━━･❪ 🌸 ❫ ･━━

A knock at the door jostled Daphne out of her quiet slumber. It took her a couple seconds to orient herself, and at first she was confused as to where the hell she was. Then she remembered. Reality hit her like a brick wall.

She contemplated ignoring whoever it was outside her door and going back to sleep. Permanently. But that probably wasn't going to happen, so with a groan, she dragged herself out of bed.

She took a swig of water from a glass by her nightstand, swishing it around in her mouth to cleanse her breath. Funny, she didn't quite remember bringing a glass into her room after watching the Reapings. Either an Avox stopped by, or she must be going crazy.

Her stomach still ached from the feast she had downed earlier. Daphne glanced at the clock on the wall, realizing that she'd dozed off for about three hours. It was still nighttime. Still the same day.

Another knock sounded almost hesitantly. A pang of annoyance hit her as she stumbled for the door, opening it and muttering, "what the hell do you-"

Daphne paused upon seeing Theia, a soft smile across her face. "Sorry for waking you up, Daphne, but come out. We're arriving soon, and I thought you four would like to enjoy the view."

Daphne was about to decline and tell Theia to let her rest. But, her brother had chosen Theia to look after her when he was gone, and Daphne knew that Theia had nothing but good intentions, bothersome as they may be. Least Daphne could do was try and be pleasant.

Daphne forced her lips to curve into a grin, allowing Theia to lead the way as Daphne reluctantly left her bedroom behind. She hastily combed her fingers through her hair to straighten it out a bit before they emerged into the main compartment.

The main compartment functioned like a living room. It had two couches facing each other, along with a couple chairs and a glass table sitting in the middle. There was a television plastered to the wall and soft carpet beneath her feet. This was where they'd watched the Reapings a couple hours ago.

Iskra was sitting stiffly in one of the chairs. She didn't acknowledge Daphne as she entered the room. Caelum, Azalea and Theron were standing by one of the windows, gawking at the view like deer in headlights. Now genuinely curious, Daphne joined them, standing beside Caelum. Apparently he'd been experimenting with the soap scents as well, since he smelled vaguely of chamomile and grapefruit.

As Daphne looked out the window, her jaw may as well have hit the ground. She'd seen images and videos of the Capitol on television before. They all had, and they all knew how magnificent it was in terms of architecture, technology and fashion. It was a different kind of shock now that Daphne was here, in person.

Now she could see exactly how tall the multicolored buildings were, how alien the people were dressed. It was lighted enough that it didn't feel like nighttime, illuminating the vibrant color that splashed everywhere she looked. It was hard to believe that something as prosperous as this could exist in the same country as the plain, barren outlier districts wracked with poverty.

People were lined up at the edge of the tracks, waving and pointing as the train flew by. They all knew who was aboard, and they were all eager to catch a glimpse of the ill-fated tributes in person before their faces would be on every screen in Panem.

"They seem awfully hyped to watch us tear each other apart." Daphne idly commented, and to her surprise Caelum snorted in faint amusement. A silly part of her wondered if he was finally about to say something to her, but instead it was Theron who spoke.

"I'll try to maim a tribute or two for them. Maybe sprinkle in a blindside for some extra flavor." The curly haired boy said wryly as he smiled and waved at the crowd. Daphne couldn't tell whether or not he was joking, but either way Azalea took a small sidestep away from him.

They arrived at the station a couple minutes later. Daphne did her best to avoid eye contact with anyone as the tributes were transferred into another car, then taken to the Remake Center. The inside of it seemed out of place in the vibrant Capitol with its dull colors and cold atmosphere that reminded Daphne of a hospital ward.

Three bizarre-looking women swept her away into a private bathing room, where they took to promptly stripping her and scrubbing her raw despite her faint attempts at protest. They spent a good half hour soaking her in some sort of disinfecting solution, and the damned soap they used was infused with something rough. Daphne barely kept from crying out as they nearly ripped her scalp off trying to straighten her hair.

They robed her and led her into a room with a metal platform in the middle of it. Trays with ominous tools lined the tables on the side of the platform, and several lights were angled on it as well. Daphne was suddenly aware that the beautification procedure was going to be a lot more painful than she thought it'd be. The bathing had left her feeling like she'd taken a slide through sandpaper.

The woman with bright puffed blue hair made it her personal mission to rid Daphne's body of hair aside from her head. She took strips of sticky paper and pressed it onto her limbs, underarms, and torso to the point that pretty much every inch of her from the collarbones down was covered with the stuff. Then came the ripping.

Daphne tried to distract herself by staring at the woman's blue hair, which reminded her of the cotton candy Rourke would sometimes bring home if he made an extra coin.

Meanwhile, another woman with blinding lime green hair worked on trimming Daphne's nails and polishing up the skin that didn't need hair-deprivation. The woman's lips were painted a shade of glittery yellow, and her eyelashes rivaled Iskra's in length and boldness.

