thecapitol | What pretty cheeks they have, what pretty frocks they have!

Entry tags:

What pretty cheeks they have, what pretty frocks they have!

Who| Luna and you!
What| Luna tries to adjust to Panem. It's a little much, to say the least.
Where| Around the Capitol, then various places in the Training Center
When| Today
Warnings/Notes| None currently.

The Capitol
When Luna's taken to the suites and left to ponder her future, she doesn't know what to do. Waking up from what she knew had been her death, hearing she was going to be participating in another game, being expected to kill others as part of that game...she can't go through with all that again, she just can't. It's not long before she starts to feel a need for something more open - fewer walls, more nature if she can find it. Her body feels heavy and alien too, and the thought of staying inside makes her chest hurt. Leaving the Training Center makes her anxious too, but there are no locked doors on the way out and she knows there are people outside, she'd seen them as she was being escorted by the Peacekeepers. So when she steps outside...

It's almost overwhelming. All the colors, all the noise, all the people. Luna's only seen scenes like this in old records, and experiencing it for real is astounding - and intimidating. Curiosity wins over timidness but just barely, so she wanders the streets trying to stay out of people's way (difficult, given the bustling streets) and glances at colorful displays with a mixture of admiration and hesitation. She's not yet sure she's ready to go inside anywhere; shyness has been her cover before, but now the truth of it is coming back to bite.

Training Center (gym, rooftop, District 6 suites)
Eventually Luna returns to the Training Center, because she can only stay outside for so long. She stops by the training sublevel first, quickly recognizing how out of place she is among the people gathered. The gym is for people who want to improve themselves and increase their chances at survival and victory. Survival is something that appeals to Luna, but victory...isn't. She lingers there a little longer, just to observe and maybe talk with one or two people, but it's not too long before she goes exploring further.

And while the Training Center makes her uneasy, the rooftop doesn't. Even the Capitol doesn't have a lot of nature, so when she looks around and browses the gardens something in her heart settles down a little. She spends a while sitting near the edge of the roof looking down at the city below, and thinking of happy things. The whirlwind of life in the Capitol, the freedom of leaving the facility, surviving on her own outside. The fact that she's alive at all to see this right now. Not dying alone, but getting to be with...

When Luna starts crying, she takes that as her cue to leave. As far as she knows she's alone, but she could have missed something and she doesn't want anyone to see her like this right now. She sticks around for a few moments longer to compose herself, and then starts to head back down to the District 6 suites to see who else is there. It seems that she's going to be here for a while longer, after all. She'll need to figure out what she can do in the days ahead.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Foxy's used to his master arriving but since he hasn't heard the two finger snaps, he just keeps nipping and chasing around poor Luna's outfit. The fox wasn't at all scared that his new friend was closer to his namesake back in Phone Guy's world. Speaking of...

"Oh! Please sit down, it's all right," Phil quickly dismissed the worries his new guest had before he attempted a joke, "Hi New, I'm Phil Gray, and, uh welcome to District Six..." Keyword: attempted.

"Th-that was in terrible taste, I'm sorry. What's your name?"

Edited 2015-09-25 03:59 (UTC)

It takes a second to process the joke - it's not that Luna's not used to them, but they're not something she would have thought to use right now. She tries to catch herself, but her nerves get the best of her, not at all helped by the continuous distraction of the fox circling her. What she actually ends up doing is stammering a bit first before getting her tongue straight. "My name is Luna. It's nice to meet you."

She sits back down as suggested. "I'm sorry. I--you surprised me." She hopes that's enough to excuse her behavior, especially since it is true. "Um, thank you for the welcome..." One hand finding its way to Foxy's head as she settles in awkwardly. All of a sudden she feels a need to fidget, and giving an animal some welcomed attention seems like a good way to let go of it.

It occurs to her that this might be a good time to get some questions answered, since Phil seems to be more familiar with this place (which admittedly isn't hard). Maybe he doesn't know much more either, but it's worth a try. "How many people are there? People like me...or us, really."

Yep, this is is a new tribute and it never gets easier to explain the situation as they arrive. "If you mean people that are here from all over to..." Compete is not the word Gray would use after his experiences, "Participate in the Hunger Games? Yeah, plenty of people, you're not alone in this."

He snapped his fingers twice and pointed down, to tell his fox to ease up on the energy levels. "Luna, did they tell you which district you were assigned to? Maybe we can find your Mentor, b-but I'll be glad to answer questions for you."

