"New Perspective"
A/N: Woah this chapter ended up long. I honestly am really happy with how this turned out, I just had so much fun writing this, a lot more fun than I've had from writing in a while, and everything came so easily this time around. I hope the chapter turned out alright, and that y'all enjoy the first of our 3 party chapters!
~And I would wait and watch the hours fall in a hundred separate lines
But I regain repose and wonder how I ended up inside~
Marquise Clifton, 18, District Eleven
Enough time had passed between his interview and the escorts coming to load them into limousines for his tears to dry, and the evidence of their presence to be erased. He wasn't ashamed to cry, he had come close enough to it during his interview when he was forced to recall what had happened, but still. Perhaps enough of his ego still remained for him to care what others would think of him.
Ciera also took the time to clean up, and within a few minutes of alone time in the apartment up on their floor she looked as if nothing had ever bothered her. He wasn't sure what it was from her interview that distraught her the way it did, but he also got the feeling it was something she didn't want him to ask about. He could respect the feeling.
The windows of the limousine were tinted, and Marquise couldn't see anything outside of it. Ciera slipped into a less formal gold dress, and was sitting quietly beside him, hands folded in her lap.
He had known that they would ask about his family, and yet still he felt so entirely unready when the question left her mouth. The images had flashed in his head the same way that they always did. Célésie's bleeding throat. Lurita hanging from the window. And Aledia, always Aledia, scratching at the knife in her chest, her eyes wide in fear and shock and betrayal.
The limo pulled to a stop, and Marquise switched his thoughts to elsewhere, somewhere more pleasant and less filled with grief and regret. A man in a black suit and sunglasses opened the door for him and Ciera, and ushered him out.
The Capitol was alive with lights. Children ran through the streets, chasing each other and pointing with excitement at the tributes as they exited their cars. Banners and street art and sculptures and fountains all decorated the large plaza, which was blocked off and almost entirely empty, just a single long table stretching out in front of a government building. There were thirty-one seats, and doing the math Marquise figured that meant room for the president, Head Gamemaker, the mentors, and all the tributes.
The extravagance was blinding, overwhelming and awe-inducing even to Marquise and his experiences. Ciera seemed to share the reaction, and barely held her jaw in place as she spun around, taking in the Capitol night.
"It's amazing how such a place can be so beautiful," Ciera said quietly, so that only Marquise could hear.
He nodded his head. "I know what you mean."
Their escort met back up with them, and separated the pair as they were ushered to their assigned seat, which seemed to be random. Ciera was given a spot close to the president, along with Juniper, Aphrodite, Troy, and Denver. Jamie, River, Talon, Lana, Ty, and Julie were seated close to the Head Gamemaker. And then there was Marquise, who was seated at the other end of the table next to the mentors, placed in between Hailey Hills and Sparrow Kalani. The girl from Twelve was buried in a book that she hid under the table, while Hailey poured herself a tall glass of vodka mixed with a few drops of orange juice.
Hailey glanced over to him, and held out the bottle towards him. He smiled, and shook his head. Marquise reached forward and poured himself a glass of water. Hailey snorted, muttered something to herself, and knocked back an unhealthy amount of liquor in one fell swoop.
"Welcome! Welcome!" The voice of President Caligula Caesar rang out through the plaza as he tapped a spoon against his glass, waiting until all eyes fell onto him. "It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the Capitol! I hope the past few days have proved to be enjoyable, and now before we say goodbye to you and wish you the best of luck in the arena, we'll spend one final night celebrating your achievements and good fortune. After we dine together, the plaza will be open to the citizens of the Capitol and game booths and other activities will be open for you to explore. Later in the night, an assortment of bands and musicians will provide live music, and afterwards there will be an open mic, in which any of you are welcome to perform or speak. Finally, the night will conclude with each of our twenty-four tributes having a moment of theirs from the night highlighted, and a speaker making a statement on their behalf for why the Capitol should support them."
The president finished his speech, and looked around the table, a hollow smile on his face as he eyed up the group of children. "I hope you enjoy your night, and as always, may the odds be ever in your favor."
He sat back down, and a few small conversations started up while Marquise sat still in his seat, watching the people around him. Glory and Audra were making awkward small talk across the table from him, Sparrow was still reading from her book, and Hailey was digging into the food, ripping off a chunk of bread with her bare hands and dropping it onto her plate.
