Watching the dead [Open]

[knifewithnoname]

Who| Pruna and open
What| Pruna watches the man who killed her fall. Then discovers something about herself. Feel free to tag either prompt
Where| A lounge area
When| As this and this are shown live.
Warnings/Notes| Mentions of violence and death. Small child delighting in death.

In one of the corners of the lounge the little girl was sat leafing through a huge book. She had went to the library wanting to learn more about the technologies in this place. Mostly about how the buildings, how they were so big, how they hadn't all fallen down on top of each other. Also the things that moved, the transport that Cinna had told her about.

She thought the stupid person at the library had problems understanding her, or she was having issues working out why someone wanted to know how something worked. After almost storming out when the woman tried to give her a story book where the transport could talk (and she had never heard one talk, so she assumed they couldn't) she finally got her hands on a book about buildings.

Not how they were made though, just pictures of them with when and who made them and what they were for. It was better than stupid talking transport anyways.

The pictures were interesting at least, and she was amazed by how huge and pretty they were. She was out here rather than in her room because she wanted to keep watching the arena. She didn't really see the fun in it like the people of the capitol did, though she liked how it served chaos. But she needed to know who was strong. Who she would have to take out and what their weaknesses were.

She had no interest in the winner, they wouldn't be going back in. But the people who almost won. They would be the threats. Her attention wavered between her book, the screen and the bowl of fruit and melted chocolate she had next to her; because Momoko was right it was amazing. Not as nice as ice cream though.

Then a face she knew very well came onto the screen. The man who killed her. She leaned forward, book abandoned at her side watching intently, a small, wicked, grin on her face.

She wasn't even that angry at him, he had done what she would have done if their places were reversed and he had let her die fighting. It had been honourable.

That didn't mean she wasn't going to enjoy watching this, she pulled the bowl of fruit onto her knee.

[Later] He was dead, he would be back she knew but it still felt... satisfying. She grinned and went back to her book, it seemed like lots of people liked him because now they were showing him through the arena, all the lives he had taken. She lost interest and went back to her book.

He then went on to kill Pruna She looked up with a frown, because that was what Eva had called her. And sure enough there she was on screen, eyes angry as she died.

She got up and marched over to the TV. "What did you be calling me? What do a pruna be being?" She poked the television angrily.

Comments

[carnagecarnival]

The Initiate wanders. Although he made a lot of noise first showing up in the Training center, he certainly knows how to be silent, and does so now. He recognizes the nameless girl and watches her. He notes the book in her grasp and shoves off a twinge of jealousy, having tried earlier to find something to read himself only to discover, naturally, that none were in Alternian.

He sees the change in her when the man's face appears on screen, observes the tilt of her, eager in the show of carnage. The Initiate doesn't make a sound at all. She wouldn't even know him to be there, had he not, upon the call of a name and her reaction, walked up behind and said, "SEEMS THE MOTHERFUCKING NAMELESS SISTER FOUND AT HERSELF ONE AFTERALL. The sinnerfucks will play at like they own. DON'T MOTHERFUCKING MEAN SHE GOT AT TO HAVING TO ANSWER."

He's close enough to spook, but just distant enough to avoid attack for it. He's not dressed in torn clothing any more but a bit of recent capitol fashion, the guise of an indigo prince, sparing a crown or shoes. His expression will not be easy to decipher.

[splendid_roman]

It was hard to avoid seeing what was going on the arena with televisions showing it all over the place. At least if they were showing live events it meant they couldn't show anything from earlier, when he killed anyone. Although that meant there was something in the arena to see, which he wasn't keen about either. But the girl eating and looking as if she was enjoying it... Ian wondered if she really understood it all.

"Is it interesting?" he asked, amused.

[knifewithnoname]

She did jump and her hand went automatically for her knife, but she didn't have a knife because they had taken it off her.

So instead she glared at him. "I do no be knowing what it do be meaning, and why they do be calling me it."

[knifewithnoname]

Oh it was him. The man that wouldn't hit girls for some stupid reason that Pruna hadn't bothered remembering. She grinned and shrugged, "They do be fighting well, but they do be very close, I do no be knowing if that one." She gestured at Wyatt, "Will be running away though because he do be being angry, I do be thinking that girl do be being his friend or something."

[carnagecarnival]

He snorts lightly at her jumping but is otherwise, still. The glare, however, earns the slimest of smirks.

