once or twice. [wonder!]

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∂αмєη
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once or twice. [wonder!] Feb 4, 2012 5:09:12 GMT -5

Post by ∂αмєη on Feb 4, 2012 5:09:12 GMT -5

[8FA3CC] [5C7099] [CED4E0]

Snow kind of has a love hate relationship with the world. I mean, it's beautiful and soft and of course there's the fact that each snowflake is unique and special but in the end, it's still cold. We obviously don't love the cold but everything else is so awesome. How could something be so awesome and yet be so horrible at the same time? I don't know, you tell me. All I know is that snow is pretty awesome until it chills you to the bone. Luckily for me, I had only just stepped outside and into the winter wonderland. Today was the day I normally set aside for heading to the line of shops nearby and checking out what was new. My house was slowly getting filled with all the necessities of life and with some things I'd enjoy but there was still plenty more room.

Moving had been a tough decision but in the end, it was a smart move. My mother was a nice woman and all but she only reminded me of the one thing that I was trying to run away from; my past. Moving to another house kind of represented moving on and accepting that I could be a new person if I really wanted to. Yeah, I had the scars from the past to prove that I lived through it and I'd always walk with a limp even though my artificial leg served as a replacement. It didn't matter if I had small reminders that I lived through it. I just didn't want anchors to hold me down. My mother was only going to be an anchor and with her protective personality mixed with the motherly instinct crap, she'd only be a nightmare as the years go by. She's already trying to keep me from interacting with girls because she 'doesn't want to see her little man go'. News flash mum? I'm kind of well over six foot and little man no longer applies.

The Square was filled with people who's eyes were fixated on the giant screen. Avon and Reyes had made it out of the Bloodbath alive and were as of now, still alive. Reyes was somebody that I never had the chance to meet, whether that was a good thing or not. Having a victor from our District once again would obviously be a good thing but he's not the one that I'm cheering for. Avon is the only tribute I've ever had ties to, other than York. Even then, I really didn't know him well enough to care. Avon, although I only met her once at the Christmas celebration, was somebody who's death could affect me. Not only would it affect me because she's District One and cause I'm all about District spirit but she's also related to the one girl who I actually care about. And no, that's not my mum.

Edana Lightwood still remained on my mind. Was there ever a time where she wasn't? Seriously, I needed help or something. Either I was falling completely head over heels in love with the girl or she managed to find a way to insert her image into my brain. Something like that. I don't know, is it possible to get access to somebody's brain and to alter it in whatever way you wish? If that was actually possible, Edana would be the first one to figure out how to do it. She was so smart and so beautiful and such a dork but in a cute way. Every bit of me wanted to avoid the feelings that were showing up. After Lyla and all of that, I really haven't been very interested in any romantic relationship at all. And yet, here I am falling for Edana. It wasn't just a simple 'oh wow she's beautiful and amazing'. No. Whenever I was around her, I felt like the world was in my hand and I could do whatever I damn well pleased.

That's what interested me the most about Edana. She made me feel new and she made me feel like I was the only person who she'd ever need. And that was the weirdest part. We were just friends and yet she made me feel so many things. For all I knew, she could have put me in the friend zone the very first moment we met. I did first meet her when she was pregnant with another person's child. Albeit, he was no longer with us but maybe she still had a love for York. That would really suck, obviously, considering how I feel about her. It would be so much easier if I could just find out how she felt and then we could actually act upon those feelings, if hers were the same at least. The softness of her lips attracted my eyes and it was hard enough to hold back from just leaning forward and kissing her. Still, she was the closest thing I had to a friend at this point. I didn't want to lose her that easily.

A large crowd was gathered around this row of shops and I quickly walked through it and towards one of the stores. Stepping inside, I pulled my hood down from my head and shook it a bit. Elegant flowers decorated the walls, each one seeming to be more colourful and beautiful than the one beside it. Edana loved flowers. When I brought her some the day she asked me to spend Christmas with her, she seemed so excited. Maybe that could win me some good points, you know? The bell on the door rang though, announcing that another customer had entered. Maybe he was thinking the same thing I was. Buying flowers for the girl you cared about was definitely a smart idea. Not many people came in to the shop as they found flowers too cheap. But apparently myself and the other guy didn't. So I turned to him and smiled. "Stupid question for you? If you were a teenage girl, would you prefer yellow, purple or red flowers?"

all I need's a whisper in a world that only shouts

Wonder
Career Tribute

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everything is zoe's tbh.

once or twice. [wonder!] Feb 4, 2012 15:55:16 GMT -5

Post by Wonder on Feb 4, 2012 15:55:16 GMT -5

Peridot Zircon Myler

Life/Motion
Deep Thought
Speaking
Other People Speaking
Song

I wait, on the Emerald Isle,
For you to come and rescue me.

