thecapitol | This isn't how I'm used to not dying

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This isn't how I'm used to not dying

WHO| Tony and anyone caught in his orbit
WHAT| Tony falls off the wagon he was barely holding onto in a big way
WHEN| After his arena death
WHERE| Central commons and Anomaly
WARNINGS| Alcoholism and extreme partying

Whoever it is that says some ways to die says there isn't any pain before they go. Didn't have to wake up after that death. Because Tony woke up remembering the feeling of the pipe making contact with his face and the electrifying and spiky pain of his bones shattering.

Startling awake Tony's hands went right to his face, the phantom pain still burning through his head. Sitting up he looks around wildly to find he's in his room. Sadly not the room he knows and loves in New York. for the first few hours he just wanders around the room trying to wrap his head around not dying.

Sure, he's nearly died several times, but none of them felt even slightly like that. It's a haunting feeling and he knows the best way to handle scary situations he doesn't want to deal with and it starts with taking out the best suit in the wardrobe.

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Tony makes his way down to the central commons, specifically the lounge. He slides out of the elevator like he's owning the place, he has a smile on his face that is so practised and flawless it looks almost natural. Anyone who looks in his direction as he passes get a pat on the arm or a wink. Once he gets to the bar he starts ordering straight scotches and letting himself seem open and approachable as he looks around the room to see what's happening.

"Mister Stark." Sliding in beside him at the bar, she watches him with curious eyes that almost betray her concern for him. Almost. If she's fortunate, he's too drunk to pick up on it.

This was the Tony Stark she met initially and those years weren't his finest. If he was to slip back into this state, it would be detrimental to the plans she was working on for him, for them all, and therefore she's here to do something. Anything.

But what?

He swings his head towards her a little loosely, taking a second before grinning widely at her. Hearing her say his last name he stands up a little straighter.

"Ah, Miss Romanov. Now we have a party."

At least both Natasha's had meeting Tony like this in common. Not really a great thing to have in common, but unfortunately there it was. At least right now he's sounding coherent if not looking far more jovial than he has so far in the arena.

The last thing she wants is to have anything in common with a parallel variation of herself, so it might not be the boldest move to mention that to her. Chewing on her lower lips, she watches him tentatively, wondering if that hit to the head was enough to set him back mentally a few years.

What she doesn't want to admit is he's always been on the verge of sanity like this and what she was trying to do was manipulate him from it. Another futile gesture in a life full of them here in Panem.

"A party." Natasha repeats with barely any interest in her gaze.

His smile looks almost about to wilt for a moment from her disinterest, but he takes a long drink instead.

"Of course it's a party." He gestures to the other people there who are enjoying themselves. "This certainly looks like a party to me. What? I didn't throw good parties in your world?"

Okay so he didn't exactly throw this and it's not exactly a party. But it's what he's sticking with right now.

"I'm the sort of lady that prefers private showings rather than public affairs." Her voice practically coos that at him, taking on the tone of a woman trying to entice him into settling down. "A shame you never explored that with me in your world."

Leaning in towards him to whisper in a lighter tone, "Do you plan to do this for the rest of the evening?"

"If I didn't watch you flatten Happy without thinking, then you would have been more than just my assistant."

Tony grins wider as she leans in and whispers.

"I'm planning to enjoy the rest of what this bar has to offer. How about you?"

He whispers back to her, a little sloppily before reaching for a new glass, he doesn't know what's in it, but he's going to add it to the collection already brewing inside him.

"You shouldn't mix and match like that. It's like playing Russian Roulette with a shotgun."

Not the best metaphor to make, but really. She fears not only for his stomach lining, but that poor liver. At least now she has the knowledge he's scared to death of her... but flattening Happy, huh. Never thought she'd see the day.

"You'd be surprised how many times in my life that shotgun wasn't even loaded."

He gives her a very pleased with himself grin. He knows what he's doing to himself, he's done it more than a few times to himself. Sure it's not always been the greatest of ideas, but it's never ended in him being in the hospital.

Not that he'd actually go to a hospital anyway.

Not that he has the luxury of visiting one here, but she doesn’t say much on that. If this place can resurrect the dead somehow, it’s possible they could replace his liver entirely. Tony Stark doesn’t need to be reminded of this, not after a gruesome death like the one he’s had, so she just puts on her kindest face.

It isn’t the best mask, but it’s the one she can manage right now.

Babysitting Tony isn’t what she would call an ideal occupation, but it’s definitely a full time career. Pepper Potts doesn’t get paid enough for this, of that she’s certain. Hell, no amount of money could make her own stomach settle. Watching him consume this much liquor is starting to make her feel ill, but what is there to do?

