Metanoia - Chapter Six (f.o)
Summary: you will be crowned victor of the 75th hunger games.
Word Count; 6.2k
Warnings; swearing
NOTES: i give reader a last name to fit the world.
–
If for whatever reason, you’d ever have to be a spy, you’d be absolutely fantastic at it. Not only are you quiet, but you’re fairly secretive. You’d be good at a job like that, infiltrating the enemies lines and gathering information just to bring it back to the person who wanted it.
Although, you’re not the one doing that right now, it’s Neysa. She’s the one gathering information from others and bringing it to you to assess as you try to work out this now oh-so complicated plan. It’s so bad, that you might even have to go back on your word about double-alliances.
You throw the blankets off of you, slipping off of the bed. You take one glance at the clock to check the time to see that it’s two in the morning, you’re going to be right on time. To wake yourself up a little bit, you go into the bathroom, turning on the sink. You gather a handful of water before splashing it onto your face.
Using the towel to dry off your face, you toss it onto the counter and then head to leave the room. The door opens automatically for you, and the walk through the hallway is short. You can see the silhouette of Neysa’s body standing by the tv in the living room.
One of your ankles pop, which makes her turn to make sure that it’s you. You can see her shoulders sink a little bit, relieved that it is you, and not someone else. She won’t have to explain why she’s standing in front of the tv on low volume at one in the morning.
“So?” you whisper, crossing your arms over your chest.
“Haymitch says that Peeta says no.” Neysa tells you.
“No surprise there, it was worth a shot. Katniss is probably holding him back.” Which is a good thing, your intentions aren’t to be friends with them, if you get in, you can kill them and then get out.
If they both have managed to set history, then that means that they have to be taken out, it’s as simple as that. They shouldn't be allowed to stay alive longer than a couple of days. You know that Brutus is already on edge, you can only imagine how Gloss and Cashmere are.
You three are like a pack of wild wolves.
However, as you four will be working towards the same goal, it’s for different reasons. They’ll likely want to do it so they can get it off their backs and be able to survive without the worry of Katniss or Peeta sneaking up on you guys. As for you, you can’t just settle with being a two-timing victor.
If you can take out both Katniss and Peeta, then the crown would be pure gold. You’d be looked at differently for the rest of your life. People would practically bow at your feet. If you can take down the people that have broken records, then you’re no one to mess with.
And on top of that, you want to take down Finnick too. That’s three fucking kills that would make you a ton more deadly and looked up to. The boy who won at the youngest age, and a pair of tributes from an outsider district that got twelves. Just the thought of having power like that in your palms sends a shiver down your spine.
You’d be a living legend. Infamous, people would know your name for years to come.
(Y/n) Rosecelli. Victor of both the sixty-sixth hunger games and the seventy-fifth Quarter Quell. She went up against twenty-three other tributes and came out a winner on both occasions. On top of that, she also took out three record-breaking victors. One of whom was the youngest victor, ever, Finnick Odair. And the only two tributes who have ever received a twelve, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.
You can see it all now.
“Well, what about Finnick?”
“Said he’d talk to you in person today.” Neysa says, “Will you tell me your plan now?”
You smile a little bit, “Infiltrate the enemy’s alliance. Wipe them out. Go back to my original alliance. Three simple steps.”
Neysa is thinking, until a smile starts to slowly spread over her face, “Smart girl.”
--
Getting out of bed this time is much harder than it was the first time. You would rather just lay here for a little while longer and stare at the ceiling. For once, this feeling of dread belongs to you and not anyone else. And you have a faint feeling on why.
You’re about to be interrogated to hell by the one person you hate the most in the world. He’s going to ask you why you’ve changed your mind so quickly and if he should be weary of anything. And then he’ll ask if he should even trust you, especially after you made your goal very clear; kill everyone and win.
He won’t be dumb enough to accept blindly, which will be a pain in the ass, but you suppose it could make it more fun as well. Having him look over his shoulder, keeping one eye open when he sleeps. Always anticipating your next move.
Why not play with your prey a little bit?
The dread is replaced by your own enthusiasm. You pull yourself out of bed, going to the bathroom to take a shower. The water is burning hot on your skin as you scrub yourself clean with nice smelling soaps. You allow yourself to wash your hair today, since you’ll need to be looking your absolute best today for the interview. Greasy hair isn’t the best quality to have.
