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SONG PREFERENCE:Crazy=Genius by Panic! At The Disco
Her fingers drifted through her hair like running water, weaving the thick strands into a braid that fell down the middle of her back and to her waist. It was getting long, in need of a cut, but Greyson didn't see a stylist within view in the undergrounds of Thirteen. She paused with the rope of hair between her fingers and dropped it, opening the drawer to the desk she sat at to find a pair of basic scissors. She picked them up and leveled her hair between them. And then she clenched her fingers with a snip, a good portion of her hair falling to the floor, discarded.
Greyson unraveled her remaining hair to find that it rested a little ways below her collarbone, the brown hair in tight waves and surprisingly even. She then left her hair down and pulled on her jumpsuit over her undershirt and garments, exiting her room to make her way down to the control room.
Just as she entered, Haymitch was walking over to an annoyed Katniss, who was wearing makeup and dressed down in her Mockingjay outfit.
"Hello, Katniss," Haymitch solemnly greeted. Katniss stared at him. "Is this how you greet an old friend?"
"Maybe I don't recognize you sober," she bit back at him as her eyes drifted to Greyson's. Katniss left the plate she was standing on to find Greyson's side.
Haymitch let out a huff of air. "I guess it looks as bad as it feels."
They all returned to the command room where they replayed Katniss' propaganda video. Greyson tried to give Katniss a reassuring smile, but even she had to admit that the video was horrid. After a few awkward moments of silence, Haymitch spoke up.
"Uh, Madam President, indulge me for a moment, if you would." He walked up to the screen where the video had been playing. "Let's everybody think of one incident where Katniss Everdeen and Greyson Hunter genuinely moved you. Not . . . not where you were jealous of their hairstyles or their dresses went up in flames or they made a halfway decent shot with an arrow, and not where Peeta or Finnick made you like them. No, I'd like you all to think of one moment where they made you feel something real."
"Oh," Effie raised her hand eagerly. "When Katniss volunteered for her sister at the Reaping."
"Excellent example, okay. Now . . . " He cleared the screen away and cleared his throat, "I hope that wasn't important." He then wrote, "'Volunteer for sister'. Good, what else?"
"Oh, when Katniss sang that song for little Rue." Effie said again.
"Oh, yeah. Who didn't get choked up at that?" Haymitch added while writing on the board. He looked back at Effie, staring longer than necessary. "You know, I like you better, Effie, without all that makeup."
Greyson raised an eyebrow between the two while Effie replied, "Well, I like you better sober."
Plutarch said, "When Greyson sacrificed herself for Peeta in the arena."
Haymitch nodded, "alright," he then looked at Greyson, "smart but stupid idea."
"When Katniss chose Rue as an ally, as well." Beetee commented from the other side of the room in his wheelchair. Greyson hadn't seen him at all since she woke up from the arena, and she didn't want to really, to see him sitting in that chair helping fuel the revolution by hacking into the Capitol's system. It made her realize just how real all of this was.
Greyson slowly raised her hand, to add one last thing for when Katniss had impacted her emotionally. She could feel everyone's eyes on her. "When Katniss was willing to die for Peeta with the nightlock."
"Ah, good one, Grey." Haymitch said.
Greyson rolled her eyes and looked over to see Katniss still looking at her. She smiled at Katniss, and Katniss returned one.
"Now, what do all of these have in common?" Haymitch asked.
"No one told them what to do." Gale answered.
"Unscripted, yes. So maybe we should just leave them alone." Beetee suggested.
"And wash that one's face. She's still a girl, you made her look thirty-five." Boggs gestured to Katniss.
"The opportunities for spontaneity are obviously lacking below ground. So what you're suggesting is we toss them into combat?" Plutarch asked with a raised eyebrow.
Coin shook her head. "I can't sanction putting untrained civilians in battle just for effect. This is not the Capitol."
"That is exactly what I'm suggesting. Put them in the field." Haymitch said.
"No," Coin denied. "We can't protect them."
"It has to come from them. That's what people respond to. You want a symbol for the revolution, they cannot be coached into it. Trust me, I know."
Plutarch shifted in his seat, "maybe there's someplace that's less dangerous."
"District 8. They reported heavy bombing last week. There are no military targets left." Beetee said.
Coin frowned, "we can't guarantee their safety."
"You'll never be able to guarantee our safety," Katniss finally cut in. "We want to go." Greyson nodded in agreement, eager to feel the wind blow through her hair and the fresh air of the earth fill her lungs. She missed the sun.
"And if you're killed?" Coin asked.
Greyson smirked at the older woman, "make sure you get it on camera."
A/N:okay I know this is extremely short but the next chapter will be longer, especially bc of what's about to go down in the next chapter. this is basically just a filler bc I needed to update something. also, thank you soooooo much for 50k+ because I would've never been able to reach that goal without all of you reading this story! I've had a lot of ups and downs and my only way of finding a stress reliever is writing for you guys, so thank you. please vote and comment, there won't be any questions for this chapter. thank you. xx
