My SYOT still needs tributes… a lot of them…

The afternoon light was beginning to dim as Maxxy sat in the back of the taxi, Callista beside him, as they wove through the crowded Capitol streets towards the City Circle, where the tribute parade would end. This was always the worst day for traffic every year in the Capitol, as basically every Capitolite made this pilgrimage to the few streets that the tributes would pass through. Many wouldn't even get a direct view, forced to view the parade through one of the large screens that broadcasted the live event. That wasn't a problem for the two of them. Since Callista was a Gamemaker, they were guaranteed excellent seats at the Circle itself.

The taxi stopped behind a long line of cars, backed up behind a stop light. "Oh…" Callista said, checking her watch for the upteenth time. "I hope we're not going to be late."

The light ahead turned green, and they were soon moving again. "We'll get there," Maxxy said. "And so what if we're slightly late? It takes the tributes a while before they reach the City Circle anyway."

"Yeah," she said, "But I love watching that moment when they all leave the Remake Center and we see the stylists' work in all their splendor!"

Maxxy sighed. He'd seen this pattern enough times to know that she'd see a style, try unsuccessfully to emulate it, and then end up back with her signature stars. "You're beautiful, you know?" he said, looking in her eyes, "You don't need to copy some stuck-up stylist."

The edges of her mouth curled upwards. "You're such a sweet talker."

He winked. "That doesn't make me wrong."

The car stopped abruptly at the curb beside the Gamemaker building, situated right on the City Circle, and Callista was out before Maxxy had a chance to say anything. He dashed after her, hurriedly saying a "thank you" to the driver, making sure to keep up with her so that they could clear security. Outside the building, the crowd was thick, making it a challenge to cross perpendicular to the flow of people. Somehow, Callista managed, splitting the ocean like the Red Sea as she confidently strode towards the glass double doors. It was all he could do to keep up, following in her wake before the gap closed again.

He caught up with her just as they were about to enter. "Gosh—You're fast!" he said, "We've got time!"

She shrugged. "It's still better to be early." She showed the Peacekeeper at the door her ID, and then Maxxy did the same. The Peacekeeper checked both against the list of confirmed guests, obtained their fingerprints, and then let them in.

Entering the Gamemaker building from the chaotic street felt like entering a silent cathedral from a street of tourists. The sturdy, soundproof walls of sleek, modern metal kept the noise of the crowd outside, leaving only the sounds of their footsteps and Callista's polite "hello"s and "how are you"s whenever they chanced upon any of her coworkers. They climbed the stairwell—also sound-engineered to minimize the annoying echo—up to the third floor, where they exited another pair of double doors onto the balcony, where the Capitol festivities hit him in full force again.

All over the balcony, Gamemakers and their families sat on temporarily installed seats much like bleachers, waiting for the parade to begin. Music from the street below rose up, filling the air with an atmosphere of festive anticipation. Across the City Circle, the Presidential Mansion loomed, tall and imposing. Below them, in the midst of the Circle, there was an open center, where the chariots would stop. He followed Callista up to the seats marked with their name, smiling and nodding politely to her friends on both sides.

She checked her watch again. "Whew! We've got another five minutes until the parade begins!"

"What did I say?" Maxxy said. "We're fine."

She nodded. "Yeah… I still wish we were earlier though." There was a pause, and then she turned to him again, voice dropped to a low whisper. "We still haven't talked about your missing job."

"Hey," he said, putting an arm around her, "Let's forget about all that tonight. It's the Hunger Games! Time to relax!"

She moved his arm away, but she was smiling. "You're right, but don't think I've forgotten it."

Trumpets blared, and the noise quieted down. The screens, which had been showing footage of the celebrations happening everywhere, cut to the bronze gates of the Remake Center, behind which they could see glimpses of some of the horses.

Callista grabbed his arm, tense with excitement. "Ooh! I can't wait!"

He placed his arm around her, and this time, she didn't fight him. "Me too."

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please welcome… the tributes of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Hunger Games!"

The anthem played as the sun neared the horizon, and the parade began. The boring beauties of District One were first to spring forth from the gates, waving and throwing kisses, dressed in skimpy, glamorous outfits designed to show off their bodies as much as possible. He rolled his eyes, but he had to admit that they knew who they were playing to. There were many, many people in the Capitol that would pay to support them through the Games just to get a chance to go to bed with them—Thaddeus included, though it would cost the food delivery man almost a year's wages.

He gestured to the screens, fixed on District One. "You want a dress like that?" he said, a teasing smile on his face.

She pulled away from him in mock horror. "Ugh. I'm sorry, but I like my clothes."

"I like them too," he reassured her, just as District Two triumphantly sallied forth from the bronze gates. This year, the stylists had gone with a hot iron theme, dressing the tributes in silver and red that represented the molten metal that District Two's industry revolved around.

"It's not my style either," she whispered. "But I'd be okay with showing myself in public in a dress like that."

District Three entered, but he wasn't looking at them anymore. He was willing time to go faster—District Four was next! He vaguely heard Callista say something about the decent design choices for District Three, but he wasn't paying attention.

District Four emerged—and an audible sigh rolled across the crowd. Callista gasped in horror. This year, the usually magnificent sea gods and goddesses were… waterspouts? The swirls of blue around and around the tributes weren't ugly, per se, but they were more fitting for an upper class cocktail party, not a chariot ride through the Capitol.

