OPEN POST pt III

[wunderkind]

-1-
pick a character

-2-
leave me a comment. maybe a scenario, maybe an AU scenario, maybe a picture, maybe a word,
maybe a request to resume old game canon, maybe just a comment.
i don't care. do your worst.

-2a-
helpful note: i am currently obsessed with the Walking Dead, coffee, summertime, AUs, and vampires. can you combine those into one tag?

-3-
let's get it on, like we did last summer



disclaimer: we probably won't get it on
+ there are no promises i will take this seriously

Comments

[axeyou]

Unless: that little hint, left hanging, leaves a promise that the Capitolites will eat up. It will also mean that they're watched more closely, people trying to gain access to private areas for-- what? The hope of seeing something more titillating than teasing words? Johanna's smile harshes a little, but the focus is on Kate.

Her answer suffices; the mediator applauds, pleased by this display of fairness and honor and good sportswomanship, the tips of her fingers bumping lightly against the flat of her hand. And everything moves on, more questions for the group--the promise of another exciting Hunger Games, and the wrap-up. Once the lights go down, the room descends into the hubbub of murmured conversation. Some of the Mentors really do like each other, after all, but Johanna heaves herself to her feet, detaching from even the hint of closeness, with Kate. She tugs sharply at her skirt, fluffing it out.

"Happy?"

[alsohawkeye]

Kate doesn't move as Johanna rises. She would've gotten up and gone on her way but standing now would bring them closer together and with no one left to see that's the last thing Kate wants. The sound of Johanna fiddling with her skirt in the dark makes her almost smile, at the sheer absurdity of all of this. Happy.

"Thrilled, darling," she drawls, reply all acid. She hooks an arm back over the chair and lounges, feigning an ease she doesn't feel, and turns aside to speak to the victor at her left, quick to move on, quick to cut Johanna out.

Their first performance is well-received. Clips of the footage air a half-dozen more times that night alone, and commentary is both plentiful and excitable. But the Capitol isn't really in the habit of dispensing praise for a job well done, so the only thing Kate and Johanna get the next morning is a new set of instructions and scripts. Things have gone well, sure, but the timing is key and they need to act quickly to cement this in the public's minds, so the next step is a public outing, where "candid" shots will be snapped "without their knowledge" showing them "overtly affectionate".

Kate passes the time and location to her stylists, and as they bustle about preparing an outfit, planning her hair, she rolls her eyes and spreads jam on her croissant.

[axeyou]

Happy.

Johanna thinks of that word a lot in the day and night that follow. Happy, ha ha. It's stupid to get so worked up about this--what's one thing more, right? After everything she's been told to do, and asked to do, and made to do. After everything they've done to her. This is nothing. Image stuff, probably designed as a sort of punishment. But maybe it's that aspect of punishment that makes it smart the way that it does. She's kept quiet. She's played her part, with a few notable exceptions--but all that is in the past, they tell her, only because they don't have anyone left to kill. She comes to the Capitol and she goes to the parties and they still find ways to fuck with her, just because they can. Because they're bored.

The plot enchants her stylists. Johanna wants to bite off their fingers, one by one. They prep her in a flurry of fabrics and brushes, assuring her of just how happy they are for her. Like they aren't in on the falseness of this whole thing. Maybe she shouldn't be so hard on the idiots. They're just excited that they get to do something fun--for her, they insist, over and over, but of course it's for themselves.

The afternoon will be spent in one of the more private of the public gardens. Johanna, dressed in green satin. Slits are sliced high in the skirt, nearly up to her hips, and show bare leg when she moves. Heels weren't her strong suit when she'd first come to the Capitol, but she'd learned them in no time, and she walks like they're nothing even on the cobbles of the garden path. The bodice of the dress is so gauzy it's nearly transparent, but a gesture toward modesty has been made in the form of the metal piece hat fits over her breasts, with cups in the shape of leaves. A delicate gold chain holds it all in precarious place, encircling her neck and ribcage, loose enough that it jingles, faintly, when she walks. Her hair is worn extra long today, nearly down to the middle of her back. Gold vines twine down from her temples, fall around her face like curls, but they do nothing to soften the clench of her jaw.

