thecapitol | (no subject)

Who: Azula and Open to All
What: People watching and making herself available.
Where: The Training Center Bar
When: Anytime, pick.
warnings: Nothing yet but give it time.

Before the arena, Azula had never drank. Not seriously really.

Sure the occasional glass of bubbly or wine at one of her fathers business parties, but she had always been so focused on her goals of physical and mental perfection that she had dismissed the opportunity to drink enough to be buzzed or tipsy.

Now of course as the little bottle of Morphling in her pocket reminded her, her mind would never be perfect, so what could some alcohol hurt?

Still she was technically working so every drink she purchased she nursed her drink slowly and lingered over every drop. It would not due to have the newly returned mentor getting drunk in public. But staking out a corner booth in the bar where she could watch everyone and keep an eye out for Sponsors, tributes and other mentors was perfectly reasonable. It was for this reason she chose a booth facing the door where she would be very visible.

She really shouldn't be drinking in the first place given her medication needs. But this was one of the few areas where Azula scoffed at the law and did something she knew was bad for her simply for the case of "Because I want to shut up."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Azula studied the girl carefully from a distance. She knew the girls name and what district she was playing for but precious little else. Now would be a good time for information gathering. Perhaps something she could pass along to her tributes.

Sliding from her booth she had the bartender make her a milk shake as well, chocolate. Once she was armed with her tool to establish a connection she approached the girl with a cobra's smile.

"You look lonely." She noted once she was close enough.

AndrAIa looked up at the unfamiliar voice. She wasn't quite comfortable with the other's smile, but she brushed it off and smiled back.

"Yes. I was thinking about my friend Enzo. I do not know where he is now, and I do not think he knows where I am."

She made a welcoming gesture towards the opposite side of the booth. "I would not mind other company, though. I am AndrAIa. You are...?"

"Azula, a pleasure to meet you AndrAIa." She took the seat gracefully and plucked the cherry off the whipped cream topping her milkshake.

"You're one of the tributes aren't you? From which district?" Even though she already knew she didn't want to give away how much she'd already seen of the other tributes.

AndrAIa nodded. "Yes, I represent District Four, but I am from the Net- and before that, Mainframe, and originally from a game. I have never seen District Four; all I know about it is what I have been told."

Azula nodded as if she was deeply interested in where this tribute came from. As far as she was concerned the only reason to care about where the tributes came from was to better understand their abilities and mental state.

"What sort of game?" She inquired taking a guess at where to begin learning about this girl.

"It was called 'Treasures of Atlantis'. Um... I guess it would be sort of a race game, but to a specific goal? We had to reach the treasure before the User. Or kill them, but they had a lot of extra lives, which made it impractical. Though I did not know that, until Enzo explained it."

AndrAIa made a dismissive motion with her hand. "That is where I am originally from, but I do not consider it home anymore. My home is Mainframe, it is where we are trying to return to."

Sucking gently on her milkshake Azula watched and listened intently, speaking up near the end "Was it difficult to kill the User? What skills did they have to defend against your assault?" One step at a time. Was this one really so innocent she had no second thoughts about giving up these sorts of secrets? Only time would tell.

AndrAIa shook her head. "No, it was easy to kill the User. Almost any skill or weapon would do it- the ones stronger than my throwing star, that is." She touched the starfish-shaped hair ornament on the side of her head as a reflex. It wasn't the same one, and it wasn't a weapon, but it was close.

"The User did not have many defensive skills. Just dodging, its own torpedoes, and the extra lives, which was the hard part. Bob and Dot used up all their powers, killing the User over and over, but they could not stop it." She took a long sip of her shake while thinking. "Most Users were not as passive as that one, though."

Taking this all in bit by bit Azula imagined a race where everyone was out to kill her. It was inspired if only for the level of difficulty. It also made her paranoid enough that she had to resist the urge to look over her shoulder.

"And how many users have you personally killed?"

AndrAIa looked down at her drink, avoiding Azula's- or anyone's- eyes. "I am not sure. We only kept count in games where the User had extra lives and we did not care who actually killed the User, as long as it was out of the way. We used to count games, but not anymore." It was easier to tell themselves that the next game would be the one to take them home, than think about how long they had been stranded, counted in the number of games that hadn't gotten them closer.

Azula felt her lips curl into a wicked smile while the girl was looking away and willed it to relax into something more natural.

"It gets so exhausting doesn't it. Game after game and no progress?" Taking the time to delicately spoon some more cream from the top of her shake into her perfectly painted lips.

AndrAIa stopped sipping and bit her lip, feeling the start of tears. "It- should not feel so defeating. We do not get home, but we still win the games and save the sectors from being Nullified. Once we even rid a system of a virus! We are doing good for sprites and systems! Just- not for home."

"And now you're here, playing a new game where even if you do win? You won't be helping anyone." She mused watching her carefully.

She didn't mention helping out the district she was fighting for. After all it barely helped to begin with.