"District Eleven, right?" She asked with a mouth full of bread.
"Marquise Clifton," he said affirmatively. "And you're Hailey Hills."
"Yeah, I've heard." She took a long swig of her drink, and Marquise raised a curious eyebrow as she slammed the glass on the table, wiping the orange off her lips with the sleeve of her shirt. "So what's your deal with all the meditation and shit?"
A smile tugged at Marquise's lips and he lowered his head, chuckling to himself. "What do you think 'my deal' is?"
"Why the fuck you think I'm asking," she grumbled. "I don't know."
"Fair enough," he said, his smile widening. "I meditate because it brings me peace. It makes me calm, and keeps me aware of my place in the universe, the interconnectivity that exists between all things and all beings."
Hailey chewed on a chunk of bread for a moment, then shook her head. "That doesn't answer my question at all."
"It can be a difficult concept to explain. Practice and experience are the greatest teachers."
"I'll pass, but sure, thanks," she murmured.
"It's not as mysterious or spiritual as it sounds." Marquise shrugged. "But I understand that's not the place that everyone is at in their life."
"And what is the place in life that brings you to sitting still with your eyes closed for eight hours a day on top of sleeping?" Hailey asked dully.
"Depends on the person," Marquise said simply. "For me? Pain, mostly. Grief, regret, guilt, a lost sense of purpose and understanding. A lack of meaning."
Hailey stopped halfway through pouring another glass of vodka, pausing as she stared at the bottle. She set it down, and slid it to Marquise. "And that's the meaning you found?"
Marquise almost laughed, but stopped himself short. "No. Meditation is just a way to pass the time. District Eleven is a large, lonely district. There aren't always worldly objects to keep your attention. Sometimes, it can be nice to slip into somewhere simpler."
"Sounds like a real blast," she said bitterly. When it became clear Marquise wasn't going to take any alcohol for herself she retrieved it, placing it next to her glass as she took another swig.
"So then," she said, her voice already slurring. "You seem awfully peaceful and wise, tell me something that'll change my life. Wow me."
This time Marquise did laugh, and when she looked at him with a mixture of confusion and bitterness he just shrugged, and reached over to take the bottle back from her. He poured himself a tall glass, much more than he intended to ever drink, and enough to nearly empty the bottle.
"You remind me a lot of myself, not too long ago. Much more recently than you'd probably guess."
She eyed him curiously, and decided to bite. "How?" She asked.
"You pretend to be angry at the world, at other people, to hide the fact that you're only really angry with yourself." He picked up his glass, swirling it around before taking a small sip. The taste burned his throat, and he had to resist spitting it out. "Am I close?"
"I'm gonna assume that's a rhetorical question so I don't have to smash this bottle over your head," Hailey muttered.
"That's. . . appreciated," Marquise said. "Anyways, that was me at least. So filled with self-hatred and loathing that I lashed out and made everyone else's life miserable. And then, well," Marquise's voice cut out, and he struggled to find the next few words. Eventually, he just shrugged, his voice wavering as he said, "the world showed me that it could be far, far worse."
Hailey looked down at her drink somberly. "Yeah, I saw your interview." She was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry."
"It shouldn't be me you feel sorry for," he said, and he knocked back a swig of the liquor, the burning sensation clearing his throat. "A lot of people lost their lives that day. Good or bad, they all had potential, and in a single day that potential was snuffed out. I got off easy. Even the scars on my hands. . ." he held up his hands, flipping them over and staring at the spot on his palms where there used to be holes, where the nails had driven him to a wooden stake. "Gone."
Marquise was quiet for a long moment, he felt the cold air brush against his skin, and it brought up other memories he could decide to linger on. But he shoved them aside, flipping over his hands and taking another sip of his drink.
"And what about you," he asked casually. "What roots in your past have dug themselves deep into your soul?
"The past doesn't matter," Hailey muttered. "Just the here and now, shitty as it is."
