The 31st Annual Hunger Games - Day 7

:bangbang: Please be aware that, while no sim has been harmed in the making of the Hunger Games, there are themes that could severely trigger you! These include, but are not limited to: homicides, bullying, blood and abusive behavior. Readers beware :bangbang:

Phew. Took me a while to finish Day 7 lol, I didn't know how to split it. Sorry about the wait!

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Arena of the 31st Hunger Games, 00:12 AM

Lazuli doesn't know how long she's been walking, but she's grown exhausted and, if she could, she'd fall asleep right where she is. But the small part of her mind that's still rational knows she needs to find a safer spot. If anybody found her in this state, she'd be done for.

She forces herself to keep walking, putting one foot in front of the other without thinking of much else.

What will she do now? What can a lapdog do, once she finds herself without an owner? That is a question that should be haunting her, only she is too tired to care about her doubts.

Eventually she finds it. A little wooden nook hidden from view, with a hole on the side big enough to crawl through.

So that's what she does. She crawls inside. And as soon as she's in, she collapses.

She may be tough, but there's only so much even someone like her can take in a day.

She did not realize that someone was already there, and has watched her collapse in horror.

Canary suffocates a scream by covering her mouth. Of all the people that could stumble in her hiding spot, it had to be a Career!

But on a second, closer look, she sees how many cuts and bruises she has on her body, how ashen her skin looks. Whatever hurted a Career this badly must be extremely dangerous, and if this girl stays alive she might tell her what it is.

She tests the girl's reflexes and they are nonexistent - she's positively unconscious and who knows for how long she will remain so.

She sits down and prepares to watch over her - thankfully she slept all evening.

Arena of the 31st Hunger Games, 8:14 AM

Cutter Lawson knows he's not really a favorite in these games. If his and Cleaver's Mentor's opinion hadn't been clear enough in the pre-games, the lack of sponsorships he has received is a sign that the woman, and the Capitol, prefer Cleaver to him - at least as far as District 7 goes.

That, however, is about to change. He's done playing nice. He knows well that he has more than a chance to make it out alive, so he better get a move on and start getting in the Capitol's good graces.

That, unfortunately, means betraying Don. Not that he has anything against the guy in particular, but they've been running in circles these past few days, and it's clear he doesn't want to find their coalition for some reason. So, if Cutter wants the crown, he is the first that will have to go.

As for the how, Cutter is unsure. He happens to have their only knife on himself, and the thought of just stabbing him and watching him choke on his own blood seems enticing, but maybe too brutal for the supposed nerdy underdog he's playing.

Then he has the nightlock, that he found not too far away and whose bush vanished after he picked the berries - it seems to be the theme of this Arena, changing continuously, not that he has time to do something about it. The biggesr issue right now is that Don is an apothecary, he will know what the berries are and might retaliate. Or he might think dumb, ignorant Cutter made a mistake, but he will probably lose such a powerful weapon. And with berries such as nightlock, that can for fresh for months on end, it would be a downright waste.

On the other hand, is he even ready for such a big step? Is he ready to split and go solo?

Don(10): Hey, Cutter! Are you feeling better?

Don's voice brings Cutter out of his own head and back to the Arena, and he figuratively slaps himself on the head. He took too long.

Cutter(7): Yeah, sort of. Still missing my family, but what can you do?

Don pats him on the shoulder and smiles. He is a soft kid, one of those who always tries to do good and help others.

He hates that kind of people.

Don(10): Well, I miss my family too. That's why we have to do everything we can to survive and go back. I'm sure your family is cheering you on right now, so the best you can do is get up and survive, day after day.

The most infuriating thing about people like Don is that they always assume.

Cutter's family is definitely not rooting for him. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if his parents were the ones who had paid to have him reaped.

But he smiles, nods and gets up, because finally he's made up his mind. His hand clutches his knife, only for a moment. Soon it will be dirty, and Cutter will have done it again - only this time he will probably be rewarded for it instead of ostracized.

Yes, he is ready to go solo, because maybe he does have something against Don after all.

Arena of the 31st Hunger Games, 8:22 AM

It's the wind that wakes Cleaver up after her night of hunting. It's not exactly unpleasant, well not as much as finding herself without shelter anyway.

The Arena is a machine, she knows as much. It can be changed at will, if the Gamemakers want it to. Still, this one feels like it's changing continuously. This must be this year's twist.

Trees that were once short enough for her to climb suddenly are twice their height. Animals disappear, the sea seems to be getting closer. And now her shelter is gone.

If she knows how these games work, this must mean that the Capitol finds her boring. The only reason she was allowed to keep her shelter for as long as she did is probably because she killed that girl during Day 2.

She doesn't have much besides a basic knife that her Mentor, Glitter, sent her in Day 3 and some fish meat from the previous day.

She has to leave and pray that she won't stumble into the Careers. Or worse, into Cutter.

Arena of the 31st Hunger Games, 10:10 AM

Diana(2): It feels weird to be just me and you, doesn't it?

Julius(2): Yeah, I guess. Think we'll find someone?

Diana(2): Not this close to our base. Let's just go further east.

They trek in silence for a bit, their footsteps on the sand making the only sounds that accompany them. They need to address the elephant in the room, but neither of them wants to bring it up - Julius because he's afraid of Diana's reaction, Diana because she's trying to figure out a way to deal with the disaster from the previous day.

Their scapegoat is dead, their target is still alive and has gone rogue and her chances of victory are in jeopardy

Julius(2): Diana, how hurt do you think she is?

Diana(2): Very hurt, hopefully. Enough that she will be unconscious somewhere we can find her.

Julius(2): And if we can't find her?

Diana's head turns back. She approaches him and jumps on him suddenly. He catches her, eyes wide - this is something she used to do when they were still together. A test of trust, she called it. He seems to have ed it.

Diana(2): See, you are always there to catch me. Don't question my plan, one of us will win these games, Jules. We just have to trust each other. So trust me. We WILL find her. And when we do, we will take her out. No one else will be able to stand against us then.

Julius(2): I should know better than to argue with you. You always find a way to make me question my own thoughts.