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Shock nearly caused Maci to drop the carving. This wasn't her first time dealing with telepathically, it was part of Jaxon's power. Still, this was completely unexpected to her. As far as she knew, telepathy wasn't part of Phenix's power and she was unaware of the fact that he could possibly have the technology to make it a thing.

Still, here she was, looking into this carving and hearing his voice. There was no other possible explanation. Yeah, I can hear you she thinks to herself as she stares intently into the red stone.

A moment of silence. Then, the voice came again. 'Ah! It works! Good, good. I'll inform Jaxon, he'll be delighted! Just a moment..' Silence again. About a minute later, Phenix's voice came back. 'I've told him. He's coming down soon, I'll let you to each other if you like.' This time, he awaited an answer. There wasn't any sound, but s ort of feeling that Phenix was still there, waiting.

There was a lot that Maci needed to tell Jaxon. The thought of not having to tell him this face to face bothered her. Still, she'd rather tell him this way rather than have him find out by accident. Please, if you wouldn't mind, I would love to speak to him Maci replies. She stands up now, her hands shaking slightly as she waits for Jaxon. "I'll be back, you two stick close." Maci tells the two. She hurries away, trying to find a more private spot to 'talk' to Jaxon.

Scarlett grins, and leans down from the roof of the carriage, smiling manically, but not threateningly, at Lukian. “Hiii~” A high pitched, sing song voice, as she peeks in from the window. Scarlett’s technically dead, so she can’t die again. Her soul simply possessed the body of a demon. It was complicated, and she honestly could be bothered to explain it.

Meanwhile, Lifei was eavesdropping on all their conversations as she passed through the cabins in a slow serene dance. Kyr and Suvansh, Eric and Zoe, Maci, Cherry, Terra, Charlie. She swaps out her fan for a long roll of silk, her hair long with few small braids in between. She lingers at Maci, Terra and the others’ carriage. It seemed the most interesting

---

There were a few moments of silence, with snippets of words blinking through as Phenix evidently looked at his own eye carving, then at Jaxon. 'Y-.. Sh-.. Wh-...' After a few moments, the mental voice changed. It changed from Phenix's slow tone to Jaxon's, the eye evidently having been handed off after a little bit of explanation as to how it worked.


---


Lukian twisted quickly, the sockets of his skull becoming visible to Scarlett. A long, quiet hiss bubbled up in the back of his throat as he observed Scarlett.

Jaxon's voice somehow always seems to calm Maci. His tone was gentle, which was exactly what Maci needed right now. It was almost as if Jaxon could sense her worry, or maybe he was reading into her silence.
Maci, is everything alright? Jaxon asks.
We need to talk Maci replies, immediately moving to the point. These Games... Protecting Phenix's kids... Possibly turning onto the Capitol... All of that is going to become much more difficult than it already is. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, bit I was hoping for a better moment-...
...
When Maci returns to the others, she looks visibly calmer. So calm that she forgets to register Lifei's presence as a threat. She sits on the floor next to the others with a smile on her face. "How are you four doing?" She asks. "Wait- four?" She turns towards Lifei with wide eyes, which quickly narrow. "What are you doing here?" She asks suspiciously.

Charlie looked up at Lifei and smiled at her, it appeared that the small child was growing fond of her despite the location they were headed to.

---

Scarlett grins, waving at Lukian. She then notices the girl beside Lukian, and looks at her with interest.

Lifei smiles at Maci, but doesn’t say much. Instead, she bows again to Charlie, smiling at the little girl. She hands Charlie another flower, a tulip this time, and then swirls her dress around, humming a song only Charlie could hear. The song is soothing, and Lifei hopes it can chase away Charlie’s fears.

---

When the tributes aporached the Capital, they were reach ushered by their stylist and made to look beautiful.

Robin was put into a gray dress and a sturdy pair of boots, Gabriella was given a dress that made her appear to float on water, and Harmony was given a small blue thing that she wished was longer.

Charlie was given a aqua-colored dress that made her stand out in a way and a pair of matching boots. Once she had arrived where the other tributes were, she looked around nervously.

