Disclaimer: I own very little :D

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Moving Up

"No, no, no the sofa can't go there…it's simply illogical! Move it to where she can have a clear view of the city!" Enobaria yelled to the moving men as they completed my new downtown apartment that was one of the nicest homes I had ever seen.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to inform you that-"

"Don't tell me something you have to apologize for!" She barked at them before moving on to the kitchen and bedrooms.

It was strange to be standing in my newly furnished apartment…I never thought I'd be living independently this early in life, but then again I could have never imagined winning the Hunger Games. And even if I had, by some miraculous chance, guessed I would win the games…I would have guessed this day would be taking place in my home district with the rest of my family. I was the special case, however.

Thus far, I hadn't really much say in where anything went, but I did choose out the furniture that I desired. By the looks of things, the Capitol definitely took care of its employees.

The apartment was located near Circle Drive, where President Snow resided, in a high rise building that looked similar to the complex I had been in for the training sessions. The entrance lobby was a very fine decorated room with, what appeared to be marble flooring and gold finishes on the lights and even the furniture. The people working at the front desk were wearing some of the normal outrageous fashions and looking down their noses at me as I strolled in wearing less-than-Capitol-norm clothes.

My apartment was located on the fifth floor, 524, and I noticed that the marble from the lobby continued on the floors, but strangely enough the door was made of black stone with the numbers posted in gold. The first time I opened the door, even though the space was empty…it was beautiful. The flooring was still marble in the entry way and continued into a lovely sitting area that was followed by what I assumed to be the living area. There was a single picture window that stretched from floor to ceiling, providing not only a burst of light to the room, but also a view straight out to the city. Perhaps, it was not panorama, but…it was still awe-inspiring.

I moved to the next area, the kitchen, which had a completely different look from the marble. In the Capitol, I am told that kitchens look very metallic. This would explain the silver metal flooring, cabinets, island, and appliances that sat in there. Again, there was another small window that sat over the sink. All of the appliances in the kitchen looked beyond my knowledge.

There were two bedrooms located down a small hallway off the kitchen. I truly only needed one, but they gave me the other for a "guest" room. Funny, I have a guest room, but I'm not allowed any family visits. Was it bothersome? Slightly, but I was in no position to be arguing.

My key in decorating was to break up some of the marble. Granted, I am also no expert in design, but I tried choosing brighter colors to make the marble less strong as well as the metal of the kitchen…which was even more annoying to be. Enobaria did a lot of the choosing of styles and by the time the curtains were hung, the sofas were placed, and the finishing accents were placed….it felt like a place a could live in.

It certainly couldn't be called a home.

Just as we were getting ready to disperse for the evening, I was asking Enobaria what the plans would be for the next day.

She looked down at the floor, before nervously picking at her nails. I furrowed my brow as I waited for an answer and she looked to Brutus, who had been rather chatty for the entire day. He stepped forward and swallowed hard.

"Savera, today is our last day with you," He said, looking straight at me.

I blinked several times, trying to swallow what he had said.

"What?" I asked, looking over at Enobaria.

She couldn't look at me," We had to fight just to be able to come here today. Our ties to you technically ended yesterday."

"President Snow wishes for us to return to District Two and begin helping at the academy again," Brutus answered, looking at Enobaria.

I bit down on my lip," So, I can't see either of you anymore either?"

Enobaria looked back at me," We've got our duties back at the District. Since you've been signed on to the Captiol, that eliminates you from being a mentor back in Two. Seeing as that's still our job…that's where he expects us to be."

This was just like having a bomb dropped on me, as cliché as that sounded. Now, the rest of my companions that I had, just disappeared in a matter of seconds. I looked at them, swallowing again before trying to say something.

"Well, then…I guess this is goodbye," I shrugged, not knowing what else to do before Enobaria literally grabbed me and hugged me tight.

She whispered to me," You have been one of the least obnoxious tributes I have ever worked with. Thank you for not being a pain in my side to root for. I'm so incredibly proud of you and couldn't be happier with what you've accomplished. I won't be gone forever so don't think you're out of the woods with me. It's just a good-bye for now. Oh, and I've already got you a date for the induction banquet."

