♓ Feferi Peixes // cuttlefishCuller (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fintastic) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thecapitol2015-07-11 02:41 pm
fintastic) wrote in thecapitol2015-07-11 02:41 pm
Entry tags:
[ open ]
Who| Feferi Peixes and open
What| An untriumphant return from the Arena
Where| Around the Tribute Tower and Training Center
When| Early in the Finale week
Warnings/Notes| Allusion to death and murder of course. Angsty teenagers.
[ open ]
A dragon. Feferi has no one to be angry with but herself, but to go by way of dragon... she's kind of mad. She made it so far once again, and had nothing to show for it. Maybe if she'd stuck closer to Dave. He was better with the sword. Her first stop when she gets back isn't to her room, though; in the past, she might have stopped and moped. But now she heads to the Training Center, finds the nearest sword, and starts hacking away at training dummies. She'll have to go back to school tomorrow; she's not ready for that kind of effort, but she's going to have to find a way to make it.
When she tires herself out with the sword practice, she sets to wandering. She doesn't want to go sit in her room and stew in her disappointment, but she doesn't know what else to do, so she sets to meandering, hoping that something will catch her attention. She gets herself something to eat, which helps a little, and gives a passing smile to anyone who notices her. To anyone who matters, she tries to look at least a little bit pleasant, but it's a struggle, and it feels strange to her, that being cheerful would be so hard for her, of all people.
But ultimately ends up on the roof, and after school most days, too. She does her homework up there in more secluded corners, just for the peace and quiet. It's nice up there, and there's a little taste of freedom that she can't get in her room. Maybe it's the breeze on the skin, or being able to see the sky, and knowing that it's the real sky. When she's not working on schoolwork, she's deep in thought, just trying to think through her next moves.
[ for Signless ]
While she still has time, Feferi makes a special stop in her meandering. It's only after hours have past and the evening's worn on, but somehow, it doesn't seem weird calling on another troll late at night. Humans are the ones who are into the whole being awake during the day, so when she knocks at Signless' door, her only worry is that he won't actually be in. Maybe she should have messaged ahead, but it would have taken her longer to do that than to just show up.
That, and she simply didn't think ahead.
She waits impatiently, bouncing on her heels, her fins back and her signature smile gone. Though she trusts him to be kindly, she's antsy about what she's here for. She's not even sure if she'll get in trouble for talking to him about this, or sabotage herself in the process somehow, but... there's no way she can do it alone. She has always been confident, but she's always had friends or her lusus to back her up. She doesn't have her lusus here, of course, and a friend like Karkat won't do... this requires a special touch, and she just knows Signless is the perfect troll for it.
[ for Karkat ]
Feferi doesn't have the heart to watch and find what Dave's fate is going to be, so instead she has to find ways to keep herself busy. Being made to go back to school helps keep her distracted some, and the roof provides some relief, but there's a time when Feferi doesn't want to be alone, and that's when she stops by District 6.
In true Feferi fashion, she doesn't know that Karkat will actually be there, but she finds herself at his door anyway. They agreed to talk more, but she doesn't just want to talk at recess. She wants a little more privacy, and even though she knows the cameras are always watching, she just kind of wants to be away from the prying eyes and ears of other tributes. Most of them are nice enough, but there's something to be said for having a little troll time without humans around.
She's not even sure she wants to talk about her time in the Arena, or where Dave is, or about their argument that still sits unresolved at the back of her mind. She just wants to see a familiar face and hang out for a little while. Heck, she would be happy to just sit there and listed to Karkat rant about her dropping by unexpectedly. She doesn't have any place to be picky at the moment.
What| An untriumphant return from the Arena
Where| Around the Tribute Tower and Training Center
When| Early in the Finale week
Warnings/Notes| Allusion to death and murder of course. Angsty teenagers.
[ open ]
A dragon. Feferi has no one to be angry with but herself, but to go by way of dragon... she's kind of mad. She made it so far once again, and had nothing to show for it. Maybe if she'd stuck closer to Dave. He was better with the sword. Her first stop when she gets back isn't to her room, though; in the past, she might have stopped and moped. But now she heads to the Training Center, finds the nearest sword, and starts hacking away at training dummies. She'll have to go back to school tomorrow; she's not ready for that kind of effort, but she's going to have to find a way to make it.
