[M] The 49th Annual Hunger Games {Nachthexe x Zulera301}

[Nachthexe]

It became increasingly evident to Lanni that, while District 3 did not steal the show, they did manage to retain some degree of a fan following within the Capitol. The cheering protruding from the crowds aimed specifically at them, particularly the personalized chants, allowed the small tribute to have some degree of optimism. Somebody liked them and having supporters usually indicated a guarantee of being showered with sponsor gifts when the time was right. Of course, the more sponsor gifts one received was not always a guarantee of their victory. The girl thought back to the 46th games in particular when the victor had been little Alice DeSiete of District 8. He had been the same age during his games as herself, unskilled, and not even particularly popular(thanks to his mouthy partner, but it wasn't like the Capitol had shown all the footage). Yet, he had managed to secure the upset of the generation by walking out of the arena victorious, all after even taking out the two strongest tributes and receiving exactly zero sponsor gifts. Dismal odds or not, a tribute was never out until their face shone in the sky.

Lanni hoped to do exactly that: be a viable contender in the games. For her, it meant studying the others very closely. Between now and entering the arena she had to learn absolutely everything she could about each of them. What were their strengths? What were their weaknesses and how could said weaknesses be exploited? It was pertinent information in this game that seemed to combine every skill imaginable. So far, she had noted at least one significant weakness in the careers and it made her smirk just thinking about it. They can be outsmarted for sure.

From the parade chariot Lanni knew her visibility of the others had been limited, but fortunately there was an easy remedy to that. The tiny tribute did not even need to suggest it either as her partner took the initiative himself. "It's refreshing to know that you've had precisely the same mindset on this as I. Sometimes merely observing the mannerisms of others can convey hints as to exactly how they will react in the impeding circumstances. This is all merely a show for the Capitol to delay our inevitable demise, but for us it's an opportunity for enlightenment." She suggested with a smirk. Enlightening and educational. That's exactly what it would be and the others would not even know what hit them.

If there was perhaps one person in all of Panem on par with the brilliant minds of District 3 then Lanni could only assume it was President Snow himself. The rumours about the man were clear, and so oft repeated that the girl could only assume they were true. Mostly. It was no accident that the man had retained power for so long, supposedly securing it at a fairly young age. In the game of politics only one fully capable of outwitting and outsmarting their competition could ever hope to last that long. It was almost admirable and the girl could only nod in full agreement with her partner. Wits could truly propel one far and, at the least, the young tribute hoped to prove it here even if she was inevitably shot down in the arena. There were reasons many of District 3's tributes were remembered despite having not actually won the games. Clemont and Hikari of the 45th games were legends in their own right, yet both now laid six feet under.

And Lanni knew the Capitol mindgames were no joke as soon as she set eyes on the tribute apartment. They widened in awe as she walked in. There was much luxury to bask in, even exceeding that of the train. It was actually nice, even if it was already obvious to her what the Capitol was hoping to achieve by providing it at all. "They want to get us cozy, remind us of how accommodating and benevolent they are." She uttered, followed by a small chuckle. "The ultimate message here is that if you win the games then the Capitol will shower you with their affection. It does certainly explain the tenacious determination of the careers to win this thing."

It was only too bad for Districts 1 and 2 that this was not going to be their year. Lanni would see to it, all thanks to aid from her equally conniving partner Chip. There were no rules in the arena and the girl was prepared to do anything necessary to secure a District 3 victory. Should she fall in the process then she was willing to accept her partner as a perfectly acceptable substitute. Of course, to actually pull it off would take much careful preparation which easily prompted directly beside the older boy. It was time to watch the parade highlights.

With a single flick the screen turned on and almost immediately began playing through a series of commentary from Caesar Flickerman and his loyal companion Claudius Templesworth. Both were reliable year after year to provide their own thoughts on the games and tributes. This year in particular they found themselves focused on the District 9 pair, making them out to be a possible contender where their District so rarely was. Lanni nodded in agreement just as the footage shifted to the actual parade itself.

First up were the careers of course which the girl had been able to observe personally, all thanks to being positioned directly behind them. Their on-screen appearance remained almost exactly as the small tribute had imagined: full of passion and plenty of genuine excitement in having the opportunity to represent their District. It painted them as mostly the standard strong, but also arrogant, tributes they were so often known to be. It was nothing beyond what District 3 could handle, that the girl was confident of.

