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Who| Carlos and Thor
What| Carlos drowns his sorrows in rebel networking
Where| The Speakeasy
When| A few days after the mini-arena
Warnings/Notes| None yet!

Carlos had broached the subject as casually as he could. Heeey, soooo, I was thinking about how you saved me from a lot of embarrassment at the Crowning, and I thought that maybe I could buy you a drink, you know, as a thank you. That was probably enough for the Capitol's cameras: Carlos had been asking a lot of attractive men out for drinks lately, and considering his friendly acquaintanceship with Thor, he didn't think this would be suspicious. He had handed Thor an address and a time.

The time was half an hour after Carlos got there.

The address was the Speakeasy.

So here he was. He sat, and waited, and tried not to think about rats.

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Luckily for Carlos, Thor is a casual man. He'd been amused more than anything by the approach and thought nothing of accepting it. He hadn't forgotten their meaningful words and looks, but he's no proper way of knowing what Carlos does and doesn't have to do with a rebellion that he's not fully aware of.

Thor arrives dressed as casually as the invitation had been. A tightly fitted t-shirt, jeans and his scraggly blond hair pulled back into a ponytail coupled with sandals. Sandals. Good god, he loved them.

He smiled brightly at Carlos when he laid eyes on him, weaving through toward him and taking the seat across from him. "You've no need to thank me, you know, but I shall take that drink all the same."

"I'm grateful for what you did," Carlos replies, frank. "That Crowning was really hard for me, for...well, for several reasons." He looks away, a little uncomfortably. How does Kevin make Carlos uncomfortable? Let him count the ways. There were a lot of them. "So, thank you, for keeping it from being as bad as it could have been."

"I feel much the same." He says, a certain graveness returning to his voice. "A child, one that I have taken under my wing, was brutally murdered by the man we were gathered to celebrate." He makes no attempt at hiding his disdain for him.

"You offered me some amusement amongst the indignation." He can't help looking a little coy as he remembers just how badly Carlos made his shot.

"Yeah, I know," Carlos sighs the sigh of a man who has been resigned to good-natured teasing for a while now. "But that's not what I'm here to talk about." His voice drops down to barely above a whisper. "What I really wanted to ask you was if you meant what you said. A-about how, if there were anything you could do to help me, you would. Even if it meant going against the Capitol."

Thor's brows raise as Carlos changes the subject and his expression sobers at the way he lowers his voice. He tries to appear as casual as he can, but he also wants to indicate that he recognises how serious this is.

"Aye." He vividly remembers. "And I meant it. It is not in my blood or my spirit to stand idly by while others suffer at the hands of poor rulers." He speaks as candidly as he pleases, but his voice is a low rumble.

"But that could get you into a lot of trouble." Carlos fixes Thor with a gaze that is both worried and determined. "They torture people here, Thor. This isn't a nice dystopian government where they come and watch you personally and can't hear you if the windows are closed. This is the Capitol. They cut out Cecil's tongue just for reporting something they did. If you get caught, they will kill you. Or worse."

"My people are warriors, Carlos." He says that plainly, fixing his gaze intently on Carlos's. "There are little ones here, innocents and good people, they suffer for every day there is nothing done for them. This is not the manner of battle my father and his father before him waged, but it is one I will gladly fight alongside men such as yourself and those I know from home." He'll let that sit for a moment before he continues. "My life is my own, whether I am suffering or fighting. That is what matters to me."

"...I just wanted to be sure you knew what you were getting into." Carlos glances around. "This building is safe. There aren't any cameras, or hidden microphones, or recording equipment at all. You can say whatever you want in here, but I need you to promise me that you won't say anything like what you just said anywhere else." He's very serious: if Thor talks like that anywhere else, he will be arrested.

"And I wanted you to be sure of my sentiment." He nods, not looking particularly surprised at what Carlos says. "It is not my first time here." Just so Carlos knows he doesn't always babble that kind of crap, but he'll confirm for his sake. "I am no fool, Carlos. I know what they have done to others, to friends."

That's a relief. Carlos feels a little guilty for assuming Thor might be careless about it -- he really shouldn't judge by appearances, but he wouldn't have been surprised if Thor had been brave to the point of recklessness.

"I won't ask who showed you this place," he says -- Carlos is already on Capitol watch lists and it isn't good for him to know too much about the other rebellious Tributes. "But when they did, did they tell you about District 13?"

Thor knows as well as most that he isn't the most adept at situations like this. He talks big game about battles, but he hasn't had to fight on the sly much before. Still, he's gotten the point of being discreet quite vividly, he thinks.