If there was one thing that Peri absolutely loved about Games season, it was that the shopping district was always busier than ever. Though the snow hugged the sidewalks making the terrain harder to walk on, if only slightly, and though the chill forced the citizens to add layer upon layer of clothing, they’d still run down to the Square for most of the day to watch the Games. Peri had barely been loosely paying attention this year, only enough to scrape him by on his mandatory watching. Sans alliances, most of the career type tributes were screwed. The District 2 female and the District 4 female had already died, leaving only 4 left from the career Districts. Pathetic, he could only imagine what they were saying in their training centers. Complete and utter disappointments for Career Districts. Ten had died on the first day, and because none of them had been from District 1, the general chatter had been happy around the Square. Little squeals of joy and loud fits of laughter were exploding every around him as he headed shopping. As he walked through, he heard scattered bits of conversation regarding the previous day.

‘Raining bullets..!’ ‘And then she chopped her own hand off!’

The Gamemakers seemed to be trying their very hardest to make this an interesting quell for sure, and it appeared almost as if their District might even be bringing home a win this year. It was a huge honour winning a quell year. But this year, it didn’t seem like it’d be an impressive feat. The tributes seemed weak and emotional. All in all, the group was pretty pathetic, probably why ten had died on the first day. Though he didn’t know Avon or Reyes personally, they seemed to be rather strong. Peri was taking favour to Reyes out of the two, quiet yet strong. He’d be a good victor. Maybe he’d befriend him should he return home. Though, he doubted it. The careers were told to hunt in packs, getting split up even before the final 8 was ridiculous.

Peri gathered up flem in the back of his throat and spat on the sidewalk, narrowly missing someone on the street. He apologized and swiftly moved along the street looking at the shops. People were everywhere and he found himself having to navigate through the maze of useless bodies. Most of these people were a waste of good air. Looking through shop windows trying to decide where he wanted to spend what little money he’d been given, his ever-growing hair fell into his eyes again. Blowing upwards to move his bangs out, he grew frustrated not only with his hair, not only with the people, but he needed to buy his mother a present and it seemed ridiculous.

Never in his 16 years of life had he had to go out and buy his mother a present before. He’d argued with his father about the whole situation but his father only shook his head and smiled. He looked up to Peri’s and stared him deep in the eyes.

“You know, jewels just don’t do it for you mother anymore.” He had said laughing. “Working in the business just doesn’t do it for her anymore. Go shopping and buy her something. She’ll love it knowing that it came from you.” On the last word, he poked Peri’s chest to make his point. It was in that moment that he’d realized just how old his father had gotten. His eyes had turned cloudy and they weren’t as large as they used to be as deep black lines replaced them. His father looked so tired, and Peri decided he didn’t want to fight what his father wanted him to do, for once in his life.

As he looked along the shops he almost wish he had argued. Clothes were a no, Peri had no clue what his mother’s size was and he didn’t want to make a guess at that, he could only imagine what would happen there. Food, no. His gaze fell on a flower shop, he guessed that would do. It wasn’t much of a present, didn’t last as long as gemstones did but they were still beautiful.
He pushed through people and went in to the shop. The flowers were beautiful as they lined the walls, and they all had the one thing that his jewels didn’t: smell. Oh the wonders of smell. Had his gemstones been able to carry such a smell everyone would buy them, even the Capitol themselves. He was looking for a specific colour of flower, and was hoping to find it fast. He wasn’t quite sure what the flower itself was or even if it existed, but he knew the colour quite well. Citrine. It was his mother’s name and hopefully the shade of some flowers.

Before Peri even had the chance to look around, a taller guy in front of him turned around. "Stupid question for you? If you were a teenage girl, would you prefer yellow, purple or red flowers?" Why did it seem like everybody was taller than him? It was ridiculous. And to suggest he was a teenage girl? Peri scoffed and looked up at the boy. “Well, if I was a teenage girl, even though clearly I’m not,” Peri flicked his bangs out of his eyes once more and glared at him in an almost childlike manner. “it’d depend on my eye colour.” He crosses his arms unimpressed. “If it’s for a girl, I wouldn’t go the flower route. They wilt. Can’t go wrong with gems, jewels are a girl’s best friend after all.”

[/size][/justify]

peri-snot styler

∂αмєη
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once or twice. [wonder!] Feb 4, 2012 17:46:07 GMT -5

Post by ∂αмєη on Feb 4, 2012 17:46:07 GMT -5

[8FA3CC] [5C7099] [CED4E0]

Everybody used to call me frankenteen ever since I shot up past them. I mean, being tall can be cool sometimes and I'm not exactly about to complain cause there are plenty of advantages. Still, when I was standing at a max of six foot at the age of twelve whilst everybody else was still just hitting five foot, there was something wrong. Getting used to all the jokes was easy enough, I guess. They'd realize once they were older that it was stupid to even try to come up with those insults. Frankenteen, Tree, Giraffe. Those were the ones that stood out in my memory the most. Each one made me feel like I was weird and different. Sometimes that would be a good thing but it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes it was dull and rainy.

