Kicking Up Dust (Poppy)

[Fox.]

Onyx sighed heavily as he ran his hand through his messy black hair. His bright blue eyes darted up and down the street as he stood behind the building that sold the jewels to the Smithy his family owned. It was 6 A.M. and luckily the line hadn't formed in front of the shop yet like it used to. Slowly, after checking the street again, he made his way over to the door and unlocked it with his key. Once he was inside, he closed the door, but he left it unlocked as he moved to the place by the forge.

The forge didn't have a fire in it yet; Kyanite must have still been sleeping after the exploitation their father must have put him through while Onyx was gone. The stone forge drew his thoughts back from his brother's labor and he let his hand ran across the cold cobbles as a smile formed on his lips. The corners of his lips fully turned up into his normal smile with his teeth showing slightly. His eyes even brightened again as his mind wandered back to how he made the weapons. 

Checking around him, Onyx began to clear the ashes out of the Forge. Once it was cleaned, he began to arrange the coals and the small bits of wood he had placed to start the fire in the proper ornate pattern he always did. With the pattern finished, he pulled out the matches, lighting one and dropped it down onto the paper thin wood. The fire began to build up easily from the little pieces of wood heating up the coal and them beginning to burn.

The simple starting of the Forge took Onyx a good half hour. He had to tend to the fire and make sure it stood up against the cold stones as they heated up again as well as the coals not getting to the point of lighting the whole Forge on fire. When the tedious processes of the fire in the Forge was started, he had began to gather materials for an intricate piece that would go on a necklace. 

Onyx was picking up the small sapphires, little emeralds, and a medium sized amethyst as the line began to build up outside the street. People were pressed up against the window already watching him work. He had a simple pair of blue jeans on with a dark purple shirt that he had yet to strip off from heat. His eyes glanced over and looked at the crowd who were so happy to see him back at work; He, on the other hand, wondered if it was from popularity of his good work or that fact that he had made it back from the Games as their Victor. With a shrug, he went back to work.

His back was turned to the door as he worked on the little piece of jewelry. His hands were doing the delicate process of arranging them into the cast he had made before he left for the Games. The amethyst was directly in the center with the four sapphires encircling it with the little emeralds on the edges; all of these were to be laid in the gold that he had placed around them. He worked in doing this all in utter silence. 

---

WC: 552
Tags: Draco Malfoy (Poppy)
Muse: Semi-Literate
Notes: Random spur of the moment ordeal

[Draco Malfoy]

Poppy had barely managed to haul herself out of bed and into the shower, still covered in soot and grime from the day before at the Shop. She scrubbed her skin clean, the dark bubbles reflecting how hard she'd worked since she started working there. When she was finished scrubbing herself, she hopped out and wrung herself dry, her eyes flickering over her reflection as she saw he light rippling of muscle wrapped underneath her pale skin. She wasn't as thin as she used to be, hard work and decent meals had filled her out enough to not have her ribs protruding from her flesh. She looked healthy even.

Despite all this, Poppy could still see the sadness behind her green eyes. She could hide it most of the time, at least she liked to think she did, but every once in a while she could see the darkness she'd been surrounded in. She'd waded through this darkness everyday, now used to the battles that came with getting through the day inside her mind. She swallowed the lump in her throat and shook herself back into reality. It didn't matter if she never saw Onyx again, as long as he was alive then she should be happy... right?

Poppy shimmied into a pair of sturdy jeans and a black tshirt, not tight like they used to be but confortable and efficient instead. After she stuck her feet into a park of lace up work boots, she grabbed hold of her bag and headed out the door. The air surrounding the morning was crisp with spring, she could hear the birds singing as the sun began to peak over the horizon far off in the distance past the fence. She hated having to get up so early and return so late to lock herself inside her dingy little home, but her former "bosses" were still looking for her, watching the house even. It was imparative that she left the house as early as possible and to return as late as possible for her own safety and the safety of those who cared.

