Language Warning.
Cordelia "Cordy" Simmons, 15, District 3 Female
Training Day 2, Morning
Cordy had attended plenty of team meetings over the years for various projects and group assignments. Every one of them made her nervous. This one was no different, even considering how unexpected it was. Cordy hadn't even thought she'd make one ally, let alone two.
Jann was the one to suggest these meetings both before and after training. He didn't want others, particularly the Careers, to know he was allied with them. Ansi had suggested her floor, since then they could all claim they were headed to the rooftop. It was a perplexing strategy, but Cordy didn't press the matter. Jann seemed to know what he was doing, which had the unfortunate conundrum of being both worrisome and reassuring.
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor. The doors slid open and Jann stepped inside, greeting Cordy with a grin. "Morning!"
"Good morning," Cordy replied. "I hope you slept well."
"Totally. Today's going to be a fun day."
The older boy was starting to remind Cordy of her district partner. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened once again, revealing the twelfth floor in all of its glory. Ansi was already sitting at the table with a plate of half-eaten food in front of her. She looked up and smiled tiredly when she heard Jann and Cordy enter. "Good morning," she said. "There's coffee at the buffet. I'm personally not a fan, but it'll wake you up."
"Thanks!" said Jann. "I think I'll take you up on that. You like coffee, Cordy?"
Cordy nodded. "I have come to rely on it over the years."
"I'll get you a cup. Do you take cream and sugar?"
Cordy shook her head.
"Great minds think alike." Jann went to get the coffee. Cordy pulled out a chair at the far side of the table. She chanced a glance at Ansi and was surprised by the girl's warm smile. "You're both so nice..." she breathed.
"We're glad to have you with us, Cordy," Ansi replied. "Even though I'm not entirely sure what the plan is yet."
"Oh, we have a plan," Jann said. He set a warm mug in front of Cordy before taking a seat at the center of the table. "And for the record, both of you are free to say no. It's your life at the end of the day, and if you don't want to risk it, then don't."
"I appreciate that."
"Hey, it's the Hunger Games. We have to do what we can."
Cordy's smile quickly dropped. "I..." She shook her head. "No, never mind."
"What's wrong?" Ansi asked.
Cordy shook her head again. "It's nothing important."
"Hey, you don't have to talk about it," Jann began, "but whatever it is, I won't judge."
Cordy sighed. She crossed her arms and looked down at the sparkles embedded in the floor.
"Why did you recruit me? I'm not complaining, I'm just ... baffled as to why you wanted me."
"You remind me of someone," said Jann. "Besides, I saw you at the chemistry station. Chemical warfare is the best kind, especially against the Careers."
Cordy frowned. On one hand, sentimentality was foolish in a death match. Attachments were dangerous. On the other hand, it did appear that Jann had a use for her aside from said sentimentality, which seemed callous but also practical. There was also Jann's honesty, which Cordy appreciated.
"Very well," she said. "I accept your answer. What's your plan?"
Jann grinned. "I am so glad you asked me that, Cordy. Remember how I told you two to keep our little group on the down-low?"
Cordy and Ansi nodded.
"Well," said Jann, his grin widening to the point that it was almost manic, "I'm about to tell you exactly why!"
Cordy felt her eyes growing wider as Jann detailed his master plan. She glanced at Ansi to see the same shocked look on her place.
The plan was foolish, illogical, and utterly deranged.
And it might just be exactly what they needed.
Blanca Bolero, 14, District 8 Female
Blanca made a beeline for the archery station the moment that the tributes were released. Her companion, the legendary adventurer Hendrix Conestoga, followed her. His eyebrows were furrowed.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Blanca," he began, "but shouldn't you visit other stations besides archery? You haven't even touched the required ones yet."
"It's okay," Blanca replied. "I'll get to them tomorrow."
"It wouldn't hurt to have other tools in your arsenal."
"Please don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"I can't help it," he sighed. "It's the Hunger Games."
Blanca smiled. She could count on one hand how many people genuinely worried about her, and three people were added over the past couple of days. "Thank you, Hendrix."
Hendrix opened his mouth to say something, then immediately clamped it shut.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You..." He took a deep breath. "You can call me Hen if you want."
"Hen." Blanca smiled. "I like that. It sounds nice."
"How about this? You go shoot some arrows, and this afternoon, I can show you some of the stuff I learned. Then tomorrow, you can show me how to shoot a bow."
