Auklet - District 6 - She/they/ae ━ ◦ ❖ ◦━ Auklet's amber eyes stared out at the sea of cats upon cats who wore smiles and awestruck looks. The District 6 tribute wasn't lucky enough to have one of her own, instead sporting a more solemn expression that ae hoped looked powerful and put-together if nothing else. It was ironic and quite lucky to them, that the parade be themed after a mode of transportation; her district's specialty. Ae was never into clothing or fashion, but in this case they could give her input and feel comfortable doing so. She was an engineer, or would have been, and now ae could use that to highlight her skills. And as an added bonus, the sharp smell of exhaust wasn't nearly as bothersome. Auklet wore a large coat made from faux leather, with a long coattail that reached across her back and cream cuffs that kept the sleeves from dragging on the ground. Pockets that were too small and too many for any cat to reasonably use (to their chagrin) decorated her sides and back, adorned with copper buttons which were also sewn into the hems of the gown and around the sleeves. Speaking of copper, a half-mask of the metal sat over her face, decorated with intricate gear patterns and shards sticking out from the sides in a decorative manor. It felt… nice, nice to have even part of her expression concealed. Now, there was a little less of their face to be shown to the public, a little less of her face to repel the public and the sponsors with her odd looks and uncertain gaze. Aer eyes could be brighter, happier, and nobody could judge. Ae raised their pale-colored paw uncomfortably at the crowd, highlighting interlocked rings of metal that hung from the backs of her forelegs, making an audible clanging sound as ae moved them into the light. It was barely audible through the sounds of the locomotive chugging on. Nor was her voice, dry and crisp like the smell of old parchment. "Hello Capitol! Hello Panem!" Scripted. Silly. Smile, smile, smile. "I trust you've had fun wathing thebother tributes, but not all of them have the brains to win this! But worry not, I, Auklet, will outsmart all the competition and bring back a victory to District six!" Arrogant. Artificial. Already gone, fleeting, dying away before any cat set paw in or even knew anything about the arena. They wouldn't remember her words her face. Only her suffering, her elimination. But, they could do this. Wave, grin as well as she was able without any reason, wait for the train to take her onwards and back and away from this place. Or, as 'away from this place' as a Hunger Games tribute can be.
Art by @94866 Song is Digital Witness instrumental Click to see without the intense lighting
