˚ ° ‘ ᴛᴀɪɴᴛᴇᴅ

The girl clearly head high confidence, even admitting that she would have been overwhelmed in Ashten’s place, too. “Glad to know you’ve got this in the bag,” she murmured, her sarcasm hard to miss. Was it really smart to start making powerful enemies? Probably not, but Ashten always had a problem with keeping her mouth shut. She could feel Huck’s elbow jabbing her arm now.

“Hoping so,” she replied quickly, in an attempt to skirt right past her passive aggressiveness. “Waiting tends to make me antsy… a little fidgety. So giving me something to do– something productive– might help.”

─────    ‘ THAT ISN’T WHAT I SAID. ’    she corrected instantly,  not wanting anyone to think she   had this in the bag.   even if there was a part of her that believed it to be so.   the girl was likely being sarcastic.  iunia had always had trouble reading things like that though.  

It wasn’t so much that Harper wasn’t afraid of her current situation. She was scared to die and terrified that what awaited her would be painful, but she was more concerned about ensuring she met her fate face on. No begging, no whimpering, no weakness. That was something she had full control over. So she smiled at Iunia and nodded. “Yeah. A little bit. But it’d kind of cute on you so I’m not to annoyed by the fact that you think I’m nothing more than manufactured hunk of clay.”

She gestured toward the couch next to her, extending another olive branch toward the career. “Well for one I’m double jointed, and I dropped out of school before I was thirteen despite being top of my class, and I’m a really terrible singer. Like I could probably torture you better with ring around the rosie than any peacekeeper with a whip could.”

─────  IUNIA WAS NOT CUTE.    she had never once been such a ... pathetic thing as cute. for some reason,   that infuriated more than anything the girl could possibly say.   however she hid her fury before glassy eyes  & clenched fists.   just as she always had done.  ‘ i certainly don’t think that. ’   even if she had done,   she wouldn’t be any more.    ‘ i know better than to underestimate my competition.   i’m not like the careers that have come before me.’

“Good,” Glitter replied.  “Then we can go up to the suite and start talking a game plan.  I need to know what things you might need to focus on during training.  It’s not just show off time though I know some tributes view it that way.  You do need to learn things.”  She had no doubt that Iunia knew that.  She seemed like a very determined and capable tribute, but she also didn’t know some tributes got during training.  They assumed they knew it all and wasted their time.

But hearing that she’d already met with the tributes from two surprised her.  They hadn’t even been in the Capitol for very long, yet Iunia was already taking initiative.  It was either a very good sign of a very bad sign the girl was over confident.  Only time would tell which it was.  “First aid isn’t a weakness when someone gets hurt.  So long as he has weapons training I wouldn’t discount him just because he knows how to save your life if you get injured.”  After all, Glitter was still standing there in part because Silver had known enough first aid to help her after the lion tried to maul her.  He stopped the bleeding and kept it clean as best as he could until the Games had ended and Glitter was able to get proper treatment.

“But I will talk to their mentors to see what I can find out about them, Iunia,” she reassured the tribute.  “If they have a connection you’ll need to be careful.  They’ll always pick each other over you if it comes down to it.”  She knew that well too.  This pair had her reflecting a lot on her own Games.  “And I’ll see about the pair from Four too.  Just play nice until we can get a feel for the competition.”

─────   HAD SHE NOT ALWAYS BEEN CONDITIONED TO BE POLITE,   iunia may have rolled her eyes at the woman.   her voice bordering on patronising as she told iunia what she needed to do.     mother had already mapped out a game plan for her.   try new weapons,  learn about poisons,  learn about the other tributes.  the rest of her time she could fill with anything she wanted to do.   which hadn’t been exactly how her mother had phrased it.   she’d instructed her to make sure she never had down time.  always be doing something.   but roughly translated,   that’s what iunia took from it.

again,   she concealed an eye roll.   she figured the boy from two had some kind of weapons training.   he was likely not as good as she was though.   simply because he hadn’t been chosen for the games.     ‘ well that would be kind of him to do such a thing  but  would you save the life of your competition?  because i would not. ’  iunia planned on learning some first aid herself during training. she hated relying on someone else.     ‘ kindness is weakness. ’   she said aloud after a pause,  reciting one of her mother's usual mantras.   

