- ̗̀ nolie reyes ̖́-

Oakley had no reason left to be watching the Games, but there wasn’t much else for her to be doing.  Existing in the tower was…different.  She could find Birch and maybe do something fun, but she also didn’t want to annoy Birch by always being around.  Maybe someday she would find a happy balance, but she wasn’t sure that day was today.

Still, she wanted to check on the screens, see how close to the end things were, so she rolled her chair into the viewing room, Everly trotting along right beside her.  The puppy was slowly but surely figuring out everything she needed to do.

Nolie was there and Oakley smiled.  “No problem.  Honestly, I don’t think you missed anything important.  Things seem quite, which means all hell is probably going to break loose any minute.”

“Quiet is never good,” Nolie noted with a solemn nod. At the entrance of the fellow service dog, Charlie looked up with a happy wag of his tail. Nolie noted how well Everly was doing: Oakley was a good teacher. 

She picked up her bag from the floor, taking it out of Oakley’s path. “She’s doing great,” Nolie added, smiling at Everly. “She’s figuring it all out super quick. I can only hope Charlie’s successor does as well. Has it been difficult doing it from your chair?” she asked, curious to discuss the differences in training. While she dealt with mostly mental challenges, it was interesting to her that Oakley had found so much success even with her physical challenges. 

Ember was gone, and Pixel felt nauseous. 

In truth, she, once again, wasn’t quite sure how to feel. Ember hadn’t really felt like “her tribute”, considering he was about two years older than her and probably knew what he was doing more than she ever had in her own arena. She hadn’t expected one of her tributes to win, especially not so soon after her own victory, but that loss and responsibility had an oddly weighty feel to it, and Pixel didn’t know how to respond. 

And then, suddenly, there was Nolie, on the phone, taking care of business as she tended to do. 

Over the past year, Pixel had had a hard time opening up to and trusting mentors that weren’t from her own district. They’d all tried to assist in her murder, after all (Pixel had explicitly not brought that point up to Wiress, knowing she’d disapprove). But Nolie had helped out with Pixel’s claustrophobia post-arena with the coloring book, as much as Pixel hadn’t really wanted to accept it, and during her victory tour, Nolie had taken Pixel into her home. She’d assured her that if any of Leon’s family tried anything with her, Nolie would have her back. Pixel had purposefully avoided Brutus and them, but with Nolie on her side it seemed she didn’t have to expend nearly as much energy into keeping away from District Two. 

“Hi,” Pixel said softly, taking a seat in the adjacent couch. “No, not really. Our boy died this morning. I think I should be sad about it, but, like… I don’t know.”

“Hi, Pixel,” Nolie said warmly, giving a bright smile up to the younger girl. She felt her heart ache a little as she remembered that they’d lost Ember that morning. And surely enough, that was the reason for Pixel’s soft tone. 

“I heard,” she said quietly. Ares had told her earlier in the day, and the first thing she’d thought of was Pixel. “It’s okay to not know how you feel, or to feel like you should be more sad,” Nolie consoled her. “It’s a tough thing, the first time. Everyone takes it differently. Have you talked to your team?” She didn’t want to overstep, and figured perhaps someone who hadn’t been raised in a death academy might be a little more equipped to handle the situation. 

But then again, Nolie had also mentored at fifteen. Maybe this was something she could do.

Ares had gotten done in the training room showers and had gone back to the Second Floor to get a couple of drinks and relax now that their tributes were dead. He was going to hang around to make sure there was nothing else that needed done as Josiah and Ingrid’s bodies were being prepped and put in their caskets to be shipped back to District Two. He was the trainer, so more than likely he wasn’t going to be dealing with that, but he wasn’t going to risk ditching before it was time. 

As he got back up to the Second Floor, however, he took notice of Nolie on the couch on the phone, but his eyes immediately went to Charlie that was not a foot away from her on the floor. His heart launched to his throat and he nearly backed out of the floor completely at the sight of the dog. So he stood as far back as he could, trying to be as calm as he could. Except as Nolie got off the phone and greeted him, it came to his attention that he and Nolie’s last conversation hadn’t ended well. Ares had made a poor joke to her and had caused her anguish. That was something he needed to try and rectify.

“Other than the boy from Three drowning, not really,” Ares said, trying to keep the shake out of his voice from Charlie being in the room with him.

