Stranger With My Face [OPEN]

[mediumdrip]

Who| Blaine and Anyone
What| After his work out with Sebastian, Blaine heads back up to his suite to change and meet his fellow Tributes. Then to a common area where he gets distracted by the Games and in particular one werewolf.
Where| Tribute Tower: District 2 Suites, Common Area
When| The day that Blaine comes back.
Warnings/Notes| Mostly opening this one up for District 2 shenanigans and having Blaine react to his face twin in the Games.

[In District 2 Suites]

Blaine had worked through most of his frustration over his situation by boxing with Sebastian. It had been surprisingly comforting. When he headed back up to District 2's suite he was a little overwhelmed by the beauty of everything around him. The technology here was fantastic. It was really a completely different world than the Arena and it drove home the fact that he wasn't home.

He showered, dressed in some of the clothes provided for him, and wandered around the Suite for a moment, taking it all in. He was a little unsettled by the silent people who were there for him to order around and he was curious about any of the other Tributes who were supposed to be representing the same District as him.


[In Common Area]

Eventually he found himself checking out the common areas too, wanting to take in his surroundings and figure out a general layout of the places in the Tower he had access too. It was towards later in the afternoon that he finally managed to have a complete meal without his stomach twisting up at the memory of dying.

The Games were being broad cast in the mess hall and he was half watching the projection until the announcers were talking about the newest Tributes. One of them Atticus, was being discussed when Blaine looked up. The sight of Atticus made Blaine drop his fork. There were even jokes, comparing the two of them. "Trust me, they're not the same person. Oh yes, that would be cheating wouldn't it?"

Great. So soon after dying, was he going to be stuck watching someone who looked so much like him die too? Could this place get any worse?

Suddenly his appetite was gone. He pushed his food away and watched the broad cast, taking in all of the news of how Atticus was faring in the Games. He couldn't help but find himself hoping that the other man survived.

Comments

[from_a_distance]

Clint got in the habit of watching the Games to check up on Stark scope out the competition. (Because he totally wasn't worried about Stark. That would just be stupid and suggest he actually cared about the guy a little.) And it sort of stuck.

Even after Tony died he figured it would be a good way to get an idea of what the other Tributes could do, since it was obvious they were gonna put him through this all over again.

He's taking up all of one of the couches, keeping an eye on anyone else in the room but watching the Games all the same.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine noticed the man but let him watch the Games in peace for a while. Finally, after the channel changed to some advertising. "Excuse me?" he asked, directing the question to Clint. "Are you another Tribute?"

[from_a_distance]

Clint glances away from the TV to the kid. He's not all that surprised to see a face like the one that was on the screen, partly because he'd seen this kid in the Games before he died and partly because he just met someone who swore up and down he looked just like her twin brother.

"Yep. Most of us are, aren't we?"

[mediumdrip]

"Most of us, though I guess you could be a mentor," Blaine pointed out. He doubted Clint was an escort or Stylist. He didn't have the Capitol flare for fashion.

"How many Arenas have you been in?"

[from_a_distance]

Yeah, he definitely does not have a Capitol look to him.

"Just the one."

He's kind of glad this kid doesn't know, because it probably means he doesn't know how long he lasted. "You?"

[mediumdrip]

"Just one," Blaine says, acknowledging that they had a similar experience. "It was..." he stars to say but he doesn't know how to finish. How could he ever sum up what had happened to him in that place? How could he face the fact that he was supposed to go back in?

[from_a_distance]

Clint snorts out a faint laugh. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

It's not like it had been all that much worse than some things he'd been through, but he'd always thought when he finally got killed that would be it. Turns out it's not the case at all.

[mediumdrip]

"How did you do in there?" Blaine asked, gesturing a bit to the projection of the Games, even though he knows that Clint has to know what he's talking about.

[from_a_distance]

Oh, Blaine. He is not about to admit to a kid like you that he died in his first week.

"I'm here, aren't I? How about you?" He thinks he saw the kid die, but he can't quite remember how.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine shrugs. "I just got out of there. It wasn't pleasant but at least it was better than starving to death?" He just feels sick over having to say something like that and the fact that's so true for him. "I'm Blaine," he says instead, introducing himself. "I'm with District 2."

[from_a_distance]

"Clint. Does it really matter what district?"

[mediumdrip]

"I suppose not, other than to give us an idea of what team we're on?"

[from_a_distance]

"There's no teams out there, kid. Only one winner, right?"

[mediumdrip]

"Maybe not in the Arena," Blaine pointed out. "But we're still competing when we're out of it."

[from_a_distance]

He arches an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

[mediumdrip]

"Well, the Stylists. They're job is to make us appealing to the people, right? We can work together to get sponsors for our District."

[from_a_distance]

"Right. So we can let these jackoffs help us kill each other."

Clint is...not going to be winning any personality contests with the Capitol citizens any time soon.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine frowns at that, uncertain.

"How else can we survive?" he asks quietly.

[from_a_distance]

He frowns.

Right. Not everybody is a SHIELD agent or an Avenger, Barton.

"Point. I guess."

[mediumdrip]

"Point?"

[from_a_distance]

"As in, you have one."

[mediumdrip]

"Oh," Blaine smiles a bit. "I thought you meant... You know, pointing." He points his finger to show what he means, and it makes him think of Cooper.

[from_a_distance]

Clint looks at him for just a second like he might be crazy and then laughs. "You thought I was suggesting pointing would be a good way to keep yourself alive."

[mediumdrip]

Blaine smiles in a way that shows he knows it's crazy. "It's the sort of thing my brother would say. Although he was talking about acting, not fighting to the death."

[from_a_distance]

"I think I'd be a little worried if he was talking about fighting to the death," Clint says with a smirk.