TW: predatory old man

Chapter song, "Cell Block Tango," Cast of Chicago.

Johanna huffs in annoyance. "Tell me why we're going to the casino and not just staying in again?"

"Because Finnick has a date and we need to keep an eye on him."

"Fine, but if either of you leave me alone with one of those dyed gold people, I'm going to start screaming in the middle of the party and run back to watch a movie with Cecelia."

"Fine by me."

She steps forward and presses the 'stop' button on the panel. "Before anyone else gets on, do you want to explain to me why he dragged you into a closet? Neither of you bothered to explain it to me, and I'm not going to be some weird third wheel to your hookups."

"First of all, there was no 'hooking up' . Second of all, he was just a little concerned after I went off script." I'm not entirely lying here, but I can't exactly spill everything in a place where the Capitol most certainly has cameras and microphones. "He thought I'd had some sort of...episode on stage or something." Okay, now that's a full lie.

Her face falls into a more neutral expression. "Do you get those often?"

"Yeah." Not a lie.

She looks down at her feet as she swishes her boots around. "Me too." And with that, she presses the stop button again, sending the elevator into motion again.

I take Johanna to the casino through the tunnels, but I neglect to tell her that I'm really just guessing that we're going in the right direction. Once we come up and into the lobby, an attendant greets us. "Welcome victors. May I explain to you when and where our festivities will be held tonight?"

"Actually, we're looking for the other victors?" I don't want to say Finnick's name specifically.

"Both should be in the West wing, main poker room, which is on the fourth floor." She motions back at the row of Avoxes. "I can have one of them take you there."

I shake my head. "We can find our own way, thank you."

Sure enough, Finnick is in the main poker room on the fourth floor, but to Johanna and I's surprise, he's alone. When we enter the room, his eyes light up and he leaves the small group of people including Otto to come and greet us. "Don't you two look great. Can I interest you in some champagne?"

Johanna leans into Finnick and whispers, "Did your date ditch you? Does this mean we can leave?"

Finnick shakes his head, but he's still got a grin. "It's my lucky day. She's got a husband here somewhere that she keeps trying to avoid." He takes a large swig of his drink. "Which means, for now, I'm free to hang out with the two of you."

Johanna doesn't miss a beat, blurting out, "Let's play Ten Shots."

"What is it?" I ask.

"A drinking game from home. You guys have never played it?" We shake our heads. "One of us has to say something they've never done, and if the others have done it, they have to take a shot."

Finnick's face lights up with recognition. "Oh, we call that Never Have I Ever in 4."

Johanna scowls, "That's a stupid name."

I sigh. "It's going to have to be called three shots otherwise I think I'm going to end up on the floor very quickly."

Johanna rolls her eyes. "Fine. Three shots."

We walk up to the bar, order three shots of something, and take them to a small standing table so no Capitol intruders can invade on our game. Finnick taps the table with excitement, "Alright, who's first?"

"The youngest gets to go, so me, and then we go clockwise," which will be me and then Finnick. "This one is easy, never have I ever gone swimming in the ocean."

Finnick takes a drink and coughs as it goes down. "That one felt a little targeted."

Johanna smiles. "Good. It was supposed to be."

I try to think of something I've never done, but the other two probably have. "Never have I ever played an instrument." It's terrible, but to my surprise, I actually get Johanna with that one. "Really? What is it?"

"I play the harmonica. My dad's really good at the fiddle too. He tried to teach me but I'm no good."

Finnick has clearly been waiting for his turn because he blurts out, "Never have I ever fist fought Brutus."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Gee, I wonder who that one was for." I can see them watching me expectantly, wondering if I'll take a drink. I don't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing they're right, so I wait a moment before lifting the liquid to my lips.

Finnick smiles in victory. "I knew it. There was a rumour you fought him before Johanna's victory ceremony. I bet you won."

