thecapitol | [closed] i'm like the rain in a downpour

Entry tags:

[closed] i'm like the rain in a downpour

Who| Anna and Clara, Sansa, and Phi.
What| Catch-all log
Where| D4 during the battle, out and about in the Capitol, and back at the D4 house.
When| Vague answer /jazzhands
Warnings/Notes| Mentions of brainwashing/death likely at some point

A. Clara

District Four holds a special place in Anna’s heart. Not because she’s ever been here; on the contrary, this is her first and likely last time. But she’s fought in Four’s name through so many Arenas, bonded with Four’s victors. She’s almost an honorary citizen, at this point. So the battle here is important to her. She wants to do right by her adopted family, wants to ensure that victory is won with minimal damage to their home.

After all, the Capitol must win. But that doesn’t necessitate utter destruction.

She’s shouldered her rifle; her orders had been to scan the perimeter of the action, to ensure that no foul play was at hand, and to alert Capitol medics to any dead or wounded for collection and healing. Her braids are pinned up beneath her helmet to keep them out of the way, and she’s glad for it; it keeps her from being recognized by her trademark. From becoming an even bigger target.

Peering around the corner of a building and into the narrow alleyway that lies there, the princess’s eyes widen. Seeing a Capitol healer isn’t a surprise; seeing her bent over a Districter with bandages in hand is.

She doesn’t say anything yet; just steps into the alleyway quietly, watching with wide eyes, her brain ringing with forced disapproval. She needs to see more clearly what’s really happening; she needs to make a fair decision before she reacts.

B. Sansa

The last time Anna had tried going for a stroll as a distraction from the heaviness of her everyday reality, it had ended in a harsh encounter with a former friend. She’d left in tears and decided not to leave the house for awhile, and had pretty much stayed in until the battle in Four. Now, however, being inside feels lonely, and stifling, without her family unit nearby to ground her. So once more, she takes to the streets to try to calm the worry in her head, to try and distract herself from the chaos her life’s been thrown into. One wouldn’t expect the Princess of Arendelle to be so weighed down, but she’s far from the carefree girl she used to be.

Still, she tries to walk with her head up, to project something like a carefree attitude. She even manages a shaky smile at a few passersby, but it’s not until she spies a young lady walking a dog that her face actually lights up. The girl’s face is vaguely familiar; a former Tribute like Anna, she thinks as she kneels down, her skirt fluttering about her knees as she does, to pet the pup. She glances up at the owner and offers a smile. “Hope you don’t mind. I can’t resist petting such a sweet dog!”

C. Phi

Since the capture of Chuck, Derek, Meulin, and Kurlozt, things have been lonely in the house they all used to share. Anna is by herself, most days, with Max the bulldog for company, and she’s barely holding it together. She’d known District Four would be a difficult battle to fight, but she hadn’t been expecting to lose her whole family unit besides, and the uncertainty as to whether or not she’ll ever see them again, or if they’re even alive, is killing her. Almost as much as being alone is, honestly.

Which is why it’s a relief when Phi stops by the house. The two of them have never been close, never talked much besides a few words in passing here or there, but now Anna is grateful for any familiar face. Besides, she was a tribute of Four. She’s part of their little fold.

The princess works up a little smile as she answers the door, but ends up looking a little sick instead. “Hi. I’m afraid it’s just me around here, but you’re welcome to come, you know, hang out. I could use the company, truth be told…”

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Sansa smiles back, and although she's feeling fairly weighed-down and worried herself, there's nothing in that smile to suggest she's anything but a cheerful, innocent girl on a pleasant walk. She's had a lot of time in the last couple of years to perfect her acting. "Of course I don't!" she says warmly, and leans down to scratch the puppy between her ears. "This is Lady. Lady, why don't you say good-day properly?"

The dog barks, pawing at Anna's arm and panting cheerfully. Sansa looks down at her proudly - she's been training the dog, and it's nice to see that some of it's taken hold.

"And you're..." She worries at her lip, looking at Anna again, trying to place her. There weren't that many Tributes, and she ought to be able to remember them. All she can think of, though, is, "...District Four, wasn't it?"

"Lady," Anna repeats in a little murmur, letting her fingers scritch behind one ear and even managing a laugh when Lady responds so promptly to her mistress's requests. "Good girl," she praises.

Glancing up, she finishes the girl's question without prompting. "Anna," she supplies. "And yes, that's right. I'm one of Four's Mentors. Well, I was, anyway." The Games being effectively over, or on hold, or whatever, meant she was pretty much out of a job. Not that she needed it; her Victor's winnings were keeping her just fine.

The princess rises, holding out a hand to shake. "I'm sorry, I should really know your name, but I'm not really the best at remembering faces and names."

