Fandom Hunger Games rp (Closed)

[ChibiMonkey]

When the day of the interviews came, Alice was honestly dreading it. She hated all this formal stuff, prancing around and showing off for the sake to please these sick capitol people. They acted like they cared, wanted to see them all dressed up, acting proper, and then just to see them turn into monsters, forsaking their humanity and the frilly dresses and makeup, trading it for pain and suffering, and covered in death. It really was sickening. Alice would never understand it, but she supposed she was at least thankful for her stylist, Cinna. He wasn't quite the same as the rest of the wealth in the Capitol. He actually seemed to care, and he did well to try and distract her a bit.

"Alice, my love! Oh I missed you but I wasn't hoping to meet you again like this" he sighed as he entered the room where she was waiting for him, and she just smiled a bit. They talked while he worked on frilling her up a bit. Although Cinna was a bit of the better stylists, in Alice's opinion. While he certainly would have his own concepts and looks in mind he wanted to execute, he still seemed to work so well with what would fit for Alice and her personality. When everything was said and done, she sighed in relief as she got up to leave the room, giving Cinna a hug before going to where the rest of the tributes were gathering once ready, and lining up. She found her spot beside Gale, and smiled to him in greeting.

~

Today was one of the big publicity events, the interviews. And aside from the games themselves, this was probably one of his favorite parts of the games he had to be a part of. Cato wasn't shy, that was for sure, and he certainly loved the spotlight. He enjoyed being the center of attention, and naturally had people flock to liking him. Not only did he love the camera but the camera also loved him, as did the people. And it being the interviews, it was also the perfect time to try and catch the eye of any sponsors, as well as gain popularity and attention in general. It was the type of thing perfect for Cato and his ego.

And he also loved the whole tiring process of getting pampered and set up for the interviews. Not only did he gladly take compliments whenever they were handed out, but his stylist fawned over him the whole time with adoration and compliments. He was sure it was part of the stylists job to be so nice to whoever their tribute was that they were in charge of, but still, Cato certainly wasn't complaining. After finished getting set up and dressed for the interviewing process, getting ready alone would take the tributes several hours, and then they were finally lined up in order of their districts, so Cato was pretty close up to the front to go for his interview, and when it was his turn, he grinned as he walked up onto stage, meeting Caesar while waving to the audience and camera, before meeting Caesar in the center of the stage, proudly shaking his hand, more than excited to be back.


Alice Dress: http://www.wholesale7.net/images/201509/goods_img/188688_P_1441419414934.jpg
Alice Hair: (Still with her bands though. Essentially just made it curly and to the side) https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/0b/31/bc/0b31bccac74d2ecf2ef35077f756de2e.jpg
Cato Outfit: http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net...terview.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120418180549

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena waited quietly as she played with her hands as she watched the other tributes get in line. She noticed Cato get in line as well but he looked far too engaged in his thoughts as he walked up to the front of the line. Serena thanked god that she was towards the end of the line, then again, the longer she had to wait, the more time she had to succumb to her nerves. She listened as the tributes from District 1 went up and spoke to Caesar. They acknowledged that they were happy to be back but they also dropped subtle hints regarding the cancellation of the Games.

No one really wanted to go back into the Arena. Well except for maybe a few tributes like Cato, but the majority were upset that they were even getting asked back. She was certainly part of the crowd. She wanted to go home but she knew if she stepped foot in that arena that wouldn't happen. She watched as Cato made his way out to the crowd and watched as he openly welcomed the applause that he was given.
~
Gale smiled as he saw Alice walk over to him. "Cinna definitely went all out," he said with a smile as he started to walk with her to get in line with the other tributes. He had to admit that he was a bit nervous. He didn't have a big personality like some of the other tributes did. The boy from District 2 was up on stage and he was happily enjoying the attention that he was receiving. It was a bit disgusting to say the least, but every tribute had their own approach to getting sponsors and helping themselves in the Arena so perhaps this was his approach.

"Are you nervous?" he asked with a smile in Alice's direction. He certainly was. He didn't know what he was going to talk about? What kinds of questions would Caesar ask him? Anything was possible. Plus he had to try to make the people that he despised like him. This wasn't going to be an easy task.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

As Alice found Gale and joined back up with him as they headed into line with the other tributes, she smiled a bit at his comment regarding Cinna "Yeah, he's either all or nothing, I guess" she said with a smile and a shrug "He complained at me about my bangs though. Apparently he hates bangs because they cover up the face some" she laughed a bit as she ran a hand through her bangs while commenting about that, smiling in amusement as she recalled how upset that Cinna had been and wouldn't stop complaining to her about having bangs. She shook her head in amusement at the thought, before glancing at the front of the line, sighing a bit since it would be a while until it was their turn.

Hearing him ask if she was nervous, she looked to him "I'd like to say no" she said, before letting out another soft sigh "But that would be a lie" she muttered as she looked to the screen that was provided for them backstage so the rest of the tributes can see each other when they went up for the interview. Watching Cato go, she scoffed a bit with a roll of her eyes "I really don't think he is human" she crossed her arms, watching the male proudly wave and walk off of the side of the screen as he left the stage, and she just shook her head.

~

As Cato walked up to the interviewing stage area, he waved to his fans in the crowd that cheered for him while walked over to Caesar as he shook his hand and sat down in the char across from him as they settled down and the interview really started to begin. None of the questioned really had phased Cat as he sat there and was asked question after question. He didn't mind the questions, and somehow was quick to respond to them. He wasn't really nervous at all. Of course, Caesar asked him a question that many of the tributes would be glad to answer openly, but this one Cato wasn't sure about, as he thought for a half a moment as the male asked him how it felt to be back.

"Well, I certainly never expected it, that's for sure. Some of the other tributes are furious, which makes sense. Everyone knows only one of us survives in the end. I'm not really upset, I suppose....but more so it really was unexpected" he spoke, clearly not seeming all that upset about being back in the games, nor worries. However the way he spoke did imply that even he hadn't expected the Capitol to pull some sort of trick like this. Nonetheless, Cato didn't know really how to do anything but follow along and play along to the Capitols games, and so he did. The interview continued on for a while, before the time was up and Cato left the stage, again waving on his way off as he went back to backstage as the next tribute went up.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena could feel herself inching towards the front and it scared the daylights out of her. Time seemed to fly even though she did her best to try and resist the line moving forward. Finally her male counterpart left the stage and she knew she was about to be called out. She didn't want to do this again but she didn't have a choice. "And now one of my personal favorites," Caesar said with a smile, "The Beauty of District 8, Ms. Serena Kinsley."

