Mendi Navar, 14
District 12, She/Her
June 4th, 97 ADD
10:49 AM
As the second morning of training settled in, Mendi eyed her three new acquaintances warily.
One was her district partner, Tiernan. Since their dinner on the train, Tiernan had mostly stopped trying to talk to her, which Mendi appreciated. Instead, he'd focused his awkward attempts at conversation on the Elevens as they practiced snares, which Mendi did not appreciate. Mendi preferred peace and quiet, and the noise in the Training Center every day was already overwhelming- weapons clashing, tributes laughing and shouting and running around, the survival quizzes beeping when someone got a perfect score. Adding Tiernan into the mix was almost unbearable.
Then there was Patrek, who thankfully had the sense to stay quiet. He wasn't very talkative, and he gave Mendi her own space. She didn't know much about him, as he hadn't offered up much to Bryony or Tiernan while Mendi was in earshot, but she also didn't care to. He was the one she tolerated best.
And then Bryony. She didn't understand why Bryony kept talking to her. Bryony seemed eager to know all there was to know about Mendi Navar. Why did she care? Didn't she understand that some things were private? Why didn't she stop trying after Mendi hissed at her? It worked on the Eight boy. And Bryony was always trying to make eye contact, too, and she smiled too much. There was nothing to be smiling about. Mendi's father would have said Bryony was a nosy busybody, and Mendi would have agreed. She could almost imagine Bryony as one of their neighbors, the kind her father hated, always knocking on the door and saying hello and asking questions. Why are there always so many questions?
(And even if she wanted to, Mendi didn't know how to answer Bryony's questions. Mendi Navar had only spoken to two people in her life. They were the only people who knew her. Everyone else was an intruder, an outsider, like Mendi's father said. Strangers were not safe. They were not to be trusted.)
(So Mendi had always watched them, trying to deny her own fascination, from afar. Sometimes she peeked through the curtains for hours, trying to understand the outsiders. She guarded their home from the whispers and pointed fingers with vigilance. If she could understand the intruders she could defend against them.)
(And Father was right all along. As soon as they had the chance, outsiders tore her family apart with false accusations and jail cells. They let her mother disappear without a trace. Her father had known-)
Mendi clapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Father this, Father that, but that was okay because everyone was wrong about her father, they didn't know him like Mendi did because all they wanted to do was ruin and ruin and ruin-
"Mendi?"
(But if they're wrong, what happened to Mother?)
"Mendi, can you take a deep breath for me?" Mendi dimly recognized the voice as Bryony's.
(IF HE DIDN'T KILL HER THEN WHY DID MOTHER LEAVE ME?)
"What happened?" That was Patrek.
"I don't know-" Bryony said. "Mendi, can you hear me?"
(THEY TOLD ME THEY LOVED ME SO WHICH ONE LIED AND RUINED EVERYTHING?)
"Be careful," Tiernan stuttered. "She had an episode like this on the train- she threw a plate-"
"You asked too many questions," Mendi muttered, still with her hands over her ears. "No more questions!"
"What did you ask her?" Bryony said to Tiernan, her voice hushed.
"I didn't mean to-"
"You did!" Mendi shouted, opening her eyes. A few tributes turned to look at them.
"Not to upset you- let's move on, maybe-"
"You think he did it," Mendi said, glaring at Tiernan.
"Did what?" Bryony asked.
Tiernan flinched. "Don't ask-"
"He thinks Father killed Mother even though I told him he didn't."
"Oh, wow," Bryony said. "I'm so sorry about your mother, Mendi."
"She isn't dead," Mendi shrieked.
Bryony looked confused. "Oh."
"It was a big case in Twelve," Tiernan muttered.
"I see," Bryony said cautiously. "That sounds really difficult."
Mendi didn't have an answer for that.
"I believe you, okay?" Bryony told her.
Mendi eyed her.
"I do."
She glanced at Tiernan and Patrek, both of whom were apprehensive.
"I'd like you to take a few deep breaths for me, alright?" Bryony said. "Patrek, can you go grab some water from one of the coolers?"
