thecapitol | Looking for Love [OPEN]

Who| R [OPEN]
What| R takes it upon himself to ask for dating advice from whoever he bumps into (sometimes literally). This can be from advice to how to be the most romantic Romeo ever to the downright awful. To make intros easier, we can handwave R introducing himself and assume he’s already corraled them into this if you like.
Where|| Around the Training Center, the Tribute Tower, and the Speakeasy. Possibly the park.
When| | Before the Victor Crowning
Warnings/Notes|| Nothing so far.

R’s on a mission to acquire intel for How to Date; Revised for Zombies.

Oh, and for scrawny little guys like Howard. Although if you asked him, personally R believes Howard’s already got one step in the door just because he’s got a working heart. Don’t tell Howard he thought that.

The point is R’s motivated. It’s almost unicorn rare to know what he wants and how to get it. Motivation doesn’t come easy to zombies, R feeling the strain raking its claws across his brain folds as he takes his first stumbling step into today. His Escort turns to stare while she primps her hair, surprised that he’s going out on his own instead of having to be herded. He even remembers to groan something about “…prac-tice…for…Games”, just like the Helmsman coached him to, and R almost thinks that’s a mistake when his Escort’s face lights up. He made her day. She almost looks like she wants to drop everything, come along as if she knows how to tie nooses any better than he does. Luckily she settles for waving him good luck, so pleased she’d radiate sunshine if she could.

He lurches off before she changes her mind.

R’s mission is a multi-stage attack:

1). Find someone, anyone with a pulse.
2). Grill them on romance.
3). Hoard the advice.
4). …He’s still working on the next step. R’s lucky he got this far, to be totally honest.

For now R roams, a tall swaying zombie with a muzzle and a bad habit bumping his way into friends and strangers and wrangling them into his quest.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The moment R hears that "hon", he gets nervous. Really nervous. For a second he thought his Escort was on to him, up until he turns and rattles out a relieved sigh from his dead lungs. Oh thank God. Not her. Someone else. Living, human, long blonde hair.

"Es...cort's....orders," R says and shrugs and decides since this girl's here, she's fair game for his Mission. "You have...more advice?"

Sucks for the both of them, but R's convinced the perfume is here to stay. He can't shuffle away fast enough to dodge most of the "safety spritzs" of Tide's Sigh and his Escort has an eerie way of finding him in the end. It's a big city. You think one corpse would be hard to find.

"More advice on not having you bath in perfume?" Cindy grinned. "I guess I do, which would be to, you know, not constantly wear perfume. Maybe just take a long, hot baths. Several long, hot baths. Showers. Anything like that."

He was a zombie, he was moving slowly. Pretty easy to find, at least for a girl as sharp as she was. And this guy was interesting. "What are you doing, then? Trying to escape your Escort?"

"Water..." R didn't sound like he was the biggest fan of water right now. Even on a good day, water and zombies didn't really mix that well, and that was before piranhas started getting thrown in. R gave a slow shudder. "I'll...pass. I want...that too, but..."

Stay on the ball, he told himself. No switching subjects and trying to get more tips on how a slow corpse could ditch an Escort. Maybe later, tempting as that was.

"Looking for...love. Help!" R groaned. Look, he even found an exclamation point in himself, that was how badly he needed Cinderella's help.

So, bathing tips another time. But god, sometimes she wanted to talk to all of these other stylists and escorts. See how they felt about what they were doing, maybe how they could do something better. Did his escort even try bathing him before dousing him in perfume? Maybe that was why he didn't like water, his escort had scrubbed way too hard.

She was surprised by the next part, though! Really surprised. Here this guy was taking pauses between words, shuffling around like he had some pretty bad arthritis, and he was looking for love. No, wait.

"You're looking for love... oh! You're looking for help with love?" Thank god she got that one, because while she was grinning, if he was looking just for love, she wouldn't be as nice. "Okay then. Have some special girl you're trying to woo? That's so cute!" Really adorable. She might not believe in all that 'true love' crap, but.

"Are you trying to get her-- shit, you could have been talking about a guy, but okay. Are you trying to get their attention, or tell them how you feel?"

"Girl. Julie," R decided maybe he better be clear about it. She was definitely a "special girl", though, R perking up. "Want...second...option. She knows...who I am and..."

The zombie shrugged. She knew he existed. Oh, she knew. No way around that one, so at least he didn't have to worry about that. Now he just needed a non-awkward, hopefully romantic way to break the ice and say he...felt things toward her. Find the words to even say what he meant. R reached up to place a gray hand over his heart, giving it a pat as if he could underline what it was like.

"Trying to...figure it...out," R admitted.

Girl, okay. She could try for advice with a guy, but had you seen her love life lately? Wait, don't answer that. Cindy crossed an arm over her chest, the other one held up by it, so she could tap a well manicured finger against her lip.

"You want to tell her that you love her." That was just stated, since she already knew the answer to that question. On the one hand, she really had a problem with true love and happily ever after. On the other, it felt wrong to push that onto this weird kid.

"You know what could be nice? Well, I dunno if you can do this, but you could probably find someone to help you write a letter to her. You know, your words, someone else's hand, because, no offense, you don't look like a guy who can hold a pen properly," She gave it a moment. "Or make it legible. She needs to be able to read it."

R's nod was energetic as she got what he wanted to say. Yes! That's exactly what he wanted! Just...how to do it? He had a kindergarten vocabulary, a limit to how many syllables he could gasp out before his tongue tried to jump down his throat and even if he didn't, every time he looked at Julie, he kept forgetting the basics like shuffling and groaning because she stole his useless breath away.

"Guh...d point," R said. The zombie looked like he was about to drift away on her, his eyes re-focusing on her face after a long couple of seconds. "Maybe...you could...write for me?"

It seemed like the obvious choice. R's expression had morphed from lost to stupidly hopeful, like if he could just get his words onto paper, they were already halfway there. That was the whole problem, wasn't it? Getting what he wanted to say out so he can start connect with people.

How did she get messed up in all of this love stuff? It wasn't ever really her stuff, too. Snow and Bigby's 'will they or won't they' thing was exhausting enough just to watch, and sure, she might be a little bitter over everyone getting their happily ever after and never her... no, scratch that, she was pretty bitter about it.

But this poor hopeful, shuffling, arthritic, can't always say words guy just made her feel bad. At least he was giving that happy ending a shot. Or willing to give it a try. And if she could help with him not ending up completely flat on his face, then she should probably do it.

She hated her sentimental streak. "Sure, kid. Let's pencil in a time, I'm guessing that we might need awhile for it? But if you really want me to, I'll help you write that letter."

R's face began that tortured process transforming into a smile. It spasmed into place. "Thank...you. Means a...lot."

A love letter. Before he came here, before he met Julie, something like that seemed like it was extinct. Now it was actually going to happen, R looking at his new transcriber and wishing he could hug her without worrying if he'd drop a body part on her.

"No problem, kid," Cindy smiled, standing back up and brushing her pants downs. You know, straightening these crazy clothes back into their normal shape and all that.

"I'm in District Eleven, so just ask for Cindy. You know, I'm sort of excited about this now. It'll help you out a lot," Cindy replied, holding her hands behind her back and then started to walk away. Before she fully left, though, she turned around slightly and called back:

"Remember, Cindy with a y!" A wink, and then she was gone.

Looking for Love [OPEN]

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Think this would be a good ending place :3a

Sounds good to me!