I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more....

[asmilinggod]

Who| Kevin and OTA!
What| Kevin has just been thrown into the arena. He has only the faintest idea of what's going on.
Where| Wandering the halls! Pick a location for your encounter for him in the subject.
When| Week 1
Warnings/Notes| None exactly yet, but watch this space for edits. Kevin has literally only the understanding that his job is to be the last person left alive, and...he's dedicated to his job, so. He also wants to gather some information, though, so not all threads have to devolve into violence! Just let me know.

Scarred feet padded quietly along hard floors, making a soft pat-pat-pat sound as they went. A steady pace. No fear. The man that they belonged to was...well, to be perfectly honest, he was taking a little bit of time to admire the scenery. He loved museums back home, but there were...sort of different from this. This one was a lot...drier.

Never mind that this was kind of a surprise situation that he had found himself in in the first place. One minute he was back in Desert Bluffs, getting ready to go do the radio - the next, he was being herded into some kind of highly-spectated fight to the death. In a museum, of all places! They had even taken his suit and given him pajamas to fight in - happily, ones that he could still feel professional in. What WOULD they think of next, though? Reality television, always innovative!

He had gotten a couple of gifts from anonymous people - some food and a knife - and he DID think that was very nice. Here he was, given the jobs of entertaining and also staying alive, and someone had given him some tools to help him be productive in that task! Very thoughtful. The food was stashed away, the knife was concealed, folded, in his palm....

And he wore his trademark (literally, the company had been quite insistent on covering all bases) grin while he explored, all sharp teeth and light-less black eyes.

Gosh, he wondered to himself. Who was he going to meet first?

Comments

Care to scuffle? :D | Fourth Floor

[celebrityskinned]

It happens to be Venus Dee Milo that he meets first - no stranger to reality television or to killing, which might be slightly evident in the way she carries herself through the death match. It takes effort right now, to appear poised and confident while each breath knits pain into her broken ribs, but she's nothing if not good for the cameras.

Kevin might have a trademark grin, but Venus' sells toothpaste. She makes sure to wear it as much as possible, just in case the Capitol has forgotten how deadly she is and how much they want to shower her with attention and gifts. It's paid off so far - she has a folding knife now, and wire for a garrotte, and has received some other much-appreciated tokens of the Capitol's esteem.

So she's smiling when she hears the soft padding in the dark around her. She can't tell yet where it comes from, but she turns, pointing her toes like a ballerina as they sweep through a patch of moonlight. She's sure it's ridiculous, but being photogenic is all about drama.

Kankri is sleeping in the cafe, which means Venus is patrolling this wing of the fourth floor, which she has claimed as her territory. She makes sure to emphasize that word for the cameras as much as she can - it works well with her tiger-print pajamas. Fossils weep shadows as the moonlight drools into a hall of prehistoric mammals, and she paces the perimeter, listening for trouble.

"Hello?" She reaches into the pouch of her pajamas and pulls out a knife. "This floor's taken. Try another."

Ooh, yesssssss. Always.

[asmilinggod]

Kevin, on the other hand, has never been on camera before. His job doesn't exactly require him to be seen, so his own behavior comes across as very comfortable, natural. He's not theatrical, but he does have a sort of honest charm about him - something that can't be taught. Maybe that's why he got sent his own knife by some anonymous sponsors...or maybe it was pure curiosity what a weird guy like him could do. He keeps the knife hidden in his hand for now, even upon being approached.

Upon seeing Venus, he gives a soft little laugh - not derisive in the least - before speaking. Now, SPEAKING - SPEAKING is something he's good at. His voice puts people at ease, the mark of a good radio host.

"Oh - I'm sorry, Miss! I had no idea that any of this was owned by anybody." He blinks, canting his head to one side. His eyes drink what little light there is. "I've never been here before. They called me a new Tribute, and just...told me to get in here and do my best! But I guess I don't know ALL the rules yet, huh?"

He knows primarily one rule to all this, to be precise.

Fight to be the last one alive in here.

But he's also a shrewd enough business man to know better than to tip his whole hand right away in a transaction of any kind. Better to play a little dumb to engage interest...and with those unreadable eyes and constant smile, there's not a whole lot of reason to believe he isn't ACTUALLY dumb.

"Mostly I've just been checking out all this stuff. Pretty nifty museum, isn't it?"

Re: Ooh, yesssssss. Always.