Patrek nodded and left, clearly relieved.
Bryony reached for Mendi's hands. Mendi started to shrink away, but Bryony was faster, clasping her hands and squeezing them gently. "I believe you, Mendi," she said kindly. "And I'm so, so sorry you went through that."
Mendi stared at her. She didn't know what to say.
(Her father would have scoffed. This girl who Mendi had met two days ago was surely a liar, another intruder looking for trust in order to abuse it later. But as Bryony held her gaze, Mendi couldn't find any of the hesitation she'd seen in Tiernan and Patrek and even Sienna.)
(Maybe Bryony was being sincere.)
(No one has ever believed me before.)
A sob pushed its way up her throat. Then a second, then a third, and soon Mendi was having a full-blown meltdown in the Training Center. Bryony wrapped her arms around her, and for once, Mendi didn't lash out. She just let herself be held.
(She could almost imagine she was in Mother's arms.)
Patrek returned with the water, and Mendi drank it greedily, forcing her to stop crying. As soon as she was done, Patrek went to get more.
"I hope you feel a little better," Bryony said, patting her back.
Mendi slowly nodded.
(She did. Somehow.)
"I'm really glad," Bryony said.
That was when the Eight boy walked up. "Excuse me? Could I borrow-"
Mendi hissed at them again, and Eight immediately backed away. "Sorry!"
Tiernan glanced at Bryony. "Why does she keep-"
"Thanks for the water, Patrek," Bryony interrupted as Patrek returned. She took it and passed it to Mendi, who drank it in one go.
(Outsiders were intruders. That's what Father always said.)
(But what if not all outsiders were bad?)
Jude Finnegan, 12
District 8, He/They
12:02 PM
Jude hurried away from the Twelves and Elevens without the part he needed to finish his snare, dejected. They decided to try again after lunch, when the Twelves and Elevens were gone.
Jude had been dreading lunchtime all morning. Yesterday, they ate by themself, he and didn't want to again. He'd been trying to follow his dad's advice and find allies, but everyone he'd talked to ignored him, didn't take him seriously, or hissed at them. Jude was trying to maintain a positive attitude about it… but it was hard. They'd been trying to make up for the lack of allies by working really hard at training, but it didn't completely ease their nerves. And their dreams last night didn't help; Jude's dreams tended to get worse when he was stressed.
So once they got their lunch tray and started looking for a place to eat, he decided to try his best option. True had said on the train that they were buddies, and maybe that meant they could also be lunch buddies?
Jude swallowed and walked up to where True and the Nine boy were sitting. "Hi. Is it okay if I sit with you?"
"'Course," True replied. She patted the bench next to her, and a huge wave of relief washed over Jude.
"Who's this?" Jem asked as Jude sat down.
"My district partner, Jude," True answered. "Jude, this is Jem."
Jude nodded politely. "Nice to meet you."
"You too." Jem reached out a hand, to Jude's surprise, and they shook it. "How's training going for ya, Jude?"
Jude winced. "It, um, it's been okay."
True raised an eyebrow. "Anyone bothering you?"
"Not really," they told her.
"Why 'not really?'"
"Well, the girl from Twelve hissed at me, but I'm trying not to take it personally," he replied. "And I tried talking to people, but it didn't really work."
"Yeah, I'd give Twelve a lotta distance," Jem said wisely.
"But it's been okay otherwise," Jude said, trying to look on the bright side. "It turns out I'm really good at using a slingshot! And I'm good at the memory tests, like with the plant identification. And with the smaller knives, and I'm going to try snares again after lunch. And I'm a good hider."
"Sounds like you're training hard," True replied.
He nodded. "I am!"
Jem got a funny look in his eye. "What was that last thing you said?"
"I'm a good hider," Jude repeated.
"How good?"
Jude shrugged. "Pretty good."
"I've got a question."
"Okay."
"If you were to hide and overhear a conversation," Jem said, "would you be able to remember everything people said and report back?"
Jude thought for a moment. "I think so."
