Everything about the Capitol was fake, and Haymitch wouldn't have been surprised if the sky above them had been engineered to reflect a perfect night. Briefly, the idea of escaping had occurred to him, the same way it had two decades ago when he had first come to the ball. It wouldn't have been difficult, just hopping over the fence and making it through the Capitol to the wilds. Haymitch was older now, much more wise and he knew that his poorly put together escape plan would only get him punished and make it more difficult for Peeta in the long run—he wanted to do everything he could to make sure that Peeta's plan went smoothly, even if Haymitch didn't have the privilege of knowing exactly what it entailed. 

It was clear that Katniss was having a few of the same thoughts, judging by her compliment to the surrounding foliage. The older man smirked slightly, his laugh nearly humorless as they took a seat on one of the many stone benches that lined the garden. “I'm not looking at the plants,” he said, trying to salvage the night he had been forced into. Katniss was a wonderful distraction from everything that was going on inside, and Haymitch felt at peace when he was with her. It was ironic, because she was so abrasive, the last person anyone would have been comforted by, but Haymitch liked that surprising aspect of her personality. They went together well; the same type of wounded.

Inside at the table, Prim was growing concerned with what was going on around her. She hadn't thought much of Peeta's warning about the ball, but now that Johanna was about to do something, the blonde was nervous. Hearing that Gale was enjoying their time together eased that worry slightly, and Prim smiled before having another sip of the liquid in her glass. “If you say so,” she said, looking questionably at the small pastry. Taking a chance, she picked it up and took a bite, enjoying the new texture and the savory flavor. She didn't know what it was either, but it was good and certainly very different from anything she'd ever had back home. The Capitol could only do so many nice things before Prim remembered that she and the other tributes in the room were going to have to kill one another in a little more than a week's time. Her appetite began to fade at the thought.

“What is it?” she asked, inspecting what Gale had held out for her. Before she leaned in to take a bite, a loud crash got her attention and Prim turned toward the sound. Johanna was there, glass and drink at her feet and already yelling about it. This must have been her distraction and Prim gave a glance around the room, trying to find Peeta. The crowd was large and the baker couldn't be seen, and Prim didn't want to seem suspicious, so she turned back to Johanna. The things she was saying weren't untrue, but they certainly ruined the carefully crafted mood the Capitol had set for them. Although Prim didn't necessarily care for Johanna, or like her attitude, the blonde still worried about what was going to happen to her. After all, the Capitol and Snow couldn't just let her get away with speaking her mind in a crowded room. 

As Johanna was dragged away, things began to return to normal. Prim looked somberly at Gale and shook her head. “I don't either.” Suddenly, the night felt more wrong than it had before and Prim didn't want to be there anymore. Her excitement for the event was gone, but she knew that they couldn't just leave. This was also for Peeta, to help with sponsors and Prim wanted to do her part.

Outside, Haymitch had and was able to catch a glimpse of Johanna's scene. Had he been in on the plan, it would have been much harder for him to act concerned. Although, he assumed that she had just had too much to drink, events had always been hard on her and the Ball was full of people who felt entitled to tributes past and present. She was already being taken away, and Haymitch knew better than to try and stop the scene. “Probably a good idea,” Haymitch agreed, not wanting to go back inside when the Ball had just been interrupted and Snow was more than likely going to be looking for more troublemakers. Normally, Haymitch would have been all for the taunting, but he liked to think he had turned over a new leaf.

As Katniss leaned against him, Haymitch kept his arm around her. “We could dance now,” he suggested. The music had started to play once more, and they could hear it perfectly outside. Haymitch didn't care about the ball anyway, or impressing anyone inside, he just wanted to spend his time with Katniss while he could, while they weren't in direct danger. “I think your shoes have to stay on, though,” he added, chuckling softly. They looked nice on her—the whole outfit did and it was hard for Haymitch to keep his hands off of her.

“Maybe we should introduce ourselves to other people,” Prim suggested, thinking that she and Gale should do their part and get the attention of some sponsors. If the rich citizens of the Capitol remembered who they were, or had a positive interaction with them at the Ball, they would be much more willing to send gifts into the arena. “It might really help Peeta and,” she shrugged, “he could probably use it.” Peeta would have a lot to think about once the Games actually began and Prim didn't want him to have to worry about any of them starving or freezing to death in the middle of the night.