TEAM 13: DISTRICT 7

Oliver : Alban

The Chariots Continue

"...oh, and here we have the wondrous tributes from District 7! Several really good candidates here—I certainly wouldn't want to go against their eighteen year old, and their volunteer also looks strong enough to fight well-above his weight-grade. And there's little Brant Mills, their eleven year old just peeking out at the end of the arena. Do you know, Luxe, that he recovered from a near-terminal virus just last month?"

"Really?! Well folks, as I'm sure you know this is the year for sympathy sponsorships. The seventeen and eighteen year-olds will, as always, be popular, and it looks like Team 13 are already a fan favorite, but with so many compelling stories among the individual competitors I can just see myself spending gigabytes of money on individual tributes."

"Oh, I feel the same way Luxe, you know I do! Already in the earlier districts we've seen a number of tributes that the crowd has just roared for, like Tourmaline, the eleven year-old actress that everyone loves to love from District 1, and Iva, the fourteen year-old daughter of District 4's former victor Kalle."

"...and I see another favorite coming up now! Verona Brown, the happiest District 8 tribute we've seen in a while, and one with hearts in her eyes too! In fact—in fact Cicero, and you know how I love to get the inside scoop—in fact we have good sources that she and District 12's Sean have already found each other and engaged in a steamy make-out session before the parade even began!"

"Oh my!"

"Yes, sir! My sources—and you know how good my sources are—my sources even say the Peacekeepers had to break them apart!"

"Well! I bet that juicy piece of gossip has just made Verona the most popular District 8 resident even including Nelda, the only living victor who was thirteen at the time of her victory!"

"Mind you, Cicero, that's not saying much! District 8 only has two living victors at all!"

"Of course, of course Luxe—no one can deny that, say, District 7 is better: they've had eight victors, the fourth highest out of all the districts!"

"You know, Cicero, I'll never get over how few victors there are outside of the careers. District 7 has the most, yes, but even District 4—the most variable of all careers—only has 6 living ones, compared to District 2's 10 and District 1's 11."

"My, you have to love the rivalry between those two! But this isn't the Games for that! Here, for the first time, we may very well get a victor from every district all in one year!"

"It's going to be fabulous!"

"Fabulous!"

"Fabulous."

"And you know, Cicero, I have one more juicy piece of gossip for our listeners."

"Oh?"

"You know I do! I have it on good authority—and I'm so rarely wrong—that the whole concept for these games was dreamt up by the President's own Grand Nephew!"

"Oh, Domitian ?"

"Just so!"

"Well, I must say he—and Thrax—have done an excellent job! I have never seen the Capitol so revved up for the Games before!"

"And here comes the first of the District 10 competitors! Great bunch this year, including—"