Where I go I just don't know

[steepled]

Who| Vivi and you!
What| Vivi explores the Capitol...or tries to. Overthinking is bad, man. Help him out?
Where| Starts off at the park, but it could go anywhere you like!
When| After his arena death in week 6.



There's a lot to see in the Capitol, probably enough to distract Vivi from these thoughts that seem to lead him nowhere. He had been roaming around for a while, eventually feeling the need to adjust his hat to block his view of the curious glances from the citizens. They're not screaming and running away, but having so many eyes on him like that makes him feel smaller than he already is. He's in a big city just like Alexandria, but that's where the similarities seem to end.

The bench he finds faces out to the rest of the park with the jogging path and a playground in plain view. He looks to sides first, searching for a familiar face before giving up and taking his seat. None of this is a dream after all. He really isn't in Alexandria anymore and he hasn't seen or heard from the others either. Zidane would've found him by now, Vivi thinks, knowing him.

He tips his hat back to better see and take note of the people around him. It's not the first time he's been in a big city and seeing friends and families playing with their children. But for some reason, instead of joy, he feels sadness.

"...I'm all alone now." He thinks to himself, lowering his head to look at his own feet.

Comments

[inrestlessdreams]

Vivi was strange enough to catch James' eye as he walked about in a city that wasn't covered in an oppressive fog. He doesn't look like one of Silent Hill's monsters, and probably reminded him of Laura than anything. Though the man had never been a father (he would've had fate not had played out the way it did), he did know when someone was lonely.

Sunderland tapped the weird-looking child, "Is this seat taken? I've been walking around these parts and I'd like to sit down."

Not the best introduction but it's something to break the silence.

[steepled]

Vivi apparently was too lost in his thoughts to notice the shadow approaching him. He jumps a little at the tap, but relaxes when he doesn't peg the man as being particularly threatening.

"Oh, no." He says politely with a shake of his head, adjusting his over sized hat after doing so. "It's fine."

[inrestlessdreams]

James isn't so much as violent as he is lost. "Have you been here long? You look a little, um, lost if I may say so. What's a little guy like you in this sort of place?"

Whoever this was, he was far too young to be in a place where supposed death matches were to take place. "Are you from here?"

[steepled]

There's exploring a new place and then there's being lost. It's exploring when you see a place you want to go to but when you're in a new place someone pretty much kidnapped you to...it's being lost. Unlike his first trip to Alexandria, he's definitely lost here.

Vivi shakes his head to both questions, though he quietly wonders what the mean means by a little guy 'like him'. "I just got here...sorta. I was in that forest place for about a week before..."

Before he ended up suffocating from the smoke and ash. He nervously adjusts his hat again and hopes the man takes it as a sign that he doesn't want to talk about it. He's still processing everything.

"And before that, I was in Alexandria. I've never heard of Panem until now."

[inrestlessdreams]

"Oh, I see..." James did his best to hide his surprise but he was quick to catch the distress. For what though, he'd rather not ask just yet. "I've never heard of this place either. I was out with...with my wife, in a resort town before I came here."

The man had no idea about the Games themselves but he asked the next logical thing, "What's your name?"

[conifer]

Emily doesn't venture out of the training centre often, finding the celebrity image she has to keep up in public both distasteful and exhausting. One place she does frequent from time to time, though, is the park. It's the closest there is to nature in the Capitol - it's not a patch on the forests of Seven, everything's neatly cultivated and she misses the overgrown wilderness - but being around the grass and trees allows her to escape, if just for a moment. Now that all of Seven's Tributes have died and returned to the Capitol, she has the time to take a break, and she takes her carving knife (something that she's surprised the Capitol's let her keep) and a small block of wood, leaning against a tall tree in a quiet corner and beginning to whittle.

When she notices Vivi she looks first surprised and then delighted - he's one that had arrived midway through the Arena, so even though she's been looking after him from the Capitol she hasn't had the chance to meet him yet.

"Hey, you okay?"

[steepled]

Vivi himself hasn't gotten the chance to meet with anyone, even in the arena. Whenever he had spotted somebody, he only remembers the words said to him that he and everyone else was placed in there in order to fight to the death. Needless to say, he more or less avoided anyone in the arena out of fear of what could've happened.

He looks up to the woman speaking to him. She seems nice. It's strange, given what he just came from.

