Chapter 14:
Seraphim Lukianas, Co-Head Gamemaker
Seraphim knows there's much more important things he should be focusing on right now with the banquet starting in just a few hours. He could be double checking that all the food is prepared and the room is ready. He could be checking in with the stylists for the chariots tomorrow. Hell, he could be doing anything and it would be more important than this. But he also knows his team is more than capable of handling themselves with their assigned tasks for an hour or two while he does this to keep his own sanity.
And so he finds himself standing by the elevator in the underground hanger, hand tightly gripping Zephyr's hand as he waits for the tributes to all arrive in the Capitol. Some of the Districts had delayed departures, mainly those like One and Two that had the earliest Reapings and were the closest to the Capitol, to ensure they all arrived after the Reapings were finished. Which has only made the anxious pit not leave him all day as he watched the Reapings and then prepared for the tributes, almost certain that there would be something that went wrong. He also just wants to get a gauge of the tributes' reactions to him.
"You know," Zephyr starts, tone already hinting at teasing. "I do like having circulation in my hand."
"Sorry," Seraphim mutters and tries to let go of Zephyr's hand, but his partner just puts his arm around him instead. "I've never been this worried about the transportation part."
"Well that's understandable, considering you've never had this level of national threat before," Zephyr tells him, which doesn't settle him that much. Zephyr rubs his shoulder, picking up on the tension in him, "Hey, all the flight reports are good and they're all nearly here. Look, there's the Capitol group now."
Zephyr points to the other side of the hanger at the ramp leading to the streets above where a limousine is approaching them, making the Capitol team – unsurprisingly – be the first ones to arrive. Seraphim lets out a small sigh before putting a smile on his face, trying to push aside his worries so the tributes don't see it as the limo slows to a stop in front of them.
First out is Adonis, who wastes no time approaching the two with a confident grin. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Head Gamemakers," he says, shaking their hands as Bez quickly exits behind him, not willing to let him get an early lead over them.
Bez hip checks Adonis out of the way as Zan lets out a protest from the limo, trying in vain to stop the pair. "Ignore him, I'm the one from the Capitol that's going to be winning this."
"You're not even from the Capitol!" Adonis scoffs at them as Odyssey and Misha climb out of the limo, the younger victor pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.
"Welcome to both of you," Seraphim greets them with a polite smile as Odyssey and Misha step up to him, prompting a warmer smile from him that Odyssey tentatively returns. "You two as well. We'll chat more later-"
"You're damn right we will," Bez interrupts him, putting their hands on their hips as they puff out their chest. "I have a lot of thoughts about whatever tacky stylist you've given me and-"
"Okay Bez," Misha interrupts gently with a smile, putting a hand on their shoulder to try and lead them away. "I'm sure Mr. Lukianas is a very busy man so we shouldn't take up his time now."
"Yes, I agree," Odyssey adds quickly, which gets him immediate agreement from Adonis. "In we go."
"See you later," Seraphim tells the tributes, knowing they will definitely make sure of that.
As they head past them, Zephyr puts a hand on Odyssey's shoulder, stopping him for a moment to lean over and whisper, "Hang in there."
As the group heads onto the elevator, Adonis and Bez start bickering over who gets which mentor, and Seraphim couldn't be more grateful to have a group leave them. When the doors are shut, he shakes his head as Zephyr starts laughing. "Including the Capitol was an awful idea."
"I think Odyssey and Misha might agree with you there," Zephyr tells him as the first hovercraft arrives, thankfully keeping Seraphim from dwelling too long on what already seems like a disastrous pair.
But he doesn't get much reprieve from sass when he recognizes the District that's arrived, one of the farthest located ones.
Seraphim braces himself for sass from Clark as the District Eight team heads over to them, but the youngest victor is uncharacteristically quiet as he lingers next to Rhiannon, continuing to glance up at her as she keeps her head down and wrings her hands in front of her. But the rest of the team is boisterous as ever, Kazu giving what seems to be an animated story to Astrid, who keeps commenting on things and making him frustrated, all while Iris shakes her head while keeping an eye on Clark. But the conversation stops suddenly when they notice Seraphim and Zephyr there.
"Well look who it is," Astrid calls out as they approach, voice dripping in sass. "They really put out the red carpet with the welcoming party."
"Hello to you too, Astrid," Seraphim answers her, doing his best to keep a pleasant smile on his face as he braces for Clark's typical glare. But the boy barely acknowledges him, shocking him for a moment and leaving him confused. "Welcome to the Capitol," he says, clearing his throat as he focuses on the tributes, but keeps glancing at Clark in concern. "Please, go inside and we'll talk more later."