"Explained that wicked noise already, Nameless. SILENCE AIN'T A LANGUAGE WHAT MOTHERFUCKERS KNOW AT HOW TO SPEAK," He says. "So in it's place the panbent babble is stewed the fuck up in it 'til a sound WHAT FITS DRAGS SELF FROM IT FOR THE GREAT PURPOSE."

[knifewithnoname]

She wrinkled her nose again, "So you do be saying that they did no be knowing how to be calling me nothing so they did be making something up?"

[carnagecarnival]

"That DO motherfucking up and BE at what he is SAYING," he chuckles. "A GIRL FIGURES IT CORRECT."

[knifewithnoname]

She thought about that, wrinkling her nose again. She wasn't sure what she thought about these people with silly hair making her up a name and using it for everyone to hear.

But the fact they had done, because they wanted to talk about her and couldn't work out how to like the Initiate had said...

She gave a small grin but then remembered the troll alien was still there so just shrugged. "That do be being stupid."

[carnagecarnival]

He catches the grin regardless, and says, "The dull-nugged outnumber always BUT AS WOOLBEASTS TO THE BARKBEAST-HOWLFIENDS THEY DO. Catch not the motherfucking wool in fang and a feast will be untainted."

[knifewithnoname]

She wrinkled her nose, struggling to understand what he just said, "Do you be telling me to be eating them? Or to no be eating them?"

Why would she eat them at all? Maybe he meant kill them? Or not kill them?

[splendid_roman]

"Or maybe he thinks that men shouldn't be fighting women." Although she was giving a good fight, he had to admit. He wasn't sure if he'd fare all that well against her.

Then he realised he'd got sucked into the local's attitude towards the whole thing. "Or they could just agree to not fight and people will get bored and leave them alone."

[carnagecarnival]

"Telling at a Nameless that she ignore the dense cloaked and wait for their sheering. EXPOSE THE SINNER SKIN AND THE FLESH WILL TEAR ALL THE EASIER. Whether she wishes to feast and devour is of no motherfucking concern," he says. But, the implication is there, he would not protest to violence with vengeance.

[knifewithnoname]

"No I do be thinking you do be the only one who do be thinking such silly things." She told him and wrinkled her nose.

"Then someone else will just be killing them, there do no be many more left, the television technology did be saying we might be having a winner by tonight or tomorrow."

[knifewithnoname]

She frowned again as she worked the words through her mind, and then grinned. She liked this alien troll, he was practical unlike the other tributes who kept telling her she should be sad about killing people.

"You do be being right I do be thinking."

[carnagecarnival]

He returns the grin in full, and says, "A future preacher must be aware of the greater truths. SEEMS A NAMELESS CAN HEAR THEM TOO. Motherfucking wise of her."

To be sad about killing people would be stupid. To be sad about killing people was to be sad about survival or preforming sacred rite. He wouldn't see the point and he takes kind to another feeling similar.

[splendid_roman]

"I suppose so." He didn't sound happy about it though. "Who do you think's going to win?" It could be one of the ones they were watching - Ian was glad he hadn't fought them.

[knifewithnoname]

"I do no be knowing. There do be a few strong people left. I hope it do no be him though." She pointed at Hyperion, though she guessed it would be honourable to have been killed by the winner, it would mean he wouldn't be back in the arena, and she wanted to beat him. Just to prove she could.

[knifewithnoname]

"Who do you be being preaching for?" She asked, her grin growing when he called her wise.

[splendid_roman]

"Why not?" By this point he didn't look any worse or any better than anyone else.

[knifewithnoname]

"Because I do be wanting to be fighting him." She shrugged, "And the silly hair people did be telling me I could only be fighting in the arena and I would be being in big trouble if I did be fighting here."

[carnagecarnival]

"THE MIRTHFUL MESSIAHS. The holy two and the Minstrels to rise. I SEEK TO PREACH THE WICKED SCRIPTURES TO RIGHTEOUS BROTHER AND SISTER. To share writ to the true ninjas and ninjettes who look to the paradise carnival. GUIDE THEM ON THE PATHS OF MOST MOTHERFUCKING HILARITY," He says with utmost pride, and deepest reverence to his faith. "Not been anointed priesthood yet, little sister, BUT HE SHALL PREACH REGARDLESS FOR ANY AND ALL WITH OPEN MOTHERFUCKING AURICULAR."

