IC-Kaitlyn

[CowMasterTrojan]

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1cydiXZyF1qlkhfco1_500.gif

As you awake, you realize the day has finally come. It is the day for the reaping of the 73rd games. A day that has stood out in your memory as long as you can remember. The feeling of dread fills your stomach. Something feels off, but you're not sure why.

You rise and dress for the occasion, as does everyone throughout the district. Everyone wants to look nice for the ceremony. You never know when you might get chosen after all. So you better look your best.
Leaving your home, you join the mass exodus of people heading to the Reaping. The peacekeepers presence is throughout the streets. Their clean white uniforms and faceless helmets impress upon you a cold reality. Everyone is going. The silence of the crowd as they walk betrays another fact. They know that two children are going to die. Not today, but because of the events of today. It's a sobering fact. It hangs over the air like a heavy fog.

Just like all the other children of the district, you line up with the children of your age. Girls on one side, boys on another. Your blood sample is taken as peacekeepers check everyone in for the reaping. Children around you try to stay brave, especially for the younger ones. But they're all afraid.

And then the capital Visitor comes up on stage. Your heart sinks.
The time for Tributes has come. Please post your character's general appearance and his/her mannerisms as the reaping takes place. How it goes down is completely up to you.

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn watched nervously as the Reaping began. Around her were arrayed all the other girls of her district, corralled in by ranks of faceless peacekeepers. They were taking no chances after that escape attempt a couple of years ago. Scared as she was, her heart went out to the youngest of them. Even though the chances of them being chosen were so low, they must be absolutely terrified. Taking a steadying breath, Kaitlyn tried to maintain her composure. It wouldn't do for them to see her panicking, it'd just make the experience that much worse for them.

She straightened out her dress, more out of nervousness than necessity. The white fabric was as clean as the day it was bought, falling to just above her knees. It was such an irony that everyone wanted to look their best on such an awful day. Even her normally unruly hair had been tied back into a neat ponytail. Something drew her gaze to where the victors of District 10 stood. These were the only people who hadn't made an effort to look presentable, not one of them looked to be particularly healthy. Some even looked as though they expected a war to break out then and there. Swallowing nervously, Kait tore her gaze away from the grim sight.

As was tradition, the female tribute would be chosen first. Time seemed to slow as the visitor's hand dipped into the bowl containing their names. Kait's mind raced, she'd done everything she could to minimise her chances of being picked. They didn't struggle for food, the farm produced just enough for them to survive off as well as providing for the Capitol, so she'd never had to take the tessera. It was an awful thought, but there were plenty of other girls that would probably get picked rather than her.

"The first tribute for District 10 will be... Miss Kaitlyn Pierce!"

Feeling like she'd been struck by a hammer, Kait sank to her knees, her careful composure shattering. She was dimly aware of the girls surrounding her moving away, refusing to look into her pleading eyes. She had time to mouth the word "Please..." before she felt rough hands on her arms pulling her to her feet. A pair of peacekeepers hoisted her up, walking her steadily up to the stage. Within mere moments, she found herself being presented to the gathered crowd like a pig being appraised for slaughter. She barely registered the visitor's hearty congratulation on the dubious honour of being chosen.

Why had nobody tried to rescue her? How could they just stand by... Her reverie was broken when she felt her left arm being raised. Startled, she glanced left to see that a boy had joined her on stage, the visitor was raising both of their arms, declaring the Reaping to be over. A smattering of half-hearted applause came from the crowd. Once again, Kait found her gaze drawn to the assembled victors. None of them were clapping. She didn't know why, but their silence was the most terrifying thing she'd heard yet.

[CowMasterTrojan]

Kaitlyn sits atop the stage. Her heart pounding. Her mind a million miles away. When she reached the stage, the capital man quickly shook her hand. "Congratulations" Is all the fat, balding man said.

Then he returns to the mic, where he reads off another name. A human boy named Coten something. Kaitlyn hardly even hears his name. He too is filled with shock. The peacekeepers come, and bring him to the stage as well.

His smile, almost lecherous, the capital man shakes the boys hand as well. Coten looks taken back. Maybe because what little hair the capital man has is as blue as the suit he wears. Or maybe he's in shock too.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Your tributes for District 10" is the last thing Kaitlyn hears. Looking around, into the crowd. all she sees is sorrowful looks. The crowd feels bad for Kaitlyn and Coten. But they're happy it's not them.

Then suddenly the reaping is over. The peacekeepers herd you both along into waiting rooms. Only there, when Kaitlyn is alone does she have a chance to catch her breath and realize what just happened.

I give you complete control on the interaction with your family and anyone who wants to say goodbye. Then, whenever you're ready, we can continue into the train.

[Comissar]

The room Kaitlyn sat in was bereft of furniture and decoration. A few folding chairs lay propped up against plain, grey walls. She very nearly asked the peacekeeper who had lead her to the room to wait with her, the isolation was unbearable. For what seemed like an eternity, she sat in silence, waiting. The deafening silence was finally broken with the sharp, metallic sound of the door lock being opened. Kait jumped to her feet and ran into the arms of her mother the moment she stepped through the door, silent tears running down both of their faces. Burying her face in her mothers shoulder, she felt her stroke her hair softly. The strong arms of her father joined the embrace, holding them both close.

Wordlessly, they stood like this for several minutes. All too soon, they let go. Both of her parents eyes were bloodshot, though her father was clearly trying not to cry. Digging a hand into his pocket, Kait's father muttered with a hoarse voice, "The, uh..." He paused, coughing to try and clear his throat, "The Derran's wanted you to have this. They said they made it for their son, but couldn't give it to him. After what happened last time, they weren't allowed to come see you in person."

He brought his hand back out, holding a small, wooden statuette. It was roughly carved, hardly a piece of art, but a lot of care had clearly gone into it. Gently taking it out of her father's hands, Kait looked closely at it. Carefully etched into the base were the words "Que a sorte estea sempre ao seu favor". This brought a tiny smile to Kait's lips as she read it, it was written in Elven, but the words were those of the Capitol.

"Thankyou..."

Her voice was so weak, strained by sorrow and fear. She was pulled into another embrace, fresh tears rolling down her face. This time they were interrupted by a rapping on the door. Clearly reluctant to intervene, a peacekeeper entered the room.

"I'm sorry, sir, ma'am. It's time to leave."

Her parents slowly let go. Her mother cupped Kait's face in one of her hands, "Come back safe..."

Trying to stem her tears, she nodded grimly.

"We love you, darling. Always have."

Putting a weak smile on, Kait replied "Love you too, Dad. I'll... I'll miss you."

She closed her eyes and sighed as her parents left. She had no illusions about seeing them again. Using her sleeve to wipe away the tears, she looked over to the Peacekeeper. His empty, white mask gave nothing away. At that moment, she felt nothing but revulsion for this man.

"I'm ready."

[CowMasterTrojan]

With the visitors done, the peacekeepers then come for Kaitlyn. As they take her out of the waiting room, she sees that Coten is still in the other one. For some reason they took her first.

Arriving at the train, the peacekeepers herd her like cattle into a car before closing the door behind. She finds herself in a very fancy car, filled with fancy decorations and metal gadgets that's she's never seen before. In the center of the car is a fine wooden table, filled with all kinds of food.

The only person in the car is one of the district's former Victors, Victoria Penra. In her late 20's, she is a long blonde haired woman who seems to have aged roughly despite her wealthy life style. She sits in a comfortable chair with a glass of scotch. Without getting up, she gives a greeting nod to Kaitlyn. "Victoria Penra, at your service." She says sarcastically. "I'm afraid you and the other tribute will have to share me. The old man is sick, so for the moment I'm all 10 has to offer as a mentor."

