[ open ]

[helpmeguideit]

Who| Charles & open!
What| He's trying to prep for the arena.
Where| The Authority & nearby it.
When| Mid Week-1.
Warnings/Notes| Mentions of previous violence, but otherwise - Charles is generally tame!



Charles spent the first couple days of the arena hiding. Sneaking into rooms when he noticed no one was there. He was avoiding a fight, and he didn't have the same insight to people here like he could at home. Sneaking around had kept him alive the first few days, and it kept him hydrated and from starving completely. He periodically relocated through the stores, but then he noticed a place called 'The Authority'. It looked there would be plenty of things he'd need there.

So he ran for the store. Inside, he grabbed a shopping bag, dumped his skates in it, and walked around barefoot attempting to find new shoes, clothes, and maybe some water bottles and food. He knew he should also obtain a weapon. He makes his way through the aisles, putting things that he needs into the shopping bag. He keeps it light. The heaviest thing in the bag is the ice skates that he was given.

Now he's wearing something much more comfortable: grey sweat pants, a tee, and a hoodie. It was all that he needed.

Once he is ready, he steps out of the store. He makes a mental note to head back later on, perhaps find a place to get some sleep in there. For now, he should find a different place to stay and figure out what to do with the supplies he did have.

Comments

[pansyp]

Likewise, Pansy has been swallowing her pride and flitting fearfully from store to store, trying to avoid running into the other Tributes as much as possible. No matter what that large man at the beginning said, she doesn't trust these strangers not to lash out at her. She's had bad experiences with the so-called noble personalities before, she she's not going to be stupid enough to assume that these people will behave any differently towards her than Potter and his lot ever did. Best to avoid them altogether and wait for them to thin themselves out. She'd rather only deal with the ones she has to.

Through some miracle, and a propensity to be good at hiding when the need arrives, she's managed to kit herself out in a pair of sturdy trousers, a button-down blouse, and some very boring, sensible shoes with good soles, suitable for running. Not at all her regular attire, but needs must and all that.

She's about to try to sneak into one of the stores to try and find herself some proper weapons when she nearly runs right into someone leaving it.

Swallowing down the urge to curse, she slinks back and watches this man warily, her heart thundering in her chest. She doesn't want to die today, not in some horrible shopping center, not by the hands of someone she doesn't even know.

[helpmeguideit]

Charles had been running, but he stops in his tracks when the girl nearly runs into him. He turns on his heels, and moves towards her. He's always careful with his behavior in the arena. He doesn't want to come off as a threat to anyone. He feels like seeming non-threatening would be a better way to make sure that no fights would start.

"Are you alright?" he asks, approaching her. "I won't hurt you," he said. He was not going to win any favor with anyone by saying such a thing, but he really didn't want to lose himself in this.

[pansyp]

She barely resists the urge to scoff when he promises he won't hurt her — she may be new here, but she's not stupid enough to believe that — but something else stops her in her tracks.

"Merlin's beard, you're English."

Pansy hasn't heard another British accent since she was snatched from her own flat in the middle of the night. She's so distracted by the thought that she might have found a compatriot in this horrible place that she forgets to be afraid. "Where are you from?"

[helpmeguideit]

"London, originally, but New York now," he said. He was quite young when he moved, really. It didn't surprise him that they found others from England when they were picking and choosing. In fact, he was surprised there weren't more. There didn't really seem to be a method to the madness.

"Where are you from?" he asks. Okay, so she doesn't necessarily seem to believe him, but he just needs to make sure she understands soon that he's not out to kill her.

He's not out to kill anyone.

[yourmove]

After his encounter with Venus, Alex's face is a red hot mess after the encounter with the Food Court's fryer, his visor shattered to pieces. He leaves his wife to Dr. Norton and continues to try to track down Venus, following a trail of bloody footprints that have started to dry on the tiles, growing sticky. He notes that the trail seems to be going colder and colder, the blood fading, the outline of Venus's feet harder to make out. Eventually he loses her at the carpet near The Authority. His thudding footsteps come to a stop, his head tilting as if he registers the wisp of disappointment. It's not enough to be called irritation, much less anger, but Alex admits that assisting Clara has delayed him long enough to give her assailant plenty of time to escape.

He puts her pacification on hold - when he sees her next, he will resume what he started.

Alex is still studying the floor for any residue when he sees movement out of his peripheral and hears the crinkle of a bag. His head lifts, swiveling as if it's on ball bearings, something clicking from where hot oil has gotten into the joints. The bag in Charles's hands says "The Authority" and he assumes a receipt inside. No reason to suspect him for any criminal activity. Alex defaults to assuming he's a law-abiding citizen.

"Stop, citizen. I have questions." Alex marches over, assuming Charles' has time because Alex says he does. "Have you seen this woman?" He rattles off Venus's description from her height to her weight and hair length, adding, "She may be limping from injured feet."

[helpmeguideit]

Well, that was strange. He picked up the description. It sounded like the girl he had talked to when he had first arrived. The girl who seemed to know more about him than he had shared with any stranger. "Not since the arena started," Charles answered. "I'm sorry. What did she do?" he asked. He was curious, and hoped the other would answer.

