Kindling - Chapter 5:

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Effie Trinket was the one who collected her for supper.

After they were sent to the train, Solanum went to the room assigned to her calmly. It was obvious that Gale wasn't interested in talking about their predicament - as anyone would be if they were in their situation and talking to Effie would be...unpleasant.

Solanum knew that Effie wasn't as simple as she seems. She was annoying, yes, in a way that scratched her insides, but simple?

No, Effie wasn't that.

Despite her outlandish outfits and face decked with paint, considering the fact that she was assigned here in District 12 time and time again as its host and commentator without any hope for promotion, the woman probably had it harder than her Capitol counterparts. She - along with the lone winner of the district, Haymitch Abernathy - had her hands on tributes that were nothing more than fodder for the other competitors and, for all her faults, she's still human. She most likely had - after some time - sympathized a little about these people's plight when she wasn't in her own bubble of misery.

But-

Effie didn't have it as hard as they did.

Not as hard as any man or woman - may it be young or old - in this rundown forgotten district away from the Capitol.

Solanum knew she could use the woman - use her for her plans, but she wasn't eager to start if she could help it and well-

(She wanted to scratch Effie's eyes out.)

Although Solanum knew that Effie's indifference and condescension would only help her cause, she hadn't quite mastered apathy as well as Kakashi-san once did.

She wasn't a masochist. Considering the fact that the woman looked down on them and see them as nothing more than animals that one would occasionally give pity to as a way of making herself feel better, Solanum's time would be better spent in mulling about her plans.

(Gale - Gale's participation in the games was a conundrum, yet not unexpected considering the fact that the man still takes on tesserae despite their help.)

(The odds were truly not in her side this time.)

(His participation was a problem that could turn over her plans in a flash if it wasn't handled properly if his personality was taken into account, but after much thought, it wasn't insurmountable. Solanum knew what ending she wanted after all of this farce and even if her plans were moved on ahead of time, she could power through it with enough effort.)

(Any ending other than the one she wanted wasn't something she could afford.)

Solanum smiled blandly at Effie's back.

She was playing for the long game this time.

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Meeting Haymitch was an experience.

He was-

He was rude and drunk and vulgar in every sense of the word with unkempt dirty blonde hair that reached up to his shoulders but-

His gray eyes were clear. Distinct in a way that told Solanum that the man still had his tricks.

Solanum felt that she was looking at Jiraiya.

(A more washed-out version of him that was, that instead of making ero-books and peeping on women, took great pleasure in harassing Effie Trinket's sensibilities more often than what was considered healthy.)

Haymitch-

Haymitch looked like he slogged on through life and went through hell long enough that even if he despised his current state, he couldn't quite bear to end his suffering because he doesn't want to lose.

(Probably because he damned well- killed for the opportunity to continue living until now.)

(Haymitch was vindictive.)

(And that-)

(That particular characteristic would be useful.)

Solanum had a soft spot for the old pervert in her previous life so when he vomited all throughout their first dinner and was subsequently ignored by both Gale and Effie, she took it upon herself to graciously dump him on his bed and leave him to his own devices.

(If he could use a bath or, perhaps a change of clothes, well- the man was self-sufficient. He could live with the hangover and the consequences of the image he carefully nurtured for a few more hours.)

(After all, he did it well-enough for years even without her playing nanny.)

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Being waxed, plucked and scrubbed in the Remake Center like a fucking showbird took a lot out of her.

She only had to lie there and take the treatment, but she felt like she ran the around the whole District 12 thrice after enduring the whole ordeal.

(Did they really have to wax her down there?)

(Who the fuck was even going to see that?)

To Flavius, Venia and Octavia's credit - the three people responsible for her transformation - they were meticulous. Solanum felt like she really was "remade" when she discovered that she became as smooth as a baby's bottom after undergoing their tender mercies.

(Solanum kind of felt like a hairless monster, to be honest.)

Waiting for her stylist was a reprieve.

Hearing the door opening, Solanum sat up and surveyed the man in walking towards her sedately.

"Hello, Solanum." The brown-haired young man greeted quietly, his green eyes were eye-catching as bits of gold around it shimmered in the light. "I'm Cinna, your stylist."

"Hello." She replied politely, not minding his stare despite her lack of clothing. The man was doing his job and it wasn't like she had anything that he hadn't seen before.

"You're beautiful." Cinna praised after walking around her figure for a minute. "A bit delicate and frail, but that kind of beauty could be popular for the masses." He paused. "I don't know if the costume I planned would fit your image but," He studied her expression, pausing for a second on her gray eyes, before nodding quietly. "The way you hold yourself would be enough."

Solanum pursed her lips slightly in faint confusion.

Isn't it another coal miner's outfit this time?

It always was when it came to their district. During opening ceremonies, tributes were supposed to wear something that's connected with their district's principal industry.

As someone representing District 12, that meant the recycled coal-miner's getup idea - albeit a tad skimpier with a touch of raciness in an attempt to make the costume more attractive to the viewers.

Not that it was ever effective.

Teens going through their awkward puberty phase with little to no meat in their bones fitted in risque clothing weren't exactly easy on the eyes no matter how much numerous people tried to spin it.

As if reading her mind, Cinna smiled - amused as he affirmed, "It isn't a coal miner's outfit this time."

Solanum's brows twitched lightly.

