Voices Unheard (aimee, Open)

Kayden had been backing away quietly from the fence, after having scrambled underneath the wire carefully, her shirt and pants now coated in dirt. She brushed her soiled hands on her pants, then wiped some dirt from her face, though she in actuality just smeared it and made herself look even dirtier. Not that it really mattered. She continued to back away, her brown eyes locked on the animal that had gotten territorial and chased her back to the fence. Of course, her gaze was torn away and she spun on her heel as a voice came from the tree she had been about to hit.

She stumbled back away from the tree as a girl swung down, then jumped from the branch she was hanging from. Her bow raised instinctively, with a single swift movement, the arrow ready to fly. A quick scan of the girl, however proved she wasn't an immediate threat, so she lowered the tip of the arrow toward the ground and slowly slackened the string. Kayden then bit her lip and shook her head before starting to apologize. "Sorry about that...." She then remembered to thank the girl for keeping her from running into the tree, and added that on the end quickly. She then put her bow and arrow back on her back, "I'm Kayden, by the way. But I guess you could call me Kay." She didn't really care what the girl called her, it wasn't likely she would see her again. Not for a long time anyways.

Kay paused a minute, then started to slowly walk past the tree and the girl, heading toward the hob so she could see about selling one of the rabbits she had caught in her traps before being chased from the woods. After a few steps, she looked back at the girl, somehow curious as to why she had been in the tree. And it looked like she had been crying.

(( Haha, no worries. Mine is bad... Only 323 words. =/ ))

Kayden paused again before continuing to walk, though she blanched and froze as she heard the girl's voice again, explaining that she was deaf, and had to read lips. Kay was suddenly frustrated with herself for nearly shooting the girl, which had obviously almost given her a heart attack, judging on the fact that her breathing had changed a bit, speeding up, meaning that her heart rate had quickened. She had also put her hands out in front of her, as if that would have done anything to deter an arrow.

Kayden scolded herself silently before she bit her lip and turned around slowly, her expression sheepish now, her entire demeanor having changed to something much less imposing. Kayden then gave a half smile, "I'm really sorry about that. I don't know why I did that. It was instinct, I guess...." She shrugged, shaking her head. It would have made more sense to the girl if she understood what it was like out in the forest, constantly having to watch your back, and always be on your guard for people or animals that wanted nothing more than to see you gone. Permanently. Kay shook her head and then looked at the girl somewhat warily, though no long accusatory. "I'm sorry. What was your name?" She asked quietly, not bothering to raise her voice any in hopes the girl might hear something, since chances were all it would do was frustrate them both, and then end up getting Kay in trouble for having left district boundaries to hunt on Capital land.

That definitely was the last thing Kayden needed. She was the only one that could get food for her family, with her mother suffering from constant sleep deprivation, and her little sister barely five years old. There was no hope for either of them being able to take care of each other. Thus Kay constantly had the added incentive to hunt and not get caught- she had two people depending on her.

Kayden then looked at the pack that was hanging on her side that had the two rabbits in it. One of them she was going to use to make stew for her mother and sister, and she was going to sell the other at the Hob, but she felt bad for this girl. and she decided she would wait to go to the Hob until the next morning. The rabbit would keep until then.

Kayden listened as the girl struggled through a few words, but managed to say them relatively well, considering that she was deaf. Though how long she was so, Kay really couldn't tell. Besides it wasn't like she was going to ask or comment on it anyways, so what was the point? The information wasn't crucial to hers or the girls survival, so for all intensive purposes it didn't matter and so Kay pushed the thought aside. She didn't need to know, so she wouldn't know. That was just fine by her.

She crossed her arms and smiled, shaking her head as the girl said that she was the mayor's daughter, then started telling her not to think she had a 'cushy' life because her father was the mayor. Kayden started to nod, "Oh, I know. your father has bought meat from me on more than one occasion. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen..." She bit her lip and studied the girls features a moment as she tried to put a name with the face. With the context clues of her being the mayor's daughter, she remembered that the girls name started with an 'o', but got no further than that. Not right at first, anyways.

