𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐈𝐄 ━━ finnick odair ✓

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞. ( suffering unseen )

            By the time the broadcast of dead tributes is done, Gloss is on his feet and ready to go out for another round of hunting. Cashmere sighs, wishing that he'd just let them get a bit of sleep. She finally convinces him to stay put in the Cornucopia, conceding to go out with him in the hours before dawn. She understands his restlessness, he's on the lookout for the only man who truly scares him. While Brutus and Enobaria are trained killers, Gloss hardly considers them as threats in his plans. He's watching for Finnick.

Nobody in this arena is a friend of the Nightingale siblings anymore, each one must be killed in order to survive. It would have been much easier if Finnick had just agreed to the offer of alliance, both for the sake of not having to kill an old friend and to mitigate the danger of one of the most lethal tributes in the arena. Finnick made himself known as a threat rapidly in the wake of the buzzer. Cashmere and Gloss are proficient swimmers, but Finnick moves through the water like a sea lion. There was no chance that they'd reach the Cornucopia before him. Instead, they watched the initial fight from the beach, silently hoping that Brutus or Enobaria might be able to take Finnick out. No such luck. Finnick, of course, came out on top. The siblings simply waited to make any move until they saw him leave with his small pack. Strangely, he was accompanied by both of the tributes from District 12 and Mags, with no sign of Faraday to be seen. Cashmere figured then that she'd been killed in the initial bloodbath by District 2. She tried to put it out of mind.

There were only scraps left by the time the siblings made it to the Cornucopia, nothing but weapons. They spent the afternoon searching for traces of water and other tributes on the opposite side of the jungle from where they saw Finnick enter. They were attacked almost immediately by a large pack of victors. They escaped unscathed, taking down three tributes in the process. The woman Cashmere killed is one whose name she can't seem to remember. Gloss, however, took out both Seeder and Cecilia, whose names she definitely knows. The remaining two survivors of their large group disappeared into the forest before she or Gloss could handle them. They tracked them for an hour or so before losing the trail. Regardless, she counts it as a success. They moved Gloss three tributes closer to victory that afternoon.

It was a surprise when night fell to not see Faraday broadcasted onto the night sky, Cashmere's fairly certain that Finnick would have never chosen to let the girl out of his sight. Gloss suggests that he may have instructed her to run and wait in the jungle, but Cashmere doubts it. He absolutely would have sent Mags along with her if that was the case. There's something incredibly suspicious about it. There's some plan that the siblings aren't privy to. It makes Cashmere itch.

Just when the moon hits the peak of the sky, Gloss wakes her.

"There's rain, over there." He points out in the distance and Cashmere has to squint to focus. "That's our chance for water. I'm sure it'll draw in tributes as well. It's the perfect opportunity."

Begrudgingly, she agrees with his logic and hurries to prepare herself. They equip themselves with knives and spears with military efficiency. She's incredibly thankful that they've kept up their training in the past years. They move at breakneck speed, worried that they'll miss out on the opportunity to drink if they're not hasty.

The exact boundary between the beach and the jungle is where the wall of rain begins. There must be a reason for it, but now's not the time to delay with thought. Cashmere pulls the curved circular shield from her back and lays it on the ground. Gloss does the same with his, and soon they're drinking tepid water. They keep their heads on swivels, one guards while the other drinks. They have unspoken agreements about these sorts of things, there's never any question of who does what when. It's fluid, one of the few reasons Cashmere is glad that they're alone in this together.