True side-eyed Jem. "What are you thinking?"
Jem was still looking right at Jude. "Would you be up to a little test?"
"What kind of test?" Jude asked, trying not to show that this made them a little nervous.
(It felt like someone was finally giving him a chance.)
Jem leaned in and lowered his voice. "I'm lookin' for information about the other alliances," he said. "So I was thinking maybe, this afternoon, you do your hiding thing, listen in on what everyone's saying, and then you tell True and me what you heard."
Jude glanced at True again. She gave him a significant look, glanced at Jem, and then back to Jude.
"What do I get in return?" Jude asked, rewarded by a nod from True.
Jem grinned. "Well that's just the thing, right? I'm hoping to build an alliance of the outer-district kids so we can put up a fight in the arena. And provin' yourself means you'd be welcome to join."
Jude's heart raced.
(This was what they needed. Trusted allies who'd give him a fighting chance, like his dad said. Jude had to prove themself. And not only that- they really wanted to. They liked True a lot, and so far Jem was really cool too. He had to keep his head on straight and stay focused.)
"Alright," they said, trying to make his nod look casual. "So you're planning to ask more people, too? Like who?"
"You'll see this afternoon," Jem promised. "But what do you think? Are you open to the trial run?"
"Yes," Jude answered. "Do you want to know the other stuff I heard, too? Or just from this afternoon?"
Jem and True shared a look. "Other stuff?" True asked.
"Sure," Jude shrugged. "People don't really notice when I'm there a lot of the time. Sometimes I don't even have to hide."
"Like when?" True asked.
"Yesterday I was trying a station, and the boy from Two and girl from Four were at the station next to me. The boy was swinging a baseball bat, and the girl asked him to stop, and he said 'Why? Aren't we supposed to show off?' And she said 'Not necessarily, but I'm afraid you'll hurt someone, and you know what happens if you do that here.' So he said to relax and she said 'At least use two hands,' and he got offended and told her he knew how to use a baseball bat, and she said 'Do you know any other weapons?' and he said 'No, I'm not trained like some of you fancy-pants-'"
"The Two boy isn't trained?" Jem interrupted.
"Not like the others. He started talking about how he had 'real-life training,' and I wasn't sure what that meant. But he wasn't in a formal training academy, and when he said it, the Four girl told him to keep his voice down."
"Holy shit," True breathed. "Fuck, sorry. Sorry."
"That's really good info, Jude," Jem said. "Really good."
Jude puffed his chest out a little. "I can get more."
"Honestly, that's already more than I was expecting," Jem said. "True, what do you think?"
True gave him a grin. "I think a lotta people underestimate you, and they're gonna regret it," she said. "You in, bud?"
"No test?" Jude asked.
"You already passed," Jem replied. "Deal?"
Jude stuck out his hand. "Deal!"
Jem shook on it, and then he shook True's hand too.
(Jude's dad had told him to believe in himself. With a real alliance, believing in his chances was just a little easier already.)
Fleur Pettifur, 17
District 6, She/They
1:14 PM
"I thought you didn't want to train with me today," Fleur said.
Fleur and Tomo were trying out archery this afternoon, although neither of them were very good. But at least it was something to do. Fleur had found training to be much less exciting than TV always made it sound. It was a lot of walking around and trying things she was bad at and trying to talk to the other tributes, who were mostly not interested in talking back.
(It was still odd to think of themself as a tribute. She was on the other side of the television screen, and while it was a little thrilling- they used to dream of being a movie star someday- it was also deeply, deeply terrifying.)
(She'd thought that moving to Six would be enough for him to leave her alone. They had never thought he would chase them all the way to the districts, let alone rig the Reapings. Every time she'd defied him, he only became angrier. He only made her life worse.)
(They should've killed him when she had the chance.)
Tomo sighed. "I'm hoping it'll make Mercury leave me alone for a little bit."
This pulled them from her thoughts. "Mercury?" she squealed. "Like from District Two?"
Tomo winced. "Yes. There's only one Mercury here."
