Tisiphone Fotis, 18
District 4, She/Her
June 3rd, 97 ADD
6:49 PM
Tisiphone had been planning to have a discussion with her Mentor, Birch, after dinner. However, when all of her questions were met with deadpan, one-word answers, Tisiphone decided to call it a night. She found Brizo lingering in the entertainment room again and joined him, sinking into the plush couch with a sigh. "That was… a day."
"Yeah."
"Did you like training with the others?" she asked.
He hesitated. "Um, Aveline was nice… and Mercury wasn't… terrible…"
"Mercury has a lot of, uh, personality," she agreed. "I hope I can talk to Aveline more tomorrow. Bastet kept pulling me away… but I didn't mind Invincible until they invited Rumi to join without asking."
Brizo scowled. "I don't like either of them."
(She still didn't understand what had convinced Invincible to do that. They seemed smart enough, but Rumi didn't seem to have any useful skills, and something about them told Tisiphone this was a terrible idea. But maybe she'd be proven wrong with time.)
Before Tisiphone could respond, there was a knock at the door. She and Brizo exchanged a look, and when he didn't move she got up to answer it.
On the other side stood Bastet, leaning against the doorframe. She smiled. "Hi."
"Oh! Hello, sorry, I wasn't expecting-"
Bastet breezed by her and made themself comfortable on the couch. Tisiphone followed her, caught off guard, in time to hear her say "Hey, Brizo, do you mind giving me and Tiss a minute?"
Brizo went from startled to frowning. "I-"
"Why?" Tisiphone interrupted.
"Because I want to talk to you," Bastet replied. "Alone."
Tisiphone frowned. "You don't have to kick him out, we can go somewhere else-"
"It's okay," Brizo mumbled. He still didn't seem pleased, but he shot Tisiphone a grateful look. "I'll leave you guys alone."
"Thanks, Brizo," Bastet replied, and Brizo turned and left.
Tisiphone sighed and turned to Bastet. "What's this about?"
Bastet patted the couch cushion next to her. "I wanted to hang out with you? Is that such a crime?"
Tisiphone begrudgingly sat down next to them. "And do what?"
Bastet raised an eyebrow. "Hang out? Have you not done that before?"
Tisiphone glanced away. "I… um, I guess not."
(What was it about this girl that kept knocking her off-balance?)
Bastet snorted. "Don't worry, it's not hard. We can just talk." She smiled, all traces of sarcasm gone. "Get to know one another."
"Like… ask each other questions?"
"Sure."
"Okay. What's going on with you and Aveline?"
Bastet's smile dropped. "What?"
Tisiphone shrugged. "I mean-"
"There's nothing," Bastet snapped. "Why?"
Tisiphone pulled back. "I saw you two talking today and yesterday, I was just wondering- I didn't mean to make you upset-"
Bastet took a deep breath, forcing a smile back on their face. "Sorry," she said. "It's a long story."
"You were the one who wanted to talk," Tisiphone pointed out.
Their smile became more strained. "Aveline and I grew up together. We had a falling out. That's all."
"Oh."
"She's not a good person, Tiss," Bastet continued, giving Tisiphone a hard look. "The only person she ever thinks about is herself. I was nothing but a second thought to her. Collateral."
"That's awful," Tisiphone said, sympathetic.
"Doesn't matter now," Bastet replied. "I'm here with you. Things are better."
Tisiphone flushed, not sure of what to say.
"My turn," Bastet said. "Got anyone back home?"
"My sisters and brother," Tisiphone replied.
"No parents," Bastet noticed.
"I, um…"
(She still hadn't admitted her mother's death out loud to anyone but her sisters.)
"No need to talk about it," Bastet said, seeing the look on her face. "Anyone else?"
"I spend most of my time training or at the lighthouse," Tisiphone admitted. "So… not really."
Bastet grinned. "No partners?"
"I have a district partner."
Bastet looked surprised. "Are you and Brizo… like…?"
Tisiphone flushed again. "What? No! I've never even, um…"
"Had sex?"
"That's, um, that's not what I was going to-"
Bastet was astonished. "Kissed someone?"
Tisiphone buried her head in her hands. "No," she mumbled.
"Hey, wait, I'm sorry," Bastet said. Her hands grazed Tisiphone's forearms, pulling them back from her face. "I wasn't trying to embarrass you."
Tisiphone's cheeks were hot. "Sorry."
