"Till Valhalla"

A/N: I really want to bring in the "game show" aspect of the Hunger Games into this story, because I feel like that's something that gets downplayed/underutilized a lot of the time in SYOTs. So here's the first installment of what will be seen after each day of the pre-games, "The Hunger Games Report" where we get filled in on tributes popularity in the Capitol, their predicted odds, confirmed alliances, as well as a segment on "featured tributes" and "featured moments" where 3 tributes get a spotlight, and each of the 12 districts get 1 "moment" (usually something not seen from previous POVs) featured.

Also, I just want to make it very clear that popularity rankings are not based on who I like or dislike, and odds are not based on who I'm going to have go far or die early. A non-POV character being #2 on popularity should be plenty evidence of that lol. This is based on Capitol perception (which will play into this story, particularly since this report is broadcast every night, which means the tributes themselves are watching these).

PS: I know the Careers (and particularly D1) have been getting a lot of spotlight lately. Kinda just a side effect of how crazy the Career pack has turned out, requiring me to focus on them early, but I promise I haven't forgotten the rest of our awesome tributes. We'll see plenty of them soon!

Troy Magnison, 18, District One

The elevator ride up was silent as it was fast. Troy, Vivian, Glory, and Hailey rose up the single floor quietly, then stepped out onto their floor. Hailey was the first one to break the stunned silence.

"So, what the fuck happened, then?" She asked.

"What I always was going to do," Troy answered simply. He didn't understand the surprise that seemed to be surrounding him. Never had he intended to join the Careers, and he had never staked claim that he would. The confusion left him equally bemused as the rest of the District One team.

"You can't just leave the Careers like that," Vivian said, exasperated. Hailey raised an eyebrow, and Glory looked taken aback.

"Why ever not," Troy said. "I don't intend to spend my days in the arena hunting down children. I will fight at the bloodbath, and the fight will be fierce and one truly worthy of calling a battle."

"You can't fight the entire Career pack at once, you'll die!" Vivian exclaimed. A panic was in their voice that Troy wasn't used to. They had been nervous, timid at times, sure. But this was something else, more like fear than anything else. He couldn't understand why.

"Indeed," he said, and the look in Vivian's eyes showed that did nothing to quell their confusion, or fear.

"You don't understand," Vivian started.

"Yeah he does," Hailey jumped in. She was leaning against the wall, hands stuffed in her pockets.

Vivian looked from Hailey, then to Glory, who looked equally confused, and then back to Troy. Something shimmered in their eyes.

"I did not volunteer seeking victory," Troy explained in a low voice. "I thought that you understood that."

"What do you want, then?" Vivian asked.

He looked at her with a bemused look, and tilted his head to the side. "Valhalla."

Vivian shook her head, stepping back.

"What's Valhalla?" Glory asked timidly, stepping in from the side of the room.

"Think heaven, but less harps and more beer," Hailey said. The others looked at her oddly, and she shrugged. "Troy told me a bit about it, doesn't sound half bad if you believe in it."

Vivian's expression dropped. Troy felt an ache of pain at watching the way their eyes seemed to shake in disbelief. "So you just volunteered to die, then? To just give up?" There was a bitterness in their voice.

He shook his head. "I will never give into defeat. A true warrior never does. I will fight until I can no longer, and then and only then will I gain entrance into Valhalla."

"Then why not fight with the Careers?" Vivian asked.

"That is no fight," he reiterated, his voice firm and offering no argument.

Vivian nodded her head, betrayal shining from her features as she took a step back. "I see how it is," they muttered. "It's always the same, isn't it? I'll see you in the arena."

They stormed off with that, leaving Troy with an open mouth that no words spilled forth from. He closed his mouth, and turned awkwardly to his mentors. "I apologize, I have done something wrong."

Glory said nothing. She bit her lip and scampered off, following Vivian. Hailey shook her head and walked over to him, knocking him on the shoulder.

"Naw, you're fine. Leaving the Career pack is our whole thing at this point." She smiled up at him, and he returned the smile gratefully.

"So what's the plan then?" She asked. "You gonna just charge into the bloodbath and take on all the assholes at once?"

"I'll fight until I can no longer," he said confidently.

