// Unearthly Tendencies // [Dee!]

You hate being back home. Or rather, you hate the fact that you have been sent back home. Oh sure they might say that they think you deserve to have a nice break, but you know that’s not the truth. You know that the reason you’re back in District Four is because they don’t want you there. No, a woman in the Detention Center wouldn’t be good for them. Sure, they kept the other woman, but they were afraid you were the one becoming weak. What idiots they are. Weak? You? Impossible. If that was the case, you wouldn’t have been on the team in the first place. Then again, you know there are Peacekeepers who are much worse than you are. But you made it to the Detention Center; that has to say something about your record. But the guys there never care, you know that’s true. Why would they care that you managed to make it to their level? In their eyes, you’re still a woman, a weak one at that. And that just has you pissed.

So maybe you need a drink. The only problem is you don’t know where to go. It would be nice if you still remembered, but what’s so great about District Four in the first place? Didn’t you become a Peacekeeper so you could get away? You knew you were never going to survive in that district so you left for your own good. And now you’re back and without any clue about where you’re walking. You think it might be on the next street, but you’re not sure. You should have asked someone back at the building, but you just weren’t smart enough to consider that option. So now you enter what looks like a fairly decent bar, fairly decent meaning a place to get a drink. You could care less about anything else.

Deciding to be a bad example to the community, you walk up to the bar and you ask for a drink. Never mind the fact that your Peacekeeper uniform just might keep the linger of the smoke filling in the room. Never mind the fact that you could essentially get into trouble for this if any of your superiors catch you. You just know you really need that damn drink and if you don’t get it, much worse things could happen. So you’re going to ignore the fact that right now, you’re supposed to be on duty as the bartender gives you the drink and you gulp it down. How unladylike, but it’s not like you give a care about any of that stuff. After all, you’re just satisfying your needs. And that’s not really a crime now is it? No one is going to punish you just because you’re having an off day. Or week. It’s not like they’re going to care anyway. So you consider ordering another drink. You know you probably shouldn’t but the drink is beckoning you, pulling you to want to refill that glass.

And that’s when you notice that there might be something wrong after all. A girl is beckoning a boy with her eyes, or at least that’s what you see through your own tired and bleary eyes. You would think it would appear much more obvious but you have to rub your eyes a few times to believe what you’re seeing. And now he is walking over to her. You’re sure that she’s definitely working some angle, that this is more than just a casual meet. There seems to be no pre-conditions or any recognition that they have known each other for a long time. Putting the two pieces together, you come up with the idea that the girl is probably some whore. No, that terminology sounds a bit too harsh…prostitute works. And everyone knows what the Capitol has to say about prostitution. While you might not love the Capitol, you still abide by its rules and you decide you’re going to take the two down for breaking the law. After all, that’s what your job is, isn’t it?

Waiting for them to a more closed off area because that’s what they always do, you decide to hold off on that drink. You can get it some other time when you’re not busy trying to catch some law-breakers. But while you’re waiting for them to move somewhere else, you think about the whole situation. Is this going to benefit you in any way? Yes, you’ll finally be appreciated for doing some work but how long is that effect going to last? You know they’re only going to turn on you again. But selfish motives should not be the reason why you let those troublemakers go. You live by the law and nothing else. At least that’s what you keep convincing yourself as you eye those two. What could be taking them so long, you think to yourself, but the wait is finally over when you see the two of them leaving to a more quiet place. You would have followed them immediately if you haven’t forgotten about the bartender. Apparently, the man seems to be pretty insistent that you not reveal the location of his bar; it’s his livelihood, the only way he can earn money to support his family. You feel unaffected by this sob story but you agree nonetheless. If you let those two out of your sight, you’re only going to lose them. But then the bartender has more quips and you find yourself still stuck there, something that does not make you pleased at all.

Finally fed up with his whining, you pull out your gun and aim it at his head. Probably not what he expected was it? You say, “If you keep going on like that, I will report this place. Now, I’m going to go catch myself some troublemakers. I expect that you won’t be any trouble while I do so, right?” A small smile appears on your face as you look at the terror that is on the bartender’s face. That ought to teach him a lesson. He shakes as beads of sweat starts dropping from his forehead and he nods his head. Just as quick as you took out the gun, you put it back where it belongs on your belt, but your hand lingers by the gun in the case you will need it again. Everyone in the bar is quiet as you stare at each and every one of them, wondering if you recognise any of them and if they recognise you. Judging by the reactions, some do recognise you but they do not seem to be very open about it. You understand though; little and weak Ana Laroche has finally been given power. Even your name holds some power with you coming from a family of real brutes. Being a Peacekeeper is about the most similar you can be to your family so that was the path you decided to take. And look where you have ended up.

