ingenuitycfchacs

[ingenuitycfchacs]

"no, i said leave-" her words cut off as she'd found her way into the lounge, avoiding another who'd tried to garner her attention. she didn't want to talk to anyone else, on edge over the disruption to the normal flow of the games. this was not how things were supposed to go. what would happen now? she didn't like the unknown. and with her anxiousness barely below the surface, so was the nagging voice of her district partner and former best friend, her inability to ignore the voice presenting itself in her cut off words. "uh, yea." she responded after staring at the other for a moment. "don't think this has ever happened before."

where: a lounge in the tribute center when: mid morning who: open

it was difficult not to feel like she was in trouble, even though she had nothing to do with whatever it was that had happened she also hadn't prevented or stopped it. and yes, she was afraid of what might come down the pipeline for all the peacekeepers but it actually didn't matter much. cinda was elated that the rebels had pulled off whatever they had pulled off, it was an enormous win, the first in history since the first rebellion she thought but she didn't know the history that well, she hadn't finished school after all. she was proud of whoever they were, even if it meant she paid the price. "strange day, right?" she said, trying to hide how startled she'd been by them coming into the room without her hearing.

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arachne is done. all the people collected in the lobby. all waiting. all whispering. all watching. she can't stand it and so after one too many comments and glances she is sure have landed on her, she storms outside. she isn't careful about the door, ignoring at it slams behind her. she does take note of the other person, sparing them only a sour glare in response to their smile. there's nothing to smile about right now, not in arachne's opinion.

she doesn't recognize the other and thus could care less if they were smoking or not, but their offer for a cigarette, well now that drew less of a cantankerous response. she wasn't usually one to smoke, but the thought alone brought a sense of ease - memories of nights spent in the dark and shadows after a stressful day of training, the only relaxation she or justice knew in their years together - and thus she held a hand out. "i could care less if you smoke, but sure," she muttered, "i'll take one."

their eyes aren't on her tonight , so will slips from the lounge and out of the tribute center . it's a balmy night , the air licks pleasantly at her arms , and she can almost imagine that none of this is happening ; war lurking around the corner like a bad dream . this is what she has trained her whole life for , and then she sees those kids in there and can't help but wonder who's gonna make it out .

she shoves the thoughts from her mind , instead reaching for her communicator and shooting off a quick , coded message to her team back in thirteen . the slamming of doors startles her , and she turns with a start . her communicator is shoved into her pockets , replaced with a pack of cigarettes and a sheepish smile as she slips back into character . " you caught me , " she waves the cigarette packet . " trying to quit but . . . easier said than done . want one ? "

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arachne rolled her eyes, scoffing at the other's show of faux offense. her fingers instinctively went to pick at the sleeve of her flannel, only to find it not there. internally cursing, she heaved a sigh and kicked her feet up on the coffee table. "gloss is far better than finnick." she commented with a shrug. maybe her bias lay with the little sister of the capitol's favorite siblings, but admitting that would be admitting to an attachment to someone other than herself.

caspian glanced next to him at the person who has joined him on the couch. it was fortunate that he'd been one of the first to accept their fate, that they were stuck for the foreseeable future. as everybody else tried to fix unfixable elevators or find other ways out he took a seat, relaxed. from his personal experience being stressed or worried about things never made them better.

"i'm heartbroken truly." he laughed, a hand on his heart and a fake pout on his face. sure, his persona cared about being the best but all caspian had ever actually wanted was a quiet life where he could blend into the background. being the centre of attention had always exhausted him. "i understand finnick maybe but gloss? really? your taste is incredibly questionable."

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arachne's skin itched with the feeling of eyes on her as she sat in the lobby. she'd definitely kicked the elevator door when she, despite others telling her the elevators weren't working, had tried to call the elevator which might have been the reason for the stares, or perhaps she was imagining them. either way, she was uncomfortable and unhappy as she sat, arms crossed tightly over herself, on a couch in the lobby. "fuckin' sucks." she muttered when the other mentioned not being able to go anywhere. was the capitol going to hold them here and execute them all because some people amongst the occupants of the tower were rebels? it wouldn't surprise her.

she glanced over at him, eyeing his relaxed demeanor. "no, dante was and then gloss." she honestly hadn't paid too much attention to any of the interviews. "and then finnick. don't think you even made my top five."

who: caspain & open

where: the lobby of the tribute center

when: after the interviews

all caspian had wanted to go was go back to his floor and relax after a long day but it seemed the odds truly were never in his favour. it was typical that the elevators were broken, one of the things in the capitol that seemed so constant. they were all about the fight to the death, the least they could do is let them rest. he sits on a couch and somewhat relaxes. around this many capitolites he could never completely drop the mask but at the very least he can be somewhat comfortable. "looks like we aren't going anywhere any time soon." he says to the person sat next to him. "which of the interviews was your favourite? besides mine of course, I know i'm obviously everybody's favourite." he winks. if he's got to put on a persona, he might as well have fun with it.

