Pluto adored the interviews- watching the unfortunate souls crack under pressure, seeing their terror as they were faced with yet another intrusive question, noting how their emotions raged out of control as they struggled to maintain their composure. There was a certain level of enjoyment in that for Pluto, though he could hardly imagine being on the other end. Those fateful minutes could decide who managed to survive past day one, to the final few, sometimes even the victor. The others attempted to scrape by, faced with even more challenges, and how he loved watching them twist and turn.

Of the two interviewers, Pluto was fonder of Brutus Twinkle, who consistently extracted the juiciest information out of every year's tribute harvest. Shimmer Junius, on the other hand, just made him feel... uncomfortable, to say the least, with her ditzy, naive attitude. She would surely be the first to go when Pluto was head Gamemaker.

He humphed for the thousandth time at the reminder- that it could have finally happened this year if it not for the lesser Gamemaker. She enjoyed the regular parts of gamemaking- the torture, the fighting, the death. Pluto, of course, was fond of those aspects as well, but he saw the importance in other moments in the Games. Seeing how they reacted after leaving their private training session. Watching them receive their scores, whether in joy or misery. After the first kill, if they made it that far. Observing a victor sink into the depths of what they had done. Every life cycle of a games was chopped full of so much detail, details that a certain Gamemaker tended to miss.

A superficially nonchalant aura surrounding her, the other, less important Gamemaker entered the room. Paella appeared as happy as one could look with an eternal scowl, scanning workers below. As usual, her gaze transformed to a rather unpleasant one as their eyes met. With a disappointed scoff, she broke the stare, walking over to her personal, extravagant armchair, a mirror image of Pluto's. After an eternity of silently sipping her coffee and attempting to disguise her scowl, her piercing voice engaged in a tense conversation with her.... friend? It was a term one could barely refer to them as, if at all.

"What time is it?" Paella questioned him, making zero eye contact, yet somehow retaining some attention to whatever he might be saying. She tended to be terrible at communication skills, yet still somehow managed to persuade the president to give her the position... all while most likely looking at her hands.

"Sometime around 17:00."

She glanced up from her hot drink, finally being a tad social. "Oh really?" The Gamemaker snarled. "You think I don't know that? Of course that's about what time it is- that's when the interviews start! But, they obviously haven't. Can't you give me an exact time? What is the cause of this delay?"

Pluto shook his head as he turned around, rolling his eyes indiscreetly. Paella just didn't understand the importance of everything. He leaned back in his chair, waiting for one of his favorite moments to start. It would be absolutely divine to spectate tributes etching their short futures into a diamond, so hard no cut could alter their fate.

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THE TASK:

The time has come for your tribute to be interviewed.

At first, everything appears to be going traditionally- your tribute is all decked out in extravagant Capital clothing, every bit of them styled to the point where they almost don't feel like themselves. Waiting for your turn to take the stage in a small, unassuming room lined with benches, you may study the other tributes, or perhaps attempt to prepare yourself for the questions. The room is filled with an unavoidable aura of anxiety.

Your name is called by a grim Peacekeeper, and you cautiously follow them down a hall. The walls transform from a pristine white to a soft caramel to the scarlet of blood, and the floor from polished tiles to homey hardwood planks. The march continues, and you begin to grow suspicious of the long distance. Why would they have positioned the tributes so far from the stage?

Eventually the Peacekeeper halts in front of double doors decorated with intricate, wandering designs, stretching like golden vines across the entry, which appears to be made purely of the precious metal. Grasping the twin handles, the guard pushes the doors inward, sending a blinding light into your eyes for a fraction of a second. As your sight recovers, the Peacekeeper motions you inward.

As you glance about, your eyes land on a magnificent collection of written works, mahogany shelves climbing insanely high in the brightly lit hall. A gargantuan window splits the reading material's storage space, offering a view of a quaint, impeccably-tended-to flower garden, consisting mostly of soft white roses. A gently tinkling stream drips into a tiny pond in the midst of the garden. A library, yet again- how... Nice. You're unsure exactly what's going on. Turning back to the Peacekeeper, you realize you are alone. If you choose to approach the now shut doors, you will find they have been locked from the outside. This will probably send you into some state of panic.

This is when the books start speaking to you.

From the rustling of their pages you will hear words, and they will ask you questions about yourself. You might briefly wonder if you're going insane, or try to destroy the books talking to you. The questions they ask are entirely up to you, just choose ones you think will tell the sponsors more about your tribute. One point will be deducted if you ask a stupid question, like, "What's your favorite color?" That isn't the point of the task, people! The Gamemakers are trying to help you get to know your tribute better during these pre-game tasks so you can excel once tributes are eliminated. We're also hoping for some emotion, and would recommend having the books touch on sensitive topics.

After a minimum of three questions, or however many you see fit, one book will drop from the shelf, and the door will unlock. Be sure to pick up this book and take it with you, for it is required for the next task. However, do not name the title/author on the book.

Word count maximum: 2250

Due Date:

EST: Wednesday, 25 May 2016, 21:00pm

CST: Wednesday, 25 May 2016, 20:00pm

MST: Wednesday, 25 May 2016, 19:00pm

PST: Wednesday, 25 May 2016, 18:00pm

GMT: Thursday, 26 May 2016, 02:00am

BST: Thursday, 26 May 2016, 03:00am

GMT+3: Thursday, 26 May 2016, 05:00am

UTC+8: Thursday, 26 May 2016, 10:00am

AEST: Thursday, 26 May 2016, 12:00pm

If your time zone has not been listed or you have difficulties converting, alert us and it will be added.

Deaths/Ballots:

Deaths: None, as the games have not begun yet.

Ballots: 1

Bonuses:

First Entry: +0.5

Most Creative Question(s): +1

BALLOT CHALLENGES:

As this is an even task, ballot challenges will be received. Rankings will also only be posted during even tasks, though all ballots count.

1. Rosella Van Carter (5)- You have certainly attracted a lot of attention already, and for that you shall be rewarded. Your maximum word count has been extended to 2750.

2. Flame Pheonix Pirkas, Conn Sephra, Regan Twiyl (2)- You've captured some attention, but not enough to impress us. As we're curious about you all the same, you must include a flashback in your entry that lasts at least 350 words to reveal more about your past.

3. Ruby Grace Faberson, Kanai Lathan, Katelyn "Kate" Dodger (1)- We're not sure about all of you yet. However, we'd like to see what you think of each other- you must reference the two other tributes balloted once somewhere in your entry.

4. Not Listed- You've escaped notice so far... we've decided to leave your fate in the hands of your competitors. If you are not balloted this round you will have .5 deducted from your score.

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We know this has some similarities to the last task, which we apologize for. However, things are definitely about to pick up once the Games truly begin in Task Three!