"Do you think he likes you?" she asked. "OMG, are you gonna join the Careers like the Ten kid?"
Tomo frowned. "Why would I do that?"
"If you liked him back, duh!"
"I don't like him."
Fleur waggled her eyebrows. "But do you like like him?"
Tomo's frown deepened. "Is that another Capitol phrase?"
"No, silly, it means-"
Before Fleur could explain, they were interrupted by something hitting her head with a crack! Tomo gaped at her as they screeched, reaching into her pink hair and touching something slimy.
"Oh, fuck! That's my bad!" someone called. A short girl with messy dark brown hair ran up to her with a grin, a taller girl with coily black hair right on her heels. "Listen, I didn't mean to hit you, promise- I was aiming for that freaky guy from Three, but I way underestimated the distance this thing could get and it went right over his head and hit you instead. I'm more of a gadget person than a builder, you know, so I really am sorry-"
Fleur stared at her, now mirroring Tomo's expression. "You what?"
The taller girl reached towards Fleur's head and pulled out a shard of eggshell. "Here, we'll help you clean up," she said. She gave the smaller girl a significant look. "It's the least we can do, right, Chase?"
"I just need to make a quick fix on the launcher-"
"Right, Chase?"
"Okay fine," Chase relented.
The taller girl nodded. "Good." She looked back at Fleur and smiled. "I'm Shazia, by the way. C'mon, let's go to the bathroom-"
"Oh, no," Tomo mumbled. He cleared his throat. "Um, how long will you be gone?"
"You can come with," Chase said.
"We're going in the girls' bathroom, so no he's not," Shazia replied.
"You'll be fine," Fleur said. She forgot the egg in their hair for a moment as she winked at him. "Will you introduce me to Mercury when you get back?"
"Fleur-"
"Toodles!" she replied, and Shazia started guiding them towards the bathroom. There were four stalls inside, and one of them was locked.
"That stall's been locked for the last two days," Chase remarked. "I wonder if there's something wrong with it?"
"Maybe," Shazia said.
Fleur, however, was already looking in the mirror, dismayed. "This is gross," she said, reaching up to delicately pull bits of shell from the goop.
"Here, we can help," Shazia said. Her fingers were light and quick as she set to work, extracting pieces of Chase's missile.
"I wonder if I could make something that does this for you," Chase mused.
"Well, maybe don't aim the launcher at people's heads," Shazia suggested.
"That was an accident!"
"Wait, you're planning to use it again?" Fleur asked. "Why?"
"Because it's fun!" Chase replied.
Fleur pointed at her head. "This isn't fun!"
"Fun for me, I meant."
"Still!"
"Okay, we've got the eggshell out," Shazia said.
"But what about the goo?" Fleur shrieked. "Do I have to be sticky all day?"
"I'm hoping we can fall back on a classic," Shazia replied.
"What's that? Some kind of dry shampoo?"
"A wet paper towel," Shazia answered. "Chase?"
Chase dutifully pulled a paper towel from the dispenser, folded it, and ran it under the water. After she handed it to Shazia, she wandered over to the broken stall to inspect it.
"It's not perfect, but it'll help until you can shower," Shazia said. "Actually, let's get a dry one, too, so it doesn't drip on your neck- Chase, what are you doing?"
"I wanna see what's wrong with it," she answered, fiddling with the lock.
"Someone might be in there!" Fleur said.
"For two whole days? No way-"
Chase jiggled the lock free, and the door swung open to reveal a small, mousy girl sitting on the lid, hugging her knees to her chest and staring at them wide-eyed.
"Okay, I was wrong about that one," Chase admitted. She looked at the girl. "What's your name?"
She didn't respond.
"Chase, leave her alone," Shazia said.
"Wait! She has hearing aids! I know some PSL!" Fleur said. What'ss your name? I'm Fleur, she signed.
The girl shook her head a little.
Fleur sighed, disappointed. "That's okay."
"Let's leave her alone," Shazia said. "Fleur, I think your hair is as good as it's gonna get. I hope there's no hard feelings."
