'Cause we all wanna party when the funeral ends and we all get together when we bury our friends

[etcircenses]

Who| TYP Children and You?
What| TYP Children have the opportunity to look around.
Where| The Tribute Tower main floor.
When| Now through the week leading up to the arena.
Warnings/Notes| TYP children showing up early is not mandatory. This is merely an avenue for those NPC players who were interested.

In part with the President’s wishes, the District children are not training or living in the same building, but rather, a refurbished old Tribute tower as was used in the days before Tributes were offworlders of vast number. Mentors, Escorts, and Stylists alike will need to travel to the new building to work with them, then travel back to see to their offworld Tributes. Public appearances are minimal so long as the Tribute is kept busy with training and private interviews. There is, however, a brief chance to meet a few of them before the arena, should you catch them on a visit to the offworlder’s tower, restricted to the main floor. Through this, the lucky few District children able to show are allowed fleeting glimpses in person of those they will be competing with and possibly even a chance to talk to them in person.

Comments

[crabmunicator]

Karkat nods first, small and subtle. He misses the change of expression until Mollusc is snapping at him, and then he looks back, his own face wrinkling in ways more ugly and tooth-baring.

"Maybe because you have those funny facial organs called eyes, and I presumed you would have the wherewithal to use them and maybe tell a guy where the hell someone matching an easy, simple description ran off to so that her actual friend could go off and find her before she--"

He catches his rising volume, reins in hands that have splayed out for fanning gestures, and pulls his fangy scowl into a smaller, tighter frown.

"I don't expect you to make friends with her," he says more quietly, though his tone is stiff. "But I can't find her, and I thought maybe someone else could help."

[m0llusc]

He reminds Mollusc of one of those toys, where you crank until a mechanism is triggered and a painted head pops out. He has a feeling that once someone flips that switch for Karkat, it's pretty difficult to stuff the painted head back in its box. Instead, it just has to bob there grimacing on its spring until it's through.

"Dang. You're just as loud and obnoxious as you are on television," he says with an eye roll. "I get that you're stressed out. I'm stressed out too, brother horns, but someone said that District 6 has had a lot of people bail recently. She shouldn't be that hard to find. Gotta be like spearing fish in a barrel."

[occasio]

It's not difficult to hear Karkat when his voice starts to rise. It's not quite the level that Phi remembers from being out in the Capitol, but it had also been more open there. Maybe he hasn't worked himself up into a lather just yet...

The kid that he seems to be hassling isn't familiar to her except by pictures. She's pretty sure that's the boy tribute from District 4, one of the original residents of the district that she was supposed to be representing. One of the ones that Chuck and Derek were planning on supporting. It only takes her a moment to decide that maybe an intervention is warranted.

"Is this creep bothering you?" she asks, coming up on Karkat and Mollusc, but her question is clearly directed at the boy.

[crabmunicator]

Spearing fish in a barrel. Karkat twitches at the turn of phrase, already too close to thoughts of Maglev's potential death. He opens his mouth to answer (with intent to start on that nickname), but another voice cuts in first. One he recognizes, no less.

"Seriously?" He turns, swinging his glare to Phi. "I'm not being a creep, thanks; I'm trying to find someone. A question that should have had a simple 'yes, she's over there' or 'no, I can't help you' answer, and what do I get but some snappish pile of tripe unloaded on my nutrition plateau to stink up the conversational slophive?"

Looking more between them, he adds, "And it's Karkat. Not brother horns, not creep, not any other disparaging quip. Volunteer your names as you like and I will use them like a decent person."

[m0llusc]

Mollusc's eyes swivel to the girl interrupting them, and he snorts a chuff of derisive laughter in response to the question. It's two against one, supporting the argument that Karkat's a creepy, even if it happens to be tongue-in-cheek.

"You're kinda being a creep," he says flatly. "And I think that whatever they gave you to translate's broken, or else you're just crazy. I've heard people lost as sea come home sounding less jumbled up and confused."

He straightens. "I'm Mollusc. I don't know her, but I already like her better."

[occasio]

"It's not hard to like someone when they're not verbally harassing you," Phi points out with a bit of a smirk to her lips. Already this is going as good as she had hoped. Uniting against a common enemy--or in this case: a common annoyance. The strange shouting boy--Karkat, he says--was kind enough to provide that for her.

She holds her hand out to Mollusc in greeting. "I'm Phi. District 4. And about as new as you are, I guess." Her introduction is purposely directed at Mollusc as well, rather than Karkat. She'd been tempted to withhold her name a little longer, but the pleasure of pissing him off more didn't outweigh the benefit of making a proper connection with the D4 boy. "Don't mind him too much. Pretty sure he actually is crazy."

[crabmunicator]

"Mollusc?" he repeats back with a cocked eyebrow, ignoring the quip about his language. It wouldn't be the first time someone complained he sounds too alien, but it's things like that which only make him cling tighter to his quirks of phrasing.

