May 25th; 4:33 PM

Ares Forge

Ares pressed his lips to the glass and allowed the liquor to spread warmth through his otherwise cold body. He leaned his back against the side of the wall in the alley, having slipped away from the meeting just momentarily to indulge himself in a much needed break. He smiled warmly and closed his eyes, allowing himself this moment of pure bliss uninterrupted by the commotion and troubles of the world as the liquid burned in the back of his throat. Recently, things in the Capitol had grown a bit... chaotic.

Usually, Ares was quite capable of handling not only his duties but also those of his inept peers that had proven to be incapable of completing anything more than the simplest of tasks. However, even the bright and gifted mind that Ares considered himself to be, had to acknowledge that the last few weeks were incredibly laborious. It was all Ares could do to not consume his imported moonshine at every possible moment that work found itself not bearing down his neck. He was lucky enough to know a few friendly faces that were willing to spot him some exports from the lesser districts. Where the liquor there seemed to be more... exuberant, more effective, and thankfully, more cheap. He was, of course, somewhat embarrassed by this recent development and made it a practice to only do it behind closed doors. Or, like this situation, whenever the moment presented itself without the gaze of judgmental eyes. It wasn't as if drinking was unheard of for a man of his reputation, but if they saw the frequency in which he indulged himself, rumors would surely begin to circulate, and his name would be used in synonym with that of Cellus. A drunken old man whose tendency to show up late and reeking of a special blend of alcohol and expensive Capitol cologne had earned him a distasteful reputation.

Footsteps echoed into the alley and Ares snapped his head to find the originator of the noise. He fumbled with his bottle, desperately trying to hide his reason for slipping out. "Ares, taking a few swigs are we?" Laverna's face lit up with suspicion and amusement as she approached. Oh no, what horrors would await for him now that his jig was up? Lying to a superior was one issue, leaving a meeting to indulge in alcohol whilst also lying to a superior was an entirely other thing. What were his options? To lie? No, Laverna is incredibly perceptive, and even the dimmest of anyone in that room could clearly make out what Ares was doing. Judging by her tone, the only real recourse was to own up to his mistake and assume the punishment would be lesser because of it.

"Nope. Just trying to help Milas not go out of business is all," Laverna chuckles, eyes never leaving the bottle he has long stopped trying to hide. "Oh we both know Milas needs not our help in such matters," Unfortunately true, the most popular wine distributor amongst governing officials was in fact booming in business, never having enough by the days end to spare. Laverna reaches her hand out for the bottle, Ares surrendering control by now and handing it over. She pops the top off and inhales deeply before taking some herself. She smirks and tilts her head, eyeing the bottle curiously as she sloshes it around, "Got this from Milas, did you?" Ares shrugged, not showing his panicking internal thought process. "He saves some of the good stuff for me, we're kindred spirits him and I."

Was she able to sense his lies? Did she even bother caring? If she did, she didn't show it and simply passed on the conversation to a lighter note. "It matters not to me whether you excuse yourself to sip away your troubles or to collide your first into this wall," She accentuates her point by tapping the hard brick surface with her knuckles. "As long as you get your work done, you won't hear a complaint from me," Laverna gives him a cold nod and makes her way back inside.

"However, I must warn you, we're having another meeting in fifteen minutes. Group of investors from 3 wanted to discuss the possibilities of a few changes," Ares' absentmindedly rolls his eyes, an action he would usually be able to keep in check. Damned potent, ever so powerful district alcohol. "Them again?" Ares said trying to hide his disgust. They were here a few weeks ago, throwing out all sorts of insane, radical ideas. Chief amongst them, turning the tide of the tone the Games were presented in. An attempt to make it less of a "punishment" and more of a celebrated event in which all of Panem could band together in unison. Ares had scoffed at the mere thought of the idea when it was initially presented. While the Games were universally loved in the Capitol, Ares couldn't recall a singular moment in time in which a non-career district truly embraced the Hunger Games. And how could they? And to add on to that point, what did it matter? He couldn't recall a single time in his education where he was informed that the ideals and opinion of the Districts had ever mattered.

Anyhow, the group of wealthy businessmen and women had presented themselves as possible "investors" in the upcoming Hunger Games. President Evangolia has deemed it necessary to be open to all possible ideas to try and keep the Games fresh and exciting. As far as Ares was concerned, the Hunger Games did not need any rejuvenating. The only audience the Capitol truly cared about was their own, they would never be able to capture the eyes of the Districts. They would always be bitter at their failure to rebel, at their pathetic attempt to get back at the same government that give them life itself. Truly a miserable way to live, Ares thought.

"Thought President Evangolia already renounced the mere thought, why the persistence?" Hadn't the President the final say on all important matters such as these?

"Seems as if times might be changing, Ares. I'd suggest you appear to this meeting at your best, not this pathetic drunken stupor that lays before me," Laverna turned and left at once, the sound of the building door disrespectfully banging into the wall as she walks with authority back to the office. Aside from her unneeded tone and feigned insults, Ares couldn't help but agree that he needed to be in a much more presentable state. And if this group of investors were once again approved by the President, that could only mean one thing; she has big plans for this years Hunger Games, and it might just be as thrilling as Ares secretly hoped.

HELLO!

My name is CosmicMilk, you may call me Cosmic, and welcome to my first EVER project on the Hunger Games! As of now, I am going to allow each of you to submit FOUR tributes, as I do not know how many people will actually pay any mind to these. The form is listed below, and if you would be so kind as to PM me with your form, I will let you know whether or not I have accepted your tribute into this story! (Please try to keep your tributes realistic)

PLEASE keep in mind that this is my story, and my vision for your tribute might be different than yours, however I'm not making this project for the sake of pleasing everyone by letting their tribute survive the bloodbath, it's all for the narrative of the story whilst being realistic.

Name:

Age:

Gender:

District:

Height:

Appearance:

Personality:

Weapon: (if you can imagine it, I can write about it!)

Backstory: (can be summarised, please more than a paragraph or two)

Family:

Job/Education:

Reaped/Volunteered: (if volunteer, why?)

Strengths: (List 3-4)

Weaknesses: (List 3-4)