blue blooded | opal | Hunger Games: The RPG

blue blooded | opal Jul 8, 2020 2:57:26 GMT -5

Post by gamemaker kelsier on Jul 8, 2020 2:57:26 GMT -5

v a l e r i a n .

"I don't wanna turn my back
But I don't want a part of that
In the aristocracy"

Victor's village.

He felt odd standing there, backpack slung over his shoulder, letter in hand and gazing down the barrel of the small circle of houses. They were all cookie cut like some weird, haunting ghost story about suburbia. Val glanced over his shoulder back the way he'd come. The street was lined by trees and quiet. Nobody else lived out here, most of the houses sat empty but for a few. One had been too hasty with houses, there weren't enough Victors to fill them.

It was fucking creepy.

He didn't have anywhere else to go through, not since his father had died and his mom had already left for her next mission. The house had rolled over to the new tenants on the first and just like that, he'd lost his home. He barely even registered the weird feeling that had brought, he'd gotten used to loss.

He'd always been curious of Opal when he'd been little. Val had collected newspaper clippings about her and her mysterious child she kept hidden away. When his mom was away for long months on a mission and the other kids got mean, he'd think about Opal and Ky in their big Victor house. His dad worked nights so he'd have to be quiet during the door and he's often be all alone after dark.

When he felt lonely, he'd take all the clippings out and arrange them on the floor at his feet.

Val had forgotten about that. He'd found the clippings in the bottom of a drawer when he and his mom had been cleaning out the house the other day and he'd tossed them out. Their place had been full of a good amount of junk, stuff his father had collected over the years and never gotten rid of. At the end of all things, he hadn't needed any of it.

Val sighed and shouldered his bag before walking into Victor's Village. He felt a chill on the back of his neck as if he were being watched. Maybe that was just knowing he didn't belong there. He felt like he was trespassing.

All he really had to prove himself as family was his mom's letter and the camera she'd given him when he was six, if that was proof at all. Anyone in their right mind would turn him away, letter or not, it could be forged. It would be better to save himself the embarrassment and just go get a part-time job or something. Maybe he could just make a bed from the safety mats at his training centre.

Opal was likely to take one look at him and send him away. He hardly looked like his mom, barely looked like his dad. Once, just once, his dad had been drunk and he'd just looked at Val and said, so damn quiet, "Bet you're not even mine."

Maybe he was right.

But his dad hadn't been a bad man, he'd just had bad luck.

Val walked until he reached the house with a golden plaque reading 'Earnest'. It felt odd to see his own last name there, unearned. Actually it kind of made his skin crawl, as if it were an omen.

"Get a hold of yourself, asshole," he muttered to himself and then before he could stop himself, he strode purposefully up the walk and pressed his finger against the buzzer.

If he was lucky, no one would be home and all he'd have to do was say he tried. The sound of approaching footsteps though promised confrontation and Val cursed his luck, probably inherited from his dad.

Well at least it might not be Opal, then he could just make an excuse and just leave, say he'd gotten lost or something, yeah.

That could work.

blue blooded | opal Jul 10, 2020 0:04:56 GMT -5

Post by cass on Jul 10, 2020 0:04:56 GMT -5

o p a l.

My mind is spun
I've had enough
Feels like I'm burning down the flames rise up
And I can't tell what's coming next
Feels life is like a game of roulette

Her one day off for the entire week, at least she hoped it would be. It was never completely certain, she could have someone calling her at any moment, requesting her presence and she was not allowed to say no. The instructions the Capitol had given her had been clear, they left no room for arguments or misinterpretation.

Do what they said and Ky would be safe. Simple, right? Easy enough. She was terrified. Ky had so few reapings left, that she assumed her failure would end up with his name being called. What happened beyond that? Just the thought of what they might do to him just because Opal had failed made her want to throw up.

Her entire life she had never been good enough, never measured up to the expectations around her and it had destroyed her childhood. She had grown into a teenager who believed she was worthless, an adult that felt as though she didn’t belong. A mother who wasn’t good enough. Never good enough, so how was she supposed to do this? Hadn’t she brought Justice home? Hadn’t Ridley just come home?

Not enough. It was never enough.

She’d spent too long in bed, body aching from the past few months of grueling and physical work. The garden was begging for her attention, and she had begun the year by trying her best to wake up earlier in the morning to spend some time in it. That had quickly evaporated by the second week, too dizzy and fatigued to climb down the stairs to pull some weeds. The garden was suffering from her neglect, bugs had already invaded and the weeds were starting to become so troublesome that they were taking nutrients away from the vegetables.

Rolling over Opal faced the ceiling, dark circles lined her eyes, a permanent feature to her complexion. She was thankful her skin wasn’t ridiculously pale, instead the circles were hidden and she was left to feel the exhaustion by herself. She could stay here, just a little longer, she was sure Ky wasn’t home. She had a vague memory of waking up to the sound of the front door closing. Could have been a dream, or hallucination, she wasn’t sure. The house was quiet, and she closed her eyes, soaking in the silence.

The doorbell buzzed.

Opal blinked, sighing as she tilted her head to face the entrance to her bedroom. She stared into the darkness, all the blinds pulled shut, a gentle stream of light peeking through the few small gaps here and there. The house was not clean, the dust in the air danced delicately in the sunlight, clothes thrown on the floor of her bedroom. Every night she returned home too tired to do anything other than collapse.

Her features knitted themselves into a gentle frown. No one came over, she had pushed the Shore family from her life. Her husband was dead, she had no friends, the last person to visit-

Her blood went cold.

Suddenly, she was jumping from her bed, pulling on a jumper as she raced down the stairs, heart-catching in her throat. As she reached the bottom she came to a jerking stop, feet planted firmly in front of the dark oak door. Goosebumps climbed their way up and down her legs and arms, and she hugged herself, feeling the pounding pressure of her heart against her ribs as she stared at the stained glass.

A black shadow stood before her and it was with a trembling hand that she reached for the door handle. Hesitating, the cool touch of metal under her rough skin was not comforting, a phone barrier between herself and a one-way ticket to a ruined day.

When she opened the door, the man in the suit was not there. The instant relief had her knees shaking as she started at the young man before her. Opal blinked, the twist in her stomach loosening.

“Hi,” she said. He was holding something, and he looked unsure of himself, as though he wasn’t meant to be here. She felt the same way every damn day. She offered him a warm smile, her own uncertainty swimming in her gaze, “was there something I could help you with?”