Twisted Minds (Rick)

[Daze]

M.C. laughed.

It was so easy. Too easy.

A co-worker of his had brought the Hunger Games book to his office. Intrigued on the topic, M.C. had read the book and enjoyed it-- immensely. And because he was the sick and twisted man he was, M.C. had decided that he was going to create his very own Hunger Games and exact some revenge at the same time.

Idiot girl had gotten him killed. Sorta'. You see, M.C. was a mutant. A mutant with an evil twisted heart that he loved so much. He enjoyed torturing others, and watching them kill their friends and family and wither in pain before his eyes. The thought it was real-- and so it was. M.C. created everything they saw with the energy from their brains, and turned the glass they saw in their minds into real glass that dug into their skin. He could make them believe they were a dog, or make a baby believe it was a old man who's lived a hundred and twenty years.

So, when the CEO of the MCA decided to kill him-- he let the man see that-- all watching safely behind a window as the older man let the idiot girl and her friend go.

Now it was time for revenge.

Let the very first mutant Hunger Games-- begin.

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

Ugh. Oww. Oww.

The pain wakes him. It feel like a headache, but at the same time it's so much worse, like there's a little man behind his eyes with a club, swinging with all his strength, trying to break out of his scull. He groans and opens his eyes.

The first thing he sees is the glass tube he finds himself in. He's standing up-- there's not room to sit down in here-- and his arms are pinned to his sides. He's wearing some sort of an orange jumpsuit and combat boots. Immediately he thinks-- am I in jail? Then-- no, I can't be. I haven't done anything wrong recently!

The second thing he notices is the he seems to be moving down. He can't see where he's going, though-- the glass is tinted so dark that there isn't any light in the tube.

And then the tube touches down, and is lifted from around him.

Rick looks around him at the circle of people, all in the same orange jumpsuits and black combat boots as himself. To his left-- Lin. Well, that's a relief. To his right is a girl with long red hair who's examining her nails with a bored look on her face. A quick count reveals twenty-four people, twelve male and twelve female. The youngest seems to be about sixteen (a petite blonde girl), and the oldest is, well, Rick himself.

[Lin Heiwa]

Lin Heiwa.

at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

Why had Lin left the caves in the first place? For once, she really had nothing to do. It was evening, they had enough food for the night-- so with nothing to do, why not take a walk? So she did-- Lin walked along the edge of the grassy beach cliff, hands in her pockets, looking at the sky.

The next time she turned around--a bear was charging her. First thought: A bear?! They don't live on the beach! Second Thought: Mutant. Third thought: Attack mode! Lin had whipped around and done some fancy bending with the water below her, and did nothing but get the bear wet and angry. Her attacks, no matter how powerful, seemed to phase through the animal like it wasn't even there.

Fourth Thought: Illusion.

Then the bear was ontop of her (quite literally) and her head slammed against the rocky-ground--

Black.

And then there was light.

Lin's head jerked up. Except, she was standing up-- and her head had been leaning against... some sort of glass. Her hands jerked as if to clutch her pounding head, but they wouldn't move. So instead, Lin groaned and let her head thump back against the glass. Great. Great. Great. She had less than a week to recover from the worst experience of her life and already something new was happening.

Bzzt. The glass tube flew away, and Lin was left standing on a small circular platform and moving her head (very, very, slowly) and glancing around at her new surroundings. She received the same results as Rick over yonder-- twenty-four people, she was maybe... averagely aged, the youngest was a girl with blond hair, and the oldest looking like a tie between Rick as another bulk of a man. Her reaction to seeing Rick next to her was similer, but with an added flair of dissapointment that she wasn't the only one not getting a break.

Then the footsteps.

Lin's head snapped up, followed by a groan of 'I-shouldn't-have-done-that' and her eyes widened in shock at who she saw.

M.C. smiled, "Hello, darling. Long time no see."

Well that was anti-climatic.

Lin didn't respond (as usual), so M.C. sighed and entered the center of the circle-- panning out his arms and spinning slightly before speaking, "Welcome, my lovely tributes to the 99th Hunger Games. You have no idea how long I've spent trying to find each and every one of you."

Lin stopped listening at that point and concentrated on finding the weakness in these things that held her arms down-- so I, the lovely narrator, am going to fill you in.

M.C. continued with praising himself for about five more minutes, then telling the story on how his co-worker brought the book, 'The Hunger Games' to his office at work, and how intriquied he was about it. He became fascinated with the idea of piting real-life children and mutants against each other in a real life game. Finally, he realized, that as the master of Illusions-- he could.

After finding an excellent pre-written story to base the setting, and characters on (he wanted the challenge of finding each and every tribute from the story in the real-life world) on google-- M.C. set out on a two-month long journey to find his tributes from all across America. After finding a mutant with the proper personality and appearance, he knocked them on the head and brought them here.

"I'm still debating on whether to erasing your memories and replacing them of typical district ones or not..." M.C. sighed-- mockingly turning to ask one poor random person. "What do you think? I'm actually starting to like the idea... because otherwise you may not kill each other."

Kill... each other?

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

Rick's hands clench into fists as the scientist dude walks into the middle of their circle. Will this guy ever leave them alone? Does he get a kick out of torturing innocent (well, mostly) kids? What is wrong with him? Well, at least Melissa's not with him again. That would be even less good than being in some sicko's weird book reenactment. (I mean, really. A real-life book reenactment? How old is this guy, twelve? He's a full-grown man, for Christ's sake!)

Kill each other? 'Over my dead body.' he thinks, then finds it slightly ironic-- they could kill people after they kill him. Such a disincentive. But he would very much like to keep his memory. There are some good one's in there with the not-so-great!

