What a place I have come to [Open]

[knifewithnoname]

Who | Pruna and you!
Where | District 12's area of the training centre and then outside
What | Arrival and exploring mostly
When | The day of her arrival
Warnings/notes I'll add if anything comes up.

No one had said anything to her after her test and the girl followed silently as she was taken out of the room and into a box which lurched and made her stomach go funny. She still had no idea what was going on and she was starting to get more and more irritated that no one was explaining things to her. Her guardians always briefed her before missions and the fact she had been brought here without knowing it, surrounded by strangers and things she had never seen before.

She was shown to a room, which they explained was hers, and that she could go anywhere on this floor or even out of the building, but she was to sleep here. She was also given a card and some other stupid thing that no one bothered explaining.

Once she was alone she sat on the floor and tugged off the shoes she had been told to wear, they were stupid and hurt her feet and made far too much noise. She felt exposed without a weapon but they had even taken the dagger Kant had given her. She looked around, her mouth falling open. If only her sister could see this! It was grander than even the best room in the inn, grander than most the houses she had ever snuck into as part of missions. And it was hers to stay in?

She crept over to the bed staring at it, poking it suspiciously. Then dashed round the room opening and closing every cupboard, checking for threats whilst taking a childish delight in the luxurious room.

Her room well and truly explored it was time to explore outside and she opened the door, half expecting it to be locked despite what the stupid haired people had said.

She opened doors, seeing other rooms like hers and finally came to a room with chairs and sofas. She watched from the doorway for a moment before padding in and poking the couch. Another glance round the room. She wondered about the others here, other shadow followers she guessed from what she had been told already.

She really wished that Elina had sent her sister as well, they had never been apart for more than a few hours for as long as she could remember and she missed her like someone had cut off her hand.

Spotting a window she skipped over, standing on tiptoes to look out and once again her mouth fell open. What a place this was... a far cry away from Gauig and they were so high up... higher than the roofs her and her sister would play on.

[A little later in the city] She wasn't planning to go very far, she had snuck through the entrance even though she had been told she could go out if she wanted to. Still not wearing her shoes, she kept to the sides of the streets, staying in the shadows, trying to be aware of her surroundings even as she was mesmerised by them.

It was colder here than in Gauig and she shivered as she stood as hidden as she could be, watching the people go by.

Comments

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Pruna isn't the only person keeping to shadows. Howard's continued as he has been since the most recent arena, staying to the dark and unseen places of the Capitol, and if someone didn't know him they could suspect that he's afraid of sunlight. The truth is, he's just been avoiding certain other people, and that means tactically getting lost in the crowd or around it.

His stylists have chastised him for getting his boy's-size clothes all dirty, and they'll be mad at him again later today when he shows up with stains all over them from digging through a dumpster. He brushes himself off a little and wipes his mouth; he found some uneaten onion rings in the last one. He's about to rejoin the crowd when he turns a corner and nearly collides with a little girl.

"Jeez, are you looking for tetanus?" Howard raises his eyebrows and looks at the girl's bare feet. It's easy to tell she's a Tribute - the looks she gives to the strange hairstyles and outfits makes it evident.

[knifewithnoname]

She skittered back when someone walked round the corner, glaring suspiciously. It took her a few moments to process the words, she had only ever met Elina and Kant before who had spoken like people here did, but she wasn't stupid enough to think she was anywhere in Gauig, the city or country.

Also she had no idea what tetanus was, or why she should be looking for it. "No." She glanced around again, working out escape routes. "Do you be looking for it? I do no be knowing where it do be if that did be going to be your next question."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard looks confused as he tries to parse what it is she's asking. It takes him a beat, but he gets there. "No, it's a disease. You get it from stepping on nails."

He moves out of the way as a throng of people push past, squeaking up against a wall. "You're new."

[knifewithnoname]

"Why would I be looking for a disease?" She looked at him like he was stupid, and then darted back into the shadows as people pushed past.

"Yes I did be getting here today, do you be living here?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Because it's what you get when you wander around town without your shoes. That or scabies." Howard's been reading too much of his little medicine handbooks in preparation for the arena. "And I guess I do, now. Just got kidnapped here a few weeks ago."

[knifewithnoname]

"That do be stupid." She told him, crossing her arms. "I have no ever been wearing shoes or getting a disease."

Shoes were stupid and uncomfortable. "You did be getting kidnapped? That did be being careless of you."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Myabe you have tetanus and you just don't know it yet." Howard tilts his head to the side. "Why, did you come here voluntarily?"

[justoutrunyou]

In the training center Sandy was actually training...sort of.

Having been inspired to try some of the less combat related training programs the center offered Sandy was beginning to suspect that she was going to die horribly...again.

