( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 )

Knuckles
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probably flailing over something

( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Aug 28, 2018 17:10:32 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Knuckles on Aug 28, 2018 17:10:32 GMT -5

should've stayed, were there signs, I ignored?
can I help you, not to hurt, anymore?
we saw brilliance, when the world, was asleep
there are things that we can have, but can't keep

Life was nothing more than a learning experience filled with many trials and errors, and even in this game, that rule still stood. Only the time for experiments slowly ticked away. Time wasn't on his side to figure the perfect way to attack out. Early on, holding the weapon felt easy, but once Cesare crumbled, it all fell away in the blink of an eye, and Zeke didn't know why. It taunted him, and even now he could hear his friend telling him what to do and how to hold the weapon. But even that it's failing because he's done nothing more than attempt to poke at the prey. At least he was still alive.

An exhausted heart pound at the walls of his chest, and part of him was glad that it was something nobody had to think of especially now. Even standing became difficult. At home Zeke had time to take rests by having some off time. Here in games, off time didn't exist. He just kept going, fighting, surviving, and it was growing old quick. Even as the thunder rolled, and the waves crashed against the rock he was standing on, the healer didn't move. Staying awake was hard, holding his weapon was becoming impossible, but to give up now would mean entering the eternal rest he wasn't prepared for.

Red. That was all he could see as a raging stream gushed from his head. It burned his eyes, it filled his nose with the metallic scent he tried his hardest to stay away from. Memories of the times he failed came pouring into his mind. A broken child fell into his arms as his mother begged for them to save him. A son dragging his father behind him - "It was an accident I swear." Dismembered bodies resting on the tracks after being hit by a train.

Cesare being cut to pieces.

Dove losing her leg.

Of all the times he failed to save someone he cared for.

It almost brought him to his knees. His stomach churned leaving a disgusting taste in his mouth, yet he chose to stand tall. To not let her see how bad she truly hurt him. The wound wasn't bad, but it ran much deeper than that, and Zeke tried his best to hide it.

Wiping the blood away, Zeke turned away trying to gain his composure. Turning away from the opponent may become a mistake, but in that moment none of that mattered. Faline could kill him right now if she wanted to.

The waves looked mesmerizing and running to them felt like a better option. Just escape the pain. Run away from the ghosts of his past. It was suffocating him. Each breath caught in the back of his throat, and only when he turned back around did the trapped air escape.

"Just keep fighting. It's all we can do."

It's all I can do.

Nothing mattered anymore. Death was calling, and only one would answer.

He owed it to them to keep fighting.

Table by Calla <3
lyrics: One More Light - Linkin Park

Ezekiel attacks Faline | Sword
7KI8MCMysword

{result: Attack 1185 [Sword] is *DEEP GASH ON STOMACH*, +9.0 dmg + 1 blades} sword

Last Edit: Aug 28, 2018 17:11:14 GMT -5 by Knuckles

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris
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( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Aug 28, 2018 18:33:50 GMT -5

Quote

Post by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris on Aug 28, 2018 18:33:50 GMT -5

A red flood comes to take Ezekiel away — and before I can stop myself, I'm smiling. It's a faint line, my teeth are hidden behind chapped lips, but I still quickly glance his way to see if I've been caught. He's too distracted to notice that his pain has brought me joy. What counts is that I've noticed. And it makes me sick, enough so that I turn away from him and run a sweaty hand through my hair. I blame my bloodlust on how much of it I've lost, but I know the truth. Deep down. I've known it since we began this battle.

( I want him to die. )

Of course I do. It's not a secret. We're both trying to survive — it's just that I hate how ravenous I feel. How feral. But I'm not a wolf. I'm nothing more than a girl. Still, I'm an apex predator. My sisters before me levelled empires, they brought kings to their knees, and that same power's within me. If Ezekiel is afraid of me, I don't blame him. The end is so close, death has arrived in his black chariot to spectate our duel, and the time for gentleness is gone. We can't keep comforting the person that wants to be our murderer.