He considers calling out, challenging Mr Scientist to a duel or something, but then the whole 'this is all in your mind, dummy' thing sets in. But it's not really his mind, is it? And this isn't really his body… Right? So if he dies, he won't die in the real world? But it feels real…

Rick shuffles his feet, for some reason not wanting to move from his little circle of concrete even though the glass tube is gone, and he could walk away with no consequences. Well, except for the one where he's in a mad man's playground.

[Lin Heiwa]

Lin Heiwa.

at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

By the look on every single kid's face-- M.C. seemed to get the gist they none of them had even touched the book, much less. Lin was, again, fooling with the shackles-- so yet again I'll fill you in.

"The Hunger Games are a book written by Suzanne Collins where in a futuristic world twenty-four children, twelve boys, and twelve girls are pitted in an arena to fight to the death," M.C. droned, looking board and obviously disappointed that he hadn't struck fear into the hearts of the people he had worked so hard to gather in the past two months. Without missing a beat, M.C. continued again giving a scathing glare to about three or four people in the room-- Lin included-- and would Miss Leathie and Lin, as well as Misters Cassian and Roe please stop fooling around with those shackles otherwise I will be forced to take drastic action."

A pause, where no one moved or said anything-- Lin's attention once again back on M.C. with a look of disgusted boredom. The man circled once around the room-- stopping in between the two spots where Lin and Rick stood.

"Now you two," M.C. sighed, rolling his eyes. "I know you both are thinking something along the lines of 'this-is-all-an-illusion-nothing-can-hurt-me'-- but I assure you, you do not know the extents of my abilities. Everything you see and feel here is real--which using my mutant powers (yes, I am a mutant too, surprise) I have created using the energy waves from your brain." He gave a sharp glance in Rick's direction, saying, "If you die here, you will really die. These walls are real, as well as those shackles of you--I thought I told you to stop fooling around with those shackles Miss. Lin!"

Lin looked somewhat innocently off in another direction.

M.C. sighed in exasperation. Giving a dismissive wave of his hand the man turned around and walked back toward the center of the room. "I have decided!" He called in a loud voice, looking very pleased indeed. "I will omit the illusion in each of your brains that you were born in a district and grew up there in order to get the blood spilling! I will plant the memories-- but as memories do not make a person, I'm glad to have picked out my tributes based on personality. Let the brainwashing begin--except for you two--" M.C's eyes grew dull, giving a sharp glance in their direction. "I haven't decided yet what will maximize my revenge."

So, slowly, M.C. made his way around the room. He would stand in front of a person and the second they locked eyes-- the younger of the two's eyes would grow glassy. Not long after that, they would crumple-- M.C. not even giving them a second glance as they rolled off the small plates.

Lin, meanwhile, worked on the shackles (not really taking M.C. seriously), wrists withering and twisting in the metal. She could feel the latch-- but she'd need alot more time if she was to pop it open.--there was no moisture in this air. Soon, however, M.C. made his way until there were none but two 'tributes' remaining. Guess who?

He came to a stop in between the two plates, much to Lin's relief, and quickly spoke-- looking amused. "I have decided!" M.C. declared, looking overly pleased with himself. "I've run it over in my over-sized brain many times-- and have calculated that to maximize the pain-- I will replace one of your memories-- and leave the second's the same."

Lin grimaced. This did not sound good.

"Eenie, meanie, minie, moe-- catch a tiger by it's toe--" M.C. sang, finger trailing from one freedom fighter to the other. "--if he hollers let em' go. Eenie. Meanie. Minie....

Moe."

OCC: Heads or tails? :3

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

Damn. Is this guy a mind reader as well as an illusionist? It would kinda go hand-in-hand, but at the same time would be really creepy…

He swallows hard as Mr Scientist's finger lands on Lin. No. Nonononono. She's not leaving him alone in this. It's so not happening. Without her, he's like a dog without a bone, a fish out of water, a Rick without a Lin! She's kept him from doing stupid, dangerous things so many times… There's no way she's leaving him all alone in this weird mind trip thing!

"But… That would only hurt one of us." he manages to squeak out. His throat feels like it closed up around the words, and he can hardly breathe. "Wouldn't it be more painful to leave us the way we are, and then have one of us forced to kill the other if we're the last two? If you take away Lin's memory, then I'll mean nothing to her, and she'll have no second thoughts about saving her life over mine."

[Lin Heiwa]

Lin Heiwa.

at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

Lin, cracked open her eyes, not even realizing that she had closed them at the last second-- only to see M.C's wavering, boney, finger pointed straight at her forehead. Half in shock, Lin said nothing-- eyes wide, simply staring at the finger. Oh, god. This was not going to be good. At. ALL.

Somewhere far away, she hears Rick saying something-- and after processing it-- I'm not too happy about it either. She plops down on the metal circle in a wavery nervousness from the news. This... this was not good. Not good. Not. GOOD. At. ALL.

"Don't worry," M.C. laughed-- somewhat thinking that Rick was trying to waggle his way out of the predicament. "Neither of you two will be the last two standing-- and it'll be all the more painful when one feels nothing, and the other feels something. Just. Like. One-Sided love?" A flash to the past for M.C. He laughed it off though, now crackling madly like all evil scientists do-- and went on like this for a full ten seconds.

Lin, however, did not laugh. What a shock. Instead, she took that time and put on a wavery smile, turned to look at Rick, and gave a small, mock (though the sincerity was there) salute. And when she turned around, the girl was shocked to see that M.C. was looking right at her. And that she was looking in his eyes.

