Archimedes "Archie" Northcroft, 23.
Vice President of Panem.
Archie leaned back on the plush couch, looking down at his notebook. He'd done this every year for years, take notes about all the tributes at the reapings and then expand on them as the tributes were assigned scores. He would then use his notes to make his guesses for as to who would be the victor, and he was usually right, getting right 4 out of 7 in the past 7 years. Now that he was the Vice President, he got extra information on the tributes sent to him by President Snow.
"Hey, we're getting close to the first District," Gerard said, poking his head in the nearby door.
"Oh okay, let me know when we're like an hour away then," Archie replied.
"Whatcha up to?" Gerard asked, gesturing to the laptop on the couch next to him and the TV screen which was currently showing the District 5 Reapings.
Oh just taking notes on this year's reapings," Archie replied. Gerard nodded, stepping into the room fully.
"Ah, you're that type. Tell me what you've got." Gerard said with a grin, brushing his hair out of his eyes. Archie nodded and picked up his nearby laptop, unlocking it with a few quick taps on the keyboard. He pulled up the files
"Starting in District 1. The boy, Echo Fellman volunteered as per usual." Archie said, pulling up Echo's file.
"Fellman? I know that name. We've been trying to track his family down for years, they stole a shitload of money from some of the businesses in 1." Gerard said, moving to take a seat in the nearby armchair. That was true, the Fellman family was infamous for stealing money and then disappearing off the face of Panem seemingly. But, here he was and he had volunteered for the Hunger Games.
"Language, and yes he's one of those Fellman's. According to the files Genevive sent me, he's been going undercover at the academy under a fake name." Archie replied, skimming through the report on Echo. He'd been going to the Academy under the name Diamond Kingsley, disguising himself somehow. Archie was curious to find out how exactly.
"Oh damn. It runs in the family I see. What about the girl?" Gerard asked, folding his arms in front of him. Archie pulled up the next form, skimming it over quickly.
"Amber Knight, another volunteer. Seems like a pretty normal girl, however her sister was killed a few years back from a drug overdose and her grandmother who she was reportedly very close to died a few months ago. Her grades are good though, and she seems competent." Archie responded. She seemed pretty stable, but who knows if that would last. He made a note to make sure to request extra Peacekeepers to watch her at training and during the tribute's free day.
"That's good, their mentor is gonna have a rough time with the other guy," Gerard said, chuckling slightly. Archie felt bad for the mentors who had to deal with nasty tributes, they'd already gone through enough so why was the Capitol making them deal with mentoring too? It was just tradition he supposed.
"Yup. Now, District 2. Starting with Osiris Dallesandro, also known as Ozzie. Another volunteer, no surprise there. According to their teachers, they're very intelligent but also quite full of themselves." Archie said, moving to the next file. District 2 always proved to be interesting, and this year was no different.
"Oh, I know the type. Interesting, what about the girl?" Gerard said, nodding.
"Creed Odinshoot, our fourth volunteer. She's a soft-spoken girl, good at carrying out orders. Her sister, Cyrus Odinshoot placed 3rd a few years back in the 204th Games." Archie said, squinting at the file slightly, tributes with siblings who'd died in previous Games could be a massive problem, or they were completely fine.
"Interesting, I'll be keeping my eye on her," Gerard said. Archie nodded in agreement.
"Agreed. We don't want another 203rd. Now on to District 3. Lynus Delanova, our first reaped tribute. He's at the top of his class in school, but he's not much of the social type. There have been reports that he's involved in some sort of bot fighting ring in 3, and he has an overall strong affinity for robotics." Archie said, tributes with mechanical knowledge always proved to be interesting in the arena, provided they could find the supplies to build things.
"That's pretty cool admittedly," Gerard replied, shifting in his seat slightly.
"Oh yeah, and his District partner is just as wild. Her name is Selene Taevas, and she's a performer in a travelling circus around 3. She's also quite popular, being one of their biggest stars and is well known around the District." Archie continued. A circus performer, that was certainly interesting. Considering she's an acrobat, that could definitely play to her advantage in the arena as well as the fact she was a performer meaning she knew how to play a crowd.
"She'll be a crowd favourite in 3 then, calling it now," Gerard replied, Archie agreed with him, her stardom in 3 would make her popular.
"I wouldn't be surprised. Moving on now to District 4, with another volunteer by the name of Pedro Trujillo. Except that isn't his actual name, he was born Marcos Telenajo but changed his name a few years ago which is beside the point. He's reportedly a very determined boy, charming his way into an academy place. He's also in a bit of a questionable line of work." Archie said Pedro's form on the screen in front of him.
"What sort of work are you talking about," Gerard said, his expression confused.
"He's a prostitute."
"Ah, that kind of questionable."
