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Post by Kulvar on Nov 15, 2012 21:11:34 GMT -5
Brass Power, District 2 Male[/u][/color] Brass smiled at Ember, then Roger, giving the latter the once over. Meat or potential ally? For the moment, Brass lumped him into the 'meat' category, along with several other tributes in the room. Ember and Jasper had yet to be dumped there. "Truer words have rarely been uttered, though I'd recommend bringing protection if you're wanting Glory in any sort of sack, be it the sleeping sort or not." He winked at Glory. He was glad that Felix'd not allied everyone against them, as Ember seemed to be on her own. Testing the waters, they were warm when compared to Felix's frigid. He set to doing his final set of reps on the machine. pumping 8,10,1,7,10,5,10,5,9,5 (5 successes) pumping 5,7,8,3,7,1,1 (1 successes) Pumping 10,6,6,10,7,2,7,6,1 (2 successes)
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QuinnTalon
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For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the sheltered will never know.
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Post by QuinnTalon on Nov 16, 2012 11:51:20 GMT -5
Jan ColtonSeemed he was destined to just...not do well in training. Too conscious of the judgment around him, he guessed, though the wound he left to the dummy's leg wasn't a bad one. Much like the one his brother go the first night. Pa said after seeing it, there was a good chance Jace may have lost his leg. If he'd survived. It wasn't infected, but days of sub-par field treatment without a doctor? He'd be lucky if he kept it, let alone if it were fully functional by the end of everything... ...Enough of that. This one, though, was more debilitating. Jan could see that. He'd taken the time and had stabbed his opponent through the thigh. It wasn't a killing hit... ...But he grinned. A little maniacal. A little sadistic. Sponsors loved seeing that sort of thing, even in the emotionally manipulative tributes. Like Jan. 2012-11-16 17:45:15 Jan Colton rolled 12 dice to "Weaponry + Strength + Knife Specialty + 2 (2 Rounds of Prep) + 3" 10,6,6,5,5,2,6,8,5,2,6,3,3 (2 successes)
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Post by Seryna on Nov 20, 2012 14:06:13 GMT -5
Camouflage station: Felix & Sassinak
"Thank you." Sassinak smiled sweetly at Felix. She had loaded her fingers up with paint and began to streak her face with shadowing colors, checking a mirror to study her work. "Pale skin won't help us in a forrest, will it?" She wondered.
"No. Its best to cover your skin as best as possible. Sunburns are unpleasant, and more clothing that you can camoflague gives you versatility. You can have a set of forrest green clothing and a set of stone grey for when you have to move between climates." Amethyst advised.
"One thing to remember is that mud and water on your clothing will affect the warmth. You'll want to add more layers beneath them or do your camoflague on a top layer; your jacket. If it warms up and you have to shed it, use it as a blanket cover while you work on your bottom layer."
"Not a bad idea." Sassinak reflected. She looked towards Felix. "Guess we'll need to get more changes of clothes. I don't remember the other tributes having more than the two sets."
"More is always better." Amethyst stated her opinion. "They can double as tourniquiets, carrying bags for berries and of course, you should always change as soon as you get wet."
Sassinak nodded slowly. "Is there anything else?" "Movement." Ameythyst advised. "You want to keep it at a mimimum. People scan at head height for movement. Hunters learn to lower or raise thier eyes. You want to move through areas with sparse cover and crouch or kneel behind boulders, trees or in gulleys and plan your next move. Look at the ground. You can pick up more camoflague from loose sticks and stones; and you don't want to step over areas that make noise, like dry grass or leaves."
Sword Station: Jan & Victoria
Victoria listened to Marlin's 'you have encountered this fellow...' speech with little interest, waiting for a pause in the trainer's speech to act. She drove the sword tip forward, fimly planting it into the dummy's left arm. She freed the sword and studied the dummy for a moment before doing the exact same action. The trainer, having studied Victoria's stance, moved her six feet to Jan's left. While Jan continued his progression, Victoria watched the trainer's demonstration of fighting form with a sword.
Victoria rolled 6 dice to "Sword Practice" 1,5,1,8,6,8 (2 successes)
Victoria rolled 6 dice to "Sword Practice" 6,4,9,9,6,4 (2 successes)
Marlin studied Jan's wound, nodding slightly to himself. "Its not a bad attack." He replied at seeing Jan's face. "You made a good cut. Half of the tributes tend to die of infection; so you may have killed this one any way. Now we're going to ook at the cut. Its a good lateral incision, missed major artieries but its still going to affect this fellow. He's bleeding. His ability to run is hampered. His footwork is terrible now. You look like a lad light on your feet. In the arena, dance around him, on his bad side."
Marlin lightly hopped around the dummy, pausing two feet behind the dummy, facing his back.
"You can reassess the situation from here." He explains. "If he's slow on his feet and you have the advantage, take the advantage."