District 3, of course, was District 3. Lanni simply nodded as she and Chip appeared on screen. She flashed a smile towards her partner as the crowds had begun cheering for them. It served as a reminder that even if they were not necessarily Capitol favourites this year they were not about to be discounted as serious contenders for the victor's crown. They had a chance to win this thing and the girl was going to take it. It was only unfortunate that she was not the only one. District 4 certainly seemed to be less fearful this time around than they had been earlier during their Reaping. Perhaps they had merely been in a state of shock upon realizing their names had been pulled? All in all the incident was making them surprisingly discreet and rather difficult to decipher. They were a wild card for sure and truly only training would hope to uncover any of their secrets.

Next up was District 5 and Lanni's eyes flashed as they appeared on screen. Jet and Mai simply looked mesmerizing in their costumes that shimmered brightly under the Capitol night sky. Nearly all colours of the rainbow appeared to be present in what was definitely a tribute to the power the District provided to all of Panem, the light of the sun itself reflecting off the panels that reportedly made up a portion of Panem's power. More interestingly the pair remained calm and collected almost as if to say "we've got this". Not a bad mentality to have for a pair who the girl was still considering forming an alliance with. "I'm confident that those two are not going down in the opening minutes if you still have interest in forming an alliance with them." She concluded, facing her partner.

Districts 6 through 8 still remained difficult for Lanni to decipher from the parade alone. More wild cards for sure. "Those ones we will want to watch closely during training, see exactly what they're up to and what they're capable of." She decided. District 9, though. That dreaded District 9. They remained as fearsome as ever, even receiving an unusually spirited reception from the Capitol crowds. It was rare that District 9 stood out, but this year they were more popular than ever. Perhaps it was the way the twins eyed each and every one of their competitions as meat, merely a means to an ends. It screamed hostile and the small tribute did not like it one bit. She could only imagine which sort of skills the two had awaiting them in training tomorrow morning.

District 9 of course stood in strong contrast to District 10 that had managed to produce the youngest tributes, and likely the most vulnerable, this year. Upon closer glance Lanni noticed they possessed the same fear they had during the Reaping. Surely they were already well aware of the gruesome fate that awaited them in the arena. Unfortunately for them it was likely an accurate prediction. There was no contesting that they were bound to be slain in the opening minutes by the older and stronger kids. Twelve and thirteen year olds rarely stood a chance. For any of them being Reaped was a death sentence. "If we were allowed to bet then I would put my money on those two being the first to succumb to the brutality of the games."

Despite the grisly fate lined up for the District 10 kids, in recent years Districts 11 and 12 had been hardy and resilient. This year would possibly prove to be no exception. The District 12 boy in particular had resilience written all over him. He was older, probably seventeen or eighteen, thus had some experiences with hardship. It was possible he even already worked in the mines of his home District which allowed for some useful, and dangerous, skills. "He is somebody else to observe during training. He may begin swinging an axe or something. It's not quite a pickaxe as those they would be more accustomed to in his District, but I suppose it's the next best thing. Those outlying kids always know how to fend for themselves too; survival. They can do it." Lanni proceeded to warn her partner as the parade concluded. It was always significantly different watching it from afar than it was actively participating but the girl was thankful that she had not actually had to participate until now. Being forced to participate indicated a one in twenty-four chance that one was not going to return home. Only one tribute came out of the arena breathing and the girl wished for it to be her, or at the very least, the boy situated directly beside her.

[Zulera301]

While it went without saying that Chip had no love for any of the Hunger Games or the associated ceremoniarchy, he did appreciate that they had a week or so to let the reality of their grim situation sink in. While most kids (except perhaps the ones that volunteered) might have spent the week in fear of their impending doom, Chip saw this week as an opportunity to study; to broaden his knowledge and see what he could learn about his 23 future enemies, no matter who he allied with or not. The first step in such a thing would be to get an idea of how confident or not the tributes were in the parade. If they couldn't stand the limelight of celebrity-dom, then they were doomed to fail even if they won the games. If they were fearful like those poor hapless youngsters from District 10... well, Chip could only hope that they had quick and merciful deaths. Maybe not quite as merciful as sweet little Lynx Chantrea from District 12 two years ago, but even cold and logical as he was, Chip didn't want to deliberately make anyone suffer, not even the careers. Not even District 9, really, although both of those tributes looked like the violent type for sure.

