Work Text:
“Well,” Evangeline says with a long-suffering sigh, her fingers working deftly to adjust Annie’s dress. “It truly has been an honor to work with you, Annie Cresta.”
Her somber tone implies that Annie’s supposed to say something equally emotional back, but she really doesn’t know where to go from here, so she just smiles tersely and says, “Okay.”
Evangeline sniffs a little, like she does when she’s about to get emotional about something but doesn’t want to show it. “I hope you enjoy your final dress,” she continues. The train for her Victory Tour is stopped in District Four, and in just a few minutes, Annie will return to her district and never set foot in the Capitol again.
So she takes a nice, long look at herself in the mirror. For as much as she hates the Capitol, she always did enjoy Evangeline’s dresses, and this one is no exception. It’s a beautiful, understated sea foam green color. The fitted bodice is an elaborate network of sheer material and beaded strings that cross and intersect to create a web. There’s a small bit of sparkle to the bodice where a few strings sport tiny silver jewels. The skirt is incredible, in Annie’s opinion; it changes from blue to green according to the light, and heaps of the ethereal fabric pool at her feet like a great green ocean. The flowing skirt is only interrupted by ribbon-like horizontal seams that give it definition.
Annie is struck by how much the dress reminds her of home. Everything from the color to the netted bodice to the flowy skirt so perfectly embodies District Four that it nearly makes her cry. “It’s beautiful.”
Evangeline gives her a surprisingly modest smile. “I’m glad you think so. It is our last time working together, after all.”
Annie inhales deeply. “Thank you,” she says, surprised to find that she means it. “The dresses were beautiful.”
It’s the last time she sees Evangeline, but Annie’s not too pressed about it.
The final celebration in District 4 is extravagant because the Capitol is paying for it, but despite this, there’s not much Capitol involvement. Apparently she’s not interesting enough to warrant a camera crew in her home district, so citizens mainly just enjoy the festivities with their families.
Unlike in the Capitol, people mind their business here. A few people she knew from school stop by to say hello, but everyone else treats her as just another face in the crowd. It’s refreshing. It’s like coming home from the beach to wash the salt and sand off your body and finally feeling clean again.
Annie spends most of her time at the snack table, admiring the healthy spread of dishes. It’s a mix of classic celebratory dishes from Four and food that the Capitol provided, and it can keep families in the district eating for weeks.
“You look beautiful,” a voice beside her says. Finnick’s breath tickles her neck and Annie finds herself smiling. “And I just have to say, that netting is incredible.”
Her eyes flick down to the netting on her dress. She laughs loudly, and a few heads turn. Annie doesn’t care. “You sound awfully proud. Are you sure you didn’t style my dress?”
He gives a noncommittal hum. “I may have helped.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously,” he confirms. “Evangeline asked me for advice on emulating Four. I stopped her from adding sea star earrings.”
“My hero,” Annie drawls, and they grin.
The party is starting to calm down as the sun begins to set. The tired crowd shuffles back to their homes for a quiet evening off work, but Finnick looks like his night is only just starting.
“Want to get out of here?” he asks, holding out his hand. “I know the quickest way to the beach.”
She laughs and reaches for his hand. The walk to the beach is short, and Annie can feel the train of her dress drag along the sandy ground. There’s hardly anyone at the beach at this hour, so they both slip off their shoes and dig their toes into the sand. The ocean rushes up to meet her, and Annie laughs as a wave washes over her feet and the hem of her dress.
She’s so caught up in the moment that she barely registers when Finnick starts wading in further, soaking his sleek Capitol pants almost entirely.
“What are you doing?” she calls, still at the shoreline. “You’ll get your clothes wet!”
“That’s the benefit of having fancy clothes!” Finnick yells back, the picture of carefree enthusiasm. It’s a nice look on him. “They have fancy ways to dry them, too! Come on," he says, quieter this time. "It'll be fun."
This is enough to send Annie into the water after him. Her dress is surprisingly light despite the massive amounts of fabric. The pale green skirt floats around her and almost blends in with the water as she goes out further from the shoreline. She almost doesn’t care how soaked she is.
She’s breathing heavily with exertion by the time she reaches Finnick. Annie’s sure that her hair must have come undone because she can see dark, wispy tendrils float in front of her eyes when she moves her head. But she can’t bring herself to mind.
“How are you?” Finnick asks, in more than just the conversational way. He asks like he genuinely wants to know. Annie can’t even remember the last time anyone talked to her like that. “I know this party can be overwhelming.”
“I’m better now that we’re here,” Annie says without thinking, before immediately regretting it. That sounds like a cheesy line from one of those movies that play constantly in the Capitol.
Finnick doesn’t seem to find her corny at all. “Good,” he says easily, an invisible weight leaving his shoulders. “It’s nice to be home. I always miss it.”
The water sparkles at her fingertips as the descending sun hits it. Annie stares at the scene in front of her, transfixed. The sun is setting and it paints the sky in different hues of purple and orange and pink. The waves lap gently and consistently at her hips. She takes a deep breath of the salty air and smiles. “Yeah.”
“We don’t have to talk about it any more if you don’t want to,” Finnick says, his fingers fiddling idly with the water.
She’ll want to talk about it later, probably, but not now. Right now, all Annie wants to do is watch the sunset and feel the soothing embrace of the ocean and remember how to breathe again. Her fingers brush against Finnick’s under the water, and she reaches for his hand. “Finnick?”
His fingers grasp at her hand in response. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for being here.”