[M] The 45th Annual Hunger Games {Jannah x Zulera301}

[Nachthexe]

Rated M for violence, language, substance use, and other mature themes

The early afternoon sunshine came beating through the window of Kiva's bedroom, prompting her to pull up the covers over her head. "I'm not going. The Peacekeepers themselves could come bursting and I wouldn't budge." She groaned, realizing just what was about to happen. Reaping Day. The day that any normal teenager in Panem's twelve districts dreaded. The unusual events of the previous games especially didn't leave much motivation. Volunteers had come from the most unlikeliest of places and had managed to sweep away all competition, leaving two tributes from the same district's fate to be determined by a single coin toss. That had been a stunt that managed to leave people all over District 6 mesmerized while also making them realize the games truly knew no benevolence. The funniest part of it for Kiva, however, was that when she had met the victor just six months earlier she had managed to remain surprisingly calm about the whole thing. Of course it also could have been the girl's high at the time speaking though.

"I told you, I'm not going." Kiva once again found herself groaning as she heard somebody burst into her room despite her groggy state of mind. The previous night had been rather...interesting, and if anything it had managed to teach the girl to never inject before Reaping Day. It was something none of Panem's children could afford to miss for the consequences were costly.

"You don't have a choice, Ms. Rivnay." Kiva's sister pleaded before leaping onto her younger sister's bed and tickling her. Immediately the gingered hair girl began squirming in attempts to break free from her sister's grasp before finally bursting out laughing. The brief moment they shared before finally getting up off the bed served as a reminder of the close bond the two sisters shared, despite their slight age differences. Kiva couldn't help but to envy her sister, however, for this marked her first year of being non-eligible for the reaping. Growing up had its advantages and being only sixteen, Kiva realized she still had a few years to go herself. If she made it that far. Almost nobody who got reaped did, for obvious reasons.

Moments later, a fully dressed Kiva descended from her bedroom of the small home she shared with both her parents and older sister. It had been hastily constructed, making the functionality of the stairs truly a wonder to anybody who set foot on them, but they worked. At least for Kiva, who dominated the loft room. "So who's coming? Reaping begins very shortly." She asked as she then made her way towards the door, realizing she had little time to spare. Of course the girl's question had been more of an obligation than anything since families were required to be present so it wasn't long before the others began following Kiva through the various streets that were lined with shops. Most notable, however, were the factories and mechanical repair shops. Those signalized District 6's specialization in transportation more than anything.

"Well here we are. Don't get reaped." Kiva's sister joked, slapping Kiva on the shoulder as she checked in with the Peacekeepers before taking her place among the other children. She hadn't found her sister's joke the least bit humourous, but she knew she wasn't in a position to contest it. She did have a point. This was very much a matter of luck and there was a likely chance that she'd be boarding that train to the Capitol today as the family hadn't exactly been light on Tessarae in recent months. Certainly they were fairly well-off by their district's standards, but even the best of people came upon hard times.

It hadn't taken too long until the district's escort finally made his appearance, quickly silencing the crowds. Whether it was due to nervousness, intimidation, or something else was uncertain, but when the man walked out the crowds knew to be silent. Perhaps it was a reflex that had been ingrained in them right from the first Hunger Games in order to prepare for what was to come: the usual spiel from the Capitol, plus their propaganda film. It was always the same year after year so the girl knew it quite well now. It, of course, wasn't even the worst part. The two glass orbs that stood in front of the escort were. Kiva and all the others knew that within seconds he would place his hand inside and pull out a name.

"Now to select our tributes for the 45th annual Hunger Games! you all know the drill by now...ladies first!" The escort man, whom Kiva could not even recall the name of, bellowed as he placed his hand inside the orb filled with female names. He took grab of one of the small slips of paper, opened it up, and then read out the name. It was a familiar name. A very familiar name. "Our female tribute for the 45th annual Hunger Games is...Kiva Rivnay!"

[Zulera301]

If there was one positive thing about Reaping Day, it was that everyone under 18 got the day off. Dezna and Arza did not mind working, but it was also nice to sleep in, especially after a shot or two in the arm or down the throat. Dezna had actually foregone that notion the previous night, deciding to try something else.
At the moment though, both twins were asleep. Their house was small and cramped--or at least seen that way because of the all the junk that they tinkered with. District 6 was an interesting place--since basically everyone, including the mayor and the peacekeepers, were affected by substances of various kinds (with Morphling being a district favorite) everyone was rather lax. The Capitol's logic was that they were too sedated to ever want to rebel, and for the most part, the citizens stayed in line. Sure they were not always a timely bunch, but once they were at work, they did things surprisingly efficiently. A lot of them took drugs that would keep them focused, and these worked astoundingly well to the point where they were sometimes (rather liberally) prescribed. Perhaps if Panem was more open between districts, '6 would get the nickname "Drug District" or something.

Arza woke up first, rolling over and nudging Dezna, who was asleep next to her. They admittedly slept in the same bed, but only so they would have more space for their junk in this room and the other (former) bedrooms. Dad had died from and overdoes 6 years prior, and mom never seemed to be home, and some even said she was outright missing, so the twins mostly lived alone. however, even with their heavily addled minds and young ages (16), the twins managed to function well, and independently of each other. They shared a close bond, but it was not like one would cease to function if the other was absent.

"Hey... wake up, Dez. Reaping day's today, and I heard they shoot you if you don't go."
"Would it be with Lightning Bow?" Dezna muttered, referring to a handmade crossbow that the victor of last year's games, a girl from District 11 named Sagittaria, had built in the arena.
"No, Lightning Bow broke, remember?" she murmured.
"Aww..." Dezna groaned, admittedly still a bit groggy. "well... getting shot wouldn't be too much fun then. let's go."
He shoved at Arza, pushing her off the side of the bed playfully. She grabbed his shirt and took him with her, although this backfired on her as he landed on top of her. Arza was still a bit addled from her high last night, and Dezna started his day by drinking a solution he had concocted and had let sit overnight.
"Ahh... much better.
" he smacked his lips as he and Arza pulled some shoes on. they had both slept in their clothes, whichi looked a few si9zes too big on them. Their hair was totally a mess, but that was how it always looked. Even when they had been awake for hours, both twins had a tranquil look to them that made them appear like they had just woken up (even if this was the case). one thing that made them really stand out though was that the ridges of their ears had several piercings in them each, even for Dezna. Sure they might have behaved a bit odd given their clearly addled minds, and they tended to have passive or vacant expressions (and occasionally drooled a little), but they were actually very smart, and it showed through their masterful work.

Dezna shook his head, his wild black hair flying in each direction. "Let's get down there." he elbowed Arza playfully. She downed the dregs of Dezna's solution, finding it rather nice, and then followed him out there.
"You think I should volunteer?" Arza suggested as they made their way to the Justice Building. "Kind of like that girl last year?"
"Maybe I will." he suggested, "maybe I can rebuild Lightning Bow."
Arza chuckled. "May the odds be ever in your favor then..." she teased playfully. They both got into the rows of 16-year-olds, with Dezna on the central edge of the boy's side, and Arza on the central edge of the girl's side, so they were basically right across from each other. The escort was already there, and the Capitol propaganda video was already playing, but he was pretty sure it just went on repeat a few times as everyone showed up. The Peacekeepers that had registered their names didn't even think much of it.

The escort's presence had silenced the crowds pretty well, and a few moments later after the usual introductory spiel, he had chosen a girl named Kiva Rivnay from the bowl.
"And now..." he said in his usual tone, "for the boys..."

he reached in and pulled out a name. "Dezna Meraxa!"
Dezna did not seem to fazed by it. then again, few things seemed to faze these twins. He shrugged and stepped out of line to go reach teh stage. "Guess I don't need to volunteer after all, huh?" he chuckled. she chuckled back at him. Either they were too addled to realize what was going on, or were simply so calm that it didn't matter.
He reached the stage without a problem though. drugs didn't inhibit his motor skills the way alcohol did, after all.

"This year's tributes..." the escort announced, "Kiva Rivnay and Dezna Meraxa!"

[Nachthexe]

Dezna Meraxa. The name somehow sounded familiar from just six months prior during the victory Tour. "I'm Dezna Lightning." Yes, lightning bolts. It hadn't taken Kiva long to finally place the name, realizing it belonged to the boy she had hung out with months earlier while they had approached Sagittaria. Looking back, the girl probably thought them complete nuts, but again which outsider didn't? Certainly most of Panem viewed District 6 as the oddball addict district. Still, that didn't stop Kiva and the boy from walking up onto the stage. Their fates had been sealed and Kiva knew there was little chance of either of them returning. Instead she just put on a fake smile and waved towards the crowds briefly before being taken inside the Justice Building.

It wasn't until Kiva was inside a small room in the Justice Building that the reality of being reaped began to truly sink in. She stood in the corner of the room, immobile, knowing exactly what to expect. Her family. Certainly they would be brought into this small room to share in the misery before their daughter was finally whisked off to the Capitol, likely to never be seen again. That's always how it was and it had been awhile since District 6 had even produced a victor. Being urban had countless disadvantages in these games, ones that they closely shared with districts like 5 and 8. This was a reality the girl realized couldn't be sugar-coated, bringing tears to her eyes just as her family finally walked in.

"We have to make this quick. There's Peacekeepers just outside the door." Kiva's mother was the first to speak, taking her daughter's hand in hers. Noticing her daughter's tears, she too began crying. This managed to slur her speech slightly, but not so much that it wasn't inaudible. "Whatever 'appens in there do know that we love you and care about you. Remember how gears are always rolling, moving things forward? Well think of this like that you're a gear, working hard so you can continue ahead." The woman wiped away many of her tears before stuffing her hand in her pocket to unveil a small gear on a chain. As most people in District 6 knew so well they had been crucial in much of the transportation of old before being replaced with superior technology, but the obvious symbolism stood true. "Take this as a reminder of that." Kiva's mother added before putting the chain around her daughter's neck. It hardly qualified as a piece of jewellery, but almost immediately it had sentimental value.

"Th...thank you, but these are so old." Kiva managed to let out a small chuckle over her sobbing as she tried to examine the gear that now hung around her neck. Next it was Kiva's sister to step forward. One quick glance at her face and the frown she wore was prominent. Perhaps she had been contemplating the error of her ways, realizing that the joke she had cracked just minutes earlier served as a grim prediction of what was to come.

"I'm sorry. I'm an ass. Go ahead and hate me now. I didn't actually think you'd end up in this mess." Kiva's sister quickly apologized, outstretching her arms to hug her younger sister. Even as her younger sister returned the embrace she felt tainted, as if she she didn't even deserve any attention from her. Certainly black comedy had times it was inappropriate and this had certainly been one of those times. Of course a part of her also hoped this was just a hallucination from an extended high, but it wasn't. It was very much reality and Kiva had just been reaped.

"No, no. I know what you're thinking. I will try to get back here. After last year I think there's a chance. Remember that District 12 girl? Everybody thought she would be useless and die in the opening minutes, yet she placed third. Third!" Kiva responded, sensing her sister's suspicions that she wouldn't return. Of course that was the more likely outcome, but there was still that slim chance of survival. That was one that Kiva wasn't about to pass up. Besides, there was training before the arena. Certainly that provided plenty of opportunity to pick up useful skills. Deciding where to start, however, would be the hard part.

Kiva quickly came to realize that the remainder of her family, even her father who was yet to even speak, was lost for words. Perhaps her last point about little Kyla from District 12 had managed to silence them. It was a flawless point though. If a little half-deaf girl could place third then certainly anybody had a chance in the arena. Sure she had been allied with two of the strongest tributes, but she managed to hold her own without them. The final face-off had very much proven that as had the Mutt encounters. Kiva doubted she could be that impressive, but it managed to bring a smile to her face just before her family was finally dragged out of the room by the Peacekeepers. Shortly afterwards a group of Peacekeepers came for Kiva and escorted her to a car that was presumingly in place to escort the two tributes to the train.

Once inside the car Kiva eyed it with awe. It was ironic really how her own district created that stuff yet never actually really rode in it. That was a privilege reserved for the Capitol elite and whichever tributes had the misfortune of being reaped into the games. My district's own industry is bringing me to my imminent death, imagine that. Kiva thought as she rubbed her finger along the glass in the car's windows. The car itself appeared lightly used and even the escort noted that fact as he too got in. Just as most Capitol citizens seemed to be he quickly showed himself to be energetic too as he began bellowing some chant about the games all the way to the train platform, leaving Kiva little time to take in her partner's presence.

"Well here we are. Time for the ride of your lives!" The escort man bellowed as soon as he led the pair of tributes aboard the train. Again, irony was showing, both from his choice of words and by the use of transportation. The ride of their lives? It certainly was as at least one of them wasn't going to return. That was an outcome Kiva didn't want to think about just yet though so instead she proceeded to take a seat in one of the many finely upholstered chairs that lined the interior of the train. The Capitol certainly knew how to accommodate, even if it did seem odd for a bunch of children who were going to be dead within weeks.

[Zulera301]

Dezna's calm and smile did not seem to be the same as Kiva's, nor was it the same as Sagittaria's the year before. While that girl had been charismatic and positive, Dezna was just super mellow about it. Besides. if he died, he'd just get to see dad again--maybe mom too. It'd be poor Arza that was left all alone. Then again, maybe he'd be like Sagittaria and win the games. It was a far stretch, but it was potentially doable. It wasn't like he was stupid like that boy from '12 had been, for example as he raced right towards the vicious careers. It was no wonder he was one of the first to die. Maybe it had been an accident, but whatever the case, no one remembered him. His younger sister though... that half-deaf girl--she had taken 3rd. Sure that didn't mean much in a game where even 2nd place meant death, but it was still an incredible feat.

Unlike his district partner, Dezna was calm and was alone for a moment until his sister showed up, as the only real family he had left. If anything, he felt worse for her than he did for herself. She showed up, and with them standing side by side, the resemblance was striking. Even their hairstyles were freakishly similar, with Arza's wild hair sticking out at every angle as well. She gave him a hug which he returned, and they just stared at each other and smiled. It was an odd feeling, but at the same time, both of them were rather high at the moment, especially Dezna, who had downed a solution earlier that morning.

"Am I supposed to give you a tribute token or something?" Arza chuckled. Dezna shook his head. "as long as they don't make me lose the earrings, y'know." he indicated. Arza nodded in agreement, running her fingers across one of his ring-ridden ears, and then along one of her own which was similarly adorned. She paused and suddenly had an idea. She reached into her shirt and pulled out a small piece of wire, and wrapped it around Dezna's wrist like a bracelet. "put the rings on that and call it your token if they question you." she suggested. Dezna smiled, liking the idea.

It was perhaps ironic how contrasting the two were. On one side, the girl's family was apologizing about black humor, while Dezna and Arza were revelling in it. Sagittaria had been an influence on them, it seemed.
"And may the odds..." she began, smirking playfully
"...make it so that when I'm mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, my body goes into shock and I don’t feel anything as I die." Dezna finished, high-fiving his sister. they both laughed at the joke. This might have been the countdown to the end of his life, but he was taking it well, and so was Arza, even at the prospect of permanently losing her brother.

"So are you worried at all?" Arza pulled back, tilting her head curiously.
"A little." Dezna shrugged, "but I'll be okay. there's a week of training, and the games only usually last a couple or three weeks at the most. Then it'll all be over." This could mean that he would come home, or that he would go to an inevitable death. One thing that was clear was that the last year's games had brought about a change in behavior among the districts, and even out in District 12 right now, they had escaped the monotony of accepting that their tributes would die quickly--even if this feeling might end up being brief.
miles away in District 11, Sagittaria herself stood on the stage as she was joined by another boy and girl. She had been responsible for a lot of this change. Kyla Togisala and Rye Grove had also been powerful players in this regard.

Neither of the twins were terribly loud, simply because they were used to talking softly and calmly. Maybe it was the drugs talking once again, but if they were being disrespectful, it was not at all intended. they hugged each other again, nestling their heads into each other's shoulders in such a way that their hair looked like one gigantic fluffball. They were in truth, very close to each other, but they were also very close and friendly with a lot of people they met. Sagittaria learned this firsthand, and had she been present, she would have testified.

Soon enough, the Peacekeepers came to escort them to the car. It seemed like a rather trivial task that Dezna could have done himself, but at the same time, maybe some people tried to run away. he didn't see the practicality in that attempt, and so he went quietly. He gave Arza one more hug and bade her a friendly "goodbye" as he headed for the car with the girl. Kiva... they had talked to Sagittaria together. Now they were in a car that they very well might have helped build, going to a train that they very well might have built. When it came time to haul them off to the arena, they would be flying in a hovercraft that they very well might have built. District 6 was the reason anyone got anywhere, really, and Dezna was proud of his work.

Soon they arrived at the train station, and Dezna boarded the train, kicking his shoes off and going barefoot once inside. He actually chuckled at the escort's remark, before flopping down in a seat near Kiva and turned to her after briefly gazing around to admire his surroundings.
"wonder where our mentor is..." he mused aloud. he didn't expect her to know, but he did wonder where she was--or what her name was. Heck, he didn't even know what their escort's name was. Maybe that shot hadn't been a good idea after all. He knew the mentor's name started with a Z, but that was about it.

[Nachthexe]

"No idea, but she's supposed to be helping us. Until then I am not moving from this seat." Kiva responded as her partner became curious about the escort. Without a second thought or even further words to her partner, she removed her shoes and set her feet up. It was bound to be a bit of a trip so she figured she could get comfortable. Naturally, as the train began moving it too got Kiva thinking of home. She hadn't exactly left her family on the best note so she could only hope that she made it back to them. If not, then at least there was a small chance Dezna would and then pass on any messages to her family. That was, of course, assuming they didn't become enemies, but that prospect was unlikely. District partners almost always worked together.

Moments later the scent of food quickly began filling Kiva's nose and despite having not eaten breakfast not even it would make her budge from her spot. Unsurprisingly the mentor man, whose name she knew she'd have to learn eventually, was the first to indulge. "This is all for you my children. Just enjoy it." The man spoke between mouthfuls, prompting for both Kiva and Dezna to join him.

Kiva let out a sigh as she leaned further back in the chair. "I'm not hungry." She lied, trying to avoid confronting the man. Truth was that despite having only been around him for about an hour he was making her feel uncomfortable. Perhaps it was his carefree attitude about a tournament that involved the killing of children that turned people off. It had certainly worked that way for Kiva and now she didn't even have drugs to quell the pain that was bound to only worsen as the days wore on. Despite having not been directly involved she knew it had helped during the Victory Tour, even if just to subconsciously block out the fact that it was actually celebrating the death of 23 children and the victory of another.

Caring little about the escort, Kiva then turned her attention towards her partner. She took a quick glance at him and realized she knew little about him. They had talked briefly during the Victory Tour, but had both been more focused on Sagittaria than each other. Of course, the bits about rainbows and lightning were the first to come to mind. "Dezna Lightning and Kiva Rainbow. That'll certainly be remembered." Kiva chuckled as she spoke, attempting to make conversation. "So the games. I never imagined either of us would end up here, yet here we are on a train to the Capitol. I took nothing this morning. I am definitely not hallucinating." She added, shifting her body slightly so then her entire body was facing Dezna. She then began thoroughly examining the boy. He was definitely no hallucination either, but complete flesh and blood.

[Zulera301]

Dezna chuckled. "just don't go on a hunger strike or anything." he quipped, "hunger -games- are hard enough on ya." he was obviously referring to tributes as a collective rather than just her, and he figured that it went unsaid. Dezna sort of had a habit of making himself at home wherever he was, and this was no exception. He wondered briefly what Arza was up to. It was not like they had ever been apart for very long, so it was new for her just as it was for him, even if his situation was far more dangerous and could prevent him from ever returning. Still... she had left her on a good note, and either of them had gotten too emotional over it. What happened... happened.

When the food came, Dezna wasn't going to try and argue Kiva's 'hunger strike (or was that just the drugs kicking in on his end?) and instead dug in. The scent seemed to also attract another guest to join them--there was that female mentor that Dezna had sworn he had seen earlier.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Zerviah." the other man quipped. Ah... that was her name. Zerviah. She had won by using things form her environment to her advantage. Turns out all that plant studying had not been for nothing after all.

"Ey," Zerviah nodded, ignoring the tributes in front of her for a moment to grab a bite to eat. "I had things I needed to do. I'm here now though." she turned to the teens. "just let me eat something... then I can answer anythin' ya need answered."
Dezna shrugged, finding this reasonable enough. he was hungry too, and maybe those 'things' she had could be shared with him, if they were what he thought (or at least hoped) they were. Dezna seemed to have less of a problem dealing with the team simply because he was so laid back that he didn't seem to mind. Dezna knew that there was death and violence, but at the same time, he just accepted everything about his situation. If he was to die, maybe he'd at least get remembered as someone. He was a very good listener, both when someone needed a shoulder to cry on, or when he was given a set of instructions during his workday.

Dezna turned and chuckled alongside Kiva. "she was a pretty damn good storyteller if I recall correctly. I was pretty blitzed during that time though. Never mix alcohol with formula 16. It might seem like a great idea, but it's really not."
Formula 16 was just one of the made-up names given to a homemade concoction of chemicals, drugs, or whatever else. By itself, it kept someone focused for a short time and gave them a buzz. Dezna used this a lot, and the things he produced were done so rather efficiently as a result. "she told some wild ones when she was here... I bet she's probably telling stories about things we've probably hallucinated about."
he chuckled and then let her change the subject to the threat that was now looming over their heads that would take one or both of their lives.
"I took a bit of my Formula 16 this morning, but this seems real enough to me. it's kinda pretty. Kinda funny also how we're about to go to our deaths... you nervous at all?" he didn't seem condescending at all about it; just curious. Ultimately, what Kiva would see form examining Dezna was a slightly untidy boy of 16 who made the best of his situation, and left the rest of it. He'd miss his twin sister, but otherwise, he was fine if he left this world. Maybe he could see Rye again... or Lightning Bow. Dezna's problem, hallucinating or not, was that he often blurred the line between imaginary and reality like that. He didn't have the same magic with words that Sagittaria did, but he definitely had a clever and creative mind.

[Nachthexe]

Zerviah. So that was the mentor's name. Kiva quickly slipped it into the back of her mind for future reference as she knew that both she and Dezna would be seeing a lot of this woman. She was their lifeline in the games, after all. Often times when tributes did poorly in the games it was their mentors who took partial blame. It certainly made sense as they were the ones expected to teach everything they know to new tributes. It kind of got Kiva wondering what had been done in the earliest games as obviously past victors did not exist. She didn't dare inquire about that now, however, as her own survival came first.

As the others began eating Kiva's attention was quickly captured by Dezna. He had admittedly been just as intrigued by Sagittaria as all the others, particularly her stories. Certainly they were probably exaggerated, but they had a definite entertainment factor. Kiva very much recognized this and even envied the District 11 girl somewhat; if she could tell stories so well then why couldn't she? "She was probably full of shit half the time, but I like her. If I make it out of this alive I'm getting her to teach me her secrets." Kiva found herself chuckling as she spoke to Dezna. She didn't know the boy well beyond their chance meeting at the feast, but he seemed to have a sense of humour. Unless that too had been the drugs talking. The boy had admitted to taking the infamous "Formula 16", after all. Kiva had tried it once and realized it had been disastrous for her, having made her bedridden for two days afterwards.

Despite wanting to know more about Dezna, Kiva didn't focus on him for long. She had a mentor in front of her just itching to teach whatever she could about the games. That took priority over all else if she wanted to see her sister again. she took quickly became an object of envy, having managed to age out to nineteen without being reaped. That was an important milestone in the life of any Panem child. It meant they were permanently safe from the Hunger Games for the rest of their lives. Obviously their own future children were not, but it was just one of the sacrifices that had to be made if one chose to start a family. Naturally, it was something that had had Kiva vowing right from a young age to never have children. Now she realized she probably would never get the opportunity regardless.

"So now that you're here, give some advice. What should we do? I don't think I'd do well running around in a jungle." Kiva finally began, staring down Zerviah. Jungle. At least it was what she could recall from the previous year's arena. She was aware it was changed up every year, but usually it consisted of some sort of rural environment, ones that the likes of District 6 almost always had a slight disadvantage in for obvious reasons. She could mostly only recall District 6 tributes winning through stealth and other similar tactics. Of course there had been an exception of the one boy who had won through brute strength, but it had managed to surprise everybody, even those within his own district.

Zerviah shrugged. "Only advice I can really offer this early on is to take extra care of your surroundings. Correctly identifying plants is definitely crucial. I'm sure you know about how I killed that one kid with Nightlock. Poor guy hadn't even known what hit him." Kiva listened intently as Zerviah began explaining stuff. Naturally, she had brought up the infamous Nightlock incident, one that most of District 6 remembered well. From what Kiva knew from around the district it allegedly involved Zerviah and one of the careers; he had been chasing her down until finally she offered him a temporary truce in the form of a "food package". It had been far into the games with tributes close to starvation so the boy, not knowing hunger, whole-heartedly accepted the package. Within moments he had indulged and it had allegedly only taken Zerviah a few seconds to count down to the boy's death. Nightlock was no joke and that incident had proven it. It was no wonder the Capitol situated such a potent substance in their deadly game.

"I'm well aware. The asshole got what he deserved." Kiva responded, chuckling. There was one thing that almost all districts of Panem could agree on and it was that the careers were universally reviled by all, but their own districts and perhaps the Capitol. Kiva knew it wasn't unknown for traditionally rival districts to form temporary alliances with the sole purpose of hunting down the careers. Even Krystal from the previous games had proven that this wasn't limited to the poorer districts. Even she had managed to turn against her own upbringing, therefore despite her short-lived reign in the arena, Kiva managed to hold some respect for her. She deserved as much for having sacrificed herself for the two tributes from the unlikeliest of places.

[Zulera301]

Now Dezna just needed to learn the escort's name. He figured that that would come with time though, but for now he wanted to focus on Zerviah, as he would be their lifeline here.He didn't think that they caused Panem to stir the way Rye and Sagittaria from District 11 did though. Neither one of them volunteered, and neither one of them had any particularly impressive fighting talents that he knew of, but maybe he was judging Kiva too quickly. maybe he should speak for himself in that regard.

Dezna laughed. "she was totally full of shit. I was totally blitzed and I even called her out at least once." he indicated, "she just laughed and agreed with me, and kept telling stories. They're definitely entertaining, and I think at least a few of 'em are mostly true. Just don't go spreading her secrets to everyone... otherwise it would lose the magic." part of that statement didn't even really make sense, but a lot of stuff Dezna and Arza said, even while sober, didn't exactly make sense. He was still in a nice high, but he would remember this, and wouldn't reduce himself to garbled nonsense unless he really tried.

Arza now only had two more years where she would potentially be reaped. He had only had two more years after this one, but he had been reaped, and so there was no going back unless he was able to outmuscle and outwit 23 other boys and girls from districts of varying wealth or poverty. If he survived and won, he and his sister would be showered with fame and glory. If not, it was certain death. He knew that Arza would get along just fine without the fame and glory, but figured that she'd miss her brother. The two thought so much alike, and Dezna knew that if she had been in his position, he would have felt the same way.

He was very alert, however, and so when Kiva mentioned advice, his ears perked, and suddenly Zerviah had his attention. Mentors, he knew, were a lifeline. It made him wonder if Sagittaria was doing a good job or not. Was she telling her tributes all these crazy stories about Lightning Bow and such, or did she actually crack down and take things rather seriously. He kind of wanted to meet her again. Not to say that he didn't like Zerviah; just that she had won a long time ago--back when dad was still alive and before mom had gone missing. He hadn't really remembered her that well as a result.

"So..." Dezna remarked, "you want us to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings?"
"Aye," Zerviah took a shot of some kind of drink on the table. "watch your surroundings and use your surroundings when you can. Build things. that is one thing that District 6 excels in. Instead of metal and glass, you will be working with wood and rock, most likely. The concept, however, is the same."
Dezna nodded, taking these words to heart, and suddenly not feeling so grim about his chances at success. He was a tinkerer during his free time, and a mechanic by profession. building things was basically what he lived for and he loved what he did, which made it a win-win in his books.

He chuckled at the story about the Nightlock. most losing tributes were not well-remembered by name unless they had a profound effect or something. The asshole career that Zerviah had ended the life of had not been one of these.
"I think that Sagittaria girl was onto something when she mentioned that most people from District 1 are assholes." he chuckled. "that girl from her games was probably the first one in a long time not to be."
Zerviah shrugged and also chuckled. "I'd almost say her humor rubbed off on you, boy."
Dezna chuckled, and Zerviah continued.
"I like you though... both of you." she smirked, "I cannot give you much other advice at this point given that my known strategies relied heavily on the design of the arena, but I can tell you right now to watch the other tributes in the training center. Learn who is friendly and who is hostile, and only ally with those that you don't think would stab you in the back so quickly. do not provoke anyone, especially the careers. Jackasses as they might be, if you get on their bad side before the games, they will go for you first. a smart-alack from District 10 learned that the hard way during my year."

Dezna mentally noted this. He might have been a bit intoxicated still, but he was smart and observant, in or out of the workplace. he was mentally noting these details that their mentor was giving them, remembering them so that he'd have them on his mind by the time he was thrown into the arena.

[Nachthexe]

As Zerviah began speaking to Kiva, Dezna too began listening. So the boy was observant. That was a good sign and Kiva knew it would potentially prove valuable in the arena. She very quickly realized that observation could had very well saved the career boy's life instead of suffering an untimely fate from Nightlock juices. Still, Kiva couldn't complain as it had helped produce a District 6 victor, but it reminded the girl of a very important piece of advice. It also got her suddenly wondering about the other districts. Were they too being taught the same? It seemed like way too often tributes were taught how to pick up a weapon, yet ended up dying in the most unlikely ways. Kiva couldn't decide if that was the fault of their mentors or the fault of their own shortcomings.

Build things. It seemed like a sound piece of advice that Zerviah then went on to offer. Like most children in District 6, Kiva was no stranger to that, but there was bound to be limited resources in the arena. Naturally, there was also likely to be major differences in availability too. Somehow Kiva suspected that building with organic materials would be quite a bit different from building with metals, and tools. Tools were another big factor that had enabled Kiva to build so much, which the arena was bound to lack. "I can build, but I'm not sure how well I will fare with organic materials. Maybe we will get lucky and be thrown into an urban setting though. It has happened before." She responded, musing over everything the mentor had shared so far.

"It's a possibility, but more often than not tributes are tossed into the wilderness. Last year they actually got lucky with all the rainwater that was readily available for drinking. In my games we weren't so lucky and had to actually fight over water, which brings me to another point. Water is your best friend, keep it close." Zerviah went on further explaining her points as she picked up some food and stuffed it in her mouth. Kiva felt hunger developing in her own stomach, but still didn't feel up to eating. Perhaps when she reached the Capitol she would feast, whenever that would be. She figured it couldn't be more than a couple days and by then she'd have no choice but to eat.

As the others ate they continued conversing, even bringing up further points about the careers. They were assholes and it was well-known around Panem. District 2 was reputed to be the worst due to their undying loyalty to the Capitol, but District 1 carried the same arrogant and egotistical streak as well. It had manifested itself at its worst in Flint, who had been a rarity himself. It was common for the District 2 kids to be considered the worst, but nobody in the previous games had been as egotistical or sadistic as Flint. Kiva still had a difficult time getting the images of Krystal's gruesome death by his hands out of her head. She could only hope that nothing of the sort occurred this year, and especially not to her. "If I have to die just make sure it's quick." She blurted out, again taking note of the deaths from the previous games.

Zerviah had then expressed a liking towards both Kiva and Dezna. That alone was a good sign, but it was really the last piece of advice that managed to stick out. Do not provoke anyone. It certainly made sense, but how did one make allies during training without provoking others? Certainly others saw the forming of alliances as indirect aggression against themselves? Kiva suspected that perhaps she was thinking too deeply about it so shifted to another important point. Who would even want to ally with District 6? It was one of those districts that was often quite forgettable so few others bothered. The previous games as well had seemed to produce another line of pretty forgettable District 6 tributes. That was a trend Kiva wanted to break, but already with a few potential disadvantages on her side she knew it wouldn't be easy. Maybe an alliance with Dezna could somehow over-rule that? It seemed unlikely as the boy also seemed to have similar disadvantages, but certainly there was something he would pick up once in training. She would ensure to talk to him about it then as district partners too often served as a lifeline for each other; it was better a victor from your own district than another, which often meant self-sacrifice just as in the previous year with Rye.

[Zulera301]

It was no easy task building the trains that zipped across Panem, or even the cars that the Capitol elite used on the few actual roads the districts had. Building a hovercraft was even more challenging, and not just anyone could do it. Dezna had been there and done that though. District 6 didn't really have anything about child labor laws, after all. Sure the boy had his shortcomings, but he was clever and observant to minor details. For example, he noticed that Zerviah had green eyes, and that she had a faint scar on the left side of her neck that disappeared down her shirt. Sagittaria last year had had a similarly faint scar on her right cheek. Perhaps the Capitol had worked their magic.

Building things in a more organic environment... that would be intriguing, although Dezna seemed interested in trying it out. He was something of a hoarder back home, always tinkering and building stuff. He wondered briefly if he would be able to build a crossbow the way Sagittaria had. Maybe he could find a way to talk to her or ask her about it. Wood might be a suitable alternative to metal, if there was any of that to be found in the arena. He would just have to wait and see on that one. They almost never had the same type of arena two years in a row, and so Dez was basically ready to rule out a jungle setting from his arena.

"so always watch for water then." he indicated, being reminded of a crucial point that he had nearly overlooked, "got it." last year's games had made it so easy to overlook the fact that water could very well be scarce. If it was, he would just need to remind himself not to speak a whole lot, because talking a lot could make someone really thirsty really quickly. Food would also be important, but water much more so. On that note, he decided to get some eats, because even after having a few bites, he was definitely still hungry. He wasn't sure what was up with Kiva not touching anything yet, but the train ride to the Capitol was always long. Maybe this was from the coordination to ensure the districts arrived at the same time or something, since some were a ways away form the Capitol.

It was times like this that Dezna wished he was a storyteller of some sort, so he could make up stories about District 1 or District 2. He was still a bit skeptical about the idea of killing one's own district partner unless they really hated each other or something. Maybe that had been the case. He had not thought about it nearly as much, although when Kiva said something along those lines, he turned to her, tilting his head a little, which in turn made his messy hair bounce.
"well I wouldn't kill you." he shrugged, "not like that Flint fellow anyways." He was not one to draw out deaths anyways though, because he believed in efficiency, and offing someone with quick and efficient tactics seemed more practical than drawing it out. He remembered one year when a vicious girl from District 4 spent her time trying to slowly kill a boy from District 8, and boasting. During this spiel of arrogance, a girl from District 12 came out of nowhere (or rather, a tree above them), landing right on top of the career girl and impaling her on the spot. She took off running before the boy could do anything, and so he lived another day even if he didn't end up winning.

He decided to go ahead and ask a fairly bold question. "so you wanna be allies and stuff?" he suggested, "I figure that that Rye kid form last year had the right idea about making friends... or if nothing else, it got them far enough to ensure that their district won." he shrugged, taking another bite of meat. District 6 was often overlooked and forgettable, whicih had its ups and downs. on the downside, less sponsors or potential allies noticed them, but on the upside, few people went after them first, and so they often could get away with more of their stealth tactics that they and their victors had often used.
He gazed out the window briefly while waiting for Kiva's reply, and then turned back to face her to see what she'd say.

[Nachthexe]

Zerviah nodded in response to Dezna. As much as water had been readily available it hadn't seemed to significantly hinder the death of tributes. Many other factors had forced them together, but despite that it was unlikely the Gamemakers would do the rainstorm thing twice in a row. The Audiences liked surprises. They liked change. That meant it was very likely that this year tributes would be faced with a scarcity of water. For smaller and weaker tributes that was a huge potential disadvantage, but the strong or stealthy types would rule the arena. Zerviah was still trying to decide where both Kiva and Dezna fit in.

"Good to know. I just don't want to go painfully. Maybe rainbows and lightning will protrude from my head like Rye's." Kiva responded to Dezna, letting out a chuckle. Of course there hadn't actually been rainbows and lightning, but hallucinations while intoxicated were weird. It had at least been that that had prompted the "Kiva Rainbow" name which Sagittaria of District 11 likely still remembered. Kiva could even imagine her laughing to herself over it. It was no mystery that most other districts considered District 6 to be "odd". Still, the talk about death brought Kiva to one very important realization. At least one of them would have to die and she truly hated the thought of it being decided by pure chance as Rye's death had been. Killing their own district partner. That was surely never easy for any tribute, especially considering it almost always happened in the late stages of the games. It was no mystery that Sagittaria was probably left scarred from the experience, even if she did a good job of hiding it. Perhaps it was just the drugs, but Kiva felt she could sense pain in people. Sagittaria was no exception.

Almost as quickly as Kiva had been contemplating forming an alliance Dezna had approached her with a similar proposal. It didn't surprise her. It was only natural, after all. One was supposed to care and support their own district, at least it was presumed they would. Krystal had been an obvious exception to that rule, but judging by Flint's words on-screen she had been a bit unusual for her district anyway. "Hell yes. You know I'm in. I intend to make District 6 remembered, even if I die doing it. We always seem to get overlooked in these silly games." Kiva responded passionately, holding out her hand for Dezna. She hoped that he would shake and make any deals between them "official". Obviously alliances would eventually be broken, but the least she could do was trust that Dezna wouldn't harm her until absolutely necessary. She just hoped it wouldn't be another Saj/Rye situation. Best case scenario was that at least one of them would die before the final two, leaving just one District 6 tribute to take down the remaining tributes and return home. Of course that was the ideal situation, but taking down careers wouldn't be easy and they were almost always the last ones remaining.

"I don't really care what you think, but you should really eat something." The escort man spoke up, directing his attention towards Kiva. He noticed the girl hadn't eaten and in typical Capitol fashion decided to begin questioning it. Everybody always ate in the Capitol so it seemed odd to him that some of the kids from the districts would not.

"I'm not hungry." Kiva again lied, wanting more than anything to avoid the obnoxious man whose name she finally recalled as Silas. In truth she was famished, but despised everything the man stood for; death, oppression, and decadence. Certainly her own district had it better than many others, but that wasn't really saying a lot when there was still widespread poverty and repression all across the district. However, District 6 was perhaps fortunate in some ways in that their Peacekeepers were more lax. Perhaps that too was the drugs working their magic. That was something that she very much imagined District 11 needed if the rumours about their strict nature was true.

"Sure, sure, sure you are! Everybody is!" Silas bellowed in response to Kiva, causing the girl to lean back into her chair and let out a sigh. Even if the man meant well he certainly didn't know how to show it, at least not in Kiva's eyes. He seemed to be simply entertained by their prospective deaths, nothing more. It was all the games were about really and everybody in the Capitol took it in like eye candy. This fact alone disturbed Kiva and Silas seemed to be the perfect manifestation of it.

"I might go to bed." Kiva allowed plenty of time to pass before she finally spoke up. The others seemed to still be enjoying their time socializing, but Kiva would have none of it. Discussing hers or Dezna's death didn't exactly make for pleasant dinner conversation and it truly made the girl wonder how those from 11 and 12, of all places, dealt with it. Lucky for Sagittaria she had that sort of personality that could probably repress it, but the others were bound to not be so lucky. Still, it was a set of thoughts that only entered Kiva's mind briefly as she glanced out the train window, realizing it had been quite awhile ago the sun had gone down. Now in its place sat the radiant moon, illuminating the night sky that Kiva quickly realized she wouldn't be able to cherish for much longer. She was very much known around the district as a night owl and it was common for others to encounter her lingering at night. The Peacekeepers didn't like it much, but with a few easy bribes they were usually calmed. Having addict Peacekeepers had advantages, ones that Kiva had quickly learned her way around. Of course it wasn't true for all the Peacekeepers, but it often was for the ones on-duty during the night.

[Zulera301]

Dezna mulled about it after seeing Zerviah nod. The Capitol didn't exactly go full-opposite each year, or every odd year would be arid while every even year would be humid. besides, he was pretty sure that at least part of the 43rd Arena had been a desert theme. he wasn't too worried about it. Maybe the lack of Formula 16 might get to him, but in some of his drug-induced stupors, he had learned that some things that seemed inedible during his sober moments weren't too bad-tasting. Time would tell.

Dezna laughed. "well, if I'm forced into that situation, I'll make sure to take a good shot of stuff when I get home and then rewatch it and tell Sagittaria all about it during the victory tour." He did not mean to trivialize her death or make offense; he just took things simply, and was very desensitized, probably from permanent alteration via the drugs he and his sister took. Still... the idea of killing someone right next to her did strike him in an odd manner, and he dismissed the thought, not wanting to dwell on it. His poor mind was already addled enough as it was. He wondered how Arza back home was handling it. Her just-as-addled mind was probably functioning differently since the twins were apart for the first (and perhaps final) time of their lives. Either Sagittaria had been unfazed by killing her best friend Rye, or she took some stuff that Dezna really wanted to try... or maybe she hid it? Maybe there was another way to hide trauma that did not involve drugs or drinking. What an interesting thought.
"but don't worry." he reassured her, "I don't plan on killing you ever."
The boy was clearly a bit unstable, but that was just the nature of District 6, and was certainly not Dezna-exclusive, or even a Meraxa signature trait.

While he was not one to usually side with the Capitol, even someone as simple-minded as an escort, Dezna had to nod in agreement. "He's got a point y'know... unless you're practicing up for the arena. I heard kids in some of the poorer districts do that, but that Districts 11 and 12 are so used to it that they just go ahead and eat their fills anyways." Everyone knew the Capitol always ate when there was food to eat, and he had heard of the stuff they took that made them vomit and be able to eat again. He was very interested in that stuff, wondering if it would have any other reactions or effects if he took it with some of his own concoctions. Maybe they'd have the stuff at the Capitol; otherwise he'd have to wait till he won the games for that.

Kiva continued to resist the man's encouragement to get her to eat something, although this also caught Dezna's attention to a certain extent. He was more trying to convince her out of concern than whatever reason Silas had for it. Silas... that was the name of Mr. escort. He wasn't a terrible fellow, really; just a bit bubbly like most people in the Capitol. He wondered briefly if that was a job requirement or something else. One of the reasons Dezna was fairly well-liked despite a few loose bolts of his own was that he was generally fairly accepting and non-judgmental of people, even if he was now on his way to probably die.

Dezna tilted his head at her again curiously. Zerviah seemed to just be eating and minding her own business, although surely she was open to any questions the youngsters in front of her might have had. She had already told them the basics and what they needed to know, and so now she would just wait for anything else they wanted to know. Dezna continued eating, and found the food appealing enough that he'd be up a bit longer before going to bed. "you sure you don't want to eat something?" he turned to Kiva. "it's really good, if nothing else."

[Nachthexe]

The prospect of Dezna telling stories to Sagitteria herself seemed promising, but it also seemed unlikely. Would they even see each other again? It didn't take Kiva long to realize that for that to happen again she would have to die. Only victors got to see the other districts while on tour and then afterwards they could allegedly mingle around the Capitol a bit more freely as mentors. Both provided opportunities to see the previous year's victor again, but only if they came out alive. That was something Kiva refrained from mentioning, however, not wanting to ruin Dezna's moment.

"Don't you try to kill me. Why? I'll be right there trying to kill you too." Kiva responded, both playfully and perhaps as a warning of sorts. Any kind of betrayal in the games wasn't about to be taken lightly by her. Certainly it was just business, but there had to be a District 6 victor and selfishly Kiva wanted it to be her. She knew little about Dezna so naturally she trusted herself more. Perhaps with time she and Dezna would become closer, but the prospect of becoming close to any other tribute didn't sit well with Kiva at this point, for obvious reasons.

Kiva let out a sigh once Dezna shifted his attention to Kiva's lack of food. So it showed some concern, which was bound to be potentially useful in the arena, but much more troublesome for Kiva was the fact that eating meant Silas won. Still, she knew she'd have to eat eventually so with a bit of persuasion from Dezna Kiva found herself moving to the table and filling up a plate. As she dug in she found herself eying Silas. The man was odd, just like everybody else from the Capitol, but he too was very much a lifeline in the games. He was somebody that both she and Dezna would have to get used to. Then again, District 6 was probably not the best judge of who is "odd" and who is "normal". It was no mystery to Kiva the sort of reputation they had across Panem. "I suppose you're right. I was missing out. I'm just frustrated about this whole thing, y'know. I almost didn't even get up this morning for the reaping, but now I realize I would have been dead regardless..." Kiva blurted out, raising her voice slightly.

Even as Kiva continued eating she glared out the window at the passing landscape. She could only make educated guesses as to where they were, but it was all irrelevant. All the trains from the districts were headed to the same place. The Capitol. It was there that 23 children were going to enjoy their final moments so Kiva could only hope they at least made it entertaining. If the brightly illuminated night sky was any omen to go by then Kiva sensed few of them would be disappointed, at least not until the reality of the situation sank in. Of course for many it likely already had. It was often only the careers who went in with high hopes. "The moon seems brighter here. I usually can't see it this well at home. Blame the buildings." Kiva then blurted out, shifting her attention to the others at the table.

[Zulera301]

Dezna wondered if tributes got to ever see mentors from other districts before becoming victors themselves. If he did, he wanted to see Sagittaria again. Otherwise... well, he'd have to win. Sure he was lax and rather passive back home, but he was sure he could teach himself how to stay defended, and maybe even outsmart enough others to win the games. Even if he never saw Sagittaria again, it would be nice to be able to see his twin sister again. It would mean a grim truth though, and so he too stayed silent. The boy might have been addled, but he had at least some tact.

"I'll keep that promise as long as it stays reasonable for me to do so." he shrugged, chuckling. Truth of the matter was that it was much more important that he be reunited with his sister than that she come out of this alive. If it meant he'd have to off her, then so be it. She was no Sagittaria, after all, and he was no Rye. He was fine with the idea of becoming close to someone, because while he missed his sister and was sure she missed him, he was rather desensitized due to his own losses and the effects of various substances on his mind. It was also part of why he was so calm and seemingly gentle.

"eh, don't worry too much about it. shit happens." he shrugged. He didn't see the point of her starving herself either way, but if she did that, then perhaps if it came down to them as the final two, he'd get an easy victory. "nothing to do now but make the best of it and leave the rest. if I'm gonna die, I at least want to die happy."
That was how he saw it too. death was sort of a trivialized matter in his family (or at least among him and Arza), and so he was able to toss it around lightly enough that Sagittaria's bullshit would have been proud. He was undoubtedly an odd fellow, although within the bounds of District 6, he fit right in. Really, he saw no need to change, because he knew no other home, and even if he won the Hunger Games, he'd just be moved from the general locale of District 6 over to the Victor Village of District 6. She wondered if Zerviah had the same tendencies as he did. She probably did, given that a lot of victors turned to such things after the trauma of the games. Perhaps that would be another motivating factor on him wanting to win this thing.

"I like the dark." Dezna commented as he gazed outward and saw the moon, "the less city lights, the better, unless you've got Solution 21 on your hands. Then lights are awesome because they turn 21 different colors--hence the name." That was some really trippy stuff that came from a plant and some Capitol-made substance. So far, Dezna was pleased with the amenities of the Capitol, and so far he had only been on the train. After all, they might have built these things in District 6, but they were shipped to the Capitol where they got the final furnishings and luxuries added to it. their district just produced the empty (albeit fully functional) shells.
"you're kinda pretty too." he commented. He was fairly forward in that regard, and really, within a couple weeks, one or both of them would be dead, so even if what he was doing could actually qualify as flirting with her, it wouldn't last, which was why nit wasn't his intent.

[Nachthexe]

Keeping the promise? Perhaps it hadn't been a formal promise, but Dezna's dedication to staying true to Kiva's words provided some comfort. Despite hardly knowing him Kiva knew there was something about Dezna that made her able to trust him. At least as much as one could in a death match of this nature. The inevitable outcome was obvious to all across Panem. "Well we both know what happens in these games so I suppose we can just hope it doesn't turn to that." Kiva responded, chuckling as she threw out hints of the sort of things that tended to happen in the latter stages of the games; alliances were often broken almost as quickly as they had been formed, leaving each tribute to fend for themselves in the Capitol's deadly game.

As Kiva finished up her plate of food she quickly realized Dezna had a point. Perhaps just trying to make the best of the situation wasn't so bad. There was nothing to lose in doing so, after all. It was either fight viciously to the death or die trying, with the latter being the more likely outcome. In such grim circumstances perhaps a bit of happiness wouldn't hurt. Of course, happiness was also bound to lead to increased morale, which would be invaluable in the arena. "You know, maybe you're right. My current hostile attitude won't get me anywhere. I just keep forgetting that very soon we're going to end up televised again..." Kiva mused, quickly remembering another important point. Image was everything in these games and certainly potential sponsors wouldn't look kindly on somebody with little passion and enthusiasm. It was hard to display such traits in the face of death, but Kiva knew she'd have to try. "I certainly don't have charisma like Sagitteria, that much is obvious." She added, beginning to slightly envy the previous year's victor.

The matter of death wasn't one that Kiva had been quick to overlook. The prospect of facing her own death only served as a reminder of everybody's own mortality. It was all too common in District 6 for many people to become irresponsible and experience overdoses. Oftentimes those afflicted recovered, but naturally it wasn't always the case. There was one particular incident that continued to haunt Kiva. She had been only twelve at the time and her sister fifteen. Despite the older girl's young age she had insisted on experimentation. Just a few hours later she saw her hospitalized and that in Kiva's mind had marked the incident that had started her sister down the path of being one of the few clean people in the district. "I'm never doing that shit again." She had managed to chuckle before ultimately passing out. Those were words that managed to stay with Kiva, realizing that her sister had truly meant it, especially after the death of one of her friends. Kiva's own self-discipline hadn't been so great, however, despite pressure from her sister and now she suddenly found herself regretting it.

Dezna too seemed to take notice of the moonlight while Kiva had been deep in thought. It was only the boy's words that managed to interrupt her, startling her slightly. Naturally, in typical District 6 fashion he had managed to make a drug reference, one that Kiva herself picked up on almost immediately. Solution 21. It was supposedly popular around the district for its psychedelic effects, leaving Kiva to clearly remember her own experiences with it. Staring into the lights wasn't exactly everybody's idea of entertainment, but it had been for Kiva for hours while feeling the drug's effects. "Yes. I wander around a lot at night. The Peacekeepers don't particularly like it, but luckily most of them are easy to bribe." Kiva nodded in agreement with Dezna before confessing to bending the district's rules about curfew. she wasn't sure about any of the other districts, but she knew her own district's rules well regarding curfew. Naturally, it was rarely strictly enforced due to easy bribery, however.

Kiva's confession quickly seemed meaningless as Dezna proceeded to make a confession of his own. She knew she wasn't hallucinating. Dezna had just very clearly called her pretty. That had obvious implications, ones that the girl knew neither of them could go ahead with. Not in this situation. She remembered much too clearly what Sagittaria had been forced to do to her district partner and that was not something she intended to repeat. Instead she just blushed slightly and turned to face the boy. "Thanks. It's not often I hear that, honestly."

[Zulera301]

Despite being a bit odd and often times seeming out of it, Dezna was a fairly pleasant character to be around back in the district. His sister were similar--the two were basically peas in a pod. The Meraxa twins were friend, patient, easy-going, and honest. Swap out the honesty part for charisma and they'd probably be similar to Sagittaria, except that they did drugs instead of told stories, and built machines instead of harvesting produce. Okay, so maybe there were several differences. Oh well. "I concur." he nodded at Kiva's remark. "I mean... not to say that I'd have minded it, but the Hunger Games kind of puts a damper on that, wouldn't you say?" He had accidentally walked into the trap of either giving her a compliment or insulting her, so he figured he'd go with compliment. If nothing else, it'd only take a couple weeks for them to never see each other, for either she'd be dead, he'd be dead, or both. No big deal.

"well... y'know what they say..." he nodded as Kiva agreed to just eat and enjoy what potentially little time she had left, "it's the charming ones that get the sponsors." he didn't feel like he'd have to explain why those were important. "but hey... I don't think nearly anyone has charisma like Sagittaria; not even the kids from '1 or '2." They were usually pretty or cunning rather than charismatic, or just displayed brute strength and enthusiasm for the games. Dezna would never understand how someone could be enthusiastic at the prospect of death, especially when they were so (seemingly) healthy and happy as they were. Sure life in some of the more impoverished districts might suck enough for some that got reaped for them to not care if they died, but living in the very well-off districts, and then volunteering no less... that just didn't make sense to him. Still... Kiva wasn't hard on the eyes, and Dezna's wild hair could be styled easily into something garish that the Capitol might like, and so surely they had more charm than dead slugs, at least. Maybe they could make an impression at the parades, and if not, at the interviews. If they left bad impressions at both those places... well, they'd probably be doomed. That wouldn't be good. Death was never good, and many had succumbed to the very drugs that Dezna and Arza both used and enjoyed, although they always limited themselves. They were still in the "feelgood" phases of addiction, and so it had not fully set in yet. Now that he was in the Hunger Games, he was somewhat glad that he had not become full-on addicted yet. Maybe if he didn't end up going home, Kiva would--it would be a sacrifice for District 6. They might not have been super-poor like '11 and '12, but lavish Capitol luxuries (and food) were always welcome.

Even with his lax outlook on death, he did realize what it would mean. Well, if he died... that meant game over for him. No more building things; no more concocting new things to drink or shoot himself up with, no more hoarding junk with Arza, no more... well, no more anything with Arza. He was suddenly more worried about how she would cope with his loss rather than his own death. If it had been her who had gotten reaped instead of him, he knew full well that he'd be worried for her. This would be the first night they spent apart. They had literally been together all their lived, even in the womb. She wondered what Arza was doing... was she lying in bed awake, wondering the fate of her brother, the same way he was miles away from her gazing out and wondering if that had been the last time he'd ever see her. If he knew that she was thinking the same thing right now, he might have actually cried. It was rare to see a boy cry at all, although Dezna, even in his cool, calm, and slightly addled state, still had emotions, and was still a living, breathing young man. He loved his sister, and their bond had grown even more so after their father died, and when their mother disappeared as well.

His mind was taken off of it though, with the moonlight, and with Kiva's remark about the peacekeepers. He chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Oh yes... they were always easy to bribe. Good to know that I wasn't the only one to have wild adventures." Hers might have outdone his though. His were usually just trips to the scrapyard or such to pick out scraps for their newest project or hoarding scheme. Arza was usually with him in that regard, which in turn made him wonder if she'd continue the habit if he was killed and never returned. He doubted that the Peacekeepers would change much; it was not like the death of a Hunger Games tribute was about to become controversy, unless it was a beloved tribute that the Capitol had taken a liking to. But even then, that was just the odds not being in their favor, unless the victor had cheated or otherwise outsmarted the Capitol. That had not ever happened though, so maybe it was just Denza's idle thought.

"you're welcome." he smiled. Truth of the matter was that it was really little more than a compliment. Sure he liked her, but it was more of a friendly thing and a "we-should-be-allies" thing rather than anything deeper. He wasn't even trying to suck up to her; it was just a friendly gesture from one fellow tribute to another. If one or both of them were going to die, then at least they should make their district look good. if loyalty to the Capitol wasn't on the table, they at least liked strong and clever tributes. He stayed silent after that, enjoying the off serenity of the moment around them. It was odd, but he was not complaining. May the odds be ever in his favor...

[Nachthexe]

Despite her bitter mood she had held on earlier, Kiva found herself quickly being cheered up by Dezna's demeanour. Sure the two didn't have much time before they would be forced to kill other children and perhaps each other, but the pre-game events provided time to get any last words out. If she had to die then she knew she had to ensure it was at least memorable. The games had a funny way of managing to transform nobodies into somebody prominent, even occasionally those who lost. That gave Kiva a tiny sense of hope, even if it meant her sister had to see her return in a casket.

"Despite what we're headed in to I'm just going to try to keep my spirits up. Somehow I feel that if I'm happier I'll be more motivated." Kiva responded, smiling at Dezna as he mentioned charming tributes obtaining sponsors. Very quickly she realized the boy was right. Luckily she was female though so could certainly go the "sexy" route if necessary. It was usually a tactic almost exclusive to the careers, but breaking of tradition was always welcomed in the games. The Capitol liked seeing new things. It was part of what excited them and the previous year it had very much been proven by the presence of two strong District 11 tributes, of all places. With some luck and determination Kiva felt it was possible District 6 would shine this year.

Still, despite everything staring out at the moonlight very quickly made Kiva think of home. What was her family doing right now? Were they mourning for their daughter and sister they would probably never see again or were they too trying to forget about the reality of the whole thing for a few days? It was technically just over a week until the arena, but most families couldn't rest knowing their children were about to be thrown in. Of course the suspense of the whole thing was the worst for most families; who would end up outlasting the others? Would it be their own child? Sometimes it even came close to a month until parents would even get an answer to that question.

"Oh yes. One time my sister and I tried to venture into the District warehouses, all in silly attempts to ride the vehicles around. We made it, but quickly got dragged back home of course. Our parents were furious, but what were we to do? I was only seven at the time and her eleven. The following year my sister's name got placed in the Reaping and non-stop I joked about it being in there as punishment for the warehouse incident." Kiva explained, letting out a chuckle. It had been one of their more foolish adventures together, but if anything it had bonded the two sisters closer together while they feared being flogged by the Peacekeepers. Luckily children were never dealt worse than that. Perhaps it was different in other districts, however. Of course rumours about District 11 Peacekeepers shooting children were common, but it was something never actually confirmed. If only it had come to Kiva's mind while the District 11 team had been present...

Kiva's thoughts soon shifted back to the games and maintaining a public image when Dezna acknowledged her thanks. So he thought she was pretty, but did others? That was certainly useful if the stylists too thought the same, but of course there was no way of knowing what to even expect from them until arriving in the Capitol. The initial parade entrance was all up to them and anything further was developed over time, ultimately taking form during the interviews. Thanfully Kiva wasn't too nervous at this point. While not getting stylists on the level of the career districts District 6 stylists were never terrible either. Certainly not like Districts 11 and 12 often were. Just the previous year the pilot attire the two tributes had worn during the parade had managed to capture Kiva's attention. She could only hope something similar was manifested this time around. "So what do you think? Do you think we're going to be on the back of those chariots looking completely silly?" Kiva blurted out as she let out a small chuckle.

[Zulera301]

Dezna wondered if it would be at all possible for one or both of them to make a splash the way Rye Grove and Sagittaria Svenja from District 11 had the previous year. He didn't feel that either of them had the honesty or ability to stay true to themselves the way Rye did, or the charisma and sense of humor that Sagittaria had. On the other hand, there were more memorable traits in the world than those, and perhaps he or Kiva had one or more of them. Back home he was remembered as a very laid-back and easygoing fellow who was skilled at what he did. He worked well under pressure, and so was fine with taking up a task or two that a friend couldn't finish in time, his sister was similar. Still, the 'games were not a building contest, so it'd have to be more memorable than that.

"That's a good mindset to have," Dezna nodded; he had a similar one, which was why he had remained so calm thus far and continued to do so. Maybe he'd just end up being remembered as the boy that no one could anger or sadden. Sagittaria had done something similar, although she visibly displayed emotional wounds at the conclusion of the games and in some of her televised speeches. He did not want to come off as ruthless or insensitive; he just took everything in stride. As far as appearance goes... well, the Capitol proved that you could have wildish hair and still look good without looking garish or sloppy. Hopefully they'd take him down that path; he'd hate to lose his hair before he died.

He gazed back out the window towards the moon, wondering what Arza was doing or thinking right now. Was she laying in bed awake and afraid of the fate that would befall her brother, or did she just calmly accept it and take it in stride the way Dezna had, acknowledging that they would never see each other again? It wasn't like they had left on bad terms or anything. The last thing they had said to each other was that they loved each other. In fine, Dezna was at peace with his circumstances, no matter how grim and unfair they were. Here he was getting punished for simply existing, bound to be killed by some bloodthirsty freak from District 1 or 2 or something. "It's the hard knock life; that's for sure." he chuckled.

"haaa..." he chuckled, "worst thing we'd get caught doing is stealing scraps. Often times they'd just shrug it off and let us go though. riveting stuff, really." And now here they were. Other than perhaps 20 years ago at the Quarter Quell, the tributes were not picked because of punishment or anything like that. It was just a matter of bad luck (except perhaps for the victor, but even then, that was debatable). He heard it was different in some of the other districts, and if any of those stories that Sagittaria had told during her tour to District 6 were true, then perhaps their district had things easy. He decided not to dwell on something he'd never get to see for himself. Well, unless he won, but that was still way too far off to decide.

The Parade did cross his mind after Kiva mentioned it though, and he turned to her with a chuckle. "well, I don't think too many people wear those outfits after the parade... well, besides that one year." he was remembering a time when the tributes from District 2 had been dressed as rather vicious-looking assassins or something. He remembered the girl in particular had mentioned during her interview that she wore it at least once to the training center. So perhaps maybe there was one or two outfits that were good enough to be like that, but he doubted many of them were. "maybe we'll get to wear something cool for our interviews though." he shrugged with his usual calm smile.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva nodded. "Suppose you're right. Confidence is key." She responded before ultimately deciding her strategy for the rest of the games. From now on I'm keeping my head up and just hoping for the best. It's what my sister would want. I need to make her proud. "What if you were to do the same? We have team potential, y'know." She then added, hinting that perhaps earlier talks of alliance were coming to fruition. Kiva was sure that last thing the boy beside her wanted was a knife in the back by his very own partner. That was something she at least was going to prolong for as long as possible. Inevitably all alliances always ended though for obvious reasons.

"My sister and I, well we were...a bit on the mischievous side." Kiva replied, letting out a chuckle as Dezna confessed to stealing scraps. Certainly the Peacekeepers didn't respond well to that sort of thing, but Kiva felt that somehow the boy had also managed to bribe them. It was always the common way out of punishment and when even most of the Peacekeepers were addicts it was easy. There was, of course, the select few who weren't, who Kiva feared. The Ghoul, as he was known as around the district for his albinism, was one such Peacekeeper. His red eyes managed to strike fear into anybody who dared defy Capitol law and even rumours persisted about him allegedly having become a Peacekeeper out of revenge for childhood bullying he had faced. It was never too unbelievable to Kiva either who took the story to heart, almost feeling sorry for the man despite his Iron Fisted control over District 6.

As Dezna seemingly was deep in thought Kiva began having thoughts of her own. He didn't seem to know much about the parade either, but Kiva still found her mind wandering back to that. She knew it was the first time tributes were viewed together in one place so was often when many sponsors began displaying interest. Naturally, for that to happen one had to be outfitted in a pretty spectacular costume and District 11's just the previous year was bound to be difficult to top. Even having only saw them on screen the shimmering wings had managed to leave Kiva in awe. Of course she had been loopy at the time, but later while seeing repeats the effect had been similar. She suddenly found herself regretting having not mentioned the parade costume during Sagittaria's visit, but now it was a minor issue. Now she had her own imminent death to worry about and it was certainly not something light to prepare for. Letting out a sigh she shuffled, leaning her head down into the armrest of the chair.

Kiva wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she was certain she had dozed off, having heard conversation and laughter from the others before it finally began to die down. She turned around and gazed over at the table. Now only Zerviah was present, leading Kiva to assume Silas had gone to bed. It didn't leave Kiva hugely surprised as many people in District 6 tended to stay up late into the night. "So you're alive after all. Welcome back." Zerviah uttered as she noticed Kiva stirring from her spot.

"Thank you. I figured we could do more mentoring unless you were just heading off to bed?" Kiva responded as she walked over to the table to join the mentor woman. She could only assume that Dezna too would follow, but the boy didn't seem hugely talkative anymore. Perhaps he was just worried about what was to come, but it was entirely understandable as there was only a slim chance of him making it out alive. She knew the boy at least had a brother, recalling what she could from the Victory Feast about him. What would he do without Dezna? That was something she didn't want to think about. At least in her own situation her sister was old enough that she could manage to cope with her sibling's death. At least Kiva hoped so. Her sister seemed strong though.

[Zulera301]

"What if I did what?" he tilted his head curiously. "Confidence? I can do that. I'm also not against the idea of teaming up and stuff. Y'know... as long as it remains practical." He wasn't trying to drop any type of underlying hint with that remark; he was just explaining what he assumed was fairly obvious. Inevitably their alliance would have to come to an end sooner or later, but Dez would rather have it be later. He was a fairly confident young man anyways, being rather shameless and fearless himself. He did not fear death, which had probably been why there had not been a very big reaction from him when his name had been called. Shit just happened every now and again, eh?

"I'd almost dare say that District 6 is full of mischief." Dezna chuckled in agreement. Sure there was the occasional strict peacekeeper and whatnot, but given that it was a district full of addled tinkerers and stuff, there were some pretty elaborate schemes and pranks pulled now and again. Then again, he knew them well by now be it for the punishments he had seen them dole out or just from the circulating rumors. The drugs were not all bad, after all. Some made him much more alert, and these were the ones he usually shot up when he was up to no good. He was a clever boy, or so said the people who knew him.

Dezna's thoughts turned back to the parade.He wasn't necessarily against the idea of fashion; he just never got into it because hew as busy doing other things. He felt that might work a little against him, but at the same time, perhaps he was easygoing enough that the stylists might take a liking to him for that. It wasn't like he was going to complain unless he was put into something truly hideous or embarrassing. But, if there was one thing that Dezna and Sagittaria had in common, it was that it took basically a miracle to actually embarrass them because they took things in stride. Sagittaria laughed it off and Dezna shrugged it off. Maybe there was hope for him after all. He leaned back and closed his eyes, deciding to ask Zerviah about it or something when he woke up maybe.

He woke up before Kiva, who was still snoozing beside him. He looked around and noticed Silas getting up. "well then," he said to no one in particular, "I suppose it's best for me to retire for the evening... there's a big day ahead of us." His tone was still somewhat enthusiastic, albeit quieter. Dezna shrugged and nodded, not really worried about tomorrow. It was a big day, and he could actually justify any excitement the Capitol citizens had, because no one was going to die today. Sure it was just buttering the kids up for their imminent and unavoidable deaths, but at least the parade itself would not be a bloodbath. Such was Dezna's way of thinking, anyways. He lived mostly in the here and the now.

Apparently he and Zerviah had been talking, and were on fairly good terms. Dezna decided to use this as an opportunity to speak to her as well since they were the only ones that were there and awake.
"So what are your thoughts on the parade? Anything we should know?" he asked, since it was the latest thing on his mind, and he was still kind of comparing himself to Sagittaria.
"It's interesting." the older woman started off, "basically just smile and wave and pretend you're happy, and don't really worry what you're dressed in unless the stylists really screw up and put you in something stupid. At that point, you'd kind of just be screwed, but the good news is that our stylists are fairly competent."
"Well," he chuckled, "that's kind of a relief. I might have more questions later, but that's it for now."
the two of them devolved their conversation into joking and conversing like two normal people where one wasn't a grizzled veteran of a death match and the other wasn't about to go to his death.

By the time Kiva woke up Dezna was leaning back on his seat next to where Zerviah was seated, kind of 'talked out' from the conversations they had had earlier. she turned to Kiva when the question was popped. "pends on what you want to know, I guess." she shrugged, "did ya have something in mind?"
Dezna was mostly quiet simply because he had nothing else to say at the moment. His mind did briefly wander to his sister, but he wasn't terribly worried simply because of his attitude and mindset. It was a mixed blessing, really.

[Nachthexe]

By the time Kiva stirred from her seat Dezna seemed to have the full attention of Zerviah. Even though it was surely getting late she seemed to still have energy for helping out her tributes. In Kiva's mind that gave off a good vibe. The woman was to be their main lifeline after all so her competence was of utmost importance. "Uh...well I was just thinking about the parade." Kiva confessed as she took a seat at the table with the others.

"Well same advice I just gave Dezna when you were sleeping. Just look up and be happy. The audience loves enthusiasm from the tributes." Zerviah explained, letting out a smile of her own. The whole thing suddenly seemed much more twisted to Kiva. Enthusiasm? She was supposed to be enthusiastic about her own likely death? It seemed tricky, but she intended to just try living in the moment anyway. That left open the possibility of even pretending it was something else altogether.

"I'm not sure how one is supposed to be enthusiastic about that. The Capitol certainly has some odd entertainment tastes. I much prefer looking for protruding rainbows and contemplating the meaning of life." Kiva responded, letting out a chuckle. Entertainment. That truly was all it was to the Capitol and almost everybody knew it. Everybody except for perhaps the Capitol. They lavished in riches so it was easy for them to take it at face value. The cost for everybody else, however, was immense. Kiva was certain that even the career districts saw that too, but just went about coping differently. Of course there was no way of knowing. Besides, what did a sixteen year old girl know about the world beyond the fences?

Both Kiva and Zerviah found themselves going silent after chuckling at Kiva's remarks, expecting that perhaps Dezna would have something to add. This was a team effort, after all. Of course there were exceptions, but oftentimes to get a tribute home it took a team effort. That was a team effort Zerviah realized that the District 6 pair would need, realizing she didn't actually know yet what either of them was capable of. She hadn't bothered to ask, but it was bound to come up the morning of training. Still, moments later her curiosity managed to get the better of her, prompting her to speak once again. "So I never did ask. Skills. They're important. What are you two even capable of?"

Zerviah's latest question caught Kiva slightly off-guard, managing to startle her a bit. "Uh...well I can build things. Most of us in District 6 can to be honest so there's nothing spectacular there." Kiva explained, shrugging. She continued thinking hard about the question. What exactly could she do? It wasn't exactly something so crucial she had had to think about before, but circumstances changed quickly. "I suppose I'll just find out in training. Right, Dezna?" She added, then turning her attention towards her partner who also seemed to be deep in thought.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was quite confident now in the skills and smarts of his mentor, and was glad to know that Zerviah was understanding enough of his questions and concerns. This was a team thing after all--at least until the Hunger Games themselves. He had also mentally noted to get a few more words in with Silas next time, and hopefully he wasn't too disconnected from the tributes. that had actually been something she noticed very strongly in the district 11 team last year when they passed through District 6. They had been rather unified--stylists, escort, mentors, and all. He could only assume that with how close Sagittaria had been with Rye, that he had been part of that team too up until the very end.

"They apparently also like black humor." Dezna joked, remembering some of the things that Sagittaria had said in her interviews. Sure he had seen a few other Hunger Games in his lifetime that he was old enough to remember, but the whole team thing that District 11 had done had inspired her more than the others had. Perhaps it was because of how he lived his life normally back home. He and Arza were two peas ion a pod; a team of their own. He could only imagine that he would have formed a strong alliance with his sister if they both had gotten reaped into the games. That had been another thing that had hit home--those two siblings from District 12--Kyla, and, erm... that rather forgettable older brother of hers that no one remembered the name of, it seemed. He had died in the bloodbath, if Dezna recalled correctly, and if there was one surefire way to ensure that no one would remember who you were, all you had to do was die in the bloodbath at the cornucopia. That's why no one paid District 9 or District 10 much attention.
Anyways... that had really hit home for Dezna; the idea that two siblings (they had not been twins; Kyla's brother had at least a year or two on Kyla) could get reaped had generated many a discussion from Dezna and Arza as they watched the footage of the 44th Annual Hunger Games play out. The twins had spent many nights hypothesizing and predicting what they would do if they had both gotten reaped. Well... luckily they had been spared that fate. If Dezna won, he'd be able to see his sister again. If he didn't win... well... Kyla had been inspiring in more ways than one. She reminded them that even when the odds were stacked against them and even if her sibling died... there was no reason to give up until the bitter end. That little girl had fought to her last dying breath. Dezna was pretty sure that Kyla Togisala was right up there with Rye Grove on the list of fallen tributes who would not be so quickly forgotten.

"I guess it's a matter of living in the here and the now?" he shrugged, "I suppose if you appeal enough to the Capitol, they shower you with sponsor gifts and you win. those kids from 1, 2, and 11 got tons of sponsor gifts. After about the 2nd or 3rd day, so did that girl from '12."
After all, Kyla's feats had not gone unnoticed. People liked an underdog. Sure the sponsor gifts had not necessarily been crucial to victory, but they were definitely useful, and if nothing else, would make Dezna feel special.

"Skills?" when the subject changed, Dezna rerouted his mind accordingly. "I build shit, tinker with it, steal stuff, or produce black humor." he chuckled. "I think a lot of District 6... hell, maybe even District 6 itself--slips under the radar alot. Maybe I could use that to my advantage?" He also worked well under pressure, and as he had shown over the last several hours, he was very calm and laid-back, even under pressure. It might have been the drugs, but even the stuff he had taken shots of this morning had worn off by now, and so other than a little craving for some more akin to the way a man craves food, he was rather sober now.
"Sounds good to me." he nodded at Kiva, "I mean sure, one, maybe both of us are gonna die... but there's no point stressing about it, otherwise we'll just end up like that boy from '9 that one year... y'know? that one that was so scared from all the death that he didn't even leave his pedestal before a career sunk an axe into him? Or that girl from '4 the year before this that freaked out when her bow broke and cut her hand? she was so busy freaking out that she didn't even notice that girl from '10 in the trees till she had a pair of butcher knives in her back."

Maybe that was a rather black-minded thing to do, but Dezna and Arza watched a lot of the (readily-available) Hunger Games footage on their spare time, evaluating the different ways to kill, and more prominently, made comments about which deaths would be the worst ones to have, or that sort of thing. He was a rather straight-shooting boy though; he didn't try to sugar-coat things, and instead took them at face value, hence his honest remarks.

[Nachthexe]

"Exactly. If the Capitol likes you then you will receive gifts. Of course it's my duty to ensure they get to you so don't piss me off." Zerviah joked in response to Dezna, managing to leave Kiva in surprise. So the mentor had a sense of humour. That made the prospect of working with her more comfortable, although Silas still made her feel uneasy. She hoped that in time they would grow close. It was crucial for the games, after all, as even once in the arena she knew everything remained a team effort. "Oh, and well...Dezna may be onto something." Zerviah added, turning her attention to Dezna who had managed to share ideas of his own.

"You mean remaining under the radar? Make ourselves seem less important so nobody will target us? I gotta say that's quite brilliant." Kiva responded, quickly catching onto what Zerviah seemed to be suggesting. The woman could only nod before Kiva interjected. "It'll work like a charm I'm sure since nobody ever really watches District 6 closely. We're kind of forgotten since our tributes lack experience." Kiva shrugged before realizing something else unpleasant about her own district. They were very much at a disadvantage due to being one of Panem's urban districts. Some of the others such as District 3 usually fared well despite being urban simply due to producing brainy tributes. District 6, however, was not known for their brains or brawn. Fortunately for them both the Capitol did occasionally switch up the games and place them in an urban environment. Naturally, those tended to be years when tributes from the likes of Districts 5, 6, and 8 won.

It was a few moments before Kiva proceeded to speak again, thinking over the proposed strategy. On the surface it seemed like a decent idea, but would it work once in the arena? Tributes once altogether and given the ability to kill tended to be unpredictable. That was something Kiva knew all too well after years of being forced to watch the games. Kyla alone stood as testament to that. "So what are you thinking, Dezna? This obviously isn't rainbows and lightning. At least one of us isn't making it out of there so I suggest we make the best of it and try to bring home another District 6 victor. I think Zerviah is correct here."

As the night wore on Kiva at last found herself dozing off yet again. She had no idea what time it was, but the light of the moon shone bright into the train's compartments, giving off extra illumination. She found herself even enjoying this night, but she knew that beginning now sleep was important. It was bound to be a limited luxury while fighting 23 other children. Surely Dezna was aware of this too, despite District 6's tendency to be full of night owls. Without another word she made her way into her compartment. Almost immediately after getting in bed she began dozing off.

"Now you must kill her. Show the Capitol that despite all their hospitality you've decided to defy them, and that we will not allow it again!" A deep voice blared through an empty arena. Mostly empty except for a single cage opposite of a bloodied Kiva. Inside was an all too familiar face, despite the bloodied mass it too had become.

Z...Zoey? Why? Why you?" Kiva spoke up, approaching her caged sister. It wasn't until she was in closer view she noticed the device that would ultimately take her sister's life. A spear, designed to skewer her straight through the chest. Tears began to flow down the younger girl's face as Peacekeepers quickly approached her. She found herself seemingly descending into a tunnel of light before realizing the crack of daylight had found itself shining down on her face.

A nightmare. Surely that was all it was? Kiva found herself in a panic as she jolted awake before realizing the sunlight within her dream had actually been real. Reality and fantasy were often funny things. Dreams were something Kiva wished she better understood, this one in particular. Was it a prediction of what was to come? It was a thought she quickly dismissed, realizing that none of her dreams have ever been; why would they start now? Besides, the games were not over until they were over and she intended to fight to the end and make an impression at the parade. The parade! It quickly dawned on Kiva that tonight was the parade. It was surely not going to be long until the train arrived in the Capitol, a prospect that suddenly had Kiva nervous. Despite all this she went through her morning routines to meet up with the others in the dining compartment.

"Well good afternoon, sleepyhead! We'll be arriving in the Capitol soon!" Silas bellowed out as soon as he set his eyes on Kiva. She just glanced over at him before taking a seat at the table. If the Capitol was anything like the train's showers had been then she knew her new life, even if temporary, was bound to be quite a ride. Surely she had managed to get more strange liquids all over the walls than where they were supposed to go, presumingly her body.

[Zulera301]

Dezna snorted with a chuckle. "worst I'd do is make a crack about lightning bows or something." he quipped, "unless that Sagittaria girl from last year somehow managed to enlighten me with her ways." The girl's golden tongue was not something Dezna was quick to forget anyways. "as for staying under the radar... yeah, that's basically 2nd nature to me, really." He was desensitized as far as death was concerned. He was not afraid of killing anyone out there, even Kiva, though if he had to do that, he wanted to save her for last. he didn't dwell too much on that though. He was much more of a here and now type of fellow anyways.

"Hey, just because we're not as brainy as '3 doesn't mean we're stupid. there's a value to building things; just that a lot of tributes, including our own, join the frenzy in the cornucopia instead of trying to use whatever's around them." He might have been discounting the fact that wood or grass or rocks were not the same as metal or wire or other artificial materials, but he personally was pretty decent at building things out of whatever scraps he could find, and he had an eye for that sort of thing. The arena would determine a lot of his actions, but he figured that unless it was a big, vast, flat, empty plain with no real features to shake a tribute at, that he'd do fine. If it was like that, he figured it would not make a very good show because it would just be one massive bloodbath.

"oh, I like the idea." he nodded in agreement. "but I beg to differ when you say that District 6 ain't smart. The notion dismisses the hallmarks of the utterly ineffectual and the incredibly dangerous. I plan to help prove this." He wasn't even worried about the idea of making the best of it. He assumed that was a given, considering how much he had blatantly displayed that trait thus far, anyways.

As the night wore on, Dezna grew tired of munching on food, and decided to hit the hay. as he stood up, he was reminded that he had taken off his shoes and socks somewhere and he couldn't remember where. Not that he cared; he just mentally thought that that was an interesting thing. "Welp, I'm outies. 'night, Kiva; Zerviah." It seemed that she had the same idea too, given that she had gotten up without a word. On the way to his compartment, Dezna removed his shirt, giving Kiva a brief view of his bare back before he disappeared into his room, ditched his pants (leaving him in his shorts) and climbed into bed.
It felt weird not sleeping with Arza next to him, but he figured that she was probably thinking the same thing miles away. Still... maybe he was just tired form the long day, but he fell asleep quicker than he had expected to.

His dreams were similarly weird. He was in an arena that looked like a cross between a jungle and some ruins that reminded him of The Capitol, like it had been overgrown or something. He raced towards the Cornucopia and found what he thought was a bottle of Morphling or maybe some Solution 21. He drank it, not minding the tributes around him killing each other, and looked around. Nothing really changed, other than that he seemed to almost realize that this was a dream.

He looked around, and saw those career tributes--Flint, Mason, and Alexis, charging the cornucopia with large guns in their hands--the same ones that the Peacekeepers back home carried. Funny enough, The Ghoul was with them, and he had a number 0 on his shoulder. Ha! he chuckled. he was the tribute from District... zero? District 0. He'd have to remember that one.

On top of the Cornucopia though, stood Kyla and Rye, also armed with heavy artillery, and they were shooting back. Silas was with them too, except on his arm, he had the Capitol insignia. He glanced again and noticed that Sagittaria was with them, except she was armed with a crossbow.
"Hold onto your hats!" she shouted, "this is gonna leave a mark!" she cocked the crossbow and then fired--it shot lightning bolts--Lightning Bow. Dezna grinned from ear to ear, chuckling in his sleep as he rolled over.
Suddenly, the careers were surrounded by peacekeepers and mutts as they charged the bastion of defenses. At this point, Dezna seemed to be flying over the scene, watching it and no longer involved.

"EAT LEAD!" Rye shouted, firing belt after belt of bullets into the masses. Kyla did not say anything, but gave two obscene hand gestures before unloading her guns into the crowd as well. It was not enough to stop the onslaught though, and they were almost able to overrun the cornucopia. However, before that happened, a hovercraft appeared, with a massive District 6 logo where the usual Panem insignia usually was. Dezna saw into the cockpit and saw Zerviah piloting it, and the hatch on the underside opened up, revealing that girl from District 1... Krystal, if he recalled correctly. She lowered a ladder, and Silas, Rye, and Kyla all climbed up it. Sagittaria climbed it, but the ladder receded too quickly, so before she could make it inside, she grabbed onto one of the rails of the landing gear instead, holding on with one hand as they stayed at low altitude.

"EAT LIGHTNING SUCKERSSSSSSSSS" she cackled, using her free hand to unleash bolt after bolt from Lightning Bow. Dezna was finding this all rather hysterical, and so when morning came, he was still laughing about it. He had always had very vivid and perhaps even psychedelic dreams. He showered, but didn't bother dressing in more than his shorts afterwards, and instead sat down next to Kiva while still giving her her space. "mornin'," he turned to her, also glancing acknowledgingly at Silas and Zerviah. his shorts went to a few inches above the knee, so it wasn't like he felt terribly indecent or anything. He figured that he'd be more presentable by the time they pulled into the Capitol anyways. His hair was still wet, which made him look almost like a different boy altogether, because his heavy locks hung down instead of sticking out, which was what happened when his hair dried. Still... it was clear that based on the boy's expression that he was in a good mood thanks to that wild and wacky dream.

[Nachthexe]

Almost immediately Kiva sensed that Dezna was probably in a good mood. Perhaps he hadn't experienced nightmares as she had. It was rare even for her so when it happened it typically meant she was dreading something serious. She certainly couldn't think of many things more serious than being reaped into the Capitol's annual death match, but with Dezna hopefully by her side she still intended to make the most of it. Now more than ever she knew life was something to be cherished so she turned towards Dezna and attempted to strike up conversation. "Good morning? I think it's afternoon. Silas insists it is." She mused, realizing that perhaps both of them had slept in late.

Quickly Kiva began filling a plate with food. If Silas was right about soon arriving in the Capitol she didn't know when she'd have a chance to eat again between the stylists fixing them up and the parade. Despite what was to come that was perhaps one aspect she was looking forward to: meeting the stylist team. Certainly they were bound to be just about, if not more, flamboyant than Silas. Even if Silas' initial attitude had annoyed her she felt that somehow she could handle it a bit more from the stylists now. Besides, they arguably played a much crucial role than the escorts did whose main responsibilities just consisted of drawing names at the reaping and ensuring tributes got places on time. It was the stylists' images, however, that essentially defined a tribute throughout the games. That was something that had also been made clear the following year with District 11's progression from the polar opposites of fire and ice to one single eternal flame. It had been a clever use of symbolism that hadn't been lost on the girl for one minute while watching the games.

"The showers here are weird." Kiva blurted out moments later as she gazed over at her partner's still wet hair. "That pink foam stuff? I think I got more of it on the walls than on myself." If one thing was clear to Kiva so far it was that the Capitol had some strange hygiene methods. At least it seemed that way now, but maybe mechanisms were different in the Capitol? Still, the Capitol citizens lived a life of decadence and much too soon Kiva realized she was about to experience much of it for herself. It was bound to be much different from her much more modest life in District 6, but at least if she was going to die she could say she had the chance to experience life in the Capitol.

"Well look at that, kids! The Capitol!" Silas bellowed as he glanced out the window. Very quickly it prompted Kiva to do the same and off in the horizon she saw exactly what Silas had been describing. Various luxurious looking skyscrapers surrounded by an impenetrable mountain valley. It didn't take Kiva long to finally realize what the schools had been talking about when mentioning the Capitol had won the last war largely due to their strategic location. So this is what we were up against? Crafty bastards. She let out a chuckle as she thought about the reality of it, despite the consequences it had on the districts. It was because of that very war she found herself on the way to the Capitol in the first place, a haunting reality really.

Several minutes later the train came to a halt inside the Capitol platform. Almost immediately Kiva noticed Capitol citizens crowding around, fighting to get their first close up glances at the year's tributes. "So I suppose this is the part where we get trampled to death?" She remarked, letting out a chuckle. She was admittedly surprised anybody was even crowding around the District 6 platform, but perhaps after seeing the reaping at least a few citizens became hopeful about District 6. Of course, all of that was very easily subject to change on a whim. That was something Kiva suddenly found herself fearing. She knew she likely didn't possess skills like many of the others; both Districts 4 and 7, just to name a couple, had children learning skills from a young age that actually had value inside the arena. Spears and axes from the likes of them were often some of the deadliest in the games, although the 44th games had been unusual that neither of those districts had posed a major threat. It had been Rye, as Kiva recalled, that had killed the District 4 girl right in the bloodbath. That on its own was rare for a District 4 tribute.

Perhaps Kiva thought too hard about many things. At least that was something she began contemplating when the train doors opened in front of her with her hardly noticing until all else was drowned out by the sound of frantic cheering. As soon as Silas exited the train Kiva knew it was her cue to follow the man. Remembering Zerviah's advice, she held her head up high, put on a smile, and began waving at the crowds. She could almost feel some of the more enthusiastic fans in the crowds reaching out in attempts to touch her hand. This made her chuckle slightly and prompted her to lower it more into reach. "Hello, hello. Glad to see you all out here today. For District 6? Yea, for District 6!" She then bellowed excitedly, hoping to work up the crowds a bit. A good entrance was sure to capture plenty of attention as well.

[Zulera301]

It was not even that Dezna couldn't be serious when he wanted to. When the Peacekeepers and job overseers were overhead giving him deadlines and quotas, he took his work very seriously and made sure not to cross any lines or step on any toes. As far as death was concerned... he took it lightly simply because it was unavoidable--or at least him getting thrown into the arena was. He might be able to crawl out alive. But, he simply made the best of whatever he was thrown into.
"Well, good afternoon then." he chuckled. This was usually habitual on his days off, which also explained why he was still in nothing but his shorts and those earrings from before. They didn't really look like they came out.

He figured though that now was as good as ever to start eating. Soon they'd be at the Capitol and they'd get shunted from the train to their apartment and then down to the studios to get fixed up for the parade that would be happening later this evening. None of that really concerned him too much though. It wasn't like this part of the game was a death sentence or anything. He was admittedly also curious about the stylists, however, wondering if they were as flambouyant as Silas or less so. He assumed that the escorts were some of the more flambouyant people out there, but then again, he had not actually been to the Capitol proper.

"they were cool though," he nodded at her remark, running his fingers through his hair again as if to mess it up again the way it originally was. "I wish my shower back home had that many colors and smelled that cool." he had contemplated what it would do if he mixed it with some things from back home, but he'd have to win to find that one out. Alas, the pains of curiosity. Still, it couldn't' be bad for the skin, because he had used it to wash himself and his hair, and might have accidentally got some in his mouth as he had washed his face.

Upon hearing that the Capitol was in view, Dezna's head swivelled around to get a view of it. It was just as they had always described--a massive, impenetrable city surrounded by a natural fortress of mountains. No wonder they won the war. Perhaps they were not to be underestimated just because they all appeared to be overly garish people who cared primarily about what they wore or how much they ate or whatever else they let themselves be concerned with in the Capitol. Then again, in the 'games, perhaps the same could be said about District 6. Often dismissed as being loopy and/or addled-minded drug addicts, it wasn't just a matter of throwing components together to ensure that trains or hovercraft worked. No, as a mechanic himself, Dezna knew the intricacies that went into it, to skim the tip of his iceberg of skills.
"Guess I should throw something on then." he chuckled. "Be right back."

He returned about 59 seconds later fully dressed again, because boys and men had that sort of talent. "Yup." he had noticed the crowds of jubilant Capitol citizens just as well, and was already kind of mentally bracing himself for what he felt was coming. "May the odds be ever in our favor..."
Maybe the Capitol citizens paid to come see the tributes, and those who paid the most got to see the more choice districts, while those who didn't would get less popular ones like '9 or '10. normally he'd think '11 or '12, but perhaps there was a flame of interest there because of the tributes the year before. Then again, last year's games had been quite a surprise and perhaps even an upset. More kills had been scored between the girl from District 12 and both tributes from District 11 than the rest of the others combined. (15, to be exact--6 from Kyla, 5 from Saj, and 4 from Rye)

"Welp," he got up to follow Silas. "here goes nothing." he was clearly not thinking about this too deeply and was back to his old carefree self once again. He cracked his knuckles and stepped off the train. He smiled and waved, just mentally shrugging and really just being himself. He was a fairly pleasant fellow to be around anyways, and he let some people touch his hand, usually high-fiving or fistbumping him. It made him smile. Perhaps the CApitol was not all bad after all.. So began the first day of the end of this life...

[Nachthexe]

"Don't worry about it. We've got this." Kiva responded as Dezna reappeared. The walk from the train to what Kiva could only assume was apartments for them wasn't far. That gave the girl a bit more confidence as she faced the Capitol crowds. fortunately her team spirit seemed to be getting them excited, prompting her to continue playing along. Noticing Dezna's fist pumping she also copied the gesture, even driving the Capitol crowds to mimic it. At this point most else was drowned out by frantic cheering. District 6 was getting decent attention. So far. That was a good sign. "For District 6!" Kiva shouted one last time before being led inside the apartment building.

"Welcome, welcome. This is your home for...well for as long as you're here. Up to floor six we go." Silas instructed, leading the others towards the building's elevator. Floor six? That led Kiva to assume that tributes were accommodated according to district. It certainly seemed the most logical so she didn't bother questioning any of the others about it. It also occurred to her that it meant they were exactly halfway up the building and it seemed tall. Buildings taller than a couple floors were rare back home so she couldn't help but to be slightly excited at the prospect of being situated so high up.

"To the clouds. I hope you're not scared of heights, Dezna. Or lightning." Kiva responded, chuckling as she took note of the lightning hallucinations she knew the boy by so well before entering the elevator. That too was a new experience despite there allegedly being a couple in the district. According to rumours there was an elevator used by those working in the Justice Building, although it was rare for civilians to ever use it. Still, it perhaps served as a testament to District 6's industry of creating and piloting transportation for all of Panem.

Once the elevator began moving Kiva found herself feeling uneasy slightly. She wasn't sure if it was the seemingly cramped space or the motion doing her in, but regardless she let out a sigh of relief when the team finally reached the sixth floor. "I don't like elevators." She uttered as she continued following Silas to what she could only assume were the front doors to their quarters. As he opened the door Kiva managed to peer in, briefly noticing what was already more lavish than any of the accommodations aboard the train. Despite the nature of their visit the Capitol was certainly being generous, perhaps to throw them off guard? Kiva could only guess what went through their minds as she got a closer look at what was potentially her final home. "It's beautiful. This is...ours?"

Silas nodded. "Of course! Make yourself at home. This is indeed, all for you. Thank your generous hosts here in the Capitol." Generous hosts? Kiva again found herself baffled. Sure they were generous here, but she wasn't about to forget the very reason she was present in the first place. Of course, it was something Silas was likely oblivious to, merely viewing the Capitol's death match as a form of entertainment. That alone prompted her to remain silent on the matter, instead taking a seat in one of the chairs in the sitting room. Not surprisingly, it was a chair much superior to anything at home and once seated she almost didn't want to get up again. She knew those feelings were bound to be short-lived though as Silas left the two tributes alone with Zerviah to go fetch the stylists.

[Zulera301]

"Me? worry?" he chuckled. "Nah... ain't nobody got time for that." he continued to smile and wave and occasionally bump knuckles with the occasional eager Capitol citizen. a few of them ruffled his rather enticing wild hair. It was surprisingly soft and fluffy.
Sure he might have thought of himself as a fairly likable person, but perhaps the capitol was just fond of them, because they were all blank slates, and really, as cruel as it sounded, they were there for the Capitol's entertainment. He briefly wondered why someone didn't speak up and talk about a rebellion, but then again, they were clearly outnumbered and outgunned, and if someone charismatic like Sagittaria didn't do anything of the sort, perhaps there was more to it than he was aware of. Seemed likely enough. Nah, he'd just take it. if he tried running off, they'd probably carpet bomb district 6 or something, and then the name Dezna would be like a byword or something.

Once they were inside the apartment building, Dezna looked around again with awe and wonder. "Not bad..." He had actually heard that the apartments were better the higher up one went, and something about the higher floors being akin to penthouses. Hell, that might make a bit of sense, given that it was the one time where the likes of District 12 or 11 had something over 1 and 2. either way, they were going up halfway, so they'd probably be right in the middle again, just like in day-to-day life. Besides, Dezna figured that this was a matter of good and better rather than good and bad.

"Nah..." he chuckled at Kiva's remark, "though I did dream of both last night." he remembered Sagittaria jumping and grabbing one of the rails of the hovercraft while Zerviah and Krystal piloted it away from the careers and the Capitol mutts. it had been a very exciting dream, really. Still, as new as it was, it didn't really interest him a whole lot and he expressed this by closing his eyes and leaning against the wall. It was commonplace knowledge in every district (thanks to education and/or propaganda, perhaps) that District 6 was not fond of transportation, despite it being their specialization.

"There are worse things," he quipped softly in response to her complaint. He wasn't trying to belittle her either; just stating what he believed was a fact. For example, they were about to go to their deaths within a week or so. he could consider that worse, although he was taking it lightly, just as he was taking the vertigo from the elevator trip in stride. When it stopped and opened though, his mouth dropped. "Holy... shit. this... is really nice."
He didn't need to be told twice to make himself at home after Silas spoke. He kicked off his shoes and socks, flopping onto a large beanbag chair upside -down, his wild hair touching the floor while his scalp hung inches from it.

"So..." he gazed at her--or rather, at her waist and thighs, given his current angle, "Nice place, uh?" He was curious as to when the stylists would show up, but frankly, one of the things that made Dezna oddly unique but charming was that he seemed to always just do things his own way; marching to his own beat. One thing that he was set on doing regardless was he was going to enjoy his time here, especially if it was his last week alive.

[Nachthexe]

Dezna seemed to had taken Silas' remark quite literally as he flung off his socks and shoes before making himself at home in a beanbag chair. Kiva, on the other hand, wasn't ready to get comfortable quite yet. It was bound to be soon that the stylists would be dragging them away to do god knows what. Now knowing how the Capitol's style truly was she knew it was bound to be almost anything. Fortunately for the tributes, however, it was usually toned down. Keeping that in mind she just sat and waited, contemplating all the various possibilities for District 6 parade costumes.

"Yea... It's like the Capitol is trying to demoralize us or something. It almost seems like a waste to give all this to children who are going to be dead in a couple weeks." Kiva mused, responding to Dezna who also seemed to be impressed with the apartment. Surely it was comfortable, but Kiva almost saw that as a bad thing since everybody would be in for quite the rude awakening once entering the harsh conditions of the arena. Everybody except for perhaps Districts 11 and 12. Surely they were used to such conditions, living in dire poverty themselves. It was a well-known fact that even the poorest citizens of District 6 were miles better off than those in Panem's two most impoverished districts.

Kiva found herself becoming curious to know more about Dezna's dream the night before just when Silas re-entered the room with two new faces. A man and a woman. Both were outfitted in bright pastel colours, but it was the woman's multi-coloured rainbow hair and eyeshadow that managed to capture Kiva's attention. It had to have just been coincidence since surely none of these people knew of her own fondness for rainbows? "Awesome hair." She remarked, giving a thumbs up before Silas proceeded to interrupt. The woman smiled, clearly acknowledging the compliment.

"Kiva, Dezna. Meet Flavia and Felix. They are to be your stylists for the 45th annual Hunger Games." Silas announced, pointing at the woman and man respectively. The two stylists rose their own hands and waved at their tributes, enthusiastically awaiting their chance to work with them both.

"So District 6. Transportation. That brings a couple ideas to mind. Last year we went with the pilot theme, but this year we want to expand our horizons. We imagine a world where people travel beyond the stars as was allegedly reality once. Why not capture the imaginations of the Capitol this time?" Felix was the first to speak as he examined both Kiva and Dezna. To him they didn't seem like the type about to contest anything thrown at them so didn't even bother asking for their input. He often found District 6 easy in that way to work with, much to the relief of him and his partner. Flavia too seemed to be in agreement about the idea, nodding before gesturing for the two tributes to follow them. It was time to get to work.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was the type of boy that would enjoy whatever free time he got, even if it was only a couple minutes at a time. Really, they could send him out naked and he probably wouldn't care... okay, he might, but only because he imagined that, while the Capitol didn't seem to care about nudity, that they wanted tributes who stood out in an exotic and appealing way, so he hoped for a costume that did just that. He personally thought that Kiva just needed to kick back and relax, but who was he to tell her what to do?

