Supply... Closet?! (open)

[jadaryl]

WHO| Eliot, Momoko, Ariadne, and whoever they run into on the supply run
WHAT| Supply run to the Cornucopia
WHEN| Shortly after the bloodbath
WHERE| J15
WARNING/NOTES| Possible violence

Eliot looked out the doorway at the Cornucopia as the cannon sounded. He frowned slightly. The area around the Cornucopia was finally empty except for the bodies of the dead. Supplies still littered the ground, including most of the bags. Only four dead and most of the supplies left behind? Something wasn't right. He couldn't see in the deeper craters from his angle. If he'd been at the Cornucopia longer, he would have used that to his advantage.

He had noticed while waiting for the gong to sound that there were no weapons, just supplies. His chair leg would do for now but, at some point, he needed something better. A memory flashed through his mind. His mentor hadn't been able to tell him much, be he had said that if he stepped off the pedestal early, it would explode. If he could open it somehow, he might be able to get the explosive out. And there were 24 platforms. That decided it. He had to take the risk.

Eliot looked around the room. The chair leg was sturdy enough, but he had to pry the platforms out of the ground or open them, he'd need something equally strong but much thinner. He smiled to himself as he saw a piece of metal playing on the window sill. He walked over and pocketed it.

He turned to the two girls. "You two can stay here if you want," he said. "I need to go back now that everyone's gone. We need more supplies than this."

Comments

[implant]

Kaidan decides to stick around the Cornucopia this round. Last round, that's where the gamemakers wanted them to stay, and given how inhospitable this arena is proving to be, Kaidan doesn't want to find out what they'd unleash to fence them all back in. The Cornucopia, though, is still stocked full of bags, of water and supplies that would be more than useful. There's bodies of the dead laying there but Kaidan isn't trying to think about that. They'll go back to the Capitol and they'll fight again.

Kaidan makes sure he's aware of what's happening around him. He's not planning on going to the Cornucopia yet, but that doesn't mean other tributes won't give it a shot. That kid with the machete, the others... Kaidan scratches his lips as he thinks, staying in the shade of a dilapidated building, staying in cover. Shepard isn't here, either. Not this time. Garrus hasn't been seen since the rockslide last Arena. Lily, Lottie, Ariadne... He doesn't know where any of them are. He'll start searching soon.

[jadaryl]

Eliot glances around as he stands from picking up the bag. He notices a slight movement in the shadows at the edge of the clearing around the Cornucopia. He frowns slightly, looking more closely at the area. "Momoko, Ariadne," he said quietly, not turning when he saw it again. "I think we have some company."

[cowardfacinghappiness]

Momoko follows his gaze, squinting at the shadows, but not certain of what she sees. "Are you sure," she whispers doubtfully. Wouldn't they have seen someone arriving before them? Had one of the tributes simply never left?

Momoko was really starting to regret leaving her perch so soon. Alliances might be useful, but as she'd always known, other people tended to ruin your own personal plans.

[jadaryl]

Eliot nodded, still not moving. "Someone or something is moving by the edge of the clearing."

[buildingreality]

Having been glancing around, Ariadne's eyes finally land on Kaidan at the edge of the area, lingering around seemingly alone. She wasn't banking on him being completely alone - he hadn't been in the last Arena, after all.

"Kaidan-" She murmured beneath her breath, wondering if he could see them. It wasn't like they were being subtle about their movements.

[implant]

Kaidan does notice them, the three at the Cornucopia. He's against the building now, watching them easily. He doesn't feel inclined to go over and introduce himself and he doesn't feel much like starting a fight. His implants stopped giving him such a headache and he doesn't feel like bringing it back so soon into the new Arena. Two girls, one man. Possibly a threat.

But he catches the sun just right-- and it's Ariadne. Momoka too. Kaidan's jaw snaps tight even if his guard drops just enough to make him seem a little more approachable. Good to know neither of them got tangled up on the wrong end of the Cornucopia. It's a relief, even.

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"Oh, I know him," says Momoko, blinking. It's a bit strange, this is the first time she's seen someone she met outside of the Arena inside it. Even stranger considering their conversation about Kaidan's ridiculous plan to help everyone else win instead of himself. For a split-second she thinks to try and ally herself with him instead, if he's so bent on dying for someone else anyway, but discards that idea.

She doesn't feel like she really endeared herself to the man, and anyway he's far more likely to choose to work with Ariadne than any of them, based on the last Games.

Though that's another reason not to let Ariadne slip away without at least trying to make a connection.

[jadaryl]

Eliot blinks at Momoko's admission. He pauses for a moment and then nods silently to the other man. The man clearly knew how to fight. In fact, if he had to guess, he'd hazard his safe house that the other man was military. The thought was oddly comforting. If it came to it, at least this man was no civilian. But he'd try to avoid things coming to that for Momoko's sake.

[buildingreality]

"So do I," she states plainly, eyes still on Kaidan. He's still keeping his distance, and she can't really blame him. All the same, she raises one hand slightly in a brief wave, subtle enough to be relatively unseen to anyone else who might be around the lot of them.

She doubts it'll help, but who knows. Maybe.

[implant]

Kaidan's lips quirk at the wave before he steps out of the cover, looking over Eliot. Still an unknown variable, still possibly a threat. But Ariadne was with him, which perhaps spoke to his character. She wasn't hurt, that much was obvious. Shifting his weight, he nods, gesturing for them to come into the shade and out of the boiling hot sun. It's a risk, but one Kaidan feels comfortable enough to take.

[cowardfacinghappiness]

Momoko looks from Eliot to Kaidan, absently thinking that it'd be nice if people stopped gesturing all the time and just used their words. Finally she shrugs and moves forward. Even if trusting Kaidan is a mistake, it's three against one, and she had underestimated the heat enough that a rest in the shade is enticing.

