(no subject)

[gamemakers]

WHO| Everyone!
WHAT| A Halloween Ball
WHEN| Halloween night
WHERE| The Tribute Center
WARNING/NOTES| None atm. Please tag in your subject lines if anything comes up.

The Capitol had been winding up to this for weeks. More and more extravagant decorations had begun to appear all over the city. Gruesome alleys dripping with gore, houses transformed into creaking, ancient cobweb covered dwellings, flickering ghosts haunting windows and doorways. The citizens themselves had becomes more and more extravagant as the days crept closer, dripping in glitters spiderwebs, hair teased to coil around pumpkins and crows, and decked out in meticulous costumes, often celebrating past victors, and even current tributes.

The ball at the Tribute Training Center wasn't anywhere near the only party that night, but it was the most extravagant, and the most sought after. The decorations had gone towards the classic (perhaps the goverment realizing other areas might move too close to home.) The building had been transformed into a spooky, ancient looking mansion, over taken by spiders and lit with flickering candles everywhere. The tables were spread with unimaginable heaping of treats, from grotesqueness mock organs to sparkling jewel colored sugar covered candies. Avoxs move about, for once literally ghosts, covered in their own shrouds of spider webs and sheer gauze, holding plates of smoking drinks.

Attendance for the Tributes was mandatory. As were costumes. And oh boy did their stylists go all out for this one. It was a parade and a party all rolled into ones and they weren't going to slack on that.

Comments

[buildingreality]

Someone in the Capitol had a sense of humour. It wasn't like the references to the Greek myth went lost on her - they were actually completely obvious, even to someone who wasn't necessarily familiar with them - and when her stylist was finally done with the overly elaborate costume (because nothing in the Capitol could have been simple), Ariadne realised quickly exactly who she was being dressed up as for the Ball.

Ariadne. Witty.

Of course, the costume itself was rather pretty, with the skirts seemingly going on forever behind her. Her hair is pinned up in an elaborate updo, decorated with glittering jewels; she wouldn't have doubted for a minute that they were real, since the Capitol didn't seem to spare any expense for their Tributes. Clasped in her hands almost constantly was a ball of red yarn, and at least it gave her something to focus on while meandering around the party. It was nice to be fawned over in a different sort of way, with people congratulating her, and her not having to worry about suffering another dramatic and potentially painful death at the hands of another Tribute.

She looked curious as she wandered around, finding one of the smoking drinks without much trouble, and taking to carrying that about as another excuse not to shake hands if she could help it.

[polyturtle]

A couple minutes later, the crabgrass Higgs boson finds himself standing next to Ariadne. He smiles as he realizes who it is.

"Hey, Ariadne."

[buildingreality]

"HI." She greeted him with a little smile that only showed up after she noticed him; she had had to talk to all manner of people beforehand, and it was nice to see someone she actually knew now. Her eyes drop briefly to her ball of yarn, and then back up to him as she took in his costume. "What are you supposed to be?"

[polyturtle]

"Oh...I'm a Higgs boson." He smiles. "Basically one of the subparticle building blocks of life. Er...I had to make it myself. My stylists don't seem to know what to do with me at all."

[buildingreality]

Her smile grew at that. Though she was an architecture major back home, she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with science; she wouldn't claim to be completely up on it, but she'd taken physics once upon a time. "I can tell. It looks good. I bet no one around here understands it, though - I don't get the feeling that anyone really cares about scientific achievements here."

[polyturtle]

"Yeah," Don chuckles. "I keep getting mistaken for a plant."

It doesn't surprise him. The kind of civilization Panem was, by nature, inhibited deep, independent thought. It was just like many of the science fiction dystopic fictions he had voraciously read as a kid back home.

In Oceania at the present day, Science, in the old sense, has almost ceased to exist. In Newspeak there is no word for 'Science.' The empirical method of thought, on which all the scientific achievements of the past were founded, is opposed to the most fundamental principles of Ingsoc.

"Um, but..." Quickly Don came back to the dystopia he lived in. "Thank you. Your costume looks nice also."

[buildingreality]

"I don't doubt that," she replied mildly, giving the outfit a quick once-over. It did look interesting, though she would have never guessed what it was. Just the nature of going as a sub-atomic particle, maybe.

The citizens of the Capitol always sort of surprised her, a little. For all of their intense body modifications, and their focus on 'beauty' as they saw it, they were surprisingly backwards. It was a wonder they knew the myth her name came from at all. But then again, they were bizarrely similar to the ancient Greeks of lore.

