thecapitol | The Interviews.

WHO| ALL TRIBUTES
WHAT| Tribute Interviews With Caesar Flickerman!
WHEN| The break between the closing of Arena 02 and the opening of Arena 03
WHERE| A stage set up in the South Wing of the Training Center
NOTES| Interviews are done by district, in descending order (12-1; saving Max for the finale.) Just look for the thread that has been specifically made for you, and show the nation of Panem what a star you are! This is the companion post to last week's backstage post, which should be considered to be taking place at the same time, in-game. There is also an Intermission thread in the middle of all the individual threads, for everyone to tag around in; watch and react and have fun.
MORE NOTES| New tributes (if we get any) will be added as they are accepted.

This is it. Your time to shine.

The red curtain rises and the lights shine bright; warm on your face and halfway blinding. The music plays, blaring in your ears, mingling with the roar of the candy coloured crowd just beyond the stage. You can see your face projected on what seems to be a dozen screens as tall as houses and there's even a small undercurrent in the noise that sounds suspiciously like half a thousand strangers screaming your name.

The stage is simple. Glossy black, reflecting the stage lights and the shine of your shoes. At the center you find two plush red chairs, tall-backed and velvet, but one of them is empty. Waiting for you. In the other sits a man in a midnight blue suit and a straight white grin. His hair is a vivid aquamarine with eyebrows to match, and he stands just as someone backstage queues you to take your step out into the spotlight.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Max's eyes drop down to the hand on her knee, and her expression is mild when she looks back at the blue-haired man. It's just the right light between menacing and playful. "Thank you so much, Caesar." she says smoothly.

"The arena was certainly a challenge, and it's almost a pity that I won't get to do it again."

She flashes Caesar a dazzling smile. "Almost."

Caesar laughs, "Well you certainly had me fooled."

He adjusts himself in the chair, leaning in slightly, though not so close that he's being intrusive, it's more a show for the audience. He always get's friendly with the tributes; a helpful ally in the limelight. "So tell me. You seemed to be quick to make allies inside the Arena. Was that your initial strategy going in?"

"Part of it yes," Max admits. "At Manticore I was taught that whenever possible one should assess a situation, take note of all potential advantages, and utilize them to the best of my ability." She offers a faint smile and a shake of her head. "Of course what my training didn't account for would be the emotional connections once makes."

"Ah," the grin on his face is charmingly devious. "Emotional connections indeed. Are you referring to anyone in particular, might I ask?"

Max grins right back. "Everyone you meet in the arena is an emotional connection, whether it's bad or it's good. Are you referring to anyone in particular, I might ask?"

She indulges in a few of the calls out from the crowd before turning to the host and admitting, "I don't think I would have won if not for the brilliant mind of Tony Stark."

"That might have been the one," Caesar teases and the makes a loud, approving wave of noise. "Though I dare say, you seem to be able to handle your own quite well."

"But speaking of victory. When did it really sink in for you, that you could really win this? That you were going to win this?"

"It never occurred to me that I would lose." she says with a blithe smile toward Caesar, and indulges in the reaction to that for a split second before she turns on what may appear to be a surprisingly sheepish smile.

"Naw," she affects, "To be honest, I thought it would be either Eliot or me. After he died, I made some mistakes...but was able to get past them. Once Gray started to follow me, I realized that the Hunger Games were mine to lose."

Unlike the previous tributes, who were all concerned about gaining new sponsors for their next round in the arena, Max was a victor. The finale. The headliner. And it was time to show her off to the world; and perhaps to show all of Panem what the Capitol now had complete access to and control over, even if Max did not yet know it. She was the perfect addition to their new collection of victors. Strong, unbroken, deadly. And much like Shepard before her; already a trained killer before she'd even arrived. She was a new asset as much as she was a potential liability.

"Elegantly put," Caesar tells her, patting her lightly on her knee before he continues.

He turns to address the crowd this time and announces, "They tell me that we have some highlights to show. Some of Max's greatest hits, so to speak. Just in case any of you were living beneath a rock at the time, and missed them."

The screens around the room all begin to show 'highlights' of Max's time in the arena: the video feeds of every kill she made.

Max watches the highlights, well aware that she has a camera on her for her reactions, to be projected out to the audience and viewers.

Tony was her first kill. There's a lot of emotion from the crowd in response to the kiss and the neck snap, and Max allows some of her conflicting emotions about that moment seep through onto her face.

There are a few other kills, mostly involving either direct combat or leading someone into a trap. The second highlighted death appears to involve her second-to-last opponent, and the camera loves the closeup of her face getting sprayed with his blood as she slams his head over and over into the street side curb. Max keeps a solemn, determined air as she watches this. She did what she had to do.

And then of course, there's the explosive finale, with the built up fight that came before it...

Caesar is quite animated as he watches along, "Chills," he says in near-amazement. "Every time I watch. From very early on you were a sponsor favourite, certainly. I can definitely see why."

"And now, you'll take on the role of mentor for District 1. What sort of advice would you give to your tributes that are preparing themselves for the arena tomorrow?"

Max turns to face the camera, as if she were speaking directly to the Tributes.

"Your environment will be dangerous, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use it to your advantage. When you ally with people, make the choice based on whether you know if they will align with your principles or not; all the strength and prowess in the world doesn't make a difference if they're most likely to stab you in the back."

She looks back to Caesar and favors him with a decidedly feline smile.

"Excellent advice, indeed," Caesar says with a nod, more to the crowd than to Max herself.

"So now that you are a victor, do you have any plans for your future here in Panem? Aside from the mentoring, of course."

She smiles. "I suppose I'll have to see, Caesar. I'd love to actually see the District I've represented; I should hope they'd be willing to welcome me as a visitor. But I'm sure the Capitol will provide me with any number of opportunities."

The Interviews.

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