Does she have to do it naked, then? There was once a stylist that thought going bare with coal black powder to represent coal dust would do and well-

That particular year was a disaster. The two representatives of their district during that time looked constipated, with the girl crying and trying to hide her body from the masses.

(She was one of the first ones to get killed.)

This doesn't seem to be the case now though since, according to Cinna, there was a prepared "costume", but you could never really tell about those people in the Capitol.

Cinna seemed to be one of the tamer ones that looked (and acted) relatively normal, but she didn't know enough about him to ascertain what, for him, constitutes as an outfit.

For all Solanum knew, it could go into a direction she'd rather do without.

(An er- more naked direction.)

She already made up her mind to appeal herself to the masses during the interview or with her scores since, from previous accounts, District 12 never won the favor from the masses at the start.

However, if she could do something to protest her situation, she'd rather not stand naked in front of the crowd thank you very much.

Cinna seemed like a reasonable guy.

Her stylist laughed lightly at her increasingly guarded expression. "Wear your robe and follow me please." He shook his head. "We're changing it up this time."

"Are you new?" Solanum asked curiously as they walked to the sitting room.

Cinna nodded. "Yes." He pressed a button from the side of the table and motioned for her to help herself to the food in the table. "It's my first time participating in the games."

"Ah." She hummed before taking a moment to admire the extravagance the Capitol had. Picking up a piece of bread, she turned her eyes to her stylist. "So that's why I haven't seen you before."

Cinna stared at her intently for a moment, before following her lead. After chewing on some oranges, he started. "Portia is my partner and Gale's stylist. For the opening ceremony, our current plan is to dress both of you in complementary costumes and," His voice warmed as humor seeped into his tone, "as I've said, we're changing it up this time."

Solanum nodded, making herself comfortable in her seat.

"We wanted to make District 12 unforgettable, so instead of focusing on the overdone coal miner thing, we'd rather focus on the coal."

"How so?" She asked cautiously.

Cinna smiled. "We're going to burn it." He looked at her, delighted. "You're not afraid of fire, are you?"

Solanum paused, stiffening.

Looked like he wasn't that reasonable, but at least there's cloth?

It wasn't like she could do anything about it.

"I'm alright with it." She finally said solemnly.

Seeing Solanum's calm form, Cinna stood up. "Let's start."

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Cinna planned to set their chariot on fire when it was their turn to roll into the streets.

Their prep team - with Effie being particularly pleased and full of praises- was excited.

Solanum didn't know how he planned to do that without scorching them to ashes, but she already verified with the man that it wouldn't burn off their clothes.

She was frankly just glad that she wasn't naked.

Clad in a simple black unitard that covered her from ankle to neck, a fluttering cape that looked as if it was licked in flames, a matching headpiece and shiny leather boots laced up to her knees, Solanum nodded at Gale as Cinna and Portia finished fussing over his position in the chariot. The two of them were in the stables, pulled on by four coal-black horses - waiting for their turn in the parade.

They didn't really talk much during the whole train ride to the Capitol. Gale preferred to keep to himself and Solanum wasn't in the mood to discuss the elephant in the room. Even with Haymitch's stunt with his shitty "stay alive" advice, Gale went with it - not even letting out his temper about their mentor's bullshit.

Haymitch, seeing that they weren't falling for his garbage, was forced to sober up and play nice before they went to the Remake Center when the two of them continued to seriously ask questions about his experience on the games and any tips he may have in surviving it.

The old pervert, then, proceeded to stress on the value attracting potential sponsors and the benefits of using their appearance and "appeal" to fish some - focusing in Gale in particular since he did have potential and becauseHaymitch wanted to rile him up for shits and giggles.

Gale didn't let himself get baited though.

(Surprisingly.)

And judging from his lack of protest from Portia's continue touch-ups, he was even taking Haymitch's advice to heart.

Gale looked good.

One could say many things about their stylists, but they did have talent.

Fitted into the same outfit as she was, although his was sleeveless, Gale's lean and muscular build was emphasized. His form painted an attractively stark picture as Portia made his face look otherworldly.

He was a bit tense though.

Ah.

"Don't worry, Hawthorne." Solanum comforted quietly at Gale's rigid form. "The flames aren't real."

Gale's form stiffened before he replied grudgingly. "I know, Everdeen."

Solanum smiled, before watching the other tributes go forward blandly.

The "Careers" - tributes from the first three districts - were especially eye-catching and from the hoots outside the massive door in front of them, they were popular with the crowd.

(As expected from the pets of the Capitol.)

When the tributes of District 11 rolled out, Cinna appeared with a torch and set their capes and headdresses on fire. It prickled her skin lightly, but the flames didn't hurt.

A quick look to her side confirmed that yes, it made Gale look dazzling and yes, he could just stand there, stare and hook sponsors left and right.

(Lucky bastard.)

Cinna beamed in relief as their two forms bathed in light. "It works." He looked at the two of them with a critical eye for the last time before he reminded. "Heads high, Solanum. Gale." He paused, before sighing. "Do what you want, but make them love you. The two of you look amazing, so I'm sure it wouldn't be hard."

Solanum nodded, agreeing since Gale's appearance more than made enough for their "team". It looked like people in the Capitol would go wild this time. "Yes."

(She wasn't wrong.)

As their chariot left and ran forward-

The roar of the crowd was deafening.

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Author's Note