"One day, I'm going to volunteer, just like you did." She couldn't get the girl's words out of her head. Katniss had stumbled through her speech, barely able to read the cards Effie had given her, much less deliver something that could truly pacify the district. Every time she looked up, she only saw a sea of bright, innocent blue eyes that wanted to follow in her murderous footsteps.

Katniss was an inch from breaking down in tears before the entire district when Peeta thanked their audience and helped her offstage. "Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

She wanted to brush him off, to lie and say that everything was fine, but this time, she couldn't push him away. Instead, she nodded, and Peeta pulled her into a hug. "Was it the little girl?"

"How can they do this? They're training her to kill and probably die, and she's happy to do it. It's sick. They're all just sick." She didn't even try to keep the anger out of her voice. These people should know what everyone thought of them. They didn't deserve any better.

"That's quite the introduction. I'm pleased to meet you as well."

She spun away from Peeta and towards the source of the unfamiliar voice, tensing when she saw who it belonged to. "Finnick Odair. What a lovely surprise."

"That's good to hear. I was starting to think you didn't like me. He grinned at her, a smile Katniss knew melted most women's hearts. She resolved that it wasn't going to work on her and glared in return. Finnick pretended not to notice and took another step towards her. "Aren't you glad we cleared up that little misunderstanding?"

"Thrilled."

Peeta glanced between the two of them before clearing his throat. "It's nice to meet you, Finnick." He shook hands with the other man.

"Why are you here?" she demanded.

"Well, love, I thought I'd show the two of you and your mentor the way up to the roof for the banquet."

That seemed innocent enough, but Katniss wasn't ready to accept anything he said. "Where is Haymitch, then?"

"Abernathy could probably sense the champagne from a mile away. He found his own way. Strange, since he hasn't had as many chances to poke around here as I have in Twelve. Maybe not being sick does good things for your sense of direction."

Katniss knew the Peacekeepers wouldn't let her get away with attacking him. "You deserved everything I said."

He shrugged. "As much as I'd love to debate morality with you, I don't want your escort to worry about us if we're late. She seems a little high-strung. Shall we?" He offered her his arm, and she defiantly grabbed Peeta's hand instead. Finnick smiled at the gesture. "You know, I don't bite unless I'm asked to."

Peeta stopped her before she could come up with an insult. "Finnick, we don't want to be late to our own party."

Finnick led them through long, winding hallways, many of which displayed murals depicting the sea. Katniss wondered if he was lost and leading them in circles, but eventually, after climbing yet another flight of stairs, they emerged onto the roof. The sight took her breath away. Beyond a swath of golden sand was the ocean, a sea of turquoise that stretched as far as her eyes could see. "See something you like?" Finnick teased. "Ouch!"

Katniss couldn't pick out individual words from the jumbled speech of the small, elderly woman who had just hit Finnick with her cane, but she understood the meaning behind them. Anyone who could get away with publicly scolding Finnick Odair was worth getting to know. "Thank you," she said.

"Oh, come on, don't encourage her!" Finnick complained. The little old woman pointed meaningfully towards Katniss and Peeta and said something, and Finnick nodded. "Katniss, Peeta, this is Mags. She's pretty much in charge of all of us."

"Nice to meet you," Peeta said, and he shook her hand. Katniss wanted to stay and talk with the woman, but all too soon, the mayor's voice cut through the chatter in the room, calling everyone to their seats. She suffered in silence through the nine-course dinner, trying not to be jealous that Four could afford a feast while children in Twelve starved. A year of plenty meant little here. Still, the mountains of food were delicious, and she ate more than her fill. By the time the ninth course came out, her dress felt tight around her stomach, and she couldn't deny being relieved when the waiter took away her final, but still empty, plate. Katniss just wanted to sit and laze away the rest of the evening, but Peeta nudged her in the side. "Katniss, we've got company." She turned to see Finnick returning, followed by a lovely, dark-haired young woman. Katniss couldn't keep the disappointment off her face. "Try to play nice, okay?" Peeta asked.

"We came back for our debate. This is Annie Cresta." The woman waved at them, and Katniss smiled back. "May we?" Finnick asked, gesturing to the chair next to her.

Peeta nodded, and the two sat down next to each other. "I thought you were joking about us having a debate," Peeta said.

Finally, Annie spoke. "It is hard to tell with him, isn't it?"

Katniss nodded.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to him eventually." Annie smiled up at Finnick, who grinned back at her. Their hands met, fingers intertwining, and Katniss wondered if she'd misjudged Finnick Odair.

...

A/N: Thanks to glittergirl20 for reviewing!