Chapter 88 - 500 Miles

The following day Kaiser woke up a bit later. Since Aster's stylists had determined that they would need a bit more time with her Kaiser's team had decided to start later since they wanted to finish nearly at the same point in time, allowing Kaiser to enjoy a wonderful breakfast with his mentors, allowing him to once more go over the most important parts with them.

The previous day they had decided that this day before the interview would belong entirely to the stylists and their teams. Hair, nails and skin is being polished and beautified to the highest degree. Due to him being a guy they don't do too much and opted to leave it closer to his natural look. His long black hair is simply being washed and treated well, falling in long, straight lines down his back and in parts over his shoulders. Soon after the team of stylist tell him to wait since they are far ahead on schedule.

Close to an hour later Kaiser can be seen lounging on a comfortable red armchair in a cozy black robe reading a Capitol magazine. Before the interview were starting it wouldn't hurt to pick up some recent rumors about the more famous ones. Throwing the magazine onto a growing pile placed on top of a small table in front of him next to a slightly steaming cup of tea and a box of biscuits he reclined before sighing. Taking a large sip of tea he closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the taste of his exquisite tea. When he opened them again he saw the smiling face that belonged to one of his prep team members. It was the male. Augustus. "What is it Augustus? Is there anything in particular you need?"

"I was tasked with calling you but since I saw you enjoying yourself I decided to wait for a short while. Now please follow me if you are ready."

"Very well. I hope this won't take long."

The man smiled before replying with a wide smile: "No worries. It won't take long. Rest assured."

Once they stood before a large mirror Aurumia asked Kaiser to put on a blindfold since she wanted his outfit to be a surprise. Because of that equipping everything became far more interesting and challenging. From what he could sense the outfit was quite heavy and relatively tight without loosing to much flexibility however. Slowly they fitted everything before pulling his hair outside, allowing it to flow over his new costume. Soon after they lifted his blindfold. To say he was surprised was an understatement.

A smooth black b.r.e.a.s.tplate and pauldrons covered his upper body while his stomach was covered in the dark black leathery fabric of the long sleeved shirt he wore underneath. Black gauntlets covered his hands, reaching up to his elbows, giving them a bit of a scaly look. A wide belt with a long and wide sash reached down, ending just above his knees. Long and slightly baggy trousers made of the same material as the shirt covered his legs. His knees were protected with a wide almost circular piece of blacked metal that wrapped around it and was secured tightly by many thin strips of black leather which were almost invisible before the background of his trousers. Below metal plated tight and tough leather boots that almost reached his knees protected his feet. A long veil like cape which had been tattered like the one he had worn during the opening ceremony fluttered behind him, ending just about 30 centimeters before reaching the ground, hindering him in no way.

Shortly after they left Kaiser's apartment, meeting up with the others. Meeting Aster in front of the elevator he was quite surprised. Contrary to his warrior look with armor all over his body they had chosen to stuff Aster into a long white smooth flowing dress. Inlaid he can see countless vines in various shades of green creeping up from its seam, flowers blooming, birds looking on hidden between them. A gold and silver diadem had been placed on top of her head with many amethysts and rubies inlaid to form various patterns. Her team had woven many threads of silver inside it so that it looked like they were connected to the diadem. Golden earrings with small diamonds as well as a fitting necklace complemented it. Wearing her usual golden bracelet she smiles at him.

"Don't you look fancy today. Why don't you keep it for when the games begin?"

"I'd sure like to but I doubt they would permit this. Though you look quite beautiful as well in that dress. Are you really sure you want to wear this? You'll break the heart of every person in the capitol."

"That was the plan after all so I'm delighted to hear that evaluation from you. Though I'm sure that all the girls will probably come after you. Their dark knight will chase them even in their dreams."

Chuckling they all entered the elevator to drive towards the base level of the training center. From his window in his room Kaiser had seen countless people running around below like ants to build a large stage in front of it. At last they would reveal themselves to the public. At last they would have their stage.

Exiting they waited around in the enormous lobby. It would still take a long time before they would be able to present themselves. Slowly all tributes gathered in a long line with the ones from District 1 in front, the male to the left and the woman to the right. About two minutes later all of them move, slowly crossing the hall making their way onto the stage. Many are clearly nervous, shaking and sweating buckets despite their one day of training. Sitting down in thrown-like seats at the back Kaiser decided to watch the many people that had gathered here. Prestigious people have their own balcony with the stylists in the front row, same as the Gamemakers as well as a few film crews. A large screen behind them projected a countdown after which Ceasar Flickerman would begin his usual show. This year he had decided to showcase a bony white hair color together with his deep blue suit that was covered with almost countless tiny light bulbs that made it look like the night sky. Secretly Kaiser was relieved. At least he hadn't decided to show up in weird yellow colored hair that looked like piss.

