A Merry Mayor Meet // [Kirito/Mace]

♕ m a c e ♕

❝ one more word,
and you won't survive ❞

His brainspace had dwindled to almost nothing. He slept, he woke, he cared for Quinn, he ate, he kissed Saffron, he slept. There was very little variety out of necessity, until the Reaping. He found himself struggling to remember this routine, the routine of a mentor, instead of Father. He hadn't even had time to establish himself as Mayor before boarding the train. In the few seconds a day that he had time to reflect on his life, he thought of that the most. There was really only one person he wanted to talk to about his worries and conveniently he was somewhere in the Training Center.

Mace said goodbye to Coralee and Mason at the creche, hugged Juliet extra tight and then adjusted the straps on his baby carrier. Quinn was, thankfully, fast asleep. She was far too young, too fragile to be left in daycare, not that he minded carrying her around. He only hoped she would sleep another few hours, so Saffron could do the same.

He lingered for a moment, sweeping the creche. He found no sign of Kirito, nor of any child that looked like him, or like the older girl he'd adopted from the Capitol. That had been strange news to process, before Regalia had pointed out that Topaz Ross' children were all technically Capitolites. He prayed Kirito's daughter would turn out better than Maverick Miles' spoiled spawn.

Finding no trace of his friend, Mace wandered. Naturally he swung through the dining hall, picking up a croissant, before heading to the elevators. Under normal circumstances he'd call ahead and wait for an invitation, but he wasn't sure how much time he had left before Quinn woke and needed his full attention. So, he punched in Eleven and swallowed his guilt over the imposition.

He wasn't surprised at all to find the apartment cluttered. Like the level for his own district, no accommodations had been made for the growing number of children and victors. They just had to share the space as best they could. It seemed Kirito and Harbinger had to do the same, even without -

He paused, wrapped his arms around his daughter. No. He wouldn't let himself think. "Mayor Miristioma?" He called, pitching his voice to echo. "There's a, uhm, shit." What was the term he was looking for? "Foreign dignitary or somethin' to see ya!"