thecapitol | It's like a superbowl party but with more Effie and death.

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It's like a superbowl party but with more Effie and death.

WHO| Everyone who's anyone in the Capitol.
WHAT| Effie is throwing a private party
WHEN| Towards the end of the Games
WHERE| A loft rented out towards the edge of town.
WARNING/NOTES| Treat like any party post, tag amongst yourselves!

They were down and out for this rounds, but with the new idea of the Games, Effie wasn't going to take a break. The Games would not be forgotten to the general public until next year like usual, and after getting out not one tribute but two Effie was not happy about being out so fast. She was determined they would do better next round.

So since they weren't worried about keeping tributes alive, Effie had made an effort to keep District 12 on people's radar in other ways. She had spare not expense for this party, and it looked like it. The whole pace was decked out in vivid reds, oranges and yellows. Vases of glowing coals sat in the middle of the tables, and Effie has designed the food and drink menus to contain as much spicy and outright flaming food as she could. She had no idea what they actually ate in 12, but she was running with this fire theme for all it was worth. She had invited as many interesting people as she could, and as many wealthy, and been pleased when the two overlapped.

And she, of course, matched the whole theme. As should the rest of her team when they showed up.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Momoko was reasonably certain there were sweet things on the tables; every other party she'd been to in the Capitol had had enough to satisfy even her sweet tooth, but her last five attempts to find something palatable had instead burned her mouth with spice. Nursing a glass of water she eyed a plate holding a gently flaming dish of some sort. That was probably safe enough, if not necessarily sweet, right? They wouldn't make something spicy and on fire, surely that was overkill even for the Capitol's strict adherence to theme.

Straightening from lighting the dish, the red-clad servant meet her eye briefly, and gestured. Did she want him to serve her a helping?

Momoko moved closer when the servant gestured at her, frowning at the food. "Is it spicy?"

He shook his head with a pleasant, bland smile, and got a spoon, offering her a sample. The dish, once extinguished, was sweet with a bit of bite.

She reached out for the spoon, taking it hesitantly. She'd been burned in her quest for edible food tonight; literally, a couple of times, so she eyed the spoon suspiciously for a moment before putting it in her mouth. "Oh," she said, happily. "Sweet!"

Darius gave her another smile, and picked up a plate, gesturing to the length of the table. What would she like, he was asking, utterly silent.

"More of this," Momoko commanded, waving the spoon she still held imperiously. "And anything else sweet--enough to last me through this horrible night." Night, week...it had not been good times since she arrived, what with the ever looming Games and her inability to be alone for any significant amount of time. Sweet things were her comfort food. Well. They were also her everything food, but still.

He tilted his head respectfully, and got a slightly larger plate before beginning to make a series of selections for her. When he hesitated over a dish, as spicy as it was sweet, he offered her a taste on another little bronze spoon.

Momoko took the spoon, still holding the other in her other hand, not sure what to do with it. Her suspicion eased by the nice--and silent, she liked people who didn't talk--servant she at the spoonful without a second's hesitation. For a moment all was well and then, horrified, she spit it out, spoon and all. Making something sweet and spicy? Why would someone do that?

Startlement flashed across his face, and a flicker of fear too, but then it was gone, and he set the plate down, a cloth appearing from virtually nowhere as he hurried to clean up the dropped food. Noted, no more spicy of any kind.

Momoko ignored the young man cleaning hurriedly for the moment, wiping her mouth. "I hate this place," she muttered spitefully, and at this point she wasn't sure if she was more angry at being groomed to die in front of a crowd of spectators, or at the way this place seemed to chip away at her prized self-control.

He looked up at her from his knees, brows drawn together in sympathy. Rising, he left the plate where he'd set it for a moment, and stepped away to another table. He was only gone for a moment, and when he returned, he held out a delicate little cup of hot chocolate to her, piled high with hand-whipped cream and sprinkled with chocolate and sugar.

Momoko stared, frozen for a split-second. She could swear she was tearing up, real tears--of something besides outrage--for the first time in years, as far as she could remember. But she was still Momoko Ryugasaki, famed cold-hearted girl who'd waved her own mother away to a new life with a dreamy smile on her face, so she blinked the tears back.