[Comissar]

Despite herself, Kaitlyn was impressed by the display of sheer wealth in the train car. There wasn't really anything that compared to this where she lived. In particular, her gaze fell on the table of food. She'd never particularly struggled to find a meal, but it was almost always the same food every day. The sheer variety available amazed her, she didn't even know what half of it was.

Her attention shifted to the lounging mentor as soon as she introduced herself. She recognised her, of course, she was there at every Reaping. This was the first time she'd met Victoria in person, though. She was too young to remember the games that Victoria had been in, that was back before she'd been fully aware of the scope of the games.

Feeling uncomfortable, she sat in one of the chairs near Victoria. "I'm Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn Pierce."

Even as she said it, she realised that Victoria must already know her name. Now feeling a bit foolish, she continued, "I feel like I'm being lead to slaughter..." She didn't think she could feel any more upset, this day just kept proving her wrong, "I don't think anyone really expects me to come back alive... Can you help me prove them wrong?"

[CowMasterTrojan]

Kaitlyn's words seem to upset her, as she downs the rest of her scotch with one gulp. Without answering the question, she looks out the window for a moment before turning back. "That's what I'm here for... So, of course."

Standing up, she heads over to the bar to refill her drink. "But... let's be clear. The odds are not in your favor. So what it's going to take is planning & willpower on your part. I can assist with the first part, but the latter is all you."

In case you were wondering, Coten hasn't posted again so that's why he has yet to arrive.

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn closes her eyes and lets out a sigh, nodding as she does so. "Thankyou, I will do all I can."

Victoria's show of concern humanised her, somehow. Up until today she'd always seemed like some larger than life character, someone to be avoided as a reminder of the games. It was good to know that she cared about what happened to tributes.

"So... What happens now? Are we going straight to the Capitol?"

[CowMasterTrojan]

She nods "Yeah. They'll be rushing you to the capital as fast as this metal tin can will move. From there your face will be all over the capital, along with the other 23 tributes. They'll clean you up and parade you about. After all of that, then comes the training."

Looking around, she seems slightly confused. "That is, of course, if they ever show up with that boy. Between you and me, the peacekeepers caught a bug when they got here. Half of them are out sick, so they're running at half staff. That's why they brought you first, rather than together." The thought of the sick peacekeepers seems to bring a cold smile to her face.

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn smiled weakly at the news. It gave her an odd sense of satisfaction that the peacekeepers were suffering, even if just a little. Trying to relax, she commented "To be honest, I'm in no rush. Let them parade me around as much as they want, at least it'll keep me out of harms way for that little bit longer."

She closed her eyes, massaging her temples. The whole thing reminded her of a farmers market. Parading prize cattle around, showing off bits of meat. She'd have to prove that she wasn't just another dumb brute ready for the slaughter if she were to impress her judges...

[CowMasterTrojan]

The wait for Coten is not long, as soon the balding capital man enters with the boy. Although Kaitlyn may have wanted to confer with him, the opportunity clearly doesn't present itself. Coten quietly grabs a few pieces of fruit, and excuses himself from the room. All the while he avoids eye contact avidly.
Finishing off her third glass, Victoria mutters to herself "Some of them handle it better than others..."

The man sits down, wiping his sweating bald head with a napkin before surveying the table. "Ah, so nice to be in a climate controlled environment. Has Victoria been keeping you company my dear? Or drinking herself silly?" He asks in jest. Victoria gives him a cold stare but says nothing.

Within moments the train starts to move. The sudden start is the most obvious part of it, because as the train starts going Kaitlyn quickly realizes it's extreme smoothness.

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn watches Coten sympathetically as he briefly enters then leaves the compartment. Chances were, he didn't want to get to know her. Putting a name to something made it that much harder when it came to time to kill.

The balding Capitol man's rude joke about Victoria got her riled up. The mentor had just promised to try her hardest to save her life, and this fool wanted to make fun of her? A thought occured to Kait, a sly smile spreading over her face as it did.

"Yes she has been, sir." Be the epitome of politeness, no need to try and insult the man, "Though I was just telling her that I was feeling a bit cold here. Is there any chance we could increase the temperature to match the farms?"

In truth, the cool cabin was quite pleasant. But, as with many of the denizens of District 10, Kait had long ago gotten used to sweltering temperatures. She could go without the luxury of a cold cabin to see the Capitol man suffer a bit. Somehow, she doubted Victoria would object to this sentiment.

[CowMasterTrojan]

Pushing some food onto his plate, the man snorts a little. "Increase the temperature? You poor girl, that's dreadful to think about. Your whole immune system must be off."

Before he can begin shoveling his mouth, Victoria interrupts "Ah ah ah Horus, you know you need to keep the tributes as comfortable as possible. She's not used to such strong AC..." He frowns and looks at her, trying to gauge how serious she is in her words. After a moment, he stands up and looks at Kaitlyn. "Of course my dear. I shall head over to the environment control car and see if they can lower the AC a couple of degrees. We don't need you getting sick." Slowly he walks out of the car towards the front of the train.

Once he's gone, Victoria turns back to Kaitlyn. "Wow, he almost managed to sound magnanimous about it. Anyway... eat up. The capital will make a point to stuff you with food at every meal, and frankly you could use the extra calories. You won't have time to fatten up, but there likely will be days that you don't have much in the way of food once the games start."

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn couldn't help grinning as Horus left the room. It was a small victory, but it was a victory all the same.

She nodded at Victoria's prompting, experience had taught her to take meals where she could find them. Sitting at the table, she found herself overwhelmed at the variety in front of her.

Think, be logical about this. You're trying to put on weight, what do you give to livestock?

Though she desperately wanted to try some of the more exotic looking foods, she focused on choosing those she recognised as being particularly starchy or fatty. Even still, her plate was full long before the table was empty.

"Um..." She tried to catch Victoria's attention, "You can't really be expecting me to eat all of this?"

There was enough food on the table for a dozen people, even with the goal of eating as much as possible, there was no way she could eat that much.

[CowMasterTrojan]

Victoria is caught off guard by her question, and for a long moment she chuckles. "No. No, I can't say that I was. There's enough food for two tributes, two mentors, and a gluttonous chaperone have their fill. And there would still be food left over. "
Finally putting her glass down, she leaves the easy chair and joins Kaitlyn at the table. Not filling her plate nearly as much, she joins you in the meal.

Any more questions for Victoria? Otherwise I'm going to skip to ahead a bit.

[Comissar]

Though relieved that she wasn't expected to eat everything, Kaitlyn was a bit shocked at the sheer amount of food that was going to go to waste.

"How can they just throw food away like this?"

Glad to see Victoria joining her, she began to eat in earnest.

Nah, I think I'm ready to move on now. Nothing left that I think Kait would ask

[CowMasterTrojan]

The meal is fairly delicious, albeit a quiet one. Victoria is not a talker so much as a drinker, and Horus fails to return. When the meal is done, a young half elf girl dressed in a red workers uniform enters and begins clearing the table.
Victoria proceeds to show Kaitlyn to her quarters, walking with a very well concealed stagger, and explains that the girl is an Avox. The quarters are nothing spectacular considering the dining car, but the bed is unnaturally soft and there is a wide variety of clothes inside the closet that are designed to fit a wide array of girls. From there, Kaitlyn is left alone to eventually sleep to the quiet hum of the train.

____________________

When Kaitlyn awakes in the morning, she looks out the train car window to find the terrain has changed drastically. The open farmlands that she has become accustomed to are gone, now filled with a mountainous terrain as far as she can see. The train appears to still be speeding along the side of a cliff while maintaining the similar speeds to what it achieved in the farmlands.