It’s time for you to focus on your job again. You remember the general direction in which the two went, but after they escaped from your sight, that was the end of your tracking. So now you find yourself blind as you go through the various dark places, relying on your senses to find those idiots. It’s actually not that hard as your ears pick up on the loud noises that are coming from one room. Yep, a prostitute, you think to yourself. What else did you expect? You hate the idea of barging in, not for the sake of privacy, but because it just feels dang awkward to even think about it. But you might as well humiliate them while you’re at it right. But hey, you decide to give them a chance to leave with you peacefully…which never happens. Young pound your fist against the door a few times before deciding the hell with it and open the door forcefully.

The sight in front of you shocks you. They’re both there but…but…it appears as if she has been…No. You know it’s just your imagination as you shake your head to rid yourself of that thought. “You need to come with me now, miss.” You laugh inwardly, knowing all too well that there is no possibility that she’s going to be leaving with you peacefully. In fact, as your eyes take in the whole room, you can’t help but think that one of them is crazy or they were having an extremely wild time. But as you go back to the young lady, you know it’s probably the former. After all, it appears as if…she’s been drinking his blood. But you know that’s impossible…or is it? You can’t stop yourself from admitting that there are some pretty crazy people in Panem. But to this extent? Impossible. Your stare hardens as you wait for the girl to respond. For some reason, you can’t help but feel that this is not going to end up well.

It’s not possible. No, you have to keep convincing yourself that the sight before you is just what it is…a sight. Nothing more than that. You want to believe that this is a figment of your imagination, meaning you have a very warped up mind, but it’s a much better option than if what you are seeing is true. But it is true so you might as well just face reality no matter how much you hate it. And technically, this girl is breaking the law as well. Attempted murder for whatever reason is still against the law, but the only thing you can do is stare. Frozen much? You hope that you’ll find a way to move again, that the shock will wear off, because you need to get that girl for her crimes, no matter how odd they might be. The fact that she is staring back at you keeps you on the spot. How in the world does she build up so much confidence? If you were in her position, you would have been running far far away. And yet this girl is just standing there…staring at you. No, you’re supposed to be the one doing the staring. That’s your job. All of a sudden, this catch is no longer just a catch; it’s a game.

She’s playing you, you know that. After all, that’s what everyone does when they’re in trouble. They toy around, looking for the best place to bite. Ironic that you would think of that word when the girl who is standing in front of you just…yeah. You bring your focus back to her eyes, see what they have to say. You know it’s not much, but sometimes the more careless ones slip. It feels like forever with the two of you just staring but finally, you see her eyes move down, down, down to your hip. You can’t help question until you remember why there’s a bit of extra weight there, and then you know why she’s looking at it. How many times have you actually used that weapon? Once? Twice? Maybe but not likely three times? Most of the time, you just need to wave it around and everyone cowers at the sight. But with this girl…this girl you just might have to use it on. She seems to get the message though, the indirect one at that, as you see her start to panic.

You can’t help but notice that this seems like a complete 180 turn from the girl before, the one who was daring you to take her into custody. You would like to believe that you can be credited for this change, but you know that’s not really true; there’s something else working for you right now. You don’t have the time to go give credit, though. You need to bring that girl in, because it is your job. Her eyes never tear away from yours, giving you no opportunity to let down your guard. She reacts and you react too. Her hand formed in some defense mechanism, her body moving around as if she is trying to find a way to escape. But she can’t escape, not like this.

The murmurs behind you grow louder and louder as you realise there is now an audience. You hate having an audience, but they can sometimes be a benefit. In this case, they have managed to block one means of escape for the girl. But you really do hate the fact that they are there and that you cannot control them. There is no way you’re going to let that girl out of your sight, so you just let the rest of them keep coming. You see that the other girl knows it herself as she seems even more frenzied, anxious to get out.

You keep your cool, trying to differentiate yourself from her. You know you should be the one who can stay calm, who can think properly. Being able to see straight, think straight, that is what gets you ahead of the game. It’s the truth; that’s what everyone says. But then she does the unthinkable and you realise maybe you’re not so much ahead as you thought. She pummels into what you previously thought was the wall, and the only thing you can think up is “Run.” No questions asked, no answers needed. You pull out your gun, just as you’ve been instructed to do and you approach her. Cautiously at first, sure that the door will hold her in this room. But then the door fails you too, and you can’t help but wonder whether life is just against you at the moment. No time to think though as you realise you need to run after her.