[splendid_roman]

That made sense - they'd want people to store up their anger with each other and take it out in the arena. "You be careful fighting him." He wasn't sure how much of her talk was bravado and how much was real skill, but he hated to think it was the latter and more so that she'd get herself hurt believing it.

[knifewithnoname]

She wrinkled her nose, not understanding most of the words but she got through all that mess that he was a priest... Or at least training to be one. And her eyes lit up. Even if his gods were different somethings had to be the same.

"Do you be knowing lots of magic?

[knifewithnoname]

"I will be." She said indignantly. "He did be only getting me last time because of that tree. When both my feet do be working I'll be able to be beating him."

She shrugged, "Who do you be thinking will be winning?"

[splendid_roman]

He hesitated over that answer, not sure which one was right. He was pretty sure it wouldn't her, but she might take offence if he said that. And saying it was her might make her overconfident and get her killed. "I think it's too close to call," he said in the end.

[knifewithnoname]

She shrugged, "For all we do be knowing it might be her." She pointed at the girl on the television, for that's what she had been asking. She jumped around conversations a lot.

"It do be seeming to be being hard to be killing her."

[splendid_roman]

Oh, so that's what she'd meant. Although he might have given the same answer anyway. "It would be interesting if it was her."

[knifewithnoname]

"It would be being. It do be an interesting tactic, make other people be dying for you and then be winning that way." It seemed a little bit cowardly but on the other hand, if it let you win. Pruna approved of it.

[carnagecarnival]

"Could say at there to be pledge to it's gospel. BY POWER OF THE TWO ALMIGHTY, HE WEAVES THE DAYMARES OF THE UNOWRTHY. Fear was mine to shape, sister Nameless. THE MAGIC OF THE CARNIVAL TOO, PERMEATES," He says. He gathers her to be thinking of a different sort of magic altogether, but he will not disregard the gifts of the messiahs blessed to him.

"She believes in miracles?"

[splendid_roman]

"Interesting is one word for it." Ian would have called it other things. "She can't keep doing it forever. Someone will cotton on in the end."

[knifewithnoname]

"They will be being, or she will be running out of people stupid enough to be dying for her."

If she managed to get to the end and have the apparent victor die for her Pruna would be impressed.

[knifewithnoname]

She grinned, taking his answer as an affirmative and then nodded, "Of course I do be believing in miracles, they do be being real."

[splendid_roman]

"So you don't rate it much as a tactic then?" This girl interested Ian. She was just a girl, but was fierce at fighting. Or talking about it at any rate.

[knifewithnoname]

"If she do be pulling it off I will be being impressed but it do be risky. How do she be knowing they will be dying for her, how do she be knowing they will no be turning on her." She shrugged, "And it do be cowardly, I would be rather fighting myself."

[carnagecarnival]

"SMART GIRL. A clever girl she up and motherfucking is. THERE IS SPACE UP IN THE CARNIVAL FOR ONE SUCH AS SHE. Room in the great family. A TRUE MOTHERFUCKING NINJETTE. Should ever she find at the desire," he says with a wide grin, and it is clear, his fondness too, has been won.

[splendid_roman]

He nodded. "Just about any tactic has an element of risk in it. Unless you're very sure of your own and your opponent's abilities."

[knifewithnoname]

"That do be being true." She shrugged, "I will be watching her, and be seeing if she does be winning."

[knifewithnoname]

She beamed, just because he had called her clever. She was easily pleased.

[splendid_roman]

"All right." He supposed he should too, so he could learn how others fought, but he wasn't interested in fighting just for the sake of fighting. "I'll leave you to it."

[knifewithnoname]

She shrugged and grinned at him, eating some more fruit, "Do you no be wanting to be watching?"

[splendid_roman]

He shook his head. "It's just not entertaining when you've just lived through it."

[knifewithnoname]

She wrinkled her nose, "It do be interesting though, and you can be learning a lot."

[splendid_roman]

"I know. I'd just rather not." And it seemed like an unfair advantage somehow. "Don't eat too much chocolate," he cautioned and left her to it.

[knifewithnoname]

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Well you do be pleasing yourself."

She purposefully dipped another piece of strawberry into the chocolate, he wasn't her boss he couldn't tell her what to do, and grinned at him.