thecapitol | you can run on for a long time; open;

Entry tags:

you can run on for a long time; open;

Who| Joel and YOU?
What| Actively avoiding watching the arena.
Where| Various places around the Tribute Tower.
When| Week 5.
Warnings/Notes| None ATM.

1] District 8 commons

Here, he cooks. It's a very normal sight by now - tributes, mentors, stylists, anyone who wanders through the District 8 suites with any regularity has probably caught Joel cooking at some point. In the morning, it's breakfast, his favorite meal of the day - eggs, bacon, toast, country potatoes, the works. And he always makes more than he can eat himself. Anyone who isn't too annoying can probably get him to provide a plate. Dig in.

2] Training center

He spends time here primarily to avoid paparazzi. And, occasionally, to shoot arrows at targets, just for the exercise, really, not necessarily to train. Someone who looks particularly lost, or out of their depth, might be able to talk him into giving some lessons in the survival areas - how to build a fire is something he's particularly good at, as is erecting temporary shelter and things like that. He doesn't really care which district people are associated with - as long as they don't annoy him. Kids, in particular, will get special treatment.

3] Roof garden

He spends time wandering the roof garden to get some air, and what little privacy any of them are afforded in this place. There are no TV screens up here, a blessed relief from the constant recaps and repeats of the arena footage - something he can't do anything about, so what's the point of watching it? He's sent Tess some supplies, which is about all he can manage. He walks up here for the quiet. Sometimes with a beer in his hand as he watches the sun set.

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Despite the fact that Linden is acting like exactly what he's been called, the comment stings. Petty as it is, the action seems to make sense at the time, and he's reaching for a small, flat rock and pacing after Joel to close the amount of distance between them, just enough to give himself a decent chance at hitting his mark.

Maybe he's spoiling for a fight. Maybe he's furious that quitting is an ongoing process and moments like these are harder than they should be, with one person drinking one beer becoming all it takes to set him off. Maybe he's powerless and can't stand that Joel has made him, a Victor who normally has a good portion of the Capitol at his beck and call, even more powerless.

He shouldn't, but it's too late, and he's thrown the rock. He has no arm for throwing, but if it connects, Joel will feel it, and there will be no mistaking its source.

It's honestly a good thing that Nill can often be found on the rooftops, regardless of day or night, much more frequently than the in the suite she's actually supposed to live in. That's not to say that dealing with something like this is a norm, but if it was going to happen, the rooftop was about the best place to go about it. Nill misses almost the entirety of the actual conversation-turned-argument, and she steps out of the Elevator to watch an annoyed man with Linden, obviously agitated, tailing after him.

Mostly by luck she manages to see him swing his arm, and it's also mostly by luck that she realizes Linden is actually going to throw something at the guy instead of swinging at nothing. Nill's not fast enough to stop the rock, but she is fast enough to have inserted herself in the space between the two before Joel could turn around. She has her hands up in a slightly stiff placating gesture, palms visible. She's trying to look harmless, though the way her wings are extended at full length might make contradict the attempt.

Joel has been hit with many worse things, and much harder, and he's been in the Capitol long enough to have stopped expecting attack every moment, around every corner. But his instincts to defend himself have been ingrained in him for over twenty years - a handful of months in this place won't change them.

He turns, his hackles suddenly raised, what for the other man was probably a peevish, childish prank in a fit of pique suddenly reads to Joel as attack, danger -

The only thing that stops him from going immediately for Linden's throat is the girl with the wings. Leave it to a little girl (with wings!) to stop Joel in his tracks.

"If this guy is your friend," he growls, "you need to tell him to be careful who he throws things at."

Honestly, Nill witnessing this is probably a worse punishment than any whaling-on Joel could deliver. The former Victor seems taken aback at her appearance and definitely sheepish, lowering his hand immediately the moment hers are raised, stiff and pleading.

He curls his shoulders forward, crossing his arms over his bony chest and staring at his shoes. He wasn't trying to be careful, he was... what? Trying to put himself in the hospital, courtesy of someone stronger and angrier, so the choice to be on the receiving end of a Morphling drip was taken away from him?

Like a lot of Mentors that time and trauma have wasted cruelly, his decisions don't always make a perfect amount of sense. As is often the case, he's sort of at the mercy of the patience and indulgence of others. It's a terrible irony. Getting clean was supposed to help with that, but he's practically worse off.

While Nill's primary instinct is to keep the people she cares about safe, she can occasionally miss details in her haste to do just that. Nill has no idea what about Joel set Linden off and didn't really need to know at the time. Now that she's between the two however it's much more obvious. Nill's eyes dart over Joel, trying to discern if he's an actual threat right now or not; they fall and linger on the bottle in Joel's hand, immediate understanding of the situation following the discovery a few seconds later.

Her notepad is tucked under her arm, and she continues to hold one hand up while she turns it to a new page, before letting go of the gesture in order to actually write.

he hasn't been sleeping well.
I'm sorry. you can't drink here. it's bad for the plants. some are very sensitive.

She's not positive on whether or not Linden wanted the beer, but the uncertainty makes her all the more eager to make sure the alcohol leaves the rooftop.