"Okay. I'll fight." My voice is harder now, the edge of my words are sharp, but I haven't completely lost myself to my hunger. I still look him in the eyes, I still want him to know that I understand. And then he swings, blinded by rage or blood or perhaps both, and the steel of his blade makes such a deep cut across my stomach that my vest is left ruined. My skin's unharmed. That's what counts. I want to be free of this agony. I want to keep burning. "Good hit, Ezekiel. Don't you dare hold anything back."

Adrenaline kicks in and my glaive is easier to lift. It's so much easier to destroy. "Tell me something, Ezekiel." I close in, circling him as the waves rise around us and lightning splits the sky. The world is all at once so bright and so dark. I think to ask how that is, but I'm so tired of unanswered questions. "Do you think we're going to repeat history?" I think back on the last two Games, on how the female tributes from Six before me had met their end. "Do you think that you're going to kill me?" Of course he doesn't, but I know that he wants to.

"Do you think that I can break the curse?"

Of course he doesn't,
but he knows that I want to.

[ griffin ]

( faline attacks ezekiel ; glaive )
RhPqw4Xmglaive
( Shallow Cut on Right Bicep -- 3.5 damage )

glaive

Last Edit: Aug 28, 2018 18:35:29 GMT -5 by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris

all my girls got their lace and their crimes.

Knuckles
Librarian

4,985 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 25, 2024 0:54:18 GMT -5

probably flailing over something

( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Aug 28, 2018 20:01:26 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Knuckles on Aug 28, 2018 20:01:26 GMT -5

should've stayed, were there signs, I ignored?
can I help you, not to hurt, anymore?
we saw brilliance, when the world, was asleep
there are things that we can have, but can't keep

A tiny girl was turning him into a monster, and Zeke was allowing it. His eyes burned as the blood continued pouring from the cut across his head. It obscured his vision, making it impossible to see, but that was where strength came from. Lose one of the senses, and the others become stronger. It wasn't just a myth either because it was witnessed many time by the blind man sitting at the door with extraordinary hearing. Even just sitting on the porch while his wife cooked dinner, he knew what was being made. It amazed him more than anything in the world, and now was his chance to see if it would work for him.

But instead of her guts pouring out on the ground below, her vest simple tore apart. It was frustrating, and the red grew even larger. The little spark that was lit spreads through him like a wildfire. He can't keep playing around - death didn't toy with the ones he stole away, and Zeke wants to rid his grasp. Yet her words caught him off guard once more. It didn't do anything - how was it a good hit? For her, maybe, as she still had breath lingering in her lungs, but for him it was just another miss. A block. Something that didn't matter. Something that tore apart the world as he continued on his way.

So many of his friends had died, and Zeke wanted to fight for them. For the patients that never stood a chance. For everyone that ever thought they were weak. So many times he crawled his way back up until he was standing on two feet. It didn't matter if anyone was holding him up, but right now the healer was alone. Faline didn't care for him. Nobody did. It was him and only him. Relying on lies from others wasn't going to save him - only he could, and he realized that.

"I don't expect any different from you. Hit me with all you got."

They were fighting for their lives, and Zeke wanted nothing less from her. It was time they stopped messing around before something found them. Monsters lingered in the seas - he saw them the day before, and it wouldn't surprise him if they could climb on the land if they didn't speed things up.

Time freezes, and his eyes are locked on her, but before he has the chance to move, the chance to launch another attack, the words she's saying entered his ears. Ever since Teddy won the games, the district six male ended the life of the female. A curse they spoke off, and the words came from the lips of the one trying to kill him. It was something he didn't know the answer to. Something he didn't want to answer. Why give someone hope in a world filled with agony and sorrow? Such a simple word, hope, but it didn't exist. It left the day his mother went to a home beyond the sky. It shattered even more when his sister died.

