Beyond the fences that held District 12 hostage, out in the wilds, Haymitch finally felt free. He carried with him a new sense of terrifying clarity from being sober, and it wasn't something that he was going to get used to anytime soon. Knowing that he would have to participate in another Quarter Quell, that he wouldn't be coming back this time, made him crave a drink, just as a way to escape. Although he hadn't yet accepted his fate, facing the coming storm with Katniss made things a little easier. Her company was hard to enjoy from time to time, but it was her strong personality that reminded Haymitch that he needed to be strong too. After all, he was a man, and he needed to keep things in check and set the stage for the upcoming Reaping.

It was obvious what kind of arena Katniss would have preferred, but he doubted that the Capitol would want something else with a forest after the year before. The Quarter Quell was extravagant, meant to draw in viewers and was always more grotesque and shocking than the games preceding it. Haymitch remembered his games like it was yesterday, the vivid images still haunted his dreams and the trauma slipped into his waking life every now and then. Becoming a Victor was bittersweet—even though he had survived, he had become a killer and that fact alone made him wish that the winner would have been anyone else. Years later, survivor's guilt still lingered heavily on his head.

“Probably not,” he agreed and let the conversation trail off as Katniss started the fire. The heat was welcomed, as the rocks had only absorbed so much warmth from the sun that day. Winter was still hanging in the air, and Haymitch found himself wishing for spring as he rubbed his hands together, and warmed his cold fingers by the growing fire. The air was starting to warm around them, making the hard rocks seem somewhat cozy and Haymitch found himself relaxing. He accept the bread from Katniss when she passed it to him. The roll was from Peeta, and the older man found himself wishing the younger could have toughed it out and kept up with them.

He tore a chunk off of the bread and took a bite, savoring the perfectly baked texture. Haymitch took another bite and raised an eyebrow as Katniss spoke. He didn't understand what she was getting at when she began, not thinking himself to be anything like a fox. His body was shot, ruined from years of alcohol and his mind, although still sharp, was nothing compared to that of his youth. However, he had to smile when she mentioned taking down the careers together, a hidden optimism in her voice almost made him think that he would be coming home too.

“They're not as bad as you think,” he mentioned, “well, not the older ones.” The new careers grew more dangerous each year, but some of the past Victors had become friends of his. He didn't want to see them in the arena, though. “All this, making us all go back—I say we refuse.” he was joking, kind of, but he didn't think the Capitol could force all of them to compete when they had already done their duty and offered their sacrifice. 

Although she was very different from her sister, much more warm and inviting, Prim didn't have that many friends. She had a hard time keeping people close to her, and her main concern had always been her family, Katniss and their mother, who needed so much help. Normally, the blonde chose to keep her mother company rather than hang around with the other girls in the Seam, and soon, people stopped inviting her places. After Katniss had volunteered for her the year before, Prim could feel others judging her, pitying her, and she hated it. The comfort and isolation of home was better than the outskirts of the district. The only saving grace from the loneliness that sometimes cropped up had been Gale and their sudden friendship, but after their disagreement, she wasn't sure about him anymore.

Losing out on a friendship that had barely had a chance to begin was difficult to think about, and for Prim, there was more to it. She knew that Gale and Katniss were magnetic, and when her older sister had been away in the Capitol, Prim had the chance to find out just how wonderful Gale actually was. The silly crush she had on him made her feel guilty, and stupid for thinking that she wouldn't be easy to walk away from after a disagreement. The only constant in her life was Katniss, and Prim knew to be grateful for that.

She found herself surprised when Gale agreed to stay, and went to close the door behind him as he followed her mother into the kitchen, making mention that it had been a while. It hurt to know that he knew how long it had been, and Prim had a paranoid passing thought that he had been avoiding her on purpose, and had only agreed to stay because he was polite. She shook her head at herself and closed off her emotions, trying her best to prepared for an awkward and stiff evening. 

When Gale reappeared, obviously having nothing to do in the kitchen, Prim forced a smile at his question. “I've been studying healing. There are a lot of herbs that will start to come out in the spring. I wanted to know what to do with them beforehand,” she answered. Healing was something that was all her own, and Prim was proud of herself and her knowledge. “What have you been doing?” She assumed he was hunting, trading like normal and taking care of his family, but she wanted to hear anyway. If he wanted to talk, maybe they could still be friends.