thecapitol | (no subject)

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"If you consider having better kill a positive, yes, I suppose you did."

This meeting was going well.

"You'll have to talk to Effie about that, then. Or Cinna. Or someone who actually works at keeping my flames going."

She rolled her eyes, glancing over her shoulder to see if there was anyway she could catch Peeta's attention to come rescue her.

Johanna inwardly - inwardly smiled. What a reaction. Just what she liked - people desperate to escape her company. She enjoyed it, really, seeing how far she could push it before they got up and went away. It was just Johanna's little pleasure - just a bonus level in the whole game.

But on the surface, her expression remained the same, blank, slightly accusing, slightly angry.

"I played the game. You played some sort of lovey-dove story. And now everybody loves you. And you don't even know what you're doing."

She leaned in close as she hissed her words at Katniss, finishing by attempting an ostentatious kiss to Katniss' cheek.

Oh god, what the hell.

Katniss didn't manage to duck away in time, and any snappy reply was cut off by the fact that Johanna had just kissed her.

On the cheek, yes, but...what the hell. Reaching up to touch her cheek, she stared at Johanna, slack jawed.

What the hell.

Johanna didn't linger. Instead, she pulled away with a smirk.

"I thought you'd be a bit better at it than that. Peeta's a lucky guy."

She cackled a little, lifting her head to make sure that her laughter was clearly audible to the rest of the room.

"Better at what?!" She hissed, moving towards Johanna, wanting her to be quite, her face turning red. Shooting a glance around the room, she flushed more, as she saw a few people looking over towards them.

Was she really insulting her kissing skills? Was this really happening to her right now?

"Kissing." Johanna smirked triumphantly. "You spend enough time cosying up for the cameras. Peeta must really have it bad if he actually enjoys that. Or desperate. He'd be nothing without you, would he? That other tribute, the one you fed to the mutts, he was supposed to win."

She shrugged. "Actually, his arrogance or your lovey-dovey patheticness. I don't know which makes me feel more sick."

"I'm a much better kisser, when I have a much better partner." She hissed out, still trying to do some kind of damage control for this conversation.

How did this even happen right now. And the mention of Cato put her already frayed nerves on end. She didn't know what to do. Right never everything told her to attack, but she knew that wasn't going to go over too well.

And did you attack someone who kissed you?

Johanna simply smirked. "Shall I call Finnick over and see what he thinks, then? By all accounts, he's the best kisser around here." She stood up, and scanned the room for Finnick, making as if she was about to call him.

"I don't want to kiss Finnick O'dair!" She snapped, reaching out to try to drag the other woman down.

"We're suppose to be saving people, not discussing kissing!" Her voice was getting louder with her frustration, unsure how to deal with this. Nothing seemed to be making it stop.

Johanna sat down again, legs akimbo, and a smirk firmly planted on her lips. Oh Katniss, Katniss, Katniss, Katniss.... she was a mouse caught between Johanna's claws, and Johanna was quite enjoying playing with her food. It was at least a little bit of fun amongst the dull routine of the Capitol.

"Oh yeah?" She asked lazily. "Well, how are you planning on saving them? You gonna send them all poison berries?"

"Well, it'd get them out of there faster." She bit out, clearly not amused with Johanna's remark. Or really, Johanna at all. Crossing her arms before her chest, she stood stiffly, not wanting to flee and admit defeat, but not really sure how to go forward.

Glancing around, she saw the room already starting to forget her and Johanna's entertainment, going to their own matters. There was that, at least.

Johanna followed Katniss' gaze, and sighed. The eye of the Capitol was far too fickle for her liking.

"And it'd kill them. Or have you not got it yet, Katniss? They're not all gonna be saved if they threaten suicide. You've gotta teach 'em how to fight. How to swing an axe or shoot a bow or whatever the hell skill Peeta has, except clinging onto someone way more powerful than him to cop a free ride to the final showdown." Johanna laughed, completely unamused. She had nothing against Peeta - actually, she quite liked Peeta really. She just wanted to get a rise out of Katniss.

"Strength." She said curtly, her mouth pressing into a tight little line as soon as it was out, body pulled taunt as she looked at the display, and pointedly not at Johanna. Or Peeta.

"And he's smarter than most this room."

You included. But she kept that in. And, to be fair, she was included too.

"And we do teach them. When they'll learn." Even if she wasn't sure if she was a good mentor, she didn't like Johanna questioning it. Even if being on the defensive made her feel childish.

Johanna simply smirked. "If you say so." She didn't sound like she believed Katniss. Actually, she could quite see Peeta's sheer, brute strength. But his intelligence? Nah. KATNISS had shown more intelligence than Peeta: he only lasted to the end by hanging on to people more powerful - and definitely more intelligent - than himself.

"Oh yeah?" God, Katniss sounded so much like a kid. A whiny, bratty kid. It was quite funny, though Johanna kept her laughter hidden. "You teaching them how to paint pretty pictures?"

"Better than cheating them how to cut wood and stab people in the back."

She had a feeling, as soon as it was out, that maybe she'd gone too far.

But she also didn't know how much she really cared right now.

Johanna glowered at Katniss. Was this girl really trying to portray Johanna as a weakling? As a sneak and a coward? She stood up abruptly, pushing her chair over as she did.

"Watch your back." She hissed at Katniss as she stalked off. But then Johanna stopped herself, and doubled back.

"Better yet, watch Peeta's."