003 ♁ Video

[twiceadays]

[As soon as the video feed turns on, it's obvious that the good commander is pretty pissed off.

She jabs her finger hard at the screen, teeth bared.] Dr. Sponde, Initiative, whoever the hell you are.

What the hell just happened to us all? I don't know about you, but I don't exactly find the idea of having to murder my friends to keep them from killing me the ideal situation in training. I don't care if it was a simulated situation or not.

Comments

[twiceadays]

[Big ol' smirk right here.] I won't lie, it's the truth. I'm a hot commodity back home. [For the most part. Everyone wants their own hero.]

I like it. If you catch them at the right time, it even gets rowdy in here. [She sounds so excited by the idea of a bar fight. She plops down on the other stool and signals the bartender.] Give me the regular and whatever my friend here wants.

[hungover]

Scotch.

[If she's going to be paying for the first round, he can go a little more ritzy. Most of the booze he's used to from the Seam was probably fermented behind a radiator.]

Anyone here provide any sort of challenge?

[twiceadays]

[The bartender nods and walks off to grab their booze.

Shepard shakes her head.] Not really, but it's pretty entertaining to watch them beat on each other for a ridiculous situation or another. I try to not get too involved. Not really fair for them, you know. [A moment later, their drinks arrive. Scotch for Haymitch, vodka for Shepard.] Keep 'em coming, buddy. It's one of those nights.

[hungover]

[For Haymitch it's always one of those nights. The zombified children had, admittedly, been a new addition to re-living his games -- but he saw those kids' faces whenever he went to sleep. That was part of the reason it was just easier to make yourself pass out more nights than not.]

Of course. I'm sure it would be a blow to their egos if you beat them completely down.

[twiceadays]

[Actually, it is for Shepard too. She might not have had to kill any kids, but she remembers everyone from Mindoir and Akuze. She remembers Virmire and the events that led to the destruction of a mass relay.

She lifts her drink up in his direction before downing it all at once and slamming the glass back on the counter.] You have no idea. They wouldn't even be able to get a hit on me.

[hungover]

I am regrettably out of shape, so remind me not to get on your bad side.

[It's true, and he knows it -- he can be persistent and he can be ruthless, but he's old and slow now.]

[twiceadays]

You'll probably need to work on that. Pretty sure the Initiative will insist on it at some point. [xc]

[hungover]

Oh, I don't know about that.

[...persuasion is one thing he's gotten good at, schmoozing in the Capitol for years. It isn't good work, really, but some part of him feels satisfied stealing the money of his Capitol sponsors to help his kids.]

[twiceadays]

Really? [She smiles as the bartender refills her glass. Color her amused, Haymitch, really.] They've already poisoned us, made us sick, and now they've fucked our heads over by forcing memories to become combat situations.

Looks like they're doing a fine job already.

[hungover]

If anything, I can blame them for my state of duress.

[It's more of a permanent condition than anything.]

Weaving excuses is one of the things I'm good at.

[twiceadays]

[Sipping at her drink with an amused expression.] Excuses?

[hungover]

Oh, you know. Politicians and the rich need to hear some justification to pacify them when the situation becomes -- unpredictable.

[No, mister President, Katniss wasn't trying to defy the Capitol! She was just ... in love ...

Fat lot of good that did, of course.]

[twiceadays]

[Her eyes roll as she takes in a deep breath before sighing loudly.] Politicians and the rich should just get a fist to the face, really. Maybe then they'll stop being idiots. [Except that's not the way the world works.] Add higher up military personnel to the mix, and I know exactly what you're talking about. [A grin.] Although people usually have to make excuses for me.

[hungover]

Some of them can't help it. Dumb and stupid, raised in decadence and not knowing any better.

[He shakes his head -- thinks of Effie, Flavius, Venia, and Octavia.]

Can't blame them -- they aren't exposed to the same picture of the Districts as the ones who live in them.

[twiceadays]

Sounds like the place that you come from is pretty bad off. [Not that the galaxy back home isn't in danger, but it's not that bad, when the threat of Reapers aren't breathing down your neck.]

[hungover]

Depends on who you are. Like I said.

[He's not disagreeing, though.]

[twiceadays]

If they're ignorant of the situation while other things are falling apart around them, they're probably even worse off. [At least you know what to do when things are bad.]

[hungover]

[He nods. He can't help but think about what will happen when he goes home - when the rebellion there starts from the sparks he and the other victors lit under the Districts.]

If things ever change, they'll just have to learn.

[twiceadays]

[She pauses to think about that, wonders if the people in her own home will ever learn, now that certain doom is over their heads. Probably not. Idiots tend to never change completely. Still, she lifts her drink in his direction.] To hoping people will learn, then.

[hungover]

[He nods. Some of them -- he's got hope for. Katniss' prep team, for example. He furrows his brows, though, and lifts his glass in return.]

Sounds good to me.

[twiceadays]

[Shepard drains the glass then because lol. Alcoholism. Drinking is good, yes.] Fuck, I hope the Initiative gets it together before they end up killing us all. Especially with kids around.

[hungover]

They'll have to go through some of us to get to the kids.

[Peeta and Katniss, sure, but also -- some of the younger ones here.]

[twiceadays]

No doubt about it. And I will be right there with the others who stand in the way. [She sighs.] They need to be trained. [It's a good thing this isn't a date, because it'd be the worst one ever.]

[hungover]

Not exactly my forte.

[He's got a pretty poor track-record with successfully preparing tributes, after all.]

[twiceadays]

You could always teach them how to make excuses. Could come in handy. [She winks.]