This chapter is part of the original story. For the updated (and hopefully improved) version, please go to 'Chapter Nine'.

"I realize, for the first time, how very lonely I've been. How comforting the presence of another human being can be."

A dull hum filled the room. The pitch shifted from high to low, and back again. The sound bounced around Maive's head waking her from her deep slumber.

As her initial daze subdues, the ear-splitting hum does not. Instinctively her fingers find their way to her throbbing temples and she massages them slowly. She observes the scenery around her looking for something, anything, to stir up a reminiscent from the the night prior.

She was in her bedroom, which was somewhat a relief. However try as she might she could not remember how she got back here or a thing from the previous night. Typically she wouldn't have thought much of it but currently she felt as though she'd been hit by a train, and surely such a feeling was not brought on by a night of her usual routine.

There is a sudden movement beside her causing her to jump off her bed and pull the duvet with her. As she does this she exposes a shirtless Finnick stirring in his sleep. Gasping in utter shock Maive reaches out and smacks her hand against his bare chest. The sound of skin on skin contact echoes through the room.

Though his voice is hoarse from sleep his whine of distain is still audible as he props himself up in bed.

"Good morning to you too."

"What are you doing in my bed?" She was trying hard to remain calm but her voice still rose at the end in agitation. This couldn't be happening.

"Well, I was sleeping." Finnick scans Maive over as she stands before him, clinging to the duvet. How she held it, however, still exposed her barely-there black neglige and he couldn't help but admire how it looked against her body. "What about yourself?"

She scoffed at his ability to remain so calm with the situation at hand, "Don't try to be cute." She watches him with cold eyes as she squeezes the duvet tighter to her body. "What happened last night? We didn't…" She couldn't even say it. How had she allowed this to happen? She wasn't one to really value virtue but that didn't mean she wanted to give hers up to the likes of Finnick Odair. She was now just like those women she so opposed and looked down upon. Unlike them it might not have cost her money, or secrets. However it did cost her her dignity and that was worth a great deal more to her.

Raising an eyebrow at her incredulously, Finnick gets out of bed, "Definitely not." Walking across the room he grabs his shirt off the armchair and puts it back on, his fingers fumbling to button it hastily. "As for what we did do last night, we went to a party and you had a great time. Possibly too much of a great time? You look rough. You should take a shower and clean yourself up, we have work to do."

A party.

Maive remembered this. She remembered the dress Finnick had bought her, which now lay strewn on her bedroom floor. She also remembered going down that strange alley and down a ladder into complete darkness and after that… nothing. Her mind drew a complete blank.

"Work?" She questions in somewhat of a daze as she grapples to understand what had transpired.

"Yes? Witten and Annie, the Games, the whole reason we even associate." Finnick reminds her as he steps around her and towards the door.

"Ah, and here I thought you we're starting to enjoy my company." Despite feeling as rough as she did, Maive shot him a small smirk.

"Don't flatter yourself. Like I told you before, I want your money not you."

Watching as her smirk shifts into a displeased grimace, Finnick grins. He truly loved getting under her skin.

Speaking of which…

"By the way Maivis," Turning from where he stands at her door to face her, he continues, "If we were to spend a night together, you'd remember it."

At his words she can feel her cheeks start to warm up, but not enough to giver herself away to him. She would never allow him to see this strange effect he had on her. "Yes, I'd be scarred for life by it no doubt."

"You and I both" Winking playfully to her he turns back around and in another moment is out the door stealthily, never making a sound. Not that she could be too surprised. She was fairly confident he had more than enough practice in the art of this particular exit.

Moving back to her bed she lays down and is welcomed by the smell of Finnick. The faint smell of sea salt, masked by a musky cologne, covered her pillows and mattress engulfing her. It seemed that now even in her sleep she wouldn't be able to escape him.

Sighing, she relaxes back, allowing herself to be somewhat soothed by Finnicks lingering presence as she racks her brain trying to figure out what exactly could have transpired the night before. It appeared he recalled everything just fine and the last thing she wanted was for Finnick Odair to have anything to hold over her.

Every business in the Capitol, that had any semblance of success, had to have a gimmick. This one was designed as a speed dating for food. Each party starts at one table with a specific theme and style of food, and within ten minuets moves on to the next table. This goes on until the party has made their way back to the table in which they started. If anyone in the party felt they wouldn't be able to finish then an avox would promptly present them with a drink that would help them make room for the remaining food.

