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There was a small laugh as he dropped a light kiss of Ariel's temple. "The only swooning that's going to happen is over you." He held her hand as two girls approached them. When he heard what Alana had ti say, he grinned like a cat who had gotten the cream, his point proven just like that.

---

As the tributes were lined up and got ready to show themselves to the capital sponsors. Each couple was matched up in a chariot, otherwise, they were paired with a random tribute. Ariel had to hold Sorrento's hand as their chariot jerked forward a little as they headed out.

The tributes go around the Capital twice, once going in City Circle then another time out. All around the Capital is glory, large fountains, banners hanging off of every light post, rose petals in the streets. They turn right hard and then stop in front of The Manor. President Snow, a tall, thin man with a white mane and hair, and cold snake-like gold eyes. He steps forward from the balcony in The Manor and begins the speech of welcome and congratulating us for our sacrifice and that "The odds be ever in your favor." Ariel felt his gaze land on her as if he knew her secret of being pregnant (which he didn't) and she from underneath her make up glared at him, her hand impulsively tightened a bit on Sorrento's.

---

Lifei got dressed in a black dress which she kinda liked. Echo got dressed in reddish dress They rode in a black carriage sparkly with gold glitter. When they arrived at the Mayor’s speech part, Lifei rolled her eyes and did the finger, a beautiful butterfly ring on the third finger showing prominently. The pair had smacked the stylist when they had tried to remove the clip in their hair.

---

Keeping his eyes forward, Sorrento just as fiercely gripped Ariel's hand, his own nervousness making his heart race. And when she held it even stronger, Sorrento didn't outwardly show anything, but his thumb did began to massage small circles into the back of her hand, humming lightly under the roar of the crowd. Pressing close to Ariel, he stared straight back at Snow, as if challenging him to try and do anything.

---

As her chariot lurched forward, her own apprehensions mounting up, Narukami found herself falling back on old habits, right hand moving discretely and hidden by the chariot as she made a downwards V, lifted her pinky, before tapping her second and third finger with her thumb together, keeping her other fingers lifted before rubbing the back of her left palm, the familiar actions repeating again and again, even as she went around the city circle, only stopping when Snow opened his mouth. And when the tributes were rolled back into the shadows, Narukami once again began anew, hands moving as they signed right over her heart, eyes locked onto one of the cameras.

---

Phenix had managed to keep his mouth shut and his ability in check throughout the short journey around the area, though he was dying to cross his arms and scowl. It was as natural as breathing to him to frown upon ideas he thought were poor, and this was definitely one of those ideas. Sitting in a box while an egotistical madman bragged about technology, millions of people gawking at the words they'd likely heard year after year. It was pitiful to him, almost enough to make him feel sorry for the idiots in the crowd. Almost.


-=-


T'val did her best to forget her nervous habits, all of her willpower focused on trying not to chew her nails. Despite the lack of needing to do anything, the short journey was shockingly taxing. Her legs and back ached from standing up so straight for so long. Her neck was sore, as was nearly her entire body. The clothes she'd been put in were just wrong enough to be uncomfortable. It was harrowing, listening to Snow go on while the crowd roared all around. After a minute or so, T'val was struggling to keep her eyes open, the collective events within the past day suddenly catching up to her.

After the president's speech, the chariots headed back to their starting point and the tributes were filed onto the elevator to be deposited on their floor. All the tributes would be sharing the same floor but all couples had their own rooms together, but if a person didn't have a significant other with them they got a room to themself.

Faith and Salvadore went to their room (which their wrist band opened ONLY their room) and went to remove the makeup and outfit so they could relax on the bed and snuggle their troubles away.

Likewise, Ariel and Sorrento went to their room, Ariel beelined for the shower to remove the access makeup. When she had finished she laid on the bed as she waited for Sorrento, she looked visibly distracted as she let her mind wander.

---

Lifei’s stomach was growling in hunger. She hadn’t had a soul for such a long time now! As the two were being guided to their room, Lifei gripped onto someone’s soul, latching in and sucking hungrily. Nothing changed, and the pair appeared to be walking peacefully. The only difference was that the poor man was writhing in pain as his soul was ripped from his body. He spasmed, foam coming out from his mouth. Once Lifei was satisfied, the two used their wristbands to unlock their room, and went inside together, locking it before going to take a shower. The man blinked, rising to his feet, before shakily walking away, his eyes hollow and empty, a husk of what he once was. No more thinking, no more feeling, just staying alive.

