Chapter 13:
Calisto Flowers, Gamemaker Intern
With everything going on today, it was…a relief when Seraphim told Calisto to go to the President's mansion to watch the Reapings with Mendalius. He needed to be with someone who understood the fear freezing him in place, able to openly give him the support he needed. He wasn't going to get that in the Games Headquarters where only Seraphim knew the truth about him.
"Zephyr is getting suspicious," Calisto tells Mendalius, making the former President chuckle at that. "Honestly I think Seraphim is just an awful liar and Zephyr knows that. It's only a matter of time before he questions me."
"Well, he will have to accept the fact that he cannot know this information," Mendalius responds, tilting his head to give Calisto a curious look. "You wish you could tell him."
Not even a question. Of course he knew. He has always been able to see right through him from years of being the closest thing to a father Calisto has known. "Yes," Calisto sighs and looks down at the floor, shaking his head and not wanting to meet his gaze. "He might be the only one who understands."
"But he won't, Calisto," Mendalius says and Calisto can't help his lip twitching in annoyance at him being right. "He won his Games. You did not."
"Oh yes, thank you for reminding me," Calisto scoffs at Mendalius and gives an over exaggerated eye roll. "I forgot for a minute there that I was quote unquote killed by firebreathing mutts."
"Calisto," Mendalius says cautiously.
Calisto scoffs and waves his hand at him. "It's fine, that was over a decade ago. I'm fine. We have more important things to be worried about here."
Mendalius stares at him for a few long seconds and Calisto gives him a wide eyed look as he gestures at the screen in front of them. Finally, the older man sighs and unmutes the feed. "Of course…but we're not done discussing that."
"There's nothing else to discuss," Calisto mumbles as he crosses his arms, preparing to watch this year's tributes step forward to enter the hell that claimed Calisto's old life. "Pascal Flores is long dead. These kids are not."
"You're right," Mendalius nods his head as they settle in to watch Kora recap the twelve Reapings. What a bizarre thought, twelve Reapings… "Let's hope everything we've done has been enough…"
The screen cuts to District One, halting their conversation as they wait for the two presumable chosen volunteers to step forward. Radian Ashminov takes to the stage, playing a short energetic tune on his violin to kick off the Reaping, just like his younger brother has done the past two years. When he finishes, Anastacia is the first to lead the crowd in applauding for him, making him glance back and give her a wink that he quickly realizes she cannot see and a flush spreads across his cheeks as he turns back to the crowd. The District One crowd warmly welcomes their new escort and he becomes a bit more focused as he asks for volunteers.
Mercy Marseille is the first volunteer to take to the stage, the faintest hint of nervousness in her eyes that conflicts with the grin on her face as she waves at the crowd cheering for her. She greets Radian politely and shakes his hand before turning to face the crowd again, waving once more as a proud smile pushes out her cheeks. It's clear she has worked hard to reach this point and earned her place on the stage. But when her District partner steps forward, there's a lot more commotion as two people step forward to volunteer. Thetis Oneroi, the leader of the training academy, pinches the bridge of her nose as the second boy steps forward wearing a prison jumpsuit and hands cuffed together, two Peacekeepers at his back. She tries to talk down Ardent Sterling, but when Anastacia learns who it is, she speaks up and insists that she will mentor him with Elias. Her best friend quickly nods his head in agreement with her, despite the fear in his eyes at mentoring, but when Anastacia takes his hand, the fear starts to melt away. Thetis cannot turn her down, not when Anastacia is one of the Capitol's favorites, and so Ardent is accepted as the second volunteer. He quietly thanks Anastacia as he's let out of his handcuffs and she puts her hand on his shoulder to whisper something to him, all while Mercy and Radian look on curiously.
"Do we know yet why he was in jail?" Mendalius asks Calisto as Kora discusses the pair from One and the unexpected drama.
"They're still working on the real deep dives into their backgrounds but we have a good amount of information," Calisto nods his head as he looks down at the scribbled list Seraphim gave him before coming here. "Supposedly he murdered his girlfriend while drunk at a party, but he claims he doesn't recall doing it. He's had numerous hospitalizations since then for getting into fights and suicide attempts…"
"So clearly feeling remorseful," Mendalius comments. "I want to know for sure if he did it or not if we can."
