POV – Midnight Tyrian

3:57PM

Midnight buries his hands in his pants pockets as he sighs tiredly. Parading for this audience was annoying enough, but now to feign interest and entertain them? He shakes his head, the only consolation he has is that he's going first.

He holds all the cards, he sets the tone.

Midnight tilts his head back, and sneaks a glance at the lineup behind him. The anxious energy buzzing behind him is almost palpable, certainly chaotic though. The hallway itself is dimly lit. He can only really make out silhouettes all the way at the back.

His gaze moves from the back of the line, directly to the front. Mischa looks stunning, he concedes. She wears a long draping black dress with a reddish-orange hue being contained within. She looks like lit charcoal, her dress practically glows in the hallway. It's a very form-fitting dress, practically framing her curves and muscles, it emphasizes both. The juxtaposition only seems to make her all the more captivating.

She wears long black gloves as well. Midnight wonders if it's to hide the scars and callouses of her training. He suspects as such, and if so has to begrudgingly admit the stylists keep everything in mind.

He himself doesn't look bad either. He wears a formfitting cherry red blazer over top a black vest and dress shirt. He wears pants as red as his blazer and a white tie to finish his ensemble. It's modest in comparison to Mischa's outfit.

But, being a Morrigan Sister by default makes one appear like a perfect model, so it would make sense she receives all the stops. It makes him frown despite his reasoning. He can't actually compete with her on this front.

She's well within her comfort zone he realizes. Mischa hardly seems fazed, when compared to say, Kyra, who looks as if she wants the world to eat her up whole. The comparison only further demonstrates his district partner's capabilities. She scored a 10 too.

Midnight's 9 looks measly compared to the 10 and 11's on the board. He knows the question will come, he's prepared for it. He knows he could have scored better, but at the time, he wanted a 9. The fact he got what he sought to get should do more than enough to placate his worries.

But, if he gets swept to the sidelines simply because he didn't commit entirely to the private sessions, it'd be a pretty significant fuck up. He can't afford any with his intentions to tackle these games solo. It's why despite not wanting to even partake in these interviews, he understands the purpose, and value of going first.

"Welcome all to the 99th Hunger Games Interviews! I'm your host, Augustus Flickerman! How is everyone doing this fine afternoon?"

The cheers are booming as they vibrate down the hallway. It prompts Midnight to straighten his posture, the intensity drawing his focus. He stares down the hallway, leading to the opening that reveals the stage. Augustus has a massive grin on his face as he makes his way to one of the two chairs.

Midnight takes a steadying breath, calming his nerves. He sneaks a glance behind him, looking at the careers. Mischa's looking straight ahead, onto the stage, but her expression is unreadable. Remy's far too smug for his liking and Kyra's as pale as a ghost.

"Now, let us begin with our first tribute, Midnight Tyrian from District 1," Augustus says.

A man in a black suit walks up to him, likely his usher. Midnight quickly ignores him in favour of listening to the cheers and clapping. It prompts a smirk from him. He turns to face the pack clearly, drawing all of their stares onto him.

"Let me show you how it's done, take notes Remy," Midnight says, his own blue eyes trailing onto the male from 2.

Remy's gaze hardens murderously, but he doesn't say anything. It's good enough for Midnight who cackles as he turns towards the stage. He waves as he marches forward.

Leaving the comforts of the shadowy veil that is the hallway arguably makes him anxious. But, the first step into the limelight hardens his resolve, as well as nearly blind him. He refuses to shield his eyes, and only narrows them before making his way to Augustus, the host is already standing and offering a hand.

"Ahh, Midnight, you look very handsome in that," Augustus greets smoothly.

Midnight quirks an eyebrow, but smirks, "thanks, you don't look too bad yourself."

The audience chuckles, as does Augustus, "high praises I'm sure. Please take a seat," the man finishes with a pearly white grin.

Midnight doesn't refute the comment and merely shrugs as he plops onto the soft white chair.

"So tell me Midnight, how has your experience in the Capitol been so far?" Augustus asks, diving right into the interview.

Midnight shrugs, "It's been alright, love the accommodations though," he concedes.

Augustus laughs boisterously again. The loudness is obnoxious to him, and he's starting to strongly dislike it. As if grating his eardrums, Midnight smiles weakly in a futile effort to mask his growing agitation.

"Midnight, we saw that in the reapings that you volunteered. Could you share some insights as to why?"

Midnight looks at the host with a deadpan expression, is he serious? He does know he's a career, right? Or is he insinuating something with that comment? Midnight nearly bristles when it occurs to him that Augustus likely does, in fact, know. But, 'training' for the games isn't actually allowed, just ignored in certain districts. Just formalities then.

Midnight scoffs at the thought, his district was given the blessing to churn out tributes to fight in this game, like a factory, like his academy. He's of the opinion that everyone should train if they want. Makes it more entertaining for those in the Capitol, and he'd get a chance to show his talents even more.

In other words, let the bastards train, he'll win all the same.

"Midnight?" Augustus prompts.

Midnight nods his head, "aah, my bad there. Just found it funny. Someone already asked me that question before," he excuses.

"Ah, a mentor, or fellow tribute?"

"Yeah, one of them, anyway, I'll give you the same answer I gave them," he says, standing from his seat.