"Oh, no. It wasn't then." I say between coughs. Whatever this stuff is, it doesn't taste very good. "We fought that day, but it was more of a yelling thing. I first fought him for the first time when I was thirteen. I wasn't having it one day during training, he threw a medicine ball at my head, and I swung first. Didn't win though."

I look up to see Finnick and Johanna's horrified expressions. "Okay..." is all Johanna manages to say. "We don't have the privacy to unpack that so moving on...Never have I ever...wanted to jump the bones of someone at this table." Finnick and I share an exasperated look, before simultaneously turning to Johanna with a scowl. "You know...I'm not seeing any drinking happening..."

"Johanna," Finnick warns.

She holds her hands up in defense. "I'm just saying...not even thought about it once?"

This time it's my turn to warn her. "Johanna." The last thing I need is her making things weird between me and Finnick. "Never have I ever worn a tree costume."

Johanna scoffs, and mutters "salty bitch," as she downs the second shot in front of her.

Finnick follows up with a "Never have I ever chopped down a tree," but to our surprise, Johanna doesn't drink.

"Not everyone is a lumberjack, moron. But nice try, trying to get me out." She claps her hands around each other and wiggles her fingers mischievously. "Never have I ever slept in the same bed as someone here."

"Johanna—" I start to say in a disproving tone, but I cut off my own words when I see Finnick throw back a shot. I look at him with shock and awe for a moment. I didn't know he'd slept in the same bed as Johanna before. But wait, I—

—Finnick points to my drink. "Am I really that forgettable?" he teases. That's right. We did technically share a bed once, the night after the casino. Not in the way Johanna certainly meant it, but still, I guess it technically counts. Speaking of Johanna, she's enjoying every minute of this. I can see her practically bouncing with excitement at the revelation. I wish he'd just lied about it, because now she's never going to let this go.

I lift the shot up, but hold a hand out to stop Johanna's laughing before I drink it, "it wasn't like that though." I throw the drink back, but I can already see there's no reasoning with Johanna on this one. She's going to take it and run with it for miles.

"This has just given me so much material for my jokes," Johanna pretends to wipe a tear from her eye as if she's a Capitolian accepting an award at a ceremony, "thank you."

"She's right. It wasn't like that. There was only one bed in the room so we had to share—"

Johanna laughs. Loud. "Please, keep talking. This keeps getting better."

Finnick sighs. "New topic. Octavia, would you like to go?"

"Never have I ever called Cashmere a bitch. To her face," I add. Finnick puts down the shot he was about to take, and Johanna downs hers. "Great game over. Let's not do that again." I take the shot I have left and down it because at this point, I need it anyway.

Finnick's attention darts to one of the doorways, and whatever the sight is, it's enough to make him say "oh shit," and down his last drink too. "Date's back. I'll see you guys later."

We both say goodbye to him and watch him disappear into the crowd. The woman he's with is probably a good thirty years older than us. Like nearly everyone else here, her hair and outfit are gold, but her skin is a sickly blue shade that makes her look like she belongs in a lake. Even without the skin tint, she sickens me to my core.

I finally turn back from the woman to see Johanna staring at me. "What?"

"Nothing."

I roll my eyes. "First with the questions, now this? That's not what our relationship is, Johanna. It's not like that with him."

"Octavia, I am going to say this in the politest way possible. Okay? I like being friends with you. And I like being friends with him too. But sometimes I feel like I'm in the middle of all this sexual tension, so why don't you two go at it just to get it out of your systems?"

I choke on my spit and start coughing. "I don't..." I break out into a cough once again. "I don't think that's a solution." Johanna is going to say something else, but I stop her. "I'm going to get some water. Need anything?"

She tries saying something that certainly isn't a drink order, so I walk away towards the bar. To my surprise, the bartender that was previously there is gone and he's instead been replaced with a familiar face. I manage to squeak out, "Water," and he hands me a glass. Once I down it, my voice is finally clear enough to say what I really want to. "Theseus, what are you doing here?"

He blinks at me. "I'm sorry who are you?"

