Coriolanus could not tear his mind away from his kiss with Lucy Gray.
It left him giddy, beyond doubt that he had crossed a line, but he didn't regret it...at least not fully. Racking his brain, he wondered how much Venus saw. Is that why she wanted to talk to Lucy Gray? They would be talking about him right now. Did Venus tell Lucy Gray about their time in the hospital? How he mentioned he cared for the both of them?
He walked home alone, savoring the bittersweet parting, electrified by his daring. Maybe he'd broken a rule or two by giving her the Rose compact that belonged to his mother and suggesting she fill it with rat poison, who knew? There was no real rule book for the Hunger Games. Okay, he probably had. But even so, it was worth it. For her and for winning the Plinth prize. Then again, the whole point in winning it was to put him back on the map and have him be a worthy contender for Venus. Now with his uncertainties about Lucy Gray, it seems to have muddied the waters of his mind. Still, he wasn't telling anyone about the compact, not even Tigris.
He felt more in control this way, having something to do besides watch.
After the Grandma'am had gone to bed, he confided in Tigris. "I think she's fallen in love with me." He said.
"Of course she has. What do you feel for her?" She asked.
"I don't know." He answered. "I kissed her goodbye."
Tigris raised her brows. "Goodbye? Why would you be saying goodbye to Venus?"
"I..." He was caught off guard. He couldn't begin to act confused as to why Tigris believed he was speaking on the girl. Coryo thought about how to explain it further, but all he could think about was those big brown eyes and how disappointed they looked. "I kissed Lucy Gray, and I believe Venus caught us." He admitted, looking to his cousin for guidance.
The truth was, he didn't have much experience when it came to girls, and even less when it came to love. Keeping the Snows' situation a secret had always been the tip priority. The cousins rarely had anyone to the apartment, even when Tigris had fallen hard in her final year of the Academy. Her reluctance to bring her sweetheart home had been taken as lack of commitment and had been a deciding factor in the breakup.
Coriolanus took the incident as a warning not to become too deeply entangled with anyone himself. Plenty of his classmates had been interested in him, but he'd skillfully kept them at arm's length. The excuse of that broken elevator had come in handy, and the Grandma'am had had several fictional ailments that required absolute quiet. There had been that one thing, last year, in the alley behind the train station, but that wasn't really romance so much as a dare Festus had put him up to. Between the posca and the darkness, the memory was sketchy at best. On reflection, he had never even learned her name, but it had earned him the reputation of being rather a player.
But Lucy Gray was his tribute, headed into the Arena. While Venus was the girl who had it all, headed to University once this was all over. Even if the circumstances were different, Lucy Gray would still be a girl from Twelve, or at least not Capitol. A second-class citizen. Human, but bestial. Smart, perhaps, but not evolved. Not to be given the same respect as Venus Hummingstill.
"Oh dear." Tigris said sighing deeply. Confused blue eyes looked to her for understanding. "I truly believed your heart was stuck on her."
Coryo shuddered. "Is it that apparent how I feel?"
"I've known since you two were kids, when you returned home from school with one of her hair ribbons you took." She gave him a small smile, patting the side of his arm. "How do you really feel about her, Coryo?"
He shook his head, any surety he had about anything fleeting at the mention of her name. "I don't know." He answered honestly. "She's confusing. One minute we're rivals, the next we're holding each other for dear life. And she's wealthy, the Hummingstill's were able to recover quickly from the war since their money is tied up in Four. I can't compete with that."
"Being in love is not about competition," Tigris warned. "it's about being equal with your partner. Working as a team to achieve goals you both set together. Lucy Gray's future is up in the air, unfortunately, but Venus is here and if she saw that kiss, surely her feelings are disturbed. You'll never know what your life may be like unless you speak up for yourself." She advised.
Coriolanus huffed, more confusion on his mind. "So I should apologize to Venus?"
"I think you should do whatever your heart tells you, Coryo." She planted a kiss on his head, bidding him a goodnight before retiring to her bedroom.
Coriolanus fell asleep that night with thoughts of Venus infiltrating his mind. The morning of the Hunger Games dawned bright and clear. He readied himself, ate the eggs Tigris prepared for him, and made the long, hot walk to Capitol News. He declined the thick makeup that Lucky Flickerman had speckled on his own face, but, allowed a light dusting of power, not wanting to be too sweaty for the cameras.
Calm and unruffled: those were the qualities a Snow should project.
The aroma in the air had disoriented him briefly. The powder smelled sweet, but, this fragrance was strong and compelling.
Jasmine.
Turning his head, he surveyed the room, finding the short girl who occupied his dreams the past night. Her hair had been slightly curled, nails painted a fresh coat of black, and she wore the perfume her mother gifted her for Reaping Day. She was distracted, talking with an executive from the news station with a scowl on her face.
Coriolanus hopped up from his seat, making his way over to her with a sense of poise. Trying to find the words to say when he was stalled by a rough voice.
"Good morning, Mr. Snow." Dr. Gaul's presence snapped him to attention. Of course, she was here at the television studio. Where else would she be on the opening morning of the Games?
Why Dean Highbottom had found it necessary to make an appearance, he didn't know, but his bleary eyes peered at Coriolanus. "We hear there was quite a touching scene when you parted from your tribute last night."