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arachne contemplated her choices for a moment. she could say that yes, she was saying no, but she wanted to know what the other wanted her opinion on. she folded her arms over her chest, "fine, no i'm not saying no." she could always refuse to give her opinion, or make something up if she didn't want to give her honest opinion. she wasn't going to voice that thought to the other woman though. "what do you want to know?"

keres smirked, some people just loved being obstinate. "what do you think i'm going to do, force you? we both go on with our days, obviously." she pulled her table back close to her chest, she didn't need a stranger's opinion, she had only been curious and she had been there at that moment but if she wanted to be rude, so be it. "so, are you? saying no?"

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arachne let out a small chuckle, more a scoff than a laugh. taking the glass, she took a healthy sip before resting it on one of her thighs, fingers still wrapped around it.

"thanks, someone made off with the last bottle i had," she was quiet for a moment, "didn't think I'd ever see you step into the mentor's shoes again." it wasn't a place she'd often seen ceres.

Although Ceres was tempted to just swig from the bottle she refrained, waiting until Arachne put down the glasses and pouring two healthy glasses full.

"Understatement of the year goes to you. Here, I nicked it from the bar so it'll be extra good."

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two glasses were pulled down from the cabinet and she moved to return to the lounge. they were sat on the small coffee table before she reclaimed her seat, curling into the corner of the couch.

"I'm sure." she sighed, pulling an oversized flannel closet around her person. "so much has already happened and the tributes aren't even in the arena yet."

As Arachne moved to get the classes Ceres took it upon herself to make herself comfortable on the couch Arachne had vacated. She glanced over her shoulder though, keeping a close eye on her as she opened the bottle.

"Tell me about it, this isn't what I imagined coming back."

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arachne almost hadn't paused. almost had kept right on walking. and when she heard the other's question she wished she had kept walking, looked down the hall in the direction she'd been going and contemplated just walking away. she almost did. almost. almost. almost. "what if i say no?" she questioned, head cocked to the side.

who: open where: tribute tower halls

it had been a long night, too long but at the very least keres loved her work. it would not have been so much to complain about had she not missed the excitement of the tribute ball, and the dark announcement that caused such a stir. keres didn't remember the names of those taken just two days after, she was much too busy with the task of inputting quarter quell, or regular games, twists to her tablet along with ideas for new mutts and horrors in the arena. her newest idea was a games with no sponsors allowed. let the tributes live or die on their own merits without the help of strangers, the only real downside being the dissatisfaction of the sponsors themselves, which was likely actually a big issue. still, she felt the idea had merit.

the tablet was in her face as she typed quickly and she only just spotted the person about to pass her in the hall, flagging them down with a soft wave of her hand. "so i have this dilemma and i'd appreciate an ... " she looked them up and down "...outsider's opinion." in her mind keres showed a lot of tact, but in reality it was a nonexistent trait of hers.

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heda-in-the-clouds​:

“I need to fucking know what happened to my sister!”

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she hadn't looked up at the sound of someone approaching, but that hadn't stopped her shoulders from tensing up, nor the hair on the back of her neck from standing on end. though the sound of Ceres' voice did cause some of the tension to melt away. just Ceres, not another mirage of her imagination come to haunt her. she'd been about to correct the nickname with a curt Arachne as was her habit, but then she was presented with a bottle of wine and she decided against it. "That's an understatement." she muttered, unfolding herself from her position on the couch in the lounge of the second floor and moving towards the small kitchenette in search of a couple glasses.

@ingenuitycfchacs | Arachne & Ceres

"Hey kiddo," Usually Ceres stayed to her own chambers when she didn't need to be out talking to potential sponsors. But today she'd realised that Arachne was also a mentor and so she'd made her way to the floor for the 2nd district with a bottle of wine she'd found. "You look like you could use a drink."

