The Blood Swan (oc x Finnick Odair)

Interviews- final plea

Swan woke feeling well rested, but the feeling of peacefulness soon left her body. In 24 hours, she would be in the arena, awaiting her death. She was scared. Who wouldn't be? Having your soul darkened for the sake of survival. Each kill tearing a hole in your heart- one that could not be filled again. The victors that came out of the games were not the same as before. Many turned to alcohol for relief. Drinking away the pain the games brought them. 

A light knock got Swan out of bed, but she soon relaxed again. The young avox she had first seen and made fun of entered her room. The servant held an outfit in her hands. The outfit was the same material as yesterday, just not as detailed. Presumably because the stylist would soon be replacing it with their work. The avox silently helped Swan into the jumpsuit and tamed her hair into a high ponytail. 

Once she was ready, Swan headed out to the kitchen and was met by the crew, minus Cinna and Portia. The stylist were already at the salons getting ready to make their tributes stand out for their final night alive. Breakfast was rather subdued and little was said. Tigris kept shooting Swan glances, with an unreadable expression on her face. Soon, Swan bristled, hating the looks of what she presumed was pity, that Tigris gave her. Anger and frustration soon pulsed through her.

"Save your sympathy for someone who needs it. I'm not here for your pity; I'm here to prove myself. After having a red target painted on my back, I don't need your looks of concern—I need you to watch and see what I can do. This arena is my battleground, not a stage for your doubts."

Tigris looked down and Swan swore she heard a sniff. Idaho sighed and sat back in his chair, contemplating what to say. Jasper just continued eating, ignoring the tension in the room. It seemed that their escort and mentor had aged 20 years in the last few moments and shadows crept over Idaho's face. Swan felt a stab of guilt as she had forgotten Idaho had gone through the very same thing and was stuck in this nightmare each year, sending tributes to their death. She was compelled to apologise, and quickly mumbled an apology. No one had heard her. She stood up, her chair scratching the expensive floor. 

"I'm sorry." She tried again. This time, she was heard. Tigris looked up again, and Swan saw that she had indeed been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. Idaho just looked at her, a blank expression on his face. He reminded her of herself. When she shut herself out or pretended everything was alright at home. She rashly left the room and retreated to her bedroom once more. Upon arriving, Swan sunk back into her pillows, thinking about the team.

Only two tributes had survived with Idaho's mentoring. The morphlings were no use however, self medicating since their victory tour a few years back. Since then, district 6 had lost hope of having another promising tribute- until now. Swan and Jasper had brought hope. Swan had a strong personality and had scored a twelve in training, something never done before now. 

Jasper was strong and also had gotten a positive score, a rarity for their district. Swan glanced over to Jasper. He had dark bags under his eyes, showing that he had not had too much sleep in the lead up to today either. One question still remained for Swan though. Why not join her alliance?  

Peacekeepers soon collected the two tributes from their apartment and brought them to their stylists once more. Swan was met by the prep team, and she slowly let herself feel at ease. They gave her a small smile and embraced her. She was once more prepared by the three capitoletes, who all looked rather sad. They would miss her, she realised. once they were done, they left the room and soon Cinna entered. He saw the worry in her eyes and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, Swan, let's take a moment.  Just breathe with me—inhale... and exhale. You've got this." Swan felt tears form behind her eyes, relieved that Cinna was helping. She followed Cinna's instructions and soon breathed again.