Boom boom boom

[gamemakers]

Who| ALL people who call the Tribute center home, and anyone who might have been there on business.
What| Lock down
Where| Around the Capitol, and in the Tribute Center.
When| Feel free to tag in if you died any time in the first 3 weeks. (So if you die tomorrow, you can feel free to back tag in, if you like)
Warnings/Notes| Use this post both for threads before, around the city, and after the Peacekeepers and Avoxes gather everyone. More information about the state of the city after this will come tomorrow in the Deathroll. If your tribute character is out and about, they should expect Peacekeepers to escort them back within 15-20 minutes (and you can feel free to handwave the peacekeepers)

The people lurking around the docks, wearing plain clothes, rough clothes, might stand out among the Capitol Citizens if 'District chic' wasn't a style that came and went on a regular basis. As it was, they barely stood out, people trying too hard to look like they didn't belong and that they did, at the same time. 

Sorta like everyone else around them. It was hard to act suspicious in the Capitol.

It was a bit strange, people getting on the Shore to Shore boat dressed like that. Not normally what anyone would consider club wear, but 'normal' was not highly regarded around these parts.

However, it wasn't long after the boat had left the dock that it made it's grand exit.

In an explosion that sent a fireball high into the night sky, lighting up the bay, and sending high waves lapping at the shore, the boat was obliterated. Rescue operation were swift, but there just wasn't much left to rescue.

Siren's filled the city, automated voices urging people from every street corner to return home, lock the doors, stay inside. And for the Tributes wandering the city, it was more then automated urging. Those in the Tribute training center were gather up by Avoxes, and brought down to the common room, the elevator refusing to work for anyone who wasn't in the process of gathering up Tributes, Mentors, Stylist...anyone lingering in the building.

Those Tributes not already at home found themselves flanked by Peacekeepers and escorted back, deposited in the same common room, and told to wait. 

Eventually, hours later, everyone was cleared and the elevator opened, although the front doors still refused to allow anyone out without a special clearance no one was being offered. A recorded voice told them emergency alert instructions would be available for them in the morning. And then their doors locked behind them for the night.

Comments

AROUND TOWN

[gamemakers]

COMMON ROOM

[gamemakers]

[buildingreality]

Ariadne had just wanted to get out a little. She meant nothing by it, just a little bit of research so she could figure out exactly what kinds of buildings she should be sketching out in order to perhaps get recognised for her abilities. It wasn't the same level of creativity that she was used to, but even now, the memories of the job were starting to fade. The need to build dreams wasn't quite there any more.

But it had all been cut abruptly short by a really unfortunate siren screaming out through the city, and then she'd found herself none too kindly escorted back to a common room. She made no secret of not liking the way they were treating her - one Peacekeeper had taken to gripping her arm until they made it there, only letting go once they got in and there was no chance of escape. She kept her remarks to herself, however, glad they let her keep her pencils and sketchbook so as least to amuse herself until further notice.

Pursing her mouth and rubbing the spot on her arm where the Peacekeeper had been holding her, Ariadne slowly moved into the room, taking a seat somewhere comfortable and settling herself in.

[retrieverchef]

Eliot had to admit he was relieved to have his date interrupted, especially when the Peacekeepers escorted him to the common room of the Training Center rather than back to see that bitch. He walked over and sat down next to Ariadne. They hadn't really had a chance to speak since her coronation. At least here it wouldn't look too odd.

"Are ya all right?" he asked, noting the way she rubbed her arm.

[buildingreality]

"Fine," she replied, unable to keep a faint thread of annoyance from her voice. Her eyes were still on the Peacekeeper in question, unreadable but less than pleased with the man. Eventually, she turned her eyes over to Eliot, still frowning a little; she let her expression soften a tiny bit then, though. It was true - it had been a while since they'd spoken. She felt like she barely even knew him anymore. Possibly for the best; she didn't know.

"You?"

[hasacondition]

He'd woken up disoriented with a headache, which wasn't necessarily something unfamiliar to him. The only problem was that it shouldn't have happened here, but sure enough, the last thing he remembers clearly is falling, and then a sudden surge, and him hoping he'd break his neck when he hit the ground.

That's not the last thing he remembers, but the rest is just impressions, just enough to prove that his hopes were totally shattered. A few faces, cold and bright lights and a sort of pain that shouldn't exist, and then he really can't remember anything else before waking up here.

He was so completely fucked.

It wasn't enough for them to mess around and somehow accomplish what even he couldn't; then they had to toy with him and bring it back, and now this entire rotten country saw him tearing up inside the arena. He couldn't even escape by being boring anymore.

He's been avoiding people a lot more than usual, turning his head away whenever he sees anyone, and especially steering clear from anyone he remembers from the flashes. Especially the ones from back home. He was very, very good at making himself difficult to find when he had a mind for it, even in unfamiliar locations.

