the party before the election | high councilor josiah layton

[frankel]

JOSIAH LAYTON

The Peacekeepers do an exceptional job of ensuring there are only a limited number of witnesses. A swift clean up in the middle of the night. Standard ’pool maintenance’ that shut the area down for just half an hour during off-peak hours. Most Capitolites are resting, cradling sore heads so they can do it all again the next day. Something Josiah Layton should’ve done hours ago but the party keeps going twenty-four hours a day.

If only High Councilor Josiah Layton retired earlier.

On the rooftop deck of the Champignon Élysées Hotel, that is the place to be during the ninety-fifth renewal of the Hunger Games. High council matters are paused, well for Josiah anyway. How can the party man ignore the twenty-four/seven blow out viewing party? He has been up to his usual tricks the past three days. He woke up on a sun lounger beside the infinity pool on the third day. Many have asked ”Have you even been home yet, Josie?”

”I’ll see my home when the games end!”

His fans cheer louder than his doubters. It was questionable if the man was even fit to be a Gamemaker, let alone a High Councilor. The elections are looming, he needs to pick a crowd of voters and the party goers seem to outweigh all the real political snobs.

So how does a man of his [redacted] age keep on partying through the night? And day?

Well on the morning of day three after waking from the sun lounger, he takes a concealed bag from a stunning Capitol woman as his breakfast.

Then a couple of hours later he welcomes a shot from a friend in the gentlemen’s bathroom.

Before dinner he snatches a bunch of glacial golden grapes from a handsome curly haired young man.

After dinner he disappears into the bathrooms again and leaves wiping his nose with another gentleman behind him.

At midnight he takes a bottle of champagne from behind the bar that he keeps for himself.

This is everything that the junior peacekeeper reports back after observing all day because by 2am, High Councilor Josiah Layton was found head down floating in the infinity pool. Unresponsive.

If only High Councilor Josiah Layton retired earlier. He won’t ever see his home again.

”He did it to himself, I have not seen him without a bottle in his hand or powder under his nose the past three days!” The junior peacekeeper admits to his senior.

”Given the man’s position of power, the council want this thoroughly investigated. Every person that Layton spoke too or was even near in the past twenty-four hours needs questioning!”

”There have been hundreds of people, almost the entire hotel has been on the top deck today.”

”Then question everyone and review the surveillance footage again!”

ELEGANT

[frankel]

tw: mentions of drug use.

IVAN KORSCH

”You were seen leaving the bathroom behind Mr Layton the night of the incident. What were you doing in there?” Ivan’s morning in his father’s office has been sweetly disrupted by two questioning peacekeepers.

”Stinking out of the hotel by having the smelliest shit ever?” Ivan replies and one of the peacekeepers screws up their face. Ivan just shrugs. ”I am an honest man, Layton was probably taking a dump too. Who knows. I don’t memorize other men’s toilet duties…”

It doesn’t take long for the Peacekeeper’s to put a line through Ivan’s name on their list.

Nobody should be suspicious of him. Afterall, he had no strong strife with a political figure like Josiah Layton. A face he only ever met at VIP events.

What really happened in that bathroom was…

The Night of Josiah Layton’s death:

Ivan flung open the bathroom stall door, something has definitely not agreed with his stomach, but he sucks it up. Unfortunate for him but he is not alone in here, someone heard all of that…It is a blonde haired, partly balding man stood over a sink and looking in the mirror. Ivan recognizes him as High Councilor and former Gamemaker, Josiah Layton.

He takes the sink next to Josiah and lets the water run over his hands. Ivan looks the man up and down, he is gripping to the edge of the sink and staring into the mirror. There are lines of white powder on the marble ledge above the sink and Ivan can see remnants of it under the man’s nose. Now this is an interesting situation for Ivan to find himself in, especially with a high-profile figure like this.

”Quite the place isn’t it, this hotel? They can definitely put on a party.” Ivan says as he moves across the bathroom to where the towels are, he dries his hands but keeps his eyes on the vulnerable looking man.

”It is a wonderful place, I better go back outside.” Josiah replies, not once looking at Ivan and Ivan takes offence to the lack of acknowledgement. Ivan stands in the way of the door, stopping Josiah from leaving the bathroom. ”Hey, you don’t want to go out there looking like that.” Ivan points up at Josiah’s nose and then pulls out a handkerchief from his trouser pocket. ”Take this, clean yourself up.”

Josiah rubs his nose with the handkerchief, he nearly puts it into his own jacket pocket, but Ivan puts his hand out to take back his hospitality. ”Thank you, now you go first.” Ivan lets Josiah leave first and mutters under his breath, why the fuck am I the one saying thank you? Shouldn’t it be him? I hope this damn new slow acting formula works!

Josiah leaves wiping his nose with the gentleman Ivan behind him.

Death by misadventure

That’s what is broadcast days after the investigation into Josiah Layton’s death. It is becoming quite the slogan for Ivan Korsch.

ELEGANT