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Bell finds the bar when she is eight-almost-nine, in the shed in the back, and she grabs up her seashells - she can reach the bag by the shed door and the one by the back door of the house, her arms are getting longer - and drags them in after her.
She drags them all the way to her room, and locks the door behind her when she lets herself back out, and then she collects a mop from behind the bar and starts earning that room. She's not really sure how it works - so much time passes between visits and yet the room always waits for her. But she supposes that paying people for things in Milliways has to work the way Milliways works. She does an amount of cleaning whenever she's there and this secures her a space to stash her things.
Mop, mop.
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she_sells_seashells
she_sells_seashells
"What's magic about your weapons? I can tell they're magic, but not what they do."
blooded_poet
"They steal strength from things they draw blood from, and use that to enhance the edge and give strength to the wielder. It's not a substitute for sleep or eating, but it's quite useful for a fight, especially when I'm fighting long-term or against something that is bigger than I am," she explains. "If I'm desperate, I can feed them myself, so they can become sharper and stronger."
she_sells_seashells
"Well, that would be useful if I was going to be in the Hunger Games and if they let you bring outside weapons but I'm not because of the Careers and they don't. Also I'd probably just hurt myself, I'm really clumsy."
blooded_poet
"Ah, I see. Then none of them would be very useful to you. I'm not sure I can teach grace, but I could help with self-defense?"
she_sells_seashells
"That doesn't rely on me being able to run, carry heavy objects, or turn around fast without wobbling?" asks Bell skeptically.
blooded_poet
"It would be more of a way to think, than what to do in this case, I believe. In normal situations I would say do something unexpected and run, but for you," she pauses, to consider Bell. "You're a smart girl, I can tell. It would be summarized as, 'Do not be predictable. Do not hesitate.' You can be afraid, that's perfectly natural, but I would help you with what to do when you were afraid."
blooded_poet
Lynn nods. She'll believe her, she's not a big fan of pretending weaknesses can be overcome through enough effort. Some are like deep scars - they will never leave. No matter how much you want them to.
"Then don't. If someone - big and scary, came up to you and said they wanted to hurt you, what would you do?"
This is a cruel exercise, she knows. If there were a better option, she would take it. But the world this girl lives in is like Lynn's - it doesn't tolerate weakness. If she wants to change the world, then she has to go in knowing what it takes.
Sometimes it takes more than you're willing to give.
"Then don't. If someone - big and scary, came up to you and said they wanted to hurt you, what would you do?"
This is a cruel exercise, she knows. If there were a better option, she would take it. But the world this girl lives in is like Lynn's - it doesn't tolerate weakness. If she wants to change the world, then she has to go in knowing what it takes.
Sometimes it takes more than you're willing to give.
she_sells_seashells
"If it's a Peacekeeper I tell them my last name and ask them if my daddy knows what they're doing. He used to be one and he has some friends who still are. If it's somebody else I scream at the top of my lungs."
blooded_poet
"Smart," says Lynn, approvingly. "You didn't overestimate yourself and say 'fight them off' - that's good."
She looks at Bell consideringly. "Now. The Peacekeeper doesn't leave; he doesn't care. No one comes when you scream at the top of your lungs. What do you do?"
She looks at Bell consideringly. "Now. The Peacekeeper doesn't leave; he doesn't care. No one comes when you scream at the top of your lungs. What do you do?"
she_sells_seashells
"Fall over on purpose before he can make me do it by accident. Roll under something, if there's something."
blooded_poet
"Also use the environment to slow him down. You are at a disadvantage, understand that from the start. Do not try anything fancy like stabbing him or throwing and hoping your aim is true. Chances are, it won't be. Bring him to your level, if you think you can, and don't overestimate what you can do. Once you're under the something, what do you do?"
she_sells_seashells
"See if I can trip him?" suggests Bell. "And then if I can try to take his gun."
blooded_poet
"Something that is that much bigger than you is hard to trip from where you are. Try something else."
she_sells_seashells
"I don't know where I am," Bell points out. "If there's anything to grab or anything."
blooded_poet
Lynn grins. "Smart girl. You're under a small table, in a - where's a common place you go to?"
blooded_poet
"I see. You're at work. What's usually around there? What would be within reach from under a table?"
she_sells_seashells
"Nets, buckets, maybe a hose. I've seen people in the Hunger Games net each other but I don't know if I could do it. I never saw anybody use a hose though."
blooded_poet
"From the ground, I don't believe you could. A bucket would be more reliable - it has weight to it. A hose could be used to trip him, if you can find a way to set it up," informs Lynn. "But, understand that the point of the exercise isn't to put you in a situation you can't get out of. It's to make you think about what to do if your normal methods fail."