Wandering about the train a bit, she eventually finds her way back into the dining car. There she finds Coten, dressed in some dark colored capital clothes, at the table eagerly picking at a wide variety of breakfast foods. Horus has joined him, now dressed in a sapphire colored suit, and appears to be keeping him company as best he could. "...And that's why, even though you're with us for such a short time, we do our very best to make sure you are well taken care of. Don't think the capital doesn't care M'boy. I assure you, they do." He says, before chewing on some bacon. Seeing Kaitlyn, Horus calls out "Oh, there you are dear. The chef has outdone himself on this breakfast. Please come join us."
Meanwhile Coten finally gives you a look, a feat he couldn't accomplish yesterday. His eyes remind you of a small cat, at the ready to run at a moments notice.

[Comissar]

Despite the anxiety, Kaitlyn found that her night on the train is one of the most comfortable she'd ever had. When she woke, she experienced a brief moment of disorientation as she found herself in a strange room. Then the memories of the previous day came flooding back and her heart sank once again. She was in no rush to rejoin the others, instead she took some time to examine the clothes that had been made available to her. All of them were of higher quality than the Reaping clothes she'd worn, and she saw no reason to not take advantage of the small luxury.

Picking out a floral dress along with a soft, cotton jacket, she finally left to wander around the train for a bit. When she eventually stumbled onto the breakfast car, she was surprised to see Horus keeping Coten company. The old man hadn't seemed like he was particularly interested in their well-being... Could she have been wrong?

She offered Coten a weak smile as she joined them at the table. What could she say to him, 'Sorry that you're probably going to die soon'? Not exactly good morning conversation. Opting to simply fill her plate, she once again tried to follow Victoria's instructions, picking out the foods that would offer the most protein and starch. She ended up with a strange mixture of food, bacon sitting alongside a lentil soup amongst many other oddities, but one that would hopefully give her more of a chance to build up her body a bit.

[CowMasterTrojan]

The speeding train catches your attention as it suddenly begins to slow. For the last hour the train has been speeding along mountains and shooting through tunnels. Finally it comes out of a final tunnel and the sun shines down upon it. With it now slowing, the train track curves to the side and allows you to see in the distance the capital.

A gigantic metropolis, it is comprised of countless metal buildings that stretch into the sky towards the clouds. Never in your life have you seen such tall buildings. Scattered along the skyline are floating ships that hang in the sky.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Na6ePbPVYVc/UWH_BAxX2YI/AAAAAAAALgU/WvLuZokDrgk/s1600/The+capitol+Panem.jpg

The train continues to slow, and eventually closes into the city. People line the track, waving to you as the train enters the capital. The capital citizens are an odd bunch, all dressed in bright colors with bizarre hairstyles and some even have odd grafts on their bodies. The sheer number of them decorating the pristine streets is mind boggling to you.

_______________________-

Once the train stops, your chaperone takes you to a nearby building. There a team of highly trained capital employees take over cleaning you. They scrub you clean on a level you've never felt before, removing a layer of skin from your body, thoroughly washing your hair, waxing body hair, and picking any specks of dirt that may be under your nails.

[Comissar]

As they entered the Capitol, Kaitlyn went up to one of the train windows to try and learn what she could. The towering buildings felt very claustrophobic, not at all like the extensive farmland of her home. As they drew closer, the bizarre appearance of the residents surprised her. They almost didn't look human, was there some kind of celebration going on that they'd all dressed up for?

___________________________

Arriving at the station, Kait was whisked away by a trio of Capitol women, barely even getting a chance to say goodbye to Victoria as she was. In a bright, white room she was stripped bare, feeling horrendously exposed, before being thoroughly cleaned. Strangely, the experience wasn't entirely unpleasant. It was nice to be pampered in this way, it wasn't something she'd experienced before.

She gradually became aware of a fourth person in the room, he had been sitting to one side whilst the trio worked. He looked just as strange as the rest of the Capitol citizens she'd seen previously. To Kait, he looked for all the world like a giant candle. His bright red hair was styled to wave straight up into the air and he wore a bright white suit with tassles hanging down apparently randomly. When the prep team had finally finished, he stood, walked over, and introduced himself.

"My name's Heilos," He wore a smile that failed to reach his eyes, instead he inspected every inch of Kait, making her blush as red as the mans hair, "I'll be your stylist for the coming weeks"

Hope you don't mind my creating the stylist, I'll post what the outfit he creates is later in the parade thread. Am I correct in assuming Coten's player is now gone (I don't remember him reporting in when we checked to see who was still here)? Should I create a joint costume?

[CowMasterTrojan]

The stylists are NPCs that I just have no interest in fleshing out. Sadly not everyone can have Cinna, or else there would be no unique impression from Cinna. So I'm going to skip that part, you can write whatever interaction you have had with the stylists. They are NPCs in your control.

Also, thanks for posting first in the parade thread. Your sponsor score will have a extra few points for being on top of it.

After the parade, Coten and Kaitlyn are escorted to a skyscraper building while still being driven around in the elegant chariots. The other tributes are being escorted back in a staggered grouping of twos. As two balded headed humans open the door for the two, Kaitlyn hears a whistle from behind. The kind of whistle that men give women who are dressed nice. If she glances back, she sees the tattooed male from district 8 standing about 20 feet back while his white haired female companion is back even further as she gets out of the chariot. The male gives Kaitlyn a wink, and Coten appears slightly protective of her as returns it with a icy glare.

In the lobby Horus and Victoria are waiting for them along with a large number of Mentors and Chaperones from other districts. They take the two of you to a elevator and Victoria pushes the big 10. Once the doors close, they finally speak. "The stylists did good. You two look very impressive."
With a nod and a smile, Horus adds "I couldn't agree more. We have some of the very best in the capital. And you two stood tall the whole time."
"Right. It's more important that you didn't slouch or look meek. But you both did good."

After a few moments, the door opens. Before you is a large floor that is quite on scale with the train. A large living space is before you, and the dining area that she can immediately see appears to be almost the same size as her house. A red headed servant in a blue jumpsuit appears to be finishing up loading a table with food, once more it is filled with more than the four could ever hope to eat.
"You'll each have your own rooms. Let me show you to them, so you can get changed and then we can eat" Horus says enthusiastically. "They should have just delivered a wide variety of clothes that fit you, now that you've been fitted."

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn blushed at the wolf whistle, embarrassed at the attention. It wasn't that she thought of herself as ugly, or that she wouldn't be interested... It was just...

She shook her head, this really wasn't the time or place for those kinds of thoughts. Walking back to the elevator, her dress billowing behind her, she studiously ignored Coten as they walked. His... Jealousy? Protectiveness? Was unexpected, she hadn't thought the boy had wanted anything much to do with her. She was grateful to see Victoria waiting for them, at least she provided a way to break the awkward silence. The praise she received from them both brought a smile to her face, it was the first good news she'd had in days.

"You really think so? I mean, the dress is really nice and all, but I wasn't sure..." Kait trailed off, realising she was babbling. Grinning sheepishly, she continued, "Sorry, still a bit nervous I think."

The apartments luxury was impressive. Was there anything in the Capitol that wasn't built this grandly? She didn't say much as she trailed Horus to her room, instead just taking in her surroundings. Still feeling a bit giddy, she grinned as she entered her room, giving Horus and Coten a little wave as they continued off down the corridor. Heading over to her wardrobe, she was astounded by the choice available for her. It did seem a shame that she wouldn't be wearing her parade outfit again, but then, it wasn't a particularly practical costume. Picking out a blue gown, she mused to herself It would probably also lose some of its impact if I wore it all the time...

