Dustin Riley, 14.
District 9 Male.
Dustin rolled out of bed, smacking the buzzing alarm clock with his hand. He'd done that every day for the past 3 mornings, and he only had two more mornings to go in the Capitol. He dragged himself to his feet, rubbing his eyes, squinting as he looked around his room, spotting an outfit that was laid out for him on the top of the nearby dresser. He padded over, picking up the grey pants and t-shirt.
"Yo, Dustin, get ready to go, we've got things to do!" His mentor, Geoff, called through the door as he finished getting dressed. He walked to the door, pulling it open to reveal Geoff, standing there.
"Oh, you're already ready. C'mon, let's get some breakfast." Geoff said, moving his hand off the doorknob that he was about to open.
"Sure, whatever," Dustin said, watching as Geoff turned walking towards the dining room. He followed close behind, through the large apartment space to the giant table, which was filled with all sorts of various breakfast foods. Dustin grabbed the first plate of whatever that he could spot, which happened to be pancakes, smothered in maple syrup.
"So, we have interviews tonight. You're gonna spend the first half of the day with me, and the second half with your prep team. Amara's gonna be going with Severe for the day, so you're stuck with me." Geoff said with a grin, shoving a forkful of french toast in his mouth.
"Okay, sounds good I guess," Dustin said, taking a seat and quietly eating his pancakes. The two ate in silence, with no sign of his District partner, who he assumed to have been whisked away by Severe already. They finished up breakfast quickly, and Geoff refilled his coffee cup, pushing his chair back and standing.
"I'm assuming you're done right?" Geoff asked, gesturing to his empty plate.
"You've assumed right. What are we doing now?" Dustin asked as he pulled himself to his feet, stretching.
"We're gonna figure out your interview strategy," Geoff said, beckoning for Dustin to follow him as he turned away. Dustin followed him to the elevator, Geoff pushing the button and tapping his foot as he waited for the elevator to arrive. Geoff really didn't look like much, slim and short, shorter than Dustin who was fairly tall for his age, standing around 5'10, but the whole thing made Dustin wonder, how such a guy managed to win the Games, and at such a young age. If Geoff could do it, why couldn't he, he figured as the elevator arrived with a ding, the pair stepping into it.
"Where are we going?" Dustin asked, leaning against the opaque glass wall of the elevator.
"Oh, I just figured we should get a change of scenery, eh?" Geoff said, pushing a button that he'd never seen be used before. The elevator shot off downwards, startling Dustin slightly, no matter how many times he took it, the initial jolt of the elevator always surprised him. They stayed in motion for a few moments, eventually slowing to a stop, the door sliding open. The floor in front of him was unfamiliar, it seemed to be a sort of hallway that he'd never seen before.
"Where the hell are we?" Dustin asked as they stepped out of the elevator.
"This is the mentor's floor, where we spend our days while y'all are at training. It's also where the control hub for sending sponsor gifts is, once it comes to that." Geoff said, walking down the hall, Dustin following, their footsteps echoing the sound bouncing off the walls.
"Well if it's the mentor's floor, why the hell am I here?" Dustin said as they turned down another hall, the place seemed to be a maze of identical hallways and doors.
"Special treat, don't tell anybody," Geoff said with a laugh as they arrived at a door, which Geoff unceremoniously yanked open, revealing inside a large library, the walls packed with bookshelves, filled with books, shoved in a corner was a large fireplace, with large armchairs scattered around it. There was a pair of people seated in two of them, talking loudly, however, their conversation stopped. Geoff could see the mentor from 1, Sarmiento poke his head over the top of the high backed armchair, dyed purple hair falling in his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here Geoff?" Sarmiento asked, pushing his hair from his eyes with an annoyed look on his face, the tribute he was talking to, the boy from 1, was seated across from him, looking confused about the whole situation.
"We were gonna use the library to talk, but somebody stole my idea," Geoff said, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"We both know it was my idea first, besides that everyone knows the library is my territory," Sarmiento replied, raising an eyebrow in Geoff's general direction.
"Yeah sure. We'll head to the back so we don't bother you two." Geoff said, gesturing for Dustin to follow him. They made their way through the library, between the rows of bookshelves that seemed to stand like trees, tall and strong like the wood they were cut from. They emerged from the rows of shelves to the back of the room, where a few low couches were set around an even lower coffee table.
"Take a seat. Let's get this show on the road, eh?" Geoff said, gesturing to the couches. Indeed, the show was now on the road.
Amethyst Colour, 12.
District 6 "Male".
Amethyst swung her feet, which were currently hanging below the high up chair she was seated on. She'd gone through a bit of a rough 24 hours, finding out her score was a 2, and her predicted placement was 24th, on top of the fact she'd gotten stuck with her escort, Impala getting to go with Dare, and then she went right into round 2 of prep with her prep team. Overall, a pretty shitty day. And, she still had her interview to go, being up on stage in front of all those people, all their eyes watching her every move, their ears listening to her every word.