Solar found himself smiling as Seeder spoke to him. She was nice. Gentle. It reminded him a lot of his mother and he craved to sit at home with her, on their old sofa, just reading books together in their quieter moments. It was the one thing that he and his mother had in common and he cherished it. Solar loved to read. His father wanted to train the body, his mother wanted to train the brain. Perhaps that was a good combination in situations like this. 

“I think others will appreciate it as much as me, Seeder,” Solar said kindly with a small smile. 

He nodded, the smile still upticked on the corner of his lips. He had hoped that it worked on his own, but he would never admit that to her. Solar needed to keep it close to the chest, even from the mentors. The last thing he needed was Eleven’s tributes to get a one up on him because he let himself go soft around their mentor for a moment too long. 

“I’m… not holding my breath,” Solar told her with a small shrug. “Dunno what I have going for me that’ll make me more capable to win these things as opposed to everyone else.”

─────  ‘ I HOPE SO.’    there wasn’t much advice seeder could give regarding physical strength or the best way to stab someone.   what she could do,   was help nurture the tributes so that,   if they did come home they were still human.    & if they didn’t?   well at least they could die knowing someone cared.    which seeder did.   she cared about every single one.   some might’ve thought that was a burden.   not her.

a sympathetic smile spread across seeder’s lips.   she hated hearing tributes talk about themselves that way.   ari had done the same thing.   mum,   we know it’s unlikely i’ll be coming home.   i’ve made peace with that.   you should to.     she never had though.  until your final breath,   there was hope.   

Max was sure that she would have heard that tidbit of information from someone at some point, no doubt one of her mentors that wanted to exploit all of his weaknesses. Even though he hadn’t graduated from the Academy, he had some training and wasn’t a complete idiot. She knew that this girl was smart, good with her words. And if her words were sharpened daggers that she threw easily, he wondered how good she was with actual weapons. 

“I have a healthy amount of confidence. Too much and you won’t be able to see what’s right in front of you,” he said, trying and somewhat succeeding in adding some confidence to his voice. 

“Whoa, you didn’t answer one of my questions,” he started, folding his arms. “You just offered up the information on your own. I’m just trying to follow the rules. Are you going to let me have my question?”

───── THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONFIDENCE & CERTAINTY.     iunia was certain about what she needed to do.   confident?   she was not.   though she hid it well,  behind the emotionless wall she’d got so good at building thanks to her mother.   the slight rase of her chin,   looking down her nose at people.   all the give the allure that she knew exactly what she was doing.    she should’ve known.   ‘ it’s good to know we’re on the same page then.  i for one,   keep my eye on EVERYONE.  no matter how close they are to me.’

“Better than those that came before us,” Briella told her as she shook her hand. There would be no nonsense like the past years. Last year there wasn’t even a Career Pack, but there would be one this year. They were too good for there not to be and together they would do great things. What was it they said? Keep friends close and enemies closer and at some point, they would be enemies, but that wasn’t right now.

Briella nodded. “We’ll make our splash. I am itching to get my hands on some weapons and to see what others can do…” Reapings didn’t paint the whole story when it came to possibilities. “I’ve only seen a few of them outside the Reaping footage so…” She shrugged. They would find out soon enough.

─────  ‘ THAT’S NOT GOING TO BE DIFFICULT. ’   she scoffed,  rolling her eyes.   as long as neither of them got killed by some tiny little bats or swimming horses,   they’d surpass the feeble attempts of the past few years.     especially when it came to district one females.  iunia had to change the stereotype of them being stupid  & ditzy blondes.  a reputation she largely attributed to the tracker-jack girl from the seventy fourth games.

It was sad, the more Valor thought about it. He wished that Dwight could get someone to set his life in a straighter path rather than to rely on his own resilience. Perhaps that was the power of his friendships with people, even if he did have a tendency to be overbearing and annoying sometimes. Valor felt as though he did owe Dwight a little bit more than he thought, considering how much he helped pull him out of his depression during his fight with Dorian over a year ago. Valor couldn’t believe it was only a year since that fight and now they were happily married with a kid. 

“The husband is fine,” Valor said with a small laugh. 

Rose piped up. “Daddy, where Papa?” she asked.

What good timing. 

“He’s talking with friends, sweetheart, I told you this,” Valor said as he adjusted her on his hip so he could relieve his arm for a minute. 

