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

[pythianjudgment]

It's such a little thing, but Terezi catches the way that she bites her lip--as well as the way she breezes over the answer. 'Interesting', she says, leaving it open. It's not a real answer in Terezi's mind, and it makes her wonder.

Nevertheless, she smiles at the response.

P4RT OF MY POS1T1ON
TH4T W4S 4CTU4LLY TH3 OR1G1N4L P4RT
DR4W1NG TH1NGS FOR TH3 P34C3K33P3RS
TH3 TYP1C4L DUT13S C4M3 L4T3R

[furgood]

Really? I wasn't really aware that they were taking in Tributes among their number you know, but I can see why they would have you draw. It certainly caught my attention

They were very patriotic of you!

She smiles a little wider. Faking patriotism was easy enough. Panem today, forever, always and always, make lots of mention of what they do for us, all bowing and gratitude. It was only really around the Peacekeepers that it slipped.

[pythianjudgment]

TH4NK YOU
MY 4RTSTYL3 1S 4PP4R3NTLY V3RY 3XOT1C
1 TH1NK TH3 HUM4N 1D34 OF 4RT 1S K1ND OF STR4NG3 H3R3
BUT 1T GOT MY FOOT 1N TH3 DOOR
G3TT1NG TH1S POS1T1ON W4S V3RY 1MPORT4NT TO M3
1 W4NT3D TO H3LP K33P OTH3RS S4F3
4ND NOW 1 C4N

At least, that was the intention. She's sure that her efforts have paid off at least a little, but they didn't hold up where it counted. Not yet, anyway. There's still a chance out there, waiting in the future.

[furgood]

Keep other safe. A dozen memories of Peacekeepers keeping others 'safe' flit through her mind. It's curious, her image of Terezi was never this naive. Maybe she'd thought throwing in her lot with the Capitol was that way to keep them safe. Meulin is unsure if she should judge, given where she is and what she's doing. All the fawning and smiling and playing the part.

She could have picked a less awful branch of things if that were the case.

I'm sure you will. I'm told they give people many opportunities to do so.
I'm sure we'll see more of your work in the future.

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi keeps smiling, as if nothing that she wrote was out of place. Clearly she means every word of it.

1 HOP3 SO

BUT 1 TH1NK TH4T 1S MOR3 TH4N 3NOUGH 4BOUT M3
WH4T 4BOUT YOU?
SOM3HOW 1 G3T TH3 F33L1NG
TH4T TH3R3 1S SOM3ON3 3LS3
YOU WOULD R4TH3R H4V3 TH1S D4T3 W1TH

[furgood]

Someone else? Her eyes flutter up and off to one side, not at all glancing at someone. No, no of course not. Terezi is just projecting of course. Or assuming. She writes about romance, of course one could assume she would prefer--or have someone--or... Meulin realizes it's been about thirty seconds since she got the paper back and she hasn't even started writing a reply. Smooth.

Oh it is just that I don't know a lot of people here! I'd probably be more comfortable with someone I knew. But
I suppawse a blind date is to get out of her comfort zone.

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi's smile widens at those telltale signs of guilt. She wants to take a look at where Meulin had been glancing, but the look was brief enough, and Terezi was expecting something of a quick response. The leg between her expectations and reality is very noticeable.

1S TH3R3 SOM3ON3 TH4T YOU KNOW 1N TH1S C4P1TOL?
1 W4S UND3R TH3 1MPR3SS1ON TH4T YOU H4DNT B33N H3R3 V3RY LONG
BUT 1 4M ST4RT1NG TO TH1NK TH4T 1 W4S M1SL3D

DONT WORRY
YOUR S3CR3TS 4R3 S4F3 W1TH M3
TH3 R3L4T1ONSH1P JOURN4L1ST 4ND 1 4R3 PR3TTY T1GHT
B3ST FR13NDS FOR3V3R
TH4T SORT OF TH1NG >;]
1 C4N M4K3 SUR3 TH1S DO3SNT F1ND 1TS W4Y 1NTO TH3 GOSS1P R4GS

[furgood]

Meulin laughs and for a little while, she remembers why she had been friendly with Terezi in the first place. Her utter ridiculousness was clearly a good reason. She raises an eyebrow, inwardly wondering at why Terezi even pokes about this. Surely there were important things to worry about than the nonexistent love life of a gossip columnist. Relationship journalist sounded so fancy though. She kind of liked it.

You don't say.
Are you sure the relationship journalist is not...

You! :OO
All these questions.
I'll give you one answer! I knew him before I came to the Capitol.
He visited District Four when we were kids.

[pythianjudgment]

The laughter is certainly a pleasant thing to hear. Terezi likes the sound of it, warm and uplifting. It pulls a full grin onto her lips in place of the smile.

1 TH1NK 1 WOULD KNOW 1F 1 W4S G41NFULLY 3MPLOY3D BY 4 M4G4Z1N3!
TH3 JOURN4L1ST 1S YOU S1LLY

HMMMMMM
1T 1S 4 H3
4ND TH1S H3 V1S1T3D D1STR1CT FOUR
WH1CH M34NS TH4T H3 D1D NOT L1V3 TH3R3
BUT H4D SOM3 OTH3R CONN3CT1ON TO 1T

YOU KNOW TH4T 1 4M GO1NG TO F1GUR3 1T OUT
SOON3R OR L4T3R
YOU SHOULD S4V3 YOURS3LF SOM3 T34S1NG
4ND JUST T3LL M3 NOW >:]

[furgood]

Meulin shakes her head again, tsking aloud. You don't really think she plans to make this easy for you Terezi.

