the storm rages on.— [kassandra/prop]

[Deleted]

When Six died it was raining.

It was raining both in the arena and here at home. The sky was clearer now, the sun was shining once again. But was the storm over? Not by a long shot. Six was still gone. And I doubted the storm would ever truly end. Would my family ever see clear skies and sunshine? If they did, would I be alive to see it? Or would the storm drown me, whisk me away as it did Six?

I told myself I was just going for a walk and so happened to end up in the Victors Village. But I knew it was a lie. Everyone knew it was a lie. I was there for one thing and one thing alone. I wanted answers. I didn’t care who gave them to me, but someone had to. These people were supposed to protect my little brother, and they failed.

Maybe I should’ve been easier on them, considering my own failures. Ever since the reaping one thought hadn’t left my mind. It should’ve been me. I was his older brother. I should have volunteered. Maybe I would have died, but Six would still be here and that’s what’s important. I didn’t protect him, and neither did they.

When going on my walk, part of me hoped I didn’t see any victors. I didn’t mind confrontation, but I also had no clue what to expect as far as this conversion was concerned. What if they had done everything they could? Six just wasn’t a killer. I knew it. We all did. He apologised for hurting someone. He played with a bug in the arena. He was carrying around a stuffed animal for Gods sake. Maybe it was futile.

But then at the end of my walk, I saw her.

Kassandra Nerys.

She was a couple years older than me if I remembered correctly, and a whole life shorter. Probably even shorter than Six. For a moment, I hesitated. But then, when I saw her face and looked into her eyes, I saw Six dying all over again. I saw the spear pierce his neck. I saw him choke on his own blood as he struggled to let out his dying words.

I reached into my backpocket, took a drink from my flask, and made my way to her. I was never one for elegant speeches and dramatic conversations. Though, Julian Le Roux showed how false those words often are. I was blunt. And I was going to be blunt with her. When I started speaking, I couldn’t stop. A cocktail of anger and grief fuelled my words. I was angry at her. I was angry at the world. And most of all I was angry at myself. All three of us were to blame for my brothers death, after all.

”You, tell me something. Why did you let him die? Why did you fucking let him die!? You were supposed to mentor him! You were supposed to teach him how to survive! And now he’s dead and it’s all your fucking fault!”

I didn’t waste my time or energy on an introduction. It wasn’t needed. All it took was one look at me and people knew. Their looks of pity as I passed said everything. The curly red hair. The freckles. Maybe I was a good six inches taller than him, but I looked so much like Six. And even if she thought I looked nothing like him, she had to know who I was referring to.


There was more I wanted to say, oh there was so much more. But I tried to keep some of it at bay. I didn’t want to get so consumed in my emotions I make a mistake. I didn’t want to cry. Nor did I want to attack her. But, my hands were fists at my side. She wasn’t Kassandra Nerys to me right now. She was Julian Le Roux. She was Mauve. She was the Captiols puppet. She was everything I despised.

[sbeeg]

I know you got your reasons when you're keeping your defenses up
It seems to me too much, try letting them go

It always took a week to adjust after returning from the Capitol. There was so much to do, so much food to eat. Clothes to wear, interviews to give, people to talk to. At home Kass could hide in her house away from everyone for a few hours.

She ventured out today to grab groceries. She didn't get much, she was cooking for one after all. The house had come stocked with spices and seasonings but she needed to get perishables. Bread, milk, vegetables and fruit. Blackberries were in season and she bought a huge container. The kind of luxury she'd never be able to have if she hadn't won a games. Kill a few kids and you can eat all the blackberries you want.

She held the paper bag close to her chest and walked across the courtyard to the mouth of the Victor's Village. It had an overly decorative entrance, with iron bent into the shape of wheat that arched over the brick path. Kass started towards her house but something caught her eye.

She stopped in the middle of the walkway watching a young man across the courtyard. Her mind was playing tricks on her because for a moment she thought it was Six O'Malley back from the grave. But that was impossible. This was just another skinny red haired child.

He pulled a flask from his pocket. Kass hoisted her groceries higher on her hip and started back on her path to her door.

”You, tell me something. Why did you let him die?"

She paused. The lanky Six closed the distance between them. She barely reached his shoulder. His breath smelled like whiskey.

"Why did you fucking let him die!? You were supposed to mentor him! You were supposed to teach him how to survive! And now he’s dead and it’s all your fucking fault!”