And she was falling...

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

She salutes. Tears spring to his eyes.

And then she's gone, glassy-eyed like the rest.

He screams. No words, just a long, guttural sound. He wants to hurt Mr Scientist, to let him know the pain that's he's feeling right now, like his heart was just ripped out of his chest and is just dangling there.

He opens his palms and the red light streams out, burning all the grass in a three-foot radius around him. He wants to raise his hands and burn the smug smile right off Mr Scientist's face, to keep burning until his brain melts into a pile of goo.

But he can't-- that would be worse for all of them. Instead, he screams profanity at the man, calling him every undesirable name he can think of, all the while burning the ground to cinders.

[Lin Heiwa]

M.C. frowns at the boy in front of him. He was overreacting. This was going to be fun, not terrible like the boy in front of him was acting it to be. Sure, there was the mild downside to dying-- but otherwise.

M.C. stared at the boy, the insults bouncing off of him like a ball off of plastic. He waits patiently, until they lock eyes and he goes down like the rest. It was just unconsciousness-- that, and a few added details to what the Hunger Games were all about (quarter quells, mutts, etc), no need for anyone to have an unfair advantage~

Then, after the last tribute is down, M.C. prepares. He wants this arena to be special, different! NOt just a typical forest that will end the game in days! Weeks are his plan, weeks full of bloodlust and slaughter.

And I will see it all.

---

Lin Heiwa.

at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

The platform. It's different this time. Lin stared beadily at the platform that would transport her into the arena. She'd watched enough games to know that this was NOT a regular platform. It was made of wood. Lin continued to stare at it in suspicion, until someone spoke behind her.

"Lin, dearie. It's time for launch. You need to step on the platform."

Lin turned, smiling slightly at her stylist-- Rene. The older man with bright orange curls looked at her in concern, almost sadness. She nodded slowly; her arena outfit jangling slightly as she stepped lightly onto the platform. The uniform was odd too-- much more decorated than uniformal. White flannel shirt that tied at the elbows, bandana to tie her hair back, leather folding boots, and smooth brown pants. Not to mention the small money sack and the firm brown belt on her side. Interesting.

Then the platform fell through the floor and she was being lowered into the arena, along with all her memories. Reaping, training, interview. Disappointed at her score of seven. Now.

Lin huffed as the platform landed on the earth—slightly annoyed by the less than smooth ride. Instantly, she glanced around-- gathering in the... cornucopia...? This was… not…

They were in a line this year, instead of in a circle. Instead of supplies in front of them—gold, jewels, treasure chests laid in wait behind and around them. No weapons, no food, no supplies. Just… gold—and Lin couldn’t help but gape. This was more money she had seen in her entire life in District Nine. Her whole family could live for three generations with a 1/100th of this stuff! Trying to get her thoughts together, Lin shook herself and stared forward—squinting. About a hundred yards dash from here, the underground cavern broke off into what looked like six more tunnels. At the end of each tunnel seemed to be another wooden platform—and (Lin studying the one she was standing on) it would probably take her upwards. Lin scanned the area again, disappointedly finding no source of water—but instead finding something all the more interesting.

A pirate’s crest on the ceiling above them.

“Ahem!”

Lin jolted to attention at the sound of the head-gamekeeper’s voice. Time to start. Time to survive and win. Oddly, his voice sounded more familiar than it should have…

“In honor of the 99th Hunger Games—instead of a typical cornucopia—you all have sixty seconds to reach the end of these tunnels and onto a raising platform. Anyone who stays inside the cave will be destroyed. Er, ah yes—Yo, ho, ho! There will be three more cornucopia’s around the arena containing food, supplies, and one with medicine. Ontop of that—you can also exchange—ah, well—I’ll let you figure it out yourself. You have sixty seconds to think before you can step off your platform, then sixty seconds more to reach the crossing platforms. There is no set limit to how many people can be on each platform, so I’d suggest you’d get with people you like! Let the first sixty seconds begin!”

A light chime.

Lin took a deep breath. Two boys to her right, each who she remembered from before. One a career—which she needed to get away from instantly (people were deadly without weapons) and the other who she couldn’t care less about. But what did the announcer almost say… exchange… what?

A flash of gold caught Lin’s eye.

And then the gong.

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

It's the day of the Games.

Or, for Rick, the-day-where-Lin-won't-remember-him. That's going to be the hardest part, looking at her and seeing this thing that's not Lin-- for real this time, not just a randomly not-planning Lin, a Lin who's really not Lin.

His 'stylist', a 30-ish boy who didn't seem to know that Rick's not from this world (not that any of them are, but Rick's the real outsider here) smiles at him in a way that he might have felt was encouraging. His name? Well, Rick never bothered to learn it.

"Go on, Rick." Stylist Boy says, with that same not-encouraging smile.

But, really, if Stylist Boy thinks he's going to step onto that little circle and be lowered into a pit where he's going to have to kill the others, then he's got something coming to him. Rick had fought every step of the way, of course, objecting to all the parade-thing outfits (which bewildered the boy-- he, of course, loved the glittering diamonds!), all the 'training' his 'sponsor' tried to give him, which all happened to be awful advice, by the way.

It sickens him what Mr Scientist did to the memories of these people, just changing them completely, molding them into his own sick forms of reality. Rick had been slid into the mind of the other 'District One' tribute, a blonde girl with the stupidest name-- Glimmer.

"Onto the platform, Rick." Stylist boy says, but keeps his distance from the boy. He'd earned himself quite the reputation, with a training score of ten (what does that mean, anyway?) and his surly attitude. (You'd be bad-tempered too in his situation!) He'd given Stylist Boy a nasty black eye a couple of days ago, but he can't quite remember why.

