try and save me [mav/ridley] [vt + blitz]

ryan
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over the moon, where all the wild things are

try and save me [mav/ridley] [vt + blitz] Jan 5, 2020 19:50:36 GMT -5

Post by ryan on Jan 5, 2020 19:50:36 GMT -5

It felt like months since he had watched his sister die on the screen. The sad part was that it had only been weeks, and nothing would change the course of what had happened in that arena.

Maverick Duke would still have to watch his sister killed again and again. They would replay it every week in the city square just to remind the people of three that they aren’t anything more than fodder for demise. It pained him. He was honest in that right. However, he was just going to have to get used to the fact that Charisma would not be coming home.

The capitol would never be that kind again.

So he pursed his lips at the idea and then threw himself back into the ether of just working. Keeping himself busy. That was the only option he had at this point.

That was until the victory tour had finally made its way to three.

He kept himself from going to the ceremony. He couldn’t bring himself to see a picture of his sister being slaughtered again and again. However, he knew that if he didn’t go to the rest of the events for the night he would have been a target of the capitol. So to prepare, he went to the nearest coffee shop and wrote out pages of things that he knew he needed to say in order to appease someone.

After all, this was all an act right? That is what Maverick thought as he snapped yet another pencil on the page he had been writing again. ”Shit.” he said to himself rather loudly.

He really wasn’t ready for any of this.

He would never be.

Stare
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and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

try and save me [mav/ridley] [vt + blitz] Jan 5, 2020 21:20:34 GMT -5

Post by Stare on Jan 5, 2020 21:20:34 GMT -5

Ridley was well versed in the rhythm of the Victory Tour by the time they reached District Three, but that didn't mean she was any more prepared for it. Some of the districts had been relatively easy - faces she barely knew, people she'd never killed - but her reaction to visiting Eleven was enough to warn her that Three, Two, and One would be the most difficult stretch of her journey.

It was easy to be hated by the people she'd killed. It was difficult to be hated by the people she'd loved.

But she was beginning to learn that there were monsters waiting for her out in the other districts, and it was better to face them head on than to pretend that they didn't exist. After the ceremony she asked where Charisma's family was, hoping to track them down before the banquet that night. Someone directed her through the smog toward what she supposed was supposed to be a coffee shop. The boy that she found inside was unmistakably the one she was looking for.

"Shit."

Her fingers brushed over the cool metal of her prosthetic. "It would probably be heartless for me to tell you that I know exactly how you feel, so I won't pretend to."

ryan
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over the moon, where all the wild things are

try and save me [mav/ridley] [vt + blitz] Jan 5, 2020 21:36:36 GMT -5

Post by ryan on Jan 5, 2020 21:36:36 GMT -5

Maverick had no idea what the future was going to hold for him. Nothing made sense as he tried to figure out what he was going to say when he was thrusted onto a stage at the banquet later that night.

His family had made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with Charisma, but they were swiftly told that if they weren’t in attendance, well, it wouldn’t be great.

He didn’t realize just how loud he was in this coffee shop, and while he had no business being here, just like he had no business not showing up to the victor ceremony, it was better then being in public.

That was until Ridley Le Roux appeared behind him. ”How in the-” he started before falling off of the stool and landing right on his bum. It hurt, but not as much as losing his sister. ”oof.” He said verbally as he looked up at the victor who truly was in the flesh. ”I watched you guys closely in the arena. Looked like Charisma had good company.” he extended his hand up.

No more hiding.

Stare
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and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

try and save me [mav/ridley] [vt + blitz] Jan 5, 2020 23:12:44 GMT -5

Post by Stare on Jan 5, 2020 23:12:44 GMT -5

Ridley raised her eyebrows briefly before reaching down with her good hand and pulling him up to his feet. For a moment she could have sworn she heard Charisma's voice ringing in her ear, but an instant later it was gone and she was left feeling remarkably insufficient.

"You don't have to lie here, you know." She glanced around the coffee shop and then toward the window, where the pollution hung so low it was remarkable all of Three wasn't coughing out a lung. How did anyone live here? "There aren't any cameras. You can say whatever you want."

Because she'd decided as soon as she'd arrived home in One that there were certain names which would never be added to her list, and the Dukes were among those precious few. Untouchable. Part of the debt that she owed to a girl she couldn't save.

