Forum Thread

Eric was starting to think that kids were the best thing next to post-work naps. If he learned to have a little patience (and could actually find a girlfriend), he might have kids of his own. Stifling a laugh, he nodded, saying in the most serious way that he could (Eric was terrible at being serious in most situations for the most part), "Of course! You seem like a very smart kid, Angie. I'm sure of it."

---

Angie stared at him for a long moment, struggling not to smile, before breaking into a fit of giggles. Lukian seemed amused too, his shadowy presence successfully constricting a laugh. As she caught her breath, Angie stood back up straight, her wide grin shown off to the world, if only they could see. They probably could, but that wasn't her concern.

Lifei casts Maci a weak smile, before rushing over to Blossom, and helping her into a sitting position. “Are you alright?” She asked Blossom quietly, as she ushered Charlie over to rest beside Blossom. She suddenly whipped her head around, eyes glowing in anger, and nearly giving herself whiplash. “If you—“ Lifei pauses mid-speech, inhaling as she recalls what Maci says. “Oh. Well, it’s fine. Mind if I stay here for a while, just until Blossom recovers from her daze?” She asks, now looking softer, her features softening, the glare disappearing as she faces Maci with a smile.

---

Maci shrugs. "I don't mind." She takes a step towards her door and pauses by the doorway. "Just give me a holler if you need assistance." She finally leaves, giving the three some space. That's when she remembers what Phenix had told her. She grips the carving, but doesn't "speak" into it. It's apparent that no amount of convincing will stop him from attempting to pull her and his kids out of the Games.
Should I warn the others? Maci wonders. She isn't too sure. I guess I have until tomorrow afternoon to make a decision.

The next morning the tributes woke up and found that their training outfit, a black fitted jumpsuit and a pair of sturdy tennis shoes, were folded neatly on their bed stands.

Robin was the first one up among herself, Gabriella, and the random NPC tribute. She was downstairs eating pancakes, Gabriella joined her not too long after. Harmony was still sleeping, Charlie and Blossom were already up and eating cereal, the latter was swinging her legs under the table being that her feet couldn't touch the ground.

---

Waking up with the sun, Lauriam scowled at the black jumpsuit that lay folded up neatly by his side. It was kind of atrocious, a far cry from the usual clothes that he usually wore. With a sigh, Lauriam slipped off his tank top and began to dress for the day. Glancing at himself in the mirror, he scowled at his reflection but stubbornly turned away to tie up his hair. It had been trimmed the day before so it wasn't as thick as it normally was, but it still managed to snap the first hair tie that he tried to put around his messy locks. Sighing, the tried again, this time managing to wrangle his dyed mane into a somewhat presentable mess. Slipping everything on, Lauriam took one last look in the mirror. True to it's nature, the outfit hugged his form closely and he let out a sigh for it. Opening the door to his room, he glanced over to check on his roommates. The other roommate was no where to be seen but Harmony still seemed to be asleep. Letting out a sigh, Lauriam could only think about how routine it all felt, knocking on Harmony's door. "If you want breakfast, you should wake up soon." He called and for a moment, he could maybe fool himself into thinking that he was telling this to his sister rather than someone who he would use.

---

Harmony slowly got up and got dressed, not bothering to comb her hair right away. Once the sleep had left her eyes she examined herself and frowned at how the outfit clung to her like an extra layer of skin. As a slight retaliation to the outfit, she stripped the outfit and carefully worked on sewing it so it was much loser in her joints and her thighs. Once it had been tweaked to her liking, she left her room nearly bumping into Lauriam again. I really need to get used to getting my sight back.

---

Maci appears a bit later than everyone else. She has dark circles under her eyes, seemingly from the lack of sleep. The combination of worrying about the recent events and the morning sickness were no help to her. She tries to hide how weak she feels by straightening her back when she walks and hiding her occasional pained winces. She didn't have anything to puke up as it was, having barely ate anything yesterday. Now she was feeling the aftermath of that. She felt like she had been stabbed in the stomach. No scratch that, every step felt like she was continuing to be stabbed in the stomach. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, she no longer felt sick.

She grabs a plate of fruit and some toast. Even though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she forces herself to eat. All she had to do was keep pretending. She had to ensure that any possible enemies continued to believe that she was too strong to target.

Every few seconds she glances at the clock. I wonder where Phenix is she wonders for possibly the hundredth time today. She hasn't talked to him since last night, so she had no idea that Jaxon and Asher were joining him.