Heading back to the dining room, she saw everyone else already gathered. She hadn't thought she'd taken that long picking clothes out. It looked like they'd all waited for her before starting, too. With a muttered, "Sorry I took so long..." she began to pile her plate high.

[CowMasterTrojan]

"Think nothing of it my dear. Think nothing of it. Victors take time to look good, they always say." Horus says, not really making eye contact but talking proudly as he begins to fill his plate.
"They do not say that." Victoria says back to him, at least partially aware that Horus' words have made Coten Sheepish again. Horus laughs heartily.
"Well maybe not in your circles Victoria. Haymitch and Chaff are usually too intoxicated to spot the difference between a Victor and a Avox. But I tell you, I've dined with some of the sharpest capital speculators. And they can spot some promise when it's in-front of them. We've got some fine candidates this year, I'm sure of it."
Victoria opens her mouth to argue, before it dawns on her that Horus may be full of it but is actually doing some good. Leaving it hanging open for a few seconds, she closes it and then adds "You're right Horus. I don't know what I was thinking doubting your sharp eye."

Politely cutting up some steak and loaded mashed potatoes, Horus smiles heartily at Victoria submitting to his opinion. It keeps him quiet for at least a few moments. During which Kaitlyn sees Coten eye her heaping plate several times with confused looks.

Finally the silence is broken once more by Horus, who clearly doesn't like the silence. "So another good thing we have going for us is the fiasco in District 2. Did you hear?"
"What Fiasco?" Coten asks as Victoria rolls her eyes and takes a sip from a metal flask she had hidden.
"Oh, You didn't notice my boy? Well it's alright. Not all have the sharp eyes like myself. That boy from district 2. He's only 15. No one volunteered in his place. That's very odd for the career districts. First time in forty years or something. That's one less Eighteen year old to stand in the way of our Victors" He says with a wink at Kaitlyn.

[Comissar]

Horus' offhand remark about Victor's caught Kaitlyn by surprise. Did... Did he really think she could win?

Her thoughts up until now had really only been about survival, not victory. Though... Weren't they one and the same when you got down to it? She left Victoria and Horus to argue, offering Coten a small smile when she saw him looking at her plate.

"Try and think smart, Coten." Her tone was light, but she hoped her fellow tribute would understand her meaning, "Which cattle survive the lean times back home? Think of this as harvest time."

Horus' comment about District 2's male tribute triggered a pang of sympathy in Kait, it struck very close to home with how she had been just let go by her home.

"He must be scared out of his mind..."

[Comissar]

Health Roll - [roll0]

In before I get a "1"

... Really wasn't being serious with that ^

[CowMasterTrojan]

Coten looks confused for a moment, pondering Kaitlyn's words. But then it clearly crosses his mind, and he nods in agreement. He takes her initiative, and begins to add more food to his plate. Kaitlyn notices a nod of approval from Victoria, who is still in conversation with Horus. And yet at some point it will cross Kaitlyn's mind. She has just helped her competition.

When everyone has managed to eat their fill, and then some for the two tributes, the red headed servant silently and quickly takes the the plates off the table. Kaitlyn notices a sadness in the servants eyes, but the servant avoids her gaze.

"So what about you two? Did any of the other tributes catch your interest?" Horus asks. Coten shakes his head. "That tattooed one from district 8 is weird"
"I couldn't agree with you more." Horus laughs. "They had to censor parts of his reaping. How embarrassing for his mentors and chaperone. What about you Kaitlyn?"

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn blushes at the mention of the male from 8, paying great attention to her food. "He didn't seem that bad to me..."

She takes a few moments before answering Horus, pushing her food around her plate a bit while she thought about it.

"I don't know... The girl from eight must be really brave, stepping up like that. I can't imagine what it'd be like to volunteer for... this," She waved her fork around the apartment to emphasise her point, "That guy with the mask from four looks kinda scary, too. The muscle thing he did during the parade was weird."

[CowMasterTrojan]

Sorry, your update got lost in the mass of my subscriptions. :smallwink:

"Ah yes, an usual ability. Although I think the cameras caught him drinking something on the replay. He won't be doing that trick in the games..." Horus says sounding somewhat smug.
"Don't be intimidated by the big strong looking males. There's always a few of them in the games. But remember that those types are more likely to get themselves overwhelmed through overconfidence. Arrogance and overconfidence are two very common traits of the careers. And it's usually their downfall."
Coten pushes his food around for a few minutes thinking about this, then remembers Kaitlyn's advice and begins eating again. "But how do we take advantage of that? They have reasons to be arrogant and overconfident"
Sighing, Victoria adds something in a silver flask to her coffee. "It's about how you react to them. If they decide to actively hunt you, you can usually lead them into a trap. Or they might mistakes you notice that you can take advantage of when the times comes. You have to be observant, and hopefully you'll have the common sense to know when to act."
That answer doesn't appear to fill Coten with confidence.

When the dinner is done, the strange servant in the blue jumpsuit quietly begins clearly the table.

[Comissar]

No worries :smallsmile:

Assorted saves for the main IC, not doing the bonus rolls for test 3;

Reflex for Test 3 (not sure what the DC for success is, I'll phrase it according to how high my check is instead) - [roll0]

Will for Test 4 incl. Con bonus - [roll1]

Kaitlyn felt relieved at Horus' reassurances. It was good to know she wouldn't have to face that, at least. She remained silent as she finished her meal, though. Coten was already asking the questions that she was thinking, and she saw no reason to comment. He really seemed to be coming out of his shell.

Kait resisted the urge to head back to her room once the food had been cleared away. The training sessions were coming up, she needed to know what to expect for them. Leaning forwards in her chair, she looked expectantly at Victoria.

"The games start before we even get in there, right? Is there anything we should be doing during training?"

[CowMasterTrojan]

As the group finishes their food, the servant slowly begins to take away the dirty dishes. Coten eats his fill, and decides he doesn't care for the silence. He excuses himself and slinks away to his room. Horus stays until the table is finally cleared, happy to help himself to 3 different types of small desserts. Victoria continues to drink coffee and fill it with something from her flask, but she is intuitive enough to sense Kaitlyn wants to talk. So she waits. When Victoria doesn't leave, finally Horus takes the hint and excuses himself to go who knows where.

"Yeah, that's right. Technically you're playing their games from the moment you step off their train. The four days of training you're going to be watched. By game makers and if you're lucky, influential people. Influential of sponsors.

You'll have four days to mostly work on your weak spots. Don't know how to make a fire? Use the time to learn. Don't spent too much time on areas where you're strong, but it doesn't hurt if you're looking to make an alliance. If you are, now is the time to impress the other tributes. But if you make yourself too strong, you might become a high priority on your enemies. It's tricky.

After the four days, you'll be taken before the spectators by yourself. You'll have fifteen minutes to show them whatever you want. That's your time to shine. Any unique abilities you have, or strong offensive abilities... show it to them. Because they're going to grade you on that demonstration. And that grade helps get you sponsors."

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn nodded, absorbing the information as best she could. Nodding to herself, she grimaced.

"Do you think it's a good idea to look for an alliance?" She seemed uncertain in herself, "I'm not sure I'm good enough to get anyone on my side..."

Shaking her head, trying to convince herself not to think that way, she continued "Who do you think I should try and work with, if I do team up with people, I mean."

[CowMasterTrojan]

Victoria shrugs, uncertain of what is really the right answer. "Alliances are tricky. In the early days, it certainly increases your odds. But alliances break apart 100% of the time. And sometimes its better to have the knife coming at you from the front, rather than into your back...

