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[jadaryl]

WHO| Eliot Spencer, Effie Trinket,
WHAT| A tribute arrives in Panem.
WHEN| Just a few days before the next Games start.
WHERE| In the District 3 suite at the Training Center.
WARNING/NOTES| None.


Eliot blinked in confusion as he woke up in a room he'd never seen before. He was positive he'd gone to sleep in his bed in his safehouse in Boston. They had just finished dealing with Latimer and Dubenich yesterday. He and Hardison had discussed possible designs for the "Eliot Signal" over a couple beers while Parker and Sophie had had their girl talk. Eventually, they'd all drifted over to the dartboard. He smiled at the memory. The relief over Nate's choice had been palpable over the thrill of success. The night was half over by the time they had gone their separate ways.

None of which explained why he had woken up here. He muttered threats under his breath. If this was one of Hardison's pranks, he'd pour the younger man's orange soda over his laptop. He ran a hand over his face as he sat up.

Eliot had not seen decadence like this since San Lorenzo and this looked nothing like the small, island country. It belonged to a different culture, one more Western. Perhaps Paris? He stood and walked to the window.

The scene outside looked like no city he had ever seen before. His lips parted in awe as he took in the unique architecture. It looked like the best of Russian, Greek, and Middle Eastern architecture blended somehow into a cohesive, widespread splendor. There was no way it could be real. Either he was still dreaming or Hardison had pranked him. He couldn't decide which was more likely.

Finally, he turned away from the window and opened the door to leave the bedroom. He stopped short as he saw a slender woman with pinkish-blond hair and odd make-up. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said with a self-depricating smile. "Is this your room? I didn't mean to intrude. I'm not entirely sure how I got here."

Comments

[mannersmatter]

This new place was huge. And Effie didn't know if the elevator had taken her to the wrong floor because of her own mistake, or because of a failure in it's design, but she liked to think it was the later.

The tribute areas all looked so similar that, with her nose buried in the paper work she was reading through, she didn't realize it wasn't her floor until the strange man spoke up. Since the photo of 12's new tribute was literally in her hands, she knew this man wasn't him.

"Oh, my, I am so sorry!" She said, stepping back and giving him a charming smile, obviously a bit flustered. "I seem to have gotten lost."

[jadaryl]

Eliot couldn't help a chuckle at the woman's flustered reaction. Her accent was... odd. There was a hint of England in it, but it was like no British accent he'd ever heard.

"Well, that makes two of us, darling," he said. "I swear, if Hardison pranked me again, I'm gonna make him practice take-downs with Parker every day for the next month."

[mannersmatter]

"Ah...oh. Yes."

He must be one of the new tributes. She bit her lip, wondering where his escort was. The games were going to start soon, and they must have just pulled him from his home world.

But really, she had her won tributes, and his escort should be doing her job. So instead of trying to break him in gently, she decided to avoid the subject all together.

"Take downs?" She asked, giving him a smile. She would, however, make sure he was at least settled in here. To do anything less would be rude.

((You wanted him to not know much about the games before hand, right?))

[jadaryl]

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "Taking down an attacker without killing him."

He shrugged. "Parker needs the practice. Besides, this isn't the first time he's pulled something crazy. So where exactly am I?"

[mannersmatter]

"Uhh, well you should have someone along to help you with that soon." She smiled graciously, apologetically. "I'm sorry, this isn't really, well...my area."

"So you're good at taking people out without killing them? Does that happen a lot?"

Well. It didn't hurt to find out any information she could.

[jadaryl]

Eliot blinked. "Your... area?" he asked. "And, yeah, in my line of work, it tends to happen a lot."

[mannersmatter]

She shrugged, vaguely. Better to not say anything if she could help it.

"What is your area of work, if you don't mind me asking?" She started towards the living area, figuring if they were going to chat they might as well be comfortable while doing it.

[jadaryl]

Eliot followed her casually. "I'm a..." He hesitated briefly, hoping she wouldn't read too much between the lines. "Retrieval specialist."

[mannersmatter]

She tilted her head, frowning slightly.

"What do you retrieve?"

[jadaryl]

"Whatever I get hired to retrieve," he replied simply. "Although things work differently with a team."

[mannersmatter]

"Ah. So like...lost pets and such?" Effie asked, a little confused by this line of discussion. She felt like she should already know what he was talking about.

Do Eliot's mentors even know there's a new District 3 tribute?

[jadaryl]

Eliot shook his head, chuckling slightly at how tame that sounded. "Never been sent after a lost pet," he said. "More like weapons, rare jewelry, occasionally a child that's been abducted."

[mannersmatter]

"Oh."

Well, that was much more interesting.

"So are you trained in like...combat and fighting and such?"

((OOC-They are Non-Playable Characters (NPCs) so until someone applies for them you are sorta controlling them. Just sorta assume they're generally doing what's needed, unless you want to use them for a bigger plot, and then grab us.))

