a waltz with conceit (killua/keres)

[bailee]

KILLUA KRAVITZ

One of the best places to people watch was outside of the training centre. Those who were satisfied with their session often left with rosy cheeks and sweat beads trickling down their forehead, with their lips curled upwards as serotonin intoxicated their brains. Some left angry, with balled fists and furrowed eyebrows, avoiding contact with their fellow careers to avoid the embarrassment of whatever events unfolded inside. Killua was always fascinated by the onset of emotions training as a career brought. He supposed that preparing to die for your district could do that to you. Killua didn't care for it - he thought it was a waste of emotions, although he still admired watching his district partners put so much effort into training. It was almost like watching a circus come to town - a circus of teenagers, hopelessly devoted to the idea of infamy. How conceited.

There were one group of people that often left the training centre late that Killua could not get a read on. The trainers were a diverse group of individuals whose motives were unclear. Why did they devote so much time into these helpless teenagers? What gain did they possibly get from it? The always wore an expression so bleak, and he could never analyze how they thought.

With his notebook in hand, Killua watched from his seated position a trainer leave the building. A girl, probably not much older than him, bore the same unreadable expression they always carried. He was intrigued. He haphazardly threw his notebook into his bag and got up to meet her halfway.

"Hey," he called out to her, cutting her off mid-walk. "Aren't you a little too old to be training for The Hunger Games?"

[kap]

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KERES CHEYNE

District Four

Keres had always just sort-of hated people in general. They annoyed her like, ninety-five percent of the time, and to be honest, she didn't see much benefit to interacting with them if it wasn't going to benefit her in any way.

Although, to be entirely honest, there was one type of interaction that she could tolerate. Violent interactions were her favorite, or anything that caused conflict of any sort, to be completely honest. She loved to fight. Any chance to yell at someone or punch something was a good opportunity in her opinion. That's why, after she aged out of the reaping, she started training others to get them ready for it instead.

She's not quite sure why she never volunteered with how much she loved violence, but there must have been some reason, deep inside her. She didn't let herself think too much on it, though. She had other priorities now. She didn't have to worry about dying in some televised death match anymore.

Keres had finished working with a career trainee for the day and was leaving the training center. She usually worked longer days, but there just didn't seem to be as many people itching to train today, meaning she got a bit of a break.

She was lost in her own thoughts, walking in the direction of the beach where she was planning to go to decompress, when a boy cut her off mid-walk. He stepped in front of her, and she was forced to stop walking abruptly.

"Hey," he said to her. "Aren't you a little too old to be training for The Hunger Games?"

Why didn't people just learn how to mind their own business. Also, did she really look that old already? She'd only been aged out for a year, so it shouldn't have been that obvious.

"And that's your business, why?" she responded, raising an eyebrow at him.

SWANSKI

[bailee]

killua kravitz

i learned that my weakness is a weapon, so i haven't touched a pretty thing in forty days

"And that's your business, why?" she responded sharply, her voice sinking its fangs into Killua. Based off of one harsh sentence and her slightly unhinged appearance, Killua could tell she was not someone that anyone wanted to get on their bad side.

It really wasn't any of Killua's business how old or how young she was. In reality, she did not look old enough to be long aged out of the Reaping. Her face still revealed the beauty of her youth, without a wrinkle or grey hair in sight. She probably wasn't that much older than Killua himself. Killua figured she had just reached the age where she maybe was slightly insecure about the signs of aging, based off her obvious appearance of being an academy trainer. He figured even the most subtle comment could reach under her skin.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," he did, "you just seemed interesting and I couldn't help but approach you." The girl did intrigue him - they way she held herself with such confidence, yet seemed so confrontational. Not to boot, she was beautiful, and Killua not often denied himself the pleasure of company of other beautiful people.

"Wanna go on a walk with me?" he asked, his boldness taking over. He reached into his back pocket and grabbed the joint that he had previously rolled while people watching outside of the career academy. He pinched the slightly crushed joint between his fingers and let it linger in front of the girl's eyes, "I'd be willing to share."

"I'm Killua, by the way."

template by eliza @ tb  thq

[kap]

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KERES CHEYNE

District Four

The guy didn't seem even the slightest bit fazed by the rudeness that Keres presented to him with her words and her tone. Rather, he apologized. She was a little bit surprised by this, but didn't allow it to show on her face. She kept the stern look she had when she's initially spoken, as she'd always hated seeming sweet, or like she actually appreciated something.

