Ouch! {Short One}

2. Dollified To Die

"Hello, Katniss," he says, as if they’ve known each other for years, when in fact they’ve never met.

"Hello, Finnick," Katniss said just as casually, although she was feeling uncomfortable at his closeness, especially since he’s got so much bare skin exposed.

"Want a sugar cube?" he says, offering his hand, which is piled high. “They’re supposed to be for the horses, but who cares? They’ve got years to eat sugar, whereas you and I . . .well, if we see something sweet, we better grab it quick."

"No, thanks," Katniss responded to the sugar. "I'd love to borrow your outfit sometime, though."

He’s draped in a golden net that’s strategically knotted at his groin so that he can’t technically be called naked, but he’s about as close as you can get. Katniss was sure his stylist thinks the more of Finnick the audience sees, the better.

"You’re absolutely terrifying me in that getup. What happened to the pretty little-girl dresses?" he asks. He wets his lips just ever so slightly with his tongue.

"I outgrew them," She replied.

Finnick took the collar of her outfit and ran it between his fingers. "It’s too bad about this Quell thing. You could have made out like a bandit in the Capitol. Jewels, money, anything you wanted."

"I don’t like jewels, and I have more money than I need.What do you spend all yours on, anyway, Finnick?" Katniss asked.

"Oh, I haven’t dealt in anything as common as money for years," Finnick said.

"Then how do they pay you for the pleasure of your company?"

"With secrets," he said softly. He tipped his head in so his lips are almost in contact with Katniss. "What about you, girl on fire? Do you have any secrets worth my time?"

For some stupid reason, she blushed, but she forced herself to hold her ground. "No, I’m an open book," She whispered back. "Everybody seems to know my secrets before I know them myself."

He smiled. "Unfortunately, I think that’s true." His eyes flickered off to the side. He tossed another sugar cube in his mouth.

"You should really stop stealing the sugar cubes kept for horses, Finn," A  voice said behind Finnick.

"Ah, there she is the Savior of Horses!" Finnick announced dramatically only audible to the trio, without turning around.

The person behind Finnick moved beside him and punched him in the arm lightly. The person was none other than Persephone Jackson who was rolling her eyes at moment.

"Hey, I'm Percy," The said person held out her hand smiling when she noticed Katniss.

Katniss shook her hand a bit suspiciously. "Katniss," She introduced herself.

"I know," She responded with a knowing smile.

"Why are you wearing this?" Katniss asked her eyeing her dress. She was in a blue toga which matched her eyes. Her hair half up with some complicated braid and she had a laurel placed on her head. She had little to no makeup on her face.

"Oh, I personally threatened my stylist that I'll kill them if they made me wear that," She pointed at Finnick's costume while eyeing it with distaste. "that's why I'm dressed up as the Goddess of Sea."

"Good choice," Peeta said from behind which made Katniss jump a bit.

Percy grinned at him and waved enthusiastically. "Hey Peeta."

Peeta returned her grin. "Hey Percy, it's been so long."

"No kidding."

"I'm sorry. I was just a bit busy."

"No problem. I just wish we could've met somewhere nice, not in a place where we're all expected to kill each other." She waved it off.

"You drowning me was actually better."

"Hey! I was teaching you to swim," A smirk that just screamed trouble appeared on her face. "Perhaps, we can try, as you put it 'drowning you' again?"

Peeta let out a nervous chuckle. Percy laughed at him and soon he joined with her. She and Finnick were gone soon after that with a quick wish of luck.

"You two know each other?" Katniss asked Peeta after they were gone.

"Yeah, we used to meet when I went with my father to deliver bread to the Capitol. We used to hang out when it stopped at District four which was a lot of times," he said as he watched Percy disappear in the crowd.

Katniss narrowed her eyes at him and pushed the matter to back of her mind. They spoke about what Finnick told. Katniss felt ants crawling her nody while Peeta seemed deep in thought. Peeta thought something was off, something was hidden. He thought it was was actually in his plain sight but still he was missing it. The words the others using seemed to have another meaning to it.

The parade started at last. Several districts have tried to recreate Cinna's ideas. The District three had lights around them which made sense as they were technology. But the District ten dressed up as cattle with blazing red belts did not make any sense.

Katniss was looking straight ahead, she noticed that half of the screens were displaying them. They looked not only beautiful but unforgiving. They did not want the fans' favours, they were above them, have been through a lot of things and now they were ready to do more. They looked dangerous and proud not unlike burning coal. She loved it. Then she noticed something else.

Their district was not the only one making the crowd go mad. There was District four too, who had a fair share of the screens. They were making the crowd scream for them. They were given a trident each. While Nathan didn't look that royal with it, Percy was amazing. Nathan looked a regular old fisherman even with the outfit and the laurel, he was waving and blowing kisses to the crowd.

Percy, on the other hand, looked straight ahead with her head held high and her face in a no-nonsense look. The trident on her hand looked like a deadly weapon. Her laurel glinting in the sun, making an illusion of a halo. Her sea green eyes looked like a riptide, seemingly calm but has the power to wreck even the largest of ships. She refused to acknowledge the others. The goofy and easy going demeanor was given replaced with unforgiving eyes with the right amount of softness behind it. Water surrounded their chariot. The water moved in intricate designs that was mesmerizing. How did they pull this trick was a mystery even to the stylists. In short, Persephone Jackson looked like the queen she was.

Peeta was looking ahead too but his eyes often strayed to the girl in blue toga. A smirk appeared on his face unknown to him. 'She sure knows how to impress people. Hasn't lost her touch,' he thought to himself remembering the good old times.

The ones where they were roaming the streets without a care in the world or chatting for hours near the beach. Definitely, this time it wasn't one such evening like that. President Snow's cold eyes confirmed that.