There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1]

d10f ekta ram // [earthling]
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There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1] Jun 17, 2019 18:52:42 GMT -5

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Post by d10f ekta ram // [earthling] on Jun 17, 2019 18:52:42 GMT -5

A lot of things bothered him about this environment: the variable gravity, the sterile smell, the way walls were actually doors. But there was one thing that grated against his spine, driving him slowly but surely mad: the quiet. When he wasn't clomping along next to his allies (you bet he still made sure his boots stuck to every surface), it was quiet. Too quiet. He'd done an analysis of his sense back home, and his hearing was good. But it wasn't great. How could he be sure that Eos, Harper and Fayre would hear someone coming?

They left the Beam Chamber behind, their flashy totes full, their expressions grim. Victory was a long ways off, realistically. There was no time to celebrate. Maybe if they found somewhere defensible to rest, but that seemed unlikely in the harsh false light. "Do you think they'll dim things for a 'night'?" He asked Eos but didn't expect an intelligent response. Mostly he just wanted the Gamemakers to know he was thinking about it.

He waited for them to descend the double helix stairs one by one. To kill time, he checked his watch, mostly letting the text scroll by. He couldn't help jumping in when Cedar Halt did. Something about his victor-adjacentness... Or maybe that stupid fish. His face screwed up when he thought of the pretty beta back in the Capitol, and then it was suddenly his turn to drop down the stairs.

Leet greeted the foundation with relief. Boxes. Whirring gears. Familiarity. "I don't know if I can fit anything else in," he said, eyes downcast. He swung his tote around, pretending to rifle through it when he knew damn well what was - and wasn't - inside.

He forced himself to look down at his cluttered tote even as he walked - sideways - to stand beside Harper. "Do you think we should stop here?" He asked in an impression of a whisper, far too harsh and breathy to be effective. "Or press on?"

Title lyrics from "Starman" by David Bowie

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dars
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There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1] Jun 19, 2019 11:18:03 GMT -5

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Post by dars on Jun 19, 2019 11:18:03 GMT -5

The stairs were too narrow for comfort; Harper found herself shoved to the front of the group as they descended lower and lower into the arena. She could feel no pressure changes here: gravity was as solid as always as they marched on, her tired legs burning from the exercise, begging her to just stop and take a break. She couldn't; like it or not, she was already playing into the Capitol's hand. She was a career at the head of her alliance who was afraid to show her own vulnerability, a basic human trait. Around every curve, she expected another alliance lying in wait, or a hungry mutt ready to devour them. She would've been the first to die. And yet, her own pride prevented her from doing anything about it.

Alas, for now, the helix staircase held no surprises other than its unwavering stability and the echoing sound of the lights kicking on. Once she realized that the lights above them had been turned back off, she found it safe to assume no one was following them and trudged on until the stairs landed into the mouth of a large room. The atmosphere was different here, crowded with wooden crates and cardboard boxes. Shelves double her own height lined the room in an intricate, not-easy-to-follow pattern, almost like a labyrinth. It was Harper's guess that this had been deliberate, another challenge for all who managed to make it this far.

She only stopped to survey the area for a moment, taking in the vastness of the space and how little of it was left for them to walk in, before she carried on. She snagged a thermos from a shelf- the gamemakers hadn't bothered to leave any at the Cornucopia and if she was going to die, she refused to die due to dehydration. She was from District Four, for Ripred's sake.

Elite hustled up next to her, walking sideways so that he could face her; her eyes were trained on a pile of meal packs on a distant shelf as he spoke.

"Do you think we should stop here? Or press on?"

It was then that she realized she couldn't have been the only one who was tired. Her greatest strength was her ability to run away, and her legs might have been made from gelatin judging by how tired they were. She looked back at them, at the sweat on Fayre's brow, at the way Eos was trying to keep her breathing steady, and at the rapid rise and fall of Elite's chest.

Staying in a place like this was not a good idea. A place so full of supplies, a place with so many ways of getting lost or separated, a place that would have taken too long to navigate safely during the night, if the gamemakers planned on letting them have a night. But her allies looked as tired as she felt; it was better to conserve every ounce of strength they could.

