we can chart new stars together. [junkrats | day 3]

arx
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literally so gay, doing so many crimes

we can chart new stars together. [junkrats | day 3] Mar 13, 2022 17:55:11 GMT -5

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Post by arx on Mar 13, 2022 17:55:11 GMT -5

malaki-boden w/a
_{aka "kiibo"}

To say he remembered much would be a lie. He did not enjoy lies. Or lying. But he did anyway—"I'll be okay."—he remembered that much at least. But after- well, blood loss and shock are quite the combination. Sleep never came easy to him, but passing out from physical exhaustion seems to be a regular these days.

What was irregular was the dreaming. He didn't dream when he slept. Not like how Madison or Caelum have described it at least. But this was something he was certain was a dream, something he was feeling but not experiencing. Not really anyway.

A dream.

Certainly this was dreaming?

He thought about wiggling his fingers. And they did! At least, he could feel them, just not see them. They felt slow, they were noisy? His elbow wouldn't bend so he tried to lift his head instead, but that didn't work either. Not that he minded; he was looking up at the stars. Until he looked closer and realized they were not the constellations he knew—Caelum had shown him all of those.

Kiibo did not fear the unfamiliar though. He wasn't sure he ever would.

He wasn't sure when he'd been given the microphone attached to the collar of his shirt either, but he wasn't worried. He was at ease, peace. There was a hope behind his words when his spoke: "This is Malaki-Boden W/A, District 8 tribute, codename: K1-B0, also known as: Kiibo. Let hope guide you to dawn."

"I am uncertain if I am transmitting because my limbs refuse to move me in a way where I can check my instruments, but I will continue in case anyone is out there. And because- I do quite enjoy thinking aloud. Logs of audio data are my second favorite form of media."

The first was of course the hit track Our Stunning Soap Love by the wildly famous boy band, The Single Vandal's Club. But that felt like a reveal for his next dream broadcast.

"Charlotte Bellisario, District 2 tribute, codename: L011I3, also known as Lottie. We won the Wealth together. She's extremely capable, though I think perhaps these mechs are not quite what she had expected. She also gave me a toy robot. I know Bellisario: Love, District 2's tribute during the 88th Hunger Games, he was quite the study. I know that they are of relation, but I am uncomfortable making connections between the two since I never met Love- but I have met Lottie. She brings an honor to her name, if I even have a right to say such a thing."

"Talon Grey, District 4 tribute, codename: 74L0N, also known as Talon. They're the sort of person that reminds me of a natural disaster, perhaps a hurricane? I would say tornado, but the withdrawal symptoms make them a rather sweaty individual and hurricanes possess far more precipitation than a tornado. Plus District 4 is one of the only districts in all of Panem to experience such an event. So, anyway, I think perhaps what I mean to say is that storms can be weathered. I think Talon is a fine hurricane."

"Maze Armstrong, District 12 tribute, codename: M423, also known as Maze. She read the entire mech manual before I'd even had the chance to look. She even helped me to configure the parts I found onto my mech. I think perhaps she even took part of my watch last night while I was recovering. She's kind, but I do not think she cares for anyone to know that. Seems logical here; kindness can get you killed, that much is true. But I appreciate her. I feel safer knowing she is around."

"These are my allies. I find them better than all of yours combined!"

It wasn't so much a taunt or insult as it was a compliment of his team, but he hoped it worked well enough to make Tavi happy back home.

And then a crowd cheered and he was awake.

But the sky was still filled with unfamiliar constellations. As his eyes began to adjust he recognized them as creatures- Nakom, but these ones were glowing. Henry would have been ecstatic. Moving constellations across the ceiling, wings fluttering and dancing to a tune he recognized as that of a Kodoma. Eve would have been elated. A song that felt like home, clicks and hums that he wished he could put on a cassette tape. Seeds floated on the breeze, moss grew in patches across the cavern, somewhere he could hear water. Water in a desert.

oasis: a fertile spot in a desert, where water is found.

He had not cried while smiling before.

He did not know how to make it make any sense either.

All he could manage was:

"Wow."

kiibo d8x has formed a core memory!

#ERROR. The Underground Oasis

Last Edit: Apr 3, 2022 10:46:19 GMT -5 by arx

"I run on the road, long before I dance under the lights."

Python
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we can chart new stars together. [junkrats | day 3] Mar 17, 2022 0:13:18 GMT -5

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Post by Python on Mar 17, 2022 0:13:18 GMT -5

Sometimes there was a bright side to a situation. Maze didn't think of one until they were all haphazardly patched up like ragged teddy bears. The stitches were crooked and the seams weren't quite right. Her parents would be ashamed of such sewing skills, but she didn't care. Nobody prepared her to sew flesh.