As soon as the countdown had ended with the beginning of a band that played an opening theme during which Ceasar came to the front waving and smiling towards the many visitors. Once the applause and music had ended Ceasar began to truly interact with his audience. After a few jokes to start everything off the interviews begin. Before he can introduce the first tribute however he gets a bit more serious.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. This year will be a very special year. As you might have noticed what we have already seen prior to this interview was just to fascinating. Because of that President Snow has declared that this year the time we'll have for each individual interview will depend on their score. The higher the score, the longer the interview."

Earning loud applause and agreeing shouts from the audience he bows before turning slightly, beckoning for the first tribute to come towards him. The first tribute, Superbia from District 1 walks towards the center of the stage in her high heeled shoes and a long golden dress which is completely covered in jewels of all shapes, sizes and coloration. Seeing that Clearly going for the s.e.xy and attractive style Kaiser leans back to enjoy the show presented before him. Glancing towards his back he can see a couple of Avox standing in a few corners. Waving one towards him he asks for a small table to be put between Aster and him as well as a few cold drinks and a few snacks and sweets. After a quick look to a superior that had also come close to listen to the conversation who nodded in agreement about three Avox left the stage only to return soon after with the items he had asked for. Grabbing a few cookies and warm cup of tea he felt satisfied. This was the way to go.

Soon after a few other tributes noticed what he had done, prompting the to do the same. Soon after many tables were filled with beverages and appetizers, constantly being refilled by the many Avox. Although it was being noticed no one wanted to waste their precious time talking about this phenomenon as they were too busy talking about themselves.

After a long time of waiting it was finally Aster's time to go on stage. Despite her trying hard to hide it to Kaiser it was easily recognizable how nervous she was. Taking her cup from her slightly shaking hands and placing it down carefully Kaiser took her hand instead and held it tightly. Drawing closer he whispered: "You can do this. I believe in you. Just remember our plan and you will do fine." Seeing her nod Kaiser let go when she stood up abruptly, walking to the front. Despite her slight nervousness in the beginning she did very well, taking care to avoid any topics that would reveal all of their secrets. The only thing she really confirmed was the fact that she did really owe her life to him and that Kaiser was her savior, a thing that had been obvious when looking at the way the reaping in their district had transpired. The rest of the time she was funny and entertained the audience as well as present all of her dress after they had been curious about the things sewn on it.

Enjoying himself for Kaiser his turn came way to soon as he would have liked her to talk a while longer. Sadly his wishes were not fulfilled.

The only thing that surprised both of them was when shortly before the end Ceasar decided to ask his personally most anticipated question. "Aster. You are a very beautiful girl. And as we have all seen you are much more than that. You are funny and kind, you are gentle and graceful. Now, I'm sure everyone wants you to answer my next question. Do you have a special someone waiting at home?"

Aster laughed before smiling to the crowd. "I have indeed already found my other half. I've already found someone who will make me happy and the thoughts about him will accompany me throughout the games."

With this mysterious declaration she concluded her interview.

After about two hours of waiting it was finally time for Kaisers interview. Placing down his cup and getting rid of a few crumbs that had made their way onto his armor he stood up, stepping into the spotlight in the front of the stage to meet Ceasar as soon as Aster had returned. Before Ceasar could do much more then introduce him Kaiser decided to take the initiative.

"Hello there. Nice to meet all of you. I'm pleased to see all of you came to learn more about me and my fellow tributes. I also feel honored to finally meet you in person, Ceasar. I quite like your hair this year. You should keep it."

Pleased that a tribute finally took the initiative and interacted with him properly like the people from the first few districts Ceasar smiled. Only Aster had really conversed with him since the last five or so districts which to him meant more work he had to do in order to have the tributes speak and tell parts of their story.

"You like my hair? Is that the only thing? It does contrast nicely with yours though." Was what he replied jokingly.

"I'm truly sorry for you Ceasar," came Kaisers response, "but I'm into girls. I think it's best to say this before we start as I don't want to give you any false hopes."

Hearing that the audience was split between joyful shouts people that enjoyed him roasting Ceasar as well as a few girls and people that felt sad for Ceasar.

Meanwhile looking at each other for about half a second both of them began to chuckle before laughing out loud. Ceasar strongly patted Kaiser on the pauldron on his left shoulder before turning to the audience theatrically.

"Did you hear that. Although sadly I cannot keep him with me there is still a chance for all of you girls out there. Perhaps he'll be able to complement more than your hair."

