It's the first day of training, and even though his mentor, Fletch, has told Tom that he needs to talk to the other tributes and make allegiances, he doesn't want to, and he doesn't want to let on how bad he is either, so he stands off to the side slightly, watching the others throw knives, start fires and jump through obstacles, feeling slightly distant.

After a while though, he catches the eye of the boy from District 7, the one he remembers from the footage he saw on the train, and the boy starts wandering over to him. He has brown hair and pale skin, freckles from the sun scattered across his face, and an easy sway to his body as he moves across to Tom. Tom doesn't move away, because that would be unnecessarily rude, and, to be honest, he's curious about this boy. He looks about the same age as Tom, maybe slightly younger, but not too much so to not be in with a chance.

"Hey," Tom says once the other boy is standing next to him, because he thinks someone should speak first so it might as well be him.

"Hi. I'm District 7; Danny," the brunette says, sticking out a hand for Tom to shake. It seems strange to Tom, but customs are different between districts and he's already had so many weird experiences since coming to the capitol it's not like he can't take this is his stride too, so he takes Danny's hand and shakes it, liking how their fingers feel together, even though it still seems a little strange.

"You're the one that hit your sister," Tom blurted out, not meaning to, but at the same time needing to know how someone could do something like that. He could never have punched his little sister.

Danny sighed, running his hands through his hair and suddenly looking less confident.

"I had to. you saw her, she was going to volunteer. It was bad enough I was going to do it, but if Vicky had been there too our parents wouldn't be able to cope. Losing both of us wouldn'tve done anyone any good."

That made sense. Stopping her from speaking so that there was less pain for everyone. It worked it was just...

"Couldn't you have stopped her without punching her?"

"Nah, once my sister decides to speak, there aint much that can stop her, and I didn't have time to think of a fancy plan; it was life or death, literally," Danny said, laughing slightly before looking sad again. "They wouldn't let me see her, or my parents before I went. Because of what I did. I didn't get to say goodbye."

"I'm sorry," Tom said, meaning it. He knew it wouldn't make the pain go away, but it might help a little at least.

"S'not your fault," Danny said, rubbing his eyes and clearing his throat before speaking again. "What you doing over here then, watching all of us?"

Tom shrugged and looked back at the other tributes. Most of them had moved on to another activity while he and Danny had been talking. "I don't feel like doing anything with everyone watching me"

"Don't worry; they're all just showing off. I don't think they're really watching each other; too busy admiring their own skills. Come do something with me, then we can look bad together," Danny said, grinning again pulling a reluctant Tom forwards, towards some kind of tracking lesson. After a few nervous glances around at the others, Tom decided Danny was probably right, and he might as well give himself a slightly better chance, especially as this one at least meant he didn't need to pick up a weapon.