seemed easier than just waiting around to die; (OPEN)

[assassinat]

Who| Nat and YOU!
What| Another newcomer and the fronts she puts on
Where| District 8 floor, shopping area, wherever else
When| With the rest of the newbies
Warnings/Notes| #comics (N/A)

Whoever her abductors were, they were good enough to capture the Black Widow without it being a part of her plan and therefore in doing so have earned themselves her temporary cooperation. It isn't that she wants to rebel (because she does), but there were more important matters to tend to other than pointlessly question those who will deny her significant answers. That and she's had decades of experience when it came to asking questions: these goons aren't going to tell her what she needs to know.

The next best thing is to experience it herself. The first chance she gets to peel away from the other tributes and those watching her, Natasha takes it and explores to her heart's content. If there's something or someone out there she needs to find, she'll be sure to do it before entering a death arena.

      ➊ (DISTRICT 8 FLOOR)
Natasha's time here is minimal. Just enough to memorize faces, to pick apart those who might seem familiar and those who aren't, and to identify who may be trouble later on. There's no hint to what her skill set may be when she's around others, choosing instead to feign ignorance and charm others with a smile that shows her discomfort. The role she plays today is that of a scared woman, who has just been ripped from an everyday life to participate in a bloodbath. A woman who is petrified of death, but attempts to face it with a brave face.

It's a flimsy mask and Natasha already fears something may slip through the cracks. Her thoughts are elsewhere, but she remains focused on her role until she leaves the Training Center building.

      ➋ (SHOPPING)
It isn't so out of character for a woman to take up retail therapy when something devastating happens to her, so Natasha lingers in this area for a good amount of time. There's a lot to take in, but more importantly the people are vocal with their conversations so there's plenty of information to be found. This is what she thrives on, the good honest speculation is more reliable than any book she can request at the Training Center.

There's also no harm in looking at what's for sale either. What better way to understand the culture than to look over the absurd things they value?

      ➌ (OPEN)
OOC | Have an idea or already coordinated something with me? Feel free to hit me up with anything.

Comments

[assassinat]

"Is that so?"

Why would she want to blend in should be the obvious thing to ask, but Natasha's keeping that part quiet. Maybe she's a little off in her game today and who can blame her other than herself?

"What is there beyond this building?"

[aintyourdad]

"City stuff," he says simply. "You know, stores, restaurants. Lotta coffee shops." He especially appreciates the coffee shops.

"Why, what'd you think would be out there?" Now it's Joel's turn to ask a pointed question or two. What sort of world does she come from, anyway? He knows he was a little shell-shocked by the city when he first got to it, but his world has been devastated by the infection for twenty years. He figures most people here, the Capitol is more or less what they're used to.

[assassinat]

She doesn't expect much except slavery of some kind. Fences. Precision technology. Hunting dogs. Anything to keep people trapped here. How else do they expect to keep people like the God of Thunder and Tony Stark from escaping confinement?

"I don't know." Natasha answers with a bit more honesty to it. "I still don't know how I was captured."

[aintyourdad]

"They can bring people back from the dead, I don't figure it's all that tough for 'em to kidnap us," Joel says with a shrug. Whatever it is they do, it's far beyond his ability to comprehend so he doesn't give it too much thought. It happened, there's nothing he can do to change it - and frankly, much as the arena stuff sucks, he wouldn't want to go back to his world anyway.

"You should enjoy the city while you can. I reckon another arena's comin' up soon."

[assassinat]

She feigns surprise at the revival remark, but doesn't push on it. That's a mistake she'll realize later on, but for now she's already heard about that. Wouldn't want their participants feeling too guilty about killing others to survive, now would they?

"How can you tell?" Natasha asks, almost desperate to know what it is he knows himself.

[aintyourdad]

"'Cause you ain't the only shiny new tribute around here the past day or two," Joel says matter-of-factly. "We had four win the last little arena. They need to beef up their numbers goin' into the next big one."

[assassinat]

"Four won at once?" Now that didn't add up.

"I had been told there can only be one victor. How were there four?"

A different circumstance? Maybe different rules? Whatever it was, she's now invested in finding out more about that. Little arena--different than the main event? Research is needed, information is needed, and she lacks both of those.

[aintyourdad]

"They like to break their own rules sometimes. You can get away with it when you're the one makin' 'em. And they're stupid and arbitrary, anyway," Joel says offhandedly.

"It wasn't a real arena. It only lasted a day, and only some of us got chosen for it. It was like a scavenger hunt, but with more murder. Anybody who found all the items and made it to the end won. Four did."

[assassinat]

"Is that how they keep people playing every time? Change up the rules a bit, make the circumstances different, all to ensure that it's not the experienced ones winning?"