He nods in appreciation when Carlos doesn't ask, but confusion is crossing his face at the question. "We spoke only of District 3. I had not heard of a 13, I did not know it existed."

"Oh, it does," Carlos says, eyes lighting up with purpose. "The Capitol just wants you to think it doesn't. It was a leader in the last District uprising almost eighty years ago, but when it became clear that the Capitol was going to win the war, District 13 made a deal. Are you familiar with the capabilities of nuclear weapons?" Thor talks in a way that's kind of old-fasioned and does lightning magic. Carlos wants to check to make sure he doesn't have to explain before he goes on.

The eager interest is apparent in Thor's face as Carlos talks, because it gives him hope. Even if it's just the faintest little glimmer of it, to hear news that weighs in their favour is a good thing indeed.

At the question, he looks as if he needs to think about it. "My experience with the term is only in passing, I've not witnessed the effects they hold." Thus proving that it was a good question to ask.

"They're very powerful explosives," Carlos explains, very seriously. "But it isn't just the blast that makes them deadly. They give off thermal energy and gamma rays, burning or irradiating everything in the surrounding area. The effects last for weeks." They were a terrible invention, Carlos feels -- a case of science being used to kill.

"District 13 was the center of nuclear weapons production in Panem before the first uprising."

"That is not a power to be used lightly." But oddly, not a concept he's entirely unfamiliar with. He can see what Carlos is trying to tell him and he doesn't much like the sound of it.

"So it can be assumed that they are in possession of these weapons and that they may well make use of them." And everyone will die. Not the outcome Thor is hoping for. Even if it only pertains to Capitol people, they're still people and under the influence of a power they cannot fight.

"That's right. As far as I can tell, District 13 threatened to use them on the Capitol unless the Capitol allowed it to become independent. The arrangement was that the Capitol would bomb the surface of District 13 and claim that all life had been eradicated. The inhabitants of 13, however, are still alive, most likely living out of underground bunkers, which sheltered them from the original blast. Now, District 13 is the only place in Panem not under Capitol control. It's also the center of the rebellion."

Carlos explains all this patiently, intently, and a little dramatically -- he can't help it, it's just how he is. He watches Thor the whole time, gauging whether or not he needs to go back or go into detail about something.

The way Carlos explains is greatly appreciated, though Thor wonders if he should submit more to the conversation. There are concepts he's familiar with, but he feels largely out of his element here and he wonders how best to involve himself on the right side. The rebellion seemed favourable, but there's no guarantee of safety for anyone involved or uninvolved with weapons like that.

"I understand." He clarifies, not wanting to be dismissive. "If you can tell me, I would like to know where your information comes from. Furthermore, though I pledge myself against the Capitol, I cannot help but wonder if we are truly worth assisting as far as these people are concerned."

Carlos completely understands the hesitation to take this at face value, and he is completely willing to explain.

"Well, there are the hacker's posts to the network, but the Initiate was the one who told me about District 13. He has some kind of telepathic, mind-reading power, and there was an incident involving the release of aliens into the city that District 13 was involved with. The Capitol returned his powers temporarily to fight the aliens, and he was able to get some information about 13 during the fight. Then, I went to the Capitol record rooms to try to confirm it for myself. I found that all of the footage we have of District 13 is exactly the same. I don't mean they recorded the same place every time, I mean that they're reusing old footage. They say that all their broadcasts are made live on the site of the old district, but if you watch the top corner of the screen very closely, you'll see a bird fly across it. It's always the same bird, always the same corner, and it happens at regular intervals. Even if I didn't have Initiate's information or the hacker posts, that video alone would be enough to prove that there is something in District 13 that the Capitol wants to hide."

He would get to Thor's second question in a moment. Right now, he wanted to see if Thor was convinced.

"I know of these, and of Initiate." He adds, just so Carlos knows they're in understanding of that much. It's then that he must consider the information provided again. It seems convincing enough, but there's a level of uncertainty that Thor needs to accommodate himself with. He could turn away, but if there's a thin, glimmer of hope it's not like him to do anything but pursue it.

"The suspicions align." He admits with a nod, there are signs of uncertainty in his expression, but the mere fact that he chooses not to express it shows that he's as good as convinced.

"I'm not saying we can trust them completely," Carlos admits. "All my information says 13 has its own agenda. Their primary concern is overthrowing the Capitol, but I don't know what they're going to do next. Maybe their government will be better for the Districts, maybe it won't. I don't know. But I do know that they're willing to smuggle us out because they think they can use us in the war."

