Learning and Hoping (Open)

Keres always found watching the Games to be rather thrilling. She'd trained for them for years, and wished she'd volunteered when she was of an age where she could. Now, however, she was just a year too old, at the age of nineteen, and spent most of her time either wandering the District and people-watching, or swimming at the beach. She also went to the training center sometimes, still, just to meet up with old friends who were still eligible for the Games.

Today was one of the days where she wandered the District to people watch. She was walking down the street, when a girl bumped into her. Or, perhaps Keres wasn't paying attention and bumped into the girl. Regardless, Keres wasn't happy.

Keres clenched her fist.

"Learn how to walk!" she snapped at the girl.

The girl that Keres had bumped into- as it actually was Keres's fault- kept a calm tone when she responded. She told Keres that she had just been standing right there, and when Keres realized that she was in the wrong, she immediately changed the subject. She hated to admit when she was the one who'd made a mistake.

Keres noticed that the other girl's gaze was on the screen in the Square, watching the Games. It gave her an excuse of something else to say. Besides, if Keres just walked away now, it would be obvious that she'd done something wrong and realized it. That wasn't where she wanted to take things. She just wanted to distract from what was at hand.

"Our tributes have been pretty useless so far these Games, if you ask me," she smirked. "Maybe we'll see the one who's still alive turn things around, now, though."

She looked at the screen and then back to the girl.

"What do you think?"

Keres had never been the most polite individual, and she was well aware of that fact. People told her that all the time, but in all honesty, she didn't care about what others thought all that much. She did what she wanted to, and didn't let anyone else's opinions get to her.

The girl that Keres was now listening to speak started telling her about her opinions on what was going on in the Games, as Keres had asked her, after all. Keres agreed with some of her points, so she nodded.

"Yeah, sponsors can be rather important, especially when you get beaten up like that." Keres paused for a moment before continuing.

"Ya know what?" she asked. "I have a proposition for you."

She smiled at the girl.

"Let's bet on it. Nanette survives longer than her ally, I'll give you fifty bucks and train you a bit with some of my specialty skills. I don't share those with just anyone." She paused a moment before explaining the second part of the bet. "Her ally lives longer than her, you owe me fifty and..." she had to think for a few seconds. "A little lesson on your thought process for how to win the Games."

She smirked.

"Do we have a deal?"

The girl expressed to Keres that the bet was tempting, but that she didn't partake in such things. Perhaps she thought it was morally wrong or something, Keres thought. That was almost laughable in her opinion, though. If you watch the Games as attentively as this girl was doing right now, you probably didn't have very many Games-related morals. At least, that's how Keres was.

Keres had always been very intent on watching the Games, and she never had an opposition to betting on the Games, or even joking about the tributes and their deaths, for that matter. Although, Keres wasn't a kind or considerate individual by any means.

"Suit yourself," Keres said with a smirk. She turned her attention back to the screen for a moment to observe the tributes before returning to reality- or at least, her reality. The Games were reality, too, but they didn't matter to her much anymore.

"Anything in particular about the Games catching your attention?" Keres asked the girl. She wasn't sure why she was still intent on speaking with this girl, but for some reason, she continued to do so.