🦋 The 20th Hunger Games ➵ Victor: Penny

[SunnyJustice]

Death Recap - Night Two
9:55 PM

Night has fallen across the arena. Panem's national anthem blares from unseen speakers, heralding the nightly death recap. The sky shines with an image of the Capitol's seal. After a moment, it fades out to reveal the tributes who lost their lives that day...
➵ Moses Grandy of District Seven
➵ Rieka Günther of District Ten
➵ Reyna Byrne of District Twelve
The tributes are shown in order of their district, with no indication of what caused their death. After the final face fades from the sky, the Capitol seal makes a brief return as the anthem crescendos. Then the music and lights fade as the sky returns to darkness.


➵ Sponsor Gift
A soft chime sounded in the eastern quadrant, followed by the appearance of a silver silk parachute. It descended from the still skies and came to a rest near Sienna. Opening the tray attached would reveal several fresh-baked bread rolls, each of them containing little specks of herbs from the forests of District Seven. Soft wisps of steam rose from the still-warm bread.
Attached was a note from Garry. "I'm sorry, Sienna. Icarus and I just want to say it's not your fault. I've been in a situation like this before, when I was in the arena. We all wish we could do more, but it's over now - please accept you did what you could. I miss you so much."


➵ Eden Beauregard of District One
➵ Location: Careers' camp
➵ Tagged: Chaska, other Careers
Almost the moment Chaska seemed to return to his senses, he buried himself in his concerned ally's embrace. He really needed that hug didn't he? Eden held his friend tight, rubbing comforting circles on his back just as he'd done for the grieving Sienna. Sympathy wrenched his heart as Chaska curled up in his arms. Hopefully Eden was able to provide some warmth and comfort to his friend, Chaska deserved it.
Chaska gave him one last squeeze, then pulled back from the hug. The distant look in his eyes appeared to have faded back to reveal a familiar determination. He spoke in a strong, steady voice, and Eden finally felt ready to let go.
"That's selfless of you," Eden murmured as Chaska told him he'd kill out of kindness again if necessary. He hoped it wouldn't come to that - it was never easy, not even for a trained Career. But a part of him was grateful his ally was strong and willing to take on that burden.
A warm smile touched his face as Chaska thanked him. "It's the least I could do, Chaska. Let me know if you ever need anything, okay? Even the strongest of us just need a hug sometimes." Chaska was one of the strongest people he'd ever met. Eden looked up to him as an older brother, but everyone needed a friend's comforting touch at times. No Career went into this arena intending to face it alone.

Once Chaska finished cleaning his dagger, Eden nodded and rose to his feet, heading for the firepit where the gutted fish lay drying in the crisp prairie air. They'd have to cook the fish quickly before it went bad. Thankfully, Eden's swords were still clean, so he impaled one of the makeshift filets on a blade and stuck it out over the fire. With his free hand, he gestured for the other Careers to join them.
Overhead, the death recap played, bringing with it the faces of those who'd died today. Eden felt tears prick at his eyes at the first two, but his expression hardened when Reyna appeared. That dastardly, child-murdering coward was the cause of all this.
"I hope Sharnaz joins that blade-damned degenerate soon," Eden muttered to his allies. The cooking flames crackling before him reflected the anger in his eyes. "After dinner, how about we pay a visit to our fine friend from District Five?"

[Runnersback]