"Demoralize?" he would have tilted his head if it wasn't still upside-down. "If anything I'd almost say they did it to make us grow complacent. But I'm just a mechanic; not a revolutionary. Ain't nothing I can do about it, I don't think." when he was faced with unavoidable situations that would surely suck, he just kind of took it in stride, since he knew there was no way out of it. It was that whole "make the best of it; leave the rest of it" mentality that he had. It wasn't like losing a friend in the arena would mark his first loss of any kind, after all. Truth of the matter he was more worried about how Arza would handle it if he died. He didn't care a whole lot if he kicked it; he just wanted to know that his sister would cope well.

He would have been more than happy to tell bits and pieces of his dream to Kiva, but maybe he could do that after they got back to the apartment after the parade. If not then, maybe during lunch the day after, after some training. He always had vivid dreams, and often had an uncanny ability to remember many of them. He wondered if Sagittaria had dreams like that or if she genuinely just made up stuff as she went. He knew that if he was ever a storyteller, it'd be from his dreams, which made him think that Sagittaria was just talented at making stuff up. However, he was interrupted by the stylists, who definitely caught his eye.
Slowly, he righted himself so it didn't look like he was peering up the woman's skirt or anything, and grinned at them. "she's right, y'know. Definitely good choices on color and style." Girly as it might have seemed, Dezna did like colors. it spiced up his day a bit to contrast the metallic and steely colors of the machines and motors he helped build.

"A pleasure," he smiled as Silas introduced both parties to each other. he waved back at them, passing along his calm, friendly smile. Sure he might have had a nearly perpetual look that he had just crawled out of bed (it might have been the wild hair), but the boy really did have a remarkably warm and amiable smile.

"Just as long as you don't put is in some dorky spacesuit or something." Dezna casually joked. He was sure that they could do well, but there were even some outfits among the transportation fields that Dezna suddenly felt aversive to. The main reason he cared was because if he thought he looked dorky, he figured the Capitol would too. Maybe he was wrong though, and he did not expect that his remark would be taken seriously anyways. He did have something of a sense of humor anyways. "I'm right behind ya." he reassured them as he followed them presumably to the studio where his makeover would begin...

[Nachthexe]

So the stylists seemed reasonable so far, certainly not on the same level as Silas. That alone gave Kiva a bit of hope when being forced to deal with them. Dezna seemed to get a similar impression of them also, seconding Kiva's earlier compliment about Flavia's hair. Kiva wasn't sure what to think of the astronaut idea, however. Would the relevance be lost on the Capitol audiences? Perhaps not if the stylists were even suggesting it in the first place. They were the experts, after all, so she wasn't about to question them. Instead she just followed Flavia as instructed, only assuming that Felix would take Dezna.

"So this is where you take us? It looks more like a room in uh...what are those things called? Right, hospitals." Kiva remarked as Flavia finally escorted her into what she could only assume was the stylist woman's studio. All along the walls sat various mechanisms and formulas while in the centre of the room sat what appeared to be an operating table. It was the hot pool of steaming water that notably began to catch Kiva's attention though, particularly when Flavia pointed her towards it. The woman, seemingly a master at non-verbal communication, managed to make it very clear what she was suggesting. "You want me to go...in there?" Kiva asked nervously as a lump formed in her throat. Somehow the prospect of bathing in steaming hot water didn't appeal to her, but it quickly appeared she didn't have a choice as Flavia forced her towards the tub.

As Kiva began undressing herself she came to another contemplation of her own. Flavia. Was she mute? So far she hadn't said a single word, almost as if she was expecting her partner to do all the talking. It seemed odd in Kiva's eyes as she always imagined stylists as much more flamboyant, yet Flavia and perhaps even Felix didn't seem to fit those stereotypes. However, it was a minor issue compared to what was to come so Kiva didn't dwell on it long nor did she even bother to ask the woman. Still, she couldn't help but to be intrigued by it since most mute people in the Capitol had been forcibly made that way. The Avoxes. Traitors, or so the Capitol believed.

Once Kiva was fully nude getting into the hot pool proved a challenge. The nudity itself wasn't much of a humiliation, but the water immediately began reddening her skin. It only became worse when Flavia gestured for her to fully submerge herself, but fortunately after about thirty seconds or so she was taken out and escorted over to the table in the centre of the room. Once atop the table Kiva began to feel her now almost flawlessly smooth skin, something that was never priority for anybody back home. She was only further baffled by the Capitol's standards of beauty when Flavia began removing hair from all parts of her body.

Once the painstakingly tedious procedure of hair removal was complete Flavia handed Kiva a towel and gestured for her to follow once again. Kiva didn't know where the woman was taking her this time, but she could only assume it was to a dressing room. At least, subconsciously she hoped it was. She hated the thought of going out on that chariot nude, but somehow she knew this pair wouldn't do that to either of them. Not even District 12 suffered that fate, despite their often careless stylists. "I suppose this is it. Time for a makeover." Kiva uttered to herself as she entered the next room, even managing a small smile as she noticed the various fabrics and accessories that lined the walls. Flavia instead walked over to one of the drawers and pulled out what appeared to be a shimmering silvery costume of some sort. As soon as it was unfolded it became pretty clear in Kiva's mind that the stylists were indeed going for the sci-fi theme, but not quite as Felix had mentioned. This particular suit seemed to had been constructed in such a way to leave certain parts of Kiva's body exposed. Certainly it had been intentional.

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting this. I had suspects you two were no doubt going to outfit us in some cheesy costume, but this is...gorgeous." Kiva said in awe as she finally peered in one of the room's many mirrors at her fully outfitted self. Flavia too seemed pleased, letting out a smile of her own as she added the finishing touches to the girl's glittering makeup. However, it was shimmering shoulder pads that protruded outwards that managed to capture most of Kiva's attention. Despite the full-body suit leaving much of her cleavage exposed it was nicely complimented by the light show that the crowds were bound to get just by glaring at her shoulders. A light show that was only bound to be added to as soon as the "helmet" was added.

Moments later Flavia then escorted Kiva out to meet up with the others. It was there that Felix proceeded to give further instructions, sticking small devices to both the shoulder pads and the tribute's backs. "Now you'll really appear as if you're cruising through the stars. Once out in the open, just press the switch." He explained, glancing at both tributes. After the performances the year before Kiva could only assume they were in for something big. It was clear that plenty of stylists would likely want to outdo District 11's performance the year before and what better opportunity was there than during the tribute parade?

[Zulera301]

Dezna seemed to take a quick attachment to the stylists. Sure he was fairly amiable with just about everybody, but the fact that they were so otherwise quiet and reserved was not lost on him. That was much how he was, and so he appreciated seeing someone similar to him, even if it was in one of the last places he would have expected. Not that he hated Silas for being flambouyant; that was part of the job description he was sure. The Capitol painted every other part of the Hunger Games as something fabulous, so he figured it was the escort's job to do that at the Reapings, even if he or she stood alone on that front.

He parted ways with Kiva and Flavia, following Felix into the studio, where unsurprisingly, he glanced around this way and that in curiosity. It looked like a mechanic's room, except clearly they worked on people here instead of motor vehicles. It was odd to Dezna, but perhaps the human body was like a car (those did exist in Panem, after all, though were scarce in number outside of District 6 and the Capitol). perhaps it could get spruced up a bit. The pool of steaming water intrigued him, and he glanced over at Felix before glancing back at it.
"Mm-hmm." he nodded, as if he knew exactly what the boy was about to ask. Perhaps he got that question a lot.

With a shrug, Dezna stripped naked and slid in. it was hot, but he soon got used to it, putting his head under for several seconds. The idea of this was actually quite nice, and he wished he had thought of it sooner than the week before his imminent death. As he was in there, he began to contemplate a bit about these mysterious stylists. Besides... it helped to get his mind off of his reddening skin. As he climbed out, he couldn't help but ask a question, hoping he wouldn't offend in the process.
"Hey... I hope I don't come off as offensive or anything... but Flavia..." he stepped over to the table where Felix quietly but skillfully began working on him, which at this point included removing what little body hair he had had, "does she speak?"
"She does not." was the man's reply, although he did not go into further detail, and Dezna didn't want to upset someone that he was no very much depending on. "Alright. just curious."
It was a fairly straightforward statement, as he had no real reason to lie anyways.

He was fairly quiet as Felix removed his hair, but thankfully he left the hair on his head intact. As wild and annoying as it was sometimes, Dezna had something of an unusual emotional attachment to his hair (his head hair at least. he didn't really care about his body hair, although would have never voluntarily removed it; it was somewhat painful, mind you). Once this process was done, he was handed a towel and followed Felix into what he assumed would be the dressing room. Even if he was sent out nude like some tributes had supposedly been one year (Dezna kept wanting to say it was District 4, but he might have just been hallucinating that year), there would still be makeup or whatever else, and a dressing room would have to exist, because such an idea didn't happen every year anyways.

He was right to an extent. Now, the sheer amount of fasion accessories and whatnot might have seemed horribly feminine, and perhaps some of the boys had complained about it on some years. Not Dezna though. Now, he felt about as masculine as your average everyday scrawny little messy-hair urban boy, but he did have a fondness of colors and shiny things, and was drawn to them like a moth to a flame. That was one thing he remembered and greatly admired about Sagittaria. He knew the girl shared his interest in colorful things and shiny things, though she had been particularly partial towards the color red. Dezna on the other hand liked darker colors and shades of indigo.

"As you probably figured," the stylist turned to Dezna, using a calm but friendly tone, "it's time to get you dressed." he pulled out a shimmering silver outfit that actually left Dezna completely mesmerized for several seconds. Felix actually had to snap his fingers to to snap the naked boy out of his trance-like stupor.
"shinyyyyy.....
He put it on nice and easy, and found that it covered most of his body, although was lower cut in the front to show off a bit of chest--the kind of V-shaped low cut that would show off ample cleavage if he were female. Not a big deal to him though; he wondered if Kiva's was similar.
"You might've noticed me a few moments ago," he quipped after he was dressed, "but this is really nice. cool; shiny; entrancing; whatever words would describe this well. I'm no poet." he shrugged with a chuckle.
"Those are among the best words that we as stylists can hear in that regard." Felix gave him a smile as he began coloring Dezna's face. He was not one to wear makeup of any kind back home... but shiny. shiny was a valid excuse for him to do anything.

His face was touched a bit with glittery makeup or something to that extent, although it was nothing terribly garish. The eyeshadow was the biggest thing, although Dezna's brief observation of Capitol society had quickly taught him that that was commonplace on men and women alike, so he didn't really complain. Was eye'shadow' even the right word? It was glittery not shadowy... that just didn't make sense. He shook his head and instead glanced at the mirror to his shoulders, which were glittery and shiny. Oh lovely... more shiny. Happy Dezna was happy. He was then informed that there were two more pieces to the outfit, and he was to receive one of them right now. He was given a pair of... well, they kind of looked like a cross between cool glasses and some sort of headset. After donning them and glancing in the mirror, he couldn't help but admit that they added to his look. He was a good-looking kid, even with his wild hair.

The final part of the outfit wouldn't come apparently till they had met back up. upon seeing Kiva again, Dezna briefly looked her over again approvingly, his eyes admittedly stopping for a couple brief moments on her amply exposed cleavage. Hunger Games tribute or not, he was still a young man, after all. Felix proceeded to give them both further instructions as he stuck small devices to their backs and shoulders. It was another trigger-costume, akin to the ones the kids from District 11 had stolen the show with last year. Were they going to outdo Sagittaria here? the idea intrigued him.

He turned to Kiva, figuring that when it was time for them to go, they'd get shunted out. "you're really pretty." he admitted openly to her. He was sort of staring at her, although in his defense, it was not so much the cleavage that was drawing the boy's attention, but rather the glimmer and shininess of her outfit. If there was a mirror placed in front of him, he would instead be gazing at his own outfit. He had an eye and a strong fondness for shiny things. That was all.

[Nachthexe]

Even upon first glance it didn't take Kiva long to become mesmerized by Dezna's very similar outfit. Clearly the two stylists had been working together to coordinate the two. That was the sort of teamwork Kiva knew would be helpful to win the games and so far Dezna seemed willing. Arena strategy was something to discuss further the following day, however. "You too." Kiva faced Dezna directly and returned the boy's compliment as she continued examining his matching outfit. Despite not being blood related the two at that point almost looked as if they could be siblings. It was really only Kiva's much lighter hair that potentially served to give away that they weren't.

"I think Flavia is mute. When she was dressing me she didn't speak a single word. It just seems odd for somebody from the Capitol. I imagined her to be more...like Silas." Kiva confessed to Dezna as the stylist pair made last minute adjustments to both tributes' outfits. Kiva very quickly got a feeling that the parade would be occurring within minutes, realizing that this part of the games rested almost solely on the stylists' efforts. Fortunately for both Kiva and Dezna the stylists had already managed to leave an impression on them so Kiva could only assume the same would stand true for the Capitol audiences. Of course, being the fashionistas they were they were bound to be a bit more selective.

"She is, has been from a young age. That didn't stop her interest in fashion though. Initially it made things hard for her as potential customers preferred the more flamboyant among us, but she soon developed a small and loyal following who were left charmed by her silence. Eventually she found herself preferring to work here with the game's tributes." Flavia interjected, noticing that both tributes knew now about Flavia's disability. She also approached the tribute pair and opened her mouth to reveal a fully intact tongue, proving she was not an Avox. Despite Kiva having initially been considering it she also correctly guessed it was unlikely. Avoxes were reduced to nothing but slaves for the Capitol elite and by the role Flavia played it seemed pretty clear she was no slave.

After a few more moments of examining and admiring their outfits the tribute pair then began being led to yet another room. Kiva could only guess it was where they would be preparing for the parade, which made her realize that for the first time she too would be in the presence of the twenty-two other tributes. Their reaping footage had been shown on the train, although Kiva had only paid minimal attention to it so really couldn't recall any details about any of the others. "I think I'm most nervous about finally meeting the others." She confessed to Dezna. She knew that starting the next morning many of those present would be anxious to show off their skills, the careers especially. They were always known to be that type, which is one reason why Kiva had found herself so surprised by Krystal's actions during the games. She had perhaps been what one could call a "good" career; it had been due to her sacrifices that District 11 had come out victorious. Certainly it didn't serve much good for District 6, but it had still been a relief to witness a victor from one of the outlying districts for a change.

"Well here we are. If you talk to the others or they try to talk to you then I suggest taking care not to piss them off. Grudges can and usually do last well into the games." Zerviah explained once she met back up with the team when they arrived at the chariots. "Oh, and lovely outfits. Seems Flavia and Felix outdid themselves this time. I'm just dying to see what those devices on your backs do." She added as she followed the stylists towards the District 6 chariots. That gave Kiva time to examine some of the other tributes already present. Just as she and Dezna did they too all seemed to have costumes corresponding to their district industry. Despite the success of the previous year's innovation this year's District 11 pair seemed to had reverted back to the more classical and direct agricultural theme rather than the more metaphorical approach. The outfits still managed to stand out, but it was the very familiar face that managed to stand out more. Sagittaria. Kiva had almost forgotten that she was a mentor now. Despite the fact they were technically competing against each other Kiva still managed to let out a wave to her, only hoping the previous year's victor would recognize her. Somehow it seemed unlikely though as she knew she was a nobody.

[Zulera301]

Coordination in the parade outfits was generally a good thing, although Dezna recalled some years where they had pulled off opposite schemes and the tributes had been rather well-received. Others made Dezna slap his forehead and go "what the hell were they thinking?" Maybe he and his sister were weird, but they used to watch a lot of old Hunger Games footage, both regarding District 6 and the other districts. Maybe it was one of the reasons why he was so desensitized to the very idea of it, or the fact that he was now in it himself, most likely going to die. Still, he glanced at Kiva and found her rather good-looking. She also sort of reminded him of her sister Arza, except that Arza's hair was darker and a bit wilder. It seemed that Dezna's wild hair also fit his outfit fairly well. He wondered if people would think that it was done that way on purpose, or if they'd realize that this was how his hair always was.

"Dezna nodded, "that's what Felix told me," he indicated, "though he didn't elaborate much on it. Maybe there's not a whole lot of time before the parades." it would make sense; or it was a really personal thing. He figured if it was worth telling them about, that Felix would do so. It did not heavily concern him, but at the same time, he was not too worried about his current situation either. Hopefully the Capitol would like their outfits as much as he did, but at the same time, maybe the Capitol was not mesmerized by shiny objects the way Dezna was. That might be a weakness in the arena. Okay, so he was not exactly mesmerized, but he had an eye for anything shiny--it was how he and Arza were able to so skillfully spot and snatch up metal scraps from anywhere.

"well, silence has its charm." Dezna couldn't help but vocally agree. it was not that he disliked loud people; and given the nature of his district and workplace, loud noises were inevitable; but he had a special place in his heart for silence, and the way he and his sister were able to almost wordlessly communicate was one of the things that he had always cherished about their relationship.

Soon, they were heading into another room, and suddenly it made sense that they'd be seeing the other tributes here as well. District 1 would open the parade by appearing first in the square, and it would just go down the line down to 11 and 12. That meant they'd be smack in the middle of this thing--easy to overlook because of the powerhouses in District 1 and District 2; and because of the surprises that the outlying Districts at the end tended to bring with them. "well..." he chuckled softly in response to Kiva's concern, "they *are* going to try to kill us in like a week or so. Maybe some of 'em are friendly though?" he was mostly referring to the idea of allying with some of them, but it wasn't like he had any in particular in mind. More than the surprising performances of District 11 last year (and District 12, even), what usually surprised Dezna was who teamed up with who. Krystal from District 1 had been a shining example of this.

"noted." Dezna nodded towards Zerviah's warning. "and thanks." he too used this moment to look around. District 1 did look rather intimidating this year, despite their lavish costumes; District 5 looked relaly cool and flashy, and Dezna had to tear his eyes away from them. He wondered if the stylists from District 11 had anything up their sleeves this year; the outfits looked more generic and he wondered if--oh hey, there was Sagittaria. he flicked her hand in a wave similar to hers, and to his surprise, she returned it.
Sagittaria was not exactly someone good with names, and so if someone asked her to name the tributes from District 6 waving at her (for she waved at both the girl and the boy individually), she'd be stumped. However, she did remember them--for it was hard for her to forget a face. They had been the ones to make her slightly awkward during the victory tour, but hey, forgive and forget. The boy stood out because of his wild hair, and because she swore that there were two of them considering that his twin sister had almost the same hairstyle as him.
While the girl herself was dressed in a sharp, dark red pantsuit (the mentors seemed to dress up a bit themselves, at least for the first day), her face was easily recognizable, and that wild mess of brown hair had not changed a bit, except that maybe now it was longer.

Either way... training would start tomorrow, and that's when he'd be able to meet everyone else for reals.

[Nachthexe]

For what it was worth Kiva liked Dezna's optimism. She was sure the other tributes were friendly, but Zerviah's advice also couldn't be overlooked; friendliness would only go so far once they were trying to kill each other. Any alliances made, for that reason, were always doomed to only be temporary. Still, it wasn't something to overlook, especially upon catching glimpse of the careers. They looked fierce and determined as always, particularly the District 1 boy. He seemed to bear a lot of resemblance to the previous year's tribute so Kiva could only guess they were related. Brothers perhaps? It wasn't uncommon in the career districts for the Hunger Games to become a family affair.

It was interesting to Kiva to witness how all the different districts' tributes reacted to being in the games. The careers were being their usual selves while most of the others seemed distressed about the whole thing, particularly districts 11 and 12. It seems not even the performance the previous year could motivate them, but Kiva couldn't really blame District 11 upon setting eyes on their female tribute. The mayor's daughter. At least that was what Kiva had imagined being announced in the Reaping footage aboard the train. It managed to prove one very dark reality about the games. Nobody's children were safe, not even those of importance within their district. "I think that girl is the daughter of the District 11 mayor. Is that what you heard on the train? It's what I heard." Kiva uttered to Dezna, pointing out the District 11 female to him as he too seemed to be examining the other tributes. Nonetheless due to the District 1 boy and District 11 girl this was bound to be an interesting year for everybody. Kiva could already sense it.

Almost immediately after Sagittaria returned Kiva's wave the girl went over and began attempting to converse with her. Initially she wasn't sure what to say as they were now technically enemies, but it was comforting to see at least one familiar face. "Hey. No rainbows yet. That part comes later I'm sure. And hey, yep. I'm the unlucky one this year." Kiva blurted out finally, chuckling. Rainbows. It had managed to be the one bonding point that brought the two together. Sure they had been intoxicated at the time, but somehow Kiva knew Sagittaria would remember. Besides, a little cheer and laughter was bound to work wonders only moments before facing the Capitol crowds once again.

Moments. Perhaps it had been an exaggeration as almost as quickly as opening conversation with Sagittaria Kiva found herself being ushered away towards the District 6 chariots. Once aboard most of the others began forming up into a straight line. The parade was about to start and admittedly Kiva began to feel nervous once again. Fortunately it was bound to only be short-lived. Keeping this in mind, she glanced over at Dezna hoping that somewhere she would find his confident self. "Remember, the switch." Felix whispered over to the pair before setting off himself with both Flavia and Zerviah.

"Well this is it, Dezna. Welcome to the beginning of the rest of our lives." Kiva uttered moments later as the gates finally opened up, allowing for the District 1 chariots to make the first entry as always. Naturally, the Capitol's favoured districts were met with frantic cheering, suddenly making Kiva fear that she had a lot to live up to. She could only hope that whatever the stylists had planted on their backs would be effective for that purpose.

It quickly became clear to Kiva that the horses pulling the chariots were well-trained as seemingly nobody had to give them a cue to begin moving, closely trailing behind the District 5 pair who were outfitted in quite flashy costumes as usual. It was actually briefly blinding as they arrived in the square and activated their costumes' special effects. Once in Kiva knew it was now their own turn to do so. She tapped Dezna on the wrist, giving him the cue. "On three. 3...2...1." Once her countdown was completed Kiva could sense the crowds staring on in awe as streams of stars and planets projected from the devices attached to her shoulders and back. It suddenly became very clear now what Felix had meant when he spoke of travelling through the stars. The audience seemed to get the reference too, then breaking out in more frantic cheering.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was fairly optimistic about just about anything, given that when one was down at the bottom, the only way to go was up from there. It wasn't like he was one to wallow in self-pity either. He just took things head-on and without fear, which kept him calm and collected, even when under pressure. The District 1 boy did not escape his eyes either, and he noticed the resemblance. Hopefully he didn't come after them with a vengeance the way his brother had against last year's victor. Perhaps it was family business to go into the Games in the earlier-numbered districts. It certainly wasn't in District 6. Dezna might have to strangle Arza if she thought about volunteering next year just because he wasn't there with her.

When Kiva mentioned that the girl from '11 was the mayor's daughter, he shrugged. "good eye if you remember that." he quipped. He kind of felt bad for her in the way that he felt bad for most of the boys and girls surrounding them. "I honestly don't... but that sucks if she is... I guess no one is safe after all..." that was about the extent of the sympathy he would offer though, because he hoped to bring District 6 a little bit of glory, and he wanted to see his sister again. This was definitely going to be an interesting 'games. Glancing around again at the other tributes was another reminder of it.

While Sagittaria Suki Svenja might have changed in one way or another over the last year, one constant was that she was always willing and happy to make conversation, no matter how brief. Her shimmering charisma almost seemed to radiate from her, making her seem that much more inviting.
"Heh," the teen chuckled, for she was not more than a year older than Kiva and Dezna (the latter of which had followed the former towards Saj) "well... it's like I always say--may the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock and you don't feel anything when you die."
Dezna laughed. There was Sagittaria's black humor once again, and Dezna seemed okay with it. "But seriously," she continued, taking a more lighthearted approach, "maybe I can clamor in to make sure there's the stuff to build a crossbow in the arena or something... surely y'all are good at building stuff, yeah?"

Dezna nodded and chuckled, just before he and Kiva were ushered off towards the chariot that they boarded a moment later. He watched Sagittaria walk away, and noticed that she glanced back at them, giving her signature hand-flick wave that she was famous for. It was almost catching on the same way that the District 12 salute had in District 11. He nodded again at Felix's reminder, placing his hand on the switch for a moment to remind himself of its location. He'd flip it when the moment was right.

"Yup," he chuckled softly, keeping that calm-minded optimism strong and intact. "might as well make the rest of our lives be something good then, eh?" he quipped as District 1 appeared in the light, with District 2 following behind them, and then District 3 and so on. As usual, they were met with almost raucous applause, which was typical for the Capitol's "pet" districts. Everyone knew that '1 and '2 were the most loyal, and were thus their favorites. Hopefully they'd be able to leave an impression the same way that '11 had the previous year. He wondered if there were any other districts that had planned anything like this, but there was no way of knowing unless it was District 5 or any in front of them, because it would look odd if they were seen looking anywhere but ahead.

moments later, he realized he wouldn't have to worry about it, because those were some damn flashy outfits that those kids from '5 were wearing, and for a moment, Dezna was briefly mesmerized. "shiny..." he muttered under his breath. When Kiva tapped him, he nodded. "1... 2... 3." He could not exactly see what had just projected from his shoulders, but by the crapshoots of District 4, it seemed to be something downright glorious considering the reactions of the crowds. he smirked at her, catching a glimpse of what was on their backs, and he smirked. "well... seems we got their attention... unless '12 or '11 outdo us or something." he chuckled, not trying to dash any hopes here; just being his usual tell-it-like-it-is kind of self. He was content with things how they were, for better or for worse.

[Nachthexe]

As brief as the encounter with Sagittaria had been, Kiva found herself satisfied. The girl, despite her experiences in the games, still seemed to maintain the same sense of humour she always had. It had perhaps been that which sparked Kiva's interest in the girl in the first place. Laughter at her own terrible fate. She liked that. Surely it wouldn't be lost on the girl's tributes either as her words had been a surprisingly sound piece of advice. Go into shock to die painlessly. Now it became a goal of sorts for Kiva if she was to die in that arena. However, that was something she attempted to remove from her mind for the time being. She wanted to make the most of the time she had left and currently she was expected to put on a show for the Capitol.

As the chariots continued on their way the frantic cheering only increased as more and more of the crowds caught onto the show that District 6 was producing. This brought a smirk to Kiva's face who then proceeded to raise both her arms into the air. She briefly glanced over at Dezna, hinting for him to do the same. It didn't mean much to her, but to the audience it was bound to serve a symbol of passion, a symbol displaying pride to be representing District 6. She wasn't quick to forget that this was merely entertainment to the Capitol audiences.

As the chariot came closer to the balcony Kiva thought she heard people in the crowd shouting out for her to take them to the stars. It was something she was fairly certain was intended as an innuendo too, not being intoxicated. She could only blush slightly before nodding and unleashing various winks in their direction. It wasn't the kind of attention she would have hoped for, but it was attention nonetheless and any kind of attention in the Hunger Games was valuable. "Holy shit. Did you hear that? They're horny little creatures." She then whispered over to her partner as the chariot finally came to a halt in front of the balcony that Kiva could only predict President Snow would make a speech from.

Kiva's predictions were quickly proven correct as Snow managed to silence the crowds to get in a few words of his own. "Welcome to the 45th annual Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favour!" The man managed to speak with his typical fervour, even sending chills down Kiva's spine. Despite the man having absolute authority over all of Panem Kiva had always known it to be futile to fear him. He was so distant from the every day happenings of District 6 that she didn't give him much thought, but actually seeing the man in person, albeit at a distance managed to give her a sense of intimidation. It was only when the fireworks began going off that she once again felt herself at ease. Flashy displays of colour. It was one thing that always managed to capture the attention of nearly anybody in District 6.

Almost as quickly as they had rolled out into the Capitol streets the chariots began their journey back to the tribute apartments once the brief fireworks display came to a close. Kiva had been left thoroughly mesmerized, but she couldn't help but to think about what was to come. Tomorrow marked the first day of training and there was a good chance that she would be encountering the careers and up close this time. The parade had only provided time for a quick glance, but the boy looked as if he meant serious business. Fortunately District 6 was likely safe from his wrath, but District 11 would not be if Kiva found her gut feelings to be correct. All of Panem knew very well of what Rye had done to Flint in what was arguably a merciless kill. Of course it had merely been survival and a lot of personal feelings taking effect, but assuming this new boy was his brother District 11 had hell to pay. It would have not mattered much otherwise, but Kiva found herself growing fond of them, even if just for Sagittaria.

"Excellent, you two! You've made an impression for sure! Let's return to the room and watch! Shall we?" Silas was the first to greet Kiva as she disembarked from the chariot. He was unsurprisingly excited, but for once Kiva knew he was justified in his upbeat attitude. Truth was that District 6 was well-liked this year. At least Kiva knew she was with the way she noticed males in the audience gawking at her and later throwing out their innuendos. She regrettably hadn't managed to pay much attention to Dezna's side of things, however.

"Sure. I wouldn't mind some dinner too." Kiva responded to the escort, shrugging as she followed him to the elevator. "Oh, and those men especially liked me. Surely that had been Flavia and Felix's intentions by outfitting me in something showing off my figure, yes?" She added once inside the elevator, chuckling. Both stylists nodded before Felix began chuckling. From what Kiva had seen in past games it wasn't extremely common for any districts besides the careers to play that angle, but it had certainly been a bold move here that only served to work in District 6's favour. Initially the thought of it made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but with her life on the line she wasn't in any position to complain. Nor was Dezna for that matter whose bodily figure was definitely on display as well in the skintight suits.

[Zulera301]

In the two brief moments in his life when he and Sagittaria had met, Dezna found herself rather fond of the girl. For one, she was friendly and had a wicked sense of humor, despite some of the subjects she rather shamelessly touched on. Sure it might have seemed like an easy thing for her to say now that she was free from the troubles and turmoils of the 'games, but anyone who had paid attention to her before that knew that she had been like that before her own 'games as well. Her idea of how to die did make Dezna laugh, and he considered it when all was said and done.
Another thing was that she was definitely still very good-looking, but that might have just been his hormones talking. On the other hand, his observant mechanic's eyes noticed that she checked his form out a bit more than Kiva's. despite living districts apart, he was a boy and she was a girl, and they had to be fairly close in age.
More than just physical attraction, however, was that her personality was attractive. Charismatic, friendly... she had it all. More than any of that though, she had a kind demeanor to her.

As they continued down the square towards President Snow's Balcony, Dezna lifted his arms in the air to go along with Kiva, and he too noticed the growing enthusiasm. He didn't really care much at this point, but did feel like if it worked to entertain the Capitol audiences, that was all he needed to do. This was for them, not for him; just like a lot of things in his life. Still, he was the type to shrug it all off and make what he could out of it, and this was no exception. If nothing else... District 6 pride. They didn't have a lot of that, if he recalled. Not that they were ashamed the way some tributes might be, they were just neutral, much like their dangerousness in the games. They were not necessarily threatening the way '1 and '2 were, but were also not considered weak like the likes from '9' or '10 or the other outlying districts.

Kiva was not the only one being flirted with. After all, it was not just female tributes that got wooed or sometimes used as bargaining chips. He heard various things shouted his way (and wondered why in the name of the shitholes of District 8 there were male voices among these), some of the cleanest being "show me your stars!" He responded with a mental shrug, and grinned and winked and made various playful gestures towards the crowds the way he could. He was not really the flirty type, but his calm and friendly demeanor were very attractive in their own way.
It seemed that Kiva was no exception to this after all, and he nodded at her remark. "I see what you mean." he muttered back, keeping his sort of fake smile before the chariots finally pulled to a halt, and there was silence a few moments after theirs had stopped, presumably for Districts 7-12 to finish pulling up.
Sure enough, President Snow gave a few brief words, and while his eyes briefly darted about and noticed slight apprehension or uncertainty in the eyes of many of the other tributes, Dezna remained unfazed. Sure this was the man behind the malice; the one responsible for keeping the games going year after year despite the passing (or "disappearance" as it were, of Panem's original leaders and Hunger Games founders), but really, even if hew as indirectly responsible for killing him, he knew that the one directly responsible for killing him lurked among the 23 other boys and girls surrounding him at this very moment. As a result, he was unfazed.

The fireworks caught him off-guard though, but in a very good way. Shiny lights were his drug; his therapy. Really, he wanted to take those tributes from District 5, steal their clothes, and... wear them himself in front of a mirror. Shiny lights and colors mesmerized him. Maybe it was a permanent effect from all the drugs and substances he had abused in his short little life, but it was something that defined him nowadays. the tributes in those costumes were irrelevant. the costume itself was what interested him.
But anyways, back to reality. Now was truly the first day of the rest of his life, where he would be spending the next week training for games he didn't want to play, to kill people he didn't want to kill. He felt bad already for whoever was at the top of that District 1 boy's hitlist. If it was District 11... well, Dezna always liked Districts 11 and 12. Maybe he could help.

"well, I'm glad we could do at least that much." he chuckled as the Chariot stopped again and they were greeted by Silas' typical enthusiasm. District 6 was liked, alright, and it wasn't just the female side of the tribute pool. Dezna's side of things had people cheering and calling out at him just as well. There was nothing at all that said only girls could be attractive, after all.

"Dinner sounds good." Dezna nodded in agreement, "especially if there are shiny things." his eccentric thought process was disrupted when Kiva mentioned the men liking her. For some strange and small reason, it made him almost a little jealous. "they were wooing you too?" he exclaimed, hiding those feelings completely with his voice. they were not very strong anyways, for most of Dezna's emotions were calm and chill the way he was. "well I see why we got put in skintight things like this after all then." he chuckled. He was not too embarrassed because it wasn't like he was naked or anything. it did show off most of his features, but not down to every last contour or anything. Besides, he wasn't known for his shame anyways.

[Nachthexe]

"There won't be shiny things at the dinner unless you count the silverware." Silas responded to Dezna, chuckling. It was becoming quite clear now to the man that the pair, Dezna especially, had quite a fondness for anything shiny. He wondered if it was a district-wide thing due to their prolonged drug use, but the man certainly couldn't claim to be any kind of expert on that sort of thing. Besides, he was an escort, not a doctor.

District 6's sex appeal only became more clear to Kiva once Dezna spoke on the issue. "Oh yes. I think it was coming from both sides. Those quirky Capitol folk are clearly interested." She replied as she braced herself for the elevator ride back up to floor 6. She suddenly realized that it was really only the rides up that seemed to bother her. It wasn't something she could even pretend to understand despite being from the district specializing in transportation. She could only guess it was something relating to the physics of the whole thing, but that was advanced stuff that really only those who were experienced enough covered.

"Then I suppose you'll have no choice but to offer them your flesh if you win." Silas responded, listening in on the conversation. Kiva blushed slightly while feeling both flattered and embarrassed. She began to wonder. Was this sort of thing casual talk in the Capitol? Back home it was usually a pretty serious topic, although it was tackled in a much more light-hearted manner when one was intoxicated. Nonetheless it was interesting to her how topics considered much more taboo at home seemed to be discussed so openly here. To the mind of a sixteen year old that meant there was plenty of ground to explore.

"To be completely serious for a moment I've heard rumours..." Kiva began, wanting to address the issue separately of victors being used as pawns in Capitol politics in various ways. Prostitution, of course, was only one of many. Judging by the sour look Silas seemed to develop the second it was brought up Kiva suspected he wasn't willing to discuss it so quickly dismissed the topic. The team had found themselves up on floor six yet again anyway.

Once back in District 6 living quarters Kiva almost immediately sat down in one of the chairs. It was a welcomed comfort after the tense atmosphere of the parade. Taking Dezna's example from much earlier, she tossed off her shoes and put her feet up. Heels. She knew the parade wasn't going to be the last time she wore those. They weren't extremely common among District 6 women, but some of the better off owned them and wore them. Kiva personally never understood the appeal. All they did was leave her with sore feet, but it was something she would have to grow accustomed to here. "Now I'm not moving. Come get me for dinner." She groaned as she leaned back further in the chair. Shortly afterwards Zerviah entered the room and turned on the projection screen where the parade highlights and even earlier footage from the Reaping was being shown. It wasn't until then she managed to capture the whole spectacle of just what had been protruding out of her back. Even with the commentators making cheesy puns it managed to leave her staring at the screen with awe. It was no wonder that the Capitol had cheered as soon as the little surprise was unveiled.

"I don't think District 11 managed to pull off a repeat of last year." Zerviah commented as she took a seat beside Kiva. She nodded in agreement, realizing that it was going to be pretty difficult to top those shimmering wings Rye and Sagittaria had made their first appearance in. It was rare for outlying districts to leave a lasting impression, but Kiva knew the pair from the 44th games had pulled it off. Perhaps them having both been volunteers played a role in that and as the screen had just confirmed the District 11 tributes this year were not volunteers. Kiva particularly sensed distress on the face of the District 11 girl, whom she learned was named Daisy.

[Zulera301]

Dezna sighed in a way that was strongly reminiscent of Sagittaria's old methods when she was joke-sighing, for this was exactly what he was doing. "fine... I guess the silverware will have to do then." he quipped. It wasn't like he was unstable or anything; he simply had a fondness of shiny things, the same way Sagittaria had had a fondness of the color red. many of the tributes outside of District 1 lived in locales where there was not very much color, and so to see the flambouyant and exotic colors of the Capitol was often overwhelming and mesmerizing. in the steely-grey colored District 6, it was hardly a surprise to see them so entranced by the rainbow of colors before them.

"so I guess we're sexy and they know it." Dezna couldn't help but joke as they rode the elevator up. He closed his eyes and leaned against the walls as well, not exactly able to so easily handle the elevator rides either. Luckily he didn't figure there would be any of those in the arena unless they used a building for the arena and put a forcefield around it. That would actually make for one hell of an arena. Part of him wished he could share that idea with Saj so she could bullshit a story from that or something.

"well then. maybe the odds really *are* in our favor if we die." he joked. Black humor seemed to be one of his specialties, after all. "On the other hand, that girl from '11 doesn't seem to be a regular here..." But Silas would know that more than Dezna would. He did think she was actually very pretty, but maybe that was jsut him?" perhaps she had lacked a certain thing or two that the Capitol looked for? It was hard to tell; on the other hand, they had been in rather revealing outfits if Dezna recalled correctly. Logic... he was missing it here.

"well. that took a nosedive quickly." he noticed the direction of the conversation and the ensuing awkwardness. Not that he was one to blush or get awkward about things. Really, he was just being the same old shameless fool he was known to be. He leaned over to Kiva and whispered out of earshot. "those rumors? true. all of 'em." That was actually just his assumption though. But, by the way the Capitol seemed to grow sour at someone mentioning the idea put enough ideas into Dezna's mind that he didn't want to think too much more about it.

As they got inside and he noticed Kiva sit down and remove her shoes, he did the same. "For the record, you made 'em look good." he grinned playfully and gave her a thumbs-up. Sure his shoes were flat and he didn't have to ever walk in heels, but he could be biased all he damn well pleased. Worst she'd do is disagree with him or something. He stretched his toes, which were all clean and sweet-smelling like the rest of his body thanks to the Capitol's shower/bath/makeover that he had just undergone not but an hour or two ago tops.
When the recaps of the parade played, he noticed just how much of an impression they had left, and really just how flirty he had been. "By the slums of District 5..." he exclaimed, "I wish I could have been behind myself to see that... that... well it's pretty damn awesome if I say so myself." and it was shiny. and colorful. Speaking of shiny, and colorful, and District 5, he learned that the boy and the girl in front of him whose clothes he deeply envied were named Toka and Volka respectively. They didn't look related at all, but their names rolled off the tongue well together.

"that's odd..." he tilted her head at Kiva's remark, but also seeing for themselves. District 11 still got a bit of applause, but it was nothing like the roars and cheers that they had gotten last year with Rye and Sagittaria. "I wonder if the stylists had an off-day, or if they got replaced or something." He also learned that the only volunteers outside of Districts 1 and 2 had been a boy from District 7 and a girl from District 3. No one particularly noteworthy, really.
"So what now?" he asked no one in particular, "Dinner, I take it?"

[Nachthexe]

Kiva nodded in agreement. Seeing the parade highlights on screen now was really much different and made her realize just how much they were missing by being part of it. Naturally, they hadn't even seen anything from Districts 7 to 12, but some of them had managed to be impressive as well. Maybe it was her own bias coming into play, but Kiva remained most mesmerized by her own display, however. It had been as if a night sky just like described in the astronomy books back home had been trailing behind her. She quickly realized she liked that and felt slightly disappointed that she likely wouldn't be returning home able to resume any of her school studies. Besides, even if she did make it home she would no longer be obligated to do anything.

"I'm not sure, but it's good for us if their stylists were up in the clouds. Them coming out on top is of course bad for us, even if I do like Sagittaria, or Saj as Rye so often called her." Kiva responded as Dezna made observations of his own. He too seemed to have interest in District 11, but it was also likely relating to the fact that they had both met Sagittaria personally. Even though they were from the same District Kiva quickly realized she didn't even know Zerviah very well before being Reaped for the games. She kind of got the impression that District 6's most recent victor just didn't roam around much. It was common for victors to be traumatized by the games though so she wondered if that had something to do with it. In Sagittaria's case she seemed able to hide it quite well.

"And yes, dinner." Silas interjected, overhearing Dezna's last comment. Noting his words, Kiva glanced over at the table and noticed various servants bringing in trays of food. Avoxes no doubt, and it showed where Flavia and them so vastly differed; while they were reduced to menial tasks Flavia was designing various outfits for both Hunger Games tributes and Capitol citizens.

"Well I'm definitely starved. All that parade stuff is draining." Kiva replied as she slipped her shoes back on and made her way over to the table. It was true she was quite fatigued already, but she knew that what was to come was only bound to be worse. Training and then finally the arena. The clock was ticking and she realized that time would pass quite quickly. It was only during the interviews she would be offered a final chance at redemption before being thrown into the arena with 23 other children. What was said there, after all, was often a make or break for sponsorship unless somebody managed to prove themselves exceptionally skilled in the arena. Somehow Kiva suspected she wouldn't be a top scorer though. District 6 tributes rarely were, usually obtaining mid-range scores.

[Zulera301]

Dezna found a lot of the parade outfits to be rather intriguing or mesmerizing, but perhaps the glitz and glamor was to be expected from 12 sets of stylists all trying to make their tributes stand out to the crowds. Either way, Dezna always loved watching the parades. No one died, and everyone was dressed all cool and shiny for the most part. He liked shiny. Granted, it sometimes dawned on him that 23 of every 24 people in those parades he watched footage of back home were now dead, but such was the name of the game. Winning meant fame and fortune; losing meant certain death.

"True enough." he shrugged, "if we win, they've gotta lose. It kinda sucks when you think about it, but eh. shit happens." Still, if he didn't win, he hoped that one of them would. Perhaps it was similar to how Sagittaria had hoped that if she or Rye didn't win, that little Kyla from District 12 would. She did take 3rd though, which was no easy feat, even if it was not good enough. Zerviah had won the games long before Dezna began paying attention to them (or it seemed long; he had been a little boy when it had happened), but Sagittaria was easier to relate to because she was his age, and perhaps more prominently, she was just easy to get along with overall.

Just like his "limited" sympathy for the tributes that had died and would die, his sympathy for the Avoxes was similar. Yes, their lot in life was downright shitty. So was his, really. He was still sort of weighing whether it'd be worse to be a mute but well-dressed slave or if dying would suck more, but he sort of kept himself desensitized from it all. There were too many people with shitty lives in Panem for him to worry about all of them.

"Tell me about it." he nodded in agreement with Kiva. Unlike her, he stayed barefoot but followed her over to the dinner table. As he dug in, he realized that this was one step down, and there were only 3 more things between that and the 'games. There was training, the private sessions, and the interviews. Shortly after a night of rest (or lying awake nervously) they'd be hovercrafted off to some desolate stone-forsaken region to avoid Capitol deathtraps and kill 23 other kids. Riveting stuff, really. Maybe Sagittaria was right after all.
"Watch," he joked randomly as he ate, "one of us will get like a 13 out of 12 or something for a training score." He seemed to recall some girl from District 2 actually doing this, but maybe he had just been out of it and was probably just thinking of one of the stories Sagittaria had told during her victory tour stop in District 6. Ah well... a kid could dream, couldn't he?

[Nachthexe]

Even as Dezna reminded her of it, Kiva once again realized just how relaxed she was about the prospect of dying. Certainly it was tragic if it came to that and it probably would, but at the same time this was the Hunger Games where such a fate was unavoidable. The most one could do was just keep their head up and embrace it when the moment came. If she was lucky she'd die in a memorable way. Tributes in the past certainly managed to pull it off, most recently Rye and Kyla. "Even if I don't make it home at least I know my sister is strong and can cope. My parents too. After losing me they won't have anything to worry about. My sister is already past the age to be Reaped." Kiva mused as she filled up her plate with various Capitol delicacies. The Capitol knew how to eat well, even if it was at the expense of the districts.

"13? Is that even possible?" Kiva asked curiously as Dezna quickly changed the subject. "Hah, of course it's not. Even that boy last year only scored 12 and few tributes do." Another thing that years of watching the games had taught Kiva was that training scores were usually pretty crucial for sponsorship; those with the highest scores were almost always speculated to be the most likely to survive, but of course exceptions existed. Kiva briefly recalled Kyla of District 12 having scored low only to later prove herself a capable fighter, surviving until the very end with only Rye outliving her by several minutes. Due to that fluke alone Kiva suspected that this year some unlikely tributes were going to get attention.

As the team ate silence came over the table until Zerviah finally spoke up. "Same advice I gave earlier applies to training tomorrow. Do not provoke the others. Grudges developed before the arena are dangerous. Also, if you find yourself with any unique and special skills training is not the place to show off as others will not hesitate to use it against you." She instructed, staring down both her tributes. She didn't expect it to happen, but inside she was hoping for another District 6 victor. She knew that living in an urban environment gave District 6 a disadvantage most years. Sponsors seemed to know this too so usually overlooked them as well.

"Well maybe if we show ourselves to be unspectacular we will just be ignored." Kiva replied, letting out a chuckle despite being serious. She remembered the discussions from the train and realized it seemed like quite a sound strategy to use in the games. It was one that would obviously never fly in some of the more skilled districts, but for one like District 6 it almost seemed too perfect. Of course, any sort of plan always manifested much differently when put into practice, but this one was at least worth a try if Dezna and Zerviah both agreed.

Zerviah shrugged. "That could be a bit risky as it could also potentially get you targeted. Some tributes prefer wiping out the weaker tributes first in order to save themselves for the more difficult encounters." She warned as she stuffed a dinner roll into her mouth. It was a valid point that Kiva had admittedly overlooked, but she felt she had little to lose as she was likely dead anyway.

[Zulera301]

"Without me, it's just my sister." he shrugged. "if she gets reaped the next year or the year after, I don't think she'd mind a whole lot unless I came back from this year alive." he wasn't trying to make the situation grim or anything; this was just the laid-back and desensitized nature that Dezna Meraxa had had for years. He shrugged again before loading his plate and digging in. If nothing else, he was going to eat well for the next several days before he was thrown into a desolate arena and his remains were splattered across several square yards of hostile terrain.

"it might be possible. we'd have to ask Sagittaria. She apparently knows." he laughed, "otherwise... maybe we'll score a symbolic 6? kinda like she scored a symbolic 11?" this was entirely a joke, as a 6, while common for their district, incidentally, was completely unremarkable. 7 was a little better, but then again, Kyla had gotten a 5 and then proven that she was far greater than that. If she had shown that sort of skill in her private session she probably would have gotten an 11 or a 12... at the very least, a 10. Either way, he knew that training scores didn't always mean a whole lot. Sponsors could change their minds after seeing the tributes in action, after all. Other times, tributes could go the whole game without any sponsors, and still turn out the victor. The story of that boy who had won with a training score of 3 was not one that was easily forgotten, after all (unless that was Sagittaria just bullshitting some more, but apparently the kid in question had been from District 5 about 21 or so years ago)

"Noted, and noted," Dezna nodded through a half-full mouth as he listened to the mentor speak. It made sense, really. He was just going to try his hand at building whatever, and maybe playing with a few weapons. Maybe he'd be able to build a crossbow during the training or something. Saj had made it look so easy, but if he could figure out how bows works, the automated part would be a cinch. He did that sort of thing every day back home.

Kiva brought up and interesting point, and Dezna had mixed feelings about the idea as well. "the super weak ones, like the kids from '9, are usually the first to die. the super strong ones are avoided by the non-careers, and hunted by the careers. The ones in the middle--usually the likes of Districts 5, 6, 7, and 8... seem to get ignored a lot." or that was just how he felt. He just seemed to remember that a lot of attention was directed at the low-numbered districts and the high-numbered districts, while the ones in between often got overlooked. It was not a bad strategy to prevent dying in the bloodbath, but at the same time, no one had really remembered any of them either.

"So... what do you suggest?" he asked Zerviah, "what was your score again, and how did you win?" these were just the curious inquiries of a tribute to a mentor; certainly nothing condescending.

[Nachthexe]

As morbid as it seemed Kiva realized that Dezna was probably right about her sister. When Kiva had met the pair during the feast they seemed close so she wasn't sure how the sister would cope with the loss of her brother. It wasn't something she felt comfortable inquiring about either. Besides, it was Dezna who was keen on living in the present and enjoying her final days of safety. It was at least a pretty sound way of looking at things since there was no way out. Unlike the Basil boy from District 11, there had been nobody to volunteer in their places when either of their names had been called so this was a fate neither of them was escaping. Already Kiva imagined herself wandering towards death's doorstep.

The topic of death fortunately managed to be averted once again as soon as training began being discussed. "No, not a 6. We'll need to do better than that I think if we want sponsorship." Kiva mused, noting Zerviah's nod in agreement. She understood the symbolism behind it, but it was meaningless. It's not like District 1 would be aiming for a 1 simply to end up with something symbolic. It suddenly got Kiva wondering if anybody had ever scored a 1 in training before, but it was something she would ask about later. In the meantime advice about the actual training was most important. Dezna saw that too, suddenly asking how Zerviah had won her games. It was something the woman had never actually explained, but certainly now it would make for an interesting story filled with plenty of advice.

"Me? I scored a 7 or 8 if I remember, can't recall which. I'm sure there's old footage you can dig up to confirm." Zerviah responded, scratching her head. Her games were quite distant now, but she remembered her strategy well; instead of going on the offensive she had relied almost entirely on survival and the arena's environment itself to do the others in. It worked under certain circumstances, but only if one truly knew what they were doing. "I was excellent at survival skills, a rarity for District 6. That alone managed to keep me alive while avoiding conflict as much as possible. There was only really one encounter near the end that nearly did me in. Obviously I survived since I'm here sharing my knowledge with you two. The most valuable hint I can offer in that regard is this: take advantage of your environment. You'd be truly surprised what sort of things can kill a person."

As Kiva took in the details of Zerviah's brief, but concise story she found herself not quite satisfied. Previously she had tried to imagine her mentor as a vicious killer overcoming all others by use of brute strength, but now all illusions were officially shattered before they really began. She knew it was far from reality, but she had an active imagination at times and somehow it seemed like a desirable coping mechanism for what was to come. At least there was still the option of imagining rainbows and lightning, but that seemed much less desirable too while sober. "So what sort of things can kill a person? Let's see. We have Capitol engineered Mutts, starvation, thirst, and of course the other tributes." She asked curiously in attempts to move the conversation along for both her and her partner's sake.

"Those are only a handful of the dangers. The elements can kill just as easily as a Mutt or sword can. One year all the tributes were thrown into a frozen mountaintop and at least half of them froze to death. Didn't make for a very exciting show for the Capitol, let's just say that. If you're lucky you'll get something tropical where hypothermia won't be a danger." Zerviah willingly continued. Kiva didn't remember a mountain top arena so could only guess it had occurred before she was even born or when she was still too young to really remember the games. Either way it didn't seem like a pleasant situation to be trapped in so she could only hope that Zerviah was correct about the Capitol having been bored by it. Freezing just seemed too much like a slow and horrific death. Kiva wanted to die quickly and painlessly just as Rye the previous year had.

[Zulera301]

Truth of the matter was that Arza would probably cope with Dezna's loss the same way that she and Dezna had coped with the loss of their father and the subsequent disappearance (and believed death) of their mother. They would just keep on keeping on; maybe try a few new substances or drugs, but that was commonplace in District 6 to the point where it was not really out of the ordinary. On the other hand, Dezna had no brothers to volunteer for him; Arza had no sisters similarly. There would be no Sagittaria to save her if she had been reaped instead of her.

"I'll probably still aim high anyways." he shrugged, "I figure that everyone's gonna try and kill me sooner or later one way or another, so I might as well go out with lightning, rainbows, and exploding crossbows or something to that extent." he chuckled, remembering the dream he had had about fighting in the cornucopia alongside Silas, Rye, Sagittaria, and his sister. It really was, as he said, 'riveting stuff'. "so yeah... I'll shoot for an 8 or 9 or something, symbolism be damned." he chuckled, taking a large bite of meat straight from his knife.

Dezna listened as Zerviah recounted her tale. Perhaps it really was time for a District 6 victor if she had been there for so long. Here he had thought that Seeder from District 11 had been in the Mentor business for a long time based on things he had overheard during the last year's victory tour 6 months ago, but he had never thought to ask Zerviah how many years she had been doing so. Still... she was good at survival skills, which in turn made him want to ask her about that later on after training had started. Those were some of the skills that were easily and always overlooked, but that tended to come in the most handy.

"Welcome to Panem." Dezna laughed as he turned towards Kiva, "where everything and everyone is trying to kill you--not just in the arena." so perhaps 'everyone' might have been an overstatement, since there were plenty of fellow district civillians that were not about to go kill anyone, but there were plenty of Peacekeepers, and even in the urban districts, Tracker Jackers were not unheard of, liking, akin to other bees and wasps, to build their nests in dark and/or narrow crevices, which were often found in dark alleys or scrapyards. Of course, then there was the slew of other Capitol mutts, and of course the vicious weather that the district sometimes had. And of course, when one took the Hunger Games arenas into account, literally everything and everyone was out to get you, even if they were dormant for the time being. Dezna knew he could technically trust no one after a certain amount of time.

"Well, one observation I've noticed is that they don't usually do the same theme twice in a row, or even alternating years. Some of the recent ones were jungle, forest, and desert, and apparently icy tundra doesn't make for a good show, so they probably won't do that one. How many other kinds of climates are there?" he was not asking this question to anyone in particular, but he did add something to it. "Maybe that Sagittaria girl is right after all. May the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock and you don't feel anything when you die."

He was finishing his food by now, quite satisfied with the conversations they had had, but he decided to sit back at the table and relax a bit more before bed, and/or occasionally glance at Kiva (and perhaps check her out a little more), with a smile.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva burst out laughing at Dezna's joke. The boy was right in a way. Pretty much everything in Panem was deadly. Even a day at work could kill a person; workplace accidents were not unheard of, particularly while working with large sheets of metal that would become the trains or hovercrafts of Panem. It truly made Kiva realize just how unspectacular death was. It happened to everybody sooner or later so why dread it? At least the Hunger Games made it an expected affair so one could have a certain amount of freedom over how they chose to die.

Death. As heavy as a subject it was Kiva didn't focus on it for long due to her recent conclusions, but Dezna certainly had an interesting point anyway. The arena. The theme was constantly changing. The previous year had been rainforest so that was out. Quite recently had been forest and desert so using a bit of process of elimination Kiva managed to narrow it down to a few possibilities; at least two that immediately came to mind were savannah and the much more advantageous option for her own district, an urban environment of some sort. "On a positive note, if you're right we could possibly be at a huge advantage this year. That is, of course, unless the District 5 and 8 kids get us first." Kiva commented, reassuring Dezna that he was onto something. Of course it was no more than a theory though as the Gamemakers too were always full of surprises. Maybe somebody would even decide that tundra was a good idea after all. Kiva certainly hoped not, but it was a possibility she was wary to toss out completely.

Funny enough Kiva began finishing up her food around the same time Dezna did. He seemed keen on relaxing a bit before bed, a gesture that Kiva shared. There was only so much strategy one could discuss, especially before training was even started. It was then that more topics were bound to come up so Kiva decided she would use the rest of the evening at her own leisure. Getting up from the table she realized the holographic projection devices from earlier were still attached to her so, stretching, she removed them without hesitation. As pretty as they had been they no longer served a purpose and all reminder of them was now only immortalized on screen for future generations. "Well I suppose this is it. Tomorrow is the beginning of a very...interesting endeavour." She uttered as she took a seat in the chair from earlier.

Having time to contemplate on many issues brought Kiva to the realization that perhaps she was unusual among tributes in that she didn't appear to have any real fear of death. She suspected the careers didn't either, but for much different reasons. Still, the girl realized it too could potentially be advantageous; where others were afraid of confrontation there was a good chance she wouldn't be. Being able to defend yourself and even engage in preemptive strikes was perhaps another key to winning the games. That, of course, required some sort of combat skill to be successful and as it stood now Kiva didn't see herself as the warrior type. Then again, she had never wielded any sort of weapon in her life beyond a simple pocket knife so maybe she had some sort of hidden skill waiting to be revealed? She could only hope for that to happen, even if it did seem unrealistic. She knew anybody could be full of surprises though, just as Flavia had been with actually being mute.

[Zulera301]

Based on Kiva's reactions , it seemed that she was starting to desensitize herself from death the same way the Meraxa twins had for many years now. There was an old saying that had supposedly originated in District 11 or something that said "work hard, eat healthy... die anyways." It made sense, really. Even the strong and healthy career tributes were not immune to death, and that was even true when they had emerged from the arena as victors. They might live 30 or 50 extra years, but they were not immortal. Even President Snow would one day die. The Hunger Games was just a premature trip to the afterlife, or whatever.

"heh. last time it was something semi-urban, I think '3 took the crown." he reminded her. District 3 was also a well-known urban district, and they usually produced skilled and cunning tributes that often got into the good graces of the careers because of these skills. Still, I won't dismiss our situation as hopeless too soon. Gotta keep some optimism going to keep the 'games fun, y'know?" He was kind of joking with this remark, and gave Kiva a look in that regard that the Capitol citizens might have missed. "nah... either way we got this..." he continued eating.

After he finished, he got up and sat back down on a nearby beanbag chair, the holographic projectors on his back joining his shoes in the list of items he had removed. he let his eyes fall on Kiva as she spoke, and he added a few words of his own. "Yup... tomorrow is the beginning of the end..." The real final destination was after the training sessions and interviews, where they were shipped off to the arena. While he wanted to go home and would therefore try his best, Dezna did not fear losing; nor did he fear death. Thinking about it, it reminded him of an old song he had heard once before. He sang softly.

"Where the rainbow ends,
there I go, there I land;
there's the land of the free:
there's the place I want to be.
There I go--where the rainbow ends."
An interesting analogy given their fondness with lightning and rainbows and other such things. If they were killed... well, that would be the end of the rainbow. On the other hand... they were crafty. Dezna began musing about his nearly nonexistent combat skills, but smiled at an idea or two he had.
"y'know..." he quipped, "if neither of us specialize in a weapon, per se... we could always just build our own." there was always things in the arena to use to build things; some had more than others, but the Capitol had already learned that the featureless frozen wasteland made for a boring show and so were unlikely to repeat that again. It gave Dezna a little seed of hope.

[Nachthexe]

"3? They'll be tough competition for sure. They always are. Just look at that pair last year. They used mines as exploding projectiles! It it wasn't for the Cornucopia and the Mutt blocking the way I'm convinced they would have gotten a multi-kill right then and there." Kiva responded, recalling the previous games when Dezna brought up District 3. Certainly she had been intoxicated during much of it, but she was sure she had seen what she remembered now. Bolt, and the girl whose name she couldn't recall, could have very easily won the games had they not been cornered while unarmed. Setting off that final mine as she laid dying had been an interesting, although failed, act of martyrdom also. If anything, it proved that District 3 tributes even remained deadly in their final moments.

Despite the reminder of District 3 potentially being deadly competition in an urban setting, Kiva tried to remain optimistic. Dezna was right. Losing hope now wouldn't help either of them in the long run. On the flip side, it was well-known across Panem that District 3 tributes, while brainy greatly lacked something else that so many of the others made use of: brawn. Districts 1, 2, 4, 7, and 11 especially had a tendency to produce plenty of brawny tributes who could win simply by entering direct combat, even if they didn't have much in the way of brainpower. This brought Kiva to yet another conclusion: a vast majority of the tributes could likely be outsmarted, but that alone would not lead her to victory. Combat was equally important, even if there were occasionally exceptions with tributes winning through little use of combat. It was an interesting dynamic she didn't yet understand, but fortunately training would give her a better chance to examine the others.

Of course while Kiva had been musing about her own strategy Dezna suggested one of his own. Building weapons. It was a viable option, but one that would of course depend on what sort of materials were present in the arena. That too was a factor almost as unpredictable as the arena itself; some years had a plethora of resources available while others were much more limited. Kiva recalled hearing about one year where the Gamemakers had provided nothing but rocks and giant boulders in a grassland, another flop just as the frozen tundra arena had been. Certainly they knew now they had to provide more resources than just grass and rocks? "Well depending on what they provide us I know how to build also. I don't intend on having that go to waste." Kiva said, smirking. For one of the first times she was glad she had paid so much attention to the games as it was now actually proving helpful.

"Seems you two are doing just fine without me." Zerviah chuckled as she took a seat beside the two tributes as she overheard them seemingly planning out strategies for the arena. She was admittedly quite impressed since few tributes got that far without her help. It was now quite clear to her that there was something different about both Kiva and Dezna in that they seemed to have a pretty good idea as to what they were doing. It almost made the mentor woman imagine for a few seconds that District 6 would actually produce a victor. It was unlikely, given the poor odds anybody in the games had, but if there was to be a District 6 victor again this definitely seemed like the year it would finally happen. One could dream, right?

[Zulera301]

"well, I don't always think that any particular district always produces good tributes or bad tributes." heck, District 9 was not always bloodbath fodder, and had produced a few victors, and there had been a few times where even District 1 had lost tributes in the bloodbath. Unbeknownst to Dezna, Sagittaria had taunted Flint's brother with this information once during her tour. District 3 had been clever the last year admittedly though. '11 had been strong and steady, as it had produced a victor the previous year. Then again, if anything, even the notion of District 12 being something to watch out for was probably still fresh in everyone's mind, considering the feats of that little disabled girl the Reapings had produced that year.

Dezna's mentality almost seemed like it was built around the hunger games with his optimistic approach to everything, his lack of concern for dying or losing, and his consideration of all the districts, not to dismiss any of them. On the other hand, he was also taking note from a victor interview he had watched a while ago. It was a tiny little girl from District 2 who had told the Capitol during her interview that one of her greatest lessons learned was not to discount or discredit anyone till they were dead. Those were definitely words to live by.
On the other hand, he also realized that he didn't really have any idea what the training center entailed, because that was something the Capitol footage never showed. He'd find out within a few hours though, so he decided not to concern himself with it just yet.

"well, I think after 44 different tries at it, the Capitol has learned what usually makes a good show and what doesn't, so we'll probably be able to put some of our smarts to the test. I hear that one of the stations is trap-building anyways." He might not have known any of the actual stations in the training center, as he was just mentally realizing, but he had a few very educated guesses, this being one of them. "I'll use rocks and grass if I have to though." he chuckled. "unless the Gamemakers decide to make it consistently night or something like they almost did for a while last year."

He and so many others who had watched the games were aware that the "night" in the 44th Arena had been much longer than usual, actually taking up the span of several days. he was suddenly imagining an old urban setting with nothing but the pale light of the moon to guide them. That would be one hell of a games. Maybe they'd have an opening "morning" during the bloodbath, but then after the sun set on the first night, it would remain perpetually dark until the games had ended. Maybe he was just daydreaming too much though.

"hey, you've taught us well," he chuckled at Zerviah's remark, "if I was ever a mentor, I'd be proud to see my tributes planning and formulating ideas and schemes like this without my help. It would hopefully mean that I got a smart batch. I can't necessarily say that you got a brilliant boy this time, but I'll let you be the judge of that." he gave her a smile and a chuckle; the boy was humble as well as light-spirited, which just added to how easy it was to get along with him.

[Nachthexe]

"It almost makes me wonder. What happened to District 9? They haven't been much more than cannon fodder for years." Kiva mused as soon as Dezna brought it up. He had a point that each district had their good and bad years, but in Kiva's mind it seemed as if District 9 and even District 10 had been consistently bad for years. She was sure this wasn't just an observation induced by drug-related hallucinations either. Fortunately for her, in a twisted sort of way, their weakness was beneficial for her; them dying early on meant less threats later on in the games. It was perhaps that exact logic that transformed many tributes, particularly the careers, into vicious killers during the bloodbath.

Kiva nodded in agreement when Dezna mentioned the Gamemakers knowing how to put on a good show. It seemed like something that couldn't really be taught and just had to be learned from experience; if the audience disliked something then it was taken out the following year while new elements were brought in hopefully to positive reception. Either way though she knew the tributes themselves were nothing more than pawns while it was the audiences that truly mattered. What they wanted was what the Gamemakers provided, no matter how much misery it provided for those actually inside the arena. That was perhaps the aspect of the whole thing that Kiva found herself despising most. Not even the reality of dying seemed to have the same effect anymore.

"Well hey, if you both die in there at least I can put in a good word for you while mentoring future tributes." Zerviah responded, chuckling slightly. She felt bad having to dwell on the topic, but surely both tributes knew by now the likely outcome of this whole endeavour. Besides, even if one survived that meant the other had to die. That was a reality that couldn't be sugar-coated. Fortunately both Kiva and Dezna seemed mature enough to handle it. "Also, you seem quite brilliant to me." The mentor woman then added, addressing Dezna specifically. Kiva nodded in agreement before yawning and running her hand through her now messy gingered hair.

A yawn. It was only the first sign that perhaps it was soon time to call it a night. It didn't take Kiva long to realize just how exhausted she was growing. It had been an eventful day and the ones to follow would only be just as much or more eventful. There was no sugar-coating that either, that in order to have a shot at staying alive she would have to work hard in the following days. Training lasted a week as far as she knew and that was limited time to absorb so many new skills. That made it no wonder that most tributes tended to specialize in only a couple of them. Naturally, that made the game rigged from the start since the careers allegedly started training from a young age. How did the Capitol feel about that? It was something she couldn't help, but to wonder about. She would probably never get an answer though so she didn't dwell on it for long. "I suppose we should call it a night soon, eh Dezna?" She asked as she stretched and let out another yawn. It was odd as normally she was a night owl, but it was a habit that wouldn't serve much good here.

[Zulera301]

"well, they're obviously poor, and apparently their weakness isn't ostensible the way it is with '11 and '12." he shrugged. To him, based on their previous track record as far as he could remember, they were visibly and obviously weak. The trend seemed to go that the lower the district number, the stronger the tribute, but sometimes District 2 outdid District 1, and '11 and '12 did not fit this method of thinking quite as well. Still... he wasn't complaining. The more weak tributes these games got, the more likely he'd be able to go home and see his sister again. Things would be back to normal... right?

He was intrigued by the idea that the Gamemakers learned from their mistakes. It made him wonder what it would be like 100 years down the road if the Hunger Games still were going on. He didn't dwell too much on the fact that lives were wasted at the Capitol's entertainment whims. The Capitol was wasteful in multiple ways. Stacking this up as another atrocity against them wouldn't change his already abysmal opinions of those who ran the place. But shit, what could he do; he was just a boy who was too lax and laid-back to even contemplate trying to "reclaim" District 6, let alone all of Panem.

Dezna laughed at Zerviah's joke. "make sure to tell 'em the ol' slogan then." he suggested, "May the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock and you don't feel anything when you die." he felt that that might become an in-joke among tributes and mentors. If nothing else, he hoped to be remembered for spreading that (because technically he could not take credit for coining the phrase; that credit went to Sagittaria Suki Svenja of District 11.). "If Dezna Kadi Meraxa does dies... at least' he'll be remembered as someone brilliant." that was his odd but sincere way of accepting the compliment anyways. Kadi was just his middle name. "but no seriously. I'm glad you like us." he liked running his hands through his hair. It was rather soft anyways, but it was especially soft and fluffy after it had been washed. Boys seemed to have a supernatural ability to almost always have soft and fluffy hair like that. Dezna's was just extra fabulous given that it was a thick, bushy mane.

"I reckon that's a good idea," he shrugged, and started making his way down the hall, unzipping his outfit in the process slowly (not teasingly; he just didn't want to imply that he was giving a show or anything). Besides, it was not like he was naked underneath or anything. He let out another yawn as well. yawning was actually contagious, after all. "I reckon we've got a big damn week ahead of us, so we might as well at least put a little effort into making sure we get something out of it, yeh?" Tomorrow would be interesting; he'd get to see the other tributes up close and see what they did. Sure he was not going to show any special talents to anyone else, but the careers always did because they liked showing off and were not afraid of any of the other tributes. This would be interesting, to put it lightly.

[Nachthexe]

As soon as Dezna mentioned the poverty of Districts 11 and 12 Kiva knew it wasn't far off. Every year she could tell just by watching the Reaping footage that the vast majority of children in those districts were quite small, definitely as a result of malnourishment. Daisy of District 11 this year appeared to be one exception, but the commentator had mentioned her being the mayor's daughter. Certainly that came with extra privileges, although it obviously didn't protect her from the Reaping. Still, even if District 6 didn't always have tons of food there was clearly more than in the likes of District 11 and 12, making Kiva suddenly thankful for what she did have. Of course it seemed rather ironic to her, however, that those in Panem's main food producer were starving.

Kiva found herself laughing as Dezna once again recited the new and perhaps improved slogan for the games; "May the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock and you don't feel anything when you die." It couldn't be more true, at least for those actually forced to participate. It kind of reminded Kiva just how oblivious most of the Capitol was to the suffering that went into producing their entertainment. Of course they didn't see it that way though so it would be a lost cause trying to change any of their minds. Besides, those within Snow's inner circle no doubt genuinely believed it was punishment for past sins, the uprising. The same uprising that could have freed Panem, but many people didn't remember that now. Only the outcome mattered.

As great as it had been to strategize and joke around with Dezna Kiva knew it was finally time to call it a night. Dezna also seemed to be quickly catching on, even unzipping his costume as he went down the hall towards the sleeping quarters. Noticing this she glanced over in his direction before giving a quick wink. It admittedly excited her, but it was not territory she even dared venture into. Instead she just silently proceeded to the room she realized she hadn't actually seen yet. Judging by the rest of the apartment, however, she knew it was bound to be spectacular.

Naturally, Kiva's predictions about the room were proven correct almost as soon as she walked in. Across from the bed was a wardrobe that was no doubt filled with clothing to wear throughout the week. Like both the train and living room there was also a projector screen present. "Hey, look at that. I can watch the games in bed." She quipped as she ran her fingers over the screen in pristine condition. Not even dust managed to cling to it. Obviously the Capitol liked cleanliness for their tributes. That of course meant good news when she opened the wardrobe, revealing clean sleepwear. Without much hesitation she slipped off the "space suit" and got into the much more comfortable sleepwear. She knew she was going to miss the shiny suit, but fortunately there was going to be another chance for that at the interviews.

The interviews. That was one of the first things to pop into Kiva's mind as she laid down in bed after cleaning herself up. It was arguably one of the most crucial moments of the Pre-games so she knew she couldn't mess it up. For many tributes it very clearly made a difference between being mostly ignored or showered with sponsors. Naturally, the more charismatic tributes got through it easily while gaining plenty of sponsorship. Kiva didn't consider herself the most charismatic person in the world, but somehow she knew that her laid-back and whole "I don't give a fuck" attitude could potentially be likeable by some. Besides, who didn't like a tribute who wasn't afraid of dying and was prepared to fight? Of course she was unable to think of many specifics though as she finally found herself dozing off to sleep.

[Zulera301]

One of Dezna's observations about District 11 and District 12 were that they were easily the humblest districts of Panem, and their tributes almost always reflected that. Both tributes from District 11 were very humble, even with Rye's stalwart behavior and Sagittaria's hilarious personality. Even Kyla, the notoriously ruthless and easily the most lethal tribute of the 44th Hunger Games, had been humble under that shell of a killer. Even Daisy, the Mayor's Daughter of District 11, seemed humble as well, and he was pretty sure that those kids from District 12 were humble too. Their outfits in the parade had almost reminded him of Kyla--a diamond in the rough. They had been black outfits with small patches of glitter here and there to imitate diamonds among coal or something like that. They hadn't gotten as much attention as District 6 because while their costumes were pretty, they did not have the extra effects.

The Hunger Games seemed fitting to have two slogans--the first one, nationally accepted as "May the Odds be ever in your Favor" seemed fitting for the likes of the training center and the parades and interviews, while the 2nd one, coined by Sagittaria, was much more appropriate for the tributes in the arena. Maybe that was just him though. It was not like the Capitol was going to change their slogan that easily, especially since it was the word of a 16-year-old boy versus the words of the Capitol circles. Besides, that would remind everyone that these "games" were about death, not hunger. The Capitol would have none of that.

Dezna chuckled as Kiva winked at him as he began to half undress. He had removed the jumpsuit off of most of his chest and arms, but held the sleeves at the wrist to both keep it on and keep it from falling below his waist for now. his legs needed freedom to move him to his room, at the very least. Since she was in front of him, he did spend a brief moment looking at her from behind before she gave him the wink. On the other hand, he also gave her a thumbs up and returned the wink, before following her into her room almost subconsciously. This was not out of anything suggestive, but rather because he realized that neither of them had really explored the sleeping quarters. Besides, his door was literally like 5 or 6 feet away from Kiva's, just across the hall.

"I might just do that one of these nights," he chuckled at her comment. He scanned it as well, taking it in because it was more fun to see something new with a friend so you could comment on it. "this place ain't too bad."
He did stare a bit as she undressed, and after she had removed the shoes and the suit fully, he snapped back to reality, shaking his head. Was he embarrassed? not even a little. Was he polite? he could be.
"Oh whoops..." he chuckled awkwardly, shaking his head, "sorry... kinda got distracted there." this was entirely true, and not because of Kiva's body as much as the fact that they were conversing about the room just moments before. "see ya tomorrow. you look good by the way." he chuckled, giving her a playful smile before cloising the door as he dropped his spacesuit within two steps of entering his identical room and closing the door behind him. The only difference was that the clothing in his wardrobes and closets was more designed for boys rather than girls--an obvious logical notion.

He changed into some light and breezy nightclothes reminiscent of what he wore during winters (in the summers he'd usually just sleep in his shorts) and thought about a few things as he curled up into bed, gazing at the projector for a moment before turning it on to an interview. The first ones on there were the most recent ones, so he saw that level-headed girl, Krystal. Shit, she was gorgeous in that lavender dress. She was followed by the much less pleasant boy: Flint, that tall, vicious boy from District 1. He went on something of an arrogant rant that had Caesar pretending to be intimidated, and the Capitol was rather pleased by it.
It got him to thinking though--maybe he was biased, but he and Kiva were both rather good-looking individuals. This was especially backed by the way the Capitol reacted to them. Granted, they were in rather form-fitting suits, but even now, despite their untidy hair, they seemed to be almost messily attractive. He wondered if that would work to their advantage, and slept on those thoughts.

[Nachthexe]

Perhaps it had been the fatigue more than anything, but Kiva hadn't immediately noticed Dezna had followed her into her room. Upon realization of the fact she began blushing profusely. He just saw me in the nude? Seems he got more than he could have hoped for. She chuckled slightly as she continued to grasp the fact that Dezna had been present for several moments before finally leaving. Certainly it was nothing out of the ordinary for the Capitol, but for two sixteen year olds from one of the districts who barely knew each other it was kind of big deal. It wasn't an incident the boy was likely to quickly forget either. Hormones had a funny way of working like that.

Despite having fell asleep quickly the night before Kiva had a hard time getting up the next morning. It was only when Zerviah came into the room that she managed to dash out of bed as if she was running through some sort of military drill. "I'm up, I'm up! What now, ma'am?" She announced, letting out a light chuckle as she maintained a stoic position.

"I think you know, soldier. Getting cleaned up for breakfast, and then training." Zerviah responded, letting out a chuckle of her own as she walked out of the room so Kiva could get ready for the day. As soon as Zerviah was gone she could only assume that somebody else had come into the room during the night or early in the morning as a new pair of clothes was positioned at the foot of the bed. It was no doubt a training uniform of some sort as each shoulder was emblazoned with a large number 6. From what she had learned about Capitol fashion so far it almost seemed tacky to Kiva, but somehow fashion sense seemed to matter less once tributes were thrust into survival situations.

The Capitol showers managed to prove themselves just as complex as the ones on the train, but fortunately for Kiva it had now become much simpler for her to operate after the train incident. This time she managed to actually get soap onto her body rather than all over the walls. Naturally, being in the nude and in the shower only served as a reminder of the night before. Certainly Dezna's advance into her room had been unintentional as they had both been suffering from fatigue, but she couldn't help but to feel disappointed that it was incredibly unlikely she would ever get that real opportunity with anybody. Sex was obviously a much more casual affair in the Capitol, but back home and certainly in other districts as well it was usually reserved for committed relationships. Not even intoxication drove most people in District 6 to that point. They knew better, despite it being one of the few pleasures citizens were able to enjoy without Capitol interference. Kiva had come close to that point with somebody before and now suddenly found herself regretting that she hadn't. Ah well. She would just have to be slain without ever experiencing sex. It's not like she was the first one at least.

Several minutes later Kiva come out of her room fully dressed in the training uniform the Capitol had left for her. "Sorry it's not very flattering." She uttered as she sat down at the table, awaiting breakfast and still thinking about the shiny costume from the parade. She hadn't fully realized it at the time, but it had managed to bring out her beauty and even a seductive side. The Capitol definitely caught onto that quickly and it brought Kiva to another realization; if the stylists were outfitting her in revealing clothing then certainly they saw beauty in her as well, and sexiness. If anything, it was a subtle compliment.

"Don't worry about it, looks never mattered while getting your hands dirty." Zerviah responded with a smirk as she filled up her plate. Just like the night before there was an entire feast present, but it was beneficial to gain energy for the training sessions that were about to approach and slap her right in the face. That of course prompted Kiva to fill her plate as well while waiting for the others to join them at the breakfast table.

[Zulera301]

He had managed to look away and leave before Kiva had removed her undergarments, but still... hot damn she looked good. He secretly wanted to see her like that again before he died. It was probably just his hormones acting up or something, but the desire was there. He was not about to announce that though. As shameless as he might have been, he knew that there were things you didn't say in front of people. This was one of those things. He thought about Rye and Sagittaria from last year. He did not know the full extent of their relationship, but they seemed to have fallen downright in love with each other between the first moment they appeared on TV and the last moment when Sagittaria had been forced to shoot Rye in the forehead. He did not suspect that he and Kiva were like that, but by jingo, those hormones were not one-sided. He could just tell.

Dezna slept well and eventually rolled out of bed--not literally the way Sagittaria would (though it was not like Dez would know this), but sort of lazily slouching his way out of bed till he was out. Zerviah's efforts and her wakeup call had also helped.
He pulled himself out of bed and played a bit with the Capitol showers before finishing his shower and donned his training uniform. These were rather simple; just black pants and a T-shirt, with sturdy boots and such--the usual brand of training outfit. These varied less so even than the uniforms of the arena. The arena uniforms were usually practical somehow for the arena, but he figured they'd find that out within a week.

As he put it on and glanced at the large number 6 emblazoned on each shoulder--another staple of the training uniforms (and often the arena uniforms as well), he too was reminded of what happened the previous night. his undressing had just been from fatigue, and he had admittedly gotten the better view--he saw most of Kiva, while she only saw his top half (well, and his feet, since he had been barefoot at the time). Still... part of him wanted to see that happen again... maybe after the interviews or something. He was a man of simple pleasures, and sometimes would let his hormones guide him in this regard.

It was not like he was some crazy horny sexual dynamo either. He was a growing boy, and his actions had swings every now and again, and being in such close proximity to a rather attractive young lady was taking its toll on him. Perhaps others were better at controlling it than he was (more power to them). He assumed that it might have been the drugs that gave both he and Kiva such erratic behaviors in that regard. He'd fit right in in the Capitol, but at the same time, didn't exactly want to become some sort of pawn or piece after becoming a victor. No... if he was their pawn in this game, he was going to fight his way through and reach the end so he could be promoted to a queen (metaphorically speaking--chess terms to be exact), rather than remain something nifty and expendable the way he currently was to them. Maybe he'd have to talk about it with Kiva one of these days before the arena.

Dezna emerged a few moments before Kiva, and was waiting for her (well, just waiting for whatever, really) by the time she appeared. She looked good, but then again, they both looked fairly good. the outfits were not flattering, but weren't ugly either--just plain and generic, which was probably the Captiol's slight attempt at "fairness". If each district got to choose their own design, District 1 would be the most appealing one each year. "it's fine." he smiled at her, "you certainly don't look hard on the eyes." he ran a hand through his soft but wild hair. Maybe there was symbolism there that had caused Felix to preserve his hair. He was a gentle character; soft and for the most part harmless, but at the same time, wild and unpredictable when he wanted to be. Maybe he was just thinking too hard.

"heh... fair enough." he quipped at Zerviah's remark, piling his plate with food. They were joined by Silas and the stylists a few moments later, and for the most part, Dez remained in a good mood. he had slept well, the crowds had loved him the previous night, (he had gotten to see a cute girl in her underclothes), and their mentor was quite happy with the tributes she had gotten. He didn't really have any complaints.

[Nachthexe]

Training. It had seemingly come and slapped Kiva right in the face. It was hard to imagine that less than two days ago she had still been in District 6. Now she was about to enter training for the tournament that could very well end her life. Perhaps it was that more than ever that had her not fearing death, but rather just living every day to the fullest. Death had a funny way of striking when one least expected it. Kiva up to this point had considered herself quite fortunate though as her parents and sister were still alive and well. At least they had been when she departed. Now there was really no way of knowing what they were up to. That arguably bothered her more than her own impeding death. At least her family would know her fate as she got slain in the arena. Hell, all of Panem would.

"I think I could be muddied up and still look flawless to you, Dezna." Kiva responded as she got out of her own thoughts and turned her attention towards her district partner. She wasn't quick to forget that this was the same boy who had been gawking at her just the night before as she got undressed. Of course there had been an element of awkwardness to it, but it had also managed to serve as another reminder that she had looks and the stylists had very clearly been playing on that also. It was just a shame that all of that was bound to go to waste the moment she entered the arena.

Even as the others came to the table the beginning of the meal was mostly eaten in silence until Kiva interrupted. "So any last minute advice we should know before going into training?" She asked, gazing up and down the table until finally settling her eyes on Zerviah. She wasn't also quick to forget that despite her and Dezna's willingness to take initiative of their own she was still an important lifeline, having gone through the Hunger Games once before. It didn't take a genius to know that watching it on screen and actually living it were two very different experiences.

Zerviah shrugged. "I think you two have been faring pretty well so just the same as before: do not provoke the others. Also, if anybody asks for alliances do not immediately accept. Sit back and examine them for a bit. That's rather important as tributes have been known to ask for alliances only to quickly stab their allies in the back, both literally and figuratively speaking." Kiva nodded, although she couldn't help but to chuckle at the last bit, suspecting it was a poor attempt by the mentor to make some sort of pun.

There wasn't really much else for Kiva to add to the discussion so she just continued eating, hoping that somebody else would bring something up. It didn't really matter though as there wasn't really much to say about the training until they had actually experienced it. Kiva was sure that even after the first day Zerviah would have plenty of feedback to offer. Keeping that in mind she went out to the elevator almost immediately after finishing up breakfast. Dezna was bound to follow momentarily so she didn't mind leaving him behind. It was only the flashing lights and buttons on the elevator that left Kiva slightly confused, but once she noticed the button emblazoned with a large letter T she knew that was the one to press. T for training. There was no mistaking that.

Naturally, Kiva let out a smirk upon realizing her suspicions had indeed been correct. The elevator had landed exactly where intended, the training centre. She suspected it was situated underground since immediately above ground level were the tribute apartments and she had definitely been moving downwards. The first feature she truly noticed though upon entering the room was the organization of the whole thing. Each different skill seemed to be separated into stations while still be further separated by type; weaponry was on one side of the room while survival was on the other. Not surprisingly, it seemed most tributes already present were making their way over to various kinds of weaponry. Kiva, however, went for trap building, figuring it would just be an extension of skills she already knew.

[Zulera301]

Training was just another step in the path that Dezna was treading. It was basically a warmup act between life in the district and life in the arena, even if 23 other kids would never return to the former from the latter. One of the things that Dezna liked especially about Kiva was that his views of death and losses seemed to be rubbing off on her, or maybe she was like that hand had only been concealing it prior to getting off the train after landing in the Capitol. Frankly, as long as his sister was okay, he'd be fine. on the other hand, maybe Arza wouldn't mind dying if Dezna did not return home the victor. After all, there were only two outcomes for a tribute in the Hunger Games--winning meant fame and glory; losing meant certain death.

"Flawless?" he chuckled, "nah, that seems contradictory. you might still look cute though." there had been times when girls back home had called him cute when he emerged after a long work day all sweaty and covered in oil, although perhaps to others that smell might offend. It didn't really offend too many in District 6 though. Yeah, his mind was drifting back to what he saw last night, and he wanted to see it again. He was pretty sure the stylists were playing on this too--and not just on her end. Then again, for all he knew Kiva could have thought that he was butt-ugly or something. He wouldn't worry either way, but it was something to think about.

There wasn't a whole lot else that he could say. Kiva asked Zerviah if she had any more advice for them, and so there was no need to repeat it other than to nod his head to show that he too was interested in any last minute advice. Granted, they would still be able to speak with her about advice regarding personal sessions, interviews, and of course, the arena itself, up until that final morning when they got shipped off to whatever arena there was waiting for them.

Dezna chuckled at the pun and instantly thought of District 2. Maybe he just had a selective memory, but it seemed that District 2 produced several tributes with a few loose bolts that were crazy-good with knives--both male and female. Either way, he'd find out about them sooner or later. He wasn't going to provoke anyone. He was not the type. Even with the way he had embarrassed Kiva, he felt that he had handled it fairly reasonably.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, and soon the two tributes were headed to the elevator to head down to the training center. Dezna assumed that either there were a lot of different elevator shafts, or maybe the buttons were somehow designed to prevent tributes visiting other district floors. He didn't think too hard about it though, because there was more important things to worry himself about. while he mesmerized himself with the shiny flashy lights, Kiva hit the button that took them to the training center. "thanks." he shrugged offhandedly; it was not an attempt to butter her up, but he saw it as a service, even if it was a tiny one.

"Welp..." he turned to her as they stepped out into the training center. There were about 8-10 tributes here, so that meant that there were some that hadn't shown up yet. "welcome to the week preceding the worst days of our lives." he chuckled, although there was a sordid truth to this. Chances were if anyone asked a victor what the worst days of their lives were, they'd mention the Hunger Games, or maybe even go specifically into an incident. Sagittaria, for example, still declared the day she had won the games to be the single worst day of her life, because she had been forced to kill the boy she had fallen in love with. Dezna wouldn't know this, but he figured that it wouldn't take much for life in a death arena to be among some of his suckiest days alive.
He followed her over to the trap building station, and before actually touching anything, he stepped this way and that, quietly analyzing things, and mentally envisioning them in his head before actually getting to work. Admittedly, Sagittaria's construction of a crossbow had given him ideas and inspiration, and apparently that was not against the rules either. This would be an interesting day for sure.

[Nachthexe]

Just as expected Dezna had followed Kiva to the elevator. Of course she didn't mind, but it gave her all the more encouragement to hold her head high and appear confident as she walked in. It was no mystery that in most years District 6 came across as an average district not worth paying extra attention to. This was an image Kiva didn't mind as it could potentially play into her own strategy, but she didn't want to appear too weak either. If she got lucky the others would only casually watch District 6.

Much to Kiva's delight nobody seemed to take much notice when she walked into the training room. Some of the others looked up from their own training to see who just entered the room, but beyond that, nothing. The final pair of careers, on the other hand, began to get all sorts of attention the moment they walked in. The District 2 pair. It was almost as if they were already celebrities, but the more likely reality was that they were feared so the others tried to respect them; get on their good side and they won't kill you first. It was some pretty sound logic since District 2 typically produced the strongest careers. Naturally, Kiva could only conclude it was due to the high level of discipline all of District 2 allegedly adhered to. "I hear they run that place like a god damn military base. They shoot you for stepping out of line." She remembered the input her sister had once offered about the place. Of course there was no way to confirm it, but being shot didn't seem too far-fetched. People were shot by Peacekeepers for many things, but usually not for anything trivial. At least that was how laws worked in District 6 and not even The Ghoul overstepped them.

"I'm not sure they even care we're here. District 6. Always so discreet in these games." Kiva blurted out, chuckling, as she wandered around the various stations with her partner. Of course the boy went on to make an even more relevant point of his own. The worst days of their lives? It couldn't even be closer to the truth. Even if death was something unavoidable the anticipation and suspense building up to it would be almost torturous. Naturally, most of the anticipation stemmed from Sagittaria's phrase. The girl had a point. One had to hope they were granted the privilege of being killed in the least painful way as possible. Some of the more gruesome deaths over the years still managed to make Kiva cringe even if she was mostly desensitized to it. Krystal's was one of the most recent and now she could only hope a similar fate didn't befall her. "You got that right. The worst days indeed. If we're lucky maybe we'll even die in the bloodbath." She responded, attempting to poke fun at the situation.

Both Kiva and Dezna quickly found themselves over at the trapping station. Allegedly the boy had the same mindset she did, to expand on skills they already possessed. It was later in the day Kiva intended to try something new. She wasn't sure just yet, but that was one of the factors that tended to make District 6 interesting to watch for some. The tributes always served as a sort of wild card in that nobody ever really knew what sort of skills they would be going into the arena with. Districts like 4 and 7 were much more predictable in their skill set. That was something Kiva realized she could possibly use to her advantage. Nobody can kill me if they have no idea how I'm even going to strike. She let out a smirk as she began effortlessly constructing a basic trap.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was his usual calm and confident self, just striding coolly and relaxed as he went this way or that. He was not necessarily holding his head high, but he was content enough to know that he wasn't bloodbath fodder--at least he hoped not. There was always the chance that other tributes could gang up on him. It made him think of Sagittaria. She probably went around telling stories about this one year where 23 other kids ganged up on one tribute to off him in the opening seconds or something.

The only ones really getting attention were Districts 1 and 2 as usual, and it was the typical fear and perhaps awe that the other tributes treated the careers with. Dezna couldn't help but spend an extra few seconds looking at the girl from '1. She was especially pretty, but from his days of watching Hunger Games footage, he had concluded that most girls from District 1 were really pretty. He wondered if there was green grass there... or if it was some kind of Paradise City compared to the other districts. It was said to be easily the most opulent district, considering its industry, although the wealth and lavishness of the Capitol dwarfed even District 1 by a longshot. Still... it was something to think about.
District 2 was similarly well off, but not lavishly rich--just well off and able to stay strong and powerful. He heard that there was lots of discipline and order, although he couldn't really imagine it being too strict. He sort of just imagined that they all got along in an orderly fashion and had no trouble staying loyal to the Capitol. If the Capitol had trusted the likes of '6 or '11 with that sort of freedom, Panem would drop down to ten districts almost instantly.

"not a bad thing." Dezna chuckled at Kiva's remark. "remember what happened last game when everyone overlooked the deaf girl from '12?" If there was any dead tribute from the 44th Hunger Games that would be remembered besides perhaps Rye, it would be Kyla. Sure Flint had gotten a 12 and had outlasted 20 other tributes, but he was a large boy and a career tribute, so people expected good things from him. Kyla, by contrast, was a scrawny, malnourished little youngster from Panem's most impoverished district, and the kid had shitty hearing and speech problems to boot. Maybe during Dezna's interview he would remark jokingly about how he's bracing himself for the worst time of his life. Every now and again tributes (usually from the outlying districts) would make a scathing remark about the 'games, and Caesar usually was able to spin that positively by remarking that it was dangerous and that you could trust no one. Besides, no amount of speaking out against the Hunger Games would stop them. This was a solid fact.
"well..." he chuckled again, "if we're going to get mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way... it'd be in the bloodbath. It'd be hoping our bodies would go into shock so we didn't feel anything as we died that would be the trickier part. May the odds be ever in our favor either way then."

At the trap and shelter building stations where he was surrounded with raw materials, Dezna got to work. he didn't seem to be building a standard trap, but he did seem to stop now and again to try and remember what he had seen from the footage. After a while, it became clear what he was building--he was trying to build a mechanized crossbow the same way Sagittaria had. incidentally, the archery station did seem a bit more popular after that, and a couple of tributes were even trying their hand at maces. it seemed that the more memorable tributes' weapons of choice always briefly jumped in popularity after the games.

[Nachthexe]

"What was her name again? Victoria?" Kiva asked as she noticed Dezna examining the District 1 girl. As usual, the girl almost immediately went to showing off to the others. Perhaps both as a way to prove her worth to the other careers and to instill fear in everybody else. Somehow Kiva suspected that after the incident the previous year it was going to take the District 2 careers a bit more to trust District 1 careers again. Krystal had been a rather interesting and unique case, even if she didn't know all the specific details surrounding it. Somehow she felt there were details about the exact nature of the girl's betrayal of her own that only the lone survivor from the 44th games, Sagittaria, knew.

Naturally, Dezna's next comment gave Kiva further hope that her own strategy could perhaps be effective. Sure she wasn't on the level Kyla had been, but she still happened to be from what was arguably one of the least important districts in the games. "I don't think she's about to be forgotten quickly. Those poor kids from District 12 have a lot to live up to this year." She commented as she glanced over at the District 12 tributes. Unsurprisingly, both appeared to be malnourished so Kiva was pretty much convinced that it was a norm there. It suddenly made her feel better about her own situation, being from one of the more "average" districts of Panem. It became clear that all districts were quite poor by Capitol standards though.

Death. There it was again. Kiva was also becoming convinced it was pretty much an unavoidable subject at this point. Both knew very well what was to come. If not by a blade or blunt then by the elements themselves. The most that could be done was hoping that Sagittaria's words would stand true as she laid dying in the arena somewhere. "Well if one of us makes it out of this mess then here's hoping the other dies quickly." She responded, chuckling. Ah, black humour. It had always been Sagittaria's tactic of choice and now some of it seemed to be rubbing off on Kiva.

It didn't take long for Kiva to realize what Dezna was constructing. It appeared to be a crossbow of some sort, certainly a reminder of Sagittaria's weapon of choice the year before. It became interesting to Kiva how parts of her seemed to had rubbed off on both of them, perhaps due to the fact they had both managed to meet her personally. Being in the right place at the right time. That had been some true luck right there and perhaps a more appropriate use of the Capitol's slogan for the games. "A lightning bow? Oh you..." Kiva blurted out as she patted her partner on the head. He didn't seem to mind and if anything it gave her inspiration to do some construction of her own. Not a bow per se, but a sort of contraption to launch projectiles. Depending on what sort of resources were available in the arena that too had potential to be deadly. Naturally, this was something that other tributes began eying with interest, something that Kiva caught onto quickly as a third person joined their little duo. A boy, District 5.

"Hello, interesting contraption you have there. I'm Albert, District 5." The boy didn't take long before he spoke up, revealing his name. He also turned his shoulder in such a way to reveal the number 5 that he wore suddenly making parts of his introduction redundant. Kiva had been hoping others wouldn't join in, but since this was training she was not really in any position to contest the boy's presence. He too had stuff to learn, after all.

[Zulera301]

"I think so." he nodded. it was a pretty name, in his opinion. She too was rather attractive, and he was not going to deny himself a few moments of staring. she was beautiful and deadly--just like the Capitol roses that often surrounded President Snow. It was rumored that the man dealt powerfully in poisons, and so it would make sense for his roses to be the same way. After all... things that appeared beautiful outside in Panem often sheltered secrets and death. Proof of this was the Hunger Games themselves. The lavish food, clothes, ceremonies, and rituals made it seem like a rather glorious thing, but all of these things were just sugar-coating the deaths of 23 children whose only real crime was existing in this period of time under this regime.

Dezna chuckled. "I concur. I think that's one of the first time people might try to be more like a dead tribute--well, minus the dying part of course." he chuckled. Neither one looked big and strong the way the careers did, but like hell was he going to just dismiss them. If nothing else, they did not appear scared--they almost appeared to harbor stern expressions of some sort. It didn't look like a grudge--if anything, Dezna might have said they looked a bit feral. All he knew about District 12 was that they were notoriously poor and malnourished, and that apparently some of them took up hunting. Still... it made Dezna also feel more content about his lot in life. Things could always be worse, but he knew never to say that out loud--that was just asking for misfortune; nay, begging for it.

"May the odds be ever in our favor indeed then." Dezna chuckled. He wondered if Sagittaria knew that she might have started a trend of black humor in District 6--or maybe it had just been chance that both tributes from that district had enjoyed it. For Saj anyways, laughing and joking were some of the ways he'd cope with the trauma she suffered in the games. For Dezna, it was a nice way to get his mind off of his current lot in life, although it had been that way back home to. Drugs were his first choice, but since those were not available here, he made do with what he had.

