✧ ⁎ ⇀ the tale's the same

finnick could feel the tightness in his body begin to loosen as he watched annie become more relaxed in front of him. he carried on wiping the tears as they fell from her face until no more came. he looked down at her tear stained face and smiled at her. her face was red all over, and small strands of hair stuck to odd places, so he took it upon himself to tuck them all back into place.

with his hand resting on her cheek, he brushed his thumb lightly over her cheekbone as he spoke. “you did so good talking to sponsors like that, you never know misty and kai could have their lives saved because of you.” finnick was the first to suggest annie take more of an active role as a mentor, he knew the gradual exposure would help her. three years ago she never would have been able to do the stuff she was doing now. he considered it a miracle she even managed to leave the suite some days. she really was a living miracle to him, and the more he thought about it, the lighter his heart became.

running a hand through her hair, he embraced her too and the pair stood there, “it’s okay.” he spoke gently whilst slowly running a hand through her hair. he felt moisture on his t-shirt again, and when he pulled away slightly he could see her, but hold her at the same time. “annie… i will never let anything happen to you. when i’m here with you, you’re safe. nobody can hurt you… never. i’ll never let it happen.” he looked at her in the eyes as he spoke the words, pledged them to her and spoke them with such conviction. finnick knew that as long as he was breathing, no harm would ever come to annie cresta.

it was hard for annie to push back against the incessant part of her repeating how burdensome she was, that she should just be able to do these things. it should be easy to want to help four’s tributes each year and actually take steps to do it; to be useful. she had been useful her whole life, every task she did had a purpose to put food on her family’s table or help a parent or sibling. and now she felt like everything was insurmountable - constantly unsure of what the next day would bring. and when she felt like she finally had solid footing it was ripped back out from under her.

but, she let finnick’s words sit. and she tried to believe them. “i hope i didn’t ruin your chance with that one sponsor,” another forced breath, “the one you were talking to when i, interrupted.” annie doubted that her brief conversations with a few of the sponsor’s on the floor would help much. they were either unsure of how to interact with her and drew their words out painfully slowly or their eyes lingered too long as they stood too close. she closed her eyes tightly and tried to focus on where she was now, focus on the warmth of finnick holding her cheek so gently. that they were so close and she felt utterly safe because of it.

“i told you, he’s this years dark horse.” royce and ember’s rekindling was as wet as raf thought it would be. despite feeling slightly nauseous as he watched the lovers embrace on screen, he was mentally thinking about the lies he could spin to the capitol sponsors for money. they loved a pair of doomed lovers, and raf at this point, was more than willing to play up to it if it meant royce came home alive. “you know his odds of winning are 250/1? i was tempted to put a bet on him, but i promised myself i wouldn’t stoop that low.” 

taking a sip from his drink, he nodded slowly after francis confirmed that raf was indeed never wrong, “i did! and everybody that doubted me can su-” he almost didn’t notice francis stopping mid sentence and when he turned to look at who had caught francis’ attention, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “are you lost?”

@annieecrcsta

from the moment the first views of the arena were shown on screen across the capitol, the scale was tipped in favor of misty and kai. tributes could learn to swim in the training center, but few things compared to growing up on the water. though annie wanted to keep herself up to date on their movements throughout the arena, she knew that watching the live feeds would prove more difficult than in past years. she still had nightmares of inescapable bodies of water that bled into her daily life; the salt in her eyes, nose, and throat.

but, she wanted to make sure they were okay. to see if there was something that could be helpful. exceptwhen annie opened the door to a viewing room, she was too caught up in her own mind to think that it may have already been occupied. when the two men conversing turned towards her, she stopped in her tracks with her hand still on the door. “i’m sorry, i should have checked before i walked in. it’s normally empty, i didn’t think-” she recognized the two people before her as victors from district six and was fairly confident that she could place their names - but her absence until recently often meant a lack of otherwise common knowledge. knowing she should say something more or just turn around and leave, annie felt stuck exactly where she was.

