:| Fists and Curses |: {Rave/Puppy/Loony}

[presto]









♘
spades carnal.[/presto]

I missed the open air of district ten - no matter where I went, it never fit my lungs the same as when I was knee-deep in grass figuring out actually working. I mean, I love clocks and wires and pianos and all that jazz as much as the next illegal nomad escorting themselves through woods and fences, but there's something different with working with something real. Wires always fit weird in my hands, and despite all its many functions Esrooke tried to force onto me, it'll never function in place of real life. Down in district ten, the sun burns into your neck so hard and the livestock never smelled exactly like lavender and most of the time you forget why you keep working, but sitting on those hills with the wind greeting itself like a friend and filling lungs with the draft of the trees is what I mean by life; it's what I mean by open air.

District two and four didn't have that. Four was like licking salt next to the piers and added at least five pounds with its fog it wore around his neck; two though, two wasn't quite as bad. People in two weren't as nice, with their whole career training schedules and stress, but it was breathable when I wasn't caught into the underflow of population. Even with all of its people's strength, Avalon was the only life I found in that entire place, in that old playground - he didn't follow me back into the forests either, but I'm almost grateful.

Through the forest, I found smog - pollution thick enough to stick into my throat, to rub between my taste buds with every breath. Through the forest today, I found district five.

It wasn't an exact entrance into the district - it never is - but it led into the streets quick enough, and I swore I stepped my size-eights back into district two for the crowd wallowing in its wake. With the same sense that the forest led me to district five and five led me to the crowd, I let the crowd lead me with it's underflow; I'm not a busy man you see, and even with my siblings and wires and clocks and maps in three, my home will always be the satchel on my back.

There's cracks between the colloquy and they're filled with cracks of whips and cracks of oil mills, between the cracks though there's life or fear, or both, and I can't tell which scares me more. Nearly each body was taller than me (I'm a lot of things, and short is not one I'm willing to accept) and the pavement of voices gave me words like 'flogging' and 'whip cream' and putting two and two together I'm guessing something generally unpleasant. The ones near me - some three girls - said it, and I have enough faith in what I've heard of district five and my judgement in putting faith in people to believe their words.

"You know," I start out to the boy next to me, my elbow resting on his shoulder, "I bet it's pirates up there doing this." It slipped through my shit-eating grin, right before nearly falling on my face as he tried to walk away - but I knew a lot about pirates from what me and Aceline made up, and if any of that child's play was right then up on that stage were definitely pirates. Or peacekeepers, one of the two.

"You're a Wie, right?"

At the sound of conversation coming to me, my neck cracked on beat with the whip as I face the voice: the one who said something about flogging (or maybe she was the whip cream one). My immediate response was going to be 'What's a Wie,' but that sounded a bit rude, so with a flick of my tongue I stare back at the girl.

"Actually," my voice contorting to match one of those regal, arrogant voices Esrooke used to read out loud to both me and my twin. "the name's Carnal," both of my hands fitted into my coat pocket's, with only a side's view on them as I face back to the stage I can't see. "Mr. Carnal."

[presto]









♘
spades carnal.[/presto]

("Mr. Carnal, it's nice to meet you."

"It's nie to m-meet you Europa, and you too Mr. Carnal"

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Carnal,")

They all responded to me just alike - politely, one with a smile, one with panic and one diffident like my sister but laced with the name Cameron. The three were strange considering the event that ensnared us, with their talks of Wies and whip cream, but between the cracks and dialogue rising through the air I'd choose their chit chat more any day. Besides, at least they were polite enough as I grinned back to the taller girl, Europa. The third in our little posse, Karina, was eyeing her up; Europa and her last name. "Wie..." I practically whispered into the guy in front of me's brown jacket, and I eyed up Europa and actually got it.

"Never heard of em," the phrase slipping through a dumb smirk and dimples and the shrug of my shoulders, but I got it - the whole tribute thing, as soon as I thought over Karina's words, as I thought over the expression on Europa's face. ("No, but I r-remember the 59th.) Back then I was barely eight and counting on my fingers just the same, but I couldn't pick her relative out of a crowd if I had to. Never would Esrooke let me pay any attention to the games - neither me or Aceline - and I was just as tentative then as I am now, so I knew the games as well as I knew how to navigate district two.

But if I knew anything, it was that death didn't define anybody; I was defined by the things I love, and Europa shouldn't be defined by the ones who share her last name. Mr. Carnal was my dad, and my dad wasn't anything but dead to me so I wouldn't know much about losing anybody but my mom; Mr. Carnal was also Esrooke back in three and I wasn't much like either of them.

With another crack I flinch in time to skip over Cameron's eyes, quiet under the crowd but in another universe I'd be too. There's life behind her eyes though, and through those I see her like my mother saw me before she died, or as I saw my sister before I left - scared. 'Mr. Carnal,' was a dead man back in three, and I was anything but.

"You can call me Spades," I said with eyes like my father.

[presto]









♘
spades carnal.[/presto]

Esrooke wasn't always the best brother, but at least I can say he taught me a couple things. He taught me about Ripred and its wonders - he taught me about faith and about justice - and he taught me how to be kind without ever being polite himself. Of course, I learned some things myself throughout the three years I've been on my own, like how to be my own being, so I know pretty well of who I am, you see. And with my heart on Ripred and my mind on my own being, I've known I'm too trusting for my own good since I was a kid, but these three girls next to me I trust like any other.

One of the main things my brother taught me though, was that Ripred works in weird ways, and to never lose faith; so I'd bet against the man on the stage being a good person - only crooks and villains are punished, so he can't be too great. I've never been to a whipping though, not one I can think of at least back in three or two or ten or four, and even though I know I'm safe in this crowd I'm not sure if I'm a fan of them. It smelled faintly with iron, and the man next to me started sweating pretty bad a little bit ago.

I wouldn't wish that on anybody I don't think, to be the one up on that stage instead of in the crowd. In all honesty, I appreciate the crowd more than I wished, and it almost made up for the flinches and cracks that ate at the atmosphere. It's odd to think that we're all out here due to only curiosity though; all besides the person up there who I couldn't even see. They must be lonely even in this swarm, and I realized that I honestly know nothing about the sole reason I'm here, why I'm next to these three and this one sweaty guy to my right; besides loose names, I honestly know nothing about these three.

("Well, now that we've all met, why don't we move somewhere else?"

"Yeah. Can we go?"

"Yeah let's go, and quickly please.")

Resting on my tip-toes, I tried to find a glimpse of this person - the pirate, the whipped, whoever is on the stage. Perhaps with at least one look I'll know who they are, but what're the odds? Existent, so I tried to see at least. I'm tall for my age, I like to think, but even with these extra inches there was still no hope; except, I couldn't leave without actually knowing. In a way I thought it'd make sense with my open mouth trying to find a way between these heads to see the stage, it'd satisfy my curiosity at least.

"Are you coming?"

"Uh," I didn't want to leave that person alone, I swear it, but I didn't want to be alone either. In the end I'll always be just as curious if I'd manage to see its face or not.

"Yeah," I wasn't quite sure why I wanted to go with them - these three girls I barely knew - but I've always been too trusting for my own good.