When she tires herself out with the sword practice, she sets to wandering. She doesn't want to go sit in her room and stew in her disappointment, but she doesn't know what else to do, so she sets to meandering, hoping that something will catch her attention. She gets herself something to eat, which helps a little, and gives a passing smile to anyone who notices her. To anyone who matters, she tries to look at least a little bit pleasant, but it's a struggle, and it feels strange to her, that being cheerful would be so hard for her, of all people.
But ultimately ends up on the roof, and after school most days, too. She does her homework up there in more secluded corners, just for the peace and quiet. It's nice up there, and there's a little taste of freedom that she can't get in her room. Maybe it's the breeze on the skin, or being able to see the sky, and knowing that it's the real sky. When she's not working on schoolwork, she's deep in thought, just trying to think through her next moves.
[ for Signless ]
While she still has time, Feferi makes a special stop in her meandering. It's only after hours have past and the evening's worn on, but somehow, it doesn't seem weird calling on another troll late at night. Humans are the ones who are into the whole being awake during the day, so when she knocks at Signless' door, her only worry is that he won't actually be in. Maybe she should have messaged ahead, but it would have taken her longer to do that than to just show up.
That, and she simply didn't think ahead.
She waits impatiently, bouncing on her heels, her fins back and her signature smile gone. Though she trusts him to be kindly, she's antsy about what she's here for. She's not even sure if she'll get in trouble for talking to him about this, or sabotage herself in the process somehow, but... there's no way she can do it alone. She has always been confident, but she's always had friends or her lusus to back her up. She doesn't have her lusus here, of course, and a friend like Karkat won't do... this requires a special touch, and she just knows Signless is the perfect troll for it.
[ for Karkat ]
Feferi doesn't have the heart to watch and find what Dave's fate is going to be, so instead she has to find ways to keep herself busy. Being made to go back to school helps keep her distracted some, and the roof provides some relief, but there's a time when Feferi doesn't want to be alone, and that's when she stops by District 6.
In true Feferi fashion, she doesn't know that Karkat will actually be there, but she finds herself at his door anyway. They agreed to talk more, but she doesn't just want to talk at recess. She wants a little more privacy, and even though she knows the cameras are always watching, she just kind of wants to be away from the prying eyes and ears of other tributes. Most of them are nice enough, but there's something to be said for having a little troll time without humans around.
She's not even sure she wants to talk about her time in the Arena, or where Dave is, or about their argument that still sits unresolved at the back of her mind. She just wants to see a familiar face and hang out for a little while. Heck, she would be happy to just sit there and listed to Karkat rant about her dropping by unexpectedly. She doesn't have any place to be picky at the moment.
training center!
She has to admit, she's pretty impressed. For such a small little thing, Feferi seems pretty strong, and while her technique isn't exactly finessed, she has the basics down. Eventually, Ransom shifts so that she's leaning on the balcony railing, and she calls down to Feferi's turned back.
"Don't forget your footwork. It's just as important as hacking and slashing."
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"I'm getting better, though," she responds, more tired and gently hopeful that her statement will be met with agreement. "I tried to do better. I really did."
She finally takes a moment to shelve the sword and tries to right some of dummies, as much as they can be, generally cleaning up after the mess she made of them. At least one of them is going to have to be retired after this. It doesn't serve much of a purpose, just something to do with her training interrupted. She was getting tired of the sword, anyway. She kept thinking about slashing at that dragon, trying to get at its throat or its belly...
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"Do you know who I am?" she asks after a moment.
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"I don't think we have actually met yet." It seems like the safest answer, because she's fairly sure she's never seen this particular human before, not face to face. The voice doesn't ring any bells either. Maybe she should recognize her from somewhere else? She gives a hopeful smile, hoping that she's right, at least.
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"I'm your Mentor. Ransom Averell. I won my Games eighteen years ago, and now I'm here to help you win yours."
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Now her fins are all perked up; if nothing else, she can summon enthusiasm when she really tries, and with the right distractions. There's a part of her that's still upset, but she pushes it aside for now.
"I'm pretty much done here, anyway. I should leave some dummies for other people. We probably have a lot to talk about, huh?"
