━━･❪ 🌸 ❫ ･━━

At first, Daphne wasn't quite sure what to do other than grip onto the edge of the chariot for dear life out of fear that she'd go tumbling off onto the road and get trampled by District Eleven behind them. Now that would be one way to make a name for herself.

Daphne had watched the opening ceremony in previous years; they all had. She remembered how tributes would wave, smile, and blow kisses to win over the crowd's favor and draw in potential sponsors. That was what Theron was currently doing, his inner flair really coming out with that contagious smile as he whooped and handed out kisses that people reached for as if they were gold.

Even Azalea was grinning and waving in a royal-like fashion. Funny how she was pretending to be regal and respectable when behind the locked doors of her history with Daphne said quite differently. But if Azalea could attempt to be pleasant, so could Daphne.

A rose smacked Daphne in the back of the head, its thorns getting tangled in her hair. She pulled it out, plastered a ridiculously delighted grin to her face and hugged the flower to her chest, burying her nose in its blood-red petals.

Another rose came flying, then another, then another. Daphne only managed to catch one more, a white one stripped of thorns.

An idea popped into her mind, one harmless yet daring enough that her heart rate began to pick back up. She debated it with herself for quite a bit as she blew some of her own kisses and cheered with the crowd. But the chariot ride would be coming to an end soon, since the Presidential Palace was now in sight, so if she were to act she better act fast.

Sucking in a breath, heart hammering like the infatuated schoolgirl she was, Daphne offered the white rose to Caelum. His eyebrows went up as he stared at her outstretched hand, then lifted his gaze to hers. The light flickered out from his eyes.

A terrifying thought flashed through Daphne's mind. What if he refused, and thus humiliated her in front of the entirety of Panem?

She gave Caelum what she hoped seemed like an unarmed, sincere smile. To her relief and inner glee, he returned it, revealing small dimples on either side of his lips. His fingers, soft and warm, brushed hers gently as he took the white rose and made a show of treasuring it with that stupidly handsome grin of his.

Something was off, however. There was a certain tenseness in his features that showed through now, subtly giving away the fact to anyone who paid attention and knew him well enough that this was all for show.

The chariots gathered around the vast courtyard of the Presidential Palace, and the current president Chrysanth Frose stood atop the balcony. Her skin was a pasty white hue that contrasted her hair, a shade of black so dark it was nearly purple. Those unnatural locks were curled beneath a dramatic headdress adorned with jewels and feathers unlike anything Daphne had ever seen. Frose's booming voice was projected from hidden speakers, ensuring that everyone heard her loud and clear as she gave a speech honoring the tributes' bravery and patriotism. As if most of them had had a choice.

Throughout the damned speech, Daphne was still buzzing with carefully contained giddiness. Part of her wanted to climb onto that balcony and scream for all of Panem to hear, "I GAVE A ROSE TO CAELUM CAFLISCH AND HE SMILED AT ME!"

The other part of her hated herself for acting like such a lovestruck fool in spite of everything. There were much more pressing matters at hand, such as how to face her incoming death, than if a stupid boy noticed her or not. Especially when it seemed that her gesture had somehow disturbed him, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

It was just for show, Daphne tried to convince herself. If they weren't on live television, trying to appear favorable to save their sorry lives, Caelum would've just walked away without so much as a cocked eyebrow.

***

To be completely honest, Daphne was wrapped in guilty fantasies throughout the entirety of Frose's speech. The chariots made their way back to the Remake Center after the crowd had finished ooh-ing and ahh-ing at them, and then they were all swept back into their prep rooms to get ready for the dreaded Banquet.

Whatever the tributes wore to the Banquet made just as big of an impact as their outfits for the Parade and the Interviews that were to come in a couple days. Marv and the prep team did quite a phenomenal job on Daphne's dress, if Daphne were to say so herself. As strange as her team was, they were truly fashion geniuses.

The bodice, though tight, was a gorgeous navy velvet embroidered with glimmering silver swirls and sparkles like stardust. The skirt reached down to her heels, but didn't drag on the ground. It was made of layers of tulle, the color of the night sky, splashed with hundreds of silver glitters. Black lace wrapped around Daphne's upper forearms, long dark veils attached to it flowing out behind her.

She noticed that the veils and the skirt would subtly shift colors as she moved, ranging from black to navy to dark purple. A glimmering silver circlet rested across her forehead, thin strips of metal entwined together, a droplet of blue crystal resting at the center. It went rather well with her plum blossom pendant, her prep team having allowed her to wear it.

All of that plus subtle navy highlights and glitters by her eyes made Daphne feel like something of a night goddess. A lump of grief formed in her throat upon the realization that Aedon had been wearing a celestial suit that matched this dress during his Banquet. She'd watched him dance with Theia on television, looking like an archangel from the stars.

Daphne turned to Marv, swallowing back tears. "You styled him too, didn't you?"

Marv answered with a bittersweet smile, emotions dancing across her eyes. Genuine. Daphne couldn't help but smile back as old grief began gnawing at her heart. To be wearing the twin of her brother's own suit... she had no idea how Marv had known what this would mean to her.

