This chapter kind of stumped me but I finally got through it! As promised here is the mid week up date! For those of you who question why I go into so much depth about the casino and poker, those questions will be answered within the next chapter or two. This chapter kind of helps to set up what's going to be happening up until the 74th games, when all hell breaks loose as we know....

Anyways, suggestions are ALWAYS WELCOME, especially since I've been having writers block lately! So if you have any ideas at all let me know!

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It's 7:59. I'm wearing a black ruffled dress that tapers from front to back with my hair pulled to my right side. Brutus left at 6 for a dinner with some of the careers, I didn't come out of my room until he left.

I look at the clock in the district 2 floor. It's 8. I hear a knock on the door and open it up.

"Right on time." I say cheerily.

"A gentleman's always on time." Finnick says winking. He's wearing a sleek black suit with a white cuffed shirt underneath. He holds his arm out for me to take.

We walk out the door to the elevator and he presses the lobby floor.

"So," he says slyly. "You ever play poker  before?"

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We walk into the casino, which is evidently very close to the training centre, and of course all the Capitol frou-frous are staring at us. Some glare at me and some just scoff.

Finnick must've seen the questioning look in my eyes and says "They're all staring at you because you're with me."

"Oh." I say flatly. I still don't like any of them though. "So how do you play poker anyways?" I ask him, trying to change the subject.

"Well there's actually supposed to be two ways but the most popular here in the Capitol is Panem 5 card style. You get 5 cards dealt to you and you want to try and get 5 of a kind or a full house or consecutive numbers called a flush." He explains carefully.

"But what do the plastic coins have to do with it?" I ask still a bit confused.

"You bet more chips if you think you have the highest hand out of everyone, and if not you can just fold. Something that I think you will particularly like is the bluffing part, which is where you can trick everyone into thinking you have the highest hand and make them drop out even though you don't. Got it?"

"Enough to beat you." I tease.

"Good. Because I have a private poker table for you and I set  aside in the Great room." He smiles.

As we make our way over to the table I look to see tables upon tables of poker playing Capitolians, some with enormous stacks of chips others looking around nervously, holding only one or two chips in their hands.

"This is our table." Finnick says proudly as we reach it. He pulls out a chair for me to sit on.

Finnick takes a seat across from me and gives me a wild stare. "Ready to lose Ms. Jones?"

"Only of you are Mr. Odair." I return.
Game on.
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"My full house beats your three of a kind so it looks like I win again." I say triumphantly.

"How are you beating me?" He asks. "You just learned how to play today!" Throwing his hands in the air.

"Beginners luck." I shrug. He laughs in return.

"Octavia." He says his face turning a bit more serious.

"Yes?" I say leaning in towards him over the table.

"Tonight I'm supposed to be meeting someone at 10:30, and I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to go real soon, it's just someone in the casino so you can stick around and play if you want or I can call you a limo really quickly."

"No it's okay I think I'm going to stick around for a bit and test my luck." I wink.

"Okay, see you later." He says, getting up from the table and leaving.

I make my way to the cash counter and look at the man standing behind it. He's tall with dark brown hair, and probably about my age. He actually looks quite normal for a person here.
" I'd like 10,000 in chips please."

The man laughs. "Please a woman taking out 10,000. Go back to your husband little kitten."He says shooing me off.

"Let me rephrase my demand for you in simpler terms so you can understand ," I state evenly, trying to not let the anger drip out of my voice too much. "give me 10,000 in chips now or I will lob your head off with the coat hanger over there."

"Yes, mam," he gulps. "And whose account am I drawing this from?"

"Octavia Jones."

"So sorry Ms. Jones, I uh, didn't recognise you, you looked, uh, a bit more..." He trails off nervously as he rings up my request.

"A bit more, uh please don't kill me more saying this, sexy......" He flinches as he says the last word.

Do I really look that different? It's only been a year. I mean I know gran said I had lost some baby fat but I thought that was it.

The man turns to me with a stack load of chips, signalling for an Avox to come and carry the massive tub filled with all different values and colours of chips.

As I turn to leave the man behind the counter calls my name.
"Ms. Jones." He says quickly. I raise my eyebrows to signal that I'm listening. "I really am sorry for how I treated you before, not everyone here is bad, just well most of them. You gotta be on edge at all times you know what I mean?"