Anyway. Scowling, he steps onto the wooden circle, feeling ridiculous in his Pirate get-up, and plans to change it as soon as he can. The bandana could be useful, but the boots have to go-- they're not at all what he's used to wearing. If he can just chop the top foot or so off, they'd be fine, but shoes that come up to the knees? No. The shirt can be untied at the elbows to loosen it, and the pants are just pants, but they don't have much protection.

As he's lowered down not into the 'arena', he suddenly understands the clothes-- it's like he was dumped into a pirate's treasure chest. Gold is everywhere. There's a lot of it, but, really? Gold? Back in the real world, gold can't buy anything. All you can do it make it into pretty necklaces and bracelets (which he's immensely grateful weren't part of his outfit.)

Mr Scientist's voice, coming from nowhere. Oh, that explains the gold. It's like money in this place. Well, it's a good thing this outfit at least came with giant pockets.

The gong sounds.

He shuffles his feet in place, stooped over, ready to run and grab as much shiny stuff as he can.

Thirty seconds.

He shoots a glance over at Lin, feeling the now-familiar lump in the back of his throat. He almost calls out, but then realizes she needs to have all of her attention focused on running. The second he woke up in this wonky place (after Lin's memory was gone), he had vowed to protect her at all cost.

Five seconds.

He turns back to the front and grins. Well, this'll be fun.

GO!

[Lin Heiwa]

Lin Heiwa.

at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

Gong.

Lin sprinted over to the nearest pile of gold, opening the small sack on her waist and literally diving her hand into the coins. The girl furiosuly piled as much gold into her sack as she could-- several rubies as well. Too much time taken, I need to go, now. But wait-- Lin started staring at yet another flash of gold. Was... was it really... a knife? It looked pure gold anyways, with a ruby for an accent-- but... it would make a weapon. A weapon and a tool.

Making up her mind in a split second, Lin's hand darted downwards and scooped the gold knife up (subconsciously looking around to make sure no one saw her) and slipped it blade up into her large pocket before stumbling to her feet and all out sprinting to the gates.

As she ran, Lin gave a quick glance around her to see who was still running. Looked like only five people had bothered to stop and grab some gold before running-- three girls (Lin included)-- and two of the career boys. Lovely. Lin ended up sprinting into the furthest gate on the left-- where half fell into the gate with two other girls at the same time. Both were younger-- and both Lin reconized to not be killers. Lin gave them a small smile and backed up into the corner case any other tributes decided to come along.

There was only one tribute left out in the open. Lin raised an eyebrow, could he make it?

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

The second gong sounds and he pushes off, quickly falling behind the others in his effort to stuff his pockets with the glittering coins. All the while, his eyes skim the ground for a weapon, any weapon, that he could use. There's always the burning red light, but he'd really like to get his hands on a gun. Preferably a pistol, but anything that shoots is good.

He watches Lin barrel into the left-most gate and feels a surge of relief. Sure, it might win her trust to pull her over the threshold at the last moment, but this way is so much safer. If he didn't get to the gates in time either, then they were both screwed.

He shakes his head, his mental clock telling him he only has a few seconds left before the gates closed. And, of course, he still has a quarter of the distance left to run. Last-minute-panic is the best way to run, though. It's like training for a marathon with wild dogs on your heels-- you're bound to run faster just because of the survival instinct.

Rick puts his head down and races the clock, arms pumping, pockets jangling with his treasure. The gates are almost closed. His heart pounds in his chest. No. There is no way he's going to die here and let Lin fend for herself.

At the last possible second, he tucks his shoulders and rolls under the left gate. (He's not letting Lin out of his sight for an instant. She might not want him there, but that's just too bad. She doesn't have a choice.)

[Lin Heiwa]

Lin Heiwa.

at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

Lin watched the boy sprint across the earthern cavern-- arms pumping, a few gold pieces he had obviously collected falling out of his pockets-- with an almost sad look. She felt bad for this boy; it looked like he wasn't going to make it. Deep down, Lin knew that this career dying would probably mean a better chance of herself getting out of here-- but still, she was still sad for some reason.

"He's... he's not going to make it," one of the other girls whispered, and Lin could almost imagine her eyes widening.

Lin nodded solemnly, throat suddenly choked-- the first death of the Hunger Games-- but she shouldn't feel this sad about it. If Lin felt this sad about every death in the Hunger Games-- she was going to have a serious problem--but to her utter shock and terror-- the last career out in the open darts into her pavilion at the last second. A career. A mutant with a score of ten.

Lin's hand slipped into her pocket and she retrieved the knife-- flicking it out in front of her and holding it with two hands, not really sure how to use it but ready to try-- a determined look on her face. "Stay bac--"

The floor beneath her jolted, and Lin toppled over into the wooden walls as they were craned upward in the elevator. The knife clanged onto the floor with a sharp rolling sound-- and Lin scurried in the temporary darkness for it. Quite soon, it was carefully back in her pocket-- Lin leaning carefully in the corner with both arms extended to support her. No falling-- not again.

A sudden burst of light temporarily blinded the girl, and she quickly covered her eyes with the joint of her arm-- peeking between the cracks as she tried to see what was causing the light.

The sky-- that's what.

And when the elevator jolted to a halt-- Lin suddenly found herself basked in a cherry sunlight with a career-- two nearly silent girls-- and on a boat. In the middle of the ocean. A perfect place for a mutant like herself. And so... despite the odds... Lin forgot everything else, and grinned.

