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three Legionnaires sneaking through the town / the Capitol went and broke one's crown
WHO| Open to Lyle Norg, Rokk Krinn, and/or Brainiac 5 and YOU!
WHAT| The Legionnaires puttering around the arena
WHEN| Week 1 Catchall for all three Legionnaires (May add more weeks if not much changes for Weeks 2 and 3.)
WHERE| Pick a scenario!
WARNINGS| cw: With Brainy: mental illness/a character essentially being forced off their meds
A) The Newsstand
The Legion holed up in an old news shop, largely because there was no front window that was easily breakable, just a door and broken sign saying "Plastino's Paper Shop."
They'd blocked the back door. The front was broken on its hinges but they'd moved some of the shelves to create a hurdle there so that they could easily attack someone that came in. The staircase that led upstairs had been left open in case they needed to make an escape to the roof since there were ways they could make their way down. Around them were shelves with all manner of things. One had snacks and candy that was mostly moldy but had a few edible things that could be picked out of it. There was refrigerator, long since broken, that had glass bottles of beverages inside that had probably long since gone bad. And there were shelves and shelves of rotten newspapers, moldy science fiction novels, pulp magazines, and comic books with titles like "Startling Stories," "Captain Future: Wizard of Science!" or "Tales of the Amazing."
When one of them wasn't out scouting, Rokk and Lyle planned things in hushed voices, keeping watch on the door. As a way of essentially focusing his mind on something that wouldn't cause it to overclock, Brainy had occupied himself with reading the tattered, moldy remains of a pulp magazine called "Stories of the Downright Unusual," that had a sinister green alien on the cover with a big head and futuristic ray gun. It advertised a story titled "The Green Menace: They Came From Planet Onzar!" and insisted it would shock and astound the reader.
"Astounding? Not astounding. Terribly insensitive," he was muttering to himself, frowning at it. "Space racists. Humans have no imagination. None. Bouncing graviton particle beams off the main deflector dish - nonsense. Nonsense. Utter nonsense."
He was still having difficulty keeping it together after having his personality inhibitors removed and that was partly why the atmosphere in the little shop was a bit...defensive, as his two friends were feeling particularly protective.
Because of the broken front door, there were some that might figure the place to be unoccupied who might poke their heads in but with how run-down many of the buildings were, the three Legionnaires knew that there weren't many places to hole up that were much better. So they were simply prepared to either chat with anyone that showed up to try to turn them away nonviolently, or, if any intruders felt like trying to attack, to turn them away forcibly.
B) A House Near the Orchards
They'd opted for snares in the trees. People might go to them seeking fruit and snares were simple and non-fatal - elegant in a way. The idea was to trap a few people, bicker about how to be evil without killing them and breaking the bet, annoying them for a while, and letting them go free, unhappy at their own lack of creativity.
It was risky but they needed at least some theatrics supporting their story, so while it increased the risk of retribution in the short-term, it might lead to their chances of being revived each time being greater in the long term.
Everyone loved a good villain and short of a ridiculously slow dipping mechanism, what else could they do?
So they waited for potential victims, pressed down low on the roof of the nearby house.
[ooc: Any characters that get snagged will be released, though they might get spooked during the ordeal, unsure of if they're going to be killed or not.]
c) Scouting
Brainy was in no condition to be moving around much - he was muttering to himself enough that people would be able to hear him in the fog, so despite the fact they didn't really want to be separated, Lyle and Rokk took turns going out alone to scout for more supplies and to get the lay of the land in the arena while the other stayed to mind him.
Luckily, they had a handy pick axe they each got to take with them when it was their turn. Not so luckily, it seemed that other Tributes weren't the only threat out there in the fog...
[ooc: Indicate which scenario you'd like and which combination of characters you want to thread with. In the first scenario (A), it can be all three characters or any combination of two of them. (Rokk or Lyle can be out scouting if you want Brainy with just one of them, or if you want just Rokk and Lyle, Brainy can be asleep.) In the second scenario (B) it's automatically all three of them. In the third scenario (C) you can get Rokk or Lyle by themselves, just pick one and note where your character finds them.]
WHAT| The Legionnaires puttering around the arena
WHEN| Week 1 Catchall for all three Legionnaires (May add more weeks if not much changes for Weeks 2 and 3.)
WHERE| Pick a scenario!
WARNINGS| cw: With Brainy: mental illness/a character essentially being forced off their meds
A) The Newsstand
The Legion holed up in an old news shop, largely because there was no front window that was easily breakable, just a door and broken sign saying "Plastino's Paper Shop."
They'd blocked the back door. The front was broken on its hinges but they'd moved some of the shelves to create a hurdle there so that they could easily attack someone that came in. The staircase that led upstairs had been left open in case they needed to make an escape to the roof since there were ways they could make their way down. Around them were shelves with all manner of things. One had snacks and candy that was mostly moldy but had a few edible things that could be picked out of it. There was refrigerator, long since broken, that had glass bottles of beverages inside that had probably long since gone bad. And there were shelves and shelves of rotten newspapers, moldy science fiction novels, pulp magazines, and comic books with titles like "Startling Stories," "Captain Future: Wizard of Science!" or "Tales of the Amazing."