Dezna chuckled as Kiva ruffled his hair. It was as soft and fluffy as he had described; even smelling like some sort of flower or something (thanks to the Capitol's shampoos or whatnot). Arza had alwyas liked to play with Dezna's hair.
He continued working on it, spending ample amounts of time on it. He was mentally envisioning the sort of things he would need to build, and since there was an ample supply or metal scraps here, he was able to build something rather functional. He figured that if he had a wind-up mechanism that could quickly pull the string back, it would be dramatically helpful. Adding mechanisms to the pull-back trigger would in turn help him rotate his ring of bolts, where cocking it would rotate the revolving sockets where he could in turn place bolts. As he continued to build this thing, he also became aware that he probably would not find the materials to be able to build this in the arena, but that didn't stop him.
Dezna seemed to exemplify District 6 quite well. He was slightly odd, and easy to overlook, but those who took the time to know the boy would learn that there was a mystery and allure to him, just as there was to District 6. Stories said (or maybe that was just Sagittaria again) that District 6 was considered one of the most mysterious districts in Panem, only beaten out by District 5. On the other hand, Dezna was similarly brilliant-minded, but marched to his own beat--They cared nothing for Capitol rule, but at the same time, did not seem to care about rebelling either (or that might have been the drugs). Still, it was a nice little analogy.

His train of thought (no pun intended) was derailed for a moment though as he heard a voice. He glanced behind him to see a boy with a 5 on his shoulders, and a few feet behind them, staring in their direction was a tall girl from District 4. She was definitely out of hearing range, but she was clearly watching them, a pair of wicked-looking daggers in her hands. When the boy introduced himself though, Dezna turned to face him.
"Thanks. Dezna Meraxa, District 6, by the way." he turned his shoulder. He might have been a tad bit redundant, but it made enough sense to return the introduction, so to speak. "Where's your partner at?" he was not trying to say this to shake him off; he was just curious as to where the boy's partner was. Usually district partners stuck together on the first day of training unless they were embittered rivals or something. He imagined Flint and Krystl had been that way. Shit, imagine that train ride... he shook his head and tried not to think about nit, also scanning his eyes to see if he could find a girl with a '5 on her shoulders.

[Nachthexe]

"Well if somebody can fight like Kyla I would be keeping my distance from them." Kiva responded, chuckling. She realized Dezna had a point though. There was a good chance that possibly more than just District 12 would be taking inspiration from her. Of course the whole thing seemed ironic to Kiva as District 12 was never known as a district anybody felt had anything valuable to offer. Even the coal itself seemed like a non-essential resource as there was District 5. Power. Certainly electricity didn't require coal in any way. There was of course the other possibility that District 12 didn't mine coal at all and that it was merely a cover for something else, but rumours had no way of being confirmed.

Dezna very quickly found himself hard at work on building his crossbow. It made Kiva realize just how skilled the boy was. As he implemented various intricate details she suddenly knew that he hadn't been kidding at all when he said he could build. Sure Kiva knew she could too, but perhaps Dezna easily topped her. It didn't take her long to reminded of her district token though that remained back in her room, the lone gear on a chain her mother had presented to her moments before they were separated for perhaps the final time. It was outdated technology, but now she could see obvious symbolism in more ways than one. I must always keep working hard to move forward, but I can also build things... Thanks, mother. Had it been an intentional hint? At this point there was no way of knowing.

Naturally, thoughts of home and family began to fill Kiva's head, only to be interrupted by the sudden presence of the District 5 boy. She honestly didn't mind having him around much and nor did Dezna, judging by the way he had introduced himself without hesitation. "Kiva Rivnay, also District 6." Kiva took his lead and did the same, although she wasn't sure just how friendly to get with the boy. Zerviah's advice was always in the back of her head.

"So metalwork? I've done a bit of that myself at home. I can't claim to be great at it though." Albert spoke after several moments of continuing to examine Dezna's work on the bow. The District 6 boy's relative ease with with metal didn't come as a surprise to him, realizing that each piece of Panem's transportation was just giant sheets of metal smeltered together. Of course that was the simple explanation of the process, but it was fitting in Albert's mind who was more used to working around power plants and electricity.

As much as the boy slightly began to come across as nosy Kiva genuinely didn't mind having him around. If anything he was company for the time being and it was probably no shock to anybody in the room that District 6 tributes would have at least some skill with metal. Keeping that in mind, she too worked vigorously on the project of her own. In the end she had managed to construct a functioning contraption, even if she was doubtful about being able to reproduce it again in the actual arena. Resources were bound to vary and if the previous year was anything to go by then she knew it was going to be tough. Realizing that, she let out a small frown before beginning the process of dismantling it. Of course, not before the station attendant got a good look and nodded in approval.

[Zulera301]

Dezna laughed. "that makes two of us. No wonder it took the Careers so long to fight Rye's Alliance" he indicated. Even if Sagittaria was the survivor, Rye had kind of been the leader of it, so it was a nickname that he used for it (even if he had admittedly made it up on the spot). "they probably found out that the serial killer among them was from District 12 and steered clear." He remembered the girl's words from her interview, because he had had to rewatch it a few times just to make sure he had heard her correctly. Her lack of appeal before the games had been the reason she had not gotten any sponsors till she had displayed herself as a truly ruthless killer. Even the alliance with Saj and Rye had been temporary after all. Dezna was fairly certain that girl would have turned on them if it had come to that--not the way she did against the careers, but in a "business" sort of way.

Dezna paused at one point, glancing down at his right wrist, where his tribute token, a wire bracelet, sat. He wondered if he would be able to unwind it or something, but it not only seemed impractical, but the 'wire' was the very sturdy kind and it was not very much to do anything with. Truth of the matter was that this bracelet had just come from the scrapyard, but he wore it all the time. he could loosen it to remove it if he got his hands wet or something so that water didn't seep between the wire and rust it to high heel and back or something.
however, it was ultimately like his numerous ear piercings--just bits of metal that were not big enough to have any practical use. He had five of them total--dangling studs from each lobe, and the remaining ones were rings that adorned the upper ridge of his ear--two on his right ear, one on his left. He seemed to be the only tribute with pierced ears, but he wasn't really looking.

Dezna loaded some more bolts into his mechanical crossbow, which he was now trying to give a "rapid-fire" feature as Kiva introduced himself to the boy. He didn't answer Dezna's question, but that was okay. He noticed that girl from District 4 was still watching them from the distance in silence, but was more focused on Albert and Kiva, who were right next to them.

"well, I couldn't tell you the first thing that goes into powering Panem, so I guess it's just an industry barrier." Dezna chuckled. He was not a judgmental person at all, and he showed that quite often. He pulled the mehcanical crossbow up, pointed it at a stump, cocked it a few times, and then let fly. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM. the shots came out a little faster than normal. He smirked. "not bad... if I tuned this up a bit more... things would happen." he set it down and then turned to see what Kiva was doing. He obviously couldn't take his creation with him, so he left it there after carving his name into the side, so that anyone who walked by and saw this thing would know who made it. Even the supervisor of the station seemed rather impressed, and he looked it over to ensure that it wasn't rigged to sabotage any other tributes. After realizing it was okay, he too left it there.

At the moment, Dezna was kind of just seeking entertainment, which he found in building things. He was curious to see what his partner was building now, and so he asked.
"whatcha building?" he asked simply. He would probably switch stations soon either way, but for now he'd stick around.

[Nachthexe]

"How could they have known though? She stayed hidden for a good portion of the games." Kiva interjected, noting that Dezna seemed pretty confident that the careers had feared Kyla. she couldn't quite recall all the finer details of the 44th games and unless there was something the Capitol hadn't shown then the boy's theory didn't make complete sense. She wasn't about to question it too much though, already feeling as if she had killed the mood.

"Oh yes, of course. I can certainly say I cannot swim as those District 4 kids can. I better watch my words though or the Capitol will be throwing us all into a huge water tank." Albert chuckled in response to Dezna. District barriers. They certainly did exist and oftentimes in the games they were used by various districts to gain an advantage. Nobody in District 5, for example, was quick to forget the battle in one of the very early games that had occurred between one of their own and the District 4 boy at a lakeside. Naturally, early on the District 4 boy had gained a significant advantage, being able to swim. He had managed to nearly drown his opponent before she had managed to make use of various electrical components she had handy. Eventually when she had gotten out of the water her opponent remained behind, believing himself to still have the upper hand. Next thing he had known he and everything else in the lake were being zapped by many volts of electricity. Within a few seconds the District 4 boy was dead, leaving the District 5 girl to walk free. At least that was how the story was told in District 5 and the girl responsible had ultimately been struck down later on. She allegedly came in second and wasn't quickly forgotten.

"A water tank? I suppose that wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for all the bloodshed." Kiva chuckled as she responded to the boy. Of course she knew people in her own district weren't swimmers, but there was something almost relaxing sounding too about being thrown into a huge tank of water. In any other circumstances besides the Hunger Games it was something she was finding herself likely not minding at all. She imagined herself in such a tank intoxicated and floating around in the nude. Of course, her current reality was much different so she instead found herself focusing again on her current project.

"Just watch. It launches projectiles." Kiva found Dezna quickly developing interest in her project once it was completed. To demonstrate its function she picked up on of the scraps and placed inside the contraption. Within seconds she pulled back on it and watched as the scrap embedded itself in the backdrop of the station. "Not bad. That would have been fatal had it been a human head I think." She uttered as she too witnessed her handiwork in action for the first time. Naturally, the District 5 boy became all the more intrigued, but had training of his own to attend to so didn't stick around for much longer after Kiva had dismantled her creation. As much as she had wanted to keep it constructed she didn't want to take the risk of others using her as inspiration. Last thing she needed were other tributes chasing after her while using her own weapons against her.

After a few more survival stations Kiva found herself finally making her way over to the side of the room that had various weapons. Most different varieties were already being used so she just settled for what seemed to be the least popular at the moment. Swords. It came as a slight surprise to her as she always recalled seeing many tributes using them, but instead bows and heavy weapons such as maces seemed to be getting most of the attention. She could only suspect it had something to do with a mace having been Rye's weapon of choice the previous year, while Sagittaria's had been a bow. It made her smile slightly though to see that at least one of the District 12 kids seemed to be faring quite well with a sword.

[Zulera301]

he chuckled. "well I dunno. I was just assuming that. Maybe there was something else the Capitol doesn't show us." he shrugged, but was not necessarily trying to prove his theory here. he had just spouted it without really caring about how true or not it was. He was no storyteller the way Sagittaria was (who probably would have said that Kyla could strike fear into President Snow or something wild and absurd like that), but it didn't mean he didn't know how to make up theories.

"I'm pretty sure that '4 is the only one with access to that much water anyways," Dezna added with a chuckle. Speaking of District 4, he glanced behind them to see that while that tall girl from District 4 was at a different station, she was watching them again. It didn't exactly sit well with him, but he was not about to go over and provoke her or anything. He remembered Zerviah's advice about not provoking other tributes, especially not strong ones. "Though it doesn't always work in their favor, eh?" he chuckled at Albert, referencing the story that was probably about as legendary in District 5 as Kyla's now was in District 12. He knew the one--he and his sister had watched that one before.

"oooh." he chuckled. "that does sound appealing." he imagined it too now, also picturing himself in his shorts, although that was simply out of practicality (wet clothes were no fun), rather than anything else. Okay, so he also imagined swimming around with Kiva with them both in their smalls. That would have been cool--no pun intended. It would be even cooler if they were high at the time or something. He kind of hoped there was a lake now in the arena somewhere. He wanted to try this swimming thing out, even if it jeopardized him a little. It might be worth it.

Dezna watched Kiva's little contraption, and decided to match it. He picked up that massive crossbow, flipped a few switches to unfold it, and then wound it up and let a few bolts loose. one hit the mark; the others were a bit off. "I guess I'd need to work on my aim then..." he chuckled. He frowned slightly as she dismantled her creation, but he left his be. Sure others could use it, but he had put a good couple of hours of work into that thing, and he had spent hours watching and rewatching the brief clips of Sagittaria building her bow in the previous games. On top of all that, he worked with these kinds of schematics for a living. He doubted that his contraption would be able to get replicated. Besides, he had built it in a specific order, and couldn't just be dismantled like a jigsaw puzzle. the process would be very specific if anyone were to try.

Dezna kind of followed Kiva around mostly out of being too lazy to decided where to go himself, but sooner or later he found himself at the weapons station. "I didn't know you used swords," he shrugged with a chuckle as he himself took a few knives up. He also noticed that bows and maces were popular this year, clearly because of the stellar performance from District 11 the previous year. He glanced over and saw more than just the District 7 tributes using axes as well. The girl from District 12 was over here as well--perhaps trying to live up to the girl that had preceded her. Then again, Kyla had proven herself lethal with multiple weapons. Axes had just been her favorite.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva suddenly got wondering. What was the Capitol not showing the districts? Censorship was common so it would come to no surprise if the games were being censored as well even before they were broadcasted in the districts. As everybody knew, despite it occurring in real time, the footage itself was delayed. It would be impossible to keep everybody up watching it twenty-four hours a day, after all. Certainly something was cut, most likely the dull parts where tributes sat around strategizing or sleeping. Unless there was something occurring the Capitol didn't want districts seeing... It was hard for Kiva to imagine what sort of things would give the Capitol incentive to censor, nor was it something she was about to ask Zerviah upon arriving back in the apartment.

"All that water. I gotta say I'm envious. Imagine being able to go for a swim in the ocean waves after a long day of work. Wouldn't it just be the greatest?" Kiva mused, once again imagining herself in a body of water. It was odd really. Despite having grown up so distant from it, Kiva quickly found herself growing fond of the idea of swimming. Unfortunately for her it was something she would probably never get to experience unless she got lucky in the arena. As she recalled most years the arena had bodies of water, rather large ones. That didn't stop them from occasionally going the more sadistic route, however, and expecting tributes to fight to the death over scarce water sources. It was a way to get action and it was always extremely successful. The previous games have had plenty of action though so she didn't see any reason for the Capitol to add that card into the deck this round.

Kiva nodded in approval as Dezna then shot a few bolts from his crossbow. Just like he admitted, his aim was off, but she figured that would come in time. Besides, they had all week to practice those sorts of things. Either way if one of those ended up in somebody's body it was bound to do significant damage. She quickly remembered that in the Hunger Games getting a kill every time was not necessarily the goal, but rather getting out of each encounter alive. To Kiva, that meant even fleeing from battle was acceptable and inflicting pain was a way to do so quickly if past games were anything to go by.

"I didn't. Not until now at least." Kiva chuckled when Dezna questioned her weapon choice. Swords. It did seem rather unusual for a District 6 tribute, but then again her district was full of surprises. Just as she had realized earlier District 6 was rarely consistent in the same way districts like 4 and 7 were. It was pretty well expected, after all, that a tribute from District 4 was going into the games wielding a trident or spear of some sort. The same stood true of District 7 with axes. There were plenty of rumours that they even learned to wield axes from quite a young age.

Kiva had managed to only get minimal practice of her own in before the girl from District 12 managed to capture her attention. It became very evident to Kiva that she was strongly attempting to live up to her predecessor. So far she only seemed to have minimal success, but Kiva was admittedly impressed by her speed; such a weak and malnourished body managed to move quickly! That was at least something to make her mentor proud, whoever they were. It was almost certain that the District 12 mentor had been using Kyla as an example to live up to as well. Besides, who wouldn't? The girl had genuinely been a rarity for her district, even if her partner and brother had died so quickly. That alone though almost made Kiva feel better that Kyla hadn't won. What would she had done without her brother? The human side of the games that the Capitol so often overlooked was beginning to show once again.

[Zulera301]

Dezna knew that there was just no possible way to show the entire Hunger Games at once. After all, there were 24 tributes, not all of whom were together at the same time except during the opening minutes, and each of them still lived a 24-hour day, which meant that in order to switch from one tribute to another, the Capitol had to cut out some time from one tribute or another. He figured that things like eating or sleeping might get cut out, and only the most actiony parts were kept in. After all, this was several days condensed into a couple of hours, though the Capitol did likely have "extended editions". So censorship was inevitable, and perhaps anything potentially rebellious was cut.

"yes." Dezna answered in straight-up agreement. "maybe they'll have something like that in our arena. They always need to have some kind of water source, after all." tributes without water meant that the games would only last a day or two, which would not give the Capitol any show at all, because thirst could do a kid in fairly quickly, and so even the strongest and most resilient tributes would be too fatigued to fight after a while. Similar to sleep, water was one of those things that the Capitol "in their merciful benevolence", as they would surely say, always allowed the tributes to have to some degree. Now, if other tributes prevented some from getting such things, that was their own deal, and not the Capitol's fault. Dezna saw the logic in all of that. That didn't make it any less wrong though.

Dezna was not worried much about scoring kills. He highly doubted he would beat Rye's score even, let alone Kyla's. An injury to his enemy meant that there was a chance he could escape until next time, where they would be that much weaker unless the Capitol sponsored them some medicine or something. He did not plan on going down the hyper-aggressive route that the career tributes were surely planning on treading. Instead, he wanted to be one of those cunning tributes who outwitted everyone else and made his way to victory. It was a rather motivating thought because if he won, he'd be able to see his sister again, and they'd have more freedom to do whatever they damn well pleased and build stuff in a giant cool mansion. It sounded like a pretty good life.

"I guess you could say the same about me and knives." he chuckled, twirling a dagger in his hand. "it's good to mix things up a bit though." That was one advantage the urban districts had--they did not have set specialties the way some other districts did. '3 for example, almost always had these crazy gadgets; '2 would usually go for big swords or knives; '4 would take spears and tridents, '7 would take axes, and there was even a little predictability in District 12, which liked bows. Of course, if the rumors were true about them slipping through their fence to hunt wild game, it would make sense for bows to be a favorite.
Then again, that tall girl from District 4 was over swinging a double-bladed polearm at the target dummies around her, so maybe she was trying to branch out from spears? She intrigued Dezna simply because he had noticed her watching them for a while. It seemed she had finally put her attention elsewhere.

"So are we keeping this little alliance at two?" he asked her curiously. He was bold enough and familiar enough with Kiva to suggest that the two of them allying was kind of a given at this point, but he was not sure if she wanted other allies or not. Part of Dezna's charm came from his ability to listen to people, or sometimes even take their words as advice or as instruction. Another thing that he and Saj had in common? He remembered seeing Rye lead the little group for a while, and then it was Kyla... Kyla of all people--the girl who had always been overshadowed by her older brother, only to outperform him (and 21 other tributes) spectacularly in the 44th Hunger Games. If Dezna died, he at least wanted to be remembered somehow like that.

[Nachthexe]

"My thoughts exactly. If there's anything I know about the Capitol by now it's that they enjoy their entertainment. That is logic enough for them to prolong our suffering." Kiva mused, being reminded once again just what this whole thing entailed. It was common knowledge that the tributes' suffering provided entertainment for the Capitol so naturally they wouldn't want it to end quickly. Not providing enough water would result in exactly that: a lackluster show without much action. Aside from all that though, to Kiva, it also served as a reminder of her own vulnerability. Hell, the vulnerability of every human being. That was something the Capitol very much seemed to be trivializing in their own lust for innovative entertainment.

Like Kiva, Dezna too found himself experimenting with new weapons choices. In his particular case it was knives and it made Kiva truly wonder if he had used knives much at home. While she had personally owned a pocket knife she knew not everybody in the district did. It was odd really as the knife had served as more of a sentimental item rather than one with any practical use. That was something the girl suddenly found herself regretting as the skills could have been valuable here. "I had a knife back at home. It's a shame I rarely had to use it as it could have been a valuable skill." She shrugged as she confessed her dilemma to Dezna. On the bright side the knives here seemed heavily and larger though so any skills picked up at home would have likely not been of much use.

Kiva coincidentally took note of the District 4 girl as Dezna asked about alliances. She wasn't sure what her deal was, but she seemed to have interest of some sort in the District 6 pair. Perhaps their entrance at the parade had garnered some tribute attention after all, but Kiva wasn't looking forward to discovering whether it was positive or negative. She gazed around the room and so far didn't really notice anybody else keeping their attention on her and her partner. Not surprisingly, however, the District 1 boy seemed to be keeping a close watch on both District 11 tributes.

"As it stands now it's obviously just the two of us, but if somebody wants to join later I'm certainly not opposed." Kiva finally responded to Dezna's question after several moments of examining the District 1 boy and both District 11 tributes. They too very obviously noticed the boy's death glares in their direction so Kiva knew those two were bound to find somebody to ally with sooner or later, regardless of who it was. It was doubtful, after all, that District 11 could manage to take down the career pack. Sure it had happened the year before, but that had been a rare exception. This year the girl, Daisy, only seemed average at best with the bow she was attempting to wield.

As the training day wore on Kiva found herself feeling both fatigued and hungry. This prompted her to stop what she was doing and go for lunch. Somehow she felt Dezna wouldn't be opposed to the idea either, despite the fact both had been showing vast improvement in their chosen skills for the day. That seemed to be true for most tributes except for maybe the careers who already had immense skill in whatever they were choosing to show off. That alone made them fierce competition nearly every year; if they didn't win then they almost always made it into the final few. Flint himself had placed fourth, only being beaten out by Kyla by mere minutes. Even that placement was rare for a career, particularly one as lethal as Flint had been. Still, Kiva wasn't afraid. She stood by the fact that death was something everybody faced sooner or later, perhaps a view from Dezna that begun to rub off on her also. She took note of it as she took off towards the training centre's dining hall.

[Zulera301]

"yup." Dezna agreed, "and y'know... I bet if you know what the Capitol looks for for entertainment, you might be able to gain their favor even if we don't get stellar training scores. I'm pretty sure Sagittaria last year was considered quite the source of entertainment in more ways than one." The charm that Rye and Sagittaria had produced had made them insanely popular from the get-go. To top it off, they had been "the lovers from District 11", and that had made things rather dramatic after one had been forced to kill the other. A great deal of that scene seemed to be cut out, but Dezna, in his detail-oriented little mind, had noticed something that a lot of the Capitol might have overlooked in the editting. In the one scene shortly before Kyla's death, she was in a rather calm mood, and then suddenly she was crying through the rain as she pulled the bow back. He did not know what else had happened that day, but it was clear that Sagittaria had been distraught.

Dezna found the knives rather amusing, and so similar to the building station, he took his time here to play with them a bit. "heh," he chuckled at Kiva's remark, "I had a bunch of metal scraps... maybe I shoulda made weapons out of those or something, eh?" It was abundantly clear at this point that Dezna and Arza had been hoarders of sorts, and this was even fairly well known back in the district. If there was one thing that Dezna seemed to have going for him at the moment, it was speed. He was aware and alert, and maybe it had been from the drugs, but the boy had very swift reflexes and reaction times.

A brief survey of the room told him a few things--that District 4 girl seemed to be skilled with lots of different weapons, but that she seemed to be partial towards axes. The boy from District 1 seemed to have a death wish for those kids from '11, and he hoped that he could remain uninvolved for that one. He noticed the tributes from District 3, as well as the girl from '12, over at the station where he had left that crossbow. All three of them seemed to be analyzing it with interest, but he grinned slyly as he noticed that they didn't seem to know how to work it.

"That's what I assumed as well." he shrugged, following Kiva's line of sight back to the District 11 pair. Just because this year's tributes were not Rye Grove and Sagittaria Svenja did not mean that the district had lost its charm. No, it was still a rather likeable district, or so Dezna figured at least. They would probably not die alone, even if they were totally unable to fill the shoes of Rye and Sagittaria, based on the decent-but-not-spectacular way they were wielding their weapons. Then again, Dezna was not doing too dazzling with anything else besides those knives either, so maybe he couldn't complain.

After a few hours, he showed little improvement in anything but the knives. He did do pretty well at an obstacle course, but decided to conceal his agility until the private sessions. Whatever the case, he was hungry, and was pretty sure that Kiva was thinking the same thing. He was pleased to see that no one had been able to figure out his mechanical crossbow, but there was always tomorrow, perhaps. Besides, it would be difficult to repeat in the arena. Even Sagittaria's weapon had broken before the most significant battle had occurred--the fight that had caused so many upsets--the career pack all were ousted from the final three positions, with District 12 taking 3rd and District 11 taking 2nd (and obviously 1st). He doubted that would repeat itself this year--well, besides the obvious desire for District 6 to take a victor home named Dezna Meraxa.
"Lunch." he nodded. "Yes, lunch is good." he chuckled, and followed her towards the dining hall. a few tributes were already there, but not too many, and they were all scattered this way or that except for the District 3 pair and the girl from '12. Dezna loaded his tray up and sat down at an unoccupied table with Kiva. For now there was silence, but that was only because hew as busy eating.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva began thinking hard. What sort of qualities did the Capitol look for in their entertainment? Certainly humour was a big one, as Sagittaria had managed to prove the year before. Kiva knew she wasn't particularly funny the way Sagittaria had been, but she had wit. That too had potential to produce a laugh or two. It made Kiva realize that perhaps the interviews were bound to be not so bad. All a tribute had to do was play directly into the Capitol's idea of entertainment, after all, and luckily they seemed quite easily entertained.

It didn't come as a huge surprise to Kiva when Dezna mentioned hoarding scraps. They were all over the district, after all. Those who didn't make use of them in the workplace often threw them aside, hoping others would make better use of them. Among those people, of course, had been Kiva, even if she never actually kept many of her creations. She was not a hoarder even if her room was large enough to allow for it. Regardless though she knew her experience finally had a useful purpose. "I had scraps at home. Sometimes my sister and I would gather them up and build things. It was one of our favourite pastimes when we were younger."

Dezna's attention quickly shifted to the District 11 pair as well as Kiva continued examining them. The more she continued examining them the more it became clear they were no Rye and Sagittaria. They at least appeared to be able to fight, but it was doubtful they were victor material. Kiva was almost certain the careers as well would only work to confirm that. Vengeance between the two appeared very evident and it hardly came as a surprise. Naturally, it was something Kiva didn't dare even inquire about. It was not her fight and perhaps selfishly she hoped to be the one making it out alive.

As time wore on Dezna was becoming quite competent with knives. That gave Kiva some hope for a District 6 victor, even if minimal. Her own skills with various forms of weaponry so far were only showing themselves to be average, but anything above struggling was a step in the right direction; those who struggled were always offed quickly and Kiva realized it was quite easy to distinguish who the weaker tributes were. It was something that really began to show right from the moment they stepped into the arena, which even her intoxicated mind could see through.

The pair sat down for lunch alone. Realistically, Kiva didn't expect any of the others to join them, but she wasn't about to contest if they did. She knew it would definitely not be the careers; they typically favoured the strong and clever tributes and Kiva didn't see she nor Dezna particularly standing out. If anything, in the unlikely case they did ask for alliance she would be flattered. One could dream. "After lunch I suggest we switch to some of the other stations. A diverse skillset could be more useful for us I think since we don't really seem to have a specialization." Kiva suggested as she ate lunch, although she felt it was more relevant to her than to Dezna. He had his knives and so far he seemed to be displaying exceptional skill. What did she have? Knowledge of building and perhaps agility she was hesitant to show off for obvious reasons. Fortunately there were still several days to develop a specialization.

[Zulera301]

Kiva and Dezna really were more alike than he first thought--not quite as alike as he and Arza, but still pretty close. They were both a bit odd, but were both clever, fast, witty, and good-looking. Maybe he could use his witty charm and good looks on the Capitol. Perhaps some of it would hinge on what they dressed him in. Most of the interview outfits were formal attire of some sort rather than strange or garish costumes the way the parade outfits were, so he'd worry about that when it came. He was good at using things around him to his advantage, but first he had to know what they were, which was why he also kept an open mind regarding the arena. He worked best under pressure anyways.

There were a handful of black markets in District 6, (which might have also explained the drug and Morphling endemic), and it was part of the reason District 6 really brought to life the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure". It was easy to find discarded scraps of metal or other things, and potentially valuable parts could be found among the refuse. Of course, there was also "The 'Yard", which was where the old hovercrafts and trains and the occasional car would end up after years of reliable (or otherwise) service. The Capitol always wanted the best of the best, and so while many of these machines would likely last a few more years, they were instead torn apart and a lot of it was recycled.
"That still is one of my favorite pastimes." he chuckled, "me and my sister always used to build and hoard stuff. Maybe if you win my sister can give you the tour or something." Yep, even now he was still taking the idea of dying rather lightly. It truly seemed nothing could faze this boy.

A lot of things were making him curious at the moment--the enmity between District 1 and District 11 was one; the alliance between District 3 and District 12 was another; and that District 4 girl was yet another. It did not seem like a vehement thing the way the District 1 boy glared at the District 11 tributes. Besides--the tributes from '4 last year were killed by District 11 (Rye), and District 12 (Kyla). Rather, her expression was a peculiar mix between interested and curious. Well, it was either that or she was checking him out. he ran his hand through his hair and winked at her. She chuckled, shaking her head playfully before spinning around and throwing an axe deftly through a holographic dummy that had almost come up behind her.

Dezna might not have been a weapons expert or even a jack of many trades, but he was fairly decent with those knives. As long as he had a crutch or two that he could lean back on, he'd be good. Those who did not have something they were at least competent at were always the first to go. It made him wonder about '9 and '10 a bit. One would think that sickles and butcher knives respectively would be something they were good at, but who knows? He decided not to worry about it. District 6 was what mattered right now.

Dezna was fine with eating alone--well, alone with Kiva. She was the only one that was close enough to be called a friend at the moment, and so he was fine with the size of the group. He did wonder about alliances, and that tall, strong girl from District 4 came to his mind briefly. A boy could dream too, after all. Speak of the devil, she had just walked in, and sure enough, she glanced at them, but then over towards the tributes form District 2 and District 5, then over to where '7 and '8 were, and finally over towards the '3-'12 alliance for a moment before finally seating herself in a corner away from everyone else, getting a full view of the lunchroom.
"Sounds good to me." he shrugged upon hearing Kiva's suggestion. "any suggestions, or do we just find something that the careers haven't completely overrun?" he chuckled. He was decent enough with the knives, or with sharp objects, and his agility was something he was saving. There was a reason he called himself Dezna Lightning, after all.

[Nachthexe]

If she won? Those words stood out to Kiva like a sore thumb. It almost seemed as if Dezna was already surrendering, but surely she was just over-thinking it? Besides, she knew it was unlikely either of them would win. Not when the careers had clearly been flaunting their superior skills. If anything, it served as another reminder to not get too worked up over the prospect of dying. Everybody had their time sooner or later and Kiva saw hers upcoming in the arena. "Well that's awfully generous, but me surviving? I'd be rather surprised if it came to that, I gotta admit." Kiva found herself blurting out to her district partner.

Unsurprisingly, the District 4 girl still seemed to have interest in Dezna. This was only further confirmed in Kiva's mind as she entered the lunch room. Sure it subconsciously brought on a burst of jealousy, but Kiva knew it was futile to dwell on it even if hormones said otherwise. Besides, the girl was from District 4 while he was from District 6 so such a meeting would be impossible anyway. At least it further confirmed the fact that many people so far found the District 6 tributes attractive. That in itself served as a form of flattery, but it also served as a reminder of the sort of fate good-looking victors were often subjected to. At least according to rumours, but Kiva didn't put it past the Capitol to engage in prostitution.

It wasn't long before Kiva attempted to divert Dezna's attention back towards their own training sessions. He seemed to agree with her original suggestion, much to her delight. In training there was little to loose so she figured it was best to give it everything they had. "The careers seem to have their set patterns. We can just counter that, although I'm thinking of trying out those spears. Oddly enough that District 4 girl seems to have hardly touched them. I'm not sure about the boy though." Kiva shrugged as she tried to think up a viable strategy. The careers were the obvious danger and there was a good chance they knew how to counter most skillsets. Ah, the perks of training for years beforehand. It was something Kiva still wasn't sure how the careers districts got away with exactly. Perhaps their loyalty to the Capitol gave the Peacekeepers less incentive to really monitor daily activity within their vicinity, unless the Capitol simply didn't care because of the fact they were loyal.

The rest of lunch was eaten with Kiva mostly in silence. Between Dezna's ideas and her own thoughts she found herself loss for words. Initially it hadn't seemed like much, but now the Hunger Games was proving itself to be one hell of a taxing event. Rest was only a luxury, evidently even during training. One had to be fully prepared mind and body if they wanted to come out the lone victor and as the day further wore on Kiva realized this. Spear-throwing had been particularly riveting for her as she quickly learned it too was even more difficult than it initially appeared. Fortunately by the end of the day she had managed to develop adequate skill with the spears despite being unsure if it would even manifest in the arena. "Well I'd say we were pretty damn successful for day one." She uttered to Dezna, sweating as she left the room and made her way to the elevator that would escort her back to the District 6 quarters.

The District 6 quarters. Oddly enough it had become the one place where Kiva felt comfortable now. Despite still not having warmed up entirely to Silas she realized she was quite fond of the others. Even the stylists seemed like great people, but perhaps that was just her own bias coming into play as they were the ones making her look presentable enough to face the Capitol crowds, after all. They also remained quite mysterious. At least Flavia did, although Kiva suspected that was more so due to the woman's inability to speak than anything. Despite the obviously disability though Kiva found herself admittedly impressed by the woman's level of non-verbal communication; she instructed somebody to do something and they pretty much knew immediately. Felix in particular appeared to have a deep understanding of his mute partner and Kiva could only suspect it had been that resulting in them being paired together in the first place.

"Good first day? Yes, good first day! I would hate to hear otherwise, considering how exerted you clearly are!" Silas bellowed as soon as an exhausted Kiva took a seat at the table. Even in her current state she couldn't help but to let out a beaming smile at the man. Sure he was an ignorant Capitol citizen, but even he managed to have his moments. Kiva began to suspect that flamboyance and cheerfulness was part of the job description of being a Hunger Games escort. At least they had all seemed that way over all her years of being force to watch the Reapings, the only time the escorts were ever really shown on screen besides the entrance from the train platform to the tribute apartments.

[Zulera301]

he chuckled. "well, there's always a chance. Not that I'm ruling myself out or anything." It wasn't anything personal, but he wanted to go home too and instead of a grand tour he just wanted to go back to building stuff and hoarding like he and Arza had done for years. Imagine being able to hoard stuff in a huge empty mansion... that was a rather alluring thought. All he had to do was make sure that he was the last one standing out of all these kids in this room and in the nearby training rooms.

Dezna's brief little flirtatious moment a few minutes ago had not been sincere; he had just tried to get a reaction from the girl. Besides, she was much too tall for Dezna's tastes, and so as far as physical features went, he still liked Kiva better anyways. It made him wonder. If he became a Capitol playing piece, would they try to get his sister next? He knew at least a little that the reaping odds were not just random, even with tessarae aside. He heard that children of victors had a higher chance of being in, and if the Capitol had their eyes on someone, they might end up pulling them in with the hopes of silencing them in the games or something. Rumor had it they had done that with a rather vocal girl from District 8 one year... unless that was just more of Sagittaria's bullshit. Her words seemed to spread like the wildfire that the Capitol often symbolized her as.

"well, as long as we make sure we know their patterns," he suggested. "but that could go badly too. Did you ever watch the games with that tiny little girl from District 2? she said in her victor interview that she spent all of training using axes and spears, and then once she was in the arena she used bows and daggers, which threw even the Gamemakers off..."
he paused, and glanced back over at the tributes. "...on second thought, nevermind. None of them look too much brighter than your average career thug." he laughed. He wasn't sure to count District 4 in the career pack this year or not. Some years they did, other years they didn't. The same could be said about '3, except that they didn't have any formal training centers the way 1 and 2 did (at least as far as Dezna knew). Maybe it was the drugs talking, but he was ready to expect the unexpected.

Now and again as they finished eating, Dezna would glance at her for a few minutes, mentally telling himself that she looked rather cute. She did appear a bit tired, unlike Dezna, who, while a little pink, seemed otherwise rather calm. He had not explicitly planned on doing it, but he was limiting himself to preserve strength and stamina. He did this a lot during work, pacing himself that that he could get things done efficiently without going past that dangerous line and overworking himself. He felt that it would be important during the 'games, because fatigue would just make one want to stop and rest, and that was dangerous in more situations than not. If he paced himself, he would be less tired, or so he figured.

When they went back to the training stations, Dezna tried his hand at a regular bow. He was a bit slower to steady his aim than he was with his automatic contraption, but he was decent at it--at least about as good as anyone else who tried it that was not from a district lower than 5. After a few more hours of this kind of training, he was ready to head back. he was a little red, but was not overly exhausted, thanks to his pacing system he was using.
"I'll drink to that." he smirked at her as he followed her to the elevator. He felt right at home in the quarters, even if he had only spent one night in them. He liked his team, even Silas, in an odd way, and so seeing them again was a nice reprieve from the weird and crazy tributes 6 floors down.

"Good day indeed." Dezna kicked off his shoes and socks and stretched his toes again. He seemed to like being barefoot. "I'm ready for a little R&R myself though." he turned to Kiva. "how 'bout you?"

[Nachthexe]

There was a chance Kiva or Dezna could make it home, albeit a small one. Still, it was enough to bring a smile to the girl's face. Even if she didn't make it home she would ensure to not go down without a fight. Besides, she was here so there was no sense putting it all to waste and departing this world as a nobody. Of course that meant having to fight the careers eventually too, but there were 23 other tributes. With a bit of luck some of them would take care of the careers before they even approached the little District 6 duo. Besides, it's not like District 6 was usually one of those districts everybody targeted immediately. No, it was usually later in the games when that sort of thing happened, provided District 6 survived past the bloodbath.

"Agreed. That training stuff is actually surprisingly exhausting." Kiva responded to Dezna, chuckling as she also removed her shoes. The boy very much had the right idea there. She had wanted to put her feet up, but guessed that Silas especially wouldn't appreciate that very much. Judging by the immaculate state her own room had been in Kiva could only guess that Capitol citizens were incredibly keen on cleanliness. This was something she didn't dare to challenge either. The table began being filled with food just moments later anyway, much to the excitement of Kiva--or her stomach's. "Let's eat. I'm famished."

Dinner passed by rather uneventfully, much to the surprise of Kiva. Even Zerviah hadn't questioned the tributes much. Kiva guessed she was perhaps waiting until the next day to give them more sound advice. If anything though, she took it as a compliment; clearly she felt the two were competent enough they needed little mentoring in the first place. That alone oddly enough had managed to put Kiva into high spirits before she retreated to her room for the night. Once there thoughts of both her impeding fate and Dezna filled her head. As time wore on she felt herself growing fond of the boy, at least in the flesh. He had become like a forbidden fruit she couldn't have. Nobody could for he was merely a pawn in the Capitol's game. This left her in slight disappointment even as she dozed off to sleep.

The next morning had Kiva waking up incredibly well-rested, arguably more so than she had been since leaving home. She could only guess the training wearing her out so thoroughly the day before had played a role, but nonetheless she was prepared to repeat it once again. Even Zerviah seemed keen on this as soon as a fully cleaned up and dressed Kiva emerged from her room. "So any advice for today?" She asked, noticing the mentor woman staring up at her.

"You're District 6. Because of that I really just suggest taking a balanced approach. Unpredictability could have advantageous actually." Zerviah suggested, shrugging. Almost immediately Kiva let out a nod making it clear she had been using that sort of strategy, leaving the woman quite impressed. Her tributes this year were smart and independent and she liked it. It gave her leisure time of her own and naturally the Capitol had no shortage of that, even if social meetings between mentors of different districts was the norm. That, of course, left Zerviah intrigued as there was at least one mentor she was still yet to formally meet. Sagittaria. The games' newest mentor and victor of the 44th Annual Hunger Games.

"Well in that case..." Kiva began before stuffing her face with breakfast. she found herself devouring her plateful of food quicker than usual, much to the disdain of Silas who just simply gave her a cold glare. She wasn't sure quite what was causing it, but oddly enough she felt herself actually getting pumped up and rather excited for today's training session. Perhaps the prospect of trying out even more new skills appealed to her, even if it meant she was one day closer to her imminent death. "Let's go, Dezna. Maybe we can even beat the careers there this morning." She continued, chuckling. She suddenly realized that being from District 6 there was a chance they'd be overlooked entirely. If they managed to come into the spotlight and shine then it would make them unforgettable for sure. That was motivation enough if this was an unavoidable fate.

Zerviah continued examining Kiva and chuckled. She wasn't sure what was exciting the girl so much this morning, nor did she get a chance to inquire before she went bolting out the door towards the elevator. Ah well. There was always later and there was bound to be plenty to discuss for Zerviah also headed out to the elevator to meet up with another familiar face: the one that had been plastered all over the Capitol's broadcasts just the previous year. There was so much she wanted to ask the young woman herself, but certainly it would make for uncomfortable heavy discussion. This meeting she intended to hopefully keep as strictly business. Besides, it was common for even mentors of rival districts to occasionally advise each other.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was one that would go after chances, even if they were small ones like that. If he wanted to end his life early, he would have just killed himself in the training area. Really, he personally found the forcefields somewhat ironic, because while it did protect tributes from splattering hundreds of feet down, it didn't protect a rogue tribute from sabotaging him or herself if they really wanted to avoid any in-game misery. Luckily no one had tried that though, and while Dez wanted to be remembered for something, he didn't want to be remembered as the first tribute to commit suicide.

Unlike Kiva, Dezna did in fact put his feet up on the nearest table. He was District 6 through and through--he marched to his own beat, and no one could tell him otherwise. Besides, he was fairly certain that the only reason District 6 got away with what it did was because it was not actually causing any harm to anyone else. No one was going to die if he put his feet on that coffee table. "it definitely takes a number out of you," he quipped as Kiva removed her shoes as well. "food sounds good though."

With two deft movements, he retracted his feet and then jumped up onto them, almost as if to demonstrate his agility, but he was not showing off to anyone here. As they ate, silence enveloped them, which was fine with Dezna. He did not hate conversation, but he didn't mind silence either. after dinner, he purposely got up after Kiva so he could watch her hips sway as they went to their rooms. Frankly, who was going to stop them if they wanted to have a little fun in their rooms? It wasn't like they were hurting anyone, let alone killing anyone or rigging the games. If he had his way, he and Kiva were not going to go to sleep right away after interview night. Time would tell on that one though.

Dezna was still not accustomed to sleeping alone, which might have made him just want Kiva even more. Granted, the sleeping thing was not a lust issue as much as it was a mental thing that had inadvertently developed ever since Dezna and Arza had started sleeping together. Truth of the matter was that they had done so since they were small children, and as they grew older and the rest of their family fractured and fell apart, they simply never outgrew the habit. He emerged from his room a little later than Kiva, but not by much. He was clean, his thick hair still sagging and dripping with water, and he was pulling his shirt on as he sat down to grab a quick bite to eat as Zerviah gave them a few words.

"So basically you want us to stay unpredictable... I think I can do that." Dezna smirked. One thing was very clear about the boy that had also helped keep him out of a lot of trouble back home. He knew how to be very erratic when he wanted to, which in turn made his next move difficult to predict. As little as Zerviah needed to help them, Dezna still liked and respected the woman. Apparently they were just "easy tributes", who picked up quickly. He didn't mind a compliment or two in that regard.

"Got it." he nodded, before shoving his face full of food again, packing his mouth to exploding point. He was pumped for some reason. Maybe it was being alongside a similarly pumped-up Kiva, or just from the excitement of playing with knives some more, or maybe something else altogether. He also made a crack at the escort, who seemed to be giving Kiva dirty looks.
"C'mon, Silas," he swallowed a massive bite of food whole. All boys between the ages of 14 and 19 had the uncanny ability to unhinge their jaws and swallow large amounts of food like a snake. Dezna was no exception. "are you as excited as we are to see District 6 bring home a victor?" He just wanted to see him be flambouyant all over again. For some reason, Silas' flambouyance was something that amused Dezna, so he liked it when the older man was in that kind of mood.

Upon hearing Kiva's invitation to beat the others down to the training room, he grinned. "Right behind you." he nodded with a smirk. He placed his hands on the table, launching his feet completely over them almost like he was leap-frogging the table, (he did manage to clear it too without even knocking anything over) and zipped off after her with the enthusiasm of a Career tribute trying to volunteer for the 'games.

There were areas of the training center where mentors were able to meet up and chat with each other, and so there was something of a choice for Zerviah after Dezna and Kiva took off towards the basement in one of the other elevator cars. When Zerviah's elevator came to get her, inside was none other than the famous Sagittaria Svenja herself. She clearly looked like she had just rolled out of bed (and probably had literally done so, because she always did)
"Mornin'" she quipped. the girl definitely looked like she had matured both physically and emotionally. It showed in her face, and while she could have easily passed off as in her mid-20s without even speaking, she was still only 17. Her mature style of speech and adult-level conversational intellect had long since detached Sagittaria from fellow teenagers, and instead she mostly associated with smaller children or older adults. "you headin' out for a shot of whiskey too or somethin'? Wait... I know you... Zerviah, District 6, right? How are those kids treatin' ya? It's not all lightning and rainbows with them, is it?" if for some reason Zerviah didn't know that Saj had met both Dezna and Kiva during her victory tour, the younger girl felt she had dropped enough hints implying that that it wouldn't matter.

Saj was a rather pleasant addition to the victor pool though. She was cheerful and easy to strike up a chat with because of her golden charisma which had not faded even a smidge since her own games. Despite her outrageous stories and stunts and her side-splitting sense of humor though, she was still humble, down-to-earth, and mature enough to know when to be serious, and so if it was a serious conversation that Zerviah wanted, it was a serious conversation she'd get.

[Nachthexe]

Once the tribute pair was well on their way Zerviah felt almost relieved to have time to herself, even if it was to be short-lived. Sure she didn't have to actually mentor a whole lot this year, but it still managed to bring a sense of dread, knowing that at least one of the tributes she was beginning to grow fond of would be dead possibly within days. Kiva and Dezna were both showing themselves to be rather independent though and seemed strong so the woman felt more and more confident that neither of them would be offed during the bloodbath.

"Good morning. I am, and coincidentally enough you're exactly the person I was hoping to see around." Zerviah responded, becoming startled slightly upon running into Sagittaria in the elevator. It hadn't taken her long either to recognize the games' latest victor. Physically she seemed to show some maturity, but Zerviah was sure it had just been the trauma of the games taking a toll on her. Victors were usually left pretty wrecked even years after coming out of the arena, although Zerviah felt like one of the fortunate ones as she had managed to remain relatively sane. Perhaps the drugs played a role in that? It was very likely, but she never really questioned it much, particularly during the games as it was the one time of year she had committed to remaining sober. One had to be in top shape to successfully mentor, after all.

"Oh, and don't worry about Dezna and Kiva. They're good kids. Independent too. I have done hardly any mentoring with them as they take so much initiative themselves. It's just a shame they had to end up in this mess." Zerviah explained moments later, noting that Sagittaria may have met the two during the tour as she seemed curious about them. She, however, didn't bother inquiring as not to potentially upset the young woman. Surely she had many emotional scars still healing from her own games, such as the loss of the boy she appeared to have had feelings for. That too was potentially dangerous territory to venture into.

"We should sit." Zerviah commanded as she directed Sagittaria towards a sector of the Capitol's facilities reserved exclusively for mentors. The various shops alone made it a personal favourite of her's. Certainly it was supposed to make them feel special in a way, but naturally Zerviah and all the others certainly knew there was no redemption to be held in the murder of innocent children. Sure it was survival, but murder was still murder. That contemplation alone suddenly made the woman curious about Sagittaria's own thoughts on the subject. There was a good chance, after all, that District 11 viewed the games a bit differently than District 6 did. Besides, it was well-known that District 11 was much poorer so the food provided by victors was almost a lifeline of sorts. Extra food in District 6 was certainly a privilege, but it was extremely rare that anybody starved in the way Districts 11 and 12 did.

[Zulera301]

Sagittaria's first year of mentoring was trickier than she had expected, but that was not enough to tear her down. Leon and Daisy were fairly skilled, but they were no Rye or Sagittaria. She was also worrying significantly about that boy from District 1... she forgot his name and frankly, didn't even want to give him that honor of remembering. Damn he reminded her so much of Flint form the year before. They were definitely brothers. As long as her tributes didn't die in the bloodbath she'd accept it. She knew at least one of them had to die though, and it pained her to think about. Then again, after the harsh reality of having to kill Rye, the boy she had loved with all her heart--she was rather desensitized to it all.

"It's funny how that works then, innit?" the younger girl chuckled. "Whatcha need?" Instead of her usual trademark District 11 outfit, she was wearing something black that looked like a Tribute Uniform, complete with the number 11 on it. However, on the front of her T-shirt was a large grey District 11 insignia and on the back, the word "Victor" and the number 44. This was by no means a uniform--mentors would wear whatever the heck they wanted. Saj was just being... well, Saj. Obviously the games had impacted her, but they had not transformed her. She was still the (generally) pleasant, charismatic, and hilarious young lady that she had always been. Just that now and again, there were times when she'd lock herself in her room, gaze over her Hunger Games mementos, and then just bawl.

"I figured they were something like that," she chuckled, "a good-lookin' couple of kids too. I think they made moves on me during my tour, but they also appeared rather blitzed. those red eyes weren't normal. Hopefully they can get far." she couldn't exactly say she wanted them to win because she hoped that either Leon or Daisy could come home. Still, she could wish them luck, and at least hope they didn't suffer the embarrassment of dying in the bloodbath. It reminded her of District 9.

Saj followed Zerviah towards the appropriate facilities, and she sat down beside the older woman. "what's on your mind?" Like Dezna, Sagittaria was a fairly good listener, which had just been another of the many ways she had helped and given back to District 11. What could she say? she was still a giver, after all. She was a big girl though, and would be willing to talk about even the sensitive subjects. She was curious as to what this woman from District 6 wanted from her, but didn't think it was anything bad. mentors mingled and interacted all the time, and Sagittaria had long since found that she fit right in. Here were some of the 43 other people who understood exactly what Saj had been through--it was because of this that many mentors bonded fairly quickly.

[Nachthexe]

Zerviah found herself becoming quite intrigued by Sagittaria's fashion choice. There was no set requirement for mentors to wear district uniforms yet she seemed to had insisted on it. Who was she to question the girl's choice though? Certainly she had a reason for her choices and Zerviah respected that, especially considering District 11 culture surrounding the games was bound to vastly differ. "Well you're the newcomer here. That alone is incentive enough." Zerviah chuckled, noticing Sagittaria's slight surprise at the older mentor's presence.

"We all help each other out here, share advice and whatnot. Even if our tributes can't share the same kind of relations it doesn't mean we mentors can't." Zerviah explained as she took a seat with Sagittaria at one of the tables. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on the woman for even a minute and she sure it wasn't lost on Sagittaria either. Clearly she was smart, having won the games just the year previous. Sure Rye had been by her side most of the time, but her victory had been a joint effort between the two and the allies they made along the way. There was no forgetting either that Rye, rather than Sagittaria, could have been the one sitting at this table today. Zerviah wasn't quick to forget about the single coin toss that had ultimately decided their fates. Rye's words still managed to echo through her mind. "Winner goes home."

Zerviah let out a good laugh upon Sagittaria's mention of Dezna and Kiva, quickly shifting the mood. Had the two actually attempted to make moves on Sagittaria? The mention of intoxication and red eyes was to no surprise, but the rest was admittedly quite funny. Perhaps the stylists really were onto something when they had decided to outfit the two in skin-tight suits; they were rather good-looking and the Capitol always enjoyed seeing a pretty face. Their warm reception during the parade was proof of that enough and there was no doubt the stylists were going to try to replicate it once again during the interviews in a few days time. "I would wish your tributes good luck myself, but given the nature of these games it would be admittedly awkward for me." Zerviah added, shrugging. Now more than ever she wished there could be more than one victor or better yet, the games not existing at all. Of course the likeliness of that occurring was akin to all of District 6 suddenly giving up their drug habits.

Sagittaria clearly knew a bit about the District 6 kids so suddenly Zerviah got curious about the District 11 kids. She realized just how little she knew about them apart from their names and the fact that Daisy was the daughter of the mayor of District 11. Those sorts of details about tributes were always quickly emphasized by the Capitol commentators, perhaps to provide more characterization of each one. It was merely a guess of course since even after spending several years in the Capitol she couldn't even pretend to understand their mindset. "I don't know much about the boy Leon, but the Capitol has been giving attention to the fact that Daisy is the daughter of your mayor. Poor thing. Nobody is safe in these games; you'd think they would spare somebody of importance." Zerviah suddenly found herself growing rather angry at the whole thing once again. Sure it was emotion that was omnipresent, but the woman knew she had to repress it, even if just for her tributes' sake. she quickly found herself growing fond of Sagittaria, even if just for the sole reason that she was somebody relatable; she too had experienced the horror of the games so she knew what sort of struggles being a victor conveyed. Some days it almost made dying in the arena seem like the preferable fate.

[Zulera301]

Sagittaria's uniform had a few embellishments apart from what she had mentioned--for one, there were red lines here and there, or on the hems of her shirt and pants. They were similar to the tributes' clothes, but there were enough differences (even without the word "victor 44" on the back) that Saj would not get confused with a tribute. After all, she was still only 17, so she could technically pass off as one for one more year after this if she wanted to. That would be one of the biggest stories of all time, and if Saj won again, she would truly become a legend--but the Capitol would probably not like getting outsmarted at their own game, so she decided to refrain. Still... she might make stories about that kind of thing.

"sounds reasonable" she quipped, "I mean, this shirt is just my hazing ceremony if I recall correctly. Some small mentor girl from District 2 coerced me into it."
Truth of the matter was that she had lost a bet with Seeder back home (or so she would "confess" if someone pried a little more), and she honestly decided to follow through with it, so she wore the unusual outfit. "Kind of ironic when you think about it... but, I suppose it can't be helped, y'know?" The fact that her victory had been partially up to chance was certainly not lost on her either, and even a year later, she still wondered if that had been the right thing. If it had landed in Rye's favor, Saj knew full well that she'd have gotten down and let Rye bash her head in (or whatever method of execution he chose--she knew that he would have made it a clean kill just as she did). She was not the type to try and fight back against someone she loved so much. She knew full well that her antics and humor were not about to be forgotten in the Capitol of the Districts. She had even coined a slogan that was quickly becoming famous: "may the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock and you don't feel anything when you die." She had heard it a few times among the teams of District 12, District 6, (District 11 of course), and ironically, District 2. She was sure it would spread at that point.

"Tell me about it." she laughed at Zerviah's remark. "I getcha, even if I've gotta politely disagree for the same reasons. they're a good-looking pair of kids; that's for sure. But you know how it is. Closest we'll ever get to getting out of the 'games is if I go on some elaborate string of bullshit stories about it or something." She did find a brief attraction to both of those tributes in a weird way (they were roughly her age, after all), but it might have just been seeing them in those glitzy skintight suits. She'd pay to see that again; if nothing else to see how they reacted with Saj acting weird around them the way they had around her, but at the same time, she also figured it didn't work that way. Every time she had watched the other tributes, she had never seen that boy upset or anything but calm.

"Leon was a friend of a friend..." Saj explained, decsribing her tributes a little, "well, a friend of one of my brothers. He's only like 14 or so too... so while I've got high hopes for him and Daisy... they're no Rye, that's for sure." she was not one to toot her own horn like that either. To her, being like Rye was as good as being a winner. After all, Rye had deserved that victory just as much as Saj had (unless you wanted to go into specifics and rate them based on kill counts, considering their sponsorships and performances were roughly the same, where Sagittaria would step ahead by 1), and that was not something lost on the girl.

"So are they promising?" she asked, "Dezna and... Kiva, is it? Surely there's a story behind Kiva Rainbow and Dezna Lightning, and it's been bugging me for months trying to figure out what it is!" she laughed. "Just between us mentors, I mean. I'm not gonna try and give your kids a disadvantage or anything; this curiosity is honestly just consuming me."

[Nachthexe]

"The Capitol was gawking at them for sure during the parade and chances are it'll only continue." Zerviah chuckled as Sagittaria made observations of her own about Kiva and Dezna. So she was another who fancied the District 6 pair. Zerviah suddenly became more convinced that if the two were going to gain significant attention it was going to be for their physical traits rather than for any of their skill sets. Of course that was also factoring in that she hadn't actually seen any of them in action yet and there was a possibility that both were skilled in something they were holding back, for obvious reasons. Tributes and mentors of other districts especially typically didn't know what each tribute was capable of until the arena, but the games had obviously been designed that way in order to prevent both tributes and mentors from gaining advantages over each other.

Zerviah frowned a bit upon realizing that Sagittaria had a bit of a personal connection to the boy Leon. A friend of a sibling? It certainly wasn't the first time that sort of thing had happened as Zerviah quickly realized; Bolt and Techa had allegedly been friends before the Reaping while Kyla and her all too forgettable partner had been siblings. That had been all in one year alone so now the woman was curious what sort of surprises this year's games would bring. The District 1 boy, Blaze as she recalled, was also allegedly the brother of the previous year's tribute. Naturally, it didn't seem to have quite the same connotations though as both were very clearly in the games by choice. That was a mindset Zerviah couldn't even pretend to understand.

"Daisy in particular seemed distressed the moment her name was called at the Reaping. That tends to make me worry for her a bit, even if it's not my district." Zerviah confessed, being certain that Sagittaria knew more about the 17 year old girl than she did. Considering her status in District 11, Zerviah also realized there was a good chance Daisy had little experience with the tough conditions of the games. "To be entirely fair to all of you, Rye will be damn hard to replace. He was a rarity in the games, a genuine and selfless individual who managed to remain such up until his dying breaths." Zerviah reassured Sagittaria. Sure she hadn't seen the extent of the relationship he had shared with the young woman in front of her, but the games' finale had made it clear enough that they had been romantically involved to some extent. Of course, aside from that he had proven himself a capable fighter, another rarity for District 11 in particular.

Naturally, Sagittaria's humour began showing once again as she mentioned the infamous nicknames of the District 6 pair. Zerviah herself wasn't even sure of the full extent they were used, but surely enough for Sagittaria to have known of it. "Well all I know is that on the night of your stop in District 6 they were on something wacky. Allegedly they had seen rainbows protrude from Rye's forehead as you shot him with lightning bolts." The older woman of the table chuckled as she told what she knew of the story, even if just from overhearing her tributes discuss it. It was a bit "out there", but Sagittaria seemed like the type who was willing to embrace any sort of humour. It was one of the qualities that had initially helped Zerviah gain interest in her, after all. Not many knew it, but the previous year once both District 6 tributes had been killed off a part of her had been hoping Sagittaria would win, even if just to hear her crazy stories once again. She was no doubt now a legend in her own right back home.

[Zulera301]

"I don't doubt it." she laughed, "I was too. To be honest, I would have expected way more sunken faces and stuff when I visited. There were a lot of pretty good-looking folks." Saj was not attracted to women, per se, but she had admired Kiva, just as she had admired Arza--her resemblance to her brother was not something she could overlook. "that can win 'em sponsors sometimes." Saj remembered back to a time when a girl from District 1 had won the games. She had not been notoriously good at anything (but had still scored an 8--she was more like a jack-of-many-trades and master-of-none), but she had been downright gorgeous. Sponsors had loved her, and so after showering her with everything she would need to win, she took out the remaining tributes with impunity and was crowned the victor.

Saj noticed Zerviah's face drop a little bit, and she tried to make light of it. Sagittaria was a strong-willed young lady who did not publicly display certain emotions. She did not like making her problems others', and most prominently, she never let anyone see her cry. She cried a lot, actually--well, relatively speaking. Compared to her life before the games, where she almost never cried, 3 or 4 times in 6 months was a bit more. "well, I also kinda knew Daisy as more than just the mayor's daughter, but I suppose this is the kind of shit that every mentor has to deal with. I'm just glad they're not my siblings."
Sagittaria would have been downright furious if their names were picked. None of them had to take out tessarae anymore obviously thanks to the bounties that Saj's victory had showered them with, but even 1 in 1000 was still a possibility.

"Aye, she was." the girl nodded as she remembered watching Daisy join her on the stage. Seeder was with her as well, although she didn't mentor or anything. Saj swore that she saw the older woman around though--surely she had made a few friends here, at least among the mentors if not the people of the Capitol. "I almost wanted to volunteer for her, but obviously that wouldn't work. Hell, maybe I'd just volunteer every year until they got so damn sick of 'that compulsive liar from District 11' winning do many damn games that they just decided to disband them altogether." she laughed, although her face straightened moments later when Zerviah mentioned Rye.
"Shit, yes." Sagittaria sighed, "there hasn't been anyone like that. I mean, shit; he was even honest about everything too. I liked that... no, I loved it." she sighed again. There was no hiding it. She might have been able to discount that she was a genuinely humble and selfless individual as well, but she couldn't discount any of the feelings she had for Rye. She did have a picture of him that she had gotten from his parents--and had purposely paid them overgenerously for it--they needed the goods, and she wanted to see his face again. It was sort of a mixed blessing, because more than anything, it would just make her well up and often cry.

But, she was not about to show that side. She was supposed to be strong, both for herself, her family, her tributes, and her district. the others were to know that the newest victor was not to be discounted just because she was young. District 11 still had some fighting spirit in them even if Rye was gone and Sagittaria was retired. "well, no offense or anything, but District 6 as a whole was kind of wacky. To be honest, I kind of liked it." her wacky and outrageously hilarious (and bullshit) stories would fit right in. Heck, she might even see one of them again if they emerged as victors.
"To be honest, I like District 6, and I think those tributes of yours--or at least that boy--embody it so well. They march to their own beat; they don't draw attention to themselves, and they keep calm and get shit done. That's admirable, y'know." Of course District 11 had plenty of admirable attributes, such as humility, resilience, selflessness, and courage, but Saj was not one to boast in her own good points even if she technically had the right to. Perhaps that was just another testament to the humbleness of District 11. It was no reason to count them out as not being dangerous though.

[Nachthexe]

Zerviah was surprised when Sagittaria had mentioned knowing the mayor's daughter. If anything, it only helped to confirm in her mind that perhaps due to the dire poverty most of District 11 experienced that they were indeed all pretty tight-knit. The same couldn't be said for District 6 where most people generally had their own cliques they stuck to. It was actually sort of ironic to Zerviah how the games was the one event that actually managed to bring all of District 6 together. It was no doubt an act of solidarity to support the victory of a District 6 tribute as it meant extra food for everybody, even if there were much needier districts. Still, Sagittaria's claimed connection to Daisy intrigued her. "You knew her too? I'm sorry..." She uttered, realizing Sagittaria was about to lose more people she seemingly cared about.

On a more positive note, Zerviah found herself bursting out laughing once Sagittaria mentioned volunteering for the games. Technically she was still eligible, only being seventeen, but it was something the Capitol would never allow. Being safe from the Reaping for the rest of one's life. It was only one more of the perks that being a victor offered. Zerviah was confident that even the Capitol wouldn't stoop to that level and reap victors into their games, not even at a Quarter Quell. Of course it was difficult to know exactly where they would draw the line, considering the 25th games had been exceptionally cruel in making districts elect tributes. It was a games that Zerviah had been much too young to remember, but now she could clearly imagine the horror on each citizen's face as they were forced to select one of their own to go to almost certain death. "One can dream. With your charisma you could single-handedly convince Snow himself to discontinue the games." She blurted out, letting out a chuckle of her own. It was truly refreshing to have somebody around who appreciated a good joke, despite the grimness of the situation.

"I can usually tell when people are being honest and I always had that instinct about Rye." Zerviah attempted to close the discussion about Rye, not wanting to upset Sagittaria. As she spoke more about him it started to become clear that he was still somebody she cared about deeply, thus Zerviah didn't want to tread too deeply into that territory. On the other hand, Sagittaria seemed to have many traits she found positive about District 6 as well and for the most part Zerviah found herself agreeing. "No offense taken. We have kind of always been seen as the oddballs of Panem." She responded as an Avox brought drinks to the table.

Naturally, all other discussion had caused Zerviah to overlook the original purpose of her meeting with Sagittaria, although she didn't mind getting to know a bit about the girl and her tributes. Certainly there was plenty of time during the games themselves for that, but then it was never the same as at least half were usually dead by the end of the first day. That tended to make for very awkward conversation, even among mentors who lost both tributes early on. That alone was incentive enough for Zerviah to hope the same kind of fate wouldn't befall Kiva and Dezna. She was confident it wouldn't though, even if her own bias was admittedly kicking in just a bit. Still, it wasn't bias that prevented the woman from offering the newest mentor a bit of advice. "Between you and I the opening minutes are usually the most stressful to watch. It's at that point you realize that within moments you could be sitting the rest of this thing out; a mentor is nothing without their tributes. Also, if you want sponsors talking to people around the Capitol tends to help somewhat, something I doubt you will have trouble with."

[Zulera301]

They weren't the closest of friends, but Sagittaria did know her, and considering how many people back in her home district she had spent her time helping, she felt attached to many of them. Granted, there was something slightly irksome about Daisy in Saj's mind, knowing that she had had a crush on Rye prior to his death. She didn't know all the details (and probably never would unless she became terribly nosy), and perhaps her little stance was irrational, but it still irked her to know that someone else had had their eyes on Rye. She almost felt possessive of him since he was little more than a (admittedly rather prominent) memory.

One of Sagittaria's lasting and most powerful talents included her uncanny ability to turn moods around just like that. "you know..." she quipped, "you've got a good point there. I think I'll talk to him about it this afternoon." she was joking entirely, because while victors had a lot of say, a request of this calibur would never get far at all. "otherwise just watch, and I'll jinx it. "The Girl on Fire" will end up making the Capitol instigate a Quarter Quell that drags her and 23 other victors back to the arena just to try and get rid of her." She chuckled as she flipped some hair out of her face. "heh, girl on fire... more like girl who laughs and spreads bullshit. I mean, heck. the last Quell couldn't have been that bad. Everyone probably just rounded up the most hated kids in the districts and sent 'em out to get offed. Well, except District 1--since everyone there is an asshole, they weeded out the one decent girl that they had and sent her in. I think she won too..."
She truly had the power to make light of everything. Black humor and The Hunger Games just seemed to go hand and hand--kind of like dice and whiskey.

"Did you have that instinct about me?" she joked. She would honestly be surprised is Zerviah said yes, ebcause everyone knew Sagittaria lied--a lot. The hard part was trying to find out when she was lying and when she was being honest. "but aye..." she sighed a little bit. "I still miss him and stuff. But, life goes on, and it's better to appreciate the good than to dwell on the bad. I think I heard one of your 'oddball' tributes saying that even." she gave a more genuine smile rather than a laugh when she mentioned that. After the Avoxes brought drinks to the table, Saj took one, nodded and taking a sip.

After a bit of liquid in her system and a few thoughts processed, Saj realized that she had sort of made it centric around her, District 11, and other things that she wanted to talk about. Well, that was rather selfish of her, and she would have none of that. "Oh gosh, yes." Saj shook her head, "if my tributes both die in the bloodbath, you'll probably hear me from 5 floors up, and things will be thrown."
She paused for a moment. "It's hard as hell, isn't it..." she turned towards the older mentor, "watching the tributes you spent a week or two bonding with and teaching and getting to know... watching them die in the opening minutes--or heck, dying at all. They kind of feel like children... or siblings... don't they?"
It was quite the thought, and Saj waited for the answer.

"Oh!" she added shortly afterwards, "and before I forget... "was there something you wanted to ask me or something? I feel like I kinda hijacked the conversation."

[Nachthexe]

Despite the obvious humour, Sagittaria's remarks managed to get Zerviah thinking once again. What if the Capitol did reap victors in a Quarter Quell? It seemed incredibly unlikely, but technically the Capitol had the power to bring in any rule change they desired and what was to stop them from using that one? A show like that would certainly get plenty of attention, being a chance to determine who the ultimate champion of the games was. At least that would probably be the theory of it although everybody knows it too would be favouring the career districts.

"Oh no, everybody knows you're full of as much shit as a constipated cow." Zerviah chuckled as she gave Sagittaria the honest answer, using a less than subtle metaphor she had managed to pick up from one of the District 10 mentors years earlier. Sure she was a compulsive liar, but what stood out for Zerviah was that she always seemed to use it to benefit others. Whether it was through storytelling or sugar-coating a less than pleasant truth, Sagittaria excelled at it. It had shown in her games as well, even as the duo and each of their allies sat out in the rain awaiting their next move. Even soft-spoken Kyla had her moments, although she suspected it had been more due to Sagittaria's influence than anything else.

Zerviah nodded as Sagittaria took in her little bits of advice. The girl was learning and at this point anything she could offer was valuable, even if Sagittaria had proven herself fully capable during the games. "For what it's worth I don't think Leon and Daisy will be offed so quickly. They have you as their mentor, after all. Besides, those bonds you speak of do develop and that alone is enough to motivate a tribute I think." Zerviah assured Sagittaria, throwing in an obvious compliment towards the young woman as she took a sip of the drink that now rested on the table. It quickly got her thinking of her own games. Initially she and her partner hadn't been close and even argued, but by the end of the week they became like two peas in a pod. Once in the arena the bond only grew stronger as they struggled to survive together. Her partner had managed to make it into the final eight, only to be offered by a career during a struggle over water. Despite Zerviah having considered it quite a foolish move on his part he was mourned, even leaving the girl in tears as she outlived each tribute.

Moments later Sagittaria managed to shift the focus back to Zerviah, admittedly putting her on the spot. There was one thing on her mind at this point. Although she wasn't quite sure whether to ask she decided to go ahead anyway. It was quite out of the norm. A District 6-District 11 alliance. That was one that would hit the crowds like a speeding train, given the very different nature of the two districts. Still, it was a potentially useful strategic move, even if Zerviah selfishly wanted one of her own to win. "Well I just figure since you know my two that perhaps we can look out for each other. Obviously only one can win this, but I'd be damned if it's one of those careers. I'm sure you especially are not fond of the idea of a District 1 victory, considering what that boy last year put you through. It's not to say this is a formal alliance or anything, but it's something to think on, discuss with your two. You know, that sort of thing."

[Zulera301]

It was definitely a thought. Then again, the Capitol did love its victors. Maybe it would only happen if there were a particular couple of victors that they wanted to do away with without actually killing them straight-up and enraging the Capitol audiences. Sagittaria didn't think that she fell into this kind of category--well, as long as no one found out some of the stuff she thought about or mentioned in playful passing. Besides... that would only punish 24 victors... there were already around 44 of them, give or take, depending on a few of the earliest ones that had died.

Saj couldn't help but laugh at Zerviah's joke though. "hah! that IS a good one... I'll have to remember that." The beauty of Sagittaria's arsenal of trickery was that it was always growing. "but yeah, what can I say? I'm unarguably the most dishonest little shit to ever set foot into the victor's pool. Ain't nothing redeemable about ol' Saj." self-deprecatory comments were also fairly funny, although some people sometimes opted to correct her when she made fun of herself. She didn't mind compliments; she just didn't go fishing for them or revel in them, per se. They came when they were deserved, and that was that. Saj didn't always deserve them (in her opinion, anyways). But, apparently people seemed to benefit from her lies and jokes and stories more than she was aware, so she was admired for it.

"I hope to at least get 'em that far." Saj nodded, "it makes me feel a bit for the likes of '9 or '10 here..." referencing that both districts had lost both tributes in the bloodbath for at least two years in a row now or something. Based on what they produced this year, she was fairly certain it'd be no different this year. She chuckled almost sheepishly at the compliment. "well... I do what I can. I knew mentoring would be difficult, but it almost... well, it kinda feels like raising a child. You're there to teach them everything you know and hope that they come back successful so that they can brag to you about their accomplishments. I dunno if you've got any kids of your own, Zerviah, but isn't that every parent's dream? To see their children--their successors--come back and outdo them?" The idea of having a tribute doing better than Saj actually made her excited. She could point to a mighty hero and say "I taught him/her. I was their mentor."

Saj actually was given pause at Zerviah's suggestion. She had thought about it, although maybe she had just wanted to see those quirky but beautiful little tributes from District 6 get somewhere.
"Well, obviously we'll have to ask them about it, because we can bitch to them all we want about it but if they don't get along they'll be at each other's throats--probably literally. If they're okay with it though... then I'm down. Leon and Daisy put a lot of trust in me, so if I tell 'em to do it, they probably would. Obviously they'd be a bit reserved, because approaching tributes in the training center's a dangerous thing. Everyone has the right to be nervous there."
She thought back to Krystal, who seemed so confident about abandoning her would-be allies to join a couple of kids from one of the poorest districts in Panem--how she trusted them with her life, even to the point of sacrifice. The fact that Krystal's necklace was among the pile of Saj's Hunger Games mementos was all the more reason that seeing them often made her cry.
"I'm down for it though, cuz shit if I want District 1 to win with a boy like that in their ranks." she nodded. "I'll see what I can do." she offered her hand as if to shake on the 'deal', so to speak.

[Nachthexe]

Sagittaria's reference to Districts 9 and 10 was not lost on Zerviah. It was well-known that both districts had been suffering in the games as of late, despite having won in the past. The mentor woman couldn't decide if it was a shortcoming of their mentors or if they just had the misfortune of reaping weak tributes. That alone made Sagittaria's point about tributes being like children stand out also. Those mentors were perhaps losing children and it suddenly made Zerviah realize the same about her. At least one had to die no matter how close of a bond she had formed with them. "I suppose sometimes it can feel as such, but one also has to try not to grow too attached. That only results in more pain in the end." She confessed, realizing that she had even been trying to such bonds with Kiva and Dezna. Of course it was easier said than done, however.

Zerviah nodded as Sagittaria acknowledged and welcomed her suggestion. At first it made her uneasy, fearing that Sagittaria wouldn't respond well to it, but much to her relief the young woman was receptive. Perhaps she wasn't the only one Blaze and all his allies managed to freak out. If he was anything like his brother last year had been then he was a force to be reckoned with. It didn't even take her long to imagine that entire family was likely a group of sadists. "Well cool. Even a District 11 victor is better than a District 1 victor, or vice versa in your case. That boy last year kind of freaked me out, but I can just imagine what it must have been like for you." Zerviah responded, quickly realizing she didn't need to go into elaborate detail about Flint as the one girl who had lived it and survived happened to be sitting in front of her.

Zerviah remained in silence for the next several moments as she sipped her drink. For a split second it almost had her forgetting the price she had to pay to be there, but seeing the fresh face in front of her served as a reminder. Nobody earned these privileges in the Capitol for free; there was a heavy cost. A cost of others' lives. Enemies mostly, but Zerviah wasn't quick to forget that many tributes lost friends, and even lovers. Lovers. Rye's face immediately popped into the older mentor's head. His was quite memorable all across Panem she was sure. If anything, he was just the latest in a line of arguments in favour of ending something that would never end. No, Panem's children were subjected to the crimes of their predecessors from many decades ago. It wasn't fair, but the rules of Panem didn't play fair; everybody else was merely pawns in their game. Only victors ever managed to be promoted, but only by carrying out the most despicable of actions.

"This all had me thinking. We're here right now enjoying these drinks and food all because we managed to murder and outlive 23 others. It's quite twisted really." Zerviah blurted out as another Avox came to the table and set down several trays of food. It was a level of service and luxury that was certainly beyond anything the districts had to offer, but perhaps it was only more incentive for tributes to play the Capitol's deadly game. There had certainly been incentive for the likes of Sagittaria and Rye, but less so for anybody in District 6. Both Kiva and Dezna had shown themselves to be quite unfazed by the prospect of death. That almost seemed helpful in a way, at least in this sort of environment where only one was going to come out. That had Zerviah thinking that neither was going to put this to waste.

"Well we should be heading back. I have a feeling the kids are going to be coming out of training soon." Zerviah advised as her time with Sagittaria wore on into late afternoon. It hadn't seemed like a particularly long meeting, but Zerviah suspected that had been due to the serious nature of much of their discussion more than anything. Besides, time always seemed to move faster when one was having fun, and she was sure it wasn't just one of Sagittaria's crazy antics either. "I'm sure they'll have plenty to report as Kiva in particular had seemed anxious to get there." She chuckled as she put down her nearly empty glass and got up from the table. If Sagittaria desired it she was even willing to walk with her to the elevator, even if she'd have to get off several floors earlier.

[Zulera301]

Perhaps everyone just had their ups and downs. Saj recalled that District 11 and District 12 used to fare rather well in the very early games, which were more about survival than actual combat. Even today, survival was one of the Career Districts' weaknesses, while it was a notorious strength in the outlying districts. For some in '11, every day was a fight for survival. "It's a delicate balance," Sagittaria sighed in agreement, "and choosing which one you want to win is like trying to decide if you'd rather cut off your left arm or your right arm. both options are painful, and frankly, really suck."
Saj's magic with words was not limited to stories and speeches, after all. She was good at clever retorts, witty one-liners, and profound quotes. There were a few of her quotes that were apparently now circulating around the districts. After all, mentors had a tendency in all but the most sadistic cases to be fairly friendly with fellow mentors, even with career tributes. It was from a small victor from District 2 that she had learned that her notorious Hunger Games "slogan" had become famous among the tributes and volunteers from there.

she nodded a bit with a chuckle at Zerviah's remark. "It's not so much a thing against District 1--I just want someone decent to win the 'games, and neither Flint nor Blaze fit that description even in my wildest and most outrageous tales." She could not discount District 1 as being all full of bad people--after all, Krystal epitomized "a decent person"... so they really weren't all bad in her eyes. Hell, Saj didn't even view the Capitol that way, when they lived the lives of luxury on the backs of others. Tributes on the other hand, even from District 1, were just innocent children with addled minds getting forced into the mindset of killing each other. But either way, this year she was hoping for a District 6 victor if District 11 was unable to gain a 2-year streak.
"Still... I'm about as worried for these kids about Blaze as I was myself against Flint the year before. Well, sort of. I wasn't really worried about Rye, which meant I wasn't really worried about myself. We were big kids and knew what had to be done."

She shook it off though, although still kept her agreement for an alliance. One indirect way to figure out if Sagittaria was lying about something was to see if it would hurt or harm an innocent. If it would, Saj would not lie about it. If it might make them laugh, or would win the better end of a challenge against a Peacekeeper or the Capitol, it was fairly obvious that Saj was lying.
The Capitol was one of the places where Sagittaria would drink, which was a habit none of her other family members had picked up, and had found repulsive that Saj did, even. But, ever since that fateful day where she had stepped up to the stage to volunteer (ironically for herself, although in her defense, she still insisted that she thought one of her sisters' names had been called), a gap between her and the rest of her family had formed.
"That's a fair point, you know." she took a sip of something. Yeah, something. She had no clue what the Capitol called it, but the alcohol was tasteable. "I mean, even the careers aren't the real enemy here..." she lowered her voice just slightly, figuring that Zerviah would be able to fill in the blanks. "still... if your kids are so lax about the idea of death as they come off as..." she took some food from the newly placed plate, "then that definitely sets them at an advantage. Leon is not thrilled about it, and Daisy definitely hasn't settled with it yet."

Before she knew it though, their time had worn deeper into the afternoon, and at a point where the tributes would probably be coming back to speak with their mentors about one thing or another, which in turn meant that Sagittaria would need to be there. It was technically not required, but the Capitol did say that mentors had to be there for their tributes whenever (reasonably) possible, and wo unto the mentor who mistreated his or her tributes.
"Fair enough," she chuckled, "I'm sure I'll have stories about how they dragged me to the secret training center thinking I was a tribute from District 44 waiting for Leon and Daisy when they get back. Wanna ride up?" they were both obviously going to go up, even if they were 5 floors apart.

[Nachthexe]

Somebody decent? Naturally it was a subjective phase. Who truly deserved to win the games? In the end it was almost inevitable that the arena had managed to transform everybody and the lone victor was of course no exception; almost everybody came out a killer with little more than their actual reasoning for doing so distinguishing them from everybody else. Sagittaria stood as an example and testament to that, having only killed to protect herself while some of her more fierce opponents truly had bloodlust. Flint almost immediately came to mind. Still it left her with the burning question in her mind: was murder out of survival still murder?

"I honestly don't know how they do it. They're fearless little things and I'm convinced they'll fight to the death if they have to." Zerviah responded, shifting her attention to the two tributes she strove to help in any way she could. Of course once in the arena they were almost entirely on their own, but between sponsors and their undaunted attitudes towards death she was confident they could make it far. Fear of dying generally hindered tributes as Zerviah knew so well from years of watching the games plus mentoring. It seemed to come with an unlikeliness to take real risks while in the arena.

"You know, it's truly a shame we couldn't meet under better circumstances, but alas it is what it is. With some luck one of us might not be here next year at least. I'd love a replacement to be honest." Zerviah commented as she walked to the elevator with Sagittaria. A part of her even wished Kiva and Dezna could have seen Sagittaria once again, but that too was an impossibility. Tributes of different districts were even kept apart from mentors of other districts, certainly to keep them from learning as little about each other as possible. Information about the outside world was dangerous and Zerviah quickly realized that. Only the Hunger Games provided a forum for tributes to learn about each other's districts, but most ended up dead anyway, resulting in only minimal threat to the system. Naturally, it was where censorship also came into play and the woman knew this well, recalling at least a few scenes from her own games having been edited. Most notably one of the District 8 kids had openly condemned the Capitol, which had been taken out entirely in the broadcast footage.

Obviously Zerviah was the first to get off the elevator, being on floor six. She hated to leave Sagittaria behind as she was genuinely good company, but on the bright side at least she was safe from the Capitol as all victors were. Instead Zerviah just hated the thought of their next meeting being while District 6 and District 11 are forced to turn on each other. A part of her hoped it wouldn't come to that and that the District 11 kids would be killed off before that point, but it was sentiment she didn't dare share with Sagittaria even as she got off the elevator. Besides, she had her own tributes to look out for so no doubt felt the same.

"Well I found another skill. Spears. Jack of all trades, master of none. Just as you said." Kiva announced as she spotted her mentor in the hallway. Much to the girl's surprise Zerviah seemed to have been just heading back from somewhere. She didn't bother inquiring though as it stood out as quite obvious. It was well-known by now that mentors occasionally met up with each other and socialized. The girl didn't entirely see the logic in it as technically they were supposed to be enemies, but certainly they too despised everything the games stood for just as the tributes did. Sadly not even they had the power to stop it and Kiva quickly realized this as she took a single glance into her mentor's eyes. Victors were just as vulnerable as the tributes, but were kept pacified by being granted extra privileges. It all seemed like a cruel scheme, but then again when was the Capitol not cruel? They were the ones forcing 24 children to fight to the death each year, after all.

[Zulera301]

Even murder could be considered subjective. Was it still wrong if you were attacking someone who had broken into your home? Was it wrong to kill when someone was about to kill someone you loved? That had been how and why Sagittaria had killed Jason. He had been about to kill Kyla in her sleep, but Saj had reacted too quickly and put an end to his life. It would not have been by choice in any other circumstances, but it was a necessary evil. Panem seemed to be rank with those. It did remind her of something else as well though--they were the only 44 district citizens that had blood on their hands. Anyone else who killed was put to death, and Peacekeepers, for all intents and purposes, were just more agents of the Capitol, so they didn't count. Perhaps that was another reason Saj felt distant from her family. They were still pure--untainted by the stains of blood covering their hands the way Sagittaria's hands were. Shit was rough, that was for sure.

"I wish I coulda done that," she laughed, "but I was admittedly a bit too worried about who would make it out between me and Rye. I dunno how much of it they made public, but the whole fucken' time were in those damn games, the only thing we worried about was 'what if we are the last two left'. Then it goes and happens, and..." she paused, shaking her head to keep herself composed. "shit, well everyone knows that part. Now, I'm not about to laud your kids for being indifferent to the idea of having to kill each other if by chance they pull what '11 did last year... but the fact that they don't fear death means they'll take more risks--they'll be bolder, maybe a bit more reckless--if my experiences are anything to go by, at least." Maybe she was preaching to the choir here though. She wasn't sure how much more (or less) other victors and mentors knew than her.

"Ha, I know, right?" she nodded in agreement, "maybe I'll have to drop by the training center or something and rile some of the kids up. That'd be a story right there." her uniform was fairly convincing from side view, but the large grey District 11 insignia as well as the words and numbers on the back were dead giveaways. "hey now, you can't just leave me if one of 'em wins. Come back anyways--just kick back; take advantage of the Capitol luxuries. Seeder said she was going to come with me next time just for the heck of it." After all, the Capitol enjoyed seeing their victors, so for them to hitch a ride alongside the one that was serving as the mentor was not uncommon, especially in lower-numbered districts. Otherwise though, district citizens were kept far apart from each other other than Hunger Games tributes, and anything remotely resembling rebellion was censored. Coming from one of the most rebellious districts herself, Sagittaria knew all about it. Heck, the rebelliousness of '11 could give '8 a run for its money.

Saj gave her finger-flicking wave as they reached the 6th floor. "we've got 5 more days or so, don't we?" she quipped, reminding the other woman that they could totally meet again if she wanted. Still, they'd eventually be meeting again while their tributes would be enemies on the 'field. it was not a lovely thing to think of, but it was just business to Saj now--kind of like how she imagined what would have happened if Kyla had turned on them. On the other hand, she had a "Saj-Rye Predicament" going on now with this alliance--she kind of hoped that they would die first to prevent them from having to turn on '11 (or vice-versa). She got that name from the horrifying dilemma that had appeared between Sagittaria and Rye, after the death of the 3rd-to-last tribute, Kyla.

"I've gotten better with the knives--both at a distance and melee." Dezna added after seeing Zerviah again. He was not trying to outshine Kiva or anything here; he just figured their mentor would want to learn more about what skills they were picking up. "I also learned how to build a boomerang. Those things are kinda cool."
Dezna had long since realized that the Capitol was the real enemy here, which was part of why he was able to dismiss Hunger Games deaths so easily. He was fairly certain that none of them would be like this if it weren't for the games, not even the most savage tributes from '1 or 2'. They, he believed, had just been brainwashed from an early age to think like that in order to desensitize them, but if the games didn't exist, then neither would the need for that mentality.
He gave his mentor a thumbs up. "so I guess you could say that we're not just all show and no go." he made a playful jab at his own (and Kiva's) attractive physical forms, before kicking off his shoes and socks and sitting down once they arrived back at their apartment.

[Nachthexe]

"There are five more days, but at least 22 other mentors. One has to kind of pick and choose who to see at this point. Maybe you should drop in on the District 1 mentor, I'm sure they'll be dying to see you." Zerviah joked to Sagittaria as she arrived on her floor and got off the elevator. In reality it was perhaps unintentionally literal as well. It was probably true that most of District 1 wanted Sagittaria dead. It was her partner, after all, who had managed to beat Flint to a pulp before ultimately killing him. It was no mystery that the Hunger Games in District 1 were quite serious business with grudges living on even beyond the games.

Zerviah glanced at her tributes almost immediately as they began explaining their various successes in the training centre. "Knives, eh? That seems to be a popular choice, but because they're lightweight they're incredibly effective." She responded to Dezna, noting his interest in knives once she was inside the apartment. It didn't come as much of a surprise to her that at least one of them was using knives. Many tributes did, after all, while heavier weapons such as maces were exceptionally rarer. It was interesting to see just how much Rye's presence would managed to change that dynamic. The weapon choices of notable tributes were always popular the following year so certainly somebody was bound to pick it up, likely one of the brawnier tributes. A career perhaps? The irony there wasn't lost on the woman.

Kiva chuckled when Dezna managed to throw in a subtle hint to their attractiveness. He had a point. The games were bound to take more than just good looks. Looks were generally only useful in the pre-game events, but that alone was enough for Kiva to want to take advantage of it. Her appearance was something she hadn't typically flaunted at home, but this was different. This was survival and frankly the Capitol liked some pretty faces to look at, even if there was a chance they would end up slaughtered on-screen. "Only the arena will determine that, Dezna. Lucky for me I think I could pick up nearly any weapon now and wield it effectively. That will be useful." Kiva noted with a shred of confidence.

"You will want to show the gamemakers that in the private sessions. The ability to adapt and be dynamic is something they will likely take interest in. By the time they arrive you'll probably be even better at your skills as well." Zerviah responded, realizing that her initial advice to try different things was actually paying off. It left her admittedly surprised, but it also had potential to be massive advantageous; tributes would be expecting one strategy only to be hit with something else entirely different. One didn't have to have mastery of a particular skill to be able to do serious damage either. With some luck a tribute could be harmed enough to get away, only to have them brutally slaughtered by the next passerby. Besides, who would be able to effective fight back in an already weakened state?

[Zulera301]

Saj laughed. "I'm sure they'll welcome me with open arms when I tell 'em that their male tributes have a history of being assholes. But hey, if you're sick of seeing me, I ain't taking offense." she was just being her usual jokester self at this point, and knew full well that a lot of District 1 hated her guts because of her loyalty to Rye, who had killed Flint, and because of the mad smack she talked about Flint and Blaze both to their faces and to others, including Caesar Flickerman on national television. Sagittaria had definitely thrown a wrench into the system, and she would surely not be forgotten ever.

"seems fitting for me then." he chuckled. he was light-weight, swift, and extremely effective at the skills he had. There were always lots of knives in the arena, because they were so useful, and it was always quite striking entertainment when tributes lacerated each other before the kill, or when they struck from surprise. There had been a girl from District 5 one year who was notorious for appearing out of nowhere and jumping on top of unsuspecting tributes from the trees or cliffs and sticking blades through their necks or skulls. On the other hand, the weapons of some of the more influential tributes from the previous year always saw a brief little surge in popularity for the next couple of games. In this case, it was the mace and the bow (and the idea of crossbows as well). Knives and axes were also popular, because not even the strongest career tribute could deny that Kyla, that little girl from District 12, had been not only ruthless and cunning, but also the most effective killing machine in the games--moreso even than the victor.

"A colorful array of skills then?" he tilted his head with a clever smirk towards Kiva, his wild hair bouncing with the sharp motion, "Seems that the Capitol's about to find out that Kiva Rainbow and Dezna Lightning are more profound than meets the eye." Oh no, the analogy was not lost on him whatsoever. On the other hand, rainbows and lightning were also extremely beautiful, and even mesmerizing. bright and/or colorful lights always entranced the boy, and so if his little idea actually became a theme, he might chuckle at the irony after he finished pulling his eyes away from all the shiny.

"Secrets, cunning, and adaptability..." he shrugged, "sounds like a Tuesday to me." While he had practiced a bit with the knives, he had made his motions much slower than he would have otherwise, giving off the impression that he was just some other insignificant slow tribute that was bound to be bloodbath fodder. He had tried a few other things, although was not quite as colorfully varied as Kiva. He did have a few things that he felt he was quite good at though, and direct melee combat was one of them, where he would get right up in his target's face to attack.
"so do we go all out in the private sessions, or do we try to keep a slightly lower profile to not garner too much attention from our scores?" he asked Zerviah.

[Nachthexe]

"Perhaps. I'll give them a show to remember. They'll be staring at us like we stare at flashing lights." Kiva responded, chuckling. She immediately knew it was the one reference that wouldn't be lost on the boy. It was well-known among all of District 6 that flashy lights and bright colours were enjoyed, particularly while intoxicated. Kiva was pretty well convinced that the shimmering wings on the previous year's District 11 tributes had been one of the major factors in her watching them closely throughout the games. She didn't regret any of it either as they had continuously proven themselves capable fighters until the end.

Zerviah didn't have to think about Dezna's question for long before managing to produce an answer. "For you I'd suggest holding back, but Kiva would have nothing to lose by going all out. In fact, in her case I'd recommend it; she needs to show how she has adequate knowledge of various weaponry." Kiva listened in and nodded. So she had to show her skill. That wasn't too hard, right? If anything it would score her at least a mid-range score as those were the most common. Of course the higher scores tended to get more sponsors, but the careers tended to get more sponsors anyway unless a tribute from a lesser district showed themselves to be exceptionally skilled. It too seemed like a skewed system that once again favoured the careers, but she was in no position to complain. It was them essentially bending the Capitol's rules, not her.

Once settled into the apartment, Kiva leaned back in one of the chairs and tossed off her shoes. Training was proving itself to be strenuous, but she suspected it nothing compared to what was going to be faced in the arena. For the second day in a row Blaze alone was proving himself to be quite the killer. If he gave off that impression in training then Kiva could only fear for the worst once the 23 others were forced to face him. "Considering who that Blaze kid's brother is there's no wonder he already looks as if he can take lives. He doesn't seem to fear the prospect of it either." She commented, realizing just how nuts perhaps the entire Difronzo family was. Did the parents realize their children were sadistic killers? No, of course they did. The games were welcomed with a different sort of attitude in both career districts than they were anywhere else.

"True, but I never thought I'd see the day when you were bothered by something in the games." Zerviah commented, attempting to perhaps motivate Kiva somewhat. She wasn't sure of the sort of effect it had as the girl walked to the table in silence almost as soon as the Avoxes came in with the evening's feast. Even after years in the Capitol the amount of food never ceased to amaze the mentor woman. District 6 was one thing, but she was sure it must have been quite enraging to the outlying districts to be eating like royalty every night while their loved ones back home were starving. Then again, the Capitol certainly saw it as them offering incentive for tributes to perform well in the games and win. That almost managed to bother the woman now more than the prospect of losing one or both tributes, considering both Kiva and Dezna seemed to deal with death so calmly.

"I'm going to miss this once I'm in that hellhole." Kiva remarked as she filled up a plate of food. Of course there was no need to specify exactly which "hellhole" she was referring to. It was as clear as day and there was no denying it. The arena was the highest stage of hell, even if the Capitol didn't see it.

"Yes, but that just means you should limit yourselves. Your bodies will thank you for it later." Zerviah interjected, realizing that there was only days before the main event. Time was flying quickly and Zerviah despised it, but she knew the most she could do was help the pair the most she could before their untimely end. "Remember, I won with this survival stuff." She then added before stuffing some sort of dumpling into her mouth.

[Zulera301]

"Oh? Are you sure they're not doing that already?" Dezna winked. It was a combination between a flirt and a joke, in all actuality. He knew full well that the Capitol had their eyes on them for reasons other than the arena. He used to think that only girls ever got that kind of attention, but had since been proven wrong by... well, himself. Still, the tributes from District 11 had been rather attractive as well, although they were so in a more humble and homely way, with more rugged good looks rather than the type of allure that the Capitol looked for. Still, the flashy lights and bright colors had been something mesmerizing for District 6, and so when the victors got to tour the likes of District 5, they often had to be snapped out of it. Similarly, any respectable person from District 6 could tell you that there was nothing quite like a light show when one was high. If Dezna came out of this alive he wanted to see that again.

"holding back? even in the private sessions?" he tilted his head curiously. He had planned on not showing off his speed and key skills in the public training, but had figured that it'd be better for him to show those off so that he could appeal to sponsors and not get overlooked as fodder. Still, Zerviah had done this before, and so could cite experience to at least a certain degree. All tributes and games were different, but he figured that there were some basic, elementary concepts that hadn't changed a bit.

Dezna quickly kicked off his shoes and went barefoot again, flopping upside-down in one of the soft chairs, a light jingling sound coming from the jewelery that adorned his ears. "well, something tells me that whoever watches these games will get something of a sense of deja vu then." he quipped, his wild mop of hair almost working as, well... a mop. "I wonder if he's got any friends, or if he's even got any allies. I'm pretty sure anyone who sides with him is just doing so out of fear. There's a 13 out of 12 if I ever saw one." He was definitely aware of the fierceness and brutality of that boy, and he would surely be a ruthless fighter.
"You know what I want to see?" he suddenly spoke up again. "I want to see him get pitted against another girl like that Kyla kid. Honestly, I was anticipating them fighting, and I had my money on the girl."

That story almost impressed Dezna more than the two kids from '11 both scoring 11s in training and then proceeding to take 1st and 2nd. The fact that some scrawny little malnourished kid with broken speech and a bad ear from the poorest, smallest, and most ridiculed district in Panem could outlive almost all of the mightiest tributes, and manage to kill more than anyone else including the victor of the games, was surely something that no one else was going to forget any time soon. "But honestly, I'm not too worried about Blaze. Someone will off him--since I'm sure there will be other powerful tributes that are not on his side." He thought of the girl from District 5, who appeared to be some kind of martial artist based on the way she moved. Of course, there was that girl from District 4 who always seemed to pop up, but Dezna had no idea where her allegiances lay. Heck, he didn't even know her name.

Eventually he rolled off the couch and got up to grab some grub. "me too," he agreed with Kiva, "although Zerviah's got a point, I reckon." he shrugged, "survival is what usually sets the careers out from the others--their skills in those departments are usually fairly poor, while those kids from '11 and '12 usually thrive in it." he remembered watching the sole victor from District 12 during her interview, where she was asked how she felt about the whole survival thing. She simply shrugged it off and with a chuckle said, "it was just like home."
"To us though," he raised a glass before draining it. "and may the odds make it so there are crossbows in the arena." he joked.

[Nachthexe]

Zerviah nodded. "It's a common tactic. Often tributes want to appear weaker than they actually are until crucial points in the games. You saw how Kyla certainly pulled it off because I have a feeling that little girl was holding back something in front of the Gamemakers." The mentor wasn't quick to forget that the girl who had managed to get the most kills had scored only a 6 in training and was overlooked almost entirely during the pre-game events. There was of course also at least a few cases of low scoring tributes having won the games. The numbers were little more than a betting tool and even in the late stages of the games they began to become more and more meaningless.

