I'm at the edible plants stand with Clay when a voice booms behind me.

"Stop, in the name of justice!"

What? What did I do?

Eyebrows scrunched together, I set down the fake berries in my hand and turn around. It's the boy from 10, still decked out in white. He's been sitting with the Careers, right? What was it that Simon called him? It may have just been an insult...

"Sorry, Mr. Peacekeeper!" Clay salutes as he spins around on his chair. "What is it?"

The 10 blinks a few times, taken aback, before smiling. That getup is kind of Peacekeeper-y, now that he mentions it.

Pushing his sunglasses up at an angle I can't see his eyes, he says, "I'm afraid I'm no official, but so long as you see me as a defender of justice..." His brown-tinted glasses slide back down as he salutes with two fingers. "My name is Bobby Fulbright. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Clay Terran." He holds out a hand. "District 3."

While they're shaking, I roll one of the berries on the table. "Apollo Justice, District 5."

"What a wonderful name!" Fulbright butts his knuckles up against his hips. "Truth and justice rolled into one shining paradigm of virtue!"

"Er... Right." I rest my forearm on the table. "Why was it you needed us to stop?"

He responds with a strong nod. "I'm searching for allies to support a righteous cause."

You mean yourself?

Clay folds his arms on the back of his chair. "Aren't you already allies with the Careers?"

Fulbright pulls back, hands up. "No! It's nothing of that sort! Hunting down innocent tributes—" he nearly punches me before holding up a clenched first in a position ready to jab—"I could never condone something so unjust! I seek allies for a fight much greater!"

Wait... So if he's not seeking allies to protect him... And he's not with the Careers, even though I've seen him sitting next to Simon...

I suck in a breath. "Is this about Athena?"

"That's exactly right!" In good humor again, he smiles widely. "Have you already joined us?"

"Wait, what's going on?" Clay looks at me.

"I... No, I haven't really joined yet." I nod at Clay. "Simon—the guy from 2—is trying to gather a group to keep Athena safe through the end of the Games."

"Huh?" He puts a hand on his chest. "Why haven't I heard anything about this?"

I turn to Fulbright. "Does Athena know about it herself?"

He heaves a huge sigh, slumping and tapping his index fingers together. "She does, but I'm afraid she's not that happy with it."

Clay squints. "So you're conspiring against her to save her? I mean, she didn't even ask her own district partner for help... Are you sure it's really a good idea? If she doesn't get a choice in the matter, it's not fair to her."

"Not fair?!" His hands fly to the side of his head as he grimaces, wide-eyed. "Do you think so? I can't participate in something unfair! Not me, the very model of justice itself!"

...If I ever end up in an alliance with this one, it would have to be from utter necessity.

"Listen..." I'm not sure if I have his attention, as he's muttering rapidly to himself. "I think it's great that you're dedicated to this kind of venture, but I don't think I belong in the alliance. Don't get me wrong; there's no way I'm going to kill Athena, and if she comes to me needing help, I'll try to lend a hand. But I'm not going to make promises that I can't keep, especially if she hasn't approved of this herself."

I don't understand why she wouldn't, though. Is it a matter of guilt, of knowing you'll have to watch everyone supporting you die? Or what was it she was saying to Simon the other day? I can't quite recall the conversation now.

"Same here." Clay holds his breath for a second, looking down. "If she asks me, I'll help her out. If she doesn't, I won't. It's her choice to make, not ours."

"I... I see." Fulbright continues his attempt to crush his head between his palms. "Maybe I—but an innocent girl! But—oh...! Which justice is the most just?"

I cross my arms, turning back to the table. "Honestly, the only Justice in the arena is going to be me."

Fulbright drifts off elsewhere to ponder the meaning of justice before I hear rapid footsteps.

"Polly!" Speeding towards us with another tribute in tow is Trucy. I can't tell who it is behind her, but her ponytail is a lot less ragged than Simon's. Even as she comes up next to Trucy, she's still covering her face with a handful of fanned slips of paper. Wasn't someone hiding her face at the reaping? I think there were two of them... but only one shaking this hard.