I narrow my eyes. "Are the rest of you here? Do I need to be worried about getting taken out at this party?"

I watch as Crysana brushes by the chair with the jacket on the back of it, knocking it on to the floor. Poppy sweeps in to grab it, and I can see her reach for something in her large coat, but the heavyset man turns around to grab his jacket up off the floor.

"Shit," says Theseus under his breath. "We're negative on the switch. The Ace is not in the hole."

"Who is he?"

"Maybe stop trying to distract me, because he's the husband of Finnick Odair's date tonight."

"What did he do?"

"I don't think you want to know," but his eyes say it all.

"Oh fuck, that's disgusting. Ew."

"They've been trying to catch him with something incriminating for months, but he's too slippery."

"So they brought you all in. Not me though." I don't know why my voice sounds angry; I really don't want to be a part of whatever team they are, even if at the moment our interests have aligned.

"You were literally stabbed, so I think that's a good excuse not to turn up for work."

I ponder for a moment. "And you're sure he did that?"

"Yes. A thousand percent."

"Then I'll help."

He shakes his head. "Octavia, you're not even briefed. You're not even miced up. We can't help you."

"You can help me," I look around the room to see there are three victors, Johanna, Finnick, and Otto. "I need you to get rid of the other victors. Send them to another wing. Another room. I don't care. But they can't see this. I know I'm not his type, but I'm a lot closer than the others."

He takes a moment to consider before pressing his cufflink to talk to the others, "Poppy, Crysana, change of plans. We need the victors out of the room." He pauses for a moment to hear their replies in his ear. "Except for her."

"Are we good to go then?"

"Yeah. We're good. Just...be careful though. We'll keep an eye on you. Make a loud noise if you need help."

I don't acknowledge what he's said. In part because I'm too afraid. "I'm going to need another water."

I walk back to our standing table and hand over the water to Johanna. "Hey, Jo, can you do me a favour? Don't let Finnick out of your sight with that woman, I'm just going to go to the washroom."

"Sure I—" but I'm gone before I can hear the rest of her sentence. I wait a few minutes to give Poppy and Crysana enough time to get them out of the room, and sure enough, once I exit, all three are gone.

I tousle my hair a bit and adjust the neckline of my dress so the 'goods' the Capitol gave me last year are sitting pretty. I walk back up to the bar and ask Theseus, "How do I look?"

He gives me the once over and nods. "If I was into women, I'd go for you."

"Good."

Theseus gives me a very quick briefing, under the guise of him 'advising' me on which man he thinks is my type. Naturally, he's the white-haired man with a belly that's used to indulging in all the Capitol has to offer. The way he looks, no the way he moves, is like he hasn't a care in the world. He's loud, obnoxious, and worst of all, slimy. Occasionally he 'accidentally' brushes up against a butt or a breast of a passing Avox or server. Needless to say, I won't feel bad for whatever punishment Snow brings down on him. In fact, I'd be happy to execute the punishment myself. Maybe my skills would finally be used for good if I were to use it on someone like him. But I can't get ahead of myself, because I need to actually help catch him first.

I take a drink from Theseus, turn on the charm like I would if I were going on TV for the Games, and strut by him. Sure enough, I hear from over my shoulder a man's voice call out, "Octavia Jones!"

I turn around, making sure to let my hair flip dramatically as I do. "Hi, nice to meet you! What's your name?"

"Robert. Robert Price."

I extend my hand for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Price."

He something dark flashes in his eyes as he stares at me for a moment, but then he accepts the handshake and I can see him looking down my top as does, "You can call me Robert."

"Alright," I add a seductive flair to my voice, "Robert."

So, what's a little victor like you doing in a place like this all alone?"

Bingo. "I'm not alone."

"Oh?"

"I'm with you, aren't I?" I consider flirting a little harder, but remember that someone like him is probably similar to how Brutus approaches the Games; a hunter who lives for the thrill of the chase.