At the sound of Ares’ voice, Nolie perked up. “Charlie, tuck in,” she called, bringing him in closer for Ares’ comfort. Charlie tucked himself in at her feet, curling in with his head down. “Hey,” she replied. “Shit, that’s a hell of a way to go. Scary stuff,” she remarked. 

Things were tense between her and Ares after they’d last spoken, and they hadn’t exchanged much more than tight-lipped comments about sponsors since. But she cared about him, as a member of Two’s team. Even if it was hard for Nolie to not hold a grudge, she also recognized when it was time to stop being petty. 

“How are you doing?” she asked, reaching into her purse for a chew toy for Charlie, to keep him busy and still. “Things are quiet, it’s weird. I’m too much of a perfectionist to be satisfied with losing our kids this early.” 

Lark all but collapsed on the chair beside nolie’s couch, waving to the dog and the girl each. but she was on the phone, Lark would be concious of that. 

when she got off the phone, lark answered her. “there’s only a few left. getting down to the wire. but no, nothing’s sttarted today. they’ve got to be getting ready to throw something at them, though. mind if i turn it on?” lark still had laurel to worry about.

“or did you mean in the press?” she joked. “because apparently i’m pregnant again with enobaria’s kid. never mind the fact that it’s not possible for… a few reasons.” they were both girls being one, the other being lark had her tubes tied shortly before the 77th. 

“onto things the press are right about, though. how’s lincoln?”

“Go for it,” she agreed. “I should probably stay up to date.” She patted her lap to let Charlie jump up onto her, and he settled in on the couch with his head on her lap. “Your girl’s doing really well.”

Nolie let out a loud laugh before covering her mouth. The things the press came up were almost funny. Except when they involved her. “Love that for you two. Remind me to organize your baby shower.” She smiled at the mention of Lincoln and shrugged. “How do you know they’re right?” she said, trying to hide her smile. But Lark had always had this special place in her heart. It was hard to be dishonest around her. “He’s good... we’re good. Only because I trust you not to sell our secrets to the press.” 

Serenity had hope, but she was still bracing for Dahlia’s cannon to fire. She was in uncharted territory now. This was the longest she had gone in days looking out for a tribute. Freya had been 5th the year before, but the Arena had been a short one. The Arena length was most likely going to double from last year if something didn’t happen. 

She entered a viewing room, hoping to watch alone for a little bit, but was pleasantly surprised to find Nolie Reyes and the good boy Charlie occupying the room. Serenity blew a kiss to Charlie and sat on the arm of the couch while Nolie finished up her call. 

“The shipwreck seems to be getting some action,” she pointed out, gesturing to the whirlpools that were swirling around it. Serenity hoped that Dahlia was smart enough to get off the shipwreck if she wasn’t already back on the island. “Teaching a dance class here? I bet the little ones will be a bit better than I’ve ever been in any of your classes.” 

“That’s terrifying,” Nolie mused, finally looking up at the screen to see the creature raising out of the depths of the water surrounding the Arena. “I feel bad for kids in Arenas with big monsters. I’ve been there.” Nolie looked away, then, back to her calendar. The Kraken was too alike to some of the dinosaurs in her Arena.

She nodded. “Hoping to maybe get some of my classes in now and be able to stay in Two a little more. I’m usually... busier,” she sighed. “The way they train these Capitol kids, it’s crazy. They’re really good and have a different kind of work ethic than they have in Two, you know? In Two they’re training for this kind of power and glory. The Capitol kids seem to train just for the hell of it, just to be the best. It’s different than the Academy stuff.” But she smiled at Serenity’s comment. “You’re not bad, honestly. I’ve seen worse.”

And with no work to do, Nolie had nothing to distract her from thinking about how she’d failed as a mentor, yet again. She had Lincoln to distract her sometimes, sure (she still couldn’t believe that this was happening, that they were a thing), but Lincoln had a tribute still alive, and Nolie knew the work that involved. 

