come our way [[ Roost: Avriel ]]

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come our way [[ Roost: Avriel ]] Jun 1, 2022 12:33:00 GMT -5

Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2022 12:33:00 GMT -5

"It has been," she inhales, "a while."

The light's shutter on in rows, flooding into the auditorium almost as quick as the cheering had. Sardonyx was a bit of a house name, being that of a legend. One of a dozen, surely, no big deal at this point. "Is it hot or- is it just me?" Stage set like a desert spring, sand-rhinestones spilling out to the feet of the audience.

"Welcome to The Roost! with Sardonyx, I am, as you can guess, the Sardonyx part of that." She begins her way to her seat on stage left, continuing the introduction speech as she shows every inch of trailing bead behind her. "Tonight we're bringing everyone straight to Oasis, the land of love, life and escapism. You know what that means?!" She hangs on, spoken with a sense of hunger - if each word cost $10, her's would be premium, even more so, more expensive than ever before.

Because a woman like her ages like wine, and only gets better as she goes. "FREE DIAMONDHEAD BURKINS! That's right, LET IT RAIN!" As she commands, boxes drop from the ceiling at the feet of crazed fans, roaring with the gift of meeting Sardonyx Crowe in person. There's something mystic about a woman who controls happiness, for as soon as a Capitol gives a gift... it always takes it back.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's talk. Tonight on The Roost we're bringing in two highly-requested guests, two of the biggest stars this decade's seen and especially so this year," Sardonyx says. "When they first arrived in the Capitol they might have been scared of us, scared of the spotlight, whatever it may be - let's get a round of applause for the guests we've got lined up tonight," boom! Those with NERVAlink VRSes get a mental visualization of their banners unrolling.

"Avriel Baptiste and Nixie Summers! That's right, these mentors may just be starting but they're off to a hot streak already. We'll be meeting with miss Nixie later on tonight, but- you might see where I'm going with this," she says with a smirk. The roar of the crowd never gets old, knowing each word is worth 4,998 Capitolite squeals. These superfans, so loyal, "please welcome to the stage, our stoic hero..."

"AVRIEL BAPTISTE!"

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“And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.” - steinbeck

come our way [[ Roost: Avriel ]] Jun 6, 2022 12:47:48 GMT -5

Post by gamemaker kelsier on Jun 6, 2022 12:47:48 GMT -5

a v r i e l .

"you're not who you are
to anyone, to anyone,
these days."

He was going to take the early train home.

The platform was supposed to be quiet at six in the morning, after parties still raging out in the centre, his suitcase was scheduled for a pickup. Theo's body was waiting for burial in cold storage on one of the refrigerated cars, slowly decomposing.

"You can't ignore an invitation to The Roost," Gloria's hand on her chest in abject horror just seemed like melodrama.

"Why?" Avriel asked. The summer was already starting to turn, he wanted to get back home.

"You just don't snub a Crowe, Panem's Sake, it's just not done!"

"I won two years ago Gloria, she's a little late."

All he'd wanted was one last journey with his aunt. The train left this morning without him, his luggage and Theo travelling ahead of him as if cargo was all she was. His belief system, built so carefully was burning low, charred, black and dense at the core.

He can't bury Theo in good conscious all while his parents lie there in the woods, unmarked.

Avriel has to tell Billie and Duke the truth.

So he was going to get on that train, be home by the next morning and meet them at the station.

But now he stands behind a curtain at centre stage, a mic clipped to the lapel of his jacket. Sardonyx is speaking, voice settling over the whole room like honey. Avriel used to watch her on tv sometimes but only because his mom would have the tv set to that channel.

The crowd outside gets louder, she's ramping them up. For a moment he feels as small as he did two years ago, hands shaking, he grabs his own wrist to stop it. Av isn't sixteen anymore, he's been doing this shit for a couple years now. A crowd's just a crowd.

"AVRIEL BAPTISTE!"

The curtain opens and Avriel steps into the light, gaze trained on the back wall of the studio over the heads of the audience. There's a bottle in his hand, a ribbon around the neck of it. Gloria had insisted that he couldn't go to see Sardonyx without an offering, as if she was more god than woman.

"Hello," he says and gives the crowd a brief wave, "Been awhile."

The audience roars in excitement, screaming so many things at him that it's hard to actually pick anything clear out from the sheer mass of sound. Avriel chooses to ignore it. He crosses the stage to where Sardonyx is standing, and hands her the bottle.

"Nine's Ginger-Fireweed kombucha, brewed this past spring."