The third woman in Daphne's prep team was short and stout, but she made up for what she lacked in height with her tattoo game. The shimmering swirls covered every inch of her skin as far as Daphne could see. Her skin underneath had also been dyed a strange shade of purple.

The people of the Capitol were uncanny. They talked in accents that pierced Daphne's ears, and moved in quick, fluent strides. It was almost like every aspect of these people seemed artificial. Unnatural. It didn't sit quite right.

"I think it's about time to call your stylist!" quipped the blue haired woman after they had sufficiently plucked Daphne clean and wiped her down with a strange lotion. The three women hurried out the room, not bothering to redress her.

The cool air chilled Daphne's bare skin, and she thought it would be an awkward introduction if her stylist were to walk in on her stark naked. She hastily retrieved her robe, which was draped over the edge of the table, shouldering it back on. She suddenly had a longing for her overalls, which she'd left in her room back on the train.

Daphne's plum blossom pendant was resting on the table beside her robe. It was the one thing she'd begged her prep team not to let out of her sight. She was reaching for it, needing to feel its bump against her chest, when the door swung open rather suddenly.

Daphne hurriedly folded the flaps of her robe across her body, casting a glare at the newcomer. "Do you mind-?"

The woman who entered the room carried an air of excited energy. She was bizarre even for Capitol standards. Her hair hung in vibrant indigo locks around her shoulders, shimmering in the light. Her lips were painted over a glittery blue, and her skin was a shade of pale pink that reminded Daphne of the insides of sheep ears. Her violet eyes were framed by a pair of oversized round spectacles that made her pupils look magnified. She was dressed head to toe in frills.

"Apologies for startling you, Miss!" The woman said, her voice high and scratchy. "I'm Marv, your stylist. You must be Daphne!"

"Yes, nice to meet you." Daphne said as politely as she could. Something about Marv's enthusiasm made her uneasy. She knew that Marv was one of the more experienced stylists around, and it surprised Daphne that she was still stuck with District Ten tributes to dress up. Despite this, Marv still seemed eager to help. That, or Daphne had just gotten used to Iskra's rotten attitude.

"Now, I'm going to have to ask you to take off your robe for a quick second, dear." Marv said. "I know it's cold, but it'll only take a second."

Daphne hesitated at first but complied, her face flushing with embarrassment at her own nakedness. She felt like a specimen at a museum as Marv examined every inch of her, murmuring notes to herself as she went along. Daphne could almost see the colorful wheels turning around in her stylist's head.

When Marv allowed her to put the robe back on, Daphne had pulled it over her body before she could blink. There was another door at the other end of the room, and Marv made her way towards it. Daphne got the feeling that she should probably follow, but before she took a step she turned back towards the table.

Her plum blossom pendant was still there, and she quickly grabbed it. The polished ivory from which it had been carved from was chilly to the touch. It fit perfectly in her palm, not too small but not too big.

"That's a beautiful necklace." Marv's voice sounded. Daphne glanced up to find that she had a wistful look in her eyes. "You may wear it, if you'd like."

She opened the door and Daphne followed her through, clasping the pendant around her neck as she walked. They emerged into a room that was similar to the main compartment on the train. There were two velvet couches that faced each over, a low polished table sitting between them. A considerably large teapot sat atop the table, surrounded by platters of fun-shaped pastries.

One wall of the room was made entirely of glass, providing a window to the Capitol outside. It was hard not to marvel at the odd, vibrant buildings and looming scenery every time Daphne saw it. Streaks of pink and orange were dashed across the sky, which was slowly fading to a lighter cerulean. The sun peeked over the mountains that separated the Capitol from the eastern districts, its early rays illuminating the night sky.

It was already sunrise, Daphne realized. It was then that a pang of exhaustion wracked her body. She was only running on the three hours of fitful sleep she'd gotten on the train ride here.

Marv beckoned for her to have a seat on one of the velvet couches as she sat down on the one across. Daphne hesitantly obliged, still a bit uncomfortable at her lack of clothing beneath the thin robe. The sweet aroma of the pastries in front of her floated by her nose, and her stomach gave a growl that could probably be heard all the way back in District Ten.

"As you know, the opening ceremonies are this afternoon." Marv quipped as Daphne examined a russet cookie infused with multicolored chocolates. "And after that is the Banquet."

The cookie nearly crumbled in her hand. In the midst of everything, she'd completely forgotten about the Banquet. It was a new pre-Game event established just recently, during the hundred-twenty-fifth Hunger Games. It took place a couple hours after the opening ceremonies, and it gave tributes another chance to get a feel of each other before the Training Center the next day.

It was also customary for tributes to dance with their District partners, which was the part that really set Daphne's gut reeling. She would rather skip the Banquet entirely and lock herself in whatever lavish rooms she'll be receiving than have to dance with Theron or Azalea. And if she had to pair with Caelum... she wasn't sure which of them would simply pass away from the awkwardness first.

She remembered the Banquet of the hundred-forty-fifth Games. Remembered the stunning, breathtaking suit that Aedon wore as he'd danced with Theia. It was a suit crafted straight from the starry night sky itself. It was beautiful.

Daphne sat and munched on pastry after pastry as Marv went on about her plans for outfits. Daphne's hope was that the rich, extravagant flavors would distract her from the silly excitement and dread simultaneously pulling at her at the prospect of possibly sharing a dance with Caelum on national television.

The next few hours were a blur. Daphne's eyelids were drooping dangerously, and Marv allowed her to doze off on the couch as she finalized editing her designs to better fit now that she had an idea of Daphne's body frame. The rest of her prep team reentered the room, awakening her briefly to take measurements and notes.

Daphne drifted in and out of a light slumber until the sun was at its peak in the sky, and she was whisked back into the cold, metallic room in which her team had cleaned and polished up her body earlier. Now, they dressed her in her opening ceremony outfit, and to say her jaw hit the floor at the sight of herself was an understatement.

Apparently, this year the District Ten stylists had gone with an "angelic shepherd" type of look instead of the usual livestock costumes. Daphne remembered Aedon and Theia had been dressed as goats during their year.

A long, flowing white robe adorned with golden trim and embroideries hugged tightly to her torso, loosening up at the sleeves so that it fanned out around her wrists like that of a kimoto. The robe opened at her waist below a black leather belt, the flaps slightly dragging on the floor behind her. Underneath were long, white business pants. The belt sat just above her hips, thick enough to rise to the bottom of her ribcage, topped off with a polished buckle. Her hair was left down and unbound, streaks of it dyed a shade of golden-white.

Daphne knew that some opening ceremony outfits could be quite scandalous, like the year they sent the District Twelve tributes out stark naked and covered in coal dust, but somehow she hadn't thought about the possibility that she might be given one of those that showed a bit of skin.

The robe had a turtleneck collar, fitting snug against her throat. It remained snug and connected until a couple centimeters below her collarbone, where it opened up in a diamond of exposed skin, the fabric joining back together just between her breasts. Thankfully, the diamond wasn't huge and covered everything save for a bit of cleavage.

Beneath the diamond, after a band of fabric, there was a thin, vertical rectangle where a strip of skin peeked through as well. It halted at the belt at the bottom of her ribcage.

Due to the exposed diamond on her chest, her prep team tried convincing Daphne to leave behind her plum blossom pendant for the ceremony, since it would be hard to conceal. Daphne had put up a fight, yelling and begging on her knees, and they'd given in. She'd wear the necklace to the ceremony if it made her happy.

Before Daphne knew it, she was standing in a bronze-colored chariot along with Caelum, Theron and Azalea, all of whom were wearing identical outfits and streaks in their hair. Daphne couldn't resist casting a second, maybe even a third glance at Caelum, who didn't look so bad in that robe. She tried not to linger on the lean muscles faintly outlined through the damned areas of his exposed skin.

The Tribute Parade was about to start, and it was pretty much the first time Daphne saw all the other Districts' tributes in person. She noticed with a small tingle of fear that the Careers looked even bigger and scarier off-screen.

Azalea and Theron stood at the edges of the chariot, leaving Daphne towards the middle next to Caelum. Panem's anthem blasted from the streets, loud enough that it could be heard through the thick walls. The doors would open any second now, and the chariots would go rolling out past crazy, cheering crowds towards the Presidential Palace. Daphne found her eyes sliding toward Caelum as her heart began to beat.

Looking at him brought her comfort, she realized not without an internal groan. His face was stoic, his eyes closed with anticipation, though his eyelids were fluttering and a muscle twitched in his narrow jaw. His hair was slick with gel, the golden-white highlights stark against the natural dark color. Somehow, Daphne liked it better when it was left untouched in his normal, almost careless style, the dark locks just long enough to flop across his forehead.

Suddenly, the massive doors slid open with a rumble, and the blaring music and roar of the crowd amplified tenfold. The first Districts' chariots began rolling out. Theirs would be moving soon.

Caelum's eyes fluttered open, and Daphne hastily jerked her gaze away as she realized that his forest green eyes had flicked towards her. She didn't have time to think much of it, for their chariot lurched as the two sleek horses leading it began to trod forward.

The afternoon sun blinded Daphne as they emerged onto the road, the deafening screams of the crowd drowning out everything else. Goosebumps ran up and down her arms at the fact that these people... they were cheering for them. For her.

And they're excited as hell to see them at each other's throats in a few days time.

━━･❪ 🌸 ❫ ･━━