Forum Thread

District 7 (Stylist's Chamber)

"R-Really?" he sniffled. "They'll cut their own throats to avoid me? Because I'm scary?" His voice was so hopeful, despite the words. "I'm the big boss? I'll be a legend?"

---

District 9 (Stylist's Chamber)

Majoree snorted. "Your pig-shaped head grows bigger with every compliment you bestow upon it." She tilted her head, amused. "I'll still love you, even if you resemble swine. You know that. Riiiiiight?"

---

Minya Reedshaw.

She nodded.

"You're very scary.

Super scary."

Minya lied.

---

Raiyhan Vale.

Raiyhan shook his head.

"I take it back then.

You don't look beautiful.

You also remarkably resemble a swine."

He sighed.

Raiyhan suddenly clapped his hands together.

"Anyways! We're getting off topic.

You and I.

The Games.

Any strategies before we're carted off to certain death.

I want to at least die with style."

"

Yelena was no longer herself. She was a capitol toy. She was nothing more then a plaything, an object. And it killed her. Her sister was by herself at home. And Yelena would never see her again. Yelena Lux was light. She was a sunray that pierced through the clouds. She was a blade of purity and she would stab and slice through her obstacles. With no trouble at all. Yelena would play the role of a Valkyrie. She would guide her competitors to there ends. But in the end, she would be struck down by the blade of another. She could only, only hope, that this blade was a kindred soul.

---

(Trigger Warning, in case it'll help anyone: Blood)
Alora stared at herself in the mirror. She slowly moved to place her hand on the mirror, and for a second, her reflection was not hers. In the mirror, was the shape of a slightly taller scared young woman. Golden wings and armor to match. Alora's hand touched the mirror. The reflection shattered. Alora could see her own reflection again, and that of Yelena. Alora felt for a moment an intense stab of pain. Alora's hands began to shake. In a brief moment of insanity, Alora slammed her palm into the mirror, shattering it into a million tiny pieces. No one came running after the sound. No one heard it. No one could see the spiderlike streaks of blood on her palms.

She was all alone. And she hated it.
"Odds are, you won't survive."

---

Jason did not have perfect skin like a lot of the other district 1 tributes, but it wasn't as dirty as the other districts either, and took little time to smoothen. About his hair, his stylist decided to keep it as it was, curly black [x].
As for his dress, he was given a masquerade dress,
complimenting Alora's. [x]. It felt a bit goofy, but he did not hate it. It just felt a tad bit too fancy.
That night, he couldn't sleep much, even in the silkily comfortable beds of the Capitol. Afterall, he was away from home, away from his district, for the first time. This wasn't some Hotel his dad had booked for a vacation, even though it very likely could've been, it was a vacation where he faced imminent death. The plain white room he was given was making him to crazy. It had just no decor, nothing like his room back home. And it reminded him how much of his life the Capitol controlled now. What did not help him was the sound of glass shattering from the next room- was Alora fine? Probably. He shouldn't care anyways, they were just district mates- and old friends- and one of them or both were gonna die soon.

---

Xena laughed. "Slow down, slow down. That will all come in time. The one thing I'd like to know now is...What is your weakness?" Agria let out a suprised huff, and Xena chuckled again. "That's right, your weakness. Don't know why you're much suprsied, it's a vital thing to erase. Agria had to give it a moment's thought. What...what was her weakness? She had fears, she had horrors, but..a true weakness? After a minute, she tapped it out, and Xena nodded. "Understood." She was about to speak again, but suddnely started. "Oh my, it apears we are here. Time for the Capitol's first trial-Your enterance!" Agria's face paled, but Xena clasped her hands behind her head. "Welcome to the belly of the beast-The Capitol of Panem."

The stylists that took Agria were chatty, and almost seemed glad that she couldn't speak. They poked and prodded her, causing the dark thoughts to come back, and shutting her down. She didn't move on her own, and at one point, it became difficult for them to work, and one of them grabbed her by the face exasperatedly, saying, "You impertanent child!" At once, the room became the orphanage, and the stylist became Auntie, and Agria began to cry, shoulders shaking.