The group starts to head past them and Seraphim reaches out to grab Astrid's arm before quickly letting go at the look she gives him. "Is he alright?" he asks quietly and both of them don't need to clarify who he's talking about.
Astrid gives a concerned look at Clark who waves impatiently at her in the elevator, before she turns back to Seraphim just long enough to put him in his place. "Just reliving the trauma you put him through with her," she says before stepping on the elevator and putting a protective hand on Clark's shoulder. Before the doors shut, Seraphim finally gets a glare from Clark with a slight hint of a sneer.
"Ouch, brutal," Zephyr comments lightly, not at all surprised by Astrid's comment.
Seraphim sighs, just now starting to realize what's upsetting Clark. "Of course, she's probably reminding him of Viradie," he mumbles to himself as the next hovercraft arrives, thankfully free of mentors that will sass him.
Pinova leads the way for the District Eleven team, in the midst of a pleasant conversation with Sonya, followed by Kanzi rolling her eyes at whatever Ricky is saying, as Ain takes up the rear, clutching his flute to his chest as he looks apprehensive. Pinova notices them first and lights up with a smile as she waves at them. "Hello, Head Gamemakers!"
"Good to see you, Pinova" Seraphim says warmly, always happy to see her considering she's one of the only recent victors that doesn't actively have a grudge against him. "Ain, Kanzi," he nods at them before smiling at the tributes. "And Sonya and Ricky, welcome. Sonya, we have a medical team that will discuss treatment options for your condition, to make sure you're at your full capacity."
"Why the fuck is she getting special treatment?" Ricky grumbles to himself – but still loud enough that they all hear him – as he crosses his arms.
Sonya nods her head and gives him a respectful smile, but he can see the hint of resentment in her eyes. "Thank you, sir."
"We'll talk more at the banquet," Seraphim tells them and gestures for them to head to the elevator. The group heads in, with Ain lingering slightly, and Seraphim is about to ask him if something's wrong before Pinova holds out her hand to him and the escort quickly steps towards her.
When the doors shut, Zephyr looks over at Seraphim with a raised eyebrow. "What's up with flute boy?"
"His name's Ain," Seraphim points out and gives a shrug as the next hovercraft arrives. "Don't know but let's keep an eye on him."
Thankfully, next is another District that will be nice to him. The District Ten team is full of laughter from whatever animated story Cimmer is telling the group as he walks backwards down the ramp and gestures wildly with his arms. Johan has an amused smile hiding the pinch to his eyes at the young boy, while Shams lingers close to Fox and gives a tentative smile. Roo notices them first and tries to get Cimmer to quiet down and be more professional.
"How's it going?" Fox asks them, giving them a warm smile. He puts a hand on both of the tributes' shoulders, making Cimmer grin at him and Shams give a nervous smile with a tinge of pink on her cheeks. "Y'all, let me introduce you to the Head Gamemakers, Seraphim and Zephyr."
"Great to meet ya, sirs!" Cimmer says and takes Seraphim's hand with both of his, shaking it enthusiastically before doing the same to Zephyr.
"Hello," Shams says timidly, surprising Seraphim given what he knows about her training for this.
"Won't keep you long, but we can talk more later," Seraphim tells them, getting warm smiles all around from the team as they head into the elevator. When the doors shut, Seraphim sighs wistfully, "If only they could all be like them."
"You know that's physically impossible with the group of mentors," Zephyr points out with a chuckle that quickly dies down when the next hovercraft arrives and a group of Peacekeepers step towards it before anyone steps out. "Take one guess where they're from."
"Seven," Seraphim answers as the Peacekeepers get on the hovercraft and do a search, leaving him in anxious anticipation, until they finally leave empty handed and the District team follows after them. He gives Winona a tentative smile as she leads the way over, Cal chatting with Karter as Glen and Baylor listen in. "Any issues?"
Winona shakes her head, but there's worry in her eyes. "No problems at all," she tells him before glancing at the tributes. "We'll discuss more later."
Seraphim gives a forced smile, knowing later will make it more complicated with Calisto present, but nods his head. He turns to the two tributes, trying to hide his worry from them. "Welcome to the Capitol."
"Thank you," Karter replies to him with a grin.
Baylor nods her head, seemingly more reserved than her District partner. "Never thought I would be here."
"Wait until you see what our floor is like," Cal tells them, somehow able to stay enthusiastic about it despite everything going to shit in Seven. "Come on, I'll show you where they hide the good snacks."