As she reached the Shop she reached into her pocket for the key, her other hand on the knob, and to her surprise the knob gave under the weight of her hand meaning the Shop was already open. A small cluster of girls had already crowded the window. A small smirk traced her lips when she figured that Ky was up already and working. It wasn't unusual for him to be up so early, but it also wasn't unusual for him to sleep most of the morning until his father had to haul him out of bed and into the forge.

As Poppy walked into the forge, she had to blink away from the heat that, rubbing her eyes to get them used to it's intensity. Whens he opened them, she saw a figure of someone she recognized right away, silhouetted by the fire burning infront of him. The wood she'd been carrying toppled out of her hands before cashing to the floor around her feet. "O-Onyx...?"

[Fox.]

Onyx worked with the gold flakes and the cast with quiet determination. His focus was primarily on his work - as it always was if he was working - as Poppy approached the shop. The girls outside the window fully blocked his view of her as he glanced outside briefly. They were nothing new to him, the girls anyway, but it was still amusing to see them watching him. Before he put the cast in the Forge for the gold and so forth to begin melting, Onyx stood up straight and slid off his shirt. He was already beginning to sweat from the heat as he tossed his shirt back towards the stairs where his family had lived above the shop before he had taken the Victory of the Games.

Hearing the door open, Onyx didn't react at first. He had figured it was simply Kyanite or someone coming in to help with the shop or an early morning pick up; none of which involved him moving from his post since he hadn't been there to deal with any of it. He worked methodically as he moved back to the forge, tending the flames as not to destroy the cast as everything sank into it. A smile slipped onto his lips as he watched the heat do its job.

When he heard a crash behind him though, his whole body jolted and fell out of the routine he had sank into. His head went up and against the top part of the over hang on the stone forge and his right hand slipped over the edge of the open coals that were burning at severe heats, as it gripped the side of the forge for balance. Curses fell from Onyx's lips in loud volumes as he jerked his hand back and stumbled back from the Forge; nearly running into the water barrel and anvil behind him they used for weapons. The skin on his hand was still 'melting' from what it looked like since the forge had long since been heated; the brief seconds of his hand gripping near the coals had given third degree burns to his dominant right hand. His eyes immediately began to look for the first aid kit and he turned to continue his search.

His left hand gripped his right at the wrist as he looked up at Poppy when he turned around; the bright ocean eyes were a mix of pain and surprise, mostly pain from the searing burn on his hand, behind the tears that had began to slip down his cheeks. Onyx could handle arrows and every other bruising or bleeding wound, but burns always felt three times worse than they should to him. The tears were basically free flowing as he held his hand and began to look around for the first aid kit. Glint and his Father were going to murder him when they saw how bad his hand was and man would the cameras eat it up.

---

WC: 495
Tags: Draco Malfoy (Poppy)
Muse: Semi-Literate
Notes: >> I'm mean

[Draco Malfoy]

Poppy jumped back as Onyx let out a stream of curses, her head smacking the side of the door frame. A wince contorted her facial features as a pulse throbbed sharply between her temples, but the pain was shoved to the back of her mind. Onyx was the one she had to focus on. Where the hell was the first aid kit again? It seemed like everyone that worked here had gptten burned by the forge, even her own hands had red scars on them. As her green eyes searched for the small red box, she wondered vaguely if there were something that could have been done about burn prevention. 

As her eyes spotted the red box, she turned from the room and hurried to the chair by the front desk, hauling it by it's back to the forge. She was forced to edge around the room, the immense heat prickling her skin, but she soon managed to clamber to the high shelf where the box was stored. The chair teetered beneath her. She stretched to reach the handle. As soon as she got her hand around the handle, the chair toppled out from under her.

Poppy let out a yelp as she hit the ground, the box crushing her ribs as she clutched it tightly, or else it's contents would fly everywhere. She stumbled to her feet and set the kit down on the work table next to Onyx, digging through to find the burn salve. She opened it and pulled his hand towards her, palm up. She kept her head down, avoiding his blue gaze as she smeared the cooling cream onto his splotchy skin and gently wrapped his hand in a clean white bandage in silence.