When you’re done, you scrunch your hair in one towel, while drying your body with another one. You pull on comfortable clothes since you’ll be changing soon anyway, and go back to your hair immediately after. With a few detangling sprays, the brush goes through your hair as if there were no knots to begin with.
You squeeze out any excess water into the sink. You look as good as you’re going to for now, and you practically skip your way out into the dining room. Only Neysa sits there, coffee mug in her hand. The avox is by the table with food.
“Coffee,” you tell her, she nods and moves into the kitchen to grab it, “Room for creamer, please.”
You take your seat across from Neysa, loading up your plate without a word to her. You begin on a roll, occasionally dipping it into your stew. Every movement feels as if you’re in a hurry. You have to slow yourself down considerably, giving yourself a time limit for when you can take another bite.
When the avox comes over with the coffee the way you like it, you thank her. They’re human as much as you are. If there’s one thing you’re not fond of in the Capitol, it’s the way they use district people as servants for something they’ve done. No matter how bad, they don’t deserve to be treated like that. Not to mention, there are much worse jobs than this for them to take, too.
Actually, the avoxes aren’t the ones picking them out, it’s the officials that run all that for Snow. They’re the ones assigning people based on what they think they’d be good at. Hell, you think that some avoxes aren’t even people from the districts, that it’s people from the Capitol too. Which is weird, considering that the Capitol is supposed to be the favorite.
“Amias will be coming up in thirty minutes to get you.” Neysa says, “Eat quickly, just don’t make yourself sick.”
“Sure.” you say, resuming the pace that you had been going originally.
It’s only ten minutes later when Edmond is coming into the room. He hesitates by the doorway, and then he cautiously takes his seat at the table. Five minutes after that, Brutus is bounding into the room without a care in the world, also taking a seat. The only person that is missing is Theo, thank god.
You’re glad that you haven’t been forced to listen to his fucking voice, it’s an absolute nightmare to deal with.
Once you’re done eating, you ask for another cup of coffee while you wait out the last ten minutes. Today is going to fly by as if it’s not actually happening. It’s the last day of ‘peace and quiet’ before tomorrow, the beginning of the games. It’s like sitting on the edge of your seat.
There’s literally endless possibilities on what the arena will look like tomorrow. You haven’t got a single clue on what it might be. All you do know is that it’s going to be special and deceiving. It’s how the last Quarter Quell went with Haymitch. While you were rewatching the games, they included Haymitch’s games.
Your only guess as to why is because it’s the most recent Quell. They’re throwing you a bone of sorts. Let you know that it’s going to be hell from start to finish. Things are not going to be what they seem.
The landscape was beautiful, the animals, the air, the water, the land. All of it was something out of a dream, it looked like. Until dream turned to nightmare, when the animals turned out to be rabid, and the arena was nowhere near friendly. And that was the year there were forty-eight tributes instead of twenty-four. Not only were the tributes doubled, but everything inside of the arena was working against them.
Haymitch had gotten lucky when he won. His stomach was spilling out of his body, he was quite literally holding it in. As for the girl he had gone up against, she was missing an eye. Blood was running down her face as if it was a new established river. The both of them should have been dead, but one of them threw their weapon over the cliff. It hit the forcefield, and came right back at the girl, nailing her in the forehead.
It’s the only reason why Haymitch had won. He realized that the forcefield was there early on into the games. Utilized it and stuck by the cliff for the rest of them. The girl was just unlucky that she was still standing there when the weapon came firing back.
The sound of an opening door makes you glance over your shoulder. And just like Neysa had promised, Amias stands at the door, “Ready to go?”
You finish off the rest of the caffeine, you now know why Neysa has been so adamant when it comes to drinking this stuff, it really does keep you energized. You set the mug back down before skipping down the steps to Amias.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
She opens the door for you, but doesn’t follow you out just yet, “Brutus, be down there in at least three hours from now, showered.”
“Got it.”
Amias closes the door after that, and the two of you head over to the elevator. She takes care of pressing the buttons, bringing you guys down to the floor where you need to be.
“What’s the plan for tonight?”
“Get you dolled up so you can make an impression on sponsors.” Amias says.
You roll your eyes, “No shit. What am I going to look like?”
“You’ll see.”
Resisting the urge to get snotty with her, you lace your fingers together and stare straight ahead. The elevator doors open, and she takes the lead, bringing you through the hallways. It’s not as empty as it usually is, there are a few people walking around already.
