Clucking her tongue, she shook her head so her hair moved along with it. “Now you said it… be careful, Seneca, what you wish for. I could have only played the innocent to lure you into a trap and then”, she snapped her finger, “like that, I’ll have you forever in my grasp!” But really, it was all nothing but fun and games. What would she do with a Seneca Crane at her command? She’d mess up that opportunity as she just had no cunning mind and no idea how anyone would exploit that. Sure, she’d practically get everything she wanted, but hands down, her father was already pretty good on that department and she sometimes had to rein HIM in – though she most of the time didn’t. You only lived once, right?
Shaking her head, Aquila gave Seneca a sweet smile. “I’ll surely try to stay untainted for as long as I am able to. I want to live on the sunside of life, not in the shadows, gossiping and plotting.”
He said he could live with her being a complicated soul, but a part of Aquila wondered, if that was only lip service. But then, she found herself slowly not caring anymore. Whether it was the sparkling wine or just her overall excitement, Aquila was beginning to feel almost drugged with the rich sensations she was assaulted with. Now it wasn’t only the glamour of the masquerade, it was also Seneca’s presence, the things he said and the things she only thought to read in his eyes that made her head whirl and her conscience light like a feather. It surely felt like she could do nothing wrong tonight and that nothing would end her with any long lasting consequences. It was probably the most fatal trap a girl could walk into, and she was doing so with eyes wide open, too naïve and too trustful.
Had her breath caught in her throat earlier, when he had suggested a second meeting, there was no comparing to what Aquila felt like when he so casually mentioned he wanted to gamble about a third meeting. For a moment the ground seemed to waver beneath her feet, and she tried to reach for the edge of the table to steady herself as inconspiciously as possible. What was happening here?! Was she really about to become the luckiest girl in all of Panem? Or had he said such things to all of his dates, just never went through with it? Maybe she shouldn’t hang her hopes too high with this, maybe she shouldn’t get too excited? In the end, she decided to just retort with another joke. “Then start saving up, Seneca, because I am known to be very good with riddles.” Then again, it was his friend who was the artist… so Seneca would probably know his style.
His question brought her back into reality somewhat. Of course, this evening was not only for them alone, even though it had seemed so in the last half an hour. There were other important people attending this masquerade.
”Well…” she started and suddenly felt a little stupid. What she would say now sounded a little childish and she tried so hard to appear grown up until now. “The man I want to meet is Cesar Flickerman. It is some kind of… infantile wager between my friends and me. They dared me I wouldn’t ask him one certain question and I said I would.”
Seneca resisted laughing at her pretty little spiel. Aquila was quite confident at playing the confident one. How brave of her to tell him that he should watch himself or else he might fall into her trap. Hadn't Seneca made it his life's vocation and profession to create traps? Hadn't he been making traps for the tributes for most of his life? It was Aquila who should better watch herself, truth be told. But then again, who was Seneca to prevent that from happening. Aquila was exactly where Seneca wanted her to be. "I may have to watch myself then," he replied and made a show of trying to look hesitant and cautious. "But who can blame a man for falling into your trap really? If he doesn't know any better, he would gladly walk into it without much prodding." Now, Seneca couldn't help wonder what she would do with him if indeed he would fall for her trap, so to speak. He could only imagine all the delightful and wonderful things to do with the beautiful Aquila. Oh, the things he can do to her. All that innocence, while very much refreshing, was always going to be quite a challenge breaking in. Seneca suddenly wanted to be the one to take that away and show her the wonders of the world that are shrouded by that innocence. "Tell me, my dear, do you want me in your grasp?" he had to ask, unable to prevent his curiosity from getting the best of him.
"I have only seen so much of the shadows to tell it's not the place for a lovely and dainty flower like you," he said as his eyes focused on hers. "Perhaps you can say I've been in and out, and I can gladly help you steer clear of that path, if you'd let me." Yes, make her trust him, make her think that he was indeed trying to help her. In all honesty, Seneca really didn't want her to be sucked into that particular game of the society. He didn't want her to be like everybody else. He wanted her different. He wanted her to be as unique as she was now. He wanted her to stay away from them, and stay with him instead. Only him.
“Then start saving up, Seneca, because I am known to be very good with riddles.” Another hearty laugh issued from the master gamemaker. Isn't Aquila a feisty and fiery one? He asked himself, totally enjoying each and every exchange they were having. "And I will give you the game of your life," he challenged back, just to give her a feel that she was indeed going to work hard to earn her prize. Aquila was only taking Seneca back into his element, games. There was nothing Seneca enjoyed more than a healthy amount of play and prizes. And he would indeed give Aquila a game that could even rival the Quarter Quells if she so asks for it.
When she told him he wanted to meet Caesar Flickerman, Seneca smiled. The man was perhaps only a notch lower than Seneca in terms of popularity, not just in the Capitol but all over Panem, being a very prolific media personality. It was no surprise that Aquila would want to meet the man in the flesh. Still, he couldn't help but tease her when she told him about the dare she had with her friends. "You and your friends wagered on Caesar Flickerman and not me? That hurts," he said feigning a look of pain on his face. But then Seneca couldn't hold it for long. He was grinning before Aquila could even speak. "I'm kidding. Come, let's win you that wager," he told her as he steered her through the crowd towards where Seneca had last seen Caesar talking to some ladies with bright-colored feathers sticking out of their heads.