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Not that it got them much.
"You're welcome. I'm actually impressed you made it so far in the game. At this point, I'm almost certain you're One's best bet for next time."
She pauses, taking a moment to come down a side staircase and join Feferi on the main floor. "Quite a lot. Tell me--your relationship with Dave Strider. Real, or just for show?" She doesn't think much of the whole romance angle, personally, but she's aware that it can work in their favor if they so choose.
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"Oh, it's real! Well, now it is. It was fake at first but this was our first Arena with it being real." And that was a very real fight they had. She tries not to think on it too hard. "We really hammed it up, I guess. Maybe a little bit less ham next time..."
She seems sincerely thoughtful about it-- if there is a next time, anyway. She's not even sure what will come of their talk when he gets back.
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"Go back to sleep, you overgrown shrimp," he says in a tone that is both fond and exasperated, kneeling to pick up a squirming mini-Crabdad. He tucks the tiny lusus under the crook of one arm and with the other opens the door. His face immediately brightens when he sees who it is.
"Feferi! It's good to see you. Come in -- he won't bother you, he's just excitable. Did you need something?"
He steps back to let her enter. His room is cozier than some other tribute rooms simply by virtue of exactly how long he's lived in it (even with moving out of the tribute hall and into the Mentor suites). The bedside table is decorated with little trinkets collected over his time in Panem, there's a well-used looking pile of blankets and pillows in one corner, and though by now he's given in and started sleeping in his bed there is still a bright red sleeping bag tucked beneath it just in case.
His three tribbles are nested on his bed like softly-cooing decorative pillows. He gently pushes them to one side and motions for her to sit, should she feel like it.
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"I did, sort of. I wanted to talk! About... talking." She stops, realizes that sounds silly, and then goes on. "I mean, what we talked about, when I came to see you speak. If you still have the time, I still want to learn!"
As she explains, her smile fixes into something more natural-- not quite her cheerful self, but determined, and slightly less mopey. Idly, she reaches out a hand to try and pet one of the fluffy little creatures, unthinking and without asking. The fluff is just too tempting for her to resist.
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"I always have time for you." Especially now that Twelve is down to what... three? four? tributes, he should have plenty of time to give all of them due attention and still slot in Feferi.
Now that he's sitting he settles mini-crabdad into his lap. The tiny lusus curls up there, chittering comfortably and wrapping its long whip-thing tail around itself.
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"I want to petition out," she finally just says it out loud, feeling a little more soothed and little more determined for it. It feels good, even, to just put it out there. She's been keeping it to herself, like she might ruin her chances by letting anyone else in on her plan. "And when I saw you talking, I saw all those Capitolites there, and they were so into it. How did you do it?"
She's not likely to have to give a public speech as part of the interview, but until then, she wants to step up her game, see if she can score herself more interviews, more sponsors, more... everything she's going to need for this to even be a possibility.
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"A lot of it is making them feel engaged. Not just talking at them but with them. You'll notice in that particular case I told them a story -- I find that's always a good lead-in, particularly if I can tell one that illustrates the point I want to make. It invites empathy, and empathy makes it easier for them to understand what I'm saying on a personal level and not just a theoretical one."
He smiles, just a touch crookedly. "Capitolites especially want to imagine themselves in our offworlder lives. They find us fascinating and exotic. Nothing gets their attention faster. Comparing the troll hemocaste to the system of District segregation was an obvious choice because it was something they could easily understand but it was still just alien enough to be intriguing."
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"I don't know if I have any stories, though. Not like your stories." It only makes sense. She hasn't had nearly as much chance to explore; she's younger, for one, and Alternia was a dangerous place for a young heiress, but in some very different ways. "The only story I know is about the fish who shared all his pretty scales. I don't know if that one would work, plus it is not even real! I think."
She thinks on it for another second, then shrugs. "But that makes sense. I didn't really think about it, I just thought they liked it because they liked you already."
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He can't imagine her not having at least a little bit of a fanbase. She's sweet, she's smart, she tackles the arenas to the best of her ability, and she's close to Dave, who is wildly popular. Surely that must get her some attention of her own?
