thecapitol | (no subject)

Who| Everyone, pretty much. Particularly Secret Santa people and those Creuntus is fucking with.
What| Holiday times!
Where| The Tribute Training center
When| The whole week, but Creuntus' gifts arrive today.
Warnings/Notes| none atm. Please add any in thread headers. Also, for secret santa, if you are the giver start a thread with your giftee's name (unless you two have worked something else out between you). You can use the District threads below, or choose a different setting of your own.

Every floor public space is dripping with holiday decorations.

The decorations are themed, ridiculously so. Every surface is covered, and a table sits proudly full of holiday treats and spirits, kept stocked constantly by the avoxes. Cheerful music plays softly throughout the whole building, though luckily for everyone the Capitol doesn't really know what Christmas carols are.

Those with secret santa's have a cheery, passive-aggressive note reminding them not to disappoint anyone and ruin their holiday.

Those that have expressed a want for some object from home will find a box on their bed sometime during the day, with a merry holiday greeting from Cruentus. Inside they will find the object of their desire, or something similar, crafted from their words.

In blown glass. Pretty, decorative, utterly useless.

Bert's guns, Punchy's goggles, Sigma's music box, Maximus' leg, Mindy's knife, Terezi's dragon cane...on and on, as many gifts as Creuntus could find out. Those that were with them when they were pulled are more perfect replicas, those that they have just described obviously have an artistic touch to them.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She smiled, and gestured toward one chair while she sat in the other.

"It is," she affirmed. "Christmas was very big in my time. But your time had something at this time, too, right? Saturnalia? Christmas borrowed a lot of those traditions."

Edited (Small change, sorry!) 2013-12-27 22:14 (UTC)

Maximus smiled widely, and nodded.

"Yes. I am glad not all has been forgotten. It was similar, but like everything in this place, even the similar things have changed far beyond my reckoning." He followed the gesture and took a seat easily, leaning forward on his knees.

"I hope it suits."

"I'm sure it will," she said, starting to unwrap the present in her lap. "I got a name, too." The bow was off and she was folding back the paper. "This woman in the Capitol." She opened the box. "From what I've read, she is really a terrible..."

Her voice died, and the smile faded from her face.

"So the gifts were not only meant for the tributes? Strange. Why would they request something--" He paused as he noticed her face falling.

"Ah, jewellery is always difficult," He mused quietly, taking her expression for one of distaste. "These bracelets are very common, in Rome - the fashion was taken from Egypt, if I recall correctly. They were well known for their treasure and gold." He shifted a little uncomfortably. "I was not sure how to commemorate moments best left forgotten, but--"

"It's beautiful," she interrupted quietly, looking up at him. "Very beautiful. I'm sorry, I just..." She looked back down at the bracelet, and carefully extracted it from the box. "It just took me by surprise. It shouldn't have. I mean, they told us that we should commemorate the deaths."

She slipped it onto her wrist. It was beautiful. And as horrible the thing it commemorated was...she would always be known here as the woman who died by snakebite her first arena, wouldn't she? Maybe it was time to own it.

"Better than a velociraptor," she said with a slight smile. Then she looked up, met his eyes. "Thank you."

"I am not commemorating your death," He said evenly, after a moment. "Though I hope that is what it appears, to others." He leaned forward and pressed finger tips against the bracelet, pressing it to her skin as he met her eyes.

"I am commemorating your loyalty, and your sacrifice, and your willingness to do what is right. It may be a small difference, but I hope a significant one."

She blinked once as he leaned in, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"A very significant one," she responded softly, touched. "Thank you. That's incredibly thoughtful of you."

Much more so than merely buying her a gift because the Capitol said he had to.

He squeezed her wrist once, before letting it go and letting his hands fall back into his lap.

"They cannot take our strength, or our honour. I believe each of us needs reminders, often." Wyatt had become his, after all.

"We do. It can be hard to remember that, with everything the Capitol does. Can be hard to keep a sense of ourselves."

She thought of Sherlock, and wondered how she could remind him that the Capitol can't take everything from him.

"You've been a great example of strength and honor."

"Rome was much the same, when it was corrupted," Maximus said a little sadly, but he allowed a small smile to slip to his lips at the compliment and bowed his head in thanks.

"I hope I can remain so. You may not be of my district, but if you should require my help, please do not hesitate to ask."

She gave him a smile.

"Likewise. If there's ever anything I can do, call me. I'm always available to help a friend."

Maximus gave her a small, lopsided smile and a stiff bow as he stood.

"Then I will take my leave, and leave you to your celebrations," He said as he straightened his cloak.

She stood as well to see him to the door.

"Thank you again. I hope you enjoy the celebrations as well."

She smiled and offered her hand.

Still having never been corrected, he reached out and grasped her forearm instead, shaking it firmly before letting go.

"Happy Christmas," He said, as he had been taught, and then turned to take his leave.