ataraxion | video.

[ peeta's got the device propped up on something when he switches it on, and it stays steady when he steps away to take a seat on the edge of his bed. he's wearing the standard issue tranquility jumpsuit, sleeves rolled up against the heat in his room, and he leans forward onto his elbows as he begins to speak. his tone matches his posture; despite the arguably tense topic, he seems relaxed. ]

I know people are worried about what happened on the bridge. I agree that we should find out what went on inside, but others already have that covered — and I'm more interested in why none of the mutineers are dead. [ slightly harsh wording. nobody had expected them to get out of there, so there's no point in talking around it. ] I've only been here for a month, and people have a lot of warnings about the ship being dangerous, about how it's out to get us. Which makes me wonder why all of us aren't dead, either. Some of you have been here for months already, right?

[ it's a rhetorical question. he's heard months, over a year. he still pauses before continuing, if only because he's making a slight switch in gears. ] Where I come from, the people in charge have a system. They created it to make people frightened and to keep them from having hope. They could probably just kill everyone if they wanted to, but they still need us — they need us to work, keep their Capitol running.

I think the ship's the same. I don't think it wants to kill us. I think it needs us for something, and that the events I've heard about — the stations it brings you to, the trials it engineers, they're trying to push us to do something. But this is where the comparisons to the Capitol stop. If all it wanted was inaction, it would've killed everyone on the bridge, but it didn't. I think it wants something else, and it needs us to do it.

[ another pause, and this time he offers a slight smile when he continues. maybe a bit out of place, but it becomes clear enough that he's taking amusement at his own expense. ] But I'm new here, so I couldn't tell you what. Normally I'd say it wants us to fight, but I've been told that doesn't accomplish much. I guess that's why I'm asking you — if there's anything that seemed like a hint, or a command, or a reward.

Everyone's caught up on solving the mysteries behind these things. I know this is probably just because I'm bad at riddles, but I'm more interested in the results. How they make us behave and what we're being taught to expect. I have no idea if we want to listen, but I think it'd be a good idea to try to figure out what it's asking us to do.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ it's all information peeta's passingly familiar with, if only by reading up on it himself. same as researching previous games, researching the ship at least offered an illusion of tactics, a fair chance. ]

He killed them, right? The pirates. You think the outside world would help us if they could? [ his experience says no. audiences are passive. but that's more of an idle question, distracted by nathan's last comments. ]

I don't think I've seen any paintings.

That's right, he killed them--he seemed pretty sad about it. It isn't the only contact we've had. There's Joe, but Ward didn't kill him when they ran into each other. If he could undermine Ward, I don't think he'd have survived the meeting. But I think we're a long way from having contact with the outside world. I think we're too far adrift for that. I think it's lucky our SOS found anyone.

Hang on.

[ He sends images of the murals: one<, two, three, and a recent fourth, seeming more incomplete than the others, of a figure ringed in flame. ]

We've been told they represent past, present and future--but that was a while ago. It'd only make sense that what was present then is past now.

You brought the pirates to you?

[ it's an idle question, his focus more on the attached images. ] They look like blood. [ said as a slightly curious observation, one step away from outright asking if they are. given how many times he's painted out his worst memories of the games, there's something weirdly familiar about these. ] If you hadn't been told to read into them, I'd assume they were just someone trying to deal with stress.

[ stress being trauma, but whatever. ]

We did. We were trying to get the external communications system working. It was worth a try. Now we know that nobody on the outside is going to come and save us.

[ But the paintings. ] I believe that they're more painted on the insides of our psyche than the actual walls. When they appeared, it was as though only one person could see them at a time, and like the red text that appeared over the doorway, I believe the paintings are visible even to the blind. I couldn't tell you because I'm not personally blind, but...it's not an unsound supposition.

If we suppose that Smiley was responsible for both our seeing the murals and our escape, then there are just two reasons to keep us around on the bridge for as long we were. First of all, to make us grateful to our rescuer. Second, to make sure we were really looking at these murals. We had nothing better to do, might as well pay attention, right?

It makes sense. Then again, maybe it was just playing tricks and the real point was to distract the whole ship. [ the rescue efforts had definitely accomplished that much, kept everyone from noticing anything else. ]

But if you're right, I don't think it succeeded— at least not completely. I don't see anyone thanking Smiley.

No, and I don't think anyone will. Maybe some of them will be more pressed to think it's on our side. Maybe not. I know for sure that if something didn't want us in there, for whatever reason, it simply wouldn't have happened in the first place.

If we were being distracted by events on the bridge, then elsewhere there's something else going on. The markings on the walls, the mirrors. That would be my guess.

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