Except then Dwight cursed again and Valor shot him a look and Rose giggled. “Dude, really?” Valor said. “Cursing. Stop.” He sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I mean, it’s great so far. He’s great. He hasn’t touched alcohol in probably over a year now and we’re working out more. It’ll be good for him in the long run.”

─────  ‘ GOOD TO KNOW. ’   he held his hands behind his back, casually swaying back & forth idly.    he wasn’t made for these kind of normal interactions where he asked people about their families  or day to day life.    truthfully,   he just wasn’t interested in any of it.  as callous as that sounded,   that was just his nature.   he didn’t need to hear about happy families. they were just a reminder of what he didn’t have.

when valor chastised him again,  dwight was confused,  replaying everything he said.  ass. he scoffed,    ‘ seriously?   ass ain’t even a bad word.   i used to say it all the time when i was her age... ’    realising how that was not an argument in his own defence,  dwight put a finger to his lips,   ‘ on second thought,   maybe you don’t want her saying that.’ 

“Really? But The Capitol’s all about excitement and surprise.” Vesper’s distaste for The Capitol had been evident since she had started working as a Trainer for The Games years prior. But Seeder had many more years on her yet, she definitely knew the Capitol’s strategies and how they handled things. 

The corner of her lip twitched downward and she nodded. She couldn’t imagine what they had gone through, to not be able to speak. “In a strange way, yeah,” she agreed. “we can say it could be worse all we want, but… not sure I want to settle. But that’s what lands us in worse, I guess.”

─────   PERHAPS SHE HAD BEEN DOING THIS TOO LONG.     sometimes she couldn’t even remember how many years it had been.   her brain just lingered on one thought.   too many.     yes,   nothing surprised her.   everything the capitol did was the exert their control.  the only way they’d catch her for a loop would be if they declared that the citizens of panem were free to make their own decisions.   she lowered her voice,  ‘ we all know they’re about a lot more than that.’  

She held up her hands in mock surrender, not wanting to push the career too far past her boundaries. At the assessment of her pendant, her fingers came up to rub against the smooth metal again. It’d been hanging around her neck for over a decade now, and was a comforting presence more than anything else. “If you think I’m the only one in a box, you’re very deluded,” she said. She tucked a long strand of her blond hair back behind her ear. “But yes, I’m either the orphan, the starving girl from nine, or the thief and none of those boxes are me. But that’s not a full story. That’s just shrink talk.”

─────   ‘ ARE YOU ACCUSING ME OF BEING DELUSIONAL? ’     she was almost certain about that.   she just wanted to see how the girl would respond.   most would shudder in fear  but something told her this girl wouldn’t.   she respected that.    iunia knew that people put her in a box.   she was a heartless career with no weaknesses.   as much as she wished that was true,   it wasn’t.

Briella made a face. “Lets be honest, most of these tributes are expecting to die. They’re not going to fight for it.” How many times had she watched kids go into the bloodbath and only kind of attempt it? If they were smart they would all run away and make the Careers hunt them down, make it harder for them. One on one, Careers were almost always going to win. They had been trained to win. It was a discussion for another day though.

“I can tell you’re not like them.” There was a different aura to Iunia than the other District One tributes, but training scores would help in passing judgement too. “Believe me, I have no intentions of making you an enemy.  I mean why make this difficult for us?” Together they could take out the small fish and knock off any outliers that popped up as dark horses in the games. “Who knows, we might make a great team. I for one certainly am looking to make a splash come training.”

─────  ‘ I DISAGREE.’   her sharp tone cut briella off before she could go on.   last year a hopeless girl from nine had won.   the year before,   a little kid from three.   people who likely expected to die.   so they were backed into a corner,   not having anything to lose.   that meant you could take bigger risks.  big risks paid off.   however,   iunia wasn’t ready to take the big risk of arguing with briella.   not right that second.

Was she supposed to be talking to sponsors at all? Honestly, Ashten didn’t want to talk to any of them, but at the same time, she knew she had to be making some sort of impression. But wasn’t that what the interviews were for? She was still stuck on the idea of making fun of the accents and criticizing their thirst for bloodshed– there was no taking them seriously on her end right now.

This girl had to be from one of the Career Districts, One or Two for sure. With the way she carried herself and tried to make an impression right off the bat, Ashten couldn’t imagine her being from the lower Districts. “Not yet,” she replied honestly, “it’s been a little overwhelming getting here and being rushed off to the Remake Center.” And constantly thinking about your chances of dying in the Arena, but you know… “Just a lot to take in.”

