#mb134

[everettcannon]

"This mermaid just told me I have no soul," Everett said, turning away from the woman dressed as a mermaid and giving out fortunes. He had thought she'd say something pleasant, such as 'good fortune will come to you,' but instead she'd just told him she could not read his future because he didn't have a soul. "Shall we drink?" He held up his glass.

[mxhlon]

"Woah, woah," Mahlon paused the conversation, which could barely be called that, since he wasn't engaging, and the other person hadn't gotten more than a few words in before they'd been stopped. "See, thing is...you mistook me for someone who gives a fuck. Maybe try, uh--" He looked around the room, for a scapegoat to redirect to. "Shit, I dunno. A mirror? A therapist?" He held up three fingers, looking for an out, angling to escape. "Listen, I dance. I deal. I dip the fuck out as soon as I'm allowed. Conversation ain't really part of it. You want stupid, shallow fuckin' small talk? Try Meadowforge."

[nano-cache]

"It's called Fool's Gold," Nano explained, even though he'd only learned about it two rounds ago. The three shot glasses sat on the bar, shimmering, flecks of gold interspersed throughout the iridescent liquid. "One is liquor, one is ether, and one is just holographic water they've dyed." The three looked nearly identical, and Nano lowered himself down, studying them, trying to parse it out. "Pick one. Play a round."

[cress-meadowforge]

"Let's try our luck, shall we?" Cress coaxed, slipping closer, looping her arm through. She nodded toward the fortune-telling mermaid perched on the dais in the corner of the room. "I've heard she's rather scathing, though, so don't say I didn't warn you."

[holland-westbrook]

Holland was holding one of the fake skulls from a table and peering at it closely, tapping it with her finger as if to examine it. "This is a shitty imitation of real bone," she complained, as if she'd expected anything different.

[catmillers]

Cat was used to being an accessory on the arm of whoever would have her – that was what going to the Mentor's Ball was for, wasn't it? To be a hot piece of something for someone to brag about; Cat was over that, thought it was sick, she was tired of being used by the Capitolites, tired of being used by sponsors. Instead, she was here with an equal, with Holland and if that didn't have her giddy, nothing would've. However, she wouldn't have minded being an accessory for Holland and practically acted like one, with the way her eyes almost never left her as they entered the party.

"I know I already told you this like, eighty fuckin' times but you look gorgeous," Cat said, a big cheesy grin on her face. "Did – do you actually even like dancin' or am I jus' really good at convincin' you?" She asked, cocking her head to the side as she sipped on her drink.

@holland-westbrook

[montgomery-cannon]

@cade-bentley

The evening was rapidly falling apart. The news about Ezra had certainly set the mood back by several notches. But still, it wasn't unsalvageable. There were still Sponsors to charm for Mars and Callisto, and Monty himself still had plenty of cash to spend himself, should other Mentors approach. But all of that said, he needed the finest offering of the evening: booze.

He found his way to the bar and pulled out a small wad of bills. It didn't matter what the tender provided, Monty was not one to skimp on tip. He gently shut his eyes as he waited for service, trying to puzzle through strategy for the evening. If Ezra was out and Mars was half blind, Two's odds had just dropped exponentially. Maybe it was time to jump ship and move money to One.

He heard the approach of a bartender, and was halfway through ordering something rummy when he opened his eyes and saw Cade Bentley in front of him. "Oh, fuck," he muttered under his breath. He curled his fingers over the cash, taking it firmly back into his control. "Shall I just go now, or are you going to curse me out again for being somewhere I was expressly invited to be?"

[hestiaember]

She needed a moment.

It was pushing midnight, and Hestia had been talking for over three straight hours now. While she usually worked hard for her tributes, this time was different. Tonight, she was a businesswoman in her own right, one she didn't think was in her, the type that leveraged flattery and mimicry. Sponsors all loved to preen at the reflections of themselves they saw in their Victors, to bask in the glow of compliments refracted back their way. Hestia's real self was nowhere to be seen this evening, hiding behind her armor of flashing jewels.

She stepped out into one of the halls and sat down on one of the couches, feet aching. For a glorious moment, she slipped off her heels and let out a deep sigh, closing her eyes and resting her forehead in her hands. The world went gloriously dark and private.

