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Having nobody to say goodbye to, Zahara was forced to sit in an empty room until her time was up. She didn't mind though. The room gave her a chance to think clearly, to finally breath. She presses her wrists into her eyes in a desperate attempt to stop her tears. She could feel herself being torn in two. One part, the darker part, was delighted to be here. This would be a nice vacation!
But another part, the one she was trying hard to suppress, was scared. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to kill, didn't want to feel that feeling she felt after killing. She didn't want to be that monster that the nurses were so convinced that she was.
Most of all, she wanted to trust those two girls. But she couldn't. Where did trust lead her? To Hell, that's where. She would have to pick a path sooner than later.
She glances up, noticing Peacekeepers approaching her. She doesn't let them speak. She just brushes past them and moves onto the train without direction.

After a minute, a Peacekeeper entered the room abruptly, saying, "Alright, that's enough, come on now." Shiloh was led away, managing one last glance at her uncle and her childhood friend before they dissapeared. Shiloh was led onto the train quickly, she moved methodically as though she were a robot of some kind. Shiloh borded the train, not making eye contact with any of the other tributes. She found a corner and sat down on the ground, head between her knees as she tried her hardest not to cry. She didn't want to kill anyone, she didn't even want to be here! But her sweet Ian...Shiloh wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if he was killed. Right now, all she wanted to do was curl up and die.

---

Like Zahara, Echo and Lifei had nobody to say goodbye to. They lived alone, but they had each other. Mare and Yurei, were, interesting, to say in the least. They were....well, spirits? Or spectre-whatever they were known as. She knew from her own general knowledge of exploring the world, well, more than others, at least, about their kind. As the Peacekeepers chased them out of the room, Echo scratched him, seeing that Lifei was in shock from being grabbed. Lifei didn’t like being grabbed so suddenly, and Echo would make sure that he knew that. She hissed at him, before pushing him to the ground, and walking towards the train

---

As the tributes were filed onto the train, each was given a bracelet that acted as a sort of defense mechanism to (hopefully) prevent any fights from other tributes and also their keycard for their rooms once they had arrived in the Capital.

Salvadore and Faith were resting in a seat, both of Faith's hands were holding her large baby bump from underneath as they were taken from the life they had known. Lucky was kinda just doing her own thing as she very carefully cleaned her splat bow, ensuring there was no ink on it.

Ariel was relaxing against her seat as Sorrento had gone to get her food from the buffet since she hadn't eaten before the reaping. Funnily enough, she wasn't very hungry to which she blamed her nerves and her pregnancy. When he came back with a plate of seafood, under normal circumstances she would've been grateful and devoted the plate's contents. But these were not normal circumstances. The pregnancy made the normally wonderful aroma wafting from the plate seem like the most putrid, insulting, horrific smell as it tore its way into her nostrils. Salt filled her mouth as Ariel bit the inside of her cheek and looked at Sorrento, she was mentally pleading for him to understand that at the moment she didn't need this kind of food.

(Everyone can interact with each other, just play nicely~ You wouldnt want to get a zap from your bracelet now would you?)

---

T'val had sat down on a long bench seat, quietly observing the other Tributes. As the train lurched into motion, her afterimages quickly filled the bench next to her. Each one was overlapping with another, giving a smudged look to T'val and her copies. To anybody but Jamie, it might have been a truly odd and hallucinogenic experience. It was as if T'val was smeared along the seats, hardly paying mind to her sinking stomach and desperate want to chew her nails down. T'val was a nervous girl, and chewing her fingers down to red always seemed to help, if only for a few moments. But it was a bad habit, seeing as it only caused constant pain to her hands.


-=-


Phenix sat alone, pondering over what might happen. He'd done the damage and volunteered, now he could only sit back and watch. His usually grey eyes were tinted yellow in the iris, his ability reaching out quietly to anybody that would listen and look. He wanted to get into somebody's head, to steal their secrets and leave them broken. He could only wait for somebody to feel the tug of his power, to turn and make eye contact.

Perhaps its was just instinct that Sorrento went with seafood. It was by the sea that he grew up and it was the sea that led him to Julian, led him to Ariel, gave him a living. If anything, the sea was his mother, a constant giving presence through out his life that he could turn to at any time and feel secure so it would be inevitable that in his daze, he would turn to his mother for aid. But even his daze, he was an attentive person and even more so when it came to his family. Glancing down at the plate of seafood, he turned back around to walk back to the buffet, throwing out the food and returning with simple crackers and fruit which he set before Ariel. "Eat a little and we'll see what else you can stomach." He suggested quietly, gently rubbing her back.

