Love at Sea (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 4

"Would you stop shaking her!" Taiya snapped at Gloss.

"I am not shaking her," he argued back.

"Celestia," Taiya addressed the teenage girl clinging to Gloss' back. "Is he shaking you?"

"Uh..." she nervously stuttered. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to upset anyone and get sent back. "Just a little bit, but it's fine."

"You see! I told you so, you're shaking her."

"Well, I'm not meaning to," Gloss rolled his eyes. "I can feel her hair poking out the top of my jacket, I'm just trying to cover it up."

Gloss and Taiya had broken Celestia out of that cell immediately. They hadn't hesitated. However, Taiya couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration that she'd played right into Snow's hands yet again. At least this time it was for a good cause.

They'd decided the most discrete way to sneak her around the mansion was to put her on Gloss' back and cover her with his coat. It really wasn't the best plan, but they couldn't exactly parade her around. Unfortunately as oversized as Gloss' coat was today, it wasn't quite enough to conceal her, so they just had to hope no one crossed their path.

Taiya walked closer to Gloss's shoulder and saw that Celestia's hair was indeed sticking out of the top of the coat.

"Okay, you may have a point," Taiya admitted, tucking Celestia's braided pigtail back under Gloss' jacket. "Perfect!" she admired. "What?" she asked, noticing Gloss staring at her with disbelief.

"I don't think you can use the word 'perfect' for this."

"Well, why not?" Taiya pouted.

"Because you've got to admit, even for us this is ridiculous and stupid."

"I'm sorry," Celestia sniffled.

"Oh no, I don't mean you," Gloss reassured her before redirecting his ire to Taiya. "I mean how we're hiding you. I think if someone walks past they're going to have questions about the human-sized lump underneath my coat."

"And I told you, we'll tell them it's just a backpack."

"This kid does not look like a backpack, fish brain."

"Oh please, these people follow Coin, they'll believe anything," Taiya dismissed. "Although I will admit, we have had better ideas than this," she trailed off, noticing Celestia's foot peaking out the side of Gloss' coat. "Look, so long as we don't cross paths with anyone before we get to my room we'll be fine. Stop stressing shiny boy."

"I'm not stressing."

"You seem stressed. Celestia, does he seem stressed?"

"Please don't make me answer," she replied quietly.

"You get on my nerves," Gloss glared at Taiya.

"I intend to," she smirked back at him.

"Hey Taiya!"

"Ah!" Taiya yelped, spinning around to see Peeta standing there. "Peeta!"

"Are you okay?" he asked, frowning.

"Swell and dandy, of course. Why would you ask?"

"You just seem stressed."

"Ha!" Gloss loudly laughed.

"Oh, shut up," Taiya hissed back at him.

"What's on your back?" Peeta asked, noticing the lump on Gloss' back. Both Taiya and Gloss stiffened as they exchanged a nervous glance.