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Post by Eloise Sugarglider on Dec 6, 2015 12:59:59 GMT -6
"Would either of you be interested in an alliance? Getting out of the Cornucopia alive and well equipped helps survival significantly and teamwork will help us get more useful items. I'm not too interested in hunting people down and I get the same feeling from you two."
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Post by Millie Cartwright on Dec 6, 2015 19:04:24 GMT -6
This was her second year attending this god awful event. Well, third if you counted the year that she was on the other end of the knife.
And every year it got more depressing...
You'd think that free drinks and food without the impending sense of death would actually be a bit of fun but when you knew first hand what was in store for these kids you couldn't enjoy it quite like you'd think.
For about two years now she had been working to undermine the whole thing. That's what the Primrose Accord stood for but... The more she tried the more useless she felt. Millie knew there must be an underground resistence somewhere but with the Capitol's eyes on you and the whole fact that they probably didn't want anyone to know they existed it wasn't easy to find them.
I mean they HAD to exist...
...right?
Scanning the room Millie noticed a girl over in one of the corners standing silently by herself. Memories of the people she had entered the arena with briefly passed through her mind.
She made her way over to the girl and for once was at a bit of a loss as to what to say so she fell back on an old standard.
"Hey, do you like cupcakes?"
She had gotten special permission to bring a box of homemade cupcakes to the event tonight. It was the Capitol's one exception for her and something that reminded of her that the hope she and the other's had shared when they chowed down on someone in that back of that library two years ago.
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Post by Wren Hartwood on Dec 6, 2015 19:29:41 GMT -6
At some point in the evening, Wren had spotted some past victors wandering around. He finally caught one and had a chance to introduce himself.
"Um...hi. I'm Wren, District Seven...You...your face looks like you're thinking about something really profound. Sorry. That sounds weird. It's just...I've been wanting to talk to people about the Games; I have this eerie feeling. But I can't seem to form the right questions. Maybe it's the pressure from the cameras..."
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Post by Sharlot Cuprick on Dec 6, 2015 19:44:11 GMT -6
Sharlot retreated to the quietest corner she could find, but it seemed it was already filling with people. She knew there was a reason she hated parties. And here there was no escape from it.
Sharlot then overheard the boy from 7 say he wanted to talk about the Games. Finally someone who was taking this seriously! Sharlot walked over to him and gave a shy wave. "I'm Sharlot" she mouthed, pointing to her name tag again.
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Post by Millie Cartwright on Dec 6, 2015 19:52:23 GMT -6
Millie glanced over at the guy who had just dropped in on the quiet corner trying to figure out what she made of him.
He had just been cutting a mean rug out on the dance floor but show he was stammering and acting a bit coy. Either his nerves had finally gotten to him or he knew just what masks to wear in every situation.
...either was dangerous...
But she knew from her own experiences that first impressions could be deceiving so she put on the best mask show owned herself.
"Heya, I'm Millie and you are?" she smiled. "Did you have any questions in particular?"
As the words left her mouth another tribute made her way over, a girl that was a couple years older than herself, and introduced herself to the tribute she was speaking to.
She had a name tag.
Had they been handing out nametags?
"Nametags make these sorta functions so much easier..."
As this was going on Millie glanced back over to the quiet girl in the corner, her hand still outstretched with cupcakes. Millie hoped all this sudden commotion didn't scare her away.
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Post by Wren Hartwood on Dec 6, 2015 20:34:05 GMT -6
Wren knew he had to get some sleep, but desperately wanted to know what Millie thought about the Capitol, and the Games in general.
"I've heard some tributes saying there might not actually be any Peacekeepers, that it's just a way to pit us against each other. I guess I'll be honest and ask you, do you think there's any hope of tributes over-throwing the Capitol through the Games in our lifetime?" Wren rethought his words..."Well, likely not MY lifetime. That may end in a matter of days. But, someday. Do you think it could happen?"
(Wren waited for her response and thanked her for her thoughts when she was finished. Unfortunately, he had to get some sleep.)
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Post by Millie Cartwright on Dec 6, 2015 20:43:39 GMT -6
The bluntness of the question caught her off guard. Millie KNEW that there were peacekeepers here but she was under strict rules that forbade her from talking about it.
