Something rather obvious told Prim that the next group of people, and possibly the one after that, wouldn't be any less terrible than the last. The blonde girl was happy to be away from Sindy and Daviod and hoped that she and Gale wouldn't run into them again that night. Whatever Haymitch had warned them about, Prim was pretty sure those two personified the dangers of the Capitol. Prim didn't want to find out what the pair had been after, but she had a feeling that it would have been just as trauma-inducing as being thrown into the Games unexpectedly. Back home, the only predators that anyone had to worry about were animals from the wilds beyond the fence; people took care of one another 12, looked out for each other and it was clear that no one cared for anyone in the Capitol. It made her long for home once more.

As she and Gale moved on, Prim was fine with being ignored and letting Gale have all of the attention. It took her a few moments to realize the purple-clad man was hitting on her boyfriend, and Prim wanted to laugh but managed to hold it in. She was pretty sure that nothing like this had ever happened to Gale before, and the lithe blonde wasn't entirely sure if Gale knew what was going on. If he did, he was handling it flawlessly, which enabled Prim to keep the demure smile on her face. Not to subtle flirtation was preferred to the carnivorous way the last two people had been looking them over.

“Oh, we'll be safe,” Prim promised, more amused with the situation than she should have been. Thanks to Gale and his handsome face, he had more or less secured them to two sponsors and that was something to be quite proud of. The way Katniss and Haymitch talked about the process, it had almost seemed impossible to get anyone to pledge even a cent to a tribute in the arena. Evidently, looks went a long way with the Capitol residents, and while they liked to beautify themselves, they obviously appreciated the more natural, non-surgically enhanced look as well.

The man in purple seemed to perk up when Gale asked his name, and he looked to his equally violet companion before formally introducing himself. “You may call me Amethyst, dear boy,” he said and reached for Gale's hand, which he grasped as though he were saying goodbye to a lover. “And my friend here is Lilas. You can bet that you have our support in these games.” 

This was the most elated that Prim had been all week and she didn't bother to hide her smile, although she made sure to look more gracious. Prim gave Gale's free hand another squeeze, trying to communicate how happy she was. Quickly, she gave another look around the ballroom and noticed that both Katniss and Haymitch were once again present and she was relieved to see that no incidents had occurred with either of them. Although Johanna's outburst had been scripted, Prim had been worried that something jarring would happen to Katniss and the older girl didn't need another reason for Snow to hate her.

The atmosphere inside seemed to have lightened some, and most of the partygoers had obviously forgotten about Johanna causing a scene. Haymitch hoped that she was alright, that the Capitol hadn't been too hard on her for what she said. Although he had never trusted them before, the dirty tricks with this Quarter Quell and the way that Prim had been Reaped into the Games had him even more on edge and there was no telling how low Snow would now go for revenge against Katniss, and anyone else who dared to speak out against his regime of evil.

“Just a few and then we can go upstairs,” Haymitch responded, hearing Katniss mutter her distaste for this practice. He didn't revel in it himself, but Haymitch knew that he was still charming when he wanted to be, and there were old sponsors who still loved the boy he had been during the last Quarter Quell. Now that he was sober, he was much more agreeable and likable, which should have earned him more points with his older (and possibly newer) fans. 'It'll be over before you know it,” he added, just for good measure before they broke away from one another. Haymitch didn't want to stick too close to Katniss in case Snow was still keeping an eye on who could hurt her the most. 

However, he did stay fairly close to her. His warning to the others wasn't one to be taken lightly and Haymitch had seen and heard of horrible things happening at Capitol functions. Both Finnick and Johanna came to mind, and their unwillingness to cooperate at first, along with the ways in which they had been forced to fall into their new roles. Nothing like that had ever happened to Haymitch, thankfully, but there had been a few close calls. It was the reason that the former Victor no longer accepted drinks from people he didn't know. These days, it was harder to spike flat water than a fancy cocktail.

Moving through the crowd, just a few people between himself and Katniss, Haymitch found one of his most rabid fans—or rather, she had been in her youth. When Haymitch had first met Bea it was his first year being a mentor, and she was a good-looking forty-something who hadn't ruined her face and body with plastic surgery. She was kind, easy to talk to and apparently very lonely. Nothing had ever happened, but she had always expressed her support for him, and since then, his tributes as well. She was the reason Katniss had gotten medicine for her burns the year before.

“Oh, Haymitch,” Bea said, her voice disappointed and sad. She was dressed in red, her favorite color, and a pair of elbow-length, matching gloves covered her aged hands. The woman's hair was now a dusty shade of grey, but her blue eyes were as sympathetic as ever and Haymitch actually believed that she didn't want him to die. “I can't believe you have to go back.” 

“I was as surprised as you were,” Haymitch said honestly. He didn't have to ask her for any money, or to take care of Katniss, Gale and Prim once the Games began, he already knew that she had pledged her support to pitiful District 12. “How have you been?” 

For the next few moments, the old friends caught up with one another and Haymitch was truly glad that she was there. Out of all the seedy guests that night, Bea was a cut above them and shouldn't have associated with anyone else in the room. “There's someone I want you to meet,” he finally said and turned to find Katniss in the crowd. It seemed like she had just finished talking to a potential sponsor, and Haymitch hoped that it had gone well for her. “Katniss, come here,” he said, waving her over. Bea seemed thrilled to meet [i]The[/i] Girl On Fire. He hoped the two would get along. “This is Bea, she's been a fan of 12 for a long time.” 

“Ever since you, Haymitch,” she smiled and extended her hand to Katniss, “but this one reminded me how resilient your district can be. It's a pleasure to finally meet you,” the old woman went on. “I'm sorry it can't be under happier circumstances."