"I'm using some of your advice, by the way. I read the story you gave me, and I agree." After eating, Katniss sat down next to Jacob with a plate containing a tart.
Jacob, who was receiving some messages from his intelligent assistant, nodded with a slightly surprised expression. Truth be told, he never expected Katniss to be so open with him in this way, so he was truly grateful for making good choices since offering himself as a tribute.
"These are some ideas I've been thinking about lately, considering all our possibilities and the outcomes of the other tributes' skills. Going straight to the cornucopia is a death sentence."
Katniss looked at the paper with great interest that Jacob was more interested in sharing his own research than Haymitch, who hadn't shown up since yesterday.
"Considering the competitive and brutal nature of the games, the mortality rate is likely to be high. In addition, deaths can occur due to direct combat, deadly traps set by the organizers, lack of food and water, or even as a result of strategic decisions made by the tributes themselves."
Jacob smiled a bit as this information was gathered by his intelligent assistant infiltrating the systems and providing him with this summary, which would serve as a guide for him in the games.
"Training is crucial. There we will find out who will be a threat and a burden. Forming alliances with other tributes can provide additional protection and increase the chances of survival. However, it's essential to choose allies carefully and consider that eventually they will have to face each other."
When Katniss heard Jacob's words, she understood what he meant as she herself thought that at some point she would have to face Jacob in a deadly combat.
But these thoughts were far from Jacob's own reality, as he had always been thinking of achieving the same outcome as in the series.
"Do you plan to establish an alliance with other tributes? If we showcase our strengths, we might catch the attention of the stronger tributes." Katniss pondered on this point and said.
"No." Jacob shook his head and pointed out, "If the stronger ones unite to hunt the weaker ones, this will cause some reproach from the spectators. So, considering the benefits we could have, gathering a group of not-so-strong tributes to confront the favorites to win these Hunger Games."
"Wouldn't this put us in danger?" Katniss had some doubts about it.
"We don't have many options either. Possibly those tributes from Districts One and Two ended up hating us at the tribute parade."
Katniss wasn't surprised to hear this as she was more or less aware of that fact. "What do you mean precisely by knowing the environment? It would be impossible to know it until the games start."
Jacob smiled and pointed out, "It's essential to quickly familiarize ourselves with the arena and its features. Identifying safe shelters, sources of water, and potential resources can be key to staying alive."
Katniss looked at Jacob and asked, "How do you know all this?"
"In the mines, I met an old man who gave me many tips when he found out I could be chosen as a tribute for the games. He had a brother who was selected as a tribute and suffered injuries, got poisoned, and eventually died due to many of the precautions he explained to me."
This lie was the smartest one Jacob could come up with since he didn't have a logical explanation for making other people understand the existence of his intelligent assistant.
Just as he was about to continue chatting with Katniss, his assistant alerted him that there was movement on the stairs, and Jacob signaled that Haymitch was here.
"By the way, we have the same set of clothes." Jacob pointed out this detail that Katniss had noticed long before.
"Yes, it seems you should train your eyesight if you want to be an observant person." Katniss teased, seeing Jacob as someone intelligent but not noticing that detail.
Jacob smiled a bit and said, "Well, at least I could tell you the truth when I said I noticed it before, but I didn't find the moment to point it out."
"It seems you get along better than I expected..." Haymitch muttered as he sat in the dining area and started arranging food.
"Oh, what's to say that we're not lying and in the end, we're the first ones to stab each other in the back?" Jacob, in a moment of carelessness, stole a piece of tart from Katniss' plate without her noticing.
"I had never thought of that..."
"Would you?" Katniss asked before lowering her gaze to her plate and not finding her piece of tart. She looked at Jacob for answers and waited.
Jacob, feeling the intensity of Katniss's gaze, responded, "I would never do that, and by the way, I saw your piece of tart roll under the couch while you were looking at Haymitch."
"Is that so?" Katniss was left puzzled.
As Jacob looked out the window, he thought about the training. Based on the basic explanation provided by his intelligent assistant, there are three days for all the tributes to practice together.
On the afternoon of the third day, they would each have the opportunity to perform privately in front of the Gamekeepers. The idea of meeting them made Jacob think of something attention-grabbing and unique. Of course, Jacob had considered both sides of the coin when it came to performing in front of the Gamekeepers, but that was something he didn't want to examine right now.
On the other hand, Katniss stopped lamenting over her piece of tart as she pondered about the training.
After devouring several plates of stew, Haymitch sighed contentedly. He pulled out a flask from his pocket, took a big swig, and rested his elbows on the table.
"Well, let's get to the point: training. First of all, if you want, I can train you separately. But decide now."
"Why would we want to do it separately?" Katniss was surprised.
"Suppose, in the hypothetical case, you have a secret skill that you don't want the others to know..." Haymitch started with the most basic mention of separate training.
"Well, I'm not an expert killer, but I have certain abilities..." Jacob looked at Haymitch with mysterious, narrowed eyes, then looked at Katniss and said, "But I have nothing to hide. We decided to form an alliance for when the games start."
"You can train us together," Jacob took the initiative without asking Katniss.
"Alright, then give me an idea of what you both know how to do."
Jacob pointed to himself and said, "Well, I know how to cook, do laundry, clean, sew a wound... You have no idea how many times I cut my hand trying to play with a knife, but now I can chop onions and potatoes like no one else."
Haymitch and Katniss both looked at Jacob in silence. They couldn't deny that it was funny, at least for Katniss. However, now that their mentor had taken the initiative to train them seriously, it wasn't appropriate to play such sudden and unexpected pranks.