yodell- You're too nice, thank you. Kind reviews like yours make me want to continue.
DrarryFrerard- Hmm, you know I didn't even think about that. That's something I just might take into consideration :)
MangoMagic- I love it whenever Cato and Peeta interact too! It's my favorite. I liked the idea of adding identities to other tributes to enrich the story a little more. Hopefully the added characters don't make it too messy. Here's the update for you!
HungerWho37- Your reviews will always hold a special place in my heart now, heehee. Over time, their characters will probably start to transform for the sake of the story's progression, but hopefully it won't ever get too OOC for you. Thank you for the kind words.
Back on district 12's floor, Peeta and Katniss sat for dinner with Haymitch, Effie, and their stylists.
"How was training you two?" Effie sweetly warbled to her ravenous tributes, trying not to gag as she watched them shove entire handfuls of food into their mouths, skipping the silverware entirely.
"Fine," they grumbled in unison. Effie was polite to them but that didn't make up for the fact she was still a Capitol citizen who must have thought of their nightmare as nothing more than a game.
"Just fine?" Haymitch looked up from his liquor. "Come on now kids. Tell me what happened. How did you do at the different stations? What's your take on the other tributes? Any information we can work with?"
"Peeta and I worked together for the first half of the day," Katniss explained. "We focused on more survival-intensive stations. I think we did pretty well." She looked over at Peeta who nodded in agreement.
"Good. Good," Haymitch said. "Nothing's worse than when you overlook the necessities. Foolish bastards focus too much on the fighting and forget that it isn't just about surviving the other tributes, it's also about just surviving in general. Which I think is key for you two's success."
"Well we also spent a little time with some other tributes. The pairs from 6 and 11. Maybe they could be allies?" Katniss was sort of asking Haymitch for permission.
Haymitch just shook his head and took another swig of drink before he continued. "Don't try to be like the Careers and make yourself your own little pack. That's not our fight. Especially when these other kids probably don't have much to bring to the table. They'll just be another burden for you. The best strategy is to make yourself scarce. Get the hell away from the cornucopia as fast as you can. Don't worry about anybody but yourself. Find water. Use your survival skills and just stay alive. It won't do you any good to surround yourself with people who will just stab you in the back at the first opportunity. What I'm saying goes for both of you." His eyes shot towards Peeta.
"Hey, you don't have to tell me twice," Peeta said, putting his hands up in defense. "I'm perfectly capable of keeping to myself. In fact, after lunch Katniss and I split up and did our own thing."
Katniss grinned evilly at her partner. "Yeah, and then you found yourself pinned to the floor underneath that giant from district 2."
"Ugh, you saw that?" Peeta asked chagrined.
"Of course. I was keeping my eye on you. And it seemed the rest of the Careers were keeping their eyes on their district 2 ally. We were all watching you guys wrestle. You had quite the little audience," Katniss mused.
"Well that's just great," Haymitch sarcastically slurred as he slammed his glass down. "You got yourself some unwanted attention, boy. You should have stayed away from them. You know better than that. That giant from district 2 you wrestled with is Cato. His raven-haired partner is Clove. The boy and girl from 1 are Marvel and Glimmer. And the boy and girl from 4 are Cast and Coral. They're a strong bunch of Careers this year, but they're characteristically arrogant. Just keep your distance and you can outlast them. I know you boy. You got this."
"I know, Haymitch. Don't get yourself all worked up about it. Your heart already works hard enough trying to pump that blood of yours that's probably 80 proof," Peeta said, sneakily trying to snatch the liquor away from his drunken mentor. It didn't work. "The Careers can stare all they want. I won't let them get the best of me," the boy finished and got up from the table. He had to admit, knowing that he caught the attention of all the Careers was a little unnerving. He wondered what Cato had told them about the boy from district 12…
The Careers were all gathered on district 1's floor for their own dinner and to discuss the day's events.
"So, what do we think of this year's tributes?" Marvel asked the group.
"They don't stand a chance, that's all I have to say," the girl from 4, Coral, scoffed as she stuck her nose up in the air. Her partner, Cast, smirked and agreed. Assholes.
"There's a few I think we shouldn't brush aside so easily," Clove countered. "I was surveying the tributes training today. Got their identities from the trainers at each station. Thresh is the name of that beast from 11. You all see how huge he is. I saw him lifting massive weights. Thresh is not to be taken lightly."