Terra and Cherry awoke nearly simultaneously, Terra's groaning and muttering causing Cherry to walk over and jab him, causing him to jolt. That left him to get up in silence, whilst Cherry took hold of her new outfit and examined it. It was... Not what she though as attractive, to say the least. The thing was practically a wetsuit, and would clearly be very uncomfortable if she were to exert herself too much. Sighing, Cherry tucked it over one arm and entered a restroom, leaving her twin to change in silence. The other Tribute in their dorm had evidently left already, which left Cherry and Terra alone. As Cherry changed into the new clothes, she heard the thump and drag of her twin getting up and changing, his feet heavy on the floor.


---


Angie had slept quite well, Lukian having whispered quiet stories in her ear while she laid in bed. Now, when she woke, she woke with a gentle smile. The new clothes drew her attention, and she examined them scrutinously before trotting to the restroom to change into them.


---


Phenix had allowed a bit of sleep to come to the group, rising early and cooking breakfast before grabbing what seemed to be a drum and a mallet and making his way towards the guest rooms where Jaxon and Asher were supposedly still asleep. It was quite early, yes, but Phenix was up. They might as well be too. Tucking the drum under one arm, he stepped into one room and started to beat on it with the mallet, the sound shockingly loud for such a small instrument. "Morning, Jaxon. Get up, we've ought to go soon." He repeated the process with Asher, the steady beats thrumming through the walls and rousing the entire house.

Scarlett woke up, hanging from the ceiling. She sighs, before flying to breakfast, slowly folding her large tattered wings and using her claws to pick at a particular pastel blue fruit with a hard shell. She waves to Angie, saying “Hi there” In reality, she was just waving to Lukian, but Angie didn’t need to know that.

Lifei awoke, in her own bed. Was it morning already? She packed a small bag, and got out of bed. She then went to breakfast, making some avocado and eggs on toast, along with waffles. The waffles were a homemade recipe, and she honestly didn’t care whether the Peacekeepers allowed them to cook or not. They, to her, were irrelevant, dumb and senseless people. She sat opposite Charlie and Blossom, giving them a small smile before eating

---

Unsurprisingly, the sudden loud sounds cause both boys to jerk awake. They both have different reactions. Jaxon, the more cool-headed one, has a murderous look in his eyes. Although the look disappears when he realizes that the sound was coming from Phenix, rather than a Peacekeeper breaking down the door or something similar to that. "Morning" he grumbles back.

Asher, on the other hand, screams out in surprise before being momentarily frozen in shock. It was quite a surprising reaction from him, since he is usually a very hot-headed person. "What the-" his words are overwhelmed by the sounds of the drum. "Was that for you-!" Again, the drums drown out his words. When the drumming finally stops he rolls his eyes. "Give me five minutes to get ready" he says with an irritated sigh.

Chuckling, Phenix returned the drum and mallet to where they had come from, a cabinet that was locked with what seemed to be a plastic stick. On it, a few words read, "Emergency Wake-Up Kit." He started to dish out the breakfast he'd cooked up, simply out of habit, and waited for the other two men in the house to come downstairs.


---


Terra, still groggy, started towards the door as Cherry came out of the bathroom. Jogging to catch up with him, Cherry bumped Terra in the arm. "How do you think Mother and Father are doing?" Terra shrugged. "Mother's probably worried sick, Father's probably trying to storm the Capitol to yank us out." That resulted in a chuckle from both of them, Terra clearly having been joking. Had Maci been near enough to hear, she might have been alarmed. However, the two seriously doubted that Phenix would actually do that; Money was power in this world, and he had plenty of it.


---


Angie trotted down the hallways a bit briskly, still unfamiliar with the new clothes she'd put on. As she started to hear voices, she calmed down a little; there were people nearby, that was good. She could follow the voices to find food, most likely.

Not long after Morgan had spoken with Zoe, Zoe had walked into the bathroom to remove the ridiculous amount of makeup and the dress that she despised. It wasn't the dress itself, though. That would be stupid. It was the meaning behind it that made Zoe ball it up and throw it in the trash as she replaced it with a plain white t-shirt and grey pants. She stopped in front of the neatly made bed, before glancing down at her hands and then back at it again. When she was in prison, this wasn't a problem. Everything was so uncomfortable that sleeping with the gloves didn't make much of a difference. But she was sure that here, they would definitely cause a problem. Or to be more specific, that bed would. She ended up dragging a blanket off of the bed. Morgan, who had been crouching behind the other bed changing out of her own Capitol outfit, popped up again in a simple black tank top and green pants. As she removed the simple band that had been pinning up her hair, she said with a slight smile, "You look nice." "I'm wearing a T-Shirt. How nice are you supposed to look in a t-shirt?" "I'll change that to you don't look like you want to revert to wild animal status, how's that?" "More honest, that's for sure." She might have been in a Capitol room, but at least there weren't any around. The day that Capitol removed cameras was the day that Zoe started shaking Peacekeeper's hands and thanking them for their work, but this was better. It felt like she wasn't in a cage. Very different from prison, that was for sure. She finally succeeded in pulling the blanket off. "Too soft for you?" Morgan asked as she climbed into bed. "Something like that," Zoe grunted, laying out the sheet. "Aunt Shiloh-" "Y'know, just because you're related to Shiloh doesn't make us best friends or something." "Did I say that?" "No, but you're sure as hell acting like that." "The fact that you dislike my aunt less than most people has nothing to do with anything. Have you considered that not everyone believes that you're an unstable arsonist?" "Yeah right," she scoffed. "Believe what you want," Morgan said, laying down, "But I do trust you." "And that's where you went wrong. Even I don't trust me."