She nodded her head. "Well, I'll be rooting for you. Try to take out as many of those dickheads as you can, we might finally let someone who isn't some asshole volunteer win for once."

"They are not all as bad as you think," he said. "The ones from Two seemed kind, just mislead perhaps. And Vivian is a strong and good person, they just are not aware of their own strength yet."

Hailey looked ready to argue that, as she had the previous day on the train, when they talked and argued late into the night. But she closed her mouth, and nodded absently. "Yeah," she said, and it wasn't much, but it was enough to bring a smile to Troy's face.

"Anyways," Hailey said, coughing into her fist and motioning towards the television. "The Nightly Hunger Games Report is about to be on. Apparently they're watching us with cameras all fucking day now. Might wanna see what kinda shit they're letting the whole world see."

"It might be of interest to watch," Troy said. Truthfully he didn't care too much to see what they reported on. He had no interest in scouting competition, or finding the Capitol's opinion on him and what he did. He was who he was, and would do what he would do. That was inflexible in his eyes. But he could always find the time to sit with a friend. And Hailey Hills, more than anyone he had before met, was someone currently in need of a friend.

The two sat on the sofa, and watched as Coira Thompson rambled through an introduction to the Nightly Report. Her and the co-host, Fabius Flickerman, exchanged pleasantries and shared excitement for this year's Games, and then dove into their first segment.

A 'Popularity Ranking' flashed across the screen, all the tributes ranked from first to worst in terms of how much adoration the Capitol citizens had for them. He felt some slight discomfort seeing himself so high, all the way in third place behind only Aphrodite and Denver. Vivian came near the middle of the list, with a rank of C- putting her in nineteenth place. He expressed the ridiculousness of that, and pointed out that they were a fascinating and strong person, who 'ought to be in the place that he was. Hailey just snorted and half-heartedly agreed.

From there they went to 'Predicted Placements' which saw Troy tied for first place with Talon, the boy from Two he had just met. He considered the man to be a worthy contender, and was happy for him to be receiving respect. Vivian again came too low for Troy's opinion, in fifth place with an over/under placement of eighth. This time Hailey more strongly agreed with the slight, but also expressed hope that one of those lowly underdogs who might better deserve to win take home the crown. Troy agreed to that, but only halfway.

After that, they got into more personal segments, as the hidden cameras on the train began revealing footage of the tributes and their journey to the Capitol. Both of the hosts got the chance to "highlight" a tribute they thought deserved more attention. Fabian Flickerman started by gushing about Juniper, the girl from District Seven. Most of what he had to say seemed to be in regards to her looks, however, and the segment ended quickly. Coira Thompson selected the youngest tribute in the Games, Jamie Curie, a twelve-year-old from Ten. Troy felt pity watching the footage of the young boy, accompanied by a voice-over from Coira that explained his good deeds back in his home district. He was the son of an apothecary, and when a Peacekeeper was shot while his parents were away, he was able to stabilize the man and save the Peacekeeper's life.

The last segment was what they called the "Featured Moments" of the day, though this first episode would actually cover two days. It was a countdown, with each district having one featured moment, and the twelve moments being ranked from most to least interesting. They started with the least interesting.

In District Eleven they showed a time-lapse of the boy, Marquise Clifton, meditating for hours without break or interruption. He barely seemed to move a muscle the entire time. Fabian cracked a joke that if the most interesting thing a district did was sit still, they probably weren't very interesting. Coira pointed out that Marquise displayed a calmness and inner-strength that could make him a contender in the arena.

District Eight was relatively simple, as the two partners officially allied up, Inesa convincing Udon that the two of them would be stronger together.

Next up was District Six, where Earheart received a pair of pilot goggles prior to the parade. They were ecstatic, and both Fabian and Coira admitted it to be adorable how they still seemed determined to wear them, even after they arrived at the training center.

Jamie Curie stole the show again in District Ten, as they showed him writing dozens of letters to different people back home, from his parents to his teachers to local shopkeepers he only barely knew. Both hosts agreed he was the Capitol's darling already.