The head stylist burst into the room, a black woman with braids in her hair. "This is outrageous! Completley wasting time, off-" She noticed Agria's crying and pushed past the other stylists, taking her by the arm. "Agria, it's alright, it's alright." Agria's dark thoughts were surrounding her, and she couldn't stop crying. The stylist hugged her, and after a minute, she realized where she was. She took a few shuddered breaths, and the woman said, "There there, that's right. Calm down." When she could, the stylist smiled. "There we go! Isn't that better?" She used the sleeve of her white dress to wipe away Agria's tears. "I'm going to be handling your dress and such, my name is Eva." She was gentle with Agria, much more than the others, taking her time to do her best.

The dress she chose was a short one, light blue with a spray of white across it, like sea foam. It had puffy sleeves made of a material that shimmered. Her hair had been curled, and there was a light powder of blue makeup on her eyelids, not much else. As Eva had told her, "You're a beautiful girl, just the way you are." She stepped out of the dressing room, one hand lifted to her face like it was a foreign object.

---

On her way to her designated room, she pondered deeply about the whole thing. The one thing that stuck with her throughout her walk though, was the fact that there was no mention of her brother, seeing as he seemed to be one of the more popular victors. Perhaps they were so ashamed of him that they did their best to keep everything about him under wraps? She would've thought about things further but she soon hit her door and thought it was best to take a nap. She had a pretty rough day, and her body was aching and screaming in agony. Every muscle flared with the desire to rest, and her mind even did so too. She opened the door and quickly locked it, turning her back to it and sliding to the floor, her palms covering her face. She had a massive headache, not from pressure, but the constant whispers in the back of her mind that she had been trying to keep down. All those voices said were attack, blood, kill, words she really didn't want to hear at the moment. All they did was feed the urge to do what they told her to, no matter the consequences, just like they wanted. Suddenly, she began to feel a sharp pain coming from her forearm, and when she opened her eyes, her own skin was all that she could see. She also started to taste blood and smell it as well, allowing her to come to the realization that she had bit into her own arm due to pure stress. Had she subconsciously tried to stop herself from saying a word, or even making a noise? Well, it wasn't like it mattered. The pain was surprisingly calming, snapping her back to reality and driving the secondary voice away, even if momentarily. No... No don't think like that... Get up and get yourself together... Of course, that was easier said than done, but that reminder cleared her head long enough to where she could do exactly that. She had to constantly tell herself to not give in to her masochistic tendencies, and this time wasn't any different. She quickly loosened her jaw and tore her arm away from her mouth and back at her side. Tears started to flow down her face, which only reminded her of how weak and powerless she was, even against herself. She tightly closed her eyes in an attempt to stop her crying, but it didn't work. The failure only brought more tears, which resulted in her practically screaming at herself to stop. She wanted so badly for all of this to stop, the games, her mind, hell, even her life, but she knew those couldn't happen. She knew that the only way to relieve herself of her misery was to just give in, stop struggling, but could she really do that?

---

Kendo stared into the mirror, slightly annoyed. These so-called "Stylists" Messed up his entire appearance. They had applied a sort of dye that darkened the shade of his light brown hair to a black. They also insisted on "Toning down" his messy, uncombed hair, then immediately proceeded to, apply gel, comb, and cut his hair, shaving his hair on the sides, then slightly curling his hair at the tips. He liked the outfit though. A dark hooded, long-sleeved shirt, with black jeans, with white fluff surrounding the edges of the cuffs. "So, This is really happening, huh?" He stared into the mirror. "I'm actually at the capitol. This'll be interesting."

---

Yelena caught a yellow rose someone had thrown at her from the crowd. It had a small piece of paper attached that said "Happy Hunger Games." Yelena stared menacingly out into the crowd. She held the hand with the rose out and slowly closed her fist over the thorns on the stem. It hurt like crazy, but she could take it. Yelena opened her fist as slowly as she had closed it. Blood dripped down her arm. Yelena made eye contact with her stylist. He nodded. Yelena raised her hand above her head, allowing the blood to freely drip down her arm. She let the rose drop. As if on cue, the wings caught the light. Yelena slowly lowered her hand and crushed the rose with two fingers. The capitol would pay.

