"A goal without a plan is just a wish."

― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Merix Joss, 15

District Three Male

Wherever Merix Joss went, his other half followed.

It was a truth that followed them their entire lives. Agoura was more than just his twin - she was his other half. Her strength was enough to get him through the hard days where he felt weak enough to just give up entirely. It was like having a built in best friend, someone to always be there for him and protect him. She was his strength, his protector, when he thought all he could do was give up.

Weakness was something that haunted Merix his entire life, crippling him before he even had a chance to be strong. District Three wasn't known for strength, but that didn't seem to matter when it came to Merix. Just as Agoura told him he was special, the children at school seemed to recognize it as well. But they didn't see it as a good thing, rather, they preyed upon it. Weakness is to be exploited, after all. Better Merix than them. Home became Merix's safe haven, where he could really be himself away from the prying eyes of children looking to take advantage of his weakness. There was nothing to be afraid of at home. He could do whatever he wanted; he was stronger than ever when he was surrounded by those that loved him.

From the time the twins were six years old, they were tinkering around in their father's lab. Due to his prestige after creating the VirtuAssist, they were able to live in one of the nicer neighborhoods of District Three. Merix's favorite pastime involved using the VirtuAssist to create his own programs, usually ones involving music. He could make anything he wanted, but the goal was always to make Agoura smile. It was the only time in his life that Merix ever felt strong. Her smile could lend him all the strength he needed to get through the day, and together they were as free as any birds in the sky.

But that's how Merix learned that happiness was fleeting. There for an instant, and then gone.

There were things that still lingered, though. It wasn't all gone - it never was. But Merix could still feel the emptiness, the way he longed for something completely and utterly unattainable and there was nothing that would ever bring it back.

"Ha! I win this time," Merix cheered as he set down his controller, stretching his fingers for a few minutes. "That makes the score 4-5, right?"

Beside him, Agoura mimicked his actions. "Correct, I am still winning. You have done very well though, brother. Since you are catching up to me, maybe I will stop going easy on you."

Shooting his sister a dirty look, Merix sat up a little straighter. "No way have you been going easy on me! I'm just getting into the rhythm of things."

Still, it stung a bit, the insinuation that Merix couldn't win without someone going easy on him. His old insecurities rose up again despite himself, making him wipe clammy hands on the fabric of his skirt. He took in a deep breath, trying to push away those feelings. It wasn't fair to Agoura. It wasn't like she could fully understand how he felt.

Agoura paused, her monotonous voice betraying a slightly quizzical tone as she said, "But I have always been better at video games, yes?"

Cracking a smile, Merix couldn't help but nod and agree. Agoura was definitely better at video games; she'd been coming up with her own ideas for them since they were just kids. It was actually her idea to build the racing game they were trying out now, though Merix was the one that actually ended up creating it.

"You have," he confirmed with a nod, shaking off the insecurities. This was Agoura, after all. She didn't mean anything by it (she didn't even know better) and he'd rather just keep playing games with her.

"Another round, then?" she offered, getting one set up again.

Merix let himself settle back into the familiarity of the moment, letting himself remember how things were supposed to be. If he could concentrate on that, maybe he could forget how things really were…

Leaning forward, Merix maneuvered his car around Agoura's on the screen. She could almost always take the lead in the beginning, since she knew exactly when to start, but he caught up with her in the middle. That's where he had to figure out how to shave a few seconds off at a time, finding shortcuts to take as Agoura would only stick to the main path. Most of the time he still couldn't defeat her, but evidently today he'd given her a good run for her money.

"How was school today?" Agoura asked. She wouldn't know, as she stayed home all day. Merix had to go to school alone, day after day, and deal with it on his own.

Merix frowned instinctively. School had never been one of his favorite activities. Agoura used this distraction to take the lead once more, her car racing around his as he thought back through his day. He didn't mind her taking advantage of his distraction; video games were more her thing and he was happy enough to watch her succeed.

"Classes were fine," he said honestly. There was no need to lie to Agoura, after all. "The boys left me alone again, I guess this skirt thing is still working."

His hand drifted away from his controller to rub the material of his skirt once more. Everyone at school wore a mask to prevent their weaknesses from being discovered, but this was his. His looks were enough to make people genuinely believe he was a girl, and then he wouldn't have to hear people tell him he was weak "even though he was a boy."