He knew that in proper even combat, that he and even Lanni would stand absolutely no chance against any of the competition except maybe some of the younger tributes bound for the bloodbath His goal was to make sure that he wasn't one of them. He also hoped, both for the same of District pride and for his own alliance, that Lanni would not be either. On the other hand, sometimes a tribute didn't need to win the games to become a thing of legend. Clemont and Hikari had died 4 years ago but neither of them had been forgotten by the locals of District 3. They were heroes in a way; the nefarious tribute pair that had escaped the bloodbath and then proceeded to all but disappear for two weeks, only to reemerge armed with rainbow lightning machines before going out in a blaze of glory. If Chip had to die, he wanted to go out like that.

Seeing President Snow in person, however far away he was, did make Chip realize that there was a lot more of a mindgame to the Games than most people ever thought. Not that he had ever actually experienced one of the President's games (beyond the one he'd be thrown into within a week), but the reputation of this man preceded him. And yet, despite that, he couldn't help but think about the different tributes; all the different game footage he had watched (and would watch; he was going to binge it every night after training), and all the different patterns he had noticed over the years. He wondered what patterns would show up in this year's lot; would he fall into the usual pattern of District 3, with cunning, wily antics that kept other tributes on their toes? or would he fall victim to an unfortunate arena like that girl in the 47th games? Her partner had lasted a while on his boat with that unlikely ragtag alliance with the District 8 boy and that little District 12 girl, but they were no match for the powerful District 1 that year.

The career tributes this year certainly had passion as Chip watched them move across the the square inside the large high-definition screen he sat in front of, but he didn't think they had the same gusto as the likes of Aurum or Valour, nor the same skill. District 1 could almost always be reliably counted on to produce powerful tributes considering that they literally fought to volunteer, but sometimes they were stronger than other times.
District 2 was similar. Powerful, a similar threat to District 1, but even Tiki didn't seem to shine the way Tributes in the past couple years like Layla or Alana. Layla may have seemed scared, but there was something behind those eyes that Chip noticed when she sat behind her tributes on the District 2 Justice Building stage. That which Layla feared was something that had indeed tried to kill her, and that had deliberately injected that fear and terror into her—and in a way, Chip admired the sinister beauty behind it. It was not the Gamemakers that had controlled the 48th arena. it was District 12.

And this year it would be District 3. Chip didn't consider himself a vain boy, but he did admire the way he and Lanni looked, not only in their jazzy costumes and flashy marquee, but also the confident way they carried themselves despite being rather small.
"Confidence!" Marcus beamed, although he had thus far remained fairly quiet in comparison, "the Capitol loves a tribute that isn't afraid of the competition!"
Chip smirked and nodded. He would have to remember that. He would bluff; the other districts would have to try and call him on it if they hoped to see the truth, but he would not reveal his hand.

Caesar Flickerman and Claudius Templesmith seemed to know how to talk up any tribute though, even the less threataening ones from this year, such as '10, '4, '7, or '6. They gushed a time or two about the careers, but they spent a LOT of commentary on District 9. Chip knew they were trouble, and they subtly scared him because they did not fit into his formula. All of his studies of recent trends had painted District 9 as fodder much like its fellow District 10. These two were outliers—dangerous outliers. Those would be the one that he watched even closer than the careers. Dangerous as District 1 and 2 were, they were predictable, and that made them easy to read; predictably dangerous. What would District 9 do though, when their most notable technique in the last decade of so was merely dying in the bloodbath?

And then there was 11 and 12 as well. While they did not worry him as much as '9, Chip had reservations about them just on principle, especially District 12. If they survived the bloodbath, which they had a penchant for doing lately, what then? they had such unpredictable and inconsistent fighting styles that Chip didn't ever know what to expect.
"Look at her eyes," Chip pointed to Iris when she appeared, "she's scanning the crowds. She has an archer's eye, most likely. An eye for sniffing out someone's weak spots... if she and her partner get together, we could have another threat on our hands besides '9. Hopefully the careers take care of them." Not that he necessarily hated any of the tributes here. But very much like District 2, it was all just business, and Chip would rather have the strong tributes get picked off before he came into play. That's where outsmarting the competition would have to take place.