Really, it didn't help that going out in public reminded me of how tall I actually was. Especially this kid right now. You really don't notice it until you find yourself looking down into the eyes of the person you're talking to. Edana was shorter too but it felt easy. The way my arms fit around her almost perfectly was great and it made me feel like less of a monster. That was only when I was actually around her though. Around anybody else, especially people that were a lot shorter than I was, I'd still feel like a giraffe. Like Frankenteen. Would that name always haunt me for the rest of my life? Stupid school. All it did was screw you up in some way and then spit you back out onto the street, hoping that you're capable of pulling yourself together. School. A place where you can learn to learn and learn to fail at the same time.

This guy seemed to not be impressed by the question I asked him. It wasn't that I was trying to insult him or anything. It was a simple question that most people would answer without having a cold tone to their voice. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was destined to be in a bad mood all day. Or maybe somebody pissed in his cornflakes. You know, I never really got that joke. If somebody pissed in my cornflakes, I'd be in a murderous mood instead of just feeling like my day was bad. Those are my cornflakes, thank you very much. Go piss somewhere else. Not to mention they'd have to get up into a position to piss in my cornflakes. Maybe they were the one who was in the bad mood. They didn't need to pass it along, you know. That was kind of a douche move.

So maybe this guy needed new cornflakes. Hypothetically, of course. I kind of doubt that somebody actually physically urinated in his breakfast cereal. That was definitely really messed up and although there were insane people in our world, nobody would descend to the depths of letting out their natural bodily fluids into a simple bowl of milk and grains. Okay, I think I was done comparing his mood to urine and cereal. "Uh, her eyes are bright green. And sorry, I just don't feel like asking the creepy man who runs the place what flowers he'd like if he was a girl." A laugh escapes my mouth and I rub the back of my neck, trying to seem apologetic for putting him on the spot like that. It was a really different question to ask but hey, my reasoning was good enough. The man who owned the store only answered with grunts and nods of his head, making his nose piercing bob around.

He was right. The flowers would die eventually and then all she'd have to remember that I gave them to her was a bundle of dead flowers. "Yeah, thanks man." That would be perfect. I could spend all the money I had saved up on a beautiful necklace and then I could tell her exactly how I felt. Maybe that was a dangerous move but it would have to happen at some point. Ignoring my feelings could only last for so long before I started to go insane, you know. "Here, you can ask me what I'd pick if I was a girl. It's only fair you know. Who are you getting flowers for?" My dopey smile returned to my face as I turned to face the young man. He couldn't have been much younger than I am. Maybe sixteen?

"I'm Clayton, by the way. Clayton Synclair." I offer my hand forward for him to shake, showing off my straight teeth with a bigger smile. The guy seemed pretty straight up. He obviously had something going on and really, we all need somebody to lean on during shit times. After all the drama with my father and his psychotic ways and then falling for a girl who only turned around to break my heart, leaving me with a long journey back home and a target over my head, I needed somebody to be there. And Edana was that person. Now, I was falling for her. I didn't want the guy to fall for me because, well, I'm just not attracted to guys, but I wanted him to feel like he wasn't alone in this world and like he actually had somebody to talk to. And maybe he wasn't in a bad mood at all and I'd only end up embarrassing myself.

But hey, I was used to embarrassment. Frankenteen can't live without it.

all I need's a whisper in a world that only shouts

Wonder
Career Tribute

675 POSTS
Pronouns: they/he
last seen Aug 11, 2023 10:06:03 GMT -5

everything is zoe's tbh.

once or twice. [wonder!] Feb 4, 2012 21:56:27 GMT -5

Post by Wonder on Feb 4, 2012 21:56:27 GMT -5

Peridot Zircon Myler

Life/Motion
Deep Thought
Speaking
Other People Speaking
Song

I wait, on the Emerald Isle,
For you to come and rescue me.

"Uh, her eyes are bright green. And sorry, I just don't feel like asking the creepy man who runs the place what flowers he'd like if he was a girl." Peri could only sigh, it was typical of a guy to have no idea what colour a girls eyes are. Green? That could be absolutely anything. That could be the emerald, the tsavourite garnet, the ovaline, or even the peridot, though he doubted highly that there was a girl in the District with the same colour eyes as he had.

If there was something that had always put him aside from the other kids it was his eyes. His parents always told him so. Sure there were kids with green eyes but not his particular shade. It hadn’t mattered that much until high school where the girl of District 1 had noticed him because of his eyes. His particular light shade of green was apparently quite a thing to most people. But, no matter what colour his eyes where, people would still never talk to him. It was partly due to his horrible personality, but still the fact that the other part of that was because others bullied him disappointed him a little bit. If there was one thing he had wished, it’d be that his eyes had saved him. But that wasn’t the case. It was training.

Learning to kill saved me.