"Don't eat too much before the banquet!" Winona tells them with a huff as she follows them onto the elevator, hands on her hip and shaking her head.
When the doors shut, Seraphim lets out a sigh of relief that the Seven team made it to the Capitol without any issues, but that only adds to the pit of worry that the rebels haven't done something yet. "I feel like it's just a ticking time bomb until they act and I don't have access to the timer."
"Things will work out," Zephyr tries to reassure him, but it doesn't do much. He nods his head at the landing hovercraft, "Come on, put your smile back on until the tributes have all arrived. Then you can be pouty."
Seraphim rolls his eyes but does as he suggested as the District Six team heads out, the two siblings bickering as Jarle and Dampero follow behind them with Priscilla. Kasada notices them first and shuts up right away, but Farren keeps talking, prompting her to elbow her brother in the side. "Shut up you babbling buffoon!"
"Ow, what the hell?!" Farren rubs his side as she gestures over at the pair.
Seraphim clears his throat as Farren looks a bit embarrassed by his behavior, torn between laughing at them and being concerned. "Welcome," Seraphim says to them. "I'm looking forward to talking to you two more later this evening."
Kasada looks a bit worried at that comment for a second, while Farren gives him a smile and thumbs up. "Sure, no problem," the boy tells him, prompting Kasada to roll her eyes.
Seraphim gestures to the elevator and the siblings enter first. Dampero lingers behind Jarle and Priscilla to speak quietly to Seraphim, "No, we don't know why they volunteered together. I don't get it."
"We'll figure it out," Seraphim reassures the mentor – and himself a little bit – as the next team arrives. District Three is a much more somber mood compared to the bickering siblings. Ryam, Matla, and Rosalina chat – as the two former try to dodge the escort's wings – while Amelia and Riley are quiet, the older girl with her arm around her tribute's shoulders as she uses a tissue to wipe away her tears.
Seraphim gives them a reserved smile as they approach, knowing Riley's situation is one of the more sensitive ones. "Hello and welcome to the Capitol," he greets them and Amelia smiles at him, even though she has one of the biggest reasons to hate him. He focuses on Riley for a moment, watching as the girl sniffles and quickly tries to make it seem like she hasn't been crying. "And Riley, we're sorry to hear about the loss in your family and please know that they will be receiving the monetary compensation right away."
Riley takes in a sharp breath at the comment and her eyes begin watering once more, before she nods her head. "Thank you," she whispers and raises her head, trying to be strong as Amelia pats her shoulder. "They need it so badly."
Seraphim nods his head, a little uncomfortable at the dire situation in front of him, and smiles awkwardly at the rest of them. "Well, please let me know if you need anything from us. Oh and Ryam, the mic's open at the banquet if you want."
The boy perks up at that before the uncomfortable look is back in his eyes that Seraphim can't quite place. "That'd be cool, thanks."
Seraphim nods and steps aside for them to head onto the elevator, with Amelia pausing to look at him. "Did the others get here yet?"
Seraphim knows she must be referring to her group of friends. "You're second to last. Anastacia and Elias haven't gotten here yet."
"Ah, good, I can go say hi to Fox," she says as she steps into the elevator, focusing back on Riley and trying her best to comfort the girl.
Seraphim's shoulders sag when the team is gone. "I wasn't ready for those kinds of volunteering reasons," he says quietly, unable to imagine losing a sibling just days prior to going into the Hunger Games.
"Is it better or worse than taking unwilling kids?" Zephyr asks him quietly, tone completely serious.
Seraphim doesn't answer him as the next hovercraft arrives, partially because he doesn't know the answer to that. He's quite happy when he sees the District Four mentors that Okeanas is not part of the group this year – and Kat and Thetis from Two and One – because he could not handle that sassy trio of older women. Muir is chatting with Lucky, the escort still seeming a bit nervous around them, but better than he was at the Reaping. Meanwhile, Iona is between the two tributes, talking to Valletta and Juno as they listen in intently.
"Hello District Four and welcome," Seraphim greets them politely, hoping they don't hold too much of a grudge for what's happened the past two years.
He holds out his hand to shake their hands and Valletta takes it first, overwhelming him a little bit with her tall frame and firm grip. "It's an honor to be here."
Juno tips his head and gives a two fingered salute at the two, accidentally brushing the hair away from in front of his eye and prompting him to quickly cover it back up. "Wouldn't go as far as honored, but still, exciting stuff."
"Right," Seraphim says, drawing out the word as he's not quite sure how to answer that. "Anyways, head on up and feel free to chat any time at the banquet."