Bright side? It wasn't easy to get lost.

Each building in the town was unique. They had their own rust patterns and dust-speckled windows. Carving a new path was easier than retracing the old; there was no reason to return to the junkyard, nor did she want to tempt any other armies of horned frogs that happened to wander nearby. Death by frog is not how she wanted to be remembered.

You have to be known to be remembered, Maze.

She pushed the intrusive thought away. Of course she would be forgotten if she died, but she wasn't completely off the radar. Her skills in the training center had proven that already. Somebody was looking out for her - or at least betting on her dead body - and it made her feel a less insignificant. It wasn't comforting, but it by all means kickstarted the motivation she needed to play smart rather than moping in a corner of the arena until she died.

She hadn't felt this type of pressure in awhile. The pressure to perform well. Really, the pressure should be to 'not die', yet that wasn't all she felt.

Is this how careers feel?

No wonder they were so unhinged. Maze ran away from pressure, not toward it.

Or she was running in circles, but that wasn't her fault. It was that damn Morgan Rothwell and his impeccable luck.

She climbed out of her mech when the time was right. There was never a 'good' time to take a break, but when everybody was dragging their feet, Maze took it as a sign to set up their next campsite. This time, campsite meant shacking up in a random building. No locks on the doors or windows. She didn't dare mention that the conditions were better than what she was used to.

Surprisingly, nobody died today. She was a little disappointed. A day of agony and she was no closer to her goal? What a waste of time. Kiibo was half dead and Talon looked like a ghost sweating boulders. They could die before they see another human being, and Maze being Maze, refused to let the ebbs and flows of sleep's tide lull her to and from reality. She took two watches again, depriving herself of more rest. Kiibo was unconscious rather than asleep, she could tell the difference. No point in bothering him while he recovered.

She couldn't remember dreaming, and she counted that as a blessing. The visions behind her eyes were haunting. She would rather focus on what was real, and what was coming. She paced until a needed break was quite literally thrust into her face. One moment she was walking through a house, wooden boards creaking beneath her feet, and the next she was freefalling into a pile of leaves. That wasn't a normal thing to find in a sandy desert.

"What the..."

She heard the sound of running water, and inhaled the scent of moss. For a moment, she assumed she was asleep again and this was the dream she had forgotten. Then her stitches screamed against her skin, and she knew it was real. Pain in dreams was never as harsh as this.

She noticed Kiibo stirring in his mech, and spoke as she stood up and dusted soil off of her jacket. "I see you're awake. Don't ask me what's going on, because I have no idea."

arx
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literally so gay, doing so many crimes

we can chart new stars together. [junkrats | day 3] Mar 17, 2022 16:28:05 GMT -5

Quote

Post by arx on Mar 17, 2022 16:28:05 GMT -5

malaki-boden w/a
_{aka "kiibo"}

When he moves to touch his tears he finds that his arm is in quite a bit of pain. He decides to gently place it back into the moss again instead, flinching only when the stitches in his bicep protest...

...and again upon realizing if he was seeing the controls on his mech's dashboard and feeling the ground of the outside world within his grasp, well, his machine was likely quite damaged. Possibly beyond repair; he recognized the scalding injuries running up the length of his arm.

He only tries to move again when he hears Maze speak—"I see you're awake."—and though he tries not to snap too abruptly one way or another he sucks air through his teeth as he speaks.

"Maze, where are-what-"

He can't say it properly in the moment, but he's thankful that she knows what he's going to ask so that he doesn't have to keep trying to speak. It's- rather painful. He doesn't remember it hurting so much yesterday. Though he admits he skips a beat before responding, momentarily mesmerized by the the choreography between bioluminescence and fluorescence cast upon low, rocky ceilings. Again, all he can possibly muster as he wipes the tears from his cheeks for real

Wow.

He takes a calculated breath and still manages to stutter. "S-sorry. I believe I may have overslept?" He'd never said that before. And he knew he should not have posed it as a question. He could see what must be sunlight reaching into the caverns depths. He steadied himself against his mech, but could not wait to explore.

"Where are-

oh, okay."

His eyes find Lottie and Talon in the lowlight. He looked to Maze again, bits of his dreams painting her as if his eyes could only see see in canvas, paint etching her silhouette, tattoos she stuck across her skin making her glow, the entire cave filled with glowworm riddled chandeliers shining in her eyes. He wondered if the Capitol had finally gotten what they wanted, and that after all these years of asking, the 90th Hunger Games would be re-released in an animated form.

