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THRESH AND RUE'S BODIES HAD BEEN RETURNED HOME. Octavia, Chaff, and Seeder always attended their tributes' funerals. Though Eleven couldn't afford a true burial, the symbolic ceremony of laying the tributes to rest in the stream was the best way to let them be home, even in death.
The three Victors walk home together after the funerals. Octavia, while overcome with grief, couldn't cry anymore. It was as though her body couldn't physically produce more emotion, though she was full of it. Seeder cried quietly. Chaff was completely stoic, though the women could both read his sadness.
They walked together in silence. They didn't need to speak to each other. It was the knowledge that they were all in pain together that made the pain almost easier.
Peacekeepers were everywhere in Eleven now. After Rue's death's riot, Snow had deployed more to ensure that the district would stay in line. No amount of peacekeepers could stop the whispers, though.
What Katniss Everdeen did was not only symbolic, but it was defiant. If you asked Octavia, she'd say it could be enough for an uprising from the districts. She didn't want that, though.
If another war happened, she'd lose more people. Her mother, Chaff, Seeder, and maybe Finnick. A part of her wondered if she'd already lost Finnick, as she hadn't seen him since he left.
She tried to remind herself that he did it to protect her. It hurt, though. He left her when she needed him the most. She wasn't sure if she felt like it was the right call.
The three approach Victor's Village, stopping before anyone gets to their homes. Seeder puts a hand on Chaff's stumped arm and her other hand on Octavia's bicep. Seeder was a mother at heart, and literally. Seeder didn't let her children out much, but Octavia didn't blame her. She supposed if she had children in Panem, she'd be overprotective too.
Seeder pulls Chaff and Octavia into a hug, squeezing them tightly. Chaff places his arm around Octavia and she does the same. To a passerby, a group hug with three adults may seem odd, but to them, it was an understanding.
The love the Victor's had for each other ran deep. Octavia could never have made it without them. When they pull apart, they all nod to each other before going their separate ways.
Octavia gets inside her home, locking her door behind her. The feelings inside her are too much to keep inside. She chooses to do something she hasn't done in a while. She hadn't had time since being in the Capitol during the games, but it was time for her to start again.
She walks into her once guest bedroom, which was now a training room. Her eyes fall on Finnick's mock trident that he always uses when he's with her. She bites her lip, trying not to dwell on how dearly she misses him.