Serena forced her feet into a motion and smile on her face as she walked out to greet Caesar who had stood up from his seat. He shook her hand amidst the cheering and applause before the two took a seat and allowed the crowd to die down. He made small talk for a little bit as he always did before finally getting into the big question: what do you think of being back? "It reminds me of a story actually," she replied with a slight smile, "One from home."

Caesar got all excited as she spoke before before turning to her before urging her on. He loved gossip and the Capitol did as well. "When I was 4, my District was...having a very difficult time. My family didn't have anything to eat, and we were starving for quite a while. My mother couldn't take watching us suffer the way we did. One day, she left, but she never came back. I learned later that she had been trying to steal food for my brothers and I, and a peacekeeper had caught and shot her on the spot," she said quietly, "My mother didn't care what happened to her...she only cared about us, and because she died to help me survive I know that I have to do something with my life. When I enter the Arena, I will not shoot to kill any of those tributes." The audience gasped slightly and lots of whispers were beginning to erupt. She looked at the crowd and saw President Snow. "I won't kill my family," she said. Caesar tried to continue the interview but no one wanted to listen after that. Soon after, they let her leave the stage before announcing another tribute to the stage.
~
Gale looked at her for a moment before looking up at the screen. This guy was sick: plain and simple. How could someone be so unemotional about entering the Games again. All but one of them was going to die, and that's if the Capitol stuck to their rules. Who was to say all of them wouldn't be killed? This was a Quarter Quell, everything was different. These Games were used to remind the districts that they were nothing and that the Capitol had the ability to squash them like a bug but out of the 'kindness of their hearts' they didn't.

Gale paused though when he heard Serena start to talk. He crossed his arms slightly as he leaned back on the wall and watched the TV. He really couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this girl trying to get herself killed? There was a reason no one ever stood up to the Capitol like that and it was because if they did they could be killed even before entering the Arena. Gale peeled his eyes from the screen and looked at Alice. "Do you think...she was serious?" he asked quietly.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Alice watched as one by one the tributes went and had their turns on stage, to try to do whatever they wanted to catch the attention of possible sponsors, and of the audience in general. There seemed to be a common theme arising, sometimes more noticeable in some tributes while just barely hinted at in others, but the general theme was clear. There was a change in behavior and feeling towards the Capitol, and President Snow, the one in control. While most didn't say things too outrageous or direct, it was clear that a majority of the tributes disliked what was going on, not only the Hunger Games in general, but even more so now that they were all being forced to do this again.

One girl certainly stood out more than the rest though. The female from district 8. Glancing to Gale when the changing of tributes for interview happened, and hearing his question she shrugged a bit, before glancing at Serena as she passed by them to the waiting lounge "What part? Her story? Or her intentions?" she asked as she glanced back to him with a shrug "It wouldn't surprise me if she was" she said as the interviews continued to roll over and pass by, before soon enough it was the last district, and she nodded to Gale as it was his turn "break a leg" she teased jokingly at the irony of her words.

~

After finishing his interview, Cato left stage and went backstage again where he would wait with the rest of the tributes, since after the end, even if they were done with their own interview, at the end all the tributes usually got together for a last kind of appearance with them all standing together. Even if they were allowed to leave and go back to their rooms or something, Cato would probably stay, because he was interested in hearing how every other tribute would go about thier interview. He of course knew that some tributes were far more angry, and rebellious than others, and he wondered if any would make public sort of statements or anything, regarding how they were forced back into the games for a second time despite winning previously and being promised they wouldn't have to deal with them again. As expected, some tributes did say something along those lines. A good handful making it very clear that it was bullshit that they have to be back here. Granted...they didn't use those choice of words, but the intent and meaning was all the same.

As he stood in the more lounge area behind the stage for those who had finished their interviews, Cato reclined back on the couch comfortably, watching as eventually it was Serena's turn, and he paid a bit more attention than he had perhaps some other tributes. He was curious what she would have to say, and to learn more about her too of course - as a form of strategy and plan. The more he knew of an enemy, the better he could predict them and be prepared, right? As he listened to her though, his eyes widened a bit in surprise. From their conversations so far he could tell that she was very displeased and disliked the Capitol quite a lot. But even so, he didn't think she would say something so targeting like that. Glancing up as she entered the room his eyes shot to her "What the hell was that?" he scoffed at her with a slight glare.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena was led off the stage and into a little adjoining room where a few of the tributes sat. A few of them sat there and looked at her before going back to what they had been doing before hand. But not Cato. He was quick to get up voice his opinion. Why was she not surprised? Serena crossed her arms slightly for a moment before raising a brow at him. "What I had to do," she replied before uncrossing her arms and holding them down at her side.

"Besides I said all of that to you, or maybe you weren't listening enough to hear me say that?" she suggested before started to walk by him, "The Capitol and the people inside it are monsters. They will do whatever they can to hurt us and they don't care if they do. They've brainwashed you, Cato. You and your entire district. People are dying in other districts because they can't even afford to feed their families. This has got to stop. I'm sick and tired of being afraid of the Capitol. We don't have to be. They should fear us."
~
Gale shook his head slightly. He hadn't been expecting anyone to do that. He had to help her. He didn't want this to backfire on that young woman. He looked back at Alice for a moment and nodded rather solemnly before he was called out to the stage. He walked out and the applause erupted. He did his best to plaster a smile on his face but it wasn't easy to keep there. He shook Caesar's hand before taking a seat and making a bit of small talk with the older man.

Caesar asked him what he thought about the games and he took a moment before responding. "I think they're wrong," he replied, "Yes I conquered these Games before and I was promised that I wouldn't have to compete again, but I don't think I should have to compete at all. No one should. This isn't a Game to us like it is to you. This is our lives. Our families' lives. I'm with the girl from 8. I'm not killing anyone either. I can't do that to these people. They deserve a lot better than what you've given them." With that Gale got up from his seat and headed off without waiting for Caesar's final comments.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

As Gale went up for his interview, Alice watched the screen, and became increasingly nervous the more Gale spoke, for him, and for the whole of all the tributes, really. These interviews were getting worse and worse - for the Capitol, that is. But somehow....it was exhilarating as well. Is this what a movement felt like? Maybe it wasn't all the tribute yet....but there was the feeling of a change and unity among them. She watched Gale as he exited, glancing to him a bit nervously as she felt a weight on her, being the last one, and knowing Caesar was probably going to want to try to use her to end the interviews 'well' for the Capitol. She wasn't going to let that happen though. If anything, with Serena, and Gale publicly speaking out....she felt further encouraged to do the same. She wouldn't be alone. They could all stand for each other.

