Author's Note: Yay! Charring's back! For those who have forgotten he's the one that taught Ariana martial arts way back in Sparrow's Song…oh and this is a 2 POV chapter ;)

Thanks go to my reviewers: JB, HL and EWD

Chapter 49

Master and Student

Gale POV

My girl the diplomat. Her voice is even and calculating and when they brought up Four and Eight she couldn't help but have a glimmer of smugness in her eyes. Who is this girl that captivated me in Twelve. She seems to get along with everyone but this Plutarch fellow and President Coin.

I don't think she should have challenged Coin but then again I think she knows what she is doing.

It's not until this pockfaced man appears in the doorway that she noticibly calms down.

"Until I heard Crane was back I wasn't going to show as usual, I have better thing to do than sit and listen. I still have soldiers to train y'know" he takes a seat beside Boggs, they nod a greeting.

"Good you might be able to talk sense to Crane" Coin says

"Talk sense to her about what?" he looks at Ari still fuming, "she being deployed again?"

"I could only wish" Ari says angrily, "they disregarded my instruction, they pretty much will cripple this whole operation because as they put it 'They have Everdeen'"

"Who's Everdeen?" He asks

"Katniss Everdeen" I inform him

"And you are?" he looks at me calculatingly

"Gale Hawthorne" I reply

"Charring this was the whole plan, you were at the meeting!" Plutarch says pleadingly, "you agreed!"

"I said I would help if I could Plutarch but judging from how she is and how you are I don't think I can help right now" he looks at Ariana, "why don't you go burn this energy off? I can page Malcom he hasn't had a good workout since you left"

"She isn't dismissed" Coin says

"Alma you can try to lead the horse to water but you damned well can't make it drink" Charring replies, "try later when tempers aren't so high"

"She still has to give Watts her access code to the rest of the files" she adds

"And I am sure Ziggy will get that for you in time" he says calmly, "for now let me take my student and run her ragged, I think it will be beneficial for both of you not to be in the same room"

"Fine you can take her but the rest stay" she says

Charring give Ariana a 'let's go' look and Ariana gets up, I make to follow.

"You aren't dismissed Hawthorne" Coin says

I look to my girl and she gives me a small imperceptible shake of her head, 'stay here and listen to them' it means. I'm her ear in this place I notice.

"So since we don't yet have Crane" Coin looks at Haymitch, "you will have to do"

"You think she'll listen to me after almost clawing my eyes out?" Abernathy says

Ari POV

Charring! He talked somewhat sense to Coin though I don't think I will ever go back to a meeting, at least not until they admit they really messed this whole thing up.

"I take it you were the one who mucked up the 74th games? And the 75th?" he says looking at me. When I don't reply but give a small smirk, "any casualties?"

Damn him!

I try and think of other things, but no, it doesn't work. "my brother is dead" I reply and he nods, "my fault"

"no, I didn't say that but knowing the Capitol they wouldn't have allowed what happened without someone paying for it" Charring explains, "Hawthorne your new sparring partner?"

"You could say that" I reply and he nods again

"The shrew is tamed?" he smirks at me, "I doubt that"

"Who said I was a shrew?!" I look annoyed, then I smirk, "Malcom right?"

"Well you did shoot down his friend" Charring teases, we arrive in the gym and he points me to get changed, when I come back he tosses me a staff and I have at it on a dummy. I am grateful it's damn solid because if not the head would be miles away.

"So who are you picturing?" he says as I take a breather, "Malcom, Plutarch?"

I snarl and swing wide; he stops me with his staff.

"Crane out with it!" he says ordering me, I think he is the only one who can do this without me giving a snarky comment.

"Your precious President, I don't trust her" I say

He pushes my stave off the dummy, "I could tell that the second your were pointing at her and almost throwing everyone against her" he replies, "you're being reckless" he pauses, "putting the right words and ideas in the right people of the districts is easy, right now you are out of your league"

I scoff but he trips me up with his stave.

"Let me fill you in on the important part" he says and has me sit on the crash mat. He paces, "you noticed we have more security? And staff everywhere?" I nod, "spring came and it seemed to spark some people to flee, ever since the 74th it has escalated to the point Coin has opened the chance to become a soldier to anyone of age"

"Of age?" I raise a brow

"Fourteen years and older" he says, "and we've been training ever since then; those who don't enlist are put to work other parts of the complex. She has her own security detail now" he looks at me, "she told me what you did, are you completely insane?"

"She threatened my friends Charring!" I defend myself, "what would you have done?"

"She's doesn't trust you, and her barking orders that are falling on your deafened ears will just fuel her" he says tapping me on the head, "you're smart kid, but right now she has the cards, true you have Paylor on your side, and district four's Commander Sinclair but two district won't win you a victory"

"I don't want to win, I don't even approve of all this military movement" I say

"Right now it's needed" he says swinging his staff a bit, "you have to calm down. I know your friend Mellark is captured and Kingsly and Mason, I got the run down from Boggs. They won't kill them, killing them will create martyrs and the last thing they need are martyrs" he looks at me, "they already have Katniss to contend with, feel like coming out of hiding?"

I don't reply

"Didn't think so" he sighs, "if you don't want to help Plutarch fine but know they won't just abandon this because you refuse, they will find other ways"

"So they will endanger someone innocent for what? Rally the troops?" I get up, "do they not see it's a bad idea?"

"No they don't" he sighs, "as much as I respect Alma she is one minded, she would do good to listen to reason but reason has its own plan doesn't it?" he looks at me

"Look" I look at my staff as I twirl it, "if we just…wait it out, capture the district but not advance the capitol will eventually come apart" I stop and swing and he blocks, "we don't need violence to get our point across"

"So breaking Abernathy's nose?" he swings and I block

"He promised me something and failed, he's gutless and a coward" I growl, "they want to make Everdeen into Joan of Arc, Katniss has the charisma of a snail and the attitude of a rabid dog. Peeta would have been ten times better at it but what they do? 'Oh Crane will do it' I won't do it"

"Then don't. But don't be surprised if they still do it despite you stomping your feet in a tantrum" he reprimands, "and I don't want to hear you whining"

"You won't" I take another swing.