"Jiyong...Jiyong, can you hear me?!" When he tried to open his eyes, the daylight paintfully hit him. The sun had to be already high on the zenith. He rather closed them again.

"God, Jiyong, no! Not this again!" He was sure he heard that voice before. It was deep and unusual, but he couldn't match a face to it. But he was 100% sure he already heard it somewhere...

"Jiyong..." Jiyong? Oh, that's him. Kwon Jiyong. "...sorry, buddy." Suddenly such a slap returned him into reality that he was questioning if he will ever feel his right cheek again. However, the feeling came back immediately, and while he was rubbing it, his memories to the person, watching him with a guilty expression came back too.

"Whassup, Seunghyun!" His eyes lightened. "You remember me?? God, Jiyong, welcome back!" Suddenly he did something that Jiyong expected the least - he hugged him. In fact, no, he didn't, he just seated him and supported his back with a rock. At first Jiyong felt a relief that he wasn't actually hugged - it would be awkward to be hugged by him after those few days of their acquaintance. But then he regreted it. He wished a hug. It was something so normal, human and natural, something what seemingly just provided comfort and wamth but in fact subverted the whole arena concept. Maybe next time...

"You were out for the whole night and half day. I started thinking you'll never wake up again. But I didn't want to mull over it too much."

Jiyong realized he's covered in a mixture of mud, leaves and squashed cranberries. It pleasantly suprised him, that Seunghyun maybe isn't such an idiot, when it came to his mind to camouflage him. But what totally shocked him was that he was lying on a mat, quite handily made from some kind of grass and he had a really well made tourniquet above his knee. Which by the way remembered him of...

"What has bitten me?" he asked, poiting on the covered wound. "A snake mutant. When I found you dozens of that kind were around you. But they didn't touch you." Jiyong nodded: "They were waiting till I'm definitely over."

"I can tell you, that little thingy is kinda scary. It looks a bit like a viper, a bit like cobra but its tail looks like scorpion's. When I came there and saw that scene and wanted to..." "Decamp and save your . Don't be ashamed. I would do that too." "No...what? I wanted to find out the way how to get you out of there but then they all started raising their hads and looking at the same direction, like they have spotted something. Then a canon blasted off. They were away in a second. I shot a look at the direction they left and saw a bleeding Tribute on a clearing. I think I don't really need to add the rest. Let's just say that the hovercraft that came for her had a little fight for her with the snakes... A little bloody fight... Then I grabed you and ran back to the camp. I made a tourniquet from my shirt, but I couldn't wake you up, and I knew that the turniquet won't hold back the poison forever. It started dawning and was slowly preparing to say goodbye when a parachute dropped here. I found a medicine inside it. I stinged it to you but nothing happened in a long time. Then you opened your eyes for a second and mumbled something about...how was it...confetti? You mumbled something about confetti and then you lost you consciousness again. But now it looked like you're sleeping. And you were talking about the freaking confetti all the time. About three hours later you finally stopped and about an hour after you woke up."

Jiyong subtly smiled as he remembered how the whole forest turned into a confetti storm right in front of his eyes. Interesting that he still remembered it. People generally don't remember their hallucinations. But the mutants' venom was apparently as special as themselves.

"I don't think you need the tourniquet anymore. And you should eat something. I kept some food for you." "I think I'll keep the tourniquet for now. Preventively. And speaking about food - give it to me. Now!"

Seunghyun grinned and handed him some roots. Jiyong noticed just now, how much nicer he's now to his companion. Yeah, Seunghyun... Can he believe him his snake story? It it would have happened like that, Jiyong would've had a suspiciously generous amount of luck. Is it possible that Seunghyun just thought up the whole thing to get his trust? "Yes, too possible," thought Jiyong. Especially after Seunghyun is becoming totally different than in the beginning. The clusmy and useless Tribute suddenly turned into a guy, who makes perfect tourniquets, camouflages and sleeeping mats. Jiyong suddenly got a feeling that Seunghyun has to be hiding even more before him. He definitely can't let himself to become close to him and he should constantly watch him. Especially if his plan to undercut his throat in the next possible occasion is still actual.

"Jiyong?" "Hm?" "What is confetti?" He couldn't help it. Seeing his innocent, noncomprehending eyes Jiyong bursted into laughter.