I pulled away and looked at her," Induction banquet?"

Her face looked completely horrified as she smacked Brutus," The banquet! We didn't say anything!"

He rubbed his arm that had been impacted before pulling the invitation from inside his shirt pocket," The intelligence agency is having an induction banquet for you, their new honorary member. It's going to be located at one of the CEOs private homes, there are directions coming in the mail. We nearly forgot to tell you…good thing Enobaria remembered."

There was a tinge of bitterness at the end as he rubbed his arm and handed me the invitation.

"Thank you," I said, looking over the piece of paper as Enobaria spat out plenty more details at me.

"Like I said, I've arranged a date for you and he should be sending you information, as well," She said, telling me this for nearly the third time.

As she started rattling again, Brutus placed a hand on her shoulder. It almost appeared as though she were a mother leaving her child for the first time. And in all honesty, that's what it kind of felt like too. I didn't know what I would do without having her reminding me what to do.

"I think she'll be alright," Brutus finally told her.

With one last hug, I was sending Brutus and Enobaria out my door.

"Goodbye," I said softly, after we had made our way to the door and they were standing in the hallway.

Brutus nodded to me, still not wishing to associate too much. And with that, I shut the door and turned to enter my new life…alone.


One of the benefits I had of living in the Capitol was that Sage was still going to be my stylist. Typically, this would not have happened because he would be moving up to the next prestigious district due to my winning the games. He, however, chose to stay with me and be my personal stylist. He told me that the games were getting a little mundane and he needed to "slow down".

The evening of the banquet had come around earlier than I had anticipated and I remember being stuck in my single bathroom as Sage tried to finish my hair. We were all running early, but my date, however, was "running late" on his watch. And for him, running late is being an hour and a half early. Yeah, it doesn't really make sense to me either.

After Sage had finished dressing me in a shorter, red dress with a feathered skirt and sheer overlay at top, I presented myself to this man who I had never met before.

As soon as I saw him, I nearly swore at Enobaria. I could tell simply by looking at him that this was going to be an interesting evening to say the least. The puny blond-haired man looked aghast as soon as he saw me.

" Oh, darling. What exactly are you wearing?" He demanded, grabbing my hand daintily as he spun me around.

"You called and I told you this is what she would be wearing," Sage nearly immediately growled.

The man clicked his tongue several times as he looked me up and down," I'm sorry if you find this insulting, sir, but I believe we agreed on candy-apple red and this… this is certainly not that."

"Oh," Sage raised a brow, clearly irritated. "Why don't you tell me what candy apple red looks like then? I've only spent my entire life studying colors."

"Gladly," The man responded, taking a piece of the skirt in his hand. "You see, for candy apple, there is far too little-"

I found this conversation to be completely ridiculous. Normally, I was not one to interrupt like this, but…I found that this may take far too long.

"Are we really going to discuss this?" I asked, looking at my date as though he were a child.

"Dear, it is something that must be learned," He snipped back.

"I'd prefer you not call me dear," I shot right back at him, surprising myself that this actually came out.

"Darling it is," He smiled before turning back to the fabric.

I groaned aloud before looking to one of Sage's assistants for some sort of help. I still didn't see why any of this mattered. They were giving me little to work with and I half-way listened as my date explained the difference and Sage shot back an argument. After several minutes of this, my date finally said.

"You know, I have a color swatch in my car," He said primly, standing upright. "Why don't I go grab that and put this whole little disagreement to rest."

"No, I find that unnecessary for I already know-" Sage began, but I saw this as an opportunity to get rid of him for a couple moments.

"No! Please, I would love to know the difference. Go and get your…color swatches," I said kindly, looking at him with a smile on my face.

His next action, I could not have predicted. He grabbed my hand and pressed it to his lips," Thank you, darling."

I held in my disgust for several moments as he turned and left through the front door. Almost instantly, I ran (in heels, might I add) to the sink and brushed my hands off as Sage and his crew started laughing hysterically.

"Tell Enobaria she really knows how to pick 'em!" I growled, not finding this funny, but rather annoying. "We're lucky he's so far ahead of time…otherwise we would never know what a true candy-apple red is."

