The 25th Hunger Games ((Blair&&Lady))

Blair1216

Blair1216

Pulsar
Joined
Oct 28, 2011
Location
Texas
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Cassandra "Cassie" Wilcox was standing on the stage, her eyes glassy with a sense of fear and shock. She had just been reaped, looking out at the silent crowd. There was a lump in her throat, and it refused to disappear no matter how hard she swallowed.

Here she was, standing beside some knobby-kneed thirteen-year-old boy... He was crying, and she didn't blame him. She's be throwing a tantrum to get back to her parents too if they were there. All she had was her older brother, and he had the same shocked expression on his face as she did.

A couple hours went by, and she got her tearful goodbye. She hated goodbyes, and she hated to leave the older brother who had raised her since she was three (when their parents died) alone. Hopefully he'd find a nice girl to marry and have children with, but in this day in time, it was unlikely.

And the irony of this entire situation, was that she was turning nineteen tomorrow... She was one day away from not being a contender for the Games, and here she was, sitting on the train. They were headed toward the Capitol, and she was told that her mentor would be meeting with her shortly.
 
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Lucien North watched the crowd from his chair on the stage. While he had no true desire to watch the reaping, or be a mentor, the 25 year old victor had a slight smile on his face, as carefully blank and in control as a doll would be. After not only surviving his own game, to being used in whatever capacity the president wanted his victors in, the hardest thing that Lucien had ever been faced with, was this moment, when he accepted that he was once again sending someone from his home, to die in a game. Or learn to kill. Either way, he was helping to end their innocence.

Sipping the glass of whiskey as he paused outside the doors he braced himself to go in. because the girl waiting for him, wasn’t just any tribute, she was someone he’d once known, at least more than any of the others he’d seen through their games. And having seen her brother’s face when she was called, he couldn’t even offer a token of helpful advice, because he knew the chance that the next time his friend saw him, he was going to be giving condolences for getting Cassie killed, instead of celebrating a victor. Tipping his head back he downed the whole glass of whiskey like it was a shot glass before he stepped inside.

“Cassandra.”He muttered quietly in greeting, tilting his head as he moved to sit in the chair in front of her. While he was glad most of the time, that he had another victor with him to act as a mentor, so that they could focus on one tribute, trying to get them to flourish under ridiculous circumstances, in this one moment he wished he was the only one, if only because it meant that with the 13 year old boy, it meant he wouldn’t be left alone with Cassandra. “Are you hungry?”He asked after a moment, nodding towards the side table that was fairly groaning under the weight of the food.
 
Cassie gave him a look of grief and malice, because she couldn't believe he'd even ask her such a thing. "I'm no where near hungry, Lucien," she said, rubbing a hand over her face. She hated this situation more than anything, mainly because the man in front of him was a man she had once been beside herself with sadness at the thought of losing. She remembered the day he was reaped... He had always been a close friend of her brother, and he had been around the house a lot through her childhood. Hell, he was there when their parents died. When his name was called for the Games, her heart broke...

That was a few years ago, and they had not spoken since.

"I've decided how we should handle this," she said suddenly, looking down at her hands, " I think we shouldn't prolong it. There is no way I'm getting out of there alive, so I figured I'd save my brother heartache and off myself the first day." She shrugged, and it was clear that while her words were confident, her tone was shaken with fear.
 
“Well, you still are going to need to eat. And I need to eat before I get drunk.”Lucien said ignoring the look he got in return for his question, used to the tributes staring at him with that same look of grief and malice. They couldn’t really believe that a man not so many years ago had been a tribute himself, was being so callous and closed off in the face of their tragedy. But Lucien, knew that he had to, had to wall off the part of him that grieved with them, if he was going to have any chance of making sure they could stand on their own during the games.

Getting up he started to make a plate for them both before going still at her words. Turning his head a little to look at her, as if trying to judge if she was serious. Shaking his head in slight bemusement at her words.”I will not be made a fool of Cassandra, and having my tribute kill herself instead of die fighting would be insane.”Lucien growled a little before returning to his chair, holding out the plate to her with the patience of a man who’d known her since childhood, and had once been able to coax her to do about anything, including eating.

