The 92nd Annual Hunger Games

inspired partly by a dream of my own and from chatting with a friend about some ensuing madness.

I figured what better way to announce my return from a 14-month absence than by writing another fic?
This one will be (maybe?) slightly more serious, although may contain a few elements of humor in it as well.
without further ado, I'll just jump right in.
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PROLOGUE: MOONLIT SKIES
~Somewhere between District 11 and The Capitol~
16-year-old Desna Meraxa was not the first one to to question the morality of the Hunger Games, and surely would not be the last. While analytical towards anyone he met, he was not very vocal about the things he thought, and so few knew what went through his mind.
He drummed his fingers casually on the table of food in front of him, glancing towards the face of the 16-year-old girl whose name Desna had already forgotten. All he knew about her was that she would be his district partner in the upcoming 92nd Annual Hunger Games. She was being rather quiet as well, cutting up a large, juicy steak herself. Desna's eyes darted from her braided hair, up towards the long curly hair of Tenoko Sowa, their mentors. Other than a few empty flasks around her, she had not eaten much, and was snoring away.

Desna still remembered how she had won her games 4 years prior in the 88th Games. She had been a cunning and evasive tactician, manipulating the field and other tributes to her advantage until she had a clear edge over those who remained, who she had picked off with ease. It had been a sketchy strategy to use, but it had worked, and ever since then, the tributes from District 11 had been receiving higher training scores, and placing higher, even if none had won the last three games. On the plus side, it had also now been 5 years since any District 11 Tributes had died in a bloodbath. Granted, the same could be said for Districts 2, 5, and oddly enough, District 12. Desna took his mind off of this by eating a bit more, and watching the cloudless skies whiz past him, the moon and stars illuminating the otherwise dark and void-like wilderness around them as the train zipped closer and closer to The Capitol.

He lost track of time a bit, but when he woke up, he could hear the voices of two women conversing. after rubbing his eyes with his own dark brown hands, he blinked a few times and noticed that it was Tenoko and the other girl conversing about something. a little listening in and he learned that it was about tactics. This piqued Desna's interest.
"Oh, you're awake." Tenoko chuckled, "I figured you'd take your last days alive a bit more serious, but it's all good, right?"
"You were stone-drunk when I fell asleep." Desna retorted.
"And?" was Tenoko's quick reply.
"Teach me then, Tenoko." Desna commanded in his otherwise rather monotonous voice. "I know a little about how you play."
Tenoko and the girl next to her were a bit shocked at his sudden forwardness, but Tenoko smirked.
"Call me Kozue," Tenoko shook her head, "it's grown on me. But if you want advice, I'll give it to you nice and simple. You and Ms. Nazami here need to team up. You don't have to do that whole love thing that some kids in 74, 75, 84, and 90 tried, or even like each other, but I've seen enough of both of your skills to know that you two will at least make it to the final four if you stick together."

"Name's Saj." the girl nodded, "Sagittaria, but that's a mouthful, yeah?"
"Desna." Desna extended his hand, which Saj shook with a smirk.
"So what happens if we're the final two?" he turned to Kozue.
"Well, then for one I owe a crapton of silvers to a couple of girls from District 12 and District 8, but otherwise, I'd say don't worry about that till it comes. I'd try to validate the claim that you and Saj wouldn't become friends, but I didn't know her a few hours ago, and she and I are already drinking buddies."
With that, Saj took a shot of something, offering one to Desna.

"Whoa now, I don't drink," he shook his head.
"Spoilsport," Saj rolled her eyes.
"Not unless there's something to bet over, at least."
"You and me then," Saj offered, "a game of Wicked Grace."
even Kozue's eyes lit up at this. "I didn't know they still taught kids how to play that game." she laughed, "It's still apparently banned in every district except 12, 7, 8, and 11."

"You see," Kozue continued while Saj dealt the cards, "The Hunger Games is a lot like a game of Wicked Grace with impossibly high stakes. You need to know when, where, and how to go big, and when not to. That sort of thing."
The remainder of the ride became suddenly more interesting. Kozue went into great detail about the things she did, and Desna and Saj took (mental) notes. after their 5th game, Kozue looked up.
"and of course," she added as she glanced out the window at their surroundings, "now comes the beginning... of the real trial."