Keres preferred to be thought of the unappreciative bitch that people didn't want to talk to. That was mostly because she liked to be alone for the majority of the time. She really hated most interactions with people that weren't assertive or aggressive in some sort of way, to be totally honest. She was a bully who loved to argue and start conflicts with people.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," was his way of apologizing to her, "you just seemed interesting and I couldn't help but approach you."

His next few words made Keres curious as to what this boy's motives were.

"Wanna go on a walk with me?" he asked. The way he held himself suggested confidence, and perhaps too much of it. He was like some sort of bold animal thinking it could cross the road only to be struck by a bus. Then, he held up a joint. "I'd be willing to share."

Maybe the bus slammed on its breaks instead.

Keres nodded.

"Ah, sure, why the hell not?"

"I'm Killua, by the way."

"Keres. I'll walk with you for a bit, but don't forget to share," she smirked. "Anyway, what was so intriguing about me that you had to interrupt my peace and quiet?" she inquired of the boy.

She really did want to know. Most people typically found her to be annoying or intimidating. That, or they'd heard something that was rather negative about her and went out of there way to avoid her, specifically. Regardless, people typically didn't find her interesting or at all approachable. This kid was different. Nevertheless, Killua probably wouldn't hold her attention for long. If he didn't get on with it soon, she'd make sure to end the conversation one way or another.

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352 words

SWANSKI

[bailee]

killua kravitz.

get me drinking that moonshine
get me higher than a grocery bill
take my troubles to the high wall
throw them in the river and get your fill

What was interesting about her?

Killua couldn't put his finger on it. She gave off this mysterious aura... something about her was off-putting. She was awkward and unapproachable, yet confident and intimidating all at the same time. Her eyes almost reminded him of a rabid animal - flashing a warning signal to those who dared to cross her. Killua was never the type to take warnings too seriously, nor was he the type to shy away from a challenge. He wanted to see exactly what this rabid animal was capable of.

He reached into his back pocket and grabbed his lighter and flicked it gently, the smell of freshly lit lighter fluid filling the air. The flame illuminated the night, creating a glow around Keres' features. He held the spliff in between his two fingers and between the crevices of his chapped lips, setting it aflame as a billow of smoke erupted from the lazily rolled joint. He inhaled deeply as the smoke travelled through his lungs, lining his viscera with remnants of marijuana smoke.

He handed the joint to Keres, holding out on his promise to share. "So you're a trainer," he stated, as the moonlight began to become hazy in the midst of his high. "Why?" he continued, as they began to walk down the path from the training centre. Killua questioned why a girl who seemed so rabid would pursue a job with children. The trainers he knew were those who were living vicariously through the children they trained, chasing a dream of being in the Games that they never got to fulfil. She was clearly too young to feel nostalgic about her youth - especially enough so to make her livelihood by training the children that were eligible for the Reaping.

He crossed his arms as he took her in again. Keres Cheyne was a mystery that he was determined to solve.

[kap]

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KERES CHEYNE

District Four

This guy: Killua he had called himself. He was a bit too curious for his own good. As he passed Keres the joint, she took her turn with it and he asked her a question. He wanted to know why she was a trainer.

Obviously, this guy was prying for some reason or another. Why did he want to know? Keres wasn't entirely sure what he was after, but she wasn't too inclined to tell him everything. If she did, he'd know a bit too much. Her real reason for training these kids to be ready to go into the Hunger Games was so that they didn't end up like her dumbass of a brother who'd volunteered for the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games. To be entirely honest, she didn't even remember how well he did, but he didn't win, and that's what mattered.

Now, she wanted to train these kids so that they didn't disappoint their families.

That's why Keres hadn't ever volunteered, she realized. She wasn't ready to be in the Games, and she didn't want to be a disappointment. Before now, she'd never really known why she hadn't volunteered, but she realized that that must have been it.

She wasn't going to tell Killua even close to all of that though.

"I don't want these kids to be disappointments when they go into the Games," she told him. "Why, what's that matter to you?"

Keres really wanted to know what this guy's motives were. She passed the joint back to him.

Most people didn't come up to her and just start asking questions because they found her 'interesting'. There had to be something else going on.

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270 words

SWANSKI