Mags

"It'll get automatic with practice," Nera said re-assumingly. She stood and hefted her crossbow. She pointed to a thin aspen try about 30 feet away. It stood out fairly well in the darkness because of it's white bark. "How about that for a target?"

He fired again, this time the bolt hit the back of March's neck, striking hard but bouncing off of the chainmail there. "DANGIT JULY YOU'RE STILL HERE AREN'T YOU," He shouted, glancing wildly around and trying to figure out where the bolts were coming from. The barrel and shadows of the alley disguised him well enough.

"Well, I was just thinking we're lucky we stopped in a wood because tree trunks make great targets." She pulled her own crossbow out and started loading it.

"Thanks!" Aki said, running to grab it. He strung it with practiced efficiency, and slung the quiver on his shoulder. The model was a little unfamiliar to him, so he experimentally shot a few arrows at the strike team to practice.

"Well most of it is ancient history at this point, so I don't know the details," Lee prefaced. "But basically, my ancestor Sharp McDonald was reaped at 18, leaving his wife of two months behind. His wife had been pregnant, and she gave birth to his son several months after he died. When his son had grown up, he was then reaped, in some freak accident." "At the time, I believe, reaping the children of tributes was not uncommon because it added drama to the games," He explained, "But reaping the children of dead tributes is unusual because there's little reason for the GM's to do it. At best the audience won't remember the dead parent and get bored, at worst the child tribute will angrily try to stir up a rebellion." He scratched his stubbly chin, trying to remember the details. "Sharp I's son died really quickly in his actual games, the arena was especially treacherous that time--I think he drowned in a storm or something. But before that he declared he and his line were on a quest of vengeance against the games and the game-makers on camera during his interviews. Exactly the kind of thing they didn't want. Part of me wonders if his early death was really an accident." "Whether something more is going on is up to speculation, but the fact remains that every single games since Sharp I has had a member of the Mcdonald family reaped for it. Every single one. My father thought it was this terrible curse but I don't know . . . I don't really like thinking about it."

March seemed happy that he was out of the way, at least for now. "That's right kiddo, sit on the side and watch how real men fight!" August rolled his eyes and struck again, immediately met with a parry from March. They continued to exchange blows, the duel not unlike August's fight with September, if a little rougher around the edges. July shot another bolt, this one reaching March, but bouncing off the chain mail that covered the gap between his leg plates. It would leave a bruise if July was lucky.

"It's fine . . . We're just--I don't know--a mess I guess." He looked down at his hands, calloused from years of training combat to prepare him for his games. "I hoped that by changing myself and running away all this stupid McDonald stuff could end. We could fade away and the games would have nothing to do with it. I should have guessed that she would be taken instead of me or mine."

"We caaaaan," July said, squinted as he aimed. "But it might have to be figured out with blades first."

"I'm fine, it's just that an old friend of mine is in there . . . I should've done more to help her." He explained.

"Breakfast sounds nice, but March isn't going to give up." He pressed the trigger and shot a bolt at March, but it went above his head and sunk into a wooden lamppost. Luckily, March didn't notice it because he was still occupied with the other too. July cursed quietly to himself and reloaded. "The accuracy needs work . . . Anyway, August will keep fighting out there until March gives up, you know he hates delaying a fight he could push through now." @The Bookwyrm

"What?!" He whispered yelled at her. He was crouched behind a barrel in an alley that faced the fight, his crossbow reloaded and held at the ready. He tucked a stray hair out behind his ear before re-sighting the crossbow on March.

Lee was still sitting on the coach of [whoever's house he ended up at I can't remember I'm so sorry] house. A few of the others had left, but he'd stayed to watch the games. Sure, he could have watched them on the tv in his own home, but something felt wrong about that. Like, bringing the games into his new safe place where everything he loved was would taint it somehow. It hadn't surprised him that his friends wanted to watch it in the first place--that he completely understood. But he was surprised how ready they were to accept it into their homes. Maybe he was overthinking things. Either way, he was watching it here and that suited him just fine. He had been watching Sharlin for most of the morning, as she trekked around the starting island with her allies. He didn't recognize the two boys at all, even though one of them had claimed to have some familial connection. That said, Lee wasn't very familiar with the Carra line. When she'd gotten the boat, he hadn't been surprised. A cynical, death-ready tribute like her was perfect for a game-maker to manipulate into what they like. His heart had sank when the camera's panned over the gun, and for a moment he worried he was about to watch a blood bath. But then it was announced she couldn't kill anyone with it--at least not offensively--and he let out a sigh of relief. Watching the games was strange for him, but not as strange as he had expected. The events and setting were so different from his own experiences that there was a level of detachment to it. He was worried about Sharlin, he really was. In a deep heart achy way that told him he hadn't done enough for her before hand. He'd had the luck to see her right before she was taken. She had had the luck to be the 6th McDonald taken by the games. Luck was a fickle thing, he'd decided, and he didn't like to think on it too much.

Sharlin finished her squinting contest with the jungles edge. "Well . . . . Yolo I guess," She said, continuing forward and stopping between some ferns. She was hoping that the amount of animals she could hear meant it would be less deadly for the common trespasser, but then again those animals might be the danger themselves. She watched the floor for ants, since she'd come to recognize them fairly well at this point. "If we find another cave here, we could just camp out and wait for the other tribute's to kill each other off I guess . . ." She seemed more then mildly disappointed to be away from the main action. @The Bookwyrm @TheRavenHasLanded @Lord Spirit

Jm sat on the sidelines reading a book because she was confused. She hoped her friends had defeated homework, though she didn't mind it personally.

"Exactly!" March said, enraged and pushing Arke away. "I'm done with you, little kid. Run along so I can get my work done." @TheRavenHasLanded He glanced back around at the group. The street's traffic was giving the fight a wide berth, so it was easy to spot August who had been trying again to sneak up on him. March caught his sword and flung him to the side, though it looked like it took some effort. He hated to admit it, but all those little cuts and this prolonged arrest was wearing him down. The best option was to grab July and hold a blade under his throat so everyone stopped fighting. Marched turned to the spot where July had been standing with his weird crossbow, but he was gone. "So the little coward finally decided to run again?" He muttered with a smirk. "I'm not sure, I was admittedly not paying attention," August said with a grimace as he swung his sword at March again. This time he finally made a large dent in March's pauldron, causing him to stumble forward.

Bedrolls and tents were pulled out of the wagons cargo and set up. The sun has now set, and Lady Genuhk and Master Igenes are sleeping inside the wagons. (You're character can choose to rest, explore, or talk to other characters.) @Ancient Elantrian @Just_a_Fan @J. Magi @BrechioSwordMouse @Scars of Hathsin @SmilingPanda19 @TheRavenHasLanded @Dragonheir @Spark of Hope @SpiritOfWrath @TwinSouls "Sure!" Nera said, she had finished a few minutes ago. "Why don't Alvar and I take the first watch while we practice," She suggested. Calum shrugged. "I'll take second," He grunted before throwing in his bowl and leaving to set up his tent.

Aki gipped his sword nervously. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Bro can see spoken words," Penn commented.

"Ha HA! So his name is Albadore! No need to play a trivia game when I can find it out myself," Penn said winking at him.

"I'm sure . . ."

JM got a very concerned look on her face. "That has weird implications . . ."

"Is homework a person?????"