He seemed very stern and strict. He assumed whatever she did was bad. He had watched videos of her in the previous arena, and now he was a little concerned as to what would be happening. Still, he was not about to get in the way of a large man who could obviously kill him and her. Especially if she was able to take care of herself.

[yourmove]

Alex stares down at Charles, taking his testimony at face value - he doesn't seen any glaring signs he's lying. "Ms. Milo assaulted another Tribute and nearly killed her. She's scheduled for immediate pacification but she isn't cooperating."

Basically she did what anyone would do in her position: ran, didn't sit there and let Alex kill her like he expects. All the more reason to deal with her, permanently. He fully expects this man's cooperation in assisting him. Any signs of lying, covering for her, and Alex would crack down hard.

"Are there stores you believe she will visit? Are you friends or acquaintances?"

[helpmeguideit]

"I talked to her once," Charles answered. "That would be the extent of how well I know her. I'm very sorry. This place doesn't bring out the best in people," he said. He was cautious.

"There's only so many places to be here. Maybe in the food court or where there's a water source." This man did seem dangerous, and he didn't really want to send him off after people. He looked like someone who could get the job done. Still, much better not hunting him.

[lovelyassistant]

Just outside the store, the flash of glitter signified the presence of another. There was a girl there, sitting to one side, working feverishly on a little project. She hadn't bothered to change - she was comfortable enough in this dress, and being barefoot wasn't a problem for her - and she had decided that one of the first things she needed to do was arm herself. Black curls fell around her pale face as she labored, chewing on her lower lip, ruining the lipstick that had been painted onto it.

She had taken one of the hooked poles intended for pulling clothes down from high racks, and she was presently busy removing the blade from one of her skates. A spear. When in doubt, you could always find materials to make a spear.

The girl didn't seem to see Charles coming...but she didn't look openly hostile, either.

Maybe if she hurried, she could get out of there before anything happened, she thought.

[helpmeguideit]

Charles stepped out and saw the glitter, he stopped, watching her for a few moments. He was in far more wearable clothing himself. She seems to be assembling a weapon of some sort. He waited for several moments, checking his bag of things, making sure that if he had to, he could fight (but he didn't want to). He stepped up near her, his eyes glued to her project and her, making sure to watch for the smallest movement that could prove hostility.

"A weapon?" he asked. If she wanted to tell him what it was, he's sure she would.

[lovelyassistant]

At the sound of another's voice, Charlie jumped, grabbing briefly for the blade she hadn't lashed to the stick yet - but when she got a good look at her company, she could tell at a glance that he wasn't looking for a fight. At least...not yet. She was new at this, but she could stay on her guard.

"A spear," she finally replied, setting to work at wrapping the second blade onto the stick with one of the shoelaces from the skates. "When in doubt, it's always easy to make a spear. I kinda figured I should arm myself, just in case. Little gal like me, I probably look like I've got a bullseye painted on my back. At least I know how to build things, though."

She paused a moment, turning her dark eyes back up towards the man and offering him a sheepish smile.

"...Sorry. I'm still getting used to...people. Again. I seem to have a problem shutting my yap."

[helpmeguideit]

"You're right," Charles answered, watching her carefully. It seemed a good idea to make one's self at least look armed, even if they weren't good with a weapon. He shook his head, observing her. Truth be told, while what she said could be very true, Charles was personally careful about things. Size and speed rarely meant anything in the arena, and he knew better than to think that in the off chance he was bigger than someone, that he was stronger.

"It's alright. Maybe to some you do, I'd say the glitter probably makes more of a target than size. Individuals smaller than you can win this."

[lovelyassistant]

Tying off the last lace, Charlie stood with her makeshift spear, leaning gently on it and smiling at Charles. He had a point about the sparkles, but for the time being, she was comfortable in this. It was like one of her show dresses.

"Anyone can win this if they get lucky. Survival isn't exclusive to the skilled, either."

A moment of thought...and then she bowed her head a little bit in proper greeting.

"The name's Charlie. I know I probably shouldn't try to make friends in here, but...I feel weird not introducing myself."

[helpmeguideit]

Charles smiled at the name a little, "Charles," he said. "And it seems like luck, but some skill is needed. And they need to like you out there." Charles pointed up towards the roof of the mall. Of course he meant outside of the arena, on camera, and everything else. He was sure that she would understand. She seemed bright enough to at least understand the basics of the arena. It wasn't hard to learn how the rules went.

"If they like you, they help you more." And being smart sometimes was a trait that they were looking for when they were sending things to people in the arena.

[lovelyassistant]

Well! What are the odds? A giggle escaped the young woman at the introduction.

Of course, the conversation carried on, and the topic was serious indeed. The smile remained, but it did dial back a notch or two. "I've heard that the audience is a big part of survival. I guess my showmanship can help me here after all, maybe? I'm a little glad about that. I was worried that I wouldn't be as entertaining as the people who are really good at fighting."

[helpmeguideit]

"People who aren't good at fighting can win," Charles answered. Although he hadn't personally really witnessed it, he knew that there was a possibility. "The audience is the key to survival. It's why anyone can rightfully win with the right people becoming a fan." Without killing anyone, he had even won the last arena he had fought in. If only the title could have been given to him. Then he could have made a difference from the outside.

"I wish you luck, then."