Still. She reached for the cup and took it gently. "Thank you," she said quietly, a rare real sincere smile on her face.

This was indeed a night for firsts.

(no subject)

peacekeeperavox - 2012-05-30 08:41 (UTC) - Expand

Effie knew Momoko's stylist, and she knew that the woman...she had a feeling Momoko's attire had anything to do with that, well...less than creative woman. It was a brilliant idea, to play up how baby faced she was, and Effie was impressed.

Moving over, she smiled at the younger girl. "You're dress is lovely."

Clutching her hard-won plate, Momoko had intended to escape to a corner until she was able to leave, but, well. She could hardly let a compliment go by unremarked, could she?

Calling up an easy, charming smile she turned to the woman. "Why, thank--," she stumbled slightly over her words, eyes widening at the outfit the other woman was wearing. No matter how long she stayed in this place, she was never going to be able to stomach the fashion without flinching. Oh for the days when Jusco was the bottom of the barrel.

"--you," she finished hurriedly, remembering herself. "Thank you." Momoko stroked a hand over her dress, her usual lacy Lolita fare, red and yellow as her stylist had insisted for the party. That was the most input her stylist had on her clothes so far, but she hadn't seemed to mind. Apparently she was just happy not to have to deal with a 'wood theme' for once. Whatever that meant.

Effie's eyebrow went up, and her lips tightened a bit, but she was here to host and alienating guests wouldn't get them far.

Then again the girl was a tribute, so she wouldn't exactly be donating any funds to District 12. But she was also a guest. So Effie extended an elaborately manicured hand.

"Effie Trinket. I'm the escort for District 12."

Momoko hesitated only slightly but took Effie's hand with her smile firmly back in place. Obviously if the woman was aligned with a certain district there wasn't much chance of her helping Momoko, but there was no reason to cut off any possible resources. "Momoko Ryugasaki. Tribute representing District 7. Though of course, I've never actually been."

"Oh! Are you looking forward to it then?" Effie asked with a bright smile.

Of course, it wasn't going to be fun. but now the tributes didn't even die, so hopefully more of them could appreciate the honor of going into the arena.

For one bewildering moment Momoko thought Effie meant looking forward to entering the Arena but of course, that was ridiculous. She must have meant getting to see her assigned District. Not that anyone had mentioned visits to the Districts, but that must be what Effie meant. Right?

"Ah, I suppose," Momoko said uncertainly. "I've heard it's mostly just...trees. I'm not sure what else there is to see."

Oh, never under estimate how obtuse Effie can be.

"Well, they don't all have trees. The last two have just been very forest oriented, but my personal favorite was a system of caves." It had been much scarier to watch than any of the others, and had been very popular in the capitol because of it.

Momoko blinked. She was rapidly losing track of this conversation. "What...what are we talking about?"

"...the arenas?"

Oh, Effie felt a pang of sympathy for this poor girl. She had seen too many tributes, too stunned by their fate to focus. It was, of course, very understandable.

Momoko frowned, going over the last few minutes of the conversation in her head. Apparently the ever-cynical Momoko Ryugasaki had been giving these Capitol citizens far too much credit when it came to sensitivity. God, Ichigo was having the most horrible effect on her resolve.

Well, had. Had the most horrible effect.

"Ah. Um. I don't know if I would say I was looking forward to it," Momoko said carefully. She was trying not to offend anyone, in case that put her in bad standing with the possible sponsors and it was...difficult. "I just have no real idea what to expect, I suppose. It changes every year, as you said."

Effie's new found sympathy was apparent as she nodded her head to what Momoko was saying, eyebrows nit together in concern.

"Have your escorts, or your mentors been helping to get you ready?" She asked, concern lacing her throat for the young looking girl before her.

"As much as they can," Momoko admitted reluctantly. At one point she had considered keeping up a tough front to ward off attacks in advance, but she (and her mentors) had quickly decided that being likeable was a much better tactic, if only slightly less difficult for her to manage.

"They've been helping me train, of course, fighting and survival that sort of thing but, well. There's only so much you can learn in a few short weeks." Momoko shrugged and indicated herself with a wry smile. "Before I was taken--ah, brought here I was never one for such...physical efforts."