Sitting across from Caesar, she forced a small smile on her face while the man spoke up "Dear Alice, last but certainly not least. You've quite a bar to meet with your previous tributes" he started off, trying to talk about a different topic and calmer at first, before asking more "It's got to making you uncomfortable doesn't, with all these overwhelming statements some of the others have made. Especially your own counterpart from 12, Gale?" he asked before Alice debated one last time over her head what she would do.

~

Cato scoffed a bit at her initial response and just rolled his eyes "you didn't have to do anything. Honestly not saying anything at all to Caesar probably would have been better. You didn't have to make up some ridiculous story" he said as she moved to walk by him, and he motioned for her to sit down so that they could talk more. He didn't get it, and he didn't understand. As his response clearly indicated, too. He didn't think that her story was actually possible true. Sure peacekeepers intervened here and there in district 2, but it was never anything of concern or serious. He wasn't aware of just how bad it got the further the districts got from the capitol. And that was just how the Capitol wanted it - the districts to feel separated, and not know anything about one another.

When she called him brainwashed he narrowed his eyes a bit "That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" he huffed a bit as he crossed his arms over his chest before he listened to her further, proclaiming about how the Capitol were monsters, and more murderous than the tributes themselves could be, and stating how they should be fearing the districts, and not the other way around. Where did she get these ideas anyways? He just shook his head, before the monitor of the live interviews caught his attention when the male from 12 was up, and siding with Serena, and he just huffed "It's like you've caused a domino effect or something" he muttered with a shake of his head.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena stopped quickly and she turned on her heels. "You think I made that up?" she asked quietly with a hurt look on her face, "I'm telling the truth. That's how my mother died. They killed her because she was trying to save her family. Why would I make that up? You live a completely different life than the rest of us. You don't get it. They want this. They want us to be divided. They want you to think that we are just as privileged as you are, and we're not."

She turned her gaze to the screen and saw the boy from District 12 speaking about how he was with her. She would have to talk to them. This needed to happen. "Good," she replied quickly as she looked back at Cato. She managed to take a deep breath as she knew insulting him wasn't going to get her anywhere. "Cato, you need to listen to me," she said gently, "We can have a better life than what they're giving us. We don't have to play these Games. Innocent people don't have to die. Do you know what would terrify them more than anything? If you and your skill turned to help us. We cannot do this without you. When I get the chance I'll prove to you I swear, but you have to believe me." She paused for a moment as she bit her lip before looking at him gently. "Do you know they give you what want? Because they are petrified of you."
~
Gale walked off the stage but didn't go into the room they set aside for the other tributes. Instead, he stood on the side and watched as Alice took her place on the stage with Caesar. Was she going to back him up? He hoped so, but this was risky to do. The Capitol could easily kill them off within the first few seconds of the Games. They needed to do something to secure themselves if they were going to survive these Games.

He leaned on the wall and listened as Caesar tried to tame the crowd with small talk. He was good at what he did. Gale would admit it. Caesar was a smart guy. He knew how to keep his job and his life. If things got to heated take a detour somewhere else. He listened though as Caesar brought up himself and a few of the other tributes comments to see what Alice thought about the whole thing. Mentally, he pleaded with Alice to take his side, but he had to respect her decisions. This wasn't something he could talk her into. She needed to decide for herself.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

"Not really, no. It's comforting, if anything. Reassuring" Alice stated in response to the question asked, Causing Caesar to momentarily frown. He wasn't getting the change of response he'd been hoping for, and he could already see this wasn't going to end well in favor with the Capitol. "Everyone who's familiar with me from the last games I was in knows I don't go on some killing rampage that's expected of us. I only ever killed tributes when my own life was immediately threatened. Even then, that still doesn't mean I'm proud of it" she explained. Knowing he'd be in trouble if he didn't change the course to at least gain some favor from the Capitol, Caesar tried diverting the conversation to something else "You're right, everyone already knows that. So how about we talk about something else, something we don't know about you, Alice. Even in the last interview I had with you before the last time you went into the games, you never disclosed much about yourself from District 12" he said, thinking that this could be a safe topic. But it wasn't.

Alice just smiled a bit wryly "I don't think that's something anyone would be interested in hearing" she spoke, feeling she already made her point against the games and the capitol, and trying to give Caesar another chance to save his interview, but he was naive, and pressed on "Oh no, I think I speak for everyone when I saw we're more than interested to know more about you, Alice." Alice just stared at him for a moment, before swallowing her fear "Well, for starters I was an orphaned when I was a a baby" she said, no one seeming bothered by this story yet, and finding the dramatic back story entertaining and gossip worthy. But that changed as she continued "My adoptive father found me on the streets of my district when I wasn't more than months old. I don't blame my biological parents, whoever they are, for abandoning me. The reason they did so was because it's hard for anyone to raise a child, a family in District 12 - and some of the others ones, as you've already learned" she said, referencing Serena's story "I was another mouth to feed, and that was one too many. I was abandoned for the sole fact that my biological parents couldn't afford to raise a child and survive themselves. Not because it was them, but because that's the environment." It was another sad story that made the Capitol look bad, and so the interview was quickly ended, as Alice left the stage.

~

When Serena suddenly turned on him and seemed offended at the fact that he didn't buy her story, he just furrowed his brows when she asked in disbelief that he thought she made it up "Well yeah, why would something so outrageous be true?" he scoffed, before she seemed determined to teach him otherwise. And he sighed as he could already tell that he was in for another lecture from her. But as she continued to speak, he couldn't deny that this lecture actually might have intrigued him a bit. Even if it sounded ridiculous and unbelievable as it was, it had still caught his attention, and actually made him pause and think about her words for a moment, and that was a step, even if minuscule, to getting through Cato's thick head. Before he could come up with a response though, whether it be a positive or negative reaction from her words and implications of the Capitol wanting him to think a certain way because they feared him, he turned his attention back to the screen, distracted to see that district 12 seemed to be backing up Serena.

Honestly, he was surprised. At first with Gale, and then when the district 12 female took the interview stage, Alice, and she was then being questioned. She seemed much more level headed, and the kind of person her minded her own business. But it seemed that even she wasn't as quite as she usually was, as with Caesar's urging, thinking a personal story would be a good distraction from what the others tributes had been saying and something that would please the crowd, it turned out to be the opposite. And if Cato hadn't believed Serena before about her story with her mother even with her telling him it was true, his brain was starting to second guess things, hearing a similar story of suffering coming from Alice as she spoke.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena looked at Cato for a moment and she swore she saw a bit of a change in his facial features. She turned around to see the girl from District 12 once again vouching for her and the boy who had accompanied her. Her story wasn't uncommon. She encountered kids every day in District 8 who were without a home or even a parent. Serena had done her best to feed those children but it wasn't uncommon to watch them starve to death on the streets.