"We can take a break," she said, shrugging off her bag and plopping onto the ground in a heap. Her legs struggled to let her down easily, she'd used her hands to distribute her own weight a bit more evenly.

"Not too long though, deal? We have got to keep moving."

[harper collects a thermos]

^{I AM A GARDEN OF BLACK AND RED AGONIES}

d7f amber bosch 🌿 tris
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There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1] Jun 19, 2019 13:21:25 GMT -5

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Post by d7f amber bosch 🌿 tris on Jun 19, 2019 13:21:25 GMT -5

She keeps her attention on the walls — on the endless stretch of steel, on the lights that flicker just beneath her feet. All she can hear is the crunch of broken glass. It’s almost as if the world has been flipped on its axis, like it has landed on its back with its gut exposed to all passing predators. It is vulnerable. Her surroundings are disorienting, but they are also distracting. That is what matters.

It’s not that Fayre is trying to isolate herself from her alliance, she just doesn’t want to bother them. At least not as they’re travelling, as their bodies are crying out for rest and the arena seems to constrict around them with each step. It’s a strange prison, with cold iron bars — and grateful as she is to be standing firmly on the ground once again, the heavy magnetic boots only make the journey that much more difficult.

The Hunters soon find themselves in a cramped room, full of crates and twisting corridors. The odd alignment of the space only serves to make it appear that much more disorganized, nearly impossible to traverse. She is grateful when Harper offers them a short break, when they set out to search the area that is in range. It would be unwise to stray too far. “Thanks, Captain. You just saved my lungs.”

Her sleeve wipes across her brow, removing the sheen of sweat. She grins at Eos as she scavenges through the boxes, now more comfortable with socializing. “How are you holding up, Killshot?” And then she looks over to Elite, but she doesn’t bother to ask him anything personal. “Found anything yet?” She takes a thermos for herself, only just realizing how dry her throat is. It’s hard to imagine where they could find water in this place.

“What’s the plan, Harper? Where do we go next?”

( fayre collects a thermos )

all my girls got their lace and their crimes

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There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1] Jun 19, 2019 16:47:30 GMT -5

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Post by d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi on Jun 19, 2019 16:47:30 GMT -5

She was a bird, not a wolf.

Eos floated through the air in the arena, taking long leaps as steps, practically flying if she jumped just the right way. There was a way to turn the boots on, to hold yourself on the ground. But she had been limited her whole life.

For once, she could finally be free.

The others seem to prefer to be ground, stuck on their feet, but not her. She liked to fly. Before she knew it, she was quite a few yards ahead of the others. Quickly, she looked over her shoulder to make sure they were still alright. Still alive. And in that brief moment of lost focus she almost ran head first into a door.

And a tribute.

Instinctively, her hand reached towards her gun, but then she realized who it was. She had already killed this girl’s friend, a part of Eos had seen too much death today, she couldn’t come to kill her too.

Not yet at least.

Her eyes followed her silently as Eight struggled to slip on her bag. Without saying a word, she reached out her hand and properly brought the girl’s strap onto her shoulder. It was a gesture of peace. No, not peace. Kindness. One of sympathy.

Because she has felt the pain of losing a friend one too many times before.

The silence remained, but only for a few seconds before the girl broke it with her voice.

”I like your hair.”

Eight reached up, as if she wanted to touch it but then thought better of it. The comment took her by surprise, so instead of saying anything she offered her a warm smile before she bounded off.

A moment of pleasantness.

But she knew the piece wouldn’t last.

Finally the others caught up to her and one by one they made their way through the door. Harper insisted on being the first one to descend the helix staircase into the new area, and she didn’t dare argue with her.

The Beam Chamber was long behind them, and her eyes quickly searched the place for any signs of danger, or anything that might be useful. She was in awe of the sheer size of the place, how many chambers of similar grandeur could they fit into this place? Eos wasn’t sure if she wanted to find out.

Elite decided to break the silence.

”Do you think they’ll dim things for a night?”

A fair question. What would they do when the tributes needed rest? Deprive them? There were a million answers to the question, but instead she decided to shrug her shoulders. ”Who knows, time seems to be an illusion here anyway. My guess is they’ll let us sleep when they want us to.”

