In here it feels like Battle Royale meets the Truman Show [OPEN]

[arrogantalloy]

WHO| Everyone not in the mini-arena
WHAT| Not all the tributes are in this little event, but that doesn't mean they can't see what's going on.
WHEN| During the mini-arena
WHERE| Tesserae
WARNINGS| They're watching the arena, there may be talk of gore/dismemberment/death.

Tesserae is always at its liveliest when there is an arena full of tributes to mame. Mini-arenas unsurprisingly bring in more, mostly due to the fact that there are tributes that aren't in this arena and some tend to gravitate towards Tesserae to watch the proceedings.

Today was showing to be good for business with many people, citizens and tributes alike where in watching or making an obvious attempt to not watch while occasionally sneaking glances.

Anyone who comes in can see there's always space at the bar and the tables never seem to be occupied for too long before moving to somewhere else to get a better view of the expected carnage.

Comments

[69problems]

Nope. Sorry, Terezi, but at this point he's too dedicated to getting this relationship onto more stable ground to give up that easily. It's a risk to push when he knows it might just make things worse, but on the other hand that push might be what she needs. It's worth a try.

"It's very obviously not nothing." His voice is low, and he's thankful to the overenthusiastic crowd because at least they might make their conversation less likely to be monitored.

"Please. This is never going to really work if you can't at least on some level be open with me."

[pythianjudgment]

He presses and there's a moment when she tenses more, her shoulders pulling up and forward defensively. He frown deepens a little, but she doesn't snap at him. That little bit of guilt that twists in her gut tells her that he's right. She hasn't been very fair to him. She can't expect to keep this relationship afloat if she keeps shutting him out. She can't expect him to talk to her if she won't do the same.

Her head stays bowed and her shoulders hunched, but her voices comes out quietly, just barely audible above the din of the crowd. "I... I don't want them to drown. It's..." She struggles with the words, trying to get them out. "I did. And it's the worst... They're on that boat and I don't want them to...go through that."

[69problems]

Poor thing. No wonder she's in such a state: not only is it painful to see the people she cares about have to suffer, but it's just reminding her of her own trauma.

"Hopefully they won't have to." It sounds morbid when you really think about it: hopefully they won't drown, hopefully something else will kill them first. There are so many other ways to die. Or maybe, maybe they'll be incredibly lucky and win, but he's learned to stop daring to hope for that.

"I'm sorry. I know that it's hard to watch and and be unable to do anything when all you want is to keep them safe. But no matter what happens, you can be here for them afterward."

[pythianjudgment]

"It's not enough." It's never going to be enough. Just being here to pick up the pieces when they come back scarred and broken and a shadow of the people they were before. It wears over time, and it's only a matter of times before there won't be any pieces left to pick up.

"They shouldn't be in there at all. How is this supposed to be entertaining for anyone? How are they getting enjoyment out of watching this?" Her voice rises a little, a tone of desperation in it. She shouldn't be saying things like this so loudly, but she already feels frayed from being on the outside looking in. She's not sure how much she can take before she snaps.

[69problems]

He could make guesses, could analyze Capitol psychology, could even relate it to how highbloods could enjoy killing lowbloods like it was a right they were owed. It's the same in a lot of ways and he feels that acutely when he allows himself to think about it.

"I don't know," he says instead, and it's equally true. He can't understand anyone watching this and feeling anything other than revulsion.

"And... I know it's not enough. Nothing we can do individually will ever be enough." Because 'enough' would mean being free, would mean the end of the Games, would mean to an extent the end of Panem. He can't say that here and he can't pretend that any one of the tributes who wants to work toward it could do it all by themselves.

"But if we all do the smaller things we can do, those smaller things will build on each other."

[pythianjudgment]

The lack of a reasoning for this torture doesn't help Terezi's state of mind. She can't understand it. No one can understand it except the people who aren't a part of it. The people who have never been in those arenas and never will be, yet they cheer at the carnage from the outside in the safety of these clubs and their houses...

It's a good thing that Signless keeps going because it draws Terezi back out of the spiral of her thoughts.

"I don't know how it's ever going to be enough," she says quietly, knowing well enough how defeatist it sounds. "But there's nothing else we can do." Except give up, and she knows that she can't let herself think like that again.