KPOV
That night, Cinna had laid out an outfit across my bed. A shimmery gold, full length ball gown that appeared to be made of millions, if not billions, of tiny gold chips about half the size of the nail on my pinky finger. They were attached with gold thread over a loose, flowing, sheer black slip. It was strapless with a tiny gold clutch and gold stiletto heels. The black fabric was fitted at the top before cascading down into the skirt. I was struggling to pull the fitted black fabric over my hips when the door opened. I reflexively ducked into the open bathroom and poked my head out.
"Oh," I sigh. "Just you."
"Yes, now let me see you in that dress." Cinna replies.
I bite my lip and step out in the mangled, half way on dress. He chuckles and works his way through the fabric until he found a certain panel that seemed to go directly down the middle of my back. Actually, it was exactly down my spine, I had noticed it when I was looking for a zipper. He tugs at it until the top is flipped down so that his signature tag is sticking out at my lower back. He then undoes a series of button from the inside.
"You are kidding me." I mutter.
"I didn't want them to be able to see the buttons from the outside." He excuses himself.
I roll my eyes at the notion and step into the heels as he holds the dress in place.
"I'll send in the girl avox to help you." he says, walking out of the room.
This confuses me, because if there is one thing I have learned, it's that no one from the capitol is prudish. Especially the stylists. But, sure enough, a few minutes later, the red head avox from my last trip to the Capitol walked in and nodded to the bathroom. I obediently stepped in and she crouched on the floor next to me, ducking her head under the skirt of my dress and reaching up my back to the buttons. Now I understand why Cinna sent her in, this would be crossing a line, even for him. The fabric was so fitted that her arms were pressed against my back the entire time.
"Did Cinna have to teach you how to do the buttons for this dress?" I ask after she had finished and was re-positioning something on the back.
She nods in the mirror, sets a tiny box down on the counter next to the sink, and hurries out.
I flip open the box to fins a set of earrings, a necklace, a number of bracelets, and something I couldn't identify. I slide the earrings into place, slip the bangles on, clip on the necklace, and snap the lid shut, planning to ask Cinna about the unidentifiable jewelry. Everything is gold, the numerous bangles, the chains dangling from my ears, tickling my shoulders, the choker fastened around my neck, all solid gold.
A light tapping came from the door. Peeta.
"Come in." I answer.
I hear him come in, his prosthetic leg thumping along behind him, followed by a faint squeak as he sits on the bed.
I step out of the bathroom, still holding the box.
"You look beautiful."
"Thank you."
I step towards him and sit next to him on the bed. He's in a black tux with a gold tie and gold cuff links.
"What's in the box?"
I flip it open and tilt it in his direction.
"I'm not really sure."
He smiles and slips it from the box. Upon closer examination, it is a satiny black fabric that is bunched up around an elastic band, tiny gold jewels and bows decorating it.
"Katniss,"
"Yes?"
"It's a garter."
"A what?"
"People wear them to weddings, mostly in the capitol, but some of the weddings of the richer people from the town include them."
"What is it?"
He bites his lip and drops it into my lap.
"It, uh... goes around your leg."
"Oh." I say flatly.
I slide off one of the heels and try to pull my foot up so I could put it on but the gold mesh doesn't allow much movement, no matter how loose it may be. After a few more failed tried, I drop it back into the box and flip it shut.
"I'll ask Cinna later." I mumble, pushing the box back behind me.
Just as I say this, he walks back into the room.
"So, let's see that dress." He smiles.
I stand up and attempt to spin as I had been instructed to do so many times before, but with the height of the heels he had given me this time... well... it ended with me tripping over my own feet and stumbling forward into him, loosing both shoes in the process.
He laughs and give me and hand back to the bed where he opens the box, takes the garter out, and slides it onto my leg until it is at my mid thigh.
"There, perfect."
He puts the shoes back in front of me and I obediently step into them.
"Right, be in the prep center in ten minutes, we still need to do hair and make-up."
"I thought that was usually before the dress?"
"Yes, but this time we were more concerned with smearing the makeup while you were getting dressed."
I nod and try to stand up, but imediatly sit back down when I start to loose my balance. Cinna apologizes for the heels and hurries out of the room, presumably to the prep center.
Peeta stands up and offers me his arm, which I graciously take. And with the struggle it was to walk in these shoes, it turned out that we needed every second of those ten minutes to make it to the prep center, even with the elevator.
"Katniss!" Octavia gasps when she sees my nails, chewed, dried blood caked underneath them from when I scratched myself in my sleep.
"We're going to have to use the fake ones again!"