All sympathy drained from her heart. She was staring at Industria Spark's mother again. Red Stone's twin sister. Jacob Fel's heartbroken mother.

She could understand their sorrow, their vitriol, but she would not accept it.

"Who are you? Eight? Two?" He certainly resembled a relative, and if he was a brother he'd have an equally ridiculous numerical name. Her grocery bag was growing heavy in her arms and she'd rather not fight a teenager in the garden in front of Kirito's house. "Can you call again when I'm not busy and you're sober?"

lyrics from Seeds by TV on the Radio | table by griffin

[Deleted]

Why did she have to make fun of his name? He was dead and gone, and here she was making fun of him. Maybe the two of them didn't get along. Maybe she found the scared kid who probably cried on the train and apologised for hurting his fellow tributes an embarrassment to District Eleven. But frankly, I didn't care. He spent his whole life with kids teasing him for his name, and now he couldn't even escape that torment in death.

It reminds me when we were kids on the playground. One, Hook, Four, Lock, Six, and Flanker were the siblings I spent the most time with since they're the closest to me in age. Six and Flanker were two years younger than me. One, Four, and Six got the most shit for their names, though all of our names were subject to ridicule. And I had to be the one to stand up for them back then. Just like I felt like I was standing up to them now.

Six used to follow me around on the playground like a puppy, knowing I'd protect him from the bullies. Four and One could stand up for themselves, Six always had trouble doing that. He didn't want to hurt anyone or make anyone sad. Even in the arena, he never wanted to hurt anyone. Maybe if he did, he'd still be here right now. I wonder if him cutting off the girls ear is what made him too scared to try for a killing blow. If he scared himself into his own grave.

But one day, Six wanted to go play by himself, he wanted to try to make friends like Lock. But, he ended up running towards me with an older boy chasing him, calling for help. The boy was in One's class - putting him two years older than me and four years older than Six. Almost the same age gap as Six and the people who murdered him in the arena. I ended up kicking the kids ass pretty good.

And then the next day, the boy was back. Except this time, he wasn't after Six. He had four friends with him and they ganged up on me. They beat the shit out of me. That was the first time I ever gotten beaten up that bad. And that day, I made a promise to keep my siblings safe from that same thing. And the moment Six went into the arena, the promise was broken.

The first day there, in the Bloodbath, people recognised an easy target when they saw it and his leg shattered from under him. After that, he had to deal with mutt after mutt trying to rip him to shreds. And then, that fateful day happened. The day when those people murdered Six. And right when it looked like he might live, a spear through the neck for good measure. Julian Le Roux may have delivered the killing blow, but Love Bellisario and Waverly St. Amor were just as guilty if you ask me.

And so was I. I killed him too. I could have volunteered. I should have volunteered. All it would take is saying two simple words. But when it was time to do it, the words were trapped in my throat and they refused to come out. My silence is what truly killed Six. Maybe I'd be dead right now if I volunteered. But Six would still be here and that's what mattered. I was guilty. Julian was guilty. Kassandra was guilty.

"Don't fucking make fun of his name after you killed my baby brother! And no, my name is Prop and one drink won't get me fucking drunk! "

And then I felt my anger consume me as I lashed out to attack her, not caring about the consequences. What were the peacekeepers going to do? Kill me? Beat me? Send me to the Detention Center? Whatever it was, it wouldn't be my punishment for attacking Kassandra. It would be my punishment for letting Six die. All of us let Six die and one day we'd all face punishment for that.

miss
WIoRzkKVDLunarmed

unarmed

[sbeeg]

I can feel it
Overheating
So bad, it makes me want to cry

It was clear she had hit a nerve, but it wasn't surprising. Kassandra's special power was saying exactly the opposite of what people wanted to hear. However, it did her no good to antagonize this boy. He didn't run away with his tail between his legs, he stood his ground with his cheeks growing as read as his hair.

He started yelling. She sighed and shifted her grocery bag onto her hip. Her metal arm was strong but awkward and likely to tear through the paper if she wasn't careful.


"...you killed my baby brother!"

Funny how even the people she didn't kill get slotted under her name anyway. Not Persimmon's, not any of the other Victors. Maybe it was because she was the youngest, the smallest. The one that tried to give a shit about the kid. Or maybe she just happened to be the only one outside right now.

