Contrasts Collide

"Stand up," Effie ordered in a cold, mechanical voice, digging her nails deeper into his shirt. Haymitch stared down at himself, stunned to see that he wasn't wearing a jacket. He had no idea where or when he had taken it off.

"Getting up at thisss time of day is harderrr than it looks," Haymitch slurred, nearly pulling her to the floor with him as he got back on his feet. Out of the corner of his eye he cast a meaningful glance at Chaff, who was watching the scene dissatisfiedly.

"It would be easier if you hadn't spent the night drinking like a drunkard," Effie hissed.

Beside him, Chaff snorted as if Effie had missed something obvious. "He's an alcoholic, in case ya haven't figured that outtt by now."

Effie's attention slid from Haymitch to Chaff and she raised her eyebrows. "He wouldn't have to be one if you didn't encourage him to do this nonsense all the time. You gave him glass after glass. Do you always do that so you don't have to drink alone?"

Haymitch didn't have to look at his friend to know that he was tensing up. Chaff liked to joke around with Capitols. He hated Capitols. But he hated it even more when they talked back. Haymitch should have known that if there was a confrontation between Effie and Chaff, she would be too proud to keep quiet.

"Big talkkk from a brat who's probablyyy got even less sense in her head than our dearrr Margarita over there on the stairsss." Chaff crossed his arms over his chest and took a staggering step towards Effie. He had lost control of his senses so much that he didn't pronounce the syllables properly. The dislike was still unmistakable. "With that disgustinggg double standard, ya can go straighttt back to your disgusting Gamemaker. As if it wasn't your fault that ... we are what we are."

For a long moment, Effie was speechless. Aside from Haymitch, no one spoke to her like that, and even he kept a low profile in public. They were lucky that the people around them were too drunk to notice. Something in the expression on Effie's face changed, but Haymitch was too focused on staying on his feet to identify it. Her eyes flicked back to him, as if she were studying him, and he wondered if she was waiting for an answer from him. Did she want him to defend her? He wouldn't. Haymitch had thrown the same accusation at her in similar terms in one of their arguments.

"No words?" Chaff provoked, the corners of his mouth twisting into a satisfied, spiteful smile; the drugs gave him a calculating, predictable edge. Haymitch wondered where his friend got the energy to argue with someone at all. "'m not surprised. Usually, your guilt only goes as far as it benefits ya. And as a slavedriver, feelin' guilty towards your slavesss would probably be a bit counterproductive."

"Did you just call me a slavedriver?" Effie seemed to lose her composure and her etiquette along with it. "How can you judge me when you don't even know me?"

"Ya Capitols are aaall the same," Chaff laughed, repeating the exact words that Haymitch had been trying to drum into himself at the beginning. Haymitch's eyes met Effie's and he knew that the same thought was occurring to her. For a split second, pain flashed across her features. Then she closed her face to them and stared at Chaff as if her gaze alone would kill him.

"I don't care what you think of me. The fact is that Haymitch embarrassed himself today, and with it Elowen, Ramon and his District," Effie snapped, taking a step towards Chaff. You had to give her credit, she wasn't afraid, even though she should have been.

"You may be able to make him think ya care about him or the kidsss, but you're not gonna manipulate me!" Chaff sneered, standing up to his full height in front of Effie. However he managed that in his drunken state. If he looked closely, Haymitch could see that Chaff's legs were shaking. As if he was trying very hard not to stagger. "All you care about is him not embarrassing you. Don't fool usss!"

Effie sucked in her breath as if Chaff's statements were throwing her off track. An unpleasant feeling spread in Haymitch's stomach. Not because he had to vomit, no, it wasn't that far yet. Chaff's words bothered him, made him angry. Had Effie been manipulating him all this time? No, that couldn't be. He knew she was a good actress, but this ... affection would have been too much even for her. Chaff's prejudices against the Capitol went even deeper than his own. He hated the capital and its inhabitants on principle. And now he was portraying Haymitch as if he were an idiot who didn't know any better.

"I don't manipulate anyone and I advise you to hold your tongue," Effie murmured, the heat palpable even in a whisper. "You aren't a good influence for him, as was perfectly evident today. You spend one day together, and a scandal arises that I'll never be able to keep out of the press. It's bad for all of us, but the children suffer the most. Tell me what you want, I'm not interested in your opinion of me or my motives."

"Every word comin' out of your mouth is hypocritical bullshittt." Whatever drug Chaff had taken, he didn't seem to be taking it very well. His hands clenched into fists and his foot paused in the air as if he was considering taking the final step into Effie's private space. Haymitch knew that if he didn't do something, this argument would escalate. Effie and Chaff were both stubborn and wouldn't back down.

"He probably learned to swear from you too." Effie huffed indignantly.

A growl came from Chaff's throat and Haymitch was too slow to stop the situation. Part of him wasn't interested either, because he hated it when people pretended, he wasn't there. After all, their argument was about him. Haymitch felt like a toddler. Patronized and ignored. So he just watched as Chaff took the final step, lowered his head and blew his alcohol breath right in Effie's face as he started to reply.

"Just to sum this up for ya, bitch." Chaff's voice became more garbled and louder, even though he was closer to Effie than before. Their faces were only inches apart and they both seemed like they were about to be at each other's throats at any moment. "Haymitch's little appearance today is nothin' special 'cause he's always showin' up drunk. This scandal, as ya call it, s' been overdue since the dayyy of the Openin' Ceremony. If you'd done some research before ya started your job, you'd be able to wrap your head around it more easily!" He jerked his hand up and tapped her twice on the temple, not exactly brutally but not exactly gently either.