"Good afternoon darling!" Her stylist, Elenore, said cheerfully, stepping into the room through a nearby door. In her hands was a garment bag, which she placed onto a nearby table.
"Good afternoon," Amethyst mumbled under her breath, waving a hand at her. Elenore smiled widely, showing off her pointed teeth. They unnerved Amethyst, it was quite unnatural the entirety of the Capitol.
"Come 'n look at what I've got here for ya," Elenore said, gesturing to the bag in front of her. Amethyst hopped off the stool, her bare feet hitting the marble-tiled floors with a smack. She padded over to the table, looking at the bag as Elenore unzipped the zipper on the front carefully, gently pulling out a sparkling purple garment, holding it up for her to see.
"Whaddya think Amy?" Elenore said, grinning at her over the dress. It was a beautiful thing, poofy around the skirt, and sparkly.
"Oh, it's so pretty!" Amethyst said, reaching out a hand to brush her fingers against the skirt. Elenore shoved the dress into her arms unexpectedly, she nearly dropped it to the ground out of surprise.
"Go, go! Try it on!" Elenore said excitedly, pushing her towards the pannel wall which she was meant to change behind. She obliged, stepping behind the panels and quickly changing into the dress. She tumbled out from behind the wall, out of balance because of the weight of the dress.
"Oh here, let me zip the back up for you sweetie," Elenore exclaimed, rushing to zip up the back of the dress. Amethyst complied, turning so Elenore could zip it, which she did, careful not to catch any of her long, curly hair in the zipper. Elenore patted her on the back, she turned to face her, grinning.
"It's so heavy, why is it so heavy?" Amethyst asked, swaying on her feet as she looked at Elenore.
"It just is, it has to be to look so nice! Now, let's get a move on, we don't want to be late, right?" Elenore said, placing a hand on her back, and guiding her to the door.
"What about my shoes?" Amethyst asked, realizing she was still barefooted at this point.
"Oh, shit. Oh, they're right over here, quick put 'em on." Elenore said loudly, scrambling for a box that had haphazardly been left on a nearby table. Elenore grabbed the box, ripping the lid off and chucking the shoes within at her, she caught one, but dropped the other, quickly picking it up from the floor. She bent down awkwardly, sliding the matching purple flats onto her feet.
"Okay, that's everything I swear. Let's go!" Elenore said, replacing her hand on Amethysts back, moving her towards the door.
Sarmiento Polar Torres, 21.
Victor of the 203rd Hunger Games.
Sarmiento watched as Echo stepped onto the stage, looking just as nervous as he had minutes ago when he'd wished him luck before he was ushered away to the stairs. Echo greeted Quill with a handshake and a smile, turning on the charm Sarmi knew he had, both men taking their seats. Quill inquired about what Echo thought of the Capitol, Echo replying with a gushing remark about how the Capitol was gorgeous. The crowd cheered loudly, as they typically did when a tribute played to them. Quill inquired about the Career alliance, at which Echo replied with a comment about how great all of his allies were, deflecting the question away from himself, which was a smart move. Quill took it in stride, however, quickly following up with a comment about his score, which was an 8, a solid score for a Career, Sarmi himself has scored a 10, however, Echo had been outshone by a few of his allies. Echo cooly responded with a comment about how he didn't mind his score, and that he was happy with it. The crowd clapped politely as Echo walked off the stage, straightening his suit jacket as he went.
Amber glided onto the stage, looking regally confident, much unlike Echo. She approached Quill, shaking his hand firmly, and taking her seat. Quill opened with a question about how beautiful Amber looked, and she took it in stride, turning the comment around to compliment Quill. The crowd seemingly liked this, clapping enthusiastically. Quill followed up with a question about what Amber missed most about home, at which Amber paused, giving it some thought before answering the question with her girlfriend, Ivory. The audience cooed and awwed, they always loved romance and this time they did not disappoint. Quill, reading the situation, continued the interview with a question about how they met, and Amber went on a tangent about how they'd been friends since childhood, and they'd started dating when they were 16, and how they worked together in a flower shop. The crowd cheered and whistled loudly as Amber left the stage.
Osiris "Ozzie" Dallesandro, 18.
District 2 "Male"
Ozzie stepped onto the stage, the bright lights momentarily blinding them. The crowd was still clapping after Amber's sob story, but that was beside the fact it was now Ozzies time to shine. They spotted the interviewer, Quill, and quickly approached him.
"Good evening Osiris, how are you on this fine night?" Quill asked as they shook hands firmly. Ozzie grinned as they took their seat, thinking about their reply. They knew they had to nail this interview both to help with sponsors and with their popularity, they couldn't possibly let any of the other Careers outshine them, especially not after the disastrous score showing last night, how could they not have scored the best? It was blasphemous that anyone, especially their District partner scored higher than they did.
