So who wants to try some cake samples and tell me which ones tastes the best.

[The video shows a variety of squares on little plates: chocolate and lemon and red velvet. Most have just a pearly white icing, but a few have candied flower petals, or colorful little sugar bubbles.]

It's spring, and there's already been talk of one wedding, so I figured I'd better up my game.

[Peeta's quiet for a moment, but there's an embarrassed little smile on his lips, and something in his eyes that suggests he has more to say.]

That reminds me, I might've joked with a few of you that I'm married. I'm actually not - not really. But all I could think about while I was baking is what kind of cake she'd want at her real wedding.

I've watched this girl my entire life, and I can't even guess which one she'd choose. But then I realized that I could find out. And I could give it to her too.

[Private to Katniss]

So...what do you think? We could do it for real here.

[Effie has slowly begun to settle in Asgard, even with the absence of her closest friends from the Capitol -- and she's been quietly working on her own project, which is coming to fruition. Slowly. As soon as her mundune gets off of her ass and writes the goddamn thing.]

With the discovery of my own powers growing within this city, I have decided to do something productive with it.

[WAIT FOR IT]

I previously mentioned that I wished to open my own fashion boutique and I have been scoping out several locations. Paperwork is being drafted, details are being nuanced, but what I need most of all are eager and able-bodied employees.

[You totally want to work for Effie, right Asgard? Run now.]

So -- for anyone who wishes to handle money, I will be hiring one individual -- and I would also like to hire another individual with the same ability as I from Freyr, an additional designer with the ability to pull things from paper. I will be extraordinarily picky and there is absolutely no room for failure! So -- please do your best! I would like very much to see your talents in person, so please contact me with an available time and I will do my best to accommodate your schedule.

[A pause.]

I, of course, would be more than happy to show off my own talent in return, if you need to be assured that you would not be doing all of the work. And -- of course, money and numbers and shares of the business will all be discussed at a later date.

[There's another pause before Effie adds on, a bit shrewdly.]

Any volunteers?

[This isn't going to be long, as Castiel is distracted, but...]

I believe this may be an opportune time to mention that I have potions available which eliminate hangover symptoms.

[That's how he's up and running around after how much he drank the night before, after all.]

[[ooc: I am finally getting Cas' shop up and going! An open log is up here, but feel free to reply or offline on this post if you want. c: The shop's page is also mostly finished!]]

[Action]

[As the sun sets on Asgard for the second day of madness, there is a cry of supreme exertion from above the city. Anyone who looks towards it can see a figure clearly in the darkness of the night. For a a single, brilliant moment the shadows of evening, the stars in the sky and the moon are overshadowed and the light that emanates from him is almost like the morning sun. It glitters where he half stands, half floats just above the unseen barrier that guards the palace.

His hands reach out and tendrils of golden dust begin to float out from his bright and shining body. They criss-cross and tangle, fraying through all of the city, leading and connecting every part of the Holy City to his floating form. There is a resounding shout of exertion at the end of the minute and every golden light pulls taut. The travelers in all corners of the city can feel their very beings tug, yanking at them and pulling on their cores. And then, there is silence. The golden light winks out and the figure can be seen falling to the castle below in the light of the rising moon.

But, as he falls, everything in the city is at peace once more.]

[Video]

[The video feed comes on about an hour later. In the intervening time, there's been no explanations, no answers, no word from the palace. Baldr comes onto the feed, reclined on a couch, dressed well and making an effort not to look like he might have just seriously over-extended himself. Nope, just a normal day for the god. Everything's fine.

He turns towards the feed and gives everyone a smug, self-satisfied look, the sneer filling his arrogant features.]

You're welcome. Now would you lot please clean our city up? You're the ones who made a mess.

[It's pointless to keep wandering the city looking for someone who can't be found, and ultimately it was a strange feeling that sent him back inside. Now Peeta's back to his baking. It's one of the two things he loves most; one of the two things he actually feels good at.

His hands are white with flour, kneading bread dough while wearing an apron with the words "Kneadful Things" printed ironically across it. He already has a few loaves cooling on the shelf behind him. The oven has the place plenty warm, so the smell of so much fresh bread might be drifting through the cracked-open door.]

This was all just fun and games a couple of months ago. But I think I'm ready to get this place up and running now.

[Peeta pauses, wiping his hands off and pulling a pad of paper closer to him.]

But no one gets very far on their own, right? I'll definitely need help, someone else who can bake or decorate cakes. Or someone who at least wants to learn. And then there's the deliveries.

[He finishes drawing and pulls a glass from the paper, ready to be filled with water.]

So if you're interested-

( cut for blood )

(OOC: more information about peeta's bakery can be found here. if you'd like your character to work there, just comment to this post or shoot me a pm!)

[Hello Asgard! Yes, Castiel is still here, lurking. Waiting.

But no really, he hasn't been on the network much other than to be a paranoid skeptic about the gods because he's been moping about problems in his world. He does that moping thing a lot, but his wife is gotten tired of it, and he actually has too.

