thecapitol | [open] Useless Information

Who| Ellis and Open
What| A bit of catch-up with the goober with one closed prompt
Where| See the prompts!
When| August 3 to August 5
Warnings/Notes| Discussions of death, et all

I - Job Searching

Ellis couldn’t say he wasn’t expecting the free ride to be over so soon but such is life. By the way some of the Tributes acted, this little scheme had been going for months, possibly years but only now did the Districts know where their hard-earned work went towards…

Can’t say I blame ‘em, he thought as he peeked over into one of many garages in the Capitol for something he still knew how to do best: fixing cars. He’d been studying the transportation used in Panem and by the looks of things, ever since he had his encounter with Chuck Hansen. Some parts were definitely more advanced, but the engine block, the transmission, they were basically the same here as they were back home.

As much as he loved Rochelle though…there really was no way El would give up his freedom, however limited, to become a Peacekeeper. The Army left a bad taste in his mouth with the way they acted in New Orleans, and with a dick like Black Tom Cassidy in the ranks, the option seemed less viable.

II – Training

There was no telling when the next arena would come and lesson learned: NEVER head to the Cornucopia. The temptation had been too great, and El recognized he was too cocky that first time. It cost him dearly to say the least, as he wasn’t there when Rick and Daryl murdered his friend. Maybe he could have talked some sense into everyone...or at least spared the grumbling diva. Yes, the gambler took Beth's life but in the end...Ellis knew that if it came down to him and the gambler, they would fight it out, no hard feelings on that matter. Anyone walking in would see the young man at his angriest here…and he would defend his right to be this spiteful after losing one of his best friends, and family he knew.

III - Sponsor Sweet-talking

Southern charm still held some value in the Capitol as Ellis chuckled along a rather dull joke one of the socialites told the group. There was a lot to atone for in the eyes of the Tribute, for having acted so foolishly in the last Arena, especially to District 4. So why not raise awareness of stronger, more able compatriots? Like Miss Anna, who made herself a contender? Sure, El could promise a lot of things on his own, but the princess showed the world just how good she could be. Or what about that Nick fella in District 5? He’s a swell man and long-lasting to boot! This arena excluded of course.

As for Rochelle, Ellis decided to praise her article in Celebrus when asked about her. “She’s the type t’ get in on the action, believe me! She was coverin’ the outbreak back home an’ boy howdy, she kept her journalistic integrity through it all!”

Needless to say, El would be singing the praises for his friends.

IV - Date with Nick (Closed)

For all the confidence Ellis exuded at the ball…he still fiddled with his sport jacket and his shirt. He hoped he wasn’t overdressed but he wanted to make a better impression than the last time at the bar. He was pretty damn sure his heart wanted to burst out of his chest but it didn’t…thank fuck.

The mechanic earned enough to make the date worth their while…now all he had to do was knock at the survivor’s door and hope he didn’t reject him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"SON OF A BITCH!"

There's no denying that Chuck is barely restrained in his responses but even a young Tribute like Ellis needs time to catch up and recover. He's too unrefined, too energetic to be held back, like an overly eager dog or a soldier too greenhorned for his own good.

His next attempt? He goes on full force and tackles Hansen to the ground, or attempts to anyway.

Ellis comes up swinging, keeps throwing himself into the fight, and some part of Chuck likes him a lot more for that. His mouth curls with a lopsided smile, more baring of teeth than anything, even as he braces. Ellis plows into him, shoulder into gut, and Chuck slides back mere centimeters. His body tenses, grabbing at Ellis, tugging him back by a fist full of hair.

"Don't do that in a fight," He warns, holding Ellis tightly. "Not everyone'll go down, and then you're stuck in easy range."

El let out a strained sound at the hair grab and tried to fight Chuck off with an elbow or two. "F-Funny, it's worked in the past!" he exclaimed with a challenging smile that never really left his face. Of course, the enemies in that time were ravaged by the Green Flu so it wasn't like they'd put up a problem when tackled out of the way.

