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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

[seestheman]

There's something about Carlos's behavior that's strangely familiar to Clara. Okay, it isn't exactly the same, but it's somewhat close to watching Alex try to think his way through some roadblock in a case back home. Close enough that she feels guilty for trying to break his concentration.

If he gives her shit about it later, she'll just point out that the Capitol might be suspicious that he looks so deep in thought with nothing but a cup of coffee.

"So this is where you've been hiding out."

[youbarium]

It takes Carlos a moment to realize he's being addressed. He realizes it abruptly; he suddenly sits up straighter, puts his coffee down, and looks around.

"--I'm sorry, Clara, I didn't realize you were talking to me."

(None of the seats around him are occupied.)

[seestheman]

That get a skeptical look from Clara. Seriously? Though, maybe she shouldn't be surprised. For all that Carlos may be a brilliant scientist, he doesn't seem all that perceptive.

"Considering the crowd of people we know that we're surrounded by, who could blame you for being surprised?" Sometimes a little bit of snark is needed in these situations.

[youbarium]

Carlos registers the empty chairs and the sarcasm, and lets out a long breath, running his hands through his hair.

"Sorry, I guess I was kind of lost in thought."

He doesn't look unhappy to see her, far from it -- just a little tired, and like he's held onto a lot of worry for a long time. He gestures toward the chair across from him, a clear invitation to sit down. Carlos presumes she's come here to talk, and she has every right to. Besides, he feels a little bad for accidentally ignoring her.

"But I promise, I wasn't hiding." Implied in that is: I wasn't avoiding you. Not on purpose.

[seestheman]

"Really? I couldn't tell." Her sarcasm has no bite to it that time, as if it's more good-natured teasing than anything else as she sits down across from him.

Clara gives him a small nod. As much as she'd like to believe that, she has a hard time doing so. After all the only people who'd probably have a better reason than him to hide from her would be Black Tom (who she really wish would do so, if only so she wouldn't have to see him around their floor) and maybe Alex. "It's okay. Sometimes we need an escape, especially considering who we share a floor with. So then, penny for your thoughts?"

[youbarium]

He hesitates.

Carlos can't give her his actual thoughts -- they're worth much more than a penny, especially to the Capitol, and he doesn't want to lie about what he was thinking about. Carlos doesn't want to lie at all anymore, if he can help it.

But he can talk about hiding, and maybe reasons for hiding.

A deep breath.

"Please don't feel bad about what happened in the Arena," is what finally comes out. "I'm sorry it ended that way. It can't have been easy for you."

[seestheman]

As much as she knows that he isn't going to tell her the truth, or the full truth, she knows that she needs to keep things light and casual and act like he never told her about the rebellion or District 13. It's the only way to keep them, and everyone they know, safe.

There were things she thought he'd say. Speaking in code or something like that. She didn't expect him to bring up the Arena's ending, which is still a sore spot for her. "I don't feel bad about what happened. I feel..." Angry? Confused? A little betrayed? "...how I feel about it's irrelevant." It doesn't do much good for anyone involved if there's footage of her saying how she really feels about it that they can spin to potentially hurt the rebellion or, more important in her mind, her loved ones and the Tributes she's supposed to be helping now. "But thank you for saying it." She forces a fake, light smile on her face for the cameras, trying to keep her tone airy and casual, "Though, really, you should've won. You'd make a much better Mentor than I've been so far."

[youbarium]

"I don't know," says Carlos, glancing down. "I only got as far as I did through hiding on the third floor with Cecil, and then by staying close to Thor. The only advice I could give would be to talk to any gods you meet about science, and hope they like you."

[seestheman]

"That might be better advice than 'be married to a cyborg,'" she says with a small smirk. "I'm sorry about Cecil, by the way." She isn't sure how much she'd be able to get away with saying, considering the eyes that are on them. It wouldn't do either of them any good for her to show sympathy about the death of a traitor.

"So what've you been up to other than avoiding Tom? I don't see you around that much between you being out and me trying to gather sponsors for my tributes," she teases slightly, affecting a touch of a Capitolite accent on the last few words with a small smirk.

[youbarium]

Carlos's face visibly falls, a little -- he can't say anything about it, not really, so he just nods, accepting the sympathy, and also accepting the change of subject.

He can't, of course, tell her what he's really working on. But Carlos has resolved never to let the Capitol make him tell any more lies than absolutely necessary. He falls back on the easiest explanation:

"Mostly, I've been doing science. But not science for the Capitol. They won't let me near any of the labs." He points to the brand on his face. "So I've been finding my own science to do."

