[semi-open and open]

[capitolprivilege]

Who| Stephen and D6 | Stephen and anyone
What| Trying to convince his Tributes to go the fuck to sleep, and unwinding himself when the kids are in bed
Where| D6 rooms | the coffeeshop downstairs
When| Thursday morning
Warnings/Notes| First prompt closed to D6; the other's open!

A:

Stephen is usually around the D6 rooms. Generally, he's easygoing -- he was stricter for a while there, but after the last Arena, now that his traitor cuff's come off, he's started to let his Tributes get away with more. If you've come to him with a problem, he's done his best to help you, and he's also had a conversation with each of his Tributes about just how many public appearances they want to make. If a Tribute requests that their fancy-event invitations be kept to a minimum, he's done his best to facilitate that. If a Tribute wants to play the social game and network, Stephen's helped them with that, too.

Today, though, he's trying to get in touch with all of his Tributes, because he has something very important to ask them to do.

He has to ask them to sleep.

Stephen is generally sticking around the D6 rooms. When his Tributes wake up, they'll find him in the common area, playing on a tablet. He'll look up at them and grin.

"Morning."

B:

Leave it to Stephen not to take his own advice. Around 4pm, he can be found on the ground floor of the Tribute Center, sipping some kind of froofy coffee. There's probably like three kinds of chocolate in it. It smells divine. If anyone meets his eye, he'll flash them a smile, and wave if he knows them. He's got a tablet propped up in front of him, and it looks like he's flipping through an e-release of a vapid Capitol magazine.

Comments

[reassures]

Nill is incredibly grateful for the coffee, perhaps slightly more than other things in life. What's better than something that helps keep you going and warms you up? Other than adding a shot or two to it. Nill already has her fingers wrapped around the mug when he starts laughing, and her wings flutter a little, feathers puffing up in a way that could almost be called flustered. They settle pretty quickly, but Nill shakes her head several times.

I have a lot of friends in 6.

No, it's actually just the younger tributes and Linden, but she and Linden seem to be accumulating a fair amount of rumors, even if they probably follow Linden more than her, considering he's an old victor and Nill's just a one-death tribute in the never-ending quell.

[capitolprivilege]

"Apparently," he says, sinking into his chair with a relaxed easiness that is almost like grace. "Linden mentioned you, and that you try to look out for the kids. That's kind of you."

[reassures]

Linden was talking about her? She seems a little surprised to hear it, though not unhappy about it. At least if she had ever shown up in the 6 suite Steven would know who she was. It also would make it easier to consult Stephen if there were anymore incidents like the one the night before her first Arena, though she hopes to hell and back that it never happens again.

Why Linden mentioned her is less surprising. Her smile becomes a little more gentle, and she takes a sip of coffee as she writes.

they're children. someone should be looking out for them.
Linden gets more done than I do.

[capitolprivilege]

Ouch. Stephen's smile doesn't falter, but the faces of some of the children he sent into the Arena before the Quell pass through his mind.

He pushes them away.

"Well, whatever your reasons, I'm happy to hear you're doing it," Stephen says, still conscious that he's got to look less concerned for his Tributes than he is. He'd rather not be accused of sympathizing if he doesn't have to be.

[reassures]

It wasn't a jab at Stephen himself. In all honesty, if Stephen had been sort of looking out for Linden all these years then it's hard to imagine that he would be without sympathy for the tributes, regardless of if they were from Panem or another world entirely.

from what I've heard you are very good at your job.
were you born in 6?

[capitolprivilege]

"Oh, no, no," he replies, shaking his head. "Escorts aren't usually from the Districts. It's our job to help the Tributes navigate the city and take care of any needs they have before -- and between -- Arenas. Someone who's lived his or her whole life in the Capitol is better equipped to do that."

Born and bred Capitolite, this one -- if his sparkly suit, diamond studs, and tasteful eye makeup weren't enough to give it away.

[reassures]

It's a little rare that people manage to genuinely surprise Nill, but Stephen has managed to do it nearly twice in one conversation. Cue more fluttering of her wings. The surprise lingers in her expression for considerably longer this time. Stephen has a reputation, of course, and there was something about his... brother? An older one? But Nill doesn't put a great deal of stock into the rumors she hears unless they are saying things about people being hazardous.

the escort for 9 quit not long after I arrived here.

Which is way of explanation for not knowing that, and also an example of a case where she did pay attention to rumors. Mr. Ampora had a reputation for bidding on Tributes, and Nill was more than a little relieved when he stopped showing up on her floor, and they had not gotten a replacement. She had never thought Stephen was a Capitolite however, primarily because he actually seemed to care about Linden.

[capitolprivilege]

That wing-fluttering is incredibly cute. Stephen is officially charmed.

-- the smile drops off his face, though, when she mentions Mr. Ampora.

"Good riddance," says Stephen, the frown on his face a clear sign of a grudge. "That guy always made my skin crawl. The further he is from the Tribute Center, the better. Ugh, you're better off on your own. Oceana will look after you. She's kind of a mess, but she's better than Cronus."

[reassures]

There is at least one other escort on the floor with the previous one gone, but where Ampora was talkative and inappropriate constantly, the other guy was polite and rarely spoke. Nill was fairly certain she never heard him talk unless he was trying to set up times for interviews when her interpreter wouldn't be too busy to attend.

I like Oceana.
she let's me do my hair.

And, you know, is also generally not going to cop a feel on anyone she's doing designs for. For as little time as Nill spent with Cronus, she was always glad if she walked away without him trying to touch her. She's incredibly happy he's not around anymore.

[capitolprivilege]

"She's got a heart of gold in a corona of trash," Stephen says cheerily -- it's not said like an insult. It's said like joshing between friends. "She'll be good to you."

[reassures]

she has been.

Nill doesn't quite understand why she goes by different names depending on what she's wearing, or if Oceana even has a preference between them, but for someone who seems much more ingrained with a Capitol mind set she's been far kinder than Nill would have expected from her otherwise.

She knows very little about Stephen, too. Though she's heard he has a brother also in the Capitol she never thought to look into it anymore than that, but now she has so many questions.

you wanted to be a escort?

[capitolprivilege]

"I did," he replies, his expression softening again, the cheer still there, but under the surface. "Is it that surprising? Though I suppose I shouldn't say that -- I surprised plenty of people with this career choice." It's wry. "They say I have no ambition. I say I don't want to turn out like the people who do."

[reassures]

it seems like you treat your tributes very well.

The implication in the wording being, of course, that most other escorts don't. Hell, it extends to almost every person that grew up in the Capitol, and Nill can't help but marvel a little bit at just how nice Stephen is given that he himself is a Capitolite. No one cared, and she has no idea how he ended up being the rare exception.

do you like being an escort?

[capitolprivilege]

He opens his mouth, smiles, lets out a half-laugh, closes his mouth and his eyes -- it's concealed hesitation, the response of someone who is trying to figure out very quickly how to answer a question that is both unexpected and not entirely comfortable. "Of course I do," he says. "I wouldn't be able to stand being anywhere else."

If she had been a Capitolite, he would have been able to formulate a quicker reply, a smoother lie. But she's a Tribute, and Stephen prefers not to be dishonest with them when he can help it. What he tells her isn't a lie, but it's a camera-safe truth.