The events that he had just witnessed were, in simple terms, barbaric.

Now, Giovanni was not a man of mindless emotions. He was stoic and firm, and even he was shaken after what he had seen play out on the screen, children murdering children in ways so brutal that even his blood had chilled. He had never been so violent despite committing various murders and other hideous acts that were not to be named, but that had been to establish order, to command and to rule.

This was simply pathetic.

Giovanni wondered whether he should simply call it off. The Games were beyond horrific and were certainly expensive to manage, and he wasn't really a fan of seeing children die, at least on TV, and these were, in his opinion, quite compelling arguments… yet not compelling enough to actually do it.

This method had its cons but it had kept this poor and wasted nation grounded for decades. It was the only way they knew, the only way they would obey, and obedience was all Giovanni ultimately cared for. Once he'd find his little sister, he'll take his siblings and troops and leave this hellhole and return to the beautiful nation of Europia, the nation that he had founded after brutal conquests. Giovanni did not really say that to the king, His Majesty, for father was ever loving and deserved to be respected… and he did not really have a long time left anyway. It would be much better that Giovanni became the king after being crowned as such, for nobody would question his rightly deserved authority then.

These thoughts, however, were not for the present. The present had to be dedicated to find his sister, the little angel, bundle of joy that he had held in his arms years ago…

"Gio-"

"Number One."

Louis sighed in exasperation, and in all honesty, Giovanni hadn't really noticed that all his siblings were with him, looking silently at the screen, all of them appalled. Louis appeared to be calmer than the others, his posture straight and eyes looking into Gio's, a sad smile on his face.

"Right, Number One. I think we should, you know, end this."

Gio turned to Louis, his face pensive, even as he glanced at the screen one more time. He had noticed a literal bloodbath, and while death did not scare or even bother him, children behaving in such violent fashion did. Hence, he did consider Louis' words with great deliberation as it also aligned with his own thoughts. He turned to the other three and raised his brows, asking them for their opinion although he was sure they would agree with him and Louis.

"I mean, we can scrap it. It's a really uncultured thing to do," Dianna shrugged, although Gio could see the uneasiness in her eyes, and it was understandable too, considering that she was the one handling the Games.

"And Europia is all about culture," Harry added, "The Games are barbaric."

Giovanni nodded thoughtfully, his eyes piercing into the blood red carpet, it reflecting his own turmoil. The Games really weren't necessary at all when he thought about it, he could just enforce curfew and appoint military everywhere. He had never ordered attack on children in any of his conquests before… why should he do so in Panem? Why did he let this happen in the first place?

"Number One."

Everyone turned to look at Joffery, the mere child among the Five, somebody Gio could never take seriously. And yet here he was, addressing him in his code name, something that none of the siblings ever did. This did take them all by surprise, for the look in Joffery's eyes was intense and blazing, like nothing Gio had seen in him before.

"Yes, Number Four?"

"I understand why we feel so opposed to the idea of the Games," the youngest of them started, "It's barbaric, it's uncultured, and it's not who we are. They should not exist even for a second longer.

"However, I'd like to bring to your notice, to everyone's notice, that currently, we are Panem's enemies. We are here for a mission, and I don't think we should relax anything until we have accomplished it."

"You suggest not cancelling the Games."

"Yes, Number One. We started it because we knew that this is one way to control Panemians, one effective way too. When we had decided that we will continue with the Games, we were well aware of what it meant. It was an informed decision to suppress the public here, to crush them and to bring them to obedience. Calling off the games now, after the bloodbath, would send a wrong message to the masses. They will think that the Five are scared, that the Five are soft and that the Five can be beaten. And as you know, we can't let that happen, for that is what will lead to our downfall."

An awkward silence followed his words, for Joffery was not known for making sense, and it did create a certain degree of discomfort even if Giovanni did not overtly acknowledge it. However, he was certainly seeing his youngest brother in a new light, for he had always been a party-guy, carefree and wild, basically a child. And here he was, talking sense, and Gio was glad that he did. He was right; they had made an informed decision. They had had done it to keep things in control. After so much had been done, they couldn't really just back down, not now. The search was still on and while there had been no solid evidence that their sister was in Panem, Gio's heart sensed it.

Love was strong and love was mighty, its strength could break through walls and spread across borders. It was this love for his little sister that told Gio that she was there, in Panem, and possibly even close to him, and when his heart was giving him such signals, why should he let his mind ignore them? Control and order in the state was of utmost importance, and once she was found, they would leave. For now, the show had to go on.

Louis suddenly got up and excused himself, leaving the room, probably to speak to someone back home. Giovanni was not concerned where he went; Louis was an intelligent man and could look out for himself. But right now, even as the other siblings looked at him closely, Gio straightened himself in his chair and cleared his throat before speaking.

"Joffery is right," he said slowly, "We need to prioritise our own goals right now."

Harry and Dianna didn't really say anything on it even as they exchanged uneasy looks. Giovanni knew it was hard for them both for they were the softer people in the group, with a clearer conscience than him, but he could do nothing about it. he loved his family, and he was there to complete it. Nothing else in the universe mattered.

The door suddenly burst open, and Gio jumped to his feet when he saw Louis' face, for it was red and he was panting and looked as if he would explode with emotions… happy emotions. This puzzled Giovanni, for even he acknowledged that none of the Five were truly happy at the moment.

"There's news!" he exclaimed.

"Tell us!" Dianna and Joffery demanded, their voiced high, for they'd not seen their brother so excited in years, and they were perplexed by this behaviour.

"She's here! SHE'S HERE!"

Hello all! This is a short little chapter catching up with the Five, and I liked writing it as it is a setup for future chapters and story. And, goodness, do you think they've really found their sister?! What do you think will happen now? I will write both the plots, that of the Five and the Games simultaneously, because I think it will work better with this story and setting. See you next chapter with the first day!

Have a great day!