"She has a point. For all they know you could be a complete badass and they wouldn't even know it; that could draw the careers in and then we could slaughter them." Kiva interjected, chuckling. Judging by the facial expressions that formed over everybody's faces at the table, she realized that perhaps she was getting ahead of herself. It was a wild plan. And dangerous. Still, the girl enjoyed imagining herself outliving the others, even if it didn't manifest in reality. She almost saw Kyla's reflection in herself because truth was at this point she envied the girl. She could have made it home easily, but instead fate dictated otherwise. Despite that though the girl was remembered and Kiva too hoped that at least somebody besides her family would remember her if she died.

"Blaze having allies? Hah, we both know the career pack is like a pack of dogs. You'd have to kill them to split them up." The subject was quickly shifted to that of the careers and naturally Kiva had plenty of thoughts on them. "I'm with you on that. Some Kyla kid needs to take his ass on, but I doubt there'll be any this year. Certainly not from District 12. If not, we can just watch him starve. Careers are bad for that." Kiva couldn't help but to chuckle at the last part. It was also a well-known fact that the wealthier districts didn't really know how to go hungry. She knew she was at an obvious advantage there, having experienced her own days of hunger even if it wasn't constant like it supposedly was in Districts 11 and 12.

Heeding Zerviah's advice, Kiva found herself eating less food than she had initially piled onto her plate. There was of course still several days to go until the arena, but she figured she would gradually ease herself into a routine of near starvation. Naturally, the idea of starvation didn't impress the girl, but it was a very common reality in the games. She knew that all too well from years of watching and honestly it didn't look like the most pleasant fate; it was a slow death that gradually wasted tributes away to nothing. With some luck there was bound to be small critters around in the arena, but even that wasn't always a guarantee. Oftentimes tributes had to get rather creative with finding food sources.

"May the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock and you don't feel anything when you die!" Kiva bellowed out as she raised her glass to return Dezna's toast. It was safe to assume that the words have pretty much stuck, but still they rang true. The only liberty one had in the arena was potentially deciding their own way out just as Rye had, but even those opportunities were few and far between. Most people died before they ever got that chance and in particularly gruesome fashion. That was a fate Kiva couldn't bear wishing upon anybody, not even Blaze.

[Zulera301]

Dezna chuckled. "well, I dunno about looking totally weak and stuff. I mean, that Kyla kid was built for that. I can't really say I look weak or malnourished the way she does... do I?" he would have to find a tricky happy medium in terms of performance. Too low and he'd get targetted as fodder, which was fine in theory, but even the mighty careers could be brought down with enough tributes, regardless of how weak these ganging tributes might have seemed. On the other hand, scoring too high would paint a target on him. he was shooting for around an 8 or a 9. Maybe a 7.

Dezna chuckled at Kiva's remark. "y'know... I don't think any district would be able to replicate Kyla, not even the careers." The closest thing he could think of was that tiny girl from District 2, but she had not tried to act weak and helpless, and instead had proven form the get-go that she was ruthless and cunning, and so her games (the 35th or something, he believed) involved her outsmarting and outclassing most of the other tributes as she and the other careers whittled them down until it was just them, where she secured her victory by easily outconning them. If anything, Dezna envied Kyla by sheer virtue of the fact that she had become a legend, even outside of Districts 11 and 12. If he died, he wanted to go out in flames the way that kid had. He wanted to be remembered as a hero like Rye and Kyla; not like Flint or Krystal, who, considering how little he knew of them, seemed like unsung heroes (for very different reasons nonetheless).

"well, we weren't exactly out socializing with everyone," Dezna chuckled at Kiva's remark. "maybe there is one or two that might be able to rip their throats out or something. If not, maybe '12 can blow up their food or find another way to starve them." he chuckled, knowing full well that a career tribute was often vulnerable when he or she did not have the prioper supplies. survival was not usually their forte, and instead they relied on the cornucopia supplies and/or sponsor gifts. Dezna knew that he could not cut off the latter (unless the tribute in question was dead, but then there'd be no point), but he could possibly find a way to sabotage the former. time and the arena would tell.

"But I guess I shouldn't turn into one of them." Dezna laughed, deciding to finish his plate and not go back for seconds this time. He was comfortably fed at this point rather than feeling full or hungry, so a nice glass of water was a good place to stop. Water. that was something he felt was fine to indulge a bit in, because it would take a ridiculous amount of effort to kill one's self with too much water, and one would go without food much longer than without water. That was the 101 of survival right there. He did not want to starve, as it, as well as drowning, seemed like miserable and painful ways to go. Well, of course he didn't want to die at all, but if he had to, he wanted it to be quick and clean, like Rye's had been, regardless of who finished him.

Dezna laughed. "Sagittaria's probably campaigning to the Capitol right now to get Snow and all them to change that to the official slogan. That'd be pretty damn cool if it actually happened." he didn't think that that was actually the case, but it was still a nice funny little thought. The slogan had grown on him, personally, and frankly, if he was mortally wounded an in excruciating pain, he wanted to go into shock and die quickly. Frankly, he kind of hoped that for everyone who had to die, even Blaze. Sure he wanted the boy dead simply because he came off as an overly aggressive and intimidating asshole just as his brother had the year before, but in the end, he too was just one of 24 otherwise innocent children whose minds had been warped by the 'games or something surrounding them. It was a harsh truth that Dezna had long since desensitized himself to, but that was just the way things went.

"For District 6 winning these damn games this year." Dezna raised a glass (it was just water), and drained the entire thing without taking a breath. He then leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up and sighing contently.

[Nachthexe]

"Mid-range scores can still typically get sponsors." Zerviah reminded Dezna who seemed skeptical about the proposed strategy. The kid had a point, but even if lower scoring tributes were targeted either they would actually show themselves to be weak and fall or they would be able to fend off opposition long enough to get away. Zerviah was confident that Dezna would fall into the latter category. She didn't think it was her own bias speaking either; the boy genuinely seemed to have some idea as to what he was doing.

Kiva's eyes widened as Dezna continued speaking. Starving the careers? The boy was obviously onto something. "They seem to always rely on the Capitol food supplies. That usually has them establishing shelter not too far from the Cornucopia. If we could just somehow cut them off..." Kiva mused, realizing exactly what Dezna seemed to be implying. Of course nothing could be set in stone as much of the planning largely depended on the sort of environment they were placed in, but even the careers were not invincible. They had their set weaknesses like everybody else and it typically didn't vary much.

Kiva managed to let out a smile as Dezna concluded the toast. A District 6 victor. There was no doubt going to be one and Kiva felt pretty damn good about it. She didn't know about the others, but she knew that both she and her district partner were not phased by the prospect of dying. Certainly having a diverse skill set helped too and that was something Kiva didn't intend to put to waste. "Oh you know it. District 6 is what everybody is going to be shouting once this is all over."

Between joking and strategizing for the games Kiva found herself in high spirits even as the evening began to swing to a close. Despite the circumstances she and Dezna had been thrown into they were managing to make the best of it. It perhaps showed a hint of strength that they didn't know they had. Kiva at least was prepared to just enjoy her last few days safely before being forced to fight for her life. Naturally, it was an outcome she both anticipated and dreaded. Besides, there was still that small chance she could make it out alive and that left her with hope even as she withdrew to her room for the night.

[Zulera301]

"mid-range? like 7 or 8? yeah, I'd be fine with that." to him, low was something like a 4, 5, or 6, while mid was more around 7 or 8, with 9 or above being high. Anyone to get below a 4 was a joke. Not even Kyla had restrained herself that much. sure an 8 was on the higher end of the scale, but they were fairly common scores, and usually the careers got 9s and 10s. 11s and 12s were quite rare, and Dezna was pretty sure that Rye and Sagittaria marked the only time that District 11 had ever gotten both tributes with such high scores before.

"Yeah, obviously it depends on the arena, but it's a feasible plan if I can iron out a few more kinks. Building things might come in handy if we're able to rig stuff up and or trap it. all our time at the trap station might not have been wasted after all." It was one of Dezna's favorite stations, which was actually rather nice since it and the survival stations often got so often overlooked, so he and Kiva were often there alone. He liked knowing that they had pinpointed one of the most common weaknesses of the careers. Each district's tributes generally had similar sets of weaknesses year after year, (including 6), and so Dezna felt that if they could exploit that, they would have a much higher chance of bringing District 6 a bit of glory.

Heck, another reason dying didn't sound so bad was because of how well Rye was remembered for his heroism, but there was also Kyla. No one would have thought that a couple of scrawny, dirty, malnourished kids from District 12 could eve make an impact on Hunger Games society. Well... they were half-right. no one even remembered the older brother's name. However, anyone from almost any district could say the name "Kyla Togisala", and it'd trigger a mixture of awe, intrigue, or respect among those who heard it. Even some of the mentors from the career districts had a certain and unusual respect for that girl, mostly because she had proven that even the smallest and most insignificant tribute could be hiding lethality.

"So," he chuckled at Kiva's remark, "you think we'll become legends? I dig it. I'll definitely do what I can... or I'll get axed in the bloodbath." he tried his hand a joke, although he certainly didn't think that would happen to him. His spirits were high as they talked and joked and made other thoughts and remarks about the upcoming games, even if one or both of them would lose their lives in them. Perhaps Sagittaria Svenja had the right approach to death--maybe black humor was the answer.
Still, eventually it grew late and bedtime was a smart idea considering that sleep was valuable in the pre-arena days. Dezna yawned and got up. "I guess I'll see y'all tomorrow then." he blew them all a kiss, but aimed a wink particularly at Kiva before walking towards his room. "Till then... Dezna out."

[Nachthexe]

The next several days passed with Kiva showing considerable improvement in all skills. Certainly she hadn't realized it just days earlier, but she was the only one who seemed to be taking a mixed approach while most of the other tributes had specialties. The last day of training had especially shown that, but yet the girl didn't find herself growing hugely nervous even as the private sessions quickly approached. She couldn't see any reason why she'd score less than mid-range, after all. One seemed like they would have to perform exceptionally bad to end up in that range. Of course, it had happened, but there was yet one number she was to see come out of the games: 1. Was it even possible? It almost seemed merely for show, but she wasn't about to put it past the Capitol to actually score somebody that low.

"Yes I know what's today and I'm ready to face it like a speeding train." Kiva uttered to a very excited looking Silas as she took a seat at the table after carrying out her morning routines. The man looked as if he was about to bellow out his signature phrases of excitement, but Kiva now knew him well enough to partially shut him down. Not even for a minute did it make her feel guilty either, even if the games were the man's main entertainment. Hell, they were for all of the Capitol so it was hard to even blame the man now. She knew that citizens in District 6 were conditioned pretty much from birth for the games so certainly the rest of the districts and the Capitol were no different? They all had their differing ideas about it and it was clear what it all meant to the Capitol.

"That's what I like to hear. Most are not so eager. Do I hear the voice of a champion?" Silas responded instead, and in a surprisingly placid tone. A champion? That last bit wasn't lost on Kiva as she let out a smile. There was no guarantee, but she would certainly try. District 6 needed a victor and this seemed like an ideal year, and not just because Kiva happened to be a tribute either. She genuinely felt confidence in herself and her partner. Neither of them was going down easily no matter how hard the career pack and others tried. District 6 may have been full of oddballs, but they were largely desensitized to most things, perhaps from the prolonged drug use.

As Kiva began eating her breakfast she was soon interrupted by another all too familiar face. Zerviah. She was never unwilling to offer her wisdom so certainly had as much confidence in her pair of tributes as they seemingly had in themselves. "I suppose you two want to be familiarized with the routine. You will go down to the training centre, the same one you're all too knowledgeable about now. Except this time you will be called in one by one by district and name. Since you're District 6 you have the fortune of going in about halfway through. It's then the Gamemakers will give you further instructions. It may seem intimidating, but it's not as scary as it seems. I promise." The woman explained, giving a complete run-down of the routine as she remembered it. Certainly it was a lot of waiting but that of course was only minor in comparison to what was to come in the arena.

As Zerviah went over the routine it seemed oddly just as she would have expected it to be, but of course one detail was left out and with Kiva being the observant thing she was she had to know. Scores. How did tributes learn them? Did tributes go into the arena completely blind with scores only known by those on the outside? "You forgot scores. Hopefully those Gamemakers fess up." She chuckled as she finished taking a sip from her glass of water. She was also eating noticeably less as well, having heeded Zerviah's advice from days earlier. It left her feeling a lot more fatigued and less energized during the day, but she figured it was just one of many obstacles she would encounter in a day's time.

"Trust me, you will know. They will be broadcast publicly tonight before the interviews, which I'm sure Flavia and Felix have been planning something spectacular for." Zerviah replied, nodding towards the two stylists who then returned the gesture before putting on smiles of their own. Kiva found herself consistently surprised by the male of the duo who despite not being mute like his partner seemed to speak very little. Maybe it was the influence of working with Flavia for so long that rubbed off on the man? She almost wanted to ask before realizing just how much more important preparing for the games was.

[Zulera301]

Dezna's arsenal of skills did not branch out as much as Kiva's but one thing he did work on was his agility in more subtle places, such as how he wielded his weapons (other than knives, he was quite good at slingshots, which he figured would be easy to build if there was, for whatever reason, no weapons nearby) and how he reacted to attacks from the holograms and such. It was not something people paid attention to much, but Dezna's reflexes were really rather impressive. He wasn't worried at all about his training score. He was pretty sure he'd get in what he called the mid-range (rather than 6, which was technically the mid-range). As long as he didn't get a 0 the way some kid apparently had one year. Either that, or it was something Sagittaria or someone had started, but he had heard the tributes form District 2 talking about it, so maybe it wasn't hers. On the other hand, they also chanted Saj's slogan, so maybe they had been indirectly influenced by her? he didn't think too much about it.

"C'mon, Kiva. let the man have some fun." Dezna chuckled. Maybe it was his own weird twisted logic, but he thought that the tributes and the escorts should at least get along better than they currently did. Maybe he just wanted everyone to get along though. It was definitely an idealist way of thinking, but it attributed to some of his calm demeanor, among other things. He did turn to Kiva and grin though. "we'll hit the others like a speeding train." he reassured her, "and one of us'll come out of this alive." he was not referring to which one because he didn't know, but he seemed fairly confident that it would be a tribute from District 6. Unlike Saj and Rye the year before, the idea of only one of them coming back didn't seem to bother tham as much. Then again, they weren't in love. On the other OTHER hand though, he did flirt with Kiva now and again, and he knew full well that he was going to probably be a bit bolder after the interviews.

"You hear the voice of a champion." he nodded towards the escort. "Now we just need to find out who the champion's voice belongs to. all we know is that he or she is in this room." Dezna was shamelessly confident in the things he said and did. He was not universally loved or whatnot, but he was definitely not hated either. He was just fairly well-liked by those that knew her, and most people approved of the things he did. He was certain that he was not doomed to be bloodbath fodder, and figured he'd at the very least place in the top 5. District 6 would keep both of their tributes alive the longest this year. (last year, District 11 had earned this honor, just barely beating out District 2, who had kept both tributes alive till the very end)

As they ate breakfast, Zerviah showed up to give them the rundown of what was to happen today. He had heard that the only time the boys went first at the Capitol routine was during these private sessions. Funny... that meant that he'd be the 11th tribute to show off his skills, and the 12th one interviewed. Conversely, Kiva would be the 12th one to have her private session while she'd be the 11th one interviewed. He was sure that there was some kind of symbolism to be made here given that District 11 and District 12 had both proven to be lethal in the previous games... but if there was any, it was lost on him at the moment.
"I ain't afraid of the gamemakers," he replied. It was a bold statement to make, but this was also a boy that said he did not fear death, so it suddenly made more sense after knowing that.

He was glad that Kiva had asked that question, becuase he had been wondering it too. Of course, it was not like he would have kept that question bottled in. A rarity for tributes, but Dezna was more than willing to ask questions about anything and everything be it in the training center, or about Capitol routine or whatnot. He had asked Sagittaria a lot of questions during her interviews. Granted, he also remembered that he had sort of made moves on her, and he was pretty sure he had groped her at one point, but maybe he just thought that. Either way, the brief moment where Saj spoke to them, she didn't seem bothered by anything that had happened, so he discarded the thought once again.

"oooh. I admit that I was looking forward to seeing those interview outfits." he admitted after hearing that, "it sounds like a nice way to end the day after learning of our dazzling success or miserable failure." he chuckled. He also noticed that Felix was a fairly quite individual, which he did not mind. Silas seemed to make it up for them, although he liked his whole team for the most part. The cool silent style of communication between the stylists was something he quite liked though.
"So should we be hauling our pretty little asses down there now?" he chuckled once his plate was demolished, "or what?"

[Nachthexe]

"Hah, the Gamemakers are harmless. Well at least until we enter that arena." Kiva replied, quickly realizing just how much power the Gamemakers would have within a day's time. While Panem was Snow's realm, the arena was theirs and they rarely showed mercy. Kiva suspected it took a very special kind of person to become a Gamemaker, but then remembered that the games were all entertainment to the Capitol regardless so surely some just wanted to be more active in it than others? If anything, it showed Kiva's worst fears about the games finally coming to fruition; she was not her own self, but merely a pawn in something bigger.

"Judging by the parade outfits I wouldn't be surprised if it was something else shiny." And provocative. Kiva mused over the previous outfits the pair had worn and all the attention they had received. There was no doubt that more attractive tributes had an easier time getting attention from the Capitol. If that what it took for Kiva to get noticed then she was prepared to embrace it. Certainly the stylists saw it too.

Flavia and Felix quickly took note of the tributes' discussion of the interview outfits. "I think you will both quite like what we have planned. I hope you both like surprises since I'm not saying more than that at this point." The male of the duo spoke, letting out a chuckle. Both He and Flavia had been up late into the night finishing up their creations so now he could only hope the work paid off. Judging by the quirkiness of the two tributes and their earlier discussions, however, he couldn't think of anything more fitting than what he had in store. All he could hope for now was energetic and entertaining interviews from them both.

Kiva smiled before chuckling. "Well I'll just think of it as a reward after a job well done. I plan on acing that training. Dezna too I'm sure." She explained with great confidence as she finished up her small plate of food. A diverse skillset. Even that was something the audiences didn't see in the games often with most tributes focusing on one or two. Kiva planned to throw that entire concept out the window, however, presenting a bit of a surprised. Despite being merely a pawn she intended to give them a show to remember. It was the least she could do before meeting her untimely end just as everybody did eventually. It was in fact that exact philosophy that had many District 6 citizens living each day to the fullest. Not even the arena would manage to change that part of Kiva and perhaps Dezna. If anything, being reaped made the girl truly realize just what her exact outlook on death was.

"Of course. We have training to ace. Maybe we will be so pretty the Gamemakers will just award us both 12's by default." Kiva chuckled as she got up from the table to make her way down to the training centre. Just as in the days previous and in the morning she still hadn't found herself growing nervous about the whole endeavour. No, that was reserved for the more inexperienced tributes. District 12 immediately came to mind. She didn't know much about their tributes this year, but they were certainly no Kyla. Unless they were playing the same tactics she had? There were countless possibilities and if there was one thing Kiva had learned from years of watching the games it was to not count her chickens before they hatched; nobody was to be discounted until they ultimately met their end.

[Zulera301]

Dezna just laughed. "so basically, they have our lives in their hands. that's a comforting thought." He was well-aware that the tributes were basically just pawns in the Capitol's game, but it didn't really faze Dezna. To him, the only true pawns were the ones who played by their terms--District 1 and District 2, who dedicated their lives to the 'games, wee the pawns. Dezna, on the other hand, planned on playing the games the same way he lived life back home in District 6--he was going to do this his way, playing by his rules. It would probably still be entertaining, but frankly, as long as Dezna found himself enjoying himself (well, as much as one could enjoy a death tournament anyways), he would be content with his lot in life. In retrospect, that was why he was fine with being a mechanic back home. He enjoyed his work, so it didn't bother him a whole lot.

"I hope so." he chuckled. "maybe they'll actually be able to make it classy without making it so... provocative." he chuckled. Almost all of the male tributes wore suits of various sorts, which were harder to be provocative (or so he figured.) No, most of the interview outfits were more classy and formal--but then again, if someone found the perfect point between classy and garish, Dezna at least, thought they were extremely attractive. When someone was dressed beautifully and left so much to the imagination... well, Dezna's mind wandered sometimes, at least.

"I hope it's shiny." Dezna blurted out after hearing Felix. He didn't mind surprises, and if anything came at him suddenly, he was quite accustomed to reacting quickly. It would be useful in the arena, although he didn't mind being surprised in terms of what the stylists were going to make him wear tonight. He also wondered what Kiva would wear--He wondered if they'd be able to resist each other in such charming attire. He wasn't exactly going to try to fight it himself.

"I'll do what I can to resist being the first kid to ever get a 13." he quipped, referencing something, perhaps inadvertently , that Sagittaria had said a year earlier. "I'm certainly not going to be one of those kids who gets a zero." He was still not even sure if that was true or not; he had only heard of it from the kids from District 2, as well as that boy from District 11, which, in his mind, led back to that golden-tongued victor from the year before once again. She was full of so much shit, but at the same time, much of it was rather convincing. Still, if he died, he was fixated on the idea that Rye and Kyla would not be the only fallen tributes that would get their names to go down in history. If he was doomed to die before adulthood, then so be it. Still... he'd make sure that it was on his terms, unless he was not the only one hiding agile skills of his level.

Even the prospect of being thrown into an arena and left to die did not seem to faze or intimidate him, and so he was calm and collected. This would be an easy endeavor. He chuckled at Kiva's joke. "well, maybe I'll just take off my shirt and oil myself up before I show my face to the Gamemakers today." he joked. Honestly, the idea had briefly crossed his mind. If nothing else, it would be one hell of a scene, although he was fairly certain it was just him trying his hand at another joke rather than him stating what he was actually going to do.
"Welp," his breakfast was finished and so Dezna stood up and turned to Kiva. "you ready?"

[Nachthexe]

Dezna had a point. It wasn't exactly the most comforting thought that their lives were literally in the hands of a few Capitol citizens beginning tomorrow, but it was uncontrollable circumstances and still Kiva didn't compromise on her own views. She was going to play this game and hopefully come out a victor. If not, then she hoped to at least be remembered well back home. At least her parents and sister would have somebody to look up to. It had been awhile since District 6 had anybody from their own district to look up to and admire and naturally Hunger Games victors were the obvious choice.

Zerviah chuckled. "A zero? That's unlikely. It's incredible some of the rumours that get around." The mentor woman began wondering the root of such rumours, but also realized it was worthless to even inquire about something so trivial, as funny as it was. At least Dezna's mention of scoring a 13 left a sweet taste in her mouth. It showed the boy had confidence in his skills, even if scoring that high was also impossible. 12 alone was almost unachievable, being a feat that very few managed. Those who did were always from Districts 1 or 2. In fact, Zerviah couldn't recall a single instance where a tribute from one of the other districts had scored higher than 11.

"Who cares? It's all just numbers, right? You said so yourself." Kiva responded, scratching her head as she stood in the doorway. "Yes, let's do this." She shifted her attention to Dezna as she finally made her way to the elevator that was to take them to their judgement. It was only once in the elevator she began to feel her first hint of unease. What if she scored low? So low that nobody would sponsor her? Of course it seemed unlikely, but just like tributes in the arena couldn't be underestimated she wasn't willing to put any of that past the scorers. They perhaps even had ulterior motives, although she couldn't picture them having much interest in District 6 that way unless attractiveness was taken into account here as well. That seemed like a long shot though.

Almost immediately Kiva was greeted by the other tributes sitting around waiting as she exited the elevator. Unsurprisingly, they were seated in order, although some seemed eager to move around and socialize. Kiva had little interest in that, however, only noticing how much more nervous than herself many of them appeared to be. It became clear to her that her unfazed attitude towards death was perhaps very much an exception. An advantage perhaps just as suspected? She certainly saw it as such, but didn't dare mention anything about it here. Last thing she needed was the majority of the tributes hating her the day before being thrust into the arena. Albert, the boy from District 5, at least appeared to be rather calm and collected. Kiva could only conclude that either he also didn't fear death or he too had a massive amount of confidence in his skills. Only time would tell, and just as the District 2 boy got called in she gazed at Albert and waved. The boy waved back and smiled, a pleasure gesture despite what was to come.

"Well this is it. Ready? Perhaps we can be the Gamemakers for once and bring the fun to them." Kiva remarked to Dezna as she took a seat, trying to hold back laughter. Last thing she wanted was to draw too much attention to herself, something else that certainly had potential risk. Of course nothing would come to fruition until the others knew the scores of who they were facing, but those who made a fiasco in training were bound to be remember, regardless of what they scored. Naturally, it served as a reminder of the sort of threat the District 1 boy especially was bound to be. In training he had seemed deadly so Kiva wouldn't be surprised if he scored at least a 10. As for everything else though, only time would tell at this point.

[Zulera301]

One thing that was so easy to overlook about Dezna Meraxa was that his mind moved just as fast as his body. That swift thought processing and reaction time was not limited to his reflexes--the boy was actually very clever. He knew that there was nothing save winning that could get him out of the arena that he would be thrown into around this time tomorrow, but once in, he didn't necessarily think that he was going to be locked in a constant struggle against the Capitol. If they wanted to send things at him, he'd manage. He always seemed to find a way to get things done. Maybe he'd be able to be remembered for it.

Dezna chuckled. "Some of the tributes in the training centers tell a few stories." he explained to his mentor, "those kids from '11 tell a lot, and I don't think it's too hard to figure out why." He knew about Sagittaria Svenja a bit. Apparently back in District 11 she was a famous giver, liar, and storyteller. He actually kind of envied that about her--he had the sense of humor; he just lacked the golden wordplay that Sagittaria possessed that could easily list her as one of the most charismatic individuals in all of Panem. Still, he doubted that he would get a 13, or even a 12. almost no one outside of District 2 or District 1 ever did, except the occasional kid from District 4, or the very rare kid from District 3. 11s were a bit more common, but still rare. Obviously the 11s that Rye and Sagittaria had both achieved were a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and was believed to be the first time in history any district had gotten two 11s (even in the career districts, if one got an 11, the other usually got a 10 or 9; or sometimes even a 12.)

"well, it's numbers that have us fenced off and stuff too," he quipped, "but, no point in bitching about things we can't change. Let's go kick some ass, and may the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock and you don't feel anything when you die." he chuckled at the hilarious slogan, and wasn't referring directly to Kiva with it either. He wasn't worried about scores as much as Kiva either. As he said--it was just a number, and sometimes tributes showed or developed skills that they did not show in the training center or private sessions. Kyla once again came to mind, and after she revealed herself as a ruthless killing machine, sponsors came in from every side, giving the girl a rather prominent edge until her tragic demise. She too had grown into a Capitol favorite during her short life in the arena. But, sponsors were not necessary for a win. He was pretty sure that the only victor District 12 had thus produced had won her games without any type of sponsorships. He felt bad for that poor woman; it had been years since her games, and she was still mentoring tributes because there had been no one to replace her.

As Dezna entered the room, he saw most of the other tributes already there, from the eager career tributes who seemed to almost be itching to jump out of their seats, all the way down to Leon, Daisy, and the District 12 tributes. The little girl at the end of the row seemed to be surprisingly calm, as if she had accepted her fate.
More towards the middle where he and Kiva sat though, there was some activity. Albert and his partner seemed somewhat content, although the girl did seem rather secretive. Dezna had heard that that was just how District 5 was though, and so didn't think about it much. On the opposite side of Albert was that really tall girl from District 4 again, who glanced at them as they sat down, but other than a grin, remained quiet. "she'll score high for sure." he thought to himself.

"We'll turn these games upside-down." he grinned at her. District 6 was going to throw a wrench into the system if he had anything to say about it at least. Still... he was interested to see who was a threat, who was not, and that sort of thing. Granted, there were upsets and errors. When he watched the 'games the year before, he, like surely many others, had labelled the Togisala children as cannon fodder. They were all 50% right. Dezna had found himself saying "called that one" when he saw Alexis Alewine cut down the boy, although he found himself surprised that the girl survived the first night--and then the 2nd. Then the 3rd. Then Sagittaria and Rye came across her, and he figured that they'd off her in a couple days. But nope; the kid turned around and proved that she was the most lethal tribute in the arena. There were 6 sets of parents across Panem who no longer had a child because of that girl.

He didn't pay much attention to the other tributes, although he did remember a couple of names from the kids before him. There was Alan and Roxanne from District 2, Clemont and Hikari from District 3, and that girl from District 4's name was Valendria apparently. She got up, muttering under their breath. "I told them Varsha for a reason..." a nickname, perhaps? surely there was a story behind that that he wouldn't ever know. Soon, Albert disappeared, followed by his partner, Glimmer. Dezna stayed upright at this point, knowing that as that diminutive girl got up, he would be called in within the next 15 minutes. Soon, there it was, Dezna Meraxa.
"Welp... here comes a zero. Wish me luck!" he chuckled at her, giving her a rather bold but very brief, light peck on the cheek. She could take it however she wanted, even if she slapped him. If she wanted to kill him over it... well, the arena was only a day away. He walked inside, sort of swaying his hips a little before disappearing.

Inside, he gave something of a bow towards the gamemakers, before he decided to commence in the show of a lifetime. He calmly strode over and put together a quick and easy slingshot, throwing together a makeshift sack full of stones. He turned on some holograms, and suddenly, the boy's true specialty began to show. His reflexes were like lightning, and he dodged each attack that came for him, retaliating by slinging stones with lethal accuracy between the eyes (or where the eyes would be). He definitely had an arm for that sort of thing, knowing just how to snap his wrists or release his shots.

However, his fun didn't stop there. He decided to hold back on the knives, which would either make or break him. Instead, he went in for straight-up hand-to-hand combat, which in turn made the high-tech targets react accordingly. He may not have been able to slug some doozies or bone-breakers, but he could hit and jab hard and fast, and was proficiently knocking these larger models over the same way that it would have been able to knock down a boy or girl larger than her. That District 4 girl perhaps?

However, since he was holding back on his blindingly swift knife-play, he decided instead to show them that he would make it out of the bloodbath, and what better way to show it than darting around and snatching up things, occasionally swinging a weapon or throwing a projectile. He was not sure how swift the others were, but he was dashing so swiftly that he could almost feel a breeze in his hair. Obviously he would not be able to keep the sprinting up for very long, but he didn't feel like he needed to. He would just need to get to the cornucopia and then back out again, which couldn't have been more than a couple hundred meters total.

Time seemed to fly when he was running fast, and soon they politely dismissed him, where he gave his playful bow again and coyly adding, "thank you for your consideration."

[Nachthexe]

It almost seemed like forever until Dezna was finally called into the training centre for his session. Kiva thought that she was going to lose patience just as she heard his name and district announced over the loudspeaker. The boy seemed confident enough at the fact even as he got up from his place to go put on a show of his own for the very private audience. "Good luck." Kiva said as she shuffled in her seat, awaiting her turn in about fifteen minutes time. All she could do until then was examine the other tributes who were still awaiting their chance to show off. Naturally, the nervous of most of them still hadn't changed so Kiva let out a smile in their direction. The least she could do was show some kindness now before they were forced to turn on each other.

Alan and Roxanne. So those were the District 2 kids' names. Kiva began recalling some of the tributes' names as she continued waiting. She realized it didn't matter much, but she became intrigued if even just for curiosity sake. However, knowing the names of her enemies as she prepared to take them down brought on a sense of personalization, something she knew would have been better to avoid. Ah well. It was inevitable that she would learn at least a few of the names. Scores were broadcast publicly along with the names, after all. That of course was one huge reason why Kiva desired a decent score for herself. She hated the idea of just becoming cannon fodder.

"Kiva Rivnay, District 6!" As soon as Kiva heard the announcement it startled her slightly, despite knowing what it truly meant. The Gamemakers. They were ready for her. Ready to drag me to my judgement before descending into hell. She imagined herself being dragged into a fiery pit before being stopped at a strongly reinforced gate. In front of her and the gate stood a monstrous being and at closer glance it appeared to have a very familiar face: the face of none other than Coriolanus Snow. Each of the images remained etched in her mind even as she approached a returning Dezna, and subsequently the entrance to the training room. "Well this is it. I can do this." She uttered to the boy as he walked away, presumingly to return to his seat. She suddenly began feeling only a slight sense of dread, but managed to hide it well. She had to, after all, for her own sake.

Kiva quickly realized that her initial ideas about the whole endeavour were perhaps not too far off once one of the Gamemakers stepped out from his seat and walked towards the edge of the upper loft he and others appeared very comfortable in. He stared directly at the girl with a sort of piercing glare akin to Snow's before proceeding to speak. "Welcome, Ms. Rivnay. You have fifteen minutes to present your chosen skill. Please begin."

Kiva almost immediately let out a sigh before heading towards the building materials that had been set out specifically for the private sessions. Despite being skilled in many areas she of course wanted to start with those she was most familiar with. Within a couple minutes she managed to reproduce a very similar contraption to the one she had constructed in training days earlier, although much hastily constructed. Luckily for her, however, it still managed to make a couple clean shots before she decided to move onto other skills, starting with spears.

Kiva was showing herself to be just slightly above average with nearly all weaponry as she prepared the dummies and attacked them. Spears, swords, knives, bows, and even heavier weapons all managed to pass through Kiva's hands by the time she neared the end of her session. She knew it wasn't the skill per se that stood out for her, but the diversity. This was further proven by how the Gamemakers appeared to continue nodding in approval each time she picked up a new weapon and attacked the dummies. If that alone could impress them then she found herself with extremely high hopes for the arena; she could pick up nearly anything that came her way. Even if she couldn't take a life with it she could still defend herself and that was what mostly mattered in the Hunger Games. Even the most vicious killer didn't always necessarily win, as had been proven the previous year.

Kiva had just been doing a few more finishing blows with a spear to one of the dummies when her fifteen minutes was finally up. She realized she had been so engrossed in showing off her skills that she hadn't noticed time passing. Thankfully the Gamemakers managed to remind her, politely dismissing her as she set down the spear. She was fairly pleased with her effort so before leaving the room she proceeded to thank the same man that had initially greeted her, no doubt the Head Gamemaker. "Thank you for your consideration." Lastly, she bowed before rejoining Dezna outside of the training centre. "That went well I think. Now there's more waiting. I swear, the Capitol is addicted to making us wait. Another form of torture perhaps?" She chuckled, glaring at her partner who also seemed satisfied at his own effort.

[Zulera301]

The other tributes were fairly quiet. That little girl from District 12 still had her hands in her lap and her eyes closed as she swung her feet back and forth.
Dezna was waiting for Kiva when she came out of the training hall and the boy from District 7 was surely going in. She didn't seem upset about his little kiss, which to him was a sign that she had liked it. Maybe it was a warped mentality, but he could be dead in a week (or in like 21 hours), so he really didn't care. He was not about to go berzerk and spend his last days freaking out or anything, but he was not exactly going to be apologetic with his actions or do anything that he'd regret (except perhaps die) up till the end of his short few days.

Dezna knew that a nameless death did not affect people the way the death of someone they knew would. On the other hand, he had desensitized himself to death a while ago, which had helped him cope with his father's death and mother's disappearance. Still... now he knew more than half of the tributes' names--everyone from Districts 1-6 (except the boy from '4, whose name he missed for some reason), as well as both kids from '11. Since he had been one to propose starving the careers, he did definitely plan on trying to kill them one way or another, so he knew and/or hoped to have at least one die at his hand. Sure it was a terrible thing for a little 16-year-old to be thinking, but such was Dezna's mindset right now. Such was the price to pay.

"well, I guess we can either pass time by heading back up to the apartment and relaxing after 15 minutes of what was surely some crazy shit... or we can pass the time by going up to the roof and dancing naked under the sun or something." he was absolutely not serious about that last one or anything, although the thought did seem rather entertaining.
But no, instead they went to the elevator and flew 6 floors up to pass the time till the later afternoon, where they would give the scores. Shortly after that, it would be interview time. That would certainly be an interesting endeavor, especially to hear how the tributes reacted to their scores and such.

"So... how'd it go?" Zerviah was there waiting for them to wonder how they had done. They both explained their procedures, and Zerviah seemed to approve of it all--just a little restraint, but enough show to prove that they would be more than just fodder. Neither onoe of them appeared very nervous as they talked about it, and so the time went by fairly quickly. In fact, Dezna took a nap while he waited for evening, where he'd have dinner and watch for the scores. He figured Kiva would do something similar, but he went out like a light before he could find out.

Sure enough, Silas was waking them to invite them to a freshly-laid-out(-by-Avoxes) dinner. "Scores are on their ways!" he said in his usual flambouyant tone, "we can't have you missing them." So he was actually justified in his excitement now, or so Dezna figured. His tributes were cool and confident and had not been fazed at all during their week of training by... well, pretty much anything. Anyways, Dezna wasted no time in piling a bit of food onto his plate to begin eating, his =bare feet touching the floor as his toes brushed against it.

"ooooh!" he exclaimed through a mouthful of food, "here they come!"
Sure enough, the announcer on the television in front of them had just spoken.
"and now the first of our tributes from the 45th annual Hunger Games. Starting out from District 1 we have Blaze DiFronzo with a score of... 11."
Dezna swore he heard an F-bomb that shook the building from 5 floors down, but maybe he was just delirious.
"Victoria Salazar, District 1; with a score of... 10."
The announcer continued, with Alan scoring a 10 and Roxanne scoring an 11 as well. Clemont from District 3 managed to score an 8, and so did his partner Hikari. The boy from District 4, whose name was revealed as Grant, scored a...
"...9." the announcer's voice read off. "Varsha Tallarico, District 4; with a score of... 12."
Dezna wasn't worried, per se, but he was now super-curious-as-hell about two things--first off, what the hell had that girl done to scare the gamemakers into giving her a 12, and second, why was she showing so much interest in them?
"oh damn." he chuckked with a rather intrigued and amused expression on his face. It was almost their turn though, so he ignored his food for a moment to watch.
"Albert McCoy, District 5; with a score of... 7." here was District 5. Their little observant friend hadn't done too bad, or so Dezna figured. "Glimmer De Los Santos, District 5; with a score of... 9."

That was an interesting surname. But, more importantly, this was what Dezna was waiting for the entire time.
"here we go, here we go..."
Dezna Meraxa, District 6; with a score of... 8." Dezna grinned. "heh... not bad. He went quiet again for his partner, who was next of course.
"Kiva Rivnay, District 6; with a score of... 8." he turned to her and gave her a satisfied sort of "not bad at all" expression. They had scored well. The announcer went onto Districts 7 and 8, (7, 5, 6, 7), and Dezna spoke.
"a couple of 8s... not bad a t all, if you ask me."
Leon and Daisy proceeded to both score 7s, which wasn't too shabby. The boy from '12 got a 6, and the girl got a 5. Dezna had a slight hunch there might be some Kyla at work here, but he didn't put too much money on it. Instead, after the announcer went silent, he shoved some food into his mouth and glanced towards Zerviah and Silas as if hoping/wondering if they were going to say anything.

[Nachthexe]

It wasn't long before Kiva decided to head back up with Dezna. Unlike the boy, however, she rested alone in her room rather than sleeping. There was just too much going through her mind to allow for any sleep to come to her. most of all, she was dying to discover her training score. Even something mid-range was bound to be workable, but naturally she aimed for higher. Still, only time would tell how she managed to do. Judging by the Gamemakers' reactions she could only suspect it was at least half-decent. Unless they reacted the same to everybody? There was really no way of knowing for sure as Kiva was pretty sure only the scores themselves were broadcast.

"Well here goes nothing. To high scores!" Kiva toasted shortly after being summoned to the table for dinner. According to Silas, the scores were going to be shown within moments. Kiva quickly found her heartbeat increasing out of anticipation. The moment of truth was finally dawning on her.

"I'm confident in you both!" Silas bellowed as he switched on the room's projector just in time for the broadcast. Unsurprisingly, the career pack scored high only to be followed by several mid-range scores and then a 12. A 12? From District 4? Kiva was left baffled before coming to the realization it was the same girl that had watched both her and Dezna so intently in training. She could only hope she was on their side as she now had potential to be incredibly lethal. Those who earned 12's always had to show off the full extent of their skills.

"Hot damn, that's the same girl who was staring at us in training. I suggest we watch our backs." Kiva commented nervously just as the next section of scores began flashing on the screen. Both District 5 tributes had performed decently, but it was the follow-up that Kiva was most interested in. District 6. Her own district. "Dezna Meraxa, District 6; with a score of... 8, Kiva Rivnay, District 6; with a score of... 8." As the commentator spoke a huge smirk formed on Kiva's face. She had been expecting higher, but 8 was still very much workable and Dezna had managed to match her to boot. "Not bad. We both did good. Well good enough to get sponsored for sure." She commented, turning towards the rest of the team who began to get excited.

"Excellent, just excellent! I don't think the pair last year scored as well as you two!" Silas shouted excitedly before doing a sort of victory dance beside the table. This had Kiva bursting out laughing before catching the rest of the scores. The only ones that managed to stand out were Districts 11 and 12; the kids in 11 were definitely no Rye and Sagittaria while the kids in 12 had scored predictably low. Kiva suddenly found herself almost feeling sorry for them. Would they revert back to their usual fate of being cannon fodder? Of course only tomorrow would determine that and it was something the girl preferred not to think about at this moment. She had one last evening with Dezna and the others before being forced to fight for her life so intended to enjoy it.

Once the scores wrapped up the stylist pair made their way towards the two tributes. They too wanted to enjoy their evening, but first not without preparing the tributes for what was to come next. The interviews. They could only hope that both had as much confidence about speaking on national television as they had had for the training sessions. "I suppose we should be getting you two ready, eh?" Felix spoke, nodding towards his partner who then nodded in agreement before gesturing for the two teenagers to follow them. The stylist pair admittedly became excited to put their new creations on show, recalling the discussions the two tributes had over the week about the nicknames they allegedly had back home and the skills they had excelled in. It was perfect, almost too perfect.

[Zulera301]

Dezna had been able to sleep, because he practiced what he preached. Tribute scores were just numbers to him, and he knew that they had no real way of determining who the victor was. Maybe there was a pattern in the numbers? (He had never checked), but he highly doubted it. He didn't believe in that kind of coincidence.
"To high scores!" Dezna toasted with her, heartily agreeing before the scores were broadcast. They were about to show up on the screen at that point anyways.

Intrigued was the perfect adjective for how Dezna felt about that girl from '4 getting a perfect 12. She was the only one that he could not so easily read. By yesterday, it was clear which tributes ere going to befriend each other and which ones would avoid each other. Varsha had sort of floated around and glanced at and/or spoken to many of them, but had never actually appeared to have joined any real alliance, not even the career pack. On the other hand, Dezna and Kiva had sort of befriended Leon and Daisy from '11, although it was nothing like the alliance and friendship that existed between Rye and Sagittaria the year before.

Dezna almost envied Varsha, because she had almost 1-upped him in terms of marching to her own beat and doing whatever she wanted. no one got in her way; not even the careers, although they seemed to have a sort of reverence for her. Dezna hardly blamed them, given how dangerous she showed herself to be. "For sure." he nodded in agreement to Kiva's warning. However, his mind went back off of Varsha after he saw their scores. "We;re awesome, aren't we?" he grinned back at her, and soon the whole room was basically grinning like idiots. They might not get showered with sponsors the way Flint, Saj, Rye, and later, even Kyla, had, but he was fairly certain they wouldn't over look 'those beautiful little tributes from District 6'.

"good, good." he swivelled his head towards the escort, giving him the same kind of grin she had given Kiva. "For District 6!" Even with the high-scoring careers, and that dangerous, mysterious girl from '4 outscoring everyone, he was not worried, and still held a reasonable amount of confidence that their district would produce a victor this year. He too let out a laugh at Silas' little happy dance. His laugh was calm and rather pleasant; like a tired child giving a chuckle of some sort--it was a very nice sound. He enjoyed hearing Kiva's laugh too, and wished that they could have enjoyed more times to laugh together like that. On the other hand, Sagittaria's humor last year had apparently not limited itself to her interviews or the Capitol. The footage from the games did catch a bit of her hilarious side, which gave Dezna a ray of hope that they might be able to make jokes about their imminent deaths, once chucked in the arena.
On the other hand, since this was their last day together before they were sent to hell, and because they were about to get dressed up all spiffy... he was definitely going to kiss her again. Whether or not he stopped there would depend on her reaction. Maybe it was hormones, but he also saw her as his friend, if nothing else.

"I've been looking forward to this." he confessed as Felix mentioned that it was almost that time. He might not have been the fashionista the way Sagittaria was, but if it was something involving glitter or anything shiny, Dezna would like it and would wear it.
"Lead on," he shrugged, following them back to where he presumed would be the same place they were last time when they were dressed up for the parade. Already he was musing about what sort of things they'd be wearing this time. He was still rather impressed by the parade costumes, after all.

[Nachthexe]

"Of course. Unless you expect us to tackle those interviews in the nude. Judging by our initial reception it can't be all bad." Kiva quipped before chuckling. She knew she had a valid point. The Capitol seemed attracted to them both so going out in the nude wouldn't be all bad, although it was about as likely to happen as the Capitol deciding to discontinue the Hunger Games. It's not like she had desire to present herself like that, but it had shock value for sure. That alone made the idea both repulsive and intriguing at the same time even as she began following Flavia just as she had before.

Just as expected, Kiva found herself escorted to the same room she had stepped foot in before to be cleaned up for the parade. However, the nervousness that had flooded over her the first time upon setting foot in the room seemed to be non-existent now. Perhaps it had been a fear of the unknown or now there was a realization that much worse was to come very soon? Either way Kiva found herself walking over to the tub with ease. She knew the routine now so didn't even have to wait for Flavia to give any sort of cue before she began stripping down. Despite how unusual it was back home to strip down in front of anybody it didn't seem to bother her. Besides, bearing a bit of flesh was nothing compared to being forced to slaughter 23 other children in less than a day's time.

Moments later once the tub was filled with no doubt the same sort of concoction as before, Kiva forced herself down into the steaming water. The heat reddened her skin, but just as before she knew it was wise to not work up a fuss over it. Besides, there was a good chance that sort of cleansing ritual was a regular occurrence among Capitol citizens. Yet another of their traditions she didn't ever imagine herself understanding. "Your lot has guts, submerging yourselves in that water." she uttered as she got out once the cleanse was complete. Flavia smiled and then nodded before proceeding to usher Kiva over to what appeared to be an operating table.

Kiva was kept up on the operating table for no more than a few moments as Flavia thoroughly examined her body, seemingly for body hair and other flaws. The girl quickly began to suspect that whatever hair removal had been done previous to the parade was still having an effect since the woman didn't need to do much work, and instead handed Kiva a towel to wrap around herself. It was once they entered the next room the real work was bound to begin. Just as before, the dressing room's walls were lined with assorted fabrics and accessories, but Kiva's outfit for the night was unveiled from a drawer. It was definitely shiny, the first thing the girl noticed upon setting her eyes on it as Flavia began dressing her up.

Shiny was perhaps an understatement and Kiva truly understood it when she stared upon the full outfit with awe. Shimmering rainbow. Kiva Rainbow? So somebody had clearly been paying attention during the week. "Rainbow? You know me too well, damn. I can only imagine Dezna is dressed in a lightning suit of some sort." Kiva commented as she ran her fingers over the various colours that ran down the dress. Flavia nodded as she then proceeded to coat parts of Kiva's hair in rainbow hightlights. It enabled the woman to leave the makeup job minimal, wanting the audience to ultimately focus on the dress that showed off much of her legs and cleavage. At least what little of her legs were visible once the top transparent layer of longer fabric was unveiled. Overall though it was each strip of colour that seemingly rotated around her waist that left her satisfied, much more so than the parade costume had.

Once Flavia began escorting Kiva out to meet up with the others she actually felt excited. Perhaps it was just the raging hormones, but she genuinely wanted to see Dezna looking his best. She realized that come tomorrow she wouldn't get another chance so tonight was an opportunity to see the boy dressed up. If her dress was anything to go by then whatever Felix outfitted Dezna in was also bound to be beyond anything ever worn back in District 6. Naturally, fashion was never a huge priority back home, but even if just briefly Kiva finally began to get a taste of what seemed to make it such a huge deal in the Capitol.

[Zulera301]

"well then. maybe the idea of me removing my shirt once I'm in the arena isn't such a bad idea." Dezna joked in response. "If I had any money, I'd start placing bets or something." He was not exactly one to go off flaunting himself without any clothes or something, but on the other hand, he doubted that the Capitol would mind a whole lot. The shock value might be memorable enough, and surely some of the mentors might be rolling in the aisles. Maybe Sagittaria would tell a story about him, even if that didn't happen. His interest in the girl was primarily that she seemed to be one of the most powerful influencing forces in deciding who got remembered and how.

Unsurprisingly, Dezna found himself back in the operating room that he had first appeared in when getting made over for the chariot parade. At this point, very little needed to be done to his body at this point, but he still descended into the skin-reddening bath for a bit. Felix was a man of few words, and Dezna actually quite admired that, and so he didn't even wait for any instructions. He wasn't awkward this time any more than last time, but at the same time, he didn't seem to have any reservations about being prepared to off 23 other children within a matter of hours. Dezna's morality was very grey in that regard.

"It's hot. I'll say that much." he indicated the water. if it was just a little bit cooler, it might actually feel rather nice, kind of like a hot tub or something which apparently some rich people had in the Capitol. If this was what it was like... well, he couldn't complain. If he wasn't complaining about the fact that he was probably going to die, he was not one to complain about anything in between. Well, there were fates worse than death, but Dezna did not want to think too hard about those. Death was his worst fate at this point, and so there was no point dwelling on terrible things that would never happen to him.

Dezna did not spend much time on the operating table himself, although he also realized that he too was devoid of any leg hair ever since the operation a week ago. He would have thought that it would have grown back a bit by now, but whatever they had done to him the first time was apparently permanent. He could not exactly understand why the Capitol citizens would often modify their own bodies and yet had an aversion to simple, natural body hair. Sure, his sister's legs were hairless from her own efforts, but if he won, she would definitely tease him about his hairless body. Oh well. At least he'd look good in the meantime.

Shortly afterwards, he got to see what he was waiting for, and it was bright, and shiny. It might have been rather hilarious if any bystanders were there to see. There stood a naked boy, clearly mesmerized and in a sort of trancelike stupor, gazing in awe at a pile of fabric. After a moment, he shook his head, had an epiphany, and then laughed.
"Man, that's good. Someone's been observant!" If Kiva was in something rainbow, he was sure that Sagittaria would be busting a gut somewhere as she watched their interviews 11 floors up. He donned the suit, which was combination of blacks and greys, and bright yellows and whites to imitate lightning against a night sky. Incidentally, Felix even played off of those earrings that the boy wore, putting a couple of loops inside two of his loops on either side. Dangling down, were a pair of lightning bolts that flashed little lights, but were not bright enough to be fully distracting. Of course, various hems and edges of the suit were glittery and shiny, as if imitating flashing lightning.

"Here is where I would do your hair," Felix remarked, "but you don't really need any help making it look like lightning hit it." Dezna laughed at the joke, but still found Felix styling his hair to look a bit wild and frizzy. It was really soft and so it felt rather nice on Dezna's end. His makeup was rather minimal--just golden eyeliner and shadow around his eyes. Dezna, like surely many boys before him of almost any district, was not exactly one for makeup, but apparently in the Capitol, makeup was one of those things that was indifferent to gender. He shrugged and went with it. He grinned at himself in the mirror once he was done. His coat was open, and he had an odd necktie that looked almost like a lightning bolt itself. He was positive this was not a coincidence. His shirt had a few buttons undone to show off a sliver of his chest, which he didn't mind at all. His shoes and the bottoms of his pants were particularly bright and glittery, as if showing the ground where the lightning had struck. All in all, he clearly approved, and gave Felix a very large, approving thumbs-up and a grin.

When he saw Kiva, his mind suddenly went into that strange mode where the hormones hijack control of the thought process and therefore the tongue, and so Dezna's next choice of words were rather shocking (no pun intended) and maybe not the best thought-out.
"Hey sexy." he grinned at her, a tiny bit of pink in his own cheeks as he realized what he had just said. Seeing Kiva, and seeing himself had opened his eyes to a degree, and suddenly, Sagittaria's passion for fashion seemed to make more sense now, even if he was just barely skimming the tip of the surface.

[Nachthexe]

It was hard for Kiva to believe what she was seeing as soon as she saw Dezna for the first time since before the makeover. Kiva Rainbow and Dezna Lightning. It certainly hadn't been lost on the prep team, who had clearly been observant. It was enough to make the girl chuckle before blushing as Dezna greeted her. "Shit. They outdid themselves." She uttered as she continued examining Dezna's lightning suit. Unsurprisingly, she felt herself desiring the boy even more, but now was a time to keep hormones under control. Interviews were bound to be very soon and that was not something to screw up with various distractions.

"We knew you two would like it. Overhearing all your discussions served as inspiration for sure; Dezna the boy with lightning fast reflexes and Kiva the girl with a rainbow of skills at her disposal!" Felix responded, taking the compliments received from both very well. Kiva's eyes suddenly widened as she too noticed the symbolism, some she certainly hadn't noticed previously. Perhaps it was just one reason why stylists were stylists, they had an uncanny ability to pick up on those things even if the audiences didn't necessarily understand what it all meant.

"I...I'm not even sure what to say. I haven't thought of that." Kiva confessed, noting that none of it would hold relevance for the audience until the following day when they actually had to show their skills to the world. The private sessions were exactly that, private. There was certainly no way anybody in the Capitol besides the Gamemakers would have seen that, but perhaps that was part of the stylists' attempts to make the whole endeavour more interesting; they wanted the audiences to have something to watch out for.

It was only moments later that the stylists were then rejoined with Silas and began escorting the group to the interview studio. Even as they arrived backstage Kiva could faintly hear the sounds of applause and cheering, indicating the show was already well on its way to starting. Naturally, each tribute was called up one by one by district, starting with the female. The careers showed themselves to be quite confident as they walked out onto the stage and Kiva couldn't decide if they genuinely were or if it was just yet another attempt at showing off. One thing she noticed was that each tribute was only a given a few minutes at most, perhaps due to a time limit but there was no way of truly knowing for sure. It was only when Caesar finally arrived at District 5 Kiva began feeling nervous about her own, realizing she definitely didn't have the level of charisma people like Sagittaria had. However, if Rye could get through it then she was confident she could too. That and the thought of being close to a very good looking Dezna afterwards continued floating through her heard as she awaited the dreaded words that would be her cue to walk on stage.

[Zulera301]

"that might be putting it lightly." he chuckled. "no pun intended." especially since both of their costumes were based off of something light-related. He had to resist grabbing at her, which he managed to do successfully. He'd restrain himself--well, at least till after the interviews. After that, he could not say that he would keep that promise. If nothing else, it gave Dezna a bit of peace, because he knew that if nothing else, he would be immortalized by Sagittaria the Storyteller. The girl had recognized them during a brief moment when they had crossed paths, and he wasa certain that once she saw their outfits, she'd be one of the only people outside of District 6 to know *exactly* why they were significant. Sure people were familiar with the girl and her rainbow set of skills, and the boy with his lightning speed, but Saj had become familiar with their eccentric nicknames during her tour, when both of them were clearly blitzed and had introduced themselves as Kiva Rainbow and Dezna Lightning. Anyone that girl felt was worth remembering, usually seemed to end up getting remembered. Even Krystal Saffron, that girl form District 1, was more than just a memory, despite her short-lived reign in the arena.

"ha. I love it." the boy repeated again, grinning almost ear to ear, flicking one of the dangling earrings, which caused it to flash a little. The fact that no one had made him remove his other ear piercings had not been lost on the boy--he was quite grateful for it, actually, even if he was the only tribute to have earrings at all. Granted, there was some potential deeper symbolism that the boy noticed but wouldn't mention. A rainbow always shone in all its glory after the storm and the lightning had faded and subsided. Was that his fate? He certainly hoped not.

"I wonder how many people will catch *all* the symbolism..." he chuckled, softly elbowing Kiva and winking. This was not so much a flirtatious move (although he was eagerly anticipating what they might get to do a bit of after these interviews had ended) as much as a nudge and reminder of their silly nicknames from back home. Incidentally, Dezna's twin sister had a nickname too--Arza Shadow, almost like a contrast to her brother's. But, lightning and shadow were far from each other now, and possibly even forever. "I guess we'll find out soon enough." he wasn't nervous at all for his interviews. Sure he might not have had the golden charisma that Sagittaria possessed, but he felt like he had enough of the honest and humble confidence that Rye Grove had bore last year in his interview, and he had been almost as well-received as Saj had.

Soon they were escorted to the backstage area of Caesar's show, and it was clear that it was about to start. He glanced around at the various tributes all dressed up, from the quiet little girl from District 12 all the way up to Glimmer, wearing a rather elaborate black dress with a grid-like pattern that had waves of blue and green lights; Varsha, clad in a navy blue gown lined with silver on the hems and sleeves, and Blaze, who was wearing a fiery suit almost reminiscent of the dress Sagittaria wore the year before, though it looked a bit fiercer rather than elaborate. Clearly these stylists knew the angles these tributes would be taking.

Dezna listened to some of the interviews; particularly Varsha's. Caesar had some interesting words for the girl.
"So Valendria--or Varsha, as you like... you are the highest-scoring tribute this year, and have the odds leaning quite in your favor. What are you going to do with that sort of influence?"
"I suppose, if nothing else, I'll keep things interesting." the girl replied. She had a much softer voice than Dezna had expected, but he could hear a hint of passion in her words. "I'll make it surprising for everyone in one way or another..."

the rest didn't really stand out too much to him, other than that he now understood the symbolism in that girl's dress: dark blue--the mysterious depths of the waters surrounding them. There had to be more to this girl than she was letting on, and it intrigued Dezna significantly.
Glimmer's interview was also interesting, because the girl seemed to have short and concise replies to all of Caesar's questions--she seemed like a clever one for sure. But soon enough, he heard Kiva's name called. He gave her a soft, almost reassuring pat on the back. "Go get 'em." he smirked. He'd be waiting his turn, and listening in for sure.

[Nachthexe]

It quickly became clear to Kiva that Dezna had a certain desire for her, but certainly he knew as well that was something to currently repress. The overall well-being of the tributes actually mattered very little and the Capitol's needs came first. In this particular case it was entertainment; Kiva was the entertainment, as were Dezna and 22 others. Naturally, they'd have to behave as such, at least until they were back in their rooms to enjoy their final evening of safety and security together. Once in the arena there was bound to definitely be no time for any intimacy of any kind. Even Rye and Sagittaria who had clearly been in love had been forced to hold off until their final moments together. It was a tragic story really and certainly had all the makings of one, and the Capitol liked that.

"Even if they don't that's okay too. The outfits are nice regardless." Kiva replied with great sincerity. She had no doubt that the clothing she was currently outfitted in topped the parade's ten fold. Certainly it was inevitable that not all the symbolism would be captured by the Capitol, but it was still something fancy to look at and they liked pretty colours and shiny things about as much as both Kiva and Dezna did. Unlike the two District 6 kids, however, they had the privilege of enjoying such things regularly. That was one thing about the Capitol Kiva had found herself growing fond of right from the moment she had stepped off the train. They all seemed to wear outfits that stood out in such a way.

Once both District 5 kids finished up Kiva realized it was her turn. The moment of truth, the moment that would perhaps determine the difference between being ignored or being sponsored. Of course the latter seemed more likely as she still had the score of 8 alongside anything that happened on that stage, but she wasn't quick to forget the fact that at least half a dozen tributes had managed to score above her. The mysterious District 4 girl, Valendria, immediately came to mind. Kiva didn't even want to imagine her siding with the careers as District 4 so often did. "Well shit, I'm up. Wish me luck?" Kiva commented to the reminder of the team as she was given her cue to get on stage. Initially she hesitated, but then just decided to go for it. Within less than a day her real fate was potentially going to be decided anyway.

"And here she is! Kiva Rivnay of District 6, the girl we certainly all drooled over during the parade!" Caesar bellowed as soon as Kiva had her first presence on stage. Almost immediately both Caesar's words and her entrance were met by wild applause. As she took a seat in the chair across from Caesar's she thought she imagined hearing various catcalls from the audience. It made her blush slightly, but the studio's lighting managed to conceal it well as she smiled and waved towards the Capitol crowds. "So we've all seen the young woman: adventurer and drop dead gorgeous all in one. But there's one thing we have yet to do: talk to her. What will this aspiring intergalactic traveller have to say to us tonight?" Caesar continued, setting up a scenario to approach the girl while also referencing her near flawless entrance at the parade.

Kiva chuckled. "I suppose you can say that. I'll let you in on a secret. Every kid in District 6 aspires to someday construct a spacecraft and leave this world we all know and hold so dearly." The girl decided to play along slightly, even if her response had little truth to it. Besides, if there was anything she had learned from Sagittaria's legacy it was that a bit of storytelling could go a long way. So far it seemed to be working as it had the audience listening intently, perhaps expecting a followup to the remarks.

"Well then you'll have no choice, but to make it home and do exactly that. You look stunning in a spacesuit! Doesn't she, folks?" Caesar chuckled as he managed to unleash a not so subtle compliment towards the girl. His legendary uncanny ability to twist nearly anything to be positive was beginning to show. The audience too seemed to see it as they burst out laughing before some of the more flamboyant members once again began catcalling. As awkward as it was becoming Kiva knew she had no choice but to embrace it so just nodded in thanks before re-positioning herself in such a way so her cleavage would be clearly displayed. Caesar almost immediately took notice and took a couple subtle peeks of his own.

"Well unfortunately for you I've moved on. My mind is set on rainbows. They're really quite majestic and clearly my stylists saw that too." Kiva responded, gesturing towards her dress. "They have a sense of diversity I think I too perhaps possess in some ways." She added, opting to remain cryptic in the last bit while still creating some suspense. Besides, it was bound to be slightly risky to reveal too much about her proposed games strategy on the night before the arena. If she was lucky the others would just take it as a hint to the sort of personality she possessed.

Caesar chuckled once again. "Well you District 6 folk have always come across as quite odd and diverse, but it makes you a fun bunch. Hopefully it'll be as effective in the arena for you as it has been here in the Capitol, hmm? If that 8 you've received in training is any indication then you're a fighter. Don't let the pretty colours be deceiving!" The subtle jab Caesar had taken at District 6 wasn't one to just fly over Kiva's head, but fortunately for him she was already so pumped up with excitement and adrenaline that she could only laugh. There was really no hiding the fact from anybody in Panem that District 6 was really full of a bunch of junkies, Kiva being among them even if it hadn't shown since Reaping Day. Surprisingly though most typically managed to have a sense of humour about it and now was no exception.

"Me a fighter? You will just have to wait and see. I'm sure many of us in these games are not quite what we appear on the surface, if last year is any indication." Kiva explained, throwing out a subtle tribute to Kyla and letting out a few winks in the direction of the audience. This made them squeal slightly as they no doubt continued staring down the girl's cleavage. Caesar then glanced directly at her and prepared to speak a few final words of his own.

"Thank you, Ms. Rivnay and may the odds be ever in your favour." Caesar thanked Kiva just as he dismissed her. Maintaining her same flirtatious act she shook her hips slightly as she walked off the stage and blew a few kisses into the audience. Naturally, this had them cheering frantically even before Caesar got in yet a few more final words prompting for them to do so: "Let's hear it for Kiva Rivnay of District 6, folks!" The crowd's cheering only continued as Kiva finally arrived backstage and finally heard Dezna's cue to go on stage.

"Good luck, Dezna Lightning." Kiva commented as the boy's cue came on. It wasn't long before she began thinking about her own performance out there. It had admittedly made her nervous, particularly her exit, but her gut had told her beforehand it would have them going nuts. It was right! The crowd had been going nuts and she suddenly had a feeling that sponsors would be lining up for her simply based on that alone. Being from a career district offered an obvious advantage, but so did having good looks apparently. That was something the girl had fortunately managed to pick up on early. Would it help her in the long run? Only time would tell now and each minute that ticked by was one closer to being thrust into the arena that could very well end her life.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was still not 100% sure how Kiva felt in return about him, but he would worry about that later. He was on the Capitol's time at the moment, and there was nothing that he could reasonably do but go along. If he was to be their entertainment, then he would be their entertainment. He thought back to some of the more interesting tributes he had watched the interviews of, and among the ones he had liked from last year were of course those heroes from District 11, but even Kyla's interview was interesting--or in particular, one simple, broken line the girl had managed to utter.
"you looking at... most... lethal... tribute." The audience had laughed, mostly with her, although surely some had laughed at her when she said that, but she said it with such a serious expression that Caesar twisted it into something about how the girl had determination. Even though she had died, she had proven herself, and so perhaps Caesar and Claudius had inadvertently helped immortalize Kyla Togisala through their commentary about her performance.

"that's an understatement." he grinned, almost shamelessly grinning as he and Kiva seemed to briefly exchange glances at each other's chests. It was almost tragic that they couldn't end up together--or as at least more than friends (since unlike Rye and Saj, they had known each other proper before the reapings). Still... the love story between Rye Grove and Sagittaria Svenja was full of tragedy, which had made it an immense hit in the Capitol even today.

"May the odds be ever in your favor." Dezna quipped, "or y'know... that stuff about going into shock and whatnot." As she left, it had Dezna pondering. Glimmer's interview had intrigued him, but it had mostly been that District 4 girl. Heck, he still didn't even know her real name. Varsha and Valendria seemed to be used so interchangeably that he wasn't sure if she was serious about Varsha being the nickname, or if that too was just a ruse. He jogged his memory to try and recall who that girl had associated with during the training. She had always kind of quietly been by herself, although Glimmer had occasionally joined her. She was his first guess on the list of "Tributes Varsha might have allied with". The careers, including Grant, Hiraki, and Clemont, had all approached her, although the fact that they didn't spend the rest of training with confident smirks on their faces meant that she had probably turned them all down.

He listened to his partner's interview though, and was almost jealous that he couldn't be out there seeing what the Capitol crowds were surely currently seeing. Perhaps some might have thought the idea of sexualizing 16-year-olds for what would later become brutal entertainment was wrong, but Dezna didn't fall into that category--even though he too had received the same treatment. He was neutrally-aligned; not wicked, but also not an agent for 'good' either.

He found some parts that he overheard to be rather amusing, although before he knew it, it was his turn. "Shit, already?" he laughed. maybe his mind had been on the lengths of the training sessions--actually no, right now his mind was focused on the way Kiva's hips moved as she walked past him, while wearing heels. Everything else just got erased in that brief moment, before he popped his knuckles and walked in. Perhaps going in with a clear mind was better for him anyways.

It turned out the Capitol liked their males just about as much as they liked their females. Caesar's words seemed to remind him of this.
"And here's the other half of the alluring District 6 pair: Dezna Meraxa!"
Dezna glanced out into the crowds, his usual calm expression on his face, before taking his seat. He grinned widely at the audiences, winking and pointing his fingers like guns towards them. Oh yes, he would not hesitate to egg them on and revel in the attention--not becuase hew as an egomaniac, but simply because it amused him--and for a brief moment, Dezna had the tables turned--the Capitol was being used by him for HIS own entertainment.

"So..." Caesar spoke as the audiences calmed down and Dezna got comfortable, "we've spoken to one half of this gorgeous pair... now it's time to see the other half. What does the other side of District 6's tribute repertoire have in store for us?" He was clearly building up for Dezna's reveal, and after a moment of quick thinking, he figured he could start this off with a little something of a bang.
"Well, Caesar," he smirked at the host, "I'd almost say that you were building up some thunder for me. Correct me if I'm wrong, here, but doesn't the thunder come AFTER the lightning?"

"Hohoho!" Caesar chuckled, "it certainly does. Lightning always has a way of... shocking people. Do you have anything to say along those lines?"
Dezna smirked. "I'm gonna die."
Boom. if there was any sort of controversial surprise among the crowds, this was it, but Dezna timed it so that it was only a split second before he laughed. "There's your shocker, Caesar." The man had laughed only a split-second after Dezna, having caught the jest. his laughter in turn triggered the audience to follow suit, and he clutched his chest rather theatrically.

"Well... that was a shocker indeed!" he laughed, "Surely with a nice solid 8 training score, your odds of falling in the arena are much slimmer than that. Lightning... it is swift and it strikes hard. Surely that is the symbolism that your talented stylists were going for with such a flashy suit."
"Seems so," Dezna nodded, still smiling. "They're a clever bunch; make no mistake.
"Well you and your partner have certainly put on a show for everyone so far. It will be a shame if we have to lose such beautiful tributes, wouldn't you agree?" he turned to the audience, who cheered and clearly agreed with the notion. Dezna had a hunch that some of them might have truly meant it.

"But even then... I'm all about the lightning now; even the spacesuits are in the past." Dezna stated rather confidently, "everyone sees it; everyone knows it, but no one knows when it's going to strike!" he flashed out his hands as if for effect, which the audience seemed to enjoy. Besides, it gave many of them a nice view of his pretty face and slightly exposed chest as that loose-hanging necktie flipped almost like a bolt of striking lightning.
"oooh... so we do have a fighter after all!" Caesar beamed, "It's always good to know that the pretty tributes will be able to hold their own. What do you have in store for us, hmm?"

"if I told you, that would ruin the surprise!" he winked. "what if Kyla Togisala had revealed all of her secrets before the 'games?" It was a very bold statement to make, but Dezna had never really cared. He had a history of bold statements or actions, and so this simply joined his ranks of other ones.
"Ah, so you're full of surprises then! Definitely want to keep an eye on this one, folks!" they 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed at Caesar's remarks as Dezna winked and wiggled his ears playfully, the jingling and flickering of his jewelery drawing more slight attention to himself. It did seem that the dark brown-suited man was wrapping up his interview with Dezna, and he finished with "Thank you for your time, Mr. Meraxa--and may the odds be ever in your favor." he stood up and shook Dezna's hand before turning him towards the audience and raising his own hand. "Let's hear it ladies and gentlemen for Dezna Meraxa! District 6!" the crowds went wild again, and Dezna soon dismissed himself from the stage, bowing and then flipping his hair rather suavely before swaying his own hips a little as he went off the stage.

At this point, he wanted to meet back up with Kiva, which he soon did with a grin. "I'm not sure which is worse," he joked with her, "the prospect of death tomorrow, or the fact that at least half that audience probably is thinking lustful thoughts about us." it was not (necessarily) a hint of any kind, although he'd let her take it how she would. The night was still young, and he wondered what was on Kiva's mind.

[Nachthexe]

As soon as Dezna finished up and rejoined her backstage, Kiva burst out laughing. "Who cares? It will get us sponsors." As non-genuine as it all felt to the girl she knew she had made the right move. The Capitol clearly enjoyed eye candy about as much as they enjoyed intense action inside the arena. In the case they were able to provide both it was bound to be a positive trait, but naturally there was no guarantee. Kiva still found her actions being very dependent on what sort of environment they were thrust into. However, all that was quickly overshadowed by much stronger thoughts that began to fill her head: lust. Lust for the boy who currently stood beside her. Between the stylists' obvious intentions to display their flesh and Dezna's obvious followup to her own actions the urges only got stronger. "Old news, but you're gorgeous." She confessed as she glared at the boy's face before the prep team began giving cues to return to the apartment.

The elevator ride back up to floor six only helped to enhance Kiva's already strong feelings for Dezna. Being confined in such a small space with him? Clearly a poor idea, but as long as the others were around she held back from anything drastic. Besides, she figured that if the boy felt the same that he would show it sooner or later. They only had one final evening together before they were expected to fight for their lives so she was sure that the boy would make the most of it in whichever way he saw fit. In the meantime though Kiva suddenly found herself wondering about the interviews. Surely highlights of those too would be shown? Perhaps it would even serve as a distraction until she and Dezna were able to get some time alone, something the girl found herself so desperately wanting even if just to say final goodbyes. She wasn't ready to overlook the fact just yet that either of them could end up slaughtered in the bloodbath.

"You both did wonderfully! Way to go out with a bang!" Silas complimented the pair as soon as they were securely back inside the apartment. He clearly hadn't missed the various suggestive moves both had made towards the audience as he managed to chuckle himself before putting a smirk on his face. Everybody seemed to be onto Kiva, which resulted in her blushing more. This time it was much more complicated to hide so instead she took at seat at the table, realizing she was growing hungry. Feasting was tempting, but with the arena so close she knew to refrain.

"We try. We're no Kyla, but we at least expect to make our district remembered well." Kiva said confidently just as Avoxes began bringing food into the room. As tempting as it was for her to feast she instead limited herself, quickly remembering the scarcity of food that was bound to exist in the arena. As soon as she began eating she found herself contemplating about the Capitol and their various decadences. As much as it brought suffering to the various districts of Panem, the Capitol knew how to enjoy life. Everything she had encountered since first arriving she had enjoyed, the food and fashion especially. It all made sense to her that the Capitol would use it as a sort of motivator for tributes to win the games; victors were always awarded much of the same luxuries. In a district like 11 or 12 that was of course especially a huge deal. Kiva knew she would miss it once she was thrust into the arena, but she was destined to either end up dead or as a victor having the same luxuries anyway so it was a minor issue.

As soon as the interview highlights came on Kiva found herself watching intently. Of course they were shown in order and unsurprisingly the career districts managed to be spectacular. It quickly got Kiva pondering if charisma and public speaking were just yet more skills they were taught in preparation for the games. It certainly seemed likely as their deliveries were usually flawless, leaving the Capitol crowds cheering much more frantically than they seemed to for most other tributes. This year, however, generous amounts of cheering were heard as Valendria made her way on stage. Everybody wanted to know more about the mysterious District 4 girl who had managed to outscore all of the careers. Judging by the highlights, she didn't seem all that keen on it either, giving mostly vague and cryptic answers to Caesar's questions. Clearly the girl was clever too, a dangerous combination.

"Who is that sexy thing?" Kiva asked before letting out a chuckle as the footage eventually shifted to district 6. Naturally, the camera had managed to do a few zoom ins on her breast and cleavage, certainly not by mere coincidence. That had her bursting out laughing, but also realizing no matter how hard she had been trying to repress it her feelings of lust were continuing to linger. There was no doubt that the zoomed in images of Kiva on screen would have a similar effect on Dezna while hers were bound to only be enhanced by the images of him, which also tended to be zoomed in. Near the end of Dezna's session especially there were zoomed in images of him shaking his hips in a similar fashion as Kiva.

[Zulera301]

Dezna grinned at her. "it won't be the only thing we get..." Oh, he was fairly certain at this point that they were thinking on the exact same wavelength. Both of them seemed to want to get the next few necessities out of the way and get a bit of alone time before getting cast into an arena to die and stuff. But, Dezna was calm and patient (although teenage hormones made that harder for him than he originally anticipated) and so he managed to stay fairly calm. "I guess that makes two of us." he grinned at her compliment, and gave her a brief little peck on the cheek before they were shunted off to the elevators.

Being in the elevator almost made Dezna want to make his move in here after they all got off. Then again, that would also in turn lead to the risk of them randomly getting whisked to some floor and be caught and things would get awkward. It would be one for Sagittaria's storybooks, but otherwise an undesirable situation. As a rather tame and gentle gesture, he reached behind her to softly rub her back. It was more the intimate type than the lustful type (and in truth, Dezna and his sister used to do it to each other all the time, especially if one of them was having a bad day), although was sort of more like a tide-me-over until they could get away from the rest of their team--not that they were unpleasant people--just that Dezna--and apparently Kiva as well--were clearly craving some alone time.

"Thanks," Dezna chuckled at Silas' compliment, "I just did what felt right." It was true that being suggestive and alluring was sort of something that had felt natural at the moment, and so he had proceeded. At this point though, ehw as able to shed a few thoughts and fill his belly with a bit of food. He wasn't going to indulge--he didn't even want to give his body a chance to get used to that sort of extravagance. he may not have been from '11 or '12 where starvation was the norm, but he was used to having only 1 or 2 meals a day sometimes.

"I don't even think Sagittaria coulda topped Kyla." Dezna mused aloud as he ate, "or maybe Kyla's the legend she is because of Saj? I dunno. But yeah, I'm pretty sure that the Capitol is going to be crossing their fingers for another good-looking pair to emerge next year." There were plenty of moral issues that could arise here--they were talking lightly about a girl who had been murdered, even if they were uprising her. That girl, as well as her dreams; her talents; her skills; her ambitions... all of them were buried with her. Here Dezna was now talking about how he hoped two more beautiful children got reaped the following year, speaking even in jest. Of course, there was also the morality of the Capitol's decadence, but frankly, Dezna didn't believe in morals. There was no black and white--just shades of grey and grey. He naturally would go for what he perceived as good, but he figured that right and wrong were just matters of opinion, and frankly, the Capitol knew how to live. They ate well, dressed well, and lived well. He had no complaints.

Soon the interview highlights came on, and Dezna watched just as attentively as Kiva, although now and again he glanced at her, and mentally imagined himself peeling that fabric off of her body. He was a boy, and she was a girl. What more could he say? He watched the career tributes, and all of them seemed to do fairly well. Even Glimmer from District 5 seemed to intrigue the audience with her short but witty answers to every question. Varsha was the one who intrigued him the most though. He hoped a rerun of the things he had heard from backstage would divulge more information about this mysterious and dangerous girl, but she remained clever and cryptic. The most noticable thing was that she didn't even make the usual remarks about wanting to win the 'games. She simply said that she hopes the victor is someone interesting. "or at least pretty..." she had added rather nonchalantly. She was strong, smart, and influential. Dezna no longer wondered how she had gotten a 12.

As Kiva appeared on the screen, Dezna wolf-whistled rather loudly and blatantly. He glanced from the television-Kiva over to the real thing, grinning each time. Seeing her and being reminded that she was still wearing that alluring dress just made him want to turn and tackle her, but he could wait on that. When he finally appeared on-screen, he had a remark ready and everything.
"There's a man I'd be willing to marry." he joked. Dezna was straight as an arrow in all truths, but he couldn't help but admire himself, chuckling a little as he noticed the cameras fix onto his swaying hips as he left the stage.

None of the others stood out quite as well. The kids from '11 seemed somewhat confident, and that quiet little girl from 12, whose name turned out to be Hazel, said something rather bold that reminded him of Kyla. She had been asked about how she felt about the upcoming games, and she had simply replied "I do not fear death." It sounded like something that Kyla would say, although the girl seemed fairly honest about it. She did not appear to be ruthless like her predecessor, but at least if she went down, she'd go down calmly, rather than spending her last moments in fear and terror.

"Hey." he quipped after it was over. "who's this sexy thing next to me?" His flirting and approaching, which had been put off for long enough... had begun.

[Nachthexe]

Despite what was to come the following day Kiva found herself being able to forget about it, even if only briefly, as Dezna continued flirting with her. In all honesty she didn't mind it at all and in fact encouraged as her hormones also continued spiraling out of control. "Sexy? No way. That's you." She remarked as she ran her hand through Dezna's hair as she retreated from the dinner table to the couches. A part of her quickly began hoping that the boy would follow her over and perhaps even beyond if she was lucky. If she was lucky. A horny teenaged girl could dream.

As the interview footage finished up it had Kiva pondering plenty of other things. Even if others didn't see it there was perhaps a lot to be learned about each tribute in the way they spoke. Blaze served as a perfect example as he spoke passionately about winning the games and how he viewed himself as the most lethal tribute in the games, despite the fact one had managed to outscore him. He had an ego and it really showed. Valendria, on the other hand, had a more mysterious and soft-spoken demeanour as she spoke. A sure sign of how she was likely to present herself in the games, keeping her true motives mostly under wraps.

"Damn, that Valendria girl. I can't stop thinking about her. She could be the downfall of either of us." Kiva confessed moments later after sitting in mostly silence. There was less than twenty-four hours until the fight of their lives began and there were countless others all trying to earn the victor's crown, no doubt with the perfect scoring girl from District 4 among them. It almost made the 8's both Kiva and Dezna had scored meaningless. It was clear who would be getting the most sponsors based on scores alone. Fortunately for Kiva though all those thoughts now began being overshadowed by Dezna's presence. Even if they never came to share the same sort of relations Rye and Sagittaria had, Kiva considered him a friend. He was the one who had been there during the awkward encounter with Sagittaria and she wasn't quick to forget it. Clearly the District 11 victor remembered it well also, even having taken the time to greet the two before the parade.

"Come to me. Over here. I don't want to spend this evening alone." Kiva commanded, taking another glance at the boy who could possibly be dead in less than a day. If that was to be his fate, or hers for that matter, then she wanted to die happy. She wanted to die knowing somebody had cared for her dearly in her final hours. Death was death and something that happened to everybody sooner or later, but even Kiva suddenly found herself fearful of everything leading up to it. There were countless ways a person's life could be taken from them and many of them involved being miserable and even alone during the final moments. If anything, being close to Dezna could potentially ease some of the pain leading up to that.

[Zulera301]

Dezna purred rather alluringly as Kiva ran her fingers through his hair. He twisted his head side to side, giving her hand an ample taste of his messy but still very soft hair. "why not both?" he cooed, stroking briefly behind her ear. If she was going to argue that she was not sexy, she would be fighting a losing war that Dezna would refuse to let her win at. No, he was rather adamant that she was good-looking, and was not afraid to show it. When she got up, any worries she might have had about him not following him were shattered like the silence in a ring full of mutts. He followed her at a short enough distance that anyone else might have found it creepy.

He had mixed feelings on the interview footage. Most of the careers had said rather generic (but still dangerous) remarks about how they were strong and smart, which they probably were. Blaze stood out obviously, having an ego akin to his brother Flint from last year. If they had been wearing the same kind of outfit, he might have actually had to double-check to make sure he wasn't just watching a rerun of last year's District 1 interviews.
Glimmer also stood out. She was kind of cute, but also appeared to have some serious wit about her (and Dezna could honestly say that if he had to choose between Kiva and Glimmer, he'd still choose Kiva). Then of course there was Varsha--judged the most dangerous and powerful tribute this year, and yet he didn't feel that she would be as big of a threat. Then again, that was because he had this idea that they were not on her hitlist. Anyone that was though... he felt bad for them.

"You too? My mind's been racing over that." Dezna exclaimed, "not fear, per se... just intrigue, I guess. She was watching us countless times--either that means she likes us, or she plans to kill us in the opening minutes. Most of the others, even Glimmer, were fairly easy to read. With Varsha/Valendria though? shit. I can't even tell which of those is her real name, let alone anything about what she is like."
He was still fairly proud of his (and Kiva's) 8, as usually tributes from 6 scored around 5-7 (perhaps somewhat ironic that their symbolic 6 was a frequent score), and so in terms of danger, they were a tip above the norm. Still... against the ever-scarce score of 12... it really did kind of feel inferior. Even Blaze's 11 didn't seem to quite match up.
Still... he felt rather comforted with Kiva's presence. They were no Rye and Saj (he could tell that their attraction was primarily physical and/or, dare he say... lustful?), but even if they weren't in some kind of romance, they were still clearly good friends--probably somewhat akin to those kids from District 3... Bolt and... Techa, was it? Dezna always felt like he could die peacefully if his sister was nearby. Kiva wasn't his sister, but a close friend could work as a pleasant substitute in a situation like this.

Dezna didn't wait another second before he was at her side, sitting rather close to her on purpose. "What's on your mind?" he turned to her. He had a few ideas of his own, and they were probably on his mind too, but he'd first hear her out if she had anything to say. In the meantime, he reached one of his hands over to scratch the back of her neck gently. Even with his witty retorts, black humor, and grey morality, Dezna was still a good listener, and was fairly well-liked for it back home. He was no Sagittaria, but his calm, unfazeable demeanor made him easy to talk to.
"cuz if you're worried about being alone tonight... I don't think that's gonna happen." his eyes went up and down her form, although he kept himself calm, satisfied with just feeling the skin of her neck and the soft, thin, short hairs that grew there. They still had a good amount of time before bedtime would become practical, and so for all he cared, they were gonna do what they damn well pleased (or if nothing else, what their hormones damn well wanted).

[Nachthexe]

"It's hard to know what her intentions are, but I suppose we will find out soon enough." Kiva shrugged. Valendria was hard to read and it was clear that Dezna saw it too. At worst the girl would be targeting them both right from the beginning, but at best she would only serve to aid them. Either way the girl definitely had interest in District 6 if her reactions in training were anything to go by. Was she another Kyla? It seemed somewhat likely, although this girl had obviously been much less modest in her training session. In Kiva's eyes, Kyla's actions in the arena would have been worthy of at least 11, yet the scrawny girl had scored only a 6 if she recalled correctly.

"Me? I was just thinking about tomorrow and how I don't want to die alone. It's odd really. The thought of death itself doesn't seem to bother me so much, but I imagined dying peacefully at home with my sister by my side." Kiva confessed, realizing that even a few tears began flowing down her cheeks which she quickly proceeded to wipe away. Dezna proceeding to scratch the back of her managed to provide some relief, but still there was something she desired; she wanted nothing more but to wake up in the comfort of her own bed, realizing everything over the past week had just been a prolonged nightmare. Somehow she already knew otherwise, however. This was reality and there was no getting out of it. At least one of them was going to end up as no more than a memory.

Within moments Kiva found herself shuffling over until she was practically on Dezna's lap. The two were fortunately close to the same size so it was likely not a burden on the boy. If anything, he would be embracing it if hormones were to speak. Certainly it had been a factor in Kiva's actions, but currently more than anything she just wanted somebody close by her side and judging by everybody else in the room Dezna was the obvious choice. The others were merely a means to an end, but Dezna was somebody she could easily consider a friend. Assuming she did make it out of the arena alive life without Dezna suddenly seemed like it would be empty. Sure there were others she cared about and even considered friends, but none she had had to face death and the various struggles of the Hunger Games with.

Several minutes passed as Kiva remained on Dezna's lap. At one point she even felt herself nearly dozing off as she just leaned into his chest and listened to the rhythm of his breathing. It was oddly soothing, even if only for the fact that very soon it too would fade away forever. It managed to bring only one thought to the girl's mind as she finally got up, one she not so subtly shared with Dezna as she walked away. "I'm going on the deck. You know, there is one and feel free to come. Might as well get one last look at the night sky."

Once at the end of the hallway Kiva opened up the door and peered outside briefly before finally closing it behind her. Naturally, she could only hope the boy would join her, but in the meantime the sky served as a reminder of home and all the night walks she would take with her sister. She suddenly got wondering about what the older girl was currently thinking. Was she too mourning for a sister she would probably never see again? It was certainly the most likely outcome, but fortunately for her she was strong and could probably cope. She was the same girl, after all, who had managed to resist the strong pull that so many of the drugs in District 6 seemed to have. That alone was something for the older girl to be proud of and briefly it gave Kiva a sense of pride to have such a sibling.

[Zulera301]

"I wonder what she's thinking about," he glanced down as if hoping to see through the 5th floor to the 4th where Varsha was surely present. Was she simply trying to manipulate the crowds into fear or intrigue? if she was, it was certainly working, although District 6 seemed to fall more in the latter category. The only thing he could think about as far as connections went was Glimmer, who seemed to be closer connected to Varsha, but that was about the extent that Dezna knew of their relationship. She reminded Dezna of Kyla, minus the surprise part. Everyone seemed to expect that Varsha would control the arena. No one had expected little Kyla to be able to do that. He was fairly certain the little girl would have scored an 11 or 12 if she had not held herself back.

"well... I guess the first thing we should do tomorrow is meet up with each other then." he quipped, "cuz yeah... I actually always imagined that I'd die with my own sister by my side--or at least with her fleeing the scene of whatever we did." he chuckled. He was reminded of his old hallucinations, and wondered if he was actually just back at home under a massive drug spell right now. Had that Substance 21 really done that much on him? Here he was, in a luxurious apartment that was probably worth more than all of District 6, meeting unusual people, and partnered with a rather beautiful young lady in a rather attractive dress (that he sort of wanted to peel off of her). Blaze... he was probably just Flint from last year. Varsha? she was Kyla's true form. Albert and Glimmer? they were proably just Bolt and Techa from the 44th games. It did all seem rather surreal, and blurred the line between fantasy and reality. It was weird.

Gently but eagerly, he shifted Kiva onto his lap, his wandering hands finding her legs through the transparent fabric, although similar to how he touched her back and neck, his motions were gentle and reassuring more than anything. He was a peculiar boy. On one hand, he was very stubborn and passionate about the things he did, but on the other, he stayed so calm. If Kiva thought he was getting frisky... well, he kind of was, but it was in a good way (or so he thought). she seemed rather calm on his lap, and other than his deft and soft fingertips, his only movement was the rise and fall of his chest. His hands were not originally this soft--no, they were less silky and usually a bit oily, but those were just mechanic's hands. they weren't rough and calloused or anything; he had not been working for that long. But, whatever the Capitol did had softened his skin back up too.

As Kiva got up, he gave her hip one last soft playful squeeze before stretching. "Alright... lemme just stretch my legs." he chuckled, before doing so and slowly heading out towards the magnificent balcony. It was surely not quite as spectacular as the ones on floors 11 and 12, but it was still not too shabby a view. He joined her, the moonlight illuminating his clothing slightly, and it almost seemed to make his eyes glow. It was just the lights playing tricks though, as there was nothing unusual or supernatural about Dezna's blue eyes, except maybe that they were pretty and nice to look at.

He appeared on that balcony a moment after she had just shut the door. He wondered and perhaps worried a bit about Arza. Would she be taking shots for him? Would she start doing so if he came home in a casket or in pieces? (so to speak)
"That's a really beautiful dress." he commented, as if to break the silence, but his own soft voice was not an unpleasant addition to the atmosphere, "and it's a beautiful night. Perhaps a bit ironic, if you ask me... but here we are anyways." He would technically be quite fine if their hormones got the best of them on this balcony. It was about as close to romantic as they'd get, he figured, but for now, they had a couple of hours to waste doing whatever, and Dezna figured that he might as well enjoy their outfits while they still could.
And then, almost as if adhering in tradition to the teenage boy that was in him, he chuckled and added, "I almost want to pull it off of you." It was not so much subtle hint as much as a playful joke (although he definitely wouldn't mind), but he figured that if they had one more night before being thrust into hell, that it might as well be spent smiling and laughing, or at least having some kind of fun.

[Nachthexe]

It was incredible how similar in thought Kiva and Dezna sometimes were. Just as Kiva had been thinking about her own sister it seemed Dezna was thinking about his too. Arza. The girl reminded her somewhat of Dezna from what she knew of her before the Reaping. If she was to make it home she knew there was a likely chance of her turning to her as a coping mechanism. That was a thought she kept to herself, however, not wanting to ruin the mood. Kiva was happy, Dezna was happy, all was good. At least as good as circumstances could be the night before a death match.

It wasn't long before Dezna followed Kiva out to the balcony. Just as she was getting lost in thought a very familiar face had approached her from behind, providing some relief from the various realities that were distressing her most. "Thank the stylists. We both looked great on stage. At least we can go out being fashionable." She responded, chuckling. Of everything she had experienced during her stay in the Capitol she definitely felt that the fashion was one of the more memorable parts. She still wasn't fond of the elevator rides even now or the fact that starting tomorrow she would be fighting for her life, but if it managed to bring her closer to Dezna then perhaps there had been some value in it.

Even if it was just temporary Kiva took pleasure in the fact that all around her was beauty: the night sky, the stylists' designs, and even Dezna. It didn't take long for her to note the irony of the whole thing; even in the worst of circumstances there could be joy, or at least the closest thing to it. It was possibly just the hormones once again talking, but Dezna's next comment only further confirmed this. He wanted to pull off the dress? Under any other circumstances she would have hesitated, but now she was willing to make an exception in what was very possibly their last night together. Laughing, she began pulling the boy's jacket off. "Two can play this game."

[Zulera301]

The night sky had always seemed to remind him of his sister ever since the Reaping Day. They might have also been on similar wavelengths, but if one had asked Dezna, he would have just said it was coincidence. Even if he didn't make it home, he figured that his interview outfit had more or less sealed the deal for him becoming immortalized. He was putting a bit of faith in Sagittaria from there, but he knew that she was one of the few people that would fully get the reference. For now though... he wouldn't worry about dying or being immortalized. Here and now, life was good; things were good, and he was surrounded by lovely things of all sorts.

"I'm fine with that." he chuckled, "maybe we'll get immortalized in Sagittaria's stories as the great Dezna Lightning and Kiva Rainbow." He and Kiva had been told about the proposed alliance between '6 and '11, and he was fine with going through on that. He knew that the previous year's victor knew them fairly well (relatively speaking), and with her kind of influence, he knew that he would not be forgotten. If nothing else, he would take the following day and any that came afterwards, the same way he handled day-to-day life back in District 6--he'd take it in stride, and make the best of what he was given.

He could not remember who had said it, but someone (presumably similar to, or actually Sagittaria) had said that there could be joy found in even the most miserable circumstances if one knew where to look. Rye and even Kyla had helped prove this during the 'games last year, which were undoubtedly any boy or girl's worst days of their lives. Surely there had been plenty of footage cut, but the Capitol was sure to throw in severeal scenes of them joking and laughing together--probably to make it seem more like a game, and to make it seem like the tributes were actually enjoying themselves. Dezna figured he could enjoy himself as much as a 16-year-old could in a death tournament, but he knew that it still wouldn't ever be something he would ever volunteer for or condone.

He was admittedly sort of surprised when he felt her begin to pull his jacket off, but to him, that was a green light, and so he proceeded, peeling off that rainbow outer covering before briefly feeling one of her legs. "well then... let's play a little game before the 'games... shall we?" he winked at her, clearly checking her out as he revealed a black dress shirt with flashy little golden buttons under his coat. The rest would come off (surely in both cases), because frankly, he really didn't give a damn at this point. A couple of tributes pulling each other's clothes off was not about to ruin the integrity of the Hunger Games, so the Capitol wouldn't care, and if they weren't about to jump down his throat for it, what was stopping them? he gave her a suggestive grin to see how she'd react to being in that much more revealing under-dress. Yes, this night would be fun.

[Nachthexe]

Clearly Dezna didn't mind as Kiva began stripping him down, even proceeding to do the same to her. Almost immediately she felt the slight chill of the night air against her bare skin, but it bothered her little. All she wanted was to feel Dezna's warmth against hers. "Clearly we both enjoy games. It's why we're here, right?" She chuckled, incorporating a bit of black humour of her own as Dezna's dress shirt began coming off revealing the boy's bare chest. Not surprisingly, it was void of hair, no doubt as a result of whatever sort of procedure the Capitol stylists put him through.

It wasn't long before Kiva was suddenly reminded of the first night where Dezna had accidentally intruded on her stripping out of her parade costume. That bit had certainly been accidental, but never did she imagine it would eventually lead to this. Here they were, two teenagers about to go to their deaths stripping on a Capitol balcony. If it wasn't such an intimate moment Kiva was sure it would have made plenty of news back home if one of them returned. She certainly knew that if she returned home it would remain as a memory for her and only her. If there was anything to remember the boy by, after all, his good looks was certainly one. District 6 had some rather good looking tributes this year and Kiva knew this wasn't just her own bias. The Capitol clearly saw it too.

As she continued losing layers of clothing Kiva shuffled in closer to Dezna until she was practically in his arms. It wasn't long until the warmth of his body heat began to comfort her. It suddenly reminded her more of home than anything else had. It was often that the two sisters would sleep together despite not sharing a bed or even a room. Some nights it just served as a convenience as climbing up the stairs to the loft often proved challenging while intoxicated. Naturally, due to the pure generosity of her sister, Kiva would instead find herself waking up beside her older sister, the one who cared for her so deeply. Of course Dezna was no Zoey, but he was a suitable substitute under the current circumstances.

"Whenever I was distressed my sister would take me into her arms, and tonight it's fair to say everything here serves as the perfect deja vu." Kiva confessed, managing a small chuckle as she continued grasping onto Dezna. By this point both were very nearly in the nude and it was only a matter of time until their final layers of clothing, their undergarments, were removed. Besides, it was only fair. Dezna had seen her in the nude once so Kiva felt it was perfectly justified for her to do the same. Then again hormones were weird, especially when mixed with a plethora of emotion.

[Zulera301]

Dezna kicked off his own shoes and socks shortly after his shirt came off (to make removing his pants easier for her) as he began working on Kiva's under-dress. As he pulled it off, he pulled her in closer to touch her skin and warm it against the cool evening breeze. He seemed to always have warm hands, so it might feel rather nice. Still... as he held her, his hands did give her backside a little squeeze. Sure his gesture was surprisingly almost more comforting than anything, bu he had his hormonal moments. He was still a teenage boy after all.

He had not had a whole lot of chest hair, although he did sort of miss it knowing it was gone. Still, he looked rather nice if Kiva's reactions were anything to go by, and he was quietly happy that she was enjoying him as much as he was enjoying her. He had not forgotten when they had stripped out of their parade costumes. He had given her a tease of his chest and back, and he had kind of seen her in her smalls. Despite them supposedly not having any romantic feelings towards each other per se (there was a very definite physical attraction and standard close friendship, however), the scene was rather intimate. If he made it home, he would speak of this to no one, not even his sister--because frankly, they didn't need to know. If he died and she returned, he hoped she would do the same, but would have no control over it either way. If they both died... well, then the secret went to the grave after all.

