- "He did not want to be her enemy...he’d counted Clemensia among his best"
- —Coriolanus Snow on his friendship with Clemensia
Clemensia Dovecote was a female resident of the Capitol and a student of the Academy. She was one of 24 top-performing seniors at the Academy selected to be a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games. She was assigned the male tribute from District 11, Reaper Ash.
She was the daughter of the energies secretary and one of 24 top-performing seniors of the Academy selected as a mentor.
Before the 10th Hunger games
Clemensia was present at the reaping for the 10th Hunger games and like many other academy students, was awaiting the announcemnt of her assignment and tribute to mentor for the games. When it was announced by Casca Highbottom that she were to mentor the district 11 boy, Reaper Ash she received the news in tact and made a note of her tribute in her binder. Clemensia alike many of her peers continued on with the reaping day festivities and ate food that was prepared for the day, as Snow had placed his plate down next to Clemensia's.
On the morning of the arrival of the tributes, the twenty-four mentors were called in a seminar in the morning led by Professor Crispus Demigloss. Festus proposed the idea of making viewship of the games absolutely necessary. Clemensia in response, questioned his proposal, asking what would occur if people did not abide by that. However, she concludes that citizens avoid watching the games because the games are sickly. As the class continues on and Festus had deduced that the games could increase viewership by betting, Clemensia remarked that betting on tributes was gruesome, and thoughtfully twisting her hair, disputed in disbelief at the idea whether betting should be put in place. When Snow responded that gambling should continue if it’s successful for the 10th Hunger games, Clemensia shook her head in exasperation and irritation.
The next day, Clemensia met Reaper as the mentors were to be introduced to their assignments, however after the arrangement as the mentors were walking back to the biology lab, Clemensia revealed that Reaper refused to speak to her. Afterwards she stated that she believed it was ironic to name a child Reaper then have them reaped.
After the class with Dr Gaul, the class chose Clemensia, Arachne and Snow to write up an essay. The three however agreed to meet one another at the zoo to meet their tributes at 8 o'clock and then go to the library to write up the proposal. After Arachne had her throat slit by her tribute, Brandy, Clemensia met up with Snow and Festus still in the zoo trembling in distress. The three walked back to Festus' apartment, but when he broke into tears, Clemensia and Snow bid him goodnight on the elevator. As Snow walked Clemensia home, she mentioned that Dr Gaul would surely not expect the proposal to be finished after the ordeal.
After Arachne's death, Coriolanus wrote the proposal on sponsors and betting odds. The next day, Clemensia and Coriolanus were called out of class by Dr. Gaul, and Snow reveals her wrote the proposal at night. Clemensia yelled at Snow in disbelief that he would do such a thing, as she was crying the entire night. However, she apologies to Snow afterwards, commenting that different people handle grief differently. They made their way to the lab (where Dr. Gaul was) and came into contact with some mutts. Dr Gaul questioned the pair on who wrote on the proposal, and both lied declaring that both Clemensia and Snow wrote the essay together. Dr Gaul, aware of the lie taunted Clemensia by asking her to dip her hands in the snake mutt enclosure to retrieve the only avaliable copy of the essay. Since the snakes did not recognise her scent, they bit her and she screamed in return shaking her hand profusely. She was then pinned down by lab assistants and injected with a needle before quickly losing conscious.
She was then transported to the hospital, where she regained consciousness and screamed so loudly that Snow heard her near the emergency room. Her parents were then informed of the incident and rushed to the hospital to visit her although visitors were strictly prohibited, as the staff at the hospital lied to Clemensia's parents and the public, stating that Clemensia had caught an infectious flu.
Clemensia visited Snow in the early morning of Tuesday after the bombing. She had a ravaged face, golden peeling brown skin and yellow coloured eyes. She received neurological damage due to the snake venom, her entire body twitching, her face grimacing and her tongue jerking periodically. Clemensia was frantic, hissing quietly at Snow on why no one had visited her, unbeknown on the lies the hospital staff had told her parents and others and whether people believed she died. In desperation she tells Snow that she believed Dr Gaul is out to kill her. She then reveals to Snow that her skin is turning to scales and is spreading, however she was quickly taken away by hospital staff.
