thecapitol | I won't forget all the ones that I love

Who| Joshua Donovan and OTA
What| Wandering, trying to get his bearings.
Where| Around the Capitol, District 4 common areas
When| Todayish
Warnings/Notes| Minor swearing when Joshua's worked up. Also, let me know if I eff anything up.

Joshua was never one to truly believe in retail therapy, however, in a new place, he needed to get out, figure out what was going on, and above all, try not to stew. This wasn't CERN, this wasn't even the Warehouse. Was there even a version of the Warehouse here? Probably not, to be honest. As he walked around, idly looking into one shop or another, he kept seeing a few flashes, a red-haired girl with colored stripes in her hair, someone typing away at a tablet, everything reminded him of home, even in this chaotic and frankly overwhelming place. Stickin his hands in his pockets, he wandered on, determined to make the best of the situation.

Eventually, though, he ended up in the District 4 common area, some reading material in his lap, half-paying attention to the science advances that had come down the pipeline in this world. Frankly, he just wished that he could play a video game.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Among the stranger parts of Cyrus' assignment to Tribute affairs was how much free time it afforded him. He was used to staying in his office long after hours, and to leaving work only to cloister himself in his study for entire nights; public relations, it turned out, involved a lot less time commitment. On any other assignment, he might have found it welcome - but here, he was expected to use that extra time to interact with Tributes.

That was what had him wandering the halls of Tribute Tower, walking with completely feigned purpose - he wasn't allowed into the common rooms, and honestly wouldn't have entered them even had it been permitted, but he had every intention of making sure the Tributes got used to his presence in their midst.

Donovan caught his attention because he didn't recognize him. Cyrus didn't make any determined study of Tributes' names and faces, but most of them he could place in a vague, seen-you-on-the-screens before kind of way; This man he didn't recognize from any Arena. He slowed as Donovan approached, stepping more immediately into his path, and trying to look open to conversation in a way he usually reserved for state dinner afterparties.

"Excuse me-- I don't mean to delay you. But do you have a moment?"

Joshua has been determinedly trying not to pay too much attention to anything, pushing everything down in his mind, but this man talking to him, jolts him out of his thoughts.

Startling a bit, he looks over at the other man, turning a bit pink in the cheeks as he runs a hand through his hair. "Er, sure. I'm not really in any hurry to be anywhere. Just trying to get my bearings around here."

Cyrus smiles, polite and sympathetic. "Oh, good. I'm not the only one. I swear, they should hand out maps." Despite his words, he looks much more Capitol than Tribute - when he talks about being lost, he's speaking about this specific building, and not Panem at large.

He extends his hand to shake. "Cyrus Reagan." If Joshua's heard his network introduction, the name will be familiar to him; if not, Cyrus doesn't mind this second opportunity at a first impression. "Am I right in guessing you're new to the Capitol?"

"That would be useful now that I think about it. Show people where things are." It is possible that in some of the things in his room or that he was given there is information, but he hasn't actually taken the time to figure it all out yet.

He shakes Cyrus' hand, however, firmly and with possibly a bit more confidence than the rest of his manner. "Joshua Donovan, good to meet you." He hasn't heard much from the network, only arriving the evening before. "Yeah, I just arrived yesterday. I'm... still not really sure what I'm in for."

"Well-- let me be the first to welcome you to Panem, then." There's an upswing in friendliness there, like meeting a Tribute is a genuine pleasure, of a better-than-everyday kind. "I work for President Snow on matters of Capitol-District relations-- I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of each other before the next Arena." He hopes that Joshua's at least had terms like "Capitol" and "Districts" explained to him; if not, he'll have to have a word with whoever oversees Tribute arrivals and debriefings.

That second statement makes a small crease appear between his eyes, though-- a slight gesture of concern. "Although-- I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you mean by in for," he says. "Could you explain?"

There's a flitter of something on Joshua's face. He's not used to him being someone interesting to meet. "Huh. That sounds interesting. I've never been one for politics myself, I'm actually a scientist, but it's always been fascinating." When the politicians aren't utter assholes like the American congress, at least.

"Uh. I probably shouldn't have used those particular terms. I, um. I'm not a fighter. I'm usually just someone who studies theoretical physics. And I'm really not used to people knowing who I am."

Cyrus isn't much in the habit of watching the Games anymore. He appreciates them more for their stabilizing effect on society than for their spectacle. But in his experience, most people find they're better fighters than they think, once they're in the Arena.

"It's a big adjustment," Cyrus agrees, his smile returning. "Not many of our Tributes enjoyed the same celebrity in their own homes that they do here. But I think you might find you're better-suited to it than you believe - you're far from the only scientist competing, you know."

I won't forget all the ones that I love - (Open!)

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