The boy laughed and thanked him, which was unusual. He would guess that he was two or three years older, hadn’t heard Peri was the loser, hadn’t heard to avoid him and push him aside. It was a good thing. Peri smiled back at the boy almost unsure on whether he should or not, he hadn’t had many nice interactions in his life time. Even when he was working on cash at the store, it’d been quick meaningless conversations with the fakest of smiles. This conversation was rather irrelevant as well, Peri guessed. But in a way it wasn’t if he was asking for his advice. So unable of thinking whether or not he should laugh, he just smiled. It was genuine though. He knew that much, he could feel the warmth in his chest. Peri almost forgot completely about how he’d only just felt insulted a few moments ago.

"Here, you can ask me what I'd pick if I was a girl. It's only fair you know. Who are you getting flowers for?" This time he’d laughed. It was more of a snort that sounded more bizarre than anything he’d heard in a while. It was a new feeling to him. Of course he’d laughed with his parents before but not with someone else.

I’ve been missing so much.

Upon realizing how weird his laugh was he forced his lips together to stop himself but he still kept his smile, if it’d only looked like a smirk. His gems had made him smile before but never had they made him laugh. “Actually, I’m shopping for my mother, I needed to buy her..” He’d trailed off before he could even start. Only now did he realize just how many different types of flowers lined the shop. There were all kinds of yellows but he couldn’t spot a single citrine looking one. "I'm Clayton, by the way. Clayton Synclair." Peri snapped back in to the conversation as Clayton started talking to him once more. He grabbed his hand as he offered it and shaked it in a superbly awkward manner.

“Hello Clayton Synclair, I’m Peridot Myler,” he let go of Clayton’s hand and took a step back. “But, don’t call me Peridot, call me Peri. Peridot is a gem that’s the colour of my eyes so I’d rather not just be a gem even though I am a gem.” he paused to think through what he had just said. “Well, I’m not a gem, I mean my name is. I just prefer Peri, it sounds nicer, rolls of the tongue easier, you know what I mean?” Peri stopped completely only to realize he’d been talking non-stop for a good 30 seconds. “Sorry, I ramble when I get nervous. Not that I’m nervous around you because that’d be weird. No just I don’t get talked to a lot. And I’m not nervous because I’m in to you or something because I’m in to girls, and not that you’re not good-looking or something just not my thing you know and –“ he took a breath and looked up to Clayton. “Sorry, you must think I’m so weird. I’m just finding flowers for my mother.”

He looked around again desperately trying to escape, he hadn’t had an outburst like that in so long that it seemed foreign. He found himself biting down on his tongue trying not to say anymore. Lime, Jonquil, Cat’s Eye. He browsed the flowers looking non-stop for Citrine. “I’m sorry.” He mumbled again apologetically.

[/size][/justify]

peri-snot styler

∂αмєη
Capitol Resident

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once or twice. [wonder!] Feb 5, 2012 11:36:35 GMT -5

Post by ∂αмєη on Feb 5, 2012 11:36:35 GMT -5

[8FA3CC] [5C7099] [CED4E0]

Now I've never been the sharpest tool in the tool shed. It was something about the memorization of all the different formulas and all the different concepts that seemed to be blocked by my mind. It wasn't that I wasn't smart because I did well enough in school and I did well enough on my own. The one word people usually used was 'dense'. Stumbling over my words, using the wrong word in the first place or not understanding the full meaning of what somebody was saying weren't uncommon for me. Most of the time I got it. Still, there were a few times when it just wouldn't click in my brain and I'd be left puzzling over the event or statement. However, no matter how confused I could become or no matter how long I stood there to actually fully understand it, I never rambled on and on.

It wasn't that Peridot, or Peri rather, was annoying. Everybody's different, you know. Some people probably say the same thing about me sometimes, especially when I was in the phase of reading old books. I mean, that got way out of hand. Everything that came out of my mouth was philosophical and it usually didn't make very much sense. So, Peri wasn't annoying. He was just different, I guess. He seemed to be spewing out information far faster than I had imagined possible. And in between it all, he continuously apologized for being himself. Confusion? Yeah, I was definitely familiar with it right now. But the guy got nervous. What else was he supposed to do? Sometimes you've got to just let it all come out like word vomit, you know. It's like tears. You should never hold them back because it will only make things worse.

What was he even saying? It was tough to digest the information that I had just received because most of it came way too fast for me to actually hear. He was buying flowers for his mother. Okay, I knew that one for sure. That was pretty cool. Your mother's like the biggest part of your life and she rarely receives appreciation for it. And if she does, she doesn't ever get gifts. Peri was doing that for his mother which was a pretty mature thing to do, in my books. But what he said after was all a blur in my mind. Something about gems and himself and being attracted to me and saying I wasn't unattractive. Yep, I was definitely right. Somebody pissed in his cornflakes this morning. But the urine must have been made of, like, energy drinks or something. After all, he was bouncing off the walls after just being a little rude to me.