"...yeah, I think so." His mind loops back to thinking that he doesn't feel dead but dead isn't supposed to feel like anything right? It's all so confusing for him that he doesn't know what to think anymore. "I'm um...new here, I guess."

[conifer]

She makes her way over, planting herself next to him on the bench with her legs crossed over one another on the seat, slowly continuing to carve but keeping her attention firmly on Vivi. "It's okay. The Capitol can be a little bewildering for those of us who come from Panem, let alone you guys being pulled in from other places." She offers a smile that she hopes is friendly and reassuring. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you out more in the Arena, but at least you know what sort of thing to expect for the next one."

[steepled]

Vivi's eyes fall on what she has in her hands, tilting his head some to see her work in progress. He has seen some figurines and toys made from wood in various shops back home but never in the making.

"Huh?" His full attention is on her now, not that he wasn't listening in the first place. "How can you help me...?"

Nevermind that he's already dreading at the idea of having to go through such a thing again, but he certainly wasn't expecting help from anyone given the idea of there being only one victor.

[infinitemayonnaise]

Nitou likes riding his bicycle through the park. It's good exercise, it gets him out of the Training Center, and it he likes the thrill that comes with doing ill-advised bike stunts. He rides by Vivi while pulling an extended wheelie, but when the sad little figure he spots out of the corner of his eye finally registers with him, he spins the bike around and rides back. "Hey, man, why the long face?"

I can't get over that username

[steepled]

The sound from the bike's wheels gets his attention. He had never been on one of those before, but they look pretty neat. He can't see himself knowing how to ride one of those though, let alone do a trick like that. No way his feet can reach the pedals.

"Huh? Oh, it's...it's nothing." He feels awkward knowing that he appears so sullen that even a stranger can tell. "My face always looked like this."

it is very descriptive of his eating habits

[infinitemayonnaise]

"Nah, that's just an expression." Nitou sort of slumps his shoulders and sits there on the bike in a bit of dejected body language. "You're sittin' there all like this, kinda."

[steepled]

An expression, right. Vivi recalls hearing that before, he just needs to actually keep it in mind. He tilts his head at Nitou's example and finds that it's not wrong. As curious as he is, he has never consciously thought about his own body language and how it could look to other people.

The man sounds concerned and the black mage does appreciate that. "Oh...yeah. I'm just trying to think about stuff." Thinking too much, more like, but he just got here and has a lot to sort out. "Do you know anything about the...the arena?"

[revocation]

Being able to move about the city with relative freedom at least reduces slightly the feeling of being trapped here, as far as Cullen is concerned. Even if most of the city is shockingly busy and full of people, more people than he's ever seen in one place, even in Kirkwall or the streets of Denerim.

Which is why he's drawn most of all to the parks - they tend to be at least a little quieter than the rest of the place, though he still occasionally finds himself followed by small gaggles of - mostly young - women, and sometimes a few men as well.

His first sight of Vivi brings to mind a child, and it's on that thought that he approaches cautiously. "Are you alright?" he asks, concerned.

[steepled]

Vivi can't count the number of people that dress funny here if he had all the time in the world. But given the strange looks he's been getting. He really can't tell if they like him or find him repulsive, but there's a fascination there that makes him uncomfortable still. It doesn't help knowing that these people are apparently okay with seeing others die for entertainment...

But he hasn't been in the city long, and this man seems friendly, so he doesn't want to think that's what the whole population is like.

"Y-yeah, I think so." The last memory he had was falling over coughing from all the smoke that clogged up his lungs. It didn't feel nice at all. He shuts his eyes to shake off the feeling he still can't find words to describe to look at Cullen again.

"...I just don't know how I got here. Or...that forest. I was in another city before all this happened."

[revocation]

Cullen is used to people looking strange, honestly. It doesn't faze him much.

"None of us is quite sure how that happened," he points out with a shrug. "I agree it's very disconcerting. But the fact of the matter is, you're alive, and that's something."

[steepled]

"I am...right?" Golden eyes meet Cullen as if to seek confirmation. He's probably over thinking it. It certainly isn't the first time he's done this, to ponder on things without much to go by. It just leads to more anxiety for him, but he can't help it. He's a curious boy, always looking for answers.