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

He just grins as she pulls out her knife. Typical Lin. At least Mr Scientist didn't take away her feisty personality. "Relax, sweetheart. I'm not going to hurt you-- any of you." Of course, if Lin really was Lin, she'd hurt him for calling her that. But, as she's not really Lin right now, he figures he can get away with it.

It's kind of funny, her stance, both hands on the knife. She looks a bit like a toddler holding a butter knife. This new Lin really is going to need a bit of help, isn't she? Well, she always has the water. That is, if this place even has water.

The platform starts to move, and he has to force himself to stay away back away from Lin as she stumbles. He hadn't even bothered to stand yet, but when the light floods into the small room, he presses to his feet and braces one hand against the wall to look around.

Water. Everywhere. The air smells like salt. Obviously not fresh water. And the floor is rocking side to side, almost like, no exactly like, a boat. Well, that certainly fits with the whole pirate theme.

[Lin Heiwa]

Lin Heiwa.

at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

There was a brief scurrying of feet on wood—and by the time Lin had turned around, one of the girls had scurried up the large web-like ropes that led upwards onto a large mast. Arching an eyebrow (or both), Lin walked somewhat calmly over to the edge of the large wooden boat. A few specks of… something in the distance—but other than that, Lin could see nothing beyond the choppy waves. Glancing up, and shielding her face from the sun with one hand, Lin called to the girl in the mast (from District Six) who no doubt had a better view, “What do you see?”

The girl leaned over the side of the mast—craning to get a better view at something. Lin waited momentarily, shooting a cautious glance at the other girl (from Three?) and at the career. He wasn’t with the careers—so that had to count for something. Then again, he could be too smart for them—which Lin chided dubiously.

Returning her glance again to Six in the mast, the girl slid quickly down the ropes as quickly and easily as if she had lived there her whole life. Breathlessly, Six trotted forward (Lin and Three quickly moving closer to her in an odd synchronized movement) and said, “Islands. A bunch of them too—different sizes.”

Lin blinked rapidly, not really getting the whole pirate theme yet. She hadn’t had much time for it in ‘District Nine’ and was starting to wonder if everything was connected. More concerned about her somewhat ‘temporary’ allies at the moment—Lin took a moment to look them over as Six and Three conversed about some children’s tale about ships.

Three had long blond hair, somewhat straight—with pretty cool looking streaks. She had a set of eerie opaque eyes—and Lin instantly got that her power probably had something to do with the mind. Looking Three over once more, Lin realized that instead of just being small like she had thought before—Three was actually young. Maybe fourteen or fifteen?

“Wait—” Lin interjected—wanting to get this all straight. She gave another look over at Six and Three stopping in their conversation and staring at her with two sets of wide eyes. “If we’re going to be on this boat together—Name, District, and power please?”

Three spoke up first, giving a small glance back at what seemed to be her previously set up ally. “I’m Kanna, from three, with the power of telepathy and telekinesis.”

Lin started slightly. “Does that mean—”

Kanna interrupted warily, rolling her eyes slightly, “Yes—that means I can read your mind—but only when I want to.”

An uneasy pause, where Lin stared at Kanna for a full few seconds, before turning to the other. “And what about you?”

Six again, was actually younger than Lin had previously perceived—her blond hair and blue eyes making her look actually younger than her face perceived, maybe (again) fourteen or fifteen? “Briar—Six—Super-Human-Agility,” Briar recited, looking slightly pleased at the last part.

Lin nodded, before warily giving a glance back at where she still assumed Rick was still standing. “What about you, Mr. Rick—what’s your power?” She asked, already knowing the answer—wait—no she didn’t.

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

He watches the girl scamper up the mast, wondering who she really is, and what her real story is. Just some girl from 'District Six' isn't going to cut it-- she's a real person, with real memories. Just because Mr Scientist decided to change her whole life doesn't mean she's really this person.

Lin asks about powers and names.

The climbing girl is a superhuman. Nice. And the other one, she can read minds. Just like Markswell.

And then it's his turn.

"You know my name, huh?" he says, unable to stop a grin from spreading across his face. She could have just known it from the parade and stuff, but she didn't know Kanna's and Briar's…

"Energy manipulation." he says, fingers glowing red. It's kind of become a habit of his, to have this weird red glow around his hands. It's not dangerous, and he can't feel it, but it does help to relieve stress somewhat.

Rick walks across the deck of the boat toward the wheel. He wraps his hands around the wooden pegs sticking off of the circular steering device and gently turns it to the right, heading for one of the islands at the edge of the cluster. Already, a strategy is forming in his mind.

"Lin, fresh water. It's salt around us." he says, slipping into the role of leader without really even thinking about it. "Briar, keep a lookout from the crow's nest. Kanna, look around the ship. Try to find something useful."

[Lin Heiwa]

Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

Lin started, when he spoke—voice sounding eerily familiar. But yeah—he was the district one tribute with a ten—she actually had been paying attention well during his interview. “You’re the career with a ten,” she hissed back, turning deafly on her toe and moving over to the edge of the water (already feeling safer by it), “of course I know your name.” Yes, that was it. Lin was rather pleased with her answer.

The breeze was going, lightly flapping the already set sail and moving them as Rick quickly turned the ship in the other direction. Subcounciously, Lin started to follow the orders as he quickly listed them—before realizing what he was doing and turning on him with slightly narrowed eyes. “Water can wait—we might already have some below deck—removing salt from water is extremely hard and a long process—you know that!” No wait, he doesn’t. Garagh, conflicting memories. Quickly, Lin recovered, “Or should should know that no power is completely easy to do. No need to waste time, I’d rather go with Kanna to make sure there are no tributes or mutts below deck.”

