thecapitol | we wine, we dine, and everything is fine [open!]

Who| Everyone still in the Capitol. If the Hunger Games is a significant part of your life, or if you wield any influence at all in the Capitol, you've received an invitation. Unless you're Victory Hannibal.
What| Week 1 viewing party! It's horror-movie/monster themed, so break out your best sexy witch/vampire/mummy costumes! Also, feel free to use it for sponsor schmoozing.
Where| A ballroom, and some adjacent rooms.
When| Just before the Arena begins, and into the night.
Warnings/Notes| Watch this space for warnings. Also, feel free to make closed threads amongst yourselves, but Stephen will likely at some point come up to greet you personally. If you think your Capitol character would be familiar with the Reagan family, make an OOC note, and I'll give you a quick rundown on their sordid past.

There is a fog machine.

The fog hovers around the guests' knees and ankles, doing nothing to impede visibility or movement, but it creates a ~mysterious~ atmosphere. The ballroom is modest, by Capitol standards, able to comfortably hold about a hundred people. There's plenty of space. The room is dimly lit from concealed sources that nonetheless throw the guests' shadows into frightening shapes on the wall. There are tables laden with food along one wall, and plenty of comfortable seating, for projected onto the far wall is a live feed from the Games.

Through the doors are smaller, more intimate rooms, with cushy couches and a smaller screen apiece for watching the Games a little more privately. One pair of double-doors leads out onto a balcony with a beautiful view of the city.

Everyone who received the invitation was informed of the theme, of course: no pressure, but if you want your outfit to match (and he's sure you do), make sure it's a little bit -- spooky.

Stephen himself, tastefully attired in a shimmery black suit, cape, and vampire teeth, is moving about the guests, giving friendly greetings to those he knows, making polite conversation with those he does not, ensuring that everybody (or at least, everybody possible) is having a good time. So what if his smile looks a little fixed, every once in a while? It's a party. What could possibly be wrong?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hans has been notably withdrawn since both his victory and the family event. He'd done a bit of character assassination on himself, attacking Rat in such a low way. He knew he could play that off easily, but it had been seeing his brother's that really put him off. He couldn't think of two people he'd rather not see... other than all of his other brother's and his parents. Alas! It's all in the past and they'll suffer for the crimes of being related to him. With the Arena in play, he's noticing the slump in his networking and socialising. He may have won an Arena, but it's important he stays interesting and relevant if he wants to stay on top of things.

His stylist has graced him with a dark elf costume. There's a thin sheen of grey/silver make up over his face and latex ears over his own. He has white contacts and hair extensions so long and fierce he might grow attached to them. He's not sure if he feels ridiculously good looking or just ridiculous, but at least the costumes are common ground when he approaches other guests and aims to make small talk.

She recognized him: he'd been in her radar, though only barely, though the last Arena was fairly chilling, especially since it WAS Rat that he'd taken out of commission. Granted, she had also happened to spar with Han's brother in the play fight Arena, and had told her to keep an eye on Hans. It was actually an interesting contrast: if you'd met Hans, he seemed like the nicest guy, amicable, gentle, all of that. The opposite of what his brother had warned her about. Hell, she'd even seen that he and Elsa got along, despite some ugly shit going down in their first Arena.

Needless to say, she was curious. He had, after all, a friendship with Elsa, and that made him someone to be wary about. If it involved one of her tributes, it became her concern.

"Hey new mentor," she greeted, holding out her scissored hand. "Been meaning to talk with you eventually, more so after the arena."

Somehow, Hans hadn't been able to keep tabs on his brothers the entire time they'd visited. He hadn't wanted to be around them for more than a second, but he didn't want them to wander about spouting mistruths and besmirching his honor. He had no idea that they'd gotten to Mindy, so there's no preconceptions of that when he smiles brightly at her.

"Oh! Err.." He gives the scissors a curious glance, but he tries to take her hand anyway, even if it's a little bit of an awkward shake. "Thank you! I could say the same about you, actually. It's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face."

He seemed...ok, more or less. She was still getting the hang of all the small talk, and Hans was probably just starting to get used to being a mentor. Never mind that he was from the district of her top hated person, she wouldn't hold that against him.

