thecapitol | (no subject)

(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

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"Ah. Admiring the sculpture? Quite a bit of effort went into it, I'm told," Timaeus offered by way of greeting, stepping up to join her in examining the glistening ice. "Quite a feat of engineering."

Eponine jumps again; this man is the third person to approach her unexpectedly - and she realises, of course, that she should be more on her guard. But really, the sculpture takes her attention completely.

As Timaeus speaks, Eponine looks at him curiously."Did you have it made? Out of ice? M'sieur, never have I seen such a thing... but I do not like it very much. I wish you had not had it made."

He inclined his head slightly, watching her with a thoughtful curiosity.
"Because you'd prefer to forget?"

"M'sieur Draco was making me kill my best friend, Sir. It was not a nice feeling to know what I was doing but not being able to stop myself. And here - you see how horrified Howard was. I thought he would never speak to me again. I do not care about the man killing me - but I didn't want to lose my friend."

She bites on the inside of her bottom lip. Has she complained too much?

"Sir, I am sorry if that was rude."

"Oh, no. Not at all. I would much prefer to hear the truth- and delivered so courteously, how could I complain? But perhaps, you are looking at it from the wrong perspective."

He smiled, softly, indicating the scene. "A girl, under the control of a dark magician, forced to attack the boy she loves. Yes, it is tragic indeed. But notice too how it is proof of his love for her. Does he hurt her? No. He does everything he can to try and escape without injuring her, because he knows that she is not the one who has betrayed him. That, my dear, is not a scene of death. It's a scene of the discovery of love. His horror is not for you. It's for what has been done to you."

"Do you really think so, Monsieur?" She looks at Timaeus with graateful wonder. She hadn't thought of it like that. That Howard was outraged on her behalf, rather than at her.

"Still, it is not how I would like him to love me. When I am killing him. That is not how love happens. It happens at balls, dancing and eating sweets and the such. Not eating him."

Does it matter than she doesn't particularly love Howard anyway? He is not Marius, but she so enjoys the feeling of someone loving her without question, she has decided to go along with the 'love and dating' thing.

"Ah, well, that's the thing with love, isn't it?" he said, smiling and gesturing over the party expansively. "It doesn't disappear because our surroundings are different. I suspect Howard came to care for you long before your thankfully short-lived grisly end."

"Do you think so?"

Oh. That makes her feel... it twists her stomach a little. She just doesn't love him. Not really.

"It was a good death, Monsieur. I did not even realise that I had died.It was too quick even to hurt. Better than what M'sieur Draco was planning, I am sure."

He nodded. "I'm glad to hear it. And- yes. I really do believe everything I've said. Do you feel a little better?"

"I..."

No. Not really. It kinda makes her feel really, really guilty.

"I suppose so. Thank you, Monsieur."

"Wonderful. I am glad. You know, the victors of the last... traditional Games, Katniss and Peeta- they were sweethearts, too. That really was a most exhilarating arena to watch, and I was very glad to see them claim the crown."

"They were?" Eponine, miraculously, has managed to pay no heed at all to all the talk of Katniss and Peeta.

"Perhaps they will let Howard and I win... he would like that, I think. He is always so cross when I die."

"My dear, it's not a case of letting you win. You are not a victim, you have the ability to take control of your future- I think, until you realise that, you may have trouble winning the Games."

"I am NOT a victim, Sir."

She turns properly to Timaeus now, looking him straight in the eye, and there is a tiny spark of defiance in her own eyes now.

"I am not. But there is no point fighting. It is... Easier, perhaps. To go along with it. I cannot win a fight against a man - and they kill quicker when you do not fight back. I don't like the arena, but I do not care for me. I would like Howard to win though. He cries too much after to keep doing this."

"There. That spark. Use that." His own eyes were bright with excitement, now. "There are ways to win a fight against incredible odds, too. Fight for Howard, and you may just find yourself with a crown on your head."

"Do you really think so, M'sieur? I suppose I could fight for Howard. He killed Draco for me... And I suppose... It isn't real, is it? Death in the arena is not real."

Comfort her conscience. Please!!

He smiled, indulgently. "I have no idea what marvellous technology they use, my dear, but I imagine you can tell me whether or not you feel dead, right now. You seem perfectly healthy to me- so wouldn't that give you your answer?"

"They have cured my cough, even. And they give me food so I will not starve, Sir. I am better here than in France..."

And that is a horrible realisation. That she ought to be grateful for the Capitol giving her so much for free. That they won't kill her really. She ought to behave better, especially towards her poor stylist.

"I do not think I will really die soon here, Sir. I think, in France, either the cold would have got me, or the hunger, or my Papa would have found me murdered in the street by now."

"Mmm, from what little I've understood of your old life, you may indeed be much better off here," he agreed. "Win the Games, and you certainly will be. Perhaps, in some small part, I can assist you. But you must promise me you will do as much as you can to rescue yourself."

She looks, again in wonder at Timaeus. "You'll send me something? Nobody has so far... I will train, Sir. I promise. For Howard."

To hopefully get herself out of the arenas for good. Although, hopefully, she'll be far away and living peacefully by the time the next arena came around.

He nodded, his smile carefully concealing most of the rush of pleasure hearing her gratitude sent racing through him.

"Then I will look out for you, as much as I can. Both you and Howard. Do me proud."

"I will do. I promise, Monsieur. I will not let you down."

She curtseys respectfully, before hurrying away to tell Howard her good news.

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