[celebrityskinned]

"Well, I've claimed it. And the rules are pretty straightforward: don't die." She steps into a patch of light, raising her eyebrows and tilting her head. The angry cuts on her cheek are hidden by hair and shadow. "So I'd suggest you get along now."

If he leaves now, before he realizes that Kankri's here too, Venus may not track him down to 'tie up loose ends'.

She lifts her free hand (the one not wrapped around the handle of a blade) and waves it in a shooing gesture.

[asmilinggod]

"Hm...well, if the rules are THAT straightforward - and this might be silly of me, but - if they're that straightforward, then technically, none of this is yours anyway."

That smile of his doesn't budge - in fact, it spreads further, impossibly wide, nearly taking up half of his face. There's something wrong about it.

"And I don't know ALL the rules, but I do know that not dying is only part of it. Being the last one alive in here is the other part, isn't it?"

His voice is still pleasant, conversational.

He flicks open his own knife.

"So...well, I'm here to do a job, and it would be poor performance if I didn't do it, wouldn't it?"

[celebrityskinned]

"Is that a threat, honey?" She doesn't sound angry, doesn't sound scared. She gave over her life to the thrills and perils of fame a long time ago; death holds no specter over her. She flicks open her own knife, holding it up so it catches the light.

"The third part is to be entertaining. Whether that plays into being the last one standing is up to your own determinations. It usually plays into mine."

ROOF

[wronglychosen]

He'd desperately needed some fresh air from the musty museum type decor of the Arena, so Zelos found himself up on the roof. He needed to think. Receiving that sponsor gift after he'd cut himself getting to a weapon (which had been stupid) reminded him that this was technically being viewed on television right now. So far, all he'd done was settle in to the field, but nothing particularly exciting.

So he obviously needed to do something to change that, before watching him run around got too boring. Otherwise, the next time he needed something critical from the sponsors, he might not get it.

Zelos had made sure to stand facing the stairwell, in case anyone came up, and it was only now, as a guy exited from it, that he was belatedly realizing there was nowhere to hide.

He weighed his options and made a snap one. Twisting his dagger around so it was in a sword position, he pasted a devil-may-care grin on his face as though he'd been waiting all along for someone to come find him and spring his trap. He didn't need to kill him, just put on a performance for them so they'd be holding their breaths back home, wondering if one or both of them would survive the encounter. Tease them a little, then withdraw. This wasn't that different from wooing a girl. "This just isn't your lucky day, buddy!"

[asmilinggod]

That first meeting with one of his fellow Tributes could have gone...just a little bit friendlier, Kevin was thinking. He wasn't as banged up as he could have been, but he had taken a couple of hits, given a couple, and now there was blood on his nice new pajamas. But hey - that's this game, right? That was the point! Survive. He didn't blame her any more than he blamed himself. And he couldn't even feel his wounds, really.

But he was still curious - still exploring, folding knife concealed once more in his palm. He'd made his way up all the way to the roof, stepping out into the night air, so crisp compared to the desert that he was from (but really, anything was going to be crisp compared to the desert) -

And wouldn't you know it, he had company again. Oh, well! At least they were smiling! Kevin grinned back, impossibly wide and sharp. He still didn't really grasp the whole...audience thing just yet, not fully, but at least he did know that even here, he could talk.

"Well, it wouldn't be - if it weren't for the power of positive thinking! It's easy to forget simple pleasures in the heat of a competition, I know, but - isn't the night air just wonderful?"

He didn't pull his knife. Not yet.

[wronglychosen]

Was this guy for real? Power of positive thinking? He and his weirdly friendly floormate would probably get along great.

"Kinda gets me in the mood for a fight," Zelos answered easily, his smile not faltering as he paced himself closer to the guy. He calculated in his head how quickly he could get to the elevator from his current position, and which direction he should drive them towards. "You know what I mean?"

[asmilinggod]

Yep, all real.

"Actually," Kevin admitted, flicking the knife open. Blood dribbled from the cut on his forearm, dropping to the ground in little splashes of crimson. "I don't. I'm not usually in the mood to fight! It's just not productive. But here, it's our job! And who am I to argue with doing my job?"

He took a fighting stance, expression unchanging.

First Floor cause I can

[casaerotica13]

Gabriel padded around the museum, trying to keep out of sight of most people. When he did run into someone, he could usually handle the situation quickly, despite being unarmed. He was still quick.

As the week on, though, he had begun to slow down quite a bit. Food was becoming an issue and it was really annoying.

Hearing someone else walking around, Gabriel tucked himself quietly into a corner, but stuck his head out once he had gotten a good view. Was that a suit? Swanky.