District Seven saw Vesa telling a story to his district partner, of how he had nearly been put to death for stealing, but struck a deal with the Peacekeepers that he would volunteer for the Games if they let him go, and so he had spent the last year of his life training. Coira was quick to jump in and poke holes in the story, saying that Peacekeepers would never make an illegal deal with district citizens like that, and that him being reaped instead of volunteering proves that he was lying.

A quieter moment took the cake in District Five, as the young unnamed girl accidentally turned on the VR in her room, causing her bedroom walls to transform into a lively, active forest. The girl seemed to believe she actually was in a forest for a moment, and tears came to her eyes as she brought up her hand to a digital Doe that stood quietly. They cut away from the scene before she was able to realize it wasn't real.

The halfway point brought District Twelve enjoying a comedy movie together as a team. Denver laughed boisterously, while Sparrow quietly giggled into the sleeves of her jacket.

Arkus declared himself immortal in District Nine, which prompted Maya to burst into laughter and go into an extended roast of her district partner that even had Hailey snorting in amusement a few times.

Hailey seemed to derive much more pleasure from District Four, though, where Aphrodite threw a temper-tantrum immediately following the Career's meeting. On top of Troy leaving, he found out that District Two had also splintered off in their own direction. Just like that, the Careers were practically gone. That made him feel a bit nervous, but he kept high hopes that he would find worthy competition still.

District Two came in third place, with Talon and Lana bonding over hot chocolate and foam moustaches. Coira said it was adorable and had to make them favorites, while Fabian pessimistically said they seemed to lack the killer instinct that a victor required. Troy felt pity for the young girl who had volunteered from Two. Doubtless some external forces were pushing her into the arena, and she was far too young to be forced into such a battle.

District Three was next, Julie and Ty playing some sort of karaoke video game. It started off friendly, but quickly devolved into a fierce competition that saw the two battling and putting all their effort into a flashy performance. Troy found himself amused by the duo, and the hosts both agreed. The two agreed that they were the best "power duo" of the Games, and would be sure to win over sponsors.

The final highlight was one familiar to Troy. It was the previous night, the first night on the trains, when he and Vivian had stumbled into one another. Hailey looked surprised, and raised an eyebrow at Troy. The scene unfolded on the television, of his talk with Vivian, and what they had told each other. He watched himself dive into the story of Valhalla, and saw Vivian managing to crack a smile for the first time since he had met them. It left him with a bitter taste in his mouth, to now be facing against them. They were no enemy to fight against in the arena. No, they were a friend.

When the scene finished, and the report ended, Troy jumped to his feet, eager to find Vivian. He would apologize to them for not being more upfront about what he was doing, and ask for forgiveness. Perhaps they would have to fight in the arena, but that didn't mean they had to fight as enemies.

Vivian managed to find him first. They walked into the room just as Troy was looking to exit. They smiled sheepishly at him, and scratched the back of their neck.

"I've been thinking," they said, quietly. "And, well, I guess I never really saw myself as much of a Career, and, well, hearing that whole Valhalla spiel again. . ." they shrugged, averting their eyes to their shoes. "It does sound pretty nice, I gotta admit. I can see why you'd want to chase that." They paused, and looked up at him, hesitation hidden beneath their eyes, but still they steeled themselves up and pressed onwards. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you think you'd have room for one more person in your alliance?"

They winced as the words came out, but Troy left no time for doubt, smiling widely as a sense of relief flooded his senses. "Vivian Ostera, it would be an honor to fight by your side."

A/N: We've arrived in the Capitol! Next chapter will take us to the beginning of training, and we'll start to see the alliances starting to form, so I'm super excited! Hope y'all enjoyed the Nightly Recap, I like the way it allows for all 12 districts to get some focus, without having to give out 12 POVs per day, so hopefully that worked well. If you want the full Recap (including the full popularity rankings and predicted placements) then go check it out on the blog! Each day will see those rankings updated, so I'll continue to publish the full report with every Night chapter.

Trivia (1 point): Aside from D1 and D2 (since we saw those already last chapter), which was your favorite "Highlight" moment that we got to see?

Trivia (1 point): Any alliance predictions/hopes?

Confirmed Alliances:

Till Valhalla: Troy, Vivian

New Careers: Talon, Lana

We want it all: Ty, Julie

Careers: Logan, Aphrodite

Dark Horses: Udon, Inesa