They were in charge. No matter how much they wanted us to believe we have a chance.

They are the ones that decide our fate.

The group decided it would be best to break, and there seemed to be plenty to explore around her, so Eos let herself dig through the excessive amount of boxes, searching for anything that could help keep them alive. She was elbow deep in a box when Fayre’s voice broke her focus.
Killshot.

She wasn’t quite used to it yet.

And she wasn’t sure she ever would be.

”Been better, definitely been worse,” she said with a wink as she continued digging through the boxes. ”Don’t cut yourself on anything sharp, okay?” she said with a slight laugh. Leave it to Fayre to injure herself without any enemies around.

Finally when she felt as she searched through as many possible boxes as she could, she threw her bag back over her shoulders and looked at the others. They were trying to decide where to go. She wasn’t sure what would be next for them, but she knew it wasn’t here.

”I think we should keep moving?” a slight questioning tone in her voice. She didn’t want to tell the others what to do, but she knew it would be best. ”Who knows what’s behind us. And I for one, certainly don’t want to find out.”

Death was searching for them.

And maybe, just maybe, the more they ran the longer they would be able to avoid Him.

( eos collects a thermos )

Last Edit: Jun 19, 2019 16:48:39 GMT -5 by d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi

❝ moon dust in your hair, stars in your eyes ❞

lance
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gay and chaotic? call it gayos

There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1] Jun 20, 2019 2:57:36 GMT -5

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Post by lance on Jun 20, 2019 2:57:36 GMT -5

I swear, these watch things are whack as shit.

Not three minutes after I had left Kit to watch over our stuff had I discovered the chat function of the previously-assumed-to-be-useless gadgets. That had been surprising, to say the least. And that was before I found Ike, already getting into who-knows-where and finding who-knows-what. Like, god damn, I genuinely like that boy, but just because a robot is small and cuddly does not mean it's harmless.

But oh well, it's not difficult to figure things out. And okay, let's say that flirting over text is a lot, lot easier than flirting in person. Okay, maybe it's because I've done both things for the first time within the last two weeks, but I digress.

It's not unpleasant, either. Kit pops up a couple of times, his mere presence in the channel assuring me that I'm okay. And I do what I can to stay active as I search for goods, to assure him of the same.

And then there are the others. Ike, of course, that pretty boy. Then there's Dio, the boy from Two, who seems okay, and Elite from Four who also seems decent enough. And then of course there's Cedar, Arbor's kid, who's the first to figure out the extra function of the watchapp thing - the pictures - and started doodling icons of both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Including me! Even though I'm pretty sure that was to get me to stop focusing on Ike. Oops.

But adding the picture to my profile is a struggle, taking me nearly a full minute of looking down at my watch and messing with settings to accomplish. But I do figure it out, eventually.

Elite types back at me, and I'm about to ask him what he means when a shadow flickers out of the corner of my eye.

Too late, I realize that I had gotten way too invested in the watch, and in doing so...

Well, let's just say that running into a group of four that included both Fours, a Ten, and a Nine was only the second scariest thing that had happened this fine day.

For a second, there's silence. Nobody moves, until, in completely untypical Jacob fashion, I'm the one that breaks the silence first.

"Uh, hi guys!" I say, though it ends up sounding more like a squeak. Nervously, my eyes flit over towards the one boy in the group. "Um, I think I'm good, Elite! But thanks for offering!"

Still no signs of aggression emerge from any of them, which is probably a good thing considering they seem mostly unscathed and I'm outnumbered four to one. "Uh, I'll just be going now," I say, pulling off the most inconspicuous one-eighty degree turn that I've ever done in my entire life. "Good luck!"

Please don't shoot me please don't shoot me please don't shoot me please don't-

j a c o b f e l

credit to darsypoo uwu

credit to fireflyz!

credit to stare!

d10f ekta ram // [earthling]
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cameron stood in line for an hour for a stupid ride for me <3 best <3

There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1] Jun 20, 2019 9:17:18 GMT -5 via mobile

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Post by d10f ekta ram // [earthling] on Jun 20, 2019 9:17:18 GMT -5

Day 1 fillerrrr

Harper, their de facto leader. He was pretty okay with that, especially since they were on the same wave length.