---

When they entered the Capitol, Suvansh mostly ignored the majesty and beauty of the skyline. What use was taking it all in anyways? This was nothing but the place whose residents would be cheering on for him to die not much later. First, all the tributes were taking to the Remake Center for their prep teams to clean them up and make them "human". He did not understand what their problem was, but he didn't resist. He let them do as they deemed best. But when they saw the scar at his back...they did not keep Suvansh's wish to keep it as it is. They fixed it. They...somehow...made It as if it never existed. That was exactly what Suvansh wished for, for years, but when it actually happened, against his will, he could do nothing but feel hollow. The only tether to his worst moment in his life was gone, but he just couldn't feel positive about it. When they were done, leaving his cleaner, and his skin and hair smoother than ever, he went to meet his stylist. Suvansh didn't feel like getting a lot of attention towards him, so asked for something simple for the opening ceremony. So, he was given a matt brown shirt with glossy, translucent florals, and a beige trouser. His shoes were just normal black formals. He liked it. When it was time, he went over to the place where they had to get onto their charriots. He looked about, admiring the other tribute's dresses and the sheer creativity of the stylists. He knew his stylist could fit him with some flashy costume too, but he did not want it. He wanted to stay hidden from attention. He wanted to be the underdog, if he did even hope to win.

---

Scarlett wore a red hood with a crop top like outfit, that exposed her toned stomach. A long, bloody scratch was visible, supposedly claws raking through skin. She had a red peony in her hair, and ripped jeans. She looked somewhat like a rebellious teenager


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Meanwhile, Lifei went for a subtle, blue fighting gear. Something more gentle, but deadly and stunning at the same time. She braided her hair into a long plait, with a lily in her hair, and twirled out, to where the tributes gathered. She hummed, smoothly and gracefully walking up to Charlie. “Hello, Charlie” she sang out.

---

She shouldn't have been disappointed to see that she was given a new stylist. After all, her old stylist was almost assassinated. Still, she couldn't chase away the disappointment and worry that she felt towards her old stylist. A man who has deep scars running down his face and arms is Maci's new stylist. The scars look like claw marks and the ones on his face run over his eye. That specific eye is milky white. He looks nothing like a normal stylist, he certainly doesn't act like a normal stylist.

Maci couldn't help but feel paranoid that this stylist was actually a Peacekeeper in disguise. She kept waiting for something to happen. For him to poison her, to attack her, something! But all he does is shout at her. Which means nothing, he was barking orders at everyone around her. He roughly grabs her face to apply make-up on her and tells a story of when he fought a cougar with his bare hands. She found an odd sense of comfort in the man, more than her old stylist.

When his assistant reappears with a very large and ugly dress her stylist nearly kills the poor boy. He roughly grabs the assistant's collar. Her stylist shouts insults at the boy and demands that he returns with what he is looking for. All the while he is shaking the poor boy. She was surprised that his neck didn't snap due to the whiplash.

"There are whispers, you know?" Her stylist mutters. Maci doesn't respond. Not that she could, he was holding her jaw so roughly that she swore it was going to break. "Some people love you Maci. Your past has spread around the hallways of the Capitol, nobody has been able to contain the truth. You give us hope Maci." He finally releases her and steps back to appreciate his work.

"Hope?" Maci asks with a shred of bitterness. "So why do I have to be the one to-" her stylist's eyes narrow, warning her not to speak so bluntly. "I can't, I won't do this alone. Not this time, not when I have so much to lose. I'm sorry." As she speaks, she feels guilt. Not just for the ones, she is letting down, but she feels like she is also letting herself down. She feels like she is somehow lying to herself. I'll just have to deal with it, my answer will remain the same!

"I understand. At the very least. Let's ensure that the few sparks of hope don't die out." Her stylist's assistant returns with an outfit that is surprisingly fashionable. His encouragement seems to break through her doubt. He was right, that was the least she could do. She wears her outfit proudly. She confidently strolls onto her carriage and patiently waits for the parade to start.

