The Sterling Nightingale ⟷ Finnick Odair/OC

As to tip the sides of this ship

Chapter Fifteen | As to tip the sides of this ship

"She often wondered what went on in that slow-going head of his. He never told her, and she had never cared to ask." Emma Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Capitol is a living, breathing beast. Its gray streets are cemented with a misery that is so easy to brush aside, so easy to hide away with brightly colored fashion and shallow implications. It is almost second nature, really, to pretend that the largest city of Panem is the perfect utopia President Snow claims it to be. The citizens in this tiny, indifferent world barely even realize the corruptness themselves.

Despite the chaotic quality of the last two weeks, the short journey to their two consecutive districts had been a breath of fresh air for both Finnick and Sil. Returning to the Capitol is utterly dismal by comparison, like waking up to a nightmare within a nightmare. Every pasted on smile and pretentious laugh is just another layer added onto a terrible dream that has been unraveling for years.

Sil gets no break from it. The moment she returns to the Capitol, she is tossed back into the den of lions. Snow sends her schedule barely hours after she returns to her apartment. Soirees and parties and prepaid dates outline the upcoming week. Snow's secretary is nothing if not thorough.

"You're settling in okay?" her father's calming voice questions her over the phone. She'd called him the moment she arrived in her apartment, breathing in the relief that the peace and quiet bore. The seemingly simple trip from the train station to the heart of the city had been taxing, to say the least. Every Capitolite had heard that Finnick and Silver's romantic vacation had come to an end, and reporters were eager for proper interviews regarding just how romantic it had been. Apparently their fake love life is extremely riveting.

"Father, I only just returned," she laughs, but it's a tired sound. She masks the emotion with a quick, "I miss you already." It is the first honest admission that she'd made today.

Gemma chuckles. The sound of it is so comforting that Sil closes her eyes and smiles.

"I miss you too, dove," he says. "The house is so boring without you in it. I'm glad you have Finnick to keep you company while you're away." The words are delivered in a way that hints at some mischievous intent. Naturally, Sil huffs at the thought.

Finnick had disappeared the first moment he could. A lingering kiss on her cheek (in plain view of the gushing crowds), and he was gone, traipsing away to his own apartment to unwind. She hadn't heard from him since, though it had been a few hours ago, and a part of her is unhappy about how they had parted.

She'd had so much fun in District 4 – more than she'd expected. She had seen Finnick in an entirely new light, seen him as he is without his Capitol mask and flirty pretenses. The vacation had been brief but powerful in its sense of reprieve. She'd rather thought that perhaps he had enjoyed himself as much as she had, but clearly she is wrong. This whole relationship is a charade. The thought of Finnick actually enjoying her company is a beautiful but impossible thought. And keeping her company? Well, no doubt he'll do that, but it won't be because he wants to.

"Silver?" Gemma asks, prompting her out of her lingering silence.

She gives a little laugh and says, "Yes indeed. Finnick's hardly left my side since we've arrived. I think he's a little smitten with me." The lie tastes sour, and her father pauses. Does he believe her? Does it matter? She glowers at the floor. Her job is to convince everyone that Finnick and her are in love, but it's a lot harder than it should be.