And yet, at least, she's outside. She's not happy, but she's not in 7's suite, and she's not in a training room, and she's not at another banquet or ball. This is shitty, but she feels more in her element. And it's not like Kate is happy about it, either.

Carelessly, she looks around as she walks among the verge of roses and greenery. She isn't looking for Kate. Maybe Kate won't even show, she thinks, dully--but of course she will. She's got something to lose.

[alsohawkeye]

Kate's stylists are excited, if less than Johanna's. She wasn't lying about being more in the spotlight than 7's victor, and she's in the Capitol more frequently, has been around longer, so the sheen of getting to dress her up for a date or an appearance has worn off. But this is the most high-profile she's been in at least a year, and there's an added energy and anxiety to their preparations Kate does her best to ignore.

She's far from happy but she's over being angry about this. Johanna is infuriating and the whole thing is a stupid pain in the ass she doesn't need, but compared to the other options she's more than content to go sit in a garden and pretend she doesn't want to strangle her all day.

At least they're outside, that much they might agree on. She wonders if she can convince the producers of this affair to let them go hiking or something next time - a nod to Johanna's roots, a chance to forego the heels, maybe even get out of the city. It's worth an ask, at least, and she makes a note to do so. Today, though, she's in blue again, silk darker than the press conference, lapis to match the collection of gems in her ear, each sapphire stud linked by an elaborate web of delicate silver chains that dangle like a fringe. There's a matching net connecting the dress to thick silver torque, the high fashion equivalent of a choke-collar. She laughed a little when she saw it.

She arrives on time, because that's what she does, and is already perched on a bench in a quiet corner near a twisting, multi-colored fountain, brushing away a leaf that falls into the elaborate, blue-streaked pile of her hair. She has a palm-sized tablet, and after giving their schedule a final once-over has been scrolling through the news. When Johanna passes, she rises, and lifts a hand. "Johanna!" She sounds pleased to see her, because it'd be a shame to botch this from the beginning.

[axeyou]

The brightness of Kate's tone, however false, sends a finger of revulsion down Johanna's spine. She does not like cheerfulness. But she's determined not to fuck up, to match Kate success for success. If this is a lie she's going to tell, then she's going to be very good at telling it, just because she can. It's sort of fitting, considering the similarities of their victories. Both of them are liars.

But half of her act is angry. She can get away with a little brittleness. Kate is pale in blues and silvers, like someone's vision of a moon goddess. Disgusting, Johanna thinks, but she lets her eyes trail over Kate's form beneath her dress.

"Hi," she says. Not a lover's greeting, but whatever, she's no lover. She comes to stand beside Kate's bench, to offer her a hand up. "Don't you look nice. Your stylists are always outdoing themselves."

[alsohawkeye]

Would it make her feel any better to know that Kate hates the sound of it almost as much as Johanna does? This sort of thing doesn't make her skin crawl or her stomach churn, not anymore, but it still sounds wrong coming out of her mouth. So she drops it, as soon as Johanna is near enough to offer that assistance. She smiles, and she reaches up to clasp her hand, but her tone is flat and her grip is loose.

"They shouldn't be able to hear us from here. As long as we act the part it doesn't matter what we really say." So don't bother with the compliments she doesn't believe. Kate stands so smoothly the only pull Johanna will feel is a re-positioning, not an ounce of Kate's weight lifted by anything but her own power. She holds onto Johanna's hand for another moment anyway, gives it a squeeze visible in the way Kate's fingers conspicuously clasp around hers and then lets go with a brief rumple of her brow that passes as a show of hesitation, second-guessing the public display or its end.

"If we stick to the formal gardens it will be quieter. We can do a lap and then sit for a little while and that should be enough." That and the whole overt affection part they're supposed to be demonstrating today, of course.

[axeyou]

"Good."

