Diomache Rayn
The others were no doubt still a little astounded by the marvel that was the Capitol's technology, but the novelty had long since worn off for Dio. The cameras, and by extension all of Panem, would see that Rayn, the girl from District Four, was the heir to a victor in not only name, but in her composure as well. Her mother had set to her task with a grim determination, twenty years ago. She made allies, formed bonds, swayed others into protecting her, convinced them that she could certainly pull her own weight. And then, in the arena, she took them by storm. No one laid a hand on her for the entirety of the games.
Dio had seen the footage countless times. How she'd made a beeline for the fishing net she saw at the Cornucopia, snagged it, managing to get her hands on a knife as well. Then she'd bolted for the treeline. The tropical forest setting of that year's games had suited her perfectly. She had stalked the jungle, living off the land, mainly a diet of fish and the edible berries. That net saved her life. She caught all her prey with it, in both the animal and human varieties. It had been so hard for the massive boy from Eleven to swing his fists when all tangled up in that.
Of course, Dio knew more tricks than just the net. It was not openly condoned, but of course her mother had trained her. There was no one here that was quicker in a knife fight, lighter on their feet, or as deceptively strong. Her score of eleven with the Gamemakers had proved that. Only one other competitor had scored that high, the boy from District Two, Scipio. Needless to say, she was very interested in meeting him. Their respective strengths would compliment each other very well. Scipio had given away his skill with the mace in his interview. Dio had to say the idea of shadowing someone like him was ideal. He'd draw a good deal of attention. Dio would certainly be willing to watch his back... to a certain extent.
But all that would come later. For now, there was dinner to attend to. As with the other things, Dio was more accustomed to Capitol foods than most. Being the daughter of a previous champion had its advantages, after all. And the train was... well, a train. The one that had taken her to the Capitol from her district was the first she'd ridden on, but still, her mother had prepared her even for this. Occasionally, Dio found herself wishing she were here, as her mentor, but then she reminded herself that this was her time, her chance for glory. Her mother being here would have lessened Dio's achievements.
Her hair had been perfected to a gleaming, shining black, smooth and silky. She didn't worry too much about dressing up; it wasn't as though her outfits were going to intimidate anyone, and her score had done more than enough to speak for her strength. She wasn't here to impress her fellow tributes, she was here to kill them. So she settled on a simple dark blue cotton shirt, a comfortable pair of jeans and... sandals. She wasn't really in the mood to wear shoes today.
Dio didn't really hear the ruckus of her fellow Four yelling outside, or else she probably would have waited longer. But she was a little absorbed in her thoughts as she left her room, and it was only once she'd stepped outside that she noticed him. He gave her a casual 'hey' as she fumbled for the briefest of moments thinking what to do. But nothing needed to be done. He was just another of the tributes. It was stupid that she even had to remind herself of that.
Her face settled into a stony look, not a piercing glare or anything, like the one she'd given him after the interview, when the last question had been about him, and she'd nearly ruined her entire performance. It was indifference, more like. Dio felt that it was important to not show any emotion around him. Or rather, to prevent him from bringing out her emotions, as he was the only one who seemed capable of doing so.
"Niles," was all she gave in greeting, but it was in fact more than he'd given her. Perhaps he was catching on to the fact that she wasn't interested in pretending they were still the childhood friends they had once been, or the teenage lovers they had almost been. That was a different time, and a different girl.
She deftly slid by him, not making any kind of contact with him, before carrying on towards the dining room, a definite sense of purpose in her step. Sooner or later the subject of her interview would come up, she knew. She had practically (and stupidly) offered him a place in the alliance she was planning to create. And Niles would be a fool to pass that up, for any reason. She was an incredibly strong competitor and a useful ally and, well... if he was planning to get close enough to her to try and develop something these last nine months, that would be the way to do it. But she wouldn't let him in.
She couldn't.