thecapitol | Choose your own Azuladventure

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Choose your own Azuladventure

Who: Azula and you
What: Azula's in a great mood, last call to train with her, get advice or just have some lunch before the next arena.
Where: Around the Capitol and Tribute Tower.
When: After Enjolras Expose
Notes: It's Azula, she's in a good mood. That can't be good.

There were few things in life she liked better then watching those she hated suffer.

And knowing that Enjolras was no longer going to be comfortable in the Capitol while their tributes were fighting and dying in the arena made her so happy she was practically glowing.

And so she went about her business in this joyful and buzzing manner, a nice healthy and balanced breakfast, followed by the training hall.

Lunch in a trendy cafe where she could take meetings, followed by a casual stroll through a botanical garden.

Today would be a good day.

And hopefully the start of many good days to come.

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Azula had never learned to cook more then what she needed to survive in the field. That sort of work was reserved for staff. Hired help and Avox servants. Not battle hardened warriors or perfectionist princesses like herself.

And so she sat in her District's dining area with a spread of options in front of her. She'd hoped to encourage some of the other tributes to join her either by enticing them with the scent of a fresh cooked meal, or the sight of fresh fruit and baked goods.

A ornate butter knife glittered in her hand as she slit open a steaming fresh roll so she could apply some jam to it.

She was even humming a cheerful little tune. The Avox looked unsure of how to handle this cheerful mood.

The training hall was as familiar and comfortable to her as if she'd been trained here herself when she was little. Her daily trips were so much a part of her person that she couldn't imagine what she would do with her mornings if she wasn't here.

Going through her warm up exercises she wondered if any of the tributes would join her today, and if they did how many of them would want to avoid weapon training. She had found herself working more in the non-lethal skills lately.

It didn't bother her, if she was teaching her tributes first aid or camouflage instead of hand to hand or ranged attacking so be it. So long as they were learning something.

Once the warm ups were through she felt particularly light thinking upon the pleasant turn things had taken. And so she moved over to the gymnastic area for some flipping and springing.

The latest trend as the spring weather washed over the Capitol was to dine at the beautiful and slick cafe "Rainbow Gardens."

Black and white tiled floors and the smooth white walls and pillars played perfectly with splashes of colorful light projected along them. This gave the Rainbow effect where views of colorful flowers spread out from every window seat.

Azula was seated at one such window on the side of the restaurant facing the lilies. She wasn't close enough to inspect them for perfection but that would come later.

For now it was a peaceful place where she would be visible to the right people. A light salad to start her meal before something more substantial. Maybe a nice soup.

And since this was such a nice day? Some cheese cake for dessert.

Azula couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so mellow in public.

Of course the paths of the garden were designed in such a way that people were not inclined to run into one another on accident. As she padded almost silently along the soft grass she admired the way that the flowers had been arranged so the colors complimented one another in a pleasing way.

"So beautiful, but ultimately useless." She remarked to one particular flower. "Unlike some of your friends who can be transformed into medicines or poisons. How does it feel to know you were specifically created to be attractive and nothing more?"

Her cruel taunting of the flower did not seem to cause the pretty pink petals any particular pain. But she chuckled never the less.

"Some would say beauty isn't without its purpose."

The purr came from nearby. Wesker, standing amongst the brilliant trumpeting blooms of some red-and-white striped creation. The head of one was tucked into the button of his lapel, like a trophy, as he worked his way through the patch, cutting more from their stems and slipping them into a heavy, crystal vase resting by his heels.

"After all, if not for its looks, it wouldn't be alive."

Edited 2014-05-10 17:00 (UTC)

Every once and awhile, Mindy would encounter Azula here and the two would exchange barbs, or be stiffly cordial to each other. It was just the game they played, when it was clear the two did not care for each other. Today, fresh from the loss of her dad (again) Mindy was ignoring everything. She was simply choosing to massacre the dummy before her, to the point now that her knuckles were in fact getting quite bruised.

The sad thing was, this barely registered. The past few days had been her recovering from Guy, and now her own dad was gone. Oh, no, sorry, safe. Safe her ass. They were all gone back again, and that meant that her dad was back in the and of the dead again. No grandiose bullshit by the Capitol would convince her of anything nicer.

She knew they were liars and now, through Guy, she knew they were pretty much fucking thugs too. Say something to piss someone off, they stormed into your shit and made you pay. Now, of all times, she could see why Eponine had been like a viper to Ian. She couldn't be to the Capitol. They were untouchable.

SHUCK. There went the head, neat and clean. Mindy flexed her fingers, unsatisfied.

Azula had ceased her celebratory spring routine and was sipping water from a bottle as she watched Mindy destroy the helpless dummy. There was a tiny part of her that wondered if she should be taking so much pleasure in watching someone so much younger then her in clear emotional turmoil.