“Cas…cassie..”Lucien swallowed hard as he gave into the need to remind himself that he knew her more then most of the tributes he got. “you wont be saving him from anything. He would know why you did it, if you did. You…you need to fight. And not just for yourself. Fight for me, because it would be…ugly for me, if my tribute committed suicide.”Lucien added, shamelessly playing on her emotions, hoping that there was a small scrap of emotion left for him, that his silence and withdrawal hadn’t destroyed it.

It might be the only edge he had to get her own alive.
 
Cassie gave out a deep, shaky breath. With a hint of stubbornness, she took the plate and picked at a piece of bread. She was silent for a long time, not looking at him in the eyes. She hated how, even after all of this time, he still had the power to coax her out of her naturally stubborn behavior. Even after all this time, the memory of him being such a kind soul to her (even when she was the annoying little sister) etched in her brain... And she hated that. Right now, she wanted to shut herself off from the world and become one with the silence of imminent death. She did not need him to remind her of the memories she'd be leaving behind.

"I don't think my brother would be happy to know you have become an alcoholic either," she snapped, glancing at the bottle of whiskey on the table, "And I wasn't going to kill myself... I was just... not going to fight. The commotion near the cornucopia is always a massacre. Would it really be that hard to believe that I wouldn't make it?"

She took a bite of her bread, chewing it and looking out the window of the train. Her blue eyes were so soft, so innocent. It was the only part of her that had not grown cold over the past few years that Lucien had not seen her... It was clear that her tough-talk was covering up the fact that she was trying not to cry.

"All I have is knife throwing," she said, looking up at him for the first time. It was true, that since a very young age, Cassie had a knack for throwing knives. Most of it was self-taught out of boredom, for her brother didn't allow her to work or help with finances (out of pride, of course). With all of the free time she had back home and the lack of friends... Her little hobby over the years turned in to quite the talent.

"But knife throwing is not going to get me past those careers," she said, "Sure, I could probably survive for a while. But why let my brother sit at home at watch me go in and out of each round for months on end, only to have him watch me die? Why not let him lose me and heal..."

Her eyes narrowed a bit. "Oh? This is about you, isn't it? I'd hate for my failure to make you look bad in front of all your friends." She clenched her jaw and ground her teeth, because there was real bitterness in her words. After all, she had not spoken to him in years and all she saw was what the Capitol allowed her to see. From the outside, it looked like Lucien had a luxurious life with the people of the Capitol.
 
Lucien to glanced at the bottle, even as he poured himself another glass, sipping it even as he started to eat. Over the years, he’d grown a tolerance for the alcohol, he was no longer the teen that had snuck small drinks with her brother and gotten drunk, but he really was a functioning alcoholic, to the point that unless you watched him drink it, you wouldn’t have a sense that he was drunk off his ass. Shrugging absently he sighed.

“No, it wouldn’t be. At least not that hard. But I have no intention of letting you die. I owe your brother that much, to make sure you get home.”Lucien said looking annoyed that he was even having to talk her out of just dying in the beginning. If he could get her past the cornucopia, then there was a chance that he really could pull it off. And her talent with knives just made that easier. If she could not have to get close up and personal, it would be easier to keep her from getting killed right away.

“Good. I’d rather have knife throwing then sword fighting.”he said looking at her, tilting his head slightly. “And we’ll work on getting you to use a bow. You’re to small to get up close and personal if you can avoid it.”Lucien said looking her over before letting out a bitter laugh at her words.”Cassandra, you’re delusional if you actually think he’d ever recover from losing you.”

