thearena | (no subject)

Who| Momoko and Open
What| Momoko's alone and bored
Where| Her camp with Don (and Dean?) in a crevasse not too far from the Cornucopia
When| A day or so after the first day
Warnings| None so far

Of all the emotions Momoko felt in the arena, boredom always took her by surprise. Last time it had been overshadowed by the sickness and her growing apathy; now, she had nothing to distract her from it. Even Don was gone for the moment, out scouting, leaving on her staunch promise to stay safe.

Well, she was never the most truthful of people, and anyway, it must be just as boring for the viewers, which was always a concern. Not to mention it would be easier to keep watch when she could actually see. With all these excuses flitting through her head she drew herself up out of the crevasse with some difficulty.

She'd actually tried to train this time, but a few weeks could only do so much and Momoko let herself lie flat for a long moment to catch her breath before she sat up to survey her surroundings.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"True. This Arena isn't as... interesting as the last one." Between the radiation poisoning and that earthquake, it had been considerable more eventful than the Arena before it. "I've been looking around a bit, but everything tends to look the same. It's hard to know where I've been before."

"And there's always the chance you'll fall into something...interesting," said Momoko with distaste, indicating her own crevasse. Her own fall had turned out well for her, but she didn't doubt there were unpleasant surprises hidden away in this Arena, just waiting for an unlucky Tribute. Or an impatient Gamemaker.

Alex glanced down into the crevasse. "I'm trying not to take any unwarranted tumbles. I don't bounce as well as I used to." He looked back at Momoko. "Are you planning to just wait this one out?"

Momoko hesitated before answering. It was not too far off from her strategy of the moment, though that also included being as cute and vulnerable for the cameras as she could manage without vomiting, but it wouldn't do to say so aloud. "I don't know that I really have a plan yet. Don--he's a friend and ally, he's very protective you see, so he's asked me to stay here for now. Where it's...well, as safe as it can get here."

She ducked, hiding her eyes as though she was suddenly feeling shy. "I would like to be more help, have a plan of some kind, but that's...not really my area." And there was nothing to do here, she added silently. She could barely climb the few feet up from the crevasse without collapsing, she was useless at the cliffs, and what else was there?

Don... the name was familiar... And then Alex remembered which Tribute had that name. "You mean the turtle guy? I guess you would be pretty safe with him." 'Protective' was a bit of an understatement in Alex's mind, but he planned to stay out of the turtle's way if he could help it.

It irritated him though, that the Gamemakers were throwing people into the Arena who weren't the fighting sort. But, that wasn't anything new for them if he'd understood how these Games used to be organized properly. Children pitted against children, and government sanctioned at that. "This is a hard Arena for anyone, unless they're from Alaska or Norway."

"Yes, that's him," she said, nodding. "I think after last time too, where he sort of killed me? I think he still feels bad about that. I don't blame him of course, it's just the game, but I'm sure it helps him feel better to know I'm safe this time. For now."

She hadn't even thought of that until this moment, actually, but she was saying it almost before she did think of it. It hadn't come up yet between them, but if she planted the idea in the viewer's minds it would give them something to think about whenever they watched Momoko and Don talk, something to keep them interested. "That's true," she agreed absently, "Although I'm sure they're careful not to give anyone too much of an advantage, of course."

But how safe was 'safe'? Alex wasn't sure Don was doing Momoko any favors, keeping her in the Arena with the rest of them instead of just letting her get bumped off early to spend the rest of the time in the Capitol. It hadn't occurred to him that someone might try to orchestrate things so a weaker Tribute could become a Victor. He just didn't have that kind of faith in people anymore.

"Sort of killed you?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "How can you 'sort of' kill someone?" It was an odd way to phrase things. If something was an accident, people usually called it that. But 'sort of' didn't carry the same meaning as 'accidentally'.

"Well, I was planning to jump," she said, as casual as though attempting suicide was nothing to remark upon. Perhaps, after a few more Arenas, it wouldn't be. "I was sick, like pretty much everyone else and I wasn't really thinking clearly. But before I could manage it by myself Donatello...startled me." That was one way to put her reaction to the mutant monster leaping out of the shadows.

"So, I was going to die anyway, he just made it so that I fell instead of jumped."

"I think most of us have thought about doing that in here at one time or another," he admitted honestly. Most of the time it came down to where he preferred to be, and the rare times it came to mind, Alex found he'd rather be in the Arena. Because it was more familiar than the twisted way things were in the Capitol.

"It was the earthquake that got me, last time, mostly. I broke my leg and then something attacked me. I was so sick I can't really remember what it even was."

"It's a sensible option," agreed Momoko. "Although not if everyone tries it, of course."

She shuddered, hoping the parka hid the movement. "I died in an earthquake once too. My first time. I think they just like using earthquakes. I don't remember there being monsters last time, though, aside from what happened to Don."

"I'm not sure what it was. All I know is it was bigger than me and had sharp teeth." He shook his head as if to wave off the memory, fragmented as it was. "What do you mean though, 'what happened to Don'?"

"He turned into a monster," she said, like she was talking about the weather. "I'm not sure why, he doesn't like to talk about it. The Capitol did something, I guess, and he turned big and green with, huh, sharp teeth. Maybe he killed you too." That would be something of a coincidence.

Alex frowned. The memory was hazy between the pain from his broken leg and the effects of the radiation sickness, but it had been green, the creature that had attacked him. "Maybe. But I didn't get a good enough look to say one way or another. Maybe the Capitol put something into the Arena part way through, maybe it was Don. But it was last Arena."

Still, maybe when he got out of this Arena, he'd sit down and look at the footage. He'd been avoiding it so far, but it might be better to look. Especially if the Capitol was doing experiments on the Tributes. Which, at this point, Alex wouldn't put past them.

Momoko shrugged. "He's a really good fighter, I wouldn't recommend trying to get revenge or something," she advised, the thought occurring that Alex might try to attack her if he wanted revenge on Don. She patted her parka absently, checking for the comforting weight of the knife.

"I'm not the revenge sort," Alex replied honestly. "It never seems to go well for the people that seek it." He notes the way she pats her parka though. "You know, you totally give away your weapon's location when you do that."

Momoko flushed and pointedly moved her hand away. "Maybe I want you to know I'm armed. I'm hardly threatening without it." She sniffed. "Good, about the revenge. It's a stupid concept, especially here."