CHAPTER XXX. INTERVIEWS

"You cannot intimidate people with real bullets, but you can intimidate them with fake gun."

-Amit Kalantri

BELLEROPHON "BELL" CHRISTOS (18) - DISTRICT 2 MALE

Unlike seemingly everybody else, Bell was confident that he would be absolutely killing it during his interview. There wasn't really a reason why he wouldn't. He had the most rockin' outfit on, a black suit with no shirt underneath, his signature red heels, and a necklace with a small functioning cowbell on it, and he was naturally amazing at talking to people. There was no way he could fuck this up, or at least he couldn't possibly be worse than that creep Pascal at the Mentor's Interviews the previous night. It was a good idea, in all certainty, but jeez the execution was horrible, but maybe that was just Pascal ruining the evening. Bell sure felt horrible for the kid he mentored, so he'd probably be light on him in the bloodbath, and brutally injure him instead of full stop killing him, though he questioned whether or not his allies would do the same.

Bell overall felt a bit indifferent on his allies. Obviously Moira was still a total babe, and seeing her be less depressed was nice, and Eros and Fila were pretty chillin' as well, he just didn't get to know Eros much, and Fila was so embarrassed after the party incident, she refused to speak to Bell unless it was small talk about the Games. Kingston was alright, still pretty fucking moody, a given since his sister went splat, and Lana was well, she was Lana. Of course, of course, Bell and Lana still had their bickering, as it was somewhat ingrained in them at this point, but he had realized something, that Lana Lotus was hot as fuck, so he didn't mind making out with her or doing other things since it tended to relieve the stress they had from yelling at eachother day in and day out.

"I know you're going to do so well during your interview," Lana said to him in between kisses, her arms around his neck as they awaited Fila to finish her interview so Bell could go onstage, "And you look so handsome!"

"I know," Bell swooshed his hair back and smiled, trying to dominate his interaction with Lana, a seemingly impossible task since whatever she had was something so powerful, Bell could not resist it, "And I totally think you will too!"

"That's so kind of you to say Bellerophon," Lana pulled away, Bell rolling his eyes as she addressed him by his full name, something she did to annoy him.

"Don't fucking call me that," Bell begged her.

"I do what I want, Christos," Somehow hearing his last name was more annoying than his full first name. Strangely, Christos was all he had left from his father besides the obvious, which was money. He didn't really leave any belongings or anything of that sort after he passed, so the only thing Bell had to remember him was his last name, Christos, which thank the lord was way less of a mouthful than Bellerophon.

"And now, let's welcome, Bellerophon or as he calls himself, Bell Christos, our Male Tribute from District 2," Bell prepared to take the stage after he heard Lucky Flickerman announce his name.

This was finally the time where he could have the spotlight all to himself, and he sure as hell was not going to waste it.

"So, Mr. Christos–" Lucky spoke in a silky smooth voice as Bell took his seat next to him while the crowd roared on.

"Please, just call me Bell," He interjected, unbuttoning his sport coat to reveal his ripped abs, "It's a pleasure to be here!"

"Yes, yes," Lucky's train of thought appeared to have left it's station, "So, Bell, tell us about your life back in District 2."

"Well it's pretty crazy," Bell cackled somewhat sarcastically, "You see, I'm a male stripper!"

The audience made somewhat confused faces but Bell didn't really care. It was his truth, his livelihood, and he had learned that he had nothing to be ashamed of and if anything, they should be ashamed that they would never be hot enough to be strippers like him.

"Well what's that like then?" Lucky leaned forward in his chair with intrigue. Bell knew that Eros was also a sex worker of some sort, but he had chosen not to talk about it during his interview, so Bell was ready to wow the crowd with just how cool stripping could be.

"I could tell you," Bell teased the audience, temporarily hesitating, "But in all honesty, I'd prefer it if I could show you."

"Oh? Well, if you'd like," Lucky smiled, the crowd once again into him as he stood from his chair and took the center of the stage, looking out at all their smiling faces. That was Bell's favorite part of stripping, making people happy, and he sure hoped he could make these people even happier.

"Are y'all ready to party?" Bell roared out into the crowd, unbuckling his black leather belt before throwing it aside. They cheered louder than the clubs back in 2 as his pants dropped to the ground, revealing his skull-crushing thighs, ones he was looking forward to using the next day, "Well I've got the party!"

He threw his coat into the audience, a middle aged woman grabbing it and shrieking with delight as he began to sway his hips back and forth to the beat of their applause, occasionally making eye contact with individuals, causing them to practically melt. Bell truly did feel at home, despite only wearing underwear, heels and a necklace in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and it was perhaps his favorite thing about himself, the way he could be so at home in nothing but his own skin.