He chuckles. "Yes, yes you are." He leans in to whisper to me. "Listen, I know you're not from here, but there's a...tradition here in the Capitol to have a little bit of...fun before midnight."

"What kind of fun?" I ask, blinking up at him with faux-innocence.

I feel him squeeze my bottom and I try my best to grin and bear it. "Come and I'll show you," he says, tugging my hand, trying to lead me out of the room.

I panic for a moment and try not to let it show. "I'll grab us some drinks first. Why don't you meet me in the lobby in five?"

"Make it two. I don't like to wait long."

"Where are we going to go when I get back?" I ask as I subtly play with his tie.

"There's a bathroom on a wing that's under construction...very private. My company has been overseeing the renovation."

I can feel the anxiety coursing through my veins as I walk back over to the bar. I have wait what feels like an eternity for some Capitolites to leave the bar until I can speak to Theseus. "We're going now. Right now. Some sort of bathroom under construction."

Theseus curses under his breath. "Damn. The chips are too scattered." Right, I think to myself. I should be speaking in code, but the panic has taken over my brain. He waits for a moment, to listen to the others in his earpiece. He looks up at me, "Which bathroom is broken, ma'am?"

I try and wrack my brain to remember if he said anything else. "Uh, a bathroom where the wing is under construction?"

"Shit. Okay. I think I know the one." He lowers his voice, "It's going to be a scramble. Try to delay as much as you can. Give the others time to—" a Capitol woman approaches the bar, and he has to switch back, we're out of time, "—hi ma'am what can I get for you tonight?"

I'm on my own. I meet Mr. Price in the lobby, and let him practically drag me up the stairs. I try my best to distract him by stopping to ask him about a piece of art, but he keeps tugging. Eventually I stop and ask him, "You seem to know a lot about this place. What's the construction for?"

"A new private wing," is all he says as he keeps tugging.

I feel my heart racing as we start to see the scaffolding. What if they didn't know what bathroom he was talking about and the other jacket isn't there? He gets a little handsy, but I try to rush a bit ahead of him to avoid his touch, but then I realize I'm going too fast and need to slow down so I let him go back to what he was doing.

"We're almost there," he says. "This is going to be fun." This will not be fun at all.

But sure enough, Poppy rounds a corner and passes by us; she's clearly come from the direction we're going. She did it. I wonder for a moment if he thinks it's all at suspicious, but he doesn't pay Poppy any more mind than he would any other annoyance.

I breathe a small sigh of relief, but the respite ends when I'm yanked into the bathroom. He lifts me up onto the sink and starts to kiss me so aggressively, I almost forget that I'm supposed to be interested in him too. I try to ignore the wandering hands and focus on the task at hand. I deepen the kiss and quickly tear off his jacket, tossing it to the floor. I don't want this to drag on for any longer than it has to. I see a hand pop from below the out of order stall—judging by the glove I'm guessing it's one of the Peacekeeper boys—and the jacket is swiftly snatched up and replaced with an identical one.

I reach for my shoes fling my shoes off towards the door, hoping that whoever is outside will get the message that it's done.

A knock on the door. Thank goodness. But he keeps going. "Hey, should we get that?"

He shakes his head. Panic starts to rise through my body and Finnick's words echo through my head. But after all that worrying you come here trying to go out in a blaze of glory! Shit. I'm doing it again, aren't I?

But the knock comes again. I clear my throat as he goes in for another kiss. "You should get it, make them go away and then we can continue in peace."

He groans and goes for the door. He doesn't open it all the way but sticks his head out to see who the nuisance is.

"Hi, sir, sorry to bother you, but I thought it saw Octavia come in here?" says Theseus sheepishly. "I'm a huge fan. Can we get a picture or something? Sorry if you're busy."

I duck under Mr. Price's arm and push out the door. "Yeah, sure anything for a fan."

"Oh my goodness, thank you so much. My friends are going to die when they see this pic. Can we actually get it in front of the fountain in the lobby?"