It wasn't fair. Girls were allowed to be weak. But when Merix was seen as a boy, he was compared to a standard that he couldn't possibly measure up to. It dwarfed him, and when he couldn't meet those standards, he would be beaten back even more.

But the moment Merix donned the skirt and became seen as a girl, it all stopped. There was no more getting bullied, no more getting stopped in the hallway, no more laughter that came along with the word weak. For girls, it was allowed. For Merix, it was frowned upon because of something he couldn't change. So he changed what he could.

"Yes, I notice you still wear her things."

The comment was enough to throw Merix out of the blissful reverie he'd been in. Up until now, this was just as good - no, better - than a dream.

Without realizing it, Merix had curled in on himself. His arms were wrapped around his legs, his knees tucked into his chest. For a moment, all he could think of was how thankful he was that none of the boys from school were here to see him. He would be no better than prey, surrounded by predators that continuously proved how much stronger they were.

His sister had always been the one to protect him. Maybe it should've been the other way around? Merix knew it wasn't logical to believe there was any hope of saving his sister, but maybe there was something. They'd both been weak from the start but he was here and she was gone and could anything have been different? Was this where they were both supposed to end up?

Weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, weak-

"You seem distressed about something, Brother," said a voice next to him. The mechanical quality was unavoidable this time, making him acutely aware of what really sat next to him.

Merix's eyes scanned over the robot that carried his sister's personality, some of her looks, and even the things she liked to do. It was nothing more than an object and yet it had filled in the gaping hole in Merix's heart that had been left by Agoura's death. One of his dreams was to help other people, like giving them a robot that still held the ideals of the loved one they lost.

He faltered as he looked at Agoura, who both was and wasn't his sister. He had long ago promised Agoura he'd be strong, but he'd broken that promise over and over again since then. Surely she wouldn't be proud of the way he'd shattered it just like- like-

"... I'm still weak," he said softly. There was no use in hiding anything from Agoura. Either way, she couldn't really understand, so there was nothing to lose. "After all this time, nothing has changed. I've tried to be like Agoura, I've even worn her clothes, and it's just been another way of hiding. If that's all I've done, I'm just weaker than ever."

Agoura didn't respond to that, but Merix couldn't blame her. She was a robot after all, there was no way she could learn human emotions or be able to empathize with him.

But… if Merix didn't do anything, he was going to repeat this cycle again and again. There would be no escaping it. Weakness was his truth, one that he would never be able to escape. Unless…

"I don't want to be weak forever," he whispered, mostly to himself.

"I do not recall her considering you weak," Agoura said, sounding puzzled as she searched back through some of the memories Merix had told her about. "But if there is any way I can help, I would be more than happy to assist you in your endeavor."

The good thing about this Agoura was that she didn't try to sugarcoat anything. Merix liked that about her, the way she always stated the truth. She wouldn't tell him pretty lies just to cover up the ugly truth. After all, Merix had stared down this truth every day of his life, even going so far as masquerading as a girl to prevent others from bullying him for his weakness.

"I think we should make a plan for this," Merix said with a nod. "We can do the research to find a proper exercise and dieting regiment over the course of the next week, and then after the reapings we can implement it!"

Agoura immediately began going through her data systems to begin the research process, and Merix was buzzing at the idea himself. Change was finally happening, but he was the one to instigate it this time.

If there was one thing he wanted to do for his sister, it was finally fulfilling his promise of learning to be strong. He wasn't sure how he'd do it, but he would finally start taking steps in the right direction.

Merix Joss was tired of being haunted by his own weakness, but maybe now, once he changed, he'd be able to contribute to society in a truly meaningful way.

After all, that's all he really wanted.

Leon Kimura, 29

Head Gamemaker

Grinning down at the plans in his hand, Leon couldn't help but shake his head slightly. Those tributes really had no idea what was coming this year…

"Leon!" called Reyna, one of his closest gamemaker friends, waving him over as soon as he stepped into one of the private labs. He quickly shut the folder containing all of his important documents - which never left his side - and gave her a bright smile.

"You got the list all ready for me?" Leon asked excitedly as he sat down across from her.