Dezna decided to take a break from the removal of clothing for now, satisfied with their states of undress as his pants came off, leaving him in his shorts. He had left Kiva in her underwear for now, and had also left her shoes on (they were shiny.), but he wouldn't mind if she left them on or kicked them off.
He held Kiva closely, almost leaning against his shoulder. his hair was soft and fluffy and smelled quite nice. This odd situation reminded him of his sister as well. They shared a room and a bed (on a regular basis), and were not exactly ashamed of letting each other see the other undressed. It wasn't like they did anything of... *that* nature, anyways. It was just actions of a very close-knit brother and sister. Besides, usually they were intoxicated when they were peeling each other's clothes off anyways, so maybe it was more cute and comical than anything.

He chuckled. "Glad I can help." he smiled at her, still running his hands along her skin both to enjoy the way it felt and to keep her warm "My sister and I shared a room and a bed, and so we were always so used to being at each other's sides." It was what it was, and Dezna was not exactly apologetic about it. "still... I'm definitely not complaining."
He did blush just a tiny bit as Kiva went for his underwear. He wasn't nervous; just that no one had ever done that to him before (well, drug-influenced incidents between Dezna and Arza didn't count). Sure the Capitol had seen him naked, but he had stripped himself. This was slightly different.
"well rawr then." he laughed softly, and began to help Kiva out of hers as she helped him out of his. Funny things these hormones. Here they were on the eve of what could very well be the last day of their lives (at least, if they wanted to go down being completely unmemorable, like Kyla's brother), and yet they were just enjoying each other the way two growing teenagers would. He hadn't the slightest regret, and he was going to make this moment last.

[Nachthexe]

"I was fortunate to have my own room, but intoxication and staircases do not mix." Kiva replied, chuckling once again as she rose her hand towards Dezna's head. If she had to choose a favourite feature on him so far his hair seemed to be coming out on top. She just couldn't seem to resist running her hands through it even as she continued leaning closely into him. In its current state she was sure her hair wasn't quite so memorable, largely being hardened at parts from the rainbow streaks that had been run through it earlier. If anything, it would provide Dezna something to stare at while they shared their intimate moment.

As expected it hadn't taken long for both Kiva and Dezna to find themselves fully in the nude. Certainly in Capitol culture it would have not been considered a big deal, but back home it was quite different. Given the sort of relationship the two shared stripping to the nude and resting in each others' arms would not be considered acceptable, and Kiva knew this. However, this night was different and at least one of them was potentially never going to get that chance with anybody again. "Nice bottom." Kiva complimented the boy upon catching the first glimpses of his bottom half. Previously she had only seen the top half of him and now she was being spoiled, even if she couldn't help but to blush once her entire body also became exposed to both Dezna's eyes and the cool night air.

As the two continued enjoying each others' company in the nude, Kiva suddenly got pondering about the remaining tributes. What were they doing right now? Eating? Sleeping? Enjoying their final evenings together? If they were she could almost bet it was nothing like what she and Dezna were currently engaged in. That alone managed to bring a smile to the girl's face as she then lowered her hand towards the boy's hips and began tracing the outline of them with her fingers. He wasn't malnourished like the kids in Districts 11 and 12 often were, but he was perhaps as slim as her and it really showed in his hips. It actually managed to surprise the girl quite a bit that they seemed so similar in size, yet it had really only occurred to her now. Of course she still bore the heels that added a few inches, but over all Dezna didn't seem all that much larger.

Just as she had done back on the couch, Kiva found herself leaning right into Dezna and once again placing her head on his chest. Now more than ever his rhythm of breathing proved soothing, despite it having variation from that of her sister's. If anything, it served as a reminder as to who exactly she was currently destined to spend her final hours with. It wasn't that she minded, but she couldn't get the longing for being close to home out of her head. Sadly it seemed so distant now, half a world away. It was only the presence of the moon now shining brightly directly overhead that managed to provide minimal comfort; District 6 was certainly staring up at the exact same one just hoping for at least one of their tributes to make it out of tomorrow's bloodbath. It suddenly reminded her of an old tune from back home that she began humming, hoping that Dezna would recognize it.

[Zulera301]

"we could have had our own rooms if we wanted," Dezna answered, "but we kept all our crap in the other two, so we just decided to share one. 'sides, after mom disappeared we basically only had each other." He was not trying to garner sympathy or anything; he was just stating his story. He and Arza had long since learned to cope with the disappearance of his mother. Each time she ran her hands through his hair, he would twist his head side to side, almost as if her touch triggered this motion in the boy. It kind of did, because he and Arza used to do that to each other's hair all the time. Arza's hair was just as wild and fluffy as Dezna's, only slightly longer.

Soon, they were both naked, with Dezna giving Kiva's backside a squeeze her or there when he wasn't tracing his hands or fingers along her other features. It didn't bother him a whole lot even though back in the district they would have gotten weird looks to say the absolute least. Luckily the Capitol didn't seem to care at all, and since they were just pieces of the Capitol's game at this point, he didn't worry about trying to please anyone else. he chuckled at her compliment, and ran his hands down her sides and hips. "thanks. yours is rather nice too." he winked. Those shoes helped a bit, and that had not been lost on him. Had she kept them on on purpose?

His mind wandered a bit to what people were doing back home, but also to what might be happening floors above or below them. The others had balconies too after all, although there was no way for them to see what was happening on floor 6. Besides, it wasn't like Kiva and Dezna were being terribly loud or anything anyways. He wondered what Valendria was doing. What did her partner think of her? She seemed to fit well with the District 6 mantra of not giving a damn what anyone else thinks of you, but surely there had to be more beneath that pretty face. As her hands traced around his hips, his wandered up her sides and then traced the line leading up her back, following it as it curved inward and then back outward towards her neck. They had similar physiques: a little slender, but not malnourished like many from '11 and '12 were. Kiva was about an inch taller than Dezna (not counting Dezna's wild hair) because of those heels, but Dezna didn't mind that either. Size was something people couldn't really change, after all.

He sighed softly and happily as Kiva leaned into his chest. He wrapped his hands around her, rubbing up and down her back, and occasionally over her backside. The calm serenity of their breathing soothed Dezna in a way, and it was crazy that these breaths might be some of their last. He gazed down at Kiva's exotic hair, and her pretty little face, and then up at the moon, which he had always enjoyed doing. He then glanced back down at Kiva's face again. Other than the girl's shoes, the only evidence they had of their interview outfits anymore was the exotic makeup (Dezna had some too, after all) and the remnants of their hairstyles. If nothing else, their togetherness reminded Dezna that they, much like the victor and her partner before them, were working towards a common goal. That was one of the many things that gave the boy reassurance at the moment.

[Nachthexe]

As Dezna spoke about the disappearance of his mother it suddenly made Kiva feel fortunate to still have her family intact. Mostly. There was of course still that chance that after tomorrow they would be broken up for the first time. If anything, that made the thought of dying in the arena a burden more than death itself did. "As you know, I still have my family, but after tomorrow they may not be able to say the same..." Kiva mused, as she shifted slightly and placed her arms in her own lap. Either way somebody was in for heartbreak; if Kiva made it out then she would be without Dezna as would his family while if he made it out then her family would be losing something, as would he. It suddenly became a reality that nobody truly won in the Hunger Games. The victor was always bound to be losing something.

The comfort of being close to Dezna perhaps began to prove too much for Kiva as she began dozing off right in his lap. He clearly didn't seem to mind, however, not even budging for a moment. This continued for an indeterminate amount of time before Kiva finally stirred and stared up into the night sky once again. "I wish this night would last forever. Why must all good things come to an end?" She uttered upon taking a glance at Dezna's pretty face. There wasn't a lot and it was very modest by Capitol standards, but presence of makeup on the boy's face became clearer than ever as it shone in the moonlight. At that point in time it was difficult for her to imagine anything more beautiful. He suddenly reminded the girl of one of the gods of old that she had only heard about in storybooks at school.

Kiva found herself mesmerized by Dezna's face for several more moments before she finally stood up and leaned over the edge of the balcony. Curiosity got the better of her and as she proceeded to peer down to the floors below and eventually the ground she thought she imagined feeling a surge of energy running through her body, startling her. A shock of some sort? It was the most logical explanation as certainly the Capitol didn't intend on losing any tributes to suicide before they were even inside the arena. Of course a shock out of seemingly nowhere could only mean one thing: force field. It was just more of the technology the Capitol had managed to perfect, no doubt through District 3's resources. It baffled her really how many of the poor districts were left in a rather primitive state while the Capitol seemed to have the most advanced of everything. It's not like they even attempted to hide their decadence from the rest of Panem, but then again how else would they motivate tributes to win the Hunger Games?

"There's a force field. Clearly the fearless and powerful Capitol has fears of their own, after all." Kiva remarked as she bent over to gather up her clothing for when it was time to go back inside. It was ironic really how the Capitol that claimed to be so powerful and ruled through fear managed to be frightened of a few children jumping to their deaths. Perhaps because it meant they would have no game and no game would draw attention to the abysmal conditions all over Panem? It was only one theory of many, but Kiva didn't think too hard on it preferring to once again turn her attention to Dezna, whom she then approached and began hugging passionately. Eventually leaving Dezna's arms she made her way inside no longer caring that she was still in the nude. It appeared to be later than originally anticipated anyway with the others clearly already in their own rooms fast asleep.

[Zulera301]

"well, I guess may the odds be ever in our favor then." he said softly. "and, y'know... for whichever of us doesn't get to go home, may the odds make it true that when we're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, our body goes into shock and we don't feel anything when we die." he left it open-ended, but he wasn't going to beat around the bush. one of them was going to die. However, he had also made it clear of his determination--only one of them was going to die. The other would return home as the victor. That meant that even the likes of Daisy, Leon, Glimmer, and Varsha... they all had to die. Either way, everyone suffered loss, not just the 23 tributes whose lives were ended in the arena.

Dezna definitely did not mind cuddling with Kiva as she dozed in his arms. She was naked, her body was soft and warm to the touch, and she still had those cute, colorful shoes on, which seemed to draw his hands towards her thighs and backside, which he occasionally squeezed. He briefly wondered if they'd be able to get away with anything like this in the arena. He imagined Sagittaria telling some wild story about a naked tribute from District 6 winning the games, and he chuckled softly. He didn't want to break the silence. When she stirred, he couldn't help but give her body a nice little squeeze. She was cute when she slept--many people were.

"I figure that if things went on forever, we'd grow bored of them too and they'd lose their charm." he shrugged, "but I'll say this much--I have no regrets about anything we did, Kiva." he grinned at her. "Thank you for it." he snuggled her closer to him for a moment, gazing into her eyes. She had on much more makeup than he did, but he didn't mind it, and instead just gazed at her. She was cute--very cute, and he enjoyed that she watched and gazed at him in return. he stroked under her jaw gently, leaning in for a soft kiss. He wanted to hold her; to touch her; caress her; care for her. It wasn't love, per se, but it was a strong friendship fueled by teenage hormones and physical attraction, or something like that.

As Kiva walked over to the balcony, Dezna couldn't help but compliment her. "you've got a really cute butt." he chuckled. Originally his eyes had followed her hair , but that had in turn led down her back to her butt, whicih he stared at rather shamelessly. It was pretty. Kiva was pretty. He followed her over to the edge to see what she was doing.
"Forcefield, huh..." he looked down. "I wonder if '1 and '2 have it... I don't think they'd even try jumping to their deaths. Actually..." he glanced down. "I wouldn't either. I'd rather get a spear through the chest or something than be splattered across 116 square feet of Capitol pavement." Yes, if he had to die, he at least wanted his body to remain intact the way Rye and Kyla had, rather than some bloody mutilated mess the way Kyla's nameless brother, or Flint, had been. "Still... rather intriguing. perhaps this is a more delicate regime than meets the eye..."

As Kiva got her clothes, Dezna's eyes met her feet (because colors and shiny. that's why) before she approached him and he got another good view of... well, everything. He grinned, pulling her clothes away from her and leaving them in a pile on the ground as he wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off her feet for a bit with a grin and a kiss. Eventually, he set her back down again and they gathered their clothes and went back inside.
"nice shoes, by the way." he nodded at her feet, once they were back inside. It was a good thing everyone else was asleep, because here they were, walking through their apartment stark-naked and not giving any fucks. The Capitol didn't have curfews or set times when the tributes had to be in bed. They could stay up as long as they wanted, even on the night of the games. It would just be their (potential) loss of sleep come morning, because there was no getting out of that.

"so you heading for bed?" he asked, "or are you gonna let me check you out some more?" He didn't even try to hide that he was quite enjoying seeing her without anything on. The good news was, was that after tonight, even if he was killed in the bloodbath, he'd at least die happy.

[Nachthexe]

Even if unintentional Dezna's words contained a large amount of wisdom. Perhaps the boy was right. Perhaps if things went on forever they would grow boring. It suddenly got Kiva once again thinking about the games. Would the Capitol eventually grow bored of that and discontinue it? It was a nice thought, albeit an unlikely one as there was still another meaning behind it besides just being entertainment for the Capitol. No, it was punishment. Punishment for a rebellion that Kiva, Dezna, and all 22 others had nothing to do with. There was no doubt that everybody previously had felt much the same, but the Capitol elite and certainly Snow's inner circle didn't care what the rest of Panem thought. It especially showed in the impoverished conditions of Districts 11 and 12.

"Even if I die tomorrow I'll never regret any of this. You managed to show me that a person could die on their own terms; you managed to show me that a person could die happy." Kiva confessed as Dezna took her in his grasp one last time and snuggled up to her. By this point the boy even began kissing her, a gesture she whole-heartedly returned. Certainly they didn't carry the same implication as Rye and Sagittaria's kisses had, but Kiva realized that perhaps acting upon her lust for the boy in front of her only served to strengthen what little time was left of their friendship. There was not a single regret to be held in that aspect.

Arrows to the head, bashed in skulls, splatters on the Capitol's pavement. There were plenty of possibilities of how to die and at least few came to Kiva's mind as Dezna shared his own thoughts about the force fields and tribute suicide. Naturally, none of them seemed pleasant, but Kiva knew that she'd likely be faced with one very soon and in that case she opted for the option of remaining intact. If Dezna was forced to off her just as Sagittaria had offed Rye then she would be sure to make her intentions clear to the boy she had just shared her most intimate moments with. "Admittedly it would be hard to mourn, you know, a splatter. It's easier to humanize an intact corpse I think." She mused as she took one last glance down at the ground below. It was quite a drop, certainly not one she would want to partake in.

The last few compliments Dezna gave Kiva as they headed inside managed to bring a smile to the girl's face. They made Dezna's feelings for her appear more genuine, even if it was just no more than lust. If she had learned anything, however, it was that lust was powerful. As powerful as love perhaps? Kiva briefly pondered the thought before realizing it was unlikely that she would even live to experience anything more than the platonic love she felt for her family. Instead she just briefly shifted back to the lust and gave Dezna one last passionate kiss before heading off to her room. "This is the last night we will truly be able to rest so I suggest you do the same." She suggested to the boy just as she walked off, shaking her hips one last time just as she had at the interview.

Even as Kiva awoke the next morning thoughts of Dezna continued to flood her mind. She wanted nothing more but to snuggle up to him, touch him, and most of all be back in District 6 by his side. That, of course, was never to be as the girl didn't take long to recollect about where she truly was: the Capitol on the morning of the Hunger Games. She had wanted nothing more for it to all be a nightmare with only the actions of the previous night remaining, but that was never to be either. Realizing this, she slowly got out of bed and let out a sigh. Not surprisingly, she still remained nude from the night before so instead of stripping down she went straight to the shower. It almost seemed futile as it was inevitable she would become quite filthy and beat up during her time in the arena, but she realized she was showering more for Dezna's sake. She wanted him to be able to see her at her best one last time.

Once out of the shower Dezna ventured back to her bed and noticed a single outfit laid out for her, unmistakably the arena uniform. Before putting it on she began examining it, hoping for some sort of clues as to what kind of environment she was about to be thrown into. Unlike most years, however, this particular uniform didn't seem to carry many clues. The waterproof jackets the previous year had surely hinted at a wet environment, but this time there was a lack of that so it definitely ruled out rainforest. It wasn't like the Capitol repeated arena environments twice in a row anyway. Being mostly stumped, she put it on and hoped to be able to ask Zerviah over breakfast for any last minute advice.

"This is bound to be interesting." Kiva uttered as she arrived at the table and took a seat. She briefly glanced over at the boy and winked at him, no doubt leaving both reminders about the night before she had so vastly enjoyed and what was to come. With the others around she wasn't willing to blurt it out openly so opted for simple gestures instead that the boy would no doubt understand anyway. Fortunately for her, not even the masters of non-verbal communication, Flavia and Felix, seemed to be able to pick up anything unusual. Then again, they were very indulged in breakfast of their own. Naturally, not having an arena to go to they still ate plenty, but just as before Kiva only piled minimal amounts of food onto her plate. Within hours near-starvation was to become a very common reality for her and she suddenly dreaded it.

[Zulera301]

Dezna might not have been any kind of philosopher, but he knew why the Hunger Games wouldn't stop. For one, the Capitol would not have any of that, and for another, it managed to mix itself up just enough each year to remain entertaining. That and surely there were agents of the Gamemakers and the Capitol who dedicated their lives to making the games remain interesting. Dezna didn't like them, but he had to admit that hwas personally rather interested in them. after all, he had spent hours with his sister watching old footage of them, which the Capitol seemed to make readily available.

"well yeah." he shrugged, "even if I die in the opening minute and 33 seconds, I'll be dying on my terms at that point. There's nothing that anyone can do to take control of me." He was going to play the games on his own terms, which, for the records, were still an attempt at winning, rather than just squatting down and accepting death. As they kissed, his hands glided over her back and hips again, enjoying her Capitol-smooth skin against his palms. He gave her butt a squeeze, reminding himself that he was rather fond of a girl in heels. He was glad that she hed left them on even if shew as otherwise naked.

"ha... yeah." he definitely agreed about the splatter thing. He remembered one year where a tribute girl had dropped her tribute token and it had activated the landmines around her pedestal. The remaining 23 tributes were all shocked for about 2 full minutes as her remains were unidentifiable. The games began after an opportunistic girl from District 11 managed to stab one of the career tributes in the back, and soon the typical bloodbath began. He couldn't really sympathize for that girl the way he had sympathized with the boy who had gotten stabbed in the opening seconds. Sure he had been a career, but the Capitol zoomed in on his expression that clearly showed that he realized he was doomed, and the clever smirk on the District 11 girl's face as she wrenched her knife out and made a mad dash for the foliage. "hopefully I'll be able to die in a form that will still be recognizable. Well, unless I win of course." he was once again not intending for it to sound like he thought he had already won. He knew better than to be that overconfident.

His compliments were very real. Maybe if it had been the first day in the Capitol he might have just been trying to butter her up, but it was very real what he was saying about her. He liked the shoes in all honesty, and he frankly thought that she had a really cute butt. Sure most of it was lust, but he genuinely had feelings for her, even if they were just friendly ones and physical attraction to her body. He returned the kiss without hesitation, and then nodded at her words. As she walked to her room, he followed her, because his room was down that same hall except that he turned left while she turned right. Besides, the way her hips were swaying was mesmerizing, especially since she had nary a stitch of clothing covering them. He'd be dreaming well tonight. "'night, sexy." he winked at her before turning in for the night.

His dream did involve Kiva, and it involved him undressing her and a lot of passionate kissing. It was definitely not something he complained about. He still half expected that everything that had happened last night and over the last week or so was all a dream, but it wasn't, and soon the reality of it hit him. Here was where he went to die. That Capitol makeup was some strong stuff, because it was still very clearly on his face as he glanced in the mirror. Then again, maybe that's what the colored liquid was supposed to do. Maybe it helped remove paint or makeup or whatnot, since after he showered, it was gone as well.

He fluffed up his hair a bit, adjusting his earrings, before examining the pile of clothes that was left at the foot of his bed. No doubt this was the uniform of the Hunger Games this year. The clothing was dark in color; with a plain undershirt, a long jacket with the number 6 around each arm; black pants and boots, and a pair of longer gloves that also bore the number 6 on the hands. He pulled it all on, wondering what they were hinting at this time. the light, waterproof jackets indicated some sort of wetland environment, although jackets were usually a staple of the Hunger Games uniforms, regardless of temperature.

"Interesting might be too light a word." he chuckled, returning her wink and flipping his hair as if to remove bangs from his face, but also to show it off to Kiva, almost hoping she'd run her fingers through it a few times before they left. Then again, if they found a nice little place in the arena to settle down, maybe there'd be time for that. He knew full well that it was not 24/7 action. Otherwise it'd be over within 38 minutes. Perhaps the Avoxes had cleared away their clothes, and since they couldn't talk there was nothing they could convey to the others, who all seemed oblivious to their little fun times last night. He ate to fill his stomach but did not indulge, and thought about what could happen today. The arena would be a surprise in and of itself, but then there was also other variables to consider--the climate of the arena, what sort of things would be at the cornucopia; did the Capitol have mutts planned for this game, and if so where and when would they be used, and perhaps one of the largest and most unusual variables for a Hunger Games: that girl from District 4--Valendria. "Well... it's true what they say." he couldn't help but try and lighten the mood. "may the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock and you don't feel anything when you die."

[Nachthexe]

Kiva just chuckled as Dezna returned her wink and threw in Sagittaria's infamous slogan. As morbid as it seemed it was about to become a reality for 23 children as they finally got dragged to their deaths. Of course who the lone survivor was would depend on many factors, and Kiva wasn't ready to accept just yet that it would be her. Perhaps if she made it into the final few it would be a more realistic goal, but only time would tell. Early on her only focus would be staying alive, as it should be.

The light-hearted mood that Dezna managed to bring to the table was quickly interrupted as soon as Zerviah began speaking, allegedly to offer last minute advice about the games. "As you both know, this is it. I hate to see either of you go, but this is something beyond my power. Shortly after breakfast Peacekeepers will be coming for you both. As for the games, only thing I can suggest is get out of the bloodbath as quickly as you can. Just get some supplies and leave, don't even try fighting the others. Some tributes attempt to avoid it altogether, but that is risky as it makes you vulnerable later on." Kiva nodded and took special note of the last part. Just the year previous the District 3 pair avoided the bloodbath entirely, but it had been effective in their case; why use conventional weapons when you could use explosive mines? Of course, that was something beyond even Kiva's expertise so wasn't even a viable strategy.

Just as Kiva was beginning to finish up her breakfast, Zerviah interrupted one last time. "Oh, and one more thing. Do not step off that platform. I think you both know by now what happens if you do." It was ironic really that a free for all battle royale like the Hunger Games would have any rules at all, yet it did and the Capitol was willing to enforce it with explosive results. It truly made Kiva realize she didn't want to end up like the one girl who had dropped her district token and ended up blown sky-high before finally becoming entirely unidentifiable. Kiva couldn't even recall which district the girl had been from, nobody could really which only further confirmed Kiva's theory about dying intact.

"Don't you worry about us. Before you know it this will all be over and one of us will be coming out of that arena victorious. Who would have ever guessed, eh? A District 6 victor, despite all odds." Kiva reassured Zerviah, smiling. Naturally, at this point everybody probably expected the all so mysterious District 4 girl to win, but the games had a tendency to be unpredictable. However, all Kiva's thoughts shifted as soon as she noticed frowns form on the stylist pair's faces. Clearly they had come to grow found of both Kiva and Dezna, but surely by now they were also used to losing their most loyal subjects. "Don't you two worry either. Just imagine that soon you will get to dress up not just a tribute, but a victor! And you Silas? You will have something to celebrate for real." Kiva reassured them also, then getting up to hug each member of the prep team. None of them seemed too talkative during this solemn occasion, not even Silas, who even only just smiled himself as Kiva hugged him. As much as she initially had not liked the man in the final days he began to grow on her a bit so even saying goodbyes to him was slightly painful.

"You will make District 6 remembered well!" Silas finally spoke up just as a knock was heard on the door before two men came storming in. Peacekeepers. There was no mistaking their purpose for arriving in the floor six apartment. This was it. This was the moment that marked what was bound to be the beginning of the end for both Kiva and Dezna. Realizing it, Kiva formed a lump in her throat as she slowly left the embraces of the prep team and walked over to the two Peacekeepers. Without even a single word they gestured for the girl to follow them out the door, which she did without hesitation. Last thing she wanted was to get on a Peacekeeper's sour side moments before being escorted to what was potentially her grave.

[Zulera301]

There was no telling who would come out the victor of the games. There were plenty of candidates if Dezna thought about it. Of course Blaze and Victoria had a chance, as some of the powerful career tributes. Their high-scoring District 2 counterparts also stood a chance. Then of course, there was Glimmer--that cunning little girl from District 5 who had also scored fairly high. Dezna was unwilling to count himself or Kiva out of the runnings, and of course, there was that one tribute that everyone would be watching out for--Varsha; District 4. He really wanted to know what she was going to do. She was strong and fast, and if she wanted to seize control of the cornucopia, Dezna could see her doing so singlehandedly.

Of course, it was hard to stay in such a lighthearted mood when everyone around him was so somber, but it was justified, so Dezna's mood simply returned to neutral. "well, they don't call me Dezna Lightning for no reason," he reassured the mentor. It gave him hope that he could at least survive the bloodbath. He might have even been able to outrun Varsha. If he could, hew as in the clear. If he couldn't... well hopefully he wasn't on her hitlist. Of course, one of the other variables was what they would find at the cornucopia. Sometimes there was just weapons, which usually meant that there would be a lot of survival skills required. He almost hoped for that. He wasn't worried about a lack of weapons. The Capitol had tried that one year, and instead of trying to kill each other most tributes had ended up dying by mutts or from the arena. There had not even been a real bloodbath, and the Capitol always loved that part. He also briefly thought of Kyla's strategy of hiding right in the cornucopia, but dismissed it. He was a runner, not a hider.

"Got it." Oh yes, he remembered. No one remembered the girl's name or even what district she was from (it was only clear that she was not from District 11, as the footage always snapped to that girl backstabbing the boy, and there was a very clear number 11 on her shoulder), but everyone remembered that she had been blown into millions of pieces. The two tributes on either side of her took a few bits of it, in rather disgust. Yes, Dezna definitely wanted to die intact rather than get his remains scattered across several square feet of ground and landing on the faces of his two neighboring tributes.

Kiva noticed the concern on their team's faces, particularly the stylists. He knew full well that he'd probably get dressed in all sorts of fancy things if he was able to crawl out of this alive, and so while he might not have been as passionate about it as Sagittaria was, he'd still enjoy it. No wonder they were sad for their inevitable loss. Dezna tried to rectify that.
"She's right, y'know." he quipped, "we'll beat the odds, and just you watch--somehow we'll bring home a victor from District 6. you won't be bringing home any tributes this year... but you'll have a victor--something and someone to celebrate for. Even if the odds aren't in our favor... they are just like the training scores: the odds are just more fancy numbers. They don't mean a whole lot in the nit and grit of the arena." He was fairly certain that all of them just who and what he was talking about: Kyla. The girl had scored a 6 and had started the games with her odds at 1 in 48. By the time the final showdown had begun, her odds had skyrocketed up to 1 in 2 briefly, before she took the mortal wound. By that point though, both Rye and Sagittaria's odds simply read 50:50.
He followed suit after Kive, giving Zerviah and each member of their Capitol prep team a hug. they were a quirky bunch, but Dezna liked them--even Silas. He'd miss them for sure. Hopefully they'd be able to keep in touch with sponsor gifts and such.

When he heard the knock at the door, he simply waved goodbye to his team and followed Kiva without a word. He didn't feel like anything needed to be said at the moment, and so he followed without resistance. He figured that those peacekeepers were there to prevent exactly that. Surely some of the younger or more frightened tributes from some years had tried to escape or something, only to be forced into submission and subsequently the arena.
"Welp..." he turned to Kiva, muttering softly. "This is it..."

[Nachthexe]

It only took a few minutes for the Peacekeepers to escort the two tributes to what seemed to be an underground facility of some sort. It was mostly bare except for a single hovercraft that was being loaded up with all 24 tributes. It didn't take Kiva long to realize that this was the last trip almost all of them would take and it even made her feel guilty for a few seconds, knowing that a creation of people in her own district was now being used to transport them all to their deaths. Naturally, that was something she didn't even dare blurt out even as she took her seat firmly inside. All she could do at this point was turn towards Dezna and let out a small smile.

It didn't take Kiva long to realize just how nervous most of the others around her were, particularly when the hovercraft finally took off. As expected the careers appeared pretty calm and collected, confident almost while those from districts such as 9 and 10 appeared to be whimpering in fear. This was something the careers particularly eyed with interest, giving Kiva strong suspicions that those kids were the first on their hit list. She suddenly found herself almost feeling sorry for them, but here was not the place to develop sentiment for others. Each child present was now officially supposed to be enemies so instead Kiva just tried to focus on that and how to stay alive while being attacked by these "enemies". It was only when another Peacekeeper began making rounds around the craft to insert some sort of device into each tribute's arm that her thoughts were interrupted. Based on educated guess Kiva could only assume it was a tracker of some sort. Certainly the Capitol needed some way to determine exactly who was alive or dead.

Upon landing Kiva once again found herself in what she could only assume was another underground facility of some sort. Peacekeepers approached her fairly quickly and separated her from all the others, escorting her to a single smaller room. It too was nearly bare except for a single transparent tube that was set in the centre of the room. It quickly dawned on her that she was in fact beneath the arena and it was an elevator of some sort. She stepped inside and found herself almost immediately locked in. There was no turning back. Within moments she was about to enter what was to become a graveyard for 23 children and she cringed at the fact she could be one of them just as she felt herself being raised upwards.

The arena. There it was in plain view. It took Kiva several seconds to finally register where she was as what she saw around her was very reminiscent of District 6. A ruined District 6...or District 13? Nearly everybody in Panem knew of the fate of District 13, it being one of the incidents that had initially inspired the Hunger Games. That of course made Kiva realize there was probably some subtle symbolism here. It was almost frightening, but certainly it was what the Gamemakers had been going for while designing the year's arena. Still, it was something vaguely familiar so was an environment already she felt she could work with. The same sentiment seemed to stand true with the other tributes from Panem's more urban districts as they too looked forward with confidence, awaiting the countdown to finally wrap up. It was only in the final seconds of the countdown that Kiva heard a vaguely familiar voice blare through the arena. No doubt the Head Gamemaker, the same one who had spoken to her during the private sessions.

"Let the 45th annual Hunger Games begin! May the odds be ever in your favour!"

[Zulera301]

Dezna's mind was fairly clear right now, thought the irony that he very well might have helped build this exact hovercraft was not lost on him. Still... it wasn't like the lack of hovercrafts would stop the Games. They would just use other methods of transport, and the games would continue. He quietly took his seat, smiling softly at Kiva as the other tributes also filed their way into the seats till all 24 of them were full. This was it; this could be the end of the lightning, or perhaps where the rainbow ends. This was do or die--quite literally.

The stronger tributes seemed calm and confident, as did Glimmer of District 5, while some from the outlying districts looked nervous. Daisy and Leon looked a little nervous, as did the boy form District 12. That quiet little girl, on the other hand, had her eyes closed and seemed calm and accepting of her fate just as she had been during the private sessions. Valendria from District 4 seemed to be totally indifferent to the point where she almost appeared to be asleep. Dez almost felt bad for some of them, but he had to limit his sympathy and sentimentality, because all of them, including Kiva, would have to die if he ever wanted to see his home or his sister again. He held out his right arm as the Peacekeepers went to stick those trackers in everyone's arms. These made sense, and it wasn't like they had ever betrayed anyone's location to any other tribute. Just that the Capitol needed to know where they were--besides, he figured that they also needed to know where to make the sponsor gifts spawn.

Dezna had heard that sometimes a tribute could see his or her stylist one last time in the individual catacombs that each of them were shunted into, but there was no Felix here. It was just Dezna all alone. He wondered what it'd be like if he just refused to step into the long glass tube that was surely some form of elevator, but then realized that if he had been shunted in by peacekeepers, they could easy force him into the tube as well. Not wanting to start a commotion, he just shrugged and stepped in, taking a deep breath as the tube closed around him and slowly raised him to the surface. In a moment he'd see the other tributes again, as well as the arena that would claim the lives of everyone around him save one.

He squinted as he was brought back into the light, and the arena came into view. He glanced around without moving, and noticed that it was surrounded by various ruins; but he could not tell what kind of climate it was. if it was dry, water would be more crucial, but if it was more humid, perhaps he could get by the same way Rye and Sagittaria had the year before. He glanced around him at the other tributes, and cracked his knuckles as he heard those dreaded words...

"Sixty. Fifty-Nine. Fifty-Eight..."

This was literally the countdown to the end of many children's lives. Within the next 5 minutes, probably about 7 or 8 of them would be dead. He glanced at the Cornucopia, which was littered with supplies. He was going to beeline it for the middle, snatch up something, and then take off to try and rendezvous with Kiva. He realized they should have formulated some kind of plan on where to meet up. He had heard that Kyla and her brother had tried that, only for her brother to never show up, having been killed before he could reach his sister.

"Nineteen. Eighteen. Seventeen..."

Dezna did notice Kiva a few pedestals away, and could not see any pattern in the tributes. Valendria was on one of the far ends, but she seemed pumped and ready for this. A moment later, he heard the traditional "may the odds..." quote from the announcer, and then the heart-pounding words that every tribute hears before their death.

"Three.
Two.
One..."

[Nachthexe]

Kiva managed to catch a brief glance at Dezna as the countdown approached zero. She didn't care so much about the others, but he was the one person she did not want dead in the opening minutes. With that in mind, she was willing to do everything she could to quickly dash into the Cornucopia and then out again. There was everything to lose by getting tangled up in the conflict there that was inevitably bound to occur. The presence of the careers alone was enough to discourage her as that was typically their game; they had both the strength and numbers to take down nearly anybody in the bloodbath and it showed nearly every year.

Zero. There it was. The very signal that had everybody dashing towards the place that could potentially be their final resting place. Some were dashing with complete determination, hoping to gain the upper hand early while others were dashing purely for survival. Kiva felt herself fitting into neither of those categories as she too began dashing towards the mandatory centrepiece of every Hunger Games arena. Almost immediately other tributes rammed into her, attempting to trip her, but to no avail. She instead managed to shoved one boy onto the ground. Upon brief glance she learned it was one of the District 10 kids, one who was likely doomed to die in the bloodbath. Realizing it was a fate she didn't want she continued on without much incident to the Cornucopia, but what she saw surprised her.

Scraps of metal and very few weapons. Was this some kind of sick joke? If it was then the Capitol certainly succeeded. Instead of the usual almost immediate slaughter some tributes even stopped and glanced at each other in confusion. It was only when one of the careers, Victoria of District 1, picked up a scrap of the sharpened metal and threw it towards the District 9 girl, slicing her head cleanly off that others began acting. Very quickly the other tributes began scrambling for what little supplies they could get and sure enough chaos ensured. Kiva felt a piece of scrap metal scrape past her shoulder, managing to draw small amounts of blood. She only cringed slightly before continuing on, managing to snatch up a backpack and a few strips of metal that could certainly be used as projectiles. That was to come later, however, as the first real task on her mind was finding Dezna.

Dezna, Dezna, Dezna! Where was he? Lost in the carnage somewhere? Kiva could only fear for the worst as she struggled to make her way out of the conflict that had assured the moment Victoria had managed to decapitate a single tribute so effortlessly. Clearly she had impeccable aim and it was not something she wanted to get caught in the cross hairs of. "Dezna? Where the hell are you?" Kiva bellowed as she continued dodging various projectiles until she finally found herself deep inside the Cornucopia. Clearly she wasn't alone, managing to stumble into somebody on the way. The normal instinct would have been for her to strike the person down, but she quickly refrained from doing so upon realizing who it was. Daisy. District 11. An obvious friendly face. Instead she just smiled and managed to speak briefly. "I don't know where your partner is, but we need to find him and Dezna so we can get out of there. These may just be shards of metal, but they have already proven lethal."

[Zulera301]

Dezna cared about the others, only insomuch that he needed to zero in on his competition, and figure out who was going to make a mad dash for what. He did not see very many weapons, but he did notice a lot of metal shards lying around here and there. This seemed rather peculiar, but he was already formulating a plan. There was a bow or an axe or a knife or a mace here or there (every Hunger Games always had at least one mace. This almost seemed to be a tradition of sorts), but mostly there was just metal shards. This might work to his advantage.

Zero. a gong sounded, and the tributes were making a frantic scramble for whatever they could reach. Dezna was extremely grateful for his agility, as he managed to zigzag ahead of everyone, snagging a knife that he impaled a boy from District 10 with. He raced to grab a backpack, passing a large battleaxe that almost caught his attention. He didn't want that though. instead he snatched up some metal shards, throwing them haphazardly into his bag and then he had his next two objectives very clearly laid out for him: get out of there as quickly as possible, and find Kiva. He zigzagged away once again, and saw Valendria pick up that massive battleaxe. The boy from District 9 didn't stand a chance as he was nearly cleaved in half by the girl's blade. She had one hell of an arm.

He was distracted for just a brief moment, noticing Glimmer dash away with some kind of bag in her hands, towards Valendria. However, he then realized that he had made a fatal mistake. There he was just standing there, and then suddenly, his eyes met with Varsha's. She reeled her arm back, and Dezna instantly reacted right as he heard her shout "DUCK!"
he didn't even need to be told, but he felt an axe whiz right over his head and go through the body of a girl behind him. He didn't wait around to thank her--he was not even sure it had been intentional, but instead, he took off to try and find Kiva. He glanced back and saw Varsha pretty much wreaking havoc and dominating the cornucopia area, while Glimmer seemed to be using some various shards of metal as throwing knives to defend the base. The other careers didn't seem to be with them, however, and he noticed the girls disappear with an abundance of weapons and supplies on their person. This struck him as incredibly odd--was she not part of the careers? Was Varsha, easily the strongest tribute in the games, really not part of any alliance?

Then he saw it. Maybe it was the lighting, but he realized that Kiva was in the cornucopia; just under its shadow. He raced back towards the fray, bringing out the knives he had swiped to defend himself. He disappeared into the cornucopia, although he noticed that Glimmer had seen him. Hopefully she was not an enemy; all Dezna knew was that Varsha seemed allied with her.
"Kiva!" he exclaimed through fast, heavy breaths, "I don't think we can pull a Kyla. Let's get out of here..." he didn't really notice Daisy until a moment later, although he had seen Leon make a break for it earlier. Hopefully the boy made it, unlike that boy from '12 last year who no one remembered.
Glimmer had not stuck around to watch Dezna, and they seemed to be unnoticed for the time being, though she and Valendria were still fighting off other tributes. Shit. this was all real. so real... and surreal. The games had begun.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva immediately became relieved the moment she spotted Dezna. "I was the one looking for you!" She exclaimed as she grabbed what else she could and attempted to dash out of the Cornucopia. Certainly she was no Dezna, but she could move. It especially showed as she managed to dodge several projectiles that continued flying through the air as most tributes tried to escape from the bloodbath. Those who had stuck around, most notably the careers, were determined to get kills just as they always were. Blaze advanced on one of the remaining tributes, the District 7 boy, and took him down with the lone mace that had been present at the Cornucopia. At that point Kiva ran in the opposite direction as fast as she could in order to avoid crossing his path.

Being in what appeared to be post-apocalyptic ruins of sorts, Kiva began to notice plenty of potential areas to take cover. Some buildings were left partially intact, certainly for that exact reason. They also seemed to be positioned in such a way that one had to climb over the piles of rubble just to get to them. That alone would prove a challenge for any tribute trying to kill other tributes. Certainly it provided plenty of opportunity for booby trapping too, but that would come later. They still had to search for Leon and there was going to be no way of knowing exactly who had been killed just yet. That realization brought a frown to Daisy's face as she continued following Kiva. "He could be out there still. It's possible he just ran off." She reassured the District 11 girl as they found themselves only making minimal progress trekking over rubble.

"I suppose you're right, but in the meantime we will need water. This could be tricky as this was the last thing I was expecting." Daisy responded, realizing that much of what she had learned from Saj and in training had been better suited for wilderness survival, for obvious reasons. she could only hope that Kiva and Dezna, being from an urban district, had a better idea as to what they were doing. She found herself easily tripping over the rubble as she walked, but not enough to be seriously harmful, although some of the bits sticking out could certainly be fatal if used correctly. This was no doubt going to turn into a battle of wits very quickly, rather than a battle of strength. Hell, the arena itself almost looked as if it was a weapon.

"I've been paying close attention to these games for years. If there's anything I know it's that the Capitol won't dehydrate us out. There'll be water somewhere. Search for potholes of some sort." Kiva suggested as she examined the environment around her. Naturally, it was much more open than in most games, having only the remains of various buildings and piles of rubble to provide cover. It certainly appeared like more of a war zone than a Hunger Games arena and briefly Kiva even imagined some of the Capitol's armoured vehicles driving up at any time and exchanging volleys of gunfire. In fact, it wouldn't even surprise her if something like that ended up being one of the many surprises in store for the tributes, but it seemed incredibly unlikely. Instead she pictured vermin of some sort. Rats perhaps? If anything, they would serve as a food source.

"Oh look at that!" Kiva announced excitedly as the group continued and eventually stumbled upon a large pothole. As expected, it was filled with water and it certainly appeared clear enough for drinking. There was only the obstacle of not having any sort of container yet to put water in, but that didn't stop the parched girl who began scooping up water with her hands. "Check the backpacks. There might be something in there." She then suggested to the others as she finished up her drink. She had been fortunate enough to snatch up one of the backpacks that had been available and it appeared the others had been as well. Without further hesitation Kiva took hers off her back and began searching through it. And by a complete stroke of luck she pulled out what was unmistakably a container of some sort. Definitely for water.

[Zulera301]

Dezna nodded, and let them get a head start while he surveyed the arena a bit more. He noticed that tiny little girl from District 12 and a dark-skinned boy quickly change their course. It seemed that they had been trying to reach the cornucopia, but knew better than to repeat the mistakes of Kyla's brother, and so instead of making a mad dash for it past Valendria, who dominated the place, they decided to take off into the ruins. He turned away and followed Kiva shortly after, not realizing that shortly after he left, Glimmer and Valendria had also taken off, although in a different direction than the two small tributes, or from Kiva and Dezna. It seemed that a lot of boys died this year early on. Luckily, Dezna was not one of them. Last year the girl from '6 had died in the bloodbath, and the boy later that day. This was a mistake that Dezna wanted to help District 6 prevent repeating.

As they trekked through the ruins, Dezna heard Daisy speak, and suddenly felt happy that he had some potential news for them. "I saw a dark-skinned boy take off southwest with another darker girl. I think it was '12." Districts 11 and 12 were the most known for dark-skinned tributes (although District 10, and occasionally District 5, sometimes fell into this category as well), but since the girl from '5 was glimmer, a very light-skinned individual, and he was pretty sure that the District 10 girl had probably died back there, he was fairly certain by this deductive reasoning that the girl had been from '12. "I think they changed their course to prevent becoming a repeat of Kyla's brother from last year."

"Aye, water would be good." he agreed with Daisy, "frick, this arena though. what's up with this?" It didn't seem terribly dry given the presence of vegetation, but the lack of too many overgrown buildings told him that it was not super humid like last year's was either. "I'd tread carefully." he warned the smaller girl, "if the cornucopia was littered with metal shards, perhaps there are others out there that could be harmful." he was just glad that he had obtained throwing knives. There were benefits to being the strongest tribute in the arena, but there were also benefits to being the fastest. That was where Dezna prided himself just now.

Potholes. yes, that would be a good idea. Hopefully they had more clean water than the ones back home. Those were usually littered with oil and other nasty things that made the water putrid and undrinkable. He didn't think the Capitol would do that to their tributes though. They had weird standards, they did. They wanted 23 children to die, but they didn't want them to die anticlimactic deaths. Essentially, they wanted them all to die a certain way.
This arena though--it was getting to him. Was this District 13? No... it couldn't be. There had been toxic bombs tdropped on it, and apparently it was still smouldering, and was unfit for any kind of habitation. The fact that none of them had keeled over from poison gases erupting from the ground or had their feet and skin eaten away by acidic substances meant that this was just an arena. There would be no Capitol machinery rolling through to raze everything, nor would there be any hovercraft to drop bombs on them.

"Glorious!" he exclaimed when they found one. He didn't wait, and dipped his hands in to drink the water, also splashing a little on his face. After quenching his thirst (Daisy had done the same; surely District 11 was used to these methods back home), he rummaged through his backpack. Unsurprisingly it was one of the better ones since he had beelined for the Cornucopia itself and then headed right back out. There was an unwritten rule that the Capitol always seemed to follow, which assured that the better items were always at the mouth of the cornucopia. His bag had some rope, a pocketknife, a folding shovel, and a water filtration device. the container was much smaller than Kiva's, but there were two of them.
"not bad..." he nodded approvingly, clearly already formulating some kind of plans with these things he was now putting back into his backpack. "so... you want wait it out here, or should we keep moving?" the cannons wouldn't go off till tonight (to keep the bloodbath a little more of a mystery), so they had a while to see if Leon had escaped or not.

[Nachthexe]

Daisy found herself regaining some hope that Leon was still out there as soon as Dezna spoke. It was rare for both District 11 tributes to make it out of the bloodbath, but if the previous year was any indication then the girl knew it was entirely possible. Besides, she had the legendary Sagittaria Svenja as her mentor so perhaps District 11 was stronger this year too. Having the unlikeliest of alliances with District 6, and in this arena to boot, was bound to be advantageous also. Of course the girl wasn't quick to overlook the fact that eventually it would inevitably come to an end. However, none of that mattered in the meantime as she continued holding out hope that Leon was still alive and well.

Dezna seemed to be just as baffled by the arena as Kiva, also taking the time to comment on it. "At first I thought it was a sick joke due to the lack of weaponry, but then when Victoria decapitated that District 9 girl with a sheet of scrap metal I realized it was all a sick joke." There it was again, yet another Kiva attempt at black humour, although this time she was sure it would go over everybody else's heads. It was even difficult for her to comprehend that tributes were actually killing each other with slabs of scrap metal. Of course it had been one of the careers to figure it out first and it had proven deadly. Kiva couldn't decide if it was purely luck or impeccable skill that had managed to guide the piece of metal directly into the girl's neck, nor did she want to find out.

"I have similar supplies in mine--but hey! Matches!" Kiva exclaimed as she examined the rest of the supplies in her backpack. She had been fortunate to pick one up so close to the Cornucopia as it was where all the real goodies were, but she suddenly felt sorry for those who had been forced to flee with very little. They were bound to be vulnerable later and it was clear by now that at least a few tributes, most notably the careers, were on the offensive. Fortunately for both Kiva and Dezna they didn't appear to be on their hit list just yet, although she was less certain about Daisy and Leon. Blaze in particular likely had incentive to target both District 11 tributes, but he seemingly took off once the District 7 boy had been beaten to a pulp. Naturally, Kiva was surprised a District 7 tribute had died so early on, but then again the games were full of surprises.

Once Daisy finished rummaging through her backpack, which also had a set of matches but lacked a water bottle, both she and Kiva turned their attention towards Dezna who was clearly trying to formulate a plan of some sort. "Hell no. We should be trying to get inside one of those old buildings. Down here on the ground I doubt we're safe. It appears to be a bit of a climb just to get up to any of them. If everybody is exhausted from the bloodbath I doubt they'll advance on us." Kiva suggested as she began examining the surroundings around her. It truly was unusual and a complete deviation from the Capitol's usual arenas, but certainly the audiences enjoyed innovation. She was trying to imagine the look on all the Capitol citizens' faces as the interior of the arena was shown on screen for the first time. Just as the tributes had no idea what they were facing, the Capitol had no idea either; there was surprise on both sides, with only the Gamemakers and certainly Snow's inner circle knowing all the exact details. "Also, I suspect there will be cannons soon. It's odd the Capitol has held off for this long as certainly the carnage of the bloodbath has died down by now, but they'll give us some indication of who is still out there." Kiva continued, giving Dezna a cue to lead the way to somewhere to possibly establish shelter.

[Zulera301]

Sagittaria was not the type that would spare any time or expenses to make sure her kids were at least able to escape the cornucopia. She actually cheered loudly when she saw Leon and Hazel take off, even if it was not in the same direction as Daisy and those District 6 kids. She was here to make sure that District 11 obtained a fighting chance in the 'games. So far she felt she was doing pretty good.
Dezna couldn't help but admire that, for he was fairly certain that the boy was still alive, even if he had no way of telling where Leon was. He had considerable respect for Sagittaria and everything the girl had gone through.

"I was surprised at how few weapons there were." he exclaimed, "just a few knives and a couple of heavier weapons that I'm sure the careers snatched up. Valendria was swinging this massive battleaxe when I last saw her." he didn't mention that he had knifed the boy from District 10 on his way towards the cornucopia one of the times. Sure every decent Hunger Games tribute that got far ended up being a murderer, but he didn't feel like talking about death any more than they surely would in this arena. He didn't feel any difference even though he was now a killer, but he didn't expect to either; he had long since been desensitized to it, which would in turn make the Hunger Games easier on his emotional stability. Sure he might have had a few mental bolts loose, but Dezna was a very emotionally stable young man.

"Matches... we gonna become arsonists?" he joked with a chuckle. Dez didn't exactly see any flammable materials around them since only the stony or steely frames of the buildings were mainly intact, but maybe some of them had wood, or maybe there was debris they could use. There was surely a method to the madness, and he was fairly certain that the debris was supposed to be useful in one way or another. He hoped that his (5-inch) pocketknife would do well with whatever he used it for. Fortunately they seemed to be safe from the careers or any other offensively-oriented tributes. He still had no clue what 'side' Varsha was on, but he was almost positive that none of the deaths had been hers. She had probably been responsible for killing about half though.

"well... if we have trouble scaling a building, maybe one of us should find a place up there to secure ourselves, and maybe I can use some of this rope to help the others up." All three of them were rather small and slender teens, but of them, Dezna was still the biggest (it was close between him and Kiva, but in terms of size, Dezna's male body won out in the end just by a little). He was fairly used to climbing, as he and the other mechanics were often the ones who had to climb on top of and on the outside of those massive hovercrafts and the likes to fix this or that when something went awry.
A few moments later, he managed to hoist himself up and then lowered some rope down. He figured Kiva could have handled it by herself, but assumed that Daisy was more used to climbing trees rather than buildings or artificial structures, and the two were very different. "Let's get comfortable." he suggested. "they'll probably let us know how many people died in a few minutes, even if they don't show who till tonight."

[Nachthexe]

Kiva shrugged. "If there's anything I've learned it's that the Capitol always includes everything here for a reason. What those reasons are admittedly might be more tricky to discover for some things." She explained as she realized Dezna had a point. There didn't exactly appear to be much flammable material around, but certainly there was more to this arena than what met the eye. It was no doubt only a matter of time until all the nooks and crannies of this environment were uncovered, but in the meantime both Daisy and Dezna had expressed interest in getting comfortable somewhere. That was no doubt sentiment Kiva also shared, realizing the group had not only a long evening ahead of them, but a long several days.

It was only minutes later when Dezna managed to find a decent resting place. It was raised of the ground so could certainly serve an important strategic advantage if they were attacked, but that wasn't an immediate concern of Kiva's. It was unlikely that much action would occur for the next several hours as tributes established shelter for themselves. There was of course the obvious concerns about food, but they were also only secondary at this point. Kiva managed to recall Zerviah having stating that an average human can survive for several days without food as long as they're well-hydrated. Fortunately there appeared to be at least a few large potholes filled with drinking water in the direct vicinity, as Kiva saw once she successfully scaled up the building after Dezna.

Once up inside the building Kiva glanced down at Daisy who seemed to be struggling. "Do you know how to climb?" She asked, expanding Dezna's rope once again to the girl. She immediately took hold of it and attempted to scale the building, but not without stumbling a few times.

"Not well." Daisy confessed as she finally reached Kiva and Dezna, managing to take a breather. Kiva was admittedly surprised at the girl's answer as District 11 was no doubt filled with orchards that needed harvesting even in the tree tops. Then again, she was the mayor's daughter so there was a good chance she got off easy. Well off as easy as somebody in an impoverished district could anyway. "Leon is the climber. Apparently many of his friends called him a monkey." Daisy continued once she took a seat beside the others in the corner of what was no doubt once a room of some sort. At least that was the illusion the Capitol was trying to create as Kiva knew better than to believe this had once been an actual city.

Moments later the delayed cannons from the earlier bloodbath began blaring. Kiva listened intently and heard eight in total. It was actually a lower death toll than most bloodbaths had, but she knew that this one had been far from conventional due to a lack of any real weaponry. Still, that didn't seem to stop anybody as the sharpened sheets of scrap metal had proven just as deadly. Kiva even felt fortunate to have had only her shoulder scraped by one as it flew over her head. She could feel the blood now crusted around her shoulder blade, but the pain was thankfully only minimal. A very minor injury. "So who's out? I personally witnessed Victoria kill that District 9 girl. I also saw Blaze take down that District 7 boy and honestly he seemed almost as sadistic as his brother Flint had been." Kiva began, realizing that Blaze was in fact a very real danger to nearly everybody. Valendria had managed to score higher, but she didn't appear to have any real interest in going after District 6. Yet.

[Zulera301]

"well, almost everything." he indicated, "I'm sure they have sometimes done things to throw the tributes off." He thought back to the 'feast' that the Capitol claimed to have the year before, but had really just been a ruse to bring the tributes back to the cornucopia and then seal them there to force them to duke it out. "but maybe as far as supplies go, there;s some use to 'em." It wasn't like matches were terribly big or heavy, so even if they did turn out to be completely useless it was not like Kiva would be terribly burdened. Part of him hoped that Leon and Hazel would be able to find them, but another part of him hoped that someone else like Valendria or Blaze or someone got to them so he wouldn't have to watch them die, or worse, have to kill them.

As they got settled into the ruined building, Dezna weighed his options as he sat back down. Kiva seemed to be helping Daisy, although if they needed help, he would gladly help out. That lightning swift zigzagging sprinting of his was not something he could keep up forever. He was a sprinter, not a marathon racer, so he'd exhaust his stamina after a bit if he maintained that speed too long. He was fine for the time being though, and had gotten some water down before keeping a full pair of containers for himself and his friends. He wasn't worried about food. He usually only ate one or two meals a day anyways, and that was usually in the early evening after work. He had eaten a good-sized breakfast this morning, so he was still rather full.

He noticed Daisy's struggle to get up the building and into their little shelter, before using deductive reasoning to explain the girl's lack of ability in this particular department. "well, I imagine that climbing trees and orchards is a bit different than climbing walls or artificial surfaces." he indicated. "back home in '6, my twin sister and I were some of the ones who had to climb up on those big ol' hovercraft whenever anything went wrong." He had no qualms against telling Daisy (or anyone really) about his old life. Everyone had one of some sort, and Dezna was not ashamed of his. He had just been a simple, laid-back mechanic who worked well under pressure. Similarly, he had not actually ever seen an orchard proper, but he knew District 11 had them, and had seen images of them in some Capitol videos.

Dezna glanced around at the ruins of what was probably once a room. On the other hand, there did not seem to be any pattern here, and it didn't' resemble anything he had ever seen before. Knowing the Capitol's habit of wastefulness, they probably built an actual village and then simply bombed and razed it. He had heard, after all, that arenas were often made and planned years in advance. Sagittaria could surely tell stories of what this once was, but even those were all formulated rather than truth. Maybe the District 11 team would get a kick out of it, since the girl could see both Daisy and Leon right now (as well as Hazel, Kiva, & Dezna), since she was simply watching the games this year. Victors were lucky like that.

Shortly after they got comfortable, Dezna heard the sound of eight cannons. It was a slightly lower number than last year, where there had been 10 (although another tribute had died later that day). There was still time for more to die, but from here on out, the cannons would go off as soon as the tribute died. He figured it was only a matter of time before dark, and then the anthem would play and he'd see the faces of who all had died.
"Well..." he glanced at his knife, which still had blood on it, "I knifed a boy from '10," he flipped the knife in his hands, "and I saw Varsha take out at least three other kids by herself, one of which was the boy from '9. So there's one other kid that somehow died, and 4 in total that we don't know."
He paused, also remembering something as a throwing axe had sailed over his head.
"Also, get this... maybe she was talking to someone else, but she turned my way and shouted for me to duck. She had a big ol' axe in her hands, so I didn't even hesitate, so it hit the boy from '9 who had been behind me. Maybe she was just trying to make a joke out of it; maybe she had been talking to someone else? I dunno. I still have no idea what how the hell that kid's mind works."
Sure Valendria was older than Dezna (18), but she, like all the others, were still just kids--innocent children forced into a ruthless mindset of kill-or-be-killed, and so here they were.

"well... I dunno about you two," he shrugged, deciding not to dwell on it, "but I think it's high time for rest time. any opposed?"

[Nachthexe]

Dezna's remarks brought Kiva to a realization. What if the matches were useless and were just thrown in to confuse tributes? It didn't seem incredibly unlikely, given the Gamemakers' history of deceit during the games, but Kiva wasn't ready to accept that just yet. She intended to hold on to them, hoping there would be a use for them. Fortunately they were light and wouldn't create a burden. Besides, there were plenty of parts of the arena that she hadn't even explored yet that potentially had flammable material.

"The smaller kids back home climbed to the top of the trees. Usually the best fruit was up there. Being the daughter of the mayor and all I got off easy and never had to work in the fields much." Daisy responded once Dezna shared a bit of his background. It was nice to learn a bit more about these kids and their District, one she knew so little about. Naturally, only the bits about them being a bunch of junkies managed to spread around, giving them a bit of an infamous reputation around District 11. She didn't know if Kiva and Dezna personally were, but it wasn't something she even dared inquire about. "What a sense of irony for you two, being transported here in vehicles you probably personally constructed. I suppose it's not much different from how most of my district starves while producing most of Panem's food supply." She instead remarked, quickly changing the subject upon realizing various little bits of irony that surrounded Panem and the games.

"I try not to dwell on it much. Dezna knows my views on these sorts of thing." Kiva replied to Daisy, shrugging. Her indifference to the thought of dying was once again showing, although it became clear quickly that Daisy had a very different perspective. She was not indifferent and wanted to get home, but of course for that to happen both Kiva and Dezna would have to die. That was not something that was even acceptable to Kiva at this time. Perhaps if she was mortally wounded she would change her mind pretty quickly, but that was not the case.

"Well good job, you've just become a murderer." Kiva chuckled once the trio tried to determine who was dead. She hadn't personally killed anybody yet and was slightly surprised to learn Dezna had. However, it was survival, just as Rye and Sagittaria had emphasized so much the year before. Of course with Dezna's help Kiva was also able to determine that Leon was almost definitely still alive somewhere. That served as good news for Daisy, provided they could get to him on time. It would also definitely strengthen the alliance and give them a chance against some of the stronger tributes. Even though the careers had scored higher Kiva suspected that none of them could wield as diverse of a range of weapons as she could. Well "weapons" in this case as metal slabs of various sizes were dominant. Sure there was Valendria who appeared to be able to wield almost anything with relative ease as well, but Dezna's observations made Kiva convinced that she was not allied with the careers nor did she put District 6 on her hit list yet. Regardless, she was a deadly tribute that Kiva knew to keep her eye on.

"I don't see why not. We have everything we need here. Well except for food, but that's not crucial just yet." Kiva explained as she leaned back against the wall. She realized just how fortunate the trio was upon examining their little hideout more thoroughly. There appeared to be fairly solid walls on all sides except for where they had climbed in, perhaps this arena's substitute for a cave. If there was something else Kiva had learned from watching the games it was that some kind of enclosed area for establishing shelter was mandatory. Games that lacked that tended to end quickly without any real suspense, something the Capitol did not want.

[Zulera301]

Dezna had no objection whatsoever to Kiva holding onto the matches. He had just thrown that out there, and maybe it had been a foolish thing to say. But, he figured that they shouldn't take everything too seriously, otherwise it would work against them. Part of his secret to success was that he did just that--he was not one to take very many things too seriously, even the idea of death itself. It was the first day, and they had not strayed terribly far from the Cornucopia. He had learned that most arena were several miles from one end to the other, although most of the features and food and excitement were more towards the center. the outer fringes just existed to confuse tributes, or to hit them with the forcefields.

"Ah." he nodded, "I dunno if our mayor has any kids or if they work or not, but they teach us how to build and repair stuff from an early age, and I guess that they have the same mentality. Who better than to climb atop these things than small children? Maybe '6 and '11 have at least one thing in common." he chuckled, kicking off his shoes.
Unfortunately, Sagittaria did help sort of spread the reputation that District 6 was full of druggies, since her first real meeting with Dezna and Kiva (and Arza) had been when they were all three rather blitzed and red-eyed, and even the peacekeepers were like that. Rumors from outside the District said that Peacekeepers were harsh there, although this was a joke more than anything. Yes, any Peacekeeper that transferred from District 6 was generally rather brutal, because they became very irate and short-tempered after suffering withdrawals from the drugs and substances of '6. Inside the district itself, pretty much no one cared.
"Well, in retrospect, Panem itself is something of an irony," he quipped with a chuckle at Daisy's other remark. "Even the Capitol. Here they are trying to kill us, but they go to such great measured to prevent you from dying before that. Up until a few hours ago, they were doing everything in their power to take care of us. It's kinda funny, really."

He also nodded in agreement about Kiva's remark, his eyes briefly wandering down the side of her body (even though she was clothed). "It's obviously nothing personal. I'm pretty sure that, if given the choice, Saj wouldn'ta shot Rye the year before." Maybe it was an insensitive thing to say, but he was rather insensitive about death altogether. He did actually hold considerable respect for the boy; it took some serious skill to weild maces and heavy weapons; it took decent smarts to become a leader of an alliance (a position he felt was subtly getting delegated to him this year), and it took a true selfless hero to simply get down and let your lover shoot you to end the games. He held a similar respect for Sagittaria for similar reasons, and he honestly believed that if the coin had landed in Rye's favor, that Saj would have done the same thing. But... death was death. There was no avoiding it. 'Death happens', as they say, 'and every year around this time... death happens more.' there was hardly any secret as to why that was.

"I guess that's the price to pay, eh?" he elbowed Kiva playfully. Hopefully they weren't making Daisy feel too sad or awkward. He did kind of hope that she or Leon could win if he or Kiva died. "but don't worry. I'm not about to resort to cannibalism like Titus." Everyone in '6 knew his story--he had started eating those he killed, but his cannibalistic reign was short-lived, as he was "accidentally" killed in an avalanche. Dezna knew full well that that was no accident,. but at the same time, he probably would have done the same thing if he was a Gamemaker. He saw no reason to defile the corpses once they were already dead.
They had not really run in a terribly complex course after fleeing the cornucopia, so maybe Leon and Hazel would find them if they had at least seen which direction Dezna had run off in. He knew the dangers of garnering alliances that were too large, but at the same time, he did want a sizable force at this point in the games, so that maybe they could off the careers or something. Then again, last year, even with how strong they were, it managed to be done by 3 tributes from the poorest districts in Panem: The Hero, the Killer, and the Victor.

He was not too worried about them, or about the tributes from '3, '5, and '8, who were likely faring quite well for similar reasons that District 6 would this year: Those were the most urban districts of Panem, and so they, like '6, were well at home here. Even '12 and to a certain extent, '11, might also be accustomed to a clump of tightly-packed, rundown houses and buildings. Then there was Valendria. She really did throw a wrench into the system, and suddenly her interview words made perfect sense. How long would it be till they did reach her hitlist? He didn't want to know.

"Well then. let's kick back." he stretched his bare feet, "maybe take a peek outside when we hear the anthem play just so we know who's still alive. The bloodbath probably disposed of all the fodder like it usually does, although there might still be a few stragglers. Till then..." he stretched, leaning back against one of the rather sturdy standing walls, and putting his arms behind his head after rolling up his coat sleeves to his elbows. This was quite a departure from the wonderful (and rather lustful) evening they had had the night before, but it was rather cool and refreshing out here, and he and Kiva were still together. That at least, was good.

[Nachthexe]

Daisy chuckled. "Building? Nobody back home has been quick to forget Saj's experience with that, but I'm sure you two could easily outdo her." District 6. It was no mystery to anybody that much of their industry revolved about construction. Daisy guessed that both Kiva and Dezna had been building things from a young age and in an arena like this it seemed like it had potential to be useful. Only time would tell though, unless there was a bunch more irony there too. Dezna seemed to have an uncanny ability to pick it all up. "Killing us for something we had no involvement in..." She uttered as she leaned her head back. She figured that if she was to relax now would be the time to do it while she was out of danger.

Titus. He was a rather infamous figure around District 6 and occasionally even became the subject of jokes. Kiva knew that if she somehow miraculously made it home that humour regarding the games would feel much different though. Just from hearing the accounts of Zerviah and the other victors she knew that living the games and watching them were two very different things. Already she began to see that with how casually tributes had begun killing each other at the bloodbath. Perhaps everybody even had inner savagery and Titus just happened to express his in such a way the Capitol disapproved of. She hated the idea of turning to savagery herself, but there was murder. Same thing. Almost.

Kiva also found herself attempting to get comfortable as the sun began to set, or at least what she perceived to be the sun as it was no doubt yet another artificial creation of the Gamemakers. Dezna seemed to have the right idea by removing his shoes so she quickly followed. Despite the presence of Daisy she also shuffled closer to Dezna and snuggled up. It was nothing like the intimate moments they had shared the night before, but it was the best they could do in their current circumstances. It proved surprisingly soothing anyway. "So who will make it far? My money's on Valendria for sure. There's also that District 3 pair. They're always known for their brilliance and I heard District 3 is much like ours in many ways." Kiva explained, attempting to start conversation with the boy she knew could be disposable at any time. It was the very nature of the Hunger Games; loss was always inevitable and it was something that was managing to keep Kiva alert for the time being.

Kiva wasn't sure how much time had passed once nightfall arrived. Concept of time tended to be confusing in the arena as the Gamemakers, like everything else, had control over the day and night cycles. The previous year alone had very well proven that with the prolonged night that only ended before the final showdown. There was no way of knowing if a similar thing would occur this year, but Kiva didn't put it past them. The Gamemakers were tough hosts and it was only once again confirmed as the very familiar anthem of Panem began blaring through the arena. Naturally, it was followed by the faces of all the dead tributes and much to Daisy's relief Leon wasn't among them. "Well we know Leon is definitely out there. The careers too. I gotta say I feel sorry for Districts 9 and 10 though. How many years have they lost both tributes in the bloodbath?" Kiva commented as the show in the sky wrapped up, leaving nothing but an unusually dark night that Kiva also suspected was artificial.

[Zulera301]

Dezna chuckled. "I remember her crossbow... Mirabelle, was it? I managed to build something like that in the training center if you saw it." he wasn't sure if Daisy had, but even on the last day, Dezna noticed his mechanical crossbow was still there. He was not trying to one-up Sagittaria; he just enjoyed building and repairing things. Being a mechanic had been his lot in life, so he figured he might as well enjoy it. "There's some more irony for ya." Dezna chuckled, putting his gloved hands together as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "Toldja Panem was just one big damn irony." he didn't need to see the girls around him to know they were there, and his ears could still hear anything they said, so he was still totally participating in the conversation.

Dezna had watched and known many ruthless and/or violent tributed, but none of them had resorted to the barbaric act of cannibalism since Titus. It seemed that the Capitol's ruse of the avalanche being an "accident" had not exactly been accepted as such, but the Capitol didn't care, because no one had tried such a thing since then. Sure there were bloodthirsty tributes like Flint, Blaze, Alexis, or Victoria, who were more than willing to rip apart or brutally murder anyone who stood in their bath. Similarly, there were the cunning and deadly-effective tributes like Valendria or Kyla who were downright ruthless, and performed with deadly efficiency. He thought about that for a while, musing about these various tributes.

Despite being in an urban environment and having come from one, Dezna found that District 11 and District 12 seemed to be on to something with the whole going barefoot thing. Or maybe he just didn't like shoes. He didn't mind Kiva snuggling up to him of course, and instead just whispered. "there's those cute little feet I didn't see last night. Why was that?" playfully referencing the fact that she had left her colorful shoes on while they both had been otherwise completely in the buff. He hadn't minded of course; he just figured a little small-talk wouldn't hurt while they passed the time.
At her question, he chuckled. "Varsha's got it," he liked the girl's nickname(?) better. "My money's on her making it to the final 3 at least... although I don't have any money." he chuckled. "'3 will probably do well. So will '5 and '8. '6 is gonna kick all their asses though." he winked. Then he suddenly got a funny idea, and so he had to share it.
"Hey... who do you think would have won a fight? Varsha or Kyla?"

He paid attention again when he heard the anthem, and checked the sky as the images of fallen tributes appeared in the sky. It opened up with Grant from District 4.
"There's a surprise." he quipped, honestly surprised that a boy who had scored a 9 had died so early. Maybe those urban districts really did have a really big edge. On the other hand, Valendria was also from District 4 and she was doing just fine. Then again, Dezna figured that the Capitol could place her in the toxic wastelands of District 13 and she'd still get out alive and somehow score about 300 kills.
Others included both tributes from Districts 9 and 10, which no longer surprised Dezna, but also both from '7. He guessed it made sense. He knew that District 7 was lumber, which probably meant they were surrounded by trees. Well... he hadn't seen a single twig this whole time (admittedly they had not explored much), and so they were clearly out of their element. The last tribute was the boy from '12, which caused Dezna to smile at Daisy. "Leon's still out there... probably with Hazel." it made his hunch about the two small, dark-skinned tributes hold much more water, and he hoped that maybe they could find them. At Kiva's remark, Dezna shook his head. "those mentors must be doing something wrong. Poor bastards." There was a small part of him that did feel sorry for them, but his sympathy was limited simply because he didn't have time to feel pity because he was in a place where it was kill or be killed.
"I wonder if we'll get a moon or something," Dezna commented after a while. "I don't think the Capitol can show very much if it's pitch dark and all the tributes are just groping their way aro--..." he fell silent. From the distance, he could ear the sound of someone coming. It was the sound of feet on gravel, although they were very light steps. Glimmer? That girl had been light on her feet. But wasn't she with Valendria? The ground wasn't shaking, and things weren't exploding, so it might not have been her. A mutt or an animal? possibly. A tribute? he certainly hoped not.
He crawled over to the opening of their building, his knives in his hands, squinting and trying to see who--or what--was out there.

[Nachthexe]

Upon Dezna's confession of having built the crossbow that sat in the training centre Daisy found it difficult to be surprised. It was solid construction so she could only guess that somebody from one of the districts that did a lot of that would have built it. "So that was you? I can't say I'm awfully surprised." She chuckled. "Sorry Sagittaria. If you're listening to this, he's better." It was nearly impossible to know exactly what the mentors were doing right about now as it was even impossible to determine what time it currently was in the Capitol. Daisy began to suspect that the Gamemakers altered the day/night cycles intentionally in order to disorient tributes to everything happening elsewhere.

It wasn't long before Kiva noticed Dezna staring at her feet. It made sense really since he saw so little of them the night before. Perhaps she was able to make up for that now, leading to the boy finally seeing every last inch of her body. "I wanted to give you something pretty to look at. Those shoes were gorgeous, were they not?" She chuckled, then stroking her hand through Dezna's hair. Admittedly, her lust for the boy was still strong, but she soon realized that truly fulfilling it was impossible in their circumstances. It was possible that at any time they could be pursued by other tributes. Besides, Daisy was in close proximity and somehow Kiva suspected that the girl wouldn't care so much for them making love. Instead she just continued stroking Dezna's hair and chuckled as he brought up the Valendria and Kyla death match. "At this point I think they would take each other out. Maybe Valendria would win, 'cus she's taller."

What were the District 9 and 10 mentors doing wrong? It was an interesting question and Kiva really only managed to think up one possible scenario. "It's common for victors to turn to drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism. Maybe they're being mentored by drunks?" She shrugged, trying to recall the last time either of those districts had produced a victor. Clearly it was awhile ago as their streaks of doing so poorly had gone on for years. There was, of course, at least a couple years where both had managed to shine and even make it to near the end, but obviously somebody else always triumphed.

Small talk between the trio continued until Dezna suddenly went silent. Kiva could only assume it meant one thing: somebody--or something, was nearby. "Shit, why now?" Kiva whispered, trying to listen off into the distance. Sure enough she heard it too. There was definitely something out there. Keeping alert and prepared, Kiva slipped her shoes back on and then rummaged through her backpack slowly and pulled out a few of the shards of metal from earlier. Fortunately they were small enough to be used as knives of sorts, almost ingenious improvisation in an environment that had a lack of resources. Daisy appeared to have a much larger slab of metal, which she also attempted to put to use if necessary. "Who volunteers to go first?" Kiva asked, playfully gently shoving Dezna in front of her. She was confident that whatever was out there was about to be perhaps the first victim of Kiva bloodshed.

[Zulera301]

Dezna's passion was for building, and while his work and the work of others shoes in the quality of he transportation devices that came out of District 6, the things that Dezna built that littered his house were objects of rather fine craftsmanship, despite the disorder the house and rooms may have contained. He had definitely been a promising candidate who had progressed far in his field. he couldn't help but chuckle. "Well... given that the bow broke..." he paused. No sooner had Daisy said that than a parachute appeared at the entrance. On it was a number 11, as Dezna figured out.
True to his reactions the previous time, Dezna closed his eyes and purred softly when Kiva began running her fingers through his hair, which was still nice and soft. It was one of his weak points. Show him something shiny to gaze at, and use one hand to scratch his head, and you could knife him in the gut with your free hand without any resistance. Not that he ever thought Kiva would do that willingly though.
"It's for you, I guess." he shrugged. "looks like a sponsor gift?" It was a bit early for those, he thought, but he had also heard that things were cheaper the earlier in the games they came. What he hadn't realized was that this had been something that Sagittaria had purchased out of her own pocket. Still... as Daisy opened it, there was a note that came with a small empty bottle. Kiva's was still much bigger though, for even with her vast wealth amassed from winning the games, Saj still had nothing on anyone from the Capitol. Still... sponsor gifts, even some thing as simple as food or common items, could be used for mentors to communicate with their tributes. Clearly Saj wanted in on that. The note, however, made Daisy laugh.
"So he can beat Mirabelle, but y'all've got nothin' on Prim."
~S~
"Prim?" Dezna tilted his head, assuming this was a District 11 joke.
"She's been building and refining it for years," Daisy explained, for many citizens knew of Sagittaria's famous crossbow, dubbed "Prim". "That was her original crossbow."
"Ah..." Dezna nodded. "well maybe I'll have to have a building contest with her during my tour if I win." he chuckled wishfully before going silent again, simply out of enjoying the silence.

Dezna would not deny that Kiva had cute feet (not from any sort of fetish or anything; he thought most of her physical features were cute) he chuckled. "yes. yes they were." he agreed, "I thought you looked great in them." he lowered his voice to keep Daisy from hearing what he added next. "and *only* them." he gave her a wink.
He relaxed though, willing his toes and leaning slightly towards Kiva to relax and to give her better access to his soft, bushy mane of hair. he chuckled at Kyla's prediction of the outcome. "Well... I think everyone was taller than her... but you're probably right. Either that or they'd team up and go on a rampage and force the gamemakers to allow two victors or something." he chuckled, although the thought stuck with him. Two victors. He knew it was just wishful thinking, even if they were from the same district, because Rye and Sagittaria had talked about it last time. Still, he had accepted that one of them would die, but he was still fixated on the idea that District 6 would bring one home this year. He wouldn't say that out loud, as he didn't want to alienate Daisy--not this early in the games anyhoo.

"Maybe... I'm almost jealous of 'em if they are. A drink or a shot of '21 sounds pretty good right now." he joked, "or maybe they've just established a reputation as being easy targets, and so everyone gangs up on them in the opening minutes anyways so they don't get a chance. I'm kind of guilty of thinking like that." he had not actually targetted that District 10 boy though; he had just happened to cross paths with him during his mad dash to the Cornucopia and had to do away with him lest he get killed instead. Still, even ruthless killers like Kyla did not really follow that trend; she simply killed whenever she found someone that she viewed as hostile, which was everoyne but District 11. Dezna was fairly certain that if she had been alive and well after the Alexis and the careers were dead, she would have then viewed Rye and Sagittaria as hostile and attacked them. He could see that girl turning just like that, although unlike the careers, Kyla seemed to have a more "it's-just-business" mentality behind her lethality and ruthlessness.

They prepared their weapons or metal shards (Dezna had some too, even if he chose the knives over them), and Dezna felt herself get pushed forward. "Fine. if I die, you better win..." he joked, and leaned in again. "and then strut around in just those shoes... in memory of Dezna the great." he joked.
He was actually quiet, trying to stay hidden while deducting the enemy position. However, his foot kicked a loose rock down, and it made a sound. Cautiously, whoever was approaching them froze. After a moment, he heard a 4-note tune being whistled softly. it didn't mean anything to him, but Daisy's eyes lit up.
"It's Leon!" she exclaimed, and instead of calling out to him or anything else obvious like that, she whistled it back.

Sure enough, in the dim light of the sky (or arena sky anyhoo), two small tributes were illuminated--a boy with an 11 and a girl with a 12--Leon and Hazel had found them, and seemed to have at least escaped the bloodbath with a thing or two (or a metal shard or two), even if they had not been as lucky as the District 6 tributes in what they had nabbed.
"Hey..." Leon said a little shyly and humbly, "any room up there for two more?" Hazel remained silent, evaluating the wall as if planning her next course of action, but since Leon was a climber, it was unlikely they'd have to help these two tributes up, should they allow them in. Dezna turned to Kiva as if to ask her, although he assumed the answer would be affirmative.

[Nachthexe]

Sagittaria's original crossbow? So the girl was quite a builder, just another thing Kiva hadn't realized about the District 11 mentor she had only managed to meet briefly. It certainly made her intrigued to truly see who was the superior builder, but it was impossible. Panem's twelve districts really only ever got to interact during the games. Still, Dezna's comment managed to produce a chuckle even thought it meant that Kiva would have to die. That alone kept her from thinking too much now about life beyond the games. That was something she realized she'd have to figure out once she was out of the arena and safe.

Two victors? Yet another thing that was idealistic and would never happen. As much as Kiva wanted to be able to walk out of the arena with Dezna it was impossible, and the boy's comment further reminded her of that. Sure his intentions had been innocent, but for the first time she found herself actually getting slightly distressed at the thought of death, even if just for the fact it meant she and Dezna had to be separated. She suspected that a hit or two, or even some alcohol would made such feelings fade away, but she knew she was so distant from District 6 where such things were so readily available. She thought she even noticed herself trembling slightly as she tried to stare down at her hands, despite the pitch black sky. Withdrawal perhaps? It was entirely possible, but it felt odd to her that it hadn't begun taking effect until now. Certainly emotional turmoil was playing a factor, making the girl realize that such things had been a crutch of sorts. It suddenly made her understand why Dezna was so into it; it was probably a coping mechanism for the boy who had lost family.

Fortunately for Kiva, most of her thoughts of distress were quickly overshadowed as the trio got up to examine the noises coming from outside their shelter. It sounded like footsteps, creating suspicions that it was another tribute. She could only hope it wasn't somebody hostile, but as a precaution she held firmly onto the shards of metal that were small and sharp enough to serve as knives. "Don't worry, I will win and you will be remembered as the boy who got killed before he even suspected it." She chuckled as Dezna went ahead of her. He became cautious quite quickly, and understandably so, but that died quickly upon realization of who it was. Leon and Hazel. They seemed to had found their way to them, which managed to bring some relief to Kiva since it meant they wouldn't have to go searching for the boy.

"Of course. The more, the merrier." Kiva replied to Leon, letting out a smile. Naturally, her answer was only partially true as eventually all alliances in the Hunger Games were doomed to end. This was something she attempted to forget for the time being though as the boy and his friend, Hazel, attempted to climb up into the shelter. Both managed to get up with relative ease, once again reminding Kiva of the resilience of Panem's poorest districts. They knew what to do in order to survive, and that included climbing. There were rumours, after all, that District 12's fence was rarely even electrified, enabling people to illegally climb over it and hunt. That was something that would never fly in District 6 where the fences were always electrified. The Ghoul ensured it. Despite everything else, perhaps the only thing that didn't have him cracking down even harder on the district wide drug epidemic was the fact that even many of the Peacekeepers were addicts themselves.

"Well let's see. There's five of us now. That officially makes us a larger group than the careers." Kiva announced once both the new arrivals were firmly settled in. She hadn't initially realized it, but with that sort of manpower it was entirely possible to go on the offensive. At least against some of the tributes. The stronger ones like Blaze and Valendria were still likely very much out of the question. However, in the meantime she intended to just enjoy their time together and save any serious strategizing for the morning. It turned out to be an excellent choice too as Hazel almost immediately leaned against the wall, exhausted.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was admittedly curious about this original crossbow as well, and if he won he wanted to make sure that he saw this. He appreciated fine craftsmanship, and to prevent being a hypocrite, he too ensured that anything he built was equally fine. As shown by the resilient crossbow that still graced the training area back at the Capitol, he had proven to be a rather skilled craftsman. He wondered if they were going to destroy it, or if they had marvelled at the boy's craftsmanship enough to keep it for tributes to play with or whatnot. Well... if he died, hopefully Sagittaria would put him and his crossbow into her stories. Maybe it was just his perception, but anyone who made it into Saj's storybooks would never be forgotten.

Dezna noticed that Kiva was trembling, and he put an arm around her, giving her a comforting little squeeze as well as he could from their position and such. He now began to understand how Bolt and Techa, those kids from District 3 last year, felt. They had appeared to be very close friends, even if they weren't lovers like Rye and Sagittaria, or even worse, siblings, the way the tributes from District 12 had been. Onj the other hand, Techa had been there during Bolt's death, and Saj had had to personally shoot Rye, while Kyla never saw her brother fall up close. Man, right about now he could do with a bit of '21 to help him relax. He wondered if that stuff was allowed to be sponsored... or if Zerviah could send some "soup" spiked with it or something. What he'd give for another shot of something before he died. Arza would have to take his shots for him... she probably would if he died, actually. That'd be a whole lot more coping as she became the last Meraxa still drawing breath. He decided not to think about it. Tributes that worried about dying this early in the games were called fodder. They were all dead right now anyways.

Dezna had been lucky to get his hands on some actual throwing knives but he kept some metal shards handy, because if this darkness persisted (it seemed to get dark unnaturally quick), he'd keep the shards, because for one thing, they were everywhere, and secondly, his black throwing knives would not exactly be visible in the darkness--which was fine if he was knifing another tribute or a mutt or something, but if he missed, that was probably the last he'd ever see of it unless it went through his foot or something. He chuckled at Kiva's remark. "you make me sound like I'm from District 10 or something." he joked, actually making light of the kill he had scored earlier that day, no less. The boy hadn't seen it coming.

On day 1 of the games, Dezna had no qualms with making alliances. He was sure that the Gamemakers would let the tributes do their own things for a while. If there wasn't any action in the next few days, then they'd trigger something, but for the most part they liked to let the tributes duke it out with each other. It was true what they said about Districts 11 and 12. While they were easily the most impoverished districts, their tributes were not weak. They were stubborn and resilient; masters of survival. Even coming from rather rural districts, Dezna felt that they would do pretty well now that they had escaped the bloodbath.

"are you suggesting an offensive maneuver?" he leaned back next to Kiva as he spoke, clearly indicating that he was going nowhere tonight unless he was forced to by enemy tributes or by the Gamemakers, neither of which seemed likely on the first night, "or should we wait till someone kills Valendria first?" Maybe he was just being a little pessimistic, but he felt that that girl was enough to take them all on and possibly win--but that was only if she was hostile. What if she was willing to ally herself with them? well, if their alliance was that big, it would actually get bad. Dezna didn't want it bigger than 5 tributes, because that would inevitably mean making friends with new people only to kill them within a few days. There were still 11 other tributes right now that were not in this little group, and so Dezna was okay with it.

Leon joined the trend of kicking off his shoes and then sat next to Daisy as things quieted down. He had only managed to grab a few pieces of metal, a small bag of food, and a slingshot. Hazel had a bag of something, but she was already curled up in the corner like a dog, her eyes closed, and her feet bare.
Dezna stretched as he relaxed. So this was the Hunger Games, eh? He could manage this. He was not as miserable as he thought he would be, at least. That was one positive point.

[Nachthexe]

It wasn't long before the new arrivals became comfortable. Perhaps too comfortable? Hazel had been pretty quick to doze off, no doubt showing exhaustion from the journey she had taken with Leon. Kiva wasn't sure where exactly they had journeyed from, but she was sure to inquire about whether the two had come across anything of interest. "I might as well ask as it may help later on. Did you come across anything we should know about?" As Dezna continued wrapping his arm around her she shuffled in closer towards him and began to think about all the various secrets this arena could hold.

"The first few hours it was much like this: rubble and ruined buildings with the occasional water filled pothole. It wasn't until after dark that things got interesting. A foul stench began filling the air, not far from here actually. Of course I couldn't catch what it was as it was already quite dark." Leon shrugged, leaning his head against a passed out Hazel. Naturally, Leon's words were cause for concern for Kiva. A foul stench? It was unlikely that such a thing was caused by a tribute so it was no doubt a Gamemaker created dynamic of some sort. It didn't seem to be of any particular danger yet either by the way Leon described it so Kiva vowed to stay away if possible. Not acting on curiosity was definitely the safest option in a death arena.

Was Kiva suggesting going on the offensive? She realized she wasn't even sure herself, although Dezna seemed intrigued. Regardless though it wasn't happening that night as everybody was comfortable and settled down for the night. It actually seemed like a surprisingly calm night, despite the fact they were inside a death arena. "Oh no, we are not moving from this spot tonight. We do have strength though, strength from numbers." Kiva chuckled, hoping that perhaps the others had some ideas to throw in. None of them seemed to have anything to add though so instead Kiva leaned back and closed her eyes. She had wanted to stare up at the night sky, no matter how artificial it was, as a reminder of home but didn't want to put herself at risk and exposed. There was truly no way of knowing where the other tributes were and she didn't want to find out the hard way.

Kiva found herself awaking feeling fully rested as if she had had a full night's sleep, leaving her in confusion as the sky above was still very much filled with darkness. Had she only been asleep a couple hours? How much time had passed? Various questions ran through her mind before she suddenly began fearing for the worst. Eternal darkness. Perhaps the Gamemakers hadn't produced a sunrise at all? It wasn't something she was about to put past them, but it seemed odd this early into the games. worrying slightly, she began to shake Dezna awake. "We may...have a problem." She uttered just as the others began stirring.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was admittedly curious about Hazel. Once again, District 12 had been misfortunate enough to pull a younger child into the arena, this one 13. The boy had been a bit older, although the two hardly knew each other, and had not even had the same attempts at coordination that Kyla and her unremarkable brother had had. What Dezna wondered more than anything was whether or not the girl could even speak at all. She seemed to say things during her interview just fine--Caesar hadn't had to lean in real close or speak slowly and clearly for her the way he had had to last year for Kyla's hearing impairment.

This year seemed to be full of secrets, both from an insider and outsider's perspective. Some of them were to be expected, like the tributes from District 5. '5 always seemed to be mysterious, but then again, he had heard sim ilar things about District 6, especially with them all being mind-addled junkies and stuff. He was sure most of the rumors were true, but '6 tended to march to its own beat, and Dezna and Kiva were a bit on the pleasantly wacky side themselves anyways. Of course, there was also Hazel this year, who Dezna hadn't properly heard a peep out of. She was out like a light, curled in her little feral-dog position; and of course, Valendria, who Dezna still had no clue about.

But according to Leon, there was also more to this arena than met the eye--more mysteries waiting for them. "A foul stench?" he tilted his head. "Any idea what it smelled like?" Then again, if it was oil or gas or some sort of similar urban smog, the boy might not be able to identify it the way kids from '6 would be able to (perhaps almost exclusively so). There were a few toxic compuunds, but most of the weird smells were just shitty smells rather than deadly gases. Of course, there were no rules in the arena for what the Gamemakers could do, and things could very well be toxic. But, if Dezna knew anything about people dying from fumes, is was that it was very anticlimactic, with many of them just passing in their sleep, or falling unconscious. The Capitol would have to be stupid if they thought that the secret application of poison gas would make a show.

"Any news on District 4?" he asked Leon, wondering if he had seen anything.
"I saw her and the District 5 girl go off together. Apparently the tall girl pissed off Blaze because she wouldn't take his orders, so she and the girl from '5 took off together. So they're not with the careers."
Glimmer. Valendria and Glimmer were an alliance. a 9 and a 12... that would be a tough duo to crack apart. He decided not to think about it, and hoped that the two girls from '4 and '5 would stay far clear of their current little hideout.

His mind went back to offenses when Kiva spoke, and he chuckled. "good. because the only things that'll get me to move now are a surprise attack from a tribute, or a surprise attack from the gamemakers." he joked. If the Gamemakers took that as a challenge, they'd see another reason that he was called Dezna Lightning. "Strength in numbers... '6, '6, '11, '11, and '12.... not a bad little setup at all." The interesting coincidence was not lost on Dezna, that last year a powerful game-winning alliance had existed between both tributes from District 11 and the girl from District 12. This year had repeated the first half of that pattern, but had also obviously added District 6 into the mix. Still, it seemed things were quieting down. Daisy was asleep as well, and Dezna found himself dozing off, figuring that Kiva and Leon would do the same.

The first thing Kive would notice in the "morning" apart from it still being dark was that Hazel was gone. However, a head poked down from the opening in the wall, and Hazel dropped down and swung back inside.
"There's a moon," she said softly, "but it's otherwise dark as a mine out there." District 12 children weren't required to work in the mines till they were 18 for "safety concerns" (most likely to preserve its Hunger Games tribute pool), but many of them did to meet various quotas. The peacekeepers here tended to look the other way about it, which, while morally questionable due to the hazards of letting small children work in the tunnels, also was a boon to them to prevent the Capitol from sending in more militant forces to ensure quotas or whatnot. Hazel had worked in the minds before, and so her eyes were actually very well-accustomed to the darkness.

Dezna and Leon woke up a few moments later.
"Still dark?" Leon tilted his head curiously, before pulling out a strange pair of night-vision glasses. They were common in District 11, which would sometimes work late into the evenings (especially around harvest time) and so the workers would need night vision to locate the produce they were trying to pick.
"Aw, shit..." Dezna shook his head. "this is like the time when t=like all but 3 of the lights in the hangar burned out during a repair."
he paused, and turned to Kiva. "Any suggestions?" he asked her, "or should I take the lead." He kind of hoped that someone would sponsor them some of those cool glasses that Leon had.

[Nachthexe]

"I'm not so sure. I didn't really want to stick around long enough to find out." Leon responded to Dezna, shrugging. Clearly the boy was concerned and it was likely he had greater knowledge of various oils and gasses that would linger in a city, but Leon knew he had little to go off of. However, the smell alone had been a warning to stay away and that was what he intended to do. He certainly didn't want to die the first night of the games, especially not after his district had done so well the previous year. Rye swinging that mace? Truly a sight to behold.

As the next "morning" arrived(or at least what was perceived to be morning) Dezna and all the others seemed just as baffled as Kiva. It was still dark, but why? Certainly the Gamemakers were not pulling the "eternal night" thing again? She certainly hoped it was not the case, but considering the environment they were in it seemed oddly fitting. At least this time they took the liberty of providing moonlight, something that had been lacking the night before. "I think I know what's going on here, but on the bright side at least we have moonlight. Hah, bright side. Pardon the pun." Kiva chuckled as she managed to peer outside and see a bit of a distance in front of her. There was, of course, a lack of streetlights like those back in District 6 that lined the streets at night. They gave off much more light than the moon alone did, but the Capitol wanted a show and certainly a lack of visibility would provide for one. Plenty of opportunity for stealth kills as well, a technique she found herself realizing that one of the districts still out there usually excelled at: District 3. Somehow Kiva suspected that they had potential to be an even larger threat this year than even the careers, who tended to favour direct "in your face" methods of attack.

"Yes, still dark." Kiva turned her attention towards Leon who seemed to be toying around with some sort of glasses. She had some idea as to what they were, but hadn't even realized they had been supplied in the arena. It suddenly made her original suspicions seem more plausible though. They were night-vision glasses and the arena was engulfed in eternal darkness. "I need to find myself a pair of those." She commented to the boy as she yanked the glasses from him, examining them briefly before handing them back. Now she knew they were definitely night-vision glasses, having worn them around District 6 while blitzed. They seemed to produce rather interesting effects in one's mind while they were intoxicated, but Kiva quickly realized she had never actually worn a pair while sober.

"I got them at the Cornucopia. I didn't see too many pairs there, but I'd imagine most of them got snatched up by now. I knew what they were since we work late into the night sometimes back home, but others might have snatched them up without realizing." Leon remarked, shrugging as he slipped the glasses back on. Having those were bound to give the boy quite an advantage over the remainder of the group so instead of Dezna leading Kiva was contemplating having Leon take over temporarily. Besides, he had seemingly done quite a bit of exploring of the arena already so certainly even knew where to find a food source. Whatever little amount of food the newcomers had managed to snatch up was bound to only last a couple days at most between the five of them.

"I feel like we're sitting ducks here, as much as I liked this spot. We need an action plan." Kiva found herself breaking the silence that eventually flooded over the little shelter. Almost immediately the others glanced at her as if to listen intently if anybody shared anything valuable. It was obvious the girl was making this into a group effort, but she did now consider them all a team, after all. She realized that despite there only being one victor in the games it did often take a team effort for the lone victor to propel to the top. Of course that meant changing alliances as numbers continued dwindling, but that was a problem so far in the future yet that Kiva didn't even think about it much.

[Zulera301]

"I don't blame ya." Dezna shrugged. "I wouldn't have stuck around either. He suddenly turned his voice really high. "I love nasty smells!" he returned his tone to normal, "...said no one ever." He didn't want to die on the first night of the games like the boy from District 6 did last year... and he was glad he hadn't died in the bloodbath like the girl last year had. He wanted to be like Sagittaria--kick ass and win. If not, he wanted to be like Rye--kick ass, die heroically, and be remembered as the good person that he was. If nothing else, this darkness would turn him into Kyla, and he'd be this ruthless asskicker who struck like lightning and killed before anyone realized what had hit them.

Dezna laughed, elbowing Kyla before giving her arm a squeeze. He liked squeezing her, because even in the arena, he was still attracted to her (even if he was restraining much more than he had the night before), and still thought she was really cute. "that was really terrible." he referenced her pun, but he had still laughed, so it had been funny. Still, he surveyed the surrounding arena, scaling the outside of the building a little similar to how Hazel did, but did not really see anything other than what the soft moonlight illuminated. He turned to Kiva, the moonlight almost illuminating his eyes to make the glow, like a cat's. This was probably just a trick of the Capitol's moon though, as there was nothing wrong with Dezna's eyes. The glowy effect was kind of cool though. (Formula 16, perhaps?)
His concerns now were District 3 and District 5. He wondered what Albert had learned about them in the training center? He was still alive, after all. Glimmer would be dangerous too. Even without being flanked by Valendria, the one tribute who was probably in near full control of everyone's odds right now, Glimmer had gotten a 9, which was quite good (and a step above his and Kiva's 8s). He found himself more worried about 3, 5, Valendria, and 8, rather than the careers--a strange irony, perhaps.

"oooh. those night-vision glasses? Those things are so cool when you're blitzed." Dezna commented, "Kiva, I forget. Did you ever spike a glass of whiskey with Formula 16 and then take a shot of Morphling before wearing them? Talk about a permanent addiction to Shiny..."
Even though he was calm and collected (and sober for the first time in a while), Dezna remembered his old habits, and if he made it home, he was going to celebrate by picking them right back up. He wondered if Kiva felt the same way or not. They had, after all, always enjoyed 'testing' new things together, (usually with Arza as well).

When Leon mentioned that most of them had been snatched up, Hazel almost blindly reached into her bag but expertly procured a pair. Seems both of them had gotten lucky with them. On the other hand, Dezna and Kiva had water bottles that were full (and Daisy had that little bottle that Sagittaria had sponsored her), so he still felt that he and Kiva had the better end of the deal.
"Food for water?" Hazel turned to the others, eyeing their bottles intently, while pulling out some food she had scavenged up prior to their meeting. With a shrug, Dezna nodded and handed her one of his containers to let her take a few shots, while he in turn ate a fist-sized roll of bread the smaller girl had tossed him. He didn't think they had much food though, and so they'd have to find more later on. That, and the water wouldn't last long between 5 children, so they'd have to be on the lookout for water sources as they moved.

"Any ideas?" Dezna shrugged. He was no leader, although if they wanted him to be one,. he'd try his best. All he knew right now was that they should move on.
"We need a vantage point." Hazel suggested, "somewhere or some way where we could take advantage of anyone lingering around the cornucopia, and maybe take it for ourselves." Clearly the girl was dreaming big, and taking a leaf or two out of Kyla's book. It was not often that the cornucopia was dominated by someone other than the careers, but for the first few days, Kyla singlehandedly ran the place before being joined and aided by Rye Grove and Sagittaria Svenja. Dezna kind of gave Kiva this look that indicated he'd trust the outlying districts (within reason of course), and that he was going to sit back and listen to whatever plans they might have had. Sure a couple of them might have been younger and smaller than him, but they were not stupid if they had gotten this far without dying or becoming a burden. Dezna had half-expected Hazel to fall under the 2nd category, but the girl hadn't even asked for help of any kind; and had actually been willing to make a trade to get what she wanted. She was a keeper just like Leon--for now at least.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva chuckled. "You know me. There were all sorts of things I've tried, all having varying effects. If I could just get my hands on some of that and a pair of those glasses..." She responded, pointing towards the glasses that Leon consistently wore. As terrible as it seemed in her head she was going to be sure to snatch them up if he died while still part of the large group. Besides, only one was making it out and nightvision was bound to have a huge advantage, leading Kiva to the conclusion that the Gamemakers had intentionally only supplied a limited amount of the special glasses.