"Yeah Seraphim is working on it," Calisto reassures him as the screen switches to District Two.
The energy in Two is high, even though their most recent victor isn't present. They're still riding the high of Odyssey's victory and from the smug looks on the victors' faces, they clearly think they are on track to get back to back wins. Not even the scowl on Lotis Culpepper's face at being assigned to a career District can bring down their mood – although quite a few are watching her curiously, their first new escort in decades. Unlike the previous District, there's no question of who the volunteers are supposed to be. It would take someone very bold – or very dumb – to go against who Kat Liero has picked. Chantelle Wicks volunteers first to loud cheers from the crowd. As she takes to the stage, her shoulders are back and her head held high, a proud look in her eyes as she smirked at the crowd cheering for her. She gives Lotus an indifferent look as the escort gets frustrated by Chantelle not immediately greeting her. Before she says something about it, she calls out for the second volunteer and again, the chosen volunteer steps forward to cheers from the crowd. Vulcan Adamos doesn't wave or smile at the crowd as he takes his spot up on the stage, a hard look on his face as he stops next to Lotus and Chantelle, completely ignoring the escort's presence. Despite Vulcan not being warm to the crowd at all, they still cheer loudly for him, always one to accept their tougher tributes. Unlike last year, there isn't warmth between the two volunteers, but no animosity like two years ago. Clearly Kat has finally found a balance that works to try and avoid the disasters of the last two years.
"Anything to be concerned about with these two?" Mendalius asks Calisto and he skims over his notes.
Calisto gives a shrug, "Not really. No reports of incidents or causing trouble in training. No reported family issues – although I guess if you like this kind of info, Vulcan's father was on track to be one of the top options for the 114th Games, but dropped out."
"Darach's year?" Mendalius asks before chuckling and shaking his head. "I doubt he would have been picked even if he stayed in. But I'm glad they don't have anything significant to be worried about."
Neither of them were sure if that would be the case for the other Districts.
The feed switches to District Three, where the mood is lighter than it has been in years, thanks to Amelia's safe return. Despite Three not being her home and her not being the official victor, they've embraced her as one of her own. It certainly helps that she chose to continue attending university there and considers it her new home. Rosalina is greeted politely by the crowd, thankfully not knocking over anything or anyone with her large golden wings – but only because Amelia knew better and ducked out of the way.
Rosalina hesitantly asks for volunteers, clearly not fully adapted to the new changes, and it doesn't take long for the first tribute to step forward. Riley Roomer has a stoic look on her face as she clearly struggles to hold back tears, but she keeps her head high. But one look at her shows the years of malnourishment.
"So, her family suffered a loss a few days ago," Calisto mentions quietly to Mendalius, watching the corners of his lips pull down in a slight frown. "Their youngest daughter, not even three, likely a result of not getting enough food. Riley's the oldest of ten, so…easy to see why she volunteered."
Mendalius is quiet for a few seconds, watching as Rosalina asks about another volunteer, before finally speaking up. "We need to make sure her family gets the compensation money immediately. All of the families."
Calisto nods his head in agreement as Ryam Driver takes the stage, looking not as confident about volunteering as Riley. But when he gets up in front of the microphone to introduce himself, he takes the time to give a promo, "Hey I'm Ryam Driver, also known as R-Drive, please check out my music."
"He volunteered for his music?" Mendalius asks Calisto, who can only give a shrug.
"Seems like it," Calisto answers. "Doesn't seem like there's any family issues – well, no current issues. His mother was killed for rebellious acts thirteen years ago."
"Keep an eye on him to make sure he also isn't going to be that way," Mendalius tells him calmly, but Calisto can see the slight worry in his eyes as the program shifts to the next District.
The mood in District Four is a weird mix of hope and disappointment. After all, for the last two years they have come so close to victory. Some are clearly hoping that after two second places in a row, they will finally get that victory, but others clearly think that this year will be no different. Lucky Camden tries to carry himself with confidence as he faces the career District, but he's unable to completely hide his nervousness, still viewing the careers as scary villains. But the crowd greets him politely, slightly settling his nerves, but just barely. Some of them are clearly just glad to not have any awful puns this year.