[electriccandlelight]

Valeria was starting to feel like there was some sort of conspiracy brewing against her. A conspiracy to keep her from doing her damn job properly, which had somehow ended up with one of her Tributes out of reach and the other popping up just hours ago. There weren't even any interviews or public appearances left before the next Games started, what was the point in handing Valeria a doll she couldn't even use yet?

And to top it all off the elevator doors open to reveal Effie Trinket ready to board, wonderful. Not feeling up to dealing with her or any of the other 12 people Valeria just sidestepped her with a sniff, then spotted Eliot standing in the hallway already. Her eyes widened. The pictures she'd glimpsed before running up here had not done him any justice. "Hello, my darling."

[jadaryl]

Eliot blinked as he took in the effervescent, dark-skinned, pink-haired woman. He resisted the urge to squirm as he practically felt her sizing him up like a piece of meat. He forced a smile onto his face despite his increasing frustration with this place. He had reached the point where he just wanted to hit something.

[electriccandlelight]

Valeria clasped her hands in front of her face thoughtfully, looking Eliot up and down. She'd never realized before just how...limiting it was working with such young Tributes. This was no child, that was for certain, and just at first glance she could tell he was much more fit than the usual District 3 project she got. She tilted her head, then made a twirling motion with her fingers. "Spin for me, dear, let me get a full picture."

[jadaryl]

Eliot stared at her. "Excuse me?" he asked, not moving. Was this woman for real? "Why? And who are you?"

[electriccandlelight]

Valeria blinked, then shook her head, laughing. "Of course, I'm sorry, I'm just so used to having a prep team to take care of things, explain and," she made a vague gesture at Eliot, "...tidy up. I'm your Stylist, Valeria." She moved forward, reaching a hand out to run her fingers through his hair. "Is this your real hair?"

[jadaryl]

Eliot blinked. If this was a prank, Hardison must've recruited Sophie. But it was looking more and more like this wasn't some new prank. Although what it was, Eliot had no idea. "My... stylist?" he asked. "When and why did I get a stylist? I think you must have me mixed up with someone else."

He backed away uncomfortably as she began to touch his hair. "And of course it's my real hair. Why wouldn't it be?"

He sighed and brushed a stray piece of hair out of his face. "Look, can you please just tell me where my team is? I haven't seen them since I woke up here and I'm getting worried about them. They should have shown up by now."

[electriccandlelight]

"Oh, no, no mistake, you are definitely Eliot Spencer, my newest project. I read your file." 'Read', skipped over the scant facts about his height, weight, etc. to focus on his picture before running over, however you want to say it. "And you have a stylist so that I can make you look good, make you stand out, be noticed."

She twirled a lock of hair around her fingers, fascinated, then let it drop and began walking around Eliot to get a full look herself. "Oh, I'm just not used to seeing Tributes with long hair let down, they're usually so practical about everything, it's just awful, isn't it?"

She paused in her survey, tilting her head thoughtfully. "Team?" she repeated, confused. "What team? I was told you were the only new Tribute for me today."

[jadaryl]

"How the hell do you know my name?" he growled, finally reaching the end of his rope. "And I don't want to stand out or be noticed. It's a good way to get killed. Or arrested."

He pulled his hair away from her, turning as she walked so he could see her. "Practical's a pretty good thing where I come from. Practical keeps you alive. And... Tribute?! What the hell?"

That wording really bothered him. It was like... It sounded like the wording he would expect from a conquering country that claimed slaves from newly conquered nations or in exchange for not attacking a neighboring country. In other words, it sounded like an obsolete custom. Unless this was some sort of illegal sado-masochistic trafficking ring. And how would he have gotten mixed up in that?! "What the hell are you talking about and what the hell have you done to my crew?"

[electriccandlelight]

Valeria took a step back, eyes wide. She wasn't exactly used to belligerent Tributes, even these new ones fetched from somewhere...outside of Panem, she didn't really think about it much. She decided not to point out just yet that standing out and being noticed was a good way to save his life at this point.

"You don't--nobody's explained anything?" She felt uncertain and Valeria hated feeling uncertain. She looked around uselessly. This was the job of an escort! What was Effie Trinket doing here if not explaining things? Hell, where was District 3's actual escort, for that matter?

[jadaryl]

Eliot gritted his teeth and shook his head. "Nothing," he confirmed. "I don't even know where the hell I am."

[electriccandlelight]

Valeria blinked. "Oh. I see. Hm. Awkward..." She tapped her finger on her lips thoughtfully. "It's not usually my job to explain these things," she said carefully, which was something of an understatement. Until recently, of course, nobody explained the very basics of the Games. Everybody just knew. She didn't even know where to start.

"It's just you," she settled on eventually. "They pick Tributes from...wherever one at a time, so you're the only one, no one from your 'team' or whatever." She frowned. "Unless they're already here, of course."

[jadaryl]

Eliot sighed. For the loner he'd been just a few years ago, he found himself surprised by how lost he felt now that the rest of the team was out of reach. And yet he couldn't help the relief that they were safe. It was just him. He could live with that.

"But... tribute?" he asked. "What the hell is that about? What kind of madness is that about?"