Alchool, alternative to feeling like yourself

[cumcrapula]

Who: Haymitch and anyone he runs into
Where: All over the mansion and grounds
When: 1/8
Rating: Pg13
Summary: Haymitch thinks everything is a Capitol trap and that he's on TV right now.
Notes: If you prefer action, tag me with it and I'll match. Spoilers for Catching Fire if that's something anyone is still avoiding.
The Story:

Haymitch had listened to what Dean had had to say. It had all been a lot easier to stomach with something to drink in his system. He'd listened and he'd considered the situation carefully and he'd come up with only a few options. Either Dean's a hell of a liar, which is possible, or they've messed with his head. The only thing he's certain of is that he's being filmed right now and he's being played.

It's easy to play along after a lifetime of it, though, and by all outward appearances, he accepts that this is Wonderland. He spends the next two days staying in the shadows and drinking himself stupid at night when the mansion gets quiet, but on the third day, he stops hiding. He's getting nowhere and wherever this is, he's on his own to get out and find Katniss and get her out.

He feels like he's back in the Games and he's not sure if it's better or worse that no one seems to be overtly trying to kill him.

Today, he walks down the halls openly and willingly interacts with whoever he finds there. He's on a mission to find the edge of this area they're trapped in. Once he locates the boundaries, he'll work from there.

There's a tense hunch to his back and he's got a flask with him at all times, but he's steady on his feet and drinking just enough to not feel hungover.

Comments

[symbolised]

Surprisingly (or not), Katniss doesn't get around much. If she moves around the mansion, it's late at night when there's no one else around. She'll go to the kitchen every now and then, picking up supplies, but for the most part she stays in her room. Or on the roof. She goes to the roof a lot, actually. Almost every night. But that doesn't really matter right now. What she may or may not do on the roof, that is.

Today she's on her way outside, to visit the stables. She's grown to like the horses, especially the ones that belong to Buckingham. They're sweet, harmless, and they don't ask a bunch of questions she doesn't know the answers to. She hits the entrance hall and freezes in the doorway of the stairs. She can see him, just across the way and even though his back is turned, she'd recognize his hair anywhere. (She thinks that she can smell him from here, too, but that may just be in her head.)

"Haymitch," she says, voice at a normal volume. If he's real, he'll hear. Right? Maybe. She's still not really sure she's not dreaming.

[cumcrapula]

As he walks around, Haymitch wears a sort of neutral, alert expression. He's trying to sell the cameras, but if he sells them too well, they'll know that he's faking it an he wants their guard down.

All of that careful facade falls away for the moment he hears her voice and Haymitch's face is the picture of surprise. Of course, he still has his back to her and by the time he turns around and starts taking steps towards her, his face is in its usual scowl.

"Oh, are you here, too?"

He says it like they've run into each other in the streets of District 12--like this is a small surprise or no surprise at all.

[symbolised]

For a moment, Katniss is sure she's wrong. He doesn't turn, maybe because he hadn't heard her or maybe because it's not him. Just when she's about to decide whether or not to say his name again, louder-- because she has to be sure-- he turns, and her stomach drops to her knees. That's Haymitch all right, scowl and all. But how is he here? (The same way she's here, probably, but that's not reassuring, seeing as she still doesn't know how she got here.)

And how is he so calm about it?

"How long have you been here?" She doubts it's been long, but with Haymitch, you never know. He's too good at keeping secrets.

[cumcrapula]

"Couple of days." There's something in the crease of his brow that might give away some confusion, because she should know that. They were together right before that. She's the one who clawed his face like a crazed mutt.

They need to talk. Alone. He glances around. There could be cameras anywhere and they're going to have to get creative with how they communicate.

"Any other familiar faces I've missed?"

[seekinghome]

At whatever point he wanders into the library, Ed's in there as usual, working on reading a science book and taking notes.

After a bit, Ed puts his pen down to take a moment to stretch to get rid of stiffness and sees Haymitch. "Oh, hi."

[cumcrapula]

Haymitch nods his head in acknowledgment. Great, so there are kids here, too. That's great. It's good to see that the Capitol is holding up to their usual standards.

