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

[etcircenses]

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.

Comments

Date Tables

[etcircenses]

Your date awaits. Each table is numbered for you. The cameras are rolling.

Table 16 | Zed and Nick

[whydoyoushine]

Zed's not sure why he signed up for the whole blind date thing. It's not like his last brush with arranged romance went smoothly. But it was something to do, something to avoid thinking about the Arena and the way he'd gone out, and so he decided to do the thing.

Being out of the Arena means he's got access to body glitter again, even if his stylists seemed to want to take cues from his Shadow form--because wasn't that impressive! such a distinctive look!--and he'd angrily refused. Instead, he'd allowed them to coat him with a thin layer of silver body glitter, which went splendidly with the equally glittery, equally silvery suit he was wearing. Capitol fashion was strange, but he was more than willing to roll with it.

Really, the table was probably already going to be covered with a fine dusting of glitter by the time his date got there.

[fuckitall]

Many assholes want to see Nick suffer in the arena while others just want to see him destroyed a little via embarrassment. Social situations just make it all the more easier for them - as part of a televised broadcast no less. He fared better at the last Crowning because the setting was somewhat familiar but the medieval setting isn't. Normally, it'd remind him of fantasy videogames he'd used to play or one of those reenactments of the Renaissance periods, but instead his thoughts consist of the arena and what went down there and what still could happen.

He has gone on dates before, but he never liked going on blind ones. Once he gets to the table with his assigned number, he frowns so low upon recognizing the man as the one he had spoken with in the comms before. He's gotten bad vibes from him since then and what he saw in the arena doesn't make it any better.

He takes the seat across from Zed, but not before removing the coat to reveal a simple, gray button up collar shirt. The dark aesthetic he has going on (that seems to suit him, according to the stylist) seems to be a stark contrast of...quite possibly the shiniest get up he has seen around here.

Nick places the coat behind his chair, looking at Zed because he was more or less forced to be here.

"Looks like you didn't make it far," Nick says, leaning back against the chair and ignoring all urges to slouch. It's not the nicest way to say hello, but he's swimming so much in his negative thoughts towards the Capitol to really care. Still, he's struggles on what to actually say...

"Got somethin' to talk about?" Gray-blue eyes still on Zed while also hoping that small talk will make the evening go quicker. Those friends that remain in the arena are still on his mind.

Table 9 | Quintus and China

[lex_paciferat]

The first thing Quintus does upon entering is to make a sweep of the room with his eyes, pinpointing exactly where the cameramen are. Though he deals with the media on a daily basis, it's a bit unsettling to be watched by cameras whose footage he won't have access to, won't be able to edit or restrict. He knows full well how ravenous an audience the Capitol can be, what sort of drama they revel in, and he's determined to not show them anything that might dampen his public image.

Aside from his scar, he looks the part of a Capitolite tonight, clad in a deep green suit in lieu of the usual blues and grays he favors while out of uniform. As always, his pistol holster sits beneath his jacket, briefly visible as he withdraws his wallet, displaying his military ID (the employee at the door doesn't ask for it, but he produces it anyway out of old habit.) He's here somewhat early, and thus finds himself at an empty table, turning in his seat to rest his heel against his knee as he looks over the incoming guests, hoping against hope that he didn't get paired with someone too obnoxious.

[contrarianlibrarian]

China's eschewed the rough and ragged style of the restaurant in favor of a sleek black evening dress, her standard attire for these occasions. Her tattoos aren't in keeping with the theme either, but she's sprung for boldness with them. The twisting swirls and circles are bright reds and blues, done up to glow slightly.

She enters the room after Quintus, right on the dot for the event to start. She effects surprise when she sees him, raising both eyebrows and waving her hand in front of her mouth. Really, she's just masking her relief at being paired with someone she considers decent.

She makes her way to the table without hurry, not hiding a smile as she seats herself. "Oh my, it seems I'll be imposing my presence on you again this evening. I'm terribly sorry."

Table 19 | Terezi and Kurt

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi has barely had a chance to settle back into the Capitol life before she finds herself whisked away to some new social function. Just after school, her stylist instructs her to come straight back to the Tower where she's summarily dolled up in a gauzy light blue dress and matching slipper flats. She patiently endures the makeover, wondering silently what sort of party or function she's been signed up for this time.

She doesn't have to wonder long.

