thecapitol | (no subject)

WHO| Maximus is OPEN
WHAT| The new Victor / Mentor is adjusting to life in the Capitol again, and meeting his 'wards' leading up to the crowning. And, of course, he keeps being recognized by people he doesn't know...
WHERE| District 3 Suites, and anywhere else (he gets around, feel free to see him wherever)
WHEN| Spanning from the Date Auction to the Crowning
Notes/Warnings| None yet.

It was different, this time.

He'd returned to the Capitol before - recovering from death, adjusting to the city and the future so far from his own. He'd been in the city for months, now, but he still wasn't used to it. And now random strangers would greet him on the street. Women, throwing themselves at him. (And a few men, thinking, after seeing the footage of him and Wyatt, that they might have a chance.)

He ignored it, his face always held stern, extracting himself politely if stiffly from any situation he found himself in.

One situation he could not ignore. He was a Mentor, now, which meant he had a debt of responsibility for the other tributes in District 3. So he made it a mission to seek each of them out if he hadn't before. To learn something about them, and see if he could help them.

For all appearances a good, dutiful Mentor.

While he waited, and laid the seeds of future plot.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Congratulations on your victory," Ian said, when he saw Maximus in the District 3 common room after the date auction. Ian was eating, trying to fatten himself up for the next arena, and was starting to look a little plump already, if you looked closely. "If congratulations is the right word." Maximus would be spared the arena now, but he wasn't sure things would be much better here necessarily.

"I'm not certain it is, but I've none to replace it," Maximus said, stepping over as he glanced at the mass of food that Ian was delving into. He gave him a nod in appreciation.

"Are you prepared for the next?"

"I'm working on it." Although Ian put down his knife and fork, taking a break from eating in order to fit more in because he got too uncomfortably full.

"Any ideas what you intend to do with your free time now?" Ian asked.

He did, and most of them involved assassination and murder, but that was hardly conversation material.

"Train," he said instead. "There are enough of those in this district that have no chance of survival in the arena, that I will have plenty of work." He paused, and then offered a small smile. "You are more prepared, but my arm is yours should you need to practice."

He nodded. That made sense, especially given that everything they said was being monitored. "Thank you," he said, smiling. He didn't mention that he didn't plan on needing any practice. "I may take you up on that sometime."

"I would encourage it," Maximus said, before frowning. "I suppose there is more I must do, in the meantime. In truth my role now plays more closely to a senator than a soldier, and I was never very good with politics."

"I suppose it does," Ian said thoughtfully. In that respect he supposed he was better off in the arena. "I'm sure you'll get used to not dying, though," he joked.

"I cannot claim I will particularly miss it," He said wryly, "Though I will have to watch the deaths of those that are my friends."

Ian would have said that he didn't have to watch, but he knew the televisions were hard to avoid. "At least you know they'll come back."

"Most of them haven't," Maximus pointed out darkly. He looked over at Ian. "The Capitol is fickle in what they consider 'entertaining' but I will do my best to learn their whims."

"They haven't?" Ian paused in his eating and frowned at Maximus. "I thought everyone came back after they died in the arena."

Maximus shook his head. "Thane never returned, after this last. Nor Javert the one before, or Morrigan the one before that."

He offered Ian a stiff smile. "It seems I lose a friend every arena."

"Oh." He looked worried about that. "I suppose it makes sense," he said slowly. "If a few people don't come back each time then we'd worry who it might be and that would make us more entertaining to watch, I expect."

"That or they are bored, and fickle." He did not sound impressed. "Your best bet at survival is to last as long as you can, and better if you win."

"That's easier said than done." Especially if he didn't want to kill anyone, although he wasn't going to say that out loud. "I'll try and keep it in mind."

"If it was easy, it wouldn't be survival," Maximus pointed out with a small look of amusement.