They look like Capitol citizens, so your best guess is that they’re prep teams and stylists. Although, the stylists typically treat the prep teams like they’re under their boots, so the prep teams run the most errands while the stylists sit back and do anything else. The stylists’ jobs are more important though, so it’s no surprise.
Anyway, that doesn’t really matter.
Amias brings you into the room where you had been for the tribute parade. The two guys are already waiting by the chair, looking at you skeptically, until the one that normally does your hair, perks up considerably.
“You washed your hair! Good, did you use all the products they had?” he asks, coming over to feel.
“I thought I’d leave the aftercare to you guys, since I don’t really mess around with that type of stuff.”
“Good decision.” he says, then he looks at Amias, “We’ll let you know when she’s ready for the outfit.”
“I’ll be back soon, (Y/n)” Amias says, leaving the room.
You’re directed to the chair, and the one who does your hair doesn’t really hesitate with getting to work. The other one sits back for now, rummaging through all the makeup that they have on the vanity. He’ll open a pallet, look over it, and then set it back onto the stack that just seems to grow taller and taller.
You watch patiently as your hair is messed with. He starts off with blow drying it, which takes a pretty long time since he’s not using the hot air. He’s got plenty of time to mess around and do what he wants. He leaves it fairly damp, coats his hands in product, and then spreads it through your hair. He doesn’t bother brushing your hair before moving on to the next product.
The hair and makeup are probably going to take forever, which is why Amias slipped out of the room. The tribute parade outfit didn’t take nearly as long or had a hassle like this, because it wasn’t as important. People can hardly see you when you’re on the chariots anyway, since you’re so distanced.
As for the interviews, people are going to see you up close and personal. Every detail that is fucked up will be critiqued harshly, which leads to bad publicity. It takes away sponsors, it dissipates Amias’s good reputation, and suddenly you’re not a favorite anymore.
You just want to get through with getting ready, so you can skip to the part where you’re standing in front of Finnick. You’re quite curious about what he might say now. How he’ll handle everything, and if he’ll take you up on the offer.
Neysa was sure to specify that you wanted both Mags and Finnick as allies, but only to mention it to Finnick so he could make the decision. You were hoping that you wouldn’t have to talk to him face to face, and have the mentors communicate for you guys, but it will be easier to convince him. Maybe you can even play innocent, apologize and say it’s one big act.
As if he or anyone else would believe that now. They know who you are, they know how you won your games. The only thing that you’re genuinely good at--besides everything else that you’re good at--is the fact that you’re deceiving. But you can’t be deceiving to an audience that already knows your plans.
You can sure as hell try, but that will tear away all the work you’ve made. Sponsors will likely go down the toilet. And honestly, since you depend on sponsors to get you by--and you’ll definitely be doing that this year because of the arena--then you can’t really give that up.
Wasn’t a good plan anyway.
You watch as your hair is parted into two, the top half, and the bottom half. The top part starts at your temples, and he pulls it into one ponytail at the back of your head. He then pulls out a ton of bobby pins, beginning to pin a bun in place. When he’s done with that, he pulls some hair out in front to frame your face before using hairspray to keep the top half in place.
He moves onto the bottom, making your hair into loose curls. After each section, he’ll use more hairspray and then move onto the next. This is when the makeup guy finally comes in, getting to work.
You close your eyes to make it easier for him, knowing that you probably won’t be able to see yourself in the mirror in a while anyway, “What time is it?”
“Only two or three hours before interviews start.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Half past one.” the one doing your hair answers, “I’ll be done with your hair soon, and then go and get Amias while you eat something.”
You can’t believe that time has flown that fast. You’d be super surprised, but you did get out of bed by nine, which is pretty late considering all the early starts you’ve been getting lately. Amias more or less threw you a bone by letting you get up that late.
Brutus is lucky that he doesn’t have to go through as much as you do. He doesn’t even have hair to be messed with.
“Did you see the scores last night?”
“Of course I did, can you believe it?”
“Are you going to sponsor either of them?”
“Are you stupid?” he asks, and then pauses to think, “They’re going to be dead within the first day.”
“Who do you think would be dumb enough to go after them?”
“Me.” you laugh.
“Well--” the one doing your makeup sounds like he doesn’t believe it, “You’d really go after Katniss and Peeta?”
