- It was no secret to anyone the passion that Hilarius Heavensbee had for Eyana Astrea; it was a passion that had been going on for years and that burned in the boy's veins, so when he saw an opening for the opportunity that he had been waiting for...
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(TW: minor character death)
"YOU'RE TO GO TO THE HIGH biology lab for a debriefing." That was the first thing Eyana heard as she walked towards the exit, attempting to gaze at the tributes over her shoulder; next to her, Vipsania gave her aunt an inquisitive look.
Despite their apparent curiosity, no one questioned what Miss Sickel said; most of the students were astonished by the situation they had found themselves in just a few minutes before, as the interviews with the tributes were still fresh in everyone's minds.
Plus from the look on the faces of some of her classmates, Eyana realized that not everyone had good results with the questionnaire; quite the opposite, the lack of communication that some faced within that room was evident. Deep down, she was satisfied that Hilarius had taken her to the Zoo that morning and avoided an embarrassing situation.
"Mine didn't speak, not even a single word!" Clemensia spoke in frustration, a grimace evident on her face. "All I have is everything I knew from the reaping. His name. Reaper Ash. Can you even imagine naming your son Reaper and having him end up at the reaping?" She questioned, and some laughter was heard due to her indignation.
"There was no reaping when he was born, Clemmie. It was just a simple farming name." Lysistrata pointed out, her expression contorted slightly.
"Yeah, yeah, I think you're right." Clemensia said. "And how did it go with you?" Clemmie questioned, her gaze focused on the trio of girls behind her.
Iphigenia smiled excitedly; since the interview with her tribute had gone well. "Oh, Sol and I managed to have a pleasant conversation, I'd say." The blonde started. "She has a best friend who helps her at the orphanage." Iphigenia explained, and this generated some curious looks towards her.
"Orphanage?" Vipsania asked.
"Oh yeah." Iphigenia's voice softened, and her words expressed empathy: "She lost her parents during the war." She made a little pause before proceeding. "But she seems to be handling it well. She said that the people at the orphanage and her friend have become like family to her, so I'll go with that." Iphigenia nodded casually, but her friend noticed a spark of sadness in her eyes.
Eyana was well aware of her friend's sensitive personality. Iphigenia had always been recognized for her charitable behavior; in fact, Eyana couldn't recall a single time in which she was rude to anyone—except, potentially, her own father, and while Iphigenia was likely to show empathy towards other people, she seemed unable to do the same for herself, which concerned her friends.
With a sigh of frustration, Vipsania leaned in closer to her best friend, who looked at her curiously. "It took ages for Treech to speak to me just briefly." Sickel said, twitching her nose at the memory of the earlier event. "In the end, I only filled in the basic questions, since he didn't want to say practically anything!" Vipsania spoke, her competitive nature getting the better of her, that's why no one ever played cards with her again.
