Vicari wasn’t exactly a fan of airplanes. Although he’d never been on one, he’d learned /plenty/ about them from his 1981 copy of the retro-space shooter game Galaga, which he’d unceremoniously stolen from his parents’ junk drawer one fateful summer evening. The one thing he’d learned? No matter how /fantastic/ he was at dodging, and no matter how /superb/ his video game reflexes were, Vicari could never make it past the fifth stage of Galaga. (“Stupid game,” he’d mutter under his breath every time the pixelated aliens took down yet another one of his fighter jets. “What kind of vehicle gets knocked down that easily, anyways? It’s not /my/ fault those things are so breakable. Stupid planes.” So from the ripe age of eight-and-a-half, Vicari Nimis had sworn to never set foot in an aircraft for as long as he lived. (Not that District 8 was bustling with planes anyway.) Fast forward eight more years, and Vicari found himself stumbling off of a Capitol-issued private jet. His paws clung to his stomach as he swayed down the stairs. [ Seriously, get a grip, ] scoffed Vicari’s least favorite voice in the world. Staring at the iron-colored band wrapped around his front paw, Vicari mourned the day he’d been curious enough to pick up the mysterious-looking bracelet. Agate, the… ‘thing’ trapped in the armlet (Vicari had yet to figure out whether Agate was a spirit, phantom, mental delusion, or some weird combination of the three), had haunted tribute after tribute in the Hunger Games arena. Azalea, Samir, Zjarr, Thia, Faulkner, and yes, Vicari himself, had all been blessed with the misfortune of discovering a haunted bracelet. As punishment for his reckless curiosity, Vicari was tormented by Agate’s endless unwarranted advice for, presumably, the rest of his now-shortened life. And, as a double-punishment, he was the only one “lucky” enough to hear Agate; communicating through Vicari’s thoughts instead of spoken words was his best shot at not being labeled a psychopath. //Agate, YOU try to “get a grip” when the Capitol makes you wait in an /hour-long/ security line,// Vicari mentally snapped back. Before Agate could come up with a scalding reply, a bubbly-looking cat pranced up to greet the newcomer. “Hi!” she exclaimed. “I’m Cinere, and I’ll be interviewing you today! Your name is…” She ducked to peek at an index card. “…Vicari Nimis, right?” “Yeah.” Eyeing her up and down, Vicari quickly decided she was a Capitol cat. //No one from any district dresses like /that/.// But the bug-like pin on her chest quickly earned his respect, considering that he was a fellow insect nerd. “Cool fit,” he commented, before realizing that approximately twenty cameras were staring him down at that very moment, and choosing ‘cool fit’ as an opener probably wasn’t the best way to market himself. Ignoring his social screw-up, Cinere gestured towards the foldable chairs and the spotlights, nestled in the foggy landscape. “Take a seat!” she chirped, sitting in her own directors’ chair. The all-caps ‘CINERE!!’ embroidered into her chair’s fabric told Vicari all he needed to know about her. //Cheery,// he noted to himself, slightly impressed. //Didn’t know a cat could have that much energy.// [ Smile for the cameras, ] piped Agate, and Vicari pasted a tense grin onto his face. [ Geez, never mind, ] Agate murmured in disdain. [ You look like you’re being held at gunpoint. ] Rolling his eyes, Vicari neatly tucked himself into the designated tribute chair. Iridescent fabrics clung to his wiry frame, and he shuffled in his seat. He took a minute spark of delight at watching Agate’s shadowy figure hesitate, chairless, before sitting on the concrete floor. Vicari had to hold back a snicker; he’d look like a loon if he laughed, considering no one else could see the world’s most irritating phantom. “Alright, here we go!” Cinere sang, shuffling through her cards. “Question number one: How did you feel when you got reaped as a tribute?” Cinere’s sunny tone, combined with the invasive gleam in her eyes, threw Vicari for a loop. [ Yikes, pretty personal question there, ] Agate whispered. [ Just don’t say anything stupid, and definitely don’t say anything negative about the Capitol. ] “Well, what am I supposed to say to that?” Vicari chuckled in response. //Stupid question.// “Um… I would say I felt surprised, for sure. Out of the thousands of cats in my district, I never expected to be one of the chosen. Though I guess you could say I’m pretty… unlucky.” He cast a sideways glance at the metal wristlet clamped on his arm. “But I will say, I definitely didn’t feel underprepared.
“I’m what one might call a… troubled genius,” he proclaimed with a pointed look at the camera. [ More like troubled idiot, ] Agate jeered, and Vicari fought the urge to react. “From a young age, I’ve been a little over-curious. Hacking school computers, taking science labs one step farther than the instructions, stuff like that. It’s landed me in detention more than once,” he added in a candid tone. “But… I don’t regret a thing. And I’ll put that roundabout creativity to use in the arena,” he swore. “Sponsor me, and I’ll give you the viewing experience of a lifetime.” Cinere’s eyes pierced into Vicari, almost as if she was searching for his hidden inner thoughts. The silence stretched out into an unbearable awkwardness. But just as Vicari opened his mouth to break it, Cinere sat back with a smile. “Interesting answer! Anyways. Question two! What is your strategy to win the Games?” Letting out a tense breath, Vicari rested his chin on his palm. “Well, joining alliances is probably the best move. There’s safety in numbers, y’know?” Briefly, it occurred to Vicari that he hadn’t actually /joined/ an alliance yet. [ Vicari Nimis, make one more brainless fumble and I /swear/ if the arena doesn’t kill you first, I’ll do it MYSELF, and you’ll wish you’d never— ] “Though, of course, the best strategy isn’t to jump straight into an alliance on day one,” he added hastily. “Because, well…” Vicari shot a confident grin at the camera, buying himself a spare moment to think. “…You have to join the right people. If you lock yourself into a group of incompetent losers on the first night, then you’re setting yourself up for failure. But me? I’d say I have an eye for this sort of thing. See, you have to find the /winners/ in the arena. I, personally, will be watching other tributes’ interviews to find /my/ strongest allies. After all, you have to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” This time, Vicari made sure to stare at a spot directly left of Cinere, just to avoid her invasive gaze. [ Interesting save on question two, ] Agate remarked nonchalantly. //Agate, shut up or I promise you this bracelet is getting launched out the window on the return flight,// Vicari threatened. Though somehow, the thought of removing the armlet made him shudder. He shot a glance at the parasitic accessory. //How much influence does this thing have over me…?// His thought process was jerked to a halt by Cinere’s voice. “Third and final question! Vicari, would you be willing to kill to win the games? Even if…” She paused for dramatic effect. “…Even if you have to kill your closest ally?” Vicari snorted. “Um, duh?” It took all his willpower not to laugh, though he couldn’t help a smirk from crossing his face. “Easiest question ever.” Vicari’s lack of hesitation seemed to surprise Imperium’s niece. “No hesitation, huh?” she laughed, seemingly undisturbed by the concept of murder. “Well, that’s all the questions I have for today! Good luck in the arena, and may the odds be ever in your favor!” Vicari smiled at the camera one last time before the cameras shut off. The second the spotlights went dark, though, the grin slid clean off of his face. He wore a stoic expression on his way up the aircraft’s stairs. //Now for the easy part… …Winning.//