When one of them wasn't out scouting, Rokk and Lyle planned things in hushed voices, keeping watch on the door. As a way of essentially focusing his mind on something that wouldn't cause it to overclock, Brainy had occupied himself with reading the tattered, moldy remains of a pulp magazine called "Stories of the Downright Unusual," that had a sinister green alien on the cover with a big head and futuristic ray gun. It advertised a story titled "The Green Menace: They Came From Planet Onzar!" and insisted it would shock and astound the reader.
"Astounding? Not astounding. Terribly insensitive," he was muttering to himself, frowning at it. "Space racists. Humans have no imagination. None. Bouncing graviton particle beams off the main deflector dish - nonsense. Nonsense. Utter nonsense."
He was still having difficulty keeping it together after having his personality inhibitors removed and that was partly why the atmosphere in the little shop was a bit...defensive, as his two friends were feeling particularly protective.
Because of the broken front door, there were some that might figure the place to be unoccupied who might poke their heads in but with how run-down many of the buildings were, the three Legionnaires knew that there weren't many places to hole up that were much better. So they were simply prepared to either chat with anyone that showed up to try to turn them away nonviolently, or, if any intruders felt like trying to attack, to turn them away forcibly.
B) A House Near the Orchards
They'd opted for snares in the trees. People might go to them seeking fruit and snares were simple and non-fatal - elegant in a way. The idea was to trap a few people, bicker about how to be evil without killing them and breaking the bet, annoying them for a while, and letting them go free, unhappy at their own lack of creativity.
It was risky but they needed at least some theatrics supporting their story, so while it increased the risk of retribution in the short-term, it might lead to their chances of being revived each time being greater in the long term.
Everyone loved a good villain and short of a ridiculously slow dipping mechanism, what else could they do?
So they waited for potential victims, pressed down low on the roof of the nearby house.
[ooc: Any characters that get snagged will be released, though they might get spooked during the ordeal, unsure of if they're going to be killed or not.]
c) Scouting
Brainy was in no condition to be moving around much - he was muttering to himself enough that people would be able to hear him in the fog, so despite the fact they didn't really want to be separated, Lyle and Rokk took turns going out alone to scout for more supplies and to get the lay of the land in the arena while the other stayed to mind him.
Luckily, they had a handy pick axe they each got to take with them when it was their turn. Not so luckily, it seemed that other Tributes weren't the only threat out there in the fog...
[ooc: Indicate which scenario you'd like and which combination of characters you want to thread with. In the first scenario (A), it can be all three characters or any combination of two of them. (Rokk or Lyle can be out scouting if you want Brainy with just one of them, or if you want just Rokk and Lyle, Brainy can be asleep.) In the second scenario (B) it's automatically all three of them. In the third scenario (C) you can get Rokk or Lyle by themselves, just pick one and note where your character finds them.]
no subject
"Did you want to talk about your first arena?" Rokk didn't really expect Brainy to take him up on the offer. He was closer to Lyle than the two of them were so if Brainy had wanted someone to confide in he'd have already done so. Still, he wanted to offer what support he could no matter how small.
"Or anything else that's happened here?" It hadn't been a fun ride for any of them so far, from seeing Cham get taken away to their current situation but Brainy had been here the longest and despite what he said about coping even like this it would be understandable for him to be struggling.
no subject
"I know you're being serious - I just -" He waved a hand vaguely as he got the laughter under control. "This is generally my internal reaction whenever someone asks me to talk about anything that at all resembles feelings or somehow involves them."
He inhaled deeply to make it stop.
"I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to talk about it and even if I did you're not in my preferred social grouping in regards to who I speak to about such things."
Then he paused, actually considering how that might sound in a way he might not have years ago.
"Not that I mean that I don't see you as a friend..."
no subject
"Don't worry. I know what you mean. I don't exactly confide in you either." They'd never been the closest of friends and didn't really have a lot in common outside of the Legion for all that Rokk knew he could rely on Brainy in a bind and was certain the feeling was mutual.
"By the way, I didn't thank you for the save earlier when we were first tossed in here. So thanks." While Brainy was being coherent he figured it might be best to keep him talking to give him something to focus on. It wasn't like Cos could do anything else right now and if he was honest the distraction was good for him too.
no subject
"That's my job," he said slowly. "To try to give everyone what they need to survive until the end of the day - and preferably longer."
It was not something he did often, articulating how he viewed his role in the Legion. "Equipment, intelligence, basic life support."
A play on words there since the viewers might think he meant intelligence as in tactical information for combat purposes when he meant it very, very literally, and the slightest of glints in his eyes made it clear he'd amused himself with the double meaning.
