Training – Morning 1
Ashara Nox, 18, District 1 Female
Everyone is hesitant to move once the Head Trainer dismisses them. Ashara runs over the instructions in her mind again – train hard, don't forget survival skills, mandatory stations by the end of the day. She lets out a slow breath and turns to Romello with a stern nod. The two of them have never been close, but she's taken a few training sessions with him back at the youth center. He's skilled and a kind enough person by trainee standards from what she can gather. Still, Ashara finds it difficult to trust him even though she knows the things he is capable of. There weren't supposed to be any volunteers this year, yet he still raised his hand and that's something she still doesn't understand. He said on the train that he changed his mind after the center's last meeting but Ashara can't see why he'd do that. Romello has to know what happened to Asher, there is no one in District 1 that could forget. Ashara isn't yet sure if he's a courageous knight or a thick-headed clown for volunteering- the same uncertainty she always had about her brother.
Ashara has never taken training as seriously as her brother, Asher. For her, it was just a way to feel close to him again after losing him to the arena last year. She had no plans to volunteer and risk her life for a paycheck, no matter how much it could help her family. When they called her name it felt like a sick joke, but Ashara knew that she had no choice but to play along. From what the trainers told her, she knew that there would be no volunteers to take her place. She'll be following in her brother's footsteps for longer than she planned, but hopefully not to the same end.
She has never been one to give up on herself, and even now Ashara finds herself searching for every possible edge she could have over the others. Today she is supposed to meet the rest of the volunteer tributes and hope that they believed her show at the reaping. It's no secret that the alliance tends to have staying power in the arena, not to mention the opportunity for more sponsors. She needs to be included, and her mentors worried that the Two mentors would block her out before she even met the other tributes. They delayed giving a decision over their messaging system to help her out. Now it's up to her to convince them that she belongs and Ashara knows that she can't afford to slip up.
The other tributes finally begin to disperse throughout the stations and she notes that a lot of them are sticking to their district pairs. It feels strange to be in a room with them all for the first time after only seeing them on the screens. Some of them look bigger and stronger than she expected; others look much smaller and weaker. Ashara watches the District 2 pair head over and she has to remind herself that there is nothing to be afraid of even as her heart quickens its pace.
"Here they come," Romello whispers but Ashara waits until they've almost reached her before turning around. She puts on a pleasant expression and looks the pair over again pretending it's the first time. The girl is exactly as Ashara remembers from the reaping, beautiful but without the fragility that she would expect from someone like her. The boy is broader than she thought and the expression on his face is anything but friendly.
"Good morning," Aristona says, stopping a few feet from them. Delias nods from behind her and Ashara can feel her hands trembling at her sides.
"Good morning," Romello repeats, no doubt noticing the same things about the pair. Neither her nor Romello look weak, but next to District 2 she feels the part. She didn't realize that there would be differences between the volunteers; she figured that they would all be on level playing field. Now she isn't so certain.
A tall boy with 4's on both shoulders approaches from the side and gives a nod to each pair. Ashara recognizes him as the volunteer from District 4 and is surprised not to see his district partner nearby. It might have been more comforting to have another non-volunteer, but she supposes it's her loss. The mood is silent for a while as the five of them take each other in, none of them quite sure exactly what to say. They're all presumed allies but that doesn't distract from the fact that they're complete strangers right now. Finally, it's Romello that breaks the silence. "So, this is the alliance then?"
Aristona glances back at Delias for a moment before answering. "I think it would be best if we get to know each other before we commit to anything."
"What exactly does that mean?" Ashara says before she can stop herself.
Aristona tilts her head up slightly, looking directly at Ashara as she replies. "We train together today and then revisit this discussion tomorrow."
"The Capitol expects us to ally," Romello says, narrowing his eyes. "If we don't, all of our sponsors could be out the door."
