Setting: Florakis basement, Mr. Florakis has just had a meeting with the kids regarding which Games they are now supposed to volunteer for.
Missy: The news of President Pricus' passing had been taken fairly hard by the Florakis family, they were very proud of their President. However, Missy wasn't overly concerned about the political state of Panem. She was more upset that her father had just suggested she and Christos go into the arena separately, since the number of Games per year had been increased. Once they were all dismissed, Missy subtly nudged Christos and gestured to the basement so they could talk in private. When they went down the stairs, she turned to face her brother, "We need to talk."
Christos: He still didn't forgive her. He doubted he ever would. Even now that it seemed to be rectified. Two Games per year meant that he could go in during one and Chrysothemis could go in during another. Christos, for the first time since his twin stabbed him in the back with her scheming, felt calm. Especially since he knew their father would have them do exactly that: go into two different Games for better odds. After the meeting, Christos had planned to get something to eat but Chrysothemis had other plans and he rolled his eyes as he followed her to the basement. He smoothly raised his eyebrows. "Do we? Whatever about?"
Missy: "Did you just hear father?" She asked, clearly annoyed by her brother's indifference. "He wants us to go into the arena separately. That won't end well for either of us." She folded her arms across her chest. She had already convinced her father and grandfather that them going in together was a good idea. Now she had to convince Christos.
Christos: There was no stopping the cough of laughter that came from him before he pushed past his twin sister, further into the basement. "You are the one who wanted us to go in at the same time, Chrysothemis. I never wanted that. This just puts me back where I wanted to be." He picked up one of the bladed weapons hanging from the wall and inspected it. "Why should we go in together?"
Missy: She huffed and glared at him, but let him move past her. She really hated the basement, but it was the only place without someone listening constantly. Without even thinking about it, she pouted and said in her sweet, friendly voice, "Listen, Christos. You are my brother, my best friend. I want to go in to help you win. You deserve it, our family deserves it. You can kill me when we get to the final two." She was clearly well rehearsed.
Christos: That tone was nothing if not wheedling and Christos immediately wanted to strangle his sister. He turned to look at her and gave her a rather blank look. "Cut the shit, Chrysothemis. You know I see right through that. I don't know what your angle is for getting me into that Arena with you, but you're going to have to make it a better reason than that." He strode toward her, the weapon still in his hand - far too casually than it should be. Best friend his ass. Carlix had been her best friend and she'd nearly killed him all because Father said to. Christos knew better.
Missy: Immediately, her voice went back to normal and her jaw tightened. She looked at the weapon in her brother's hand and went to go stand in a separate corner of the basement, she clearly wanted to put space between them. "I am being serious Christos. Besides, if you go in the spring and win, and I go in the fall and win, guess what? You won't be the favorite anymore, I will. If we go in together, only one of us will come out, and neither of us will have to fight for attention anymore." She smiled tauntingly, "Unless you're too much of a princess to fight me."
Christos: A satisfied smirk spread across his face when she put distance between them. Chrysothemis was an excellent fighter, but he excelled in the areas she wasn't as brilliant in and they both knew it. He idly swung the sword as if it were nothing but a ribbon that the young children played with during celebrations. She taunted him then and the sword stopped uncomfortably fast, he pinned her with his gaze. "I'm not the one who moved away when a blade was picked up just now," he stated evenly. "Perhaps you're too much of a princess to fight me unless your ass can be saved by donations." Christos took a step closer to her but didn't close any distance. "You're poking at the wrong side of me, dear sister. I don't give a damn about being favorite." She was goading and appealing to the side of him she thought he had because she had it. Christos didn't thrive off attention; he thrived off retaliation.
Missy: "I have won fights against you without donations plenty of times. If you put down the sword, I could kick your ass right now." She said a little angrily. He was pushing her buttons and she knew it. Missy took a deep breath, not allowing herself to lose control again, and her tone was one again soft, "Actually, Toast, donations are another reason why you should want me to go in with you. You have the personality of a tree stump. At least the people of District One like me, some of the Victors even like me. Everyone tolerates you. It'll be so easy for sponsors to sponsor literally any other career because you are too boring to watch on screen."
Christos: He did barely anything to fight the eye roll he gave her at her first statement, though he was amused to notice she was getting angry with him. It was always more entertaining when she was showing her true colors and not being the saccharine girl she thought everyone needed her to be. Christos blinked; once, twice, three times, and then said: "Did you just liken me to a tree stump?" Because that was what he focused on, not the truth in her words. He would have a better chance of winning if she were there to act as a buffer between him and the rest of Panem. He wasn't likely to gain any fans with how impersonal he was.
Missy: She couldn't help but smile devilishly as her brother processed her words, "Yeah, but that was a generous comparison. I'm sure I can find many more objects that have more personality than you." Missy was annoyed that he ignored all of her other talking points. "If we really play up the whole twin thing we will have tons of sponsors. You wouldn't even have to do anything except for pointing and grunting, which are your two specialties." She knew now she was being a bitch, but Christos deserved it.
Christos: With a sigh, he turned his back to her - likely not the best thing to do - and started to work on his sword movements. As she kept talking, continued to insult him, he felt his shoulders tense but he refused to let it show. "You think Father is going to like you going against his wishes twice?" His tone was grave this time; far more serious than it had been their entire interaction.
