𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨

☇ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚

IT WAS THE NEXT EVENING, THEIR TEAM SAT AROUND THE DINING TABLE AS THEY ATE SILENTLY. "So," Effie began, dolled up as she stood out from everyone's evening attire. "how was training?" She began conversation, Peeta glancing at Katniss. She used her drink as an excuse not to answer, Cedar leaning his elbows on the table. "There was a fight." Haymitch looked up to Peeta at his words, Katniss humming in agreement. "Between who?" Cedar asked, Peeta looking to the man. "Between Cato and someone from District Six." He answered, watching Cedar's shoulders relax. At least neither of them had started a fight. He continued digging into his steak, awaiting Katniss' words. If she ever had any. She never seemed to recently. "He's a career. You know what that is?" Haymitch spoke above the silence at the end of the table, avoxes surrounding the large table ready to refill anything needed.

"From District One." Katniss spoke quickly, wanting this conversation to be over. Cedar never bothered to converse, Effie putting some potatoes onto his plate. It had become a habit now, and one that Katniss hadn't missed. Cedar barely ate enough at dinner, in Effie's mind. It wasn't out of love nor passion, purely the reasoning of either she didn't want the food she picked up, or the food was not to be wasted. They wasted enough food anyway, having the large buffet for only the four of them to eat from. "They train in a special academy until they're eighteen and then they volunteer." Cedar spoke, pushing his plate ahead of him as an avox was quick to round the table to his side. Peeta watched the young man cut up the meat before them and put it onto Cedar's plate, handing it back to him. No thanks were given, Haymitch and Effie seeming to ignore the whole ordeal. "By that point," Haymitch continued on, "they're pretty lethal." He shrugged, Effie smiling as she swallowed her food. "But they don't receive any special treatment. In fact, they stay in the exact same appartment as you do."

Both tributes watched her as she spoke, Effie grinning somewhat warmly. "And I don't think they let them have dessert. You can." She giggled out, Katniss looking back down to her food. That information was not useful at all- "So, how good are they?" Peeta asked, Cedar humming as he leant back in his seat. "They win almost every single one." He shrugged, Effie holding up a finger. "Almost." She emphasized, Cedar forcing out a smile as he nodded. "But, they can be arrogant, and arrogance..." Katniss looked the Haymitch, the man already looking at her. "can be a big problem." He ate some soup as the table sat in silence. "I hear you can shoot." Haymitch started to question, Katniss' brows knotting. "I'm all right." She shrugged herself, Peeta glancing to her. "No, she's better than all right. My father buys her squirrels." He corrected, Cedar looking to Peeta. Clinging onto anything that reminded him of home, Katniss glanced to Peeta too. Why was he complimenting her? They were going to have to either kill each other in two weeks.

"He says she hits them right in the eye every time." Peeta continued, telling Cedar as Katniss watched her brother nod with a hum. "Peeta's strong." She started, telling Haymitch as Peeta's face fell, looking to the girl. "What-" "He can throw a 100-pound pack of flour right over his head. I've seen it." She looked between her two mentors, Cedar nodding slowly. He had no clue what was happening, chewing his steak slower than usual. "Well, I'm not gonna kill anybody with a sack of flour." Even Effie tilted her head, the three seeming to watch their tributes converse. "No, but you might have a better chance of winning if somebody comes at you with a knife-" "I have no chance of winning! None! All right?" Peeta snapped, Cedar's eyes widening as Haymitch enjoyed the show. Glancing to everyone, Peeta scoffed. "It's true. Everybody knows it." The table engulfed in another silence, Katniss glancing to Peeta. "You know what my mother said?" Peeta began again, looking back to Katniss. "She said District Twelve might actually have another winner." Cedar watched the two as Peeta snuck a glance to him.

"But she wasn't talking about me." Peeta told Katniss, the girl breaking eye contact to stare ahead. The group sat in silence, Peeta putting his handkerchief onto his plate. "I'm not very hungry." He announced quietly, no one objecting as he left the table. Cedar put his cutlery down, the sound of his chair breaking the silence as he followed Peeta to his room, Katniss watching him leave. He faced Peeta's closed door, hesitantly knocking. "I'm not hungry-" "Peeta, open the door." The Mellark's brows knotted at the sound of the last person he expected, the boy doing as told. They faced one another, Cedar nodding to the room. "Can I come in?" He asked, Peeta nodding quickly. "Uh, sure." He moved out the way, closing the door as he watched Cedar stand in the middle of his room rather awkwardly. The two stood in silence before Cedar spoke first. "I didn't win from talent." Peeta looked to him, Cedar deciding Peeta's chair was his place to rest. "I didn't even want to win. The Games haunt me every single day. Especially now."