The last part was purely sarcasm.

"Are you sure Enobaria didn't mix up her men?" Sage asked, taking a sip of his beverage beside him. "Or does she have a grudge against you?"

They all laughed at this and even I chuckled.

"Oh, did I not tell you that I've just become so entirely fascinated with colors and actually told her to pick this one for me. Isn't he charming?" I joked, laughing along with them as we waited for him to arrive. "What's his name again?"

"Leporis," One of Sage's assistants said and I nearly choked.

"Leporis…?" I asked, waiting for a last name.

"Oh, darling, he doesn't believe in sharing his last name with those other than family," Sage said, placing a hand on my shoulder as he did his best imitation.

I groaned before mumbling," It's going to be a long night."

With more laughter and several moments later, Leporis returned to us to settle the discussion once and for all. I believe he "won" though by the look on Sage's face, he may have just stopped arguing. Either way, it was a nice feeling to finally be on our way to the event. By the looks of it, we would be right on time. Leporis talked and talked as we rode in his vehicle. He told me the importance of my dress being precise was do to his "custom-made" shoes that I hadn't noticed until he mentioned them. They were a shining candy apple red and a tad bit too feminine with a heel and pointed toe. But, who was I to question Leporis?

By the time we reached the event, cameras were flashing wondering just who this man was with me. He was quick to revel in the attention and share his title with the world…but not his last name to "keep them wondering." It was almost embarrassing to be seen with him and I wasn't one to hide my emotions completely.

Upon arriving inside, the home was partially crowded, but not to copacity yet. It was, once again, intriguing to see all of the different outfits, as well as be announced. This seemed to be more of an elegant event, for we had to wait for the dining area to be prepared before we could enter. I spent this time to slip away from Leporis and speak with some of the friends I had acquired from the last gathering.

At dinner, I was placed near some of these same people and we continued our discussions. The only bothersome thing was-Leporis was seated directly next to me. We suffered through conversation best as we could and I couldn't help but wish that Brutus or preferably Enobaria was here so that I could ask them what exactly they found funny about setting me up with Leporis.

It wasn't until after dinner that things got interesting.

After dinner, Leporis looped his arm through mine as we chatted with other individuals I would be working with. I met a woman named Talia, who claimed she would be my supervisor on my first day of work and "how excited" she was to be working with me. There were many others who said they would be working with me, but there were so many that I couldn't imagine remembering all their names.

I did, however, see another who I knew very well compared to the others. Seneca Crane had been invited to the induction banquet and just as Leporis had turned to speak with another…Seneca was walking toward me, dressed in a black tuxedo with purple accents. I wondered what possibly he would wish to speak with me over…our last meeting ended a little abruptly and awkwardly.

As he approached me, I swallowed hard and tried to create space between Leporis and myself.

I noticed, rather quickly that Seneca was not alone. He had a young lady attached to his arm.

This young lady, I noticed, was very scantily clad for a "formal" event. Perhaps, he was trying to make a statement. Either way, I was seeing far too much of the tan-skinned woman's chest and thighs. Her dress was an emerald green and had a subtle shimmer to it as she walked. It was a miracle that she wasn't falling out on either side because she wasn't exactly tiny in those areas. She was, short, however and I suppose this made it a little more "tolerable". The thing that bothered me most were the jewels she had encrusted on her collar bone that sparkled as if it were real jewelry. It sent a chill down my spine, but it seemed to be normal in the Capitol for these types of things to be done. Her hair was long, nearly half-way down her back, and dark. The makeup she wore was just as ridiculous as any other I had seen, with eyelashes out a long ways and thick eye makeup. I'm sure there was a lot of something else, as well for her face looked nearly flawless.

"Good evening, Miss Stone," Seneca greeted, approaching me with a smile on his face.

Before, he had been so intent on calling each other by our first names. It was intriguing how that had changed when he found a new date.

"Mr. Crane, good evening to you, as well. And you are…?" I asked, looking to the young lady.

"Vibia Naysmith," She answered with a wide, white smile. I noticed she had some sort of art on her teeth and this was a new Capitol-trend for me. I noticed a thick accent in her voice. "Congratulations on your new career."

