where do we start? [d11 train]

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call me jaded

where do we start? [d11 train] May 28, 2023 13:33:40 GMT -5

Post by ☢️ on May 28, 2023 13:33:40 GMT -5

{ e l i s e k r a n e }

Boarding a train was once the first step in Elise’s dream to build her future. Now it could just be the first step of her end.

All three of them filled the room, both of her parents had a lot to say, and Louie barely shared a word. She understands why he is scared. Even if this is the worst possible circumstance, she was always going to leave. It is what older sisters do. A part a life and death comes with it but Elise is not ready for that part. It is all that she reminded her parents of behind the tidal tears that rinsed her cheeks. It is terrifying and they must comfort her, not the brother who will finally get a whole room to himself.

As soon as she is on the train, she finds her place in the first carriage that is bursting with expensive decorations. The leather seat she finds comfort in would not even be covered by a year’s wages from the florist that she spends her weekends working at. Taking all this luxury in is a snippet of a distraction, the closest she will get to having a taste of the District Eight industry that she wanted to explore. Then company joins her, the escort in the oversized pink dress that looks like a toilet roll cozy. Elise could sew together four different outfits from all of it. So much material for one style just seems a waste.

And then her District partner, one who is missing a piece of their costume. Their shoeless foot sticks out amongst all the glitz in the now moving carriage. Elise watched Ulysses from the stage, hand the shoe to a dog. Elise always wanted a pet but her parent’s excuse was that there will never be room for one under this roof. Maybe now they can get a dog to keep Louie company.

”When do we get to meet the stylists?” Elise says as she looks at her reflection in the window of the carriage, some of her curls are already starting to unfurl and she is sure first impressions for the Capitol will benefit both of them. She looks at Ulysses and then at his foot. ”I think the pair of us need to be worked on, especially you. I think they need to find you a pair of shoes before we reach the Capitol.” She stooped low at the reaping to stand with the farmer kids, she will not make that same mistake again when she is presented to the elites. She needs to be like Izzie, Meredith and all the other girls. Elise halves her hair with both hands, holding onto two different parts as she looks back at the window. ”Are pigtails too much?”

Desperation is really sending her into a panic, she better shut up and let the experts take the lead. ”Sorry, you probably already have plans for us.” Elise drops her bunched up hair and seals her lips. All that she has to try and save herself is looking good and the curious head that she carries on her shoulders.

Rave.

Last Edit: May 28, 2023 13:37:26 GMT -5 by ☢️

MATTIO
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where do we start? [d11 train] May 28, 2023 16:58:40 GMT -5

Post by MATTIO on May 28, 2023 16:58:40 GMT -5

U L Y S S E S.

Never have the words It's time to go been more welcome. Heavy air from a courtly goodbye in the Justice Building leaves the buttons on my shirt ready to burst. My unserious nature has always been a trouble point. Chaos and bullshittery end in screaming matches of You're grounded!s and Who gives a damn!s. This? I don't know. The thought of going away, probably forever, is scary. My grandmother, tissue up against her face, doesn't have the tolerance to come near me. She's in shock, I think. And my grandfather, well, a handshake is all he offers. I want to slap him across the face– seriously? No half-hearted I love you after everything we've been through?

I'm hurt, but I've done so much damage to our relationship that I'm not surprised. To him, this might be the last sentence, the final lesson learned. "Cry for me later, hmm? Be grateful that it was me and not any of them." He doesn't get it, I don't think. Maybe later he will.

Getting to the train is a task of survival in itself. Elise is easy to follow, but our escort's dress bursts in a cascade of all angles. With only one shoe (a half-torn one, at that,) I struggle not to trip over her, even as she walks several paces ahead. My eyes don't move anywhere else. There is no one in the district who I want to see pity us for what's about to come.

I walk on a limp up the station steps, one foot exhausted from catching itself on concrete and between floor panels. The train smells like Eleven, if you take out all the bad parts and leave in all the good. Fresh fruits, vibrant flowers, cleanliness. Everything is shiny in metallic silver and white.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Elise examining my shoe. "When are we going to meet the stylists?" She looks out through the spotless glass. At that, I sit at the booth opposite Elise Krane. She seems much more in tune with the train's pristine environment. Can't ruin something else for a girl who nearly everything has been ruined for by the mere reading of her name. Her voice is light as she comments that we both need 'work.' To start, an actual pair of shoes for me. Her hair bunches up into its own pair, of pigtails. I shrug at her request for my opinion.

"Go for whatever's comfortable." I pull myself to the back of the booth and kick both my feet onto the leather. I lean forward and take off the leftover shoe. The decor on my side of the train is… too lovey. Too dishonest. I take one apple and take what's left in the bowl and move it over to the booth behind me.

In Ulysses-core, I take Dad's shoe and put it on the table in place of the bowl. I'm sure everyone in here will hate it, but the punk aesthetic of my domain makes it cozier. "If we're going to be contained here, it might as well be homely."

