Leon Kimura, 29
Head Gamemaker
Leon whistled to himself as he walked into the gamemaker box, trying to keep his spirits up for the long day ahead of him. He'd seen private sessions before, of course, but never as the one keeping track of scores. It was a tremendous burden, but one that he was more than happy to take on.
His usual set of files was in his arms, as he never let them out of his sight. This time though, the one on top was the blank score sheet, which he'd slightly modified from the previous Head Gamemaker's to give himself more room for notes.
The rest of the gamemakers had gotten there ahead of him, and he nodded to a few. They were clumped together at tables, having their own versions of the form Leon was looking at. Giving out scores typically required some form of discussion, and sometimes the other gamemakers could pick up on something that Leon couldn't. Always disappointing, but hey, he couldn't catch everything.
"Is everyone ready to go?" Leon called, catching one of the gamemakers rolling his eyes and making a snarky comment about how everyone else was ready. Leon just pretended he didn't notice, though he did silently make a note about that for later. A gamemaker team had to run smoothly, and he couldn't possibly let something as silly as rude behavior drag them all down.
The rest of the gamemakers gave a chorus of answers that sounded positive enough for Leon to sit down next to Reyna at the middle table. He tossed the forms on the table between them, letting Reyna begin to spread them out.
"Hey, you've already written on one of them." Reyna frowned at the form in question, quirking a brow at Leon.
Leon gave her a sly grin and shrugged. "Only a temporary score."
Reyna shot him a look in response. "Yeah, a twelve. You know those are hardly ever given out."
"If the girl from Two can do it, then she deserves it."
Reyna's lips twisted into a deeper frown. "It's practically unheard of in this day and age," she insisted further.
"And if she gives me a reason to give her a lower score, I will," Leon said calmly, leaning back in his chair. "But I don't think the golden girl will."
I - Shai Kingston
Leon believed that the first session he watched would set the tone for what was to come, and he was pleasantly surprised to see that Shai Kingston was more competent than he'd first assumed. Granted, Leon had already assumed that Shai was capable, but this was a true delight.
The room would surely have to be reset after this demonstration, as there were knives sticking out of half the available surfaces. Leon always appreciated when tributes had a little creativity, and the ability to think outside the box and use something besides solely dummies was truly great to see. He'd call out his target in the middle of grabbing a new knife before whipping around and hitting it dead on, barely pausing between hits.
Remarkably, he nailed every single throw.
"He didn't show this off at all during training, did he?" Leon murmured to Reyna, who stared down at her own notes and shook her head. "He's clever, then. Most of his allies would probably want to know when they have the possibility of a knife in the back."
As the minutes ticked on, Leon couldn't help but grin as Shai was forced to get more creative with his dwindling number of knives. There were only so many in the training center, after all, and Shai still had a fair amount of time left.
"Jot down that he's cool under pressure and good at finding creative solutions," Leon said, keeping his eyes trained on Shai as he started using more of his surroundings, quickly clambering to the top of the climbing wall before calling out another target and nailing it.
"Better than some Careers we get," Reyna noted.
Giving her a long look, Leon shrugged. "He's held my attention for sure, and his skills are impressive, but I've noticed that he's largely ranged and hasn't called for any trainers to face him head on. Skilled, clearly, but still limited."
"You've heard about him and Kano though."
Another nod from Leon. "Hard to miss the endless possibilities that will come from that. I do love it when tributes do my job for me."
He heard her pencil scratch on the paper before she muttered, "I'll make a note for interviews to ask about alliance members."
Leon beamed as Shai's time ran out just as his knives did, and he took an exaggerated bow before giving them a cheeky smile. "You always know what to do, dearest Reyna."
II - Alila Perwane
As Leon noted the next tribute that would come in, he leaned back and called up to the other gamemakers, "We left out fans for this one, right?"
He got enough noises that resembled an affirmative that he turned forward again, tapping his fingers on the table restlessly.
When it came to a good show, he knew Alila Perwane wouldn't fail to give him exactly what he was looking for. And, as she made her way onto the floor, he merely leaned back and smiled.
"Two trainers," she requested, all business as she grabbed two fans off the table and turned her back to the gamemakers. She stayed in the center of the room, and Leon made a mental note to shift the layout around before the Twos got there so the ring could be front and center.
