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

[steepled]

"Wow. Thank you!" Vivi says as he holds it in both hands. He'll pocket it for when he makes his way back to his room but for now, it sits on his lap. He stares at it thoughtfully for a bit, wondering if he could learn to do something like this to pass the time when it's quiet. He remains silent a little longer, taking in at her encouraging words but is unsure how to accept them, given the circumstances.

Either way, he has no desire to die, so he just looks back up at Emily and nods. "I'll...I'll try, Miss Finch."

[conifer]

"It's just Emily," she says, smiling fondly at him. "And you come and find me if you need anything at all, okay?"

Thread wrap up? c:

[steepled]

Vivi nods again. "Okay, Emily." For the most part, he refers people with polite courtesy unless told to otherwise. "I will!" Her smile strikes him as genuine and the bright look in his eyes is a clear indication for her that he's smiling back. He's still unsure about everything, but at least from meeting Emily, he knows that not everyone here is bad and wanting to see the violence.

[rictator]

There was a point in his life that Rick might have said the same - But all things considered, he'd have preferred it had Vivi not been there at all. There weren't many who deserved the fate forced upon them by the Capitol, but there was a certain quality that he recognized in the mage... Whether he lived or not, it wouldn't survive the things they were made to do. Eventually, they all had to adapt.

It hadn't been the answer he'd wanted to hear, but it didn't surprise him. Telling him it was only a matter of time, that others would start to arrive, was hardly reassuring, and more importantly, it wasn't a guarantee; Rick could still only guess at the Capitol's motivations when it came to tribute selection. The number of people originating from his own world seemed disproportionately high when compared to the average - If there was some pattern to it, he certainly hadn't figured it out.

And perhaps that was what was so disconcerting about it; there was no telling who would be next. With the numbers as they were, would they continue bringing in tributes from his world, or would they move on to one like Vivi's for the sake of diversity? Or somewhere else altogether? Dwelling on it was enough to make a man crazy, and really, would knowing make it any better? There was nothing they could do about it presently, beyond what they were already doing.

He hesitated as he considered his next response, warring against his own paranoid nature. There would always be a certain vulnerability in revealing those closest to you, and Rick wasn't sure he'd ever be able to fully ignore that fact; whatever sympathy he felt for the stranger didn't negate the fact that he didn't actually know him. That said, anyone with a pair of eyes and arena footage could have deduced who he cared about, whether he admitted to it or not.

"Yeah... Some of them," he said at length, followed by a slow nod. "A man named Daryl, and a girl. Beth."

[weaintashes]

Vivi's deferral is met with the surprise of someone still mostly unaccustomed to deciding for others, even in matters this trivial; up until a couple years ago, Daryl's preferences and opinions hadn't mattered all that much to anyone in his life, and certainly hadn't factored into any of their own decisions. And knowing that this would be Vivi's first time trying frozen yogurt, the pressure is on to not mess it up for him.

Poring over the menu with that in mind, Daryl absently bites his thumbnail in thought. Would he like sweet? Minty? Sour? Maybe fruity, going by the couple toppings he'd already chosen. After several minutes of deliberation, he orders two of the same — scoops of butterscotch, peach, and a colourful mix called 'Rainbow Road' for the yogurt, with strawberries, blueberries, and crunched up bits of chocolate-covered pretzels sprinkled over top — then pays for everything.

"Don't eat it too fast," he warns with a hint of amusement in his tone, "might get brain-freeze." He returns the menu and hands one of the bowls over to Vivi, careful to nudge Charlie down right as he's halfway to getting a faceful of Vivi's froyo. With a light tug on the leash, he gets the puppy moving toward the exit. "C'mon. You wanna head back to the park, or keep walkin'?"

[steepled]

Vivi turns his attention to take in the rest of the store, completely oblivious to what's going on Daryl's mind. And he interprets the nail biting as Daryl simply thinking about what flavors to choose and nothing more. The mage waits patiently, petting Charlie to keep him from possibly disturbing the rest of the store before looking up to hear Daryl place their order.

The mage takes the cold cup in his hand and the spoons, staring at the colorful dessert. "It looks good!" Taste is the most important factor of any food, but color and presentation are what draws people in and the mage takes his time looking at it before looking at Daryl and following him out of the store. "It can really do that? Make your brain freeze?"

He wants to try it right away, but not while they're walking. Knowing him, something's going to happen that would cause him to drop it and the thought of wasting Daryl's money would make him feel beyond terrible. He looks side to side and gestures over to the small tables to the side of the store. "How about here?"

[weaintashes]

As far as Daryl's aware, the money on Tributes' cards came from Capitol funds, and they also get paid per kill in arenas. This somewhat mistaken belief hasn't led to him spending extravagantly as a 'fuck you' to the Capitol, luckily for the Districts, who are apparently the actual party footing the bill for their froyo — as he'd discover later.

He nods and guides Charlie over to the small veranda, choosing one of the seats that put the building at his back and the sidewalk facing him. He may have been taken out of his ruined world, but the practises which had kept him alive there are so deeply ingrained that they influence every aspect of his life, even now. Keep your back covered, watch for potential threats.

