It was refreshing to finally breathe fresh air again, to be outside the walls of the penthouse where they were being kept. From the roof, the Capitol almost looked small, and the sprawling mass of lights and buildings finally had a definite ending. In a way, Haymitch felt like escape was possible, as if he could simply crawl over the edge of the railing and survive the fall to the gilded street below. There was no freedom anymore, and Haymitch had figured that out for himself years ago, but sometimes he forgot just how deeply these Games ran and how they continuously mangled the lives of everyone involved. He wasn't sure if Katniss understood that yet, even though she was being forced back into the arena for a second time. Things really were a mess, that much was evident by the anger in Katniss's voice when it came to Prim. This was what the Capitol wanted, to split them up with the hope that they would try and kill each other.

Wordlessly, the former Victor agreed to go inside and relinquished the sense of calm he felt in the cool, new spring breeze. He followed Katniss back into the elevator and took it down back to their floor. It was late, and the four of them would have to be up early for training, something that started all over again in just a slight handful of hours. Sleep was important when it came to the Games, but Haymitch knew how impossible it was for just about everyone involved. Exhausted tributes were pliant tributes, tributes who went down easy, who got out of the way and died like they were supposed to. Haymitch shook his head at himself, not wanting to let those thoughts creep into his mind so suddenly; they were nightmare fuel.

“It's what I do,” Haymitch shrugged, smirking slightly as Katniss touched his shoulder. Her hand was warm through his shirt and he wanted to pull her close, take her into his arms and not let go for a while. Instead, he told Katniss goodnight and went quietly back to his own room.

The night had faded quickly, making way for a new day and Haymitch was awoken by an Avox coming into his room. Slowly, he opened his eyes and brushed his hair from his face as the silent girl set a freshly laundered uniform down at the edge of his bed. After she left, Haymitch got out of bed and reached his hands above his head, stretching his tight and sore muscles. He wasn't in horrible shape, not anymore, but sparring with Prim without a warm up had definitely been a bad idea. He winced as he walked over to the bathroom for a shower, sure that the hot water would wake up his muscles and get him ready for the day. He was a little worried, though, unsure of what kind of mood Katniss was going to be in, and the thought of Prim not taking his advice was on his mind as well. He wanted to help the kid, but she had to help herself.

After showering and getting dressed for the day, Haymitch emerged from his room and walked out to the dining room. Katniss, Gale, Peeta and Effie were already there, and Haymitch noticed that he had come out at the same time as Prim. She looked a little timid, nervous around her sister, but she was dressed with her hair already done up in a ponytail. “Morning,” Haymith responded to Gale as he took a seat next to Katniss. An Avox got him a cup of coffee and set a plate of eggs in front of him. He began to eat when Katniss asked about other archers and Haymitch chewed slowly as he thought. “The other Victor from 7, I think,” he said, and hummed as he continued to go over the other tributes in his mind. “The new Career from 2, the girl, I think I heard Enobaria mention something about it.” He shrugged and took a long drink of black coffee, “you want to make sure the Gamemakers remember that you're the best archer out there, though.” 

Working with Haymitch had really done a lot for Prim, and sparring, even though she wasn't great at it, had given her enough confidence to try and fight for her life. She knew that Katniss was angry with her, and she assumed Gale felt the same way—frustrated that she hadn't been trying—but that was going to change. Prim had woken up that morning ready to go. She had put on her uniform and put her hair up, not wanting to assume that Katniss would braid it for her, and she figured that her sister had already done enough. She had come to breakfast that morning quietly, only smiling at the greetings she got before sitting down.

The day before the blonde girl had been dreading going downstairs, but as she sat and ate her breakfast, she found that she was actually eager to get the day started. While Prim was still nervous about trying and failing, she knew that it was better than not trying at all. She wanted to take some of the pressure off of the others, and wanted to prove that she was capable of keeping herself alive without Katniss's help. She shifted slightly in her seat, trying to get more comfortable and feel less awkward, but her muscles ached from sparring; muscles she never knew she had were begging for some kind of rest.

When Katniss spoke to her, Prim was surprised and it gave her a little bit of hope that she wasn't completely hated by the older girl. “Thanks...” she smiled softly, and laughed as Gale added his own opinion, which Effie wasn't pleased about. “I'm sure you'll all do great too.” But that was a given, because Katniss, Gale and Haymitch had already proved to be very comfortable with their weapons. 

The fight between the girls had started to ease, and Haymitch didn't want to spend any more time on it. He was halfway through his breakfast when he looked to Peeta, “don't forget. We need to talk tonight.” There was something going on in Peeta's head and Haymitch needed to know what it was. If there was a plan, he wanted in, especially if it meant he and the others could stay alive.

Peeta nodded, “I know. There's some things I need to finish first.” 

As if Peeta hadn't been secretive enough, his words really made Haymitch think that there was something to look forward to. He could get out, Katniss, Prim and Gale could too. He hoped some of the other victors would be included in whatever Peeta had thrown together, because there were many of them that didn't deserve to die after already doing their time.