And then of course they had to bring everyone into one big room and lock them all inside. He should be paying attention, trying to figure out what happened to get the people in charge so scared, but he's spending all his time trying to stay away from people instead, hanging back from the crowd and trying to tune out the television. It's a lot harder when there's nowhere else to go, but that doesn't stop him from trying to meander around the room anyway to avoid the people he especially doesn't want to talk to, even if it means bumping into other people instead.

[tailforbrains]

Neeshka had not been pleased to be dragged back in here, especially since she'd almost-- almost!-- gotten her hands on a really fat-looking wallet when the peacekeepers had swooped down on her. She'd been half-certain they'd caught her at it, the whole way back to the training center, at least until she spotted a dozen other Tributes down here, too.

That helped her relax a bit.

About the only one in there just then who wasn't someone she either very much didn't want to talk to, or else looked totally forbidding, was one burly guy with glasses. So she sidled over and asked, sidelong, tail flicking behind her, "So what's going on? Why'd they haul us all back?"

[hasacondition]

He glanced at the tail-- he'd seen weirder, and it seemed like it wasn't unusual in this place, but he'd always been sick of people acting like they never noticed his own little problem, so he made a point of not looking away guiltily when he turned his attention to her.

He toyed with one leg of his glasses as he looked around the room for the Peacekeepers. Talking freely was probably impossible, but he could at least try and hide it a little. "They're not telling us. It's probably something big-- they've never done this before?"

[from_a_distance]

Well there was someone Clint definitely wanted to be keeping an eye on. He didn't wait for Bruce to bump into him before heading over to him, making sure not to sneak up on the guy.

"How's it going, doc?"

[pursuitofcappiness]

Sorry Banner, them's the breaks. While Bruce has been actively avoiding Steve, Steve has been actively looking for Bruce. So when they're all cornered in a little area, he waves his hand to get Bruce's attention and makes his way over. His sight might not be Clint's, but he locks on and there's nowhere to go.

"Hey," he says, hand on Bruce's shoulder in a friendly, assured manner. "How are you doing? Are you feeling alright?"

[downbeat]

Katurian was crouched in the corner of the common area. Vomiting.

He monopolized the only trash can, his hands gripping the plastic rim up around his face as he struggled for air (cough wheeze c-c-cough gasp gasp gasp wheeze) and control. His eyes were sunken-in and dark like bruised fruit. His skin was the color of an eggshell.

[vissernone]

Eva never really has had a heart of stone. She knows it looks suspicious to fraternize with other District's Tributes, but if they're all going to be on lockdown she might as well offer some help to the poor man retching his guts up into a wastebin.

She kneels by his side with a towel she's wet in warm water. She almost reaches over to rub his back, but as she doesn't especially like being touched without warning, she affords him the same courtesy.

She hums Amazing Grace, giving a dramatic pause and a smirk that manages to still be sympathetic on 'wretch like me'. She likes puns.

[mudbloodhater]

Draco was managing to stay remarkably quiet where he sat on one side of a couch, eyeing everyone else around him. It wasn't a judging stare (except that it sort of was), but mere observation. He hadn't complained nearly as much as most of the others, perhaps because he had only just come back from that latest death. And he'd be damned if that hadn't pissed him off. Howard was number one on his shitlist now, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't thinking of good ways to kill off the other boy first chance he got.

His cheek was propped up in one hand, and though he hardly exuded a welcoming feel, he could have been far less inviting.

[mannersmatter]

Effie sank down on the couch next to him, marking off a little check next to his name on her tablet with her finger tip.

She looked more worried than Effie had yet to manage in so far as Draco had known her.

"I can't believe this is happening."

[makeflowersgrow]

Eponine stopped about a foot away from Draco's feet, just out of easy grabbing range. Just in case. She was twisting her hands nervously as she approached Draco. She'd seen the death clip, and her heart had sank.

"Monsieur? I am sorry for what Howard did. I did not ask him to hurt you."

It sounded awkward, stilted even in her flowery French accent. What was it? A plea for forgiveness? She felt guilty; Howard had as good as implicated her in Draco's death and she was cross with him for that.

[from_a_distance]

Clint was still getting used to the whole 'died but didn't die' thing. (And not a little ego bruising from as short a time as he'd lasted.) He wasn't too terribly excited about being shuffled down to the common room when he really needed to be up high somewhere, clearing his head and figuring out what the hell he was going to do about being stuck in this ridiculous reality show.

There wasn't really anywhere in the room where he could perch, but he could set himself up in the corner where he could keep an eye on everyone else there.

[vissernone]

"You look a little put out." Eva leans against the wall next to Clint and makes a 'tss' sound as she presses her fingertip and thumb together, as if illustrating snuffing a candle. "You okay, after the first revival?"