Johanna answer is harsh, spit out through her smile, but she means it. The news of isolation--relative isolation only; someone is always listening in the Capitol--is more than welcome, a precious commodity in a place where all eyes are always on them. Fucking celebrity life, right?

She twists her hand to squeeze back at Kate's, before she can let go--not a gesture of affection, of course, but an answering one. Never one to be outdone, that's Johanna Mason. Only a moment of that; then she threads her fingers through Kate's, palm to palm. They're here on a ate, after all.

"Then let's get started. And I wasn't kidding about the dress," she adds, with a lift of her head, a look cast downward. "It's really hot."

[alsohawkeye]

It's a weird moment, or couple of moments, as Johanna squeezes her hand and links their fingers together and calls her dress hot. Each of them individually make sense (sort of), the hand-holding shit definitely does given their cover and Johanna's tendency to push back but then suddenly do and 180 and go all in to one-up her in faking it.

But all together in a little cluster of unexpected things it makes for a strange moment and Kate has some trouble parsing it. So yes, fine, points to Johanna. Well played. She can have satisfaction in the form of Kate's pale and perfect brow briefly creasing, in the glance down at their hands that follows the contact of her palm and the remark about her dress. But that's it, because after that moment Kate recovers.

"If your stylists are ever willing to take some pointers I know mine would be happy to help. They have lots of ideas about how to dress you better."

[axeyou]

"Me, personally? Or does that 'you' mean everyone?"

There is some satisfaction in that brief expression that crosses Kate's face, the same sort of satisfaction that comes of scoring a point in any game. So what if the Capitol set this game up? How is that any different than usual? If Johanna is going to be obligated to play (and she isn't, really, but she is getting something out of it, eventually, so while the obligation is self-created, it still remains), then she is going to play well. If that means holding hands, then that's what it means.

And Kate does look good, objectively speaking. There's an effortlessness to the gown and the overall style, something Johanna's stylists seem to struggle with. Maybe it's because they think of wood as their primary inspiration, and big trees at that. Every once and awhile they strike on something good--the delicate veins of a leaf, the thin lines of the branches at the very top of a tree--but it never lasts.

Not that she should care. Being dressed up like a living doll, like a commodity, that ought to be more shameful. Too bad Johanna actually likes the feeling of looking good. It's easy to feel like a piece of meat, but she still buys into it.

"Don't tell me your stylists have been checking me out." She tosses her head a little, like this is exactly what Kate is implying, and she knows it, and deserves the scrutiny. "Or were you checking me out?"

[alsohawkeye]

Kate doesn't bother to roll her eyes at Johanna's little moment of vanity, that hair-flip and the emphasis in the questions. "They have ideas for everyone," she says, dry enough to burst that bubble, "But they've always thought Seven's stylists were hacks and didn't have a female Victor to prove their theory, until you." So, both.

They're out here to have a walk and here they are hand-in-hand, so Kate starts strolling, heels a soft click on the paving stones that wind through the hedges. Her dress shifts and ripples in the sunlight as she moves, revealing a faint sheen to the fabric not previously visible.

Some of it's styling-- her people really are excellent-- but half Kate's look is just the ease with which she wears it, and that comes less from tailoring and more from having grown up getting primped and put into gowns. One is miles from Seven and Kate came from money as much as anyone in the Districts can. The Capitol has upped the ante now, of course, but unlike most Victors she spent her formative years in heels and make-up already, not boots and flannel. She wouldn't call it a skill, or anything she's earned a right to be proud of.

Johanna should be, though. Despite growing up in the woods and the questionable fashion choices she's been forced into since, she manages to look good-- or on the very worst days to at least make clear that she could look good if only people would stop trying to make her look like a tree. Not that Kate's likely to tell her that.

"They also suspect one of them must have some sort of bizarre tree fetish. If you know which it is you could settle the bet."

this is what you get for going to class

[axeyou]

A tree fetish. Johanna actually snorts at that--definitely more raised-in-the-woods than anything remotely lady-like--but definitely genuine, by the same turn. So Kate got in one amusing comment. That's like one point for her. Big deal.

