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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2014 22:06:03 GMT -7
Calem finished crossing over the metal bridge and found himself running on a very hard, black rock. It'd probably hurt to take a fall on it. A few thin streams of lava flowed over the rocks; he tried his best to avoid them, but he accidentally stepped in one during the mad dash down the side of the volcano. The hot liquid just splashed away in tiny droplets, rather than his whole boot catching on fire like he had expected. It was at least good to know that their boots--at least the soles--were flame resistant.
Calem looked up to see a whole expanse of green, leafy lusciousness. A forest. It wasn't anything like the forest at home in District 7, but it was still a forest. A small pang of homesickness struck. If he just had an axe for himself, the arena could feel a little more like... He forced himself to stop thinking about District 7. This wasn't it. The forest was probably rigged with dozens of traps and mutts ready to spring out of every corner. He wasn't going to allow himself to think of it like home, just as another thing that the Capitol ripped away from him and made into something evil. Like an axe. It was no longer a tool to cut down trees and make a living off of, but a weapon to kill people with. Just more things that would allow him to live. Heck, if he was going to live, it was probably going to be because the Gamemakers wanted him to. They could kill him off at the push of a button with no regrets. Maybe they had already predetermined a winner and everything within the Games was so carefully fabricated to ensure their victory, but also to put on a good show. To make it seem like it was the tribute's who did everything, when it was actually the Gamemakers and Capitol the whole time.
But he still wanted to be there, in a forest, at least. He and Ariadne probably had the best chance of survival there anyway. "We're going in there, right?" he asked, glancing to the side at Ariadne.
Summary: Calem enters the magma environment, steps in a tiny lava stream, sees the forest, has some thoughts about the Capitol because he isn't too bright. HP: 23/23 Equipped: 6-inch knife (+1) Inventory 10-ft copper coil, fishing line, medical kit (Good for +3 HP with cuts), cloth blanket, compass WC: 366 Tag: @ariadne
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2014 23:32:18 GMT -7
Ariadne ran out of the bloodbath, holding her supplies as best she could. When it was clear no one was following, she slowed and caught up with Calem. Stopping next to him, she stared as he did at the forest that lay beyond this hot, grey land. Of all the things that could be in the arena, the Game Makers had given the two tributes from District 7 a forest. A beautiful, green, inviting forest. It wouldn't be normal and it wouldn't be safe, but she was grateful for it all the same. Some things would always be constant in a forest: the trees, the smells, the places to hide. She already couldn't wait to get down there, to be immersed in the forest again.
When Calem spoke, she nodded. "Definitely. I don't want to stay out here," she responded. While they were stopped, she set the newest bag on the ground and stretched out a little. She kind of regretted her brazen decision to go in and grab the bag, because it could have gotten both of them killed. But there was no use bemoaning it now. Aside from the bow, there might be a lot of useful things in there. And it could never hurt to be more prepared, could it?
Squatting down, she unclasped the bow and arrows from the pack. Standing again, she held them out to Calem. "I know they're no ax, but...two weapons are better than one, right?" she asked with a small smile, hoping he wouldn't be too upset about getting these instead of the ax. She couldn't part with it, not yet. Maybe not ever. She didn't look forward to the time when he couldn't put up with that anymore. Why had there just been one? It really was too much to expect two axes to just be handed to them, though, and they'd have to make it work.
Ariadne would have gone through the second pack more to divvy things up, but here, on the side of the volcano, they were incredibly exposed. Anyone could easily spot them from far away, and that made her extremely uncomfortable. She slung the rest of the second pack as best she could over the over one already on her back so that she could walk a little better and picked up the ax again. Before she'd gone more than a few steps though, a series of beeps turned her attention upward. A parachute was making its way down to her, and the girl reached out to grab it before it hit the ground. She smiled, wondering who had already sponsored her something. Certainly not Johanna, though hopefully she would actually help them try to win. Unfortunately, there was no note or anything personal on the package.