That’s why he's showing up on the network now, with a new project to take his mind off of things and hopefully to be useful as well. It’s actually something he's a little excited about, which might be hard to tell since he's pretty much as neutral as ever, but those who know him well might notice his eyes are bright and he’s speaking just slightly more quickly and emphatically than usual.]

I have noticed several requests for, and inquiries about, work available here. For those who are interested, I am going to be hiring a few individuals to assist in the functioning of a small business I plan to open.

( OOC cut because this got ridiculously long. )

[Anonymous Video]

[The feed begins, and there isn't a soul in sight. Rather, it appears to be someone's room, but given that there is a bright pink cloth spread over the bedding that certainly doesn't match up with Freya's House colors, it would be difficult to determine anything from that.

However, the bedspread isn't the real eye catcher; in the middle of this is an ancient journal, and it's on these pages that the camera zooms. Much of the text is blacked out, but certain phrases and words do stand out.]

████████████ series of tall mountains and deep canyon near the kingdom of Svartalfheim.

Unfortunately, the Earth Giants no longer exist within that place - or indeed, anywhere in Yggdrasil. ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ the fall of Laufey █████████████████████████████████ the end of the Earth Giants. What choice did we have? █████████████ was unnatural. ██████████████████████████ wrong.

There was no other option. We had to abandon the survivors. ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

[After focusing on this page for a good few minutes - plenty enough time to read through what text is visible - the feed will end only to be followed shortly by...]

[Anonymous Text]

I received something interesting over the holidays. It's a pity that little battle took up so much time, but now that we have done our part, I thought it would be a good time to bring this up.

It seems the gods haven't been entirely transparent with us, now have they? Based on the other books found in the library, this is most likely referring to someplace called Ginnungagap. You can look it up if you want, but good luck. The gods have blacked out anything important. Or at least... most of what was important.

I can't be the only one curious about this, can I?

[Haymitch is gone.

Effie has looked all about the city, having stayed out of the battle with Alfheim, poked around his old room in the Loki welcome hall, and asked a few natives about what it means when names just simply aren't there in the registry. It takes some doing (and some brief panic that she needs to force down, where it resides in a nice little ball directly underneath her ribcage), but Effie Trinket knows nothing more than to approach upsetting news with a smile.

Eyes bright, chins up, smiles on.

She turns on her feed with that same bright smile, wearing a pale yellow dress this fine day, with a matching wig and pretty little dewdrop butterflies in her hair. She adjusts her camera quickly once she realizes it's a little off-center before speaking, with her odd Capitol accent (the over-enunciation, the emphasis on every other word) ringing in loud and clear.]

Well then! Now that everyone is settled and the city has returned to some level of normalcy given the state of things and that horrendous battle talk -- I suppose I'd like to make a brief announcement concerning some excellent ideas regarding my future here within Asgard.

[Wait for it.]

We are all tasked with maintaining the life of this city during our stay here, which is a worthy task -- and I would like very much to assist to the best of my ability, which is why I have been examining the idea of opening a business tailored to fashion. My own unique ability gifted to me from these gods seems to be absolutely perfect for this sort of thing -- and what better way to color a city than to add color? So I would like to entertain a few individuals with the same gift as I -- drawing things and having them brought to life, preferably with the fashion savvy in order to start our own little design boutique.

[This is a very proud moment for her, but really a large amount of distraction from the bigger issue at hand -- and that bright sunny smile falters slightly and Effie draws in a slight breath, because it really is her responsibility to inform the population. Not that many would care that Haymitch is gone, he's a rather horrendous individual, but he is also one of Effie's few true friends. If you could call him that.]

And, ah. Well.

[Suddenly, Effie feels slightly awkward, but she pulls herself together instantly.]

I believe Haymitch Abernathy has returned to Panem, to those that knew him for however brief a time he was here. I'm -- sorry.

[She pauses, quiet for a few moments, before Effie summons a smile again.]

But thank you for listening, and please let me know, fellow fashion aficionados!

[And she shuts off her video feed, before sending a text to Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.]

( [Filtered to Katniss and Peeta // Private // Unhackable )

It would seem that a majority of you have no idea how to properly address a King. I'm not sure if you were all raised in the wilds or if you're just willfully ignorant, but the correct way to refer to me is as Your Grace.

[He's still wearing his crown, even if almost no one here has actually cared about it so far. He's not going to stop dressing like a king just because people aren't treating him like one.]

Now that that's out of the way, I have a request: Could anyone tell me where I could obtain a sword? And a...'gun', it was called. I'm afraid I won't be of much help in the war effort without them.

[As if that's his primary reason for requesting these, but he'll pretend it is.]

Any aid provided will be rewarded in time. I don't forget my allies.

I literally just slept for like a week.

[ Jade's voice is a little hoarse, her hair wet from a shower, and she still seems vaguely sleepy. ]

Did I miss anything exciting? Any more giant attacks? -- how is everyone, anyway? Yes, hi, even people I don't know yet, how are you doing?

[ FILTERED TO ROXY: ]

Hey! I met Callie! At home, I mean.