He smiled a little, though it was bitter, so much bitterness that it wasn’t any surprise really that he drank to dull the edge. “They’re not friends, more like we’re all victims of the same attacker.” He mused, knowing she wouldn’t understand what was waiting for a victor on the other side, that even after you won, got the money, the house, the fame…there was a high price for it. A price that no one but the people rich enough to pay for the victors knew. Was it any wonder that the victors were so bitter drunks, when behind closed doors they were just paid whores, sold off to the highest bidder?
 
Cassie glanced up at him, watching him drink even more. By now, she would have been drunk off her ass. It truly scared her to see how much he could drink and how little it effected him on the outside... What had happened to him? Back in the day, he was such a charming and fun-loving guy. Now he was a man who looked absolutely miserable and bitter.

"You don't owe my brother anything," Cassie whispered, sitting down the plate of food. All of the sudden, she had no appetite. The thought of what had happened a few years ago - when Lucien took Travis' place in the Games - made her feel sick. Because as courageous and loyal as it was, she still remembered it being the last day she saw him... And that hurt.

"I'm no good with a bow," she argued, standing up. She needed to move around in order not to get sick... Her eyes looked out the window, watching the district scenery pass them by as they neared the Capitol. "And... he'd recover if he had to."

Reaching up, she placed her hands on the cool glass of the window and let out a sigh. "This was not how I was expecting to spend my birthday," she grumbled, but it was a half-hearted statement. After all, it's not like her 19th birthday was going to be special any way. At least now, she'd get to have a nice meal....
 
“I owe him for giving me a home, when even my own mother turned me out.”Lucien said his eyes flicking up to look at her face, looking annoyed. Because it was only part of the truth of why he was fighting so hard to get her to live, had taken travis’ spot in the arena. But the true reasons were so skewered by his mother’s hatred of him, that he wasn’t about to tell them, because he didn’t want their pity. And it was why he had been avoiding her and travis for so long, because he couldn’t stand to see the feelings that his volunteering had probably brought about. And even more so, because of what happened after. He’d kill himself before he let them know about the victor whores.

“No, not now your not. But I have time to teach you. I was always good with it, even if I was better at swords.”Lucien said watching her for a moment before getting up himself, moving to the window to look out, swallowing compulsively, resisting the urge to throw up all over their shoes. Not so much because he was facing another games after 7 years of training the children, but because he knew what was waiting him, personally, the moment the victors stepped into the city.

“I don’t think anyone expects to spend their birthdays in here.”He said after a moment, having no idea how to answer that, feeling awkward and out of sorts for the first time in years. “I spent my 18th birthday in the arena.”He shrugged before sighing softly, smiling as he saw the crowds lining the train passages, even this far out from the center of the city, everyone had turned out to see them arrive. And he smiled at them, and in that moment, he was once again the charming, fun loving teen she remembered, slipping so easily into the role, that if you didn't know it was faked, you'd never question it. A true chameleon, he'd learned early that he couldn't let the capitol know what he really thought of them.
 
Cassie glanced over at him, feeling him so close as they looked out the window together. When they approached the crowds, she gave them a wry smile and held her hand up in a half-hearted wave. She remembered his birthday all those years ago, and how heart broken her and her brother were at the idea of watching him fight that day. In fact, she had planned to bake him a cake... That, of course, didn't work out. "It's been that long, hasn't it? Seven years?" She bit her lip. The last time she saw him, she was twelve, and that baffled her.

Once the train made it to their planned destination, Cassie ran a hand through her hair and made an effort to straighten out her old yellow sundress she had on. With shaky hands, she fumbled with the ribbon that was tied around her waist, then turned to look at the opening door. In walked the District Four escort, Theta Rudolphine, a voluptuous beauty with long, dark blue hair. She was a gorgeous woman, which made her rather snobby attitude even harder to handle. As soon as she walked in the room, Cassie felt self conscious about her own homely appearance.

"Lucien?" Theta said, looking up from the clipboard she was holding, "We need her clean and at dinner in the ball room in an hour. The stylists will take care of hair and... other things." She wrinkled her nose a bit. "The boy is having a hard time calming down, so I am going to have my hands full. You will take care in showing our other tribute to her room?" She raised her eyebrows, looking between Cassandra and Lucien.
 
