Victors' Village, District 12 [Monday, Fandom-time]
Katniss had been home for a whole day. She'd managed to see Gale for a moment, to avoid Peeta for a few more, and to spend some time with Prim.
And of course, this peace couldn't last. She was home for a reason, after all. So it wasn't long before her mother dispatched her upstairs to take a bath -- a luxury only afforded by their new home in the Victors' Village -- and it was while she was underwater that she heard it. The sounds of honking, and doors slamming, and too-high laughter.
Her prep crew was here. She barely had time to dive out of the tub and into a robe -- though, really, she knew it would be coming off. As much as Katniss valued her privacy, she knew it was a lost cause around these three people.
Venia
"Katniss, your eyebrows!" was the greeting she received from Venia, and Katniss almost laughed. She didn't have to respond before Octavia patted her aqua-haired friend on the back.
"There, there. You can fix those in no time. But what am I going to do with these nails?" Katniss found her hand being yanked forward and clasped between Octavia's soft, light green ones. After time spent in Fandom, she hardly found her prep team's colors and fashion noteworthy, but it was still always a bit of a shock to find how loud they were.
Flavius, meanwhile, was sighing at her wet, tangled hair. "Has anyone touched this since you last saw us?" he asked sternly. "Remember, we specifically asked you to leave your hair alone."
Katniss
"Yes!" Katniss was grateful to have something that they couldn't criticize, because she'd followed instructions. "I mean, no. No one's touched it. I remembered."
And with that, they were off. They all kissed Katniss before shoving her into a chair. Apparently the direction had been to only decorate her face and hands, as everything else would be covered up by her cold weather clothing. And of course, that was fine with Katniss, as it gave them less time to chat with her about how her first year mentoring the Games would be during the Quarter Quell.
"Isn't it thrilling?"
"Don't you feel so lucky?"
'Lucky.' Of course.
"Oh yes," Katniss said neutrally, though she felt anything but lucky. The idea of being a mentor during a normal year was nightmarish, but the Quarter Quell -- occuring every twenty-five years and marking the anniversary of the districts' defeat with over-the-top celebrations and some miserable twist for the tributes -- promised to be somehow worse.
Soon, though, her brows were stinging, and her nails ready to be painted. Katniss's mother came in to carefully show the prep crew how to do her hair in the way it had been for the Reaping, and finally, Katniss was able to duck downstairs, where she found Cinna. And really, just seeing him made her feel a lot better, automatically.
Cinna
And what Cinna was doing, of course, was arranging trunks and bolts of fabric. Since Katniss's talent -- all the victors had to have a talent to show off -- had been shown so well in the arena, they were adopting one of his: fashion design.
"I think I show a lot of promise," Katniss offered with a smile, looking around.
"Get dressed, you worthless thing," he said, tossing a bundle of clothing at her.
Katniss
"Did I design my outfit?" Katniss asked, examining the perfect leather boots and flowing black pants.
Cinna
"No, you aspire to design your outfit and be like me, your fashion hero," said Cinna. He handed her a small stack of cards. "You'll read these off camera while they're filming the clothes. Try to sound like you care."
Effie
Just then, Effie -- Katniss and Peeta's personal chaperone, and the only reason they ever got anywhere on time in the Capitol -- bustled in with a camera crew, reminding them, "We're on a schedule!" as she kissed Katniss's cheeks.
Katniss
And so the rest of the afternoon was spent with Katniss bobbling around and chirping meaningless things from her cards, showing off pieces 'she' had designed.
Once the camera crew dismissed her so they could film the outfits in peace, Katniss thought she might have a moment to herself. Until, of course, she realized Cinna was placing a coat over her shoulders. And earmuffs, which made her twitch -- that whole hearing loss in the arena hadn't really been all too much fun.
Mrs. Everdeen
Her mother hurried over, something cupped in her hands. "For good luck," she whispered, handing it to Cinna, so he could pin it on Katniss' scarf.
Effie
And then Effie bustled up, clasping Katniss by the arm as she called, "Attention, everyone! We're about to do the first outdoor shot, where the victors greet each other at the beginning of their marvelous trip. All right, Katniss, big smile, you're very excited, right?"
Katniss
And with that, Katniss was shoved out the door.
She stood still for a moment, and then she saw Peeta, exiting across the way from his own house.
And in her ear, as though he were whispering it now, she heard President Snow: "Convince me."
This was it. There were cameras here, if not in Fandom. She had to perform, and she had to act on instinct. Katniss shoved away all thought of how badly she'd hurt Peeta, and of a boy who she hoped would return to her school. She didn't think about who she'd rather be embracing, or what she'd rather be doing. This, she knew, had to be her only focus.
So she performed.
Her face broke into a huge smile, and she ran over to Peeta, throwing her arms around him as though she couldn't stand being away from him for another second. There, they had their first kiss in months, and it was full of fur and lipstick, but under all of that, Katniss could feel the steadiness that was Peeta.
No matter what, he wasn't going to betray here, here, with a half-hearted kiss. No matter how poorly she'd treated him, or how much he hurt, he was still watching out for her. It was comforting, and made her ache, all at once.
