lover/fighter - Finnick Odair

Chapter 15 - Beneath the surface

Finnick wakes up when the excessive heat becomes too uncomfortable. Sleepily, he blinks one eye open and realizes that the sun is already shining outside again. He doesn't know exactly how much time has passed, but he must have slept for a long time. He throws the blanket off himself and the room is almost uncomfortably warm by now too, but at least the last bit of cold has disappeared from his body. As he swings his feet out of bed, however, he realizes that even though his mind is finally clear and rested after a good dose of sleep, his body is still sluggish.

He finally drags himself into the bathroom and only really wakes up when his eyes are attacked with a terrible combination of glaring colors as he looks at himself in the mirror. He laughs wearily at the fashionable artwork Rhea fabricated last night.

He gently grasps the soft fabric of the scarf before pulling it from his neck. He would have to give it back to her at the next opportunity. He neatly folds the red fabric and stows it away in the closet before ridding himself of the many layers of clothes.

He is little surprised to find a sumptuous breakfast selection when he emerges from the bathroom after a long shower. It's the same as every morning, but today for the first time he really has an appetite. So when he makes his way through the house some time later, looking for life, he actually feels almost good. At least a lot better than he had been feeling for a while.

He doesn't know exactly who he's looking for, normally Daphne doesn't waste time shooing him around, even before he gets a chance to change. Today, however, it is unusually quiet, and no one has shown up to wake him.

As he checks out Daphne's favorite spot, the room overlooking the lake, he realizes why he's not seeing anyone. The traces of last night are unmistakable. From the amount of empty and half-empty bottles and glasses, you'd think there had been a party with hundreds of people, but it was only a handful of girls who are probably sleeping it off right now.

Luck seems to be with him, and he enjoys the fortunate circumstance of being able to spend a little more time in peace without having to entertain Daphne and her crazy gang.

Leaving the chaos behind, he makes his way through the hallways and takes a staircase up that leads to a spacious area with a loft character. The wall opposite is completely glazed and offers a great panoramic view of the valley. On both sides of the room are galleries where well-stocked bookshelves and art objects can be admired, making the room almost feel like a museum or library.

The considerable collection is a remnant of Daphne's ex-husband. That's probably why she, and thus none of the others, never set foot in here again after the tour of the entire house on the first day. Finnick takes advantage of just that to sneak a few brief moments of quiet, retreating here for short periods of time when no one is looking.

"So you're still alive," a voice suddenly surprises him. He actually expected to be alone and undisturbed here for the rest of his stay, so at first he is briefly disappointed when he realizes that someone has apparently found his hiding place.

It takes him a moment to find the source of the voice, but then he sees Rhea's head peeking over the back of an impressively ornate and almost antique-looking chaise lounge. The piece of furniture had hidden her from him until now and he has to admit that he didn't recognize her voice right away, because it sounds a bit rougher than usual.

Somewhat perplexed, he replies, "Obviously. But with you putting it like that, do I have anything to worry about?"

She grins, puts one arm on the curved backrest and rests her head on it. "No, no, but here I thought you'd be asleep for all eternity. After all, it's already noon again."

"Well, you could have woken me up with a kiss." He didn't plan to say something like that again, and frankly it's a mystery to him where it suddenly came from. Immediately after the words leave his mouth, he inwardly scolds himself. After all, not every Capitolite understands the allusion to a harmless children's fairy tale, and even if they got along surprisingly well yesterday, this is not the moment and certainly not the place for an attempt at flirtation, not with a client in such dangerous proximity.