this isn't very festive!

[iheartmahogany]

Effie could walk in anything, so long as she was wearing the proper wig - otherwise, her balance was thrown completely off. But that was how she liked it; everything had its proper place, from train schedules to mealtimes to even the weight proportions of her dresses which, in some instances, were so large they practically engulfed her.

That's why she liked to keep her skirts above the calves, so that her shoes may never be missed by anyone who might be looking (and she expected many to do so). Even now her feet, tipped in five-inch high monstrosities that made her clip along as if she had hooves, were in full display. The rest of her dress curled in generous lines around her but, like her golden wig, was rigid and composed. In fact, the only real movement was Effie's face and hands, but that was fine; she was a very animated creature, always had been, and it worked well on camera, she liked to think.

Her main concern just then, though, was the fact she had gotten lost on her way from the restroom. There were always places to watch the Games and she usually had a front seat, but though they were soon to start, her real concern was to find Haymitch. Peeta and Katniss were going to need sponsors again, and it was her duty to make sure the right people were spoken to - though, to his credit, Haymitch had gotten a bit better in the charm department as of last year.

The largest Capitol buildings could turn anyone around, and Effie had no idea where she was. She recognized absolutely nothing, and even her sense of direction seemed off. The result was that Effie, while composed, was beginning to get anxious. She hated being late, anywhere, and she had places to be not just for decorum, but for her Victors! In fact, she was so distracted with concern, one could forgive her for missing the fact she was technically not in the Capitol anymore - nowhere near it at all, in fact.

no subject

[only_hope]

Obi-Wan now suddenly understood why Anakin despised Tatooine so much. Aside from the slavery, which was rampant, the entire planet was covered in sand that seemed to get into any and everything no matter what measures one took to prevent it. Potable water was only obtained through complex vaporator systems which, inevitably, failed once the sand got into their inner workings and destroyed the delicate machinery. Obi-Wan was a decent hand at most technology but he would never be a savant the way Anakin was; as a result, his vaporators were constantly on the fritz and he was at the mercy of the mechanics in Anchorhead. They tended to gouge those who did not know better.

Obi-Wan kept to himself these days and missed the companionship once found within the halls of the Jedi temple. It pained him to think that the beautiful building no longer existed, the tenets it stood for torn asunder by the will of the newly-installed Galactic Emperor. Obi-Wan wish he'd seen it coming, had known that Palpatine meant ill by the people of Naboo and the Republic but nobody had seen it, nobody had connected the dots to lead from seemingly-unconnected Sith apprentices to their wily master. Palpatine had been very careful never to reveal any sort of Force-related powers. Even Masters Yoda and Windu had been unable to tell until it was far too late. And Anakin! Such great potential, his apprentice, but it had been twisted into fear and jealousy by Palpatine and used as a means to an end. The last thing Obi-Wan wanted was to cut him down on Mustafar and, yet, he had never been afraid to do what was necessary to protect the Order, even when the Order was essentially gone.

Which is why he chose to come to Tatooine to keep an eye out on a boy who might hold the key to the future of the entire Jedi Order in his chubby little fists. Luke Skywalker would grow up knowing the same sort of mundane existence his father had years ago and would know nothing beyond the windswept sands of Tatooine until the time came. They would keep him safe by hiding him in plain sight, in putting him on the one planet Anakin vowed never to return to. Luke would be safe here and Obi-Wan, to ensure that safety, would merely have to suffer the inconveniences of living on a backwater planet.

"At least the Empire doesn't seem remotely interested in colonizing this waste," he muttered to himself, drawing his cloak tighter as he peered out the windows. There was a sandstorm on the horizon and he needed to go cover as much as he could to keep it from being destroyed. This Force-foresaken planet was going to be the death of him, he knew it, and he hated it with every cell in his body. Still, duty trumped comfort.

"Why did it have to be sand?" he asked, wrenching the door open and stepping out into the wind. It seemed to calm as soon as he stepped into it, however, and as the sand settled there was a very different landscape before his eyes. Gone were the ancient droids and vaporators and in their place was plush carpet and fine wood, the interior of a palace or a temple and not the jagged rock of the Jundland Wastes. Obi-Wan peered back through the door to see his own meager home, the secondhand furniture and worn clothes, and decided that this new place bore further investigation.

If nothing else, it would be interesting and he hadn't had much in the way of excitement since arriving on Tatooine some months ago. It would be worth it simply to entertain himself for a few hours, wouldn't it?

no subject

[shes_biochem]

In the far reaches of an odd hallway

Every time he thinks that perhaps he's alright with being in the field, something like this happens. Without fail.

On top of his general reputation for ill deeds, Loki's presence offers an additional factor of fear for Simmons in that a Chitauri virus thought vanquished might pop up again.

IN PROGRESS - Warning for science nerds being skittish