thecapitol | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who| Diana and OPEN
What| Diana is basically just trying to figure out the situation.
Where| Anywhere in the city, really, just make sure it's clear!
When| Between Arena's 5 and 6
Warnings/Notes| Nothing at the moment.

Diana was...unhappy, if the understatement could be forgiven. Taken from her bed, stripped of her powers, tossed into this world where she was meant to fight and kill for the entertainment of the ruling class...

Well, she was familiar with concept, obviously, but that didn't mean she liked it. And she liked even less what little she'd understood of the situation, of the history, before she'd been ushered to her quarters. As soon as she was left alone she was off, exploring the building, the city, anywhere she was allowed to go in search of answers. Of a crack in the prison walls.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Blaine paused and looked up at her and smiled. "Sure. Thank you."

She grinned back and moved to take a few off his hands, give him a stack that was easier to manage. "Movie marathon?"

"Oh... not really." He frowned a bit. "They're... they're historic Games." His mouth was dry as he talked about it. He couldn't look at her so he focused on straightening the things in his arms. Having to watch death over and over and over didn't make it any easier on him and that was at least painfully obvious by the way that his shoulders tensed and his face looked so uncomfortable.

"Thank you for your help," he adds, because it's a change in the subject.

"You're welcome," she said softly, noticing his discomfort. He was another Tribute then, as she'd suspected. "I'll have to give these a look myself soon, I suppose," she continued carefully, not wanting to upset him even further but willing to risk it for the sake of information.

Edited 2013-02-27 03:36 (UTC)

He looked at her then and nodded. "It helps to get a better idea of the history of this whole thing," he offered. "And you can see different Arenas and get a better idea of what to prepare for." After a moment. "I... I really don't like watching them alone. It's not much of an offer considering the material, but if you like you can take a look at them too?"

He really didn't like just suggesting she come up to his room and watch them too, like they were something that they should watch over popcorn. They were talking about watching people die.

"I would be glad to," she said, quite sincerely. For one, the boy seemed like he could use a companion. "I wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing what was in store."

Blaine didn't know her at all, but he couldn't help but feel a little grateful. It wasn't like he could ask Sherlock or one of his friends here to join him. "Thanks," he said. "Were you doing something? We can meet up later if that would be better for you?" He didn't want to take her away from something if she was on her way to it.

"At the moment my only appointment is the one we're hoping to prepare for," she said, nodding to the tapes. "Now is just fine for me. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I'm glad to have someone beside me, at least."

Blaine took a breath and nodded. "Me too," he admitted. "Let's go to my suite then. I already have it set up to watch these. Unless it's too weird to hang out in my room?" He thought about mentioning the fact that he was gay to not give her the wrong idea, but that just seemed too crass.

"Then we shall bear through this trial together," she said with a soft grin, briefly touching his shoulder. "And as long as you don't mind spending time with a much older woman in your bedroom, I think we will manage."

Blaine shook his head. "I could use the company either way," he repeated, trying not to sound creepy or anything considering what he was asking her to do.

He pulled away and gestured a bit with for her to follow. "This way. I'm in District 2."

"I understand," Diana assured him, following Blaine's lead. "I believe I'm in 5. And, I just realized we've skipped a step or two, my name is Diana, Diana Prince."

"I'm Blaine," Blaine offered with a small, sheepish smile. "I think I'm in survival mode, which means I forget things like that. I'm sorry." He felt rude and that made him worry that she got the wrong impression.

"It's fine. I think in the circumstances we can forgive each other the occasional impropriety."

Blaine smiled a bit and nodded. "Totally," he agreed. When they made it to his suite he opened the door for her and invited her in. "Did you want something to drink or eat?" he asked. "I don't suggest eating anything if you have a weak stomach though. These things can get pretty graphic." He still seemed unsettled by the whole thing, but he didn't want to be a rude host to her.

"I ate earlier," Diana assured him, feeling much like Blaine that having a snack while watching recordings of people dying was crass, to say the least. "But I do have a strong stomach, thankfully. This will not be my first time in battle."

"Oh, that's good," Blaine said. "Well, maybe not 'good' but it means you'll be able to handle the Arena better than some. Better than me, anyway." He offered her a small smile but it was sad and tinged with worry.

He lead the way to his bedroom. The room were all so luxurious that he had his own sitting area with a futuristic TV. He sat the tapes down. "Was there a year you were curious about?"

"You're preparing yourself for another battle rather than hiding or denying the reality of our situation," Diana pointed out. "I think that shows you've handled it as well as could be expected."

Diana was unimpressed by the opulence of the Capitol so far. Even if she hadn't grown up in a palace, it would have been a distasteful display. "I don't know any by reputation, so, I suppose not." She looked at the tapes, pondering. "I am curious about the earliest years, but if we want to learn about and prepare ourselves against the machinations of these 'Gamemakers', it'd be best to focus on the years after they became accustomed to their work."

Blaine nodded. "Have you seen the one from right before they started to take people from other worlds?" Blaine had seen it before but he thought it was important to show everything. It was the one tape that had already been in his room when he'd walked in. He didn't mind re-watching if it meant showing it to someone else.

"No, I haven't seen any so far." Diana sat down, looking over the pile of tapes curiously. "Does it have the reason they changed the system?"

"I'm not sure," Blaine said. "Apparently the Quarter Quell is something they did every 25 years. Maybe this was just something they did for that? It was the 75th year of the Hunger Games when they started."

"A Quell," Diana repeated, examining the word thoughtfully. "If they only do those every 25 years, that would imply this one has an end date, before they back to the way they did things before." Over her dead body.

"I don't think so. I think this is a permanent change," Blaine said with a sigh. "I think they're re-writing the rules for some reason."

"I'm very curious about that reason," Diana murmured. "Governments don't make such large changes after 74 years lightly."

"Do you think something happened then? I mean, they changed the rules last Arena. They let two people win."