Keres Lancaster

Location: Tower Viewing Room Tagged: anyone -- open!

Sheen had lost one tribute in the Bloodbath, but Jade was still going. There were 13 tributes left so while she still had rather large odds, those odds were much better than what she had started against. The roller coaster was interesting, it wasn't something he had been expecting. The whole amusement park idea was rather......silly. Did anyone in Panem besides a few in the Capitol even know what an amusement park was? Sheen had gone to the one in the Capitol once, he found the whole experience.......awful.

Ah, Sheen Lux. Someone Keres did have a bit more personal knowledge of, simply due to the fact that they both shared a once-home. It had been years since Keres had returned to One, or even thought about the District, to be completely honest. No, her home was firmly in the wonderful estate that had once belonged to her late husband until his death.

Location: Tower Viewing Room Tagged: anyone -- open!

Denver didn't have long to watch the Launch. The whole team were given an hour to watch the Launch itself, but then she and Charon had to go set up all the new merchandise. Not her manager, of course - her manager would have another several hours off before taking the closing shift. Denver itched, both with the nerves of knowing she'd have to leave soon and the anticipation of the Arena itself. When the screens turned on, she gasped in awe at the establishing shots as the cameras panned through the Arena before finally landing on the tributes, not in launch tubes, but on a roller coaster.

The click of her heels echoed as she walked up next to the girl. The young womans rapt attention was on the screens, glued to them. A smile crossed Keres's face. Good, very good. The look of awe gave her gratification that the shots look good. The thrill of going through the park until it pulled onto a clear shot of the tributes, all strapped into the rollercoaster as it prepared to take them to their fate. A drone shot had been used, making sure to encompass the scale of the park.

Ah, the young Link Cache. Someone who understood how the camera worked, Keres mused as she looked over at the Mentor next to her. A shame that one had been injured, but it hadn't diminished her ability to play the roles expected. It made Keres's life easier, when tributes understood the game was not just about hacking and slashing their way through the Arena only to lose to a better funded and better loved tribute.

"well, then, that's perfect for you." Link agreed. She was a victor, she could more than pay for her own coffee. but between victors, it was more a symbol of goodwill to pay for each other than any actual inconvienence. so link let her with little fuss, instead smiling her thanks before returning to the barista. "black, strong, medium? great, thanks."

Following the young mentor to the table, Keres gave a slight frown at the seating, the hard plastic chairs. Honestly, it wasn't as if this Tower or the Capitol couldn't afford something nicer. Although she figured many who came through this place probably thought it was the pinnacle of class. A shame. Using a tissue to wipe it off slightly, she settled into it, setting her coffee on the table next to her.

The speed with which Keres's eyebrows shot up was impressive as the woman snapped back at her. It was rare already for Keres not to know a face or a name. After all, most of them had been on a screen in front of her at some point, and the elite blonde had a memory that many envied - a byproduct of her past dealings. Therefore, she already knew this woman had not been in the Arena before, nor had she done anything related to the games in any way. Despite her disdain of the Districts, Keres did have a certain respect for those who made it from the bloodshed alive, and a certain amount of aloofness to those who did not try.

The woman engaging in conversation with her kindled a simmering frustration within her, her eyes appearing even darker than mere moments before. Fatigue draped over her like a heavy cloak, a weariness stemming from disillusionment with the world and its workings. The revelations of past events clung to her daily, disrupting her sleep and rendering her a mere echo of the person she once believed herself to be. She found herself adrift, uncertain about her stance in a world she despised for its current state. Despite the multitude of paths available to those who built their nation, the collective choice had led to the disheartening reality she now faced.

Oh, this one was a fun one. Defensive, hackles raised. A shame she had never been on Keres's screen, she would have played well, face an open book, eyes telling an entire story. Definitely not a victor, and with that attitude definitely not one of those perpetually bubbly escorts who seemed to make it their mission in life to both annoy the blonde and make her wish to send them fruit baskets when they actually shepherd tributes well. Stylists usually took any moment to mention it, making that unlikely as well. No, this was was just a hanger on of some sort.

"Hmm," was Keres response for a moment. Sharp eyes flitted over the girl before her. It took her a moment to figure out where she had slotted into the videos of reapings, Keres always found herself preoccupied with making sure the story was told rather than the names. That was someone else's job, to fill in the nameplate that would run on the bottom of the ticker, as Keres sat and thought of the stories each person told.

"A graduate and the top pick for these Games," she replied, proud of herself for having made it to the top of the pyramid of students competing to be chosen to volunteer. It hadn't been her goal all throughout her time at the Academy, but once Copper had died, she'd shifted her goals and made it there with little issue.

Some would think the girl would need to be humbled, but Keres had seen that hunger, that confidence, be successful before. Herself and Cressida were a prime example. People who walked into the Arena knowing they would be walking out of it. Unfortunately, this arrogance almost of hers, Keres wondered if the Sponsors would be amicable to it.

Location: Tower Coffee Shop With: anyone!

In the days following the reapings, a torrent of thoughts swirled through her mind, a constant back-and-forth of ideas on how to rebel against the Games in her own way. The gruesome nature of the event repulsed her, and she had grown to understand why her father had shielded her from it as much as possible. He likely foresaw that she would hate the Games, and her distaste would fuel a tenacious determination to change them.