The trainer danced forward, bringing his blade up - not at the torso; but at the other leg, at the knee.
"Come and see." He gestured for Jan to look at the impression. "Cut at the weak joint of the knee. A kick there makes one off balanced. A blade severs crucial ligaments. Theres not enough time in the arena to heal crucial tissue injuries, not unless your mentor is Midas."
Marlin led Jan to another dummy. "Make two severe attacks," He advised. "Try tor eally damage him. Once he falls, make the killing blow. Head, neck or torso is what I advise. After some time you might figure out where the heart is; but theres two lungs easily placed." Marlin advises dryly.
[ Three rolls, normal difficulty. First two are attacks, third is for a 'killing blow]
Weight Training Station
Roger gives Ember a surprised glance at her comment. He clears his throat and glances over towards Glory, somewhat warily. Glory favored Roger with a smile, a sweet one for her. It appeared to bewilder the boy.
"About done here." [/b]Glory stated as she pushed out her last chest presses. She sat up, wiping sweat from her brow.
"- you two aren't slouches." [/b]She commented sweetly. "Roger, I haven't seen you around. Where have you been hiding?"[/b]
"Uh," Roger released his weight and straghtened, stretching out his chest. He pointed with a finger towards the climbing station.
"Good choice." [/b]Glory lavished. "I heard Isolde was worried about flooding. What do you think?" [/b] She glances over towards Ember, including her in the conversation. "Only been two Games since the last flood." Roger said hesitantly. His words started coming faster and with more confidence once he elaborated. "Seems soon for another one. I think there would be something like that volcano."
The trainer stopped by with bottles of water thats she dispersed among the tributes. "Good showing," She stated. "- I feel confident that you've gotten stronger than you were, if you'd like to move on."
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CuteLikeMurder
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Post by CuteLikeMurder on Nov 20, 2012 15:43:29 GMT -5
Ember Clay: The Girl who Liked to Play with Fire (District Twelve Female Tribute)[/u]
Ember laughed, full on at Brass' comment. "So, true. Sweetness ain't no push over..." Her grin turned devilish. "Don't go tellin' folks I gave her a compliment. I gotta a rep to uphold and all that."
She winked at Glory and the phrase "flirting with disaster" came to mind. But that was Ember was testing the waters. People let her because most thought that it was out of insecurity. Ember wasn't magnetic. Not like Cinder. But Ember always so... composed, even when she was being obnoxious or rude, there was always a degree of self-control. Almost like she was pushing someone's buttons to test their character.
"Look, at us being all nice together. True sportsmanship being displayed here," Ember said, with her usually smirk.
"I told Sweetpea not to worry 'bout the things we can't control. Floods, volcanos, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados... Can't do a damn thing 'bout that. What we can do it get stronger and become better tributes," Ember told Glory, sincerely. "Also good job on getting Handsome here out of his shell. I thought I was gonna be doin' all the talking..."
When the instructor told Ember she was done she clapped excitedly.
"Praise the One." Ember told the newcomer. "Well, folks I'm off... Handsome if you want to tag along I wouldn't mind the company. But I'm off to learn how to be stealthy. Nice chattin' wit y'all."
She nodded to the trio before she started to walk away. And after a few moments, Ember found herself at the Camouflage Station. She heard the tail in the of conversation.
"The trainer knows her stuff... Hunters do learn to raise or lower our line of sight. And they are wicked patient. We look for things that don't belong, like shiny bottons... Or super pale skin..." Ember looked at Sassinak and Felix when she said the last part, and then looked at the trainer. "Sorry, Ember Clay, District 12... I'm wanna to learn about basic camo and concealment."
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Post by Lite on Nov 20, 2012 16:25:48 GMT -5
Felix listened to the conversation between Sassinak and Amethyst, taking in every word that they were saying. Amethyst certainly knew her stuff, Felix realised, and he had to remember everything if he wanted to succeed in the arena. Camouflage-wise, of course. He carried on painting his hand, wanting to be unable to recognise it.
His eyes ran across the work he and Sassinak had done on the jackets. “Top layer, right. Thanks.” He nodded slowly. He found himself wondering what kind of Arena he would be placed in, slightly worried that he would forget all of this newfound knowledge in the heat of the moment. With a shake of his head, Felix forced himself to focus on what they were doing, and were they were standing.
He listened to Amethyst’s explanation of hunters, and then he was surprised to see Ember standing next to them. The ways he spoke unsettled Felix a little, but that was definitely a good thing. He looked at her and nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He said with a neutral tone, before looking back to Sassinak and smiling. “Okay, so we know what to look out for in a forest. What about out in the open; if there’s no forest this year it isn’t going to help us to look like trees, right?” He smiled, his eyes connecting with the trainer’s again.
“If we’re say, in a field or something. What could we do to keep undetected from certain predators.” His eyes moved to Brass across the room at first, but he glanced at Ember too. She’d confirmed that she, too, was a threat. “As best we can, of course, until we can bolt.”