"Keeping us in the air." He seemed to be looking for words, but they all kept slipping from his grasp as if they were coated in machine grease.
"Payment. It's repayment." The slightest ghost of a smirk graced his lips. "Perhaps one could even all it reparation."
His guts were spilling out more often than they usually were, slopping sentiment all over. It almost felt good to have those very sturdy walls temporarily dissolve. He couldn't live like this but it made him almost wish he could.
no subject
"Reparation for what?"
He couldn't think of what sort of debt Brainiac 5 could possibly think he needed to repay - unless he in some way felt responsible for his ancestor's crimes? Which would be utterly ridiculous if that were the case. It could also be edging towards dangerous territory if they didn't want to blow their cover but Brainy had to be aware of that.
no subject
Self-awareness had taken him years and years and actual intervention by a cosmic force to achieve but he'd gotten there.
He just hadn't been the type to explain his little epiphanies about himself to the others very often. At most, he'd occasionally admitted things to Gates but their friendship had been tied up in it, a rollicking little social adventures that had started with hostile beginnings, given way to sudden almost-artificial warmth, and then twisted up into something more complicated that took actual maintenance.
Everything was leaking out. It was if the removal of his inhibitors had made him porous. It just dribbled out.
"I despised you, you know. One some deep fundamental level I respected you and knew you were far more patient than I had any right to expect but in the early days, you were the one the others always called in to handle me. You were one of the only ones with a strong enough personality to stand up to me. You and Lyle and Andromeda."
A pause. "I needed to be handled."
He threw an arm over his eyes to block out the light. Even though it was dim in there, his head felt like it was about to rupture like an overripe melon.
"You needed me but none of you had to keep trying to be my friend."
no subject
Rokk took his time responding, weighing his words carefully and trying to work out what Brainy needed to hear. The truth, yes, but how best to put it?
"It was difficult for us all when the UP threw us together like they did. You weren't the only one who was less than good company." Gates for one had been another headache to deal with though admittedly still easier to handle than 'don't call me Brainy' had been.
He shrugged and admitted, "I won't deny you were-" Frustrating? Insufferable? Infuriating? "Difficult. But you weren't any different from the rest of us where it counted." Rude and uncaring he may have been but Brainy had never been what Cos would classify as truly bad. "And it's all in the past now. So long as you learn from it there's little point in dwelling on it."
As for Brainy having actively despised him? Well, mostly he was surprised he'd been important enough to warrant an opinion beyond the times he'd interrupted the other Legionnaire's work.
"As far as friendships go, stubbornness seems to be a common trait in Legionnaires. I think if you spoke to any of them they'd all agree you have nothing to repay." Rokk couldn't say he'd personally gone out of his way to be a friend to Brainiac 5 even after the anomaly had changed him. But the past was the past and whoever he'd been then wasn't who he was now and that was all that really mattered.
no subject
He drew in a deep breath and sighed.
"I do seem to be getting rather existential at the moment, don't I. It's been taxing being here. You'll start to feel it soon enough. An overabundance of self-awareness. It's all the choices we're presented - what depths of darkness or actual common decency we accept. It's a vise, one that tries to squeeze us into whatever true character we are or whatever character we need to make up to survive."
His brows furrowed.
"I'd prefer you and Lyle to stay the same, if you don't mind," he said politely. "It's just a request. I know it may not be possible."
He needed it, though. He needed Rokk to stay the same bright spot, the same stubborn person that had refused to give up on him - that refused to give up on anyone - and gave speeches about hope. He needed Lyle to keep smirking that stupid smirk of his and to not fall too deeply back into the spy game, into having blood on his hands again. They all knew it was there and just pretended they didn't, or accepted that a change in direction was what mattered most.
Brainy needed something to stay the same. He wasn't going to get it and it was selfish to want them to not change, just for him, but he wished he didn't have to worry about them on top of worrying about everything else.
"It's too much. All the rest."
Lonestar, the weight of being one of the smartest people here, most likely smarter than the smartest of the Capitol scientists. He wasn't even the only one working to fight all this but that made it even more complicated. So many pieces in play. Who could be trusted? Who should be blocked out? Whose lives should be risked? Even if they were volunteering as pawns to be pushed around by an invisible hand it didn't change that some mind be sacrifices and he wasn't really the best chessmaster, anyway.
The real thing wasn't a chess game. The real thing involved people, a subject he'd never quite mastered. At least Rokk was here to help him push the pieces but that was all the more reason Rokk needed to stay Rokk.
If the only thing he had to worry about was the juggling act, he could've managed it but not when he wasn't dealing with his own emotions, with his own pain and trauma. What they'd done to him this arena made it clear that the storm was raging underneath the inhibitors, and he was left wondering, even if he got them back, if they would be enough. What if, down the line, he suddenly felt the maelstrom spilling out over the top of its technologically-reinforced dam?