---

The bracelet was hideous. It was clunky and heavy, clashing horribly with her light and airy outfit. Narukami wanted to rip it off. It made her skin crawl, a weighted reminder of her demise. Walking through the cabins, Narukami kept moving to keep her mind away from the darker planes it desired to wander into. Passing by two couples who's intimacy made her look away, Narukami felt her stomach roll at it. What a picturesque image of strength, two lovers relying on each other even in these times. She wasn't jealous, no. The arena wasn't kind and it would be inevitable that these couples would be forced apart during the games, but she would be lying if she denied being lonely. It was an odd transition to go from living with four rowdy partners to being alone. Even at work, she had Sena to keep her company so she had never been alone after finding her own place to fit into her weird polycule of friendship. A flash of movement caught her eye, however as Narukami turned around to find a girl quietly sitting on a bench, her afterimages filling out the space beside her. She looked around her age, nervousness showing all over her face as she gnawed on blunt fingernails. A tug on her heartstrings had Narukami stepping forward, gesturing to the seat filled with trippy afterimages. "Mind if I sit?" She asked. "Also, you should probably stop biting your nails. Your saliva weakens the keratin and makes your nails flimsier. Pretty girls like us are going to get judged so hard by the capital even without being prompted, don't give them more of a reason to pick on you. If you need something to keep you hands busy, I have rubber wristbands if you want them."

---

Ariel nodded and started nibbling on the crackers as she looked at the other tributes. She didn't really want to kill anyone but figured that if anything she and Sorrento could just hide somewhere and outlast the others. "Maybe we don't have to kill anyone, we could just hide somewhere and outlast them. Sounds a bit harsh but. . ."

---

T'val whipped her head around with a start, gasping a little as a new voice filled her ears. "Oh, uh.." She glanced at the seat that her afterimages had laid claim to, scratching her ear in thought. "Well, I wouldn't recommend sitting in the afterimages. They cause some pretty rapid organ failure in any internals they touch." T'val quickly scooted down the seat, giving Narukami a place to sit. Glancing at her ragged nails, T'val licked her lips and muttered, "You said something about rubber bands?"

Sadnesses, terror, despair. Why oh why did these emotions have to return? They swarm around her like a plague. Lightly poking her mind, almost begging to be manipulated. It would be easy, to get an advantage over someone by simply making them feel good. To eradicate their fears and replace it with happiness. She could easily sink her claws into a prey that didn't view her as a threat, rather, a friend.
Just like Echo and Lifei? A voice asks, guilt stabbing at her heart. She didn't want to do that to them, didn't want to do that to anyone. But she would have to, doing that to them was far better than being at the receiving end of their blade.
She takes a moment to survey the area, her eyes widening at a particular sight. She stands up and passes by multiple tributes. She pays no mind to any of them, something new has caught her attention. She stops in front of the buffet her mouth watering. She hasn't ate good in... Well... She can't remember. Years? She greedily loads a plate with more food than she can possibly eat, then sits in a corner to enjoy her meal.

"It is an option." Sorrento agreed. "If there's a body of water, we can hide there. With your powers, you could stay down there for a long time." If this was the game they were going to play, then Sorrento's powers would come in handy. Preemptively knowing if anyone was approaching would be a huge advantage to them, especially in a scenario where everyone was their enemy. And the two of them knew how to survive for extended periods of time, they could definitely outlast most of the other tributes that way.

---

"Charming, but i rather do like my organs functioning as they are." Narukami agreed, sitting down in the freed up space. From her wrist, she slipped off a yellow wristband, a gag gift from Ritsu who thought it would be funny if he had gotten her five wristbands, each with a color corresponding to the five of them. Even if wearing all five of them at once was a hideous look (and Narukami wouldn't be caught dead doing that), occasionally she did slip one on just for fun. She really should have worn the other four if she had known what this day would come to. For a moment she contemplated how to pass the band over before leaning forward and dropping the accessory onto T'val's lap. "I would file your nails for you but I have a feeling that you wouldn't like a stranger touching you." She offhandedly remarked. "Besides I don't have a file on me but you might want to run your fingers on the underside of a table, helps to smooth out those bitten nails of yours."

---

T'val picked up the rubber bracelet, sliding it onto her wrist and quickly snapping it against her skin, though it didn't seem to hurt her. The small flood of information from Narukami about random fashion tidbits had T'val struggling for a hypothetical foothold, hardly understanding how one thing was relating to another. She almost lifted her hand to her face, but stopped midway and instead removed the rubber band from her wrist, stretching it between her thumbs. "I've never really thought about how I looked, but you said the Capitol would pick on 'us'? I'm not entirely sure I'm the most picturesque to be judged as hard as you say."

Ariel finished off the crackers but didn't touch the fruit, clearly a bit within hesitation if it would upset her stomach. Her gaze went down to her unborn child. "Sorrento, what if. . ." her voice cracked. "What if they make me abort her?"