War. There's a word Thor wishes he didn't have to hear. His eyes are open now to the devastation and destruction that it brings. It's even worse knowing that people will be caught between sides no matter what, so much so that it earns a soft exhale from him.

"My way is the way that ensures the safety of as many people as possible. If war is the way we must win peace, so be it." He nods, almost as if making an agreement with himself more than he is with Carlos. "It is a risk I am willing to invest my abilities in, should you need my assistance. If we are to begin smuggling people out, I will remain behind as long as we need."

Nothing Carlos has heard today has shaken his growing conviction that he can trust Thor.

My abilities reminds him of something, though.

"Actually," he says, shifting in his chair and leaning forward a little more, "I wanted to talk to you about your abilities. Did you see what Starkiller did last Arena? Right before the power went out?"

Thor shifts in his seat at the question, as if becoming even more attentive now that he feels something he can properly form an opinion on is being brought up.

"I did not see it with my own eyes, but I heard tell of it soon after, before I encountered him outside of the Arena." He pulls his mouth into a thin line for a moment, but curiosity wins out. "Where do my abilities play into that?"

"He shot a bolt of lightning into the sky, and the Arena shorted out. That tells us two things. One, the Arenas -- even the ones that look like they're outdoors -- are enclosed environments. And two..." He leans in a little more, dropping his voice.

"It means that someone with powers like you can temporarily shut down an Arena."

To hear that the Arenas are enclosed is surprising, though on some level it makes sense. It just makes him even more proud of Starkiller for revealing a secret like that.

"That we can use to our advantage, I'm sure." He doesn't know how, but he isn't the brains of this operation. "To what end?" He asks curiously, though he'll understand if Carlos hasn't got an answer. "How often do powers return?"

"I've seen it happen in both main arenas I've participated in," Carlos replies, choosing to answer the second question first. "You were there when it happened in the last one, and in the one before that there were masks. If you put one on, you got your powers back, easy. It's just that they don't ever tell you how or when it's going to happen." The masks had had a catch -- leave them on too long and they sunk ugly hooks into your face and became painful to remove -- but that wasn't really relevant to the conversation right now.

"As for how to use it...you'll have to be careful," warns Carlos. "Starkiller was turned into an avox for what he did. You'll have to be sure you have a way to get out. But I think," he says, slowly and deliberately, "that maybe, if the electrical grid was fried and you still had your powers, maybe you might be able to escape. And if you got out under conditions that left your abilities intact...I can't say for sure, all of this is purely hypothetical and not very scientific at all but the possibility exists that you could get free and keep your powers."

"If that is true, perhaps we can expect it again. Of course, it's also possible that they will not grant us such an opportunity as a consequence of the damage Starkiller caused." He doesn't want to discredit the man for the insight he provided, but Starkiller's recklessness had been costly in many ways.

Still, he nods along, intrigued by the concept of truly destroying an Arena. "I understand the risk." He agrees. "But it is something I would be willing to try, if the circumstances align. If I had my powers, there is little that could stop me. I can withstand far more when I am at my peak."

"I just thought you should know about it," Carlos said, "considering what you can do and all."

He sat back a little in his chair.

"That's all I really wanted you to know," says Carlos. "As long as we're here, is there anything you want to ask me?"

"And I appreciate it." He affirms, because he will be considering this deeply for some time. He will be waiting for chances next Arena to exact the plan, even if he's skeptical as to whether they will get another chance.

"Nothing comes to mind." He admits. "You have told me much already, I will need time to dwell on it. Is there anything you recommend I look into or avoid in my time? Any unsavoury sorts I should be wary of?"

"Well, there's Kevin, but you already know about him. Other than that..." Carlos shakes his head. "I can't think of anyone. But if you get a chance, look at that footage of 13."

He stands.

"We can probably leave together without it looking strange," Carlos says. "I mean, I did invite you here."

"That I do." He says darkly, but with a knowing smile. "So I shall." He agrees with a compliant nod as he rises out of his chair. He crosses toward Carlos and claps a hand on his back in lieu of shaking his hand like some others might.

"You must know that I deeply appreciate all that you have told me." He bows his head in thanks before he begins to move forward to head out with the other man when he's ready.

"I had a feeling I could trust you," admits Carlos with a small smile. "It's good to know I wasn't wrong."

He heads for the door at a leisurely pace, not walking too fast or too slow. For all the Capitol knows, they're just friends out for a drink.

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