Hey there, how do you do?

[originalgaangster]

Who| Sokka and whoever wants to bother him.
What| Sokka complains about this situation and does some exploring.
Where| Central Commons
When| Between Arena 5 and 6
Warnings/Notes| N/A

Sokka wasn't particularly fond of this new situation. He wasn't even convinced it was quite real yet. Somehow, part of his mind kept thinking that he'd wake up any minute in his own bed. At home. Surrounded by friends and family and away from this strange place with its towering metal buildings, lush housing and horrifying death matches. He'd spent a few minutes carefully exploring the suite he was supposed to be living in now and then descended to the main lobby. People here bustled about, and there seemed to be no one who might try to stop him leaving, if he tried.

But that would take a bit more investigation. So Sokka is slumped in a plush chair in the lobby, fiddling with the communication device he's been given and occasionally letting out a small curse whenever he does something that doesn't quite work. This thing is way too complicated.

"Who even designed this stupid thing?"

Comments

[buildingreality]

As per her usual, Ariadne found herself hanging around various places - today, the lobby - sketching. First, the lobby itself, and then a number of changes she'd have made to it in order to make it more aesthetically pleasing, more functional. Sketch after sketch after sketch, until she had included a set of Pemrose Steps leading upwards that made her chest ache; it too closely resembled that initial dreamscape she'd entered with Arthur now.

"Probably one of the technological companies here in the Capitol. There's a handful of them. Judging by the lack of a bartlett pear anywhere on it, I'd say it wasn't Bartlett, but that doesn't mean much. He does have competitors, after all," she murmured in response from the chair immediately behind Sokka's, both of the chair backs positioned against each other to create two separate areas. It also meant she could just twist a little to look at him if she felt like it.

[originalgaangster]

"I'd like to meet this guy Bartlett and tell him how stupid this thing is." Tap. Tap tap tap. It's not that Sokka is dumb, he's just technologically illiterate and having a frustrating time trying to decipher how this thing works! He glances over at Ariadne, grumbling.

"I can't figure out how this thing even works! Neat as it is..."

[buildingreality]

"I wouldn't, if I were you," she warned mildly, the words coming off barely different in tone from the previous statement - more idly curious, more in pursuit of knowledge and solutions than they were in the persistence of a problem. Glancing over her shoulder back at him, she tipped her head to one side a little. "What part of it are you trying to figure out?"

[originalgaangster]

"Criticism helps you make better stuff," Sokka retorts. He taps a few more buttons, scrolls down a screen.

"Uh, everything. What does it do? How does it work? I mean, they said there was some sort of network. But network...of what? Spies? Cabbage stalls? Messenger hawks?"

[buildingreality]

"He doesn't take it very well." Or at all. The last thing she wanted was to subject yet another Tribute to Baron's grubby hands.

"The network is a Capitol-wide system that lets you communicate with anyone else who has access to it. All the Tributes have them, same with most anyone you might need to get ahold of. Escorts, Mentors, Sponsors, and the like," She explained, folding her hands over her sketchbook as she watched him from the corner of her eye. "It's like a high-tech version of messenger hawks."

[originalgaangster]

"High-tech? What do you mean high-tech?" He turns the device over in his hands.

"Does it summon messenger hawks? That would be awesome."

[buildingreality]

She turned properly then, resettling herself in her chair. "No, it takes the place of them. Say you were to put up a video. People would get it immediately, and would be able to reply immediately."

Strangely, this wasn't the weirdest conversation she'd ever had.

[shambler]

This should be the part where he cracked a Bill Gates joke...only R didn't remember who that was anymore. Some guy (maybe some zombie by now) who Did Stuff. Just another dead name.

Instead R sidled up - shuffled up? - to Sokka, reeking of the latest perfumes his stylist tried to blast him with. It didn't hide the very faint decomposition smell if someone stood close enough, but at least if anyone's eyes started watering, it'd be from Opal's Lavender Light and not his usual stench.

"Why bother?" R asked, genuinely interested here. "Talk...face to face?"

Maybe it was a Living thing. He was starting to realize people here really, really liked their gadgets, so much that it was kinda depressing. R lurched around the seat so he could flop down in the one across from Sokka.

[originalgaangster]

"Well, yeah. But this thing seems really useful. Like, long distance communication! That's awesome. If only it weren't so complicated." Sokka looks up at R. Sniffs. Something smells like a dead animal but he can't figure out where it's coming from beneath all the perfume.

"Maybe I'll try and take it apart."

[shambler]

R grunted a "huh" at that.

"Won't..." R glanced around, like he half-expected their Escorts to coming charging at them. "They stop you?"

And what was he going to use to take it apart, anyway? His bare hands? Did he really want to see its insides that much? R leaned forward to get a better look at the communication device in his hands.

[originalgaangster]

"Uh, I meant like in my room. I need to get some tools first, anyway." He turns the device over in his hands.

"What do they care if I take apart the stuff I give them? I'm supposed to fight to the death for them in like, two weeks." Cynicism, cynicism, cynicism.

[shambler]

The zombie thinks that one over, the thought almost visibly chugging away. "Toooosh," he wants to say "touche" but gives up. Too fancy. "Uh. Think...you'll win?"

Yeah, that's an amazing conversation opener. Good going. Let's talk about the new guy's odds on killing everyone else. It was the first thing that popped into R's mind.

[originalgaangster]

"Maybe. I don't really wanna think about it." He'd rather tinker with this thing than about the fact that he's going to be fighting for his life in a short while.

"Why?" He looks up, studying R with a critical eye.

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"It's not that difficult," Momoko couldn't help but remark from just off to the side, watching him struggle. "It's basically a video phone, really."

[originalgaangster]

"Video phone?" This sounds like more stuff he's unfamiliar with.

"What's that?"

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"It's...a phone. That has video." Obviously. Momoko waved a hand at the nearest screen for emphasis.

[originalgaangster]

"Oh, of course. How could I have not realized that!" Sokka's voice drips with sarcasm.

"A phone with video, that's obvious. Except I don't know what either of those things are."

[cowardfacinghappiness]

Momoko put her hand on her hips. "You don't know what a phone is?" she said scornfully. "Even the talking turtle knows what a phone is." Actually from what Momoko understood Don knew about a great deal more about technology than just how to work a video phone, but, still.

[originalgaangster]

"We don't have them where I come from, so excuuuuuse me for not getting your weird words." Sokka rolls his eyes.

AMAHGERD SOKKA

[polyturtle]

"I do believe the Gamemakers did."

And then suddenly giant turtle.

"Hi."

[originalgaangster]

"...Well, they're stupid dumb." Sokka presses another button, then looks up to see who's talking to him.

Whoa. Whooooa.

"...Uh." Sokka is just going to stare for a minute. Don't mind him.

[polyturtle]

"I personally like them, though I might be...biased."

And then suddenly he was being stared at. Again.

"...Its the turtle thing, isn't it."

[originalgaangster]

"...I was gonna ask, but yeah. Turtle. Thing." Sokka waves his hand in front of his own face.

"Nope. Did they load me up on cactus juice or something when I got here?"

[polyturtle]

"I'm afraid not." Don gave him a nervous smile. "I haven't seen forced mescaline ingestion as a method of control in this place yet. I'm as real as it gets."

[originalgaangster]

"That's. Kind of awesome." Sokka isn't really sure what else to say. He's talking to a giant turtle in a mask.

"...Is everyone like you where you come from? Like, just a kingdom full of mask-wearing turtles?"