Pike Everheart

once she divulged the details of the games, a look of recognition crossed his face. xavier had heard of her, of course. it was rare people so young won, in fact he wasn’t sure he knew of any other twelve year old who won. he would’ve been eleven, so he hadn’t watched. he had never enjoyed to watch it, and would avoid it all costs, preferring to stick his nose in a book. still, he had heard of it, it even gave hope to many little kids. “that’s understandable. why did you come back now?” he asks, before shaking his head, looking down at his feet for a moment, “sorry that’s–you don’t have to answer that,” he stammers, ears burning for a moment. it seemed too personal, he was sure he wouldn’t want to answer something like that, with someone he had just met.

clearly the mentor could sense his nervousness, as she motioned for them to take a seat. the sudden shirt from friendly to serious, the solemn feeling in the air wasn’t unfamiliar to tomas, in fact it was almost comforting him. it reminded him of his time working as mayor’s assistant, the many conversations they had as tomas had slowly, but surely, become his confidant and an essential part of running their small town in three. it also made him homesick as well, wishing he could just be back home with the mayor, discussing how to keep the town’s morale up while the hunger games up. “that’s impressive,” he says simply, and it was. he felt a bit better about her, maybe she did know what she was doing. as she convinced him of her qualifications, it forced the tribute to face the facts about himself. he couldn’t do that. tomas could get people to like him, but surviving, medicine, lethal plants, killing people. all of that was beyond him. there would be no good in pointing that out, though, so instead he just smiles, “thank you. i don’t mean to doubt you, but i’m just–scared,” he says, being just honest enough to easily hide the heavily doubtful thoughts in his mind. people enjoyed honesty, it meant they didn’t push any further.

Pike gave a small smile in thanks for the compliment, but she wasn’t trying to brag. She was just trying to reassure him that although she was not the best at interacting with people, she could help him get home in other ways. “It’s okay to be scared. It’s normal to be fucking terrified,” she admitted. “It means you’ll be more determined to learn how to get out. I’ve seen a lot of careers lose because of their overconfidence and reluctance to listen to their mentors. Well... at least that’s what happened in my games.” She was trying to be careful about her word choice. “Lose” sounded a lot better than “die.” “But we’ll play up your strengths, we’ll try and eliminate your weaknesses, and we’ll get you sponsors, okay?”

Wiress wasn’t sure she could understand why someone would ever want to come back. To see the other victors, maybe, but that was all. Every other little part of the Games stressed her out.

“It’s alright, I get it.” She liked to do things well, too. Her personal projects back home always needed to be perfect before she would even consider moving on to something else. The Hunger Games didn’t leave room for perfectionism, though, much to her annoyance. “If you work out how to talk to sponsors, please tell me. I mostly just gush about our tributes and hope they’re listening.”

Pike laughed imagining Wiress talking up tributes and having sponsors basically ignoring her in favor of a shiny thing reflecting light onto their outfit. She nodded, smiling and remembering that for later. “Okay, if I pick up any new information, I’ll let you know.” She then decided to try and get down to business, but in a more subtle way. “So Tomas is... charming in a way?”

xavier was surprised she knew about him, and his games. he assumed he escaped most people’s minds, something that he was perfectly fine with him. people remembering always worried him–would they see him as the horrible person he saw himself as? still, he gave a small, nearly force smile, nodding, “yeah, that was mine,” he says, even more perplexed that anyone had a favorite arena. maybe she was from a career district. or maybe, some people could find a silver lining to even the worst of things. “yes, i’m mentoring, have been since i won. porter always says she’s too old, so i get to do it,” he says, tilting his head slightly, “is this your first year mentoring? i, uh, i don’t think i’ve seen you here before.”

Pike’s dad hated the games, but he used the arena’s as a way to keep Pike from focusing on the brutal murders. Whenever someone was about to die, he would point out how beautiful the landscape was, or the architecture. He always pointed out mountains, in particular. 

“Yeah, I um... I won the sixty-sixth games when I was twelve,” she admitted sheepishly. “Then... I just... didn’t want to come back until now?” It was weird admitting even that tiny bit of information about herself to another mentor, but he seemed very similar to her, from what she had seen in his games and from their interaction now. She couldn’t put a finger on why, though.

Oh, this girl was nice. Thank heavens. Lael didn’t know much about Pike, since she’d always been one of the more mysterious District Three victors and elected to stay home most years. You never knew what to expect with those people. Plus, who wouldn’t want to come back to the Capitol every chance they got?

“It is!” she smiled. “I kinda just… left home and came here and lucked out, I guess. I can’t believe I get to get this close to the Games finally.”

Lael was never quite sure how to speak about the Games with victors. It was supposed to be a point of pride, an accomplishment! There was only one every year, after all. All the Capitol citizens seemed more than happy to discuss Games with her, but every single time she brought it up to a tribute, former or current, they got all weird for some reason.