"What were they thinking?" Callista said, "That's horrendous!"

He squinted as the cameras zoomed in on Lazarus and Mariam, who looked equally uncomfortable in their nightmarish costumes. The wind was blowing, but her hair was tied back in a bun, tucked into the fabric. In the corner of the frame, he could see Mariam picking at the thread around her waist.

Suddenly, the swirls around her began to unfurl as she unspiralled the "waterspout" around her body, letting the fabric catch in the wind. The cameras cut away from a brief moment to welcome District Five, but it was back on District Four before long. Mariam had undone her bun, and she looked like she was fluttering in the wind, her hair and unraveled robe waving behind her as the evening light shone on her face. The sigh became a gasp, and then a cheer, as Mariam helped Lazarus with his robe. He looked much better once the tight spiral around him was undone, but he couldn't match the radiance of his District partner.

As everyone around him cheered, Maxxy groaned. It was back. The aura. The knot in his stomach that told him that something wasn't quite right. He couldn't focus on the rest of the tribute parade, instead wracking his mind for answers and searching the footage for any sign of the stomach-churning girl, nodding just enough to convince Callista he was still paying attention to her. Once the tributes entered the City Circle, close enough for Maxxy to see them in person, his eyes were locked on Mariam. During the President's welcome speech, she looked fiercely ahead, revealing the same fire that he had seen during the reapings but also betraying a little bit of fear and wonder—which only annoyed him further. What was wrong with her? Was there something wrong with him? There was only one option—further observation.

On the ride home, Callista was full of words. "…I was really excited to see that District Six had stars this year!" she said, "It's really cohesive with the idea of transportation…"

He nodded, smiled, and then grunted in time to her rambling, but he was trying to find a way to observe Mariam more. The tributes' daily activities in training were broadcasted on television, but that stuff was highly edited and filtered, at least according to his second cousin Caesar, who was studying the art of film and television at the preeminent arts school in the capital.

"…and the color of the stars was super unusual! I've never tried green—do you think that would look good on me?"

"Huh? Yes!" he said, "As long as you aren't wearing a purplish-blue." She rambled on, but he couldn't bring himself to stop her. This was really the only night of the year where Callista was this energetic. She was usually the uptight one; it was good for her to let loose every so often. Besides, she'd go back to her hectic Gamemaker life the next day, observing the tributes…

Maybe he could go with her. That'd provide him a way to get close to the tributes and watch for clues.

The car pulled to a stop below the complex, and the two stumbled back into their condo. Maxxy immediately went for the alcohol. "You want some?"

"Just a little," she said, "Tomorrow's going to be crazy busy. I don't need a hangover."

He handed her the glass. "Hey, I was wondering— can I tag along with you to work tomorrow? I'm just really interested in this year's tributes."

"Wh—" she started. "Oh wait. You don't have a job anymore."

"So what do you say?"

"I… don't think so," she said.

"Why not?"

"A lot of my coworkers know about you, Maxxy," she sighed. "They've heard the gossip that you're a worthless nobody that can't handle responsibility. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

He stared at her. "So you're embarrassed to be seen with me."

"No! It's just that I don't want them to know that you're out of a job again," she said, "If you appear tomorrow, they'll all know that you're not at work."

He nodded slowly. "I… understand." But he still needed a way in. "Could I get in… if I pretended to be not-your-husband?"

She looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"We get in with the Peacekeeper, and then I'll change my outfit!" he said, "Maybe I'll pretend to be a new intern. There's so many people working there; no one will know."

"That's crazy!"

"Think about it!"

She cocked her head. "Maybe I've just had too much to drink… but I think I could see that working."

"So yes?"

"Only if we leave extra early. We can't have anyone see that we're entering together."

Pshaw— small cost! "When do we leave?"

"How about… six?"

"Six!"

"Just to be safe."

He opened his mouth, but then he shut it again. She wouldn't budge on this one, and he'd already gotten more than he expected. "Then I'll set the alarm."

He entered the bedroom as Callista closed herself in the bathroom to get ready for bed. "Alarm on."

"Alarm on," the smart alarm repeated. "What time would you like?"

"5:30 A.M."

"Alarm set for 5:30 A.M. What mode would you like?"

He paused. That morning, the alarm had been set to 'friendly' mode, and it clearly hadn't worked. "Umm… hostile mode."

"Hostile alarm set for 5:30 A.M. tomorrow morning. Have a good night."

He washed and brushed his teeth in the kitchen sink because he knew Callista would take forever in the bathroom, and he was already in bed by the time she was done.

He winked at her. "You want to have some fun—"

She glared at him. "No. We've got to be up early tomorrow."

Ah well—considering everything he'd asked for, it'd been a success.

A/N: Well, here's Part 2. The way things are looking now, this story will have about… 3 or 4 more chapters? It's a short fic, but it was always intended to be short.

Please submit to my SYOT! The deadline might get pushed back because I've only received one submission so far. The next prologue is going up tomorrow, and I'll hopefully be able to keep promoting it here.

Do you think Maxxy's plan will work? If it does, what will he discover? If it doesn't, what will happen to him?