if life was perfect, neither of them would have to experience something like this, but calming annie down from one of her attacks had become a staple part of his life. perhaps it was his unusually calm but deeply empathetic private persona that she latched onto, when nobody had no idea how to deal with her, he had stepped in and ever since he had been the only one able to calm her down. he kept his hand firmly pressed in hers and pulled her as close to him as possible. 

whenever she was in this state he felt this overwhelming need to protect her from the whole world. by the time he got the tribute tower and into the elevator, finnick listened carefully to her fractured apologies but shook his head, “oh annie…” he spoke softly, and wiped the tears away that had started to collect down her cheeks. “you don’t have to be sorry, you never have to apologise for anything.” and he meant it. 

walking into the district four suite, he could feel himself relaxing more, holding onto both of her hands now he let her squeeze onto them as tightly as she wanted. “never feel like you have to. those parties suck anyway, but now we’re far away and we don’t have to do go back, not if you don’t want to.” laughing a little, he stood there with her, swaying gently in silence. “i’m here, i’m not going anywhere, alright?”

feeling finnick wipe away the tears that had appeared more quickly than annie had expected was centering a way that she found surprising. there were few places that were truly safe, that annie knew beyond a shadow of a doubt would hold her in place when she began to drift. and slowly, without her noticing, finnick had become one of those places. she even felt herself smiling a bit at his words, even as her breaths continued in shallow bursts and her eyes continued to scan carefully around elevator.

as soon as finnick took her hands again, annie did everything in her power to focus on only that and the words he was saying. she continued to hold onto his hands tightly and ran through a list of things she knew were true: she was with someone she trusted, she had survived, her family was waiting for her at the end of the games as they always were. she held onto each of his words, the steadiness of his voice.

finnick would have preferred it if he was with his tributes whilst the scores were announced, but in the heat of the moment sponsors were always more susceptible to swaying during the party when the scores were announced. with the tributes in the good hands of marina and lincoln, finnick and annie meandered around the party. “she’s beautiful, talented and strong - you’ll be seeing some amazing things from her in the games i know it.” a sponsor he was all too familiar with nodded slowly but kept her hand firmly on finnick’s chest, he managed to speak calmly through the growing nausea in his stomach at the unwanted physical contact. 

the sight of annie brought him so relief, she smiled at the girl as she made her way to him, but as soon as he registered the expression on her face, his own matched hers, “hey anni-” grabbing onto her hand immediately, he looked around for the closest exit so they could leave. “of course,” turning back to the sponsor, he put on his most polite voice, “i’m sorry excuse me for a moment, important mentor talk.” he said before making a beeline for the exit with annie in tow. 

he kept her close to her side, rubbing the inside of her palm with his thumb and whispered quietly in her ear. “in and out, slowly as possible through your mouth okay?” with the scores being announced, everybody’s attention was elsewhere so they got out without any trouble, he knew he just needed to get her as far away from anybody else as possible

as soon as finnick took her hand in his own, annie did her best to focus on that. the laughter was still ringing in her ears and she could almost swear she heard a cannon booming in the distance. she wasn’t sure what he said to get them away from the sponsor annie thought she recognized. it took all she had to keep her eyes trained down and her feet moving at pace as he began to move them through the crowd.

she could barely make out his words in her ear, and for a moment she forgot where she was and who she was with. but annie understood enough to try and slow her breath, though she couldn’t feel much of a difference and her lungs still felt like they were aching for air. “okay,” was all she was able to say, and she wasn’t sure it was even audible. fragmented thoughts were racing through her mind and it was impossible to grab onto one, even a small piece. the present was mixing with the past in a way that left annie confused and she tried, she tried to center herself on the fact that she was moving and voices were getting quieter. 

Marina smiled softly, nodding once.  “I appreciate that, Annie,” she told her.  Perhaps she’d even take her up on that once she knew how the pregnancy would take a toll on her body.  For now she would just find a way to keep that quiet.