"I found a new friend! This is Jinxie Tenma, from District 8." Trucy bobs on her feet.

Jinxie peeks over her cover, revealing a criss-cross of two more paper slips on her forehead. She only gets one look at me before shaking harder. "...Two horns. A love of red. Are you a demon?"

"What? No. I'm Apollo Justice! I—"

"Eek! He is a demon!"

"What the—?!" I try not to fall off the side of my chair as she smacks a piece of paper onto my forehead. My breath flutters it as I try to recover.

"Be gone, foul beast!" Jinxie straightens up a bit, another slip of paper at the ready.

Trucy giggles. "Does being loud make him a demon, too?"

"What on earth is this thing?" I tug at the loose end of the paper, and Jinxie flinches. I have a feeling she'd slap me with another one if I take it off.

"I-it's a warding charm..." She's back to shivering.

Oh. Because I'm a "demon." "Well, try not to attack me with them!"

"Eek!" She bows back, eyes squeezed shut. "Forgive me, O terrible one!"

Sweating, I peel the paper off my forehead while she's not looking.

Trucy pouts, eyes trained on me. "Maybe you should go easy on your Chords of Steel, Polly." She turns to her new friend, patting her on the shoulder and smiling. "Don't worry, Jinxie, he's a good demon."

Jinxie throws me a glance, half-hidden behind her warding charms. "H-he won't eat me?"

"Of course not." Trucy gives me a pointed look.

I sigh. "No, I'm not going to eat you. I just had lunch, anyway." And now I'm playing along, too...

"O-okay..." Jinxie lowers her guard a bit, and I can see that she's frowning. I don't get the feeling that's going to change anytime soon.

"So, uh." Can't get too loud, or I'll be taking another paper to the face. "You're from District 8?"

She nods. "My f-father is the mayor."

"Oh. Wow." Clay scoots his chair a bit closer to us. "That must be why you had such a nice outfit for reaping day, huh?" He smiles.

I can tell she's not even considering the possibility that he's a demon. "Yes. I've been trying to find my own job, but we're well-off on our own. Even those who work for the household are paid well." She scratches under her left collarbone briefly.

Trucy notices. "And your district partner was one of those people?"

"That's right." She looks into the distance, but when I check, no one is standing there. "Poor Papa... Even if he doesn't lose both of us..."

"Ah... I'm sorry." I drop my gaze.

"He's already lost my mother, too." I can hear the paper crinkle as her grip tightens. "I c-can't imagine..."

Trucy pulls her into a hug, and Clay hops over his chair to join in.

"Then don't imagine it." The District 3 boy pulls away first, making eye contact for as long as Jinxie seems able to hold it. "You can remember who you're fighting to get home to. There's nothing wrong with that. But don't worry yourself sick over it. It's not your responsibility. All you need to do is know that he's rooting for you, and do your best, okay?"

"That's right!" Trucy bounces a few times. "Just imagine coming back home to him." Her friend doesn't seem that focused on it, so she fists her hands. "Come on! Picture it. Isn't he happy?"

Jinxie shuts her eyes and nods after a minute. She still isn't smiling, but her features seem a bit less tense.

I feel like I should jump in with something, too—but then again, I'll probably just frighten her to death. Leave it to the humans to comfort her, I guess.

"Oh, and I didn't get to say earlier, but this is Clay." Trucy waits for Jinxie to open her eyes again. "He's from District 3—same as Athena. Ah!" Her hand flies to her mouth. "Have you met her yet?"

Jinxie shivers. "No..."

"Okay! I should track her down for you, then." She bobs on the balls of her feet. "You can hang out with Polly and Clay for a while so I don't run you all over the place looking."

Jinxie glances at me but seems all right once she's behind her paper fan. "All right."

With a nod, Trucy takes off and waves. "I'll be right back, you guys!"

Clay laughs, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Don't you dare keep us waiting!"

"I won't!"

