Just a little tea party - open to absolutely EVERYONE

[riptheseams]

It's not official, or anything. Not at all. But after her recent... experiences... Calico is determined to show anyone who cares to watch her that she can be a good mentor.

So she's set up a tea party in the park.

It's Calico, so it's fancy - and the poor Avoxes she had helping her cart it all down and set it all up certainly seem to think that she's gone a bit overboard for a simple picnic. Calico is studiously ignoring that... and ignoring that some of them had been imprisoned alongside her before now.

There are streamers - glittery, of course, hanging out of trees, and big paper lanterns, lit, quite unnecessarily in the bright sunlight, with battery operated candles. On the floor, rugs, edged in ribbons, and yet more sequins - and in one case, several feather boas - lie scattered, with cushions dumped haphazardly around as Calico grew more bored. A big old fashioned gramaphone is set up - but it's not the source of the music, as Cal has no records. Her little music player is tucked behind it, playing something she heard at the ballet once.

On the food side... well, the table looks gorgeous, decorated with garlands of fake flowers and glittered plates. A large vase of ostrich feathers takes centre stage. There are cupcakes scattered amongst the sequins, highly decorated, of course, and platters of biscuits and little dinky sandwiches with glittered toothpicks through them. Vintage style cups, jazzed up to go with the Capitol exuberance and Cal's own glittery enthusiasm, stand piled in their saucers - the poor avoxes are 'in charge' of the tea. But for those who want stronger, sparkling rose wine stands in buckets of ice and, for the kids, lemonade is ready and waiting.

To occupy the party, Cal's brought a couple of baskets of her scraps, a few half finished shawls and plenty of bangle things so that people can make their own to their taste - they are getting quite the hot commodity in the Capitol now. Threads and needles are available, and even a hot glue gun (operated by battery) stands ready to attach sequins and feathers and whatever else people fancy sticking on their designs.

Anyone and everyone is invited to come and chill - it's a chance to rewind after the Games, for Tributes and mentors and the stylists and the like - and a chance to meet the tributes for any Capitol citizen who fancies turning up. Come talk amongst yourselves, attempt a sponsor deal... or chill by yourself listening to the tinkling music and making some cloth jewellery.

Utterly exhausted (doesn't take much) with all of her planning and setting up, Cal grabs a frosted cupcake and sits down, on a rug with a sigh. After all of her effort, she hopes someone is blumming watching!

Comments

[big_badass_hero]

He's been out of the arena a few hours and despite not really being in the mood to party, (hey getting the shit beat out of you by a girl can do that to a guy!) he had found out where Cal was, deciding to check to see how she was doing.

Seeing the lay out he almost walked away, because tea parties aren't his thing. But it was Cal, he couldn't do that to her.

"Hey."

[riptheseams]

"Chris! You're back. Shame abou' the arena, love."

She stood up, and held her arms open for a hug. Because DAMNIT, she would be a good mentor and show that she could actually offer some emotional support through the never ending Games.

"Did you ge' any sponsors? I told Jack to find some... bit tied up meself, love. But it all wen' alright, yeah?"

[big_badass_hero]

"Yeah, well, wasn't as bad as it probably looked on TV." He hugged her because really, Cal was a friend.

"Got lucky in the cornucopia, though wish Doc woulda... She was hurt real bad in there." He was pretty sure that was part of why she was taken out earlier than he was. "Everythin' okay?"

[riptheseams]

"You stayed with Holiday?" Cal was surprised. "Er... Yeah. Yeah, good for you... Was it really bad?"

Cal hadn't watched a second of this new arena; she had been distracted, obviously by her arrest and subsequent torture, but also with trying to deal with the aftermath, and the reality that she'd killed her parents and her brother and his wife and child and around 65 others too. Not a nice feeling at all.

"Sorry, love. I weren' payin' the closest attention. Bu' I tried tosend you food. Dunno if they let me request through."

Was everything okay? Well... No, and Cal's slightly manic grin wavered, but she held determindly on. She was on the edge, at a breaking point., but what could she do except smile?

"Fine, love. Everythin' is jus' dandy."

