A brave new world [open]

[savedbyasong]

Who| Shion and you!
What| Shion has arrived in the capitol and is not impressed
Where| The tribute lounge
When| mid morning of his arrival
Warnings/Notes|

Near one of the windows in the lounge of the tribute tower sat a boy seemingly lost in thought, glancing between the window and what he could see of the capitol, and the screen where the arena was being shown.

He currently seemed very caught up in the activity of... well breathing. It was harder than one would think when your world, and everything you had ever known had just been pulled out beneath you. He felt like he was falling, much like he had in the depths of the correctional facility. Except this time there was no Nezumi to catch him, no mocking voice to force him to go on, no reason to continue.

He had been feeling like this since that morning, when he had woken up on a metal cot and been placed into a room to show his fighting skills.

Of which he had none. He had then been taken to a room, told he was representing district four, told he would be housed here, told he could enjoy this city until he was to go into the Arena to die.

He looked out at the city again, a different world (because where else could it be? As impossible as that was it was the only conclusion) yet nothing had changed. They valued different things here, physical strength rather than intelligence. But it was the same as No. 6, the same corruption, people acting like they were better than others.

He looked back at the TV, feeling sick.

Comments

[69problems]

It's been days and the Signless hasn't stopped wandering (especially because he's still having a hard time adjusting to a diurnal sleep schedule, and being purposefully active during the day is helping, just a little). The Tribute Tower is still so novel to him that, even though he's been through the main lounge several times, there are always new things for him to notice.

Currently, that new thing is Shion. He looks just lost enough and just plain enough to not be a Capitol citizen, but the Signless hasn't seen him in the reruns on the televisions either, so either he died a good while ago or he's brand new.

Either way, the Signless sits down across from him and gives what he hopes is a friendly smile. He tries to ignore the current images on the screen: more reruns of the dragon attack, accompanied by delighted whoops from the commentators.

"Hello."

[savedbyasong]

Shion blinked as he heard someone speaking, he hadn't spoken to anyone past those that had taken him to his room and left him there.

He looked up, a smile on his lips since, he shouldn't be rude.

Then his eyes widened as he took in the man's appearance. Grey skin, horns... What...

He stared, he was probably being rude, but he couldn't take in all this information at once.

[69problems]

Oh, right. Not a lot of the people here, Capitol or no, were used to trolls. Or aliens at all, really. He tries giving a winning smile -- it just shows his blunt, triangular teeth, which is probably not helpful.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

[savedbyasong]

"It's okay..." Shion managed to gasp out after a moment, though he was still staring, mind racing too fast to keep up with.

He took another deep breath trying to avoid looking at the teeth.

[shambler]

It might take awhile for Shion to notice he had a watcher - a shadow fell on him at some point during the recaps of the Dragon; quiet, no breathing or fidgeting; just stood and stared. The thing that might be the biggest tip-off to Shion was the massive amount of perfume suddenly clogging up the room, cloying, a faint whiff of something rotting under it.

R had been around long enough to recognize when some Tribute got homework. He felt for the guy, he really did.

Eventually R spoke up behind Shion's couch, his voice a creaky groan, every word sounding like it could be his last.

"You...too? Sorry."

[savedbyasong]

The perfume smell was strange and artificial, different than the clean neutral smell of No. 6, more like something from West town, meant to be pleasant but too much of it, like it was hiding something. Like the woman in West town who had cornered him.

The other smell was one he could place straight away. Death, rotting. Dying whimpers and cries of children.

Neither memory was constructive to him staying calm and he had closed his eyes to try and escape them, try and stay focused on the present and the current situation.

He hadn't even connected the smells to a person until he spoke, Shion looked round, his purple eyes wide and fearful.

"Me too?" He blinked not understanding.

[shambler]

R lifted a finger in reply, his arm wobbling up like it was so much dead weight. “Hhhome…work. That.”

The zombie pointed at the screen, focused as always on the Arena and the dwindling number of Tributes still there. R’s eyes went to the new guy’s face and he stopped, mouth parting in surprise. Wow. Look at that hair! White, bone-white (like picked clean and bleached bone-white), and that wasn’t even counting the eyes. R never saw eyes that color. He couldn’t work out if he thought they were pretty or a little creepy or both. R finally dragged his stare away and started to lumber around the couch, feet dragging.

