blah blah void blah blah spiders blah blah science [open]

[youbarium]

Who| Carlos and anyone
What| Since Carlos's survival hinges on his ability to act like he doesn't care, he's going about his business as usual. Even though he and Cecil had a very short-lived but very public romantic relationship, he's acting like he doesn't care. Come make his life harder. Come ask him how he feels.
Where| The D10 rooms, a coffeeshop, and the Speakeasy
When| After Penny and Cruentus's classy, classy announcement.
Warnings/Notes Possible mention of torture, drinking in the last prompt. Also, the first two prompts will involve Carlos denying any real feelings for Cecil. If you want an honest discussion with him, it'll have to be in the Speakeasy.

PROMPT A: D10 common room

Carlos had known what to expect. Penny had announced that Cecil would be avoxed, after all. He had known this was coming.

That had not made keeping a straight face during the broadcast any easier.

He turned off his communicator and knew that if he was going to make this act convincing, he couldn't hide up in his room all day. Carlos hated this act. It was like he had told one lie in the Arena and hadn't been able to stop lying since. It disgusted him. However, he knew that at this point, he had no choice.

There was no need to fake the irritation on Carlos's face as he walked out into the D10 common area and sat down in one of the chairs. He pulled out a notebook and began to scribble in it. Was he writing or drawing? It would be hard to tell...

PROMPT B: TRIBUTE CENTER COMMONS: GENERIC CAPITOL COFFEESHOP

Here Carlos was, sitting in the very place Dave had brought his last words to Cecil, drinking something too hot for the midsummer weather and talking into his tape recorder. If you get close enough, you might hear snatches of what he was saying:

"--correct about my impending death--"

"--new tactic--"

"--willingly cooperate--"

This part of the Tribute center was open to the public: anyone might pass by and see him.

PROMPT C: THE SPEAKEASY

Carlos wasn't one to drink out of sadness. Not usually. He had been in and out of the Speakeasy these past few weeks, having important discussions about the rebellion.

This time, though, he was after some self-administered emotional numbing.

"I don't even know what's in this," he muttered to himself, staring at the half-empty glass in front of him, which was a mass of swirling colors.

PROMPT D: ELEVATORS

Being two floors from the top meant that Carlos stood a solid chance of sharing an elevator on the way two and from the D10 rooms. He was used to it, and usually, didn't mind it. Today, however, it was all but a guarantee that whoever he ended up in the elevator with would be awkward as hell, and Carlos was really tired of dealing with it. He shifted from foot to foot in his lab coat, trying not to sigh when the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

Comments

B

[shenunigans]

Since his visit here with Cecil, Dave has become rather enamored with the coffee shop. The people there like him well enough and they indulge his weird requests with very little resistance. Seeing as it's warm, he's drinking something that looks like a frappe, but it's green. Very green and very fragrant, you can smell the apples a mile away.

He's sidling out of the cafe, barely noticing Carlos until he hears him talking to himself and he pauses. His stomach drops a little, having seen the announcement himself. He doesn't really understand the status of the relationship between Carlos and Cecil, but he's sure Carlos isn't feeling great right now.

Slinking closer, he puts his hand on a stray chair nearby and leans back on it, watching Carlos intently for a moment before piping that up. "Are you recording everything you say so you can remix it later or do you have amnesia? ..Would you know if you had amnesia?" He figures he'll start off gently.

[youbarium]

Carlos clears his throat, then switches the tape recorder off. "Some cases of amnesia are more apparent than others," Carlos answers. "But it's not amnesia. I was just getting my thoughts in order." And making sure the Capitol's microphones record them.

[shenunigans]

"Good to know." He nods. "Maybe I oughta have one of those so I can record all this science realness I'm learning." He muses, fingers drumming on the side of his cup as he works up the cajones to keep the conversation going.

"Glad you're all in one piece mentally and otherwise." Because you weren't a while ago. "I told Eponine about the meds." And it went horribly from then on. "You mind if I sit?" He gives the chair behind him a wiggle, not wanting to interrupt Carlos. Much.

D

[void_whereprohibited]

Cecil stepped into the elevator on the with his head down and not a glance at the face of the person already there. His concentration was on a stack of hand towels in his arms, all embroidered with a curly 9; he shifted them to one arm to press one of the buttons not often used, the one that went down to the laundry rooms. (Whoever was with him would, obviously, be getting off the elevator first.)

He stepped back against the wall to wait for the doors to shut and the clunk of the cables to announce that they were moving again. He couldn't help shooting a glance at the feet with which he was sharing the elevator - he didn't dare look up into his companion's face, but he was finding that you could tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wore. Were they sensible, were they high-heeled, were they scuffed, did they have the hem of what was unmistakably a white labcoat hanging above them--

--wait.

Cecil did not quite manage to strangle a soft gasp. He lifted his head to look, half-panicked, at-- at the door, not at Carlos (not at Carlos!), but they were already between floors-- there was no escape that way. And his only shield was an armful of towels.