Lucien nodded a little, “It has. Of course, I’ll be celebrating my 26th watching you start your game, but we cant all have the birthdays that capitol people have.”He muttered even as he smiled out the window, knowing that even after all these years of hard drinking, he was still beautiful, still had that edge that had seduced so many of the women the first time he’d stepped out of the arena. “6 years of sending off more tributes. I would for once, to like to see one of them come home.”he muttered staring out of the window. In the six years he’d trained the tributes, he’d always gotten them so close to the end, only to have something happen, losing both his chance to bring one of the children home, and a little more of himself.

Turning his head a little he sighed quietly as he saw theta. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, she just was…to snobby and disapproving of his drinking for him to be glad to see her. Bearing his teeth in a slight snarl that could almost be called a smile Lucien nodded. “I am sure I am perfectly capable of handling a woman.”he said the leer in his voice, teasing even as he raised his eyebrows. Watching straight laced Theta get in his face over his sexual habits amused him. Because even if he was forced to play the part of the whore, he’d taken it to heart, and everyone, even the people at home were aware of just how much he’d become…a whore. Even if they weren’t aware of how the president was profiting from his sexual exploits.

“Cassandra, this is Theta. Ignore her, she’s very annoying, and annoyingly sober all the time. Very boring.”Lucien stage whispered at Cassie, trying to get a laugh even as he moved towards the door as the train stopped.
 
Cassie smirked through her fear at his words, nodding carefully as she watched Theta roll her eyes.

"You should watch your P's and Q's, Lucien," she said with a frustrated tone. "And if I were you, I'd keep your hands to yourself." She gave him an accusing look, and when Cassandra finally caught up to the conversation, she blushed. "After all, you wouldn't want to give your tribute an unfair disadvantage, would you? If even a hint of a romance got out to the public, the game makers would run with it. The girl would be a goner for sure, if only for the dramatics." She shrugged nonchalantly and looked down at her clipboard. "Just take care of business."

With a turn on her heel, Theta left the room as quickly as she had entered it.

Cassandra took a deep breath in order not look as embarrassed as she did. Because, believe it or not, she was absolutely aware of how handsome he was. Hell, she knew he was handsome back when she was a little girl... Now, however, it seemed so much more obvious.

"So," she said, turning back to him once they were alone again. Her expression as very serious, and despite the fear in her eyes, she looked as if she could not be wavered on her decision. "I'll play their games, and I'll wear fancy dresses and act as if I'm honored to be here. If you want, I'll even act as if I'm going to try... But I'm not telling you that I'm not going to go through with my plan, because if I did, I'm afraid I'd be lying."
 
“Why watch my p’s and q’s, theta, when there are better things to be watching?”He said nearly leering, looking for once, his age. Smirking a little before shrugging. “My tributes always seem to have a unfair disadvantage. Me liking her, cant be much worse.”he said looking amused as he watched her go before sighing softly. Looking down at Cassie as she spoke he made a face.”Fine. Then I’ll be just as brutally honest with you, and tell you your ass looks amazing.”he said playing for a laugh even as he ducked out of the train, after every intention of harassing into living.

Moving through the crowd he played them as easily as a master violinist, even though he let the crowd reach for him and yell, he was careful to not let them touch, and more then that, he was playing the show stopping beautiful whore to keep their attention on him more then Cassandra. Having every intention of,for the moment, making sure that she had time to find her bearings again.

Smiling a little as they reached the tower, he bowed to her as he pushed open the door.”Come along, lady Cassandra, let me show you to your tower. After all, all princesses get towers don’t they?”he said a smile dimpling his cheek, a charming knight in armor. But if he was any knight, it was a knight in bloodsoaked armor, rusting and broken, but his honor intact. Once they were in the silence of the rooms he showed her into the suite, even if he wasn’t openly searching for the alcohol, his eyes still moved towards the bar.
 