Peeta
And the rest of the day passed in a blur. Peeta catching Katniss and spinning her around -- carefully, as he didn't have total control of his artificial leg yet -- and Katniss leaving insincere (he knew, even if no one else did) kisses on his cheek. They ate an amazing meal with Effie and their stylists, and Haymitch drank his, until everyone retired to bed on the train that would take them to their first district.
Katniss
Except Katniss couldn't sleep. Not now. Not while this was actually happening. And she couldn't bear to wake Peeta, and burden him with still more of her problems.
So instead she went to find Haymitch, knowing that he'd still be awake. He didn't like to sleep when it was dark out.
Haymitch
"What do you want?" he asked as he greeted the door, nearly knocking Katniss out with his fumes.
Katniss
"I need to talk to you," Katniss whispered.
She paused, and so did he, waiting for her to continue, but she was sure that every word on a Capitol train was being recorded.
"The train's so stuffy," she offered carefully.
Haymitch
Haymitch's eyes narrowed in understanding. "I know what you need." He pushed past Katniss and lurched down the hall to a door, as the train braked. When he wrestled it open, a blast of snow hit them both, and Haymitch tripped out onto the ground.
A Capitol attendant rushed to help, but Haymitch waved her away good-naturedly as he staggered off. "Just want some fresh air. Only be a minute."
Katniss
"Sorry," Katniss offered, jumping off the train after him. "He's drunk."
When she caught up to him, she told him everything. Everything since Fandom -- how now, there was another boy. How the President had threatened her. How she wasn't sure it was enough, what she was doing.
How they were all going to die if she failed.
Haymitch
"Then you can't fail," he said, his face growing sober in the tail lights.
Katniss
"If you could just help me get through this trip-"
Haymitch
"No, Katniss, it's not just this trip," he said. "Even if you pull it off, they'll be back in another few months to take us all to the Games. You and Peeta, you'll be mentors now, every year from here on out. And every year they'll revisit the romance and broadcast the details of your private life, and you'll never, ever be able to do anything but live happily ever after with that boy."
Katniss
The full impact of Haymitch's words hit her. She would never have a life with Wesley or any other boy, even if she wanted to. She would never be allowed to live alone. She would have to be forever in love with Peeta. The Capitol would insist on it. She would have a few years, maybe -- she was only sixteen -- and then....
Haymitch
"Do you understand?" he pressed.
Katniss
She nodded. He meant there was only one future, if she wanted to keep those she loved alive and stay alive herself.
"I'll have to marry Peeta."
[preplayed with myself, whooo. NFB, NFI, OOC is love. Stolen from Chapter 3 of Catching Fire.]
And of course, this peace couldn't last. She was home for a reason, after all. So it wasn't long before her mother dispatched her upstairs to take a bath -- a luxury only afforded by their new home in the Victors' Village -- and it was while she was underwater that she heard it. The sounds of honking, and doors slamming, and too-high laughter.
Her prep crew was here. She barely had time to dive out of the tub and into a robe -- though, really, she knew it would be coming off. As much as Katniss valued her privacy, she knew it was a lost cause around these three people.
Venia
"Katniss, your eyebrows!" was the greeting she received from Venia, and Katniss almost laughed. She didn't have to respond before Octavia patted her aqua-haired friend on the back.
"There, there. You can fix those in no time. But what am I going to do with these nails?" Katniss found her hand being yanked forward and clasped between Octavia's soft, light green ones. After time spent in Fandom, she hardly found her prep team's colors and fashion noteworthy, but it was still always a bit of a shock to find how loud they were.
Flavius, meanwhile, was sighing at her wet, tangled hair. "Has anyone touched this since you last saw us?" he asked sternly. "Remember, we specifically asked you to leave your hair alone."
Katniss
"Yes!" Katniss was grateful to have something that they couldn't criticize, because she'd followed instructions. "I mean, no. No one's touched it. I remembered."
And with that, they were off. They all kissed Katniss before shoving her into a chair. Apparently the direction had been to only decorate her face and hands, as everything else would be covered up by her cold weather clothing. And of course, that was fine with Katniss, as it gave them less time to chat with her about how her first year mentoring the Games would be during the Quarter Quell.
"Isn't it thrilling?"
"Don't you feel so lucky?"
'Lucky.' Of course.
"Oh yes," Katniss said neutrally, though she felt anything but lucky. The idea of being a mentor during a normal year was nightmarish, but the Quarter Quell -- occuring every twenty-five years and marking the anniversary of the districts' defeat with over-the-top celebrations and some miserable twist for the tributes -- promised to be somehow worse.
Soon, though, her brows were stinging, and her nails ready to be painted. Katniss's mother came in to carefully show the prep crew how to do her hair in the way it had been for the Reaping, and finally, Katniss was able to duck downstairs, where she found Cinna. And really, just seeing him made her feel a lot better, automatically.
Cinna
And what Cinna was doing, of course, was arranging trunks and bolts of fabric. Since Katniss's talent -- all the victors had to have a talent to show off -- had been shown so well in the arena, they were adopting one of his: fashion design.
