Until very recently, Prim thought that Gale belonged to Katniss. There was a part of her that still thought that the two would be a perfect couple, even if they both insisted that they were just good friends. No one could deny that they made a great team, or that they had so much in common that sometimes they didn't even need to talk in order to understand one another. That was why Prim had been so shocked when Gale started to pay more attention to her, when he had sought to comfort her, or held her hand the first they had been in the Capitol. It was something of a secret that Prim still felt the cold chill of her sister's shadow, and sought to step out from behind her every now and then, but Gale saw her when no one else had and that was special to Prim. She hoped that Katniss could understand that, and that she wouldn't be mad, or upset, or anything other than happy for the single bright spot in the darkness that was becoming their lives. 

At first, Katniss's words felt stiff, and Prim fidgeted with her hair, wondering if she had made a mistake. Then, Katniss was hugging her, and the reaction felt genuine. Prim smiled and hugged her sister back, happy to have someone to share the news with. “He's not going to do anything,” Prim laughed softly, shaking her head. She wasn't ready to do more than kiss, or hold hands, but she knew that Katniss was simply looking out for her, playing the motherly role that she had taken out without a second thought when they were kids. In a way, Prim was ready for her to give it up, feeling that she was old enough to take care of herself and their mother was a little more present than she had been in years past. Katniss didn't have to be so responsible anymore.

With the games coming up, Prim didn't think it would be all that appropriate to inundate her sister with gossip about her and Gale, and she was sure that Katniss didn't want to hear every last detail anyway. Most of what happened the night before still didn't seem real and Prim got the feeling that it wasn't going to until they were out of the games, away from the Capitol and safe back home. There would be time to think about it later, though, but it was soon dinner time and Prim left her room with Katniss to join the others in the dining room.

Dinner had just barely gotten underway by the time Prim and Katniss had sat down. Haymitch gave both of them acknowledging glances, and wondered where they had gone off to. He was glad that the two of them were spending time together again, and that they had made up. Haymitch knew how important Prim was to Katniss, and he knew that their alliance would be strong with the two girls getting along. Although he noticed that something was a little different, and Katniss seemed to be in a playful mood, which was odd for her, considering who she was. Haymitch raised an eyebrow and went back to his dinner, unsure of what to make of the sudden change. There were bigger, more pressing things to think about anyway, such as why the Quarter Quell ball was mandatory.

“It's bullshit,” Haymitch retorted to Effie's endless gushing over the celebration. There were always VIP citizens who paid disgusting amounts of money in order to attend the event, to get up close and personal with the tributes before they died. The Capitol had many secrets, a lot of practices that Haymitch had looked the other way on, but he didn't want to see Katniss or Prim, or even Gale get caught up in any of that. They were too young, even if they were adults deemed old enough to die for entertainment.

Effie frowned, “language!” 

Haymitch ignored her. He looked over to the other three tributes, “don't let anyone take you anywhere tomorrow. Especially any of those [i]very important[/i] guests.” The former Victor knew first hand what happened to tributes, he had watched it with both Johanna and Finnick and a few other winners turned mentors over the years. The Capitol was much more sinister than anyone in Panem had been lead to believe.

Again, Effie frowned. “Stop scaring them, Haymitch, they'll be fine.” She looked to the others at the table, “you're all going to have a lovely time! And Peeta and I will be there as well. There's no need to be afraid.” 

Whether there was or wasn't a threat, Prim didn't intend on leaving with anyone she didn't know, although she had to wonder what Haymitch meant with his warning. Like Katniss, Prim would have preferred to skip the event entirely, not sure of what it was supposed to accomplish. There was also the matter of the plan and Prim wanted to make sure that Peeta would have enough time to talk with Plutarch and fill in the remaining details for the rest of then. Then, there was Gale and Prim couldn't deny that she wanted to see him dressed up again, and she hoped there would be a chance for them to dance together, even if it would make Katniss uncomfortable. 

When Gale changed the subject, Prim couldn't help but smile, she had slept wonderfully too. “Too bad we have to pick back up with the routine on Saturday,” she laughed softly and then continued to eat. For a moment, she wondered if she and Gale could spend another night together, but it didn't seem like the wises choice now that Katniss knew that something was going on. It was probably best not to risk it. 

“I'd rather be training than getting dressed up and standing around all night,” Haymitch commented. Although, he too had slept well and there was a part of him that hoped Katniss would want to stay with him again. He had the silly thought that she could just stay in his room until the Games started, and they could both rest easy with the other close by. He smiled as he looked at her, but didn't let his eyes linger for too long.