Love at Sea (Finnick Odair)

Chapter 7

That's when thundering footsteps echoed down the hall. It sounded like a stampede. If there were glasses of water on the table they surely would have been knocked off.

"What is that?" Plutarch's eyes widened.

"Based on the footsteps. I'm gonna bet Tyler," Taiya rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong with him I wonder."

"Plutarch," Taiya huffed. "Come on," she looked down at his shoulder.

Plutarch raised his hand up to cup his injured limb. "Ah," he nodded.

Before either one could say anything else, the door to the meeting room was slammed open, Tyler was not holding any of his strength back.

Taiya knew there was no danger present with it being just Tyler, but her victor instinct still made her jump. Plutarch however, nearly leapt out of his skin though.

"Jeez, do you knock?" Taiya scowled.

"Yeah, jeez!" Buck gasped from behind Tyler, out of breath as he had exerted more energy sprinting after Tyler than he had since they were training for the quarter quell.

"I gave you one job dude!" Taiya peered around Tyler to snap at him.

"Believe it or not, he guessed what you were up to," Buck pointed at Tyler.

"I don't believe it," Taiya shook her head.

"Well shit," he grumbled.

"Are you ok?" Tyler asked Taiya.

"Right as rain," she nodded.

"Plutarch?" he glanced over at the man, quickly scanning the room for signs of a fight.

"My heart," Plutarch took deep breaths as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"Was it scarier than that time you fell in the punch bowl?" Taiya turned her smirk to him, reminding him of the time Katniss shot an arrow at the Gamemakers and he'd taken a tumble into the bowl of punch.

"This is a close second."

"Haha!" Buck laughed. "I remember you telling us that."

"You told people?" Plutarch frowned.

"Everyone," Taiya nodded.

"So this is a civil meeting?" Tyler asked sceptically. "No arguments?"

"Yes, party pooper," Taiya answered. "It was going swimmingly until you came in here like a wrecking ball. Very rude by the way. Who taught you manners?"

"What have you agreed to?" he asked nervously. The last time Plutarch had been left with one of his kids without supervision by either him or Buck, he'd been forced to relive his trauma on camera.

"Not to worry Ty," Taiya leaned back into her chair. "I drive a hard bargain. Don't I Heavensbee?"

"She does," he nodded. "We've agreed to a video with her information on the Capitol and an engagement party."

"Engagement party?" Buck frowned as he walked into the room. "But you've already..." he cut himself off as he saw the look on Taiya's face. They were going to keep that between themselves.

"What do you get in return?" Tyler asked.

"I get to hang out with one of the coolest kids in the building!" Taiya's eyes lit up.

"You can hang out with me whenever you want to kid, you don't have to negotiate for it," Buck laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Get off," she shoved him off. "Obviously not you, I said they were cool. I'm talking about my cutie pie Peeta."