Post by Matthias Jensen on Jan 27, 2015 21:54:55 GMT -7
As the train rumbled out of District 6, Matthias felt a little better than he had leaving Five. He had known neither of the tributes in Six, although seeing the families stand there had still been hard. Now he was heading to District 7, and his first thoughts as he pondered that was about trees. Forests, more specifically. He had been fascinated by forests when he saw his first simulated one in the training center, and again when he saw it in the arena. There weren't really forests, in 10, just the occasional tree. He knew all too well now what forests looked like covered in flames... but in District 7 were forests untouched by fire.
The next thought, which always followed, was of who was from District 7. Calem was from this district. He didn't want to talk about Calem or address Calem's family, because his feelings about the now-dead boy were confusing. When watching the Games recap, he had seen how Calem was with his district partner. They were friends, even before the Games, and her death had been awful. Matthias had seen both how Calem reacted when she died, and later how he killed Basil. She had already been so wounded then. Calem couldn't have known what she meant to him, but he had taken away the very thing from Matthias that he himself had lost. Matthias should be furious at him, and when he saw the ax going into Basil again in his dreams, he was. But he couldn't stay that way.
The formerly-deaf boy from District 10 didn't draw anything on his trip between Six and Seven. Instead, he spent some of the time talking to his mentor, Falro, hoping for guidance. He was supposed to be happy to be alive, grateful the boy from Seven hadn't killed him when he got the chance, and that was it. Hadn't he let Basil down somehow though? Talking with Falro helped ease him somewhat, but he was still nervous. He was already looking forward to Districts 9, 11, and 12 where he wouldn't know a thing about the tributes except the little he learned during training and watching the Games after.
Then he was back on the stage again, this time in the district of trees, glancing at the families of the tributes. The girl, Ariadne, only had a set of parents to represent her family. He couldn't see them well from this distance, but he got the impression of hard faces. Then he looked at the boy's family: parents and a kid who looked his own age. It was getting so hard to look at these families, and he didn't know if it was easier to see a huge group of tiny faces or a single parent. All of it was just awful, and he had to stand up here, district after district, to read the cards and thank them for their kids lives. He felt so drained.
Then it was his turn to speak, and Matthias walked up to the microphone."Hello. My name is Matthias Jensen. I am honored to be here in District 7," he started. It seemed like the mood of the crowd was quieter here, more hostile even. Most people hadn't been cheering and smiling at him in previous districts, but still... he felt more uncomfortable on stage here than he had before. "I stand here today, Victor of the 73.1 Hunger Games, because of the power and generosity of the Capitol. I have been deaf most of my life, but the Capitol gave me hearing and the people of Panem gave me the tools I needed to emerge from the arena victorious. I am thankful for that. As a nation, we rose out of the Dark Days stronger and more united, but the Hunger Games remind us of the sacrifices we must continue to make to keep our country strong. Today, I thank District 7 for the sacrifices you have made and honor your tributes."
Matthias flipped his card and turned to Ariadne's family first. The man, who hadn't been looking at him at all before, now seemed to be glaring at him. He shifted. Not only was he terrible at public speaking, but looks like that didn't make it any easier. "I shouldn't have won. It shouldn't have been me," he had said to Falro, more than once. Most recently he had said it after District 5. Swallowing, Matthias read the two generic sentences on the card for tributes he hadn't known. The man's gaze hadn't changed when the boy looked back up, but he had nothing else to say; he hadn't known her or ever spoke to her. Then he looked at Calem's family, who mostly just seemed sad. He was tempted to read the same two sentences, but knew that wouldn't be fair. Even if he didn't say much, it had to be something different. "Calem had the chance to kill me once," he said, not that that was a good way to start. "We both should have been trying to kill each other then." And then maybe he'd be here instead of me, Matthias added mentally, but knew that wasn't the kind of thing you said out loud. One of his hands reached into his pocket, feeling the bracelet he kept there to keep himself talking. "He killed my f-friend, but... it's what we were supposed to do. We had to live. But he gave me something to hold on to of hers, and I'm very grateful to him for that." When he was done, he paused hoping what he said was okay. Then, he concluded with, "Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever. Thank you."
There wasn't much in the way of cheer that followed Matthias as he left the stage, but he hadn't really expected there to be. Now that the camera part was done, he was able to change into something more comfortable that didn't feel like stiff cardboard. When he re-emerged from his room in the justice building, his escort and Falro were busy talking about what sounded like schedules with a few men he didn't recognize. The tribute slipped past them, wandering over to the nearest tree - which, here, wasn't far. He looked up into its thick leaves, and got the sudden urge to climb it. He pulled himself up a few branches. "Do you want help up? I can boost you, if you want." His hand slipped and ground against bark as Basil's voice rang through his head. He only just managed to keep himself from tumbling all the way down to the ground. Gripping tightly, fueled by emotion and fear, Matthias managed to swing onto a nearby branch. He was panting, leaning against the big trunk with his eyes squeezed shut. The hand that had slipped was starting to bleed, and had tiny chunks of bark embedded into it. He cradled it in his lap, although he couldn't even feel it. He was so thrown by her voice. She had said that right after he'd fallen out of a tree much like this one, and she had been so worried about him.