“Yes, I can book a class that day,” Nolie said, looking down at her planner as she lounged on one of the couches in the viewing room, her phone held to her ear. Charlie lounged on the floor beside the couch, keeping an eye on the door for her. With the extra time she now had, she opted to pick up a couple of dance teaching gigs. Maybe she could reduce the amount of Capitol trips she had to make. “Minis? Sure. I can be ready for mini groups. Yes. Two different combos? Sure. Okay. Yes. I’m looking forward to it too. Yes, the little ones are my favourites. Thank you.” She pressed the end call button and scribbled a few notes into her planner, looking up to realize someone else had entered while she’d been talking. 

“I’m off the phone now, thanks for letting me finish that,” she offered, still looking down at her calendar. “Did I miss anything good?” // @ttwstarters

finley got a friend. 

if there was any tribute who could spin losing a telescope for a plush parrot into a positive, it was finley, allegra knew that for sure. as soon as it was revealed that finley made it out of the bloodbath alive, allegra immediately went to her laptop. talking to sponsors in person was more difficult for her, but she was a whiz online, and she began scouring the forums and blogs online in order to see what the reaction to finley was.

it wasn’t until she saw the reflection of a person in her computer screen that she even realized someone was standing behind her. her attention snapped to them, she smiled, and then moved her computer bag from its place on the bar to the floor so that they could come sit next to her if they wanted. // @ttwstarters

Ingrid and Josiah were okay, and Nolie was okay. 

She’d watched the initial launch with Lincoln, and then reluctantly had to head down to tackle the whole getting sponsors situation. It wasn’t going to be a huge problem, but given that as she’d walked down she’d heard Ares cheering wildly, she worried that her team might be a little inebriated. It wasn’t a problem taking on the responsibility of day one sponsors, but Nolie opted to swing by the bar and grab a drink first. 

There weren’t any free seats, except for one beside one of the escorts, and Nolie cleared her throat awkwardly. “Excuse me?” she asked, to no reply. But then when the girl spotted her in the reflection, Nolie smiled at her as she moved her bag. “Thank you,” she replied. Nolie didn’t know most of the Capitolites here well, but she did know that one of the escorts wasn’t able to hear, and she guessed that it was this girl. Nolie ordered a diet soda and then turned her attention to the escort. 

She placed a hand on the girl’s arm to get her attention. “You have Finley, right?” Nolie asked, making sure to face her fully so she could read her lips. She didn’t quite know if what was “She’s doing great. You must be really proud of her.” Nolie had purposely tried to keep her distance from the littles this year. She’d had her heart broken too many times before.

“I’m a lot less brave than you give me credit for.” He mumbled softly, drawing soft circles against her back absentmindedly. It felt so calming to have her this close. “I couldn’t have lasted this long without you or Four’s other mentors.” Lincoln would have fallen to pieces even more without them in his life. “But we do draw on each other, and that makes us stronger. It makes us more than the victors people look up to.”

Lincoln’s lips curled into a lopsided smile against Nolie’s forehead. She hadn’t pulled away, and that closeness meant the world to him. It felt like a step in the direction he’d been seriously considering, since they first danced together in the training center. Everything weighing him down melted away in that moment, and the young man instantly became addicted. He only yearned for it and her more in the months that followed. 

“I want to be there for you too, if you’ll have me.” Lincoln mumbled so softly that he wasn’t sure if she heard him. He hoped she did.

The young man thought to ask, but Nolie’s lips connected with his, and his mind instantly muddled. Lincoln Conway hadn’t allowed himself to kiss anyone else since that ill-fated Quarter Quell three years prior. His actions in the Games left him feeling he’d never been good enough for a connection like that again. That was until he and Nolie Reyes started getting closer, and he seemed to want it more and more.

He ardently returned her kiss with every bit of emotion he felt. Lincoln continued to hold Nolie close, and he moved his lips against her softly. After a few moments, he pulled away almost reluctantly just to take the moment in. He allowed himself a few moments to gaze at Nolie with all the admiration he could muster before leaning in and kissing her again.

There was a moment before she kissed him that Nolie was afraid: afraid of rejection, afraid that she’d been wrong about what she’d felt between them. But as he kissed her back, there was nothing to be afraid of. Everything melted away, leaving just the two of them.

Kissing Lincoln was somehow everything she’d expected and more. He was so soft, for someone who had been through so much. The way he held her felt like he thought she could break at any moment, and when she was this vulnerable, she felt like she could. She’d never been held like this before, been looked at like this before.

It was as though he was the only thing holding her up. 