---

Both Zahara and Maci had fixed Snow with a withering gaze. They doubt Snow would care, they knew he wouldn't even remember their faces. But at the moment, it felt great to glare at the person behind all of their suffering.
As the wind hits Maci's dress the freed fabric lifts up, it almost gives her the illusion of having wings. The crowd seems awed by her dress and her heart lifts for a moment. She can't hide her smile and it almost disgusted her. She shouldn't be happy to have the crowd react positively towards her. She was nothing to them. Still, she had to admit that she enjoyed being looked at with awe, rather than pity. But this feeling quickly ends once the parade finishes.
......
Zahara roams around the halls mindlessly. She was munching on candy and watching each tribute enter their rooms. She made a mental note of all the couples. It would be important to avoid them, or at least stay on their good side. She wouldn't be able to manipulate both couples.
With that in mind, she enters her room to clean off her makeup and put on a more normal outfit. She goes straight to bed after that.
.......
Maci wasn't allowed to enter her room right away. She was lead to another room where she would be given another dose of medicine. She didn't want to take it. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep.
To pass the time she walks out onto the balcony and stares off into the streets. She had yet to take off her dress and makeup. Her mind wanders and goes straight to the problem at hand. She imagines being in the Arena and every possible way she could die. Every possible way Shiloh could die.
She brings a hand onto her face, muffling her sobs. Why did it have to be this way? How would she ever make it back to Jax? This is unfair! She thinks to herself. I wish the Capitol would just blow up under my feet! She lowers herself into a sitting position. She draws her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around her legs. The wind was hitting her face, which helped dry her tears. Still, she had to look up at the stary sky and blink a few times to stop the flow of tears and take a few calming deep breaths. It was too early to feel helpless. She couldn't give up, not yet. She needed to get back to Jaxon. If he was willing to risk his life for her, then she could do the same for him. "You are strong, stronger than you think." Jaxon's words remind her. It gives her the strength she needs.

The speech was mindnumbing. Thankfully, Shiloh was already in what her uncle liked to call, her "Robot Form." She only became this slack and mechanical when something happened to her that was psychically and emotionally draining. And besides the accident, this was the one other time when she had felt this way. She didn't particularly stand out from the rest of the crowd of tributes, and she was glad for that. Blending in was something she didn't do often. Even the bandages didn't bother her, or the little comment that had hurt her so badly. That was a new experience. As soon as she was in the room, she immieadiently removed the makeup and dress, finding normal, more comfortable clothes. She flopped on the bed, hugging one of the pillows. Ian was miles away, but she knew that he was supporting her. She had an ally here. So why did she feel so hopeless?

---

Phenix had gladly locked himself in his room for the rest of the day, evidently completely satisfied with his own company. He'd taken a change of clothes, out of the tight little red tuxedo into a tuxedo a size or two bigger. It was more comfortable, and what seemed to be silk against his skin was a very calming sensation. Another thing he'd spotted in the wardrobe was a crimson cloak with a high collar. It was comfortable both wrapped entirely around his body, and when it was showing off the suit he'd preferred. Stepping out on the balcony, Phenix took a deep breath. Then, he began whistling, a slow, sweet melody filled with sorrow and fear. Phenix had rested his forearms on the railing of the balcony, his suit clearly visible to anybody who would look. The light breeze made his cloak stir like a cape, adding a bit of brilliance to his grey suit.


-=-


T'val had slipped out of her dress with a sigh of relief, pulling on a loose tank top and some excuse for yoga pants. Laying down on her bed, she stretched for a moment, yawning. But she didn't sleep. The speech had drained her, but not permanently. Standing back up, the Tribute stepped into the hallways, walking quietly this way and that, quietly wondering of anybody else was awake. After a few minutes, she began to dace, a song filling her head. She closed her eyes, dancing up and down the halls of the Capitol, humming the song quietly.

Maci wasn't sure how long she sat on her balcony. It could've been a few minutes, it could've been an hour. Heck, one could convince her that it's been days. The wind was starting to make her cold. But she welcomed the feeling. It was a nice distraction. She stands up and wipes her eyes one more time. That's when she notices it, a flash of crimson on the corner of her eye.
She glances to her right, noticing a tribute on the balcony next to hers. She lowers her gaze to the streets shyly, and listens to his whistling. She was tempted to ask if he was whistling a certain song, but she didn't want to bother him.