Somehow the idea that many others are participating as well isn't very comforting to Luna. There had to be others, of course, but the more people who are taken in for this game the more that have to suffer because of it. She hates it, though she knows that can't be Phil's fault - at least, she thinks so. She'd assumed that he was another of the participants, but his phrasing seems to imply that he isn't. Is he in charge of something? He would be in more of a position to answer questions in that case.

And speaking of which, she has take a moment assure herself that she is on the right floor - or at least, that she's on the floor she left in her flight outside. Was she not expected? Her hand falters on Foxy's head, still dutifully petting him, but picks it up again when she realizes she's slowed. She lifts her eyes from the floor to Phil, still questioning. "Um, well, they didn't exactly tell me anything about it, but they left me here earlier. This isn't where I'll be staying, then?"

"Yeah, they're like that...the Gamemakers I-I mean, give ya the basics and off you go," Phil exhaled before he clarified, "I still remember what it feels like to come here."

With a scarred face and a weight on his back that would never let him go, Gray watches Luna fidget, "I-I'm the mentor for District 6, very recently. Uh, I think I was supposed to get a new arri-" And he finally reads the folder. Oh. Well, this is awkward. "A-And you're in the right place, Miss Luna. I-I'm here to help you along with the Arena preparations and stuff."

He's still getting in the groove of things and learning as he goes along.

Oh. The fact that their situations don't seem so different gives Luna a little comfort then, even if she doesn't like that either of them have to be here. She still doesn't know what to expect from the Games, although that isn't new either. The doctor and Akane had intentionally given her only the minimum of information she needed for her mission in the Nonary Game and doled out the rest piecemeal to the players, so the fact that she had somebody to guide her through these was frankly a surprise. Although speaking of which--

"Preparations?" She frowns, trying to imagine what that could mean, and the gymnasium on one of the lower levels jumps to mind. "Do you mean physical training? I don't think that's going to help very much. Um..." It's hard to phrase the next part, because she's sure that it will disappoint him. "I've never fought before. I don't think I'm very appropriate for this..."

She's not really expecting that it'll get her out of the Games. But it's better not to get Phil's hopes up, because there's no way she's making it out of there alive.

Phil shakes his head before plucking Foxy off the ground and setting him on his lap. "I wasn't either, when I first came to this place. Strangely enough, not everyone here is combat savvy...but do you know to survive? I can help with self defense and teaching you foraging a-and hunting but, uh, the best I can do is send supplies."

To expect every tribute to a Molotov or a Karkat would be unfair and every one of them had strengths.

"Tell me a bit about yourself, let's start there."

Tell me a bit about yourself. It's a simple request, but one that Luna's reluctant to answer. With Foxy gone she's back to fidgeting and staring at her hands, clasped together on her lap as she wonders what to do. She doesn't really want to talk about the more concerning parts of her life, but she doesn't want to refuse either. After a few seconds of deliberation she settles on an edited version, lacking in gory details.

"Well, I'm not very skilled in survival either. I am familiar with medicine and the operation of medical equipment, although I don't know if all of it is available in this world. Before I woke up here, I was part of another sort of game. It was something like the ones here, but it placed more emphasis on mental tasks and exercises of trust."

It's a very generous description of the Nonary Game, more than it probably deserves. But if she can avoid talking about the worse parts of the game, she can live with that.

"Oh, so you were like a supervisor in these games?" Phillip tried to reason along with Luna though his curiosity about these exercises was there. Maybe she didn't like it as much, or maybe...huh, maybe she came from an alternate Panem where the hunger games were less about survival. Very curious...

"Your medical skills will be extremely valuable here, especially with your fellow tributes. I'm sure that you'll get along with Sansa and Karkat," Gray assured as best he could. "Is there anything you want to ask me?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly that important, but..." Luna's pretty sure supervisors are actually informed about what they're doing, whereas she'd only been given the minimum of information necessary to complete her mission. The rest of the job description fits, though, so she doesn't exactly argue against it. That's hardly the most important part, anyway - and if Phil is open to questions, then she does want to ask some. A few of them she's too afraid to ask (they tend to involve Sigma, because she still doesn't know exactly what he's up to) but there are plenty others as well.

"What's going to happen in these games? I know the participants are expected to kill each other, but other than that I wasn't given very much information." That much is the most important part, of course, but other than the fact that she's going to die again she doesn't know what else to expect.

Well there's no avoiding THAT question, now is there...but it's what a Mentor is here for: to help their Tributes understand their duties and the sacrifices that come along with it.

"A-A lot of things happen, it's all about the odds and sometimes they're stacked in your favor or against you. What you should focus on is keeping yourself safe and fed. I can get sponsors to send gifts and make it easier on you but it's...it's about making sure you outlast the competition and defend yourself."

