Mini Arena 2

[etcircenses]

Tributes are woken early, and the hovercraft ride is a long one. Not the longest some have experienced, but they are clearly going far.

25 - 24 - 23

They land on the deck of the boat, and are ushered underneath, to the lower levels, quickly. Their stylists go from cabin to cabin, decking them out in over the top finery, before loading them into the pods installed into the corners of the rooms.

20 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 16

The platforms lift them up, and they are all ringed around a grand buffet table, loaded with a grand feast looking ready to sag down from the weight. Among the food are supplies, plenty of them, all for the taking.

11- 10 - 9 - 8

They've all been warned, don't step off your pedestal early. They have also been warned to put on a good show. That's all this is about, a good show. None of them have been told that there can be multiple winners this time around.

5 - 4

3

2

The sound of the gong plays crystal clear across the opening. The games have begun.

Comments

THE NERD TAKES CHARGE

[biomechatronic]

Dennett is not a leader. He's not a follower, either, really. He's normally just...outside of the whole macho hierarchy chain thing.

But if that explosion means what he thinks, and knowing this place, he doubts it means anything not-terrible, someone has to step up, to think about something beyond mere personal survival.

"Listen! Everyone, listen to me!" It's not the most commanding voice, but the higher timbre at least cuts through the bustle and noise. And the knife he's waving around might help. "We need to work together! We can find a way to survive if we just cooperate, instead of playing their sick game!"

A+ CHARGE TAKING THERE

[seestheman]

If there's one thing that Clara's learned since she got to the Capitol, it's that there's a time and place to try to stand up and make a point.

This isn't it.

Once she manages to get a hold of knife and a wetsuit, she tries to make her way out of the area until she hears him. And what he's doing isn't a smart move by any stretch of the imagination. It's bad enough that he's said things that could draw attention on the network, but to say it in the Arena where anyone can hear him? It's a dumb move, to say the very least. Which is why instead of leaving the area to get to higher ground like she should, she makes her way over to him.

"This isn't the time." Her voice is a mix of worry, anger, and frustration. All three of which mostly stem from the fact that A) he doesn't deserve whatever the Capitol could do to him for being seditious and B) his actions might call attention to her and Alex.

he tries!

[biomechatronic]

What better time and place to speak out than when they could all face drowning? Surely a universal threat will bring them together!

"Clara! Someone needs to take charge here. We can work together, find a way to survive. I mean...they can't find all of us drowning together like sardines to be 'entertaining', can they?" And never mind that sardines, by definition, aren't likely to drown.

[seestheman]

It occurs to Clara that she was supposed to meet with him for lunch to talk about this stuff, and things kept coming up so that she hasn't had the opportunity yet. So really, she brought this on herself for not making time for him, didn't she? And she definitely will do so once they're back in the Capitol if they haven't already turned him into an Avox by then.

There's this small temptation to say Sardines are fish but that really isn't helpful right now. Maybe later.

"No, but they might find us trying to get topside and fighting each other and whatever's out there entertaining." Also people doing their best Titanic reenactments, which she's sure is going to be a thing since she saw Dave earlier and he definitely seems like the type who would. "I suggest you just focus on getting out of here alive." And notice the look she's giving him that screams now is not the time for this.

[biomechatronic]

Perhaps Dennett's gotten cocky that he has in fact survived this long without being picked up by the authorities. Or perhaps, he simply can't believe, despite having seen the avoxes, that it could happen to him, just for trying to keep people from murdering each other.

She could save the ichthyology lesson until later, yes. His dignity would appreciate it.

"Whatever--what do you mean 'whatever's out there'?" Isn't the whole drowning in probably icy water bad enough?!? "Clara, someone alone can't survive. But together..." Surely this is common sense?

[seestheman]

Did he learn nothing from Star Wars? Because, really, that whole Don't get cocky, kid thing is actually really damn good advice for this place.

At some point she'll sit him down and drill all this into his head. But not right now. Right now is about getting out of here alive.

"The last Arena had giant spiders and weird faceless things. I think it's safe to assume they put something on this boat with us." There once was a time when she wouldn't have been able to say that with a straight face. She doesn't know what it says about her life in the past few weeks that she can now. "Do you really want to trust me, of all people, with your life? I'm not a fighter, but there are other people who are who would probably be willing to help you out."

[biomechatronic]

In his mind it's less cocky than figuring no one would particularly bother with a harmless man like him.

"S-something? What kind of something?" Because he's developed a nervous tic about knitting needles, let him tell you. "Of course I trust you, Clara." He still can't imagine killing anyone. Or Clara killing him. The slap, well, that had been deserved.

[seestheman]

Clara has very serious doubts that the people in charge here think any of them are harmless.

"I don't know what kind of something, but I'm sure it's probably horrible." Which isn't her trying to scare him, honest. It's just her thinking about what she saw in the previous Arena and trying to imagine what they'd put on a sinking ship to top that. "While that's very kind of you, trusting anyone in here might not be the best idea." Which is kind of weird coming from her, but she's made connections and she knows who she can trust, instead of blindly putting faith in the fact that people are generally good and they'll stick to that in a deathmatch.

[biomechatronic]

Well, it was probably a stupid question on his part. Of course she wouldn't know. He'd hate to think anyone here, much less anyone like Clara, would be able to be on the same vibe as their captors.

"You're right. That probably goes without saying." But look! He has a knife this time. He's...50% more prepared than last time.