"You can practice on me; tell me your story about the fish. It isn't one I've heard."
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"Like this?" She's kind of relieved to have someone else there, though, and maybe a new perspective will be good for her technique.
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"I don't know if I want to kill a lot more people at all." She looks off at the wall, and gives the sword a slow test swing, trying to keep the correct movements throughout. It's better when she's actually concentrating, but of course your opponent won't just stand there and wait for you to get into position. She knows she needs to get better, but something else is gnawing at the back of her mind. "How many people have you killed in Arenas so far?"
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Feferi kind of expected more. She hoped she would hear that it gets easier or something, especially since this human seemed to have more experience than others. Then again, so does Dave, so she's not sure why she got her hopes up.
"It looks so easy when you are not actually trying to trick someone into turning their back. I think I would rather it be a fair fight, next time. Maybe I'll be good enough next time." She doesn't want to get too far into moping again though, so she forces on a smile. "Hey, weren't you going to show me a few things, anyway?"
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She nods eagerly at the prospect of sharing with Feferi what she knows, even though the thought crosses her mind that she could use it against her next time round. "You can't just go at people and start stabbing. Most of them are bigger and will have the advantage. You need to learn to be stealthy. Swift as a deer, quick as a snake, Syrio would say." She pulls out a blunted practice sword and moves from one foot to the other in quick succession, as though she's dodging out of the way of an attack. "Like this, see?"
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She doesn't know much about deer or land snakes (she assumes land snakes, anyway, as she usually does with anyone who isn't a seadweller) but she tries to take it at face value and just listens. "Like this?"
She tries to imitate the movement, and it becomes all the more obvious when she tries that the sword she's picked out to practice with isn't the right size. She can mimic the movements, but the sword isn't balanced in her hand at all, despite her attempts.
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Watching too closely tends to leave him tense and jumpy, though, so now and then he has to take a break for other things. He's sat in with a book now, some predictably trashy romance novel, when Feferi's knock interrupts him. He doesn't know who it might be, but he's unconcerned as he goes to answer the door. Even seeing who it is gets no explosion of how-dare-you-bug-him-out-of-nowhere, just a blink and, "Oh, hey. What's up?"
They did agree to talk more, and part of that is, well, talking. There could be stuff on her mind - he saw the fight she had with Dave - so he steps aside to let her in.
(Besides, after worrying for the week it took Dave to return last time, he's glad to have her back.)
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"I just thought I would come hang out for a while. Thanks for the assist in there." She helps herself to sitting on the edge of his bed, because that's just how Feferi does. "I wish I could have won, but I guess that's just how it goes. Maybe Dave still has a chance..."
She's had the thought too. She's disappointed in herself, but she's still rooting for him; much like Karkat, she doesn't have the heart to watch and find out. She'll know if he shows up in the tribute tower again without any kind of fanfare.
"How much did you actually watch, anyway?"
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He waves his hand. "Not a problem. I've been digging up sponsor deals from everywhere I can. If I can't help directly then I can't just sit on my ass and not do something this way."
He follows over to sit on the bed himself, not minding her there. It's pretty standard visiting protocol with the people he's seen.
He shrugs at the question. "Some. More in the earlier weeks, less now, and not as much as I could have if not for all this other shit taking up space in my life. You know they still make us go to schoolfeeding when the arena's on? Class was practically empty for a while, but there they were, ready to shovel heaping gulps of words down my insatiable knowledge gullet."
He rolls his eyes, then looks to her more directly.
"You alright? If I'm digging into things that aren't my business, then feel free to shove my sniff node right out, but I did see you got in that fight with Dave. Everyone who got near that sword too long had their rage meter cranked up to douchetastrophe."
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But Karkat probably doesn't want her fawning over him, and she has so many other things on her mind.
"Kind of weird that they made you go back when not everyone is there, now I kind of feel like I'm behind." She's put a little extra effort into catching up on what she's missed, but it's still a few weeks worth of schoolwork. At least she had a valid excuse. "Oh-- yeah, I'm okay. I didn't know about the sword thing, though..."
Maybe she wouldn't have been so harsh on him, if she had. It was confusing, and it just made her more irritated, and now she was left to wait.
"I think between that and the human I killed... I don't know how I feel anymore. I don't want to have to do it again."
