out in the woods

[treadswater]

WHO: Annie Cresta
WHERE: The Forest
WHEN: 14th-25th September
OPEN TO: Everyone!
WARNINGS: General warning for anxious tendencies and homicidal thoughts
STATUS: Open

NOTES: Feel free to catch Annie anywhere mentioned! Or feel free to have your character caught in a snare. If nothing strikes your fancy, just drop me a comment and I'll come up with something.

---

They'd had to move, after the earthquake. Branches had damaged their camp, and the only fresh water easily found was that spring, down in the south-west. So Finnick and Annie had moved, north to south, setting up another camp closer to the water. But not too close and not in direct line of the village - they aren't, after all, stupid. Setting up camp between water sources and the main camp of others is an excellent way to get killed. Neither of them intend to die. Even if there's been no deaths announced. Even if the strangeness is adding up and up to something not even Annie can puzzle out. They aren't dying.

But even with her paranoia whispering and sometimes shrieking, even with fear making her jump and startle and giggle, Annie is settling into a pattern.

She and Finnick take watches during the night, judging time by the moon and stars (and, by now, the howling of the wolves). Before dawn is when they gather water, using stolen water jars and the baskets they've woven tightly from grasses. Before dawn, which means before the others (the other tributes?) come down with their buckets. Food is more haphazard, and only cooked when it could conceivably be safe.

Safer. Not safe.

Nothing here is safe.

Annie fills her day with gathering food, which includes checking the various snares they've placed around. It's a jumpy time for her, because the snares aren't just for game. They are also protection. The area around their camp is booby-trapped, which is the only way she can stand for her and Finnick to be separated. If she stays in the camp, repairing their shelter and containers or just unable to move from her mind's self-sabotage, she's safer with the snares. With the traps.

But she does get out. She goes for scouting trips, the same as Finnick. Exploring the terrain. Trying to find traps, mutts. Trying to find some more water, preferably a stream with fish. The fish in the now polluted river have gone. Oh, there are some suspiciously floating the surface, all so obviously dead, but the rest are gone, gone, gone.

That nothing has resulted from this disappearance, nothing, nothing driving the tributes together, hasn't helped Annie's nerves at all.

She also spies on the water gatherers, and the village. Her uniform might have been white when she scrambled out of the fountain, but by now Annie's rolled in enough dirt and mud that she's dulled it to dirty brown-grey more than white. And she's a small woman, barely 5', who spends a lot of her time up in the trees. But she's got that vibrant red hair and it's not yet autumn, so she's achingly aware of how visible she can if anyone looks up.

Comments

[zomboligist]

Wolves and mutts and Ravi (oh my) and he knows exactly which one of them is getting eaten in any of those scenarios. While he knows the's a tall drink of water, he'd prefer not to allow other people to figure that out, especially those of the large tooth disposition that could tear into him and flay him to the bone. Oh, look, this place is bringing out all the cheer from him.

"Well, I can tell you that as a Village People, the only danger you have is a shockingly bad rendition of In The Navy," he quips, but even that isn't going to stop a bear. Lucky, then, that she hasn't seen any of them yet.

Ravi pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling a little odd talking to a woman in a tree who thinks that he's dangerous. "Look, if you come down, I promise the only danger I am to you is bad humour," he assures. "My neck is getting a crick from all the staring." And he's growing progressively worried there's something genuinely wrong with her.

[treadswater]

It's hard not to extrapolate. Hard not to picture all the faces she's seen in her study and over her life, the faces children pull when they decide to fight and kill. Hard not to age those faces, not to take those expressions and put them on those around her.

Like this man.

Who is so, so tall. Well over a foot taller than herself, no matter his bad jokes and awkward smiles.

But he saw her. And invited her down. So she climbs down, just not all the way down. She perches on one of the lowest branches, easily keeping her balance, and doesn't sit. If need be, her legs are coiled underneath her, ready to jump up and out of the way of danger.

"I can survive bad humour," Annie says, softly.

[zomboligist]

"See? Look, you're resilient and immune to my jokes," he says as he attempts to keep the mood somehow light between them. He rubs at the back of his neck when she drops down to a much more humane height, sighing and trying to figure out how exactly you have a normal conversation with a tree-person without starting to question their sanity. "Have you been here long?" he asks, seeing as he's still trying to build himself up a better understanding of this place.

Multiple accounts from various witnesses are only going to help in that. "In fact, more to that question, has anyone established a system of time-keeping yet? Sundials? Rudimentary notches in trees?"

[treadswater]

There's a smile. It's a small thing, fading quickly from view much like a gentle ripple would. But, it was a smile because he is trying, and not many try with her. "Fifteen days. It's hard to-"

He's continuing, though, so Annie stops and listens and hears him out. Then she shrugs, another smile. Just as quick as the one before, but now faintly disbelieving instead of bright. He's asking the woman who is, clearly, living out in the woods?

But she'll answer.

