[OPEN ] ► Central Commons - Bar | Just Chilling

[hartless_cowboy]

WHO| Lindsey and OPEN
WHAT| Lindsey spends some time people watching and drinking
WHEN| Three days post Arena 4
WHERE| Central Commons in the Training Center
WARNINGS/NOTES| None for now

Three days now and Lindsey was still sore over losing the silly competition. True that he hadn't paid it much mind when he was first told about it, also true that he never thought that he was going to make it so far to the end, but to lose it after being made to kill his own brother and be one of the last few remaining seemed a poor way to end it.

With a gin and tonic in hand, Lindsey paid the serving avox no mind as he watched people come and go from the open cocktail bar. Maybe tomorrow he'll venture out into the city.

Comments

[retrieverchef]

Eliot smiled as he walked over to his brother. He hadn't had a chance to talk to him since they'd both gotten out of the Arena. "Hey, Linds," he called. "How've ya been?"

[hartless_cowboy]

Lindsey raised his glass to Eliot as his twin settled down. "As well as you'd expect. You've been keeping busy?" Given that they technically lived in the same building,, Lindsey was surprised that he hadn't seen Eliot around until now, not that he had actively looked.

[retrieverchef]

The younger twin shrugged. "You know me. I never did like bein' bored. What about you?"

[hartless_cowboy]

"Sitting here enjoying what our sweat and blood paid for," he said, swirling the glass of aged whiskey in emphasis. It was shortly followed by a slight scowl. "Jumped by a kid, I still can't believe it."

[retrieverchef]

"I think that's the least of it," Eliot retorted. This wasn't something he really wanted to joke about but... When you were used to looking for electronic surveillance, it was hard to miss. "Your own weapon? Really, Lindsey."

[big_badass_hero]

Chris entered, most of the other places had seemed a little too out there for him.

Finding that they did have whiskey thanked the Avox that served him, still not used to the fact they should be ignored. He gave the set of twins, at least he thought they were, a nod sitting at table away from them.

Threeway thread including Eliot?

[hartless_cowboy]

For someone who hadn't been in Panem for more than two weeks including the arena match, Lindsey was adjusting very well to the way of life here. He barely gave the Avox a second glance when the man switched out his empty glass for a fresh one, instead he was nodding back towards the other tribute.

"Join us," he invited, hand waving to indicate to the empty seat at their table.

Ugh, took me long enough!

[retrieverchef]

Eliot gave the newer Tribute a smile and also gestured to the empty seat. "We're not rivals for a few more days. Might as well make the most of it."

Re: Ugh, took me long enough!

[big_badass_hero]

Chris chuckled a little. "May as well sucks drinkin' alone after all." He moved to the offered seat. "It always like this? I mean here?"

[polyturtle]

Speaking of getting to end. About three seats away, a turtle has appeared.

He finally - finally - had appeared. The first time out since his Arena run. And almost immediately people are starting towards him, like flies to honey. Asking for autographs. A picture. A comment on the Arena. On his technique. On the monster he turned into. If people didn't know better when they watched the scene, they could be forgiven for thinking Don had won, instead of Kevin, the actual Victor.

Don did his best. He managed to be polite to everyone who came to him. But that tinge of sadness was still there. People assumed it was because he lost; he let them think that. And soon enough, the turtle was left at peace to enjoy his drink.

Don't get any funny ideas, though, Lindsey. He's not being driven to drink just yet; its Blue Mountain coffee.

[hartless_cowboy]

Throughout it all Lindsey watched quietly from the bar, not unnoticed but ignored in preference to the bigger celebrity that gifted the gossip mongers with its big green appearance. He took this chance to observe the creature, both objectively with an outsider's perspective and as a fellow tribute who might one day have to fight this opponent.

One thing he quickly noted was that sadness. Even while subtle, it stood out, like neon signs to his old lawyer senses.

It looked somewhat familiar too, same expression on a different eyebrowless face.

"Conscience bothering you?"

[polyturtle]

At this, Don turned to face Lindsey, blinking. He had been concentrating on not wanting to break down and run out of the room from the adulation over his kills that he didn't realize how close they'd been sitting.

"Oh...hey, Eliot."

Or...the fact that this wasn't actually Eliot he was talking to, but rather his twin. Give it a minute. Or not, if Lindsey is so inclined to take advantage of that.

[hartless_cowboy]

Tempted by such an opening, Lindsey decided to leave it uncorrected. He wanted to know more about the big turtle, and at such a moment, it seemed like 'Eliot' had the better chance of getting him to open up.

"Hey yourself," he answered back, lowering drink to give the human sized tortoise an appraising glance.

"Yeah, I know, it sucks, but don't be too hard on yourself. What happened, back in the arena?"

[tailforbrains]

Neeska came waltzing in from a trip around town, her pockets filled with a couple little things she'd knicked. Nothing valuable, really, but it was all shiny and interesting-looking. She flipped the hood of her coat back with a head-toss-- perfected with long practice, since the thing rested on her horns, and was thus tricky to flip back-- and started across the floor, eying the open bar en route more out of curiosity than real interest.

