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[youbarium]

Who| Carlos and anyone
What| He's been a sad scientist lately, and a reclusive scientist, and an obsessive scientist. He is a scientist who is bad at remembering that he has friends, and he can do things with friends, and that the world does not revolve around memorizing a blueprint.
Where| The coffee place on the ground floor of the Tribute Center.
When| Late this week/possibly this weekend, any time you feel like finding him
Warnings/Notes| None so far.

I almost have it. I almost have it. Just a few more days, and I'll be able to recreate the blueprint completely accurately.

Carlos can't make an actual recording of his progress, since the Capitol would both confiscate his recording device and record him making the recording itself, but that doesn't mean he can't pretend to take voice notes in his head.

Steve, Tony, and Bruce have been a huge help. Steve especially. Between the three of us, I'm sure we can reverse-engineer this machine.

He sits at a small table, hair artistically mussed and one shoe half-untied, and sips a cup of coffee. The steam makes his glasses fog up, but he only seems to notice so much. That is, he is repeating a cycle of actions: he takes a sip, his glasses fog up. He wipes the lenses with the sleeve of his lab coat, and sips again. He does not seem to get agitated, nor does he seem to realize that he could avoid this by removing his glasses. He just repeats the motions again and again, too lost in thought to take any further action.

I'll be ready when I go to District 13. If I go to District 13.

Comments

[silberfuchs]

"Is this where you've been hiding?" Albert slides into the seat across from Carlos, the warmth of his own disposable cup lost on metal hands. He wears gloves and long sleeves to hide them, though he needn't bother. It's not like anyone doesn't know he's a cyborg, but old habits die hard.

"I haven't seen you in over a week."

[youbarium]

Carlos almost looks startled -- like he hadn't expected to be pulled from his thoughts.

"Not exactly," he says. "I've been out of the Tribute Center a lot lately. There's just so much more to do out in the Capitol."

Not the whole truth, but not a lie. Carlos is done with lying.

[silberfuchs]

"There is, true, but wouldn't it be a bit more entertaining with friends? I owe you a favor as it is." He knows Carlos means rebellion work, nothing so innocent as enjoying the Capitol's pleasures, but if the pall that hangs around his friend is any indication, Carlos needs a break from that too. A break in general or he'll burn himself out.

"It's too early for a bar," meaning, too early for them. It seems as if the bars never actually close in the Capitol. Hedonists. "But is there anything else you'd like to do? Something that has no real meaning, just... fun."

He phrases it that way hoping Carlos will catch his drift.

[youbarium]

Carlos looks at Albert blankly for a few moments. Then, understanding kicks in. Visibly. The moment Carlos's brain actually gets into gear can be seen on his face.

Oh, he realizes. He wants to hang out.

"Uh..." Carlos begins, awkwardly. "I -- I don't have anything in mind." He opens his mouth to say, really, I shouldn't, but Carlos realizes in time that he can't explain in front of the cameras that he is obsessively memorizing a blueprint to the device that brought the Tributes to the Capitol, and barring that, he doesn't really have an excuse not to hang out with Albert.

[silberfuchs]

"There's a zoo." He shrugs. "Or museums. Or even just the park for a walk. You look as if you haven't seen the outside in some time so my vote is the first or last, if you need help narrowing it down, but if you'd rather a museum at least it's out."

Albert sips his coffee, looking a bit closer at Carlos. He looks tired, stressed, weighed down in a way that is to be expected given their circumstances but Albert learned long ago that wallowing in that pressure is the fastest way to burn out. It's the last thing he wants to see happen to Carlos.

[youbarium]

"It doesn't have to be a museum," Carlos admits. "My first Arena was a museum, and it's been kind of hard to go into them since. Actually, the only time I did was -- was with Cecil."

His voice is almost, almost neutral. Almost natural. His next words almost aren't too quick.

"The zoo is fine."

[silberfuchs]

"Ah, I didn't know you came in during that one. That was my first as well." He hadn't been in it long enough to really develop any feelings on museums he didn't have already. As for Cecil, it's difficult to discuss because of the uncertainty and he can tell it's not something Carlos wants to talk about, at least not right now.

"Alright, the zoo then." He stands from the table, giving Carlos an out from the topic of Cecil and expecting him to follow suit. "I'm hoping they have an aviary, personally."

[youbarium]

Carlos had been in it for weeks, shut up in a planetarium with some other scientists.

...only a few of those scientists are still around now.

He downs the last few mouthfuls of cooling coffee and gets up to follow Albert. Carlos still seems a little out of it, but he's together enough to ask, "Are you interested in birds?"

[silberfuchs]

"They're calming to watch, flying around as they do." He shrugs. "In general animals actually don't like me, but birds I've never had problems with."

He looks to Carlos as they walk, opening the door out to the street and then following him into the late-autumn air. "What about you? Any animal preference?"

It's idle talk, but nonetheless important just for how idle. Getting to know the things that are missed when you're both in dire straights. In the Arena, in the Rebellion, this is how Albert would prefer to make friends, instead of jumping straight to the risking life and limb part.

[youbarium]

Carlos laughs a little sheepishly. "Well, actually," he says, "I've always liked planarians."

He says this with the tone of someone who does not expect that the animal will be recognized and who absolutely will not judge anyone for it.

[silberfuchs]

"Planarians?" If Carlos had said the word with any other inflection, Albert likely would have opted for the more awkward pretending to know what the hell he was talking about, but since he clearly didn't expect Albert to have any earthly idea what he's referring to, it's easier to admit ignorance.

[youbarium]

"Yeah," says Carlos with a small smile. "They're little flatworms, that are really good for laboratory work, and they look like they have little eyes on top of their heads, and--" And he realizes he's rambling. "--and I've always thought they were really cute," Carlos finishes, with a little embarrassed laugh.

[silberfuchs]

"Interesting. That suits you, I think, finding something appealing about a creature most wouldn't." Flatworms. Seriously, only Carlos. Still, it's supposed to be a compliment.

"I'm not sure if they'll have any at the zoo, but one can hope." He smiles. It's a joke, of course. He's never heard of a zoo with flatworms, but if he can keep Carlos laughing even a little then he's accomplishing what he set out to do with the outing.

[youbarium]

"It's not very likely," agrees Carlos, relaxing a little more. "I think we have a much better chance of seeing your birds."

He thinks back for a long moment.

"It's been years since I've been to a zoo," he admits. "A lot of years, actually. I never went to the one in Night Vale, even after the renovations in March."