[Nachthexe]

Based on appearance and observations alone Lanni could decipher one fact rather easily: in direct combat she and Chip both were placed at a major disadvantage. The tributes this year were strong - or at least those who looked capable of surviving the bloodbath were strong. If they were to stand a chance in this dangerous game then they had to be tactful. They would have to remain hidden, hopefully out of sight and simply forgotten. There had been at least one tribute from an outlying District who had won the games by doing exactly that, the tiny tribute recalled. Of course it was a slow and risky game, but the girl had hopes of hastening it. Traps, technological or otherwise, always had a place within the District 3 arsenal.

As Marcus shared thoughts of his own, particularly as his tributes popped up on the screen, Lanni nodded in agreement. Confidence. It was arguably the tribute's secret weapon in the week that followed being thrust into the arena. If one could show themselves to be in for the long haul and determined to bring home the Victor's crown then they gained support. As decadent as the Capitol was they had a clear admiration of strength and valour. That was respectable in her eyes. If confidence was what it took to gain their favour as well then she was prepared to play right into it. "I get it. Have no fear. Besides, why be apprehensive when most of these youth can outsmarted?" As she spoke she placed special emphasis on outsmarted, something she knew full well that her partner was just as willing to do.

Her partner's observations...were interesting ones. She did a double take herself and did indeed notice Iris' observant nature. The mark of a hunter, undoubtedly. Rumours spoke of an entire network of them in District 12, circumstances that were only possible at all thanks to more relaxed security in the District. Perhaps it was ever necessary as a means of survival although she did not question it much. It was well-known all across Panem that the hardy little coal-mining District was the most impoverished of them all. Unfortunately for District 3 and others it made for resilient tributes who excelled at surviving in even the harshest of conditions. It was those that they would have to outlive if one of them hoped to return home, she realized.

"That spells trouble for us. If she is a hunter then we are definitely the prey; us and twenty-one others as her partner will have to die also." Lanni pondered. "Her partner looks strong. He is likely already a miner. Split them up and they could be manageable, but conjoined they could be a formidable force." If recent trends were to continue in the games then the girl knew it was foolish to discount District 12 as a credible threat. They were rarely dim like the careers and their ability to withstand hardship was on a whole other level that few others, save for District 11, could match at all. If either of them was to be picked off then they would have to be demoralized and broken down, but the burning question was how exactly that was achievable. Over the next week there was much observation to do.

"Districts 1 and 2 we can easily take down by wit alone if the pack this year is anything like previous years. Districts 9 and 12 we will have to examine particularly closely over this next week. If we can demoralize any of them then they will be ripe for the kill." Lanni decided. Everyone had their weaknesses and insecurities. It was key to exploit any one of them in a fight that was unevenly matched. The 46th games was arguably one of the greatest cases for it in recent years. Everyone in Panem knew of how Alice had taken advantage of Keshet's brief moment of weakness to ready his bow against the powerful girl. If those were the sort of tactics it took to produce a District 3 victor then Lanni was fully prepared to exploit them herself.

Lanni's face formed into a smirk as she faced Marcus once more. "Confidence? Well, I'm confident that most of this competition can be circumvented and led directly into traps."

[Zulera301]

Chip smirked at his partner's observations, adding some of his own insight as well. "in a battle of brains and brawn, the winner is the one that pulls the opposing party into their home field. in a battle of strength, the brawn will prevail without a shadow of a doubt. However, if the brains pull the brawn into a battle of wits, they will undoubtedly emerge victorious 100% of the time. Let the careers play their game of strength with the other tributes, and if they pull any of the allegedly 'smart' ones into their game, then those will be their casualties. We just need to avoid their game at all costs, all while playing our own, and playing the Capitol's game."

"The Hunger Games are everyone's game," Marcus commented, although whether it was an oblivious ditzy remark, or maybe a cover-up remark for the cameras in case they suspected any rebellious tendencies in Chip or Lanni, was unclear. However, Chip did not seem to pursue the subject further.
"Well of course," he agreed, no doubt to the escort's relief, "but we play games within those games. Mind games, confidence games... Don't worry; I'm sure you and the rest of our team won't be disappointed.." Marcus was not as insufferable as Chip thought, but he had a long way to go before he would be as intellectually stimulating as Lanni, and so he turned back to his small partner.

