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"Good—hold that energy!"
Gary caught the shift instantly and dropped his voice. "All departments, stand by. We're going again!"
"Action!"
This take was completely different.
Jennifer stayed on the bed, body stiff with tension. When the stylist's hands touched her, she didn't flinch from tickling—she trembled like she was enduring something violating. Her eyes stared into the middle distance, deliberately avoiding Cassius's direction. The tight line of her jaw screamed pure stubborn defiance.
The performance turned raw and powerful. She sold every second of Katniss being stripped of her humanity for the first time in the Capitol.
"Cut! Perfect!"
Gary was genuinely pumped. "That was it, Jennifer! You nailed the state of mind!"
Jennifer let out a huge breath of relief.
Crew members rushed in with a jacket and draped it over her. She pulled it tight, exhaled again, and walked over to Cassius still looking a little dazed, like she hadn't fully left the scene.
"Thanks. You were really good just now. Felt like Peeta was actually standing there watching me."
"You got yourself there," Cassius said, giving her a quick grin.
Jennifer smiled, clearly eating up the compliment.
[Jennifer Lawrence Favorability +4. Current: 88]
Cassius filed that away. He was starting to wonder if his panel stats could bleed over and affect people around him—like some distant echo of the old Halo Effect.
For a split second he'd felt the edge of something, but the sensation slipped away before he could grab it. He decided to let it go for now. Probably something that would click once a few more stats hit Level 5.
After another two and a half weeks the soundstage work was finally done.
The production packed up and moved to the most important location in the whole movie: the actual arena.
Cassius was a little disappointed his Emotion and Body Language stats still hadn't crossed into Level 5, but he figured the forest shoot would fix that.
The convoy of buses wound through the mountains for hours. The view outside changed from small towns to dense, almost oppressive forest.
They finally stopped on a cleared patch of land at the edge of Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina.
"Welcome home for the next few months," the assistant director announced through a bullhorn. "Conditions are pretty rustic—deal with it!"
Cassius grabbed his duffel and stepped off the bus, breathing in deep, earthy air.
A temporary camp had been set up: a dozen camouflaged canvas tents and a few rows of plain military-style modular buildings scattered through the trees.
In the distance, dark green mountains rolled on forever. You could already hear birds and the faint rush of a stream.
The scenery was postcard-perfect—pure oxygen bar. As a place to live and shoot for months? That was another story.
"Pretty sure the mosquitoes out here outnumber the Capitol citizens," Jennifer muttered, dragging a giant rolling suitcase over. She swatted at the little swarm already buzzing around her.
She was in a plain gray hoodie and sweatpants, hair in a messy ponytail, no makeup.
"Drop the 'pretty sure,'" Cassius shot back.
He already had a fresh welt on his bare wrist.
These mosquitoes weren't just plentiful—they were vicious.
Housing assignments were handed out.
The leads at least got the small private rooms inside the modular buildings. They were basic—thin mattress on a cot, tiny desk, cheap wardrobe—but still better than a tent.
Cassius's room was right next to Jennifer's. The wooden walls were basically cardboard for soundproofing; he could hear her unpacking and complaining about the rock-hard bed loud and clear.
Day one was no filming—just time to settle in and scout the major exterior locations.
The arena area had already been cordoned off. Fake rocks, specific trees, and green-screen markers were placed where the VFX team would add effects later.
The producers held a quick safety meeting.
"This is a real forest—uneven ground, wildlife, insects, poisonous plants. Stay inside the marked zones and follow the safety officers at all times."
"For maximum realism, the director wants you to do as many climbs, runs, and falls as you safely can. We're keeping stunt doubles to a minimum. We need your real reactions."
After the meeting Cassius, Jennifer, and a few of the other tributes wandered around the camp.
Their costumes had switched from the sleek Capitol training gear to rugged outdoor jackets, tough cargo pants, and sturdy hiking boots—mostly dark green and brown.
"These boots are solid," Jennifer said, stomping the ground a couple times. "Bet they'd hurt if you kicked somebody."
"You already thinking about real fights, Katniss?" Aiden (the District 3 tribute) teased.
"Preparation," Jennifer answered, dead serious. "What if Gary decides to add a scene on the spot?"
Cassius tested the boots himself. The soles were stiff as hell, but at least they didn't rub.
He'd bought plenty of shoes in his last life that destroyed his feet—Vans and Converse were the worst offenders.
The convoy had rolled in during the afternoon. By the time everyone got settled and took a quick tour, the sun had dropped and the forest went full dark.
As soon as the sun disappeared the temperature plunged. Damp cold seeped into the modular rooms.
That wasn't even the worst part.
The smell of warm humans must have been a dinner bell. Mosquitoes poured through every tiny crack and every time someone opened a door.
