Mass murder was the last straw [OPEN]

[formersurgeon]

Who| Joan Watson and OPEN
What| Joan is talking to friends, and to people she hasn't met yet, looking for allies to help her bring down the Capitol.
Where| The Speakeasy, the Training Center, the park
When| After the revelation of District 3's destruction and Penny's predictable lies.
Warnings/Notes| If you would like Joan to approach your character in one of these places, tag in with what your character is doing and I'll have her initiate contact.


I. The Speakeasy

"The Speakeasy's theirs."

That's what Wyatt had told her when they had only moments to speak freely to each other while the Capitol was unable to look in on their thoughts. So when Joan goes looking for potential allies, she starts there. The dive is, as always, dark and loud, perfect for hiding lips and faces and drowning words. She goes to the bar, orders what passes for beer in Panem, and carries to a booth in the corner where she can see the whole room, as well as the door. She looks for people she knows, people she recognizes.

II. The Training Center

Joan has met a number of people in the training center. It's one place where she knows she can find Tributes without going floor by floor, which would be both time consuming and suspicious.

She walks into the gymnasium and surveys the stations. If she sees no one, she makes her way to the shelter-making station, and looks over the different supplies.

III. The park

Joan isn't exactly looking for anyone in the park. Instead, she's looking (without looking like she's looking) for spots that might be sufficiently free of cameras and microphones to make good meeting place for sensitive conversation.

Of course, that doesn't mean she isn't also aware of the people around her. Sitting on benches, passing her by...following her...

Comments

[aboveangrybees]

Wry humor is his favorite kind, but more than that, it's a rare person that's willing to approach him when he got that aggressive with his workouts. So, she already had his attention just for that. The humor helps though.

"Punk was talking trash, figured I'd teach him a lesson," while his tone was deadpan, there was an amused curl to his lips. The anger he displayed earlier was tucked away in favor something more welcoming.

It didn't mean he wasn't still upset, but Steve doesn't need to share that with a stranger.

[formersurgeon]

"Sometimes you've just gotta show them who's boss," she agreed, her own lips quirked in a half-smile. "Personally, though, I'd just give it a stern look and a good talking-to."

This was good. She liked being able to be sarcastic with someone right of the bat.

"I don't think we've met. I'm Joan."

[aboveangrybees]

"Well, these things are a little deaf, so words don't work so well," Steve enjoyed when someone caught his humor right away. There's too many times that Steve is taken seriously when he's joking.

Taking his towel to wipe off his hand, before he offers it to shake. "A pleasure as it can be, Ms. Joan, I'm Steve Rogers."

[formersurgeon]

"Just Joan," she says, shaking his hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Rogers. Circumstances aside, although these are better circumstances than most, around here."

[aboveangrybees]

"Just Steve is fine," he throws it back at her with a nod.

"Well, I don't know, there's something charming about meeting in the arena. Convincing people you're not there to hurt them, posturing, starvation, it's got it's appeal," it's so deadpan it's almost hard to tell he's joking.

[formersurgeon]

"Oh, of course," she answers, eyes sparkling. "I've met some of my best friends in the Arena. I've only very rarely been killed by them."

She nods at the punching bag.

"Looks like you can take care of yourself, though."

[aboveangrybees]

"Well, that's some good luck you're working with right there."

He casts a look over at the punching bag like he has to consider it to answer her comment. Steve doesn't actually need to, but he does it all the same.

"I can," he says with a nod, "but I much rather use it to take care of others." He looks at her again, he's being quite sincere.

[formersurgeon]

Her answering smile is soft, but genuine.

"So would I. If I was at all effective at fighting. I'm better with hiding. And stopping bleeding, stitching up wounds, setting bones..."

[aboveangrybees]

"That can be even more useful than fighting, need someone to stitch us up afterwards and all," without someone to patch him up, he probably would have died from all the fist fights he got into as a kid.

"You a doctor then?"

[formersurgeon]

"Functionally," she answers. "I wasn't practicing anymore back home, but that doesn't really matter here." She smiles. "You can still just call me Joan."

[aboveangrybees]

"Every little bit helps, especially considering," he makes a gesture that is meant to mean the arena, but it could mean that and more and he wants it to. Knowing someone who is able to do more than the battle field patch ups is handy.

"Titles have a way of sticking, don't they? Captain - with how often people call me it - is more a nickname than title now, but I'll stay to Joan if you keep calling me Steve," he gives her a smile back.

[formersurgeon]

"Steve," she affirms with a lift of her eyebrows. "Captain. You were in the military. What branch?"

Joan has often been curious as to why certain people are chosen to toss into the arena. A detective? A medical examiner? Any number of children?

Captain, though? Yeah, no mystery.

[aboveangrybees]

"Army," though it's kind of a lie and far more complicated than that. Sure, that's what he enlisted for, but he was never part of any branch, the SSR was a government agency, just like SHIELD. And how do you then say you're considered the representation of the country and aren't technically bound by one branch of the military?

Saying Army is easier.

"Though, I haven't served in the military for a while now."

[formersurgeon]

"But you still have the skills," she says with a smile. "I guess we've both been pulled back into our former careers."

As different as medicine and military are.

"Were you ever deployed?"

[aboveangrybees]

"Seems so," he gives a smile back. It's a strange thing to have common ground on, but it's something. Suppose they both come from careers that never allow you to forget the skills you earned.

"Yeah, fought in a war, laid down my life for the cause."

[formersurgeon]

"Thank you for your service."

It's a rote phrase, but it's said sincerely.

"Do you mind if I ask which war? Just, there are people from all sorts of times here."

[aboveangrybees]

Steve has heard that a lot, but he does appreciate the sincerity of it, that she doesn't seem to know who he is, so it's said as if he's any soldier who fought. He gives a nod to acknowledge it.

"Yeah, I noticed a lot of people come from different times and eras," Steve gives a pause. "World War II, guessing that's a bit before your time?"

[formersurgeon]

"More my grandfather's time," she affirms. "I've met someone else here who fought in World War II. For the other side. He's a good man, though."

She glances around, lifts her hands to indicate their surroundings. "I think we're all out of our depths around here."

[aboveangrybees]

He guesses she's probably talking about Albert, especially since they already hashed out that issue. The mention of him being a good man is something Steve feels he can agree on.

"Can't argue with that," he hopes most people aren't used to this and won't be here long enough to get used to it. "Mind me asking how long you've been here?"

[formersurgeon]

"A year." She said it very matter-of-fact. "It's been a strange year."

It's very Joan, wry and understated.

"How long have you been here?"

[aboveangrybees]

"Strange is a nice way to put it," his tone is a touch deadpan.

"I arrived just before this arena, nearing two months. Fresh blood."

[formersurgeon]

"At least you got here before the arena."

She hates it when people are brought in during the middle of an arena, told nothing, and shoved into a fight to the death. She's sure people in tha Capitol get a kick out of it, though.

[aboveangrybees]

"Yeah, my friend wasn't so lucky and I died before I could help," Steve looks off to the side as he says it, jaw tight. Dying hadn't bothered him as much as leaving Bucky in there without all the information he needed.

Now having to watch him kill people because he probably thinks it's actually life or death, no coming back.

[formersurgeon]

"That happened to me once, too. Last arena. My friend found me dying, and he didn't know that we'd be brought back yet. I tried to tell him, but."

She gave a slight shrug.

"Is your friend still in the Arena?"

[aboveangrybees]

Steve gives her a sympathetic look. She might have shrugged, but can't imagine that's the best memory to have or have experienced.

"Yeah, he's still there," he looks at the punching bag, that being one of the reasons he was working out his frustration.