#answered: portia lux

[vengefvlx]

Portia: [Snow] My dear, thank you for meeting me. This must be a refreshing change of pace from your cell. I must say, it's all so unfortunate. You know it's not too late to denounce Peeta Mellark and Cinna, correct? Your loyalty to them is apparent.

Despite so many days in her cell Portia would've done anything to be back in it. She didn't even know how many days it had been. She was certain that it had gone dark in her cell way more than it should have. And even if she had initially tried to keep count, when it had gone into the multiples, she had lost count. It was just dark, and light. She should have been grateful to be out of her cell. But she was with Snow. And she would rather have been dead than be in his company.

"It is very nice. I'm grateful for the opportunity Sir." She would have loved to actually get out of the cell altogether. She'd done nothing wrong. She was doing her job. That was what they had employed her to do, to style District 12. It wasn't her fault that the rest of Team 12 were traitorous rebels.

But to denounce them? To denounce Cinna. She didn't know if she could.

Denouncing 12 was easy. Technically her loyalty wasn't to 12. It was to Cinna. And she supposed it was to Peeta. He was her friend after all. But could she denounce him to save herself. Of course she did. She was a Capitolite. She had grown up in that dog eat dog world. They pushed people aside to rise to the top.

But to denounce Cinna? She couldn't. Cinna was her partner, in all ways. She loved him. And even if he didn't love her, if he didn't trust her, she couldn't throw him under the bus. Portia didn't get why he hadn't told her about the Rebellion, why he hadn't trusted her enough to talk to her about it (because she probably would have understood)

"Having been betrayed by them doesn't make it easy to turn off the loyalty.... to turn off the friendship that I thought we had." She didn't know if Snow knew about her relationship with Cinna. But she wasn't about to give him that as a thing to use against him.

"Cinna is my partner. We've worked together for years. He's the reason I stayed with 12, because he asked me too. Didn't think to key me into any of his treason though." She was glad that she had not known though because she didn't know what she would have done if she had known. "He's the one I'm loyal to. Not Peeta. Not 12."

"I don't know why he or them have done any of this. The Capitol has been so good to us for so many years, given us so many opportunities." And of course locked her up in a cell, but she was trying to overlook that. It was a mistake right? "I'm eternally grateful for the good life I've had in the Capitol." She was. But she wouldn't denounce Cinna. She couldn't. "I only hope I get to live that life again"

[fctedivided]

Ways to respond when someone says, "I'm okay." - @nebula-drcams sent:

"Have you eaten anything?" { Portia @ Lux }

Once her stomach growled, the fallen angel hinted the smallest tint of redness around her cheeks. There was no point for hiding it, she replied with a small nod. "I only ate an apple today..."

[vengefvlx]

Portia: [Interrogation] He has clung onto defending Katniss. Cinna hasn't even mentioned you. Who is to say he won't throw you under the bus? His little dress stunt only took him four days apparently. [Laughs]

Portia: [Interrogation] It's hard to tell, Portia. You might not be in close proximity to Katniss Everdeen, but you are to Cinna. He committed a blatant act of treason during her interview. You expect us to think you had no idea of what was happening?

it was true. She was close to Cinna. As she sat, watching the other, she wondered if some how they knew about her relationship with Cinna. The pair had barely told anyone. Only really the District 12 team. And she didn't think any one there would be betray them. But who knew? And even if they didn't know about their romantic relationship, they were close anyway. They styled the star crossed lovers together. There was no denying they were close.

"It was just a working relationship." It wasn't. It never had been. Even before they'd gotten close to Katniss and Peeta they'd been a pair. Portia had agreed to style 12 in the 74th Games because Cinna had suggested it. He was very much part of why she was with 12. Of course, he wasn't the main reason she had actually stayed with 12, when she'd gotten the opportunity to move. But he had been one of the reasons.

"I didn't know." She hadn't. She'd seen the design. Of course she had. They showed each other everything. It was beautiful. She just hadn't expected him to put the two dresses together. "If you recall my outfit for Peeta no longer matched Katniss after the little stunt." Of course, that could be interpreted that she'd planned Peeta's outfit to change too. But Portia wasn't that talented.

She couldn't control the look of hurt that crossed her face at the next question. The next dig. Had Cinna forgotten about her so easily? How could he? He was being held directly across from her. She wondered if that was the Capitol's sick way of making them watch each other being hurt.

But the words hurt. Part of her knew Cinna would not mention her because he wanted to protect her. The less the Capitol knew about them, and their relationship the better. But the irrational side of Portia's brain was telling her it was because he didn't love her. At least not as much as she loved him.

"Like I said...." She pushed through the pain, though the look of hurt that had crossed her face before, had been hard to miss. "Just a working relationship. I wouldn't have mentioned him had you not brought him up." That was true. Despite everything, despite maybe her mismatched, and not well placed affection for Cinna, she'd never put him in any danger.

"Who says he already hasn't?" She murmured with a shrug. "Can't see no other reason for me to be here. Us stylists, we trample over each other to get to the top." That was true, even if she didn't think Cinna had done that. But Portia was trying to protect herself. It was all she could do.

[vengefvlx]

Portia: [Interrogation] Cinna disastrously crafted a treasonous dress for Katniss Everdeen. Should we have expected the same if Peeta Mellark's interview had been on time? Panem loved you and the team from 12. Instead of basking in it, you throw fire at innocent people?

Portia honestly did not know why she was here. She had done nothing wrong. She loved her job. She loved the Capitol. Although her feelings for the Capitol were slightly souring at the moment. Whilst she could pretend as much as she could that she didn't know why she was here. She knew why she was really. Her connections to District Twelve. She might never have publicly said anything against the Capitol. But simply her being a stylist for twelve, getting along with Peeta, it had all made her suspicious.

"I love Panem too." Were her words. Though she probably shouldn't have bothered. They wouldn't believe her. She wouldn't be stuck in this cell if they did want to believe her. "Being a stylist was my dream. Do you really think I've throw it anyway for anything?" It was the truth. She loved being a stylist. And she'd been excited to style her Victor, and her new tribute. But now it was all ruined.

"I just wanted the world to see how great Peeta was too." Because she sometimes felt that Cinna's great masterpieces left Peeta pushed to the side. So, all she wanted was to make him look good too. "It wasn't enough..... nothing is ever enough....." And now they were both locked in a cell. "Doing my job wasn't enough."