Creston Mare

"Easy there, Cap." I laughed as he grabbed onto my shoulder as if it helped emphasized his statement. I slid one of the remaining rolls towards him as I listened. I took note of what he said, I'll just make it more of a point to avoid her, not that I'm going out of my way to say 'hello' to begin with. "Hey, pickers can't be chosers." I said. I wonder if that means he'll be less inclined to link up with the careers, he really doesn't seem like the career type but I'm not holdingmy breath on that. If he's as dedicated to hia craft as he says he is maybe he'd be a choice ally. I'm still debating the idea of teaming up with someone to begin with. But for now, let me see what else I can get out of him. "So have you met anyone else yet? I've only met a couple of the girls."

"I talked to this one girl," Creston answered. "Uh...what was her name?" he mumbled to himself. "Blonde..really hot..umm....V-Violet? Yeah Violet! From District 5," he finally concluded. "She seemed kinda awkward." He reached over and grabbed a roll from the basket, stuffing the entire thing in his mouth. "So you find anybody interesting?"

Liquor Overflowing the Cup || Creston & Callahan

"Ahh, nets and spears. Thanks for the information." I thought to myself. Maybe it was a good thing I was talking to a career while he was drunk, might spill out a thing or two that might help me out in the days to come. I didn’t bother to pursue that line of the conversation, even though I was tempted to see if I can pull more out of him. That one line was more than enough. The avox who came over to offer him food turned to me after Creaton took his lot, “I’m good, but thank you.” I politely declined. “The stuff that lives in the ponds in Ten barely constitute as fish.” I said. I starred back out into the crowd and saw Evie was still chatting away with other tributes, “You and your partner get along?” I pointed out the little chatter box, “That’s Evie. I think she and I are polar opposites.” 

Creston looked in the direction Callahan pointed. He was still slightly seeing double, but his eyes eventually focused on one girl. She seemed completely comfortable, chatting away. "My partner..uhh..Fantasea, yeah," Creston struggled to recall her name. "She's something." He leaned his elbow over on the bar and placed a hand on Callahan's shoulder. "You wanna know the truth about Fantasea?" he asked rhetorically. "She's fucking nuts. She has a terrible attitude and is the rudest person I've ever met!...Oh, and she curses like a sailor." It was probably pretty rude for Creston to be bad-mouthing his district partner, but that was a mistake he wouldn't realize until he had sobered up.

Liquor Overflowing the Cup || Creston & Callahan

I let a genuine smile take my face, “Yeaaa, bunch of smelly animals. They’re my life as well, I guess. Think I spend more time at the plant with them than I do at home. It’s grunt work that I do, ya know feeding them and cleaning the pens. It’s a decent gig though.” I paused for a moment to chew off another chunk of a roll. This was getting pretty damn old, I think I’ve eaten nothing but bread all damn day. “Do you fish out there, or work with other sea life?”

Creston listened as the boy described his job in 10. As Callahan took a bite of his roll, Creston realized he was supposed to eat something. He motioned at an avox to come over and grabbed whatever finger food was on the tray. He had never seen this kind of food, but he popped it into his mouth without a second thought. "My dad fishes. I just enjoy relaxing out there. Sometimes I test out different nets and spears," he answered with a mouthful of food.

Liquor Overflowing the Cup || Creston & Callahan

I scoffed with a smirk, “Non-existent, or if there is one I’m not going out of my way to find it. This isn’t really my thing either. To be honest I think this is the most socializing I’ve done outside of the crew at the plant I work at. It’s kind of a repetitive life out there, but I’m not complaining. I enjoy it.” I took a sip of water, “What’s it like in Four? Must be nice being on the water. I’ve never seen the ocean.” We had the occasional pond or two in Ten, but nothing as extravagant as the waters of Creston’s home district.

Creston nodded at Callahan's response as he took a large gulp of water. "I'm not much of a social butterfly either," he joked. "I spend most of my time in the water. I love it in 4. The ocean is basically my life," he continued. The truth was Creston used the ocean as his escape. During the train ride with Fantasea was the first time he had had a real coversation in two years, but he didn't want to give away too much information. "So 10...livestock, right?"

Liquor Overflowing the Cup || Creston & Callahan

I raised an eyebrow as I watched Creston’s eyes wander my person. "This is getting weird. Then again, he is drunk." I thought to myself as I shifted slightly. "Been there, done that. But hey, do it while you can." I shrugged. I let my eyes wander through the crowd a bit before looking back at him. "So what do you make of all of this?" I said nodding to the party goers and other tributes. 

"This isn't really my thing," Creston responded. "We have the occasional party in District 4, but nothing like this," he explained. He glanced over the crowd, examining all the tributes, mentors, and sponsors. The Capitol citizens seemed to be more than accustomed to the partying lifestyle. Creston found it rather disgusting. "So what about you? How's the District 10 party scene?" he asked, with a slight slur.

