Meeting the Giant [Thundy ~ Blitz]

Being in the Capitol is testing my ability to remain calm and not flinch away from every Capitolite that looks at me.

Even so, I hate being alone in the Training Center, waiting for an opportunity to actually, you know, mentor. During the day, there's not a lot to do except wait while the tributes take the elevator down to the lower floor to tie knots and throw sharp objects and whatnot, and I find that the ninth floor is confining rather than spacious even in all of its fancy Capitol glory. The escort hates me, the stylists are focusing on wardrobes for the new tributes, and every step on the floor sends an echo bouncing against the walls.

So I decide to go for a walk.

I don't even know if I'm allowed to leave the training center – shouldn't I be, I don't know, finding sponsors for my tributes? Chatting people up? Helping somebody? If I'm not doing something I should be, nobody's here to tell me otherwise, so I shuffle towards the elevator and emerge a minute later on the bottom floor, just walking, not going anywhere in particular.

The day is hot when I step outside, but it's better than being caged in. Hell, I almost end up smiling, but I feel the eyes on me as I move and I do my best to glare at everyone who even looks like they're gonna try to talk to me – just as a precaution, you know, to scare 'em away.

Only problem is, I get kind of lost after a few minutes because I'm staring down at my feet, and all of a sudden there's a dog straight up pissing on my leg like it's trying to claim me as its territory.

”Ah, fuck,” I say, stepping back in a hurry. The dog's owner starts spewing words faster than I can comprehend them, so I end up staring at him with my mouth half-open, only slightly aware of what he's saying as I try to ignore the dog pee all over my shoes.

With a blank stare plastered across my face, I look from him to the dog and then back again. ”Uhhh. Hi?”