The camp's bug zappers and coils were basically decorative.
Cassius lay on his cot under the thin blanket the production had issued, listening to the constant high-pitched whine in his ears.
He'd already slapped at least seven or eight of them, but more kept coming. His arms and neck were covered in itchy welts.
Next door he could hear Jennifer's occasional "Smack!" followed by muffled cursing.
Good thing the assistants were all in the tents; otherwise the swear jar would've been camped outside her door.
After tossing and turning for an hour, Cassius gave up. He pulled on a jacket and slipped outside.
The open clearing had better airflow and fewer mosquitoes.
Moonlight was bright enough to see by. He stepped out and spotted a tiny orange glow flickering in the middle of camp.
Someone was sitting on a log stump smoking.
It was Jennifer.
She had her jacket wrapped tight, hair messy, and was blowing irritated smoke rings while scratching at her arms and legs nonstop.
"You out here feeding the mosquitoes too?" Cassius asked, dropping onto the stump beside her.
Jennifer turned. In the moonlight her face was hard to read, but her voice was pure defeat. "I think they're draining me dry. These little vampires are worse than the producers. I hate the forest. I hate mosquitoes. I hate this shitty bed!"
She punctuated every "hate" with a hard drag on the cigarette.
Cassius laughed.
The girl really was a firecracker.
"You've been doing pretty good lately—haven't heard many swears. The jar finally scare you straight?"
"I emptied my wallet into that damn thing already!" Jennifer grumbled. Then her eyes lit up with mischief. "Hey, you got any really satisfying curses? Teach me something nasty."
Cassius thought for a second. "There's this creature back home that's a weird mix of sheep and horse. People shout its name when they're pissed off."
"What's it called?"
"Grass Mud Horse."
"Grass… Mud… Horse?" Jennifer tried the words, then grinned. "Why the hell is an animal's name a swear?"
"It's actually a cute little creature. You just yell the name really loud as an emotional release."
Cassius explained, feeling a tiny bit guilty. Was he corrupting an international friend?
"Cute animal? Perfect—sounds completely innocent!"
Jennifer was hooked.
She started practicing in every tone she could think of: "Grass! Mud! Horse!"
"Grass? Mud horse?"
She got more into it with every repetition, like she'd discovered a new toy.
Under the moonlight the two of them sat on the stumps—one teaching, one learning—while the conversation drifted from bloodthirsty mosquitoes to everything else.
Jennifer asked about Cassius's childhood.
He mixed the original owner's sparse memories with stories from his past life and kept it vague. The guy had been an orphan who sold his house to study in America; the backstory was basically a blank slate anyway.
His past-life memories, on the other hand, were gold.
He pulled out a few and had Jennifer cracking up.
She fired back with stories from her Kentucky hometown and all the insane auditions she'd been through early on.
"You're kind of amazing, you know that?" Jennifer said suddenly. She'd finished her cigarette and was hugging her knees, looking sideways at him. "Most actors I know are all parties and clout-chasing. You just… show up, act, watch, learn. And you know all this random weird stuff."
Cassius shrugged helplessly.
He didn't exactly choose to know all this random weird stuff. He'd just been vacuuming up attribute orbs for a year and a half.
He made a mental note: one day he was definitely writing a memoir called Full-Time Artist. It'd be a bestseller.
The night breeze moved through the trees, bringing the soft rustle of leaves and a stronger smell of pine and earth. It also chased away some of the mosquitoes.
Everything went quiet except for the distant scuffle of some small animal and the low hum of the camp generator.
Jennifer was silent for a moment, then spoke softly. "Sometimes I think Peeta's feelings for Katniss start out calculated… but then they become real. Kind of like how you meet someone and at first you're just like, 'Hey, they're good at their job, easy to work with,' but the longer you're around them—"
She didn't finish. She turned and looked straight at him. Her eyes caught the moonlight and flickered, like she was searching for something on his face.
Cassius's heartbeat skipped.
Her favorability had jumped to 91.
Before he could answer, Jennifer suddenly stood up and yelled into the night, "Time to go back, grass mud horse! These fucking mosquitoes are ridiculous!"
"Night. Don't forget the bug cream—don't scratch those bites open."
"Night, Peeta!"
She waved and headed for her room.
At the door she glanced back at Cassius still standing in the moonlight, then slipped inside.
The next morning the wake-up whistle cut through the forest before the sun was even up.
Cassius dragged himself out of bed with dark circles under his eyes.
He stepped outside into cold, damp air. Dew covered the leaves and ground. The sky was heavy and gray—rain could hit any minute.
Jennifer was already in the middle of the clearing doing stretches. When she saw him she waved like nothing had happened the night before. "Morning! Ready to receive Mother Nature's special gifts?"