Fighting was a dance, from what Alila showed him. Every move was fluid and easily completed, with a sense of showmanship that made it impossible to look away. She easily commanded attention, compelling even the most reluctant gamemakers to look in her direction. It seemed as if she was toying with the trainers in a way, keeping the fight going with evasive maneuvers and spins that almost made Leon feel as if he was watching a dance recital instead of a fight.
When she finally took down the trainers in only a couple moves, making it clear that she could've ended the fight at any time, she glanced at the time and put her fans down, making her way over to the ranged section. Leon couldn't help but chuckle as she picked up a bow and nocked an arrow before beginning to shoot at targets.
"She's clearly got some range with her fighting style," Reyna said, dutifully taking notes of what was happening.
"It's like everything she does is part of a show." He tilted his head to the side, watching as she spent her last few minutes ducking behind objects before popping out again to land an arrow in a fatal spot. "She clearly knows what she's doing, and she's given almost no indication that there's anything that can stop her."
"Almost?"
His lips quirked up into a smirk. "Make sure they ask about family. Press on about that as much as you can without downright harassing her."
Reyna paused and looked up at him. "Are we trying to bring that connection to light?"
"My job is to make an interesting Games, and this is something that has the potential to be very interesting."
Indeed, Alila Perwane's time in the arena was something he was looking forward to seeing play out.
III - Justus Arculeo
For a trained Two, Leon wasn't sure what to make of Justus. He'd opted to fight against one trainer, his sword and shield clutched tightly in his hands, but even the shield couldn't protect him from the aura of nervousness surrounding him despite the confidence he projected.
Though his moves were practiced, proving that he had truly trained, they were also significantly less refined than his other allies. Despite that, Leon could probably still give him around an eight or so due to the fact that he was still more than competent.
"For someone using a sword and shield, he's doing well with them both. He knows how to use the shield to block and create openings for himself with the sword," Reyna said, watching him intently.
"It's interesting." Leon leaned back in his chair, watching as Justus's sword clashed with the trainer's. "When Asteria came through, she blew everyone else out of the water. At best, I think Justus will score in the lower half of the upper six."
"Maybe comparing them isn't fair," Reyna muttered before letting out a gasp and bolting upright. "Oh my god!"
A clang resounded through the entire room, making Reyna visibly wince beside him as Leon just frowned. She'd caught Justus's fatal mistake before it happened, the way his shield maneuvered its way to just the wrong spot, the force of the trainer's next strike knocking the shield into his head harshly.
From the way his body lay prone on the ground, Leon didn't think the Two boy would be getting up any time soon.
"He'd be dead if this was a real fight," Leon commented absentmindedly. "What kind of score do I give to someone that's trained that just proved he could die in battle?"
They watched in silence as the trainer tried to rouse him, without success, and Leon sighed and glanced at the clock. He'd only managed to use around half of his time.
"Avoid focusing on his score during interviews and try honing in on his family and Phaedra. The Capitol always fixates on a good love story."
Reyna nodded soberly, her good mood quickly dissipating in light of this disappointment. "He's got a lot of sisters, I'll make a note to ask about those. Scores are off the table unless we want him to clam up."
The two of them watched as Justus was carted out of the room, presumably sent to the hospital ward until he woke up. Leon tapped his pen against the desk, deep in thought.
"This is the leader?" Leon whispered, shaking his head. For a moment, he hesitated to pen down the score, recognizing that the boy's fate was largely in his hands.
"I'm not sure you have a real choice here," Reyna muttered, shaking her head as well.
With a sigh, Leon jotted down a number. "God, they're going to eat him alive, aren't they?"
IV - Phaedra Nikostratos
"You can begin now, Miss Nikostratos."
The Two girl appeared to be in a different world as she lifted her shield, the sword strapped to her back. She barely moved, waiting for one of the trainers to lunge at her before knocking him back with her shield, which Leon noticed was an odd circular shape. When the next two came at her, she threw it in a way that made it bounce off of them, giving her more room to work in the middle.
Only then did she bring out her sword, as if that enough was proof that she didn't need a normal weapon to fend off others in a fight. It worked, and Leon made a note in her section.
If Alila's movements taught him that fighting was a dance, Phaedra's showed him that fighting was the purest form of living. It was as easy as breathing, a natural extension of herself.
That being said, Leon couldn't help but note that there was something just slightly off about her fighting.
Her session was composed of three acts, the first one done as soon as she defeated all three trainers. Leon was both surprised and pleased to see that she immediately ditched her sword and shield, picking up a few spears before taking them to the ranged weapons area. She released a slow breath before throwing one of the spears, puncturing a dummy right through the heart.