"It's good to not linger on the past, but that doesn't mean you should ignore it. It does matter, no matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise. And - trust me, I have tried." He smiled faintly. "The past matters, because it formed who we are now. Of course, that's all it is, just a baseline. The future, the potential for change and growth that exists within each and every one of us? That's the purpose of life. Not what has been, or even what is, but what can be. So long as there is potential, there is purpose."
"That sounds nice, you should put it on a poster," Hailey said, dismissively. She turned away, but not before he noticed a shimmering in her eyes. "You're awful sure of that. We'll see if you still believe it after a few weeks in the arena."
"I'm sure people will do awful, awful things in the arena. That doesn't change anything about what I just said. As soon as an action happens, it's already the past. And the past can dwell with us, sure, but it can't define who we will be. We choose with every passing moment who it is we want to be."
Hailey turned back to him, and she leaned in, a determined fire in her eyes. "You think you're wise, and certain, and sure of yourself. But when people are dead because of you, you don't get to walk away from that. There's no wiping the slate clean."
Marquise stopped himself from smiling. "I am not a wise man." He said quietly, he took the bottle back from Hailey, pouring the rest into his glass. "But I knew one once, and he told me something in response to that exact idea. Worded a bit different, sure, but same general thought. I asked him 'why does someone who's done awful, awful things to others, caused people to suffer and to die for selfish reasons, deserve to live? Why do they deserve to live, when so many would be better off with them - me, is what I meant - dead."
He paused for a moment, letting the thought linger in the air as he took a long, calm drink from his glass. When he set it down, he turned to face her, and his eyes were wet with nostalgia and a memory he hadn't gone back to in far too long.
"'It is not a question of deserving life,' he told me. 'It is a duty of owing the world the good that was taken from it. You cannot redeem the loss of good by taking evil with it, you must replace that good, no matter how long it takes, no matter how impossible it may seem.'"
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Hailey asked, and she tightened her fist as her voice shook.
"I believe that he told me that forgiveness is the key to redemption," Marquise said.
Hailey snorted at that. "There's nothing to forgive. Nobody owes me any apologies."
Marquise looked back at her, eyes wide with concern, his voice soft and gentle. "Nobody?"
She paused for a moment, looking at him bemusedly. Then, she scoffed, leaning back into her chair. "Yeah, that's rich. Let me save you the trouble so you can spend your time somewhere else. There's no happy ending here where I get redeemed. I'm a shitty person, always have been, and always will be."
Marquise paused, and searched hard for the combination of words that could make some sort of impact. The type of words that a complete stranger had offered him after the worst day of his life. The kind of words that had changed him and led him down a path to becoming a man who cared about more than just himself.
Carefully, he asked, "Do you believe yourself capable of change?"
She thought about that for a moment, eyeing him oddly as if she were expecting some sort of trap, or trick question. He stayed silent, staring at her as he waited for her answer. Finally, she relented, uncertainty present in her voice. "Yeah, I do."
He leaned back in his own seat, and nearly smiled as he asked her, "Then why not redemption?"
River, ~14, District Five
It was all too loud. The flashing lights and loud, constant talking overwhelmed her senses, leaving her eyes darting from place to place, attempting to keep her guard up. There was no calm in this place, just chaos and noise. She wanted to slip away, find some place quieter, but there was no place like that for her anymore.
Audra was with her, and she stayed by River's side the whole time, from the moment the feast ended and people started flooding in around them. Flashing signs urged them to visit booths and tables where games were being played, but Audra didn't. She walked calmly by River's side, letting her lead the way and not forcing her to speak like everyone else tried to.
Soon she wouldn't have to worry about any of that, though. There'd be no more loud, bright city. No more people shuffling her around, forcing her to speak, forcing her into clothes that itched her skin and hurt the bottoms of her feet. Audra had promised her. That after tonight, she would be back in a place like her home. She would have a bow in her hands, and there would be grass beneath her feet, and no rules or people telling her what to do.
But it wouldn't be home.
Home was gone, in the flash of an eye. It had burned down, and it burned down because of her. Most of them were dead, but those that hadn't been killed by the men that came for them had created a new name for her. She wasn't just a motherless demon, she was a sister of the metal birds. She was the reason they had come and dropped fire on their home.
The guilt had been too much for her to bear, and then they had found her too, and brought her into the city that seemed big but now seemed so small. She wasn't there long before they moved her again. Audra had tried to explain everything to her. The game that she was going to play. River didn't understand it.
