OLIVE WAS WORKING ON LUNA'S HAIR WHEN THERE WAS A KNOCK ON THE DOOR. The Geyser girl had been sitting in that chair for two hours, so she literally jumped at the chance to get up and stretch her legs. She was already heading toward the door as she said, "I got it."

"Careful! The gel hasn't set yet!" Olive called after her, and Luna began to walk a bit slower because there was no way that she was going to sit there and get her hair redone.

There was another knock, and Luna took longer strides because the person seemed to be impatient. She grabbed the handle and swung open the door to see a very familiar shirtless man standing in front of her. "Long time, no see."

"Finnick!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the man that she hadn't seen in a little less than a year.

"I missed you too," he chuckled, hugging her back. When she pulled away, he pulled something out of his pocket and held it out to her in offering. "Chocolate?"

She gladly accepted one, plopping it into her mouth as she glanced at him. He was already all oiled up, looking as tan and doll-like as ever. He genuinely looked like he was made of plastic because he was so perfect. She asked in shock, "How are you ready already?"

"It doesn't take much to make me perfect," he pointed out, and she rolled her eyes and he turned in a circle, gesturing to his outfit. "How do I look?"

"Very naked," she commented because it pretty much just consisted of a fishnet flap around his waist, barely covering anything. She knew they wanted him to look desirable, but this was a lot.

"I know," he chuckled, wiping his hands on her robe when he finished his chocolate. He glanced back into the hallway and closed the door behind him. "I've got about half an hour before my escort finds me."

She shrugged because she didn't really have anything for him to do, but she would really enjoy some company. "Well, you're welcome to hang out and watch me get dolled up."

"My kind of fun," he joked, and they walked back into the bathroom where Olive was waiting, hairspray in hand. He grinned at her as Luna sat back down in the chair. "Well, if it isn't the stunning Olive Nightheart."

"You flirt too much, Mr. Odair," Olive replied, shaking her head with a smile.

He smirked at her, and Luna wondered how he was so charismatic with everyone, especially in this situation. He responded, "Only with beautiful women."

"Hey, you have a fiance," Luna reminded him, reaching back and smacking him on the arm. Whether they were about to head into their death or not, he loved Annie and only Annie.

Olive raised her eyebrows at him in shock, and she brought her hand to her chest jokingly, pretending like she was heartbroken at the news. "Fiance?"
"Annie Cresta," he answered with a grin before frowning like the news that he was giving was the worst in the world, which, to many women, it was. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"Very pretty girl," Olive commented, remembering the girl from a few years ago.

Luna nodded in agreement. She had met Annie once while negotiating allies with Finnick during her Games. She was the sweetest person ever, but the Games really affected her. "Such a shame it's wasted on this guy."

《 ✽ 》

LUNA FELT VERY EXPOSED. Olive had tried to cover her up as much as possible, but Talon's stylist had designed the costumes. She was in a bikini with wires dangling from every place you could possibly dangle wires from. Some magical substance made it look like they were active, with electricity visibly buzzing around them.

As soon as she got down to her carriage, she had to get away because Talon's eyes kept lingering on her exposed skin, and it was grossing her out. So, she began walking down the carriages until she spotted someone she knew. It did not take long, since District 7 was only a few carriages down.

She spotted Johanna in second because she was shouting at her district partner about something. She was in a dress that made her skin look like bark, since 7 was known for their lumber. Luna pretending to just be strolling past as Johanna turned around and rolled her eyes. Then, she bumped into the Mason woman. As Johanna spun around like she was about to go off again, Luna commented, "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry. I thought you were a tree."

"Haha. You're so funny," Johanna replied sarcastically, but a smile appeared on her face at the sight of her friend. She glanced up and down, examining her outfit quickly.

Luna raised her eyebrows because the District 4 carriage only had Mags in it when she was up there. She assumed that the Odair man was off stirring up trouble or possibly something good. "Where did Finnick go?"

"To talk to Everdeen," the Mason woman answered with a shrug. "He passed a couple minutes ago."

"Why?" the Geyser girl questioned. She knew that Katniss would be a fairly good ally, but she definitely wasn't trustworthy. Chances were that she would turn on them the second they showed any threatening signs.

"Who knows why Finnick does anything?" Johanna sighed. He definitely had a reason. A lot of people underestimated Finnick because of his looks, but he was actually very smart. He thought everything out. "You look sexy."

Luna smiled at the compliment, and she replied, "You look bark-like." It was true, though Johanna still looked sexy, despite the fact that it seemed like she was about to start growing leaves.

"You can go now," Johanna told her, her face dropping.

Luna just grinned, blowing her a kiss as she turned around to head back to her own float. As she did so, she collided with someone's chest and leg, and she felt her brace slip a little bit. The person's panicked voice quickly said, "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," she replied, reaching down to readjust the brace before looking up and meeting the eyes of the District 12 Victor. She remembered seeing him the previous year, but something had changed. He looked older and more mature, even though he was less than a year younger than her. "Peeta, right? I'm Luna."

"I know," he replied, and when he seemed to realize that might be a weird thing to say, he corrected. "I mean, nice to meet you."

She smiled at him. "Good luck."

"Yeah, you too," he replied, and she chuckled as he brushed past her, careful not to step on her leg, and back toward his carriage. He was a lot nicer than most Victors she had interacted with. Most of them would have just told her to watch where she was going, but he was kind.

She got back to the carriage just in time as the parade started. Last year, Katniss and Peeta gained a lot of sponsors by holding hands and showing that they were together. However, no amount of sponsors was worth holding hands with Talon. So, when he reached for hers as they pulled out into the stadium, Luna just snapped, "Don't touch me." 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

guys, peeta looked really good in the tribute parade scene, i love him so much <3 

side note: i'm watching station 19, and why is there never a happy episode?