𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨

☇ 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬

"REMEMBER, KATNISS, TODAY IS ABOUT MAKING ALLIES." THE DOOR OPENED FOR THEM BOTH, PEETA STOPPING FIRST AT THE SOUND OF RETCHING. No one else seemed to be present, except the two and a very sick man. "So far I'm not overwhelmed by our choices." Katniss shot out, Peeta nodding to himself. "I guess we just try to figure out who we trust least and work our way backwards from there."

☇

IT TURNED OUT TO THE TWO THAT TURNING UP TO TRAINING ON TIME WASN'T A CONSENSUS OF THE TRIBUTES, PEOPLE SHOWING UP LATER THAN THEM CONSISERABLY. And Cedar was one of them. Peeta hadn't recognised when the man had turned up, yet acknowledged the man finally once Gloss pointed him out. Rather rudely.

"I kept the knives untouched for you." He spoke, Cedar humming as he cracked his neck to the side. "Cheers." Gloss geld a knife out to Cedar, smirking at the man's hesitation to touch the blade. "Knives aren't your thing anymore?" Peeta stood some distance behind Brutus, aiming to sweeten up to the Tribute after seeing his spear throwing skills. Cedar held a tight lipped smile to Cashmere, Gloss' sister as he gripped the blade himself. "No." He would do nothing less than entertain the two. It seemed to be their only purpose to poke fun at the man, no matter where they were. A bad blood stilled between them. Ome that lasted years. Four, to be exact. "Can I use these, too?" Cedar's tome quirked, Gloss looking over the rack of throwing knives. "If you don't mind." He smiled briefly, Cashmere glancing to her brother.

"Be my guest." Gloss spoke, the two siblings scanning over Cedar as he picked up three knives from the rack, all varying sizes. He walked back over, meeting stance with the two siblings. His grip on the handles tightened, Gloss having to look down slightly to meet the Everdeen's gaze. "Excuse me." Cedar let out, the two siblings splitting in either direction as Cedar blocked them from his mind, stepping forward. Holding the knives towards a magnetic stand in the chamber they had set up for training certain weapons, Cedar pressed the touchpad to activate the small session given. Gloss and Cashmere had decided to stay as spectators, Brutus finishing with his activity as he glanced to Peeta lightly. Sniffling, Cedar stepped onto the centre pad of the box, hearing the dummy's powering up. This time, they were electric and moved alongside Tribute's movements, mimicking an attack.

He took a deep breath, awaiting any hologram attackers before he heard noise behind him. Without looking he threw his smallest knife towards the technology, hearing it crumble to the ground before disappearing, the blade half-stuck in the rubber wall. Another hologram with a spear charged towards his front, Cedar focusing. Dodging the spear without moving his feet, he took his largest knife and awaited the running tech to cut it's 'throat' as the orange blocks that formed the dummy rained to his feet. Another hologram sprinted from the side of him, Cedar leaning back quickly as the mock-axe sliced harshly ahead of his eyes. His knife was expertly dug into the dummy's neck before it fell to pieces beside him. He seemed unbothered as he travelled to the stand, picking up more knives efficiently. Scanning the room, he ducked at a mock arrow shooting above his head as the dummy rolled to the side. As it stood, another dummy appeared behind it, weaponless.

Cedar threw a knife, the ring of the blade loud as it travelled through both chests of the dummy's, both of them crumpling to the floor. The blade stuck out of the box itself, Gloss tilting his head. The session seemed to finish with one last hologram, which Cedar managed to defeat with a simple turn and slit, the dummy's head falling to the floor before it fell altogether. The lights brightened, Cedar's chest slightly interrupted as he moved to collect his weapons back. It took effort to get both of his knives out of the walls, running a hand through his hair. The doors automatically opened ahead of him as the session ended, Peeta watching in what seemed to Brutus admiration as Cedar travelled mindlessly down the stairs to the siblings.