IC contact post

[capitolprivilege]

"Hi, you've reached Stephen Reagan -- almost. This is his phone. Leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can. Okay?"

Comments

[whatisay]

funny what happens when i talk to your big brother

[capitolprivilege]

Yeah, it's a goddamn shame you can't hit any more of my coworkers.

[whatisay]

i didn't hit Linden and there's security footage if you don't believe me

besides if your brother's point were made for me it would have brought up the Avoxes. and it didn't. so.

l o l

[capitolprivilege]

Wow, you are REALLY worked up about this. Why so invested in my sex life, Compson?

[whatisay]

if three lines of text message is worked up, you really are a lazy escort

Just hate to see a good family name get sullied is all

[currupted]

Hey, Stephen.

[Light, friendly, not at all urgent.]

No rush or anything. Just-- I wanted to talk to you about the recent changes in the rules. Make sure you understand what this might mean for you.

Message me back whenever you get a chance.

private channel woop woop

[capitolprivilege]

Okay, I'm here, I'm here.

Cyrus, what the hell. You just outlawed sex. You just made fucking a punishable offense. Do you hate fun or something?

[currupted]

Don't be melodramatic. My office did not outlaw sex. This is about professionalism and trust - neither of which can exist when Tributes find themselves competing for their Escorts' favors.

[With a level look at Stephen--]

Do you understand that, or should I explain it again?

[capitolprivilege]

[Stephen sucks in a breath, then lets it out with a frustrated sigh.]

I didn't think it was that much of a problem.

backdated a bit

[reassures]

[When the feed flickers to life, Nill seems to be in the process of pulling off whatever jewelry she has been given to wear for the evening. Her hair is done, and she's wearing a black dress which is much more reminiscient of the kind of things a tribute or mentor might wear at a party rather than the kind of things she wears on her own.

Once she sees that it's actually connected her eyes narrow a little, expression uncharacteristically icy. She holds up her notepad, something already written on the paper.]

let me know when he's back.

[She reaches to end the message, but hesitates for just a second, her jaw going tight and expression softening slightly, before she reaches for her pen. If he's careful about watching as she writes he might see moisture gathering in her eyes, but he only has a moment. She's done writing much quicker than usual, and it shows in the rushed letters when she holds up the notepad. This time her face is almost entirely hidden from view, and he won't see it again.]

let me know if I shouldn't come.

[When she reaches over this time the feed ends with a click.

Considering this message comes a few hours after Linden left to "spend time with" Claudius, the cause probably isn't too hard to figure out.]

backdating noted!

[capitolprivilege]

[...oh, god.

He'd brought this up. This very thing. He'd used this to argue against Linden doing what he was doing, but he'd been unable to change Linden's mind.

But the fact that the idea to do it came from a conversation with him, and the fact that he had failed to get Linden to budge about it, and the fact that Stephen is Linden's Escort all make Stephen feel responsible for this. Is it his fault? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it's somewhere in between. But it really feels like it is.

When he replies, it's with a low voice, nearly a whisper, and his face betrays how agitated he is. There's no question that Stephen understands exactly what's going on.]

He's back. He's sleeping, and he'll probably stay that way for a while. I'm sorry, but you should probably wait.

[reassures]

[It takes several long minutes before Nill reaches to actually send a response, but it's obvious by her bloodshot eyes that Stephen didn't actually wake her up by replying. Nill hadn't been wearing much in the way of makeup, but what little is now smudged, the circles under her eyes showing through where it's been rubbed away more than other patches. She never quite looks at Stephen, but a good deal of the frost from earlier is gone now, replaced with something that mostly just looks tired.

...and maybe slightly inebriated, if her handwriting is anything to go by. She spends about the same amount of time as usual writing but a couple letters come out looking deformed.]

can I come down in a few hours?
I won't wake him.

[She'll sit on the couch or pace or even make food for people if anyone was actually awake, but she definitely won't go anywhere near Linden's room.]

[capitolprivilege]

[Facing her right now is really, really hard.

But leaving her up there by herself, at a time like this, when she's been completely understandably drinking, feels worse. Stephen finds that he wants her to not be alone, and even if he feels like he's the worst possible company for her right now, it's better than nothing.]

...yeah. That'd be fine. You can even come down now, if you want -- a few hours won't make a difference.

text

[fusshionable]

So apparently I'm caught in a torrid love triangle between you and Cyrus now.

Lucky me.

text

[capitolprivilege]

IIII noticed. You know, a lot of people would kill to be in that torrid love triangle. It's a shame it's not real.

text

[fusshionable]

Oh, yes. Maybe if he wasn't so...Cyrus-y, I'd consider it.

text

[capitolprivilege]

You mean uptight, demanding, and married to his work?

Text

[dead_black_eyes]

I've got a problem. A medical thing. It can wait until the end of the Arena to handle, but I can depend on you to pick up my slack for a few days, right? Getting Sponsors shouldn't be too pressing at that point.

Text

[capitolprivilege]

Don't worry about Six. I've got it. How serious is the problem?

Text

[dead_black_eyes]

I need a new liver. I was told it could be handled discreetly enough that it could be passed off as a spa day, but that is the situation.

[I'm petrified. I'm appalled. I'm worried they'll take this opportunity to screw me worse than they ever have before.]

Hey, Stephen? You were right. About everything. And I'm sorry.

Text

[capitolprivilege]

Holy shit, Linden.

[He's not going to hold it over Linden's head or say I told you so. He's not that kind of jerk.]

You want me to look into it? Make sure it's all going through official channels and everything's legitimate?

[fusshionable]

Stephen, I've just heard the juiciest bit of gossip.

[capitolprivilege]

You don't say.

[fusshionable]

I do say. Word has it around town that you're something of a connoisseur when it comes to bed sheets. Which is convenient because I just bought new ones.

[capitolprivilege]

Let's try them out

Right now