Fleur did a once-over in the mirror. "You did a good job," she declared. "No hard feelings!"
"Thanks," Chase replied, giving her a grin.
"And to prove it, you guys can come to the sixth floor tonight. We can have a little party!"
"Oh. Sure," Shazia answered. "Chase?"
"I love parties," Chase said, bouncing on her heels.
Fleur pointed at the girl still hiding in the bathroom stall. "You too, Three! It'll be fun!"
Three just stared back at her.
Fleur clapped her hands. "Perfect! Then it's a plan!"
Jem Piper, 17
District 9, He/Him
1:54 PM
"Alright. You take Five and Ten, and I'll take Six?" Jem asked.
True nodded. "You're sure they'll listen to me?"
"Yes. Just remember what we talked about," he replied. He clapped her on the shoulder. "You got this."
She gave him a tentative smile, lifted her chin, and headed off.
(Jem had originally had his eye on the boy- while he hadn't seen all of True's fighting ability, he knew they needed more- but he was curious about the girl now, too. To a casual observer, she seemed like an early death, but it seemed Five disagreed, and Jem wanted to know why.)
Jem turned and started walking towards Six over by the archery station. He'd been hoping to catch him alone, but someone else was with him.
"So, whaddaya say?" Mercury asked.
The Six boy- Tomo- was fidgeting, but polite. "I- I, um-"
"Excuse me," Jem said smoothly. "Tomo, right?"
Tomo's eyes widened. "Yes?"
"Jem," he replied, shaking Tomo's hand. "I was hoping to have a chat with ya. If that's alright with you," he added, glancing down at Mercury.
The Two boy didn't put up a fight. "Sure," he shrugged. He pointed at Tomo. "Think about it, alright?"
Before Tomo could reply, Mercury turned and swaggered away.
Jem watched him go for a moment. "Interesting guy, huh?"
Tomo exhaled. "You could say that again."
"He's not the only one, though," Jem said. "I've been meaning to talk with you."
Tomo frowned. "Why?"
"Why not?" Jem replied.
"Answering a question with a question isn't an answer," Tomo stated.
"Right. Fair enough," Jem said. "Listen, you don't seem too interested in semantics, so I'll get right to it- would you be interested in an alliance?"
Tomo stared at him. "With you?"
"Yeah, and some others," Jem replied.
"Who?"
"Well, there's me, then there's both Eights," Jem answered, pointing them out, "and we're hoping to get more on board, too."
"And why me?"
Jem grinned. "'Cause I asked the trainers who's been getting the highest scores on tests for survival skills, and it's you."
Tomo's chest puffed out a bit. "Really?"
"Yeah."
(Jem decided not to mention that on the tests he'd bothered trying, the Three boy tied Tomo. Jem still wasn't sure about that guy.)
"I could use someone with that brain," Jem said, tapping his forehead.
"I- I just like studying," Tomo admitted. The hint of a smile pushed against his cheeks.
"Yeah, and as much as I'd like to deny it, I don't have those kinds of book smarts. Or plant knowledge, should we need it. So what do you say?"
Tomo's almost-smile faded. "I don't know."
"What would I have to say to convince you?"
"It's just- I think Mercury wants me to join the Careers," Tomo said, scratching the back of his head.
Jem raised an eyebrow. "Really."
"He seems to think I can help him with something," Tomo replied. "I think he was looking at my test scores, too."
"Help him with what?"
"Research? I'm not sure. He wouldn't tell me everything unless I agreed. But that's when you interrupted. Not that I'm upset you interrupted, because I'm not-"
"Don't worry about it," Jem said, waving his hand. "So you're still deciding?"
"I suppose, yes," Tomo answered.
"Well, here's my pitch, yeah?" Jem said. "Here's the bottom line: there's nothing I hate more than a fight that ain't square."
"Right," Tomo said, nodding.
"And that's what this is," he continued. "Because there's all of us, who aren't trained, and then there's the big guys-" he pointed towards some Careers- "who've been trainin' all their lives for this. Does that seem square to you?"