She was growing tired of being the punching bag for every wayward cousin or friend who felt the need to avenge their loved one by screaming at her. Her Victory Tour had been a parade of harsh words and jeers. They made her stand in front of people who despised her, made her mingle with them. Maybe they thought she'd apologize. They were wrong.

He took a step towards her and instinct kicked in. Kass slid back, her arms clutching her bag close to her chest. Prop's punch went wide and missed, but just barely.

She was weightless for a moment, surrounding by cold metal and unfeeling stars, and the next she was throwing her bag to the ground letting her groceries spill out onto the pavement.

She had no weapon, but she did have a right arm that could break a fool's jaw.

"Go on," she said. "Fuck around and find out."

lyrics from Lazerray by TV on the Radio | table by griffin

|WKUJMUm2lunarmed
[Gash/Bruised Left Hand -- 3 damage]

unarmed

[Deleted]

I missed. How did I miss that? She was just standing there, holding her groceries. And I missed. Though, I was forgetting something. She was a Victor. She had to fight for her life from a young age. Fighting instincts were ingrained within her. Maybe if Six had those same instincts he'd still be around.

When she fought back I wasn't surprised at that. I was surprised at the strength of her. And then I realised that her arm wasn't exactly human. As I tried to block her swing, I ended up with a bruised and hurting hand. I'd have to rethink some of my normal strategies for this fight.

As I focused on her, I finally noticed the house in the background. We were right in front of another victors mansion, though I wasn't sure which. Part of me hoped they were watching us out the window right now. Part of me hoped they'd interrupt, that way I could teach then a lesson to. This wasn't a Kassandra thing, this was against all Victors in the district.

The adrenaline was starting to kick in, and that's what I wanted. The rush was the same feeling I got when I drank a beer or smoke a cigarette. It made me feel alive as my heart pounded in my chest. I didn't care about anything else except the current moment and that excited me. I wondered if either of us would draw blood.

No matter what happened here, there would be no apologies from either of us. I was glad when she didn't apologise for killing Six. All of the people who had apologised to our family after Six's death didn't mean it. They just wanted to make themselves feel like good people. It was bullshit.

But the two of us? We didn't need that. We didn't need to lie to ourselves and the world about who we were for an ego boost. We didn't need to tell the world we were good people. Neither of us were good people and we were fine with it. We knew we were bad people. And here we are, two bad people fighting each other.

"Just don't go running to the peacekeepers like a little bitch, got it?"

gash/bruised left arm - 3.0 damage
rMFHpvW1|Kunarmed

unarmed

[sbeeg]

A burning heart unstuck in time

Her blow hit. It wasn't anything to write home about, but the aggression that flooded her body was. Her heart was a hum, her body falling easily into defensive stance. Kassandra had been good at two things when she was reaped: conning people and surviving. Her time in the arena had honed the later, had pushed her beyond what she knew she was capable of. She'd killed and won, and then they expected her to smile and wave.

They made her a fighter and now tried to drain the bite from her with each watchful eyes they placed in the district.

Harlow had to be nearby, but for now it was just her and Prop.

She should be the adult but being only a handful of years older didn't make her feel like one.

"Just don't go running to the peacekeepers like a little bitch, got it?"

He swung and caught her, briefly deadening her left arm. Kass sucked in air through gritted teeth.

The thought of running to a Keeper for help had never crossed her mind. She'd been avoiding the pigs in white her entire life, and she wasn't about to seek out one now.

Anger rolled through her body. Her eyes assessed the enemy.

He was tall and had a long reach that gave him an advantage. But the bigger they are the harder they fall. Kass went low, planting a hand on the ground before slamming her boot into the kid's shin.

lyrics from Lazerray by TV on the Radio | table by griffin

E0fkvN3KE_unarmed
[Broken Right Shin -- 7.0 damage]

unarmed

[Deleted]

"FUCK!"

Snap!

The sound was the worst part of it. Sure, I had broken bones before. But that snapping sound never meant anything to me. Not until Six's bloodbath. I remember I was with some of my siblings in the District Square. We had watched the rest of the Games in the privacy of our own home; but, our parents insist we be there for the bloodbath. Publicly show our support for Six.

Some of my siblings, particularly the younger ones, began crying almost immediately. Some clung onto myself or others. I tried to stay as calm as possible, for them. But then, it happened. I watched as Six's leg broke with all of those other kids surrounding him, like lions about to feast on a wounded gazelle. And that's the moment I left - I couldn't take it anymore after that.

