Rumor Scriba [capitol]

Rumor brushed his hair behind his ears, taking a quick sip of water and organizing the papers that lay before him. The baby blue backdrop lay bright against the bright lights and he took a quick glance at the three cameras that perched in front of him. His collarbone stuck out, purple sleeves hanging loosely off of his shoulders, a glimmering highlight shining in the glow of the lamps.

Several cameramen shifted and checked the camera views as a few butterflies danced in Rumor's stomach. It was their first year in production in the Capitol's media source - Panem Now. Of course, access was limited and it came with a fee, and Rumor and her team fought tooth and nail to get this spot this year. There were only a handful of freelance reporters that got a spot each year, and this was theirs. Maybe it was Rumor's professionalism, or her sharp, intense looks. Logically, it wasn't her appearance, though it was striking. Like most Capitolites, her eyebrows weren't visible. It created an extraterrestrial look that served as a stark contrast between cultures - between the Districts and the Capitol. 

A pink microphone, wrapped in a pink aluminum alloy, served as a centering point for the shot. They'd decided to go for a more simple look. Rather, Rumor had. She'd truly built this from the ground up. Started in the busy streets of the Capitol during the off season, advocating to read articles she'd printed on fuchsia paper and scented with floral perfumes for Capitolites to be allured into reading. Although flowers were his thing, Rumor was not as delicate as a tulip, or as a soft as a daffodil. Starkly beautiful on the outside, one could get dangerously hurt if they invested too much... anyone that had ever taken a bite out of Rumor's petals had ended up with a broken heart, a vendetta... a bad taste in their mouth. 

Rumor did not care, after all. Her mother had always instilled in her that she had only one life to live and that it was hers to grab. Her dad, even until this day, worked in a cushy spot at import processing, making sure that District 8's imports were of the right quality. He held no sympathy in sending the report for the citizen that had obviously slacked off in their work that month, and thus that trickled down. The Scriba family were slimy, vile things... selfish, and in many ways, completely not unique. 

That's why it was miraculous that Rumor had gotten the spot reporting the 82nd Games. There were plenty of others just like her that were doing the exact same thing in different ways, and it was only a matter of time before she saw if she was a hit or miss. She had a sharp tongue, and she wasn't afraid to use it. It'd gotten her this far, after all. 

A man behind the front camera asked if Rumor was ready and, "Duh," Rumor said, "When am I not?" 

 It was showtime. 

Her purple and pink haired bob had fallen off of her right ear, creating an asymmetry as the man counted down and then, the moment after one, a red light on each of the cameras prompted Rumor to talk.

"Panem! It's me, Rumor Scriba... and this is your spot for all of the glitz, glam, charm and alarm of this year's Hunger Games." he said with a wink. "It's been a whole year since we saw Nico Thorne, underdog from District 12, navigate his way through the arena and come out on top, and this year we have a completely new batch of tributes rearing to get into that arena and show us what they've got. The opening ceremonies gave us a preview of what we were working with, and tonight's interviews gave us a closer look into exactly what type of characters will be represented in this years,"  dramatic pause, "arena." 

"Now, to kick it off," Rumor started, feeling her knee start to bounce underneath the table. She felt the weight of this opportunity on her shoulders. She had to slay this. Her future rode on the success of this show. She'd spent years toiling, studying reporting styles and what worked and didn't work when it came to Games Reporting. Capitolites liked drama, and Rumor was willing to pull whatever strings she needed to, even if there wasn't anything to back it. Her name is Rumor, after all. "We'll be starting off with a quick glimpse into none other than the tributes of District 4. Call me crazy, but I think Elite Hops may have the hots for Harper! Just check out the looks that he gives her from this behind-the-scenes footage of the opening ceremonies..."

"Cut!" yelled the director from behind the camera. This was all going to be edited later, but Rumor felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She felt confident in the first take... her heartbeat continued to thud in her chest. She didn't sweat any longer but, she could have sworn she even felt a moisture under her wig. A general sense of satisfaction seemed to come from behind the lights. They had just a few minutes before they shot the next scene.

"I think we've really got something going, guys!" Rumor exclaimed. She got up from her seat and stretched her legs. It felt like she hadn't stood up for hours... and maybe it had been an hour. She'd studied over her notes religiously before shooting tonight. She couldn't remember a time where she'd put this much effort into her craft. Rumor was at the top of her game. 

"Great job, Rumor!" an intern told her as Rumor passed by. She didn't have time to talk. Her eyes were on the prize - the snack bar. Plates of hors d'oeuvres lined the tables. Her shimmering pink shirt did not suggest that Rumor was one with a big appetite, but in the Capitol, it wasn't too hard to stay skinny. There was a pill for that. 

Chatter in the background sat the soundtrack for Rumor's delicious snacks- cold cuts with garlicky cream cheese... crab bites and asparagus wrapped in bacon. There were quite a few things that people in the Districts would die for, but Rumor found herself quite displeased at the array. The crab bites weren't even warm. She made sure to make a few complaints to passersby and they assured her that they'd work on fixing the problem before they scuttled off to do their production jobs. The employees of the production team did not idolize Rumor Scriba. In fact, this was her big debut. The cameramen were all Capitol assigned. They were members of Panem Now's pool of talent, and most had different jobs during the rest of the year. Rumor was simply the face of this show. At least she was pretty.

"Alright, next scene!" the same director yelled, and Rumor took a deep breath and put on her game face. She could get used to this.