Blanca considered this for a moment, then nodded.
"Great! I'll see you at––"
"Aww! How adorable!" A mocking voice flooded Blanca's ears and she froze.
Hen looked up and instantly went pale. Blanca whipped around and immediately yelped in terror. The boy from One loomed over them like a giant wolf regarding his prey.
"Are you some kind of Katniss Everdeen wannabe?" he asked with a sickening grin.
Blanca clung to Hen and began to tremble. She tried talking, but no words came out. Hen gripped her arm back and the wolf laughed. "Why don't you scurry along?" he said. "Let the big kids handle the weapons?"
"W-Wh––" She tried to find a comeback, something, anything. Bullies were always the one thing she couldn't stand, and here she was, face to face with one, unable to do anything.
"Wh-Wh-Wha? What is it?"
Blanca swallowed hard.
"Well, say something!"
"Are you okay?" Hen asked him, his voice trembling a little.
The boy's eyebrows knit together and his nose scrunched up. "Huh?"
"I just ... I don't want you to feel like you have to overcompensate. Since ... y'know ... you might be lacking in places."
One's eyes went wide. His hands shot forward and Blanca found herself being forced aside. He grabbed the now deathly pale Hen by the shirt.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" he snapped.
Blanca swung her foot into the boy's leg. She didn't even realize she was doing it until she heard him holler with surprise. He turned on her. "The fuck?"
"Hey!"
Blanca turned and nearly sobbed when she saw Jann storming towards them. His eyes were burning and his mouth was flattened into a thin, furious line. "Piss off!"
The boy scowled at Jann. "What's it to you, Eight? They're both cannon fodder."
"Go on, Blanca," he said, not even sparing her a glance.
Blanca stared at him, trembling, her fight gone as quickly as it came.
"It's okay. I'll handle this."
Before Blanca could say or do anything else, Hen pulled her away. "C'mon, we can come back here later."
"Y-Yeah, good idea."
The forest nymph and the brave adventurer were no match for the big bad wolf today, but he was wrong. They were not going to be cannon fodder. Blanca was determined to escape the bloodbath with not only her life but the life of her friend as well.
She had to.
Caden Asher, 18, District 1 Male
Caden felt his nose wrinkle with disgust as Eight and Six scampered away. He was disgusted at himself for getting riled up by two little kids, and also because he felt the need to do this in the first place. Careers bullying the outliers in training was to be expected, tradition even, but the way the boy from Eight was glaring at him, not only with the rage expected from a protective district partner but with the sort of disappointment that came from a parent scolding their toddler ... it was condescending and humiliating, and Caden hated how it unnerved him.
"Are you proud of yourself?" the boy asked. "Picking on two little kids?"
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Caden snapped. He didn't have a dog in this fight, but he also couldn't just admit he was wrong.
"You know I can't do that." A mischievous smile slowly twisted Eight's features. "You're a One. You must know a thing or two about district partner loyalty. Loyalty to your other allies, not so much, but loyalty to your district partner, yes."
He gaped at Eight. "What are you implying?"
"Think about it," said Eight with a shrug, "just don't break your brain. Not any more than it already is. I know your daddy issues probably did that plenty of times."
Caden's brain went blank as confusion and rage began to swirl in his head. What in Panem's name was this boy on about? And how dare he talk to him like that, anyway? He wanted nothing more than to punch the kid in the face and knock that stupid smile off, consequences be damned.
"You trying to start shit with me, rat?"
The boy placed his hand over his heart, his eyes wide in mock-surprise. "Caden Asher, you wound me. Why would I possibly want a problem with a big bad Career who is so confident in his manhood that he feels the need to pick on little kids to prove himself?"
Okay, that was it. Caden stepped forward to get into the boy's face when a hand fell on his shoulder. Caden flinched at the contact and whirled around to find Becket giving him a stern look.
"Everything okay here?" she asked.
The peacekeepers were watching them nearby, likely wondering the same thing.
"No," Caden muttered. He roughly shrugged off Becket's hand. "But it's not worth getting into a fight over."
"Glad you agree!" the boy said with a smile as he slid on a pair of brass knuckles. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He strode over to the nearest punching bag and began striking it with the precision that only a trained fighter could have. Caden heaved a deep breath.
What was wrong with Eight?
"Something's off about that boy," he said to Becket.
"Something's off about you. What possessed you to think that was a good idea?"
"He started it!" said Caden. He certainly didn't feel good about what he did, but what the hell?
