thecapitol | (no subject)

WHO| Bunnymund, open
WHAT| Bunny's been tortured by Penny. How tortured? Pretty tortured. He needs a moment before going to let everyone he knows know he's . . . all right-ish.
WHEN| Before the Arena, but not long before.
WHERE| The Tribute dorms rooftop.
WARNINGS| Mental and emotional torture, imagery relating to dead loved ones and possibly children being harmed.

Normally the park was Bunnymund's haunt. It was where he dug his burrows, the ones that, when he left, were always filled in by the time he returned. Where he got in trouble for digging said burrows, and therefore sometimes dug three in a day just to stick it in the Capitol's craw.

He was nowhere near in the mood for places people expected him to be. He needed to feel the sense of safety that comes from being unpredictable. He needed to be somewhere people who knew he'd been gone - and that he'd probably been tortured - weren't likely to find him.

He crouched at the edge of the roof, staring at the layout of the city as if he could memorize every window on every building. Having something to study did help blot out his thoughts, and mastering the layout of the city gave him nearly enough to a sense of control that it helped keep him calm.

But he had to get the thoughts out. Had to, so he could move beyond them, and get back to work.

She had no right. They were his memories. The thorns that he had been covered in, that he had already overcome, and she'd dug them up like they were her own weapons to use freely.

He thought he couldn't remember clearly what his mother looked like, after all this time, but she'd dug that memory up. The sight - and the smell of the ice melting, the waterlogged fields and the cold, sodden air, corpses just beginning to turn in the melting chill. She'd dug it up, and others, shoved them to the forefront of his mind, and bound them there. A shock collar just waiting to go off on him.

He'd thought there was nothing they could hurt him with that he hadn't seen already - and unfortunately, he'd been right.

He curled in on himself, trembling just slightly. He let himself tremble for the moment. Feel the pain, the horror, the anger - feel it, then use it.

He had to have his moment of feeling sorry for himself. Because it was even more important that after, he keep on moving.

Whatever his next step would be.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She had not forgotten.

It was the first time she'd met the bunny and it had been abrupt meeting: pleasantries exchanged, at Guy's ridiculous taping. The asshole Peaekeepers had come, and Bunnymund had done the unthinkable: he fought back. Suicide.

The type of thing she would have done before becoming a mentor. The hate she'd had for her inaction had festered into a lack of sleep at times, extreme self loathing at others. Her recent thrashing by Azula's hands had done little to fix her soured mood, but she had seen Guy when he returned. It was good to have that time. Now, though, she wanted to talk to the guy who'd lost his cool.

The big rabbit.

So naturally, she found him rather easily, on the roof, curled up almost. She approached slowly.

"You're...Bunnymund."

The presence of another person - especially a kid - means his moment is done. Okay.

"Bunny'll do," he says. He flicks his ears in her direction, like she hasn't surprised him and like he wasn't huddling for reasons of emotional distress, but sort of . . . just hanging out. He stands up, returning to his full height and his usual swagger.

"And you're Mindy." Frankly, it's nice to see her. He remembers the girl with the mouthful of swear words from Guy's party. He can pretend he's all right with the best of them. Especially if there's a kid around to put on a brave face for. "What brings you topside?"

She had seen what he was like, but she knew he was putting on a face. She didn't get that: sure, when you were on Earth, you put that up as a way to protect the kid. But she'd been here longer than he had and already died once. If she had no idea this place was fucked up, she was certain to have had her head up her own ass.

"Bunny then. To be honest, I was lookin' for you. You were with Guy when those bastards swooped down and surprised us all. I didn't think you were going to be the first to raise a hand against the Peacekeepers."

Honestly, she was curious where his head was. Guy had been a mess when she saw him, she wanted to be sure Bunnymund was doing ok.

"Yeah, well. We hadn't talked long, had we?"

He smiles, self-effacing, but not ashamed. She'd have learned sooner or later that when it came to being impulsive and aggressive, he was the Guardian for the job.

Just like at some point, he'd learn that Mindy was as tough as her language, possibly even tougher.

His smile quickly disappears, though, because this conversation should not be about him. Was he doing okay? Not really. There was fury and horror and hurt and grief ripped back into the forefront of his mind, but he could put that aside for another time. A time when Guy didn't still need help, and when he didn't have to find a better avenue to help Guy than outright aggression. A time when Mindy didn't need to be freed from this tyranny, too.

He had a breakdown brewing, but it could happen later.

"How's Guy? Did they let him go yet?"

"Nah," Mindy agreed. "I mean, I'm not much of a socializer to begin with, but Guy gets around, and he's a pretty good judge of character. I figured I might have more time to talk with you later. We were cut short pretty quick."

Mindy didn't mind impulsiveness: if she knew what she was getting into, shit, she;d be there with a flamethrower as needed. But a government wide tyranny where you could be taken and tortured at any given moment? Rash thinking was suicide.

And she could see just as well that they put Bunny through the ringer too. She had to give him credit: he was hiding it, minimizing it as much as he could, for her sake. She would have done the same.

"Yeah they did. I went to see him. Without getting into detail? They got to him. Badly."

No chance of anymore smiles. "Where is he now?"

Maybe Guy wasn't up for company, but Bunny had to go see him sooner rather than later. Mindy would surely tell him if this wasn't the time.

"His room. Recovering." There was a loo on Mindy's face that was hard to read, mostly because she was fighting for composure. The irony of the situation was almost laughable: people trying to "protect" Mindy from this place, as if that would make it any less fucked up. What was more, Mindy knew what they'd done to Guy, and that was enough to fill her with enough hate, it was hard to hide.

"He needs some rest though. He had a very bad fucking day."

"I can imagine."

Unfortunately, he didn't have to. But he was going to avoid remembering that as much as possible.

She could ask him to stop trying to protect her, and other kids who'd already been damaged by this place. She could also ask him to stop breathing, but, you know, he wasn't likely to do it.

"You've been here a while, yeah? Know enough about Penny to identify her on sight?"

He had to check.

Her eyes certainly darkened here. Oh right. Her. The one that did this to Guy, the bitch that need to flex her muscles.

"Give me time." The words sounded careful, even: Bunny would feel intent there. "I need to see her in person. Once I do, yeah, I'll commit her to memory."

"Be careful 'round her." He has to pause, settle on a word that will accurately describe Penny without giving away how deeply she's hurt him - how deeply she may have hurt Guy. All while still accurately warning Mindy. "She's creative."

He hates to go into more detail. But he has to give an accurate warning.

"I've been around a long time. I've seen too many ways humans have t'hurt each other. But she, ah. Surprised me."

"She has flunkies is what she has," Mindy said, but would say nothing more than that. After all, there was no telling who was listening. But Mindy's eyes say what she's thinking. What Penny had was people to hold down others and then get creative. Mindy could get creative too but she didn't people to hold down her enemy. She could do that herself.

"People who get to be cruel, they get inventive when you give them the means. I guess I'll never be surprised how much they can get away with once you get rid of the law."