The next morning, Zoe awoke early in the morning, the imaginary sounds of other inmates forcing her awake. It took her a minute to realize where she was, and she immieadiently got up, nearly tripping over something at her feet. She looked down and realized that it was the suit. She picked it up like it was made of poison, a slightly disgusted look on her face. This was what she would be wearing during training? The only thing keeping her from finding a camera and attempting to destroy the suit in front of it was the looming parole. She couldn't mess this up. She headed into the bathroom to change into it, and when she came out, she was muttering a constant stream of the rather colorful opinions that she had of the suit. Morgan sat up, saying sleepily, "What a fun way to wake up, your roommate reciting every street slang she knows." "I wasn't that loud." "Still heard you." Zoe changed the subject. "Take a look at what they're making us wear." Morgan leaned forward and picked up the outfit gingerly. "Well, it's certainly..something." "Something awful," Zoe said. "I'm heading down now, don't take your time." "What, you lonely without me?" "In your dreams. More like I know how hard the Peacekeepers grip when they drag you." With that, she left, moving to the room with the rest of the tributes. After a minute, she grabbed a piece of fruit, finding a corner, her feet up on the table as she took a large bite out of it. She seemed to be looking for someone, her eyes glancing back and forth as she observed the room.

Eric had fallen asleep soon afterward, not bothering to change. Unlike his sister, he had no problem with the Capitol's choice of clothing, or with the bed. In fact, he was so comfortable that he awoke after Angie had already left the room. He woke up with his hair a mess, blinking sleepily. But like his sister, it took him a few moments to register where he was. When he did, he had a mixed reaction between relief, dread, and..adrenaline? A tiny part of his mind had been hopeful that it was all just a dream. That he would wake up in his own rickety bed, and go to his own terrible job. The job where he had no idea that his sister was alive and that she very much wanted to murder him brutally. But he was here, with that knowledge, and he needed to get out of bed, even if it was extremely comfortable. As he moved out of bed, he realized that there was something that had been placed there. The idea that someone had been in here, watching him sleep was a little unnerving, but he shook it off. The Capitol did what the Capitol did. He picked it up, hesitating, before shrugging his shoulders. "Eh, doesn't look too bad." As he found out only minutes later, it very much was bad. Eric didn't know who made these suits, but he certainly knew that this one was tight with a capital T. He hopped around almost comically trying to get his legs in, and it took him a bit to get the hang of it, adding the shoes to the mix. But as he came down, collecting his food, he definitely had a rather awkward stance that quite noticeable. It didn't help when he saw Zoe's eyes lock with his, and he nearly dropped his plate of food, before remembering that she was wearing those odd gloves for a reason and there were Peacekeepers around, so she couldn't do anything to him. (yet) Still, he kept glancing over at her as he went to sit down, and for a minute as their eyes locked for a second time, he swore he saw her smirk, nodding her head towards him. "Why did I have to get her for a sister?" he muttered under his breath.

---

Maci relaxes when she watches Cherry and Terra enter the cafeteria. Should she tell them about what Phenix is planning? She quickly regretted leaving the eye carving up in her room, hidden carefully under her mattress. She wouldn't be able to talk to Phenix until they were allowed to return to their rooms. For now, she decided to keep his plans a secret and remain watchful of the two. One could never guess what the Capitol was planning. "Hey!" She calls from her spot. She waves the two over. "How'd you sleep?"
...
Both Asher and Jaxon make their way to the kitchen. They both are obviously groggy. They would've both stayed in bed if it weren't for the fact that they knew Phenix would've returned to awaken them with a vengeance. They both mumble their thanks for the breakfast and quietly eat for a few minutes. Jaxon is the first to get his head in the game.
"So what's the plan?" Jaxon asks. "What if you aren't able to convince the Capitol to release them?" Next to him, Asher quietly drops his fork. When he raises his head, his gaze is suddenly sharp. This was the type of conversation that Asher was waiting for.