"So it looks like, in summary, the real threats are going to be coming from Districts 9, 11, and 12. As of current I would rank District 11 as the lowest of these three threats, but that doesn't mean they should not be considered. Even with as physically menacing as that District 12 boy might be, or with as cunning as his partner looks, I would still rank them below District 9. They look clever, but District 12 still looks wary enough of death the way normal, rational people are. District 9... does not, and that means they will no doubt be dangerous, because they will be willing to take deadly risks; things other tributes might not be wont to try if they truly wish to live." Chip honestly could see Santhe and Thatcher going out in a blaze of glory or some kind of suicide attack. It had been done in previous games before, and Chip wouldn't put it above someone to do it again.

"The best part about the games as far as combat is concerned is that there's no right or wrong way to fight and win them. Anything the arena gives us can and will be used against our enemies." The only unknown rule to this may have been the forcefields, but Chip, while had had considered something with the electrical qualities of an arena's boundaries, didn't think of anything that could viably work to either get him out, or to harness that energy against another tribute. But on the other hand, apparently even the golden cornucopia that was present in every game wasn't off-limits. There was no way to weaponize the actual horn, but it made for good shelter, hiding places, and occasionally even a refuge from lower-lying mutts or other creatures and tributes that might want to do someone else in.

"Traps are definitely the way to go," Chip agreed. "or rather, the way that most of our enemies will go if they think they're actually going to be able to outsmart us."

[Nachthexe]

Once Tributes were free from the mines that lingered beneath the pedestals there were no rules. The Hunger Games were, quite literally, a brawl to the death. Any tactics necessary could be deployed against the other Tributes, or even the Gamemaker traps. If that meant outsmarting them then so be it; it was easy enough when one was from District 3, right? Ideally, yet, Lanni knew it was foolish to underestimate her opponents. It was often a fatal mistake in the games. It was one she did not care to replicate in her own race for survival.

Lanni nodded as Marcus spoke, providing a surprisingly insightful remark of his own. The man was right. It absolutely could be anyone's game. Even the smallest and lowest scoring Tributes had a chance - legends like Kyla were testament to it.

Fortunately, though, this year the threats appeared much more direct and obvious. Lanni nodded in agreement to all of her partner's observations so far. "That's what makes them dangerous. I have a gut instinct they're not in this to win. They are clearly related so it seems suspect that they're both here. Something, perhaps a waning will to live, brought both of them here." She mused upon carefully studying the District 9 pair once more. In her mind there was some logic to the theory. In the outlying Districts it was supposedly common for children to be orphaned. Were these twins orphaned? Were they simply in mourning and giving up on life entirely? Lanni recalled a girl from her own District who had simply ended it all upon losing her parents in an industrial accident. If that was indeed the case here then she could only feel pity for the troubled siblings.

Even from studying each of the Tributes Lanni felt oddly confident. Brawn, rather than brains, was largely what they appeared to be up against this year. Now it simply left one burning question that would not be answered for some time: what was the arena like? Of course the chosen environment often made the difference between life or death for so many; different environments had to be exploited in different ways to be utilized fully. The tiny girl only hoped that this year's allowed for trapping with ease. Traps or not, though, she was prepared to fight and go down gracefully if she was to be struck down at all. Chip as well deserved a clean and humane death at the very least. She would ensure it if they were forced to confront each other.

Confronting Chip was something Lanni did not even want to imagine having to do, but it was inevitable if they somehow remained the last two Tributes standing and both were relatively intact. That, was a reality she did not want to think about just yet, though, instead turning her attention towards Wiress. She had won before and how exactly she had succeeded the small Tribute was dying to know. It was time to pick the woman's brain.

And pick the woman's brain she did.

Time seemed to flow more rapidly as Lanni approached her mentor, eager for any tips that would potentially save her life in the arena. What began as a simple advice and motivational session soon became something more. The Tribute listened in fascination as the woman relayed accounts of both her games and the events that had followed. It had been hard for her as it was for so many, but it got Lanni to thinking. Would she too come out of the arena a traumatized wreck? If so, how would she be able to cope? A Tribute never truly left the arena. That she had to prepare for, but today was not that day if the fatigue coming over her like an old friend was anything to go by. She unleashed a loud yawn before glancing over towards Chip. "I guess this means bed beckons. Being rested up for training tomorrow is important if we want to kick some ass." She quipped. "Goodnight."