➵Sienna Mach-North| D7 |17|Tags:Jay| loc:career camp outskirts

Sienna flinched at the Capitol Anthem but her eyes pried her into the sky to see Moses’s smiling face one last time. Her lips faltered before she whispered one last goodbye. Poor Rieka was flashed up there also and then Reyna that witch made her want to vomit but she held it all down before she turned her attention to the soft dinging. She saw the silver parachute and softly got up to pick it up and open. Rolls her favorite! Her mother always made them like this and so did her father when she fell ill.But she was still stuck on the note trying to physically keep reading it to herself as tears rolled down her cheeks. The rolls were warm still and had herbs in them!“Here Jay,I know you haven’t had much.” She said softly handed him three fresh rolls before standing up.“I’ll be back, I just have to find a camera and speak to Garry my mentors real quick.” She said softly as she took a bite of the warm soft roll. It stung a little but it was heaven on this hell laden earth. Sienna wiped her eyes before glancing around finding a camera a few feet away from Jay where she was visible to him but it was still private.“Hey Garry, Icarus! I just want to say thank you for the rolls they mean a lot. Garry, Moses sends all of his love and I know it’s hard but you were right about what you said. Not all careers or tributes want to go home. But I’m not going to give up on you or the boy! I will try my best to make it home to you and Seven. I miss you so much and the cooking of seven, and Moses’s stupidity. But he’s watching over Rieka now and well his infection isn’t your fault so don’t blame yourself either Garry. Icarus if your still listening to this, take care of Garry. Make sure he doesn’t get too sad and give him all the hugs for me.Love you Garry and Icarus! I‘ll “see you around” when I move camp with Jay,ok?” She said softly before blowing a loving kiss to the camera and heading back to Jay as she had cried through her whole message and stuffed the note into a zipper laced pocket. The rolls sufficed her hunger and well after two she definitely wanted more but she had to save it well... They did have fish and trail mix,one more couldn’t hurt....

[Zyn]

i

☭ 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚊 𝚂𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚡 ☭
District 2 || Career || Male || Eighteen || The Mad Dog

◤xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◥
☭ Location: Eastern Quadrant
xxxxxxxxxxxCareer Camp
☭ Tags: Eden, The Careers
☭ Mood: Calm
◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

.
Chaska was grateful for the warm hug that Eden had given him, though being Chaska he didn't know how to properly express this. He did however make a mental note to hug people more often. He would also have to ask the winner to teach his sister about hugs, that would be something he assumed she would like. At Edens words he tilted his head slightly, barely managing to keep the confusion out of his expression, he was being told he was selfless. Hardly true in Chaska's mind, he thought he was mighty selfish. After all it wasn't like he was as kind as Eden or Sienna or Caspia. Thankfully they moved past that fairly quickly and came back full circle with Eden offering another hug, something he made note of. He would probably want another hug later, just so he wouldn't forget how much he was learning to like them. Once he was done cleaning his dagger he followed Eden back to the fire pit and took his place by the district one career's side. Armed with his newly acquired long sword, which he had cleaned prior to the dagger, he impaled one of the filet on the blade and stuck it over the fire. Following Eden's gaze to the sky he watched as first Moses flashed across the sky. Only a very trained eye would spot the way Chaska's grip tightened on the blade and didn't relax until Reika's face was replaced by Reyna's. With a sharp nod he agreed with Eden. "She was headed North, hoping to find shelter in the woods" he said, the second part was only speculation but the rest had been easy to figure out just by watching her flee.

[rose petals.]

GᒪOᖇIᗩ ᒪᗩᑕE
|female|2|career|tags: careers|

Thankfully, Gloria didn't see Madeline's gesture. If she had, only absolute horrors would have ensued.

Gloria sat by the fire, not because she wanted to socialize but because the night air made it colder and she didn't feel like shivering. The disgusting smell of fish burned at the girl's nose, so much so that she had entirely lost her appetite and wouldn't even need to bother with the gross slimy fish. Although she agreed with the others she would never say it because it could boost their egos, so she just stayed silent for once and listened to the conversation.

ᑭEᑎᑎY ᔕYᒪᐯEᔕTEᖇ
|female|8|tribute|tags: felix|

Penny stopped, not quite sure what Felix meant. She looked around, before finally looking down at the stream. "The water?" She asked, before spotting the little pink stone. "Oh! Wow look how pretty!" Penny exclaimed, reaching down to pick it up. "Is this it?"

Penny watched the death recap, gasping in horror when she saw little Reika's face. "No!" She exclaimed, remembering how she comforted the child back at training after those horrible people bullied her. Speaking of which, Reyna's face appeared next, which somehow didn't give Penny any joy. Even if Reyna was mean, none of them really deserved to die like this...