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Post by Seryna on Nov 20, 2012 19:30:18 GMT -5
Weight Training Station Brass, Glory, Ember & Roger
Glory echoed Ember's smirk, giving the girl from district twelve a rare glimpse of her humor.
"Yes, we're on a roll with sportsmanship. All sweet. " She gave Roger a flirtatious smile. "Bet you didn't expect this, did you?"
"No." The young man answered honestly, without a second to think. "I was sort of expecting more grunting and chest pounding. I mean. Um." His eyes widened as he gave an alarmed glance between Glory and Brass.
"Roger, relax." Glory's smile still looked natural and sweet. "I saw last years Games, too. Cade did do that little grunt thing. And what about that one kid from ... um, was it Nine? " She glanced towards Brass. "Buckley? That was one abnormal kid. " She favored Roger and Ember with her full attention again. "Brass and I can take a joke."
Roger seemed to physically relax. "Good bye Ember." He bid as Ember moved off towards the Camoflague station.
"More kids at the camoflague station this year." Roger noted, seeming genuinely relaxed. He gave Brass a quick searching look, before turning to watch Ember join Felix and Sassinak.
Camouflage station Ember, Felix & Sassinak
"Hello Ember. I am Amethyst." The trainer introduced herself, seeming pleased at Ember's arrival. "Felix and Sassinak are wrapping up the basics of camoflague. " She gives Ember a polite smile. "Then we can discuss your own learning. "
Amethyst considered Felix's question. "Fields are a difficult area to traverse undetected. You'll want to make note of the winds that bend the stalks of plants. Walking between the stalks will bend the shape of the field and you could be detected. The best way to move undetected is to move slowly and if you can, with the natural contours of the plant. Listen for when the wind picks up and move in its direction."
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CuteLikeMurder
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Post by CuteLikeMurder on Nov 20, 2012 21:06:32 GMT -5
Ember Clay: The Girl who Liked to Play with Fire (District Twelve Female Tribute)[/u]
"You do that, Broody. You do that..."
No one could know the plan. Not yet. Not until it was set in motion.
"Also stay low in the high grass..." Ember added. "No need to rush it unless you know that they know you're out there. In nature animals move slow and steady unless they've been spooked. When you're hunting them, you have to move like them. But when you're hunting people you're looking for things that don't show up in nature." She paused, shrugging. "Or so they tell me... actually never been able to test that combat theory myself."
The first tip was free.For the next one she might have to charge them.
Charge them what? Ember didn't know. Felix and Sassinak were cute but a little young. Maybe something she could actually use.
Ember would think about it later. Then perhaps she'd get back to Felix on what he owed her.
"I'm be over here when you're ready for me, Teach," Ember told the instructor with a happy grin.
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QuinnTalon
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For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the sheltered will never know.
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Post by QuinnTalon on Nov 20, 2012 21:46:30 GMT -5
Jan Colton; The Boy with the Capitol Good Looks (District 9's Volunteer Tribute)
It hadn't been a very good hit. He was a bit of a perfectionist that way, and Jan wanted to impress. So he listened. Took in every word that the instructor was saying. Victoria was doing her exercises, and Jan looked sidelong at her once. He was at a sword station with a Career. There was no way in he-ll he was going to look like prey. His whole purpose required that he get out of the Bloodbath alive, and he wouldn't look like prey. No way. 2012-11-21 01:49:38 Jan Colton rolled 6 dice to "Weaponry + Strength + Knife Specialty - 1" 5,3,8,6,8,4 (2 successes) Jan Colton rolled 7 dice to "Weaponry + Strength + Knife Specialty (Spetnaz Roll)" 10,9,10,6,6,6,9,10,8,5 (6 successes)
Two hits. One mediocre one to the left wrist, and then he feinted to the right, stabbed left, and ended up burying his knife in what would be the soft tissue of the upper thigh of the dummy. It was a good hit. A damned good hit. Jan could feel it. Could feel it when he pulled the blade, and paced as the dummy went down... ...And then he struck. Hard. Fast. Stabbed the fallen 'tribute' in the throat without prejudice. He'd pretended many times in District 9 that the tree in that very secret place where he trained himself was a person. Was someone he wanted to kill. Was someone he had to kill. JJan Colton rolled 12 dice to "Weaponry + Strength + Knife Specialty + 2 (2 Rounds of Prep) + 3" 9,3,3,2,2,10,9,7,8,2,2,8,5 (5 successes)
Would they choke on the blade? Would they try to breathe around it? What would their eyes look like, as they stared up at him, blood-soaked and ruthless? Was that the way Jace looked....? No. He'd been peaceful. He'd fallen asleep and had felt no pain, and hadn't ever woken up.... ...It was enough, to bring him back to himself. To have him pulling the knife from the fake-throat of the fake-tribute, and looking to the instructor as he flipped it inward, breathing heavily and just a little crazed. Either way. Live or die. I win.It was a liberating knowledge. A dangerous knowledge. One that he was going to keep to himself, even as he grinned at the instructor. "Teach me more."