The idea of a blind date is foisted on her almost as soon as her makeup is finished. Terezi looks incredulous for all of a few seconds before resigning herself to her fate. It's not like she can say no. They'll make her go whether she wants to or not. Inwardly, she's partly angry at whoever decided that she needed to hit the dating scene again. She had a matesprit...until they avoxed him. She had a moirail...until they left her for dead. She doesn't want anyone else in her life like that. She doesn't want to fill those holes, not when they still feel full to her.

But maybe she should, that creeping voice in the back of her mind reminds her. If someone thought to sign her up, obviously she's not putting the distance she needs to be between her and Initiate. Or if she is, maybe they're expecting her to move on already? That train of thought leads to some dangerous conclusions, and by the time she's been escorted to the Swift Cut, Terezi has made up her mind to at least be open about the idea of giving the Capitol something to gossip about.

Taking her ticket, Terezi walks to the table and finds that she's the first to arrive. Frowning at the two empty chairs, she takes one and seats herself, leaning one elbow on the table as she waits. Hopefully she won't have to endure anyone too annoying... That's about as much as she can reasonably hope for.

[middleversed]

While Terezi managed through her makeover without much mishap, Kurt's stylist didn't really seem to know what to do with someone covered in fur and who insisted on remaining brooding the entire time. At least he didn't fight it though, and if asked at a better time then Kurt might even say that he liked the outfit his stylist had picked but he doesn't have much capacity for anything but being morose.

He'd tried to explain he already had a girlfriend at home, that this would be like cheating on her and he doesn't want to do it, can't do it, would never do it! It takes an explanation from the surprisingly patient prep team to spell it out for him; if he wants to survive in subsequent Arenas, he needs sponsors. To get sponsors, he needs to be visible, and likable.

Which is why Kurt arrives only a few minutes after Terezi, coming to the table with a single red rose and an awkward smile that's nearly a grimace to anyone close enough to notice. "Good evening, miss. My name is Kurt Wagner and I will be your date this.. um. Evening."

Great, he said evening twice. Fantastic start.

Oh even better. It turns out his date is the same girl he'd pestered in class with a note who'd shut him down hard. This is going to be a complete disaster...

Table 7: Harley and Porrim

[fusshionable]

It hadn't been all too hard to convince Porrim to sign up for a blind date for charity; even though she's pretty sure that 'charity' is actually the Capitol's coffers, she's also in a weird enough place in her love life that hell, it can't hurt.

Can it?

She waltzes into the Swift Cut wearing a dress that, while not exactly in keeping with the theme of the place, is still rather eye-catching. It's a floor length black velvet gown with a plunging neckline that shows off the fact that yes, those tattoos do travel all across her body, not just her arms and legs. Porrim's handed a number, and she makes her way across the restaurant to table 7, inhaling the tantalizing smell of roasting meat.

She's the first to arrive at her table, but she manages to look relaxed--posture graceful and easy, not checking the door every few seconds. She's good at waiting.

Table 21 | Gritta and Karkat

[shiningeyes]

Everything happened so quickly, that there was no time for Gritta to protest that she didn't particularly want to go on a date. Arranged romance had not worked out pleasantly for in the past. And though it was the very definition of hopeless to continue to pine for a dead man, her feelings for General Schwarz were ones that she was not yet ready to set aside. This was all too soon... but the promise of a good meal soothed her. And her District's stylist even put her in a cute sack dress and gave her a headband of complimentary pastel flowers. She felt very pretty. And that was enough to soothe some of her misgivings long enough to get her to the restaurant and settled in her seat.

She casts wide-eyed looks all about while waiting for her date to arrive. Everything is new, everything is strange, everything needs to be understood... and also, she can catch the dim light reflecting off of Zed's suit from all the way over here and she can't help but keep an anxious eye on him in the absence of anything larger to fret about.

Table 17 | Luke and Anders

[burningdaylight]

D2’s Stylist has done their best they could; after all, signing Luke up was their idea, at least in part. A snip of a chin hair here, with surgical precision, a dab of concealer there over sleepless shadows and fresh, angry-looking bruises – and voila! Luke almost looks like he isn’t running on empty. But his eyes tell a different story.

It’s never easy, coming back from an arena. Much less finding himself back in a body that hasn’t known proper food and rest for more than brief moments at a time. Lean with hunger, with grief. But luckily for him - his Stylist had assured him - thin is in! -- and they had stuffed him into jeans and an unbuttoned Henley that fit him well. Too well, maybe, accentuating his angles and edges.

He looks around at others tables, not knowing what to do with himself while waiting for company. It’s been a long time since he’s been on any sort of formal date – long before he has gotten into the habit of noting escape routes any new place he steps into, in any case. And it’s been even longer since he’s felt a dull nervousness humming in his belly at the prospect of meeting up with someone new. Not just meeting, but, hell -- being approached by someone who might be walking into this with hopes and expectations.