Tomo tilted his head. "Interesting point."
"The Careers are cheaters. And maybe they haven't been winning like they used to, but even when they don't, they always make it to the end. That could be us, if we play smart."
"They don't win as much as they used to because President Hargrove has been reforming the districts, giving everyone a fairer chance," Tomo stated. "Everyone is better off than before, putting them on a more even playing field."
Jem snorted. "Not to be rude, but I think it's more about replacing Victors they lost in the Quell, rigging the Games to be sure no district goes without a Victor for another two decades. The districts themselves are the same as always. Trust me- I know how these authority figures work."
(He'd learned the hard way: the big guys never looked out for the little guys. All they wanted was control, to pull money and power and status from them, and they didn't care about how many lives they ruined along the way.)
(That's why he was doing this. Jem Piper was gonna change things, and he would succeed this time. He'd get some power of his own and get Sparrow out of jail and fix wages for the newsies. Then he and Sparrow would run off to District Ten, and he'd finally quit being haunted by the picture of Sparrow being hit with her own crutch.)
(It hadn't yet occurred to him that for Jem to come out on top, he'd have to sacrifice more lives to do it, just like them.)
But Tomo was shaking his head. "I don't think that's right. Authority figures are here to help us."
If only, he thought, but he wouldn't convince Tomo if he started an argument about law enforcement with him. "But Careers aren't," he replied. "That guy who wanted your help- that's all he wants. He doesn't really care about you, and as soon as he has what he wants… I'll let you fill in the blank."
"...Really?"
Jem nodded solemnly. "It'll happen to Ten, and I like you too much to let it happen to you, too."
"I… I don't know. I need to talk to Mr. Myrellis-Verilla."
"Sure. I know it's a lot to think about. But we're meeting on the eighth floor after dinner, and we'd love if you came by," Jem told him. He was sure if he had a bit more time, he could convince Tomo. He was halfway there already, but didn't want to risk pushing him right now.
Tomo nodded. "Okay."
Jem gave him a grin and clapped him on the shoulder, which made Tomo stiffen. "Alrighty. See you soon!"
Invincible Gaultier, 18
District 1, They/Them
4:22 PM
"So you and Ten," Bastet said.
Vince grinned. They'd wanted to talk to Bastet alone, but it had taken all day to get her away from Tisiphone and Aveline. Now, they finally had, at the throwing knives station.
(Aveline had given them the run-down on their history last night. Poor thing needed to talk about it, and Vince played the part of a sympathetic ear. Not that they didn't feel for her, but it was information. And Vince enjoyed good gossip.)
"So you and Aveline," they replied.
"I don't care about Aveline," she snapped.
"Convincing," they said dryly.
"You and Ten," she repeated. "Why? If you haven't noticed, Vince, no one likes having them around."
Vince shrugged. "She's useful to me."
"How?"
They smirked. "The same way Tisiphone is useful to you, maybe?"
"What are you-"
"I have eyes, Bastet," they interrupted. "We're doing the same thing."
(Vince knew an actor when they saw one, and the way Bastet had been acting around Tisiphone was impossible to miss. It only went one way, though. Tisiphone seemed genuine. Interesting.)
Bastet narrowed her eyes. "Are we."
"Unless you actually care about Tisiphone," Vince replied.
Bastet gave them a look. "Not sure how that's your business. You're claiming to give a shit about Rumi, then?"
"Not quite," Vince told them. "If I'm going to hold any audience's attention at all, I need to be worth watching. I need a spectacle. And if anyone here is going to be a spectacle, it's Rumi, don't you think?"
"Hm."
(That, and Rumi was just as fake as Vince. Vince wasn't an idiot- Rumi wasn't in love with them. Not even close. They were sure he was just interested in getting protection from the Careers.
But with Rumi, Vince knew absolutely nothing was real. The feelings weren't real. The vulnerability wasn't real. It was perfect)
(And, as an added bonus, Vince's father would hate it when he found out.)
"We're just having a bit of fun," Vince grinned. "There's no emotional warfare over here."
