More Chapters, more tension. I think after the interviews, there will be one more chapter based around training, and then I'll dive straight into the Games. Also, I'm going to put an Appendix of all of the characters in the first chapter, and the rough basis of what's going on, so check there if you want to see what Grey's Characters are in the other Districts. Once again, enjoy!
It was tense as they waited – lined up one-by-one like cattle heading for an abattoir.
No-one met each others eyes, and there had already been an argument between two hot-headed tributes – Yang and Avery – regardless of the fact that they were supposed to be allies. It took all the efforts of Callie, Derek & Addison to tear them apart from each other before fighting broke out before they were even in the arena.
Seeing as the Tributes were lined up behind, or in front of, the other Tribute from their District, no more fights threatened, regardless of the palpable tension.
...
Glancing back down the line, past Mark's serious face, Callie strained to catch a glimpse of Arizona. As usual, the blonde was stunning in a tight blue dress that showed skin in all of the right places, and that stretched midway down her creamy thighs.
A sly grin slipped onto Callie's features as she waited for Arizona to turn around and see her, dispelling the sickness that had caught hold of her whilst contemplating the fifteen minutes of public speaking that awaited her.
Swivelling back to face the front from the twisted position she had been in whilst trying to comfort Charles (who was not the most confident at public speaking), Arizona raised her eyebrows as she met a pair of eyes, with which she was now well acquainted, staring at her. She gave a small smile, unwilling to attract attention, then frowned as the woman she was looking at suddenly spun and made a dash for the bathroom.
Immediately, Arizona lunged forwards, knocking Mark out of the way as he tried to help Callie.
"I've got this, Pretty Boy", she called quickly over he shoulder, trying to dispel the irritated look he was shooting her.
She moved forwards, trying her hardest to ignore the awkward looks she was receiving from the other tributes. Moving quickly, she flung open the door to the bathroom, then swung it tightly shut behind her.
"Callie…? Callie…? It's Arizona…where are you?", a groan from the cubicle – the last on the right – caught the blonde's attention, and she moved swiftly to it, biting her lip and giving a soft sigh as she saw Callie crouched in front of the toilet, obviously being sick.
Without regard for dirt or germs, Arizona got down on her knees behind the other woman, and gently pulled the soft raven hair from Callie's face, holding it in a knot on her neck.
"Arizona…go…I don't want you to see me like this. And you'll miss your interview", Callie said, before groaning once more, and retching over the toilet bowl in front of her.
"Yes, because I'm just going to leave my girlfriend in the toilet on her own vomiting, just so I can have Caesar Flickerman point out to me what little chance I have in the arena.", shot Arizona sarcastically, her tone pointed, though her thumbs still smoothed Callie's cheeks and the sides of her neck gently.
Pausing, Callie turned in Arizona's grip to face the other woman. Mercifully, there was no vomit around her mouth.
"I'm…I'm you're girlfriend?", she asked quietly, her eyes searching Arizona's face, for emotion whilst her own features were a mask.
"I…erm…um…forget I said anything. I just thought, because we...we kind of are, and we're expected to be, and I don't know about you but...Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, it's just that we're supposed to be together for the Games, and for the Capitol, so we are in their eyes, but I really like you regardless so, I don't know, erm, like I said I don't mind but if you don't want to anymore it's just fine rea—"
Her face lighting up, Callie, gave Arizona a gentle nudge, and gently interrupted her, "Arizona, I want to be your girlfriend."
A soft glow spreading over her, Arizona's eyes grew wide, and she smiled, "Well, okay then, so I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you until you're better."
The implied mention of illness caused Callie to choke, and turn back to the toilet.
"Remind me, Calliope, why are you being sick?", Arizona said worriedly, resuming her former position.
"I hate public speaking. I can't do it. It makes me sick. Obviously."
A small chuckle shook Arizona's body, and Callie felt the movement against her back.
"I don't see what's so funny, Arizona", she said, taking a little time to sound slightly pissed off.
"Nothing's funny about you being sick, apart from the fact that you'll be fine, because you are a fantastic person, and whoever meets you can't help but love you. Be yourself, and the interview will be fine, honestly. It's me who doesn't stand a chance.", came the reply, trying to sooth the irate vomitee in front of her. Arizona gently bent forwards and lightly kissed Callie's temple, before they lapsed into silence, Callie's retches fading away, and eventually disappearing.
