#axeality

how r u still ali v e

               that was it.   district four was officially out of the games.   earlier in                the day, when it happened,  finnick tried to avoid looking at mag's                expression;    she  always  shed a tear for the fallen of their district                and,  most of the time,  he couldn't stand to look at it,  lest he lose                his own carefully constructed façade.  not that he ever would,  but                mags... she hit a soft spot that others couldn't.  she made him feel                when he would rather have turned it off.

               frankly, he had her to thank for the fact he hadn't lost himself to                the games.

               he drank alone that night after the  other  mentors  crawled  off  to                bed  --  or at least to their private quarters.   perhaps some stayed                up, continuing to observe the games,  but frankly,  finnick couldn't                bring himself to care.    he had the night off,    his district no longer                remained in the running, and as always, he preferred to forget it.

               the hiss of the automatic door announced a visitor.    finnick didn't                have to turn around to guess who it was.   johanna  mason  had  a                certain presence about her.

                  ❝ ——I'm sorry  ; about the people you've  l o s t.                        I know that it's not easy, no matter how STRONG                         someone is. It hurts just as much. So, I'm sorry. ❞