"I'm doing quite well Quill, even better now that I'm here onstage seeing all your beautiful faces," Ozzie said, grinning out at the crowd of Capitolites before them. Just as they'd hoped, the crowd cheered, if there was one way into a Capitolites heart, it was through flattery and flattery was something they could do well.
"That's wonderful to hear, wonderful yes. Now I've heard that you've become a bit of a leader within your alliance, tell me about how you came about that role." Quill inquired, Ozzie expected this question to come, and they already had an answer in mind.
"Well, it sort of just fell to me, I happened to be the best choice for the role, so here we are," Ozzie said with a shrug and a smile. Quill nodded, thinking about where he would take the interview from here.
"I see, and I'm betting you're a very capable leader. I've also been told you have a particularly close relationship with the boy from 4, Pedro. Care to tell me more?" Quill asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, he's my second in command since he's not quite as good as I am. He does a wonderful job, don't get me wrong, I just happen to be better."
"Such confidence! Well, Osiris, I wish you all the luck in the world." Quill said, they were supposed to exit the stage at this point, so they stood grinning out to the crowd and bowing before walking off the stage.
Sarmiento watched as the girl from 2, Creed, walked onto the stage, clad in an incredibly flattering black suit, she appeared to be matching her District partner, Ozzie who had just exited the stage. She walked across the stage with an intimidating air, she had in fact scored the highest out of all the Careers, and her predicted placement was 1st, meaning even before going into the Games the odds were seemingly in her favour. She shook hands with Quill, taking her seat. Quill started out asking about her score, at which she laughed nervously at, shrugging in response. She was seemingly a bit awkward in her delivery, very much the opposite of her smooth-talking District partner. Quill followed it up with a question about her interests, Creed paused, taking a moment to think about it, before replying that she liked dinosaurs and that her token was a triceratops ring, which she pulled off her finger and held out to Quill for him to see. Quill squinted at it, nodding before following up with a question about her relationship with the boy from 11, Dyan. Creed froze at this, her hands tightening on the armrests of the chair. She eventually replied that they were just friends, but not allies and that she would be sticking with the alliance she had. Quill nodded, and the buzzer rang out, Creed standing and walking off the stage quickly.
The boy from 3, Lynus, stepped onto the stage, white as a sheet. He looked practically terrified, his hand shaking visibly as he moved to shake Quill's hand. He looked like a leaf in a storm, like the slightest gust of wind would knock him off the stage. He gingerly took his seat, the nervous look sticking with him. Quill started off the interview with a quip about Lynus' love of cats, which Lynus nodded to, smiling awkwardly. Quill continued, asking about Lynus' love of robotics. Lynus stuttered out an answer about how he was the president of the robotics club at his school back home in 3. Quill nodded seemingly happy to finally get a verbal answer out of the boy. Quill finished off the interview with a question about his relationship with his District partner, Selene. Lynus spit out a short answer, saying something along the lines of how good of an ally she was. Lynus stumbled off the stage, seemingly very happy to have gotten the interview over with.
Selene bounced onto the stage, performing a series of flips gracefully landing in front of Quill and bowing to the crowd with a dazzling smile. The crowd went wild, cheering louder for her than they'd cheered for anybody thus far. She turned to Quill, the swirling ribbons in all colours of the rainbow which were attached to her leotard fluttering as she shook his hand, taking her seat, the smile staying on her lips the entire time. Quill opened the interview with a question about her home life, how she ended up in the profession she was in. Selene smoothly replied to it, talking about how she ended up being adopted by the ringmaster, how he took her under his wing teaching her everything there was to know about the business. Quill nodded, looking happy with the answer, before continuing into his second question, this time inquiring about how she landed herself with such a high score, for someone from District 3. Selene chuckled, winking at Quill before replying that it was a trade secret and she couldn't reveal all her tricks. Quill nodded, feigning a look of despair, clutching his chest dramatically. Both laughed, it faded out before Quill asked the last question of the interview, about why a girl like Selene could possibly need allies. She smiled, thinking about her answer for a moment before replying that of course she needed allies, there's no way she could be alone in the arena for who knows how long. The buzzer sounded, and Selene stood, walking off the stage grinning widely and waving.