"A sword isn't her preferred weapon," Reyna whispered, in awe as the girl kept throwing spears, never seeming to get tired. "But she's more than adequate with it."
Though he wasn't sure what signalled the girl to move on, she walked up to one of the dummies and pulled out the spear, scooping up her shield on the way back to the center of the room.
"Can I have four trainers again, please?"
"Interesting of her to choose four opponents both times," Leon muttered.
Reyna paused and looked up at him. "Interesting how?"
"Given what we've seen from her, and what we know she can handle, it would be a statement for her to fight five opponents, showing that she could take on all of her allies if she so chose. The trainers aren't direct stand-ins, but it would've been a statement nonetheless. I'd count her off for it if I didn't think she also chose this as a statement of its own."
As they talked, Phaedra used her last few minutes to face off against four trainers once more, baiting them with her spear and knocking them back with her shield. There was no moment where she was in danger or looked out of control, no moment where she hesitated or made a mistake. In a word, Leon had to accept that her performance was flawless.
Nodding, Reyna couldn't help but smile. "That she won't fight her partner?"
"And based on what we just saw, I can't help but notice that it's likely he'll need her help. She's willing to cripple herself in a way."
"And what does that mean for her?" Reyna asked.
Leon made a note in her section, feeling Reyna's frown before he could see it. "I'm not sure yet. But I'm interested in seeing how this turns out."
V - Merix Joss
After the abysmal failure that was the Three girl's attempt at starting a fire, Leon was hoping that the boy could at least show something worthwhile, though he wasn't holding his breath. It was a real shame that Three kids were so hit or miss most years, varying wildly from a powerful force to a weak child.
Both tributes so far appeared to be the latter.
Merix's long red hair was hanging in front of his face as he moved around the room, making it hard to read him. He appeared to be grabbing a lot of different pieces, depositing them on a table before going off to find more.
"It's like watching a scavenger hunt," Leon chuckled. "I have to say he's caught my attention, but I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet. Either way, I must say I'm intrigued."
"It's fascinating to watch his mind work," Reyna replied. "You can tell he's trying to figure out how to piece together this puzzle."
Leon leaned forward and squinted at the pile Merix had made, trying to predict what the boy was making but coming up empty. "Didn't his file say his dad created the VirtuAssist?"
Reyna immediately wrote that down before responding, "Do you think he has enough materials to recreate that?"
Shaking his head, Leon let out a quiet laugh at that. "Not enough materials, not enough time. But if he's truly his father's child, I'm curious to see what he will come up with."
He wasn't sure if he was prepared to see the object Merix presented merely a couple minutes before his time was up. The boy was sweating profusely, his fingers fidgeting as he watched his creation scurried across the table.
"Would you mind telling us what you made?" Leon asked, holding the button down so his voice rang through the room. He tried to soften it, knowing that the boy would flinch in surprise.
"A hamster," came the boy's quiet voice, his words echoed by the hamster, which evidently had vocal capabilities as well.
"Thank you for your time," Leon said. "Would you mind leaving your hamster on the table at the front?"
The boy did as Leon asked before heading out, the hamster making itself at home on the table.
Leon hummed. "Cute but not practical. While it shows promise, it also doesn't show that he can fend for himself."
"So, what are you giving him?" Reyna couldn't help but ask.
"I feel like I need a closer look at it," he muttered. "I'll go down and check it out later, just make sure it stays out of sight of the other tributes."
VII - Kano Pacifica Arledge
Kano let out a yell as he threw another trainer to the ground, using the man's momentum against him. Though he'd called for trainers to go up against him one on one, he just kept taking them down like it was nothing. He had a few throwing stars strapped to his belt, occasionally pausing his attacks to throw them at a target on the wall, to varying degrees of success.
His true weapon wasn't a weapon at all, just the sheer force that was his own body.
He didn't have the same amount of showmanship as the Ones or the overwhelming expertise that Phaedra had, but at least he hadn't majorly fucked up like Justus, so Leon was content. Even if he didn't hold out much hope for Makani, more than half of the trained tributes had already been able to prove their adequacy in a fight.
"He's clearly very good at hand to hand," Leon commented, hearing Reyna write down whatever he said. "Whatever rage he possesses, it's enough to drive him forward and make him practically unstoppable."