[SunnyJustice]

➵ Eden Beauregard of District One
➵ Location: Careers' camp
➵ Tagged: Careers
In the darkness that had fallen over camp, Eden didn't notice anything but the growing crackle of the cooking fire. It matched the blazing drive for revenge inside his own heart. He'd been too much of a pacifist, sparing lives as his blades remained clean of blood, but now it was time for that to change. Sharnaz would taste the bitter wrath of justice for all the lives she'd destroyed.
He turned to Chaska and nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Chaska. The only shelter she will find is in the grave, and we'll send her there together," He murmured. The fish on his sword had been grilled to a nice, crunchy finish, so he took it back from the fire.
"Here, you can have this one." Eden stuck the filet out towards Chaska once it'd cooled down a little in the breeze. Poor Chaska had been through so many disasters today - losing a child, being stabbed, having to put down another tribute. Nobody deserved to deal with all that, let alone in a single day. Eden hoped the warmth of freshly cooked food would help him start to heal.
It seemed someone else wanted to give Chaska something, too. A ding followed by a silver parachute caught Eden's attention. "Oh! Looks like Icarus has something for you too. Maybe some seasoning for the fish?"


➵ Sponsor Gift
A soft chime sounded in the eastern quadrant, followed by the appearance of a silver silk parachute. It descended from the still skies and came to a rest near Chaska. Opening the tray attached would reveal a pair of steel armor gauntlets, built to guard the forearms while keeping the hands and fingers mobile. The emblem of District Two was engraved into the right gauntlet's wrist area.
Attached was a note from Icarus in his awful handwriting. "This used to belong to a District Two soldier back in the Dark Days. Now it's yours, son. District Two is so proud of you. I am so proud of you." It was choppy but he'd done his best.
Turning over the note would reveal another message, written in much neater handwriting with a down-to-earth flourish of District Seven. Icarus had somehow managed to sneak in another mentor's words. All it said was, "Thank you."


➵ Garry Woods of District Seven
Sienna's reaction to the bread rolls warmed Garry's heart. The poor, sweet girl had been through so much and it seemed her only remaining ally didn't understand her struggles. She always tried to be strong and kind for those around her, but Garry knew she was hurting inside and the lack of support just made it worse. He almost wished the Careers had taken her in permanently. Just to provide some companionship.
As Sienna sought out a camera to speak directly into it, Garry's eyes widened in surprise. Not even the horrors of the arena had crushed this girl's spirit. She was so determined, even reassuring Garry about the Moses situation despite the pain it likely brought her to say. Silent tears were streaming down his face by the time she'd signed off.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around Garry in a hug. Sienna's message had included telling Icarus to give 'all the hugs', and Careers thrived on hearing clear instructions.

"I'm so proud of her," Garry sobbed into Icarus' chest. "But I feel like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders."
"I feel the same about my son." Icarus murmured.
"Oh! Chaska?" Wiping his tears, Garry pulled back a little to look at the screen. "I hope your gift reaches him soon."
"Our gift," Icarus and Garry had joined forces to fund both Chaska and Sienna's gifts, and the District Two mentor wasn't about to let him forget it. His voice even sounded a little scolding now. No wonder everyone called him the Career Dad.
"Right, our gift." Garry said. "Sorry. I'm worried about both Chaska and Sienna, and the wait is killing me."
"It's killing you?" Icarus looked genuinely concerned for his health. "Are you okay?"
"Yes! I mean, no, but it's a figure of speech..." Garry sighed. "But thanks for caring, Icarus."
"Can't spell Career without 'Care'."

[Zyn]

☭ 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚊 𝚂𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚡 ☭
District 2 || Career || Male || Eighteen || The Mad Dog

◤xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◥
☭ Location: Eastern Quadrant
xxxxxxxxxxxCareer Camp
☭ Tags: Eden, The Careers
xxxxxxxxxxxCareerdad, Garry
☭ Mood: Calm
◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

.
Chaska turned his gaze away from the fish at the sound of the seriousness in Eden's voice and he was meet with the most solemn expression he had seen on the younger careers face. It was clear that Eden had enough of Sharnaz and all the district five tribute had done to ruin the lives of those they cared about. It was both reassuring and worrying to see such seriousness on the usually soft hearted career. However instead of voicing those worries out loud he only gave Eden a solemn nod back. It was his own way of showing his support, he would have Eden's back in the venture for vengeance. A look of surprise crossed Chaska's face when Eden handed him the filet that they had been cooking. Without even testing he could tell it would have a nice crunchy finish, it would be delicious. "You are welcome to mine, it is almost finished" He replied. His wasn't quite as well done as Eden's but it would suffice, after all it wouldn't taste too bad. Giving his own fish a final spin he handed off to Eden after taking the one that his friend had cooked. As he took the fish Eden had cooked a chime caught his attention. Lifting his gaze to the sky he spotted a silver silk parachute, for a moment he wondered who it was for. That is until it helpfully landed right in front of him.

