Judging by Katniss's reaction, the assumption that Haymitch made had been correct—Katniss couldn't dance. It was almost funny to watch her struggle with such a simple concept, and it seemed a little silly that she was afraid of something that was so natural, something that people all across Panem did every day, but then again, Katniss wasn't most people. Part of Haymitch understood her reservations, but being able to dance would make the ball go a lot smoother, and could potentially make Peeta's job as mentor much easier when he could sell Katniss as soft and cooperative, rather than feisty and stubborn, and that would mean more sponsors and more gifts in the arena. It really was a win-win situation and Haymitch was determined to teach Katniss a few basic steps, or possibly coax out a hidden talent. 

“I'm not joking,” he said, breaking the news to her that she wasn't being pranked. “Come on already, I don't have all night.” He may have sounded impatient and grumpy, but beneath his perpetual frown and constant sarcasm, Haymitch was having a little bit of fun. On the plus side, he got to hold Katniss again, something he had been missing since their first night together in the Capitol. Being this sappy wasn't the norm for him, and he supposed that Katniss wasn't the only one who was out of their element. 

The line between potential romance and a petty fight was a thin one, and Haymitch knew that this had the potential to go very wrong, very fast. When she took his hand, Haymitch was a little less worried about facing Katniss's wrath for pushing too hard. “You'd be crazy not to,” he smirked after she had mentioned Effie. Although, Haymitch was sure that Effie knew far more dance moves than he did and if anyone wanted to learn something, her and her wig collection would have been the perfect person to seek out. 

Keeping hold of Katniss's hand, Haymitch placed his free hand on her waist and pulled her closer. “Stop complaining and let me lead,” he said before he began to show her how to move. It was a simple waltz, something that had been practiced for centuries. He started off slow, letting Katniss get used to the movement and taking care not to get in his own way, which would have resulted his toes being stepped on. “Your mom never taught you to dance?” he asked, not thinking that the girl he used to know had checked out after the death of Katniss's father. He continued to move her around the balcony, and only had to reposition her hands and feet a few times before she started to get the hang of it.

The dance was a little clumsy, but it had a certain charm to it and Haymitch found himself pulling her closer. There may not have been any music for them to move along to, but the night was calm enough that it wasn't necessary, and the woman in his arms was all the entertainment that Haymitch needed. “I don't know what you were so afraid of,” he mentioned, a bit cheeky and proud that he had taught Katniss something new. Sometimes she wasn't as stubborn as she made herself out to be.

The stakes for the games seemed higher than ever now that Prim had found love. Before all of this, before Gale had kissed her, the blonde had been worried about what could happen, who she could lose, but now there was a promise of something more on the horizon. Her life was no longer blindly hoping that she and Katniss made it out of the arena alive, now there was Gale to think about, a real life outside of the Capitol and Prim wanted so badly for it become a reality. She closed her eyes when she felt Gale's forehead touch hers, and let the moment pass over them. It was important to believe that the Capitol would be a distant memory one day.

There was no need to get caught up in thinking about what the Games may bring, because it could have been anything. Instead, Prim wanted to spend her time with Gale, and she couldn't help smiling when he mentioned the ball again. It was going to be a waste of time, she knew that, but it was sort of exciting. “I'm not going to look like myself,” she told him with a slight shake of her head. “It's going to be just like the parade...except with dancing.” Together, they walked back to his room and Prim entered first before going over to his bed and lying down across it on her back. “We can dance,” she confirmed, smiling up at Gale before he too laid down. 

It was risky to want to stay with him for another night, but Prim reasoned to herself that it wasn't that late yet, and they had all day to sleep tomorrow before the ball. “We have the hologram wall,” she pointed out, glancing over to it. The image was currently off, but Prim supposed that the nearly life-like scenes were better than any of the weird paintings that decorated the suite. She glanced back to Gale when he spoke again, asking her to be his date for tomorrow night. “Yes,” she grinned, a bit giddy, “of course.” She gave his leg a nudge with her foot, surprised that he was being so sweet. “Pick me up at seven by the elevator,” she added, teasing him just a little. It was cute that Gale had asked, and Prim was more excited than she should have been over a mandatory ball, but going with Gale would make it ten times better than it would have been otherwise.