Liquor Overflowing the Cup || Creston & Callahan

"I really appreciate the help," Creston responded. He realized how odd the statement sounded considering they would be enemies in a matter of days. Creston had almost forgot he was standing in the Capitol, awaiting his death. The party, or perhaps the alcohol, had helped take his mind off the Games. He took a moment to assess the boy, looking him up and down. Callahan was of average stature, average height. Perhaps with the right weapon, he could be a threat. "I'll keep that in mind," Creston replied to the boy's advice. "And I don't think I'll puke, but I'm sure I'll regret this a lot more in the morning," he smirked.

Liquor Overflowing the Cup || Creston & Callahan

I finished refilling my glass of water when I felt someone grab onto me, “Hey what the-” I began to exclaim when I saw it was the guy for Four. Clearly he was drunk, I’d recognize that stumble anywhere. I laughed to myself at the irony of everyone being a bit tipsy here but me. And I’m the one with a drinking problem. “Ahh, I remember my first drink too.” I said laughing as I placed my glass back onto the table to help him balance himself out. Between Gavin and the other guys at the plant this wasn’t the first time I’ve had to help some drunk fool out Once I was sure he was standing on his own two feet, for the moment, I reached for my water and offered it to him. “Trust me, it’ll help.”

Creston finally managed to gain his balance, with a little help from the boy he had latched on to. His mind was foggy, but he thought he recognized the face as the District 10 tribute...or maybe 11. Creston had watched his parents consume alcohol almost his entire life, but he had never seen the aftermath of it. He now realized he had made a mistake in drinking so much. He wanted another glass but reluctantly took the water from the boy. "Thanks. I'm Creston by the way, for when you tell people about the idiot drunkard later," he managed to say. He might have been drunk, but he still had a grasp on his sarcasm. 

Shocking // Creston & Violet

Violet smiled nervously, the boy was trying to flirt with her and it just made her face more red. “I-.. I’m not.. a siren.. No.” She felt her cheeks flushing a bright red, which really complemented the blue from her dress. She glanced at Creston and tried to figure out why he was talking to her. It wasn’t really a natural occurrence that a boy flirts with her, so there must be something up his sleeve. Was he trying to swoon her so it would be easy to kill her? Was he trying to make her embarrassed so he can have a good laugh? “Not a siren..” She glanced at the floor then back to the boy. “Stop flirting with me, it’s getting you no where.” 

"Right, not a siren. I'll make a note of that," he nodded. He took a sip of champagne as Violet mentioned his flirting. "Oh, I'm sorry," Creston responded, placing his hand on top of hers. "I guess it's just an instinct to flirt with pretty girls," he added with a crooked smile. Creston had abandoned his flirtatious attitude long ago, but it seemed to have returned to him quickly. 

Shocking // Creston & Violet

"Likewise." Violet didn’t want to come off as snobbish or rude, she wasn’t the type to hold an actual conversation with a random boy - let alone a random boy that might kill her in a few days time. Violet studied the boy’s outfit, the color scheme was nice and she thought his stylist did a wonderful job at representing the fishing district. Violet didn’t understand why the boy chuckled, considering nothing he said was funny. "Maybe you’ll come across one in the arena.. I read a book about sirens-.. and they lure men with their angelic singing before killing them, so be careful." 

Creston paused a moment before he responded. He looked at the girl up and down, studying her movements. She was obviously nervous and uncomfortable in this type of situation. He decided to keep the conversation going to try and glean as much information as possible. "I'll make sure to be alert for..sirens. I mean, you are very beautiful," he replied, reaching for another glass of champagne.

Shocking // Creston & Violet

"It's very nice to meet you," Creston replied, extending his hand to Violet. He looked down at his outfit, or what was left of it. Without the tail, all that remained was a pair of shorts and rubber fins glued to his arms. "Well I've spent most of my life in the ocean, and I've never come across any," he chuckled. "But I'm not saying they don't exist," he added with a smile.

Once the parade was over, Creston immediately ripped his tail off, realizing it would slide off in one piece. He was left in only a pair of shorts and no shirt, but it was better than walking around as a mermaid. Creston had been anticipating returning to his bed and getting some rest, however he was informed that his attendance at a party was mandatory. As he walked into the hall, he was overwhelmed with it all, the bright lights, annoying people, and abundance of alcohol. He grabbed a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing server and eyed a staircase that looked like it lead to a balcony. Once at the top of the stairs, he found a boy sitting alone. Taking a seat on an adjacent couch, he responded to the boy’s question. “It’s alright, I suppose. A little too much for my tastes.”

The District 3 reaping saw the first volunteer for these games. A young boy seemed to be taking the place of a younger sibling. Creston thought it was a nice gesture, something he couldn’t have done for River. It would probably win the boy sympathy points in the Capitol....

"Not quite a ray of sunshine," Creston replied sarcastically. He had tolerated Muscida for as long as he could, so it was a relief she finally left. They had seemed to make a small amount of progress with her, however. The next step was dinner. "If you'll excuse me," Creston said, rising from the couch. "I think I'll head to my room. I'll have to recharge before I can deal with that again," he added, pointing to the door Muscida had just exited. As Creston made his way to the door, an avox met him to escort him to his room. Although the train caused spacing constraints, his room on the train was almost as big as his room at home. He collapsed on the bed and stared at the ornate wallpaper and flashy decor. "They sure put a lot into a room for a dead person," he muttered to himself.