"You have to want it in order to break it. Otherwise history will just keep repeating itself over and over." It was the only way he knew to answer. The only way to not upset someone who held a knife to his throat.

Did he think she could break the curse? Yes.

Did he want her to? No.

But in the end nobody could blame him.

Table by Calla <3
lyrics: One More Light - Linkin Park

Ezekiel attacks Faline | Sword
TiWCdRzJsword

{result: Attack 1191 [Sword] is *BLOCK*, +0.0 dmg} sword

Last Edit: Aug 28, 2018 20:02:15 GMT -5 by Knuckles

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris
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Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 25, 2024 14:45:09 GMT -5

( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Aug 28, 2018 23:50:15 GMT -5

Quote

Post by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris on Aug 28, 2018 23:50:15 GMT -5

Our hearts are stone — and innocence has come to die in this place. There is no more comfort to be found here. We've ceased to be familiar strangers, two memories from home; we're at war. And there's blood on Ezekiel's face, just as much on mine, but I can see. My aim is true.

His, it seems, is not. Maybe I am meant to become one with rage — maybe he is meant to remain gentle. To remain a healer, just like he said he used to be. When he swings his sword, when he aims for my heart, I lift my glaive and listen fondly to the sound of crashing metal. Of crashing waves. I think all of us are broken toy soldiers.

I'm still whole. The blood on my body is drying. I can't hold him off forever, I know, but at least I have a break from the pain. It washes over me in slow pulses, a burn that seeps down to my bones, but then I open my eyes and I'm alight. I'm staring at my district partner and warding off his attack.

"Okay. I'll do that." Part of me feels ill at how suddenly I've given in to my desperate want for survival, to see another one of those sunrises I always took for granted, but there's another that is almost proud. That urges me to show my teeth. Just because I'm killing Ezekiel doesn't mean I hate him. I'll still visit his father.

"I'll hit you with all that I've got, and I'll prove that I want it. I'll rewrite history." I step closer, taking advantage of his lack of sight, looking over my shoulder at the sea and the terrors that are lurking beneath its surface. I wonder if they're afraid of us. "And you'll do the same. Come on." I lunge at him without hiding my hunger.

"Try to stop me."

[ griffin ]

( faline attacks ezekiel ; glaive )
qPUV5Gx7glaive
( miss )

glaive

Last Edit: Aug 29, 2018 0:44:52 GMT -5 by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris

all my girls got their lace and their crimes.

eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris
RP Tutor

3,413 POSTS

Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 25, 2024 14:45:09 GMT -5

( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Aug 28, 2018 23:50:44 GMT -5

Quote

Post by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris on Aug 28, 2018 23:50:44 GMT -5

Whoops! Looks like I ran into a glitch while posting. Please ignore this.

I apologize for any inconvenience! ♥

[ griffin ]

( faline attacks ezekiel ; glaive )
_0KyjVEIglaive
( N/A )

glaive

Last Edit: Aug 29, 2018 0:48:57 GMT -5 by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris

all my girls got their lace and their crimes.

Knuckles
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4,985 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 25, 2024 0:54:18 GMT -5

probably flailing over something

( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Aug 30, 2018 15:22:31 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Knuckles on Aug 30, 2018 15:22:31 GMT -5

should've stayed, were there signs, I ignored?
can I help you, not to hurt, anymore?
we saw brilliance, when the world, was asleep
there are things that we can have, but can't keep

The waves played a song threatening to put him to sleep. Even in the middle of a dangerous storm, the calming sensation lingered. So many times back home Zeke sat on the ran down porch watching the storms. It was simple, listening to the rain pitter patter against the roof while having a small heart attack each time the thunder rolled. But here where he stood now, the storm played a vicious melody. Like it was calling for people, and only those who listened would follow. It played for the curse of the district six tributes fighting one another. The clouds were watching above wondering if it would finally be broken, or if the curse would live on forever. Even when his sword crashed into the weapon Faline held, Zeke didn't have a chance to give up.