─────  OVERWHELMING FOR SOME,   PERHAPS.   iunia was in her element.   everything that she’d worked for,   all those years of mothers gruelling trials had all lead to this.   though that wasn’t to say there wasn’t some kind of pressure she was feeling.   mother had been clear.  come back a true victor  or don’t come back at all.    winning wasn’t enough.  she had to earn it.

“I’m sure you are,” Valor teased in return as he kissed Rose lovingly on the cheek as she put her head down on his shoulder, her thumb immediately going into her mouth. He didn’t have the heart to pull it from her lips. 

He shrugged, not caring one way or another if he told Dwight the details of their twenty minute ceremony. It wasn’t anything extravagant or eye-catching. It was just for him and Dorian and nothing more. That was all they needed. They spent too long dancing around each other in multiple ways for them to not do it in the most direct way possible. It worked out, which was all Valor could ever hope for.

“I’m glad to hear that, Dwight,” Valor said with a genuine smile as he gently rubbed Rose’s back. The little girl was still staring at Dwight, assessing him with her gentle brown eyes. “I hope you can stay the fast track and get better. I’d like to think that you have someone helping you with that, like I had been with Dorian when he was going through it.”

─────  VALOR’S WORDS MADE DWIGHT’S SMILE DROP.    in fact,   the entire scene in front of him was making him entirely miserable.   which was incredibly selfish of him.   but valor was so happy.   he had a daughter to love  & a soulmate to share his life with.   dwight had none of that.     he had never felt more alone.

‘ eh,   i’m a tough guy .  i don’t need anyone. ’    he put on a fake air of confidence.   truth was,  dwight wasn’t sure if he could get through it all alone.    despite the fact that he’d been looking out for number one since he was a little kid.   now he wasn’t sure he trusted himself to do it.

Vesper’s brow quirked, looking over at Seeder with a slight upturn of her lips in a smirk. “Right,” she agreed, “wouldn’t put it past them if it was true, though.” The Capitol always had questionable ways of dealing with its citizens, especially those that were out of line. Many of them had their tongues cut out and were servants of the Victors in The Capitol. Or, more recently, subjecting them to reality television between The Games. 

“Think I’d be okay handling the noise over their other options, though, if that’s the case.”

─────  ‘ NEITHER WOULD I. ’   she scoffed,   lowering her voice just in case anyone was listening.   they usually weren’t.   seeder had set herself up as a rambling woman,   over the age of fifty so naturally everyone's interest in her had plummeted.     ‘ i don’t think there’s anything they could do that would surprise me anymore.’    though she’d bet they’d like to try.

“It’s a decision that will need to be agreed upon between her father and I,” Marina corrected her.  “We haven’t discussed it.  I’d like her to attend.  I would assume he will as well, but since we haven’t spoken on it I cannot say with certainty exactly when she will be enrolled.”

A sigh passed her lips.  This girl.  Marina didn’t know how to feel about it as this wasn’t really any of her business.  Waverly was six months old and couldn’t even crawl.  It was hardly relevant at the present time when she would begin attending the Academy.

“Everyone assumes so,” Marina agreed, “but I can only recall two victors in recent memory who had children reaped.  I wouldn’t count the Rosseaus or the Carnahans given they volunteered.”  Why they would have trained their children to volunteer for a slaughter was beyond her understanding.  She felt for both Harlow and Seeder, unable to imagine what it would be like if she was in their shoes.  “I don’t think the odds are any worse for us.  It’s more a threat held over our heads, the possibility rather than the reality.”

─────   WHAT WAS THERE TO DISCUSS?   the career academy had shaped her into the strong girl she was .   the notion that marina wouldn’t want the same for her own daughter was not something iunia could understand.    then again,   based on what she’d heard from the commentators on the reapings,   the father was gates from twelve.   perhaps there was a conflict of interest there. 

“I think it has something to do with coming out of nowhere and volunteering before the guy that the Academy had picked put up his hand. I kind of threw a wrench in their plans, I think.” He hadn’t really spoken to any of his mentors yet, carefully avoiding them all so that he could avoid the inevitable yelling and anger he would receive from them. They wanted a winner and as far as everyone else was concerned he was not a winner. 