In the plantlife class she kept mixing up the berries that were safe to eat and which ones would kill her. She still hasn't mastered starting a fire with twigs and grass and currently she had a tangle of ropes in front of her that was supposed to be a snare.

"I should have joined the Girl Scouts when I had the chance." She muttered oblivious of anyone else in the center.

[knifewithnoname]

They had told her she could come here to train whenever she wanted to and so here she was. This room was much more similar to what she was used to, even if some of the weapons she had never seen before.

On spotting the girl she crept forward to see what she was doing. She hadn't seen any other people around her age at all, though she had been quite proud that Elina believed she could fight against adults.

"I do no be thinking it should be looking like that." She spoke from the shadows, assuming the girl was talking to her even if she didn't know what Girl Scouts were.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy gave a start and fumbled with her knots looking up and spotting the small figure lurking in the shadows.

"Yeah, it's not. I'm just really crappy at this." She threw the tangle to the ground in frustration.

[knifewithnoname]

"Yes you do be." She emerged from the shadows and bent down to pick up the snare. She didn't have any idea how to make one either but she guessed that was what this room was for, learning to do all the things you couldn't yet do.

She put the tangle of rope back on the table and studied the girl quietly.

[justoutrunyou]

Sandy was getting a conflicted wave of feelings, anxiety from this stranger that she usually only felt around adults. Curiosity about who she was. And a but of embarrassment at how blunt she was about it.

Scooping up the ropes she started undoing the knots. She was better at that at least taking time to study the ropes and using her small nimble fingers to loosen them.

"So far the only thing I'm good at is running. Which everyone says is a great skill but I'm not convinced."

[knifewithnoname]

Well running was a great skill, running and hiding where the most important skills anyone could know. Because even if you had all your weapons taken away from you if you could run and hide then you would have a better chance at survival. Pruna didn't sit down, just stood watching the knots untangling.

"Why do you be being here then?" If she could only run? They had told her she had to fight, to the death and it would be stupid to send people who weren't ready for whatever this test was.

[setfires]

"Hello?" Cinna asked when he saw this girl in District 12's rooms. They were dumping more and more in every day. Soon he would be expected to Style a dozen different people, each with their own desires, dreams, fears, tastes...

If he was frustrated at all he didn't show it. He was a calm presence in front of her, wearing all black except for the gold eyeliner. "New Tribute?"

[knifewithnoname]

Pruna span around from where she was stood at the window blinking suspiciously at the man, who looked a lot less silly than the others who she had seen so far.

"They did be telling me I could be coming in here." She said quickly with a glare.

[setfires]

"You can," Cinna reassured. "This is open for all District 12 Tributes and their guests."

[knifewithnoname]

She nodded, glad she wasn't in trouble. "And that's what I do be right? They said I did be here to be fighting. That do be meaning I do be a tribute?" she said the strange word slowly testing the letters on her tongue.

ops wrong journal! sorry a bout that!

[setfires]

Cinna nodded. It was always so strange to talk to someone from a world that knew nothing about the Games, but he was getting used to it. He had also been getting used to Tributes who were grown adults. Seeing her small form was almost disheartening.

"My name is Cinna. I'm a Stylist for District 12."

no worries!

[knifewithnoname]

"What do a stylist be?" She shuffled forward a bit, not trusting this stranger but he was answering her questions which was more than any of the people with stupid hair had done.

[cowardfacinghappiness]

Momoko spotted the girl as she turned away from an enticing shop window, standing to the side and barefoot. Frowning, she watched her a few minutes before going over, her curiosity overtaking her usual preference of ignoring people.

"Are you homeless or a Tribute?" She hadn't seen any homeless people in the city before, but she didn't exactly wander very much, or pay attention to the people when she did.

[knifewithnoname]

The girl drew away a little into the shadows but blinked when she was spoken to. Cinna had called her a tribute, so she supposed that was what she was.

"I do be tribute, that's what they did be saying. Do you be one too?"

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"I--," she started, hesitating before continuing. Were the translation...machines or whatever they were malfunctioning? "Yes? I mean, I was a Tribute, now I'm a Mentor. If that's what you were asking."

[knifewithnoname]

The girl nodded, she had been a tribute and now she was a mentor... a mentor was a teacher... "So you do be teaching the tributes who do be here now? Does that mean you did be winning when you did be a tribute?"

Surely it did because otherwise she would be dead, they had told her they were to fight until only one person lived.

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"I won," said Momoko, giving up on the girl's speech making any better sense anytime soon. Besides, being reminded of her recent win always made her cheerful lately. She preened. "The last one."

[knifewithnoname]

The girl grinned, "You did? You must be being really strong then!"