She beamed back at him as she pulled away for just a moment to look up at him. "So you like me, like me, then?” Nolie asked between kisses, breathless and eager. She stretched up onto her toes, curled her body closer to his, aching to be impossibly close. “Good. I like you, like you, too.” 

TASK 008 // DO IT FOR THE VINE

TASK 010 // CHARACTER Q&A

or; the story of how magnolia jane reyes loses everything | flashback during the 72nd Games. (tw: death, tw: grief, tw: blood)

Nolie’s job, granted to her by the rest of the pack, is keeping watch. She does so from her spot laying on the top of the Cornucopia, the lightest and smallest and most agile one of the group making it easy for her to climb up. Nolie’s sitting on top of the Cornucopia when she sees the tributes coming. “Guys-guys-guys,” she hisses, sliding from the top of the rustically-themed structure and slipping back inside of it. “There’s somebody coming. And fast.”

“There’s other people in here, sweetie,” Elliana says, absentmindedly admiring her bow.

“No, like… she’s coming-coming.” Nolie explains. She flicks the butterfly knife in and out of its sheath. “Two of them. Headed right for us.”

KING AND LIONHEART | A NOLIN PLAYLIST : a playlist for magnolia reyes and lincoln conway, for the young lovers, for where the mountains meet the sea, for the tol and the smol. // @linconway

WOULD YOU BE SO KIND? | DODIE ( for that first crush )    “i think it’s only fair, there’s gotta be some butterflies somewhere, wanna share?     ‘cause I like you but that’s not enough, so if you will, please fall in love with me”

T I G H T R O P E | THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ( for the ‘will they, won’t they?’ )    “never sure, never know how far we could fall    but it’s all an adventure that comes with a breathtaking view, walking the tightrope with you”

W H Y | SHAWN MENDES ( for the curious capitol )    “when people ask about us, now, we just brush it off    I don’t know why we act like it means nothing at all    I wish that I could tell you that you’re all that I want”

ONE CHANCE TO DANCE | JOE JONAS & NAUGHTY BOY ( for lincoln’s first dance lesson )    “don’t care what record plays when I dance with you    you take the lead and I’ll follow, I’ll take my pride and I’ll swallow”

H A P P Y | MARINA ( for lincoln’s soft heart )    “I found what I’d been looking for in myself, found a life worth living for someone else    never thought that I could be, I could be, happy, happy”

MAKE YOU FEEL MY LOVE | cover by SLEEPING AT LAST ( for the mutual pining )    “I know you haven’t made your mind up yet, but I will never do you wrong    I’ve known it from the moment that we met, no doubt in my mind where you belong”

I REALLY LIKE YOU | CARLY RAE JEPSEN ( for when she’s brave enough )    “who gave you eyes like that, said you could keep them?    I don’t know how to act or if I should be leavin’ “

M E ! | TAYLOR SWIFT ( for after the fight with joule )    “I know that I’m a handful, baby, uh, I know I never think before I jump    and you’re the kind of guy the ladies want (and there’s a lot of cool chicks out there)    I know that I went psycho on the phone, I never leave well enough alone    and trouble’s gonna follow where I go (And there’s a lot of cool chicks out there)”

P E R F E C T | ED SHEERAN ( for the moment where the stars align )    “fighting against all odds, I know we’ll be alright this time    darling, just hold my hand, be my girl, I’ll be your man    I see my future in your eyes”

TURNING PAGE | SLEEPING AT LAST  ( for the moment where they’re vulnerable )   “I surrender who I’ve been for who you are   for nothing makes me stronger than your fragile heart   if I had only felt how it feels to be yours   well I would have known what I’ve been living for”

KING AND LIONHEART | OF MONSTERS AND MEN ( for their shared strength )    “howling ghosts they reappear in mountains that are stacked with fear    but you’re a king and I’m a lion-heart.”

Had Lincoln shattered in this manner in front of most people, the young man would instantly be ashamed. He was meant to be valiant and winsome and perpetually represent the great people of District Four. Yet, something seemed so natural about being vulnerable around Nolie. He never needed to conceal his most frightened thoughts or effusive sentiments in her presence. She appeared to accept him for the man he was becoming.