Could trick him into bed.

Natasha tosses the idea out of her head just as another man in the area tosses down a hefty drink. The only bed she’d feel comfortable dumping his drunken ass into would be a hospital one and as she’s already figured out, there’s not one that would take him in.

“You just have to push your luck in all things, don’t you? There are harder challenges right before your eyes if you’re bold enough to try.”

Tony gives her a slanted look for a moment, then takes a long drink, before pulling a strange look at whatever it is that was in his mystery glass before shrugging and giving it a swirl.

"I don't know how it's been working for you. But asking for a screwdriver here, only ends in vodka and orange juice. I'm not pushing my luck, I'm just... Lemonade."

He know's he missed out most of that quote, but he clearly doesn't care enough to correct it and just pulls a face and moves on.

"Is that what it takes?" If she can find something else for his hands to hold instead of a drink, will he turn around?

"Because I'll help you."

Another promise she's not wholly sure she can keep, but she's seen Alex walking around. A cop in that kind of getup means there are tools around--it's just a matter of acquiring them.

"In fact, there's a man I'd like you to meet here."

Tony makes a conscious effort to finished the drink before putting it down and picking up another that's floating by.

"Help me?" There's a pause. "I can order my own drinks, Harriet." He swirls the drink before looking at her again. "Even if I have an actual screwdriver I have nothing to do with it, especially not when there are 24 hour feeds that will bring in unpleasant looking people with sticks if I disconnect them." He doesn't realises he is looking so sad at the thought of not only not having tools but not having anything to do with them even if he did have them, but it's still written on his face long enough for him to take a drink and the expression to change.

"Who? Bob the builder?"

After all, it's obvious to Tony know that the lines between what he thought was real and fiction by now have certainly blurred.

By the time Tony makes it to Anomaly, he's partying hard, dancing with anyone who comes near him, joking around and being openly playful with anyone who even seems flirty. He know's he really shouldn't be making this kind of spectacle of himself, that he's grown out of it however he really doesn't want to think about how he woke up today.

Even with the impending doom of the plague, it's hard for someone like Jolie to keep on the down low for too long. Tributes were starting to filter back into the Capitol, which meant the parties would be more fierce than ever.

He's dolled up, as drag queens always are, but the look is more casual for a club. No need for extravagance when you're weaving through crowds sipping on cough syrup enhanced daiquiris. He doesn't immediately approach Tony, though he does recognise him. He takes his time to have his own fun for the evening before sidling up alongside him.

"Boo!" He grins at him, quirking a flirty brow. "Left red at home, huh?" Red being Nat, of course.

By the time Jolie makes his way to Tony, he's still clearly cheerful and feeling no pain.

"Red?" While he wasn't sure at first even as he is it doesn't take long to realise who red is. "Well, she has a collection of us. I'm her Mr. Wednesday." He wasn't her anything, at least not as far as he's officially been told at least, not that will stop him sober or drunk.

"You, look like you could use a drink. What can I order for you?"

"Yeah, Red." He crinkles his nose into a cheeky smile. "Nice to meet you, Wednesday. I'm her every day gal, her stylist. She gets to deal with me on a regular basis." And with that, he gives Tony a heavy wink, eyelashes making it a very grand gesture.

"A dirty martini. Easy on the martini."

"I also go by Tony, Wednesday always seems so. Long. Nice to meet you Every-day."

Tony can't help but stare at the eyelashes, so fluttery, thick and long.

"That's a martini I can get behind." Tony leans more towards the counter and waves someone over to order the heavily dirty martini as quick as it is dirty.

"You'll get used to long names here, among other things." Have a teasing little nose crinkle. "Très Jolie, but you can call me Jolie. Or the day after, whatever." He's watching with a trained and eager smile, waiting for the drink to find his hand so he can take a sip. "I'm sure you say that to all the girls."

Tony looks Jolie up and down after he introduces himself.

"Très jolie en effet." He comes back with as he takes the freshly made Martini and offers it over. "Not many girls I've known, know how to drink right. So there's a point in your court."

He knows he's mixing phrases, but he feels it still gets his point across.

Jolie's head cocks to the side with a little grin, but it falls blank. He registers it as a compliment, but hell if he knows what it means.

"I don't speak French." He responds coolly, letting his fingers brush against Tony's when he takes the glass from him, taking a long sip. Yeah, looks like he needed that. "I'm all for team sports." He gives his shoulders a small shrug. "You don't see many tributes making such a scene out here."