As for who, I couldn't help you there. Not yet. We mentors really don't see much of the other tributes, so you'll have to make notes of who is effective during training. Just like you want to impress them, they may want to impress you.

However the most common alliance in every game is the careers. That would certainly help you a lot in the beginning days. But that doesn't happen very often that they take in non-careers. And of course the second most common alliance, is one with the other tribute from your district. Is that something you'd even consider?"

She takes a drink from the flask. "Plenty of us mentors will tell you though, that just makes it harder when the alliance breaks."

[Comissar]

"Ally with Coten?"

The thought genuinely hadn't occurred to Kaitlyn. Could she work with him? It wasn't that she thought he was untrustworthy, it was just... He didn't seem to have the presence of mind to be helpful once they were in there.

"I... Don't think so..." She said, hesitantly, "Don't get me wrong, I don't want to fight him either, but... I don't think he'd do too well when he was in there, though..."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"That's the impression I got." She says coldly. It's then that it occurs to Kaitlyn that a certain degree of favoritism may be directed towards her. She's not seen Victoria giving any real advice to Coten like she has her. And the topic of his usefulness doesn't seem to concern Victoria at all. "Either way, if you're looking for an alliance then wait a few days. Right before the final scoring and right after, there's alot of requests that go out. We mentors can put requests in through the other mentors if you'd like to initiate, or if you'd like to be more obvious than you can talk to the other tributes yourself.

And of course, you can always decline an alliance. Often just laying low is the easiest way to surviving past the first couple of days."

[Comissar]

"... Yeah, yeah ok..."

Kaitlyn wanted to believe that Victoria's coldness towards Coten was a surprise, but it just seemed too realistic. The thought was depressing.

"I'm gonna get some sleep, I guess I'll let you know what the other tributes are like after training tomorrow?"

Leaving the table quietly, she walked slowly back to her room. As she passed Coten's door she hesitated. She stood there for a good minute, trying to decide what to do. Eventually, she called out "Goodnight Coten, see you tomorrow."

Not waiting for a response, she continued down to her room. As she got changed, she mulled over her conversation with Victoria. Coten did seem like a nice guy, but she had to be realistic. Remember, you've got to get back to your family. Gloomily, she climbed into bed to try and get some sleep.

If Coten comes out of his room to say something before Kait gets into hers, she'll stop to talk with him. Likewise, if he comes to her room, she'll at the least have a conversation through the door. If he doesn't leave his room, though, I'm happy to skip to morning.

Edit - Taken the Child of Nature (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/religion-traits/child-of-nature) and Poverty Stricken (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/social-traits/poverty-stricken) traits for -1000 exp. Please say if either are not ok.

[CowMasterTrojan]

Both traits are fine.

On the third day of training, Victoria is allowed to train Kaitlyn & Coten privately for the last two hours in a private room. She breaks them up, giving each individual attention. When Kaitlyn's time comes, she closes the door and motions for Kaitlyn to pick up the knives that she prepared.

"So, have you made any further opinions about alliances? I haven't had any requests yet, but that's not uncommon. But you can make requests too."

_________________


On the fourth day, Coten & Kaitlyn load into the elevator to head down to the lobby where peacekeepers will take them to training. Coten looks nervous for some reason, and it quickly becomes apparent. "So... I know you don't think much of me. I'm not an idiot. But can we at least come to some sort of agreement...." Looking at Kaitlyn, he looks away again. "You know, some sort of non-aggression agreement? I'll leave you be, and you leave me be..."

[Comissar]

Kait waited patiently for Victoria to complete her training with Coten. Even though they'd soon be in a competition to the death, she hoped that the mentor would be able to help him live as long as possible.

When Victoria eventually returned, Kaitlyn stood a little straighter. Walking over to the table with the knives, she selected one that was closest to the butcher's knife she used to use back home. She was a little disheartened at the news that nobody wanted to be in an alliance with her, but then, she was just some girl from ten. It wasn't like any of the careers would notice her. Thinking back over the past few days, one name came to mind very readily for who she'd want to work with.

"Yeah... Cass, the girl from eight. She seems like a good person to work with, mentioned that she knows some stuff to do with the arcane, too."

She rubbed the back of her neck as she considered what to say a bit more, "Actually, Ponine came up to me as well. The girl from four. She said she's trying to put a team together, plans on getting Lelaine from seven and the two from twelve in on it, along with Pyrom, the guy from four. I'm not sure how much I can trust her, is the only thing. Cass is the only one of the bunch I'm confident enough to trust."

____________________________________________

Kaitlyn stood uncomfortably in the elevator with Coten. The two hadn't been speaking a whole lot over the past few days. She immediately was hit by guilt when he said how little she thought of him. It wasn't even an accusation, just a flat statement.

"Coten, I..." She looked at him sadly, feeling pained when he couldn't hold her gaze, "Of course I won't attack you, how could I?"

[CowMasterTrojan]

"Cass from eight... that's the white haired girl who volunteered. Interesting. I'll have a word with one of the mentors from eight, Cecelia, about an alliance. Unless... of course you'd like to speak to her about it."

As for this proposed alliance... That doesn't sound like a good alliance in my opinion. I've heard enough from their mentor that I know you should shy away from the two from twelve. It sounds like they got particularly unlucky with tributes this year, and an alliance with them would only hold you back.

And I won't deny, they boy from four certainly looks pretty intimidating. But... all alliances break down eventually. When it does... the two from district four will likely stick together through any kind of betrayal they had planned. Two against one when you're caught by surprise is very bad."

She takes Kaitlyn to a training dummy, and begins having her work on striking points that could easily kill on a human. After a few minutes of working on the approach, she changes things up and has her making three hit attacks. This keeps up for a good twenty minutes. When Kaitlyn finally is told to stop, she is sweaty and her arms are sore. "Good. That's a impressive technique to show the judges. You handle those knives too well to consider a different weapon. Unless you'd like a crash course in using Kukri's I suppose..."


______________________

Coten glances back at you before once more looking away. With a slight sneer, he says "How could you? Really? It couldn't be that hard. We didn't know each other before the reaping. We're not friends. We hardly talk. And although I appreciate the friendly advice, the fact of the matter is that all we have in common is that we're both from the same district. And if one of us wants to go home, that means the other person doesn't get to... So no, I didn't think it would be a problem for you.

But I'm glad we can agree on not killing each other. It would have been..." The doors to the elevator open to the lobby, and Coten dismisses what he was saying "It's not important." With that he walks out of the elevator.

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn shrugged, "I don't know, it might be better to ask through her mentor, just because then fewer people would know about the alliance?" She seemed uncertain, "I'm not sure if there's a benefit to doing it that way, though."

Putting the thoughts to one side for now, she starts on her knife work. The session lasts for quite a while, her arms screaming in protest at the prolonged activity. Gritting her teeth, she continued on until, finally, she was told to stop. Catching her breath, Kait blushed with pride at Victoria's praise. She wiped her sweat-slicked hair out of her eyes, pushing it back behind her ears.

"I guess there's no harm in trying, I've not used them before, though."

Picking out a Kukri, she made a few practice swings with it. The blade felt like it was in entirely the wrong place, the shape interfering with the swing. Though she was still able to land the kill blows on the dummy, it was at the expense of any semblance of speed. Before long, she stopped swinging.

"Uh, perhaps not. I don't think I could use that, really..."

____________________________________

Coten's words bit deep. All she could think as he talked was That's not true...

She desperately wanted to say something, but all too soon they reached the training floor. She hesitated before leaving the lift, all desire to train having been drained away. Carefully avoiding eye contact with the other tributes, she headed over to the survival station. By now she'd already covered more or less everything that was on offer there, so all that was left was reinforcing what she'd learned. Picking up some rope, she began half-heartedly tying knots. What was Coten trying to say to her, anyway? It sounded like he was blaming her.