His thoughts turned toward to Joule Shapiro for a moment, and he sighed heavily. The past couple days had been a rollercoaster of emotions for him. Lincoln finally had some hope going to the Capitol with two seemingly able-bodied and sound-of-mind tributes. His sisters escaped another reaping, and he was reunited with a girl he cared deeply about. How had all of that fallen apart in a matter of minutes? Perhaps he fooled himself all along.

The young man looked down at Nolie with a soft expression, nodding slowly in response to her words. “I…I know. I keep trying to tell myself that. Sometimes it’s just hard…the dreams…they never stop, Nol.” He murmured. Lincoln only seemed to hold her tighter when her voice broke, as if he wanted to protect her from everyone and everything. “She’s done a damn good job of not letting me forget or forgive myself.” He continued, unsure whether he spoke about Joule Shapiro or her deceased sister that haunted his nightmares. “Even though I’m not to blame for what happened in there and neither are you.” 

Despite his sadness, five little words managed to wriggle their way into his head. I really care about you. He stared at her with a stupefied look. If Nolie hadn’t been looking down, perhaps she would have caught the shit-eating grin that crossed his face. Perhaps she could have caught the way his eyes flickered to her lips. Perhaps she saw both, and he simply didn’t want to hide it anymore. “You mean a lot to me. You’ve always been there for me when you didn’t have to be.” He paused, not knowing exactly what to say next. So instead, Lincoln slowly reeled her back into his embrace and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

Nolie softly rubbed a hand up and down Lincoln’s arm as he struggled with the pain that Joule had caused him. It made Nolie want to storm back downstairs and finish what she’d started with Joule, but her anger was not going to fix anything. It would not change Joule’s mind. 

Her softness, though, was needed here. 

“I know they don’t,” she soothed. She felt his arms tighten around her, and she felt so safe. “They don’t for me, either. But we just keep moving forward, and you’re brave for continuing despite all of that. In a way, we have an extra layer to deal with that other Victors do not. We’re stronger for it. But it doesn’t make it any easier, especially when some people can be so... insensitive.” He was right. Neither of them were to blame, but it was still a terrible feeling. Just focus on that, Nolie mused. It is not your fault.

As Lincoln pulled her close and kissed her forehead, Nolie felt her entire body relax. Maybe he did feel something too, the same way that she did. She held onto him for a moment before she pulled back to look at him again. “I want to be there for you,” Nolie said softly. Her heart ached in her chest. 

She didn’t know how, she didn’t know anything, but she needed to tell him, to show him. It was slow, so slow, as if time stopped, as Nolie Reyes stretched up on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to Lincoln Conway’s lips.

Oh, now she cared about sponsors? Didn’t matter when she was shouting at the kid from Five, but now that he was making a fool of her– after she was starting to make a fool of herself– it mattered? Fell kept his mouth shut, though, as he carried her out into the hallway, mindful to hold the door open for Charlie to slip through before he would have let it shut behind him.

Once he put her down, Nolie appeared reluctant to respond, which Fell didn’t have time for. But she stopped talking for a reason; some of the onlookers had been staring at them and Fell shot a glare in their direction. Some of the smarter ones in the crowd scattered, sheepishly pretending to be paying mind to something else. Some of the more dim ones just smiled at him. 

Idiots.

Fell followed after Nolie toward the elevators, “Glad it’s sinking in now that people were staring. Why were you yelling at the kid from Five? What did she say?” And why did it matter?

Nolie brushed herself off and took Charlie’s lead when Fell placed her back down, and she was thankful for Fell’s glare scattering the sponsors. As a young Victor, Nolie had learned that the smartest place to walk when you were having a bad day was right in Fell’s shadow. He was kind to her, but many Capitolites still found him intimidating.

Nolie’s tears spilled over as soon as the doors closed. “She went after Lincoln. Her sister... her sister killed herself, in her Games, like Carina did in mine, and she told him it w- it was- it was his f-fault and I could-could... I couldn’t sto... I couldn’t stop myself. It was- it wasn’t fair.”

She wiped her eyes with the back of her arm. “Don’t tell anybody, please?” Nolie asked. “We’ll just say she was being a dick. That I was helping a friend. But nobody knows what he means to me. Nobody but you.”

His throat tightened upon seeing Nolie’s reluctance. Fear coursed through his veins, as multiple scenarios appeared in his head. None of them seemed particularly pleasant, and he wanted to do his best to diminish the pain like she had done for him time and time again.

