[training center]

[illdrinktothat]

The night after the parade, Walter doesn't sleep much. He doesn't drink much, either. Not like he normally does. He chews on that stunt Garak and Hitomi played during the Tribute Parade. To almost anyone else, that would have been a boon. Something great. 12's an ignored district, nobody every really pulls for them to win. And now they're standout. Dark horses. Sponsors will look their way, maybe even send a silver parachute or two their way. It should be a good thing.

And it could be, if it doesn't get them all killed first.

Abarai and Yanagi are already problems on their own. Defiant, challenging - Abarai fucking volunteered for someone he didn't know. Then there's him. Walter Sullivan might be a useless drunk now, but doubts the Capitol's forgotten him. He definitely hasn't forgotten them. Not the years of Tributes he tried, genuinely tried to help, only for them to be very obviously cut down. That 12 wasn't just razed during the Purges is still something he wonders at.

It's enough to keep him awake most of the night.


He rolls into breakfast late and leaves early, not that either of his Tributes seemed to mind much. Trinket minds. Trinket always minds, but that's Trinket, and Walter ceased giving a shit years ago. Yanagi and Abarai leave for their first day at the Training. The rest of the prep team tries with him. Sullivan, for his part, more or less tells them to fuck off and wanders off for the day. They can strategize without him. Instead, Murphy and Scotty get to deal with him while he figures things out. And after some amount of encouragement and strong-arming, he does actually go take a look at whatever the fuck they're doing down there.

Fine. Fine. Maybe he'll give it a go, one last time.

He waits until after dinner with the prep team is over before he pulls both Tributes aside. This conversation is going to be kind of a problem, probably. Both Yanagi and Abarai are mouthy as hell; they're not going to let him do this without giving him any kind of shit. He expects no less.

"Alright, you little shits, I'll help," Walter starts, in of course the most typical Sullivan way possible. "So what the hell did you do in the training room today?"

Comments

[issuiyanagi]

The first day of training is... Well. Issui isn't sure what she was expecting, but what she finds is mostly a relief. She doesn't like the sound of the mandatory tests, though. But she supposes a few of those aren't really that bad. Better than more time in the Remake Center anyway. Probably. They'll be dressed for the stupid tests at least. ...Don't jinx it, Yanagi.

After the introductory lecture, all the Tributes are turned loose for the day. She and Renji spend their time looking over the training stations. Some of them are worth coming back to. Weapons, a lot of the "survival" ones. Then there's some real time wasters. Weight-lifting? Pass. She also can't imagine finding much use for the camouflage station, given that what's over there looks more like art supplies than anything Issui's ever seen in an Arena. ...Yoga? Really? Uh-huh, sure.

They also check out the competition, but that's difficult the first day. A lot of other Tributes are doing the same thing Renji and Issui are-- giving the stations a once over before they decide where to spend their time. The Careers are big and well fed as usual. There's some tiny ones. Also as usual. That's about all she can tell today. That and one of the Careers keeps trying to show up at the same station as them. Either after an alliance or a chance to fuck them up a little, she assumes. Pass either way.

By dinner, Trinket's actually had time to do his thing with the kitchen staff. Or whoever you talk to for meal planning. Good. He came through. Issui notices some of it still looks pretty Capitol, but most of the meal is stuff she recognizes even if she hasn't actually eaten it before. Breakfast ought to be interesting, given that it's a serve yourself thing with way more food than they could possibly eat. Before she or Renji can leave afterwards, however, Sullivan corners them.

Huh. Issui squints and tilts her head, considering. Well, he has been gradually less of a problem since the first run in on the train. "Well," she says slowly, "I wanted to finger paint all day, but Renji made me go check out the hammock making station with him after lunch." She gives Sullivan a wide eyed, somber look, as if missing out on finger painting were some great tragedy.

[illdrinktothat]

Walter furrows his brow at Yanagi's response for a moment. He doesn't know her at all, let alone well enough to know if she's fucking with him or is just weird. He's going to put his money on both. He already figured Abarai was weird; kid's got tattooed eyebrows at what, eighteen? And volunteered stupidly? Yeah, Abarai was always going to be odd. Yanagi had at least looked pretty normal, for their district. But apparently they're a matching set of what the actual fuck.

"It was either that or underwater basket-weaving," Abarai shrugs nonchalantly, before focusing on Walter with a lot more apparent skepticism. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Does it really matter?" Walter asks, half-frowning. They wanted a Mentor, they got one. He can fill them in on the details of whys behind that maybe later. If he decides they should even hear it. "Look - let's just... tell me what the hell I'm working with. Can either of you do anything useful? Anything? Or is 'tall' all you have going here?"

[issuiyanagi]

Issui glances over at Renji briefly. Why now is a good question. Not that she thinks they're likely to get a straight answer. "Must be because of the food," she says solemnly.

Honestly, she's not sure she cares about why. If Sullivan's willing to make the attempt, she supposes she is too. It's not like they can't go back to ignoring him if they don't like what he has to say. So she'll actually answer his question.

"I'm good with plants. I can fish. And..." She shifts her weight slightly. She's interested in Sullivan's reaction. Maybe it'll even be something other than laughter or an argument. Not that Issui's going to hold her breath for that. She frowns like she's trying to think. "Oh, and I know how to fight," she adds after a moment, like she only just remembered.

[renjiabarai]

Renji can't help but hold reservations over this. A lot of reservations. But it's not like they have a lot of options, at the moment, so he just returns Issui's glance with another shrug. And less booze, he almost adds, before thinking better off it. Sullivan's cooperating and not entirely wasted; that might not last long.

Sullivan mostly just raises his eyebrows at Issui. He's not openly challenging her on it, at least, but he doesn't look like he buys it. "Alright, fine," Sullivan pauses beat to rub the bridge of his nose before focusing on Renji. "What about you?"

Renji's skills aren't something he's ever had much reason to boast about. It's not like the things he does in 12 are legal, and all. He's at something of a loss and feeling all the more awkward for it. "Well, I can hold my own. And I hunt," He starts, immediately realizing how much of an amatuer he sounds like. "I'm a good shot with a bow and I'm alright with a knife."

And he can roll down a hill like a pro. Shit.

Sullivan still doesn't look impressed. "Tomorrow, neither of you are going to go downstairs for training." He punctuates by pointing at both of them. "You both get to deal with me. And you gotta do what I say."

Renji frowns for a moment or two before nodding. "Only if you don't show up drunk."

Sullivan gives him a Look in response. What? Renji thinks that's about the mildest way he could have put it, honestly.

[issuiyanagi]

Well at least he's not arguing. That's better than she was expecting. Issui will just have to prove it, that's all. Which she can apparently do tomorrow. Yeah okay. Again, more than she was expecting. Hopefully it really will be training and not Sullivan bullshit.

"Oh," she says finally. "I was going to the origami station tomorrow." Issui blinks and frowns slightly at Sullivan. "I guess this is good too." She wonders if they've ever had something as pointless as an origami station downstairs. It wouldn't surprise her.

It's a good thing Sullivan came around so quickly. Renji and Issui don't have much in the way of plans to change. And well. She at least has no plans of trying to make an alliance with anyone else. This is hard enough already.