Vanilla's POV: Head Gamemaker: (Europa22)

"Miss Vanilla?"

I spun around and glared at the owner of the voice.

"What?" I practically growled

Draton looked surprised by my outright hostility as he responded, "I just needed the type of glass you wanted the chandelier to be made out of... The one that will be hung at the ball."

"Glass is glass, Draton. I assure you that you can solve this problem without my supervision," I hissed.

I spun back to the window and glared at the city. Another thing the Gamemakers knew about me was not to disturb me when I was in my private chambers. No matter where our headquarters were, I made sure there was a small room set up just for me. Perhaps it was selfish to do so, but sometimes I needed to be alone.

"Is everything alright, Miss Vanilla?"

I slowly clenched and unclenched my fists. In all honesty, everything was fine. All my tasks were getting done in a timely matter and I could not help but admire my teams work ethic. Everything was going fine.

But, sometimes, I just could not be happy all the time. Sometimes I just needed to be upset, even if I did not have a reason. Sometimes...

"Everything is fine," I sighed as I turned back around. I flashed him the smile that had fooled many before him. "I just needed some time to think."

"It becomes fairly unbearable sometimes, does it not?" He empathized.

"Yes... Unbearable..." I murmured.

Unbearable was the perfect word. My urges sometimes became unbearable. The Capitol sometimes became unbearable. Sometimes life itself was unbearable. It felt like there was nothing worth living for...

"But what am I saying," I giggled, "nothing is unbearable for me! I am the one who can make the impossible possible!"

"Of course, Miss Vanilla," Draton sighed as he bowed slightly.

"As for the glass," I continued as I walked past him, out of the dark room, "I was thinking red sea glass and the new glass Grapil made! You know, the kind blown with flecks of diamonds in them! The light would bounce off of them marvelously!"

"A terrific idea," he replied politely.

"Is it not?" I sighed dreamily.

We were now in the main conference room and everyone had heard the last bit of our conversation.

"As Xenon said-" Adresis piped up.

"Adresis, darling."

"Yes, Miss?"

I stared right into her dark eyes as I sang, "If you quote another person today, I will gladly slit your throat open and collect the blood for the coloring of our food."

Adresis' eyes grew to the size of teacups and I could not stop myself from laughing.

I continued to laugh as I glided across the room. I could just imagine her eyes being equally as big as blood flowed from a scarlet smile spread across her throat. Oh, how stimulating that fantasy was.

I glanced at the calendar and smiled. The reapings were in two weeks exactly! I let a small smile play across my lips as I thought of the tributes. As every Gamemaker hoped, I also wished for strong tributes. Strong tributes made for a strong games.

And a strong games made for buckets and buckets of blood.

President Styx: (ToxicatedRose):

The ball was absolutely thriving.

Everywhere there were frills and poofy dresses, people moved around and picked from hors d'ouvres like worker bees moving around a hive desperately. And I was like the Queen bee – the one with the stronger influence, exerting my control to all those simpletons. Although there were many differences between a bee and I – I could sting more than once and live to tell the tale, and the Queen bee usually had a short reign. I had taken a fair share of legal and pragmatic actions to ensure I had a lengthy reign that would last a lifetime.

"Where is Vanilla?" I asked a passing Gamemaker... Draton, I think his name was.

"Forgive me, Mr. President..." The Gamemaker stiffened, in awe that I dared speak his name. Seldom did I speak to people so low – Gamemakers were important in orchestrating the game, admittedly, but they were still much too lowly for my socialisation. Apart from Vanilla, of course. She was the Head Gamemaker who called the shots, and she was a good laugh. "Vanilla is a little bit busy – sorting the atmospheric conditions in the arena, due to technical difficulties..."

"I cannot help but ponder... Thou did sort them out? As President, I cannot be dealing with such difficulties."

"No..." Draton admitted. "They will be sorted, Mr. President – thine's republic must be respected..."