Pedro sauntered onto the stage, his hair slicked back, a sly grin on his face. He walked across the stage to Quill, shaking his hand firmly and taking his seat, blowing a kiss to the crowd with a wink. According to Lexington after their most recent mentor gossip chat, Pedro was quite the charmer. He'd also learned about the little relationship going on between the Pedro and Ozzie from 2, which Omega had complained about to no extent. Quill chuckled leaning forward in his seat to ask Pedro about what he thought of the Capitol. Pedro laughed again, before launching into a highly flattering explanation about how much he loved the architecture and how beautiful the whole place was. Quill nodded, happy with the answer, before he launched into his second question, about Ozzie and what his relationship with them was. This question had Pedro looking slightly uneasy, but he quickly recovered his footing, shooting back a reply about how they were teammates just as Ozzie had stated. Quill nodded, looking less happy with this reply since he quite obviously knew more than he was saying, but regardless he posed his third question, asking Pedro what he thought of his alliance. Pedro paused for a moment, thinking about his answer before replying that he quite liked his alliance and that they'd certainly be a group for the Capitol to keep their eye on. The buzzer rang, and Pedro stood, walking off stage as he blew kisses to the crowd, which the crowd seemed to appreciate.
Charlotte stepped onto the stage, her demeanour professional as she shook Quill's hand, turning to take her seat with an air of confident maturity, despite the fact she was 16, Sarmiento himself was 18 when he went in, and he couldn't possibly imagine going in any younger than that. Quill started, with a question about how she was the mayor's daughter, and why she felt the need to volunteer, despite having everything she could possibly need and want back at home. Charlotte shrugged, looking uninterestedly at her perfectly manicured nails, raising an eyebrow at Quill, before replying that she didn't need to explain her reasons, but she knew they were good ones. Quill nodded, continuing smoothly into his second question, asking her about what she thought of the Capitol. Charlotte explained that she liked it, it was everything she'd dreamed of and more, that she'd always wanted to come here as a little girl. Quill nodded, looking pleased he'd managed to get Charlotte to open up a bit, leaning forward to ask his last question, about what life was like back in District 4. It was a risky question, Sarmi knew that Charlotte had an interesting home life based on what he'd heard from Lexington. She looked momentarily startled, taken aback, then her face softened. She launched into an explanation about how much she missed the ocean waves, the salty air and the sun rising in painted reds and oranges and pinks over the gently rocking sea. The buzzer rang, and Charlotte walked from the stage, several members of the crowd reduced to tears by her simple yet beautiful explanation.
Revan stepped onto the stage, looking excited as he bounded across the stage excitedly, grinning as he shook Quill's hand with a little too much enthusiasm. He was clad in a large spiked leather jacket, and he looked very comfortable in it as he leaned back in the large armchair that practically swallowed him whole due to his small size. Quill started off the interview with a question about how excited Revan seemed, and Revan nodded in agreement, replying that yes sure he was excited and young, but that didn't mean that he shouldn't be taken seriously. Quill nodded in agreement, next inquiring about his score, which was very high for someone of his age and District of origin. Revan nodded excitedly, grinning widely as the score flashed across the screen behind him. He shrugged, replying that he couldn't let his trade secrets out, that there still needed there to be an element of surprise. Quill laughed, agreeing with his statement. Quill quickly moved onto the next question, the timer ever ticking down behind them on the screen. Quill asked Revan about if he had any allies, which he did indeed, Revan launching into talking about his ally, Dustin. Revan's words were cut off by the buzzer, and he stood looking a bit miffed that he got cut off, but bouncing back off the stage with the same amount of energy he'd entered with regardless.
Zienna "Zen" Mantrogi, 14.
District 5 Female.
Zen stepped up the stairs, wiping her sweaty hands off on the slippery, cream coloured silk pantsuit she'd been put into. She gingerly stepped onto the last step, the sandals on her feet pinching in the uncomfortable sandals that somehow managed to pinch her feet in all the wrong ways. She stepped onto the stage, scanning the stage for where she was supposed to be going. She spotted Quill who was standing nearby smiling at her and beelined for him, arriving in front of him. He held his hand out to her, and she took it, shaking it. He gestured for her to sit, which she did.
"So, Zen. How are you doing on this fine evening?" Quill said, leaning forward in his seat as if they were friends, gossiping across a table.
"Fine enough, I guess," Zen replied, folding her arms across her body. Quill nodded, looking slightly annoyed about her short answer but not too upset.
"I see, I see, it's good to hear you're doing well. Now, do tell me, what do you think of the Capitol?" Quill asked, any hint of an annoyed look dropping from his face, turning back into the pleasant smile he'd held the entire evening.
"It's fine I guess? The food is decent." Zen said, locking her eyes onto the ground. Sure, she liked talking, but not in front of what she knew was the entire country, all she was doing was making herself look like a fool, in front of everybody. It was practically outrageous.
"Decent? It's better than decent surely. What could possibly be better than-" Quill continued, but before he could finish his comment, she stood, smoothing her outfit down.
"Bitch." Zen said, flashing Quill her middle finger and walking offstage. Who was the fool now? Surely not her.