"I understand that," Aristona says respectfully. It's difficult not to agree with her simply based on the confidence with which she speaks. It's a similar voice that the trainers use when you first sign up at the center- hopeful, kind, but forceful all in the same note. "I'd like to be certain we're all in the right mindset before we rush into this. It will be better for everyone involved."
"We're Careers," Romello says, using the nickname from the youth center. "Who else would we ally with but each other?"
"Excuse me?" Aristona asks, her face hardening into an expression that doesn't quite fit her earlier demeanour. "What did you call us?"
"Careers," Jordan acknowledges. "It's used in District 4 as well."
Aristona raises an eyebrow and looks at Delias, who still hasn't said a word. It's clear to anyone watching that Aristona is in charge of the pair, but still Ashara holds more reservations about him. She just gets an eerie feeling about the tribute, even though this is the first time she's meeting him. Ashara is always inclined to trust her own judgement. Aristona turns back to Romello, the slight flush in her cheeks the only sign that she is anything but content. "I've never heard it."
"It's because we've chosen to train for money, so it's like our job," Ashara says for him. It's a harmless nickname, she's not sure why they're wasting so much time discussing it. A lot of the people in District 1 use the term for the trainees regardless of whether they volunteer. For some it's a point of pride, but Ashara's never felt one way or another about the term. Training is treated like a job, paycheck and everything, so the name feels fitting.
"We didn't train for money," Aristona says, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't appreciate the name."
"I don't see why it matters," Ashara shrugs and immediately she can see that this was the wrong thing to say. Aristona's lips tighten into a thin line and she looks like she is about to say something more when Jordan cuts in.
"We should just get to training," he says flatly. Ashara looks around to see that many of the tributes have already sat down at stations and a few are even talking amongst themselves. She might have spent a year at the youth center, but this training gym is decades beyond what they had there in terms of equipment. Ashara nods her agreement along with Romello and Delias; they shouldn't be wasting time arguing.
Ashara almost expects Aristona to continue the discussion, but to her credit she drops the subject. "Weapons first. Then in an hour we should start the mandatory stations."
It doesn't sound like a question, so no one bothers to answer her. Ashara follows dutifully behind District 2, feeling the tension settle within the group. She isn't sure what she expected to happen when they met, but this certainly wasn't it. This morning her biggest worry was whether or not she would be accepted into the Career Pack. Now, Ashara wonders if she was wrong to want to be with them in the first place.
Florian de Avila-Coronel, 15, District 12 Male
Florian is glad at the last minute when Ira tells him that she wants to train together. When they left this morning, it was set that they would be on their own for the day and they'd talk at lunch if they wanted to. Even though Florian isn't sure that he is comfortable with this forced allyship, he's grateful they went against that plan. It was one thing watching the other tributes during their reapings or commercials but seeing them in person has his heart racing. He's not certain whether it's the fact that there are so many of them or the fact that his murderer is almost certainly in this room. Florian doesn't have the option to hide in the wine cellar today but at least he isn't completely alone.
He follows Ira to one of the mandatory stations and is thankful to see that there is no one else there. Florian would rather wait to do them later, but Ira didn't ask his opinion and he isn't keen on giving it right now. It feels awkward even just to talk to her, regardless of the fact that she's from home.
"Do you need help getting up?"
It takes a moment before Florian realizes that the trainer is speaking to him, but when he does his face turns bright pink. He turns to see Ira standing slightly behind him, her face as unreadable as it has been since they met. Florian turns back to the trainer and, unable to think of an excuse for not starting the exercise, he scrambles up the short wall to stand atop it.
"Great," the trainer says, smirking up at Florian. He feels like he's on display even though he's only a few feet off the ground. Florian worries that he is going to be sick, but he swallows down the sensation as best he can. He's not about to be the one to throw up in the first ten minutes of training. He can just feel the eyes on him at the mere thought. "You must touch each platform in any order you choose without hitting the ground. When your reach the final platform, you will hear a tone and your time will be recorded."
