Author's Note: Hail hail the gang's (almost) all here! What an outpouring what enthusiasm..I'm chuffed really people I hope you guys keep it up. Thanks go to ya'll: JB. Arrow (literally made me blush a bit), KL10X (a returning veteran), HL and newest reviewer DayAnnKnight
Chapter 55
The Problem With Actors
Fulvia Cardew is middle aged if I guess right, she looks eager and happy to be even close to Plutarch but when she sees me she looks shocked.
"You got her? You didn't tell me!" she says as she comes over and looks me over, "if only we could get you in front of the camera, you could do rings around Katniss, but she is what we have"
"Pluatrch?" I look at Heavensbee, "this is your script writer?"
She looks proud, "it worked!"
"It failed" I reply and she looks as crestfallen as Plutarch, they made it look so fake, do they not see that they are too Capitol for this?
That night Gale shows up at my room. He looks frustrated. We sit down and he looks at me.
"Do you miss your prep team?" he asks, "I mean Capitol people in general are shallow aren't they?"
"What happened?" I don't answer the question because personally sometimes when I am lonely I do miss them, Darwin especially, but I refocus on Gale. He explains what happened when they had found her prep team how he told her she was being risky and all that. She sided with them.
I nod, "personally mine had endearing qualities but I only knew them for one game Gale, and my tour, Katniss might have a completely different perspective. I miss Darwin most but not because he was Capitol, he was my counselor, the one that listened without judgment or question" I look at him, "Capitol people are sheltered Gale, to the point they are naïve of their actions"
"But to defend them" he looks disgusted
"You think its unreasonable but you don't know them like Katniss does" I explain, "I guess they can be considered pets, and like any pet even that mangy thing Primrose cuddles with, we want to protect them"
"So I was wrong?" he looks annoyed probably at himself
"No, you weren't wrong you just have a different view of them Gale" I take his hand, "I don't blame you, I mean with the amount of Capitol you have actually met you would hate them" I tease, "if you ever met Darwin you might think better of them"
He smirks, "maybe, sorry I got hot under the collar"
"S'ok, as long as you come and talk to me when something is bothering you" I kiss his cheek, "that's what a girlfriend does right?"
Our communicators go off, it's a meeting but again it's not a Coin version or Plutarch.
'propos meet viewing conference room 4-465 now' it reads
"Who?" Gale shows his to me
"Who can be that rude and still get his way?" I smirk
"Haymitch" we groan together
We enter the boardroom to the entire board plus some people from Twelve and a guy from Ten. My team is there and they look as confused as Gale and I do. Finally Katniss shows up and she gives me such a glare that Gale is sitting to my left and Maverick to my right. If we have words then we do if not well…
They show that horrible video, Katniss looks like someone who is forced to do something she hates.
"Suggestions?" Haymitch looks at us
"Is frying that disk an option?" I say and Finnick chuckles, Gale elbows me, "it's horrible"
"Why?" Haymitch asks
"It's hollow, planned, scripted" I look at him, what is he getting at?
"It should have worked" Plutarch says
"Obviously it didn't though Ariana is a hard person to impress, she moved people in her games. Just like Katniss did" Haymitch explains
"And then some" I add, Katniss looks at me, "well you did, you and Peeta, some of the things according to the newbie at St. Augustine threw a lot of Capitol residents into hysterical sadness"
"Really?" Gale doesn't look convinced
"Oh god yes" Fulvia says
"Like what?" Haymitch says
"Well the one I remember because I had never seen the hospital so busy was the holding hands in the parade" I say, "that and you calling out when the rule was changed"
"Yeah but that-" Katniss says but stops dead as I raise a brow
"Her singing got me" says the man from Ten: Dalton.
"Drugging Peeta" one of her stylists cries
"Yeah but I wasn't on a script!" Katniss says defending herself finally
"Exactly!" Haymitch says, "you weren't" he emphasizes, "you can't drum up support with fake emotion it has to be real to create real sympathy"
"What do you suggest?" Coin asked bored already where I am wired even with the late hour.
Haymitch says the thing I hate, "send her in."