Cassie walked into her suite, a bit taken back from the beautiful room. It was gorgeous and modern... But if one were to look close enough, it was drowning in the blood of past tributes. The thought that girls who had died in the arena had once slept there gave Cassie visible chills.

After snapping out of her daze, she glanced over at Lucien with knitted eyebrows. It was odd to see him now - charming and seductive. She was no idiot, and she knew that he ran the show when it came to all the women of the Capitol. The idea, of course, left her mourning the Lucien she knew six years ago. While he had always been charming and handsome, he had once been an innocent soul. His heart was as beautiful as his eyes, she remembered, and he was the most kind person who had ever graced her presence as a child. She had always known in her youth that if something happened to her brother, she always had Lucien... but not now. Not since he left on the train six years ago.

Watching him now was like watching someone from behind a glass wall. She could see him and watch him and hear him, but she couldn't feel him. It made her fear that his soul had gone cold like the rest of the capitol.

"Some tower," she said, breaking the silence after a minute, "But I am no princess... Not since I was, like, nine." She gave him a smirk, remembering those times that he (being a teenager in his prime) didn't mind taking the time to attend a tea party or two.

She moved over to the bed and sat down, hoping that her head would stop spinning in time for her to go to the stylists in a few minutes. "Go ahead - drink. Why would I care? In fact, make me a drink, because I'd much rather be drunk off my ass right now than sober..."
 
Lucien tilted his head a little, for a moment watching her look around the room, raising a hand he rubbed at the back of his neck. Like her, he knew this tower prison was drowning in the blood of past tributes, and even worse, of the girl he had killed so he could go home. While it had been a mercy killing, as her leg had grown infected, he had still killed the other tribute from his district the year he won. So here, while it was a concept for her, it was a memory for him to be back in this room.

“I haven’t had tea that good since. Nothing quite tastes the same.”He teased a little, for a moment, the teenager he had been showing through, he wasn’t completely lost, there was some hope for the teen he had once been, but the man was so bitter and twisted by the things he’d been asked to do, that he could barely find that part of himself anymore. The fact that he still felt wretched, felt the need to save Cassie for Travis, for himself, made him,for the first time in years, feel hope that he hadn’t totally lost himself.

Moving to the bar he poured himself a whiskey on the rocks before mixing her a martini and sliding it over to her. “Because most of my tributes do. Think I can’t function drunk, and help them win. Maybe they’re right….I haven’t sent anyone home after all.”Lucien said staring down at his glass before raising his glass and sipping it, carefully avoiding her eyes as he stared out the windows. Glad for once, that the floor to ceiling windows overlooked capital, letting the bright lights distract him from the emotional gutting he was putting himself through in dealing with Cassie.
 
Cassie smiled a little as he teased her about the tea, and for a moment, she looked like the sweet girl she had once been. The girl that was not yet damaged by the society around her. "You were always good to me," she whispered sadly, taking a sip of the stout martini he has made her. Within a few minutes, she was a bit tipsy and feeling a little better. It was easy to see how he hadn't been able to take his hands off the whiskey bottle over the past six years... It drowned out the sadness.

At his words, she frowned, because as strongly as she felt about not prolonging her imminent death, she also felt a bit of guilt for letting him down. Because oddly enough, she had not taken his feelings into consideration. Maybe seeing her off herself would kill some sort of hope he had. Stupid hope, of course, but hope nonetheless.

However, she had no intentions of getting him excited about her trying in the arena. At the moment, she still could not see herself leaving the cornucopia.

"You haven't ever had a tribute that had a chance," she sighed, "We all knew that. I'm the first tribute since you that had been on the higher end of the age scale... As far as the bow training, don't get your hopes up. I'm not good with the arrows." She smirked a bit. "But, for the record, I've gotten a lot better with my knives since I was twelve." She shrugged a bit, then went back to downing the rest of her drink.

A few minutes later, the stylists were practically beating down the door, and she was whisked away to get her "makeover".

