ruining everything

zephyr. district six.

[zephyrsteele]

augustmayne​:

Zephyr turned to face her, and August was glad to see that he wasn’t all that ugly. Not that there was anything wrong with ugly people. In fact, ugly people were usually very nice. “I’m real glad to meet you, too. I haven’t gotten ‘round to talking to lots of people yet, and I suppose we should all get to know each other if we’re gonna be in close quarters.”

The thought of there being secrets on the train hadn’t crossed her mind, but she supposed the Capitol must have a whole slew of secrets since she didn’t know all that much about them. She wasn’t very often in on any secrets.

August glanced nervously at the bar, and then back to Zephyr. “I, um. I don’t really know much about drinks. I didn’t drink back home, besides water and the like.” She knew he didn’t mean water, but she was very interested in Zephyr’s train secrets, so she nodded. “What do you like to drink?”

Zephyr cocked his head to one side. August seemed to be as nervous as she was sincere, which Zephyr could only see as good news for him. Not wanting to make a bad impression, he pulled out the stool next to him and stood up, motioning for her to sit on the stool next to his.

“It’s good to have friends here.” He tried to keep his smile friendly as opposed to mocking, ducking his head slightly in the hopes that he appeared a little shy. “Or at least someone you can depend on. It seems like it could get lonely.”

He leaned over the bar and muttered something to the Avox, draining the last of his drink before pushing the glass towards him.

“There’s a District Six speciality I want you to try.” He explained to August as he watched the Avox pour out their drinks. Two whiskeys, with just a dash of milk in each. He moved the first glass closer to August, and then took the second one for himself.

“Cheers,” he said, holding out his glass, “to the Hunger Games.”

[zephyrsteele]

cg-syren​:

She said nothing as she looked at the boy. Boy seemed a perfectly apt description, he didn’t seem overly athletic nor strong. But he did have alcohol she thought to herself as she noticed the crystal his wiry hands were wrapped around.

She took a step towards him, and then another, her eyes locked on his, like a predator on its prey. She lingered for but a moment before twirling away playfully. 

“Syren.” she extended her hand and flashed a mischievous smile.

He watched as she approached, his eyebrows rising almost imperceptibly as she locked eyes with him. She was almost cat-like with her graceful, sudden movements are wide, all-seeing eyes. Zephyr didn’t even blink, meeting her gaze steadily as his hand meet hers. He negotiated the handshake slowly, being sure never to break eye contact with her. 

He dropped her hand with a sudden movement, clenching his own into a fist as he drew it back to his side. A long, deep sigh escaped his lips, and his hand relaxed once more.

“You’ll never guess what District I’m from.” He said, matching the girls mischievous grin with one of his own.

[cg-syren]

Syren gazed longingly through the polished glass of the tribute train, the landscape speeding by to the eerie silence of her current habitat. Another day, another prison. She looked out at a world left untouched, forgotten; and far more beautiful for it. She stared for a for more mere moments before setting herself to the situation at hand. Rising with purpose she swiftly turned to face another tribute whom had, unfortunately for them, stumbled into her den. 

“Lost, are we?” she mused with a wry smile.

[zephyrsteele]

Zephyr slipped into the carriage silently, hovering just a few steps behind the tribute with mild interest. He watched her back as she stared out the window, rocking gently on the balls of his feet, his hands still clasped around his half-drunk glass of whiskey.

He blinked as the tribute twirled around, noting the smile on her face and meeting it with his own.

“On the contrary,” he said, taking a sip of his drink, “I’m exactly where I intended to be.”

“I’m Zephyr.”

[zephyrsteele]

augustmayne​:

August stood with her hands together, waiting for the tribute to respond. She didn’t notice that she was holding her breath until he spoke. “Howdy Zephyr! My name’s August, like the month.”

Zephyr didn’t turn around to face her, which was uncomfortable until August had the thought that maybe he was shy. Or maybe ugly and embarrassed about it. Either way she supposed she would just have to be real nice to him.

August looked around the room, then back to the back of Zephyr’s head, her mouth slightly ajar. “Did he really build the whole train? You must’ve been here for a while then. You must even know every room on the train.”

Howdy? Zephyr couldn’t help but turn to look at who he was speaking to after that, quirking an eyebrow as he inspected the girl with mild bemusement. He opened his mouth, intending to perhaps say something amusing or berate her in some way, but all that came out was a breath of laughter that he quickly disguised as a cough.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, August like the month.” He said after a few measured breaths. He made an effort to straighten his shoulders and arrange his face in what he hoped was a more serious expression.

