punctual

“You wouldn’t pass me the sugar, would you?” Luca asked as he stirred the black coffee in the styrofoam cup. He’d been waiting patiently to reach over and grab a few packets himself, but when Dolly didn’t seem like she was moving anytime soon, he had to interject, because he could feel his eyes closing as he stood waiting to take a sip of the caffeine.

@dolly-nova​

Dolly was fully absorbed in the never-ending threads of social media comments about the skills presentation scores. She had a cup of tea going cold next to her, and a bagel she’d only taken one bite out of. With the interviews tonight, she felt much of the weight of the team on her shoulders. It took her a second to realize when she heard someone speak, they were actually talking to her. “Hm? What?” she inquired, and finally took a sip of her tea when she realized it was still there. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize other people were in the room.”

“I have not met him,” she shook her head for a brief moment, almost in confusion. Marlene hadn’t even realized the people behind the Games were in this very building. That changed something in her. It made things unfairly close. “Are they not afraid to work so close to the tributes? What if anyone wants premature revenge? You should ask your friends.”

“Oh, well, you don’t have had to have met someone to know them,” Dolly clarified. “You do know who the top Gamemakers are, right? Head Gamemaker and the lead supervisors?” They were featured in magazine articles alongside top executives for the Capitol’s media and tech companies. It was bizarre to her that they might not be known. “That’s... quite morbid. I don’t think there’s any risk of harm. They usually keep their distance enough, and Peacekeepers have very quick reflexes.”

“But you are not a Gamemaker yourself?” she checked, intrigued to learn that Gamemakers were among them, that the very people who had orchestrated what would likely kill her were not far from here. That she did not know before coming to the Capitol. “Who are they? What are they like?”

“Oh, no, no. I think I’m well past the point where I could try to get into the field, anyway.” Though her parents did not pressure her to finish a degree, taking a variety of classes was increasingly helpful to make her realize what she did not want to do. “The Gamemakers? Well, you must know who Lysander Vultur is. They’re usually the ones dressed well, but they look more like they are going to the office than a party. As far as I’ve ever known, they’re very intelligent and focused people.”

Canary gave a shrug. “Either or, blow darts are just smaller. I read a book once and the boy in it used them with poison on the ends.” She informed the older blonde. She listened to Dolly’s description of a Panem Scout and merely gave another nod instead of asking questions. “I’ve never even heard of that.” She informed, looking over the wood and picking up a piece. “Gotta use dry wood, right?” From her little experience building her own fires, green wood didn’t burn well. 

Dolly lit up immediately. “Is that so? Do you like to read?” She was tempted to offer the girl the book of Kit’s poetry, but that was likely too complex right now. “Yes, dry wood,” Dolly acknowledged. She didn’t want to sit down on the floor that had a little bit of dirt and who knew what else sprinkled everywhere, but she did crouch down to get a better look at their options. She picked up a twig and started to bend it. “It’s very easy to find the right kind. If you bend a twig and it snaps, it’s dry enough. But if it’s even a little too bendy like this one, it will give you trouble.”

“Sorry,” Leander muttered. He hadn’t wanted to speak carelessly of a child. Not with his own on the way. Not with his own being in that reaping bowl in twelve years. “The Gamemakers can control the weather, Dolly. They could be making it hot as hell,” he chuckled. 

She was instantly embarrassed, having forgotten for a moment just how much control the Gamemakers had in the arena. “Well, if they could use some of that technology to warm up the Capitol, I wouldn’t mind. Especially if it’s a natural arena, people are going to insist on having outdoor parties, and my iron count lately isn’t up for that.”

“I did mention to Lyric that she might want to find Canary allies who’d be willing to protect her.” Ash had not offered her own tributes to Lyric then, and she was not going to do it now either. They had more than enough of their own problems to worry about a twelve-year-old from another district. “Did you have anyone in mind?”

Dolly bit the inside of her lip as she considered the question. She usually tried to focus the early days of training just on her own tributes, to keep everyone on schedule and accommodated. “Not yet. It seems like most of these older kids have other priorities. I don’t foresee anyone who’s had outside training being too open to playing guardian.”

task 002. swipe right

DOLLY NOVA. 23. ESCORT FOR DISTRICT 11 FOR THE HUNGER GAMES.

Kindness is key!

task 007. which character?

Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic): 94%

Claire Dearing (Jurassic World): 93%

Monica Geller (Friends): 92%

Amy Santiago (Brooklyn Nine-Nine): 92%

Abigail Baker (Blue Bloods): 92%

Taylor McKessie (High School Musical): 92%

Annie Edison (Community): 91%

Janet Fraiser (Stargate SG-1): 91%

Dr. Lisa Cuddy (House, M.D.): 91%

Dr. Jennifer Melfi (The Sopranos): 91%

Susie Derkins (Calvin and Hobbes): 91%

Camille Saroyan (Bones): 91%

Claire (Fleabag): 90%

Queen Elizabeth II (The Crown): 90%

Monica Hall (Silicon Valley): 89%

Dana Scully (The X-Files): 89%

Randall Pearson (This Is Us): 89%

Liberty Van Zandt (Degrassi: The Next Generation): 89%

Amanda LaRusso (Cobra Kai): 89%

“What about blow darts?” She raised a brow quizzically at that. she’d seen someone else using them and thought that could be a good skill to learn. They were small and not heavy, just like her. “What’s a Panem Scout?” She asked as she walked alongside the woman, following her towards the fire making station.”

“Blow darts? Well, sure, if you’d be more comfortable with that.” It seemed light enough, though Dolly wasn’t sure just how much damage they could do. “A Panem Scout is, well...” She struggled for a few seconds to try to find a comparison. “It’s sort of like a ranger in training, but very basic training. All geared toward kids. You know how the mountains have rangers around the parks?” She gathered some different types of firewood and laid them out between her and Canary. “It’s just something fun to do as a kid, really. You learn some camping stuff and how to sew and cook.”

“Maybe,” Leander lifted his hands in defense. “You might be right. Maybe the little Canary will live to chirp another day.” He leaned forward, humming at the question. “Honestly? I kind of hope it’s somewhere indoors. Entirely. It’s been a while since that has happened, right? There’s always so much nature around, maybe it would be cool as fuck to have something like that Cruise Ship or the Hollywood movie set thing happening again.”

“Don’t be rude,” Dolly warned. She couldn’t muster much venom, but she was irritated by the way he talked about Canary. “She’s just a kid.” Dolly hoped for someplace with enough little spaces for Canary to hide. Something more natural might have branches or whatever, but that wasn’t the same as four solid walls. “Oh, I nearly forgot about the cruise ship. A winter cruise? Sounds chilly.”

Marlene followed, only because she did not know the surroundings and was the one to have asked for help. If someone had grabbed her like that without prior notice, she likely would have jerked herself away. “Do you have friends among the Gamemakers?”

“Only a couple,” she admitted. And they were mostly childhood friends who were in their early years, only allowed in after finally clearing the Reaping age. “I worked more in office support. I knew some of the security guards and receptionists.”

Ash took a moment to observe the escort, and all of her energy and enthusiasm. Capitolites who held out so much hope for district tributes mystified her sometimes. It was easier to believe that they did so only because it served their own ambitions, though she was never sure if that was always the case. “I’m sure you know that the gamemakers are notoriously difficult to impress,” Ash replied, frank. “Though Lyric mentioned that the girl has been making friends. If she can secure a good alliance, it’ll help her for some time.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Dolly agreed with rapid nodding. She knew the Gamemakers needed more than a few curious questions to charm them, but she hoped they recognized some of Canary’s star quality. “I agree. Just... well, alliances haven’t always helped younger tributes. So it needs to be, you know, vetted.”

Mac listened to the girl as she spoke, trying to make a mental note of each color she had said. He really did want to impress the girl and if she thought this colors were right for him, then he would definitely need to get one. When she offered to help him pick one out at one point, she couldn’t but relax and let out a sigh of relief. “I would really like that, actually. I was about to ask you write down those colors for me but that sounds a lot more fun.” He said with a laugh. “And I trust you much more than I trust myself to pick out the perfect case.” Mac was more than excited that girl had brought up them hanging out ‘after hours’. It made it feel like there was something more there than just two team members in a tower. “I think it is.. I think they are just so mad at everything, they really just don’t care. But, I’ll just do everything I can once they are in the arena.” He shrugged his shoulders, not really knowing what else he could do. “An ice breaker huh? ‘Suppose I could ask them what their favorite topping for their pizza is…or favorite ice cream..” He wasn’t the best at ice breakers. “Yeah… I’ve had one twelve year old and one thirteen year old..” Mac started to explain, “And it didn’t go too well..” One didn’t even make it out of the bloodbath and the other lasted a day or two. “Other than that they’ve been older. Thankfully..” He said with a sigh. “It’s definitely not going to be easy.. but you know I’m here for you if you need me..” Or at least he hoped she knew. 

