Barbie Iskakova, 18
District Six

"Do you remember the plan we agreed on?" Verity asked over the steaming mug cupped in her hands.

"Ally with Rowdy, but stay open to other alliances," Barbie responded, half dejectedly. Verity looked so fun, but all she did was talk about things Barbie could hardly understand. Not that it bothered Barbie, she loved to see a passionate woman, but it didn't seem like Verity was particularly passionate about other women, especially Barbie.

"And why is that?"

"So I can maybe bring them into our alliance, or have strong relations with other tributes if something happens to my alliance," Barbie continued. Verity nodded, satisfied, and gave her a shining grin.

"Perfect! You're a great listener, you know?"

"Oh, ya think so?" Barbie grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. Even if it didn't seem like Verity was interested in pursuing other women, Barbie was certain there was still enough time to change her mind.

And if anybody could change Verity's mind, it'd be Barbie Iskakova.

"Yeah, I do," Verity nodded, a look of worry dimming her bright features. "I hope I'm doing okay mentoring you since this is my first year."

"Sure ya are," Barbie responded. "I wouldn't have wanted anybody else watchin' over me."

Verity brightened again at the compliment. "Thank you, Barbie, that means a lot."

"Of course, darlin'."

Verity smiled again, looking at her watch. "Holy shit, is it really that late already? You better get to training. It's already nine- where did the time go? We can continue this conversation later then- I'll see you tonight."

Verity rushed out of her seat, dragging Barbie towards the elevator in a flurry of activity before she could even protest, the elevator doors were already sliding shut, Verity giving her a final wave goodbye.

"Goddamit," Barbie exclaimed- of course they'd be interrupted, just when it finally felt like she was finally getting somewhere with her mentor. But she wouldn't let that keep her down, not when she'd be in the presence of Aneira again soon. That was, at least if Rowdy didn't meddle again like he had the day prior. The boy's words were sweet like honey, and if he wasn't a man Barbie would seriously consider pursuing him.

But he was, and despite him dragging her away from Aneira the day prior, he was starting to grow on her. They got along well, but differently from her coworkers at the shop. Her and Rowdy weren't getting along because they had to, they just did.

(And perhaps, Barbie could find a way to make him useful.)

The elevator stopped, the doors sliding open, and Barbie was once again faced with the training center. The other tributes were already scattered about at different stations- she was late, but that didn't really bother her. All of the stations were boring and most of the tributes were lame. Barbie didn't get why they were forced to go through all this.

"Barbie!" A voice called, as she wandered through the stations, mindlessly searching for her allies. A hand with brightly painted nails caught her shoulder. "Hey, where've ya been?"

"Talkin' to my mentor," Barbie explained as she turned, facing Forte, one of the other people who didn't bore her to death alongside Aneira and Rowdy. "Sorry 'bout that. What're we up to today?"

"Group training," Rowdy declared. "Team building exercises or whatever you wanna call it."

"We were trying to pick a station," Forte explained. "Where do you think we should go."

"Dunno," Barbie shrugged, turning to Aneira. "What're you feelin'?"

Aneira shrugged, looking nervous. "I'm not really sure."

"Well, whaddya like to do?"

"Um… knit? Read books?"

"Well, how 'bout we go to a station with lotsa reading and rope then," Barbie reasoned. "Knot tying maybe? Anybody gotta problem with that?"

"I think that's fine," Rowdy agreed, Forte nodding eagerly. They set off in search of the knot-tying station, walking in pairs. Luckily, Barbie had positioned herself just so that she ended up walking with Aneira, the other girl looking much less nervous now.

"Thank you," Aneira said, her voice so quiet that Barbie had to lean down to hear her. "They wanted to go to a combat station."

"Ooh, fighting not your thing?"

"Not at all," Aneira shook her head. "The closest to violence I ever got at home was cooking whatever game my father and brother brought home."

"I can appreciate a good cook," Barbie said. "Not gonna get too far without a full belly, yanno?"

"Yeah," Aneira responded, cracking a weak smile at her- now this was the kind of progress Barbie was hoping to see. If she could keep both Aneira and Rowdy in her pocket, and with Forte seeming so personable that it didn't matter what Barbie did, then she'd be set in the Arena.