Amethyst stepped onto the stage, looking somewhere between startled, nervous and annoyed. She walked across the stage, her eyes darting around, before reaching Quill, who held his hand out to her, she ignored his gesture, however, instead choosing to take her seat, the chair swallowing her short stature and thin frame, her being small even for a 12-year-old. As the youngest as the bunch, Sarmi doubted she had very good chances, and with her score and predicted placement on top of that, Amethyst's odds did not seem favourable. Quill opened with a question about how Amethyst liked her ally, Zen. There was nothing but stony silence from Amethyst, which left Quill looking slightly puzzled. He continued on, almost talking to himself at this point as he asked her about what she thought of Zen's little stunt that had just occurred. Once again, he got no reply, the only movement from Amethyst her turning her head so her eyes weren't on Quill, as well as crossing her arms in front of her body. Quill once again looked confused and went to start on his third question, before Amethyst stood, stomping off the stage in tears similar to her ally just before her.
Impala stepped onto the stage, clad in an old fashioned style pink and great plaid dress. She walked across the stage, an air of self-assured confidence surrounding her. She walked up to Quill, offering him her hand before he had the chance to offer her his, which he took, his expression a bit puzzled but at what, the past two interviews or the hand offered to him, Sarmi couldn't be sure. Both took their seat, and Quill started the interview off asking about her love of all things mechanical, and how that could help her in the Arena. Impala nodded enthusiastically, waiting for Quill to finish his sentence before launching into a talk about how she and her brother had found and fixed up an old car together when they were younger, and how she'd become a well-known mechanic back at home. Quill nodded, looking amused and following up her story with a quip about how she could build a car in the arena, and Impala replied slyly that if she was given the right parts, she could most certainly. The crowd laughed at this, which was always a good thing if they were laughing alongside you, rather than at you since being laughed at by a large crowd of Capitolites was not exactly optimal. Quill covered his face in mock embarrassment, before launching into his third question, asking this time about her allies. Impala paused for a moment, thinking about her words, before replying that she wanted allies who were brave, unafraid of what inevitably what was to come, and her allies were just that. The buzzer rang, and Impala walked off the stage, holding her head high and proud.
Arvid stepped onto the stage, looking sharp in an electric-blue outfit, complete with his now signature bright blue hair. He'd seemingly gotten stuck with a colour scheme, much like Sarmi had during his Games, the purple colour scheme followed him to this day, he thought as he brushed his hand through his purple-dyed hair. Avid walked across the stage, looking stoically calm, despite the fact he was on stage in front of the entire country. He shook Quill's hand, the only change in his expression a slight smile as he took his seat. Quill launched eagerly into his first question, about what Arvid missed most about District 7. Arvid paused for a moment, thinking, before giving his answer, that he missed the forest, there was a lack of nature in the Capitol, as well as the fact he missed his best friend's cat, Romulus. Quill nodded in agreement, expressing how there was indeed a lack of nature around the place, Quill then realizing that he'd also mentioned a cat, asked if he had a picture. Arvid checked his pockets, pulling a folded picture out and unfolding it, showing it to Quill, the camera focused in on it so that everyone else could see, it was a picture of Arvid, standing alongside a taller blonde boy who had an arm around him, held between them was a white cat, who looked sort of annoyed about the whole situation. Quill cooed at the picture, leaning forward to look at it, before returning to his seat fully to ask another question, this time inquiring about what he was willing to do to get home. Arvid glanced over at the ever counting down, turning back to Quill and giving him his one-word answer of anything. The buzzer rang as if it was perfectly timed, and Arvid walked off the stage, looking quite pleased with himself.
Breccan Holland, 18.
District 7 Female.
Breccan stepped onto the stage, holding her head high. She was afraid, yes, why wouldn't she be, but she had to be strong to make it home to Hermione. And if getting home to her involved getting up on stage in front of the entire Capitol, then so be it. She was blinded for a moment as the stage lights focused on her, but her eyes soon adjusted, between the amongst the bright sparkling lights she spotted Quill, and she made her way towards him, he shoved his hand towards her as soon as she got close enough, and she shook it, taking her seat as she gazed out at the large crowd, quickly turning her gaze back to Quill due to the sheer amount of people before her.
"Good evening Breccan, we're certainly glad to have you! Now, do tell me how you're doing on this fine evening." Quill said, crossing his legs over one another, and raising an eyebrow. How was she doing, only days away from going into the death Games, so there was obviously a correct answer to this question.
"Well, fine I guess. Fine as I can be in my current situation." Breccan said, spreading her hands with a slight grin.
"That's true. Oh! A little birdy told me you have a girlfriend back at home, would you like to talk about her?" Quill inquired, raising an eyebrow. Breccan nodded her head yes, of course, she could talk about Hermione, that was easy.
