Effie felt like shit. District 12 was honestly the worst assignment; they rarely even made it past the bloodbath. Haymitch was rude, the district was disgusting. She rested her head on her hands. Maybe they would get somewhere if Haymitch would just stop drinking for two days and actually mentor these children. There was only so much an escort could do. They were officially not allowed to accept sponsorships. He never seemed to recognize that Effie was legitimately trying to help, that she was intelligent and shrewd and was a great asset that he was just ignoring. Effie raised her head and pulled out a small mirror to fix her makeup. No one was likely to come across her here but it was technically a common area and she didn't want to risk it.

"You look beautiful." Effie was startled by the quiet voice. At least it validated her fixing her makeup. The female District 3 mentor stood on the other side of the room, arms twisted behind her back, feet tapping to a rhythm only she could hear. Effie prided herself on her knowledge of the Hunger Games and its winners. This woman was named Wiress. "All the colors, all the sparkles..." Her voice dropped off, leaving some words unsaid. Wiress took a few steps.

"Thank you, dear. As do you. Very," Effie motioned to the long dress billowing around Wiress' small frame, "elfin." Wiress smiled, stepped closer. Effie remembered that Wiress was one of the ones with some mental problems. Not as spacey as Annie from District 4, but slightly offbeat. Difficult to talk to. Perhaps she didn't talk much, but Effie decided that Wiress was the only one here with any taste. Most of the districts viewed her couture as extravagance and waste, but why couldn't more people just appreciate beauty? Beauty in the awkward and manufactured and obscene was every bit as worth appreciating as the beauty of nature. And there was more of it in Panem, too.

"Could I have some colors? Like you?" Wiress' voice was hesitant, like a child asking for a treat but expecting to be denied. Effie found this sweet, almost heartbreaking.

"Come sit, let's see." Effie patted the cushion next to her and rummaged through her makeup bag. When she looked up, Wiress was there, eyes fixed on Effie's little hat.

"It catches the light." She looked entranced.

"Would you like to try it on?" Effie smiled at her warmly.

"Oh no, thank you. I couldn't look at it then…I like it on you…" Wiress reached her hand towards it, but stopped herself halfway, distracted by something else. Effie couldn't smother her giggle. "Your laugh is pretty, too."

First, powder. Then work on the eyes. Wiress' eyes were blue, so she needed orange, copper. Effie laid out her choices, and Wiress touched each one with a careful finger. Blush. Effie applied dots of a pink liquid to Wiress' powdered cheeks and blended it in with her finger. Effie's expert hand wielded eye shadow and mascara the same way careers wielded blades in the arena. "Can I have lots of different colors?" Wiress asked.

"Don't move, dear, you'll smudge." Effie pressed the tip of her tongue against her teeth. Yes, it could work. "Purple?" Wiress opened her mouth to say yes, then remembered Effie's instruction. Effie blended purple into the corners of her eyes. She dug through her bag, she was sure there was a purple lipstick here somewhere. Wiress stayed perfectly still. "Aha!" Effie held up the lipstick triumphantly. She painted a sweet little heart of color on Wiress' mouth.

When Effie held the mirror up to Wiress, she felt proud. It was a nice makeup job, if hurried. Wiress looked absolutely lovely. The girl seemed to agree, since she was smiling ear to ear, staring at her face from every angle. "You're so smart," Wiress breathed. Effie was sure she was blushing beneath her thick mask of foundation. Wiress, she knew perfectly well, was one of the most brilliant inventors in Panem. She and Beetee were absolute geniuses and national treasures. That was the girl calling her smart right now. Effie wished she had a recording of this moment, one she could show to her parents, to Haymitch, to all of her tormentors and naysayers who thought she was shallow just because her talents weren't in academics. "You made my eyes look huge. It's fun." Wiress grinned up at Effie. This was one of Effie's favorite little tricks. Some people got surgical alterations to change the shape of their face but Effie was an absolute wiz at shadows and highlights. No surgery needed. "I look beautiful," Wiress laughed. Effie had to agree. She had been quite charming looking before as well, actually.

Wiress leaned forward, and ever so gently touched her lips to Effie's. It was over so quickly, Effie couldn't respond at all before Wiress had moved away. She practically danced to the doorway. "Thank you. Thank you for being so beautiful."

Well. That had been odd, but for some strange reason, Effie couldn't help smiling. Her lips tingled just a little bit, and she refused to touch up the slightly smeared lipstick. She felt beautiful the way she was.

Thanks to Twitter and Tumblr pal RubyKnotWise for the inspiration. I'm not sure if this was romantic or if Wiress just likes touching people. Your opinion is as valid as mine. I just love the brain exercise of finding ways for two seemingly random characters to interact. And I really think Wiress would find Effie beautiful.

Thanks for reading, please review and check out my other Hunger Games stories.