Another minute of thinking, and she smiled to herself as she remembered the name. Ocean. "So, wait... You're Ocean, right?" She waited, watching, paying close attention to her facial expression to see if she had gotten it right, to guage if she was surprised by the fact that Kay had figured out her name, just from knowing that she was the Mayor's daughter(Which, really, she shouldn't be, but you never really knew), or any other emotions that could be given away.

Facial expression and body language were a crucial part of any language, and Kay knew that well. If you didn't know how to read the body language of the animals you hunted(and were hunted by), and their behaviors, you would be as good as gone withing the first fifteen minutes of stepping outside the fence that surrounded District 12.

Kay bit her lip a minute, then said something else, "Hey, listen." Oops, bad choice of words on her part, "I need to go over to the hob and see if I can sell this other rabbit. Did you want to come with me? If not, I can always go in the morning, it's not a big deal..." She shrugged, then shifted the messenger style bag that was resting on her hip with the rabbits stored safely inside, wrapped up against the elements. She couldn't exactly have the meat spoiling, because then what good was it? Dog food? Kayden wasn't a dog, and neither was her sister or her mother, so that was out- the meat just couldn't spoil. Besides, after the last couple unsuccessful hunting trips, they were already in dire need of protein in her family, and to go without it much longer might make any of them sick at any given time.

Uncertainty crossed Kayden's features as she thought, but she swiftly snapped herself out of her reverie, shaking her head as she cleared it so that she could think clearly again. The smiled regained it's place on her features as she looked at the girl, "So How about it? Hob, or no Hob?"

Kayden smiled semi-awkwardly, nodding as Ocean explained why she didn't like her name. She shrugged off the comment, "Well, it could be a lot worse..." She then smiled, "I mean, you could have a name that reminded you of District One." She then bit her lip and adjusted the pack of meat and the bow and arrows on her back.

Kay bit her lip and looked down at the ground, using a tattered-shoe covered foot to kick at a small rock, flipping it away with the toe of the shoe. She looked up again as Ocean replied. "Oh, good!" She smiled, biting her lip as she started to walk toward the Hob, looking over her shoulder to see if Ocean was following. After a minute, she turned to walk backwards so that she could still talk to the girl as she walked, "So have you ever been to the Hob?"

Ocean didn't seem like the type to ever have been to the Hob, so Kay decided to keep an eye out for her. It was possible to get in a lot of trouble in the Hob if you don't know what's going on. "Just follow my lead." She shrugged, "And, just... Watch out for the Peacekeepers. Most of the time they don't go anywhere near the hob, but there are a couple who go in to get alcohol or extra food. They probably won't report anything but it's better to be safe than sorry." Kayden watched Ocean for a minute, then asked, "You alright? I mean, I understand if you don't want to go to the Hob. After all, it is risky."

(( Blah. It's short and crappy, but whatever. ))

Kayden smiled as the girl agreed with her on the whole 'name could remind you of District One' thing. Nothing irked Kay more than District one, with their cushy life, and having everything handed to them. It just, seemed wrong that she should struggle to keep her, her mother, and her sister alive, while they sit around and waste so much that it could almost be considered obscene. She shook her head again as she focused on the girl once more.

The girl had reminded her that she needed to go to her house to get her supplies, and Kay immediately felt bashful- She, the one that was quite capable of hearing, hadn't heard what the girl had said. She bit her lip, then apologized, stopping and starting back toward Ocean's house as she spoke, "Gosh, I'm sorry. I guess I forgot or something... I don't really know." She shrugged, "I do that sometimes..."

Kay stopped near the girl's house, waiting with her shoulder up against the trunk of a tree as she leaned on it. There was no way she was going inside of Ocean's house- too much of a risk. You never knew who might turn you in at some point or other, and going into the Mayor's house definitely looked suspicious and put you as a potential target for 'ratting out'. Kay would rather just avoid that all together, so she would wait outside.