Reyna nodded and began pulling out the list of tributes for the year. Several days before the reaping, yes, but that's just how things went around here. With the pre-reaping done and over with, that allowed the gamemakers extra time to get things prepared with the confirmed tributes in mind. Of course, they couldn't get all of the tributes on there (as no one could figure out the outer district volunteers in advance) but it gave them enough to base things on. Then at the end of the week, those same names would find their way out of the official reaping bowl. Or they would be the volunteers that the Capitol had come to expect.

Leon was fascinated by the Career pack. They were always dynamic and changed the way the Games played out every year. Those were the tributes he could count on the most, throwing away their lives with the confidence that they would be the one sole survivor in the end.

"How are the Careers looking this year?" Leon picked up the information on the District One Female - Alila Perwane, evidently - and started skimming through it.

"Strong, from what I can tell," Reyna said before pushing another document in front of Leon. "Here's your number one predicted placement."

Blinking, Leon stared at the paper for a long moment before picking it up. He wouldn't normally be so unaffected by someone else making a decision that should be his, but this was Reyna and he valued her opinion above anyone else's.

Phaedra Nikostratos, District Two. He looked through her information, his eyes catching on the name Thetis before grinning as he saw exactly why Reyna had instantly latched onto the girl.

"This is the Styxian one, isn't she? The one they've been waiting for?" Leon knew all about their silly superstitions. He couldn't imagine believing in some kind of higher power like that. It was all quite ridiculous to him, but this 17 year old girl would certainly make things interesting for him if the rumors about her abilities were true.

Reyna gave him a little smile and nodded. "That's her, and I know there's ah… something about her District Partner as well."

She pointed down to a line on the boy's page, making Leon nod slowly. "Mark him down for second," he said, even as Reyna raised an eyebrow at him.

"Come on Leon, you know it says he-"

"I want him as second," Leon said more firmly. He knew how the game worked, and he figured Justus had made it for a reason. He looked strong and appeared to be a pretty good strategist. If Phaedra was on his side it was entirely possible he'd make it far. And if he didn't… well, things were always more interesting when the predicted placements shifted around.

Leon looked through all six of the Careers, trying to determine how to position the rest of them in the top six. Kano appeared strong and fairly well-rounded and would do well as third. Shai wasn't the strongest of his class but managed to surpass them all with his intellect in the end, so he would work as while Alila was very talented, she would have issues against certain fighting styles, landing her in the fifth slot.

He frowned down at the final Career again, making Reyna speak up once more.

"No one's exactly sure what's happening there," she whispered, purposefully keeping her voice low. "By all accounts, Makani doesn't seem to have the attitude to go into the Games, but if she's anything like her brother she's certainly capable."

Leon had thoroughly enjoyed Bastian's games, as Bastian surprised everyone by being exceptionally good at playing the game. He managed to charm everyone he came into contact with and won over a good chunk of the sponsors just by acting as if nothing was happening at all. Honestly, everyone thought the District Nine girl would win until Bastian did away with her and ended up winning it all.

"I sure hope she can put on a show like that," Leon said quietly before putting her in sixth.

Seventh went to Arcturus, a District Five boy that at least looked strong enough to be a threat even if he appeared to be a lot more foolishly optimistic on second glance. Leon was delighted to find out that the District Twelve Female not only had a threatening sounding name but also looked to be a bit unhinged. Crush Xing would likely not come to play; eighth seemed like a good fit for her. And he'd heard a few rumors about the District Nine Female, enough to land Lilith in ninth.

Leon frowned as he picked up the information for the District Six kids again. It was spottier than he would've liked, but he was always willing to make do with what he had.

"She looks like she'd kill me," he said with a laugh, pointing to the girl's picture. "Well, actually, her grades are high enough that I think she'd figure out a way to outsmart me and then kill me."

Reyna's lips quirked upwards. "Would that really be so hard?"

Leon gasped dramatically and placed a hand to his chest. "Oh no, a betrayal! And by my own friend! How will I ever go on?"

She just rolled her eyes and glanced down at the pair. "I'd say they're both a threat of some sort, but I wouldn't place them any higher than eleventh and fifteenth until we can get more of a feel for them. There's gotta be something up with them, though."

