indisposed in disguise

[mediumdrip]

Who| Blaine and OPEN
What| Blaine lost three good friends (Diana, Atticus and Lottie), watched his own body rot away, and was killed a little more violently this time around. He's not okay in the head but he'll be damned if he lets you know that. Too bad his mask might be cracking.
Where| Tribute Tower. Three settings; District 2 Suites, Boxing Area in Training Center and Common Mess Hall
When| Final week of the Arena
Warnings/Notes| Blaine's a little broken. I'll add warnings as needed.



[District 2 Suites]

When Blaine woke up he took a shower and paid extra attention to his hair. The movements of the comb as he flattened out his curls was almost therapeutic. Each time he slid it's teeth through the black strands he felt himself getting a little more control. There were dark circles under his eyes, but he knew how to use the products of the Capitol by now and it was surprisingly easy to cover them up.

He had been back in the Capitol long enough now to know that he couldn't find Lottie, Atticus or Diana. He knew sometimes people didn't come back because he had seen posts on the network about it before. He had convinced himself that it wouldn't happen to the people that he knew though. They couldn't be among the unlucky. Diana had been a sure win for Victory. Lottie was popular because she was so flirty and fun. He and Atticus could play up their matching faces for the camera, and hadn't the werewolf and Kurt provided enough heartbreaking entertainment for the way that they stuck together? What did these Capitol people even want if it wasn't a good show?

It hurt to think about that, so instead he focused on his hair. He flattened it until it was stuck to his hair, all hint of curls hidden away. He couldn't look like Atticus right now because that hurt too.

He gathered up work out clothes and folded them carefully into a duffel bag before leaving his room. A cheerful enough expression was plastered onto his face as he walked through the Suite. He planned to get to the Training Center as quickly as possible, but he also did his best to not seem opposed to the idea of stopping and taking to his Suite mates.

[Boxing in Training Center]

He didn't eat breakfast. Instead he went right down to the Training Center. The gel here was even better than the stuff back home as he could work out and sweat without a single curl breaking free. He supposed he ought to be grateful for that, just as much as he should be for finally becoming a star.

He picked out a bag and wrapped his hands in tape before he started to hit it. Each time he let a fist land against the bag he considered all of the things the Capitol would expect him to be grateful about.

Hair gel. Good food. Clothing. His face on TV.

The honor of being killed for their entertainment.

His face was focused entirely on the bag as he pounded away at it, imagining himself with the ability to push each of those things away.


[Common Mess Hall]

After working out, Blaine really needed to eat something. He had been careful to clean himself up and was dressed as impeccably as ever. He sat with his back to the screens, not wanting to watch any more death. It was surprisingly hard, as they seemed to want to display the Games everywhere.

It probably would have been smarter to eat in his room, but he still was holding out the hope that he'd see one of his missing friends.

Comments

[and_my_pickaxe]

Lin walked with her plate in one arm, her other hand shielding her eyes from the screens, clearly embarrassed. To think that she was used like that by that bitch! She was grateful to be alive again, of course - she'd never imagined she might come back - but her pride was wounded and Lin wanting nothing more than to bury her head in the sand. How stupid could she be?!

Still, she needed to eat. Since both the arena and her experience in the cabin, hunger was not something Lin dealt well with anymore. So loading up her plate with sweets and bread rolls, Lin navigated her way to a seat. When she tried to sit down, unable to see on the side she covered her face, she accidentally elbowed her neighbour in the head.

"Oh," she gasped, dropping her tray on the table. She bit her lip and scrambled to pick everything up again. When she turned to shout at them for their obvious clumsiness, Lin went white, realizing she recognized the boy. Her jaw dropped, and when she tried to speak, all that came out was a weak "...H-hi."

[mediumdrip]

The jab the head was painful but Blaine didn't really protest. Instead, he focused on helping her pick up what he could, careful to use a napkin when touching any food to not have her deal with his hand directly on her food.

He looked up when she gasped, worried. "Hi?" he said. It took him a moment to remember who she was. He barely remember anything from his first death in this Arena.

[fire_punk]

Kevin smiled when he saw the other boy. Finally, someone he could talk to. Well, kind of talk to, anyway. He followed him into the elevator. "Hey."

Mess Hall, maybe?

[doc_holi]

Since the arena was over, at least for her, Holiday had been working over time. She planned to put herself into this date auction thing and, with her mentor fluttering over her shoulder about it every ten seconds, there was no getting out of it. Since she didn't know what it entailed or how long she would be... bought for, Holiday was using the time beforehand to get in as much training as possible.

Holiday wasn't really about winning, but she was all about helping her friends win and to get through an arena or two without losing a major appendage. The loss of her arm in there was still messing with her even though she had it back now.

She liked the punching bags and the nice relief they offered by imagining a few smug faces on their plastic surface, but she preferred to be alone and the young man currently using them seemed to want the same thing, so she stayed around the weight lifting equipment, eventually watching him every now and then. The fact that he seemed troubled was a little obvious...

Still, she didn't bother with conversation since he looked as if he wanted to be left alone. It was an unexpected surprise when she spotted him again in the mess hall. She gathered her food together and moved closer to him, moving in front of him to face the screens to his back. "Would you like some company?"

[mediumdrip]

Blaine hadn't really noticed her in the gym. He had been so focused on what he was doing that he hadn't really paid attention. He did, however, know her from watching the Games and from the network. He smiled at her when she asked if he minded being joined.

"Of course," he said, standing as she sat in some kind of old school sign of manners. Once she was settled he sat back down. "I don't think we've met before? I'm Blaine."

