Hi, everyone! As promised, in this chapter I'll introduce the remaining sponsors, submitted respectively by CryingWithTheWolves and santiagoponcini20. If you want, you can still submit sponsors. Actually, I intend to write some chapters about them also when tributes are in the arena, but, for the moment, this one will mainly revolve around training scores, which you can find in the previous chapter.
Enjoy your reading :)
Fifth day in the Capitol
Gemini Webb (20)- Mentor of District 8
I'm sitting at the lounge bar, waiting for my drink. 6 and 7… not bad scores after all, but I expected more from Autumn. The fact that her father is a victor is not enough to guarantee her survival in the arena. The audience will be watching her, but, on the other hand, her popularity could make her a target. Little Tartan surprised me, instead. I mean, Denim got only a 3 last year, and he managed to double his brother's score! Maybe I've underestimated him. Honestly, I'm wondering whether I've been really betting on the winning horse so far.
My drink is served, but, before I can reach for the glass, someone else grabs it and drinks its content. I turn around. It's a woman- tall, muscled physique, tanned skin, violet irises with a magenta outline, waist-long hair combed in a sole braid, dark clothes that seem to be made of top-quality leather. She finishes drinking, then turns to me with a disappointed expression on her pretty face.
"Whisky cream with chocolate and ice!? Really? You're no longer a child, Gemini," she says while shaking her head.
"Miss Delphie Coney, it's a pleasure seeing you again," I reply, kissing her hand.
"You'll need more than some fake pleasantries to get my support," she points out with a straight face.
"And yet you're here," I retort, smirking.
"Your tributes seem to have a potential. I hope I'm not wrong about them… not that they can be worse than the couple of last year. Two bloodbaths, what a pain!"
Her comment doesn't catch me off guard, I knew she would refer to what happened last year. Delphie Coney is precisely the kind of person who finds it rewarding to highlight others' deficiencies. She's arrogant and cold-hearted… not that one can expect something else from the heir of a wealthy family of the Capitol. The Coneys are immensely rich, even by the standards of this city. They're famous for being successful businesspeople, especially in the field of hotel trade. I'm pretty sure Delphie sponsors tributes just to maintain her public image, but every mentor would do anything in order to get her support, given that she has no cash-flow problems. Does it mean, however, that I should endure all her nasty comments in silence? Of course not.
"And this hotel must be a pain to you, Miss Coney. I've heard that your father wants to buy it, but Mr. Rainbow seems to be adamant. Is this fact that makes you so sullen?"
In response, she glares at me. For a moment, an expression of pure hatred distorts the perfect features of her face, showing the rot of her soul underneath her physical beauty… but she quickly composes herself. She approaches me, grabs my chin, and watches me right in the eye.
"You're playing with fire, Gemini. I mustn't touch you, 'cause you're a victor, but imagine this scenario: your tributes are in the arena, desperately looking for supplies… what can you do? What will you do? You'll come to ask for my help on your knees," she says, squinting.
I smirk in response. "You know I won't do that. I'm not one of the lapdogs who usually surround you, and you secretly like it, don't you? I'm the only one who dares to face you, after all. Your life would be boring without me."
"Your tributes won't survive a week in the arena, you have my word!" she replies, even angrier than before.
"That's where you're wrong, my dear. Whether they survive or not, these Games won't change my life. I don't care a jot for your word," I rebut with a shrug.
Delphie releases her grip on my chin. "Poor District 8! What a selfish mentor it has!" she comments.
That said, she walks away, making her high heels tick on the checkboard-tiled floor.
"When you want to insult me again, you know where to find me!" I say.
Then, I order another drink.
…...
Rod Mooncrate (19)- Mentor of District 11
I'm watching Gemini Webb- the mentor of District 8. Oh, man! What's the hell are you doing? You've got a sponsor, and you send her away!? If Delphie Coney deigned to look at me, I would never send her away, no matter how much superior she feels. Yet, here I am, sitting alone on a black sofa. In hand, the drink number… well, I lost count.
At some point, Selena Wellington- the mentor of District 10- makes her appearance, her silhouette enclosed in a breath-taking, black dress. She goes straight to the lounge bar, orders a drink, and eventually sits next to me, without asking for my permission… not that I care.
"You look sexy today," I say.
"Is that a pickup line?" she replies.
"You must be tired of older men."
She smirks in response and then gets closer to me. "You're not my type, Rod."
During her Games, Selena had an affair with both her district partner and the Career boy of District 2. Actually, she betrayed her partner and even killed him in order to ally with the Career. Eventually, also the boy from Two died by her hand. That's why Selena has earned the reputation of being a frivolous girl. Someone has even nicknamed her "black widow" to describe her strategy in the arena, because she first mated and then killed her partners.
"I was just joking, of course," I say with a smile.
"You should think of your team instead of joking. Have you found a sponsor?" she asks me.
I sigh, taking another sip of my drink. "Next question?"
"Rod…"
"No one would ever want to sponsor my tributes… not the couple of this year, at least."
"5 and 6 are not bad scores, in the end. I mean… my girl got only a 4, that's a hopeless case, don't you think?"
"But your boy got an 8. You've got something to work on!" I retort.
"You've already given up, then," she points out.
"That's the best thing to do. Wishful thinking is useless," I explain.
"He who seeks finds, Rod, remember that… he who seeks finds."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think you would have liked it, if your mentor had given up on your life. But maybe you didn't want to win the Hunger Games, not after the horrors you had seen in the arena, right? You're here, pretending to be a nonchalant mentor, but, deeper down, the Games have left more scars on you than on many others, am I wrong?"
