(no subject)

[etcircenses]

Who| Mentors, stylist, escorts, and anyone else keeping up with tributes in an official aspect.
What| The green room
Where| The tribute training center
When| start of the arena
Warnings/Notes| none inherent, tags thread subjects as needed.

The green room this round has been decorated with the sensibility of what would be, in our era, a turn of the century sitting room. Dark wood paneling, thick rich red velvet furniture, and plush red curtains drawn back over various monitors with heavy gold cords. Although the room is quiet large to contain so many people, it gives the impression of being intimate. The Avoxes, decked out in vaguely militaristic attire, serve food and drink in silver and crystal dishes, gold alcohol catching the light of the stained glass lamps around the room.

In the center of the room is a holographic projection of the arena, highlighting in flickering lights where each tribute is. Panels hidden discretely in the wood paneling can change the view of any of the screens so a mentor or stylist can pull up their own tribute, or one whom they would like to observe.

The projection can easily be shifted, with the flick of a hand, on to the person's own tablet, or even to be projected on one of the sitting tables placed around the room. On their screens other various information can be easily accessed: current odds, gossip, and even communication from potential bidders.

Comments

[finnickohdear]

"Not necessarily. There have been arenas where tributes died so fast they had to make it easier. Don't forget this is still entertainment, they won't let it end without their hand in it."

Finnick can't train all the bitterness out of his voice when he says it. It's just hard knowing what's coming without actually knowing what's coming. He's going to be tense until he knows there's nothing left he can do.

[fire_punk]

That is not what Kevin wants to hear. "Yeah, but there's so many now. Maybe they'll want a shorter one sometimes. There didn't used to be this many, right?"

He can hope, right?

[finnickohdear]

"Other than the last Quarter Quell it's always been twenty four. Two from each district. But now there's more people and more action and it's just going to feed into the need to go bigger and better."

Nothing about watching an arena happen is ever easy. Not even before he was a Victor himself.

[fire_punk]

"But they weren't this often, right? So why do they need to be longer?"

No, watching the arenas isn't easy. It's the worst part of being a Victor.

[finnickohdear]

"Because there's more people playing. More drama. More opportunities for betting. Why wouldn't they want it to go on longer?"

Finnick stared at the map of the arena, not really seeing it, just staring in that general direction. What else could he do right now? He was already feeling tense.

[fire_punk]

Kevin shrugged. "Because they'll just do it again in a few weeks?"

He looked back at his tablet. His tributes needed him. Some more than others just now. "The sponsoring thing. How does it work?"

[finnickohdear]

"What do you mean? You get sponsors to like your tributes, make it seem like their help could mean the difference between a boring, slow arena and something amazing happening or whatever it takes. Then you send them off and hope for the best."

That was a somewhat cynical way of looking at it, but this was a somewhat cynical situation.

[fire_punk]

"I mean, how do you know what to send? And how do you make sponsors want to want to send them something?"

Especially when you weren't good with people. At all.

[finnickohdear]

"I watch the tributes to see what they need; food, water, a good kick in the rear. Then you just have to make the Sponsors see the same reason you do about the good in your Tributes. Sponsors want to stand behind winners, you just have to pick winners."

Which might not be the most helpful advice, but some things Kevin would have to learn for himself.

[fire_punk]

"And how do you give them a kick in the butt?" He didn't like the idea picking winners. He was supposed to keep all of them safe somehow, even if only one could make it out. And it showed on his face since he still hadn't learned to fake it.

[finnickohdear]

Finnick was already used to trying to focus the most effort where he could. Up until very recently, there was no such thing as two winners in the arena.

"Depends on the tribute. Sometimes it helps to send them half of what they need, remind them to work for the other half. Sometimes a well worded note will do the trick."

[fire_punk]

He thought about that a little and nodded. That seemed easy enough. He looked back at his tablet and typed something in. "There. I'm not completely useless."

[finnickohdear]

"Oh, were you completely useless before?" Finnick teased him. He was curious about what kind of message he sent, but it would be rude to ask another mentor about his business like that.

[fire_punk]

"Sherlock said so." It was accompanied by what looked like a mix of a teenage sulk and guilt. "As if he could do any better."

[finnickohdear]

"Don't let your tributes push you around. They need you and you need them to know they need you."

That was Mentoring 101, and Finnick was surprised he had to tell anyone that much.

[fire_punk]

"I think he keeps trying to do my job when he's out. But he's not helping. And he makes it hard to do my job when he keeps changing the channel."

He didn't feel like having to get in a fight every morning during breakfast.

[finnickohdear]

"That's tough. You just have to find something that will motivate him and remind him that you're the one who can give it to him or take it away."

Finnick didn't know Sherlock, but that was how he would deal with the same situation.

[fire_punk]

"I guess I could let my kitten in his room while he's gone. I can't stop him from seeing his friends. And he did threaten to do experiments on him."

The look on his face was rather evil. Like a little boy who just got told to put his frog in his sisters bed.

[finnickohdear]

"See, you're a natural at this."

Finnick is so proud of Kevin right now, that sounds like a wonderful way to get his tribute in line.

Finnick! You did not just encourage him to do that!

[fire_punk]

He smiles, quite pleased with himself. "I just have to find him. I think he's afraid I'm going to eat him or something."

he doesn't know any better...

[finnickohdear]

"The kitten or the tribute?"

He should be pleased with himself, now he's solving his own problems like a champ.

*facepalms* Kevin will actually do this next time he and Sherlock have a fight....

[fire_punk]

"The kitten. I didn't hurt him so I don't know why he's so scared."

[finnickohdear]

"He's still tiny, go easy on him. The kitten I mean, it's your job to be hard on your tributes even if they're young."

Which even sounds hypocritical to Finnick.

[fire_punk]

"I know. About the kitten." He sighed. It still bothered him. "He bites me, though. When I find him."

And he wasn't hard on his tributes. He wouldn't know how. Except that he needed to be able to watch the channel that showed them whether Sherlock wanted to watch his friends or not.