As they made their way back to the dining car, Brea trailed behind Brannock, watching him. She noticed a difference in him, but was unable to put a finger on it. It took traveling down another car for her to realize that his body language had changed. He now stood straighter and strode with purpose in each step, an invisible burden slowly easing off of his mind. Her body unconsciously followed suit, a burden of her own being lifted at the thought.

She knew though, in the back of her mind, that Brannock would never be the same again. They hadn't stepped in the arena yet, but Brea knew that the moment their names had been called, they had left their old selves behind in District 2. She pushed away the thought, resisting the temptation to dwell on what might be left of Brannock when he returned to the district and how much of the self she knew in District 2 would be stripped away before she met her end in the arena.

Partly to lighten the mood between she and Brannock, and partly to distract her own mind, Brea called to Brannock, "Speaking of our mentors, I think Elvira is infatuated with you."

Brannock shook his head, but Brea noticed the hint of blush arise on his cheeks. "Nah. It's just her act."

Brea raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"It's her persona, the thing that makes her Elvira Winess. Remember watching her tape in school?"

"Like it was on a loop."

He stopped, turning towards her, "Then, you know that was her strategy. She was alluring, seductive, made everyone either in love with her or think she was too into herself to be a threat. It gave her an edge over the other tributes because she was showered in gifts from sponsors and was underestimated by the competition."

Brea paused, chewing on the analysis. She knew that tributes would play up being intimidating, weak, sexy, and the like to either rope in sponsors and allies or to fool their competitors. They studied these very tactics and their effectiveness in school. She wondered why Elvira would keep up the act though, now that everyone saw who she really was when she was in the arena. She voiced the question to Brannock.

He shrugged. "It's probably her defense mechanism now. Fool people into believing she's shallow or desirable and their guards are likely to come down." He paused for a moment, then added, "She might not even remember being anything else."

Brea remembered her and Brannock's conversation in the dining car when they first encountered Elvira. She recalled her answer to their wondering what the Games would do to them. "Time will tell, won't it?" Brea wondered if Elvira had asked herself the same question as she faced her year in the Games. Was she always a manipulator or did she become so to survive?

Brannock sent a smirk Brea's way. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed how much Aureus has had his eye on you."

It was Brea's turn to blush. She debated telling him about the previous night and Aureus' role in it, but decided against it. She didn't want him to worry about the possible repercussions of her breakdown, but something else in her wanted to protect the moment between her and Aureus from any jokes or opinions Brannock might have to offer. At the memory of Aureus staring down at her as he held her, she shivered.

Aware Brannock was watching her, she waved off the comment as nonchalantly as she could, "I've noticed how much he seems to hate everything he looks at. He never stops glaring."

"Yeah, he does. When he's looking at you." Brannock smiled ruefully.

When she said nothing, he added mischievously, "I had thought about telling him off if we ever got a moment alone." He stood straighter and furrowed his eyebrows as if playing out the scene. "Now listen here, Aureus. I don't care what you did with those hands in the arena, not a finger is going to touch my sister."

Brea shoved him into the next car, which happened to be the dining car. He burst through the door and Brea watched each person's reactions as she stumbled in after him: Corbinus shooting onto his feet, Aureus snatching up a carving knife out of a half-eaten ham, and Elvira pulling a throwing knife out of the folds of her dress.

Brea burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fell to her knees, covering her mouth to try to hold back the unreigned emotion. She wondered if the emotions from the past few days were culminating into the form of belly-aching laugher. She hadn't laughed like this in years and, though it initially scared her, she realized that it felt amazing.

The room, including Brannock, all watched her wide-eyed. When she would try to speak, she'd see one of their faces and begin a whole new wave of laughter. By the time she had been able to make herself stop, Elvira had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot. She huffed, "Finally. I thought you had lost your mind."

Brea was able to allow only a tight-lipped smile to break through. "You should have seen your guys' faces."

Elvira stared at her for a moment, then threw up her hands, stuffed her knife back in its unforeseen sheath among her dress, and plopped down into her seat. Aureus stabbed the ham with the knife, the point thrusting through to the other side.

Corbinus smoothed down his shirt and said, "Well, now that we're all awake, shall we finish our meal?"

As they ate, Corbinus resumed his breakdown of the day for the twins, but Brea was dividing her attention between him and the mentors. An exchange of mood occurred between the twins and the mentors as they continued their meals. While Brea and Brannock conversed with Corbinus, Elvira and Aureus had become moody and silent.

Brea observed the two out of the corner of her eye. Elvira stabbed at pieces of fruit with a fork and snatched them off the prongs with her teeth, any veil of daintiness removed. Aureus sawed at his meat so viciously, Brea wondered if he'd cut his plate in half as well.

She was about to address them, but a glaring light in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She saw, through one of the windows, a city in the distance.

Brannock noticed her distraction and followed her gaze. A moment later, Corbinus did the same.

"Ah, right on time."

Brannock asked dazedly, "Is that..."

The rest of the question was unspoken, but Corbinus understood.

"Yes. That is the Capitol."