Can any honest good come of something arranged by Capitol-folk?

Table 9 | Meulin and Peggy

[furgood]

It had been a somewhat trying time since Meulin had found herself signed up for blind dating. She hadn't exactly been thrilled by the idea given she was still getting used to the Capitol itself, but she had been coaxed into the idea. Watching the tributes from afar, seeing how things went, it was pretty much perfect for her next article. And chances were, things would go decently, not spectacular but not terrible.

Her flowing green evening gown doesn't match the theme at all, but paired with a heaping of golden chainmail jewlery and an eyecatching pair of headphones turned tiara, she blends in well enough. Settled into her seat, she pulls out a notebook, green with gilded edges for the occasion, and a pen and waits.

There's a lot to watch after all.

Table 14 | Ellis and Lilah

[shiftingurbulls]

Ellis should not be that surprised that there are that many cameras in the restaurant...and yes, he might have waved at one of them, It's a bad habit of his, but it helps him deal with better with the fact that he was on his own on this time. No Nick to snark at, no Rochelle on sight...he wasn't too keen on the whole fancy suit and robin's egg blue shirt justification. As well as it fit him, the stylist just kept giving him cues of what his grumpy and very dead friend would do.

As if the wound wasn't already virulent as it was.

But El was a fighter and he merely nodded and waited for his date, hat on his lap and hands fidgeting. Of course he'd be the perfect gentleman as soon as his date arrived, and he'd shake his hand. Yes, it was for charity and yes, it was all a show, but even the Capitol should be treated to some good ol' Georgia manners! "Evenin'!"

Table 4- Linden and Cyrus

[dead_black_eyes]

Linden almost didn't make it tonight, and it isn't even because he inherently thinks the blind dates are a stupid waste of time. He's spent most of the day at the doctor's, getting rebuked for dealing with his failing liver by drinking more frequently and in increasing quantities. His argument that the organ is done for anyway and he might as well kill it the rest of the way didn't go over so well, and almost got him held longer for suicidal behavior.

No, that isn't it. I like living. Maybe too much.

It doesn't help that he also got into a fight with Jason Compson, leaving the other man with a vicious bite mark on his hand and Linden with a heavy, dark black eye that makeup does little to cover.
The stylists hadn't been thrilled with him when he'd shown up later than anyone had expected him to and given them precious little to work with.

They aren't fresh track marks. I had a lot of blood drawn today, lay off and take this yellow out of my skin. If you're going to worry about anything, the shiner takes precedent, don't you think?

6's stylists are good, but they aren't wizards, and the result is Linden looking somber and peaked, but at least the effect is on purpose. His clothes are dark leather and fit close on his sparse frame, and his makeup emphasizes the contrast between his pallor and the dark shadows that appear where the skin is pulled tighter over the bones of his skull. When he arrives, he notices that beer is on tap and plays with the idea of maybe staying sober this evening, sticking to water and having a conversation with his partner. Maybe it's Stephen, Peggy or Temple and they can shoot the shit for an hour while they wait for their hearty, expensive courses to cycle through.

Please, no, don't let that be my table.

"You're sure I'm at 4?" He asks a touch desperately.

"Quite sure, Mr. Lockhearst. Enjoy your date with Cyrus Reagan."

"I need a beer."

"What size, Mr. Lockhearst?"

"Just put a keg by our table."

Table 11 | Signless and Leo

[69problems]

This is, more or less, Signless's first real public appearance since the Initiate was avoxed. He's been out and about of course -- it wouldn't do to disappear for over a month -- but he hasn't exactly been seeking out the spotlight. The sheer amount of cameras here is a good reminder of how imperative it is for him and what little social standing he has that tonight goes well.

So of course his date would be Leonidas Cora. His expression flashes quickly between surprise, barely-contained horror, and barely contained-laughter. Of course. Alright. At least tonight won't be boring.

He settles himself at the table, shrugging off his heavily-embroidered outer mantle. It's a bit too hot in here for it. Beneath is a simple red and white striped shirt with sleeves that reach only to his elbows (gotta show off those tattoos). The various charms on his necklace glint in the light.

"I really must have amazing luck. Out of everyone, I get to spend the night with you." Is he being sarcastic? Hard to say. At least Leo is someone he knows.

