Brad hopped from the helicopter hovering over the pool, landing in the water with a splash. Popping his head out from the spring, he ran his hand through his hair and fixed his sunglasses to sit atop his head. Brunette curls entangled the red lenses on his head while Brad made a face into the camera, using the lens as a mirror. His designer had made an interesting choice with is outfit- swimming trunks. Red shorts patterned with little emblems of swords scattered across the plasticky fabric. Less was more, he supposed. His designer must have wanted his outfit to show off his muscular physique, he supposed. There are two ways to get sponsors before the games even start. First, be attractive and milk it. Show off your natural physique every chance you get. You're fighting for your life after all, why wouldn't you use a God-given gift? And second, be relatable. Capitol fashion is a strange thing- and sometimes a simple or basic outfit could be viewed as stylistic genius. Of course, Brad hadn't put any of this theory by his own means, no. That was his designer. Comfortable clothes AND something that lets him show off? Brad couldn't be happier to wear something like that. A blunt cough from a producer sitting behind the camera caught the career's attention as he noticed that the red recording light had been blinking since before he hopped from the helicopter. Brad straightened his posture, giving a sly smile. "Hey to all of my adoring fans! And hello to everyone else! It's been so long since I've been able to be on camera and let you guys see me and I'm so happy to be here. So much has changed and I'm looking forward to telling all of you about it. Uhmm I don't know where I'm going to get my questions from, but life's a journey so I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually." He chimed while a cluster of bubbles tickled the bottom of his feet. Small pockets of air dispersed before making it to the surface hold for a large bubble that rose to sit above the pool. It burst with little water particles flying through the air. Miraculously, the bubble somehow contained a small piece of rolled up paper. Brad snatched it, opening it with his pointer finger and thumb. "We heard about your arm and are dying to know what happened! Can we get a story on it? -Much love, Kacy." He read the question aloud. "Ooh, yeah. About my arm. During Gamemakers there was this giant hill with all of these huge trees flying down it. I was trying climb it while I was holding a mannequin to represent my lovely fiancé, Briseis. But a tree crushed my arm while I was protecting the mannequin and it broke really bad. I was able to finish the challenge because I never quite until the job's done, but it was too late for my arm. The doctors were able to save me, but not my arm." Brad pursed his lips for just a moment, clearly unserious before cracking out into a wide grin. With his one remaining arm, he flexed for the camera. "Just because I have one arm doesn't mean I'm not the strongest the tribute anymore- if you were thinking that." He carried a sarcastic arrogance with the way he spoke. A half joke, a reason to show off to the audience, a way to reassure his fans and his sponsors that he was still a threat in the arena. A smiley, lovey-dovey little threat. The sound of bubbles appeared at his left hip, once again a bubble popped to reveal a note. "You and Briseis are my favorite tributes! Your engagement during the parade has been the highlight of the games so far for me! Can you tell us more about your story? -Your biggest fan, Dizzy." He looked up from the note, grinning ear to ear and wiped some droplets off his freckled nose bridge before he answered. "Thank you so much, Dizzy. I really appreciate that you like us that much, and I bet that Bri feels the same way! Briseis and I have known each other for a /while/. We first met when we lived in District 1, but I feel like we really got to know each other for real when we moved to District 2. We moved there when I got accepted into peacekeeper training." He blushed a bit, clearly excited to tell his story. "I just felt like I found someone that I want to be with forever. Even though forever might not be as long as I had hoped... But we're here and we're healthy and we're going to fight tooth and claw to keep each other safe." He held up his arm to show off an amber-studded bracelet. "Briseis and I have matching bracelets. I have a bracelet with orange jewels, and she has one with red jewels- because it reminds us of each other. And reminds us of our childhood home." Brad dug in his pocket for two bracelets: one studded with rubies and one studded with amber. Near perfect copies of his and Bri's. "I originally took two of each just in case one got broken or something. I'll be able to get replacements some other time-" He cut himself off and gazed at the producer and camera man.
"I heard from my own designer that two people are actually engaged as well! It's a small world, really. BUT I wanted to give you guys these." He stepped closer to the edge of the spring, reaching out to give a well-dressed worker with a bracelet, the camera panning with him. "They're straight from District 1, I brought 'em for good luck but I realized that I won't need luck for this." He smiled as he made his way over to the camera man, stepping out of shot and exchanging a few words. "There's nothing that's worth more than love, I really believe that." Finally, another note bubbled up from the floor as Brad got back into position in front of the camera. "Why should we cheer for you? There are so many good tributes this season and I'm curious why you think you're so special. -Skeptical fan, Travis." He cast the slip into the water and began speaking. "You should cheer for me because I am what it means to be a citizen of Panem. I am strong, and I'm willing to fight for my family. I will face the odds, no matter how great they may seem, and I will stand tall. I want to live and love. My whole life revolves around Briseis, and /you all/ get to witness our journey together. If the pursuit of love and happiness doesn't make for a strong tribute, I don't know what will." Brad responded confidently. His producer waved at him, signaling that he was out of time. "Well, guys, it was amazing being able to answer some of your questions. I hope that you got to learn a bit about me, and I hope you have an amazing Hunger Games. This won't be one to forget, I can promise you that." He smiled and waved until the recording stopped. This was his final shot. His final chance to prove he was the Capitol's lovebird. He just hoped it was enough. It could cost him his life if it wasn't.