Pike, of course, couldn’t understand why someone would want to be so close to the games. Sure, she had come back willingly, but it was only because she couldn’t bear seeing kids from three dying without her even attempting to bring them back home. Still, Lael was a capitolite. Pike couldn’t understand most of their thoughts on the games... or life, for that matter.

“Wow, that was... pretty brave,” she said, sighing earnestly. “And you’re working for three? That is... lucky.” She had to force herself to say lucky, since, again, lucky wasn’t the word Pike would use. “‘Cause I thought new people were usually assigned to lower districts?”

killing children was a phrase that made his stomach churn, and he even went a little pale. but, the reaction wasn’t as bad as it would’ve been just a day ago. tomas was, unfortunately, coming to terms with his fate. maybe it was a good thing, to accept it. either way, the boy didn’t know what to think about any of this. “yeah, i mainly talked with wiress,” he says, with a small, definitive nod. her words sounded as unsure as he felt, which concerned him slightly. wasn’t she supposed to help him survive? but, he concealed his worry easily, shrugging at the suggestion, “sure, if you think that’s what we should do,” he says. 

Shit. Pike, stop fucking this up.

She had to agree with her inner voice on this one. She was scaring him, and she had to do something to reassure him that she would be helpful to him, not detrimental.

Pike gestured to the nearby seating area and took a seat before she started talking. “Alright, look, I’ll put all of my cards on the table. Talking to new people is not my strong suit. You are new to me, so I may say stuff that... sounds bad. But here’s what I can tell you. I came out of that arena. I survived for two days off of a granola packet and two apples. I have a bunch of knowledge on different plants you can use as medicines versus ones that will kill you. I got sponsors by playing to whatever the fuck is likable about me. I’m here, and I’m going to do everything in my power to bring you back, okay?”

tomas hadn’t expected his mentor to be so awkward, but he didn’t judge. charm was something that came naturally to the boy, and while he couldn’t fathom being so socially inept, he did his best to understand. at the question, the tribute merely shrugs, glancing around. the room along was bigger than city hall, and he was certain nearly every single house in his town back in three could fit inside this building. the grand scale of it all was, in all honesty, overwhelming. “too crowded,” he decides to say instead, glancing back to windows, where the crowds of people stood, all wanting to come inside despite not being able to. “really, don’t these people have anything better to do than sit around outside of this place all day?”

when she didn’t tease him about the blushing, xavier relaxed a bit, offering her a smile, anxious smile. “oh yeah? well, welcome back to the crowded, craziness that is the capitol,” he says, motioning to the building around them. the name rang a bell, she was definitely a victor, though he wasn’t sure what year she won. must’ve been before his own victory, he had never paid attention to any of this stuff before he started acting as a mentor. “name’s xavier, nice to meet you, pike,” he says, smiling once more.

“Xavier... oh! Mountain arena, right? That was... one of my dad’s favorites,” she sighed, mad at herself for letting the thought enter her head. “He... loved mountains.” She watched the games, of course, but only to root for any three tributes she knew. “Anyway, yeah, nice to meet you too. Are you mentoring too?”

xavier had been too caught up in his own thought to notice the footsteps, the boy jumping a bit when he heard the voice. clearly, he should’ve waited until he got back to his room to start moping. a small blush graces his cheeks, ears burning from embarrassment for a moment. “oh, uh, yeah. yeah, i’m fine,” he says. he didn’t recognize this girl, as far as he knew she wasn’t a tribute. the mentor had, begrudgingly, watched the other reapings, and she didn’t look like any of them. she could come from the capitol, but he doubted it. maybe she was some kind of escort, or maybe even a victor. he wasn’t social enough to know all of the other mentors anyway. “just, you know, talking with people can be exhausting sometimes,” he says awkwardly, holding up the cell phone. 

A small smile formed on her face as she noticed the blush on his cheeks. Usually, she was the one who blushed around new people. So this was what it felt like. When he said how people could be exhausting, she rolled her eyes, smiling and sighing. “Ugh, tell me about it,” she agreed. “This is my first time around a bunch of people in a while, so... yeah, I can relate.” She chuckled before saying “Oh, I’m Pike, by the way.”

Glitter nodded slightly, reassured that the girl was okay.  She was close with Wiress and wouldn’t want anything to happen to one of the kids Wiress helped get her out.    “That happens.  Not all the victors come back to mentor right away.”

She shrugged one shoulder.  “I’m good.  It’s just another year.” The Quell doesn’t seem much different than usual for her, given her her tributes were always volunteers anyway.  “It might be hard to balance doing this kids but I’ll make it work.”

“Yeah, I, um... h-had to take care of my dad f-for a few years,” she admitted, her heart hurting a bit at mentioning him. But now wasn’t the time to mourn. She’d spent years doing that already. “But I’m here now, and I w-wanna bring someone h-home.”

