A Master Manipulator

[juliusanero]

linconway​:

His brow furrowed with concentration and confusion at the question. Repartee never seemed like one of Lincoln Conway’s strengths. His expertise consisted solely of physical prowess, leaving him perplexed by the word battle Julius started. “I don’t know. When you’re faced with a storm at sea, you can either let the tide overtake you or glide along the stream to survive. It really depends on the strength of the sailor and the vessel.” He finally replied with a soft tone. “I’d think most want to survive any storm, don’t you?”

The tone surrounding District Four caused Lincoln to tighten his grasp on the phone. While the young victor could not match the Gamemaker’s silver tongue, he still possessed pride for his district. The academy may have conditioned him into a killer, but Lincoln never felt as calm as he did roaming the marketplace, paddling against the sea, and listening to the waves in Four. “That’s too bad. There’s a lot of good people here.”

His mind raced with the methods he already witnessed Julius use. The mutation mastermind formulated the zombies and holographic ghosts from the Seventy Second Games that plagued his slumber rather frequently. “That sounds pretty compelling to me.” After all, hadn’t the academy employed the same tactic to transform Lincoln into their champion? “Do people usually go to intense lengths to use that type of weaponry?” 

Julius chewed on his lip a moment. “Oh, I quite agree.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone as he pondered the District Four Victor’s words. “However...” Julius started with a small sigh of ponderance. “Simply wanting to survive the storm does not ensure survival, does it? Oh, sure skill plays a small part...” He pondered. “Yet, Fate has other plans for a lot of people. Don’t you think? The unlucky.” The Hunger Games were a perfect example of that. Every tribute went in wanting to live and only one came out. Sometimes it was the well-skilled Career Tributes and other times it wasn’t. It wasn’t unlike life, a bit unpredictable.

“There are a lot of good people in a lot of places,” Julius pointed out. Especially the Capitol, it was crawling with good people with even better intentions. “I suppose every place needs a smattering of good people to keep the light shining in the lighthouse.” It was just the way of the world and what had Snow said before, a little bit of hope was a good thing.

“Oh Lincoln, you have a lot to learn.” Julius pointed out with a small laugh. “You do not have to go to great lengths if you are good at it. People just,” he paused for effect. “Fall into line, I suppose you can say.” It was almost like a game to Julius he was so good at what he did. “Tell me, how is your family? Are your sisters ready for this reaping? It won’t be as much of a hauntingly good time as last year, but it will be quite swell. If I do say so myself.”

[juliusanero]

linconway​:

His mouth dried as the silence lingered between them. While Lincoln could have closed the pause, the young man dared not to speak first. It seemed evident that Julius Nero was exceedingly more eloquent and wilier than Lincoln Conway could ever dream of being. Of course, the young man hardly yearned to achieve either in life. “I’m sorry to hear that. I guess we’ll have to weather the storm like we always do.” He still felt to the exact significance the words. They would not click for him until later that evening.

“Uh, the catch has been pretty good as of late. It’s getting warmer every day, so the haul will keep improving.” His brow furrowed in confusion, pondering why the Gamemaker would make such a remark. Unfortunately, Lincoln received his answer moments later with the older man’s choice words. “Yeah, that’s pretty good. Are you sure you don’t have some District Four blood in you?” He inquired as a futile diversion from the true nature of the conversation. Yes, Lincoln Conway educated Arista on weaponry during the Quarter Quell. Shouldn’t any young woman know how to defend themselves in cases of trouble?

“What would be your preferred method, if not a spear?” Lincoln questioned, almost slapping himself for having the audacity to ask something so ominous.

Julius ran his tongue over his teeth a moment as he listened to the young Victor speak. “Do you believe all storms can be weathered?” He asked genuinely curious to Lincoln’s answer. Most storms could be weathered, such as the one that created the Rebellion, but were there storms in life that you couldn’t rise against? Twenty-three dead tributes a year sure seemed to prove his theory true.

He chuckled softly. “No, I assured you I do not.” Julius Nero had nothing but the finest blood running through his veins. Over a hundred years of Capitol blood and service were there to prove it. It was bad enough his family had loose ties to the Districts. He wasn’t a savage and he was proud of it.

