Tomorrow I'll be stronger, running colorful, no longer just in black and white [Week 6, Open]

[dead_black_eyes]

Who| Linden Lockhearst and Open!
What| After this altercation, Linden had to spend the night in jail. Encounter him at any point during the 24 period during and after this less-than-glamorous ordeal.
Where| Jail, later on the District 6 suite.
When| Week 6
Warnings/Notes| The normal ones for Linden! References to drugs and death are likely.



I. Jail

Linden stares past the rigid plastic handcuffs at his black shoes on white tile. It was only a matter of time, perhaps... withdrawal and the ensuing hell that was sobriety has been rough on him. For the first time in over a decade, he's been forced to look at some of the experiences that have shaped the person he is without the haze of Morphling or alcohol influencing it, resulting in the emergence of a deeply sad and very angry man. Having numbed these emotions for so long means that his ability to deal with them isn't great; an already tense situation with an admittedly horrible District 7 Mentor had escalated and though he'd blacked out past a certain point, he's pretty sure that he hurt the guy. Possibly even enough to need stitches. At that point, it didn't matter who you were or what you'd been through; you at least had to spend a night in jail as a token punishment, and past that, even if you were lucky and the media didn't catch wind, it was inevitable that you'd have to deal with some kind of therapy or conflict-resolution seminar at some point.

There's a forcefield keeping Linden from walking out of his cell, but it's possible to hear through it, even smell through it. There's coffee brewing somewhere nearby, and he approaches the forcefield and tries to get the attention of the nearest Peacekeeper.

"Hey... hey, is that coffee? Can I have some, please?"

The Peacekeeper sighs. "Try to sleep. You can't leave until morning at the earliest, and it gets boring as hell in those cells. It's supposed to, this is a punishment."

"Then let me bum a cigarette."

He's left behind with a brisk, dismissive shake of the Peacekeeper's head.

II. The Next Morning- Bail Posted

"Rise and shine." the Peacekeeper in charge disables Linden's forcefield, and he sits up quickly, having not actually realized that he'd fallen asleep.

"What's going on?" he asks blearily, already reaching for the wastebasket he'd requested they leave in his cell with him. Since quitting Morphling, he's queasy in the mornings sometimes.

"Morning, and someone's posted your bail. Congratulations; 6 must really want their only Mentor back."

"Who was it?"

"Beats me. I'd suck up to them big time, though, they did you a hell of a favor."

III. The Next Morning- District 6 Suites

Linden probably shouldn't have been allowed to return to work so quickly after snapping so obviously and so badly, but he is 6's only Mentor right now, and he's therefore needed. A sweet-voiced woman in a nurse's uniform had stopped by his cell before his bail had been posted and given him a stack of pamphlets, commending him on his efforts to get clean but assuring him that there were more ways to quit than recklessly going cold turkey. She urged him to consider tapering off to avoid a situation like the one he'd ended up in, and explained that mood swings and aggression were common side effects of coming off of a persistent Morphling addiction, and he is broodingly considering it.

He's also considering how the fuck he is going to apologize to Jason Compson. A written apology was one of the conditions for his release, after all, and he takes a deep breath, trying not to clench his fist around his pen and staring at his attempt to write something acceptable.

Dear Mr. Compson,

I'm sorry you're a sadistic brat

Stupid

have the self-control of a rabid warthog in front of an all-you-can-eat truffle buffet


I'm sorry that I lashed out at you. It was entirely my fault to expect you to be as refined as your bloodline would suggest when you are clearly an Avox-hitting sow of a-------------

Fuck you, you spoiled


It's not going particularly well.

Comments

[lionhearted_victor]

The admiration to his District made the Trainer smile just a little more sincere. "When was the last time you visited my home, Lockhearst? I think some time away from the Tower will do you good."

Anything to get the man away from the stupor that the Tribute Tower and all the intrigues that came with it. And drugs.

"My home is open to Victors and Mentors."

[dead_black_eyes]

Most who are familiar with Linden's games even passingly know that the last Tribute alive alongside him was a District 2 favorite, Scorpii Cronen. The boy had slit Linden's throat only to be shoved backward onto a stalagmite with the last of Linden's strength, and from there it had been a breathless, bloody staring match until Scorpii had succumbed. Ever since then, District 2 and Linden have had a relationship every bit as complicated as the one he'd cultivated with Scorpii all those years ago.