Earning chuckles and agreement from the audience Ceasar turned back to Kaiser. "After this unfortunate or for some fortunate confession I'm sure we could talk about a few more things about you that interests not only the audience but also me personally. You don't know how excited and shocked we were when we heard the announcement of your score. Could you tell us something about it?"

Earning thunderous applause from everywhere everyone soon quieted down, waiting for his response. Clearing his throat Kaiser looked over the gathered crowd before sighing. "Do you really want to know what happened?" was what he shouted right after.

A loud and clear "YES!" was what came back. "Do you really want to know all of my secrets?"

Another loud and clear "YES!" returned once more. Smiling Kaiser replied: "Then too bad that a magician never reveals his secrets."

A sad and disappointed crowd crowd sighed deeply. "No hold on for a minute." Quickly Ceasar tried to rescue the situation and get some good content. "You said you were a magician. Can you prove that to us?"

Smiling Kaiser looked at everyone. This had been what he had been going for all along. "Of course. Please step closer but in a nons.e.x.u.a.l way."

Grinning broadly Ceasar stepped towards him. Taking off his gauntlets and rolling up the long sleeved shirt he wore underneath he said. "Could you hold onto those for a minute or put them somewhere safe?" Hurriedly Ceasar grabbed the gauntlets and put them onto a small lectern that stood at the side of the stage together with a glass of water.

As soon as Ceasar returned and stood to Kaisers left once more Kaiser showed empty hands and forearms which weren't covered by his shirt anymore. "As you can see my hands are completely empty. Sadly over the course of the interview I've discovered that Ceasar has hidden quite a few objects all around him. Now I think that it is my duty to reveal everything to you."

The surprised Ceasar merely raised his hands defensively. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Show me. Prove to me that you are right." "That is what I intended to do from the start."

Kneeling down he reached for Ceasar's fancy shoes. "First off let's start with your shoes. Or rather your trousers." "Are you sure you don't like men" was what Kaiser could hear from above. "Absolutely. No chance for you Ceasar." Reaching into Ceasar's socks that were covered by his trousers he opened his inventory.

"What do we have here. Do you like playing poker?" Kaiser said before standing up, showing four Aces within the palm of his hand. "You know that cheating isn't nice." In a magazine he had read a few hours ago he found an article about Ceasar had won a lot of money when he had gambled with a few other rich people. The capitol people who knew about it began to laugh and cheer before waiting for his next display.

Ceasar merely shook his head. "Then let us continue our search. Perhaps we'll find even more interesting things. How about you give me your arm." Smiling Ceasar extended his right arm towards Kaiser. "No. Not that one. You did that on purpose. You know full well that the thing you try so desperately to hide from me is within your left sleeve."

Taking Ceasar's left arm he reached into the sleeve before pulling out a piece of red lingerie. "What do we have here. How interesting. I didn't know that was your fashion choice." In another paper he had heard about Ceasar hooking up with a red-haired beauty not to long ago. Luckily due to what had happened in the past Kaiser was already on the best way to become a kleptomaniac, gathering everything that he thought could be useful someday and due to the endless storage capacity of his inventory it didn't matter what he stored as it couldn't influence him negatively. So naturally when he had arrived at the capitol he had taken the chance to get whatever he could find. Once they had met for discussion on how his interview would be going he had asked for lot of similar stuff and miscellaneous items. The crowd meanwhile was going crazy, laughing at the completely surprised expression present on Ceasar's face.

"I'm sorry Ceasar." Was what he said next. "I just couldn't resist to tease you a bit. Now I think I'll show you the usual. I think you have something behind your ear." Curious about what was going to happen he leaned forwards to allow Kaiser to reach it more easily. That situation was a bit more special since there was a possibility that the tributes seated on the other side of the capitol people would see it so he had to be more careful. "Let's see what we have here." Pulling out coin after coin from behind Ceasar's ear before stopping once he had gathered four coins. Showing them to Ceasar he noted. "Your ear is quite interesting. If you were to do that on a regular basis you'd become rich. But before we finish up I think there are two more things, but they are somehow hidden inside your ear." Reaching down once more he pulled out a bill. "Now that's where the big money comes from."

Finally it was tie for his last trick. "Ok, now I want to try a summoning ritual. Since you have so much money inside of you how about we try to draw it outside where it can be used. Do you want to try?"

"Most definitely. Let's see what we can get." Was the enthusiastic reply Ceasar gave. Despite his best attempts at comprehending how Kaiser pulled these tricks off he simply didn't even have the slightest idea.