Missy: She shrugged and sat down, leaning against the wall as he worked on his sword movements. "It would only be once, actually," she corrected. "I overheard father and grandfather talking about how I had no chance of winning because I'm a girl, so I had their blessing to go in with you the first time." She looked at the mat, where she had fought Carlix, her words were distant as she could see her brother lying on the mat. "He can't kick us out like he kicked out Carlix. He wants to win, and we are both still going into the arena no matter what."
Christos: He listened to his twin, though he didn't stop moving until he heard the distance in her tone of voice. He glanced over at her to see her staring at the mat where she'd nearly killed Carlix. Christos could still remember having to pull her off because she did something she'd regret. Chrysothemis and Christos were similar: both power hungry and wanting to be the best. But she had a softer spot in her heart for Carlix and wouldn't have forgiven herself if she'd been the death of him. Or, at least, that's what Christos assumed. Sometimes Chrysothemis was such a conundrum he had no idea what was going through her head. "They underestimate you. Foolish on their part," he said, a compliment that he didn't bother to hide. "So they'll expect you to go in first. Because if you fail, I'll be able to redeem our family's name."
Missy: Missy didn't look back at Christos, but she was surprised that Christos complimented her. She shrugged again, as though indifferent, "Everyone always underestimates me." Part of it was her own fault- when she was a kid if she didn't want to fight she would throw a tantrum so one of her siblings, usually Christos, would come and save her. It was how she was raised, her mother told her to get people to like her and she would never have to work hard in her life. She finally looked back at Christos, "Probably. That surprised me, because you were supposed to go in first. But I guess Father thinks that six more months of training won't necessarily do me any good…" She refused to be sentimental over her father's lack of approval, "Aren't you tired of fighting with me, anyway? If we go in together, it ends once we get to the final two."
Christos: Christos stopped what he was doing completely and studied his twin. There wasn't any softer spot in his heart for her, but perhaps there was a bond stronger than any other he felt because they were twins. After a few beats once she'd finished speaking, he put the sword away and took a seat across from her. "Tired of fighting with you, Chrysanthemum? Never. You're my only worthy opponent." It was rare for Christos to be so teasing in a good natured way, but he was with her sometimes. "Final two and then you'll kill me," he stated blandly, with a shrug and a smirk. "Or try to. Alright. We'll go in together, but..." Christos dipped his head to catch her gaze and hold it. "We don't tell Father."
Missy: She watched as he put his sword away and took a seat across from her. She folded her legs underneath her to give him some more space, and genuinely smiled when he called her Chrysanthemum. It was a stupid nickname, almost as stupid as Toast, but it still made her happy, and nostalgic for simpler times. When they were kids, Missy looked at training like a game, but it wasn't fun anymore. "I feel the same way, Toast." He was her equal, for sure. They each had opposite strengths and weaknesses. "I think it'll be close," she admitted quietly, "but you will probably win." Christos was much better with a weapon, and when he acquired one in the arena, he would be hard to beat. She met his gaze and nodded, "Fine, we won't tell. Which Games do we go for? I think if we try to go for the spring he may be too angry we are going in together and won't send donations. If we wait until fall, things will settle down, right? I may still have to go stay with Mimi for awhile." She knew that her father would be mad at both of them for waiting until the Spring Games, but ultimately, Missy would be the one to blame for not volunteering when he told her to.
Christos: The softness that he'd been exhibiting seemed to disappear and he smirked at her telling him he'd probably win. "I will," he agreed readily, confident and without any hesitation. "But I'll let you have a fighting chance." Christos ran a hand through his hair, brushing it from his eyes, as he waited for Chrysothemis to agree with him and when she did, he nodded too. But her question was a valid one and he exhaled slowly as he thought it over. "Fall. You need to train as much as possible if you're going to go with me to the end. I'll handle Father, tell him you need that training and I should be the one to go into the Spring games and then I just..." Christos shrugged. "Won't. He won't be pleased but I'll make sure he understands." He didn't know how he'd make him understand, but he would. It wasn't like Carlix not volunteering. Christos would volunteer... just not when their father wanted him to.
Missy: "No matter who wins," she said, ignoring her brother's very confident answer, "we can at least agree to make it quick and painless." A sigh of relief escaped her lips when Christos offered to speak to their father. "He will listen to you before he listens to me. Let's not tell the other kids either. One of them will be bound to let it slip. Fall Games it is… Deal?" She her out her hand for him to shake and to seal the deal.
Christos: He didn't miss the sigh of relief and it made him shrug some. She was right. He would listen to Christos before he ever listened to Chrysothemis. Christos was also least likely to get punished for it. He'd meant what he'd said. He didn't care about being the favorite. But it did have its perks. There was a beat of hesitation before he reached out and shook his sister's hand. "Deal. Better train up on everything, Chrysothemis, my tree stump personality might be the hardest thing to beat." He raised his eyebrows with a smirk and stood up, turning to head back upstairs.
Missy: She stood up with him and laughed, nudging him slightly as she followed him, "I'm not worried about your tree stump personality," she assured him. But she felt relief knowing that, even though one of them would die in the arena, the would be together until the bitter end.
