Finneon Flamecrest
"And here we are tonight with the starting point of everyone's favorite celebration, The Annual Hunger Games. Tonight, we present to you the Tributes of the Fourth Quarter Quell. The Tributes are ready. The Chariots are in position. The Crowd is anxiously waiting to meet the ninety-six, I repeat ninety-six tributes, chosen to take place in the Quarter Quell. My guests this evening are two of the most important people behind the games, other than myself, that is. Welcome, Head Gamemaker Wayland Hightower and Assistant Head Gamemaker Wilowa Topaz." Finneon shook hands with the Gamemakers.
"It's an honor to be here again, Finneon." Said Wayland, readjusting his purple Gamemaker robes. "I'm sure Wilowa is enjoying her new view of the parade, this being her first year as Assistant."
"Yes, it's truly a delight." Said the woman.
"Well, before the tributes arrive, are there any hints you can give the audience about the arena this year. Surely there will be some exciting twist?"
"I'm sorry," laughed Wayland, "but we want the games to be a surprise for all. It will make them more exciting."
"Understandable. Now, I'm receiving word that the first chariots are in position. Let's get the parade started, shall we?" Finneon motioned to the large monitor behind them, which would be airing the Parade. Finneon watched as the first two chariots, the ones carrying the Tributes of District One, started out of the entranceway to the mile long road leading up to the City Circle.
"Okay, so the girls have come out first." Started Finneon. "From left to right we have Miss Alpha Wild, Miss Shine Lumenis, Miss Cubic Zirconia, and Miss Star Cyrus. If you folks at home think this girl looks familiar, it's because she the spitting image of her mother, Topaz Emillio, a former Victor of the Games. Her father was also a Victor as well, if you remember Blaze Cyrus. What are your opinions of the girls from One this year, Wayland?"
"Katrina never disappoints in her styling choices, but these gowns were designed by newcomer Maricella Olsana. Her choices are divine. The costumes and the shine in the hair represent the district perfectly. Those gowns they are wearing…are they glowing? Anyway, the tributes from One are always strong contenders in the Games, so these ladies shouldn't be considered easy competition."
"Here come the boys," exclaimed Wilowa. "Katrina has done it again. They look superb. Who do we have here, Finneon?"
"Here we have Cassio Marony. He's also from a family of Victors. His sister, Kari, was our winner last year, and now her little brother is following in her footsteps. Beside him we have Glint McCray, Luxe Cressa, and finally Bronze Nexton." Finneon slid his fingers across a small screen sitting before him, and the giant screen behind him zoomed in close on the chariot and the tributes.
"I love the names of the District One tributes. Always so…unique," said Wilowa, eyeing the chariot as it passed their balcony. District Two had just entered onto the road.
Capitol Citizen Rosalyn Jillings
"Mother, look at the girls in that chariot!" called the woman's eight-year-old daughter. She'd been bringing her to the parade for the past three years, once she had started watching the games. She looked down from her seat at the girls from district Two. They wore long golden robes with large shining black shoulder pads and headdresses. They looked different from the tributes of One in that each costume ad hairstyle was slightly different. The shoulders on each outfit were styled into a different shape. One was curled, another a square geometric pattern. Rosalyn loved seeing the beautiful work created by the stylists every year.
People threw roses down to the chariots. Everyone was given a handful when they took their seats, and throwing them was tradition to honor the tributes. Her daughter had thrown all but one already, and Rosalyn felt she'd end up handing her own roses to her daughter. They'd be gone by the time Four arrived, no matter what.
The boys arrived wearing robes of an opposite color scheme, black robes with gold shoulder pads and headdresses. Rosalyn personally liked the boys' costumes better. One of them tried grabbing roses as they were thrown. She heard Finneon over the sound system calling him Peter Cooper, son of Robert and Anastasia Cooper. Rosalyn was surprised by how many former Victors had children in the Games this year. She loved it. Everyone loved a good family legacy.
Finneon Flamecrest
"Now, here comes District Three, and…wow, look at those costumes!" He zoomed in on the chariots. Every tribute wore a matching dark blue body suit, with tapered silver rods sticking out all over. Small bolts of electricity sparked between the tributes, as hey were standing very close together.
"Poleona and Cimone have done a fantastic job this year. Better than anything I've seen of theirs before." Wayland used his binoculars to get a closer look at the tributes. "Now for the girls, we have…" He allowed a lead for Finneon to pick up.
"Miss Alyssandra Collyn, Tinkra Bram, Little Danice Holmes, and Emmia Gingrass. Now, we have a volunteer from Three this year, something we haven't seen in a long time."
"To Miss Gingrass, we solute your courage," interjected Wilowa, holding up her flute of champagne. "Who do we have for the boys this year?" she asked Finneon as their chariot emerged.
"We have Warner Brackson, on the left, and then Guier Coriente, Veris Sphene, and Aaron Sierra. You'll notice that the name Sierra sounds familiar, and that's because Aaron is the son of District Three's mayor. We have a lot of high society tributes this year."
"Yes," said Wayland, "it will make for an interesting set of games. As you know, we are allowing two winners this year. Who do you feel Aaron would be best to ally with, Finneon?"
"Hmm, well, the best choice would be someone from your own district who is strong or smart. We haven't seen much of these tributes yet, so I'll answer that question in a little while, Head Gamemaker. Right now, let's welcome the ladies of District Four."
"District Four has always been a favorite of mine when it comes to the Parade," said Wilowa, "Something about the flow of their outfits is just mystical."
"Well, mystical is a good word to describe it. Look at these girls. We have Nenna Charber, Thalassa Pearl, the sister of Netta Pearl. Then there's Mayra Rienne, and Lunara Scheff. Such beautiful young ladies. Four has always been a strong district in the games."
"Statistically, Four places in the top three when it comes to producing Victors," said Wayland. "And who do we have to thank for the eye-catching outfits of Four this year?"
"Yes, we have two new stylists this year. Pandora Ryan styled the girls out there, and she had definitely made a lasting impression." Finneon zoomed the cameras on the outfits. Each girl wore a small top and a long, flowing skirt with ribbons and beads of colors that looked like ocean waves as the chariot moved forward.
The boys were dressed similarly, with the ribbons flowing from their belts and a lack of a shirt. The stylist knew she could get away with showing off the physique of the tributes.
Capitol Citizen Girard Salvatore
Girard wasn't too thrilled by the District five outfits. They all wore shiny black body suits that he guessed were meant to represent oil and a flowing cape of the same material. They were just blah. Well, the tributes looked good, obviously, but compared to some of the other costumes he'd seen, these were just sub par. They waved as their chariots proceeded to the President's manor, but they didn't get nearly as many roses as some of the other tributes.
District Six was another story. Each tribute was suited in a skintight grey suit with blue striped running up their bodies, and along those stripes were flickering lights. It reminded him of the trains. A perfect representation, in Girard's opinion. He threw two roses for these tributes, one for each chariot full of Six's tributes. He didn't catch any names as Finneon announced them, but he wished he had as their chariots moved out of his line of sight, heading for the City Circle.
I'll have the rest of the chariot rides posted later today. Every reader gets a free 250 points to sponsor with. Please, no favoritism. Vote based on what you feel is the best tribute costumes. If you want to be as fair as possible, wait until I've posted the Tribute Parade chapter for Districts 7-12. After that then I'll start accepting the 250 sponsor points. Don't forget about the tribute poll on my profile. It will stay up until the Games begin. Also, I love reviews. You guys are awesome - Sarah :)