During the 10th Hunger games
Clemensia was released from hospital care on the first day of the games, and angrily walked straight toward Snow and Lysistrata sitting in the back of the Heavensbee Hall. Her condition had grown better, but she still looked considerably ill. She wore a long sleeve high collared white blouse to conceal her scales and the yellow of her eyes had deduced to a pale pollen shade. She picked on her skin and flicked bits of it off randomly. She made her way to the seats directly infront of Snow and snarkingly and sarcastically thanked Snow for his lack of effort with helping her. She argued to Festus, Snow and Lysistrata before stomping off and taking a seat on the front row. Festus remarked that her behaviour was abnormal.
Domitia requested Clemensia to give Reaper something as Dill dies however Clemensia retaliates. Snow concludes that Clemensia wasn't herself, believing the snake venom had altered her brain and changed her behaviour. Snow also noticed that Clemensia spent a lot of time glaring at him. Clemensia also abstained from feeding Reaper throughout much the games, exclaiming that she'll only feed him when he does something that merits feeding. Her refusal to feed her tribute irritated Festus, who demanded that she feed Reaper at once however to no avail. As Reaper picked up Wovey's body, Clemensia critized him, calling him mentally unbalanced.
As the snakes were released, it set Clemensia in a hysteric mode, as she screamed and jumped from her chair nearly causing Festus to fall. Snow, afraid that she would reveal the story of the snakes to the others, wrapped his arms around her from behind to comfort or confine her. She went rigid but silient as Snow comforted her stating that she is entirely safe from the snake mutts. As Lucy Gray walks out into the arena in view of the cameras, Snow let her go and gently pushed her toward Festus.
Afterward the remaining mentors slept at the Heavensbee Hall. At dawn Snow woke up, observing Clemensia still awake fingering her collarbone. Intending on making amends once more, he asks if her scales were fading to which she replies that they have, but further commented it may take a full year to disappear completely. Clemensia then apologised to Snow, revealing that the source of her recent eratic and abnormal behaviour was a result of her fear. The pair then shared Snow's last cheese tart whilst the others were sleeping and conversed. As they washed their faces to prepare for the day, she loaned Snow her soap, a gesture that Snow considers symbolises her forgiveness toward him. Eventually Clemensia, now almost back to normal began sending her tribute more gifts, although Reaper would still ignore it.
As the tributes reduced to the final two, both Snow and Clemensia refused to eat Festus' sandwich he gave to them out of nervousness. Eventually, Reaper dies from poison, and Snow is celebrated for winning the games, Clemensia most likely participating in the celebrations before Snow is quickly taken away.
Physical appearance
She is considered by Snow the prettiest girl in her year at the Academy before the snake attack occured[1] with raven hair that reaches over her shoulders[2] and golden brown skin.
Personality
- "Still, it isn’t like her. I wonder what —"
- —Festus Creed on Clemensia Dovecote’s snarky behaviour
Compared with Livia Cardew, she showed tact and studiously made a note in her binder upon learning of her tribute.[2]
She was extremely popular with both the students and faculty of the Academy, due to her kindness. This served to excuse an occasional rudeness, such as not raising her hand before asking a question of an instructor.[3]
Clemensia was shown to be kind and rather humble, as when she shows her hysteric behaviour after the snake incident Lysistrata, Festus and Snow all observed that the behaviour was abnormal coming from her, with Snow deducing that her behaviour was a result of the snake venom. Clemensia was kind and forgiving, apologising to Snow multiple times for her comments and her behaviour and is shown to be considerate, as she always apologies to others and considered what she would do better. As an example, she apologised to yelling at Snow for writing the essay overnight after Arachne death, commenting that others handle grief differently.
Trivia
- Her nickname was ‘Clemmie’
Notes and references
- ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 8
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 1
- ↑ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Chapter 6