The speed with which Keres's eyebrows shot up was impressive as the woman snapped back at her. It was rare already for Keres not to know a face or a name. After all, most of them had been on a screen in front of her at some point, and the elite blonde had a memory that many envied - a byproduct of her past dealings. Therefore, she already knew this woman had not been in the Arena before, nor had she done anything related to the games in any way. Despite her disdain of the Districts, Keres did have a certain respect for those who made it from the bloodshed alive, and a certain amount of aloofness to those who did not try.

Location: Tower Coffee Shop With: anyone!

Link looked at the gamemaker, who seemed a little befuddled by the menu. wheeling over, Link looked at the Capitol Coffee menu, deciding to offer some advice as a resident coffee addict. "Well, if you're looking for sweet, I'd go with the tribute toffee touch. if you're a little more of a black coffee girl - woman after my own heart on that one - my go-to is this bean." she pointed towards it, happy to share. "Medium roast. you'll love it."

Ah, the young Link Cache. Someone who understood how the camera worked, Keres mused as she looked over at the Mentor next to her. A shame that one had been injured, but it hadn't diminished her ability to play the roles expected. It made Keres's life easier, when tributes understood the game was not just about hacking and slashing their way through the Arena only to lose to a better funded and better loved tribute.

The floor of the lobby magnified the clicking of Keres's heels as she walked in. The Avox which always hovered near her to carry anything she required scurried to keep up. Before her, a group of wide eyed tributes was walking, clearly glancing around curious at their new home until their impending demise.

"Hmm," was Keres response for a moment. Sharp eyes flitted over the girl before her. It took her a moment to figure out where she had slotted into the videos of reapings, Keres always found herself preoccupied with making sure the story was told rather than the names. That was someone else's job, to fill in the nameplate that would run on the bottom of the ticker, as Keres sat and thought of the stories each person told.

"Let it stand as a testament to the consequences of incompetence," Keres responded, watching the same footage next to Holland. Unlike the other woman who worked on the Games, Keres felt very little fear for her own position. Unlike Pharmakos - who had always been someone she had a certain disdain for - the blonde had never felt as if she was at risk of losing job or head.

Keres reminded Holland a bit of Pluto, the Gamemaker who had been so influential during Holland's Games, who had inspired and helped her with so much. Pluto was no longer Gamemaking but Holland hoped to make her proud nonetheless. Holland didn't know Keres well, but she had a similar air of authority, and Holland always respected that air in a woman — rarely in a man. "I have no fear," she replied, attempting to seem confident and make that ring true. "I haven't done anything wrong. In fact, I think the mutts from last Games were a huge hit."

Giving a crisp nod of her head to Holland's response, she gave her a smile that was equal parts approving as cold. "Very good, I'd hate to see a young talent as yourself tied up in the idiocrasy that runs within our profession." Keres had noticed, however, that the type of incompetence that followed gamemakers seemed to be limited to those of the opposite gender except in rare circumstance.

Nanni got bored staying on her floor of the building pretty fast, deciding now was the perfect time to go and explore while everyone was still settling in. There was no time to waste. So she showered and changed first, making sure her hair and make up was flawless. First impressions mattered and she wanted people to see her from her best side. Who knows, maybe someone would see her, fall in love and then give her enough money to get all the possible sponsorship gifts and then she was practically guaranteed to win. Her plan seemed foolproof in her mind. Seeing someone walking towards her she smiled. "Hey, do you know who I have to talk to to get some decorations for my room? It looks so generic and I'd like to add a little bit of color to it. Liven the space up a little, make it more me, things like that. I work much better in a space that's cute. Obviously it won't be as cute as me, that's totally impossible, but it could come close."

It felt strange, being back in the Tower. The last time Keres had actually cared to be in the place that housed Mentors and Tributes alike had been during Cressida’s games, and even then she had not been fond. At least the seem to have remodeled a bit since her time, albeit nothing would ever match the lifestyle she lived now. Keres was not the only one concerned about the decor, it appeared, as the young woman before her walked up to ask about the decor. Raising her perfectly manicured eyebrows, Keres looked behind her to see the young woman was talking to someone else, or if she had truly presumed Keres would be the one helping procure her decor options.

Gemma made it a point to position herself in the lobby for the arrival of the rest of the tributes. Since the trip from One was one of the shortest, she'd gotten here before the others, and had grabbed herself a coffee and a front-row seat to the other tributes' arrivals. She sat on one of the lounges that were scattered throughout the lobby and watched as the latest group filtered in. "Mm, I'm quaking in my boots," she said sarcastically.

The floor of the lobby magnified the clicking of Keres's heels as she walked in. The Avox which always hovered near her to carry anything she required scurried to keep up. Before her, a group of wide eyed tributes was walking, clearly glancing around curious at their new home until their impending demise.

"Snow sure knows how to start a party," Holland said dryly as the footage of Pharmakos's execution played once again on the screens in the Tower lobby. She was feeling anxious, being a Gamemaker herself, knowing that she'd done nothing to stop Slate's victory -- though she'd also done nothing to aid it. No one had, not even Pharmakos, as far as she knew. His death was just an example, and that was what scared her the most. That she might be the next example.

"Let it stand as a testament to the consequences of incompetence," Keres responded, watching the same footage next to Holland. Unlike the other woman who worked on the Games, Keres felt very little fear for her own position. Unlike Pharmakos - who had always been someone she had a certain disdain for - the blonde had never felt as if she was at risk of losing job or head.