thecapitol | OPEN Valentine's Day Plot

OPEN Valentine's Day Plot

WHO | Everyone
WHAT | Baron sends Valentine's Day gifts to Tribute Tower.
WHEN | Valentine's Day!
WHERE | Tribute Tower
WARNINGS / NOTES | Warnings for drug use and all of the things that go with that. Possibly also sexual themes. The OOC post for this is here.

On the morning of February 14th when the Tributes come down for breakfast they're greeted by an impressive holiday themed spread. Pink and red baked goods, chocolates shaped like hearts, beautiful red and pink flowers, adorable stuffed animals all line the table.

On the table is also a sign in cursive that reads:

To our beloved Tributes, Victors, Mentors, Escorts and Stylists. Enjoy your holiday. -- Bartlett Industries

Most of the sweets are completely harmless, but if the Tributes taste the chocolate covered cherries or caramels they find themselves suddenly acting very strangely...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You'd be wise not to run through the halls, young man."

Javert's been doing his best to be withdrawn rather than outright surly with the other Tributes since returning, but that's not all that easy when people are sort of skipping through the halls and the street rat woman in his suite seems determined to feel him up.

He looks over at the young blond man - well-kempt, aristocratic features - with a sort of dull surprise. He didn't expect the upper crust to be chosen for these sorts of games.

"I'm not-" He paused, both in step and in speaking, glancing him over. Javert appeared, to him, to be excessively well-kept, and Draco straightened a little in his presence, though a bare hint of the chocolate-induced smile remained tugging at his mouth. "I wasn't running, per se. I know better than to run in hallways."

"That's good." And the straightening doesn't go unnoticed by Javert - for a moment, he thinks it serves a boy well to straighten up before the authority of the law, but then remembers that, to his disgrace, he no longer holds that pulse. The familiar train of thought derails.

He looks Draco up and down, mouth pressed into a pensive line. "You wouldn't happen to be another Tribute, would you?"

Edited 2013-02-15 04:46 (UTC)

He was a Prefect back at school; he knew to recognise authority, even if it didn't hold any sway. It was the point of the thing. "Of course I am. What else would I be? I don't belong here any more than you do," he replied cheerfully, glancing down to the box of chocolates he's taken to toting around.

"Chocolate?"

"You don't seem the type, is all. No disrespect meant." Obviously. He's got no room to disrespect anyone these days and besides, it's strategically unwise to make enemies outside the arenas. That will just increase the chances that others will let grudges bleed between the city and the games.

He looks down at the chocolate, somewhat surprised. "Thank you." And he takes a chocolate-covered cherry. "I can see by your face that you would recommend them highly."

"I certainly wouldn't have chosen for myself, if that's what you mean," Draco said, wrinkling his nose before shrugging dismissively. He just couldn't find it in him to be all that bothered by the matter right then, not when everything was so light and airy.

The blond flashed a bit of a grin at Javert, taking up another chocolate cherry for himself and popping it into his mouth. "They're fantastic. When the Capitol does something, they do it brilliantly, that's all I have to say."

"You don't seem particularly bothered by it."

Javert pops the cherry in his mouth and chews, giving an approving nod and partial smile (he rarely really smiles for anything short of some kind of personal victory). "I can't say I'm fond of most of this city yet, but I'd be lying if I said the food here was anything short of excellent."

Another shrug. "I've been in something like four Arenas now. I don't have much of a choice in the matter." And yet, it still seemed not to bother him overly much. Either he was very detached from the entire thing, or he was just made too happy to give a damn.

"The food's absolutely brilliant, it's true. And if you can get a decent Stylist, they're brilliant, too," Draco pointed out in a chipper tone, his own grin widening at that partial smile. It was good enough, especially from this man, who seemed like he'd rather chop off a toe than smile.

Javert thinks the cherry has something of an odd aftertaste, but, he supposes, it stands to reason that even basic fruits such as cherries would be different.

"Where are you off to, then?"

"Nowhere in particular," he replied mildly. "It's nice to be able to just wander about without having to worry about someone attempting to stab me in the back." Versus the Arenas, where one had to watch their back at all times. "So I thought I might do that."

"Would you mind if I accompanied you? You seem a well-bred sort and I'm somewhat..." He shrugs a shoulder. It's a strange gesture, as if he's not particularly used to shrugging and is just getting loosened up. Come to think of it, he does feel somewhat looser than usual in general at this precise moment, but that may be that he's talking to someone who has neither killed him nor is clearly a prostitute. "Hopeless in navigating this city so far."

"Not in the slightest," Draco replied proudly, preening at the comment at he seemed well-bred. It took certain talent to retain one's well-bred qualities in a place like this, where everything was making an attempt to unravel that. His grin grew a little bit.

"I'd be more than happy to show you around a little, Sir. It's always a little bit better when one isn't quite alone, anyway. More interesting, though I do suppose you're a bit more susceptible to the Capitol's screaming fans when they recognise you as a Tribute."

