thecapitol | Oh, this is the night and the heavens are right on this lovely Bella Notte

Oh, this is the night and the heavens are right on this lovely Bella Notte

Who| Everyone who signed up for blind dating!
What| An evening of romance, or disaster, take your pick.
Where| The Swift Cut restaurant
When| 16th June
Warnings/Notes| The course of true love never did run smooth. Remember that if your character was not rolled in arena but you signed up for them to be here, you will need to mark their death on fatality reporting.

The atmosphere at the Swift Cut this evening is bustling. It's clear from the moment one enters the restaurant that they have pulled all the stops out for this televised extravaganza.

Every fire is lit and the air is filled with the scent of the roasting meat on spits over the flames; boar, beef, pork, venison and more. Pots bubble with the smell of hot stew, vegetables are being roasted in ovens and from giant casks around the room beer is being drawn. The staff are in full 'barbarian' getup, consisting of skimpy furs on both the male and the female servers but luckily for you they don't seem to expect a similar dress code from their guests.

Tribute's stylists may have had other ideas, of course.

The giant room has been clearly divided. Tribute's will find themselves directed to one side while trueborn citizens of Panem and petitioned out individuals are brought to the other. It is left up to them to find their table with the number they will be handed upon entering the restaurant. Whether they are the first to arrive at their table is a matter of chance but they can be sure that a cameraman will always be there to capture the moment of realisation on both participants faces when they realise who their date is.

Once everyone is seated the music will begin the play. Minstrels strum lutes and harps, their voices filling the air softly with traditional medieval ballads. There is a space set aside for dancing if anyone is in the mood.

Throughout the evening, and certainly at the end, Tribute's and Capitolites will find themselves sporadically approached by the show host to be asked questions about how they feel the evening is going. It's up to them how honestly they answer, though they should remember the camera's are always watching.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She shakes her head. "If I may be completely honest for a moment, you're one of the few people here to whom I don't mind listening."

"I've been well, thank you, recent excitement aside. The floor is awfully quiet with everyone in the Arena." She adds the last part mostly for the benefit of any viewers, so they can remember just how well District 11 has been doing.

"And you? I would ask if you've had time to take a break, but I don't believe that's your style." The only people she knows who seem as busy are Cyrus and Leo. Not bad company to be in, in her opinion.

"I've always got something to do," he says with a chuckle. "Less so when a lot of people are out, but the Training Center is a busy place regardless. I've got no vacation plans--just my colleagues pestering me into events like this."

"I hope I'm not being too bold if I suggest that the 'pestering' might be good for you." Her smile remains gentle as she says it; she wouldn't want there to be any room to misconstrue her comment as scolding or anything more than a joke.

"What would you be doing now had you not been cruelly forced to participate?"

"Believe me, I've heard that before. I can't agree with you, though--it'd only encourage them. Pretty soon I'd end up getting dragged to weddings and dances and little kids' birthday parties and have no time at all."

He adjusts the cuff of his sleeve, his gaze flickering to one of the cameramen as he draws closer, then back as though he hadn't noticed the man at all. "Rehashing schedules, editing incident reports, ordering equipment. The usual."

She shakes her head. "How horrible. I hope you'll be spared."

Instead of looking to the cameraman, she watches Quintus, assuming that his reaction means that they're not being encroached on too much. "So you never take an evening for yourself, then? No hobbies?"

Her parents were the same way and she's not surprised to hear it of him. But it's a way of life she'll never understand.

"Nothing too interesting. When I get home at a decent hour I tend watch a lot of TV--not anything related to the Games; that's work. I got a subscription to one of those movie streaming services last year."

A waiter strolls up to take their drink order, suggesting beer, but Quintus requests a glass of whiskey instead. The cameraman reacts slightly as he names a middle-of-the-line bourbon, and he resists the urge to roll his eyes, imagining the advertising bylines that comment will inspire-- A Peacekeeper favorite! Strong enough to satisfy security!

"Do you watch movies?" he asks China. "I like a good comedy. Saw this one last week about a bunch of Peacekeepers dealing with wacky criminals out someplace that looked kind of like Eleven or Twelve. There was this one part where they're trying to figure out who started a bar fight and have to interview all these incoherent drunk people--it sure brought back some memories. I must've laughed for a good fifteen minutes straight."

China accepts the beer with a small nod; her preference is simply whatever she can sip (or pretend to sip) without compromising herself, so that drink suits her purposes just fine. Though she doesn't share the cameraman's visible excitement, she does take note of Quintus's choice in her endless mental file.

As they return to the conversation, her grin verges on unladylike. "Comedies? I never would have guessed."

But it makes sense, she supposes. With all he must see on the job, why would he want more tragedy or drama in his life?

"That's a much less romantic picture of Peacekeeping than I would have expected." Not that she imagines it's romantic in the least, but the Capitol needs to keep up recruiting somehow. "How many such bar fights required your attention and skills back in the day, hm? And how does today measure up to the good old days?"

"Oh, boy. There were a lot of them over the years, especially in the districts that in the past hadn't been as closely policed. Every so often I hear from one of my old buddies that's still deployed out there, and the day-to-day work sounds about the same as it was." He doesn't mention any specific district names, not wanting to pinpoint any one as a problem. "I've got to admit, it wasn't always that exciting of a job. In fact, 'exciting' usually meant bad news, as far as we were concerned. But there were a lot of good times, and a lot of camaraderie."

"Camaraderie." She nods her understanding. "No friendships like the fire-forged, they say. It's sweet that you keep in touch with them."