Her questions are a bit concise for someone who looked frightened earlier, but she finds herself caring less about the act.

"Some scavenger hunt. What did they earn as a prize?"

[aintyourdad]

"Same thing as anyone who wins an arena: freedom," Joel responds. "And we keep comin' back because we don't have a choice. The changes they make are to keep the folks at home entertained."

[assassinat]

"So they really do put these things up for everyone to watch." Disappointing.

She doesn't work well when there are eyes on her.

"Freedom from what? They don't get to return home, do they?"

[aintyourdad]

"Winners don't have to fight anymore. Don't have to go into the arenas. Once you've won, you're out."

[assassinat]

That's their game, huh? Make people desperate enough to never have to engage in it again, but is that really it?

"You're out for good or you're out until they decide the crowd really misses you?"

[aintyourdad]

He shrugs again. "Probably the latter, but I'd say winnin' is a good first step to gettin' away from these assholes."

More leisure time in the Capitol, more time to figure out how to get out of town and drop off the grid when you don't have to worry about the next arena. Of course, Joel isn't even really considering going home - he has nothing to go home to. He just wants to get out of the city, away from the surveillance gaze of the Capitol. Somewhere quiet, with Ellie.

[assassinat]

"I have my doubts." Always did.

That's what keeps her alive. Staying a step ahead is good, but doubting every little thing that she's told is better. Trust isn't easily given and there's nothing any of the natives of this world could say to get her to give that up.

[aintyourdad]

"Doubt all you want, you'll learn," Joel says with a snort.

"Word of advice, though: don't underestimate them. They see everything we do here -" He points up at what is clearly a camera, albeit well-hidden in the wainscotting above them - "And they know everything we did back in our own worlds, too. They're not afraid to use it against us. Don't assume you have any secrets from them."

He turns to dump the crispy bacon onto a plate, and slides an omelet out and starts another.

[assassinat]

If this place managed to uncover all of her secrets, she would like to meet the one in charge of their operation to shake his hand.

Then silence him for good.

"There are cameras everywhere, but how do they know everything? I just figured they picked me off the street when I wasn't paying any attention."

[aintyourdad]

"Watch some TV, when you get a chance, they've been runnin' tribute exposes lately. They're twistin' the truth to suit their own ends, but all the footage is real - even from places that no one should be able to get footage of, like 1800s France. I'm sure they've got some of my world, too, even though we haven't had workin' cameras for goin' on two decades."

He starts plating up flapjacks, completely nonchalant. "You wanna know how, you're askin' the wrong guy."

[assassinat]

She definitely is if he hasn't seen a working camera for twenty-something years. The stuff he's saying should come off as reasonable, but it only further adds to her suspicions.

"Been told I should watch some of those." Natasha mutters, moving closer towards him to get a better look at what's provided for them. "It isn't recreated whatsoever?"

[aintyourdad]

"Unless you wanna tell the folks they targeted that they're all liars, no I don't think so," Joel says.

"Look, you can keep tryin' not to buy it, but at some point you're gonna have to just accept that impossible shit happens here. A lot. If you don't, you'll go crazy."

[assassinat]

"I know what my limits are." Sternly said.

Believing in the impossible is something she's not capable of. First off, it requires suspending belief in order to plan for miracles and well, you can't exactly do that. No one can make an accurate plan to accommodate a miracle as the very definition of one prohibits that.

No, planning for the impossible is impossible on its own for Natasha.

"Is there no one among us who would have an explanation for that?"

[aintyourdad]

"Since when do the people in charge ever explain to their victims why and how they're bein' messed with?" Joel asks wryly. "You must come from a pretty goddamn nice place if that's what you're used to."

[assassinat]

Not quite, but she doesn't want to admit her skill set out loud. Nothing like working the goons to spill information and then having them take her to the big boss in order to trick him into doing the same.

Maybe it's just be luck more than anything else.

"Home had working cameras at least." Whoever said she didn't have a sense of humor could piss off.

[aintyourdad]

"Lucky you," he mutters, mostly because if they had cameras, then they probably had even more basic things like food and clean water and electricity. Where Joel comes from? Even in the Quarantine Zones that stuff could be iffy as fuck.

"You want breakfast? My kid should be here soon, but there's plenty."

He's almost done, he might as well offer.

[assassinat]

Kid. Not so lucky for him.

Natasha's never been the one to underestimate the power of children. They can be killers just as well as anyone else, but more importantly there's just something foreign to her that lays dormant within parents. An instinct to protect their young.

Something distant stirs within her and for a moment, her eyes betray her. A brief glimpse of sympathy and nothing more.

"May as well if you're offering. Thanks, by the way."