“They’re not that good.” the hair guy says, “Especially not Peeta.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Hair guy laughs, “You only like them because of their love story. Plus, they’re a couple of teenagers, they may be youthful, but they don’t have that much experience.”
“Who do you think that they’re allied with?”
“After we saw what Katniss did last year--probably Mags. I mean, can you really see her with anyone else? She chose a child as an ally and skipped over Peeta entirely.”
“I guess you have a point.”
They’re not wrong, Katniss did get with a child, and you saw her around Wiress and Beetee the first day. And then later on with Mags at the fishhook station. You think that was just before she went to the bow and arrow station. You can hardly remember it because you were still training with the idiot in body armor.
He wasn’t very good at his job.
Anyway, if Katniss is paired with Mags, then that inadvertently pairs her with Finnick too. Which then drags Peeta into that mess as well. It makes sense for them, but you wonder how Johanna and Blight pair into all of this…
Finnick could have very well been acting like that to throw you off his trail, though. So you should take all this information with a grain of salt. Finnick is a good liar, you’ve seen him in action quite a lot since volunteering.
But if Johanna and Blight are in this, then that would mean that Peeta brought them in. He seems to have more sense than Katniss does. She chooses the weaker people--people who can’t really fight back if she wants to overpower them. And she doesn’t seem to do that because she does plan to fight them later on, it’s because she wants to look over them.
As for Peeta, he paired with the careers. He’s smart, getting with people that can protect him. When he had first come in with Katniss, his first place to go to was Brutus, Cashmere and Gloss. Then Johanna, and later you during lunch. Like he was trying to set down a base with you guys on purpose.
Well, they did what they had to do. They knew none of you, unlike you guys. You’ve heard about and known each other for years. They’re new to this whole victor thing. It’s a shame that they won’t live to be able to see the rest of it.
They finish hair and makeup at around the same time. You’re given food that isn’t messy and would mess up your makeup--even though he had sprayed a ton of setting spray to keep it all in place. You eat enough, leaving yourself slightly hungry so that you won’t feel nauseous on stage.
Amias comes in ten minutes later with the hair guy. In her hands is a dress-length bag that’s concealing it from sight. Hair guy pulls out a moving closet that’s just a few metal poles on wheels. She hooks the hanger on, and then unzips the bag.
Your mouth falls open, “Jeez.”
Amias looks at you, “Do not disappoint on stage tonight. This is the best dress I have.”
You give her a look, “As if I ever disappoint.”
“Spray some of that glitter in her hair again,” she tells the hair guy, “She’ll need it tonight.”
Your face is covered with what looks like cardboard, while the hairspray is added. Amias pulls the dress out of the bag, there is no zipper, the back is open enough to the point where you can just step in. They hold your hands and arms while you step in, then they pull it up and over your body.
It’s a mermaid dress, the type that’s skin-tight at the top but flows at the knees. This one is a little looser though, allowing you to move without problem. It’s silky on the inside, but a little rough on the outside because of the glitter. When you rub it and take a look at your hands, nothing transferred.
The dress is held up by spaghetti straps that cross in the back to make an x. There is no plunge, it dips a little to show off cleavage, but that’s where the line is drawn.
“Grab her the white heel-less shoes.” Amias says, she pulls out Tanith’s necklace, putting it on for you.
They bring over a pair of shoes that look basically the same as the black ones you wore for the reaping. No heel, but they are heels, designed to keep you balanced even if you lean back. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be careful with how you move around.
You let them put on the shoes for you, since you don’t have that much of an option. Even with the shoes on, the dress still hits the floor, and there’s a little bit of a train in the back.
They slip in matching earrings, bracelets and the ring that you had gotten from the tribute parade to please whoever threw the gift at you. It’s a hope that they’ll sponsor you when you’re inside of the arena because of it. It makes you look considerate and humble, which you don’t really care about.
They’re like a hurricane with how they move around you. They tweak, they adjust, they take a step back. Amias orders them around harshly, she’s strict on what she wants. She’s obviously got something envisioned and she won’t allow it to be fucked up by a couple of morons.
“How much time until interviews?” you ask.
Makeup guy takes a look at his watch, “Thirty minutes.”
“Am I done?” you ask Amias.
“In a hurry?”
“I’ve got something to do, and it has to be done before interviews since we’ll be standing on stage after them.”
Amias looks over you one last time, “Yes, you may go. Pull up the front when you walk, don’t bend down, and don’t touch your face or hair. If you need something to play with, stick with the ring and necklace.”
