thecapitol | Staffer's Retreat

Entry tags:

Staffer's Retreat

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Ah." Well, that makes sense. It's kind of a heavy-handed metaphor, but it's not so unlike something he might have used on Alternia to get a particularly ornery gaggle of people at one of his discussions to make nice.

"You're Torin, yes?" He wants to be sure he has the name right. Part of being a mentor is knowing the rest of the tower staff, so he's been working on learning. "District 2?"

"That's right." Torin gives him a broad smile and offers his hand for a handshake. "Torin Byrd, District 2. And I'd have to be living under a rock not to know who you are."

Signless returns the handshake, his grip firm but not aggressively so. It's still weird to realize that, at least for now, introducing himself is really just a formality. Everyone already knows who he is.

"About that. Twelve has never had the most active mentors -- though of course Katniss and Peeta can't be blamed for that. They've been very busy. My point is that beyond common sense I have only a very basic idea of how best to do my new job. I was wondering if you might have any advice? I don't they'll miss us if we stand at the edge of the group and talk."

He's done his duty and caught someone. Bonding time is over, business time is now.

Torin nods agreeably as he moves towards the edge of the group. "I doubt they'll expect me to be of much help in catching people, anyway." He'd rather be doing actual mentor-y things than trying to catch people with his one good arm; this works for him. "Best thing you can do when starting out is to build a good rapport with your Tributes. Get a sense of what they can and can't do. See what they'd be most interested in learning."

He nods. Much of that is stuff that he figured out on his own, but it's good to hear it repeated by someone who's been doing this for far longer than he has.

"And point them toward those who might teach them? I'm afraid I won't be of much help with weapons, though all of my tributes who want it will be given extensive survival training."

Survival is his one filled-out skillset, the one thing he knows he can teach, and coincidentally the one thing most tributes seem to have trouble with.

"All of the weapon training in the world won't be of much help when they find themselves dying of cold or dehydration."

"Exactly." Torin smiles. This one seems like he'll do just fine. "There are trainers available to assist you and your Tributes with the skills you're less comfortable with teaching.

"And it's good you'll be able to give them proper survival training. I've seen that overlooked far too many times." He shakes his head. "More than a few of mine have insisted only on weapons training. They regretted it."

"I can imagine," he says, thinking of the current arena and how any tributes without survival training for harsh environments are probably having a very, very hard time of it. Ugh.

"My main worry is less the arena side of things and more the... ah... marketing." It's word Effie would use (and he's suddenly struck by how much he still misses Effie). "If sponsorship and good public image will help them then I want to do my part to make it happen, but I don't entirely know where to start."

"Research always helps." This, at least, is something Torin has historically excelled at. "When you're starting out, pick a few likely-looking candidates, get an idea of who to talk to, and make sure you're as polite as possible when speaking to them. Your District's escort should be able to help you out with that." Though Torin does have to wonder how effective that would be. "Or if you see me out at a party, I can point out a few likely candidates for you. The ones who don't like Two quite so much might be excellent ones for you to speak with."

It rankles a little to think of things in terms of divisions between the districts, even though of course he knows that's the entire point. So many of the tributes ignore that and form alliances as they see fit, and personally he's of that same mind: they are all on one team, really. District is secondary to the fact that they're all prisoners.

Except he isn't anymore. He isn't, and the prisoners in cellblock 12 are depending on him specifically.

"That would be a wonderful help if you could. I imagine it's easiest to start building a network with just one or two and letting it grow naturally. Are those who dislike Two particularly partial to Twelve? I don't know the particular rivalries as well as I should."

Being a Victor is a different sort of prison, though there's not really any way for Torin to voice this opinion without getting himself thrown in jail.

"I don't know exactly which Districts some of them tend to be partial to--Two's historically a pretty strong competitor in the Games, and some of them like betting on long shots. Others may have more personal reasons...with Sponsors, it's hard to tell their motives at times."