Edited 2015-03-15 00:43 (UTC)

Joel scowls all the more at the written note. He knows very well there's no rule against drinking on the roof - he's done it plenty of times before.

"Keep your buddy in check," he says again, shooting a glare at Linden. "I was tryin' to leave him the hell alone, I don't have time for this shit."

With that, he turns to go - again. And he will be very angry if another rock is thrown at him.

Linden is too far away to read what Nill's written, but he suspects that she is attempting to make excuses for him. He should be grateful, but at the same time, it smacks distinctly of being an ill-behaved child who, through no real fault of his own, is a loose cannon and a terror. This description, unfortunately, is not so very far off from what Victors frequently turn into after their Arenas.

He narrows his eyes in response to the glare, unable to keep a look of utter contempt for the other man at bay. He doesn't, however, choose to throw another rock. Not with Nill right there; even if she doesn't judge him, she would be well within her right to, and that sparks something like shame in the withdrawing Victor.

Really it's only mostly bullshit, but even if part of the excuse is true it doesn't exactly make the situation much better for anyone. If anything it might have just made Joel angrier, and Nill's hands lower slightly when he levels Linden with a glare, though it's obvious she's not going to move. She doesn't outright agree or disagree, but Joe might catch her mouth the words thank you before he turns away.

Despite the thanks her wings don't fold in against her back again until Joel is at least halfway across the rooftop. She watches him for a moment, as if expecting more, before glancing back at Linden. Her eyes dart between the two men very briefly before she goes over to stand in front of Linden, already writing as she walks.

The two lines meant for Joel have been circled, with an arrow pointing from the circle to the first sentence meant for Linden.

I thought you should decide what he knows.

Granted, Joel does and doesn't know might come up later. She was definitely gonna see if she could find Joel afterward and see if she couldn't clear some of this up.

are you ok?

While she's trying not to look overly concerned the worry is still clear in her expression. It usually is.

The fact that Nill keeps her back turned to him, wings outstretched in a way that almost looks protective, means a lot; it says that at the very least she trusts him not to throw anything else, and he sinks to the ground in a low crouch, remaining still and silent as she watches Joel leave the rooftop with the remnants of his beer and his anger.

When Nill approaches him and shows him what she wrote out for Joel, he stares blankly at the message, and then the following one.

"I fucked up... that wasn't supposed to happen. I'm sorry."

No straight answer, just things he'd probably be better off telling Joel but come out more easily in front of someone he trusts as completely as he does Nill.

Oh, it's very protective. The only time she really does that is if she's protecting someone or if she's pissed off, which is rare; when she's angry it makes her look bigger, and when she's protective it keeps just a little bit more of whoever she's looking after out of sight from whatever might be a potential danger to them.

Nill doesn't crouch down to join Linden until the elevator has dinged to announce its decent and Joel is no longer on the roof at all. Despite it she tries not to intrude on his space too much. If he was still on edge that would probably just make it worse.

I don't mind. it's not the first fight I've broken up.

This was actually considerably easier to manage than the last, which she is slightly grateful for. This one couldn't even really be called a fight, but Nill has no better word to describe it.

will you be ok?

His position is curled and cramped and childlike; it's one he's always assumed when he's feeling overwhelmed or threatened, and this situation certainly qualifies. When he's like this, it doesn't matter how close people get; he is his own fortress.

"It wasn't even a fight, really, just... stupid. It shouldn't have happened at all."

But I should be in critical condition right now. I know you meant well, but WHY did you have to step in and stop it?

It's actually painful to think about the Morphling drip he could have been on by this time if she hadn't shown up. He squeezes his knees.

"Yeah, I'll be OK. Sorry, again."

While Nill is fully aware that Linden enjoys her company most of the time, she's also a fairly perceptive person when it comes to the feelings of others, regardless of whether or not it's a temporary disposition. She manages a very small smile, but it's a little strained around the edges. Regardless of what this was meant to be or to do it was an obvious act of self-destruction, intentional or otherwise, and it's not often people enjoy having that interrupted, even if doing so was in fact to their benefit.

can I do anything?
should I go?

Linden is visibly torn for a few moments after reading her words. On one hand, her company is always soothing. On the other hand... his mood tonight is volatile and as has already been thoroughly proven, it takes little to make him snap. Poor Nill shouldn't have to be on the receiving end of that, no matter how willing or understanding she might be to weather the death throes of Linden's dependence on a wicked set of substances.

"I'm actually going to retire soon. That seems like... probably the wisest course of action. Can I find you later, though?" he asks softly, in gentle compromise.

Nill's expression softens a little, and her smile this time is much less strained, though not completely without it, much more gentle now than it was a moment ago (though that gentle care is fairly normal where Linden is involved).

of course.
if I'm not in 9 or here I should be in the training center.

He straightens, self-conscious but ultimately determined to make the best of this and do the right thing, which is acknowledging that he has no place being in public right now, even with trusted and patient company.

"Thank you. I will be sure to check in that order, and this time I'll bring the cigarettes."

With that he brushes past her with a quick nod, excusing himself from the roof and hoping that he doesn't run into anyone else on the way back to 6.

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