[asmilinggod]

The figure that padded around the corner was wearing a suit - a pajama suit - and he was a little bloodied. He'd been through a couple of scrapes so far, but his morale was still really high. His morale was ALWAYS really high.

Casting a glance around and not seeing anyone about immediately, he settled himself against a wall, breaking out part of one of his food rations and busting into it. All this fighting could really work up an appetite!

It wasn't until he was already eating that he glanced up, spotting Gabriel's head sticking out. He blinked his pitch-black eyes once, swallowed his bite of food, and gave a little wave.

"Hello?"

[casaerotica13]

... Deeeeemoooooooon? No, couldn't be. Sure, he couldn't really see them like he used to, but this just didn't really scream DEMON to him. Besides, wouldn't one recognize him? Even the black eyed kind knew an angel when they saw one. Or they knew to stay the hell away, at least.

Gabriel waved back and creeped out of his corner. "Hey. Nice suit."

[asmilinggod]

No, Kevin wasn't a demon. He didn't seem to know anything about what Gabriel was, either, if his completely nonplussed reaction was anything to go by. He just sat there with his rations, bleeding from an open wound on his forearm.

Okay, maybe he was...more than a little bloodied. His grin had a couple of broken teeth.

"Aw, thank you! These are the pajamas I was given when I came in here. Suuuuuper comfy!"

These two have a few features in common. Second floor?

[gruesome]

As yet, the best hiding place that Some has found is the shadows atop the enormous model of some massive, serpentine sea creature (The label he didn't bother to read said 'Blue Whale: Extinct'). A week in, and he'd had few confrontations. But he'd done no one any good, either.

He was growing increasingly uneasy with that.

It was with the intention to find Don and see if they could aid each other that he slid down off the giant whale, and he was just adjusting the shawl he'd made of his nightshirt over his head when he heard bare feet.

Works for me!

[asmilinggod]

Kevin was...maybe a little worse for wear, but it was difficult for him to tell. He had taken a while to notice how badly his arm was bleeding - he barely felt the concussion from having his head slammed against the hard floors. His wounds, as a rule, didn't bother him very much at all.

So he was still making his way down the halls, exploring, dark eyes turning this way and that as he grinned at his surroundings. He had already made some friends! What a blessed day this was. Day? Days? He wasn't really sure, but it didn't really matter, did it?

It was with this thought that he turned a corner, stopping in his tracks as he spotted a stranger. Blinking in the dim light, he held up one hand in a little wave, calling out in a pleasant tone.

"Hello, there? Am I seeing another person, or are you another beautiful statue?"

[gruesome]

Carefully, warily, Some stepped out into the light, hand on the knife he'd been given. Seeing the stranger, he got a bit of a start. When he'd worn human form, he'd looked... well, rather like that. Black eyes and sharp teeth. His teeth were still sharp and his eyes were still black, of course, he only had four times as many.

Caution said to retreat. Now was not time for strangers. But... but.

"Person. Grue. Are... are you?"

[asmilinggod]

There was no dramatic reaction to Some's appearance on Kevin's part. He stood still, relaxed, no more predatory than his smile made him look...and upon seeing the stranger, that smile broadened. He blinked to make sure he was seeing things correctly - black eyes, like his! And so many of them!

And two mouths? Two SMILES?

He took a second to process the speech, canting his head to one side as he tried to understand the question.

"Am I...Grue? Well, sorry to disappoint, friend, but my name is Kevin." A beat. "You're really pretty, if you don't mind me saying so. What's your name?"

Second floor!

[swill]

Hell, he didn't think it was odd of him that he had decided to step in with the model of the old Korean family. He had used the mannequins as his cue landmark since the first day, since the first time he had stepped out of an elevator and met the first live face outside of the parking garage, practically shaken still with fright and adrenaline. Hawkeye had thought keeping close was as good a strategy as going away. Truth be told-- he didn't want to brave the elevator again. He didn't want to risk the stairways, which would no doubt, if open, be teeming with cowards like him. So he stayed where he had been stuck, and starved. Because one day and another of worrying and anxiety and of worming only down again to the garage, to that suffocating place, was work enough. Come the PA announcements, Hawkeye would know he had survived another moment of being wound-free. Wasn't that great? But he'd be exhausted, and the thought of eating only made him chat silently with the mannequins.

Exchanging recipes, you know.