She turned attention back to Cato quietly as she tilted her head slightly. She took a seat next to him. "We aren't your enemy," she whispered tenderly as she looked at him, "Make the Capitol fear you. When you enter that Arena make them scared and let them know you're not afraid." Her mother had always preached courage to her and her brothers. She missed her mother more than anything in this world. She remembered her vividly even though she had died when Serena was so young. She brushed her hair back gently as she watched the young woman from District 12 walk off the stage. Those two had guts for sticking up for her. She had no idea how to thank them, but she would find some way to do so.
~
Gale was silent as he listened to Alice's story. He hadn't known all of that about her. He couldn't bear the idea of someone abandoning a baby like that, but it happened in 12 all too often. He vowed that if he ever had children he would never do that no matter what the circumstances were. He would give them the best life that he could. He watched as Alice rose from her seat and left the stage. The audience began to talk rather loudly. Of course it was probably all gossip and such but still it would have been interesting to hear.

His attention turned to Alice as he gave her a slight smile as she approached. "You're as brave as I thought you were," he commented as he watched her approach him. He had been hoping that she would speak up but he didn't want to pressure her to do. This wasn't something that you could force someone into. "I didn't know all of that about you," he continued as he glanced down at his shoes, "You're quite an amazing woman, but I'm sure you already know that." He smiled at her for a moment before escorting her to the room where the other tributes resided after they finished with their interviews.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Alice left the stage, and while there was a sense of fear coursing through her for what she just did, it also felt extremely good. She couldn't help but smile to herself a bit as she exited the stage, and as she stepped around the corner around back to behind stage she was surprised to see Gale there, and blinked a bit with a small smile "Hey, you could have waited in the room" she said as she approached him, before smiling a bit at his comment of her being brave "Perhaps. Not as much as that girl from 8 though. She's the one that started this flame. It's up to all of us to keep the fire going" she said with a smile as they headed to the lounge room to wait. Though, since they were 12, the last, they didn't have to wait long before they would be back on stage.

Hearing him bring up not knowing her story, she gave a soft smile "I know. I don't prefer people to know. Them knowing leads to pity, and I don't want that. Plus, it would do my father a dishonor. I owe him my life, quite literally. Everything, and I don't want anyone thinking him any less of a father of mine just because we're not biologically related" she commented, before they were all soon heading back to the stage. Hearing his comment of her being amazing, she just grinned "Well of course I am" she rolled her eyes jokingly as they lined up, with her on the end. The crowd still seemed to be struggling to calm down, confusion everywhere. A thought crossed her mind, in that moment she took Gale's hand in her own, glancing to him and smiling a bit, before her eyes shifted to the female from 11 beside him, knowing he would understand.

~

Cato wasn't sure what to think at the moment, and thoughts were certainly conflicting themselves within his head. It was hard to deny what he was hearing from some of the tributes, such as Serena and Alice, but at the same time...he couldn't just throw away everything he'd believed in and lived on for his entire life. But.....the thought that there was a possibility that maybe...he was wrong? That thought soon passed though, just mentally scoffing at himself. He couldn't be wrong. But....there definitely was something he was missing. He wasn't understanding something...though he would never admit that. He glanced to Serena as she spoke gently to him, and he did momentarily consider her words about them not being his enemy. It was true he didn't know anything about the other districts, other than the careers really. But he'd never really thought much of that. But now he was.

When she started talking about the Capitol, he sighed with a roll of his eyes "Don't start trying to tell me what to do, just because you may have some good points" he huffed in slight irritation, honestly just mentally overwhelmed with all the thoughts going through his head right now. He glanced to the two from 12 as they entered the room together where all the tributes were now gathered and waited, before a few minutes later, they were doing the ending of the interviews by lining up out on stage for the show to end. This one ended a bit differently though this time...when he felt his hand being nudged by the female from his district beside him. He glanced to her confused, before looking down at the line of tributes and seeing the linking hands. He hesitated a bit momentarily, before the girl lightly smacked his hand again, resulting in him giving in and nodding slightly, taking her hand while his other reached for the hand of the female from district 1 on the other side of him, and soon, all the tributes were holding their hands up in solidarity. The murmurs from the crowd had turned into a full uproar by this point, and Cato couldn't help but smirk a bit at these feeling.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena looked at Cato for a moment as his words stung her. She knew something was going to change. She could feel it in her bones. Who ever left these Games was going to go back to a completely different world than they had left. There was a spark in them, a spark of hope. She watched as Cato got up and started to get in line once more for the final showing of the interviewees. She too got up from her chair and walked to get in line.

As she did so, she passed the tributes from District 12 and she shared a slight smile with them before joining her male counterpart before walking on stage. She knew this would be the last time she would ever be on this stage, but that was ok. It actually made her smile. As she stood though, something changed. She felt both her hands taken rather gingerly. She looked at the two men between her before smiling even bigger and intertwining her fingers with their's. Soon all the tributes were holding hands with one another and it was clear that the Capitol didn't like it one bit. If they wanted a show, they were about to get a show unlike anything they had ever seen.
~
Gale smiled at her and gave a small chuckle as he shook her head. She could be too much some times. "Oh stop," he replied with a smirk on his lips as he walked with her back to the room. The other tributes were rather quiet. Probably because everyone knew what they were getting into. Gale watched them for a moment before getting ready to line back up for the final viewing of the tributes. He looked at Alice and he could tell that she saw it too. Everyone was preparing for the fight of their life, because no one knew how this was going to effect the Games.

Soon everyone was lined up and ready to go as they quickly made their way out to the stage and lined themselves up. Himself and Alice were in the front on the end. The audience began to cheer as they walked out and Gale was rather unsure what to do. Suddenly though he felt Alice's touch on his hand. He looked down at their hands before looking up at her. He gave her a smile before looking over at the girl from District 11 and took her hand gently. Eventually, all the Districts were linked together and the Capitol's cheers became loud jeers of anguish. Suddenly, the lights were switched off and the cameras were cut. Peacekeepers came out and began to harshly grab at the tributes, forcing them off stage and towards the elevators. Gale tried to shove his away but they were stronger than he was.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

This time, Alice was genuinely smiling as she held Gale's hand and looked out at the crowd, the tributes proudly displaying their locked hands, showing their unity and silent protest against the forced idea that they had to be forced apart and to hate each other, that they were supposed to be divided. Instead, they were nothing but one whole in that moment. Even though a majority of the tributes would still follow the rules of the games and kill, and lives would still be lost...this was all they really needed, to display their protest against the capitol and the way things currently were forced to be.

