thecapitol | [Open] Step One: Cut a Hole in the Box

Who: Hanji Zoe, open
What: Hanji is fresh off the metaphorical boat. She tries to settle her mind by taking things apart.
Where: Training Center
When: Afternoon, March 22
Warnings: References to violent death, in all likelyhood.

"Unsettling" was a very mild way to describe the situation Hanji was in. It was almost too much for her to grasp - spirited away by some unknown method to compete in gladitorial games for the amusement of others? That was something out of terrible fiction (not that Hanji read much fiction these days). It was an impossibility, completely unlikely. Or had been until a couple hours ago. She hadn't bothered with threats or pleading. The guards and officials didn't seem like the sort to respond well to that and fornow the best thing she could do waas gather information.

After a quick introductory lesson on the building she was staying in and a brief tour of her new apartment (prison cell), she'd been left to fend for herself. The sheer amount of luxury and dcadence that surrounded her was equally amazing and terrifying. She was still used to spare meals of black bread and potato soup. The fact that she could snap her fingers and have practically anything delivered to her by servants was beyond her experience and left her feeling like a child who'd suddenly been told they have the run of a candy shop, if not a little unsettled.

And then there was the technology and the lack of titans. They had electric lights, every room had indoor plumbing, and a million other things that they'd only talked about in theory or never even imagined at home. She wanted to see all of it. And she wanted to know why they didn'th ave titans. No one had answered that one yet.

Which was way when she'd found a holoprojector in the training room, she'd "borrowed" a few smaller knives and set about trying to get the casing off to get a look at the innards. Besidezs doing something vaguely productive helped her think. How did they run everythingon electricity, anyway? The tip of her tongue poked between her lips, brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to use one of the knives as an improvised screwdriver.

The moment anyone passed close enough for her to hear them, she waved a hand in their general direction, "Hey! Pass me something to use as a hammer!"

A little while later and she had the panel off, a tangle of wires exposed, her goggles snapped over her eyes as she tried to make heads or tails of the thing.

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"Cocktail...?" Hanji blinked. Mixed drinks weren't really a thing back home - you had beer or you had straight alcohol or you had wine. She let Harley link their arms with only a wistful backward glance - farewell, pet project! She'd get back to it later.

"What's a cocktail?"

Harley threw her head back laughing gleefully at the question.

"Oh they are the BEST! They mix different alcohols and non-alcohols together to make them taste better and hit stronger!"

"Well, I'm absolutely in favor of trying new things..." If she was going to be stuck here, she might as well enjoy some of it. The idea sounded interesting, even if she didn't plan on getting drunk. Well, not that drunk.

"You know, for the sake of having a complete experience."

Harley cackled gleefully and continued to drag Hanji along to the elevator.

"That's the spirit! They have technology beyond our wildest imagination! So they use it for killing people, and making some of the best petty entertainment money can buy!"

Unfortunately for all her excitement, they still had to wait for the elevator.

"A couple months ago we even had a shared dream party. It was wild! They put us all to sleep with these chemicals and while we slept we had a dream, except everyone was having the same dream! Together!"

At least the elevators worked on a similar principle to the ones at home, if clearly driven by some sort of machinery. Harley was much more interesting at the moment, anyway.

"A... shared dream?"

This place kept getting stranger by the minute. They had so much and could do so many things. She had to bring some of this home with her.

"I'm not sure if everyone back home would be interested in that. We all have our secrets."

"Not around here you don't." Harley warned as the doors slid open and she led them out into the main lobby of the Training Center.

"Around here there are cameras on you all the time. Sooner or later if you speak those secrets there's a good chance they'll be on TV for everyone to see."

Harley had learned that the hard way.

"That's what I've been told..." Hanji frowns, eyes sliding over the lobby. If these cameras could be anywhere, what was the point of hiding?

"I guess I'll just have to make sure I don't draw their attention too much, huh?"

"Ah ah ah! But that's dangerous as well. If you're too boring then they just won't bring you back when ya die." She pouted "lotta perfectly good victims, heroes and villains just vanish and before you know it they're be in' listed in memorial." She made a face of disgust.

"Bleh."

On the edges of the lobby various staff and a few peacekeepers were stationed and watching Harley specifically. She had a history of causing chaos.

Hanji pulled a face along with Harley. The idea of just being left dead (or of being forced to participate in this whole sordid affair) wasn't very pleasant. She sighed and clasped her hands behind her head with a slightly exaggerated sigh.

Her gaze flickered to the guards, then back to Harley.

"I think they're watching you," she added in a bit a of a stage whisper.

"Huh?" Harley glanced to the guards and giggled stage whispering back "I'm a bit of a loose canon~ Last week I road a flaming wheelchair out of the elevator and almost broke that hanging chandelier. They said if I cause anymore trouble they'll start torturing my friends." She laughed in an unstable way as if it was all in good fun.

"...well. That's one way to get their attention," Hanji replied with a wry grin. She settled a hand on her hip and gestured with the other, "Do they do that often? Threaten to torture people?"

"Only if they can't scare ya by threatening to torture you." She winked playfully and threw open the doors to the world beyond the training center.

A blast of brisk air greeted them as the public milled about in the sidewalk in an explosion of color and abstract style. Some fans cheered as they always did when catching sight of any notable figure from The Games.

"Ah my public." Harley sighed waving to them.

Hanji stayed silent on the subject of torture. Especially since not so long ago she'd been involved in some of it. It had been for a good cause, but still - not something you advertised.

The crowd outside the training center was a bit... eclectic... and it took Hanji a moment to get over the clashing colors and styles.

"We have fans?"

She mostly sounded amused.

"Oh sure!" Harley grinned delighted as she led Hanji down the steps to the sidewalk. "Even when you're not in the arena there's a hundred or somethin' cameras on you recording your day to day so that the wizards in the editing rooms can produce shows about you. Who you're dating, what you're wearing. You won't have as many rabid fans yet because you just got here. But stick around for more then an arena and fans will be drawing pictures of you and writing racy stories about you and who they think you should be sweeties with!"

That makes Hanji stop and laugh for a good few seconds. In fact by the end ofi t, she's wiping a few tiny tears from her eyes. Fans? Rabid fans? For killing each other? This place was already a madhouse, worse than the capital back home. Worse than the stupid internal politics or the secrets or the killing or torture.

"This is - you laugh so you don't cry!"

Harley couldn't help but laugh along with her.

No really, she couldn't. Laughter was one of her major addictions.

But on a less peculiar note she giggled till Hanji managed to get her thoughts out in word form and Harley snickered further.

"Now you've got it." She gave a thumbs up. "That's really the best way to deal with life in my opinion. Cryin' may be healthy but laughter's even better."

[Open] Step One: Cut a Hole in the Box

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