---

Alora Lux looked powerful. She looked like she knew something no one else did. She looked as if you could kill you before you even had the time to realize she was there. She looked dangerous. She felt weak. She felt miserable. She felt sad. Alora knew she was dangerous. She knew she probably had one of the best chances of winning. Alora had to win. She had to get back to her family. She had to avenge Yelena. The thought of Yelena filled her with fury. Alora would avenge her fallen sister. Alora stood up straighter. Whatever it takes.

---

District 7 (Stylist's Chamber)

Riggs sniffled. It looked like he might start crying again. But all he said was, "Thank you, Mouse." Then he turned to the Stylists, finally seeming to notice them there again. "Oh!" His eyes brightened. "You did wonderfully, my Capitol friends! I truly appreciate the effort you have put into making me resemble the District I was forced to reside in. It truly will serve as an excellent juxtaposition when I win the games!"

His beam was surprisingly genuine. The soul had entered his eyes once more. "Shall Mousey and I go now?"

---

District 9 (Stylist's Chamber)

"Beautiful?" Majoree snorted, despite the heat rushing to her cheeks. God, he's such a dork. A cute dork who I wanna punch in the face. She cocked her head to the side, an amused smile setting on her lips. "I don't know about that. And it's not like I'll be very beautiful stuffed full with knives. That's not a cute death at all."

Then she laughed, breezing by him. "We can talk about that after we humiliate ourselves before the Capitol," she called over her shoulder. "'Kay? We gotta go, now, Rai. We're about to have the worst day of our life, and the sooner it's over, the sooner we can plot cute deaths for each other."

---

Minya Reedshaw.

"Of course you can leave!" Fleur chuckled. "You both look wonderful by the way, the Capitol will love you!" The stylist gushed. She smiled one more time, and shooed them out of the room. "Head to your Chariots! The Parade is starting soon!" The voice faded away, and Minya glanced nervously at Riggs. "Chariot...7?" She asked. Minya scanned the nearby Chariots, spotting one with branches intertwining the wood. "Oh..there." The girl gulped nervously, hurrying towards the dreaded chariot. She hopped on it quickly, fanning her face, and trying to compose herself. "You can do this...you can do this." Minya took deep breaths, trying to calm down. "Ready, Riggs?" She asked the tall boy.

---

Raiyhan Vale.

"With some nice scenery I bet it would." He replied idly."...The Parade is starting soon, we'd better head there." The was a hint of anger in his tone. The boy swept out of the carriage quickly, only to be stopped by the stylists. "Wait! You can't leave without a nicely themed hat! It would suit your theme perfectly, Vale!" Squeaked one of the Stylists. Raiyhan grimaced, "Hurry up then.." The boy muttered quietly.

A few moments later, and there was a cottage-style short hat fitted onto his golden hair. Raiyhan rolled his eyes. "C'mon Marjoree, it's Carriage time. Yay.." He added sarcastically.

Lilith radiates richness, and a false sense of security. She skips too her carriage, and while passing by people from the capitol, she blows kisses and waves Natalia’s hand. She gets off the carriage twirling about, putting on a show for the Capitol, catching the eyes of her admirers. As a finale act, she blows petals off her hand, and poses prettily for pictures, before taking the carriage back to her room.

