? P.O.V:
Many mouths tell the tale of the Firewalker, someone who saved Panem over 300 years ago. They tell of how they hailed down missiles at their enemies, burning as bright as they with every strike. They tell of them sailing through the skies escaping from the thorny towers, filled with illusions far and wide before rescuing their beloved. They tell of how they led Panem to freedom, freedom from tyranny, hunger, corruption...
But where were then? Where were they when freedom was trampled upon them so many years ago? Where were they back then when the songs of peace and laughter were filled with gunshots and screams? Where were they when they herded all of Panem's children, our children into pins, sending off the first 26 children to their deaths? Where were you when they distorted your plights, destroyed everything our Panem had come to know and replaced them with desolation and evil?
...They laugh at us, they mock our powerlessness, and they had beaten out every chance of peace we tried to hold on to...whether by raging fists...by gunfire...or by the vanishings.
Where are you now? Where is your fiery strength?
Are you with the ghosts of the building dead? ...Or do you wander with the subservient living?...
...We wish you were here...
...
Velour Noxis, Head Gamemaker's P.O.V:
Shined black heels clacked onward. Her powdered green eyes were only focused on the marble doors in front of her. Peacekeepers lined both parts of the hall, still as statues yet their eyes followed her movement.
Everything should be perfect. Everything. She had been doing all she could for this coming Games. Planning this arena, overseeing mutt creation, temperature control, supply orders and making sure to get the right amount of weapons set and ready for the Cornucopia. For six whole months she had been wrangling everything in to her standards; She knew all of her details had to be followed to the T in order for this year to go smoothly. She did not want two stubborn snags, who kept trying to derail them, from getting in her way...but part of her thinks it was those two snags that led her to be called to the President's Office.
The other part?
The other part was everything else they needed.
She knew she would have to give the President the plans sooner or later; how it would go, she would not know. No one ever knew. All she knew of them was that they didn't like delays.
If that fear of delaying them kept herself from smashing something into the wall then so be it. One of these days she wouldn't be able to hide behind her mask...
"Enter...Miss Noxis..."
Her reflection on the door vanished before her eyes, a neutral gaze focusing on the figure within the room as she stepped forward.
No is ever sure how the President feels, whether their words speak of omens or of virtue. One thing she does remember is that no one is never able to see what goes on behind their crystal mask; not even she can get through their mind.
Focus her breathing, keep herself and her mind still. Her rage would very well spell death for her...
...Silence. Nothing but her shaky breaths and their own seemingly nonexistent. A moment passed. Was it too late to get herself to speak?
"...M-"
Every word she prepared died in her throat, the crystal mask tilting up to her. Poised. Calculating. Or staring down their prey...
"I have been hearing of your progress with the arena, Ms. Noxis..."
A sliver of pride seemed to bloom in her irritation, in her silence. She could only watch as the President brought their hands together, entangled, drawing their masked eyes to her face.
"...and of your fellow...Gamemakers."
Memories of the two would only make her feel worse...the frustration she had in dealing with their incompetence was wanting to scream out to the world. Their laughter, their stupid pranks, ones laziness and the others clumsiness...She couldn't count how many times she had found them at Capitol Parties, or playing silly games when much work was to be done. Yet, all she found herself doing was bite her tongue in their presence.
No one knows. No one wants to know. She doesn't want the consequences of their actions on her.
"They are quite the characters...perfect for the job, are they not?"
Silence...
The mask lowered, as if staring into her soul before she even uttered a word. Rage turning to ice at the flick of their mask...
"Are...they...not?"
She could feel a lump growing in her throat. The President hired them in the first place, and it would only be them that get to choose whether they continue or not...but...
A small breath could only help so much.
"...Yes, President Eter."
A tilt to the side is never a good sign...is it?
Another moment passed in silence. Tick, tock, tick, tock.
She wasn't sure how long she's held her breath for before Eter moved their hand again.
Slow, speculating. It could kill you if you looked at its owner the wrong way. Their hand only turned to show their palm.
"The details...Ms. Noxis."
She did not want their ire any longer, as fake or as real as it was; she could not strive on her own with their daggers down her back. Taking the folder from under her arm, it was passed to them, retreating her hand to her side. She can do nothing...for now at least.
Silence, still, but their gaze would not leave her's.
"You may leave...Now."
Her response was slow at first, nodding to them yet staying silent before turning, facing her back to them and approaching the door. The president's gaze fell to the contents...schematics, arena outfit ideas, mutts and horror galore. To entertain, to keep the Gamemakers life, all down to a T in the paper.
Except...there was more to it, wasn't there?
A light turned on underneath their desk. The same heel clacks were farther away, echo fading down the hall, the door closing as a crack lurked beneath the mask.
Something...vile.
"...Of Fine Death, indeed."
...
Welcome one and all to my first attempt at writing an SYOT collab! Gomex has volunteered to collaborate on this story with me, and I am really excited to see what we can do :D
Before we get this ball rolling we have a few ground rules for submitting tributes for this story:
1: You are free to send in as many tributes as you like, but for right now we are only accepting 1 tribute per submitter into the story; if we don't get enough tributes by the deadline we WILL allow 2 tributes to be accepted per submitter!
2: You can send tributes (following the form on my profile) through either of our PM messages here OR you can DM us your tribute through Discord (both can be found on my Profile); We will NOT accept tributes that are submitted in the comments XP
3: For now, we are not allowing resubmissions; the only acception to this rule is if they are tributes from stories that are discontinued!
4: This is NOT a first-come, first serve SYOT; we will be making the final decisions on which tributes are in the story once we hit the deadline! And speaking of which...
5: You have until September 1st to submit your tribute; we also plan to reveal the cast list on September 2nd!
The tribute submission form is on my profile, and if you guys have any questions, let me or Gomex know!
Now, without further ado, Happy Hunger Games, and May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor!
-SakuraDreamerz & Gomex