savedbyasong: (whaaa)
savedbyasong ([personal profile] savedbyasong) wrote in [community profile] thecapitol2013-05-06 01:40 pm

A brave new world [open]

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.
69problems: <user name="robokatar"> | <user name="archeoghost" site="tumblr.com"> (7 | Cause you know)

[personal profile] 69problems 2013-05-06 03:02 pm (UTC)(link)
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."
shambler: (014)

[personal profile] shambler 2013-05-07 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
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."
iselldrugstothecommunity: (Basic - For Real?)

[personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity 2013-05-08 06:16 am (UTC)(link)
"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.
shambler: (038)

[personal profile] shambler 2013-05-08 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
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.”
iselldrugstothecommunity: (Basic - For Real?)

[personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity 2013-05-08 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
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.
shambler: (032)

[personal profile] shambler 2013-05-08 11:09 pm (UTC)(link)
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.
shambler: (048)

[personal profile] shambler 2013-05-09 09:09 am (UTC)(link)
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.
iselldrugstothecommunity: (Basic - Raised Eyebrow)

[personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity 2013-05-09 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
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?"
shambler: (037)

[personal profile] shambler 2013-05-09 06:10 pm (UTC)(link)
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?
shambler: (064)

[personal profile] shambler 2013-05-09 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
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."
shambler: (042)

[personal profile] shambler 2013-05-09 09:37 pm (UTC)(link)
"Not...always," R said, thinking hard. "Sometimes there's...nothing. V...void."

Chaos might be the better of the two, if anyone asked him. Chaos was something, chaos didn't howl with silence. R eventually removed his hand from Shion's shoulder, pulling it back to himself as he stared at the other District 4 tribute.
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[personal profile] shambler 2013-05-10 08:43 am (UTC)(link)
R wasn't sure what Shion was doing now - adjusting, he guessed. Everyone had their different ways. The zombie was content to sit like a lump on the couch with Shion, starting to drift off when the Living boy suddenly spoke up again.

"Not...sure," R admitted. It was embarrassing how bad Dead were at time-keeping. "Maybe...weeks? I can't....remember."
iselldrugstothecommunity: (Basic - Um ew?)

[personal profile] iselldrugstothecommunity 2013-05-10 02:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"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."

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