Xerxes Pitch

"Wondrous! You really think you can kill me, Tina?" -Xerxes Pitch

Xerxes Pitch is a tribute who once belonged to Hybrid Shadow, but was won at auction by PoisonedPoetry. Please do not use him without permission.

Information
Name: Xerxes Pitch District: 6

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Personality: Xerxes may seem like an average, charming individual to those who recently only meet him, but he's more than that. He has an obsession with riches, you see, being one of the most highly renowned thieves in his district. He's full of greed, although he's not corrupted enough to kill someone over his own avarice. He still retains his sanity, after all. In spite of that however, he has no qualms about purloining the belongings of others, as he was taught by his father before him. He's an expert swindler as well; with the allure to his voice, he can charm the even slightly wavering of hearts. He may also appear to be selfish and conceited, but he never makes reckless decisions, contrasting with his rowdy personality. He is no fool to realize that even the most faintest of mistakes can soon be promoted to something much more dire and consequential, so he plans out all of his moves before taking action. Despite the fact that he acts as if he is rarely serious, this is just a guise he plays along with in order to give off the impression that he is less of a threat compared to how really strong he is. He's a brilliant actor and liar that hardly sways, if ever that is. He's also very sarcastic and humorous, as a result of his mischief. He enjoys playing tricks in general, and rarely will you ever see him cry. He has no one to return to, after all.

Height: 5'11

Appearance: For a tribute that came from an outlying district, and District 6 out of all places, Xerxes' appearance would suit someone from District 1 rather than himself. He has unkempt blond hair, which makes him look kind of handsome in a messy sort of way. His front bangs also appear to be a darker tone compared to the rest of his fair mane. His locks also obscure the light scar he has on his forehead, something he obtained while not paying attention, causing him to struck by a Peacekeeper in that area. While it's not as noticeable as it was before, he utterly despises any type of flaw that could be apparent, as he wants to shroud weakness. Not leave it revealed. He usually has a mockingly look on his face, which quite signifies his arrogance in a personified style. He has azure sky-blue eyes that radiate with vigor and passion, but also veil any devil-like thoughts he may be thinking of. People often see him with his silvery bandana tied around his neck often, as he's very attached to this piece of cloth of his. It belonged to his father Hayden after all, and he'll be extremely furious if anything were to happen to it.

Weapons: Being a thief, he has great experience with a knife. As it is an efficient weapon, he can use it to many advantages. His other choice would be brass knuckles – He holds a good skill in combat, and he would be more likely to prevail as victor with a secret weapon, hence why brass knuckles would be good for him.

Strengths: By far, Xerxes’s biggest advantage is his stealth. '''He always seems to be hidden from everybody and left undetected. He is also''' an expert escapist. It takes him a short amount of time to escape any traps. Finally, his expertise with thievery means that he could take an item from an alliance and discreetly manipulate them to blame one another.

Weaknesses: Having evaded most of the troubles in his life, Xerxes has developed a major sense of arrogance. He believes himself superior to all, just because of his achievements. In addition to this, he is unable to swim. After all, district 6 isn’t famous for water-related things. Finally, he has got slow reaction timing. He’s likely to be deep in thought and not notice an object homing in on him until it’s too late.

Fears: Above all, Xerxes fears one of his plans failing. He will take it as a sign that his mind is becoming weak, therefore he is becoming weak. He always thought of himself as tough, so to be seen as a pushover would devastate him.

Bloodbath Strategy: He will sprint into the bloodbath and try to grab a weapon and a backpack. Then he will sprint away, but make camp not too far from the cornucopia so he can go back and pilfer more supplies as the games progress.

Training Strategy: Xerxes will appear weak to his competitors, because he doesn't want anybody having a preview of what power he truly demonstrates. But being arrogant, he will easily get annoyed if the careers provoke him in any way, leading to a sudden outburst that could ruin his plan.