I burrow further into the seat, watching Elise, Harbinger, the escort, and any other member of the District Eleven crew file in. "You can just call me Ulysses, by the way. It's what I prefer." My first name, Daniel, is also that of my dad and my grandpa. My dad is no longer here, just my grandpa and I. But I'm not his carbon copy: I'm not a traditionalist like my grandfather and I'm not here to pass a torch of legacy.

"I hope you're all ready to teach, 'cause I've got no fucking clue what I'm doing, here."

Table by Rave

Last Edit: May 28, 2023 17:00:13 GMT -5 by MATTIO

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I wish Cato didnt die

where do we start? [d11 train] May 30, 2023 0:05:36 GMT -5

Post by Cato on May 30, 2023 0:05:36 GMT -5

Harbinger Rhodes

I always thought being a victor would become easier, but instead over the last several years, I've come to realize it only gets harder. For the first time in a long time, someone who wasn't from my own family, asked for my help last year. I gave her all the advice I could, but it wasn't enough. At the end of the day, I failed. I always fail. This year will be twelve years since district eleven brought home a victor. Maybe this year is different, maybe one of these two will come home, but I don't have high hopes for them since I never get my hopes up. I'll do what I can for them, though. That's all I can promise.

I board the train before anyone else does, and I make my way through the cars. It reminds me of the many trips I've taken to the Capitol since I managed to escape the arena alive, and while I am grateful that my family is mostly safe from the games to come, but I still see their faces. All of them. All forty-one of them. Their faces haunt me from time to time, and right now, I feel as though I'm going to let Elise and Ulysses down. I can't save them both, but maybe, just maybe, one of them will return home alive, and we'll bring a celebration together. It's not going to be easy, but maybe they can do it.

I walk into a room as they're sitting down talking, and this is my first chance to really get to know them. I grab a glass of water, and I sit down a bit off to the side. This is the first time I'm meeting them, and I want them to have a good impression, but most importantly, I want to know what they're made of. It's important to figure out how well they'll fight, and how easy they can maneuver once they're in the Capitol where eyes are on them twenty-four hours a day. Even now, everyone is watching and waiting, and this is the last bit of privacy they'll have. And then, Ulysses mentions that he has no clue what to do, and that he hopes we're ready to teach.

Looking around, I try to gather my thoughts. It's easy to say what's on my mind, but in this moment, I have to make sure that I tread carefully. I can't give advice that will cause them to put themselves into harm's way, but I need to make sure they understand what it means to be reaped. "Well, I'll see what advice I can give you now." I sigh and take a breath. "For starters, you need to remember that you are being watched all the time. Don't do anything that can put you on the Capitol's radar. When you get to the training center, you'll want to train. Don't just go for the fighting stations. The survival stations are just as important. You probably aren't going to like what they do to you when they prepare you for the tribute parade, but it's best to just go with the flow. Find something that works for your strengths because everyone has something they're good at. Sometimes you just have to dig deep in order to know what your strength is."

District Eleven

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call me jaded

where do we start? [d11 train] May 30, 2023 12:53:55 GMT -5

Post by ☢️ on May 30, 2023 12:53:55 GMT -5

{ e l i s e k r a n e }

Elise is still in two minds about her hair when Harbinger Rhodes speaks up. Her eyes are off her reflection and onto the person whose sole purpose in her life is to mentor her out of this mess. There is a lot of knowledge and skills crammed into Elise’s mind but none of it is useful enough to prepare her for what is to come over the next few days. It should be instinct for a girl from a family who has a history in the games, but it is something she has been good at avoiding, until now. Even the girls and guys she hangs out with at school skip past all the horrors. Favouring chatter about cute victors, like the recent ones Theo and Andal.

”Why should we stay off of the Capitol’s radar?” Elise questions while shuffling in her booth, nobody is sat with her which seems odd. Is there something wrong with her? Ulysses is in the booth opposite, with a shoe in front of him…maybe it is a good idea not to sit with him. ”I thought the whole idea was to get noticed, so that we can get sponsors? I am telling you now, I have never done any kind of physical combat or training in my life. You are going to have to help me dig deep if I am going to impress anyone.”

There is a small porcelain dish filled with hard boiled candies on the table in front of Elise, she picks at one and sucks on it in her mouth while still talking. The candy clashes against her teeth in between her words. ” Ulysses, I am curious about you and that dog at the reaping,” She then looks at Harbinger and just shrugs, ”Maybe Ulysses is good at taming mutts but I don’t know about me, I can make a good frock? Fix a few broken kitchen appliances? I might actually like what they do to us for the tribute parade, it is the only chance I will have to impress them.” This has been going on ninety-four years now, District Eleven is no stranger to the loss of the Hunger Games. Elise wonders why more of its children are not prepared for this likely inevitable.

Rave.