ONE YEAR LATER

A Victor's life can be as dull as it would seem. I'd fought twenty-three other kids in a death match and won. I couldn't really top that. For a Victor from Two, there were a few choices. I could teach at the Academy, tutor privately, or generally be a celebrity. I'd seen enough violence to work at the Academy, plus there was that time an Academy hopeful, a girl who couldn't have been more than six, handed me a drawing of me killing Kazuo and said I was her hero. What kind of parents does she have? Parents just like mine, I suppose.

There were the usual Capitol fusses and parties, but those were like pulling teeth to me. Megara dutifully reminded me to find a talent and offered no help, so I pretended to look for one. I spoke at the Academy graduation and at some Peacekeeper events. Mostly I sat at home and threw weapons at things. It didn't have the same thrill.

The rest of the Victors gathered with me during my second initiation. Rudolf Shmits had just completed his Games, and we were welcoming him to the pack. I might should have been resentful, since his victory meant the death of my first two proteges, but he deserved it. He'd taken out seven people- one more than I had- with some pretty kicking traps. Best of all, he wasn't scared of me.

I should have expected it. Everyone from the Capitol was terrified of "Silver Claws". In hindsight, painting my nails silver during my own initiation wasn't going to make me many friends. Even back in Two people scooted away when they saw me on the streets. I was the ideal citizen of Two. Bunch of hypocrites.

I could get used to Rudolf's face around the Capitol. He was a foot taller than I was, and he looked striking even before the Capitolites sharpened him up. Most of the other Victors were a little scared of him, too. He knew to put on a good show with the Tributes he snared, and his Arena, a sunless rocky plain, only made him more foreboding. He slipped away to a corner table in a dimly lit bar. When I found him, I took the stool next to him.

"Aren't you a bit young to drink?" I asked with a smirk.

"What'll it be for you, a thimbleful?" he shot back.

"Good one. You're not afraid of mean old Silver Claws Jager?" I asked. Truth was, I was a lightweight, but I knew my way around a drink. Nobody was about to tell Silver Claws she wasn't legal. I flagged down the bartender and told him to surprise me.

"Not if you aren't afraid of Ruthless Rudolph," he said. That got a laugh.

"Are they really calling you that?" I asked. His smile faded.

"No. They don't call me anything. They just hope I go away," he said. I'd never heard him say so many words since he arrived in the Capitol before the Games. We didn't talk much more after that. We just kept each other company as only two Victors could. At the end of the night, I offered to show him around the Capitol sometime. I also offered to show him around my room.

Soon enough, it was time for his Victory tour. My own had been more entertaining than I'd hoped. Of course, I wasn't popular in any District but Two, but I got by. I didn't relish looking at twenty-three grieving families. It all seemed so pointless. I had to do something. Technically I wasn't allowed to share my award money with the other Districts, but there was nothing against a little bouquet of flowers. The Capitol didn't need to know that when Kazuo's girl unwrapped her blue roses, a small fortune fell out. I couldn't bring the lost children back, but maybe their families got a little comfort.

After Rudolf got back from his tour, I showed him around the Capitol some more, and I never really stopped. It wasn't like we had anyone else to go to. People were terrified of us or disturbed by us. They seemed to agree we were a fitting match. After a few months, he came to visit me in my Victor's Village house. It turned out to be a very long visit.

It was hard to learn to feel after so many years. It didn't come easy, and we're still a cold pair. The only thing I usually feel is the emptiness Artemis left. She'd be glad I won, but I'd be more glad if she had too. Other than that, the only thing keeping me from dying of boredom is Rudolph. It wasn't easy for either of us to let someone else into our lives, and we're still not completely open. A Victor's life is a lonely one, but at least we're alone together.

There we have it. It seems Pray, of all people, has found a match. If you stick around for the long haul, you may find her offspring are significant as well. Sorry about the tense changes. This was sort of half-recount and half-current. Of course, Pray will appear in future fics, and if her submitter adds more stuff or a talent I'll add that. I will, also of course, be starting a new SYOT soon, but I plan to take a few days to arrange the Tributes and get everything in order, so it will be a few days before any new actual story goes up. I'll be posting some info on the new SYOT posthaste.