Private Training Strategy: Xerxes will aim for a low training score to cover up his true power. He’ll demonstrate his agility, and maybe pretend to fail with using weaponry.

Interview Angle: Whilst he is being interviewed, Xerxes will be a charming gentleman, winking every now and then at the crowd. He’ll act like he’s not the brightest bulb in the pack.

Bloodbath Strategy: He will sprint into the bloodbath and try to grab a weapon and a backpack. Then he will sprint away, but make camp not too far from the cornucopia so he can go back and pilfer more supplies as the games progress.

Alliance: Xerxes will enter the games as a loner.

Token: His silver bandana.

Backstory
Xerxes was born to a nameless nomadic woman and a thief, Hayden Pitch. No sooner had he been born that his mother gave him to Hayden, ultimately abandoning the two to fend for themselves. This would have been an easy task, had it not been for Hayden’s thievery habits – The peacekeepers were constantly on the lookout for him. The appalling conditions couldn’t have been of much help either. Nonetheless, Xerxes had a good life learning how to pilfer from the residents of District 6. He even assisted his father on several on their missions.

When his 6th birthday came, Xerxes received a special gift from his father – A silver bandana. He had been saving up the money he pick-pocketed to purchase it for him for two reasons – 1) He thought Xerxes would like it, and 2) He could use it in several useful ways, like hiding his true identity. Xerxes’s reaction to the bandana was one of a young child gaining something they desperately wanted. He immediately treasured it and kept it close to his heart. His father beamed away at the cheeky grin on Xerxes’s face, and the two celebrated by going on a stealing spree. By going on their last stealing spree together. But they were oblivious to this.

The two made a risky plan to pick-pocket in the city centre. Peacekeepers regularly patrolled the area in hopes to capture a criminal. Despite this, the Pitch team still believed that it would be a piece of cake to get away with it.

It all started off well, with Xerxes and his father nabbing four wallets and a locket. That was, until they attempted to purloin a ring from a woman. They would’ve done so by Hayden charming the woman, holding her hand and sliding it into his palm. Xerxes watched and almost gasped when a peacekeeper by the name of Everly Pinesworth passed by. He noticed Hayden sliding the ring into his palm, so he sprinted towards him. Quick as a cheetah, Hayden dived out of the way, dropping the ring in the progress. Xerxes started to run towards him, but a bigger band of peacekeepers surrounded him. Xerxes would soon hear the last ever words his father said to him. “Get out of here! I’ll fend for myself!” Xerxes kept glancing between safety and danger. He could either abandon his father, or try and save him. However, he didn’t want his father to be ashamed of him. Against his own will, he fled the area. As he did so, he almost cried. He had abandoned the one person in his life he could never have lived without.

Despite his youth, Xerxes never allowed any of his tears to flood his face. Inside, he built a dam so that they could flood and cloud his judgement instead. He was furious. He was saddened. He was vengeful. A million regrets swarmed his mind, almost effectively breaking the borderline of his sanity. ‘If only I hadn’t followed his orders – We could at least still be together.’ Was his first thought. But then it was followed by another one that contradicted his beliefs. ‘But father would be mad at me. And I couldn’t allow that to happen.’  His mixed thoughts sparked off a new ego to him. He had escaped the inevitable, igniting a new arrogance inside of him.

Xerxes originally remained at his home, living off of whatever he could find and pickpocket. But he was still overwhelmed by having no parental figures. Yet he still comfortably lived there until the peacekeepers invaded. He managed to evade them, but he had nowhere to go. That was, until he remembered his Uncles – Edgar and Silvanus. His father and his Uncles rarely, if not never came into contact with another. And when they did, everyone was peculiarly quiet. This was due to the fact that his father nearly got them into trouble whilst stealing a tyre when they were teenagers. Xerxes was tentative on whether he should trust them or not, but one push factor dissuaded him from staying – The peacekeepers could capture him and kill him.

