Oh, sing sweet nightingale, sing sweet nightingale

[etcircenses]

Who| Anyone who's anyone (and of course, those signed up for the plot)
What| It's a games-watching party! A medieval ball and renaissance fair in one!
Where| A Capitol Ballroom.
When| Friday evening! This log is forward dated!
Warnings/Notes| Please do not comment in the placeholders! Those are needed for the later event. More details to come...

Hennins, masks, crowns and gowns. This is a ball built for playing the part. Although some guests have come in masquerade, it's certainly not mandatory. In fact, while attempts for some historical accuracy were made, that isn't mandatory as much so either. Medieval people were so drab! It shouldn't hurt to bring in a little fab.

The ballroom is big and beautiful, painted ceilings, gilded sculptures all up along the walls, shining chandeliers and marble floors. Paintings hang of President Snow, his family, and other infamous Capitolite families, all of whom also have coats of arms. Tapestries hang too along the walls depicting scenes of the Dark Days and recent arena both, all in Medeival styling.

Guests enter through wide doors and red-carpeted stairs leading down. The way to the gardens is a back opened wall on one side for guests to go to and from as they please, or observe the shows taking place outside.

Guessing games are had among the masked, and in one corner this has been taken to extreme. Black robes and eerie plague masks have been left for people to dress in so friends are forced to guess who they are through miming or voice. In another corner, a magician wows audiences and a women with a fogged crystal ball reads palms and gives fortunes.

The tables are set to the sides of the ballroom and far apart to allow plentiful dancing space. The food is, of course, a marvellous feast of all sorts of fruits, meats, breads, and more. One doesn't even need rise from the table to talk to another across the room; in each section a messenger bird, a colorful falcon-hawk muttation, awaiting notes that may be offered to it and the instruction as to whom they need deliver to. Notes can be signed or left unsigned and written in fullest honesty. The messenger birds are as obedient as any Avox, but far more fun! If perhaps slightly more susceptible to trickery, stealing napkins, food, and other things as commanded by mischievous children and adults alike.

Outside are all manner of games and shows in a great festival lit by torchlight and friendly glowing lightening-faerie muttations. Jugglers and jesters, stilt-walkers and fire-eaters. There's no end to the entertainment. There are medieval stocks set up for individuals to enact vegetable justice upon the volunteers, and some to simply take pictures with.

A chained bear dances to music played upon harps, drums, lutes, viols, crumhorns, pipe and tabors, and more! Both outside and within the ballroom dances are taking place. Some dances have patterns that can be easily follow and kept up with. Others are rehearsed by that of performers. The music plays soft and gentle, fast and lively, and all in between, some featuring bards singing their songs. Some of these songs may just be about you.

In brewing witches pots, sparkling and smoking with their magic, projections of the arena can be watched. Small ones are set upon the tables while larger ones sit outside. When those feasting are not cheering for that, they may do so for the rounds archery done with suction-cup arrows. Or perhaps the Jousting, of which there is both an option for guest participation with foam lances, cushioned ground, and animatronic horses, as well as the option of observing the real deal of jousting, with professional riders and performers, one for each District and The Capitol as well. Or perhaps you might head on down to view the axe-throwing competition? Or maybe you will sign up for pageant of beauty and talents. There's a place for children to play Nine-Man Morris and of course a keg and bar for the adults.

There is a stable, a pond, and a beautiful garden beyond the shows and performances. A gazebo goes out over the water, unintentionally modern as a part of the original building, but lovely nonetheless.

Why, there's just so much to do, it's hard not to see why the place is crowded and full with attendants. In fact, it's just noisy enough that some people might get away with saying a word or two they wouldn't be able to elsewhere. Things, and people, could easily hide right in plain sight...

Comments

For Jason

[shiningeyes]

To say that it was a lovely party would be an understatement, as far as Gritta was concerned. It was even bigger and more beautiful than the parties that her mother said they would throw once the earth was covered in darkness. It's exactly the sort of thing she had always dreamed of attending! And yet, here she is in the middle of it, feeling no small amount overwhelmed and unsure how to proceed. But given that her life has been one overwhelming event after the other as of late, she intends to at least try to conduct herself properly. A lady can do no less.

Her time is divided between polite small talk with curious Capitolites, retreating to the gardens for air and wistful staring at the stars, and trips to the refreshment tables. (Say what you will about the reasons for being here and the unfairness of it all, the food is excellent.) It's during one of these trips for something to snack on that the clock strikes eight and everything goes wild, and she stops reaching for the chocolate covered strawberries and turns about to try and see what's going on. Not for very long, however, for she suddenly feels light-headed. And why are there spots dancing before her eyes? "Oh..."

If she had meant to say anything else, it's lost to the ages now. She crashes to the floor in a dead faint, making enough of an impact that the dishes upon the refreshment table jump and rattle.

[whatisay]

Jason's in his habitually cranky mood at the party, dressed down because he likes to draw attention to himself less than he wants to direct it towards his Tributes, whom he still is trying to secure Sponsorship deals for despite it being, in his opinion, an absolute fool's errand.

