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

[arrogantalloy]

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.

Comments

[reallynow]

"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."

[arrogantalloy]

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.

[reallynow]

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."

[arrogantalloy]

"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.

[reallynow]

"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."

[arrogantalloy]

"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."

[reallynow]

"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.

[arrogantalloy]

"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.

[reallynow]

"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.

[arrogantalloy]

"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."

[reallynow]

"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."

[arrogantalloy]

"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."

[reallynow]

"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."

[arrogantalloy]

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."

[reallynow]

"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."

[arrogantalloy]

"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.