"It seems... That you and Ky both have a habit of burning yourselves..." Her voice came out in a soft murmur as she finished. A memory of the day she met Onyx momentarily dazzled her. She'd done almost the exact same thing, healing a burn before wrapping it- only this time, she had actual bandages. After she finished nursing, Poppy closed the kit and returned it to the shelf.

The urge to flee and the stubborn will to stay war'd inside of her, twisting and gnawing for a mutual ground until there was finally a compromise. She settled for standing at the edge of the room, opposite of Onyx with her eyes downcast.

[Fox.]

Onyx couldn't help but chuckle a little at Poppy's comment. It seemed to be rather true, himself and Ky were littered with scars from the forge. His bright eyes laid on her with a confused haze rolling into them. What was he suppose to do? His hand instinctively flexed after she finished the 'healing' she could do for him. This movement lead to a few more choice swears at the pain again.

His head tilted to the side and looked down at his hand. This was another repeat of when they first met it seemed. Onyx nodded slowly to himself. "How've you been? Minus the... obvious." He asked softly. He had a good idea of how she felt considering he was the other end. He was glad to be the only one to have cameras following him around out of the both of them.

Onyx sighed, realizing he did need to talk to both Glint and Poppy about what to do. He knew Glint knew about Poppy and, well, it was rather obvious about him and Glint. His feelings for them both were deep, but they were also very different in some ways. Glint had saved his life in the Games - even after he screwed up a few times. Poppy, on the other hand, was the one who helped him figure out his life a bit outside of the Games. He was going to be owning the Forge soon thanks to her. Well, that and the fact he came back alive from the Games... He stared at her for a moment. Could she have been the one who had sent the Hammer? He knew Poppy had money like he did, but he had no idea of how much.

[Draco Malfoy]

Poppy managed a smile when Onyx hurt himself trying to flex his hand. He was still kind of clumsy, that much hasnt changed, but there were still differences than when he got reaped. She couldnt put her finger on it, but something was definitely different. Of course, that was expected. He did have to endure several weeks killing people, then who knows what in the Capital. The games change people in bad ways and she didnt want to see Onyx that way.

Her smile faded when he spoke next. A silence stretched between them that screamed of how he'd just dropped her like a stone in water. After all this time, how could she even begin to tell him whats been going on with her? Where would she even start? She couldn't go home due to the fact that her house was still being watched, she couldnt even leave the smithy. One doesn't simply turn their back on the life of a prostitute, the only true escape was death, and she knew she was only stalling that sentence. She'd been living with his family, sleeping on the couch in the living room even though there was an open room upstairs that had been Onyx's. She couldnt bear staying in the room he used to call home. Now she was faced with a newer, more dispairing problem. What if Onyx didnt want her around at all? She would be killed, or worse.

She lowered her eyes and found herself looking out the window where a bunch of onlookers stood, glaring at her or in adoration at Onyx. "Oh... same as always i guess. It seems you have an audience, do you want to take this somewhere that doesnt have any unwanted attention?"

[Fox.]

Onyx frowned deeply, watching her. He shouldn't have said anything. At least, not if it was going to upset her as much as it seemed it did. Though, did he really want to leave her thinking that he hated her now that he was done with the games and he was paired with Glint? He shook his head a bit coming to the conclusion that he didn't want her to think anything like that even though it would probably be easier on her in the long run amongst all of the politics going on.

His eyes followed hers to see the people outside. He rolled his eyes a bit and looked back at her. Nodding, he motioned with his free hand up towards the home above the shop. "Let's go upstairs." He offered, keeping his eyes on Poppy as not to glare out the window at the others out there.

[Draco Malfoy]

Poppy Redbird

Thoughts:
Tags:
Muse:
Outfit:

Poppy hesitated before nodding. Without a word, she turned on the heel of her shoe, leading the way up the stairs and into his bedroom. Funny how it seemed so out of the ordinary to have been in there. She could feel the walls she kept sealed tighten their locks, distancing herself mentally from Onyx before turning around to face him. Now that they were alone, there was so much she wanted to say, but the words seemed to escape from her grasp. What could she possibly say that would make this right? There was a lot of explaining to do, that was for damn sure, but now that they were out of the view of any audiences... well nothing came to mind.