Thunder shattered the sky, and his eyes met the eyes of the one he was fighting, but only for a second. The lightning grew brighter lighting up the area for what felt like an eternity. Perhaps that was all that was needed. The higher being accepting the challenge the two from six through out at each other. Break the curse or let it live on forever.

And Faline agreed. She would fight with all she had - Zeke didn't expect any different. He was fighting with every ounce of strength lingering inside. But the dehydration, the exhaustion, everything was holding him back. The sword was heavier than it was in the beginning when he struck down two people like it was nothing.

So much was riding on this moment. It was his time to make a difference. To make it back to district six. To see his father again, and to pay respects to everyone who lost someone. Maybe even become a better healer by working his way through the hospitals, or even set up his own first aid area near his home.

"Good." One word was all that was needed, but he followed with a quick nod of his head. "I wouldn't have it any other way." A smile slithered across his face, and it othered him. One shouldn't be smiling when death was hanging on the line. Seeing Faline die was the last thing he wanted, but he wanted to live. He wanted to make it home to see his father again. To hug him. To hold him. To let him know just how much Zeke appreciated him for everything, but his district partner was standing in his way.

Side stepping the lunge, Zeke tightened his grip on his sword.

"Come on you can do better than that."

Someone needed motivation, and maybe it was more for himself than anyone else. But he was tired, and Zeke knew he wouldn't last much longer. So he took a deep breath, and as the thunder rolled, the healer charged.

"Show me you want this more than I do."

Table by Calla <3
lyrics: One More Light - Linkin Park

Ezekiel attacks Faline | Sword
VzJimGa8sword

{result: 1075 -- Stabbed in Bicep -- 8.5 damage + 1 blades} sword

Last Edit: Aug 30, 2018 15:23:36 GMT -5 by Knuckles

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris
RP Tutor

3,413 POSTS

Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 25, 2024 14:45:09 GMT -5

( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Sept 2, 2018 12:46:29 GMT -5

Quote

Post by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris on Sept 2, 2018 12:46:29 GMT -5

The wind whispers to me, the rain has a promise to keep — but I don't listen to them. Even as thunder and lightning dance across the sky, I convince myself that I don't want to know the truth of storms. I know enough. And for one moment, a flash of steel slicing through the air and my body landing on the ground, I'm no longer desperate for answers. All I want is to live.

Ezekiel says he wouldn't have it any other way, that he respects my desperation and my hunger. He understands why I want to make him bleed. And when he swings his sword and cuts through my skin all the way down to the bone beneath, as a gush of fresh blood rushes down my scarred arm, I understand why he wants the same. I still scream. Pressing a hand to the torn flesh, trying to stop the bleeding, it's all I can do to stay on my feet.

I only just remember having gotten back up in the first place — when I had missed my target and crashed due to my arrogance. Maybe picking myself up has become routine. I can't decide whether or not that's a comforting thought. The pain is overwhelming, my vision blurs until I see death himself taking a step towards me, but I walk backwards and shake my head. Not yet. I will not ride on that sweet, sweet chariot of his.

"Show me you want this more than I do."

Glaive poised to strike and hands shaking, I am an unsteady threat. Maybe that makes me even more dangerous. All I want is to survive now. I'm willing to stop asking questions until the dark clouds roll away and the light returns to this place — I'm willing to risk an eternity of never knowing, just for a short lifetime of hurting and loving and existing. Maybe those are the same burden.

A lifetime is a lifetime, after all.
Fourteen years are no less than ninety.

I charge.

[ griffin ]

( faline attacks ezekiel ; glaive )
NXZkvUbnglaive
( Shallow Cut on Right Shoulder -- 3.5 damage )

glaive

Last Edit: Sept 2, 2018 12:47:29 GMT -5 by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris

all my girls got their lace and their crimes.