The aroma of various, contrasting, food items and alcohol filled the compact restaurant completely. This idea was probably better in theory. However, despite the somewhat unpleasant smells and small size this was the swankiest new restaurant in the Capitol. With a line of waiting guest wrapped around the surrounding blocks outside, and only twelve tables inside, the room was constantly bustling with people. Everyone paid more for the experience and ambiance than the quality of food.

Maive had seen the extensive line from far down the street, and was mentally scolding herself for even agreeing to step out of her room today. She was still feeling the effects from her mystery night. Her mouth was dry, her head hurt, and she didn't want to be here, but Seneca had been dying to try this place out since it had opened a few weeks prior. She watched him, annoyance clear in her face, as he moved to stand at the very back of the line, smiling and greeting everyone as he passed them. He even allowed a family of five to go before them despite the fact that he and Maive had clearly reached the spot first. That's just how Seneca was, and it drove her ballistic. Maive was constantly baffled by how acquiescent he was at all times. He had been overworked recently in preparation for the Games and this was one of his rare days free, and apparently he wanted to spend the majority of it in this absurdly long line.

She did not possess his same quality of patience. Without giving him a word of warning she takes hold of him and pulls him by the sleeve of his blazer, past all the other elites waiting their turn, and to the very front of the line. Ignoring all the complaints coming from behind her she tells the hostess, "My father is Agoston Furthers, so I think it would be in your best interest to sit us promptly."

Within moments the pair is being led to their first table. By the time they settle into their seats they are presented with two bowls of cream and rose-petal soup, with a pheasant sandwich on the side.

Usually Maive loved this dish, but today the very smell of it was making her nauseous. But she knew the faster she ate the faster she could be out of here so she dug in. Forcing every bite down with everything in her.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in so long. Your dad has had me busy." Seneca chuckles, looking up from his soup to stare her in the eyes, "Keeping yourself busy though I hear?"

So now he thinks she's bedding Finnick too. She was so over this rumor.

"I just wanted a chance to dip my toes into the games. Sponsoring seemed like a promising start. Has absolutely zero to do with Finnick."

Seneca furrowed his brows in concern, she sounded so defensive. He hadn't meant to upset her. Wiping the corner of his mouth with his napkin he says, "I didn't mean anything bad by it Maivis. I think it's great you're trying to get more involved."

She doesn't say another word as she sarcastically raises her eyebrows at him. She was being rude. She knew it, but couldn't be bothered enough to care. Besides, as bad it might sound, she knew she could get away with mistreating him. Seneca would do absolutely nothing about it. He had no back bone, and zero fight back.

"I'm done with this, lets go to the next table."

His eyes widen as she rises from her chair, fully ready to move on to the next set.

"They-they're not done yet Maivis.." he stutters as he watches her force the next table forward, showing no concern for how her impulsiveness throws off all the other patrons.

He knew there was a decent person inside her, but sometimes it was hard to see. She was so beautiful, and yet could appear so ugly. She was a paradox he could never fully understand.

Their next course was one of Seneca's personal favorites, braised duck over a bed of spiced couscous with candied figs. As he takes small bites, wanting to savor every bite, he takes the moment to take in the restaurants busy atmosphere. The whole place was somewhat...tacky, sure, but he was enjoying himself. He had attended school with the woman who owned this place. She was a sweet girl, and if nothing else he was happy to support an old schoolmate.

"I'm done, whats next?"

A buzzer sounds off signaling the first rotation, which had already taken place due to Maivis, and now she was ready to once again speed along to the next one.

Seneca has to do a double take of her plate. He had barely gotten into his, how was she already finished with her plate? But before he can question her she's one again displaced the same party from before and taken her seat.

"This place runs on their own time limit, you know... you don't have to rush the process like that."

"Process." She laughs at him somewhat mockingly, "It's the same food we can get anywhere Seneca. The only difference is that this place makes you do extra work in between by moving around constantly."

"That's part of the fun?" He looks at her dumbfounded. But before she can respond they're brought their servings of lamb stew with dried plums over a bed of wild rice.

Maive quickly gets started tearing into her food. She eats with impressive manners, never dirtying her face, she takes small bites, and leaves her mouth shut as she chews. It's the rate at which she forces the food down her throat that is causing him concern.

