~T.~G.~I.~F.~ {Victor!BeerPong}

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there's a drumming noise inside my head
that throws me to the ground
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The victor had gone to bed the night before completely unsure of how she would be able to face the morning. It wasn't about the wedding itself; it would be wonderful, extravagant enough to fit her taste because Capitol officials had gone absolutely bonkers when they heard the news of a victor wedding, something that didn't happen often and when it did, it was usually someone from their own district which prompted a quiet ceremony there, not an over-the-top bash in the City Circle. They'd even invited guests from District One to attend so that the bride would feel at home, as if she didn't spend seventy-five percent of her time with Capitolites anyway. No, the wedding would be lovely; it was the prospect of being married that didn't sit well in her stomach; she continuously tried to tell herself that she was ready for it, because it was Maverick and she needed him, but that didn't explain why she found herself lying awake most of the night.

Kaiser - it was a relief to have a familiar face involved in all of this, because in reality she wouldn't've trusted anyone else to design her wedding dress - would be here at noon with her usual prep team to begin preparing her for the ceremony that would take place this evening, and the showstopping reception that would begin just after. Topaz was determined to salvage any sleep she could, not keen on the prospect of having ugly purple bags under her eyes on her wedding day. So once she finally got to sleep, she was hoping to stay that way… until she was unceremoniously awoken by what sounded like a noisy herd of elephants shouting "Surprise!"

"What the hell?" She jolted upright, sleep hair and all, to see none other than the handful of victors she'd come to associate herself with since winning, the recent ones. There was Lethe, and Mace, Julian, Heron, Ara, even Klaus, who she had yet to have a full conversation with. And finally Arbor, who was looking better by the day; she was glad to see him, because she knew they were each other's only constants and if she had been there to save him when he tried to kill himself then he would be here while she spontaneously got married, goddammit. They all looked very pleased with themselves for sneaking up on her like that; Tope couldn't help but scowl. "Hasn't anyone ever told you guys about beauty sleep?" she grumbled, attempting to smooth down her mane of red hair.

"Reckon you could've gotten more sleep if you hadn't invited us." That was Mace, grinning smugly with one arm around Julian - the two had become inseparable, literally; they'd gotten permission to live together all year - and offering the other to help her out of bed. "Oh I know I would've," she responded, but found her irritation at being awoken slipping away, replaced by genuine happiness that they'd all, every single one of them, had come for her today. She felt like she'd never had real friends since escaping the arena, but she supposed these victors were the closest thing to them. They knew what she'd been through. They knew suffering. They knew what it meant to keep holding your head up. And most importantly, they knew how much it cost to do that. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and rummaging through her suitcase to find a pair of jeans and a tshirt to slip on instead of the pajamas she currently wore. "Or is this some kind of wedding tradition that nobody told me about?"

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i ran to a tower where the church bells chime
i hoped that they would clear my mind
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As the redhead blinked sleep from her eyes and dressed herself—ignoring the fact that she was stripping down to her underwear in what was technically considered public, she believed she'd earned the right with these people—she carefully observed each of the victors she'd come to know and, to some extent, befriend. Most looked comfortable and maybe even somewhat happy, even Arbor, who was characteristically avoidant, had a smile on his face. It was the newbie, Klaus, who seemed a bit ill at ease; she supposed that was to be expected though, considering he'd only just been inducted into the elite ranks and hadn't had time to grow accustomed to the trials and tribulations of victorship. Plus he didn't seem like much of a drinker. How old was he, seventeen? Eighteen? A fetus, she thought with a snicker, but at the same time she knew how hard it was to be in his position. Fresh from the terrors of the Games, still haunted incessantly by memories, the dreams coming every night rather than just periodically as it had become for the rest of them. Well all the more reason to get some drinks in his system, right?

The atmosphere was lighter than it ever had been around the group of champions, and if she tried hard enough Topaz could almost forget how squeamish she was about getting married. Arbor spewed some nonsense about District Twelve's wedding rituals—"We kidnapped the groom and spent the early hours of the morning doing drinking games,"—and then proceeded to take a jibe at her astronomical alcohol tolerance. "What can I say, it's a gift," she responded with a good-natured eye roll. Then Julian handed her a gift: an ornate crystal vase that was really rather beautiful, although she had a bad track record when it came to keeping flowers, characterized by the time she'd gotten piss drunk and dumped two cans of beer into a vase of roses that one of her father's coworkers had sent her as a congratulatory gift shortly after she'd won the Games. "Hey, thanks guys," she said, giving them each a hug (aware of the fact that they wouldn't let go of each other when she did so) and stowing the vase away in her closet so it wouldn't be accidentally shattered in the beer pong shenanigans.

Then it was time to make teams. Lethe claimed Klaus right away, which Tope thought was a good match-up; if anyone was going to help him feel included, it was her, considering she was about five times more considerate and friendly than everyone else in the room. "I want Halt," Topaz said immediately, moving towards Arbor; it seemed fitting that the two would partner up for a drinking game. Predictably Julian and Mace paired up, as did Heron and Ara. The table was assembled quickly—Tope was something of a beer pong prodigy, so she was well-versed in the practice of setting it up—and the game began.

"Alright, Arbor and I'll go first," The soon-to-be-bride decided, sauntering up to the table. "Lethe and the fetus—er, Klaus, sorry—you guys too." She beckoned to the blonde girl and the new boy, and as she prepared to take the first throw her brow furrowed in intense concentration. Her competitive nature did not evaporate in trivial games such as this one; on the contrary, it only magnified. She bounced the ball on the table a few times before aiming and throwing, successfully forcing the impending wedding from her mind in favor of a morning of enjoyment with the only people she could actually relate to.

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