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Post by Alicia Swather on Jul 28, 2014 19:48:12 GMT -6
Alicia stormed into the hotel room, slamming the door behind her. She flung off her dress and curled up on her bed in her underwear.
"Who the hell are you to judge us anyway?" she shouted into her pillow. "What do you even know about us!?"
She began to sob.
"Dammit, I'm NOT a crybaby!"
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Post by Jorn Oxen on Jul 28, 2014 22:09:21 GMT -6
Ox had returned to the hotel just in time to hear Alicia slam her door. He raised an eye brow as he passed it by and then went into his room. He changed out of his clothes and found something more comfortable stowed away and ended up putting on some gray silk pajamas.
He walked out of his room with a glass of water and knocked on Ali's door.
"Ali?"
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Post by Alicia Swather on Jul 28, 2014 22:30:56 GMT -6
Ox was at the door. His deep voice sounded concerned.
"Mrff" she said into a pillow. She turned her head a bit. "Yeah, come in."
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Post by Jorn Oxen on Jul 29, 2014 12:22:53 GMT -6
Ox walked into her room tentatively in his silly gray Jammies holding a glass of water.
"Oh." Ox said dumbly as he walked in noticing that Ali had been crying and she was in her underwear.
She was in her underwear...
Ox quickly turned sloshing water all over the floor and covered his eyes with his hand blushing furiously under his dark skin.
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Post by Alicia Swather on Jul 29, 2014 13:00:47 GMT -6
Alicia watched Ox’s wild reaction as he dumped half his glass of water on her floor. She couldn’t help but give out a brief snort of laughter. She was clearly not embarrassed of her indecency.
“It’s okay man,” she said wiping her eyes. “We’re both adults… oh right, dammit. I keep forgetting you’re not as old as you look.”
She casually wrapped herself in her comforter and sat up, pulling strands of hair out of her face.
“What’s up Ox?”
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Post by Jorn Oxen on Jul 29, 2014 13:35:50 GMT -6
Ox turned around, more embarrassed about his reaction than the fact that he'd seen her in her underwear. She was more comfortable about it so he relaxed more, he felt better knowing she wasn't mad at him.
"I just uh.. I heard you slam your door... Figured I'd see whats wrong."
He looked at his half empty glass and chuckled.
"Im kind of clumsy" He half laughed.
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Post by Alicia Swather on Jul 29, 2014 18:40:08 GMT -6
"It's cool," Alicia shrugged. "I'm kind of… complicated."
Alicia patted a spot on the bed next to her, signaling for Ox to come sit down.
"I know I shouldn't have lashed out at that sponsor lady," she started, "but I keep picturing her sitting back, watching me on TV in her cozy mansion as I lose control of my emotions when they're taking me away from my baby… She probably had a good laugh at it. Probably thought it made for a spectacular episode."
She paused for a long time. Tears started welling up again.
"And years after I've died, my insane father is going to send off his granddaughter to volunteer for the games, the same way he tried to do to me. You see? They're not just killing me, they're killing my baby too."
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Post by Jorn Oxen on Jul 29, 2014 19:46:54 GMT -6
Ox took the seat next to her on the bed and listened.
When she finished he was quiet for a little while. He hadn't even known she had a daughter. That she had something more than missing her family or missing her home. Alicia had someone who needed her.
"I guess that's why you have to play the game Ali." He said slowly.
He quickly held up his hands
"I'm not saying lets go off killing people left and right... or maybe.. I don't know what will happen in there just yet. But what I do know is that you need to play. You need to put on a face for them Ali, because in order for you to win they have to like you. Scratch that, they have to LOVE you Ali." Ox put his head in his hands for a moment and then brought them down over his mouth before speaking next.
"I don't have anybody who needs me back home. I don't have anyone who really cares if I'm around or not. But it seems to me you got a little lady that is gonna need her mama back. When her mama does come back... She will be bringing her little girl a whole new, better life than she could have ever dreamed of having." Ox nodded looking ahead.
"I don't want to hurt anyone if I don't have to Ali, but if I can do anything to get you back to your little girl, I'm gonna do it."
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Post by Alicia Swather on Jul 29, 2014 20:13:33 GMT -6
Alicia instantly thought of the words she had said the night prior and felt horrible.
Not everyone had a family.
She wondered how Ox could be so willing to help someone he just met. Maybe this was Ox trying to make a new family, by protecting her old one. Alicia smiled as she dried the rest of her tears in the comforter. She turned and wrapped her arms around Ox's broad shoulders.
"You rock," she said. "And to hell with everyone else. I care if you're around."
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Post by Jorn Oxen on Jul 30, 2014 16:43:02 GMT -6
Ox rested his head against Alicia's and felt at peace.
This was the first time he had felt relaxed since the games had started.
And he held onto it for as long as he could.
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