Opening the package, she pulled out the spile. It was the perfect gift. When Ariadne was about six, her parents had taken her to a grove of maples for the first time. There, another, smaller forestry crew worked. Instead of cutting down the trees, this crew was charged with collecting the sticky-sweet sap inside of them. She had watched one of the foresters insert the spile into the tree, explaining that it could extract either the sap or water depending on how it was used. She even got to try a little bit of the sweet syrup straight from the spile. Sometimes, as a rare treat, her parents took her back to that maple grove. Remembering it all, Ariadne bit down on her lip as she tried to suppress those memories and looked back up to Calem. "Looks like we'll never have to leave the forest now," she said, and held this out to him as well. As necessary as it would be to survive, she didn't want those memories in her hands right now. "You take it."
HP: 26/26 Equipped: Ax (+2) Inventory: Lighter, 6x6 Ft. Tarp, Bungee Cord, Compass, Flashlight, Glow Stick (Good for use 1 Day), Fishing Net, Pliers, 2 Empty Canteens, Cloth Blanket WC: 641 Notes/Actions: Hands Calem the SPILE and BOW/ARROWS.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2014 16:06:14 GMT -7
Calem nodded at Ariadne's response, glad that they were going to leave the vulnerability of the volcano even though they had no clue what dangers the forest could hold. "Great," he replied. While Ariadne took a moment to stretch, he scanned their surroundings to check for other tributes and catch his breath. They were alone for now. Hopefully the forest would be the same.
He looked back to Ariadne to see her handing the bow and arrows to him. Reluctantly, he grabbed them and slung the arrows over his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks," he hesitantly agreed. It was brazenly evident that Ariadne did not want to give up the axe. He'd let her have it for now, but if she was hoping to keep it the whole time, then they'd have problems. Some sort of blandishment could be thought up to bring the axe into his hands, if even for an hour or two, but for now, Calem would go without. Ariadne could use the extra protection and security anyway. Hopefully the bow's bag would house more useful supplies on the inside. Although, to appear more grateful, Calem decided to put the knife safely away into his pocket and use the bow as his primary weapon, pulling an arrow out of the sheath and loading the bow.
They continued walking until a series of beeps interrupted them and turned their attention skywards. A parachute with a small box beneath it floated down to Ariadne. A shiny golden spile was pulled out of the package. Whoever sponsored them must have known that they were headed for the forest and wouldn't want to leave. Calem remembered when his parents had also taken him to the maple grove to learn about harvesting the syrup. It was a requirement for many kids to learn how a spile worked from the maple grove crew, along with other skills from other crews, since it was part of working in the forests, but Calem, even then, preferred using an axe over a spile. Some lucky kids were even allowed to taste the sweet liquid during the harvest, including Calem. He wished the trees here in the arena could produce syrup, but he doubted it. Water was good enough. "Better for us, then," he smiled and accepted the gift, tucking it away into his other pocket. They could not afford to lose it if he somehow lost his bag as well.
Calem set off to walking again, gripping the bow tightly in case anyone chose to pay them a visit. His eyes skimmed the approaching treeline, just happening to settle on a small gray speck in the far-off distance. He could see water beyond the trees and was perfectly content to stay as far away from it as possible, but the gray area hovering over the ocean seemed...ominous. Maybe a storm or tracker jacker swarm or something more unimaginable and worse was on its way. He stopped, pointing in the direction of the gray blot on the horizon, and commented, "That can't be good. We should find shelter soon."