"...everything was on fire," he continues, thinking back on his experience in the arena. "I remember coughing a lot but maybe...maybe I just fell asleep."

you wanted a puppy, so here's a puppy :')

[weaintashes]

Through the wiles of soulful puppy eyes and Beth knowing Daryl better than he thinks she does, he somehow winds up with joint custody of the puppy, Charlie, which he'd given to her. And he's far from complaining about the arrangement, especially today — Charlie's boundless energy provides a good outlet for his own restlessness and growing anxiety.

Jogging alongside the harnessed and leashed puppy, Daryl chooses a route that neatly avoids the crowds of people gathered throughout the park and playground, and at the sight of someone occupying the bench that serves as their usual pit stop, he fully intends to keep going. Charlie has plans of his own, however, stubbornly heading directly to the bench and jumping up onto it like he's become accustomed to doing. A moment later, Vivi has a lap full of excited, wriggling puppy, who's only all too happy sharing his spot.

Daryl's rather more reserved as he takes a seat beside them, and reaches to pull Charlie off in case the intrusion isn't welcome. "Looks like you've made a new friend," he says with a note of amusement in his voice, curiously taking in the kid's strange appearance. Not all Tributes are human, and the Capitol citizens seem to pride themselves on their bizarre fashion, so the sight isn't as startling as it might've once been for him.

[steepled]

Vivi hadn't expected to get a face full of puppy while looking down at the ground. "W-whoa!" It's rather big for a puppy, but it's strong enough to nudge under Vivi's arm to lick at his face. Despite his deep thoughts, it elicits some giggling from him. He loves dogs, having seen plenty of them wandering around the streets of Alexandria. He gives the dog a few scritches behind the ears - where most dogs seem to like being pet, based on previous experiences.

When the dog gets pulled away, Vivi takes a second to wipe his face with the back of his hand before facing the owner.

"I've always liked dogs," he says, a little more upbeat. Dogs seem to have that affect on people. "What's his name?"

[weaintashes]

"Charlie," Daryl replies, and the puppy, thinking he's being talked to, proceeds to bounce onto him and give his face a good licking in turn, wagging tail a blur of motion. It has Daryl chuckling quietly to himself as he wards off the licking with an arm, then he nudges Charlie back toward the kid, figuring he might enjoy the company based on his comment.

Charlie's happy to spread the love and immediately returns his attention to Vivi, flopping down on the bench with his front paws stretched across Vivi's lap, eager for more petting. Who could resist those eyes and sweet face?

"And 'm Daryl," he introduces himself. "He don't mean no harm, he's just bein' friendly." With Charlie's tail thumping against his thigh, he rubs the puppy's side as he takes in the park goers with a more critical eye now, wondering who this kid may belong to. "Why were you sittin' here by your lonesome?"

[steepled]

"He's very friendly!" Watching the dog lick the man's face with so much care and enthusiasm - Vivi can tell that the two care about each other a lot. He remembers helping boy a little younger than him find his cat named Mittens. Their reunion made him smile and this moment does too. The mage holds his hands up as if to make room for Charlie, whose eyes dart back and forth between them as if expecting a treat to fall out of his hands. Vivi lowers them to pet the dog. If he had a treat to give him, he most definitely would.

"My name's Vivi. It's nice to meet you." He nods at Daryl before looking back down to Charlie, who is altering between nipping at his gloves and licking them, but Vivi doesn't mind. His hat is obscuring his face but it's probably not hard to tell that he's being a little gloomy.

"...I was just trying to think," he admits quietly. It's hard to think things out when there's so little to work with though. "I was in that forest for a while...and now I'm here. I haven't seen my friends since they took me from Alexandria."

Whoever "they" are. He doesn't have a face to associate with them.

"Um...are you from here, Mister Daryl?"

I hope this is okay. ;u;

[rictator]

Eventually, Rick had needed to resign himself to the fact that he wasn't going to be comfortable within the Capitol's city limits. The tribute centre's corridors were more stifling than the prison tombs had ever been, and the streets were no better; the perpetual surveillance lent to the overwhelming claustrophobia in a way that physical barriers didn't, triggering every deep-rooted survival instinct he possessed. It felt as though he was under a microscope, every interaction, every move picked apart and analyzed. Everything he did needed to be calculated, every word carefully chosen, and it was draining in the worst way.