Becket cocked an eyebrow.
"What?"
"You expect me to believe those tiny little things from the industrial smog district wanted to fight you, and put an even bigger target on their backs in the process?"
He stared at her
"You know that girl isn't going to miraculously become the next Katniss in three days," he said finally.
"No, but she didn't ask to be here. She deserves to at least try to win. Just ... try not to antagonize anyone else, okay?"
With that, she turned and left and Caden realized that he was surrounded by weirdos.
Oh well. At least Safira was somewhat reliable.
Speaking of, he began looking around for her, and found her at the knives station, looking between the boy from Eight and himself. Caden could see the gears turning in her head, even from the archery station.
Oh, great.
Hoover Galloway, 14, District 10 Male
Lunch
Hoover had spent the past day and a half alone.
He sat alone at the water station and watched the other tributes train. He sat alone at lunch. He sat alone in his room while Texanna stood outside the door and tried to coax him out to talk strategy.
It didn't matter. Hoover was going to die. He was going to die the moment that gong rang and no amount of training would change that. He didn't want to break something or otherwise injure himself and spend the last week of his life in pain.
Now, he was back at lunch, sitting alone once again. He had no one. His family and friends were far away. Texanna was trying, and he appreciated that, but there was nothing she could do for him. Dawn had gone and joined the Careers. No one would want to ally with him.
At least, that was what he thought. He had noticed the girl from Nine occasionally looking at him all morning, and now she was wandering the cafeteria, tray of food in hand, searching for someone. When she saw him, she immediately picked up the pace, and Hoover braced himself for a pity party.
"Hi there!" The girl greeted him with a friendly smile. "Why are you all by yourself?"
Hoover shrugged. "Nobody wants me in their hair, I guess."
"I doubt that. Mind if I sit?"
"Sure."
The girl sat down across from him and offered her hand. "Tilly Mayfield, District Nine." Hoover stared at the girl's hand nervously. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle, and if you aren't comfortable, that's fine too." Hoover slowly extended his hand, and true to her word, Tilly grasped it loosely, giving it only a small, gentle squeeze before releasing it.
"It's nice to meet you," Hoover said finally. "I'm Hoover Galloway. District Ten."
"It's nice to meet you too. I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but I'm so sorry you're here."
"Me too," Hoover replied before catching himself. "About you, I mean. I'm sorry you're here too. I––" He felt his face grow hot with embarrassment.
"It's okay," Tilly giggled. "I know what you mean. I was wondering, and you can say no, of course –– do you want to team up?"
Hoover blinked. "You ... you want an alliance? With me?"
"Yeah."
"But why? You don't even know me." Tears began to form in Hoover's eyes. "I'm going to die anyway, so if you take me on, I'll just be a liability." Why? Why was this girl taking pity on him? She could easily find better allies, so why was she choosing him?
Tilly's smile dropped from her face and a more serious expression replaced it.
"Hoover, I don't think you're useless. Everyone here has the potential to win, and I don't think you're an exception. Besides, everyone deserves a friend. Especially here."
Hoover stared at Tilly through tear-stained eyes. Did she genuinely mean that? "So ... I won't be alone?"
Tilly's smile reappeared, kind and warm. "No, you won't. Even if I'm not nearby, you won't have to go into the Games feeling alone."
Hoover choked back another sob, but instead of fear and frustration, he felt genuinely touched. "Can I hug you?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
Tilly didn't say a word. She simply got up and circled to the other side of the table. She sat down next to Hoover and gently pulled him into her arms. They were strong and warm, and he returned the embrace with shaking arms.
For the first time since the Reaping, he felt like he had someone on his side.
Lucien "Luce" Visser, 18, District 4 Male
Luce felt like he was on some kind of screwed-up reality show. The more time he spent with his allies, the more he felt that he and Becket were the only sane ones. Caden was picking fights with factory babies and Zhenya was making googly eyes at the boy from Eleven. Dawn and Macha were sane enough, but they both had their cans of worms that Luce wasn't about to open, and Safira was, well ... Safira. They were all competent, but Luce was seriously starting to worry about the cohesion of the alliance.
He was also well aware that he was the most boring of the alliance, and the most likely to fade into the background. Whether that was good or bad remained to be seen.
This conundrum proved even more perplexing as Safira unboxed her latest lightbulb at the lunch table.
"No," Caden snapped. "No, no. We are not recruiting him."
