The effect on the Gamemakers was immediate and satisfying.
Several let out small shrieks. Others lost their grips on their wineglasses- which shattered musically against the ground.
Two seemed to be considering fainting.
The look of shock was unanimous.
Now she had Plutarch Heavensbee's attention.
He stared steadily at her as the juice from the peach he crushed in his hand ran through his fingers.
Finally he cleared his throat and said, "You may go now, Miss Distefano."
She gave a respectful nod and turned to go, but at the last moment she couldn't resist throwing a star- landing it right on the dummy where the genitals would've been.
A couple more wineglasses broke as the dummy spun back around into their view.
As the elevator doors closed before her, she saw no one had moved.
That surprised them, Livia thought.
It was rash and dangerous and no doubt she would pay for it ten times over.
But for the moment, she felt something close to elation and she let herself savor it.
She wanted to find Haymitch immediately and tell him about her session, but no one was around.
She guessed they were getting ready for dinner and she decided to go take a shower herself, since her hands were stained from the juice.
As she stood in the water, she began to wonder about the wisdom of her latest trick.
The question that should now always be her guide was, 'Will this help Peeta stay alive?'
Indirectly, it might not.
What happened in training was highly secretive, so there's no point in taking action against her when no one would know what her transgression was.
In fact, last year she was rewarded for her brashness.
This was a different sort of crime, though.
If the Gamemakers were angry with her and decided to punish her in the arena, Peeta could get caught up in the attack as well.
Maybe it was too impulsive.
Still- She couldn't say she was sorry she did it.
As they all gathered for dinner, Livia noticed Peeta's hands were faintly stained with a variety of colors as he interlocked their fingers.
He must have done some form of camouflage after all.
Once the soup was served, Haymitch got right to the issue on everyone's mind, "All right, so how did your private sessions go?"
Livia exchanged a look with Peeta.
Somehow she was not that eager to put what she did into words.
In the calm of the dining room, it seemed very extreme.
"You first", Livia said to him, "It must have been really special. I had to wait for forty minutes to go in."
Peeta seemed to be struck with the same reluctance Livia was experiencing.
"Well, I- I did the camouflage thing, like you suggested, Livia", He hesitated, "Not exactly camouflage. I mean, I used the dyes."
"To do what?" Portia asked.
Livia thought of how ruffled the Gamemakers were when Livia had entered the gym for her session.
The smell of cleaners.
