Harlequin Marceau

Harlequin Marceau is the second Master of Ceremonies of the Hunger Games.
== Biography ==
Harlequin Marceau was born in the Capitol during the year of the 7th Hunger Games. She entered film at a young age, becoming a child actress when she was six years old. She enjoyed the work and continued throughout her childhood. As she neared adulthood, she transitioned into mainly television acting and became known her for sultry good looks and her quick tongue. She served as a guest judge on ParadeParazzi and appeared on many Games-centered shows before starring on her own Games-centered comedy show Fun and Games. The show was a smash hit, and as she was preparing for her second season, she was asked to take over as Master of Ceremonies following the retirement of Seutonuis Cathode.
== Master of Ceremonies ==
Harlequin had long been a fan of Seutonius Cathode, and she felt nervousness and inadequacy when asked to fill his shoes. During her first batch of interviews, she was noticeably nervous and worried that she would bomb entirely.
All that changed when Haber Dasher took the stage. The girl went on a rambling diatribe against men, igniting Harlequin's notorious temper. She tried to stay patient, but when Haber called her a ditz, she shot back an angry retort, shocking Haber and delighting the audience. It was then that Harlequin found her style. She didn't have to worry about filling Seutonius' shoes, because she wasn't Seutonius. She had wanted to be just like him, nurturing and enhancing the Tributes equally, but that wasn't her. Instead, she became a dangerous mistress, highlighting the Tributes who didn't give her reason not to and sabotaging the chances of those who did. She used her quick wit and snappy rhetoric to give the Tributes exactly what they deserved, for better or for worse.
Harlequin's interviews were immensely popular in the Capitol, and her new role rocketed her to new heights of fame. Although the Hunger Games were already required viewing in much of Panem, popularity ratings went through the roofs, especially for the indiscreet incident that ended up costing Harlequin her job.
== Scandal ==
Harlequin has always been a believer in free love. She loves without jealousy or limitation, and that ended up coming back to haunt her in the end. It was well known across the Capitol that Harlequin favored some Tributes over others simply due to looks, though she did not allow this alone to color her interviews. Her favorite of all was Desiree Redwood, the female Tribute from Seven for the 40th Hunger Games. Harlequin's first interview with Des scintillated with sexual tension, and when the girl came back for the Non-Career Resurrection Games, Harlequin was unable to hold back. When she was supposed to ask Des a question from the audience, she instead ignored it and asked what Des would do if she kissed her. Des responded by launching into an embrace, which was televised across Panem and resulted in an all-time record for Panem television ratings.
While the audience was overjoyed with what they saw as a titillating impossible romance, the authorities in the Capitol questioned the legality of kissing a minor and the ethics of an interviewer playing such blatant favorites. Harlequin later compounded the problem by donating to Des' sponsor fund, which she, as a Games employee, was forbidden to do. This resulted in her being fired from her job as Master of Ceremonies. Legally, the penalty should have been stiffer, but President Snow had just come into office. His power and support were still shaky, and he did not want to begin his reign by executing or Avoxing one of Panem's most beloved faces.
== Post-Master of Ceremonies life ==
Harlequin took her dismissal in wry stride, admitting that she probably should not have kissed a minor on live television. She continues to act and make guest appearances on talk shows, and she occasionally dabbles in modeling. She also runs a charitable organization, Towering Redwoods, dedicated to providing higher education opportunities for the citizens of District Seven.
Despite being fired, Harlequin continues to be a part of the Games. She serves as Gamemaker Theodora Harp's unpaid secretary and assists her in evaluating the Tribute Private Sessions.
== Relationships ==
=== Theodora Harp ===
Harlequin is currently in a relationship with Gamemaker Theodora Harp. Harp welcomed Harlequin when she first came to the Capitol, and the two quickly noticed an attraction. Harlequin and Harp meet up every year when they are both in the Capitol for the Games, and they enjoy an open relationship.
=== Desiree Redwood ===
Desiree was Harlequin's favorite Tribute. She loved the girl's statuesque good looks and her resilient strength. Harlequin was deeply saddened by both of Desiree's deaths, and her romantic entanglement with the girl was what caused her to lose her job. Though Desiree was seventeen when they first met, Harlequin considered her true age to be measured by time from birth, and she categorized Des as an adult when they embraced.
== Trivia ==
* Harlequin has a reflexive dislike for Career Tributes and generally lets this show in her interviews. She always does her best with the youngest Tributes, considering them too young to condemn.