thecapitol | [OPEN] Maybe you're looking for someone to blame?

Entry tags:

[OPEN] Maybe you're looking for someone to blame?

WHO | A Gamemaker and You!
What | Sigma taunting his Tributes at the Gamemaker perch for the last time.
Where | The [Offworlder] Training Center.
When | Any day after the reaping but before the Arena.
Warnings/Notes | Sigma acting like a jerk for now, mentions of the kids having no chance, will add warnings if necessary.

The Sigma Klim that appears at the Gamemaker perch has lost his opportunity to be a gentle soul.

Haggard and pale for lack of sleep, he appears unhinged as he settles into his cushy viewing couch. He has just returned from an impromptu visit to the native Training Center, having made a show of being unimpressed with their chances. In conspiring with the Capitol, the Gamemakers have come to a consensus: these children were meant to be used as fodder for a veteran's axe.

Now it's the Offworlders' turn to receive his ire. Previously Sigma Klim had been willing to play nice with them, boasting of how they were honourable souls serving in a great destiny, but this sentiment has been wrung dry. Just this week he'd made a public spectacle of bidding on a Tribute, and had not batted a lash in outrage when children were reaped. Still unsatisfied with the condition of his reputation, today he has invited a handful of the richest sponsors to mingle in the perch, to give the impression that the Tributes have another opportunity to appeal to them and manipulate their odds. Here is a trap set in plain sight and he's ready to prey on the vulnerable.

"You." Sometimes he'll address a Tribute he likes by name, but usually they will not be respected so. If they do not respond, he may identify them by their district, gender or score. "Show me what you have been practicing." It's a demand from a Gamemaker that they are obligated to fulfill, but it will make them a target among their peers. He will go on to say whatever he thinks is necessary to get them to fight. There are usually guidelines in place that keep a Gamemaker from interacting with his Tributes, as they will, assuredly, be compelled to play without his manipulation. But even the Gamemakers can sense a climate of unrest among them, an unwillingness to take the lives of their fellow competitors if they happened to be children.

Right now, it's his job to set every one of these persons against each other.

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It's almost disheartening to see Sigma become like this but Phil had to remember the man was a Gamemaker. Sigma was part of the people that elected to reap the children of Panem once more...and that wound cut deeper than anything the Capitol would do to him.

For now, he puts on his Mentor mask, the scar cutting along his face added some ten years. "Dr. Klim, I didn't expect you to come by. I would have made something."

He was trying to be respectful because he had some trust in the man yet. That dream had to mean something right?

When Sigma discovers Phillip in their company, he cannot prevent a reflexive eye twitch. The best way to prevent blowing his cover was to avoid allies interacting with allies as much as possible... yet here Phillip was, casually addressing him. Well, he supposes he had brought it on, what with him being nice to him in public. Plutarch was right, kindness would be the most difficult of his traits to shed.

"Mr. Gray. A pleasure to see you well," he answers. 'Well' has become shorthand for 'survived an Arena,' these days. After that, provided you were not engaged in rebellious espionage, you were more or less in as good of a state of affairs as one could hope to be. The PTSD and bidding were unfortunately no longer the territories of mentors alone. "I was pleased with your results in our last Arena." Truly, Sigma's heart broke for him. He knew exactly how Phillip felt during Sandy's death - he had experienced the very same thing when Maximus had slaughtered Eponine, with less effective results. Of course, expressing his sympathies now is a good way to get himself executed. "I imagine mentorship is keeping you busy, these days? I hope to see your hard work pay off." He's desperate to: Luna was one of his Tributes.

"I hope so too. If you're looking for my Tributes," Given the state of District 6, Phil's collected demeanor is easily malleable to show that he's here to work for Panem and avoid the mistakes, "They're doing their Tribute Youth Homework though my newest arrival has been showing promise at problem solving."