They came up to a booth that was empty aside from a small man that sat in a stool behind a table, and his eyes lit up as he saw them.
"Audra Lee and River! Please, do this humble old man an honor and come visit my booth." He turned to River and smiled genially. "I think you'll enjoy this one."
Audra turned to River, and then back to the man, and started to say something, an apology, that they were just walking, but River landed her eyes on something that stole her attention away. On the table was a simple wooden bow, carved so that bits of wood still poked out and splintered against your fingers. She walked up to the bow, and picked it up in her hands, running her palm against the frame.
"You?" She asked, looking up at the man with curious eyes.
He smiled, and shrugged. "I made that one myself, if that's what you're asking. I'm no expert, mind you, but I'm learning."
River tested the string, pulling it back and releasing, feeling the tension build and release. She looked at the man and nodded her head. "Good."
His cheeks flushed red, and he bowed his head deeply. "You honor me, thank you."
"So, what's the station for?" Audra asked, chirping up as she leaned against the table, smiling down at River.
"A long, long time ago, I used to be a trainer in the center that you yourself have spent the past few days," the man said, pointing at River and smiling. "I taught tributes who came in how to use the bow, or in a few fascinating cases, they managed to teach me. When I was there, I would play a game with my students, particularly those who had a knack for the bow, which you certainly seem to have. I'd take these," he reached down and placed a handful of wooden birds onto the table. "And I'd throw them into the air one at a time, and see how many my archer in training could shoot down. I'd start off with one, and work my way up until they couldn't hit them all anymore." The man raised his eyebrow at her. "Would you like a try?"
River nodded her head, and took the arrows from the man, ensuring that they fit snugly into the string of the bow.
"Is this safe?" Audra asked cautiously.
The man shrugged, waving his hand in the air. "Did it for a dozen years and never got anybody killed, so safe enough I'd say. Just do promise not to shoot me," he joked.
River nodded.
The man tossed just one bird the first time, and River easily shot it out of the air, pinning it against the back wall of the booth while the man hid out of the way. He nodded his head in approval, and tossed two the next time, and again River shot them out of the air, this time with more effort as she was forced to quickly draw and fire. She liked to line up her shot, take her time, let her heartbeat fall in sync with her breath. But she had learned how to shoot in other ways too. The man wasn't the only one who had games to pass the time with.
The man looked excited now, and he chuckled softly as he took three birds in his hand and readied himself. "I've heard good things about you. I'm glad to see they aren't exaggerating. Not many out there that can shoot even two of these, certainly not on their first try."
"Again," River said, and the man's smile grew.
The first bird went straight up, and River split it in the center. The second bird followed soon after, and River switched and hit the top right corner of it, pinning it to the wall. The final bird flew in after a short delay, and this one took an arrow straight to the center.
The man raised an eyebrow as he collected four more birds, but didn't say anything as he sat back down, and River continued to concentrate. She focused on the moment. There was the feeling of the bow on her palm, and her fingers wrapped around an arrow, pulling tightly against the taut string. The uncomfortable shoes had slipped off her feet and her toes wriggled into the grass, curling and uncurling as her eyes narrowed and widened, her heart beating to the rhythm.
The first bird came fast, and River had to readjust, snapping her wrist as she loosed the arrow. She had no time to watch the shot, quickly grabbing a second and third arrow as the next two birds floated up. The fourth bird was already floating by the time she reached for the arrow, and her arrow nearly skidded against the table as it clipped the wing of the bird, pinning it to the wall with the rest of them.
The man let out a low whistle as he stood up, staring at the wall and then back to River. Audra was slack-jawed beside her, looking at the birds with wide eyes. River set down the bow, and looked at the man curiously. "Good?" She asked.
He paused for a moment, then chuckled, shaking his head. "In twenty years of training tributes and Capitolites alike, I've only seen a single person who's more sure with a bow than you are." He leaned into the table, and smiled at her wistfully. "You are an incredibly talented person, and you should be proud of what you can do. I don't bet anymore, I live far too simply for such vices, but if I were to bet on anyone, know that I couldn't think of anyone more capable than you."