"Very well. The spit in your hand just like I'll spit in mine and then we'll give a firm handshake. In my district that's a necessity for doing good business. If we do it right the bills will just come spilling out."

"Do we really have to do this? Not to offend you but that sounds….highly unsanitary. Can't we just do in a more civilized way like signing a contract?"

"Do you have a contract here? Besides it is my magic and not Capitol magic. It won't recognize your way."

With a slight expression of disgust Ceasar spit into the palm of his right hand. Before extending it towards Kaiser. "Then what are we waiting for. Let's get this over with."

Smiling Kaiser did the same before the did a firm handshake. The crowd had gone completely silent. Not even the slightest sound could be heard as they awaited the outcome. The cameras completely zoned in on their hands to see the outcome.

When they pulled their hands apart no money revealed themselves and only a small triangular chip could be seen. "It seems you didn't believe enough. You weren't convinced enough that it would work. Magic is all about willpower. Yours was lacking, that is why we failed. Despite that it was still able to create something." Picking up the chip he exclaimed. "Now that we have this chip I'll use it." Handing the lingerie and the cards to Ceasar he pulled the sleeves of his shirt down before putting the bill into the back of his pocket while walking towards the place the band was sitting with their instruments while juggling the chip and and the four coins he had withdrawn from his inventory. When he had finally reached the band with the spotlights and cameras following he threw up all the coins and the chip one last time before catching them in his fist before opening it, showing only the chip inside.

"Hey!" Surprised that Kaiser was speaking to them they looked up. "Would you like to play with me?" Curious about what he wanted to do they already opened their mouth to ask but before they could Kaiser already continued. Seeing that they were still sitting with their instruments he smiled. "Just play what I show you too. It's really easy and repetitive so I'm sure you'll get it. Would that be alright Ceasar?" "We still have time was what came back." Raising his arm, showing a thumbs up he went to instruct all of the musicians. One on the piano, one playing on a keyboard, one manning the drums and another ended up with a harmonica. Luckily Kaiser knew how to play everything and the rhythm was really simple. Finally it was showtime.

Stepping to the front with a black electric guitar with his chip in hand he said: "This is for my family even if they are far away, I want them to know that I'm doing well and intend to come back." Raising his hand before snapping his fingers he said: "Let's begin. This is for you!"

After a nice intro Kaiser began.

If you miss the train I'm on

You will know that I am gone

You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles

A hundred miles, a hundred miles,

A hundred miles, a hundred miles

You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles

Not a shirt on my back

Not a penny to my name

And the land that I once loved is not my own

Lord I'm one, Lord I'm two,

Lord I'm three, Lord I'm four

Lord I'm five hundred miles away from home

Twenty-three I have to fight

Is this real? This can't be right

But I hope the tide'll turn and I'll be free

I'll be free, I'll be free

I'll come home to my country

Someday soon the tide'll turn and I'll be free

If you missed the train I'm on

You will know that I am gone

You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles

Lord I'm one, Lord I'm two,

Lord I'm three, Lord I'm four

Lord I'm five hundred miles away from home...

Lord I'm five hundred miles away from home…

I'll be free, I'll be free

I'll come home to my country

Lord I'm five hundred miles away from home

You can hear the whistle blow five hundred miles

Finishing the song Kaiser bowed before returning the guitar to the band. Waving before wishing all a fine evening Kaiser collected his gauntlets before giving a hug to the shocked and disoriented Ceasar that had just wanted to finish the interview. He barely managed to send him off properly and calling up the next one from District 12. All these questions and now Ceasar hadn't managed to make Kaiser revealed anything, not even the reason for the high score. That didn't mean that what had happened was bad but his personal goal hadn't been reached and he was frustrated that he didn't get to know more especially about the 'other half' part of Aster. Kaiser in his eyes was just getting more and more mysterious. Despite that he had noticed that he had enjoyed the show. Conflicted Ceasar continued with the interviews which luckily weren't that shocking and unpredictable this time. Talking was his expertise. Magicians and bands not so much. That should be left for the experts in these areas. Taking a sip of water before continuing Ceasar focused on the few interviews he still had left.

When Kaiser sat down at his place he was pleased with himself. His goals had been reached and he had had a lot of fun fooling everyone and performing I front of a large audience. Although he had altered the original song a bit to not sound critical to the governmental system his family at home knew the true lyrics. The song 500 miles was one of his favorites after all so they had sung it together quite often. Eating a few snacks and drinking tea while conversing quietly with Aster who had enjoyed his performance quite a bit he passed the rest of the times. After District 12 was finally finished they stand up for the anthem before leaving the stage and going into the elevators. Smiling to each other they went to eat dinner together.