Even though she hadn't been all that excited for the ball, seeing everyone dressed up and looking their best made it hard for Prim not to be the least bit giddy about the event. She had never been to something so formal or fancy before, and even though there would be a lot going on with Peeta's plan, Prim still wanted to have a good time. This was one of the few remaining moments that the tributes had before they had to start thinking about the Games again, and Prim wanted to enjoy her night with Gale and forget where they were for a while. The blonde girl wanted to dance and look at all of the dresses, and maybe experience a few new things that the Capitol had to offer. Prim knew that the enemy had anything but her best interests at heart, but she also knew that the Capitol couldn't do anything to anyone outside of the arena. They would all be safe, and everything would be okay.

As the three women took the elevator down to the lobby, Prim continued to hold Katniss's hand. She couldn't believe that her sister looked so grown up and so different. It was rare that Prim ever saw Katniss in a dress, let alone one as dramatic as the one she was wearing, but Prim was sure that all eyes would be on Katniss for all the right reasons this time. 

Once they left the elevator, there was an official from the Capitol who took them over to where the ball was being held. The space was lavish, decorated with the finest of everything, and draped in rich colors of red, gold and silver. It was gorgeous, and there were already people there having a good time. Many Capitol citizens, assumed VIP guests, were dancing and most of the other tributes had already come down. Although they were all supposed to fight one another to the death in a week, Prim thought everyone looked amazing. Had she been paying more attention, she would have noticed the way President Snow was looking at her, or how angry Katniss had gotten about it. However, she did notice Johanna was already there in a leather dress and Prim wondered when the scene would come.

Johanna was suddenly less important as Prim and Katniss met up with Gale and Haymitch. They both looked fantastic, but Gale was much more appealing and Prim couldn't keep her eyes off of him. He looked better than he had at the parade, much more relaxed and the blue suit seemed to fit her personality better than the shiny one he had worn at the beginning of the week. Before she had much of a chance to say anything, Gale was already leading her away, and Prim followed, getting used to the height of her shoes. “I don't know about that,” she said, blushing slightly as she smoothed her hands over her gold dress. Prim still thought she had no shape and part of her wondered what exactly Gale liked about her.

“You look amazing, though,” she smiled and gave his sea-foam tie a playful tug. Prim didn't think it was a big deal for her to be around Gale that night, and most tributes from the same district were expected to stick together. Then again, Prim was beginning not to care what other people though of her, or her relationship with Gale. “Dance with me?” she asked, looking up at him hopefully.

The first ball that Haymitch had been forced to attend hadn't been anything like this one. He was glad to see the change to something more sophisticated, but he supposed the times had to change with the trends. Haymitch was just glad to see a lack of tacky decorations and annoyingly loud music. At this level, he could actually hear what Katniss was saying, although he was a bit distracted by her dress. He had never seen her look so good before. While he had always acknowledged that she was a pretty girl, the dress she had on made her so much more than that, and Haymitch was suddenly very glad that he had taken the chance and kissed her the night before. 

“I like to think so,” Haymitch smirked now that Prim and Gale had gone off together. He was happy to have some time alone with Katniss, even if they couldn't act like a couple—or whatever they currently were. President Snow was going to be keeping an eye on the both of them, and Haymitch didn't want to give the old man too many reasons to see them as a threat. Regardless, Haymitch wanted to focus all of his attention on Katniss, which wouldn't be hard since she was the most stunning girl in the room. “But you look beautiful,” he said, his usually hardened exterior softening slightly. She really was stunning.

Of course, as dolled up as she was, Katniss was still herself and Haymitch was glad to see that a fancy dress and some curls couldn't change her. When she leaned over and spoke to him, Haymitch chuckled, surprised by her boldness. “That's my line,” he said and gave a quick look around before stealing a quick kiss from her lips. It was risky, but so was her dress and Haymitch really couldn't say that he cared much anymore. There was a plan in place and they were going to be danger regardless of what happened that night. 

Despite all of the festivities, Haymitch still didn't see the ball as necessary or fun. He hoped that he wouldn't have to stand around for too long before he could slip out and go back upstairs for the night. With any luck, Katniss would be just as bored as he was and want to come with him. “Can I get you a drink?” he asked, attempting to be respectful, his hand found its way to the small of Katniss's back.