Lin paused, taking the time to wonder who and what made him leader, “Is that acceptable, Captin?”

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

Kanna scampers off toward the hatch.

He rolls his eyes. Typical Lin. When she speaks, though, he realizes that Mr Scientist had left a bit of important information out. "Sweetheart, you know perfectly well that I don't have a damn clue what a career is, or what a training score means. If you can find water down below that's not poisoned, be my guest. I've seen water and salt removed pretty easily-- just turn the water into steam. The salt won't follow." Rick widens his stance and readjusts his grip on the wheel, grinning all the while.

The islands are closer now, no longer little specks on the horizon. Rick steers the boat with a quick turn of the wrist, pulling the floating hunk of wood away from the other ships. If he can, he'd much rather stay away until they have this arena figured out.

[Lin Heiwa]

Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

“Did you grow up in a cave?” Lin hissed in annoyance, mad at herself that she simply didn’t think of that before in her seventeen years at District Nine. “Everyone knows what the Hunger Games are—Panem does a great job at that. But not really wanting to stand here and argue anymore, (as much as she wanted too, she needed to get moving after Kanna—) and flickers quickly off in the direction that Kanna went—utterly confused to how a person could not know what a career or a training score was. It was near impossible—no, no, it was impossible.

After she had left though, Brize scampered down from the mast again—satisfied with her mutant eyesight enough to know that there was no threat for miles (in a boat, or in a while) and walked over to the boy at the wheel—Rick was he? “You’re either really cocky—or you knew her before, which is it?” the girl guessed out of sheer boredom, plopping down on two wooden barrels near the side of the ship and watching the boy steer.

--------

Lin was already down the hatch, following Kanna in the dim lantern light—pretty curious now that it came time to do so. Catching up to the other girl, Lin (always the unconversationalist) quietly asked in the silence, “So, being a telepath—can you tell if anyone is nearby? Like, hiding in the boat somehow?”

Ooh, new room at the end of the corridor. By the time Lin herself reached it, she was pretty sure that there was no one else on the ship besides themselves. So far, the bunks had seemed uninteresting—but this room seemed the most—

“It’s a map room!”

[Rick Freedom]

Rick Freedom
i used to be old
but now i feel young
'cuz i was a boy
when i learned
how to run

He sighs as Lin walks off, then calls after her. "I grew up in a school, sweetheart. I've only lived in a cave for the past five years." That girl. He'll get to her eventually, though. She has to remember… Right?

Rick looks over at the young girl. "I've known her for a while, but I won't deny that I am incredibly sure of myself. If you choose to label me as cocky, go ahead. But hear me this, girlie-- I can keep you alive in here. I know a lot about your 'game maker' that you wouldn't believe in a million years. And it might just keep us from being slaughtered like animals."

-----KANNA-----

The girl jumps as Lin walks in, whirling around with the strangest look of guilt on her face. "He really doesn't know what we're talking about. It's like he's an alien or something. His memories are really weird… I didn't mean to go looking where I shouldn't, but I couldn't help myself… He knows you, but not just as a girl he's going to kill. Like his best friend in the world. Almost like his sister."

She babbling now, but she doesn't notice it-- when under pressure, she either clams up or spills her guts, depending on what the situation is. And now, obviously, Kanna's doing the latter.

"His mind's filled with pictures of the past, of before the districts even. It's like he's really old and but he looks young." The blonde's cheeks are painted a deep red now, like she was just caught reading someone's diary. But minds are so much more personal than diaries-- she can see things that they won't even admit to themselves.

Suddenly, Kanna realizes that the older girl had asked her a question. "Uhm, I c-can't hear anything but us-- but not just us, all the other tr-tributes." She shuffles after Lin in the semi-darkness, her eyes straining in to see. Now, she's grateful for the one practical thing her stylist had done-- eye surgery. The overly-tattooed woman had insisted on it, saying the glasses made her look dowdy.

[Lin guest]

Briar-->

Briar frowned mentally, her expression remaining generally expressionless, but didn't say anything for a while. She was thinking of a way to reply, a reply that would be generally impressive and convincing. She was trying to think of a reason that she should believe this boy in front of her instead of running off into the night (and somehow drag her stubborn ally (who she had taken a liking to))

The girl didn't find one.

"Well, people have said stuff like that before," Briar said, lazily leaning back against the ship's railing and reaching up to mess with her hair. Grab it, twist it, let it go.. Her curls once again fell onto her shoulders before Briar let them lay-- an age old habit she had when thinking restlessly. "But in 99 years of Hunger Games-- only in one year did two people get out alive." Grab it, twist it, let it go. " Three years after that, a set of tributes tried it again and were blown up on the spot."  Another pause, Briar curiously looking up to study Rick's face-- wondering how the heck he could possibly have avoided the Hunger Games this long, and how he could possibly 'know the gamemaker'. "But you should know that, shouldn't you?"

In a short-- Briar was utterly confuzzled. He didn't seem to be lying-- but then again Rick could be a very good lair. "So, Mr. Rick--" Briar asked, slowly, finally, curiously, " if you obviously seem to be insane-- can you please tell me why I'm letting my imagination run away and am starting to trust you?"

-------------------Lin------

Lin blinked several times and almost took a step back. Why did this bother her? Did she even know if Kanna was right?  Of course she is. Lin chided herself-- before in near shock chided herself yet again.  You don't know that-- stop assuming things. 