There's no hint of condescension when she says that and that's not only because of her acting. While the idea doesn't appeal to her at all, she won't necessarily look down on others for keeping their friends close. You never knew when you might need someone.

"I try. It can be tough tracking them down, especially since some of those outposts are in pretty rural areas. Hell, we didn't even have reliable phone service in Eleven most of the time." As soon as the words leave his mouth, he shrugs and smiles to soften the potential insult, as though to say isn't that something? how foreign, huh? "Letters usually get through, though. There's a lot of business correspondence still being done that way."

Both of her eyebrows raise. "I can only imagine the inconvenience--to your friends and their fellows as well as the permanent residents."

"The ability to adapt and make do never ceases to astound me."

Could she weather the same? She barely entertains the notion before dismissing it; no, likely not. And doesn't she deserve better, anyway?

"Mm-hm. I've seen a lot of districters manage a lot with relatively little, and I give them credit for that. We've got some quality people out there, civilians and peacekeepers."

Districters, said as though he isn't one--it's less intentional than unconscious, borne of years of travel and distance. He has no real ties to Two, not with the dysfunction of his family and the time he's spent elsewhere. He wouldn't fancy himself a capitolite, but doesn't feel like he quite falls into the opposing category, either. Perhaps, in terms of personal identity, he's somewhere in between.

"And plenty of quality people here too, of course," he adds with a grin.

China can think of a few capitolites who would be offended by his use of the term, chafing at any implication that he would be different from his fellows and thus seeing himself at their level. That reaction would be just absurd, thinks the woman who arbitrarily considers herself everyone's superior without a hint of irony.

She smiles warmly. "We need them."

For all her efforts to maintain the appearance of a pleasant soul, she can't resist joking around a moment. She leans forward, eyes wide with feigned surprise. "Here? Do you speak truly? Could you tell me where these hidden treasures are?"

Quintus laughs, checks to make sure that they're not currently being scrutinized by a camera, and quips, "I might have one of them in front of me."

What does China like better than flirting? The list is awfully short. Were she not the type to keep her true emotions under lock and key, she'd be purring right now. As it is, she flashes him one more smile before she dips her head.

"I regret to inform you that flattery will get you absolutely..." She pauses just for effect. "...everywhere. You've just flung open the gates to my heart, Quintus."

That pulls another laugh from him, and he's thankful for the timely return of the waiter with their drinks, as it gives him reason to avert his gaze and busy himself with his glass. It's been a while since he's really flirted with anyone, however casually, and he can't help but feel a tad awkward about it.

"Have I," he says when they're alone again, steeling himself with a sip. "Then I guess I'll go ahead and add that you look great in that dress. It's a nice alternative to the crazy themed stuff."

She bats her eyelashes and flashes her teeth in amusement. “Don’t I? I’m ever so glad you noticed.” Well, if he seems friendly enough to flirt, she decides they’re comfortable enough for her to let her ego off the leash a bit. “Crazy may draw the eye in the short-term, but class gives eternally.”

Pausing briefly, she attends to her drink. “While we’re on the topic… I suppose I shall reflect on my good fortune. Paired with someone who is not only looking stunning and dashing, but also speaking in a voice that could be music.”

Subtlety? Not here.

Quintus can feel the flush rise in his cheeks, and his eyes flick around nervously, as though expecting a camera to be shoved in front of him at any moment.

"Haven't gotten that one before," he says, smiling in embarrassment as he rests his face in his hand. "You really like my voice that much? I know I've still got a bit of a Districter accent going on."

"Such a thing should hardly be a detriment." She clucks her tongue playfully, still smiling.

Because he seems the type to appreciate compliments beyond the surface, she hazards another one before dipping back into her drink. "I find the content just as sweet as the sound, of course."

The vapidness of many Capitol conversations is a criticism she's been dancing closer and closer to voicing lately. That her suffering through such conversations is often due to her own efforts at flattery and manipulation, she doesn't blame at all.

"What can I say, you're good at bringing out my stories." His smile becomes a slightly more comfortable smirk. "And asking smart questions. Some of the stuff I've gotten--'they have parties out there?' 'couldn't you just shoot those troublemakers?' 'why were those kids freezing? couldn't they just turn the heat up?' Almost says more about the people here than it does the Districts."

She covers her mouth with her hand, but a laugh still rings out. "My goodness. And I imagine responding politely to those can be just as much a challenge as the rest of your job."

"I'd hardly call her a sympathizer, but my grandmother did her best to ensure she was as aware as she could be." Which wasn't always much, in this nation, but Grandmother Sorrows wasn't entirely without resources. "A pity she was never able to meet you."

He laughs too. "Things you learn through being a Peacekeeper--how to keep calm while dealing with idiots.

"Good for her. There's a lot of people that I think just get all comfortable in their own nice little corner of the world and don't want to peek outside of it, and they're really missing out." He wipes some of the condensation from the side of his glass. "Have you ever been on one of the district tours, or vacationed out there? I can't remember whether I ever asked."

"It's a valuable skill to have." Considering how many idiots there were in the world--it just wouldn't do to be constantly agitated because of them.

"I wasn't able to visit as much as I might have liked, but yes. I saw 11 when I was young, as well as a bit of 1."

"Oh yeah? It's been years since I was in One," he recalls. "My father was a retired Peacekeeper with some travel permits so I made a few trips there with my family when I was a kid. We used to go hiking and sledding and poke into all the little tourist shops. It was fun."

She smiles, imagining the memory. "It's a beautiful place, isn't it? Some of the things their craftspeople can do are amazing."

"Of course, I've heard great things about District Two as well. Leonidas was telling me all about some of the beautiful touches put on the buildings--I would love to see them someday."

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