He felt his palms grow sweaty. How did they know about the kiss? The news was not present. Venus surely wouldn't have said anything, right? Not unless she was upset enough to tell them, then again, she seemed to have aversions towards Dr. Gaul and Highbottom. Probably most of the mentors had seen the kiss and ... never mind, the two of them would not get a rise out of him.
"As Dr. Gaul pointed out, emotions are running high." He said confidently.
"Yes, it's too bad she's not going to last the day." Said Dr. Gaul.
How he hated the pair of them. Gloating. Baiting him. Still, all he could allow himself was an indifferent twist of the shoulders. "Well, as they say, it's not over until the mockingjay sings." He felt satisfaction at the puzzlement on their faces.
He turned on his heel, believing he would hold the last word until Dean Highbottom chuckled dryly. "You should check in with the executives, Coriolanus." He warned. The boy turning to meet his gaze, brows furrowing. "Dr. Gaul and I decided to pair the Academy's highest achieving pupils for the opening interviews. Granted, you still hold one demerit, you and Venus have maintained the top grades."
Coriolanus felt ill. He had to share the stage with Venus, while speaking highly of Lucy Gray, following the events of the previous night. Now he would be the one gloating and baiting Venus when he should be speaking to her privately.
He did not have a chance to respond as someone working for Capitol News took him away to prepare him for his interview. A corner of the studio had been outfitted with a few upholstered living room chairs, a coffee table, and a slightly crooked chandelier. Most of the mentors rehashed their tributes' backgrounds, playing up any dangerous elements they could...but none of them were paired up.
He saw Venus again, the light drained from her eyes as she took a seat on one of the chairs. A makeup artist applying a fresh coat of burgundy stain across her lips. He took the moment to talk with her before the cameras caught them.
"Good morning, Nessie," He breathed, taking a seat beside her but she did not look at him. "I really need to speak with you."
"There's no need, Coryo, it's okay." She said quietly, allowing the artist to be dismissed from their presence. She was trying to best to remain neutral, however, he continued to push her.
He leaned closer to her body, hands wanting to touch her knee but he decided against it. "We have to talk about last night--"
"I don't have to do anything." She snapped, craning her neck in his direction and giving him an evil smile. "I think it would be best that you stay out of my way. Keep things the same that they have always been."
"I know I hurt you and I-I shouldn't have kissed Lucy Gray. It was foolish of me." He whispered, stuttering as he was coming undone for her. This couldn't be it. Venus couldn't possibly be done with him. She had to give him a chance to apologize. She just had to forgive him.
She shook her head, sucking her teeth. "What's foolish is that I believed you actually had the capacity to care for anyone but yourself." Venus whispered lowly. "You're a selfish boy, Coriolanus."
His ego had been struck down. No chance to convince Venus of anything different because Lucky Flickerman entered the room ready to begin the interviews. He clapped his hands at the pair, grinning wildly.
"I just love the opening of the Hunger Games, don't you?" He asked them.
"Not really." Venus shrugged instantly, not caring to camouflage her distaste for the spectacle.
The man frowned, cocking his head to the side a bit. "Alright, Miss Hummingstill. Let's reduce the disappointment on your face, yeah, it's not good for the cameras." He grimaced. "Okay, let's get this thing going. We wanted to get you guys in on the early side since your tributes are going to bite it soon."
Venus stood up from her seat. "Excuse me?" She asked, the same tone of voice as when a Peacekeeper told her how to conduct herself. Coriolanus caught it immediately and stepped in.
"He doesn't mean that." Coryo said quietly, or so he believed.
"Oh but I do, young man." Lucky laughed, taking a seat in front of the camera. "Dill is a walking death sentence and your songbird is adorable, sure, but that's all there is to her."
Venus chuckled to herself. "Then why am I even here? There's no point to any of this." She retorted. Coriolanus's eyes growing wide at her outburst. "If you already count them as dead then what am I doing wasting what time I have, speaking to you of all people?"
"Young lady," Lucky alerted her, his hands held up in warning. "I believe your anger is misdirected. It's not my fault that your tribute is not qualified for the Games. That's the cards you were dealt here and you should take that with a bit of dignity, don't you think?"
"Qualified?!" Venus took a step toward the man, her fists balled at the side of her body. "She's a child. There's nothing in this world that could prepare her for taking someone's life."
"Come on, Kid." The man said, attempting to dismiss her completely. "There's always next year, huh?"
She bit her lip, nearly drawing blood from the intensity. "I can safely say I will not be seeing you next year, thankfully." She turned to leave, stopping herself before staring the man down. "And I assure you, if the Capitol was seeking out qualified people for these Games, they surely would not have employed a mediocre weather man like you, Mr. Flickerman."
Coriolanus watched her storm off of the set quickly. Not sure if he should be mortified or concerned for how effortlessly she snapped at Lucky Flickerman. Beyond the events of last night, he knew something was wrong with Venus. She was beginning to act more and more like Sejanus, just with a sharper tongue that spewed out venom.
He thought back to what Lucy Gray told him before the bombing. Venus needed someone in her corner, and regardless how she felt about him currently, he would do his best to be there for her.