"You brought a liability into our alliance without asking," Bastet replied.
"And you're trying to tear this alliance apart," Vince said.
Bastet rolled their eyes. "What, you're defending her?"
"I don't care, honestly," they said. They picked up a throwing knife and casually chucked it at a dummy's shoulder. "But if you let me keep Rumi around, I'll let you do whatever you want."
Bastet threw a knife, too, this one landing in her dummy's heart. "Is that a threat?" they asked coldly.
"It's an offer," Vince answered. "I could always tell them what you're doing, but I'd prefer it didn't come to that, and I'm sure you would too. Instead, you could get Tisiphone, Mercury, and maybe even Aveline on board with Rumi."
Bastet threw two knives before responding. "All this for some outer-district whore," they commented.
"Don't be like that. If I wanted to bet on this alliance holding up instead of an 'outer-district whore,' you wouldn't have this option," Vince fired back. "This way, we get what we want."
"Fine," Bastet snapped. "I'll let you keep your toy around so you can be relevant or whatever the fuck. But if you breathe a word of this-"
Vince pasted on a smile. "Of course not," they assured her.
"God, you're annoying," Bastet muttered. They turned to leave. "I'm done with this convers- oh my god."
Vince turned to see what she was looking at. Their eyes widened as they took in the sight of Rumi with the Fours. He had an arm draped around Tisiphone's shoulders and was playing with her hair with one hand, gesturing with the other as they talked.
"Fix that," Bastet hissed. "Get your whore away from Tiss or I'll fucking claw their eyes out-"
"She doesn't even like him. Look," Vince replied. It was true- both Tisiphone and Brizo were stiff and silent.
"Fix it!"
"Fine!"
(Vince was forcing their anger down, too, but Bastet didn't need to see that. Rumi had some fucking audacity going after the others. For some reason, Vince had thought she'd be satisfied with Vince's attention instead of stealing everyone else's, but he wasn't. This stopped now.)
(Invincible Gaultier did not take kindly to losing their spotlight.)
There were two ways to put Rumi back in his place, and there was one Vince thought might work better. Dragging her away would only give Rumi more attention, which was exactly what they wanted.
So Vince strode two stations over, where Mercury had stopped wandering to chat with a trainer, grabbed his arm, and pulled him away.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"I need a favor."
"Yeah?"
"I need you to make out with me in front of Rumi. One full minute with tongue."
Mercury grinned. "Take a guy on a date first."
"I only need one kiss," Vince said, resisting the urge to yell at him. "But everyone needs to see."
Mercury shrugged. "Fine by me… as long as that means I can bring someone into the alliance."
Vince glanced at Bastet, who was staring at them murderously. "Fine. Whatever."
"Then no problem, sweetheart," Mercury smirked.
Vince dragged him back towards Bastet. "Get their attention over here," he told Bastet.
"Why are you-"
"Ready?" they asked Mercury.
"Sure. Hop on."
"What-"
"You wanted attention. Legs around my torso, c'mon, we don't got all day-"
"Got it," Vince said, understanding the vision. Mercury grabbed Vince's ass and hoisted them upwards, just as strong as he looked, and Vince buried his hands in Mercury's hair (and immediately regretted it. It needed a wash).
"Is this really fucking necessary-" Bastet muttered.
Vince ignored them and started making out with Mercury. Mercury grinned and kissed them back, and before long, Bastet interrupted.
"Rumi's looking. Are you done?"
"You promised a minute," Vince muttered during a breath.
"Don't worry 'bout me," Mercury replied.
(More eyes. They could feel more eyes every second. It was exhilarating. Vince had their spotlight back and they didn't care how they got it. They had it.)
By the time Mercury let them back down, Vince didn't need to look to see Rumi Valmorida across the room, mouth open, betrayed.
But they did anyway.
And winked.
i thought about apologizing again for this chapter and decided against it. feel free to blame phobie or erik or linds instead, thanks!
i will see you again (probably very soon) with zinnia, brizo, and chevre on night 2!
- rb
