colorless sunrise --- [nix]

Subject: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:48 pm

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Paris Erickson
| Paris's closet had an upgrade the moment the Capitol sent its money over for winning the games. Her clothes were now thick and warm, instead of threadbare and thin. Her housing had also received an upgrade, with solid walls and fancy furniture. It seemed to mock her most of the time, but at least the fireplaces kept the house warm. She knew that the Erickson's would never need to worry about survival as long as the status quo remained unchanged in the districts. Part of her was glad to have supplied her family with all it would ever need, but the other half of her wished she had died in the games. Then she wouldn't wake up screaming over the nightmares, or see the faces of the ones she had murdered around shadowy corners. It was haunting, being a victor, and Paris wasn't sure she was cut out for it.

Now she spend more time out in the woods, tracing her old footprints in the snow. The snow was melting in the heat now, making her prints disappear. The dirt was actually muddy, and it stuck to her boots as she walked past the nonelectric fence. Soon the small framed girl was striding around large, bare oak trees and jumping over roots that jutted out of the earth. Paris had decided it was easier to cope with things if she pretended that none of it happened. Walking around the woods, hearing whispers on the wind and remaining as introverted as possible kept her sane most days. She could've heard a twig snap, she wasn't sure, but she still called out a tentative, "Who's there?"
outfit

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:58 am

Carson woke up early that morning, grabbing his normal clothes from the closet and got dressed. He looked in the mirror, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He had his black and red striped pullover hoodie, dark jeans, and black socks with his shoes waiting for him at the door. He looked away and ran a hand through his hair and walked out the door into the hall and went into the kitchen. He didn't want to risk making too much noise, which would wake up his uncle or aunt who would then throw a fit over the clothes he chose because of how thin the jacket was, and today he didn't feel like dealing with that. So he walked to the door, slipping on his black shoes with red design rather than his grey ones today, and opened the door, slipping out.

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Walking through the district, Carson kept his hands in his pockets, a light breeze flowing through the air. In hindsight, maybe his uncle and aunt had a point about wearing warmer clothes. But he didn't exactly want to admit that. So, he kept walking, finding a secluded part of the district where there was a break in the fence that separated the forest from them. He raised the fence up a little bit, sliding under and then got up, jogging into the forest before anyone saw him. Now, he probably should've told someone about that since he planned on becoming a peacekeeper like his father was, but it was his only real place to feel secure. Carson continued on his way, and once he was deep enough in the forest he began to walk again. However, before he got too far, he saw a figure in the distance. He wasn't exactly sure of what to do, so he kept walking towards her, but this time went slower. When he was getting closer, though, he stepped on a twig and heard it snap, looking down. He raised his head slowly, watching as the girl turned and spoke, knowing he was there. He sighed and stepped forward a bit, putting on a smile and waved at her. "Just me...you shouldn't be out here y'know."

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Mon Mar 09, 2015 11:17 am

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Paris Erickson
| The trees' branches were bare and stiff, just waiting for winter to melt away into spring. Paris used to adore winter and its harsh reality, but now she seemed to crave spring and the warmth it brought. Fireplaces were nice, but they were nothing compared to sunlight. She couldn't explain it, really, but either way, she wanted winter to be over. Maybe the snow would recede along with her nightmares. That was the hope, anyways. Walking around gave her a sense of hope because the streams and trees never judged her. It was the people that gave her hard glares or haunting looks, as if they felt she had done something wrong. Paris didn't need their looks. She knew she had done unforgivable things to survive; the memories walked behind her every day.

Once she heard the staccato snap of a dry twig, her head whipped in the direction the sound came from. Paris hated being surprised. It made her feel as if someone was trying to kill her again. But she called out, trying to keep her voice steady and clear. When the sound came into view the teenager realized that it was actually a person, standing about a foot taller than her. "If I shouldn't be out here, neither should you," she quipped with a frown. Paris wondered if he meant that because he cared, of it he was just being rude. Normally the girl would assume the worst, but the games had changed her perception of people. She knew she was awful, but others? Were they awful, immoral people too? She didn't know enough people to assume one way or another. "What are you doing out here anyways?"' Paris asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
outfit

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Mon Mar 09, 2015 4:46 pm

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Carson put a hand behind his neck, rubbing it slightly as he moved so he could see the girl more clearly. He heard her say that if she shouldn't be there, then he shouldn't either which got a chuckle out of him. "Alright, fair point..." He paused, thinking about going on, but she eventually asked him why he was out in the forest anyway to which he shrugged. "I don't know. Everywhere else kinda bores me. Plus, this place can be soothing...why are you out here?" Carson moved his hands into his pockets, pacing to the side to lean on a tree.

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Mon Mar 09, 2015 5:18 pm

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Paris Erickson
| Paris narrowed her eyes at the boy, mentally inspecting him. He was older than her, it was kind of obvious. He was also significantly taller than her. People being taller than her had ceased to bother her, though. She won the Hunger Games at the height of 5'2". She didn't look like a fighter, but she was. The teenager wondered who he was. Even though the guy laughed, she hadn't meant for her comment to be funny. "Same reason you are," she responded, uncrossing her arms and adjusting the laces of her boots. When she stretched back up her hair fell in her face thanks to the wind, which led to her messily throwing her hair in a ponytail. "Did you know some of these trees are over a hundred years old?" Paris asked, turning to one of the larger trees. "Like this one, I bet it's at least a hundred. I wonder if they had the Games back then too." After her games, the victor had taken up reading more than previously. She had a whole library of information to collect, and she hadn't scratched the surface of it, but she had learned quite a bit.
outfit

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Mon Mar 09, 2015 6:55 pm

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Carson nodded when she answered him, saying she was there for the same reason he was. He wasn't actually sure if he was telling the whole truth there, but he figured it was close enough. And she didn't need to know anything else really. He looked at her a little closer and began to recognize her a bit, but he had no idea where he had seen her. He watched as she put her hair into a ponytail, trying to figure it out and heard something about trees and them being old, but wasn't really paying attention to that and tried to cover up for it by nodding along with her words. Then he heard something about the Games and he thought for a moment and it clicked. He was about to burst it out, but then realized that she had also asked him a question and he hesitated which gave him enough time to realize that maybe he shouldn't say anything. So he nodded again and replied, "Maybe they had Games back then...although, I don't think they did since we're only on the thirty-eighth." He was pretty sure that was what she had asked about anyway. That would've made sense...but he couldn't help but think back to the last games. That was her, right?

