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

[didnothing]

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.

Comments

[didnothing]

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.

[voiceinthephone]

"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."

[didnothing]

"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."

[voiceinthephone]

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.

[didnothing]

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.

[voiceinthephone]

"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."

[didnothing]

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."

[voiceinthephone]

"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."

[didnothing]

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?"

[voiceinthephone]

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.

[didnothing]

"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.

[voiceinthephone]

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.

[didnothing]

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.

[voiceinthephone]

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.

[didnothing]

For Luna, it isn't a matter of her safety. Her body may no longer be metal and plastic but on the inside that doesn't change how she sees herself and her relation to others. Self-preservation is quite literally a tertiary matter for her, although to protect others from being harmed...maybe he has a point. Luna's instincts still rail against the thought of taking up a weapon, the sight of Akane slain against a wall very recent in her memory, but in a situation like this where anyone she runs into is bound to be attacked at some point whatever is right to do isn't so clear.

"Maybe you're right," she admits, although she doesn't look any more comfortable with the idea. "I don't want to hurt anyone. But I don't want to stand by and let people get killed, either." Not again. Six times was six too many.

[voiceinthephone]

That sort of empathy is deep and Phil could understand that hesitation, especially when he lived through the Arenas, and much worse, back home and doing nothing to stop the murders. It was distressing enough. They may have just met, but Gray could see a haunted look in his new Tribute's eyes, the sort that never really went away.

"That's a right way to think of it," he encouraged her selfless thought process. "And please keep in mind this: sometimes the odds will not be in your favor. I-In that case, run."

He wasn't going to fault her for it.

"Come on," he stood up, "Let's get you settled into your suite a-and we can discuss training there. I betcha we have a fair bit to talk about."

[ooc: wrap up here?]

[didnothing]

(OOC: Yup!)

"All right." Luna takes a moment to gently nudge Foxy off of her lap before standing, giving him a few extra head scratches to show that it isn't out of any lack of affection. At first her face suggests that she isn't any happier about the current situation, but she does seem just a little more decisive. Just being able to do something, anything, is a step and however small that is it feels good in a way.

She smiles for Phil too, because after all of that gratitude is the least Luna can offer. "Thank you for everything, Phil. You're a much kinder person than I expected you to be. Let's go, then."