thecapitol | (no subject)

WHO| Anyone in the Capitol. Mentors, dead tributes, and the new future tributes (if you like)
WHAT| Game viewing party
WHEN| Ongoing, as long as the weather holds and the Game's don't end
WHERE| The roof of the mentor's headquarters
WARNING/NOTES| none right now.

The roof lavishly decorated, dripping with flowers, brilliantly colored blown glass bubbles and fountains that cascaded down into a small wading pool that ringed the roof. Cabana's were dotted here and there, surrounded by flowing curtains for privacy, and lounges covered with large, ornate pillows made sure there was plenty of places to sit.

Along one edge was a buffet covered with delicacies, all finger foods geared toward the warm weather. Rare fruits chilled on ice, delicate sheets of raw fish curled up on tiny piece of bread, chilled dips and many more. Iced, fruity drinks flowed freely, with a handful of Avoxs around for any needs the guest may have.

TV's were everywhere, and a guarded door lead back into the mentor's headquarter's, in case they needed to slip back in to help their tributes. If they have any left.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Annie tries to avoid the parties as much as she is able, but that particular morning, her stylist had pulled her out of bed, brushed her hair to a shine and shoved her into a pale aqua coloured sundress. A pair of heels had been shoved on her also, but Annie had taken them off almost the moment she'd found a place on one of the lounges to sit. And that had been hours ago.

Mostly, Annie had been occupying herself by feeding bits of fruits and crackers to birds. She was fairly certain that the other guests nearby didn't appreciate it. But no one said anything to her about it, either. 'Oh, it's just Annie Cresta. Let her be... she's not all there.' they would say.

In truth, she was far more 'there' than people tended to think. But birds were better company than most of them. And birds were far less likely to expect her to talk about the Games than the other guests were. But she had run out of crackers to feed the birds, and all the sunshine had made her thirsty, so she wandered up to one of the buffet tables to find something else.

She sees the other girl; doesn't recognize her though. Not that it means much. Annie has made it sort of a habit to not know the people that she meets in the Capitol.

"Try the mahi mahi," she suggests to the girl nibbling from the fish spread, because if there is anything Annie can say she knows about, it's fish. A victor and mentor she may be in title, the 'poor mad girl' in reputation, but Annie has been a fisherman's daughter from District 4, all her life. "The Capitol always gets the best catches."

The best catches. Yes, that would be an accurate statement, wouldn't it.

"Didn't see the nets coming," she murmured behind her curled fingers, gaze shifting to the aforementioned plate of fish with scrutiny. It wasn't that she didn't trust the girl's recommendation...she just had a lot of things on her mind, at the moment, and they all swam thick and uncertain inside her skull. "Now we're just treading water until the time comes." Her teeth nipped the tip of her thumb, her fingers twitching slightly as she continued to ponder the fish.

"A fine meal for the masses."

Her skin prickled with a sudden chill as that reasoning became a little too visually vibrant inside her own head. Her eyes closed briefly, pushing it away. She had to work at this, letting her mind settle and go as blank as it could. She'd need to focus, to stay alive. With all that waited for her, it was hard to keep an appetite.

The girl had tried though, hadn't she? River spared her a glance, dark eyes darting quickly over her as if she were a book to read. Then, quietly, she reached with her other hand for a plate of the fish.

Annie blinks, half-horrified as the girl speaks. A swell of fear chocking her as she tries to push back the flood.

The water rising so quickly that the sounds of the snapping trees mingles with the sounds of cannon fire; a dozen dead and she doesn't even know it. And there is nothing she can do now but swim until death comes.

She doesn't know her. Can't remember if she's ever seen her face. But the girl is young. So, if she's a victor, she's a very recent one. But... that doesn't seem to quite fit. Regardless, Annie doesn't believe she's only talking about fish. What she doesn't understand though, is if she is talking about Annie, or worse. Is she talking about herself?

She can't bring herself to ask. She doesn't want to know. Doesn't think she could handle knowing. She fumbles for a few pieces of crackers and a handful of plump red strawberries, because that was what she had come here to do. But her hands are clumsy, suddenly not her own, and she drops one of the strawberries on the ground. It leaves a red smudge of juice behind on the concrete before it rolls away. And all she can do is stare at it.

A meal for the masses.

"They eat what's fed to them," she says. Because that was true for food as well as entertainment. The Capitol craved its extravagances and excitement. "It doesn't mean they have good taste."

Her ability to reach out and let those thoughts run through her fingers like strings is muted. That doesn't mean that she can't see the sudden panic in Annie's eyes, the sort of panic that says the girl knows exactly what she means. Even if she doesn't understand the particulars, she comprehends.

She parts her lips as though to say something more, but Annie looks rattled. Her fingers twitch as the strawberry falls, but she lets it, the two of them staring almost humorously in unison as it rolls out of reach. Strawberries. Her heart twinges and she thinks of Kaylee, who would marvel at all this fresh food that people eat half of and then toss aside. The world of excess she dreamed of.

It always comes at a price.

And then Annie speaks again, and River finds herself almost smiling in wry agreement. "Means they never go hungry. Never want for anything. Just nod and smile and clap and die when you're told to, and you get to dream your life away." River reaches for another strawberry and offers it up delicately to the other girl.

She stares at the strawberry, almost hesitant to touch it, but she thinks it's in good faith. A kind gesture, and an honest one. Those are few and far between, here, and so she reaches out to take it. "T-thank you," she says, and keeps hold it it rather than setting it on her plate with the others.

"Who are you?" she finds herself wondering out loud. She must have asked half the people around them that question before. Some of them more than once. She doesn't always remember people well unless she has to.