"Feeling better?", asked Arizona from behind her, reluctantly releasing the raven tresses in her hand, and slipping her hands instead around Callie's waist.
"Thanks to you."
Standing, Arizona helped a slightly shaky Callie from the ground, grinning, "You know, Bambi, you're quite compliant when you're sick. I might take advantage of that next time."
The sly words that Arizona spoke sent shivers up Callie, as did the way Arizona's hand traced up and down her spine.
"If my mouth was clean, and I hadn't just been throwing up, I'd kiss you right now.", Callie replied, trying to skirt over the fact that she'd be more than willing to let Arizona take advantage of her for a night. Or a day. Or both.
Smiling, Arizona brushed a strand of hair from the brunette's cheek, and chuckled slightly, "I'd love you to, vomit or no vomit. Now get yourself cleaned up & calm. You've got an interview to ace."
Rolling her eyes, and obeying her girlfriend (thinking of Arizona as her girlfriend made Callie extremely & inexplicably happy) Callie grabbed a toothbrush, on odd item to have in a communal bathroom, and began to brush her teeth, removing the taste of vomit & the feel of it in her throat.
The entire time, Arizona watched her, and as she did so, a small smile appeared on her features, dispelling any doubts that she had about her interview. She had Callie, so everything would be okay.
When the Latina turned back to her, she pretended not to have been looking, and with a sly smile asked, "Can I have that kiss now?"
"You can have as many as you like."
Stepping forwards, Callie happily obliged, slipping her hands around the blonde's waist and pulling her in closer. She paused when her lips were an inch from Arizona's and smiled, kissing the hidden spot at junction of the blonde's neck and jaw – delighted to hear a gasp from the other woman – before trailing soft kisses down Arizona's jaw to her lips.
Tugging impatiently at Callie's hair, Arizona pressed her lips to the other woman's, feeling a fever spread from them to all over her. Hungrily, Callie traced Arizona's lips with her tongue, and smiled into the other woman's mouth when the pair of lips she was kissing yielded and allowed her in.
As the kiss went on, it became more and more heated, until Arizona was sitting on the side of the bathroom, her legs curled around the Latina's waist, and her hands racing up and down the body in front of her.
Fire ripped through them both, making Arizona glad she was sitting down, for her knees felt like jelly, and there was a feeling of warmth growing in the pit of her stomach.
The omniscient PA system obviously sensed where the kiss was leading, and so decided, in it's infinite wisdom, to go off: "Ding-dong. Hello Tributes! The interviews are beginning as we speak. Make sure you're in line and prepared!"
Growling, and tearing her mouth from Callie's, Arizona glared at the speaker system.
"You know, you're cute when you're pissed off", murmured Callie in her ear, slipping her hands up the blonde's thighs for a moment, before stepping away.
Sticking her tongue out at Callie, Arizona slipped off the side, and pulled her dress down from where it had been pushed up to. Both of them were ruffled & out of breath, so it took a little time to compose themselves.
One last kiss was shared – slower than before, but accompanied by a slow burn – before they slipped from the bathroom together, and headed for their respective places in the line.
"Callie, please tell me you didn't just do Blondie in the bathroom.", pleaded Addison as Callie approached, her eyes twinkling, but her nose wrinkled, "I had hoped you'd have more class."
Indignant, Callie gave her friend a push, and pulled a face, "Of course I didn't…but I came close to it."
With a groan, Addison flicked Callie the bird, before striding off to her interview – which was the first of the twenty-four.
Grinning, Callie turned and winked at the Blonde half a dozen people behind her.
...
"I'm not your brother, or your closest friend, but still I have a say. Was it me, or was there steam coming out of the bathroom after you and Two slipped out?", taunted Charles when Arizona walked back to her place in front of him.
Her expression becoming sweet and innocent, Arizona turned to Charles, "Of course. I just slept with a girl in a bathroom two minutes before my interview with Caesar Flickerman and it was mind blowing, Charles. Whatever, obviously, you just find it intimidating that I get more girls than you."
Laughing, Charles gave her a nudge, "You know I'm kidding. Do what you like. Two's hot."
Shooting Charles a glare, she turned her back on him, and faced the front of the line, just in time to catch a mischievous wink from a certain Tribute in the District Two space.