"Not that I've seen. They, uh. You." Not we. "The townsfolk, could be doing something inside, maybe. But. I, uh. Haven't seen anything that relies on the outside. Using the trees and the sun would require standing in the same location to take the measurements, but no one's done that. That. I've noticed."

[zomboligist]

Which means that she hasn't done that, but it's odd. Ravi understands not staying in the same place, but it does beg the question. "How do you measure what time has passed, though? Sleep is an inconsistent measure and hunger can be tricky," he reasons, aware that he's babbling at her and less that he's actually talking at her, which is likely a very rude thing. This is why he needs Liv around to poke him when he's getting too mad science.

"How do you know it's been fifteen days?" he asks, as he takes a breather and forces himself to actually pay attention and listen.

[treadswater]

"Well, it's not exactly precise," Annie starts off, and she thinks she must be feeling better, there is a tiny aspect of defensiveness there. "We don't know the timezone, so I can't say, 'it's about 3 in the afternoon' when you're basin' things off the sun without a clock. But if you pay attention to the sky.

Then she crinkles her nose, a little. "Sun goes down, sun comes up, and the time between feels roughly right. Unless this place is one of those where that deliberately changes?"

Suddenly, she sounds hesitant again. Not sure.

[zomboligist]

"How do you know we're on a planet with days the same length as earth?" He knows that it's a far leap into the unknown, but another planet seems as good an explanation as any. Without proper tests, he can't know if the oxygen and gravity levels match Earth's, but maybe they're on a planet that has the ability to shield them in and that hasn't developed further technology just yet.

Or maybe he's just trying to write himself a science fiction fantasy to distract from his awful reality.

[treadswater]

"What?"

Really, she doesn't mean to say that, nor to screw up her face like she can feel herself doing, but she did. She did say it. Because, what?

But, all right, maybe she'll try and play along.

"I. Um."

Not off to a good start there, Cresta.

"It...feels the same. And Finnick agrees with me. My... District partner. We'd notice."

Maybe she might not, depending on how her mind is treating her, but the scars in Finnick's mind don't work like that. She can corroborate with him.

[zomboligist]

He narrows his eyes slowly, because he thinks that a little suspicion is due about a 'district partner', which sounds suspiciously like cops gone slightly awry, but she definitely doesn't strike him as law-enforcement and he should know. "So, normal sun, normal gravity, normal air," he says, and considering nothing else seems normal about this place, maybe they're due some normality.

"What's a district partner?" he asks, a touch sing-song to his tone considering he doesn't think he's going to get an honest answer, but damn it all, will he try.

[treadswater]

"Normal stars," she adds. "Normal atmospheric conditions. The river acts like running water does. And the environment around it at least doesn't like wrong."

Except then he asks...

That.

And that way.

It's enough to get a flash of temper, some steel and surety amongst the skittish. She knows this.

"The other tribute from my district. It's traditional for the games. One male, one female. We're from the same district, and are allied, so."

[zomboligist]

He opens his mouth, then closes it. Then opens it again, because there is a name on the tip of his tongue that's not coming up. This is happening way too much for his liking, which is making him wonder if he hasn't hit his head and has lost the ability to think. "That's intensely terrifying and psychotic," he says, which is preaching to the choir, he thinks.

"You don't think we're in a one male and one female type of situation, right?" he asks cautiously, wondering if maybe it's psychiatric help that she needs. "And that we're not in any game?"

[treadswater]

At psychotic, Annie giggles all startled and frightened. You don't say things like that. Even if they are true. Especially if they are true.

Of course, her tendency towards nervous, frightened laughter is partly what gave her that awful reputation in the first place, and she flushes awkwardly. The man already thinks her completely crazy, she's sure, and she just doesn't help matters.

"The ratios are wrong, so far," is what she allows, whisper-soft. "Unless they'll be evening up over time, because the arrivals are all staggered? Um.

But I think it's a game. Yes. Too much of the evidences and tactics fit. I just. I don't know who's set this one up. Or why."

[zomboligist]

Ravi raises a brow, not entirely sure that he feels safe right now, with a woman who thinks they're in a situation of even ratios at which time of evening up, they're going to be forced to kill each other. "Random question, and probably a stupid one, but what happens if you just...don't," he suggests, shrugging.

"You know? Not participate? Why can't everyone just go on a hunger strike or something? Worked for Gandhi," Ravi says helpfully.

[treadswater]

Annie stares. She's gone still, frightened. All wide eyes and parted mouth and a look of terrified disbelief.

"You can't say that."

Part of her is thinking, a hunger strike won't work, people will die for nothing. A small part, a cynical voice. But the rest of her is filled with icy fear that first freezes her and then makes her think, move.

And she does.

She stands up on the branch, swings herself up, and then rapidly climbs away. Away from the man and his dangerous, dangerous words.

[zomboligist]

Ravi opens and closes his mouth, not entirely sure what's just happened, but he's beginning to get the distinct feeling that he's somehow the sanest person in this whole forest right now. "Bully for me," is his wry comment, shaking his head as he starts to head towards the inn.