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Post by Lite on Nov 21, 2012 14:03:12 GMT -5
Felix was appreciative of what Amethyst said, but when Ember spoke with such confidence, it was clear which of the two had actually lived through what was being taught. He nodded, a smile spreading across his lips. Felix glanced at Sassinak for a moment, his eyes meeting hers, and then back to Ember.
“Huh, good to know.” He said with another nod. “You’ll have plenty of time to put your skills to good practice in the Arena.” His eyes move swiftly over to Brass momentarily, before he smiles again, “Some things just don’t coincide with nature in any way.” His eyes move back to Ember for a short moment, before he looks back at Amethyst.
“One more thing,” He says with a smile, “You said not to make too much noise, but say we’re on the run. We won’t have time to paint ourselves before we can hide. Is there any terrain we should aim for, somewhere we’ll be able to hide from our pursuers. Giving us enough time to...” Felix shrugs, and his fist clenches, “Catch them unawares?”
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Post by Seryna on Nov 21, 2012 14:49:10 GMT -5
Camouflage Station Ember, Felix & Sassinak
"Aim for the shadows." Amethyst advised. "Nine times out of ten, tributes run towards the rolling green meadows. There is no cover in a meadow. The strongest tributes pick up the weapons they like and clean up over the flat ground. That first second you get off your platform, look outwards at the arena. You want to see whats there." Amethyst emphasized.
"Look for a Forrest. As district 7, you'd likely gravitate towards there. You can take a moment to climb a tree and get a better idea on where you want to go. Also look for paths of least resistance - a valley to run to, a river to run beside. You'll likely be wanting to put distance between you and your pursuers, right?" Amethyst asked.
"Unless you plan on launching a feint; or a trap... and then you'd want to stay on a popular game trail or out in the open until your first victim comes along."
Amethyst turned to Ember, evaluating her for a moment. The modifications to her costume were taken in. "We're going to start a bit differently." Amethyst told Ember. "What climate are you used to hunting in? Don't worry about prosecution; there's no cameras allowed in here. Tell me a bit of your history."
Sword Station Jan & Victoria
Marlin nodded approvingly at Jan's attacks. "That's exactly it." He affirmed. "Replicate that a few times; and you'll be a victor. You're reaching the end of what I can teach you in an afternoon, boy..." Marlin glanced around the room.
"Here. A few moments more." Marlin had a curtain lowered and led Jan away from the public view of the center. Victoria watched Jan and Marlin walk away, her eyes glistening with interest.
"These are special treats." Marlin patted a 'dummy' and it immediately swung an arm out at him. "It has motion sensors. I want you to try that last attack a few more times. Two attacks trying to do as much damage as possible. If you do enough, the dummy will collapse. If not, try more attacks until it falls."
[These are 'interactive, moving mannequins'. Its a - 1 mod to hit them due to defensive maneuvers. Once the mannequin takes 9 damage, it will fall on the floor and Jan can practice his killing maneuver. Its a bit of a harder practice session, but Jan's out of the public eye. He can practice a more difficult opponent with a bit of peace.]
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Post by Lite on Nov 21, 2012 16:14:00 GMT -5
Felix looked at Amethyst, listening to her. He felt grateful that he had her to help him and to eagerly answer his questions. With a nod, he smiled. “That’s great. Thanks, Amethyst.” It was the first time he had addressed her with her name, and he didn’t think too much of it. “The forrest will be the first thing I look for, I can assure you.” He smiled again, and then turned to Sassinak.
“I think I’m ready to move on.” He said with a small smile, “I like the look of the Endurance Course. Care to join me?” He would wait for Sassinak’s reply, before heading over to the station.
Before he left, however, he looked at Ember. "If you don't mind, we'd like an audience with you and Jasper." He says with a smile, "If you're interested, get the Mentors to get in touch."
“Hello,” He greets the instructor with genuine enthusiasm, looking up at the obstacle course in front of him, “I definitely like the look of this. Good practice.” He continues to stare for a moment, before looking back to the instructor. “How does it work?”
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CuteLikeMurder
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Post by CuteLikeMurder on Nov 22, 2012 0:29:39 GMT -5
Ember Clay: The Girl who Liked to Play with Fire (District Twelve Female Tribute)[/u]
Ember was watching Jan. Surprised etched clearly on her face. She honestly didn't think he had it in him. Ember swore in this moment she'd never doubt him again. Because he was good. Damn good. At least as good as Ember was. If not just a little better.
They'd see soon enough, wouldn't they?
And then there was Felix. Sweet, brooding Felix.
It appeared that this next tip was going to cost poor Felix.
