𝐒𝐀𝐅𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃, coriolanus snow

𝟬𝟬𝟰. capitol

                                   ╭── ✿ ❀ ღღ ✿ ❀ ──╮
004. capitol
╰── ❀ ✿ ღღ ❀ ✿ ──╯

just as coral finished her vague threat, the truck made some questionable noises, making all the children look around worriedly. the vehicle suddenly began tilting downwards and coriolanus struggled his way out of reapers hold, grabbing onto gracie may's waist. he held on to her tightly, as did she, as they tumbled down some rocks and landed on the ground of a large cave. it looked like... a zoo?

"ouch! well, we'll give them a chance to stand up and catch their breath. i'm jealous of that entrance" a man holding a microphone laughed into the camera, flashing a large smile "i'm lucretius 'lucky' flickerman, a man who needs no introduction. you all know me
as your favorite weatherman..." he flipped a coin in the air and continued talking for a while without it coming back down "...and amateur magician" he gave a pretentious sounding laugh. "but guess where I am today?" he rambled on and on about what was happening around him but he finally caught gracie may's attention when he tried grasping coriolanus' recognition.

"excuse me? hello, sir, yes, you. in the red" coriolanus stood up from the ground, dishevelled along with gracie may and looked at the moustached man "who are you and why are you in there with them? we're live" he leant the microphone over towards the cage and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

the capitol boy seemed to be freaking out as he took quick breaths and stuttered over an answer. gracie may grasped his arm carefully and reached a hand up to cup his cheek and angle his face towards her. "take a breath" she encouraged with a smile, taking a deep breath as an example.

once he calmed down slightly, he looked at the crowd that had gathered around the zoo enclosure and began to ask his tribute a question. "gracie may harp, may I introduce you to my neighbors?"

"i'm not sure they'll like me but i'd be honoured" she joked, lowering her hand that was cupping his face and letting him take a hold of her hand. he snapped a part of the rose stem off and tucked it behind her ear before he interlocked their fingers. they both started to walk towards the camera and people crowded barred wall.

"well, that's something you don't see every day" lucky remarked "they're holding hands" he sounded amazed at the concept.

"who are you, sir? what are you doing in the cage here?" once the contrasting pair got closer, lucky spoke one again to coriolanus "hi, how do you do?"

"my name is coriolanus snow" he said, letting go of gracie's hand to gesture to her "and this is my tribute. gracie may harp from district twelve" he introduced, turning his head to see his tribute knelt on the floor, speaking to some capitol children. he sighed. it wasn't going to be difficult for her to come across as a sweetheart. it appeared she was one.

her skirt was flayed around her as she knelt down and smiled at the children who looked entrapped by the pretty district twelve girl "hi there, what's your name?" she pondered, her voice sounding like enchanting fairy bells to coryo.

"my name is pontius" the older of the two children. replied as he fiddled with the bottom of his shirt.

"it's a pleasure to meet you, you have a lovely name! is this your sister?"

"that's venus. she's only four"

"four was my favourite age to be!"

"where'd you find that snake?" venus asked, the little girl speaking up from the first time during their encounter.

"well, i have a few tricks up my sleeve and one of them is conjuring snakes. wanna see another?" she asked, to which she got frantic nodding from the siblings. she reached a hand through a gap in the bars and made a dramatic gesture behind the little girl's ear, making to look as though coriolanus' cuff link [which she'd swept just before she began talking to the children when she had the idea to show them the trick] and made a fake shocked face at the giggling kids. "now i'm afraid I'm going to have to return this to my new friend here. i appear to have borrowed it without permission"

"isn't that stealing?" pontius inputted, his eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"not if i'm giving it back" she grinned, her eyes wide with mischief as she threw the cuff link back at coriolanus who'd looked down at his shirt with disbelief when she'd revealed the item. though he couldn't help but smile at her when she winked at him before turning back around.

"can i touch your skirt?" venus asked, already reaching a small hand through the bars.

"of course!" gracie may cheerfully replied "i like your dress, can i touch it?

"yeah!"

after stroking the dress and letting the lying girl touch her skirt for a while, she looked up at the man who'd been telling others to film her and stood, extending her hand towards him through the bars "and who might you be?" she asked despite hearing his earlier words.

"you don't know who i am?" he sounded shocked but his head quickly snapped back when he heard the camera man laughing at the statement "don't laugh, not everyone has televisions out in the districts"

"oh no, i didn't mean to hurt your feelings" she apologised slightly condescendingly. she'd learnt from experience that many [especially men] didn't like it when she brought up how their feeling may be hurt or if she'd offended them.

"you most certainly didn't!" his tone told her different "i'm lucretius 'lucky' flickerman" he repeated his previous words "but more enticingly, who are you, gracie from district twelve?"

"oh, it's gracie may" she corrected in an apologetic tone of voice "and I'm not actually from twelve. no, my people are actually from nearer the capitol than we were to district twelve. we used to sell our creations near here through we headed down the districts way when war broke out. i spent a lot of my time not far from right here. at least i used to before the peacekeepers rounded us up"

the last part of her statement seemed to make lucky uncomfortable and so he brushed past it quickly "i see, but now you're district twelve?"

"if you say so"

"yes" lucky confirmed "i've noticed, your outfit seems to be a big hit
with the children" he referenced her flowy, colourful outfit and the intricate details it contained. not many from the district had access to clothes that were anything other than practical.

"oh, it is? well, my friend lucy grey and i love colour more than most. but this skirt was made by my papa so it's extra special to me"

"mmm-hmm, and he's in district twelve?"

"well, only his bones, darling, only his pearly white bones" she whispered as for the children not to hear. "do you know my mentor? says his name is coriolanus snow?" she changed the subject quickly "very lovely sounding name if i do say so myself. and clearly, i got the cake with the cream 'cause nobody else has even bothered to show up" she made an astounded face and reached up to pluck the white rose from behind her ear "and would you look at this!" she laughed "he even brought me a rose!"

"you really like that rose, huh?" coriolanus smiled at her, making lucky gesture at the camera man to zoom in on the couple as the presenter shoved the microphone even closer to them.

"what can i say, i love a man who brings me flowers"

───── authors note !
hi loves! i hope you liked the chapter, there'll be another out soon! thank you for reading, don't be a silent reader pleaseeeeee 🫶🏻