She was still smoldering a little, so it was with a tentative hand that Caesar reached out to touch her headpiece.
The white had burned away, leaving a smooth, fitted veil of black that draped into the neckline of the dress in the back.
"Feathers", Caesar inquired, "You're like a bird."
"A mockingjay, I think", Livia offered, giving her wings a small flap, "It's the bird on the pin I wear as a token."
A shadow of recognition flickered across Caesar's face, and Livia could tell he knew that the mockingjay wasn't just her token- that it came to symbolize so much more.
That what would be seen as a flashy costume change in the Capitol was resonating in an entirely different way throughout the districts.
But he made the best of it.
"Well, hats off to your stylist. I don't think anyone can argue that that's not the most spectacular thing we've ever seen in an interview. Cinna, I think you better take a bow!" Caesar gestured for Cinna to rise.
He did, and made a small, gracious bow.
And suddenly Livia was afraid for him.
What had he done?
Something terribly dangerous.
An act of rebellion in itself.
And he'd done it for her.
"Don't worry. I always channel my emotions into my work. That way I don't hurt anyone but myself."
Livia was afraid he had hurt himself beyond repair.
The significance of her fiery transformation would not be lost on President Snow.
The audience, who'd been stunned into silence, broke into wild applause.
Livia could barely hear the buzzer that indicated her three minutes were up.
Caesar thanked her and she returned to her seat, her dress now feeling lighter than air.
As she passed Peeta, headed for his interview, he didn't meet her eyes.
She took her seat carefully, but aside from the puffs of smoke here and there, she seemed unharmed, so she turned her attention to him.
Caesar and Peeta had been a natural team since they first appeared together a year ago.
Their easy give-and-take, comic timing, and ability to segue into heart-wrenching moments, like Peeta's confession of love for Livia, had made them a huge success with the audience.
They effortlessly open with a few jokes about fires and feathers and overcooking poultry.
But anyone can see that Peeta was preoccupied, so Caesar directed the conversation right into the subject that was on everyone's minds.
"So, Peeta, what was it like when, after all you've been through, you found out about the Quell?" Caesar asked.
"I was in shock. I mean, one minute I'm seeing Livia looking so beautiful in all these wedding gowns, and the next..." Peeta trailed off.
"You realized there was never going to be a wedding?" Caesar asked gently.
Peeta paused for a long moment, as if deciding something.
He looked out at the spellbound audience, then at then floor, then finally up at Caesar.
"Caesar, do you think all our friends here can keep a secret?" Peeta quizzed.