“And I’d do the same for you.  I think for now we just have to…craft a plan and start talking to sponsors.  Things will work out like they’re supposed to.  I have to believe that.”

with a small smile and barely noticeable nod, annie hoped that marina would take her words to heart. in some ways, she wasn’t able to provide the same unwavering daily support that she would like to but in recent years annie wanted people to know that she would try. in the best way that she could.

a plan was predictable, steps that could be followed and fully completed with a surety that annie craved in many ways. so, annie and marina began to speak to what exactly it was that needed to be done to win over various sponsors - to guarantee misty and kai the assistance they may very well need in the arena. 

/ closed

Thalia looked gratefully at her friend. She thrived on compliments and to have Annie notice was always a much loved bonus. “I wish it wasn’t that way, but you’re absolutely right. I still haven’t found someone I trust enough to help me run the company and approve designs.” Her company was truly her baby and while she had had it for several years now, she still treated it like a fragile child. “It’s good that I like all of the work.”

“I’ll make sure that a call doesn’t come through while we chat. I don’t really want a frantic call right now either.” She chuckled lightly, thinking of a nice place to go. “How about we head up to the roof? Get as far away from everything as we can?” she suggested, looking over at the elevator.

annie couldn’t imagine thalia sharing much of her responsibility with anyone else - it had always been her venture and hers alone. “you definitely keep yourself busy,” annie said with a light laugh. thalia was never not bounding from place to place, but it was something annie hoped for herself eventually. to have that energy, that drive for something outside of her family.

“if one does, you can just say i had to pull you away. important stylist talk and all.” annie had almost used the word victor in reference to herself, but it hadn’t sat right after the near decade it had been attached to her. “the roof would be perfect, away sounds incredible,” she smiled at the suggestion. “how have things been since i saw you last? besides busy, of course,” annie inquired as the two of them walked towards the elevators.

it happened quickly and without warning. annie was used to the flutter in her chest and the way her head turn on a dime to see if there was a threat approaching her from behind. loud noises always shook her, sent a shock through her body that lingered for minutes, sometimes hours.

but in that moment, there weren’t many warning signs. in the midst of making her way through the atrium with her eyes turned down, a loud yell from a sponsor rang out through the room. the private training scores had just been announced and maybe a tribute had gotten an impressive score. but, right then, that yell sounded all too similar to the celebration from the boy from one as he and the rest of the pack left annie trembling in a sleeping pack and without a district partner. 

once the memory registered, there was a brief moment when annie could see what was happening. then her vision began to grey along the periphery, her breaths turned shallow, and everything around her was sharper, deadlier. annie hadn’t felt this way in a while, at least not in public. she needed to get out from the crowds, away from the fluorescent lights and hum of capitol accents.

for the first time, she sought out something other than promised silence and the privacy of her own room in four’s suite. she wove through the crowd until she saw him, speaking with potential sponsors for misty and kai. the young mentor couldn’t manage a smile as she approached, it took all of her energy to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks and to force her words to be audible, though barely. “finnick,” a shallow breath, “do you have a moment?” she did her best to keep her back to the sponsors she could tell he had been speaking with, to not create a scene, but desperation was written clearly across her face.. but she was running on instinct and instinct had brought her here.

Thalia giggled, feeling her phone buzz in her bag. She elected to ignore it, focusing on the wonderful person in front of her. “I don’t think so, Annie. The joys of being a business owner. But, I don’t know if I would have it any other way.” Thalia enjoyed being busy, whether it be work or anything else. Right now, work just seemed to take precedent. 

Sometimes Annie would be so good at hiding if something was bothering her. Thalia never wanted to push her to talk about it, knowing that Finnick or Marina were much better to have a talk with Annie. So, Thalia accepted her answer, even though it was what Annie always said. “That’s good. I was going to go down to the Training Center too, but I got a little swamped with people calling and emailing.” 

