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 Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:46 am
 Ardeur Esprit || "Phénix Coeur"Ardeur watched as the mix of twigs and bright flowers grew through Rosaline's hair with a slight smile on his face. It was quite a beautiful sight. Then he blinked and turned away as the shadow of the Games fell on him once more, and walked into the trees, keeping the stream at his left side. He did his best to avoid scratching the young boy with the pine branches, turning his back to them so they brushed harmlessly against his back, the occassional deep green needle snagging in his long, dark hair.
They walked quietly over the heavily carpeted earth, the only sounds being the pad of soft footsteps and the air moving in and out of their lungs. The shadows grew smaller, and the river turned more to the east, heading deeper into the forest, and away from the center of the arena. Ardeur did not know where they were going, yet, but they had to put some good distance behind them before nightfall. A reclusive little spot would serve them well for the night. Though he did not expect it, he silently hoped for one full night of rest. They needed all the sleep they could get, for the days to come would test them again and again. One knew not when the next chance for sleep would come. Cendre VolAs Rosaline, Ardeur, and the young boy moved off into the trees, Cendre watched them from the river, where she stood in the mix of water and blood, still not daring to move onto the bank. She saw that they were not straying far into the trees, and were staying by the river; thus, she continued to track the small party, stepping carefully in the water so as not to make a sound, with only the gentle ripples to give her away to anyone who looked closely. She cast no great shadow at this time of day, but in the bright sunlight, a fuzzy grey outline could be seen, she knew. She would not be safe there more much longer.
As noon approached, she gathered her resolve and stepped out onto a rock on the shore. Leaping far over the sandy ground, she landed with a soft thud, swept her hand over the earth to erase the heavy mark, then darted into the trees, where she melted into the shadows, invisible once more.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 8:22 pm
Rosaline  Though they were traveling slowly, Rosaline, Phenix and the boy were still making good time. Mockingjays filled the trees, they were everywhere, bouncing melodys back and forth to one another. To them this was all a game, there was no fear of death. There were no predators for them to hide from. Rosaline closed her eyes and lost herself in their music, light and happy as it was. Suddenly there was discord, something wasn't right. She could hear it off in the distance. Someone was following them. One name came to mind before any others 'Cendre...'. Rosaline knew that Cendre would not hesitate to kill her. The feeling was mutual. As she followed Phenix, Rosaline made sure to make the foilage behind them to grow more thickly, making travel through it more difficult. "It's about lunch time," her voice barely a whisper, for who knew what ears surrounded them. "Pine bark is eatable, not pleasing to the mouth, but eatable." Quietly she cut some of the bark off of a pine tree to her right, willing it to quickly grow back before the tree felt any pain. "Here, try it," Rosaline held out the bark for Phenix to try. "We can take a short break, the boy should be waking up soon."
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 10:43 pm
Ardeur Esprit || "Phénix Coeur"Ardeur propped his scythe against a pine tree, set down the boy on a clear patch of ground, then took the piece of bark Rosaline had offered him. Slightly apprehensively, he broke off a small portion and popped it in his mouth. He chewed slowly with his back teeth as the scent of pine flooded his senses. After several moments, he swallowed slowly. "Can't complain," he said, "when things could be so much worse. We could be dead. Actually, I probably would be, if I was alone. I owe you." He stopped, smiled, and breathed a laugh. "I'll probably owe you until the day I die." The laugh returned, quiet and sad as he shook his head. They were already dieing, all of them, and it would only be a matter of time until the process was complete. Then the laugh died, too, and he took another bit of bark in his mouth, turning his back and wandering a few paces farther into the forest as he chewed it, letting the scent of the forest envelop him once more as his mind began to stray, as well.
The light that slipped down through the needles of the closely-packed trees and fell upon the brown earth below revealed a beautiful, simple world. Glinting off the deep greens of the boughs, off a feather lost by some passing bird, off the glossy leaves of the undergrowth, the golden rays gave everything a gentle glow. No matter where he looked, there was life, from beginning to end. New sprouts of grass poking through the dead needles; saplings struggling up towards the open sky; vines growing up the trunk of a tree; an old, rotting trunk, where the dead were making room for the next generation. A sweet note swelled from the throat of a mockingjay in a tree off to his left. It was echoed to his right, resounding with the pulse of the forest. It was all so pure, old and new at the same time. It was eternal. An idea as vile as murder should not touch so innocent a place.
Ardeur stopped walking by a grand old pine and leaned into its branches, his right arm raised slightly, his hand wrapped around one of the thick boughs. The more he thought, the harder it was to supress the tear that was fighting to escape from his eye and slide down his cheek. His left hand found his lighter, and he sent a small ball of flame shooting from the spark the device produced. He turned and leaned his back against the trunk, nestled between two sets of branches, losing himself in the tiny sphere of darkest red. The songs of the mockingjays still echoed between the trees, but it brought no light to his ashen heart. The sound felt hollow, empty. The birds belonged here; he did not. None of the tributes did. The death that was so central to the Games was not natural; it was not a part of this world, a world so fair...