Watching the other Tributes walk up to their interviews, and seeing them on the large screens hung around, Callie had begun to feel nervous and, consequently, sick again. However she was near the front of the line, and after Addison went Jackson, and in ten minutes, the stage was hers.
They had picked their entrance songs for themselves, and as Callie was led up to the wings of the stage, she could hear Joe Bonamassa's "Too Much Ain't Enough Love" playing.
"You're on Ms. Torres", a stage hand said, giving her a gentle, guiding push in the small of her back to push her onto the stage.
Callie almost stumbled, by regained herself just as she was in sight of the crowd. It was huge. There must have been at least 2,000 people in the building, as unbelievable as it was. Sucking in a breath that she desperately needed, for she hadn't realised she was holding her breath, she made her way over to where Caesar stood – his hair & eyelids a vibrant red for this year's Games – giving waves and air kisses to the audience.
As she reached the odd-looking man, she smiled, and held out a hand, which, unexpectedly, the man took and kissed, before leading her to the plush seats in the centre of the stage.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, from District Two, Calliope Torres!", he roared, which made the crowd roar in response, and it was a good five minutes before they quietened enough for their Host to be heard.
"So, Callie, can I call you that? How has the Capitol been treating you so far?", was the opening question, one to ease the interviewee in to the flow.
"It's…different. It's not like I've seen much of it, though. We haven't left the training area for days!", Callie said, slick off the mark, despite a stutter at first, and eager to seem friendly, relatable and at ease.
"So, you've been working hard then? Fortunately for our audience, we have some clips of you in training. Shall we see them Ladies & Gentlemen?" A roar from the crowd in the affirmative was enough for Caesar and he gave a nod to the technician, and immediately, Callie saw herself on the skin, still and calm, with the hint of a smirk on her face.
She recognised the movements, and realised that they had been filming her in training. She head tilted to one side, she watched as she swung out her knives – the blade on each as long as her forearm – and began to swirl, tearing apart the dummies that surrounded her, and making the instructor leap back in surprise. Within forty-five seconds, the dummies were decimated on the floor, and she had returned to her neutral position in the centre. The crowd went wild. Again. This time, Callie just plastered on a fake smile, and waited for it to subside.
"Very impressive, Callie…now, off matters of business. Is there a special some-one back home for you to return to?", asked Caesar with a knowing nod.
"No, actually Caesar, there isn't…", she replied, trying her best to look coy & mysterious.
Apparently, it worked, for people in the crowd made some light-hearted catcalls, and Caesar raised an eyebrow, "Surely there's some-one for you. A girl like you? There must be. Do tell."
"Well Caesar…", Callie began, flicking her hair over one shoulder, as he eagerly gestured for her to go on, "There is some-one. Some one here…She's incredible. Funny, dorky, beautiful, charming, suave. Just incredible. I could go on Caesar, but that would take the fun out of it."
'Oooooo-oooooo-oooooooooh', came the collective cry from the audience – one that Caesar echoed.
"You won't tell us, or you can't?", asked Caesar, stirring the pot once more.
"Hmmm…I'll leave you to decided that for yourself. A mixture, I'd say. But…she might not want me to say, so you'll have to ask her."
"Oh, find out we will, won't we folks! Can you tell us one useful detail about her"
"Because I'm so lovely Caesar, I'll give you two. She'e blonde. And she's a Tribute…"
Callie let the words hang in the air, savouring the whiplash effect they had on the crowd before Caesar stood, and took her hand.
"Calliope Torres, Ladies & Gentlemen!", he roared, before dropping his voice, "The girl with the secret love."
Waving to the crowd, Callie sauntered off stage, becoming more at ease with every step she took.
"The crowd loved you Callie, you're in for a winner!", Mark called to her as she passed.
However, she was fixed on one other face. Arizona's.
As she faced the blonde, a smile and a nod graced the blonde's features.
Callie had set them up perfectly; now they were both interesting & desirable, and could gain sponsors. It was Arizona's pick up the ball and run with it.
However, both of them knew, deep down, that it was no ball game they were showing off and parading around. It was their hearts.
Walking up on stage, Arizona experienced something different to Callie's feeling of sickness & nervousness. She felt strangely aloof, and calm.