It didn't take long though for the cameras and lights to be cut. Being on the very end, Alice was the first to be grabbed by a peacekeeper as they came controlling the stage, and she stumbled forward a bit as she was grabbed before she even saw them. She caught her balance though, glaring at the uniformed figure and knocking her shoulder into him - though not too aggressively, since she knew they would have her and any other fighting tributes down in an instant "I know how to walk" she snapped at the figure, before she was shoved into an elevator with Gale, and she just huffed in irritation at being manhandled as the doors of the elevator closed. "Well" she breathed out as she leaned back against the wall, pressing the the floor they needed to go to, which wasn't 12 yet, since the housing/suites were on the other side of the building "That was interesting" she said as she glanced to Gale "Here's to hoping we're not suffocated in our sleep tonight" she said half jokingly, though also knowing it was a real possibility there would be some sort of backlash against them and the other tributes, including Serena, that had all showed defiance in the face of the Capitol.

~

As they all locked hands with each other, Cato started to warm up to the idea, maybe just a bit. Though he wouldn't verbally state that yet. But he had to admit this feeling...as uncomfortable and weird as it was for him at first, holding someones hand in such a friendly, united way like they were, somehow it felt right. And showing this sort of defiance in solidarity with others....it felt good. He liked this feeling of control, even if it only lasted for a couple seconds before everything went dark, and they were being ushered away by a bunch of peacekeepers. Cato tried to yank his arm away from one, though it was just grabbed once again, and Cato just let them do what they wanted for the time being. He figured for the moment it might be in his best interest to at least appear he wasn't one of the more rebellious tributes.

Ushered into another free elevator, Cato sighed a bit as he was finally let go, and he just glared a bit at the peacekeeper who had forced him along. Not that Cato was going to protest or anything to begin with, in leaving. But being forced to do something was not what he preferred. And slowly, even if very slowly, the arrogant, prideful male was started to realize that that's exactly what the Capitol had been doing all along, with forcing them around and doing what they wanted. He was his own man, and he didn't want someone making up his life for him - even if they acted like he owed it to them or something like that. Heading back to his suite with his female counterpart, he went over the events of today, recalling just how eventful it had turned out to be.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena watched as the lights went out amidst the jeers of the Capitol people. Before she could even think to do anything, she was grabbed and shoved off the stage. "Get your hands off me!" Serena snapped at him but he kept a firm grip on her. These Peacekeepers were the best of the best because they had to be trained to take down any tribute, even those who had entered combat and won. She was shoved into an elevator and he pressed the button for her. He even escorted her back to her room to make sure there was no funny business.

Serena sighed slightly as she was pushed through the door and into her suite where she made her way to her room and sat down on her bed. This was going to be tough, but then again, no one said this was going to be easy. If it were easy someone would have done this a long time ago. She slipped off her dress, showered off, and got changed for bed. Tomorrow she would enter the Arena for the second and last time. The question was: would she ever be able to walk back out.
~
Gale glared at the two peacekeepers that had stuck them in the elevator before closing the door on them as he pushed the number 12 button. He shook his head slightly before looking at Alice. "I have to agree," he replied as he leaned against the elevator wall. This was what he had wanted. All the Districts holding together as one, but the real test would be when the horns sounded tomorrow. He doubted they would all stand together but perhaps some of them would remain loyal.

"We did what we needed to do," he said simply with a slight sigh, "Now we just have to hope that what we did was enough to get something started." He paused for a moment before looking at Alice. "I think we should try to form an alliance with the girl from District 8. It would show that we were serious and that wasn't just for show," he suggested as he looked at his counterpart. He wasn't sure how trustworthy Serena was but she seemed genuine enough and that's all that really mattered at this point.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

As they stood in the elevator and Gale commented about forming and alliance with the girl from 8, she nodded her head in agreement. "I agree, I think she's serious. Anyone who wasn't serious wouldn't be the one to be the first to speak out" she commented, before frowning slightly "But I saw her talking with the careers....I know the whole point of what we want is for everyone to unite and not kill each other, and me singling out some tributes would be a bit contradictory, but....I'm not sure about the careers. If anyone still doesn't care about doing anything, it's them" she said with a sigh. This resulted in the next issue, how to form an Alliance with Serena if she was already won over by the careers. It's not that Alice didn't trust the careers, but well....no, she didn't trust them.

That night, Alice stayed up with Gale for a bit in the living room area as they talked and planed some basic things and plans to begin with when that horn went off, and then from there, they would likely need to adjust and adapt plans to more specifics once they got to the arena. After all, they still didn't know what type of terrain and setting these games would be held in, and what the Capitol would have thrown at them in them. Before long, they needed to get to sleep, and despite being in a perfectly comfortable bed, and knowing she wouldn't be able to get a good nights rest for a while - if every again, she still couldn't sleep well that night. Morning came all too quickly, and before she knew it, she and Gale were being ushered off by escorts to where they would enter the arena.

~

As Cato got back to his suite, he walked into his room, ignoring the female from his district (I'm just going to give her the name Amber), who had tried calling out to him, saying that they needed to talk. Cato ignored her, and knew what she wanted to talk about. It was about Serena, the girl he had convinced the careers to let join their comfortable pack. But he could tell by the tone in Amber's voice that she was thinking otherwise now. He could understand why. Serena had just made herself an incredibly huge target for the Capitol, and they didn't want someone like that in their group that could end up directing more trouble their way than necessary. Cato still very well understood that, and part of him could agree. But at the same time, part of him wasn't sure what to do anymore.

That night Cato struggled to get his thoughts and decisions in check, knowing that if he remained this confused and unsure about things when he entered the arena, it could be his death sentence. He still had no problem killing people....he would still fight to win. But concerning the Capitol is what was bothering him now. Despite his efforts, come the next day he was still unsure. He remained confident though, and didn't let his uncertainty show on his face as he entered the small little pod that would bring him up to the arena level. He stood there, composing himself as he reached the grounds, glancing around at his surroundings and the tributes who were all appearing on the level at the same time. All with blank expressions, all serious about whatever plan they had decided upon for themselves.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena tossed and turned that night as she tried to think about what to do. She had to keep her head. She was used to aiming and killing tributes if they attacked her. Now if they did so, she would make sure to fight them off but she would do her very best not to kill them or seriously injure them. She was also worried about the Careers. They all thought as Cato did: They didn't believe there was a problem and that all of this was just a bunch of nonsense. They didn't know because the Capitol had convinced them that nothing bad ever happened in the districts. How wrong they were.

