Interviews! [closed]

[a_minute_younger]

WHO| Gary Epps and his interviewers (Albert Wesker, China Sorrows, Sigma Klim, and Jane Shepard)
WHAT| Gary petitions for citizenship, is interviewed by people who may or may not have the best opinion of him for the process. This should be fun!
WHEN| The weekend before the Arena 14 Crowning
WHERE| About!
WARNINGS| Discussion of various deathgames things, maybe

It figures, Gary realizes, that there would be more hoops to jump through after he finally got up the nerve to fill out those forms for naturalization. Never mind that the forms themselves were nigh painless and this next step is hardly extensive enough to constitute a significant 'hoop,' it's still bureaucracy, that nebulous concept that Gary is vaguely aware of and wants nothing to do with. Or something like that. There are signatures and meetings involved, it makes him anxious.

To that end, Gary tries to make this whole interviewing process as natural for him as possible. Because he really shouldn't be worried, should he? He's done plenty of interviews before, stood in front of hundreds of people flocked to his spontaneous roadside concerts, entertained incoherently excited fangirls while he gave autographs...selling to four schmucks how great he is really should not be an issue for him. This is what he keeps telling himself. He doesn't need to dress up or prepare; Gary sets out on the weekend after he gets his interview notice for a casual walk around the Capitol. Not a mission. A walk. Or a jog, maybe, it really depends on his mood. He takes the stairs from the District 11 suites and lingers around the main Training Center, pokes his head into many of the common Tribute haunts around the downtown area, makes a casual pass at Sigma's residence. If he runs into someone on his list, then that's when they'll have the interview. No questions. Immediately Gary flags them down with a wave (or introduces himself with a wave, if he's forced to knock on some doors) and a pleasant, chipper greeting.

"Hey! I need to talk to you for a thing?"

They...they got memos too, right? Probably. Gary's just not going to worry about that.

Comments

[a_minute_younger]

Gary's instinctive response is to sputter with laughter, because this is preferable to being embarrassed or afraid or really any other options he can come up with. Of course they would set him up with one of the most intimidating Tributes he's ever met half-drunk at a bar and tried to shamelessly flirt with. Granted, this pool of people is pretty small, Shepard doesn't have a lot of competition. This does not stop her from being objectively terrifying.

But in the way, starting out by running face-first into that wall of awkward is reassuring for him. She isn't trying to dance around the issue and intimidate him like Leo did, and she didn't open by punching him in the face, so that's also a big plus. Really, the snark is the best of all possible outcomes Gary can think of. He can handle snark. He's on good footing here. For the moment.

"I'm flattered, but only if you're offering," Gary grins with a wry squint. "I didn't even get to walk you home the first time! Please tell me you beat the shit out of that flower guy after I left. He was totally asking for it."

Look, they can get to the interview whenever they like. This is important.

[earthborn]

"I can neither confirm nor deny any completely regrettable violence done to such a fine, upstanding Capitol citizen."

Which is a no, of course, but she'd love for the answer to be yes. People were irritatingly unafraid of her, here, even after so long. A few public beatdowns might have solved that, but they weren't an option if she wanted to stay out of a jail cell. Fucking Peacekeepers.

"You need something?"

[a_minute_younger]

Oh, right, they're playing this game. Gary suddenly feels very paranoid. "Of course!" he insists with exaggerated sympathy. "What a terrible thing that would be! It's a good thing you didn't, or else I'd have to TELL THE PEACEKEEPERS."

See? He's so good at this. Gary clears his throat, completely deadpan.

"--Anyway! Yeah, uh. Did you get the memo? You're supposed to interview me or whatever."

[earthborn]

"Holy shit, kid. Calm down."

He is absolutely going to get them arrested about literally nothing. Shepard is convinced that Gary Epps has not so much lived his life as awkwardly squirmed his way through it, somehow.

"That was you?" She'd gotten the memo, of course, but damned if she'd seen a name. Form letters were, as ever, a universal disappointment, even in the aesthetic-obsessed world of the Capitol, "C'mon, let's go get some coffee and get this over with."

[a_minute_younger]

...This would be a surprisingly accurate assessment of things. Gary, typically oblivious, cackles briefly like he just told a terrible dirty joke and shoves his hands in his pockets, forcing himself to recover.

"On me?" He's already trotting ahead towards the lobby bar, which he's sure will have something vaguely coffee-related there (and if not, they'll have something even more exciting for him to get his hands on). "I didn't spend nearly enough money on you last time. Let me fix that!"

Because he's already had his interview with China and that's apparently how this works, according to her. Gary is totally fine with bribes.