Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games or any of its characters. Only my OC and any names I give to unnamed tributes.
Any mistakes are mine.
Once they reached the newly built Training Center, Azalea and her group rode the elevator to their floor. It was hardly anything special from what they normally had, but Lotham insisted the Capital had gone all out for this year's Games. Azalea sensed he was somehow trying to make them feel better so she offered him a smile in return but kept any comment to herself.
"Tomorrow we'll have the tribute parade, get some sleep Azalea. You'll need it if you're going to have to put up with the stylists in the morning." Azalea groaned but nodded to Dael's request. She hadn't had to deal with the stylists since her Victory Tour and she had been happy that way. "Good night." She mumbled to Dael and the others. Heading for the room she always took. It was a new building but she had always claimed the last room on the left.
Azalea felt the over whelming day catch up with her and all she wanted to do was sleep. She entered the room, ready to ignore all the Capital's crazy colors and smells. Azalea closed and locked the door, as part of her habit in strange place. The victor pushed the hair over her shoulder and looked up, jumping slightly as she did so. But she was happy for it.
"Finnick!" She exclaimed, a real smile on her face and tears building in her eyes. The victor of District 4 grinned from his place on her bed, having arrived before her and hid in the room he knew she would pick. Azalea ran towards him and collapsed on the bed, enclosed in his arms. Finnick let a joyous chuckle and leaned down to kiss her. Azalea closed her eyes at the touch of his lips on hers, the everlasting taste of sea salt on her tongue. Finnick pulled back his lips but pulled her closer to sit with him. "Hello darling." He whispered to her.
Azalea grinned and leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder. For a while they were content just to sit there but soon enough Azalea's curiosity got the better of her. "What are you doing here?" She sat back but Finnick wouldn't allow that and pulled her back into his arms, causing her to giggle like a child. "Can't I come and visit my girl?" He asked and Azalea blushed under his green gaze. "No one will know I'm missing, I can't work with the Games going on." He winked playfully yet Azalea knew he was grateful to not have to be with strangers for the night. Under his classic smirk Azalea saw the tired victor who had been worn too thin. She wanted him to stay with her forever safe in her arms. Never have to be used by the Capital again."Then you have to stay the night, I already locked the door." Azalea kept her tone light, refusing to ruin the mood with any serious and dark thoughts. "If that's what my girl wants, who am I to deny her." Finnick said softly and lowered his lips to hers again.
When morning rolled around, half of the bed was cold when earlier it had been warm like the sand on the beach. Azalea frowned staring at the other side of the bed, where Finnick had been sleeping. The sheets and pillows still smelled like him. She rolled over and curled in around his scent. Closing her eyes to possibly pretend he was just in the bathroom and would be back any minute. That wasn't true, she knew. He would back on his floor, getting ready for the parade. She For a few moments she let the silence kick in. She hid her face under them when a knock sounded from the door. She groaned, knowing exactly who was behind it.
"Azalea darling! Wake up!" The District's head stylist slammed up the door. Azalea cursed Finnick knowing he had left the door unlocked. "Wake up, we have a lot of work to do!" The stylist shook Azalea by the shoulder. The victor peeked out from under the cover, her hair a wild tangled mess. The head stylist, a woman named Sachi who had no eyebrows but little pink rhinestones gave her a small knowing smirk but didn't anything. "You clearly haven't taken care of your hair. Come, come. We have work to do." She clapped her hands and headed to the connecting bathroom. Azalea sighed but got up to follow, dragging the blankets with her. With no clothes on, she was cold.
Sachi, along with her team of three other stylists; a woman with a shaved year and red tattoos surrounding her eyes, a man with long dark hair who had feathers glued to the left side of his eye and tiny woman with bright pink hair. Azalea noticed they weren't the same ones from the year before. She wondered what happened to the last team. Sachi didn't comment about them and Azalea didn't say anything either. They still had the same bubbly personalities and still Capitol accent that when they talked fast enough made it hard to understand.
