Dew of the Sea [Finnick Odair]

[05. Made Over]

Rye

Once the deal with Haymitch was made and everyone finished eating, they were herded into the living car by Effie. Haymitch and Rose had been ushered to the front of their little party, just so Effie could talk to Rye.

"May I ask, how did you get Haymitch to help you so quickly?"

"My superpowers of persuasion," Rye joked. "No, while I am very charismatic and a smooth talker, I just appealed to him in a way I knew would work. I always see him buy spirits at the Hob and everyone knows he's drunk 24/7, so I figured he wouldn't want to give that up. And he's seen his share of teenagers leave the district to die in the Games, so in his defense, I would want to be drunk all the time, too."

"So, we can get him to do things as long as he continues to drink?"

"That was my idea," Rye shrugged. "We'll see if it works?"

Rye left Effie to sit next to Rose on the couch. Effie sat next to Haymitch, who was slumped into the loveseat. Gently picking up the remote, Effie pointed it to the hologram and turned it on. The Reapings of all twelve districts were already done, filmed and edited together for the Capitol and the rest of the country to watch.

"Go to One," Haymitch nodded at Effie, who swiftly changed the Reaping channel to District 1. "All right. First thing you need to know is to 'know thy enemy'. You get to know them by watching the Reapings of each district, including your own. This is not only your first look at the other Tributes, but it's their first look at you."

Effie pressed play. With District 1 being the first of three career districts, the two Tributes were both volunteers. The male Tribute was an 18-year-old named Biff, who was, pardon the pun, buff. He was around Rye's height, which gave him a little hope that their skills could somewhat even out. The girl was tall and blonde; she was seventeen and called Shimmer. Both of them would be threats.

From District 2, Kyler, the male Tribute, stood out to Rye. He was shorter than his female counterpart, but the dude looked strong. He didn't have the huge muscles that Biff had, but since Rye was one of those guys who was strong even though they don't look like it, he could spot another one very easily. Kyler was strong and he'd be major competition.

Districts 3, 5, and 6 didn't have anyone very interesting. District 4 was another career district, and they both looked like threats. Gully, the 18-year-old male Tribute, had a manic look in his eyes that Rye didn't like. Arielle, his district partner, was 17-years-old and looked fit. He could see her being a front runner.

District 7 also had an interesting Tribute by the name of Xavier. He was a rather stoic figure on the hologram, but he was at least six inches taller than Rye, who was six-foot. Rye bet that he could easily swing an ax around, considering his district's trade. If he, Rosemary, and Haymitch considered alliances, he would definitely consider Xavier as a potential ally.