thecapitol | "New Tributes are advised..." [closed(?)]

Who| Gary Epps, Haruto Soma, Raphael, Alex Murphy
What| A bunch of loud new people are loud about inappropriate things while the Peacekeepers are feeling particularly trigger-happy. Surely nothing can go wrong.
Where| just outside the Pier Twelve Carnivale and Arcade
When| late afternoon into evening
Warnings/Notes| language/maybe violence? Probably violence.

Pretty much as soon as Gary saw the amusement part, he knew he had to spend an entire day there. It's not like he's especially strained for time--he imagines that whatever paperwork that needed to be filled out with his school have long since been taken care of, and the Capitol news networks make a big enough deal about the Arenas that he's sure he won't miss being brought to the next one. In the meanwhile, there's no shortage of things to do.

The only foil to this plan comes just as Gary's leaving the park, full of sugary treats and adrenaline, when he decides to take a spontaneous detour on the posts lining the pier's border. The teen balances and hops nimbly between them, cheerful and complacent, right up until he realizes that the crowd of people several feet beneath him have scattered. How odd. They're not afraid he'll fall, are they?

No--their fears are much better founded. A Peacekeeper approaches, hand settled on the baton strapped to his hip. He really ought to get down from there. Gary settles on one foot and grins lazily. "Come on, guy. What's the matter? What am I doing?"

The baton is brandished. Gary can take the hint; he immediately jumps off, hands raised. "Alright! Alright. I'm down. Easy." Gary starts slowly backing away, watching with brows raised. The Peacekeeper watches him back but doesn't approach. It is a proper standoff--easily resolved, sure. But also easily escalated.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He'd been hanging back the whole time, tailing this one Peacekeeper over the course of the evening to just... watch. Watch what they did, where they went, and how they reacted to different degrees of people being people. Once or twice, he'd let himself be noticed, but for the most part, he'd remained decently hidden.

Ninja skills-- you know how it is.

But here was something. A kid doing essentially nothing, yet it seemed to draw attention from Raph's otherwise oblivious mark. Seriously, was this guy getting puffed up over some post to post hopscotch?

Ghosting up beside Gary, he nods to the Peacekeeper, arms folded tight across his chest.

"These guys seem t'be on some kinda power trip, pal. I wouldn't breathe too weird. Y'might set off his dumbass alarm."

Haruto had been very consistently off his game since arriving here. He was no stranger to winding up in unfamiliar worlds (though whether that was a wizard thing or just a Kamen Rider thing, he wasn't sure). But this place was several times more bizarre and unpleasant than anywhere else that he'd been. And his usual technique of 'look unassuming and pretend that you belong while you figure things out' wasn't working, because his clothes were not nearly ridiculous enough.

But he had gotten used to getting strange looks, both from the fancy citizens and the Peacekeepers. And he had managed to find a bakery and obtain himself a bag of what he had been assured was plain sugar donuts. But as he was about to sit himself down, tuck in, and continue observing, he observed something that seemed like it might require some intervention. Between the guy he recognized getting hassled by the Peacekeepers and the guy that he didn't (who was... green? Yes, okay, that is probably perfectly fine here, lets not draw any negative conclusions just yet) his inclination to do something was getting impossible to ignore.

"Hey." He absently folded up his paper bag of donuts, pushed away from the pillar he'd been leaning against, and took a few steps towards this potential mess. "There's no problem here, is there?" It's asked with a quick look to Raphael, and a longer and more pointed one at Gary.

The Peacekeeper is joined by someone else who, at a glance, looks like he's almost cut from the same mold - instead of white armor, it's silver and black and too narrow in parts to fit a man, purring with the sound of servos. There's still the same unimpressed expression, Alex Murphy's mouth drawn into a thin line beneath his visor.

Upon submitting his application to be accepted into the Peacekeepers, Alex is instructed to use whatever free time he wishes to shadow a Peacekeeper on-duty. Demonstrate that he can assist civilians and Tributes alike in following all laws, regulations, and maintain order. Public decency and safety. Instances such at this, for example, because those posts aren't authorized for use as a playground.

