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

[burningdaylight]

And it’s that shamelessness that pulls more of a laugh out of him, which is no small thing after dashing his best friend’s brains out with a rock the first week into the arena. And fading out to the sound of the choked, rattling breathing of the rest who had been crushed under debris with him, bleeding out in the dark.

“What?" His voice shoots up a half-octave. "Hold on now; was pretty sure hanky-panky's jus’ foolin' around without goin' all the way." Or is it one of those coyly vsgue, general terms?

[shiftingurbulls]

"Probably from where y'all come from," Ellis joined in the laughter, and made a note to do it again. Wherever Luke and Nick arrived from, it was a harsher world than what Ellis was used to, or maybe they were stranded much worse than he did. There was just so many things he wanted to ask, but it seemed like the infection there wasn't as immediate as the Green Flu. "Where I come from, it ain't jus' gettin' it up."

El didn't care about public perception, of what the Capitol thought of him...but he knows Luke will benefit the most from this change. That Sponsors can see another side of the Survivor.

*vague GAH my typo in the last tag tho'

[burningdaylight]

He shakes his head, unable to resist the smile tugging at one corner of his mouth as he slants him a look as if to ask, ‘what planet are you from?’.

“Well, it ain’t where I’m from, either. …I’m talkin’ second base here.” Which might not be the most reliable point of reference seeing as the definition of bases seemed like it was in constant evolution while growing up. “Makin’ out an’ all.”

It’s unexpectedly freeing, talking sex in general for what feels like the first time in years – even when it hasn’t been so long. It’s something other than survival to think about, both a welcome and troublesome distraction kicking around his mind in his idler, more restless moments. Unfortunately those moments are becoming more frequent.

He turns away again before long, moving to the door and craning his neck to see if his table's been occupied yet. Nothing so far -- though the place is steadily filling.

"Should get goin' in a li'l while. ...No date's gon' like us bein' late."

He might not be taking this entire event especially seriously, keeping expectations to a minimum and playing it by ear, but it doesn't mean he wouldn't be courteous to anyone who did.

dont worry about it! <3

[shiftingurbulls]

The mechanic grinned and finished his drink with a few gulps. His demeanor brightened considerably, his mission was apparently a success. Luke seemed much more relaxed, eager to meet new people and wasn't this just that? A place to meet and greet, share a drink and get screwed over by the Capitol for ratings?

Ellis patted Luke's shoulder, "Atta boy, knock 'em dead an' bring home the gold, yer gonna do fine!" He could be a good wingman if he wanted to be. "Yer handsome enough, yer gonna make yer date happy!"

[burningdaylight]

"Now you're soundin' like my stylist." And from his tone it's not a compliment -- though it's not pitched as an insult either. He remembers, suddenly, how Carver had thrown the word 'pretty' around him, a few times, in no flattering way. The memory still leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

The problem never was attracting others - at least, not to the extent of keeping those he endeared himself to for longer than a couple of months was. He's heard it all: that he's too tall or not tall enough, too hairy or not hairy enough, too laidback or too energetic, too sweet or not sweet enough. And as much as he had tried, in his more naive moments, to reinvent himself and his appearance to delight his partners he was never very good at being anyone other than himself.

Ellis' touch is sudden and his shoulder stiffens slightly under his hand. Though it's over before he has much of a chance to process something other than how strange it is to be on the receiving end of a pep talk. Just the sort he had given Nick once upon a time.

"Hey," A note of mock-offense edges his voice. "I might not a' done this in a while but I ain't forgotten how to either."

[shiftingurbulls]

Ellis added to the mirth as he gave Luke a sneaky grin, "Coulda fooled me. Just be your natural self an' I betcha yer gonna have a line jus' so those girls can see yer face."

The mechanic knows how hard the road to recovery can be as the world dances around them, never knowing how shit can hit the fan. He knows what it's like to pretend everything's all right. But unlike many he's seen here, El wore it all like armor, that he could make it through.

"See y'all later! Good luck on yer date!"

[burningdaylight]

He lets out a soft exhalation of a laugh and looks down while shifting his weight, hands on his hips. Once upon a time he'd have loved the idea of turning heads and drawing flocks of girls to him with a thousand-watt grin powerful enough to turn knees to jelly. To the chagrin of his stylist, he’s not about to let them groom and glam him up until he’s more glitter and gel and make-up than human.

"Pff, c'mon, man..." He slants him a teasing look. "...y'sure that ain't your big dream?"

For all his wink-wink-nudge-nudge joking, Ellis might be taking this whole meet-and-greet more seriously than he is. Either that or he's just that fiercely committed to helping him do better than just tolerating this social function while losing Clem is weighing heavy on his mind. He'd try - it's why he's here, why he didn't put up a fight when his stylist announced his participation. And sometimes that's the best you can do.

Alcohol would help.

"You take it easy." He nods his thanks, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "An' g'luck."