#game37

j/k, I just played Minerva's Den

When/Where/Why/What/Who/Preamble: The “Remastered” version comes with any Bioshock or Bioshock 2 purchase these days, at least on steam, since Irrational rereleased the lot of them last year to celebrate some sort of anniversary. Obviously I was never going to actually play through the base game again, but seeing as it had the extra shelf on the library I thought I’d take a chance on Minerva’s Den, which is Bioshock 2’s standalone-ish DLC/expansion.

Minerva’s Den originally came out in late 2010, but it wasn’t on PC until May 2011. I bought it for $5 over the recent holidays sale.

Game 37 Round 03

Rugging up with a warm drink...makes a good day!

The four remaining tributes stood atop the high cliff side covered in sweat, dirt, and blood. Tension filled both the battlefield on the cliff and the seats at home as they assessed the last of the twenty-four. There was the Trickster from Three, the Gentle Killer from Four, the Oddball from Six, and the Voodoo Queen from Eight. They had outlived the horrors of the arena and their fellow tributes thus far. Any alliance they may have formed had been severed long ago and only tributes who outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted their foes were in attendance and the final showdown of the 37th Annual Hunger Games.

They, too, thought about the ones who had died-save, Isadora, who had been focusing on her feelings toward the three that stood before her. Hatred. For Chrysalis, she thought about Mika and Monarch, her allies who had been killed by the Careers. Wes' mind drifted toward Nike and Infinity, who had been killed under his watch. The thoughts of Celestia plagued Tesla, whom had sacrificed herself to progress the District 6 girl further. Of all the sacrifices that had been made....whose would be worth it?

The gong sounded.

Isadora went straight for Wesley, her sickle drawn in malice. She need a drop of blood from him. It wouldn't hurt if she had a little more than that, though. As she swung her blade, Wesley did the same with his elbow. He cracked the District 8 girl with the sharp tip of his tan elbow and sent her into the cliff side, her head slamming against the ground with enough force to incapacitate her for a while. He grabbed the pickaxe that hung from his belt and approached the District 3 and 6 girls, who had begun a verbal (soon to be physical) altercation.

"Aww, the little oddball angry with me?" Chrysalis sneered as she dodged an ax swing from Tesla. Tesla tried to bury her ax in the girl's chest, but the blade missed only by a couple of inches. Chrysalis continued, her back to the cliff. Tesla knew this strategy well. Get her all fired up so she could drive her to extreme anger, and is association, poor judgement.  "Is it because your girlfriend died? Or was it that boy from your district? Oh please, don't tell me it's because your stupid violin broke?"

Tesla was no fool. She could hear the hurried footsteps behind her. She was just waiting for the right time, which was just as Chrysalis finished her last tangent. Tesla, dropping her axe to the ground, did the same, just as Wes was about to assault her. Thunk! Wes slammed his pickaxe into Chrysalis sternum. The blow had been meant for Tesla, but with a genius maneuver had turned into the end of the Trickster from Three. Her cannon fired just as her body slipped to the ground.

Tesla wasted no time in taking the opportunity to put herself ahead. She grabbed her ax and barrel rolled to a favorable position. As she brought the ax blade to Wes' throat, she swore through all the sweat and odor, she could still smell the ocean. The thought left her as a new smell entered her world. Blood. She pulled her ax out of the boy's throat and watched as he choked on his own blood. His cannon fired. She felt terrible, he had been one of the nicer Careers, but this was the Hunger Games. She looked over to Chrysalis, feeling no such feeling. That was for Thomas. Bitch.

Now it was just the Oddball and the Voodoo Queen.

The latter of the girls, was just waking from her impromptu nap, an evil grin on her face. Isadora grabbed her sickle and charged at Tesla, the curved blade aimed at her throat. Tesla raised her discus in defense as the blade when down on her. It worked perfectly as a shield and was the only weapon she had when she first entered the bloodbath. With a mighty force, she kicked the District 8 girl in the abdomen, the dagger strapped to the bottom of her sole worked perfectly to pierce her abdomen. Isadora stepped back and clutched her bleeding wound.