His head cants to track Gary, the kid's biometrics popping up to show signs of agitation.

"Physical force shouldn't be necessary so long as you continue cooperating." Alex steps forward, looming. "You seem to need a reminder about public safety. Those are not toys, Mr. Epps. By using them as such, you set a bad example for those around you."

And Alex isn't finished there, shifting his body to face Raphael and Mr. Soma.

"Please refrain from verbally assaulting an officer of the law." The Peacekeeper's mouth twitches like he's trying not to crack a smug grin because this is exactly why he signed up for cyborg babysitting. Alex glances at Mr. Soma, prepared to issue a warning if he so much as litters.

This is probably the part where Gary would run away--that is, before he's joined by several others. Now this is interesting, he thinks; one person dissents, and suddenly he's drawn a crowd? Maybe there's something he's missing.

Then again, the idea of backing off now in front of these new companions does not appeal to him very much, either. Gary huffs, folds his arms and holds his ground.

"That's a good question," the teen muses--addressing Haruto, i.e. the most familiar face, on instinct. The subtext's intended audience standing next to the Peacekeeper is only glanced at when Gary finds it most relevant. "I'm walking around, minding my own business, and this guy--" he points at the Peacekeeper, "--comes around like he's gonna beat me--and now I'm the bad example? Huh! Didn't realize it worked that way around here."

Gary turns to Raphael. Yes, he might have jumped a little bit when the turtle showed up in his blind spot, but as long as Raphael is on his side there are no hard feelings kept. "Can you believe these chumps? 'Verbal assault.'" Gary engages air quotes. "Wow."

He doesn't acknowledge the little jolt he caused, more or less used to that reaction these days when it came to humans dropping sight on him for the first time. It used to evoke a chuckle, but in the here and now, there were far more interesting things on his plate.

And who's the damn robot?

"Eh, I believe it," comes the reply to Gary, and he shrugs, "Been watchin' guys like this most of the day. Pretty sure I saw one yell at a cloud for bein' too fluffy."

The problem, you see, with teens? Is that they don't know when to back down when they're intermixed and caught up in a call against authority. Raphael was itching for something to go awry with the Peacekeepers, and here it was... and then some. Sizing up the Capitol's man -- and the toaster near-to him -- he smirks.

"Nobody's bein' assaulted." He gestures at the baton with a nod. "That's the guy wavin' his stick around like he owns the place."

Haruto stops short when some of the Peacekeeperly attention is turned to him. "I wasn't saying anything like that..." It's a weak protest, and one that he has the sudden, vague fear might wind up with him in handcuffs yet again. All the more so because Gary has recognized him and by addressing him is only pulling him in deeper to this mess.

"You're not a very good example, either." Yeah, Gary, he's on to you. You and your general lack of clues. His eyes dart to Raphael, and he nods along with the turtle's assessment. "This doesn't have to come down to blows. Seriously."

"He's authorized to promote an environment where Capitol citizens can feel safe," Alex jumps in to defend the Peacekeeper who, in his mind, was authorized to use whatever force he felt was necessary. There's no concept of overkill in his mind. "Please disperse if you are going to create a hostile environment."

And by hostile, Alex meant "cluster of Tributes" who may/may not make some stranger feel threatened just by standing too close to each other. From the way his Peacekeeper mentor doesn't say anything, just slaps the baton in the palm of his hand like a warning, Alex assumes he's doing everything the way he should.

Unfortunately, he's not authorized to use lethal force even if it's necessary.

'General lack of clues' is a good way to summarize what Gary's knowledge of this situation is. He's not sure why a group of what he perceives as celebrities would be considered a threat. He also hasn't been here very long. That much is probably obvious--or about to be.

"Hostile? I--" Gary gestures wildly, eventually settling on pointing an accusing finger at the Peacekeeper's baton. "--He's armed! If it's not going to come down to blows, then what's he planning on using that stick for? Scratching his back? Petting kittens?"

Edited 2014-10-16 19:21 (UTC)

"New Tributes are advised..." [closed(?)]

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