His face falls as he realizes she's trying to rush through all these meals so that they can leave. Taking out his wallet he pulls the proper amount of money out to cover the meal and sets it on the table as he signals an avox over to collect the payment.

Maive looks up from her lamb and her eyes light up, "Oh, are you ready to go?"

"Not really, but clearly you are." He stands up, adjusting his sleeves, before turning sharply away from her and beginning to walk out.

As he turns and begins to head out of the restaurant Maive stands up right as the buzzer goes off signaling the next rotation. She gets caught in the crowd of customers as everyone moves, hastily determined, to their next destination. Abruptly shoving some of them away from her she hurries to the front door and tries to catch up with Seneca.

"You really just left me back there like that?" she calls out to him. He turns around and stalks back over to her. "I don't know why we came here?" He looks down at her, his body frame towering over hers.

"Me either, honestly. You wanted to!" She gestures her hands at him in annoyance, not sure whats gotten him all worked up all of a sudden. "You were even willing to let that gigantic family go ahead of us, knowing that this line was going to take hours to get through. And you also knew I could get us in from the get-go. But no, you wanted to wait!"

"What's wrong with waiting?" His voice rises in anger like it never has with her, "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I picked a restaurant like this because I knew it would take a long time to get through?"

"Well, I would hope you didn't pick it for that reason or I'm concerned you're actually mentally ill. Who wants to wait that long for food you can get literally anywhere?"

He laughs half heartedly, pushing his dark hair back with his hand in frustration, "Yeah, well if I'm mentally ill than you must be mentally challenged. Obviously, on my one day off, it's not my dream to wait in this fucking line. I didn't mind because, regardless, thats time with you. And I wanted as much of that as possible." Looking her over he finishes, "I'm having a very difficult time remembering why now."

A few beats pass before he continues, "Why do you do this? It's like you're so dead set on being miserable that you want to make everyone around you just as unhappy. You know how I feel for you by now Maivis. In me you have someone that truly cares for you and wants to build a life with you. But you won't even give me the chance."

Maive shrinks back at his tone, she rarely was talked to with such anger, and especially not from him.

"You've got nothing to say to that? Surprising for someone that always has so much to say. You have a good night Maivis.." He shakes his head, completely defeated, as he turns around and walks away from her.

For one of the first times in her life Maive really did have nothing to say. No witty comeback, no venom to hiss his way, she was completely stunned. She had written Seneca off as the biggest doormat she had ever encountered but even he had a breaking point and she had evidently exceeded it.

"You brought me here, how am I supposed to get home?" She calls out to him in the softest tone she's ever used with him.

Turning back to her he shrugs, "I don't know, you're a smart girl with lots of connections. You'll figure out."

She watches his figure retreat into the distance until he's completely disappeared from her view. She had never expected this from someone as soft as Seneca. The fact he finally had the guts to stand his ground, even though it was against her, honestly had annoyed and yet also excited her in a way she hadn't experienced.

She had Seneca wrapped around her fingers for all this time and now that she had possibly lost him for good she found him appealing. That was just how she was, and it drove her ballistic.

Maive apparently couldn't escape being around boisterous groups of people today it seemed. Her families expansive living room was currently filled with everyone that was anyone in their society. Every year her mother threw a watching party for the opening day of the games. Usually Maive really enjoyed it. Her and her friends would pop some Glom and enjoy the ride. But today, no amount of the magic pill could put her in the mood.

She was starting to become rather overwhelmed. Her conversation with Snow was never far from her mind, Finnick, her responsibility to Witten and Annie, and now that unexpected fight with Seneca. Her eyes drift, with a sense of hope, over to where the Crane family sits. His father, mother, all his many brothers, but no Seneca. She sighs disappointedly, unsure what she was expecting though really.. She didn't know why she had anticipated him to miraculously be there when he hadn't been all the other times she checked in the past half hour. She also didn't know why what he said was bothering her so much. She had always thought of Seneca to be a real stick in the mud, so why was she so upset by his absence now? Someone like Finnick she was prepared to be at odds with, it was part of his charm, but not Seneca.

She'd like to write the whole thing off as just her ego being wounded by all the rejection she had experienced recently. She didn't like to have to delve too deeply within herself, and was frankly very annoyed with all of them for making her.

