(no subject)

[mannersmatter]

WHO| EVERYONE
WHAT| Effie is throwing a small scale party for just the tributes.
WHERE| The District 12 suite.
WHEN| Christmas
WARNINGS/NOTES| Secret Santa's are under the cut. Feel free to tag in whether you signed up for secret santa or not.

Effie had tried very hard to make this a party that was actually made for the tributes, not made to show them off.

She had tried very, very hard.

The food was what she had been able to investigate as “home” cooking for those she could track down, an odd arrangement of food that sometimes got close to the tributes home food, and sometimes was a terrible disaster. Blood pudding, for example, was a dish best avoided. But then it usually was.

The best hits reel had been her idea. It took a tense conversation with Haymitch and about 45 minutes to convince her that now, that wasn’t really what any Tribute wanted to see when they were trying to relax.

After that the party was much nicer, mellow music, holiday cheer and, for a holiday party, fairly low key. Lorne had karoke going in one room, while another had a large glittering Christmas tree and mellow music playing, with the District 12 windows wide open to show the snow covered city underneath.

Eliot-Neeshka
Kevin-Lottie
Valeria-Tony
Momoko-Draco
Alpha-Anna
Cinna-Momoko
Epoinine-Alpha
Alex-Jade
Jade-Ariadne
Neeshka-Eliot
Anna-Valeria
Lindsey-Glinda
Glinda-Annie
Ariadne-cinna
Elliot-Alex
Lottie- Eponine
Annie-Jade
Tony-Glinda
Shepard-Lindsey
Draco-Kevin

Comments

[setfires]

Cinna had helped where he could, seeing the party was a way to bring himself from the self-imposed work coma he had inflicted on himself. He wanted to be a presence in this dorm again, even if the lack of Katniss was painfully noticeable.

His gift was beautifully wrapped, though he didn't know a lot about the person he was buying for. He had gotten her official measurements from information he had gleamed from the network, though the hand crafted coat was seriously understated, as not to conflict with her Stylist. It would compliment her without clashing with what her Stylist was planning for him.

Cinna was in a corner of the room, sitting by the window, as he looked out over the snow covered city.

[warbles]

Blaine spotted Cinna from across the room. He contemplated whether or not to say something. But, Cinna had helped him a few days before. And it would be rude not to say hi, right? Besides, he wanted to assure Cinna he'd be alright - as alright as he could be.

"Cinna" he said, hands on the back of the empty chair nearby. "Merry Christmas." It seemed strange to say Merry Christmas at all, but it was what you did around the holidays.

[setfires]

Cinna looked over to Blaine and gave the boy a small but genuine smile. "Merry Christmas," he repeated back to him, warmth in his voice and eyes. "How are you enjoying the party?"

[warbles]

"Once the reel of terror ended, I enjoyed it a lot more." He gestured to see if it was alright before taking a seat next to him. "The food is good. Guess it has to be. It's the Capitol." Everything here was in excess. Food, fashion, bad taste. "Are you?"

[setfires]

"I'm greatly missing a good friend of mine, but otherwise I'm okay," his smile faded a bit at the thought, but he didn't take out his worry on Blaine. "Have you had a chance to learn a bit about our world?"

[warbles]

"I'm sorry..." he offered, giving him a sympathetic look. "Yeah. Pretty much have all the time in the world. It... doesn't get less horrifying." But, he shrugs. "Luckily, it doesn't get worse. It's... consistent." He smiles, trying to change the subject. "You look good tonight." Because, he needs to give fashion its props.

[setfires]

"I always look good," Cinna replied easily. His smile widened a bit. It was good to settle into that sort of teasing, it's the sort of thing he would do with Katniss. "You do too. You're basically a Stylist's dream."

[warbles]

"You're always modest, also," he joked, his own mouth curling into a wider smile. At that, Blaine grinned. It wasn't that he hadn't heard things like that before (sex on a stick, anyone), it was just that... it always felt good. Even if he thought he only looked okay. He wasn't some amazing looking guy. Sure, attractive. But hot? Not that ... Cinna called him hot. "No," he finally let out. "I'm --"

[setfires]

"You're....?" Cinna asked, imploring Blaine to finish the sentence out of genuine curiosity and concern.

[warbles]

He was a little at a loss. Nobody's dream was what he wanted to say but he wasn't going to play the self deprecating card. Cinna was lucky he'd gelled today. He had physically force himself.

And maybe he slid his seat over, to get closer because of the music and the actions around them. He leans in close, genuine.

"What makes me a stylist's dream?"

[setfires]

"Your face and shape. You could be Styled to be anything, and still look good doing it," he commented, complimenting the other boy easily. "You'll have to learn to play with that. I understand that you want to be modest, but there's no need for it during interviews, you understand?"

[warbles]

His eyebrows raised at the compliment. "I understand." His mouth drops open, tongue flicking out to lick his lips. Habit. "You think I look good."

[setfires]

"I do, and the Capitol will too."

[warbles]

"And that's what matters," he replied. "Here, anyway." He sat back.

Here's the tag you were supposed to get.....

[retrieverchef]

Eliot walked over to the man at the window. He sipped at a drink that was for once simple and surprisingly not alcoholic. He was actually enjoying this party. For once since he got here, he could mostly be himself. No one here was looking for the Tribute, the mask. Someone looking closely could tell he was more relaxed, more genuine than usual.

He looked out the window himself, taking in the view. The lights on the snow reminded him poignantly of Boston and Christmas with his team. "It's quite the view. The city looks so different from up here."

[setfires]

"Yes, it's beautiful," Cinna replied. It wasn't clear if he realized that by answering Eliot's comment with those words he was implying that the Capitol wasn't a beautiful place or that beautiful was something different than when you were down on the streets. The Capitol was supposed to be pleasing to the eye, after all. The buildings and streets were supposed to be the height of human culture.

[retrieverchef]

The buildings and streets were indeed beautiful. It was what they held that was ugly. From up here, though, all signs of that were lost in the night and the lights.

"It's not so different from home, the city lights in the snow."

[setfires]

"Where is your home? If you don't mind talking about it..."

[retrieverchef]

"Home's in Boston. It's a city on the Atlantic coast. In what you call District 13."

[setfires]

Cinna's brow narrowed a bit. "We don't tend to call anything District 13. It doesn't matter because it was destroyed."

[retrieverchef]

"At least it doesn't happen while my team lives there. It's just a city."

[setfires]

"Your team?" Cinna asked, a little curious about the life that the Tribute left behind.

[retrieverchef]

The Tribute smiled fondly. "We work together but... They've become like family."

[setfires]

"What sort of work did you do?"

[retrieverchef]

"I worked for a consulting and security firm."