We'll just march to some new place and somebody else will die

[fuckitall]

Who| Nick and OTA
What| Newly arrived Nick gathers his bearings...or tries to?
Where| Bar & rooftop of the Training Center
When| 10/21, afternoon?
Warnings/Notes| Spoilers for up to Amid the Ruins (episode 4).



Bar

[Nick didn't appreciate having rules imposed on him the moment he woke up here. The barrage of so much information was beyond overwhelming but never had he felt more frustrated at still feeling as if he had no idea what the hell was going on. The sight of a bed was comforting, but he couldn't bring himself to sleep despite knowing how deprived he had been.
He made a beeline for the bar as soon as he heard that such amenities were free. He had to see it to believe it because the world didn't work like that and it never had.

A serving of fries was all it took for him to remember how fucking hungry he initially was. Two burgers and two very free whiskeys later, he finds himself ready for a third helping. Knowing the fact that his freedom was more or less traded for all this makes him order another glass. It's stupid, but he needs to forget even for just a little while. Forget this place; forget the last moment he recalled being alive before he felt that lurker's teeth sink into his neck.

He downs the whiskey in one go, letting its warmth settle into him as he stares at the empty glass.]

Rooftop

[He hasn't seen a city, let alone any form of civilization, in a while. A very small part of him takes comfort in that he doesn't have to worry about the possibility of lurkers bursting in at any minute. But the rest of him knows that his experience of his place so far goes to show how much more dangerous the living are as opposed to the dead. In a way, this isn't much different from living under Carver's control; there's food, shelter - and while there aren't any lurkers, they're still fighting for their lives. There's some form of safety but their lives are still at risk. And this time, it's for the enjoyment of others like some seasonal baseball game.

There's always a catch with these things. That thought alone makes him tick.

He pulls his sleeve back to look at the watch Pete gave him and remembers his late uncle's words.

"...nobody in this world is ever gonna give a god damn whether you like something or not."]

Ain't that the truth... [He pauses, as if expecting a response.] Especially right now. [He leans back against his chair and looks over at the city, watch still ticking.]

Comments

[reassures]

[Hey man, how many names can you be sure of the spelling on when there are like fifty versions of Earth floating around? Especially when one of them seems to be full of zombies.

Stories behind names, however, are not something that she's had experience with before. Instead of writing anything this time Nill nods her head, smile brightening slightly. Her wings shift a little against her back, before she holds up a hand and gives him a thumbs up. Yes please.]

I am sorry

[fuckitall]

[Nick responds to that with a smile and closes his eyes for a moment, as if to recall the memory itself before opening them again to start.]

I was at the usual coffee place with my uncle. [Starbucks, in fact – but he doesn’t name it. His experience in Panem so far shows that not everyone knows about that famous business with locations on practically every street corner back home] They write your name on your cup to call out your order when it’s ready. [And this is where he’s starting to doubt the humor of it all.] Most of the time, for some god damn reason they’d spell it N-I-C, so one time, I decided to tell them, “It’s Nick with a K.”

Five minutes later, the barista yells out [he then manages the strongest southern accent he can, enough to probably have Luke elbow him hard if he was here to listen] “I got’a latte for KICK! Kick, grande latte right ‘ere!” [He chokes back a laugh when he stops, slowly resigning to a small, sad smile. He remembered being embarrassed, blood boiling at knowing that he was being stared at by other customers.]

My uncle wouldn't stop laughing even after we got to the car. I remember I yelled at him to stop too. [He even thought Pete told them ahead of time to mess with him.] I wish I hadn't. [He says that with an ounce of regret. Pete had a sense of humor but Nick rarely saw that unless it was at his own expense.] It was early and I was moody.

And stupid. Very fucking stupid. [He waits for Nill's reaction, not really expecting much.] Probably not as funny as you hoped but. [He shrugs, feeling awkward again.]

no that was beautiful

[reassures]

[The most confusing part of the story so far is why on earth the baristas went for N-I-C instead of N-I-K, but that's just Nill's experience. Nick's concern over the name seems completely justified.

But she listens intently, obviously curious, and she actually giggles a little at first, until he gets to the end of the funny accent and she's actually laughing. Which, you know. Mute. But it's obvious in the way her wings shake with it, and her general expression.

It's such a ridiculous story. The accent is her favorite part, actually, because she's never heard anything like it before, but he sounds so enthusiastic when he does the imitation...! It's probably not funny to her for the reasons it is to Nick, but she liked it anyway.

Still giggling a little, Nill gives him a thumbs up.]

:'D

[fuckitall]

[The awkward feeling slowly disappears at the sight of her laughter. Nick's been told he's good at impressions before (although not by the folks he's done impressions of) and occasionally utilizes it for rare moments like these. He had a feel drinks earlier but he smiles back without being under any influence but hers, even chuckling a little at the end. He feels lighter now, as opposed to lightheaded.]