"Thank you. The District stylists seemed to think it was witty. At least it's comfortable."

[polyturtle]

"I think it's fitting. You are pretty clever."

It was true. She had been a valuable ally in the Arena. Still, he was glad she was out of there. Perhaps her skills could be useful outside of the Arena - and not just for the Capitol's sake.

"What are you drinking, by the way?"

[buildingreality]

Her smile grew a little, and she glanced away modestly for a moment, concealing it in a glance around the room; when she turned back to him, Ariadne's face was tipped up slightly, visibly proud of herself for all she had accomplished. She knew half the reason she was alive now - instead of trapped in Limbo - was because of her own cleverness. And though she was grateful to be out of the Arena finally, it didn't change that she no longer knew what was expected of her in the Capitol.

"Just something they've been passing out," she said, glancing to it, letting the little puffs of smoke dust over her fingers where they held the glass. "It's like champagne, I think; I can't figure out what they did to it."

[polyturtle]

"Its probably dry ice. A small amount usually suffices." Don crossed his arms, looking around. "Do you think they have a drinking age here, though?..."

It was best not to tell Ariadne his own part in keeping her alive. Part of the reason was the alliance he made with Eliot - it was better that people didn't know it was part of a concerted effort to save the less Arena-adaptable Tributes. The other part was Donatello's own nature of simply downplaying his own efforts - he simply did what he felt needed to be done. Even if it sparked rumors about him and really, he was surprised no one had come up to him about he felt about his "girlfriend" winning the Arena yet.

[buildingreality]

"It doesn't have the same smell. I suppose they could have tweaked it somewhat, adjusted the way it was made so that it achieved the same effect, but didn't have quite the same off-putting odour to it. It seeps into things." Ariadne frowned a little, staring now at the glass before taking another sip. "But that's the Capitol for you, I think."

Doubtless, she would react poorly to being told that she couldn't win of her own volition, that she only survived because they wanted her to survive. She was good enough, perhaps not to win, but certainly to survive; it had been stupid mistakes that had killed her the last few times. For now, though, Ariadne was content in the knowledge that she had won. How didn't matter.

"Have you tried any of the food around here yet?"

[polyturtle]

Probably not. Not that Donatello actually thought Ariadne was weak or helpless - his time with her in the Arena taught him that. Ariadne was not like Lottie or Momoko, who really didn't have any defensive or offensive advantage in the Arena whatsoever. And really - he probably might not have survived without her, especially when he had crashed. It really was a team effort. But Ariadne had been one of the people Eliot wished to bring out of the Arena, and Don had made that promise to help him.

"That is a good point." Donatello nodded. "Actually, the food isn't so bad. Just be careful with the candy corn cake - its a bit spicy."

[buildingreality]

Her involvement in all that thanks to Eliot wouldn't have surprised her; time and again, she found herself growing considerably more concerned about what exactly the man was playing at. Sometimes he had good ideas, sometimes he didn't. Sometimes he was single-minded.

He reminded her of Cobb. And not necessarily in a good way.

All she knew was she'd be keeping an eye on those inside, making sure they had Sponsors when they needed them. Even if the others in her District protested.

"Spicy candy corn? I've never heard of that." She'd avoid it. "I haven't had any of it yet. I've been shuttled around too much for that, up until now."

[polyturtle]

"Yeah. Someone put a bit too much cinnamon in the batter, I think." He smiled. "The pumpkin chowder's pretty good on the other hand. Its spicy, but not too spicy."

[buildingreality]

"I'll have to try that one when I get the chance."

She glanced to him, wondering when she got so comfortable talking to a giant turtle. Then again, nothing had really ever shocked her; even when Cobb told her about dream-building and inception and everything like that, she hadn't been that shocked.

"Have very many people been bothering you? Trying to get interviews out of you about the Arena?"

[polyturtle]

"A little bit. I guess they wanted to talk to me because I was the runner up." The smile lessens slightly. "Also because I apparently had the highest kill count. I guess a lot of people are already betting on the next Arena."

[buildingreality]

"I'm not surprised." Her smile grew more fond, and she shook her head a little, the curls hanging loose from her updo bouncing. "I think we singlehandedly took out most of the Tributes towards the end. I wouldn't be surprised if you got a number of Sponsors just from your last performance."