"The Games have destroyed the lives of everybody in here. Everyone has just their own way of coping with the aftermath," I reply.
"And yours consists of letting your tributes fend for themselves?"
In response, I put my drink on the table, annoyed. "Selena, we're good friends, you don't want to ruin our friendship just for a silly discussion on sponsors, do you?"
"No, I don't," she admits.
"Very well," I reply with a sigh. "I think I'll go out for a smoke."
"I'll come with you, if you don't mind."
"Okay. I know that getting rid of you is practically impossible," I reply with a slight smile.
She smirks in response and then follows me, leaving her drink on the table as well. "You know me too well."
Once in the hall, we see the Career mentors entering the hotel- Jay Grayfogg, Hippolyta Arrowhead, and Thalas Marsh. Why do Careers… yeah… travel in packs even outside the arena? It's creepy. It gives the impression that they want to kill you even if they must not. Anyway, none of us say a word, just Hippolyta glares at Selena, but the latter ignores her. She must be still angry for what happened to her male tribute in the arena. Well, I'm on Selena's side in this case. As a matter of fact, Careers often come up with crueler strategies than hers.
"Why do you care about my tributes? They're not allied with yours for what I know," I enquire, as soon as the Careers are out of reach.
"You said it, Rod, we're friends. If friends are not there when you need them, what else do we have left in this life?"
…...
Hippolyta Arrowhead (28)- Mentor of District 2
Every time I come to this hotel, I meet that bitch of Selena Wellington. Why? Why me? I mean… District 2 has three mentors. We won three years in a row- I, Julius, and Kaya. Yeah, Julius didn't come this year due to his sick son, but Kaya and I could switch roles: I could work directly with our tributes, while she could deal with sponsors. Yes, I know that I'm better with sponsors than her, and yet… if only I could just fire one of my arrows into Selena's chest! Her presence constantly reminds me of how she ruined one of the best tributes District 2 had in years, a boy whom I had personally suggested to trainers as the chosen tribute. He was only seventeen, but he was really capable. Hell! Age doesn't matter that much! I was sixteen when I won. I was the youngest in the Career pack, and yet I emerged as the winner, even though my ex-allies had turned against me.
"You okay, Hippolyta?" Thalas asks me, interrupting my thoughts.
"Yep… I was just thinking," I answer.
"Not about the black widow, I hope."
"I've got better things to do. A sponsor wants to speak to me."
"Great! Who?"
"Someone called Saint Ariel Storm. I've never seen him before, he just sent me a note with his name and the number of a niche. Do you know him?" I reply.
"I do," Jay chimes in. "I spoke to him. He's straightforward, so no mince words with him."
"Excellent. My favourite type of sponsor," I point out with a smirk.
I head straight to the appointed niche and enter it. It is all coloured in a delicate shade of sea green. Saint Ariel Storm is already here. At first sight, he looks like a black cat- dyed-black skin, blue eyes, skinny, not very tall... there are only whiskers and tail missing. His hair is bottle green and short-cropped. Despite being a Capitolite, the dark clothes he's wearing are not flamboyant… they're rather casual, actually.
"How do you do," he greets me with a smile but keeps a certain distance between us.
We don't shake hands. He's not the expansive type, then. Apparently, he wants to keep this meeting on a level of formality and professionality. I'll roll with it. I don't mind a bit of formality, after all. We're not here to make friends, we're here to seal the fates of tributes.
"How do you do, Mr. Storm," I greet back.
We take our seats.
"I'm glad you're interested in my tributes. As you can see from their scores, they have a potential," I go on.
"To be sincere, I'm interested in only one of your tributes. I tend to prefer District 1 over District 2. They're both Career districts, but One meets better the tastes of Capitol City. As a matter of fact, its tributes are usually the most fashionable… and the couple of this year is not an exception," he rebuts.
Jay was right: this sponsor is really straightforward… and at the risk of sounding blunt.
"Which tribute are you interested in?" I ask him, eager to divert his attention from his pointless preference for District 1… I mean, what's the point of being fashionable in the arena?
"Victor Blade. His score may be lower than his partner's, but he has made a better impression on me," he answers.
I bite my lip. Victor… should I tell the sponsor that the academy selected another boy? Victor was not the chosen tribute, and yet he's representing District 2 in this year's Games. No, I shouldn't tell him that. Actually, training tributes before the Games is theoretically forbidden, so any reference to the academy is to be avoided. There are academies in One, Two, and Four just because the Capitol is willing to turn a blind eye, since Career districts are more loyal than the others.
"Okay," I reply.
"What are his skills?"
"Well, he's capable, especially with weapons. He has a preference for swords."
"What about long-range weapons?"
"According to my fellow mentor, he hasn't even tried them during training."
"Guess he prefers close combat, then. Umm… yes, we can work on that. The Career pack will need someone like him, especially in the bloodbath. But I think we'll come up with a sponsorship strategy after that moment. I want to see how he behaves in the arena first," he replies.
"Makes sense."
So, all the sponsors have been introduced. If you want to submit others, you can, otherwise I'll go on with those I have. In any case, the form is on my profile. Below, you can find some questions about mentors that you can answer in your reviews. Thanks :)
Hippolyta: what do you think of this character?
Gemini: what do you think of his attitude?
Rod: should he really give up on his tributes?
Submitters can assign points to: Victor (D2M), Scarlett (D2F), Tartan (D8M), Autumn (D8F), Tobias (D11M), Maya (D11F)
Thank you a lot for reading. Have a nice day!