She leaned in real close looking into his eyes. Ember's grey eyes darkened. She didn't touch him because that was against the rules and she didn't need to be sent back to her room. Not when she was just trying to prove a point.
She whispered to him, harshly in his ear. "I'm interested but only talk through our mentors." Then she pulled him in real close. "And if you approach me again in plain sight, I'll kill you slowly..."
Was Ember telling the truth?
Probably.
When she got a response she tapped his cheek lightly. "Have fun, Broody. Don't mistake kindness for friendship. Only one of us is making it out of here alive."
When the trainer spoke to her Ember laughed. "I bushwacked three peacekeepers before I volunteered I'm not worried about a peacekeeper's whip anymore."
That was obviously true.
"Different approach? Thank you... I've hunted in mountainous woodlands all year around..." she replied.
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Post by Seryna on Nov 22, 2012 0:40:35 GMT -5
"Of course. Its my job." The Capitol citizen smiled at Felix and there was genuine compassion there. It may be simply a job, but she seemed to genuinely care.
"Good luck, Felix." She nodded to the boy. "Sassinak."
Sassinak gave a nod to Amethyst and turned to Felix. "That sounds like a good idea for you, Felix. I'm going to try my hand at the archery station. I want to be able to defend us for a few minutes at the Blood Bath. We'll need some things."
Nothing would be free at the Blood Bath and Sassinak's face was somber. "I'll look for you after this station. I see Isolde's at the shelter station..." Sassinak stated slowly, watching Isolde errect a lean to out of a pine branch.
"I may head to a survival station. Not keen on starting fires. Maybe a 'what - to - eat station."
At Ember's approach with Felix, Sassinak's eyes narrow. She steps in close to Ember and Felix, her shoulder touching Felix's. When Ember steps back, Sassinak relaxes. Minutely. Her light colored eyes lock on Ember, but her head is turned to Felix, listening for his words alone.
Amethyst loosened her hand from a small lever that surely would have called PeaceKeepers as Ember and Felix separate. The Capitol citizen stares at Ember for a beat, re - evaluating the girl.
"You'll know the colors of the woodlands, then," Amethyst handed Ember a paint palette, a bandanna and a black standard issue tribute shirt.
"- we'll start with mottling woodland colors. You shouldn't have a problem with it.." Amethyst demonstrated the mottled technique on her hand, showing Ember how to overlap the colors.
"Are you interested in learning about different climates or stick to what was seen last Games?"
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CuteLikeMurder
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Post by CuteLikeMurder on Nov 22, 2012 15:27:20 GMT -5
Ember Clay: The Girl who Liked to Play with Fire (District Twelve Female Tribute)[/u] If it worked on the trainer maybe it worked on the Careers. They saw a little of her wrath, the thing that made Ember dangerous. "Put you hand on that door jam..."
She was always scariest when she hadn't used in a few days. It wasn't just her behavior. It was how she looked too; the sunken in eyes, the blotchy paleness of her skin, the yellowish tint to her teeth and nails. All of it made for a menacing image.
She looked so much like Cinder. In the old pictures one could easily mistake the two for each other, despite the 18-year age difference. But in the those years that separated, life had been especially unkind to her. And Cinder had been her chance to relive her glory days.
Ember was the spare who would be trained to compete. However, her heir apparent threw a pickaxe into those plans when she volunteered.
She never let Ember forget it.
Ember's eyes welled with tears as she looked to the man who's likeness she favored. He was cowering in the corner, shaking. Not from fear but from need. Need to use, to escape, to feel nothing.
He'd be no help.
"Why?" Ember asked, her voice cracking. "What did I do?"
CRACK!
The force of the blow knocked Ember to the ground and she stayed there on her hands and knees, feeling her mother's presence looming over her; pressing down on her.
"PUT YOUR HAND ON THAT DAMN DOOR JAM OR I WILL NAIL IT TO THAT DOOR JAM WITH A RAILROAD SPIKE!"
Ember didn't want to find out if she was bluffing and did as she was told. She always did what she was told. But something happened. Something that Ember didn't quite understand. There was that feeling in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't hate, or anger, or even fear. It was... nothingness; cold, frosty, nothingness. She knew what was coming next. And Cinder wasn't here to help her anymore so no one would come to her rescue. Because who was going to save her now? Shakes? Please... Damn Morphling. '
She looked into her mother's eyes, and there was that feeling again. Not rage, nor contempt... just emptiness. Ember let that fill her. She scooped out the bits of herself; compassion, love, kindness. Everything that Cinder gave her she let go. If she was going to survive, she couldn't keep those things anymore.
"Why?" Ember asked again. This time her voice was steady. The tears were gone.
"Because you're weak..."
The first time Ember's lips curled in that devilish grin was when her mother spoke those words to her.
"And that's were you are wrong. I'm not the one that's weak..." Ember replied. "You are. And maybe if you had been stronger, Cinder would still be alive..."
