Breathe in, Breathe out • F Odair² •

XIII

"You're obviously gonna be where all the fun is."

•∘♔∘•

As soon as Mags and Alayne returned to the District Four suite and dinner was had, the two of them grilled Athena and Finnick on how training went. They recounted the events of the day in detail. Since Finnick had missed a good chunk of the day, Athena took over when it came to talking about the second half of training.

It felt odd, though, talking about training and the Games after everything Finnick had told her. She was itching to talk about this rebel plan with Mags. It also felt a little strange to be sitting at a table with Alayne after knowing that she, Finnick, and Mags were all part of a plan to take down the Capitol. She knew it wasn't as if Alayne would be targeted personally, but it was still an attack on her home, on all she knew and loved and supported. She knew nothing of the plan, and there was no way she ever could.

"This all sounds good," Mags said, after Athena and Finnick finished recounting the day. "My only word of advice would be to show off more. Make sure everyone sees just how powerful you are."

After they'd discussed what happened throughout the day, they moved on to alliances.

"I probably messed up any chance of an alliance with Two with the stunt I pulled today," Athena admitted, a little sheepish. "Which means messing up any chance of an alliance with the Career pack as a whole."

"Worth it," Finnick said firmly. "Definitely worth it to see the looks on their faces when you threw that spear. Besides, I have a feeling an alliance with the Career pack was never going to work out. And gold fangs never impressed me much, anyway."

Finnick had a point, in more ways than one. They were officially a part of the plan to rebel against the Capitol and protect Katniss at all costs; she highly doubted that the tributes from Districts One and Two, the most loyal districts to the Capitol, would want any involvement in it. At the very least, they were not people who could be trusted with the plan. Any alliance with them could not work so long as their priorities and their interests clashed so fundamentally.

"Well, no matter, no matter," said Alayne bracingly. "They're far from the only worthy tributes, aren't they? I've always found Enobaria's whole fangs look to be quite tacky, myself."

Athena knew Alayne enough to know that her words were meant to be a great show of support towards them and their decision to keep away from the Careers, so she only smiled and said, "Yeah, it is a bit much."

"Well, who else?" Mags asked. "How did things go with Katniss and Peeta?"

Athena and Finnick exchanged looks.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to Peeta," Finnick admitted. "I talked to Katniss at the knot-tying station... didn't really bond that much."

"I got a chance to talk to them both," Athena said. "I talked to Peeta while we were at the camouflage station, and then I taught him how to weave a basket and a net. I talked to Katniss a bit when I showed her how to make a fish hook. I'd say it went well."

"That's good," Mags said. "And I think you might be onto something. Talk to them under the pretence of showing them how to do something they don't already know. That could help a lot."

They spent a little longer talking strategy, but were done before long. After dinner, Alayne was heading back out. She was meeting with some friends of hers who could become potential sponsors. When Mags offered to come with her, Alayne said no, insisting she should go alone at first to warm them up before Mags met up with them to seal the deal. When Athena, Finnick, and Mags were alone, the latter pulled them into the sitting room and sat them down on the sofa, before sitting down across from them in an arm chair.