There's no hesitation with the volunteers in this District and Valletta McClellan confidently steps forward, her shoulders back and head held high as she towers over the people around her. A few people she passes give her sneers, no doubt fellow trainees that she beat to get the volunteer spot.
"Looks like Four is picking their strongest trainees," Mendalius points out to Calisto.
"She's also good with strategy," Calisto adds. "Her father is a trainer specializing in strategy so one can only assume she'll play a smart game. Or she'll get overconfident and fail," he finishes with a small shrug.
"Calisto, be nice," Mendalius tells him, tone slightly scolding.
"Sorry, not exactly the biggest fan of careers," Calisto shrugs as the second volunteer steps forward.
Juno Ladair steps forward with a laidback confidence and casual smirk on his face. His hair covers up half of his face and he doesn't try to move it, which only helps give him a bit of a mysterious vibe.
"I don't trust him," Calisto tells Mendalius, who gives him a curious look. "I don't have any reason for it, it's just the…" he waves around his hand, searching for the word he wants. "The vibe. Seems like a decent person considering he's volunteering for his sister who's sick with leukemia."
"I find the ones fighting for family are the ones willing to do the most," Mendalius comments quietly. "We'll keep an eye on Juno."
District Five is the first District to have a truly somber mood this year. Even though the kids don't have to fear being picked thanks to the change to volunteers, they still are looking to their mentors and following their moods. And poor Letha is doing her best to keep it all together and be strong for their future tributes, but she is clearly struggling. Sloan Sonnino is smiling when they first come out on the stage, but picks up on the mood of the District, and quickly changes their attitude to be more fitting for them. They somberly ask for their volunteers and the first to step forward gets more than a few looks of disdain. Ciana Devereaux tries to keep her head up and facing the stage as she makes her way up, but her handcuffed hands shake and her lip quivers in fear.
"What's her crime?" Mendalius asks as they watch her get her cuffs unlocked and she rubs her wrists, unaware of the pained look in Letha's eyes behind her.
"Another murder charge, confessed right away to murdering her best friend," Calisto answers, frowning slightly as he studies Ciana. "Ardent, I could see killing. But her…?"
"People in desperate situations will kill, Calisto," Mendalius tells him and the younger man can tell right away from his tone that he's in for a lecture. "Take a look at District Five last year. Did anyone expect Davy, of all the tributes, to be the only non-career to kill?"
"No," Calisto grumbles quietly, knowing Mendalius has a point. "So you think she really did it?"
"We'll see what further research shows up and also questioning her," Mendalius answers smoothly, effectively avoiding the question as Morris Holmes steps forward, smug look as they give the crowd a look of slight disdain. "What about them?"
"No criminal history, if that's what you're asking about," Calisto responds with a shrug. "As far as we know, they spend a majority of their time in the graveyard and appear to have a rather…morbid fascination with death. But nothing that raised any red flags."
"Let's hope they stay that way."
District Six has a bizarre mood to it, because of the fact that technically two tributes from Six survived last year, yet neither of them were there. Priscilla Rhodes greets the District with a warm happy smile as some squint at the bright outfit she wears in one solid color. But she at least isn't over the top like other escorts and the crowd can see she's dedicated to helping them as she asks for their volunteers.
But what no one expected was for two siblings to volunteer. Kasada Masou makes sure she's the first one up on the stage and she stands there silently, watching her older brother Farren approach with a cold, calculating eye. Farren is a contrast to his cold sister, smiling and waving at the crowd as he heads up to the stage. He tries to ruffle Kasada's hair, laughing as she elbows him away from her.
"Well they're an…interesting pair," Mendalius says, watching the two of them closely. "Why though?"
"That's what we haven't been able to figure out yet," Calisto replies, frowning a little at the disappointment in Mendalius's eyes. "They've both been in the training center since it opened, although Kasada has been the more applied one. The real kicker is that they both seemed to know how to fight before stepping foot inside."