"Oh come on, Caden," Safira said, a twinge of sweetness in her voice. "You saw him at the combat station. He's good."
"He's also an asshole!"
"Need I remind you that you started that whole fiasco by messing with his district partner?" Becket said.
"I know, I know." Caden waved her off. "He's still an asshole, and I don't trust him."
"It's not about trust," said Macha. "It's about taking out the competition."
"Say we're just minding our own business at the wrestling station," Safira began, "and someone just walks up to us and starts degrading me. You mean to tell me you wouldn't step in?
"I'd hope I wouldn't have to."
"That wasn't the question."
He sighed deeply, his nostrils flaring in frustration.
"Yes, I'd back you up," he said finally. "But I wouldn't be such a little bitch about it like he was."
She stared at him.
"What? I don't like him."
"Wouldn't it be good to have another ally? In case one of us goes down in the bloodbath?" Becket pointed out.
Caden rolled his eyes.
"I guess we could always use him as a meat shield..."
"If it comes down to it, yeah," said Macha.
Becket nodded. "Zhenya and Dawn? Any thoughts?"
"I'm cool with it," Dawn said.
All eyes were on Zhenya.
"Zhenya? You with us?"
Zhenya jolted, startled by her words.
"Uh, yeah. I'm good with him joining." His face turned bright red. Safira started to snicker, and Luce gave her the same look he gave Pallas whenever she was being annoying.
All eyes were on Luce and he had to think about it. On one hand, having another person in the pack only raised the risk that it would implode sooner. On the other hand, he had a suspicion that the boy from Eight would put on a show. Luce realized he was going to be set dressing in this alliance no matter how he went about things. He wasn't flashy, he didn't have a big personality, and he certainly didn't start drama with cannon fodder. The only thing for him to do was try to use his normalcy to his advantage.
"Yeah," he said, "let's do it."
~ASM~
Later that day, he pulled Becket aside to talk. "Hey, I'm worried about our allies."
"Our recruits?" Becket asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you were okay with them joining."
"I am. That's not the problem. I'm just not sure we can count on the Ones or Zhenya."
She frowned. "Why Zhenya?"
"Have you seen the way he's been hanging around the boy from Eleven and looking at him? I'm worried he might try to ditch the pack for him. If he wants to ally with him, that's his prerogative, but I'm worried he might betray us later on."
"I understand." Becket looked down, deep in thought. "I don't think Zhenya's going to turn on us. If he chooses Florin over us, then he'll either take off with him during the bloodbath or leave before training is over. And honestly, if that's what he wants and if that's what will make him happy, then I'm okay with that. I don't think the Ones will betray us either. They might be difficult, but I doubt they're dishonorable."
Luce wanted to laugh at that. No one won the Games by being honorable, but if this obsession with it meant that Becket wouldn't slit his throat in his sleep, then so be it. "I know I can rely on you though. And I want you to know that you can trust me as well. If this alliance falls apart, I'll watch your back."
"Of course," he said. "And the same goes for you."
Jann Cotton, 18, District 8 Male
Jann went back to the combat station as soon as lunch ended, whistling cheerfully and adjusting his lightning bolt pendant. He took an elastic off of his wrist and pulled his hair back into a low ponytail to keep it out of the way. He decided to practice with something other than hand-to-hand combat, opting for the knives instead.
He found himself near the girl from One, the one whose district partner had bullied Blanca this morning and nearly got kicked out of training for his trouble. He did worry about Blanca and Hendrix, especially after Blanca had kicked the boy in the shin (where did that even come from?) while defending her ally. He was proud of her, but he worried all the same.
There was a silver lining. He was on the Careers' radar, and judging by the girl from Four's reaction, it was clear to her at least who was in the wrong there, and Jann suspected that she was trying to wear the pants in that alliance. Trying being the key word there.
In Panem's name, he hoped this would work...
The girl from One kept glancing at him while biting her lip and fluttering her eyelashes. It was honestly kind of comical. Jann pretended not to notice her the first few times, and when she eventually "caught" his attention, he winked at her.
It wasn't long before the girl strode towards him, a hand on her hip and a coy look on her face.
"Not bad," she said with another eyelash flutter. "What's your name?"
"Jann. And what might yours be?"
"Safira."
"Safira," he said, "a lovely name for a lovely lady."
Safira giggled. "You're quite the charmer. Do you want to hit the gauntlets with me? We can have a little chat while we're in line."