Faith was grumpy. She doesn’t smile, doesn’t wave, doesn’t move. She just stares in blank emptiness. No emotion, no thoughts, no will to— nope nope. She wasn’t going to get there. She had to be there to support Aether, and the other frightened souls in the game. She is escorted into her room, looking blank, feeling hollow, empty— nothing but a hologram. What the purpose of the parade was, she probably knew, but refused to face it. She hated it. Hatred, anger, all the bottled up emotions flew through her veins, and she clenched her fists, punching the bathroom mirror as glass shattered all around her, some sinking into her flesh, leaving spiderweb like tendrils of free flowing blood. She used an uninjured hand to collect her own blood in a vial

---

Suddenly, there was a knocking at the door. "A-Aether? It's time for the parade...!" The voice belonged to the little boy from her district, who didn't sound excited in the slightest. Well, at least he wasn't stupid enough to be enthusiastic about any of this, that gave Aether a little bit more respect for him. She opened her eyes and spread her arms out onto her bed, looking over towards the one she had bitten. Blood wasn't running out, but there were still deep marks and bruises. She quickly covered it to the best of her ability with her jacket, but it was still noticeable if you looked close enough. She sighed and got up, slowly heading to the door and opening it. She had her eyes pinned to the floor, and she didn't say a word to the boy as she walked past. As expected, he followed her after she had gotten far enough past him, and they both reluctantly headed to get ready for the parade.

Aether stood silently on the carriage as bright lights and loud voices boomed in their direction, her eyes staring blankly forward, her face still in that permanent scowl, and her hands rested at her side. She saw Faith a little further up, and a girl in gold very faintly towards the front. The girl had grabbed a rose and crushed it, letting the blood spill down her arm. Faith on the other hand, was almost exactly like Aether, standing motionless as all the unnecessary noise and lights surrounded her. The boy standing next to her though, he was waving his hand and looking around the crowd. She could faintly hear his nervous chuckles and saw his hands shaking ever so slightly. He had no clue as to what to do with the attention, and she didn't blame him.

---

District 7 Chariot

Riggs shot her a grin as bright as the sun. "As ready as I'll ever be, Mousey." He stepped up onto the chariot, shoe digging into the curved, wooden ridge that ringed the chariot. It functioned as a step, and he promptly was on top, then kneeling, offering her his hand. "Come on."

He seized her in a vice grip and took her up onto it, then stepped back, releasing it. "Remember to smile," he said softly. There was a hint of gentleness in his eyes. Then he looked away, standing tall in his ridiculous tree outfit. Smirking at the crowds, a sharp glimmer in his eyes that replaced any light that might've existed at a point in his life.

Smug.

Confident.

Dangerous.

The crying boy from earlier was gone. Riggs had returned, and with it, his same ambitions to become a monster that would go down in Hunger Games history.

---

District 9 Chariot

Majoree smirked a little. My god, he's such a dork, she thought. That annoyed expression- just tinged with embarrassment and- oh, were his ears a little red? She laughed out loud, jostling his arm as she went by.

"Alright. Let's head on up, pretty boy. Share our misery with the entire world, why won't we? Maybe we'll give a couple orphans some laughs." She hiked up the excessively long skirt and leapt up onto the chariot, catching herself on the horse's bridle. She steadied herself, then gave him a warm smile. "Come on."

---

Raiyhan Vale.

The boy smiled, and gripped her hand tightly. "You seem to be the type of person who's naturally clumsy. I don't think any of us want you falling off this, do we?" Raiyhan explained in hushed tones. He winked at her and laughed, and turned to face the crowd.

His smile disappeared as the chariot started to move, parading them around. To please the crowd, Raiyhan threw a cocky grin here and there, winking at the crowd as they travelled along. There was anger in his eyes, hatred, even. No amount of smiling could disguise the anger in those brilliant blue eyes.

---

Minya Reedshaw.

Minya gave a small smile. She gave a quiet gasp as the chariot started to move, showing them to the crowd. She gave tiny smiles, and waved to the Capitol people. She looked adorable, but in those smiles, was hatred. Hatred, like any of the other Tributes...except, maybe Riggs.

*Grimm would quietly stand on her district’s podium. This was her most feared part. She hated when so many people looked at her.*

---

District 9 Chariot

Majoree felt her cheeks heat up. Oh god, it was so obvious on her- she probably looked like some sort of clown! "You'll regret that, once we're in the games," she hissed, trying to regain some semblance of pride and stop the blood flowing to her head. "I'll 'clumsily' throw you off a cliff! Then we'll see who's laughing!"