But everybody had their quirks. I couldn't dislike him just because he was throwing more words at me than the Mayor during a speech. My quirk was being awkwardly dense, I guess. He hadn't commented on it yet but maybe he hadn't seen it. Although, the look I was giving him was probably enough to convince him that I was kind of an idiot. Yeah, the jokes from the kids at school were starting to set in and I was starting to realize just how right they really were. Once again though, everybody had their quirks. You can't judge them for who they are. If being dumb was something I did, that's different. It was how I was born, yeah? So I wasn't going to think differently of this kid for nervously dumping a whole lot of crap onto me.

"Hey man, take a breather." I laughed, smiling at him before glancing around once more at the flowers. He wanted to get his mom some, according to the information I managed to extract from his rambling. "I always buy my mom one flower. A whole bouquet might distract her from the beauty of each and every flower, you know?" What was I saying? I knew nothing about flowers or how to give them to people. Now the information was spewing out of me except mine wasn't true. "And then you can go on and on about how she's the flower of your world. That kind of stuff works on mothers." Did it really? I wouldn't know. I was only saying complete and utter bull shit now.

Okay, maybe I was a little nervous too. It wasn't because of any of the reasons he had probably said but I was definitely starting to feel a little awkward in this situation. While I had plenty of friends that I could call up and ask to hang out with, I didn't really have true friends. So maybe those that I can call up are acquaintances. Edana was definitely a friend. Hopefully one day she'd be more than that. But now that I was talking to Peri, maybe I had a chance to actually make a true friend. Maybe I could increase my wolf pack size by one or something like that. I don't know. Peridot seemed like a pretty alright guy when he wasn't talking for hours on end, so it was worth a shot, right? And if it absolutely failed, I could probably come up with some witty remark and a light insult. Not that I'd end up using it though. That required courage. Courage that I wasn't likely to use.

"Don't worry about it, man. Everybody rambles at some point." Except for me. I have yet to fully ramble on to the point where the person listening couldn't actually listen properly. Obviously this guy got pretty frazzled when shopping for flowers. You know, I'll respect people no matter what. What they want to do in their own home is up to them and it doesn't affect me. I'll do my thing and they can do theirs. So, if flowers make Peri get crazy and go wild, that's his thing. I don't know if it's like a fetish or something. I've heard of fetishes for feet and for hair and for whipped cream and strawberries and stuff, but never have I heard of flowers. Well, whatever floats this guy's boat. Of course, I could be totally off and it's not the flowers that are making him nervous. "What kind of flowers are you looking for?"

all I need's a whisper in a world that only shouts

Wonder
Career Tribute

675 POSTS
Pronouns: they/he
last seen Aug 11, 2023 10:06:03 GMT -5

everything is zoe's tbh.

once or twice. [wonder!] Feb 5, 2012 15:37:14 GMT -5

Post by Wonder on Feb 5, 2012 15:37:14 GMT -5

Peridot Zircon Myler

Life/Motion
Deep Thought
Speaking
Other People Speaking
Song

I wait, on the Emerald Isle,
For you to come and rescue me.

Peri could feel his face burning up. It often turned bright red in times where he was embarrassed, or flustered which occurred more and more lately. He’d been slowly bumping into and having conversations with complete strangers which was something that he wasn’t generally used to. He enjoyed staying within his own little realm with his gems. Peri and his gems, it’d always been that way, so why were people so keen on trying to invade on that territory? He’d been fine on his own for so many years, it just wasn’t fair for people to come along and stop that. He could run away, he could find something else for his mother. That was a safe thing to do.

In the seventh grade, the whole class had been assigned to work on a speech. “Now kids,” their teacher started. “We all know that as a District, we create,” she paused allowing all the kids chime out ‘luxuries’ in a monotone chorus. “Right, luxuries for our beautiful Capitol.” The amount of times that schools had to compliment the Capitol was truly hilarious. It was like they were on a contract to say nice things so many times a day or it was off with their tongues. Peri was sure it’d happened on occasion, the Capitol had to get their Avoxes from somewhere, so why not from outspoken teachers whose opinions can’t be squashed? “Now, I want each of you to individually create a speech on something that to you,” She pointed at a few individual students to encompass that it was personal, though we got it, “is a luxury in itself.” Excited fits of rambling occurred from the peanut gallery as they talked of books, and necklaces, and all the things that they thought were luxuries.

Peri knew what he’d be talking about instantly, always him and his gems. Forever and ever. He will always, however, remember that the day in which the speeches were made. It was the day that he had initially become bitter. He could still recollect that day down to the T. Peri had been called on to make his speech second or third. Though rather nervous, he’d worked so hard on it. He’d asked his father and prepared the entire thing: different types of gems and the types of people who bought them. As he’d gotten up to walk to the front, he’d tripped and fell right in the middle of a row of desks. The laughs were tremendous, but not as bad as when he finally got up to do his speech. When he finally started, Peri spitfired every word of his speech so fast that no one understood a single word he said.