"But?" she prompted.
"No weapon. He's good at them, sure, but it's as if none of them can compare with the force that is his body. That can get him a lot of places, but a well placed arrow could take him down in seconds."
She nodded and jotted that down. "What about interview notes?"
"I've been trying to decide how much meddling I want to do," Leon mused. "Do I help out the endeavor of the One boy, or do I back off and let him handle it? Do I let Kano's charisma shine through in the interview, or do I find a way to bring out his worst side?"
Flicking through the files Leon had brought in, Reyna pointed to one section of it. "They could start out by talking about his boyfriend to loosen him up before honing in on this."
Leon paused before nodding. "Make sure to do it carefully. This is to test him more than anything else."
"He's got the biggest potential to be a loose cannon out of those we've seen so far," she remarked.
"Good," Leon couldn't help but say, watching as Kano ducked under the swing of a sword and hit a spot on the trainer's arm, knocking the sword from his hands entirely. "I'd love to see what he can bring to the table."
Panting, Kano surveyed the damage he'd done, a slight smirk crawling onto his face as he realized he'd taken down every opponent that had come his way. His confidence in and of itself was impressive, and Leon wondered who would be the first to take him down a notch.
VIII - Makani Allard
Easily the most mysterious of the supposed frontrunners, Makani walked in and took her time, looking around the room before settling on knives and a trident. That particular combination made Leon smile, though he was sure she wouldn't wield them with the same mastery that her brother had only a few years ago.
Makani was also the first of her alliance since Shai to avoid using any trainers, instead setting herself up in front of the targets. Leon remembered hearing about her fight with Alila on the first day, recalling that Makani had quickly lost to the One girl every time despite her quick reflexes and willingness to take others by surprise.
It was as if she was reluctant to show off those skills now, and Leon couldn't help but be perplexed. While Makani showed that she had clearly been trained before, it was as if she did it on a casual basis. Every throw of her knife had to be adjusted beforehand, as if it wasn't second nature for her. Tridents were marginally better, but only because half of Four was raised using a trident.
For a girl that had volunteered, for a girl whose brother was a Victor, she didn't hold any true promise.
"She'd be the weakest if it wasn't for Justus," he couldn't help but mention.
Reyna hummed quietly. "It's hard to tell. Justus would've died if that fight was real, but it's almost as if she's not willing to show us a fight like that. This is just more practice for her."
Leon paused at that and scrutinized the girl, realizing that Reyna was right. While Makani was improving her aim each time, there wasn't the kind of flair that usually made itself known when a tribute was trying to show off. Instead, Makani just looked like she was going through the motions. He actually figured it was more likely that she wanted to get this over with than anything else.
"I can't help but wonder how she ended up being the chosen Volunteer," Reyna whispered. "Because of her connection to Bastian?"
Leon's frown deepened. "Her file didn't say."
"I'll make sure it gets asked about, as well as what it's like to be related to a Victor, and a recent one at that."
Her time ran out shortly after, and Makani just gave them a wave before heading off, seemingly unaware that she'd somehow left them with more questions than answers.
"Not one but two tributes that pale in comparison to their Victor siblings," Leon muttered. "A shame. That would've been a real face-off."
Still, he couldn't help but find it exciting. He enjoyed private sessions for the new information it fed him, his insatiable thirst to know more about each tribute and what exactly they could offer in the Arena. Even though he had no concrete answers on one Makani Allard, he did know one thing.
There was more to her than he first thought.
IX - Arcturus "Nash" Prior
The Five boy had been one of Leon's most anticipated sessions just for how contradictory he was. While he was strong and could be a real threat, he had also adopted two outer district kids into his alliance and spent most of his time trying to help them out. The "training" on the roof was, of course, under constant surveillance, but they never took enough steps out of line for someone to get called in to put a stop to it.
Similarly to his ally Merix, he didn't go for any of the weapons. Instead, he surprised them by heading straight to the survival stations.
Though Nash didn't take long at the stations he visited, he showed competence at each one. He skipped stations that would take too long, like fire starting, but he flew through one of the shorter edible plants quizzes with a score of 85%, tied enough knots to show that he could make a trap if he had enough time, and threw together a poultice that would soothe a burn and prevent infection.
With less than half of his time left, he headed over to one of the dummies marked up for hand to hand combat and went to work, showing that his technique was crude but would be adequate in a real fight. He had plenty of range in each of his abilities, and while he'd never be the top in any of them - though he likely rivaled Kano or Phaedra when it came to sheer strength - he would be able to handle himself.
