[Guy's expression changed to one of extreme alarm at that, as understanding suddenly sunk in. Maybe they weren't outright slaves but if they could barely afford enough to live they may as well have been.]
[It made them more like the Districters or the avoxes than the Capitolites.]
[Even more worrying, it means anyone he speaks to could be one of the haves or the have-nots. Geography hasn't set them apart.]
[But it's "And they have to pretend to like it" that topples him right over into action.]
[He immediately stands up and trots over to where the employee started folding clothes on a table, looking stressed.]
Hey. Hi.
Sorry I've been making such a mess. I've never shopped for clothes before.
I just wanted to let you know that I plan to clean up everything when I'm finished. Once I decide what to buy, I'll put the rest back where I found it. Folded and on the - the hanger...things. I remember where it all goes.
[He nods at her in a way he hopes is reassuring. The employee nods back, looking less upset to hear it. It's not typical that someone making a mess would come up and reassure a retail worker that they'll clean it up.]
Just so you know you don't have to worry about it.
["You can just put it on the rack outside the fitting room -"]
No, it's my mess. I'll clean it up.
[With one last gentle look that's mirrored back by one of gratitude, he walks back over to the piles of clothes, rearranging them into something a little more neat, that'll be easier to put back when he's finished choosing.]
I can't believe I didn't think of that, that it might be different. I just assumed... [He's clearly agitated at the fact he just assumed it was okay to treat someone badly. He threads a hand through his hair, so tight he's pulling on it a little in frustration.] What's wrong with me?
no subject
[It made them more like the Districters or the avoxes than the Capitolites.]
[Even more worrying, it means anyone he speaks to could be one of the haves or the have-nots. Geography hasn't set them apart.]
[But it's "And they have to pretend to like it" that topples him right over into action.]
[He immediately stands up and trots over to where the employee started folding clothes on a table, looking stressed.]
Hey. Hi.
Sorry I've been making such a mess. I've never shopped for clothes before.
I just wanted to let you know that I plan to clean up everything when I'm finished. Once I decide what to buy, I'll put the rest back where I found it. Folded and on the - the hanger...things. I remember where it all goes.
[He nods at her in a way he hopes is reassuring. The employee nods back, looking less upset to hear it. It's not typical that someone making a mess would come up and reassure a retail worker that they'll clean it up.]
Just so you know you don't have to worry about it.
["You can just put it on the rack outside the fitting room -"]
No, it's my mess. I'll clean it up.
[With one last gentle look that's mirrored back by one of gratitude, he walks back over to the piles of clothes, rearranging them into something a little more neat, that'll be easier to put back when he's finished choosing.]
I can't believe I didn't think of that, that it might be different. I just assumed... [He's clearly agitated at the fact he just assumed it was okay to treat someone badly. He threads a hand through his hair, so tight he's pulling on it a little in frustration.] What's wrong with me?