She disappears around the corner, and I look back at Jinxie. Shifting her weight between her feet, she still doesn't make eye contact. She's far from comfortable with me. If only I had some way to prove I'm not a demon... Well, some way she would understand.

"So, you're friends with Trucy?" I start slowly.

A shiver goes across her shoulders. "Y-yes. She's very nice."

I lean back a bit, resting my elbow on the table. "Did she do some magic tricks for you?"

"Mmm-hmm." She leans forward, just enough that I can see her whole face. The bags under her eyes are pretty impressive. "She's really good at them."

Wait. So wearing a red vest and pants makes me a demon, but performing magic is a normal human thing? What on earth is this girl's rationale?!

"Hey, how come I haven't gotten a magic show yet?" Pouting, Clay clasps his hands behind his head.

I nudge him with my shoulder. "She'd be overjoyed to give you one once she gets back."

"Oh, Jinxie. THERE you are."

When I look back at Jinxie, another tribute is standing by her. No, maybe he's an escort. Or... No, I remember her district partner being dressed in something closely approaching Capitol fashion. If anyone here needs to be called a foul demon on basis of his clothing, well, it shouldn't be me.

Jinxie only seems a bit startled by his appearance, though. "Hello. Have... you been looking for me?"

"Of course." He pats the bright green flower on his lapel. "I can't have Mayor Tenma's daughter running amok with such DANGEROUS tributes everywhere." His head swivels to bring Clay and me into his field of vision, but his chin stays up. "I don't believe I've introduced myself to these members of the PEASANTRY. I am the one and only Florent L'Belle, Beau Divine."

Clay stands before folding his arm in front of himself and dipping into an exaggerated bow. "I am HONORED to be in the presence of such a MARVELOUS specimen of sophistication."

No—I'm not... I'm not gonna—

But Florent looks more self-satisfied than anything, and Clay still hasn't risen, and I just can't stop myself from bursting into laughter.

"Oh!" Scowling, the eyesore forcefully adjusts his flower one more time before I'm doubled over again. Darn it, Clay...!

When I finally manage to straighten myself up, I get one moment to register the flower coming off in his hand. Then it sprays a mist in my eyes, and I cringe back with a yelp.

"Augh!" Corneas burning, I pray I'm not about to go blind just before the Games start.

"A-Apollo!" Clay says.

I can hear Florent chirping in laughter. "This is my signature scent of greeting, Bonjour. Isn't it SUPERB?"

Not used like this! How many of you guys are going to attack me before a Peacekeeper finally stops this?

This perfume is way too strong, anyway...

I manage not to cough, and after a minute of eye-rubbing, I'm seeing normally. Or, I would be if any normal sights were in front of me.

"So—" maybe if I keep him talking, he'll be less quick to spritz me—"you work for Jinxie's father?"

"I am the mayor's personal AIDE. Perhaps that CONCEPT is not easy for a man of LESSER beauty to understand?"

If you consider yourself beautiful, I'm really glad you don't think the same of me. "Personal aide, right. So you're pretty close to him?"

"You could CALL me his right-hand man." He dramatically wipes a tear from his eye with one finger. "It's such a SHAME for me to get caught up in this affair. As per my LOYALTY to him, I have SWORN to protect his only daughter."

My bracelet...!

"Sorry, could you repeat that?"

With an amused laugh, he goes for the perfume again, but I close my eyes in time. I can't do much about the smell, though.

"I said, I have taken it upon MYSELF to see Miss Jinxie home S·A·F·E—"

Gotcha!

Right there! A little twitching in his throat, like he's trying not to laugh. He isn't the least bit serious about saving her...

"—for the mayor's sake, and her OWN."

I rub my forehead with one finger. "That's..." I sigh. "That's very noble of you."

What can I do? Tell him off for not being ready to die for her? At least point out how much of a danger he is to Jinxie? She'd probably be so terrified of me using "demonic powers" to figure this out that she wouldn't even listen. It's better for her to find out for herself.

Florent smiles, petting his flower. "Isn't it?"