“Thank you.” you say, giving her a wave as you slip out of the room.
In the hallway waits a couple of people already. Cashmere, Gloss and Brutus primarily. They all stand together in a half circle. Gloss looks over by chance and catches you.
Following what Amias said, you pull up the front of the dress as you walk over, being sure to give a look around to see if Finnick is out just yet. You can’t imagine that he really needs a lot done to him. The guys always get let off easier.
A great example, is whatever the fuck Brutus is wearing.
“You’re kidding me.” you flick the silver armor that he has on.
After, you’re quick to make sure you haven’t chipped your nail polish. It’s fine, it’s probably got some strong coating knowing Amias.
“Nope.”
“You’re basically wearing what you had for the tribute parade.” you scowl, “I guess you can get away with whatever you want.”
Brutus shrugs.
You look at Cashmere and Gloss to see that they’re wearing similar sequin outfits. You make a face, nodding since it makes sense that they’re matching. They’re siblings after all. Cashmere takes this as a nod of approval and sends a smile your way.
“You look amazing.” Gloss says.
“I know.” you say, looking around again.
There he is, eyes locked on you. He uses his index finger to beckon you to follow him, going around a corner. You let out a laugh, and then look to the others to see that they’re waiting to see what you’re laughing at.
“I’ve got to use the restroom, can you believe that? I’ll be back in a second.” you tell them, before leaving them.
You pass by a couple of people in the hallway, and with the way that they stare, you feel like you’re at a high school prom all over again. Junior year after you had won your games, the way that people looked at you was never the same. As if they were afraid to approach you or something.
You did win prom queen that year, though. And then the year after that, too.
You take a wide turn around the corner as if Finnick is going to pounce on you the second you round it. However, he’s pretty far down the hall, arms crossed with a smug look on his face.
“What happened to being too good for an alliance with me?” he asks, he looks amused and cocky.
“I came to my senses,” you flash him a white smile, “I realized that it might be good to have you around, after all.”
“It has nothing to do with the fact that Katniss and Peeta got twelve’s?”
You can’t lie your way out of this, he’ll know, “Partially. Forget hanging around with Cashmere, Gloss and Brutus. I want a place in whatever you have.”
“Fat chance.” he says, and you can feel your smile fade a little.
“Why not?”
“You know why. I don’t want you killing my allies.”
“Want them all to yourself?” Your eyebrow spikes up, “Tell me Finnick, are you going to be able to protect them when they rush towards the cornucopia tomorrow?”
Finnick opens his mouth, “They can take care of themselves.”
“Let’s see, you’ll be taking care of Mags, and Katniss will be taking care of Peeta because he’s nothing but a sack of flour--how ironic. If you have me there, I can basically be a bodyguard.”
“Until you kill one of us in our sleep, right?” Finnick watches your face carefully, “You’re mistaking me for something that I’m not.”
“Everyone is going to kill each other one way or another.” you say, “I won’t have to do it early on, that’s the whole point of alliances. I keep you guys around until we start to turn on each other.”
“What if we don’t have those intentions?” Finnick asks, there’s an edge to his voice.
You open your mouth, “What are you planning?”
“Tell me, (Y/n), are you a loyalist?”
You can feel yourself become stiff. Loyalist, a term normally used for people who would follow the government no matter what happens. In that case, it would the Capitol and the districts. It’s no secret that District One and District Two would follow the Capitol because you guys are treated like loyalty, as for the other districts...
There’s a deeper meaning, especially after what happened in the last games. Not all the districts like the Capitol or President Snow and his precious Hunger Games. They would do anything to cancel them, and after what Katniss pulled with Peeta, there have been a few people fighting back, Neysa and Edmond were whispering about it over dinner last night.
Loyalist. Loyalist. Loyalist.
There’s a much bigger plan going on here.
You snap your mouth shut, which has since opened after that question. You press your lips together tightly as you stare at Finnick’s face. You feel like a robot with how you don’t move.
Loyalist. It would mean that they’re planning to go against President Snow, right? It would mean that there will be people who stay loyal to the Capitol, and the people who wouldn’t be.
You can’t lie, you have had a fantastic life in District Two. But you’re human and you realize that other people are too. Just like how you hate how the avoxes are treated, you hate how some of the other districts are treated too.