~*~

An hour later, Cassie came down to the entry way of the ball room looking like a brand new girl. In fact, it was clear that she was the prettiest girl there... Her hair had been died dark to keep her apart from the many blondes in the competition, bringing out her bright blue eyes and giving her a little more sex appeal. She no longer looked the part of a homely, weak girl... Something about the way the dark hair framed her face features made her look stronger...

Walking across the floor in the royal blue, figure hugging dress that the stylists put her in, she came up behind where Lucien was standing and hesitantly tapped his shoulder. She didn't feel different, but it was clear that she did not look like the little girl he left at home six years ago.
 
Lucien startled under her hand, throwing himself forward from where he had been sitting on the couch, hitting the ground on all fours, before scampering to his feet, twisting to look at her. Panting slightly as he took in the appearance of the woman and his surroundings. It was obvious that she had startled the man badly, having been napping mostly. The glazed look was the worst, the look that said he wasn’t quite there yet. And Lucien, who’d gotten good with hand to hand combat, wasn’t a man you wanted to startle to badly.

“…Cassandra?”he said after a moment, his eyes filling with…for lack of a better word, life. The force of that personality was back. “What…oh.”He said sounding tiredly confused as he took in her appearance before tilting his head a little.”Well. You look different from the child I knew.”He said, sounding a little sad at the idea though. Sad that he knew the child he knew, even if she survived the arena, that child and her innocence was forever gone.
 
With dark hair :)

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Cassie looked a bit self-conscious at his words, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear. It was enough that he jumped like she had stabbed him, but for some reason, it made her feel insecure to not have a better reaction from him. Among the fear and everything, she honestly thought that her little makeover might bring out the side of Lucien she had always fantasized about as a growing teen. After all, she had the biggest crush on him through out her childhood, as silly as it was.

"I... Is that bad?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "I'm not a child anymore, you know." She bit her lip and looked around the room, watching as people filed into the room. There was still a few moments before dinner was served, giving them all an awkward few minutes of having to see their competition for the first time. And like she suspected, the careers looked strong and fierce.

She didn't stand a chance.
 
Lucien studied her, swallowing hard as he came to terms with what he was seeing. It wasn’t bad, it was just different. And while she looked beautiful, he was having problems coming to terms that she was no longer a child to protect, that he might fail protecting her now that she was older, and even if she did win, he realized that he would fail her after. She was beautiful.”No, its not bad. And I definitely know that.”he said a slight teasing leer to his words, the same teasing he would have done as a teen while gawking at a women he liked.

Looking towards the others as they entered the room he moved closer to her, smiling slightly at the other mentors, dipping his head in silent greeting. While most of them weren’t friends, they were all aware of the silent secret that kept them bound together.

“Come, lets sit.”he said leading her towards a chair, raising his eyebrows as one of the careers tried to take the chair he wanted.”Move.”He said in deadly seriousness, not about to take any crap from a tribute, even if he felt badly for them, he wasn’t above hurting them. Smirking to himself as the kid moved to another seat he nearly jumped out of his skin when Thorne stepped up behind him. While she wasn’t from his district, the two mentors had managed to form some kind of bond, one that was born in pain and a shared horror of being the most beloved whores of capital.

“Still bullying children, Lucien?No wonder no one wants to talk to you.”The district 11 mentor smirked a little shaking her head as she slid into a seat next to Cassandra, he own tributes keeping to themselves as they sat down on her other side. “Its not bullying them by telling them to go away.”Lucien said before looking at Cassandra, "Don't worry. I'll make sure you stand a chance."he muttered at her looking worried for her, not wanting her to give up before she'd even gotten to the arena.
 
Cassandra was a bit distracted by all of the amazing food sitting in front of her. It took a great deal of effort not to plow into the food like a barbarian. She knew that if she didn't at least try to be lady like, she probably wouldn't hear the end of it from Theta... Her stomach growled, and after her plate was sat down in front of her, she began to dig into the roasted duck and potatoes. It seemed that they were not wasting time in trying to fatten up the skinny tributes, but Cassie wasn't complaining. After all, it was probably the best thing she had ever eaten.