The team got rid of all her body hair and added so much fake tan she didn't even look like her normal skin color. Sachi cut and curled her long hair and pulled half of it up into ponytail and added a golden crown that was shaped to look like stocks of wheat weaved together. Her makeup was all gold and her nails were covered in little gold rhinestone. Azalea frowned looking at them, thinking how they would look in the arena. The dress was white and draped over one shoulder and golden rope hung it to her hips. Other than that it hung dangerous loose on her. Her back and her sides and her left leg from her thigh was revealed. Azalea rolled her eyes.
As she finished Sachi dismissed her team and put any finishing touches on herself. Finally Azalea couldn't take her silence. "What happened to the last team?" She whispered but Sachi still heard her. The woman, who was strapping on Azalea's heels looked up at her with sadness in her eyes. "Don't worry about them Azalea." Was all Sachi said, in fact it was all the woman would say on the subject. "There, all finished!" She said with a sudden cheeriness and spun Azalea around to face the mirror for the first time. Azalea gaped at the woman in the mirror. She didn't even look like her anymore. She looked like a product of the Capital. Showing too much and too tan. She wasn't herself. "I got the idea from Greek history. The Goddess of the Harvest, Demeter and I modeled Dael after Aristaeus, the God of the Hunt. I thought it was a fitting way to represent your District." The fact that Sachi had modeled her after goddess had left Azalea speechless. She had never done that, to any of the tribute. Not even to her when she had gone to her Games. She nodded dumbly to Sachi in approval. The woman glowed and practically dragged Azalea to the elevator where Dael and his stylist was waiting.
Dael had been modeled after a Greek god but not in the same way she had been. Where she had beautiful and seductive, he had been powerful and dangerous. The permanent scowl on his face helped. The wreath of wheat looked almost identical to hers but with his hair slicked back, you could see the gray starting to seep its way through his hair. His chest was bronze and bare, with the hard muscles gained over the years being shown off for once. His drape hung low on his hips. Azalea was actually taken back, for being a man closing in on 50 he was pretty attractive right now. She smirked and opened her mouth to make a smartass comment but one glare her way from him, kept her silence. They rode the elevator down that way too.
They were under the crowd when they came to the preparation station. Azalea was startled when people started screaming her name and called out for her. She looked up to them, smiled and waved but kept walking when Dael hurried on ahead of her to the chariot. She knew Dael was upset, just like all the victors were. He had been better about hiding it around Edan and Laine but when it just her, he let it show freely. When Dael came up to their chariot she smiled at seeing the horses, they had a lot of them in Nine but were never allowed to pet them. She rubbed one on the snout and smiled when he whinnied happily. "Aren't you gorgeous." She cooed to the black horse.
A hand piled high with sugar cubes appeared at her left. "Try giving him a sugar cube." Azalea looked up to see Finnick topless and bronze like Dael, yet with him it was pure seduction rolling off him. His cover was basically just a net wrapped around his waist. She wasn't surprised Finnick's stylist had chosen what he had on. Everyone wanted to see Finnick Odair's body. Her thoughts turned sour as she thought of all the people who had gotten that wish. But she wouldn't let it bother right now. She took a sugar cube and held out her hand to the horse. She giggled as the whiskers tickled her hand and turned back for another one.
Instead she found Finnick feeding her a sugar cube. She was taken aback by his closeness but smiled anyway and opened her mouth to him. District Four's victor placed the cube on her tongue. Azalea closed her mouth and Finnick rubbed his thumb against her painted lips, staring intensely at them. The imitate moment was shattered when Dael came up to them, clearing his throat. His gaze was disapproval had been clear as day.
"Dael." Finnick greeted cheerfully, he looked the older victor over. "It seems our stylists had similar ideas in fashion this year. But I believe I worn it better." Finnick winked and turned back to Azalea, handing out his hand to her. "Here, feed your new friends. I'm going to try and make friends." Azalea grabbed a few sugar cubes and smiled in farewell as Finnick strutted over to where Katniss was also petting her horse. She shared an awkward gaze with Dael before turning back to the horses. "Who wants a sugar cube?"
