RAINFALL || [c. snow]

i. plinth prize

❝WE'LL SEE WHO LANDS ON TOP, SNOW❞

𓆩⟡𓆪

PUT ON YOUR best smile, Dolly, she exhaled sharply, her chest rising and falling unevenly as her eyes flickered up to clock on the wall. Her heels clicked against the marbled floors of Heavensbee Hall. Dolores couldn't help but scoff at the name. She knew that the hall was named after the capitol citizen who had donated the money for its construction, but it was still incredibly ironic on how the word 'heaven' had found its way into the room in which she would receive her results.

Wind tickled the black banners draped at the entrance, swaying it gently. She clutched her bag a little tighter as she entered. The hall itself was cavernous, with a strange air of magnificence and importance without the usual extravagant decor the capitol buildings typically contained. Cold and imposing air brushed her skin, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

Her violet eyes scanned the people within the room, narrowing as she spotted a few of the... troublesome ones. The room was already filled with life, from the bustling faculty to the twenty-four students just waiting for the live broadcast of the reaping. Not late, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Without reason, her eyes unknowingly softened at the sight of the silver-blonde student who had just stumbled into the room.

"Looking nervous, Snow," she grinned, approaching Coriolanus Snow just as he did his best attempt to straighten his shirt. "I see you made it on time."

He offered a tentative smile that held no warmth at all, "Congratulations on making the twenty-four, Imbra." Despite his words, the 'congratulations' he offered was not at all genuine, just a simple display of typical Capitol politeness, with a mix of the usual charm he relied on so much.

She fought a frown off her face. They truly had a peculiar relationship, for even as rivals, he seldom chose to be this fake. Some would say that they were closer to friends than enemies, though Coriolanus would be the first to deny it. In Dolly's 'very detailed observations', he was one to make many acquaintances and acknowledge very few friends. Most of the time, he was himself when he was with her, without the pretense of Capitol smiles and formal conversations, though he claimed that it was only because she 'infuriated him so much that his mind couldn't formulate a more courteous response'

"Oh come on, we both know you hate seeing me here. Hell, I even know that neither of us actually want to be here," Even when she caught a tiresome sigh from the boy, she elected to ignore it, biting a laugh instead, "Seeing you mingle with all those people with those empty-minded compliments is rather laughable, actually." Dolores raised her hands, running it along the collar of his shirt to smooth a crinkle. Her lips lifted with a smile as his breath hitched.

"Well, do you have much better to do?"

She analyzed his outfit, taking in the white, long-sleeve shirt. "Nice shirt. I'm guessing that's a work of Tigris'."

Coriolanus hummed a confirmation as a reply, his deep blue eyes looking her up and down before he finally bit out a reply, his voice low and monotonous, "You look decent as well." His fingers lingered for half a second as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He simply smiled when he caught her eye.

Dolores raised an eyebrow. Ah yes, the silent competition. "I suppose that'll be the best thing you will be saying to me all morning, isn't it?"

"Oh no, compared to many of our classmates, you are practically an angel, Imber," he chuckled, genuineness more evident in his deep voice as he spoke, "More than decent."