Mendalius taps his fingers on the arm of his chair for a few seconds as he watches the two, trying to figure them out. "Keep searching, I want an answer. We'll find out sooner or later why a pair of siblings was willing to volunteer together."
Calisto tenses up when the screen switches to District Seven and he sees his home, along with the person who unknowingly sentenced his fate years ago. Mendalius reaches out a hand to take Calisto's in comfort, both of their eyes not leaving the heavily guarded area of Seven. Winona stands at the front of the stage, wearing the same armor Mendalius wore months ago to protect him, and she studies the crowd in an unreadable expression. Seven is home to her just like Calisto, yet years apart have made it foreign to her. Along with the increased rebel state, of course. They all know which two people are supposed to step forward today and had vetted both of them, but there was always the unknown of what the rebels might do. Winona does a much better job than Calisto of hiding her worry, greeting the District as an old friend and cheery smile, pretending that there isn't an impending rebel threat based there.
Winona calls for volunteers and they all wait in tense silence until the first of their expected tributes step forward. Calisto watches Baylor Lennox with cautious eyes. "Are you really sure it is a good idea to let someone volunteer whose family were rebels and parents got killed by the head bitch herself?" Calisto asks, crossing his arms at Baylor on the screen. "I don't trust her one bit."
"Yes, Calisto, we did the truth serum on her. On both of them," Mendalius sighs at him, but his tone isn't one of annoyance. More just…parent telling a child something they've discussed a dozen times already. "She's not volunteering for the rebels and hasn't associated with them since Vera killed her parents and excommunicated her. She doing it to get her sister and niece out of their current situation."
"But do we know for sure that she's done communicating with them?" Calisto presses on, seemingly far more concerned about this than Mendalius.
"If she becomes a problem, we take her out," Mendalius replies simply before gesturing back at the screen where Karter Orion Beckwith is taking the stage, smiling and waving at the crowd charismatically, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes. "At least we know he has absolutely no rebel connection."
"Yeah, just a dying mother and a bit of a death wish," Calisto adds before clearing his throat at the look Mendalius gives him. "I mean, at least he used the training centers. That's something, right?"
Mendalius sighs a bit and scratches his chin as he studies Karter on the screen. "He's doing exactly what we set out with, yet it's…sad to see people reach such a point of desperation."
"Don't underestimate what people do when desperate," Calisto says quietly and Mendalius nods his head, both of them having seen that plenty of times. They watch in silence as the District Seven Reaping finishes up and both of them let out sighs of relief when nothing bad happens.
"I'm concerned they haven't done anything yet, but what can we do until they make their move?" Mendalius says quietly to himself and Calisto can only shrug.
"We keep watching the Reapings," Calisto says somewhat sarcastically as the screen changes to District Eight.
Eight is another District that has flourished in the last few years, following Clark's victory. It's weird to see Clark on the stage and realize how old he's getting – and that he's finally gotten his growth spurt. Between Clark, Astrid, and Iris, who chats happily with the two before they get started, the tributes are in for a world of sass. But, they'd also have to search very hard to find a team that would fight harder for them than these three. Iris has matured a lot since her first year as an escort and she greets the District warmly, but with a somber tone, knowing at least one of the tributes will not make it home.
The first tribute to step forward sends a murmur through the crowd and the girl seems surprised by hearing her voice. Rhiannon Collier is led up to the stage by Peacekeepers and once next to Iris, they unlock the handcuffs from her wrists. She rubs her wrists as she keeps her head down, not before they see the fear in her eyes, and Iris has to gently ask her a couple times for her name because she says it so quietly.
"That's the last of the prisoners," Calisto points out quietly, not expecting her behavior for someone convicted of murder. "Went through a whole trial and was convicted, but looking at her…I really think she was just trying to protect her brothers."
Mendalius is quiet for a minute as he watches Rhiannon and Calisto stares over at him, recognizing the look on his face. "This is why I made that rule change about pardons. It…seems like we still have a lot of work to do in the Districts."
Calisto nods his head as the second volunteer steps forward. Where Rhiannon was quiet and skittish, Kazuyuki Ikeda is riled up and ready to go. People in the crowd seem surprised at his younger age, but he just crosses his arms and narrows his eyes.