"Uh, sure," I say. I turn to Mr. Price and mouth sorry to him before taking off with Theseus who enthusiastically drags me away with our arms linked together.

Once the creep is long gone and we're sure he's not following us, Theseus dare's to break character. "That's what I like to call a nice save."

"Agreed. Although I think I'm still going to need about a gallon of mouthwash."

Theseus presses his cufflink and pretends to talk to me when he says, "Poker is a go when blackjack re-enters the party. Let's make sure to show off our winnings."

When I return to the main room we were in before I see Johanna's face light up from across the room. "There you are!" she screeches. She closes the gap to me and puts her arms on my shoulders. "Where have you been?"

"I went looking for the two of you when I got back from the bathroom, I didn't know where you all went."

Her eyes flash with guilt for a moment, "You told me to look after Finnick, but then he practically yelled at me and told me to come back and find you, but I couldn't find you and—"

"Johanna, it's fine. I am fine. I promise."

"Where's Finnick?"

"He's back with his date again." She leans in to me and says, "I don't know how you do it. Even I want to bury an axe in her face. She acts like she knows him."

I go to respond, but out the corner of my eye I spot Mr. Price enter the room, his gaze fixed on me. I quickly pivot Johanna so her back is to him and she can't see. But he gets closer and closer until two Peacekeepers are suddenly on either side of him; Aleksander and Felix.

"Mr. Price, you're under arrest for possession and intent to distribute illegal materials," says Felix.

"This is preposterous! I don't even know what you're referring to."

Aleksander rips his jacket off and throws it to the ground. Felix takes out a pocketknife, causing a gasp to ripple through the crowd, and tears into the jacket lining. He holds the jacket up, starts to shake it, and several data sticks fall out. "Do you want us to tell everyone what's on these, or are you going to come quietly?"

A few murmurs ripple through the crowd, with terrible and awful suggestions of what's on the data sticks. He says nothing and allows the Peacekeepers to handcuff him.

"Robert!" the woman on Finnick's arm gasps. She walks straight up to Pius who doesn't even bother to look her way. "Do you know who my husband is? I demand to know where you're taking him."

But Aleksander is having none of her attitude. "He's going to be processed down at the station in city square. If you have any questions, you can take it up with my supervisor there."

They lead Mr. Price out the door, and Mrs. Price takes a moment to decide whether to run after her husband or stay with her 'friend' for the night. But she feels the weight of the eyes on her and toddles out the door after her husband.

Pius shoots a small smile over his shoulder to me, letting me know that I've done good. Even though I can still feel Mr. Price's disgusting hands roaming all over my body and I want to hop into the shower until I've scrubbed off every inch of skin he's touched, I've done good. No other young girls will feel the same way because of him after today. Never again.

After the buzz in the room has died down and Mr. Price's yells and promises to get the Peacekeeper boys put to the firing squad, Finnick makes his way back over to us.

"Well, that was satisfying," chuckles Johanna, still staring out the door.

"It was certainly..." Finnick pauses, and I feel his eyes on me, but I refuse to make contact. "...Lucky."

I try to act calm; I don't want Finnick to know about what I did so I reply with an even, "Sure is. Maybe you got your New Year's wish early."

He hesitates for a moment and I think I've thrown him off, but he still presses lightly. "You know, this happened the last time I took Octavia to the casino too."

But I'm much quicker on my feet than he is tonight, probably still some of the adrenaline wearing off from earlier. "I guess I'm your good luck charm then."

He studies my face, but the quizzical expression on his face slowly disappears. "It seems like it."

"So, what do you guys say?" asks Johanna. "Want to head back to watch a movie with Cecelia?"

The three of us share a look before we all start speed-walking towards the exit. Once we reach the staircase that leads us down to the tunnels—out of the Capitol's prying eyes— it's game on and we all break out into a sprint. 

No chapterly Memes because all this creepy Mr. Price stuff ruined my mood for jokes.