"I'm going to win these games! Stay tuned when I'm on the screen, I'll give you guys a treat," He concludes, landing back onto the chair with a satisfied smirk.

The audience roars in approval, only further pleasing him.

"And what is this treat you speak of? We're dying to know."

Midnight waggles his finger, "no can do. You'll just have to watch and find out, although, let's just say you won't be the only ones dying for my reveal."

"Oh ho! A bold claim, Well, we in the Capitol will just have to stay tuned."

"Ah, but I will tell you this one thing, I'm not going to be working with an alliance, as you'll probably realize, those after District 1 will leave a lot to be desired," Midnight finishes, a wicked grin plastering on his face.

The audience eats up the drama ravenously, and, how couldn't they? He just ended up belittling the entire career pack.

Ah, but he didn't actually, did he?


POV – Tesla Eddison

4:48PM

Tesla watches from one of the few monitors in the hallway. Her district partner, Magnus is acting so inconspicuous to the point it becomes conspicuous that he's trying to hide something. His answers are too quick, too rehearsed, it's almost like he knows what Augustus wants to ask.

An inside job, Tesla speculates. But, that just doesn't make any sense to her! Why would anyone want to go into these games willingly. The Careers don't count, they've been brainwashed since birth or something, they practically don't have a will of their own.

Speaking of the Careers though, they've all had very unique interviews that made them stand out in their own rights. The audience loves them.

Midnight was smug, but he kept adding a few tidbits here and there, so no one could really tell how he'd act. Surprise after surprise, when you thought he was just finishing, he reveals yet another thing. A wildcard through and through, everyone was at the edge of their seat with bated breath.

Mischa was so beautiful, like a princess. She has the poise, elegance and grace of one too. All her questions were answered smoothly and perfectly enunciated, Her voice is so light and melodious too, if not a princess, she could very well be an angel.

Where Midnight was smug, Remy was confident. His interview felt more like a post-hunger games celebration than a pre-game interview. He spoke of the changes he'd make in 2, and the joy of the district-wide tour. His blasé, self-assurance makes Tesla nervous. How could anyone possibly be that confident in themselves unless they were brainwashed?

Watching Kyra was surprisingly reassuring. She was shy, timid and stammered over her words, her face was fiery red the whole time. Tesla can relate, she can relate a lot! She doesn't really want to talk publicly in front of a crowd of people. But seeing Augustus ease Kyra into the interview at least makes Tesla feel more confident.

If a bloodthirsty career gets nervous, then it wouldn't be too bad if she does too, right?

"Now, the question on everyone's mind, Magnus, how did you score that 9? What did you show the gamemakers?"

"I achieved a 9 through demonstrating skills and proficiencies that would warrant the expected scoring. As to what I showed the gamemakers. I must humbly apologize as I cannot disclose that kind of information," comes the robotic and rehearsed response.

Tesla frowns as Augustus laughs at the remark. Magnus is just an enigma, a mystery that piqued Tesla' curiosity.

"Thanks so much, Magnus, may the odds be in your favour these Hunger Games!"

"Thank-you for your time," Magnus responds, shaking the hand one more time before heading to the opposite side of the stage.

Tesla, knowing what comes next, tenses as her nerves rear their head again. When she's finally starting to feel calm. Her muscles tense, and she starts to worry whether she'll trip over the heels she's made to wear.

"From District 3, the wonderful Tesla Eddison!" Augustus introduces with a flourish.

The suited man beside her gently pushes on her back, which is incentive enough to get her moving. She can feel her heartbeat, vibrating violently in her eardrums. It drowns out any other sound, causing her to tunnel. Her vision focuses solely at the end of the stage, where an expectant, cheerfully grinning Augustus awaits.

She can feel beads of sweat roll down the side of her face. Her vision feels spotty at the corner of her eyes. Wouldn't take an expert to know she's nervous, even she can tell that much, but even then, despite knowing, she can't do anything to alleviate it.

She can only wallow in her own nerves. Her throat feels tight, and her balance unsteady. Knowing is half the battle, an almost mantra-like phrase very common and familiar to the studious bunch in 3.

But knowing she's nervous and shy, will do absolutely nothing for her when facing seas of people. All who will be focusing on her. She has nowhere to hide, her only beacon of safety being the beaming interviewer.

She feels a bit like a boat lost out at sea, desperately not trying to sink for that matter. She takes a few gingerly steps onto the stage and towards the chairs.

"You look stunning my dear," Augustus says, standing beside her and offering a hand to lean on.

Like a lifeline, Tesla snatches onto it and nods shyly at his compliment. She doesn't think she's stunning at all, maybe a bit pretty, she'll concede. But only thanks to the stylists.

They fit her in a beautiful maroon dress, the same colour as the reddish streak in her hair. The white frills lining the bottom of the dress are also very cute.

Augustus expertly guides her to her seat, keeping a steady arm around her before plopping her onto the chair. She nods her thanks fervently, very grateful to be spared a possibly humiliating fall.

"I'm, I'm so sorry about that, I-"

"Nonsense, everyone can have jitters in front of a crowd, even I used to be the same back in my earlier days, isn't that right folks?" Augustus waves off as he addresses the audience.