Thanks for listenin' to all that. So what brings you up here? [He needed to let that out, and hopes that he's not keeping her from carrying on with her own business.]

[reassures]

[After she's stopped laughing, her expression turns a little sheepish. The dress she's wearing has pockets on it, which is fantastic, and she reaches into one and pulls out the pack of cigarettes she'd had out earlier, shaking it a little to make the few still in it bounce around a bit. It's about the only vice she really indulges in these days, but it's not one everyone is all that fond of, and Nill knows it.]

[fuckitall]

Huh. Been a while since I had one those. [It's so much a request for a stick as it was just a simple remark. Pete was more of the smoker in the family than he was, but he would occasionally buy himself a box for those times he didn't feel like drinking booze.] You come up here to do this often? [He never pegged her to be a smoker, but it doesn't bother him in the slightest. With the way things are? There are worse ways to cope.]

[reassures]

[Regardless of the intent, Nill smiles and fishes one of the cigarettes out, passing it to him before she pulls out her lighter and passes him that too. She'll probably have one as well, but she's gotta write, so he might as well go first.]

more often at night.
the view is really nice.

not so much* herp derp typo

[fuckitall]

[Nick hesitates at the offer, mostly because he feels like he just solicited her for one. He sees that smile of hers as a reassuring one though and decides to light himself one, quietly thanking her as he does. He takes a puff and coughs from having not doing this in so long, but the second one is smooth. The image of his uncle smoking with a newspaper in his hands comes to mind and Nick lets it linger.]

It is, yeah. [When you're not paying too hard attention to the barrier anyway, he'd say but doesn't. He holds out the lighter to Nill with his thumb over the switch. Her turn.]

[reassures]

[Her smile shifts a little, more grateful than reassuring, and Nill brushes her hair behind her ear before she leans in to light her own. She doesn't cough for even a second, just an easy inhale and exhale as she leans back again.

Even as she smokes, and the cigarettes dangles from between her lips, she writes another message.]

you can see the stars.
what are they like in your world?

[fuckitall]

Dunno. [He mentally chastises himself for answering that too quickly before taking a puff. He exhales away from her before really considering her question.]

I lived in a rural neighborhood so it's easy to see a lot of them, especially compared to lookin' at them from a city. Not many lights to distract you and all.

[He takes a second draw and exhales away from her again, looking at the other buildings in the Capitol.]

Me and my friends would kill time by climbing up on the rooftops of our houses and can see a bunch of stars that way. [He smiles a little at those more pleasant and distant times. There had been more than a few nights consisting of him and Luke sitting there quietly together looking at the sky. It was best way to end the night.]

What about you? Are they any different? [Stars are either more visible or less so, or not visible at all as far as he knows. It's rare of them to be of mind to look at the stars after what happened in his world. Sometimes Nick can't look up at anything without imagining a lurker on him the second he lowers his head. Even during the few moments of downtime granted to them, Nick hasn't found much comfort in the stars anymore.]

[reassures]

[Rural. That was supposed to mean there wasn't much around, right? She's seen a few pictures, but places like that don't really exist where she's from. The closest she's gotten to rural was a few large city parks. Though she knows those places technically exist, it's not at all easy for her to picture. Maybe it would be a little bit like Exsilium was near the end, with miles between most towns and places.

She considers it for a few moments, unsure of what the best answer to something like that might be, before she writes again.]

it's hard to see them where I'm from.
are the stars here the same?

[fuckitall]

[Nick liked cities for their convenience and entertainment (local concerts especially). There had been days where he just didn’t want to see another face that would recognize his, so he felt a little more anonymous in cities because he could just blend into a crowd that was blind to him. But even the clutter would eventually prove itself to be too much for him and he soon would see himself home within the day. The only thing that appeared more crowded in the country compared to the city was the sky.]

Huh. Never thought about it. [He looks up at the sky, unsure of what he’d be looking for. Living in Panem had its similarities to his experience under Carver’s stupid regime but the culture itself was insane and different enough in that Nick would believe that they were on another planet. His brows furrow, stuck between being certain and doubtful at what he did manage to recognize.]

…that looks like Orion’s Belt up there, so maybe. I ain't an expert with astronomy though. [He points to the three star lined diagonally with his free hand.]

You from a city then?

[reassures]

[Nill tilts her head a little, trying to see what he's pointing at, which stars to identify, but it's pretty difficult. She doesn't know the skies well enough yet to really identify ones she's not familiar with, and though she's read about Orion and his belt before, she can't remember where the lines are meant to connect in order to find something in the sky that might match it right. It's easier to just take his word on it.]

yes. it was very big.
what is it like in a rural neighborhood?