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Mon Mar 09, 2015 7:21 pm

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Paris Erickson
| She wasn't sure if he was listening to her, but Paris didn't really care one way or another. It was easy to ramble of facts because they carried no emotion and therefore the implementation wasn't really important. Facts were cold, hard and dry. She leaned against the tree she had been discussing, crossing her arms again. The victor didn't understand why the guy was still there, listening to her talking about trees. No one cared about trees. They either stood, fell, or provided something. They served their purpose, just like everything else in the world. Life wasn't all that interesting if you just preformed mindless behaviors all of your days, but it was better than being in the games.

Paris was surprised to hear him answer, but she nodded when he did. "You're probably right." She pursed her lips, looking out at the rest of the woods. "But there had to be something before this." Her last phrase was softer, maybe he didn't hear it. Paris could've really cared less if he heard her or not. Turning her attention back to him, she asked, "What did you say your name was?"
outfit

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:36 pm

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Carson nodded with enthusiasm when she said he was probably right, his smile widening. He watched as she looked out and just barely heard her soy something about how there had to be something before this and he took his arms how of his pockets and shrugged saying, "Guess so. And it must've been absolute hell if they wanted to rebel back then...or it was a utopia compared to here and they took what they had for granted." Carson chuckled and looked out further into the forest as well, his smile fading a bit. Maybe that was what they had thought...it wasn't that funny the more he thought about it. Those poor people never knew what they would be getting themselves into...or their descendants. Then the girl turned back to him and asked him what he said his name was to which he smiled and laughed again. "I never told you, but it's Carson. And you are?" He was pretty sure he knew exactly who she was, but just in case, he kept it hidden. He didn't want to embarrass himself and get it wrong.

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:54 pm

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Paris Erickson
| She assumed he had heard her because he responded to her open ended statement. He was smiling too. People didn't smile a lot, not really, not here. "Both, I bet," the victor answered. No matter where you went, surrounded by poverty or wealth, everyone took what they had for granted. It's part of the reason Paris gave a set amount of her clothing to the poor every week. She didn't need it all, so maybe she could help others. She also didn't want to think about what would happen to those families if another rebellion happened. Bombs, fires and deaths. It would be another game without likely odds.

Paris could feel her face get hot as he explained he hadn't shared his name. "Oh, right." Carson. She didn't know any Carsons. When he asked her name, she averted her gaze to the ground, and the mud on her boots. "It's uh, Paris." She had always hated introducing herself. Before the games she was Paris Erickson, the executioner's daughter. Now she was Paris Erickson, the murder.
outfit

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Tue Mar 10, 2015 6:36 am

He kept his smile when her face turned red, though it was more of a warm smile than a judging one. Carson watched as she averted her gaze after he asked his question, which made his smile go away as he raised an eyebrow. She said her name and he nodded, crossing his arms. "Right, right...y'know, I thought you looked familiar." He kept looking at her, wanting to smile, but he knew that wouldn't be appropriate. After being reminded of the Games, he doubted a joke or smile would cheer her up. He looked away for a second, thinking and then looked back. "Anyone else would've done what you did. How else would you have survived?" He was pretty sure she had asked herself the same question before, but hey, trying to help is better than not trying at all right?

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Tue Mar 10, 2015 8:54 am

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Paris Erickson
| Paris did not understand Carson's consistent smile. It unnerved her, but not for being judgmental, but because he seemed so cheerful. After seeing people die, it was hard to be cheerful. Her father had told her it takes a while - to get over it - but the victor wasn't sure she wanted to get over it. She had betrayed people's trust and then killed them. Why did the world have time for her? "Everyone says that now," she admitted with a frown. The teenager used to crave being noticed, but not anymore.

Her gaze stared down at the ground and the mud on her previously cleaned boots. If she wanted new shoes she could easily afford them, but Paris wanted to remain a little normal, which meant she wanted dirty shoes. When Carson spoke again, her frown deepened. "I'm not anyone else. I'm a murderer now," she reasoned, exhaling. Deciding she didn't want to stay and talk anymore, she straightened up and gave him a half wave. "I'm going to keep walking."
outfit

Subject: Re: colorless sunrise --- [nix] Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:18 pm

Carson cocked his head to the side and stood up straight, no longer leaning on the tree. "A murderer? Tell me, how exactly is it murder when all of them were trying to kill you? My point is, everyone else in this district would've done the same thing you did. So you may not be 'anyone else' but they would've done the same thing, so you aren't that differnt from them." Carson lost his smile, his expression being replaced with a serious one. He watched as she gave him a wave and told him she would keep walking and he shrugged, waving back. "Alright...I'll see you around then. Maybe." He turned on his heel and began to walk deeper into the woods, not entirely ready to go back yet. But, if she wanted to be left alone, then he would leave her alone. No use in bothering her and getting her mad at him.

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