Pike’s eyes widened at the new information. “I c-can’t imagine mentoring with kids to raise. You’re... really strong.” Pike realized her words were probably meaningless to the goddess, but she couldn’t stop herself from saying them.

he laughed, shoving his hands in his pockets and casually leaning against the wall. while people assumed that he was the picture of grace and poise, that wasn’t the case, he had his fair share of unflattering and awkward moments, he just so happened to be good at playing them off and pretending they didn’t actually occur. “you’ve got nothing to worry about, love. i understand how the air just attacks you sometimes. it’s truly vicious, i think something’s got to be done to take care of it.”

She laughed out loud at his joke. It was outrageous, of course, to think air could attack someone. However, she related to it. She had never been the most coordinated of people, and sometimes it did feel like she was attacked by air. Still, she decided to play along. “That’s a good idea, maybe we should sue the air. Let the legal system destroy the wind’s livelihood.” She was honestly surprised she wasn’t stuttering, but maybe it was because she was finally growing out of it. At least she hoped.

She laughed at Pike’s enthusiasm, brushing her hands off on the legs of her pant-suit. “It’s good to see you, too,” she replied, excited to see her little victor. She’d grown so much in the last nine years, and Wiress couldn’t be more proud of her. 

“I’m good. Used to this. How are you?” Wiress knew that victors were often forced back into mentoring against their will, and she hoped that hadn’t been the case with Pike. Part of the reason she insisted on mentoring herself was so that other victors from Three didn’t have to.

Pike could feel the weight of the question hit her a bit. She knew this would be hard, especially with how long it’s been since Pike was here, but she knew the other woman was just concerned about her. She definitely appreciated it, but she was determined to be the best mentor she could be.

“I’m good,” she assured her past mentor. “I came back because I wanted to, I promise. I want to help bring someone home. Plus, I really need to get used to talking to strangers again.” She chuckled at her own joke before saying “But I’ll need your help, as always. How do we sweet talk sponsors?” She then realized she was probably getting ahead of herself. “Sorry, I just... really want to do well, you know?”

if there was one thing finnick was doing, it was always watching the people around him. it didn’t matter where he was, or what his environment was, he was constantly observing what was going on. therefore, when the brunette girl stumbled, he noticed it immediately, and yet, out of the kindness of his heart, he looked away after locking eyes  with her, whistling carelessly with a relaxed grin on his face, as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

Pike actually giggled at his reaction. Of course she knew about Finnick Odair, but had never interacted with him before this moment. Of course, he was still as adorable as she remembered him. She blushed, but more out of him noticing her than embarrassment anymore. She got up and slowly walked over to him, forcing herself to get back into the swing of socialization. She knew her stutter would be here since she was talking to an attractive person, but she still had to try. “Th... thanks. For not l-laughing at me.”

Returning to the Capitol was old hat for Glitter.  She’d mentored ever year since her own victory, pulling her weight as the Capitol backed her into a corner.  It was alright.  She was good at her job and always did  what she could do.

When she saw her trip she frowned.  “You okay?” Glitter asked Pike.  Truth be told, she was a little surprised to see her.  Wiress hadn’t mentioned the girl was returning for these games.

Pike looked up to see a somewhat familiar face. They hadn’t interacted very much, but Pike could never forget that stunning face. She got up and gave a small polite smile, trying to shake off the embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m f-fine.”

Glitter had been there the year Pike won, but Pike hadn’t seen her since. She honestly didn’t know if it would be weird for her to admit she remembered the older woman’s name. “I haven’t seen you s-since my games. Um... h-how are you?”

tomas felt like almost a different person entirely, after being preened, poked, and waxed by what felt like every person in the capitol. he hadn’t been too poor back in three–he was middle class by district standards–but he felt like lower than dirt now that he saw how the capitolites really lived. everything here was better than it was in three–the cars, the buildings, the air–except for one thing. the people. he would describe himself as a social person, but he couldn’t handle the crowds here. that was proved to him when he stepped over his makeover, making the mistake of going towards the front of the tribute tower. the flashing lights, the yelling, the dozens and dozens of eyes staring at him. 

he was prepared to run away, to hide on his floor, when he saw his mentor fall on air. it was pretty funny, but he didn’t feel like laughing. maybe if tomas was anywhere else but here, he could feel comfortable doing so. but his usual self was drained. still, he stopped, offering her a hand as he stood next to her. “don’t worry about it, pike, we all trip over the air,” he says, with a small teasing tone as he offers her a smile, one that barely hid his own anxiousness.

Pike recognized the boy as one of her tributes and she could feel a blush form on her cheeks. She got up slowly, brushing herself off. She was supposed to be helping these guys get home, and she couldn’t even walk through a door without tripping.

“Ha ha very funny,” she said, trying to joke back, though it came off a little forced. She was embarrassed, and she always had to focus on keeping her stutter away whenever she was embarrassed. “So, what are your first thoughts on the t-tower?”

Damn it, so close...