As if she could not be touched by what was going on. And she, unlike the twelve tributes before her, had no chosen a song that was obviously waxing lyrically about herself.
Her choice was subtle, as she hoped to be. The first few bars of Debussy's 'Clair de Lune' began to play, and she glided from the wings to the stage, greeting the crowd with a serene smile, and a slight, coy icy smile twitched the corners of her mouth up.
"The charming Arizona Robbins, folks!", was Caesar's introduction this time; short and sweet in it's entirety.
Reaching him, she gave him a light peck on the check, nearly wrinkling her nose at the overpowering scent of Freesias on him.
And so, the interview began: "Miss Robbins, are you excited to be here today?"
"There's no where else I'd rather be, Mr. Flickerman.", she said with a bright, sincere smile, crossing her legs as she sat, and placing her hands neatly in her lap.
"That's what we like to hear. And do call me Caesar, Miss Robbins"
"Only if you call be Arizona."
"It's a done deal"
Though she was obviously charming, and intriguing, the crowd was still wary of her, as there was no response to most of what she had said so far. It was the Tribute from Three's fault: Erica. She had alluded to being the blonde that Callie had described, and the crowd had been quite taken with her.
Arizona had felt like throttling her when the opening bars of her song came on – Time to Pretend, by MGMT. And she had grown more and more aggravated during the interview, and had almost thrown herself at the woman's self-satisfied face as she swaggered back off stage.
A cough brought her back to the present, and she started, a bashful smile appearing on her face, "Sorry Caesar, I missed that. Come again?"
"I asked what your strength's are, Arizona, as somehow, you've managed to avoid the camera in training."
"Well, I guess listening isn't on the list", and finally, this brought a laugh from the crowd, "I'm not too strong, but I'm handy with a knife, I've got a clear head, a excellent memory, and I'm good with my hands."
"And, you also look stunning tonight, I might say, so that might be a strength too, eh?", prompted Caesar, and she guessed where he was going. Erica obviously hasn't convinced him, and she was one of three blondes still left unaccounted for.
"You're too kind. But really, I'm not as pretty as some of my fellow Tributes, nor as strong. They're all so talented." This respect for her fellow Tributes seemed to earn her some respect in the crowd, as some nods & murmurs began to emerge.
"I assure you, you are. Speaking of attractiveness, have you seen Callie Torres?"
"I might have done, Caesar…", she replied, deliberately being coy.
"Might have done? So, you wouldn't be the mystery woman Ms. Torres is desperately infatuated with?"
"I wouldn't say that…", she said, beginning to smile as the truth began to flood out.
"So you are?", asked Caesar anxiously, as the crowd waited with baited breath.
With a sigh, she gave a soft, sheepish smile, and ran a hand through her hair, "I am Caesar. I am in love with the girl that's here with me…Calliope Iphegenia Torres."
Instantly, the crowd roared, and it began to make Arizona's head spin. Half of the screens around the massive stadium began to show live footage of Callie, who looked ecstatic behind the stage, her eyes shining brightly, with a million-watt smile on her face. It broke Arizona's heart to think that the smile and the eyes were for the cameras and the crowds, not her.
"Shall we bring Callie onstage again?", Caesar asked the crowd, who, as usual, hollered their agreement.
This time, Callie didn't feel nervous as she was brought on stage, and was greeted by Caesar. Her eyes were on Arizona, who stood up, and Caesar had stepped out of the way, gently cupped Callie's cheeks in her hands and kissed her.
The crowd went wild at the sight of them, and sparks flew from both of them in apparent addition, courtesy of the tech team, to celebrate their doomed love.
It took a long time for the crowd to quiet, and in the end, no more questions could be asked for the noise radiating around them. Callie had her hand curled around Arizona's waist, and the smaller woman curved her body to the Latinas, occasionally shooting her a glance, and feeling her hurt stutter as she did so.
They walked off stage together, hand-in-hand, and began to giggle as they hit the steps offstage. They collapsed into gales of laughter in front of the other waiting Tributes, and ended up curled together on a sofa, their hands still entwined, as they watched the next interviewee – Charles – be led away.
Curling more tightly into Callie, Arizona caught Callie's lips in their second public kiss and smiled into the other woman's mouth.
She was glad they didn't have to hide anymore.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)