[big_badass_hero]

Chris had woken up, he was still fuzzy about how it had happened but he at least recognized where he was. That was about when the Peacekeepers entered the room to escort him to the common room. Chris managed to stop himself from slugging one of them. His hand went for where he had kept the knife in the arena, of course it wasn't there.

Once he was released he hit the wall, beat punching one of the others in the room.

Leaning against the wall he looked at the room trying to figure out a way out of there despite not being the only one there. It would give him something to do at least. Probably would have them keeping more of an eye on him, but right now he didn't care. He didn't want to be stuck in a room of their choosing right now. Hell, at this point Chris wanted a gun, and out of there. He'd take the zombies in Raccoon over being some pet or toy.

[makeflowersgrow]

Since her death in the arena, Eponine hadn't been back to the training centre much. She didn't want to see herself; the clips of her wandering through the snow in in just two pieces of damp fabric which did little to conceal anything were being replayed repeatedly, and it made her sick to the stomach to see herself in such a manner. And seeing Howard's reaction after her death, too, was horrible. She'd seen how he'd tried to resuscitate her afterwards too, but of course, he hadn't realised her neck was broken. And the stares and the comments from the Capitol people were too much to bear. So Eponine had done what comes naturally to her; she had retreated into the back alleys and looming doorways and dosed off there. She'd tried to prize up storm drain covers and get down into the darkness. She'd crawled into the middle of a bush and just sat and cried.

It was whilst she was crying that the Peacekeepers had come and grabbed her, and forced her back to the Training Centre. Of course she had heard the sirens, but Eponine had chosen to ignore them, burying her head between her knees instead. How the Peacekeepers had found her was beyond Eponine. She had presumed she was invisible. But she definitely wasn't. She was pulled out from the bush, and held firmly on the upper arms by the Peacekeepers as they frogmarched her back, and pushed her into the Common Room.

Eponine stumbled as they pushed her, but saved herself. She looked round quickly at the other occupants, before retreating to a corner, where she sat on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, hoping against hope that they weren't going to be made to watch the death reel again.

[hasacondition]

There was one face he did recognize that he wasn't opposed to talking to, not when compared to all the other people he's avoiding. He didn't want to make a scene, draw more attention to her, though, so he waited to slip away from the rest of the room and gently approach her.

He crouched down to something closer to her height, not directly in front of her but off to the side-- he didn't want to look like he was trapping her in. Of course, once he actually got there, he had to try to think of something to say; 'hey, looks like your plan worked!' didn't seem like it'd go over too well.

"...Hey."

Yeah, that was so much better. Good work, Banner.

[makeflowersgrow]

Eponine looked up at Bruce when he spoke, and gave him a quick flash of a smile.

"Hey there, Monsieur."

She returned to silence for a minute, before she stated, simply,
"You were killed. I'm sorry, Monsieur."

[electriccandlelight]

Valeria was not pleased. Obviously she was not the type to be put off by an explosion--not that she knew much about it, and any deaths because of the...accident? Well, it was tragic, surely, but that was no reason to stop her from doing her job, was it? She was only at the Center in the hopes of pinning down one of her Tributes for some trial runs, and now she was stuck?

Well, just because she wasn't allowed at the moment to return to her workshop and get some actual work done was no reason to sit on her behind and do nothing.

"There you are! You, Eponine, my girl, come here!" She snapped her fingers at Eponine as she strode over. With all this time on her hands perhaps she could finally do something with her hair that would actually stick.

[makeflowersgrow]

Eponine looked up when she heard her name called, and immediately groaned when she realised it was Valeria. But still, she got to her feet and went over to the woman reluctantly.

"Madame? What is it? Are you cross with me?"

She was thinking particularly about the arena, though even now, her hair was tangled, and - was that a broken twig? And Eponine had deliberately chosen clothes that covered and hod her body shape. After her little show, she was fed up with the remarks.

[pursuitofcappiness]

He doesn't think seeing him is her number one priority, but when he sees her huddled in a corner, he comes over.

"Hey, Eponine," he starts, voice smooth and even. He drops down, to sit by her, and he looks concerned. "Are you alright? What happened?"

[makeflowersgrow]

"Hey there M'sieur!" She smiles, but it soon dims, as she remembers what seeing Steve means. "You died. Are you okay?"

She shrugs. "I didn't want to come back here but they made me. I don't want to watch the Arena on the - the things. I don't want to see myself over and over."
And indeed, Eponine's suicide was getting repeated quite a lot; apparently, her actions had stricken the Gamemakers as unusual - and her near nakedness was definitely popular with the citizens. It made her feel even more awkward than she usually did though.

"But, what can we do, eh? We are stuck, no?"