Gucci Givenchy, 18
District One

The door clicked shut behind Gucci as he stopped to survey the sheer grandeur of the bedroom. He hadn't grown up poor - quite the opposite, and yet this simple bedroom he'd only end up sleeping in for a night was still far more opulent than anything he'd seen in his life.

With a sigh, he fell back onto the bed - they were really here. Gucci and Adonis would go into the Arena in a matter of days, after working for years to get there.

And yet, he couldn't rest just yet. There was always more to do: learning about their allies, strategizing, training, earning the adoration of the Capitol.

(One day Gucci Givenchy could finally stop working. But not today. Not yet.)

A loud knock rang from the door: it was Adonis, no question about that. Who else on the train could knock with the force of a thunderstorm? Gucci peeled himself off the almost-too-comfortable bed and quickly made his way to the door.

"Recaps are playing in a few," Adonis declared, not hesitating for a second.

"Ah, so you desire my presence, do you?" Gucci responded with a grin - the first look at their allies and competitors wasn't something he'd pass up the chance to see.

"I guess I do, unless I interrupted your old man nap."

"You didn't, I was just exploring."

Adonis nodded, gesturing for him to follow. "C'mon then, gramps, let's get a move on. Wouldn't want to miss the fun, would you?"

Gucci snorted, following behind his mentee as they ventured to the living room. It was empty - their mentors and escort had disappeared to other parts of the train, but that didn't bother Gucci. It didn't bother Adonis either, as she quickly claimed a couch, stretching her limbs across the entire piece of furniture.

Grabbing the TV remote, Gucci claimed his own spot on the large plush chair. He turned the screen on.

"Hey look, it's us!" Adonis exclaimed, as their own reaping flashed across the screen.

"Maybe I should've picked a different outfit," Gucci responded nonchalantly, pulling his notebook out in preparation for the next District.

"Why, because you're wearing two slightly different shades of black?"

"I am?!"

Adonis laughed, and the screen transitioned to District Two, Capo and Atalanta. They seemed decent enough allies, although Gucci wasn't sure if they'd be much of a threat as foes. District Two had been more inconsistent with their tributes in recent years than ever. And even though that gave One the perfect chance to overtake them as the superior Career district, it also made it impossible to gauge how strong Two would actually be.

"Wonder how they'll be," Adonis mused aloud.

"Don't know," Gucci responded. "Two's a wildcard again, which isn't what I wanted to see."

"Suppose we'll see how they are when we meet them."

"That we will. And what Four is like."

The Reapings passed over Three - a notable District this year, as the boy, Credence, volunteered himself. He seemed rather sickly, making it to the stage with the help of a cane. Gucci suspected a strong gust of wind could send him to his grave.

Soon enough, Four appeared. The boy, Octavius, intrigued Gucci - something about the way he held himself, slinking to the stage after volunteering. His partner Calypso followed moments after.

"Hm," Gucci hummed aloud. "They're interesting."

"What kind of interesting? Like, boring, typical interesting, or actually interesting?" Adonis responded. "I think they're actually interesting."

"I think so too. Four's… well, they're not usually on the same playing grounds as the rest of us."

"Mm. What's the plan when we meet them?"

Gucci tapped his pen against his notebook. If they wanted to establish their dominance over the Career pack, they should theoretically do it early, but for some reason he didn't think that was the best idea. If instead of taking leadership of the pack outright, they could work within the pack to keep themselves on top - Gucci figured they might be able to turn Two and Four against each other, leaving them to make a clean escape later down the road, in the arena.

"Let's see how tomorrow goes, but I don't think we should try and lead the pack," Gucci replied. "We want to stand out, but not so much that we've got a target on our back."

"Yessir," Adonis agreed with a mock salute. "I'll follow your lead."

Gucci grinned at his mentee, settling in to watch the rest of the reapings.

(With Adonis by his side, nothing could stop him from proving that District One was superior.)

