"There they are. There they are. This year's Tributes. It's the most exciting part. It just gives you goosebumps. And don't you love how the stylists, they so clearly are able to reflect the character of each district?" says Caesar, as the tribute parade starts.
I have the strongest sense of Deja Vu, being back here.
"There's District 3" Caesar says to Claudius.
Our kids were dressed like circuit boards. Green outfits and silver accessories. And they were holding hands, like we told them to.
They're receiving a pretty good reaction from the crowd.
"Yes" says Claudius.
"Technology. I like it, that's very good. And behind them, fishing. And then we have two power plant workers. Right? And then we have... what is that in the background?" Caesar pauses.
It's district 12, riding in with some sort of artificial fire on their capes. They hold their hands together and lift them high, making the crowd go wild.
"Now see that! I love that. Two young people holding their hands up, saying, 'I'm proud I come from District 12. We will not be overlooked!' I love that! People are sure gonna be paying attention to them right now" says Caesar.
"They're stealing all the attention. How annoying, huh?" says a familiar voice from behind me, surprising me.
"Johanna!" I exclaim, hugging her.
"And Finnick" Finnick sasses, hugging me. "You saw her like a day ago" he teases.
"That's a bad crop of tributes you got there, Toni. Don't get your hopes up" Johanna advises me.
"Yeah, I've been told" I say.
"Hey stop it, I'm fine" says a slurred voice, pulling away from what appeared to be a district escort.
"What's up with him?" I ask.
"Can't hold his liquor" Johanna jokes, as he comes over and tips his imaginary hat at Beetee.
"Haymitch Abernathy, district 12. Nice to meet you, newbie" he slurs, taking another sip from his drink.
"Want some?" he questions.
"Oh, no thanks. I've tried. Tastes awful" I say, with a chuckle.
He chuckles with me. "Give it a few years and it'll taste great" he says.
"Yeah, that seems to be the consensus around here" I joke, eyeing Beetee.
The parade ends and the tributes get out of their chariots.
"Mm. I gotta go. My kids did great. You see the fire thing?" he says, walking away.
Our kids come out and are congratulated by Celene and Chastice and her whole stylist squad.
Including one person I didn't much care for anymore.
Oh, did I forget to mention? Athena Lavish— the straight girl who I falsely accused of hitting on me. Well, turns out she's not so straight, and it wasn't false.
She was one of my clients, during my stay at the Hotel Crane. I'm uncomfortable at her proximity to my kids, but I still legally can't say anything.
"Good job, guys" I say, walking between them and the others.
"Toni! Lovely to see you" says Chastice, giving me a hug. I glance over to Athena, who just gives me a sly look that I want to slap off of her.
*time skip*****
"12 is getting major attention for an outlying district. The girl seems nice enough, maybe you can use your childlike essence to appeal to her" I suggest, as we eat the meal together.
Electra scoffs. "Childlike essence" she mocks, making me roll my eyes.
In mentoring, guys usually mentor guys, and girls mentor girls, so Beetee and I are both coaching our prospective kids on what to do at training.
"Hit the plant memorizing station. It's good to know what you can't eat and can give an opponent to take them out" I tell her.
"Oh, so like someone begs me for food and I hand them poison. Great idea" she says, sarcastically.
"Hey, do you wanna live or not" I respond.
"Okay, okay. Go on" she says.
"Alright. Try to stay in the survival area. If we're gonna go the hiding route, you're gonna have to know how to find water, start fires, or tie knots. But it would probably be beneficial if you could train a weapon, just in case. Something that you'll have easy access to and is easy to use. So practice hitting strength with clubs or rocks. Because you might be able to find similar things out in the wilderness" I tell her.
She nods.
"If someone tries to talk to you, act sweet and nice. Alliances are incredibly useful. I know mine was. But if anyone tries to pick on you or Chip, then you can bring out that great personality of yours" I say, giving her a playful punch on the arm.
She chuckles at me. "Got it" she says.
*time skip when they're training*****
"I hope they're doing good. Learning important things" I say, while slightly pacing around.
"I'm sure they're trying their best. You can't fully control what they do. Especially tributes like Electra. Half the time, they'll do the opposite of what you tell them to" he advises. I nod.
"She's a smart kid. I hope she knows what she's doing" I say, taking a sip of wine.
"Didn't you say alcohol tastes bad?" he asks.
"Still does. But there's nothing else to do right now, and it's free" I say, making him laugh.
Suddenly, I get a notification on my communicuff.
"Ooh. Never mind, I guess there is something else to do. Snow got me a special client" I say, downing the rest of my drink.
"God, I'm sorry Toni. Didn't realize they do this shit during mentoring hours" he sympathizes.
"Don't worry. I'll be back before they come back. Maybe I'll even be able to help with their luck" I say.
"See you" I say, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead and then leaving for the room number from the message.
I take the elevator down to the second floor and struggle a little before finding the room.
I sigh before knocking on the door, wondering who it'd be this time. It was 'special' apparently. Maybe a gamemaker? Or a sponsor?
I knock and open the door, once I hear the "come in".
YOU ARE READING
Seducing the Careers
FanfictionWhat happens when a district 3 drop dead gorgeous girl, who also happens to have a genius IQ, is reaped for the 73rd annual hunger games. The same games that took her twin brother a year ago. She's never had an issue with getting her hands a bit di...
