The second Venenius had woken up that morning, he'd noticed there was something off. The world around him used to be both a cacophony of assorted noises and growls on the common day, something he'd grown used to. Though this time was gleaming, almost glazed over with a thin layer of silence. Everything was too still - too calm - to possibly lead to any good. Normally he could hear birds in the sky or rustling in the woods, but today there was nothing but him, the forest, and Adonis' constant snoring.

It made Venenius wonder why he still stuck around, although he knew he had very little choice in the doing. There were still fifteen others, and having made the mistake of feeding Aeren and Thirteen to the plant too early, he had to keep her around for a bit still. Thankfully, Adonis was by far the most tolerable member of his alliance, and so he assumed he could get through a few more days without losing his temper.

When the earth began to shake, however, he knew he was going to have readjust his plans.

Allium on the other hand was cracked and broken, a heaping pile of sack when the cavern changed before her eyes. The tiny shifts in it's plates, the surfacing rock that once seemed to lay peacefully was now shaking around as if the sea itself was trying to wallop her whole. Sweat plastered the ends of her the loose strands with as much dust and grime as they could hold. With a single string of profanity, she covered the span of the rock cliff she'd been resting in and leaned over the edge in hopes to see the cause for this disturbance.

Of course, the idea of moving her aching body seemed to be the last thing on Allium's mind as she crawled with burning arms and wounded legs. Small tears sprouted in the edge of her vision, tiny enough that she didn't bother to wipe away as she peered through the thick brush that grew around. The hot spring that she'd been using to bathe in and scrub her skin raw caused steam to collect in the air and made everything appear through a haze.

The ground beneath had rolled up into itself, causing it to not only bubble but also spew molten blocks of drying magma. She knew from a heads up that the part of the arena she was placed in had to be sitting on a hot spot beneath the crust. 

It was just the count of how long it would  take before she could move. 

Her only change for safety would have to be the sea. The same thing that had nearly taken her head off only distances ago. Just the thought sent tumbling anxiety to reappear and send Allium's hands shaking. 

It didn't come as much of a surprise to Venenius that the Gamemakers would try this approach; the past few days had been so content with the small coven they'd made as a home. Though the mere thought of this being a shock to him was almost lighthearted enough to laugh. Venenius knew this was meant to drive them together and was therefore completely survivable, but he also knew that they wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who didn't cooperate. All he had to do if he wanted to make it through this day was play along with the game and hope that when the night brinks that the other tributes wouldn't come out to play.

With every shaking of the ground, Venenius found himself being thrown around like a rag doll, struggling to get back to his feet. He knew he should be stronger than this, but the lack of supplies and sleep seemed to be taking a toll on him. As he fell to the ground for the third time, he felt a twist in his ankle and realized that he had perhaps played along a bit too well. For the first time, it hit him that his attempt to appease and manipulate the audience could potentially lead to his death.

The ground seemed to consume her for ankle to neck as she coursed through the frigid waters. Allium's hair turned to practically icicles as the frost nipped and bit at her tender skin. The waves carried her off. A fighting force she knew would be harder to accomplish, overcome and admit victory. It would have to do. 

Anything besides this was what she hoped for. Knowing it was a long shot but still accepting the chances. It was such a disastrous thing that these Gamemakers were. It killed her inside to know it was her father that brought this on. She wasn't born to see him reign as a tyrant over the first, but she could only imagine how brutally intimidating it was. 

The water that had played around in her lungs, tying knots around her ribs and in the end caused her lips to turn blue was beginning to disperse. Each cough sent her spiraling into the next of her fits. Casually bending over the sandy edge, on hands and knees as she clenched the tiny grains between her fingers, looking for a hand lock. It came hard. Each of the ratchet croaks she let out only brought on another set of raw throat and cracked movements. 

That's when she saw Venenius. 

When he saw the dark locks that were so easy to attribute to Allium, Venenius almost gave up hope. Of all people he could have bumped into, she would not have been very high on the list; having both the physical strength to kill him if she so wished, and the level head to avoid most manipulation, running into her might as well have been Venenius' worst nightmare. Thankfully, she had one flaw he hoped he could still exploit, assuming the Games hadn't shifted her outlook on everything about her yet.

Yet he still seemed to caught her off guard as he approached her cowering figure. Even from here she looked nothing of the title she held. He still had no idea the affects the games had on Allium considering the only time they exchanged glances was during the interview. Hair plastered the edges of her face and clumps of seaweed and other strewn debris collected in the matted strands of her hair. Although, from the sight, he doubted she could care less. 

Allium's eyes still froze when coming to his face. Speculating every inch of visible flesh, and calculating the slight limp she noticed that was starting to form in his right ankle. The trees were viscous, but by the looks, he was almost positive the girl before him had just went to Hell and back. 

"I'm not surprised I'm going to wind up being killed by an Anthromis," he said. "Your father seemed to despise me - something about me being too small to be a Career. He'll be so pleased with you."

She blinks at him, titling low and waiting a moment to answer, "I'm nothing like the man you call Leader."

"Aren't you?" he toyed, knowing he was playing teetering on a tightrope that had started to unravel. 

Venenius could see the wheels in her head spinning, and in that moment he became well aware that he was going to survive this encounter. Truly, it was Allium who gathered that he was in no state of mind to enter into a battle of treason with him. Not to mention she acknowledged his aim. Anyone that was willing enough to come close with a sentence about Cadelon was sinister itself. Though none of that seemed to matter as Venenius started to reel on all the advantages this could bring.

he had probably managed to land himself one of the more convenient allies; his position in the Games had improved considerably. It took all of his focus not to let a smirk crawl onto his face, but he found a way, knowing that it would only betray his satisfaction and jeopardize the outcome of this meeting.

Having enough of the silent glares and side eyes that became the whole of their conversation. Allium couldn't help but let out a retort, something flimsy but seemed to fill the silence, "weren't you supposed to be with the Careers?"

"Yeah, but I got lost. Been trying to find you since." She didn't know whether to accept this as a peace offering. A Treaty of Paris ordeal, or if this was a tactic to secure a place of security with her before lodging a dagger in her back. 

"Then today's your lucky day, isn't it?"

He nodded his head and shook her hand, sealing their deal with one simple moment. He knew she would never outright state that she'd been so repulsed by the comparison to her father that she couldn't picture herself proving Venenius right, but it was the truth and that was what mattered. After all, he was going to live to see another day, and most likely quite a few more, and he no longer had to put up with his other alliance. All in all, today had been a good day.

Venenius Linguore hadn't lost yet.

Allium Anthromis was just starting.