Capo O'Hagan, 18
District Two

Capo's gaze bounced back and forth, back and forth, watching as his District partner paced up and down the room. She'd been doing it for at least an hour at this point, maybe more. Capo wasn't sure. He didn't know why she couldn't just settle down. They were on the train now, and they couldn't do anything but sit and wait until they arrived to the Capitol.

But still, Atalanta paced.

"You look like you need to go for a run," Capo spoke up finally. He didn't mind the silence, but Capo figured some small talk couldn't hurt. If he was going to be side by side with Atalanta for the next week, he'd at least like them to be on somewhat pleasant terms.

"I could. I miss the Academy track already," Atalanta responded, stopping in the middle of the room. "There's just… nothing to do right now. We could be so much more efficient with our time, training or strategizing, or anything else than just sitting here doing nothing."

Capo shrugged - it didn't bother him, but it was clearly bothering her. "Could always try doing curl-ups with those big books in the library. They look heavy enough."

Atalanta almost cracked a smile at this, moving to sit across the table from him. "They might just be. But maybe we can do something else."

"Oh?"

"We don't know each other well, but I think we should change that," Atalanta declared. "What do you think?"

Capo nodded.- He didn't have anything to lose, and this would probably be better than watching Atalanta pace for several hours straight. "Sounds good to me. What does getting to know each other entail?"

"Oh, I didn't really think that far ahead. I didn't think I'd get to this point, actually. I thought you'd just say no and go to your room, considering how you've been sitting here brooding since we got on the train."

"Brooding?" Capo snorted. He wasn't brooding - quite the opposite, in fact. He was thinking about his brothers, about home, about what the Capitol would entail. That was anything but brooding. "I wasn't brooding."

"If you weren't brooding, what were you doing?"

"Thinking."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"About anything in particular?"

"Just about what the Capitol is gonna be like, and if it'll be different from home," Capo explained. "Do you like Two?"

"Well, it's complicated," Atalanta replied, wrinkling her nose. "I like some of it, but not all of it."

"What about the Capitol? You wanna see what it's like?"

Atalanta nodded eagerly. Capo had heard rumours that Atalanta was an avid Capitol supporter, but Capo wasn't sure how true they were until now. He'd never been particularly keen on avid supporters either way, for the rebels or the Capitol. But perhaps the Capitol would appreciate her enthusiastic support.

"I've always wanted to go, ever since I was little," Atalanta said, going sparkly-eyed. "Just like this too, as a volunteer off to the Games. It's what I've wanted for years."

"Well, there's not many other ways to get to the Capitol from Two unless you're a Peacekeeper, so that makes sense," Capo chuckled. "Hopefully the residents like us, eh?"

"Hopefully? No, they will like us," Atalanta declared. "Me and you, if we work together, we can get plenty of sponsors. And if we do that… we'll be set, we can stick together until the rest of the pack crumbles and make our break."

Capo paused. Clearly, Atalanta had a lot of ideas before even getting on the train. It didn't seem to matter who he was or what he was like in this scheme, but it was easier to let her think of him as just a puppet. He didn't need to trust her or go along with her plan, since Capo always had a contingency plan - himself.

(It always came down to him, and him alone.)

Maybe it'd be easiest to ride out the rest of the Career pack from a removed position. Of course, he and Atalanta would have to meet the others to see what was even possible, but Career packs were hardly ever stable. If that proved true this year - just as it had so many years before - he could sit back and watch everything unfold before him, without having to lift a finger.

(And that was something that Capo liked the sound of.)

"You think so?" Capo asked, and Atalanta nodded eagerly.

"And it'll only be better if we give them a real show of District pride," Atalanta grinned, offering him a hand. "What do you think?"

"I think I can get behind that," Capo responded, shaking her hand firmly.

Neith Verdugo, 13
District Eight

Neith swung their feet eagerly under the table, assessing the ginormous dinner spread laid out before them. They weren't quite sure where to start. All of the food seemed so pretty - they didn't want to ruin it, but they were so hungry. They couldn't remember the last time they'd had anything more than scraps to eat, much less an entire meal.