Once Hazel and Dezna conducted their trade Kiva realized just how little food they had. It suddenly turned into a much larger priority than anything else the group had in mind. Hazel had suggested the Cornucopia, but it seemed useless to Kiva unless there was still food stashed there. That was unlikely as there was a good chance the careers especially would have returned. Of course there was District 3 which was bound to be the larger threat, but somehow taking the Cornucopia didn't seem like their game. They were no doubt lingering in the shadows somewhere, waiting for the right time to strike. "I don't think the Cornucopia would be very advantageous unless there's food there. We know where to obtain water, but food? Not so much. There has to be something somewhere otherwise this would make for a pretty anti-climatic games." Kiva explained, hoping for feedback from the others.

Hazel shrugged. "I suppose you're right. I can't really recall what I saw at the Cornucopia, but I feel like somewhere in this arena there has to be small critters of some sort. What lives in urban areas?"

"Rats mostly. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some lingering in here." Kiva responsed, trying to recall back to all the various critters she encountered lingering around the district. In some of the older sectors of District 6 with seldom used and abandoned factories nature seemed to have a way with them. She could only guess the same would apply here.

"Do you have any suggestions, Dezna?" Hazel then turned towards the second District 6 tribute, knowing they were bound to be the experts of the group when it came to urban exploration.

It wasn't until Leon began moving that the others followed. Kiva wasn't sure where the boy was leading them, but she decided to trust his judgement as he was the one with the most visibility. She did also quickly realize that he had been one of the ones who had seemingly managed to explore plenty of the arena before finally encountering the District 6 pair and Daisy. Maybe he had even spotted food sources? It was wishful thinking, but in circumstances like these pessimism was dangerous.

[Zulera301]

"hmm... I wonder if there's anything brewable in this arena." he quipped. After all, some of the substances he took were able to be made around District 6. Even if the Capitol managed to discontinue and destroy all evidence of morphling ever existing, there were still hundreds of other offshoots and other things that these citizens could (and would, and did) get their hands on, which in turn meant that 6's drug epidemic was unlikely to ever end. "I mean heck... me, some drugs, and those glasses... I'll be occupied for hours." he laughed. Kiva might have to challenge Dezna for them, because honestly, as terrible as it might have sounded, he was thinking the same thing. He figured he might as well put them to use if their original owner was dead anyways. But, for the time being, he wished no harm on Leon.

Food. yeah, food was kind of important at this point, since it had probably at least been about 18 or 24 hours since he had last properly eaten anything. (water was a different story). Hazel suggested the Cornucopia, but Kiva seemed to think differently. Dezna found this slightly odd, as usually there was food of some sort at the cornucopia. Then again, there was one time when it was just full of weapons and nothing else, and another when it was just jagged maces, so maybe this year it was just all those crazy metal shards that were everywhere.

"Rats aren't as nasty as people think," Hazel quipped, "if you cook 'em right they're as good as any other small animal. You just need to clean 'em good."
Dezna was not fazed by the idea of eating rats either. At least rats occurred normally in nature unlike some of the substances he and his sister and put into their bodies. If he could cope with that, he could cope with a could of dirty rodents with ease. It also reminded him of something that he kind of wanted to do again.
"most animals in urban settings tend to be reclusive, and so would not be out in the open. We'll want to check dark crevices if that's what we're looking for. Although dark crevices also tend to have tracker-jackers..."

he paused,turning to Kiva as they walked. "Y'know... if we found any tracker-jackers, maybe we could use some of those matches to smoke and sedate some of those little bastards." After all, other than their extremely potent venom, they were similar to other vespids insomuch that most parts of them were edible. Even the venom was indigestible if you diluted it enough (as many in District 6 could testify). It was still a dangerous maneuver, because even slightly too much could kill you, but if you dosed and diluted it just right, it was the hallucinatory high of a lifetime.
"Otherwise... let's follow Leon."

[Nachthexe]

"Doesn't seem like it unless you can brew metal." Kiva quipped, chuckling. It became clear what was on Dezna's mind and admittedly similar thoughts began running through Kiva's. However, this was the Hunger Games and she knew she couldn't afford to get tied down by distractions. She knew it wouldn't be too difficult for the other tributes out there to take advantage of such things, wanting to make it home themselves. "You're right though. We could use a little fun in here." She continued, chuckling once again. It was going to be a long day. Or night? There was really no way of knowing for sure.

"Oh no, there's an abundance of them back home in the older sectors of the District. They seem to like the old factories." Kiva responded, turning her attention once again towards Hazel. Surprisingly, the idea of eating rats didn't seem to bother her as much as it did Daisy who seemed to form an expression of disgust upon mere mention of it. Despite being from District 11 it suddenly seemed clear that the girl had been indeed well-off by her district's standards. The rumours about people in those districts eating some repulsive things were widespread, after all. Certainly for them it was survival though rather than an actual dietary choice. "You're right though. They like to hang out in closed off areas and I don't see why the Gamemakers wouldn't provide a food source."

Tracker Jackers. It had been the next option to come to Dezna's mind, albeit a risky one. There was a pretty good chance the Gamemakers had some scattered around in the arena. Hell, even District 6 seemed to have them for what Kiva could only suspect was a way to keep citizens from wandering off into restricted areas. They seemed to be extremely effective too, leaving their victims with plenty of hallucinations, often even driving them to madness. At least it had been the fate of one of the more prominent Tracker Jacker victims back home. The poor guy had been taking a walk when next thing he knew he was walking straight into a nest. Kiva wasn't sure how many times it was claimed he was stung, but enough to drive every little bit of sanity out of him. That was not a fate she wanted to suffer. Even being killed in the Hunger Games seemed more desirable at this point. "You're onto something Dezna, but it's risky." Kiva commented as she continued following Leon who was still taking the lead.

Unsurprisingly, after an indeterminate amount of time of wandering Kiva soon found Leon leading the group straight back to the Cornucopia. This baffled her slightly, but she figured there was the method to the boy's madness. Maybe there was perhaps still supplies available? It became tempting to dash towards it before she remembered there was the possibility of other tributes being within the vicinity. This instead prompted her to get the same shards of metal from earlier out of her backpack. A good defense almost seemed mandatory here and the others quickly caught on, arming themselves as well.

The group continued honing in on the Cornucopia uninterrupted until a piercing scream off in the distance filled the air. Unmistakably of a girl. Another tribute. She was no doubt under attack by someone or something. Kiva knew that whoever it was was still very much alive and either fighting or fleeing. The lack of a cannon blast indicated as much. "We're definitely not alone, stay alert and shut up." Kiva suggested as she slowed her steps, attempting to avoid being detected. Clearly somebody was nearby, and it was only a matter of discovering who. A hostile tribute? Kiva hoped not, but then remembered that in a game like this it was possible that everybody would be hostile towards her now besides those currently with her.

[Zulera301]

"Damn. maybe I'd have luck with some of the rocks or dirt." he joked. It was probably just the hungry boy in him speaking, although his body was used to weird substances, and so the kid could pretty much eat or digest practically anything at this point. Not that he ever really tried eating inedible objects back ho--okay, maybe a few times with considerable success, but he wasn't THAT weird. "fun? well maybe hitting up a trace of TJ might not be too bad of an idea." he joked. "TJ" just being a name for Tracker-Jacker venom. There was an old saying In District 6 that had been started by Zerviah's mentor. (Hunger Games victors tended to say the darndest things) It said "If it exists, District 6 has made a drug from it."

"They're not too much different from squirrels." Hazel pointed out, "just dirtier, like I said. Ours are usually covered a bit in coal, since they sometimes make their nests in abandoned mine tunnels and scare some of us shitless when we accidentally encounter them."
"Still," Dezna quipped, "if rats are the only thing on the menu, the careers will probably starve in the next 3 or 4 days." he joked. He was implying, however, the aforementioned scenario, or that perhaps there were other food sources. Heck, even tracker-jacker nests were edible, as were the insects themselves if you removed the back end that held the venom and the stinger.

Apparently Tracker-Jackers existed in various numbers around all 12 districts, including '1 and '2. Most of them were just to keep citizens out of restricted areas, but in a few of the poorer and/or rural districts (such as 12, 11, 8, 7, and 6) they were sometimes holed up in old areas and/or buildings that were otherwise abandoned. Perhaps it was the Capitol's way of warning teenagers to steer clear so that they didn't die in a situation outside of a Hunger Games. "well... it'd be a nice little hallucinatory trip before we die, if nothing else." he joked. "but let's discount that idea till we've exhausted more options, or till they come and smack us in the face."
One of the strengths he felt that at least 4 of them had was that they seemed to be rather fearless. Hazel might not have been as ruthless and lethal as Kyla, but the girl didn't seem to have any reservations about things the way Daisy and (to a lesser extent) Leon did. Dezna kind of liked Hazel though (not the way he liked Kiva though). The kid seemed to open up a little more after getting to know those around her.

"What are we doing here?" Dezna tilted his head as he whispered to Leon. he didn't know there were any supplies at the Cornucopia, but he imagined that there would be tributes who had claimed it. The careers usually did, and if not, there was always someone who could take a leaf out of Kyla's book and hide in the horn itself. With this darkness, there was no way any of them could see what was in there except perhaps Leon. He pulled out his knife-like metal shards, keeping his throwing knives on his belt if he needed them.

"No shit." Hazel froze, crouching down and pulling out a handful of shards that looked like darts. It was a girl, but who?
"Varsha?" Dezna whispered playfully, right during another scream, so it wouldn't give him or their alliance away. He knew it wasn't her. If anything, she was the reason this girl was screaming. Then he heard it--a buzzing noise that sounded all too familiar. How hilariously ironic, given that he had just been talking about these damned things a few minutes earlier.
"Tracker-jackers." he whispered, "let's jet." he was not sure how well the insects saw in the dark, but he knew that smoke, water, or certain smells detracted them.
"Leon... any idea where you were when you smelled that smell?" He did not want to die the death of a thousand stings, and have his body reduced to a pile of exploding puss wounds. No, no he did not.

[Nachthexe]

The careers starving to death? It seemed ideal and not all that far-fetched, considering the environment they were in. It was likely that of all the districts, District 1 and 2 citizens didn't truly know hunger. Certainly that didn't have them resorting to eating rodents as was probably common reality in the poorest districts. Hazel's knowledge alone had Kiva suspecting that the girl had consumed them herself at least once; anything here was very much the norm for her, certainly. Kiva didn't dare inquire about such a subject, however, realizing that Leon had indeed led the group back to the Cornucopia. "Between all the indecisiveness I figured I'd bring us here anyway. Check if there's supplies." He noted as he adjusted his night vision glasses.

Kiva found herself pleasantly surprised when Leon began rummaging through what little was left at the Cornucopia. There were at least a few sacks of food. It didn't seem like it would last longer than a few days between five people, but it was better than nothing and potentially something to hold them over until they tracked down a proper source of food. "Well look at that. Whoever was here last skipped over some stuff entirely." Kiva commented as Leon handed her the sack of food. Once again seeing it up close made Kiva truly realize that the Gamemakers were being far from generous on materials this year. The various scraps of metal still littering the majority of the Cornucopia served as testament to that.

It was only after collecting the few sacks of food that the group became determined to leave. The scream. Who's was it? It was definitely a female's, but the source of the scream quickly became obvious once the group picked up the sound of seemingly thousands of insects buzzing. "Tracker Jackers? I can't believe their timing." Kiva chuckled, realizing the irony of the situation before proceeding to place the sacks of food in her backpack before running off. Not surprisingly, the source of the scream only seemed to come closer before finally colliding into Kiva, knocking them both to the ground.

"Don't go there...Tracker Jackers..." The girl trembled as she spoke, attempting to push herself off the ground. Kiva took one look at her and immediately saw fear in her eyes, but most surprising to her was who possessed that pair of fearful eyes. Victoria. District 1. Clearly even career tributes had their weaknesses. With Victoria in such a vulnerable state Kiva briefly considered taking her down, but the girl managed to run off before Kiva could even act. Once Victoria was out of sight Kiva's mind began filling with questions. The girl was seemingly alone. Where was the rest of the career pack? Did they get separated by the Tracker Jacker attack? It seemed odd, but if anything Kiva saw it as a potential advantage later on.

"Victoria. I think I may have found a weakness in her." Kiva announced to the others once they caught up just as the Tracker Jackers began coming in their direction. "They sense us. We better move." She added, once again dashing away from the Cornucopia. It didn't take her long to realize that the little insects obviously had a keen sense of smell and were determined to attack the first human target they could dig their abdomens into.

[Zulera301]

"Fair enough." Dezna shrugged. He wondered why the careers had booked it from here; usually they dominated the cornucopia and lived off of the ample supplies that it offered rather than rely on survival skills that they did not have. Maybe they would be able to starve them without any other trouble. He almost felt bad for them--spending their whole lives training for combat only to find that that they would mostly be working on survival instead. What a sad way to waste one's life... But, his sympathy was limited, because everyone, including Kiva, Hazel, and the District 11 kids, needed to die if he was ever to reunite with his sister again.

Dezna lightened one of his sacks by removing some packaging from some food to fill up the rest of his backpack. the amount of food they found was not a great amount, but it'd get them by for a few days. It might last longer if one or more fo them died, but with 16 tributes still in the game, he wasn't wishing death on any of his comrades just yet. Day 2 was too early for that. Maybe the moon cycles would tell him what day it was and/or when it was day versus night. Who knows...
"I don't like the feel of that either," Dezna warned in response to Kiva's remark. "usually the cornucopia is an attractive place where tributes will hide or camp out. If it was abandoned in such a hurry... we might have a problem or two..."

It just didn't seem right, and suddenly Dezna learned why. "as much as I'd want to take a small hit of that, you get a few thousand of them and you'll be dead in seconds." he thought back to a public service announcement he had once seen about it. Clearly the Capitol had a twisted sense of humor, although Dezna had enjoyed it as well. On the other hand, maybe it had been made by some crazy artist or something, but whatever the case, the Capitol didn't ever end up taking it down.

Dezna jumped back out of surprise, and might have actually thrown a knife at the larger girl who just came barrelling in except that she had knocked Kiva over and that last thing he wanted to do right now was knife Kiva in the skull. Victoria? What was she doing by herself? Had Blaze thrown her out from the group like Flint had done with Krystal before the games had even started last year? Had she gotten lost? Was she independent the way Valendria was? He was confused more than anything. A lone career usually meant trouble of some sort, and Dezna did not want to be on the recieving end of it.

"I'd be running too!" Dezna agreed as they took off away from the Tracker-Jackers. He was inclined just to take off running, because they'd stop if they found a target, and after being relentlessly attacked, the target would die and they'd return to their nest. Incidentally, it was Hazel who spoke up about how to stop them while they ran.
"Do we have anything flammable?" she exclaimed, "they hate fire and water... and since I don't think the potholes are enough to stop them, we need to light a fire or something!"
"Kiva! your matches!" Maybe they could get an empty sack of food or something to burn. like normal vespids, tracker-jackers hated fire and smoke, which would kill or sedate them respectively.

[Nachthexe]

Matches? Matches! It hadn't taken Kiva long to catch onto what Dezna was implying. If there was one thing insects really didn't like it was fire and what produced fire? Matches. Perhaps the Gamemakers had provided them with a purpose, after all. As Kiva continued running she struggled with the backpack before finally successfully pulling it off her back. "Here, catch!" She shouted back to Dezna, preparing to toss the matches to him. Of course it still left them with the question of what to burn. Fire needed fuel and so far sources had been lacking. But then it came to her. "Leon, that smell. Where was it?"

Leon hesitated for a moment, attempting to recall the exact location of the smell. "Uh...not far from here. I can lead you." Kiva mouth formed into a smirk upon hearing the District 11 boy's words. Assuming it was what she suspected it was then it was definitely flammable. Gas. Many gasses were flammable and there was a good chance this one was. It was a phenomenon she unfortunately knew much too well after witnessing District 6 warehouses go up in smoke upon the ignition of various lingering gasses. Those ones had been odorless, but there was nothing preventing her from believing certain gasses could carry odors as well.

"They boy's onto something. Let's get the hell out of here!" Kiva announced before switching direction to follow Leon. The Tracker Jackers seemed to quickly catch onto this sudden shift in direction, also rotating in order to continue pursuing their chase. It had Kiva worried. What had triggered the attack? She initially thought the careers, but they seemed to already be out of the area and certainly they could have not known anybody else was in the area. Then of course there was the whole incident with Victoria? Why was she near the Cornucopia and not with the others? Those were all questions she was desperate to have answered, but first course of action was escaping the deadly insects that currently were hellbent on taking her and the others down.

Leon stopped directly in front of what appeared to be a mound of some sort. Kiva almost immediately began sniffing the air around her. It was definitely filled with a distinct odor, no doubt of some sort of gas. That made the solution obvious, but were others willing to take the risk? "We need to somehow attract them to this mound!" She bellowed, realizing that perhaps some of the stashed food supply would do the trick. Daisy seemed to take note of this and pulled some of the larger pieces out, placing them atop the mound. It seemed to be working as just as the insects were about to collide with the group they instead went for the food. Knowing there was little time to lose, Kiva yanked the matches out of Dezna's hands, lit one up, and threw it into the mound. "You may want to stand back for this one!"

Kiva found herself bellowing out her last words over a vibrant explosion of colour. Almost immediately the mound, which had obviously been releasing gas of some sort, burst into flame while leaving behind charred insects. Naturally, the flames only continued getting taller. A sure sign that the gas from inside the mound was still very much active and feeding the fire. However, it seemed to remain at a safe distance and instead travelled straight up. Knowing what she did about fire, Kiva knew that eventually the flames would have to become exhausted. Still, realizing she could now take a breather she dropped down to the ground and began to simply admire the radiant flame she had managed to create. It was one of the few things that seemed to provide even minimal light, which also brought the girl to a realization: as long as they stayed in the same area they could be easily tracked down.

[Zulera301]

The tracker-jackers were gaining on them, and Dezna picked up speed for a moment, but realized that he would be getting too far ahead. When Kiva tossed him the matches though, he suddenly had a different idea. Instead he slowed down, deciding to buy them some time. "Keep going!" he shouted at the others. He was fast enough that he could easily catch up to them.
Dezna took one of the empty sacks, wrapped it around a metal shard, and put a match to it, then waiting. as the bag burst more into flames, it produced a bit of smoke. It wouldn't stop the trackerjackers, but it would at the very least slow them down to give them a bit more time.
"hyah, motherfuckers!" he shouted as he lobbed it right at the cloud of aggressive insects. Sure enough it slowed them down, but it also made them angrier, he was fairly certain.

"now run run run RUN RUN!" his eyes widened and he booked it to catch up with the others. the buzzing sound did not subside, and so he knew they were still being chased. Trackerjackers were aggressive like that, and usually did not stop pursuing a quarry till they were caught. The gases... that was what he heard Leon and Kiva talking about when he caught back up with them a moment later. "well... unless you wanted me to burn my shirt or my boots or something." he joked. no, the gases sounded a lot better. Some were colorless and/or odorless, but there were plenty that were not. as a mechanic, he had to work with oil and gas leaks and other stuff like that all the time. Other times, he remembered glorious fires that had erupted from things like this.

Even as they ran and kept a good distance from the insects, Dezna was still confused. Where was their nest, why was Victoria separate from the rest of the careers (and where did she run off to?), and where had the others gone? That would all have to wait though. Life came first, after all. he zigzagged after Kiva,running fast to prevent himself from getting stung. Often times those stings welled up into something grotesque. some poor fool had once walked into a nest and gotten stung so many times he practically inflated. To make matter worse, then he fell down and he remembered hearing that he had practically exploded in a pile of rancid green pus. That... that was a death that no one deserved.

"they're probably still pissed at me for my little stunt earlier!" Dezna suggested, and he himself stood near the mound. As he watched the insects approach, he let Kiva snatch the matches and he made a sprinting lunge to get away from the mound. He hit the ground on his hands, flipping into a handstand for a moment before doing a weird kind of cartwheel away, falling into a sitting position far enough away from the gas mound that he wouldn't get fried to a crisp when it went up.

And my, oh my... when it went up... it went up. It was glorious. Back at the Capitol, Sagittaria was already planning on how to incorporate this incident into one of her own wacky (bullshit) stories. Dezna on the other hand, was mesmerized by the bright light and the dazzling display. It was seriously rather impressive. "Hey... now at least nothing can sneak up on us." he quipped, since it lit up enough area around them that nothing could really sneak up on them without them seeing it. "and if you fry these little bastards enough," he picked up the shell of one that had been toasted, "it supposedly kills most of the venom too... and they don't taste half bad." There was no telling how Dezna knew this, but he seemed to be fairly certain about the statement.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva could only assume that one of the others behind her had done something to piss off the insects because as they approached her before going up in flames they were definitely out for vengeance. Thankfully their reign was quickly brought to an end as they all began frying to a crisp. Dezna's words managed to make it quite clear very quickly and now all Kiva could do was chuckle. "You would have never managed to get them all like that." She stated, noticing the burnt sack attached to one of the many shards of metal. It had been innovative, considering the lack of resources, but clearly not enough. Still, the boy deserved credit where it was due. "Quick thinking though."

It was Dezna's next suggestion that truly had Kiva and the others bursting out laughing. Them eating the Tracker Jackers? It too was clever, but also dangerous, considering the insect's venom and the fact that many were still burning in the fiery inferno of a grave. "You're a brave little shit. If you can fetch them without burning your hands off then you're trying them first." She quipped before realizing the true desperation of the situation. There they were. Only day two of the games and already they were resorting to eating deadly insects.

Leon seemed to have a strong sense of intuition, having already gone to fetch longer shards of metal. They were quite abundant, after all, and the ones that Kiva currently had? Well they definitely were not suitable for the task at hand. "Damn, you and your glasses." She chuckled as the boy handed her one, realizing that he had been best suited for the task anyway due to his extra visibility, despite the radiance of the fire. Without a second thought though she stuck the shard into the flame and began scooping up the fried insects. Almost immediately heat began travelling up the metal causing Kiva to yelp in pain. This was followed by it falling to the ground, but fortunately the insects remained intact. After a few seconds she scooped up a few into her hands and passed them to Dezna. "As promised, you first. You can be our lab rat." Once giving them to the boy she split up the remainder between herself and the others. It wasn't much, but it was sure to provide some nutrition, provided Dezna's theory was correct.

"It's definitely different. Crunchy too. Not even at home did we resort to eating these." Hazel was the first to comment, leading the others to burst out laughing. Fortunately the insects appeared to be perfectly safe too as Kiva didn't notice any dangerous side effects. Not yet anyway. She couldn't help but to wonder what the careers had been doing for food though as somehow it seemed unlikely they even thought up anything similar. Naturally, that got her thinking about who could possibly be nearby. There was now bound to be somebody as the fire was still burning bright and was surely visible off in the distance. Last thing she wanted was to be targeted all because of a few Tracker Jacker swarms she had absent-mindedly set alight.

Hoping the others would take it as a hint, Kiva finished up her insect meal(which was surprisingly filling) and began packing up anything necessary. Very soon the group would need to find shelter and far away from the fire that was bound to burn for an indeterminate amount of time. There was always the previous location, but she didn't want to risk going back there despite how ideal it had been. Tributes were constantly moving around so Kiva knew it meant they would have to as well.

[Zulera301]

"I wasn't trying to," he chuckled, "just trying to hold them off. No offense or anything but you all aren't any upcoming Dezna Lightnings, that's for sure." he did in fact just make a straight-up jab at the others' speeds, but that was just his thing. He didn't think any of them would take it too personally. "But thanks. I had to save us some time somehow, otherwise whoever was straggling would be a lumpy mass of oozing green pus--not something anyone deserves to have happen to 'em, yeah?"

"pfft. you don't think I can do it, yeah?" he laughed at Kiva's challenge. "feast your eyes on this." he swayed his hips a little before whipping out one of his longer metal shards. With expert-precision, he speared one of the dead insects up. not all of them were in the fires themselves, for those ones would get burned to ash. Plenty had fallen or been blasted away and around the column of flame, and their small size meant that they had cooled down a bit since the explosion. Dezna did not so much see it as desperation as much as he saw it as something new and interesting to try. That was one thing that he and Sagittaria had in common.

"You just need deft fingers for this sort of thing." he commented, popping his knuckles before briefly glancing at the number 6 that was emblazoned on the fronts of his gloves. He rolled up his sleeves and turned to the others. "forget shards of metal. Watch this."
Dezna Lightning was not just skilled at running fast, but his reflexes and sleight-of-hand were also quite impressive. With a deft movement, he flipped a few toasted insects away from the flame, catching one of them on the flat side of his piece of metal. When Kiva insisted that he try them first, he just chuckled.
"Alright, but I warn you... if they aren't roasted enough, you might be trippin' ballz for a while... but if you find any like that, pass 'em my way."
he set a crispy trackerjacker onto his thumb before flipping it like a coin into the air. he threw his head back, opening his mouth, and then crunch!. He smacked his lips a few times, took a swig of water, and then burped.
"not bad... but I wasn't kidding about the trippin' out thing."

At Hazel's comment, he chuckled with the others, and then spoke. "I've had 'em a few times. I was admittedly blitzed all but one of those times, and the one time I wasn't blitzed, I hallucinated like crazy and I think I made out with my sister or something. She was blitzed too though, but eh." he shrugged. He was practically impossible to embarrass, this boy was. Tuth of the matter was that he had in fact made out with his sister in a mind-addling stupor, but it was confirmed that that was as "far" as they had ever gone, blitzed or sober.
He didn't mind the wasps, and was quite fine with eating a good amount of them. He had not used any of his food as bait, and so if they needed some real food, he'd probably share a little bit of it. Resourcefulness was paramount in District 6 for boys and girls with professions like his, and so he was not the type to waste much, be it machine parts, or food in this case.

"You leading us this time?" he quipped at Kiva, "cuz I wouldn't mind following you." It reminded him of a joke one of his mechanic friends had said back home.
"If I ever have to follow someone around, I hope it's a lady."
"Oh? why's that?" Dezna had asked.
"Because if I have to stare at someone's ass for that long, it might as well be a girl's"
Sure it was somewhat crude, but Dezna's humor was not exactly child-friendly anyways, given how much he lightly joked about death and carnage and stuff. Maybe he'd slip this message to Kiva if he got out of earshot from Leon and Daisy. (for some reason, he didn't even think Hazel would react. Maybe he was just assuming though)

"If we're taking a vote or asking opinions or whatever though," he suggested, "I say we move outwards. Sure the gamemakers probably like to shunt everyone back to the cornucopia eventually, but that's usually more towards the end when there's only 5 of us left or something." Even then, there had been plenty of years he had watched where they hadn't done anything like that. Thus, he was up for exploring a bit more of the arena as the 2nd day wore on. Already it had been rather eventful, and Dezna was itching to relax after a frantic dash for their lives and a nice, crispy (and maybe slightly hallucination-inducing) meal...

[Nachthexe]

Kiva found herself admittedly impressed at Dezna's little trick. He certainly wasn't nicknamed "Lightning" for nothing and even his reflexes showed it. In the case that he was faced with direct face to face combat that was bound to be an invaluable skill. However, for the meantime that was something Kiva could only hope the group could avoid. They were large so loss was inevitable sooner or later, but she at least wanted to prolong it as admittedly she found herself growing fond of these other kids. "Alright. You win." She chuckled at Dezna as he finished effortlessly showing off.

It became obvious by the expression that formed on Daisy's face that she wasn't fond of the insects, but naturally she didn't complain. Certainly she knew she was in a situation where she couldn't be fussy. Even she knew it was eat the insects or starve. That was something that quickly shifted out of her mind, however, as she proceeded to follow Kiva who seemed keen on leaving to establish shelter. "Ideally Leon should lead since he can see where he's going and not have us encountering another tribute or some shit, but I'm sure he's tired of it. Right, Leon?" Kiva remarked, glaring at Dezna before turning towards Leon. He just shrugged before handing the night vision glasses to Kiva, feeling he could trust her with them.

Score. That's what that was. Immediately the glasses, along with the slight side effects from the diluted Tracker Jacker venom, began to remind Kiva very much of her endeavours back at home. They seemed to be able to enhance any of the drug effects and this was no exception. Hallucinations were already showing up, although they didn't seem to impair her ability to lead the group. "Just follow the rainbow." She uttered, gesturing for the others to begin following. "The rainbow leads outwards." The others gave Kiva a puzzled look as she began speaking about rainbows.

"Is that some kind of District 6 joke? I'm not following this." Leon was the first to ask, attempting to just trust Kiva's judgement. She was definitely leading them away from the Cornucopia and the still radiant fire so he followed without too much hesitation, arming himself just in case.

"You haven't heard? I'm Kiva Rainbow and that is Dezna Lightning. It will all make sense in time. Chill." Kiva responded softly as she eventually spotted a cloud fortress, a.k.a ruined building, off in the distance. It was funny how many of her hallucinations often had recurring imagery, but certainly it was a sign of some sort of inner happiness that she managed to retain, despite Panem's rough circumstances. Happiness that stemmed from all the moments she and her sister had shared, that suddenly found themselves crushed on Reaping Day. However, not even the thought of that could suspend the bubble of happiness and bliss that Kiva currently found herself in. It did have her thinking though about how regular strength Tracker Jacker venom was designed to create nightmarish hallucinations, yet that was far from her current experience. She could only conclude that either her body had worked up some sort of resistance or that the dilution had somehow changed it.

Leon chuckled. "Alright. I will just leave it at that. I don't dare ask." As curious as he became about the District 6 pair's alleged nicknames he knew it was best to not even inquire. Besides, it was hardly important, especially when attempting to find shelter. Fortunately, despite Kiva's obviously blitzed state she managed to find something and gestured for Leon, the best climber of the group, to take the lead. Almost immediately the boy made his way up without ease. Once settled in he stared off into the distance and still saw the illumination of the radiant fire off in the distance. He suspected it was going to be awhile until it burned out. At least until he noticed it transforming into a large string of blood protruding from the earth. Hallucinations were bizarre things.

[Zulera301]

"Shiny." Dezna grinned, his eyes going very clearly crossed for just a moment. "Also tasty. Just sayin'." His eyes went back to normal, but he was definitely starting to trip out. Kiva was in that rainbow dress of hers... they all were. Hazel wasn't wearing any pants. It was an odd feeling, but he was not so far gone that he couldn't tell who was who. Honestly, this was one for the record books. If he got out of this arena alive, he'd be doing this again for sure. Now he just needed some of those glasses, but how... he didn't want to just steal them from Leon or Hazel--not till they were dead anyways.

If Daisy had asked Dezna for some food, he would have shared a little; he was just saving it for an occasion when there wouldn't be tracker-jackers or something else edible nearby. As long as he had water though, he was not terribly worried. When Kiva glared at Dezna, he just chuckled. "you're so cute." as if she had just done something really funny or that Dezna found adorable. The boy was clearly a bit addled at the moment though, which made for some rather interesting dynamics.

When Kiva spoke of rainbows, Dezna knew that he needed to get in on this action, without denying Kiva the same privilege. The other three were skeptical, and Hazel looked baffled as ever. Maybe she should put some pants on. He glanced at her, checking out her legs for a moment, and he wondered how the heck a girl from 12 looked so alluring. He blinked a few times and suddenly he saw that her legs were on fire. That was weird. It didn't really incite surprise or panick in him for whatever reason though, so he shrugged it off.

"What's she going on about?" the District 12 girl asked Dezna. This was his chance.
"Just trust us. the lightning and the rainbows show the way. Lemme see those glasses and I might be able to figure out what she's going on about."
With a shrug and a weird expression (maybe she was hallucinating too?), Hazel put the glasses into Dezna's outstretched palm. Jackpot. Oh yes, thsi was definitely what Kiva was talking about. He saw Zerviah riding on a chariot of fire behind them where that column of flame used to be, and he couldn't help but give an "aaahh" of amazement for a moment. It was Leon's question that snapped him back to reality.

"Yeah... it's a District 6 thing... but trust us. we're not trying to lead you astray." they were slow and cautious with their movements for a while as they basked in the hallucinations, but all in all they remained safe. The cloud fortress that Kiva saw was a large laboratory that Arza had built, and Dezna was pursuing it with considerable interest. Once it became clear to the other tributes where they were going, they seemed much less on edge, which made the drugged boy chuckle. "Have I ever steered you wrong?" he grinned. He was currently in a somewhat-euphoric state because of the trackerjacker venom. This was why he said it was best to dilute it. using water or other substances to tone its strength down was one way, but roasting the little bastards was much more satisfying.

Soon they reached their destination, and Dezna climbed the tree with considerable ease. At least... it looked like a tree--made of ice. Hallucinations were quite weird, and it seemed the others were starting to feel their effects. He was glad that they hadn't eaten as much as him. That had meant more for him, but also meant they'd suffer less from the hallucinatory effects. Either way, the five of them managed to climb up and stay sheltered.
"CHICKEN!" Hazel shouted, belly-flopping onto the floor, a brick in her hands. She shoved the corner into her mouth and began gnawing and slobbering all over it, trying to eat it like a ravenous beast. Dezna leaned back and found it amusing, kicking his shoes off and watching them explode, as Hazel continued gnawing on that tasty-looking piece of bread.

"hooo-aaahh!" he chuckled, turning towards Kiva, who seemed rather normal at the moment except that her hair was red and glowed. "that was a pretty damn tasty meal if I say so myself..."

[Nachthexe]

Kiva just nodded as Dezna spoke, managing to clear up a bit of the other kids' confusion. It suddenly felt odd that she was sharing what was typically considered to be a District 6 pastime with the others, but they were staring in death's face anyway so a little fun didn't hurt. Besides, the meal had been crucial for survival. If only it hadn't had the side effects. Oh well. Thanks to Kiva's effort the entire group had managed to hopefully find safety for the night. The cloud fortress images that continued racing through Kiva's mind only helped to confirm that. To her they had long become images representative of safety and happiness and in the Hunger Games arena that mattered more than anything else.

Kiva found herself becoming quite relaxed just when Hazel began shouting and chewing on what appeared to be jelly of some sort. Jelly? She only wished and suddenly she found herself becoming hungry for such a thing, before realizing it was nothing more than a brick the girl was chewing on. "The ice is shattering!" Kiva shouted, glaring at the girl's mouth before realizing that even her teeth managed to take on a new form. Hazel also seemed to take notice, quickly tossing the brick aside upon realizing what it was.

Next up was Daisy who also was definitely having hallucinations of her own, but certainly something much more nightmarish as Kiva noticed her trembling. Either that or her body was sensitive to the venom. Of course there was the possibility of both so Kiva didn't hesitate to question the girl. "What do you see? Guaranteed I've gone through this."

Daisy managed to shed a few tears before finally answering Kiva. "R...R...Rye. He's a mutilated mess and I nor Sagittaria could not save him. Torn apart by a purple Capitol Mutt ravaging through District 11." Kiva's jaw dropped. The same Rye from the 44th games? Certainly it was the same person? It had to be. The joint mention of both him and Sagittaria made Kiva strongly suspect that Daisy's haunting images definitely included him. It was also a hint that the girl had not done any sort of substances before, which made sense in Kiva's mind, considering who her father was.

"Radical. You like him, don't you?" Kiva asked jokingly, although she quickly found herself retracting her statement upon seeing a frown forming on Daisy's face. Now there was almost no doubt in her mind that the two had a history, perhaps from before Sagittaria had even come into the picture.

"He was more than that! Nearly every day for about two years I watched the boy as he walked home from school and work. I always wanted to tell him how I truly felt, but shyness overcame me every time. Besides, he never seemed like the upfront type. Instead I wanted to leave him a gift at his door..." Daisy explained, pulling a small metallic rose from her uniform pocket. Unmistakably her chosen district token. "This. See this? This was the symbol of my love for him, love I never got to express as he was stolen away from me by the Reaping." Daisy continued, struggling to hold back more tears. It was possible it was just the drugs reacting, but Kiva couldn't decide if Daisy's story was the cheesiest or the saddest she had heard in awhile. Still, it was a judgement she was about to refrain from making, not wanting to upset the obviously delicate girl further.

"Just try to forget. You still have a chance to win this, y'know?" Kiva responded, instead opting to attempt to boost Daisy's confidence. Unsurprisingly, her attempts seemed to be futile as the girl once again put on a frown.

"No! I'm nothing! At first the reality of being reaped had horrified me, but now I just realize I'm nothing. I'm nothing without Rye. Even if he was alive he'd instead be with Sagittaria, the girl he truly grew to love." Jealousy? It seemed oddly evident in Daisy's words and Kiva didn't even want to think about what sort of emotions were running through Sagittaria's head if she was seeing this. Of course there was no guarantee The Capitol was even broadcasting it, but she wasn't about to put it past them as it certainly had plenty of drama and played like a soap opera. If it was then she could only hope for Sagittaria's mercy on the girl as it was pretty much common knowledge across Panem by now that she had loved her district partner. The final kiss they had shared in the arena pretty much sealed it.

[Zulera301]

Of the three confused children, Hazel seemed to be the least confused of the three. Lynn had always been an observant mentor, and had surely told her and her partner about the wiles of District 6, since they had been rather impressionable tributes this year. Either that or she was too busy hallucinating with her brick that she simply didn't care anymore. Both seemed just as likely as the other.
The weird part about the hallucinations was that they fluctuated and seemed to be selective. For example, Leon looked the same other than that he was wearing a dress, and the building was clearly made of bricks (and maybe n occasional loaf of bread), but other things, such as Kiva's fiery hair, his own very feminine body, and Hazel's lack of pants seemed a bit odd.

"Weird..." Hazel shrugged as Kiva snapped her back to reality, before taking her hair and gnawing on it instead as she kicked off her shoes. Dezna liked that trend, and it was probably something only he would notice, but for the last seven Hunger Games, the District 12 female had spent the majority of the games barefooted. Still... whatever she was eating seemed pretty good, so Dezna crawled over to her.
"Can I have some?" He asked. surprisingly, Hazel shrugged and offered him a handful of her hair, which he began gnawing on as well. It was definitely a weird sight, but neither of them seemed to mind a whole lot right now, and surely there was someone watching them laughing at the District 6 boy eating the District 12 girl's hair.

Dezna and Hazel both glanced at Daisy, Hazel's hair still in both of their mouths (Dezna on one side, Hazel on the other) "She's right y'know." the boy quipped through a mouthful of delicious hair. He had no idea what he was eating, but it was like the cross between something really good and something really stringy. "if it's something unusual, District 6 knows it." They were the masters of hallucinations and interpretting them for better or for worse.

"Rye?" Leon seemed the most sober of the group (except perhaps Daisy). He noticed that Hazel was eating one lock of her hair and Dezna was eating the other, but he figured they'd snap out of it sooner or later. "You liked him?" It was not to say that Leon didn't. No, he idolized Rye the way many citizens of District 11 did, as he had been a spectacular role model, and Sagittaria's charismatic words helped keep him and his memory as such back home.

Dezna listened to the story, and his mouth fell open, spilling out Hazel's hair. The girl seemed to notice, and to she put it back into Dezna's mouth, pushing his chin so he'd close it again. He shook his head, saw a random tracker-jacker hive behind Daisy's head explode in a dazzling array of lightning, and simply acknowledged his situation as cold hard reality, and listened to Daisy's laments instead.

"So do you hate Saj or something?" Leon tilted his head. This was all new revelation to him as well, although he was not exactly an aggressive boy, so his question was more curious rather than a challenge. If Daisy said yes, Leon would probably simply acknowledge it rather than try to explain why the girl was wrong. If she wanted to hate Sagittaria for stealing the boy she had had a crush on, that was her business. If Hazel wanted to let a boy from another district gnaw on a huge lock of her hair... so be it. He was a non-interventioanlist at heart.
Despite their delusioned state, Hazel and Dezna were both listening fairly well, even if they were seeing pretty colors everywhere and Hazel had decided that her hair was somehow the greatest food in. This was a new revelation to everyone, it seemed--Sagittaria (miles away) included.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva couldn't tell if she was hallucinating or not when she saw Dezna bite down into Hazel's hair. However, it quickly became clear once her own hallucination of serpents dissipated, revealing nothing but a full head of dark hair on Hazel's head. It was at that point that she truly realized that the entire Capitol probably thought them nuts. She honestly didn't mind though as she came to realize she was currently having the most fun she could probably have in her current situation. Dezna also appeared to be thoroughly entertained by Hazel's hair, seemingly taking little notice of Daisy and her story.

Daisy's distress and frustration only became clear as Leon continued questioning her. The boy suddenly became curious, perhaps too much so? He wanted to know more about the relationship that never was and that Sagittaria's presence supposedly had ruined. "No! Why would I hate Saj? It's because of her I'm sitting here having this discussion at all!" Daisy snapped, suddenly realizing that the girl was more of a lifeline than she had initially anticipated. It had been through her advice that she survived the bloodbath and knew remotely anything about survival. Life as the mayor's daughter tended to be sheltered, even by District 11 standards. However, noting the girl's obvious annoyance Leon soon found himself backing off. Instead Kiva found herself wanting to intervene before Daisy withdrew into the corner away from the others, wanting to be left alone.

"Just leave her alone, apple." Kiva commanded, glancing at Leon who she realized had quickly transformed into a massive apple. More hallucinations. At least it had managed to produce a chuckle from the boy who quickly caught on to exactly what she was referencing. He admittedly began feeling guilty about delving into Daisy's past that certainly wasn't his business so instead of cracking a joke of his own he leaned up against the wall and attempted to doze off, an effortless endeavour at this point. Realizing everybody else was going down the same path, Kiva let out a sigh and did the same.

As the next "day" came Kiva began to lose hope that the Gamemakers would ever restore daylight to the arena. This was a game in darkness, and it certainly made sense in part due to the layout. However, it was only a minor concern next to the headache she was already experiencing. There was no doubt that the Tracker Jacker venom was continuing to have effects even long after it had begun wearing off. Either that or Kiva's body was already going into hangover withdrawal mode. "You can have your silly glasses back." She uttered, handing the night vision glasses back to Leon as he was awaking. She had fallen asleep with them on and miraculously they remained in pristine condition.

"I don't even really know what happened last night, but it was excellent." Leon admitted as he became more alert upon awaking. Despite not having understood much of it before he had finally had his first taste of drug culture and for the first time truly understood why it was such a huge thing in District 6. Panem was full of miseries and in a way it offered an escape, something those outside of the Capitol desperately needed. An escape. Something Leon especially found himself needing upon realizing somebody was missing. The corner. It was empty. Daisy? Daisy! She had disappeared! "We have a problem. Daisy's gone." Leon noted, pointing to the corner where she had slept the night before.

"Shit, seriously?" Kiva responded as she peered over at the empty corner. Leon was right. The girl was gone, but there had definitely not been a cannon going off during the night so Kiva could only suspect she was nearby. "I don't know how the others feel, but we need to find her. My mentor ensured that Dezna and I would watch out for you two if you do the same." Kiva confessed, packing up what she needed to before gesturing for the others to follow. A part of her didn't feel like a search was even worth carrying out, but another part felt obligated to fulfill Zerviah's request. Naturally, the latter won out even though the girl quickly got a gut feeling that something would happen along the way.

[Zulera301]

Dezna had actually been interested in Daisy's story, mostly because he was interested in Rye, and in Sagittaria. He didn't really care if people thought he was an idiot, or if he was crazy. He was frankly having fun, having turned the Capitol's game into a game of his own. However, he was fairly sure that if he hallucainted and another enemy tribute attacked, he'd see them as some kind of giant monster and attack them back. The boy was very alert, after all, even if he did not see things as they were at the moment.

Leon realized that he didn't need to be told twice to back off, and so he did. He eyeballed Dezna and Hazel, the latter of which was drooling slightly, and then turned back to the other girls. "Sorry... didn't mean it that way..." he mumbled, staring down at the ground, which was weird, because it was lava. The ground was always hot lava, or so his childhood had taught him, but he never expected it to actually be real. Luckily it seemed that his hallucinations were not as strong as Dezna's or Hazel's. He shrugged and backed off, chuckling at Hazel's reply. Wait... there were two Hazels. He blinked and Daisy disappeared as well, and suddenly there were like 12 Hazels. he blinked again and everything returned to normal except that Kiva's hair was pink. Maybe those District 6 kids were right about this whole hallucination thing.

By this point, it seemed that they were all getting ready to sleep, as Leon backed up against a wall, leaning against it and hitting the Zs almost instantly. Dezna sputtered briefly, spitting out Hazel's hair, and she flipped it out of his and her own mouth, before laying her head down, using Dezna's chest as a pillow. Both were asleep in seconds, and were probably not even aware of their situation. Having someone sleeping so close to him (or in this case, her head on him) as he slept actually gave Dezna a sense of comfort, primarily because it reminded him of the closeness he and his sister had shared before the games.

The next "morning" likely had the others waking up to Dezna and Hazel both snoring loudly. They were still out like lights, the glasses on Dezna's face making him look a bit sillier, even if they hadn't been harmed at all during last night's... activities. Eventually Dezna shifted, however, and Hazel woke up because of it as well. Both of them looked rather groggy. He saw Kiva hand Leon his glasses back, and turned to Hazel, removing his own. "you want these back?" he asked her. she moaned and shook her head. Dezna simply stuck them in his jacket instead. So this was day 3 then... sooner or later someone would have to die. Hopefully it was none of them yet.

Dezna laughed at Leon's remark. "Welcome to District 6. we hope you enjoy your stay." he joked. The hangover was worse than expected, but he'd get over it. He always did. Man, that made him miss being home where he could do this stuff on a regular basis. There was nothing quite like repairing something while high. It usually produced better results than being sober did. It was not to say that Dezna's life would be boring without the drugs... but they certainly had helped mould his personality for the better. That was part of why he had a tendency to take everything in stride and play by his own rules regardless of where he was.

"Daisy's missing?" Hazel tilted her head. "It wasn't me." When Dezna heard Kiva's reminder that Zerviah had requested they watch each other's backs, he too had doubts, simply because when things became inconvenient in the Hunger Games, they were better off just abandoned. Either way, he sighed and shrugged. "welp, we've got our search party... let's find this wayward child before we scare her right into Valendria's clutches or something." he suggested, "Lead on!"

[Nachthexe]

As the group began the search for Daisy Kiva suddenly found herself fearing the worst. She definitely seemed upset the previous night so maybe that had something to do with her abandonment? Maybe she didn't want to be around people who did nothing but remind her and shame her for her past? Kiva began feeling bad that the topic, which was obviously sensitive for the girl, had come up at all. Unfortunately there was no way to reverse the past so now the group had to suffer the consequences and hopefully come out in one piece. With other tributes certainly out and about there wasn't even 100% guarantee of that. "Leon, you know her better than any of us. Where'd you think she would go?" Kiva asked as the group continued exploring and surveying the area.

Leon shrugged. "I know her, but not that well. This environment? It's hard to say where she'd end up." Naturally, Leon's answer was of little help and it was only when whimpering was heard nearby that the group finally had a lead. Following the sound, Kiva found herself directly in front of a single wall that was somehow still standing. On the other side was Daisy, leaning against it and whimpering. She was admittedly startled as the others also walked up to her, but she remained silent for several seconds.

"Why would you even come back for me? Why would you even care? I'm nothing, and I realized it last night. I left so I would no longer be a burden, as I doubt none of you want to hear about my undying love for somebody is not even alive!" Daisy began, before turning her attention directly to Leon. "And I hate Saj? What kind of bullshit is that? It's because of her I'm even still alive! I don't know about survival like any of you do and remember how it showed in training!" She continued. Kiva didn't entirely know what was going on, but she suspected the girl had some sort of emotional distress inside that perhaps only Leon knew about. The girl's words had some truth though. At least the part about survival did. Kiva recalled the times when she had watched both District 11 kids in training and easily noticed that survival skills had been what the girl struggled with most. Clearly her score of 7 hadn't been from that and Kiva could only suspect it was due to her not living under the same circumstances as the most of the rest of her district. Even in District 6 the mayor and his family had some special privileges over the rest of the citizens so Kiva could only assume the same stood true in every district. They were the ones largely responsible for ensuring Capitol law was administered all across the districts, after all. That made it quite clear where their loyalties usually laid, but also brought Kiva to a shocking revelation. Had her father been joyous about his daughter's reaping? It seemed harsh, but it was something she knew never to put past those loyal to the Capitol. It was a norm in the career districts, after all.

"We came back because of a dea...shit! Is that Blaze?" Kiva began after a few moments of silence to reflect on her words. It didn't seem to stop others from tracking them down though as the sudden appearance of certainly one of the most fierce tributes, indicated. Unsurprisingly, he was with his usual pack, the other careers. Even Victoria was present and wearing a smirk on her face. Hell, they all had smirks on their faces and Blaze appeared very ready to kill, passing his mace to Alan of District 2 before pulling out a long sharp slab of metal.

"Hello, kids. We will show you how this is really done." Blaze explained, gripping the slab of metal as he eyed who was obviously his main target: both the District 11 tributes. The nightmares of the previous year quickly began to flood Kiva's mind. The brutal death of Krystal, the brutal death of Flint, and even Flint's general sadist attitude and lust for bloodshed. She knew that whatever was about to happen here wasn't bound to end well.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Kiva bellowed to the others as Blaze prepared to make his move. It seemed odd that the others just stood and watched, but certainly there was a method to their madness. In a lot of ways Blaze seemed just like his brother anyway, getting a brutal kill while the others stood around watching.

"She's not going anywhere!" Blaze shouted back as even Daisy attempted to make a dash for it. He also began running and managed to tackle the girl to the ground. He almost got Leon as well, who only missed him slightly. Knowing he was under attack, Leon also armed himself and began attempting to hack at Blaze. Naturally, the more experienced District 1 boy overpowered him and again knocked him to the ground. "It's a shame neither of you could ever be what your predecessors were. I actually respected them both for the fight they had in them, so rare for a pathetic district. They certainly showed my brother up, but is that something I'm going to just get up and forget? Of course not. You owe me!" Blaze confessed as he pinned Leon to the ground. Almost immediately this had Kiva and the others attempting to attack him, but to no avail once the rest of the clearly superior careers began to intervene. It was only when Kiva tried to throw a metal shard directly at Blaze's head that he let Leon out of his grip, attempting to dodge the shard.

"NO!" Leon bellowed just as Blaze retaliated the attack by throwing a metal shard of his own that embedded itself straight into an unsuspecting Daisy's chest. Almost immediately the girl dropped to the ground, finding herself growing weaker from rapid blood loss.

"Sweet revenge, eh? And you didn't even attempt to fight me off. I'm leaving, finding myself a tougher challenge that would make even my brother proud." Blaze put on a smirk before walking off, realizing that the girl was very likely close to death. It seemed odd to Kiva he and the others would just take off while having a perfect opportunity to get multiple kills, but then again the boy had shown himself to be very much like his brother. A sadist. A sadist who wanted to prolong the pain as long as possible, and certainly the emotional pain that came from killing one tribute at a time counted in his books. Careers tributes always had a strange mindset, in Kiva's eyes.

"Daisy?" Daisy! Kiva suddenly realized the girl was still alive, having not heard a cannon. She and the others quickly dashed over to her side and began panicking. "Get those food sacks, quickly! We can bandage this!" She bellowed. Seconds later she heard something else moving closer. A parachute. Upon first glance Kiva noticed a large number 6 emblazoned into it. It was unmistakeably for her. Opening it, she found a sack of food and a single note from Zerviah. Vital organs are hit. You can't save her. -Z

[Zulera301]

Hazel's stoic, silent side showed as they searched. She had kind of felt like some type of 5th wheel during this alliance, as Leon and Daisy had each other, and so did Dezna and Kiva. Gleaning what she had from their little talks, apparently their mentors had coordinated an alliance of sorts. She was just lucky that Leon had taking a liking to her, and recruited her. Valendria had slaughtered her partner in the bloodbath, although the two had been mostly just acquaintances at that, so she didn't take it too personally. Besides, there was no way she'd be able to avenge him in a 1-on-1 against Valendria. That enormous girl would probably cleave her right in two.

Dezna had taken a liking to her though--it was just a friendly relationship (not even an attraction the way it was with Kiva, though Dezna did think that her dark skin and messy black hair were kind of cute), and he was sort of reminded of his own sister. Both Dezna and Hazel remained fairly quiet as they walked, the only thing between them being Hazel asking Dezna for her glasses back, which the boy handed over wordlessly and with a shrug. Even as they found Daisy behind the lone standing wall, the two tributes were quiet. There was a slight angle to it, as if it had once been part of a corner, but most of the other side of that wall was already gone.

Leon instantly felt guilty when Daisy began speaking. "Look... it was a stupid question, I know; I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight... I don't think any of us were," he glanced specifically at Dezna. No, if he had been sober, he probably wouldn't have asked it in the first place. On the other hand, he had just been curious; it was been far from an accusation anyways.
"Sorry..." he sighed again. "I should have remembered that."
Dezna and Hazel simply remained quiet, as neither of them had watched Daisy too closely, so they didn't know if she was good at survival or not. Hazel was obviously an expert at it, and Dezna was just really good at improvising or adapting to whatever situation he was currently in.
Maybe it was different being the mayor's daughter. they were the ones that were supposed to help ensure that order was enforced and that Capitol law was the law of the land. Obviously it was different in some districts, and Dezna felt that in particular, District 6's mayor was just a man whose hands were tied, and that he simply went through the motions instead of actually showing loyalty. He wondered if other districts were the same way.

"shit... where's Valendria when you need her?" Dezna quipped, pulling out his knife-like shards. Hazel pulled out a couple that almost resembled lopsided hammers, preparing to defend herself. Sure enough, the career pack was just District 1 and District 2. the boy from '4 had died in the bloodbath ironically, and Valendria was nowhere to be seen. Even with their menacing glares, however, at least some of the outlying alliance had their game faces on. Hazel was one of these, while Dezna just shrugged calmly and prepared to fight.

Dezna wondered where the fighting spirit of District 2 had gone. This year and last, they seemed to have reduced themselves to lackeys of the strongest tribute. It was an odd phenomenon in his opinion, as usually they scored higher than '1 anyways. He sighed. "good to see Victoria's alright..." he muttered sarcastically. Blaze was an asshole just as Flint had been, although seeing the massive boy reduced to a bloody pulp did tug at his heartstrings just a tad. He definitely was glad Rye killed him, but he did not like mutilation a whole lot. Maybe that was why his primary concern was not if he died, but rather that he wanted to die in one piece.

"No need to tell me twice!" Dezna took off at an angle, he and Hazel drawing the other three towards them. Roxanne launched a long, thin metal shard at Hazel, but she managed to strike it down with one of her own blunt chunks, doing so rather defiantly. She was clearly fighting to defend rather than attack. Leon, Kiva, and Daisy were dealing with Blaze, and part of Dezna was thankful that they didn't have to. Alan, Roxanne, and even Victoria all seemed to just be your everyday careers who fought to win instead of being sadistic and bloodthirsty like Blaze was. Hazel switched tactics and went for Alan, who was coming at her with an actual sword--one of the few weapons that had actually been placed in the arena as opposed to these weird metal shards. Behind her, Victoria approached them, and Dezna shifted to the right to get a good angle.

Pulling out one of his trusty throwing knives, he aimed it right at Alan, who ducked. Victoria, who was not expecting it, felt the blade graze her side, which caused her to let out a yelp of pain and surprise (mostly the latter. However, during Alan's brief disruption, Hazel struck his hand, causing him to release the sword, which the district 12 girl instantly snatched. The others backed away a little cautiously, and Dezna thought they had won, so he let out another battle yell. "Eeeyoooooooo!"

However, he realized that their 'victory' was short-lived. Daisy had been hit, and he could tell that the wound was mortal. She had a slab of metal sticking out of her gut. Hazel shook her head, standing in place with the sword in her left hand, and her fight hand touching her lips before she raised it in Daisy's direction. None of the tributes knew it, but at this exact moment, 11 floors up in the Training Center, Sagittaria slammed her fist on the table and shouted "MOTHER. FUCKER!" before groaning loudly.

Whatever the case, the careers took off again, sparing Leon for whatever reason, but even Alan, Roxanne, and Victoria fled after him, the latter still clutching her side from where Dezna's knife had hit. It seemed weird for them to flee after Blaze did, but on the other hand, Hazel had disarmed Alan, and Dezna had wounded Victoria, so maybe they wanted to regroup a little too.

Leon was naturally at Daisy's side, while Hazel simply put her hands together in front of her, not saying anything. Dezna figured that this was her way of simply accepting fate or something. Hearing Kiva's remark though, he quickly sat down and tried to pull out another sack of food, but not before Kiva received a sponsor gift. Based on the note that she was reading, the results weren't good, and he gave her a distinct look, shaking her head as if waiting for a confirmation of what he feared--Daisy was dead.

[Nachthexe]

The career pack was powerful and the encounter had very much confirmed it. Even through the combined efforts of the outlying alliance they only managed to give them minor injuries. It was bound to be only a matter of time before they were recovered and ready for more. In Kiva's mind it was now also very much confirmed that Blaze had an undying grudge against District 11, and for obvious reasons. The previous year they had outed the strongest tribute in the games and naturally with egos as large as those of the Difronzo siblings it was a big deal. Blaze was out to avenge his brother. There was no doubt about it and even the Reaping footage seemed to show hints of it. It didn't take Kiva long to recall the smirk that had formed on the 18 year old boy's face the moment he had stepped up to volunteer.

Leon very quickly found himself regretting everything he had said, realizing the fatal circumstances it had. There Daisy was, essentially drowning in a pool of her own blood. By that point everybody knew what was coming. Certainly Zerviah, the survival expert victor from District 6, did just as her note had indicated. However, much to everybody's surprise the girl managed to utter a few words despite the moans she had only been able to produce before. "This. Get this...to Sagittaria. She...must love...Rye." She managed to place her hand by her pocket, indicating that she wanted her district token, the Metallic rose, to get directly into Sagittaria's hands. Kiva quickly realized the significance in that Daisy knew she was doomed and that Rye had loved Sagittaria.

Kiva fulfilled Daisy's request to take the token. Naturally, there was no guarantee it would ever be fulfilled, but Kiva knew she had to try. She had a promise to Zerviah and certainly this qualified also. Next up was Hazel giving the same salute that Rye and Sagittaria had done the previous year with Kyla. Kiva wasn't entirely sure what it meant, only being able to guess it was a District 11 and 12 thing, but Daisy managed to return the salute just as she let out a few final moans. Seconds later the inevitable cannon blast blared through the arena, followed by a few seconds of silence, seemingly for everybody to absorb all that had just occurred.

"Don't you feel guilty about this, Leon. It's not your fault." Kiva was the first to speak, realizing there was a good chance that Leon would blame himself for his partner's death. It had been him who set her off the night before, after all. She quickly realized that it was a good chance that the effects of the Tracker Jacker venom had made her emotionally unstable, but it was a foolish thing to ponder now that the girl was dead by Blaze's hand.

Leon shrugged. "I'm not even surprised by this outcome. That boy wants District 11 out. I could see it in his eyes when he had me pinned down. I thought I was going to be the one to go, but then your throw managed to save me. Instead he went for the next best thing: an entirely unarmed and vulnerable Daisy." As he spoke he even shed a few tears, which he quickly wiped away. He couldn't afford to have the others witness him cry. Not now. Besides, it was now almost crucial that they got moving, both for a Capitol hovercraft to come pick up Daisy's corpse and so the careers couldn't return for some more action. Kiva as well seemed to realize it, picking up the sack of food from Zerviah and stuffing it into her backpack. It was bound to be excellent later on once they were settled into a new location.

[Zulera301]

At this point, Dezna seemed to want to keep Leon alive more than anything--well, at least till Blaze was dead. If he got the satisfaction of killing both tributes by himself, he probably wouldn't even care about dying. Maybe he was imaging the boy's mindset to be similar to his, but either way, it was a satisfaction that Dezna did not want him to ever obtain. He was not sure he would want to lay his life on the line for it, but he was feeling more and more for these District 11 tributes that he had only met a couple days ago. Or maybe he just hated Blaze. Sagittaria was right about them.

Dezna and Leon both mentally noted that if Kiva were to die, that they would try to fulfill Daisy's request for her. Hazel seemed to be the much more neutral party, but like Kyla the year before, she proved to be loyal enough, even if she was on the quiet side. It had been why she had saluted the fallen girl in the first place. District 11 and District 12, while technically still enemies in the arena like everyone else, had a similar bond to one another just like District 1 and District 2 did. The main difference was that one group was out to kill, while the other group mostly just wanted to stay alive. It was just another of many differences between the districts and their mentalities.

"Is that a District 12 thing?" he turned to Hazel, deciding to ask the question to get it off his mind.
"Yeah..." she nodded as she brought her hand back down. "It seems to have become popular in District 11 as well, lately too. It's just a sign of respect; a heartfelt goodbye."
A heartfelt goodbye... why didn't District 6 have one of those? Well... maybe it was because everyone was too damn blitzed to think of one (he still thought that most of last night's events were hilarious), but he might try his hand at that District 12 thing if he got the chance. Who knows? AS the cannon went off, Daisy's image appeared in the sky. Perhaps one of the advantages of an eternal night was that they could show a face at any time now, even if they only played the anthem when it was actually night. Besides... the 2nd place tribute's face always showed up right when they died. they weren't going to keep the poor victor trapped in an arena by his or herself till nightfall. No, as cruel and sadistic as the Capitol was, they did love their victors and wouldn't want them mistreated.

"I know... still... it's harsh; watching them die. I didn't think it would be this hard..."
Hazel once again remained stoically silent, accepting the situation around her, while Dezna simply gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Well... we're still here;" he indicated, deciding to not let his indifference to death get in the way of his comforting words, "and you're still here... let's win this thing for you; for Daisy; for District 11."
The boy had always been fairly good about comforting others, even if he didn't always follow through on his suggestions. This one, for example, was one he could not follow through, as he needed to bring someone home for District 6, preferably himself, although Kiva would also work if he too fell.

"Well then," he turned to the boy again, "let's get moving so they don't fi--what."
Out of nowhere (Dezna was fairly certain she had literally just appeared out of thin air), Glimmer from District 5 appeared, a nice bow and arrow set on her person. She approached Dezna, who was the nearest tribute, and held her hands up, which in turn caused the boy to put his throwing knife away that he had been about to throw.

"You." she pointed at him, keeping her distance and watching the others closely to make sure none of them sucker-attacked her. "Did you see Blaze come by here?" She seemed to not notice Daisy or how she had been killed. maybe she assumed one of them did it.
"Yeah," he shrugged, "they went that way just a few minutes ago." he pointed his thumb behind him to where Blaze and the others had taken off.
"Thanks." she slapped something into his hand before taking off rather swiftly in that direction. As she disappeared, she shouted out. "Varsha! 600 meters; 5-o-clock! Onward!"
There was the distant sound of footsteps, but it seemed to be going in Glimmer's direction--Varsha, perhaps?
The others looked just as confused as he had been, but Dezna smirked.
"Looks like we know who they're after now..." he nodded at the others, "come... let's put some distance between us and them..."

[Nachthexe]

Hazel's explanation of the hand gesture suddenly made more sense. It almost made Kiva feel disappointed that District 6 didn't have something similar, but much of the district seemed pretty unfazed by death anyway. It was a trait that had certainly shown in Kiva even as Daisy's cannon went off. She felt upset about not being able to help her, but the death itself had managed to leave her quite emotionless. Perhaps others were bound to perceive that as being cold, but these were the Hunger Games where death was inevitable. Hell, death was inevitable regardless of where one lingered and daily life in the 12 districts even served as a reminder of that.

It wasn't long after the group began moving once again that they had a second encounter. This time with Glimmer of District 5. Surprisingly, she didn't appear hostile and was really only interested in directions. Directions to the careers. Had she and Valendria(assuming they were still together) seen the death of Daisy and decide to seek out revenge of their own? Of course it was unlikely to be revenge and rather just a desire to go for who happened to be the most convenient so one of them could go home. Then again, even that theory didn't match up as the outlying alliance was no doubt consider the "weaker" of the two, thus easier to target. Kiva truly had a difficult time trying to understand the logic of both Valendria and Glimmer, whose intentions still were not even clear.

Dezna took the liberty of answering Glimmer before Kiva even had an opportunity too. It was oddly relieving though as it managed to get the mysterious girl out of her hair. There was no way of knowing whose side she was truly on so she felt it entirely reasonable to not trust her. "What is with her?" Kiva asked, noticing that Glimmer had placed something into Dezna's hand before taking off. "And what is that?" She continued, glancing closer at the boy's hand before taking his advice and beginning to dash in the opposite direction to that of Glimmer.

As the remainder of the group began dashing it felt oddly reminiscent of the Tracker Jacker chase. Of course now there was technically nothing after them, but there could be later. Glimmer almost seemed like the type who would turn on anybody on a whim if it meant winning. Valendria as well. That was something Kiva was very willing to take into account. Even if she still felt desensitized to death, since the death of Daisy she suddenly found herself with an even greater obligation to get either herself, Dezna, or Leon home. District 12 could have used a victor, but Kiva felt less of an obligation to Hazel, having not made a promise to Zerviah about either of the District 12 kids. Kiva wasn't even sure if Zerviah had spoken to the District 12 mentor like she had Sagittaria. Either way though, Hazel remained a valuable member of the alliance and Kiva wasn't about to leave her out simply due to promises to friends.

[Zulera301]

Maybe it was just him, but District 6 seemed to react differently to death than some of the others. Maybe they were just on a whole different wavelength from the rest of Panem. His feelings matched Kiva's in this regard, and he seemed a bit cold and indifferent to it, even though it had saddened him a bit. Still... death was a natural part of the vicious life cycle, and there was no avoiding it, even if he was able to win the games. Even if he was a victor, death would still come to him eventually, be it natural or caused. No one was immune.

Dezna was just as confused as Kiva and Hazel were about Glimmer's sudden appearance and disappearance. He wondered what the two girls were up to. There had been blood on some of Glimmer's arrows, and he knew that she had scored high, but what were these two powerful tributes doing? Even their alliance itself was rather odd, but their behavior now that they were in the arena seemed very erratic as well. Dezna just couldn't figure it out, and based on the expressions on everyone else's faces, neither could they.

"I wish I knew..." he shook his head in response to Kiva's inquiry, before looking at what Glimmer had slapped into his hand by uncurling it. "it's... a throwing knife?" Had the girl really retrieved the knife that had grazed Victoria's side? It seemed somewhat likely because during his distraction with Daisy's death, he had not watched where his knife had gone. "here I thought we were the weird ones... what are they doing..." he shook his head, as his question had been more rhetorical than anything, as he knew Kiva, Hazel, and Leon wouldn't know any more than he did.

His mind was still on that as they dashed away. Glimmer kind of reminded Dezna of Kyla from last year--fast, cunning, efficient, and ruthless. However, clearly Glimmer displayed strength and proved herself dangerous, while Kyla had played the element of surprise. He wasn't even sure what to think about Valendria. If anyone in this arena was playing by their own rules, it was her. What determined who was on her hitlist? Did she have a pattern, or was she simply trying to exterminate the strongest tributes first? If that was the case, why did she ally with and protect Glimmer the way she had at the bloodbath? He shook his head.
He felt a little more for Hazel, and hoped that she or Leon would be able to win it if he and Kiva both fell. his first obligation was naturally to himself, and his 2nd obligation was to District 6. He also wanted to make sure that Leon did not die by Blaze's hand. Anyone else, and he'd be fine, but he didn't want that boy to have the glory of slaughtering both kids from '11. After Dezna's obligation to District 6, he felt obligations to '11 and '12 in hopes of them winning. Besides, Hazel had proven herself useful over the last couple of days. She even had a stolen sword to prove it.

[Nachthexe]

"A knife? Your knife?" Kiva glared at Dezna puzzled. Now things were becoming very bizarre. Why would Glimmer, of all people, retrieve Dezna's knife only to return it? With the lack of real weaponry that existed in this particular arena the obvious response would have been to keep it. At least it would have been Kiva's response. Clearly Glimmer's motivations, while still uncertain, were quite different. Kiva didn't intend to find out the hard way either so was entirely prepared to fight her if necessary.

Not wanting to go through a repeat of the last incident, finding new shelter suddenly became of utmost importance to Kiva. With the loss of Daisy there were still 15 other tributes out there and Kiva was convinced that nearly all of them were hostile. Glimmer and Valendria were the one exception as nobody really seemed to know what they were up to. "We need shelter again. Any objections?" Kiva announced. Unsurprisingly, Leon took the lead once again, using his glasses to find his way around.

"No. You're right. The Capitol will be just begging for more action, but I'm not intending to give it to them." Leon chuckled, realizing that he was becoming quite comfortable in playing this game in his own way. If the Capitol wanted him to kill other children then he intended to do it, but only on his own terms. He wasn't about to do it simply because the Capitol had a bloodlust that needed fulfilling. No, he would kill for his own survival and that of his allies. At least as long as he could until they're eventually forced to turn on each other. That in his eyes was much more noble than the bloodlust so similar to that of the Capitol that the careers possessed. The murder of Daisy certainly proved as much and Leon had strong suspicions that Blaze would intend to make his death much more ruthless. The boy despised District 11, after all, and intended to avenge his brother's death at the hands of Rye.

[Zulera301]

"I think it's my knife..." he glanced at it, pulling out one of his other ones to compare it. Other than a bit of what was most likely Victoria's blood on the one Glimmer had handed him, they were exactly the same. This was definitely bizarre, to put it lightly. Why had the girl helped them? He could maybe see Valendria do something like that since it was clear that she didn't have District 6 on her kill list, but what was with Glimmer? He doubted it had anything to do with Albert, as they had only spoken to the boy a few times during training, and he had disappeared into the night just like Districts 3 and 8 had.
"Yeah... my knife." he gave Kiva a confused look. "your guess is as good as mine." He thought Valendria was the weird one. Et tu, Glimmer

"Nope." Leon nodded, and soon he began to lead them on again. Hazel and Dezna were both barefoot at the moment, having left their shoes at the old shelter, thinking that they were simply going to find Daisy and then bring her back. Well... that clearly hadn't happened, but neither one seemed to be complaining (at least about the shoes thing. Daisy's death was a sad enough thing that Dezna was fairly sure none of them would have wanted if it weren't for their current situation.)

"Eh, they'll get their action." Hazel shrugged, "they're probably throwing all these mutts and shit at Valendria trying to get her to snap. I don't think it's working though." there were no indications, let alone cannons, that went off for mutts or other non-human creatures in the arena, so it was very possible that some of the other tributes had had troubles of their own but had not succumbed to them. So Hazel knew Valendria's strength too... well, it was hard not to. She had really shone during the training, and her interview as well.
Dezna was just going to keep playing by his own rules. He would also work to protect Leon from Blaze. Sure the boy might have had justified reasons to hate District 11 thanks to Rye, who had killed his brother, and Sagittaria, who had talked all kinds of shit about them during her Victory tour and victor's interview, but at the same time, he was taking it out on two poor kids whose only crime was getting their name picked from a bowl. One of the perpetrators of the wrongs against Blaze was dead, and the other... well the other was out of his reach unless he won.

Luckily, he was fairly certain he, Leon, Hazel, Kiva, and maybe even Glimmer and Valendria, would be working to prevent that.
"Any idea where we are?" he chuckled.

[Nachthexe]

If anything, the retrieval of the knife was proof that Glimmer was at least on Dezna's side. For now. That was at least what Kiva managed to get from it after a bit of thinking about the subject. Clearly they saw the careers as the larger threat, but once they were dead? Then what? Would the deadliest tribute and her strong ally then turn on them? Kiva feared that, but it seemed a bit distant yet so tried to push it aside. She couldn't help but to think how odd it was that Albert wasn't also part of the alliance though. It was common for district partners to align with each other and it hadn't happened in this case. Kiva hadn't even seen Albert since the bloodbath either so the only indication that he was alive at all had been in the fact that his face didn't appear in the sky on that first night.

Mutts? Hazel was onto something, although Kiva suspected that if any had been released it would have been heard. The Tracker Jackers were perhaps the one exception since the nests were planted in the arena likely before the games even began, rendering them a part of the environment. Regardless, the careers had clearly been on the unlucky side, yet it had been Kiva to ultimately kill most of them. It suddenly got her thinking. Did she unintentionally protect them? Would they had discovered the gas thing on their own? District 6 citizens were perhaps fortunate in that they could identify various types of gasses and oils as they protruded from the Capitol's various vehicles. Kiva suddenly found herself chuckling at the thought that at least Victoria could have already been dead.

"It's doubtful. Mutts are usually not unleashed this early in the games. It will take a few days, at least." Kiva then commented, turning her attention towards Hazel. Her observations were good ones, albeit incorrect. "Besides, we would have definitely heard something. This is a very open air arena. Sound travels." Hazel nodded, realizing that Kiva had an excellent point of her own. If there was any consistent pattern the little 13 year old girl had noticed in previous games it was that Mutts were almost never unleashed within the first few days. It was obvious the Capitol preferred the tributes to fight each other, rather than them dying in a Gamemaker activated trap.

Dezna suddenly found himself growing concerned. He didn't seem to know where he was, but truth was that Kiva didn't either. The darkness, if anything, made navigation difficult. Certainly it had been the Capitol's intentions though to make for a more intense games. "No. I don't have a fucking clue." Kiva responded, chuckling while scratching her head. She genuinely didn't have much idea, but fortunately she tended not to care as long as there was somewhere to establish shelter. The thought of even eating some of the food Zerviah sent occurred to her before deciding to save it for a time of desperation. As trippy as the Tracker Jackers had been, they were a food source and had managed to keep the group going so far. They had even managed to produce a unique experience for the others, even if it had not necessarily been pleasant for Daisy. Still, just knowing that at least somebody had managed to have fun because of her suddenly brought Kiva to high spirits.

[Zulera301]

For some reason, the idea that Glimmer and Albert were enemies did not seem to click with Dezna very well. If anything, they were probably just working on different fronts, similar to Dezna and Valendria. They might not have been together, but they did seem to be on the same side for the time being. He was curious as to what had happened to the boy, but did not think too deeply about it. He was obviously safe since there was no cannons going off, and tributes that slowly died were not that intense unless it was a savage attack or something, which, based on the rather silence they were experiencing... didn't seem likely. Only 9 tributes were dead so far, leaving 9 others that he couldn't account for (AKA that were not in his alliance, or were not Glimmer and Valendria).

"Well, if not mutts, tracker-jackers could be bad enough. I remember a kid getting stuck in a tree for days because of a tracker-jacker next that he discovered." Hazel quipped. Dezna agreed with Kiva insomuch that he doubted mutts had been released this early, and that the tracker-jackers were probably just part of the arena rather than set in during the games. He wondered what it would have been like if they hadn't nearly run into Victoria. Would she have been dead since the wasps wouldn't have diverted their course? It was an interesting thought, and Dezna suddenly (but not actually seriously) blamed Kiva for the girl being still alive right now.

she nodded. "Still... stay wary." Dezna had trouble sometimes remembering that the girl was only 13. She was quite the clever one for being so young. The Gamemakers surely had a different definition of "early" than the tributes, and probably mixed things up to keep it fresh. On the other hand, Dezna figured that they weren't going to unleash anything with this many tributes still in play. More of them needed to die, preferably from the higher numbered districts (besides 6 of course). Dezna did notice clouds forming in the sky, but that didn't necessarily mean a storm. there were plenty of days and nights in District 6 where there were clouds without rain.

Dezna was not actually concerned for where they were; he was just curious. "well, it's not like I give a fuck either." he laughed. "as long as we're far enough away from the careers, I'm cool. I could do with some more tracker-jacker high though... woooooo." he giggled at the thought, and even Hazel cracked a smile.
"I don't believe I'm saying this... but you make a good point." the girl agreed, running her fingers through her own hair. "that was... exhilarating." the girl was still carrying the shortsword she had stolen form Alan, and he figured that he couldn't blame her. real weapons were much easier to wield, and in this arena, were much harder to come by.

[Nachthexe]

Despite being only 13 Hazel was consistently showing herself to be clever. Much like her predecessor she seemed to know a thing or two about survival. Perhaps it was almost mandatory in District 12, considering their rough conditions. Poor kids. They were forced to grow up so fast, but couldn't the same be said for the rest of Panem? Even before being eligible for the Reaping children gathered around to watch the games. It was mandatory, after all. It still didn't seem like much compared to the career districts though that likely began training their tributes before they were even eligible. It was all a vicious cycle that nobody could escape from, not even young children or the elderly.

A kid getting stuck in a tree? Now that was definitely something Kiva didn't recall. "Which year was that? The kid getting stuck in the tree I mean. That must have sucked hard." She commented, trying to imagine all the possible scenarios in her mind that would have a tribute climbing up a tree. Of course such a thing was kind of impossible here and Kiva couldn't decide if that was good or bad. Of course there was always the building frames, but they were obviously not the same.

Kiva burst out laughing once Dezna mentioned the Tracker Jacker experience. "Fuck, we're not doing that again. Last time we ended up killing one of our own." She joked, blushing suddenly as she realized that perhaps her joke wasn't in great taste. Her suspicions were quickly confirmed as she saw Leon glaring at her. "Uh...you're right. Anyway, moving on. Shelter. There looks like there's something just up there, but these damn piles of rubble just love to be in our way." Kiva quickly shifted the subject as she pointed off into the distance where there appeared to be another relatively intact building. Unfortunately it was quite a climb to get up to it. A climb that left all of them rather exposed, with only the darkness disguising their true position. Was it worth it? Kiva felt it was as it was bound to be protection from most attacks from other tributes.

Unfortunately, Kiva's plan became hindered a bit once clouds came out. It was a sign that this day(or night?) wasn't as dark, leaving the group even more exposed. Still, she was confident to snatch up what seemed like a prime location. "It leaves us exposed just trying to get up there, but it's ideal from a defensive viewpoint." Kiva explained as she once again pointed at her goal in mind. Leon also seemed to agree, nodding. That only left the consensus of Hazel and Dezna, but Kiva had strong suspicions they would be aboard regardless. At least Hazel now still had Alan's sword if they were to come under attack. That alone managed to increase Kiva's confidence, which had admittedly been lowered after Daisy's death.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was also aware that it was rare for someone under 15 to emerge from the games as a victor, but he did not want to pessimistically dismiss Hazel as a potential candidate. After all, everyone had at first dismissed the last District 12 girl, a half-deaf kid with a speech impairment who had scored a 6, and they all knew how well she had done. Heck, she had done so well that she was one of a very select few "fallen tributes" whose name had been immortalized. The same could not be said for her older brother, who was often jokingly referred to as being unremarkable. The truth would never be known, as the boy never had a chance to show his potential, and so the reputation of being unremarkable and unmemorable stuck. Kyla on the other hand, had become something of a legend that District 12 would surely look up to for years to come until they produced another victor.

"Oh, my bad." Hazel chuckled, "That happened back in District 12; not the 'games." She figured that she hadn't been clear on that, but it still elicited a chuckle from Dezna. "but aye, it sucked for him. He came out of the ordeal alive though. if he had tried to run earlier, he would have gotten stung numerous times, I'm sure."
"Sagittaria once saved a kid from a tree," Leon spoke up, she used Prim the crossbow to shoot the next down, and she did something with the arrow that made it all explode. It was pretty spectacular from what I've heard... if it's true at all." he chuckled. Oh how he would miss Sagittaria's stories if he didn't emerge as the victor. He knew the girl was full of shit, but her stories were always so vivid and so convincing that he was sure even the wacky ones had some truth to them.

"Oh come on... I'll volunteer to run away next time!" Dezna replied in kind, before he too noticed the expression Leon gave them. Hazel once again seemed stoic to the point of not caring. The kid had some serious willpower, that was certain. He had to hand at least that to District 12.
"Shit, this is when we need Lightning Bow, eh?" he quipped, "just have the rubble explode in a pile of rainbows. Fuck it, Kiva; if I run into any more tracker-jackers I'm doing it again." Hazel let out an actual laugh at Dezna's insistence, and perhaps their vulgar language. The latter was somewhat natural, as the games tended to bring out a vulgar side in tributes. Rye and Sagittaria had both sworn like sailors throughout the games last year. Dezna and Kiva were no different at this point.

Incidentally, it was Hazel who decided to take action, still equipped with the glasses and all. With little more than a node, she scampered up the side of the building, almost like a lizard. She was obviously not as fast as one, but before they knew it, the smaller girl was up there.
"It's clear up here," she called back down to them, "sorry Dezna; no tracker-jackers."
"Dammit!" Dezna snapped his fingers. "well... if we're asking who's in favor of climbing this thing, I say aye as well. Let's do this thing..."
He tossed Hazel his rope, which the smaller girl tied to a sturdy support pole, and from there, it was just a matter of climbing the rope before all four tributes were safely inside. Dezna pulled the rope up and stashed it again, not wanting anyone to get a free trip up.
"Well... today was... interesting." he quipped as he got comfortable, preparing to sleep for the night after downing more water. "well, besides Daisy's death anyways..." he gave an apologetic glance at Leon, who simply nodded.
"And I think we'll need to find water soon." he suggested, as he took another couple of swallows, leaving his bottle almost empty. "tomorrow though. right?"

[Nachthexe]

"Hell, seems shit gets rough there, eh? Worst I had happen to me was getting in trouble with the Peacekeepers when my sister and I attempted to pilot the vehicles in one of the warehouses. Needless to say we never did that again." Kiva explained, chuckling. Despite the current circumstances it was surprisingly comforting to reflect on some of the old memories from home. If anything, it provided something to look forward to. It provided incentive to make it out victorious. Not even the thought of having to kill Dezna could ruin Kiva's confidence at that very moment. Besides, if she was "lucky" then he'd die before that point, pitting her against one of the other tributes she cared less about. Victoria perhaps? She seemed petrified of Tracker Jackers so Kiva knew what to do there.

Dezna's mention of Lightning Bow suddenly gave Kiva an idea. A brilliant idea. There were plenty of metal shards littering the entire arena. Certainly enough to construct a similar contraption to the one she had constructed in training. If only she could get sponsored the remainder of the parts she needed... In the unlikely case that that happened she knew she'd be nearly invincible, something that her and the entire alliance could use at this point after losing Daisy. Not wanting to bring about disappointment and wanting suspense, it was not an idea she shared with the others. Instead she just began gathering extra metal shards, stuffing them into her backpack.

"Well I think we will be fine here for a bit. We need rest. It's been a long hard day." Kiva let out a sigh once the group was fully settled into their new shelter. It wasn't as spacious as the previous ones, but it hardly mattered now that there was one less person to fit in. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm sleeping." Kiva then added, leaning against the wall. Almost immediately she began reflecting on everything that had happened during the past couple of days: the Tracker Jackers, Daisy's death, everything. It managed to all be life-changing and everything to follow was only bound to be the same. Kiva knew that if she made it home she'd have material worthy of Sagittaria stories for sure. That alone would warrant meetings with the legendary victor of the 44th games while a victorious Kiva also basked in all the Capitol had to offer.

As far as deaths went the next few days managed to be uneventful with nobody having fallen since Daisy's premature death just days earlier. At that rate Kiva knew something was bound to be unleashed by the Capitol soon. They hated to go more than a few days without action. That worried Kiva slightly, but fortunately the entire group was prepared for what was to come. They had water and had eaten the last remaining food that Kiva had been holding onto from her first sponsor gift. That was only the beginning of Kiva's good fortune, however. Clearly through watching closely Zerviah had ultimately caught onto what Kiva was constructing. Without hesitation she had obtained sponsors for extra supplies. Each piece now held together the nearly completed contraption, which the girl was just dying to try out. Blaze certainly seemed like a desirable target, but like the rest of the careers he hadn't been spotted for days.

"This is nothing but a waiting game now. Either we act or the Gamemakers will." Kiva announced as the group relaxed in their latest shelter. Naturally, she was debating whether to go on the offensive or sit around waiting for something potentially much more dangerous than a tribute to make an appearance. If there was anything the Gamemakers were known for it was their engineering of dangerous Mutts exclusively for the games. Almost always it was something pertaining to the theme of the games; the previous year had been the raging jaguar Mutts and this year Kiva could only guess giant mutated rodents of some sort. The idea definitely seemed silly in her head, but knowing the Gamemakers they would find a way to make such a creature bloodthirsty and scary. They always did.

[Zulera301]

"Worst I did was light a fire with some spare oil." Dezna chuckled. "it was night, I was high, we had glasses and plenty of substance 21 to go around. Well... Peacekeepers busted my sister and I, so we bribed 'em with the stuff and they let us off. Thank our lucky stars that The Ghoul wasn't with 'em." He enjoyed riveting stories, which was another reason he wanted to meet Sagittaria by winning the games. They could talk about their various exploits over dinner when they were both in the Capitol as mentors. He didn't even care about everyone else dying at the moment. The stories made him laugh--a genuine, playful laugh.

After Dezna mentioned Lightning Bow, he suddenly got a brilliant idea of his own, remembering that he had a sturdy pocketknife that he could potentially cut things with, and he had plenty of rope and other bindings. It would be risky, but if he pulled this off successfully... well, Sagittaria might have a run for her money. Neither Leon nor Hazel seemed to worry a whole lot about what the District 6 tributes were doing. In fact, Hazel even postulated to the other boy that Kiva and Dezna were blitzed again and were just randomly picking up metal shards thinking they were food or something. It was not that Dezna didn't want them to know about it, but he too liked surprise, and more importantly, liked playing by his own rules.

"That's putting it lightly," he quipped at Kiva once they had settled into the smaller but safer shelter for the night. Leon closed his eyes, leaning against the wall with a straight face, probably still a bit distraught about Daisy's death. Hazel didn't seem to care about any of that, and was curled up in her little Hazel-ball like she always did. Dezna thought about what it would be like to win--things would just be better everywhere, both for him and his sister. They'd be able to return to their old shenanigans again, while living in luxury. He'd be able to meet Sagittaria and tell stories with them. There'd be no more Hunger Games for them (barring mentoring, but he could have fun with that. There was nothing stopping them from drinking or hitting up substances, he had heard. He was fond of Sagittaria for the same reason most people were. Her charisma and her appealing and hilarious stories were what made her attractive in many people's eyes. He was no exception.

Nothing really happened over the next couple of days, other than Dezna and Kiva working on things that became more and more obvious as time went along. He was able to shave bits off of some metal shards for bolts, and had built the body of his crossbow by carving off pieces of it with his pocketknife. It was a thick, powerful thing, clearly designed to carve through the metal. While it was designed for such purposes, that did not make carving through metal as easy as carving through wood, so it was a little slower. Still... it wasn't like they were going anywhere for a while. Sometimes Hazel or Leon would disappear for a while and come back with more water or something, and other than that, Dezna hadn't really moved either. What had happened, however, is that both tributes received small sponsor gifts that would help them finish their projects. It seemed that someone wanted them to be able to do this, and it was not just Zerviah. Dezna laughed at the note he got with one of them.
"Okay, so maybe you're doing better than Mirabelle, but Prim still reigns supreme. either way, tell Blaze that Sagittaria says hello."
~S~
It was rare for tributes to get sponsors from other districts, but it had been known to happen. Leon also received a couple of gifts of food from Saj, but he was nice enough to share them with Hazel, who wanted something that wasn't rat after a few days.

"We've got the high ground." Hazel reminded them, "unless the Capitol sends in a giant bird or a hovercraft mutt, we should be fine sticking around if you ask me."
"A hovercraft mutt?" Dezna laughed, testing the string on his crossbow as he loaded a few metal bolts into it. "That I would pay so hard to see... y'know. if I had any money. Still... what'll they be this time. Rodents Of Unusual Size?"
"the ROUS?" Leon exclaimed, "that reminds me of something Sagittaria once told us. They roam the distant outskirts of the district." this was actually true. There were some places where the rats were able to grow particularly large, but it was far from any inhabited areas.

"I'd rather not think of it." Dezna laughed, "but I'm with Hazel on this one... let's stick it out. We've got the high ground."

[Nachthexe]

Kiva felt that both she and Dezna would gain a pretty significant edge, provided they were able to fully construct their respective contraptions. Just as she was, Dezna seemed to also be making great progress. At such a crucial time, nearly a week into the games with so few deaths since the bloodbath, any extra edge was bound to be invaluable. "I've been thinking. If we successfully complete this shit we could be nearly unstoppable. At that point it might almost be worth launching an offensive." Kiva commented, chuckling as she was attempting to complete finishing touches on her device. Back home it would have been built within hours, but here in a place with such limited resources it had been a much larger challenge spanning over several days.

"That's easy for you two to say, but it could put us at risk." Leon reminded Kiva as he happened to overhear the discussion. Sure Hazel had her sword, but what did Leon have? Nothing but various metal shards he had managed to pick up over the days. "I doubt these Metal shards would be the most effective thing against Capitol Mutts." Leon continued, chuckling as the discussion quickly shifted. He knew Kiva had a point though. Either somebody would need to create action soon or the Capitol would, and Leon hated the thought of meeting his end by being torn apart by Mutt.

Kiva leaned back and let out a sigh. "Alright, but I will be blaming you when the Capitol sets Mutts on us." She chuckled before once again focusing on her project. It seemed to be in working order and admittedly more than anything she wanted something, or somebody, to test it on. If it worked then she knew she was on her way to becoming pretty much a legend, but if it didn't, well then she'd just go down in history like most other tributes after the games. It wasn't as if she cared hugely about fame though. Not like the careers did at least. Kiva knew that her main goal was returning home to her sister. The games were always the hardest in that they managed to split up countless families, almost always permanently.

A part of Kiva had been hoping for a calm day, but those feelings were short-lived upon hearing blaring of a cannon blast. Somebody had fallen, and seemingly so far off in the distance that she hadn't even heard a scream. Still, Kiva was left startled and warned the others to stay alert. "Shit, seems we spoke too soon. Something is definitely happening. Stay alert." At that, Kiva backed up against the shelter wall as far as she could. Last thing she needed was anything attempting to pull her down. There was at least one advantage here in that it was a hard to reach area for a regular tribute, although for a larger creature--a Mutt, it was much more accessible. Kiva wasn't about to overlook the possibility either that some were out there. This seemed like a large arena, but it also seemed odd that the sound of any angry Mutts hadn't travelled to their location. This seemed like such an open area for that not to happen. Had the Capitol engineered something silent to lurk around in the dark, attacking in the shadows? That was an even frightening thought to Kiva, managing to form a lump in her throat as she awaited to see what would happen next.

[Zulera301]

As Dezna continued to build his automatic contraption, his morale was still relatively high for many reasons. For one, their alliance had remained intact ever since the loss of Daisy, with even Leon and Hazel still resting comfortably with him and Kiva. On the other hand, he had also received Sagittaria's 'blessing' for building this mechanical crossbow that he had been working on for the past several days. Similar to Kiva's weird catapult contraption, Dezna was fairly certain that if they had been back in the district with the proper tools and materials, they would have finished these works in a matter of hours, much like they had in the training center. However, they were still making considerable progress with their makeshift tools and supplies.
"We'll become legends, probably." he chuckled. "Saj built something like this last year out of nothing but WOOD, and she somehow managed to keep it wroking for about a week." Clearly the girl had been his inspiration for this, and he couldn't 1-up a wooden crossbow, but his metal one would be pretty damn good. He couldn't help but work carefully, the signs of his talent in the field of craftsmanship clearly showing. It'd be a right shame if this boy had to die.

"Well, if nothing else, I can maybe lend you some knives?" he suggested, not wanting to count Leon out. he and Hazel had been particularly successful at finding them water, since they had the glasses and the stealth on their side because of their small size.
"I mean, both Kiva and I will have range on our side, so if we need more projectiles, we can help." It seemed they were taking a defensive up here, except that there was nothing to really defend themselves against. Still... Leon was right about the mutts. that would be a terrible way to die, and he especially didn't want it to be the way one of his friends went down. Maybe Blaze, but that seemed even a bit cruel for him.

"Makes me wish I had a bow." Hazel indicated with a chuckle. "I might have had a few reservations about killing other kids, but animals? Animals are tasty." Dezna chuckled at the joke. This little girl might not have been a Kyla, but at least she had no reservation about killing things. A lot of the younger tributes often did, and what usually happened was they died in the bloodbath, too afraid to use the weapons they had picked up against another child their age. It was a right tragedy that all but one of them had to die. That means he'd never see the kids he was surrounded by again. No more Leon and his voice of reason (because Dezna acknowledged that Leon was easily the most sane member of their little group. Hazel had been successfully corrupted.); no more Hazel and her sharp wits and cunning; no more Kiva and her black humor and District 6-style way of thinking (and no more Kiva and her attractive form; no more Kiva's cute little butt xD). Or would it be no more Dezna? No more Dezna and his good looks, lax emotions and beautiful fluffy hair; no more Dezna and his exquisite craftsmanship? No more Dezna and his black, District 6-style humor...

When the cannon boomed, Hazel crawled out rather swiftly to peek up at the sky. A moment's later, a face appeared, and Hazel crawled back inside.
"Albert, District 5..." she told the others with a shrug. The fact that it had been fairly silent in this otherwise rather good sound-carrying arena was what worried Dezna the most, though he did kinda shrug with the mentality of "I knew that guiy sorta..."
Then again, it was also relieving, because mutts were not very quiet. Tributes on the other hand, as Hazel had demonstrated, could often sneak in silence.
"If it's a mutt, I don't think the Capitol would make it impossible to see or hear." Leon suggested, "It would just rip all the tributes apart and then they'd have no victor." His words made him almost sound like Sagittaria for a moment, but Dezna had to admit that the boy had a point.
"Still, Kiva's right," he agreed, "everyone stay on your guard."

[Nachthexe]

"Well if I die you can always take this." Kiva chuckled as Hazel expressed desire for a bow of her own. Sure Kiva's contraption wasn't much of a bow, but it still served much the same purpose and was bound to now make ranged attacks a possibility. That was something not even the careers had this year. With a bit of stealth, taking them out suddenly seemed much more realistic. Even Hazel, the youngest member of the alliance, would have a role to play in that. Naturally though, it made Kiva all the more disappointed that everybody currently with her would have to die if she were to make it home. The loss of Daisy alone truly made that realization dawn on Kiva.

Albert. Kiva was slightly sad to see him go as he had been one of the few tributes to actually approach her in training, but she still remembered the inevitable. As cold as it was, she didn't mind the deaths of others as it meant she was one step closer to home. Or Dezna. She still didn't overlook the possibility of him making it home instead of her. Despite only being a week into the games there was still the possibility that anything could happen, especially with 14 tributes still in the playing field. "It's a shame. I liked that kid. Kinda. It's a shame Blaze's face wasn't there instead." Kiva commented once Hazel returned. She then burst out laughing, realizing she truly couldn't resist the opportunity to take a complete jab at the fearsome and sadistic Blaze who was seemingly out for nothing but revenge.

Kiva realized Leon had a point. Would the Capitol really be as sadistic to create a stealthy Mutt? Certainly it would make sense in a lit up arena, but here where there was constant darkness it hardly seemed practical. Tributes were ideally supposed to kill tributes and Kiva could only suspect that was what had killed Albert. "Hah, I didn't think of that, bu...shit! We spoke too soon." Kiva's original doubts were proven wrong almost as soon as she thought of them. There it was. The sounds of footsteps from what was unmistakeably a Mutt of some sort and it only seemed to be coming closer. "This is the part where I would command us all to make a run for it, but I think we've got this!" Kiva shouted as she loaded up her contraption. Finally. If anything, this encounter would serve as an opportunity to test her creation.

It was funny. Out of all the possibly creatures that could have been made into Mutts the Capitol seemed to had chosen the most obvious this time: rats. At least that was what the creatures resembled as they charged towards undoubtedly the first scent they picked up. Having the obvious night vision advantage, Leon took a close glance at them and noticed the one in the lead was already bloodied. Albert's blood perhaps? They had killed, but relatively silently. That perhaps made them more dangerous than originally anticipated. Still, without hesitation Kiva launched one of the metal shards directly at the creature. She couldn't decide if it was pure luck or impeccable aim, but she had managed to hit the lead creature straight in the eye. However, that only seemed to anger it, causing it to pick up the pace directly towards the elevated shelter.

As the creatures came closer Kiva began fearing for the worst. They were definitely large enough to reach up to any of the tributes with the only redeeming quality being their lack of elongated limbs. The Capitol had clearly done at least one thing right and had not messed with their limbs, but the teeth compensated for it. Once the creatures opened their mighty jaws rows upon rows of massive fangs were revealed. It was like something straight out of nightmare, even leaving Kiva frozen in fear for a few seconds before finally launching a second shard, which this time deflected off the creature's obviously solid teeth. "I'm dying to know who the hell did this rat's dentistry!" Hazel shouted as she too began to go into panic mode as she was nearly bit into two by the creature's jaws.