"Hermione, yeah. She's the best girlfriend I could ask for. I'm planning on marrying her when I get home, yanno?" Breccan replied with a grin, the crowd clapped for this, unsurprisingly since they tended to like romance, the Capitol citizens were just a bunch of airheads, entertained by the most trivial of things. The crowd cheered accordingly as if cued by her thought.
"Now that's just precious, isn't it?" Quill asked, looking out to the crowd who seemed to agree with him.
"I guess so," Breccan replied, wringing her hands together in her lap.
"Yah huh! So, I've also heard you've got a bit of an alliance on the go, do tell me about your little friends."
"Oh. Cerdiwen and Amara. Yeah, they're cool. I think they're good allies." Breccan said, continuing to fiddle with her hands, she could see the timer out of the corner of her eye counting down and buzzing. She breathed out a sigh of relief as if she'd been holding her breath the entire interview, which she may have been without noticing.
"Fascinating! Well, I was glad to have the chance to interview you, before your possible demise. Toodles!" Quill said, waving her off the stage.
Cassian stepped onto the stage, looking incredibly annoyed about the whole situation, his hands remaining shoved in his pockets and his eyes locked onto the floor beneath his feet. Quill went to offer Cassian his hand, however, Cassian ignored it, instead, taking his seat, gaze still turned downwards. Quill asked him about his life back home, and Cassian shrugged, his look of annoyance continuing as he shot the audience a glare. Cassian wasn't exactly making the best first impression, with his sullen attitude, Sarmi thought as Quill attempted to ask another question, which Cassian deflected again, this time just ignoring Quill entirely. The pair sat in awkward silence, the buzzer eventually ringing out, and Cassian left the stage, looking just as annoyed as when he'd stepped on it.
Cerdiwen stepped onto the stage, pushing a brave look onto her face. She seemed nervous but she was trying not to show it. Cerdiwen walked across the stage, holding one of her hands out to shake Quills, or to catch herself if she fell, Sarmi wasn't sure exactly which. Cerdiwen took her seat, smiling shakily at Quill, who returned the smile with one of his own. He then launched into his first question, asking about her life back home. Cerdiwen nodded, waiting for Quill to finish before she launched into her response, talking about how she lived a normal life, worked a job as a newsie, went to school and had friends. In Sarmi's opinion, sometimes the best way to go with an interview was to just be genuine, and that route was seemingly working well for Cerdiwen, as Quill nodded, launching into the second question, this time inquiring about her allies. Cerdiwen replied by launching into a ramble about how rad her allies were. Cerdiwen drabbled on nervously until the buzzer rang, surprising the girl, she jumped slightly in her seat before standing, rushing off the stage as if the last place she wanted to be was there, which made sense to Sarmi.
Dustin stepped onto the stage, adjusting his hair as he walked across the stage to Quill, shaking Quill's hand firmly, before taking his seat. Dustin sort of looked uninterested in the entire situation, almost as if he simply did not care about anything that was occurring around him. Quill quickly started on his opening question, asking how his night was going thus far, Dustin replied curtly, saying his night was going quite alright. Quill nodded, looking pleased with the half-decent answer, then proceeding into his next question, this one about what his home life was like. Dustin raised an eyebrow, considering his reply before answering that he'd had a normal life, save for a spat of school bullying, Dustin rounded his words off with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Quill went to apologize, but Dustin cut him off, telling him that he didn't need the sympathy. Quill looked slightly taken aback by this, but he quickly recovered himself, stating his second question, this one about Dustin's ally, Revan. Dustin tapped his fingers on the armrest of his seat, before replying that Revan was a good ally and a better friend in Dustin's opinion. Quill nodded, replying that Revan had seemed like a very nice person when he'd met him earlier. The two continued bantering back and forth, the conversation moving into more casual small talk territory. The buzzer soon rang, and Dustin walked from the stage, hands in his pockets, the crowd cheering fairly loudly.
Amara stepped onto the stage, her eyes darting around as if she was trying to find something that only she could see. She nervously walked across the stage, seemingly shaking on her feet as if she was walking through invisible winds. She walked to Quill, her face white as a sheet as she shook his hand, carefully lowering herself into her seat soon after. Quill opened with his first question, about how Amara was liking her stay in the Capitol thus far. Amara's eyes drifted from a look of unfocused to focused as if she was waking up, and she asked Quill to repeat the question, which he did with a chuckle. This time Amara fully heard the question, answering with a simple response that she liked the Capitol and that the beds were very comfortable compared to what she slept on at home. Quill reached out, patting her hand sympathetically before launching into his second question, this time asking about her allies, and what she thought of them. Amara replied that she liked her allies, but she didn't exactly elaborate more than that, keeping her answers short and to the point, which wasn't exactly a bad thing, but it wasn't exactly a good thing either. Quill nodded, looking pleased with the answer, before launching into his next question, this one about if she thought the afterlife was a real thing. Amara paused for a second looking confused, before replying that yes she did believe in an afterlife and that the fact she did made her feel a little better about her probable demise. The buzzer soon rang out, and Amara walked backstage, looking slightly less freaked out then when she'd walked on.