"Clara, you wouldn't kill me. I wouldn't kill you!" It's that whole Hobbesian social contract, really, and surely he can at least count on covenant theory?

[whoseesbynight]

Nepeta's pretty sure that the explosion doesn't bode well. Most things in the Arena don't, in the long run. And when there's already nothing more than various sorts of wood and metal standing between them and the deep dark of a sea she most certainly can't swim in, then it's even less likely to be a good thing.

On the other hand, the Arenas have always been more about personal survival than anything else, and there's absolutely nothing to suggest that won't be the case here as well. But she supposes it's probably meant well, at least.

"I suppawse we could at least get somewhere safer, if we worked together."

[biomechatronic]

Dennett may be new here, but he's figuring that anything that happens, any time he's forced into ridiculous clothing, has to be a bad thing.

"Yes! Exactly. There have--if this is a cruise ship--there have to be lifeboats, or vests, at least. Some way to get air." See? Someone listens to him, though, in the tuxedo, he probably looks more like a penguin than his ego would like to admit.

[whoseesbynight]

It's a pretty reasonable assumption, truth be told. Any time they're put into strange clothes and sent somewhere, it never ends well. On the other hand, the fact that a ship like this should - or would - normally have lifeboats or vests is an entirely new thing for Nepeta and it very much shows in her expression.

"Really?"

[biomechatronic]

He tries to be reasonable. It's hard here. But he tries.

"Well, I mean, they couldn't just expect us all to drown. Someone has to survive. That means there has to be a way." A way without stabbing his way through the place, he hopes.

[whoseesbynight]

"A way fur someone to survive," Nepeta answers, with an expression that can only really be called something rather less than pleased. She knows how this works, and she's not going to be assuming that there's anything different here than anywhere else.

"But it's purrobably only the one person."

[biomechatronic]

"Yes, exactly!" He looks almost pleased that someone isn't calling him an idiot. Yet. For speaking sense.

"It's only the one person if we play along and try to kill each other. I mean, has anyone even tried anything else?"

[whoseesbynight]

"It's how things have always worked," Nepeta answers with a shrug. "And just beclaws things are fine now doesn't mean that they won't find something to make it harder fur us."

They're at sea, after all, and she's pretty certain that the ship isn't going to stop sinking. And then there's whatever might be in the water as well, and Alternian wildlife is enough to make her doubt that whatever's in the deep depths of the water mean them well in the least.

[biomechatronic]

He blinks at the 'beclaws' thing. What? No. He must have misheard. Stress, you know.

"But will they make it worse if we try to help each other? I'd imagine it would be 'entertaining' for them." Oh, does that sound bitter? He's not into the idea of being entertainment.

Re: THE NERD TAKES CHARGE

[ruffntumblenut]

Ruffnut looks up at the man shouting to take charge and finds herself woefully unimpressed. He's not chief material that's for sure. He's not even Hiccup material.

She feels something hairy and heavy brush over her foot and with a grin she kneels to scoop it up.

"Let's play a different game!" She calls over the noise of the crowd. "Catch!"

With accuracy born out of years of mischief making and training to fight against and later with dragons, Ruffnut flings a rat the size of a small loaf of bread through the air at Dennet. The beady eyed creature is shrieking in protest and clawing wildly at the air as it twists and writhes unable to stop it's arching path for the logical man.

[biomechatronic]

He barely hears the voice over the din, but the thwap of something warm and furry and very much alive on his face? That's a little harder to ignore.

The rat was stunned, too--Dennett might be a soft man, but his head's still pretty hard--so there's a few seconds where he looks down, and the rat looks up, shaking the daze from its eyes, and then there's a moment of recognition.

And then the highly unmanly scream and flailing.

"RATS!"

[ruffntumblenut]

That was enough to double Ruffnut over in laughter, clutching at her sides as she cackled gleefully.

"Did you see his face? Oh I hope someone was watching that!"

Forgetting of course that they were on Television across the entire country.

[biomechatronic]

Dennett is no detective, but even he can spot the suspect by following the laughter. Sorry, it was a bit obvious. And loud.

"Young lady!" He draws himself up in a short tower of trembling outrage. "That was not funny! Do you know the kinds of diseases rats carry?!!"

He's feeling feverish already.

[ruffntumblenut]

"Huh?" She looks puzzled and shrugs "How many diseases can you carry? Can you carry more if you're bigger because he was pretty big."

Clearly she was not in awe of his authoritative trembling.

[biomechatronic]

Oh God don't remind him how big the rat was. He can still remember the little scrabble of tiny rat feet on his face. "It's not funny!" Because of course Dennett is an expert on funny. "Please, I'm trying to make a speech here!"

Not...well, though.

[ruffntumblenut]

"Why?"

Having lost interest in Dennett now that he wasn't screaming like a girl Ruffnut had resumed eating everything in sight and making a horrible mess of her forest green dress.

[biomechatronic]

"Because we don't have to play their game. We can work together and li--"

She may have lost interest, but the rat, dazed from its sudden impact with D
Dennett's face, has shaken it off, and has developed a considerable rat-sized grudge against the face that collided with it. Which is all the way up...there. So it takes the sensible route, up the loose trouser leg of Dennett's tuxedo.

Dennett is not happy. It's fair to say he's setting new records in freaking out as the rat clambers up his leg, swatting at his clothes and screaming.

He's clearly the manliest man here and a natural leader.