"For what?" Bastet smiled. "I was just surprised because… Tiss, you know you're gorgeous, right?"
If Tisiphone's face could have gotten any redder, it would have. "What?"
"I haven't been able to take my eyes off you since I first saw you," Bastet answered.
(And Tisiphone was extremely aware of that. Bastet's scrutiny weighed on her, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. Did she like it? Did she hate it? There was something intense in the other girl's eyes that Tisiphone could never place, something playful in her words that drew Tisiphone in.
Tisiphone felt seen.
And it was terrifying and maybe wonderful all at once.)
"Really?" Tisiphone asked.
Bastet shifted closer and reached lazily for Tisiphone's face, brushing their thumb along her jaw. "Of course," she murmured. She leaned in closer. "And I think we can fix you never having been kissed."
Tisiphone's heart raced. "Bastet," she said, "we're here for the Games- I'm here for my family- I can't be selfish and get distracted-"
Bastet's eyes flickered from her lips to Tisiphone's eyes. "Tiss," they said softly, interrupting her.
"Yes?"
"I won't kiss you if you don't want me to," she said. "But it's not selfish to want something."
"What do you mean?"
"You strike me as someone who doesn't let herself want things very often," Bastet answered, looking straight into Tisiphone's eyes.
She couldn't look away. "No."
Bastet leaned in until they were just a breath away. "Do you want me to?"
(Tisiphone's mind raced. Bastet was right. They were right about all of it. Tisiphone never did what she wanted. Tisiphone always put her spotlight on others who needed it more.
But here the light was, shining on her.
She wanted it.)
Tisiphone brought her lips to Bastet's, and Bastet kissed her gently, their hand drifting along the back of Tisiphone's neck and into her hair. Tisiphone's eyes slipped shut. A millisecond, an eternity, Tisiphone didn't know which, but there was a burst of sweetness and then it was gone.
Bastet pulled back. "How was that?"
All Tisiphone could do was smile.
(Maybe she liked being in the light for once.)
Valentina Gammon, 16
District 7, She/Her
7:35 PM
Valentina had taken over the kitchen. She and Aescelin and Acadia had already eaten dinner, but Valentina always felt most like herself when she was cooking, so she'd told some of the Avoxes what she needed and now she was going ham.
Aescelin stood in the doorway, watching her. "I thought barbeque was an outdoor activity."
"I'm making do," Tina replied.
He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.
"What, do you have a problem with it?" she demanded. "Are you forest people vegetarian or something?"
"No. If we were, we'd be dead," Aescelin answered. "Besides, using the gifts of the Spirit of the Forest responsibly is what all should be doing. It is only when humans become overwhelmed by their greed that the followers of the Spirit must retaliate in self-defense."
"Mhm." Valentina side-eyed him as she continued working. "And, uh, how'd you get into all that… again?"
"It's quite simple. Anyone in Seven who's paying attention can see the amount of deforestation is unsustainable. I sought to reconnect with nature, to prevent more damage, and that is when I communed with the Spirit of the Forest."
"Uh-huh…"
"Once word spread of the action I was taking to defend the Spirit, many chose to become enlightened."
"So there's, like, an entire group of… Aescelins… out in the woods?" she asked, trying not to show that the idea horrified her a bit.
"We are called the Children of the Forest," he informed her.
She moved from her spice bowl to the oven, getting her pans ready. It was almost done preheating. "Are you all kids…?"
"Some. Many are adults."
"Interesting."
"But we are far from District Seven and the forest now," he sighed. "A forest arena would be nice."
"I guess," Valentina replied, distracted by her task.
"But alas. We are in training now. And quite honestly, Valentina, I'll be frank: I'd like to ally with you."
Her eyes snapped up. "Oh?"
"The other tributes are largely fools," he told her. "You are not. Together, we stand the best chance of overtaking them. Do you agree?"
She considered this for a moment, sliding her pan into the oven. Then she stood back up. "I do, actually," she replied. "I spent a lot of today observing the others, and it did make me more optimistic about my chances."
"Likewise. What did you observe?"
She pulled off an oven mitt. "Alliances are formin', the Careers taking on an outer kid being the obvious one. But there were plenty of people getting along well enough."
"Yes… the Careers are a priority, I think. I also saw two girls- Nine and Five, I believe- getting along well, and I would be shocked if they didn't ally."
Valentina gave him a curious look. "Priority for what?"
"Sabotage," Aescelin replied.