"So are you going to eat something, or are you going to drool into all the food?" Fanta, the escort, asked. Neith shrugged and grabbed the nearest dish, a bowl of roast potatoes. They'd always been fond of potatoes, but this might've been the most potatoes Neith had ever seen in a single place in their thirteen years of life.

"Um… are you going to take anything else, or just those?"

"Just these," Neith declared gleefully. They'd known the Capitol would be nice, but hadn't expected this level of niceness on just the train alone. If the train was this great, they couldn't begin to imagine what the Capitol itself would be like.

"So Neith, you know what happens when we get to the Capitol, right?" Fanta asked, gracefully cutting into her food with her fork and knife.

"Yeah," Neith said, stuffing another potato into their mouth. "Capitol stuff, and then the Games."

"Well, yes, but-" Fanta sputtered. Neith wasn't sure why she was interrogating them over dinner, but they didn't exactly appreciate it. They just wanted to eat their dinner in peace, and relax after days, maybe weeks of running? Neith wasn't sure anymore. But what Neith did know was that they didn't like the way Fanta snubbed her nose at them, like they were some idiot kid who needed to be babied.

Would that be what the Capitol saw them as? Just a stupid kid, who didn't know any better?

Just some stupid kid, who'd volunteered just to die?

(No. Neith had volunteered to survive. They would survive - they always did.)

"You're wondering why I volunteered, aren't you?" Neith mumbled.

"Well, yes, of course I am - you're what, thirteen, and from Eight… that's not something you see every day."

"Well, I did volunteer. I know what I did, I know what it means, and that's none of your business, lady. Now, I'd like to enjoy my potatoes in peace, if you don't mind," Neith retorted. They pick up their plate and take off from the dining car.

The next room was the TV room, and it wasn't unoccupied. Fortunately, Forte was less annoying company by Neith's standards. She was curled up on one of the couches, staring intently at the screen.

"Whatcha watching?" Neith asked, lingering a few steps back - they'd planned on going back to their room to continue their potato feast, but perhaps this would be a good chance to get to know their District partner. Forte seemed interesting; her hair and outfit were very brightly coloured, which Neith liked. But she'd seemed to have sunk into her own mind since getting on the train, leaving Neith few chances to speak to her.

"Poker tournament," Forte responded, glancing up at Neith. "You're welcome to come watch with me, if you want."

"Okay!" Neith said, plopping down in one of the plush chairs nearby. "Do you like poker?"

Forte nodded enthusiastically. "It's my favourite card game. You ever played?"

Neith shook their head. They'd watched some of the older boys play, betting trinkets and food, but hadn't ever learned themself.

"That's a shame. I'd teach you if we had more people to play with," Forte sighed. "But these are Capitol players, and they're playing for… well, a lot of money."

"How much? Like enough to buy a District?"

Forte laughed, the happiest sound Neith had heard her make since leaving Eight. "Honestly, they might be. It's always been a dream of mine to go play at the tables in the big Capitol casinos. Some of them are as big as towns, apparently."

"Really? A whole building as big as a town?" Neith wondered aloud, stuffing another potato in their mouth. The potatoes were getting a bit cold, but that didn't bother them. Neith much preferred sitting with Forte than with Fanta.

"Yup," Forte nodded. "People can spend weeks in there, making or breaking their fortunes."

Neith watched closely as the camera flipped around the table. The players all looked so serious. Neith would be too, if all of their money was on the line.

"Would you like a potato?" Neith offered after a moment of quiet.

"Uh… yeah, sure," Forte responded, taking the potato from their outstretched hand. They fell back into silence, save for when Neith asked questions and when Forte explained the rules of the game to them.

For the first time in a long, long time, Neith Verdugo didn't feel so alone.

(Maybe they could get used to this.)

