The archway was soon empty once more, and Prim felt her cheeks heat up with a mixture of embarrassment and shame. It was true that she hadn't thought to go after her older sister, but it wasn't due to a lack of concern, but rather, a loss of what to say. Words weren't going to help Katniss forget that she was going back into the arena so soon after getting out, and promises of being okay wouldn't comfort the dark-haired girl now that Snow had violated the longstanding rules of the Hunger Games. The blonde knew that she could have been a shoulder to cry on, a presence of comfort and a tangible sense of calm before the storm, but that Prim felt that should be done behind closed doors. Katniss was her rock, and Prim wanted to comfort her in her own way, whether Haymitch Abernathy approved or not.

Swallowing hard, Prim did her best to get herself together and focus on one thing at a time. Her mind was racing with thoughts of Katniss never coming home, with Snow winning again, and then there was the issue of Peeta and Haymitch. One of them would have to go back into the Games as well, and neither were exactly spry and healthy considering Peeta's leg and Haymitch's affinity with alcohol. Katniss would have no allies this time.

Gale's words put a stop to her depressing thoughts and a look of shock crossed her delicate features. “You can't be serious,” she said, sounding outraged. Volunteering hadn't crossed her mind, mostly because someone needed to be there for Mrs. Everdeen, but Prim knew that she wouldn't last a minute in the Games, especially not when the number of tributes would be doubled and the field would be flooded with the vicious Victors of the past. “Gale...why would you volunteer? What about your family and everyone who depends on you?” That was a horrible idea, and Prim couldn't let him make it a reality. “The Capitol isn't going to let more than one person come home this time. They won't make that mistake again. Just...think of what you're saying.” 

It was cold outside. Haymitch could already feel his fingers starting to tingle in the winter wind, and the tip of his nose and cheeks had already gone a little red, but it was easy to ignore. He had half a bottle of liquor left and that was sure to warm him up at some point. Knowing Katniss, he was sure to be out there for a while.

When the dark-haired girl began to calm down, Haymitch was left unmoved and unsurprised by her words. Katniss Everdeen never worried about herself, she was too busy taking care of everyone else—whether it was her sister, or her mother, or the put upon people around the Seam, and even Peeta during the Games, she never gave a second thought to herself. “Someone has to worry about you,” he mentioned flatly, his tone not exactly conveying that that person was him. He tipped the bottle back to his lips, taking a long drink and enjoying the strong burn that came with it. 

Haymitch didn't want to acknowledge the announcement yet, or even let it sink in that he was more than likely going to be going back to the arena decades later. It wasn't fair to recall Victors when they had already done their time, and already suffered great physical and psychological damage. Why he thought the Capitol would ever keep its word on anything was beyond him, but Haymitch didn't have the stomach to think on the situation directly as of yet. However, the only thing he was sure of was Peeta. The boy with the bread wouldn't last this time around, not with that leg of his. By some cruel joke of the universe, he was more able bodied than Peeta Mellark and Haymitch [i]knew[/i] that Katniss knew as well.

The year before, his role as mentor had been to protect the two kids from District 12, do what he could to help them win. He may not have been the most compassionate man around, but that sense of responsibility had never left him. After years of watching tributes from his home get slaughtered, it had been easy for him to grow attached to the two had managed to save their necks and Haymitch wanted, perhaps more than anything, for them to stay safe.

“You got away before,” Haymitch shrugged, “we can get you again.” He took another drink from the bottle, the cold starting to creep back into him. He looked over at Katniss, the darkness concealing the concern that he couldn't keep from his eyes. “Snow's got nothing to do with this.” Defying the Capitol was possible, and Haymitch knew that Panem would be angry about the new rules and the notion that no one was ever going to be safe. Past Victors had become like family to those people, household names and brands all their own. No ordinary citizen would want to see them killed.

The kitchen was starting to feel too small, and Prim was itching for an excuse to get away from Gale and his bad ideas. “She's not going to let you volunteer,” the blonde told him, although she was sure that he already knew that. “She won't let any of us volunteer.” If any of them tried, Prim was sure that Katniss would never forgive them. She had worked so hard to keep everyone safe, and volunteering to be killed was a slap in the face; she didn't deserve that, and she didn't deserve to be forced to return herself. Presently, the best idea to beat this was to run away. 

“I should clean up in the other room,” Prim said aloud. “I hope you've forgotten about volunteering by the time I come back.” She disappeared from view then, entering the living room to collect the shards of shattered glass from the floor.

Katniss's request hit Haymitch like a ton of bricks. While he had already decided to volunteer in Peeta's place, hearing ask made it so much more real. He was well past drunk at this point, but his mind still had moments of clarity, and Katniss asking him to volunteer without actually saying the words was sobering. “Way ahead of you,” he said, downing another drink from the bottle. “He's not gonna like it much, you know,” he pointed out, knowing Peeta didn't want to be treated like he was useless, “but you can break it to him.” If anything, Peeta was going to volunteer anyway, and Haymitch could easily step in. This wasn't something that was going to be negotiated with the boy, but it was probably best that he know ahead of time. Being a mentor wasn't easy, and charismatic and friendly as he was, Peeta had his work cut out for him.