"I've been fortunate enough not to encounter any screaming fans so far. A street woman did throw herself at me in my quarters, though, before she began fellating a chair." Eponine and spiked chocolates don't mix.

"Where do you typically go here in the city?" Javert finds himself smiling a little, oddly. He's not sure why. It's not exactly a pretty expression on his face, more tight-lipped, and like someone's stamped his features with the wrong muscles, or something like that.

"A street woman got into your quarters?" He asked, the question more than a little horrified, going well with the way his eyes widened slightly. The reaction was a little melodramatic, but well within Draco's typical reactions.

It did fade though, as he began to think over where he typically wandered off to. "Well, I usually hang around here quite a bit. But when I go out into the city, there's a handful of really decent restaurants out there. What kinds of things do you like?" If he liked things at all; judging by that taut smile, it didn't seem as though Javert enjoyed much of anything.

"Well, I believe she's supposed to live there, another Tribute, but she's clearly gutter trash. Dirty, starved, loud, foul-mouthed, wanton. I hope they don't expect us to form alliances by District."

He starts to follow Draco. "Well, generally I dedicate myself to my work, but it appears that we'll be working at the Games' schedule. So I suppose I should...get used to the Capitol's methods of relaxation."

Relaxation sounds really nice, right? He's earned that, what with the dying. Yes. A brilliant idea.

"You don't mean that...Eponine bitch, do you?" He sniffed, pulling a face. If there was anything distasteful about the Capitol, it was that it had brought her in. Thankfully, he was easily enough distracted by the way he could lead Javert around and show him everything that was interesting.

And really, didn't everyone deserve a little relaxation every now and then?

"The parties, then. There are plenty of them, but it's usually best to find one that you actually enjoy. Rather than some - I once had to attend some sort of...they called it a rave, I suppose. It was horrid. I had to wear the tightest bloody outfit." He paused, tipping his head to one side. "And there's a nice performing arts section."

"I thought the little slut called herself that. So she has a reputation here?" Lovely. Given the sort of gossip going around the Capitol, soon people will take that he's rooming with a common prostitute as a sign that he condones the behavior. Javert would scowl if he weren't in such a strangely pleasant mood.

"I've never been much of a mind for theater, and a rave sounds...unpleasant, but these chocolates, if we could find some more of these somewhere..." Javert helps himself to another. "Possibly find some fine spirits to wash them down with."

He scoffed, shaking his head as he offered Javert a look of sympathy before fluttering a dismissive hand. "To say the least. I don't think anyone's terribly fond of her. It's almost tragic. Or it would be, if she were worth the trouble. I think that it's just because the Capitol likes people they can relate to a little bit more. Like us." And with that, a proper grin with just a hint of smugness.

"The rave was bloody horrid, I'll tell you that much. But! As a matter of fact, I know exactly where to find more chocolates and fine spirits. Or decent ones, at least. We'll just have to nick them from Stark. He won't mind, I'm sure."

Javert makes a noncommital sound, as if he agrees that he would like to be likable or relatable, although the truth is he doesn't much care. He's certain of his own worth, or at least he used to be, and the public opinion of him never much mattered.

"You don't mean stealing?" Because Javert doesn't approve of that, and his disapproval slices through his good mood from the chocolates like a knife.

Javert was clearly doing better than the blond was; Draco practically relied upon a good public opinion of him. His self-esteem almost completely hinged on it, in fact.

"No, stealing implies it's his," Draco replied, justifying it flawlessly. "This is borrowing. It's for the whole District, and he's part of the same District I am."

"Ah. That's alright then." And Javert's quite pleased that Draco doesn't mind sharing. "I would have thought it unusual if I'd misjudged you."

"You don't often misjudge people, I take it. Don't worry, you've done nothing of the sort here," he stated cheerfully. He doesn't mind sharing at all, not right now.

"No, I don't. And I'd like to even less." He follows Draco up the elevator. While the concept of an elevator makes sense to him, it's still so strangely foreign that it would normally unnerve him, but right now he feels very calm. Very happy. He hums to himself somewhat atonally.

"Don't blame you there."

Draco wasn't exactly used to elevators either, and while he was normally more concerned with eyeing the thing warily, today saw him prodding at some of the other buttons most curiously. It meant they would accidentally stop at a couple more floors than they wanted to, Draco offering his companion a mildly sheepish (and slightly smug) smile each time, but eventually, they'd find themselves on District 12's floor.

"Here we go," he announced cheerfully, stepping out and purposefully bee-lining over to where their stash of alcohol usually was. "Something decent, something decent..." he murmured as he searched.

Javert doesn't seem to mind stopping at nearly every single floor, and in fact by the tenth floor, it's actually making him laugh. And Javert barely ever laughs.

He flops onto the couch, uncharacteristically jelly-like. "And to think, when at first I arrived, I assumed us all prisoners and felons. We're being pampered like royalty here."

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