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It hasn't hurt that the letter writing gig in the youth programme has netted him access to some extra sponsors, but he's not the only one to have done those.
She has more she says, and he watches her with an easier expression. He doesn't pry further about the argument; she passes it smoothly and moves on, so he doesn't drag back.
By the end his mouth is set in a small frown.
"You've been here longer than me, and you had to go through that full arena now. It's tiring, right?" he asks. He's not sure where she's going with it just yet, but the sympathy is right at the surface to offer.
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She's been thinking about it lately. She knows petitioning is a thing that happens, but she doesn't know if they would trust her enough to let her. She's been doing her best to seems as agreeable as possible.
"But then I think I would feel guilty, leaving you and Dave and everyone else I like behind. Like there's a better chance for us if we all work together early on, you know?"
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Petitioning out is something else, though. It's the obvious thing when she wonders, and his eyebrows do raise, but he's not as shocked as he might be.
He thinks for a moment.
"It's not for me. I feel like staying in is what I need to do," he says, tone neutral for all the thoughts behind it. "I can do things in there, and I want to help my District. But you... I don't know how it works once people petition out, but I was just a tribute and I got sponsor gifts for people. I know I already mentioned it, but my point is that it's something outside the arena."
He looks at her again, face serious. "I understand the feelings on both sides of it. If you're seriously thinking about it, look into it - what the process is, what you can do outside the games - and give it time so you can figure your feelings out for certain."
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Since she knows if she goes into the Arena, she's going to try to win. If she were on the outside, she would be able to get more sponsorships for her friends, do more to get herself insinuated into Capitol society, just another part of the long-term plan. She tries not to say too much, though.
"I'm not a very good fighter anyway. You're better than me at fighting."
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His thoughts distract and lift at the last. "Are you kidding me? You took someone out on purpose. The two on my record are a mercy kill I sobbed like a grub over and an incompetent attempt to save someone. If I was good I wouldn't have been a half-dead sack of paint when you found me that one arena."
Since then he's trained, picked up a knife and learned to use it and taught better by Shepard's expertise, but those don't count in his mind. He's a troll, and he trusts results, end counts, corpses purposely made.
Propping her up isn't really the point of this, though, and his expression pulls back when he catches himself.
"This isn't me trying to force you to stay if you don't want to." His hands spread, a disclaimer. "It's your choice. If you want to help from outside, that's valid. That's part of what I was saying. I just mean that it's a big thing, or at least it seems like one to me after seeing this side of it."
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"I will think on it. I don't even know if they'll let me yet, so I guess I have to figure that out first." Maybe she should just stick with what she knows. A little part of her wishes that Dave was back so she could get his input too, but of course that would mean he has to lose.
"You should join me, then they won't be able to put us in silly costumes every couple weeks anymore." She has to try and lighten this up. Somehow.
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He waves a hand. "Besides, I would go stir crazy without something to give me a break from this. Trying not to die for however long it is I manage not to perish like a tool might not be the delight of my life, but it's different than this, and better lets me take delight in the parts of not being dirty, sleep-deprived, and hungry for weeks on end."
After a moment he joins her, not in flopping but by lying back against the bedspread, hands folded together over his stomach. "Just take time," he says again, serious but mildly so. "You'll figure out what works for you eventually. Probably. You're less of a disaster than I am, and I figured out this much."
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After a brief moment of silence and staring at the ceiling, she finally looks back to him, with deceptively innocent smile. "You know, if you ever did want to though, I would help you with your wardrobe! I think I am getting kind of good at fashion."
Needless to say, Feferi probably wouldn't be that much gentler in trying to design someone's wardrobe. Maybe more humane, but when she's not busy being bitter about what her own stylist forces her into, she can kind of see the appeal in going out of the box when dressing someone up.
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It's more open than he would have been in the past, but things here have made it seem so paltry, pushed off the radar of worries but for the rare instance. The Signless's victory made it open as open gets, and there are widely available clips of him bleeding out cherry from any one of his various deaths and injuries.
"It's weird, though, not aging like this. At least I'm pretty sure we aren't. Dave doesn't look any older than he was on the meteor, and he's been here a lot longer than I have."