thecapitol | Ladies and Gentlemen...

The Capitol has ordered its people inward. Some move weary, knowing now some of the reason for their displacement, but they move, closer and closer to the reach of the President. It is said the children will be allowed in here past the heavy guard. But with all the distrust shaken into the core of the Capitol and the Peacekeepers at its heart, it’s not impossible to slip away. Surviving the traps to escape, however, is another story.

Outside the Capitol, the Districts line-up. In the month since the last battle, the stalemate Districts, 9 and 6 were won over. Districts 8, 10, and 1 have fewer of their number, but their rebel leaders have shown up and all the survivors with them. District 13 joins soon after, led by Webb and the Offworlders. It’ll be slow going for the Districts, but some of the Offworlders and allies have been tasked with leading the way in navigating the minefield that is the Capitol.

The Quarter Quell making up the 75th Hunger Games reached its end, but the Games themselves aren’t over yet. With all the war to prepare, the Gamemakers enlisted to work will be throwing out their best. Every arena needs it’s finale…

And there, patrolling, armed and ready to meet the traitors between the traps are the Peacekeepers. It’s their lives on the line too and they won’t be going down without a fight.

Welcome to the 76th Hunger Games.

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[ The fact that there's two fluffy little animals absolutely delights him when he finds the two scurrying around together, clearly very good friends with each other from the looks of it. While he's not sure why they're out and about when everyone else surrounding them is fighting to the death, he feels a little better about it once they're all hiding away in an empty building together. Surely they won't get hurt in here.

He tries to draw in a little closer, crouching down and reaching out with his hand to see if either of the creatures will approach - but it turns out his appearance is a little too frightening for them, and both foxes keep their distance, ears flat and teeth bared the closer he tries to approach. ]

Aww. I'm sorry. [ he stands up straight and takes a small step backwards, voice echoing in the empty building. It's unfortunate he can't play with them, but he is here to scare the bad people, after all. ] I just wanted to play.

[ Of course, there's always the other presence in the building, one that was definitely hard to ignore when they had ... history, so to speak. ]

I'll have to play with someone else.

[The moment Phone Guy heard those last few words, he was so boned, he might as well be a museum exhibit. On why attempting to reason with a murder child is a terrible idea...

His hands withdrew from the knife and holstered gun, he wasn't about to hurt the boy too much, the serial killer had done enough of that for both him and the Puppet. He wasn't going to let the kid land a blow on him either. He's seen the rebels left in the Marionette's wake.

All Phil could do now is listen and aim his hits in those non-lethal but painful spots.]

[ His frightening appearance had another benefit to it - people he would encounter were startled, caught off guard just long enough for him to make a quick strike and get away quickly. But it all came with a catch: it wasn't going to work so well on someone who was already accustomed to his disturbing form, the likes of which he hadn't yet had to deal with.

There was another problem, as well. His new body was human flesh and bone, retaining his puppet-like similarities but very much a living human body. Unlike the doll figure he'd been possessing all this time, this new body could very much feel pain. To Phil's credit, his aim was spot-on, not a single vital area hit, and the child was quick enough to avoid most attacks - most of them. A stray bullet does manage to scrape his leg, just above his knee.

It surprises him enough that he stumbles, awkward and clumsily tumbling face first to the ground below. He's still for a brief moment, but it's not before long before he does what every five year old child does when they fall and scrape a knee: he starts crying. ]

Ow ... [ it doesn't show in his mask, save for the purple painted streaks, but the quiet sniffles and sobs are certainly loud enough for Phil to hear. ] That-- ... that hurt.

[The Puppet was always terrifying, to the point that even being around it- him made Phil uneasy. The only way anyone could work with the ghostly toy had to keep him in the box. But if there's something Gray was, and more so in Panem, it had to be worried and paternal. The moment he heard those sniffles, Phone Guy reacted accordingly and put away his gun. There was a little boy under all that rage and he was hurt.

He held up one hand and with the other, held up a small white first aid set]

S-Sorry...I'm actually a [do children understand the concept of war medics? Unlikely so he went with] nurse. I'm a nurse. I-If you let me patch you up, you can go back to safety, okay?

[He was diplomatic] Y-You can play with my foxes while you wait.

[ He does notice the first aid kit held up in the air first, familiar with them from the frequent use of them back at the restaurant - anything from scraped knees to bumped foreheads were common whenever there were a bunch of kids running around in one place. While he knew they would help with small injuries like the one he had now, nothing compared to the ultimate healing power of a kiss from Mama, and she was nowhere to be found here.

So he wasn't exactly thrilled with the man approaching him with the kit, no matter what he was claiming to be. As soon as he was starting to get close enough, the Puppet swipes at him with one long arm, his claws stretched out not close enough to strike but the warning still stands. ]

Go away! [ Though admittedly it is difficult to sound intimidating while crying and sniffling. He can play with the foxes with or without his permission. ] I know you. You're not a nurse. You're a bad man.

[Phil withdrew by instinct but he still held his ground. He wasn't afraid of the Puppet, or at least not in the same way as he did back at Freddy's]

You don't know me, just what you heard.

[He left the statement open for the boy to put the pieces together. He might've said some unkind words about the marionette during the reopening.]

What's your name?

Edited (WHOOPS. sorry about that!) 2016-08-25 22:39 (UTC)

I know who you are.

[ Unlike someone else from the same home world, the Puppet knows exactly who the man approaching him is. He's had more time in their world, and they'd all banded together and finished the job they had to do. Everything was finally as it should be, and they were all ready to say goodbye and move on. The fact that he's ended up here instead of ... well, wherever one's soul is supposed to move on to, is puzzling. But he doesn't question it. He's only five.

So he knows this man very well. Again he swipes a clawed hand towards him, keeping the man at bay. It'd probably look more intimidating if he wasn't heard still sniffling and sobbing behind the mask. ]

You never did anything to help us. We were all right there. You talked to us. But you never helped us at all.

You're a bad man too. So go away.

…You’re right, I didn’t do anything to help you then.

[Phil made no attempts to hide the truth about his involvement with the cover-up. In fact, it has been a gaping, festering wound since coming to Panem. But he couldn’t change the past, only the present and the future. A familiar glint of makeshift armor shone in the corner of his eye, prompting him to say]
But I can try now-

[If the rebels were running in the other direction, something big was happening…and rumbling. The kits were already scared and waiting for their masters]

We have to move now. Bad things are about to happen and trust me, the people in white armor are worse.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

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