District immediately. Papero had to give the man credit for the boldness, much like his girl Tribute counterpart.

"The name's Papero Hitomiya. I am the District 11 Tribute." Said Tribute bowed quickly. "We have been discussing about fire-making and made our acquaintances. It's a pleasure to have yours as well, Mr. Kale."

[Molly]

~Nachele
I knew the time would come where i would have to let go of Aranica, where she would need survival as her best friend not someone like me.

My emotions were not going to get the best of me, not now. If i cry, i will be an easy target for the Careers and they will take me out first, thats for sure.

Yet, giving her one last squeze- a tight one, even though i knew i was bound to give her more later on- showed meaning, it showed that i would return to her, letting her realise i could hug her again.

I carefully straighten myself up as Papero introduces himself.
Now would be a good time to introduce yourself.

"Nachele, Female tribute." I make my shoulders more pronounced and steady myself near Papero so that he understands that we are from the same district.

This little group was kind of turining out to be pretty fun!Well, as fun as it can get when all but one is going to die in a few days.

[Tom Hiddelston...jk it's kale.]

-Kale
Kale looked at the group and saw some potential in the group if they stick together and not split up we could survive against the upper districts."So have you guys thought of doing a alliance because looks like the careers have gotten together already and formed we don't want to be a easy target right?" Kale knew if they do join forces then it would be harder for him to kill them off.

[Tea]

Alba:

Alba glared at Kale. "Sure, advertise it to the world, why don't you? She sneered. "They'll come after us way quicker in a group than separately. That is, if they don't find out. If they think we're all separate, not in alliances or anything, then they won't bother, deeming us weaker. So if we keep all this alliance crap a secret until the Games, we're good." Alba sighed. That made no sense. She was never too good at talking to people anyway. "What I mean is, we can't let the careers know we're in an alliance." Wait, was that what this was? Was this what she was agreeing to? Well now she didn't really have a choice, after titling it just now. She was committed.

[Molly]

~Nachele
An alliance, with them. not that they were a problem but i had just agreed to be an alliance with another group. I didnt want to hurt anyone, or rat anyone out, but how would i do something like this? Get tied into two groups. I'm stressing out!

"I think it would be smarter for me to just be independent, make myself an easy target, ya know?" I say trying to act causal.

Sometimes i do think this way. Would i last longer if i was by myslef? I would rather be alone in the areana and trusting myself then trusting someone else and getting hurt in the end.

I sigh, "I'm sorry. I would have liked to be an alliance, but you never know what going to be out in that areana." I say, the words hung in the air.

I didnt want to be shunned by this group, they were all kind hearted, and i enjoyed that about them. I wish they were friends of mine back in the district. But i knew that wouldnt have happened.

[Prince Inigo]

Papero widened his eyes. The energy between the four had jumped drastically. He smiled softly with a twitch. "Ladies, gentleman, if I may intrude, shall we start practicing our skills at the stations? I hate to inform that our time is dwindling the more we speak, Mr. Kale, Ms. Hale, Ms. Hache, and Miss Aranica."

A tanned finger pointed to the fire-making station across from them. "The more practice we get in, all the better. Shall we?" He remained polite as ever.

[Tea]

Alba:

Yeah, whatever." she muttered, making her way to the fire station. That hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped. Nachele hadn't exactly been all for an alliance, and then there was Papero, acting as weird as ever. Alba really didn't know what to do anymore. She'd thought that having an alliance would have been the best thing. After all, they always seemed to work well in previous games. But then again, did she really want to risk befriending these people, only having to kill them later on? Alba didn't know if she was up for that. Hopefully, if they did create an alliance, and when the time came, she wouldn't have to be the one to actually finish the job.

[Molly]

~Nachele
I felt horrible, the mood had changed and it was my fault. I was responsible.

"Alba, Papero, Aranica wait!" i dont know why i stopped them and i dont know why this came out of my mouth, again it must be motherly instincts.

"Listen,"i say hanging my head low to the ground, "if you need anything in the areana, and im still alive, well breathing that is, i would be more than happy to help. Its just that i couldnt fathom being in an alliance until the very end and having the need to kill them. I just couldnt do it. Im sorry."

I pause for a moment wondering how to proceed, "but again if you need ANYTHING and i have anything close to it or what not, i would gladly help out. Thats a promise. Its something i never break." I say my voice sounding strong.

[Tea]

Alba:

Alba wasn't exactly sure what to make of Nachele's confessional. Was this all an act? It could be. Every year, someone played the motherly nice girl. It was just one of those reoccurring roles. Apparently, this year, she was in the form of Nachele, District 11. Alba made a note to watch out for her, even if they were in an alliance. The nice girl was almost always the most unassuming. "I don't know Nachele," she replied. "I mean, no offense or anything, but I'm not sure if I can trust anyone who's not apart of my own alliance." That wasn't really true. After all, she sort of trusted that Shanks kid, her male tribute counterpart, by default, even if he was kind of a jerk. If she couldn't trust someone from her own home, then who could she trust? Either way, Alba really did want to trust Nachele, but right now, she couldn't take any chances.

[WT]

((OOC- Eeeeww, this is such crap. I'm so sorry. DX))

It's not often that something happens too quickly for Aranica to follow. Anyone who spends their life talking as fast as they can to fit in as many words as possible has to be able to keep up with quickly-shifting atmospheres and threads of conversation. However, there are times when it happens (there are exceptions to everything), and this was one of those. Words flew, and before she knew it one or two people were heading off, possibly with more to follow.

