Lotus Blossom

Junior actually does laugh this time. "Okay, Merp. Hold steady. I need to not crash this plane," He pet Merp's head gently as he took back the controls and turned on his communication system. "All good, Aria. No threats. At the moment." @SymphonianBookworm

Junior stifled a light laugh. "And what would your name be, young gentleman?"

Junior turned, glancing at the creature, then turned back to his control board, not seeming to notice. All of a sudden, after processing what he just saw, he quickly turned back around, realizing there actually was a creature in his ship. A ferret, it seemed. He cursed under his breath. After collecting himself, he sent a transmission over headset: "Aria... I'm dealing with some complications over here in my aircraft. There seems to be a small ferret in the cockpit." Then, his curiosity giving in, he cautiously put his control board on safe altitude gliding as he reached back and picked up the small creature. "Oh," he said as he picked him up, not on headset communication. Junior wouldn't admit it, but there was the trace of a smile across his face in that moment. "Are you lost?" @SymphonianBookworm

"We've got a poet on our hands," Junior muttered through a smile as he maneuvered his poco towards the rocky fragment up ahead.

"My radar recorded some mountains- or at least high terrain- In the rocky fragment up ahead."

"Agreed. And as far as water.... There's literally floating chunks of split ice in the biome I was first in."

Junior's voice crackled over the headset. "Aria let's abort this expedition and head east. It doesn't seem safe enough, and the reward isn't large enough to risk compromising the aircraft. Copy?" @SymphonianBookworm

"Sure. I see some 9 degrees south. Beginning turn now." Junior swerved his poco over the trees in the Tropical Rainforest biome. @SmilingPanda19

"Not exactly. Do you see any supplies below? I wouldn't want to compromise our ships by landing, but I suppose we could lower altitude...."

"Yes. I broke his hand," Junior clearly didn't see the point in dwelling on the same topic, "This arena looks rough. Just follow me, I'm heading over the Tropical Rainforest in 3... 2... 1... Crossed to the biome."

Junior tried to save power while in the air, shutting down a few unnecessary systems. He swerved around, gaining high altitude as he gazed over the arena. "Aria, let's explore 13 degrees north west out of eyesight, and then shift downwards towards the east." Junior spun and quickly shot his poco forwards, careful not to miss any details as he began observing the grounds below him. He saw... @SymphonianBookworm @SmilingPanda19 @Edema Rue @Ancient Elantrian @The Wandering Wizard

"Call it what you wish- He needed it. Builds character. And he won't need both hands to use air signals. If communication goes out or is compromised, the two of us need to be able to have a code visible to only us. Something safe... So as wingmen we can communicate through the cockpit instead of through the headset."

"Sure, that sounds feasible. We'll want to create a code using hand signals... And, yes, Jock's hand is broken." "Yeah, copy that. I see you in the air."

"Was there ever any doubt? Aria... Look who we're up against. Jock's hand won't be too useful for a very good portion of the games. That is, if he survives that long. It's a shame, really. Hard to pilot with a broken hand..." Junior looked at his right had with something of nostalgia through his small, weakened smile, "Anyway. How are the other tributes fairing? Any approaching threats I should beware of? Whiplash and Nova, I've been observing, have exceeded first impression. Sharp'i, seeing as his reputation precedes him, seems to have won the past Hunger Games."

"Why would we?" Amyra stepped away. "Nice one," she muttered.

Junior flied over the other tributes, finally feeling in charge. For once feeling free. For once, being on top of the world. And he wasn't flying away from his problems. No. He was flying into them. He was facing them, nose of the poco pointed straight at them. He was flying into the horizon. Into the sun. It didn't really matter where he was going, but he was flying forward. Advancing. Progressing. Freeing himself from his own chains. Because no one else was willing to free him. He turned on his communication systems. "Aria?" he spoke into his headset within the helmet, "I'm in the air." He grinned. If Lady Luck isn't on your side, the only solution is to lead yourself into a massacre... And win. It wasn't a matter of odds. They were never in his favor. It wasn't a matter of chance. He never would be given any. It was a matter of risk. It was a mater of skillfully wielding possibility. It was a matter of walking through any open doors, and closing them behind you. He had to get ahead. That was the only way not to fall behind. @SymphonianBookworm

Junior tugs on the door of the rusty poco multiple times before it swung free. He lifted himself in quickly and shut the door, hauling his satchel inside. After hearing the click of the lock in the door, he exhaled air that he had been holding for longer than he realized. In moments, he was in the air.

Junior nodded and sprinted to where the ship was docked, on thick ice. He understood. Perhaps he'd been there before. The face of death. The face of shame. Perhaps he knew. Perhaps he'd seen it too.

"I don't believe anyone does," Amyra corrected.

Junior smiled. "It hurts, doesn't it?" he whispered, "It hurts not to feel loved. It hurts not to have someone out there, watching your back. It hurts to realize that you are truly alone in this cold world," Junior held Jock's hand tighter, "Use that pain. Take it and channel the anger- the rage- to finally do something good for yourself. To finally kill someone who has no more right than you to exist in this world." Junior held Jock's broken hand and pulled him up back onto the ice, saving his life. "And it hurts not to have power," He whispered at last, "It hurts to know that no matter what, I could've let go and you could've died today. And it hurts to know that I didn't, anyway."

Junior scoffed. "You're more incompetent than I predicted..." He sighed and stepped on Jock's already injured hand again, for good measure, before reluctantly offering him his own hand for assistance.