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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There isn't really a way to reply to that immediately, so he settles for blinking in response. He could say any number of things, he could reference mythology, or paraphrase one of the classics. None of that, however, would do much to explain quite what she'd meant by that. "You shall have to clarify further, I think."

Well, she'd be happy to, really.

"Titans are a creature from my home - they appeared about a century ago and they're essentially very large humans, ranging from about five meters up to fifteen meters. Their sole purpose seems to be to devour any human being they come across! Which is strange, considering they have no way of excreting food waste-"

That all seems fantastical and well, entirely inaccurate to what he knows of the Titans. Granted, mythologies are mythologies, and language, even a commonly held language, is kind of a nebulous thing, especially in Panem, but... Well, he's not saying Hanji is wrong, just that there's some sort of miscommunication somewhere in this chain.

"Then you are not referring to the Titans who were at war with the Olympians? The predecessors of the Greek gods?"

Welp, Enjolras interrupted her flow. Oh well, she's used to it. She shakes her head with a laugh, "Ah, no! I don't know anything about the Greeks or their gods. The names are probably just a coincidence."

"It seems an unlikely coincidence," he countered, feeling it an entirely reasonable rebuttal. After all, who, in the western world, hadn't heard of the Greek gods? Even if you dismissed them, as you should, as utter superstition, they were still a cornerstone to a classical education.

"But I've never heard of the Greeks before now. Who are they?" Hanji looked genuinely curious. Perhaps they existed in her world, perhaps they didn't, but she'd certainly never heard of them before. Titans was just a word to describe the creatures that plagued them - certainly not gods!

"They are a people," he began confusedly. Adding "from Greece," weakly as an addendum. Their worlds must be different things indeed. And of course it stood to reason that if Trolls could have something which vaguely resembled a Christian God, other worlds could have Titans that had nothing to do with the Titans of myth. Still, try as he might, mastering this pluralistic understanding for worlds was still slightly beyond him.

"They were considered to be the first developed civilization. To this day, we study their art, political theories, and philosophies. Much of Panem is based on ancient Greece."

Hanji scratched her chin, eyes narrowed in thought. Greece - nope, not ringing any bells. To be fair, she had never been a great student of history. Nor had the government really published much on history beyond the usual rigamarole surrounding the building of the walls and the internment of humanity. She shrugged again, as if to dismiss any concern.

"Well, I've never heard of them! Maybe they don't exist in our world!"

Really, once you got used to the multiple worlds thing it was pretty easy to deal with.

"What were they like?"

He blinked, balking at the prospect of summing up an entire culture here so arbitrarily. "They were barbaric, by most modern standards. We paradoxically celebrate their accomplishments whilst decrying their missteps."

Reaching up to brush a stray curl from his eyes, he pondered. Modern society would not be what it was without the civilizations of antiquity, but had they really come all that far if Panem was to be the end result? "They had Pagan gods, as I said before. May of them are considered to be great heroes in classical myth."

"Barbaric?" What an odd choice of words. Hanji tapped her chin and considered Enjolras' answer, turning it over in her head.

"What made them so barbaric? And what do you care what gods they worshiped? It's not as if it matters, right?"

"They are heroes of classical myth." He blinks at her, puzzled by the questions. "I care only inasmuch as they have become culturally relevant for my people."

It's amazing to note just how much of mythology and folklore really does permeate society. It is almost as insidious and inescapable as religion, in that regard.

"Oh, so they're stories for children!" Hanji seems proud of herself for figuring that out. She claps her hands together with a firm nod.

"...we don't really have anything like that. I guess the Walls count."

"Not merely for children," he protests, even though yes, the classic myths were a very basic part of any child's upbringing. "They are morality tales, for the most part. They are important as a means to development, but most of them have been reworked into poetry and dramas, both ancient and modern. They simply are. I apologize, I do not know any way to explain it."

Enjolras isn't used to being at a loss for words. In his experience, everyone in Panem has at least had a basis in some of the classics. In fact, so much of Panem is based on ancient Rome that the classics often seem the quickest way to arrive at a point of understanding. Hanji's complete lack of understanding, is, in this regard, quite off-putting.

It is not, however, enough to deter him. They must overcome their differences if they are ever to work together for a higher goal. "The Walls?"

"The Walls!" Hanji replies, making a large, sweeping, open gesture with both arms, "Wall Maria, Wall Rose, and Wall Sina! They encompass all that's left of humanity and protect us from the titans. Or they do in theory, anyway. There's something strange about them..."

She could go into how there are actually titans in the walls, but that's not quite relevant to her point.

"They're actually quite impressive."

"All that's left," he repeats, feeling mildly stupid as he does. There's a disconnect somehow here. With most people in the Capitol, even the outsiders, he can find some way to a common ground. Not so, it seems, with this girl.

"Forgive me, but I again fear that I do not understand."

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

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