But if an uprising is what they think is going to solve all of this, you don’t like them at all. They’re going to screw up the way of life for too many people. District Two is happy how they serve the Capitol, no one will fight with them. And if you’re wrong about that, then there aren't very many who will.
However, would you fight with them? If what he said is real, would you fight with them?
“You are bold.” you continue staring at Finnick with an open mouth, unsure of how to actually approach this, “And careless for asking me a question like that outright.”
Finnick’s face twists now, “Are you, though?”
The thing is you don’t know. The hunger games is all you’ve ever known. You’ve never lived any other lifestyle.
“Yes or no.” Finnick insists.
“I’m not going to answer that question.” you decide, “Because I don’t know what you’re up to, and I don’t want to. Forget the alliance thing, I change my mind.”
You start to walk off, but Finnick catches your arm, “I could tell you.”
“Why would you want to?”
Finnick lets go, “Because having you on our side could be useful.”
“Useful for what?” you lower your voice, “Getting everyone else in District Two to follow behind all the other rioting districts?”
He’s clearly surprised that you understood so quickly.
“We have nothing to complain about, Finnick. We’ve got the good life.”
“And everyone else? What about the people who don’t have the good life? The ones that fight to live everyday? What about them?” he asks.
You nod slowly, thinking, “Well, I’m not a loyalist and I’m not too fond of being considered a traitor either.”
“You’re after the glory of being a legend, right?” Finnick asks, you take a step back, “This is better than that. People will know that you were the first person from District Two to hop on and lead. You want people to look up to you, here it is.”
You want to tell him it’s not the same, but the words don’t appear in your mouth.
Finnick is looking past you now, and you turn to see who he’s staring at. Haymitch Abernathy, his eyebrows are drawn together, “Interviews have started.”
“Thanks.” Finnick says, and the two of you watch as he disappears behind the corner again, “Don’t make the decision now, but if you do want to join us, come and find me inside of the arena.”
You look at him, “You’re going to run to the cornucopia, I’m not stupid.”
“I know you’re not. Which is why I think you’ll make the right decision.”
You scoff, “Right decision? You know what you’re asking, right?” and then you laugh, shaking your head as you pull up your dress so you can walk away, “How do I know if any of this is even true?” he doesn’t say anything, “Exactly, this could be some sort of sick ruse just to draw me in to kill me and get me out of the way. I didn’t come here to be killed, I came here to win. And you’re going to have to fight me for it.”
You shake your head at him one last time before turning around and walking back to the main hallway. There are a ton of people waiting now, but you don’t spare any looks. Brutus is waiting for you by a tv, which holds both Cashmere and Gloss.
“They’re doing it together?” you ask, crossing your arms over your chest.
“Yeah, since they’re siblings and all,” Brutus takes a look over your face, “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.” you say, “I’m ready for all of this to be done now. No more meddling, I just want to be inside of the arena.”
“Tomorrow.” Brutus says, “Then everyone can pay their dues.”
You smile a little bit at the thought, “Anyway, are we going up together?”
“No, we’re not.” Brutus says, you watch as Caesar starts to wrap up the interview.
“Better get ready.” he motions for you to go down the hall.
You do, being sure to hold up the front of the dress as you go down. Amias is standing in a little alcove with a mirror. She adjusts a few things, wishes you luck and then you stand in front of the doors.
There’s a cheering of the crowd before Caesar starts talking, “Ladies and gentlemen, let’s welcome one of our favorites! You know her as the girl who blew her competition out of the water! Let’s give a warm welcome to (Y/n) Rosecelli!”
The doors open, you can see Caesar has his arm outstretched towards you. The spotlight meets your eyes, making it difficult to see, but you don’t dare to move your hands from the fronts of your dress. You’re just puzzled as to why he said the second thing.
‘Blew her competition out of the water’? Since when? As in you did so well during your games, or something you might have done during this week that you weren’t aware of? It’s weird to know that the Capitol gives tributes nicknames, you’d think they’d run out of them.
Gloss and Cashmere, the brother and sister duo. Beetee, the genius. Finnick, the peacock. Johanna, the deceiver. Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire and Peeta Mellark--loverboy.
You never got to know yours.
You take Caesar’s hand when you come up the steps, giving the biggest smile you can to the audience, “Caesar!”
“(Y/n)!” He meets your enthusiasm.
The two of you wait until the audience has settled before actually starting with the interview. When you look over your shoulder, you can see that Cashmere and Gloss are waiting up on some small walkway. You’ll be standing there for an hour when you’re done with this interview.
