The Courtyard

[Quinn Watson]

Quinn enters the courtyard and lets out a sigh of relief.

"Time to think." He wanders past statues and bushes of flowers until he finds himself a perfect nook where he hopes no one will find him and then falls into the grass and stares blankly at the ceiling.

[William Mandela]

Exiting the main complex with a purpose, William hurrys to a bench near the fountain without looking around. He pulls a tin whistle from his pocket and plays a somber sea shanty,

"One day whilst sailing on the sea,
They saw a vessel on their lee,
They knew it was a pirate craft,
All armed with guns before and aft,
She fired a shot across her bow
Which was not kind you must allow,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!

They did not fear as you may think,
But made the pirates water drink,
They gave that vessel their sharp stem,
And cut her through; more praise to them,
They seized the pirates' wicked mate,
He was so bad they broke his pate,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!

The skipper and his wicked crew,
They sunk beneath the waters blue,
It was a plucky thing to do
To cut the Pirate vessel through,
Then drink success to the Black Ball Line,
"Hurrah for the Black Ball Line"
Their ships are good, their men are fine.
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!"

He puts the whistle away and sighs.
Apparently revigored, he watches the dancing waters and contemplates his next move..


(For melody see link: youtu.be/dxy3L6ZU3cM )

[Adriana "Age" Leaf]

A small 13 year old girl peeks into the courtyard. Until now Age had stayed hidden in her hotel room, afraid to make connections with anyone she might later have to face in battle.

"I was just watching the live broadcast from my hotel room and I was watching you singing out here. I mean... yeah that sounds weird, but it's pretty crazy that anything we do here can be seen by the whole world, huh?"

[Alys Stout]

Alys notices a small girl about her age, who she remembers from the parade as Adriana.

She approaches her peer and bravely introduces herself.

"Hi, I'm Alys."

[Adriana "Age" Leaf]

"Aiii!" squeaked Age, so startled she whacked her head on the stone pillar she was leaning on. "What's the big idea sneaking up on me like that??" she said accusingly before realizing what the girl had actually said. "Oh… right. Sorry. Hi I'm Age," she said, now embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't see you there and I get startled easily. I guess I know what I should work on for the Skill Days, huh?"

[Alys Stout]

"Sorry about that" Alys murmured, feeling embarrassed. "Would you like to join me in a private alliance room so that we can talk?"

[Adriana "Age" Leaf]

Age hesitated a moment, caught off guard by the sudden request. "Umm..." she stammered. "I don't want to be rude, but I do think we should all get to know each other a bit before deciding who to trust in an alliance. Maybe first we can train together on Skill Day to see if we work well together! I'm either going to learn how to hunt or scout. Are you going to either of those training stations?"

[William Mandela]

Peturbed by the shrieking and shouting behind him, William lifts from the bench and turns to his cohorts.
"What's crazy, is that a man can't simply play a song of the sea hundreds of miles from the nearest coast in peace around here!" he jests. "The cameras can watch all they like, the more the better, suits my needs just fine", he says with a grin. "I just hope they got good angles. Did somebody say something about hunting? If it's anything like fishing I think I'd love it! As for scouting I might know someone who can help. Come find me later and we'll see if we can work something out."
He turns to leave but abruptly returns, "you girls haven't seen dolan or that guy from 6 have you? If you do, send em my way. Thanks!"
He turns again and jogs back inside.

[Adriana "Age" Leaf]

"Wait!" Age called after William. "I can teach you some basic hunting! We can teach each other!" But he was already back in the training center. "And I liked your song... shoot. Oh well."

[Alys Stout]

Alys looked at the ground embarrassed. She simply wanted someone to talk to that she could relate to, but perhaps she'd been too abrupt. She leaves the courtyard trying to brush off an awkward situation.

[Quinn Watson]

A small boy dashes in. He seems to be looking for something or somewhere, but cannot seem to find it. Quinn looks up and lets out a sigh. He falls backwards onto the ground in the middle of the courtyard and stares blankly into the sky.

[Jaden Fox]

Jaden steps out into the courtyard. No one had been out here in a couple days because a chilly wind had passed through the area. But today, the air was completely still and Jaden stands alone on the stone walkway. These training days had been a real adventure. He had met some really great tributes and had even allowed himself to have some fun the past few days. But the situation had just for the first time become real.

"This is it," he says aloud and takes a deep breath. "Tomorrow I go to the arena."

"And I probably won't be coming back."

Jaden sits down and sobs quietly.

[Talia Zinten]

The soft tapping of shoes on the cobblestone courtyard announced Talia's entrance.

"Hello Jaden," she called, sitting a respectable distance away from the older boy."I was endeavoring to converse with someone tonight, though it seems the others are indisposed to their alliance machinations."

The courtyard's still air seemed to emphasize a silence that settled between the two.

"For what it's worth, my confidence is in your team to flourish tomorrow. I hope both our plans are realized."

Talia's hands absently toyed with her braid in the silence.

"I heard your interview yesterday, about you escaping your home and living in desperation. No doubt you have endured more than I can fathom. Who were the scavengers who adopted you?"

[Jaden Fox]

"Oh, hey Talia." Jaden wiped away his tears. "I didn't expect anyone to come out here. I thought everyone would be preparing with their mentors inside."

Jaden realized the only time he had ever spoken to Talia he had been extremely rude, rejecting her from the conversation he was having on the roof.

"Sorry about the other day," he apologized, but he still hadn't made eye contact with her. His eyes were puffy and red from crying. "Sometimes I try to play tough, but I don't think intimidation was ever my thing."

"One of the scavengers, Olek, is my best friend. We've been through a lot together. Stared death in the face a couple times when peace keepers had caught us in the woods. But somehow, none of those times felt as real as it does right now."

Jaden paused. "Not sure if you'll have an alliance to support you out there, but either way, I wish you the best of luck. I hope this is the last time our paths cross. I'm not sure what will happen if we meet in the arena."