The memories of that day flooded my mind the moment I heard snapping. That day was also the day I met Vasco Izar, he wanted to check on me after I had left the square in a panic. Part of me wished I hadn't. I felt angry. Angry towards him for caring. Angry towards myself for letting all of this happen. Angry towards the government who would do this. And now, the anger was coming back.

I knew I would have to go to the hospital soon, and it hurt to put any sort of weight on my left leg now. But, I had to try to get at least one more hit in. With every movement towards Kassandra, I wanted to call out in pain again, but one time was enough for my bruised ego. And part of me hoped she'd just leave, I didn't want to admit defeat.

block

unarmedyMq4U86CZ_

[sbeeg]

Say "I got mine!"

A loud crack hits the air. It's exhilarating. She'd been lounging around the Capitol and her Victor home for years, eating pastries and wasting away. It felt good to know that if it came to it, she could still hold her own.

Kass stood up straight, confident that the fight had ended. However, Prop had other plans. He wavered on his foot, shifting his weight. It had to be broken, from the noise it made and the way he kept from leaning on it. Still he was glaring at her.

"It's over, Prop."

But he kept moving. He swung, but it was weak. She blocked it easily, his punch hitting the metal of her right arm. It barely knocked her back, and she didn't feel thing.

She should have taken a step back. Should have called someone to help him to the hospital. She should have been the adult and made this child backdown.

Instead she followed her gut instinct, the one that pushed her through the stars back home only to find it had no place among tours and press conferences.

She grabbed the wrist he had tried to swing at her, holding his hand captive.

"Go home, Prop," Kass said before slamming her foot into the shin she just broke. "Or you'll be joining Six."

lyrics from Lazerray by TV on the Radio | table by griffin

9Yr_gu3TRpunarmed
[Bruised Right Shin -- 2 damage]

unarmed

[Deleted]

I didn't want to quit, I didn't want t0 stop. There was so much I wasn't ready to accept. I wasn't ready to accept defeat. Or the fact that Six was gone forever. Or even that it wasn't Kassandra's fault. She was the first victor I had come across, but really it wasn't any of the victors fault. I just needed someone to blame. Yet, the blame didn't even sit on me, no matter how guilty I had felt.

"It's over, Prop."

In my mind, it wasn't over. Despite the immense pain in my leg, I wanted to keep going. I wanted to win. I wanted to show that an O'Malley could beat a victor. Maybe it was to defend Six. Or maybe my own damn pride was getting in the way. I swung for her.

And she caught it. I felt the metal of her arm under my fist and let out a grunt of pain. But I was holding in so much more. I was holding in a scream with every step. I was holding in tears everytime I thought of Six. And I wondered how much he had held in in the arena. I wondered if he finally found rest from all of that at the end of Julian's spear.

"Go home, Prop. Or you'll be joining Six."

Before I could react or try to break my wrist free from her grip, it happened. It was as though my shin was being stabbed with a searing blade. I fell to the ground, let out a loud scream with it, grabbing my left shin. And finally, a few stray tears escaped. But the rest were still being held back by the flood gates. I wasn't going to cry, not here.

She had told me to go home, but I couldn't. I couldn't get up yet, the pain was still too much. I considered drinking, but the hospital might be less likely to help without a parent if I showed up drunk or even buzzed. I couldn't risk my parents finding out before I could come up with an excuse. So I simply held up my hands in surrender.

"I'm done! I'm done! Hands are up! Please, please stop."

My arms were shaking, I took deep breaths trying to calm myself down. I still wanted answers of some sort. I wanted everything to make sense somehow. Not just what happened in the arena, but I wanted to make sense of the fight that had just happened. My actions, her actions. The few words that we shared. I wanted some logic within the chaos. Some semblance of rational human thought. But was there anything rational in the world anymore?

I slowly moved my hands from the air to behind my head. Despite still being on the ground, I didn't want her to think I was trying anything. I made sure to keep my hands visible and to not make any sudden movements. Anything can be a weapon if you're desperate enough, even just a shard of broken glass on the ground. I wanted her to know I wasn't that desperate.

"Just tell me, did you ever talk to Six? Did you ever want to help him win? Did you ever think he could do it? We- I'm not sure how much hope there was at home. He wasn't someone who liked fighting."