Serena awoke the next morning after getting only a few hours of sleep. She changed into her uniform and prepared to head to the Arena. She braided her hair carefully as she had when she had gone into the Arena the first time. She looked at herself one last time in the mirror before heading out. It wasn't long before a pod encased her and brought her up to the Arena, readying her for what was ahead. When she surfaced, she found that they were in the middle of a body of water. She made sure to keep herself steady on her platform as a false start would result in an immediate death sentence.
~
Gale nodded quietly in agreement. The Careers couldn't be trusted that was for sure. "They may not want her anymore after the stunt she just pulled in front of the Capitol. We'll have to find out what's going on once we get into the Arena. But I do agree with you, the Careers are only looking out for themselves as usual and we don't need to get involved in that." The two stayed up for a while as they formulated a plan of attack before departing to get a little sleep for the night. And I do mean little. Gale hardly slept a wink as thoughts of the Arena and the Games swirled around in his head.

Soon, dawn approached and the escorts were quick to take them to their pods. Gale hurried to his pod before being placed up in the Arena. Water surrounded every tributes platform and the Cornucopia waded in the center. He looked to the platform next to his and saw Alice next to him. He looked about and found Serena as well and she looked as if she was going to try and obtain a weapon from the center. It would be a bloodbath for sure he could only hope that the Careers would take good care of her or she may not survive long enough for them to even ask about an Alliance.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

As her pod surfaced to the top of the false outside world, Alice's eyes widened in absolute terror. Water. Everywhere. She glanced to Gale a bit nervously....she wasn't sure about him, but she couldn't really swim. District 12 didn't have any bodies of water except for maybe some streams running through the forests around them - which those were technically even off limits. Although many people still went there to hunt for food and such. But an actual body of water...

Alice was already starting to panic. She could get the hang of it, right? She knew the general idea and theory behind how to swim, but never had of course. Feeling her heart picking up pace, she bit down on her lip as she just closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. Panicking certainly wouldn't help her. She glanced around at the other tributes...hopefully everyone would be preoccupied in either the cornucopia, or fleeing with their own plans to notice she wouldn't be a fast swimmer. She had strong legs, sure, but they knew how to run, not swim. She could only hope she wouldn't drown and already be dead within the first few minutes. Even as the countdown ended and the horn blew, Alice was momentarily frozen, afraid of the water. But she knew if she didn't move, she was certain to die. In the water? Well, it was likely, but not certain. So those were better chances, right? Swallowing her fear, she dove into the water.

~

As his pod arose to the arena floor, Cato looked around at his surroundings and the tributes that creating one large circle. They were entirely covered by surrounding water. There was no way around it. If you wanted to get to the cornucopia, you had to swim. If you wanted to get to the surrounding forests, you had to go through water still. There were tiny, incredibly narrow pathways from the cornucopia to the surrounding land between each of the districts...but even then, you had to swim to get to those as well. Cato smirked a bit, knowing not all districts had large bodies of water, but he was more than familiar with it. And having had formal hunger games training, he'd been trained in just about everything imaginable.

Glancing around at the tributes as the countdown began, he found Serena, and caught her eye. Moments later, the horn had sounded off and Cato instantly dove into the water without a seconds thought, swimming to the center where all the weapons and supplies were. He was among the first few to reach it, and pulled himself up quickly, racing to a bag and grabbing it, just as another male tribute charged him for it, though he was half a second too late, and Cato threw him off of him back into the water.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena took a deep breath and looked up at the Cornucopia. As her eyes drifted, she found that she caught Cato's eye as well. She knew he would try to go for a weapon of some time so she figured that she would grab something and try to protect him. When the horn sounded Serena dove into the water and began to swim to the center. District 8 didn't have much water to begin with so she wasn't that fast or great of a swimmer. She managed to get to the center before hurrying to grab a lone bow and sheath of arrows.

She quickly pulled the quiver onto her back before loading her bow for the first time. One male came at her and she hit him away with her bow before kicking him into the water. She saw Cato and made a beeline for him. She stayed wary though. After her stunt with the Capitol she wasn't sure if the Careers still wanted her around. She didn't want to die right off the bat; she wanted to at least put up a bit of a fight to show the Capitol she wasn't weak. "I think we should get off this thing," Serena suggested as she watched Cato's back. The Cornucopia was getting a bit bloody as usual.
~
Gale looked at Alice for a moment before the horn sounded and she could tell exactly what she was thinking: she couldn't swim. The damn Capitol always had to throw something at them that was unexpected. When the horn sounded he quickly made his way to the cornucopia and grabbed two knives before quickly putting them in his pocket. Gale jumped back in the water before making his way over to Alice who hadn't made it very far. He took her arms and wrapped them around his neck. "Hold on," he ordered before diving deep under the water. He swam for a few feet before came up for air for the two of them.

After a few minutes Gale got her to shore. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet before bolting into the forest. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Alice took off. This was her strong suit. "Get into the forest," he called to her as they ran, "We can use the trees for cover."

 

[ChibiMonkey]

Having seen Gale rush off to the cornucopia before she finally willed herself to jump into the water - the opposite direction from the cornucopia, she felt even more pathetic when he seemed to catch right up to her in no time. Thank god it was him, and not another bloodthirsty tribute. She didn't waste time arguing or anything, and held onto him as he swam them to the short, being sure not to get in the way of his swimming. She mentally cursed herself for not teaching herself...but she never saw a need to. The first time in the games, it was her first time of course, so she didn't know what to expect. She got lucky and didn't start in the middle of water then. And even after those games, she never thought she'd have to worry about them again, so she saw no reason to figure out a way to learn to swim. It did make her curious where Gale learned. She would ask that later though, when they found a safe spot.

As they reached the edge of the land she let go of Gale, grabbing on and hauling herself over the edge onto the land, grabbing Gale's hand as he helped pull her to her feet and she nodded in agreement to his words, taking off into the forest with him. She wiped at her face, pushing her bangs that stuck to her skin and in her eyes from the water out of her face and to the sides as she ran with Gale. She didn't waste energy on running top speed - not only did she not want to lose gale, but at the current moment, there wasn't a need to run that fast, and so she knew it would be best to conserve as much energy as possible, even if the difference was as small as from running fast or very fast.