Max could see her ticking off the boxes in some list that she had created in her mind. Whether that list was ‘reasons to kill’ or ‘reasons to ally and then kill later’ he had no idea. His inkling was it leaned a little more to the former. 

He smirked a little bit at her reasoning, not feeling the need to go against it. Max found that that spoke volumes about her, more than answering one of his questions ever would. “I volunteered to ensure that District Two got a Victor.” He found himself guarding himself more around Iunia. He didn’t want to underestimate her - Max had to play the game a little bit around the people who were probably threats. 

─────  ‘ YOU WERE NOT SELECTED? ’   how dare this boy believe himself to be better than the person who was.   to go against the academy,   who must’ve taught him everything he knew.   she felt a rage burning inside her slightly,   but swallowed it.   he must’ve had reason.  iunia likely wouldn’t been tempted to volunteer herself even if she hadn’t been picked.  ‘ you must be confident in your abilities.    confidence is good.’ 

Glitter could tell.  She nodded simply, never one to underestimate exactly how hard tributes worked.  It wasn’t hard for her to recall the insanity that came from her training as a child.  Her father’s pressure was….overwhelming to say the least.  That quest for glory was something Glitter still felt now, despite long accomplishing all she was trained for.

While Valor had told her that Iunia seemed cocky, it seemed more likely that she was well trained and bought into the District’s idea that Valor was an embarrassment.  While Glitter didn’t see him that way, she knew many did.  The fact that Iunia was even asking for advice meant she was less cocky than she seemed.

“That depends on what your strengths and weaknesses are,” Glitter told her.  “I need to know you, your skills, and your style before I can tell you what I think.  But generally speaking the basic advice is straight forward.  Don’t piss off the other tributes during training.  Don’t show off too much in front of the others either, especially not the other careers.  If they think they’re the most skilled it gives you the upper hand when it comes time to kill them.  And be careful in making your alliance.  You don’t want a weak link who could compromise you, even if they are from the right district.”  She paused for a moment before adding, “But I haven’t seen the tributes from Two and Four yet outside of the reaping footage.  I’ll speak with their mentors and get a feel for their background.”

─────   ‘ I’M HAPPY TO TELL YOU WHATEVER IT IS YOU NEED TO KNOW ... but some things should be left to the imagination. ’    she didn’t want any one person to know everything about her.   even a mentor whom,   as far as she was aware,   could be trusted.   glitter had connections to other districts,   she could let something slip  & it could be used against her.   like if she mentioned her distaste for close up combat. 

glitters advice was solid.   basic,  but solid nonetheless.   she hadn’t given her any bad advice.  some things caused a raised eyebrow though,    ‘ i’ve already met with both of the tributes from district two.’   she didn’t want to advertise that she already saw herself as more skilled than at least one.     ‘ the boy is weak.  after all,   what kind of a career trains in first aid? ’   that was something you were advised to learn in the capitol to save wasting your time at home.   ‘ the girl is a mystery but they seem connected somehow.   it’s unclear whether that’ll be an advantage or disadvantage just yet.’    she briefed glitter with zero emotion in her face.  she had already considered the idea of getting max killed early,   hopefully not by her own hand.  that would sever ties with briella.   she might need her.

Solar smiled a little at her quip. He wasn’t entirely scared of a sixty-something-year-old woman, but she had the potential to be. Still, he felt like he could handle himself if it ever came down to that. Hopefully, even with training looming passed the tribute parade, it wouldn’t be revealed before it was time. 

“Why do you want to get to know the people who aren’t part of your District?” Solar asked. “You should talk to them first. I’m sure Harlow has my best interests in mind.”

He shifted from one foot to the other. Even though he said that, he felt strangely calm around Seeder. It felt good and she felt motherly in a way that reminded him of his own mother. His heart seized and he felt his stomach float to his chest. He cleared his throat as she spoke again. 

“I find it better not to speak at all,” Solar said with a small smile.

─────  ‘ I DON’T DOUBT THAT SHE DOES. ’   seeder smiled,   not wanting to talk bad about harlow.   she knew the woman had lost her son in the games just like seeder had lost her daughter.   they were part of an exclusive club.  that affected the way you mentored.   ‘ it’s complicated.   i just ... i want to help everyone.  force of habit. ’ 

she didn’t want to go into all the details about how she’d lost her own daughter in the games  & ever since she’d felt connected to the tributes in a maternal way.   seeing ari go through it increased her empathy.