[galaxyherder]

If she waits for the crowd to stop swarming around Ariadne, she'll never get the chance to say anything to her at all. And with the way things have changed; from the massive public ceremony of her own victory to the more intimate and private and secluded debut of Ariadne's victory, it's not been as easy to just casually approach the girl.

There is no privacy here. In fact, the crowds swarm in even closer, all grins and smiles as Shepard approaches the young recent victor. Two 'exotic' victors in one place! They're like a swarm of bees to honey.

"It's nice to see you again," Shepard greets her, trying to pretend like she isn't dressed as some ridiculously frilly nursery rhyme character. Apparently her stylist thought she would try and be cute and play off her own name as well, but the result was some Capitol-inspired version of Little Bo Peep.

[buildingreality]

Ariadne was genuinely pleased to see Shepard. With the mindless conversations she's been having, all with people who were just ecstatic to be at the same party as the latest Victor (despite the fact that it was mandatory for all Tributes, Victors, mentors, et cetera to be there), to have a decent conversation with someone she likes is downright impressive. She didn't think she'd get the chance.

"I'm surprised you got to," she replied as soon as Shepard came up beside her, her relief plain on her face. "I was starting to think I would just be carried off with the crowd." They felt like projections; they made her nervous.

[galaxyherder]

"They'll do that," she says with a smile on her face, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She doesn't like the crowds here anymore than Ariadne does. Which is to say, not really at all.

"Congratulations, by the way," it's the proper thing to say here in public, but Shepard still doesn't know how she feels about winning these games any more than she does about those who have lost. She is glad, however, that this means Ariadne is done with it. Doesn't have to go back. She could use a smart girl like Ariadne on the outside as an ally. And a friend she doesn't have to continue to watch die.

"Even if it was my tribute that you beat," she teases, more for the crowd around them than for Ariadne herself. "But that's ok. I'm sure Donatello will win eventually."

[buildingreality]

"I've no doubt." They reminded her of the projections back home; being caught alone in the crowds was more worrisome than the Arenas themselves, but she would never say so. Later on, she would go back to her room and play her bishop between her fingers, testing its weight and making sure that she wasn't slowly losing herself to a version of Limbo.

Her attention returned to Shepard at her next statement, and she tipped her head in appreciation, "Thank you. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself now, but maybe you can help me with that." Considering Shepard had been out for ages, knew the ropes a little bit better. But Ariadne laughed a little then, also for the crowd, "He's very good. I don't think I'd have made it through without him around."

[galaxyherder]

She had been around long enough to know that Ariadne was not likely to get much advice from the other mentors of District 6. Two full arenas as a mentor now, she was learning who was who among many other things, and it was quite well known that some of the mentors of District 6 needed just about as much babysitting as their out-of-place tributes did.

"It would be an honour," she tells the girl with a smile, and then, a nod, "He is. But even so, I couldn't help but root for you a little, the whole way. We're one of the few still left from the first Arena, after all."

It is a bit strange to her, how few of them were left, despite whatever technology the Capitol was using to bring them all back.

[buildingreality]

Ariadne wasn't going to delude herself into thinking that half of why she was so popular was because everyone knew the state of her District's mentors; there was something that much more exciting about a Tribute who knew what they were doing (or could figure it out) when they 'came' from such an unfortunate background. Maybe now District 6 would start getting some respect.

Her smile widened a little bit. "It's true. I wonder what that means for us," she mused, dropping her eyes for a moment, shaking her head. "Or what that means for the others who're still here."

[sameeyes]

Across the crowd he'd spotted her. It was all he could do not to break a glass and slit her throat in front of all of them and prove once and for all who the true victor was.

He watched her through out the night. Dark eyes following her every step, every person she talked to. Bested by someone with no training. His blood boiled and his fist tightened at his side.

Slowly he got closer to her, maneuvering his way through the party, with a careful exactness that if people knew what he was doing, they would think it was all planned. Soon enough, he was close enough to touch her-kill her.

"You," he'd never bothered to learn her name. It was pointless. He'd be going home soon enough.

[buildingreality]

It probably wouldn't have done him any good anyway; she had more security on her than most of the Victors before her. Perhaps because of the current conditions, the state of her own Crowning Ceremony, the state of the Capitol all around them.

Ariadne herself might not have noticed that she was being watched - though towards the end of things, the closer he got, the more she noticed that she was being tailed - but her security certainly did, watching him right back. But still they let him through, eyes locked on him.

She glanced towards him when he finally stepped up to her, absolutely unbothered by the rather unorthodox greeting. "Yes?"