Florian nods weakly, looking across at the field of platforms. He's never done anything remotely close to this and he doesn't have high expectations. He wishes badly that he weren't the first one going but there is no turning back no matter how much he wants to. A tone lets him know that time has started, but it takes several more seconds before Florian can make himself start moving.
He misses the first jump, then the second one, forcing him to restart twice. On the third platform, a trainer manages to knock him off it with a foam cylinder. Florian can feel his cheeks burning but he doesn't look at Ira; just knowing that she will be watching is enough. By the time he finally hears the ending tone, his eyes are welling up with tears that he only just manages to hold back. Florian hardens his expression as Ira begins her run, but he is only somewhat paying attention. If he can't handle a little obstacle course, then what hope does he have for the Hunger Games? He wishes he could have just stayed in his room all day. It would have been less humiliating.
Ira finishes at least two minutes before he did, but her expression has tightened when she returns to him. Florian offers her a small smile that definitely doesn't reach his eyes and they begin to walk towards the next exercise. Ira makes the first attempt at conversation, which is just as well seeing as Florian has no intent to do so. "I did awful."
"I don't want to know how you think I did then," Florian says softly, managing to keep most of the hurt out of his voice. There's no reason that Ira needs to know how badly he feels about failing the exercise. In an ideal world no one but Florian would ever have seen his miserable attempt.
Ira pauses for a moment, looking at him from the side but Florian refuses to meet her gaze. "That's not what I meant."
"Okay," Florian nods. He doesn't know why he even said that, now not only does Ira know he's weak but she also thinks he's defensive about it. He hopes that they can just drop the subject and thankfully she doesn't mention anything else about the exercise.
"We can take a break," Ira says carefully. This time, Florian does glance her way but her expression hasn't changed from earlier. He isn't sure what he expected from his district partner. Maybe something to let him know that she's actually human and cares even though she had about as much choice in this partnership as he did? Well that's certainly not what he sees.
"I don't care," Florian says and he's surprised that he is able to say that much. He's failing miserably at training, walking around with a girl he barely knows and definitely doesn't trust, and to top it all off he's next in line for death in the arena. Florian would give anything to attend another one of his parents' dinner parties if it meant he didn't have to stay here.
"Abdiel said to pretend we don't hate each other," Ira reminds him, her voice even and perfect as usual. He wishes that he sounded like her, but he's certain he doesn't. "I don't know if stonewalling me is helping that image."
"I'm not," Florian says, well aware of the fact that he's lying straight to her face.
"Do you not want to do this?"
Florian considers the question for a minute. He could get out of this alliance, but honestly where would that leave him? He doesn't have any hope that he'll be able to find someone else to join up with. Is it such a bad idea to be alone? Florian's heart says no, but his brain tells him the truth. Even Florian, who prefers to face everything alone, isn't certain that he can handle the arena by himself. In fact, he's pretty certain that even with Ira he won't do very well.
"I don't know," Florian says honestly, dropping his eyes from hers so that she won't see the tears building again. "I don't know what's best anymore."
Ira looks at him for a moment longer, searching his face as if she might find all of his darkest secrets. Florian is careful to hold his expression, but he isn't sure it's that convincing. "Neither do I. That's why we have to trust that Abdiel does know what's best."
He can see the flicker of uncertainty cross her face when he finally looks up, and it's the closest thing to an emotion he's seen from Ira. It makes him like her a little bit more, even if he still has no idea who she really is behind the blank mask. He sighs and shakes his head, trying desperately to gather his thoughts but they're spinning too fast for him to grasp. It feels like they're both chained together, dancing around the other so that neither will trip. She's probably just as afraid to fall as he is and that is comforting in itself. He tells himself that he isn't committing to forever, just until it's safe to break the chains. After a deep breath, he locks eyes with Ira again and hopes she won't see the indecision. Ira might not like the stonewall, but Florian isn't willing to tear it down even if he is choosing to stay with her.