Table 3 | Cassian and Emily

[conifer]

Emily found this whole event distasteful. Even worse for her than memories of her Arena were the memories of what came after, Snow's insistence that as a new, young, pretty Victor she sell herself to the cream of the Capitol. This may be for charity, and it may only be a dinner date, but it brings back the feeling of being cheapened, and it sticks inside her as she makes her way over to the restaurant.

She'd let Cassian dress her. She'd never really been one for fashion, and she figured that at least she could do some good tonight by promoting her District's new Stylist. When she arrives at the table she orders a glass of wine and sits rather stiffly with her hands clasped on the table, people watching until her date arrives.

Table 20 | Gary and Pietro

[a_minute_younger]

Gary has noticed that, in general, he's always happier to get back to the Capitol after an Arena. This is hardly surprising, given how stressful and unpleasant (on principle) Arenas are, but tonight, Gary finds himself especially grateful to be back. He lives for this kind of bullshit! Couldn't have signed up faster, honestly. The dimmed lights, the sappy music, the hilariously over-the-top outfits...the cameras. It's a lovely evening with lovely company (or at least Gary assumes it will be lovely company), and he's hard-pressed to think of a better way to spend his time.

He practically skips to table twenty. There's a few minutes to wait, probably. He can prepare. He can make this exquisite. Gary is already enthusiastically trying to convince his waiter to get his table a bottle of their finest dessert wine, though he's quick to settle for a couple of bottomless Shirley Temples instead. He has no idea who to expect when he gets there. A stunning Tribute lady in an elaborate dress? A squirming fangirl from the Capitol? One of President Snow's plants? Who knows! Gary doesn't, and for him, that's half the fun of it.

Table 18 | Jane and The Iron Bull

[cowcatcher]

Jane detours to the bar before trying to find her assigned table when she's ushered into the restaurant. By the time she finds the matching placecard, her highball is half-downed. She feels shrunken in her dress and heels, a shadow of what she looked like yesterday, before she died. Every bit of the muscle she had managed to gain between this arena and the last is gone, leaving her in the exact state she had been in when she first arrived: pared down and running on empty.

In a room surrounded by tributes, victors, and cameras, Jane feels like she's nowhere near enough of a threat as she should be. She's seated now, hunched and scanning the room for a face she can trust. In her mind she shuffles through possible matches despite trying to shut out everything beyond the burn of the alcohol in the pit of her stomach. At least it's a kinder burn than the fist of bile clenched just under her ribs. The smell of food, too rich for a body used to making do with the contents of a tin can, threatens to overwhelm her. Everything about this could make her sick.

All she wants is a bit of control back; to be able to tell everyone to fuck off and leave her alone, though she won't give the camera crews circling the tables like vultures the satisfaction of capturing more than a frigid glare. She's too raw right now, fresh off yet another loss and desperate for a chance to slink off somewhere dark and lick her wounds.

Drinking helps, and it helps fast. The liquor may not go down easy, but she's nothing if not hell-bent on keeping it down. Tonight doesn't mean anything to her - it's just one more thing she can't get away from.

Table 2| Wesker and Temple

[president_evil]

Whether his signup had been done to punish him, another, or both, Wesker couldn't say for certain. Regardless, however he imagined responding in kind to whoever had signed him up, Wesker submitted to the event with less fuss than one might have imagined.

There was nothing he could do to stop it, for one; and for two, finding a way to keep himself in the Capitol's good-graces was something worth pursuing. The longer he could remain above reproach, the easier his efforts would be.

So, there he was, promptly as instructed, pursuing a menu with feigned interest. Thinking, thus far, his date (of an empty chair) was well worth the effort.

Table 15 | James and Tony

[inrestlessdreams]

Finally settling down to his table, James was still figuring out what he overheard. Maybe he was hallucinating that conversation, maybe he heard something he wasn't supposed to. Either way, it visibly troubled the man as he waited for his assigned date and the show to start. But if there was one advantage of recovering from the Arena and the mistakes he committed there, is that he always looked like he was mourning. Maybe that's why the District 3 escort signed him up for this event.

"Uh, good evening...?" James greeted the incoming date, and put up the best face he could. Maybe this could be a good...thing?

Table 13 | Kurloz Makara & Sigma Klim

[quiethumerus]

Caiaborus won't mind. It is not a meagre self assurance but the truth. Caiaborus hardly thinks them as dating, willing to indulge in flings of his own, calling only when his tastes swayed him so. It allows him freedom to flirt with who he wants, whenever, but also to have no excuse for escaping the clutches of blind dating.