"I would love that."
They walked towards the gauntlets, and Jann couldn't help but grin at the way Safira's hand brushed his own. It was so painfully obvious that she was trying to play him like a fiddle, but years of flirting and playing the crowd had prepared him for this.
Safira Altin was deadly and dangerous, and she wanted something from him if she was flirting with someone like him. Lucky for her, the feeling was mutual.
The two made their way to the gauntlets and began talking. It was disturbingly easy how they slipped into a casual conversation. They talked about their strengths, their skills, their home lives. Safira, by her admission, was good at getting what she wanted. A classic Career brat used to getting the world on a silver platter, he thought.
"I'm a fighter," Jann said. "I guess you can say I'm used to getting what I want too, but something tells me that someone as beautiful and clever as yourself may be a bit harder to get."
"You don't think I'm easy?" she said with a giggle.
"Are you kidding? You? The deadliest of the entire Career pack?"
"You really think so?" For a moment, the mask slipped. Safira's eyes went just a little too wide, her face just a little too surprised and almost touched.
Jann reached out and brushed some of her blonde hair from her face. When she didn't shy away, he smiled. "I don't think anything, I know you are. Heck, you might just win the whole damn Games."
"With your help."
Here it is.
"My help?" he said, his brows furrowed in his best impression of confusion. "You want me in the Career pack?"
"Of course. I like you, and I think we'll make a great team."
Jann chuckled. "Well, how could I say no to such a charming girl like you?"
"You're too kind." They reached the front of the line and Safira smirked. "Race you to the end?"
"I won't go easy on you."
"You better not."
As he settled into position, he allowed himself to smile.
Vaughn Burchell, 17, District 5 Male
Vaughn and Leonie wandered the training center, hand in hand, checking out the competition. "Look," Leonie began. "The Gamemakers are watching us."
Vaughn looked up, and sure enough, they had caught the attention of some of the purple-robed people who decided if they lived or died. The pink-haired woman in the fur-trimmed collar in particular had taken an interest in them.
Vaughn gave her a cocky grin and a wave. The Gamemaker just stared at him with a tired look on her face.
She was probably overworked, poor thing.
"What are you doing?" Leonie asked.
"Schmoozing the Gamemakers," Vaughn replied. "Maybe now they'll give us a higher score."
Leonie rolled her eyes. "Need to show them something worth scoring first."
"Want me to bash out a training dummy or two? Show off these guns?"
"You are the brawn. Perhaps once we finish up over there, I can show you a thing or two about poison. If you can keep up."
Vaughn put an arm around Leonie. "Anything for you, darling."
A twinge of guilt sparked inside of him. Leonie deserves so much better than you.
He pushed it down. No. She doesn't. At least I was single when we decided to do this.
He took a deep breath and picked up a mace. It felt heavy but well-balanced. Vaughn then went over to the training dummy. took a swing ... and missed the head completely. It connected with the dummy's arm and left a dent behind.
"Congratulations," Leonie said. "You broke the dummy's arm."
"I did that on purpose," Vaughn replied, forcing a smile. "Say that was my opponent's dominant arm. Now they can't fight." He swung again, this time striking the dummy's chest. "That would kill them, right?"
Leonie appeared to think about it for a moment, before walking over to Vaughn and taking the mace from his hand. "How about we try something sharp?"
"Sharp?"
"Yeah. That way, when we get ahold of something poisonous. you can just coat the blade with it. Even if you completely suck at combat, you can still do some damage."
Vaughn bit back the flash of outrage that attempted to make itself known.
"Well, let's just hope your poisons are as good as your flirting."
"If they're anything like your charms, we'll be fine. Want to try an axe? You look like an axe guy."
Vaughn nodded and Leonie handed him an axe before pointing to the red-headed boy from Seven who was currently ripping a dummy apart. "Show him who's boss."
A grin crossed Vaughn's face and he strode over to the dummy closest to the boy. He swung, and the axe glided through the air, slamming into the side of the dummy's neck. The boy looked up, grumpy at the interruption. Vaughn simply grinned at him.
If looks could kill, the Games would have started with only twenty-three tributes.
He kept striking at the dummy, trying to match the boy's moves with mixed results. The boy from Seven grew more and more irritated at this.
"Will you stop that?" he finally asked.
"What?" Leonie said. "He's just practicing. Are you scared that he's better than you?"
The boy glared daggers at the both of them. "In your dreams."