Pocketing the gun for the sake of not accidentally shooting anyone, you bolt after her. She’s fast…but you’re not that old. Your body structure should be helping you as you pick up speed, amazed that this girl could be so far ahead. But you refuse to let her go. No…you’re going to run and catch up to her. You’ve been trained for moments like this—but she’s just so damn fast. She goes over a fence quickly and swiftly and you try your best to mirror her, managing to get your uniform cut. Damn, is all you can think as you notice your breath getting more rapid and your legs feeling more tired. It’s all worth it, though…you just have to keep convincing yourself.

The bloody footprints are now your guides as you notice that you’re slowly losing sight of her. So it turns out she’s much faster than you are. If you had known this was going to turn out as it did, you probably would have left it up to someone else but it’s far too late for that. You still have something to keep you going. Plus, you have to prove yourself to everyone else, get your family proud of you again. If they even know about this. But this girl seems so messed up, you’re absolutely sure the word will spread. Then again, it would probably work against you if you let her go as well. All of a sudden, you can’t help but wonder what would happen if you rid yourself of this stupid uniform. At least if you were dressed in your regular casual garb, you might have a chance of catching up to her. But no, your job actually has a uniform.

The squelching noise stops you in your steps. The first thing you do is look down and then…you regret ever doing that. Because what you see is nothing that you want to see again. It’s nothing incredibly odd, just some puke, but there's something not right about it and you just want to throw up on the spot. You’re lucky you don’t have any food there, but there is still that drink and before you know it, you find yourself leaning up against a wall, holding it back in. You’ll have to get someone to take care of that soon; who knows how everyone else is going to react when they see that. You keep moving forward, trying to burn away that image. It’s going to haunt you, you know it is, but it can come back at a different time, especially when you’re not feeling rushed.

The chain-link fence in front of you poses to be a challenge, but you refuse to let it as you climb up it and swiftly move over. The thin wires cut into your fingers and you feel like your hands are going to start bleeding but sure enough you’re already well on your way. Of course, just as you’re gaining your momentum again, you trip and it’s not a pleasant fall. You have enough sense to thrust your arms out to protect you from the fall, but you’re horrible when it comes to calculations so there’s a cut to your forehead as well. Granted it could have been much deeper but it still hurts like hell, and that’s enough to get you really moving.

You know you can’t lose her so all your willpower has been put into running. Forget the fact that your lungs are over-working. Forget the fact that your legs burn as lactic acid forms with every step you make towards that dreadful girl. Forget the fact that your palms feel irritated from the scratch. It will all be worth it in the end, you just keep convincing yourself that.

A shot rings out and you know it’s not yours. Who else could possibly own a gun? You know it can’t be an illegal…or at least you hope that’s the case as you keep on running, hoping to catch up. If the shot really did come from a fellow Peacekeeper, you can only hope he took care of the situation. But as you run past, you notice that the man is still frozen in his shooting position and there is no girl in sight. Right now would be a good time to wonder what the hell these guys are good for, but you’ll worry about that later. You make sure you take a good look at that Peacekeeper though, so you can report to your superiors. If you manage to survive this.

You hear heavy breathing from one of the alleys you pass by and you turn. Sure enough, she’s there. As to why she chose a hallway that has a dead-end…you’re not going to question. You’re just going to be happy that she made a wrong turn, that she’s pretty much in your hands now. You pull out your gun and aim. Might as well finish off what your buddy couldn’t too. You try to get a good shot but it’s nighttime and you’re in an alley, so it’s a little more difficult than just aiming and shooting. You cock the gun which brings the hammer down. Just as you’re about to pull the trigger, a barrel of force hits you.

Darkness hits you first, then the impact. When you finally get back to your senses, you realise that the girl ran into you. Any other day, you would have commended her for a decision like that, even admired her quick thinking. But this is a deadly moment for both you and her. Your gun is no longer in your grasp so it’s just you and her and that has you shaking. But she can’t see that so you do the only thing you can think up. You start struggling. From what you’ve seen, you know you better keep away from her mouth. Her teeth seem to be her weapon and while you have teeth too, you probably have no idea what to do with them except chew chew chew. And maybe that’s what you should be doing. But you’re not going to be stooping to her level. So you throw a punch to her head, hoping it will knock her out.

Because right now, you’re running on only chance and faith.