~

Once shoving the male off of him, Cato slung the bag over his shoulder as well as snatched a sword from someone who had already been killed. They weren't going to be needing anymore, and it was the closest weapon to him that he was familiar with that he could use. He glanced to his side just as Serena arrived and mentioned getting away from the area, and he smirked a bit "What, afraid of fighting your family?" he half taunted her a bit as he brought up her rebellious words from the other day in the interview. He was still angry about that, but at the same time...part of him was understand it. Well, maybe more like accepting. He didn't understand Serena or how her mind worked, but he was getting used to it.

"But I agree, that way" he nodded in the direction while other tributes were busy fighting and he ran down one of the narrow but thin pathways that was the only thing that physically connected the center cornucopia to the rest of the arena land, and he took off in the lead running down the path, glancing over his shoulder only for half a second to make sure that Serena was following him, before focusing his attention ahead and soon reaching solid land, and just focusing on getting into the cover of the forest for the time being, just as many others were starting to do, or already had done. Once things calmed down from the initial start of the games, they could find the other careers.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena kept her bow at the ready as Cato grabbed his sword. She watched as a few other tributes stabbed at each other to reclaim some goods that were still in the cornucopia. Her attention turned to Cato when he spoke and she rolled her eyes. "You're funny," she said sarcastically, "But I think it would be more beneficial to get out of here for your safety not necessarily for mine." She could tell that Cato was partly joking but that didn't mean that she needed to take all the crap he gave her.

Serena followed after him as they ran towards the shore and into the jungle. She knew the first thing Cato would want to do was find the other Careers though she had to admit she wouldn't mind if they didn't. She didn't trust them. She didn't know if she could trust Cato but she knew she definitely had a better chance of trusting him than the others. They ran into the forest that surrounded the beach before sliding to a stop. "Up there," she said as she nodded up a tree. She knew it would be safer to hide above ground than at ground level. "We can wait there until things start to cool off."
~
Gale hurried her along as they needed to get as far away from the beach as possible. Claiming the beach would not only be dangerous but it would take a lot of energy that neither Gale nor Alice had time to waste. They quickly meandered through the trees before starting to slow down. It seemed rather peaceful. He waited for a moment to scope out the area before handing her one of the knives he had grabbed.

"I figured you could use this just in case," he said as he looked around before settling himself up against a tree. They needed a plan to avoid the other tributes. Then again, avoiding the others was just half the battle. They also had to fight whatever the Capitol had up their sleeves. "Any ideas of what to do next?" he asked her as he looked up at the young woman. He knew that she was the sneaky one and that he would basically do whatever she asked of him.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

They ran for about ten minutes or so until they started to slow down, and Alice slowed in her steps as she came to a step, catching her breath as she glanced around "Seems clear for now, anyways. Lets try and come up with what to do" she said as she looked to Gale as he leaned against the tree and caught his breath, before her eyes fell down on the knife he held out to her, and she blinked a bit in surprised "What about-" she started to question, before seeing he'd grabbed another for himself, and she smiled a bit, taking it "Thank you" she said as she put the knife away for the time being "We've barely started and it seems you've already had to back me up a lot, I'm sorry" she sighed a bit, not wanting to be the kind of tribute in a pairing or alliance that was a burden.

"Which reminds me. Where did you learn to swim?" she asked curiously while occasionally glancing around and keeping an ear out for an suspicious or warning sounds. She also surveyed the area that they were in, the terrain seemed very jungle focused. Hearing him ask for ideas, she shook her head a bit "Last time I just laid low for the first day or two to get a grip of the terrain and surroundings, figuring out what was normal and what wasn't in the arena. I can't really do much planning wise until we figure out more about what there is to work with around us" she said glanced back to him "Did you have a plan in mind you wanted to carry out? We should try and find somewhere to hide for now"

~

Cat just grinned a bit at her sarcastic remark "Thanks, I try" he replied back, knowing full well that she was just being sarcastic about her comment, but he took it regardless, because, well, that's just how he was. After they decided to get away, he ran down the path that lead into the forest, gladly taking the cover that it provided so that they weren't quite so in the open and easy to find or target. People either had two different perspective when it came to people like him, the careers. And that was to either directly target them and head straight for them, take them out soon, or, wait it out and avoid them, and hope someone else got rid of the problem of the careers.

When he heard Serena suddenly halting to a stop, he paused as well, turning around to face her before seeing her motioning towards a tree. He frowned a bit, not a fan of the idea of being stuck in a tree. They could easily get trapped up there if tributes did find them. But he did have Serena with him, and she had her bows....even if she didn't want to use them. "Alright" he gave in, feeling weird about actually listening to someone else instead of himself making all the decisions. But Serena was different, and skilled, so he'd give it a try. For now.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena smiled slightly when he agreed with her. It was clear that he wasn't truly wanting to agree with her but that something in his mind talked him into it. She started to climb up the tree rather quickly. She had done this many times back at home with her brothers at her side. This was how they would pass the time when they were younger and still free to lead innocent lives. She smiled back at Cato as he started to climb up the tree. "Try to keep up," she said before swinging herself onto a branch.

She steadied herself on the thick branch before leaning back against the stump. She took in the view for a moment though there wasn't much to see due to the density of trees, but she didn't mind. This place was still beautiful in her mind. She brushed a lock of blonde curls back before looking down at Cato once he had settled in. "So what's our game plan?" she asked, gazing down at him, "Other than find the other Careers."
~
Gale smiled at her and shook his head. "You're not a burden," he clarified with a smile, "Don't apologize. Trust me there is going to come a time in these games when I need your help with something. Consider this just like a point system for right now. Gale: 1, Alice: 0." He smirked as he spoke to show that he was only joking. There job was to keep each other alive for now, and that's what he was going to do.

He leaned back against the tree trunk for a few moments before looking over at her. "There was a little pond outside my house. My brothers and I would push each other in every once in a while. We basically learned how to swim to keep ourselves from drowning," he said with a slight chuckle, "We weren't very smart." He looked around the area for a moment before nodding slightly. She was right. They needed to lay low and see what the Gamemakers had in store for them, especially with this being a quarter quell and all. "I'd have to agree with you. Find a place to hide then we can figure out what to do once we know the terrain a bit better. Any thoughts on where we could find a good hiding spot? This isn't really my strong suit making this a solid opportunity to earn some points back," he said with a slight smirk.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

When he mentioned it being like a point system, she scoffed a bit, but smiled in amusement "Hey, don't sell yourself short. You technically have two points, if you want to include the knife you got me" She said with a smile, before she had asked about him knowing how to swim and he said how as children he and his brothers would push each other into a pond by her house. She couldn't help but let out a slight laugh "Well, I mean you are males after all" she teased him when he said they weren't smart, implying that it was because of his sex he wasn't smart. But of course only joking.

