Thankfully the healing salve that the Capitol was the best of the best and Azura's scars were superficial the next day at training. Showing his hands to the others Taff smiled.
"So she really attacked you? Just for taking my dear old sister here to bed?" Lace blushed hard as Topaz and Taff teased her about it.
"Yeah she did, shoved me into an urn. Then my asshole of a mentor took care of her over his own tribute. We're in this alone you know. Who are your mentors by the way?" Azura asked trying to throw Lace a line while wanting to make her blush as well. Of the three Topaz was the prettiest but Lace and Taff were still beautiful in their own way.
"Topaz got Finnick, surprised she wasn't the first person in the group to get laid." Taff said.
"Blah," Topaz said shaking her arms out, "He flirted with me day one. I would have rather been in your shoes Lace. Besides all the people from four reek of fish and salt." Looking up she saw Adonis watching and dropped him a wink which caused the younger boy to blush and look away. "Different situations and I might let him take me out."
"Top we all know what would happen if the games weren't around or if we never got in. You would have married Azura here," Lace said with a smile of her own, wider as both tributes looked up in surprise blushing. "You are both top of the classes as far as fighting went but also as school work went. Besides your children would be smart and beautiful." They all laughed as they made there way to lunch and halfway through Azura was called to his one on one to see what his score would be. Wishing them luck he made his way over to where Atlas and Adonis were also waiting.
"You're so lucky," Adonis said watching the girls.
"Yes, I'm becoming close friends with a bunch of young women I'm going to have to brutally murder in two days."
"Well, if you put it that way," Adonis said softly before turning away. Atlas clapped Azura on the shoulder.
"Come on Az, even us other careers know your nickname of the Victor of District One no need to make the kid feel worse." Azura shook his head.
"You're talking about everything like it was a game. As stupid as that sounds." Before Atlas could reply Adonis was called in for his one on one. "Looks like alphabetic order, that means you're next so get ready." Atlas nodded and walked over to the wall to relax. As Azura waited a bronzed goddess approached him.
"Hey I'm," she started.
"The one who was making out with Atlas and Adonis yesterday," he said not breaking eye contact, however she did, blushing red against her tanned skin.
"One of the mentors from two gave their tributes a bunch of bottles of alcohol. I needed it once I discovered there wouldn't be any water in the arena. That was going to be my talent, showing off how easily I can swim and fight at the same time. I was scared and got drunk."
"What can I do for you?" Azura asked calmly as Atlas went in.
"You're too cool," she said suddenly, "Fuck I wanted to intimidate you a bit asking for help and if you wanted to form a partnership."
"No, sorry but I'm already in an alliance." Seeing her eyes fall he continued, "I already have those close to me that I'm going to have to eventually turn on. I'd hate to get to know you and your friends only to have to kill or watch you die in two days." She swallowed and nodded before touching his arm.
"We're not giving up you know. Everyone already thinks you've got this thing won but we aren't just going to roll over and let you win." Azura smiled at that.
"I wouldn't expect anything less and if someone else wins then that's fine. I'm going to fight to win, harder than the rest. I will not give up no matter how bad it gets in there." The girl from four walked off as the trainer called Azura in.
There was a long table with a series of hand to hand weapons. A rack with guns and other long range weapons along with another rack with spears on it. Showing them that he learned much from the trainers he assembled and loaded a rifle with the speed of one of the tributes from Two who trained to be Peacekeepers. Taking a stance he fired several of the dummies in the head before setting it down.
"You still have five minutes," one of the Gamemakers said as Azura noticed the camouflage set up. After mixing several colors together he noticed a few stone walls that resembled the city in the Virtual Reality training center. The Gamemakers received a notice from an Avox and most stopped watching long enough for Azura to disguise himself and blend into the stone walls. "Did he leave without permission?" one asked as they returned but the only one watching, Plutarch Heavenbee, remained silent as the others cursed and called the first girl in. Topaz came over and picked up a gun getting ready to fire some shots as well. When she was close enough Azura attacked, surprising her and removing her gun. She was on the ground with him standing over her the gun pointed at her before she knew what was happening. The others were just as surprised however Plutarch smiled and applauded the young man.
"Thank you Azura you are excused," Plutarch said. Azura helped Topaz up, pulling her close enough to whisper good luck before leaving and heading to the elevator. Riding it up he stepped out and started for his room to wash the paint off of him when Haymitch stepped in his path. Haymitch had received a call from Plutarch about the training and that, like Peeta, Azura was a master at camouflage.
"What the hell are you supposed to be?" He asked taking a drink.
"I was the wall in the training center, blended right in that they sent Topaz in thinking I had left."
"That good?" Azura didn't answer just stared at him. "I know you hate this but that was another talent of the boy's. An amazing artist able to craft miracles out of mud."
"The Monets are painters, my parents and I paint the paintings, portraits and murals seen all over the Capitol and in the President's Mansion." Starting pass him he stopped and turned. "Haymitch I need you for the interviews, I need your experience and advice on how to present myself. I watched his interview last year, there's no one to confess my love to. I wont even think about it until after I turn eighteen, until after I was safe from the games. I'm only a painter so think about it. I'm asking you as my mentor to mentor me." Haymitch was silent then nodded.