"Yup. And his District partner is opposite to him in practically every way. Charlotte Babbin, adopted daughter of Jonathan Babbin, mayor of District 4." Archie said, switching to Charlotte's file. Depending on what Mayor Babbin was like, Charlotte would either be a crowd favourite or an incredibly unpopular tribute. Based on what he knew about the political scene in 4, she'd be a crowd favourite.
"Oh geez," Gerard said, rubbing his temples with his fingers. Indeed it was an "Oh geez" situation, the backlash of Charlotte possibly dying could prove problematic for the Capitol.
"My thoughts exactly, however, she's reportedly a very capable girl showing great promise at the academy. She also has a bit of a temper, but nothing that hinders her too badly." Archie said as he continued reading through her file. Anger was a useful tool if used correctly, and they'd find out if Charlotte could do it.
"Lovely. Who's next District 5?"
"Yes sir, District 5 beginning with Revan Allerix. He's quite the little fighter, he tried to run when his name was called only to be knocked out by a Peacekeeper. He's also got ties to one of the gangs in 5, his older brother Caller Valliou is a wanted criminal." Archie said, continuing onwards to Revan's file. The fact Revan had tried to fight back at the Reapings was interesting to Archie, that wasn't something that was typically seen in such a young tribute. He was sure someone to keep an eye on, especially once his training score was assigned.
"Do we know if he's done anything?" Gerard asked, quirking an eyebrow. Gerard's concerns were valid, Archie figured the kid had done something in his time with the group.
"Nope, only speculation but I'd say his hands aren't clean," Archie replied with a shrug.
"Huh, interesting. And his District partner?" Gerard continued.
"Zienna Mantrogi, also known as Zen. Her mother and her twin sister run a small yoga studio, and her father isn't in the picture. She's got average marks in school, nothing too overly spectacular except for the fact she's know to be a bit sassy." Archie said, flicking to Zen's file. There had been some reports of her being snappish with her teachers. Disrespectful tributes were never popular with sponsors, but funny ones were usually.
"They're both young right?" Gerard asked, gesturing to the laptop screen.
"Yep, both are 14," Archie replied, nodding. District 5's odds were certainly not in their favour this year.
"Oh, lovely. Who's next?" Gerard asked.
"District 6, first up is Amethyst Colour. Her parents are both deceased, executed for treason three years ago. Amethyst went into an orphanage but ran away when she was 11. There are no documents of her attending school since." Archie continued, pulling Amethyst's file up. Tributes with those sorts of parents could be bad news, but Amethyst was so young that he doubted it would be a problem.
"Oh great. A street child." Gerard said dryly.
"Yes sir. Her District partner, Impala Westney, is quite the character. She's a very talented mechanic, and reportedly involved in the lucrative drag racing scene within 6." Archie said as he skimmed over Impala's file. Another mechanic, but a different kind. He was interested to see if she interacted at all with Lynus, the other mechanically inclined tribute.
"That sounds pretty illegal, not gonna lie," Gerard said. It was in fact very illegal.
"It is."
"Unsurprised. Who's next?"
"District 7. Arvid Lidstrom and Breccan Holland. Arvid's a normal kid seemingly, works in the logging business part-time, he's got decently high marks in school, spends a lot of time with his friend from school." Archie said normal tributes weren't the sort that should be excluded just because they were normal. Sometimes regular people surprised you in the most interesting ways.
"Seems like a normal kid. And the girl?"
"Another normal one, except the fact she's the daughter of a deceased Peacekeeper. Outside of that, she attends school, has friends and a girlfriend. She's just a normal kid." Archie continued. He wondered what had killed her father, or even who. He'd have to do some digging on that, it could be a point of tension.
"Two solid tributes. Okay, District 8?" Gerard said, shifting again in his seat.
"District 8 yes, starting with Cassian Thomas. He reportedly works in the club scene, his family is on the poorer side, but he doesn't associate with them. His mother is deceased, and his younger brother is sick, but we don't know if he knows his brother is sick." Archie replied. Cassian was a seemingly interesting persona. Archie was interested to see how he interacted with the crowds, and if he'd get any sponsors. Tributes like him were generally a hit or miss with the Capitol, depending entirely on how they acted. A good stylist didn't hurt either.
"Another tribute in some weird line of work," Gerard said, trying to hide his amusement.
"Yeah, it's just the two of them though."
"Oh good. Oh and what about the girl?"
"Cerdiwen Cadwallder, she works as a newsie. Her marks in school are mediocre at best, she has a few friends and her parents work in the factories." Archie said. This girl seemed pretty typical hailing from District 8. The only surprising thing is that she didn't work in a factory, most people in 8 did.
"She's significantly less weird than her District partner," Gerard grumbled, Archie, nodded in agreement.
"True that. District 9 is up next starting off with the male, Dustin Riley, and no before you say anything he has no relation to Omega Riley. Dustin is another regular kid, he attends school and gets pretty average marks. He's reportedly had some troubles with a bully at school in the past, but nothing too significant." Archie continued. Dustin was another normal kid, as were most who entered the Hunger Games.