"It seems to me almost like a demonstration in which he's proving he can take care of his alliance on his own if he needs to," Leon muttered. "He probably doesn't realize the extent of Lilith's capabilities, but Merix needs this kind of strength on his side."
Reyna nodded, following along. "He could hold his own against just about anyone from what he's showing us now, though he hasn't directly fought a trainer."
The two descended into silence as Leon watched the boy again, noting that he was marking each of the spots that would cause damage on a human. He'd shown that he had a couple different ways to eat, as well as healing capabilities and the ability to put up a fight. Variability was one of the most understated parts of the Games, and Leon was happy to see them in play here.
"Focus on any relationships in his life," Leon instructed. "Family, friends, his new allies. Give me something to work with, I know it's there."
"With his focus on loyalty, I'll make sure friends and his allies are harped on the most," Reyna said. "I think he just lives with his grandparents anyway."
He shrugged and watched as Nash finished, giving them a smile and wave before he headed out. "Someone like that has some kind of weak point, and I want to find it."
X - Eleanor Holmia
Compared to her District Partner, Eleanor had been considerably more focused on survival skills thus far, and her private session showed that. While Leon could've sworn he'd seen the girl visiting knives with her ally on the first day, she didn't make a move towards them now, which was likely a point in her favor. There was nothing Leon hated more than tributes trying fruitlessly to show off with things they weren't truly adept at.
Her first survival skill was a fire, which she set up next to the edible plants station. As soon as she got a spark going, she transitioned to taking the quizzes, pausing between each one to feed the fire more. It didn't take her long to finish the quizzes, acing each one, and Leon quietly noted that she had an excellent memory.
As the minutes ticked by, Eleanor realized she still had time left and hopped over to the medicinal station, narrating what she was doing as she went. She kept an eye on the fire as it flickered behind her, willing to take a few breaks to blow on it or feed the fire to keep it going.
She had only gotten a few herbal pastes in when her time was up, and while she looked vaguely discouraged that she had run out of time, she also looked content with what she'd accomplished.
"A focus on survival to help her group," Leon mumbled. "She and Jack likely carry the survival strategies while Thay is the main protector, which isn't a bad idea all things considered."
"I'd be more on the lookout for strategizing from them," Reyna said. "They're likely more focused on surviving in general and would go on defense more than offense. While they won't attack, they've banded together enough to protect each other relentlessly."
Leon ran a hand through his hair and leaded back as Eleanor left the room. "Even the Eight girl?"
"Eleanor's the one that brought her in, but it looks like Thay is already trying to reach out and make her part of the group."
"Impressive…" Leon stretched his arms over his head, letting out a sigh. "There's a small break scheduled after the Sixes, right?"
"Right."
"Good. I have a feeling I'll need it."
XI - Jude Caterham
Despite the allure of the Sixes and whatever game they were playing with their allies, Leon was hopelessly disappointed by the tactic Jude used for his session. He ran through the plants quizzes until he ran out, scoring highly each time, and when that was done he stepped out from behind the station and started rattling off facts that hadn't been available during training.
"He did his research back home," Reyna commented curiously, doing her best to fact check the boy as she looked things up on a tablet. "He's wicked smart."
Leon just frowned. "I hate it when they downplay their own abilities. I can always admire their willingness to fly under the radar, but it makes my job harder when it comes to scoring."
"Well," Reyna said slowly, "they are practically asking for a low score."
Tapping his fingers restlessly on the table, Leon just sighed again. "My favorite is when the outer districts don't come to play. I always enjoy seeing the trained ones get surprised."
Jude just gave them a demure smile as he finished, kindly thanking them for their time. Leon did his best not to look too disappointed as he leaned forward and pressed the button to say, "Thank you, Mister Caterham."
"The innocent act is convincing," Reyna pointed out. "I can make a note to stay away from anything that could bring that into the light. Maybe…" she trailed off, clearly getting stuck.
"Asking about Imperia won't work due to their little charade that they don't know each other," Leon said wearily. "We could always focus on home life, but I fear he won't have much to say about that. See if you can get him talking about anything that makes him appealing. I want his true nature to be a shock to everyone when it comes out."
Reyna nodded and wrote that down. "He's charming enough to play off of whatever is given to him, so it can't be too hard to give him enough to work with. Casual small talk might work if nothing else does."