"Wait- wait!" Ara stood still, her head darting wildly back and forth from person to person as the group began to disperse. She stuck close to Nachele, a little scared of both Kale and Alba (not to mention the open space that had formed with Alba's semi-departure)- particularly Alba, who seemed to be pretty angry. (Then again, Aranica thought 'slightly annoyed' was 'really mad' - when she noticed the annoyance at all - so maybe she was reading too much into it?)

What had just happened? Kale (who she didn't know very well, for all that they were from the same District and had gone on a long train ride here together) had said something about allies. Then- what? Alba had sort of agreed, but Nachele had turned them down, and that was when things seemed to have gone boom. She couldn't really tell what Kale was thinking, but she had been a little scared of him since he came to the stage in District Twelve, so with this atmosphere her mind jumped away from him. Papero, at least, was still calm; Ara edged a little toward him, just in case Nachele got mad, too.

She didn't, though. In fact, she seemed to want to make amends, because she called out to the others and started talking again. Ara clutched at her rock as she stared at the proceedings with wide eyes.

By the end of Alba's response, though, she had started to calm down. Her face returned to a more normal expression, neutral if not as optimistic as usual was. Things were settling down from a boil to a simmer. She could handle that.

"I trust you," she offered quietly into the brief silence that followed Alba's statement. The air needed words, or the tension was going to jump through the roof again, so she put her words there. She even tossed in a smile- not so bright as it had been earlier, just a small little smile, but still optimistic, and still kind of encouraging. "All of you. I mean- you all seem to be good people, and that's good enough for me."

She flushed suddenly and looked down at her feet, still toying with the stone acorn around her neck. It gave off a little warmth, and she gave it a small nod of thanks. "I know that's probably going to get me killed. But-" she looked up again, and this time her smile was a little more real than the last. It was also a little more thoughtful and a bit more mature than she usually managed to pull off. The result was sad, somehow; a girl her age, and of her disposition, shouldn't have to be thinking along these lines. The Capitol had done that. "It's better to think the best, and keep some hope, than to assume the worst, and not let that hope die from the start. Right?"

[Tea]

Alba:

Aranica's response made Alba feel... awkward. She didn't know why really. It should have made her glad that at least someone trusted her. But that wasn't the case. Apart from Naida of course, Alba didn't have a friend to speak of. She could blame her father for that one. Growing up in the middle of nowhere didn't exactly do wonders for one's social life. And now, here were three fairly normal people, wanting to be in a alliance. With her.

Alba fiddled nervously with Naida's rose, adjusting and readjusting it several times before clearing her throat. "Look guys um..." God, she was terrible at this. I'm um, I'm sorry that I sort of blew up there. Truth is, I would love in be an alliance with any of you." Yeah, and then be forced to kill you later "I'm just no good at this... this sort of thing." Alba shrugged, smiling, as if to admit defeat. She was wrong, and a twelve year old girl was right. Fine way to start off the Games.

[Molly]

~Nachele
Everything had turned from angry and firery emotions to a sort of calm feeling. And the emotions made were my fault. Its because i didnt want to be an alliance.

I needed to fix this. "Its not that i dont want to be in an alliance, it just that i rather get killed first then to kill my own team mates in the end. I-I wouldnt be able to do that." Once my confession was out i was so happy that i had said something worth while. They could understand that i didnt not want to be in an alliance.

Aranica was so adorible, i couldnt get over it. she was the cutest, most innocent thing i have seen. I just felt protective over her. Like i would over Bella, because i couldnt have my daughter/sister to die. That wouldnt be right.

"Aranica, you are very wonderful, especially with the situation you were but in. Oh! Your just so Cute!!!" I say, and once again my emotions got the best of me.

I run the very short gap to Aranica and pick her up in a hug and spin her around once before setting her back down on the floor. I thought i heard her giggle while i was spinning her.

"I'm so sorry, I-I dont know what came over me." I say with my head hung low as i fix and straighten up her clothes back to their original state.

Everyone is going to think of me as some weirdo and that wont give them any sympathy to kill me.

[Prince Inigo]

The District 11 Tribute had not moved an inch before Alba had proceeded to said station. Papero was about to prior to Nachele's outburst, which lead to Aranica scooting herself closer to him. Quite confused, he merely patted the little girl's head and remained collected of his character. All of this drama over alliances brought up by Kale. The tan 18-year old could not fathom over it; but he did know that making ladies uncomfortable was an utmost crime against the code of chivalry.

"It is quite fine, Ms. Hale," he began. "I don't believe the fault is yours to claim. This was all brought about by merely bad-timing. I suggested so so that each party could calm and be at peace." Papero turned to Alba, gently smiling. "And that is fine too, Ms. Hache. People in the world are different, and that reason keeps people interested in the world. You don't need to apologize."

His eyes widened as Nachele lifted Aranica in the air and spun the little Tribute around with much energy. The fun ended, however, as his female counterpart put the girl back down, hanging her head down low as she fixed Aranica's clothes. The chuckle following after was soft and hearty. "Ms. Hale, I would never have expected you to have such spontaneous energy. It is quite nice to look at."

[Molly]

~Nachele
I was surprised as the tension in the air wasnt preasant once Papero talked about my... energy.

I smile and laugh a bit. "Its just instincts I guess." I say, not really wanting to embarass Aranica or myself anymore than i have in the few seconds.

The careers went back to doing what ever that is they were doing and I look at the people around me. Everone, well minus Alba and Kale, seemed to be enjoying or enjoyed what I had just done.

By the smile Aranica had on her face, i would say she enjoyed what i just did- my super awesome bear hug (as my kids say). She deserved to be cuddled with, who would help her once she went into the games? I would try, and do my best, to protect her. She was the innocence in this years game.