[mediumdrip]

Blaine offered Kevin a smile. He considered the mentor a friend so it was heartening to see him. "Hi," he said. "How have things been out here?"

[doc_holi]

"Dr. Holiday." She extended her hand to shake. Blaine was very polite and she didn't want to seem rude at all to him. "I've seen you around a couple of times before. Have you been here awhile?"

She had noticed him in the Games and network before, but hadn't paid any real attention. Holiday didn't want to gain more attachments than she already had here. Oh well.

[fire_punk]

Kevin shrugged. "Boring. Like usual. I'm sorry you didn't make it this time."

[justoutrunyou]

"Yo!"

Sandy unceremoniously plunked herself down across from Blaine in the mess hall. She still had the metal cuff on her wrist that other rebellious tributes had been stuck with, but hers was now spray painted black. She had bits of the black along her wrist and fingertips. Her hair was a mess and she had bags under her eyes but her look was one of serious inquiry. Odd coming from a child barely reaching the cusp of puberty but then again, the games did strange things to people.

If Blaine had been watching the TVs he might have seen Sandy's weeks of suffering as a bear trap mangled her leg and she had to be dragged around by her closest friend and districtmate Pruna. They had used her for bait to catch meals, and she had even fashioned a crutch from a candy cane tree...but the leg had never gotten proper attention. So the young girl had effectively spent weeks with splintered bones and torn muscles. It's amazing she didn't die of infection.

The leg was better now though and as such Sandy was letting it swing under the table, so happy for any movement with it that wasn't painful.

[mediumdrip]

The way that Blaine's eyes lingered for a moment on Sandy's leg was enough to let her know that he had seen the images. Of course there was no sign of the injury now, as there never was after an Arena. And never would be. They'd already seen what happened to the bodies that died in the Arena.

Blaine had been one of the ones poisoned at the start who then woke up in another place with their old body left to rot in the sugary hell.

"Hi," Blaine said. "How are you?" Though it seemed stupid to ask how she was considering the bags under his eyes but there was sincerity there that let her know that Blaine really did want to know how she was coping.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine's face fell a bit. "I'm pretty sure I won't." He still hadn't killed anyway and he was certain he'd never be able to.

[justoutrunyou]

"Eh." Sandy shrugged indicating that she wasn't doing well really. "Died again. Not impressing anyone. Least I've got Ashley." her own nickname for Pruna.

"How about you? I didn't see what got you."

[mediumdrip]

"This was my third Arena," Blaine offered after shaking her hand, because that seemed to be the only way to track time that mattered. "My first was the glacier." He hoped that would give her some idea to how long he'd been around.

"I've seen you around too, Doctor. How long have you been here?"

[mediumdrip]

"Maximums," Blaine said. Even saying the name of the one who had killed him this round felt painful. He rubbed at the side of his head for a moment, trying to get the memory of fighting for his life and losing out of it.

"But at least we're both back. I can't find a few of my other friends. Do you know Lottie, Diana or Atticus?"

[doc_holi]

Well, that was coincidental. "It's the same for me, as well. I arrived around the middle of the glacier arena." Never mind that she hardly lasted five minutes. "Something we have in common then."

[justoutrunyou]

"Zombie woman with a mean streak a mile wide and fangs like this." She gestured with her fingers indicating Karis.

"Diana? You mean that lady with the black hair and all the muscles?" She had had a short conversation with that woman who seemed set on protecting all the youth in the arena. Fat lot of good that had done.

Mess Hall

[gruesome]

Some was out here for similar reasons. Wrapped in a white shawl and wearing a matching hat, he collected the so-called food they had for him, a slab of thick paste that looked like rusting tofu, and then simply stood, staring around the room and taking stock.

[and_my_pickaxe]

Lin flinched as if she had touched hot iron when Blaine moved to help her clean up her food, brushed a hair behind her ear, and sighed. She'd become so jumpy since the Arena. Once everything was back in place, she picks up her tray again, unsure if she should sit down.

"-Thanks. Um. I'm sorry about what happened, okay?" Apologies don't come quickly to Lin, but the woman has been out of sorts.

[fire_punk]

"I didn't think I would, either," he admitted. This was he the bad part about winning. He was supposed to be able to help his districtmates win. He didn't know how to start.

[mediumdrip]

Blaine considered that and nodded a bit. "I don't really think I want to though," he admitted after a moment. "Not if I can help other people win instead." He felt like he shouldn't admit that at all, but Kevin was someone he trusted.

[mediumdrip]

It took Blaine a moment to remember what she was talking about. At first he stared at her with a bit of confusion on his face until his mind connected the hazy memory of the girl who was there the first time he died to the one looking at him now.

"It's okay," he said finally. "You were there for me, weren't you? That's not something to apologize about."

[mediumdrip]

Blaine looked over at Some when he saw him and then after a long moment of consideration he moved over to the grue. "Um, hello?"

[fire_punk]

"You... don't?" He blinked. "But you'll keep dying until you do."

[mediumdrip]

Blaine didn't really want to comment on who had taken Sandy out. How did you even approach a topic like that? He frowned a bit at the description, but wasn't sure to press. Changing the subject to Diana was easier.

"Yes. That's her. Have you seen her since you got back?"

[mediumdrip]

"Yeah. That is. That was one heck of a way to be introduced to this place. I'm sorry someone else had to go through that. It was pretty intense." Just the memory of the cold and the blinding white was enough to make his body almost want to shiver.