"Playing to his strengths will be best though," Leon muttered. "I have a feeling they'll start raking in sponsors once they start taking out their allies."
"Ready for the next one?" Reyna asked.
Even though he was expecting a similar situation, Leon couldn't help but be excited anyway. "Send in Imperia Bachmann."
XII - Imperia Bachmann
The tiny girl seemed completely inconspicuous, and Leon was already bracing for her to head directly for the survival station like the rest of her alliance thus far. She wasn't the kind of girl that anyone would particularly have their eye on, but Leon had pored over her file religiously in anticipation for what was to come. There was something special about Imperia Bachmann, and he was more than ready to see what her and Jude would get up to in the Arena.
Luckily for him, he was finally about to get something noteworthy from their alliance.
He let out a gasp of delight as she headed straight over to the knives before nudging Reyna and telling her to get the Cornucopia set up with a few knives scattered around it. If so many people were adequate with them, he was willing to see what all they could do.
Though she didn't request a trainer to show off her skills, Imperia dragged a dummy into the middle of the room. She appeared to scrutinize it for a moment, flipping the knife over in her hand before diving in.
"I didn't know Six kids knew how to do that," Reyna commented, amused.
Leon couldn't help but let out a laugh. "They don't."
Her skills with a knife were probably the best they'd seen since Shai, but that wasn't necessarily saying much. She didn't appear to have the ranged skills on her side, but her smaller stature allowed her to dart around her target and deliver deep and precise cuts in areas that would at worst incapacitate her victim and at best kill them.
"What about interviews? Same style as Jude?" Reyna asked, her pen poised over the paper.
Humming to himself, Leon watched as Imperia gave a completely adequate performance - nothing too impressive, nothing too bland. It showed that she was perfectly content with her strategy to fly under the radar until she had to, but Leon figured she didn't care either way. Her strategy would never depend on her fighting style; it all depended on her own mind and how she used it.
"See if you can get a feel for her. Find a way to make her comfortable," he said, tapping his foot on the floor a few times. "If this is her session, then it shows me what I need to know. She needs the edge somehow."
When her session was over, Imperia made direct eye contact with Leon before nodding her head once and heading out. He watched her as she left, wondering just how much of the Games were going to be under her control.
Hopefully not too much. It wasn't any fun that way.
XVI - Jaqueline "Jack" Carmichael
"Everyone's got their eyes on knives this year," Leon couldn't help but notice, watching as Jack demonstrated her abilities with them as well. He wasn't entirely sure where she picked them up, but she wasn't half bad either.
Her movements were largely clumsy, but her taller frame would give her a bit of a height advantage when compared to some of her opponents. There was a certain intimidation factor about her, evident in the way she never failed to look entirely unamused whenever someone was talking in her general vicinity. But she was methodical, unwilling to leave a job unfinished until she'd hacked through enough fabric to know she would've killed the dummy if it was a real person.
He couldn't help but frown a bit. Any given weapon was significantly less special if everyone was using it, so he'd have to take that into consideration when it came to scores, especially if it was the only thing they presented.
Soon abandoning the knives entirely, Jack headed over to the survival stations and got to work. It was clear that she wasn't focusing on showcasing her talents, it was more like Leon was watching her going about a normal training day but several times as fast.
"She and Eleanor were seen working at the medicinal station a fair amount," Reyna leaned over to whisper.
Leon grinned a bit before saying, "I was wrong, then. Thay is their fighter and Eleanor is their survivalist, but it looks like Jack is their… jack of all trades."
Though he snickered at his own joke, Reyna just rolled her eyes before jotting that down.
Thinking ahead to interview strategies, Leon sighed a bit. "Ideally, I'd like to get a way for her to actually talk during her interview. She strikes me as the type that would be more than willing to clam up and her mentors would play that off as mysterious."
Reyna paused before shrugging. "I think Ariadne could help her find a way to enhance herself in the most natural way possible. But if you want her to talk, focusing on her family could go either way. She'll either clam up or she'll have a lot to say; it all depends on whether or not you want to take the risk."
Jack ended up hitting up several of the same stations that Eleanor did, plants and first aid with the added bonus of setting up a trap. Their alliance had the potential to go far if they played their cards right, and Leon almost hoped that they did.
But then again, it was his job to make sure the cards fell how he wanted. He would have to see how the beginning of the Games played out.
