thecapitol | (no subject)

Who| Timaeus Nadir and all his guests. If you are in the Capitol, you've been invited!
What| A spectacular Viewing Party and opportunity for tributes to get sponsorship
Where| The Victoria Ascendant, on the lake
When| After the most recent death roll!
Warnings/Notes| Probable skeeviness of the Nice Guy variety.

Welcome to the Victoria Ascendant, latest in the Ascendant line of luxury yachts as built by the Nadir company. Tonight, the Victoria Ascendant is the stage set for a spectacular party, also paid for by the company and specifically designed and organised by a team of event specialists overseen by your host for this evening, Timaeus Nadir- wealthy eligible bachelor, melodramatic heir apparent to the company chair, frequent sponsor of the Games. The Victoria Ascendant is fully equipped with every obscenely luxurious item imaginable, and practically drips opulence.

When first welcomed aboard you will be assured that your every need will be seen to, your every desire catered for. Staff are on hand to answer any questions you might have or guide you to various areas of the ship, provide you with food, drink, or suggestions of how best to take advantage of the Victoria Ascendant's many amenities- they are here as hosts, but also as salespeople for those of the guests with money to burn- this party is serving more than one purpose. Tributes who responded to their invite will also receive a delicate, hand-written note in a golden envelope as they board- the content of which will be posted as a reply to their response to this post.(I'll do this once your character turns up.)

Although the Victoria Ascendant has a magnificent dining room for formal, sit-down occasions, the food for the party will be circulating the various lounge areas and decks. There is also a buffet table, for those of you who prefer to help yourselves, and a fully stocked bar. Provided are a baffling variety of foods and beverages, seemingly unconnected- but each tribute will find that if at any point during their stay in the Capitol they have requested a particular food or drink item, it is available here. Or, at least, the closest approximation the catering staff could conjure up. Seating is provided in intimate groupings around tables for the most part, though there are large, sprawling couches against the walls. Central to the dining area is a magnificent aquarium filled with brightly coloured fish. Anyone looking closely enough will recognise them- varieties of piranha- but don't worry, they've been more than adequately fed and the glass is thick.

While there are various screens displaying the Games throughout the ship, Viewing is also taking place on an enormous screen, set up in a seperate lounge area with full floor-to-ceiling windows all along one side. Here, staff wait to take bets or help organise the giving of sponsor gifts. Large, comfortable couches line the room, and the central table overflows with a spectacular arrangement of edible flowers and fruit.

Later in the evening, you will be told that the firework display is about to begin, and invited to go up onto the main deck to watch. The fireworks themselves will be launched from smaller boats across the lake, and the display is set to be truly spectacular. It will be set to some music that Tributes may find familiar- various melodies pulled from the most recent Arena. The large swimming pool on the deck is open, but it is too early in the year to be comfortable to use. Instead, it is being used as an unusual centrepiece for the evening. Floating in the illuminated water is a gigantic iceberg, sculpted into a stylised model of the current arena and populated with frozen figures. Eagle-eyed Tributes may be able to spot themselves depicted in ice- more often than not, the moment of their deaths are the pose of choice, if a little tweaked for the sake of a more dramatic scene.

Enjoy!

Adachi · Ariadne · Asha · Atticus · Beck · Blaine · Calico · Callista · Chris · Diana · Don · Eddie · Eponine · Eva · Gaila · Glinda · Harley · Howard · Julie · Kurt · Marty · Maximus · Momoko · Neffa · Parker · Peeta · Phil · Pruna · R · Sigma · Some · Thane · Timaeus · Topher

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Momoko could get behind the sitting and avoiding people plan. With a plate loaded with sweets she came over to sit beside this busy looking Tribute. If she sat next to someone that would make it less likely someone else would try to talk to her--that was her reasoning, but she quickly grew bored. She should have snuck in a book.

Without one at hand, she eventually just leaned over to peer at what he was drawing, trying to make sense of it.

"Neuroimager." His voice shared his doubt that the peeper would even understand what he meant. It wasn't rudeness (well, not intentional) but he was quite used to most of his interests being above people.

Topher twisted around in his chair to face the girl. "I saw some show about you last night. Not sure what the whole purpose was other than to rattle off the presumed guestlist, but it was on. Congratulations on the whole killing thing."

"I don't know what that means," she replied, no shame in her voice. "Is that what you're drawing or the art style?"

