All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.
-Shakespeare, As You Like It
The President's Study, January 14th, 3:00 pm
Thorburn Baxwell (46) POV
President of Panem
With the Victory Tour for the 226th Hunger Games having just ended, I found it to be the perfect time to discuss the matter of the 227th Hunger Games with my chief adviser, Leporis Fleetwood. The Victory Tour had been successful, with no real outbursts from Alicia Schripe's gang of rebels. The pleasant thought of them being subdued made me want to make this year's Games the best in history.
"All I'm saying is that over the years, I think we've lost sight of what the Games should be about." I turn to face my adviser, looking him more directly in the eye. "Don't you think, Leporis?"
"Wholeheartedly," he says, hesitating a bit. He reaches for a cup of tea, and I notice a twitch in his fingers. He's nervous, no doubt about it. I decide to take the opportunity to mess with him a bit more.
"Now tell me," I begin, lifting my own cup. "What are the Games really about?"
"Balance," he replies. "Paying for what our ancestors did in the past. Keeping order."
"Not exactly," I say. "I mean, those answers are fine and all, but they don't capture the true essence of the Games. Control. That is what the Hunger Games were supposed to be. Control of the Districts under the Capitol. Tributes controlling other tributes. It's beautiful, really."
"Sir, I understand your point," he says. "But with all due respect, why aren't you discussing this with the Head Gamemaker?"
"Ah, Lilywater," I say, smiling fondly. "Wonderful person, she is. The reason I'm not talking to her about this is because she doesn't have quite your taste. She thinks that the Games are all about the arena and the mutts and the sponsors. But you know as well as I do that those things don't matter much at all. It's the principle, Leporis. Without that, we wouldn't have the foundation for the Games in the first place."
"I think I understand," he says, hesitantly. "But what do I have to do with any of this?"
"Well, I've talked to Lilywater, and we've agreed that it might be a good experience to let you design the arena this year, and everything that goes with it. The mutts, possible sponsors, traps, and of course, the arena itself."
"The Head Gamemaker was okay with this?" he asks, incredulously.
"She came around, after some convincing, that is," I respond. "I'll let you go now; you've got a lot of work to do in the next six months."
I reach for a manila envelope from under my desk and extend it over the table to him.
"Everyone you may need to contact is in here, along with their contact information," I say.
Gingerly, he takes the packet and stands.
"I won't let you down, Mr. President," he says, extending his hand to shake. I grasp it with my own and meet his eye.
"You better not," I say. "Or it'll be your job."
A/N: Oh my God guys, I'm so excited. I'm sorry, I just couldn't wait any longer.
As you can probably guess, because I'm me, this is an SYOT. The only thing that makes this different from my last one is that there will be no sponsor system. Tributes will still get gifts, but they won't be sent from you.
That said, the form is on my profile, along with the tributes that I've already gotten! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.
-Make the day special!