They chuckle in response, and Tesla finds herself visibly deflating in relief. It's quite reassuring at least to know someone as charismatic as Augustus was ever nervous. She can't actually recall the games where he ever showed such a degree of shyness, so she quickly concludes he's only saying that to reassure her. It works like a charm regardless, the weight off her chest feels tremendous, and she feels like she can actually take a breath of air, without the stifling sensation.

"Tesla my dear, tell me, what has been the most memorable experience you've had in the Capitol so far?" Augustus prompts, with his signature pearly white smile.

Tesla feels magnetized to his smile. As if it draws her in like a moth to a flame. That's why he's the Master of Ceremonies, she concludes. Much like his father, Augustus just has a way to draw in people, a charisma that Tesla really wishes she had right about now.

"O-oh, I… uh, well, my favourite part has been-" She freezes, realizing that she doesn't have one.

How could she? She might have watched the games here or there, a morbid curiosity, nothing more. But to be apart of them, it's horrifying. Not to mention she spent all of her time trying to decipher the mystery that is "…Magnus."

"Oh?" Augustus says, his tone very amused by the response.

Colour rushes to Tesla's face. Great, she humiliated herself despite Augustus's efforts.

"Ah, so the two of you are allies then?" Augustus asks, moving the interview along.

Frankly, Tesla would like it to come to a complete halt. She needs to collect herself here. She just finished saying something a bit questionable, why is he taking it so swimmingly?!

"No, I meant, He's interesting, right? I… uh, well, I'm curious," She ends weakly.

After all, she was going to say she likes mysteries. But, what if it's misinterpreted. She doesn't want Magnus to get mad at her, if he's actually a double agent, he'd probably silence her before the games or something. She doesn't want to die before even having a chance of surviving!

"Aaah, I see, I understand. Tesla, would you say your inquisitive then? I heard that's a common trait of those in 3."

Tesla blinks at the question but nods slowly.

"I like- love to learn things," she answers after a moment's hesitation.

"That's wonderful, then, during training, what did you decide to learn?"

"I…" Tesla falters, the horrifying realization dawning on her.

Tesla spent most of her time watching Magnus, not learning. She just wanted to know what his deal was, why he was here, what organization he was apart of! Besides, she didn't really need to learn things, she already knew most of the plants and bugs, and knows plenty of survival tips.

But, saying she didn't learn anything would not only sound conceited, but it would also just come across as incredibly arrogant. Her score of 3 doesn't warrant that kind of confidence either way. Unless, of course, she was trying to make herself appear mysterious like Magnus…

It's not something she thought of until now, maybe sponsors would like that?

With the idea now firmly in her mind, she doubts she could refuse to try it. What does she even have to lose anyway? It's a desperation play created out of her own incompetence.

"Uhm… L-let's just say that what I learned. I didn't show."

"During the private sessions? is that why you scored a 3, Tesla?" Augustus says, sounding genuinely curious.

The audience hushes, and she can feel hundreds of eyes boring into her. Tesla feels her heart thumping. Can she actually get away with this? Can she lie to the entirety of Panem? Her left leg fidgets nervously, as she nods, not trusting her voice at that very moment.

She takes a moment, clearing her throat, "that's right. Y-you'll see my real score soon enough."

The crowd cheers, seemingly won over. It makes her feel tremendously relieved and she sags into her chair a little. She just needs to take this momentum into the games. That's easy, right? She just needs to use this hidden ability of hers to win.

Her relief quickly morphs into anxious trepidation.


POV – Newton Faraday

5:19PM

Newt fidgets on the spot, watching as Cyrus just about wraps up her interview. Calder went before her, and although stiff with his answers, he was at the very least cordial. His interview did end a bit sooner than expected though. So Newt knows that Augustus can call interviews early if he wants.

It makes Newt a bit nervous. Will Augustus cut him off if he stammers over his words too often?

He slaps his cheeks, letting the sting calm him down a little. He can't afford to panic now, right before his interview. As Daedalus put it, a soldier should always be composed.

And although Newt isn't a soldier, he might as well be. So, staying calm is important. It's just going to be a talk too, Newt loves those. He'll talk to anyone willing to listen, why should this situation be so different?

"You doing okay there Newt?" Emi whispers into his ear.

It startles him a bit as he jolts. He recovers though and laughs easily.

"Just a bit nur-nerve-nervous is all. Jitters, you know?"

"Aaaah, totally. Don't sweat it though, I'm sure you'll do great" Emi encourages easily.

Newt can't help but feel a bit skeptical. It's easy for her to feel care-free when she's a part of the career pack. Still, he supposes she's not wrong either. He stammers not because he's nervous, but because his tongue trips up easily. He can't control it, but maybe it adds to his charm?

"Thanks. You look nice in that too by the way," Newt compliments, gesturing to her dress.

It's a deep purple, which does well to bring out her eyes and hair, he thinks. It's a one-shoulder, slit dress. She wears good accessories and stockings too. He doesn't spend much time around Genera, his sister-in-law, but given her jewelry shop, it only makes sense he's learned a thing or two.

Newt nods to himself, yep. Emi looks very pretty.

"Aweh, thanks Newt, you're looking good yourself," She responds in kind.

He smiles, his cheeks feeling warm at the compliment. He's just wearing a dark blue and vertically white striped suit. Pales in comparison, he thinks.