He is already mute, must he really be blind to his dates as well? Truthfully though, he doesn't mind this. If anything, this may truly be fun, and even if it went poorly, he could still look nice for it. Though the medeival theme is ever tempting, it is important a date sees the person as they are, which in this case meant a spined gown, a dark neck piece, a crown of bones, elegant shoes, and matching makeup. His hair has been curled precisely, and his hands and arms made to look like the afters of burned out stake and witch, all blackened charcoal, the makeup sealed so it will not smear or spread, feeling like a second skin. To match theme in other ways he has brought ink and quil pen for his paper pad, just in face he should need it.

With legs folded, he almost starts on feeling giddy. Until he notices Meulin across the room, sitting at another table. Of course she'd be here! It was the prime opportunity for gaining gossip as per her article. This is not the issue. The issue is who dared to seat themselves with her.

He is intending to watch and see, when his own... date arrives.

Well then.

Table 12 | Stephen and Rochelle

[somegrimshit]

Rochelle felt like shit, like hell warmed over, and everything bad in the world. Luckily, she had a stylist to ensure that she looked like none of these things. Her dress picked out to cleverly hide all the scars that had come back on her skin, as fresh as the day she had come from her world, and cut to hide her malnourished frame. Make up did the rest, and she came out of her stylist's clutches looking like she actually belonged in a place like this, instead of being taken out back and put out of her misery.

And they'd seated her in the Capitolite section. Unless she'd gotten shuffled out of the tributes with no one telling her, that would mean that her date was a Capitolite. And that made her nervous. She'd had a decent relationship with all the Capitolites she'd met thus far, but she'd always made sure to not make any trouble. Not do anything that would make them get angry. And of course, there were some genuinely good ones. But despite all of this, there was one thing that Rochelle was aware of: They all held a definitive power over her.

But doing anything skeevy...That wouldn't be allowed, right? She took a deep breath, and urged herself to relax. If she wanted to make any kind of good impression, she had to look interesting when the cameras were on her. So she swallows down her apprehension, and grabs a menu, browsing it over. She can do this. Her eyes flit over to Ellis, on the other side of the restaurant. She has to talk to him, later. They haven't gotten any time to speak since she came back.

Table 1 | Jason and Shiloh

[whatisay]

Jason hasn't bothered to get dressed in any particularly special way for a date he has no actual enthusiasm about attending, and so when he shows up at the restaurant he's in as plain a black suit as is allowed by Capitol standards when he takes his seat. He's a little early, and so he's drinking water and smoking a vapor opposite an empty seat for a while while he peruses the menu.

As soon as he sees Shiloh, he sits back up, lip curling.

"I'm not going to 'date' District trash," he says bluntly. "It's bad enough Celebrus speculates about it."

Table 5 | Torin and Derek

[bravelyplucked]

Torin can't say he was looking forward to this. Even at his age, he still got the old familial pressure that he needed to find someone, and that, combined with the insistence that it would be good to raise his profile a bit, had led him to sign up if only to get his sister and niece to shut up about it. Unlike them, he harbored no illusions that this would actually result in anything, but he'd d

He was wearing one of his favored white suits with a blue shirt and red tie, and he was perusing a menu as he sat at his table and waited for his date to arrive. Even if he wasn't looking forward to this endeavor, he could still be polite about it. Maybe they'd manage to have a nice time despite Torin's misgivings.

Table 10 | Jolie and Beck

[reallynow]

Any Stylist worth their salt brings out the big guns for an event with this kind of media coverage, but Jolie can't help being particularly pleased with her outfit once she realises she's been paired with another Stylist. Of course she's in drag, the look is on point and thematically appropriate when she swans over to Beck and their table with a wide, glittering grin. There's no nerves here, Jolie signed up for fun and she's fairly confident she'll find it here.

"Well hello there!" She exclaims, wasting no time lowering herself down for the enthusiastic and entirely necessary air kisses she needs to bestow on either side of Beck's face before she takes her own seat and clasps her hands in front of her on the table. "What brings a nice girl like you to a place like this?"

Table 8 | Clara and Chuck

[seestheman]

Clara still doesn't know who signed her up for this. She'd like to think that whoever did it had her best interests at heart and just wanted her to stop moping over Alex (which...yeah, she'd completely admit is how she's been spending her time over the past few months). Unlike some of her more recent public appearances, she sits at the table in a simple (by Capitol standards) red dress, waiting for her date to arrive.

Maybe she'd luck out and he wouldn't show because something came up, though she doubted that she'd be that lucky. While she waits, she alternates between inspecting her manicure and looking around to see who her date is.