Ardley stepped onto the stage, an air of mystery sitting heavily around him as he, rather than shaking Quill's hand, gave the man a curt nod before taking his seat. Ardley crossed his arms in front of himself, leaning back in his seat as if he was entirely in his element, not exactly cocky, but he seemed comfortable in his skin. Quill opened the interview with a question about how Ardley was feeling about the chance that he could die. Ardley laughed, leaning back with his hands behind his head, before replying that he was okay with his death, if it did happen he had already accepted it. Ardley then launched into an explanation, that he worked at his mothers funeral rights business, and that he'd been surrounded by death for his whole life, so he'd gotten used to it. Quill blinked a couple of times after Ardley finished talking, processing the information that had just been given to him, before starting with his second question, this one more of a prompt for Ardley to continue talking about what it was like at home. Ardley smirked, before continuing where he'd left off previously, this time talking about his best friend, Marissa, and how they'd been childhood best friends, that when he'd dropped out of school to work at his mothers business that she'd supported him. Quill nodded, looking a bit surprised at Ardley's directness, before launching into his third question, this one about what he missed most from home. Ardley paused for a moment, tapping his fingers together in his lap, before replying that he missed his mother's homemade bread, that it was the best he'd ever had. Quill nodded, commenting on how he'd like to try it sometime before the buzzer rang out, Ardley walking from the stage with a little less of the mysterious air he'd walked on with.
Farro stepped onto the stage, beaming in a bright yellow dress. She bounced across the stage, shaking hands with Quill, before taking her seat, still beaming. Quill opened the interview by asking Farro how she was doing, and she replied that she was doing quite alright, before thanking Quill for asking. Quill looked amused by this, nodding and agreeing that it was good she was doing well. He then launched into his next question, this one about Farro's home life, and her siblings. Farro nodded, stating that she had 7 siblings at home, as well as her mama. Quill furrowed his brow slightly, inquiring as to where her father was, and Farro froze, the beaming smile on her face fading slightly as she replied that he'd died a few months back from pneumonia, her voice shaky nearly tearful. Quill being ever the empathetic person, pulled out a handkerchief handing it to Farro, she took it, dabbing at her eyes with it. As soon as she seemingly collected herself enough, Quill asked if she'd like to talk about her father more, which Farro shook her head no too, so Quill asked his next question, changing the topic entirely, the second question being about what Farro liked most about the Capitol. Farro replied that she quite liked all the interesting looking people, that everyone looked very different from back home in 10. The crowd thought this was cute apparently, audibly cooing. The buzzer rang out, and Farro bounced off the stage, the beaming smile returning to her face.
Dyan Hopper, 13.
District 11 Male.
Dyan hobbled onto the stage, the cane he'd been given to help him walk was more of a nuisance than anything, since his foot didn't even hurt that bad after the Capitol mumbo jumbo medical magic they'd done on his foot after he'd managed to fumble a knife at his private session, dropping it right into his foot. It had landed him the lowest score, and a 23rd as his predicted placement. He managed to get himself up the steps, and he looked around the stage, trying to figure out where he needed to go now. He spotted Quill, standing nearby waving to him, and he made his way towards him, getting sick of trying to exist in the same continuity as the cumbersome cane, so rather than trying to continue to walk with it, he turned around and chucked it down the stairs, turning back and walking across the stage to Quill. Quill offered him a hand, which he took shaking as was expected of him, then taking his seat, flopping into the cushy chair.
"Welcome to the stage, Dyan! How are you doing on this wonderful evening?"
"I'm hot, sweaty and tired. Do you have any water up here, could I get some water or something?" Dyan said, wiping the sweat off his forehead, indeed the stage was quite warm due to the massively bright lights that were shining down on them from above.
"Can we get the kid some water?" Quill asked nobody in particular, however, an Avox scampered onto the stage, a water bottle in hand which she handed to him, before running off the stage again. He cracked it open, taking a sip, before looking back to Quill.
"Well look at that, you've got your water. Now, do tell me about how you managed to score so low, for someone who's seemingly so smart!" Quill said, gesturing to the screen behind them which displayed his score which was indeed a big fat 1.
"Oh. I dropped a knife on my foot." Dyan said, screwing the lid back onto the bottle of water.
"You what?" Quill said, looking shocked. Dyan was pretty sure this was actual shock, rather than one of the many fake expressions that Quill tended to put on for dramatic effect.
"Dropped a knife on my foot. Or into my foot. I turned my foot into a shishkebab." Dyan said, grinning widely at his joke, which he thought to be pretty funny.