Wrap the rope round the hand, pull tighter. Was he blaming her for not talking? Pull the rope through the hole, pull tighter. He was the one that had avoided her, on the train, in the apartment. Start a second knot, pull tighter. It wasn't like she'd been going out of her way to disassociate with him. Through the hole, tighter. And how dare he just assume he knew what she was thinking! Tighter. And he'd all but called her a killer!

Kait let out a soft gasp of pain as she realised she'd cut the blood supply to her hand with the knot. Fumbling with the rope, she tried to undo her work as quickly as possible, muttering curses to herself as she did so. Why did she even care what that idiot thought of her. As she massaged her hand back to life, she was startled to feel a tear running down her cheek. Quickly wiping it away, with a guilty look around the training room, she tried to start again with the rope. She tried to put her thoughts to one side as she worked, feeling thoroughly confused.

Kaitlyn's not proficient with Kukri's, just so you know :smallsmile:

[CowMasterTrojan]

I edited her response, feeling it was the simplest way to respond to your edit.

"Yeah, the strength of using the mentors is that we're pretty good at keeping it quiet. Plus, then we have something to do when you're training." Victoria laughs.

After watching her display with the Kukri's, Victoria shrugs. "They're not for everybody, but they slice rather well. If you don't like them, we can go back to the knives."

Once more she has you take up some daggers, and this time she moves the dummy across the room. Instructing Kaitlyn to move to the other side, she has her begin throwing the weapons at the dummy. Another "possibility" for when she's graded.

Finally the time finishes, and you are both asked to leave. Walking out she gives wave for Coten, who is across the room to follow. Before he gets over, she quietly says "So are you starting to feel confident about your demonstration?"

I am aware you were not proficient with Kukri's:smallwink:
Doesn't mean she wouldn't try and train you with a good and flashy weapon.
_____________

The survival station is one of the more frequented stations, but Kaitlyn does her best to keep her distance from the others and keep to herself. As she wipes the tear from her eye, she is forced to look up. At that's when she realizes she's being watching.

The dwarf from six, Ogden, stands not far away. A frown is quite apparent on his face, with his beard still being thin. Looking around, he notices that only he has noticed. Carefully he steps closer, and puts a hand on your back. The smell of sweat moves with him, but it is clearly a gesture of comfort. "Don't cry. I find myself wanting to often. But then I recall there are some here who would enjoy that. Instead, push those thoughts that make you cry away. Don't let them get to you. Believe in yourself. It is what keeps my eyes dry." He gives her a warm smile and quick a thumbs up, before he returns to making a fire.

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn picks up the knives again, taking several as she moved to be opposite the dummy. Carefully at first, but with growing confidence, she starts throwing the knives across the room. They reliably strike home, but are spread out across the target. Only a few of the knives look to have hit any of the vital areas.

With her time up, she replaced the knives on the weapon rack. Smiling in greeting at Coten, she muttered "Yeah, I think I should probably stick to close range, but I think I'll do ok."

Passing Coten as she left, she offered him a "Good luck." before entering the lift.

___________________________________

Kaitlyn looked up in surprise to see Ogden standing over her, concern etched into his face. The boy's compassion was comforting, bringing a soft smile to Kait's face.

"Thanks, I..." She coughed, clearing her throat, "Sorry, thanks... I appreciate it."

Letting him get back to his own training, she turned back to the knot she'd been working on. The rope was a complete mess, carefully unpicking it she started again.

[CowMasterTrojan]

"Right, well in the remaining practice time you have, I want you to practice this. You can do closer ranges if you wish. But If you get to the point where you're comfortable with how you're hitting your marks, show the judges that two. Demonstrating that you have good melee skills and ranged fundamentals is going to net you a much higher score. If you can pull it off."


As she passes Coten and speaks, he comes out of a fog. "Hmm? Oh, yeah. You too!" He says, slightly puzzled by her abruptly saying that.

[Comissar]

I think I must've misunderstood what was gonna happen next, the good luck was meant as a "good luck with the one on one training" kind of thing, on the assumption that Kaitlyn would be leaving the room :smalltongue:

My bad

Heading to a different corner of the practice room, Kaitlyn started throwing the knives again. Though she still struggled to strike vulnerable points from a distance, she found that if she got close enough, she could hit with enough precision to have the same effect as a melee attack. She was uncertain of how much use that would be in the arena, it seemed like the distance was so close that any other tributes would close the gap rapidly, but it might at least allow her to impress the judges.

[Comissar]

Post will be edited according to results of the rolls;

Melee attacks;

To hit (first two against the body, last is at the neck);

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Damage;

[roll3] + [roll4]
[roll5] + [roll6]
[roll7] + [roll8]

If crit's (same order)

To confirm;

[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]

Bonus Damage;

[roll12] + [roll13]
[roll14] + [roll15]
[roll16] + [roll17]

Ranged attacks;

To hit (all aiming at 'x' based on below assumption. If that's incorrrect, I'll instead aim at '9');

[roll18]
[roll19]
[roll20]

Damage;

[roll21] + [roll22]
[roll23] + [roll24]
[roll25] + [roll26]

If crit's (same order)

To confirm;

[roll27]
[roll28]
[roll29]

Bonus Damage;

[roll30] + [roll31]
[roll32] + [roll33]
[roll34] + [roll35]

With the ranged attacks, I'm working on the assumption that the target is progressive, i.e. if you aim for the 'x' but miss, you instead hit the number that has an AC low enough for you to have hit it. If that's incorrect, please do say. I'm also assuming I'm getting sneak damage on these given they're essentially incapacitated targets.

Kaitlyn sat nervously in the waiting room, fiddling with the end of her ponytail. One by one, the others were getting called in. The silence in the room was deafening, everyone seemed to want to focus on the upcoming evaluation. Kait tried to catch Coten's eye a few times, but he still seemed to be angry at her, doing his best to avoid looking at her. That thought just twisted her gut even more. Eventually, Coten was called in. Kaitlyn looked up, giving him a smile of encouragement, but if he noticed, he didn't show it.

The wait now was truly agonising. At least there had been people she'd spent time with there with her before. Now it was just the four from eleven and twelve. She did her best to not show how nervous she was, but her fidgeting belied her attempts at being calm. Finally, she was called in. Standing shakily, she took a steadying breath before following the peacekeeper in. It was strange to see the training hall so empty. Kait was lead to a spot in the middle of the room, facing an observation box, before the peacekeeper that had escorted her in simply left. She glanced between him and the people watching. Uncertain of if there was an official start, she walked hesitantly over to the weapons rack. Picking up a knife, she tried to remember Victoria's advice.

Play to your strengths, show them what you're good at.

Walking a little more confidently now that she had the familiar weight of a knife in her hands, she headed over to the training dummies. Looking expectantly over at the observers, she saw that only a few of them were watching her. The disadvantages of being from ten, she guessed. Hoping to get all of their attention, she cleared her throat, stating "District Ten, Kaitlyn Pierce."

That'd have to do, turning her attention back to the dummy, she recalled her training. Leaping into motion, she brought a powerful swing slicing through the dummies side, leaving a large gash. Bringing the knife up and across the chest, she grazed through the uppermost surface of the dummy, leaving a thin cut. Finally, with an inarticulate shout, she brought the knife through the neck in a chopping motion, taking the head clean off. Stepping back, feeling pleased with herself, she glanced over at the observation box to make sure they were all still watching.