[savedbyasong]

Shion stood awkwardly on the edge of the tea party. His escort had brought him and in her usual style left him whilst she went to talk to her business associates, telling him not to embarrass himself, or her.

He picked up a bangle and stared at it, he had never done such things before, it was a little like art. Making things like this.

Like the crib and the clothes his father had made him as a child, the one's his mother had kept. Shion looked around at the tongueless people, at the lady eating a cupcake. It was like a nightmare, or a dream, twisted together the good and the bad.

He threaded the needle, not any different than a surgical needle really and stared at the materials.

[riptheseams]

"Y'alrigh', love?"

Calico had watched Shion arrive quite passively. She had no inclination at all, to go chat with his mentor, even if she was trying to be on her best behaviour. Still, the poor lad looked so confused, she couldn't help but grin. Putting down her cupcake, she moved over to him.

" You know what that is, right? It's a frame, for a bangle. And you can cover it in whatever you want, an' there are beads an' feathers an' junk over 'ere, as well. Like these, see?"

She thrust her own bangles under his nose. Cal was wearing seven, three on one arm and four on the other (she had never been the master of subtlety, especially when it came to pushing her own wears.) all in clashing colours and patterns.

"I'm Calico, by the way, love."
She looked to see if her name made an impression on Shion; it would be nice if it didn't, but Calico was more than aware that her little 'breakdowns', her 'binges' as the Capitol liked to call them, we well documented in gossip rags.

[savedbyasong]

Shion blinked, looking for a moment like a rabbit caught in headlights before he smiled and studied her bangles. "They're pretty." He said, looking at the frame again.

"I know. It's very nice to meet you, this tea party was a nice idea." He said with a smile. He had heard of her, though not through gossip. Just through what his escort had been telling him on the way, she had made her sound unstable and best to just be tolerated.

Shion had just nodded along, knowing he would judge for himself. After all if he believed everything his escort told him about himself he would not not like himself, well more than he already didn't.

"I'm Shion." He told her, likewise hoping she had no idea who he was. After all his only claim to fame so far had been being turned into a zombie and his blood thirsty shamble through the desert.

[riptheseams]

Luckily for Shion, Cal hadn't watched a single moment of these Games. Between being arrested and tortured and then trying to make a new - a safer - start, Cal had missed out probably on the most essential bit of the Games - actually watching it. Whoops.

"New 'ere then, love? Just been brought in for the last arena? How d'ya find it? Bit of a shock, innit? I 'ad a few of them in my District - new kinds, I mean - which one are you from?"

She grinned even wider at his compliments. "I make all my own stuff - unless its for proper parties, like. An' then I 'ave to wear what they want, same as you. But these - these are gonna be a fashion statement!"

And used to hide her District members' cuffs - how so many of them ended up on a watch-list... She shook her head at her pondering and grinned afresh.

[littlebylittle]

Ayase probably gravitated towards Shion because he looked as awkward as Ayase felt. He also had wanted to try his hand at making something, so getting nearer to the supplies wasn't a bad idea.

"Um," he said, when he saw Shion. "Do you mind if I join you?"

[savedbyasong]

Shion blinked at the boy as he approached and nodded with a small smile. "Yes, of course you can." He budged over a bit, to make his point, even if there hadf been room already.

[victorysass]

This someone is sure watching. It's been so dull in the Capitol the past few days, at least by Adelaide's standards, and she'd thought a walk in the park might yield something more interesting than loafing around the District 1 common room. Lo and behold, she finds a whole tea party...and proceeds to make a beeline straight for the wine.

"You've been a busy girl."

[riptheseams]

Was that supposed to sound as condescending as it came across? Cal bristled, but, clenching her fists, managed to repress her retort.Instead, she smiled.

"Ah, Adelaide. Ain't seen you in a while!"

She went for a good natured shrug as she watched an Avox fill a flute with wine and hold it out to Adelaide.

"Had to do summat whilst my lot were runnin' around in the arena. We nearly had a victory there!"

She pursed her lips. Adelaide had won the games just the year before Calico, and somehow Cal had always felt threatened in her presence.

[victorysass]

It did not. It's just how she talks.

"I just got in from my district last week. Things were starting to get fun her in the Capitol so I packed up Conrad and volunteered to mentor for a while."