Then she remembered how irritating Mindy could be and the question was answered for her.

So instead she decided to let her warmed up muscles cool off while she watched Mindy attempt to (And likely fail) and dealing with her feelings.

Her lips curled into an even more malicious smile and she nodded in acknowledgment, "Why of course you're right Mr. Wesker."

Her thoughts drifted to her own tributes and one in particular who had only survived as long as she did by being beautiful but discreet.

"It lives it's charmed life being fed and fawned over all because it's color is appealing then others to our eyes."

"And what makes it's color so appealing to us exactly? Experience? Personal preference? Or something deeper?"

"'If I said fire, if I said blood welling from a cut--'" Wesker murmured, the silver of his knife flashing as he pressed the the thick stem of another flower against his thumb, cutting through the green with a soft, wet snap. "'Or flecks of poppy in the tar-grass scented air...'"

He turned, glancing at Azula briefly over the lenses of his glasses.

"You would say Red."

His mouth pulled and he slipped his striped bloom into the vase with the others.

Azula.

By now she'd gotten used to her enough to know when she was around, and now that she knew that, it was just as clear she knew she was in pain and watching. She ate it with relish, of course: that was their game, wasn't it? A tug of war with words, Azula's cruelty in mind games and her flippant refusal to accept her warped, evil world view. Azula was the last person she wanted to see, because she knew how angry she was and remembered that she was one of the people that last Guy before she learned about the real superbitch, the one in power that made her hate with Azula seem so small now.

Of course, she also knew she could be set off here. That she was, for all intense purposes, being scrutinized. That her pain was someone's pleasure. Recklessness was her enemy, and Azula was the queen of it. So Mindy hacked away, suppression pain for what she knew best: destruction. Something she could do, a hand she had never truly shown the extend of in the Arena. Dummy heads rolled on the ground, stuffing was falling at her feet.

Dad's last wish was to have her channel her pain into a passion, a hobby. Ironic, since she wouldn't ever get o show him what she could do with it in the first place.

Poetic, grim but poetic. She could appreciate that.

"I've always enjoyed red, crimson. It blends so beautifully with gold and offers a regal appearance." She mused. "But strangely enough, my favorite color has always been blue."

Unexpected given how she usually adorned herself in red and gold. It brought out the color of her eyes and gave her a more fierce and powerful appearance.

"Red reminds me of my home, father enjoyed it as well. But blue reminds me of the power plant. The cool smooth steel and the scent of burning ozone. The white hot glow of electricity puts off a blue hue behind the safety glass."

She knew every inch of her fathers power plant, she had been exploring it since she was a child.

Power.

Oh yes, Wesker could understand the attraction to that.

"It would sound then, that you have your answer," he replied simply.

He brushed a thumb over another blossom, nose wrinkling at the bruise he found on the inside of one silken petal. Passing over it, he moved on to the next.

"It's not the color itself, but what it symbolizes. The response it evokes in the beholder."

She found the progression of Mindy curious, particularly how it contrasted with some of the other tributes turned mentors.

Unlike most tributes, Mindy started off with the skills she needed to win. The only thing she required to win after that was for the odds to be in her favor. And as soon as she was out she set about trying to insert herself into her new role as mentor. Not only to her tributes but to others as well.

But at her core she was still a child wasn't she? And this was how a child thought a responsible person dealt with their feelings. This was how a child who was not comfortable with her emotions behaved.

This was how Azula would deal with her issues before she found the sweet release of Morphling and wine.

Oh what to do? She could interfere and make good on her promise to spar with her, or she could stand back and watch Mindy exhaust herself. She could lob cruel commentary and enjoy being a distraction or she could simply leave and let the girl rip herself apart.

It all depended on just how cruel she wanted to be.

For now she would watch and see if Mindy would be too stubborn to stop.

She was definitely too stubborn. Mindy wouldn't cry: she let that out when she lost her dad the first time, and to have it happen on top of Guy's captivity was just itching for a reaction where they could gossip and talk and give judgement. It was gross, knowing how she was constantly on display for these fuckers at a given notice.

These thoughts stayed on her mind as she pounded the dummies mercilessly, feeling the sting of sweat running down her face and into her eyes. She was glad she only did this with a tank top and shorts: she might have been sweating her ass off otherwise, and her hands were bruised enough as it was.

Finally, she had enough.

"Did you want something?"

"I've arrived." Diana announces as she steps into the dining area, obviously lured by the smell and here to claim anything she can.

She sends a a smirk flashing in Azula's direction before moving behind her and out of her line of sight. There's warm breath on the back of her neck, slender hands sliding around her and a press of soft lips to Azula's cheek.