“Not only do I know every room on the train, but I also know every secret.” He pressed his lips together for a moment before motioning to the bar behind him.

“Would you like a drink of some sort?”

[zephyrsteele]

dahliasol​:

“Emphasis on the ‘fancy,’” Dahila raised her brows before letting out a bit of a giggle. “What do you think we should steal first?” The brunette’s eyes darted around the room – bouncing off of the crystal chandelier swaying ever-so-gently, to the fine pieces of art that ornamented the walls. “Bet we could get a pretty penny for everything they’re hiding in here.”

“The art is probably worth the most.” His eyes swept towards one of the more abstract pieces on the centre of the wall. “You know how the Capitol fawns over things that serve no purpose.”

He let out a soft laugh, his eyes coming to rest on Dahlia. 

“How do you propose we smuggle it off the train?”

[augustmayne]

August wasn’t all that sure what the Capitol wanted her to do upon her arrival on the train, so she sat in her district’s common area and stared out the window, her hands folded in her lap. After some time spent watching the fields pass by until the terrain was unrecognizable, she built up the courage to explore the rest of the train.

A few cars down, a door was left partially ajar. August peered in and found what appeared to be a bar, occupied by another tribute and an avox. She watched the stranger sat on one of the stools as she hesitantly entered the room. “Hi there,” she offered after a few silent moments, waving her hand in front of herself once and laughing nervously. “Have you been on the train long?”

[zephyrsteele]

Zephyr smirked at the sound of the tributes voice, not bothering to turn around and face her. His hands moved over the glass he held, her brow furrowed as he concentrated on tracing the outer rim.

“Hello,” he murmured after a substantial silence had filled the room, “my name is Zephyr.”

He took a swig of his drink, stretching out each moment for as long as he possibly could before he spoke again.

“I’ve been here for a while.” Another pause. “You know, my father built this train.”

[capitolgames]

YOUR CAPITOL SALUTES YOU, ZEPHYR STEELE OF DISTRICT SIX.

Zephyr, in the eyes of his family, has never done a thing right. He couldn’t agree with them more. There wasn’t any gratification in doing things right. Whatever the people who knew him told the Capitol, it must have been entertaining enough to get him chosen over the other candidates. All Zephyr knows now is that the Capitol isn’t ready for him.

DANE DEHAAN. TWENTY-THREE. HE/HIM. TAKEN.

[zephyrsteele]

“Well, well, well...” Zephyr said, draping himself over one of the plush leather armchairs. “Fancy seeing you here.”

[zephyrsteele]

savannahawthorne​:

Only me? Well, that was original Savanna thought as she sat there a moment longer gathering he wits, thoughts, or whatever it was she was going to need to get through this situation. There was no telling what would come of it and she for one did not plan on being caught off guard.

“Oh, just some girl sitting on the floor because I thought this would be a bag of laughs.” She muttered as she winced through the pain in her wrist. It wasn’t Zephyr’s fault the train had stopped suddenly and he didn’t cause any of this chaos.

“Sorry, I’m Savanna.” She told him frowning at her own snappiness. “District Twelve.”

His head tilted slightly as he saw her wince, wondering what it was that was bothering her. But her little comment made him chuckle regardless.

“Zephyr. District Six.” His brow furrowed slightly as he surveyed the girl, checking for any injuries and seeing nothing that was visible.

“Are you okay?” He asked. From what he could see, the girl didn’t appear to be shaken, but people were good at hiding things. He knew that as well as anyone.

[zephyrsteele]

ceres-brewer​:

“Only briefly.” She replied, not offering him any more information, if this were a conversation back home she would’ve left but she knew that for however long it took for the rest of the games there was a high possibility of bumping into the boy again so she didn’t want to offend by simply walking away.

“If you didn’t work on the trains, what did you work on?” Ceres asked, turning the question back on the boy.

He shrugged at her answer, pushing his chair back so he could prop his feet up on the table. If she didn’t wish to tell him more he certainly wasn’t the type to pry.

“I didn’t work.” He explained, his eyes not leaving hers. “My family business pretty much runs itself, so I had the privilege of sitting back and watching things happen.”

He let out a sigh of contentment, giving the girl a soft smile.

“I’ve had a pretty easy time of it up until now.”

[zephyrsteele]

elleryandesine​:

“Certainly,” replied Ellery. He walked to the door, holding it open for Zephyr. “After you.”

Zephyr’s response had been quite vague– Ellery was still unsure whether the boy planned on partnering with Dahlia. No matter, he thought. There’s still plenty of time.