Adelaide flashed a wide, fanged smile and took the flute graciously. In all their years as mentors, she'd never been quite sure how to feel about Cal but there was one thing she was sure of: she was way too much fun to rile up.

"You did, it was so close. Maybe next time." She takes a swig of wine. Now that was meant to sound condescending.

[doc_holi]

Holiday had heard that Calico was up to something in the park. After the woman's strange behavior flip-flop, the doctor was curious enough to check it out.

A high fashion, tea party, huh? She shouldn't expect less from these Capitol nut-jobs and she considered Cal to be one of the worst ones. Holiday walked into the scene, glancing around at the display and generally behaving. She wasn't here to cause Cal any trouble. She just wanted to see what this picnic thing was about and to watch her mentor a bit more.

[riptheseams]

Well, there wasn't much to see, really. Cal flashed a grin at Holiday when she saw her, but made no effort to move. Cal still couldn't bring herself to like the Doctor. So she carried on munching her cupcake, and waved cheerily when she met Holiday's eye again. Itwas a silent invite to join her on the rug - but Cal wasn't in the mood for pushing her luck today.

[doc_holi]

... After a moment's debate, Holiday eventually made her way over to Cal after looking at everything there. Of course, the feeling of not liking was still very mutual.

"It looks like you've put some effort into this. Anything going on I should know about?"

[littlebylittle]

Ayase liked the park. He liked that he could go outside when he wanted now and that he could take a walk around some fresh grass and tree if he wanted too. He could go to a party too, and this one was beautiful.

"Everything looks so nice," he said, trying to compliment the host.

[riptheseams]

"Thanks, love. I did try a bi'. Did you get the bangle I sent you?"

She patted the rug on which she sat.

"Come an' plonk yourself 'ere, love. Grab a cupcake. Grab some tea. Come an' enjoy the sunshine."

[littlebylittle]

Ayase sat obediently but with a smile that showed that he didn't mind being near her at all. He did take up a cup of tea and a cupcake to enjoy. He loved sweets and all of them seemed so tempting.

"I did. It was perfect. Thank you."

[peacekeeperavox]

The redheaded Avox at the tea setting was doing his job with the usual silent economy of movement, heating cups and mixing the requested blend for each guest, dispensing sparkly little molded sugar shapes and tiny crimson cookies.

Except his hands shook, every time a mentor came near. And he might have even spilled a cup.

[riptheseams]

"Y'alright, love?"

Cal didn't know Darius, didn't know him at all. But she still felt for him. She had been so close to being made into an Avox herself; the poor bloke must have really pissed off the Capitol for them to actually have gone ahead with it.

To keep up appearances, she bossily said, "STOP SPILLING MY TEA, USELESS!"
but the way she patted his hand, just briefly, was her way of indicating that she didn't really care.

[peacekeeperavox]

He actually made a sound, a nervous little swallow of noise, jumpy as a wild animal. But at the pat, he went quite still, eyes flicking up to hers in confusion.

[revvinguptheharley]

"CALIEEEEEEE~"

Harley called from across the way and came skipping over in some sort of feathery short skirt with shimmering red, yellow and orange plumage over yellow bell bottoms. Long purple streamers seemed to float behind her like pieces of a ruined cape, and to top off her ensemble, a puffy matching hat with a glittering black gem set in he front.

She was...colorful and warm to say the least.

"Am I late? Did I miss all the fun?"

[riptheseams]

"WHOA!"

Colourful even by Cal's standards. She raised her eyebrows just a smidge. It wasn't as structured as Cal liked her clothes to be, but Harley looked pretty cool nonetheless.

"Late, love? Nah. I's no' a formal thing - jus' turn up, chill ou' an' make a bracelet."

[revvinguptheharley]

"Maybe in a minute after all who could make a cooler bracelet then the one I already got?" She proudly displayed the modifications Cal had already made to her capitol mandated tracking bracelet. She gave the cuff a slap making it spin before it tightened, this was apparently one of her favorite things to do because she reasoned that if there was a microphone in the cuff it would hurt the ears of whoever was listening in.

"This is some shindig. You just throw this kinda stuff together at the last minute or what?" She gestured at the people and servants milling about.