Insanity ━ Peeta Mellark

━ nine: a new deal

Even though she technically didn't do anything wrong, she still feels slightly guilty, like a child caught red handed with their fist in a sweet jar.

"I was with Peeta Mellark," Cora answers, evenly. "Coincidentally. He just happened to be there and we talked for a bit. That's all."

Surprise briefly flashes in Johanna's eyes, as if it's the last name she had been expecting to hear. "I see. But please, Cora, you need to be careful. What if someone had seen you two?"

"No one was there," she insists, suddenly feeling defensive. "Nothing even happened for anybody to see, even if they did spot us together."

"I'm not saying it did," snaps Johanna, a slither of her impatience and attitude returning. "But come on, what if a journalist had seen you two and the next morning, an article about you two came up? Blight told me about the joke Finnick made earlier and as funny as it may be, don't take it seriously, Cora. The last thing you need is to get in between the star-crossed lovers."

"You don't even believe they're real anyways," mutters Cora, a little bitterly. Whilst she understands where Johanna's coming from, the indication that something more may occur between Cora and Peeta rubs her off the wrong way because that's just simply not true. For one night, it felt surprisingly nice to meet someone new, someone who didn't remind her of anyone else, and who's presence was just all-round refreshing. Being around Peeta felt like trying a Capitol drink for the first time and welcoming the array of exotic flavours never before tasted.

But even under her mentors heavy judgement, Cora chooses not to disclose how Peeta had basically confirmed Johanna's suspicions of him and Katniss' relationship not running as smoothly as the Capitol liked to elucidate. He had trusted her with that piece of information and somehow, in that specific moment, it felt especially important for her to not break that trust, even to defend herself.

"Doesn't matter," shrugs Johanna. "The Games are all about the show and Katniss and Peeta, well, they put on the best show yet."

At her mentors words, Cora feels something burn inside her, something she tries really hard to ignore.

"Oh?" she says, indignantly. "Maybe it wouldn't be a totally bad idea for me to team up with the Careers then."

Johanna tilts her head to the side, regarding her with arched eyebrows. Something about the girls neutral expression and the way she has been containing her normal temper is throwing Cora off, and a part of her is tempted to take it back. She doesn't want to argue, not really, not when she's about to be flung head first into the Games, but Cora's struggling to control herself, feeling on edge.

"That's not a bad idea," she replies, casually. Johanna licks her lips, a subtle but tell tale sign that she's nervous. Noticing it, Cora frowns, the familiar nagging feeling from earlier that her mentors are hiding something returning. But Cora can't quite put her finger on it - what could her and Torres even have to keep from her, especially with the stakes so high right now?

Cora moves to sit on the sofa beside the armchair, folding her hands neatly in her lap as she stares at Johanna as coldly as she can, reaching down into the darkest parts of her to obtain that infamous, icy Snow glare. "Johanna, you know I love you, but what is it that's got you all so damn weird today? And don't try and lie, you know I can see right through you, just like you can me."

Johanna sighs, nodding her head slightly. "Look, Cora," she says, and there's a certain urgency in her tone that makes Cora sit up a little straighter. "You're my friend, you know that. Probably the closest one I have. And I trust you a lot, but I just don't even know where to start."