"Ironic ain't it? The one woman I can't get enough of, is the one I'll never be able to have"
Delyth Bardott grapples with unexpected emotions for her tribute, straying from the expected norms of a Capitol girl drawn to a District boy.
Meanwhile...
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Ascending the steps to the desks, Coriolanus extended his hand, gesturing for Delyth to go ahead of him. She noticed the perplexed gaze of Sejanus, who looked between her and Coriolanus with a hint of confusion.
"Your little excursion was in violation of about five different academy rules, Mr. Snow, Ms. Bardott," Highbottom stated, not removing his gaze from the papers that preoccupied him.
"Amongst them, endangering Capitol students."
"What? Who?" Coriolanus questioned incredulously, stopping between the seats. "Yourselves," Highbottom answered simply. "I'm asking for the gamemakers to disqualify you two as mentors immediately".
His words instilled panic in her, and her gaze shot up towards the man. He didn't bother to look at either of them, keeping his focus on his papers. The thought of disqualification weighed heavily on her; it would be the worst thing to ever happen.
"You said we had to get our tributes to perform, not that we had to stay away," Coriolanus argued, the crease between his eyebrows showing clear frustration.
Delyth sensed Coryo deliberately avoiding eye contact; after all, he bore the responsibility for the predicament, being the one who had forcibly pulled her into that van.
"I'll add insubordination as well," Highbottom noted.
"Holding her hand, introducing her to people, you make it look as if we're one and the same as those animals," Arachne snarled, her voice dripping with disgust. "And don't even get me started on Delyth calling her tribute handsome! It's disgusting," she fake-gagged, her words reverberating boisterously. Delyth was even more astonished to discover that many of her peers seemed to align with these inhumane views.
Livia Cardew further added. "Exactly, they both cheated and should be disqualified?" Delyth rolled her eyes, Livia Cardew was another one she could not stand.
"Coriolanus and Delyth didn't show those people anything they didn't already know." Sejanus, spoke. Breaking the silence, earning Delyth's silent gratitude for his astute remark— individuals like him served as a reminder that their society wasn't solely full of affluent and pretentious individuals.
"That the tributes are human beings. Just like us. That's why nobody wants to watch the Games. It's because people know deep down that winning a war 10 years ago doesn't justify starving people's children, taking away their freedoms, their rights."
An intimidating voice spoke, commanding all the attention off Sejanus as everyone's gaze fell towards it "Snow fell down in a cage... It fell down in a cage... But it landed..."
