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

[youbarium]

"Well," he said, "when the Capitol brought us from our worlds, they took away any diseases we might have been carrying. This disinfection process is very thorough, but also apparently time-consuming. So, when the Capitol brought dozens of visitors all at once, they cut corners when it came to checking the newcomers for diseases. People were let into the Tribute Center still carrying illnesses from other worlds." His tone was patient and matter-of-fact: he was not passing judgment on any party here, just stating things as they were.

[paidinbeer]

As Orc listened a horrific thought crossed his mind. Carlos had made it pretty clear how the sickness had come. So clear even Orc could understand and from that his concerns rose.

"Do you think there might be more that haven't show up yet?"

Because if anyone from their world came there was one disease in particular that Orc hoped never to see again.

[youbarium]

"No, I don't think so," said Carlos easily. "If there were any more diseases that got through, they would have shown up by now." He was very confident about this.

[paidinbeer]

Orc relaxed visibly.

"So it's over then? No more people are going to die from it?"

Somehow good news was always easier to accept from adults. Maybe this was the result of a year of hearing terrible things from other children.

[youbarium]

Carlos looked a little uncertain.

"No one in the Capitol, anyway," he said quietly. "I don't know if it spread to the Districts. If it did, and the Capitol doesn't get them medicine in time, then..."

He shook his head, his perfect hair falling into his distant, troubled eyes.

"But everyone here is safe."

[paidinbeer]

Orc looks taken aback by this possibility.

"But how could the people out there get sick from what was happening here? They're so far away!"

And worse yet they lead such difficult lives there was really no time to be sick.

[youbarium]

"Some of the visitors who came to the Capitol were from the Districts," Carlos informed Orc gravely. "They could easily have taken bacteria back with them. I can only hope that the Capitol is smart about its medicine distribution. They need the Districts to survive -- an epidemic in any of them could destabilize Panem." His tone was dark and businesslike: he hoped the Capitol understood this fact as well as he did.

[paidinbeer]

Epidemic and destablize are a little too heavy a set of vocabulary words for Orc, but he gets the idea. His craggy face is deep in thought now and he runns a hand over his bumpy head.

"Well thanks anyway. Without you and the other smart guys who knows if the Capitol woulda fixed it or just tossed us all out and started over."

[youbarium]

"They couldn't," Carlos replies. "Hundreds of citizens were infected, Orc. They needed to find a cure for this, or a lot of Capitolites would die, too."

[paidinbeer]

"So?" Orc finds himself questioning. The words are falling from his mouth before he can consider them "Why do they care about the people in the Capitol? Seems to me like the Districts do all the important work."

[youbarium]

"No! No no no -- shhh, they're listening," hisses Carlos, leaning forward and holding out a hand, as though he could hold back Orc's words with a gesture. He doesn't look angry, just worried.

"The Capitol does plenty of important work," Carlos goes on. "Like transporting goods from one District to another. And, of course, organizing and broadcasting the Hunger Games."

[paidinbeer]

His face fell realizing his mistake and he coughed to clear his voice speaking a little too loudly to be believable.

"Gee, my mistake. I guess the Capitol really does love it's citizens and does alot for the world outside the walls!"

The expression on his face was similar to someone who had just been forced to eat something disgusting.

[youbarium]

It wasn't a good lie, but it would have to do.

"Listen, Orc," said Carlos seriously, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. "Panem's system of government might be different from what you're used to. It might seem unnecessarily harsh, or unfair, or even tyrannical. However, it's very important to remember that what works for one community might not work for another one. We're not from this world, Orc, and we can't just walk in and tell people that the way they've lived their entire lives is wrong."

[paidinbeer]

Orc nodded gently feeling like he was being reprimanded by a teacher. It was not a feeling he enjoyed, but he tolerated it all the same.

"Not that it matters what we say." He couldn't help but grumble trying to sound agreeable but only coming out as gruff. "They know best and they'll do what's best with or without us."

[youbarium]

Carlos nodded. "It's also important to keep in mind what you can change and what you can't," he said, and though they were in themselves truthful, the meaning Orc was meant to get from them was misleading. "We can change a lot of things about our lives in the Capitol, but we can't change the Capitol itself. Once you accept that, living here gets a lot easier."

[paidinbeer]

Orc's heavy brow crinkled as he muddled through the words reaching for a deeper meaning and failing to find it.

"Well that's depressing." He confessed and rose to his feet.

"But you're smart, so you're probably right. I was never that smart you know? And the guy who used to help me with that is a Capitol Citizen now so I'm just trying to sort it all out."

[youbarium]

Carlos didn't stand. He just watched Orc get up, and tilted his head when Orc mentioned the Capitol-citizen thing.

"...are you angry with him for becoming a citizen?" Carlos asked.

[paidinbeer]

He shook his head again causing a sound like rocks grinding together.

"He was never meant for the arena. He's small and weak. Smart and sneaky but he's been through too much. He'll be happier without me."

What he meant to say was that Howard would be happier as a citizen, but the truth snuck out.

[youbarium]

Carlos frowned. He really wasn't qualified for this. He was a scientist, not a counselor. However, after a moment of deliberation, he decided to speak up about it.

"...is that something he told you," Carlos asked slowly, "or did you decide that on your own?"

[paidinbeer]

Orc looked thoughtful and held up his hand wiggling it.

"A little of both? I mean he never said he'd be happier without me...but I know him pretty well. We've been friends for..."

He caught himself realizing something uncomfortably.

"He's been my friend for a long time, but I only really started being his friend this year. He deserved better."

[youbarium]

"You know," Carlos said, "no matter how well we think we know a person, it's never up to us to decide if they deserve us or not. That's up to them. Now, I don't know what the history between you two is like, but be careful you don't end a friendship you both want just because you're feeling guilty."

[paidinbeer]

Orc looked unsure as he listened, then nodded gently.

"I'll always try to be a better friend for him. If he still doesn't want to be around me after that then a good friend would leave him alone." Even if the sigh in his voice indicated he clearly didn't want things to end like that.

[youbarium]

Carlos nodded. "As long as that's his decision, not yours." And that was all the advice he had to give on the matter.

[paidinbeer]

Orc nodded watching Carlos, waiting to see if there was anything more. When there wasn't he grunted.

"Thank you for everything."

And then turned on his heel and lumbered for the door like a giant walking wall.

[youbarium]

Carlos watched him go, feeling a terrible surge of guilt about lying to this kid about the Capitol. He hated this charade so much.

But he didn't take back what he said. He just let Orc leave.

Poor kid.