(no subject)

[shambler]

Who|| R and [Semi-Open] – PM me if you want to bump into him so I can write a prompt.
What|| R wakes up to realize he’s a zombie all over again and the Cure, in fact, wasn’t a cure after all. He’ll be in a funk. Mostly he’ll be blocking traffic (cue finding him in the District 4 shower, creepy-staring, or else where). Basically R needs cheering up, pep-talks, even the awkward ones telling him he’s better off as a zombie.
Where|| Around the Tribute Tower and Training Center. Also District 4’s suite.
When|| After reviving in the Capitol from Howard mercy-killing him and before the next Arena. Basically a catch-all.
Warnings| Zombie references, depressed zombies.

Prompts in the comments for each character. Heads up I may be slow posting, so a post per day or every other day (so backtag central?).

Comments

[shambler]

R was still struggling along after Mindy. "What...give? Have...not much."

He spread his hands helplessly, showing that he pretty much had the skin he died in. And the hoard of junk in his room? That too, he guessed. Mindy obviously had a better grasp of how the Capitol worked than he did. Better attention to detail. She was definitely old enough to kill, in his world, so obviously she'd been a better killer than he was.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Yeah, that's the question. You'd probably have to ask them about it. You'd probably even need someone to go with you to answer all their questions or whatever. You know, maybe you want to talk to that guy Orc. Wasn't he human for a little while?"

Man, maybe she WAS going to have to keep track of all of this weird drama. At least this was more interesting than who was banging who.

[shambler]

R had talked to Orc. Mostly they had agreed that being back to "normal" had sucked and people had it easy. He hadn't thought about asking Orc about his people skills, though.

"Yes," R wobbled out a nod. "You...done it...before?"

Maybe he could get some tips on How to Be Successful. As Victor, R just automatically assumed Mindy must know something: after all, she'd figured out zombies and traffic don't mix and now this idea of hers.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"I've heard that things might be able to happen," Mindy said, "but you know. Shit like this is bound to have a price, you know? You're really gonna have to ask if you can pay it. About one thing that's always a constant in worlds, people always need favors."

Mindy knew enough about people, crooked and not, to know that much. Of course, she could also just go and see which hihre up she needed to ask, to see if it was possible.

[shambler]

Maybe in Mindy's world. It wasn't ever like that in R's rotting one back at the airport, R's mouth twisting into a little frown as he struggled with the concepts. It seemed more...complicated. More moving parts. R wheezed out a sigh.

"Favors. What...could for?" R tapped his chest. What did Mindy think he could be good for, favor-wise? In her professional opinion as a Living and a Victor?

[hit_girl_mindy]

"I don't think it would be anything good," Mindy said honestly. "That's why I'm saying you'd have to be able to pay the price. In the end, you might not want to. But there's got to be someway we can at least keep your memories. I watched you in the games. You already have some people you trust."

Yeah, she could only imagine what some might want R for. She might ask around, but not of it struck her as being good for R.

[shambler]

R wondered about that: Julie was gone, Perry was...a question-mark because what else did you call someone you personally ate his brains and he didn't know about Howard. Things were weird between them. But Mindy must've thought something was there if she was saying that, R thoughtfully dripping some drool out of his muzzle as he absorbed her advice.

"I think...willing. Don't want...this. How bad...be?" R groaned, thinking he had a sunny outlook on this. Seriously, he was a zombie with maggots in places the sun didn't shine. What's the worst they could ask of him? "Give...arm. If have to."

He wheezed, not sure if he was joking or entirely serious.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy face palmed. This was the same dumb ass thing that Elsa said, and it caused her no end of exasperation. They were brought here by Capitol powers, to maim and kill each other. If they could do that, did tributes really think dong add jobs for them would be a good thing?

"I don't think it'd take much to give them the arm." See, that was a joke, R. "But make sure you're at least talking to the right people. You have to convince them you'd be more entertaining NOT a zombie. Because that just might be why they wouldn't want to change you back."

[shambler]

From Mindy's reaction, he probably hadn't said the right thing. "Rright...people." Got it.