It was weird, honestly. Both now, during the games, and the past week leading up to it, she found she could joke around with Gale, and talking with him lightened her usually serious mood a bit. She wasn't sure why she was different now, maybe because it was the second games? Even Haymitch had noticed and joked to Gale privately about being able to make Alice smile and actually appear feminine. That was out of her earshot though, otherwise Haymitch wouldn't have gotten away with that. When he mentioned redeeming herself finding them a place to hide, she smiled "Let's walk around a bit, I'm sure we'll find something. When in doubt, a tree is always a good place. But everyone here has won before...they'll be smart enough to know that a tree is the quickest place to get to safety is in a tree on the first day into an arena. At the same time though, it might be best, since without knowing what kind of animals and creatures the Capitol put in this arena, it's be risky to outright stay on the ground" she said while they walked.

~

Giving in to Serena's idea for the time being, Cato followed her over to the tree that she had decided upon, looking up at it, before glancing around to make sure no one else saw them, he then grabbed hold of a branch just as Serena taunted him about keeping up, and he rolled his eyes, before smirking as he decided to get back at her for those words as he pulled himself up, looking up at at as she climbed a few branch paces ahead of him "Why would I want to do that? I've got a perfectly good view from down here" he grinned slyly as he continued to follow her up the tree, referring to the fact that with them climbing and her ahead of him, all he could really see was her rear end.

About half a minute later Cato caught up to the height that she had made it to, and pulled himself up onto a branch in the same general area as her that was sturdy enough to hold him, and he propped his legs up on another part of the branch as he leaned back against the trunk. Hearing her asking what next aside from finding the other careers, he pulled the bag he'd blindly snatched off from his shoulder "Water and food are always important. Even if we don't need them now, it'll be better to be prepared for when we do. We don't want to be scrambling to get water a food when we most need it. For now, lets see whats in the bag" he said while opening it and inspecting it's contents.

 

[SerenaStark]

Serena looked down at Cato when he made the remark about her butt. It took everything in her to not step on his hand. "You're lucky I told people I wasn't going to kill anyone because if I hadn't you'd be dead by now," she said as she settled onto her tree branch. She watched as he too settled in next to her and started to talk to her about his plan. In a forest like this one, water shouldn't be too hard to find, and she would assume there would be animals or some kind of food source as well.

She brushed her hair back and watched as he started to go through his bag. She had forgotten that he had grabbed it along with his infamous sword. "Anything good?" she asked as she tried to crane her head to see what they had gotten, "I wouldn't be surprised if the Capitol had just filled those up with rocks to screw with us." In fact, they had done that before. There had been one games where they had filled the bags with useless items and made tributes fight to the death over them only for them to find that there was nothing of us in there.
~
Gale smirked and shook his head as Alice spoke to him. It was strange. He had only known this girl for a few days but he felt as though he were closer to her than anyone else from back home. It was dangerous though. If it came between the two of them being left in the Arena alone he wouldn't know what to do. He definitely wouldn't let himself hurt Alice, but at the same time, he wanted to get her out. Suicide would then be the only option as he knew that she wouldn't want to kill him either.

He pushed the thought from his mind as he got up and started to follow her through the woods. Suddenly though, he heard a branch snap behind them. He drew his knife and looked around for a moment before looking at Alice. Someone had followed them, or was it something? Suddenly a male tribute jumped from one of the bushes and tried to tackle them to the ground. Gale gave Alice a shove back before punching the man in the jaw. "Run!" he shouted to Alice he too began to take off.

 

[ChibiMonkey]

As she began walking with Gale again in search of anything that could be useful, she was of course still being wary of their surroundings, so when she heard an uncharacteristic branch snapping nearby, she paused in her step, glancing over at Gale, as she too instinctively grabbed her knife. Maybe it was an animal. Though...even if it was an animal, who knew why kind of psychotic beast it could be, knowing the Capitol she wouldn't put it past them to put some kind of mutant creature in here to kill them or something.

But it wasn't a creature, a tribute. And by the looks of it, a lone man. She quickly moved as Gale pushed her out of the way, and nodded as she didn't have to be told, her feet already quickly moving as she ran with Gale. She tried to make sure the forest and trees didn't force them to separate while they focused on running, but it was difficult to focus on so many things at once; her feet and steps to not trip, the trees, and of course, the tribute running after them. And of course, he seemed to target her, her being the smaller and weaker looking one of the two. She could outrun him easily, he wasn't fast. But she didn't want to lose Gale. She glanced over her shoulder, calculating how far behind her the tribute was, before looking ahead. As she ran, her her quick thinking mind found what would hopefully be a perfect opportunity. As she ran, she slowed down only enough for her hands to grab onto a low hanging branch, about head level. She didn't let go of it even as she kept moving, the branch bending with her unnaturally, before she suddenly let go of it once the strain on it was close to breaking it. The branch snapped back instantly from the sudden release, snapping back and harshly smacking right into the tributes head, his feet flying out forward from his upper half being stopped and so violently coming to a halt, he fell to the ground unconscious. Letting out a few heavy breaths, she cautiously approached him to be sure he wasn't faking - though doubted it, after a hit like that, and then searched him to see if he had any valuable items they could use.

~

Cato couldn't help but snicker a bit at himself, finding humor in his own jokes as he relaxed back into the tree a bit once having made it up to the same height she had, and settling in as they discussed what to do. He nodded his head in agreement about the water "I mean, obviously there's water back where we started. It appeared to be freshwater, I didn't taste any salt in it. But that area would be pretty risky - though the other careers might try to claim it once we all get back together. The good thing about having a large group is you get the better locations since you're safer" he said before he was turning his attention back to the back and inspecting it.

Hearing her asking about it, he nodded "Looks like a type of canteen. That'll be good to carry water when we're not around it, and a small knife....wont do much good in a fight, but i guess anything sharp could prove useful" he said with a shrug of his shoulders before handing her the bag so she could see for herself. He knew she still probably didn't fully trust him, if at all, and so this was his way in trying to mend that distrust, so she could see he wasn't lying and trying to hide anything good in the bag for himself or anything like that.