Long shots. Twelve is certainly that, much as it pains him to admit it. His tributes are a good bunch and all skilled in their own ways, but compared to some of the contenders from either districts Twelve is undoubtedly the riskier bet. From what he's gathered that was true even before the Neverending Quell began.

"I'm assuming it's better to know them if you can, so as to more effectively sway them to your cause?" He's not going to pretend that he doesn't know there's some level of manipulation that's not just required but expected of him now.

"Is it more worth it to focus on a Sponsor who supports you but whose intentions aren't clear or one who is more uncertain but who you know how to persuade?"

Torin nods. "Some Sponsors require a different touch than others. Just like dealing with normal people, really, only..." he glances back towards the others. He doesn't think anyone is listening. "...very wealthy and oddly dressed."

That's an interesting question, and Torin takes a moment to think. "I tend to focus on the uncertain ones. If I know how to work with them, then it's possible to turn them into stronger supporters in the long one."

Oh, good. That was his first instinct and it's bolstering to have it validated. Maybe he's going to be better at this than he thought!

"And what does focusing on them entail? It seems too easy to simply keep asking after their support until they give it. There must be some kind of... protocol, even taking into account that every sponsor is different. Some list of expected formalities, like when you want to court someone."

"Nothing quite like that." Torin tries to think of a good example. "Are you familiar at all with how human politics works? It's not unlike that, though we don't bribe the Sponsors." He's not going to assume anything, like the idea that troll politics might operate similarly. "Most of them like to be complimented. You've got to make them think that you care about them, be polite, no matter what."

"So it's an elaborate pantomime friendship that I'm assuming the both of you know is just a formality?"

That sounds... surprisingly doable. He's good at being agreeable, though he doesn't know much about human politics so he might be vastly misinterpreting. He hopes he isn't. If all he has to do is be aggressively nice than his tributes will be drowning in money and the advantages money can buy.

Torin breaks into a wide grin. "That's one of the best ways I've heard it put." There's a nod. "For the most part, yes. Some of them might really think you're their friend, and some might be easier to deal with, but it's for the best if you look at it like a business relationship."

"So you would recommend discouraging actual friendships from developing, at least on your end?"

It would make it easier, he thinks, to think of sponsors not as close friends but as living resources. Business partners. Acquaintances at best.

It doesn't take long for Torin to come up with an answer. "Keep it professional. The fewer attachments you've got, the better." So his time in the Games has left him with more than a few attachment issues, but he likes to think it keeps him free to be an effective Mentor for his Tributes...that he also can't let himself get attached to...

"Do you think so?" Hm. That might throw a wrench into his plans, because he desperately needs attachments to keep from going insane.

"I assume you mean within the political sphere specifically, because I'm afraid I already have too many attachments otherwise. I've tried living here without anyone to be close to and it nearly killed me. I can't do it."

Torin nods. "The bulk of those you meet within the political sphere won't hesitate to cast you aside at a moment's notice." He snaps his fingers for emphasis. "As soon as they feel you've served your purpose, they'll move on to something else. It's a fickle little game most of them like to play."

"So. Keep political and personal separate." Okay. He can do that. He's already doing it with his own life, keeping his public and private personas separate in his mind even though they can't help but overlap.

"So the advisable thing would be to be the one doing the using, not the one being used, where at all possible."

Torin nods. "People can and will get used here. It's a fact of life. As long as you're aware of that and can use that to your advantage, you'll do all right here."

"I'll do my best to keep it in mind. It isn't so different functionally from the world I'm used to." Though he did try his best to escape that mindset -- spent his whole life fighting to overturn it, in fact. That doesn't matter. This isn't Alternia, what he hoped might work there he knows won't work here.

"Thank you. This has been extremely helpful."

"Different from the world many of us are used to back in the Districts, as well." Torin nods in understanding. Even if he'd been a little better prepared for it as a Victor from 2, it had still been overwhelming at first.

"You're very welcome. I know it's a lot to take in."

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Staffer's Retreat

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probably wrapping soon?

Sounds good!