thecapitol | Where I go I just don't know

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Where I go I just don't know

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.

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"I did...they keep telling me that I would have to wait for official word, or that they don't know," James answered and stopped so Vivi could enjoy the flower garden, "Are they always like that? Obtuse?"

That's a kind way of calling their obstruction.

"No, but they have a whole list of things to choose from," Cullen says. "You pick what you want, and they make it for you."

As opposed to just eating whatever the proprietor happened to have on hand that day, which was the norm where he comes from.

"Yeah, I dunno how this stuff works." Nitou makes a face. "Just that it's more than we got at home, and I don't think it's magic, either." He gives Vivi a sympathetic nod. "Don't feel small, though--this is still an opportunity for adventure!"

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."

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.

Edited 2015-04-04 03:57 (UTC)

When Vivi mentions the buildings, Daryl tilts his head back as his eyes momentarily stray to the skyline. It isn't as though he hasn't carefully studied the Capitol before, because he has, when trying to determine whether Panem's truly a world different from his own. But he's trying to imagine seeing it through Vivi's eyes now — and subsequently misses the mage's spill.

"You alright there?" he asks with a glance around the pavement to figure out what tripped the kid. People haven't been jostling close to them and the area appears suspiciously clear of obstacles. Unsure of whether the gesture will be accepted, he leans down to offer Vivi a hand up anyway, nudging Charlie back just as he's thinking about chomping on the tempting hat that's now within reach.

"Y'been to a castle?" It's admittedly pretty cool to someone who, before Panem, hadn't ever been out of Georgia and the surrounding states. To him, castles are a distant European thing. Maybe Vivi's world is more medieval?

"I...I don't know," Vivi admits. "They're kinda...scary looking." He's aware that one of their purposes is to keep tributes from escaping. Not that Vivi feels confident enough to pull such a stunt alone, but he doesn't even know his way around this world either.

It seems hopeless now, and Vivi can't help but let his shoulders sag. "It sounds like they bring whoever they want...what if we can't find her because they only brought you here?"

Why were they chosen over others, Vivi doesn't know. If they want people to fight wouldn't it be better to pick those that can? Vivi has seen battles in his life but there isn't much he can do outside magic...and he can't imagine hurting people that don't want to be here as much as he does...like James.

"...maybe it's better this way...that they're not here."

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.

Always looking on the bright side...this man sort of reminds Vivi of Zidane. It's true that he needs to cheer up some even as the situation seems bleak at best.

"Adventure?"

"It sounds like they have a lot then," he muses. Occasionally, he'd sit down at an inn or even a pub with his friends to enjoy a meal but most of the time they all get served the same thing. "This whole city...sounds like it has a lot."

Indulgent. The city is very indulgent.

"Maybe I'll go check one of them out. My grandpa always told me to try the food at every new place I find." Quina and grandpa would love the food the Capitol has to offer, but the indulgence seems to go beyond gluttony. There's something else about it that just doesn't sit right with Vivi but he can't place what, besides the Games that is.

He slides off the bench and adjusts his hat, looking up at Cullen.

"...er, which one should I go to?"

There's...a lot of them, he's sure.

Vivi pushes himself up some before taking Daryl's hand to pull himself up the rest of the way. He dusts the front of his clothes in a motion that seems to even resemble muscle memory. The same goes for when he adjusts his hat, giving Daryl an appreciative nod.

"Yeah, I'm okay." It happens every so often that he tends to shrug them off now. At least the ground isn't jagged this time. Charlie paces around him a little and Vivi takes that as a cue to keep moving, so he does.

"I've been to two. Well...the other castle is so big, the town is actually inside it." Although the circumstances that lead to him going to both of them could've been better. Memories of his fight against the Black Waltz still leaves him numb when he thinks about it. So much that back then, he was too distracted to initially take in the scale of the city of Lindblum.

And now his friend is Queen of Alexandria, after the death of her mother...her mother that Vivi came to loathe.

He shakes his head as if to make the thoughts go away, at least for now. "Um...what about you? What's your home like?"

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.

James offered a smile to the small mage, "They can't all be bad, right?" And then he hears Vivi say We can't find her because they only brought you here?

The mere idea of losing Mary all over again caused James to momentarily shut down all over again. They...they left her behind, the thought was enough for the man's breath to be knocked out and collapse against the nearest tree. Vivi can see the real anguish coursing through Sunderland's body.

"They left her in the lake, oh God...they left her down there."

A more vivid picture could not be painted for anyone watching as a grieving widower is told the worst news of his life. He could have helped Mary with the Arenas had she become a Tribute. He could have done something to bargain with the people behind the glass walls. Now she was in that wretched town, all alone, because of him.

"Yeah, adventure!" Nitou gives him a cocky grin. "The bigger the risk, the bigger and better the adventure you can get out of it!"

"Honestly? I have no idea," Cullen says with a shrug. "There are so many of them, and they all seem to do slightly different things - different sorts of food, different ways of eating it, some less expensive and some more expensive..."

It's all very baffling to him.

"Did anyone explain to you, before they shoved you in the Arena, that you get a support team to help you?" She speaks gently, watching him carefully.

Charlie's eager to get moving regardless of wherever they're going, and immediately bounds forward with a wagging tail and weaves around Vivi as they resume walking. Having anticipated this, Daryl pays enough mind to the leash to ensure Vivi doesn't get wrapped up and tripped by the excited puppy. He's mostly sure that isn't what happened last time, but he's keeping a closer eye in case.