The only thing you can do is struggle right now as you find yourself locked in a fight. You try to free your arms in order to gain the space needed to try to knock her out. From your first blow, you can see that she’s not knocked out, but she has been affected by it. You can’t really see, but you hear a crunch and you wonder what it must have come from. Surely not you as you’re still trying to push her away from the leg lock that she has on you. You need to be away before she starts attacking back, before she can get you first. And then she speaks.

You can’t help but admire the courage this one has, but in the end, you know you’re the one who’s going to make it out alive. You don’t give a damn about the fact that she sounds more confident, that she’s the one who is snarling all this out. You don’t care how this fight is going to play out; you just know that you will win this no matter the cost. In fact, cost should never matter, because once you bring her in, you’re going to receive the benefits. Never mind the fact that you’re close to the brink of death at this point. You have more important matters to take care of.

She looks so crazy, though. Her eyes are wild and you don’t know how to respond to that. Yes, you have had your share of insane people, but this is just over-the-top. Before you can think about what to do next, she is digging her nails into your neck. You can only be grateful that her nails are not sharpened, but you can’t help crying out in pain. The neck is only relatively flesh,y and you can feel each nail pressing against your skin. An explosion of memories hits you as you remember all of the torments you had to go through as a child, this being one of them. You might remember what it felt like, but it doesn’t lessen the pain anymore. You can’t help but wonder what the hell her point is, but you’re more concentrated on getting her off you. You ignore the pain as much as you can, pull a fist back, and put all your force into that one fist.

A incredible pain starts from your arm as you pull back your fist. The pain is so blinding, you’re sure that all you can see are bright dots spread out behind your eyes. Finally your eyes focus again and you notice that she’s freaking biting down your arm. It’s not even the dull pain that is felt when little children decide to bite you; this is pure, bone-crushing pain. There is a possibility that you can feel the pain all the way to the bone that might have you thinking about that, but now isn’t exactly a good time for you to think. Your bright eyes are screaming in pain as you stare at the root of it all: your forearm.

“WHAT THE F***ING HELL?!?!” You want to scream into the night air, but all you have is the four-worded yell. With a horrified look you see that she’s biting down on your arm, the teeth sunk in quite deep. You should be worrying about the blood loss that will probably occur once she lets go, or the infections that could happen as bacteria finds its way to the wound. But you don’t think about either of those; you just want her to let go of you. And then she’s pushing you away but she’s not going anywhere either. You don’t want to think it but it comes up anyway.

She’s stuck. She’s f---ing stuck. For that split second, you forget about the pain that’s still there and you can only stare at the whole scene incredulously. The next thing you know is that you’re still in a struggle, but there’s a third force now. It’s not just you and her. It’s you, her, and her teeth. Both of you are fighting against the teeth for the time being, but you find yourself still being in the attack anyway. It hurts like hell, but you don’t care; you want her gone.

Finally, she’s no longer attached on your forearm. Instead, she has a bloody grin. Little b****. You’re in a furious rage now and your right arm hurts like shit. Doing the irrational, you punch the girl with your left fist, not really caring that you would probably have greater strength with your right arm. But it’s not like you can use your right arm right now, not when it looks like someone had just tried to make it a feast. For extra measure, you shove her using all of your upper body strength. You need this girl unconscious and sure, you still feel the pain, but this better work. You watch her get shoved against the wall, her head making contact first. She slumps as she is knocked unconscious. With a loud sniffle, you stare at the girl. You haven’t been in a fight for a long time and despite the fact that it feels like your arm has been chewed off, you feel rather exhilarated. You don’t hesitate to take her away while she’s still unconscious, only knowing that she’s going to be a pain to handle when she wakes up. You need to take her somewhere secure fast.

With a loud huff, you take her arm and pull her up and support her. She’s not heavy, but she’s still added weight and your arm decides to remind you of its condition. It’s bleeding from all of the tears and you know you’re going to have to rush in order to get it attended to. Taking a few deep breaths, you trudge along to the justice building where you’re sure something is going to happen. The building’s not too far, but it feels like forever when your steps are slow and dragged out. Just as you’re about to approach the building, a blinding pain shoots up your arm as the remnants of the attack have remained.

“Dammit, the least you could let me do is get through those damn doors.”

What the hell? She’s pushing you away, already regaining consciousness. You should have known that she was going to find a way to get out of this situation, but you thought that she would have at least been knocked out enough to get you through the doors. Well, when you’re handling a bitch like this, stupid mistakes come back to bite you in the butt.

