While you're waiting for the Quarter Quell to begin, let's catch you up on all the highlights from Katniss and Peeta's historic Victory Tour!
Shiver me timbers, Katniss and Peeta have weighed anchor and docked in District 4!
The entire nation was looking forward to the Victory Tour stop in our nation’s famous fishing district after rumours circulated that would see blushing Katniss in a bikini; however, the weather soon put a stop to the gossip. About an hour before sunrise, the waiting Capitol press were battered by strong winds and driving rain.
Photo courtesy: http://flaxandspindle.blogspot.com/2010/09/stormy-weather-formidable-photography.html
“It’s just a little squall,” the Dockmaster told the press as we cowered under our umbrellas; dripping mascara is never in fashion.
The Victors themselves looked as though they had been expecting this weather from the start, and emerged in their waterproof, and yet stylish, gear. Katniss’s make up was flawless against the spray, and she was kept dry by a knee-length canary yellow raincoat with sweeping sleeves, and a set of matching boots. Peeta, on the other hand, wore an emerald green trench coat, buckled by a gold version of the District 12 seal.
Cinna and Portia accompanied their projects down the steps of the train, holding special Victory Tour umbrellas, which we are told will be available in the Capitol from tomorrow morning. Here’s hoping for a wet winter!
Portia and Cinna and the nations most coveted umbrella!
The first stop for the young couple was the Academy, where all of tomorrow’s District 4 Victors are trained for the arena. Many of the bright-eyed Tributes-in-Training asked Katniss for an archery demonstration, but she declined, and the Victors were ferried out to see their next landmark, the Great Dock, where 75% of Panem’s sea produce is brought to land.
The Great Dock. Photo Copyright Iskandar NDAE
The weather had brightened by this time, but the dock itself was very slippery, so the visiting party was restricted to viewing the ocean from the balcony of the Justice Building. The Dockmaster explained that, though there are many harbours dotted along the coastline, the Great Dock is the busiest port. Due to its proximity to the train line, the Great Dock is the most convenient for the exportation of District 4’s haul to the Capitol. Out on the Great Dock, he revealed, is where a young Finnick Odair built up the muscles and charm that won him the 65th Annual Hunger Games. Charm is essential on the docks as your bounty is only worth as much as you can talk out of the buyer.
Our victors in an intimate, stolen moment on the balcony
A few citizens spotted the Victors on the balcony of the Justice Building, and waved to them, calling out undecipherable greetings. Peacekeepers soon arrived to sweep them away towards the front of the building, where the official reception would be held. The audience greeted the Victors with hushed awe and the young couple shifted uncomfortably under the glare of such silent adoration. The atmosphere was strong, and some in the crowd were overcome by the celebration, waving an illegible banner that was soon snatched away. We were informed that the banner had contained inappropriate language, scrawled by known drunkards, who didn’t consider the young families that would also be present at the event.
The speeches didn’t last long today, as the weather had dampened much of the festivities, and people were eager for the fishing boats to return safely. Katniss and Peeta respectfully retired, thanking the District for their hospitality and expressing their hopes that all the trawlers find their way home.
Mellark and Everdeen will need to use their extra time to crack a few books as they are headed next to the Technology District, District 3.
Please be sure to check out Arowana Flounder's brilliant Johanna Mason fanfiction, They Will Never See Me Cry, and her original story, Archangels.