[Open]

[conifer]

Who| Emily and YOU
What| There's a new mentor in town
Where| Various locations in the Training Centre
When| A few days after the end of Arena 12
Warnings/Notes| No warnings inherent. Prose and brackets both welcome.


a) District 7 suite - mostly for D7, but feel free to crash the pancake party otherwise

Every available surface of the common room is covered in silver platters laden with pancakes, along with various fruits, nuts, sauces and syrups to top them with. In pride of place are several large jugs of maple syrup, one of District 7's main exports, and Em might get a little offended if her tributes eschew it entirely. She'll give a reserved, polite smile to anyone who walks in, mentally sizing them up and trying to figure out if they have any chance in the Arena at all.

"Hello, there. I'm your new mentor."


b) Training Centre - open to all

She's positioned herself near the survival station - campfires, ropes, plants of all sorts - a place that's not nearly so popular as throwing around a sword or axe, but the one where she feels most qualified to give advice. She'll happily talk to any tribute that comes in to train, whether they belong to her district or not: as much as she wants to guarantee a District 7 win, she's not going to put the other tributes at a disadvantage before they've even got into the Arena. She's had enough of that duplicity for one lifetime.


c) Rooftop - closed to Jason Compson

Even out in the districts, Compson is a name that brings recognition, but only vaguely so far as Emily's own knowledge goes. She's fairly sure that he used to be the escort for District 10 - Calder's district, she thinks with the twinge of bitterness and shame that always runs through her thinking of him - and that makes her feel even more nervous about meeting with him. She tries to push it aside, to assume her usual mask, knowing that they'll be working together now, and that both of them surely have the interests of their tributes at heart.

She rises on hearing footsteps approaching the bench she's seated on in the rooftop gardens, offering a hand for him to shake, if he so chooses.

Comments

A!

[nineofwands]

It was the smell that had drawn Cassian's attention. He'd gone down to the training center early, early enough it was still dark, and had only just come back up. He couldn't let some kid get the upper hand against him again, that meant honing his skills. It also meant he was pretty much starving and the sweet smell that assaulted him when he got back to his floor was just a little too enticing to ignore.

He took in the sight of the platters and fruits and finally the woman as she introduced herself. He almost rolled his eyes at that one, just what he didn't need: someone else at his heels who didn't know anything or care.

"Hey. What's all this stuff? Not the fruits or the nuts, the flat things." He'd been a poor kid and turned into a poor man and then he'd been with Delilah, trump cards didn't get a whole lot of preferential treatment and murderers didn't eat stuff that smelled like it ought to come straight from a baker's oven. Sweets were a luxury.

[conifer]

"Pancakes. You haven't lived until you've had one soaked in maple syrup." She piles another couple onto her own plate as though for emphasis, showering it with a multitude of toppings. "And far better than anything you'll get in the Arena, so enjoy them while you can."

[nineofwands]

"...maple syrup?" It sounded like some foreign food to him, but he decided it wasn't in her best interest to poison him and gave it a shot. Two pancakes slathered in the viscous goop she'd specified and he found a spot to sit and try something new.

He wasn't sure what sound it was he made when he tried his first bite, but it certainly wasn't a sound he'd made before. She was right about one thing: these pancake things were amazing, he'd never tried something so sweet before. Even the sweet breads he'd snatched off others or that Jezebel had given him because he no longer wanted it or because it had been given to him by some woman who fancied him, hadn't tasted near as good.

"Wow..." He actually didn't know what else to say. Being caught actually enjoying something wasn't what he was used to. He always drew the short straw, not the one covered in sugar. It made him pay a little more attention to her, although it didn't really earn her any trust points. Just bonus points that put her above the other assholes he'd met.

"Who'd you say you were, again?"

[conifer]

"It comes out of trees," she explains, though she's unsure whether that will make it a more or less attractive prospect. "We make it in District 7. I thought it would be nice to give you all a taste of the place you're competing for." If only to ground them in the fact that it was a real, tangible place, with real people who were depending on one of them winning.

"Your mentor," she repeats patiently. "Emily. I survived the Hunger Games five years ago, and I'm going to try to help you win now."

[nineofwands]

Cassian continued to take generous bites as she talked, although the fact she said 'survived' over 'won' stuck out in his mind. With the way she said it, it didn't sound like a game like everyone else implied. He actually kind of liked that, or at least appreciated it. He didn't think he needed to 'survive' but at least he knew death wasn't some game for people to play.

He made sure his mouth was clear before he spoke, he didn't know if she knew anything about him, but he didn't want to perpetuate the idea that he might be the actual age he appeared. That would make her less than helpful. " And how're you going to do that?" It wasn't combative, but an actual question. So far, he hadn't liked anyone's answers.

[conifer]

It was a question she wasn't sure how to answer very well. Historically, her advice had been "stay alive", and it was rare that a Tribute from Seven had made it past the first couple of days. When Johanna won, a couple of years after Emily, she'd done so by ignoring every word of advice Emily had tried to give her. Moreover, there were many more Tributes here, all of different fighting styles and level of ability, and they were going to come back after being killed in the Arena. That made training far more of a commitment, and one she knew she'd have to play by ear.

"Well, first of all what sort of help do you think you need?"

[nineofwands]

Well, so far a better answer too, although he didn't know that he had one to give in return. What sort of help did he need? He didn't really know.

An adult body. That would help.

"I can fight, but I don't know how to hunt for food or anything to do with nature. I grew up in a big city and stayed there my whole life. Can you do anything about that?"

[conifer]

Emily brightens at his answer. She wasn't good at combat advice, but survival skills she could do. "District Seven is in the forests to the north. I grew up learning how to identify plants and herbs that can help and harm, and I can help you carve wood into a weapon or anything else you might need, or building a shelter." The former had been an essential part of her own victory in the Games.