She frowned at this reminder of her kills. Mercy kills, and none at all in the Arena she'd actually won. "Are you making fun of me?"

"It's what I'm drawing. Medical device from home." That sounded innocent enough.

He only sort of felt bad. Maybe he was a bit jealous that she had managed a way out of these stupid games. "Sorry. Topher Brink."

She turned her head, trying to discern a recognizable medical device from the drawing. "What does it do?

She sniffed, but accepted the apology. "Momoko Ryugasaki, but I guess you've already heard of me. You're one of the newer Tributes, right?"

"Scans your brain to see how it's working." And makes it work better. Or worse depending on who the person is. Was. That was home and this is here where he's on his own.

Topher shrugged in agreement. "Yeah. At first I thought I'd finally gone crazy, but I'm not sure even my mind could make up such horrible fashion."

"Oh. Is that what you did? You were a doctor?"

Momoko couldn't help a small smile at that. Anyone who openly criticized the Capitol's fashion sense automatically won points in her mind. "It would take a very diseased mind," she agreed.

"When necessary." Topher's shirt shifted into a horrible shade of orange. "Head Technician actually. Doctoring was for other people." Person. Claire. Funny how much he was suddenly missing the scowling doctor.

"Let me guess, you worked in a Maid Cafe."

Momoko moved at away with a grimace, as though the sudden orange was somehow dangerous. "So you worked with computers. Not very useful in the Arena, I guess."

She sniffed. "I didn't work at all. I was still a student. If I wanted money I tricked my father into giving it to me, or sold his leftover knockoffs."

He gave his own sniff. "Computers were for the special kids. The tech I had was far more advanced and important." He could be dangerous under the right circumstances, but he was also prone to panic and being tossed into a killing arena left him open to all sorts of panicking.

He grinned at her answer about working. "So you were one of those spoiled types. This must be your dream come true: everything you want at your fingertips and people throwing themselves at you in thanks for offing someone you probably didn't even know. Yay you."

She glared at him. "I knew everyone I killed, actually," she said stiffly. "And I much prefer being spoiled to the Arena. Maybe you'll find a laptop or something 'far more advanced and important' to throw at the next person who tries to stab you and you'll get to find out what it's like. Just remember to ask for their name first, to be polite."

He waved her off even though he was worried about the next Arena. "Please, I played stabby times and it was no big. I do like how you keep score though. Did you make a nice belt to scratch their initials in? Very Mad Max of you."

"I don't keep score" she said, and tried not to think how embarrassing her score would be if she did. Her rating before even starting the Games was bad enough. "I just knew them before. That's what happens after awhile, you get to know them out here and then you kill them in there. Or they kill you."

"Pfft. How sweet." Getting to know his fellow Tributes as anything other than temporary allies was the last thing his wanted. "Did you make them 'I'm sorry I killed you' cards?"

"No, I didn't apologize at all. They asked me to do it. They were in pain, already dying." It was a little embarrassing to admit at this point in the conversation that her kills were all mercy kill, but it wasn't as though it was a secret. She was silent, briefly. "Sometimes that's the best. To just end it when you can."

"So, technically, you won by being nice. How sweet." He didn't have much to say in anything she did or didn't do in the arena seeing as he hadn't even managed one kill. Topher knew he was being a bit mean but really it was her own fault for being such an easy target.

"All that drama...I'm surprised they let you out. Of course they could always change the rules."

Nice. People didn't call her that very often. "Technically," she replied loftily, "I won by being cute. They liked me, in the city and in the Arena. That's how I won. I don't think that's how you'll win," she added, letting the 'if you win' go unsaid.

"They don't need my drama anymore, they've got plenty." She kept her face impassive, though she wondered, suddenly, if that could happen. Would they send someone back in? Had they ever done that before? Execution or being turned into an Avox were risks she'd realized she was living with as a Victor, but she'd never seriously considered other possible punishments.

"Please. I have brains and I won't weep over killing some random crazy." It's a lot of talk as he has yet to be in that position, but his new (maybe not so new) outlook is Topher first and everyone else can die. He refused to be an easy target next go-around.

He finished off his drink and moved out of his corner. "Excuse me, but I need conversation that won't kill my braincells."

"Good luck with that," Momoko muttered, watching him leave with a frown. That would teach her to try and be social when she didn't need to be.