Summary: Calem takes bow and arrows, equips them, wants the axe, takes the spile, and sees the hurricane off in the distance. HP: 23/23 Equipped: Bow & 8 arrows (+2) Inventory (7/10 items): 6-inch knife (+1), 10-ft copper coil, fishing line, medical kit (Good for +3 HP with cuts), cloth blanket, compass, golden spile WC: 530
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2014 18:49:28 GMT -7
Ariadne kept her smile as Calem took the bow and arrows from her, glad that he didn't fight it. They had discussed it before at least, which left some of the guesswork out. Who knows why he actually agreed to it. Some feeling of protection? Of letting her have the better weapon because she would die quicker? Or just plain old chivalry? If any of those happened to be the reason, it might be the one time she wouldn't start an argument about being just as strong, if not more so, than he was. But hopefully it wasn't that, or never came up... because it would be hard to hold her tongue. She was grateful too that Calem took the spile, but they had only walked a few more paces toward the forest before he stopped again. Looking in the direction he pointed, she saw the angry grey cloud. In the Hunger Games, that could be anything. And it could be on them in a day or five minutes. The forest was still a good distance away from them, and even running, she wasn't sure that they would make it in time. Groaning, Ariadne slung the packs off of her back and set them on the ground again. "I don't know if we'll make it down there in time. See if there's anything useful in your pack," she suggested as she started to rifle through both of hers. A lighter, pliers, some sort of net, canteens - which were unfortunately empty - a compass... Then, her fingers felt something crinkle, and she pulled out a folded blue square. Setting aside the rest, she unfolded the tarp that was taller than she was and just as wide. It might just just have to work. When Ariadne looked up again, the cloud had already moved a lot closer. They definitely wouldn't be able to reach the forest in time now. "Looks like this is our best bet," she told Calem. It looked so thin and weak, but it was what they had. Sitting down on the warm rock, she quickly refilled the bags with the items she had removed and closed them again. She looped her arm through the straps of the bags, just in case, and spread the tarp on top of her, using the bags to help anchor it some. Looking down at it, she knew it would certainly protect both of them... as long as they were close. She wasn't sure she relished that prospect. Having to be that close to Calem as whatever that was rolled over them, for who knows how long... But was she going to risk staying exposed because of that? No. "Unless you have another one of these in there...we'll have to share." She gave an uncertain smile and lay down, pulling the tarp the rest of the way over herself. HP: 26/26 Equipped: Ax (+2) Inventory: Lighter, 6x6 Ft. Tarp, Bungee Cord, Compass, Flashlight, Glow Stick (Good for use 1 Day), Fishing Net, Pliers, 2 Empty Canteens, Cloth Blanket WC: 476 Notes/Actions: Get out tarp and gets ready for the storm!...and Calem cuddles? Eeks.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2014 0:07:11 GMT -7
The dark clouds were rapidly nearing now, and they seemed to pick up speed with every minute. The District 7 tributes would probably have to wait on going to the forest. The trees were close, but not close enough for them to make it under their leafy tops in time, even sprinting. Obeying his partner, Calem set down his bow and pack and began rummaging through the bag. A copper coil, a string or line of some sort, a medical kit, a cloth blanket, and a compass. Nothing that could really help them weather through a storm. He glanced at Ariadne and saw that she had found a large, square tarp. "I guess so," he agreed, wondering how such a flimsy object was really going to protect them. Calem checked and re-checked his own bag for another tarp, but there was nothing else hidden within the pack. They only had one between them.
Calem gave Ariadne an uncertain look; she was already refilling her bags and halfway covered with the tarp. It looked big enough to fit both of them, but it wasn't that big. How...how close would they have to get? Calem liked his personal space. He also liked not getting closer to a person--a girl--than he needed to. But now he 'needed to' to survive, and survival was a lot more important than a comfortable situation.
He restocked his bag slowly even though whatever-it-was was still swiftly approaching the island. He wanted to buy as much time as possible, wait until the last minute before getting under the tarp. The side of the volcano was mostly solid and flowing, but Calem still managed to find some loose rocks to pile on to three corners of the tarp to anchor it. He stood up, stretched his legs, grabbed the bow again, paced. The gray blot was now much closer--and larger. It would be one heck of a storm. Enough procrastinating. Calem gently lifted the free corner of the tarp and crawled in next to Ariadne, sitting next to her but trying his best to not touch her. "I... Uhh... I'm going to have to take you up on that offer," he laughed nervously. His face grew hot. Hopefully it was too dark under the tarp for her to see him at that moment. "I found a...uhh..blanket in my bag in case the lava doesn't keep you warm enough," he offered with a weak smile, looking down at where he thought her face was. After a few seconds, he tried to wrangle the pack off his back without causing too much of a disturbance to the tarp which crinkled at his every move. Finally, he placed the bag in his lap and bemoaned the situation, letting out a sigh. It was going to be a long next few hours, or night, or next few days, or however long the Gamemakers and storm decided to pester them.
Summary: Calem takes inventory, procrastinates getting under the tarp, and then wins the award for most awkward person of the year. Harrison would be ashamed. HP: 23/23 Equipped: Bow & 8 Arrows (+2) Inventory: 6-inch knife (+1), 10-ft copper coil, fishing line, medical kit (Good for +3 HP with cuts), cloth blanket, compass, golden spile WC: 501
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2014 8:21:56 GMT -7
SIRI"The difference between want and need is self control"
* B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P *
A PARACHUTE FOR C A L E M.