Considering how often Carlos disappears into bars, the Peacekeepers watching the video feed will probably think he's using science as a euphemism for alcohol.

[seestheman]

Clara's well aware that he can't tell her what he's been up to, not really. At least not here and now. But she can find out what she should say so they can keep their stories straight if Alex a Peacekeeper is sent to ask her where Carlos is and what he's up to.

"Are you really sure that's such a good idea?" In truth, she thinks it's an excellent idea, but she's trying to keep her nose clean, if not for her own sake, then for Alex and Rose and Dave and anyone else they would go after to make her pay. "I know that you're a scientist and it's what you do, but nothing good's come of it so far."

[youbarium]

"Well," Carlos begins, "science is all around us, when you think about it. Science is about learning how it all works, and why. So that means science is pretty much everywhere. I don't have to be doing dangerous science to be doing science."

His tone says that he very clearly thinks that this is reassuring.

[seestheman]

Clara can't help but roll her eyes at that. "You know what I mean," she says blithely. "I just don't want to see anything happen to you. And I'm saying that as your friend, not as your Mentor.

Though, as 10's Mentor, she'd also have to hate to deal with any fallout if he were to be caught doing something the Capitol viewed as treasonous, not that she's going to say that right now.

[youbarium]

"Don't worry," he says with a smile. "I'll be all right. This is very safe science."

Memorizing a blueprint is about as safe as you can get. It doesn't even involve burners or flasks or bubbling liquids.

"But thanks," he says with more honesty.

[seestheman]

"It's what friends are for," she teases slightly, shooting him a smile of her own. "I thought safe science needed safety goggles." Her smile grows a little bit as an eyebrow raises and she remembers the lectures from high school about proper lab safety procedures.

[youbarium]

"Of course it does," Carlos replies, matter-of-fact. "But I'm not doing science right now. It would be silly to wear safety goggles all the time."

But apparently, wearing a lab coat all day every day is not.

[seestheman]

Which Clara is so tempted to point out. She almost does, stopping the words before the tumble out.

Instead she does what she's learned is the path of least resistance in these situations and simply smiles and nods. "Of course." She shifts slightly in her seat, trying to figure out how to bring up part of the reason why she had searched him out in the first place. "So...what's your plan for the Arena?" She feels awkward bringing it up, knowing that she isn't going to be in there with everyone else. "Since I'm your Mentor, I mean. Are there any specific Sponsors you want me to hit up for you?"

[youbarium]

"Um...." Carlos says, scratching the back of his neck a little awkwardly. "Not really? I mean, are there big names among Capitol sponsors? If there's a who's who of exceedingly rich Capitolites who spend exorbitant amounts of money on murder games, I don't know much about it."

He decides not to mention that his plan for the arena is to die and hopefully be brought to District 13.

[seestheman]

"I...honestly don't know," she says with a shrug. Which...she should know this. It's her job to know these things. "You've been here longer and I don't know if Wyatt ever..." Clara stops, shaking her head and moving along. "Let me rephrase that, are there any specific things you want me to beg sponsors to send you?" She laughs slightly, trying to remember to keep things light so no one who's watching might suspect they're plotting anything. "Other than a lab coat."

[youbarium]

"Well, aside from the lab coat," Carlos says, taking her joke completely seriously, "I can always use basic scientific equipment. You know, Erlenmeyer flasks, pipettes, screwdrivers, lightbulbs that no longer work, space heaters, live spiders -- that kind of thing."

[seestheman]

It's not the typical list of wanted supplies, but then again, this is Carlos. As much as she'd love to ask about some of the things on his list, she can't help but worry about a specific one. "I'm not sure how much good a space heater would do you without an outlet to plug it into. Unless you have something else planned to get power for it."

She isn't even going to touch the request for live spiders.

[youbarium]

"Oh, no, I wouldn't use it for heat," Carlos replies with a half-laugh, as if what she just said weren't a problem at all. "I'd have much more scientific plans for it."

After Cecil's death, with himself working so hard on this project, Carlos has cared a little bit less about coming off as normal.

[seestheman]

Clara's tempted to remind him to be a little more subtle or else he might draw more of the Capitol's ire down on him and District 10. Of course, by saying anything would implicate both of them in the Capitol's eyes and that would be just as bad. "I'm not sure dismantling a space heater would do you much good," she quips, "Unless you planned on using the power cord to strangle someone."