"Place called Georgia," he answers, figuring Vivi won't be familiar with his world, so a state name will suffice. "Ain't as cool as livin' around castles and all that, but it's alright. Grew up in the mountains. Think I've spent more time in the woods than anywhere else." The woods and a tent or the cab of his old truck had always been vastly preferable to any house or apartment he's ever had, especially when his parents had still been alive. Living with Merle afterward had been trying in its own way, mainly when he'd gotten in too deep with the constant drugs and boozing, but Daryl honestly wouldn't have traded time spent with his brother for anything, and even now he finds himself missing the bastard.

Time heals all wounds, or some bullshit like that. But time hasn't done much good for this one.

His expression is distant as he falls silent for several moments, and he's ultimately saved from his thoughts by one of the garishly decorated stores that's advertising all manner of desserts in its window displays. Daryl gives a short whistle to get both Vivi and Charlie's attention, and gestures toward the store he's already starting to head for.

"Bet they'll have ice cream. Prob'ly some cookies and cakes and sh— stuff, too." Which is convenient, since he's been trying to come up with something nice to do for Rick and Beth, to lift their spirits a little. Taking them each a box of cookies might help.

"Georgia..." Vivi repeats, as if he's trying to recall the name from a story he heard or a book he read, but nothing comes to mind. "I lived near the mountains too," or in the mountain, he should say. "I mean, I lived in a cave off the side of a mountain with my grandpa before..."

The mage notices Daryl's expression and tilts his head to show concern. He doesn't speak because he's probably overthinking it and he doesn't want to push buttons either. Daryl's probably homesick, Vivi thinks, because he is too.

They reach the store before the mage could muster up the courage to ask. And on cue, the whistle gets Vivi and Charlie's attention as they catch up to Daryl. The elaborate decor could easily be seen from the outside of the store front and Vivi finds himself tip toeing to peek through the glass.

"Wow!"

Zidane comes to mind again. "That sounds like something my friend would say..."

There's always a risk to things...and Vivi has found himself in the position of not having much of a choice on whether he takes it or not. It's not that different here either, given what they are told to do.

"...um. What do you do when you're not in the arena?" For fun, that is. How can anyone have fun is the bigger question he'd ask because of the place they're in and the position given to them. But hopefully, fun is what Nitou means when he mentions adventure.

Vivi shakes his head, frowning (which anyone can only really tell by his eyes appearing half way closed) at his first memory here. "Not really...when I woke up, these guys just told me that I have to fight other people 'to the death' and that 'there can only be one victor.'"

Next thing he knew, he was put in the middle of what looked like a forest and was left fending for himself. He would hear cannons firing and seeing portraits of people he didn't recognize, but otherwise, he would always move away from any sort of noise until the flames caught up to him.

He may have avoided being spotted or killed by someone, but he didn't receive help either - not that he ever expected it. His head sags as he appears crestfallen and even scared.

"...I don't know why all of this is happening..."

Vivi's stomach drops when he realizes his words had cut too deep. He goes over to James and knees down to be at eye level with the man, feeling both distressed with a look that displays an overwhelmingly amount of guilt.

"I- I'm sorry!" He says, fingers jittering. He had done something that hurt another person's feelings and the weight of it comes crushing him harder than any stone could. "I..."

The Gamemakers wouldn't do that, would they? They don't strike Vivi as being particularly picky about who ends up here. He can't reach a conclusion without sounding hopeless. He just didn't mean to bring James down with him, especially when the man has been so nice to him.

"...I'm sorry," he repeats, ignoring that feeling of a pit that just opened in his stomach. "...um....I don't think they'd do something like that. We haven't looked around hard enough."

Cullen's right. If the Capitol has anything to offer, it's the overwhelmingly amount of variety. And a lot of the times, just because somethings cost more doesn't always make it better than the things that are sold for less. Vivi hums thoughtfully, twiddling his thumbs before speaking again.

"Do you have a favorite place?" The best places to eat are usually considered as such because people hold the food close to their hearts, grandpa wold say. (Also because the food is just tasty.)

"I can't say that I do," he admits with a shrug. "I've tried a couple - one merely offered coffee and pastries, though they were very nice. Another had strange things called burgers, meat between two chunks of bread, and cheese and other things on them."

As lost as James was, he wasn't without empathy as he snapped out of his mourning. Vivi sounded so miserable, so distraught, the clerk had to comfort the poor mage. Poor thing was just trying to help, he meant no harm in what happened there.

"Sorry, I…I didn't mean to make you sad. It's just…it's been so long since I've heard from her. She was so sick then, the disease destroyed her from the inside out. Maybe it's better this way, that she remains lost or at least out of the Arena. I can fight for her then and maybe," he then smiled for Vivi, "Maybe we'll both find answers to what we're both looking for."

"Then your friend's pretty smart!" Nitou thinks he's smart, so therefore this friend has to be smart, too. It's perfectly sound logic.

He's got to think for a moment. "Mostly I just try to stay moving. Like I'll ride the bike everywhere, and they think that's training so they let it slide. And then I'll eat whatever I can find that looks interesting!" He snaps his fingers. "You wanna go find something?"

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Where I go I just don't know

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I hope this is okay. ;u;

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/grabby hands

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