Of course, two words managed to break any resolve he had: Joule Shapiro.

The young man gazed down at his feet in embarrassment, scratching the back of his neck with a heavy sigh. “I…” He replied, not knowing what else to until she continued. For a moment, he felt as inadequate and nauseated as he had during his unexpected face-off with Joule in the atrium. Before he could manage another word, Nolie moved closer, and Lincoln instinctively wrapped his arms around her. He held onto her tightly and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths in a feeble attempt to regain some composure.

“She uh…She caught me off guard soon after we last talked. I’ve been avoiding some areas of the Tower since.” He murmured. “I didn’t…I didn’t know what to do. I don’t know how to fix this…” Frankly, Lincoln took in all the grating words from Five’s tribute at once, and it had been overwhelming. “Nolie, I’m sorry you got caught up in this. You don’t deserve that.”  

It broke Nolie’s heart to see how much Joule had affected Lincoln. She felt the anger rising in her again, as if she were ready to turn around and stomp right back downstairs to throat punch a tribute. You can’t hurt a tribute, Nolie. Not now. She tried to comfort him through their embrace, letting her head lean against his chest as he held her. 

There was something so safe about being with Lincoln, in a place that hadn’t quite felt safe since her own Games. The Capitol was where she performed, where she tried to keep herself in that same emotional place she was at fourteen, to keep Capitol audiences happy, to give them a familiar image of confidence and exuberance. But with Lincoln, she was just herself: quieter (sometimes), more thoughtful (sometimes), and confused (almost always). 

“I couldn’t let her say that stuff without telling her how wrong she was,” Nolie said, squeezing her arms around Lincoln gently. But his uncertainty alerted her, and Nolie pulled back a little, looking up at Lincoln seriously. “Lincoln, it is not your fault. Whatever she said, discard that right now. It was not your fault.” Nolie’s voice broke again, finally. “Because if it’s your fault, then C- then she was my fault, and I’ve been telling myself for six years that that was not my fault. Joule is wrong, Lincoln. You are not the person she says you are. She’s trying to reduce you to that to help her own situation. But you are so much... you are so much more than that. You’re a good person, Lincoln. I...” she looked down for a moment, focusing on their shoes as she spoke. “I really care about you.” 

To say that Lincoln was avoiding the training center would be a severe understatement. His skirmish with Joule Shapiro hadn’t left his mind. The young man’s sleep had been plagued by amplified nightmares hours after their confrontation. He relived each moment of the ghostly graveyard where Saylor Wentworth gave her life to protect him. He recalled the grief that consumed him followed by his final moments with Ampere Shapiro. He remembered the very moment when Ampere lodged the dagger into her own torso, attempting to push the life back into her before her cannon echoed through the eerie silence.

Consequently, Lincoln shacked up in Four’s apartments, re-watched Reaping footage, and met with sponsors outside the training center. He knew Joule would be preparing for the Games in the underground gymnasium, and he could hardly sustain another conversation like their first. His avoidance also caused him to miss hearing about the haphazard encounter between Nolie and Joule that had people buzzing.

He had been lying on the couch when the elevator chimed. While Lincoln expected Marina, Annie, or Finnick, he sat up immediately upon hearing another voice.

“Nol? What are you doing here? What’s wrong?” Lincoln’s brow furrowed at the tremulous nature of her voice, and he headed toward her promptly. His own anguish could wait.

Seeing Lincoln sit up from the couch made Nolie sigh from relief. “I just had to come up, it’s been a...” Nolie sighed. “It-it’s been a bad... it’s been a bad time.” She knew he needed more of an explanation, and she was afraid to give it. What if he couldn’t handle hearing about Joule? What if somehow he thought she was in the wrong? Come on, Nolie, he’s not going to think this is your fault. Use your head. Use your logic.

Just tell him!

“I met... I met Joule Shapiro?” Nolie said, almost as a question, her voice still quivering. “She was saying some... things. About you. And I just... I just... I couldn’t deal with it. I may have gone off on her.” She stepped forward and folded herself into his arms, letting herself press her face into his chest. “I’m so sorry she did that to you, Lincoln,” she murmured against him, her voice muffled.