Tesla reached in the back of her overalls and pulled out a bundle of dynamite and tossed it above Isadora's head. Isadora let out a cackle, thinking the girl had missed. That was before she noticed the batteries strapped to it (thanks to Ursa). Tesla chucked her ax at the bundle of explosives, causing them to explode on impact, raining on Isadora a shower of battery acid.

It seemed the "witch" was burning, much to Tesla's amusement.

The skin on Isadora's perfect face had been soiled by the acid, now it was charred and fleshy. Tesla tossed her discus at the "Queen".  Isadora stumbled back, her eyes no longer manageable, leaving her blind. She hit the solid part of the cliff side, screaming curses in agony. Tesla produced her final stick of dynamite and lit it up before tossing it above Isadora’s head once more. The District 8 female watched in wide-eyed horror, expecting another rain of acid, and felt relief when it merely loosened some rocks on the cliff over head. It wasn’t until she heard the rumbling that she understood Tesla’s final move.

“No!” she shouted, turning to run from the oncoming onslaught of falling rocks. But in her weakened and desensitized state, she tripped over the diskus and fell to the ground. The barrage of rocks crushed the girl, encasing her in a mighty stone tomb worthy of a Queen.

The final cannon fired.

"The Victor of the Thirty-Seventh Annual Hunger Games, Tesla Tannon of District Six!"

Isadora smirked as she heard the news of the feast. From years of watching the Games, she had a suspicion that the lack of drama in the arena would draw out a feast. Regardless, they tended to happen on the fourth day in the arena anyway. There had to be only eight of them left at that point and from what she heard through the tunnels, a lot of them could have had been Gamemaker inflicted deaths. Or, she believed them to be. She hadn't really seen most of the action. She'd killed four of them herself. She could still see their faces pretty clearly. Three of them had been boys, the other a girl. She hoped she could add to that list this time around.  As she made herself cozy, she watched a silver bat drop down and provide her some supplies to add to her arsenal. Most of which would aid her in the demise of her fellow tributes in the Feast. However, she would once again take the defensive and let the other tributes come to her.

About ten minutes before the Feast, Wes had finally decided that he would not be participating, despite his stomach's constant pleas. He figured his odds would be roughly increased if he did not participate in the Feast. A growling stomach would beat a gutted one any day.  Instead, he stayed in Tunnel C, where the thousands of canaries were stationed for some reason unbeknownst to the tributes. Wes didn't think much about it, he had more pressing things on his mind. Like Nike. And how he was going to survive the next few days. He decided to take a lesson from the little golden birds that fluttered around and ascend into the sky.

Using the little holes the birds made for themselves, he began to climb the walls. The holes were just big enough to stick his toes in, providing a way to climb the wall. He climbed and climbed until he reached the ceiling of the tunnel wall. Using the back heel of his boot, he smashed the wall until he had created enough leeway to create a ledge for him to perch on, then attack any tributes who were on their way back from the Feast. It also provided an unexpected vantage point to watch the events of the feast unfold.

The Cornucopia was silent. The tributes who were in a rush to get to the horn were anxiously waiting in the mouths of the surrounding tunnels. About three seconds after the hour deadline had passed, the ground in front of the horn split in two, creating a small crevice. From the crevice appeared a table, each one holding a bag of a different caliber. District 1's was a blood red, which matched the nature of the tributes that hailed from there.. The District 2 pack was navy blue, which looked especially dark beside the green District 3 pack. District 4 had a yellow pack, the color of a canary, which contrasted the deep maroon of the District 5 pack. District 6's pack was a dull grey, like most of its tribute's personalities. The District 8 pack was a regal violet, fitting for the voodoo queen and the District 12 pack was the color of coal dust, completely unsurprising.

More silence.

The District 3 girl, Chrysalis, appeared out of one of the tunnels, her dark hair trailing behind her as she hopped and skipped over the hard-packed ground. The other tributes watched in awe as they watched the girl do her little dance. She was no fool, especially when it came to the mined field. She had made note of the sudden bumps in the ground. With a smart head on her shoulders, she made it to the table in no time, with all the power in her hands. Someone could easily reveal themselves and kill the District 3 girl where she stood, but they wouldn't want to risk losing their pack to someone else while fighting. The District 3 girl plucked her green pack and the yellow District 4 pack. She laughed and darted off, repeating her little dance and exiting from where she came.

