Rooms

[Sky , The most un-modly mod there ever was]

The rooms the tributes stay in before they go off to the Arena. RP

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna didn't know where else to go, so she ran to the hallway that lead to the rooms. She pulled at her hair, trying to force the memory to submerge as she sat against the glass of the elevator, praying that no one called it back down to the lower level.
Momma? Don't leave...
"Go away!" She yelled hopelessly.
Go to bed, Gigi. Her mother's voice echoed. I'll be fine.
"Stop it!" Jianna screamed, rocking back and forth against the cold window.

[Danica]

As Tandie raced into the hallways, leading to the rooms, he heard a faint screaming.
The girl can wait... He thought to himself. He followed the noise, and found himself at the elevator. The shouting bounced inside of the cold, metal walls of the elevator. It was alreaddy moving, so he raced up the many stairs, and decided to wait at each one for the slightly psychotic voice.
No offense, person-inside-the-elevator He silently thought to himself.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Eventually the elevator stopped and the doors opened, but by that time, Jianna didn't care who saw.

[Danica]

Tandie was literally standing face-to-face with the girl he met in the training center when the elevator doors opened. What is she doing here? He asked himself. Then, he realized, she was the source of the screaming. Suddenly, he really wanted to crawl up and hide in shame. It was his fault. He wanted to apologize, but instead, he stood in dumb humiliation.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna finally caught her breath, choking out a sob every now and then over the pain in her throat. She hadn't looked up, nor noticed Tandie standing there due to her hair having fallen in her face. How had that memory come? How had it been triggered to pop up at a time like that? She sniffed as the pain passed, leaving her empty. Her mother had died a long time ago. It was probably the thought of getting close to that boy, only to have one or both of them die, anyways. She slowly picked herself up, leaning against the glass for support.

[Danica]

As Tandie raced up the stairs he felt a jerk under his feet, and suddenly he's sprawled on the floor. His head whacks the corner of a wall, and he finds himself spinning into an endless black hole.

Momma and Poppa stand with him at the table, Naini on his lap, smiling up at him with her bright eyes. It was his 13th birthday, and everything was perfect, or so it seemed.
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Tandie! Happy-" Suddenly, his song was interrupted by a scream from Naini. She was pointing to a now shattered window, with creatures pouring out of it. At first glance they looked like humans, but if you squinted, you would see a scaly covering, and slime dripping from its hands. Naini, Momma and Poppa, ran and hid in cupboards before the creatures caught sight of them. but Tandie was frozen to the spot in horror. The leader looked around and hissed, as if trying to smell somthing, and then fixed its glowing eyes on Tandie. He finally shook himself out of a daze, and found himself sitting under his chair. He must've fell in his shock. But instead of him, the creatures hissed, following the "scent" and opened the cupboards, revealing his family.
Naini screamed, "Tandie, HELP!" While Tandie was held on his chair by the other creatures. The leader grabbed Poppa and sliced him with a knife. Tandie screamed, and found tears running down his face. Then another slice for his mom, and finally one for his sister. Naini's mouth opened and closed, as if startled she had been cut open. And with blood pouring out of her, she uttered one final word: "Shaitaans." Tandie screamed, while the creatures fed on his family. He didn't understand. Why would they kill his family, and not him? What did they want him for? Once they were finished, the creatures left him, but not without giving Tandie one of their marks. They cut him on his back, leaving a scar that made Tandie cry every time he saw it.
{असुर} "Demon-Child". They left, leaving his family's bare bones on the floor. Tandie ran over to them, and cried for days and nights. On his final day of mourning, he ran into the pouring rain, and fell asleep. In his dreams, a woman came to him, promising protection and happiness. He accepted, and when he woke up, found himself the new tribute of Hestia.

Tandie woke up, and rolled over onto his back. He hadn't wanted that memory to sprout out. He felt tears burn his eyes, and he let them fall. He didn't even notice when the elevator door opened.