"I don't recall... if you're really sure, though, of course I would like to visit."

[lionhearted_victor]

Scorpii had gotten cocky in that last round, and of course Leo had been disappointed in the loss. But Linden had proven to be much more interesting, more self-destructive than what would've been, wasn't that punishment enough? To see the potential wither away? Raphael Cora would always use Linden's descent into drug addiction as a parable to his own child, to never let his pride and guard down.

"After what you did with Compson, you might have warmed some stonemasons' hearts," Leo remarked with the same candor as before. "Our home has quite the vista of the District plaza. Job stresses can be murder."

[dead_black_eyes]

Tragic though it was, the least that could be said for Linden was that he was, in fact, quite an interesting Victor. It had certainly been fun for those in the Capitol to watch him stagger unhappily toward manhood and linger there uncertainly, as one who knew he didn't belong might. Now he was a parable, just a tale of wasted potential to pass down to the next generation in preparation for the Reapings of their childoods.

How had it come to that? Linden wasn't just bright, he was brilliant. Had he taken a lifetime worth of luck and wits into that Arena and left it on the cave floor alongside Scorpii's body?

"Maybe," he allows carefully, hesitant to celebrate it too much. With the kind of grudge that Jason Compson is known to hold, he's lucky to have only spent one night in jail, after all. "But every Districter has a difficult job. The harder we work, the easier the Capitolites can take it, right?"

[lionhearted_victor]

Chatting with Linden, Leo would say that the Mentor left his soul behind with the District 2 boy, destroying any chance of a comeback...shame really, especially to a man who had his entire self-worth defined around the chance to be there. There were ghosts of that young Tribute still left in Lockhearst, peeking through those jet black eyes.

"Heh, you say it with such reverence," the coach admitted, reverence he would never show to the likes of the D7 escort. "We're all part of the great chains that hold Panem together."

[dead_black_eyes]

Linden certainly gives that impression. Even his biggest fans have a hard time denying there's a strange absence of light in those eyes, or that there had been an enormous and troubling difference between the youth who'd entered the Arena and the glaring wraith who'd been dragged out. Soulless.

"Reverence isn't exactly the word I'd use..." he murmurs. "But 'chains', that's... actually incredibly apt, isn't it? Quite perfect in fact."

[lionhearted_victor]

A wraith doesn't think, at least that's what Cora thought, slightly surprised at the agreement. He raised an eyebrow at Linden's tone, "A weak link will collapse the whole chain and then we all fall down." Leo was a former Career, his loyalty lied with the Capitol…and would be disappointed to know. He enjoyed the relative safety of being in the Capitol's favor, something that District 6 didn't have the fortune to have. "What did you think I meant?"

[dead_black_eyes]

Linden's dark eyes go wide for a second, and his face blanches just a shade lighter than its already ghastly-pale hue as he grips the arms of his chair, and then laughs.

"Just what you meant. I don't know what else you could possibly have been implying."

We all fall down...

[lionhearted_victor]

"It would've implied a lot, a grudge even against the government," Leo's eyes glinted with just a hint of malice towards any rebel, his smile a smirk, "That would've been unfortunate if I could've interpreted anything else."

As friendly as the coach was, the man was at his physical peak and being a former Career meant not just a varied skill set for the Arena but a devotion to the Capitol. For a second, he holds that uncomfortably snide look before cracking up in a laugh as well,

"I'm joking!" and he really was, D2 thrived in making the competition squirm for a little bit, "You may be a lot of things Lockhearst, but a dumb man, you're not."

[dead_black_eyes]

Linden laughs in a way that is totally not nervous after Leo jovially reveals the jest. "In all seriousness, though... I think that any Victor who would talk that way would have to be pretty dumb. I'm living a life I never could have in 6; I went from being a factory worker who was bad at his job to a Panem superstar overnight, and who wouldn't want that?"

Leo would. He did.

[lionhearted_victor]

Oh, Linden hit right where he needed to save his skin from the likes of Leonidas' loyalty. Of course he wanted to join the ranks of the Victors, and restore what honor his failures had broken into his family. A subtle change came over the coach, as he exhaled, "I would envy you if I didn't know how much of a wreck the Capitol has made you out to be."

Not to say he wasn't in opposition of the Games, they served a purpose. But him? What could he be useful for? It was a sad moment in Panem when the drug-addled mentor of District 6 had a stable sense of identity that a Districter raised to be a Career.