The arena. The Arena which loomed ever closer, every minute of every hour of every day. Is this how her mom felt, before she died? Would her dad have to watch Barbie die too?

(Would this be where Barbie Iskakova would finally be stopped? Where she'd fizzle out, before even getting a chance to burn as bright as a star could?)

"You okay?" Aneira asked, cutting through the pounding thoughts within. Barbie hated thinking and hated thinking as hard as she'd been forced to since entering the Capitol even more.

"Peachy keen, darlin' why do ya ask?" Barbie responded, willing her voice to remain steady, and somehow she didn't falter. If these were to be her final days, she'd really rather die now than fumble the last bit of fun she could have.

(If these were to be her final days, then she'd rather be damned than go out without an unforgettable sendoff.)

"You just looked, well a little pale, that's all."

"No, I'm perfectly good, I promise."

Aneira nodded, seeming none the wiser- perfect. As they reached the station, Aneira took the written instructions, scanning them over.

"So where do we want to start?" Rowdy asked, peering over the girl's shoulder, Barbie joining him. The words didn't make a ton of sense to her, but they didn't have to, she knew her way around a length of rope well enough. "Something easy?"

"I mean, yeah," Forte agreed. "Do none of you know anything about knots?"

All three shook their heads in unison- Barbie certainly didn't want to have to teach everyone else how to tie a stupid rope into knots.

"Here give me that, we'll share the ropes," Forte said, taking the instructions. Barbie clung to Aneira's side as Forte handed them a rope, and she only half listened as the other girl explained what to do, content to let Aneira do the listening.

"Do you get any of this?" Aneira asked, her voice low.

"Nah," Barbie responded.

Aneira laughed a little. "Glad to know it's not just me."

"Course it ain't, she's bossing us around like we're some sports team."

Aneira laughed again, a little louder this time, and Barbie could only grin crookedly- a pretty girl's laugh was like music to her ears.

"What if this is an important skill in the arena though?" Aneira remarked.

"If you're that worried we can always practice more. Maybe tomorrow night, after training?"

"Practice off the clock? Are you sure?"

"Course I am," Barbie grinned. "We can get to know each other better too while we're at it, ain't that what allies do?"

"I suppose so," Aneira agreed. "Well… I guess I'll see you tomorrow night then."

"I'm already lookin' forward to it," Barbie grinned- and god she was. Aneira walked right into her trap, and really how could she not? She was Barbie Iskakova, and by god, she'd have a good time before it all came crashing down.

(She could only hope they'd both go out satisfied.)

Octavius "Tavi" Nikoletos, 18
District Four

Tavi had been here all of an hour, and yet he was already sick and tired of Gucci Givenchy.

"I'm sure you can do better than that, Tavi," Gucci called, still lounging on the bench like he wasn't here to train just like the rest of them. "Don't you think so?"

Tavi huffed, pushing the sweaty strands of hair which had escaped from his ponytail. "I could."

(Couldn't he always be doing better? Couldn't he always be just a little faster, just a little stronger, just a little bit better?)

"Why aren't you?"

Tavi shrugged- there were a hundred possibilities, but he knew better than to give an empty excuse. Father had taught him that well, pushing it every moment of his life for as long as he could remember- no excuses, no bullshit, just do better.

"Maybe we should've warmed up a little longer," Gucci mused. "You're stiff like your muscles aren't ready for this."

Tavi sighed, sheathing the dulled training daggers on his hips. The dummies just didn't feel right, not after years of training with others. They didn't move, didn't flinch, couldn't be stunned.

"I'm just not a fan of the dummies," Tavi explained.

"I can't blame you, they're pretty shit, huh? You guys train with other trainees just like we do, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good to hear," Gucci nodded, thinking for a moment. "How about we do something a little more interesting then."

Tavi quirked an eyebrow- he didn't particularly want to know what Gucci considered interesting, but certainly whatever it was would be better than his thoughts and a training dummy.

Tavi hated it here- hated this training center, hated the anticipation of it all. He'd been working towards this for years, and years, and now here he was being forced to wait? To twiddle his fucking thumbs? He didn't want to wait for the Arena anymore when he was oh so close to everything he wanted.

(Just a few more days. Just a few more days, and Father would see- finally see, what he'd made his son into.)