"She was an inspiration," Ridley said after a pause, returning her attention to Maverick. "Even after she was gone. She inspired me to be brave. Keep going."

ryan
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over the moon, where all the wild things are

try and save me [mav/ridley] [vt + blitz] Jan 5, 2020 23:46:53 GMT -5

Post by ryan on Jan 5, 2020 23:46:53 GMT -5

Maverick still didn’t know how to bite his pride about the whole situation, and maybe that was because he was not ready to let go of Charisma like his family had been. After all, they were so close, even when the rest of the district ostracized her for being so different.

However, an extended hand from the victor before him proved that maybe it was okay to let go of that guard he put up. ”What if I don’t know what to say Ridley?” he was as honest as ever. ”Even now I don’t know how to feel about her death.” his words were solemn at best.

”If I had only knew what her intentions was?” he paused for a moment. ”Or maybe she was trying to tell me the night before the reaping?” he sighed in frustration. He didn’t know how to pinpoint it. He just felt remised about the whole thing.

”She really did have a brave heart. She was fearless, and here I am, trying to hide from you because I am scared of not knowing what to say.” he could tell that she was being genuine, and that enough gave him enough courage to drop whatever façade he put up.

There was no running from this anymore.

Stare
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and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

try and save me [mav/ridley] [vt + blitz] Jan 17, 2020 0:45:24 GMT -5

Post by Stare on Jan 17, 2020 0:45:24 GMT -5

She paused, then pieced together something that might have been a smile if it wasn't so wicked. "Hiding from me is the best idea anyone's had since I won." Because she was chaos and fury mixed with a thirst for vengeance, a sin that might be deadly if it weren't for the fact that Maverick was not one of her targets. The world would have been wise to be afraid. She was an impostor cloaked in gold, determined to rip to shreds every person who had made her feel unsafe.

But Charisma had done the opposite. She'd reminded Ridley what it meant to be truly, selflessly brave, and though she could never be what her ally had been, she held the memory close. She welcomed the presence of her ghost.

"I don't know what to say, either," Ridley admitted, tugging at her wrist where metal met flesh. Her voice wasn't awkward but tired, heavy with the weight of failure that all Victors carried with them. Sure, they'd managed to save themselves. The cost had been high, though, and there were debts that they would never be able to repay. "Except for that I know you wish it was her here instead of me, and that I'm sorry I couldn't protect her." She raised her golden gaze to look at him directly, unwavering. "But apologies and regret don't bring back the dead, do they?"

ryan
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over the moon, where all the wild things are

try and save me [mav/ridley] [vt + blitz] Apr 18, 2020 3:41:44 GMT -5

Post by ryan on Apr 18, 2020 3:41:44 GMT -5

He couldn’t help but laugh at that sentiment. Charisma would have done the same thing. Of course it was always scary meeting someone that had so much left in their wake. Ridley Le Roux had been no different. Even now, Maverick could feel the intensity she gave off, and maybe that came with killing people to come home. However, Mav could tell that she was tired, she was tired of being called a hero, and he would not do so. Ridley Le Roux was no hero in his book. She was just a girl that wanted to come home, and he had to think that Charisma wanted to come home as well. It was the only thing that kept him from taking himself out of the equation all together.

He had to keep living for her anyway, he promised her that much. ”Im surprised to say the least.” a grin was plastered on his face before his hand moved to the back of his head to scratch it. He didn’t think this would be happening. He had been a smart boy, but he never prepared for something like that. Ridley had been human to him, and he never expected Victors to be kind. Maybe Charisma did have good company in the arena. He would hold onto that idea as long as he could at the least.

”No…” he started as he realized that she had said words that Charisma would have admonished her for. They were twins after all. ”If Charisma wanted to be here, she would have fought harder.” The words felt bitter coming out of his mouth, but he knew it was the truth. ”I know that’s harsh, but my sister had a way of picking battles that she was in over her head.” his head hung low for a second. ”She had a reputation for it here in three.” Maverick shook his head before making eye contact with Ridley again. ”It doesn’t bring her back, and I can honestly say, I don’t think she would want to either.” Maverick gave her a light smile.

”She had always been so stubborn if I am being honest.” Maverick realized that Ridley was a normal person just like him. They might have come from different backgrounds, but they had something connecting them, the games and his sister. At this point, she might as well be family. ”If you want, I can show you where we buried her?” Maverick said plainly as his brow furrowed lightly. He didn’t think he would say those words, seeing as the funeral was so recent. However, Charisma would have wanted him to move on. That is what he resigned himself too at the least.

It was for the better.