Zephyr walked forward, offering Ellery a shy smile as he passed through the door and began leading the boy through the train. He wasn’t exactly sure if Dahlia had made it to the District Six carriage - she had a habit of wandering off and finding herself in places she wasn’t supposed to be in - but he didn’t want Ellery to know that, so he kept his back straight and walked with purpose.

“When you meet her,” Zephyr began, turning his head to glance at the other tribute, “it’s best not to mention the games to her. She won’t like that.”

He pulled the door open to the carriage and was relieved to find that it had been lived in. Dahlia had to be around here somewhere.

“Dahlia?” He called as he ushered Ellery through the door.

[augustmayne]

August had just exited her district’s common room, wondering where Thatcher had disappeared to, when the train suddenly and without warning slowed to a halt. The abruptness of the stop caused her to fall forward, and her head smacked against the edge of the window she was passing before she was able to catch herself. She could feel a small stream of blood immediately begin to run down the side of her face.

After a moment of steadying herself against the wall, August looked up to see another tribute further down the corridor, seemingly in a similar state of confusion. “Are you alright?” she called down the hall, putting her hand to her own head.

[zephyrsteele]

Zephyr could smell the blood before he could see the girl. A hot, coppery scent filled the air, and Zephyr followed it dutifully, faltering slightly as the light from the window was suddenly cut out before continuing on his path. He wasn’t worried about the lack of vision - he trusted his nose above anything else.

“Are you?” He called back as the girls voice drifted towards him, stepping over a chair that had capsized. He paused for a moment, picking up a napkin and taking a few more steps forward until he could feel the girl in front of him.

At that moment the lights turned on, and Zephyr saw the slow trickle of blood down the side of her face.

“Here,” he murmured, moving the napkin and pressing it gently to the wound. His head turned towards the windows as he heard the first gunshot, but he quickly returned his attention to the girl.

“I hope you’re okay with blood.”

[savannahawthorne]

Cradling her injured wrist, Savanna stood up and glanced around until she heard the noise; a pop, pop, pop. Gunfire. It wasn’t a sound she had heard back in District Twelve too often, but it had been common in District Two, especially considering her father was a Peacekeeper and a former soldier. When she had been ten, he had tried teaching her, so she could be familiar but Savanna hadn’t wanted to touch the gun.

Instinctively, she ducked as the rounds clipped the side of the window. Who would be shooting at the train and who were they aiming at? Even after the emergency lights came on, Savanna found herself still sitting propped up against the wall. It was silly to still be scared, there were now shutters on the windows, but who to say the people outside wouldn’t come onto the train?

“Who’s there?” She asked softly hearing footsteps in the darkened hall associated with a shadowy form approaching.

[zephyrsteele]

“It’s only me.” Zephyr muttered, his eyes narrowed. 

This shouldn’t have been happening - whatever this was. Zephyr didn’t like chaos, and from the sounds of what was happening outside, there was bound to be chaos.

He walked towards Savanna slowly, his head turning as the direction the bullets were hitting the train shifted. He wasn’t built for loud noises. When he reached Savanna, he crouched, peering at the girl to get a better idea of who she was.

After a few moments of raking his memory, he realised he hadn’t met this girl, and came out with the only appropriate response he could think of.

“Who the hell are you?”

[zephyrsteele]

elleryandesine​:

A look of understanding dawned on Ellery’s face as he realized that he shared a strategy with Zephyr: both of their fathers would attempt to influence the Games. He wasn’t altogether surprised– Ellery knew how the wealthy thought, and cheating was usually how they remained at the top. Still, he couldn’t help but be bothered by the news. There could only be two victors, after all, and it was impossible to know if the Capitol would prefer Decimus’s bribe over that of Zephyr’s father. Ellery held in a sigh. The addition of money always complicated a problem.

Wait, he thought. That’s it– two victors! Ellery had been planning on pairing with a career; someone strong who could kill for him and get him through the Games alive… but perhaps that strategy was wrong. With the pooling of their shared influence, Ellery was likely much safer with Zephyr than he was with some mindless hunk. It was far too soon to outright ask the boy for his partnership, but Ellery couldn’t stop thinking of their future together. Before he could make a move, though, there was one more thing he needed to know…

“Say,” said Ellery, “I’ve heard a lot about your district partner– Dahlia, right? I haven’t met her myself, but she seems wonderful. Are you two friends, or… what? I’d love to meet her.”

Zephyr gave Ellery a gratuitous smile, grateful that he had the opportunity to speak about Dahlia before formerly introducing her. He, of course, had full faith in Dahlia’s temperament, but given the direction of this conversation, he knew he must approach it delicately.

