"I think this is as good a time as any to have a drink!" Xanthe approaches the dining table with a large bottle of champagne, passing it over to an Avox to open and serve to the seven of them around the long, oak table. Their stylists had excused themselves from the suite moments after arriving and assisting their tributes out of their costumes.
"It is?" Ajax questions, confused.
"Of course it is, dear!" Xanthe claps her hands together. "Everyone was talking about you until the pair from Twelve came along."
"Yeah what was up with that?" Clove follows up. "Were they allowed to be on fire?"
"Yes." Enobaria answers her, "unfortunately stylists are allowed to do whatever they want with their tributes, as long as it relates to their district."
"How does fire relate to District Twelve of all places?"
"Effie Trinket told me that they're representing the coal at the bottom of their mines, they're on fire to depict how coal fires are started." Xanthe explains, passing a goblet full of bubbles to each person.
"Not to be rude, Xanthe." Clio starts, and everyone drops their heads to face the table, knowing that the next words to come out of her mouth will, most likely, be rude. "But I don't really care what they were doing, only that they stole all the attention from us."
"That can easily be fixed, my dear."
"She's right." Clove shrugs as an Avox slides a full plate in front of her. "There's no way they have any personality, and besides, isn't their mentor a drunk?"
"Don't get me started on you." Enobaria rolls her eyes, pointing her fork at Clove. "I heard about you pissing off your own ally."
She drops her fork, and her jaw goes with it. "Really Clio? You had to rat me out?"
"Enough."
The room goes quiet. Even Xanthe, who is usually chattering away to herself, falls silent. Brutus hasn't raised his voice but his tone indicates that no one should even dare to speak over him.
"Clio didn't tell us, Clove." The man explains, voice unwaveringly calm. "I saw it on the giant screens. It wasn't hard to miss the two of you sneering at Luna and taunting her tribute, who by the way is now your ally."
"What am I supposed to do, apologise?" Clove shrugs, picking up her fork again and stabbing harshly into one of the new potatoes at the side of her plate.
"That's exactly what I want you to do!" Brutus and Enobaria say in unison.
"Over my rich, hot, dead body."
Clio sighs, "you're literally none of those things, Clove."
"I am!" She protests with a look of indignation before it switches to a look of deep thought, "okay, I'm not dead and I'm not rich but I am hot! And I will be– I will be rich in a month's time."
"You're not hot."
"I am! I literally look like you so you're just insulting yourself." Clove disagrees. "Cato? You think I'm hot right?"
"What?" His face drops in a panic. "I don't know how..."
"Don't fucking answer her!"
"Quiet." Enobaria shushes Clio by clicking her fingers in front of her face. "I actually would like you to apologise to her tomorrow."
"I already have to teach her how to hold a knife, I'm not apologising as well."
"Can we just eat?" Ajax asks, making the whole table laugh as they nod and just continue to tuck in to their meals.
YOU ARE READING
A Game Of False Fates ✭ Cato Hadley
Fanfiction"Being the sibling of a victor makes you a liability. The gamemakers will make certain that Clove has an interesting games in order to avoid the appearance of any favouritism." "You've got to be shitting me!" Clio's first year as a mentor was alway...