Faith, who was nearby looked at Ariel. "They can't force you to if you don't want that." She said firmly. "You technically don't have to tell them."

---

The moment those words left T'val's mouth, Narukami felt almost insulted by those words. "Not the most picturesque? Oh honey, have you looked in a mirror recently? That hair is not only long and healthy, it looks soft and complement your face shape beautifully. You're a perfect height to be on the runway, and I'm sure that you would rock yellow like a champ. It helps that you have a pretty face with pretty eyes and soft features. As for those small imperfections I see, there's nothing a little make-up can't fix." Listing out her charm points, Narukami could see if they were in a different timeline and T'val chose to be a model, she would have pretty fierce competition. As for T'val's other question... sometimes she forgot that not all girls were as heavily scrutinized as she had been all her career. To her, comments about her manly physique and boyish charm were a daily criticism but harsher words have been said before. It would be inevitable that within the capital, beauty according to the citizen's tastes would not only be different but be expected upon the tributes as well. Those who didn't fit in would be scrutinized and those who wore it too well would be envied and hated. Thus was the dichotomous hypocrisy of fashion.

---

A growl rose in his chest, fingers twitching at the suggestion. "If they do, then they risk loosing one of their precious tributes." His voice was almost a borderline snarl, aggression at the thought of his wife and unborn child being hurt in any way. But the interjection of another tribute had his hackles rising for a moment before he calmed down slightly, recognizing those words as one of comfort and not one with fighting intent. "I don't know who you are, but you might want to worry about yourself more. Especially in terms of your own child."

---

"Faith. As for my child, I'm sure she'll be here soon enough." Faith said gently as she patted Ariel's hand in comfort. "It's not going to do you any good to worry, just keep your chin up."

Ariel gave a small nodd. "Thank you."

---

Yurei hated being watched. She hated the feeling that someone was reading her. No matter where she and Mare went along the train, the feeling was constant. When the two finally found a reasonably secluded area, they began speaking in hushed tones. Mare looked kind of sick, but she attributed it to the speed of the train. Yurei bit her lip, not believing a word of it.

---

Gnawing on his lip, Sorrento observed the couple across from them. It would be beneficial to team up with other tributes to increase their rate of survival but he was wary of strangers, especially of those he had just met. He wanted to have the best chances of keeping Ariel safe and that would mean dirtying his hands slightly. He didn't mind doing it, he had done it many times before, but the problem would be picking the right people to twist with his words and he could immediately knock Faith and her partner from that list. They were kind and would help Ariel even without his intervention, that much he could tell from their brief interaction. Glancing at Ariel, seeing her relax more at the presence at another woman who could support her through this, he made up his mind. "I know this is sudden, but how do you feel about a temporary alliance?" He ventured

---

Salvadore looked a bit hesitant as if mirroring Sorrento's unease, given the factor he had to protect his own wife and unborn child, but Faith nodded. "At least for now it would be best."

Ariel felt her stomach lurched and quietly excused herself to the bathroom, Faith followed knowing full well what was going on.

---

T'val seemed stunned, her mouth opening and closing a few times at the rapid assessment of her features. "I-..." Her apparently beautiful face was blank, the hair that was apparently soft and healthy was tugged at, just barely, by a hand that apparently needed a file or the underside of a table. She sat entirely stunned, thinking slowly over the words that had been shot into her head like bullets.


-=-


Phenix stood suddenly, passing Ariel as she made her way to what seemed to be a restroom. That was curious... Tearing his eyes from the retreating form, he spotted what appeared to be her lover, and approached with a false admiration. "If I had to guess, I'd assume you volunteered to help her out? Very brave of you, sir. I admire that."

Shiloh had never been one to attract attention, obviously. So she was able to calm down in peace and eventually got to her feet. But when she saw the food, her heart dropped and her stomach rumbled. She had lost her appetite when she found out her fate, but now it seemed like ages since she had eaten breakfast. Shiloh hated eating in front of other people, mostly because it meant removing the bandages so that she could eat. Even when people tried to be polite, looking away quickly and acting as if she wasn't even there, she could feel their gazes burning as she struggled to eat with her mess of a mouth. But she was so hungry...Her eyes moved around the train, seeing T'val. Immieadiently, and without question, she was starting to become nervous again. What was going on with her? Was Shiloh going crazy? Her head ached just from looking at the girl, and after a minute, she stumbled back to her corner. Her stomach rumbled loudly again, but this time, Shiloh didn't even notice.

---

Mare's eyes flicked from one person to another. When her eyes landed on T'Val. She felt her skin go cold. She shakes her head, sure that she's imagining it. "Are you okay?" Yurei asks her, looking worried. "I'm fine." Mare says, trying to sound reassuring. Yurei bits her lip. "Okay..." she says, sounding skeptical but not pressing the issue.

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