[dead_black_eyes]

Linden's gotten pretty decent at saving his skin, especially for someone so famously self-destructive. He takes the "wreck" comment in stride, knowing full well that he's struck a nerve and that's probably what provoked it.

"Are you OK? You seem sadder than you were a moment ago. I guess it's lonely at the top when you've won the most important contest in Panem."

[lionhearted_victor]

Cora wanted to give Linden a glare but there was no lie to counter, letting out a simple, "Oh you went there, kudos." He knew when he was beat. "I can only dream about what I could've been." It was a bit terrifying to see someone so willing to die in the Arena, but the indoctrination is deep in Leonidas. He wouldn't know any better...

[dead_black_eyes]

"Went...?" Linden asks, eyes wide, looking every bit as innocent as a child who's absentmindedly tread on a society lady's impractically long train. "I'm sorry. Please accept my apologies, if I've offended you... for what it's worth, though, I think that District 2 is lucky to have you for a trainer."

[lionhearted_victor]

"I would hope so," Leo stated before he took a gulp of his drink, "Don't worry about it. You're not the first, or the last to say it."

Whether the innocence was real or not, Cora believed it and dismissed any suspicions he had about Linden's loyalty. At least until proven otherwise by anyone not named Jason Compson IV.

[dead_black_eyes]

"The world would be a better place if you could tell just by looking what subjects might be sensitive," Linden says, and then, thoughtfully, "...or much, much worse. It all depends on whether you're the sort to feel sympathy for a person or try to exploit them. I guess that ratio would determine whether humanity ultimately survived."

[lionhearted_victor]

"Much worse, especially if people can use it to their advantage," Leo added, mainly because he'd be the type of person to exploit others' weaknesses for his gain. All fair in love and war, you know? But his disdain did not extend to Linden's apology, more towards the people who derided their presence in the Tower.

As if Districters were a problem more than an aid or a source of entertainment. "Isn't that what these Games are all about? See what makes the people tick and destroy them with it?" Cora spoke as it were less a weapon and more an art form.

[dead_black_eyes]

Well, that went ahead and answered at least one of Linden's questions that he's not quite brazen or reckless enough to come out and ask: what kind of person are you, Leo?

"These Games are about the glory of Panem and the generosity of the Capitol, of course," Linden says, focusing on the correct answer, not wanting to get caught being anything but a model patriot. He can't afford anything else right now... even if his tone is a little too perfectly schooled, and an uncharitable person might read sarcasm into it.

[lionhearted_victor]

There's a decent person within Leonidas, there's a true affection towards those he considers friends, and more so Districters. But he was raised a Career, ruthless and maybe just a little bit entitled for most people's tastes. He never really went without food or affection from his parents, he was simply a product of the regime and went about his life not questioning it.Had he been a Victor, he might have sung another song.

That answer gets an eyebrow, "Right." Especially coming from the heels of that amazing limerick.

[dead_black_eyes]

Leo's upbringing is understandable as an influence, for better or worse. Linden wouldn't hold it against him... but he also knows that despite his amusement, some of those jests hit a little too close to home. He can like the trainer, even consider him a friend, but he can't lower his guard too much around him.

"Of course. Just because I write some bawdy poetry about people I dislike to pass the time doesn't mean I'm disloyal to the institution that has given me so much."

And taken so much more.

[lionhearted_victor]

That was enough for Leo to give the Mentor not just the benefit of the doubt but some of his trust back. Victors, at least how him and his family regarded them, had the least to gain from the fall of the Hunger Games. They were part of the Capitol structure and highly respected...even Linden had some people who regarded him for the Games.

With that and a chuckle at the escort's expense, Leo stood up from his seat, said piece of filthy literature in his pocket and held out his hand, "I do hope this won't be the last time we meet, Lockhearst."



[shall we wrap this one up?]

Sounds good! /thread end

[dead_black_eyes]

Despite his difficulties, Linden indeed has a fair amount of respect as a Mentor. 6 in particular holds him in high regard, and perhaps it's largely because they dismissed him so readily as an absentminded and spacey child and hope that kindness and celebration will smooth over those memories. And it says a lot that even addicted to drugs, he's managed to fulfill his duties as a Mentor. It's rehab, ironically, that's messed him up in the past. It has a way of throwing a person's rhythm off dreadfully.

"I'm sure it won't be. Please, feel free to stop by anytime you want to commission more fine poetry. I never have any trouble producing it."