"Dahlia Blossom. Don't let the name fool you. She's better known as the Black Dahlia. And she didn't earn that nickname by smiling and looking pretty."
"She sure knows how to perform for the camera."
"Because she knows how to play the game. She alwa...
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Two Victors.
Dahlia held Cove as she died. Annie watched Lavender be decapitated. But Seneca Crane let the 74th Hunger Games have two fucking Victors over a handful of berries. Dahlia's not usually one to preach morals, but even she sees that the Capitol needs to get their priorities in check.
If it wasn't blatantly obvious, Dahlia Blossom was incredibly pissed off.
Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark had managed to actually beat the system. A feat no other Victor had been able to achieve. Their love story had the Capitol eating out of the palm of their hands and, if Dahlia knew it was that easy, she wouldn't have tried so hard to be a ruthless killer.
Who were they to be exceptions to the rules? Why were they both deemed worthy of survival? Cove and Lavender's deaths suddenly seemed even more unnecessary than Dahlia had initially thought. The anger she felt was not easy to dispel and she knew the other Victors felt similarly. The Capitol had never once showed mercy like that before and many in the districts saw it as weakness. Katniss had defied Snow with an act of rebellion, whether she had meant to or not. And Dahlia wanted to see if she would take this spark and run with it, or douse the flames before they got out of hand.
So far, after watching her Victory Tour, Dahlia hasn't been too impressed with The Girl On Fire. Her speech in District Eleven was heartfelt and genuine but then she turned into a mindless Capitol robot reading monotonously from a card. And Peeta wasn't much of an inspiration either.
Another reason Dahlia was growing to dislike the young couple was the way she was summoned to the Presidential Palace for a celebration of their victory. The last thing she wanted to do was praise the pair for their joint survival. It felt like rubbing salt in a fresh wound. Nevertheless, she could not refuse an invitation from Snow. Not when she'd managed to stay out of trouble for the last few years. So there she was, dressed in her usual revealing black attire and matching heels, lingering at the edge of the party with a glass of alcohol in hand.
"Don't you look freezing?" A teasing voice comments as a figure joins Dahlia on the outskirts of the dance floor. It's true, Dahlia was very underdressed for the occasion but this was the type of outfit people expected from her now. The figure hugging dress stopped near the top of her thighs to show off plenty of her legs. A keyhole cut-out on her chest and almost completely bare back ensured enough cleavage for the eyes of the Capitol. She did have thin sleeves of fabric covering her lower arms but that was the only protection she had from the chilly night air. So, yes... She was freezing.
"They dragged you along too, huh?" Dahlia quips back unethusiastically, barely turning to acknowledge the new arrival.
"You know it." Johanna grumbles, folding her arms with a huff as she tips the entire glass of alcohol down her throat. "They don't stock enough booze at these events."
Dahlia scoffs lightly to herself, "You're still new to this, Jo. The trick is to get as drunk as you can before the party starts. It's the only way to get through it."