Startled, blinking furiously at Jacob. "You are welcome."

Sweeping his arm towards the next door? Airlock? "That, my friends, is our cue to leave. Too crowded here."

Too crowded everywhere.

[Elite flees.]

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dars
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There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1] Jun 20, 2019 12:48:27 GMT -5

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Post by dars on Jun 20, 2019 12:48:27 GMT -5

The voice was enough to force her to her feet despite their ache. It was enough for her trigger finger to grow hungry, eyes darting to and fro as she searched for its source.

A boy from a lower district, voice sounding just as scared as Harper felt in that moment as her eyes locked onto him. She didn't see his weapon trained on any of them, she didn't see reinforcements behind him. He was all alone. Stupid, she thought, for drawing attention to himself when there were so many of them and only one him. So utterly defenseless; she watched as the realization set across his features and he began to back away. Half of her wanted to shoot him right then and there, to take out an easy target while she could. The other half was human.

Catch or release?

"Uh, I'll just be going now," he said, spinning around to face the other direction, "Good luck!" She refused to take her eyes away from him, if only for a second to make sure no one else was sneaking up behind them. Catch or release?

As the boy disappeared behind a particularly densely-stocked shelf, she decided. Bigger fish to fry. She turned to the others, shrugging on her bag and ignoring the tenseness in her limbs.

"That, my friends, is our cue to leave. Too crowded here," Elite said, doing the same.

"Agreed. Let's go."

[harper flees]

^{I AM A GARDEN OF BLACK AND RED AGONIES}

d7f amber bosch 🌿 tris
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There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1] Jun 20, 2019 14:08:08 GMT -5

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Post by d7f amber bosch 🌿 tris on Jun 20, 2019 14:08:08 GMT -5

"Don't cut yourself on anything sharp, okay?"

She rolls her eyes at the comment, shoving Eos gently. It's dangerous, the game her alliance is playing — acting as if friendship is possible in the arena. She has to remind herself that the blood on their hands has only just dried, that their smiles are nothing more than masks. She doesn't know these people. At least not in the way that counts. What terrifies her most is that these peaceful moments will always be pretend, that the rules have been rigged from the start.

But this is not a hand
she can afford to fold;
she has to play.

Quiet laughs and hushed voices are soon drowned out by footsteps, too far away to be their own and too close for comfort. She's only just made it to her feet when the boy from Eleven appears, seemingly just as shocked to find himself not alone in this place. This is the kind of pretending that she does not mind. It's easier to sleep when you let yourself believe that nothing is waiting for you up ahead, that the shadows moving along the walls have no secrets to hide.

Here is one standing before her, with his uncertain words and retreating footsteps. "Uh, I'll just be going now." She wonders if they will stop him, if the careers will see an advantage and take it. The thought is disturbing, but it still comes: he would be an easy kill. But then he's gone, and they are left with only the sound of their own breaths. The pause is short, just enough time to process what has happened. "That, my friends, is our cue to leave."

They are all in agreement, bags thrown over their shoulders and weapons held tight. "You don't need my vote, but yeah, let's get out of here. I'm good to go." Maybe that's another lie. Her shins throb with a dull pain, cheeks flushed and fingers shaking when she holds them out in front of her. She keeps them curled, wills herself to stay still. Because if lying is the only way to win, then she will do what must be done. They don't need to know that she's afraid.

And she doesn't need to know
that her friends want her dead.

( fayre flees )

all my girls got their lace and their crimes

d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi
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There's a starman waiting in the sky // [Hunters Day 1] Jun 20, 2019 21:10:26 GMT -5

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Post by d1b. xylia fray ♕ kaяi on Jun 20, 2019 21:10:26 GMT -5

Umm filler flee because its already thursday excuse me ??

Eos:

who tf is this man? looks questioningly at elite before rolling her eyes

kinda wants to kill him kinda doesn't? very conflicted here

doesn't even say anything and just walks to the air lock get her tf outta here

"i've always been claustrophobic"

(eos flees)