District 1 Train

The Luxury of the High Speed Train awaits its Tributes...

Kaspar lounged in the comfort of a plush couch, watching as Snow played with the crowd. He'd done a bit of that, but he wasn't really the waving type. Besides, he wanted to look like a deadly Career, not an inane idiot who was so enamored with their brief fame that they couldn't stop smiling. There had been a brief moment of awe when he first entered the train, when he'd seen the luxuries the Capitol could produce in an instant. Breakfast alone would've been his entire family's meals for a day. Maybe even two.

Kaspar plucked a perfect apple from the fruit bowl in front of him, biting into it with a crunch. He made a face. They might be rich, but their apples were insipid reflections of true apples, the flavors only watered down versions of the real thing. If you wanted a real apple you had to go out on the dawn of spring and pick an apple so lumpy and twisted it held more resemblance to a potato. Those were the apples whose flavors burst into your mouth, their tartness overwhelming your senses in a rush with a hint of sweetness interlaced. That was a real apple.

He watched as their mentor, Vera, grabbed a beer from the fridge while talking over her shoulder to Snow. Perhaps it was time he reminded her that there were two tributes from this District.

"I am here too, you know Vera. No need to keep the tips to yourselves."

"I can do likable. And don't worry, they're not going to miss me." He gestured at his body, just over six feet long. "It's kinda hard to disappear when you're my height." He listened as Vera outlined a strategy. It was only one strategy, but she'd been in the Games before and won so her advice was worth listening to. Some of it was the same as what Rolf had taught him, some different. He nodded as she ended her little speech, turning over the main points. Entertaining before surviving. Stick with the careers. Stand out.

"Question. If a non-career looks like they'd make a good ally, would it be worth allying with them as well? Or should I just stick with the careers. And what kind of angle should we be looking to present to the Capitol?"

He stretched his legs put and leaned back, arms behind his head. He could feel the train thrumming beneath him, vibrating through his body. The train was a luxury, certainly. But the Games had begun and Kaspar didn't have time for luxuries any more.

Stupid idiot. Kaspar almost laughed but that didn't fit his image. Stating the obvious there, you never heard about smart idiots. He wasn't sure he liked the angles Vera had given him, but they were hardly far from his usual self. He'd barely fit in with the other children back at District One, being both desperately poor and a career. The other poor kids had thought he was stuck up and the careers had looked down on him because of the money he didn't have. He could make determined and mysterious work.

"So what do you suggest we do at the training sessions? Show off our skills or learn something new?"

Personally he didn't think showing off his skills would help in any way. He was the male District One tribute, a volunteer and a career. Regardless of what he did in the training sessions his competitors would be wary of his skills and if they didn't know what those skills were - well, it could only be for the better.