Pathos || Celia & Felix
Felix stood outside the Training Center with his escort, a tall and gangly man with diamonds set in his two front teeth. A cigarette dangled from the mentor's lips. He only ever smoked in the Capitol, when the scent of nicotine and alcohol was rampant at every party and function. Most cigarettes here had sweet, chemically-altered tastes rather than the real thing, and his mouth tasted so strongly of vanilla that he cringed every time he inhaled.
His escort was talking to him, but his voice and his accent was grating on Felix's ears. Looking at the man through narrowed eyes, the victor took the cigarette from between his lips and tossed it on the sidewalk, crushing it underfoot. "Are you ready to go back inside?" the escort asked, raising his finely manicured eyebrows.
"No," Felix answered, shaking his head. He started to walk away from the Training Center, aiming his body in whichever direction took his fancy first. "I'd rather walk."
"You can't go alone," his escort exclaimed, already moving to follow him. Felix smoked only as an opportunity to get fresh air outside and to appear casual as he loitered outside watching the streets and the people. His escort had been keeping a closer eye on him, it seemed, since the incident with the District 9 mentor. Felix wanted to roam the city on his own again but didn't have the opportunity any more. Eventually his escort would unstick himself and latch onto the tributes instead, as he was neglecting his duties by tailing the mentor everywhere he went.
Felix walked without making any conscious choice of where to go and by the time he chose to turn around and return to the Training Center, his escort had been lagging behind boredly. The first thing Felix did in the lobby was to march towards the stairs, taking them two steps at a time to the second floor. His escort took the elevator and beat him there, slipping off to find Marcus and Artemis.
Alone but caged in the Training Center, Felix went searching the floor for something to keep him busy. He decided to knock on Celia's door, unsure if his mentor partner was even in there. Felix rapped his knuckles against the wood and then leaned against the doorframe, listening. "Oh, Celia," he called out, wondering if he'd get a response.