thecapitol | you're not suited for the rage of war

Who| Derek Souza and Chuck Hansen; Derek and/or Chuck and YOU
What| District Four Open Post
Where| District Four suite, training room
When| during and after the last week of the arena
Warnings/Notes| none so far, will update!

welcome back
Once the arena starts heading into its final week, they stop focusing their entire efforts on Sponsors and trying to give their Tributes in the arena the best edge they can, and turn to the Tributes themselves.

Each District 4 Tribute will find a gift of some sort in their room when they wake up - a weapon that’s suited to them (or that Derek or Chuck thinks should be suited to them), a book on survival, a guide to hunting or using makeshift weapons, something that could be useful to them in the arena. Only Anna’s comes along with something frivolous: a box of chocolates wrapped in frilly paper.

Along with the gift basket comes a note, ’Get ready to get to work.’

training room
Both Chuck and Derek can often be found in the training room. Derek is there the majority of the day, whether he’s training by himself, sparring with Chuck, or stalking around keeping an eye on the District Four Tributes he finds in there, offering them tips and corrections and training whether they want them or not.

For the District Four Tributes that Derek doesn’t see in the training room of their own violation, oh, yeah, he’s definitely going to be hunting them down. Don’t be surprised at a four am wake up call of some door pounding by a cranky mentor.

job help
The news that the Districts won’t have to fund the new Tributes lines of credit any more is welcome to Derek. Maybe he doesn’t think of District Four as home any more, but he does have a loyalty to it, and he does have its best interest in mind.

Of course, it means extra work for him. Derek’s never been the best at getting Sponsors - though then again, neither has Chuck, except for Derek’s own arena, they’re usually better in that category when they work together. But they can’t just leave their Tributes to starve, and honestly, Derek is confident enough in most of their intelligences to leave it up to them.

So all of the Tributes of Four will find notes on their doors letting them know that their mentors are there to help them get jobs if they need it, and both Chuck and Derek will make themselves available in the common area.

[Feel free to specify if you’d like Derek or Chuck or if you’re willing to thread with both at the same time! Otherwise you’ll likely get one at random. If you’d like another prompt, feel free to write one or let me know and I’ll whip something up!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He gives a little grunt. If he has to deal with people, this is much more his speed - talking about the arena, where they did good, what they can improve on, that’s what he’s used to. That’s what he’s good at, it’s getting them to pay attention that’s always been his problem.

“You did good for an offworlder. We can help you get better.” It’s not her fault she didn’t really have a mentor before now. “You listened. Most of them didn’t.”

"For an offworlder," she repeats. Shaking her head a little, Anna has to laugh under her breath. "If only you knew the place I came from. Nobody there would ever think that their princess might be turning into a killer."

In a way, that makes her sad. Like she's a different person than she was when she came. But she supposes that a year in the Capitol would change anyone. Far stronger-willed people than her, too. She shrugs. "All I can really do is listen. I want to win next time."

Derek... honestly doesn't know what that's like. Everyone in his district had believed he could be a killer - he was a Career, and even if they've been disappointed when he'd won instead of the girl reaped from Four with him, they hadn't been surprised. But people do tend to be surprised when one of the outlier districts got a victory - or at least they did, back in the old games.

"Not so different in some of the districts."

But there's a low rumble of approval when she says she's going to listen, that she wants to win next time. It's better than the guy who threatened his fish or the kid who refuses to kill, even if Derek is reluctantly amused by Aang.

"You're a survivor."

Anna makes a small hum, acknowledging. She supposes it must be true--all those people, especially in the poorer districts...it must be harder for them to kill than it is for Careers. She's pretty sure people in general aren't meant to be bloodthirsty.

And yet here she is. Forcing it. Making herself into that person. She shrugs.

"I suppose I am. But I need--I need to get stronger. I need you to help me train, help me learn the things I need to know."

The corners of his mouth twitch upwards in what almost could be a smile. Even back in the old games, he rarely got Tributes who were willing to take his advice, to actually let him teach them something - they were all Careers, and most of them considered him beneath them because of the assumptions they made about him.

The assumptions he encouraged the Capitol to make at large, but still. He was a Victor, and now they were jut a memory.

"That's what we're here for." He leans forward a little. "You're gonna win, princess, I know it. But me and Chuck, we'll make sure the rest of Panem does, too."

Is that--is that what she thinks it is? A ghost of a smile? She's known Derek for all of a few minutes, but already Anna can tell that it isn't something that happens often. So she encourages it with a smile of her own.

"You really think so?" Anna folds her arms in a moment of stubborn pride. "Good. Because it's true." Yeah! Teamwork! Suddenly, Anna can understand the Career mentality--wanting to succeed, wanting everyone to know it. She feels herself becoming someone she never was before--competitive. Driven. No longer the lackadaisy, carefree princess she was. And maybe that's better. It means she can survive this place, someday, somehow.

No it's not. There's nothing like a smile here; Derek doesn't smile. Ever.

But he maybe thought about it a little bit. He'd written her off before, as a helpless princess who was of no use to him, but she'd really started turning it around in the arena. Maybe with some real mentoring, they can actually have a victory - it's the first time in a while that he's really had a little bit of hope for a District 4 win.

"You're willing to do what needs to be done. You're smarter than you look. Sometimes you're clumsy and silly and stupid. It makes them like you."

...those are all supposed to be compliments. Mostly. Or at least they're true.

Anna's expression drops, just for a moment. Does she really look that way? Stupid? Does she really come off like that? She'd never really considered it before. "I suppose," she admits. "But I guess...if me being stupid makes them like me, then it's worth it."

Because she knows exactly how important it is for people to like her. It's always been a sore spot for her--thinking she's not good enough, not liked or loved. More than anything, with Elsa gone, her whole support system, she needs to be liked.

Derek scowls at her when her expression drops like that. It’s the truth, and they were all good things, and he doesn’t understand why that would upset her. But it clears a little when she says that’s worth it. There they go, she’s caught on now. Whatever you have to do to live up to the image that the Capitol has of you, to what best serves your purposes, it’s worth it.

“The way they see you isn’t always the way you are.”

Most of the Victors know that - Derek better than anyone, though he isn’t willing to tell her that. That’s as close as he’ll get to saying that people seeing you as stupid isn’t a bad thing.

That has the princess perking up a little bit. "I guess, um--I guess that's true!" See, she doesn't actually have to be dumb. She just has to act that way sometimes.

Despite the hint of a scowl that still remains, Anna gives Derek a smile that's still watered down with sadness. "Anyway. I just wanted to introduce myself. Thank you for the gifts. Um--maybe soon we can start training?"

Take a page out of his book, princess. It's easy to sell the Capitol on your lack of intelligence, because they already tend to assume that of anyone who isn't a Capitolite.

Derek gives a grunt of agreement at her first comment, and looks at her a little warily when she smiles like that. She's not going to start crying again, is she?

He brightens with relief when she mentions training, though. "Tomorrow morning. I'll wake you up."

Anna can't help but look vaguely afraid.

"Tomorrow? Oh! Okay. But--not too early, right?"

He actually smiles at that - though it’s more a slightly predatory baring of his teeth than anything else.

“Give you an hour after I’m up.”

But considering he’s usually up between four or five am to start his training, that’s not saying much.

“See you tomorrow princess.”

Anna's not sure whether or not to be relieved. She settles for a smile, figuring that either way she'd better grin and bear it.

"Alright then," she chirps, turning to go back into her room, chocolates still cradled in her arms. "See you then, Derek!"

See? That hadn't gone too badly.

you're not suited for the rage of war

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