District 8 Train

Rowan entered the train, already thinking of what his tributes could do. So far, he had failed his own nephew and three tributes he hadn't known before. He wasn't going to fail this one, he hoped. "Two years since I failed Thomas. Two years since I've picked up the drink," he reasons in his head. This new one, at least his primary focus, Mirabelle, was small. He watched her from the hall to the dining car, leaning against a door frame. She seemed to be down, which he understood. "Hell, I'd have to knock some sense into her if she wasn't upset. These games, after all..."

Rowan made his way to her, strolling up behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" he asked. Of course she wasn't, but he wasn't just going to jump into the Games this time. She seemed genuinly upset, and he wanted to make this better. Walking around the couch, he grabbed a bottle of red wine, his favorite when not restricted on choices. Pouring himself a glass and grabbing a small piece of bread, he moved to sit beside Mirabelle. Looking to her, he stated, "I'm Rowan Quistan, and I'll be your best friend for the upcoming weeks." He flashed a genuine small to her, showing that he was really here for her.

Rowan nodded when Mirabelle said she was fine. He knew she wasn't, but he respected her for trying. Taking another sip of wine, he glanced to her as she replied to him. "I will be your best friend, so, yes, that thank you was necessary," he chuckled out. Placing another torn piece of bread into his mouth, he watched her as she asked him a question. Nodding and swallowing simultaneously, he chuckled. Wiping his mouth on a napkin, "Well, you see, Mirabelle, that is where you come in. From what I can tell, just by simply looking you over, you are small. We could play off a weaker, more innocent, angle. That, or," he paused to take another sip of wine. "Better idea rather than guessing. How about you let me know you. Let me know who you are. What are you good at? What aren't you good at?"

Rowan took to his feet, pacing around the couch again, and returning to a position behind her. "Let me in. Let me know who Mirabelle is. Who she inspires to be. What she inspires to do outside of this accursed train car," he said, with a hand on her shoulder and a hand waving in the general direction of what's in front of them. Something that she could aim for that belongs outside of the world they are currently in.

Rowan nodded, this is what he expected. He knew that Mirabelle was small, but she seemed quite smart. The fact that she reiterated that made him believe it more. "Well, typically, no. They don't want weaker ones. However, if you show yourself as weak to the other tributes, they might not bother you for awhile." Rowan returned to the front of the couch, glancing at the trays of food. Deciding against it, he turned back to Mirabelle. Clapping his hands together, a smile grew on his face. "There we go! You want to be brave! That is what we work on!" As he said this, he moved the glass of wine away from him, replacing it with a glass of water. "You say you like to read. Prefect, we can work from that. Now, you must recognize this, if you read a fair bit. 'Cowards die many times before their deaths, the valiant never taste of death but once.' That is about the only classical literature I know." Rowan glanced at Mirabelle again. Biting his bottom lip, "I know I don't know you well, Mirabelle. And I know I'm older, but we can work this out. You want to be brave, you must place yourself in that mindset. Don't let anyone or anything scare you. Be a hero like in the books. Be someone who isn't scared to face the world, or death, to achieve what they want. I had to do it many a moon ago," he chuckled and took a sip of water. "You think you can do that? If not, I'm here to help."

Rowan drained his glass of water, placing it back down on the table. Chuckling at Mirabelle's reaction to his clapping, Rowan scratched the back of neck. Personally, the Games were more mental for me. I was making friends with everyone from each pack, just to time my murdering of them. Topping finding food and water on top of that, it was a mental Games for me." Rowan strolled over to sit beside Mirabelle, placing an arm awkwardly around her in a side hug. "That's it. Most of your competition isn't trying. Not to disappoint you or down you, but that is the fact. Either they are Careers, who don't need to pretend, or they are too scared to do anything. That is why you play brave. Take advantage of the scared ones and then actually be brave against the larger ones."

Rowan took notice of Mirabelle looking down when he mentioned murder. "It's a shame that innocence is lost by these Games. She didn't want to hear that word," he thought to himself. Standing, Rowan returned to the table, glass in hand, to refill it. Picking up a piece of candy, he assumed chocolate, he glanced back at Mirabelle as she asked her newest question. Stopping for a moment to wipe off his mouth, he spoke, "That'll be up to you, Mirabelle. Personally, I'd recommend an ally or two. That can be the difference in a lot of things. From food, to water, to sponsors. Get a good ally, and you have a bit of all those things." Taking a few gulps of water, he turned to look out the window. "Be ready to take as much in at the Training Center as you can. Find someone who compliments you and learn them. As odd as that sounds, if you want an ally, you want to know what they can do and make sure they compliment you so that you all don't have too much of one style on a team."