“How does it feel to be back in the Capitol after all these years?” He begins, “You know, we’ve missed you and your business.”
“It feels fantastic, really. Like I’m back in my second home, the Capitol has this welcoming feel, especially for me. If it weren’t for my favorite students back home, then I would stay here forever.” you give a big smile, “I might even consider it, after I win.”
Caesar laughs, the citizens cheer at the sound of that, “You’ve got your mind set on the big win?”
“Of course I do. And I promise to make this year much more entertaining than my first games. No abrupt endings this time.”
More cheering, enough so that Caesar has to watch the clock so it doesn’t take up too much of your time, “You said that you have students, what ever do you mean?”
You laugh a little, “I mean my two tributes who won, Tanith and Zavian. I’m hoping they’re watching, but knowing Zavian, he’s likely avoiding the television until I’m off.” you give a look to the nearest camera, “As for Tanith, she’s on the edge of her seat, fingers crossed that I don’t blow this.”
“You could never!” Caesar says, “You’re too good to even be on here.”
“I wouldn’t say that, Caesar.” you laugh with him.
“Is there anything you would like to say to Tanith or Zavian?”
You pucker your lips as you think, “Well, I just want them to know that I will uphold my promise. I will be coming home, even if it might kill me. I will be walking out of that arena alive.”
“That’s a bold statement.”
“I’m a bold person.” you say.
While the crowd cheers, Caesar is obviously thinking up other things to ask you, “Should we expect any surprises?”
It feels like you have a flashback to the hallway, to Finnick telling you not to make your decision right then and there. It was open-ended. It was an invitation to go and see him whenever you’d like inside of the arena if you come to your senses. As if he’ll take you in with no question.
“Maybe.” You say, “Because we both know that the arena will be a doozy, there’s no telling what might happen inside of there.”
Caesar nods, liking that answer.
There’s a faint beeping, which is a signal that your interview is over.
“Thank you for your time (Y/n), it was a pleasure having you.”
“It was a pleasure being back inside of the Capitol after nine years.” you give a wave to the audience.
“Everyone, please give a big round of applause for (Y/n) Rosecelli, our favorite star!”
Star. That’s your nickname.
You’re a Star.
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(x)
Iiiii did this last year and it was fun! And I saw @humming-nerd had just done it this year, so I figured it was time for a repeat performance. Not all of my muses celebrate Christmas for reasons of their own... but they all got put through the generator anyway. Under the cut because... long xD
Also ran my new muses through it, too, so... consider this an unofficial introduction to them, I guess! I’ll introduce them for real as soon as I get a few more posts done here ^^
“Pft- are you sure he didn’t look at the wrong list?”
She wasn’t going to question it any further than that; and indeed, Angel’s response was only half-serious, and half joking to cover up the fact that... she really was touched. Someone thought she was a good dog, that she’d improved...
Thank Patch’s influence for that, she guessed.
“SERIOUSLY?!”
Not only was that an incredibly low blow... what had she even done? How was keeping the minions and her sisters AND Gru from getting into too much trouble deserving of a place on the naughty list?
She didn’t want to be that pouty kid who made a scene; but nonetheless, there was still at least a little of that in her attitude as she turned away, folding her arms over her chest as she locked down the fact that she was genuinely hurt by this assessment.
Dumb mall Santa, anyway...
She could only hope he was, at least, kinder to Edith and Agnes than he was to her.
“I guess actually doing what Daddy says and settling into the role of future queen does have its perks, huh?”
After last year... it felt good to hear that, honestly. The youngster had been training hard, throwing her all into her princess lessons even when she didn’t much like it, and learning how to do some good around the Pride Lands; and little moments like this just made the effort all worthwhile.
“I mean, we all know that, right? Don’t we all know that?”
Forget playing this off like it was no big deal; this year, Mabel rather thought, was time to bask in it. Still, the way she was practically glowing betrayed just how much this meant to her, nonetheless.
“PFFFT-AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
If this person didn’t know what they were talking about, Cera wasn’t going to correct them. She was just going to roll on the floor laughing at the way she’d benefited from their error in judgement.
“Oh, wow. I guess Felix and Calhoun were really onto something with that whole ‘being nice to each other’ thing, huh?”
Was she going to admit that this was, legitimately, the first time she’d been assessed as being on the nice list? Not a chance... but nonetheless, that was the way it was rolling out.