"Hey Zula. Is that for me?"

A pointless question. Any spare or unguarded food in their Districts' quarters was automatically Diana's.

Azula greeted her with a similar smile and stiffened as the more physical contact was established. She was still getting used to the idea of letting anyone touch her.

At least she trusted Diana to some extent.

As her pale cheeks blazed red she coughed to clear her voice and prevent any embarrassed stammering.

"Of course it is, have a seat and enjoy. It's a wonderful day full of possibility." She chuckled to herself "Though I fear if I get any more pleased with things I may start to sound sappy."

And there it was. The first one to break the silence.

"Oh no, I'm quite satisfied to sit here and reflect upon how very differently we are reacting to the current situation. Of course I had no stake in everyone's loved ones being sent home. My family remains in District Five where they are comfortable."

Not that she cared.

"And the largest reason I am in a pleasant mood has nothing to do with your little crush on everyone's favorite primitive. No justice was served upon Enjolras and he will hopefully learn a lesson in why you should always take care of your responsibilities BEFORE you shoot your mouth off."

"How wonderful for you," Mindy said through her teeth. "Lose a friend and a father, Azula advances two points. Surely the gods of the Capitol must be some twisted, evil mother fuckers. How can one not love another lovely day in Panem?"

Sarcasm. Mostly to make herself feel a little less pissed off at the world.

"Oh God, its not a fucking crush for shit's sake. Unless you bought their stupid ass expose, he's all about Eep. Anyway, sometimes you have a friend you don't want tortured for no fucking good reason other than to appease a pissed off ass...PERSON in the Capitol. And what about Enjolras? I don't follow up on the French Connection other than Eponine."

Edited 2014-05-12 22:35 (UTC)

"Curious how something so simple can inadvertently manipulate the viewer." She continued to muse simply for the sake of musing.

"The flower doesn't know what it does, or what it means. Nor does it intend for anything more then to attract insects to pollinate and keep it alive. And yet it can evoke things infinately deeper then it's capable comprehending." She chuckled.

"Our tributes are not so different given the rabid fanbase some of them have developed."

Azula just smirked, enjoying Mindy's barely contained venom. So far as Azula was concerned, Mindy deserved the frustration she was enduring right now. Served her right for being such an incredible pain in the ass some days.

"Yes, sometimes you have a friend you care about, and sometimes you have a kind, gentle, intelligent older friend you respect and have much stronger feelings for then you care to admit because you didn't have a conventional upbringing and therefor have no idea how to handle actual emotions like a regular person. So you destroy training equipment."

And lastly "I'm not sure what you are referencing outside of the word French, so I'm going to presume you're referring to all of our French tributes as a whole."

"Ooo." Came Diana's reply as she sat down to start eating.

"What's got you in such a peppy mood?"

She took a moment to finish spreading a topping on her muffin before she took a bite and savored it before answering with a happy sigh.

"It would seem that those in charge either are as fed up with Enjolras as I was, or they think he's more interesting when he's fighting for his life. Either way he will be returning to the arena as a tribute. His status as mentor has been revoked."

She was positively beaming with this news.

"The fool never acted as a proper mentor. Would it have really been so hard to learn when was the right time to express his opinion? Would it have killed him to support the tributes outside of his own personal preferences?"

Edited 2014-05-13 23:10 (UTC)

"You sound like Harley," Mindy said "talking out of your ass like that. At least she has a PHD in it though. Don't talk to me about how I was raised, because at least it wasn't in this shit hole. If I REALLY didn't know how to control my emotions, your ass would already be curbstomped by now, so count yourself lucky."

She tried one of the moves Maximus had taught her and the stuffing was effectively removed from the dummy. "I'm asking why the hell you mentioned that mentor from your District. Duh."

Wesker made a soft sound - not quite a snort, not quite a laugh, but something inbetween. Low and amused.

"But they are hardly so unaware," he purred, the knife gleaming again as it slipped between dark green stems. "Some perhaps, those particularly simply souls, but not all."

Not those sharp little knives, waiting in the drawer.

A small, efficient strike - a small crunch like bone.

"Really?" It was strange how her last conversation with Enjolras had just been about his own view on the arena's and how people reacted to them. Time to see if he could practise what he preached.

"They can do that?" Diana realized upon reflection that the Capitol and its overseers could do pretty much whatever they wanted. "I mean, I have they done things like this before? Just told someone they can't be a mentor and kicked them back into the hot seat?"

She hoped not, kind of killed some of the motivation to win really.

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Page 1 of 5

Choose your own Azuladventure

Breakfast in District Five's quarters

Training Montage in the Training hall.

Lunch at Rainbow Gardens

Being zen in the garden

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