Her next statement throws you off, and you can’t help but feel afraid. Maybe it’s the change in tone of her voice. Or the fact that she’s the one in control of the situation. But you absolutely refuse to let that happen. It doesn’t matter that she sounds rather convincing at the time; you’re not going to fall into that trap. And your arm still freaking hurts.

“There is no chance in hell that I’m going anywhere with you except into that building.” And with a new burst of energy (or maybe it’s just from the pain in your arm), you launch a kick. You figure if you can’t use your arms, well…might as well put your legs to use at some point. They’re incredibly tired at this point, but you feel spurred on so you don’t hesitate as your foot gets closer and closer to her knees. Dammit, this better take her down.


((OOC: So this is now a post blitz thread. ))

It knocks her down. You’re so surprised that your kick knocks her down. The only problem is she looks extremely pissed now, leaving you with only a few options. One, you can run away from this whole situation but that’s just stupid and cowardly. You don’t need another reason to give your family to continue taunting you. Twenty six years of torment has been more than enough. Two, you can chase her away so that she is no longer your problem but another one of your colleagues. They probably would not be pleased with that idea, but hey, they deserve to put up with this girl. After all, you’ve survived enough of their idiocy; it would be time for them to finally tackle it. Third, you could bring her in yourself. But you’ve already tried that and look at what’s happening to you now.

While you’re contemplating which option to take, you look down at your wound and that’s when it starts to sting. Why did you have to be so stupid and do that? You should know better than to look at a wound. Haven’t you long been told that looking at a wound only makes it worse? You grimace as you look away and your eyes roll back. If you don’t get out of this situation soon, you’re going to be in a worse position than you are already in.

She’s getting back up. Damn, she’s getting back up, you think as you try to come back to your senses. Does that girl never give up?! You can't help but growl out of frustration. For once, you’ve met someone who you have to actually fight to even attempt to make progress. It’s a painful process.

“F---“, you whisper as you see her small body moving towards you again. No time for strategy; no time for reasoning. It’s a good thing your instinct has better control over your body. Otherwise, you would be screwed. But chance and innate skills are on your side as you turn to your side and launch a kick at her. Before anything else happens, you rush over and grab the girl by her hair with your left arm. The grip remains tight as you breathe in and out. Finally, finally this fight is over. Your right arm continues screaming at you, but you don’t have the time to reason with it. Not now.

“I think where I’m tugging should be the least of your problems,” you hiss into her ears. She keeps squirming but you hold on tightly. The only chance she has escaping is if she manages to escape your hold and that is highly unlikely. So many years of practice trying to break free against your own siblings’ hold has taught you a good lesson on how not to let someone go. Your arm still hurts like hell but right now, satisfaction is all you can feel. Now all you need to do is get your butt over to the building and leave her in someone else’s care.

Does she never shut up? It’s always fight or comment or fight or flee. Really? Does this girl have anything better to do? “Okay, listen girlie. Why don’t you just shut up now before you get yourself into more trouble.” You see her wince which makes you even more pleased but annoyed at the same time. You contemplate on what to do next (Drag her? Wait till she becomes submissive?) when someone else is approaching you. You’re ready to snap…and then your eyes widen once you see who it is.

“What do you think you’re doing, Laroche?” It’s your boss and you can’t help but feel like panicking. Sure you got the little b**** by the hair, but…it’s by the hair. Your boss was probably expecting you to have full control and not look like a mess. After all, it should “not be too difficult” to “subdue a normal citizen.” As much as you wish he had to go through this in order to understand what happened, you still feel ashamed. Or maybe it’s disappointed. Now you’ll only receive bad marks and they might send you to District 12 instead. But you refuse to let that happen. Even if your arm looks like it has been chewed (which it has), you are still holding someone captive and that should give you some points.

“Sir, I was just about to bring her in. She’s put up quite a struggle, but the situation is under control.” Your voice holds confidence, but your composure indicates that you’re struggling as well. When your boss looks at you with those piercing eyes, you just want to squirm right past him and give this girl to someone else to take care of, but it’s too late. He can see that you have her which means that you’re responsible for her until a punishment can be decided. Damn my luck.

He stares at you for a few more minutes, probably deciding on whether to relocate you or not. But he knows that he has to take care of the situation that you presented him so he gives you a slight nod. “Bring her up and then we'll talk.” As you follow her orders, you notice that the girl isn’t putting up as much resistance as she was earlier. In a way, it makes your life so much easier but at the same time, you wonder what is going on in her mind. All you can think about is what her next move is going to be. You know she hasn’t given up, yet at the same time, you really want to believe it’s true. Nothing really matters but your orders, so you drag her to the building where she rightfully belongs.