Bringing what little belongings he had left, Xerxes knocked on the door of his Uncles’ house. It only took a brief amount of time before the door slowly swung open.

“What are you doing ‘ere, little bugger?” ‘Little bugger’ was Edgar’s pet name for Xerxes. Despite how offensive it sounded, the two had always been as thick as thieves. Whenever Edgar was in private, he would be working on a poem to give to his ‘beloved’ – A bearded dragon named Pearl.

“Dad got caught by the peacekeepers… can I stay here please?” He was sobbing at that point. Not to manipulate them into agreeing, but he was genuinely upset. Either way, Edgar still allowed him inside. No ‘thank you’s’ were given, since Xerxes was too caught up in the memories of him and father purloining and laughing at the reactions of the poor unfortunate souls. Flashbacks of his father straining against the peacekeepers’ wills almost shredded his heart. His eyes stung from the constant sobbing.

“Xerxes? Is that really you?”

“Uncle Silvanus, yes. It’s me.” I tried not to look into his eyes – He always claimed that if anybody was to look there, their soul would be stolen and banished to hell. Xerxes wasn’t religious, but he didn’t like the idea of being punished and tortured until the end of time.

“His father’s only gone and f*cking got ‘imself arrested. The little bugger thought ‘e would stay ‘ere since he ‘as nobody to go to apart from us.”

“What the f*cking ‘ell Edgar. You allow the son of our ‘ated brother into our ‘ouse. That’s… that’s just wrong, bro.”

“Silvanus! I ‘ad sympathy for the young ‘un, alright? Unless you want sh*t to ‘appen, accept my decisions!”

“Fine, fine!” Xerxes swore he could hear Silvanus mutter about never getting what he wanted.

Later that day, something came up on their TV about an execution – Silvanus and Edgar started to chuckle slightly, causing Xerxes to join them. A presenter announced the news of a pickpocket about to be shot for his crimes. On the screen, a band of peacekeepers paraded an obscured individual into the square, a horde of onlookers watching on. But then his face was shown and Xerxes almost fainted – His father was there.

Hayden was shoved to the floor, being forced to kneel over. The barrel of a gun dug into the back of his head. He was tied up in metal chains that strung around his body limply. Xerxes couldn’t believe his eyes – His father was being treated like an animal.

“Any last words?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. My son, if you are watching this, know that I will always love you. Also, be sure to not do anything stupid. Always remember these-“

“Yeah yeah, we get it. Now shut the hell up!” Hayden showed no emotion as the gun clicked into place. Xerxes stared away from the screen, not wanting to see the death of his father. Silence, and then… ''bang! ''Reluctantly, Xerxes faced the screen once more. A bloody hole was in Hayden’s head, and he was lying face down on the floor. He was dead.

Xerxes didn’t cry though. His Uncles were confused as to why he wasn’t crying. So was he. Maybe it was pride. Or maybe it was a new emptiness in his humanity. For once, Xerxes didn’t feel like a human – He felt like an uncaring monster.

“Everly Pinesworth is a brilliant peacekeeper, isn’t he?” Xerxes exited the room as the two reporters discussed their opinion on the execution and Hayden – He didn’t want to risk hearing any disrespectful comments.

Whenever Xerxes wasn’t at school, he isolated himself in his bedroom. In there, he would plot crimes that he wouldn’t commit, as well as imagine that his father was there. Sometimes, he would speak to himself with two characters – Himself and Xerxes. It drove Edgar around the bend, but Silvanus insisted that they had to take care of him for their brother. Reluctantly, Edgar agreed.

By the time he was ten, Xerxes had finally given up on resisting the inner thief inside of him. He ended up dropping school, just to look through his plans and decide on which one he should use.

