earthborn: (where she has taken no precautions)
Commander Jane Shepard ([personal profile] earthborn) wrote in [community profile] thecapitol2014-03-05 09:57 pm

When in doubt, act petty and childish [Open]

Who| Shepard, and probably Pruna, Sandy, Duck, and Pillow Fort, and OPEN
What| Pillow Fort!
Where| PILLOW FORT IN THE TRIBUTE CENTER LOBBY
When| Last week or so of the Arena
Warnings/Notes| Pillow Fort, harsh language, possible description of drug use and/or arena doings, Pillow Fort

It took an enterprising mind to understand the subtleties of this art-form. There had to be balance, and tension, or your structure would collapse. Even the most durable of available materials was squishy at best, and you always ended up wanting another inch of length on the roof, another few grams before supports collapsed, or bent. And nothing, nothing would just stand there and hold itself up.

In the end, they’d resorted to thumbtacks, hammered with a shoe or pressed in, to hold up the bedsheets against the walls. Even so, it was better not to lean too close to the stolen couch cushions on the opposite side, or the whole left wing might come down with a series of pops and pings. Well, it was probably fine, it wasn’t as if this were some kind of permanent arrangement, after all.

What? What is she doing? No, not doing, it’s all done.

Shepard has built, with a little help, a pillow fort.

Well, it’s more than just a fort, it’s a castle, an edifice! It took up nearly the whole of the Tribute Center Lobby with a riot of bedsheets, pillowcases, safety pins and couch cushions. Calling it a mere hidey-hole would not do justice to the thing. It’s art. It’s filled with pillows and snacks and safe dark places closed in away from prying eyes. Oh, and Shepard too. She’s an adult, after all, and this is what grown-ups do.

It’s got a door big enough for anyone to crawl right in, and a boldly written sign that reads “Abandon Hope All Who Enter Here” with “bring snacks” scribbled along a corner.
dying: (pic#7275017)

[personal profile] dying 2014-03-10 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
Thane would do even the most awkward of things to spend a few moments with Shepard out of the sight of the cameras and the Capitol. Even crawl on his hands and knees towards her. And there he was, sitting inside a blanket fort. Everything about this was strange.

The air was heavy, there were things they needed to talk about. They needed to figure them out, but somewhere that wasn't in the lobby. There were chances that people would still approach.

Thane was very good at running away from the problem. Or just killing it (he was very good at that.)

"I've never been in something like this," Thane said. "I am always glad to see you, Siha."
dying: (pic#7274998)

[personal profile] dying 2014-03-10 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
He didn't think it was stupid, really. He understood the point of these - at least logically. But the fact that his youth was training and he had abandoned Kolyat when he was young, meant that his memories of childhood experiences were truly limited.

He watched her. Every moment that she moved, when she spoke, he watched her face. Her eyes, lips, and scars. Even in the low light, her face was a solid memory in his mind. He didn't need to see it to know.

"There are no cameras in here," he observed. That was the greatest advantage of them all, and it truly made it the best of all ideas. He was stuck on what to say to her.

He saw her die, and the possibly that she couldn't come back hit him hard. Still, he didn't want to talk about that. Not here. Maybe it would be best if they were just together in the quiet. "We will talk," he said. Not now, necessarily. He would leave it to her. After all, this was her...fort. Her rules. As it typically was.
dying: (pic#7275004)

[personal profile] dying 2014-03-10 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
Thane took in every word. It does explain the confusion when others talked to him. Thane's memories were much like videos, but he had nothing of that time when he was there previously. That time when he died and didn't come back. At least, they had given him peace when he was here previously.

For now, he was trapped in a circle of life and death. It was against everything he believed.

"We do not have to talk about this now," he answered. Although he knew, at some point, this would need to be discussed, even if he didn't necessarily want to talk about it.

They didn't have to talk at all, for all that he cared. His fingers rested along her jawline. It was only for them.
dying: (pic#7265814)

[personal profile] dying 2014-03-13 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
He felt her sag against his hand. Humans were odd to him, and Shepard was the first one to get this close to him. Thane kept his distance from most people, and anyone getting this close was unusual enough for him without a payment to kill them. He was able to drop some of his barriers around her, though.

His illness almost seemed like a distant problem now. This place was the immediate issue that needed to be resolved. Thane remembered how he had felt when he had died, and then when he came back. His illness was never meant to be a burden, and he'd never let it become one here.

He leaned into her touch for only a moment. He shifted his fingers to her chin, taking it in his palm, and he leaned in to return the kiss.