"Why so young?" Mendalius asks Calisto.
He shrugs at the older man, "He has a record of regularly skipping classes and being reckless in the District. Been caught by Peacekeepers a couple times for staying out late and climbing buildings, but nothing really malicious. We're not exactly sure yet why he volunteered and Seraphim's still working on it."
"Well you'll find out for sure in the private sessions," Mendalius tells him as the screen switches to District Nine. "Keep me updated."
Calisto nods his head as the screen shifts to District Nine. The District is really not ready for Mord running out onto the stage, full of energy and trying – and failing – to do his 'parkour'. But they especially weren't ready for him to ask if anyone is volunteering because 'yolo', causing Fonio in the background to facepalm and Lelantos to shake their head repeatedly.
"Can they really handle that escort?" Mendalius asks curiously as they watch him try to hype up the crowd.
"No, but they're the least likely to punch him in the face," Calisto responds with a shrug.
But any joking of theirs fades away as they watch the first tribute step forward. Inutil Vaquero looks completely uncertain about what she's doing and searches the crowd for someone. When she finds whoever it is, she picks up her pace up to the stage as the crowd murmurs about her. Mord seems completely unaware of the fact the Inutil doesn't look like she wants to be there, throwing his arm around her shoulders in greeting and grinning at her, prompting her to slowly smile back.
"So, the elephant in the room," Calisto starts before Mendalius speaks up, the old man's face drawn in deep concern. "She was born without her arm and with a stillborn twin. Her mother admitted to drinking throughout the pregnancy. We don't know what other effects that has had on her since Inutil has been homeschooled her entire life."
"She's in good hands with Lelantos," Mendalius says softly, both of them watching the escort's face pinched in concern. "Let's contact them and see what they can find out about her reason for volunteering – and most importantly to make sure she has support."
Calisto nods in agreement as Lobo Mirazul steps forward, in complete contrast to Inutil's uncertainty. Lobo is full of anger, his hands balled at his sides as he stomps up onto the stage, glaring at anyone that dares to challenge him volunteering. When Mord tries to greet Lobo the same way, the boy smacks his hand away and puts up a fist, ready to punch the escort, but a Peacekeeper quickly steps in and holds his arm back. To the escort's credit, he brushes off the threat with ease, giving a double finger gun in Lobo's direction and trying to crack a joke.
"He's an aggressive one," Mendalius says, pointing out the obvious.
"And trained," Calisto adds. "Training reports show that same anger – and then some – but also him coming in with a lot of bruises he got very defensive about. He also had to stay at the center the last week since he supposedly had nowhere to stay."
"Let's dig into that family," Mendalius tells him. "And keep a guard close by in case he continues to act out."
After District Nine, Ten is a sharp contrast immediately, with Roo's calm and collected appearance as he greets the crowd with subdued confidence. Behind the escort, Johan and Fox both watch on supportively as Roo asks for their volunteers. The first tribute to step forward causes a stir of movement in the crowd as they quietly talk about her. Shams Seif-Eldeen does her best to keep her head up as she makes her way to the stage, but from the rigid set of her shoulders, she's aware of the judgement surrounding her. When she gets to the stage, she's greeted warmly by not just Roo, but Fox and Johan as well.
"What's her story?" Mendalius asks curiously, picking up on the crowd's reaction.
"Ah, one we know definitively why she volunteered," Calisto tells him, happy to have a full report for once. "Her parents are in prison for drug trading and have a very high bail, so she's volunteering to get them out. She's been training since the centers opened."
"She doesn't look very happy to be volunteering," Mendalius points out to him.
"I'd be surprised if even half of the tributes are happy to volunteer," Calisto responds with a shrug.
His point gets reaffirmed when Cimmerian Hart steps forward, trying his hardest to keep determination on his face, but his small size doesn't help very much. When he gets to the stage and Roo greets him, Cimmer quickly starts grinning and enthusiastically shakes the escort's hand, surprising Roo a little bit. He does the same with Johan and Fox, stepping forward to greet the mentors right away.
"He's…enthusiastic," Mendalius says quietly. "But doesn't seem like the type to want to go into the Games. So why?"
