quiteliterally: (having a sam seaborn moment)
like staring into the sun ☼ ([personal profile] quiteliterally) wrote in [community profile] thecapitol2014-04-21 11:59 pm

[ OPEN ] everything i need to know i learned from sam seaborn.

WHO| Chris Traeger & YOU!
WHAT| That ball of sunshine you all know and love sinking into a pit of despair.
WHEN| The week of the visitors, and after.
WHERE| All over the city.
WARNINGS| Chris being an uncharacteristic sad sac.


Chris hasn't had any visitors, not that he'd been expecting any of course. He was from Panem but despite that fact he didn't see his family very often at all. They didn't even speak much. As much as it warmed the cockles of his heart, it was also devastating to watch all of the reunions rage on around him. It made it hard for him to get a grip - to keep moving like a shark so he didn't have to slow down or worse: stop. Stopping meant certain death, Chris only knew how to keep swimming.

He takes Champion to the aquarium, the park, the museum, the zoo... Out to lunch and around town. Nothing helps - it all just leaves him feeling empty. He hasn't been running in two whole days and he's pretty sure people die from that. Or maybe that really is just sharks. Between the natural history museum and the aquarium he knows more about their physiology than he can remember about his own. He feels hazy, off his game. He knows he's making mistakes at work.

And it's because he's alone. Well and truly without a companion in the world. There had been Victory, but that was one passing night, and the tributes he spoke to hated him, or used his clout in the Capitol to try to get themselves ejected from the games. He had been played, and used, and he's sick and tired of being sick and lonely (and tired).

Sitting on a park bench, or at the edge of a booth, or standing by the wildcat exhibit - none of it matters. Not when his own life means so little. Not when he can't even muster up a smile for a pudgy kid with a balloon. Champion sets his chin on Chris' knee and looks up at him like Stop being pathetic, Dad and for the first time in too long he's letting out a dry little chuckle as he strokes the dog's nose.

"You're right, boy. It's time for pre-natal yoga. Those classes aren't just for women, you know." Though maybe they were only for pregnant people. But it still makes Chris get up.

Feel free to run into him anywhere in the city, and wherever he goes Champion probably isn't far behind, even for a three-legged guy he's used to keeping up with a guy who could pump rocketfuel through his heart.
designatedfreak: (listen)

[personal profile] designatedfreak 2014-05-05 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
She stared at him for a moment. "It is impossible for a normal human body to filter the toxins in rocket fuel." Literal. Everything is literal with Max.

"You could die any number of ways apart from aging." Come back down to reality, Chris.
designatedfreak: (unsure)

[personal profile] designatedfreak 2014-05-15 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"Everybody dies." She doesn't really think about death, but it's very much a fact of the life of a soldier. Having to participate in the Arena's only made her think that in this world not every death was final, but enough were that death still held a sort of truth.

The dog moved to sniff her and Max moved away. "Your dog is broken."
designatedfreak: (Default)

[personal profile] designatedfreak 2014-05-25 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
She looks at Champion with a lot of doubt about how such a beast could be 'delightfully lopsided.' The dogs at Manticore were quite vicious and quite ready to attack the X5's at only a hint of command. Champion looked like he would gladly do anything that wasn't actual work. Truly the strangest dog she'd ever encountered, but he was still a dog and she still wasn't ready to trust him even if he was broken.

"Are you going to continue training after your run?"
designatedfreak: (fight)

[personal profile] designatedfreak 2014-06-07 09:20 pm (UTC)(link)
"I have five more miles to run and then a brief two hour training session." She wasn't bragging. Max gave herself as strict a schedule to follow as possible, one that resembled what Manticore gave them. It was strict but comfortable in its familiarity. "I'm hoping that Courfeyrac will join me later or I might find someone to help; there are many that could use more training." She frowned a bit. "I also need to study social interactions so that I can learn to appeal to Sponsors."
designatedfreak: (listen)

[personal profile] designatedfreak 2014-06-13 05:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Max could only stare at how excited the man became. Why wasn't Courfeyrac half as happy to train? She wasn't sure her training suited a man of the Capitol, but showing him a few skills would help her keep her maintain her own skills.

"I was going to work on bomb diffusion so I could show Sandy, but we could practice hand-to-hand." She raised an eyebrow at the dog before looking back up at Chris. "I don't believe companions are allowed in the Training Center."