lover/fighter - Finnick Odair

Chapter 28 - Present for you

Almost two more weeks pass before Donna finally deigns to contact her. Finnick has convincingly assured her that it's not because he wouldn't remind her on a regular basis. Rhea, however, is unsurprised by the fact that Donna apparently exhausts all means to stall her, if only out of sheer spite.

At least there has also been a positive development in the meantime. Hadrian, as expected by everyone, passed his final exams with flying colors and has just made it through the graduation ceremony. He has been running on fumes for the last few months but the effort has paid off.

Rhea suggested that he take some time to rest before he jumps into the job, which he vehemently refused. The urge to prove himself is easily recognizable at a glance. As a result, since this week she has been able to share the workload with someone else and honestly has to admit that it makes the days much more bearable. Apart from that, Hadrian's entry into the practice is the last component to put into practice what she has worked out with Linus' help.

The relief at work means that she is more relaxed, enough to confidently ignore Donna's little games for the moment. Sooner or later, she'll give in, and that's how it turns out.

In a very brief phone call, Donna makes it clear to her that her schedule is completely full. After a series of complaints, and discussing whether it couldn't be handled over the phone, she finally gives up.

"If you absolutely have to, it's today, 6 p.m., but you have to come here already. I don't have time to drive across town. If you absolutely have to tell me whatever it is in person, you can do it this evening between our appointments. That's all I can offer," Donna's voice hisses at her from the speaker.

Rhea just rolls her eyes and replies, "Fine, I can live with that. Just send me the address." Without waiting for Donna's next sassy comment, she simply hangs up. This woman can just be endured for a certain amount of time and she will be exposed to her long enough later tonight, then unfortunately, without the possibility to simply mute her.

She rolls her shoulders and gives one deep sigh. So what, she has already prepared everything. In a way, it's even the perfect day for what she has in mind.

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In the evening, with a deep serenity, Rhea enters the elevator of the Victory Tower, as it is unofficially called by many. It hasn't formally been given a name of its own, like the Training Center next to which it towers into the sky like a big brother, but by now everyone knows who it houses. So she's not surprised by the address she's been given.

At the entrance, she had to pass through similarly strict security checks as she did at the presidential mansion. She's grateful that Donna apparently doesn't go so far as to not announce her visit and have the peacekeepers run her down as a potential intruder. Or maybe she just didn't think that far ahead.

Curious, she examines the lettering next to the buttons for each floor, 20 in all, plus the foyer on the ground floor. She knows from the polite gentleman at the reception desk that visitors from outside only have access up to the fifth floor. If you want to go further up, you need a key card like the one he gave her.

Now that she is going through the floors one by one, she realizes what kind of visitors he meant. The first floor seems to be for the staff, of which there must be a lot in such a huge building. The second floor houses the kitchen and associated restaurant, and the floor above is designated as the Launch/Sitting Room. The really interesting part are floors 4 and 5, which are titled the Audience Room and the Betting Parlor.

The conclusions she draws are quite correct. Normally, only the victors and their teams are allowed access to this building, but there is just one exception. For practical reasons alone, the center of activity during the games is also located here. This was deliberately set up because the victors, who also act as mentors, have to keep an eye on their tributes around the clock and it is therefore a good idea to organize the whole thing directly at their accommodation.