"Where's the next exercise?"
Verdana Corbel, 14, District 7 Female
Verdana watches the three mandatory exercises as her and Levi take a seat at one of the survival stations. They never talked specifically about staying together, but it didn't feel right to train separately. Their escort has been more help than Keenan, their mentor, could ever be and she said they need to start looking for allies. Verdana hopes that the fact they're sticking together now means that they're allies, but she isn't willing to assume.
"Have you thought about alliances?" Verdana asks, tearing her eyes away from the obstacle course once the District 12 pair start to leave. She isn't sure what time they should be aiming for at that station, but even she can tell that neither did particularly well. It's not hard to realize that falling off the platforms isn't the goal and both of them fell a lot. Verdana hopes that watching the others do the exercises first will allow her to learn how to beat them. So far she just knows the obvious- don't fall off and watch for the trainers- but that's more than she knew twenty minutes ago.
"You sound like Abilene," Levi says with a soft smile. Basically the only piece of advice their escort was able to come up with for training was that they needed to decide on alliances. Verdana waits for the rest of his answer because that definitely wasn't the response she was looking for. After a moment, he gets the hint and continues. "I don't really know what to do yet."
"We could be allies," Verdana offers. She's aware that she's coming off strong, but they don't have all the time in the world to decide these things. Levi is her first choice because he's both from home and he looks like he's strong enough to potentially do some damage. If he isn't willing, Verdana knows that she will have to start looking for other options quickly. Add actually training and completing those mandatory stations and these two days are getting pretty packed. She needs to get some things checked off as soon as possible.
Levi looks genuinely surprised by her proposal, but not immediately off put at least. They've both been having a difficult time getting used to the whole idea of the Hunger Games, but Verdana's been doing her best to help them both through it. It's interesting that the one-time Verdana is actually free to focus on herself, she's found just about every reason not to.
"I guess that could work," he says finally and Verdana doesn't bother to hide her relief. That's one thing that she can stop worrying about for now. She doesn't know very much about Levi but he doesn't seem like the type to betray her in the middle of the night. He lets her speak and isn't afraid to accept her ideas just because she's younger than him. That's about all she can ask for at this point. "Do we want to look for others?"
Verdana shakes her head immediately. Theoretically, bigger numbers mean more safety in the arena but that would come at a cost. She wants someone that she can trust and so far, that's Levi. If she doesn't have to waste time getting to know the other tributes, she won't. Besides, none of them look particularly friendly right now. "No."
"Okay," Levi says, turning back to the snare he's been working on with a weak smile.
Verdana places her hand over his to stop him when she sees the mistake. "You're crossing the knots over backwards."
"Oh, I didn't see," Levi shrugs, unweaving the last couple of ties but Verdana knows that won't fix the issue. He's most likely been doing it wrong the whole time so the snare isn't going to work properly if he just corrects those.
"You'll have to start over," Verdana says flatly and Levi sighs before placing the rope down beside him. "It's fine, we'll just do something else. Make sure you listen to the instructions, though; the trainers are here to help."
Verdana doesn't wait for his answer before she gets up to move to the next station, her own snare already hanging on the rack beside them. If they need to use this skill, she'll simply have to be the one to do it. There's nothing wrong with them having different skillsets, in fact that could even be beneficial. That doesn't mean that Verdana isn't a bit annoyed that he wasn't listening properly. If they're able to focus, then they'll have all of the skills they need for the arena. At least that's what she's trying to tell herself.
"Where to?" Levi asks, but his voice isn't curious so much as tired. Verdana's already told him that sleep is important to ensure they're in the best position to complete their tasks. She can't say that she's been sleeping all the way though the night, but at least she's willing to fake it in front of everyone else. It's hard not to be frustrated that Levi isn't willing to at least do the same.
