i think i know you / chad & nora.

[gamemaker tallis 🧚🏽‍♂️kaitlin.]

nora patterson.

She only stops to consider it for half a second.

Nora knows that it's not the right move, turning her back on her alliance, however temporarily, to follow someone more stranger than not further into the arena, but she can't help it. Every single one of her instincts is telling her to trust Chad, more even than that, to protect him, and let him protect her. But as she's walking she peers quickly over her shoulder to peek if anyone is looking at her, and she catches sight of Willa's blonde hair paddling out into the middle of the water and she knows that she's not really going anywhere.

She's going to go right back to them. Nora can't put her finger on it, but it's something about the way she wants to look at all of them. It makes something sting in the back of her throat.

But it doesn't stop her grabbing one of the packs out of the pile of goods they'd collected on her way out.

She goes after him as quickly as she can, but she still hasn't really taken care of the scrapes and bruises left behind from the fight she still doesn't fully understand how they got out of, so she's slower than she would normally, and that's already slower than everyone else, so she's practically glacial. If she were a betting woman, she'd bet every penny that Love Bellisario was salivating over her in a shadow somewhere, waiting to kill her and step into his spotlight. She couldn't blame him; she was ripe for the picking.

But Chad was all alone.

So she kept walking.

Slowly, stiffly, the slices across her calves tugging in funny ways and the one on her chest flaring with every thump, thump, thump of her heart, she catches up to him.

"Chad!" she says, voice a whisper-shout. "Chad you weren't followed, right?" A pause. "I have something for you!"

"you won't take away my pride."

♪

[arx!!]

chad chapman.

I wonder if Gav is watching right now.  I've been looking for the glint of camera lenses, bending to inspect funny looking pebbles and acorns, waving at them⁠—"Hey, Gav! Love you!"—just to be certain I'm not missing out on telling him.  I'd really like to hold his hand right now to be honest.  Everything's just sort of- difficult.  Confusing and scary and bad.

"Oh, no, not you, though," I assure my petaled pal with a gentle pet. "You're a good part."

I'm trying my hardest to keep myself distracted, but I've got some blood on my shirt from when I hugged Nora and it's making my hands shake and my stomach do flips because no matter how hard I try to rub out the stain, it just won't go away.

It's just blood, I try to remind myself. Everyone's got it and when they're all swinging blades around and standing so close, they're bound to poke some holes in each other—and I know this is what happens, but it doesn't stop me from hating it.

Or stop me from worrying.  It seems like the wrong decision to me, to walk away. Even if they did all ask... mostly nicely.  I'm sure they were scared.  Me, too.

And then I hear it. Friendly and familiar—That's me, that's my name!—but out of breath and very obviously tired.  "Hey! Uh," I look behind me, left, right, over her head. "Nope. Only you." I feel a little stupid again, like back at the elevator. I hadn't even thought to watch for other people.

"For me?" I don't get gifts very often.  Gavin's really the only one who remembers stuff like my birthday and anniversaries. "Oh wait!" I close my eyes, covering them with a hand because I know I like to peek before I'm supposed to be looking. "Alright, okay, I'm ready. Oh, here," I extend my little flower friend out to her with eyes still shut, palm press to my eyelids. "Can you hold this for me?"

I'm beaming, feet restless as I bounce excitedly from one to the other. And I'm sure my smile is taking up my entire face, but I can't believe she thought to bring me something.

"Okay, now I'm ready."

"i wonder if you look both ways when you cross my mind."

♪