The station of Melee

Subject: The station of Melee Sat Apr 20, 2013 7:37 am

GRACE THORNTON

Next I go over to the Melee station, because I won't be guaranteed to get a bow and arrows. I first decide to go wrestling because I might not even get a weapon at all. I go up to the dummy and grab him by his head. I start kicking and punching the dummy and then I twist the neck around. I then grab a sword and start stabbing at the targets. I am pretty good at using the sword, but it is heavy and it doesn't feel right for me. The bow is still my preference.

Subject: Re: The station of Melee Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:34 pm

Grace Newton
The station of Melee Grace-13

By the end of the first day Grace felt that she had at least the basics of survival covered. She could find food, source safe water and treat it and light fires using wood, stone, air and water. She had in mind a list of items that made her feel a bit ill for the knowlage that any or none of them might be salvagable in the arena. A knife, a sheet of plastic.. little things that could make a big difference. She had one hour left before the end of the day and so after spending her time mostly sitting around and working on small bits and bobs she felt like she needed to get up and at last look at something to defend herself with. She ignored the ranged targets thinking it too reliant on external factors and found herself standing at the melee station looking over the dizzying array of sharp, studded and dangerous looking instruments.

Grace had never used a real weapon in her life so she thought back over what she did know. She knew how to use a knife.. who didn't? Yet her eye fell on the most primitive of all the weapons with a moment of 'Eureka' at a solution to the problem of a weapon she could get her hands on without risking the bloodbath on the first day.

Behold the fury of the pointed stick!

Well okay, not quite.... Grace chose one of the shorter quarterstaffs which felt heavy in her hands but not too uncomfortable once she found a comfortable grip. Glancing over she saw the other Grace going full on at the dummy and had to cover her mouth to hide a small smile at the younger girls fury. Yet it disturbed her a little to see how quickly the weapons dehumanized them. "I think it's dead" she said to Grace before nodding for a instructor to come over and show her the correct grip and movements for her weapon of choice. Grace felt awkward and more then a little ridiculous as though gestures she was taught to step, lunge, swipe and block using the hunk of wood. It wasn't elegant but she could sort of see the logic of it, it was almost like the dances they had at feast days...only much less graceful as against her name she found herself having endless corrections to make her attacks hit stronger and defense in the right place to stop a incoming blow. Grace knew it would be useless against a arrow and wasn't sure it would be much good against a sword or anything else.. but hopefully the other Tributes would think that she was intentionally avoiding her best weapons.. rather then the truth that she had no experience at all..

Subject: Re: The station of Melee Sat Apr 20, 2013 1:19 pm

GRACE THORNTON

As I finish off the dummy I hear someone say that they think it is dead. I look over to see it was Grace, the girl from 5. I smile as I watch her try out the equipment. She seems to be getting the hang of it. We seem perfect for allies. She looks around the same age, we are both called Grace and if I use ranged weapons, she seems comfortable with melee weapons. I decide to go up and get to know her more.

"Hey Grace, what do you say about being allies?"I ask her. I would understand if she says no, but I am kind of hoping for a yes. I need her smartness and short range fighting. She seems to know how to survive too, I saw her learning at the Survival Station. Others wouldn't expect it either. A district 12 girl Being allies with a district 5 girl? I questioned tributes who did that in the past, but now I get why.

Subject: Re: The station of Melee Sat Apr 20, 2013 9:13 pm

Grace Newton
The station of Melee Grace-13

Concentrating on her footwork she didn't have much time to look around or think as she tried to perfect the movements to block and strike, she felt off balance but shifting her feet again felt better and got a nod before the trainer came at her again. She hit his wooden sword the first time but the second landed a tap on her ribs... smarting she held a hand up to stop the fight, maybe it would be possible to make some kind of body armor? She knew tributes occasionally managed to have some gifted but at a extraordinary cost. Grace didn't want to rely on gifts but found her train of thought derailed when the other Grace came up to her asking to be allies.

Grace had not really been counting on allies either. Not after the way she had all but ruined her chances of sponsorship by refusing to smile at the parade or what she had planned for her private training session that was probably going to get the gamemakers wanting her dead bigtime. Glancing around in hope that they where not being overheard Grace nodded "Better then being enemies" she replied, she didn't want to let the others know of the arrangement however and so took a step back from the girl and continued to practice as she spoke "I was thinking we could probably out last the others anyway..." Grace felt a bit better knowing that if nothing she had one less person out for her blood. "The kid from five is a idiot... he'll probably go for the Cornucopia on the first day" she warned Grace "if he lives he'll be dangerous" in between taking swings at the trainer and trying to block his incoming blows she tried to think of anything that should be said in case they didn't have a chance to talk again. "I figure I'll just run in the opposite direction, let them fight it out" her voice was barely above a whisper, she hoped Grace could be trusted because otherwise she had just given away a key bit of her strategy for nothing.

Subject: Re: The station of Melee Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:06 am

GRACE THORNTON

I now have an ally. She must really trust me, because she was telling me her tactics. I felt the same way.

"I agree. I was thinking of getting a backpack and running away. Hope for iodine and a water bottle in the bag. I don't want to be killed at the cornucopia. Let's just hope the rucksacks are near us," I whisper to her, making sure no one hears me. I want the tributes to be afraid of me, not go after me. Anyways, I still don't see Griffin at all. Where is he?

"I'll meet up with you at lunch," I tell Grace as I head off, looking for Griffin. I need to know where he is. Not knowing where he is worries me. I don't know whether all of the symptoms are true, but I may be in love with someone I have to fight.

Subject: Re: The station of Melee Sun Apr 21, 2013 9:49 pm

Grace Newton
The station of Melee Grace-13

Nodding Grace was glad the girl was on the right wavelength "We'll probably be split up" she said thinking of how the gamemakers liked to keep each district together.. this was another problem they would have to overcome. Like her allie Grace had a short list of supplies she wanted more then anything else "a water bottle yes.. and a knife would be good too.. " she didn't worry so much about the pills as she knew how to filter water thanks to her mornings study. She didn't want the knife to arm herself, more as a tool that she could use to make things in the arena. Grace was nervious about that first day, unsure if it was wiser to try and pick up a backpack early when the others where unarmed or wait to try and steal the items she needed later. Either way it was important that both her and Grace would not been seen as a target, "We should probably just meet up somewhere after.." but that presented a whole new problem.. neither of them had any idea of what they would be facing in the arena. After a few moments of thought Grace came up with an idea "when you get away.. try to get to the edge of the arena and then follow it towards the direction of the sun..or if you find water stay put.. I'll do the same" District 5 had always been a confusing place to live and work so Grace had often come up with means to navigate around using what she could find. She just had to hope that they would be able to find each other before the Careers did or lack of water would force them to give up the search.

The bell went to signal the end of training time, now she would be forced to return to her team.. should she tell them that she had made a alliance with District 12? Grace knew she didn't trust the other tribute but she though her mentor would be happy that she had at least made a effort to not die. Who knew, pigs might fly and she might actually get a sponsor out of helping District 12. Mind you she might also get a knife in the back or find herself with the boy from District 12 hunting her down using what she had told Grace. It was impossible to tell if she was trustworthy but in truth Grace had never expected to survive the games. Maybe it was better to die as you went in.. alone but Grace preferred to live and to do that she needed everything she could to beat the odds.

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