In theory. The reality was R didn't know how good a judge he was of people. He'd gotten himself killed, after all, presumably from bad life choices and that probably extended to a judge of someone's character.

"So...tips? How...to enter-tain?"

R drew a blank. He hadn't had time to learn how to use weapons like the other Living right before they threw him into the Arena. The most entertaining thing that happened (in his mind) was cuddling and kissing Julie, sharing that sleeping bag with her.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy gritted her teeth. How exactly did you make a zombie doing odd jobs appealing?

"It depends on who you're trying to get on the good side of. It's always tricky, because the whims of the capitol can go any fucking where. they might need you to just do your regular lurching around, and be amused. But for all you know, they might want you to go and bite a few people to put the fear of god in 'em. It really depends."

[shambler]

R reared back a little at that idea, his lips twitching over his ruined teeth in a grimace. What! "That's...hor-horri...ble!"

He stared at Mindy, aghast she'd even be able to think up that scenario. That wasn't just horrible, that was downright sick. Biting someone wasn't only painful. It wasn't an inconvenience, it wasn't even a death sentence. Worse. Worse than dying. R looked about as offended as a corpse could get, staring at Mindy stiffly.

"Not...that. Can't...go that...far."

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy stared back at him. She had dealt with Orc back in the Arena: he had at least warned her, so she'd gotten the hell out of dodge. But thinking back on it, she wondered just how many of the Capitol would want to spice things up with having more than one zombies for the tributes to deal with.

"Good. There are more than a few tributes who've came from an after world where the undead came after them. The Capitol, more than anything, want to push it to the next level. If you have a limit, they'll push it. So honestly, we should start by seeing what it is they can have you do that wouldn't be that fucked up."

Okay if we start wrapping it up?

[shambler]

"Not...nice ideas. ," R said, cringing. "So...far."

Pushing it to the next level sounded like the opposite of what he wished he could do: if he had it his way, he'd be peacefully out of the way, unlikely to infect anyone else. But that was exactly why he hadn't come close to winning the Arena: inability to think like the Capitol, plus the whole planning-for-the-future thing. R hunched his shoulders with a little frown behind the muzzle.

"Look...into it," R groaned gloomily. "Thanks for...a-dvice."

Sure, why not?

[hit_girl_mindy]

He was right, of course. It didn't help that this was how she thought of the Capitol to begin with, so how was she really going to know what they had in store for him? Maybe they would give him his humanity back, no questions asked.

"Start with asking if they can help you retain memories. Maybe then, you can move onto something bigger. At least for now, see what they want in exchange for just that. It can't hurt."

[shambler]

R wheezed and rattled, still reluctant. He'd just assumed that the Cure would mean he could remember things better, too. Maybe he was shooting too high.

"Try that. Wish...luck?"

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Yeah, sure. You're a nice enough guy. You deserve it."

She shrugged. "Does any of us really deserve this place, really? Was your world better, or worse than here?"

[shambler]

R thought it was decent of Mindy to call him a nice guy. Sure, he'd killed (and then eaten) more people than he could count but he supposed it was all relative compared to what went on in the Arena. "Worse...less people. More...like me."

He guessed she had a point there, too. They had running water and endless food in the Capitol, and a partial Cure for his brand of infection. That was already way, way better than back home.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Of course it was relative: R was a zombie, it wasn't like he could control his natural impulses any more than she could stop learning to fight. The two were not mutually exclusive.

"That must be pretty shitty for the food supply then," Mindy commented. "So maybe one point for the Capitol. Too bad we have to keep killing each other and throwing in more and more people."

[shambler]

R had thought about that, yeah. Sooner or later there would be no more Living and then every zombie he knew would die, eventually. Even the Boneys. He'd found it both vaguely depressing and just as vaguely liberating, actually. Now he wasn't so sure.

"True. Could be...nicer...place." He was aware that was a massive understatement, R shrugging. "See...you. Try...advice."

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy nodded, and, for a moment, looked genuinely sorry. She had hardships, but really, what could be going through R's mind, what about his needs, his wants?

Would anyone be able to be near the zombie and not go running into the night in terror?

"See you. Look me up, if you ever want some company. I'm District 9."