He thinks back to the false information Dean had fed him. "You been here long?"

[seekinghome]

"About six or seven months. Since you aren't familiar, I'm guessing you're either new or someone I just haven't run into yet?" Ed's pretty sure this is a new guy, but it's not like he's met everyone in Wonderland.

[cumcrapula]

He snorts at the answer. Months? Unlikely. Either none of this is televised or everyone's lying.

"Couple of days. Can't say I'm a fan."

HELLO DARKNESS MY OLD FRIEND

[thestormcomes]

Lurking in the shadows and drinking oneself stupid is becoming a popular pastime these days -- for a while, Athos thought he was one of the only regret-stricken, traumatized alcoholics in the Mansion. Now everybody's doing it. Whatever, he did it before it was cool.

Which is why it should hardly be surprising when he bumps into (runs into) someone new as he lurches around the corner in one of the hallways, bottle of wine in hand.

He doesn't usually plan to get piss-drunk this early in the morning; this is hardly more than a tipple, but he had a late one the night before. Nothing like a little hair of the dog that bit you to bring you 'round bright and early. Athos curses in his native tongue and steps back with an apology leaving his lips.

"I didn't, ah..."

He spots the flask-in-hand immediately.

"...didn't spill it, did I?"

Priorities.

[cumcrapula]

"No, we're all good here." Haymitch isn't nearly drunk enough to match and he has a spare thought to wonder if he smells like that sometimes.

What is he thinking? Of course he does. Oh, well. He can't be held responsible for the side effects.

He's met a few people, but so far none of them have seemed quite this drunk.

"Can I guess that you're not thrilled to be here, either?"

[thestormcomes]

He isn't that drunk -- not as bad as he could be, and for Heaven's sake, it's still early. Besides, Athos is famous for being of perfectly sound mind when he's in his cups.

He snorts inelegantly.

"I've been here over a year," he pauses. Waits. Decides. "...probably two years. I've lost count."

[cumcrapula]

Shit. Whatever this place is, he feels like he's uncovering a whole new conspiracy. He's already been doing that, but this is like a while new ball game.

"Where were you before that?" He's along this to everyone, waiting for a slip of something familiar, something that sounds like a district.

[ex_alighthouse135]

Elizabeth is walking down one of the halls carrying several books in her arms. A little more reading she picked up from the library. At least the library has an endless selection of books one might read to serve as distraction in this world, and she's always seeking ways to fill her time.

When she spots the stranger, she smiles a little.

"Good afternoon, sir." His is a face she hasn't encountered yet. This place has so many residents, though, it's hard to keep up.

[cumcrapula]

"Afternoon." He nods, looking her over. She's a bit formal and it almost reminds him of Effie's manners, which he finds to be mostly irritating, but otherwise harmless. It's the closest anyone here has rung to being from the Capitol and it sets Haymitch on alert.

"Where are you from?" He gestures at her with the flask in his hand.

[ex_alighthouse135]

The man does appear a bit edgy. Maybe he's been drinking a little too much? She certainly hopes not. This place is dangerous enough without being inebriated.

"Columbia. Where are you from?"

[cumcrapula]

Not being inebriated is more a danger than anything when it comes to Haymitch. Between the hangover and the fact that his tolerance for anything goes out the window, they're really all better off if he keeps this buzz going.

"District 12." He watched her closely for a reaction to that.

[donttestme]

You know who else is used to being under near-constant surveillance?

Chell isn't as on-edge around the Mansion's cameras, though. While the Mansion network did sometimes transmit on its own, it didn't seem to happen as often, anymore. She checked the network anyway, to make sure she wasn't on it without her knowledge, but as of late, it seemed she was off the radar.

She wasn't so easy about the mirrors, on the other hand - but she couldn't always break every single one she passed. For one, that would take up most of her day, and too much of her energy. For another, a trail of broken, 'dark' mirrors were as much of a tell on her whereabouts as watching her would be. They missed out on details, sure, but she didn't want to give certain Mirrors any hints on where to find her.

