The Fourth Quarter Quell (Naomi David and Mercenary)

"If I get one, I'd know it when I see it." Thal told her. "It would have an ax, some javelins, knifes, a fire building kit, water and meat." Thal said. "We should get a rendezvous point in the arena after everyone's done at the cornucopia. And if we see the others package, well take it for them." Thal suggested, thinking ahead for once.
 
"Steal from the dead. That's another thing I did last year. You watch my back, I'll watch yours... If my sources are correct, we may well be swimming... How good are you at swimming, by chance? And also, I know what Ezekiel, my partner, would like. He'd favor more food, medicine, camping supplies rather than weapons, well, what we would consider weapons. He won his games by outsmarting, by waiting out the Games in all essentials. But don't let that fool you. He's the son of doctors. He knows how to poison somebody and where to slice and dice." Shira spoke. Ezekiel was a very gentle soul by nature, not somebody that looked like they could kill. In fact, he only killed one person last year, and that was by pure accident. He had set a small area for berries, and one of the tributes apparently thought that he had laid out blueberries which instead were those infernal nightlock berries.
 
"Well, swimming isn't really my string suit. But I can do it. I've learned freestyle and backstroke." Thal told her. District 7 children were taught basic swimming come time for the hunger games. Thal had taken it every year, and was one of the best swimmers in his district. But given all they did was cut down and process trees, no one was a very good swimmer.
 
"Shame it isn't your strong suit. You look like you'd make a great swimmer." Shira spoke nicely, watching some of the other tributes come in. She spoke,"Your partner manage any alliances?" She smiled her shark smile at the District 1 boy, and he steered clear of the spear and javelin throwing station, she noted the pretty pink spot on his face, she scarred his face because of her hair pin. She spoke,"I can show you how to make a fishhook though. Can use them to fish, obviously, and use them for stealing crap from others."
 
"Really? How can you tell?" Thal asked in reply to what she said. Then he heard what else she said. A frown and a scowl formed on his face and he looked at the ground. "Yeah," he said, poison in his voice, "With district one."
 
"You aren't too muscled. One must have the right kind of body for swimming. Not too big, not too small, not too muscled, not undermuscled..." Shira spoke. Her face blackened a bit when District 1 was mentioned, and she spoke, her tone sweet, but very deadly sounding,"I wonder what she did to get it in with the Careers." She was evidently thinking that Thal's partner was sleeping with the District 1 guy, possibly the District 2 guy as well. The thought made her wrinkle her nose. The District 1 and 2 guys tried to get her to sleep with them last year, but she quickly turned them down, and she had clawed their pretty faces, totally killing their chances with sponsors.
 
"So you're saying I'm just average enough of a person to swim?""Nothing she's too proud, I bet. But hey, you do what you've gotta do to survive, I guess. Or at least live as long as you can." He said shrugging.
 
"What I mean is given enough time, and the right environment, you'd make an excellent swimmer. You have that sort of body... Just not the right environment." Shira spoke, clarifying her position. She smiled at her twins, and she spoke,"Michael and Naomi, meet Thal!"
 
"If you say so." Thal said with a shrug. He looked over at the two twins, waving, but only giving the slightest hint of a smile.
 
The twins smiled and all the like, doing it all politely, it was so obvious that they were both 12 years old, drawn at their first Reaping. Naomi chirpily spoke,"Is it true all District 7 people can climb trees-" Michael rolled his eyes, interrupting,"No duh, you dolt. Trees are the trade of District 7."
 
"Well, I mean I guess it is. For a lot of us it's part of the job. Bit it's not like we're monkeys or anything." Thal said to them, feeling a little uncomfortable for some reason.
 
"Please forgive my sister for her, ah, directness. Bad habit of hers that was never corrected." Michael spoke politely. Naomi shot him a particularly venomous look. Shira spoke,"Play nice you two."
 
"Don't worry, it's fine. I won't ask you if people in district 4 have gills." Thal said, trying not to smile. "Anyway, if we can help it, you won't be going out in that arena." He said to them, almost like it was a promise.
 
"Good, because Naomi pukes when she sees-" Michael slyly started, but was interrupted when Naomi stepped on his foot, hard.

Shira shook her head in annoyance, and she spoke,"So, mind telling me what you two were good at? Really didn't get much of a chance to talk earlier since you two were feeding your faces the whole time earlier!"
 
Thal could only guess that what Michael was about to say had to do with blood. But he left it at that, waiting to hear their strong suits.
 
Naomi cheerfully spoke,"I'm good with sling shots and Michael is good with-" Michael continued,"Throwing knives. Throwing knives are my specialty."
 
"Well, I'd say that's pretty good for twelve-years-old." Thal said, ruffling Michael's hair and then Naomi's. "But hopefully you won't have to use them." he added. Thal looked around for a clock, trying to figure out the time.
 
"I like to slingshot crap at my teacher's house after she had-" Naomi started, but Michael spoke,"Yes, yes, we all know of your famous hatred with the witch. Point is, she never misses, then again, neither do I." Shira spoke,"It's almost 11, THal. What's wrong?"
 
Thal couldn't help but smile at the two. They didn't seem so scared for the situation they were in, and it made him feel a little better. Then he turned to Shira. "Nothing's wring. Just wondering when we get out of here." He told her.
 
"We have lunch at noon, huge buffet, eat what we choose, and we get to see bread styles from all the Districts. Ours is tinted green by seaweed and is shaped like a fish." Shira spoke brightly.
 
"Geez, sounds special. Ours will probably be just burnt bread to look like tree bark." Thal said, chuckling. "So if lunch is at 12:00, then we probably hav about .45 minutes before we have to go." he reasoned.
 
"We rest for a bit after eating, then we go back to train." Shira boredly replied, and she smirked when he mentioned the bread. She spoke,"I think they use a different sort of grain, not the tesserae grain, well, maybe, since the grain looks brown, to resemble tree bark since the bread is brown."
 
"Good, I could use some more sleep." Thal said. "And as long as it tastes good, I don't care if it's made out of tree bark." he told her jokingly.
 
"It tastes sweet, I remember sampling the bread from all the Districts. I'm no baker's child, but I can tell if something's been made from grain used by the Capitol, or what's truly been made by the Districts." Shira spoke, smiling.
 
"Makes sense to me. Let me guess, what's ever made by the Capitol tastes better." Thal asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.
 
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