#august 2012.

“Well, isn’t this a bit of fun?”

“Okay, you can all relax. The cutest mentor’s finally here.”

“Okay, you can all relax. The cutest mentor’s finally here.”

After a particularly uncomfortable interaction, Amy felt her composure begin to break. It never became any easier, being paraded around and showcased. All she wanted was to go home. Knowing that was an impossibility, she found herself heading towards Dean as a means of comfort instead, ignoring the rising pace of her own heart as she walked across the hall. She didn’t say anything, but she knew he’d understand her by expression alone. When one of them began to slip, the rest stepped up to help carry the weight. She needed that from him now. 

So far, Kol had spent the evening with Annie on his arm, and Finnick in his ears, always listening for signs of trouble. It had been going fine, but tensions were rising, anxieties worsening each time another group of socialites passed through the doors. The Victors were slowly losing their grip, and Kol’s irritation rose as he heard Noah stagger into a table, as Amy aggressively pulled her arm away from a handsy guest, as Finnick and Effy began to engage in conversation. Effy was far too much like Johanna for his liking, unable to hold her tongue. But unlike Jo, her mouth was lined with ammunition she wasn’t even aware she had.  Signalling for Johanna, he passed Annie over to her, as she was the only person he trusted to take care of her in his absence. He then made way to the other side of the room, where Casper was standing, observing. Kol grabbed him at the elbow, pulling him over to a quiet spot, where they wouldn’t be heard. “Your little girlfriend has quite the sharp tongue on her,” he hissed, hoping that Casper was the sensible one of the relationship. Effy clearly wasn’t, and threatening her would only cause more attention. “I suggest you get her to keep her mouth shut, as I speak for more than my own self interest.”

With Annie now under Katherine’s care and Casper’s urgent words fresh in her mind, Johanna hastily made her way to the bathrooms, body on auto-pilot. Her urgency, however, had earned her a few sidelong glances, so she doubled back and grabbed a glass of ipecac, making her intentions clear. After that, glasses were raised toward her in cheers. She stifled the urge to vomit for real, her smile tight, finally rounding the corner, momentarily out of sight. In typical Capitol fashion, the bathrooms were all their own separate rooms, some with suites attached, allowing people space to do whatever they pleased. Only right then was she grateful for that. Finding the one Casper had described, she shut the door behind her as quickly as she’d opened it, making sure to lock it. As long as they were careful about the noise, Johanna hoped she’d bought them some time. Taking a breath, she turned to face the figure slumped on his back, ready to intervene. But she hadn’t been ready at all. As soon as she saw Noah, her eyes went wide, entirely unprepared for the emotion that suddenly consumed her. Noah had always been a source of light for her, someone she could joke around with during the bleakest of times, someone who didn’t carry an ego or play games. He actually respected her, a rarity in Capitol life, and the feeling was mutual. They only saw each other a few times a year, talked maybe a little more than that, but she was grateful for any second they shared out of the limelight, to both feel unencumbered. It’d been a long while though, since they’d spoken last. Outside of Finnick, she’d had no contact with anyone since her family had been slaughtered the previous year. For a lot of that time, she’d looked exactly how Noah did now. Her eyes had gone hard, rage etched into her features, jaw tight. The reality of what they’d both lost in such a short time, and that neither of them had been able to help the other, suddenly hit her with full force. All she wanted to do was crawl down onto the floor with him, to give into all of it, let them both join their lost family members. But it wouldn’t just be the end of them, and she knew that. And she’d never let that happen to Noah. She had to step up now, like she’d first intended, like Finn had done for her. “Hey,” Johanna finally started, eyes softening, body unlocking itself, placing the glass of ipecac on the bench. “It’s me.” With a sigh, she crouched down beside him, hands hovering above him. “I’m gonna touch you, okay? We need to get you on your side.”