They watch them go and Zephyr waits until the elevators shut to speak up. "I like Juno, realizes already that there's no honor in the Games, just survival."
"I suppose so," Seraphim answers, but he doesn't really know that like Zephyr does. "You're the expert on that-"
Their conversation is cut off by Mord running down the ramp, leaping forward at the halfway point and landing with a dramatic pose. "Parkour!"
"Oh goodie," Seraphim mutters under his breath, making Zephyr let out a snort next to him. The rest of the team heads out separately, Lobo stomping a bit with his arms crossed and sneering at the escort who is looking back, waiting for some kind of reaction. Fonio follows after them, rolling his eyes at the antics of both of them. And then Lelantos and Inutil finish up the group, the mentor quietly talking to the girl as she looks a little panicked about being here.
"Welcome," Seraphim greets them, getting the feeling that he shouldn't keep them there long. "Let us know if you need anything and we can chat more at the banquet later."
"Yeah, whatever," Lobo grumbles as he steps into the elevator first, followed by Mord who leaps inside. Fonio sighs loudly and gives Seraphim a pointed look about his escort that he ignores, focusing on Lelantos and Inutil instead.
"Hey, Lelantos, got a moment?" Seraphim says, pulling them aside and making Lobo complain about the holdup.
"What is it?" Lelantos asks cautiously, glancing over at their tributes.
"Inutil," Seraphim says quietly and they both look at the girl in question. "We're about 90% sure she has FAS…"
"Oh," Lelantos replies, tensing up at the statement. They get a fierce look on their face as they ball their fists at their side. "Don't worry, I know how to watch out for her."
"That's what we were hoping, considering Kaiden…"
Lelantos winces at the mention of their son, but nods their head and follows the team onto the elevator without another word.
Seraphim knows they'll stick to their word and help her, which is about the only thing he doesn't have to worry about with the Nine team. "What a team," he shakes his head, thinking about Mord's antics.
"Speaking of teams, here comes trouble," Zephyr chuckles when the team leaves the next hovercraft. Emilio leads the way and is the first to notice Zephyr, giving him an amiably nod of the head that Zephyr tentatively returns. Behind him, Anastacia is telling something to the tributes who listen attentively, while Elias smiles and shakes his head. Radian finishes up the group but unlike his brother, he doesn't seem apprehensive about being there.
"Seraphim, Zephyr," Emilio calls to them, announcing their presence for Anastacia's sake.
She stops talking, looking around and trying to figure out where they are. "Hello District One," Seraphim says and Anastacia pinpoints his location quickly.
"Ah there's my favorite Gamemaker," Anastacia says in greeting, smiling widely despite sending a glare – Seraphim is almost 90% sure it's a teasing glare at this point – in his direction. "In case it wasn't obvious, I'm talking about Zephyr."
"Good to see you too," Seraphim answers with a chuckle, holding out his hand to greet them. "Have I at least been upgraded to handshakes?"
Anastacia taps her chin for a moment, seemingly contemplating this as Elias shakes his head beside her, while Ardent and Mercy watch on with looks of surprise and horror respectively at her behavior, and Radian tries to hold back a snicker. "I suppose so," Anastacia says before holding out her hand, but before Seraphim can take it, she pulls it back quickly and starts laughing. "Got 'em. Way to keep us waiting all day."
"Yes, sorry about that but we had reasons for it," Seraphim sighs loudly for her sake, but fights back a smile as he waves at the others. "Go ahead inside, someone will lead you to your floor where you can get settled and ready. I'm sure we'll talk some more tonight, Mercy and Ardent."
"Of course," Mercy says through a nervous and excited smile.
Ardent is a bit more hesitant about that suggestion, but eventually nods his head. "I figured as much," he says quietly before they head to the elevator.
"Only two more to go," Seraphim says with a sigh, ready to be done with this part of the job. But he knows the stress is just beginning.
"Oh goodie, my favorite people," Zephyr says when he sees the District Two team arrive next, led by Jory and Drazen. The younger mentor is actually one of Zephyr's favorites, given how close the two both are to Glacia and Darach. But Jory? …Not so much.
Still, Jory gives them a friendly wave as they approach, Lotus pouting behind them while Vulcan and Chantelle have a reserved, but polite conversation. "Welcome," Seraphim greets them pleasantly, getting the vibe that this pair doesn't want to stay and chat with him. They're in for a fun time at the banquet. "We won't keep you long, but I just wanted to be the first to welcome you."
"Thank you," Chantelle answers politely, but makes no other move to greet him, while Vulcan nods his head silently.