When Gritta passes by his peripheral view, it jolts his memory enough to beeline towards a TV producer known for children's programming to try and sell what is, Jason's sure, a pretty flimsy pitch. If confidence is what it takes to sell someone on a dream, then Jason would be the world's worst drummer; as it stands, he's been doing this long enough that he manages to sound like he knows what he's doing even while he thinks it's easily the most idiotic thing anyone could think of. It helps that he's certain that everyone at this party is stupid enough to buy into it.

He's about to go grab Gritta and drag her without greeting or introduction or ceremony over to the producer, to let her try to use that charm that thank God she has because she certainly wasn't born with looks, when the wave of sickness overwhelms everyone. Jason bounds over to his fallen Tribute, an expression of consternation and indignant anger on his face.

"Gritta!" Jason kneels down next to her, slapping her face lightly to try and get a response out of her before glaring and yelling at the other party-goers, the ones who haven't entirely keeled over. "What are you all looking at? Someone get help!"

[shiningeyes]

The slapping is not doing anything to rouse her, alas. Either her skin's too tough or she's still too overcome. The result's the same either way, though. She continues to lie sprawled on the floor, while bystanders stare at her, then each other, then Jason, then each other again. Not many know how to handle themselves in a medical emergency. And there are likely people in the crowd that would rather not have to try and lift her.

"Oh..." It's a little bit after Jason starts shouting for help that sense starts to return to her. Everything's fuzzy and distant and also, her head hurts enormously. As much as she knows she should try and get up, she'd rather just stay here until that hurting stops, thank you kindly.

[whatisay]

"I've got a Tribute down, will you all stop gawking and do something about it?" Jason yells, even though he realizes that Gritta isn't the only one who just collapsed. Jason gets to his feet for a moment, long enough to look around and see that both Peggy and Swann are on their feet in other parts of the ballroom, then drops again to Gritta's side. He pulls out his phone and types a quick message to summon an EMT.

"Alright. Gritta, can you hear me?" He points to one of the people in the crowd. "You, bring me a glass of water. And a napkin. Now, move!"

He claps his hands in impatience.

[shiningeyes]

Gritta is quickly piecing together what must have happened. She fainted, and now everyone's concerned, and now her slightly terrifying escort is being astonishingly concerned. It's the latter that's most astonishing, enough that she's only the slightest bit embarrassed right now for making such a scene.

"I... yes. Yes." She tries to nod, too, but it hurts her head enough that her eyes scrunch shut and she whimpers. That, too, is pretty distracting from the shame of all this.

[whatisay]

"Alright. Gritta, stay with me until we get an EMT over here. Tell me what's wrong." Jason gets the wet napkin and, after taking Gritta's temperature with his palm, wipes it across her forehead as a cool salve.

He's not terrible at tending to the sick. What he lacks in bedside manners he makes up for in attentiveness, a near sixth sense about what sort of aches and pains will come next. He's spent his life surrounded by the sickly and afflicted, and he'd have to be completely unobservant not to absorb some of the tells.

"You're not the only one down. I says we've been attacked."

[shiningeyes]

"I..." She's not quite sure what's wrong. Something had to have made her like this, but she hasn't the slightest clue what it might be. There's not much that she can offer, but she'll offer it anyhow. "My head hurts. I'm seeing spots...?"

That napkin on her forehead is pleasant, even if it's not doing much to diminish the ache in her head. She closes her eyes and sighs heavily, although they're right back open the moment Jason floats his theory as to what's happening. "...attacked? Oh, oh no, who would even..."

No, really, it's probably good to know all the various players in a situation such as this. She's listening.

[whatisay]

"Don't know. Don't particularly care, right now. It's not the immediate concern." He waves down an Avox to bring over a pillow, which he works under Gritta's head. Even if he did know, that really isn't the sort of thing to be floating around a Tribute's head - god knows they already get enough stupid ideas.

One of the EMTs arrives, and Jason parrots what Gritta's told him and what he's observed to the young man.

"Can you take it from here?" Jason asks. "I'll be back in ten minutes. I need to make sure the rest of mine haven't keeled over."

The EMT nods and starts to tend to Gritta, and Jason's off, leaving her with just the promise that he'll return soon and the pillow and napkin.

[shiningeyes]

The pillow is a definite comfort. So much nicer than resting her aching head on the floor. There's a little fussing and some uncomfortable sounds as she's shifted about, but that's a good sign. She's already more alert and responsive than she had been just moments before.

"Yes, do make sure they're alright...!" She calls after Jason as he departs, but soon she's occupied with occupying the EMTs. Who are helpful and certainly kind enough and reassuring. And not entirely convinced that she'll have much luck walking, given her inability to sit up and the weakness demonstrated when they ask her to squeeze their hands.

They may or may not still be there when Jason has a free moment. It is going to take some effort and extra hands to securely get her onto a stretcher.