"Wha' do I do then?" And so it begins how Ellis learned proper fighting and maybe some habits from a Career.

Chuck bears those elbow strikes easily, although one or two do manage to knock painfully against his ribs. On someone not used to fighting with Derek, it might have forced him to let go. Instead, he takes time to show Ellis this isn't the best strategy -- and then releases him, pulling back to let his Tribute regroup and try again.

"Move fast and hit hard." Is the easy answer, quick. "Don't waste time with shit like that, you go for the killing blow first."

He cocks his head, thoughtful.

"What do you do back home, when there're zombies in the way?"

"Get as many o' those bastards as I can, always got with me a shotgun or a high powered rifle on me," El whispered under his breath as he settled into his stride once more. "Here's different...here it's one on one an' yer not the exception here, but the norm."

It's his way of admitting he's so out of his league that it stopped being funny.

"Peggy gutted me like a goddamn pig an' so did Garrett at Arena 14..."

Ellis might whisper it, but Chuck listens carefully, well used to picking up on Derek's subvocal growls and snarls. He nods, thoughtfully, and files the information away. It's true though, Chuck's a powerhouse, and it seems there's a good deal of fighters among the Tributes. Different from the Games of old, where often only the Careers really knew how to fight and kill with skill.

Peggy though -- hell, he can't blame her, he would have done the exact same thing. Did, in fact, for the Tributes he ran across.

"Go long distance then." He shrugs a shoulder, looking around for the Avox he'd foisted his spear off on. "How good of a shot're you?"

"Not as good with this as I am with a gun," Ellis admitted, "Gimme a bolt action or a machine gun, an' it's like an extension o' my arm."

He missed the almost comforting smell of gunpowder in the heat of battle. The katana was cool but the big problem with melee combat is just how close he had to get to land the hit.

"I could learn though."

Chuck files the information away, not that it's necessarily new, but simply because he does this with all his Tributes. Never knew when something might actually be useful, even if there was not much chance of getting Ellis a gun. Too easy, too quick; the Capitol liked more of a struggle.

But a spear, that's easy enough. A spear, that's something that can usually be made no matter the Arena.

He picks up his discarded weapon and weighs it in hand, thoughtfully. There's a pleased little look on his face when Ellis says he'll learn, and only a bit of that is because this is his signature weapon.

"Good, we'll start now then."

Old habits died hard with this one, born and raised in community values that would be considered antiquated by Capitol standards...but maybe survive in the Districts. El knew his melee left a lot to be desired and more so when it came to injuring an uninfected Tribute.

"Are ya gonna throw me down again? Because I'd rather not be polevaulted outta the Trainin' Center," he joked, but he's already gearing up with the spare. The best way to describe El is that he's made of rubber: throw him as hard as he can and he will bounce back, even if his bones are broken.

Not entirely gone in the Districts, its true. Not that Chuck can really speak for the others -- his Dad might be from D2, but Chuck's only seen other Districts on Victor Tours. And those were brief little scripted moments.

But yeah, he gets it.

"Try t'be better this time then." He jokes back, teeth bared in a grin. Never let it be said Chuck had the best sort of humor out there.

For now, he steps back, twirling the spear in his hand and sliding easily into a stance. Even without theatrics, it's obvious that Chuck knows what he's doing. He waits a moment for Ellis to make a first move, but ig he takes too long he'll strike.

Ellis wasted no time in attempting a charge with the spear, using it as a battering ram rather than the delicate and piercing weapon it was. Hell, he will attempt whacking Chuck with it, if it'll land a hit on the Mentor. There's a competitive streak and he wants to wipe that grin off Hansen's face. For some insane reason, the mechanic wants to be recognized as someone worth their time...because he doesn't want to meet Nick's fate. He doesn't want to join the pile of dead that the Capitol tosses aside. That he can grow up and show his remaining friends that he not only can take care of himself, but protect them as well.

"How's about now, sir?" his voice is ragged to the onslaught. Puppy's growing into his teeth.

[open] Useless Information

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