Not like those hints would have helped - today, she's coming down from the notably mirror-less roof, taking the stairs instead of her usual 'shortcut'. She wore her boots, anyway, and still carries her portal gun. Always good to be prepared.

It doesn't take her long to reach her room on the tenth floor, but she hesitates in front of the door, and looks across the hall, at the room she knew was still empty. That was going to be it, honestly, but then she notices writing on the mirror beside it:

Hey r u ok? You seem p. lonely lately!! ºnº
Do u need 2 talk??

All right, scratch that about the mirrors - she starts kicking this one in, and keeps kicking it even after it's cracked. It feels pretty good. And you know what, she'll get the one on the door's other side, too, while she's at it.

[cumcrapula]

Haymitch comes around the corner to see her kicking the already broken mirror.

His first instinct is to make sure he's got his knife in his pocket in case she's as crazy as she looks, but then he approaches slowly.

"So what did that mirror do to you, exactly?"

[donttestme]

She gives him a flat, unimpressed look. Actually it could be bordering a glare, given the mood she's apparently in.

"You're new."

A statement, not a question, because if he wasn't he would probably be able to figure out why she was breaking a mirror.

[usskickass]

Beiste's still teaching her self-defense lessons every Wednesday, whether anyone shows up or not. It makes her feel good to have the routine, even a small one. And she knows not everybody can face training every day, so. If she wants a partner any other time, she's always got Blake to call on, of course. But today's Wednesday, so she's heading to the tea room she's outfitted with weights and mats for training, dressed in sweats and lacking the makeup she'd normally put on if she was just coaching and not participating.

Which is a fact she sort of regrets on meeting a male stranger who's closer to her age than most of the folks in Wonderland. But she doesn't let it keep her from waving at him as she sees him coming down the hall.

"You're new, right? You get the spiel yet?"

[cumcrapula]

"In fact I have." He smiles a bright, clearly fake smile and then immediately drops it. They've really done a number on all these people, but then he wonders how many of them really believe the magic shit and how many of them are just pretending like him.

He sees her training gear and it's more familiar than anything he's seen here so far. That might make other people relax, but it only amps up his alertness. He doesn't know her face, so he knows that she's not a victor, but that doesn't mean she has nothing to do with the Games.

"Name's Haymitch. What's yours?"

[usskickass]

"Shannon Beiste." She'd offer a handshake, but the guy doesn't seem that friendly. At this point, the guy might be on the defensive and still not really believe it all, so she knows to be patient. Even if that means biting back her overly-friendly tendencies.

The name "Haymitch" sounds familiar. It sorta rolls in the back of her mind for a second as she comes up with something else to say, not quite sticking to anything just yet. "So, you know anybody here? Some folks have some people back home to pal around with, here."

Haymitch. Haymitch. Haymitch Abernathy.

...Oh. Well. That certainly sticks.

[tact]

Cordelia's walking in one of the many corridors of the mansion when she spots an unkempt man holding a flask. It's not in her nature to simply walk by without comment — and she can't help but think that he has a good idea, walking around with some liquor on hand to help him cope with the wonders of Wonderland.

As she comes closer to him, she smiles, "Just so you know, if you run into a talking animal, it's not the alcohol making you go crazy." As someone who hasn't had the pleasure of walking, or talking, to one of the many animal characters that populate Wonderland, Cordelia's advice can't really be taken to heart.

[cumcrapula]

That just earns her a pointed, openly judging look.

"But can I trust what they say to me?"

Really, what else does he say to that? If the animals start talking to him, he's going to assume he's been drugged and find a place to hide himself safely until it stops.

[tact]

Cordelia mulls over the question seriously. She's seen and heard of talking animals, the ones that grace the stories of Wonderland, lingering around the mansion, but she's never quite had the pleasure of their company. She's not quite sure if that's a good thing or bad thing. And considering she's getting the vibe that her fellow resident might not be as well-cultured in Wonderland as she is, she's starting to think she should've opened with something else.

"I'll get back to you on that one," she says. "I've been here a while and I haven't exactly engaged in a meowful conversation."