That was it, Lennox was finished waiting. She ran toward her own pack, making sure to dodge the little hills that plagued the battlefield. She made it to the table easily, much to her surprise. She shouldered her maroon pack and reached for the purple District 8 pack. That was when Infinity and Circe broke through their entrances. Circe looked absolutely livid, two axes in her hand. Infinity was missing her hand and Circe, an eye. They apparently had been fighting beforehand. Lennox groaned and reached for the loops. Just as her fingers grasped the strap, a dagger flew out of the Cornucopia, sinking into her shoulder. She cried out in pain as she saw Isadora in the shadows, smirking.

As Lennox looked at the Voodoo Queen, Infinity didn't watch her step and her foot rested against one of the buried mines. At the same time, Circe threw one of her axes at the girl. The District 1 girl was sent flying into the table with a loud explosion. As Lennox turned to run, the ax that Circe threw lodged itself in her chest. She hit the ground with a sickening thud. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the blood ooze out her chest. Then, the image of her sister, Fizza, appeared in her mind. She said a silent apology to her, about how she failed her. After that, she felt light.  Boom!

A cannon fired, signaling her death.

Finally, Celestia had managed to navigate herself through the maze of tunnels and reach the war zone. She had already heard one mine explosion, followed by a cannon. Turning her head, she saw the other remaining tributes at random parts of the feast room, all of them looking at her. But of course, she was standing in the very center of the room, after all. How typical, center stage was where she spent all of her life, and it would be the place where her life ended. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her deck of cards, gave them a kiss, and then put on her game face. The final act of her life. She would make sure she went out with a bang. Never would she be forgotten.

  “Ladies…and Gentleman”, Celestia motioned to the tributes around her who were staring at her with confusion and some with a bit of awe. Her voice had that kind of effect on people, after all. “I welcome you all to the performance of you lives. I promise you, it will be one you will never forget.” She took her cards slowly out of her pocket. By this time the rush had begun. Crice had started sprinting towards her, armed to the teeth with deadly weaponry. Fools. As if that would stop her. No. She would be the one to stop herself, not these bastards.

  “I’d just like to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who supported me. But…now…” The girl from 12 gripped her cards and closed her eyes. Against her will, a single tear rolled down her face and onto her cards. “I must bid you all adieu. Au Revoir…” Her voice sounded resolute and strong like it always had. It mesmerized all in the Capitol and Panem who heard her sweet voice. They were entranced and could not look away. Good for them, that means they wouldn’t miss what happened next. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the District 2 tribute sprinting at her getting closer and closer. Good. Come closer. Let it be the last thing you ever do.

With a flick of her wrists and fingers, Celestia performed her most intricate shuffle she knew. That was when Tesla realized what her ally was doing. She tried to call out, but her voice was caught in her throat. She wasn't the only one who figured it out. Isadora grabbed her purple pack off the ground next to Lennox's body and ran as fast as she could into one of the tunnels.

The shuffling caused Circe to pause as the red and black cards twirled in the air around Celestia. Then came the spark. With one last flick of the wrist, Celestia used every last ounce of strength she had and tossed all of her cards all around her, the cards went high and far, short and wide, all around her they scattered, they continued until her time was up. In one quick flash of light, All of the playing cards exploded, the sound of each explosion sounded through the entire arena as the screams of those that came close to Celestia burnt up with her. Her last thought before the eternal calm took her was this: “Thanks for playing, have a nice night.”

There were broken, bloodied corpses all around the field but they were in so many pieces that Tesla couldn’t tell how many were dead. After the ashes and flames had settled, three cannons fired into the air.

There was movement, confirming that danger was still nearby, but the blast had severely dazed some of the others. Fighting tears, Tesla ran to grab a pack of food and then continued into the nearest empty tunnel and hid herself away. The final battle was approaching and thanks to Celestia, it seemed she would be among the participants. She curled up with her weapon in hand and let out the agony of her ally’s death. She didn’t have much time to mourn, but she wanted Celestia to have every moment she could.

Infinity

 Both the boys were in District 1 for family interviews, and Infinity’s parents had agreed to answer a few questions.