[Zulera301]

"I'll keep that in mind." Hazel quipped. Nah, she could use the sword--not expertly, but decently enough it seemed. It was not a very heavy thing, after all. It seemed that even the small girl realized that eventually, in order for her to go home, everyone else would have to be dead. On the other hand, she did not decide to dwell on it for very long. There were still 11 other tributes outside of their alliance, and perhaps a few more of them could die first. That was what Dezna was thinking as well, apparently.

"heh." Dezna chuckled at Kiva's black humor, "if he was there in the sky I'd probably try shooting his face." he fired a couple of test bolts against a wall. He was fairly accurate with them, anyways.
"I wouldn't mind that," Leon nodded in agreement.
"I'd drink to it, anyways." Dezna chuckled, and Hazel nodded in agreement with all of them. They were already a week into the games... it had been a whole week since they had been enjoying the luxuries of the Capitol... since that beautiful (and admittedly, rather sexy) moment on that balcony. Oh what he would give to have one more moment like that again. He hoped he could at least outlive Hazel and Leon, if nothing else, for that reason.

"Huh..." Hazel peeked out before recoiling. "so the ROUS really do exist." Dezna smirked, checking his crossbow one last time. "Well then... I suppose it's time for them to say hello to my little friend..." He cocked and loaded the large mechanical crossbow that he had been spending the last few days perfecting. HHe had finished it by day 4, but had proceeded to test it since then to ensure that it functioned well and would not break like the wooden one that Sagittaria had built the year before. By now, it was actually a rather fine specimen of extraordinary craftsmanship. "Bianca, baby... introduce yourself!"

He began firing bolts fairly rapidly (about one every 2 or 3 seconds), which slowed the creatures down, but it took several well-placed bolts to kill them. His bow had impressive power, and the range was good enough to stop some of the rat pack in its tracks. Luckily there was no shortage of metal shards that he had whittled into bolts--he'd need them it seemed. "Let's dance, you sons of bitches!" he cocked the weapon again, letting out a volley that killed another of the creatures after he stuck it like a pincushion.

His mistake came when he reloaded. During this brief time, he felt a searing pain in his right arm, but it was surprisingly brief. "MOTHER OF--" he began before glancing that way, where he saw a rat's teeth in his arm, but their grip loosened. Kyla's sword was sticking right through the animal.
"Shit..." he laughed, shaking off the pain, "I owe you one."
One of the disadvantages of all of Dezna's drug usage was that he did not feel pain quite as much as normal people, for while the drugs had sharpened his reflexes, it had dulled his sense of touch in particular. That had been part of the reason why he had enjoyed groping Kiva that night when they had been naked. Now, his limbs were not numb or free of feeling; just that it didn't hurt as much as he felt that many rows of serrated teeth should be.

Still, the slight blood aside, he got his crossbow loaded and began unloading on the rodents once again, determined to survive this onslaught. Hopefully there was nothing toxic in the bite. He felt like they were trying to aim for the tributes' throats--maybe that was why Albert had died so quietly...?

[Nachthexe]

Even as Dezna shot the mighty creatures there didn't appear to be any sign of them slowing down. Thankfully, there seemed to be a nearly unlimited supply of metal shards littering the arena as it was these that Kiva too continued launching at the creatures. It was only when she managed to shoot one directly into one of the creature's foreheads that she managed to have some luck. It was clear to Kiva that the shard had hit vital areas, causing the creature to convulse before finally falling to the ground, dead. "About damn time, you motherfucker! Now it's your turn!" She bellowed at the others as she loaded up her contraption to take another shot.

Kiva knew that their spot was perhaps ideal as soon as the creatures began trying to take a jab at her and the others. THey seemed to be aiming for the throats in particular, which brought Kiva to an epiphany. Was that how they had managed to kill Albert so silently? Certainly with the throat severed it was bound to be impossible to even scream. So the Capitol hadn't laid off the sadism when designing these creatures, hardly even giving the boy a chance to get help from whoever he was allied with(if he was at all). Despite this though, they didn't seem to hugely care at this point which taste of human flesh they got. The rat's teeth penetrating Dezna's arm proved that. Taking notice of this, Kiva kicked the creature in the face and once it was slightly winded, Hazel stepped in and began slashing it with her sword. Ultimately, Kiva managed to finish it off with another shard of metal to the head. "Goodnight sweet prince." Kiva remarked as the last creature fell over in a bloodied mess, having been finished off by Hazel and Leon as Kiva had finished off the other. Almost immediately, all three fell over, exhausted.

"Well that was enough action for one night. We were the lucky ones too since we happened to be elevated." Kiva explained as she adjusted herself to be upright against the shelter's back wall. Unlike the last this one lacked a roof, allowing the moonlight to shine directly overhead. Oddly enough it seemed to bring some relief to the girl, even if only in the fact that she was living to see another night. At least the arena's version of night. With eternal darkness it tended to be difficult to distinguish. "Shit, your arm!" Kiva quickly began worrying upon taking a single glance at Dezna's arm. Despite her being fortunate and ending up with only a small wound, it was dirty. Whatever had been in the creature's teeth and saliva was quickly spreading, creating infection. Venom of some sort? Kiva began to fear for the worst. "Where's a god damn doctor when you need one?" She uttered as she hastily rummaged through her backpack for one of the empty food sacks. A part of her knew that bandaging it ultimately wouldn't stop the infection, but resources were limited.

Just as Kiva was preparing to bandage Dezna's wound a parachute began floating towards her. This made her face lit up as it was unmistakably for her. "Well they couldn't ask for a better time." She moaned as she caught it and opened it. Inside was what appeared to be medicine of some sort and yet another note from Zerviah: Anti-venom. Gifts aren't cheap for sponsors. Use it well. -Z "Thank you. Somebody clearly likes us to have bought this." Kiva continued as she filled the syringe with the formula that was bound to be life-saving for Dezna. For once she actually felt fortunate about her drug use. If anything, it had made her familiar with syringes and other such devices and now such skills were crucial. Knowing that, she injected the formula directly into the veins around the wound before finally bandaging it up.

"You should rest." Kiva advised moments later as Dezna still appeared to be showing signs of weakness. She was confident that the boy would be fine, but she couldn't help but to realize that his had been the first major injury among the group. Sure there was Daisy's, but hers had been mortal anyway with no way of saving her with any resources in the arena. Still, Kiva realized that the group had been pretty fortunate up to this point, remembering that Rye had taken an injury to the leg only a few days in. In fact, it had been that injury alone that almost resulted in his death at Flint's hands before Krystal had stepped in and sacrificed herself instead. That was an extremely rare and noble deed on her part, one so rare for a career tribute. However, it was also one that was never able to be repaid. The girl had shown immense amounts of generosity and paid with her life. Not even Dezna could live up to that if he ended up slaughtered in these games. In fact, it was bound to be something difficult for anybody to match as everybody just wanted to make it home.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was not sure how many of them there were, but they took a long time to kill. Still, he and even Hazel had managed to off a few; Hazel with her sword (she had cloven at least a couple of them in two--nothing could survive that), and Dezna with his repeating crossbow. "Did someone order a shot in the face!" He pulled the loading mechanism back really far and unleashed 5 bolts in rapid succession, peppering another rat's forehead with bolts to the point where it stopped moving. He was glad that they had had so much downtime over the last few days--it had given him plenty of time to make plenty of his long, thin, arrow-like bolts out of metal shards that his weapon needed.

Hazel was successful in stopping the creature on Dezna's arm, but the last of them, likely attracted to the smell of Dezna's blood, lunged for the same spot. Hazel and Kiva reached it long before it reached his arm, cutting it to pieces and blasting it, respectively.
"Well..." he chuckled, ignoring the wound, "that was... exhilarating..."
"I think I'd rather take the careers over those." Hazel quipped, dropping her sword rather unceremoniously and then slopping onto her butt on the floor away from the others. It was only after his muscles relaxed that Dezna realized the pain in his arm was not subsiding. It was growing. Well... that would be troublesome.

He sat next to Kiva, trying to ignore it, but... she noticed anyways, despite his dark red jacket. He shed it (but had those gloves and an undershirt on still), letting Kiva get a better view of it in the rather bright moonlight. Hazel, as she so often did, remained rather quiet, not being too versed in the art of healing, and not wanting to interfere where she had no expertise. It seemed to her that Kiva knew what she was doing anyways.
"This?" he glanced at it, curling the fingers of his right hand. the wound was above the elbow, and so the gloves he wore could stay on. "'tis but a flesh wound." He just didn't want Kiva or the others freaking out. If this was how he was supposed to die, then so be it. Hopefully it wouldn't reduce him to a pile of rancid unidentifiable flesh. Maybe it was like a slower, more painful version of Nightlock.

He glanced up and saw the parachute. There was no real way of telling if it was for him or Kiva, because it just had a number 6 on it, and they were 3 feet away from each other. Either way, he didn't care, and chuckled at the notion, smiling when he learned that it was medicine.
"Good to know that the Capitol hasn't forgot about Dezna Lightning." he joked. Considering that he was technically dying as they spoke, he was taking it rather lightly. He knew full well that Kiva was as good at shooting something up an arm as he was, and so he let her do it. He could have done it left-handed though bad had come to worse (he was not left-handed like Sagittaria was.), but he was trusting enough of his partner's judgment.

"aaahh..." he sighed as Kive shot him up. "yeah... rest sounds like a good idea... I could do with a hit of tracker-jacker right now though." he chuckled. Even while injured, he was still in a good mood. The boy really did have an unbreakable will. He owed Kiva (and perhaps that sponsor as well) his life. Perhaps he'd have to remember that. He was fairly good at paying back debts.
So far, Hazel seemed okay. Leon was a little shaken about the whole ordeal, and he got this sense of deja vu. Here were two tributes from the same district (except this time 6 instead of 11) where the boy had been injured, and they had allied with a District 12 girl. He mentally chuckled at that irony, although it was a very different story this time around. There had not been a heroic sacrifice to save the boy (just a heroic sponsor), and as much as he might have liked his three friends, he was not exactly sure he'd put his life on the line for them. He didn't think they'd do the same for him either though, so it was nothing personal.
Dezna's eyes grew heavy, and he personally kind of hoped that there was some sort of hallucinogen in that antivenom. He would figure that out later though; for now he was asleep.

[Nachthexe]

"At least the careers wouldn't be inserting venom into our bloodstreams." Kiva responded, chuckling. Sure Blaze was a sadist and pretty much hellbent on killing the District 11 pair, but they had one thing over the rat Mutts: the lack of potentially lethal venom. Not to mention that human opponents were bound to be much more predictable. Blaze especially was now pretty much confirmed to be the type to draw out encounters while the remainder of his group stood by and watched. Kiva wasn't sure how the careers decided who was to lead them, but over the past couple of years with both Blaze and Flint she had noticed that each of the others seemed to submit to the Difronzo brother entirely. A form of idolatry perhaps? It seemed rather odd as past career groups have had a much more even distribution of power.

"No, Dezna Lightning is not out of this game. Not yet." Kiva smiled at Dezna's remark. It was incredible to her that, despite his current condition, he was able to retain a sense of confidence. It showed that he was a fighter and was prepared to struggle until the end. Now Kiva could only hope he didn't obtain any more life-threatening injuries as further into the games sponsor gifts tended to go up in price, and if Zerviah's note had been any indication the anti-venom had already been pricy. Clearly one of the wealthier Capitol citizens had taken an interest in the District 6 pair.

Once Dezna fell asleep it wasn't long before the others did the same, leaving Kiva alone to contemplate about everything that had happened. She realized that tributes were being killed at a rather slow pace. In previous years a week into the games was usually when numbers were beginning to become slim, yet this year there had been exactly two tribute deaths since the bloodbath. That alone made Kiva suspect that eventually the Capitol was going to begin rigging the arena with all sorts of additional traps, and not even only dangerous rat Mutts. They wanted bloodshed and tributes were not providing it themselves. Kiva almost had an urge to go after the careers, but knew it was a gamble in Dezna's current state. He needed time to heal and the current shelter seemed ideal for that, being elevated off the ground. Even the stench of the Mutt corpses beginning to fill the air didn't serve to change her mind. Not yet anyway. Instead, Kiva too began to doze off, trying to divert herself away from the stench.

The next day came without incident with even Dezna beginning to show some improvement. Still, feeling extra cautious Kiva didn't intend to do anything drastic. "How are you feeling?" She asked the boy, stroking his hair as he stirred finally. It seems the others didn't mind him resting, having gone down and collected meat from the dead Mutts. Despite the creature's toxic bite they seemed to suspect that with some precautions the meat was edible. Kiva certainly hoped so, beginning to feel quite famished.

[Zulera301]

"tell me about it." Dezna nodded with a chuckle, "ah well... maybe next time we meet I can infect them all with severe cases of death.... or maybe off that pair from '3 or '8 that we haven't seen at all yet." He made a decent point that there were still plenty of tributes out there. If he wanted to achieve his wish of being remembered (if he didn't win of course), he knew he would have to take a much more remarkable position than 14th. The funny thing about it this year was that Dezna was more worried about Glimmer, Valendria, and the kids from '3 and '8 that he hadn't even seen yet, than he was about Blaze, Victoria, Alan, & Roxanne. Maybe that had been part of what had intrigued him and many others about little Kyla last year. For the first couple of days, no one really saw much of her as the action was focused on District 11, the careers, and those wily tributes from District 3.

"Good," he chuckled, "if that happens again, then I better be sacrificing my ass for one of you." he glanced at the others. No, even when injured and had already faced the prospect of death, he still had a good attitude about it. He had been about this close to accepting that he would die here, but apparently someone wanted him still alive. Still... perhaps they had already paid a price for delaying action for so long. Sponsor gifts apparently went up in price with each passing day, which explained why Sagittaria had sent her personal gift so early. District 11 might still get sponsors, but the significance of the first gift had been that Saj had purchased it herself with her own (comparatively) meager funds.

It almost made sense that such an urban environment would be rigged with traps. He had heard stories (not from Sagittaria incidentally) that the Capitol was armed and rigged with various traps in case there was another attack or something. Obviously he could never actually prove or disprove that (nor did he want to), but it didn't terribly surprise him. Dezna wondered where Valendria was and why there was not more killing going on. Mybe she had an off day, or maybe they were not finding anyone. This arena seemed to be an excellent place to play hide-n-seek, a game that he and Arza were very familiar with back home. They hid while the Ghoul seeked. (okay sought, but seeked sounded better). Dezna's sense of smell did not bother him with the stenches of the dead rats, and his fatigue (which he believed was partially brought on by either the venom, the antivenom, or both) soon helped him sleep comfortably.

He awoke the next 'morning' (or rather, a few hours later into this eternal evening) feeling a little groggy, but otherwise content. He glanced around and saw Hazel missing, but assumed that she was out getting water or something. Leon was still in the other corner, asleep.
"I'm feeling a little better," he nodded, "still a bit tired, but eh. we're in a shithole anyways, so I figure that's natural." he sighed gently, closing his eyes and almost purring as Kiva ran her fingers through his hair. It was not quite as delightfully fluffy as it had been in the Capitol, but it was still fairly soft and reasonably clean considering how long they had been out. That, and he still loved that feeling as much as ever.

He jolted a moment later when he heard a cannon, butbefore he could get up, he heard the sound of someone climbing their building--a very distinct sound. It was Hazel.
Sure enough, moments later the little 13-year-old poked her head up and glanced at the others. "District 8." she told them, clearly referring to the cannon, "the girl."
Dezna shrugged that one off and turned to Kiva as he noticed the meat.(and as Hazel got comfortable again).
"So... you guys actually contemplating eating these things? I'll be the taste-tester if you want... that way if any shit happens to me I'm already half-dead anyways so you all can get off scot-free, right?" He didn't think it'd be that bad. He was fairly certain that his body had at least some degree of immunity to poison or toxic substances thanks to the drugs he used to take, but he would much rather risk himself in his current state than have them all die of food poisoning or something trivial like that.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva did find it odd that there had been so little killing occurring, especially with Valendria still in the games. Maybe the girl was holding back, awaiting the right time to strike? Kiva could only hope that "right time" wasn't when she encountered their little group because there was no doubt the larger and more skilled girl would overpower them all. Fortunately though nobody else seemed to be nearby so Dezna was still afforded time to heal before moving on. "Don't be doing that. Somebody clearly paid good money to keep you alive." Kiva responded to Dezna's thoughts about sacrificing himself before chuckling. If he was going to play hero she at least wanted it to be a crucial moment that would be remembered in years to come. Dezna was somebody who had clearly shown himself to not deserve just being forgotten like most tributes were.

"Great. I was fearing you'd die in your sleep or something." Kiva responded to Dezna as he woke up the next morning. What she didn't admit was that she was confident the boy was going to be fine, but despite their situation the boy still seemed to react well to humour. In that way he reminded her a lot of the previous victor. Sure she had been blitzed during much of it, but Sagittaria's constant jokes alone managed to bring plenty of laughs to Kiva. It was only in the final moments when she suddenly began to feel sad for the girl, realizing that she had lost Kyla and was about to lose Rye. On the other hand, it was hard for her to even imagine how Daisy must have felt as she watched her crush die on-screen. That alone almost made Kiva feel like the girl was better off dead. She had had the emotional instability the night they were all blitzed to show for it.

Dezna's offer to test the rat meat was generous, but Kiva was reluctant. What if the meat itself was dangerous? Somehow it seemed unlikely, but initially it wasn't a risk she wanted to take. It was only when the boy pointed out his own delicate condition that Kiva finally agreed. He was right, after all. There was no sense sacrificing themselves when they were still in decent condition. Letting out a sigh, she handed slabs of it to Dezna as Hazel passed them to her. "This better be worth it." Awaiting feedback from the boy she once again leaned against the wall, just as she heard a cannon go off.

Before Kiva had a chance to even ask Hazel pointed out the unfortunate tribute. The district 8 girl. Kiva couldn't recall the girl's name, but the curiosity got the better of her. What had killed her? "What happened?" She asked Hazel, hoping the girl would have some idea. It seemed unlikely though as their little group continued being cooped up in their little shelter away from everything else. Maybe Valendria was finally going on the offensive? Naturally, that made Kiva worrisome as it meant there was only a matter of time until District 6 was on her hit list.

[Zulera301]

Glimmer and Valendria were in fact on the loose. It was unclear to Dezna and Kiva what they were doing, but there was a reason Valendria had allied with Glimmer. The smaller girl was the eyes and ears of the larger girl, using her stealth and speed to locate and/or distract the other tributes before Val came in and did them in... or something like that.
"Nah, I won't." he nodded, "but if something does happen, you better win, y'hear?" he felt fine with saying that since Hazel was gone at the moment and Leon was asleep. Otherwise he would have been more discreet about it so that the others didn't think they were about to be betrayed or something (since they weren't).
Luckily (and perhaps unbeknownst) to Kiva, Sagittaria had taken a liking to Dezna too. For one, he was very easy on the eyes (and while her love and dedication had been to Rye, Saj still had the hormones of a 17-year-old girl and couldn't lie to herself to say that part of her was not physically attracted to the boy), and for another, she liked his wacky antics. if he died, Saj would be able to help anyone who wanted to immortalize Dezna.

"Well..." he chuckled as Kiva's soft voice greeted him, "I'd much rather die in my sleep now than be ripped to shreds by rat mutts later." he joked. He was not saying he was going to die (other than the fatigue and a light tingling in his arm from where the medicine was working, he felt okay); he was just being Dezna Kadi Meraxa, with his weird sense of humor. While it did remind him of Sagittaria, it was not because of her that he acted like this. This was simply who he was; a laid-back, lax young man with a nice attitude that kept him tranquil. If anything, he almost felt like a cross between Sagittaria and Rye. He was the calm, loyal, and honest fellow that Rye had been, while he was also the amusing, playful and story-laden figure that Sagittaria was. On the other hand, maybe he was just blitzed still.

"Don't worry," Dezna chuckled, "The odds will ever be in our favor." he said it with such confidence that it was hard to even deny his request. This was not exactly the noble kind of sacrifice he wanted to make, but if that was what fate had in store for him... then so be it. Really though, his condition was not that bad. the medicine had worked--hardly a surprise given the level of Capitol technology. Dezna was even sort of sure that they could raise the dead if they wanted. Not that it would ever happen, but perhaps another reason to die intact? It gave him a chuckle thinking about it.

"I heard someone shout "HEADS UP!" before I heard a sound." Hazel explained, interrupting the others, "considering that Valendria did the same thing at the cornucopia when she killed my partner and a couple of other kids, I'm fairly certain it was either her or that girl that's following her.
"Glimmer..." Dezna gave the girl's name. "and yeah... she shouted "duck" at me when she threw an axe into the girl behind me... so that does seem quite her style. Do you think she was coming this way?"
"She was heading west of here," she thumbed the direction, in case her mental compass was off.

"well then..." Dezna changed the subject slightly, "time to see if the odds are in my favor or not..."
The thoughts flowing through his mind were truly some of the most malevolent ones he could think of at the moment (which ironically, was not much for a boy with his mindset), but he couldn't resist.
He took a piece of the meat and tore off a piece with his teeth, cheweing and swallowing. there was a moment of silence as Dezna seemed to contemplate the effects, until suddenly he instantly tightened every muscle in his body and shouted, causing Hazel and Leon to gasp. A second later though, he relaxed and laughed. "Just shittin' ya... it's fine." He knew that he'd get a rant from Kiva because of that... but it was worth it.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva was relieved upon discovering the meat was safe, although Dezna's initial actions have had her freaking out. "Fuck you." She responded, playfully slapping the boy as he sat up. Despite the boy's intentions, it had her thinking. What would she have done if he had died right there? She wasn't even sure how far she could get through these games alone. Sure she had Hazel and Leon, but they were from different districts, thus their loyalty wasn't guaranteed until the end. Friendships always came second in the Hunger Games and any victor or aspiring victor knew that.

Valendria? She had killed the District 8 girl? Kiva was beginning to notice a pattern, one that Hazel also seemed to picked up. Admittedly, this impressed Kiva due to the girl's young age, but it was the girl's next observation that left Kiva both surprised and worried. Valendria was heading in their direction? Why? To kill them off too? Kiva wasn't even sure what had motivated the girl to kill the District 8 girl, but she wasn't quick to forget the incident at the Cornucopia. Dezna's life had been saved by Valendria's quick thinking, even if unintentional. That alone made her motives unclear, but there had also been the incident with Glimmer who had been determined to find the careers. Kiva had no idea if she had succeeded, but she suspected not as clearly all four of them were still very much alive. Kiva could almost imagine them plotting an ambush on her alliance in order to get their hands on the token tribute, Leon. During the last encounter Kiva saw it very clearly in his eyes that he had intended to kill the boy first before she managed to intervene. If only that slab of metal got him then and there...

Knowing that the meat was safe, all the others began joining in on eating it. Ironically, it was turning out to be the most they had eaten in the arena in days. Remember Zerviah's advice, however, Kiva was still carefully managing her diet and not taking in too much. The District 11 and 12 kids certainly knew as much too, considering their backgrounds. "Thanks for the food, Capitol." Kiva commented between mouthfuls, chuckling. It had the others chuckling as well and Kiva knew it was bound to be a good day, provided they didn't face any attacks.

[Zulera301]

"you'd like that." he retorted with a chuckle. Yeah, he had expected and deserved every bit of that, slap and all. On the other hand, he realized that it might leave an impact. Perhaps Kiva valued Dezna the same way that his sister Arza did. Arza was the main reason that Dezna wanted to come home. Still... as long as he lived, he could keep his loyalty to Kiva. He wasn't sure that he could make the same offer that Rye and Sagittaria had made to each other when they were the only ones left, but he'd only worry about that if he got that far. Hopefully his fatigue would disappear with some more rest.

"What is with that girl?" Dezna tilted his head, still leaning against the wall. "she doesn't seem to want to drink our blood... but everyone else's? I'm at a loss." He wondered if Valendria liked them... but even if she did, that didn't explain Glimmer. Surely if the girl was Valendria's eyes and ears, she could outrun the larger girl, so there had to be a reason they were sticking together, and he knew nothing about where Glimmer's loyalties lay. It was strange indeed. Maybe that was why he feared the careers a bit more--their intentions were clear, and Leon was obviously the one that had the most to fear. Maybe Hazel too, considering how destructive the girl from District 12 had been last year, but he was fairly certain that Blaze's target was just District 11. It made him want to protect the boy--not necessarily to the point of heroic sacrifice, but definitely to keep him out of Blaze's clutches. He sighed and closed his eyes, wishing that Kiva would scratch his head again.

"This ain't too bad." Dezna quipped, "I think a shot of roasted tracker-jacker would do good, but then again, maybe there's trace amounts of hallucinatory venom in these too." He hoped he could hallucinate at least one more time before he died. That would be ideal. He put his jacket back on, shivering for a moment before resuming eating. He had long since forgotten where he had left his shoes.
"Thank you for thy bounteous hand that feeds us, O Capitol." he joked after Kiva's remark. Surely the Capitol would twist that into being sincere, but he was fairly certain that Districts like 6, 11, and 12 (and probably even 8, which was supposedly rather rebellious as well), would see right through it. All in all, his injury aside, it was shaping up to be a pretty decent day, despite the... well, lack of daylight.

[Nachthexe]

"That's what I fear, that we won't ever know her true intentions until it's too late. She could just as easily turn on us as she had those others. She spared you at the Cornucopia though. There must be a reason." Kiva mused, realizing that Dezna was just as puzzled about Valendria as she was. Glimmer too was beginning to come across as quite mysterious and Kiva suspected that she hadn't been aligned with her district partner, Albert. He was probably killed alone, unless others he was with managed to get away? There were so many questions running though Kiva's mind that would probably not be answered, and it was beginning to bother her slightly.

The others chuckled as Dezna returned Kiva's remark. It seemed odd they were even saying such things, even jokingly, but Kiva knew that somehow the Capitol would twist it. They had an image of district loyalty to retain and what better way to do it than through a few tributes thanking them for food? Kiva wasn't quick to forget that the games served as a form of propaganda as well. she could already picture their reactions in her head: "See, we do provide food to the Districts. We are the sustainer of Panem." "Just wait. They will use this to quell rebellion in the districts." Kiva then remarked, chuckling.

Not surprisingly, Dezna was quickly gaining a craving for more Tracker Jacker venom. Clearly he had enjoyed the high, but admittedly Kiva did as well. However, she knew of the risks they'd have to go through to obtain more so it was definitely not worth it. "Here's hoping the careers set off a nest of them then." She commented as she finished up the rat meat. Despite the creatures saliva having been dangerous, she suspected the meat wasn't. Much to Dezna's disappointment there wasn't going to be any high to be had there. At least he seemed to be showing signs of recovery, however. If Kiva had to part with him she wanted it to be at the last possible moment, but not in the way Rye had met his end. She couldn't quite stomach the idea of having to kill the boy who had grown into a close friend.

[Zulera301]

"well... she did say something about wanting to surprise people... I think she's doing a pretty damn good job at that." Dezna quipped, "allying with Glimmer, saving my ass at the cornucopia, and now hunting down tributes at random... I haven't the slightest idea what she's up to, but now it's starting to worry me that she's on the move. We'll probably hear another cannon today or tomorrow." He was not talking about anyone in particular, but was fairly certain that if Valendria was on the move that she would be eliminating other tributes by now. He wondered what her pattern was--and why he had been spared.

"What rebellion?" Dezna acted innocent, passing Kiva a wink. Leon and Hazel both immediately understood the joke, for they were from 3 of the 4 most rebellious districts in Panem (the other being '8). It might have been even more odd that Kiva and Dezna were making "fuck you" jokes. They might not have been Rye and Sagittaria, but the two definitely had quite elaborate and quirky senses of humor. Dezna personally revelled in his weirdness. Like Rye, he was staying true to himself from beginning to end (even if their traits and virtues were rather different).

"yeah," he nodded, fake-sighing, "and then maybe we can off 'em... or watch as Valendria shouts for us to move and puts an axe through their chests." That had been what had happened at the cornucopia. Dezna had ducked, the axe had sailed over his head, and had plunged right into the girl's chest behind him.
He'd be able to live without the high, though he did crave it. For him, his 'addictions' were more like food cravings--he might really really want them, but he would stay sane without them. Well... as sane as the boy could get anyways. He had a few loose bolts just as everyone in District 6 did.
"So we just gonna chill here for a bit?" he turned to Kiva, who had sort of unofficially become the leader again (at least to Dezna). Well, and she was cute and fun to stare at.

[Nachthexe]

"There's no doubt everybody out there will be killed by Valendria." Kiva responded, chuckling. Despite the girl's mysterious nature there was one thing Kiva didn't doubt about her: that she was a trained killer. The few times she had seen her in action, mostly back at the Cornucopia during the bloodbath, she had made slaughtering another human being look so easy. Was it? Kiva quickly began pondering it, realizing she was yet to actually kill another tribute. She figured that just like everybody else she wouldn't have too many qualms with killing in self-defense, but despite her own desensitization to death those were still other children. Children with families. They too were surely trying to make it home. "Let's just hope that whatever cannon goes off is not one of ours." Kiva commented, shrugging. She realized that she too was one of those children trying to get home, but she knew it had a cost: Dezna would not make back to his sister.

Kiva burst out laughing the moment Dezna mentioned rebellion. Sure on the surface it almost seemed laughable, but at the same time it had been rebellion that created the Hunger Games in the first place. If there was to be another rebellion would the Capitol only unleash something worse? Kiva couldn't think of many things worse than forcing 24 children to fight to the death annually, but this was the Capitol. They were innovative and only a successful rebellion, which was as likely as all of District 6 giving up their addictions, could potentially reverse it. Still, there was plenty of opportunities for black humour there. "What rebellion you ask? The one that will be sparked when you and I walk out of here together. We'd be breaking the Capitol's own game. Only one victor, right?" Kiva answered, laughing once again. It was a nice thought, but once she knew would never come to fruition. She also suspected Capitol censors would cut that part out.

Unsurprisingly, Dezna didn't seem to be in a real rush to leave. "Nah, we're safe here. I don't see any reason to move yet. If anybody attacks we have ranged weapons now." Kiva responded, winking as she left a not so subtle hint to their creations. They had been highly successful against the rat creatures so she could only assume they would be equally effective on any tributes that cross their paths. As far as she knew, most of them were unarmed except for whatever metal shards they managed to pick up along the way. It was the careers and Valendria who had the actual weapons, clearly no coincidence as they were the highest scoring tributes in the arena.

Intending to relax alongside Dezna, Kiva leaned against the shelter wall. Despite the threat of death, the scarcity of resources, and eternal darkness she had genuinely been enjoying herself. She knew that if she made it home the night of intoxication from Tracker Jacker venom was going to be one for the storybooks. She personally didn't intend to forget it either, it being one of the more joyous moments she had shared with Dezna, Leon, Hazel, and even Daisy. Each and every one of them managed to show another side of themselves that was pretty memorable. Kiva noted this as she pulled out Daisy's rose and began examining it. It was surprisingly intricate and now Kiva wished she could have gotten to ask the girl if she had made it herself. Once she put it back in her pocket she leaned back further and began staring up at the sky. "So how long have we've been in here? Over a week? It seems like just yesterday we were in the Capitol enjoying fancy feasts and sharing laughs with our prep team..." She mused, letting out a sigh. Everything in the past weeks had truly been bittersweet.

[Zulera301]

Dezna chuckled. "I know right? they should just call off the games right now, declare her the winner, and we all go home." That would actually be more than ideal. Sagittaria might start selling "I survived the Hunger Games" T-shirts or something. All of Dezna's heroes made killing look so easy--Rye, who had killed 4 kids; Sagittaria, who had killed 5; and of course Kyla, who slew 25% of the tribute pool all on her own. He wasn't sure if he looked up to Valendria the way he did with the other three, but that girl had killed at least 3 or 4 by now too. His own experiences in the bloodbath had made it seem fairly easy as well. He had been one of maybe 4 or 5 tributes to get a real weapon (knives; Alan had had a sword [that was now in Hazel's possession]; Valendria had had an axe, and Blaze had had a spear. Maybe there were other tributes with more of them), and he had killed another boy with it. He had not thought twice about it; he had just done it out of necessity.
"I concur." he nodded at Kiva. Maybe he'd help her win without her ever having to kill someone. Maybe she wanted to kill someone but had never gotten the chance. It was an interesting feeling; knowing that someone's life was in your hands--that you were the reason that they were no longer alive. Every victor was a murderer though. Perhaps this imaginary cause was futile from the start.

"Just you watch..." he laughed with her, quite fond of the idea, although he knew it wouldn't ever happen. "right in the plain of day--well, plain of night, given our current environment--'6... '11... '12... it doesn't sound like a bad idea."
He sighed softly, leaning back and seemingly changing the subject. "Order is such a fragile thing. Hallucinations though... those are amazing. They should give the Gamemakers some of District 6's hallucinogens. They would probably design the most amazing and awe-inspiring arena in the history of the Hunger Games." Dezna was of the belief that if it was good for him it was good for everyone, even if there were plenty of people that did not have the bodily tolerance for such things (such as Daisy, or so he had suspected). He was quite fine with talking smack about the Capitol back home, but in the arena, they were almost (and sometimes) literally the hand that fed him, as he was fairly certain most sponsor gifts came from them. If they heard their favorite tributes badmouthing them, perhaps they would reconsider that medicine or that special weapon, or whatever else they had had planned.

He gave his crossbow a pat as Kiva reminded them of their ranged weapons. "I'm actually kind of proud of this one to be honest." It was of even finer craftsmanship than the one in the training room, which said something considering their lack of resources. Sponsors had been generous to them, and Dezna seemed too proud to half-ass any project of his. He had even carved his name into the side. "If I do go though... take care of Bianca for me." he chuckled. While he had made it sound like a joke, he did kind of hope that she would if he died before her. If he won, he fully planned on taking it with him--well, clinging to it, similar to how the last clips of the 44th Hunger Games depicted Sagittaria clinging to Rye's mace. He did not ever get to see if she had kept it.

As Kiva sat down next to him again, Dezna leaned against her a little bit; enjoying her presence if nothing else. "I think it's been a week... the anthem's played at least 6 times I think, unless it played a few more times when I was out like a light or as high as a kite." he sighed dreamily when she mentioned the Capitol, leaning over to her. "so that means... a week ago you and I were admiring each other on that balcony... naked." He chuckled, because the word "naked" was kind of a funny word, but at the same time, even thinking about that night made him rather happy. It had been intimate but laid-back, as the two freely (no pun intended) expressed themselves to each other, and wrapped themselves in each other's embrace. Oh what he would give to do that again.

"still... I bet you they and everyone else in Panem got some pretty good laughs at how we acted after that tracker-jacker venom. That was priceless, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Dezna laughed again, making it no secret again that he wanted to get high. Still... for now he would rest.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva too tried to recall exactly how many times she had heard the anthem. She was pretty sure Dezna was correct. Six times it had played and that meant they were exactly a week into the games. At the current rate she was pretty well convinced they would be there at least another week. Surprisingly, Kiva didn't seem to mind though as it meant more time with Dezna. She knew what would have to happen eventually and any way to prolong it got approval from her. Leon and Hazel seemed to be pretty calm now about the idea of idea, but perhaps that was just Kiva and Dezna's influence rubbing off on them. They didn't exactly leave it a mystery how they viewed death.

"Hah, we were the highlight of the show for sure." Kiva responded as Dezna mentioned the infamous Tracker Jacker incident once again. Despite the abundance of resources available in the Capitol somehow Kiva didn't see them being the junkie type. Certainly not on the level District 6 was. What had occurred in the arena just a few days into the games would have been daily business back in District 6, but the Capitol very likely absorbed it all as pure entertainment. Perhaps between chewing on debris around the arena and chewing on Hazel's hair the Capitol had been trying to predict what the next crazy antic would be. Sure they were hyperactive and flamboyant, but there seemed to be some boundaries that not even they crossed. Capitol culture was something all so new to Kiva and a part of her wished she could better understand it, but really only victors ever lived to have that opportunity. They were forced back every year, after all, to mentor the next set of tributes. Kiva hoped that if that was her that she would produce a victor quickly.

The rest of the "day" dragged on quite uneventfully. Kiva didn't hear much action and she definitely didn't hear any cannons. Wherever the others were they clearly were not up to duking it out. A part of Kiva hoped the careers would, but she knew that was about as unlikely as District 12 suddenly becoming wealthy. She didn't fear them much herself, but for Leon's sake she was intending to keep her eye out for them. Perhaps even Hazel was on their hit list as well, considering the destructive power Kyla the year before had wielded. The careers were never anybody to underestimate, but Kiva was confident that their little group was still quite safe for the time-being so instead of planning any sort of offensive she just continued leaning back, eventually dozing off once "night" came.

Kiva had hoped for an uneventful next few days, but it hadn't been the case. Once again, Valendria had proved to be a confusing--and powerful force in the arena. The group had been migrating to a different location when the District 8 boy had spotted them. He had seemed just about ready to kill the first target he could get his hands on just as Valendria managed to make another appearance. Much to Kiva's surprise, she and Glimmer easily offed the District 8 boy. That alone had been predictable, but it had been the girl's immediate flight afterwards that continued to leave Kiva and all the others in the group baffled. "So when do you think Valendria is finally going to come get us?" She asked Dezna, chuckling. "Normally a tribute with her power would be taking us all down." She added as Hazel shrugged.

"Maybe she knows we're strong?" Hazel responded, laughing. Kiva put on a smile. It was good to see the others so cheerful as they established their new shelter. It wasn't as elevated as the previous one, but always moving around just felt safer to Kiva. Besides, Dezna seemed to be vastly improved since the incident with the rat venom. Clearly the few days of rest had done him some good. "Hey, look at that, Dezna. Your shoes! Missed those?" Hazel announced once she climbed up and spotted a very familiar pair of footwear. Clearly they had been in that location before, but nobody seemed to mind as it had been close to plenty of water sources.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was quite okay with dragging out the games. The more they waited, the better his arm seemed to get anyways, and apparently some of the other tributes were keeping the Capitol entertained. He theorized that they were probably throwing all kinds of mutts at Varsha in some distant corner of the arena and that she was dispatching them with effortless ease. Still, it meant that they got to enjoy some peace and quiet, and so he was more than okay with this, or with whatever was happening. a week in and more than half the tributes still lived. He wondered if this was some kind of record or not. Other than the District 8 boy, Dezna knew everyone's names now (and the names of a few that had died--Albert, Grant, and Daisy, to be exact.)

"I wonder if Saj will be telling stories about that one." he chuckled. "I wonder if she's ever blitzed when she tells them." Her stories were prominent enough that some had even surfaced in the Capitol (they were still currently strongest in District 11 [of course], District 12, District 6, and ironically, District 2), and the girl's reputation was unlikely to be forgotten any time soon. Dezna wondered if Saj's talent would just amplify itself if the girl were addled. Really, that was definitely going to be a highlight of these games. Granted, this year had also produced a rather crazy batch of tributes, many of which Dezna was rather fond of. some, such as Districts 9 and 10, as well as the boy from '12, were just as un-memorable as they were last year. Others, such as themselves, were a departure from last year, where both District 6 tributes had died on the first day [the girl in the bloodbath; the boy later that day by Kyla's hand.]

The only real thing that happened the rest of the day was that Dezna played with Kiva's hair, and Hazel soberly asked if he could do the same with her hair, which he did (without chewing on it this time). Hazel played a bit with Dezna's hair, because it was soft and fluffy, and frankly, kind of fun to play with. This particular evening would be a relaxing one, but they would have to continue moving soon to keep their position from being too given away. Leon was still at risk as long as the careers drew breath, and perhaps they wanted vengeance on District 12 for some of the stunts its female tribute pulled off last year. Technically, Districts 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 all had reason to hate the girl, as those had been the districts whose tributes she had killed.

The next few days were fairly quiet though, and fortunately, Dezna's arm almost fully recovered. He felt (nearly) as good as new, with even the fatigue wearing off. The only real event was a surprising encounter with the District 8 boy that had Dezna and Hazel preparing for combat. However, before they could close the 40-ish foot gap between them, Valendria came out of nowhere, distracting him even to the point of laying down her weapon. When the boy attempted to strike, Glimmer appeared out of nowhere and dropped him so fast that the cannon went off then and there, his face flashing in the sky. With a brief glance at the 4 tributes, Glimmer scampered away, with Varsha following her, though Dezna was sure that she had given one of them a wink.

"I'd almost say she wants something form us," Dezna shook his head after the incident. "but maybe after she's run out of targets. They seem to still want to off those careers just as much as we do. I wonder where they're hiding..."
He glanced at Kiva. "Also... I swear she winked at me. Or maybe it was you. I dunno. I saw her wink though." the girl had indeed had a grin on her face, but Dezna had no clue what was up with her antics. Perhaps the Capitol found her mysterious strategies entertaining enough to keep them on the edges of their seats. After all, here was their most powerful and influential tribute, and she was playing games that even they couldn't quite figure out.

"either that we're strong... or that we're clever." he brandished his crossbow, which he had kept in tip-top shape. None of them had really killed any other tributes (sans Dezna's kill in the bloodbath), but it was clear that their little alliance was a crafty one for being able to stay together and alive for so long.
Dezna couldn't help but laugh as they selected a familiar-looking shelter though.
"Well shit me a firework show." he laughed, "no wonder this place looks familiar. You can have 'em though."
"Nah," Hazel chuckled, "mine are here too. I'm good, I think." Dezna tossed his rope up to the smaller girl, who tied it down and made it easier for the others to climb up. Once they were settled and with full water bottles, they relaxed again. They might draw more attention here because of their proximity to water, but eh... they had weaponry this time. Besides, who knows what Varsha would do next?

[Nachthexe]

Valendria winked? It was just yet another thing that made the girl odd, but Kiva trusted Dezna's judgement and believed him entirely; if he said he saw Valendria wink at them then there was a good chance he had seen it. Not even drugs could cloud his judgement that time, having not had any hallucinogens since the Tracker Jacker encounter. "Why? Why us? If she wants to kill us then why doesn't she just do it? She scored a 12 in training compared to our 8's." Kiva commented, shrugging. Of course there was the possibility the girl just wanted to build up suspense, but no truly skilled tribute even cared for such a thing. They tended to kill quickly in hopes they can return home. Then again, Valendria almost seemed like the type who would draw out a show for the Capitol. Not even only Blaze was capable of that.

"Strong or clever?" I'm opting for the latter. Just look how we took down those Tracker Jackers that the career pack set off." Leon responded to Dezna, chuckling. Sure Kiva had done most of the work, but initially it had been a joint effort. It seemed to had revealed a crucial weakness in Victoria as well, who seemed petrified of them. If only that same scenario could be reproduced with her going down this time... The little group certainly had the firepower now. Kiva knew that both hers and Dezna's homemade contraptions would be a huge tide turner eventually.

Upon second glance Kiva saw that both Dezna's and Hazel's shoes had been left behind in this place. She personally found it a bit unusual they preferred walking through the rubble barefoot as plenty of experiences back home taught her otherwise. It had been much too often she had walked over sharp objects while blitzed, ending up with cuts and infections in the soles of her feet. That had been on much cleaner pavement too compared to the much more roughed up environment of the arena. However, nothing that Dezna did anymore surprised the girl so she didn't bother questioning it. Leon seemed to have a similar line of reasoning also, having kept his on.

"You're sure you don't want to put your shoes back on?" Kiva asked Dezna and Hazel once they were up and settled into the new(or old?) shelter. It was oddly refreshing to see somewhere familiar, although it got Kiva wondering just how large the arena was. Had they really ventured everywhere already? Somehow it seemed unlikely, although there were admittedly some parts she subconsciously didn't travel to as she feared encountering the others. However, such fears seemed to had mostly dissipated since completing her contraption. It worked well on the rat creatures so she could only assume the same for human targets. If anything, on them it would be superior due to them being much smaller--and slender.

"So now what? There's an abundance of water here. If that doesn't draw the others in then I don't know what will. Dezna and I could use some target practice." Kiva explained, winking towards Dezna once the others were sitting over in exhaustion. It certainly didn't show at first, but the climbs up into each of the elevated ruins was taxing. Even the lower ones showed it and Kiva suspected the Capitol had set it up that way intentionally to make it more difficult for tributes. The Hunger Games were never supposed to be a walk in the park and various factors this year ensured to prove that true.

[Zulera301]

"she must be giving them a show." Dezna shrugged, "I'd say she'd be glorifying herself here and trying to draw all the attention to herself, but then that wouldn't explain Glimmer. Her choice of an ally intrigues me too. I mean obviously Glimmer knows her shit, since she offed that boy with ease, but what do District 4 and District 5 have in common enough that they would ally with each other; total strangers, rather than even their own district partners, whom they had known for a bit longer?"
Varsha had already proven herself to be very unorthodox, and Dezna did not even consider her a career tribute, but rather as an independent entity placed to manipulate the games. What was she going for though?

"definitely." he chuckled. "these muscles don't lie." Dezna flexed, but as would be expected from a slender teen, it was not that impressive, but that had been exactly the point he had tried to make. He was swift and cunning rather than strong. the tracker-jacker incident had benefitted them greatly (Dezna approved of it), and he had worked to draw the insects towards the gas spout, backflipping out of the way right as Kiva lit it up. That had been one hell of a show, and Dezna felt proud that she had been able to outmaneuver the creatures. Still... all of them, including the little 13-year-old Hazel, had contributed to part of the group's safety. Arguably, Daisy had not really done a whole lot for them, but she was dead anyways now so the point was moot. Her death was still rather sad, and he was sure that Saj was probably a bit upset at her successor being killed so soon. At least Leon was still alive.

Dezna's feet were dirty, but didn't seem to have any cuts or injuries on them. His sense of touch had also been dulled a bit in his feet, so some of the more jagged shards of rock or other building material didn't face him, and his rather keen eyes helped him avoid stepping on anything that might lacerate him. Some of those metal shards or other things were sharp enough that they could have likely pierced through a boot even. Hazel's mindset was similar, but apparently barefootedness was something that was popular in District 11 and District 12 (Sagittaria had ditched her shoes about a week in, and Kyla had not been seen wearing them at all since her disappearance into the cornucopia last year).

"I'm light enough on my feet," Hazel shrugged as she played with Dezna's hair. "I'm good."
"That's about my mentality," the boy shrugged in agreement, "I've never really liked 'em anyways, but I'll consider it." sometims practicality came first, but on the other hand, Dezna still tended to play by his own rules, even if most people would look before they leap, metaphorically speaking. "don't worry though--you look good with shoes on." he winked at Kiva, referencing not her current appearance (although Dezna felt that the Hunger Games uniforms usually looked fairly stylish for the simple but sturdy clothes that they were) but instead reminding her of their little incident on the balcony. Hopefully she'd catch that reference.

"I guess we wait for someone to show up and then fill their asses with steel." Dezna quipped, eliciting a chuckle from Hazel. "we're ready for 'em." he patted his mechanical crossbow again, and Hazel gripped his sword for a moment. Dezna had given Leon his dagger (but he had kept the throwing knives for himself) so he wasn't just armed with the metal shards either. "The last time we wandered from this place, we lost one of our own... let's make sure not to repeat that this time."
If nothing else, the climbs from shelter to shelter and building to building were getting exhausting, and Dezna's right arm didn't quite feel as strong as it did before the bite. A few days might not have been enough proper healing tie, but it wasn't like he could wait around. He'd be fine; it was like 90% strength or something anyways, if he had to use a number.
"in the meantime... we are ridiculously awesome."

[Nachthexe]

The group was confident and armed. That was signal enough that they were ready to take on whatever challenges awaited them. What that was going to be only time would tell and as far as Kiva could see nobody was in the general vicinity. Maybe Leon saw something she didn't through his glasses that were very much still proving handy, but he hadn't spoken up. He certainly didn't seem like the type who would hold back those things either, unless he was deciding to betray the alliance? Both options didn't seem likely at this point so instead Kiva just decided to relax and rest her eyes. She wasn't hallucinating as she had been before, but she tried to picture the same cloud fortress she had seen in front of her previously. It was a place of tranquility, much unlike the Hunger Games arena. "If I die here, I want to go up to cloud fortress." She uttered to Dezna, realizing he was the only one who would truly get the reference.

Leon and Hazel both quickly grew fond of Kiva's idea, leaning back and resting. Leon, however, kept his eyes open to keep watch. He suddenly found himself growing paranoid about the area, remembering what had happened there before. Sure it was unlikely the careers were still in the area, but he knew they were out for his blood and didn't intend to give it to them. "Sure I didn't know Daisy very well previous to the Reaping, but I am sad she's gone. Her death only allows Blaze to get what he wants, District 11's blood. Besides that though, she was innocent. Much too innocent to be here. It's a shame she had to witness what she did before ultimately meeting her end." Leon confessed as he began contemplating about his district partner, experiencing a serious sense of deja vu.

Daisy innocent? Kiva was hardly surprised at what she was hearing. The girl was the mayor's daughter, after all, and with their power certainly they could shelter their children from the daily horrors of Panem. In a place like District 11 where Capitol law was allegedly so strictly enforced certainly that sort of thing was important. Hell, the most important man in all of District 11 likely had not even anticipated the possibility of his own daughter even being reaped. That alone made Kiva vow to warn her future children of all the horrors that awaited in the games and even in daily district life. If she made it home she would be a victor and due to many of the special privileges they enjoyed there was a good chance that many of their children were not even exposed to the hardships of district life. "I figured as much. I could sense it every moment we spent with her. It's a shame." Kiva shrugged. She truly felt bad for saying such things about Daisy, especially when Sagittaria and definitely all of District 11 was watching, but certainly they saw it as the cold harsh truth also?

Deja vu seemed to rear its ugly head all over, as Kiva quickly realized as a shard of metal flew past Leon's head, lodging itself in the wall behind him. "Shit! You're lucky, boy!" She shouted as she pointed out the shard. It was unmistakeably the result of somebody trying to kill him. Blaze. The careers. The careers had managed to track them down. Upon realizing this, Kiva glanced down at the ground and saw four very familiar faces. Almost immediately the boy leading them, Blaze, put on a smirk.

"Deja vu, right? This is around the same place I killed your useless partner." Blaze was the first to speak, launching another shard of metal directly towards Leon's head. This time the boy saw it and managed to dodge, but not without sliding off the ruined building onto to the ground below. Fortunately, it wasn't a long drop, only leaving the boy slightly winded, but now he was unarmed. This was something Kiva quickly attempted to remedy by tossing down Dezna's dagger, only to have it be caught by Blaze's hand.

"Fine. We'll deal with this the hard way, you son of a bitch!" Kiva then bellowed as she loaded up a shard into her contraption. Just as she had been preparing to shoot it jammed slightly, creating a much divergent course for the metal shard, swooping way over the career pack's heads. "Shit! I don't have time for this!" She ranted as she once again loaded up the contraption. Much to her delight, the metal shard flew directly for its target, but at the very last second diverted off Blaze's spear as he attempted to use it to impale straight into Leon's flesh as the boy sat on the ground defenseless.

"Leon, run! Remember where we hid before! Go!" Hazel shouted out to Leon just as the spear began piercing his flesh enough to draw blood. Kiva wasn't sure what the girl had been referencing, but she could only assume it was the place they had managed to hide before catching up with her and the others. The boy seemed to know, however, and in a last ditch attempt to get away, punched Blaze, before taking off. Naturally, the larger and older boy followed, completely hellbent on eliminating the other half of District 11.

[Zulera301]

Dezna once again decided to use this as valuable time to rest up. If they had an encounter with the careers he wanted to be as rested as possible. One thing he noticed was that he seemed to be losing his energy a little quicker ever since that rat bite, but hew as used to working long and hard hours, so he was fairly skilled at hiding it to the point where none of them noticed, unless they had watched closely and realized he was usually the first to fall asleep and the last to wake up. He was technically still recovering, after all. His sprinting ability was still there and still intact though, and his arm still worked fine.

"with all the lightnings and rainbows and exploding shoes." he chuckled, remember that when he had kicked his shoes off they had exploded, so he had just assumed that that was real. That had been part of why he had initially left them behind. Leon brought up an interesting point though.
"A lot of people don't deserve to be here." he remarked. He was no philosopher, but he had a certain level of pity for every tribute in the 'games, including the careers. "Everyone who dies here is just another innocent child forced into a game." Even if this enraged the Capitol, they had nothing on Dezna. They could kill his sister, but if he died, that might just be more convenient. He didn't think they'd firebomb a district just because of something one boy said. "...even Blaze. He, Victoria... all the others. We're all just children with warped minds... some of us with drugs," he glanced at himself and at Kiva, "others with stories of heroes and legends," he glanced at Leon and Hazel, who surely had gotten their confidence boosted a bit by stories of Hunger Games legends from the previous year alone, such as Rye Grove, Sagittaria, Svenja, and Kyla Togisala, "...and others still with a toxic mentality of 'kill and win by any means necessary'." he glanced out the opening in the wall, as if towards invisible career tributes. He purposely did not mention Valendria, as he did not know what mindset she had. That was not important though.

"Yeah, some of us can be geared into a killing mindset." he continued, "Rye, Kyla, Sagittaria, Flint, Blaze, Valendria, Glimmer... even me when I killed that boy in the bloodbath. "there are others... like Daisy, or maybe even like Kyla's brother... some of the tributes aren't built to be killers--they shouldn't get their innocence shattered like this alongside their lives and bodies..."
he sighed. "shit, that was philosophical as all fuck." he chuckled half-heartedly. "it's a harsh truth though. Life is full of harsh truths." he had plenty of those of his own. However, before he could think much more about them, he was interrupted when Leon was nearly impaled in the face.

"Shit... what the hoo-rah was that?" he didn't even need to ask, but flipped to his feet, grabbing and caulking Bianca in the process. "let's get this party stated then, shall we?" He might have been a tiny bit fatigued, but he was far from about to pass out. If the careers wanted a fight, he'd give it to them. He intended to help end Blaze's life right here and now, or better yet, have Leon himself do it. Bianca was about to say hello. If nothing else, others could focus on Flint while he went against Roxanne, Victoria, and Alan. "I'll focus on his lackeys." he told the others, "keep them from being able to back up their dear leader!"

He lunged out of the building, landing on his feet. Maybe he should have put his shoes back on, but it just stung briefly. There was no blood or cuts or anything, so he counted himself lucky. Instead, he began firing volleys at the District 2 pair, mostly trying to keep them at bay.
"Dance motherfuckas dance!" he chanted as he went into berzerk mode, an ear-to-ear, almost demonic grin stretching across his face. Some people had speculated that Dezna had a crazy side that was just waiting to be unleashed one day. Well.. most people thought it would be a raging fit of fury that was comparable to some gods from the old fairy tales. Nope. when Dezna went off the deep end, he just got crazier.

Something happened shortly after the blade went into Leon's flesh, however. Victoria shot forward to attack the others, but was blocked by a woman with a bow and with brilliant-golden hair--Glimmer. Behind her, not far away was Varsha, in all her 6'5" 190-lb glory. She twirled a battleaxe around and cut off the path between Blaze and Leon.
"you bastards wanna fight?" she took a very rigid stance, "how 'bout you pick on someone your own size so she doesn't slowly draw out your deaths over the next few days."
Shit... was THIS Varsha's grand design? Dezna stood his ground, although like everyone else around her, he too was dwarfed by Varsha's intimidating height and position.
"Glimmer! After that boy!" she shouted at the District 5 girl, who, without even asking what Varsha wanted her to do, took off after Leon. To Dezna's surprise, the girl sheathed her weapons before running off. Leon was either going to die at this girl's hands, or she was going to help him. Not that that made figuring out that goddamn District 4 girl's strategies any easier.

"So there's 4 of you and only 1 of me... 2½ of me, tops." this seemed to be a shoutout to Dezna, Kiva, and Hazel, neither of which could really compare in terms of physical strength, even if they had proven to be remarkably clever. Hazel had actually not left the fort, but was holding Dezna's throwing knives in her hands from the shadows of that wall. He had left them when he sprung up to fight the careers.
Dezna did not think that this would be the final showdown, but he was certain that on this, day 9 or 10 or so... there would at least 2 or 3 new deaths.

[Nachthexe]

Had Kiva been hallucinating? No, definitely not, but Glimmer and Valendria''s sudden appearence made it seem as such. If anything, it was almost relieving. Apparently they weren't sided with the careers, after all. Unless the duo's actions was just another way to fool the outlying alliance... Kiva didn't know what to believe anymore, but trusting Glimmer's judgement she too took off towards Leon, gesturing for both Dezna and Hazel to follow as valuable backup. "Well shit, I don't think Valendria is on their side!" Kiva shouted out to them both as she found herself being cornered by the other careers. She was no Dezna Lightning, but she briefly managed to gain the upper hand, eventually tripping both Alan and Roxanne as she took off towards Leon. "Later, bitches." She chuckled back at them as she finally approached the lone District 11 boy.

Almost immediately, Kiva was surprised by what she saw. A full house. Mostly. The walls appeared to be intact, although the roof was almost entirely caved in. "Nice find." Kiva commented in awe as she examined the location for just a few seconds before Blaze arrived and began launching more metal shards. His aim was impeccable. Kiva couldn't deny it, having nearly been hit a few times. She managed to get a few retaliatory volleys in herself, but just as before Blaze seemed to be just as impeccable at blocking as he was at aiming. "Can anything hit this shithead, ever?" She bellowed in frustration as the boy then began advancing towards her.

Despite the attacks having come from Kiva, Blaze still had more interest in Leon. Staring directly into his eyes he put on another smirk before speaking. "Are you going to fight or are you going to let your little friend do it for you? I'm surprised District 6 is even still alive at all. Everybody knows they're incompetent junkies." Almost immediately Kiva felt her face reddening with rage. The boy's jab had been obvious and in his context it was quite different.

"Nobody talks shit about District 6 except for Dezna and I!" Kiva continued filling with rage, charging towards Blaze. Despite the size difference, she managed to divert a few of his attacks and knock him back somewhat. She wasn't strong either so her managing to affect the boy at all was surprising to both her and Leon. However, she didn't have time to reflect on it for long before noticing a very distinct stench in the air. Gas. It was definitely present, but this time it was coming from inside the house. Kiva suddenly developed an idea, albeit a dangerous one which would also require getting the boy inside. She nodded towards Leon who also quickly picked up the hint. He knew this was bound to be between just them two as well while the others were busy holding off the rest of the career pack. "I'm nuts, I'm totally nuts." Kiva uttered as she once again prepared to ram into Blaze just as he least expected it.

Surprisingly, Kiva's strategy seemed to work, not even leaving Blaze with many opportunities to strike back despite his weapons still being clasped tightly in his hands. Kiva managed to shove him a few more times, with the help of Leon, leaving only the doorway between him and the inside of the clearly vulnerable house. It was then he attempted to jab his spear into Kiva's chest just as Leon kicked him in the crotch, leaving him winded. This caused him to drop to the ground groaning in pain. In that Kiva saw an opportunity. Without hesitation she pulled her backpack off her back and pulled out the exact tool of destruction she had used on the Tracker Jackers. Matches. Putting on a smirk, she glared directly into Blaze's eyes and left a witty remark of her own. "Imagine how this will end. The jealous younger sibling who ended up dying the most ironic death in the history of the Hunger Games. Here we see Blaze as he's left straight in the heart of the blaze. Goodbye, motherfucker." Kiva then lit up a match and threw it directly atop one of the mounds inside the interior of the ruined house. Almost immediately a shocked expression came over Blaze's face before he attempted to escape what was very quickly to escalate into a full scale house fire.

"Shit! He's trying to escape!" Leon bellowed as Blaze attempted to crawl out of the fire that was now on it's way to engulfing him in flames. Naturally, the boy was screaming in pain as fire began charring his skin, but that didn't stop Leon who continued trying to shove him back into the burning house. Unfortunately for the District 11 boy, Blaze's strength was leaving him, but still it wasn't enough. He was once again proving how both Districts 1 and 2 were filled with fighters and the Difronzo brothers were no exception. "I can't hold him off, the flames are spreading quickly!" Leon bellowed as he locked his hands into Blaze's shoulders. He too screamed in pain as the flames also began consuming his skin as he held back the larger boy.

Kiva froze for a few seconds, not sure how to react. There she was, witnessing what was very well potentially one of the most gruesome deaths in Hunger Games history, and caused by her own hand. Had she become the exact thing she had been fighting against? The thought briefly occurred to her as she watched both Blaze and Leon be consumed by the flames, but it had been a split second decision made in a life or death situation. However, there was little time for philosophy as long as Blaze continued trying to fight the flames. It was a fight that potentially Leon could lose too, at least Kiva had thought so just as she witnessed the boy's next move. He removed one of his already partially consumed arms from Blaze's shoulder and made the infamous District 11 and 12 salute before speaking his last words. "Sorry I couldn't win. Sorry, Sagittaria. District 11 may just have one more fallen hero." At that, he plunged fully into the raging inferno, taking down Blaze with him. Kiva knew that once the boy was pinned down there was no escaping for either of them, and especially not for Blaze who had attempted so hard already to stay away from the spreading flames.

It only took minutes before Kiva heard two cannons go off. Almost immediately afterwards, she dropped down to the ground in shock before shedding what were very possibly her first tears of the entire games. "Shit, what have I done?" She uttered to herself in shock as she stared on at the flames that were now consuming the entire structure they had been lit up in, the one that was now a fiery graveyard. Even the others, who had been preoccupied in holding off the other careers briefly stared on in awe just as the remainder of the pack fled upon the death of their leader.

[Zulera301]

Dezna took off after the others, although he also played a defensive maneuver, zigzagging around Hazel to keep the smaller and slower girl safe. Hazel was not slow herself, but compared to Dezna's lightning speed and Valendria's massive strides, she did have a bit of deficiency in this crucial speed.
"We need to hold them off!" Valendria warned Dezna in reference to the three remaining careers, particularly as Kiva took off after Blaze who was following Glimmer and Leon with his eyes and weapons pointed at the latter.

They reached a rather intact house save for the roof, and by the time they got there, Blaze, Kiva, and Leon were already fighting fiercely. Where had Glimmer gone? Varsha did not seem at all perturbed by her disappearance, but on the other hand, they had bigger fish to fry. Alan, Roxanne, and Victoria were not exactly calling off the chase. They wanted to see the fate of their leader, and also get back at this smarmy little druggie by and the gigantic girl who had outscored everyone. For a slew of tributes carrying nothing bit lopsided metal shards, they sure knew how to use them like weapons--even Victoria, with her fear of the tracker-jackers.

Initially, they ganged up on Valendria, who seemed quite competent at holding them off. Hazel ducked out of the fight, for it was well out of her league--she was easily the youngest and smallest tribute alive right now, and was pretty sure that the next oldest one was 16.
Either way, Dezna and Valendria were engaged in combat, with the mighty girl's battleaxe swinging this way and that in attempts to sweep the others away.
"You're good," Roxanne taunted, "but like you said--there's 1 of you and 3 of us. You could beat us on a one-on-one, but you can't beat the pack."

"Hmph." Varsha shorted, twirling her battleaxe skillfully to deflect an onslaught of metal shards that Victoria was lobbing like throwing knives. Dezna reached for his own, but remembered that he had given them to Kyla. Then he remembered--he had collected a pair of metal shards for a reason. He turned to Varsha. "Hold them a moment!"
"Got it!" she laughed, as she seemed to be doing that just fine. During these few seconds, Victoria tried to divert her attention to Dezna, but not before he had slipped one of his metal shards over his glove. They resembled claws, and that had been his latest side project after he had finished Bianca (who was a few feet away, discarded for the moment.

Victoria knocked her down, grinning rather proudly. "If only those tracker-jackers had actually gotten you... then you could be dancing around in your little happy place while the rest of the big kids finish the 'games."
"You think so?" Dezna quipped. Using the one hand that was equipped with the claws, he swung his hand, raking the side of Victoria's face, causing the girl to shriek in pain. Dezna grinned manically, kicking himself up and equipping his other claw. "YOU THOUGHT WRONG!" he cackled, clearly showing a bit of his unstable side, but he was on the warpath now, and was aiming to kill. Roxanne aided her fellow career tribute by tossing Victoria a large staff with spikes on either end. Dezna learnd this the hard way as he felt something strike his hip.

"Oooohhh!" he groaned, flinching for a moment, before striking again. He zipped in real close, grabbing the actual staff with one of his long-clawed hands. He was ignoring his pain, but that was not some sort of special superpower he had or anything--he was just used to doing that, just as he had ignored the pain in his arm from the rat bite. At least the staff was not poisonous. This was truly just a flesh wound.
"Heeeeeere's DEZNA!" he grinned as he ripped the staff from her arms, throwing it aside. The only reason he had succeeded at this was because his face was so unnerving at the moment and he had jerked his hands so suddenly that it had caught the career girl off guard. However, something happened that caused everyone to stop dead in their tracks. There was an explosion, and suddenly that house that had been there a moment earlier was now in smoke (well, fire, actually). To top it off, an epic struggle was happening in the doorway that was so shocking that everyone, from Varsha all the way down to Victoria, were standing in awe and slight horror. Kiva, Leon, and Blaze were fighting against the fire, with the smaller boy trying to throw and pin the larger boy into the flames.

It was gratifying to see the careers so shocked that their leader was slowly burning to death, but even Varsha couldn't take the opportunistic road and kill them. No, she too was transfixed by the horrifying and awe-inspiring sight. It intensified after Leon caught fire as well.
"LEON!" Dezna screamed, almost simultaneously with Hazel, who had been watching at a safe distance from Blaze, the flames, and the other careers. She was keen to notice his final salute though, and she matched it, tears falling down her face as the boy dove into the flames taking Blaze with him. There was no surviving that one.

Two cannons shot off, and the other careers took off running, which reminded Dezna and Varsha what they were doing.
"OH NO YOU DON'T!" the massive girl roared, and she gave chase. They spun around suddenly and knocked the larger girl to the ground, and Victoria started slicing at the larger girl while Alan and Roxanne held her down. They made one dire mistake, however, and suddenly Roxanne's eyes widened. An arrow was sticking out of her neck. Glimmer stood right behind her, a bow in her hand. Another cannon fired. This almost reminded Dezna of the final day of the 44th Hunger Games, where 7 tributes had been killed.
Victoria yelled and slashed Varsha's throat, but the girl turned just enough to miss the vital blood vessels. Still, the girl was rather bloodied up now. It did not, however, stop Dezna from throwing Victoria clean off of Valendria's body. The other girl decked Alan in the face, and ended his life instantly put grabbing her axe and putting it through his chest. Another cannon fired.

The grizzly scene only got worse though as Dezna tackled Victoria, clearly a bit furious about what had just happened to Varsha. "Now..." he grinned rather sadistically himself, "Let's see how you like taing what you dish out."
Victoria did not necessarily whimper, but the same fear that was in her eyes when she was fleeing from the tracker-jackers was on her face now as Dezna's clawed hands were raised in front of her. He plunged one hand into her chest, like small knives.
"But it's like they say... may the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way... your body goes into shock... so you don't feel anything...
as... you..."
Using his free hand, he slashed her throat.
"...die." Another cannon fired.

He slowly got up, noticing that almost wordlessly, Varsha flicked her hands in something of a wave towards the others, before she limped off with Glimmer supporting her. That must be one hell of a dedicated alliance.
But... it was over. 5 tributes down; 7 more to go. Dezna was slightly injured, but most of the blood he had on him was not his own. Hazel was frozen in place, a look of sheer horror on her face from everything she had just witnessed. Seeing someone quickly die like her district partner getting an axe to the chest was one thing, but watching two tributes burn each other to death and then watching another tribute get her throat slashed after lacerating yet another tribute... it was almost too much for her.

Dezna also fell to his knees, realizing how downright sadistic he had just been. Had he turned into Blaze? Victoria's lifeless body was still next to him, her wide eyes an indicator of what she knew was about to happen.
He punched the ground, sticking his claws in the dirt, holding his fists there. Their alliance of 4 was now down to three, two of which had light injuries and perhaps had experiences some of the first real traumas of sadism. The 3rd looked like she too had been traumatized just by seeing all the vicious violence. This... this was going to be a long night.

[Nachthexe]

Not long after Blaze and Leon's cannons Kiva heard one, two, three others. The remainder of the career pack. Clearly Dezna and the others had managed to put up quite the fight themselves. However, Kiva knew that none of their deaths could even match what she had witnessed herself between igniting the gas and watching Blaze and Leon burn to death. Not even the sadistic District 1 boy had sunk to that level. The exact thoughts from earlier during the showdown with Blaze once again began racing through her head. It was official. She had crossed a line that was bound to not be forgotten among the Capitol audiences, and she didn't exactly view it as a good thing. She was now officially just as sadistic as Blaze, and even his brother Flint, had been. She wished for all of it to had just been hallucinations, but it didn't take her long to realize it wasn't. The horrified look on Hazel's face only helped to confirm it wasn't.

It didn't take Kiva long to come to the realization that with the careers dead the inevitable was bound to happen soon. Surely Hazel and the pair that had fled would turn on her and Kiva. There was still the District 3 pair, but there was truly no way of knowing what they were up to. Kiva couldn't even recall a single time she had seen them since the bloodbath. Clearly they were playing the stealth game that was all too common for the scrawny but brainy tributes from District 3. Kiva knew that what they lacked in physical strength they easily made up for in brains, but they were of little concern now. She was sure that not even five subsequent cannons could draw them out at this point. They had their own game and they played it well. Instead, Kiva, who only somehow miraculously possessed minor injuries, dashed over to Dezna and Hazel. "Damn, you have some fight in you. Me? I'm not so proud of what I did..." She confessed, wiping away her tears even as others began flowing. It felt odd to her that she was actually crying, but clearly something deep down had triggered it. A part of her felt...broken, and for the first time since the beginning of the games she actually found herself bothered by death.

"We better get out of here. These corpses..." Hazel advised as she too continued being in shock until finally breaking down herself. Ironically, she hadn't been responsible for any of the deaths, yet they seemed to had affected her strongly. Perhaps she was just as innocent as Daisy had been, based on age alone. Kiva couldn't even imagine what would have happened if Daisy had been around to witness the carnage that had just occurred moments earlier. Still, Kiva nodded in agreement, knowing that Hazel had to get out of the location. Almost immediately after helping Dezna to his feet and attempting to walk off, Kiva noticed the Capitol hovercrafts coming in to collect the bodies. The first had managed to collect the corpses of Alan, Roxanne, and Victoria before a second came in to extinguish the house fire. Inside the surprisingly still mostly intact house was one of the most gruesome scenes Kiva had seen, causing her to cringe. Both Blaze's and Leon's corpses were blackened and charred right to the bone in many places. Even by Hunger Games standards it was really something else. A story for the ages indeed, but definitely not one she'd be telling.

As the trio continued walking, Kiva began to feel slight pain in her side. She glanced down and saw blood from the injury inflicted by Blaze's spear. She knew it wasn't major, but to her it now served as a reminder of horrible actions she vowed to disassociate herself from if she made it home. She did not want to be remembered as the arsonist victor who managed to brutally burn two tributes to death, especially when the second had been a voluntary and incredibly noble action. However, that alone made her feel as if District 11 was deserving of the credit for Blaze's death rather than herself. "Given the choice, I'd rather be gored to death by your claws than burned to death." Kiva then commented, turning her attention towards Dezna was clearly also still quite shaken by the night's events. Fortunately for him though the deaths he was responsible for had been much quicker. Fire was known as a slow killer and Kiva truly understood that now.

Upon finding a water hole and a decent resting place, Kiva once again dropped to her knees and contemplated everything that had happened. It had truly been a split second decision and one that was made when she was arguably not even in sane mind. It was only her knowledge of different gasses and ability to distinguish between them that had gotten her into that mess. She was quite convinced that none of the others, except for perhaps Dezna would have even thought up the same gruesome weapon as she had. Blaze clearly hadn't known, being completely surprised and shocked the second she ignited the mounds inside the house. He had probably expected even less that such a house was to become his grave. All of that managed to only give Kiva very minor ease though as she knelt down further and scooped some water into her hands, which she then proceeded to rub over her bloody wound. Shortly after, she noticed a parachute emblazoned with a number 6 floating down towards her. A sponsor gift of some sort, which admittedly left her baffled. Who would be sponsoring her after that performance? Then again, this was the Capitol and it was nothing more than entertainment to them. Still, she opened the package and found a few projectiles, clearly superior to the ones she had been using, and another note from Zerviah: Here, you monster. Use these instead. -Z

[Zulera301]

As the very real and rather horrifying scene unfolded around Dezna as reality crept in, he was reminded of a rather ruthless victor from District 2 whose interview he had remembered watching. Those had always interested him, because it gave him an idea of what went through the minds of the 44 individuals who had done something that no one else on Panem could ever relate to.
"Anyone can kill... but it takes a special person to murder. To watch as their life slips away, knowing that it was done at your hand... murder is an art, after all; a cruel, sadistic art that sometimes becomes no less than a necessary evil."
The boy who had said this had been a bit deranged, and he had long since passed the mantle of mentor onto another District 2 victor, but Dezna thought about his words. He was not just a killer the way he had been with that District 10 boy. After what he had done to Victoria, he was a murderer.

He pulled his claws out of the ground, moving away from the bodies of the other dead careers, figuring that the hovercraft would get them soon. They usually waited till the living tributes were out of the way so nothing else happened. He was worried about Clemont and Hikari, however, as they had avoided the conflict for quite some time. If two kids form District 6 could build fully functional weapons in a week, who knows what two kids from District 3 were capable of putting together in the same amount of time.
Hazel fell to her knees and then the ground, twitching slightly. Dezna did not notice it too much at the moment because his attention was on Kiva. Besides, Hazel was the only one who had witnessed the fight that had come out unscathed. The girl would be okay for now, but she had gotten the mindfuck of a lifetime from the things she had just witnessed. Even Dezna's little psychotic stunt prior to murdering Victoria was unnerving. Dezna simply shrugged though, having managed to collect himself. "you do what you have to." he put an arm around her for a moment.

Hazel managed to collect herself and suggested they leave. She was clearly uncomfortable here the way Daisy had been when they hallucinated and even spoke of death. The girl had some serious guts, but Dezna could almost tell by her face that she was horribly shaken from what she had just seen. He honestly felt sorry for the poor kid. The arena dimmed as the fire went out behind them as they slowly walked away. The cut on Dezna's hip would be alright--it was just a slash; not a venomous wound, so he could patch it later. This... this was a story for the ages, and he was pretty sure that on the rerun footage of these games, they would show numerous different angles of this scene. It had been swift, intense, and surprising in some cases, and might have even helped prove that District 6 really was crazy. Still, Dezna was calm again and he refused to look back at the charred remains of Blaze DiFronzo and Leon from District 11.

"Heh... fair enough." Dezna shrugged at Kiva's remark. He was still rather insensitive to death,, but that was because he had been trained for years to avoid worrying about it. "still... I've always heard that the difference between a killer and a murderer is all in the methods behind the madness. when you've overpowered your enemy, and can see the fear in their eyes as they realize that their demise is a few deft movements away. Her expression right before I killed her reminded me of what I've been saying. She was just another innocent child molded into a killer." he shrugged. Shit sometimes got philosophical when Dezna spoke of death, but hew as not trying to instill guilt or anything. He had done what he had needed to, and his actions were all a means to an end. There were now only 6 other individuals between him and returning home to see his sister and enjoy life as he used to... he might actually make it.

After finding a few suitable waterholes, Dezna plunged his face into a smaller one, soaking his head and hair. Hazel quietly drank some water, but had remained silent ever since the incident. "Another sponsor gift, huh?" he quipped as he noticed the parachute. "Looks like someone's really banking on you in particular. Maybe I should do the same." he joked. He didn't know what the note said, but figured it was just Zerviah being herself or something, and so thought little of it. He got comfortable in their current shelter, relaxing as Hazel curled into a little ball in the corner, softly sobbing. He groaned, still in a bit of pain, although the water on his face in in his hair was refreshing (and he was now back to being only 5'6" since his hair was all matted down. it would get all fluffy and poofy again when it dried though). It was going to be a long day.

[Nachthexe]

"The same fear I saw in Blaze's eyes as Leon and I attempted to shove him into those flames..." Kiva responded, Still slightly in shock herself. Despite desensitization some things were even too much for her, and watching two living humans burn to death was one of those things. Even as the flames fully engulfed both Blaze and Leon she knew she had heard them both screaming moments before the cannons went off. Those were screams that burned in her mind, and probably would for a long time to come.

Were Kiva and Dezna murderers? A part of her wanted to say they weren't, but deep down inside she knew the truth and certainly Dezna did as well. Killing for survival was one thing, but both had clearly went even beyond that. Fits of rage tended to take complete control over a person and it had definitely shown on Dezna as he lodged those makeshift claws into Victoria's flesh. "I think now I will truly understand why so many victors go crazy." Kiva managed to comment, even letting out a small chuckle. It was true that even after the games most victors never really left behind the arena. Of course, there were rumours of some victors even having become hermits after witnessing the horrors of the games. That was one extreme that Kiva didn't want to be subjected to if she made it home, but there was no way of knowing at this point what would happen to her. Hazel, on the other hand, was clearly beginning to lose it and Kiva almost felt as if the girl would be better off dying in the arena instead of being subjected to a life of psychological torment.

"Yea, lucky me. Between this and the Tracker Jacker incident they probably see me as some sort of mad arsonist now though. I'm surprised they didn't send me a torch." Kiva managed to chuckle once again, showing her gift to Dezna. They were unmistakeably projectiles of some sort for her contraption, which was fortunately still in working order. However, these ones seemed much more high tech and suddenly Kiva was itching to try them out, preferably on a non-human target. She had enough slaughter to last a life time. "This appears to be a switch of some sort, but I'm afraid to press it. I will wait." She continued as she examined the projectiles further. There were only four of them, but she figured that they were either expensive, powerful, or both.

As Dezna began washing his wounds Kiva found herself deep in thought. She was getting quite a few sponsor gifts, which honestly surprised her. As far as she was concerned she hadn't even done anything especially spectacular during the games save for the Tracker Jacker incident, but it hadn't even had any human casualties. As far as she knew the Capitol typically favoured the strong tributes who could easily kill--or the beautiful ones. The beautiful ones. Certainly that was a factor as to why Kiva was gaining sponsors, but it didn't do much to explain Dezna's lack of gifts. Maybe his injures made him less desirable at this point? As the price of gifts continued to rise with each passing day it made sense that sponsors would be more selective in who they sponsor.

[Zulera301]

"Well, it's like I've said," he shrugged, leaning back to relax. "some victors emerge as killers; others emerge as murderers. Sagittaria for example, was a killer. Me? if I win this thing, I'll have emerged a murderer."
These were simply his expressed opinions rather than any concrete fact, but one thing he had noticed with every kill Saj had made, was that all of them had just been necessary. Even fighting against Mason had just been a struggle to defend herself and her friends. The only tribute whose life was truly in Sagittaria's hands was Rye, but that hardly counted with how swift and clean it had been. If every tribute could die that way, perhaps the trauma the poor victor suffered would be much less--but on the other hand, considering Sagittaria's relationship with Rye, maybe that was not the solution at all.

"it's true what they say then." he nodded, "you never actually leave the arena." Look at Zerviah--that was only a few weeks in her much longer life, and she's told us both numerous times about how it shaped her. On that note... what did the note say?"
He read it, and actually frowned. "I'm not sure if that's a sick attempt at humor, or if she's actually trying to reprimand you." he handed the slip of paper back, also curious about the projectiles. "Maybe she took lessons in enigma from Valendria?" He joked. The situation at hand was still considerably grim, especially with Hazel curled up asleep already. she occasionally trembled, and he could only imagine what horrors were rampaging through the child's mind at the moment. Part of him wanted to mercy-kill her, but he couldn't bring himself to betray her until at least 4 others were dead.

"Well, they call Sagittaria the Girl on Fire." he reminded her, and surely the previous victor's fondness of fire, the color red, and fiery passion in general were all well-known traits she had. "I mean, with how damn spectacular she did in the 'games, it's no wonder." He sort of also saw it as a play on words, for Saj had been 'on fire' in the games with how well she had performed: an 11 training score; only minimal injuries, and a wicked powerful alliance whose members ended up taking 3rd, 2nd, and 1st in the games. "What'll they call you? Mistress of the Inferno?" It was a lame-sounding name, but that was his weird attempt at humor at the moment. He still quite liked fire himself, and during rerun footage, he'd sometimes get mesmerized by the bright and dazzling colors of Sagittaria's dress.

Dezna's remark about his lack of gifts was not something to worried him too much, and had been an in-the-moment sort of thing. On one hand, Kiva was clearly the Capitol favorite, and possibly Zerviah's choice for a winner; on the other, he couldn't really think of anything he needed or wanted right now that he could use in the arena. Similar to how he and Arza had performed for the last 7 years without any parents, Dezna seemed to be doing just fine on his own. Victors from the poorer districts were a reminder that one did not always need sponsors to win the games. "no one wants to sponsor a madman." he joked, "so you better win this thing for 'em; y'hear? If you get offed, I don't think anyone'll ever let District 6 live it down."

[Nachthexe]

Kiva shrugged. She knew Dezna was right. They were both now officially murderers, even if the Capitol audiences didn't see it as such. The Hunger Games was technically without any sort of rules, but even some things were much too cruel and barbaric. Kiva knew she had crossed that line. "You and I both. I'm not even sure I can recall many more gruesome deaths in Hunger Games history than what occurred here." Thinking back, Kiva realized that most other tributes throughout the years as far back as she remembered had been relatively fortunate. Only Krystal's death seemed to come close and that was only because Flint had hacked away at her slowly until she died.

Naturally, emotions were difficult to pick up through text, but as Kiva reread the note she suspected that Zerviah was also quite disturbed by her actions. Of course, there was truly no way of knowing unless she made it out of the arena, but a part of her almost didn't want to now in order to avoid the public responses. The arena felt sort of like a shell away from all her problems at this point, as ironic as it seemed. Reminding herself of that, she took the note back from Dezna and ripped it into small pieces before letting out a sigh. It was bound to be a long night.

"Sagittaria differs from you and I in that she killed only when necessary. Sure we could argue that the careers could have killed us too, however. I still think it was really Leon they wanted, but he ended up going down anyway. I almost wish I could have seen Sagittaria's reaction to all of this." Kiva mused as Dezna brought up Sagittaria. Despite her being from a different district Kiva looked up to the girl somewhat, but now she felt as if she didn't return those feelings. Who would? Kiva knew she had had so much potential, but instead wasted it all in the most gruesome way possible. It truly brought her mind back onto her sister. What would she think of her? Would they even be as close as they once were? After the games it was true they were both going to have very different outlooks on life. Dezna's comments only happened to add fuel to the fire as well. "No. I never want to be reminded of fire again." She responded, shrugging before hesitantly letting out a chuckle.

Dezna's confidence level seemed to be going down and Kiva could sense it in his words as the two finally settled into a new shelter for the night. Hazel managed to fall asleep quickly, although her trembling was evident. Kiva hated to imagine what would become of that girl if she won. Fortunately though, despite his own lack of confidence showing, Dezna still appeared to have confidence in Kiva. He felt convinced that she'd win over him, but she wasn't so sure. There were still several tributes out there and some of the deadliest in the games. At least she knew a bit more of Valendria's tactics, but that still didn't account for the District 3 pair. They were also from an urban district and brilliant so clearly they were probably planning something big. There was no doubt they were prepared to end these entire games with a bang, emerging victorious. Bang. Kiva only hoped that was a figure of speech as the pair last year had quite literally made use of explosives, nearly killing both Rye and Sagittaria in the process. "Well assuming those District 3 kids don't get us first one of us might make it out of here. Besides us, there's only 5 others and Valendria was pretty seriously injured by the time she took off." Kiva reassured Dezna as she leaned against the wall and attempted to rest.

[Zulera301]

Dezna nodded. "well... I can think of two... though one was a close miss." he pointed out, "those poor bastards who triggered the landmines; and Rye if he had not moved in time. I'd rather burn than be blown to bits... but both of those are really shitty ways to die." he almost cringed. "otherwise... I think you win that prize." He might have put his own personal murder signature onto Victoria's death, but even then, his methods had been swift and efficient. The initial stab with one hand was just to ensure that she wouldn't accidentally strike him, and then he slashed her throat to finish the job. He had kind of wished that Blaze had just exploded in the original fireball that had to have formed from the initial strike.

"Fuck 'em all." He shook his head approvingly, "everything from the moment you step off that pedestal is nothing more than a means to an end. I'm fairly certain that if Blaze could have done that to Leon, he would jump at the opportunity, and he'd be laughing the whole time." He wasn't necessarily trying to villainize Blaze at this point either; just trying to exemplify that the sadistic boy might have gone for the opportunity if the tables had been turned and he had known what he had (literally) walked into. Truth of the matter was that Dezna felt sorry for him, and especially for Leon. No one deserved to die like that. No one.

Half a world away, (or perhaps next door; there was no telling where the arena was in comparison to anything else in Panem), Sagittaria had been staring rather horrorstruck at what she had just witnessed. Leon's death had truly been heroic, but even she cringed at the fate of Blaze. Alas, poor villain. Antagonists with horrifying deaths tended to garner audience sympathy. that was just the nature of the element of a story, after all.
She was actually alone in her room right now away from her team, sobbing her heart out. Sure she had begun to expect that Leon would die, but to see his charred remains lifted from the arena had put the final nail in the coffin for her.
On the other hand, that had been a while ago, and she had since recovered, and while the rest of her team knew that she had been bawling, none of them said a thing; not wishing to remind Sagittaria that she had cried. One thing that she could relate to, however, was the fact that she was now very distant from her family. The remainder of them stayed very close-knit, but the way Sagittaria's mind was wired ever since the arena had left her a very changed girl in her behavior, and she still swore that she sometimes saw faces of those she had known around the district. She had seen Kyla, Flint, Rye, Krystal, Mason, Alexis, and even the likes of Bolt, Techa, Maggie, Eurus, and Circe. That was the lightest of her concerns though, and she kept it fairly hidden.

"Shit happens; then you die." Dezna put a hand around her shoulder again. "maybe if you win you and Saj can have a nice talk." It was true that the previous year's victor had gained a lot of respect in various districts. She was kind of something Dezna had wanted to be. Her way with words, combined with his imagination, could have concocted legends. "I don't think it's going to get any easier from here. Glimmer's got Valendria's ass saved, and I'm sure she has gotten sponsors from here to District 13 and back. Clemont and Hikari... I'm worried as to what they might have done in their isolation..."

He turned to her again, although was ready to fall asleep. "I guess it comes down to one simple question--do you want to win the games, or is the trauma a fate worse than death?" He remembered a year when a promising girl from District 7 had gotten through most of the games before the horrors of the arena finally caught up to her. She could not take the trauma, and so submitted herself to death, which a boy from District 2 happily brought her. "Just something to think about..." he shrugged, before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

[Nachthexe]

It didn't take Kiva long to realize that Dezna was right. Given the opportunity it was very possible that Blaze could have done the same thing and that alone had Kiva feeling fortunate it hadn't been her fate. Now that she had witnessed it it was not a fate she wished upon anybody, nor did she desire it herself. The idea of dying peacefully in her sleep appealed to her most, but in a competition such as the Hunger Games that sort of fate was impossible. Perhaps Albert's death served as the closest example of that, assuming he had been silently killed in his sleep of course. Kiva still wasn't sure about that and only the reruns of the games would have the answer. That of course was something that only one person present would live to see.

"I'm not sure what I would have to say to Saj. Do I just walk up to her and go 'Hello, I am Kiva and I shoved your boy into a blazing inferno'? It's truly a shame it had to come to this in her first year mentoring." Kiva responded, slightly puzzled. Certainly the District 11 victor understood that most deaths in the games were just business, but Kiva knew it wouldn't be the same talking to her now as technically she felt partially responsible for Leon's death. It was true he had given up the fight once his arms were already partially burnt and chosen voluntarily to sacrifice himself, but it had been Kiva's fire created by her own hand. Of course there was also the factor that it had been the Gamemaker's layout that had made it possible in the first place. Certainly the mounds of rubble with flammable gasses protruding from them hadn't been placed in the arena on accident. They served a purpose, although somehow Kiva felt that even the Gamemakers hadn't anticipated them being used to burn a tribute alive.

Kiva nodded. Dezna had a point. The games were not about to get any easier despite the careers being out. Valendria may have fled while very beat up, but she no doubt had sponsors. Within days there was a good chance she would be ready to fight once again and now with the careers out she would probably target District 6. Certainly the girl hadn't been a formal ally, but she had clearly despised the careers enough to aid in taking them down. That left only two more targets on her hit list: the District 3 pair and the remainder of the "outlying alliance". Naturally, at that point Glimmer would then be easily taken down, even if the girl had managed to show exceptional skill during every appearance she had made. Skill was only the tip of the iceberg when thinking back to Clemont and Hikari though and a lump formed in Kiva's throat at the very thought of finally discovering what they had been up to ever since Day One.

Kiva found Dezna's last question to be fairly odd, but she knew she couldn't hold anything back from the boy at this point. It was getting to be the point in the games where very soon some tough decisions would certainly have to be made. One of those of course included Hazel. What would her fate be? For District 6 to win she would have to die, but how? The poor girl was already traumatized enough so Kiva hoped for the girl to be able to go as peacefully as possible. That was unlikely to happen in the heat of battle, however. Still, despite everything, thinking about that girl's death reminded Kiva of everything she had planned right from the start: a District 6 victor. Either she or Dezna was going home and judging by the amount of sponsor gifts, it was clear that Kiva had quickly become a crowd favourite since the Tracker Jacker incident. That alone almost already confirmed the answer to Dezna's question in her mind. "We promised a District 6 victor, did we not? We can finish this. I certainly intend to." She answered before shuffling in towards Dezna and wrapping her arms around him. It was somewhat reminiscent of the earlier nights they had spent together and she wished for nothing more but to be back on the Capitol balcony with him once again. And for the games to had just been a dream.

[Zulera301]

Dezna was a fairly brilliant boy when all was said and done. Sure he had a few loose bolts that had revealed themselves in the recent hours during the furious struggle against the careers, but every genius was a madman, as an old District 3 proverb went (or maybe Sagittaria was just full of shit). Hazel grew quiet, and Dezna sincerely hoped that someone would kill her before he or Kiva would have to. There just didn't seem to be a humane way to kill such a small, frightened, traumatized little child. Granted, the games were anything but humane, but there had been some deaths, such as Rye's, that Dezna felt were as humane as a killing could get.

"well, she probably saw that," he reminded her. "I'm sure that the Capitol probably showed it from about 200 different angles for their own entertainment. That sort of thing."
Sagittaria on the other hand, knew the difference between an intentional kill and a necessary evil--perhaps better than most. Leon had died taking down Blaze, adding perhaps more insult to injury against that family, but also protecting his district's honor from the wrath of the young madman. Saj knew necessary evil from having to kill Rye the previous year. "don't stress about it though. All that'll do is make you more vulnerable..." he sighed and turned to Hazel, who was asleep, but seemed to be having nightmares, given her light shaking.
"fuck..." he shook his head, sighing. "that poor girl. Part of me wants to just put her out of her misery right here and now... but I can't." he glanced over towards her again. He'd leave her fate up to the wiles of the arena and the other tributes. He could not simply kill such a helpless little thing. That would be straight-up cold-blooded murder.

Dezna hoped that Varsha and Glimmer managed to take out Clemont and Hikari so that he and Kiva wouldn't have to. Hopefully Glimmer would also die and Valendria would be severely wounded enough that they could finish her off and then worry about their fates from there--or of course fantasize about rebelling by both walking out of the arena or something. He figured out a bit more of Valendria's tactics from her relentless attack against the careers, but he still didn't have that mysterious girl figured out. Why was she so fond of District 6? Surely she might have tried to sic Glimmer on them if she had wanted them dead. the girl was in perfect condition, and Kiva and Dezna were worn out from their fights and had a few injuries of their own. It just didn't make sense. Still... thus ended the 10th day in the arena... Bloody '10, or something like that. He was no poet or storyteller; maybe Saj would have a story about it kind of like the 14th day of the 44th Hunger Games, where the final 7 tributes had been eliminated by midday. On that note, the anthem played and revealed the names of the 5 tributes that had died that day in order of death: Blaze, Leon, Roxanne, Alan, & Victoria. It did almost feel a little surreal.

"Then we'll finish this." he nodded, leaning against her, and giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. Frankly he was not against any kind of display of affection here and now. Hazel was asleep and was probably too traumatized to care even if she did wake up. "One of us returns home a victor... the other returns home a hero--albeit in a casket." he shrugged. Oh how he wished to be back to the night of the interviews; they had shone so brightly (in more ways than one), and the idea of holding Kiva in his arms as he peeled her clothes off was certainly appealing to say the least. He pulled her closer, almost onto his lap and began caressing her hair, smiling.
"Last year two tributes from the same district had a day or two to show affection and whatnot while a District 12 girl slept nearby." he chuckled, for the Capitol had shown a bit of their relationship as they led up to the final encounter and the heartwrenching scene where one lover had to shoot the other. "I see no reason why we cannot do the same." obviously he wasn't (necessarily) insinuating that they take their clothes off and cuddle each other (he would like that, but they were not in any condition to, even if they did decide to say "fuck everything" and do that anyways in front of the entire nation of Panem.); but they could at least do the cuddling part. Hazel's slight convulsing did not seem to be from the cold (it was surprisingly warm; maybe because of that fire?), and so he figured it was something that could not be helped. Till then, he was going to cuddle Kiva till they were (or at least he was) fast asleep.

he was not sure how long he had been asleep, but he was woken by the sound of a cannon. Glancing around frantically and in surprise, he panicked for a plit-second before realizing that they were safe--he, Kiva, and Hazel all were still here and in one piece.
Dezna reached over to nudge Hazel awake. She was sound asleep it looked like; which he saw as a good thing. It meant she wasn't convulsing anymore. That, and the cannon meant they had one less tribute to worry about.

This was where he was wrong, however, and he realized immediately upon feeling the small girl's body which tribute had just died.

Hazel's body was cold.

[Nachthexe]

Once the faces of the five dead tributes appeared in the sky more than ever Kiva wanted all past events to have just been a nightmare, a nightmare she couldn't seem to awake from. It was much too vivid so only that alone served as reminder to the girl that she was not back in her bed in District 6, but in the Capitol's arena. There was no way out of that until all the others were eliminated, but much to Kiva's relief she remembered that only seven remained and at least one had been quite badly injured. Even if only minimal, that gave Kiva some hope that she could somehow eventually escape this nightmare.

"We have to. We've lost too many friends at this point to just give in." Kiva responded, returning Dezna's kiss on the cheek. It felt refreshing to her to once again have his affectionate side, but it was possible there was just hormones acting up again. That was not something Kiva could even think about at this point, however. There was no way they could have another evening like the one they had shared on the Capitol balcony and that had Kiva feeling many grievances. Still, she intended to make do with what she had and instead shifted onto Dezna's lap just as she had on the balcony. This the boy didn't seem to mind at all, actually whole-heartedly embracing it as he attempted to speak comforting words. "Deja vu there for sure, but this moment should be ours. We may not get another chance, y'know?" She replied, noticing Dezna's connection to the 44th Games. Rye and Sagittaria had certainly shared their own moments of affection, perhaps unbeknownst to Sagittaria that just days later she would end up having to shoot her lover in the head. That made Kiva not quick to forget that anything such thing could happen here, even if she didn't necessary love Dezna in the way Sagittaria had loved Rye.

Kiva had been so absorbed in sharing affectionate moments with Dezna that she had fallen asleep in his lap. This was something she didn't even realize until the next morning upon the blaring of a cannon. Somebody had died and she had no idea who. A part of her had hoped for Valendria simply because she was too dangerous to attempt taking on, but Hazel's stone cold body quickly indicated otherwise. Sometime during the night she had just given up living and perhaps her entire system shut down. Either way Kiva actually felt a sense of relief that the already traumatized girl had managed to go peacefully and intact. Perhaps it would even give her family back in District 12 some peace of mind knowing their daughter hadn't suffered the sort of fate both Leon and Blaze had. "Sad, but it's for the better. That girl saw too much." Kiva confessed, even managing to shed a few tears. She contemplated rolling the body out onto the ground for the hovercrafts to collect before deciding it deserved better care than that.

Just moments later Kiva picked up two slabs of metal and began furiously carving into one of them with the other. After heavy work she began to faintly be able to make out the letters "H.P" on the slab. She only continued furiously until it was visible, leaving her mostly satisfied with her work. "It's not much, but it'll have to do. Goodbye, Hazel Prezelin." She remarked one last time before dragging the corpse out of the shelter. Fortunately she was small enough that Kiva could handle it on her own, resulting in her finally getting it off into a safe distance before finally planting the slab of carved metal into the ground above her head. Fortunately there were soft spots and she managed to find one for the little makeshift memorial. She suspected that it wouldn't stay for long before being removed by the Capitol, but it served as a message to the audience more than anything. Besides, the girl deserved a proper send-off. Technically Leon and Daisy did too, but they had died in the heat of conflict, leaving no opportunity for such a thing.

Kiva stood in front of Hazel's corpse for several more moments before finally retreating to a safe distance for the hovercrafts. Just as she walked away she gave the girl the same salute that was so infamous back in Districts 11 and 12. She shed a few more tears, knowing what was still to come. It was just when she imagined Hazel greeting her that she finally spotted the hovercraft, causing her to realize for the final time that Hazel was dead. Hallucinations had no place in reality.