She looked down at the bow, running her hand along the wooden frame for a little while longer before setting it onto the table, and looking up to the man. "Thank you," she said quietly.
"No, thank you, it is a pleasure unparalleled by any other for a teacher to get to witness a student who far surpasses the skills which he himself possesses. I'm glad to have that pleasure one final time in my lifetime."
A smile fought its way onto River's lips, and she held the bow out to him. He took it, and ran his hand along the old wood, snapping his pointer finger against the string. He looked up at her, and returned the smile with a jovial grin.
"I know a survivor when I see one, so let me tell you what. The next time I see you, this bow is yours to keep."
River looked up at the man, then down to the bow, and back up to him one final time. The bow was beautiful, and it reminded her of home, but it somehow felt wrong to take it from him. She wished she could find a way to tell him that, but the words weren't there.
The man seemed to know what she was thinking, though, and he waved his hand and blew a raspberry. "Don't worry about taking it from me. I'm an old man. My back arches, my legs wobble, and my hands shake. A bow like this is wasted on me. It would be a favor to take it from me, and an honor to see it owned by someone who would use it well."
River was still unsure, but took the bow in her hands once more, and then nodded her head, sliding it carefully back on the table. She searched for a word that could let her know what it made her feel to hold the bow in her hands, to imagine herself slipping away into a green forest, away from bright lights and loud, demanding people. She couldn't find something that could say all of that, but settled for the closest thing she could find.
She pointed at the man, and forced herself to smile. "Kind."
The man smiled and he looked down at his feet before looking back to her. "Good luck, little one. Until our paths cross again."
Earhart Robertson, 15, District Six
Earhart had never seen a place so amazing. People always talked about how beautiful the Capitol was, but until tonight it had never been fun. Now, with all the people and games and booths, it felt like the biggest, busiest party the world had ever thrown. They were with Julian and Jamie at a booth where you had to throw darts at balloons, and Julian was an expert, popping them all with his first try. Denver and Ciera split off a while back, Denver to try and find his district partner and Ciera to talk to some people that she hadn't specified any further than the word "people."
Earhart didn't mind, though. It was like they were walking on top of their dreams, and they didn't need anyone for this moment to be an incredible one. A woman came by and offered her a stick that had fluffy blue and pink candy attached to it, and Earhart took it greedily, wolfing down half of it with one watery bite. Jamie bounced up and down and asked Earhart if he could have one too, to which they shrugged.
The two raced to see who could finish theirs first, a contest Earhart won handily as they gulped it all down with ease, while Jamie worked on nibbling the sweet candy. Julian pumped his fist as he came away from the booth, a big grin on his face.
"So, where to now?" He asked. "There's gotta be some more fun stuff here."
"Ooh!" Jamie exclaimed. "I heard that there's a bounce house somewhere here, and those things are like, the most fun thing in the whole world."
"The most fun thing?" They asked him.
He nodded.
"In the whole world?" They tilted their head curiously.
"Yeah!"
"How do you know that?" They asked, then shrugged, and decided it didn't matter. "Forget it, if it's the most fun thing in the whole world then let's find it already!"
Julian agreed wholeheartedly, and the three of them set off, weaving their way through the crowd while Jamie held tightly to Earhart's hand. They passed by the two careers from District One at a face-painting station. The loud man was getting an intricate, pretty red and blue design sketched across his face, and the artist was working carefully to not slip up as the man constantly moved his head to laugh and shout and answer questions from people passing by. His district partner sat next to him, looking nervous but still smiling as they held onto their shoulders.
"Greetings fellow tributes!" He yelled as they passed by, and Jamie and Earhart's voices rang out in unison as they echoed the reply.
"Greeting fellow tribute!" They yelled, and they giggled to each other while Julian cackled as they pushed through the crowd. The man had greeted Earhart and Julian that way the first day when they had arrived to training late, and ever since then they had made it a game to respond in the same way. The man always smiled when they did that, and it made training a bit less scary for everyone when they didn't have to be afraid of him anymore.
The next people they ran into were the District Three duo. The boy and girl were both in sacks and were hopping down a race track, with the two screaming insults at each other and boasting that they were better. In the end they both fell onto their face just short of the finish line and their mentor calmly hopped his way past them to win.