Death should not touch one so fair, either. When the girl from District 9 had turned on Rosaline, Ardeur's heart had lept into his throat. He knew the girl was deadly, and though Roasline could defend herself, he still feared for her safety, for her life. He had been angry with himself for failing to take the girl down before Rosaline had been put in danger. But it was a foolish fear, a foolish anger. Rosaline was strong and powerful. He was wrong to constantly fear for her. He would never stop protecting her, but he also couldn't panic every time something happened to her. This was the Hunger Games; to simply be in the arena meant you were in danger every second of every day. The moment your name was drawn in the Reaping, your fate was sealed... unless you won. Only one could survive. He desperately hoped that he could take Rosaline to the end, give her a chance at life, but if that were to happen, he would have to kill his sister. Not only would she be difficult to find and kill, but it would be harder still for him to let go of everything she'd done for him, since he fled District 11. Sure, Cendre would slit his throat as soon as all the other tributes were dead, but that didn't mean he didn't love her anyway. The fact that he wasn't already dead showed that she continued to have some loyalty to him, even if that was only because it was in her favor to have some allies in the arena, until it was just those "allies" left to eliminate. And, beyond whether he could kill Cendre, Ardeur had to wonder: would he kill himself? Would he take his own life to save either Cendre or Rosaline? He believed he would, but there was always that nagging voice that told him he could win, if he wanted to. And he knew it was right. He could do it. He could set the whole arena in flames, though it would drain him utterly, and win the Games. And yet, even as the thought flickered to life, it was stifled by his loyalties to both Cendre and Rosaline. His heart had too great a sway over him; he could not betray his friends. In the choice between saving Rosaline or Cendre, he could not yet see where he would stand; as of yet, he loved both too dearly. He'd known Cendre for years; she was as near to a sister as he could have. And though he'd only known Rosaline for a few days, she already had a strong hold on his heart. There was something... different about her, something that touched the side of him that was still connected to his first home in Distrct 11, to the life he saw in each spark of a flame, like the one that swayed slightly with his every breath, still suspended before his face. Life... Was life even possible here?
A battle was raging behind hollow eyes, a battle between heart and mind. He could not love here. He could never keep her safe. The Games would snuff out both of them before their lives had truly begun. There was no time for life or love or joy here, even in this timeless place. The Games changed everything, accelerated life until it was slipping by so fast you could barely grasp at the memories before they were torn away from you, lost forever. A glance into the past would earn you a knife in the back. There was no place for a heart here.
The tear evaporated in the heat of the flame as he stared, unblinking, unfeeling. Even the hot, glowing orb could not rekindle the fire within him, the fire that fed his love for life, for beauty, for-- No. That path was closed to him now. He could not venture there, not with this ahead of him. Ardeur tilted his head backwards, the flame following the focus of his vision, until the crown of his head rested against the rough bark begind him. Finally, he blinked, and his eyes remained closed as the fire was abruptly snuffed out, ash falling on his pale face, the slight scent of smoke reaching his nostrils. A new duty fell to him now, a duty to protect her at all costs. And he knew this included one utterly final payment, which would be hardest to bare, for they would be parted forever. But this was how it had to be, and he accepted his fate. The fire could never have burned forever, anyway. Now he was ensnared in this cruelest of games, and if it should have to end, he would have it end so that one with a fire brighter than all others could walk the earth another day. He could not ignore his heart, but he could follow it as logically as he could. The fire could no longer tempt him to hope, for there was no light to be had, no ending that could give him what he desired. Emotion could not drive away reason, not when life and love were both dangling by a thread. You could not feel in the arena; you would only end up broken. Once you entered the Games, you could not live. You could only exist... until the end.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 6:04 pm
Rosaline Rosaline watched Phenix as he seemed to become lost in thought. 'What is going on in his mind?' She pondered. That wasn't important. Their survival was important. Looking at Nuage, Rosaline felt a surge of warmth. He looked so much like her brother in his stature. She smiled as she drew closer to him and Phenix. Brushing aside the hair from Nuage's forehead, Rosaline kissed him gently. He was tired, feint. A sigh escaped her lips as she thought of their nonexistent food supply. "Phenix, I need to gather food for us. I am positive I saw some plants that were safe to eat a small ways back. I will only be about an hour. Please, keep Nuage safe." The pleading in her voice was evident. She loved Nuage, though she did not know anything about him. It was a love based on association with her little brother. Nuage was her brother in these games, she was to protect him at all costs. Rosaline stared deeply into Phenix's eyes before turning and dashing off into the forest around the stream. She did not want to wait for his objection. Was it that he felt like she was a child? Maybe his protective nature was just part of his being a male. Rosaline lost herself in thought as she traveled, gathering the occasional herb as she went. Finding them was no struggle. It seemed the gamemakers had stocked the forest well. After a good half hour of walking and picking, Rosaline sat to rest, listening to the melodic sounds of the forest. All was peaceful, calm, still.
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