He smiled even if Lincoln couldn’t see his reaction. “Oh, I prefer much more elaborate methods.” Why did he need to get his hands dirty? There were people to do that for him. “I mean words after all are our greatest weapons. You can talk anyone into anything if you try hard enough...” He told Lincoln letting the words linger a moment.

[juliusanero]

linconway‌:

The telephone resounded in the Conway residence, and no one seemed eager to answer it. These devices were luxuries most in Panem could not afford, even the affluent citizens within Districts One, Two, or Four. That meant a representative of the Capitol or another Games victor would be the potential caller. Therefore, Cordelia Conway and her daughters knew to leave the telephone for Lincoln to answer. It seemed no secret that whomever waited on the other end of the line would be calling on the Games victor.

Lincoln Conway leaned against the wall nearest the corded device, picking it up quickly with a pleasant tone. “Hello?” The echo of his voice carried in the Conway’s foyer, as the young victor waited for the caller to identify themself. Unfortunately, the voice of the individual on the other side alone caused Lincoln’s skin to crawl. He would not easily forget Julius Nero’s comments about his sisters being potential legacies in future Games.

“Hello, Mr. Nero.” He replied. “Uh, I’d say that is definitely a possibility. Hopefully it passes quickly.” Lincoln continued, hoping Julius could not hear his gulp on the other line.

Julius paused a moment letting the silence hang uncomfortably between them, because why not? A good poker player never revealed their hand right away and everyone knew that. “Sorry Lincoln, I think this storm is going to be around for a while.” He said with a frown the District Four Victor couldn’t see. It had started with Katniss Everdeen and while the Victors and most of Panem, had given up their rebellious thoughts, they needed to be reminded of the cost of harboring such thoughts.

“How’s the fishing been?” He asked pleasantly as if they were just two old friends catching up. “Spear anything interesting lately? I hear it’s all in your grasp... That you should hold it in the center and make sure to have a good center of balance.” He told Lincoln.  “I have to admit I find them rather cumbersome if I am being honest...”

[juliusanero]

Julius made a face as he stared at the phone resting on the table beside him as he reached for his whiskey instead. Making phone calls, that was what he had an assistant for, but this was a special circumstance and needed his own direct care. Victors owed their lives and livelihoods to the Capitol and just because they were home, they needed to be reminded of this.

“Hello Lincoln,” Julius said in a smooth voice with a sly smile once his call was received. “How is the weather in Four? Looks like a storm rolling in, wouldn’t you say?”

@linconway​​

[juliusanero]

the-effie-trinket‌:

Another sparkling victor from One. So many had been crowned that the appeal of it was lost on Effie. Sure the girl from One was probably the best candidate for victory at this point, but she was sure of one thing. There were many tricks up the gamemakers sleeves. She couldn’t make such assumptions about a victor yet. 

Effie let out a dramatic sigh as Julius denied her the secret she wanted. “You’re a tease, Julius. This job suits you.”

Yes, it was different this year for Twelve. Effie was loyal to her district even if it was the one with the worst record. It was one this for her to playfully harp on it, but she wasn’t going to stand for others doing it. “Well you know those pitiful puppies can have the biggest bite. They’re not as unfortunate as many think. And a few of them are quite clever. Wasn’t it the last quell that a poor puppy from 12 used the arena to their advantage?” Effie recalled how Haymitch in fact used the arena. Though it cost him in the end, Effie was rather proud of him for that moment. 

“Well I would say this arena is very much like a clock, wouldn’t you say? I picked up on that when I saw the wedges. 12 of them. Very unique. As far as I know I haven’t seen or read of an arena coming close to this level of detail.”

“It is why I am one of the best,” he agreed with a laugh. If it wasn’t for Seneca being Head Gamemaker, Julius would probably openly claim to be the best. However, he needed to play the game the smart way for the sake of his future. Julius had a lot of ambition and he had no desire in staying where he was for any longer than he had to. Gamemaker was fun, but it wasn’t the final stop on the road.

