thecapitol | [closed]

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Who| Ariadne and Timaeus Nadir
What| Timaeus has offered Ariadne a tour of his yacht
Where| a restaurant and later, Tim's yacht
When| the day of his party, early afternoon
Warnings/Notes| nothing right now; will update as necessary

The only thing really going through her mind was that he was willing to show her the schematics of his yacht, rather than that he was a Sponsor, and probably wanted something from her. She could tell now what Sponsors looked like, having dealt with a number of them over the last few Arenas; she thought she had seen him before in passing, though they had never really interacted before now.

Still, he was infinitely better than some of those she'd dined with in the past, and if he was happy to show her around the yacht and indulge her need to surround herself with creativity, then Ariadne was more than happy to go with him for lunch and a private tour, regardless of what else might have entailed.

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Timaeus dressed sharp, looking effortlessly elegant in a dark suit with feather accents in bright coral and teal, taking off his sunglasses as he entered the restaurant where they'd agreed to meet and seeking her out. He was quite clearly pleased for the opportunity to spend time with the Victor, a broad smile on his face as he approached.

“Ariadne. What a pleasure to finally meet you," he said, extending a hand. " I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

Her own outfit was just as neat and elegant, thanks to her Stylists - still casual enough for a lunch, but easily made more extravagant for the party afterwards. Still, there was something not quite comfortable about how she wore it, as though she'd be better off in sneakers and jeans. Not that that changed how Ariadne smiled when he arrived, the expression both polite and somewhat genuine; she accepted the hand, inclining her head slightly in greeting. "Not really. I just got here," she replied, "Nice to meet you in."

"Wonderful," he exclaimed, shaking her hand firmly. "I have been sitting with a bunch of marketing suits all morning, I am bored to tears. Let's do something about that, shall we? Ah-"

He cut himself off, summoning over one of the staff with a wave of his hand.
"A selection of appetizers to begin with, I think, with that fantastic cocktail we discussed for me, and-" He looked over at Ariadne expectantly.

"Let's," Ariadne returned the handshake, a small smile twitching at her mouth out of mild amusement. She knew how boring marketing suits could be, if nothing else; they couldn't be that different in the Capitol. Rearranging herself in her seat briefly, she hesitated before glancing upwards almost curiously, "A glass of red wine, if you have it."

"Excellent choice," he said approvingly, waving the server away with a distracted gesture. "They do have some fine wines here, though I wonder, sometimes, if our tastes and those of our guests are entirely similar. Personally I prefer a full bodied red with a good oaken tone and a certain sweetness to it- I've heard tributes say that Capitol tastes are extremely rich. Would you tend to agree?"

Another small smile, and she tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear, "Well, it depends on the Tribute you're asking, I guess. We're all from different places, different lives - it's only natural that some of us are going to have richer tastes than others."

He nodded, obviously fascinated, hardly moving or seeming to notice as they were brought their drinks and an elaborate tray of appetizers. "Oh, of course. Have we had any royalty in yet? That-- yes, that would be interesting to watch."

"I don't think so. The odd person or two from well-born families - you can tell - but no royalty," she replied, leaning in a little bit. Her attention was on him primarily, and on the conversation; it was nice to be listened to so seemingly well for once, and not necessarily have to go on about herself. "It might be rare; at least where I come from, there isn't much royalty left to choose from. No one in any real position of power, if you ignore the elected officials."

"That must be-- Oh, I'm sorry," he said, laughing amicably. "Please, do eat. You must forgive me, I'm getting ahead of myself, and I'm going to have to learn to curb my enthusiasm sooner or later. It's just so interesting, the very different lives the new Tributes live. I mean, of course, some of the Districts might as well be another world, but..."

She already felt much more comfortable with him than some of the other Sponsors; she reached for her glass of wine first, rolling the flavours over on her tongue with a shrug. "But they're still nearby. It's not quite the same as us being so foreign that you've never even heard of where we're from." With that, she reached over, carefully plucking one of the appetisers up, and sinking her teeth into it.

He watched her eat with a smile, picking up some kind of skewer and biting into it heartily. Truth be told, he'd been starving- a little residual anxiety about the upcoming party spoiling his appetite for breakfast had led to a long, hungry morning going over the details.

"Mmm, exactly," he agreed once he'd finished his mouthful. "Some of the new tributes don't even look human, it's absolutely fascinating..."

At least there were some people in the Capitol who ate. That was always nice to see, after some of those who attended the parties - and the Morphlings - who seemed to prove otherwise; it made her a bit more eager to dig into the appetisers without fear of him judging her for it. She opened up a little bit more, one hand starting to move to gesture a bit more freely.