Unlike in the Tribute Parade, the stylists didn't need to worry about matching or any sort of themed outfits for the tributes during the Banquet. It was less coordination and more just figuring out what would make the particular tribute stand out amongst their peers.

The sun had set, and Daphne's stomach was rumbling for dinner by the time she arrived in the lowest level of the Remake Center once again. The ride to the Presidential Palace where the Banquet took place was similar to the Tribute Parade, except instead of open chariots, the tributes sit in fairytale-esque carriages. Crowds would still gather and cheer, but somehow Daphne felt a bit... safer. Less exposed with a roof over her head and the threat of falling off the damn thing eliminated.

Daphne was one of the last tributes to arrive, since Marv had taken considerable time styling the upper layer of her hair into an elegant twist, leaving the rest of it down and flowing. The golden-white streaks had been dyed a dark blue to match the aesthetic.

Azalea, Theron and Caelum were waiting by the District Ten carriage, a glimmering bronze-tan thing adorned by engravings of various livestock swirling along its sides. On top, a pair of golden bullhorns stretched towards the sky.

As Daphne approached, Theron sauntered up to greet her, twirling smoothly on his heels. His slim-fitting maroon suit jacket glittered like a disco ball, bringing out his tawny-colored skin. Frills fanned out from beneath his collar and the cuffs of his sleeves, the red fabric folded in intricate patterns. "I like the vibe, Daph."

"Thanks," Daphne chuckled, "you look pretty bright and shiny yourself. What's with all the swagger?"

"I'm planning to snag a bunch of sponsors tonight," he said with a confident smirk, running a hand through his slicked back curls. "I've been practicing the whole day."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Daphne assured him, casting a glance over his shoulder at the pair of not-so-subtle District Nine girls. "You've already got some girls giggling after you and all you've done is spin around a couple times."

Theron glanced behind him and flashed the girls a wink. Daphne rolled her eyes and pushed past him, thought not without an amused smirk. It was about time to board the carriages, the steady drone of voices upon voices growing gradually louder with last-minute touches to makeup and clothing.

Azalea had already vanished into the carriage, but Caelum remained outside, his stylist adjusting the cuff of his sleeve. Like Theron, he too wore a fitted suit jacket, except his was a shade of pale celestial silver embroidered with swirling designs. His collar didn't have any frills, which was probably a good thing or else Daphne might've laughed at him, but it did creep partially up his slender neck. Under his jacket was a white vest over an even whiter shirt, paired with silver leather pants.

Daphne tried not to blush, or think he looked all that cute. Tried and failed.

His eyes met hers, lingered, then slid away. There was that same hollowness in them that made her stomach churn.

Azalea and Theron were already in the carriage, the latter peering excitedly out the window and the former sitting taut in the corner across from him. It was rather cramped inside, having been built for only two tributes normally. Soft, plush benches covered in velvet faced each other in the narrow compartment.

Daphne slid into the bench next to Theron, not quite wanting to sit beside Azalea. Her bushy hair spread across her shoulders in a sea of brown. Her dress resembled layers of green and yellow leaves flowing down around her body and trailing on the ground by her pointed, elf-like shoes. Paired with the dark green eyeshadow that her prep team had gone heavy on, she was probably meant to look something like a nature fairy, but personally Daphne thought she looked oddly like a gorse bush.

Caelum made his way into the carriage a minute after, and all too soon they were rolling through the gates and into the cheering crowds beyond. The compartment was tall enough that they could all comfortably stand, even Caelum who was a whole head taller than Daphne. The four of them perched by the window, waving out to the crowd. The cacophonous roar rang in Daphne's ears even through the carriage walls, but it wasn't nearly as immersive as when they were on the open chariots. That left a strange sense of silence in the compartment.

Azalea's voice broke it, soft and somewhat awkward. "Should we decide who's going to dance with who?"

Daphne's smile faltered. Of course, she'd been dreading this conversation. Since there were now four tributes per district, it added the extra sticky step of deciding who's going with who. If it had been just two, there wouldn't have been a choice.

"Probably," Daphne snorted. "Anyone got any preferences or should we do rock-paper-scissors?"

"Personally, I think maroon and green pair well together." Theron quipped, never once taking his eyes off the crowd outside the window. "Maroon and navy wouldn't bring too much contrast. Maroon and silver somewhat give me peppermint vibes, which is a bit on-the-nose, don't you think?"

Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it.

"Trust me," Caelum added with a light chuckle. "If I went to the Banquet with you, Theron, our friends at home are never gonna let either of us hear the end of it."

"Yeah, 'cause they'll be too busy laughing at how we look like a frickin' candy cane."

"In other words," Daphne said through gritted teeth, "you want to go with Azalea."

"Precisely," Theron grinned from ear to ear. "That is, if she agrees to go with me as well."

"Oh, of course." Azalea cut in a bit too quickly. Daphne cast her a side glance which Azalea met with surprising intensity. Azalea knew exactly what she was doing, and it made Daphne want to punch her all over again.

Daphne turned to Caelum with a smirk, the amusement having faded almost instantly from his eyes. A small flame of excitement and nervousness flickered to life at the bottom of her stomach.

"Well, howdy partner."

━━･❪ 🌸 ❫ ･━━