Alma and Katniss

Jot eats his soupière of beef ragoût with alarming speed. I savor the rich flavor of the meal, knowing I should put on as much padding as possible before the games begin to have energy reserves.

"So," he says. "we pondered quite a few ideas when designing your costumes. We could dress toi as fishermen, but we feel that would be too... drab. Typical. We also considered dressing toi as a wave, but we couldn't get the fabrics in time. So Reida (Jay's stylist) and I decided to try a new approach."

"New approach?"

"Yes. Would toi like to see it?" He asks, standing up and pushing his chair in. He...