"Well I was gonna wait for you to ask, but I guess you won't, so I'll just explain. How about you do some sparring with another tribute?"

"Who? You?" Tavi asked- Gucci hadn't shown off any of his skills in the past two days, unlike the other Careers. It seemed intentional, pointed as if he didn't want the others to know what he was capable of.

Would Gucci be a worthy adversary? Or would he fall to Tavi's blade, just like the others?

"Me? Nah," Gucci snorted. "Capo. Of course, if he's willing."

Tavi turned to look at the other boy, confusion flashing over his face before returning to the same neutral expression he'd held for two days.

"Me?" Capo asked. "You want us to spar?"

"Sure, why not?" Gucci reasoned. "The trainers have permitted it, and they'll be supervising, alongside me."

Tavi raised an eyebrow at Capo, who only shrugged.

"It's fine by me then," Capo agreed.

"Sure," Tavi nodded- his first real opponent since…

Since Harbor.

A strange shudder ran down Tavi's spine- he could still see the blood on the pristine mats, clear as day, the boy's crumpled corpse, the nervous chattering of the crowd…

(Despite it all, it'd been worth it. Harbor was out of his way, after all the years of Tavi being second place.)

Tavi unsheathed his knives as he moved to the center of the sparring area, a trainer moving the dummies out of their way. Capo did similarly, gripping a foreign blade between his fingers.

"No contact, remember," Gucci declared. "Keep 'er clean boys. On my signal."

Capo and Tavi both nodded and with that, Gucci gave the signal- a shrill whistle. Tavi moved instantly, striking out at Capo's arm, but the other boy seemed to be anticipating it as he caught his strike with his blade.

"Good Capo, very good!" Gucci said, as Tavi took a step back and continued to circle. Capo was defensive, his hands up and ready to block, but not exactly primed to swing. He was strong- probably stronger than Tavi, but Tavi didn't doubt that he held the speed advantage.

"C'mon, I thought we were fighting here. Swing!" Tavi taunted, but Capo didn't respond, save for raising a single eyebrow. And indeed he did swing- punching instead of slashing as one typically would with a dagger -likely the intention of the strange weapon. Tavi ducked the blow, moving closer to Capo, lashing out with a strike to his chest, and another. The dulled blades wouldn't cut but would knock the wind out of Capo, as the other boy let out a cough.

"See, that's how you fight," Tavi remarked, darting out of Capo's range again, Capo's attempt at retaliation glancing off Tavi's knife.

"You just gonna let that slide, Capo?" Gucci called out again. "Tavi, what're you doing? Toying with your fucking dinner?"

"No," Tavi snapped back. "Either fight with us or stay out of this."

"Ooh, somebody's getting heated."

Tavi gritted his teeth- Capo didn't seem overly skilled, but that didn't mean he couldn't pull something. He needed to ignore Gucci, and yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't, couldn't keep the boy's words out of his head. How could he let somebody like Gucci Givenchy get to him, after years of training, after years of taking shit from the other trainees, after years of hard work to get here-

Tavi grunted, Capo swinging at him and catching him this time, right in the shoulder. He was distracted, and getting sloppy now. He could practically hear Father's voice in the back of his head chastising him, could see his disappointed gaze turning away from him and-

With a growl, Tavi fought back- swinging at Capo again, and again, digging the dull blade into the boy's ribs. Even if it wouldn't cut, it'd certainly still hurt, and Capo grabbed at him, his arm, face and neck, his nails scraping along Tavi's skin, pulling him down closer to the floor. They struggled for a moment, Capo managing to get his arm around Tavi's head- and seeing an opportunity, Tavi sank his teeth into Capo's arm, biting down as hard as he could.

Capo cried out, loosening his grip on Tavi just long enough for him to seize Capo's arm, twisting and twisting the boy's arm, harder and harder. He hardly even registered Capo's pained noises, the steadily weaker blows that Capo was landing against his torso.

All Tavi Nikoletos saw was blood.

That was until a force knocked into him, sending both Tavi and Capo tumbling to the ground. "What the fuck?" Tavi growled as Gucci Givenchy grabbed the front of his shirt, hauling him up, holding him a few inches above the ground with ease.