She shook her head. “More like there are deadlines looming and I’m needed in twenty places at once. But, I do need a moment or two to stop and catch up with a good friend. Do you think a good friend would be willing to do that?” Thalia smiled, hoping Annie would want some company in a little quiet. 

annie wasn’t sure she had met anyone who harbored just as much energy as thalia did, and in a way that was so warm. and very well put together. she continued to smile at her response - she was glad that it was a flurry of to-dos that her friend enjoyed. if it weren’t, annie doubted that thalia would make much time for it if she didn’t have her whole heart in it.

and then came the relief when she didn’t push more, ask follow-up questions. it was nice to just talk with a friend for a moment without dwelling on all that is, was, and could ever be. “i’m very impressed with how you keep up with it all, it sounds like nothing gets done without you.” thalia was nothing if not determined, and it was something that annie greatly admired.

at the suggestion that they both take a minute to catch up, annie returned thalia’s smile with one of relief. “she most definitely would. any excuse for a moment of quiet and time to catch up, as long as i won’t be on the receiving end of one of those frantic calls.” annie joked with thalia as she felt herself settle into a bit more of a comfortable rhythm. “where to?”

Annie was right.  There was no good in it, but what else could be done?  Marina certainly didn’t know.  in some ways it was better to be the Capitol’s puppet.  At least if you cooperated you would be taken care of, your family would be safe until you stepped out of line.  It was something she’d been thinking about more frequently.

“Take the time you need, Marina told her after a few moments of silent thought.  “This isn’t easy for any of us.  I’m sure Lincoln and Finnick will be happy to report back on whatever they see during training.”  She wasn’t sure if Misty and Kai would want alliances, but it was better to be safe than sorry at the end of the day.  “That’s why we make a good team.  We all have our strengths.”

annie’s smile was small, a bit of her shame made an appearance. “thank you,” she said gratefully, still fully planning on pushing herself through for the games. to be more present than she had been before. it was hard on each and every victor, survivor, mentor, all of them. but marina had been worried, she’d been nervous about the repercussions of her short absence and annie wanted to reassure her.

“they will, i’m sure misty and kai are doing well.” given the circumstances, they had both seemed relatively calm and collected. misty had proclaimed her preparation in a way that still baffled annie - that career confidence that was present in so many of the tributes from one, two, and four. somehow marina had learned what to say and when to say it, she was often the glue of four in more ways than one. “you’re right. and we can help you if you need it, you do so much.”

There wasn’t enough time for Thalia to do everything that she wanted during the training period. She felt herself spinning as she fielded calls from her interns at her company and sending emails to her prep team to test some makeup looks. Not only that, but she hadn’t quite perfected Kai’s and Misty’s interview outfits and she wanted to spend more time watching them in the Training Centre. She also wanted to make sure Marina was doing well and to see Fell. There were all kinds of people she wanted to catch up with too. 

Thankfully, one of the people that she desperately wanted to talk to had surfaced in the atrium where she stood, just hanging up on her favourite intern who had called to make sure she was alright. “Annie!” Thalia exclaimed, shoving her phone in her purse and slinging it over her shoulder. “I am a busy bee, but otherwise I’ve been doing pretty well. You look absolutely lovely today.” 

“How have you been? Doing okay so far?” Thalia couldn’t help but make sure Annie was okay. She knew that everyone on the team liked to make sure she was doing well, but Thalia saw Annie as a little sister and wanted to be the best friend (and sister) she could be, unlike her own sisters. “Are you headed anywhere in particular?”

the energy thalia possessed was rivaled by few others - and it was a surprisingly predictable flurry of activity that brought a smile to annie’s face. seeing her friend almost empowered when they were in the capitol was different than what she experienced with so many of her fellow victors - and she had grown past the jealousy. “are you ever not busy?” annie asked with a lightness to her voice that hadn’t been there previously. the dread and unease were still present, yes, but they could be held without annie crumbling under them.

and, for these few moments, she would enjoy that. “i’m doing well,” annie employed her usual response to the question she was so often asked. it helped no one for her to say that it was taking all of her energy to keep her heart rate down, to block out the onslaught of sounds that could so easily remind her of the arena. to try and keep herself centered on the person in front of her. but, for annie, that was well.