That’s when the bullying had truly gotten worse, he’d come home to his parents with a black eye. That was the only thing they’d noticed, thank god, and not the cuts and scrapes from being thrown against the gravel. “They’re just jealous that you shine brighter than they ever have.” His mother had told him. “You’re my luxury, Peridot, don’t you ever forget that. That may be selfish of me, but you’re worth more than any gem I’ve ever had.” Even with his mother’s kind words, he’d bit his tongue and never let his mouth run wild. Introversion was something that Peri had prided himself on. Well, that and his constant witty cynicism, neither of which he was currently showing in this conversation with Clayton. The whole situation was shameful. He wasn’t used to socializing with people being nice to him, his parents, of course were the exception. He’d gained respect from training, but still his instructors yelled at him to get him going, there wasn’t any nice in the career world. This outburst of extroversion and mumbling was embarrassing and weird.

Did he even really grow up?

Maybe it was the height difference that made Peri feel so childish in this situation, or it may have been how overworked and tired he’d become over the past few weeks. He was just generally fed up, as much as he loved the shop, no one ever seemed to have enough appreciation for the gems that he endlessly worked on. They just became another ring in a box, barely taken care of. He was fed up with that, and training and oh boy he wasn’t even sure where he was going anymore. Peri’s mind was racing at the speed of light. When was the last time he’d eaten? He was craving cornflakes. "Hey man, take a breather." Peri took the advice to heart and started naming gems in his mind while taking deep breaths.

Carnelian, Onyx, Ruby, Tiger’s Eye.

Clayton actually presented a couple of good ideas. Was it too cheap to only buy one flower though? Peri was sure that his mother would love it regardless of what he bought her, but she was worth so much. She’d helped him through thick and thin, was one enough to show his love for her? "And then you can go on and on about how she's the flower of your world.” Peri laughed, his mother probably wouldn’t buy into that whole routine. She was basically in the love business producing and manufacturing jewellery, she’d heard every last line in the book. However, the whole singular flower to not distract from the beauty thing was good, in his opinion at least.

He wasn’t quite sure if this is what friendship was like, or if him and Clayton were friends at this point. The whole friendship ordeal had been a foreign concept had been a mystery for a while. Did they sign a contract? Did you have to do that spit-on-hand-then-shake thing that he’d seen quite a few kids in the District do before? It was all a mystery to Peri. But, he found Clayton to be nice, he hadn’t picked fun at Peri for his ranting, or how flustered he’d gotten. He seemed like a really nice guy. He’d even comforted him in telling him that everybody rambles, Peri doubted it really, he’d never heard anyone else do that. "What kind of flowers are you looking for?" Peri hesitated as the words got caught in his throat. He really didn’t want to go on and on as he had before. He took another deep breath inhaling all the way in until he could feel his chest rising, and exhaled through his nose. It was a soothing feeling and his self-confidence came back again. “I’m looking for a Citrine coloured flower.” He threw his hands to his hair and fiddled with it in trying to find a blonde strand. “It’s kind of like this blonde, but a little bit darker but a little lighter at the same time.” Realizing how stupid he must have looked he dropped his hands immediately to his sides, “I wasn’t allowed to get her a gem this year.” He admitted pathetically. “But you know, I work at my family’s jewellery shop if you wanted to get that girl of yours a gem. I’m sure she’d probably love it.”

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peri-snot styler

∂αмєη
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once or twice. [wonder!] Feb 12, 2012 14:22:51 GMT -5

Post by ∂αмєη on Feb 12, 2012 14:22:51 GMT -5

[8FA3CC] [5C7099] [CED4E0]

Warm rays poured down from the day's sun, basking all with comforting light. My hand grasped tightly to my mother's, not wanting to lose her in the large crowd that had gathered. The Bloodbath was being shown on the large screen and all looked on with interest. It grossed me out to see the blood and gore of teenage kids who weren't that much older than I was. In a year, I'd be eligible to participate in that horrible event. And it frightened me each and every day of my life. Leaving my mother was something that I never wanted to do. Especially if it meant that I may never return unless I was in a casket, being prepared to be put six feet under the cold earth.

It would be so easy to be a star. All you do is sit in the sky and let people stare at your beauty. Gem manufacturers would often focus on making their jewels as beautiful as the stars in the sky. That's what Graham once told me. His father owned the leading gem manufacturing company in all of District One. I had visited Haven Industries once before when Graham invited me to hang out and all I could do was stare in awe. They were like the stars in the sky, so bright and beautiful yet easily accessible. All you have to do is look up at the sky to see the stars and for gems, you simply have to be crazy rich and be able to afford the simplest gem. Or you could have a discount because of knowing the son of Mr. Haven. That works too, you know.