[youbarium]

When Cecil stepped into the elevator, Carlos froze. His throat was frozen solid -- he couldn't unstick it in time. Not to warn Cecil away, not to ask any one of the questions that were whirling through his head, not to make any kind of noise at all: Carlos was effectively as mute as his companion.

He saw when Cecil noticed him and looked away. He saw the look of panic Cecil was currently directing at the door. He also saw that the elevator doors were made of glass, and that the entire ground floor of the Tribute center would be able to see what happened here, if they looked. He did not see cameras but did not doubt that they were there.

What could he do? Carlos didn't know if he wanted to try to talk to Cecil or if he wanted to run just as much as Cecil did.

The only sound in the elevator was the creak of cables and the whir of Carlos's racing mind.

[void_whereprohibited]

For a brief, wild moment, Cecil considered just-- just getting off on the nearest floor. Hitting the closest button and taking the stairs the rest of the way. Or finding a service elevator, which was guaranteed not to be occupied by anyone else-- what he should have done in the first place, of course.

If he weren't operating under a direct order, he would have. If someone hadn't pushed this stack of towels into his arms and said Take these right to the laundry room, he would be taking an alternate route - but the thought of changing course now was every bit as sickening as the thought of enduring ten floors' worth of travel next to Carlos.

Cecil kept his eyes fixed out the glass doors. The thought of the cameras was on his mind, too, but-- if he just didn't look at Carlos. If he just made it clear to anyone who was watching that they could not possibly be communicating. Then it would be fine.

He hoped very hard that Carlos wasn't looking at him, either.

B

[calledmenasir]

Nasir did not feel like doing much of anything however coffee held promise. If it could keep him awake and prevent him from falling asleep, where he would find only nightmares, then he would welcome this strange drink.

He had a cup in his hand when he saw Carlos mumbling into something held in his hands. He recognized this man. He had seen him on the screen and heard rumors about him. So he didn't feel terribly guilty when he interrupted him.

"What object do you hold?" He asked. He did not sit beside Carlos but remained standing.

At first sight it would be obvious that Nasir had his own way of dealing with the heat: a way that involved not wearing a shirt. The burn scar on his side was exposed and distracted from the scar on his face. Although his necklace of phalluses might catch the eye instead of either of those.

[youbarium]

Wow, rude, Nasir. But Carlos wasn't angry, or even frustrated, only surprised. He turned it off and said, "Oh, this? It's just a tape recorder."

Carlos didn't miss the scar, or the burn, or the -- uh, necklace. Well. That sure was a thing. His eyes snapped back up to Nasir's face, half-hidden behind thick-rimmed, ungraceful glasses.

[calledmenasir]

Nasir could be polite but at this juncture he had no desire to soften his words or purpose and every need to lash out at something or, better yet, someone. Though his voice was not harsh yet, only curious.

"I am not familiar with such." His eyes fell to the tape recorder to take it in. Yet another advancement since his time. At least he'd gotten used to the glasses.

A

[paidinbeer]

A shadow fell over Carlos as a figure that was at least seven feet tall and three to four feet broad loomed behind him.

Orc had been waiting for a chance to speak with this man but he always seemed to be rushing one way or the other. Then Orc had found himself too busy with Eponine.

Better late then never.

"Excuse me."

[youbarium]

Likewise, Carlos knew Orc by sight but had never actually spoken with him. He had been curious, of course, but had just never found the time.

He twisted around in the chair to look up, and up, and up. "Yes?" he asked, surprised but clearly not afraid.

[paidinbeer]

Orc was pleased he wasn't looking afraid. He hated knowing people were scared of him.

"You helped heal the sick people didn't you?" He had heard it from others and thought about how sick and miserable Eponine had been.

D

[splendid_roman]

Ian looked up at the lift arrived on District 3's floor and the doors opened. He hesitated when he saw Carlos because he wasn't sure what to say to him. Although the same could be said of most people these days.

He couldn't just not get in the lift, though, that would make Carlos wonder if Ian was avoiding him and that wasn't the truth. So he stepped into the lift, nodded at Carlos and pressed the button for the ground floor.

"You made it out of the arena, then," he said, as the doors closed.

[youbarium]

"It turns out they weren't trying to kill me for the reasons I thought they were," replied Carlos, with confidence. "They weren't trying to take me out of the Games for good. They just wanted me back in the Capitol to work on those diseases. I kind of wish I had known sooner."

As he spoke, Carlos's mind was working. He wanted to speak with Ian privately, and now he knew a place to do it. The question was, how did he bring the conversation around to drinks at the Speakeasy without it looking suspicious? Carlos was confident enough in the Capitol's opinion of him to risk being seen with Ian, as long as he kept up the act as long as they were on camera.

[splendid_roman]

Carlos's trouble was that Ian was not good at picking up subtle hints, so getting him to the Speakeasy was going to need something obvious.

"There's nothing like being indispensable for the capitol to keep you alive." If only they could all be like that. "So you're a biologist?" he asked, curious despite everything.