"I wasn't gonna say anything, but okay, good to know. And the female?" Gerard said.
"Amara Fielder. She was put into a home for troubled children when she was 12 for auditory hallucinations and violent outbursts. She works in a small clothing store, and dropped out of school when she was 16." Archie replied, his eyes scanning Amara's file. Tributes like Amara weren't always cause for concern, but they could be. Archie wasn't sure what was going to happen to her, but he was interested.
"So what you're telling me is that we need to keep an eye on her?" Gerard said, gesturing vaguely with his hand. Keeping an extra Peacekeeper watching her wouldn't be a bad idea.
"I'd say that's a safe assumption yes," Archie replied, pushing his glasses up with a finger.
"Lovely. What's next District 10?"
"Yep, District 10. The male, Ardley Barnett works alongside his mother, helping with her lawyer's practice. He graduated early from school, his marks were quite exceptional. He reportedly spends most of his free time in the local library." Archie replied. Ardley was seemingly quite smart, and Archie had a bit of an affinity for the smarter tributes. One of his favourite victors had used his smarts to earn the win just a few years ago. Smart tributes tended to be the most dangerous, in his experience.
"Sounds like a smart kid. Certainly one to keep an eye on. And the girl?"
"Farro Rae Clydesdale. She has 6 siblings, and her father died from pneumonia a few months back. She dropped out of school and has recently started getting in trouble for stealing." Archie responded. Farro seemed a bit bratty, in all honesty, but Archie was sympathetic for her and her situation. That many siblings on top of losing her father so recently did not sound fun in the slightest.
"She's an attention seeker?" Gerard asked. He wasn't wrong in the slightest.
"Yeah, seems like it. District 11's up next, the male, Dyan Hopper works under his parents at their ice cream business. He works as an ice cream taster, reportedly one of the best in the whole District." Archie continued, giggling slightly at the fact the kid was one of the best ice cream judges in the District. He was interested to see what the kid was like, and he was particularly interested in what would happen during his interview.
"He sounds interesting. Ice cream in District 11 is sort of weird, but okay. Whatever brings the money in I guess." Gerard replied, chuckling under his breath.
"Yeah, I was thinking that too. Anyways, on to his District partner, Arugula Camworth. She was adopted by a couple, and she has 5 other adopted siblings. She attends school, her marks are normal, and she's never been in any trouble or anything." Archie said, skimming over Arugula's file. Another perfectly normal kid plucked out of her life to be put through the Hunger Games. He felt sympathy for all the kids who died, but it was tradition. And if there was one thing Panem loved, it was tradition. And kids killing other kids. But mostly tradition.
"Sounds like a good kid," Gerard replied, nodding.
"Yup. Time to finish off the bunch, with 12. The male, Terce Highwall, is the son of two lantern makers. His family is pretty well off considering he's from 12, and he's apparently dating the mayor's daughter. He's been in some trouble, mostly for underage drinking and being involved in some particularly wild parties." Archie said, pulling up the second last file. Party tributes often proved to be problematic, they liked to get drunk and go into the arena with hangovers. It wasn't the best, but it was their choice to drink so much in the Capitol.
"So he's a normal teenager is what you're saying? Because I know Genevive dragged me to some crazy parties when we were that age." Gerard responded, laughing. The fact that Genevive Tarro-Snow partied surprised him, she was such a no-nonsense woman, quite frankly he was still terrified of her.
"I'm surprised, President Snow doesn't strike me as the type," Archie said, looking confused.
"Well, she sure was. I'll tell you some stories later at dinner." Gerard said with a grin. Archie was pretty excited to hear more about young Gerard and Genevive, knowing how close they were to each other, as well as Head Gamemaker, Alessia Whiterock.
"Oh, okay. Anyways, on to the last tribute, Eden Banks. They're reportedly a pretty smart kid, with marks on the higher end. Their father has some drinking problems, having been arrested for disorderly conduct." Archie said, finally pulling up the final file. Eden seemed smart, collected. Archie respected that.
"So normal kid, not so great parent?" Gerard replied.
"Yup," Archie said. As he finished his sentence, the train began to slow and Archie turned to look out the nearby window. Gerard hopped to his feet, grinning.
"What's going on?" Archie asked, looking to Gerard.
"It appears we've arrived in District 1. That means it's time to get to work. Cmon let's go." Gerard said, gesturing to the door. Archie nodded. It was time to get to work indeed.
That was certainly a 2 in 1. Checked in with Archie and Gerard, recapped our tributes, all the good stuff. Anyways, we'll be off to train rides soon, with Charlotte (D4F), Eden (D12"F"), Dustin (D8M) and Lynus (D3M). I'll be putting the chapter progress up on my profile some point soon, so go check that out if you're curious when the next chapter may be out? Dunno, anyways, everyone stay safe, wash your damn hands. Signing off, -Times.