Calisto gives a shrug in response. "We can speculate but don't know completely. His parents are both out of work, his father from an illness a few years ago and his mother very recently, so they're down on money. School reports all show he's a great kid and never causes any problems, always willing to lend a hand."
"Selfless to a fault," Mendalius comments quietly. "Well, he'll fit right in with the mentors."
"Agreed," Calisto says as the screen shifts to District Eleven. As is becoming the new norm in Eleven, Aineon isn't on stage right away and some in the crowd have started to look around, trying to figure out where the escort will make his appearance from this year. The only one who seems to know is Pinova as she stares off to the left with an amused look before Ain starts playing his flute as he makes his way to the stage. Some in the crowd cheer him on, catching him a little off-guard, but he starts playing with renewed vigor and ends with a flourish as he stops in the center of the stage.
Ain warmly greets the crowd, although there's a slight strain to his face this year. One to change things up each year, he asks the mayor who should volunteer first and they pick the girls. The first volunteer is full of boldness as she makes her way up to the stage, noticeably trying to keep her breathing steady. Sonya Starling keeps her head held high on the stage, not letting anything stop her from this.
"She's so frail," Mendalius says, frowning slightly as he takes in Sonya's appearance.
"She has a rare childhood case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whatever that means," Calisto reads directly from his notes. "I don't know but Seraphim went on excitedly for at least fifteen minutes talking about it. All I picked up on was that she has weak lungs because I was more focused on her having been in training and hasn't let it stop her."
"Bold and with a high level of determination," Mendalius comments, nodding his head in approval. "She'll fight well."
"Assuming the arena doesn't mess up her lungs," Calisto mutters under his breath, which Mendalius chooses to ignore as Ain calls for the second volunteer.
It turns into one of the more drama filled Reapings when two people try to volunteer. They younger boy races ahead of the older boy in prisoner outfit who is no doubt his brother, angrily yelling at the older one to back off. Ain looks as if he's unsure about it and clears his throat before turning back to the three victors. "In this situation, it's up to the victors to decide who is the volunteer…"
It doesn't take much convincing for Pinova and Kanzi to make their decision after they learn what Walker was imprisoned for – and some choice words from Ricky about how terrible his older brother is.
"Interesting choice there, going for the younger brother," Mendalius says to Calisto once Walker is taken off the stage and the drama dies down.
"Do you think it was the right choice?" Calisto asks, genuinely curious.
Mendalius takes a sip of tea as he thinks it over for a moment. "Popularity is just as important as being trained to fight. I think the mentors have realized who is the one more likely to get Capitol support."
"We'll see about that, Ricky supposedly has a lot of anger to him too," Calisto points out.
"But he isn't a convicted arsonist," Mendalius answers pointedly and Calisto responds with a shrug. "Now, let's see what our home has decided."
Finally, they reach the Capitol for the last Reaping of the day – and a history making moment. The crowd is excited – too excited and naïve – as they welcome Odyssey and Misha to the stage, followed by Zan. The drag queen greets the crowd with excitement, getting a loud response as they prepare to bring the first two Capitol tributes up on the stage. The first person to volunteer saunters up to the stage and Bez Dorsey does not hold back when they see Zan's outfit up close. They call the escort's style tacky, but it gets them laughs from the crowd. Zan brushes it off, reassuring Bez that they know it's over the top.
"They're…something," Mendalius says quietly about Bez's lack of tact.
"They're not technically from the Capitol," Calisto mentions, having been waiting to reveal this spicy information. And the wait was so worth it when Mendalius raises one eyebrow in questioning. "Yeah they're at the university for that pilot art program on scholarship, but apparently they've been slipping and at risk of getting sent back home to One."
"One?" Mendalius asks and Calisto confirms with a nod. "Did they train?"
"Oh they sure did. Were in the top of their class and incredibly disciplined – I'm sure they never spoke like that before. But also, reports show they were extremely unhappy with it and forced to train by their parents. Their application to the art program was all about how art brought their world into color," Calisto responds. "So I expect them to be a wild card."
