Coriolanus Snow
Vice President of Panem
There's always been an air of tackiness to Scuttle's office. For whatever reason, he's idea of room decoration is to throw in as many expensive things as possible, even if they clash and make the room an eyesore to look at. Every part of the room is a blinding gold or silver. Each piece of furniture is either encrusted or lined with golden thread and jewels. The chandelier, mirror frame, cabinetsā¦none of it is safe from his poor design choices. There's nowhere to let your eyes rest.
I watch Scuttle as he pours a glass of white wine out. The greedy man pours way too much and only offers me some as an afterthought. He does exhibit the Capitol attitude after all, ten for myself, one for you.
Once Scuttle has finished guzzling it down, he makes an obnoxiously loud gasping noise. I cringe slightly, annoyed by his immaturity. But I show no visual reaction for I must bide my time, even if that means constantly pleasing him.
"Oh, I'm just so excited for tomorrow." Scuttle smiles.
"Mmh, I've been eagerly anticipating the games." I nod along, taking a sip from my glass. My mouth burns slightly. "The hiatus has certainly...heightened these feelings."
Now it's his turn to flinch. The hiatus is certainly a touchy topic for him. I usually don't mention it much, but if I ever need him in a more paranoid, panicky mood, I know I can casually mention it. But Scuttle still shows that smile that I've grown accustomed to. "Yes, yes...I know that feeling is certainly mirrored in many peopleā¦"
"It's good they won't have to experience such a wait again then. We don't want to starve them of content for any longer. And I don't want to be starved either." I mutter. In truth, I don't care about either of the games. But I know their true purpose and how we can exploit that and that's all I need to know.
"True, true." Scuttle awkwardly laughs, raising a glass. I raise it too and we clink them together. All of a sudden, his tone changes, his voice becoming an octave deeper. "The private investigators ruled Aurora's death as an accident earlier today."
Interesting...I wonder how Scuttle bribed them. Or perhaps threatened is a better word. He's a coward who'll resort to violence at the first step, so I wouldn't be too surprised if he murdered the investigator's children. That's what he usually does.
"Well...it was an accident. There's no need for that shocked tone."
Scuttle nods along, even though he knows it isn't the truth. "It's just...it's a bit strange knowing an innocent Capitol girl died in these games." He says, deflecting all responsibility.
"It's not any different to when any other Capitol or district citizen dies." I lament. It may seem cruel, but it's the truth. "It's better to leave any guilt behind, as it'll only weigh you down."
"I don't feel guilty. Just a bit strange, that's all."
I don't get the feeling, so I do not pry for any more info. We sit in silence for a few seconds. "I'm also still shocked that the body wasn't Ozment's..." Scuttle frowns, taking a tissue to wipe his eyes.
"Drusilla's?" I say, with little reaction. My mouth twitches. I continue without emotion in my voice. "Only a monster could do something so terrible to such an innocent lady."
The body was found in a ditch near the edge of the city, mangled and burned to an extent that we had no way of identifying her. The investigators are still trying to piece together what happened, but there's little evidence. We had assumed it was Aurelia's, as there had been sightings of her in the area and the DNA was a close match, but further revelations that it's a woman named Drusilla have come out since.
It's most likely we'll never find out who the culprits are. But we can not dwell on it. After all, we've probably done worse things in our time.
"Indeed...it's a shame we'll never find justice for her soul." Scuttle frowns again, putting his glass down. "Though that does beg the question, what happened to Aurelia? She's disappeared, again. Completely vanished off the face of the earth."
"Hopefully we won't be hearing from her in the future. I'd hate to have her blood stained on my shoes." I drawl. Usually Scuttle would make a cruel joke to go along with it, or laugh obnoxiously loudly. "What's gotten into you? Have you finally grown a guilty conscience?"
Scuttle doesn't seem to appreciate the joke. "No, no...I'm just having a bad night. I'll be ripe and ready tomorrow, for the start of the Saturn Games!"
"I do hope so. You can't be seen in public with this odd attitude. People will start to question your sanity." I say, not worrying about whether I'm hurting his feelings or not.
"Right." He says before taking a rather large gulp of his wine. The glass is finished at a worryingly quick speed. But he's used to drinking, his alcohol tolerance is probably sky high. He affirms himself once more: "Right. Back to normal, of course."
I shall have to keep a close eye on him. He's been acting very weirdly recently and regressing to his former meek shell. Perhaps he'll be easier to overthrow then, though I don't think it'd feel as satisfying. So for now, I'll continue to bide my time and wait to see what happens next.
Hooray, the prologues are finally over. From next week, we'll be starting the introduction chapters. The SYOT is still open, but I'll close it once I feel we have enough tributes.
Anyway, now seems like a good time for the initial cast reveal of the first 13 tributes! Congrats to everybody who's got in and thanks to everyone who's submitted so far! Here it is:
Auberon Laurier, submitted by Axe Smelling God (18, he/him)
Baxter Parthenon, submitted by Pacecca (18, he/him)
Blu Saint-Germain, submitted by Goldie031 (18, he/him)
Gratiana Lamb, submitted by dd626 (17, she/her)
Karakaxa 'Karrie' Cataline, submitted by lexi846 (16, she/her)
Miri Sunburst, submitted by lexi846 (17, she/her)
Nefeli Brightberry, submitted by ellalovesmusicaltheatre (18, she/her)
Lycoris Ashford, submitted by Revenant12 (18, he/him)
Osiris Casimir, submitted by risingballoons (17, he/him)
Rowan Augustine, submitted by Revenant12 (18, he/him)
Tatiana Shang, submitted by Meepster202 (18, she/her)
Tiara Christal, submitted by rawlimad0000 (16, she/her)
Willow Skies, submitted by aniliang (16, she/her)
Thank you again to all the submitters so far! I'm really happy with the cast already and can't wait to start writing them. See you soon.