  The father was perfectly built, with bright white hair, which went well with his blue eyes. He wore a white suit decorated with slivers of gold. His wife had golden hair, and green eyes. Her floor length dress was adorned with every type of jewel imaginable.

  As the boys asked questions, about family life, about how they were coping, each answer was more or less the same. The father went on and on about how proud he was, and how he knew she would win. He had known, he said, since she was a little girl. The mother ended up bursting in tears, and in between sobs, she was able to say that her daughter was the strongest of all the girls in District 1 and that there was no way she wouldn’t win.

  However, Kardos couldn’t help but notice a twinge of fakeness to every answer. He had learnt to pick up on it, due to his years interviewing. He started to wonder whether the parents were being honest about their feeling for their daughter.

Or if it was all an act for the cameras.

Chrysalis

The brothers arrived at district 3 in matter of hours, since it’s near the capitol. As soon as they reached ground, stink fumes filled their nostrils until both repulse in disgust and Kastos nearly puked by the odor something that was not smelled in the capitol. They walked down town trying to make less contact as possible with the people since they where dirty and stinky. After walking for 1 hour they finally arrived at the apartment where Chrysalis’s family lives, they knock the door and then a small skinny figure opens the door slowly and looks deep into the eyes of the twins. The figure just leaves the door open and after minutes an elderly woman walks up to the door with a metal cane. “Who are you boys? Are you lost?” the old lady asked politely at the twins, they looked at each other and Kardos replied: “For a matter in fact, we are actually looking for the Elantra family? Chrysalis has made it to the final 8” he finished looking around at the building. Tears slipped down the woman’s eyes and she let them in, the old lady guided them through the house and pointed for two chairs in the living room.

            The twins waited for about fifteen minutes before a middle aged woman came out from a room and into the living room with watery eyes. “Are you the victor twins from district 2?” the middle age woman asked the twins. “Yes, we came here to interview the Elantra family because Chrysalis, I assume is your daughter, made it to the final 8!” Kastos replied with a smile in his face. The middle age woman looked at the twins and then looked at the older lady and broke down, Kastos patted her shoulder while she sobbed covering her face. The twins waited for another ten minutes when the middle age woman stopped crying and told the twins: “Sorry for the crying, I just can’t believe my daughter made it that far… I do hope she comes back soon and unharmed, we really miss her. Sorry for not introducing myself, my name is Liana.” She confirmed by brushing her hair with her hand. “Well miss Elantra, we just came to ask you some questions… now the first is, how do you feel about getting the news? And to my reaction you look like you don’t have tv here?” Kardos affirmed looking around the worn out apartment. Liana giggled and said: “Well you wanna know the irony here? We actually don’t have lates technology. Because all the good ones go to the capitol while we get the defected ones, the old and dusty ones.” She finished with showing the twins where the TV is which it is a small portable hologram. The Kastos raised his brow at Kardos upon realizing the ironic fact. “I work at a computer programming factory and most of them, 80%, go to the capitol. And when they are done spreading all there goods, then we receive the extras.”

            “Well that is harsh! Sorry for the short interview but we have to other districts and we are out of schedule.” Kastos notified Liana who just nodded and lead them for the door. “Oh Miss Elantra one more question. What do wanna tell your daughter?” Kardos asked Liana with the microphone in her face. Liana arranged her hair, wiped her tears and replied: “My dear Chrysalis, I love you with all my heart. If you don’t make it out alive I am still proud of you.” She finished with sobbing again. The twins hugged the lady, waved at the other figures that lived in the same apartment and left. “Great brother. Know where is the station again?” Kastos asked at his brother looking around through the immense buildings and factories. “Well we will just walk again. And try not to smell the gases…” he answered covering his nose with his shirt. Kastos just sighed and walked through nearly 2 hours when they found the station. The twins entered the helicopter and both looked one last time at district 3 before heading for district 4.

Wes

The two brothers, Kardos and Kastos, knocked on the door of the house; it was small and on the outskirts of the main village, set away from the sea unlike most of the houses. They could see black iron gates guarding a meadow, headstones scattered around. It was a grim reminder of what Wesley and his family did. 