C

[hit_girl_mindy]

The name of the game was consistency. It was for this reason that Mindy had taken to a few bars the past few days. It was a heavy time, and people were taking out their frustrations in various ways: screaming, yelling, rebellion bound to end in pain and yes, even drinking. It was a calculated thing for her since the beginning, back to when her dad had been training her.

"Intoxication is a way of dulling the senses babydoll," he explained the day he had her imbue several shots of Jack straight. The result was her in the toilet, straining to hear a lesson she;d already had seared into her. "If you have to do it, don't let the other guy know how little you let it affect you. In a den of scum, they'll take you for weak. Let them. If they never see the knife coming, why not play along?"

So she waited, she drank and balanced with water carefully. She let her eyes haze over, she swayed slightly and waited.

Found him. Carlos. The man who had helped in trying to free Ian the last time. A plan in vain, but she had remembered.

"Can I buy you a drink?" She said, offering a half lidded smile. "It's been a heavy few days for everyone. Sure that you need it."

[youbarium]

"No, thank you," said Carlos. "I'm still working on this one." He held up the swirling, sparkling concoction of Goddard knew what. "...and I'm not sure I can ethically allow a minor to buy me alcohol," he added. Going drinking with Punchy was one thing. Mindy Macready was another. Carlos frowned.

"You know, usually, it's the minor who has the drink bought for them," he said, buzzed but not drunk yet. "I've never seen it happen the other way around before."

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Trying to be polite," she said, "and introduce myself all stealth like. You remember me, don't you?"

She didn't have a drink this time, which clearly seemed to be an anomaly: the bartender watched her with caution.

"Had my share of drinking. Not in the mood for that now. Have enough real time things happening that makes me feel drunk enough, if you get my drift."

c

[arosewiththorns]

Rose may not drink these days but she still knows how alcohol loosens tongues and in a time of trouble, many take to drinking the pain away. Not that she judges, she knows how much comfort a bottle or two can seemingly bring, and at times it does seem easier.

That's not her entire reason for visiting the Speakeasy. She's heard it mentioned, here and there in whispers and she's thought it best to see for herself what it was all about. She's actually passing by Carlos, his face nothing to her with how new she is, when he speaks and she glances down.

Well, it's as good a start as any.

"Cocktails seemed to have only gotten more complicated over time. " A pause and she looks him over before glancing to the unoccupied seat near him. "May I?"

[youbarium]

"Go ahead," he says, gesturing to the seat at the bar she was looking at. He gets a better look at her in the dim light as she sits -- how old is she? he wonders -- but also realizes he doesn't recognize her.

"You're new, aren't you?" Carlos isn't drunk, but he's buzzed. However, the alcohol has absolutely nothing to do with how awkward he is. Awkward-nerd is Carlos's natural state.

[arosewiththorns]

Genetics and time have been kind to her, as well as a well maintained skin care routine and it leaves Rose looking much younger than her 37 years. Which is fine for her, fame being what it is and she may confess to having a streak of vanity.

"Thank you," she says, barely above a murmur and she takes the seat, elbows pressed to the table as she studies the room before glancing to him.

"I am." Rose nods, studying him more now that they're closer. She can practically sense the state of awkward rolling off him but she doesn't let him get to her, maintaining a distant sort of politeness. "I came through during the last arena."

B

[carnagecarnival]

He hates Carlos. Deeply. There is a powerful unignorable instinct telling him he should take of Carlos's head for blasphemy, stick it to a pike and use it as a magic staff for the humors. The instinct to actually act on this is a little easier to ignore.

He approaches from behind, mostly to see if Carlos might jump. He does not announce himself nor offer greeting. He simply sits down across from him, looking just as deeply unhappy.

He says, "SO THIS BE A THING YOU DO? Get a recording up and motherfucking on? A STRANGE HABIT WHAT TO KEEP. You've done it before."

[youbarium]

"It's useful," replies Carlos, switching the tape recorder off and pocketing it. There's a lot of science on those tapes, he realizes uncomfortably. "It helps me keep a record of -- of what I've done, and what I've learned." He will do his best not to discuss it in scientific terms, but Carlos still feels a little like he's been caught with contraband.

"Uh -- should I take this off?" he asks, indicating his lab coat. "It's just -- I know how you are about...what I am." Most other people would say my job, Carlos.

Speakeasy

[the_marshal]

A few stools down, a familiar face snorted as the bartender refilled his glass with a dark amber liquor.

"That's why ya stick with the tried an' true," he murmured, ice clinking softly. "Ain't nothin' surprsin' 'bout whiskey 'cept how good it is."

[youbarium]

"I try to stay away from whiskey," admitted Carlos. "I had a few bad experiences with it in college, and...well, I don't think my tolerance has gotten better with time." It was a little embarrassing and a little emasculating to admit that he couldn't handle that particular drink in front of a cowboy, but Carlos had done enough lying over the past few weeks. He didn't need to do it in here.