It was- off putting, perhaps, yes. But-

"I believe this light suits you."

Wow.

"Look," he steps past her- a movement that takes far more effort than he expects -and outstretches a single finger as a perch. "Nakom. Though, this species appears to be harmless compared to others I've seen."

None of the butterfly creatures indulge him by pricking and sticking their little legs onto his finger to perch; he cocks his head, watching them flutter around above. He tries not to admire for too long- Maze is waiting. "And the sound," the songs of the gentlest muttations in existence. "Kodama."

"And it appears there is safe water, yes?"

He looks to Maze and is again surprised by the smile he feels upon his face. Tavi always said he didn't know how to smile. Madison always said his smile looked like, "a fucking virgin!"

Which was a factual statement, but he was fairly certain a person could not see virginity in a smile. Or, even, really, determine what 'virginity' was.

"I've never gone swimming before," he turns to Maze, eager to ask Talon and Lottie next. "Have you?"

Last Edit: Mar 17, 2022 16:33:33 GMT -5 by arx

"I run on the road, long before I dance under the lights."

d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi
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we can chart new stars together. [junkrats | day 3] Mar 18, 2022 16:49:02 GMT -5

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Post by d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi on Mar 18, 2022 16:49:02 GMT -5

Pain.

Agony.

Suffering.

Call it what you would like, but nothing they trained her for in District Two could have prepared Charlotte for this. No number of minutes, no amount of simulated battles could have prepared her for the excruciating pain that took over her body every time she drew in a breath. There was one thing that her training prepared her for.

Pretending.

Pretending she wasn't in pain. Pretending she knew what she was doing. Pretending that everything was okay.

When in reality, she was falling apart on the inside.

Lottie held back small whimpers of pain while they took the time to patch each other up. The others were being gentle, but even the slightest touch sent shockwaves through her body. It took them a while to make sure they were properly stitched and wrapped, but she refused to look at herself in the reflection of her mech.

Afraid that the broken girl on the inside finally matched on the outside.

Before settling in for the night she kicked her mech and mumbled under her breath. "I hate this stupid thing," in hopes that it would hear her and perform better tomorrow.

Her sleep was dreamless again. A black void of nothingness. No emotion, no pain, just silence. It was over in an instant. Blink and you would miss it.

Or blink, and you would end up in an entirely different world.

She was sure she had died.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by trees with greens so bright she was swear it would blind them. The breeze gently on her wounds, and the smell of water not too far away. Kiibo and Maze were already awake, their voices just whispers on the wind. It was refreshing.

Nothing like the place they had found themselves just twelve hours before.

"I've never gone swimming before. Have you?"

"It was a part of our training," she said with a shrug. "But never just for fun. Wanna try?"

A smile slowly began to creep onto her face, but it was immediately wiped away when she remembered they wouldn't be here too long.

Tomorrow brought new horrors.

And she could sense Death right around the corner.

❝ moon dust in your hair, stars in your eyes ❞

Python
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we can chart new stars together. [junkrats | day 3] Mar 18, 2022 22:02:31 GMT -5

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Post by Python on Mar 18, 2022 22:02:31 GMT -5

There was nothing like this in Twelve.

Stars that weren't quite stars, but glowing beads in a sky that was actually the earth. Mines were the only underground areas of her home, and nobody ever described them as beautiful. They were dark, dusty, dangerous, and devoid of life. This place was entirely different, sprinkled with lush plants and thriving with veins of freshwater. Maze didn't want to assume the water was safe to drink, but it was almost crystal clear. How had they stumbled upon something so conveniently perfect?

She set her mech upright and scanned the area to ensure Talon and Lottie hadn't broken any bones during their descent. Kiibo was finally shaken out of his 'sleep' (she was still certain he had been unconscious) and proving that he wasn't half-dead anymore.

"I believe this light suits you."

She hadn't noticed his staring. She muttered a soft "Thank you," and did not have a compliment to return. She assumed it was an observational compliment rather than a flirtatious one. Anyone would be a fool to think of Maze as anything but a walking statistic.

Kiibo quickly fell back into his usual routine. He had an inquisitive mind, which she appreciated. They had been the ones to discover the mechanical machines and learn how to piece them together. So far, their efforts weren't fruitless. Nobody was perfect in using the weapons, but they would improve in time. Hopefully before they encountered another group.

Maze followed Kiibo's gaze. He could identify butterflies and strange creatures she would never dream of. Maybe avid Games fans understood this stuff, but Maze was lucky to have a working television. Technically it was required, but Peacekeepers didn't check every slum in every corner of the district. Maze's knowledge was limited, and she wanted to keep it that way, even if it hindered her own performance.