CONTAINING 1 (O N E) V A M P I R E R E D H E A L T H P O T I O N GOOD FOR 8 (E I G H T) HEALTH POINTS.
YOU MUST POST THAT YOU ARE DRINKING THIS POTION FOR THE HP TO GO THROUGH.
NOTE* THIS ITEM CAN BE S T O L E N FROM YOU IF YOU D I E AND IT IS IN YOUR I N V E N T O R Y.
* B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P * * B E E P *
|WORDS| |TAGS| |NOTES|
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2014 22:19:54 GMT -7
Underneath the tarp, Ariadne could hear Calem shuffling around, taking his time before getting under the make-shift shelter. He was stalling, which was perfectly fine with her. This tarp really wasn't so big, and she should cherish this alone time while she had it. Outside the plastic, she heard him moving around rocks, and heard the crinkle as he set them on top of the tarp. Each rock seemed to jolt her a little as it was placed, and her mind started to catch up with what was about to happen. They needed the protection, because who knows what would be thrown at them, and she had even suggested this. But sitting under the tarp as it passed by, especially two of them sharing it, would be more excruciating for her than it would probably be for him. When she had been thinking about survival, she had temporarily forgotten about how much she absolutely hated confined spaces.
Breathing was getting hard under the plastic now, and she had rolled over to crawl out of the stupid thing when Calem started to come in. She jumped, and was too embarrassed and uncomfortable to realize just how embarrassed and uncomfortable he was. She moved back to let him inside, which of course made her feel worse. Her eyes went to the only corner that he had left without a rock, the one he now blocked. How heavy were those rocks he had placed on the other corners anyway? She tested one, hopefully inconspicuously, by pulling on the fabric near a corner. It didn't budge at all. Desperately, Ariadne wanted to bolt out from under the tarp, make for the forest and take her chances. At least there was air out there, space, even if whatever it was tried to kill her. It was tempting. Maybe it wouldn't really be that bad out there, just a little storm. Maybe the Game Makers weren't really trying to root out the weak so early. But this was the Hunger Games. The chances of them being nice were unlikely, and she couldn't die, not now. Not like this, because she was too scared of being under a flimsy tarp. Ariadne freed her arm from the packs and sat up. It felt a little better, but the edges of the tarp and Calem were so close around her on every side. It was too dark to really see them, but she could feel it.
Had Calem always taken up that much room? Did it really need to be so hot under here? She could feel the sweat forming on her skin as Calem made a joke about finding a blanket in their packs in case she got cold. At least it sounded like a joke to her right now, and she gave a forced laugh. "I don't think getting cold will be a problem," she replied, pulling strands of sweaty hair away from her face. Okay, okay. She had to think straight. In her training sessions with Dominic, she had known this was her weakness. Anytime she was incapacitated or stuck or confined, her go-to reaction was to freak out. For a girl who was mostly daring and fearless, that was really bad. And now she was stuck with Calem right next to her, a childhood friend who might become her enemy and a person who didn't need more reason to think he needed to protect her. It was dark, thankfully, and even though she had seen a flashlight in the packs, she wasn't going to tell him about it or bring it out yet. Him not being able to see her face right now and her not being able to visualize how small their shelter was better for both of them.
Rain had started to pelt the tarp, light for a few seconds before turning into an outright downpour. Oh, that was worse. That was definitely worse. It sounded like something was beeping out there too, and it could be a package. Or a bomb. Or a career. Or her mind. But if she tried to lift the tarp to inspect it, she was sure she'd bolt. Ariadne held herself back as she sat cross-legged on the rock, the tarp pressed against her back. Her left knee touched Calem's leg - there was no where else to move - and her hands gripped her own thighs in some effort to keep herself grounded. She couldn't tell him what she was feeling right now, and it was all she could think about. She needed desperately to think of something else, anything else, so she needed to get him talking. "Calem," she started, looking his direction although she could only see his form, "tell me about you. Everything, anything. We haven't been able to talk about anything but these stupid Games in so long, and we barely know each other." That sounded way too desperate and she shook her head. Her mind searched for something more specific she could ask him about and went with the first thing she could find. "You have a little brother, right? Trevor. You mentioned him back home, and in the interview. I always wanted a little brother, and I would have liked to meet him. What's he like? Does he work with you and your dad, or is he different?" Please, spare no details at all, Calem, she added mentally.