"No! What the fuck are you doing? He tapped out thirty seconds ago, and you didn't let him go," Gucci yelled, his eyes blazing with fury, as Tavi's hand covered his, Tavi's nails digging into the hand which held him up. "Do you not remember the rules? Clean fight? All that shit?"

"Huh?" Tavi blinked, as he took in the scene- Capo on the ground, cradling his arm, trainers pouring into the ring like Peacekeepers. "I didn't-"

"Didn't what?"

"I didn't realize he tapped out," Tavi snarled, digging his nails in harder. "Put me down!"

"No."

Tavi kicked out with one of his dangling feet, making contact with Givenchy's knee. The other boy's balance faltered, but he didn't fall, instead tossing Tavi to the ground again like he was nothing but a ragdoll. As he hit the ground, the trainers swarmed them, several grabbing Capo, and several more grabbing him.

"Next time fight me fair and square, and see who ends up on the ground," Tavi sneered, as the trainers or security or whatever the fuck they were dragged him out with what felt like a hundred hands, clawing at him, dragging him along, through white hallways until somebody poked something sharp into his arm.

He growled, trying to push them away, but there were too many, too many people to fight off, and the world started spinning, his entire body going weightless under him, and yet one thought remained, echoing in his head until it was all that was left-

Tavi Nikoletos would not be worthless any longer.

Neith Verdugo, 13
District Eight

Neith swung their feet, looking down over the rest of the training center. The other tributes looked like ants from that height, as if dropping a rock would squish them all into puddles of goop. Then again, the Arena wouldn't be very much fun if everyone else were piles of goop.

Rooting into their pockets, Neith pulled out one of their apples, snagged from the breakfast table that morning. Fruit was uncommon enough in Eight that Neith could've counted how many fruits, much less apples, they'd had in their life before coming here on one hand. Taking a big crunchy bite of their apple, they couldn't help but think- the Capitol had all this food, all these riches, and yet what did the Districts have?

Nothing but scraps- the Capitol forcing each District to fight one another like rabid dogs on the street for what little they were allowed.

(And yet here Neith was, taking advantage of everything which had been kept from them all their life.)

How was that fair? How could Neith possibly deserve anything this nice? Surely others were better than them who deserved these riches more.

Like Patch. Patch deserved this, deserved this life.

But Patch was gone.

(And only Neith Verdugo remained.)

Tears welled in their eyes but Neith fought to keep them back. They were strong, they didn't cry, like some baby. Neith's nails dug into the apple, squeezing it in their hand. Its shining red surface reflected their face, distorted, but still familiar, and god they looked pathetic. Was this really all they amounted to?

Without another thought, Neith pulled their arm back, throwing the apple as hard as they could.

The apple sailed through the air, and Neith could only watch as it fell toward a group of people, directly impacting a ginger boy in the head. He let out an indignant squawk, toppling to the floor like a sack of yummy potatoes, as Neith giggled to themself.

That was, until, a trainer appeared at the bottom of the climbing wall, calling up to them.

"Hey, you! What do you think you're doing?"

"Having a snack," Neith responded, peering down at the ant-sized trainer.

"Have your snack somewhere else, you can't be doing things like that. And go apologize," the trainer demanded. Neith sighed- they didn't mean to hit anybody, but something bad might happen if they didn't do what the trainer said. Neith didn't want to be banned from the climbing wall or anything like that- so with a heavy dejected sigh, they nimbly clambered down the wall. Once they were close to the floor, they dropped the rest of the way, landing right before the clearly very grumpy trainer.

"Go apologize," the man said, pointing to the group of tributes. The ginger boy had gotten off the floor and was now sitting on a bench, surrounded by his friends.

"I'm going right now," Neith responded snippily. They stalked off, towards the group of tributes- a girl and two boys. The ginger boy had a bottle of water in his hand, which he drank shakily from, and he looked up at them as Neith approached.

"Ahem!" Neith began, clearing their throat, since that's what everyone did before saying something important. "I'm kind of sorry for hitting you with my apple."

The rest of the group turned, staring at them with mixed expressions of confusion from the girl and amusement from the standing boy.

"Erm… thank you?" Ginger boy responded.