Another sound came to him and he jumped, thinking it was the start of another memory. But there was no sweet and haunting voice that followed the sound, only its repetition. It seemed to actually come from out here, in the real world. "H-Hello?" Matthias called out, looking down at the base of the tree. He pushed his neck out a little to try and see its source, but was too afraid of falling to do more than that. "Who's there?"
WC: 1274
Tag: Trevor Fox and/or any other D7's that want to have a chat with Math.
The next thought, which always followed, was of who was from District 7. Calem was from this district. He didn't want to talk about Calem or address Calem's family, because his feelings about the now-dead boy were confusing. When watching the Games recap, he had seen how Calem was with his district partner. They were friends, even before the Games, and her death had been awful. Matthias had seen both how Calem reacted when she died, and later how he killed Basil. She had already been so wounded then. Calem couldn't have known what she meant to him, but he had taken away the very thing from Matthias that he himself had lost. Matthias should be furious at him, and when he saw the ax going into Basil again in his dreams, he was. But he couldn't stay that way.
The formerly-deaf boy from District 10 didn't draw anything on his trip between Six and Seven. Instead, he spent some of the time talking to his mentor, Falro, hoping for guidance. He was supposed to be happy to be alive, grateful the boy from Seven hadn't killed him when he got the chance, and that was it. Hadn't he let Basil down somehow though? Talking with Falro helped ease him somewhat, but he was still nervous. He was already looking forward to Districts 9, 11, and 12 where he wouldn't know a thing about the tributes except the little he learned during training and watching the Games after.
Then he was back on the stage again, this time in the district of trees, glancing at the families of the tributes. The girl, Ariadne, only had a set of parents to represent her family. He couldn't see them well from this distance, but he got the impression of hard faces. Then he looked at the boy's family: parents and a kid who looked his own age. It was getting so hard to look at these families, and he didn't know if it was easier to see a huge group of tiny faces or a single parent. All of it was just awful, and he had to stand up here, district after district, to read the cards and thank them for their kids lives. He felt so drained.
Then it was his turn to speak, and Matthias walked up to the microphone."Hello. My name is Matthias Jensen. I am honored to be here in District 7," he started. It seemed like the mood of the crowd was quieter here, more hostile even. Most people hadn't been cheering and smiling at him in previous districts, but still... he felt more uncomfortable on stage here than he had before. "I stand here today, Victor of the 73.1 Hunger Games, because of the power and generosity of the Capitol. I have been deaf most of my life, but the Capitol gave me hearing and the people of Panem gave me the tools I needed to emerge from the arena victorious. I am thankful for that. As a nation, we rose out of the Dark Days stronger and more united, but the Hunger Games remind us of the sacrifices we must continue to make to keep our country strong. Today, I thank District 7 for the sacrifices you have made and honor your tributes."
Matthias flipped his card and turned to Ariadne's family first. The man, who hadn't been looking at him at all before, now seemed to be glaring at him. He shifted. Not only was he terrible at public speaking, but looks like that didn't make it any easier. "I shouldn't have won. It shouldn't have been me," he had said to Falro, more than once. Most recently he had said it after District 5. Swallowing, Matthias read the two generic sentences on the card for tributes he hadn't known. The man's gaze hadn't changed when the boy looked back up, but he had nothing else to say; he hadn't known her or ever spoke to her. Then he looked at Calem's family, who mostly just seemed sad. He was tempted to read the same two sentences, but knew that wouldn't be fair. Even if he didn't say much, it had to be something different. "Calem had the chance to kill me once," he said, not that that was a good way to start. "We both should have been trying to kill each other then." And then maybe he'd be here instead of me, Matthias added mentally, but knew that wasn't the kind of thing you said out loud. One of his hands reached into his pocket, feeling the bracelet he kept there to keep himself talking. "He killed my f-friend, but... it's what we were supposed to do. We had to live. But he gave me something to hold on to of hers, and I'm very grateful to him for that." When he was done, he paused hoping what he said was okay. Then, he concluded with, "Panem today, Panem tomorrow, Panem forever. Thank you."
There wasn't much in the way of cheer that followed Matthias as he left the stage, but he hadn't really expected there to be. Now that the camera part was done, he was able to change into something more comfortable that didn't feel like stiff cardboard. When he re-emerged from his room in the justice building, his escort and Falro were busy talking about what sounded like schedules with a few men he didn't recognize. The tribute slipped past them, wandering over to the nearest tree - which, here, wasn't far. He looked up into its thick leaves, and got the sudden urge to climb it. He pulled himself up a few branches. "Do you want help up? I can boost you, if you want." His hand slipped and ground against bark as Basil's voice rang through his head. He only just managed to keep himself from tumbling all the way down to the ground. Gripping tightly, fueled by emotion and fear, Matthias managed to swing onto a nearby branch. He was panting, leaning against the big trunk with his eyes squeezed shut. The hand that had slipped was starting to bleed, and had tiny chunks of bark embedded into it. He cradled it in his lap, although he couldn't even feel it. He was so thrown by her voice. She had said that right after he'd fallen out of a tree much like this one, and she had been so worried about him.
Another sound came to him and he jumped, thinking it was the start of another memory. But there was no sweet and haunting voice that followed the sound, only its repetition. It seemed to actually come from out here, in the real world. "H-Hello?" Matthias called out, looking down at the base of the tree. He pushed his neck out a little to try and see its source, but was too afraid of falling to do more than that. "Who's there?"
WC: 1274
Tag: Trevor Fox and/or any other D7's that want to have a chat with Math.