Julius had to laugh at her statement because Haymitch was a lot of things. “You don’t get accolades for sheer dumb luck.” Haymitch was lucky he hadn’t bled to death before the other. “Clearly the people in charge had no sense to them,” he started knowing Effie could fill in the gaps from there. They should have gotten rid of Haymitch Abernathy when they had a chance. “Not like he’s had any success for someone that’s so brilliant as you claim. It’s been twenty-five years, someone should have won by sheer luck along so that they haven’t.... ”He made a face. Haymitch couldn’t even get himself together long enough to help a tribute stand a chance.

“Least someone has some sense to notice. It was a rather genius idea. Seneca has them once in a blue moon.”

[juliusanero]

linconway‌:

“If you mean the one from District Four, then sure.” Lincoln replied with an attempt at a cool tone. The words sniveling and crying hardly escaped his notice, but he tried to ignore them for Minnow’s sake. If the male victor was bolder and did not care for the safety of his loved ones, perhaps he would have challenged Julius Nero’s statement. Perhaps he would have highlighted how a polished man like Julius would not last a day in the arena Gamemakers like him devised. Frankly, Lincoln hardly imagined anyone from the Capitol could endure it.

“Buckingham?” He answered with a furrowed brow, turning his attention back to the screen for another moment. The young man watched the next shot of Buckingham de Clare closely before answering Julius. “If you want to play favorites, I guess she makes sense. She already has a few kills under her belt.” He nodded. Buckingham might be a promising tribute, but he would not let that sway his words about Minnow. She could be crowned as well.

A faint frown joined the furrow brow on his face, as he gaped at Julius Nero. The poke about hallucinogenic fog twisted his stomach into knots he desperately yearned to untangle. “I guess it matches the theme you were going for. Those insects, acid-spitting camels, and foxes are all things I’ve seen before.” He offered without any malicious intent. “What better way is there to showcase the last seventy-five years?” 

“Tell me Lincoln, how does it feel to be the last respectable tribute to come from District Four?” He asked with a raised eyebrow as he suppressed a snicker. The Career Districts hardly disappointed since it had never been more than two years since they’d had a victory. It was likely Buckingham would win this year and the trend would continue. “Are you a dying breed? It sure seems like it, wouldn’t you think?”

He shrugged. “I do like my favorites,” Julius pointed out. Being the favorite of Gamemakers was a good position to be in really. They were less likely to be threatened or pay prices for their misdeeds. Julius liked tributes he did not have to constantly remind of their position in the hierarchy. “It’s a rosy place to be, wouldn’t you say?”

“Was the perfect tribute to seventy-five years of fantastic work I agree,” Julius said proudly. There had been many reasons they had gone this way, but he didn’t feel like getting into it with someone that wouldn’t understand. “So, how are the siblings doing? Are they going to be following in their big brother’s footsteps? I am sure the odds would be in their favor and we do love legacies here in the Capitol,” he told Lincoln with a laugh.

[juliusanero]

the-effie-trinket‌:

Effie was not lost on the symbolism of Julius choosing to hand her champagne. She cast him a sideways glance and smiled. “Ironic, isn’t it?” Effie let out a soft laugh and took a sip of the liquid. 

“I’m eager for a victor, could you speed it up? I’d like to fast forward to the parties.” It was rather dull now that her District had not made it past the bloodbath. It made for very long days filled with nothing to do. “I’m not fond of any of them this year. But I suppose maybe when its down to the finale I’ll finally pick someone to pull for.”

His comment about the finale piqued her interest. “Of course you should. What tricks do you have up your sleeves still?”

“Nothing in this world is ironic I suppose, just a little surprising for those who are too stubborn to see the truth staring them in the face,” Julius said with a shrug of his broad shoulders. When it came to the Games he didn’t find much in the way of irony. If he had his way, the games would be a little more interesting, but alas, an issue for another time. Seneca Crane was Head Gamemaker after all.