His first attempt was a catastrophe – He went ahead to pick-pocket somebody without checking to see if any peacekeepers were on watch. Before he knew it, they were on his tail. However, he noticed in time and escaped with a few possessions. For his first time solo, Xerxes made a fruitful success. But he still credited his father, as he had taught him a lot of the skills he used. ‘The fortune is smiling at our first effort.’ He thought to himself, grinning as he handled a pendant.

Over the years, Peacekeepers made many efforts to capture him for executions. They even threatened to execute Silvanus and Edgar just to lure him out. Yet he still lurked in the shadows. When they realised that he wouldn’t come out, they shot the two regardless of their innocence. The only reason they knew it was Xerxes behind this was because they remembered him from when he was 6.

It was on a cold midwinter’s night that they stormed into the district, breaking into people’s houses. Anybody who was suspected of being a criminal was brought into the city square, where they were punished. There was a completely different aspect in which Xerxes was worried. He believed that he wouldn’t be caught; neither would he be caught in the firing lines. It was because they most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on was roaming the busy areas, trying to flee from the action.

To him, she looked like an angel that had fallen from the sky. Her face was very feminine, yet soft and her grey eyes absorbed all the detail they could muster. Her blonde locks hung down her back, hidden under a rough fur cloak. Feeling oddly drawn to her, Xerxes foolishly sped into the action to rescue her.

Somehow, he wasn’t detected by any of the peacekeepers. Anybody would’ve assumed that at least one of them caught a glimpse of him. But alas, they were too busy handing out punishments to both the innocent and the guilty alike.

When Xerxes crept behind her, he tapped the girl’s shoulder. She screamed slightly before Xerxes gagged her.

“Hush, hush. Don’t you dare scream anymore – I mean you no harm,” The girl was still shivering with fear, but it was less frequent. Her breathing rate slowed down. “Let me lead you and you will be safe. I promise.” He held out his hand for her, which she grabbed. The girl ended up nearly squealing in terror as Xerxes lifted her in his arms and carried her across the streets. He occasionally glanced in all of the directions, checking on whether or not he was being tailed.

They eventually reached an alleyway, where they hid behind a dumpster. When the girl got a good glimpse of his face, she flinched and tried to slowly shuffle away from him.

“You know just who I am, don’t you?” She nodded.

“Xerxes… the one whose father was shot several years ago.” She almost squealed with fear, but Xerxes hushed her with his finger to her lips.

“Don’t be so distant. Why would I nab myself possessions from a beautiful girl such as yourself?” She did not warm up to his compliment.

“Well, uh, I’m Justina. But call me Tina. You know,” She began. “My father caught yours.” Xerxes widened his eyes in horror.

“Just-Tina Pinesworth…” He almost stumbled over the surname.

“Yes… Well, thanks for the time. But I’ve got to go.” She fled the area, leaving Xerxes’s mouth dangling open. He had tried to chat up a complete stranger who was related to the peacekeeper who caught his father. He held mixed emotions, but didn’t care at all. He wanted Tina to be his.

Days later, Tina announced on live TV that she would do whatever it took to track down and execute Xerxes. She explained that he was a public menace, and was probably the one who claimed to be his father. This was what led to the storm of the district. At the end, Xerxes was left even more muddled in his emotions – He and Tina may have wanted one another, but it was for different reasons and in a different way. That was when another idea came into his head – There was a way for him to both get riches and spend time with Tina. It wasn’t exactly in a way that one would call thievery, but it was one that would prove just as, if not, even more effective.

It was a rather gloomy day – Everybody was shut up in their houses under curfew whilst peacekeepers were training recruits. Xerxes saw this as an opportunity to put his new plan to good use.

Tina had been hired to keep a lookout for any residents that decided to have a gander about whilst training occurred. Xerxes naturally chose to break his curfew in order for his quest to begin. And it involved Tina.

She was just keeping an eye on the rookies, when a massive sack was pulled over her head. She tried to scream for help, but it was muffled. Xerxes tied the ends up with rope and lugged her over his shoulder. After double-checking to see whether anybody was watching, he fled back to his secret place.