HP: 26/26 Equipped: Ax (+2) Inventory: Lighter, 6x6 Ft. Tarp, Bungee Cord, Compass, Flashlight WC: 896 Notes/Actions: Ariadne's claustrophobia kicks in, just in time for Calem to join her under the tarp and the storm to start.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2014 23:42:57 GMT -7
The rain had started to fall as soon as Calem crawled under the tarp to shelter with his ally, beginning with a light drizzle. He nearly bumped into her on his way in because of the darkness. Was she wanting to go outside? But, why? The storm was nearly upon them, and it could kill them in a heartbeat. He was about to apologize and duck back outside to let Ariadne pass when she moved instead, to let him into the makeshift shelter. It was so small on the inside. He sat down where he was, right in front of the free corner, unknown to the anxiety this would give his partner. There was barely any room for both of them to sit without touching each other, let alone to move about. Calem had to sit hunched down, which was fine for now, but would give him massive back pains once the storm was over and he could stand up again.
Calem couldn't help but laugh at Ariadne's response. "I guess you're right. We do have this wonderful tarp to keep us warm. But at least it's shelter," he replied. His face and the front of his body were facing inwards--away from the corner and towards Ariadne--and beginning to sweat, while chills were sent up his spine from the icy wind and rain occasionally let in by the flapping of the free corner. The tarp reflected their body heat back at them, which only worsened the situation. Half of him was freezing cold, and the other half was burning hot. If they had made it to the forest, maybe they wouldn't have this problem. The tarp would have made a nice, airy tent, but unfortunately, volcanoes don't grow sticks.
Calem shifted a little to the side and lifted the corner of the tarp to let in some cool air. Just then, he heard beeping sounds and, a few seconds later, a parachute with a small box attached landed in his line of sight. It looked like the box that had brought Ariadne the spile, so it must be a gift from a sponsor as well. But who was it for? Ariadne had already gotten something. Plus, it was delivered right as Calem looked outside, so it must be for him, right? He reached out to drag the box and pull it under the tarp. He turned it over in his hands, inspecting it for any writing and found nothing, at least in the darkness. Carefully opening the box, Calem pulled out a vial of a dark, dark red liquid. It kind of looked like blood...but it couldn't be blood. Why would sponsors send him blood? He swirled the liquid around in the bottle, holding it close to his face to inspect it. It had the consistency of water. Maybe it was a medicine of some sort. "Here goes," he mumbled, flipping the cap off the vial and taking a tiny sip of the liquid. It tasted fine, even a little bit like fruit. Definitely not blood despite the unappealing color. There was only a small amount remaining, so Calem decided to finish it off. The drink left him feeling revitalized and energized, like he could seriously win the Games, and even improved his mood.
Then, Calem felt Ariadne's knee touch his leg, and he stiffened. He had nowhere to go but outside, and he wasn't about to do that. Ariadne didn't move either. His hands gripped his thighs in an effort to calm himself and resist the urge to swat her knee away. Calem. Didn't. Like. Being. Touched. But then she asked about him, for Calem to talk about himself, and he was so confused by this that his muscles relaxed slightly. It came out of nowhere. Why would Ariadne want to know about his personal life, and of all times and places, why now? "Uhh..." was all Calem could respond with as he searched for something to tell the girl. His life was pretty mundane. There wasn't anything special about him. What was there to tell her? She then offered him something more specific to talk about. Of course, Trevor! He'd be easy enough to talk about. "Yeah, Trevor. He's...a good kid," he began, remembering some of his fondest memories with his brother and smiling. "He's really smart. Like, he should be off in District 3 and working to make the newest pieces of technology or working in the Capitol with scientists. He's gotten straight A's as long as I can remember, and he somehow enjoys going to school and learning." Calem forced a laugh to sound like he enjoyed bringing up these memories, but in truth, they were just painful. There was such a small chance that he would actually go home to see Trevor and Robin and Morgan again. He just wanted to see his little brother again. He didn't want his words at the Reaping to be his last. Hopefully there was a camera around somewhere to pick up on what he was saying so that Trevor could hear them back at home. "His mind is wasted at home. He deserved something better," Calem continued, though he wasn't really talking to Ariadne anymore. "Between a mom who got crippled in an accident, a dad who is never home because he's trying to get money, and a brother whose as dumb as the trees he works with, Trevor deserves a better life. He looked up to me. He wanted to be like me, I don't know why. We all decided that he wasn't going to be, though, so my mother signed him up to work with furniture because for some d*** reason that's the best District 7 and we could offer. And he's probably mad at me for that stunt I pulled at the interviews, thinking I don't care about him, but I do. I care about him more than anyone in the world, and I'm just...so proud of him." Calem let out a sigh, feeling defeated. He sniffled a bit as he breathed in, but only because the cold air was making his nose stuffy. Yeah, that's it.