“Ah, yes. The great Dahlia Sol.” He bowed his head out of respect. “She comes from a very powerful family, you know. Our parents had often had business together, so I know her rather well.”

Zephyr’s eyes flickered to the boy, watching carefully to see how he took each new piece of information.

“We’re well-acquainted. She prefers not to stand in crowds such as these so I sent her straight to our tribute quarters. Dahlia is of a...” He gave a soft chuckle. “Delicate disposition - she doesn’t take very well to new people-- but I am sure she would like you.”

He held out a hand towards the nearest door.

“I could introduce you to her now, if you’d like.”

[zephyrsteele]

ceres-brewer​:

The strange actions of the boy had Ceres dumbstruck and when he suddenly snapped out of his off behaviour she was even more confused. The unpredictability of the boy had her on tenterhooks already.

“I’m from District Nine.” She answered, trying her best not to screw her face up in her confusion. “You’re District Six right?”

District Nine. He had only a vague recollection of the District, so he refrained from making any comments - but he was pretty sure it wasn’t an important one anyway.

“Yes!” He let out a nervous laugh. “Six. Transport. Trains!” He looked around at the train carriage, forgetting that it was moving until he saw the world blurring past outside the window.

“I never really worked with trains.” He mused, turning his gaze back towards Ceres. “Did you work in Nine?”

[poppy-fitch]

Poppy sat quietly in a chair near the window. She leaned her head against the side of it, even as the train bumped her head around painfully. She was trying to see as much as she could. Trees whipped past them in a furious whirl of green and browns that almost made her want to get her notebook out. She could write a poem or… document her experience for posterity or something. In case she ended up rotting beneath a tree by the end of the Games. If they even had trees this time. Poppy hoped so. She was becoming quite fond of them. There weren’t enough trees in Five.

Now she was thinking too hard about the Games, and getting a headache, and she needed a drink. Poppy stood from the cushy, red-and-black chair and turned around, realizing in doing so that she was not alone. She squeaked in surprise and then internally scolded herself.

This is a death game. People are making their impressions of you every second. And you’re squeaking like a mouse? Maybe she could still save this and make a better impression on the tribute in front of her. Maybe she should play up an underdog angle. Is that the story the Capitol wanted when they had voted for her? Poppy was still trying very hard to figure that out.

“I’m sorry. Am I in your seat?” There were hundreds of seats for only twenty-four tributes. Poppy remembered that she was supposed to be being tough. “If so, you can just… deal with it.”

[zephyrsteele]

It wasn’t necessarily that Zephyr had actively chosen to sneak towards the girl, but rather that he didn’t stop himself from doing it. She was so enraptured by the world rushing past them that she was all but oblivious to what was actually going on within the train.

He had no idea who she was, but his exploration so far had proved to be most useful, so he had decided he would continue his voyage into getting to know the other tributes.

It wasn’t his seat she was sat at. He wasn’t even sure they had been assigned seats, but there was something about her attitude that made Zephyr want to contradict her.

“It is my seat.” He said with a wry smile. “We all got assigned seats when we got on to the train.”

He looked from her to the seat to the flurry of trees passing them outside the window.

“But I won’t stop you from sitting there.”

[zephyrsteele]

elleryandesine​:

Ellery noticed a change in Zephyr’s voice– the boy wasn’t mocking him, though. It was more like they were speaking in code; in a language that only the wealthy were taught. This boy isn’t an imposter, thought Ellery. He’s the real deal.

Moving a bit closer, Ellery placed a hand on Zephyr’s shoulder and guided him to a more isolated corner of the train car. “To answer your question, no. I’m not at all happy to be here. I’m sure that you, as one cut from Capitol cloth, can understand why. People like us… we have so much more to offer than our lives.” He moved his hand, then smiled at Zephyr. A real, genuine smile. “I like you,” said Ellery. “And I’m known for having excellent taste.” 

Zephyr grinned as the boy’s hand touched his shoulder, allowing the boy to steer him towards the corner of the carriage. He trusted Ellery, mainly because Ellery seemed to trust him. His brow furrowed as he listened to the boy, nodding his head knowingly before meeting the Ellery’s smile with one of his own.

“The Games are dangerous for us, but they’re also a chance for us to prove ourselves.” Zephyr leaned closer, lowering his voice so no one else would hear. “My father says he can... influence the odds a little, if push comes to shove. The Capitol are very generous when it comes to their own kind.”

He moved back, surveying the boy carefully.

“I like you, too.” Zephyr once again imitated the boys pompous tone. “People of our pedigree must stick together in a place like this.”