"This is not what I expected, Locke," President Spanghew said, tapping her well-manicured nails on the table as she looked over the model projected above it. The arenas of the past, more often than not, had been great stretches of wilderness. All rather ho-hum, in her opinion. This, though, was different, new. Just what was needed for the Quarter Quell. And from what Locke had told her of his inspiration, well suited to the twist.
She had read the twist already, of course. She had to be prepared, and the gamemakers had to be prepared as well. "As a reminder of the heavy price that comes with war, all districts must furnish the cost of their tributes' participation in the Games." They were planning on allowing the sponsors to cover some of the cost - they'd be disappointed if that tradition was broken, after all. She suspected the competition for them would be almost as cutthroat as the Games themselves.
"I like it," Spanghew grinned at her head Gamemaker. "You're approved. Start construction as soon as you can."
Nerilla huffed as she flicked through samples of denim. If she had known that being the designer of the official arena uniforms was going to be so achingly dull, she never would have taken the job. She should have stuck to being a stylist. Her tribute the previous, Paragon Gray from District One, had been the victor for the 124th games. She should be out, helping with the Victor's tour and getting to show off her real talents, rather than be stuck in the Capitol. She always shined brightly when she could let her creativity flow. She'd been particularly proud of the outfit she'd crafted for the opening ceremonies the previous year - making Paragon and his district partner look like they were made of molten gold with body paint and drapey, flowy fabric, one side of their face masked and one arm covered in real gold, so it looked as though they were cooling into statues. She had been especially strict on how they could stand to pull off the effect correctly, and it had been stunning. They'd both gotten quite a few sponsors from that display alone. The year before that, she had worked with the girl from district One, Crown, and made her an absolutely stunning gown for her interview, made of deep purple cloth that absolutely dripped with amethysts. Royal purple for a girl named Crown. A tad on the nose, but it still had made that color the trendiest in the Capitol for weeks afterward, even if Crown hadn't made it through her second day in the arena
That's what she should be doing now - being an influence on the Capitol's fashions. Not, as she was presently doing, trying to please the pickiest group of Gamemakers who seemed to already know exactly what they wanted. She knew she had to take practicality into account, but the tributes wouldn't even be outside in the elements for the most part. That, she thought, she afford her a little more creativity.
She sighed, picking up her most recently rejected design. 'Simplify' had been written across it in Locke's blocky handwriting. Shaking her head, she picked up her drawing tablet, and started to sketch out her next attempt.
Author's Note: I had a very strange idea for an arena. Submissions for the SYOT are now open, application and tribute list can be found on my profile. This will be first come, first serve, with no reservations.