[Zulera301]

their situation had certainly changed rather drastically after today. Daisy's death seemed to be the beginning of the terrible snowball effect that they were now currently trapped in, and Dezna was fairly certain it would only get worse from here. He wondered, surely as the others did, where Clemont and Hikari were hiding. The Capitol would have to flush them out eventually though, and Dezna had an idea for how to do that. He'd worry more about that tomorrow though, or in a few hours. Whatever day it was; blargz. The games were soon drawing to a close though, and so far, his odds were about decent. He figured that the biggest threats were all ahead of him though. He might have stood a notch or two above Kiva, but he was fairly certain that he and Kiva were 5th and 6th in terms of danger. They were against the cunning Glimmer, the dangerous tributes from District 3, and the powerful Valendria. Those were some stacked odds.

"Those were my thoughts." he admitted, "I mean, we're kind of at a disadvantage right now... and I fear that Hazel's going to be the first of us to go. Then it's us against Glimmer, Clemont, Hikari, and..." he sighed. "Valendria." If there was a final confrontation against Valendria, Dezna knew it would be harsh. "on the other hand, there's always a chance we might end up forced to do the same thing that Saj and Rye did last year... at least that way I know I'd be able to die on my own terms." he chuckled. "But enough about that... let's enjoy this moment. You're right--it's ours." He might not have been in love with Kiva the way Rye was in love with Sagittaria (and if the girl's actions were anything to go by, that love was 100% reciprocated of course), but she was still a close friend, and someone he would really hate to lose. she almost reminded him of something. He decided to mention this, as well as a funny story, in hops of lightening the mood.

"Y'know, Kiva... you're like a sister I never had." he pecked her nose softly, holding her on his lap and rubbing her back (okay, and a few times squeezing her butt) "well, sort of. I obviously wouldn't have done some things with a sister." he laughed, not even getting awkward over it. "but yeah... I guess it's the closeness; the amiable reactions... this." he squeezed her hips, but mostly just to exemplify how closely they were touching at the moment. Their clothes were still on (though he would absolutely not be against them coming off. xD) anyways. "I mean don't get me wrong--Arza's definitely my sister--she's like a female me. It actually reminds me of one time when we were younger. We both wore matching baggy clothes, and styled our hair the same way. She passed off as me and I passed off as her. No one even realized the difference." This also implied that they had similar talents.

Either way, he eventually fell asleep, snuggled into Kiva's warm embrace, but that had been interrupted with the cannon. At first he thought Hazel had frozen to death, but at the same time, Dezna's head, elbows, and feet were exposed (and fingertips, for his gloves did not cover those), and he was quite warm. he wiggled his toes just to test the air, and the air was warm around them too. It had not dropped below freezing overnight.
"poor kid..." Dezna sighed. "though you're right. I'm glad she died this way instead of getting gruesomely blasted apart by whatever horrific contraptions District 3 has built by now. He closed his eyes, hiding the water that was forming in them. Of all the tributes in this arena, He had kind of wanted her to win more than anyone else (except himself of course). For one thing, it would have turned the games upside-down, and for another; District 12 seemed like one of of the most chill districts. Like, if District 12 were a single person, it would be some laid-back girl kind of like Arza. (yes, he imagined a personified District 12 would be female, probably because of its influential female tributes both in this year's games and the one before it)

Dezna watched what Kiva was doing, but stopped her when she started dragging Hazel's body.
"give her a little more respect than that?" he elbowed her almost playfully. The small girl didn't weigh much, and so Dezna was able to help by carrying Hazel's body to where Kiva wanted it. Besides, he'd rather be helping her than just watching awkwardly. As she planted the slab of metal into the ground, Dezna helped lay Hazel's body on its back, crossing her arms and making her look rather peaceful. He sighed softly, turning to Kiva.
"She deserved this..." he nodded, "the memorial; I mean. She might not have been a Kyla, but the kid had guts... she was just way in over her head. I think we all were for a little bit." he remembered that horrific night yesterday where both of them had gone a bit berzerk in the things they had managed to do. "Goodbye Hazel Prezelin... you will be missed."

Dezna followed Kiva away from the body, turning and putting his fingers to his lips before extending them--the District 12 salute, famously only really ever used between Districts 11 and 12, had made its way into District 6.
He put an arm around Kiva as they walked back to their shelter, now suddenly feeling much more hollow than it had before. Even if Hazel had been quiet and/or dead for the past few hours, knowing that she was gone did put a hole in Dezna's heart a little, and it made him sad.
"shit... can I just hug you, Kiva?" he requested, figuring the girl would want to do the same. "please?"

[Nachthexe]

"I've never had a brother, but I suppose in some ways you could almost be like one. We've been through so much together in the past few weeks that it would be hard not to consider us close." Kiva confessed as the two continued cuddling. By that point Dezna had gotten so close that they only truly lacked the nude intimacy they had shared on the balcony. Still, every minute of it was somehow managing to be relaxing and even for brief moments had Kiva forgetting about where she truly was. "This has been a mutual struggle ever since we stepped onto that stage back in District 6. We went in as mere acquaintances and now we have moved so far beyond that. There's something about these games that seems to draw everybody closer." Kiva continued, sharing further thoughts of her own as she gave Dezna another kiss on the cheek. It was funny really. Somebody in the games always seemed to grow closer to somebody else and it hardly seemed fair as everybody knew what would inevitably come. Another way to punish the districts perhaps? Make them familiar with loss? It wasn't like that wasn't already a regular thing in the districts, particularly in the poorer ones that engaged in physical labour.

As Hazel's body was lifted into the hovercraft the next morning Kiva still couldn't believe she was gone. Just mere days ago they had been sharing laughs together. They had even been sharing heartbreaks, but now there was nobody by Kiva's side except for her district partner who was also doomed to die if she intended to go home. Of course she wasn't quick to forget Daisy and Leon who had also been taken from her after sharing so much together. During the first days of the games she had been kept in shelters that barely even had enough space for the entire group, yet they had managed to all cram in, for everybody's sake. Now she and Dezna could easily stretch out and still have space to spare. It was funny really how that worked, how loss was so sudden, but it was the games. They knew nothing, but how to take, take, take! "We haven't been alone like this since we've been in the Capitol." Kiva blurted out as she examined their area, hoping for just a split second that somebody she had shared the games with was still out there. Of course that was far from reality. Kiva and Dezna truly were alone up against deadly opponents.

As requested, Kiva gave Dezna another hug before they walked back to their shelter together. She thought about moving as to not be reminded of what had just occurred, but at the same time she couldn't drive herself to. Quickly she began feeling sentimental about the location, wanting to stare out at Hazel's little memorial for as long as possible. Surprisingly, the Capitol hovercraft had kept it entirely intact, removing only the body. "As empty as it now feels here without the others, we need to move on. This is not over. We need to construct an action plan." Kiva announced moments later after wiping away more tears that had begun to flow down her cheeks.

Kiva took several minutes to think over all the various possibilities the District 3 pair had in store for the remaining tributes and it didn't seem pretty. Wherever they had been hiding out for the majority of the games it was clear they had stayed their for a reason. Perhaps to build something incredibly dangerous to use once only a few tributes remained? That was one of the things that perhaps managed to make District 3 one of the more predictable districts. Instead of using conventional weaponry they relied on constructing their own devices, or even more rarely, being sponsored some. There was no way of knowing if District 3 had received any such sponsors this year, but previous years had managed to prove they were far from reliant on them. The pair last year served as an excellent example with their mines taken straight from the pedestals; they were both resourceful and dangerous. Of course there was also Valendria, and assuming she had received sponsors she was no doubt recovering already. Sure she didn't have dangerous technology, but she had proven many times over that she didn't even need it. Perhaps Glimmer was more manageable, but Kiva was admittedly feeling fearful for both herself and Dezna. District 6 hardly stood a chance, but Kiva intended to fight until the end.

[Zulera301]

Dezna chuckled. "siblings then... unless we've moved onto lovers?" he chuckled, referencing Rye and Sagittaria. He was not insinuating that they should become "romantic"; just playfully making a stab at where their relationship seemed to going even if it was doomed. On the other hand, he was clearly content with it where it was right now, and this showed through his tone. "the 'games definitely draw people together... perhaps ironically. I can see the slogan now..." he spread his gloved hands out in an arc, "The Hunger Games--meet interesting people, and then kill them!" He continued to rub her back (and occasionally her butt), leaning back against the wall to relax in the moment. For all his injuries, he was half surprised that his bare feet weren't also injured. Perhaps the odds were in his favor after all in that regard.
Still... it was clear that people made friends in the Hunger Games. Daisy and Leon has not really known each other beforehand, and they had gotten to become decent enough friends; Dezna and Kiva were acquaintances before the games, but were now much more than that. Apparently even Varsha and Glimmer had befriended each other, and they were from different districts. Then again, Leon and Daisy had been friends of Kiva and Dezna, and all four of them had befriended little Hazel from District 12. Her death probably hit Dezna the hardest out of the ones that had happened so far.

It was sad to see Leon and Daisy go, although really, it felt almost hollow without anyone else there with them. He kind of envied Saj for a moment, given that her alliance lasted till the end of the games, and they died within minutes of each other, with Saj shooting Rye shortly after Kyla had finally succumbed to the clutches of death. Still... he managed to chuckle at Kiva's remark the next morning, in hopes to lighten up the mood. "wanna take off our clothes?" he joked, except that if she was down, he would totally be down as well. Even with the recent trauma and expression of brief craziness, the boy still had no shame. Still... after a hug, they returned to their little shelter. Part of him wouldn't mind just seeing the sun again one last time. The darkness was starting to get to him in only a slightly irritating manner.

For a while as he and Kiva sat in each other's embraces, he gazed out at the little memorial that Kiva had made for Hazel. Truly, the little girl deserved that, and of all the horrible ways to die in the arena, she had gotten a rather easy one. Technically, dying in the bloodbath was also an easy and quick way to die, as you were usually cut down and that was it, but the difference was that no tribute that was killed in the bloodbath was ever remembered, except as a joke (much like Kyla's older brother, despite Kyla herself having become something of a legend). Hopefully little Hazel wouldn't be forgotten. It was rare for a tribute to get that far in the games without killing anyone. Had District 3 done the same, or had some of the bloodbath kills been theirs? Maybe Albert, perchance?

"This time, let's let them come to us." Dezna suggested. "I say we should pull a Kyla: we should head back to the cornucopia. If they're there... well, then we are going to have to confront them. If not... then we're in the most advantageous spot to be in at the end of the games. The Capitol will bring them to us, rather than try to force us to them." It was true that at the end of the game, whenever the Capitol wanted to force the remaining tributes together, it was always (literally, always) at the golden cornucopia where the madness had begun in the first place. Dezna did not feel like trying to hunt out these cunning tributes, for they could walk right into a trap or something, or perhaps be ambushed by Glimmer, who was clearly the stealth operative of the 4-5 alliance.
"Although... it hasn't even been 24 hours since the explosive bloodbath that killed 5 tributes and indirectly killed another," he glanced out towards Hazel's little memorial, "so I don't think we need to rush to the cornucopia just yet if you don't..."
When he thought about it, Hazel would be remembered as long as that little memorial stood. He had heard that the old arenas were often tourist destinations and that the Capitol liked to visit locations where vicious fights had taken place. Surely they would notice the large metal slab sticking out of the ground in memory of a certain Hazel Prezelin of District 12. Those little female tributes seemed to always have a way of being remembered.

"Thoughts?" he turned back to Kiva, in reference to his idea, letting his hands run through her hair as he spoke.

[Nachthexe]

Were they lovers? The thought briefly ran through Kiva's mind as Dezna seemed to be questioning such himself. With everything they had experienced together it was difficult for her to think of themselves as anything less than good friends, but lovers was taking it to a whole other level she hadn't even dared venturing into. Last thing she wanted was a repeat of the Rye/Saj situation that had occurred only the year before. "I haven't really thought of that much. Siblings it is." Kiva responded, smiling. Despite the emptiness she was currently experiencing she knew she wasn't completely alone yet and Dezna's presence served as a reminder of that.

Friends, lovers, and enemies. The Hunger Games seemed to have a funny way of making people into all those things and certainly Kiva and Dezna were no exception. Since the infamous night on the balcony she only saw them drawing closer together despite the inevitability of their fate; at least one of them would be dead within days and if it was Dezna Kiva was determined to somehow make him remembered. If he was fortunate he would die in a memorable way anyway. The tributes who made it into the final few usually were remembered well, fortunately. Even Hazel was bound to be remembered somewhat due to the memorial, despite her having not killed anybody.

Dezna's next request happened to capture Kiva by surprise. He wanted them to replicate the night on the balcony? She wasn't inherently against the idea, but this time was different. This time they had the entire country watching them. That was not an audience she wanted to share their most intimate moments with and she hoped that Dezna would understand this. "Nah, the Capitol doesn't want to see our dirty bloodied bodies." She responded, chuckling before giving him another kiss on the cheek. "Besides, we have our memories to cherish." She added, winking. Memories. That's all it truly was and all it would ever be. It made Kiva sad slightly to think about that, but only one of them was leaving the arena. If anything though, that would somehow manage to make the memories even more special in their own way, or very upsetting. Kiva wasn't even sure if she wanted to find out, but one of them was bound to and frankly odds currently seemed to be in her favour over Dezna's; she was in overall better shape, had received more sponsors, and had a pretty vicious and definitely entertaining kill to boot. It seemed disturbing to her that the Capitol would have found death by arson even remotely entertaining, but alas this was the Hunger Games.

Fortunately Dezna's thoughts of intimacy managed to not cloud his judgement while attempting to concoct a plan of action. The Cornucopia was definitely a decent place to hide out while awaiting what was bound to be the final showdown, but maybe somebody else had already thought of the same idea first? It almost seemed like a sort of tactic District 3 would use, but then again Kiva didn't recall seeing them there during the Tracker Jacker attack so she figured it was safe. "It's a decent idea and I don't see why we need to wait around here. There's too many painful memories in this part of the arena now." She explained, packing up her things. Naturally, the advanced projectiles she had received from a Capitol sponsor were placed on top in case of having to react quickly. She was still curious as to what the button on the tops did, but she didn't want to take any risks now by tampering with something she was unfamiliar with. At least in battle if something went wrong there was a chance it would take down the opponent. Here there was only the chance of taking down either herself or Dezna.

As Kiva finally jumped out of the shelter she took one last glance over at Hazel's memorial. She knew if she had had access to the sorts of resources back home that it could have been made into something nice, but overall she was pretty impressed with her handiwork. What impressed her most though was that the Capitol had so far kept it in place. She was sure they would have viewed it as an act of rebellion, but obviously that hadn't been the case. Unless they were waiting until she was gone? There was really no way of knowing, but either way she waved at it and then took off towards the Cornucopia. Fortunately they were still very much in familiar territory so she vaguely remembered the way to get there. Despite all of the boy's other shortcomings Leon had been one hell of a navigator. That was something he definitely deserved to be remembered for and was perhaps one of the reasons he and Hazel and managed to find their little trio in the first place. Kiva definitely didn't regret allowing them to join their trio either, having shared some of the most memorable days of the games with them all together.

[Zulera301]

"Lovely. so I have to say goodbye to another sibling now." he ruffled her hair playfully to indicate that he was not about to delve deeper into the subject. They were certainly nothing short of very good friends, although maybe they were in denial about not being lovers in hopes that when one (or both?) of them inevitably died, the loss would not hit them as hard as Rye's loss did for Sagittaria. The girl had been very strong-willed, but even she had shown a soft side after losing her beloved. Dezna didn't want that; not for himself, and not for Kiva should she win instead of him.

Clearly he was not the only one aware of the irony in how the Hunger Games brought people together. Maybe Sagittaria was right about the unity between some of the districts that tended to show itself through their representative tributes. Districts 11 and 12 seemed to show it a bit, and perhaps there was even a bit of unity between them and District 6 through their adoption of Sagittaria's now-famous Hunger Games slogan. Then again, even District 2 had supposedly picked up on it. He could probably chalk that up as the only thing that '2 had in common with '11 and '12.
Such odd things, these Games were. so many things happened during them, and they seemed like a core of Panem's culture--a 45-year tradition that would last for centuries. If nothing else, hopefully some of the fallen tributes that he had liked could be remembered. He figured that as long as Sagittaria lived, any tributes she liked would have a hard time being forgotten, primarily in District 11, but also in the Capitol and among the other districts whose mentors she conversed with. Hopefully if Dezna and/or Kiva died, she'd help immortalize them. Sagittaria's voice seemed to go rather far in the Capitol, after all.

Dezna laughed. "well you're still in decent shape. I'm sure no one would mind seeing your legs again." he joked. He was not actually pushing it, but he would definitely joke about it. he nodded when she mentioned the memories though. Oh yes... he would take memories of cuddling with Kiva to the grave, be it in a few days, or in many years after he was old and grey. Even though they had been naked, it had not so much been that that he remembered as much as the closeness and the gentle touches. well... sure he had remembered them being naked. It was somewhat exotic really--the only thing the tributes had been wearing was elaborate makeup on their faces as their Capitol-makeover bodies were bare and exposed (sans Kiva's feet, but Dezna thought that was for the better xD). He was kind of glad no one had seen them (or had they?) It could give some stylists bad ideas. He was pretty sure there had been at least one year where a set of tributes had not technically been wearing anything. He forgot how well they had fared though.
Odds aside though, his own might have dipped a bit, but he was not out, and he would go down fighting to his last breath. Bianca was truly a marvel of Dezna's talent as a craftsman, for it was still perfectly functioning and intact. He was armed with plenty of bolts, and while he had lost his dagger in the fray with Leon and Flint, he still had his throwing knives. He could not really think of anything else he might have needed as far as sponsor gifts went... not yet anyways.

"I concur." he nodded softly. "sides... the place only has one opening, and it's got a roof overhead in case it rains again or something. Sure it's a big opening, but we can't delay a final encounter too much longer. Let's let '3, '4, and '5 drain their energy trying to get here while we can be all rested and revved us." That was some of his logic here, especially since they weren't exactly going to the cornucopia to hide the way Kyla had done. If nothing else... it meant no more climbing. He didn't think that any of the remaining tributes would have trouble doing that anyways. Glimmer was fast and strong, Varsha could probably just punch clean through whatever structure they were in, and surely District 3 had made a device for that by now or something. No, the cornucopia would even the field.

Hazel's memorial still stood as Dezna and Kiva headed out to return to the cornucopia. the walk was rather quiet, and Dezna was half-expecting to her another set of light footprints belonging to Hazel. It was weird that she had actually died, for unlike any of the other tributes, there were no signs of injury on her body. She hadn't shed a drop of blood in the arena, which was probably a first. Dezna was sure there was some symbolism or something in that, but he couldn't think of it at the moment.
The only thing that happened on the way there was a parachute bearing a #6 floated down, but this time towards Dezna. There was no package--only a long weapon. Upon snagging it, he discovered it was a staff, with claws on the end reminiscent of those machines that had toys in them that you tried to make the claw grab. (so similar to a + sign). The message that was with it was even more cryptic.
"Save yourself." -Z
He tilted his head. "Save myself? I... don't get it."
Another oddity was that the handle seemed to be coated with some kind of rubber or something--it made it difficult to run his hands (gloved or not) across the handle, but on the other hand, it seemed to protect his grip on the weapon so that his hands wouldn't slide.
"I'll look this thing over better when we get to the cornucopia;" he shrugged, "let's keep walking."

[Nachthexe]

Kiva shrugged. "This is fate. Perhaps the odds really aren't in our favour. Really though they're in nobody's favour the moment their name comes out of those glass orbs..." She responded as she also took the time to stroke Dezna's hair. Despite the rough conditions of the arena and the dirt and blood that now clung to his body, his hair managed to remain surprisingly soft. Kiva's not so much. She would tell it was messy beyond recognition and if she made it out it was bound to horrify any Capitol citizen. Thankfully, the stylists would probably rush to clean it up in preparation for the victor interview. As she recalled it always occurred the evening of the last day of the games. That alone had the Capitol prefer to end it in the morning or afternoon. At least according to their time. Kiva had long suspected that the passage of time inside the arena was quite different to that outside it.

Saying goodbye was never easy and Kiva knew it was going to be no different here. Even if they somehow miraculously made it into the final two the odds were still not in the favour of either of them; one would be offed while the other suffered from heartbreak and loss. In a way this very much made Kiva envious of the victors who had managed to win without forming alliances. It certainly seemed less painful that way, not having to kill anybody you particularly cared for. Of course, such victors were much rarer and typically came from the disadvantaged districts, proving that hiding out was also a very viable tactic when used correctly. In fact, she was still convinced that Kyla could have very possibly won even if she had remained hidden in the Cornucopia. It was something Kiva typically didn't ponder much, just wanting to enjoy Dezna's company while she could.

Enjoying Dezna's company was exactly what seemed to be happening. "They're dirty too." Kiva chuckled as she teased Dezna by pulling her pant leg partially up to give him a view. It wasn't much, but also provocative just enough to get him excited. The thought of stripping down entirely still ran through her mind, but she knew it was never to be as long as the Capitol audiences were watching. It was truly a shame they hadn't become close under better circumstances. In the meantime they just had to make do with what they had, but thankfully Dezna didn't seem to mind.

"Well it's definitely intact since last time we ventured here." Kiva commented as she began examining the Cornucopia once they arrived after their short journey. Surprisingly, it seemed to had been used little at all since the initial bloodbath. If anything, that made Kiva hopeful though that their little hideout wasn't about to be interrupted by any of the other tributes or Capitol forces themselves. She knew that the huge showdown just less than a day earlier was bound to hold them over for a few days. Despite the malevolent nature of the games even the Capitol had standards and for maximum entertainment giving tributes time to recover was ideal. "Hell with it, let's just get in and enjoy the time we have left. The Capitol won't force action for at least a couple days." Kiva insisted, ushering Dezna inside as she entered the structure herself. Once inside she managed to clear a space that was just large enough for the two to stretch out in if necessary. Of course that was probably not going to be a concern anyway as Dezna seemed pretty keen on continuing the snuggling from earlier, something that Kiva completely didn't mind herself.

Once settled in, Kiva noticed another parachute gliding down towards their location. Initially she suspected it was for her, but then once it began floating down to Dezna's location she knew otherwise. This admittedly excited her as it indicated the boy still had some support, thus a possibility to win. Of course that meant she would have to die, but just as she had made clear so long ago the prospect of death bothered her little. If anything, it was redemption from all she had done so far in the games, actions she wasn't exactly proud of. "This one I'm not so sure about. What does it do? Zerviah thinks we're going to grab tributes to death?" Kiva joked as she saw Dezna examine the device. It didn't look much like a weapon, but certainly it had some purpose if Zerviah had bothered to send it at all. What that purpose was Kiva was confident they would discover in time and she could only hope it was useful against the strongest tribute in the arena: Valendria.

[Zulera301]

"well... there's 1 in 24 who does get the odds in their favor." he reminded her. It was not like everyone in the arena was doomed to die. There was always 1 victor--no more; no less. He relaxed as Kiva stroked his hair. Every now and again when they went to get water, he'd find an unused pothole of water and dunk his head into it. His hair wetted down for a while, but as it dried, it got all poofy all over again, restoring Dezna to his "normal" height of 5'10" (as opposed to his real and natural height of 5'6").
There was a theory that circulated around (believed to have originated in District 5 thanks to a boy who won a decade or two earlier; but there was no telling at this point) about boys and their innate ability to always have soft hair. Dezna proved this theory time and again, even though the rest of his body looked a bit worse for wear comparatively speaking. Still, Dezna purred softly as Kiva ran her fingers through his hair. For what it was worth, it felt rather nice, and his hair was still rather fluffy as well. He ran his fingers through her much messier hair, not minding the difference. He just enjoyed touching her-reminding himself that she was close and was with him.

"So which is better," he asked, "going through the games with friends and allies that you would eventually have to mourn the losses of; or going through the arena alone, without anyone to remember but yourself?" He thought back to a tiny little District 2 girl who had done the latter; she seemed like a rather cold woman if her victor interview had been anything to go by. Sagittaria on the other hand, still expressed emotion, and had very strong feelings for those she had lost. "Don;t think too hard about it; I tend to ask deep questions in situations like this." That was part of how the boy showed affection. People were like machines--there was always something that made them tick. This was why he was also so interested in learning what was up with Valendria. Hopefully he'd live to hear the tale at least that long.

Dezna chuckled as he saw her dirty leg, and gave her another wink. "you'd still look better if you took 'em off." he quipped, "it'd be prettier than any of the shit I've seen around me for the last week and a half." In the boy's defense, there was really nothing appealing about this arena. It was all barren and ugly and completely unappealing in every way. The jungle from last year had been rather beautiful, albeit deadly. This just looked like a warzone, and while it was clearly very strategic, there was no way of sugarcoating it to make it look pretty. Still... the clouds that seemed to be forming overhead were a nice indicator that they might get some rain.

"I think one of the constants of these games is that they never destroy the cornucopia." Dezna chuckled as they arrived at the intact structure, surrounded by the pedestals. These looked fairly intact as well, meaning that it was unlikely that District 3 had done anything with them this year. On the other hand--if they did not need the landmines... what DID they do this time? that was an intriguing thought. "eh... you're right though. let's just get in before it starts raining or something... and then we can make out or something." he gave her butt a playful squeeze as they disappeared into the shadows of the horn, still joking (but also still not entirely against the notion.If Kiva thought he was being too forward (which he highly doubted she would), she was welcome to slap him--or kill him, since that was the object of the 'games, after all... but he thought little of it.

The weapon had only interrupted their cuddling briefly though, and Dezna sat back down against one of the walls a moment later, the staff in his arms, and Kiva either nearby or on his lap. "beats me... the handle feels weird particularly... like it's coated with rubber or something? All I know is that whatever it is, it's stopping my hands from losing their grip at all." he gripped the weapon and tried pushing or pulling it with his free hand. It didn't budge. His gloves might have helped, but he didn't think much about that either. The weapon was definitely not rubber, for the handle was too solid, but the claw things on either side also confused him. Clearly Zerviah was aware of something that he was not aware of, and so he'd hold onto this thing. Nearby, his backpack rested there with Bianca the mechanical crossbow, and his throwing knives were now inside his jacket. He set the weapon down nearby, but otherwise stayed sitting and relaxed, stretching his toes.
He heard rainfall, but they were long since out of the rain. "So... wanna take your pants off yet?" he grinned and winked shamelessly and playfully at her. The rain almost seemed like a sign for the tributes to stay put for a while, so he was fairly certain they weren't about to get their cuddling interrupted.

[Nachthexe]

"At this point I'm not so sure. The losses so far actually make going through this alone seem desirable." Kiva mused. It was an interesting question Dezna had asked and one she realized she couldn't really properly answer. Since the beginning of the games she had managed to have at least somebody by her side and there had been times, such as now, that it was actually comforting. Kiva wasn't sure what she would have done if she had been alone after Blaze and Leon's deaths. A part of her would have probably contemplated jumping into those flames herself. Luckily, the Capitol had extinguished them to remove the charred corpses before Kiva even managed to have such thoughts.

Dezna's continued insistence for Kiva to remove her clothing managed to make her laugh. It was refreshing to know that despite their circumstances that his feelings for her hadn't managed to change at all. If anything, it was possible it brought them closer as they both shared the same struggles. Kiva knew that if she made it home that most people in District 6 would have little understanding of her struggles. Zerviah and the other victors obviously would, but it was truly her family that mattered. Quickly she began fearing the strain their relationship would face, but fortunately Dezna's presence had her forgetting that too. "You're the prettiest thing around for kilometres, that's for sure." She complimented the boy, noting his last comments. He was definitely right. Compared to previous arenas this one was rather dull and had a harsh demeanour to it. At least it had managed to be strategic and Kiva could only hope it continued being so during the final showdown.

The Cornucopia was never destroyed. That was an observation of Dezna's that wasn't quickly lost on Kiva. Perhaps it served as a symbol of the games itself so the Capitol attempted to keep it in one piece. In fact, Kiva could recall only one instance where it had been damaged at all: the 44th games. It had been left with no more than large dents, but clearly it was made out of powerful and intact material to even be able to withstand mine blasts. Mines? Naturally, that also brought Kiva to the realization that the ground around the pedestals was still very much intact, indicating that the District 3 pair was not armed with mines. If not, certainly they had something else. Something they constructed perhaps? If two District 6 kids could build then there was no doubt two District 3 kids could build something even more superior.

It wasn't long until rain began hammering down on the exterior of the Cornucopia. The tough metal almost made the sound unbearable, but it definitely beat fighting with the other tributes. That was one thing Kiva hoped to prolong as long as possible as she knew what it meant for at least one of them. Kiva especially didn't intend on going anywhere as she begun to feel a slight chill. Not even her jacket seemed to be able to aid with that. "Ah shit, seems we might be in for a cold night. Hold me close." She instructed to Dezna as she shuffled up onto his lap. Already Kiva saw the rain bringing on at least one positive. "And no, I'm not taking my pants off. Not in this weather." She added, chuckling.

Even as Kiva sat in his lap Dezna continued examining his device. It was rather strange Zerviah would even send it, but like Kiva, it was clear that Dezna's curiosity got the better of him. "Well whatever it's intended for it's clear that a good grip is necessary. Thankfully you have that covered if we're in the heat of battle or something. You can be our grabber." Kiva chuckled once again. It was truly an oddity, but as Kiva had learned by now almost everything in the games had a purpose. Even the matches she had initially thought useless ended up having a purpose, albeit a destructive one.

[Zulera301]

he shrugged. "I figure it would take a strong-willed individual to go through the games alone." he mused aloud, "to be able to close yourself off and isolate yourself from everyone else. Not even Arza and I were able to do that after our mom left. Hopefully Arza doesn't do that if I don't get home." he shrugged. He knew that if he did not go home, that his sister would be standing on one of the platforms on the opposite side of the victor's stage, standing in front of a holographic portrait of her brother. She was Dezna's last living relative, and so there was no one else to represent the Meraxa Family. Even with his hardships, he had never contemplated the idea of ending his life early. It almost seemed like a cheap way out, and besides--death would just mean the end of his storied life. He frankly didn't want that, even if it meant that Kiva had to die.

The harsh truth of the matter was that no one except the other 44 individuals who had done the same thing were able to fully understand the trauma and horrors of the Hunger Games. Many of these victors were only children, although if Kiva won and needed someone to talk to about family matters, perhaps she would find one in District 11 during her victory tour--Sagittaria had had (and still had) a huge family. Maybe if she was lucky, they'd cross paths in the Capitol before they all departed for another 6 months. Dezna might not have been aware of it, but Sagittaria was actualy very distant from her family, despite living with them and otherwise displaying positive traits and interactions towards them. Dezna didn't feel like he would distance himself from Arza if he made it home though. Arza was the Dezna for Dezna--that shoulder he could lean on when he wanted. He was the same for her, as well.
He laughed at Kiva's remark though. "thanks. I try... well, not really, but yeah." He had not put any real effort into maintaining his appearance, not even his hair. He just liked wetting it.

Part of Dezna wished that he could get sponsored a suit of battle armor made out of the same stuff as the cornucopia. It was able to withstand mine blasts with nothing more than small dents. That was the worst damage Dezna ever recalled seeing to the cornucopia in any Hunger Games in recent memories. He felt like this was ironically the safest place in the arena at the moment, despite everyone knowing where it was. It was an indestructible object. Once again he was sure there was some kind of symbolism there, but it went over his head. He was no Sagittaria after all, or maybe he was overanalyzing it. He had always been fairly analytical back home, after all. Being a mechanic, he had to be to know what the problem was, and more importantly, how to fix it.

Dezna actually liked the sound of the rain. It was kind of loud, but it was rhythmic, and he wasn't complaining. If it persisted, he might end up going out there to stand in it or something. "Goddammit." he laughed, pulling Kiva on his lap. "Fine then... I'll just settle with this." He put his hands on her backside, and began squeezing it softly, occasionally brushing his thumbs over her waist (but not going farther than that). "It's not even cold though..." it was that warm, thunderstorm-type of rain, though the temperature did drop a little bit compared to when it was clear. Still, Dezna was not cold, but maybe that theory that girls got cold easier than boys (and that conversely, boys got hot faster than girls) was true? Who knows.

He chuckled as they commented on his weird staff thingy. Dezna did not stop playing with Kiva's butt, which was also his way of keeping her snugly on his lap. "It's definitely one of those weird sponsor gifts that would be otherwise useless if not for its one specific purpose." He had seen a few of these in past games, but this one's purposes still eluded him. Still... he was warm and dry, and was holding his cute little friend in his lap, and so it was nice way for him to fall asleep.
The next "morning" the rain was still going, but that was fine with Dezna. He wasn't moving. instead, he just gave Kiva's butt another squeeze and whispered. "wakey wakey." If she didn't wake up; that'd be fine. she was still very warm, which meant that she had not died in her sleep the way Hazel had.

[Nachthexe]

Dezna was right. It did perhaps take a very strong willed person to get through the games alone. Kiva knew she was strong when she had to be, but it was her family that had ultimately kept her going on down days. That suddenly had her contemplating about how truly lonely it was for Dezna, having only his sister. Of course, that meant the same for her; if Dezna died then she had nobody. That suddenly prompted Kiva to make a very important promise to the boy she now considered one of her closest friends. "It may not mean much, but if I make it out of this hell I'll always be there for Arza. After losing you she's bound to need somebody." Kiva knew that her promise was sincere and to make it official she placed her hand out in front of her for Dezna to shake. Never would Arza be alone as long as she was alive. Certainly it wouldn't be the same as having her brother around, but it was the best she could do. At least there would be a large mansion with plenty of room for her as well, that gave Kiva some hope at least. If only there was a day to resurrect the dead... She then thought before letting out a sigh.

"Not cold? Maybe I'm hallucinating again." Kiva responded, chuckling as Dezna expressed confusion over her chill. Regardless, she shuffled in even closer to the boy and began stroking his chest, taking in as much of his body heat as she could while they were still fully clothed. Surprisingly though, the sound of the raining beating against the top of the Cornucopia oddly became soothing, even lulling Kiva off to sleep. This continued on and off for what seemed like several hours. Eventually, as expected, she found herself dozing off for the night right on Dezna's lap.

During the night Kiva hadn't heard any cannons go off. That meant only one thing: that nobody was out on the hunt for each other yet. She couldn't decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but at the particular moment as she awoke, still finding herself in Dezna's lap, she cared little for the other tributes. All she cared about was the sight of Dezna's pretty face which she had spotted almost immediately upon awaking. "Good morning, gorgeous." She complimented him as she sat up. Despite how obvious it was due to the lack of food, she hadn't noticed until now her massive weight loss since entering the arena. She was beginning to look much like the District 12 kids, and even beyond. However, she knew that if she won such things would be quickly remedied as victors were always drowned in food. It was some sort of twisted incentive really even made the games into a mode of survival for the poorer districts. Fortunately, District 6 was relatively well off in comparison.

[Zulera301]

Dezna found her words rather odd. On one hand, it was almost like she had already figured that he was going to die. Maybe he was. Maybe she was. Maybe they both were. Valendria still existed, and something told him that if she encountered the District 3 tributes, she'd run in, break their necks, and be done with it. Honestly, part of the reason why his hopes were not high for his own victory was due primarily to that girl's presence. Her existence was the bane of every other tribute alive right now, and frankly, Dezna kind of had his money on her winning. Well, he would if he had any money.
He closed his eyes. "good." he said softly after a moment. "I don't know how she's going to handle it, but things loom fairly bleak about us going home. Fucken' Valendria..." He did not exactly hate the girl either. The most infuriating thing about that creature from District 4 was that he STILL didn't know what the hell she was up to. They had crossed paths numerous times, and every time it had happened, she had killed another tribute. He felt like if they crossed paths with Varsha, Clemont, and Hikari, Varsha would end up killing one or both of those kids and then running off again or something. It bugged him, because he hated not knowing.
Still, he smiled and shook her hand. "Deal. Take care of her for me if you win it though... just be careful--you've seen how much we resemble each other, and if you accidentally think she's me even for a moment, she might make a move." he joked. It was hard to tell if he was being serious, but given how many crazy stories the boy had told about him and/or his sister making moves on people, it would not be too surprising if he was telling the truth.

"I'm tellin' ya, taking off your pants is the answer." he winked. He wasn't actually even trying anymore, but it still made him chuckle (and he had on multiple occasions, including just a few moments ago, mentally undressed her). He was frankly rather warm and comfortable, and so it was easy for the exhausted boy to fall back asleep, lulled into this slumber the sound of the rain against the ground and the cornucopia. His hands slipped form her back, which meant that he was fully asleep. He looked rather serene; a few pounds thinner for sure, but otherwise in fair enough shape. his hair was still as poofy and fluffy as ever. He was sound asleep though, and so nothing woke him up till his body decided it was ready to wake up. A cannon might have, but there had been none of those either.

"good morning, cutie." he chuckled, his gloved hands gripping softly at whatever they were touching, which happened to be Kiva's hips. Quite okay with this, he migrated them back onto her butt proper, which he resumed his groping of. "I know there ain't a whole lot to look at in this dim light, but shut you're still as beautiful as ever." he leaned up and kissed her. His mind briefly touched upon certain notions such as 4 other tributes lurking about somewhere around them, the fact that they were in a hell of an arena, and the fact that 5 of them were going to have to die before this nightmare would end, but he threw those all aside, and decided just to focus on himself and on Kiva. To hell with everything around them.
With this mindset, the situation became rather pleasant. "still hellbent on keeping your clothes on?" he fake-groaned, passing a wink her way. "not like anyone can see shit in this darkness or this rain." he added a nice chuckle, and was glad he was out of said rain.

[Nachthexe]

"There's no need to worry. There would be plenty of guys back in District 6 just dying to get into my pants, hell even ones in the Capitol. Victors are popular, y'know." Kiva responded, chuckling before once again realizing another very important yet disturbing point. She was good looking and good looking victors were almost always sought out by the Capitol for their own purposes. That certainly made Dezna's words about never truly leaving the arena stand true. As long as Kiva lived she would likely be subject to Capitol politics, assuming she won of course. Certainly the same stood true for Dezna as well. Of course most of it was just rumours, but she hated to have to face it if it was true. However, her will to live was strong at this point and not even the threat of becoming a Capitol pawn could discourage her. She had family to get back to. As far as she was concerned Arza was family now and if she returned home she would have to look out for the girl.

The next morning started out rather uneventful, but that was quickly spared by Dezna's intimate kiss which Kiva quickly returned. The warmth of his lips on hers was surprisingly refreshing in this rainy weather, but it made her wonder if the Gamemakers had started a rainstorm intentionally to draw out the last few days of the games. Certainly they wanted tributes to heal up a bit before what was bound to be the final showdown, but Kiva knew it couldn't be prolonged forever. In no more than a couple days she and Dezna would once again be facing certain death; as long as Valendria was still in the playing field that was. "I've come to a realization. As strange as it may sound if Valendria wanted to kill us she could have done it by now. Perhaps she really is playing this game by the Capitol's rules, drawing everything out in order to give them a show. Just watch, that'll all come crashing down the moment Clemont and Hikari are done away with. Even if they constructed something deadly they have nothing on her in direct combat, that's for sure." Kiva mused, still very much baffled by Valendria also. She was beginning to suspect she'd die before even learning anything about the girl. Ah well. Such knowledge was useless to her in the grave anyway.

Having plenty of time to spare, Kiva began rummaging through her backpack and pulled out the little bit of food she still had remaining. With a full group it hadn't seemed like much, but between only two people she knew it would stretch much further, perhaps even into the conclusion of the games. Kiva could only wish for such as she didn't very much feel up to triggering another Tracker Jacker nest or waiting for the Gamemakers to summon more rat Mutts. Besides, it was unlikely they would even do that with so few tributes remaining. Certainly they wanted the last few to duke it out themselves. That thought managed to briefly once again leave her mind though as she set out food in front of the pair. "We might as well eat something, enjoy the simple things in life. Y'know?" She commented, shrugging.

[Zulera301]

Dezna laughed, but it admittedly got more serious a moment later. "Well... if the Capitol wants in your pants... do you really think you'll be able to see your family a whole lot?" he tilted his head curiously. The Capitol always got what it wanted. That was just an unwritten rule of life in Panem. "Then again, Sagittaria was pretty fucken' hot and they haven't harassed her it seems." Yeah, he had kind of had a crush on Sagittaria when he met her during the victory tour. He knew it wouldn't have ever worked out (admittedly though, he was high), but it didn't stop her from making awkward but shameless advances. He didn't think Kiva would get jealous of it, but if she did... well whoops. But yeah, he still thought that Sagittaria was pretty hot. (no pun intended). Or perhaps, in simpler terms, he definitely would not have minded removing that girl's pants.
But... that was not really even on his mind right now. It had just been for comparison, and right now he was jsut focused on this moment, with the occasional thought drifting back towards Arza. There had actually been people wanting to take them in or adopt them, but they were quite fine living alone with each other. Perhaps if Kiva did win this thing, maybe her family could adopt Arza. The best friend of the girl's brother was a decent enough relationship. It actually worried him slightly because he wondered how Kiva would handle Arza. She had so many of the same quirks as Dezna, as well as the same talents. Even their voices were similar, and since both of them wore baggy clothes, she could pass off as a boy (namely, as Dezna) if she really wanted to. Maybe the Rivnays would have to force her to grow out her hair or something. The easiest way to tell them apart was that Arza wore a light amount of eyeshadow, while Dezna did not. Otherwise it was hard to tell them apart when they dressed the same--which they did often, just to screw with people.

"Y'know..." his eyes widened at Kiva's epiphany, "that's not a bad theory... although that does still beg the question... why us? and why not District 3? they were geeky and unappealing, and only had average or so scores like us. You think Varsha's got a crush on us or something?" he chuckled. It wouldn't surprise him if Varsha was just trying to give the Capitol a show, but it would have made more sense for that to happen if she was from District 1 or 2, rather than 4, which apparently shared some rebellious sentiment akin to 3 and 8.
"So... you think that she and Glimmer are going to go for them first, or say 'fuck it', and come for our blood next? I figure they're probably placing bets on it in the Capitol. It'd be good to know that Zerviah's rooting for us... actually she's probably got it all on Valendria as well. I know I would." he chuckled, making light of an otherwise grim situation. That girl was probably going to kill them, and here he was joking about it. While his crazy incident a few days ago had shaken him for a moment, he seemed to be mostly back to his normal quirky self.

"I approve." he chuckled, taking the food and sinking his teeth into it. It tasted amazing, relatively speaking. It sure beat the rats and the tracker-jackers (even though the latter had an incredible side-effect that he whimsically hoped for one last time even though he doubted it would happen. On the other hand, he was fairly certain that was the last of the rats. With only 6 tributes left, they'd probably let them finish each other off unless it took more than another 2 or 3 days, tops.
The day wore on, and the rain seemed to slow to a stop gradually, but Dezna had no interest in moving. He got up to stretch every now and again, but otherwise, their little camp at (well, in) the cornucopia was good enough for him, and so he figured that there was no reason to stray from it. If the Capitol pushed tributes together, they would converge here as opposed to somewhere else.

[Nachthexe]

"I think they would want Sagittaria for her jokes rather than her body." Kiva responded, chuckling. She was admittedly surprised they haven't used her yet. It was also unlikely to happen during the games as well as mentoring always came first. The tributes were the source of the Capitol's entertainment, after all. The Capitol's needs always came first and any citizen of Panem knew that very well. There was no defying Snow's Iron Fisted rule and any who did usually ended up executed. "Seriously though, Sagittaria doesn't seem like the type who would have much sex appeal in the Capitol. No offense to her, of course. She's a wicked storyteller though and I'd give anything to hear some of her stories about the 45th games." Kiva added, realizing the District 11 victor's true potential. Not being wanted sexually by the Capitol was perhaps a compliment in some ways though, considering some of their crazy antics.

Valendria having a crush on District 6? It was a funny theory that admittedly made Kiva laugh, but it also seemed unlikely. The girl seemed much more like a robotic fighting machine, not a romantic. However, people tended to be full of surprises and maybe Valendria had a soft side? She obviously hadn't shown it in the games, and understandably so. However, that still left many loose ends. If that was the case why was District 3 spared? Had she just not been able to track them down? It seemed like the most plausible explanation as due to their lack of physical strength she could probably take them both down easily. If anything, they were excellent at hiding. Too excellent. At least the Gamemakers were bound to force them out sooner or later, armed with whatever sort of device they had managed to construct that didn't include the arena's mines.

"I'm hoping she goes for District 3 first. It will certainly save us some hardship. Okay, not really. That girl is massive and powerful." Kiva replied, chuckling once again. She could only see two outcomes at this point: either the District 3 pair would get them with whatever device they had constructed or Valendria would with her massive axe and swinging arm. Out of the two Kiva couldn't really decide on a preference either. Ideally she wanted to die quick and painlessly, but neither option seemed to offer that. Ah well. At least the pain would eventually cease as she proceeded to close her eyes forever.

The small "feast" Kiva had laid out wasn't much, but it certainly beat Tracker Jackers and rat. However, of course, the Tracker Jackers had managed to have one redeeming factor: the high they had provided. Out of all the experiences Kiva had had in the arena that one still managed to rank near the top. If she made it home it was certainly going to be another she wasn't going to be quick to forget. It had been the one that managed to bring the others out of their shells too, perhaps drawing them closer. Of course that made their deaths into something much more tragic, but at times it almost seemed worth it. "Well the rain's stopped. Now what?" Kiva asked as she finished up her food. There was no action and everything outside had even seemingly gone silent. Now there was only time between now and the final encounter.

[Zulera301]

"well, I think you and I definitely got more catcalls than she did..." Dezna chuckled, "but she was still really pretty. His favorite color was actually indigo, but Sagittaria was downright mesmerizing in that glamorous Capitol dress. "but you're right. That girl's stories... that's the main reason I idolized her." Sure she was attractive in Dezna's eyes, but his biggest interest in meeting Sagittaria would be to exchange stories with her. She had gained more stories in her short 17 years of life than most districts did in decades. If he won, he wanted to talk to her about some of her "versions" of stories from the games. She probably had discovered that Valendria was actually an invincible robot or something like that, and would probably get people to believe it too, no less. The girl had a powerful way with words, and even though probably more than half of what came out of her mouth was bullshit, she was easy to believe because she blurred the line between truth and lies.

There had to be a method to Valendria's madness. Dezna was nearly pulling his beautiful fluffy hair out trying to figure it out too (not literally though). Things did not make sense. For one, why had she allied with Glimmer of District 5 so early, and what were they doing now? For another, what was with District 3? If they were building crazy huge devices, how were they hiding? Had Valendria been avoiding them too? Either way, he hoped that no one died any time soon. It would force the Gamemakers to force the other tributes towards the cornucopia. He was fairly positive about it, because never in Hunger Games history had gamemakers forced tributes away from the cornucopia. He was fairly certain that he had chosen the prime location to set up camp. Besides, without any more career tributes left (he did not count Valendria as a career tribute. He counted her as an independent entity capable of owning the arena), they were in no danger of anyone coming back to get it till the final confrontation.

"If she goes for District 3 first, that means we'll have that much longer to enjoy each other's company before she quickly does us both in." Dezna chuckled. He wondered what the weird weapon he had recieved as a sponsor gift was, but he figured it had something to do with being able to stop Varsha, Glimmer, Clemont, or Hikari. He just didn't know how. I wonder what'd happen if she and Glimmer were the last two standing. that girl appears faster than Val. I know I can outrun her at least for a little bit." Dezna's talents were truly in sprinting. He had actually been the first to reach the cornucopia supplies on the first morning, even if he had not stuck around to dominate the area. It had been why he had gotten a backpack, as well as how he had gotten actual throwing knives instead of metal shards.

The tracker-jacker incident would hopefully be one of the highlights of the games (apart from the brutal fight between the careers and the outlying alliance). To see such wild and quirky tributes behaving the way they did was hilarious, and surely the Capitol would do something about that to make it seem more like an actual game.
Still... after the feast, they realized that the rain had stopped.
"Hmm..." he kneaded Kiva's butt a little as he thought about it. "Maybe we can take a few steps outside... but let's not go far if we go anywhere at all... because I know damn well that the moment we step too far, the Capitol will send mutts specifically after us and rip us to shreds. I refuse to go after the others. They are coming to us." He seemed stubbornly set on that notion,. although for now he was still underneath Kiva, who was still perched comfortably on his lap. he groped her hips a couple more times because of this. A nice little trade.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva nodded in agreement. It didn't happen often, but in the 44th games District 11 had definitely had excellent stylists. Kiva couldn't recall what the District 11 pair this year had been wearing, but a part of her had hoped for their sake that it had been designed by the same pair of stylists. They definitely had talent, but it was almost a shame it was being wasted on children who were all destined to die. Certainly the best stylists were hired to design clothing for the Capitol citizens themselves. In a way it also made Kiva envy District 8 since they likely had their own fashion scene there, being the textile district. They were arguably poorer than District 6 and much more rebellious, but if anything they were able to express themselves through clothing more even if considerably plainer than glamourous Capitol fashion.

"I suppose that's true, but I'm not even sure which fate I'd prefer. Being blown to bits by whatever District 3 had managed to construct or being hacked up by Valendria's axe? Admittedly it's a hard choice." Kiva confessed, chuckling. She knew she probably didn't have much of a chance, but once Dezna mentioned his speed and agility that suddenly gave her some hope for him. If anything, he could outrun her for a bit, but then the real action would begin once he tired and got cornered. His stamina was bound to be more limited too due to his injuries, even if not incredibly serious. Kiva, on the other hand, knew she truly was a jack of all trades and it seemed to had shown quite a bit in the arena, even if weaponry had been limited. It had been her initially discovering the trick with fire, after all. That had definitely managed to save their asses at least one, but also became a tool of destruction. It truly was a double edged sword.

"Mutts? Now? Hah, unlikely. The Capitol will just draw the others here instead and then we can go in for the kill." Kiva found Dezna once again contemplating about all the possible scenarios and somehow Mutts hadn't really come to her mind. In Sagittaria's games they had made more than one appearance, but they also had the misfortune of dragging longer while these 45th games were nearly ended at a week and a bit (At least that was what Kiva estimated in her head as the passage of time was different). "After seeing the teeth on those things and that deadly saliva I think I can do without them anyway." Kiva added, chuckling. Parts of the Capitol almost seemed deranged to Kiva if they could come up with something like that, but then again this was the same Capitol that had invented the Hunger Games so she really couldn't put anything past them.

Kiva could only hope that Dezna was correct in his notion. If the other tributes did indeed come to them it would give them quite a significant advantage until they were discovered, but if not they would be forced to venture out and face certain death. Naturally, Kiva was hopeful for the former and was pretty confident the Capitol would make it happen anyway. It meant a lot of waiting around, but for once Kiva actually felt it to be worth it. Not to mention, they had plenty of food and water still now that there was only two of them so starvation or thirst was likely not going to be a factor in either of their deaths. "Yea. Yea, you're right. We have the advantage if we remain here. Plus it gives me more time to stare into your dreamy pretty face." Kiva confessed, then proceeding to playfully pluck Dezna's nose. She was enjoying his company once again and wished desperately they could have been returning home together.

[Zulera301]

"Hopefully if one of us gets home Flavia and Felix will manage to outdo themselves on designing outfits. I think we might have just barely outdone those District 11 tributes this year, although I suppose some Districts probably have a slight natural edge... like '8. Shit... probably everything we've worn over the last 3-ish weeks probably originated in District 8 in one form or another..." Everyone knew that District 8 specialized in textiles, which, while not exactly useful in a survival or combat setting, did grant them some pretty spiffy clothes, both from stylists and from those with their own natural skills. They were clever sometimes... especially if the rumors Dezna heard about them being somehow even more rebellious than District 6 or District 11 were true.

"Well, I bet if we asked nicely she'd decapitate us quickly," Dezna joked, "since she seems to like us. District 3... they are probably waiting for us to come to them, even though fuck that. they're coming to us or they're gonna die." His remarks about outrunning them, or even Varsha, were not to be taken too seriously. He was not in tip-top shape the way he had been when he had emerged from the pedestal, and so his stamina was likely a bit lower. He seemed a little more fatigued from the venom a few days earlier, but he supposed that couldn't be helped. Here they were at the evening of day 12, and no deaths just yet. Hazel had died on the dawning of day 11, so it had been almost 48 hours since her death, and over 48 hours since Blaze and Leon and them had all died. Maybe Dezna's sense of timing was off though. It did not feel like "early morning" for this day, and so he was figuring that it was late evening by now. Damn this darkness. it was really throwing off his clock.

"I like that idea... unless someone doesn't show up?" he suggested, "something's got to bring them in here, and I don't hear them announcing a feast anytime soon." There was a brief sound of lightning striking, but he shrugged. It must have been some residue of the storm from earlier. It had really been pouring. "I'm definitely with you though on the rats. No more rats... maybe just some tracker-jackers though." he laughed. Yes, he still wanted that high even if he knew it was little more than a fantasy at this point. It was a right shame, as that had truly been the stuff of legend. He wished they'd sic the rats on District 3 and kill them outright. It would just make things so much easier.

Dezna chuckled. "it gives me more time to gaze at yours," he pecked her lips, "well... and grope your cute butt." he winked. Yeah, he had been doing that for a while now, and had seen no real reason to stop, and so... well, he hadn't stopped. "they'll come to us. They have no choice..."
they sat there and enjoyed the moment for a while longer. The anthem played, right as another bolt of lightning struck, dimly illuminating the cornucopia briefly. It was close, but it wasn't on their doorstep yet. It seemed odd that it would strike during the anthem though. But, he just shrugged it off.

Then, it struck loudly again.
"Shit!" he shook his head. "That one was really close." Working around metal machinery, the citizenry of District 6 were familiar with lightning (hence Dezna) and knew easily how to tell if it was close.
"I wanna go see it... wanna come with?" he crawled to the entrance, and was suddenly gazing upward in shock (no pun intended) and awe. Right as he glanced up, he saw the sky dimly light up with a rather colorful light. flashing rainbows? Was he hallucinating? No... that tracker-jacker venom had long since worn off.
One of the weirdest things about that flash of lightning was that he didn't see the lightning bolt in the sky. It was off in the distance... maybe a mile away form them, tops, but not from the sky. Fear truly struck him however, as he heard a cannon fire, and suddenly in the sky, Glimmer's face appeared.
He was confused as hell now. The Capitol wouldn't randomly strike a tribute with lightning unless Glimmer was some sort of crazy cannibal or something. However, given that she was the only one that had not really suffered any injuries or really stuck around after a tribute died, he doubted it was somethin the Capitol had done.
So if it wasn't the Capitol... wait. the stick Zerviah had sponsored him. The claws were not the secret--the handle was. That stuff it was wrapped in... that was rubber. rubber stopped electricity.
"save yourself..." he whispered, repeating the words on Zerviah's note.

Suddenly, his eyes widened in horror.
"KIVA!" he exclaimed, the fear in his face clearly showing, "I... I think I know what District 3's doing."
He grabbed the stick.
"They've got lightning." He shuddered. "rainbow. fucking. lightning."

[Nachthexe]

Kiva burst out laughing at Dezna's joke. Decapitation. It certainly seemed more desirable than any of the other options, being so instant. Having witnessed the decapitation by Victoria during the bloodbath, Kiva knew she could personally attest to that. The girl hadn't even had any time to fight back before being unexpectedly hit with that slab of metal. What a way to die. "At least there would be no suffering beforehand." Kiva responded once her laughter cleared up. Sure Sagittaria was the legendary storyteller, but both she and Dezna seemed to have a way with black humour as made evident here. If one could laugh at their own demise then there was something definitely being done right, the way Kiva saw it at least.

"They will show up. The Gamemakers will ensure it. They want tributes to come out and duke it out." Kiva insisted as Dezna quickly changed the subject. There were some things that managed to be quite predictable in every year of the games and that was definitely one of them; the Gamemakers always ensured the tributes were all in roughly the same location for the final showdown. Oftentimes that even included collapsing the arena to keep tributes confined in one area. There was really no way of knowing if the Capitol would do that here, but Kiva knew she and Dezna were safe from it regardless. That still gave her some hope that they would have the upper hand for awhile until their exact position was compromised.

Kiva had been hoping for a relatively calm night, but things began to quickly turn bizarre the moment she noticed lightning flashes. The lightning in itself wasn't bizarre, but it seemed to be accompanied by a lack of rain; it couldn't be natural. Kiva quickly found herself questioning that. "Lightning? Why? It's not even raining. I'm no meteorologist, but it's like the Gamemakers is not even trying to be realistic in their weather patterns anymore. They must be desperate to end this." She commented, letting out a chuckle just as the anthem played despite more lightning flashes. That, of course, was only the tip of the iceberg as soon as Kiva saw rainbows in the night sky. At least it was what she had imagined seeing, and she knew she was definitely not high off anything. "Rainbow and lightning? Damn, there has to be some subtle symbolism here, Dezna Lightning." She commented once again, puzzled.

Naturally, events only inevitably escalated as Kiva heard a cannon go off. A part of her had hoped for Valendria to had been the poor unfortunate soul, but the face in the sky quickly indicated otherwise. Glimmer. She had been struck down, but by what? Had Valendria finally turned on her? No, of course not. The two had been like two peas in a pod. Of course, that was when it hit Kiva. The lightning. It wasn't a creation of the Gamemakers at all, but of District 3. Very quickly the girl found herself fearing for the worst, realizing they were now potentially more dangerous than Valendria. "Shit, this is bound to turn ugly very fast..." She noted just as another epiphany popped into her mind. The claw device. It was coated in rubber, which was resistant against electricity. "Dezna, you probably already know this, but I think I know what Zerviah meant now..." She reassured the boy, pointing towards his strange little claw device which certainly had some use, after all.

[Zulera301]

"well... unless you're like me, where I gloated over Victoria before slicing her throat open." Dezna shrugged, talking about it in a rather light tone as he usually did with so many different things. Their skill at black humor probably outdid Sagittaria's even, and that girl had been rather talented with black humor if Dezna recalled correctly. On the other hand, this was a much darker (no pun intended) story than that of the 44th Hunger Games. The deaths in this arena were much more gruesome than the ones in the 44th arena. Maybe it was also reflected through the appearance of the arena. One was a vast, mysterious and somewhat beautiful jungle, while other other was a ruined, unattractive city covered in darkness.

"true that." he chuckled, "although they might not be ready to force us together. it's barely been 2 days since they got 6 deaths... and then Hazel died the next morning, even if it was a silent death." If anything, Hazel's death might have been a surprise. What she didn't know was that the girl's death was actually quite a surprise, as the rest of Panem saw how she had died--she had convulsed for several minutes before finally succumbing. Whoever won the games would get to see the reality of that situation. Dezna was not thinking about though, and instead was more content with the fact that he and Kiva had the upper hand right now as far as arena location went.

He was just as confused as she was regarding the unusual lightning patterns. On one hand, it was really cool, becuase rainbow lightning was basically his dream come true as far as things in life he wanted to see before he died. On the other hand, in a Hunger Games arena, it clearly meant trouble, and there was something forming in the pit of his stomach that was warning him of this. "They can't be that desperate... are they really in that big of a hurry to kill us already? It's only been 12½ days... last years' lasted 14, and there were many more down moments it seemed.
When Kiva mentioned the symbolism of rainbow and lightning, he did crack a chuckle though. "that wouldn't surprise me... I bet Sagittaria probably made some symbolism or something here." He remembered that the girl knew of their nicknames, for that had been how they had introduced themselves to her during her victory tour 6 months earlier.

After Glimmer's face appeared though, the frequent lightning strikes stopped. For about 15 minutes, Dezna stared anxiously outside of the cornucopia, wondering where Clemont and Hikari were. "I think they've turned in." he whispered to Kiva, "but you know what that means.... tomorrow is the last day of four of our lives... Tomorrow, Panem will witness the fall of District 3 and District 4."
He was still set on bringing one of them home. On the other hand, now he was really curious. Why had Glimmer disappeared from Valendria's side. The lack of other cannons meant that surly that massive girl had not been with Glimmer when she died. Has she been injured? Dezna kind of hoped so.
"I guess we should rest then..." he shrugged, "might as well regain at least a little of our strength before this place becomes an inevitable graveyard for the rest of us..."
He clutched the large staff-like weapon, although also retrieved Bianca, just in case. The moment of fear had passed, but he was still worried about all of this; he was fairly certain that within 24 hours, someone would be pulled from this arena a victor, while the others would no longer draw breath.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva didn't know exactly when the Capitol would finally force tributes together, but clearly they weren't ready yet as the District 3 pair seemed to had retreated. Glimmer's death definitely gave them something to stare on at in awe for at least another day, provided she had died in an interesting manner. Considering the presence of District 3's lightning generator device though she had no doubts about that. It remained very much a mystery to Kiva how they had managed to construct such a thing, but clearly sponsors had helped along the way just as they had helped her. "They still haven't forced them here. Perhaps they're not as desperate as we think. Besides, the lightning probably gave them quite a show already." Kiva then commented, shrugging. It was certainly good news for them, having at least another day before they finally met their inevitable end.

Dezna seemed to be quite confident that District 6 would come out of this endeavour alive, but Kiva was having her doubts again. Now they had both a powerful warrior and a powerful lightning generator to go up against. The odds were not looking to be in District 6's favour, who seemed to have nothing more but a few projectiles and a lightning resistant rod of some sort. Of course there was still the burning mystery of what sort of function the high tech projectiles had, but the other tributes were the obvious place to test that. Waiting for that inevitable moment, Kiva just leaned back against Dezna once again and listened to his words.

"It's probably exactly what the Capitol is trying to do, have us in top shape. After whatever happened today there's bound to be some exhausted, and even injured, tributes. I'm still confused as to why Valendria didn't come and save Glimmer though. She could have done so easily, unless she's afraid of lightning?" Kiva explained herself, coming up with her own theory about the day's rather odd events. Of course she chuckled slightly upon noticing a bit of unintentional symbolism in her words. Valendria afraid of lightning? Dezna Lightning that was. Perhaps it was even an omen of what was to come? Even if Kiva fell then perhaps Dezna would finish the fight and end up going home to his sister. That suddenly had the girl regaining some of the lost hope from earlier.

A few hours passed with Kiva and Dezna just snuggling up together inside their Cornucopia shelter. It really was rather ingenious for when the final showdown did finally occur, but Kiva couldn't help but to be worried still. Even if one of them made it home somebody was still losing something. In fact, Kiva knew her entire family had something to lose. Sure Dezna had his sister and Kiva wasn't sure how she'd cope, but the loss there was bound to have a lesser impact as they were the last living members of the Meraxa family. Kiva suddenly found herself once again wishing for nothing more than for them to both be able to make it home as these were bound to be some tough choices. "Here's hoping we aren't faced with the same sort of decision that Rye and Sagittaria were faced with last year." She uttered, letting out a sigh as she grasped her arms around Dezna's chest. It was going to be a long night of waiting.

[Zulera301]

"well, that's 3 days in a row they've had deaths." he reminded her, "the games last year took 14 days, and if my calculations are right, we're only on night 12, and I say we spend it well... it's probably our last night together." He was not going to try and sugar-coat it. He could tell that the Capitol was itching for an ending to this fight, and so he was fairly sure that the 45th Hunger Games would end at day 13. "But hey... that lightning even gave ME a show. I mean yeah, it scared the piss out of me after I realized what it was... but man, if I have to die, going down in a blast of rainbow lightning is exactly how I'd want to go; as opposed to getting an axe in the chest or a mine to the face." he chuckled.

He did stop to think about their odds though. They were against two tech geniuses who had managed to build a lightning generator from the arena (he figured it might have had something to do with gases, since some vehicles still used that for their own fuel), and of course Valendria, in all of her mighty and destructive power. He was pretty sure that she had dominated this arena the same way Kyla from District 12 had last year. On the other hand... why had she not helped Glimmer? If Valendria had encountered the District 3 pair, he was sure that either she'd be dead by now, or more likely they'd hear the distant sound of necks snapping as Val did them in. In his mind, that meant that something had happened to her--she was either injured... or delayed. mutts, perhaps? that didn't sit well with him either.

"We'll be in top shape," he promised her, "but Valendria... I think that she got held back by something if she didn't save Glimmer... mutts maybe? She could probably kill thousands of them without breaking a sweat, so she's probably giving them a show all by herself." he chuckled. It was a sad thing to think about; a teenaged girl fighting for her life against hundreds of vicious creatures, but better her than him. Then again, if anyone could survive a legion of mutts, it was that girl. On the other hand, maybe she and Glimmer had parted ways in hopes that one of them would get killed rather than them having to turn on each other the way Sagittaria and Rye had been forced to last year.
Either way, Dezna's morale was fairly high despite the frightening revelation he had just received. He had always been one to enjoy life, rather than dread death. The boy had some incredible resolve.

Dezna's foremost concern about dying was Arza, and secondly, Kiva. Both of them would take his death rather hard. The rest of District 6 might also mourn him a bit (those who knew him at least), but if he died, there was only one thing he wanted to see after his death, and that was what Arza was doing. Did Kiva really mean it when she said that she'd take Arza under her family's wing? That'd be about as close to a happily ever after as his sister would get if Dezna were killed. He decided not to think too hard about it, and so instead he went back to relaxing and caressing Kiva (leaving her clothes on of course).
"May the odds be ever in our favor." he put his arms around her in return, snuggling in to hold the moment for a while.

[Nachthexe]

Kiva chuckled. "It'd be symbolic for sure. Dezna Lightning dying by lightning. It's like how Blaze died in a blaze." Very quickly she began noticing all sorts of symbolism in these games alone, even if unintentional. Certainly she was no storyteller like Sagittaria, but she knew that the legendary District 11 victor probably had countless ideas in her head already for stories to tell around her District and even the Capitol. Of course all seemed to revolve back to the deaths of various tributes, but that was just the nature of the Hunger Games. It was nothing really but death and destruction. It was the sort of scenario that managed to provide plenty of fuel for Sagittaria's black humour also, something that Kiva admittedly looked forward to hearing once again if she made it home. Perhaps it would even be a way to recover from the games.

Of all the various possibilities of what had happened to Glimmer and Valendria, Dezna seemed keen on holding up his theory about Mutts. Kiva, however, had her doubts. It still seemed quite unlikely in her mind that the Gamemakers would release anymore. Besides, if they had done that they would have been audible, unless Glimmer and Valendria were far away? Something wasn't quite adding up as the lightning flashes had been quite close. "Mutts are unlikely. I think the more plausible explanation is that Glimmer got killed by that lightning we spotted earlier. Maybe Valendria didn't come to her aid, knowing they would have to turn on each other eventually? Perhaps she'd rather have to do that with us." Kiva explained, realizing then just how scarily possible her scenario was. Valendria was definitely going to be out for blood. Their blood. There had to have been a reason she had been eying them both in the training centre, perhaps because she saw the District 6 pair as worthy opponents? A part of Kiva hoped that was true as it certainly served as a huge compliment of her skills.

"No, may the odds be ever in your favour." Kiva responded as Dezna continued caressing her. Very soon all of Panem was going to find out just who had the odds in their favour, while everybody else would be nothing more than a corpse and a memory. It was there that Kiva felt Sagittaria's infamous slogan was applicable. "And for the rest of us, may the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock and you don't feel anything when you die." She added, chuckling before landing a kiss on Dezna's cheek.

[Zulera301]

"well, I'll probably go into shock and die quickly then or something." he quipped, "better than dying in a blaze. That poor fucker. I might not have any strong feelings for him, but that's kind of a death that no one should have to die. I do feel particularly bad for Leon though." The reasoning was the same, for Leon had burned to death as well. He wasn't even sure that Sagittaria could put a positive spin on the fiery deaths, especially given that one of her own tributes had been a victim of it, taking an ironically symbolic 11th place. "but I'll worry about that when it comes. If I wanted to lust lay down and die I would have done so already." Even that was something of black humor, because that had almost literally been what Hazel had done. She had laid down (had a seizure) and died. He shrugged that off as well.

"That's a thought," he shrugged, "but it doesn't make sense. Why would Valendria NOT go try and find District 3... well, or us... She doesn't seem like the type to avoid a fight, let alone allow Glimmer to go at it herself. It just doesn't make sense. Dammit... none of what she does makes sense." he half chuckled, because it was rather funny that even after 2 weeks he still had no idea what the District 4 girl was up to. He had just learned the intents of District 3, and while it was a bit frightening, it was not too surprising. Of course they had built some sort of giant death-gadget. But Valendria? She was a killing machine, but there was some sort of intricate method to her madness that Dezna could not for the love of him figure out.

"My favor?" he chuckled, "you saying you want me to win?" He had just acknowledged that perhaps unlike Rye and Sagittaria, Kiva wanted herself to win and Dezna wanted himself to win, and he felt perfectly justified in his idea, and felt that Kiva's was equally justified. When he mentioned Sagittaria's famous slogan, he laughed. "Well... if Dezna Lightning dies the ironic death by lightning, I probably will go into shock--no pun intended--and die quickly. haha."
He squeezed her again softly, rubbing her back. "but I guess we should rest up? We've got the last day of our lives to wake up for... imagine how lame it'd be if they killed us in our sleep..."
Despite tomorrow likely being the last day of one or both of their lives, Dezna was calm and at peace. He was ready to accept death if it came his way.

[Nachthexe]

"I'm not even sure what Sagittaria is going to think of me after that, but I just want to hear her jokes again. It's confusing really." Kiva responded, realizing she had very mixed feelings about Sagittaria now simply due to the fire having been created by her hand. Would Sagittaria blame her for Leon's death? Certainly she had seen the boy jump into the fire willingly, realizing it had already been consuming his arms? Living with burns was something Kiva would never wish on anybody, especially not now after the events in the games. She recalled how one of the notable burn victims back in District 6, even years later, still spoke of searing pain in the affected areas. The grotesque scars were certainly a thing of nightmares too. Of course had the man been a Capitol citizen he could have gotten top notch treatment for his aliments, but such wasn't the case in the districts. "At least we're not facing arsonists here, unless I set you on fire or something." Kiva then commented, chuckle before trembling at the horrifying images fire had just put into her head. Needing comfort, she grasped even more tightly to Dezna. Those were psychological scars she didn't think would ever go away if she made it home.

Much to Kiva's relief the subject quickly shifted. Dezna was no doubt puzzled by Valendria's actions as well, but Kiva was beginning to suspect they at least had her partially figured out. They knew she was a vicious killer and that she had some kind of interest in District 6, but even that wasn't a lot to go off of, especially when they would be expected to face the girl very soon. Deciding they would probably never figure the girl out, Kiva tried to imagine the whole thing from District 4's perspective. Just the year previous they had been rather forgettable with both tributes dying on the first day, yet here they were the following year producing the deadliest tribute in the arena. It was certainly cause of celebration for them, even if the girl somehow ended up not winning. "Let's just say that if I was a District 4 citizen I would be pretty damn proud right now." Kiva confessed as she finally calmed and loosened her grip on Dezna.

Kiva's eyes widened. Dezna still thought he could win? He had various injuries, most notably his arm, that were a potential weakness. At least he was confident though and through that Kiva intended to support him regardless even thought she still felt the chances of a District 6 victory was quite slim. However, this was the Hunger Games and they were often full of surprises, unexpected victors being one of those. "Considering who we're going to be facing I'm pessimistic about either of us winning, but if I fall first then yes, you need to win." She confessed, shrugging. In reality she was beginning to feel quite indifferent about a District 6 victory, perhaps due to her own indifference about death, but making it this far into the games almost felt like an omen of sorts. There was a slim chance that District 6 would produce a victor and who that victor was going to be was entirely determinate of events in the days to come.

Dezna's suggestion to rest suddenly seemed like an appealing one as Kiva found herself yawning. Despite having done much in the past couple days except for waiting around, emotional stress and trauma was all catching up with her quickly. It really was draining taken in at large intervals and who took in more of that at once than a Hunger Games tribute? Naturally though, the fact that it was very possibly her and Dezna's last night together wasn't lost on her. That alone made her long for nothing more than to have been somewhere shut off from the Capitol's cameras, but she knew that was an impossibility. Even if she couldn't reproduce the magical night they had shared on the balcony she could at least snuggle up closely to Dezna as they both awaited the countdown to the final hours of their lives. Without hesitation, that had her once again wrapping her arms around him and shuffling over so she'd be adjacent in his lap. "Just imagine we're at home right now..." She uttered before shutting her eyes, just taking in what seemed to be mostly silence. In her mind, however, she managed to concoct an image of her old house she had shared with her family. There in her mind they were sitting all together happily, but with two additional members: Dezna and Arza.

[Zulera301]

"I guess you'll have to win the 'games and ask her." Dezna chuckled. Sure he wanted to win, but he wasn't scared if he didn't. He felt like little Hazel had during most of the training and the interviews. the girl had been so accepting of her fate, and now he understand how she could feel that way. It obviously didn't mean it was time to lay down and die (Hazel had not laid down and died; she had outlived 17 other tributes)
He did not have the same kind of trauma that Kiva had had from the fire. He simply let it glaze over his mind, and he found his own thoughts going back to Victoria's expression before Dezna had ended her life, much more than Blaze or Leon, despite him seeing them burn. "well... you know that if you wanted to kill me you've had ample opportunity over the last 12 days." he reminded her playfully, his black humor kicking in. Alliances were technically a meaningless notion since none of them could be permanent (unless Sagittaria's story about 8 tributes winning the 1st Annual Hunger Games was real, which is most certainly was not), since only one victor could emerge. Still, he didn't expect Kiva to turn on him, just as Rye and Sagittaria trusted each other up to Rye's last breath. His trust had technically never wavered. He had trusted that Sagittaria's shot would ring true and make a clean kill, and it did. Dezna didn't seem to mind Kiva's grip on his chest.

"heh.... I would too. I bet even District 12 is pretty proud of how far their girl got. I betcha if District 12 sent in a 2nd girl instead of a boy, they could probably win every 'games from here on out." he joked, making a jab at a small trend he had seen last year and this year. Perhaps just by bad luck this year and last, both of the male tributes from District 12 had died in the bloodbath, while both of the female tributes had made it very far in the games to the surprise of everyone. "District 4 though? they're probably both proud and just as puzzled as the rest of us." He wondered if anyone back home knew Varsha's strategy. He wondered if the girl was an orphan the way he and Arza were. she certainly seemed old and strong enough to take care of herself if that was the case, but on the other hand, he could also imagine her with a family of her own--maybe a few younger siblings or something. He was not entirely sure.

"I guess I'm just still confused about Valendria." he shrugged, "it almost seems like she doesn't want to kill us. Maybe I'm just fantasizing here, and obviously she's dangerous, but with all the opportunities she had to stick us like pigs, she evaded every one of them. Of course, that means that if she's go tan ulterior motive, I have no clue what it is... all I know is that I bet she's the Capitol favorite." He could only imagine the sort of things that Valendria had gone through ever since being thrown into the arena, and he was fairly certain she was being showered with sponsors because she provided more entertainment than the other 23 tributes combined.
"I mean shit... I don't even think I've ever seen a girl--or a guy--so huge."
Maybe it was because most people in District 6 had a slight slouch in their posture, but finding an individual that stood at more than 6 feet was a slight rarity, especially for a woman. Valendria was 6'5", which blew Dezna's mind a bit. Speaking of District 6, he was not too concerned about their district winning at this point either. He wanted to win, and would obviously hope that Kiva won if he didn't, but otherwise, he was kind of anticipating Valendria to win--she'd probably clean up after the District 3 kids or something. Dezna figured that those kids might be able to do him and Kiva in anyways. His thoughts might change if they were able to best them though.

"mmm..." he sighed as he let his mind wander back to the intimate moments they had spent together. If course this triggered memories of them on the balcony together slowly taking off each other's clothes, but for some reason, their nudity had not been the biggest highlight of it (despite what his hormones or his playful jokes earlier might have insinuated). Instead, it was that he was so close to someone else that was so soft and warm and that felt so similarly about him. "relax..." he whispered as well, pulling Kiva in to let her lean against his chest. it was covered of course, but it did not stop the moment from being rather nice. "well... if we're lucky... one of us will get to see home again..." he closed his eyes, dozing off into sleep.

[Nachthexe]

"Is everybody in District 4 that large?" Kiva asked, genuinely curious. She knew that Denza wouldn't have an answer, but he would at least manage to make a joke of some sort out of it. Even then she had some idea, recalling that both Valendria's partner and the pair in the 44th games had been quite a bit smaller. That at least disproved some of Kiva's theory; there were some people in District 4 who were indeed just average height. One thing she did notice though was that nearly everybody from that district seemed to be very fit, certainly something to do with their fishing industry that no doubt included much more physical labour than mechanics did. Of course it hadn't shown in this particular arena, but District 4 also had their obvious water advantage, being able to swim. "One thing we can be thankful for is that there's no large bodies of water here or Valendria would truly have us all beat. Remember, District 4. Fishing." Kiva noted, realizing that perhaps they had gotten off easy.

For the rest of the evening both Kiva and Dezna managed to reflect on everything they had experienced and even managed to throw in some humour. It was incredible to the girl that even with them potentially having less than a day to live they still managed to remain in relatively high spirits. Perhaps it was the fact they knew they were doomed that encouraged them to enjoy what little time they had left? Either way, Kiva couldn't resist continuing to snuggle up to Dezna. She had grown very attached and losing him was very much one of her greater fears of the games, but she knew it was necessary if she intended to get home. She was fairly convinced that the boy felt roughly the same on his end also. If anything though, it had the girl contemplating on happier times. Times at home, both with and without Dezna. However, one scene seemed to continue popping into her head. "My mind is taunting me, showing you and Arza together with my family. We're all laughing and having a good time. If only..." She shared the image with Dezna before letting out a sigh. Moments later a second popped into her head depicting them all on their way to bed. They all shared a room now, something that Kiva didn't mind. Besides, they were all family and those images only continued flowing through Kiva's mind until she finally fell asleep.

The next "morning" managed to come uneventfully, although Kiva knew that it was bound to be only hours until the Capitol would finally force them together. Certainly they were just itching for a conclusion, itching to crown a victor. Certainly President Snow would be and if anything, Kiva suddenly found herself nervous at the notion of actually facing him directly. Of course the victor's crowning was broadcast and every year it was done by no other than Snow himself. If the countless rumours about the man were indeed true then it made him seem scary. Certainly even Sagittaria had managed to keep many of the rumours alive, although anything that got into her hands was bound to be taken with a grain of salt. "You know, if I have to meet Snow, I don't think I'm going to say a single word." Kiva confessed to Dezna once he was awake. Certainly he knew what she was referencing when bringing up Snow, one of the events that all victors inevitably had to face.

"In the meantime, we should eat. We will need all the energy we can get." Kiva advised minutes later as she pulled out the remainder of the food from her backpack. There wasn't much, but any little bit was bound to be helpful for the inevitable showdown. Certainly it would leave them without food if it was delayed another day, but that was a risk she was willing to take at this point. They were very much at the point in the games where ultimately only one tribute's life mattered and venturing out of the Cornucopia in search of food only posed another risk. Of course there was the possibility of there being more at the Cornucopia, but by this point any valuable supplies there were bound to be scarce. Kiva realized neither her nor Dezna never really did examine it thoroughly before getting in. "I'm nervous, what about you? I have a strong feeling that today will be the day." She confessed between mouthfuls of food, realizing it was very possibly her last meal.

[Zulera301]

"Well, the kids last year weren't that large, nor was her district partner. It's rare when the girl's taller than the guy." Grant had been a little taller than average (about 5'9" or 5'10"), but Val had still been taller than him. "I still remember that one year when District 2 had that gigantic boy and that reeeeeeally tiny little girl. I think the funniest part about that was that the girl won." Dezna was always amused when small tributes did well. That had been part of his fondness of Kyla, although that was much more surprising than anything. The tiny little girl from District 2 that had won the games a decade or so earlier had not been too much of a surprise. she had scored a perfect 12 in training, and so everyone knew that she was going to do well, which she did, scoring around 9 kills all on her own.
"Ha!" he chuckled. "I bet that they made sure not to have any water in the arena... otherwise Valendria would have ended the games in like 2 days or something. She can probably swim faster than most kids can run."

"Ah, shit... that does sound dreamy." he sighed for a moment as well. He had nothing against the idea of sharing a room. He shared his bed with his sister anyways, so if anyone thought the notion was awkward, Dezna just laughed at them. The funny thing about Dezna and Arza was that not very many people actually knew they were orphans except perhaps the Capitol officials (who surely had data on every eligible Hunger Games child in every district) and a few others, but technically, they would not have ever minded adoption of sorts if they had ever found someone they liked. Dezna spoke up in this regard.
"well hey..." he put his hand under her chin to look her in the eyes. "If you manage to get home, you can at least get part of that dream, eh?" if his sister was anything like him (which she was--almost scarily so, even in physical appearance), she was longing to see her brother again, which was likely to become an impossibility within the next 24 hours. He longed to have been able to see her one last time, even if they had left each other on as good of terms as possible. "take care of her if you do though..." he didn't doubt that Arza would be in good hands if she was able to move in with the Rivnays, but he knew full well that the girl would need and want ways to cope. One of the reasons he had wanted that tracker-jacker high again was to help him get his mind off of his sister. He was just good at keeping those thoughts quelled, because he knew that complaining wouldn't solve anything. Either way, he fall asleep, and had relatively dreamless sleep.

He woke up the next morning feeling rather calm, or perhaps like a lamb going to the slaughter (even if he had never heard that metaphor before). This was it--he felt like he had slept for the last time he ever would in his life besides the Eternal Sleep. Today they'd fight, Valendria would finish them off, and it'd all be over just like that.
"I don't blame you;" he shrugged, "I don't think very many victors do..." he thought back to the crowning ceremonies, anyways. Most of them were just quiet and didn't say anything, for he was a rather intimidating man, even if he did not intend to bring harm to any of the victors. It was a strange thing either way.

"food... I like that idea." he nodded approvingly, "Let's eat." he didn't feel like there would be any reason to hold back on eating at this point. This was undoubtedly the last day of the 'games, for he figured that the Capitol would bring them together all very soon.
"I believe it," he kissed her lips softly between bites, "I guess this is the last day we'll see each other. Strangely... I'm not too worried. Lightning seems fairly quick, or would put me into shock real easily, and an axe to the chest woudl hurt for a split-second before I stopped moving. Still... one of us is going to be able to see the sun again...lucky for that person, eh?" he chuckled. there was a light drizzle outside, which might be dangerous because of Clemont's (or Hikari's?) lightning device, but it could not be helped.
"I love you, Kiva." he said rather straightforwardly and suddenly. He'd let her decide how she wanted to take it. It could be romantic love (hey, he figured he could dream given that he was probably going to die), or it could just be the affectionate phrase that siblings often passed to each other. He and Arza said it alot, complete with hugs and kisses and everything else (the times they had made out were unrelated, and were more hilarious than anything). He figured it wouldn't hurt to tell it to Kiva as well, especially if this was the last and only time he'd be able to do so.

[Nachthexe]

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll be a victor and not even The Ghoul will be able to touch me. If I want Arza to come live in the victor's mansion that man can't stop me." Kiva responded, chuckling. Ideally, it seemed like a perfect plan, but of course it required outliving the most dangerous tributes in the games. Whatever Zerviah had sent her days earlier, Kiva could only hope it would be useful in the final showdown. She didn't want to put any of the expensive looking projectiles to waste and hopefully each of them would hit their intended targets. Then again, there were three opponents out there and four of them. Still, there were many things that could go wrong, but at least Kiva could hope that the girl was at home watching and hearing Kiva's every word.

As Dezna began eating the breakfast that Kiva had laid out she could only blush as he proceeded to kiss her on the lips. "Well that's definitely a first." She chuckled before returning the gesture. She knew she didn't share the same kinds of feelings for him that Rye and Sagittaria had shared, but regardless she wanted nothing more but to be able to hold him close in their final hours. "I never thought I'd say it, but I love you too." She added, admittedly shocked at Dezna's last words. Was it romantic love or the sort of love siblings felt for each other? Perhaps there was no way of truly knowing, but Kiva knew her words were sincere.

As the two finished up the meal Kiva wanted nothing more but to spend her final hours locked in embrace with Dezna. That was exactly what she did as she proceeded to kiss him once again. It was admittedly much more passionate than the first and very quickly she found herself wishing once again they could be back on that balcony. Somehow it seemed the Capitol would be lonely without Dezna there. Of course, that only served as a reminder of the sort of odds Kiva would have to overcome to return there at all. At least if she was to die she'd want to die with Dezna by her side, and if Valendria was really mesmerized by District 6 the way she seemed to be then Kiva dreamt of at least trying to ask her to kill them together. The girl only seemed to play by her own rules though so instead she just brace herself for the worst.

After several more minutes locked in embrace with Dezna Kiva heard what was potentially the beginning of the end. Footsteps? She quickly imagined somebody running towards the centre of the arena and the Cornucopia, except it wasn't her imagination. It was beginning. Clearly the Capitol had begun somehow driving them to the centre and the only source of hope Kiva gained was that the rain wasn't getting harder than a light drizzle. "Well this is it. Ready to dance?" She commented to Dezna as she bolted off his lap and armed herself for the inevitable.

[Zulera301]

Dezna chuckled. "do it. If nothing else, do it to give him the ol' 'fuck you'." The plan was near perfect except for the fact that Dezna would have to die, and even with how friendly he was with Kiva, he was not ready to let let her kill him the way Rye had done with Saj. Rye was a better man than Dezna, and Dezna was okay with that in that regard. Still, Dezna knew that sometimes, there was no point in keeping on if he was past redemption, so to speak. That seemed to have been what had happened to Hazel. the trauma of seeing such horrific deaths had been too much for the little child, and so she had just shut down all of a sudden, jolting Dezna and Kiva awake as her cannon fired.
Of course, since watching the Hunger Games was mandatory, Arza was among the forefront of some of the District 6 crowds, biting her nails with anxiety over her brother's precarious situation. Sure enough, she missed him as much as he missed her. It was a tragic tale for the ages.

"well, then I guess my only regret was not saying it sooner, you sexy thing." he chuckled, squeezing her butt briefly as he finished up what would probably be his last meal. If nothing else, another reason he hoped that he'd die in one piece (if he was to die at all of course) was so that she could hold him in her arms one last time (or vice-versa). "Either way... one of us is gonna lose a really good friend... a brother or a sister... or whatever you think our relationship is. Take your pick." he honestly didn't care, especially because within less than 12 hours, it would all be moot anyways. All he knew and cared about was that their relationship was a good one--a very good one.

Dezna happily joined her in the hot and passionate kiss, still not too worried about what was surely to come. This was it... the last day of his life, her life, Clemon't life, Hikari's life... and maybe even Valendria's life. But, probably not her. She'd probably just waltz in during an epic battle between District 6 and District 3, proceed to break everoyne's neck one by one, and then walk right out of the arena as the entire thing exploded in a massive fireball. Cool people never looked at explosions. If they did survive Clemont and Hikari, he didn't think Varsha was the type to be sadistic on them, or even to separate them before the killing. At least it'd be a mercy-kill or something?

Dezna sprung up, stowing his knives in his coat, putting his staff on his back, and loading Bianca up with as many bolts as he could afford.. "time to dance." he smirked, and they stepped out of the cornucopia. This was truly the beginning of the end. Was it Valendria, or was it Clemont and Hikari?

Stepping outside proved that it was the latter. They did not look very intimidating; hardly standing around Dezna and Kiva's height. They seemed to have an intricate mechanism strapped to their backs and their arms. They were holding shields of some sort, clearly sponsor gifts, or just their own craftsmanship.
"They're charging it." he warned Kiva. "LET'S DANCE YOU SONS OF BITCHES!"
At least with District 3, they did not seem to be the sadistic assholes that Blaze and the other careers had been; this was just business, and a final encounter that had to happen whether they liked it or not. Dezna began firing bolt after bolt at them, although they managed to block many of them, and their machines deflected them as well. The game had begun. Hopefully he could get the staff out in time if they struck the lightning attacks.

[Nachthexe]

"Even if neither of us makes it out of here at least we can say we've had these moments together too. I don't think anything can compare to the balcony though." Kiva responded, winking. It wasn't much, but even the simple joys in life managed to mean more to Kiva than anything else. Those simple joys of course included all the various times she had shared intimacy with Dezna, despite being unsure truly what sort of relationship theirs was. Perhaps if she lived to go home it would occur to her in time, but for now she cared little and just gave the boy one last passionate kiss as the footsteps seemed to be coming closer.

Kiva nodded as she grabbed her things and waited alongside Dezna before they both emerged from the Cornucopia. For once she truly felt them going on the offensive, but she knew it was what the Capitol wanted. Besides, with everybody returning to the Cornucopia their location would quickly be compromised anyway. "Let's do this." She uttered as she took her first steps into the open air before stopping straight in her tracks. Clemont and Hikari. Naturally, they had been the first to show up and they were very clearly armed to the teeth. Either they were more brilliant than Kiva had initially anticipated or they had very generous sponsors. Certainly the shields they possessed had to have been perfected over many days unless they were from the Capitol. Either way, Kiva didn't want to wait around and find out, loading a slab of metal into her own contraption. "Clearly we both have craftsman skills, but let's see how we fare in combat." She proceeded to taunt the pair as she shot the first of many slabs at them.

The District 3 pair remained silent despite Kiva's taunts and just proceeded to dodge each of her projectiles with their shields. Naturally, they did so with little effort which managed to bring a smirk to both their faces before they proceeded to send out jolts of electricity at the District 6 pair. "Dezna! The lightning!" Kiva bellowed as she attempted to dodge the attack, stumbling to the ground which left her slightly winded. Almost instantly a second one came, leaving her little time to take a breather as she rolled out of its path. It only missed her narrowly before she came to a realization. The metal! Even if it was sparse the metal on her body was certainly attracting it somewhat. While the powerful machine was seemingly recharging, Kiva ripped both the district token chain off her neck and removed Daisy's rose from her pocket. She didn't want to part with either so hoped to come back for them later. Using the remainder of her downtime between attacks she once again loaded up her own contraption and shot plenty of metal slabs at the pair. She thought she had managed to hit Clemont, but just at the last second he managed to raise his shield and block that too.

For the first time Kiva found herself actually wishing for Valendria to make an appearance. Certainly she would know of some sort of weakness in the District 3 pair, even if it meant she'd kill her too. The thought of using her special projectiles briefly occurred to her, but somehow she felt they wouldn't do much until the District 3 pair was at least disarmed. Those shields would have to go before they would even be penetrable, but how to do that would take some careful maneuvering around countless volleys of lightning bolts. Perhaps Dezna really would die an ironic death, after all.

[Zulera301]

Dezna laughed. "The only thing that might have been better about that balcony incident is if we were buzzed or something. Can you imagine the story if someone had found us all naked and blitzed out of our minds?" he laughed a genuine laugh at the thought. "but what happened there was a beautiful thing, hands down, and was probably the best moment of my life." It had been a simple joy, but such a wonderful one, and he and Kiva would take that secret to their graves. There were no cameras or surveillance on the balconies. The forcefields kept the tributes 'safe' enough as far as the Capitol cared.

There was a certain aura of coolness to Clemont and Hikari as they engaged the District 6 pair. Dezna kind of admired them, for their strong silence as they cleverly evaded all of District 6's attacks. One thing Dezna did notice about them despite the extra night the Capitol had given them was that they did look a bit roughed up. He smirked--Glimmer had been good at what she did, even if she had ultimately failed at killing them. He didn't know how many tributes the girl had killed, but she had done in a few in the bloodbath, and had helped kill off Roxanne during the fight against the careers. He had no doubt that Glimmer's intentions had been good, for what they were worth. Well, as good as they could be in a Hunger Games anyways.

"Lightning! Right!" Dezna acknowledged aloud. The boy was not just called Dezna Lightning for his sprinting speed. Almost instantly, Bianca was folded back up and back in the holster on his back, and the staff was out. Two more shots came at him, and he suddenly realized that the metal staff's shape was not to try and poke people (although that could work)--it was a lightningrod as well. The metal attracted the lightning, but the rubber stopped it from flowing. It was double-sided as well, which proved to be a sheer blessing. He twirled the staff around, stabbing the electrified part into the ground. The second bolt hit the other end of the staff. He swung it, and to his surprise, the lightning shot back at Hikari, who had launched it. However, it hit one of her shields, which absorbed it. This sort of made sense to Dezna--they would want gear that resisted electricity in case someone tried to emulate it,. hijacked their gear (if perhaps one of them was killed but the other still lived), or if it malfunctioned or something.

He was suddenly coming to an idea here, but it was suicidal.
"KIVA!" he shouted as he dodged another shot of lightning... "I'm going in." he nodded towards them, planning to go right into the nest of the beasts, surrounded by lightning. "Guard Bianca for me." he removed the large mechanical crossbow setting it down. His double-sided staff could protect him on both sides, and his reflexes were as fast as the lightning that district 3 was shooting at him. He did not see this as a sacrifice--just a means to an end. If he was lucky, he'd be able to successfully disarm Clemont and/or Hikarai. If he was unlucky... he'd go into shock (no pun intended) and die. For the moment though, he calculated his plan of attack. It would involve sprinting, dodging, and blocking. He generally played more defensively anyways without his knives or his crossbow, and so with the staff in hand, he made a break for it.

[Nachthexe]

Dezna truly wasn't nicknamed Lightning by coincidence. It really showed in his motions as he attempted to dodge each bolt of lightning that approached him. It was almost hypnotizing to Kiva as she attempted to watch it for a few seconds before rushing back into action herself. "Who would've thought we'd be facing lightning? Fucking lightning!" She bellowed as she continued trying to dodge the bolts, yelping in pain just as one scraped her arm. Again she found herself being quite fortunate as the wound was obviously not deep enough to be life-threatening. At least it didn't appear as such, but it managed to bring another smirk to the District 3 pair's faces. Kiva didn't think they were sadistic, but quickly suspected they were smirking at the success of their hand-crafted devices.

"You're fast, boy. However, speed can't really match lightning. We've perfected this thing for awhile." Clemont remarked as he locked his eyes onto Dezna who was preparing his rubber staff for whatever was bound to come next. Kiva knew she couldn't really do much else until they were disarmed besides sit back and watch, even if it did make her feel slightly guilty. Dezna had the lightning resistant weapon, after all. It seemed he was beginning to have some ideas as to its true purpose also as he began charging towards the pair.

"DEZNA! NO!" Kiva bellowed as Dezna went directly for the District 3 pair. She quickly caught on to what he was attempting to do; he wanted to disarm them so she could finish them off, but with lightning flowing off in all directions it was definitely one of the riskier things he had done during the games. Preparing for once again for the worst she picked up her projectile launcher, but not before pulling out the special projectiles she had been saving for this exact occasion. They were shaped as disks, but Kiva knew there was more to them what meets the eye and with each passing second she awaited the pristine opportunity to launch the first of the four.

[Zulera301]

"Lightning... a light in an otherwise dark place..." he quipped, before taking off and zigzagging in a very similar pattern to what he had done in the cornucopia. If he had tried beelining for those knives, he would have gotten killed. His zigzag, lightning-bolt-like movement patterns kept him safe and unpredictable. Even with this movement, he had still made it to the cornucopia itself first during the bloodbath. The boy was fast, and did not think he would need to run a marathon against Clemont and Hikari.

Dezna chuckled, twirling his staff, absorbing two lightning bolts that would have otherwise fried him right then and there, with opposite ends of his staff. He was now between them, mostly trying to disrupt them and work to disarm them. "haven't you heard?" He quipped, "they call me Dezna Lightning for a reason, my friends..." Sometimes he grounded the bolts by slamming his staff into the ground, and other times he twirled the staff around which seemed to redirect the lightning back at their assailants. His advance was slow, given how much he had to dodge and divert his course, but there was no doubting the blinding speed at which these events were happening.

He absorbed another bolt of rainbow lightning, and grinned, darting towards Clemont's shield. "Hopefully you installed surge protectors." he quipped. He might not have been from District 3 or District 5, but he knew that if something got overpowered, it would fail. He had seen machinery do this all the time back home. He grinned, because the expression on Clemont's face indicated that it was something he had not thought of. Granted, Dezna couldn't blame him, given that he wouldn't have suspected that something or someone would use his electric power against him, and didn't anticipate the Capitol striking him with lightning or anything.

Dezna plunged one side of the staff into the shield, the other side sticking out towards Hikari's general location. "Bingo." Clemont's grip on the shield retracted, and the boy dropped the shield, briefly stunned before recovering and jumping back. The shield itself now had holes in it and did not seem to have that faint glow that it used to have. The electric resistance was gone.
"HIKARI, NO!" Clemont shouted. The girl did not realize what Dezna had just done to her partner, and so she launched another bolt of lightning towards Dezna. Dezna used the staff to polevault towards Hikari, and the staff's end attracted the lightning again. He pulled it out of the ground, shoving the electrically charged end into hiarki's shield for the same effect. "Whoop!" he chuckled. "gotta blast!" he jetted and zigzagged a ways away as Clemont and Hikari's attacks became swifter to protect any potential openings they had. Thankfully Dezna's staff was still holding out, and he was unhurt for the most part. They were unarmed though. Dezna and Kiva might actually make it through this... but that then would leave one more haunting question--Valendria.