In other words, they're hopefully out of the Gamemakers' warpath. Gray is completely unaware of Luna's connection to Sigma but he treats her with the same respect and care as he does to Karkat, Nux, and Sansa. It's the same care that he showed Klim back in Arena 13, but there's a new facet to their conversation: the professional side. The way Sigma walked in, they were not friends, they were coworkers at best, opponents and hell, even enemies at the worst. Everyone walks on as if the floor was covered in glass shards, one wrong step and the wound becomes deadly and gangrenous.

"I apologize if they're not currently available for a proper demonstration."

It's scary how the vulnerable and broken Phone Guy can put himself together for the safety of his loved ones.

"Oh, yes, dear Luna..." In contrast with the rest of his ilk, Sigma does not have a champagne flute in his hands but a cup of coffee. He takes a long drink while he considers how best to cast a shadow across District 6. He notices that some sponsors have turned their ear towards their conversation.

He's sorry before he even begins to speak, both for Luna and for Phillip. "I would proceed with caution, if I were you. She is a robot I programmed to keep my original Games running smoothly." No doubt Luna had been as sweet as pie to Phillip, and he's sure this information will come as a surprise. But Phillip will endure, as good people did. This is not for Phillip or Luna's sake so much as his own. "She participated so as to carry out my orders and deceive my 'Tributes,' among other things. In other words, she kept them fighting each other."

How many sponsors has he swayed with his little speech? Perhaps they would think she was a long shot rigged to come out on top, and would make some last-minute changes to their sponsorships. It was really a shame that Luna did not stand a chance. "She may not be available for demonstration, but I do not doubt that she will do well, in spite of her inclination towards..." Pause for effect... "'Non-violence.'" There's an incredible amount of accusation in those words.

The shock of hearing the truth about Luna was startling but having dealt with Freddy's murderous bullshit for five years, Phil's outward reaction is a mere raising of his eyebrows and an "Oh" expression on his face. Inside, Phone Guy was letting out a string of nos and a certain word that rhymed with duck. Of course! Of freaking course he got a murderous robot...then again, Luna behaved just as uncertain as Sansa did when she arrived. She wasn't like the animatronics, she had a free will. Besides, she petted Foxy and fretted like a newbie. If Sigma's words rang true...no. Phil's willing to give Luna the benefit of doubt, just as he did with everyone, he just needs time to adjust. Luna was his Tribute now, not the doctor's, and she would be supplied and watched over to the best of his ability.

Oh, right sponsors.

"That does sound like a valuable skill set in the Arena and if she's had this much experience in Games such as these...and we both know how unpredictable the non-violent tributes when faced with unexpected stress," Gray remarked with a smirk that was more self-deprecating than anything.

From what Sigma had seen in the dream, Phillip struck him as the kind of man who could maintain his composure in the worst of times. It does not surprise Sigma in the least to see him reign in his shock. Of course, the two of them were quite similar in that their tolerance had a threshold - and past it, the transition from 'composed' to 'frothing rage' was 0 to 60 in ten seconds or less. To have Phillip be the one to call attention to that catches him off guard, but Sigma nods pleasantly. So far he has not said anything to challenge him and it was the sort of cooperation he needed right now.

"We do, don't we, Mr. Gray?" He passes his empty coffee cup to an Avox with barely a thought, who promptly disposes of it. "I admit to some relief when I discovered you were to be her mentor. After all, you learned to participate, just as I expected you to. I know you will teach her well..." There was a lot a person committed to helping others could learn from the heat of the Hunger Games, for better or for worse.

"It wasn't easy to learn but like you said, people adapt best when they have a guiding hand."

With Dr. Klim admitting to his connection to Luna, Phil can piece together the emphasis: he probably wants to keep that particular Tribute safe.

"She's taken survival better than most, but I trust her decision-making skills in the Arena when we get there," he added for the sponsors and to make sure they pooled in some resources for her. "I can only hope I can live up to the expectations of past Mentors, especially with this...latest reaping."

