Thank you so much to Ro-Lee, iiMuffinsaur, and my guest reviewer!

Patting-Patches: Unfortunately I'm not familiar with Vampire Diaries or Fast and Furious, BUT I adore Game of Thrones and Pirates of the Caribbean, so there is hope. :)

Sherlock Holmes

"I still don't buy that 'consulting detective' is a legitimate profession," Cato gripes as they trudge through a small town that looks like it came straight out of a storybook. The buildings still have a gray tinge from the defunct coal mines that used to be the breadbasket of the region, but the air smells clean and fresh.

"Seriously, Cato? How can you not have heard of Haymitch Abernathy before now?" Marvel retorts as he consults the address scrawled on a slip of paper in his hand. "The Hound of District 5? The Arena of Fear? The Adventure of the Six Mockingjays? You've never read any of those stories?"

"You've met my father. Huge fan of censorship," Cato deadpans. "And who the hell came up with those titles? They're shit."

Marvel clucks his tongue. "Don't let Maysilee Donner hear you say that."

"Wait, Donner? The military strategist? She's here too?"

"You're kidding me." Marvel face-palms. "You've heard of Abernathy's assistant but not Abernathy himself?"

"One of Panem's best military minds in living memory is of far more interest than some 'consulting detective.'"

Marvel groans. "Fine, fine. Allow me to explain who is Haymitch Abernathy." And he launches into a huge fanboy spiel. "Abernathy grew up on the poor side of town here in Twelve, but he started making a name for himself as a teenager when he began to solve all sorts of cases, current and cold, that no one else could fathom. He calls his method the science of deduction—that requires a whole lecture of its own—but no one's been able to use it as well as he has. Anyway, business took off when he met Maysilee Donner and they put their skill sets together. But when you're thwarting all sorts of criminal activities, you make a lot of enemies. It got to the point that everyone thought Abernathy was killed during a face-off with this psycho named Alasdar Greenburn—"

"Donner's stalker?" Cato interrupts.

"Yeah. That's the one. But it turns out Abernathy faked his death to make sure he took down all of Greenburn's sick games and networks and henchmen. Once that was done, Abernathy rejoined the world of the living, he and Donner got married, and they retired back here to District 12."

Cato blinks. "That sounds...idyllic. And what was up with those titles you were rattling off?"

"Donner wrote about their various cases, and those were what she called some of her recountings. Her royalties from her writing and Abernathy's payments from his detective work have allowed them to live very comfortably, so I've heard."

"It sounds like you're making a lot of this shit up, Marvel."

"Am not, and I'm going to prove it. Look, we're here." They stroll up to a pleasant-looking house, cozy and modest but with ample space. Cato can see the edges of a vegetable garden and a small orchard behind the dwelling, and someone emerges from the grove just before the two of them approach the front door.

The girl, who's hefting a large basket of fruit, is covered in dirt and leaves. But when she turns her curious blue eyes in Cato's direction, he feels his stomach flip-flopping. "Can I help you?" she inquires, those blue eyes flickering between him and Marvel.

"Good afternoon!" Marvel answers cheerfully. "We're looking for Haymitch Abernathy."

Her expression immediately closes off. "He's retired," she says crisply. "If you're having problems, you'll need to ask the authorities." She starts to turn away.

Cato still isn't sure how much he believes in this Haymitch Abernathy. Obviously the guy is real, and Cato is aware that he's been living under a rock for a good part of his life—thanks, Father—but Marvel is making Abernathy sound like some kind of real-world superhero. Nevertheless, Cato wouldn't have made the trip all the way out here, to the middle of nowhere, if he weren't so terribly desperate, enough to blindly follow Marvel to District 12. Cato takes a step toward the girl. "Coriolanus Snow."

She freezes, then spins around. "What did you say?" she asks sharply.

"Coriolanus Snow," Cato repeats. "People are in danger because of him. And we need all the help we can get. I'm told Haymitch Abernathy is our best shot at taking Snow down."

The girl brushes her hair out of her face, careless of the streak of mud she leaves on her cheek. Her blue eyes are darker now as she gazes at him more seriously. Finally, she nods. "You should follow me. My dad's inside." She leads the way. "I'm Ember Abernathy, by the way."

I may have mentioned it in an AN or two on the earlier chapters of Sweetest Mockery, but I imagine Haymitch to look like a combination of Robert Downey, Jr., and Hugh Jackman. The former has played Sherlock Holmes in the Guy Ritchie films, and I guess the image just stuck.

Next up: a little Anastasia-inspired scene!