"Got anythin' in mind?"
"Not in particular," he said. "I simply believe that the two individuals who were kissing earlier would be easy to turn against one another. The Two and Four girls seem close as well. Breaking their trust in one another breaks them, does it not?"
Valentina frowned. "I thought the One and Two girls were closer. I saw them bickering earlier."
"That would seem to imply they are not close, Valentina."
She bristled. "Don't patronize me. Also, they weren't just bickering, they were arguing. I tried to listen in, and it seemed like Two was tearing One to shreds."
"So?"
"So, they met each other yesterday," Valentina pointed out. "But from how they were talking, I'm confident they've known each other longer."
"They're from different districts," Aescelin replied.
"I don't know," Valentina said. "I didn't overhear enough to figure that out. But they know each other. And maybe there's something we can do with that."
"Okay," Aescelin mused. "The Two and Four girls like each other, and the Two and One girls hate each other…"
"Two hates One. Not vice versa," Valentina corrected.
"You think One doesn't hate Two?"
"Absolutely not," Valentina scoffed. "She's constantly mooning over her."
"Oh. Oh, wait, Valentina… that's good," Aescelin said. "Do you think One likes…?"
Valentina's eyes widened. "She might."
"That's something we can work with," Aescelin said, rubbing his hands together.
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then we'll have to make sure whatever we decide to do is damaging anyway," he answered. "Which in my experience, is best accomplished by misinformation."
"Experience?" Valentina repeated.
"Rumors. Lies. Whatever you want to do," Aescelin said, waving her question off.
"What kind of…" Valentina trailed.
(If she and Aescelin were right, and there really was some kind of love triangle going on here…)
"Oh," she said, starting to smile.
"What?"
"A love letter," she said. "From Two to Four."
"But they'll know-"
"We misdeliver it," she interrupted. "We give it to One 'on accident.'"
Aescelin stared at her. "That's brilliant."
"We can observe them again tomorrow to make it sound more real. And then deliver it tomorrow," Valentina said.
"Yes. Yes yes yes." Aescelin cocked his head. "In the meantime, though… surely we can accomplish more."
"You know what I'd love to do?" Valentina asked.
Aescelin grinned. "Are you still upset about the Six girl bothering you at lunch?"
As if on cue, another high-pitched laugh echoed from the sixth floor. There had been one at least once every hour since they moved into the Seven apartments.
Valentina grumbled. "She's the most annoying person I've ever met. I've never heard one person talk about glitter so much."
"She could always be useful later," Aeselin pointed out. "Human shield."
"I don't think I can put up with her that long," Valentina replied. "I'd rather get rid of her now."
Aescelin shrugged. "We could always give her what she wants."
"And what's that?"
That wicked grin made another appearance. "Glitter."
"But she loves glitter."
"There is such a thing as too much," he replied. "I saw Five building a catapult in training today. I'm thinking we could do something similar…"
Valentina nodded, and as Aescelin started to describe the rest of his idea, her grin soon matched his.
(There was no doubt in her mind now that Aescelin was the best choice of ally she could have.)
(Because together, the other tributes? They never stood a chance.)
Patrek Torres, 15
District 11, He/Him
8:21 PM
"So what do you think about the Twelves?" Bryony asked.
They were still sitting at the table, dinner long cleared away. They'd agreed to pool their advising time with Grover and have a group discussion.
Patrek shrugged. "Tiernan seems nice, I guess," he replied. "I… I don't know if Mendi is really interested, though."
"I like them both!" Bryony said. "I think Mendi just needs time to come out of her shell. I've looked after plenty of shy kids."
Patrek wasn't nearly as sure as Bryony seemed, but wasn't feeling particularly talkative, either, so he shrugged again.
"Well, there's no pressure to ally with either of them, or even anyone," Grover said. "There's still time to decide. You don't even have to ally with each other if you don't want to."
Patrek and Bryony exchanged a glance.
(Patrek wasn't particularly keen on allies. If he had to have one, though, Bryony didn't seem like a bad option. Patrek felt he'd been able to get to know her fairly well, and from what he could tell, Bryony was a good ally if only because she was harmless. Harmlessness made it much less likely that she would turn on him, if things came to that.
But she also seemed like a kind, sincere person, and Patrek wasn't an idiot. That kind of person was hard enough to find in normal circumstances, let alone the Games. As far as he could tell, that was just who Bryony was. Having someone he could let his guard down around might be just enough to keep Patrek sane through the horrors that were sure to come.)