Who would have thought being nice could actually pay off?
“Hm... not hard to improve on that though, right?”
Sure, last year she’d slipped and landed herself squarely on the naughty list; but that, as far as Zoey was concerned, had been a one-off mistake. Still, it was gratifying to hear that she’d more-than made up for it by now.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah...”
Would a massive roll of her eyes help her case? Probably not; but Vanellope was getting used to this by this point. Christmases came and went, and Santa never quite approved of her... but as she still got a tonne of presents from Ralph and Shank and Felix and Calhoun and whoever else, Vanellope found it hard to actually care enough to change her ways very far.
Besides. She wasn’t actually being bad; if Santa disapproved of harmless teasing and a bit of pranking and mayhem? That was his problem, not hers.
“Now wait just a minute--”
Oh, she wasn’t about to take that lying down. Just because she was generally a soft-spoken lady didn’t mean that Vixey didn’t know how to stand up for herself; and getting spoken of in this way was about where she drew the line.
“I mean, you’ve got some nerve, coming in here like that. Who do you think you are?”
That, and the subject of being hunted down was rather a touchy one for her, for obvious reasons.
“Tch, yeah. I’ll believe that when I see it.”
Had she learned far better than to take this at face value? YEP. As far as Angry cared, this Santa guy couldn’t be trusted any further than any other adult, who ultimately didn’t give a damn about her and Red - and he could just ask Eugene how hard he’d have to work if he wanted to change that impression.
“Fa’ what it’s worth, dose kittens were inta’fearing wit’ official Crusadah business. Someone hadta run dem out of de clubhouse, an’ it fell ta me.”
She wasn’t arguing the point; but at least the whole story could get out there, right? Plus, if it saved any of the younger Manehattan Crusaders from landing on the naughty list themselves for the same reason?
Yeah, she’d take that.
“Oh, that’s no problem. We totally got this, right Stitch?”
Sure she could be a... handful at times, even Lilo knew that. But there was really no doubt in the minds of anyone who knew her that Lilo was essentially a good kid at heart. Keeping her place on the nice list ought to be a snap, surely.
Also, if the grey area was to do with that time she’d set a hair-eating experiment loose in Mertle Edmonds’ bedroom? She totally had a good excuse for that and would be willing to explain it to any Santa who would listen.
The three sisters' reactions were instantaneous, almost synchronised... and completely different.
"Oh, come on! I don’t even know what a stapler is!”
Was it that red thing she’d snatched from Jim Dear’s desk the other week and had been using as a chew toy? How was she supposed to know it had been important?
“Santa doesn’t have the right to judge me, anyway.”
That was not what she either wanted or expected to hear. If she’d got a good result, then sure, Annette would have accepted it. But this?
Perhaps, perhaps her lack of tolerance of the antics some of the other members of her family had weighed against her; but while Annette might do a little bit of quiet self-analysis in private, she wasn’t about to admit anything to anyone else.
“You could at least tell me why.”
What on earth could she have possibly done to earn herself a worse ranking than Scamp? A little bit of a huff was given by the red-collared sister, but no further protest was offered.
“Huh. Really?”
She had hardly made up for everything she’d done in the past... but it seemed, at least, that Santa was actually willing to let that remain in the past this time. And while Terra was certainly surprised, after the way he’d so blatantly called her out last year...
She was also incredibly relieved, too.
Finally, maybe, she could leave Terra dead in the past, where she belonged.
“Still riding that one down, I guess...”
What else was there to say? Santa had promised her that exact same thing last year, too; seemed like he was as good as his word.
And still wasn’t allowed anywhere near Scrooge’s property, so it didn’t actually count for anything at all, for her. But hey, the thought was what mattered, right?
‘Santa’? ‘List’? ‘Watch out’?
It sounded like she’d stumbled across some kind of conspiracy. The little hat-wearing girl’s head tilted, an expression of deepest curiosity worn across her wide-eyed features.
The way the word ‘nice’ was in inverted commas suggested it didn’t mean what it said it meant. Was it actually a hit list?
Was this ‘Santa’ an assassin? Was that why she needed to watch out?
Was she his next target?
The small child gripped her trusty umbrella all the tighter, looking about her. So far, no-one seemed to be sneaking up on her to carry out this deed, and her posture relaxed slightly. Though she didn’t let go of her weapon.
You couldn’t be too careful, right?
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