Phil doesn't have the luxury of being as flighty as someone like Temple Stevens: District 8 had fully grown adults and Deneira would be safe. Karkat was a strong fighter and Maglev could hold her own. The fact that the Capitol deemed it fit to reap their own children again is a festering wound for Phone Guy and Sigma knows exactly why. He still trusts the Gamemaker but this decision was testing those limits.

Sigma nods in agreement all the way, smiling approvingly when Phillip acts humble, as though the comment about the children had gone completely over his head. "Do not worry. I am certain you shall exceed expectations."

Now here was the part where Sigma knew he could throw Phillip a line. Sigma sits up in his comfortable chair, leaning towards Phillip - drawing his gaze to his desperately. He speaks slowly and deliberately. "If there is anyone who can impart on these children what an honour it is to participate in the Games, it is you." The mischief of his act is suddenly dropped, his expression grave. Phillip would know how Sigma truly felt. "Given how good you are with children, I believe you will know how to get through to them..." Help was coming, Phillip Gray. In the mean time, they needed someone to assure them that the world was not ending, and Sigma could not be that person.

Phil wanted to trust Sigma on this, on the implied help that he promised with those two sentences...but the man was still a Gamemaker and he held all the cards. The Capitol was a casino: no matter the outcome, they won. More so when they were in such a position that they could report directly to President Snow.

I gave you my word at my dream Freddy's that I would help you burn this place down, but I need to know you won't add me to the kindling. I have no other choice and you know it. So much that needs to go unsaid, lest Phone Guy end up like Linden and Tony Stark. Only his eyes showed that flame while his expression remained cordial and managerial as he nodded along.

"This is a little different from what I'm used to, normally I'd instruct adults but in a sense, these children carry the weight of Panem on their backs just as the grown-ups do," He couldn't sound any more patriotic unless he drank the kool-aid. He wasn't planning to anyways.

Maxwell had only been addressed from the viewing balcony once before - nearly a year ago - when he'd first arrived and had been judged. Since then, the occasional people he saw, seemed, for the most part, mostly disinterested, often conversing more with each other or focusing more on their food. As such, it took him a moment to realize the bark was for him.

He'd nearly run past the window, lapping the center in steady, jogged laps (trying to appease Swann's request to do more than while away in his room, or hide away in the archery range), but he stopped and walked back, head tipping back to find the owner of the voice.

"Yes?" he asked, politely enough, though there's no honorary 'ser' offered.

When it came to the rest of his ilk Maxwell has hit the nail on the head, but this Gamemaker took pride in his work, even when that work had murderous results. Sigma does not particularly enjoy having to pretend to be a master of the universe, but he must appreciate the difference between when he was a Tribute and his role, now. This time one year ago no one paid any mind to an elderly man in the Arena. Now they were the cannon fodder and he was the gun.

The lack of respect goes unremarked upon. "Indulge me, Maxwell Trevelyan. Now that you have had the opportunity to hone your abilities in the Games, what would you consider your greatest skill? I would like for you to show me." He has phrased it as though Maxwell may receive another opportunity to be scored, though that is certainly not the case.

Maxwell arched an eyebrow, glancing just slightly to the other tributes training around him. Scoring, he'd learned, was done in private - or at least everyone he'd talked to about it had said the same.

Still, it seemed unwise to refuse. Looking back up at the Gamemaker, he responds smoothly, if carefully.

"I have been training with a bow since childhood, so it would be hard to find that same comfort with another weapon so quickly, but I have appreciated the opportunity to learn other skills. Such as learning to differentiate your different plants and animals."

His natural curiosity and will to learn had made those particular stations almost pleasant, regardless if their true purpose was to prepare him for a fight to the death.

Maxwell was no fool, it seemed. His answer was quite prudent - no one would consider a man who could tell flora and fauna apart a serious threat, and yet, Sigma can not deny their value. The Gamemaker will not allow this wrinkle to faze him.