Barbie Iskakova, 18
District Six

Barbie yawned, padding towards the dining car. Something certainly smelled good. She'd had the best night of sleep in her life, on the most comfortable bed she'd ever laid on. The only thing missing was a pretty girl to keep her company, but if she had any luck, Barbie would be finding one of those in the dining car.

Pushing the door open, Barbie couldn't be more pleased with who faced her on the other side.

"Good morning!" Verity said, greeting her with a chipper smile. She sat at one of the booths next to a window, a mug in one hand and a book in the other. She looked gorgeous - it was even clearer to Barbie why she'd been nicknamed the Shining Victor.

"Good mornin'," Barbie responded with a grin, slipping into the booth opposite of her mentor.

"Did you sleep well? Oh, would you like some coffee?" Verity asked rapidly. She always had a question, but Barbie didn't mind. If it was anybody less pretty than Verity, she might've minded, but it just gave her an even better excuse to talk to her mentor. Honestly, Verity being Barbie's mentor just meant Barbie had a hundred good excuses to be talking to Verity.

"Oh yeah, I slept great. And I'd love some coffee," Barbie answered, watching as Verity got up and headed for the buffet bar.

"By my estimation, we'll be in the Capitol in… oh, about an hour? You slept in pretty late, everyone else is already up and about," Verity explained as she poured a second mug of coffee. "Cream, sugar?"

"Sugar, if it's as sweet as you are."

Verity laughed; it was a heavenly sound. She placed the mug before Barbie, alongside the sugar and cream. "I'll let you do it, then."

Barbie mixed her coffee. She usually drank it black, since sugar was so expensive, but it was clearly plentiful here. Plus, she was going to the Hunger Games; she might as well take advantage of all the luxuries of the Capitol.

But there was another luxury on Barbie's mind.

"Do you mind if we chat for a bit?" Verity asked, sliding back into her seat.

"Not one bit," Barbie responded with a grin, taking a sip of her coffee. It was sweet, tooth-rotting sweet. She hoped it wouldn't do that. Barbie would prefer keeping her teeth.

"Wonderful, yes - there's some logistics I'd like to go over so we can start planning," Verity explained. Barbie's face fell. Verity could talk to her about just about anything and she'd happily listen, but Barbie didn't like the sound of logistics. "Are you interested in allies, or do you work better alone?"

"Allies," Barbie responded near instantly - being alone in the Games was just about the last thing Barbie wanted. "Older ones, too."

"Good answer," Verity beamed. Barbie had never been too keen on receiving praise, but she was starting to get the appeal. "It seems there's lots of good options this year, so, um… try scoping some out that you like at the Parades and the start of training. Bring them back to me, and I'll see about setting things up with their mentors."

Barbie nodded, taking another sip of her coffee. It all sounded rather complicated, but at least all she had to do was talk to people.

"Now, what are you good at? It can be anything - really, anything can be useful."

"I'm a mechanic at home, yanno?" Barbie explained. "I'm good with my hands."

Verity didn't seem to be phased, nodding as she jotted down some notes in her book. "Anything else?"

"I can drive pretty good. I'm strong, 'n decent with a knife or a bat… uh, I know a fair amount about knot-tying, too," Barbie continued, and Verity kept taking notes. "Dunno what else though."

"That's fine," Verity said. "Just take a look around at the stations in training when you get there. See what catches your eye. I'd advise trying some things you don't know; you might pick up something valuable."

"Alrighty then, miss. Whatever you say," Barbie grinned.

"Well, that's all from me for now! Make sure you grab some breakfast soon - you won't get a chance to eat again til lunch," Verity declared, snapping her book shut.

Barbie nodded, leaning back in her seat. Verity was playing hard to get - or maybe she simply refused to engage in this sort of fun while on the job. Barbie wasn't sure if that was true, but she was certain of one thing: that she'd figure Verity out in due time.

(After all, Barbie Iskakova couldn't go out without a bang, could she?)