"Thank-you so much for your time Cyrus," Augustus says, a little red in the cheeks himself.

"No thank-you, I had a lot of fun up here," Cyrus says sweetly, before waving to the crowd with a grin.

"Cyrus Waterlily everybody, give her roaring applause!" The interviewer finishes with a long flourish.

The cheers are almost deafening. Rightfully so, she was witty, beautiful and knew how to captivate the crowd. Yet, she didn't appear mystical or unreachable like the girl from 1. She was still down to earth and relatable. It was a phenomenal interview that received its praise in kind.

It admittedly makes Newt nervous again, how is he supposed to follow up Cyrus' showing?

"From District 5, Newton Faraday!" Augustus shouts.

"Good luck Newt," Emi says.

He nods slowly to her and takes a deep breath. He uses the few moments it takes to walk onto the stage to psyche himself up. There's nothing to be nervous about, he's just going to talk. He loves this, this is his element.

By the time he unveils himself to the audience, he has a wide grin and strides towards Augustus.

"Nice to metch-meet ya," Newt greets with an outstretched hand.

Augustus laughs as he shakes the hand, "Likewise Newton, please take a seat."

Newt plops onto the chair with a toothy grin, swaying from side to side as he waits for Augustus to talk.

The interviewer takes a moment to inspect Newt's rhythmic teetering before looking back to the audience with a funny look. They burst into laughter.

"Someone's a bit excitable, isn't he?" Augustus stage whispers to the crowd, which only prompts even further laughter.

Newt takes it in stride, relishes it even. This is fine, this is exactly what he likes, he's feeling more and more comfortable as the seconds tick away.

"Could you believe I was actul-actually nervous?" Newt says with a grin.

"Really, you don't strike me as shy at all," Augustus says, unbelieving.

"Yep. I wouldn't say I'm shy at all. But, the huge audience can to-tot-totally, totally fuck with a guy's mind!"

Augustus hesitates for a second before breaking into laughter, the audience, waiting for a reaction soon follow suit.

"My oh my, you have quite the mouth on you Newton,"

"Heehee, my bad. It just slips out!" Newt apologizes helplessly.

The audience chuckles again, and Newt preens a little under the positive reception.

"Oh, and please call me Newt, sounds much simpler,"

Augustus chuckles again, "Of course, Newt. Now tell me, what's been your favourite part of your Capitol experience so far?"

"The food, defin-definitely the food. First thing I did was stuff myself to the point of a food coma," Newt retells.

"Aaah. The Capitol does serve some good food, I can't deny."

"I'll fucking say, I couldn't stop! I've never ate half the foods I get served," Newt agrees easily, a large smile on his face as he pats his stomach.

"A favourite meal then?"

"There's this tender meat- I'm sorry I don't reme-remend-remember the name, but damn, it was so good. The sauce too, I think it was plum, holy hell, thing put me right to sleep, it did," Newt explains eagerly.

"I'm starting to salivate at the description, sounds like you enjoyed it. Now moving away from food, for now, tell me a bit about yourself Newt, what gives you the edge to win these games? You scored a 5, which is pretty standard for this batch of tributes, what makes you stand out?"

"Glad you ask Mister Flickerman. I have a few allies, so I know we can get far. But, I'm also a bit of a sca-scapper, scrapper myself," Newt quickly explains.

He starts to peel his jacket off and rolls up his left sleeve, up to his elbow. He reveals some jagged pink flesh, that never quite healed right.

"You see this, and this," Newt begins again, first pointing to his scar on the elbow, then the other on his chin, "I didn't get these because I wanted to. I've been in a few fights. I know how to take care of myself."

"Oh my, well, it's good to see you're fine,"

"You should see the other guy," Newt teases before laughing.

Augustus follows suit easily, "well then, I can't wait to see what you bring to the arena!"

Newt beams brightly as he slips his suit jacket on again.


POV – Emerald Locke

5:30PM

"Newt Faraday! Your tribute from 5, give him an applause!" Augustus says.

The crowd cheers for the departing boy and Emi feels a little proud at how well he did. It only took him a few moments to get right into the motion of things, a natural conversationalist. In a sense, it makes Emi eager and ready for her own interview. It looks like a lot of fun, she must admit.

"Now, may I welcome Emerald Locke onto the stage, your other tribute from District 5!"

That's her queue. Emerald squishes down her excess energy and marches onto the stage. She smiles widely to the crowd as she waves. Augustus extends a hand that she takes easily into a shake. She fixes her dress as she takes a seat.

"I must say, you look absolutely beautiful in that dress," Augustus compliments.

Her eyes crinkle in satisfaction as she grins, "thanks, but the stylists did all the work, honest!"

"Haha, modest too. Now tell me, What has been your most memorable moment in the Capitol so far?"

Emi straightens at the question, "that's kind of tricky, I really liked my time during the parade though. That was a lot of fun!"

"Ah yes, the Parade is the sponsors first taste at looking over the tributes. If you were seated before those sponsors now, what would you say to win them over?"

"Sponsor me, please?" Emi says with a grin.

Augustus chuckles, but can't say anything as Emi continues, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I'd tell them I'm a good bet. I'm working with a strong alliance, those from two, Mischa and Locust. All my allies are super strong, and I don't think I'd be allowed to join if I weren't too."