[jadaryl]

Eliot watched Momoko walk over toward Kaiden. He really hoped her friend was worthy of the trust she clearly placed in him. He stood for a few minutes, pretending to stare in another direction. It was all he could do for her right now.

[buildingreality]

When Momoko starts towards Kaidan, Ariadne finally takes the initiative to do so as well; Eliot would be behind them if he saw fit, otherwise he'd still be within sight. She'd stopped trying to understand men ages ago, and Eliot wasn't much of an exception to that rule. Let him stand aside, if he wanted.

For now, she just hurries towards Kaidan, taking a few quick steps to catch up to Momoko. When she's close enough that she think speaking won't get any of them killed, or give away their position more than anything else, she calls to him: "Did you get anything?"

[implant]

"No. Waiting for sundown. Moving when it's this hot will just speed up dehydration and exhastion. Rest up now, get going later." Kaidan keeps his eyes trained on Eliot even as the two girls approach him. He pauses for a second, either way, looking down at Ariadne with a slight smile, a bit of a shrug. Military training had it's benefits. He knew how to operate in many different landscapes.

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"Being rested and hydrated isn't going to help you very much if everything is gone by nightfall," Momoko points out. She notices that Kaidan is keeping his eyes on Eliot and realizes that's a good idea, so she moves so her back is to the building as well, allowing her to see the other three all at once. The important part about having temporary allies is that they're temporary, she reminds herself. Considering the nature of the game, there was no other kind.

[jadaryl]

Eliot smiled quietly as he saw the three talking together. He leaned down and started to pick up the few cans muttering the ground around him. He stuffed them in the bag. If the girls decided to split off with this new man, there'd be enough to split with them. Not that these friendly relations could last for too long.

[buildingreality]

Content with letting herself look like she isn't watching her back - or perhaps simply looking like she trusted them - Ariadne remains where she is, her back largely to Eliot and anyone else who might approach from that side. The shade definitely is better than the sun, and she can already feel herself cooling down a little bit. "She's right, you know. And we've been doing fine so far," she can't help but amend, folding her arms comfortably across her chest. "I know it's only the first day, but it's a good start."

[jadaryl]

Eliot nods. "So far," he agrees. The were certainly doing better than the four who had already died. And they'd picked up some supplies, so they wouldn't starve or die of thirst too soon.

[implant]

Kaidan just stares at Eliot for a bit, lips pulled thin and brown eyes narrowed. "Running for the Cornucopia with other tributes is a risk. Not something I'm willing to do so soon." Kaidan had heard the canon fire, the shouting and bloodshed. He's kept an eye on things, always has. It's even more important to do so here.

[jadaryl]

Eliot nods. "It is," he agrees quietly. "But so is trying to get through this with nothing but your bare hands. There's worse ways to die than getting killed out right."

[implant]

Kaidan stays silent again. He has a little more tucked up his sleeve than 'bare hands' but he doesn't know where he stands with the other yet. He knows Ariadne and Momoka know about the biotics, but the other? No clue. Instead of answering outright, Kaidan offers his name. "Kaidan Alenko. And you?"

[jadaryl]

"Eliot Spencer," the hitter replies. He looks closely at the other. "Which branch of the military were you with?"

[implant]

"Alliance." He's explained this to Momoka before and that went... alright. He doesn't see this one going particularly great. "Staff Commander."

[jadaryl]

Eliot raised his eyebrows. "Alliance?" he echoed. "Not familiar with them."

Not that that was entirely surprising. If the people here, and he'd never heard of this place before, could bring him here in his sleep, who knows where else they could drag people in from. And when. No one had told him much of anything, but he was reasonably sure that this city did not exist in his own time. He'd been to just about every country in the world and he'd never heard the slightest whisper of this place.

[buildingreality]

Having been taking the time to relax, to calm herself down from the nerves still lingering from her kill and the subsequent arrival to the building where she met Momoko and Eliot, Ariadne thought to chime in then before it became too much like an interrogation. "It seems like part of the game: see how many people they can find from completely different places. I suppose it adds to the intrigue of watching. They get their entertainment, and they get to learn about new places at the same time."

[jadaryl]

Eliot ran a hand over his face. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me," he commented, keeping his tone light. The thing that frustrated him was that he might've enjoyed coming here if the circumstances had been any different. The little bit he'd seen of the city had been... beyond beautiful.

[cowardfacinghappiness]

"It's more than just entertainment," Momoko pipes in, not really interested in their conversation but aware of the situation enough to realize that letting her attention wander too much was essentially suicide. "It's...important. Ceremonial. Historical." Horrible. Stupid. Unfair. Ever mindful of the cameras, Momoko is respectful when concerning the topic of the Games. Out loud, anyway.

[buildingreality]

Hesitation is more than enough to suggest to Ariadne - and hopefully the others - that Momoko doesn't necessarily believe that, but she nods lightly in concession all the same. "There's quite a bit it's built upon, true. Even if I wouldn't say we're good examples of it." At least when they were taking people from the districts, barbaric as it was, they could say that it was in light of the history behind the Games. "It still exists."

[jadaryl]

"It's definitely historical," Eliot agrees, for once being completely sincere about the topic. "Rather like some other countries they made us study in school. Every time they conquered a new country... Or if a slave had a particular... bent for fighting."

He shrugged. "As I said, there's a historical precedent."

Of course, he didn't mention the rebellions the Roman gladiators occasionally started in the city. Nor did he bring up how the Roman Empire had essentially rotted from the inside until it coule no longer defend itself. If the others knew of that time in history, they'd be able to get the reference.