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"Peeta, this place is almost too much…" Katniss says as she continues taking in the bright lights and neon signs blanketing the both sides of the street. As she looks into the distance, the glitz and glamour appears to go on for miles.
"I know, Katniss. It’s a lot like being back in the Capitol, don’t you think?" Peeta asks as he glances over and takes in her wide-eyed, yet pensive expression.
"Yes, but in some ways, it seems ten times WORSE. It was bad enough having one over-the-top place in Panem, and now there are TWO of them!" she replies with a slight shudder.
Peeta chuckles at her remark. “Well, yes, I can definitely see your point. But I have to admit, Enobaria and her team have done a really great job of trying to bring back ‘Las Vegas’ from before the Dark Days. It’s almost like the pictures have jumped straight out of our old history books,” he responds, pointing to a brightly lit sign flashing the name Stardust.
Katniss nods quietly, a scowl still etched upon her face. As they walk across an overpass connecting two of the gambling parlors, or casinos as they were once called, they hear shouting from various hawkers along the sides, trying to peddle their various goods and wares.
"One dollar for a bottle of water! Best price on the Strip!"
"T-shirts, get your Las Vegas t-shirts right here, only five dollars!"
Katniss tries to tune out their bellowing, but one of them still manages to catch her attention. Her finely attuned hunter senses cause her to turn her Capitol-repaired ear in the direction of what she perceives to be a ripping sound.
"What the-" she begins, but before she can react further, she’s hit in the face by a bunch of plastic-coated cards. She manages to catch a few of them in her hands, but the rest fall to the pavement, which seems to be littered with them.
"Oh shit, I’m sorry, lady…" a man says as he approaches her, holding even more of the cards in his hands, "I wasn’t trying to hit you, but rather your gentleman companion there. Think he might like some special entertainment for the evening?" he explains while waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Entertainment?" Katniss exclaims, then looks down at the cards in her hands. They’re filled with pictures of naked women in a variety of lewd poses and positions. A couple even share her likeness, with olive skin and a long, single braid. She can feel her face flushing just as Peeta’s hand touches her shoulder, so she quickly shoves the cards into her satchel before he can see them.
"FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE, NO!" she screams back at the man, who is dumbfounded by her reaction. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Hey, this is Vegas, baby! Remember, what happens here stays here!" he says jovially and turns away in the opposite direction, handing out cards to the other strangers walking past.
"Katniss, what’s wrong?" Peeta asks, concerned, as he pulls her away. "Are you okay? What did he do to you?"
"He didn’t do anything, Peeta. He just apologized for hitting me in the face with these horrible cards, and then asked if we were interested in any ‘entertainment,’" she explains as she pulls a couple out of her purse to show him.
Peeta looks at the cards quizzically and then uproarious laughter bursts from his chest. “Katniss, you are still so PURE!”
"What are you talking about, Peeta? There are naked women on those cards!” she hisses, clearly frustrated by his reaction.
"Exactly. And how is this any worse than Johanna stripping in front of us in an elevator?"
"I, um… well… I…." Katniss stutters, struggling to argue with his point and failing miserably.
"You were pure back then, and you’re still pure now," he says with an endearing smile. "It’s one of the things I love most about you."
She looks into his sparkling blue eyes and returns his grin with one of her own.
"Here," he says, handing the cards back to her. "Put these back in your purse. Now let’s get to that wedding chapel up there so we can renew our toasting vows."
She nods, tucking the cards into one of the pockets before taking his hand. “What are we going to do with them?” she asks.
"We’ll send them to Gale. He lives in this District, I’m sure he can use them," he responds with a wink. "Now, let’s go, I can’t wait to make you my wife again."