"Oh yes, it will," I grinned, walking away and pinching a delicious sausage roll from a mopey looking Avox. It was all so grand, the walls soaked in paint and pictures of the most delightful Cherubs, the ceilings dominated by gold leaf that had crept across it in the way a virus soaks into and corrupts a cell. I continued walking, until my wife was walking by me side for side – her dress decorated with metallic accessories, being a drab black that the Capitol desired and adored. She held an umbrella with her, her innocent blonde hair made into the most pretty ringlets. She looked so angelic and innocent. My wife, Aries Styx, wasn't so innocent.

"Ingmar," she greeted me with a smile, her arm linking to mine in a false manner. Aries didn't love me, nor did I love her. Our attraction was only physical, our respect mutual because we both admired each other's ambition. Before meeting me, Aries was the daughter of a potent political opponent of mine. Supposedly a sociopath, she had little care when I ordered his drowning. I was more powerful, and there better to establish a relationship with. Her loyalty was shaky, but I forced it intact. "The ball is brilliant."

"Stand closer to thee," I smiled. "A wise poet said love that is most physical is the most assuring, and the most disastrous."

"Oh, and that poet was right," Aries replied.

"Certainly," I smiled. "Have you met a handsome man?"

"No, but I have my eye on the Vice's young son," Aries said, looking at an attractive man who was talking to a bunch of old imbeciles.

"And he is a politician too?"

"He's of your political party?"

"It does not matter, we're all the same," I snorted. "Only we're the ones in government."

Aries rolled her eyes, ignoring me. She didn't voice any disagreement.

"And you have met a woman of the most wonderful pulchritude?"

"I'm not talking to one," I said. "But there is one who is to visit my bedroom."

"Oh, and you arrest citizens for such 'gross' acts of misconduct," Aries laughed. "What a hypocrite thou is!"

"I am a politician Aries," I reminded her. "Have you seen Vanilla?"

"We lunched the Saturday prior. Her Avox makes the most delicious omelette," Aries smiled.

"Brilliant – though you're not very fond of Vanilla, are you?"

"A sadomasochist who self harms and thinks that Reynold's is the worst poet of the Golden Panemian era?" Aries snorted. "I am a woman, so I speak to her in a cordial manner and she does the same." Aries smirks. "Male politicians are deceitful, but so are all women. She is a rather creative mind though, I must admit – she mentioned that the arena would be a trip back in time, one must wonder what that eccentric mind of her means."

"And to think you called me a hypocrite, you're a sociopath and you insult her own... mental instabilities... I think I have an idea regarding Vanilla's arena," I replied earnestly.

"So you're not interested in Vanilla, but you are in her brother?"

Aries laughed. "Oh, you do know me well Ingmar! I think she knows something is going on... She'd of killed me by now had I not married you," she told me matter of factly. "Instead she kills me by giving me teasing hints about the Games – is it true that the Capitol is currently holding a political prisoner in its laboratory and transforming him into a bloodthirsty ogre. Is this the truth?"

"Oh yes Aries," I laughed and spotted Vanilla across the room. I broke bonds from her, prepared to discuss such plans as I sniggered to myself. "That is quite true."

Hey, Europa22 here! So, as you all know, it's been a week or so since we started. I want to thank you all for the tributes, but we actually needed to post a new chapter to relay some information to you. We have gotten many good tributes, but a lot of them have been for the same thing. We have gotten at least 5 D1 girls xD probably 7, if I went back and counted.

So we are putting a 'ban' on the District One girl, both tributes from District Two, and both tributes from District Three. That means, although we haven't decided who gets the spots, we have enough tributes from there/those tribute 'stereotypes' to decide eventually who gets the spot.

So, for example, if you only put in a District One girl, I might suggest submitting another tribute just in case. Also, we seem to be getting a TON of antisocial tributes. Now, I'm not trying to discourage what tributes you make, but I'm just telling you what we have.