"I think I show a lot of promise," Katniss offered with a smile, looking around.
"Get dressed, you worthless thing," he said, tossing a bundle of clothing at her.
Katniss
"Did I design my outfit?" Katniss asked, examining the perfect leather boots and flowing black pants.
Cinna
"No, you aspire to design your outfit and be like me, your fashion hero," said Cinna. He handed her a small stack of cards. "You'll read these off camera while they're filming the clothes. Try to sound like you care."
Effie
Just then, Effie -- Katniss and Peeta's personal chaperone, and the only reason they ever got anywhere on time in the Capitol -- bustled in with a camera crew, reminding them, "We're on a schedule!" as she kissed Katniss's cheeks.
Katniss
And so the rest of the afternoon was spent with Katniss bobbling around and chirping meaningless things from her cards, showing off pieces 'she' had designed.
Once the camera crew dismissed her so they could film the outfits in peace, Katniss thought she might have a moment to herself. Until, of course, she realized Cinna was placing a coat over her shoulders. And earmuffs, which made her twitch -- that whole hearing loss in the arena hadn't really been all too much fun.
Mrs. Everdeen
Her mother hurried over, something cupped in her hands. "For good luck," she whispered, handing it to Cinna, so he could pin it on Katniss' scarf.
Effie
And then Effie bustled up, clasping Katniss by the arm as she called, "Attention, everyone! We're about to do the first outdoor shot, where the victors greet each other at the beginning of their marvelous trip. All right, Katniss, big smile, you're very excited, right?"
Katniss
And with that, Katniss was shoved out the door.
She stood still for a moment, and then she saw Peeta, exiting across the way from his own house.
And in her ear, as though he were whispering it now, she heard President Snow: "Convince me."
This was it. There were cameras here, if not in Fandom. She had to perform, and she had to act on instinct. Katniss shoved away all thought of how badly she'd hurt Peeta, and of a boy who she hoped would return to her school. She didn't think about who she'd rather be embracing, or what she'd rather be doing. This, she knew, had to be her only focus.
So she performed.
Her face broke into a huge smile, and she ran over to Peeta, throwing her arms around him as though she couldn't stand being away from him for another second. There, they had their first kiss in months, and it was full of fur and lipstick, but under all of that, Katniss could feel the steadiness that was Peeta.
No matter what, he wasn't going to betray here, here, with a half-hearted kiss. No matter how poorly she'd treated him, or how much he hurt, he was still watching out for her. It was comforting, and made her ache, all at once.
Peeta
And the rest of the day passed in a blur. Peeta catching Katniss and spinning her around -- carefully, as he didn't have total control of his artificial leg yet -- and Katniss leaving insincere (he knew, even if no one else did) kisses on his cheek. They ate an amazing meal with Effie and their stylists, and Haymitch drank his, until everyone retired to bed on the train that would take them to their first district.
Katniss
Except Katniss couldn't sleep. Not now. Not while this was actually happening. And she couldn't bear to wake Peeta, and burden him with still more of her problems.
So instead she went to find Haymitch, knowing that he'd still be awake. He didn't like to sleep when it was dark out.
Haymitch
"What do you want?" he asked as he greeted the door, nearly knocking Katniss out with his fumes.
Katniss
"I need to talk to you," Katniss whispered.
She paused, and so did he, waiting for her to continue, but she was sure that every word on a Capitol train was being recorded.
"The train's so stuffy," she offered carefully.
Haymitch
Haymitch's eyes narrowed in understanding. "I know what you need." He pushed past Katniss and lurched down the hall to a door, as the train braked. When he wrestled it open, a blast of snow hit them both, and Haymitch tripped out onto the ground.
A Capitol attendant rushed to help, but Haymitch waved her away good-naturedly as he staggered off. "Just want some fresh air. Only be a minute."
Katniss
"Sorry," Katniss offered, jumping off the train after him. "He's drunk."
When she caught up to him, she told him everything. Everything since Fandom -- how now, there was another boy. How the President had threatened her. How she wasn't sure it was enough, what she was doing.
How they were all going to die if she failed.
Haymitch
"Then you can't fail," he said, his face growing sober in the tail lights.
Katniss
"If you could just help me get through this trip-"
Haymitch
"No, Katniss, it's not just this trip," he said. "Even if you pull it off, they'll be back in another few months to take us all to the Games. You and Peeta, you'll be mentors now, every year from here on out. And every year they'll revisit the romance and broadcast the details of your private life, and you'll never, ever be able to do anything but live happily ever after with that boy."
Katniss
The full impact of Haymitch's words hit her. She would never have a life with Wesley or any other boy, even if she wanted to. She would never be allowed to live alone. She would have to be forever in love with Peeta. The Capitol would insist on it. She would have a few years, maybe -- she was only sixteen -- and then....
Haymitch
"Do you understand?" he pressed.
Katniss
She nodded. He meant there was only one future, if she wanted to keep those she loved alive and stay alive herself.
"I'll have to marry Peeta."
[preplayed with myself, whooo. NFB, NFI, OOC is love. Stolen from Chapter 3 of Catching Fire.]