#games.day4

[dolefvl]

A medium capsule attached to a parachute floats down from above and lands beside Ember Lowell. Inside is an empty water canteen. Attached is a note from mentor Pixel Delaroux that reads: "Hi! Everyone says you’re doing well. So… keep doing what you’re doing! This is my first sponsor gift so I hope I’m doing this right."

as the third parachute floated down, ember stared it down incredulously. really? there were that many people who wanted to send him gifts? that concept was hard for him to wrap his head around, but as the new capsule landed near him, he smiled.

he looked to the sky, hoping that there was a camera watching him so that pixel could hear what he was saying and see his reaction to her gift. “thank you, pixel, i’m honored to be the recipient of your first gift!” he said, taking the canteen out of the bag. this was the best gift he could have received in this moment. “keep doing what you’re doing,” he said with a grin, as he walked closer to the water to fill it. 

[dolefvl]

A medium capsule attached to a parachute floats down from above and lands beside Ember Lowell. Inside is a cheese sandwich. Attached is a note from mentor Wiress Neville that reads: "I hope you like cheese!"

ember would have been content with just the backpack. knowing that someone, anyone was rooting for him and hoping that he would make it out of the arena alive was the encouragement he needed to remember what he was capable of. 

and then another parachute came.

his eyes floated up to the sky again, this time with a sort of confidence that he didn’t have before. this time, he knew that was whatever in that capsule was something meant for him, and the thought made him grin from ear to ear.

the note made him chuckle. “thank you, miss wiress, i love cheese,” he said, taking a small bite of the sandwich and then putting the rest in his bag for later. this was the first food he had been able to have in days, and it was the best tasting thing he had ever eaten. if he got out of here, he’d have to give wiress a special thank you. that hit the spot.

[dolefvl]

A medium capsule attached to a parachute floats down from above and lands beside Ember Lowell. Inside is an empty backpack. Attached is a note from mentor Dorian Hawthorne that reads: "glad you found royce and demelza. you’re doing good, kid."

ember had seen tributes receive gifts before on his television. it seemed weird to now, all of a sudden, be in the middle of it, a parachute floating down to him as he stared up at the sky. there was a part of him that thought it was a trap, that no one would want to send a gift to him, but he had to let himself believe that there was someone who wanted him to win.

if not, how was he going to make it through the next however long the games ended up taking?

so, when the parachute finally landed on the ground, he approached it cautiously, not wanting to regret his blind faith in the very people that created the games in the first place.

however, once he unattached the parachute and opened the capsule, he found the gift and the note inside and greeted both with a smile. the note from dorian was enough to fill him once again with the lust for victory that he had when he volunteered. if he was going to win, he was going to do it the right way. 

he looked up at the sky. “thank you, mr. dorian. i’m doing it for you.”