[Danica]

Tallulah walked back to her room after the hard training. She opened the door to her room and gasped. It was absolutely beautiful, a huge silken-laid bed, and plush carpeting. It was everything she had dreamed for. The curtains were made of satin, the pillows of feathers. She had a small walk-in closet, but it was stuffed with gorgeous clothes, and shoes. In front of the bed was a huge plasma screen TV. The bathrooms were laden with delicious-smelling soaps, and plush towels. When she was done exploring, she took a shower, and wrapped herself in an extra-soft robe. Then walking in her over-sized slippers, she jumped onto the bed, and sighed. This was the life.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

When the doors opened for a second time, Tandie and Jianna were practically face to face, both of their faces streaked with tears. Her heart softened at the sight of him. "Um... are you okay?" She asked, wiping her own tears away.

[Danica]

"Uh-Yeah, yeah. You?" Tandie was shocked to the core to see the girl standing in front of him with tears on her face. He quickly wiped his on his sleeve, took a big step back and shakily smiled. They were in much too close of a range.

Then he felt bad. He took a smaller step forward, and asked, "Hey, I haven't really gotten to know you. I'm Tandie. You?" He badly needed someone to confide in, and this girl might actually stick around. Hope was all he had.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna felt relieved when he stepped back. She hadn't noticed just how close they were until he did so. Artemis would have been horrified that she'd let her guard down. Then he took a step closer and offered his name. "You trust me, even after I almost killed you?" She asked, a bit shaken. She smiled. "I'm Jianna." She looked back at the elevator, then the rooms behind him. Still shaken, she needed something to calm herself down, so she walked around him and took some dirt from a potted flower, and spilled it on the floor. "Sorry. I just need to calm down for a second." She explained, sitting down as she began to pile the dirt together.

[Danica]

Tandie smiled shakily at Jianna's question and replied, "Yes, I trust you, even after you tried to skewer me with your wild arrow." He watched as Jianna clumped together dirt from a flower pot. She needed time to calm down, and so did he. Hesitantly, he sat down next to her, and asked, "Do you, uh, do you want to talk about it?"

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna looked over at him, then back at the dirt, which was now taking the form of a small man. "Just bad memories." She whispered. "You?"

[Danica]

Tandie tensed. So Jianna was trapped in the same tight bound of memories as he was. "Yeah, same with me." He replied, not really willing to let on anymore. He watched as the mound of dirt slowly became similar to a small man. He gasped.
At first glance they looked like small humans, but if you squinted, you would see a scaly covering, and slime dripping from its hands. When he blinked again, he was covered with small beads of sweat, and his hands were gripping the carpet. He glanced at Jianna to see if she'd noticed, and quickly wiped the sweat away and sat back.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna had stopped her molding, then man began to move, walking around on the carpet and trailing flecks of dirt as he did. "Are you okay?" She asked, noticing his grip on the carpet.

[Danica]

Tandie's head snapped up when Jianna's worried voice reached him. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good. It's all good." He attempted to reassure her, but obviously he sucked at lying. He ran his hand through his thick, tangled, dark brown hair. "I miss you my sweet parivara." He covered his mouth. He didn't mean to say that outloud. He looked to see if Jianna had noticed.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna looked at him with sad eyes. "I don't mean to pry, but... what happened?" She asked curiously.

[Danica]

Tandie winced. He was hoping she wouldn't say that. But maybe it was time to let everything go. He'd heard people say it felt like a weight being lifted from their shoulders.

"I don't really know where to start..." He hesitated. He wanted to tell Jianna, but he wasn't sure how she would respond to his scar, and his cowardice. He rubbed the back of his neck and stared at the ceiling. He wanted to spill the beans, but he didn't. It was a dilemma that he couldn't solve within.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

"Would it help if I told you my story first?" Jianna asked, reaching out and taking his hand sympathetically.

[Danica]

Tandie looked at the soft hand that now held his. "If you really want to. I mean, it's obviously hard for both of us, and you're obvioiusly stronger than I am to share your story. I'm sorry, I'm just kind of a coward." Wincing, he remembers himself hiding under his chair, while his family was slaughtered. "Never mind, go ahead." He sighed sadly. This was going to be painful for both of them.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna smiled. "Just because I'm curious doesn't make me any stronger. I just want you to know that I have a painful history, too. Maybe it'll ease yours." She looked over at the dirt man. "When I was five, my mom took me to a carnival. It was supposed to be my birthday present. We went on rides, played games, watched a circus show. But at the end of the night, she took me into the house of mirrors. I let go of her hand, and turned around corners, without knowing that she'd lost me. While we were separated, she'd managed to get out, and when I got out, she was dead. I didn't know until I looked at the report when I was ten to find out what had caused her death that I realised she'd been raped and shot. If I'd just stayed by her side, maybe she wouldn't have been hurt, because she wouldn't have been alone." She looked down. "A year later, I was claimed as a daughter of Hephaestus. He could have done something to save her. He's a god, after all. But it still seems like it's my fault, somehow."