Shaking hands is still a little strange to Sansa, but it's becoming less so. She smiles as she does so, an intentionally self-deprecating expression, and shakes her head. "There's no reason you ought to. I never really made much of a name for myself." At least, not in the Games themselves. She's managed to get a pretty decent name for herself in fashion advertising, in the last couple of months. "Sansa. Sansa Stark. I used to fight for District Six."

All right, so fight might be an overstatement. She never really fought much, not even in the Arena. She ran, and hoped, and eventually, she died. But that isn't the point.

Anna scuffs her toe against the pavement. "Nothing wrong with that," she says, offering a reasonable consolation. "It means you don't have to worry so much about everyone watching your every move."

A pause, and then she laughs, a bit sardonic. "Or, well. Not as much, anyway. It's nice to meet you, Sansa. And Lady, too."

Stark. The name gives her pause, once it sinks in. "Wait, you don't happen to have a sister, do you?"

Sansa's face falls. She can't help it. Arya's loss is still raw, and every other loss - Phil and Luna to the Rebellion, Brienne gone almost before Sansa could meet her - only makes it feel a fresher wound. She never much liked her sister, but she loves her a great deal, and thinking about her hurts the same way that thinking about any of her family has come to.

And it makes her feel very alone, too. Reminds her that in all the Capitol, she has no family and no real friends left, only Lady and her work.

"...I had a sister," she corrects, quietly, and bites her lip. Dropping to one knee, she buries her hand in Lady's fur, looking for comfort in the dog who's been her closest companion since Luna left. "You knew Arya?"

Anna's smile drops, too, because she can tell that there's hurt there, and she feels it so intensely because, over a year after the fact, it still hurts to think about her own sister. She makes a soft sound, watching Sansa drop to her knee.

"I'm sorry. Forgive me, that was thoughtless." She hums. "I wouldn't say knew. But she felled me in an Arena once. She was a tough little thing." A pause, and Anna goes on, albeit hesitantly. "I know what it's like, to lose loved ones here. My sister was a Tribute, too. She's gone, now, but I still miss her every day. We just...we have to believe that they're in a better place than this."

Sansa nods, swallowing, and forces a little smile. "I suppose so." She doesn't believe Arya's in a better place, not really. Either she's gone back to Westeros, which is an awful thought, or she's really dead, and it's been a long time since Sansa could really bring herself to believe that that's a better place, either. At least then she'd be with Mother and Father.

Lady, perhaps sensing that her mistress needs a distraction, barks and squirms around to lick Sansa's face. That gets a more genuine smile and even a laugh, although there's a certain suggestion of tears behind it. Pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her face, Sansa looks up at Anna again. "You get used to it, I think. Missing people. It doesn't go away, but it..." She trails off, shaking her head. "It stops keeping you up at night so much."

She sounds like she's had a lot of experience in that.

Anna feels bad, now, that she inadvertently brought up such a sensitive subject. Here she was hoping she could have a conversation that didn't end in tears, for once. But there's nothing for it but to try and put her best foot forward. "You're right," she says with a nod. "It never stops being hard, but after a while..."

She gives a shaky smile. "It isn't so bad." She watches Lady for a moment, thinking that she must be extraordinarily attuned to her mistress's emotions. "You know...if you ever want someone to talk to. Or even not to talk to. But someone who understands, well. I'd be happy to help."

Sansa looks up at that, and there's something different about her smile - it's shyer, more honest. What Anna's saying is something she really, really wants to believe. It would be nice to have somebody to talk to, somebody who might have some idea how alone she feels. It's been a while since Sansa was in the habit of having real friends - besides Luna, that is - and the thought's just seductive enough to worry her. What if I make friends, and she leaves too?

"I'd like that," she says at last, trying not too think too hard about it. "We could..." What's the phrase they use here? "We could go for coffee some time. If you'd like. There's a place in the middle of town that does the most divine lemon cakes."

Anna's having similar thoughts; getting attached to anyone at this point is foolish, because all of their existences here were walking on a thin line; especially Anna, who was out fighting battles that she may or may not be revived from. But she makes a decision in that moment—to do something that might make her happy, instead of something that will only make her sadder at the present time. Friends are better than no friends.

She lets her smile widen, and it's almost as bright as it once was. "Coffee! I'd love that. It's been so long since I've just done something fun."

Sansa relaxes a little, and actually laughs. "Gods, yes. Fun hasn't been much of a priority lately, has it?" The last time she can remember doing something fun was the party the Capitol put on, and even that was overshadowed by the war in a lot of ways. Everything else has been war, and work, and loss. The thought of just... having some time to talk and not worry is wonderful. "When are you free?"

See? Anna earned a laugh. This will be fine, she assures herself. She has to take a chance. She shakes her head. "No, not remotely...possibly the last priority, actually!"