That was a pretty bad note to leave off on. Calem stretched his back, trying desperately to think of something else to say. The rain battered the tarp overheard and the wind threatened to blow their cover away. "Well, we might as well make use of all this rain," he joked lightly. "I think I saw you pull some canteens out of your bags earlier, right? I can put them outside to collect water and tie them to my bag using some line I found so they don't blow away." He reached down into his bag and focused on finding the line. While doing so, he nonchalantly added, "So let's talk about you now, Ariadne. I remember you mentioned your dad in the interview. What's he like?"
Summary: Calem sits down under the tarp, finds and drinks the sponsored potion, talks about his brother, cries and asks Ariadne about her father HP: 23/23 (+8 from the vampire red sponsor potion) = 31/31 Equipped: Bow & 8 Arrows (+2) Inventory (7/10 items): 6-inch knife (+1), 10-ft copper coil, fishing line, medical kit (Good for +3 HP with cuts), cloth blanket, compass, golden spile WC: 1184
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2014 12:08:49 GMT -7
Ariadne gave a sort of grunt in response to Calem's words about their shelter. This make-shift shelter was pretty terrible, and she wished she hadn't found the tarp. She wished she had just run for the forest as soon as Calem saw the clouds in the sky, and then maybe they could have avoided this whole thing. Maybe they really could have made it to the forest in time and used the trees as shelter, or even put the tarp up there. The forest would have at least given them a lot more options for space.
Despite how hot it was, Ariadne shivered at the temporary draft as Calem opened the free flap and pulled in another gift from a sponsor. In the darkness of the tarp, it was hard to tell what exactly it was he had gotten - some sort of liquid. "You're really sure you want to drink that?" she asked in surprise as he lifted the vial to his lips. She wasn't sure she'd trust something like that, especially in the dim light of their shelter. There could be anything in it, and while sponsor gifts usually were only helpful things, it still seemed odd. She watched him, her thoughts temporarily focused on making sure it wasn't going to poison or hurt him in some way. But he seemed okay after he finished it off, or at least didn't make any strange sounds or movements. If her mind wasn't so on edge, she might have made some witty comment about the fact that it had managed not to kill him, but instead she was just relieved.
After her question, Calem's hesitation almost made it sound like he wouldn't have much to say. She didn't know what she'd do if he just said a word or two, and they drifted back into silence. She didn't think she'd be able to come up with something else to talk about, and filling the silence with her own talk would probably lead to terrible things. Babbling, mindless chatter or worse - something that would make the Game Makers pulling the strings even more eager to get her killed. But then he finally started talking, telling her about his little brother. Ariadne closed her eyes, trying to focus only on the sound of Calem's voice and what he was saying. Trevor Fox was the kind of little brother she would have loved to have: smart, kind, looking up to his sibling even if it was silly to. He sounded like the kid everyone loved and encouraged. Calem went on to talk about what his family hoped for Trevor, his regrets - things he probably wouldn't have normally said to her if they weren't stuck under this tarp. As Calem spoke, her grip on her own legs relaxed a little and it wasn't such a struggle to breathe. It was still extremely hot under the tarp, but it wasn't so overwhelming anymore. The one point of physical contact between the pair of them, her knee touching Calem's leg, was now less suffocating and more... grounding. She wouldn't have chosen to touch him on purpose, but it along with his voice and story were actually helping calm her down.