He really wasn't used to this. One day he figured, heck, that he might as well give fighting for his life a try. Out Hawkeye had crawled from his hole, and kept to what he could best describe as shadows. He hadn't planned this out, really. The general idea running through his head was simply 'don't die'. He knew it didn't bode well, knew his itinerary meant little to the gamemakers and fellow players. He had heard the footfalls, decided they were controlled enough to inch forward, around a bend. He hadn't expected to come within yards of the-- thing.

He froze.

Was this a mutt?

Oh, God.

Re: Second floor!

[asmilinggod]

Kevin had been called many things in his time. Thing? Not often. Mutt? Never, but hey, even if he had heard it out loud he wouldn't have been bothered. He didn't see Hawkeye just yet - he just kept padding along, grinning broadly at nothing at all. His eyes were wide, SO wide...and he was injured, blood soaking his sleeves and the back of his blonde head.

He was approaching, and if Hawkeye kept quiet, he might not get noticed...but the glint of the knife in his hand (never mind the shreds of what might be flesh in his teeth) suggested that could also be dangerous.

There was something...not quite right about this guy, from the looks of it.

[swill]

His sense of self-preservation wasn't as well honed as it was in others. He still felt like bolting at the first sight of whateveritwas that seemed so content to just jog along the strip of hallway, who didn't indicate that he had or had not seen him yet. That only fueled the seed of fear that had planted itself quite firmly in such little time, because now Hawkeye was nearly convinced this couldn't be a human. --it shouldn't bother him, maybe. Other Tributes were great and fluid treating with everything and everyone else, but he still couldn't quite look at a district mate of his, a boy, without thinking about how wrong the whole thing was. The, uh-- it's a transformation.

Hawkeye didn't move, but he couldn't not breathe, and he couldn't still make out if those were entirely black eyes and meat hanging from the guy's mouth or if he was still half asleep and his own mind was tricking him.

He stepped back, because the thing was coming closer.

And that was his mistake, right there, because stepping back meant stepping into a pool of light. Ah-huh. He wondered if his pale legs reflected light the way the guy's knife did for one tedious moment when he couldn't think of something to do despite tense. He had thought the dark patch in the sleeves had been water. Now he saw blood, and so he chirps "You're hurt." Like pointing out the obvious will earn him brownie points. "I can help you." Like if he grounds it out fast enough, he'll get away with the trade. Hey- it had worked before.

[asmilinggod]

When Hawkeye stepped into the light, Kevin stopped a step or two later. If nothing had been said, honestly, he would have only greeted the stranger with a big smile and a wave. He was trying to make FRIENDS, after all....

But before he could even react, the stranger was voicing concern and offering help! How nice! Someone just as friendly as he is! His grin broadened even further (impossibly far), his voice bright as he spoke up.

"Well, gosh! That's so nice of you!" He walks closer, tilting his head to one side. "What's your name, friend?"

Up for another on the second floor? (I'm okay with fighting.

[grandmas_gurl]

Ruby had somewhat settled among the dioramas - shifting along human history. She liked to stick to the older times, though. Nothing prehistoric, that held no real appeal. But anywhere with forests, or the more medieval period; those felt closer to home. With her makeup washed away, and their clothing on her - Ruby knew how to blend into the scenes of the diorama. She wished the scenes were real.

She'd settle for this, though, for as long as it could keep her alive.

When Kevin walked down the hall, she had hidden herself behind a few statues, people drawing up water from wells in fake snow, buckets balanced on their shoulders. She clutched a bucket herself, ready to use it as a weapon if this newcomer caught on.

Sure, why not? If they do fight, though, all I ask is no heavy wounds I'll have to retcon later XD

[asmilinggod]

Ooh! These displays were neat, Kevin thought as he padded along, examining the exhibits in their strange dress and replicated customs. So many things he hadn't seen before, kinds of people he had never even heard of...so different from Desert Bluffs and its history, for sure.

He paused in front of the display Ruby was standing in, lightless eyes wide and unreadable, grin fixed...but not showing any signs of noticing she was there.

Same here! Don't want to add "Oh, by the way, Ruby's bleeding profusely" to her later threads. ;;

[grandmas_gurl]

She didn't move, restricting herself to shallow breaths. She had survived being hunted in the forest by the queen's men. She could blend in a few minutes.

Works for me. XD

[asmilinggod]

The grinning man stood there, staring at the display, eyeing it up and down and taking close evaluation of their clothes.

Maybe he could use some of the fabric for something?

He reached out to grab at the hem of Ruby's clothing, deliberately and without hesitation....