"Thank you for the demonstration Bell," Lucky seemed to have had enough of him, which was fair enough, "You can sit down now but please know that I appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure," He sat down, his pants still on the floor in front of him, "I honestly can't wait for tomorrow."

Bell answered the rest of the questions with ease, eventually leaving the stage knowing he had just successfully put on the show of his life.

LANA LOTUS (18) - DISTRICT 4 FEMALE

In disgust that the Head Gamemakers did not want to take place in the blessing with her before her private session, Lana was experiencing a rare stroke of nervous energy as she prepared to go onstage for her interview. She had a lot to live up to, that piece of ass Bellerophon making quite the impression, but she knew that she could do so much more. She knew that there was more than her than what meets the eye, though she wasn't too sure how much of herself she wanted to unveil that night. She planned to talk about the Collective, using terms as vague as possible so it would seem less scary than it was, not that it was scary in her eyes, and after hearing Kingston sing her praises, she knew it was only fair to mention the fool, even if it was merely out of pity.

"Lana has been, she's been so good to me throughout all of this," She couldn't help but cackle into her arm as he spoke so highly of her, almost as though he had been in the Collective all his life, "Losing Elizabeth has been so deeply hard on me, but I'm glad I have somebody as supportive as her to bless my life."

Bless his life, oh Lana hoped to one day be able to bless so much more than just his sad, pathetic life.

"Well then I can't wait to meet her," Lucky Flickerman began to wrap up Kingston's interview, "I'm sure she'll be just as delightful as you say she is."

Kingston walked off the stage, wearing an all white suit and a deep blue shirt underneath, honestly making him look a bit gay which was embarassing, "Good luck, Lana."

"Oh, I won't need it silly," She gave him a kiss on the lips, her eyes open, "Thank you for speaking so highly of me."

He didn't have time to respond to that, as Lana was immediately whisked right onto the stage, the applause drawing out the prayer she said to herself before sitting down.

"May the power of the White Whale wash over my spirit as I participate in this interview," She whispered, her head down, "For I am Lana Lotus, the One Spat From The Sea, and the tides shall never change on me."

She sat in the big leather chair, nearly so enormous that it drowned her petite body, "I'm glad to be present with you gorgeous citizens today, but before we can begin, I wanted to thank my District Partner Kingston for such kind words. You and your family will always be in my thoughts."

"That was very sweet of you Lana," Lucky cooed at her with serious admiration, "Is there anything else you wanted to add, or can I jump into the interview."

"Yes actually," Lana spoke rapidly, knowing she finally had the opportunity to say what she wanted to say in her private session only this time in front of even more people, "I was wondering if you would like to join me in a blessing of the Rocky Beaches of District 4. It would really help me be reminded of home, as I miss it so very much."

"Well then that's the very least I can do," Lucky conceded.

"Excellent," Lana closed her eyes and began the prayer that she had recited nearly every night, alone on the rocks, overlooking the beautiful sea that created her, "May the shores of our ancestors and the world they've spawned look over me and and everybody I love. May we be safe in the arms of our Collective, knowing the White Whale watches over us, and as long as we are complicit, our lives will be a blessing. Let us all be holy, now and forever, no matter how heavy the riptides may seem."

"Well, that was certainly interesting, Ms. Lotus," Lucky's eyes looked like they were nearly about to pop out of his head, "Would you mind explaining the meaning of everything you just said?"

Lana wanted to say more than she actually did. She wanted to speak of Ishmael, her father and the stories he told as she grew up of the White Whale, but mentioning Ishmael, that was something Lana never did. There was a slight pain in the scar on her back and she couldn't help but think that he had somehow returned, but Lana knew she was safe. She had the Collective and she was safe.

"It's sort of a little inside joke I have with my friends who I simply miss so much," Lana smiled, hoping the Collective hadn't somehow moved on from her, "Crista, Shane, I know you're watching! I'm coming home to you guys soon!"

Her mind flashed to when Shane found her alone that day on the sand, but it was too painful to think about for much longer, she just prayed that they somehow found a TV to watch her, just as they had promised they would when she said she was Volunteering. She truly did miss them more than she wanted to admit, since she could tell everyone here thought she was crazy. Lana was scared that she was beginning to mean nothing, the Ritual of the Salt beginning to lose it's meaning since she barely had anybody to perform it with. What if everything she lived for really didn't mean anything at all and it was all made up in her head?

"I'm sorry you miss your friends Lana," Lucky smirked, "But I hope you've been able to make some memories here without them."

"I suppose," Lana lied. It wasn't that the Capitol was completely unpleasant or anything, but rather that it had been far too long. She was sick of waiting, and ready to cut straight to the action. Everybody she met, they had just been temporary, and Lana wanted to dispose of them. She wanted to go home to the Collective, a new crown on her head, proof that she was the Sea Goddess she was born to be, the One Spat from The Sea, and the only person who could change the world into the place it was destined to be, her perfect union.