When he was finished, Ariadne opened her eyes again, the rain being the only thing that filled the temporary silence. She didn't know what she could say to that. She wasn't any good at comforting people, if that's even what he wanted right now. It would be silly to thank him for telling her those things, and useless to say things like "surely his brother knew he loved him" and "it'll be okay". Nothing was okay, and probably never would be again. If Calem didn't come home, it would devastate his whole family - especially his brother. She was glad when her district partner again broke the silence, asking about the canteens she had come across in their bag. How had she forgotten about those, and almost missed the opportunity to stock up on water? "Good thinking. Yeah, we have a couple of those in here," she said. She pulled open the nearest pack and fished around until she felt them, her hand brushing against the flashlight too.
Ariadne handed the pair of canteens over to him, and after a moment's hesitation, the flashlight too. He might actually need it to see what he was doing, and maybe she could just... not look when he turned it on. His question, though, caught her off guard - even though it shouldn't have. She had asked about him, so she should have expected the reverse. At least it was her dad he asked about, not really herself. "Well, you've met Cypress Emerson before," she started slowly, reaching over to help him tie the canteens on the line from his pack. Keeping her hands busy was important to keeping her calm too. She leaned back again when it was done, letting him put them outside. "He's...well... I wasn't kidding about what I said in the interview. I wish I was a lot more like him." She paused again. On second thought, maybe it would be better if Calem had asked about herself. She was all too aware suddenly of the fact that Panem was probably listening in to their conversation. Her father might hear what she said, but so might all the empty-headed Capitolites. So might Johanna Mason and even President Snow, people who had no business knowing something so personal about her or her father. Some of the things she might say could even hurt him and her mother, if she wasn't careful, or put more attention on her parents than they needed.
So, after a pause, Ariadne went with the safest thing she could think of. "When I was little, some boy in my class bragged about making it to the top of the biggest tree at school. He said there was no way some stupid girl could ever do it. I was going to prove him wrong, and got pretty far up before I fell. Murph - who you met - went to get my parents from work." It sounded like the rain was already getting lighter outside, but she kept going anyway. "My parents both came and took me to a doctor, one of those expensive ones even though we should have saved our money. My mother was crying over me and holding me, telling me I shouldn't have done something so stupid. I could have gotten killed. She even made me cry, and we were a mess as the doctor tried to fix me up. My father led my mother out so the doctor could work, but as soon as the doctor was done, he came back in alone. He hugged me and said that he loved me and was proud of me, because this wouldn't be the last time someone told me I couldn't do something. He told me that I shouldn't ever regret what I had done, but that if I wanted to prove someone wrong, I had to work at it. I had to practice at climbing trees first, over and over, until I really was good at it. It wouldn't come to me just because I wanted it to or because someone challenged me. Nothing ever comes easy, and that's the way it should be. I might hurt now, but my bruises and broken leg were my reminder of what happens when I let pride and stubbornness win out over hard work and self-awareness. I shouldn't be ashamed of that either, but learn from it. I guess...that's the kind of person my father is."
By the time Ariadne had finished speaking, the rain outside had stopped. The world outside their tarp was quiet again, and although she was actually calm now, she was more than ready to get out of their make-shift shelter. She moved past Calem trying not to push him but of course unavoidably touching him, and went out through the unbound corner of their tarp. The world she crawled into was wet and a little ravaged, but it seemed like the worst was past them. The clean, fresh air and wide open space felt amazing. She stretched her cramped body and took deep breaths, allowing herself those few precious moments' pause before removing the rocks Calem had set around their tarp. Once all of the corners were free, she set to combining her two bags into one and getting ready to move as again quickly as possible. Her rumbling stomach and dry though were reminders of everything they still needed to get done before the sun when down tonight. Glancing at Calem, she said, "Are you ready to finally make it out to that forest?"
HP: 26/26 Equipped: Ax (+2) Inventory: Lighter, 6x6 Ft. Tarp, Bungee Cord, Compass, Flashlight, Glow Stick (Good for use 1 Day), Fishing Net, Pliers, 2 Empty Canteens, Cloth Blanket WC: 1455 Notes/Actions: Ari freaks out less, gives the 2 CANTEENS and FLASHLIGHT to Calem, tells a story, and gets ready to head into the forest for some quality surviving.
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