"Well put Emerald, that leads to my next question actually, what did you do to score such a high score in 8 points?"

"Glad you ask, I'll show you," Emi says, reaching down towards the slit in her dress, she reaches inside and fetches a concealed pen.

Augustus masks an awkward cough with a weak chuckle as Emi reveals the item. Said chuckles turns into sounds of awe as Emi begins to spin the pen on the tip of her finger. She nimbly transitions the pen from fingertip to fingertip. She pointedly looks away from her hand, towards the crowd with a beaming smile.

The audience seems enraptured by her little trick. She lets the pen fall and catches it before quickly passing the pen through her fingers. She deftly does a few more pen tricks before stopping to turn to look at Augustus.

"Very impressive Emerald, but it doesn't quite explain your 8," Augustus concedes, but his face remains skeptical.

Whether it's for dramatic effect or not, is unknown to Emi, she merely shrugs as she goes into her explanation.

"I'm very nimble with my hands. I showed the gamemakers my years of experience with throwing knives."

The audience seems very eager by that reveal, Augustus too, raises his eyebrows.

"That adds up, it's certainly very impressive. Could you, however, tell me how many years you've practiced?"

"Half a decade! Well, 4 years, but half a decade sounds much better."

"Could you tell us why?" Augustus persists, looking serious in his inquiry.

The audience hushes too, leaving the stage silent. All eyes train on her.

Emi's smile strains, but only marginally, she doubts anyone notices and clears her throat, "of course. My uncle- he's not actually, I just call him that, he decided to teach me. Uhm. Well, as to why, it's because of his son, my best friend, Sal. He died during the games."

There's an awkward silence that falls on the stage, it doesn't last at all, with Augustus quickly picking up the conversation again.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, could you tell us whi-"

"95th Games, Icarus Nishizawa's. Placed 22nd. Sal's death really affected Uncle, so he made sure if I ever got reaped, I'd be prepared."

"T-that's quite admirable, and tell me, do you feel prepared?" Augustus falters for a second, but quickly recovers.

"Absolutely, not only can I throw knives, I won't hesitate to," Emi starts cheerfully, but ends resolutely, the joyous twinkle in her eyes fading.

"Oh my, there's some bite underneath all of that cheer," Augustus jests, getting the audience to laugh.

Emi giggles, "You bet. I did say I was prepared after all."

"That you did," Augustus says.

The buzzer goes off, prompting the interviewer to jump to his feet, "Emerald Locke everyone, give her a round of applause!"

He finishes one mic in hand, the other outstretched for Emi to use to get to her feet. She bows and waves her hands as she walks back off stage.

She hears Augustus call for Vortex Senna as she makes her way towards her prep room. Every tribute receives one, it makes her feel special.

At the same time, she becomes aware of the fact countless tributes before her used these rooms, likely died only a mere 24 hours later. It's a bit chilling. It starts to make her wonder, is she really prepared? She answered as such, needing to at least appeal to sponsors.

The interviews are as pivotal to acquiring sponsors as the Parade is. She's watched countless Hunger Games, she knows what should work, what has worked.

She screamed her throat hoarse when she saw Sal speared through the first time. But she's watched games after games. Her hobbies, interests, daresay her very being revolved around the games the moment Sal died.

Not because she wished to avenge him, but to maintain his legacy. To be safe, to be prepared. But, what does that mean? Can she really say she is ready, is prepared? What entails prepared, is such a thing even possible for the Hunger Games?

Where she screamed until her voice gave out initially. Now she can watch her best friend- no, her only true friend die unflinchingly, even note the moment the life fades from his hazel brown eyes. Does that make her prepared?

She's practiced with knives for years, acquiring a deftness that would put her on par with some careers, she isn't out of shape either, albeit a bit petite. Does that make her prepared?

She scored an 8, secured an alliance with the strongest tributes possible, might have even garnered a sponsor or two. Does that make her prepared?

Emi closes her namesake eyes as she takes a steadying breath. She starts to slip out of her dress and puts on a shaky grin. She'll be in the arena in less than 24 hours anyways. So, it begs the question.

Does it even matter?


POV – Hazel Redford

6:42PM

After District 6 finish their interviews, there is a short 30-minute intermission. It allows Augustus Flickerman the time to wet his throat, and the audience a chance to get snacks or drink. A recent implementation to combat fatigue.

The rest of the tributes too, get something to drink. Juice or water though, and it comes in the form of sippy cups. A precaution to avoid any spills or stains that could ruin their immaculate ensembles. It was kind of funny seeing Locust drink from one, given his massive and bulky stature.

Speaking of ensembles though, Hazel wears a green dress, similar to the one she wears during the Parade. There are some glaring differences between the two getups. For starters, her skin isn't spray-painted green. And the plant-like motifs are considerably less prominent. No accessories either, which ultimately makes her dress considerably less thematic or fantastical. At least, this means her hair is styled in a braided bun, which she can excitably note, doesn't fall into her eyes.

She was super grateful when her stylists did that, seeming to take her concerns into consideration, even without her voicing them.

She sways from side to side, letting the minor movements distract her until her interview. Hazel's a bit nervous, as she'll be in front of a lot of people again. But, at the same time, it's a good nervous. She'll get to be met a bunch of people, and hopefully make a good impression on them.