Happy that they were, she returned to the weapons rack briefly, picking up two more knives. Now heading to the target range, she took up her position and aimed her first knife. With a powerful overarm swing, she saw it strike home dead center. In the middle of the human shaped target. Kait suddenly felt horrified with herself, what was she doing? With the melee, it had been easy to fool herself that it was just butchery, but now... Shaking her head, she threw her next knife. It landed wide of her target, thudding home in the '8'. Her stomach dropped, not only could she not think of this as just a target, she couldn't even finish strong. Her heart no longer in it, she threw her last knife, once more striking the '8'.

Hesitantly, she stepped back from the training range. Turning to face her audience, she managed to say a hurried "Thankyou"" with a quick bow of her head, before leaving the room. Lead out through a different door to the one she came in, her face was burning. She'd messed up, she knew she had. She couldn't bring herself to perform at her best, and they'd see that. Entering the lift, she felt even worse as she realised she'd have to explain to Victoria why she choked. Trying to steady herself, she returned to the apartment.

[CowMasterTrojan]

Kaitlyn returns to the apartment, escorted as a peacekeeper as always. In the lobby, she notices the careers lingering in a small cluster in the corner. Well three of them at least. Before she makes it to the elevator, Kaine gives a loud whistle. Valora appears to be waving her over.

_____________________________

To her dismay, when she finally reaches the apartment she sees Victoria no where. Horus sits at the table snacking on some cheese and crackers, while Coten sits on the couch stretched out as long as he can make himself. Whether he was actually mad at her earlier, or it was imagined from nerves, he doesn't seem to be angry at her any more. He looks straight at her and gives a smile.

On the TV infront of the couch, a channel is playing with Ceasar Flickman. His neon green hair as hideous as the suit Horus likes to wear. The sound is off, but he is clearly blabbing away. "TV says they'll have our scores in just over two hours..." Coten says.

[Comissar]

Surprised at having the careers trying to get her attention, Kaitlyn checked behind her to make sure they weren't calling over someone else. Confirming that they really did want to speak to her, she approached the group with a growing sense of confusion. What would the careers want with her, were they trying to find out what she'd been planning with Cass?

Guardedly, she asked "Can I help you?"

_____________________________________

Kaitlyn had mixed feelings about Victoria's absence. On the one hand, she didn't have to worry yet about explaining her failure in the evaluation session, on the other, she couldn't seek her advice on her chat with the careers. Coten's smile was a relief, at least. Though Kait still felt a degree of irritation at what had happened between them over the past two days, at least he was trying to make amends for it. Returning his smile, she went to stand behind the couch. Leaning over the far end from Coten, she replied "I'm not so sure I want to see it, I don't think I did that well."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"So defensive... there's no need for that. We're just being friendly." Kallistrate says with a smile on her face. "We were just discussing the judges during the performance."
"Cold as Ice..."
"Yeah. But you're clearly one of the stronger tributes You did among the best on those silly tests. Do you think you did well this time too?" Valora adds, sounding more authentic in her voice than Kallistrate.
Kaine leans quietly against the wall, his blue eyes studying Kaitlyn.


________________________

Coten turns, slightly surprised. "Why? what makes you think you messed up?"

[Comissar]

What did they want from her, why wait until now to start talking to her...

"I guess I could have done worse..." Kaitlyn's voice was still hesitant, uncertain. She glanced from one career to the next. It seemed unlikely that they'd just happened to catch her out here, they'd gone in much earlier than she had. Feeling obligated to keep the conversation going, she continued "How do you think you did?"

__________________________________

Kaitlyn sighed, bowing her head as she relived the last two throws again. "I... just messed up right at the end, I don't really want to talk about it."

She glanced over at Coten, giving him a weak smile as an apology.

[CowMasterTrojan]

"See?" Kallistrate gleams to the others "I told you she's the modest type, like Valora. I'm good at reading people."
"How am I modest?"
"Oh please, that's easy. How did you do on the demonstration?"
"Well I did okay, but I felt I could have done better." Valora says, and then realizes the implication. "But that doesn't make me 'modest'. It makes me a realist."
With a smile, Kallistrate rolls her eyes. "Kaine, how do you think you did?"
"I opened strong, never missed my target, and left a strong impression on the judges. I did great."
Kallistrate turns back to Kaitlyn, a 'see what I deal with?' face up. "I'm sure you did fine. When we did all those silly tests, you shined pretty well. Why would this time be any different?"
"Yeah. You can tell you're a winner."
"Kaitlyn isn't going to understand what you're saying." Kallistrate sighs.
"No, see we've had some long talks about the two types of tributes. The first type recognizes they have a uphill battle to survive, and dedicates themselves to doing whatever is necessary to winning. They're 'winners'. The second type tries to win, but never really grasps what's required. Generally speaking, that type only wins when they get lucky."
"Like that girl from district four a few years ago, who won because the arena flooded and she could swim the best."
"Right. Anyway, Valora was indicating that when we three first saw you, we all got the impression you were the former type."
"Which is why we were gonna ask you to be our fourth..." Valora blurts. Kaine and Kallistrate look at her like she just stabbed one of them.
"Right..." Kallistrate coughs uncomfortably. "Obviously that's off the table since you have your own alliance. Don't mind her big mouth. Anyway I was going somewhere with this, but am I making sense to you?"


_________________-

Coten takes her apology, and continues watching the silent TV. It's clear he's anxious to see his score. In about an hour, Victoria returns. When Kaitlyn gets near, she can smell alcohol on her.
"Have I missed it?"
"No, you still have some time before he begins. Can the Avox get you some coffee Victoria?"
"M'fine..." She hisses at Horus, before moving to sit down on the couch with Coten (And presumably Kaitlyn).

[Comissar]

Confusion gave way to surprise as the career's continued talking, they saw her as a potential winner, not only that but...

"You were going to ask me to join you?"

She couldn't help asking, the idea that she had been considered for the career pack was strange. She still wanted to work with Cass, obviously, but if even the career's were trying to get her on their side...

"Sorry, that wasn't quite what I was expecting you to say. Yeah, what you're saying makes sense."

All of that didn't explain why they were waiting for her, though.

___________________________________

Kaitlyn glanced up when Victoria entered the apartment. Despite her misgivings about the performance she'd given the judges, she was still pleased to see her mentor. That was, until she realised she'd been drinking. Feeling irritated that the person tasked with keeping them alive had decided now was a good time to get inebriated, she sat down on the couch, saying little. Bringing up her chat with the careers would have to wait, it would seem.

[CowMasterTrojan]

Kallistrate shrugs, and then nods. "Traditionally the careers finish filling their ranks after other tributes get their scores. So we were waiting til now, and then everyone started forming alliances. Something we regret now. Had we known... "
"It's going to be a brutal year for the games." Kaine says simply. Kallistrate picks up on this.
"The problem with the latter example... those that just try to outlast everyone, is that the capital has to be more active. When they're more active, things tend to be more brutal. Poison water. Animals that rip you apart. Severe elements and natural disasters."
"Not exactly a way anyone wants to go."
"Right, all those ways are slow and painful. Animals often let their prey live for hours in agony. Then dying from exposure or poison is painful is also slow. "
"Better a clean death, a quick death."
"Exactly. That's what we're taught. It's not that we have anything against the other tributes."
"Well... some of us can be a bit elitist. I'll admit that" Kallistrate says, sounding slightly guilty while glancing at Kaine. "But that's true for the most part. It's not like I would hurt the other 23 tributes if we weren't here, in this situation."
"Right, but most of the other see us as some kind of bad guys because we're prepared to kill. They don't realize that we're giving them a clean, quick, honorable death. Much better than dying by the imaginations of the capital."
"Agreed."
"Yeah, but most people don't get that. A winner like you though, you get it. I can see it in your eyes. You've been preparing yourself to kill. You don't want to, but the alternative is not going home."
After a pause, Kaine says "You've started a bit of a tangent."
"...I suppose I have. But it's nice to converse with actual tributes that can understand how the games really work.