“i was going to take a look down in the training center, but i thought i’d enjoy a bit of the quiet while it lasts.” if what was currently going on in the atrium could be considered quiet. there was the usual bustle of the tower, with only a few less sponsors than normal and some tributes and mentors still taking their time meandering down from various floors. “are you flying between meetings today?”

“thank you.” he let out a small sigh of relief. he didn’t know if he would have been able to resist for much longer. the need to talk about the shitty situation he was in had began to grow more and more in the recent months, but the desire to protect annie from it all was stronger. the less she knew the better. her invitation of help made him smile, she really was too good for him - he thought it was almost magically that despite everything, she was there and ready to support him. “i will.”  

despite the silent understanding between them, finnick didn’t know if annie felt it too - but it seemed as though, metaphorically speaking, there were on some sort of bridge neither of them were able to cross. still, he ignored it and instead decided to focus on something else, “i don’t know if i should tell you this, but i was talking to lincoln and there’s a girl he likes. you should have seen the look on his face when he was talking about her.”

annie had always been much better at offering help than receiving. she had never been comfortable with assistance from other people, needing much of anything at all. life, the games, had another course in mind and she had been handed a circumstance where that support, that need, was instrumental. it was only with hope that annie awaited the moment where finnick felt comfortable sharing with her whatever it was that rested heavily between them now. and did her best to not nurture the seed of hurt resting in her chest.

“i can’t.” he replied almost immediately. it did matter, and he knew he was acting strangely, but the facade that he so easily put up for other people seemed to be crumbling down in front of him. and when she smiled, he could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes but he blinked them away as quickly as they came. if there was one person he was going to break down in front of - he really didn’t want it to be annie.

when she held onto his hand again, he immediately squeezed it back, and he could feel his heart ache. sometimes he fantasised about being just another guy in district four, and getting to know annie and being able to take her out on dates, to help her feel more comfortable in water, tell her how beautiful she was and everything else she needed to hear. but he was finnick odair, the capitol’s golden boy - that was never going to be his life and he just had to accept it, even though it killed him inside. he gave her a sad smile instead and shook his head again. “i want to, i really do, but i can’t.” 

annie sat in silence as finnick responded. she had always been the one to crumble, publicly, to need what felt like an entire team to keep her together and functioning. never had she seen finnick even close to that, this adamant about not telling her. though it tugged at something deep in her gut and felt like a wall that hadn’t been there before, annie only held onto his hand tighter, met his gaze, and said slowly, quietly, “okay.”

Projecting confidence was all they could really do.  It was the difficulty that came with being a mentor.  There was something so cruel about watching these kids, getting your hopes up every year, then seeing them die.  It was almost as though the arena wasn’t the punishment.  It was everything that came after, the haunting faces of these innocent children that was the truly cruel twist of fate.

“I met the little girl from District Ten,” Marina told Annie.  “She’s young, innocent, and I don’t think she talks much.  It’s going to be absolutely heartbreaking when she dies.”  There was no way she would live.  After Pixel…it seemed so unlikely.  No tribute under fourteen had ever one and that girl from Ten was definitely not fourteen yet.  She was so sweet.  “I hate this.”  Huffing in frustration, her shoulders sagged.  “Have you seen any of them?”

annie remembered the girl from ten from the short glimpses of the reapings she watched - the youngest tributes each year often affected everyone more deeply. even as she was approaching a decade having passed since her own games, annie hadn’t grown used to seeing the groups of children brought into the capitol with a single one leaving at the end. based on the interactions she had with the other victors, she doubted that ever went away.