So far, everyone, she's spoken to she's been able to befriend. Cooper, Calder, Newt, and Vortex too. Seeing more than half of them go up already helps to encourage her too, making her feel more confident and assured.

Calder was a bit prickly, but only because he didn't talk about fishes. If he did, he'd have brightened up and made everyone see how genuine his smile can get.

Newt's interview was very good, he's got a bit of a mouth, as Augustus said. But, he's so kind, and his food story was funny. Food coma can go by another term, postprandial somnolence, and it's predominantly caused by the amino acids found in meats, which explains why he got so drowsy after eating meaty foods!

Vortex was teasing and mischievous, but he looked like he was very comfortable on the stage, just like Newt. He talked about his friends a lot too, but not his family. It made her pause, and she worries if he's okay.

Hazel hopes she can be as comfortable as them on stage. She looks up to the monitor and sees as Locust answers one of Augustus's questions. She can't really retain much of it however, her focus is easily distracted by the hushed voices behind her.

"What is this supposed to be?" Someone whispers, drawing Hazel's attention entirely off the TV.

"I think you and I both know," another says.

"Are you… are you serious? Is this why you were by the bug station for so long?"

"Wasn't easy getting this, but those experts can be so easily distracted, thanks by the way,"

"I- uh, your welcome?" A new more monotonous voice responds, although a hint of confusion clearly bleeds through.

At this point, Hazel can't help but be drawn in by the conversation. She slowly inches towards it, looking for a proper way to introduce herself. She doesn't want to eavesdrop, after all.

"mhm, Taipan Beetles are small enough to hide, but you gotta watch for their mandibles man."

Hazel perks at the name, recognizing it easily.

"Taipan Beetles?" A final voice asks, skeptically but also curiously.

"They're very venomous bugs found in the forests close to 10 and 11, A muttation created by the Capitol. A mix between an inland taipan and a stag beetle," Hazel interjects, finding the perfect opportunity to insert herself into the conversation.

She's smiling brightly to the four tributes, who've all fallen silent at her explanation.

"Oooh, bingo, nice job! Name's Hazel, right? Nice to meet you," The closest boy says, grinning back at her with a thumbs up.

Hazel giggles as she nods her head quickly, "thank-you, it's nice to meet you too…" she pauses as she furrows her brows, attempting to recall a name she doubts she's heard before.

"Nylon, this is Velvet, Harvest, and Sela," Nylon quickly introduces.

Velvet smiles softly, almost knowingly. Harvest reaches and gives a handshake that nearly tosses Hazel off balance. Sela simply smiles sweetly at her, which Hazel quickly finds to be comforting.

"So, the Taipan Beetle is poisonous? How poisonous?" Sela asks seriously.

Hazel shakes her head, "they're venomous, not poisonous. They bite you and inject their toxins, instead of having you ingest them. But extremely! I read that a Taipan Beetle can kill an adult human in less than 5 minutes," she finishes with an excited gleam in her eye.

She blinks it away as she tilts her head. The others are silent, 3 heads turn to face Nylon with deadpan stares. He giggles nervously before raising his hands in surrender.

"Yeah, risky, but totally worth it, trust me. Besides, I die then, or I die later, why would I not take the chance?" Nylon reasons casually, shrugging his shoulders.

The three visibly relent in their stern glares, something Hazel doesn't think she'd be able to weather at all. She feels bad for him and pouts softly. She doesn't quite know what to say regarding his statement though. At least, there's something else that caught her attention.

"What chance?" She asks.

"Ah, we-"

"Nylon being a morbid clown, don't worry about him. Your information was very helpful though Hazel, thank-you so much," Velvet interrupts him and bends her knees a little to reach Hazel's eye level.

"Oh… uhm. Well, your welcome then," she answers back, smiling up to the four of them.

At that moment, loud gasps reverberate throughout the building, drawing in Hazel's attention again. She looks to the stage first, before turning her gaze to the TV. Locust is nodding his head slowly as he remains sitting perfectly straight in his chair, he makes it look puny in comparison.

"I have."

The gasps begin again, but Locust shoulders it all easily. Hazel can feel herself slowly edging forward, confused but curious.

"I'm not a good man. But I will do what is necessary to put food on the table for my siblings. I always fulfill my debts," Locust explains simply.

"Admirable, and, it's good to see you truly mean it. I can't say many people can claim to have killed for their family's sake, that's true conviction," Augustus says after a moment's pause.

"Thank-you."

Augustus responds, "No thank-you."

"Loc-", the interviewer starts, only to freeze entirely when he feels a hand fall on his shoulder.

"May I have a moment?"

"O-of course, the stage is yours, but only for a few seconds, so please make it quick," the interviewer recovers.

Locust stands from the chair and takes a few steps forward, towards the audience.

"I'm fully prepared to die. And, if it comes to it, know that I will give you all one hell of a light show before falling," he says, making his way backstage.

"Locust Sequoia, everyone, please give him a round of applause!" Augustus shouts.

The cheers start slow, like faint drizzle before transforming into an unrelenting typhoon of applause.

Hazel feels conflicted, her mouth thinning into a tiny frown. She feels as if she should be scared of Locust, anxious around a killer, but she can't bring herself to fear him. Well, not fear him for being a killer at least.