At Kiibo's inquiry, she stepped up to one of the crystal pools. "I haven't," she admitted, "But some of these look shallow."

Lottie joined them and referenced her training days. "Wanna try?"

"If it's safe, I think we should."

They were all going to die anyway.

Arrows
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we can chart new stars together. [junkrats | day 3] Mar 19, 2022 0:04:55 GMT -5

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Post by Arrows on Mar 19, 2022 0:04:55 GMT -5

I can't breathe.

A thunderous rancor rattles through a dark heat. Something flashes in a low red beacon of betrayal. Water, running rivers of relentless deceit, it surrounds me swathed in unseen shadows. I try to move, but the strings tied to my limbs have been cut. The weight of the air is growing as the thunder growls louder and louder and louder and...

I can't breathe.

"NO!" A sound more guttural than human rips free from my clenched mouth. The water from my dreams, if that's even what I can call that hell, is the sweat which drenches my skin. A small single light of scarlet flickers on the screen of my Mech as my body trembles. The withdrawal has taken over at this point and all I feel is fucking pain. Worthless, pointless, pathetic, fucking pain. I don't deserve this. I can't deserve this. I don't want to feel this way anymore. I- suddenly surging my upper body upwards I fling bile across the outer edge of my mechanical shell.

A child's whimper leaves my lips as I cradle the curved edges of sleet steel. I must look like a real threat right now, huh? Some career truly capable of ripping the throat out of whoever happens to shit in my direction, right? What a joke, that's all I am. Some joke no one will remember to tell with a crappy punch line.

"Is this what you wanted?" My voice splits as it screeches out to the walls of this empty room as though the face of that boy belonged to these boards. "Is this what you wanted to see?!" My arms flail out in a circle around me as a broken laugh linked with a sob sputters free from my bile stained teeth. "Well, here it is! What I can sell: Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Isn't-" The room spins and I stagger as a chill cascades down my spine until another pool of my stomach shares the space with the floors.

"Damn it.... gosh damn it." My body crumples to the floor bending as though a withering child around my own mess. I think somewhere within all the sweat a pair of tears trickle down my cheeks, but all I can hear is the sound of my own self pity. Everyone always said I couldn't own up to anything; that I couldn't handle responsibility. Not this though, I own this. I've made myself both the victim and the aggressor. There's no one left to blame. There's no one left at all.

Wait.

Still shaking, I stumble to my feet. Where are the others? Kiibo, Lottie, and Maze yet not a single one is here. Weren't they in here with me? Panic begins to wrap its hands around my throat as I run, more fall, to my Mech. Driven by fear, I punch the controls forward only to watch the world suddenly lurch forward again. Only this time, the fall is real.

My mech falls into the bastion of leaves just as I hear them speak of swimming. A silent sob of relief gasps free from my lunges. I thought they left like the others. Instead, I get to stumble free of the Mech before falling to my knees immediately next to them. Despite the clear angst burnt into my voice and the stench that certainly is filling the air around me, I try to sound at least half way not a mess. "I used to love swimming with my brother. I haven't been in years."

The water has become more of a grave than the earth bound to his name.

Graphic by the Breathtakingly Talented Stare

arx
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literally so gay, doing so many crimes

we can chart new stars together. [junkrats | day 3] Mar 19, 2022 13:04:21 GMT -5

Quote

Post by arx on Mar 19, 2022 13:04:21 GMT -5

malaki-boden w/a
_{aka "kiibo"}

Talon mentions their brother and Kiibo takes pause for a moment to look at them in the glow of the luminescence. He wonders if they loved their family like he loved his; he thinks he sees it in their eyes, if he could ever get the hang of reading facial expressions. And then Kiibo finds himself wondering what time it might be, whether his family was starting their little routines, wondering how Tavi will reach the top shelves without climbing on his shoulders.

He sees Lottie shrug from behind Maze, sending his thoughts barreling toward her as she stands at the water's edge and asks—"Wanna try?" Inquisitiveness was a trait he was told he possessed. Also annoying, robotic, and a touch naive. But that seemed irrelevant for the moment because he was rushing to remove his shoes and hike up his too long shorts.

"Will you," He looks quickly between Talon and Lottie, willing his eyes to fill up with whatever puppy's usually put there when they want your food scraps. "Teach me? Or perhaps demonstrate?" He was already standing knee deep, shivering as the cool water and warm sunlight combined in the glassy pool.

He reached out an open hand back toward them. "Please?"

Last Edit: Mar 19, 2022 13:06:27 GMT -5 by arx

"I run on the road, long before I dance under the lights."