Vaughn kept going, trying to outmatch the boy at every turn. The boy seemed to grow more and more upset with each passing moment, and Vaughn wondered if he was getting to him.
This had the potential to backfire in the arena, but he was having fun, and so was Leonie.
In that moment, that was what mattered.
Florin Cassia, 18, District 11 Male
Evening
When Florin asked Tali about his idea, she said to go for it. When he asked Thresh, he was told to absolutely not go for it. When he asked his heart, it fluttered, and when he asked his common sense, he was called an idiot.
Those conversations were what led Florin to where he was now, standing at the door to the District 11 suite, hyping himself up to go downstairs and talk to Zhenya. His stylist was kind enough to do his makeup for him, and Thresh begrudgingly allowed him to bring Zhenya up to the second floor with him. He considered bringing a bouquet, but he didn't want to overwhelm Zhenya or inadvertently cause him to feel any kind of pressure.
This was just dinner ... and a movie on the television. Just two guys hanging out a few days before a death match.
Florin felt nervous and he felt frustrated with himself for it, especially because this was far from his first harvest. He had romanced many strapping young lads and beautiful young ladies in the past, and none of them, not even Clementine, made him feel like this.
Florin took a deep breath and stepped out of the District 11 suite and into the elevator. Worst case scenario, he was shut down, and not for the first time. And if he had a target on his back because of it? Well, that would most certainly have been a first, but this was the Hunger Games. He was going to have a target on his back no matter what.
At least this way, he'd die with no regrets.
He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button that took him to the second floor. Then, the elevator began to move. When it stopped, Florin stepped out into the hallway that led to the District 2 suite and felt his blood turn into slush when he saw the girl from Two. For a moment, the two regarded each other with cold suspicion.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, an annoyed twinge in her voice.
Florin put on his most charming smile. "Why, I'm here to see––"
The girl held up her hand to stop him and with her other hand, pinched the bridge of her nose as if warding off a bright light. "You've got some stones, you know that?"
"That's what people tell me."
The girl sighed. "And what if I tell you to scram?"
"Then I'll scram. I don't want to intrude."
The girl stared at Florin for a long moment and then shook her head. "Don't move." She ducked back inside and Florin was left alone in the hallway. Fifteen interminable seconds passed, and then finally, Zhenya stepped out of the suite. He stopped and his eyes went wide when he saw Florin. The door clicked shut behind him, and for a moment, the two stared into each other's eyes.
"Hi," Zhenya said, the shocked expression not leaving his face.
Florin could feel his face turn red, but he pressed onward. "Hi. I was, uh." Damn it all, why was this suddenly so hard? "Would you ... like to have some dinner? My floor? Thresh is okay with it, but if you don't want to..." His voice trailed off.
Zhenya looked conflicted for a moment, but finally nodded and smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."
The two of them went back to the elevator together and Florin felt his heart flutter with anticipation. Next to him, Zhenya looked equally nervous.
Yet somehow, Florin had a feeling it was going to be just fine.
Alliances:
The Careers: Safira, Caden, Macha, Zhenya(?), Becket, Luce, Dawn, Jann(?)
Blossom Boogaloo: Cordy, Jann, Ansi
The Chaos Crew: Rhys, Viorica
The Power "Couple:" Leonie, Vaughn
The Dream Team: Hendrix, Blanca
The Power of Friendship: Tilly, Hoover
Loners: Gideon, Ebony, CiCi, Tali, Florin(?), Cole
We are so back! I didn't set out for this to be the romance and friendship-heavy chapter but whoopsie! With this chapter, we're six chapters away from the Games starting! We have one more training chapter, the post-training chapters, and a couple more interludes in between! Are you excited? I know I am!
As for where I was, well, check out my VE fic, The Demon of Azure Lake, if you haven't already! It even has a blog complete with character names and memes!
I will also say that you may see this story update a few times over the next few days as I make some small edits and rearrange some things. For example, I will likely move the District 4 intros so that is in order (I will do this last so if this has the potential to screw up reviews let me know and I'll leave it as is.) You may have also noticed I upped the rating. Don't worry, nothing too drastic will happen, I just had some ideas and figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
Next time, we'll wrap up training (as well as knock out some private sessions) and then it's off to pre-Games part 3! Any final alliance predictions? Will the loners join anyone? Will Zhenya stay with the Careers or join Florin? What is Jann up to?
Maybe find out next time!