He chuckled softly. “Don’t worry my dear, you won’t have to wait long for a Victor.” At this rate, they would be done in a matter of days. Much shorter than the weeks it normally took for Panem to crown another Victor. “A little different this year wasn’t it? Without your Girl on Fire...?” A fire they had successfully extinguished before the spark could become too much of a problem. Seneca had a lot of faults but that had been a point in Julius’ book for his colleague.

“Totally lackluster if you ask me,” and clearly Effie had asked him. “Both have the personality of a dead rat,” he told Effie with a shrug. “Panem will be happy enough I guess. They do like rooting for pitiful puppies they can nurture from the outer Districts and well...” He made a face. “The girl from one is another pretty doll District One can put on the shelf with all the others that look the same. Quite useless but pretty to look at. What could you want with a pool of  tributes like we had this year?” Another year, another disappointing Reaping Pool. Perhaps one day they’ll get something worth being excited for.

“Oh, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you!” He said happily recalling what it was they had planned for the finale. “This year has been quite a blast from the past.” And a little reminder to all the other Victors their horrors weren’t quite past them yet in case they got any ideas. “Have you Effie figured out the mystery of the arena yet?” He hadn’t noticed any tributes figure out the clock scheme yet.

[juliusanero]

Julius had to admit he was anxious to crown their Victor and move on. There was still a lingering remembrance about what almost happened in 74 hanging over all of them. Not that being a gamemaker had ever been a very secure position, unless you were someone like Julius, but he wanted to move past it. To plan new horrors challenges for the tributes.

“I have to admit, I am unconcerned with who wins,” he told Effie as he passed her a glass of champagne, which was ironic considering the boy had just been killed by his sister. Oh well, why waste a fantastic beverage. “None of them are rather memorable, wouldn’t you think? Perhaps I should help them out and give them a memorable finale, what do you think?”

@the-effie-trinket​

[juliusanero]

linconway‌:

Lincoln sat uneasily, as the third Quarter Quell continued to unfold. Watching the Hunger Games seemed difficult enough without remembering the sibling pairs in the arena. The elements devised by the Gamemakers only seemed to make matters worse. Frankly, he witnessed too many tributes run into the carnivorous foxes and hallucinogenic fog. The latter made his stomach churn, considering how it correlated to his experience in the Games. Unfortunately, the Gamemakers seemed keen on ensuring he remembered.

He stiffened at Julius Nero’s voice and cleared his throat before responding. “If I could bet, I’d put my money on Minnow Fry from Four.” Lincoln needed to support the female tribute from his district. The young victor just knew Minnow must have plenty more fight in her after everything she survived at home. “I think she can go the distance.” He added, his brow rising at the prospect of next year. Lincoln hardly wanted to think about it.  

“The same sniveling girl who sat crying in the darkness?” He raised an eyebrow looking at the younger Victor. Well, they had never claimed for him to be intelligent. You didn’t have to outsmart your competition if you could just use brute force. Whatever. Victors that were far too dim to know what was best were far easier to keep in Capitol control. “Would you like a second guess? Perhaps another blonde tribute from our favorite District?” District One did seem to have a tendency for blonde Victors, perhaps it was something in the water in District One.

He laughed at the thought of next year. “I mean don’t worry that will be devilishly fantastic too, but...” A small smile spread on Julius’ face. “What did you think of my fog? It was absolutely illuminating once it lifted, wasn’t it?”

[juliusanero]

Julius leaned back in his chair as he watched the rather untimely end of another tribute. Shame they didn’t put up as much of a fight as he would have liked. The mutts were not that bad if the tribute had a brain cell or two to think about it. He had to admit he was a little disappointed that none of the tributes had figured out their little clock motif.

“Five tributes left, who’s your money on?” He asked kind of curious. They had the wild card from Seven, the favorite from One, the pair of Three and Eleven and the girl from Four, what was her name? “Either way, doesn’t it make you more excited for next year?”

[juliusanero]

the-effie-trinket‌:

Effie nodded animatedly, “It’s such a wonderful day for the game. The first quell I can say I was part of. The fanfare of all of this is spectacular!” Effie took a chance to take a sip of her drink as she considered his question. 