The song went on for a long while, eventually coming to an end with a Beethoven-worthy flourish. After another minute or so, he started to whistle again. Beethoven's Für Elise filled the air, the sweet notes melding together and forming the elegant harmony. Phenix didn't seem to notice Maci, his eyes instead staring out past the horizon, squinting slightly against the setting sun. The wind didn't seem to faze him, the collar on his cloak helping to keep him warm alongside the many layers of clothing underneath the cloak. He was comfortable, and comfortably warm. He enjoyed being able to make the music he loved, though with the lack of a piano in his room it was slightly more difficult. Für Elise was less elegant, the lack of secondary notes making it sound flat, almost boring to a trained ear.

Narukami was tired, if that was the correct word for it. She was almost floating, as if her mind wasn't exactly connected to her body. It was a regular thing that occurred after long stressful days of modeling so Narukami wasn't afraid. But without her mates around, the loneliness of her own mind was only more crushing. Manicured nails scratched on the inside of her wrist, the light tingling drawing her back down to earth but what really caught her ear was the slow coming and going of a hummed song, as if the source of the sound was walking around the hallways. It wasn't a familiar song, not one that her mates normally sang to her after a long day at work, but it still beckoned Narukami to come and listen. And so she did, letting her feet carry her towards the source of the sound.

---

By comparison, Sorrento didn't have much to take off and had returned to Ariel's side soon enough, the slight dip in the bed announcing his presence. "A penny for your thoughts?" He offered, laying down beside her and throwing an arm around her waist.

---

T'val continued her slow routine, her braid of hair flying out behind her when she twirled or turned. Her humming grew slightly louder, the girl losing herself in the tune. It was rather quick, good for dancing to as T'val was. But, if somebody weren't to dance, it was also a song quick enough to raise spirits and hope, even if just slightly.

Ariel curled into Sorrento. "Not really, just thinking. Mostly about baby Echo." Ariel admitted. "I'm worried. What if. . .I know this might sound silly, but what if the games drag themselves for so long that I end up birthing her in the arena? What if she doesn't make it? What if I don't. . .what about if we both don't make it?" Ariel at this point was rambling, as she did often when concerned about something. And she was all the more open for Sorrento to shut her up.

---

"You're in your first trimester, I doubt the games would last that long." He murmured, lacing their hands together as he pressed butterfly kisses on the unblemished canvas of her shoulder. "But i promise that you'll come out of this alive. I'll make sure of it." Lifting their intertwined hands, he dropped a kiss onto the back of Ariel's hand before laying it protectively over her stomach. "So Echo, huh? That's what you're going to name her?"

---

Rounding a corner, Narukami could see T'val, her light dancing bringing a small smile to her face. It was nice to see some semblance of happiness and carefreeness in this bleak situation. Leading against the wall, she simply watched, the heavy cloak she still wore wrapping around her shoulders like a blanket. Although the tune was unfamiliar to her, she still felt her lethargic body yearn to dance along to the tune, feet tapping along to the beat.

---

Turning, T'val noticed Narukami watching, and slowly danced over, smiling. "Fancy seeing you here, stranger. Care to dance?" She held out a hand in welcome, as if wanting to pull Narukami into the dance. As she waited for Narukami to answer, she hummed quietly, the notes blending together and making something beautiful.

"You seem to really love music" Maci tells Phenix. "I actually recognize that song... Für Elise is it?" Maci asks, tilting her head a bit. "You managed to catch the tune perfectly. It's beautiful." She speaks quietly, both wanting to talk to him but also not disturb him.

Phenix seemed to notice Maci for the first time, his body jolting in surprise as he hears a voice. "Yes, by Beethoven.. It's better on a piano, but I wasn't given the luxury of one in my room." Turning to look fully at Maci, he tilted his head. "Did you, perchance, find a piano in your room?" His voice was full of hope, his mind begging her to say yes.

"Well aren't you a dear, sweeping a poor maiden off her feet." Narukami giggled, accepting the hand. Allowing herself to be drawn into the bewitching melody, she closed her eyes smile wide and joy evident on her face. She wasn't the best at dancing, stumbling here and there as her shoes scuffed across the floor but it was undeniable that she was having fun. Her mates had drawn her into dances here and there, each of their personalities leaking though in wild flailing limbs, practiced lifts, lazy following, and stiff posture all achingly familiar as she lost herself in her dace with T'val.

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