My mother intended on bringing me by their gem shop to buy something for Amber. It was the day of love soon and well, it was good to make a great impression on the prettiest girl in the grade. Mum was sure that I'd marry her one day. She just didn't understand that there were plenty of other more attractive and more intelligent guys that she could pick. Which was alright with me. I wasn't that attracted to her any ways. I'm eleven. Why would I need to focus on girls right now? Still, I had no choice but to buy a special gem for her. Which is why we made our way through the large crowd and over to the large gem shop that was a few blocks away from the Justice Building. Mr. Haven would surely be in and he'd be willing to let us look through the best gems with cheaper prices attached to them.

The shop always put me in such a great mood. It was hard to not smile while looking at the shine and the colour of each and every gem that lined the walls and shelves. "Ms. Deeks! It's great to see you. What brings you here?" A man at the counter asked, glancing at me before returning to gazing at my mother. That's right. She was divorced. She wasn't Mrs. Synclair any more. It was hard to get used to that fact. I would never change my name though. My father was still my father, no matter how much of a jerk he was. "Clayton wants to buy a beautiful gemstone for his little girlfriend." She giggled as I rolled my eyes and I let out a loud sigh. She always referred to her as my girlfriend. Why do parents have to be so embarrassing? "She's not my girlfriend, mum." I whined, obviously blushing.

My statement was clearly ignored as the man at the counter immediately began talking about the different gems that would impress my "girl". He brought out diamonds and sapphires and benitoite and many other kinds of beautiful gems. "Here. Why don't you look at these pink stones while I go talk business with your mother." And then he was gone, leaving me in front of a shelf filled with different kinds of gems. The rose quartz gem attracted my attention initially but the price tag made me walk away. I couldn't afford any of these gems. So instead, I walked to the yellow rack, instead focusing on finding my mother. And there she was in the back room, her hands on the man's shoulders and her face pressed up against him. Her shirt was unbuttoned and her stomach was exposed and the man pulled her closer to his body before moving his lips down her neck.

Look at the gems, Clayton. Look at the gems. Good thing that I did too. I could hear the heavy breathing escaping from my mother's lips without even looking up. A giggle or a few words exchanged through a quiet whisper was what I had to listen to as I glanced at the yellow gems. And then I found one gem in the middle of every other one, it's pale yellow colour setting it apart from every other bright one. My mother moans in the background as I reach for it and pick it up. The price tag had a cheap price and its name was written in messy handwriting. "Citrine." It was perfect. Beautiful yet affordable. Now I just needed the man's attention in order to purchase it. But one glance towards my mother and him helped me realize that he was kind of in a busy situation at the moment. Emphasis on the in. So I turned and left with the gem in hand. I didn't even look back and instead focused on getting as far away as possible, clutching on to the citrine gem as if it was my life.

"I’m looking for a Citrine coloured flower." Of course he was. Of course it has to be the one gem that brought back horrible, traumatic memories that I never wanted to remember ever again. It couldn't have been a simple ruby, huh? No. That would be too easy and then my life wouldn't be as complicated and shit. May as well help him, though. The colour was burned into my brain and I'd always remember the pale yellow colour. Glancing around the flower shop for anything yellow, I settled on a shelf full of different types. It didn't take long for me to slip out a large flower that was eerily similar to the gem. "Here you go." I muttered, taking the steps needed to bring me back in front of Peri. "I know the gem well."

And a gem sounded perfect for Edana. Closing my eyes briefly, I pictured her beautiful face and her bright green eyes. What kind of gem would best represent her eyes? In truth, I don't know much about gems. Only a few stand out in my mind because of experiences from earlier parts of my life. The study of gemstones intrigued me and well, being in District One meant I'd probably have to learn more about it eventually if I ever planned on getting a job. "That would really help out." I smiled, appreciative that Peri could try to help me out with my search for the perfect gift for the girl that I had feelings for. He really didn't have to do anything for me. And yet, he offered to aid in my quest for a beautiful gemstone. Although it wasn't really a quest. I just wanted it to sound cool.

"Do you have any Tsavorite? That'd be perfect." Her eyes weren't exactly that colour but I didn't want the gem to be an exact replica. And if he didn't want to help, I could find somebody else. Everybody in District One knew somebody who knew a lot about gems. That was kind of what we did for a living. And speaking of things that people do for a living, I needed to find something. Maybe this guy could help me out. After all, he did work with gems. Perhaps I could too one day. Or that would help me find something else that interest me. Staying unemployed wouldn't be the greatest thing for much longer. I needed a bigger house, something to support me and money to get the things that would make my life better. A gem and a job and a girlfriend. Which one did I want first and could Peri help me any way? I wasn't going to use him but hey, he could always help. And sometimes you need all the help you can get.

all I need's a whisper in a world that only shouts

Wonder
Career Tribute

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everything is zoe's tbh.

once or twice. [wonder!] Feb 15, 2012 22:32:42 GMT -5

Post by Wonder on Feb 15, 2012 22:32:42 GMT -5

Peridot Zircon Myler

Life [C1ED9C]
Thought [FBB829]
Speaking [43F187]
Others [6BDBD3]
Song [7FFF24]

I wait, on the Emerald Isle,
For you to come and rescue me.