[sbeeg]

Rain comes down like it always does

He screamed, the kind of uninhibited sound that can only come from deep rooted pain. The boy collapsed onto the ground onto his back. Kass didn't move but stayed beside him, staring him down and waiting for him to get back up. He hadn't learned his lesson so far and she was determined to teach it. Instead of moving a tear slipped down his cheek. He held his hands up, his knuckles red and bruised and his fingers trembling.

"I'm done! I'm done! Hands are up! Please, please stop."

It took Kass a few moments to finally relax. She let her arms fall to her sides, but her shoulders were still tight. He'd surrendered, but she wasn't used to fights that end without a casualty.

Slowly, his hands fall to the ground near his head. His chest is rising and falling as if he's gasping for air and she watched as another tear fell down his cheek.

"Just tell me, did you ever talk to Six? Did you ever want to help him win? Did you ever think he could do it? We- I'm not sure how much hope there was at home. He wasn't someone who liked fighting."

Did she ever want to help Six?

Back in the Capitol, in the quiet quarters of District Eleven's floor, she'd been nursing a beer when he'd approached her. He'd stabbed that girl, Mauve, with a fork and had caused a whole lot of ruckus. But he wasn't worried about that, he'd came to her scared out of his mind of dying. She hadn't been gentle with her words, nor particularly kind. She'd let him take a swig of her beer.

"You don't have to like it. You can tell yourself you didn't realize what you were doing but you will have to do it."

And he'd thanked her for it.

"You told me the hard thing, but that's what I needed to hear. I don't know if you've ever met him, but you remind me a lot of Vasco Izar. And that's a really good man to be like."

She'd accepted the comparison at the time, but now it made her throat tight. Vasco was kind, was willing to go the hard route to do what was right. She'd beaten up a teenager far weaker than herself and for what? Because he cared about someone the way she could never bring herself to?

Six, Prop, Vasco— they were all gentle souls with big hearts. She had no right to be compared to any of them. Her chest was hollow, her mind fueled by selfishness instead of good. He'd compared her to a saint and then died before he could see what she truly was.

"I tried."

She was no Vasco Izar.

"But I knew he wasn't coming home."

lyrics from Seeds by TV on the Radio | table by griffin

[Deleted]

I wanted to ask if she thought it was my fault he died. That if I volunteered, would I have been able to go all the way? But I knew deep down, any answer to that question would tear me apart. That if I would have lived, our family could be complete again. That if I would have died, that I hadn't escaped that fate by volunteering. I was turning eighteen, not nineteen. I still had one more shot at death. Even though I didn't volunteer for Six, I could still be next on the chopping block.

As the adrenaline faded, the pain in my leg was worsening. I had to go to the hospital, sooner rather than later. I slowly tried to get up but fell back down and let out a grunt as soon as I tried to put any weight on that shin. Fuck. Even with an ally, how did Six manage to do so much with a fucked up shin?

Part of me wanted to ask Kassandra for help, but my ego wouldn't let me. I'd rather die here and let the vultures ravage me than ask her for help. Alright, maybe I'm a little dramatic sometimes. But, the point still stands. Right now, I needed to get up. I'd figure out how the Hell I'm supposed to make it to the hospital later.

I slowly forced myself up again, grabbing onto a nearby fence for support. I grabbed out my wallet and checked - thank fuck I had my totally legal emergency money with me. Maybe if I could pay the bill outright the hospital wouldn't even contact my parents due to how close my eighteenth birthday was. I would just have to figure out how to hide a broken leg.

As I got up a voice in my head told me to go after Kassandra one more time, to surprise her. But it was futile. With my leg like this, all she'd have to do is push me over. She had won, I'd have to accept that. I would also have to be the bigger man. I wasn't going to apologise, but I wasn't going to be a sore loser either.

"Good fight, Kassandra. Next time I'll have to go after one of the Victors who isn't like two years older than me and who doesn't have a metal arm... Kirito is old as fuck, right?"

I let out sort of a chuckle to let her know I was joking, and I hoped that she wasn't planning on telling my parents about this. Fighting a victor? I would probably be grounded until I turned 21, let alone 18. Not to mention the fact she saw me drinking. For all the trouble I've caused they'd probably make me write lines from the Bible over and over.

"And let's keep this fight between us and the hospital- my parents seriously don't need to know."