"Do you want to try weapons?" Verdana asks, attempting to keep her voice neutral. In truth, she would rather not ever try the fighting skills but she knows that fear will not serve her well in the arena. She can see a group of older tributes already occupying some of the weapons ranges and shudders at the thought of having to fight one of them. The blonde District 2 girl plunges her spear straight through a target and Verdana can feel her legs begin to shake underneath her. It looks like some of them already know what they're doing and that doesn't make her feel any more comfortable.
Levi flinches as the tribute pulls her spear from the target. "No, I think I'm good."
"Later," Verdana says, promising herself that she will head over there as soon as she feels less like throwing up. She has to learn sooner or later but isn't going to argue with Levi about choosing later. Verdana sees an unoccupied table scattered with gun pieces and points in that direction. "There."
Levi's eyes widen when he sees the weapons strewn across the table, but he follows her dutifully towards the table. Verdana takes a seat in front of the trainer, an older man who smiles at the pair and places two guns in front of each of them. Verdana clasps her hands in her lap, only just able to force herself to look down at the pieces.
"Welcome to firearm maintenance," the man says gently. "Do you have any specific questions."
Levi leans back in his chair as far away as possible from the weapons, and Verdana can't say that she blames him for the resistance. She isn't sure that she's ready to go from knot tying to gun care, but they're here now and they need to learn no matter how uncomfortable this is. Verdana reaches out and runs a finger along the barrel of the gun, trying to keep herself from flinching back from the cool metal.
She looks back up at the trainer. "Teach us everything."
Erdan Yates, 15, District 3 Male
Erdan has never been a person to get nervous in the lunchroom, but this isn't school anymore. He follows Capri through the lineup and doesn't argue when the various dishes are spooned onto his plate. He wrinkles his nose when he sees green peas dotting the mashed potatoes, but when he looks up to make a joke he once again remembers how far he is from home. Erdan sighs away the excitement that gathered in his chest and lets Capri lead the way to an empty table.
When he was on the train heading towards the Capitol, a small part of Erdan couldn't help but be excited about the prospect of actually leaving District 3. Now that he's here, in a room full of people that look at him as if he's both a threat and an annoyance, he doesn't feel the same way. He's spent his entire life trying to be that funny, cool guy that everyone loved despite the restrictions placed on him by his parents. The limits are gone, but so is all of the confidence he felt back at home. Capri feels a lot like the people he used to hang around in school, and he often finds himself forgetting that she isn't them. Each time Erdan goes to crack a joke or make a comment, it takes one look at her to remind him where he is.
"Gross," Capri mutters, poking at the sandwich on her plate.
Erdan already has his teeth into his first bite and, though it doesn't taste bad to him, he cracks a smile at the comment. "Mm, just like mom used to make. Too bad she's a terrible cook."
Capri laughs louder than he expected and Erdan can't help but join in. She's not from home, but he can almost pretend they're just joking around before heading off to English class. Capri doesn't seem to be taking any of this very harshly and she makes him feel a lot more secure than he would alone. Erdan doesn't know what he would do if he had a different district partner when she feels so perfectly fitted to him.
She raises an eyebrow as another tribute sits down at the opposite edge of their table. Erdan shakes his head and keeps eating, it's not like the kid is bothering them and there aren't really enough tables for everyone to sit in pairs. The District 12 and District 7 tributes sit separated on the far edges of the table in front of them, neither acknowledging the other pair. Erdan figures that's what this guy is looking for, except alone.
"Do you mind?" Capri asks, her voice peppered with none of its usual humour. He looks up from his tray to meet her gaze and Erdan notices the 8's on his shoulders but doesn't remember his name. Capri pushes her tray away and stands up, leaning across the table towards him. "We're not looking for company."
He looks stunned by her words and quickly picks up his tray, ducking his head to keep from making eye contact with either of them. Erdan feels almost bad for the guy but when Capri sits back down and smiles at him, he returns it. She watches him leave until he takes a seat on the ground on the opposite end of the room, clearly embarrassed. "So rude."