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arachne seemed to regard the question for a long moment. what did she think of this? all of this? victors children and cousins and newphews and nieces going into the arena in the same year katniss and peeta's child turned twelve? she gave a shrug to the question, her first response, before speaking, "just a very sad coincidence." she muttered. "even sadder that they are allowing the victors to go with. so many will die." she wasn't close to many of them, not having taken the opportunity to attempt to befriend many in the past five years. however, one of the few victors she was friends with was being effected and she didn't like it. "thinking anything else would be treason. i enjoy my life," as haunted and miserable as she could be, "too much to think anything else about it all."

is  there  anyone  left  who  thinks  it  was  a  coincidence  ?  katniss  everdeen's  child  turns  twelve  years  old  and  suddenly  the  tributes  are  all  related  to  the  victors  .  a  break  in  the  rules  ,  a  glitch  ,  something  improvised  by  plutarch  to  get  the  girl  on  fire  the  hell  out  of  this  place  and  into  thirteen  where  she  can  be  used  for  whatever  the  hell  it  is  they  have  planned  .  fulvia  isn't  granted  access  to  all  of  that  ,  but  they  know  enough  ,  they  know  that  president  coin  is  willing  to  do  anything  to  bring  panem  to  its  knees  .  "  sure  ,  it's  all  a  coincidence  .  "  they  nod  ,  a  slight  shrug  of  their  shoulders  .  the  fact  is  that  no  one  is  as  stupid  as  snow  thinks  they  are  ,  and  no  one  truly  believes  that  this  wasn't  planned  .  "  what  do  you  think  of  it  all  ?  "

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"i can handle myself cash." she insisted at the older's insistence to let her know if things escalated, but she leaned her head against cashmere's shoulder regardless. "but... fine." she sighed. she couldn't take care of herself sure, but it never hurt to to have backup.

this time when cashmere called her by the nickname, she didn't retort it, instead ignored it. she pulled away from cashmere, looking over at the blonde a moment, trying to decide what was behind cashmere's words. go outside? "but you hate the g-." she paused and gave a nod. "fine, let's go." though as she stood up, she swayed slightly, reaching out to place a hand on the back of her chair and steady herself. too much alcohol in her system trying to chase ghosts away. "lead the way cashie." she murmured, motioning away from their table.

Cashmere couldn't help the frown that spread across her face at Arachne's admission. She draped an arm over the younger woman's shoulders when she scooted closer. "You let me know," she'd turned her head, hiding her lips in the brunette's hair as she spoke, "if he does. Or they get to be... too much." Gloss had always protected her, at least as long as they could. Cashmere tried to do the same with those she fell close too.

She was quiet a moment, following Arachne's gaze to the sponsor. "Ara, how let's step outside. I think you need some fresh air." It was motherly, the way she spoke. "We only have another hour or two and then we can probably leave, but for now... a stroll through the gardens?" She hoped Arachne would catch on, hoped she'd agree. Get somewhere less congested, under less watchful eyes.

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she'd drop the argument of wolf vs spider. show-boating hadn't exactly worked for her family in the past. images of clove showing off for the cameras flashed behind her eyes, of the taunts her aunt had thrown towards the girl on fire just before she'd met her end. efficacy had however, arachne was the living proof of that. but bringing up clove, delving too far into that would only increase her irritation.

she chuckled however when he claimed psychic abilities. she gave a small nod, looking down a moment. "well I suppose only time will tell the preciseness of your psychic abilities, ey?" she returned, fingers brushing brunette locks away from her face. she wasn't close with artemis or dante, always sticking to herself instead, but her district pride was another thing. "you know, too bad i didn't get the chance to go back into the arena. i'm sure i could kick your ass." she offered with a smirk. he could play his games, but she could return the games as well. "i mean there's always the training facilities, but wouldn't want to send you into the arena injured. that'd be a disadvantage."

He laughed a bit at her justification. Being as discrete as a spider might’ve been appealing to some, but the thought of unnoticed killing sounded awful to him. He was called the butcher. He didn’t know the first thing about subtle attacks. ❝Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?❞ He leaned in close, a devilish smile on his face as he continued, ❝Personally, I like it when they fight back. Makes it that much more satisfying when I win.❞

❝Not cocky, just honest. Hell, maybe I’m even psychic.❞ He was teasing her now, seeing what buttons he could press to make her crack. Even if he had a soft spot for the girl, it didn’t keep her safe from his antics. ❝Let’s face it, the tributes aren’t real contenders. You’d be lucky to see a tribute make it to day 3.❞ Sure, the kids could surprise everyone, but Caius had little faith. ❝That just leaves you with Artemis and Dante, and I could easily beat the two of them.❞

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"exactly." arachne returned, almost ready to leave it alone. but then they spoke, alluding that perhaps this wasn't the coincidence the capitol seemed to try to make it seem and they had arachne's attention again. she quirked a brow, intrigue written across her features. "it's not a quell, so why would they think to do this? it's just a coincidence right?" her tone was incredulous, unbelieving, though she'd heard the questions of it not being a coincidence. she wasn't naive. she heard the whispers of rebellion around the capitol, but at the same time she knew better than to express anything. to think against the capitol was a death sentence. she'd fought to hard to survive, sacrificed to survive. she wouldn't throw it away on a rebellious fancy.

