Finneon Flamecrest
"Welcome, welcome all. Tonight we will be interviewing your Stylists, finding out the thoughts behind those breathtaking parade outfits. Let's welcome them to the stage, shall we?" Finneon waved at the curtain behind him, which lifted up, revealing the twenty-four stylists, dressed in their district colors. They waved to the crowd, and the crowd responded with roaring cheers. On Finneon's cue, they all left eh stage, except for two women, both dressed in light silver dresses. Maricella and Katrina sat down with the Master of Ceremonies.
"Welcome, Miss Olsana, and Miss Elliot. A pleasure to have you with us tonight." Maricella nodded her thanks, and Katrina laughed, holding out her left hand for Finneon.
. "It's Lester, now, Finneon." He admired her ring.
"Ah yes. I had heard. His sister is, in fact, one of the tributes this year from District Two, is she not?" The he he was referring to was the highly publicized man that Katrina had married just under a year ago, Royce Lester. She, as a favorite amongst the Stylists, was given a fully funded Capitol wedding. Finneon remembered meeting Katrina's new sister-in-law.
"I'm rooting for her, but I won't let it get in the way of doing my job." Katrina said quickly, avoiding his eyes with that response. He changed the subject quickly. The audience did not want a negative tone in these interviews.
"Maricella. This is your first year as a stylist for the games. How does it feel getting to work with the great Katrina Lester?" The audience laughed at his emphasis on her new name.
"It's an honor," said the smaller of the two women. "I've been a fan of Katrina's from the moment I saw her first designs." Katrina thanked her quickly before Finneon moved on.
"Now, let's talk about those costumes. Gorgeous, I must say. How did you two manage to make your tributes shine like that?"
"Each outfit is actually a few thousand separate piece of material all sewn together, so it can move more, and as each pieces gets the right angle, you'll get that sparkle." Maricella looked proud of herself as she spoke.
"Yes, each outfit is meant to represent diamonds, with thousands of sparkling facets. A genius idea on Maricella's part," added Katrina, beaming as the costumes were shown on the screen behind them. The audience applauded, and Katrina and Maricella took their leave from the stage.
"Let's welcome now, Mister Alejandro Dominic and Miss Flair Stone. The audience rose to their feet to greet the stylists from Two. Flair took the seat closest to Finneon.
"Welcome, Alejandro and young Miss Stone. It is your first year with us. I'm sure Alejandro is showing you the ropes well enough." The young girl, only a teenager herself, smiled brightly.
"She is a protégé. A brilliant mind. I hand picked her from the applicants because of her talent, and it will only grow as the years go on." Alejandro sounded pleased. He wrapped an arm around the girl, and she laughed.
"He's just happy because the designs were loved by everyone this year, am I right?" Flair addressed the audience, who cheered.
"Well of course, look at them. I have to say these are simply breathtaking. Many years the Stylists for Two have gone for a tougher look to fit the tributes, but you, my friends, have done beautiful work, mimicking the flow of molten metal, I'm assuming?" Alejandro nodded.
"It was a joint idea, but it was Flair's idea to have the tributes wear alternating colors. As I've already said, a brilliant mind," he said.
"I can say for all of us that we look forward to seeing more of you, miss Stone. And thank you, Alejandro, for another wonderful year of designs." The Stylists left the stage, and Finneon welcomed the two women styling for Three.
Cimone and Poleona took their seats with Finneon.
"Ladies, what was your idea behind the costumes this year?" Finneon had loved their work, bringing real electricity, and the danger factor, to the parade. Cimone explained that the factories both used and put out so much electricity, that it was an easy choice for the theme of the costume.
"We worked together to come up with the design. It was especially challenging this year." Finneon asked how they went about with the actual construction of the costumes, and how they made the wiring safe. When the interview ended, he hugged each of them and they made their way back stage, allowing for the Stylists from Four to take their seats out on the stage.
"Miss Eramon, you designed the costumes for the boys, this year. No shirts?" Eramon laughed.
"Well, there used to be a top portion to the costumes, but since we're given photos and measurements for final tweaks once the tributes are Reaped, I decided against them. The boys from Four are all strong, and I saw it in their best interest to remove the top."
"Well, according to the response we got from the crowd last night when they arrived, I think I can say your plan was a success." The women laughed. "Now, whose idea was it behind the costumes this year?"
"The first concepts were mine," said Eramon, "but we worked together on the final designs." Finneon continued to talk about the ingenious idea of using ribbon to represent moving water. Both women ate up his compliments. When it was their time to leave, Pandora jokingly begged Finneon to allow them to stay. He and the audience laughed, and the women styling for Four left the room.
"Let's welcome Royal and Darcy, your stylists for District Five!" Finneon exclaimed as the pair joined him. Royal walked over in very tiny steps, due to her overly tall shoes. They both hugged him before taking their seats. He talked with them about their designs. Neither of the women were pleased with how the audience perceived the costumes.
"Without oil, nothing here in the Capitol would be possible," said Darcy. "It's a staple for our society. We wanted to pay tribute to that with the tributes this year." Royal was more silent. She looked a little hurt by the reactions to her designs.
"I personally am not a fan of simple black, but I can appreciate the beauty in it," she said as the designs were shown on the giant screen. "I think they looked fantastic."
"Of course they did. Your designs are always amazing." Said Finneon, trying to alleviate the awkwardness of talking about the not-so-favorite designs. They talked a bit more about some of the tributes, and about the quell, and then the timer chimed out, signaling the end of their time. The women stood up and exited the stage.
The Stylists for District Six, Lindal and Siobhan, joined Finneon at center-stage moments after the women from Five had left.
Sorry about taking so long between this chapter and the last one. I should have the rest of the Stylist interviews up by tomorrow. Also, after the stylist interviews are posted, a short chapter announcing tribute scores should also be up. After that there should only be one or two more chapters before the bloodbath begins.
Which Tributes would you like to see interviews for? Review to let me know.
Also, there is a new poll on my profile. It's not really related to the story, but it will help me choose the subject for my next story, which is going to be a bodyswap fic. Vote please.
Thank you guys for being so patient :D - Sarah