XVII - Thay Alexander Yukimura
District Nine was another one that Leon had been greatly looking forward to, particularly because he figured they could both easily be high scorers. They still had to earn that honor, of course, but Leon was craving more high scores.
"Two trainers," was all Thay said as he walked into the room, immediately walking over to the knives and shoving a few in his belt. He picked up a butterfly knife and flipped it over in his hands before looking up, making a face as they tried to herd him over to the arena still set up. "Can I get two of you on me at all times, all around the room?"
"He wants to focus on evasive maneuvers," Leon admired. "Makes sense with his background. He's probably used to fighting on his own in tight spaces."
One of the trainers just shrugged as the other went to attack first, running completely past Thay as he ducked out of the way. He deliberately paused to let the other trainer catch up with him before dropping down and kicking the trainer's legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor. The look on his face was almost amused as he did so, and Leon couldn't help but realize that Thay was merely toying with them.
After that, it turned into a game of cat and mouse. Thay disappeared behind different stations, luring the trainers over one way before appearing in an entirely different area by using the layout of the room to mask his movements. It was almost as if he'd been planning his private session for days, thinking about the layout of the room and how he could use it to his advantage to shake loose the trainers as soon as they thought they cornered him.
That being said, he wasn't afraid of direct confrontation either. Leon quickly recognized that Thay simply preferred to do it on his own terms. Instead of letting the trainers catch up to him, he often led them over to an area before doubling back and catching them by surprise from behind. The trainers would jump in surprise before lashing out at him, unable to contain their shock as he took them down swiftly. As soon as he did, he'd disappear again, leaving the trainers to quietly swear and pick themselves up again.
"Charon has come out to play," Leon laughed, shaking his head. "I look forward to seeing what he can get up to in my Arena."
Reyna just smiled and jotted something down. "You look forward to seeing what all of them can do."
"What can I say?" Leon asked, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I hope someone surprises me."
XVIII - Lilith Beherit
Leon could hear Lilith before he could see her, watching as a bolt shot out from behind one of the stations and landed in a dummy with enough force to pierce through the other side. He squinted, trying to pinpoint her position, but she moved as swiftly and quietly as a shadow.
"They'd be brutal if they managed to get into an alliance together," Reyna pointed out.
"That's true," he agreed. "I can't decide if it's a good thing they didn't or if I'll mourn what never was."
She just shrugged. "I think the alliances have stacked up perfectly fine either way."
Another shot from across the room, and this time Leon squinted at her target. "They're deadly shots each time. Usually the throat. No way to come back from something like that."
"Impressive as well." Reyna traced the column of her own throat. "It's not as big of a target as the chest or stomach, which could also deal a killing blow."
"I'd expect nothing less from someone like her."
He had at first been surprised that she didn't request a trainer to fight, but upon seeing her grab the crossbow, he understood why. The downside to certain weapons was that there was no way to adequately train them against a moving target without risking hurting anyone. Leon quietly made a private note to look into something new for training next year.
"We've got cameras all over the Arena, right?" Leon muttered worriedly. "Either one of those two could crawl into a nook or cranny and never be seen again."
Reyna let out a surprised laugh at that. "What, are you worried? They've each got an alliance to keep them grounded, and I don't see either of them risking pulling a disappearing act when they have allies depending on them."
"It makes me wonder how long Lilith will stick with her allies," Leon wondered. "She's never been much of a team player in the past."
"Maybe she's changed," Reyna said quietly.
He let out a hollow laugh at that, watching as Lilith visibly peeked out from behind a station to aim at the top of the rock climbing wall, hitting one of the handholds near the top dead on. "That would be a sight to see."
XX - Teagan Kinsley
"You said Teagan hit her head during training today, right?"
Reyna paused as she flipped through her notes from throughout the day before nodding. "Some kind of incident on the obstacle course."
"Tragic," he muttered without truly meaning it. "Anyway, at least we're almost done, right?"
She rolled her eyes beside him. "Don't give me that, you always claim that you love private sessions."
He shot her a cheeky grin and leaned back in his chair. "You caught me. I find them… irresistible. My own personal show. A room full of chess pieces, all for me to oversee to make sure that the one that comes out on top in the end is me."
Overall, Teagan's performance certainly wasn't the worst of the day, but it also wasn't the best. She was… decent. Probably subpar if anything. While her eyes kept lingering on the obstacle course, she determined that it was probably a bad idea to go that route again and instead decided to go up the climbing wall.