The door swung close just as Ember finished her sentence. Three of her of finger on the right hand broken in an instant. It hurt. But not as much as the kick to the face that followed. Ember didn't make a noise.
Not one sound... She shrugged when the trainer looked at her. "Look, let's all just be happy I'm not my mother. It would have gone differently for him if I had been." She held up her right hand. Middle finger was clearly a little off, dented where it shouldn't be. She took was was given to her and watched the trainer as she demonstrated her camo techniques. "I want to deal with as many different climates as possible... If you could tell me any general rules of thumb that would be good too. Thank you."
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Post by Seryna on Nov 24, 2012 16:27:05 GMT -5
"I don't know your mother." Amethyst replied simply. "Yet you minded the rules; which is all that I care about." Amethyst took in the wound with a shocked expression, which smoothed out in a moment. The Capital trained its teachers well to be training tools. Her expression marked a young teacher, who had not yet mastered apathy for her students. Amethyst had met hundreds of students who had perished in the Games. Most of her students she had watched die on the big screens; and very few who had lived.
"We'll anticipate a summer... then we'll transition into Fall and Winter." Amethyst shared, completing her demonstration of how to camouflage oneself with paint. After Ember had demonstrated her mastery of the technique, Amethyst brought out the box of natural elements - tree roots, limbs, leaves and pieces of shrubbery.
Amethyst shared the same techniques taught to Felix and Sassinak; how to break up ones' profile. Most of the techniques were rudimentary to Ember and she progressed quickly. Amethyst then brought Ember to a ten by twenty foot area decorated in dense fall foliage of colors of burnt orange and brown. Ember was provided with only a flat trowel; one that looked to be several years old and had dulled with both time and a pointed lack of sharpening. It was clear that one had purposely avoided sharpening it to avoid providing Ember and others like her with a weapon.
"You can use this to provide your tools. Go ahead and practice hiding yourself - you have five minutes."
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Post by Aeon The Phoenix on Nov 24, 2012 16:42:00 GMT -5
With not much time left to spare before the Games due to forging Alliances and preparing meetings, Lily was determined to get as much training in as she possibly could. Starting with... the Memorization station. Why not? It took but a moment to slip through the semi-crowded floor space between her and the station as she studied its layout curiously. A large wooden block underwater... she wasn't that familiar with water, but in the safety of the Center was as good a place as any to get to know it. Certainly better than being drowned in it out in the wild of the Arena.
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Post by Seryna on Nov 24, 2012 16:53:16 GMT -5
One station appears to be a vertical challenge of jumping high distances and climbing irregular rocks while infrequent weather changes such as gusts of wind or buckets of hail rain down.
"Hello," A muscular woman standing little more than five feet greeted Felix. "In essence, its a very simple climbing exercise. It takes time for you to learn how to use your body to climb if you are not adjusted to it. Most can climb trees instinctively. Yet a rocky, craggy area can have sharp falls, crevices and unstable ground to worry about. " She pressed a button and a sheet of water crashed down onto the rock face that rose twelve feet above Felix's head.
"Climbing a wet area has its own challenges. Do you have any questions for me?"
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Post by Lite on Nov 24, 2012 17:03:08 GMT -5
"I'm interested but only talk through our mentors...And if you approach me again in plain sight, I'll kill you slowly... Have fun, Broody. Don't mistake kindness for friendship. Only one of us is making it out of here alive."Fear shot through Felix like an arrow, and his immediate reaction was to step backwards a little. His eyes widened, and in that moment the Ember that he had always found hilarious and witty became a true huntress. His breath faltered and he felt powerless under the girl’s gaze. Only Sassinak’s hand on his shoulder made him feel the slightest bit more comfortable. As Ember tapped his cheek, he flinched away from her and looked into her eyes. “Okay.” The feeble response came out as a whisper, and he turned to look at Sassinak for a moment. “Stay safe.” He muttered to her, before walking away, not even glancing in Ember’s direction. *** With Ember’s cruel comment at the back of his mind, Felix’s entire attention was on the muscular instructor. He listened to what she had to say. Climbing trees did, in fact, come naturally to him. Since childhood he had been racing his brothers up trees. He was always the fastest, but he remembered the time that Alder had bluffed him. He had pretended to fall, and Felix jumped across to his brother’s tree in an attempt to help him. Alder had laughed coyly, and kicked Felix in the head. Everyone else saw Birch as the mischievous one, but Felix knew that Alder was the true master of deception. “I think I’m good.” He told the instructor, stepping up to the climbing section with the cascading water. “What better way to learn than putting it to practice, right?” He said, smiling.
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CuteLikeMurder
Staff Member
Gamemaker (HG Mod)
As if killing the bard impresses us.
