You have neither reason nor rhyme

[alwaysshielded]

Who| Cassandra Pentaghast and anyone!
What| Cassandra arrives between Arenas. She is unimpressed.
Where| Training Area, District 3 suits, and anywhere in the Capitol
When| Post arena 12
Warnings/Notes| TBD

Training Hall

[The sword had not been still from the moment she took it in hand. Hunger Games. Another stab, another burst of light as...some form of magical practice dummy burst before her, shattering in squares onto the ground around her before vanishing into thin air. It did little to assuage her theory this was yet another trick of spirits, of the Fade. Impossible for a Seeker to be so impacted by demons. Yet possible and im- had so very little to do with reality as of late. It was impossible for the ancient villains of religious text to appear and terrorize the world. This? This was child's play in comparison.

So she had taken to the training hall to think. Block, parry, thrust, kill. A simple dance of death against these magical conjectures, one that hardly took an ounce of her attention. It brought a calm no other activity could, save perhaps prolonged meditation. Kept her rage occupied as her mind contemplated her current state.

But the sound of another entering echoed through the hall, breaking the dance. She pivoted from the illusions, attention locked on to the potential threat. Without thought her sword pointed in the direction of the noise, her gaze locking onto the newcomer.]

District 3 Floor

[The tragedy was that the chambers were, by all measures, an improvement from her quarters in the Inquisition. There were no holes in the walls, none of Leliana's birds sneaking in to nest in her rafters. The exact function of much of her quarters was beyond her, but she hardly had the patience to sit about and figure them out. If it were important, she would come to terms with it in time. For now she would see the other captives of her cell block, and hold no illusions they were otherwise. The kitchens, however...

Cassandra had to scowl at the sheer unfamiliarity of the room. There were no fires, no mouser cat, no...no turnips burning for no apparent reason. Even the simplest of needs, nutrition, was a confusing endeavor in this nightmare. She stood in the doorway for a long moment before turning to return to the (slightly more logical) common area. Chairs, at least, were an unchanged concept.]

Wildcard
[She will be exploring and disapproving of the Capital and common area, feel free to bump into her scowling at things anywhere!]

Comments

[alwaysshielded]

You mean to say there are those which spend...a lifetime listening to the inane conversations, watching the intimate moments of others. That is the security of this nation.

[Disgusting. Cassandra had never been the politician or spymaster, capable of coolly absorbing displeasing news, and it is very much showing in this moment. She does not take another drink, but rather sets about pacing in the small area of the kitchen. She's observant of her environment, at least, so there is no chance she'll be bumping into the man. But exertion is needed before something really does get broken.]

How are you certain of this?

[honeyibrokeharlem]

Basically, yes. [He goes back to cooking calmly, allowing her time to let off a little steam without being scrutinized. If nothing else, Bruce was good at being unobtrusive.]

Like I said, it's not a secret, and you can sometimes find some of the cameras and microphones if you know what to look for. The technology is very common where I come from, and surveillance systems are everywhere, but the Capitol has managed to take it to a level that my world hasn't. To my knowledge, at least. [He makes a vague gesture at the TV while he starts folding meat and vegetables into his dough.] They show footage from the systems on television, when they're not using it track enemies and intimidate people into silence. They give footage of us to gossip magazines, too, so I suggest avoiding anything you mind an entire city scrutinizing.

[alwaysshielded]

[Her appetite was well and truly dead for now. Personal moments and conversations...she thought back, searching for anything that may have been said so far- but no. Even had she known the extent to which she was being watched, she would have acted no differently. It simply made plotting an effective counter attack...challenging.]

Any other fascinating tidbits?

[honeyibrokeharlem]

[He tosses his stuffed dough into boiling oil while he thinks on the question. What else is important enough to be shared?]

Most people you meet will be from worlds you've never heard of before, and each is crazier than the last. Even people you recognize might be from different times or from an entirely different world that just closely mirrors yours. I suggest keeping that in mind, especially if they put us in another arena with restored powers. [Different rules from different universes mean different power levels and different cultures. The most seemingly harmless people could be the most dangerous. Bruce learned that a long time ago.

He scoops the fried pieces of dough and places them all on a plate.] Have you ever had an empanada?

[alwaysshielded]

I-

[The last bit took her slightly off guard. She'd been prepared to chase down an additional question, but was this something more pressing than the idea of time magic and 'powers'?]

I am not familiar with the term.

[honeyibrokeharlem]

It's just a kind of food.

[He sits across from her, offering one of the pieces of stuffed fried dough. He's learned over the years that sharing food is an excellent way of building trust, and it never hurts to have positive relationships with one's neighbors.]

Fried dough with meat and vegetables inside. They're popular where I come from.

[alwaysshielded]

[ She gives him an entirely incredulous look. A world where they are watched at every moment, forced to fight to the death, stripped of all rights and dignity. And he wished to share his lunch? ]

Six months here, you said. What were you before this, in your homeland? If you do not mind the question.

[honeyibrokeharlem]

[Yep. He's six months to get used to it, and it's best to act casual as possible. It makes the Capitol think he's grown complacent, when he's anything but.

He shrugs at the look and begins to eat, himself.]

I'm a theoretical physicist. That means I articulate and use mathematical models to explain and predict phenomena. [He's learned to just tack on an explanation of his field to most people he speaks to. Even most people from his world don't understand what he does.] More recently, I seem to be a doctor, though. Among some other things. [Like a part time superhero. Remind him how that happened?]

You?

[alwaysshielded]

[ She gives another slow shake of her head. More words that meant nothing, and likely the explanation of them would do little to help. But, in the spirit of appreciation, she does take a small bite of the offered food as he continues. ]

I was a Seeker of Truth, in service of the Divine.

[Hm. That actually wasn't half bad. But, as a point of pride, she does have to raise an eyebrow at him.]

Does that mean any more to you than your profession does to me?

[honeyibrokeharlem]

[Bruce absently nudges the plate in between them. She's welcome to more empanadas if she so chooses.

He takes a breath to speak... then lets it out with a shake of the head.] I'm afraid I have no idea what that means.

But I'm assuming something called a 'Divine' is a religious figure.

[alwaysshielded]

She was.

[ It's softer than the rest of her words had been- not quiet, but still softer. What other tone was there to speak of the Divine in? She is sill working her way slowly through her first taste of the offered snack, but will be going for a second one. Cassandra hadn't really had time for hunger since arrival, and it was happy to make itself known now. ]

For all that means in a place such as this.

[honeyibrokeharlem]

[Something is telling him that that's a topic he should not try pursuing too hard.]

It means something. If you believe, it means a lot. Take whatever you can get that can get you through this.

[It doesn't matter if no one else worships the Divine or whoever it is. What matters is that strong enough faith will be a potent method for her to stay strong through all the bullshit the Capitol will make her deal with.

It's probably better than Bruce's method, at least, which is a strong mixture of guilt and stubbornness.]