I groan and plop down on a chair. Flavius whisks a large cape around me, clipping shut a tight collar and shoving my hands through two holes with elastic around the wrists. No arms though, just the holes. It took around two hours for them to finish my hair, make-up and nails. My hair had been put into a similar style to what my mother had done for me on the day of the reaping last year, but it had golden pins in it, studding it with gems. My make-up was simple but dramatic, dark eyeliner, maroon lipstick and some basic corrections covering old scars. The nails Octavia had put on me were longer than what I normally kept my nails at, but not ridiculously so. They had a diagonal gold tip with a rhinestone on the ring fingers.
"Ready?" Effie squaked, "It's a big big big night!"
She whisked us outside, into the car, down the street, and into the hall where the party was being held in a matter of about ten minutes. It was the fastest I had moved in these heels yet, though I was desperately clinging to Peeta the whole time.
-0-
The inside of the hall was decorated with draping curtains and shimmering lights, and every wall was lined with food. I noticed the table full of the tiny glasses of the liquid that makes you throw up and made a mental note to steer clear of it. We walk to the table of soups and I take a shot glass of the pumpkin soup that I had fallen in love with last time I attended one of these parties. Peeta takes one I don't recognize, but it looks like potatoes in a creamy liquid with tiny bits of fried pork on top.
"So kiddies, how's the capitol treating you?" A familiar voice says, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah? How's it been going. You're at the wrong table though, all the fun is over there." Another person says, I can feel the shift of weight as he leans on Peeta.
"Get off Haymitch. What are you even doing here?"
"Well, this party was for all the victors, wasn't it?" Chaff replies, sloshing his drink over our heads to clink his glass against Haymitch's.
"I thought it was just the mentors." I grumble, brushing his hand off my shoulder.
"Usually is, this year they sent a train for us though."
Peeta takes a step away from them and I follow behind him, grabbing his arm again.
"Why do you think they invited all the victors?" Peeta asks as we step away.
My face drops at the realization I come to. They value the victors, if for nothing else, then for celebrity aperances and to remind everyone about the games.
"What is it?" He asks, noticing my expression.
"Nothing. I just need to talk to Haymitch, that's all."
"Katniss, what is it?"
"Nothing." I say cautiously, glancing around the room full of Capitol citizens.
He nods and guides me to the dance floor where people seem to be accumulating as a slow song comes on. They arrange themselves in a circle, each with their partner. It begins like any other waltz. I recognize the steps from dancing lessons with Effie. But as the music increased with intensity, the dancers began to spin from one partner to the other. When it is our turn, I spin away from Peeta and stumble into the arms of Finnick.
"See anyone who looks rich?" He whispers in my ear.
"You mean all of them?"
"Just keep your eye out for a man who looks like he has money to spare, isn't in a committed relationship, and is somewhat reasonable."
"Why?"
"You need sponsors, right?" He says a bit louder than strictly necessary, dropping me down into a dip.
"Yeah."
"So flirt with them." He whispers.
I give him a look of pure astonishment at first, until I realize that he is serious. Things begin to fall into place with my outfit. The seemingly gaudy design and the nearly see-through fabric. The lack of fabric over my shoulders and the choker finally make sense. They make me fit in. A quick glance around the room confirms this. But the one thing that is so subtly different, is how my dress is perfectly opaque, the ridiculous difficulty to get it on or off, the heels leaving me almost permanently bound to Peeta for concern of my safety, the garter acting as a reminder of my engagement to myself. It was clear what Cinna's mesage was. I'm taken. The clothes of the other victors weren't nearly as modest, thigh length slits in the dresses, low necklines and sheer fabric covered the dance floor. Though this was mostly confined to the younger girls, there were a few men who were dressed provocatively. Finnick for one, had the top four buttons of his shirt undone, the front of his suit jacket completely undone, and his bow tie hung, untied, around his neck.
"Face it, they're animals, use it to your advantage."
I grit my teeth as he spins me away to another man, this one from the Capitol. Plutarch Heavensbee. Head game maker.
"Don't waste your time," He smiles, "I'm married."
I furrow my brow.
"How did you-"
"You're a new mentor, probably trying to get your cousin out alive, and you just finished talking to Finnick. Besides, everyone does the same thing, why do you think this party has such a great turn out every year? Besides, four hasn't had another victor in years for a reason, I mean, if we lost Finnick then the parties wouldn't have half this kind of a turnout."
I feel my cheeks turn red as he spins me off to Haymitch, who has strategically placed himself to dance with me next.
"Just realized what this party was for, didn't you?" He asks.
I nod numbly and he pulls me closer to whisper in my ear.
"Don't know why they got me out of there, but something big is about to go down. Something they've been planning." He hisses.
When it comes time for the dip, he awkwardly hold me as I lean back about three inches, afraid to go any further for fear of falling off my shoes.
"New shoes?" He asks.
I force a grin as I am spun off to the next person. President Snow.
"So, how's your trip been so far?" He asks.