“Are you…District…Four?” R asked. The couch jumped out at him, R bumping his corpse against the edge instead of giving it that extra foot a Living boy would’ve. He had better coordination than most zombies but that wasn’t really saying much. Anyway, R thought he saw a flash of sea-foam teal and that made him think they might have the same Escort. R poked himself in the chest. “I’m…Rr. Hi.”

[savedbyasong]

Homework... did he mean like studying? Shion nodded since it was mostly right. He studied the other boy, taking in his strange appearance and trying to ignore the conflicting smells. He didn't want to insult people on his first day. Or ever really.

And the boy despite his hesitant speech seemed to be making an effort. "That's what they said... something about fishing..." Shion had never fished in his life, never seen a boat, and all his swimming had been non voluntarily and the fact he hadn't drowned had mostly been luck.

He made room on the couch, since the boy seemed to be having trouble moving. "R. It's nice to meet you... I'm Shion..."

[shambler]

Yup, that totally sounded like District 4. Teal and water and fishing. He overheard his Escort gushing about the “quaint” way they use nets over there – and then she turned around and tried to drop a hint, something about some past Victor using nets and a trident as weapons. R just stared at her stupidly until she sighed a “nevermind, dear”.

“Hi…Shion,” R grunted as he plopped down. His corpse collapsed into a sitting position like his strings had been cut, R resisting the urge to sneak another glance at those purple eyes. He knew there was a specific color – a name – he thought of when he saw that shade, only it kept flitting out between his grasping fingers whenever he tried to remember. “Homework is…hard. It’s…a bummer. I’m…sorry.”

He sat there slouched next to the other Tribute, wheezing out his words and wondering if there was something else he should say. A warning, maybe. Something encouraging.

[savedbyasong]

Shion turned to look at him, wondering if he was sick with the way he moved and sat. He wasn't rude enough to ask but he wondered, and wondered if it was something that could be cured.

"It's just..." He waved his arm around encompassing everything. "Confusing." His eyes flickered to the TV for a moment and the sick feeling returned.

[shambler]

That was easily the best way to put it, R grunting in agreement.

"You weren't in....Arena?" R followed Shion's gaze back to the TV. Tributes he didn't recognize where either scrounging for food or being attacked by some of the muttations still out there. Some of them were ugly enough to make even the piranhas he got personal with look fluffy and harmless.

[savedbyasong]

Shion shook his head, blinking. "No... I'd be dead if I was..." Because really no one could look at him and think he would be capable of winning a fight.

Especially with the kinds of monsters he could see on the screen. What were they even... no animal Shion had ever seen before.

He was silent a few moments, trying to remember how to breathe.

[shambler]

Looking at Shion, R had to admit he was right - he didn't look like survivor material. R had eaten Living who'd looked tougher. Shion looked like he might be the first to eat it at the Cornucopia. It was hard not to feel sorry for the guy right off the bat.

It took R awhile to notice his new teammate was silent and, turning slightly, his head rolling on his stiff neck, he saw that Shion looked like he was ready to start gulping at the air.

"Are...you...okay?" What was wrong with him?

[savedbyasong]

He nodded even though he could feel the world closing in around him. He hadn't felt like this since he was in the correctional facility. The sounds from the TV weren't helping either.

He just... didn't want to do this again. Anything like that. He couldn't, it had been hard enough the first time and this time it wasn't just a case of remaining unhidden. He was being sent to die.

And so that's how it should be is it? The prince rescues the realm and gets to live happily ever after. Are you still so naive.

"I... just... How is this real?"

He could practically hear Nezumi's mocking laughter in his head.

[shambler]

R had no idea how to answer that question. He could see Shion struggling along, looking as miserable as someone can get and R had no idea what he could do or moan to make it hurt any less. The most he could do was lift his arm and inch it out in the Living boy's direction, flopping it down gently to touch the back of his shoulder and hoping he didn't give him a heart attack on accident.