The boy from District Five and the girls from District Seven and Eight were all at a table with a bunch of adults, drinking a clear liquid as they laughed and got strangely close to the strangers that Earhart didn't recognize. When they pointed it out to Julian he shrugged.
"Who knows, they're a bunch of weirdos."
The calm, kind boy from Eleven was sitting at a table where a group of people that Earhart recognized played a game with cards. He always was kind and patient with their group, and had tried to teach Earhart and Julian how to meditate on the second day of training. Even though they couldn't stand to sit still and quietly, he still told them they did a good job, and said if they ever needed help with anything to let him know.
Earhart pointed him out to the rest of the group, and the three of them all jumped up and down and waved at him as they passed by. He looked up from the game and smiled as he caught their eye, waving back. The scary victor from One was sitting next to him and wobbling in her seat as she sipped from a water bottle that the man held up for her, and the tributes from District Two and Maya were also all there.
"Why is Marquise with all those Careers?" Jamie asked when they were well pass them.
"He's friends with everyone, I think," Earhart hummed, and Jamie decided that was a good enough answer, so they continued on.
They saw District Four and the rest of their allies sitting at a table together, playing some sort of game where you had to act things out, but none of them wanted to get close enough to figure out what it was. Everyone else was at least kinda nice, sometimes, except for them. They reminded Earhart of the bullies back home at school.
As soon as they saw them they were gone, though, and finally they made it to what they were searching for. Earhart's jaw hung wide open as they looked up at it in awe. "Woah," they said, and Julian echoed their words.
It was like a giant, colorful castle. It was blue and red and purple, with giant pillars that rose high into the sky like a building. As they approached it a woman walked up to them with a smile and asked them to take their shoes off before going in, to which they all happily obliged.
Jamie quickly explained it to them as they pulled off their shoes and tossed them to the floor. "It's called a bounce house cause you bounce when you're in there, it's simple as that, really," he said.
"How do you know about them?" Julian asked.
Jamie shrugged sheepishly. "Mr. Winston, one of the Peacekeepers, he told me about them once. He said they had them all over in the Capitol, and promised me that he'd try to see if he could bring one in for my thirteenth birthday." He looked down at his shoes. "My birthday was the same day as his daughter, but she lives here in the Capitol. He said she was coming to visit him in District Ten for it, and we could celebrate it together, since I didn't have anybody my age who I could invite."
They were all quiet for a moment, and then Earhart got their second shoe off and jumped in joy. "So this is like your birthday party then!"
"Yeah," Julian chirped in. "And we're way cooler than anyone else you could invite in lame old District Ten, so this is a pretty big win for you."
Jamie smiled shyly. "I guess so," he said.
Earhart took him by the hand, and pulled him towards the bounce house. "Come on!" They said excitedly. The two of them made it to the entrance and climbed up the passageway, pushing aside the netting and entering in. They both stood at the edge for a second, neither of them wanting to take the first step.
"Pshhh. One small step for Julian," Julian took a long step forward, stumbling as he attempted to and tumbling to the ground as he bounced harmlessly up into the air a few inches. Jamie giggled and Earhart pushed him in after, giggling themself as he fell on top of Julian and they both came bouncing up.
Earhart jumped in after, and both of them had to scramble out of the way as Earhart came falling down where they were once laying. They chased each other around the bounce house, playing tag and then switching to races as they attempted and failed to sprint across the slick surface. It ended up being more of a crawl than a run as them and Jamie soldier crawled their way there while Julian continued to fall while trying to run.
Afterward they had a contest to see who could jump the highest, which Earhart won easily, nearly reaching the top of the ceiling as they leapt as high as they could. Julian fell again when he tried to jump, and Jamie and them burst into another round of giggling fits.
"I wish that we could just keep on doing this, forever," Jamie said after a while, as the three of them sat cross-legged at the corner of the bounce house. "Just these games forever, instead of the other ones."
Julian nodded sadly, but Earhart just shrugged, unfazed. "Who says we have to stop?"
Jamie looked like he wanted to say something about that, but then changed his mind, and just smiled instead, nodding his head. "I guess you're right," he said.