Her voice was light, eyes bright. She looked like she'd slept great.
The woman really did have insane stamina.
Breakfast was quick—oatmeal and coffee. As soon as everyone finished they piled into the modified off-road vehicles and headed deeper into the forest to the marked-off arena filming zone.
On the ride over the safety officer reminded them again: "We got some rain last night. The ground's slick—moss, rocks, roots everywhere. Watch your footing, especially on the running scenes!"
The second Cassius stepped out of the truck he felt the ground give under his boots.
Thick wet leaves and mud made every step slippery and sucking.
Crew members were already setting up the Cornucopia prop pile loaded with weapons.
Gary Ross stood in a thick waterproof jacket and tall rain boots, talking with the stunt coordinator and cinematographer.
"Today we're doing the opening bloodbath and initial escape. The ground is worse than we expected—safety first!"
"Cass, Jennifer—remember, Peeta and Katniss split up right away, but both of you head for the woods, not the supplies!"
"Got it!"
They nodded.
Jennifer rolled her shoulders and wrists. Her eyes slowly took on that wild, hunter-animal edge that was pure Katniss.
Makeup and wardrobe.
Both of them changed into their tribute outfits. Since this was right after they were dropped into the arena they still looked relatively clean—no heavy dirt or blood yet.
Cassius took a slow breath and slipped into Peeta.
The first scene was a huge one.
All the tribute actors gathered on the dry, dead-looking clearing that served as the starting zone.
Green screen and VFX markers surrounded them. The countdown clock would be added in post.
Twenty-four people standing together suddenly made the air feel electric—like they really were about to fight for their lives.
"Action!"
Gary's command dropped and chaos exploded.
On cue, the tributes sprinted for the Cornucopia the second the countdown hit zero.
Peeta did the exact opposite—he bolted straight for the woods.
Cassius's Peeta locked eyes with Katniss during the final seconds, gave a tiny shake of his head telling her not to go for the supplies, then turned and ran the second the clock ended.
He had to sell pure panic on the slippery, muddy ground while still watching his footing so he didn't eat dirt for real.
It was harder than it looked.
Every step was unpredictable. Cassius had to look desperate and terrified while constantly adjusting his balance.
Behind him he could hear the sounds of the fight at the Cornucopia—shouts, clashes, the whole mess.
Katniss was still frozen at the starting plate.
Her big moment was coming.
Sure enough, after he'd covered about thirty yards he heard Gary yell, "Katniss—go! Reaction!"
Cassius looped around and stepped behind the monitor.
His part was done for this take.
Jennifer's Katniss stood frozen for a beat, torn, then spotted a fallen backpack in the distance.
She took off. Her sprint looked fast and decisive, but the slick ground tripped her up too.
She grabbed the pack, turned to run—and immediately slipped, crashing hard.
Right on cue a big male tribute actor came charging in from the side, weapon raised.
Before he reached her, the actress playing the knife-throwing tribute from District 7 made a perfect throw.
Thud.
The big guy dropped.
The knife girl's movement was clean and professional—she'd clearly trained.
The second she finished the throw and reset into a ready stance, a deep purple orb dropped off her:
[Weapon Throwing Body Mechanics +8]
At the same time, Jennifer—still sprawled in the mud, selling raw panic and explosive survival instinct—dropped her own purple orb:
[Muddy Terrain Self-Protection +6]
Cassius absorbed both instantly.
A flood of knowledge about coordinating full-body power for precise throws and protecting yourself on unstable ground poured into him.
It meshed perfectly with everything he'd already learned from boot camp and Green Lantern fight training.
Thud.
Jennifer reacted instantly—snatching the backpack up as a shield and blocking the incoming prop knife.
The blade didn't actually stick; they'd film the impact insert later.
But her block was rock-solid. Core tight, hand placement perfect. You could see the boot-camp work paying off.
Another orb dropped from her:
[Emergency Defensive Instinct +7]
Absorbed.
Three high-quality Body Language orbs in quick succession pushed Cassius right to the edge.
His panel flashed:
[Body Language Leveled Up! Body Language Lv5 (1/1000)]
The second the upgrade hit, Cassius felt a low hum roll through his entire body.
This one was stronger than any previous level-up.
His awareness of his own limbs became crystal clear.
He looked down at his mud-splattered hands and could suddenly feel exactly how the muscles attached to bone, how tendons pulled to make the tiniest adjustments.
Before, his movements had been muscle memory plus stat bonuses.
Now he understood the mechanics behind every single motion—which muscle led, which joint carried the load, how to generate power with maximum efficiency and minimum effort.
For a split second he thought of that Tongbei Quan master from his last life—the guy who used to explain force generation so clearly before the internet clown show started.
This was what real mastery felt like.