"I can only imagine the worlds that they're from. More likely than not, wherever they come from, their appearance is the norm. It's like...the green one from District 11. Gaila, I think her name is. Or Don, though he's not necessarily the norm. Not so far as I've gathered, at least; his world certainly is strange, if nothing else," she agreed, having finished off her current bite.

"Gaila of Orion, yes. Isn't she something? And the kind of- I don't know what he is, the kind of...lizard man. Thane. I can't even imagine what it must be like where they're from."
He laughed, taking a sip of his cocktail before returning to the food, sampling a kind of spiced savoury pastry with a thoughtful look on his face. “I'm trying some of the foods the new tributes have been requesting, I thought it might be good to provide a variety for the guests. What do you think?"

"I haven't met her properly, I'll admit. She seems interesting." Another careful sip of her wine, and she smiled a bit around the glass. "Maybe the interviews will offer some insight into their worlds. I'd love to see what the culture was like for myself, but I don't think the Capitol's technology is that good just yet."

Her eyes twinkled slightly, her expression - though mostly guarded - growing almost playfully challenging, daring him to tell her she was wrong as she plucked up another of the appetisers. "I agree. If there's one thing I've found the Tributes want, it's a piece of their own home. It's nice to be here for a while, but they get homesick eventually. And there's always such an emphasis on getting to know the places we're all from - it really just helps that."

Timaeus watched her for a moment, his head tilting a fraction to the right- but smiled, and plucked up another of the pastries, biting into it with relish.

"Delicious. Samosa, apparently. You're quite right, though, it would certainly be interesting to have a better insight into the worlds the new Tributes come from. The influx of new culture has done wonders for food, fashion and so on- so much more to take inspiration from, now."

"I've had them back home." Not often, but every once in a while, everyone needed the odd samosa. And these ones really were good. She finished it off, and turned her attention to another of the extensive selection. She recognised about half of them, and could make a decent guess at the rest, but still simply opted for whatever was best. "I think it could be interesting to have the Stylists focus simultaneously on where each Tribute came from, in addition to the tradition of representing their District. That way, the Capitol would be able to understand the culture with a bit more context than just simple appropriation."

"Oh, I doubt many people are that interested- but I'd be intrigued," he said, offering her a bright smile. "Truth be told, Ariadne, most people in the Capitol are happiest with just enough to entertain, but the minute anything becomes educational, well. You lose your audience, your market. It's a balance, picking out enough to keep a product fresh without having it require too much brainwork to adopt and play with. You know."

She merely tipped her head to one side, curious. Perhaps she was just an anomaly, in that case - not that she didn't know that to begin with - but she found that anything she could learn something from was automatically more interesting than something there was nothing to take away from. "That's probably why I could never make it as a Capitol citizen. I'm much more concerned with how things work," Ariadne told him, smiling back a little. "No offence, but I think a lot of them are just a little lazy."

"Oh, none taken," he laughed. "I don't really consider myself one of the masses, as it were, though being a citizen of the Capitol really is a privilege. Those of us with a little drive do very well, here."

"I'll bet. I'm a bit disappointed that there's not quite as many opportunities for Victors, but I think that's because they're still running on a slightly outdated system. Even now, we're just expected to remain Victors and do everything that goes along with that, despite the fact that there are roughly five or six for every year now, instead of the one from the Hunger Games proper," she said, glad he wasn't offended. "I understand Mentoring the other Tributes, but there's going to come a time when there are more Mentors than strictly necessary."

He nodded, taking a sip of his cocktail thoughtfully.
"You're quite right. It's not really my area, I'm afraid, you'd have to talk to one of the Gamemakers, but it seems to me there are some, ah, wrinkles to be ironed out, with the new system. I think that's to be expected, though- the new way-- it's quite a change. Perhaps eventually the Victors might be granted citizenship? I don't know. I'm not a politician."

She nodded, taking up another small appetiser after a moment, "No, I get that. It'll probably be some time before they implement any changes at all - when the problem actually arises, instead of just existing in the hypothetical. In the meantime, I suppose I can just take up a hobby, like Eva suggested."

"Ever considered sailing?" he joked, eyes bright with mischief, though a more serious tone slipped into his voice as he added: "Eva's a very intelligent woman. Whatever she's suggested, she's probably right- though, between us, you might want to be a little bit careful. She's... she walks a very fine line, sometimes, and I wouldn't want either of you getting in trouble."

"I haven't." But that did sound like an idea. Something to look into.

Her head tipped one to side, and Ariadne's smile faded only slightly as she listened and studied him. "I'll remember that. The last thing I want is to get in trouble for treading somewhere I shouldn't be."

