treachery | niko day 6

Elm's canon fires as the fog becomes increasingly thicker around him and he feels a pang in his chest. He's now bear witness to the death of both district ten tributes. One died in near silence, another died in a fit of screams. The only thing both of them wanted was to survive. Niko had killed neither of them, but he couldn't help but feel guilty as an active participant in their deaths.

Mirage's final blow to Elm had almost broken him more than seeing her killing blow to Ivy. Her blood was still smeared on his face and with each heavy breath the metallic smell become more and more familiar to him. She was too strong, too malicious, and too willing to take a life. He doesn't want to face her again. Despite his banter and jokes as she tore the limbs off of him and Elm, he never wanted to feel the sting of her voice or hear her blade ripping into his flesh again.

And yet, she must die for him to escape alive. She was the demon haunting him in this hell, and he knows he must be the one to kill her if no one else will.

His breathing grows heavier as he stumbles off the fog-covered bridge and behind a boulder. As he moves to sit down and lean his back against the rock, a canon fires in the distance. He no longer jumps at the sound. Closing his eyes and basking in the pain and the high that comes with blood loss, he hopes desperately that it was Mirage falling off the edge of the floating island they were on. If he has any luck at all, maybe it's Itzal who's canon just went off.

Reminding himself that he still needs to live and that he's now missing a foot, he woozily springs to life. After pulling off his shirt, revealing a body covered in bruises and blood, and tearing off a sleeve, he sets to work. Forcing himself to look down at his missing appendage with a grimace, he ties the blood-soaked sleeve tightly around the stump where a foot should be. The blood still flows, but slower as the makeshift tourniquet does its job.

Another wave of wooziness passes over him.

Then he sees the light reappearing as it always does after a battle.

"Fuck you, Bean," he breaths.

It glows apprehensively.

"You knew what was there. They told you to lead me there, and you brought me."

It glows affirmatively.

In a quick movement he brings his weapon swinging down at the blob.

It glows indignantly.

He didn't have the energy to chase the Seelie around all day. Besides, it still hasn't outright attacked Niko yet.

"Just know I'll never trust you again, traitor."

It glows with acknowledgement.

[stuff in maint!]

---

bean (the traitor)

[kaitlin]