"I don't...know," R gasped. He tried to get his face to do encouraging, reassuring; anything at all. It didn't work. "They don't....play by...the rules. Wish...they did."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Are you using that?" Howard has a bag of chips (surprisingly difficult to procure in the Capitol, where they prefer fresh hors d'euvres to bagged Doritos) and the remote in his hand, which he's using to gesture at the couch Shion's sitting down. "That seat's got the best view."

The part of Howard's brain that says it's rude to kick people out of their seat isn't functioning this early in the day. He looks vaguely rumbled and smells just a little bit like sweat from his nightmares earlier, at 5 a.m., a mere two hours after he finally managed to get to sleep. Thankfully for him he slept in his clothes, but his feet are still bare, bony, skeletal ankles visible from where he rolled up the hems of his pants.

But rather than sulk in it, he's fully planning on forcing himself to sit through some Games. Take notes. Acting tough now will go a ways towards throwing new guy off of seeing if he gets a bit short of breath while watching people he knows turn into bloody smears on the small screen.

[savedbyasong]

Shion blinked and looked up when someone approached and stood up automatically at the words. He scuttled out of the way, realising half way through the motion just how pathetic he looked and how much Nezumi would sneer at him.

"Um... hello." He winced at his voice, he really had to get himself together. He wasn't a child anymore, if he could help lead No. 6 then he could talk to some skinny kid in a far off world.

"I'm Shion."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard plops down on the chair, body sprawled as if to take up enough space to make up for his small size.

"And I care why?" He shoves a fistful of Doritos in his mouth. Some of the crumbs make a hasty getaway to the front of his shirt.

[savedbyasong]

Shion bit his lip, this boy reminded him more and more of Nezumi. Of how Nezumi was to other people who weren't Shion.

"I don't know." He spoke more to keep himself here, in this moment and not floating off in his head to times were the world made a lot more sense. "I guess you don't, some people don't. Care about the people around them I mean, and as long as that's their choice and they haven't had it programmed into them by a higher force I guess that's alright.

I mean it's probably counter productive to get to know people who are all going to die anyways."

Some part of him realised he was babbling, and he should probably stop.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard hasn't met many people who respond to clear dismissal with talking even more. He gives Shion a bit of an annoyed look and grabs another handful of chips.

"Dude. Shut up. I literally don't care."

He looks back to the Games - no one he knows. He reaches over and switches the channel to another part of the Arena.

"Are you always this chatty?"

[savedbyasong]

He shakes his head, "No. Well yes. I try not to be."

The problem was just there were so many thought in his head, that he just had to speak some of them.

He looked back at the TV and the boy, "Is watching it compulsory?" He was mostly just asking himself, he's not expecting to get answered.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"You should probably try harder."

Bitchiness kind of just comes out of Howard. He doesn't even mean it, because he continues to hold up his end of the conversation, continues to invite an exchange even as he attacks the idea. Maybe it's just that the Arena puts him in a sour mood; maybe it's that psyching himself up to watch the Games took it out of him.

"No. But it's helpful. You lean who'll stab you in the back."

[savedbyasong]

He blinked in confusion, looking from the TV to the boy and back to the TV, "But that is happening now right? So all those people will be..."

Dead but he doesn't want to think about that... Doesn't want to see these people die, doesn't want anyone to die, not like this not horribly and in pain.

He had fought so hard against that.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Eh, they bring us back. It's not so bad."

There's a lot of denial packed into that sentence. A lot of ignoring the nightmares, ignoring the panic, the ever-present paranoia, the fact that he can feel his heartbeat in his fingertips more often than he can't. The same fingertips he's sucking Dorito cheese off of. The same fingertips that held a rock to bash Lottie LaBoeuf's head in.

[savedbyasong]

They what?

Shion felt the sick lurching, ever more frequent feeling of his entire world falling out from beneath him.

They brought them back? From the dead? How? Why?

He stared at the boy in horror, thoughts spiraling away from him as he forgot all about breathing and just let himself be swept away by the weight of everything that had happened in one morning.