The reason we waved you over is to offer a truce at the Cornucopia. You leave us alone. We leave you alone. Does that sounds okay to you?"


_____________________

Despite smelling like liquor, Victoria seems to hold herself together pretty well. "So, how'd you tooo do? Elevens for each of you?" She says with a smile. Coten smirks, somewhat amused by her. "I have no regrets with my choices. Probably not an eleven though."
"How 'bout you Kait?"

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow, it was starting to look like she wouldn't have to be fighting anyone when the games started. "Umm, yeah, sure. Not to sound ungrateful, but a truce just like that?"

She wasn't sure if it was just the ruthless reputation of the careers, but she felt like she was missing some angle that they were working on.

_______________________________________

Victoria's comment felt like it was twisting a knife in Kaitlyn's gut. Her face turning bright red, she muttered "I messed mine up at the end, it's going to be a low mark."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"I suppose it doesn't sound like something you would expect. But you'll understand when the games start. And keep in mind, the truce is only for you. We might even to extend it, but we'll worry about that when it happens. Like I said, you'll understand it better later." Kallistrate says, a smile having returned to the others face.
"Well it was nice chatting with you."

_____________________

Victoria takes a long time to process what Kaitlyn murmured, but she eventually turns to face Kaitlyn. "How? What did you do?"

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn nodded uncertainly, "Yeah, and you."

Turning her back to them, she headed to the lift. Hopefully she could get Victoria's opinion on this. Though if the career's kept their word, it could give her the chance to get hold of the equipment she'd need. She grimaced to herself at the thought of talking to Victoria again, she wasn't looking forward to having to explain her disaster of an evaluation...

_______________________________________

For a brief moment, it looked like Victoria would let the comment slide. Kait's hopes were dashed, however, when the mentor's attention was turned to be solely on her. She couldn't tell if Victoria was disbelieving, angry, sympathetic, or even just still trying to process what she'd said. Well, there was nothing for it.

"The knives missed the target. That is, I threw the knives at the target. I missed what I was aiming for, well, the first one didn't, but..." Realising she was babbling, she stopped, closed her eyes, and started again, "I started with the melee with the knives, I took its head off, seemed to go ok. Then I started throwing them. I hit dead center with the first, but the other two only got 8's."

She opened her eyes again, her face bright red. Anxiously, she continued "I ruined the whole thing because I couldn't do what I should've at the end and they're going to give me a low mark for it."

[CowMasterTrojan]

"Psssshhhhh......" She says, trying to sound dismissive.
"A couple bad shots isn't going to hurt you that bad. You hit the target once, right? And the melee went good. You'll be fine."
With that, she removes her flask and takes a quick drink.
"If it makes you feel better Kaitlyn, I didn't even manage to destroy a dummy... "

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn looked between the two doubtfully, uncertain of if they were just saying that to pick her mood up. She nodded, though, accepting the gesture for what it was.

"Thanks..."

[CowMasterTrojan]

The group from 10 sits on the couch, eagerly watching the results. When the time comes, Everyone but Horus eagerly sits forward in anticipation.
"9's? Good scores, but those judges are always so harsh on the higher districts. They'll see. They'll see..."
"You two did good..." Victoria trails off. "You should be happy with those 9's. I can't believe there were so many high scores though... It's going to be a tough games..." She mutters bluntly. No longer sounding inebriated, the words come as a cold comment that she likely didn't mean to sound so blunt.
"I'm disappointed. I was thinking I could get a 12 for sure."
"My boy, you don't want a 12. It's a death sentence. All the other competitors start gunning for you."

[Comissar]

Despite herself, Kaitlyn found that she was on the edge of her seat as the scores were announced. Seeing the high marks from all of the other districts didn't surprise her all that much, she'd be happy with a seven. She was surprised when she saw Coten's score, and thrilled when she saw her own. She looked between Victoria and Coten with a broad grin. She went numb almost immediately when she saw how little the nines seemed to matter to them.

"So... What's next?"

[CowMasterTrojan]

"The interviews are tomorrow. You'll have to charm your way through Caesar's questions in front of a live audience."
"Well... It was fun doing well while it lasted" Coten mumbles cynically.

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn smiled at Coten, genuine warmth in her eyes. "You'll do fine at it, I don't think anyone could dislike you."

Almost as soon as she said it, she regretted it. It was meant genuinely, but with the way their conversation in the lift had gone... She mentally braced herself for an angry response.

[CowMasterTrojan]

Coten looks Kaitlyn in the eyes, and it's clear he doesn't believe her. But he doesn't get mad or say anything mean. He adapts a cryptic yet sad tone. "I'll ask you in a few days if you still feel that way."

"Well we can work on what to talk about. That will help..." Victoria says positively.
"Maybe..." Coten says sceptically "But I'm not a good public speaker. Nor will I ever be one. We can't change that over night."

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn shrugs self consciously, uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. "You know what they say about public speaking, though, nobody's really good at it."

[Comissar]

Feeling uneasy with the growing silence, Kaitlyn looked over to Victoria. "I'm guessing they don't let you know ahead of time what they'll be asking us about?"

__________________________________________

Kaitlyn deliberately loitered behind in the lounge once the evening meal was finished, wishing Coten a goodnight when he chose to leave. Once she had Victoria to herself, she stated, "The careers from one and two came up to me after my evaluation," though she tried to keep her tone neutral, a hint of concern was present, "They said they'd been considering me for their group, and that they were willing to make a truce with me right at the start. I'm... Not sure I trust them enough to believe that..."

[CowMasterTrojan]

Hey, since you respond so fast, let me inquire something. Has Sam Pm'd you interview questions? Or are you still waiting?

[Comissar]

He has, and I did respond, though I rather stupidly deleted my response from my sent box, so I don't remember what my replies were beyond the general gist of it :smalltongue:

[CowMasterTrojan]

Thanks for the help.

"No, it's a bit of free form. Caesar can get a bit chatty. I'd be prepared for him to bring up information about your family, how you feel about the games, your performance in the demonstration, and even your relationship with other tributes that are publicly obvious. Which would only be each other to my knowledge."
Coten sits quietly at that revelation, clearly wondering what he would say to that.

____________________

Victoria thinks quietly for a moment. "Well they weren't lying about considering you. One of the mentors approached me yesterday about the career pack." Once more, she pauses thinking about what to say. "Obviously that wasn't going to work for you. As for the truce, those aren't exactly something that comes with a lot of gain. If they attack you, you attack them back. You shouldn't put yourself in a position where they can all come at you at once like you would in a alliance, so don't do that and you should be fine."

[Comissar]

Kaitlyn nodded along to Victoria's assessment of what was likely to come up in the interviews. It all seemed straightforward enough, she'd just have to talk about her family and life on the... Wait, her relationship with Coten?

She felt her face start to flush red. Even though there was nothing between them, the thought of it being implied... Very pointedly, Kait avoided looking at Coten as she said "I guess I could talk a bit about my home life..."

The words came out slightly stilted, half mumbled. This was stupid, why should she be embarrassed about something that didn't even exist?

____________________________________

Kait nodded to herself, "Yeah, I was only really planning on using the truce as an opportunity to grab some stuff and get out of there," She gave a wry smile, "It's looking like I might not have to do much fighting at the start, a lot of people are just wanting to make truces. If they stick to their word, I should get out fine."