❝ It’s nothing. ❞
[ Her guard does not drop despite him letting go of the weapon. There was no way of telling whether he spoke the truth or not, and she’d rather not take her chances.
Mustering up what strength she had left, she pulls herself up, leaning heavily on her good leg and makes an attempt to limp around the tree and away from him. She doesn’t make it ten steps before weakened knees give out under the strain and she falls with a gasp for breath.
Out of her comfort zone of machinery and tools and with nothing to heal the wound she’d so foolishly allowed herself to acquire, it seemed more likely that she’d bleed to death than die at the hands of the Tribute standing before her.
She’d rather have the blade ]
❝ Why not? ❞
[ He sighed as she shuffled away, only to make back onto the soft Earth within a few steps. Hands dropped back to his side as he closed to gap between them. He was counting blessing it was only them for the moment being. ]
"Because if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have thought twice about doing it. You aren’t someone I’m here to kill.“
[ Bending down to one knee next to her, he tries to gather a better look. It wasn’t as if she was exactly going anywhere. It was clear she needed help and frankly, so did he. Maybe not now, but sooner or later, there was going to be someone by his side that his needed. ]
”Because I can make a deal with you and save you for as long as I can. Believe it not. This is something I can help you with.“
[ He paused. Giving a slight shrug of his shoulders. ]
"Or, you can bleed out here or catch an infection and slowly die. Or, just wait for a Career to come by and just slaughter you. Choice is yours, really. I’m not here to watch you personally die, I promise."