[ Rory (well, more Rory's nose than anything) appears on the screen in a somewhat uncomfortable position. He has an enormous dog sprawled across his lap. Or is it a dog? It might very well be a lion. Will Graham's reaction will probably let us know. ]

I've always wanted a dog. Ever since I was a kid. We were actually planning on it before Amy left. I just--I'm not so sure she wanted this much dog.

[ He has to struggle to keep his head above the dog's back, so not to get a mouthful of fur when he speaks. He doesn't seem annoyed, though. In fact, he looks absolutely chuffed. The dog-lion doesn't seem to disappointed either. New pals. ]

The problem is--stop. Stop that. [ The dog is trying to lick the bracelet, which means Rory has to lift his wrist above his head, which means he sinks deeper into the sea of fur. Pardon him while he tries to straighten up. ] So the problem is, I was given the dog and nothing to actually care for her with. So maybe someone can let me know where to get some food. And toys. A lead. Oh! And a name, if you have any suggestions.

[ He makes to stop the feed, but he pauses. ] And, Doctor? I'm not naming her after you.

[He's not going to say anything about his present. It's not that he doesn't appreciate it; just the thought behind it would be enough for him. But items from mysterious benefactors hits a little too close to 'sponsor'.

Instead, he's leaning against a most colorful table, with bowls of frosting and candies of all shapes and colors. There's a large sheet pan of cookie dough, baked golden brown and cooling beside him.]

I've been reading up a little on holiday traditions, and I came across the idea of gingerbread houses. I thought it might be fun to make some. Only why stop at houses, maybe we could make an entire city. An Asgard that we can eat.

So who wants to help me decorate? Prim? Rue? I hope I can count on you guys. And Effie, you sure could make everything tasteful as well as tasty.

[Or at least get her in the same room with Rue, and hopefully enjoying herself until she gets over the weirdness of a little dead girl.]

I even made mahogany colored frosting.

[He tips the bowl up, brows lifted. Just look at how shiny it is!]

I'll handle the heavy lifting and the baking, so no one else has to worry about burns. So who's in?

[Good morning, Asgardians!

You are treated to one [1] Effie Trinket, sitting on her bed in the Freyr welcome hall. She has snow dusting the sleeves of her extraordinarily hideous Christmas sweater dress that seems to be lighting up in odd colors.

She does not look amused. In fact, Effie looks like she needs to have a glass of wine in hand. And, offscreen, she probably does.]

I do hope everyone is enjoying the spontaneous blizzard this world has set upon us. Going from jungle temperatures to blistering cold -- I would have thought only a Gamemaker would be capable of such a thing at the push of a button, but everyone could stand to be proven wrong every now and again.

[The good Escort sighs, heavily, before she indeed raises a glass of wine to her lips -- but Effie pauses and manages to summon a smile.

She is still ignoring the sweater, and the first person to mention it will get a tongue lashing so fierce that only Katniss Everdeen has experienced one similar.]

That being said, is there a reputable designer in this city? Or even a moderately reputable one. I'm afraid the only thing my power is "good for" is pulling sets of earrings out of a piece of paper.

[ Effie said to make himself presentable, so here he is, freshly showered and clean. So fresh, in fact, that his hair is still wet and dripping onto the same shirt he was wearing yesterday ( possibly the day before that too, but who's keeping count? Not Haymitch! ). He smiles, so very pleasantly. ]

A dear friend of mine told me to announce my presence and make some new friends, and I thought to myself, now, Haymitch, that is a great idea. We've all been kidnapped to fight the same war with our feelings, maybe I should make some friends.

[ He spreads his arms wide with a warm grin. ]

So what do you say, gang? Hug it out before we all die bloody?

[ There's an indignant screech from somewhere offscreen, and Effie shouts; ]

Haymitch!

[ To which, he just laughs and holds up his hands in surrender while she comes and slaps off the feed before he can do anything else horrible. ]

[ ooc; so friends wow what a cheerful. check out this here opt-out post if you'd like to avoid spoilers for Mockingjay and/or avoid the more fun ( read as: terrible ) parts of THG universe! ]

[ behold, Lydia Martin. Lydia Martin is super impressed with you, Asgard.

Or, you know, not at all.

Earthquake? Kidnapping? Being held in parallel universes? she got it. she doesn't even seem disheveled. ]

Not that I intend to argue that belonging to House Odin isn't worth some sort of respect in Asgard's hierarchy. Seeing Odin is the ruler of Asgard, top of the godly food chain.

I suppose that if I had to be kidnapped by Norse Gods to fight a war I have a dubious relation to, the silver lining is definitely being in the house of the ruler who is often associated with a relentless search of power and is probably the first one to inspire that saying about knowledge and power which you all know by heart.

[ and if you don't, she judges you. ]

All of that said – a spiral slide in house Odin? Is basically like placing a ball pit in the middle of Oxford Library. It's not an oxymoron, Asgard, make no mistake. It's a Juxtaposition; and not even an impressive one, at that.