"  never  ,  "  they  muse  ,  head  nodding  sagely  .  fulvia  does  not  fight  hard  to  keep  her  position  hidden  ,  she  doesn't  have  to  .  a  cardew  spends  their  life  in  atonement  ,  on  hands  and  knees  before  president  snow  —  she  is  forever  a  nothing  .  why  look  at  someone  like  them  with  scrutiny  when  the  real  danger  is  below  his  nose  ?  "  i  wonder  why  they  hadn't  thought  of  this  before  .  "  dangerous  words  ,  treasonous  words  ,  the  insinuation  that  this  was  anything  but  a  sad  coincidence  .

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"arachne." it'd been a battle she fought every time, though she had long since given up on it. cashmere could be just as stubborn. her shoulders tensed when cashmere called her out on the hallucinations, but didn't comment on it, merely staring straight ahead and across the ball room. "no, not himself." she muttered under her breath. "not that that fact alone makes any difference it seems." she scooted her own chair closer to cashmere's even as she threw a glare towards a sponsor she caught watching. she could damn well fend for herself, but that didn't mean she didn't unconsciously cling to the bond formed between the two a few years before.

"Ara, stop talking" her tone held a warning, but as she followed the younger woman's gaze to nothingness, her features softened. "Hey, ignore him. He's not there." Logically she knew Arachne knew he wasn't there, she'd come a long way from the girl who'd lashed out at the figment of her imagination. She waited a beat, casting a glance around before speaking lower. "Has Snow approached you?"

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she resisted the urge to look over her shoulder at the whispered 'come look at the stars with me, little spider.' he wasn't there, she told herself, instead trying to focus on the other's words. he was a figment of her imagination and a cruel one at that. he wasn't real.

focus was instead laid on trying to connect the stars the girl pointed at. "they're just stars." she said as if there hadn't been a time in her life when she'd spent hours listening to the stories behind some of the pictures they made. "it's not so much the buildings as the lights. there's plenty of buildings in two, but this city seems to think it needs lights on twenty-four-seven." she sighed. it could be overwhelming at times, just as all the noise and chatter.

madge  couldn’t  imagine  the  life  of  a  victor  -  the  endless  eyes  on  you  ,  the  constant  loop  of  trauma  that  occurred  yearly  ,  the  unhealthy  attachment  to  wealth  it  gave  you  .  madge  was  grateful  she  had  the  life  that  she  did  ,  but  she  wished  it  could  have  been  so  much  more  .  

her  gaze  shifted  towards  arachne  ,  recognition  of  the  other  from  years  of  living  in  the  capitol  now  finally  paying  off  as  she  followed  the  other’s  eyes  down  instead  of  up  .  “  not  in  the  garden  ,  in  the  sky  .  ”   to  find  the  smaller  things  in  life  was  forever  madge’s  ultimate  goal  .  if  she  couldn’t  have  the  family  and  future  she  wanted  ,  she’d  search  for  bits  and  pieces  of  it  in  her  every  day  routine  .  of  course  ,  a  party  at  snow’s  mansion  was  never  in  the  cards  until  recently  .

“  here  ,  look  up  there  .  ”   the  femme  said  softly  ,  finger  pointing  towards  the  sky  as  she  tried  to  align  the  redirection  with  each  of  the  brightest  stars  above  .  “  it’s  a  miracle  you  can  even  see  any  of  them  with  all  the  buildings  around  here  ,  but  …  it’s  beautiful  .  ”

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she'd wandered out of the crowd with the constant whisper of 'they're watching. she's judging you. he knows your secrets.' following her in the form of a blonde ghost only inhabiting her mind. "would you shut up?" she hadn't realized the whispered utterance had been loud enough for someone else to hear until the other spoke up. she startled, looking at the other for a moment before shaking her head. "oh, nothing." she tried to follow his gaze. "which dress?"

starter: open where: the tribute ball, snow’s mansion

things felt like static. buzzy buzz buzz loud too loud so loud voices together crashing making head feel like— they always did when dami was close to feeling panicked, close to a meltdown of catastrophic proportions. true, he knew how to hide behind a mask and pretend that he was fine within the capitol to save face, but seeing them being murdered like that— knowing it could be him. his windpipe felt on the verge of closing, his eyes blurring, his ears turning to a white noise before he heard some muffle of a voice by his side. with his glass in hand, dami’s gaze broke away from the fixed point that he had found himself staring into and forced a typical, capitol winning smile on his face as he fell right back into his ‘i’m okay’ facade. “sorry, what was that? i got a little too into trying to tell if the fabric of her dress was from the factory my dad works for.”