"The floor's a better place for him anyways," Erdan says jokingly and Capri bursts out laughing once again. It feels good to have someone to mess around with again, even if it's all technically temporary.
"You seemed to like it," Capri says with a mischievous wink.
Erdan can feel his face heat up just a little bit as he remembers the exercise they did just before lunch was called. He fell off the platforms so many times that his ass hurt by the end of it, but thankfully by the looks of it most tributes did about as well as he did. Capri did better, but not by as much of a margin as she clearly thinks. Still, if there's one thing Erdan has learned it's that you have to be able to laugh at yourself first. "Har, har. I'm going to have a beautiful bruise on my ass by tomorrow so be jealous."
"Oh, I am," Capri laughs. She finally takes a bite out of her sandwich and sticks her tongue out as soon as she swallows, making a big show of gagging at the taste. "Delicious. I wished my mom cooked this well."
"Very convincing, you should go tell the chef what you think," Erdan laughs and Capri joins in as usual. She opens her mouth, but before she can speak a robotic voice silences the room.
"Attention tributes, you may now return to the gymnasium. Reminder that all mandatory exercises must be completed by the end of the day."
Erdan rises immediately, despite the food remaining on his tray, but Capri remains sitting. The other tributes file out of the lunchroom and he watches her with a questioning look, wondering why they aren't following them. "Do you want a formal invitation or?"
"As if I'm going to let them tell me what to do," Capri smirks. "I thought you were cooler than that but guess I could be wrong."
Erdan sets his tray back down with a thud and continues eating despite the growing tension in the room. They're the only ones still there and it feels wrong, but Erdan can't see any immediate harm in it. Back in District 3 he always treated rules more as suggestions than anything, but this is the first time in a while he feels uncomfortable with that approach. The risk of detention is one thing, but he can't even be sure what they're risking right now.
"You look nervous," Capri says as she takes a sip of juice.
Erdan smiles and does his best to wipe the uncertainty from his face. She's exactly like his friends, and exactly like Erdan had been back home as well. He doesn't want to be any different, in fact he hates the feeling of being afraid. There is no reason that he shouldn't do what he wants here while he has the chance. He's never been away from his parents for this long or away from the expectations that they surround him with. Erdan has always wanted this kind of freedom and no matter what cost it comes with, he is determined now to enjoy it. He kicks his feet up on the table and Capri raises an eyebrow in annoyance, but her smile gives her true feelings away.
"Tributes, you must return to the gymnasium." This time the voice doesn't come from above them, but directly behind him. Erdan flinches and pulls his feet off the table, spinning around to see the Head Trainer staring at them.
"Thanks, but no," Erdan says as casually as possible. The Head Trainer's stare is much more persuasive than any of his teachers, but Erdan is not about to let that get to him. He's not going to spend his last few days being afraid and feeling sorry for himself, bending to their rules just because he feels out of place. He's going to spend it joking around and hanging out with people that make him happy, just like he's always wanted.
A/N: Hello again. I love training but these chapters are also some of the most challenging to me in the Capitol so this took a bit longer to get through. I hope that all the interactions were believable and you enjoyed this first taste here. The next chapter will be the same day of training but taking place in the afternoon. The two chapters following that will outline day 2 in a similar fashion.
As alliances get confirmed I will add them in the AN (they will be put on the blog after training chapters are all up). They are subject to change throughout the Capitol chapters and will be updated as that happens.
Alliances: Ira/Florian; Verdana/Levi; Capri/Erdan
What do you think of these 4 tributes (Ashara, Florian, Verdana, & Erdan)?
What is your favourite Capitol chapter usually (mine is train rides)?
Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing, we're getting through these chapters pretty fast but I hope you're having fun reading them. I appreciate everyone that is making moves to catch up on reviews, it really means a lot and I love reading them. Make sure not to burn yourselves out, though, as FF is certainly not the most important thing! Remember self care!
~ Olive