daniel "danny" starburt | d4 | FIN

the clock strikes but he does not listen to it.

his fists have been slamming into the punching bag for the last thirty minutes, but he has been here for hours.

danny has always been the type of person that valued his hobbies more than the average person. his father had made it a point to show him how to throw a punch. the thing his father never realized, was that danny would run with it. the tough leather against his hand had comforted him long enough after all.

everything was always in theory for danny, until he had to show his practical skills. he was not super involved in career training, he did it, but he was not into the whole idea of making it his personality. he never saw the glitz and the glamour of the games like other careers did. it was something to do, a hobby like he had thought about. it wasn’t like there was much else for him to do in four.

his parents both worked in the fishing industry. the smell traveled back with them religiously. danny didn’t have the words to describe the scent to anyone, mostly because he did not spend his time in books like some of the other students did. there was always a window cracked up, or some sort of ocean scented candle burning in their tiny quarters, all of them knowing that the smell of fish could be suffocating and claustrophobic at the same time.

danny always wondered if his parents had ever wanted to aspire to something more. it had never been talked about in depth, mostly because their schedules had never lined up in a way that could merit a conversation like that. it wasn’t always like that. in fact, his parents had a lot more free time on their hands. a fortune in their hands one moment, and then the next it was gone. blinked away in danny’s eyes. he did not hold anything against his parents. there was no point.

someone had told him that his family had once been an important fixture in district four politics, but that was ages ago. it sounded like there had been a ton of things that were used to be's for the starburts, but none of them stuck. danny wondered why for a moment, but realized that it did not matter.

their house had been spacious, so much so that they had enough room to dedicate a place for danny to be able to spar as he pleased with other people. he never called them friends, because he knew better. the other careers in four had made it very clear that when it was all said and done, they would sell each other out in a heartbeat. the last couple of games had made that apparent at the least. it was always a crap shoot in what the capitol got when it came to tributes, and that made it easier for danny to trust sparingly.

though he always enjoyed a good fight. using his hands always exhilarated him. even the trainers had remarked that danny could go toe to toe with the best. where they expressed their disappointment, was his ability with other combat stations. he had always steered clear of anything that would have caused real bodily harm. he paid attention enough to at least know how to use various weapons, but when it was all said and done, he preferred to use his own two fists.

he learned that from his father after all, who had been his sparing partner for the last couple years when people werent able to show up to his home like he wanted too. his father had been the one to teach danny everything that he knew, because once upon a time, he had been a career as well. he knew that he could have found another life here, but giving up his bloodlust is what led him to becoming a father.

talking to people had been something that his father had made sure that danny had a good grasp on as well. never was there a time when that had gone smoothly, but now a days, danny can easily schmooze with the best of them. he was able to watch mannerisms, actions, and listen to tone. that was how he was able to navigate a conversation with almost anyone. a lot of the careers had called him a smooth talker, and danny agreed.

anything to get him an edge in the competition known as life.