miranda tern (fins) wrote in colosseum, @ 2014-02-28 19:35:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! 56th games, - arena, tribute: 56th halle gremlin, tribute: 56th miranda tern |
WHO: Halle Gremlin [D6] and Miranda Tern [D4]
WHAT: An encounter on a stormy night.
WHEN: Night 13
WHERE: Ghoulish Guesthouse
STATUS/WARNINGS: Complete, and it's the Hunger Games.
The rain showed no signs of ever letting up. The go kart track was muddied and disgusting; her cart wasn't doing her much good now. Not unlike her knee. Halle wasn't going to be doing much running anymore. She limped her way through the darkening evening back to the graveyard. Using the fence as a support allowed her to take some pressure off her injury, but it didn't seem to be getting much better. The gate, of course, was still stuck. Halle tried to rattle it open for a while, but to no avail. She hoped maybe the rain (or who knew, maybe the Gamemakers) would see fit to finally let her inside after all her time there, but that didn't seem to be the case. Suddenly, the lights of the house blazed to life, streaming brightly out of every window and cutting through the dim rain. Halle was instantly alert; this was either a very good or a very bad sign. She pulled at the gate again, but again, nothing. Miranda had spent the past day huddled in the Biali Brothers' Sideshows, but the tents themselves were not effective protection from the rain -- they leaked and dripped and blew dangerously from side to side. She had always been superstitious, and she was sure it was a Sign from the Gamemakers to get the fuck out of there and keep moving, and she didn't want encouragement. She saw the lights glimmering from the Ghoulish Guesthouse after several hours of aimless walking, and turned towards it, wishing somehow that the light and warmth could seep into the numb fingers that were gripping her spear and daggers. But there was a blurry figure in front of the gates -- and adrenaline suddenly thrummed in her veins. Sephora's death hadn't felt like a triumph in the way she was used to, but an outlier's certainly would. "Hey!" Miranda called at Halle, voice barely audible over the rain and wind, "Thanks for waiting for me!" Spear in hand, she broke into a run. At first, Halle wasn't sure if it was a voice or a trick of the wind and rain, but when she looked back, the figure was definitely there. The spear caught enough light from the house for a glint to shine through the darkness--very sharp and very real. Halle's hammer wouldn't do much good against a long weapon like that, even if she could wield it properly. She couldn't run and she could barely fight. She almost laughed; dying at a graveyard had a certain poetic feel to it. She braced herself for the pierce of the spear. The gate, unbidden, swung open. Halle bolted through it. Running on a twisted knee through the mud and rain was no easy feat, but there wasn't another choice. This was a gift and she couldn't waste it, especially not with the spear-wielding tribute bearing down on her. Miranda, watching the gate open, picked up speed, feeling her heart pound, solid and sure against her ribs. But it was too late -- she stopped short as the gate slammed shut in front of her. Slipping and sliding in the mud, she let out a string of obscenities. "This is just temporary, Six," she yelled at Halle and the howling wind. "You are not fucking standing in between me and going home, and remember that." She pressed her face against the bars, baring her teeth at Halle. The rain wasn't letting up, and her face was glowing from wet and cold. With a final dejected sigh, Miranda turned to trudge away. This time, Halle heard every word Miranda had to say. She sighed with relief and even smirked at the threats. Pushing back the urge to call back and taunt the Four was not easy, but Halle managed it. For all she knew, the gate would swing open again any second. She put as much distance between herself and the gate as she could, just in case. Four seemed to be leaving, but Halle wasn't about to turn her back on the gate, either. Backing up with only glances over her shoulder, she made her way to the door of the house, which was firmly locked. Of course it was. Perhaps there was another door? Or maybe she could climb through one of those brightly-lit windows… She waited until she was satisfied that Miranda was gone and the gate was staying shut before exploring much further. Her steps were short, and she held onto the side of the house for support as she went. Her eyes didn't travel to the ground until she felt a sharp crunch underfoot. She pulled back her foot to reveal something long and white, now broken in half. A bone. Halle gasped; they were everywhere. That the bodies of the departed tributes might lie buried by their headstones had occurred to Halle, though she tried to bury the thought. That their bones might be scattered over the ground had not. It was a relief when she saw a skull, shaped wrong to be human. Halle knew next to nothing about the skeletal system, but with that skull she could be sure at least some of these bones were animal instead of human. The rain continued to pour. Unsettling though they were, Halle found a few strong, sturdier bones. Who knew, maybe she could wear them down into something sharp. Everything she'd been using was blunt and clunky. The gate stayed shut for hours. Halle took what shelter she could in the overhang from the house; the windows and doors never opened for her. A little silver gift came from the heavens, but otherwise, there was nothing to do but wait. |