The door opened and a solemn 18 year old answered, looking a lot like Wesley, just slightly shorter and slimmer, glasses set upon his dull eyes. He welcomed them and the small camera crew in, where they all settled down in a small living room. 

"You’re his older brother, right?" Kardos asked. Robber replied with a quiet "Yes". 

"So, Robber, are you surprised at how far your brother has gotten?" Kastos asked, recognizing the boy as the one Wesley volunteered for. 

Robber nodded, “There were many qualified tributes so yes, I am, but I’m proud of him as well.” 

"Proud?" Kardos asked. Once again Robber nodded. 

"We’re not a career family and he’s played the game fair. I can only hope that he gets far enough to come home." 

"What are your biggest fears about him not returning?" Kastos asked gently. 

Robber took a deep breath, steadying the tears that threatened to fall. “I just don’t want to see him come home in that damned box. Each year, we get the fallen tributes, dressing them up for burial. I don’t think I can do that with my own brother.” 

He rubbed at his eyes, trying to stay strong. Kardos questioned, “Anything you want to say to him?” 

"Wesley, everyone misses you. We’re hoping you make it home but…" He took another breath, pausing. "But, if you don’t make it, just know that we love you."

Lennox

"And here are the wonderful Frosts!" Kardos raises his voice as the camera follows him the final few steps to the waiting family. "I hope you aren’t getting cold out here waiting for little old me." He smirks, the three girls smiling as their mother grips the shoulders of the youngest who lets out a little cough. The day is freezing and the family seem a little poorly bundled for standing around in such conditions. A woman with long black hair and a man with short black hair stand together behind their children like a pillar of support, looking more like siblings than a married couple. The three black haired children infront of them, two standing and one sitting have varying expressions on their faces clearly showing different attitudes and personalities in regards to the interview process. "And this must be the little sister behind it all." Leaning forwards he whispers a gentle "Hi" to the little pale girl sitting in a poor excuse of a wheelchair, body looking a little too lifeless to be out of a bed.

"How are you doing Fizza?" The little girl looked up at her mother for direction.

"My daughter is doing fine. For the moment." She states sternly, not appreciating the direct conversation with her sick child.

Kardos looks up with a well practiced smile. “And you must be the mother.”

She nods curtly, hands planted on her childs shoulders as if to stop the little thing from blowing away in the brisk wind. “Yes, I am. Gilly Frost, and this is my husband Larken.”

Kardos looks again at the man and realises his disrespectful approach to the family, feeling a little aghast at himself. “Yes, of course, apologies for not introducing myself, it’s just that the Capitol is all too eager to learn of this little miss Fizza. Wonderful to meet you, I am Kardos.” The men shake hands and the begrudging look on Larkens face seems to melt away a little as well as it could on such a cold day.

"It’s quite alright. This here is Cassie and Larnie, my two other daughters." The girls smile and one even laughs, enjoying the little shift in attention.

"How do you feel about you sister being in the games, girls?" Kardos asks and the camera focuses on the two girls looking at eachother enthusiastically, thankfully cutting out their parents from the shot who were clearly expecting to be asked all of the questions.

Cassie pipes up first “I think she will do great! She’s good with her knives!”

"Yeah, she juggles them for us when we are bored!" Larnie finishes, the both of them giggling.

"And you little Fizza?"

Fizzas breath seems a little weak in the frost air and with another shoulder squeeze from her mother she answers Kardos. “I love her. I just want her home.”

"Well there we have it, from the mouths of babes. Let’s just hope Lennox can keep the odds going for her, huh?"

There is a final shot of the family together and then the camera powers down, Kardos shaking the mans hand and saying his goodbyes as he moves on to his next location.

Tesla

It seemed that oddness in the Tannon household wasn’t limited to Tesla. The moment the Capitol logo faded into a shot of the Tannons’ home in District Six, it was difficult to focus on any one part of the screen. Tesla’s father, Martin, was a very tall and very skinny man. He had Tesla’s dark hair and somewhat skittish nature. He was an inventor by trade, and the house was filled with cogs and tools and contraptions of all kinds. Every nook and cranny was stuffed to the brim and paper and notebooks were littered all around. He wore a pen tucked behind each ear and one in his chest pocket, making it clear that he was a man that liked to write things down.