Posts: 2,268
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Post by CuteLikeMurder on Nov 24, 2012 17:58:13 GMT -5
Ember Clay: District Twelve Female Tribute, “The Girl Who Loved to Play with Fire”
“Be glad you don't.” Ember replied.
When Amethyst looks at her, Ember’s steel resolve wavers; only slightly. The people of District Twelve she had gotten to know well. Most ignored her old war wounds; pretended she wasn’t as scarred or as damaged as she was. And sometimes when Ember wasn’t training, she’d indulge them. She felt like doing the same for this young trainer.
“Thanks,” she said, with a subtle grin. “But it doesn’t matter anymore for me. Win or lose, I’m not going back to my mom’s. And she doesn’t have any more kids, thank the One.”
Again, a bit of Ember’s humanity showed. She wasn’t a monster. Not yet. Though, she did indeed have her moments. Like with Felix.
She suddenly felt bad for the harshness of her words to him, however she quickly dismissed the emotion because she knew that in a small way she helped his odd of survival, just a little.
Taking a deep breath and letting out slowly, Ember composed herself, nodding to Amethyst, taking what tools she was given before she set off to hid herself in plain sight.
She started to paint every inch of exposed skin. Ember figured she’d need at least three colors, black, orange, brown. She studied the leaves and the pieces of broken up branches and roots, then she started with a base coat of paint on her arms, face,, hands, and when she decided she wasn’t going to wear any shoes for this, she painted her bare feet as well. Then she used the back to color in the negative space, to create contour and shadow. That’s when she realized that she needed a highlight as well, to mimic the leaves that were touching the seeming natural light of the training center. Ember chose two add a touch of white to the orange and brown, using yellow and green too to make it look more diverse. She hoped it looked natural as she set up a little makeshift shelter.
When she was done with that, Ember positioned herself. She took in mind that in the arena, she’d have a knife and a bow with her (hopefully) so she’d need to be in a position she could get to her weapons easily. Ember imagined the of cold metal between her teeth, then noticed that reflection and cursed softly. The knife would have to stay in a sheath until she was ready to use it.
Perhaps if she camouflaged a sheath as well…
Something to think about when she was in the Arena.
In the present, Ember had no weapons so she’d just have to see if the work she did now helped at all when hiding her from sight.
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Post by Seryna on Nov 25, 2012 15:23:35 GMT -5
Endurance Station Felix
"True. " The trainer, who introduced herself as River, agreed. "Watch your handholds. When you climb an area like this that is mostly vertical, you want to push with your legs. Reach for a hold and rest your weight on your legs, not your arms. You'll tire quickly if you overtax your arms."
River took a position two feet to the left of Felix. She scaled the rock wall to pause beside him. The first six feet were boulders that were moderately easy to climb and pull oneself over. The next six six feet was a sheer rock wall that was absolutely flat, stretching up above the center. Felix and River were at a crack where the twelve foot wide wall had a slight crack in it.
River wore a belt that had a rope tied to it. Slung over her shoulder was a second belt and rope. Two trainers stood below, a rope apiece in their hands.
"You left without yor belt." River explained, assisting Felix into it. "You'll be twelve feet high in a few minutes. You don't want to fall." Once the belt was secure, she continued.
"This gives you more hand holds." River explained. "Look for a sturdy hand hold that you can get most of your hand around. "
River reached up and gripped the edge of the rock and pushed with her legs, lunging upwards. She gripped another chunk of rock and paused, turning to watch Felix.
"Take your time."
[Please roll 2 Strength + Athletics The first roll is to maintain Felix's current grip and position. The second is to continue up the wall. I will interpret successes or failures in my GM post]
Camouflage station Ember Amethyst rolled 7 dice to "Perception" 9,5,10,1,1,3,10,10,8,3 (5 successes)
Ember rolled 6 dice to "Hiding [5 + 1 tools]" 7,1,6,7,7,9 (1 successes)
"Not terrible." Amethyst replied as she approached Ember, crouching beside her. She examined Ember from head to toe for a few minutes before speaking again. "You did well on the paint. You've learned how to add highlights and shadows; which will serve you well. You held yourself still and did not move much; another trait you need to to master. I was able to pick out the contour of your back. Its the most difficult area to conceal because its hard to reach. Rolling isn't a bad idea to camouflage, or to lay with your back against a tree or stone. Less comfortable..." Amethyst's face read 'but more comfortable than dying."
Amethyst led Ember back to the table and provided her with wet wipes to wipe the paint off of herelf.
Another box was provided to Ember. At first she thought it was a box of water, but then she realized most of the things inside of it were simply damp. There were plucked reeds, clumps of moss, a bowl of gray mud, a cluster of dry and brittle grass and dead, brittle tree branches.
"Winter." Amethyst explained. "Things you may find in a tundra. Winter poses a special risk because while you know how not to move, you need to be able to keep warm. That means extra clothing in the arena. Most areas are also damp with snow or frost in winter, so while lying on the ground or on a cold tree helps hide you from predators and tributes, the cold will seep into your skin. I suggest dressing in layers and camouflaging your uppermost two layers. If you start to sweat, you can shuck off your top most layer and still be camouflaged on your second.