CLANCY DIETRICH (17) - DISTRICT 5 MALE

Clancy was starting to believe that he had somewhat of a chance of actually making it far in this thing. It made a fair bit of sense, since he got a reasonably high training score, and he had a predicted placement of 7, yet it was so hard for him to believe that he actually stood a chance at making it. He believed in such weird things, something he knew for sure, yet the idea that he could survive in the arena happened to feel weirder than any of his theories, though it wasn't as weird as how pleasant Ares had been to him over the past days. She still had that firecracker personality she was known and previously hated for, but her whole attitude seemed to have shifted, almost like she was a different person, and Ares 2.0 was actually almost enjoyable to be around.

"I think you're going to do well, but I wouldn't count on it," She joked as Clancy prepared to go onstage for his interview, listening to the wacky girl from 4 ramble about her love for the ocean and all its inhabitants like some sort of a weirdo, "Just kidding, you'll probably do fine!"

He had been nearly shitting himself all day as he awaited for this moment to arrive, going to the library during their free time alone to read up on his theories, formulating new ones and debunking old ones, and wow was Clancy's newest theory brilliant, and somewhat soothing. He was going to be safe the next day, as well as the following days, because he simply wasn't dying, or at least he wasn't going anywhere too horrible. He read in this weird book in the corner of the library that when the helicopters pick up the "corpses" of the Tributes, they are taken to a room and sprayed with a magical serum that turned them into Avoxes, serving the Capitol for eternity, but that only happened if the Capitolites liked any given Tribute enough that they wanted to keep them around, which is why Clancy needed to nail this interview. It would be what determined whether or not he would be allowed to turn into an Avox and while that would suck since he wouldn't be able to talk and Clancy loved talking, ultimately it would be better than being dead completely. And then also, being an Avox would be ok because Clancy read in another old book that the beef sandwiches they serve in the Capitol were occasionally injected with a serum that would allow Avoxes tongues to grow back, but that sandwich was only available on Tuesdays in September, and that was a ways away, so not dying would overall be more preferable. This theory made lots of sense, unlike when he previously thought that Peacekeepers were the zombies of dead Tributes, since it would be unrealistic to trust children with guns.

"I hope so too," He looked back at Ares and Camber, the young kid they had taken on as their ally before going on stage. In hindsight taking on Camber may have not been the wisest idea since he got a predicted placement of 20, but then again, the number 20 was actually a secret enigma of a number, as Clancy remembered seeing on TV with his mother. 20 could also be interpreted as "all mighty," at least according to the documentary, and it also said that agender people associated with the number 20 had special powers, something Clancy didn't even connect the dots to until Camber's score was revealed so yeah, they were probably fine.

"Hello, Panem!" Clancy tried to be over the top when he stepped on stage since he knew the people in the Capitol were fond of behavior like that, as proven in this book he read that said they were injected with magical joy hormones, hence why they always looked like that.

"You're rather chipper!" Lucky Flickerman beamed at him, oddly delighted by his presence.

"Chipper as a whipper," Clancy exclaimed, not really knowing exactly what he meant.

"Have you been enjoying your time here?" Lucky continued the conversation.

"Of course I have!" He blurted out, still feral over the fact that the Capitol was real, something he would never get over, "It honestly feels like a dream."

Maybe it was a dream, and Clancy would wake up the next day in his bed in District 5 to Declan wailing for food. It sure would explain why he was in the Capitol since it was a real place, and why Ares was nearly attractive to him.

"Well, I hope you're ready for tomorrow then," Lucky sighed, leaning back, "Since you might want to wake up."

Oh right, that whole thing. Clancy tended to forget that the Hunger Games was the whole reason why he was there, and was basically on death's doorstep, or rather Avoxes' doorstep. That was the nightmare part of the whole dream sequence that Clancy felt he was living in at times.

"I'll be ready for that," He lied, since the more he thought about it, the more real it became, "I know I have what it takes to win."

He wasn't completely sure of that though, since Ares had had some disagreements with him about what to do during the bloodbath. She wanted to get supplies, as did Camber, but Clancy said that was an idea destined to get them both killed, and he was pretty sure he was right since the Careers usually dominated the bloodbath and he didn't really feel like being dominated.

"I hope you do, kid," Lucky smiled at him, making Clancy feel somewhat more hopeful, even though his mind was racing at a hundred miles an hour and his heart was going even faster. Nothing would ever make sense to him, and he knew he had to accept it eventually but he didn't want to since that would mean growing up, though then again, that wasn't a certainty anymore.