"We got a real box of joy this year," Jory teases and when the tributes look annoyed at his comment, he starts laughing and puts his hand on Drazen's shoulder. "I'm talking about Drazen, obviously."
"Get your hand off me," Drazen shakes him off immediately and ducks into the elevator, scowling a bit at Jory as the rest of his team steps on. "Did the Capitol arrive already?"
"They were first," Seraphim answers and he can just catch Drazen grumbling, "Of course he was," before the doors shut.
"So, did Kat finally get the right balance to make the pair not self-sabotage?" Seraphim teases Zephyr, making him sigh loudly at how disastrous the past two years of tributes have been.
"Don't ever let her overhear you saying something like that," Zephyr shakes his head at Seraphim as the final hovercraft arrives, thankfully with a team that should be nice to them.
District Five has quite a varied mood to the group, with Morris confidently leading the way down the ramp with Galen, while Letha keeps her hand in Ciana's behind them and Sloan stands on the other side of the girl protectively. Morris raises their eyebrow at the sight of the two, before letting out a scoff and turning away from them, seemingly determining them not worth their time. Letha, on the other hand, gets a fierce look that Seraphim has never seen from her as she stomps up to him, bringing Ciana with her. "You need to reopen the investigation with Ciana. She didn't do it and I believe her."
Seraphim blinks in surprise and looks at Ciana, the girl struggling to keep herself composed, but also not backing down from Letha's claims. "I-well- we have to know for sure the truth from her…"
"I'll do whatever test you want to prove it," Ciana speaks up softly, her eyes beginning to water. "Please, I just – I need freedom from him."
Seraphim glances at Zephyr, but his boyfriend is leaving it up to him to handle. He turns back to Ciana and gives a hesitant smile. "I'll talk to people but no guarantees. Regardless, welcome to the Capitol."
"It's good to be in the place where I shall soon rule as Monarch of Panem," Morris answers ominously, making Seraphim just a bit concerned that they have rebellious thoughts, but then again, the kid doesn't really seem like they could physically harm anyone.
"Right," Seraphim answers slowly and forces himself to keep smiling at the group. "Well, you're the last to arrive but you still have plenty of time to head on up and get ready for the banquet later."
The team heads into the elevator and once the doors shut, Seraphim finally allows himself to relax for a moment. He sighs and leans into Zephyr, knowing the stress is only just beginning.
"Well, love, that was fun," Zephyr tells him with a chuckle.
"No, the fun is later," Seraphim shakes his head, now starting to realize just what he's gotten himself into with the banquet now that he's met the tributes. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of a disaster is this going to be?"
Zephyr laughs loudly as he leads Seraphim to a different elevator to get them back to the Games Headquarters. "You know anything with this group is going to be at least an 11 on that scale."
"Great, I can't wait."
Happy new year and lets kick off 2021 with a bonus little chapter for you! I say bonus because this was not in my initial plans to write. But, I had the idea and wanted to write something with Seraphim a couple weeks ago to try and help me get over my writing funk, so here we are! Next chapter will officially start the banquet and yes, it will be a disaster (in a good way lol) like Seraphim and Zephyr predicted.
But, the next chapter will probably be a little while from now. I've realized I need to have only one SYOT to focus on at the moment, so I'm shifting my focus to Legacy to finish that up since it's in the Games right now. I'm at the point where I'm excited to write it again and I suspect the rest of the Games are going to move very quickly at this point. So I'm going to write the rest of that story and will be updating it weekly. Once I have it written (not posted, that would take too long lol), I'm going to dive head first into this story! So consider this a mini hiatus as I work on Legacy. I'm still writing, just gotta set priorities right now. Also don't be surprised seeing Victor Memoirs updates during this time. I'm at the point with that where it's victors we know and so I'm excited and at the time of posting this, have written through the 116th Games (yeah, we're gonna get some new Muir content, it's emo).
So yeah, updates will come with this once I get through with Legacy. If you're wondering where I am with that, I'll be keeping my profile updated with my writing progress so you can check there, or you can send me a PM about it. Just want to reiterate that I'm not going anywhere with this story and in fact, I'm quite excited for some of the things I have planned at the banquet. If you've read this much, I'll give you a little sneak peek lol: someone definitely twerks on someone else and traumatizes the people watching.
RQ #14: Which District pair do you think is going to be the most and least dysfunctional?
I'll see you when I see you with part one of the Banquet! Hopefully it will be within the next month or two - we'll see how zoomy I get writing Legacy lol. Thanks for sticking with me. Your support means a lot and without it, I probably would not have the motivation to keep up with writing.