She wanted to tell him that she thought a revolution was coming that for sure he'd see it in his lifetime but there were far too many...cameras around here.
she took a step to the left knowing blocking her hands view from the camera that monitored this corner. She had done her homework and slipped a small piece of paper into the tribute's hand.
She smiled, "Well Wren I think everybody in the Capitol knows how I feel about these games but I mean there's really not much you can do when your every step is monitored."
Millie let out a laugh, "But at least take a cupcake to ease the pain of impending doom."
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Post by Wren Hartwood on Dec 6, 2015 20:47:11 GMT -6
Wren liked her sense of humor. "Ha, thanks. I hope to see you around during the rest of our training days. My own District Seven tribute and my mentor haven't been around much...so I just feel like I need to fend for myself." Wren had no intention of starting an uprising. In fact, he knew he would die as soon as his name was called at the reaping. He still hadn't figured out why he was chosen...His confidence was all over the place tonight. At least he had a few faces with names, hopefully friends or allies.
"Have a good night!" Wren left for his room.
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Post by Millie Cartwright on Dec 6, 2015 21:17:09 GMT -6
Millie was caught off guard by how abruptly Wren left the conversation but then its a good idea to get some sleep before training starts. Most Tributes that aren't from the career districts don't expect just how involved training can be.
Millie turned to the other two girls next to her, "So, how are you two doing?"
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Post by Sharlot Cuprick on Dec 6, 2015 21:29:34 GMT -6
Sharlot kept glancing back at the bar. Gwendolyn seemed to have found some new friends. Why did she keep thinking about her?
Then Millie spoke and Sharlot snapped out of it. She smiled and gave a thumbs up. Sharlot looked down at Millie's beatiful dress. Sharlot had always enjoyed making her own clothes, but if she won the games she would easily give that up if she could dress like Millie. Sharlot touched one of the dress's ribbons and mouthed "I love your dress!"
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Post by Millie Cartwright on Dec 6, 2015 21:37:34 GMT -6
Millie was surprised she hadn't noticed it before this moment but she realized that Sharlot apparently didn't...talk.
Suddenly her own lack of nametag made sense.
Millie struggled with what would be the most political way to ask the question that had to be asked.
"So I don't mean to be rude but, I noticed you don't talk much..." she ventured, "Any particular reason why?"
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Post by Millie Cartwright on Dec 6, 2015 21:38:55 GMT -6
Millie hoped and prayed that she didn't just lose a potential friend...
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Post by Sharlot Cuprick on Dec 6, 2015 21:58:15 GMT -6
Communicating was going to be a struggle for Sharlot without the aid of computers. She never fully learned sign language as the only person she ever had to communicate with in person was Mr. Cuprick, whom she had nothing to say to anyway. For now, telling her story was going to turn into a game of charades...
Sharlot acted as if she was typing on a computer, looking around nervously. Then she grabbed her own wrist and acted as if she was placed in handcuffs. Then she mimed cutting off her tongue.
She shrugged, hoping that would suffice.
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Post by Millie Cartwright on Dec 6, 2015 22:00:33 GMT -6
Millie prided herself on being clever but the meaning of her pantomime went over her head until she noticed that she didn;t even have a tongue.
Suddenly the pantomime handcuffs made a lot more sense.
A look of worry and concern clouded Millie's face. "Did the peacekeepers do that to you," she asked.
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Post by Sharlot Cuprick on Dec 6, 2015 22:20:06 GMT -6
Sharlot nodded stiffly. The punishment while barbaric, was deserved. She had learned her lesson, and since then vowed she would never do anything to hurt anyone. She caught herself looking at Gwendolyn laughing and drinking again.
Dammit. Why did she have to feel so guilty about it.
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Post by Millie Cartwright on Dec 6, 2015 22:46:59 GMT -6
The news that a PEACEKeeper had done this to her hit her like a wall of bricks.
"That was IT she needed to make sure this all ended," she thought to herself.
This was the year she had to either succeed or die.
Millie noticed Sharlot constantly glancing over at the loud tributes at the bar.
"We should probably get to know the other tributes a bit. No sense in not having ANY fun," she said politely.
"Want to head over there with me?" she offered.
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