Staffer's Retreat

[whatisay]

WHO| Every Escort, Stylist and Mentor. Any Capitolites or Peacekeepers who might have reason to oversee or visit.
WHAT| A professional retreat for the overworked, underpaid, and super underappreciated Tribute Care Teams.
WHERE| A chalet in District One, easily accessible by train.
WHEN| Before the next death roll.
WARNINGS| Typical Capitolites being entitled asshats.
NOTES| I've put up some subthreads for various activities, if you want to add more just do so under the appropriate day subheader!

Staffer's Retreat. Mandatory. The teams for each District are given a handful of days to prepare for the weekend, which, they're told, is going to be scheduled for a weekend with no big shake-ups in the Arena and perfect weather for outdoor activities. On Friday morning, they're taken by train to a small chalet tucked into a mountainside. A few inches of snow covers the ground but the sky is clear, reflected in the beautiful lake at the base of the mountain.

Until Sunday evening, their days will be packed with "professional development". The schedule looks something like this:

Friday:
Icebreakers
Trust Falls
Hypothetical Scenarios: How to Be the First Person Chosen for a Bomb Shelter
Three-Legged Race
Self-Care Hour: Mandatory Yoga
Dinner
Breaking Down Stereotypes Workshop

Saturday:
Mandatory Mentor Group Therapy: PTSD is Not An Excuse
Mandatory Escort/Stylist Workshop: Building Trust with Your Tributes
Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training: Focus on Tribute/Mentor and Tribute/Escort Relationships
Lunch
Capture-the-Flag
Group Lego-Building
Dinner
12am Karaoke

Sunday:
5:30am Continental Breakfast
Compliment Circle
Journal Hour
Farewells

Comments

China Sorrows

[contrarianlibrarian]

"China Sorrows. Daughter of Sofronia who in turn was the daughter of Thalea. Neither of whom saw fit to share with me more than that. 'Aren't we all daughters of Panem?' were their words, I believe."

She leans forward to her partner, something of a mischievous look on her face. "Personally, I think they said that only to be sanctimonious, but who am I to question?"

[sergius]

Sergius just nods, bewitched by her charming look of mischief. "Oh, yeah. For sure. Super sanctimonious. Totally."

A moment or two later, he recovered his senses with a cough. "Yeah, so anyway. I'm Sergius. My mom is Petronia and my grandma is Paloma and my great-grandma is Florentina. They're all three alive still. Yaya Florentina's own mother, Esperanza only died a couple of years ago. I guess they women in my family are long lived or something."

[contrarianlibrarian]

China prefers not to rush into any decisions, but she decides she likes this man. There's just something so pleasant about a person who looks at you with that expression.

She leans forward as he recites the list, nodding as if committing each name to memory. "Fascinating. Do the men in your family not share this trait? That would truly be unfortunate."

[sergius]

"Some of them do." he says, shrugging ruefully. "My papi is still alive, but his father was killed in an accident. He was hit by a car when my father was just a baby. And my grandfather didn't know who is father was. Romulus was his mother's family name."

That admission wasn't exactly a shameful one, but it designated his family as one of low enough status that their precise origins had been muddied over time. The Romulus family didn't have the skeletons of say, the Compson's or even the Rey's, but they weren't one of the older, richer, prouder families of Panem. They were Capitolites, but they were workers, laborers, management.

[contrarianlibrarian]

She nods slowly, offering a careful frown. Sympathetic, but not so deep that it'll leave lines--can't have that. "Be sure to care for yourself, then."

"A lovely name, nonetheless; origin matters little, I'd say. I've found some of my most valuable books slumped on the shelves of little secondhand stores."

Which is not at all the same thing as a family legacy and the comparison to any normal person would probably be no comfort at all. But China tries.

[sergius]

"Yeah?" That was a fresh, new sentiment coming from a rich and pretty Capitol lady like China. Origins meant the world to so many people here, with their pedigrees and family trees. Sergius almost felt like maybe this was a new leaf about to be turned. "You're something else, you know that? I mean that in like, the best possible way. You're a classy lady, China."

[contrarianlibrarian]

"Oh, dear..." Even as she trails off, her smile grows at the compliment.

She ducks her head, suddenly staring at her lap as if shy. "Please. You and your words are far too kind."

[sergius]

Sergius laughed then, shaking his head. "Don't even, girl. I say what I mean, and I say what I think. Most of the other clowns here think I'm a joke because my family's not loaded. You don't meet a lot of people who'd give a guy like me a chance. 'Least, not people from the Capitol."

[contrarianlibrarian]

"Money can be made, but charm and personality are inherent. Honesty as well." And despite being a profoundly dishonest person, she did appreciate it in others.

She made a quiet show of ever so slightly sweeping her eyes around the room before looking back to him with another mischievous smile. "...And so hard to find sometimes. Don't be put off by someone who can't see the value in it."

[sergius]

He followed her gaze, looking around the room at their assorted companions. It was true, Sergius was transparent in his candor at times. It had served him well thus far. But it didn't make for an easy existence in a world populate by schemers and greedy dirtbags.

"I'll take that to heart," Sergius smiled back at her. "Being attractive can only get you so far in life. If you can't hold down a conversation, you're screwed. And if you're obviously a liar and a sneak, well..." He trailed off with a laugh. "That's no way to make friends. And in the end, no one wins when they do it solo. That's a shitty strategy and it doesn't work."

[contrarianlibrarian]

Inside, China would wholeheartedly disagree on the disadvantages of flying solo. But she likes this man and thinks he could be useful, so she nods eagerly and follows along.

"And so lonely, too. One can't speak of life's pleasure by oneself. Unless you happen to be crazy."

[sergius]

"Look," Sergius said with a laugh, "There's a lot of crazy in this town, and believe you-me, you're better off if you distance yourself from all them. It might be a hassle, developing people skills and all, but you can't get anywhere in this system without connections. Even the most melancholy and solitary Tribute needs an ally. Or if not an ally, a sponsor, you dig?"

[contrarianlibrarian]

"Yes, certainly. I 'dig'."

Inside, she wrinkled her nose at the phrase; it was one she wouldn't keep in her vernacular, but when in Rome...

"You know a lot when it comes to people, it seems. That must be quite an advantage in your position." Meaning not only his job, but also the social difference he'd mentioned before.