Luce Visser
District 4 Male
78 HG
Lucien Visser took a deep breath and tried to push the roaring crowd and flashing lights to the back of his mind. He quelled the shaking in his hands and smoothed his sea green suit.
"Now," he heard Caesar say after Becket had walked off the stage. "Next up, we have a strapping young lad from District 4, and another volunteer! Let's see how bright he shines! A big round of applause for Lucien Visser!"
Luce put on his most charming smile, puffed up his chest, and strode out to the stage, careful not to trip over his own feet. He extended his hand and Caesar shook it. "Lucien! Welcome! It's so wonderful to see you!"
"Please," Luce said. His smile didn't fade, but he did have to fight not to shift uncomfortably in the spotlight. "call me Luce. That's what my friends call me."
"Luce!" Caesar grinned. "Now that is a charming name! Now, I'm sure you get this a lot, but you volunteered for these Games. Why?"
Luce bit back a nervous laugh. "Well, I'm sure you've heard the 'I want to bring honor to my district half a million times by now.'" This got the crowd laughing. Luce continued. "While that is true, there's more to it than that. My father once told me that I could win the Hunger Games some day. I hope to live up to that. I want to be able to support my family for the rest of my life, and I've gotten a lot of help getting where I am today. I want to return the favor."
The crowd cheered. "Well," Caesar said, "those are some very excellent reasons! No regrets yet, right?"
The last sentence was meant to be a joke, but it gave Luce pause. He was going into the Games tomorrow morning. Tomorrow morning, bodies would start to drop. Luce knew he was better prepared than most of his competition, but he could still die tomorrow. And he'd likely be responsible for other deaths, other grieving families. That significance wasn't lost on him.
He thought of his mother, Pallas, Chase, and Sandy. He thought of Leto and Keller. He thought of his father and everyone else he was doing this for and those thoughts were quickly dashed away.
"No," he said. "I chose to be here. Tomorrow, I'll fight for my family, my friends, and my district. I'll fight as hard as I can and I'll be seeing you very soon, Caesar."
The crowd cheered and Luce found his confidence rising. This was good. He knew he was the least flashiest of the Careers, and he intended to use that to his advantage, but he couldn't help but feel irked at being ignored by the crowd.
Let the others shine bright. Luce would have his moment and he would shine the brightest of them all.
After all, this was his choice, and he was confident it would all work out.
"Do your best. That's all that matters."
xiv. this was my choice
I love being in Luce's head so much. He's kind of in a conundrum where his strategy revolves around being the least flashy but he's also jealous of the attention his allies get as a result. He doesn't regret his choice to volunteer though. At least…not yet mwahaha!