"I'd like to offer this gift to all of you for interrupting your day," Neith continued, producing more apples from their pockets, handing one to each of the other tributes. "I hope this compensates you for your injury and any distress I caused."

"Oh my god," One of the girls exclaimed, turning the apple over in her hand. "You're fucking hilarious, what's your name?"

"Neith Verdugo," Neith responded proudly- it was the first time any of the tributes from other Districts bothered to ask them anything. Perhaps this would finally get their mentor off their butt about allies.

"Hey Neith, I'm Loezan," Loezan responded with a grin. "That's Klein, and the one you hit with an apple is Credence. And our other friend Sabai is in the bathroom right now."

"Hello Loezan, Klein and Credence," Neith said, waving at each tribute in turn. "I didn't mean to throw an apple at you, Credence."

"It's okay," Credence chuckled, rubbing their head. "It was… well a rather impressive throw."

"You think so?"

"Certainly. Are you um… without an alliance?"

"Well… um yeah," Neith nodded. "My mentor keeps telling me I should look for people but nobody's tried to talk to me until you guys. And I guess I started the talking so that doesn't count."

Neith watched as the group exchanged looks with each other. It seemed they were all communicating, but what exactly, Neith didn't know. They all seemed nice- even though Neith domed one of them with an apple, and even though Neith preferred to work alone, they still knew how important it was to have allies.

(After all, how far could a kid like them really get on their own?)

"I'm super duper good at shooting and stuff if you guys want another ally," Neith blurted out. "I- I can show you if you want."

"Shooting?" Klein spoke up for the first time. "What kind of shooting."

"I'm used to guns, but the crossbows are pretty similar," Neith said- they'd spent most of the prior day screwing around at the crossbow station. "If- I can prove it if you want."

"Guns?" Credence chimed in. "How on earth…"

"Long story," Neith said, waving their hands. "It's kinda hard to explain, but…"

"Would you give us a sec, to talk?" Klein asked, and Neith nodded, stepping back. They watched as the three conversed- Neith catching their tones, but none of their words. Time felt impossibly slow, each second ticking by like an hour, as Neith waited for them to break apart again- they didn't know what they'd do if they fumbled this alliance- go at it alone, probably.

And then, finally, the group broke apart, Klein beckoning them back in.

"You can train with us today and tomorrow, and you can show us your skills tomorrow, okay?" Klein explained. "But if you ally with us, you have to promise us one thing."

"What?"

"You have to explain what the hell any of that gun stuff means, at some point," Klein explained. "Doesn't have to be today or tomorrow, but at some point, okay?"

Neith paused for a moment- there was no harm in telling them about Snyder and the Dead Eyes, but… if they had to explain, that would include explaining about Snyder certainly, and then their allies would know what they did.

(And then they'd have to run again, just like usual.)

But still, they had time- and allies even for some amount of time would be better than nothing at all.

"Okay," Neith settled on eventually, offering their hand out. "I pinky promise."

"Deal," Klein agreed, looping his pinky around Neith's.

Neith could only hope they wouldn't regret this.

(But somehow, Neith knew they would. They always did.)

Orion Farr, 18
District Twelve

Orion closed the door behind him- sliding the latch into its resting spot silently. Tanwen was nowhere to be found, holed up in her room more than likely, and their mentor was absent as usual. The napkin slipped onto his lunch tray earlier in the day was safely crumpled up in his pocket- he hadn't taken it out from his pocket since receiving it, not daring to let anybody even get a glimpse of it.

And yet despite all the measures taken, he couldn't shake the feeling he was going to be caught doing something wrong, something illegal. Even when he was younger, Orion didn't do stuff like this, didn't sneak out after dark, much less get caught doing it.

What the hell was Orion Farr doing?

Despite how insane it sounded even after mulling it over in his head for well over a day now, Atalanta's offer was a good one. The partnership of a Career was powerful, and if he could avoid aligning himself with the entire pack, that'd prove even better.

After all, what had happened earlier in the day- he'd seen Atalanta's District partner being swiftly removed from the training center, and all of that at the hand of a fellow Career.

(If they could do that to one another, what would they be capable of doing to him?)

He shuddered, turning down the hallway. Orion didn't want to consider that- not right now. A partnership with Atalanta could hopefully prevent such a grim future.