Terra grunted in response once he and his twin were within distance to speak to Maci, which earned him a light elbow to the ribs. Cherry, on the other hand, actually spoke. "I slept well. He did too, but he's not a morning person." That was an obvious truth, Terra's eyes hardly open enough to see. His hair was a mess, and he was clearly not full of energy and spunk.


---


Angie trotted into the cafeteria shortly after Terra and Cherry, glancing around curiously before spotting Eric. Then, she spotted Zoe. Then Maci. The young girl froze quickly, wondering which of her new friends she would go to first. She seemed a bit like a deer in headlights, her eyes slightly wide as she glanced between the three.


---


Phenix set down his own fork, leaning back and snagging his briefcase from the counter, just behind him. Setting it on his lap, he opened it and pulled out what had been a handgun, just a few hours earlier in the night. Now, however, it was different. It was black, the entire was from barrel to handle, with golden highlights that seemed to pulse. Setting it on the table, he nodded at it. "This has been my life's work. It my not seem like anything special, but if we have time to stop by the shooting range before we depart, I'll show you what exactly it is." He picked up the gun again, then suddenly dug his fingers into it and tore it in half. Tendrils of some black substance hovered in the air for a moment, then quickly joined one half of the gun or the other. Slowly, the two halves rebuilt what they were missing. "If I can't convince them to let free the Tributes, this is what I'll use. It's technically called nanotech, thousands of tiny bits that can adapt to any use. However, they can also manipulate other matter. As seen with this gun." At that, he brought the two guns together and watched as they fused, then set the gun back in the briefcase and closed it. "If they Capitol doesn't surrender our Tributes, I'll assemble a bit of a militia of guards and start through the Mansion. Assuming everything works as it's supposed to, we'll reach Snow and force him to shut down the games." It wasn't an incredibly detailed plan, but it did outline the essential idea of Phenix's hopes.

"That's understandable, the Capitol is quite cruel for forcing us to wake up early." She pauses to take a sip of water before looking back over at the two. "Why don't you two get something to eat? You're going to need it." She explains.
...
Asher flashes a smile at Phenix. He chuckles at the sight of the gun. "That's awesome!" He shouts. "I'm impressed with your work. I'm certain your plan will work!" Jaxon, on the other hand looks hesitant.
"What if the Capitol fights back? Or what if your demands aggravate them? What if they hold your kids and Maci hostage? You seem to be assuming that the Capitol is incapable of fighting back. They know what we want and they have what we want in their grasps. They can easily use that against us" he points out.

Terra readily agreed with Maci, stumbling towards the food and examining it, picking and choosing a fairly wide array of sustenance. Cherry, though, frowned. "Are you feeling alright, Maci? You don't look so good.." She was clearly worried, the slightly sickened sight of Maci aggravating a sort of protective instinct, even if Maci was supposedly protecting her.


---


Phenix leaned back, chewing on his smile slowly. "I have an old friend meeting us there. An expert, maybe. He's got a kid in the Games as well. If everything does start moving south, he can cover us when we start our move on Snow. If they do start to use everything against us, we can fake a surrender and a retreat while he takes care of any cameras. As soon as we've got everything ready, we can continue through the mansion with his cover. He can alert us to any guards and keep our presence concealed."

Maci just simply forces a smile. "I'm alright" she lies. "Just a bit tired." That wasn't exactly a lie, it just wasn't the full truth. I don't want her to worry about me. Cherry was too young to have to fight for her life, too young to do that while worrying about her. The best Maci could do is give Cherry the illusion of her being able to protect them. Even if it wasn't totally true.
...
"That... Could actually work" Jaxon says slowly. His eyes were raised to the ceiling while he went through Phenix's plan in his head. "We'll just have to hope that the Capitol underestimates us and doesn't foresee us pulling something like that." He stands up now and grabs his jacket and a briefcase of his own. "So, when do we leave?"

Cherry nodded slowly, clearly unconvinced, then started towards the food. She grabbed a much smaller amount of food than her brother, who had come back to sit with a heap of food enough for two or three people. Raising an eyebrow at her brother when she returned, Cherry sat as well, eating her own food much slower and in a far more civilized fashion; Terra was practically only using his hands to eat.


---


"Well first, finish your breakfast." Phenix tugged on his sleeve and checked his watch, then picked up his fork again. "We've got time before our departure. Assuming you hurry with eating, I can show you what that does." He nodded to the briefcase, meaning the modified handgun within.

Asher's face lights up. He suddenly looks like a child that has been told that he would be going to Disneyland. "I want to see what it does!" He announces, as if it weren't already obvious enough. He glances over at Jaxon, who is washing both his and Asher's plate to pass the time. "I'm ready whenever you two here" he adds. Jaxon nods in agreement.
"I'm ready to get our family back" Jaxon replies confidently.