[Danica]

Tandie nodded. "My turn." He said. "It started when it was my 13th birthday. My parents, my little sister and I were all celebrating happily, when all of a sudden, these monstrous creatures came out of nowhere. My family all ran and hid, but I just sat there like a dumb rock. These creatures came and sliced my family member's throat one by one, in front of me, and all I did was stare as each of their pleading gazes glazed over in disappointment and death. But when my little sister died last, she uttered one word from that intelligent mouth, 'Shaitaans'. It means 'demon' in Hindi. Then I knew what creatures plagued us. And yet I still sat there, and slid to the floor to cower under my chair. If only I'd just done something, they wouldn't be," He gulped at the sudden relization. "Dead." Running a hand through his hair, and trying to push away the sudden tears he said, "After my family was gone, they branded me with a mark I will never forget. {असुर} 'Demon-Child'. I don't know why they killed my family and not me, but I don't ever want to know. Whatever it is, it was to harm the family that I loved so dearly." He shuddered at the thought of the burn scar on his back. Continuing on, he added, "I know it sounds like some kind of children's story, but it's true. I don't expect you to believe me, but maybe this will help give you proof." He slowly pulled the back of his shirt up, showing the ugly burn marks, that somehow created the {असुर} symbol. He gingerly ran his fingers over the raised skin that had never completely healed. Because the scar not only held pain, but evil memories. Finally he turned his back to Jianna, and winced, picturing her disgusted face at such a monster. Him. Marked by demons meant bad luck. She would probably run away in fear now. Just like everyone had, even Hestia.

"Go on." He said to Jianna. "Go run away in fear, curse me for ever meeting you, swear that you will find someone to destroy my 'evilness'." He scornfully laughed. It had happened so many times before, it was almost certain what would happen. Because if they didn't run away, they would try to kill him on the spot. Oh well, at least there'll be one less person to kill at the games. he sighed.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna reached out and touched his scars, lightly running her fingertips over the symbols, before moving in front of him and wiping his tears away. "I'm so sorry that you had to witness that." She whispered. "At least I didn't see my mother be slaughtered. I can't imagine how much that must hurt." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I'm here for you, if you ever need me." She told him, offering a sad smile. "And I won't ever run away. You're not a monster." She said quietly.

[Danica]

Tandie felt Jianna's fingertips lightly run over his scars. Then she wiped his tears, and kissed his cheek. She looked so much like an older version of Naini, his little sister, even though she wasn't Indian. Suddenly filled with such longing and the kindness Jianna had shown to him, he lunged towards her and hugged her as tightly as he could. "Thank you for listening to me and believing me, not many people do. It means a lot that you didn't run away, and I'm sorry about your mom too. And you saying that you're here for me, let's just say I've never heard anyone say that up until now." He couldn't let go. He couldn't let go of the person who had just helped him, and hopefully he'd helped her back. She was his only hope to cling on to sanity. Jianna was the last person in the world that would be there for Tandie. He didn't know what he would do without her.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna was surprised at first, then slowly let herself hug him back. She would never let herself fall in love, but she could be a friend to him. She smiled and nodded. "Don't worry about it. We have to stick together if either of us is going to make it through this." She said. "Thank you."

[Danica]

"No, thank you, Jianna." He said as he let her go. Wiping the crusty, dried tears from his face, he laughed. "I can barely open my eyes." He said. Smiling he added, "Do you want to do something else? I tried to practice in the center, but that didn't end very well... And the food in the cafeteria is good, but I stuffed myself long before." He smiled at her like he's never smiled at anyone before. This time it wasn't forced. It was genuine.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna shook her head. "I prefer the quiet, and usually when people come to their rooms, they're going to sleep, so I'd rather stay here and practice my powers than accidentally kill a guy who's coding in the training center." She joked, looking at her dirt man, then clenching her fist, causing him to slowly stop walking, and crumble apart.

