o children ✶ the ballad of songbirds and snakes

005 ⋆ not so different

How she loved to cause her peers great discomfort.

"Thank... You," Samson replied uncertainly as he placed his hands behind his back.

Mrs. Crane hid a grimace as Cariad pulled away slowly from Arachne. "How's the Academy treating you, Cariad?" she asked the young girl. "Is it hard? I understand that Academy curriculum is much different from district."

"I haven't been in the district education system in seven years, so I'm on the same level as the rest of my classmates," Cariad beamed confidently, observing Mrs. Crane's inconspicuous eye roll with a sweet, yet condescending, smile. "I'm doing so well, Arachne cheats off me in calculus!" Arachne sent her a warning glare as the rest of the group fell quiet. 'Caroline' let out a shrill laugh as she lightly shoved Mrs. Crane's arm. "I'm kidding! We're so serious here."

Laverna placed an arm over Cariad's shoulders and squeezed the exposed skin on her back, causing her to tense up at the pinch. A warning. "She's on track to head to University, Danae," she informed the Crane girls. "Just as her brother did."

Corwin was the first district citizen to attend the Capitol University, the same year they increased security on campus when they found out he had a younger sister enrolled in the Academy alongside the Plinth boy. He studied for a four-hour long entrance exam, only for it to follow with a two-hour long appeal to the school board to even consider him. He walked the halls under the watchful eyes of his peers with his head held high and a one-track mind. They waited for him to slip up, fail, falter; anything to kick him out.

He ranked fifth overall in academic performance, everyone sixth and below grew bitter at his placement. While Cariad was held to a similar standard, Corwin already proved that district people were capable of matching Capitol intelligence. She didn't have much to prove after him, and thus was given more freedom. So, while her brother was an excellent academic, she thrived socially. Cariad gained a reputation for being the more tolerable district-born in her year, with many preferring her company over Sejanus'. Little did they know, she preferred his company over theirs.

"I see." Mrs. Crane only nodded slowly, then clasped her hands together in an eager attempt to change the subject. "Well... The reason why I've come here, aside from admiring your work, is to ask you a favor."

"A favor?" Samson echoed.

"My husband, Thaddeus, is reopening some of our resorts. You know how awful it's been for business since the war," Danae said while shaking her head. "However, we're partnering with other organizations and an esteemed curator to create a charity auction at our own hotel! It's to help others get back on their feet after the war."

Mr. Landas furrowed his brows. "Like the districts?"

"No, like us, silly. Capitol businesses!" Mrs. Crane barked with laughter, and Laverna joined her with a quiet smile. "Samson, your paintings are gaining traction. The Capitol resonates with them." She looked between the Landas pair with excitement. "With your newfound popularity, we were wondering if you would like to be a part of this auction?"

Samson hummed in consideration. "That does sound like a wonderful opportunity," he replied quietly.

Noting his uncertainty, Mrs. Crane continued. "It will take a while, but I'm assuming that we'll have this up in a year or so." Arachne let out a scoff at her mother's desperation. The travel industry was in shambles since the war; who would want to visit the people that rebelled against them? Cariad found the catch to Mrs. Crane's friendship with her mother. "Will that be enough time to scrape together something from the archives?" Mrs. Crane asked.

Her father nodded. "I'll be honored to have my art go to such an important cause."

"Which resort will this event take place, Mrs. Crane?" Cariad asked. Please be a resort in Six. "I like to prepare my closet a few months prior."