“I owe you, anyway!” Dolly declared, taking another sip of the coffee and then tapping the top of the cup. “Actually, I owe you two now.” She could almost hear her sister’s found telling her to stop sounding so eager, but she felt so in her element around the Games, it was difficult to hold back her excitement over anything and everything. “That could help,” she encouraged. “Your tributes just want to know you aren’t, like, only thinking about how they could die, you know?” It sounded so simple to put it that way, but she hoped it came out at least a little more profound. “I thought having older tributes was difficult, but it really seems like a whole different game with someone younger. I do appreciate it, but I know you have to tend to your own tributes.” She covered the side of her mouth and staged whispered, “And District Eleven is kind of a girls only club, sorry.”

Even though Dolly seemed adamant that it was up to Saph and Lyric to make the plans, she did just give them all they needed to build a strategy, and Saph was forever grateful for that, because Lyric was just as bad as her when it came to mentoring. “Hiding is a good idea, she should probably make a friend or two as well”

Dolly bit the inside of her lip as she considered the pros and cons of a solid friendship for Canary. An alliance was always helpful, but she feared the girl could be taken advantage of or used as a prop. “Do we know yet if any of these tributes might have siblings? I hate to say we do anything manipulative, and that’s not what I’m implying, but... it might be easier for her to trust someone who sees their own family in her, you know?”

“One of those boxes on the wall has a stockpile of band-aids, I’m pretty sure.” Xanthe peered down at the stilettos, now grateful that she’d gone for a smaller heel to move around the training center. “They’re going well!” She answered. At least, she felt more hopeful about Mackerel and Wattson than she’d felt about things last Games. “The trainers yell enough. I don’t think they need me to yell too,” she laughed. Xanthe wouldn’t even know what to yell at them about, really. She didn’t know anything about what looked good in training, so she was mostly there trying to get the attention of sponsors and hoping the tributes were doing things well enough to merit support. “How are yours?”

“Oh, thank you!” Dolly slipped her shoes back on before she stood up, taking small, quick steps toward the wall to start looking for a bandaid big enough for her ankle. “Well, that’s good. And they’re listening to you? That’s what I always worry about with these older tributes.” She tried not to hobble too much as she found a seat again and started to go about applying the bandages, hoping they would be concealed enough not to embarrass her further. “Good, good! The boy mostly keeps to himself, but Canary is very sweet. Have you spoken to her yet? I feel like she’s probably making friends left and right.”

“Right.. my complexion.. darker colors..” Mac had no idea what any of that had meant but he trusted Dolly’s opinion for sure. “Okay, not black. What do you recommend? A nice navy blue? A darker gray?” He asked her, truly interested and once he knew what color he wanted to ordered a new case. “Yeah, I’m serious. It’s alright, though. I understand what they are going through. It’s scary as shit but I just wish they would understand that I’m only trying to help. I’m not the enemy.” Mac shrugged his shoulders before sipping his coffee. “Oh yeah, Canary is great! I hope things go well for her.” He had gotten a little sad when she said she was pretty attached. That was never a good thing. But with the tribute being so young, it was bound to happen. “Maybe she’ll find a great ally to help her out.”

“Navy could work,” she mused. She held out her phone to hold it near his face, scrunching up her nose at the sight. “Yes, no, pink definitely is not it. And I mean no offense, but,” she flicked at a lock of her hair, “there’s a reason I’m not a brunette, you know? I think navy could really work for you, maybe with a little design on it with some neutral colors. Or brown, or a dark green or camo green. I can come with you to pick it out. I owe you a shopping favor.” She grinned as she sat back, hopeful that he wouldn’t shoot down the idea. “I do sometimes wonder if it’s difficult for tributes to remember that mentors were once tributes, too. Maybe you just need a good ice-breaker.” Dolly was hopeful for a good ally for Canary, too. The girl was smart, but she was still just a child. She was tempted to ask any and every mentor she spoke with if their tributes might be open to helping the girl, but she held back. She didn’t want Mac to feel obligated - or guilty, if something went wrong. “Have you ever had such a young tribute?”

“Something small means I gotta get close to the big kids to use it though.” She pointed out. She could be a little oblivious sometimes, but she had seen how close someone had to get to use a knife on someone else. “‘Cept like the ones you can throw.” She supposed the made some sense. “We can build a fire in here?” Her eyes widened slightly in excitement. “But we’re inside.”

Dolly was taken aback for a moment. This twelve-year-old girl was right. “Then I’ll ask the trainer to find you something good to throw. Maybe you can try with a bow and arrow, too?” Canary was right. Keeping her away from the bigger kids would be important. “It’s a big inside, though. With a lot of people around in case anything goes wrong. Come on, we can do it together. I was a Panem Scout when I was younger, I might even be more help than you think with this.” Though all her badges were based on crafts, and her ‘camping trips’ tended to be at ski chalets. She quit the year actual camping was on the itinerary.