  The Capitol interviewer seemed hard-pressed to stay focused. She looked around at everything with a mix of interest and disgust, and her expression told that she was wondering how anyone could live in such a cluttered mess. “Mr. Martin, what do you think of how Tesla is doing so far?” she began, holding the microphone out to him before examining an opened up clock laying on the coffee table. “Well, she’s alive. That’s good. I can’t say I was happy to see her kill anyone, especially not that Thomas boy. But I know that she wasn’t happy about it either.”

  “What did you think of last night? It looked like she had a trap in mind, but it obviously didn’t work out.” Martin gave a shallow shrug. “It wasn’t a brilliant plan, but I admit I was disappointed to see it not work. She was trying to be clever but it seems like the odds just weren’t in her favor.” As the realization of his words settled in, the color slowly drained from Martin’s face. “S-so, I hope her luck turns around,” he added. There was a small quiver in his voice as his nonchalant front threatened to melt away.

  The interviewer saw this and hurried to pry. “If you could tell her anything, send any message to Tesla in the arena, what would it be?” Martin drew a shaky breath and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Well, I—”

  “No, no, into the camera!”

  He raised his gaze to stare into the lense. He imagined Tesla’s face in place of his own reflection. His baby girl, his only child. He thought of the sound of her violin filling their home and the fact that he might never hear her play ever again. He might never see her smile.

  Tears began to roll down his cheeks.

  “Tesla, I love you. I know I haven’t shown it very well… But you know how that is. We’ve had our differences in the past, but know that I would give anything if it meant you could come home to me alive. I’d wish you luck, but I know you don’t need it. Please, please just— fight hard and do your best.”

Cheesy. It was genuine but it was cheesy and the interviewer had no pity. “Alright, thanks so much for welcoming us into your home, Mr. Martin! May the odds be ever in Tesla’s favor!” The woman spoke with just as cheery and bubbly tone as she’d had at the interview’s start. She was eager to leave and escape the slums of District Six.

  Isadora

Kardos and Kastos warily approach the dwelling of District Eight’s true Voodoo Queen, Isobel Laveau, mother of Isadora Laveau. The doors open the moment the two victors step onto the door step, but Isobel is nowhere in sight. A few moments later, she steps out from behind a huge mass of greenery, a sweet smelling elixir in her hands.

“Hello, boys, I’ve been expecting you,” Isobel says.

“Yes, hello Miss Laveau, we’re here to interview you since your daughter has made it to the final eight,” Kastos states.

“I haven’t been keeping up with the games this year, I was just planning on resurrecting Isadora if she somehow dies,” Isobel muses. “Anyways, be quick, I have some…work to tend to,” she continues.

“Well alright then, let’s get started,” Kastos replies.

***

After Isobel sets everything up and cleans it all up, with a simple wave of the hand of course, the interview is ready to begin. She sits across from the two boys atop her plush, red velvet throne while Kardos and Kastos sit on the floor.

Kardos: Since you said you have some voodoo things to do, we’ll be quick and ask some rapid fire questions. First one: what do you think your daughter did to receive a twelve in private training?

Isobel: Oh, she told me what her plans were when I said goodbye to her in the justice building, so I am fully aware of what she did but unable to divulge such information. Hurry now, before I turn you into snakes.

Kastos: Do you think your daughter is a top competitor in this year’s game? Lately we’ve had many District Eight females coming up short.

Isobel: What’s different about Isadora is that she knows how to play the crowd and other tributes. She’ll have no trouble escaping the arena.

Kardos: Do you think Isadora will perform any voodoo magic in the arena?

Isobel: I know she will not. She is smart enough to know that the gamemakers will end her life if she is to do so. Isadora is aware of her limitations. You may ask one last question if you value being a human.

Kastos: Okay, then. How do you think Isadora will manage to win the games?

"Tributes" you hear early in the morning of the first day. It's the Head Gamemaker, Matt, the man who designed this arena. You feel sick to your stomach. He only comes over he PA when something bad is about to happen.

He clears his throat and continues, 'I would like to invite you to a Feast. Nearly all of you haven't eaten a thing in the arena and the food you have with you is bound to spoil soon. At the Cornucopia, I am going to set up a little gift package for each of you. It contains a nice bundle of your favorite food and maybe some medicine if you're lucky. The table will be at the horn at an hour. See you in an hour and watch your step!"