"I don't want to speak for you, Patrek," Bryony said. "I'd love an alliance, but I don't want to force you into anything."
"It's okay," Patrek replied. "I think an alliance would be good."
Bryony smiled. "I'm really glad to hear that."
(The more time you spend with her in the arena, the more likely it is you'll have to kill her.)
Patrek shoved the thought back. "Yeah. I don't know about the Twelves, though…"
"Have they shown any interest in an alliance?" Grover asked.
"I think Tiernan might be!" Bryony replied.
Patrek shook his head. "I don't think Mendi wants anything to do with anyone."
(He'd interacted with her a few times, and while she had mostly been just as reserved as Patrek, he… he couldn't shake the feeling that Mendi was less a kid and more a caged animal. He wasn't sure what that cage was, but there was something off about her. Maybe he was wrong, and the paranoid little voice in his head that had only been growing since he was Reaped was to blame for his doubts.
But what if he was right?)
"I'm not convinced," Bryony replied. "I think there's more to her. No one wants to be alone during the Games."
"I can check in with Sienna and get her perspective if Mendi is someone you really want to ally with," Grover offered. "But if Mendi isn't interested, I would focus on someone else. Tiernan, maybe."
"I don't know…" Patrek trailed.
Bryony looked over at him. "About Tiernan?"
"Yeah," he said, a bit reluctant. "He's nice, but, uh, does he have any skills…?"
"He seems very sheltered," Bryony said, and Patrek wasn't sure if she was defending Tiernan or agreeing with him.
"We're both good at survival skills. You know first aid, and I'm okay with a sickle," Patrek said. "I don't want to be mean, but I… is Tiernan going to help us, or will he make things harder?"
(He meant it- he wasn't trying to be mean. Patrek Torres was not a mean person and didn't come close to being one. But at the look on Bryony's face, he suddenly started to wonder if the Games were already turning him into someone he wasn't.)
(And that made him very, very afraid. If training was already making him crueler, what would the arena do?)
Bryony's mouth turned into a small frown. "We should give him a chance," she chastised.
"Yeah. Yeah, we should," Patrek rushed, trying to ease his guilt at speaking poorly about Tiernan.
Bryony nodded. "And Mendi too."
"And Mendi," Patrek echoed.
(And if what he'd said about Tiernan was mean, his thoughts about Mendi were absolutely awful, right? What had gotten into him? Why couldn't he look for the best in people, like he always had? Good allies could very well save his life. He shouldn't have been thinking about rejecting Tiernan or doubting Mendi-)
(-or killing Bryony-)
(-in the first place. He shouldn't have already let the Games twist him into someone he wasn't.)
(But he didn't want to die, either. He wanted to see his father before he was gone like Lucia and his grandfather. He wanted to live.
But the price of living was starting to sink in, and Patrek wasn't sure what to fear more- the price itself, or what within him would have to change to pay it.)
Patrek pushed back from the table. "I think I'm going to bed. Can we come back to this tomorrow?"
"Absolutely," Grover replied.
Bryony nodded. "Goodnight, Patrek."
"Goodnight," he replied. Then he retreated to his room, brushed his teeth, changed into pajamas, and climbed into a bed so large it felt like it was swallowing him whole. Exhausted by the last several days, sleep quickly came for him.
He dreamed of Lucia that night.
(She looked just how he'd seen her last, with flushed cheeks and hazy eyes and shuddering breath and wearing her nightgown.
"Patrek?" she wheezed. She reached for him, and he tried to take her hand, but as soon as he touched her she began to rot. Her skin peeled away and her muscles melted and Patrek shrieked, trying to pull away, but Lucia wouldn't let go.
She was crying. "Patrek!"
The rot traveled from her hand up her arm, then to her shoulder and up her neck, and the disease consumed her. Soon it reached her face and her legs, and then she was nothing but bones, and bones became dust became nothing at all.
"Lucia!" Patrek screamed, falling to his knees, reaching for the bone dust.
But as he did, his hand began to rot just like hers.
And Patrek could do nothing but scream.)
bada bing bada boom we're a third of the way through round 2! wasn't that fun! smiles i'm looking forward to seeing mendi, jude, fleur, jem, and invincible next chap... also if you saw me fuck up all of the dates on the pg chapters no you didn't.
see ya next time!
rb