She understands perfectly well that if she's faced with him in the arena, that fear is not only a reasonable emotion to have, it may very well be the only one she will have. But, here, during this setting, after speaking- if only briefly with Locust. He doesn't strike her as bloodthirsty.

Kind of like Calder, she thinks.

And with that out of the way, she allows herself to smile, happy for Locust, as he received such a wonderful reception.

"Next, we have Hazel Redford, from District 7, please welcome her to the stage," Augustus says.

On the prompt, Hazel walks out onto the stage, her hands nervously shake, so to alleviate that she decides to hold onto her dress, it helps somewhat as she walks all the way to the chair.

She plops down quickly, only then realizing Augustus' outstretched hand.

The audience chuckle and Hazel's face goes as brightly as her hair.

"Oh, I- uhm, I'm sorry! Sorry," she apologies, grabbing his hand with both of hers, shaking it profusely.

Augustus makes a show of having his arm swing a bit. Hazel eventually lets him go after a few more, quick stringed apologies. He massages his shoulder as he looks at her.

"My, you're quite strong, Hazel, I'm going to be sore tomorrow," He teases, going through the motions of rolling his shoulder.

Hazel giggles at his antics and smiles. She smooths her dress as she straightens her posture.

"Tell me, Hazel, what's one thing, you've seen in the Capitol that has drawn your attention," Augustus asks, leaning forward.

"Oh, the buildings. They're so big and compact compared to home," Hazel answers instantly.

"That's right, District 7 is mostly rural. On the topic of home though, tell me a bit about your family,"

Hazel perks at the question, "Well, there's my big brother, Oakley, he's 19. And my mom and dad, I love them so much! My da-… how did you know I had a family?"

"Pardon? What do you mean?" Augustus asks in a confused tone.

"Oh, uh, well, District 7 does have quite a lot of orphans, in fact, roughly around 8% of children between the ages of 12-18 are orphans, that's almost 1 in every 13 children."

Augustus raises his eyebrows in surprise, "My, you're very knowledgeable, but that sounds like difficult information to acquire, how do you know that?"

"My mom works for the mayor, so sometimes I'd sneak glances at the census," Hazel admits sheepishly.

The audience doesn't seem that bothered by it, neither does Augustus who chuckles in response.

"Haha, well, to answer your question young lady, what kind of interviewer would I be if I didn't know who I was interviewing?"

Hazel pales, worrying she may have offended him, "o-oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mea-"

"It's quite alright, my dear. Now, I believe you were talking about your family?"

"R-right. I was talking about my dad. Uhm, well, he's sick, so he can't work too often. Oakley helps as much as he can back home, he works long hours. I, well, my parents wanted me to stay in school and learn as much as I can."

"I see, and your father, is his health improving?"

"No. He has cancer, so the treatments our family can afford only slows the process, but not eliminate it. B-but, if I win, I could cover the fees for the treatments in one go," Hazel explains.

Augustus nods, "that's correct, victors gain monetary rewards for winning as well as a right to live in the Victor's Village. I wish you the best of luck my dear."

Hazel nods her head in response. She chews on the side of her tongue nervously, her statement starting to sink in. If she wins, if she wins, she can help her dad. That's true, that's something she probably always knew but didn't really register.

Doing so, however, makes her painfully aware of the situation, the reality of it. To win, she needs to kill. She doubts she could like Locust did. She doubts she can even keep herself safe as Newt does. If she wins, the innocuous statement is so detached of reality, that now she's aware of it, she can't help but start to feel the prickle in her eyes, the tears threatening to spill.


POV – Nylon Hemmings

6:58PM

Nylon reaches into his pocket, his hand caressing the vial. Just making sure it's there, happy, eager even to have pulled it off. It took both days of training, just lingering, loitering near the bug station.

He noticed the patterns, the expert at the station was so easily distracted, very eager to answer questions. Nylon can see why too, it's not a very attractive station to involve oneself in, who wants to learn about poisonous- no, sorry, venomous bugs that could possibly kill oneself?

Just avoid them outright! That's what Velvet said. The thought makes him snicker, she always jokes that he's never serious, not taking the games seriously.

He can totally see where she's coming from, everyone has their ways of coping though. His is humour. His is to put himself down, expect the worst and be grateful when it doesn't come to be.

But he digresses, he's taking these games as seriously as the next guy. He knows the stacks and he's willing to gamble it all to pull it off. Swiping the bug, then stealing knives from the kitchen on his floor, then procuring vials and syringes from the water purification station, it all leads to this wonderful masterpiece.

His final prank.

One he fully intends to make use of in the arena. A poison to coat his weapon with.

Not one to express hubris, but getting this poison was simply ingenious! It wasn't too hard either. He could find goggles, and plastic gloves too, just in the bathroom. He wasn't in any real danger. the bug is heavily sedated anyway, according to the expert.

Meticulous planning helped him pull it off, and his years of pranks and traps gave him a steady enough hand to go for the venom sac. From there, it really was just simply using the syringe to extract the venom and put it in the vial.

It puts a wide smile on his face. His allies can make use of this for sure, Heck, Harvest could tip the arrows into the venom, off people easily. This changes everything, this will absolutely give his alliance the edge to pull through, to get far.