Stepping out of his shower Azura was drying off when he noticed a plate of fresh bread sitting on his side table. Walking over his picked it up and felt it in his hand. It wasn't from the Capitol or One, not fancy enough. The ones from One were more like sourdough, the Capitol's bread was a bit sweet. This one was from twelve and not the kind in the lunch area made from tesserae grain. Azura was sure he had never baked or cooked in his life, aside from the little in the training center but all of the sudden the heat from an oven was before him. The smell of baking break, sugar and something else filled his nostrils and he could feel himself faint. His mind was trying to get him to remember someone standing behind him, not Katniss or Haymitch but a kind man with baker's hands. Opening his eyes Azura saw that he had made a fist clenching the bread into crumbs. Tossing it aside and finishing drying up he dressed and went into the dining room where the others, Lace included, were eating before they announced the training scores.
"I hope I get a five at least," Lace said more to Azura but to the others as well. "Thanks to Azura's advice I performed survival skills I picked up and close combat fighting but not much else. What did you do Azura?"
"Camouflaged myself, they let Topaz come in and I attacked her. Didn't hurt her at all, unlike some other might, I just hope I didn't take her off her game." After dinner they sat in the living room waiting for the scores. Off in the corner Katniss asked Haymitch about the bread she had delivered to his room. It took a few favors and an autograph but Katniss managed to not only call Gale back in Twelve but ask for them to send a Mellark Bakery piece of bread. Haymitch told her that the Avox brought him the remains and that Azura hadn't eaten any of it. Sighing she went and sat next to Cinna as they saw that the scores for the boys of One were Six, Eight and Eleven respectfully. Everyone cheered and congratulated Azura for his amazing score. Then it was the girls turn, Topaz wasn't unnerved scoring an Eight, Taff got a Seven, as did Lace. Lace looked cocky as she smiled and took the congratulations in. Azura remained calm listening to the others. This year, of course, there were no scores lower than Six and the next highest score was a young man from two named Quintus who scored a ten. Pausing it on his image Haymitch pointed up to him.
"That will be your biggest opponent, Brutus let it slip that he is forming a pack of career careers."
"Yeah so are we," confessed Azura, "Myself, Lace, her twin sister Taff and Topaz. We were the only ones who took training seriously on the first day." Haymitch nodded then resumed the showing. As the stylists left Azura and Lace were sent to bed. Haymitch and Katniss remained in the living room and Azura sneaked out to listen in on the pair, hopefully they were focusing on the present.
"He's a painter so if the bread failed then sending him a decorated cake wont do anything." Haymitch said as Katniss looked up at him depressed. "Should we beat him up, get a mother figure to do it?" That got Katniss to choke back a laugh.
"If we could get any of the Mellarks out here maybe that would help but we've tried so much. Plutarch confirmed that he's Peeta?"
"He's eighty percent sure, there's only a few people who might know the truth but they are so deep in Snow's pocket they might as well be coughing up lint." Azura growled to himself, after everything they weren't talking strategy but fantasy. "You could try kissing him." Katniss looked uncomfortable at that prospect.
"Let's just get him out of there alive, even if he accepts that he's Peeta he's still going into the games." Azura nodded then went back to his room, in private he wouldn't fight it anymore. If pretending to be Peeta would help him become the Victor then he would do just that. The next morning he was sitting with Effie and Lace for the first four hours.
"We don't need this much time Effie," Lace said as the escort paced in front of them. "Maybe those from Three and Four might but we grew up being taught the importance of manners." Effie finished scrutinizing them and nodded.
"Yes, you should have seen Katniss last year. Ate meals with her hands when she could to spite me. Then in the arena she and Peeta licked their plates clean." Catching what she said she turned as pink as her wig. "I'm sorry Azura I didn't mean."
"It's fine Effie, as Lace mentioned a few days ago I've been teased all my life. Besides unlike are so-called mentors you're not showing it in my face the resemblance I have with Peeta Mellark. Thank you Effie." Peeta might have been polite by nature but Azura took it a step further. Next up was lunch before four hours with Haymitch and Katniss for the interviews themselves. Azura would play his confidence up, Lace would talk about her plan to win and then her sister would win the next year. She'd explain how she was sad that she would lose her twin now but glad to hear she would have her there in the arena with her. Their costumes would be white with gold inlay. Lace's dress would be simple but the most expensive from her family's shop back home. Portia worked with Lace and Taff's parents to make the dresses for both girls.
The interviews went perfectly except Caesar barely held it together. After getting through all the interviews he found the closest bar and started to drink himself into an oblivion. After several bottles of beer he was talking to his companion who had bought him the last round. Confessing to the older man about his treatment Plutarch convinced him to spill even more. That was when he discovered the whole truth, after the seventy fourth Hunger Games doctors collected Peeta's body and pumped the berries from his stomach and the poison from his veins. Caesar didn't know how they made Peeta forget everything but he knew that Azura was indeed Peeta Mellark. Downing another beer Caesar passed out at the table he was sharing with Plutarch who sat, thinking and stroking his beard. He decided right away that he wasn't going to tell the victors from twelve about his discovery, not until he knew more about this secret lab that kept Caesar alive and well for the last twenty years no matter what he did to himself. Tomorrow the Hunger Games would begin and there were contingencies to protect his contingencies, he would bring Haymitch in if Azura was still around for the final eight. Smiling to himself he took a sip of his drink, "Let the final Hunger Games begin," he whispered to himself.