With his free hand he reached out and picked up the tray. Setting it on his lap he took a moment to set the fish down so that it wouldn't get dirty but he would also have his hands free to open the tray. Once that was done he opened it and couldn't help the look of shock that drove his eye brows up. Inside were the most beautiful steel armor gauntlets he had ever seen. The emblem of District Two was engraved in the right gauntlets wrist and he absentmindedly traced over it. When he could finally tear his eyes away from the beautiful armor he was drawn to the note. In handwriting very similar to his own Icarus told him about the gauntlets, however as amazing as the information was what stood out the most to him was one word. Son. His expression softened as he lifted the note and let his thumb brush over the word. Never before had he been called son, and the idea that someone he admired so much considered him their son just made his heart fill with such joy. It took him a moment to realize that there was more and he flipped it over to find neat handwriting on the back. The style could only place the handwriting as Garry's from District Seven. Lifting his gaze he searched the sky until he could find a camera to look at. Once spotted he only had a few soft words to share. "Thank you... Dad and thank you Garry." Tucking the note into his jacket pocket he slide the gauntlets down and then turned to Eden with a small grin.

[honeybee.]

Caspia Searobin | District 4 | Location: East Camp | Tags: Killick —> Eden, Chaska| Hungry
Eden and Chaska had headed back to their campfire and beckoned Caspia and Killick over. “Looks like we’re getting those fish now. Ready for a taste of home?”
Just about when she’d settled on one of their makeshift seats the anthem of Panem began to play and the faces of those lost appeared in the sky. Sweet little Rieka first, Caspia would never quite understand how the non-Career districts could ever allow a reaped 13 year old even to reach the stage. Next was Reyna who had made a fatal error when she’d agreed to pick on the tiniest of tributes. Finally, Moses’ face appeared. He’d suffered enough, from an small injury with unknown origins.
The sight of Reyna seemed to have stirred anger in Eden as he suggested they plan a hunt after dinner. “That sounds like a good plan. She should face what she’s done before the sun rises tomorrow.” Chaska offered insight on where they would be able to find her, and Eden’s voice was determined as he talked of sending her to her grave.

The well-known sound made by a descending parachute rang through the air and a tray landed practically in Chaska’s lap. Caspia watched him unwrap his gift. “Oooh, those are cool.” She cooed at the pretty armour, rich with history, whilst Chaska read the note.

———

Felix Prestman | District 12 | Location: Western Valley | Tags: Penny |
Having to stop kind of gave Felix’s object away, but he didn’t mind. He beamed as she scooped up the stone, calling it pretty. “Yeah, you got it! I thought you’d like it. We should keep it, like a good luck charm.”
They started walking again and soon after, the death recap appeared in the sky. Penny cried out when she saw Rieka in the sky, and Felix’s face fell. “How- how could anyone actually let this happen? Who would’ve killed her?”
When Reyna’s face appeared it only made him feel worse. “She was awful back in 12, and even worse here but she was still the only piece of home I really had.” He murmured.

[rose petals.]

GᒪOᖇIᗩ ᒪᗩᑕE
|female|2|career|tags: careers|

Gloria watched as a silver parachute descended from the sky. Was she getting a gift? But it wasn't heading to her after all, no, it was going to her district partner. "What?!" Why had Icarus given CHASKA a gift but not her????? Outraged, she glared up at the sky. "Maybe mine is just a little late. There's no way Icarus would give you a gift and not me, Chaska!" Gloria said with a laugh. Of all the things this was so entirely unbelievable that it had to be a joke. "Clearly. Clearly. CLEARLY. He didn't just give you a gift and not me... right? No one in their right mind would ever do that." Gloria chuckled. She hoped Icarus heard that, maybe it would make him realize his mistake and send her a gift too!