PIPER SANDERSON (16) - DISTRICT 10 FEMALE

Piper was growing frustrated with her alliance and feeling guilty because of it. They were children, both Alabastor and Morgan, and they reminded her of Elodie, hence why she decided to ally with them, but she was worried she was turning into a bit of a babysitter, since the kids had the tendency to argue with each other, leaving Piper to be the one who had to break them up. Their arguments were somewhat stupid, about random strategy things that would never work since they wouldn't have all that much time in the bloodbath, but she didn't want to leave now, especially since they were so attached to her now. She had no idea how exactly they had gotten so attached to her, and in a way she was attached to them but it wasn't at all as much as they seemed to see her as a mother, though in fairness she did act like one and they both lost mothers which was another reason why she couldn't go. She couldn't let these kids lose their mother twice, but maybe she was being over dramatic since she wasn't even their actual mother.

"Hey, are you alright?" Piper was approached by Saffron, the girl from District 9 as she had this dilemma for the third time that day, this time right before the interview. She had met Saffron the second night of training, when she asked to ally with Piper, albeit in an odd way. She was a bit of an oddball, but then again so was Piper, and she didn't want to ally with Piper unless she left Morgan and Alabastor, an argument that was certainly more and more compelling. The two had spoken a few more times after that, but only after the boys were asleep, and Piper didn't think an alliance would form from the two of them, though it was nice to occasionally talk to somebody her own age, or well a year older.

"I guess I'm just, nervous for my interview," That was partially true since Piper had never been in the company of so many people, much less speak in front of them, but the main war in Piper's head still revolved around her alliance, even though it was a non issue because she would feel far too guilty if she didn't stay.

"You'll do great, I promise," Saffron smiled that same warm grin she seemingly produced whenever Piper spoke to her, "I honestly did way better than I thought I would."

Alabastor was currently being interviewed, and he was rather petrified, so that meant that she was next, and Saffron had gone before her, where she made a good impression. They didn't really talk about much of the nitty gritty, which was probably a positive thing since she had kept herself out of drama, Piper was paranoid that they would ask her why she was allied with the babies of the Games.

"I hope so," Piper considered giving her a hug but felt the moment wasn't right so she ultimately didn't "See you around, I guess."

Piper took deep breaths as she walked on the stage, sitting in the chair and trying not to stare at all the people since they were already staring at her and she knew she couldn't make eye contact with all of them at the same time.

"So, Piper," She did however make eye contact with Lucky Flickerman, "I'm just going to cut right to the chase and ask about your alliance. Why have you chosen to ally with some of the weakest Tributes?"

Well shit. It probably wouldn't make sense if they didn't ask that, but Piper still was nearly unable to answer.

"They remind me of my sister," Piper said, thinking of Elodie who was likely watching at home with the rest of the family, "I miss her so much, and it's been nice to have people who remind me of her and therefore remind me of home."

She thought she came up as confident as possible considering it's a weird question yet still one that was bound to be asked.

"Do you have any other things that remind you of home?" Lucky asked, Piper glad he moved on from her alliance.

"Well, I noticed you have swans in the lakes here, and I actually have a funny story about that," Piper chuckled to herself, knowing how absurd the story she was about to tell was.

"Oh?" Lucky actually seemed intrigued.

"Well, a few years ago my dad thought it would be a really good idea to buy a bunch of swans for our land," The audience's eyes were locked on her, "He thought that he could breed them, and then sell them to people because they would think they would be some sort of a status symbol."

"Well we do love swans here," Lucky chuckled, the rest of the crowd following him.

"Right," Piper had a straight face, "It turns out that the people in District 10? Yeah, not so much. So now our property is basically overrun by swans."

The audience burst into laughter. In retrospect the story really wasn't the funniest thing, but apparently the Capitolites enjoyed the sort of vain, self indulging stories like that one.

"Well, you could always give them to us," Lucky joked, nudging Piper with his elbow.

"Maybe I will once I win," Piper played into his little joke, the audience seemingly appreciating it.

The rest of the interview was relatively simple, Piper cracking a few more jokes but not trying to sound overly boisterous. She knew she wasn't as much of a bold character like some of the other Tributes, but hopefully her relatableness struck a chord with some of the people, which would get her sponsors in some sense, since she didn't know if she would get that lucky if she tried to go to the Cornucopia, but maybe her allies would be her downfall, or maybe they'd have their own downfall and she wouldn't be there to help them. And maybe, just maybe, that would be worse.

Thank you for reading the interviews! I only included these four because quite frankly, I thought they would be the most interesting and I didn't want to kerplunk a mega chapter on y'all like I did earlier this week, especially when it would be pretty repetitive. Also, there's only 2 chapters till the Bloodbath so that's wild.