"That is, indeed, an important skill, however..." He leans back in his chair, comfortable, unthreatened, as he thinks. "What are you to do if there is no bow in the Arena, or if you are unable to get one? And what if the plants and animals are not native to this world? Will you choose to lay down and die?" He adds a humourous inflection to his words, confident that Maxwell will not, indeed, give up. He hopes to trap him, now - the best way to get killed in the Hunger Games was either to be an incompetent target or a valuable bounty.

The instance made Maxwell uncomfortable, the skin on the back of his neck prickling unpleasantly. His heart kicked up, readying his body for -- what he couldn't even say, but he'd be ready.

"We have a saying in Thedas: 'there's more than one way to skin a nug,'" he said, staring up at Sigma carefully. "The Games may be a fight for survival, but it's also a form of entertainment. No one can watch if the tributes are all dead."

Sigma would love to know what a Nug is (he hopes deeply it is not some kind of cat), but Gamemaker Etiquette forbids him from asking. Instead, Sigma turns to a sponsor and speaks loud enough for Maxwell to hear: "Here speaks a man who has never been examined under a bell curve." Whether or not they understood his joke, the sponsor chuckles politely. Turning back towards Maxwell, Sigma is scolding. "I would not worry so much about your entertainment value. That is my field, you see," he answers firmly. He hoped to hammer in the implication that a boring Tribute would die permanently.

"It would be different if this were a mini-Arena, where more than one victor is crowned. But, in fact, this is a full-fledged Hunger Game you practice for. If you do not prepare yourself, there will always be someone more prepared than you." He smiles, a forgiving master. "It's like that joke with the two men in the woods who come across a bear... When one stops to tie his running shoes, he makes it clear he is not looking to outrun the bear, but to outrun his friend. ...But if you lack the resolve, we understand. Don't we?" He smiles at his sponsor friend.

"That is why I'm here, is it not?" Maxwell replied slowly, his own smile painfully sharp. Held in place by sheer will. "If I didn't wish to prepare to the best of my ability, I wouldn't be here."

The increase in his attendance was Swan's doing, to be fair, but he came often enough on his own.

"I assure you, it isn't my intention to disappoint."

Edited 2015-10-23 11:12 (UTC)

His patience running thin, Sigma sighs through his nose and beholds Maxwell with disappointment - there were simply some people that he could not expect to rattle with his authority. Those were probably the best among them, he reminds himself, but it wasn't very convenient. "It won't be worth anything at all if you've trained the wrong talent," he bluffs. It would have been easier on both of them if he had gone along with his game, but now Maxwell had become 'that one Tribute that had argued with him,' and Sigma would probably have to retaliate in the future. These poor Tributes were set up to fail at every opportunity.

"At any rate, I hope you do succeed, Maxwell Trevelyan," Sigma answers, sounding more threatening than he intended. "Truly, I hope you do." Sigma waves his hand in a dismissive gesture, pretended to be bored with Maxwell's headstrong attitude for his sake. He'd rather not force him to do anything, for if he continued to deliberately fight with him it was guaranteed he'd have to make a big show out of it. The two of them were already destined to cross paths again as it was. "I hope you will not mind if we continue to observe for the remainder of your session? I do feel as though there is so much more to you than talk."

Edited (oh god I am so sorry for the edit spam) 2015-11-02 23:29 (UTC)

By that point, Maxwell was under the firm belief that no matter what he said or offered to show, the Gamemaker would find a way to be displeased. He was happy to take the out where it was offered, however threatening it was.

He ducked his head politely (whatever he felt about his upbringing, the social etiquette was still helpful) , "Of course not. I hope I can prove you correct."

Then backing up a few steps, he turned to get back to his laps, hair on the back of his neck still standing unpleasantly on end.

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[OPEN] Maybe you're looking for someone to blame?

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