She scurried up and down in a remarkably short period of time, though she picked one of the lanes where the handholds were clustered closer together. Once that was done, she followed the trend of the rest of her allies and started showing off survival skills.
"Not bad," he muttered quietly. "But not exactly impressive, either. Ask about her home life; see if there's anything we can latch onto there."
Reyna dutifully marked that down, lifting her head to see Teagan get a rather impressive score on the edible plants quiz. "Her home life was pretty simple, so there's no way we can go wrong there."
"She's latched onto her District Partner, but I think it's some kind of facade," Leon muttered. "There's no indication that she really cares about him. If I had to guess, she's too busy trying to manipulate him that she can't see she's being manipulated as well. Even if she is that perceptive, she's lulled herself into a false sense of security."
Teagan's showing was one of the least impressive of the day, the kind where she was merely average at best and didn't even do anything interesting to make up for it. Leon found his eyes wandering the whole time, something he never wanted to do during private sessions when he was supposed to be wholly focused on what was in front of him.
"If it wasn't for the Three girl's unfortunate showing, I'd guess Teagan would be the first one of her alliance out," Leon said, staring up at the ceiling. "It's a tragedy she's so boring. I hate boring."
XXIV - Crush Xing
"What the fuck?"
The gamemakers were talking in hushed whispers behind them, but the sentiment carried throughout the whole group. Leon tilted his head to the side to try and get a better view of what the final tribute of the day was doing, but he still came up empty.
Maybe he should've been more worried when she asked for a chunk of rock.
He still wasn't sure how they managed to have something like that on hand, but a smile that nearly terrified him spread across Crush's face as she accepted the stone and plopped it down in front of her. They hadn't been able to summon a chisel for her, but she just shrugged and picked up a knife and hammer.
Leon didn't really know how to describe what all came next.
Even Reyna was coming up empty when it came to note taking as Crush appeared intently focused on the stone in front of her, bashing the knife against the stone to chip away small pieces before leaning back, scrutinizing her work, and continuing on. It was surreal and terrifying, though Leon really just didn't know what this meant coming from the girl that had stayed silent and on her own for all of training.
Reyna was flipping through Crush's abbreviated file again, her lips moving as she silently read through everything. "Wait, I think-"
"Is that a person?" Leon blurted out, leaning so far forward that he was nearly standing.
The stone had transformed into something vaguely resembling the shape of someone's head, and Leon had to squint to try and pick out any facial features. They were crude but still nearly recognizable, and Leon had to wonder if she could've been scouted as an artist if she hadn't been reaped.
"Can you tell who it is?" he whispered, keeping his eyes trained on the bust as Crush surveyed it before nodding once and setting it down in the middle of the floor.
"I-" Reyna cut herself off, squinting at the bust as well. "I think it looks like Makani."
The words had only just left her mouth when Crush lifted her hammer and began smashing it against the bust, making all of the gamemakers jump as the rock began to shatter into pieces. The force she used was enough to eventually break the head of the hammer off, and Leon made a mental note to get her better tools in the Arena, no matter what it took.
Silence hung in the room for several moments, and Leon had to blink a few times before he reminded himself that he should probably be the first to speak. "Uh- thank you, Miss Xing. You can leave now."
She walked off without another word, leaving the gamemakers in the wake of their most perplexing private session yet, perhaps ever. The stone chunks were still scattered across the ground, a forgotten puzzle that no one knew how to piece together.
"Well," he said slowly. "It's not really what I'd call an applicable skill. But it turned a hunch into something tangible that I can work with, so I'll still call it a success."
Reyna gave him a worried look. "What do you think it means?"
"I'm sure there's a way to help her out in her little endeavor," Leon said, finally getting to his feet after a long day. "I think I've learned all I needed to know. Talk over scores and get predicted placements ready. I'll be back to look it over."
He left before she could protest, shoving his hands in his pockets as he whistled a tune and walked past the rest of the gamemakers, who were still huddled together in shock. All things considered, it was a successful day in his book. He thrived off of the surprises each tribute could bring to the table, and even if some of his potentially bigger players were going to get weak scores, he was willing to take it all in stride.
Stopping down by the back door to the training center, he strode through and headed directly to the table where Merix's little creation still sat, curled up in the middle. He picked it up, briefly admiring the handiwork before grinning and holding it close to his chest.
"Come along, little buddy. We've got something to work on."
predictions?