What would you like to practice first? How to hide in a winter environment with little cover; or how to camouflage your layers?"
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Post by Lite on Nov 25, 2012 15:53:21 GMT -5
Glad that River agreed with him, Felix is ready to start. He turns to look at her as she joins him, and then when he notices the second belt over her shoulder he chuckles to himself. He had been overexcited and had raced forward without even thinking of the precautions. Whether that would be a help or a hindrance in the Arena he couldn’t quite tell, but it was still a little funny. As River helps him into his belt, Felix finds himself in awe of what the Capitol could do for the first time since he’d arrived there. Things like these climbing walls just were something he could never dream of back in District Seven. Felix looks up and instantly feels grateful that there’s two trainers below to keep a hold of his rope. Falling from that height would definitely not be too fun. Well, the landing wouldn’t be. He listens to River’s explanation, and then nods. His eyes scan the rock face in front of him and he takes a breath. "Take your time."Felix nods, feeling a little nervous now that his excitement had toned down a little. Felix Grayling rolled 7 dice to "Strength + Athletics + Climbing Specialty" 5,4,4,1,4,5,8(1successes) Felix Grayling rolled 7 dice to "Strength + Athletics + Climbing Specialty" 2,10,8,3,4,4,5,9(3 successes)
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Post by Seryna on Nov 25, 2012 16:26:41 GMT -5
Felix was able to maintain his hold on the wall, but disliked the uneven grip that his left hand had on a crevice. It was only wide enough for his index and middle finger to grip securely. Pushing up with his leg, he raised his left hand towards the edge of a rock. The rock ledge protruded eight inches from the wall and gave a secure grip that his whole hand could grip comfortably. Felix was able to take a few breaths before pulling himself up and easing over the sharp edge of the protruding ledge.
"Now we're talking about stamina," River stated. "- any one might be able to climb for a few minutes. Adrenaline can do amazing things. Yet the ability to continue on in the face f adversity is something we're going to be addressing. Hold tight."
A sheet of fine, gritty powder rained down onto Felix. The grit tasted chalky - yes, some had tumbled into his mouth. The dirt clung to his hair, face and hands.
"Climbing behind someone will cause things to loosen." River warned. A loose rock tumbled past Felix's hand. A shifting sound was his only warning as an area of the rock wall gave way, sending debris tumbling towards Felix.
[Wits + Athletics roll to avoid the debris, Stamina + Athletics to continue climbing!]
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Post by Lite on Nov 25, 2012 16:40:58 GMT -5
Felix was beginning to realise that climbing a rock face was extremely different to climbing a tree. He would prefer the latter any day, but the challenge kept him fired up. He was determined to show that he was actually good at something, without giving too much away. Any tributes watching, he had decided, would be able to see that Felix was someone to keep an eye out for. He didn’t want them to see him as a threat, though. Not yet. That would come later. His eyes darted up as the dust fell into his mouth and he choked in surprise. He had already been unsettled by his loose grip on the stone, but the chalky dust in his mouth had really put him off. Felix could hear River speaking, and he looked up again as he heard the debris begin to fall. Instinctively, he clung to the wall with all of his might, hoping that the debris would pass him. Felix Grayling rolled 6 dice to "Wits + Athletics" 4,9,8,8,3,10,2(4 successes) Felix Grayling rolled 7 dice to "Strength + Athletics + Climbing Specialty" 5,5,6,10,8,4,9,4(3 successes)
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Post by Seryna on Nov 25, 2012 16:49:50 GMT -5
"Good." River praised, pulling herself up higher onto the wall. Felix managed to avoid the debris with ease and followed River up the wall. He suddenly became aware that his knee was wet. Looking up, he realized that water was constantly streaming down the rock face now. Drops splashed onto his skin and some splashes past him, falling all the way down to the ground.
"Water is a difficult obstacle that you'd want to avoid. But if you can't, try adding chalk to your hands for grip or use climbing gloves, shoes or climbing pitons. Try and move past this stream."
[Ath + Stamina with a - 2 difficulty]
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Post by Seryna on Nov 25, 2012 16:51:04 GMT -5
Removing her footwear, Lily stepped into the water, its cold temperature sending a shiver up her spine. As she waited for her body to adjust, she looked up at the instructor, ready to watch and learn what she had to do next Seryna: "Lily, you will be reconstructing this image." The instructor held up an image of a red flower, opening up its petals. "The blocks below will slide at your touch. Submerge yourself and get started." Underneath the water, Lily found a block with six tile squares on it, each with a section of the flower. The tiles were in disarray and needed to be reassembled in the flower shape. [Roll Int + crafts OR Wits + crafts]
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