So this oneshot turned into a twoshot. I hope you enjoy the conclusion to this short piece. Reviews will be treasured greatly.
If you like this story and its companion, Borrow, Blood and Steel, you'll probably like Lulubird's Foxface/Clove story, A Surprising Alliance ( s/8249841/1/).
"What the hell am I doing here?" Enobaria folded her arms across her chest as she leaned back in the expensive leather chair.
Seneca swallowed and stood to face the conference room of Gamemakers and mentors.
"We have a potential problem with some of the tributes."
Haymitch scoffed and poured himself another scotch- the third in the ten minutes he had been there. "I thought we went over this, Crane, my two have brought in more viewers than any other Gamessince its inception. Isn't that a good thing?"
It was typical of Haymitch to be self-important. "While your two tributes have presented us with issues, Haymitch, we are not gathered to discuss them. I am more concerned about Clove of District 2 and Lorelei of District 5."
Enobaria had her head in her hands. "What in Panem did she do this time? Please don't tell me it's cannibalism. Anything but cannibalism. Gosh, I told her to draw the line at cannibalism!"
"Cannibalism would be easier to control than this. Clove and Lorelei have forged a rather dangerous alliance."
"What's so bad about it, Seneca?" Plutarch had his hands clasped, resting on the table, clearly unconcerned.
"It's not just an alliance, Plutarch. They appear to be, well, friends."
Enobaria let out a throaty laugh, baring her pearl-white filed teeth. "Oh dear. My Clove doesn't make friends. She's not even friendly with Cato."
Seneca lifted his tablet from the conference table and pulled his collection of footage of the two girls over to the big screen.
"What you're about to see is classified- it does not leave this room."
He clicked his fingers and the lights dimmed. The CCTV cameras shut off and the montage of clips played. It earned gasps from almost everyone in the room.
When the lights lifted, he found Enobaria's fist twisted in his shirt. "Why was I not made aware of this before? She's my bloody tribute!"
"Nobody could know. I broadcast as little as I could, otherwise we'd have uprisings on our hands- again." Seneca shot a look at Haymitch. Of course, it wasn't his fault that District 11 was rioting. He didn't tell his tribute to lay flowers on the grave of the dead girl. All the same, Haymitch was someone to blame, someone who could carry some of the crushing responsibility.
Enobaria reluctantly let Seneca loose, before resuming her seat. "What do you suggest we do? Kill off Five?"
"That would look far too suspicious." Plutarch interjected. "What we need is a situation change. We need to turn them against each other somehow. We can't break their alliance externally."
"Well, from the looks of it, it's not going to be that easy. You can break someone on a physical level, but when a connection is emotional, it becomes a lot more... delicate." Seneca was pacing now. What on Earth could he do to split the pair inconspicuously before they did some serious damage and made more District 11s?
"You could always change the rules." Haymitch drawled, staring into the dregs of his scotch.
That was it. He could change the Game up. It was perfect. He could pass it off as a move to draw more attention to District 12. Regardless of how unpredictable the Girl on Fire was, she would be easier to control than the girls from 2 and 5.
"Haymitch, you drunk idiot, you're a genius."
"How long did that take you to figure out?" The cornsilk-haired drunkard tipped the last of the scotch down his throat.
"They want each other to survive, right? So if their only survival tactic is to be independent of each other, that's all we have to do- split them up."
"What are you talking about, Seneca?" Enobaria's haughty brow was lifted high.
Seneca was grinning now. "We drive Clove back to Cato by changing the rules. Two tributes may win if they come from the same district. Either way, one district wins. It's good news for Twelve, too- might be able to draw in some more viewers."
"Seneca, we can't just change the rules like that. Snow would have our heads."
"Don't worry, Plutarch, it's only a temporary revision. A mind game, if you would. The Capitol will have their victor- their lone victor- and with any luck, it'll all blow over with minimal resistance. All in favour of the, ahem, "rule change"?"
The mentors enthusiastically lifted their hands, along with most of the Gamemakers.
"Those against?"
Plutarch lifted his hand. "You're shooting yourself in the foot here, Seneca."
"Doesn't matter, majority rules. I'll let Claudius know immediately. Meeting adjourned."