It didn't last. There was the prickle on the back of her neck that told her she was being watched, and she looked up to find, indeed, someone was approaching her. "Oh. Hello," she greeted, already trying to turn her foreign, sparkling self back on to hustle for more support for Slate, slipping her heels back onto her feet to stand. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, I was just-- just getting some air."

[cain-gunn]

"Psst," Cain leaned over, catching Link as she went by. "Hey, do you know if you're supposed to eat the seaweed on this?" He held up a deconstructed fish and rice dish with a slice of dried seaweed laid over top, so it balanced at a precarious tilt. "You are, right? Like, that's why it's there? I don't get food garnishes, man," he admitted. "If it tastes good, why do we need to decorate it?"

@linkcache

[masonxxbrick]

As excited as Mason had been for the ball, once he was there, he really wasn't feeling it. He was exhausted. Dark, deep bags under his eyes proving he had not slept hat night. And maybe even the night before that. His clothes fitting slightly bigger as he was unable to eat much recently due to his stomach being in knots. Anxiety and stress had hit him even harder since his brother revealed he was going to be a father. That he cheated on Medea. Plus everything else what was going on in his life. Mason thought the best thing to do was avoid his brother and let him deal with the drama he caused on his own.. but when he had ever been good at holding grudges? Being mad at his brothers? Avoiding them? He had always been the one to crack first. To apologize first. Because he hated that negative feeling. At this point, he couldn't be mad at the one person he had left.

Deciding this was going to be the night to fix thing, Mason set out to find his brother in the crowded room. Then, he finally spotted him. Off on his own, which was surprising to him. Mason took a deep breath before making his way to Miller. His heart raced in his chest as he finally stood in front of him. "Uh, hi." The younger brother said softly, nervously messing with his fingers. "Do you.." He started to say, looking around to avoid eye contact. "Do you have a moment to talk? Outside?"

@millerbrick

[millerbrick]

@montgomery-cannon

There was another perk to this stupid bet with the bartender. The last time Miller had spoken with Montgomery, the elder Cannon had found him right after Smith's death, when Miller had been more than a little frayed, had looked perhaps just a bit maniacal. With this bet, Miller didn't have to grapple with the embarrassment of recalling that moment and could focus on his objective instead. "Who's your money on this time around?" he asked, offering the sponsor a glass of mai tai.

[everettcannon]

Everett wanted to be sure that Cade was okay and taking it easy tonight. They had gotten their hands on some powerful antibiotic cream and were hoping for the best, but he was still worried that his shoddy first aid wouldn't hold up and that Cade needed an actual doctor. He spotted him on one of his breaks from his shift -- which seemed to be fairly frequent -- and approached with a glass of water. "You being smart?" he asked in a tone that suggested he didn't think he was.

@cade-bentley

[greer-morgan]

"So, what do you even do around here?" Greer questioned Monty. "Not here, obviously." She knew why he was at the ball. "In the Tower. D'ya live here, or just spend all your time hangin' around for fun?" She was wondering out loud more than trying to imply anything, but she wasn't worried about it either way-- it wasn't like Monty had any interest in Ten anyway. "You're the only sponsor I know that manages to get himself in the Tower every day from the Reapin' 'til the end."

@montgomery-cannon

[nano-cache]

"I'd suggest we fuck with some sponsors and break the Four Horsemen back out," Nano quipped, throwing himself down into the seat next to Link. "But I feel like that wouldn't make them want to give us their money, so..." His elbows came down onto the table, palms cradling his cheeks as he leaned forward, tired as the night dragged out. "How you holdin' up? No one's tried to kill you tonight. That's an improvement."

@linkcache

[moxiepitlock]

"I really don't understand half of the outfits," Moxie admitted. Some of them were so wispy and ethereal it didn't feel as if there was an actual concept behind them. Her least favorite to date was the woman who walked in, her skin painted blue and the dress she wore a mix of blue and white tulle – was she really meant to be the ocean? Horrible. "I feel like everyone who isn't a pirate is missing the point," Moxie mumbled pressing her glass up to her lips.

@abel--evans

[catmillers]

"So, d'you feel better this side a' all of it?" Cat asked. She had begrudgingly peeled away from Holland to at least pretend to do her mentorship job. It wasn't a shock when she, eschewed talking with the sponsors to find her friends and well, harass them. "Like, talkin' t' sponsors, doin' all that kinda shit?" Cat clarified, giving a gentle nudge to Mason.

@masonxxbrick