[Danica]

Tandie laughed at Jianna's joke. Then watched in fascination as she directed the dirt human to stop walking and crumble on itself. "How are you so good at controlling your powers? I don't even know what mine are yet. Besides being a fire conjurer and burning things."

((I'm going to be on vacation, so I apologize if I take a while to respond to your post... :) ))

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

((It's okay. ^_^ Have fun.))

Jianna shrugged. "I had nothing else to do. I moved from foster home to foster home, and I couldn't get along with the other kids, so I stayed by myself and played with the dirt. Eventually, I realized that I could make them come to life. I made myself a puppy, once, but she got washed away by the rain." He scooped up the dirt and began molding again. "The one thing that would be a big help in this game would be if I could see from their point of view." She said, forming wings, antennae, legs. She blew on the butterfly, and it took off, soaring near the lights in the ceiling. "I'd love to get an areal view of the arena."

[Danica]

((Thanks!))

Tandie stared in awe as the butterfly took flight. The small powers he had seemed almost pitiful next to hers. While hers created, his destroyed. He sighed in wistful wonder. "You're so lucky," He said. "You know you're powers, and have had so much time to practice it. I've been too busy running away from people who try to kill me." He added slowly.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna lifted her hand, making a landing place for the butterfly, and as it touched down, it crumbled into her hand. She then walked the dirt back to the pot and brushed it off, before coming back to him. "Maybe I could help. What are your powers?"

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

((?))

[Danica]

((Sorry! I was without wi-fi for a while!))

Tandie scratched his head and replied, "Um...you mean besides burning things, and seeing people's past?" Because that was honestly all he knew his powers reached. "Oh! And producing food out of thin air. Although that takes a lot of energy." He added.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

"Okay, what's the easiest to control?" Jianna asked kindly.

[Danica]

"Uh... Burning things. Definitely burning. With fire, of course." As if on cue, a stray lock of his hair lit on fire. "Crap." He muttered, and quickly slapped his hands over the tiny flame. For any normal person, the fire would burn them, but not him. Instead he felt a tingly warmth spread throughout him. As if he were absorbing it. Then he kindled a tiny flame in his hand and watched it flicker in mid-air. He could see things in the flame. If he wanted to, which right now he didn't. Tandie just watched it, feeling bad for the lonely looking flame.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna, without realizing it, reached out, feeling the flames lick at her fingertips. "How well can you control it?"

[Danica]

Tandie thought for a moment before responding, "Pretty well, considering that I can create fire from anything that emits heat, send it anywhere I want, and hurt people with it. Which I don't." He shuddered at the memory of himself accidentally burning his family into ashes in his anguish. "Nope, not going to burn anyone anymore." He muttered.

Then to show how he could send the fire anywhere, he imagined a spot on the carpet, and blew on the little flame. Suddenly the spot on the carpet had a little flame burning at it, and just as quickly as it came, Tandie sucked it right back into himself with a breath.

Next, he focused on the world around him, searching for anything that had heat. He found a plant, just down the hallway and turned his imaginary hands on it. "Plucking" the heat from the plant, he cradled it back to himself, and it burst into a flame once again.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna flinched as the flame grew brighter, but smiled at the heat it created and let the flames wrap around her fingers. She couldn't control it like he did, but she couldn't be burned, and the warmth felt wonderful. "That's amazing." She whispered in awe. She smiled up at him, the fire dancing as the light hit her eyes, causing them to appear red and gold.

[Danica]

Tandie sighed as Jianna played with the fire, and stared into her almost flame-like eyes. She thought it was amazing, but he felt differently. "It just feels so destructive, you know? Only being able to burn things. I mean, looka at you! You can create stuff! I can only destroy." He said mournfully. Then he closed his hands around the fire.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna curled her hand around his. "Sometimes you have to destroy something before you can create. In the Prairie, Native Americans used to burn the plants to make the ground fertile enough to grow them again." She said, looking up at him. "And a lot of poets use fire as an example of their passion. How they have a burning love. We use it to cook food, for warmth. Everything can destroy if you look at it like it's only meant for that purpose." She noticed how much her heart fluttered, and quickly removed her hand, standing up to break eye contact with him. "I should really keep training. I hope you win, Tandie." She said softly. "Because if you do, then maybe you can create something wonderful." She smiled slightly, then walked to the elevator, not wanting to leave him, but forcing herself to. I can't feel like this. I just can't. Not after giving an oath to Artemis. Not while in these games. I just can't.