Orion Farr did not take chances, but with his life on the line, he had little to lose.

It was almost funny- the Capitol seemed so determined to wipe out every single member of his family. First his parents, now him- what would happen to Jessie if he died? Would she stay there, in their childhood home, with nothing but memories and ghosts to remember her family by?

Orion was sure of one thing- he would do everything in his power to prevent that future. For his sister, for his friends, for the memory of his parents, no matter the cost.

(It'd be worth it, worth them.)

The hallway to the balcony was deserted, but Orion shoved his hands in his pockets a little deeper, pushing his hunched shoulders forward more. Despite the loneliness, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, of eyes pressing into him from every angle, But then again, he'd felt that way since the minute he stepped onto the train. And knowing the Capitol, he wouldn't be shocked if they were watching, every minute of every day.

They were not people to the Capitol after all. They were not innocent children, they were toys to be used up and thrown away until the next batch rolled in.

Pushing through the door, the wind's sharp fangs bit into Orion, despite the warm weather. It was quiet on the rooftop, warmly lit with lights embedded along the pathway. It was entirely deserted, save for the single lone figure standing at the railing.

"Good evening," Atalanta declared, formally. "I'm glad you got my message."

"Yeah," Orion nodded, leaning against the railing next to the girl, gazing out over the brightly lit city. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yes about what transpired today," Atalanta explained. "I'm sure you…"

"I saw," Orion nodded. "Is… your District partner okay?"

"Capo is fine, and he would've been here if not for all the excitement. The bite drew blood but it's not serious, and his arm is mildly sprained. He'll be alright by the time the Games arrive. But still, that doesn't excuse Octavius' behaviour."

"Mm."

"I apologize for rushing you, I would've liked you to initiate this conversation, but after what happened today, I felt the need to begin putting a contingency plan in place," Atalanta explained. "I fear the Careers are… unstable. Of course, I would've preferred you to be brought in on more official terms, but I don't think that will be possible now."

"Okay," Orion nodded- he could see why Atalanta was worried. One Career attacking another before even being released into the Arena… that couldn't bode well for any of them.

"So, since I can't bring you in officially, I had an idea. Why not ally my District with you, but without informing the others?" Atalanta continued. "We can use you to prepare right from the start of the Games to leave the Careers, so the minute something happens, we can go without any worry."

"And how do you plan to do that?"

"We- me and Capo can ferry supplies to you, in secret. That way we have plenty prepared for when things go sour. And on top of that, despite you not being a Career with three of us we still gain a numbers advantage over either of the other Districts."

"Mhm," Orion hummed. "And what do I gain from this?"

"I'll teach you everything I know about fighting," Atalanta responded quickly- clearly she had thought this out already. "Besides that, handing you our lifeline for escaping the Careers is an inherent act of trust. You could easily sabotage us, leave us with nothing."

"And if I betray you, I'll have two angry Careers on my ass."

"Precisely."

Orion gripped the railing, leaning back and stretching his arms. "Well, I can tell you've put a lot of thought into this."

"I wouldn't have approached you without a plan," Atalanta shrugged. "You have no other allies, and even though you're capable, how far do you think you could make it on your own?"

"I don't know," Orion responded. "Far enough, or maybe not."

"It's your choice, but would you rather be alone, than have two Careers backing you?"

Orion shrugged- he'd heard this tale before. He didn't need to get involved in this, didn't need to potentially get caught up between the most powerful people in the Arena.

But then again- this was different. This wouldn't be faceless, wouldn't be nameless as a bomb dropped just to end things without thought. Without consideration for those who were innocent and yet were sentenced to die anyway. Atalanta stood right before him, a desperate look in her eye, asking for his help. Her District partner had been injured when he should've been safe.

"I'll agree to these terms, on one condition," Orion settled on.

"What?"

"I want to meet your District partner if he's gonna be involved in all of this too."

"I can arrange that. I'll talk to Capo tonight," Atalanta agreed, eagerly. "I'll send you another note tomorrow."

Orion nodded. "Thanks. Uh, goodnight then?"

"Goodnight, Orion. I'll see you tomorrow," Atalanta waved, turning away, the clicking of her heels slowly growing quieter until he couldn't hear them anymore.

(And for some reason, Orion looked forward to receiving that note.)