"Happened to see you in the last Arena. You took on Rat pretty well. I say this as someone who practically had the guy try to rip my face off. Good job avoiding the scissors, by the way."

District five was a controversial one at best, it seemed. Everyone seemed to hate one or more of the people in there with a particular amount of venom. It would be hard to mentor people like that, particularly when most of them have been in more arenas than him, but he's at least good at Capitol schmoozing.

"Oh- Well, thank you." He seems a little hesitant about accepting that compliment. "I can't say it was anything more than instinctive, though." He gives her a small smile. "That's an interesting costume."

"Instincts are what's gonna save you when you're in the Arena. That's a lesson I learned the hard way. You can as that nut job mentor of yours."

She grinned. "Yeah. no kidding? I wasn't expecting something straight out of Burton, but its unique. It even sort of fits my personality too...was that what they were going for with you?"

"Prince Hans," says Stephen, coming up to greet his distinguished guest with an outstretched hand and a smile. "I almost didn't recognize you. It's so good to meet you at last -- I'm Stephen Reagan, the District 6 Escort, and it's been my pleasure to work with your fiance these past several weeks." His smile is radiant: he'd liked Anna, charmed by her genuine sweetness and her oh so relatable, oh so tragic family dynamic, and he's delighted to finally meet her fiance.

When he's spoken to, Hans meets Stephen's eyes with his own quickly, a warm smile forming on his face as he moves to take the offered hand and gives it an enthusiastic shake. "Yes, hello! The make up is very convincing, isn't it?" He chuckles, a little familiarity coming to his face when he mentions Anna. "Yes, of course. It's wonderful to finally meet you, you've taken such good care of her." And for that he tries to look genuinely appreciative. "She's told me so much about you."

The handshake is firm, quick, and friendly. Stephen has, of course, heard of Hans' behavior in the mini-Arena, but he sees no reason to judge Hans based on that. He was desperate! Of course he was! No one knew what they would become under the pressures of the Arena.

And after all, Tributes were encouraged to be violent and self-serving. Those traits were valued by the Capitol.

So, Stephen is unbothered by Hans' conduct. "You must be worried about her," he says with sympathy, "going into the Arena by herself. I know I would be."

Hans, in all honesty, shouldn't be as paranoid as he is about the public opinion of him. The capitolites wouldn't support the Hunger Games if they didn't want to see vicious, dramatic violence. It was a delicate balance between keeping friendly with tributes whilst remaining popular in the Capitol, but the latter was more beneficial right now.

"Very much so." His smile has fallen entirely from his face now, not wanting any of this to seem insincere. "Both her and her sister are very important to me. It's.. More difficult than I imagined, watching it from the outside. All I can really do is help them get sponsors."

"They have my support," pledged Stephen solemnly. "Even though Elsa isn't strictly speaking in my district, she's important to Anna, and their relationship as sisters is something I've found very compelling since they arrived." It reminded him just a little of his own distant, sometimes troubled relationship with his older brother, and that association made Stephen want nothing but the best for the Arendelle sisters.

"Fortunately, even though I'm an Escort, on top of handling the other Sponsor's gifts I can send a few things of my own. I'll do what I can for Elsa and Anna, I promise."

"Really?" He lights up almost immediately, so genuinely. It's almost as if he actually gives a damn about them and isn't just phoning it in to look good. At least Stephen is a particularly eager to please Capitolite, Hans thinks it might be helpful to keep him close in the future.

With that in mind, he's going to reach out and place an affectionate hand on Stephen's arm for a brief moment, giving him a warm and meaningful smile before letting it fall between them. "You're a good man, really. You've made me so happy."

Stephen gave Hans an answering smile. It was always so nice when the Tributes were easy to get along with --

-- almost too easy, something in him noticed. However, Stephen was very good at ignoring doubts, and so hardly noticed this one.

"I'm only doing what I can," replies Stephen, easily and modestly. "I just happen to be in a good position, that's all." Privileged, is what he isn't saying: privileged as all hell.

we wine, we dine, and everything is fine [open!]

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