"Not to mention those little worms from 12," Glimmer added in. "They fuckin' stole our spotlight last night at the parade. Did you hear the crowd? They're bound to have a mass of dimwitted sponsors lining up for them just because of their little pyro display. Pathetic."
"The boy's name is Peeta and the girl is Katniss," Clove informed her.
Peeta, Cato swirled the name around in his head like a fine wine. I light smile crept up on his lips, oblivious to the others.
"Well, whatever their names are, I think it's more than just a show," Marvel interjected. "Clove wasn't the only one watching the other tributes. Every station I saw 12 go to, they seemed to master like they've done it before. And did you see how well the boy did against Cato at hand-to-hand?"
"Hmm, yes," Clove chimed back in. "We all saw that. Why don't we get an opinion of Peeta's talents first-hand from his sparring partner?" Her grin was pure evil as she eyed her district 2 acquaintance.
"He was good," Cato shrugged as he finally joined in on the conversation. "Obviously not as good as me. But I agree; he's definitely one to watch."
"Oh, you want to do more than just watch," Clove mocked. "I saw you staring at him the whole day. When he approached the hand-to-hand combat station, you practically tripped over your own feet to get over there and spar with him."
"Seriously Clove?" Cato sneered. "You always have to put your fuckin' nose in my business."
"So you like Peeta, don't you?" Marvel smiled wickedly sweet. Marvel and Clove were fully enjoying Cato's annoyance at their prodding, while Glimmer and Coral were not amused. They both were vying for their pack leader's attention and clearly they weren't going to get it.
"I don't 'like' him," Cato snapped. "It's just a matter of raw attraction. He's a hot piece of ass that I fully intend on taking advantage of in the arena before I annihilate him. We're Careers. We've trained our whole lives for this moment. I don't see the harm in having a little fun while we're out dominating the field." The Careers all raised their glasses then to toast to the undeniable truth that they would, indeed, be dominating the field in just a matter of a few short days.
Back at district 12's floor, the evening was winding down as Peeta got ready for bed. Katniss quietly knocked on his door before entering and found him in his pajamas staring out his window into the night.
"Hey, I just wanted you to know I didn't mean to get you in hot water with Haymitch when I told him about Cato," Katniss quietly spoke leaning against his door frame.
"I know. You're fine. It's already forgotten. My mind's long gone to somewhere else." Peeta said as he stared absentmindedly out to the nightlife of the Capitol. He always anticipated on coming here, but not like this. He used to dream it would be when the rebels invaded. Now reality was smacking him in the face with the irony that he's here as a tribute of the games he swore to help one day end.
"My mind's been stuck thinking about home," Katniss whispered as she moved to sit on the edge of Peeta's bed. "I can't help wondering what they're doing right now. I'm so worried about Prim."
Peeta turned to face his district partner. "You know, I've met your sister before. Your mother came into the bakery with her one time when one of my brothers burnt himself badly from the ovens. She was a natural. My father sneaked her a cupcake. She's a good little girl. She's somehow managed to stay so innocent and kind, despite all the horrors that surround our district. I don't blame you for volunteering to protect her. And I know you're going to do everything you can to make it back to her. I'm still going to try my damnedest to survive, Katniss, but there's no guarantee. And if I die, it'd be okay as long as you were still out there and still had a fighting chance."
"Thank you, Peeta," Katniss smiled. "That means a lot. You know, I wouldn't be opposed to our partnership being more than just a facade. All of Panem thinks we're going in as a team. I don't think that's a bad idea. I want to meet up with you in the arena. No matter what."
"Well," Peeta started, "you should know then that I fully intend on going straight to the cornucopia when the starting cannon goes off. I'm not afraid of the Careers. They're not going to keep me from getting what I need. Can I count on you to have my back and follow me into the bloodbath?"
"Hell yes!" Katniss exclaimed. "No way I'm leaving the cornucopia without my bow and arrows. Screw the Careers. They don't own the arena! Not this year."
"Fuck yeah," Peeta beamed proudly at her. "Oh, and I should also mention that the little boy from 6 has grown on me. I mean, I'm not sacrificing my life to look after him or anything, but I refuse to be the one to kill him. He's off limits."
Katniss grinned and nodded acceptance. "Well, if we're making demands then the little girl from 11 is off limits too. She reminds me of Prim."
"Agreed. I like her too," Peeta said. "So our plan is to work together, go straight towards the bloodbath, and purposely not kill tributes. Haymitch is going to shit his pants when we get in there."
"I think if we weren't already in a fight for our lives, he'd probably kill us," Katniss laughed.