#c:auri

[chip-foster]

@auri-cartwright​

“I-Is th-the kid here with you?” he asked Auri as he came up next to her at the bar, looking for a refill on his soda. “E-Evie’s gonna be pissed when she finds out I got to see Th-Thirteen without her.” After what happened on the steps of the Sovereign’s mansion that morning, he was glad she wasn’t there.

[poppy-battenberg]

Most of the kids she was helping were busy for the next few days. After the wheat fields were destroyed, families were working double time trying to grind out as much of their own stores as was demanded. Poppy didn’t think it was a good time to show her face around the district square, despite getting to know some people there. They’d see her last name before her first, wouldn’t they?

A cargo train was heading to Six, in need of some repairs. Poppy snuck on the back and didn’t sleep a wink until the train came to its definitive stop. She jumped off and ran until she was clear of the station. She found a group of girls around her age who seemed to be heading home from work and asked if they knew the way to the Victor’s Village. By the time she got there - after asking several more people for directions and clarity - the sun was nearly set. She was sure she looked a mess, but she didn’t hesitate to knock on Auri’s door. “Ding-dong! Cool Aunt Poppy’s here to make Miles’ day!” she called as she continued to knock. 

@auri-cartwright​

[banshee-grove]

@auri-cartwright​

Miz was getting a little too nosy about what the Tower was like, and found himself wandering onto random floors. He was staring at the crystal decanters on the bar cart in Six when he heard the elevator doors open. “I hope I’m not intruding,” he said with a smile. “Just want to make sure we’re getting the same on Nine as everywhere else.”

[poppy-battenberg]

“And hope no one else has anything life threatening,” Poppy muttered. She wasn’t worried about her tributes being able to survive on their own. But she was worried about how they’d face again a bloodthirsty Career dressed in the opposite color. “I need caffeine. And another explainer on how these teams work. It’s fucking confusing.” It really wasn’t. She just hated how it complicated things that all of Six’s tributes weren’t together.

poppy-battenberg​:

“C’mon,” she groaned as she looked at the mentor. “Sloane was basically in the first one!” She crossed her arms, but decided not to argue it too much more. “Can I help with anything?” she asked. She’d tried to be nice to sponsors, as much as she could stand, during training. But most of her focus was on the tributes. There was nothing she could show them now, and she hated the sudden loss of control. 

It was true that the third Games were pretty damn close, but she didn’t know if close to the first held the same symbolic weight. She really didn’t know why Battenberg was back to sponsoring at all, but she didn’t want to dwell on it. “I think we’ve done everything for now. We just have to wait and hope none of them need anything life saving in the first few hours.” Then, they’d have to cash in some of those checks they were promised. “How about we get some coffee? Do you need to the caffeine as badly as I do?”

[chip-foster]

@auri-cartwright​

Chip had missed most of what happened the night before. He was still playing catch-up. After his shift ended, he had mere minutes to shower and get dressed up. He’d stopped at the bathroom first, then started wandering. “I-Is th-that kid still alive?” he asked, referencing Nico. Things happened so fast, for all he knew the little showman died within the last thirty seconds.

[chip-foster]

Chip paused in front of a television in the ballroom, watching closely as the cameras settled on Nvidia. Fog was quickly filling the arena, and even he didn’t know what it would bring. “Sh-She’s fucking smart,” he muttered when he noticed another presence. “DD-istrict Thr-Three could use her.”

@selenehoneybell

@auri-cartwright

@cadebentley

@huntedhunter

@asher-hartley

@sigmardor​

[chip-foster]

@auri-cartwright​

“D-Do you...” Chip awkwardly gestured to the drink menu in front of Auri. It felt too invasive to stretch in front of her to grab it, but he’d been unable to find one for a while now. He knew he had to be very specific at the bar. “C-Could I-? Or is th-there just a, um, m-mocktail you see?”

[poppy-battenberg]

“What are you drinking?” Poppy asked as she pulled a beer from the fridge. She’d managed a few hours of sleep the night before after crying herself to sleep, but she knew she’d need a different kind of aid the night before launch. Any moment spent not trying to break down was spent worrying over Gemma and Niko. Why the fuck did they have to be so likable? “What do you think of the training score?”

@auri-cartwright​

[chip-foster]

@auri-cartwright​

Chip was over this shit. It was getting late, he’d barely slept in 72 hours, he couldn’t get what happened earlier to stop replaying in his head, and he’d nearly had a drink. There were Peacekeepers stationed all near the entrance, as well as several photographers that he wanted nothing to do with. Familiar with the ballroom by now, he knew that they kept the window nearest to the entrance and exit of the kitchen slightly cracked to help release some heat coming out of the kitchen. There was always a tasteful, on theme screen hiding the entrance and exit so it wouldn’t sully the room’s appearance.

When Chip thought the cost was clear, he slipped behind the screen and made a beeline for the door. He pushed on it gently, suddenly covered in goosebumps as the cold air hit him. He could feel the ache in his lungs as the change in temperature threatened to trigger an asthmatic reaction. He would be warm in his car soon, though. Or so he thought, until he heard a noise behind him. “Shit.”

[allard-danbur]

“I can’t lie, that’s what I usually use to decide what I buy when I get things in the Capitol,” she admitted. She was so overwhelmed by all the different names that she didn’t know how to pick aside from aesthetics. The brighter and more creative, the better. In Twelve, they didn’t have such variety. There was just moonshine with different flavorings, which she’d grown to love. In one of her bathrooms she often made an apple cider moonshine in the autumn. “Robin’s definitely strong,” she agreed with a nod. But he was a man, with a child at home. She’d rarely felt so helpless as a mentor, but in many ways she was glad for it. She believed he could handle himself. “Jubilee, too. Physically and mentally. Especially mentally. Did you ever see her working on her bloodbath plans?”

tana-charbon​:

Tana was feeling restless, but taking part in her normal activities of reading or drawing or painting felt as if they would draw away too much attention. She was wandering around the Tower, keeping an eye on screens to see what Robin did next. “No, no, I’m all set,” she assured the mentor as she sat down. She glanced at the bottle. “Well…what kind is it?” She didn’t like the heavier wines, but she did have some occasionally that were fruity enough for her liking. And if there was any day to drink, she guessed it was launch day. “How are you doing? Jubilee looks like she’s surviving well.” She didn’t like to say “doing well” if she could help it. It wasn’t an accurate description.

“It’s a Malbec. It’s not half bad, but honestly, I only bought it for the label,” Auri confessed. She ran her thumb over the gold embossing that curled around in intricate patterns on the front of the bottle. “She’s okay so far, thanks. I’m glad she has a snorkel in her hands, and making it through the bloodbath is the first major hurdle, so-” Auri trailed off, trying not to get ahead of herself. “Robin too. He seems tough.”