[Danica]

Tandie gazed into Jianna's loving eyes. He watched her as she said word after word, her sweet voice seeming to carress the words coming out of the mouth. He felt her hand curled softly into his. When she left to the elevator, he felt a sudden emptiness, and a sense of longing for her to come back. Then Tandie realized that he felt like he had never before. He cared for her. He wanted to be around Jianna, be with her. But as he watched her retreating back, he knew that even if it did happen, it wouldn't be for long. He finally called out, "I hope you win, too, Jianna." And as he finished his sentence, he felt like he had lost his soul.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna winced. Before she'd met him, she had wanted to win, as well. Now she felt like she didn't deserve it. She turned and smiled slightly over her shoulder. "If you want, I could still help you with your powers." She suggested, thinking that if she treated him like a friend, that's all he would be.

[Danica]

Tandie almost instantly lit up at Jianna's reguest. He answered a bit too happily, "Yes, please, Jianna!" It was as if he were a dog asking for a bone. I'm so immature. Grow up Tandie. He said to himself. He readied a small flame in his cupped palms, and prepared for training.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna giggled a bit. "So what do you have the hardest time controlling?" She asked, walking with him.

[Danica]

Tandie thought hard. "Looking into people's pasts. Not that I have looked into yours. It only usually happens to people I really dislike. And it comes so suddenly, I usually black out." Then he shrugged, not making a big deal out of it. Then brightening, he added, "Oh! And I can summon food out of thin air! But that takes a lot of energy." He frowned. "I guess I'm pretty much mediocre or lower in everything." Tandie sighed. This wasn't going well.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna smiled. "Well, what do you want to work on, first?" She asked him, obviously not bothered by his disappointment in himself.

[Danica]

Tandie grinned at Jianna's prompting, it didn't seem like she was bothered by his lack of talent. "Let's work on food!" He decided. Then he scolded himself, Stop acting like you're a kindergartener. You're 13, for gods sake!

And with that Tandie focused on his so called "well" of energy. He imagined pulling the bucket out, filled with golden tendrils of mist. Then he imagined the food. A big fat steak, tender red in the center, and a crisp delicious outside. He could almost smell it already, his mouth salivating slightly. Then with the golden steak- shaped mist in his mind, he thrust it out to his hands and suddenly his eyes were filled with dark spots, but he felt a warm heaviness in his hands. It was steak.

He tore the steak in half and offered it to Jianna. He felt so dizzy, and tired. Smiling, he bit into it, expecting it to taste delicious. Instead, he got the taste of cardboard. Groaning, Tandie snapped his fingers in disappointment, and his piece of cardboard steak disappeared. Closing his eyes, he layed on the floor, and waited for his strength to return.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna giggled a bit, sitting down next to him. "Perhaps we should go a little at a time. Right now, why don't we just try crackers?" She asked, since crackers usually tasted like cardboard, anyways, and he wouldn't have to worry about focusing on the taste.

[Danica]

Tandie smiled too. "Okay." He responded. Again he focused on his well of energy, which seemed to be unusually low already, and focused on just a small amount of golden wisps. But this time, he imagined a small rectangular saltine. He focused on the texture, the tiny salt grains on top, it's rigid edges, but smooth surface. Sending it out again, the saltine popped into his hands. He experimentally took a bite, and it tasted like...Steak?

"Uh, is it normal for saltines to taste like steak?" He asked Jianna.

[☁ ℳisty ℳoonlit ℳemories ☾, Our Newest Moderator (and most active)]

Jianna laughed. "Maybe you should imagine steak crackers more often. It seems to take less of your energy, and it's convenient if you need food to survive, but I still wouldn't use it too much, since you look like you're about to crash." She told him.