"He probably knew someone who looked like me," Lin supplied an answer (sorta') uncomfortably. Determined to think of a  logical solution, Lin racked her brain before coming up with, "I think I had family who once lived in District One..." A pause, or was that District two? Either way, Lin quickly stepped into the map room and up to the large wide table in the center of the room. To her utter disappointment, there was nothing on the table side a small oil lantern-- and there were hundreds of scroll maps on the shelves in the room.

Lin quickly made her way over to the closest one, pulling it out and unrolling it with a snap-- giving the map a glance over before deciding it an inaccurate map of some other location. "Do you think..." Lin began, switching between continuous maps as she did so, "that you could use the thoughts of everyone in the arena... As a beacon? To tell you how big the arena is, generally? So we have a general idea of the map we're looking for? Because--" another map snapped shut, "Some of these maps are obviously bogus." A pause, before Lin hastily added, "If you can, of course-- I understand if it's difficult to tell."

Another few minutes of searching with no luck, (though Lin stared with conviction at a map that might be one of a nearby island before pocketing it) before Lin uncomfortably asked, "What do you mean his memories are... Weird?"

[Rick Freedom]

----RICK FREEDOM----

He makes an irritated noise in the back of his throat. This is going to be very, very difficult. He wants to just spill everything, but that would make him lose his new group of allies, and would mean getting torn away from the Lin-thing. He can't protect her if he's not her ally!

"I meant what I said to Lin-- I really don't know the first thing about these games. Your game maker didn't think I needed to know that in my crash session of Hunger Games knowledge. I don't know what a career is, other than a job. I don't know what a training score is. All I know is that I'm supposed to kill the other twenty-three, but that's not going to happen!"

And when she calls him insane, he can't help but smile. "Darling, I'm most definitely out of my mind. But some of the best people are. And you're trusting me because everyone does, eventually."

-----KANNA-----

She jumps. Again. She's skittish by nature, and being in the dark isn't really helping things. Kanna scoots over next to Lin, subconsciously seeking an authority figure, anyone older than her fifteen years.

"He really knew you," she says softly. "but he doesn't know you. He knows someone you used to be… In his mind, he keeps referring to you as 'The Lin-Thing'." she says, rubbing the back of her neck. It's never easy to tell someone what others think of them. Especially when the name involves the word 'thing'.

The blonde nods. "I think I can do that. It would help if I had a map of the whole Arena, so I can mark everyone's position on it too. Is there one that's not just a separate one of the islands?"

Without waiting for an answer, she closes her eyes and reaches out to the other tributes. It's easier when she's closer to the person who's mind she's invading, but it's still doable with distance. The first one that she finds is a boy-- older than her, but younger than Lin. District Five. And he's afraid. Terrified. He had run into a ship with the career pack. And they're about to murder him.

Kanna's eyes fly open and she shakes her head furiously, not wanting to hear a dying boy's last thoughts. She wraps her arms around her stomach, struggling to keep from being sick. A moment later, a cannon rings out.

[Lin Heiwa]

BRIAR.
catch me!~
if
you can~
-smilie face-

Briar stared at this boy in bewilderment. How could you not know about the Hunger Games? It was utterly impossible—you had to attend the reapings every single year. Especially if you live in… what did he say, a school? Then something about a cave? Maybe was taken away by his parents at a young age to live in a cave—so he never knew what the Hunger Games were until the Capitol caught them and entered their son in the Games to punish them!

Once again, Briar was letting her overactive imagination run off again, staring in amusement at a blank space—already thinking about what a good story that would make. But how would that fit a school into it? Maybe there was this whole secret colony…

Oh, right—Rick was saying something. Something about not knowing what the Hunger Games were—and how everyone trusted him eventually. For Briar, even though she was wrong—this sent off a warning bell. The girl didn’t like the sound of that—it sounded like something someone would say after bragging on how many allies they’d killed. She didn’t say anything about it though, staring off to the side awkwardly. That’s what happened most of the time to the things she wanted to, but never did say. The girl often just swallowed her own thoughts in either shyness or fear of rebuke.

Briar blinked back into reality, wrapping her arm around her head and pulling her hair out of her face due to the increasing speed of the wind. “The Hunger Games are an annual event created by the first President of our country Panem as a response to our failed first rebellion. Every year, on June 1st—all children of ages 12-18 years are required to place their names in a large bowl of their district (the amount of slips increasing by age),” the girl recited automatically. She did a report on the Hunger Games once in 7th grade. It was easy now to sum it all up in a few sentences. “After the reaping, 24 kids have been selected, one boy and one girl from all the twelve districts. After the chariot rides, (which was designed to introduce tributes and gain them sponsorers…) each tribute is given a total of three days to train in the…”

Briar went on for about another minute—explaining the training and training scores, what gamemakers were, the point of the interviews and mentors—even at one point giving a summery of a basic game (was it the 95th she did?). She mentioned Katniss and Peeta and the 2nd rebellion (which was crushed after Katniss was killed by Peeta in an unknown location—someone suggested tracker-jacker poison did it in for the Peeta). Then, she summarizes the finer points of the games—such as mutts, careers, and what happens typically in the final moments of the game.

Briar paused, slightly out of breath. Oh, right—one thing she was forgetting. How the deaths were organized. “Oh, yeah—I forgot one more thing. They list the deaths of the day every night by shooting a projection up into the sky with the tribute’s picture so you know who your threats are and who’s still alive. During the day you can figure out if someone’s just died if you hear the sound of a—”

The sound of a cannon drowned out Briar’s voice.

Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

A cannon went off—Lin’s head jerking up from over a spread out map. As if startled by the sound, the boat rocked slightly (though that could be from activity above) and the candle’s flame wavered. Lin shook her head miserably—death was never her forte—wondering who it was. The little girl from twelve? The brute from two? Was it a tribute on tribute death—or was it caused by something else?

Then Lin’s glance quickly turned to Kanna—wondering if the girl had been fishing around near that tribute’s head when they died. Judging by the way she looked, and was shaking her head—Kanna had been at least near. Or she was just really sensitive to sound or death—but Lin was sensible enough to guess.

Lin’s heart panged for the younger girl. Lin was somewhat motherly by nature—she had always been the oldest of her siblings back home. Seeing another kid hurting never was good for Lin’s spirit herself, so despite the fact that only one of them could get out alive—the older girl reached out a hand and quietly asked, “Are you alright?”

[Rick Freedom]

----RICK FREEDOM----

Rick waits patiently through the girl's speech. It sounds like she'd swallowed a textbook. Only one thing really catches his mind-- the ages. Twelve to eighteen? Mr Scientist really screwed that one up.

After she says the stuff about mutts and careers (most of which he promptly forgets), he says, "I'm twenty-two."

And then she launches into another explanation, but doesn't quite finish. A cannon shot rings through the arena. Though not normally a jumpy person, (the fact-like sound of Briar's voice had lulled him into al almost-sleep, though he does his best to seem alert) he leaps to attention. The boat lurches slightly as he accidentally tugs the wheel to the side.

Rick bites his tongue (literally) to keep from cursing. No sense in poisoning the mind of the young girl near him. And who knows? They might not even have the same language in this place as they do back on the real Earth.

"What was that?!"

-----KANNA-----

She stumbles backward, pressing her back up against the wall.

Oh, god. She was just there, in his head. She heard his screams. She heard the laughter of the careers. It was a knife. It wasn't even sharp. There was rust on it… And blood. So much blood. It was everywhere.

Her right hand curls over her mouth, her pale green eyes wide and almost as scared as the boy's must have been. She was there. Right there. It was so real.

"It was the boy from Five." she says, her voice soft and quivering. "He accidentally got into a ship with Careers. They… They killed him."

How is she ever going to get through the games? It's only the first death and she's already a mess. There's no doubt that she's going to have to watch more people die, and might even have to kill someone herself, if she makes it to the final few.

[Lin Heiwa]

BRIAR.
catch
me
if
you
can~
-smilie face-

Briar had had that look of utter boredom on her own face enough to know what glassy eyes meant. Yet she continued—mostly because she’d thought he’d at least pick up something up and if he had no idea what the Hunger Games were, then he was in some serious trouble. She only cheats in a game where everyone knows all the rules. :3 Can’t be unfair, now can we?

Then he says he’s twenty-two, which then Briar couldn’t help but of course blurt out, “But they said eighteen on the reapings recap!” Which then it instantly occurred to her that the Capitol could have very well lied—but that doesn’t make as good as a story! Plus—giving Rick another up and down glance—he didn’t look that old. Maybe… nineteen at the most (which was practically eighteen), and seventeen at the minimum.

Then, a few sentences after that—the cannon interrupts her final sentence. On that—Briar jumped, startled out of her brains, head whipping around from side to side as if she could see the death out of the corner of her eyes if she looked hard enough. Then, a muffled yelp and a, “What was that?!” before Briar came back to her senses and realized that he had asked a question.

A question.

Briar swallowed, trying to bring the moisture back into her throat (which had mysteriously disappeared) and did not speak for several seconds. Back at home, both her real and illusion home—she’d always been half cocky and nonchalant when it came to danger or getting scared. Sure, she’d voiced her dislike of horror movies—but she’d always bit back a yelp, (when she could) and tried to put on a somewhat tough façade.

It didn’t change now that Briar was in the Hunger Games—but a real life death, not just some death in a movie—this was real, and it was real scary. The girl didn’t have that teenage attitude of ‘nothing bad will ever happen to me!’ now—but she so desperately reached for it as it slipped between her grasp.

“The cannon signals the sound of a tribute death,” Briar managed breezily, surprised at the cool headedness to her voice—but unable to completely keep the small waver out of it. Subconsciously, her fingers began drumming on the wooden barrel—and she felt the need to move somehow—and the girl slipped off the barrel and onto her feet. “So… that means someone, somewhere, has died in the arena.” She laughed slightly, although the situation wasn’t funny in the least—before breaking off uncomfortably and clutching her arms as she crossed them.

“Let… let the Hunger Games begin.”

Lin Heiwa.
at times i wondered
if i had not come
a long way
to find what i sought
was something that i
left behind.

Lin sat down on the table heavily, hardly noticing as the boat rocks violently once again—a few of the maps falling off the book shelves and rolling around the cabin floor. Too be in someone’s head…as they died… Lin looked up at Kanna with concern—could someone take that. Twenty-Three times in the best/worst case scenario?

“Maybe you shouldn’t…” Lin began softly, before something tapped her on the leather pirate’s boot—clanking on the cliché buckle. It was one of the maps, rolling off her shoe and twice more back and forth before stopping at the tip of the brown boot. Glad for the distraction—Lin reached down and lifted the map off the floor with her boot, throwing it upwards and catching the scroll with the tips of her fingers.

The copper ends gleamed in the candle light. Like an omen.

Lin unrolled the map carefully—the paper looking more aged than usual (though it couldn’t have been made more than a year ago) and studied it once or twice. Finally, after a full minute of silence, Lin glanced up with a small smile on her face. “I think karma’s cashing in for what it did to you,” she whispered, flipping the map roundabout in Kanna’s direction.

It was a map of the entire arena.