Phil is careful to avoid the killing incentives that the Capitol provides because Luna genuinely seemed so nervous about dying...killing another person could be disastrous.

Edited (WRONG ICON) 2015-10-01 00:06 (UTC)

Luna's no longer fidgeting, but instead tension is evident all throughout her face and her posture. It's hard to tell Phil that even just hiding away so she can outlast others is an abhorrent strategy to her, and to what she is. He's been kind to her in their short conversation so far, and she hates letting him down because of it. Not to mention, any questions about why she feels that way would ask after details she doesn't want to talk about at the moment.

She keeps that to herself for now, choosing instead to ask another question. "What do you mean by sponsors? And gifts?" That part stands out, because those hadn't figured into her image of the Games at all.

"Well, if people like you, they can send in stuff to help you survive the Arenas as best you can," Phil tried to explain it in the nicest way possible. He would keep Luna safe from any agreements or sponsorships she didn't like, that's his job too. "But i-if you don't think you can, then try helping people out in the Arenas? I-I did that a lot..."

Granted he died twice because of it but he's not stopped helping those he stumbled across since then. "You can make sure that if you survive, then it's all gravy. But if you decide to help others, I'll stand by your decision."

"Really?" Her shock is more unguarded now, because of all things she expected Phil to say that hadn't been it. "You mean you don't mind if...?"

It seems like a long time since she's been able to help anyone, aside from clearing the way for Sigma and Phi. Even longer since she had permission to do it, even agreement. That Phil did the same thing feels like validation of a sort, and it improves his standing in her eyes a little bit. She smiles, for the first time in their conversation. "Thank you. Um, it's not as if I don't want to survive...I just don't want it to be at others' expense. It doesn't feel right that way."

That smile is worth every fretful moment and Phone Guy nodded along to that. "I wouldn't mind, I'd send you whatever you need but you have to make sure you keep yourself safe, okay? If anyone lashes out, you run like hell. Don't let anyone call you a coward for choosing not to fight."

Foxy chirped for his master's fingers as Phil talked, he knows that his own win was probably a fluke. "Are there any other skills from your previous work place that you can use? First aid's great but, uh, well, I gotta know what I can send!"

He was here to provide his Tributes but he had to know what they needed.

Luna nods quietly when Phil suggests keeping herself safe. It seems strange that somebody who'd take that kind of mentality to the Hunger Games would be mentoring new participants, but given how ill-prepared for most other approaches she's glad for it. After the Nonary Game she finds it harder to even think about what she'll have to do here, but the idea that she can still stick to what she believes in makes it more bearable.

His next question makes her think a little more. "Other skills? That's the one I use most often." Serving Sigma and Akane probably doesn't count, although maybe... "I am familiar with logic and puzzles, as part of the game was in. I'm also familiar with computers, if either of those are important." It's something of an understatement, given that she used to be part of a computer herself, but she's hoping it really won't be relevant. Her current body aside, Luna suspects that Phil would act much differently if he knew she ought to be nothing more than a bunch of metal bits and code.

"Logic could be very useful, especially when the gamemakers throw in puzzles or challenges in exchange for supplies," Phil was getting a much better picture of Luna as she talked. The revelation wouldn't be so shocking but he'd have to ask if there was a soul trapped in Luna's frame. Freddy's skewed Phone Guy's perceptions of the afterlife and fully sentient robot were almost always haunted in his book.

With a quick clicking sound, Foxy hopped onto Luna's lap and curl to her fingers.

"Computers are mostly here, and for the day to day, I've never had an Arena that depended on that."

Luna lets out a quiet "Oh!" when Foxy jumps into her lap, although she doesn't protest and starts cautiously scratching around his ears. She's quiet for a moment as she settles in again and considers the assessment. Given the presence of certain people here, she's only mildly surprised there are puzzles involved. It doesn't fit her first mental image of the Games, but the picture that's been painted throughout the conversation suggests a much larger area and a much longer experience than she'd originally anticipated.

That makes her next question clear, then. "What does the arena look like? From what you've said so far, it sounds very...large, and complicated."

"Well, they change according to whatever the Gamemakers want them to be, but they're large a-and full of hazards," Phil started off, "They're so long though...My first Arena, I lasted three weeks, made it to the last few days of Arena 14, that was six weeks." His gaze became unfocused as he remembered his death in that Arena: hanging. He settled his breathing, he could have that anxiety come up later, he's working now. "Again, uh, th-the point is to survive as long as you can." Watching his pet play around with Luna relaxed the former guard, enough to get back on track. "It's really a crapshoot."

