I know, this one was a bit of a shortie. So sorry. There's just really not a whole lot to be said for the chariot rides. :)

~Ermine Vair~

My stylist, Jaren Lott, flits around me. He picks at my suit, frowning. He grabs my shoulders, looks at me, and scowls again. He brushes the slightest bit of hair into place, and then smiles. "There. You're lovely, Ermine!"

Wow. 'Lovely' is really not what I had been hoping for.

Jaren grabs me again and hauls me over to a nearby full-length mirror. He places his thin face right over my shoulder and smiles as wide as was physically possible.

…No, wider.

I can't see what he is so happy about. I'm dressed in a white jumpsuit- a sparkly white jumpsuit- that is decorated with deep blue rhinestones and swirls of glitter, which Jaren has told me are supposedly constellations. I suppose it is rather dapper in its way, but it wasn't quite what I had been expecting. I consider this for a moment, and then smile wryly. I suppose that I'm not so bad off; now that I think about it, I had been expecting a cow.

Seeing my smile, Jaren takes it the way that he wants to and beams. "You'll be absolutely stellar!" he squeals.

I hesitate, wondering whether this is supposed to be a pun using the glitter swirls, and then plow onwards. "What'll Arella be wearing? Something similar?"

Jaren's scowl returns. "No, I think not. Mayar decided that he wanted to go with something more District-related." He rolls his eyes, and it is quite apparent what his opinion is on this. I suppose that he thinks District 10's industry just isn't interesting enough for the Capitol fans.

Giving one last shake of his head, Jaren sweeps me from the room. We meet up with my District partner, Arella Collins, and her stylist Mayar on the way down to the lower level. Arella has her auburn hair done up in a simple yet elegant knot, and is wearing a silky, tight-fitting dress covered with cow spots. It's a little strange, but at least it's reasonably attractive, unlike the usual cow suits.

She raises her eyebrows when she sees my glittering outfit, and I grin. I'm looking for an ally, and I'm thinking about Arella. As we walk into the area with the chariots, though, I take in her slight build and figure that if I can get a better ally, I ought to do it.

The room that we walk into is huge and full of excited people and stamping horses. Arella heads straight to our chariot, but I wander off towards the chariot of our only Career district. There is a small boy sitting on it, swinging his legs. I frown at him, and he just looks at me as though sizing me up. Finally, he gives a little smile and turns away. Rather confused, I look past him and see his curly haired district partner staring at me. She blushes when our eyes meet, and gives a little wave before turning away. I spin on my heel and walk back to my chariot quickly.

Well. Looks like I might have found a possible ally there who is presumably a good fighter. Might have found a bit more than an ally, actually, but…. I think that I'll be able to throw her away quite quickly when I need to.

The doors to the street open just as I scramble up onto our chariot. We roll out, and the roaring of the crowd hits me with an almost physical force. Beside me, Arella is waving and grinning. She seems to be in her element here, and the people in the crowd can tell it. They're all waving to her. I watch for a moment, mesmerized, before I realize that I really ought to be doing the same thing.

I tilt my chin up the slightest bit, brush back my white-blond hair, and I smile. It's not a huge grin like Arella's, but more of just a knowing, confident little thing. I catch the eyes of a few people in the crowd, and I give them a small, sly grin. They begin to notice me, and I catch a quick glimpse of myself on a huge television screen. I look much more dashing than I originally thought I did, and it gives me another confident boost that carries through all the way until we reach the City Circle. There our chariots halt, and President Krasa steps out to give an official welcome.

I take the opportunity to gaze around at the other tributes. In front of us, the outfits of the two District 7 tributes seem to be clashing almost more than ours do. I smirk and crane my neck to look back at District 11. The girl, a pretty girl with beautiful dark hair, is clothed in a dress that I feel is supposed to resemble a banana, representing the district's fruit industry. I look over at her partner, a dark-haired boy, and I stare. He's dressed as an orange, and is gazing around quite absent-mindedly. As I watch, he raises one leg up behind him and tries to balance on one foot. He's not very good at it, and has to hop around bizarrely. The girl looks faintly embarrassed.

I hear Krasa's speech conclude behind me, and I turn back around. The chariots parade once more around the circle, and then turn in to the training Center. The moment the doors close behind us, I turn to slowly get off the chariot. I'm taking my time, looking around, and I hear a huff of impatience behind me. Arella leaps of the side of the chariot and speeds away. I watch her go, amused. Just from what I've seen of tributes tonight, I can tell that this will be a fun Games. Especially when I win.

Ah, so glad those are over. :) Now for interviews, yay… for the authors that have their tributes in one of those, I'm really sorry if I screw them up. It'll be pretty tricky not to. Then again, you entrusted them to me, so I take them where I take them, and you're just along for the ride. ;)