Caked in Blood (open)

What is the meaning of evil? It was a question Dwyn had been contemplating a lot recently. Ever since that bitch had called her evil, right before Dwyn had snapped and rammed a knife into her throat. The lady had totally deserved it at that point... But seriously, was Dwyn really evil? She honestly didn't think so.

Her definition of evil was someone who did impossibly cruel acts for fun. Dwyn only did what she did to survive. That wasn't evil, just survival of the fittest. PeaceKeepers were evil. Just look at what they'd done to Flight. She'd come back thin as a stick and abused as hell. Panem was evil. Look at what it had turned the country into, look at what it did to 24 kids every year.

And yet the dictionary Dwyn had taken the time to look at had defined evil as something simply being against person's morals. If that was the case then a shit load of people thought she was evil. Yet, under her own morals, she wasn't evil. Oh, how confusing all this was.

But look at what Dwyn was doing now. She was out, on the hunt, about to terrorize some poor, innocent soul. And for what? To satisfy some urge, some whim that had come upon her? Eh, maybe she was evil. What did it matter? She was sure she was going to hell someday anyways.

The boy that appeared surprised her. For one, he was extremely tall. It seemed that almost everyone was taller than Dwyn these days. What was up with that? And he that kind, friendly face that annoyed the hell out of Dwyn. It wasn't because she was averse to kindness. She was just the slightest bit jealous that she'd turned into the cold hearted person she was and yet some people still managed to stay good.

You see, Dwyn didn't think she was evil but she sure as hell knew she wasn't good. Good, in her mind, was boring. Good was a waste of time and energy. Why should she help other people? What have they done for her? Charity wasn't even a word in Dwyn's vocabulary.

So the boy's warm tone threw her off a bit. She was suspecting the slight suspicion on his face. But she was also expecting fear, hesitation. Things to provoke her, make her carry out the misdeed she'd planned on creating. She hadn't planned on having a conversation. Why did people have to ruin the fun? Her brow furrows slightly as she considers her next move. Her voice is still a bit antagonistic as she finally talks. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I thought you were an animal of some sort." And why was she lying to him? Honestly she didn't know. Maybe she'd lead him on and just nab whatever was in his pockets when he wasn't looking.

She straightens up from her crouch and discreetly puts the knives back in their place. No need to be armed when you were trying to charm someone, right? When she next speaks her voice is smoother and more pleasant. "You're from District 9, right? So you know what it's like, being a hunter and all. You never know what's hiding in the bushes." Rambling always made her lies just that bit more believable or so she thought. No one had ever called her out for lying before.

Dwyn knew he didn't trust her. Being able to read people was a skill she'd learned came in handy, no matter what you were doing. It helped her keep herself alive and it also helped her choose those that looked like the easiest prey. He'd looked like easy prey to begin with but she wasn't so sure anymore.

Maybe it was the way he held himself or the mistrustful look in his eye. There was just something that told her he wasn't absolutely sure about her yet. Part of her admired him for it. There was something more exciting about having to deal with someone who didn't feel right around her, who didn't feel safe. It made things more interesting. But part of her was a bit irked by it. She was hoping for someone easy. Well, really, she was hoping for someone who'd throw a fist her way. This guy didn't seem to meet either criteria.

He wanted to believe her, that much was obvious. It was in his voice. He was trying to diffuse the situation, placate the monster. "Good luck." But she was already on the hunt, though for a different prey than the average hunter. If only he knew that. Things could be more interesting, more like what she'd set out to find in the first place. But not yet. She wanted to see if he could, would, believe her.

His next words told her the truth. She'd got him hook, line, and sinker. Oh, this was just too easy sometimes. Inside Dwyn smiled, glad it had been this easy. Two simple statements, that's all it had taken. It was always the real good ones too, the ones that wanted to believe the best in everybody. Didn't they know that was just a vulnerability, a weakness in the eyes of those 'unfortunates,' the ones they most desperately wanted to help?

His next words, however, took her by surprise. She'd really convinced him, if he was asking her to be his hunting partner. She blinked quickly, the only sign of her momentary shock. "What?" That had almost slipped out and she internally cussed at herself for almost losing her self control.

"Hunting partners?!" She'd never hunted with anybody, not a single soul. When she had hunted it was always alone. It was one of the only times when she'd felt some sort of inner peace, some sort of quiet. Hunting with another person hadn't ever occurred to her. She was, however, always up for new things.

A small smile appears as she answers in a friendly tone. "Partners? Sure, why not?" She could do this she was sure. Dwyn would hunt with him, maybe even give him the catch. She'd see how well this system worked. And then, later, she'd just nab whatever happened to be in his pockets at the time. Simple really. And then... she'd go to a bar and satisfy her need for violence.

"What did you have in mind?" The question was innocent enough, especially since Dwyn didn't even know what animals were allowed to be hunted at the moment. The Capitol only allowed the citizens of District 9 to hunt whatever was in surplus at the time. Dwyn never payed attention to what was being allowed and what wasn't. She'd just killed whatever she could. This kid might think differently.

It occurred to her that manners might be needed at this moment. Mainly, names. She didn't know his and she knew he didn't know hers. So she decided to introduce herself. "My name's Flight by the way." She was sure that if Flight found out Dwyn had used her name there would be a problem. But, in this case, real names weren't the best of ideas. Not when Dwyn was intending on stealing from her new hunting partner. The Peacekeepers already had enough excuses to arrest her if they really wanted too.