Sage Toller [D4] - (WIP)

Pending

Two years of free reign and he's gotten himself a bit of a reputation for laziness around the district, in addition to the occasional lecture from a 'well meaning' Peacekeeper. He doesn't hold it against them (the lectures or the beatings), no doubt they mean well, and he's certainly never retaliated by slipping things into their boots in the dead of night or making rude hand gestures behind their backs. Nope, not a once. He's grown a bit since then, but not much. Needless to say, he is a saint and a stellar role model for the neighborhood children.

Laughed at that did ya? You should. Sage is about as respectable as a wet rag in storm, though he does have a way with the little ones, even if he does fill their heads with dreamer's nonsense. The storyteller, they call him. It's said that the boy has a story for everything, including why he's been skipping out on his training sessions (all very serious, of course).

What he never tells them is that he doesn't see the glory in it all. His mother wouldn't have listened if he'd tried, and his father only sees his mother's wishes. As for the other kids his age, well, he trains with them (when he doesn't skip out to swim or play with the district's young ones). Spouting his beliefs in front of that lot would probably earn him a nice steady beating for the better part of his life and half a dozen nicknames, coward among them, to boot...but he isn't a coward, not truly. Or, hell, maybe he is, if that's what it means to see imminent death and tell the opportunity for glory where it can go shove itself...but he knows better than to show weakness in front of the others, so every now and again he shows up for training and reminds them that he might be an asset one day, and plays his indifference toward the games off as overconfidence.

His mother would have had him make a career of slaughter for the glory of the district, the same as many of the other boys in the district, called it an honor even, but his mother isn't around anymore, and his Da's got his hands full eking out a livelihood for himself and the rest of their lot. He doesn't have much time to go chasing after Sage when he shirks his duties and skips out on his training for a swim, or a nap, or whatever else it is he gets up to these days. Sage makes sure to take full advantage of his father's preoccupation.

Sage would live in the water if he could. He dreams of owning himself a fishing boat one day, going out, and never coming back, sailing to the very ends of the earth just to see what's out there. After all, it can't be any worse than what's around here, right? Panem is a cat house, all claws and attitude, craft and chaos, and it's all a bit much for him. He'd rather spend his days with his feet in the water, the sun at his back, and a girl on his arm to keep him well.

Speaking of girls, with the reaping on the horizon, Sage has got plenty of other worries. He's started training again, really putting his heart and soul into it, and most think it's for the games - a natural assumption in a career district, and they're right, but he isn't doing it for glory...he's doing it for her. He's had his eye on her for a while now, watched her train, trained with her, laughed with her. he has no intention of watching her die if she's chosen. In fact, she may well be the one thing worth volunteering for.

This is currently a WIP