Theta, who was sitting across the table from Lucien, leaned over and nodded toward the ball room. "Drinks will be served, and I believe music will be played," she whispered, "Try to make her look graceful, will you? Her make over was promising, and if anything, I think we could play the pretty girl card." She shrugged, then leaned back in her chair as one of the waiters brought in their dessert. Of course, the "pretty girl" card was a dangerous card. If people were sponsoring Cassie because of her beauty, it only meant that they were hoping to get a piece of her when (or if) she got out of the arena.

Cassie looked over at Lucien with more fear in her eyes than when she had been reaped. "I can't dance," she whispered, shaking her head, "Don't make me dance."

Theta took a bite of her pudding and rolled her eyes. "Try not to sound so uptight. That isn't going to win you any points, I'm afraid. Have a glass of champagne." She nodded to a tray of champagne that was going around, noting that most of the tributes and mentors were starting to file into the ballroom.
 
Lucien smiled a little as he glanced at Cassie as the food was set before them, looking vaguely amused. Because he knew what she wanted to do, and he had done it. Then again, a 17 year old male plowing through the food like there was no tomorrow was more forgivable then letting a female do it. Not that the double standard had saved him from getting his ass chewed out for bad manners.

Glancing up at Theta he sighed quietly as he ate.”Must I? You know I don’t like dancing.”Lucien muttered looking annoyed. It wasn’t so much that he couldn’t dance, he could dance well. It was that the once attention whore hated to be the center of attention now. Looking vaguely disgusted with theta’s words he nodded.”I’m sure we would be able to.”he said, the anger under the words not matching the words themselves, not liking the idea of trying to get Cassandra through on the ‘pretty girl’ card, it was just to wicked to consider.

Looking at Theta at her words at Cassandra he looked annoyed.”Its not uptight. She’s afraid.”Lucien said anger coating the words as he took a glass from the waiters, even if he didn’t like champagne, it was still alcohol. Angry that theta seemed to be so disapproving, even fear was a natural reaction. Of course, him and theta had this argument every year, but it was something he took comfort in, that he could get angry with theta without having serious repercussions, like there would have been if had spoken to any of the others, or his patrons like this.

Standing when they were finished eating he held a hand out for her."Come, Cassie."He said a slight, leering, teasing smirk curling his lips. Wondering if he could make her angry enough to forget that she couldn't dance.
 
Cassie glanced up at him with wide eyes, but they quickly narrowed. There was irritation painted all over her face, but knowing better than to refuse him in front of the crowd, she took his hand and sighed. "Alright," she grumbled, standing up and headed toward the ball room with him. Even in her heels, she was still a head short than him. Other than that, they made and oddly beautiful couple to the people who surrounded them...

As they entered, Cassie glanced around the large amount of people. While only people who were involved in the games (mentors, tributes, etc.) were on the floor, there was a crowd of spectators surrounding them as if they were watching a show. When their eyes set upon Cassie and Lucien, they began to cheer... Apparently, this was a special Quarter Quell event, for the chariot ride and interviews were not until the next day or so.

"I didn't know people would be watching," she snapped, her voice low but irritated. For the most part, her expression looked pleased, but she was burning red hot at the idea of dancing in front of people.

However, she instinctively held on to him, because as much as she hated to admit it, Lucien as a source of comfort for her.
 
Lucien smiled a little as his fingers closed around hers, looking amused as he tugged her towards him. “Just think, most women have to pay for the privilege of dancing with me.”He said smirking a little, a bitter edge there, that said even if he was teasing, there was a bitter truth to it. Glancing towards the crowd he sighed tiredly, shaking his head a little. “Damn.Neither did I.”He muttered looking down at her as they danced.