Oh is it? Silly me, I thought you were asking all the questions!

Do you plan to ask efurryone here if they've been to District Four?
That certainly gives you a hobby.

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi grin shifts to something a little more devious.

NOT 3V3RYON3
ONLY TH3 GUYS
4ND 3V3N TH3N 1 ONLY H4V3 TO P4Y 4TT3NT1ON TO WHO YOU T4LK TO
1F TH3Y 4R3 SUCH 4N OLD FR13ND
TH3N YOU W1LL NOT B3 4BL3 TO 4VO1D T4LK1NG TO TH3M FOR3V3R

[furgood]

Meulin raises her eyebrow and shrugs. Though she's fairly sure this will not be as easy as she's about to make it sound

Meowbe I shall! I can just text them!
That is a thing I can do and you cannot see them

[pythianjudgment]

SOON3R OR L4T3R YOU 4R3 GO1NG TO SL1P UP!
TH4T 1S TH3 N4TUR3 OF LOV3
YOU DO DUMB TH1NGS B3C4US3 YOU TH1NK 1T 1S 4 GOOD 1D34
4ND TH3N 3V3RYON3 M4K3S FUN OF YOU FOR 1T

She would know. That seems to be how the course of her love life has gone in the past.

[furgood]

Wow love, who said anything about love? Meulin huffs and scribbles back hurriedly.

I never said I loved him.
I just told you I knew him that's all.

Don't be silly

[pythianjudgment]

Now it's time for Terezi to give Meulin her own kind of skeptical look. Really, the kind of naive thinking going on here...

1 4SK3D 4BOUT D4T3S
4ND D4T1NG 1MPL13S LOV1NG
4ND LOV1NG 1MPL13S TH4T YOU W4NT TO SUCK ON H1S F4C3 W1TH YOUR MOUTH

DO NOT D3NY 1T
1 4M NOT TH3 ON3 B31NG S1LLY H3R3 >:]

[furgood]

Meulin doesn't meet her eyes, which is silly really. This isn't love, it's an old crush rearing its head again. Someone she never quite got over. And he sees them, quite obviously, as friends.

That's a lot of implications for a statement that said I'd rather be on a blind date with someone I know.

[pythianjudgment]

Poor, sweet, innocent Meulin. Terezi almost feels bad for teasing her. Almost.

1F H3 1S NOTH1NG MOR3 TH4N SOM3ON3 YOU KNOW
TH3N WHY NOT G1V3 M3 H1S N4M3?

1F TH3R3 1S NOTH1NG TO 1T
TH3N YOU H4V3 NOTH1NG TO B3 WORR13D 4BOUT

[furgood]

I'm a gossip columnist!! I know furry well what people do with nothing of course!

Not that anyone else can write about me but if they did.

She's not pouting, you're pouting.

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi has to laugh. Her protests are adorable.

F1111N3
1 W1LL NOT T3LL YOUR S1LLY HUM4N CRUSH
TH4T YOU 4R3 M4DLY 1N LOV3 W1TH H1M
4ND 4LSO M4DLY 1N D3N14L

1 WOULD ST1LL SUGG3ST TH3 F4C3 SUCK1NG THOUGH
1T C4N B3 4 LOT OF FUN

[furgood]

She gets an eyeroll for her laugh, which is obvious even if she cant hear it. There is only one romance journalist here after all.

I'll take your words under advisement.
Though I sort of know that already.

The rest is all your imagination.

[pythianjudgment]

Terezi grins knowingly, waggling her brows up and down for emphasis. She honestly doesn't know if Meulin has a crush or not... but getting her friend flustered is kind of hilarious in it's own right.

1F YOU S4Y SO
WHO 4M 1 TO 4RGU3?

[furgood]

Meulin shakes her head slow and then waves her finger for emphasis as Terezi reads. What a ridiculous troll friend. Not friend. Whatever Terezi is now.

Exactly. Now go try to make friends with your 'blind date'. Or at least be nice. He's stuck here too.

[pythianjudgment]

F111111N3

She makes a face at the prospect of entertaining some dinner date that the Capitol expects her to be romantic with. She ought to give it a try, for cover's sake, but it's difficult to put her heart into it.

1 W1LL GO PR3T3ND TO L1K3 TH3 D3L1NQU3NT MONST3R BOY
4ND YOU C4N CONT1NU3 YOUR 3V3N1NG OF W1STFULLY W1SH1NG YOUR D4T3 W4S SOM3ON3 3LS3 >:]

L4T3R M3UL1N

[furgood]

Later Terezi.

The rest is not dignified with a response but her eyes rest on him in the crowd, not long enough to get his notice, but long enough to contemplate. No. That's silly. It's time to go back to Peggy. She tucks everything back into her purse and slips back into her side of the restaurant.