thecapitol | (no subject)

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(no subject)

WHO| open
WHAT| Kaidan is back from the dead (again) and a little upset about this whole thing
WHEN| p. much rn.
WHERE| Anywhere, just specify owo

Kaidan's body aches. Two rockslides the original arena, and a falling building this one. It seems that Kaidan's luck is thin when it comes to anything that could possibly ever fall on him. He's freshly awake, only by a bit, and stretching his legs. He doesn't want to stay cooped up, not when he can feel the start of a migraine pushing at his temples, not when it feels just being caged up like an animal.

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Ariadne ends up running into Kaidan somewhere just outside the room where he awoke. Her own healing process had been along the same lines of his; she had only been awake for a short while before insisting that she could leave on her own.

She's ignoring the pain, slowly stretching out of injuries most people don't walk away from, stuck in her own mind for the time being as she walks down the hallway; she almost walks right by him before she catches a glimpse of the familiar man and trips a little over herself.

Kaidan reaches out to steady Ariadne from instinct before he really realizes who it is he's catching. It takes a second, something all his training tells him he should be ashamed by-- but it's Ariadne, and it actually makes Kaidan slip into one of his subdued little smiles. It's good to see a familiar face, especially in a place like this. "Ariadne. See you didn't make it out either." And Kaidan feels guilty about it, will never stop feeling guilty. He lets go of her biceps after a second, taking a step back into a respectable distance, even if he's quickly gauging her for all of her injuries, everywhere that might be hurt.

She has a feeling that she wouldn't have actually fallen, but there's always a shakiness when she comes out of the Arena. Like she's not entirely sure what to do with herself now that she isn't fighting for her life; now that she's back in the Capitol, alive like she very much shouldn't be. Belatedly, she wonders who else was taken out by the building that took her and Kaidan out, and if the survivors would mourn them.

She inhales a bit sharply, but offers him a small smile back, self-consciously wrapping her arms around herself for protection. From what, she doesn't know. "No. Have you seen anyone else yet? Or was it just us?"

And if it was just them, is she being blamed back in the Arena for not taking Eliot's suggestion of getting out while they could?

"Only you so far. Might see some others." Kaidan pauses there, taking in her body language and reading it well. He stops taking tally of her state and instead looks at her face, her eyes-- pallor. Many other ways to judge health than just physical wounds. "Just needed to get out and stretch." Before his headache takes him down, at least.

She'll recover soon, she knows; she did last time, she will again. Her eyes are still clear and steady as she regards Kaidan, looking him over the way he does her. "I'll have to take note. They aren't keeping us too far from each other, if I've run into you. We're a few districts apart," she replies slowly.

"Yeah, seems that way, doesn't it?" Kaidan rubs the back of his wrist along his forehead, closing his eyes for just a second and taking a breath to focus himself. He wants to find Shepard. She's been in the Capitol a lot longer than any other tribute and she might have an idea on how to stop all this. He doesn't know yet, though, and everything is a little foggy. Instead, he just asks what's on his mind instead of beating around the bush. "Are you hurt anywhere? I know a little first aid." He knows how thorough and precise the medics here are, but they don't always mean they catch everything. Sprains that only swell when the joints and muscles are being used.

Ariadne pauses at that, looking at him with mild curiosity before testing her range of movement a little bit more than she had so far. Mostly just soreness, a headache, and a sense of dizziness she already knew would leave her soon.

She shakes her head, offering him a small smile, "No, I'm all right. How about you?" She reaches out tentatively, fingertips brushing his arm in a show of concern.

Kaidan looks down at the point of contact before smiling, just a bit. He looks at her quietly; taking stock his his body. The L2 flairup, the stiffness, all of it could be worked out easily enough. Nothing lasting. "I'm good, for now at least. Thanks."

She nods, removing her hand from his arm. "Where were you heading? Anywhere in particular, or just..?" Ariadne gives a light wave of one hand, glancing briefly over her shoulder to make sure that they're not going to get bothered by some passing nurse.

"Just needed to get out, yeah." Kaidan's smile wavers, but only a bit. She shifts his weight foot to foot, battle ready even now, out of the arena. It's just a gut feeling that the Capitol is just as dangerous as the arena they're shoved in. "Anywhere particular for you?"

"The same," she admits. Though she's not sure they need to necessarily be battle-ready, she's well-aware that they need to watch what they say; there may be cameras even there, for whatever reason. Very 1984 of them, Ariadne decides.

"I thought I might try my hand at a bit more training, if I got the chance."

"I could help. I mean-- basic military training isn't too difficult." Kaidan wants Ariadne to be able to take care of herself, and most of the training Kaidan received could work for Ariadne. Forget the biotics, but the hand to hand? While not Kaidan's favoured method, one he appreciated and knew well.

Tipping her head to one side, her freshly-washed curls bouncing over one shoulder as she thought over his offer, finally cracking a smile. "All right. You're not going to put me through a boot camp, are you?"

Kaidan chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck before shrugging, smile in place along his lips. "If I could, I just might. But no, the basics."

Whatever it took to keep her alive this next time, she decided. So Ariadne smiled, nodding her acknowledgement before pausing, a thought coming to her. "Did you have any ideas for how to go about the next Arena? Any strategies?" Though she half-expected him to tell her nothing; they were, after all, effectively enemies.

"Depends on what the next one is like, forest, desert... hell, it could be anything. Always knowing where your water will be coming from is the most important one." Kaidan sighs, smiling at Ariadne tiredly. "If it's anything like the last round, that'll be tough."

She didn't much like the sound of that, though she knew it to be true enough. So far, the first two Arenas had been vastly different from one another, both requiring different strategies. Neither of hers had worked so far, though she had saved herself the trouble of actually being killed.

Ariadne found that she didn't much care; that dying wasn't any better when she didn't have someone to blame.

"Hopefully it won't be like the last round. Not that I'm holding my breath," she replied after a moment, pursing her lips a little. "It's easier with allies, though."

"Yeah, it is." Kaidan rubs his knuckles before releasing after a second. He puts on a bit of a smirk before holding out his hand to shake-- hoping he's not being too bold. "Allies?"

It was what she'd been getting at, gauging his reactions before directly asking. She cracked a small smile when he held out his hand, catching it with her for a firm shake, "Allies. We know the Gamemakers better than most people so far. That has to be worth something."

"Hopefully, at least." Kaidan returns the smile, ducking his head down after a second to hide it. He's bashful where he doesn't need to be, always has.

"We won't know until we try," she tells him, amused by that bashful moment. She didn't take him for the type, but it makes sense, now that she's thinking about it.

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