Then she angled her way towards it when she noticed the familiar face. She even pulled the mitten-like thing off the tip of her tail as she walked, figuring it probably looked silly. "Hey there, roomie."

[hartless_cowboy]

Now there was someone Lindsey didn't mind seeing. Somehow their different schedules meant he hadn't seen his district-mate since their drop out in the arena, so it was the first time since then. He grinned when he saw the demon's jaunty little walk.

"Hey there, girl. You look well." He made a show of looking her over, from horns all the way to the tip of her previously mitt covered tail, and flashed her a grin. "Been out to town?"

[tailforbrains]

She grinned, back, and flicked her tail at him, looking vaguely embarrassed by the once-over, but not necessarily in a bad way. Nobody did that! Not even jerks here did that, since she was a Tribute, or something like that. "Oh, yeah. There's a lot of 'town' to be out to, you know, and it's taken me forever to even explore the parts of it I've been to."

She climbed up onto a seat beside his, and confided, "It's much nicer with money, though. Now I have a legitimate reason to be looking at stuff, so nobody can chase me out!"

[hartless_cowboy]

Unless he was a fellow tribute, which Lindsey was, which was why he dared to do so. And, for all her horns and tail, she actually felt normal to him, moreso than the rest of this strange city. He was adjusting fairly quickly though.

"That's more than I've done," he answered back, grinning as he waved for the Avox over so Neeshka could place her order. Other than that, the Avox was once again ignored. "And did you find anything you really wanted?"

open like an open thing

[itswhoyouare]

Anna was still reeling from the party. The gravity of what the Capitol was doing to Eliot hit her the hardest. She'd counseled plenty of girls who had been raped, and dealt with her own experience. But being bought and sold as a sex slave? It was different and foreign and she had no idea how she could even begin to deal with it.

Then there were the nightmares she had every night. The time in the arena had made its way into her dreams and now the ones she was used to were warped into something far worse. If she looked tired... well, that was why.

She didn't want to train today. This time, she wanted to have a drink or two before returning to her room to hide for a while.

[hartless_cowboy]

Lindsey had been watching the coming and going of several tributes and their fan followings for a while now. Tucked away where he was at the bar, he was left alone for most part unless people came directly at him or the bar itself. Then he might greet them, chat a bit, and learn a bit more about things.

Right now it looked like another tribute was heading his way. Sipping at his gin and tonic, he waited for her to have ordered before he smiled and called for her attention. "Hey. You look like you're looking for something strong."

[itswhoyouare]

Anna's fan base mainly consisted of young women who were all flustered about her kiss with Dean in the arena, and men who admired her... physique more than anything else. Which she was used to back home. NYPD uniforms were worse than construction workers in that regard.

Her attention peaked at the voice, and she turned curiously upon grabbing her scotch. From where she stood, it looked and sounded like Eliot, but when she sat next to him, any relief that had been there disappeared. It wasn't Eliot. "Today just feels like a hard liquor day."

[hartless_cowboy]

Unaware of his new companion's disappointment, Lindsey's smile remained unchanging as he chatted up with the girl. He noted she was easy on the eyes, but more importantly, she was a potential ally.

"Good thing the liquor here's free, right?" Technically it wasn't, but everything was taken care of by the ones in charge and they really didn't have to worry about much. Reckoning day will be harsh, but then again, they already die for them every other week. "What's got you twisted up?"

[itsnoteasybeinggreen]

Lorne watched Lindsey for a while from across the room before approaching.
He remembered something about there being rules against fighting out of the arena and hoped that would keep him from being stabbed in the rear again.

He walked up cautiously, ordering his usual. After a sip, and conjuring up some courage, he turned to the man.

"So, you wanna tell me what that was all about?" Best to get that out of the way quickly.

[hartless_cowboy]

Rules like that, even if Lindsey knew about them, wouldn't have saved Lorne if Lindsey really wanted to continue what he started in the game. However, while the gaze he kept on the green demon was cool, it wasn't quite murderous, and he didn't do much more than drink from his gin and tonic as Lorne sat down.

"Don't give me that, Lorne. Telling me you don't remember shooting me is a load of stinking bull."

He finished his drink but held his hand up for the Avox to hold off. His attention was unwavering on the demon.

[itsnoteasybeinggreen]

"Shoot you!?" It came out more of a scream than he would have liked. Lorne looked slightly embarrassed at the volume of his voice and lowered it as he continued. "Lover not fight, remember? Besides, what would I gain from that? Last I heard from you, you had disappeared after your little hand indecent."

He was talking too fast, but that was mostly due to this not making any sense at all.

[hartless_cowboy]

Lindsey stared back, wondering if this was Lorne playing amnesiac or if he truly didn't remember. He didn't for a second buy that Lorne was telling the truth about not hearing from him since his hand, because obviously Lindsey had been dead for at least a good number of years if his twin was older than him by near a decade.

At the very least, it seemed like Lorne was telling the truth about not remembering the event. Old lawyer instincts.

"Did you hit your noggin somewhere between now and the last five years?"