By the time he set Tina free at his, she had already squirmed like a champion. The instant the sack was dragged off of her, she landed a punch on Xerxes’s gut. He nearly gasped at the sudden pain, but he punched her back. It soon became a fully-fledged fight, with Xerxes winning after stunning Tina with a slap to her face. It gave him time to knock her unconscious with a blow to the head, before he tied her up in a chair.

When she regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was Xerxes’s smug face. Tina was going to punch him in the face, but then she noticed that the rope confined her to her cell. After several strenuous efforts, she wasted her energy and gave up. Xerxes smirked at his success.

“What the goddamn hell do you want?” She muttered, glancing down at the floor. “I don’t know how you captured me, but you want me for a reason.” All of a sudden, Xerxes started to laugh.

“But in this case, being lost is a good thing. Well, only if the one who is lost is you. ‘Cause when you’re lost, I am solely there to share your grief.'  You see,  wailing for your sorrow is only my way to comfort you. That way, I can be your superman and save you. Now tell me all about your pain, down to the detail. You seem unusually… sad.” Tina hissed at him in response, almost like a cat.

“The problem is that I can’t catch you. I vowed to track you down, yet now I’m in a position where you could easily kill me.”

“Pfft. Only murderers do that. I’m a thief, not a killer. Besides, you should know why you’re here. And don’t say it’s love.” 

“But you do love me. But I don’t love you back. Your fragile heart feeds my contempt.”

“Is my heart really fragile? Oh Tina, Tina, Tina…” Xerxes shook his head and tutted. “You still have much to learn about me. If I really was fragile, I wouldn’t have lasted long on my own. But in case you are too stupid to see, I’m very much alive. And if you excuse me, I have a… certain phone call to make.” He held up Tina’s phone and called the peacekeeper HQ.

“Tina! I was so worried about you and-“

“I’m not Tina, motherf*cker. I’m her kidnapper, Xerxes Pitch. If you want to see her again, you have to cough up one million dollars.”

“Hang on, Xerxes. How do we know you aren’t lying about holding Tina in your custody?”

“Well, it’s a long story and- hang on.” He quickly spun round and stomped on Tina’s hand – She had made the chair fall down and was trying to grab a knife that lay near Xerxes’s feet. Tina gave a small grunt of pain.

“Tina! Listen, you bastard. I’m not coughing up any dough. Tina is strong, and she’ll outwit you. Mark my words.”

“Oh, really? Well I’ll- Oi! Don’t hang up. Oh sh*t. He hung up on me.”

“No sh*t Sherlock.” Tina rolled her eyes. “But what he said is right.”

“We’ll see about that. I'm Xerxes Pitch, b*tch!” Xerxes looked back at Tina before turning out the lights.

For 3 years, Xerxes kept Tina locked up and stuck in the room. None of the other peacekeepers saw her. But Xerxes was bored, so he decided to let her go.

“Rise and shine, beautiful.” He grabbed hold of the knife, and for a moment Tina gulped. She thought she was going to be stabbed. Quickly, she came up with a plan to distract him for a moment.

Just as Xerxes was about to cut Tina’s bounds, she leaned forwards and kissed him on the lips. For a minute, Xerxes couldn’t believe the luck. He felt like the wind had blown him backwards. He started kissing her back, wrapping his arms around her waist to slice the rope. When he did, Tina opened her eyes and kicked Xerxes backwards with such ferocity that his ribs were nearly broken. She then proceeded to knock down the window and climbed out from it. Xerxes, still shocked from the impact, rushed forwards to the window. He had thought Tina had fallen out. However, he revealed himself to the peacekeepers below.

They shot at him, not knowing he was slightly disoriented. In the confusion, Xerxes tumbled out of the window into the arms of another peacekeeper. Only then did he see everything clearly.