"What, like I should just tell you District secrets to pass to them? Katie, please." She lifts her chin, looks down her nose at Kate. "Just because we're lovers doesn't mean I'm giving you any secret intel. Not unless you're giving me some."

And yet the prospect of halfway decent outfits is pretty tempting. Johanna weighs the thought, critically. She doesn't do charity, but they might as well talk about something while trotting around like a couple of show animals. "Do you have the bet with someone, or is it really just your stylists?"

this is what you get for... waiting patiently for weeks and then having more christmas?? idk

[alsohawkeye]

"What, like I should just tell you my secrets?" Kate can't resist parroting Johanna's words back at her (sadly minus condescending nicknames), but it's true, they do have to talk about something. So she lets sarcasm wane, for now.

"There's a pool, actually. Most of my team has put credits down. Honestly I think they're less excited about this little stunt increasing their exposure and more about the potential to finally decide the wager." She sounds amused by that, not fond exactly but sort of indulgent, like she's graciously tolerating foolishness. (Because she is.) But she doesn't ask Johanna again for the answer.

Her grip is loose, her hand warm, skin soft and dry with the beginning of new calluses. She resists the urge to wiggle her fingers and re-set her hold on Johanna's, even as it prickles along nerves. "I was serious," she offers instead, "If you'd like them to make you something I'm sure it could arranged as part of this-- thing."

I am beyond pleased Merry Christmas to me

[axeyou]

"You mean I could get something useful out of this whole act?"

The dryness of that drawl only highlights all of the sarcasm that Johanna has loaded into those few words. But there's a truth to it: Kate really does get a little more out of this whole arrangement than she does. At least, in Johanna's head she does. Sure, there's favors, in her future, but that's not the same as something in the here and now, something as tangible as a dress.

Maybe she should be above fashion and fripperies. Maybe she is, a little. And she might be rolling her eyes, right now, like she could care less--but Johanna also likes the thought of a dress cut more like Kate's. So what?

"Hey, that could be a date," she says, carelessly. "I'll come over to your rooms, get some measurements done... I guess my stylists could pass the information on to yours, but the more time we spend together, the better it looks for you, right? Sorry. For us."

The loving couple. She narrows her eyes at Kate, with a smirk.

"When you get back, you can tell your team to get ready for me."

[alsohawkeye]

As much as Johanna's sarcasm is aimed her way, Kate's dislike of the situation is enough that it doesn't cut and instead she make a soft huff of a noise that's more like agreement. "Shocking," she drawls just under her breath.

And Johanna's not wrong about the optics, that had been Kate's thought as well. It's win/win for them as an actual fitting and pretend date, not to mention one that will happen behind closed doors under the scrutiny of only a few. Far easier to pull off than, say, this. Not that it's proving as difficult as Kate thought it might. Johanna's been well-behaved so far, playing her part. She'd had some definite doubts about her willingness-- and isn't ready to give them up just yet-- but it's a step in the right direction, at least.

She smirks, and Kate smiles back. The warmth is slight and only put-on but it's a pretty, photogenic smile nonetheless. "As long as I don't have to be dressed like a tree in return, it's a deal."

[axeyou]

It's a very pretty smile. Johanna sort of wants to punch it.

Instead she raises her chin, just a little. They're nearly of height, so any sort of looking down her nose is spoiled--but it doesn't matter. The heft of superiority is the same. She'll keep playing her part, for now--she's just decided that she will--as long as compliance is easy and amusing and gets her a pretty dress. At least one. The more, the better.

"You'd make a pretty tree." She lets her eyes slide up and down Kate, a brief but thorough once-over even from this close angle. "But I'm sick of trees."

The moment lingers--for whoever might be watching, but also for confusion, another fun part of this--and then Johanna tosses her hair, and walks a little faster, tugging at Kate's hand to pull her in her wake. "Now let's sit down and get out of the way so we can stop pretending to have a conversation."