thecapitol | [open]

Who| Clementine and OTA
What| Clem didn't get any family visiting so naturally she decides to go occupy her time with weaponry instead
Where| The Training Centre
When| Family fun week
Warnings/Notes| Er... let's go with possible swears and talk of violence

Clementine had been unlucky, or perhaps lucky, in that no familiar faces had shown up for her this week. Maybe she was too new, too unknown still for the Capitol to have an idea for making a spectacle of her that way yet. Being small and practiced at hiding and sneaking she'd managed so far to avoid too much of the limelight, just the way she preferred it.

So (in what was definitely not a distraction from the dull ache of disappointment in her chest) she'd decided to focus on training for the upcoming arena. When that was exactly she wasn't sure and no one seemed able to tell her, making it seem all the more important to practice while she could. Plus, with everyone else busy with their visitors the place seemed quieter than what she normally assumed it would be.

"Way too heavy." Clem says as she passes a line of swords, axes and maces, pushing down the sense of fear at the idea of someone coming at her with one of those. "Way too... I don't even know what that is." she frowns at something else. The survival stations at least look more familiar to what she knows.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Clementine wrinkles her nose even as a smile starts to fight it's way through onto her face, she gives into it a second later. "Tighter, got it." she plucks the string, "Good thing I have so much free time, I might be able to actually hit something when I go into the arena."

"You can stick with me in the arena," he says immediately. "There's another girl, Ellie. She's from my world. A little older'n you. We look after each other, you can stick with us. Keep practicin', and we'll help each other out."

The sudden offer takes her back a little. Clementine looks at Joel and there's scrutiny in her eyes, weighing him up. Physically she knows she's not what people would probably want in an ally and from what's she's been advised (and experienced before) it's good to be underestimated.

She also knows her youth earns her leeway and compassion more than is often offered to others (and inside she hates that she has to immediately evaluate what is probably a simple kind offer before accepting). That's what this is, she thinks, it's good enough for her. If Joel really means it she'll do her best to help him and this girl Ellie too.

"Okay." Clementine says after a moment. "I'd like that."

That's part of why he brought Ellie into it - that way it's not just a weird old man asking a little girl if she wants help. He's a guy with a kid, asking another kid to join them.

"So what is it you've had to shoot at, anyway?" he asks after a moment. He half-expects her response to be Infected, because she reminds him so much of Ellie in some ways. But he knows better than to assume any given person is from the same world as him.

"Walkers." she waits, chancing that they'll be a flicker of recognition in his eyes and when there isn't she carries on to explain.

"I think it was... three years ago?" She was eight, now she's eleven, Clem's fairly certain anyway. "Dead people, they started getting up, started eating anything that was alive. Mostly people. People who die turn into them." he can probably figure out the result of that himself but Clementine still adds, "There's not many people left."

"Already dead?" Joel's eyebrows go up, but he doesn't say that's impossible or anything like that. "Sounds rough. Ours is a fungus. You get infected, it eats your brain and makes you go crazy. Turns you into a monster. Not many folks left where I come from, either."

"Definitely already dead." she tells him, "They only die for real if you get the head -- the brain."

Clementine looks up, eyes wide, "Fungus... I... don't think that caused what happened to my world. No one knows why it's happened."

"Well the dead stay dead where I'm from, so I guess it's not the same. But seems pretty close, anyway," Joel says with a shrug.

"Here, try the bow again. See if you can hold it back a little longer."

It's strange how similar it sounds, despite there being differences in the details. "Guess they like people like us for the games." she hazards before nodding.

Clementine takes the arrow and sets it to the string, taking a breath before pulling it back. She holds her aim as long as she can, counting seconds, determined not to loose the arrow until she's gone past her first record.

It's only a couple seconds longer but she does it, stubbornness powering through the strain.

"Good," he says, approving. "See, you're already gettin' better. Just remember to breathe - you might be tempted to hold your breath, but trust me, it doesn't actually help."

"... thanks." she says, and actually feels good for the praise. "It's nice of you to offer to help me like this."

Joel knows the value of telling a kid when they're doing well. No matter how grouchy he is - sometimes all a kid needs is praise.

"Sure. We gotta stick together, anyway. I mean, us - apocalypse types, I guess. The regular ones."

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