"We'll have to watch them then," Mendalius says as Adonis Sylvester steps up to the stage, giving Odyssey a wave and flirty smile, which the victor acknowledges with a nod of his head. "I take it he trained with them?"
"Yes, he did," Calisto answers, but that's not what information he's the most excited about. "But more importantly, Adonis has an interesting dating history."
"I'm sure it's thrilling but what does it have to do with the Games?" Mendalius asks, tone implying he didn't have time for this but his eyes show a hint of amusement.
"It matters when the person he dated is the son of an escort," Calisto points out to Mendalius, watching him for any hint of surprise. "Iris's oldest, Valerio."
"Does she know he volunteered?" Mendalius asks, a hint of concern on his face for Iris.
"Oh she knows and let's just say we might wanna keep an eye on them at the banquet," Calisto chuckles at the potential drama that he might get to see later. He really needs to get out more. "I think it's safe to say that if Iris has any say in it, Eight and the Capitol won't be allies."
Mendalius sighs loudly at this and shakes his head. "We supposed to be moving towards more unity and Astrid and Clark are going to completely set that back, aren't they?"
"Perhaps," Calisto shrugs casually, trying to hide the fact that he's hoping for a little drama later. But he soon starts to frown as he looks at Mendalius. "You should be there."
"You know why I can't," Mendalius answers, prompting Calisto to sigh. "You'll be there in my place and I need you to keep an eye on everyone and report back."
"That's a lot of people to talk to," Calisto answers uneasily, feeling a little anxious about having to talk to all the tributes, mentors, and escorts – especially the District Seven team. "Can't I just linger by the food table and watch from a distance? You know…to not risk revealing the big secret."
"You don't have to talk to everyone, just observe and watch for anything suspicious," Mendalius tells him before growing quiet for a few seconds as he studies the younger man's face. "You'll be just fine, Calisto. I know it. Now, you better get going if you want to have enough time to get ready."
"Yeah, yeah, but only because I don't want to miss out on the best food because someone gets slammed into the table," Calisto responds sarcastically as he stands up, but pauses for a moment as he considers if that might actually happen. "Well, the tables might be safe since Barathea won't be there near Seraphim. Should just be a nice, pleasant evening without any drama."
"Calisto, we both know that won't be happening with this group of people in one room."
And there we have our Reaping Recap! If it feels a little all over the place, that's because I wrote it all over the place and at different times but yolo. And yeah, some tributes got more focus than others because they had things to be revealed now while others will have things revealed later, them's the breaks lol.
I also want to remind people to please please please make sure you are using the right pronouns for tributes in your reviews. There's a good handful of tributes that are NB and it's important to make sure we're using the correct pronouns. If you are unsure at any point what pronouns someone uses, I have them all listed on the blog - and their pronouns are in the POVs each chapter when discussing them. If you have any questions about pronouns, feel free to send me a message and we can discuss it further. Thank you for making sure you use the right pronouns! I'll also list the NB ones now:
- Bez (Capitol): primarily they/them, may use other pronouns at some point but you'll know based on the section
- Vulcan (D2): he/him, also they/them as we get further in the story
- Juno (D4): uses both they/them and he/him and frequently alternates between them
- Morris (D5): they/them only
Also! If you're a submitter, I can't stress the value of you letting me know you're reading in some way - it doesn't have to be a review and can be as simple as a quick message just saying "hey I'm still reading". I try my hardest to write everyone as close to evenly as possible, but the reality is at the end of the day, I'm going to write more of the tributes from submitters I know are sticking around. And obviously I get that life happens and you can't keep up with reading sometimes and that's okay. Communication is all I'm askin' for lol.
That's about all I have to say for this. I'm gonna go on a mini break with this story since my motivation has been real low lately for writing and I want to give myself some time to write ahead and allow readers to catch up. I'd say it's likely I'll update again in January, but who knows, I could get on a writing kick and update sooner. We'll be back sooner than later and with the holiday season, time's gonna fly by and the next update will be here before you know it!
RQ #13: Next up is the welcome banquet. What interactions do you want to see? Could be between tributes, mentors, and/or escorts.
If I don't update again in December, I hope you have happy holidays and stay safe!
Alrighty, I'll see you when I see you!