Knuckles
Librarian

4,985 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 25, 2024 0:54:18 GMT -5

probably flailing over something

( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Sept 2, 2018 17:05:27 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Knuckles on Sept 2, 2018 17:05:27 GMT -5

should've stayed, were there signs, I ignored?
can I help you, not to hurt, anymore?
we saw brilliance, when the world, was asleep
there are things that we can have, but can't keep

It was a challenge. A fight. Something Zeke never thought was possible, yet his fourteen year old district partner still stood strong. She was a fighter, someone that he misjudged from the beginning, but nobody who made it this far was weak. Every living tribute was alive for a reason. Even the healer didn't want to give up. This was his chance to make it home. To prove to himself that he was stronger than anyone ever gave him credit for. But never once did he imagine the price he would have to pay.

His heart raced, pounding against his chest, echoing through his skull. The fragile muscle was beyond tired - the exhaustion and dehydration was wearing it down faster than he ever thought possible. Yet Zeke wasn't ready to fall over and die. Many times people tried knocking him over, but the one failure was the person who gave up and never tried. Both were trying their hardest even in the midst of the storm, he knew survival wasn't going to come easy.

This was a race against the clock. One of them would ride out with the angels of death while the other lived for another day, and in the corner of his eye, Zeke saw them drawing closer. The grim reaper stood in place with his crooked finger beckoning for him to follow, yet Zeke simply shook his head.

Blood gushed from the new wound he created, and it almost brought him joy. Death wasn't a pretty sight especially witnessing it many times before, but it was one Zeke was willing to live with. His friends had died - Cesare fell early on just moments after his own blade took the life of another, and now he didn't know where the other two were. Part of him wanted to see them again, but at the same time he didn't want to because he knew what would happen. It was for the best if they died today.

It broke his heart, crushed it beneath the weight of the wish he demanded, but he cared for them. Zeke loved them like family, and it sucked. Fighting against the only piece of home he had sucked, yet he kept going. Even as she struck him over and over, Zeke wasn't backing down. It wasn't in his blood despite him wanting to give up so many times.

His father raised him better, and watching the young girl accept his challenge was remarkable, but today she would die. Today she would face the grim reaper as he carried her away. Perhaps it was Zeke being cocky, but it was the only way it could be.

He took a deep breath and turned his eyes to the sky. The dark clouds were terrifying, and they made every hair stand on end, but it wasn't enough to keep him from moving. Without saying a word, he found his target, and as he exhaled, Zeke willed himself to move. This was a fight he wanted to win. So he did what he had to do and swallow the fear surrounding him.

Without fear, freedom was all that remained.

Table by Calla <3
lyrics: One More Light - Linkin Park

Ezekiel attacks Faline | Sword
T8q5FoOJsword

{result: 1024 -- Severed Right Hand at Wrist -- 9.0 damage + 1 blades} sword

Last Edit: Sept 2, 2018 17:06:06 GMT -5 by Knuckles

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris
RP Tutor

3,413 POSTS

Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 25, 2024 14:45:09 GMT -5

( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Sept 3, 2018 1:38:43 GMT -5

Quote

Post by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris on Sept 3, 2018 1:38:43 GMT -5

The silence is a frightening thing — but having to listen to the chaos around us is hardly a comfort. Ezekiel's tired breaths, the raging thunder, my pained gasps; I don't want any of it. I'm content with numbness, all I seek is an escape from all this agony, but then again I don't. Because I know the price of mercy, having to watch as my casket opens up and invites me to come rest within, but not yet. I can't bring myself to accept that this could be the end. I have to keep bleeding to survive.

I'm not sure why I decided to stop speaking to Ezekiel, why we've shifted from supportive enemies to quiet warriors engaged in a heated clash, but I suppose we've always been an equal share of both. It's just more difficult to see our mutual understanding behind the sharpness of our teeth. And mine are on full display, snarling and hungry and almost white enough to blind the world. They can still see the fear in my eyes, the way my hands are trembling and my glaive is shaking in my grasp. This is not cowardice; this is what it means to look death in the eye.