"Yes, very much so. The intelligence agency will be lucky to have you," Seneca said cordially.

"I, eh, can't help but admire your ability to, eh, think," She struggled to find words.

I couldn't help but think that Seneca could find a date with a little more…I won't finish the thought, but it just surprised me at how new she seemed to be to speaking English.

"Yes, your 'ability to think' will be very beneficial to the security of Panem," He said, smirking at this.

Before we could say another word, I felt an arm slide through my own. I closed my eyes and tried counting so that I didn't say anything rude. Leporis was directly next to me, now joined in the conversation, red shoes and all.

"I see, you found some friends, darling?" Leporis purred, looking at Seneca and Vibia as if they were some sort of artifact in a museum.

I nearly slapped him for calling me darling, but bit down on my lip instead as he offered his hand to Seneca.

"Seneca Crane," He introduced himself as Leporis in turn introduced himself.

"Leporis," My date said sophisticatedly.

"Leporis….?" Seneca asked, waiting for a last name.

He straightened his tie and cleared his throat before answering," Ah, I do not share my last name. It gives a certain mystique to my persona, wouldn't you say so?"

Seneca raised a brow, as if he were trying to determine if this man were serious or not. After seeing that he was completely serious, Seneca swallowed, what appeared to be laughter, and said," Oh, absolutely."

"And who might you be, dear?" Leporis asked, looking to the young woman on his arm.

Vibia introduced herself to him and I noticed the waiters walking around with food and beverage. It was, very tempting, to not try and lose Leporis in this crowd, but I stayed by him and watched as the workers came walking through the crowd carrying hors d'oeuvres. Seneca and Vibia actually seemed to be in conversation with Leporis while I spaced off.

"What do you think about this, Savera?" Seneca asked, trying to include me in the conversation once more.

I jumped as soon as he called my name and didn't notice the waiter walking by beside me. Of course, I would jerk just enough to tip over the waiter's drink tray. As if this wasn't bad enough, the drinks spilled directly on the person standing in front of me…who just so happened to be Vibia.

Her face went from content to absolutely horror as she looked at her drenched self. I covered my mouth and felt intense guilt in my stomach as she glared up at me.

"I'm so sorry, Vibia, I didn't mean it!" I apologized profusely as she continued to fume.

Nearly instantly, she starting swearing in some other tongue as she grabbed the tray of the waiter behind her. I knew what was coming, but didn't have the nerve to stop it as she shoved the food all over me. Seneca stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Es, okay no? I didn't mean that," She literally spat at my feet.

My eyes narrowed. There seemed to be a little attitude issue with Miss Naysmith. I looked her up and down as she folded her arms over her chest and continued glaring at me.

"For some reason," I started, pulling Leporis's drink from his hand and tipping it slowly over her head. "I don't believe you."

She screamed again and, to my surprise, she rushed me and actually started attacking me. Though I wasn't the best "fighter", what she was doing wasn't any compared to what I had been through. Her moving was unbalanced and I easily tossed her to the ground before stepping away, realizing we had already caused enough of a scene. Leporis was speechless as I strolled back toward him, seeping with food and a little bit of drink. He couldn't say a word and all I received was a glare from Seneca as he picked his date up from the ground.

There was a crowd gathered and Seneca looked straight at them all, helping Vibia to her feet, laughing as he did so," Well, it looks as though someone's had too much to drink tonight."

She growled at him, literally as the rest of the crowd laughed along with his comment. I thought it may be wise to play along with this idea seeing as I was supposed to be sophisticated sober and this wasn't necessarily the best look for me. I leaned against Leporis as if what Seneca was saying were true and waved crazily to the crowd, as if I truly were half there.

Vibia, however, was not playing along. She scoffed at him before screaming," I no am drunk!"

Immediately, she stormed away from him.

Her poor grammar was only slightly humorous to those of us who knew she couldn't talk and convicting to those who didn't.

I nudged Leporis, hinting that this would be the best time for us to leave.

A/N: I enjoyed writing this chapter. Hope you found some humor/enjoyment out of it! Please let me know :D