Her eyes darted to the screen, eager to see what would happen next. “The anticipation is almost unbearable! I’m quite jealous you already know what’s coming. A favorite? Hmm.” 

“I’ve appreciated all the arenas I can remember, but I have a feeling this one is going to be my favorite. There’s something thrilling about the Quell.”

Julius could not help the chuckle that escaped his lips. “I may know but the best part is seeing how tributes react to what we throw at them.” Most of them were predictable, but there were some that were totally unpredictable and those were the tributes he lived for.  “Some are actually pretty ingenious in their solutions.” It was also maddening when his creations failed to inflict the expected harm, but he wasn’t about to add that little tidbit.

“You will have to let me know what you think of it. I am curious to get feedback on it.”

[juliusanero]

the-effie-trinket‌:

The fanfare of the bloodbath, the drama of the timer clicking downward at an unstoppable pace. It was not lost on Effie. She could appreciate the momentous culmination of the games starting in a heart pounding, terrible bloodbath. It was always a sad day, District 12 no matter how much she tried, never seemed to make it past the bloodbath. 

“Very exciting in dead, are you pleased with how this has all come together?A quell nonetheless, the drama of it all is almost too much!” Effie chirped eagerly.

Julius nodded happily as his eyes darted back to the screen and the drama playing out upon it. It was quite magnificent if he did say so himself. “I am quite pleased actually. It has been a real treat getting to work on such a fantastic day for Panem, don’t you think?” Julius knew as an Escort Effie had to be ecstatic to get the pleasure of being present for a Quell, not everyone did.

He flashed the woman a smile. “I mean if you think this is grand, wait till you see what comes next.” Julius could not disclose the horrors they had planned for the arena, but it was fun to tease them to whoever would listen. “You for one I am sure will appreciate the genius behind it. Do you have a favorite games from the past?”

[juliusanero]

Julius could not help but wait with bated breath as today was the day he had spent the greater part of a year eagerly awaiting. It had started. The Quell was underway and the tributes were in the arena.

“This is undoubtedly fun,” he said motioning to the television screens where the bloodbath was playing out in ultra-high definition and the kills in slow-motion reply in case you did not get enough of it the first time. “But wait till you see what is next.” Oh, how fun that was going to be! The tributes were in for a very special arena and Julius for one could not wait. He had been a gamemaker fifteen years and a lot of his best work was going to be, what he considered, a grand entrance on their screens in the coming hours.

“It’s all very exciting, wouldn’t you say?”

[juliusanero]

giada-diamond‌:

“Well there are certainly people here that I’d prefer not in my clothes.” Her arms came to cross over her chest as she looked the man up and down. “You know, last time I was here, I saw someone painted -  god I hope it was paint - to look like a tiger. With whiskers to match.” She wrinkled her nose, obviously disgusted at the mere idea of it. “Not all in the Capitol fits the into the Giada Luxe lifestyle.” Yes, the Capitol wanted to look perfect just like Diamond but just like everywhere else there were those that were worse off than the best of the group.

“I do hope so. Something other than dogs and tracker jackers, but boring mutts to go with a boring arena I suppose.” She smirked. “Oh absolutely. I mean, Three and Seven scoring as high as Buckingham…” Her shoulders raised in a shrug. It really wasn’t of concern to her - at least she wouldn’t let anyone see that it was. 

Julius had to laugh because he knew people like that. Hell, he had been forced to socialize with people that looked like that. “Sadly, it is probably not painted.” People in the Capitol were big on body modification, but then again, he was lucky he did not need such things to look good. He had been blessed with a naturally good looking face and body.

“I promise it will be anything but boring,” he assured her because this was a Quarter Quell. Quells were a different animal altogether and they were allowed to pull out all the stops. There were no lines that couldn’t be crossed when it came to a big-ticket arena like that of the Quell. “Three and Eleven,” Julius corrected. Surely someone like Diamond kept track of things or he hoped her tributes were more on top of it than their mentor. “I might dare say they are the new favorites going into the games...”

