Twenty-Four - Hearing The Unheard

                                    

                                          
"Miss Kentwell." One Peacekeeper says.
"Yes?"
"Please come with us." The other orders.
"What have you done?" Enobaria whispers harshly into Clio's ear.
"Nothing!" Her voice is insistent.
"Miss Kentwell." The first peacekeeper repeats. "You're required with Mr Flickerman for the tribute specials."
"Why?" She asks, but she stands anyway. "There's still nine of them left."
"Yes." The second officer says. "But the interview will not be airing live and since you are the only sibling of a high ranking tribute, it is imperative that you follow us."
"Can I get changed first?" 
"The District Two prep team is expecting you." The peacekeepers inform her as they flank her on either side of the short walk out of the viewing room and all the way to the dressing room connected to the backstage green room connected to the studio which houses Caesar Flickerman several times a year.
Inside, Xanthe and Juno are perching on the tall stools and retouching their makeup in the Hollywood mirror, whilst the prep team flit about the room in preparation of their beauty treatments. As Clio steps inside, they turn to face her and immediately start fussing over various aspects of her appearance. 
"We've only got fifteen minutes ladies." Juno says before she gestures for Clio to sit down in a black canvas chair. The two ladies on the prep team examine their previous work, finding that all of their efforts to bronze the most recent victor before the interviews has paid off and that the colour hasn't begun to peel yet; which makes their jobs easier of course. 
Gaia's lilac skin is a blur as she runs a straightening iron over the ends of Clio's hair, quickly nipping back and forth from the mirror and Clio's chair with different sprays and gels and grips. The woman parts her hair down the centre of her head and tames the characteristic flyaways with a gel and arranges a dozen small braids like a waterfall along the back of her scalp before gliding two star shaped pins at the side of her face. Meanwhile, Appia notices that the red colour of her nails is still intact and begins to base her makeup look around that splash of colour. Given their time constraint, the woman applies a light layer of foundation to her face, just enough to give Clio a glow under the harsh lights of the studio, but not enough to swallow the appearance of her freckles. She quickly defines her cheekbones and sweeps a champagne coloured powder across the high points of her face and feathers her eyebrows. When Juno clicks her fingers, the women decide to skip the extravagant eye looks they are known for and instead use their time to meticulously place individual fake lashes along her lash line, and then paint her lips in a perfect match to the hue of her nails.
"Three minutes, ladies. Shoo!" Juno wafts her hands in front of her and the prep team scatters within seconds as the stylist unzips the garment bag hanging beside the mirror. She then turns to Clio. "Now, come on, let's get you into this, we don't have much time."
Juno waits for Clio to remove her clothing before helping her pull the new outfit over her hair and makeup. "Isn't this lovely?" The stylist asks as she directs Clio to stand ahead of the mirror before she shines the points of Clio's shoes. 
She's been dressed in a deep red blazer dress, made of a thick expensive cotton and featuring a deeper red satin fabric on the lapel of the tailored item. The dress stops around mid-thigh, the cut very unforgiving with the way it rides up with every step that she takes, and she knows that she's going to have to be mindful of the way she sits in the chair on stage unless she wants to give Enobaria a heart attack and Xanthe a public relations nightmare. Unsurprisingly, the neckline of the outfit dips into a low, plunging v-neck, and Juno has to work quickly to tape the fabric of the dress to her breasts. If there's anything she doesn't like about the Capitol, it's this - she's confident in her body but the constant need to be taped and pinned into an outfit isn't something she expects herself to become accustomed to anytime soon.