Lukian had swelled in aggression when Scarlett had dared to lay eyes on Angie. His shadowy figure became darker, blocking Angie from Scarlett's sight. Silently, he made a promise to Scarlett: "I do not care who or what you are, I will banish you to the pits of Tartarus if you dare set eyes upon my charge. You may say you are undying, but I will prove you wrong if you dare to harm her." At that, Angie vanished from sight. Not from everybody's sight, but just from Scarlett's. Lukian had protectively wrapped around the girl, his skin blocking Scarlett from Angie.

~~~


When the train started to slow, Lukian woke Angie with a slight nudge. When she sat up and yawned, she seemed quite lost. Glancing out the window, she squealed in delight. So many colors! Angie simply sat, staring at the throng of citizens, each one more of an eyesore than the last. Eventually, a Peacekeeper had to come and shuttle her out of the train, for she hadn't realized that she needed to move. She'd received a kind stylist, one who hardly noticed her youth. He gave her an odd steampunk-looking dress that fit her rather well. He smiled, admiring the amount of work he'd put into the dress, and let her continue towards the carriages. Maci was the first one she spotted, and the first one that she started walking towards.


---


Terra and Cherry were glad to step off the train. The air outside was at least a *little* better in smell. As they looked around, they found themselves suddenly separated by a pair of Peacekeepers. One went one way, the other went the opposite way. As they continued on, Cherry felt the black wings vanish, and Terra felt his palms itch again. As they were sat down with a stylist, they grimaced. Tugging this, pushing that, on and on and on. Eventually, Terra and Cherry were outfitted with a gold and black tuxedo, and gold and black dress, respectively. As they were set loose to the carriages, Cherry shivered. There was no back on her dress, which was both relieving and cold. As she was reunited with her brother, the black wings unfolded once more. Terra scratched at his palms, then examined the carriages. "That one?" "That one." It was gold and black, just like their outfits. If they were going to look like this, they might as well go the full mile.

The dark aura had returned and seemed to move closer. Still, Maci had trouble finding the source of the power. It was irritating to her, she had never had this problem before. She glances around, noticing that other tributes seemed to be getting on their carriages. The source of the power could've belonged to anyone!

She notices Angie moving towards her and waves at the girl. "Hey- Angelina right? Do you want to ride on this carriage with me?" She asks. She didn't like the idea of Angie being alone, especially here. At least if Angie stuck close to her, she wouldn't have to worry about other tributes harming her.

Angie smiled, her grin more meek than anything else. "I'd love to." Lukian bristled in his invisible way, clinging to the carriage to guard Angie from Maci if needed. He tried to conceal his aura, with minimal success, and glanced at the carriage, soon taking a physical form and matching one of the designs.

The aura was unnerving to her. For a second, Maci considers blocking the aura, but decides against it. Even though it felt dangerous, it wasn't causing any damage, yet. Maci wasn't even totally sure if she could block it. In order to block a power, she had to know where the source of the power was coming from, and block the power within the person. She simply tries to ignore the aura.

To Maci, the silence between the two felt a bit awkward. She spends a few seconds fighting to think of something to say before deciding to stick with her standard question. "How are you holding up?" She asks softly.

Angie glanced at the crowds ahead, then looked down at her feet. "I'm doing fine, I guess." She sounded nervous, although she'd been excited but a few minutes earlier, she was now very clearly nervous. After a moment, she spoke again. "I'm just glad that Luke got to stay with me, he's keeping my smile here."

Even with the mysterious dark aura hanging around them, Maci still believes that Luke is nothing more than a figment of her imagination. "I'm glad Luke is cheering you up" she replies happily. "You don't need to be nervous though, there are plenty of people here who'll protect you. Like me" she assures. "If you are ever scared or anyone threatens you, just come to me"

Angie giggled lightly. "Luke said something like that when I first met him." She smiled at the memory, remembering his cold hand guiding her own, drawing a symbol she didn't recognize. It was a warm memory, a happy one. It managed to completely erase the nervous pit that had been growing in her stomach.

"Luke seems like he is a great protector" Maci comments. It would be nice if he were actually real she silently adds. It dawns on her that she may be placing too much pressure onto herself. As much as would love to protect Angie, Charlie, Cherry and Terra by herself, she should look out for allies that are willing to do the same. She was hesitant with the idea of trusting another tribute, but she didn't really have much of a choice.