(no subject)

[setfires]

Who| Cinna and OPEN
What| Cinna can't stand watching the Games from his apartment anymore. He's in various places in Tribute Tower trying to distract himself from the constant broadcast of the Games. Feel free to talk to him.
Where| Starts out in District 12's suites, then moves to a common area.
When| First day of the Arena
Warning/Notes| None yet.




Cinna had spent the last Arenas alone, hidden from public. It was starting to get to him though, that isolation. That was why when this Arena started he was spending more time in the places where Effie and Haymitch might be, though he realized quickly that he really needed to leave them to their work convincing sponsors to support their Tributes.

When he was in District 12's suites he could be found with his sketch pad, an electronic note pad with a stylus for a pen. If anyone peeked over his shoulder at the sketches, his use of colors tended towards silver and black but he got so sick of those colors quickly. They were plastered all over the projection screens that were always on with the Games. The Arena nothing more than frozen ice. He switched to a model with blond hair and started using more greens. Colors that reminded him of a forest, just like the one where Katniss had won.




Later, he was down in a public area of the Tower, trying to seek out something to eat and drink. The screens were all around still on, a blinding white surrounding the Tributes on screen.

All he can think of was the last time the Gamemakers had used cold. His mind was filled with memories of children huddled in tight balled up bundles, slowly freezing to death. He didn't want to watch that again. No one he knew wanted to watch that again, even if their reasons tended to complain about how boring it all had been.

He felt disgusted with himself for wanting to drink hot chocolate, but he can't help it. The drink made him think of Katniss, and it was a little bit of warmth that he could cling to to chase around the cold fear clutching at him.

No one who saw him would know of the conflict in his heart. His face was carefully blank, vaguely bored looking when he glanced towards the screens always playing the Games.

Comments

[electriccandlelight]

"Didn't everybody hate this one last time," said Valeria conversationally to the nearest person, poking the food on her plate listlessly. Her look of boredom was entirely sincere. She popped a marshmallow in her mouth, looked over at her randomly chosen conversational partner, and nearly choked. Cinna. Of course.

[setfires]

Cinna looked over at Valeria. A slight concerned frown crossed his lips over the sound of the almost choke.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a soft voice. "Should I get you some water?"

What's worse than facing someone you hate? Having them be nice to you, of course.

[electriccandlelight]

Valeria swallowed with some effort, waving a hand frantically to put off Cinna's helpful overtures. "Fine!" she snapped finally, then abruptly calmed herself. "Fine, I'm--fine. Got my drink," she held up the hot toddy in the snowball shaped mug. "I'm...fine."

[setfires]

Cinna nodded, accepting her answer. "Good. People are supposed to be dying in there, the last thing we need is for one to drop here."

[electriccandlelight]

"Right, exactly," agreed Valeria, wishing desperately for a reason to leave and unable to think of one. "That's the goal." She looked up at the screens, more for something to do than out of true interest, and squinted. The Cornucopia battle was mostly over and some of the screens were showing highlights from it already. "Oh. I think I've lost one."

[setfires]

Cinna was watching for signs of Draco and Tony. He held his breath for a moment.

"I'm sorry," he said, adopting the tone of voice that a Capitol citizen would expect. One with a disconnect from the fact that they were talking about human life.

[electriccandlelight]

"Thank you," said Valeria automatically, then remembered who she was speaking to and winced. She covered it up with a deep swallow of her drink. "Well, it's not too terrible I suppose. With the new system that just means I have more time to work my magic with ... whichever one it was." She squinted at the screens, unable to find one that identified who had died, only the images.

There was long brown hair barely visible, but that didn't narrow it down much. "I rather hope it's Eponine," she muttered. "Maybe I'll be able to make catch that girl for a proper fitting finally."

[buildingreality]

At the sound of the gong, Ariadne couldn't deny feeling at least a little bit nauseated. She was only there because they insisted she do so; she was a Victor - one who wasn't an Avox, at least, and she'd like to keep it that way - and that meant she had to attend viewing parties.

She had seated herself near one of the more normal looking people in the room, unsure that she could quite handle anyone else. She heard herself sigh quietly as she looked at the Arena this time around, looking more than a little concerned; cold didn't bode well for anyone. Not that nuclear reactors were much better.

[setfires]

Cinna saw the Victor near by and moved a little closer to her. He was concerned for her well being. It couldn't be easy to have to watch these things after you left the Arena. It was hard enough for him.