"You can start praising me whenever you know," Nylon teases, wiggling his eyebrows at his district partner.

She swats his forehead, "yeah, yeah. You… I didn't expect you to do that."

"Yeah? Sleeping on me, my dear ally?" Nylon says, feigning fake pain, a hand gripping his chest.

"Nylon you might not want to wrinkle your suit before the interview," Sela chimes in from the back.

This prompts the boy from 8 to smooth out his jacket. She raises a good point, he thanks her for it with a quick nod.

"Everyone, please welcome Nylon Hemmings to the stage. From District 8!"

"That's my cue, wish me luck," Nylon says in a singsong voice, skipping towards the stage.

Nylon shakes the interviewer's hand with gusto before taking a seat on the chair, mirroring Augustus's relaxed posture.

"Nylon, I-"

Nylon raises a finger, and closes his eyes, he takes on a mock elderly tone, "I'm sorry, my clairvoyance is tingling, please, I believe you were going to ask me about the Capitol, correct?"

"Haha, is my routine so mundane?" Augustus laughs, the crowd following suit.

"You could make watching paint dry entertaining! Nope, maybe predictable though," Nylon concedes with a shrug.

"I'll take the compliment then, and the feedback, but yes, please, how has your Capitol experience been so far?"

"A literal nightmare!" He says loudly.

Augustus blinks, the crowd blinks, Nylon blinks, before he breaks into rambunctious laughter.

"I'm joking, the Capitol a nightmare, what would that make 8, am I right? No, this place is amazing! The food, the rooms, the bed! Any chance you'll let me stay?"

Augustus breaks into laughter himself, "You had all of us going there for a second, Nylon."

"Haha, my apologies. I was testing the waters, I've got a rotten sense of humour," he explains.

"A bit of a risk-taker, are you?"

"You haven't the slightest idea," Nylon says, holding back a snicker.

"I hope to get some light shed on that then, but first, tell me, what did you show the gamemakers to score a 5?"

"Ah, well, before I answer that, I should let you all know I'm quite a notorious prankster back home, the best in District 8, self-proclaimed of course."

Augustus chuckles before waving Nylon to continue, "go on, you have our attention."

"I'm good at making elaborate pranks, I just showed how well my skills can transition from pranks to traps. Not very impressive, I know, but it's average, and average is good enough for me."

"Well, a 5 is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Although, you've piqued my curiosity, could you tell us about some of you pranks, perhaps your most favourite?"

"Hmm, I don't know, I'd be outing myself as the culprit if I did…" Nylon says, feigning to be deep in thought, a hand going to his chin.

"Come now, I think everyone here is dying to know."

"Would you look at that, you talked me into it!" Nylon says, his hands going into the air in a sign of surrender.

"Okay, my favourite prank definitely is the time I spiked the peacekeepers coffee with laxatives, man that was a riot! Almost caused one too," Nylon says easily, cackling at the idea.

"Oh, how did you manage that?"

"See, sneaking to the barracks is just way too hard as a solo job, so what I did was focus the middleman. All coffee needs its beans, lace that, and voila. They'll be quite literally shitting themselves trying to find the culprit, fufuhahaha," Nylon finishes, laughing as he falls back into his seat.

The crowd offers mixed signals, some laughing, others not particularly pleased, but Nylon doesn't care. He's been dying to reveal himself for months now.

And, now that there's a chance he might end up literally dying, he sees absolutely nothing to lose, convict a dead man? Not flipping likely! What a horrible day it was to wear white, shame that's all their uniform was!

"A rather clever approach, you show a calculative mind for this I believe, would you agree?"

"I'd hope so. I could also just be riding a tsunami-like wave of good luck though, either or works honestly," Nylon shrugs off, wiping tears from his eye.

"Well, in that case, let's hope you can keep riding this wave of good fortune," Augustus says.

"Exactly, it's either sink or swim, I don't have any intentions of drowning though," Nylon finishes with a confident grin.


AN: Hello, sorry for the delay. This took a while to finish, I got super busy over this month. Plus, so much has been going on! Like what the heck, this world's gotta chill.

Anyways, sorry to spring this on you, but I think I'll be doing one more chapter before the actual Hunger Games, a transition chapter of sorts, it's going to be very small though, and featuring my incognito-not-exactly-real subplot. It'll be a small chapter mostly for pacing, as it didn't feel right to put it at the end of this already large chapter, but at the same time, I wouldn't want to put it with the bloodbath. I hope you all understand! I hope to get back into the groove of things!

On another note, I had guys go first instead of girls, as to why, no idea, I think it just made my chapter ideas move more smoothly. I hope you all are okay with that! XD.

Thank-you to Paradigm of Writing, and I believe thorne98 for bringing this up. Below, I'll have all the listed alliances, and possible alliances below, for simplicity and organizational sake. Thanks so much you guys!

The Alliances:

* those with asterisks aren't set- in stone alliances but have been hinted at.

Career Pack - Mischa, Remy, Kyra, Emerald, Locust.

Alliance 1* - Calder, Newt, Vortex, Hazel, Cooper

Alliance 2 - Velvet, Nylon, Harvest, Sela

Alliance 3* - Cyrus, Judah

Alliance 4 - Harrison, Adalyn

Solos: Midnight, Magnus, Tesla, Corolla, Destry, Mila