She lifts a hand, spreading it wide. "Any time! Really. I have drills in the morning, but aside from that..." She chuckles. "The Capitol is my oyster."

Sansa smiles back, giving Lady a final scratch between the ears, then straightening up. "...Why not now?" she suggests, on impulse. "If you don't have any other engagements this afternoon. I was going to have tea after this walk in any case..."

Anna brightens, looking pleasantly surprised. "Oh! Well—I don't see why not."

She gestures around her, a bit sheepishly. "It's not like I was doing anything else today. Lead the way, Sansa!"

She used to make friends left and right; now, it's astonishing how nice it feels to make just one.

Sansa relaxes visibly, her smile widening. If she's honest, she'd been afraid she was overstepping, that Anna would either make an excuse or would go along with it just to be polite. But the older girl seems just as happy as Sansa herself to have a break from routine - to have a friend.

She whistles Lady to heel as she starts walking, and smiles warmly at Anna. "I'm so glad I met you," she says. "It's amazing how alone you can feel in a place so full of people."

Again, Anna marvels at how well-trained Lady is. She's pretty sure if she ever had a pet, it'd be the most unruly, poorly-trained animal imaginable. Sansa must be quite the dedicated trainer.

Her gaze slides sideways, and she nods, enthusiastic. "Me, too. I know exactly what you mean." Anna huffs a laugh. "I used to get invitations all the time...it seemed like everyone wanted to be my friend. Now? Not so much."

"Well, it's difficult." Sansa's smile is that little bit warmer, that little bit more genuine. "It's difficult for all of us, I mean. Whether or not we're from here." She wants to say more - how she's seen the same thing happen in wartime back home, how it's natural to close ranks, how that doesn't make it any less lonely or any less frightening - but she isn't sure how safe it is to discuss the war openly and publicly with a stranger. She settles for a little shake of her head, and "It will all be over soon, I'm sure. And then things can start to get back to normal."

"I'm sure it will be." Anna scuffs her toe on the sidewalk as they go. "The Capitol will be close to victory any day now, after all, and then we can just go on with our lives. And then the little things like going for coffee with a new friend won't have to be, well...quite so rare."

They round a corner and Anna spots what must be the place up ahead. "Is that it up there?"

"It is!" Sansa looks up, quite happy to drop the subject, and lengthens her stride a little as she beckons Anna with her. "Have you been here before?"

Anna shakes her head, a little shrug dipping her shoulders. "Nope! Lucky guess. But it looks nice!" She follows the other girl inside, taking a look around that's more than cursory, for once. Gone are the days when the myriad fascinating interiors of the Capitol truly catch her attention, but her mood is light enough that this one catches her fancy a bit.

"This is nice," she echoes her earlier sentiment. "You said something about lemon cakes?"

"Oh, the best you've ever tasted!" Sansa laughs, feeling lighter and more cheerful than she has for a long time. "They were always my favourite, but here... gods, I don't know what they put in them! I could eat them all day!" Not that she would. That would be gluttonous, and not ladylike.

Shaking her hair back, she bends down to pick Lady up as they head to the counter. "Lemon cakes and tea, then?"

Anna laughs. "I know what you mean. Some of the food here...well, it's a wonder I haven't gained a hundred pounds by now!" As if a girl her size could ever do that. She's such a slip of a thing, even with the sharper lines of the muscles she's earned, that it doesn't seem possible.

She nods eagerly. "Lemon cakes and tea sounds delightful." She nods toward the Avox behind the counter, and pulls out her credit card. "On me!"

"Oh, you don't have to!" Sansa says at once. Her voice is light, but there's something serious there. You have to be careful accepting gifts from anyone, after all; even something as small as cake and tea can become a debt. She learnt that the hard way some time ago. You need to, at the very least, be very clear you're not asking for favours. Besides, it's only good manners. "I can pay, really." She isn't wealthy, but she has enough for the occasional treat, and this definitely qualifies.

Anna shakes her head, insistent, and presses her card into the cashier's hand. "No, no, I insist. Really."

Her look turns a bit sheepish. "I have more money than I know what to do with. It's the least I can do." Not to mention, she's pretty certain at this point that she'll never live to actually spend it all. This, of course, she doesn't mention, just tucks her card blithely back into her pocket and turns toward the seating area. "Want to sit by the window?"

"If you're sure..." If she's honest, Sansa's glad Anna pushed it, especially if the other girl really does have so much money. She smiles brightly, nodding. "Sitting by the window sounds wonderful. I love watching the people go past, they're all so fashionable!" Which is a charitable way of saying strange, but she really does like to see all the different Capitol styles. With Lady still clasped in her arms, she follows Anna over to the table.

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