“Here you go.” The flower, once in his hand, proved to be magical. It was surprising how much magic such a little life form could contain. The flower truly did seem perfect. Coming from the city of luxuries, flowers were pretty common and seen in many a garden. But Peri could guarantee, at least to himself, if not Clayton, that he’d never laid his eyes on a flower as beautiful as the one he held in his hands. The petals folded on to each other creating beautiful patterns that you could endlessly follow with your eyes.

It seemed so delicate. Flowers, the most beautiful, respected, thing on the planet were also the most delicate. How did they get to be so magnificent? Peri held his hands carefully around the singular flower. The stem was hard and could be gripped really, but Peri didn’t want to take his chances on harming it. Slowly, but surely, he lifted the flower until it brushed his upper lip. It felt soft against his skin, however, it was the smell that caught his attention more than the texture. Upon taking a wiff, he found himself lost in his own little world. It was so innocent, that’s what surprised him the most.

It smelled so sweet, it looked so sweet, and no one treaded upon it without feeling horrible. If only the real world were like that. Sure, most of the kids in his District weren’t so nice, but who’s to say deep down, underneath their petals, they weren’t? The Capitol didn’t go about judging children on whether they were nice or not. If they did, maybe the Games would be right. Punishing the wrong, the morally and ethically evil. But that wasn’t the case. They stomped on the innocent and watched them as they wilted. Even the one who does survive never really does grow again.

Maybe that was really the point, the Capitol just didn’t like flowers. Peri laughed to himself, it seemed so silly. He’d never felt connected to something living like this. It was almost as if he held eternal power in his hand, the power the harm something so critically innocent. The whole ordeal was something he’d have to deal with should he ever go into the Games themselves. Could he go about killing the innocent? He knew that he’d have to destroy
eventually, to come home there would be blood on his hands.

Peri still vividly remembered the first time when he’d asked his parents if he could go in to training. Eye stinging from a particular brutal beating, it seemed to be the only option. The lights in the kitchen were dimmed from dust that had gathered up over the bulbs. Plates and bowls stacked the kitchen sink, it was his chore that night but he hadn’t felt like it. Especially not with his eye hurting so much. The throbbing only fueled his anger, fueled his determination.

His father sat reading the paper, his mother was putting glasses away in the cupboard. That’s when he broke it to them, he wanted to train. His mother instantly dropped the cup in her hands and the pieces shattered everywhere. A couple pierced her foot, but nothing serious, not as serious as the tears that were pooling in her eyes. It could have been a mixed reaction between his battered eye, and the shocking statement. But, Peri felt it was more the statement.

Peri had told his parents often enough that he wanted to train.
But it was the conviction in his voice, this time he was serious. He knew that and his parents knew that. After the shattering of the glass, not a sound could be heard except for ceiling fan which squeaked along. His father gently put down the newspaper and looked at his son. His mother’s tears had started to stream down his face.

“Fine.” That’s all his father had said and the case was over. Peri snapped back to reality, realizing he was still sniffing the flower, it seemed a little weird. How had a simple flower made him think all that? Maybe it wasn’t all that simple after all. “I know the gem well.”

Peri felt bad, really. He kept zoning out of the conversation. It wasn’t on purpose, it was just, he got distracted, easily. Yet, Peri was very impressed. He hadn’t assumed that a guy like Clayton would know anything about gems whatsoever. He picked out the exact colour. He glanced back at the flower, it truly was beautiful. Too many of these would draw away from the beauty. His mother would love it. Squinting his eyes so he can read the sign properly, he makes out yellow carnation. He’d keep the name in mind for future reference.

“How about we walk over as soon as pay for this?” The shop wasn’t far away, being that they were already in the shopping district. The walk would take 10 minutes at most, really depending on how hard it was to push through the crowds. But due to Clayton’s height, he figured they’d be able to push through quite quickly. “I can guarantee we have tsavourite considering I polished one this morning.” He always polished every gem in the cabinet regardless of whether it was dirty or not. They always seemed to shine a little brighter each day after they were polished. “Just let me -“ he didn’t finish his sentence, but motioned towards the counter, hoping Clayton would understand.

He walked to the counter, pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and paid quickly for the carnation. The man wrapped the flower up and then put it in a bag for him. He said goodbye to the cashier and walked back over to Clayton, swinging the bag about it his hands. It still stunned Peri how much significantly taller the boy was compared to him. Sure, he had a couple of years on him. But, Peri was sure he had reached his height cap at 16, not that he really wanted to get taller. “Ready to go?” He smiled and turned towards the door.

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