Tense and anxious he danced gracefully though, annoyed because despite his once charming, and attention whoring at home, the man had developed into a extreme loner, to the point that he avoided most experiences with interacting with others that he could. The fact that he avoided Cassandra and travis like the plague wasn’t so much because of anything they’d done, but because he just couldn’t stand to be around anyone anymore.

Twirling her a little he smiled, “Just relax. In those heels if you cling to me to much, you’ll be unbalanced and fall.”he said shifting his hold on her waist to make sure that she was steady, looking worried for a moment. He knew he was risking a lot by playing the pretty girl card, but he was also desperate enough to get her home to travis, that he would do about anything to make sure it happened, even if the end result was a emotional devastation equal to his own.
 
Cassie swallowed hard and twirled back into him, taking a deep breath. "How am I supposed to relax?" she whispered, "I have not been given five minutes to process what is going on..." Her lower lip began to quiver, and her eyes started to move around the room with panic. It seemed that she had finally been able to soak in the situation, and it all hit her at once. Her hands gripped him tighter as she watched the other tributes dance around her, and all of the sudden, she started to feel like everything was closing in on her.

It had been years since she had a panic attack, but it seemed that the idea of her being in the Hunger Games was enough to bring one on. Her chest felt tight, her eyes were tearing up, and the color was draining from her face.

"Please," she whispered to Lucien, "Get me out of here. I c-can't do this right now." Her body started to shake, and her eyes looked at him with the deepest of desperation. "Get me out of this room, Lucien. I need air. Please..."
 
“Well, I could let you get drunk. It helps anyone’s processing.”Lucien muttered looking down at her, panic filling his own eyes as he looked at her, realizing what was happening.”Okay. Give me a moment.”He muttered looking around to find Theta’s eyes, nodding towards the doorway to indicate he was leaving with Cassandra. He knew Theta would assume he was seducing her or something equally nefarious, after all he had a reputation for seducing anyone over the age of consent, and Cassandra was beautiful. He didn’t care what anyone thought, he just needed to take care of her.

Helping her walk out of the room he waited until they were in the deserted hallway before picking her up and hustling back to his rooms, glad that his own rooms were away from hers, so she could have a moment to not think about being trapped in the rooms given to other dead tributes. Stepping out onto his balcony with her tucked safely in his arms he rocked her gently, looking down at the city. There was no railing, not even glass to separate them from the sheer drop to the city below, nothing but the electric forcefield keeping him from stepping off the balcony. And it was a little known secret that at 19, his first year as a mentor, he had indeed done it. Stepped off when he realized he was just a high priced whore, only to wake up in the hospital hours later sore and aching for the attempt.

“Better?”He muttered settling her into one of the balcony chairs he crouched down in front of her, taking her small hands in one of his larger ones, dark blue eyes looking concerned, for the first time since they’d met again, he was acting like the teen he had been, instead of the drunk he’d become.
 
The crowd watched as Lucien led Cassie away, and they all looked interested in the potential scandal. Just as Lucien intended, it looked like he was trying to seduce her, not calm her down from an inevitable panic attack... Who would have thought... A tribute and a mentor? The epitome of star-crossed lovers? The room buzzed with gossip.

Cassie looked down at him, squeezing his hands as she took deep breaths and tried to calm down. For the first time since the reaping, tears were rolling down her face. She looked young and scared, make up smeared underneath her eyes. "I-I'm s-sorry... This hasn't happened in years," she whispered, sniffing and reaching up to wipe the mascara from beneath her eyes. Her shoulders shook a bit, because it seemed that the dancing was what broke the damn that held in her emotions.

After a few moments of silence, she began to sob. "I want to go home," she cried, "I can't go back to that room. I can feel those dead tributes in there..." She swallowed hard, and in a desperate attempt for comfort, she threw her arms around him, burying her face into his neck. Right now, she needed to cry and let it all out, because she was no idiot... She knew that it would be back to reality in the morning, and crying would get her no where after that. "Let me stay with you," she whispered, "just for tonight... Please."
 
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