𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐗

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞

───── WHEN LUNCH WAS SERVED, Delphi felt sick to her stomach at the sheer amount of smells.

It had all been laid out ahead of time as a large, self-serve buffet. There was a thick and savory chowder with real, from-scratch crackers to dunk or crush into the soup. A salad with tangy dressing, and carefully cut strawberries. Toasted sandwiches, and creamy pasta with shrimp, potatoes stuffed with butter and bacon, fruit dipped in chocolate, a pie that had a pudding consistency but was colored green... it never seemed to stop.

Several teas—cold, hot, sweet, and bitter—were laid out, as well as three sugar bowls. Delphi did a double take at the sight of the sugar. Instead of grains, or cubes, the sugar had been shaped into the vague silhouette of a fish.

She had to resist the urge to snatch one as she grabbed a pitcher and filled her cup with juice.

Her and Jason's faces must have shown their awe, because Helvius had been preening and speaking with his hands as they sat down, reminding them that this was just the beginning, that there was more awaiting them at the Capitol.

The reminder of the Games and why the pair were there in the first place almost threw off her appetite. But then Jason was being passed a bowl of pasta that had Delphi's mouth-watering, and she was picking up a pair of tongs.

Because really, she rationalized, the best thing I can do between now and the arena is gain whatever weight I can.

Delphi piled her plate with two sandwiches and a potato, then hovered the serving spoon over the bowl of pasta. She stopped short.

"Uhm," she spoke up, pulling Finnick's attention away from Mags Flanagan, her second mentor, and Helvius' attention from the chocolate-covered pineapple he was attacking with his fork. "Is there garlic in any of this?"

She glanced up just in time to catch Mags and Finnick sharing a look. Mags mumbled softly, nodding her head in the direction of the table. Again, Delphi's face must have betrayed her confusion, because Finnick elaborated, "The pasta and the chowder does. Everything else you're good to eat."

Smiling at Mags in thanks, Delphi set the serving spoon down. Helvius finally stopped harassing the fruit arrangement long enough to poke his fork in Delphi's direction and chastise her. "My dear, now is hardly the time to prioritize diets. If you're really that concerned for the parade, I can have the kitchens whip up some—"

"It's not a diet," Delphi didn't even let Helvius finish with whatever absurdity he was going to say, sitting back in her seat and grabbing a sandwich. "I can't eat garlic."

According to the apothecary, eating an herb that boosted the immune functions would not bode well for her already overactive immune system.

"Would you call it a weakness?" Finnick suddenly asked, his tone bordering on teasing as he raised an eyebrow.