[juliusanero]

giada-diamond‌:

Diamond stopped in her tracks as she heard the man. She blinked once. Did he mean her? Twice. Surely he meant someone else?  And then threw a look around herself before focusing back on the man once more to put a name to his face. Julius Nero, Gamemaker. She rolled her eyes as she looked at the business card in her hand, but made no move to take it from his hand. “No, thank you.” It was said sweetly, the upturn of her lips matching her tone, but there was an irritation in her eyes that was unable to be masked.  

“Lucky for me?” It was a scoff as she pulled her tailored blazer around her. “Please, half the citizens around here own something with my name on it.” She sighed, rolling her eyes again. “Oh, I certainly hope so. Last years games left much to be desired.” Not that she could complain, Glimmer had won, but it was still boring. 

“Meaning that half the people around here do not own something with your name on it. Are you telling me that is acceptable for you, fifty percent? I mean someone has to settle for being mediocre.” He pointed out with a shrug. It was a job someone had to fill in the world and it wasn’t him.

Julius had to admit the Victor had a point there. “That is something we can agree on.” One of the few things he was sure they would ever agree on. “This year surely will be more entertaining. The tributes aren’t the most illuminating, but they do have a few diamonds in the rough, wouldn’t you say?”

[juliusanero]

juleschurch‌:

If she were a tiny bit braver and a lot more stupid, she would have called Julius Nero a jackass. Being neither, Jules Churchill simply thought it and nodded instead. “Friends in the Capitol, interviews, photo-shoots, the Games, all of it. You know, life moves much quicker here than it does in Five.” One way of putting it. “Takes some adjusting.”

He was criticizing her, and it made Jules’ blood burn. “Well, we can’t always get a girl on fire, can we?” Jules snapped at him, her tone just edging on challenging. Bad idea, playing with fire around a gamemaker. But she really couldn’t help herself. “But I guess even she died pretty quickly. But she had an eleven, didn’t she?” Jules shrugged. “I guess scores aren’t everything.”

“Well the average intelligence here is higher than in District Five, don’t you think? Why do you think you’re much more loved here than in the Districts?” He pointed out. Once in a while, you got a proper victor from an outer District. “Surely you feel like people here are more capable of playing the types of games you are capable of playing?”

He nodded and he was glad there were not a lot of “girls on fire”. “But what would Jules Churchill do with a girl on fire? Surely not tangle her in a love affair that she clearly isn’t good at selling and make her a target from the get go.” Haymitch wasn’t exactly what they called... A good mentor, but he did seem to try at least where Katiness was concerned. “Scores mean nothing if you can’t perform when it counts. It’s why she’s in a pine box and a few select people aren’t.”

[juliusanero]

thebuckinghamdc‌:

“no, but those who are watching appreciate a tribute who’s competent,” buckingham replied with a little smile. talking to gamemakers - assuming the man was one - seemed fun. they understood and seemed to like what the career tributes had to offer. she figured they were much more fun than outer district kids who usually floundered. 

“challenges can be fun,” buckingham said after a few moments of careful consideration. she didn’t want to give the man too much leverage over her; she could be asking for a much tougher times in the games than otherwise intended for herself. “true, but in the end she had her face smashed in. i doubt sponsors can save you from that.” buckingham wasn’t stupid - she knew sponsors were what had supplemented katniss’ skill with a bow and got her to the final two but, equally, she knew careers had a natural advantage for the games. the blonde intended to milk that advantage for everything it was worth. “maybe i got my score on purpose, nobody knows but myself.”

“The smarter among us surely do,” he added because he did. As a game maker, Julius was not supposed to have favorites, but he did. The Districts like One and Two gave him a challenge. Their tributes could find ways to best his creations and make him come up with something new. Julius loved a challenge which was why he tolerated those from Districts One and Two more.

He shrugged. “Perhaps the sponsors had nothing to do with it.” It had always been in the plan to get rid of Katniss Everdeen. People like Katniss tried to upend the status quo and they didn’t need that. “Who do you think sends or don’t send the gifts that sponsors want to send?” The Gamemakers had control over the games once the games started and it was their job to make a good show. “We will find out, won’t we? We’ll see if you can live up to Glimmer, can yu do it?”