Whilst the peacekeepers talked about ‘how it was their lucky day’, Xerxes kicked the one who held him captive. He then shoved the same peacekeeper into his peers. Quickly, he ran to the back of the house he was hiding in and ‘borrowed’ a jacket. He had gone out of the fire, into the frying pan. Or so it seemed.

He didn’t want to be caught, but he knew he had little chance. So he made his way to the reapings and volunteered there.

“I’m Xerxes Pitch, and I will be competing for the lovely ladies.” He winked at the girls in the district, with half of them fainting. Xerxes chuckled slightly and knew he had a chance of winning.

Optional - Backstory Summary
When Xerxes was born, he was given to his father by his mother. She ultimately abandoned them.

Hayden, his father, was a thief, so the peacekeepers were constantly on the lookout for him. Despite this, he taught Xerxes all kinds of thievery skills, and the two would often go on stealing sprees.

One day, Hayden was caught by a peacekeeper by the name of Everly Pinesworth. Xerxes was almost caught, but he managed to escape. He stayed on his own at his house, living off of the things he stole. But when peacekeepers checked the house, Xerxes knew he had to go somewhere else. So he visited his uncles, Silvanus and Edgar.

Later that night, Xerxes watched the execution of Hayden live in the district square. When it was over, Xerxes left the room.

Xerxes eventually left school at the age of 10 to make use of his stealing skills. He was nearly caught when he put one of his own plans to use, but like the first time he fled unharmed.

Over the years, the peacekeepers were desperate to find Xerxes. On one winter's night, they stormed the district and shot anybody who was shifty. Amidst the chaos, Xerxes saw a girl his age trying to escape. He made a huge risk and charged in towards her. He then pulled her by the arm to safety into a house. She revealed that she was Everly Pinesowrth's daughter, Justina 'Tina' Pinesworth. Xerxes was surprised at the revelation, but he didn't care.

A few days after, Tina made a live announcement that she would track down and capture Xerxes.

Then there came a day where the peacekeepers were training recruits. Xerxes used this opportunity to capture Tina and bring her back to his place. He then called the peacekeepers on her phone and ordered them to pay a million dollars, or never see Tina again. This failed, however.

He kept Tina locked up for 3 years, before he decided to set her free. When he was untying her, she distracted him with a kiss and released herself. Then she kicked him in the ribs and climbed down the window. Xerxes in new found confusion fell out of the window, into the arms of a peacekeeper. This time, he knew exactly where he was. Not wanting execution, he kicked the peacekeeper that held him and threw him onto the other 2 that were there.

He then went to the reapings, where he volunteered for the games. He had escaped them.

Inspiration
 Song inspiration: March of Mephisto - Kamelot  (Note: The first two lyric lines were translated from a different language)

 The fortune is smiling at our first effort' - Xerxes was nearly caught the first time he went solo, but he escaped.

 ' Let me lead you and you will be safe' - Xerxes leading Tina to safety

 '''You know just who I am. Don't be so distant' -'' Xerxes trying to lure Tina out with the knowledge that she wants his capture

 Because when you're lost, I am solely there to share your grief - They both want each other in one way, but they can't get to the other how they want to

 Wailing for your sorrow is only my way to comfort you' - Xerxes is unintentionally teasing her, but he's giving her signs there's still a chance to get him.'  

 Now tell me all about your pain, down to the detail - Xerxes is trying to comfort Tina to manipulate her.

 '''Don't say it's love. Your fragile heart feeds my contempt''' - Tina sees Xerxes as weak, just because he loves her.

 We belong... you and I in unison in all you deny - Xerxes loves Tina, but she doesn't return her feelings.

 I am the thorn in your side that seeks accomplishment - Xerxes stands in Tina's way of her goals, whilst he fulfills his own.

 I am the spore of your pride - Xerxes is what builds up Tina's pride.

Trivia

 * To create his backstory, I worked along the lines of what Kekai had in mind when he created Xerxes.