thecapitol | 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

"I guess. Though I never thought of myself as that adventurous."

He glances aside as the waiter returns with a platter of meat and bread to share, thanking him as he hands a plate across to China and fills one for himself. "I should check and see what I've got at home. I have a handful of books I brought in from the Districts but I think they're mostly nonfiction."

"At the least, you must consider yourself courageous. Adventurousness is merely an extension of that, so forgive those who conflate them." China would add that the latter tends to have a healthy dash of foolishness, and she wouldn't accuse him of that.

She accepts the plate with murmured thanks. She's careful in her selection, only taking the few pieces that don't seem to have much smell and that won't get stuck in her teeth. One does have to be careful.

"Nonfiction is even more my style. On what topics do you tend to read? Please tell me you'll occasionally dabble in something that isn't for work, as fascinating at that must be." She smiles gently--but, seriously, Quintus, you need a break.

"I've got books on the history of different technologies that aren't exactly work-related," he says in mock defensiveness. "There's a really interesting one about how a lot of the surveillance and security tech we have was developed in response to the needs of the Arenas. I also read biographies and--what'd you call disaster stories, I guess? Though I'm never sure how much I believe them when it's easy for the good guys to put things back together."

She nods in mock agreement. "Ah, yes, of course. Those sound nothing like your work--amazing."

"I'm surprised that dealing with real world incompetence doesn't ruin the charm of such books completely. A pity they aren't more accurate--they could be a fascinating study of human nature."

"They do seem to have less of the incompetence going on. Who knows, maybe that's why I like them--might be a nice escape from the real world once in a while."

He cuts a piece of meat, inspecting it briefly before putting it in his mouth. An unnecessary habit in the Capitol, carried by reflex over from the Districts--after suffering from food poisoning more than once while deployed, he'd come to check food served in unfamiliar places as a matter of course.

"What kind of nonfiction do you like?"

That is probably a good point about competence; her smile widens for just a second.

"Anything. I enjoy history, of course--something is made more beautiful if it's true, don't you think?" A platitude that she doesn't believe at all, so it's almost fitting when talking about Panem's special brand of history. "Culture, too. Those little odds and ends about the people we are."

She laughs, looking down into her drink. "I have a few books on weaponry, but I've hardly studied the topics intensely enough to impress you."

"You don't need to impress me," he assures her. "Definitely not in something that's part of my line of work. I've always enjoyed talking to people that can teach me things from an area I'm not so familiar with. Even if it's just the odds and ends."

"Thank you. What an intelligent outlook--you're sure to learn a lot with that attitude, and nothing learned is every useless." She clasps her hands together, smiling with a new passion. "In that case, let me tell you all the organization systems I've used for my library in the past ten or so years. You'll find it fascinating, I assure you."

Yes, she's joking.

"I bet," he says sarcastically, gesturing to his drink. "So fascinating that between that and this I might just nod off right here."

"Undoubtedly. But I can assure you that I would force as much as I could into your head before you fade away."

She looks around at the cameras, "Though you would finally be in peace from me, I don't believe they would offer you the same courtesy. You may wake up to find reruns of your sweetly slumbering face all over the gossip shows."

"That's true. They do love to feature me--I think because I'm so boring that they assume something's got to be going on behind the scenes. I can't tell you the number of times since I took this job that I've had reporters accosting me on the street or trying to take pictures without me noticing."

That comes close to making her want to laugh out loud, though she quashes the urge in favor of a barely visible smirk. “And they truly think someone with your skill set would be unaware of someone trying to follow him...?”

"Ridiculous, huh? Sure, some days I'm leaving work kind of tired, but that sort of thing is reflex to me now. I learned early on to always be checking my surroundings. My profession's one where it pays to be a little bit paranoid."

"And pays very handsomely, I would think." Like with his life, for example. That's always a good thing to have.

"This story is somewhat comforting, though. Here I thought that perhaps I had seen all humanity had to offer--that I could no longer be impressed." She smiles sparklingly, "But here I am, impressed with such foolishness. It truly is a wonderful world."

She holds her drink aloft, as if for a toast.

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

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