Large and full of hazards. So it's likely that people can run around and hide, or else there are enough people reluctant to kill that the games are extended for weeks. Or both. She hopes it's both. Luna really doesn't feel like there's much to expect of her chances for survival, but the idea that she can try to do the right thing still gives her some relief. Of course, the longer she survives the more she can do for the other participants. No amount of questioning can tell her what will actually happen in the Arena, though, and if she really wants to stick to doing the right thing she can't count on always being in a position to survive. But that's okay - mostly. Even if it's inevitable, Luna doesn't look forward to dying again.

With that cleared up, Phil's references to sponsors and supplies makes more sense now. "So for supplies...I'll need food and water, if it lasts for that long." Human bodies need those at the very least to survive, and she'll probably need them too now. Other than that, though, she can't imagine what she could use. What can she do to find people in need while in the Arena? "I don't suppose there's a way to get any communication devices of any kind, is there?"

As he wrote down the requests, along with a note that read Keep her spirits high, she needs all the support she can get, Phil shook his head at the question. "In the Arena? No, there's no way to keep in touch other than joining groups or partnering up and your demeanor? You're gonna find people that will really appreciate having you as an ally, even a friend," he answered while Foxy started to curl up on Luna's lap.

"That said, uh, I know you want to help out everyone but you have to make choices as to who you help a-and your resources. You have my full support in any case but be reasonable with your limits."

Luna seemed like a helpful soul.

"I know." Luna already feels the limits of her human body, without the added perspective provided by independence from her physical form and access to the Rhizome's hidden cameras. It's...different, and if the Arena is as large as he says it's not going to be easy to do as she hopes. Alliances sound like a good idea, if she can find the right people to make them with. (And friendships? Those seem like getting her hopes up too much right now, with her history.)

She's not sure if she can make the kind of choices he might be referring to, for that matter; she doesn't exactly cherish the idea of dying again, but after the Nonary Game the idea of standing by while someone else dies again is even worse. Luna feels acutely aware of the fact that she doesn't have much choice in participating in the games, but she can try and work within those parameters all the same. "I understand. I...I'll see what I can do." She shifts a little, trying to give Foxy more space and working off some nervous energy at the same time. Hedging like that is only so acceptable for a GAULEM, and despite Phillip's kindness she expects some disapproval in response.

Phillip wouldn't show any sort of disapproval if he knew that Luna was doing her best. It took him two deaths to get to this point and he still held onto his ideals and beliefs that every life is worth saving and fighting for.

"That said, I'd be a pretty bad mentor i-if I didn't at least teach you how to defend yourself. I-I'm not a big believer in combat therapy but I do know th-that the better you can defend yourself, the better you can help others who need protecting," he stated the unavoidable truth: Luna had to wield a weapon in this arena. It wasn't choice, it was common sense that had Gray offering this lesson. Foxy perked up at the word "combat" because it meant another run of Find the Kibble, Phone Guy's way of teaching the pup how to search and track items.

"I-I'm gonna teach how to hold a basic knife a-and some moves you can use to forage..." Or kill but that's not the purpose of these lessos.

Edited (wrong icon!) 2015-11-05 06:17 (UTC)

A knife.

Logically Luna knows that there are practical uses to knives, and that theoretically she could use one without having to harm others. But she's watched two people die to a single knife in the past two days, so she flinches instinctively when Phil brings it up. Foraging is useful, sure. But she envisions Dio or someone like him in the Arena, and feels slightly queasy.

"Is that really a good idea?" She feels very small as she asks it, still unsure where the boundaries lie between them. "I-I mean, if someone with ill intent were to seize it, it could be very...bad." Her voice trembles a little on the last word, betraying her nervousness. Maybe not everyone in the Arena is Dio, but in an environment where the rules are that only one person will leave alive it really does seem a little impractical to be carrying around a weapon you don't intend to use on others - even in defense.

That hesitation is caught and Gray knew it well: he had it way back when he first came to Panem and Sandy had to teach him how to handle a knife. "I do think it's a good idea, even if neither of us are keen to violence," he explained without discrediting Luna's fears. "It's terrifying to have it on you but it's the best way to guarantee that you can protect those who you care about."

It was the spin that Phil used to justify his possession of the very personal weapon. "If someone takes it from you, then run, run as fast as you can and away. I-I can tell you don't want to hurt anyone and there's always that chance...but if you're faced with a dilemma, you have to think about what is safest for you."

Just because he knows Luna might not win doesn't mean he won't provide her the means to keep herself and those she tends to safe.

What pretty cheeks they have, what pretty frocks they have!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)