Earhart grinned, and hopped to their feet, reaching their hand out to Jamie. "Come on then, we've got plenty more fun stuff to find." They brought their hand up to the pilot goggles they'd worn since the day they'd gotten them at the parade, and pulled them over their eyes. "Let's go find it."
Lana Birkhead, 12, District Two
"I bid five."
"Three."
"Six."
"I'll blind bid nil." Talon smirked as he picked up his cards, eyeing the rest of the table casually. Marquise held his cards nonchalantly by his side, Maya held hers tight to her chest, and Hailey barely avoided dropping them on the floor as she continued to struggle to sit up straight. Glory had stopped by for a while earlier, but quickly left to find her tributes when she noticed the slur in Hailey's voice.
Every few moments, Marquise reached over to keep the girl from falling over in her seat, or to stop her from showing her cards to the rest of the table. Talon had explained to her that the man was 'babysitting' her, which she decided was odd seeing as they were almost the same age as each other.
This was their fifth round of the game that Talon said was called Spades and she felt like she had figured out how it worked. Maya was good, and Marquise was okay, while Hailey didn't seem to fully understand the rules no matter how many times Marquise patiently explained them to her. Talon was better than all of them by a long shot, and won every round easily, which Marquise seemed okay with, frustrated Maya, and as for Hailey - well, she couldn't say for sure. She grumbled unintelligible words every time she lost, but she did the same thing the one time she accidentally won a round too.
"So," Marquise said as he played an eight of hearts. "What's your plans for the rest of the night?"
Maya shrugged, and tossed out an ace of hearts. "Dance once the floor opens up, I heard there's gonna be karaoke so I'll have to give that a whirl and kick everyone else's ass at it."
"Don't count on winning anything tonight," Talon said slyly, sliding a king of hearts onto the table. "I heard the karaoke contest is gonna be duos."
"Is that an offer?" Maya asked.
"You kidding?" He replied. "I got the most talented kid in Hunger Games history right here."
"What, do they teach karaoke at the academies in Two?" Hailey hiccupped. She threw down a two of spades and took the point.
"And The Salsa on Tuesdays." Talon winked.
"Well, aside from winning karaoke, apparently, what else do you two have planned?" Marquise asked, directing his attention to the District Two pair.
"What do you think?" Talon asked her, and she shrugged noncommittally. "Play some more games for a bit, probably. I was thinking, actually," he said, turning to face her, "of teaching you how to play chess. I got a feeling you'd be a natural. Fierce attacker, definitely."
"Sounds like a fun time," Marquise said. "Perhaps Hailey and I will have to join you for a game."
"It would be a heck of a match," Talon said dryly, and Marquise smiled. "What about you, then, you a dancer? Karaoke hero?"
Marquise laughed. "Neither, I'm afraid. I was born with two left feet, I've been told, and my singing voice resembles the sound of a nail on a chalkboard."
Hailey grabbed at her head, and groaned. "Thanks for the image."
Marquise shrugged. "I'll just go wherever the night takes me. Why make plans when the randomness of fate can take you in such strange, interesting places." He gestured to the table.
"Fair point," Talon conceded, and he played a five of spades, letting Maya win the point. "And does our resident victor and role model have any plans for the night?"
"None that I haven't already fulfilled," she said, motioning to the empty bottle of vodka that was on the table.
"Another free spirit." Talon smiled. "What a fascinating group."
"That it is," Marquise hummed.
"Yeah, we're all so cool, let's pop some champagne to celebrate our awesomeness," Hailey drawled.
"Were you more or less drunk at the party last year, when you were a tribute?" Talon asked.
Hailey snorted. "Gal wouldn't let me get any alcohol, so I was sober as a square." She blew air out of her nostril, and gazed off into the distance. "What a night."
Talon leaned forward, letting his chin rest on his palms. "Do tell."
"What? Don't know the story already, Mr. games analyst?" She waved her hand at him.
"I know everything about the arena, sure, but the pre-games? Not so much."
Hailey shrugged. "What's there to tell, it was a shitshow the whole way through. Spent the whole party avoiding her and trying not to bawl my fucking eyes out in front of the whole Capitol."
Talon nodded his head thoughtfully. "So, overall, better or worse experience than this year?"
Hailey snorted again, and even let out a breathless laugh. "Nothing'll ever be worse than that shitshow, I can at least have peace in that."