Nodding, Leon pushed their papers aside. "You're right. They were chosen specifically and I don't think I want to know why."

Leon and Reyna made quick work of the rest of the tributes, assigning their predicted placements with whatever information they had. Leon couldn't help but feel bad for the District Three Male, who looked like he couldn't even harm a fly and would probably have some kind of mental breakdown as soon as he saw how strong the other tributes were compared to him. The smart kids were the hardest to place, as it was always a struggle of whether or not they'd even live long enough to show off their strong suits.

Sighing, Leon leaned back in his chair. It was a hard game to play, and to be the master of it? Well, he'd been preparing for years and even then he wasn't sure if he was ready. He didn't think anyone ever particularly was, but…

"You know, I still think we should bump down the Two kid," Reyna said as she brought out Justus's information again. "Isn't second too high?"

"Not if it's part of the game," Leon said, giving her a grin.

Reyna frowned at him, her hands stilling on Justus's picture. "The game?"

He shrugged and gave her an easy smile. "They're just numbers, Rey. I know that and you know that, but those tributes will let these precious numbers work their way into their heads. My job is to entertain the Capitol in this drawn out show we put on, and I'll use whatever I can to my advantage."

To his surprise, Reyna just stared at him for several long moments, long enough that he wished he'd held his tongue. He instantly ran his words back, trying to determine what it was that had dampened her mood, but he couldn't immediately pick anything out.

The silence was crushing, and just as Leon opened his mouth to fix it, Reyna beat him to it.

"You've changed."

The words were spoken quietly, but Leon heard them all the same. To be honest, he wasn't sure what she meant. He was still the same person he'd always been, but now he had the power to back up his ideas. His plans would finally be able to come to fruition, able to see the light of day under his control.

He slowly shook his head. "I'm still the same as I've always been. You helped me out when it came to recommendations. Did you not really want me to have this?"

The fact that he was blindsided by whatever was happening shocked Leon the most. It was his job to be on top of everything, now more than ever, and he had no clue what Reyna was on about.

Reyna stared at him for a long moment before shaking her head. "Forget it, Leon. You'll figure it out sooner or later. We can meet up as the reapings actually happen to iron out the wrinkles in your little list."

He stared down at the list in his hand, which held the very first key to these Games. It was all a game after all, and his plans were going to come to fruition soon enough. Leon hadn't worked this hard to let it all crumble around him.

In all honesty, he knew what Reyna was talking about. But the thing was, Leon hadn't changed. He just knew his role and how to play it and if he ended up becoming the villain for a little while along the way, so be it. Leon had his own agenda and no one would be able to stop him.

Standing up, Leon gave Reyna a playful smile that made her relax a bit. "I won't change on you too much, Rey," he said with a wink. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

She shook her head and ran a hand through her dark hair. "I know that for sure. Do you want me to get the mirrors set up now?"

Leon brightened at the mention of those and nodded quickly. "If you start programming them while I run back to my office, I can get the blueprints for the arena to you soon."

Reyna sent him off with a casual wave, her little digs at him seemingly forgotten. Leon wouldn't forget, though.

Sometimes to play the game, you had to be willing to become a villain. But to take charge of the game? Oh, that was a different kind of monster indeed.

ayyyy hi sexies sorry it's past sunday when i give myself due dates i also pointedly ignore them because i'm #builtdifferent. i suppose i'm hoping for weekly updates but also things happen when they happen. intros kinda fuck though i won't lie it was just leon here that gave me issues. oh and sub season which is basically over for me so i hope i can crack down on these sexy sexy intros.

no thank you to my dear linds (ladyqueerfoot) for giving me merix who is a fucking gem and you're a terrible mother for giving him to me. why is he like this. what's wrong with you. what the fuck. anyway he's a gem and i will ruin him. oh and all of your other kids so keep that in mind. i'm excited for it and so is leon.

hm... next pair of intros will be makani (who is mine ehehe) and kano, the d4 vibes from both of them are immaculate and i'm excited to hit up my last career district. so... expect that whenever it gets done i suppose? yeah that sounds about right.

eh i don't really have much more to say in this a/n. fuck bitches get money. lemme know how you like the child. i like reviews if ur up for it.

~de laney is out