Ever since he'd returned from the arena, Rick had found himself traversing the park more and more frequently. There were no fewer cameras there, but it was the closest he'd found to anything resembling normal - or whatever it was that passed for 'normal' anymore. The trees and the illusion of open space... The city buildings loomed from every side, but he could come a little closer to ignoring them when he was there.

It was during one of his rounds that he'd spotted the tip of the hat peeking over the back of the bench, immediately reminded of his old sheriff's hat that Carl had always sported. Short and dwarfed by the size of the brim, Rick had assumed they were a child; it wouldn't have been the first time he'd seen one alone in the park. Too often they turned out to be tributes, and worst still, those who didn't have anyone else to keep an eye on them. Hardened as his exterior may have been, children still had a way of tugging at his heartstrings, and he'd never been quite able to suppress his more protective instincts.

"Hey-" his voice was soft, a tone rarely heard from him by any adult.

It was only then that he'd caught sight of the rest of the stranger's appearance, his eyebrows raised in muted surprise. The reaction was short lived, and he was already arranging his features into something friendlier - far from his default mode, these days.

"Are you alright? You looked like you might be a little lost."

Since his arrival and even before that, he'd seen a lot of things. Different worlds, different people - was this really so strange? He'd definitely seen more bizarre fashion trends in the Capitol. Part of him still wasn't fully convinced that this wasn't another one.

/grabby hands

[steepled]

Vivi looks up as soon as he hears someone greet him, but his initial response makes the mage wonder if he had been standing there a while and he just hadn't noticed him until now. He shifts in his seat a little, feeling awkward. "O-oh, hi. Um..."

Lost probably isn't the right way to put it...although this city - this world is still entirely foreign to him. He certainly doesn't feel like he belongs. Lost in his thoughts is more accurate though. It's been happening more and more often lately that even Zidane seemed to have tasked himself to distract Vivi from them. "Sorry," he begins with a slightly clearer voice this time. "I'm okay, I guess. I'm just trying to figure out...stuff."

And things that are cluttering about in his head like a messy room. He's not sure why the man approached him, but given that he did, Vivi figures there's a reason for it, so golden eyes blink at him now as he waits for a response.

[rictator]

Stuff. Under another circumstance, Rick might have laughed, knowing too well just how many times he'd used that same excuse. 'Stuff' was a lot easier than trying to put words to his issues or explaining away the ghosts that had haunted him back at the prison, beckoning him beyond the safety of their fences. It encompassed his marital problems into one neat little word, letting him duck out of conversations relatively unscathed; avoidance had long been one of his worse habits, preferring to slip away before things reached that ugly level of complicated that promised no good resolution.

He tucked his hands into the pockets of his shearling jacket, turning his gaze back out over the park. It had been a long time since he'd felt the need to interfere with the affairs of others - It never proved worth the risk, to himself or his family. He would have pegged him as a new tribute, if only because he hadn't noticed him before now - and his appearance was rather distinct - but that didn't mean much anymore. Panem was vast, enough that they could have arrived at the same time and still never crossed paths.

"Nothing you need to apologize for," he said, keeping a polite distance. "I haven't been here long, but this place is a pretty good one for figurin' things out."

So far, no sign of anyone else watching - which likely meant that he was there alone. It was enough to make the faint smile fade from his lips, his eyes dropping back to the bench. It wasn't his place to press, but Vivi had hardly said anything to assuage his concerns.

"Are you a tribute?"

[steepled]

"Yeah, I kinda like it here," he agrees with a nod. The area they're in isn't completely tranquil and quiet like back at the dwelling, but he finds the open ambiance rather nice. If he isn't currently worried about...virtually everything happening right now, he'd appreciate it more. Based on what the man just said, he sounds like a tribute too, but he asked the the question first before Vivi could to confirm. To that, he nods again while scooting back on the bench to lean against it a little.

"I was in the forest before...before everything went on fire." He hangs his head low at that. It's not something he'd want to experience again. He shakes his head a bit before continuing, "I didn't know what to do. I don't think I can...do what they want me to do."

He looks up at the man again, not certain what's appropriate to say or if he had already said something wrong. But if the man is a tribute too, then he'd probably know what he's talking and thinking about. "Stuff like that...it's normal here, isn't it?"