"Technically I was doing a little word play, with a complement. I've been told it's charming." He shrugs and moves on from his words. It was hard to notice their fingers brushing together, however Tony has no problem paying it no mind past a slight eyebrow rise. If Jolie wants to flirt then game on, but anything past that requires an actual conversation before hand.

"That's probably because most of the tributes don't really look like the type whose name was the golden ticket to the best parties across the globe." He pauses. "Or they're a bunch of kids who can't even pour properly let alone party." He gives his own tumblr a swirl before drinking it and offering up another large grin to Jolie.

"I'm sure you've been told a lot of things." She smiles a cheeky smile, moving to slip his arm around Tony's affectionately. He certainly isn't looking for anything past flirting, not tonight anyway. Jolie is just enjoying the little tease fest that they have going on.

"You've got that right." She nods. "Sad little bunch, it's like they've never been to a real party." Like a drag queen party. "You might not be the victor of the Arena, but you can make a name for yourself here, I'll bet."

"Oh I have, but I only remember the interesting things I'm told."

As Jolie slips his arm around Tony's he shifts himself to make his arm more accessable to make things more comfortable.

If his mother did nothing else, she did train proper gentlemanly etiquette into her only son. And the ability to dance.

"Make a name, huh? With this place, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Then I'll know you'll be following my advice. I've been told I'm the best at explaining it all in a way that doesn't make people fall asleep with their eyes open."

Jolie is glad for the shifting because it means he can lean in all nice and close and pat Tony's upper arm. "It's better than being irrelevant, trust me. They get away with a lot more when nobody cares who you are." But he isn't saying who 'they' is.

"I don't think I've stayed at a boring conversation long enough to fall asleep." Truth be told he tends to walk off or change the subject the second he feels bored. "Somehow, I don't think it's something I have to worry about with you."

He takes in a steady breath at the remark about irrelevant.

"Good thing I've never been all that good at being irrelevant then, always been far too useful for that title." He gives her a rehearsed grin.

Edited 2014-07-15 10:12 (UTC)

"You're a lucky man. Some of the higher ups here can be an absolute snooze fest. Gives you good time to think about other shit though." He says with a shrug up against Tony's side. He's being an ass, but he's hoping he's doing it in a good way.

"You don't have to worry about boring with most people in the party scene. You're fun, that's all you've got to be. We put on shows, but a lot of these bitches are two words: Easily Impressed." He counts off his fingers when he says that to illustrate his point.

"Yeah, that's very much a Pepper job by the sound of it"

Tony reflects on all the people who have ever been to parties he's hosted or been to.

"I'm pretty sure that's just part of party culture. But then, spend all your life drinking fruity mixers and thinking they're amazing I wouldn't be too surprised they're easy to impress."

"Pepper job? Mind explaining that one, because I'm not exactly seeing the relation between a spice and a boring-ass duty."

She gives him a funny look until he answers, but she'll go on. "Hey, hey. We're easy to impress when it comes to a person, but never underestimate the lengths we'll go to for entertainment."

"Because Pepper is more than just spicy, she was my personal assistant until I made her my C.E.O. She probably doesn't enjoy the boring-ass part of the job. But she's really good at it."

Tony can't help but give her a bland look.

"Well, you dragged us all here to be in your live action version of the sims meets Mad Max. I don't think it's possible to underestimate those lengths."

Edited 2014-07-26 10:52 (UTC)

"Right, now we're on the same level." He laughs, resisting the urge to nag Tony about using context and not confusing people. "Sounds like a bitch I'd like to meet." What goes unsaid is that if Tony likes her so much she'd be better off elsewhere.

"It's certainly a bigger length to go to than we're used to, all of this is pretty new."

He could nag about that all he likes, Tony would still confuse people and ignore context.

"She is one hell of a person and woman, that's for sure." He gives Jolie an eyeball for a minute. "She'd like you a lot."

"All pretty hush hush on how it was done too, I bet."

"Me?" She'll put a hand on her chest and look surprised and happy, as if she just won Miss Gay Panem. "If she can handle you, she sounds like one hell of a woman."

"Not really, no. It used to be kids from the districts, a boy and a girl picked out of a draw." The way she says it is almost robotic, she isn't putting any disdain or pleasure into it. "Just once a year, as well."

"She's too good for me that's for sure."

Tony isn't at all afraid to admit that, considering all the crap he's put her through ever and she's still dating him really means he should question her taste in men.

"That. Doesn't at all sound like a wise idea." He looks more than a little annoyed at this. While it had been mentioned to him before that's how it was done before they started stealing from other universes, Tony chose to ignore it because why the hell would anyone do that. Even with someone from the capitol telling him this it's still hard to believe.

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This isn't how I'm used to not dying

Central Commons

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Anomaly

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