"Well, never say never," Talon offered.
Marquise shrugged. "Well, maybe sometimes say never."
The game wrapped up, and Talon won again, which nobody seemed to notice aside from Maya, who had been concentrating intently on the game with nothing to show for it.
"Could I play a game?" Lana asked.
Hailey nearly spat out her water. "She talks?"
"Only when she was something worth saying," Talon said calmly. "A rare skill."
"And one you have, right?" Maya asked sarcastically.
"One of the few talents I do not possess," Talon responded with a smile. He turned to Lana. "What kind of game are you thinking?" He snapped his fingers. "You know what, I got one, let's play some ERS."
Hailey groaned. "Give me an hour to sober up first, why don't you?"
Lana looked up to Talon curiously. "How do you play?" She asked clearly.
He waved his hand dismissively. "It's simple, I'll teach you all. There's no brains for this one, just reaction time and memory. So at the very least, we'll all be able to beat somebody here."
"I would stab you with a knife if I didn't think this idiot would jump in the way," Hailey said dryly.
Marquise scratched the back of his neck. "I'd try not to, but I appreciate what I assume is a compliment."
"Anyways," Talon said, taking the cards and quickly shuffling them. "The goal of the game is to get all of the cards in your hand. We all start off with an equal amount. You earn cards by being the first to slap the pile. We all take turns playing cards on the pile, and when certain things show up, you can slap. If there's two cards in a row that are the same number, the very top and very bottom are the same number, or there's a sandwich where only one card is in between two of the same number, you can slap the pile and take all the cards that are there. You also slap if a king and queen are played next to each other. Simple enough, right?"
Lana nodded her head, while Marquise and Maya nodded more hesitantly and with a delay. Hailey didn't bother at all, grumbling to herself something about 'District Two nerds' as she shuffled herself closer to the table and prepared her hand.
"You ever played a game like this before?" Talon asked her while he dealt the cards.
She shook her head.
He paused for a moment to turn to face her. "You ever play any type of game?"
She didn't respond to that, and after a moment he continued to deal the cards. Marquise gave her a curious look, while Maya and Hailey scrambled for their cards, oblivious to the conversation going on.
Lana picked up the deck that Talon gave her, and traced her finger along the edge of the cards. They were smooth and sharp to the touch, and she felt like she could cut her finger open if she traced her finger fast enough. She imagined herself using them as a weapon, slicing the edge across Marquise's neck, blood spilling from his throat.
She felt something touch her hand, and leapt back at the touch. Talon looked at her cautiously, and she realized that she had bent the card in her hand. She quickly smoothed it out, and looked down at the table, away from his gaze. He continued to deal out the cards.
She was razor-focused on the Game, watching each card be played and memorizing the number to her memory, watching for every different possible combination as her hand hovered just above the table, ready to strike. Failure was never an option. Hailey played a six, and Maya followed it up with another, and Lana's was the first hand to the pile, slamming down on it with force as Hailey yanked her hand out of the way.
"I won?" she asked Talon, and he nodded slowly.
"Yeah, you won the pile, the cards are yours," he said, and then after a moment he hesitantly added. "Not that it matters, though. Winning, that is."
She looked up at him midway through collecting the cards, and the look was apparently enough to illustrate her confusion as he continued on.
"It's just for fun, winning isn't really the point of it. Right?" The look she gave him was enough to make it clear that wasn't enough, and so he kept trying. "It's just. . . fun, ya know? Like. . . like foam mustaches. No winning or failing, or well, maybe a little bit, but that isn't the point."
She looked down at the cards. Lana looked up at Talon, not entirely sure of herself. "Okay," she said.
"Okay?" Talon asked, confused.
"Fun," she said firmly, and Talon's smile seemed more genuine than usual as he nodded his head and gestured for her to play a card.
"Let's play."
A/N: An actually wholesome chapter? From david12341? In 2020? I hardly believe it myself. I hope you all enjoyed, because I really had so much fun writing this. If so, you have two more chapters of the party to look forward to! Next chapter will bring us to the live music stage of the night, featuring Julie, Glory, Audra, and Talon! See you all then!
Trivia(1 point): What was your favorite interaction so far from the party?