"Maivis," one of her friends, Yara, whispers in her ear, "Lets take a holiday..."

She knew by her stifled giggle she didn't mean it quite so literally. "My god Yara, I've told you all a dozen times I need to take these Games seriously. I can't get blitzed right now. Leave me alone." She shoos her friend away in annoyance.

She can't be sure, but she's fairly certain she hears Yara call her a bitch under her breath as she walks away. Normally she'd say something immediately, but she doesn't have it in her to fight that battle at the moment. Looking around at all their guest she feels her breathing pattern start to pick up at a more rapid pace. With upwards of sixty people in her home there wasn't one person she felt comfortable being around. Typically she had no trouble socializing with anyone, even if she had to fake it. But today it was proving to be more troublesome. She had to get out of here, now. Getting up she hurries out of the home, knowing that no one noticed and if they did, they didn't care in the slightest.

As she makes her way out of the building she inhales the air deeply as she hurries along the sidewalk trying to regain her steady breathing. In her haste to get away from it all she didn't notice someone walking her way and ran straight into them.

"My apologies."

"It's fine." Maive bites out. She knew it was her fault, not theirs, but she didn't really feel like getting into the logistics of it all.

"Have a good night Maive." As the man greets her by name she is forced to give him her full attention. This could be one of her parents friends and they would be so upset with her if they heard she was coming across as anything short of debonair. But upon studying his face she realizes she has absolutely no clue who this person before her is. His only notable characteristics were that he was a somewhat round individual. Certainly didn't need any liquid to help him make room for his food.. And he had pale blue eyes that seemed to hold thousands of stories. She even wondered if her own was deep in there somewhere.

Before she can say anything else the mystery man moves around her and continues on his leisurely stroll.

She had a strong internal draw to find out how that man knew her, but as she saw Seneca approaching her she decided she would have to put that thought aside for the time being.

"What are you doing here?"

He glances from her to the front door of her building and then back to her. Possibly trying to figure out how quickly he could get through the door so he wouldn't have to partake in this interaction. "My family was invited to watch the start of the Games, as they are, and do, every year."

"Right..." She trails off, staring at him, waiting for his elaborate apology. She had been waiting to hear from him all day. But she supposed this was as good a time as any.

Seneca stood with her in dead air. The silence was completely awkward but he wasn't going to buckle to her, not this time. She needed to learn to respect him. He refused to be with, and one day marry, someone who didn't think of him enough to care how he feels. The incident at the restaurant and how she had behaved wasn't inherently a big deal, but it was what it all represented. This issue went so much deeper than her rushing him through his braised duck.

Maive was never good at apologies, even when she knew one was owed. Especially when she knew one was owed. Having to swallow her pride, and accept that others see how flawed she is, goes completely against all she knows. Seneca had every right to be upset with her, but she was selfish. She already had so much working against her, she didn't want to carry her burdens alone anymore. Without thinking much more about it Maive moves closer to him, caressing his face as she stands herself up on her tiptoes. After a moment of looking at him she closes the distance between them and feels his cool lips against her.

She definitely felt more when she kissed Seneca than she had when she kissed Witten, but that wasn't saying much. It still wasn't what she had always imagined it to be. But maybe that was her problem. She had all these thoughts of how things should be, and needed to focus more on what they currently were.

She feels him slip his tongue into her mouth rather quickly, clearly eager for this long awaited kiss.

There's very little she can change about her current situation with Snow, her responsibility to Witten and Annie, and her increasingly confusing relationship with Finnick. But she can make all of it that much easier by finding enjoyable ways to fill her time. And she suddenly liked the idea of distracting herself from it all by having Seneca, quite literally, fill her. He was right, they were all right. She was a miserable person, and her misery loved the company.

This was the first chapter that Seneca Crane appears... what're you're thoughts? We don't know a whole lot about him, so I did take some creative freedom. However, as we saw in this chapter, he's going to be going through his own character development as well. Don't forget he isn't Head Gamemaker just yet. So I would imagine his confidence isn't completely there.

I also realize it might seem Maive is bouncing from character to character, but bear in mind she's 17/18 and extremely impulsive. The version of the Capitol I'm writing is all about overindulgence and enjoying the pleasures their life offers; i.e drugs(Glom) and sex, are seen as recreational fun. It's very 'Brave New World' inspired.

Once again thank you all for your continued support!