"How are you feeling, Ariadne?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't mind him using her name. It was well known after all.

[buildingreality]

His voice was unfamiliar, his face only slightly less so; she'd definitely seen him around, though subtly. In the back, in glimpses as she passed. He couldn't have been a Victor, she knew that much.

Still, she offered Cinna a small trace of a smile as she glanced over, now used to people using her name at the drop of a hat; it was just a matter of figuring out who of those that called out to her were worth talking to. But he did give off a sense of calm. He was reminiscent of Arthur in that way, and she could hear his voice in her head telling her to just breathe.

"I'm all right," she replied carefully, unsure of whether or not she should voice her concerns. "The Cornucopia can be hard to watch."

[setfires]

"I'd imagine so," Cinna said, a slight frown crossing his lips. He didn't want to force her to dwell on that sort of thing though. Instead he introduced himself. "My name is Cinna. I'm a Stylist for District 12."

[buildingreality]

At that, her smile grew a bit more genuine. He'd been around here a little while, clearly. He didn't seem to have the same gleeful reaction to the Games as everyone else. It was sort of fascinating, in a way.

"Ariadne. You knew that," she amended quickly, offering a soft breath of a laugh. "It's nice to meet you."

[setfires]

He smiles back, the expression comforting and genuine.

"It's nice to meet you as well," he said. "It must be a little strange to meet people who already know a lot about you."

[peacekeeperavox]

Darius was on duty as ever, assigned to follow those from the Twelfth District's suite around. He appeared at Cinna's shoulder, with the stylist's hot chocolate garnished, like most things in the buffet, with little sugar candies shaped like snowflakes and gilded silver.

[setfires]

Cinna was very, very good at pretending to be just another Capitol citizen, ignoring the Avox never easy but he knew how to pretend that it was. He took the hot chocolate with and then smiled a bit. After a quick glance around the room, to make sure they really were alone.

"Thank you. This drink reminds me of her." He didn't have to say which 'her' he was talking about. He had an idea that Darius would know who he was talking about.

[peacekeeperavox]

Being around the offworlders had made Darius a little more accustomed to being directly addressed, more accustomed than the trainers really liked. So he didn't startle, though he stiffened, discomfort squirming in his gut. With a cautious, covert glance side to side, he nodded, with a pale smile.

[setfires]

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Cinna muttered as he moved to sip at the drink. He didn't want to make Darius uncomfortable, though the soft noise of pleasure he made over the taste of the warm drink was enough to show how much he appreciated the drink.

[peacekeeperavox]

Darius held his tray against his chest, lingering. Uncomfortable didn't mean it didn't feel good to be seen, to have something to share. There was a drip of cream on the tray, and just like Elias had before, he drew his finger through it, sketching just the very least impression of a bird, one he wiped out immediately with the side of his thumb.

[setfires]

Cinna looked at the design and then back up at Darius, watching him carefully. Then, after a moment, he set aside the drink to pick up his pad. He saved the sketch he had been working on before opening a clean program. He offered it to Darius. "If someone comes in, you can drop it onto the couch by me, just be sure to hit the cushion." He glanced around again, for any hint of a camera, but the Tower had never really been rigged before.

He hoped.

[x5452]

Max always watches the Games intently.

She almost envies those poor, poor bastards.

But she's watching it for her friends these days, to silently root for them, and for the pain she feels when they die. It's a bitter thing for her to swallow.

[setfires]

Cinna wasn't entirely certain how to approach the Victors. He just didn't like ignoring them when he saw them around. During a lull in the 'action' on the screen, when they switched to commentators to sum up the events of the day and went to some propagandist messages he carefully moved next to Max and cleared his throat softly to let her know that he was there. If she was still wrapped up in the Games, he could leave her be.

[x5452]

Max's eyes dart sidelong. Everyone knows who Cinna is. Everyone wishes they were lucky enough to have him as their stylist, including Max.

"Cinna." she murmurs respectfully in greeting. Her head tilts toward the screen. "Gets you every time, doesn't it?"

[setfires]

"It does," Cinna says as he settles next to her. He doesn't expand on what he means or what he feels about it. "The last time they used cold... It wasn't pleasant. I'm surprised they're doing it again."

[x5452]

She gives him another sidelong look. "You're surprised that the gamemakers are trafficking in the potential for human misery?" She gives him a faint, wry smile. "I thought you were more clever than that, Cinna. I know you're more clever than that."

[setfires]

"No," Cinna said. "I'm surprised they would remind the citizens of their past failure."