His steps move in unison with my district partner's, and when Ezekiel swings, I feel the reaper's might alongside his own. And then all that I see is an endless flow of blood, my hand lying on the ground and separate from my body and before I can stop myself I'm bent over and lurching up all that remains in my stomach. Then the pain hits, worse than anything I've ever felt, and I'm screaming. So loud that for a moment, I can't hear the storm. I can't hear Ezekiel's breathing. I can't even hear my panicked sobs. I got my wish. I'm enduring the pain required to be a survivor.

I have to pry my glaive from dead fingers, feeling fatigue wash over me as I crouch down and a fire rushing across my right arm. I know that if I don't fight right now, I'll lose myself to the flames. Another thing I wished for, to always be ablaze. I'm not sure if this is a curse or a blessing, if I've been rewarded or damned. The clock begins to tick and I realize that we will soon find out. But it's just my mind, the slur of my thoughts and the throbbing of my head. Both our hourglasses have been empty for days.

"I want— Ezekiel, I want to—"
I spit out the taste of rust in my mouth.

I'm so tired of wanting.

[ griffin ]

( faline attacks ezekiel ; glaive )
q6VHTo6Zglaive
( Shallow Cut on Stomach -- 4.0 damage )

glaive

Last Edit: Sept 3, 2018 1:39:57 GMT -5 by eulalie blake 1a 🍒 tris

all my girls got their lace and their crimes.

Knuckles
Librarian

4,985 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 25, 2024 0:54:18 GMT -5

probably flailing over something

( laments of the damned ; FV/v.EA/v.CS ; day 6 ) Sept 3, 2018 17:32:35 GMT -5

Quote

Post by Knuckles on Sept 3, 2018 17:32:35 GMT -5

should've stayed, were there signs, I ignored?
can I help you, not to hurt, anymore?
we saw brilliance, when the world, was asleep
there are things that we can have, but can't keep

A river of blood erupt spewing around spraying him across the face. Zeke watched her hand fall to the ground, and his heart crumbled with it. She doubled over as vomit sprayed past her lips covering the rocks. The thunder roared followed by a blood curdling scream - Faline was injured her hand was gone, and it was all his fault.

Part of him felt bad, but some sick part of him enjoyed it. She was inching closer and closer to death giving him the ticket for survival.

A single tear rolled down the side of his face. He felt sorry for her, nobody deserved to go through the pain she went through. But he thought of Cesare and his will to fight. He thought of Dove losing her leg. Zeke wanted to help, to raise her up, but now was his chance.

His father was waiting, and Zeke wanted to make it home.

”I want— Ezekiel, I want to —“

His heart plummeted even more as her blade slammed into a frail piece of armor. Nothing made sense. The pain was real, but this was the price he was willing to pay to make it home alive.

“It shouldn’t have been this way.” His voice broke as the sky gave way once more. “You don’t deserve this.” Dry eyes slowly began failing him as a river poured from his eyes leaving streaks rolling down his face. But I have to do this.

A lifetime was spent trying to please others, and now it was time to live for himself. The broken healer took a deep breath before tightening his grip on the sword. It was hard staring as such a young being, someone the same age as his deceased sister. She was close, but it wasn’t good enough.

His eyes locked on the face of the angel of death standing off to the side as Zeke prepared to present his district partner to him with open arms.

It would make it better if sorry would pay for the sins he made.

Table by Calla <3
lyrics: One More Light - Linkin Park

Ezekiel attacks Faline | Sword
x|j6ypRAsword

{result: 1098 -- Stabbed in Calf -- 8.5 damage +1 blades}sword

Last Edit: Sept 3, 2018 17:36:55 GMT -5 by Knuckles

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe