{I'm Headed Straight For [The Castle] Ro/Kay}

[Rosetta]

~Gamemaker Azure Herodotus

Azure had been placed on mutt duty.

More importantly, she had been placed on waste dissemination. She spent hours a day in the weeks leading up to the Games designing the intestines and bowels of various mutts, ensuring their waste was poisonous, particularly nasty or had the ability to knock a tribute cold from the stench.

Having always been on trap duty, designing complex, evil traps to ensnare tributes into, she was quite shocked when, upon her arrival to the GM Headquarters, Glamour had taken her firmly by the shoulders. “I have something special to show you,” his voice slithered into her ear from behind and he then promptly steered her from her familiar, sleek white desk in front to a slightly less sleek in the back, explaining her new duties. “You can even design the anus,” he purred, brightly, before disappearing…narrowly avoiding Azure’s fingers headed for his neck.

She leaned over her new desk, squinting hard at the backside of Demo Deer displayed on her screen. Around her, the other GMs will still filtering in, chatting animatedly, fed and watered from a filling lunch. Azure did not move; she could create lethal feces without skipping a few meals—not that she could even stomach anything anymore anyway. With a deep sigh, she zoomed in, scrunching her nose up in disgust. What would they think of her? Azure Herodotus, Head Gamemaker of the 66th Games, now spent most of her time pouring over assholes. Retreating to her apartment late at night, she saw them when she closed her eyes in a cold bed, Glamour’s voice ringing in her head, “You can even design the anus!”

And all because she had rolled her eyes and made a biting comment at his ridiculous attire at the 70th Games After-Party. Little did she know she would be passed over yet again for the role of Head Gamemaker and it would be given, yet again, to him.

She was reaching for her third cup of coffee when a sudden flurry of whispering caught her attention. Glancing around, Azure suddenly felt her lips part in surprise.

Sitting in one of the Head GM chairs, chatting animatedly with Dom was not Glamour, but another woman. Azure’s eyes narrowed then immediately widened when she realized it was none other than Capri King.

Her lips tightened. Capri King? She didn’t know much about the woman, aside from the ridiculous blow-by-blow accounts of her child-bearing in the Capitol magazines. She knew nearly nothing at all about her work at the GM Headquarters and yet, there she sat in the Head Gamemaker’s chair. Where was Glamour?

Other Gamemakers had surely taken notice. In front of her, two were whispering quite rapidly, passing a small screen between them where Capri was seen chatting with Caesar Flickerman; it had to be that very day as she was wearing the same clothing. Azure was leaning in to eavesdrop when there came a clatter of commotion on the screen. A band of tributes had awoken from Silver Sirens. The room leapt into action as Azure slowly draped herself back over her seat, brow furrowing.

For the rest of the afternoon, Azure occupied herself by training her eyes at three places: the door, to see if Glamour would make a dramatic appearance and demand Capri leave his seat, the GM herself and a pile of mutt feces.

It was Capri who interested her the most. As Azure studied her, she analyzed. The way her manicured hands swept over the control panel, her biting laughter and the way she sat, her large backside tottering in her chair as she shifted her weight, uncrossing her long legs and recrossing. When no one else was looking, Azure scanned headlines on her computer and watched Capri’s interview with Flickerman. Why hadn’t she gone to lunch? There had been a tar explosion of some kind…and Glamour may very well be guilty of something.

Something stirred in Azure’s stomach and she couldn’t help but smile as tabloid magazines speculated. Disgraced Gamemaker Not Seen All Day, flashed across her screen. Loser Gamemaker, Azure sang in her head. An hour later, however, when she checked to lift her spirits, the headline was gone.

Capri’s history was just as Azure thought; full of lust and jewels and just how Capri managed to squirt out so many children. Azure frowned. So she was a mother? But, other than that? She could only find the woman’s name on a list of Marketing and Public Relations professionals in the office. Never in the Games.

The Gamemaker’s laughter bit the air again, thick and high. She and Dom were looking at something on their shared screen together. Azure’s hands tightened into fists. What was so funny? Surely not the newly designed intestinal track of a Banshee that she had sent along for approval? What was it like back in that seat?

It wasn’t until the evening that Azure was able to make her move. The night staff began filtering in and the day staff was invited back to the Head GM suite for some traditional post-Bloodbath wine. Stretching and talking excitedly, the Gamemakers around Azure began to slowly make their way towards the door, but Azure worked faster. She reached Capri before Dom had even stood and laced her arm through hers.

“Capri,” she composed her voice into a soft, pleasant one, glancing up at the woman whom she noticed towered over her as she gently steered them both towards the door. “I’m so happy to hear about your appointment. I just wanted to say congratulations. We ought to toast to you!”

Was she smiling? Perhaps too late, Azure widened her lips to reveal her pearly white teeth, in a forced smile. Perfect.

[Baby Wessex d9b [earthling]]

CAPRICIOUS KING

If Glamour Kinkade had been so determined to make a mess of things, he could have at least had the decency to give them all a hint so that she could have been properly prepared. He must have left a trail behind the steep descent of his downfall. Clearly, someone knew that he'd been planning something. But not her. Dom? She'd been reflecting on her conversations with her superior. It didn't seem to her that Dom Copperview had known that Glamour was going attempting to rig their Games, but then Dom had the best poker face in all of Panem.

If only she's known so she could have gotten a fresh manicure and perhaps a little extra plump to her lips. She was due at the television station in less than an hour - that's as much of a hint as she'd been given. If she was quick, she could flash a few large bills at a manicurist and take her along to the plastic surgeon's. She might even have time to pull out the V that had been settling between her eyebrows, undoubtedly thanks to the stress of raising children on her own.

If she had been quicker, she could have avoided Azure Herodotus entirely.

Capricious let her fake eyelashes fall long and slow as Azure claimed her arm. She suppressed a sigh. Azure wanted something. Was it worth Capricious time - the manicure, the botox - to give it to her? Capricious adjusted her gait so that they could walk arm in arm. "Aren't you sweet," she purred at the congratulations. "It hasn't really sunk in yet." Not true - anyone who worked with Dom hoped to be elevated at some point. But if anyone else was listening, it would play better to appear a tiny bit humble.

She returned Azure's forced smile with something just shy of a smirk, nude paint lips pinched together. "Perhaps some champagne in my limo? I don't want to keep the crew waiting." Capricious came to a halt at the double doors that barricaded the Gamemakers from the rest of Panem. Dozens of camera lenses flashed against the glass. She really ought to be walking arm in arm with Dom Copperview, her Head Gamemaker. Undoubtedly they would have a photo session in the next day or two - perhaps even later that evening - to cement them in history.

Not that Azure was the worst of the Gamemakers to be seen alongside. Although Capricious had recommended repeatedly after the Sixty-Sixth that Colgate O'Leary's femurs be shortened so that he could be a more pleasing height. Her advice had gone unheeded. She was mulling over that Games, still stopped just beyond the reach of the cameras. She tapped her four inch heel once and then abruptly turned to the emergency exit. "Less fanfare this way," she whispered to Azure as she slipped a pair of cat-eye sunglasses out of her purse.

In the limo, Capricious tapped one blood red nail against the champagne flute. "So, what is it we're toasting?"

table coding (c) ghosty