ᑭEᑎᑎY ᔕYᒪᐯEᔕTEᖇ
|female|8|tribute|tags: felix|

Penny smiled at the stone, it probably was a good luck charm! She made sure to hold the stone close before glancing up at Felix. She had forgotten that Felix and Reyna had come from the same district. How horrible... Of course, it still seemed to make her friend sad. Penny couldn't imagine feeling sad at Darius's death, he had scared her, just as Reyna had. In fact, what remorse she felt about seeing Reyna in the sky was more that it symbolized all of their deaths, not just hers. They'd all die in this arena... "Maybe... maybe it wasn't a tribute." Penny murmured quietly, trying not to believe that people could be so horrible as to murder children. Penny stopped walking and wrapped her arms around Felix tenderly. She wasn't really sure what to say, so she just gave him a hug. "Maybe we should find a place to rest for the night..." Penny breathed after a while. Her heart felt heavy after seeing poor little Reika's face in the sky. She couldn't bare it!

[anathema]

(x𝐊 𝐈 𝐋 𝐋 𝐈 𝐂 𝐊x𝐀 𝐂 𝐐 𝐔 𝐀 𝐓 𝐈x)

( district 4 )x( location: careers' camp )x( tags: careers )

Dusk had fallen. Killick followed his district partner to the campfire, nodding and smiling at her comment. Eden and Chaska were already waiting for them, and not too much later Gloria joined them. He sat down, letting his allies discuss plans for the night. He was more than willing to tag along if they needed him, but they probably already knew that.
Out of nowhere, the chime of a parachute sounded and a sponsor gift fell from the sky, landing near Chaska. Killick observed in silence as the District Two boy unwrapped it; it was a really nice piece of armor. "Cool," he simply said. Killick didn't have any other words to offer, but wanted to show at least some kind of interest. He'd been far too quiet today.

[SunnyJustice]

➵ Eden Beauregard of District One
➵ Location: Careers' camp
➵ Tagged: Careers
Eden could feel Chaska's support implied in that wordless gesture. His expression softened - it brought him comfort to remember his allies would fight beside him. They'd gone through some rough patches, but he knew deep down the Career's honor and kinship held this alliance together. The look in Eden's eyes warmed further as Chaska offered him his fish filet. They were swapping now, a lovely moment of brotherly bonding in his opinion. Sharing food brought people together.
"Thank you. It smells so delicious," Eden said, accepting Chaska's gift with two hands. According to his mother, it was the proper way to take something from an elder or respected person. The firelight illuminated his soft smile as he began to eat the freshly-cooked filet. Its warmth soothed him, filled his entire body with comfort only a family member's home-cooked meal could provide. "I love it!"

As Chaska opened the contents of his silver parachute, Eden's eyes widened at the beautiful gauntlets. They looked perfect for the scythe-wielding Career. It seemed like the gift made Chaska very happy, and if his friend was happy then Eden was, too.
He completely ignored anything Gloria said. Scolding hadn't worked, appealing to her sense of morality hadn't worked, so maybe ignoring the behavior would be the best solution. Eden would just pretend like she didn't exist until she stopped being a jerk. Hopefully it would actually work, but it would make his life easier even if it didn't. No use wasting energy on such ridiculous comments.
When Chaska turned to him with a little grin, Eden's smile quickly returned. His green eyes glittered with an expression not unlike a kid watching his favorite superhero show. "Are you going to wear them when we're hunting tonight? You'll look so cool!"


➵ Icarus Matthias of District Two
The normally-grumpy mentor couldn't wipe the smile off his face right now. Chaska, his Chaska, looked so shocked and happy to receive his new gauntlets. Icarus couldn't wait till the lad put them on. Maybe he'd even fight Sharnaz in them, that would make a powerful statement. Chaska was District Two's scythe of justice and he would avenge the downtrodden.
Icarus's heart then melted as Chaska lifted the note, his eyes soft, and ran a gentle finger over the word 'son'. It took all his willpower not to tear up at the heartwarming sight. He couldn't cry in front of Garry! But when Chaska spotted a camera and spoke into it, calling him dad, Icarus decided to hell with it. They'd need a dam to hold back the tears at this point and no way was he calling District Four.
"Dad. He called me dad," Now it was Icarus' turn to bury himself into Garry's arms. "I'm so proud of my son."
The other mentor patted him on the back awkwardly. "You have a good son."
"The best son." Icarus mumbled. He didn't even notice Gloria's attitude, he was too focused on the child he'd mentally adopted. "My boy deserves more hugs. Didn't get enough of them growing up. I'll kill his biological father for that and more."
"What?!"