No, if she was going to go there, she'd go there silently, and without anyone realising until it was too late.

"Good. Yes, very good. Perhaps you could come by my office some time, and we could look into finding you a suitable sailboat to experiment with."

He smiled, brightly, settling back into his seat a little, mood instantly lifted.

"Meat or fish? Or both, I suppose, there's no reason why we couldn't sample both, is there?"

"I don't see why not," she replied lightly, the corners of her mouth curving up. This was turning out to be a better idea than she had expected. And besides that, it got her on the good side of another Sponsor.

"I think both sounds like a good plan. We're being decadent, aren't we?"

"Decadent? Yes, of course," he laughed, summoning over one of the staff to inform them of their decision to have both dishes prepared and brought. "Disgustingly so, I'm sure. But if we're to be accused of it anyway, why not indulge?"

"When in Rome, as they say-" Ariadne stated, pausing as she realised that the saying probably hadn't stood the test of time; she tipped her head to one side curiously. "Do they still say that here?"

He blinked, his head tilting a little to one side. "When in Rome? I can't say I've ever heard anyone say that before. What does it mean?"

"'When in Rome, do as Romans do'. That's the full quotation," she explained, shifting to get a bit more comfortable in her seat. "In this case, I suppose 'when in the Capitol' might be a bit more appropriate."

"Ah. Well, I suppose that makes sense. When in the Capitol, it is definitely a good idea to adopt its customs. I'm not sure the same could be said about the Districts, though."

He mulled over the phrase thoughtfully, committing it to memory. When in Rome. Some of the tributes would do well to remember that particular saying, he thought.

"I quite enjoy collecting figures of speech and otherworldly vocabulary," he confided in a playfully conspiratorial tone. "You'll have to teach me more."

"No?" She asked, leaning forward to indicate her interest in him continuing with that train of thought. It helped with the conspiratorial tone he adopted not long after; that tone only served to draw a further smile out of her, interest twinkling in her eyes.

"I'll try. I don't know that I can come up with them at the drop of a hat, but I don't see any reason why I can't give it a shot."

"At the drop of a hat?"

He laughed, warmly. “Well. You may find it easier to teach me than you had thought. I simply meant- after the last of the, shall we say traditional Games- sympathising too obviously with the Districts can be a little troublesome."

"Another one you've never heard?" Ariadne prompted thoughtfully, the smile just as warm on her lips as she tucked a lock of hair out of her face. "That one's a bit more confusing. I guess people were dropping their hats randomly back in the day, and it just stuck." He was indeed easy to teach, but also not demanding; he made teaching almost pleasant, where with some, it was tedious.

"Right. But if you were to travel to the Districts, maybe taking up a little of their culture wouldn't be too bad. People take things better when it comes from an equal, instead of someone who thinks themself superior."

Timaeus seemed to consider that for a moment, though it wasn't obvious whether he agreed with her or not. Instead, he fixated on the much safer topic of the idiom and its possible origins.

"I'm not really very good with hats," he said thoughtfully. "Never found one that agreed with me. I suppose you have to have a certain kind of head..."

She tipped her head to one side a little, studying him curiously. It really wasn't that easy to read him, but she saw no reason not to give it a try.

"Neither have I. Every now and then, I guess, but they typically just look a little weird. I think it is partly about the kind of head you have, but hair might come into play as well," Ariadne mused in turn.

He actually appeared to be mildly relieved, now that they'd moved onto a safer, if infinitely more inane topic, his smile easier, his shoulders relaxing.

"To tell you the truth, I've never been very good at fashion," he admitted. "I have a few styles of shape and colour and so on that I like to wear, but I'm not naturally very fashion-forward. Hats or not. You're always styled very well, though- it's lovely, seeing one of our guests adopting our culture so effectively."

Timaeus' newfound lack of tension didn't go unnoticed, and Ariadne joined him in smiling a bit easier now that things were back to their comfortable state. He was a Sponsor whose company she actually didn't mind.

She tipped her head to one side again, vaguely amused by the fresh topic they'd found, "I wouldn't say that I'm exactly the most fashion-forward either. You have my Stylists to thank for how I dress most of the time; I have a little bit of input, but that's usually just because I prefer more simple styles. I like being able to move in my clothing."

"Oh, of course. It's always important to be able to move, as much as some of the Capitol's stylists seem to forget that particular detail. I suppose I'm much more interested in function than aesthetics..."

"I'm probably the same way. Especially compared to those here in the Capitol. They definitely know what they're doing-" She paused, frowning briefly before shrugging one shoulder in a gentle motion. "-I think. But there's something to be said for function, even so."

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