"I do." I reply. There's a small pause. "Sir I didn't quite catch your name..."

"Theseus. Theseus Hevansbee." He replies, holding out his hand for me to shake, and I accept.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Hevansbee." I say. Turning to walk away again.

"Please don't call me that, makes me feel like your calling for my father." He says, with slight disgust.

"Whose your father?" I ask curiously.

"If I told you you wouldn't like me anymore." He says. And with that he's the one to turn and leave to the back of the employee section.

Well that was a weird conversion. I make my way towards a poker table wth a bunch of 50 year old men, all with giant piles of chips just like mine.

I turn to the dealer of the table. "Deal me in." I say.

"Woah woah woah," says the man across from me with a cigar in his mouth. "This is a private game."

"Are you really scared of little old me?" I ask tauntingly.

"Fine deal her in." The man says. "But don't come crying to me when you lose, because none of us intend to take it easy on you."

"Duly noted." I reply.

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We've played about a dozen hands so far, I've lost all of them. Purposely of course. I've been watching them as each scenario unfolds, seeing their reactions, charting each move. The guy next to me twitches his leg when he's bluffing, the guy on the left plays with his chips when he gets a full house. Each of them does something that can tell me what my next move should be except for the guy with the cigar across from me, the only thing he does is take a puff of his cigar each time he gets a hand he thinks can win.

"Eh Marty, is that Cecilia over there with Finnick Odair?" The guy beside me asks the guy with the cigar.

"Yeah, it's her late 18th birthday present. Cost me a small fortune." He says rolling his eyes.

"How much? My daughters 18th coming up soon and he's all she can talk about." Asks another across the table. This talk is making me feel sick.

"5,000 a night."

Then it hits me.

"I'll play you for him." I challenge. "Just you and me. One round. All in. Winner takes all including Finnick."

"No way." He says shaking his head. "You only got 7,000 left and there's no way I'm giving my daughters present up to make a measly 2,000 dollars. Come on boys lets leave this broad is crazy." They all stand up in agreement.

"Wait!" I practically shout, causing them all to turn around. 7,000 and a one night stay with Octavia Jones if you win." He slowly turns around grinning. What have I done.

"I dunno...." He turns to his friends.

"What have you got to lose?" I say. "I've lost every round to you anyways."

"She's got a point Marty." One says.

He sits back down. "If I win I get a night with a Victor and your money, if you win you just 5,000 in chips and the night with the Victor."

"7,000." I say.

"Fine 7,000 and the night with the Victor if you win do we have a deal?"

I shake his hand.

We push all our chips to the middle of the table, including two room cards to represent the other part of the deal.

The dealer gives me 5 cards. To my dismay I have a jack, king, ace, seven and a two, all in diamonds. I have two cards for the dealer to collect and give me new ones in return, the seven and the two, hoping to get a double or triple in some card. I look over at the man with the cigar named Marty. He is puffing his cigar happily. Oh no.

"No new cards." He announces to the dealer confidently. His friends look impressed.

"Two new cards." I say.

I receive my two cards not wanting to even look at them.

He places his hand down.

"Four of a kind." He says producing four nines and a five.

I lay my cards down to see that I have a ten, king, ace, queen and jack. This is horrible. Wait.

"Royal flush." I declare shocked.

Everyone surrounding the table looks at me as I arrange the cards in order.

"She won." One of Marty's friends says in disbelief.

"No she can't win I take it back!" He exclaims reaching for his chips.

"Sir I'm going to have to ask you to step away from Ms.Jones' winnings." Says a familiar voice, who I turn to discover belongs to Theseus. My Avox has begun to collect my winning on his command.

"Mr.Marty, if you could please tell your daughter the news and send Finnick to the arranged room that would be great. And oh don't tell him that the ownership of the agreement has changed, I want it to be a surprise." I smile mischievously.

Marty storms off towards his daughter.

"Well played." Says Theseus, who is also watching in amusement as Mr. Marty goes off to fetch his daughter.

"Beginners luck." I shrug and walk off towards the elevator to search for the hotel room.

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That's all folks! Hope you like it and until next time!