thecapitol | (no subject)

Who| Maximus and OPEN
What| Maximus lost his leg to an alien and is in hospital while they build him a new one.
When| a few days after aliens
Where| Hospital
Warnings/Notes| Mentions of severe violence/trauma, depression, possibly suicidal thoughts

It was a desperate time. Even with the Capitol's extensive and immediate health care, there had been enough time between Maximus being hurt to being brought into critical care for him to lose a lot of blood - the mangled leg as unsalvagable as anyone could have imagined. The entire thing had been amputated from mid-thigh down.

The surgery had only taken a few hours but he needed time to recover, so no visitors were allowed until twelve hours later. Though they were making him a prosthetic, it would take a few days to build and tweak - so in the meantime he was stuck in the hospital.

Maximus was awake. They'd tried to force painkillers on him but he'd refused, so they'd slipped a minimal dosage into his IV without telling him and let him rough out the rest, gripping the pristine white sheets as he stared up at the ceiling. The form under the sheets strangely incomplete.

The nurses gave him a wide berth and spoke in hushed voices as they led any visitors to his room - though they would not allow Ferox in the hospital, so he went without his hard won companion.

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"Not if you don't give me your name," He said flatly, turning his eyes to stare at her hard. "I'm no philosopher and I am no longer in the arena, so I am not here to entertain you. If you will not tell me your name, I see no reason to continue this encounter at all."

"...Akemi Homura."

She shifted her legs, crossing them the other way. She simply stared back, used to the suspicion, the wariness, the anger. Not necessarily of Maximus, but it was interesting, how people reacted to her own guardedness, her own presence and countenance, regardless of age.

It was off-putting and she knew it. But, she was fine with that. It helped her to decide things.

"District 7. I would hardly expect you be a source of amusement for me, nor is that why I'm here."

Edited 2013-10-18 15:00 (UTC)

"Then speak plain, Akemi Homura," Maximus said, the edge to his voice hard. He half considered the red button near his bed that would call the nurse.

"Why are you here."

"Very well." Homura closed her eyes, folding her hands on her lap. Of course, she doubted her plain speak would be taken much better. "I am merely curious as to what you plan to do, once you are sufficiently recovered from your wound."

He didn't move, his expression still firm and hard.

How did anyone come in and ask a man who thought he'd lost everything worthwhile about himself what he was going to do next?

"I will do what is required of me," He said bluntly. The only answer he had.

Ah, such a presumptuous-sounding question. No doubt, Maximus believed her to be crude to ask something so personal, after he'd been knocked down, hurt, maimed. She was fine with him thinking that. In truth, one's true character tended to show when they were at that point of despair.

Magical girl or not.

Still. She'd seen the recaps. Watched who he'd gravitated towards as time went by. Came to her own conclusions. Homura was no fool.

She idly rubbed her thumb on her ring.

"For who's sake, I wonder?"

He may as well have been made of stone, for all the emotion he expressed.

It occurred to him then that she didn't have to be a tribute. That perhaps she merely claimed to be one to lower his guard.

"I serve as is required," He replied stiffly, as one might answer an order. "My loyalty is not in question. Nor is it your place to question it."

Ah, the wall was up.

"I was not asking about such lofty things." Quietly, she smoothed out her skirt. "Whether or not you believe in the Capitol is not what I care about."

Edited 2013-10-19 00:59 (UTC)

"If I do my duty as required then there is no further question." He said, flatly.

"My reasons are my own."

Homura didn't reply. She simply stared, for a moment, scrutinizing him and his answers.

"If that is true..."

That was murmured, but no doubt Maximus heard it. It was obvious, with that, that she didn't believe him. Not for one moment. No one was that selfless. Not even her. Not those who had once been her comrades.

Not even--

"I suppose I shall see for myself in time." At this, Homura calmly stood up, flipping her hair. "If your loss has truly awoken you to selflessness. And if you can discard those things which will continue to hold you back from here on out."

At this, she began to walk out of the room.

"In the meantime...may your health soon be restored....Maximus."

He still had no real concept of what she meant to discover, or indeed wanted to know - his brows furrowing at 'selflessness'. Duty had nothing to do with self, and he would never call his reasons for doing his duty selfless. But he didn't correct her. She, and the rest of the Capitol, could think whatever they liked of him.

"Akemi Homura," He acknowledged, not trusting himself to say anything else.

Had Maximus had thought to argue his point about duty and selflessness, he would have been surprised to find that Homura agreed. Selfless people would get nowhere. People who tried to be truly selfless only doomed themselves by their own logic and foolishness.

Sacrificing oneself for nothing - even for another person - was the height of foolishness. ~~And she was guilty as charged for that, paying for that. But she wouldn't say it out loud.~~

Of course, as it stood now, Homura wasn't sure if Maximus would decide to toe the line for the Capitol, smarting from his loss due to his own foolish sacrifice, or continue to protect Wyatt and others in some misplaced belief in honor. Or if he would conduct himself proactively, or subtly. Or if he would even overcome his physical handicap at all.

But she'd see what would happen next.

She was going be here awhile.