"Oh, I see. Well, that certainly takes some talent." Quill said, his shock turning into a genuine look of confusion.
"Nah, it was more clumsiness," Dyan said, taking another sip of his water.
"I guess. Now do tell me, what about your ally, Creed? Is she an actual ally or just a friend? What's the scoop, do tell!" Quill inquired. Creed had told him before the interviews that if he was asked, they were just friends and not actual allies since she suspected that the Careers would be less than thrilled if they discovered that she wasn't fully loyal to them. However, he knew the truth, that they were in fact allies.
"We're just friends, not allies. I'd rather go at the whole thing alone in all honesty." Dyan said, leaning back in his seat. Quill nodded, going to ask another question, but being cut off by the buzzer. Dyan stood, marching off the stage with his hard-earned waterbottle in tow.
Arugula stepped onto the stage, looking quite uninterested in the whole situation, that or she was unimpressed in her District partner's antics. She walked across the stage, shaking Quills hand and taking her seat all in one smooth move, she came off quite graceful for someone of her age. Quill opened the interview, asking about Arugula's outfit, which was indeed quite impressive, a dress made from rainbow flower petals, very reminiscent of her chariot ride outfit. Arugula smiled widely, saying how she thought it was so beautiful, and that it was so real looking that it appeared to be made from actual flower petals, rather than fabric. Quill nodded his agreement, that it did look quite realistic, before launching into his second question, this one about her family situation, and the fact she was adopted. Arugula nodded, confirming that she was adopted and that she never knew her birth parents. She talked about her 5 adopted siblings, especially her brother Lukas, who she was closest to. Quill nodded, agreeing that their relationship seemed very sweet. Quill then followed up with his final question, this one about what Arugula missed most about home. Arugula paused for a moment, thinking before replying that she missed helping her brother with his homework at their dad's old wooden desk the most. The buzzer rang, and Arugula flounced off the stage, her dress swishing around her as she walked.
Terce walked onto the stage, casually as if he owned the place already, a lazy smile playing on his lips as he walked up to Quill, shaking his hand and taking his seat casually. Quill opened the interview with a question about Terce's choice to join the Career pack. Terce's grin widened as he explained that Echo approached him, offering for him to join them, and he'd taken him up on the offer since where could he be safer than with the Careers? Quill nodded in agreement, the Careers did seem like the sort of alliance that would grant you some decent protection. Sarmi agreed with this, yes sure they provided protection, but it would only last so long. Quill launched into his second question, this one about what Terce's home life was like. Terce replied that he worked alongside his parents as an apprentice lantern maker, and he had a girlfriend who he liked to spend his time with. Quill nodded, looking impressed with the smooth delivery of Terce's words, the kid seemingly was quite the smooth talker. Quill asked his last question, this one about the aforementioned girlfriend, and what Terce would say to her if given the chance. Terce replied that he'd tell her that he loved her and that he'd be seeing her soon, before blowing a kiss at the camera. The crowd went a bit wild over this despite the fact the kiss wasn't aimed at them, as the buzzer rang out, and Terce walked backstage, waving as he went.
Eden stepped onto the stage, the last interview of the night thankfully. They walked across the stage, trembling slightly but holding their act together. They shook Quill's hand, their hands shaking noticeably as they pulled it away, taking their seat. Quill launched into his first question about what Eden thought of the Capitol thus far. They shakily replied that it had been quite pleasant so far and that they'd liked the view out the window of their room quite a bit. Quill nodded, agreeing that the views were some of the best parts of the city. He then segued into his second question, this one about what Eden missed most about home. This time Eden replied with no hesitation, stating that they missed their partner, Jensen the most. Quill nodded, a sympathetic look befalling his face as the crowd cooed over the cute teenage romance. Eden smiled nervously at the crowd reaction, as Quill launched into his final question, this one about whether or not Eden thought they'd die. Eden didn't respond verbally to this one, choosing to shrug instead. The buzzer rang out, and Eden walked off the stage.
That was a bit of a doozy eh? Fun fact, that's the longest chapter I've ever written. Anyways, since I'm a doof and I forgot to add an A/N to the last chapter, I'm gonna put a rundown of all the alliances that exist here:
Alliances.
The Careers: Echo, Amber, Ozzie, Creed, Pedro, Charlotte, Terce.
Iconic Duo: Creed, Dyan.
Two Bros Chillin: Dustin, Revan.
Three lesbians walk into a bar: Amara, Cerdiwen, Breccan.
The A-Team: Arvid, Ardley.
Big Hero 6, on a little more crack: Selene, Lynus, Impala.
The Babies: Zen, Amethyst.
The Three Muskateers: Aru, Eden, Farro.
Loner: Cassian.
And there are the alliances. I'll see y'all soon with the next chapter which will be the afterparty, with Arvid, Amara, Creed and Echo. Signing off, -Times.