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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"Even just the weather," Peeta commented. "When we left for the Victory tour, it was snowing in Twelve. But when we got to Eleven, it was warm, kind of muggy. And we'd only been traveling less then a day, it was amazing." Definitely made people's heads spin. They looked different, and everything was so. So. Different.

"Exactly. If anything, the bakeries here are better, but between you and me, I think I might have the edge over them." This was said with a little wink, almost like it was a secret between the two of them. "Is Paris where you're from? What's it like there?" That was one of the big things nowadays; the people not from here wanted to know all about Panem, but the people of Panem wanted to know all about these other worlds just as much.

"How does that work?" Ariadne asked, another frown pulling at her brow. It was currently making her head spin. She didn't think the Capitol could control the weather; there had to be some other explanation for it.

But that frown faded after a moment, giving way to the smallest curve of her mouth at that conspiratorial tone. "You could open up your own someday," she pointed out, a little curious as to how a baker had won the Games. But then again, she had won; she was little more than an architecture student-cum-criminal.

"It's where I was studying. It's beautiful; nothing but stunning architecture and culture for as far as the eye can see. It's comfortable there. Everything's so relaxed. I loved it."

Peeta had no idea. It hadn't really crossed his mind that the Capitol could control the weather, even if it seemed like a waste of time and resources. He wouldn't put it pass them, though. He had to shrug. "I don't really know? I know that we traveled south on the train, so it really was like being in a whole other world. There trees that I'd never seen before, we didn't have any trees like that back home. All sorts of different fruit."

Another thing he'd never thought of was opening his own bakery. They only needed one in Twelve, but here they had dozens. What was one more? "Maybe. Depends on how long we're here for, I should probably get Katniss' clearance before making such a long term plan," Peeta smiled. "Relaxed like here, or relaxed like... calm and peaceful? I don't know a lot about architecture, the Capitol is really the place with architecture. Twelve has...mines. Not anything like here."

She merely tipped her head to one side in birdlike curiosity, keeping quiet as she processed it. Finally, she gave a faint nod, accepting his explanation. "That's interesting. I'd like to see it all one day, if I could. But I know a little bit of what to expect." It was about as close to a thank you as she'd get; her tone was light, almost leaning on grateful.

A little smile tugged at her mouth, "Probably. I guess that is sort of a big decision." A pause, and Ariadne shrugged slightly. "Calm and peaceful. It's not really like this place at all, either. I don't think it's that similar to anywhere here."

"I hope so, too. It'd be nice for the new tributes to see the district they're helping," Peeta smiled, giving a small nod of his head. You're very welcome. He did the best he could with it, but at some point, all of this double talk was going to make his head hurt.

"Calm and peaceful," He repeated. "It sounds nice. Calm is sort of hard to come by around here. But it's always peaceful outside of the arena."

They were on the same page, at least in some regard; that was nice to see, even if the double talk was indeed getting a bit tiring. She'd rather just say what was on her mind straight out, but that just wasn't possible. Not if she liked her head where it was.

"Relatively speaking, at least," Ariadne agreed. She wouldn't fully agree, and say that the Capitol was always peaceful, because from the number of lockdowns she'd seen, that was a lie. "But Paris is nice. Maybe one day we'll be able to trade: you can see it, I can see the Districts."

Tell him about it. He had a headache that had started around his first few times talking to some of the new tributes, and some of the Victors as well. But it was tiring, all this double talk. He wished he could speak plainly.

"That would be an amazing trade," Peeta smiled. "I would do anything to see your world." The unspoken was right there: to see a world not controlled by the Capitol. Any world, without them around. What life could be without the games.

Maybe one day, they would all have a chance to just speak freely. She doubted it, but it was enough of a thought to get her from day to day.

"It's beautiful. I'm sure that the rest of this world is too, but it's not the same," she replied, returning his smile a little. The unspoken came through loud and clear, and she wished that it really was possible. Perhaps looking into dream sharing would be something to do, if she really got bored. She just worried that the Capitol would take it for their own.

Maybe one day, but Peeta didn't think it would ever be a day that he was alive in. The future wasn't something he could think much about right now, when surviving day to day was so much more pressing on his mind. Keeping his friends and family safe. It took a lot out of you.

All they could do was return small smiles for a moment, as Peeta tried to think of something else. Maybe the rest of the world was beautiful. Or maybe there wasn't anything but wilderness outside of the districts. That's what they were told, anyway. "What have you been doing in the Capitol, lately? I don't know if they let you go back to school here, even if it's a different school, but you have to have at least one talent you can expand on here, right?" Peeta grinned.

Ariadne didn't have much faith that she'd live to see it either; she was far too reckless sometimes for that to be any sort of guarantee. Peeta was likely a better Mentor in that he actually kept people safe more actively: sometimes she focused purely on those she called friends, but that got her more attention from the Capitol. Her friends were 'from' other Districts.

"Architecture," she answered after a long moment, after flicking a curious glance back to her companion. "I was an architecture student before all of this. Even if I can't actually build, the act of dreaming things up and sketching them out is worth practicing. You never know when you're going to need something like that," she smiled.

Peeta had no idea if he was a good mentor or not; seeing as he just got out of being held in a small, windowless room for weeks, it didn't put him in the prime position of helping out his Tributes. Or even knowing who his Tributes were. But he was going to do his hardest to make them win. It was going to be tough, though, as he looked around the room.

There were just so many likable people here. "You never know. Do you do a lot of sketches? I'd love to see one sometime. I like to paint, but I can never get buildings right. There's something so easy, but also complex? I just can't get it down right on paper."

He still seemed to make an effort, or at least more of one than she did sometimes. At least she was aware of her deficiency; she just wasn't meant to tutor people. She didn't have so much patience.

"A few sketchbooks full by now," Ariadne told him, "Maybe one afternoon, if we ever get some free time, I can help you. Painting's all about shape and colour. Once you get those down, it's easier. You don't have to worry about the fine details if you can make it look they're all there."

He wasn't sure if he could, either. But he'd see with the new arena coming up.

"Really, you'd do that for me? I'd really appreciate it," Peeta said, obviously pleased and excited. "I could trade with you, maybe? I don't know what I could show you instead, besides painting and baking cakes."

"I don't see why not. We'll have free time, come the new Arena," she replied, a small smile pulling at her mouth. "I wouldn't mind learning how to bake, though. I've never really had the time to learn anything more interesting than muffins or cookies."

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