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"Anyway. Estella, Aries. This is Cinna, District 12's designer."
Estella shook hands with Cinna, quietly studying the man who gave off the same calm and intuitive energy Poppy had radiated when she first met him. It was a disarming presence, one that made her pause—but not out of fear. "And over here are the tributes, Katniss and Peeta."
Her attention shifted to the pair. Katniss wore a stone-cold expression, a wall clearly constructed between her and everyone else, though Estella saw through it enough to recognize it as a defense.
Aries, on the other hand, locked eyes with Peeta, who found it hard to maintain the gaze. Aries still wore a grin, his towering form making the expression more unsettling than friendly. He was intimidating even when he smiled.
"I can see why you two are the attention of everyone's liking," Cinna remarked, drawing both Estella and Aries' attention back to him. They exchanged a questioning glance, clearly unaware of the rumors swirling about them. Estella figured it likely had something to do with how they had reacted after being chosen for the Games.
"I'm really not sure," Estella responded, a hint of uncertainty coloring her voice. "I truly don't know whether to interpret that as something positive or something negative."
Aries, hearing her hesitation, offered a reassuring smile. "Oh, please," he said, his tone laced with confidence and a touch of amusement. "I am absolutely choosing to see it as a good thing, without a doubt." He chuckled, a sound filled with pride and satisfaction, as he slowly turned his head, taking in his surroundings with a sweeping glance.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed people staring in their direction, and he immediately engaged, almost instinctively, challenging them with the intensity of his gaze, daring them to continue their scrutiny. It was as if he were silently initiating a confrontation, a battle waged solely through the power of his piercing look.
It was clear to everyone that Estella and Aries were polar opposites.
Not just in gender or physical appearance, but in how they carried themselves.
Estella presented herself as reserved, holding back and revealing little, with a subtle undercurrent of anxiety flickering beneath the surface. One sensed a meticulously crafted facade, a woman who approached decisions with painstaking consideration and a clear vision of the path ahead, each step carefully plotted.
Her voice, barely above a whisper, almost mouselike in its quietness, contrasted sharply with the proud and dignified carriage reflected in her facial expressions, hinting at an inner strength and self-respect she kept carefully guarded.
Aries, on the other hand, was an open and blatant display of raw energy and untamed confidence, a stark contrast to Estella's carefully constructed composure. He wore his aggression and ego like armor, projecting a palpable aura of challenge. His words, sharp and often biting, were delivered with a bluntness that brooked no argument, and his very posture seemed to dare those around him to question his authority.