This doesn't prevent him from enjoying the dessert, however.

"Nah, s'figure of speech," he explains in between bites of yogurt, thinking nothing of talking with his mouth full. "More like a headache. Kinda annoying, but that's all." Charlie's prancing in place, clearly wanting to enjoy the frozen treat with them. Under the knee-buckling weight of those puppy eyes Daryl soon relents, helping Charlie up into the chair beside him, and spoon feeds the puppy a little of the plain peach yogurt.

"How're you likin' it?" The question is directed to Vivi, since it's obvious what Charlie thinks of froyo; he's already whining and pawing for more. Daryl can't blame him. The stuff actually is surprisingly good, taste and texture both, and he almost regrets having never had it before now.

[steepled]

Vivi lets out a thoughtful hum at the explanation, having never heard of the saying before. His head comes up just above the table, but he doesn't mind. It's almost always been this way. He's careful to eat slowly, taking a most of the yogurt and a slice of strawberry. The spoon seemingly disappears into his mouth as he lets out a delighted squeal, much like the first time he tried a strawberry roll his grandfather made.

"It's really good!" The mage reaches over for a napkin and dabs his mouth before scooping up for a blueberry this time. After another bite, his eyes seem to glow brighter.

"Thank you, Mister Daryl."

[steepled]

"Oh, I'm sorry."

That reply came faster than Vivi intended and he quickly blurts out another apology following that one. "I mean...you know."

That would mean that they're tributes too. And he had seen them die and probably will again soon. Even if people come back, it's still not an easy thing to stomach.

He's still not sure what it means to live or to die...

"Um...are you okay, Mister Grimes?" He asks with a tilt of his head. He's not sure if the man is always this quiet, but he looks like he has a lot on his mind. The mage doesn't blame him.

and they lived happily ever after

[weaintashes]

Vivi's guileless enthusiasm and the way his eyes seem to quite literally light up with his delight, it's almost too much — endearing in all the ways that once had Daryl wishing for kids of his own, before the world went to shit. Watching Vivi is also a little painful, knowing how unkind this world is, how aggressively it will stamp out that innocence. How it's already tried to.

Keeping his grim thoughts to himself, he replies, "You're welcome," and offers a hesitant smile that's mostly in his eyes. At least they have moments such as this to hold onto, small kindnesses, like drifting motes of light amid the darkness.

"Place I'm from, it's known for peaches," he explains after a moment, using his spoon to gesture at the scoop of peach yogurt in Vivi's bowl. "S'why I picked that one, it's peach-flavoured. So it's kinda like sharing part of home with you."

Realising how ridiculously sentimental it sounds, he glances away, mildly embarrassed, and returns his attention to his own yogurt. Between him and Charlie the frozen dessert has soon vanished, and once Vivi's likewise finished his (and Charlie's licked the bowl clean), Daryl suggests they walk for a while more, just to take in the sights. No sense in wasting such a nice day cooped up inside, or sitting lonely on a park bench.

Eventually they do return to the Training Center together, and despite his earlier embarrassment Daryl reminds Vivi to ask the restaurant about the sesame buns — so he could experience something from Vivi's home, too. There they part ways, with Charlie tottering so sleepily by that point that Daryl gathers him up and simply carries him back to his suite.

[rictator]

Oh, he knew - and he was sorry too. Not that there was anything any of them could do about it. There were some back home who'd thought that infection had changed things, that death was different since the turn - but it wasn't. The walkers weren't alive, and as much as they looked like those they'd lost, they weren't. But even that was nothing compared to the mockery that Capitol had created; it wasn't something he thought he'd ever get used to.

Perhaps that was the way things were supposed to be. When dying became normal, if they ever did go back... They couldn't afford to let this make them weak.

"Yeah..."

Was he okay? Not really. But then, the definition of "okay" had shifted along with the rest of the world, changing to match their ever devolving situation. What was good for them now might have been before - Being able to eat, finding a safe place to spend the night, all the small things that they'd taken for granted were granted a new sense of import. Just having meat, regardless of what animal, was good now. Water, even if it had to be boiled before it was drinkable. It was certainly enough to change one's perspective on things.

He shook his head, as though to free himself from his own tangled thoughts. He'd been the one to approach Vivi - This wasn't his business, or his problem.

"Yeah," he repeated, his tone more definite. "I'm fine."

Rick chewed at the corner of his lip for a moment, considering. Maybe it was out of line, but there was some part of him that just didn't feel right leaving him - not out here, alone. He cast a glance up at the late afternoon sun, not looking at him when he spoke.

"It's getting pretty late. You got anything planned for dinner?"

[steepled]

"Oh...okay, then." Something (or somethings) must be bothering him, but Vivi is polite enough to not pry. From his own experience though, sometimes it's okay to pry, especially when it comes to friends, because friends look out for each other. Maybe he and Rick can be friends but that remains to be seen.

Vivi only just noticed that the sun's about the set, indicating the time. Food really does sound appealing right about now.

"No, nothing planned. I haven't eaten anything since I got here, come to think of it." Anxiety has kept him from realizing just how empty his stomach had been.