~

Tributes, the choice is yours! You can either come to the feast and stock up on goodies or miss out and probably starve to death. Not to mention that there are only eight of you left, which means your friends/families will be interviewed by the Twins, who will be traveling to the remaining districts.

So, I need you to:

Write how you prepare for the Feast and what happens, if you go at all.

If you don't, them write what you do instead while the others are battling it out and what you do to eat.

Write your Family/Friend Interview

Just a warning to do your absolute very best at this point on, as the Final Battle will take place after the Feast.

Task is due Tuesday, December 10th at 10 pm EST

~May the odds be ever in your favor~

Tesla and Celestia were an unlikely pair. As far as Celestia was concerned, Tesla was her ticket to the finals. The District Six girl was rather skittish and overall a bit odd, but she was smart. The trap she was currently explaining proved it. Once Tesla finished explaining, the two allies heard the familiar sound of screeching that belonged to the elusive silver bats. That could only mean one thing: Sponsor gifts. Tesla, looking inside the newly acquired package, saw something with Celestia’s name on it. The girl from Twelve walked forward, grabbing the item in the box only to reveal a pair of some nifty night vision goggles. She took them with a smile and went to put them on, before reconsidering. “Here,” she said, handing them over to Tesla. The girl eyed her suspiciously for a moment before putting them on herself and disappearing into Tunnel F. While Tesla tied bits of her wire across the bottom of the tunnel floor, a few inches off the ground, Celestia went about caking herself with dirt and grime, even though she had protested it extremely at first.

  “Alright, that should do it,” Tesla called from the darkness. Celestia lifted up the plate Tesla told her to hold onto and stepped closer to the mouth of the tunnel. “Give me your hand. The wires are hard to see, even with goggles.” After groping in the dark for a few moments, Celestia felt her ally’s hand and let her guide her through the grid of wiring Tesla had placed herself in the middle of. It was sort of like an insane trust exercise. Once safely against the wall, Tesla slid the goggles off and handed them over to Celestia.

  The pitch blackness faded into a green-tinted vision as the goggles slid over Celestia’s eyes. She could see her ally’s frightened face as she raised her violin and settled it onto her shoulder. “Hey, I’ve got your back,” Celestia reminded her, reaching out to pat her shoulder. “…Yeah. Thanks,” Tesla replied softly, giving a feeble nod. She took a deep breath and positioned her fingers on the neck of the instrument. Even in the darkness, she knew how to play. One low, drawn out note sounded before she started in on an upbeat rendition of Panem’s National Anthem. It obviously wasn’t the recording used for displaying the fallen. Anyone nearby would be able to tell it was a violin - and Chrysalis remembered well enough who had a violin in the arena.

With a mischievous little grin, Chrysalis started to follow the sound of music. With her goggles it was easy to see in the darkness, and soon enough she could make out Tesla playing all by herself. She figured the girl had finally lost it. After all, her little trick to make Tesla kill her own District Partner was more than enough to send an able-minded person over the edge. With a newly sponsored weapon in hand, Chrysalis prepared to attack.

Celestia stood at the ready, watching as the District Three tribute crept closer and closer. It seemed her camouflage was working. She held her ground flat against the wall, and soon enough was holding her breath as well. But Tesla’s plan would have to wait. Giant Stalactites that hung from the ceiling fell straight into the trap she had set up. 

"No!" Tesla cried out, watching her trap wrap around the pointed rock.

Chrysalis noticed them and darted off, dodging the falling rocks left and right. While Tesla mourned her failed plan, Celestia grabbed the girl by her collar, pulling her away from the rock formation that was about to fall down on her. However, her violin hadn't been quite as fortunate. It slipped from her grasp when the District 12 girl pulled her to safety. The falling rock pierced through her instrument, crushing it into a thousand pieces with a deafening sounds.

As Celestia pulled the oddball to safety, the point from one of the rocks tore through her back. She let out a scream and continued to pull the girl away.  After about ten or fifteen minutes of dodging the spikes, the girls rested at the mouth of Tunnel C.

"My violin," Tesla cried.