She accentuated it with a glare and a pout, then turned to face the crowd. Her blue eyes darkened slightly, but she forced a smile on her face. All that time practicing for her tutor was paying off. She could smile genuinely enough, even when she hated every person sitting up there. None of them had to feel this way. None of them.

Her hand was starting to hurt. Surprised, she looked down, and realized she had his hand in a vice grip. She relaxed. "Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to."

They were beginning to reach the end. Few Capitol people had looked at them. The Bejeweled Careers were far more interesting, to the embellished people of the Capitol, she supposed. Food wasn't exactly something they thought or placed value on in any sense.

She gritted her teeth. Even she understood the value of it. Couldn't the Capitol try and have any empathy at all?

---

District 7 Chariot

Riggs eyes glowed electric blue as he gazed out at the Capitol. His grin had faded away. Was he in awe? Horror? Anger? Then the broad smile returned and he was waving, calling out his name to the people.

"Your new winner!" he yelled. "Riggs Oakfrost! Remember it!"

People clamoured excitedly, eager to hear from the tributes. Riggs smirked, snatching Minya's hand, and threw it both over their heads.

"Don't forget us! You'll see us on the top soon, on all their corpses!"

---

Raiyhan Vale.

He shrugged. "It's fine.." Raiyhan's eyes stared at the ground. "They didn't notice us, not one bit, did they?" He grimaced. "I wish, that we could be like the Careers, flashy and exciting. And powerful. But no, we're the least impressionable District, aren't we?" He fumed, dismounting the carriage.

"I need to- we need to make an impression. We need to do everything we can to impress the crowd, so we can have a chance of winning. We need sponsors."

Raiyhan hmphed. "But that's not going to cut it-will it? The Careers will surely get all of the sponsors, they're more interesting. Even if I danced in front of the Capitol, stark-naked, they wouldn't notice! They would never notice!"

The boy clenched his fists.

"...We need a miracle to impress the crowd, Marjoree, a miracle." Raiyhan ran his hand across his blonde hair, sighing.

"A miracle."

---

Minya Reedshaw.

"Y-yeah! Winners!..."

She whimpered.

Majoree Sinclair (District 9)

Majoree stared at him for a long moment.

A miracle.
(
Was he not one in and out of himself? Did he not fancy himself better than those fancy capitol... creatures with their painted faces and plumed wigs? Did he really think that...

"We don't need a miracle," was her reply. "Your spirit will be enough for that." Her eyes shot open, and she stifled a yelp at her own words. What? Why? I didn't mean to say that- that's just- She took deep breaths, calming herself down. It'd be alright. "They'll understand that you're worth two hecks more, once they hear you speak. I know it." She met his eyes, surprised at her own genuineity.

---

Riggs Oakfrost (District 7)

Riggs shot her a delighted grin, which lingered on his face, even as they entered into the cold tunnel. "We kicked ass out there, Mousey," he hissed. "They'll never forget us!" His eyes blazed with excitement. "Never! We'll be the winners of this game, and go down in Hunger Games history!"

---

Raiyhan Vale.

The boy stared at her for a moment.

"Hm. Maybe. But I doubt that, the Capitol only care about some stupid Career, in all their shiny costumes." He sighed. "Thank you though. Marjoree." Raiyhan gave a half-smile. "I appreciate your kind words. I'll try my hardest." Raiyhan grinned."I think we should head to out rooms, now-" He suggested, and with that, he turned away.

---

Minya Reedshaw.

Minya laughed.

"W-we can do this, Riggs! We stand a chance!"

No we don't.

She whimpered, and fled to her room.

Kendo sighed, as the crowd flashed before his eyes, He looked up, and put a wide, phony smile on his face. "He ran a hand through his hair, as he waved at the crowd, nodding and smiling. Come on, Kendo. get through this. The crowds are watching. You have to be as appealing as possible.

---