So she stood there, feeling awkward in the center of his room while silence ensued.

[Fox.]

Onyx's breath came slower as he began to think over what he had just offered. He was going to be alone with Poppy for the first time since he had left for the Arena. The necklace she gave him for his Games was still nestled safely into the pocket of his jeans. His hand drifted into the pocket habitually, rolling the fine jewelry piece around between his fingers as he felt the pendent for the millionth time. His steps carried him up the stairs slowly behind Poppy and he kept a sharp eye out for his father to make sure he wouldn't be seen. That would just start a fight he didn't want to partake in.

The dark blue eyes gazed around the room as he entered it for the first time since he had been back. Everything was as it should've been when he left. It was picked up and everything arranged neatly amongst the shelves and dressers. He noted his mother must've made his bed at some point while he was gone because he knew he hadn't. Due to his previous arrangements with his father, Onyx had moved straight into the Victor's housing without taking his things and staying there with Glint. He didn't really socialize with anyone in the other Victors' houses, but he didn't feel the need to yet either.

Finally, his eyes fell on Poppy again for the first time since he entered. Onyx didn't know what to say. He knew she had to know that he wasn't feeling the same in his head when he came back. Being thrown together with Glint wasn't so bad, but he was torn between the two. Poppy may've been the one to save his life by giving him a weapon in the Arena, but Glint actually did save his life on different occasions in the Arena. There was a bond between him and the both of them he'd never be able to forget.

As he pondered these bonds, his mouth opened as he tried to speak, but it closed soon after as the words never came. Taking another moment, he spoke up, "You sent me the hammer didn't you?" His eyes laid on her with intent that he got the answer to the simple question. She very well did save his life in some cases by sending it even if he didn't get very many kills in the arena with it. It had came in handy on more than one occasion after she had sent it to him.

[Draco Malfoy]

Poppy Redbird

Poppy let her hands fidget with the end of her shirt. Nervousness twisted in the pit of her stomach. Her green eyes flitted around the room, trying to look anywhere but him. The room was just as he'd left, just as she'd remembered it. She hadn't been up here, aside from Ky's room from time to time, since before the games. She wished she could have done more with him before he left. Now the regret of obstaining from her physical attraction to him stabbed her in the stomach worse than the nervousness did. Having been up to her eyeballs in the sex trafficking network, she didnt want Onyx to be on the tail end of all of that. After a day of men from various sizes and backgrounds coming for her "company" how could she make it special for him. Of course there would be actual feeling in the actions but it would still feel like she was going through the motions, never fully emmersing herself within him. Now it seemed too little too late.

It didnt matter at that point anyway, he had whatsherface now. She'd saved him in the games and that wasn't a bond that Poppy could ever compete with. She never even bothered to remember the girls name, just that she was insanely pretty with full curves that Poppy could never even dare to dream of having. Compared to her short, thin frame, Onyx's new girl was a goddess. One who obviously cared about him. How could she even begin to understand what it was like in that arena? She was willing to listen, willing to help but she'd never fully know what exactly Onyx had gone through.

His words shook her out of her reverie. The hammer? Of course she'd sent it. She even sent a note with it, but she wasnt sure if he'd gotten the note or not. After a moment of staring at her feet, she gave a slight nod. At the time, she figured he could use a weapon he knew how to wield since he grew up swinging a hammer. She'd had the money at the time, being bottom bitch had had its perks. The constant flow of cash had been great, but she'd spent most of it getting Onyx that hammer. Him out of harms way of the pimps had given her the gall to flat out quit and go into hiding. She missed her small little house, but at the Smithy she was safe. They'd protected her, hidden her, kept her safe from the prying eyes that still haunted her dreams. If only she could escape it all, but she'd never put his family through the mess that would be the aftermath of her escape. "The hammer.... I had to do something to help...."
Thoughts: nyerher
Tags: fox
Muse: eh
Outfit: poppy flair are the only clothes she needs.