Between him and Phi, it's clearly two against one, and once again Karkat's sent into a scowl.

"Let's just disparage the sanity of the guy who got snapped at for asking an honest fucking question. No, it's not Mollusc's fault for being a dick, because I got pissed at him for it. Now every mistake in the world lies at me feet, a heap of disappointments, shortcomings, and strikes against the good people of Earth. Let's just exile me from the planet!" His eyes up at the high ceiling.

"Not that I'd expect better from the likes of Phi here after her favored choice of greeting strangers. But being as I'm more than capable of recognizing two shitswizzles and just which soggy orifice they would rather point their snouts to, how about I leave? I'm not finding Maglev any sooner while I'm here."

[m0llusc]

It's actually a dynamic that Mollusc is used to and finds achingly familiar; it was him and his sister against the world, after all, and if he can relive that in any way, he's supremely grateful. It actually lights up his face and changes that stony, solemn countenance he's affected pretty much since getting Reaped.

He reaches out to shake Phi's hand; his grasp is firm and solid. "Cool. I'm actually from District 4, born there. I can tell you about it if you want, but we try to be nice to crazy people there. A lot of our seamen come back that way, and some of our Victors."

He laughs, a full and hearty and somewhat mean-spirited sound at Karkat's sarcastic suggestion. "Yeah, let's," he agrees. "You're hereby exiled! Begone!"

[occasio]

Part of Phi isn't at all surprised when Karkat brings up their initial meeting again. He can harp on that however he wants, but it's not about to elicit an apology from her. If anything, it only makes her more determined to make their interactions miserable for him. Starting by proving him wrong...

She meets Mollusc's strong handshake with her own firm grip, despite how small and dainty she might otherwise look, and the smile doesn't leave her lips. See, Karkat? She can be pleasant if she wants to be.

She lets both the boy and the alien cast their votes before chiming in with a shrug. "It's unanimous, then. You can stop wasting everyone's time and go look somewhere else." And hopefully take his self-induced drama with him. Honestly, she would be hard pressed to find a more victimized person in this place. Even Dio wasn't this bad.

[crabmunicator]

Karkat glowers through their friendly little handshake, and neither of their answers really surprises him. Still, there's something bitter and disappointed as he spits out, "Fuck you both."

He turns and stalks off. Whether or not he finds Maglev, he won't do it here.

[m0llusc]

Mollusc isn't particularly perturbed by the Troll's insult. He sneers triumphantly as he leaves, considering it a successful show of dominance and secretly pleased that Phi witnessed it.

"Don't know what his problem is," Mollusc chuckles. "Glad we don't have any yet. How long have you been a Tribute in the Capitol? I know for Offworlders it can vary a lot."

[occasio]

It would be a lie if Phi had said she wasn't a little satisfied at Karkat's departure. She doesn't hate him by any means, but he's obnoxiously unpleasant, and she doesn't need to deal with that when she's trying to get to know the district boy.

"Only a few days. I'm still getting the hang of this place. Everything is so..." She gestures as a perfect example walks past in a hurry, clad in bright fuchsia and yellow and a hairstyle that seems to engulf their head. "I'm glad our stylist is a little more sensible."

[m0llusc]

Life it too short to spend with irritating individuals... especially, perhaps, now that so little of it can be counted on to remain.

"A few days? Are you on Morphling or something? You seem really calm about it," he comments. "I always pictured it as a big shock, like most people shitting their pants until enough time passed to accept it. Then again, I used to think that's how it was to get Reaped, too. The acceptance happened a lot faster than I thought it would."

He snorts as the Stylist walks by.

"District 4, Fishing. Worst that can happen to us is naked chariots or scratchy cosmetic scales I reckon."

[occasio]

Morphling? That's not a word that Phi has heard of yet, though the way that it's used, it sounds like some kind of drug. She shrugs in response. "I get over things quickly. Getting worked up about being here won't solve anything, and there's more important things to focus on."

Like the upcoming Games. Which, speaking of... The comment about costuming would probably be the most alarming thing she's heard, if she hadn't already run into their District Stylist. Thank goodness for that.

"Nah. Not to talk the guy up or anything, but Kurloz doesn't seem the type. He's a sparkle princess, but he's good at following directions. Tell him what you want, and he'll make it happen."

[m0llusc]

He makes a short "tch" sound, puffing air though his nose and his teeth simultaneously. "Yeah, I guess you are. Worse Tributes out there. The ones that know not to get worked up but do are probably the ones that are the hardest to deal with."

The comment about the stylist has him interested, if only because he hasn't personally met Kurloz yet. "Well that's some comfort, anyway. It's our funeral and it's nice of them to let us have access to someone who will let us have a say in what we wear when we're getting blown up or stabbed."