annie sank a bit further into the couch despite her body tensing at marina’s words, “there’s no good in it.” she knew saying anything against the story the capitol sold - that the games were a reminder of what life was like before the capitol, a punishment and a reward wrapped beautifully in gossip and stories - was dangerous. simply, dangerous. as small as annie cresta’s words were, they could be considered treason. “i haven’t yet,” she responded, looking back up at marina from her hands. “i’ve been trying to get down to the training center, watch the reapings.” it had been hard, and she hated having to say it to marina again.

annie felt as though she should make an appearance in the training center; she had no academy experience, no real practice with weaponry, but there were always things to learn about misty and kai to try and give them their best chance in the arena. the first time she attempted to make her way to the lower level of the tower, annie took a step in the room for what felt like a single moment before promptly turning around and leaving. the light reflecting off of the weapons and sound of clashing metal were quickly overwhelming and she knew it would be of no help to her tributes or mentor team for her to be present in that state. if anything, it would be a topic for the gossip mill.

and so, on the second day, annie tried to prepare herself for the memories that still felt so near and yet another place that hadn’t changed in many ways since her own games. and tried not to wish too hard that things were easier. on her way down she, thankfully, spotted a familiar face that she must have missed in four’s suite earlier that morning. 

“thalia, how are you? it’s been so long,” annie asked with a smile as she greeted her friend and stylist in the main area of the tower. it had felt like ages since they had time to speak together and dread was building in such a way that made the young woman grateful for a bit of a distraction.

Marina was glad to shift the topic away from herself.  Keeping the truth secret for now, it was hard.  She knew people were worried about her and she couldn’t fault them for that.  After all, Marina was in a constant state of worry about her victors.

“I’m glad to hear that, Annie,” Marina told her.  She worried about the girl and knew how difficult things could be for her.  “If Kai isn’t Academy trained we’ll probably need Finnick and Lincoln to give him a crash course in weapons.  That’s not a problem though…I’m sure he’ll do fine.”  She could have done the weapons too.  Archery had always been her strong suit and she could do that even if she was expecting.

“We’ve got a shot with these two.  We just have to remember that.”

“i’m sure he will,” annie replied - doing her best to inject a sense of confidence and conviction into her tone. and she reminded herself that she’d like to speak with kai more before he entered the arena, to hopefully provide a bit of support to the boy who volunteered without a day of academy training to his name. a position she had already imagined her own siblings being put in time and time again if her name had been pulled from the reaping bowl when they were still eligible. 

with a centering breath and focus on the fabric of the furniture she was sitting on, annie was able to prevent herself from traveling down that alternate reality. “i really hope so.” and she did, genuinely. though the thought of one of them coming home as a victor did nothing to lessen the blow of the two of them being in the capitol in the first place - the cruelty of it all.

“have you seen any of the other tributes yet?” annie herself hadn’t been able to watch the reapings, despite knowing that so many mentors would for the sake of their tributes.

finnick regretted his admission the second it had left his mouth. annie wasn’t stupid, naturally she’d enquire further about it and he felt himself shut down immediately. it wasn’t even voluntary, the second he felt someone get too close, or even learn too much he pushed them away and he could feel himself wanting to do that with annie, even though he knew deep down he wouldn’t really want that.

“it doesn’t matter, please just forget i said anything.” he laughed at the idea of simply getting out of them, or even just saying no. “it’s not that easy.” it was never that easy, and it seemed as though it never would be. “it’s fine, don’t worry about me.”

the room got colder, somehow, and annie felt further from finnick than she had in a very long time despite their physical closeness. “it does matter,” she said softly, truly wanting him to believe what she was saying. this wasn’t nothing, whatever it was he was talking about. they had talked about nothing before and this felt impossibly different. she knew enough of her own experience as a victor and that of her fellow victors, but finnick hadn’t mentioned his distaste for the lifestyle before unless he missed being there for something in particular - or for her.