[Flowers] • The Hunger Games

Three

When Gale and Madge came out, both of their mentors let out a sigh of relief.

Gale had been fitted into a black bodysuit, with more intricate detailings and a sort of shimmering to the exterior. Anything was better than the usual miner overalls and headlamps that nearly every tribute had been fitted into for decades now. His hair was pushed back, and they'd littered black and red makeup focused around his eyes.

But Madge was the true shining star of the two. Her dress was short and puffed out, with layers upon laters of that same black shiny material that Gale wore. A diamond-studded belt accentuated her features, and the dress came up to have short sleeves. Her hair was pinned back in curls, and her makeup was done lighter than Gale's, with a bit more red than black.

Asteria thought she looked quite like a doll. Something nicer- something that Madge may have actually owned back home when she was a kid. And Gale looked strong, fierce. What she had been going for with the two of them.

"I hope everything is to your liking." A voice called, as Asteria was still busy gawking at her two tributes.

Her eyes snapped up to meet a pair of people. Both were obviously from the Capitol. The woman wore big hair and colorful clothes. But the man wore mostly black, and his fashion was a much more muted elegance. She was what the Capitol was, he looked more like what the Capitol could be.

"They look beautiful, thank you." Asteria nodded.

"My name is Cinna, this is Portia." The man introduced himself, sticking a hand out towards Asteria.

She looked out for Haymitch for reassurance- but he was caught up in talking to the victors about how to stage themselves during the introductions. Looking back over at Cinna, she had to make the choice herself.

"Asteria." She nodded, hesitantly accepting the handshake. "Sorry, it's just- not many people from here would want to touch someone from 12." She mused, taking a step back.

"I don't mind." Cinna smiled, warmly. "As for the outfits themselves, they're fitted with a polyester that can be ignited to create a false flame. It gives the appearance of fire without the heat. Once they're out, their outfits will ignite. Every eye from the Capitol will be on the tributes from district 12." He assured her.

"You're catching my tributes on fire?" Asteria asked.

Cinna and Portia let out laughs.

"No- no, not real fire. There's no real risk to what they're wearing. Besides, the insides are made with inflammable material, though again- there's no real fire anywhere near them." Portia explained.

"They'll be safe, and everyone will be talking about them." Cinna assured her. "I read over your costume ideas. Upon meeting them, I realized that it wasn't too much of a stretch. Strong charmer, delicate sweetheart. Your tributes' personalities are already something close to that. All they'll have to do is play up that part."

"Well, they're no actors. And we need all the help we can get if one of them is making it through this." Asteria shook her head, crossing her arms as she watched the two of them getting loaded up into the carriage.

"You know, I've seen you before. Not just in your own games, but around, in the years after. I don't think you've been this active in your mentoring since you first became a mentor." Cinna told her.

"Yeah, well, you've seen the tributes that have been reaped from our district before. Miner's kids with no strong skill sets of their own." Asteria shrugged. "I can't work with nothing. But then there's Gale. Back home he's a hunter. A damn good one, too. And Madge is the mayor's daughter. She knows how to woo the crowd. This year we've got tributes who actually have the odds in their favor."