Effie flinched, fear flickering across her face for a second, but it was quickly replaced by a mixture of bewilderment and anger. "Don't touch me," she roared, her own hand shooting out at him. Chaff might be a victor, but the drugs and alcohol were making him vulnerable. Effie's fake nails caught his cheek completely off guard. Or maybe he just hadn't expected a Capitol to fight back. They usually didn't.

Chaff moved and suddenly Haymitch's feet slid forward. So fast that Effie had to put a hand on his chest to keep him from collapsing. "Enough," he growled as he positioned himself between the two of them. He glared angrily at Effie, then at Chaff, and it was hard not to return his friend's undisguised anger. This was going too far. What had started as a joke at Effie's expense was now driving Chaff in the wrong direction.

"Enough?!" Chaff touched his cheek and stared at the blood on his fingers. "This ..." He bit back the curse word.

Haymitch tried to stand up straighter and his arm, which was digging into Effie's back, moved lower. Not on purpose. Simply because he no longer had control over anything. A sideways glance at the people around them revealed that the drugs here must be really good. He was relieved to see that still no one was paying them any attention.

"The evening really wasn't thaaat bad," Haymitch grumbled, barely understanding his own words. "You two just shut up and pull yourselves together. You both have problemsss, okay? You're both really crappy people. Happy now?" Effie and Chaff exchanged a long, meaningfull look, neither of them looking particularly happy. Haymitch pulled away from Effie and marched past her toward the exit. "I'm leavin'."

Effie, probably not wanting to stay with Chaff, followed Haymitch out of the lounge. Haymitch couldn't even grit his teeth in frustration. Just as he didn't want to see the two of them argue, he didn't want to continue this discussion with her. And Effie was Effie. She would never just shut up. So he ignored her presence behind him and stumbled over his own feet down the hall. In his state, it was easy for her to catch up with him.

And yet, to his surprise, she remained silent longer than he expected. The elevator arrived, and Haymitch had to hold onto the railing to avoid falling to the floor. Effie — usually her polite, helpful self in such situations — watched him struggle to keep his balance but left him to his misfortune. The mechanical door closed, but neither of them pressed the button that would take them to the underground parking garage. Feeling Effie's presence at his back, as he stared out through the elevator glass at the glittering, blurred Capitol, raised the hairs on the back of his neck uncomfortably.

A deep sigh escaped his lips as he slowly turned to Effie. He leaned his back against the glass and wrapped his fingers as tightly as he could around the cool metal of the balustrade. He tried hard to focus his eyes. He only managed it for a few seconds. It was enough to see the thoughtful expression on Effie's face. Her blue pupils were not even focused on him, but on a distant point far out in the city. She looked sad.

Then, when Effie caught his eye, she lifted her chin and straightened her back. She put on her skilled mask of indifference and pursed her lips in discontent as she looked at Haymitch. Her voice was less controlled than her appearance. "I don't understand you, Haymitch," Effie managed, seeming to struggle for words for a moment. "I've never seen you so ... disconcerting as you are today. You can't go around partying with strange girls who are barely of legal age. Do you know what light that puts you in?"

"We're not strangers," Haymitch sneered before he could bite his tongue. "Chaff introduced her to me beforehaaand. She was interested and then ... we got to know each other. And as forrr the adulthood, ya don't have to be sooo hypocritical. That's ... common practice among you."

Effie's lips twitched, but Haymitch couldn't make it out clearly. She took a step toward the control panel and pressed a button. The elevator began to move, and the jolt sent him reeling. "It was obvious that you had met during your excessive drinking," Effie said, her tone sharp and distant.

Haymitch raised his eyebrow and a grin spread across his face. "Probleeem, sweetheart?" The sentence was a slur that he himself barely understood.

As quickly as the elevator had started moving, it stopped again. The abrupt stop sent the contents of Haymitch's stomach in an unpleasant direction. His comment already forgotten, he pressed his mouth shut and stared at the opening door with wide eyes, hoping to banish the fog from his vision. No chance.

Effie started to step out, but hesitated when Haymitch didn't move. Her eyes lingered on his face for a moment, and he didn't know what she was looking for or what she saw. Finally, she moved toward him, muttering something frustrated as she put his arm around her shoulder to support him. Haymitch wanted to make it easy for her, but couldn't feel his body beneath him. Somehow, Effie managed to drag him out of the elevator and down the hallway to the underground parking garage. Knowing Effie, she was too stubborn to get help. Help would have resulted in someone seeing him in this state.

The car came into view and the driver, an Avox , looked over at them. It was his duty to help, which he did responsibly, even if he didn't bat an eyelid at the sight of Haymitch. The young victor glanced sideways at Effie's confused face as she realized that an over-intoxicated Haymitch was not a rarity here. More like an everyday occurrence.

The Avox hoisted Haymitch into the car, gave him one last annoyed look and slammed the door in his face. The car spun around him and he had to close his eyes for a moment to avoid puking on his shoes. Meanwhile, Effie got in on the other side and her perfume was something pleasant for Haymitch to concentrate on. At least until she suddenly started talking.

"Yes, I have a problem, Haymitch," Effie said in a dark voice. Haymitch had no idea what she was referring to, although he knew they had talked about something in the elevator. "I have a big problem. But since you can hardly talk, I'd rather wait with the lesson. Otherwise you'll have forgotten everything by tomorrow."

"You're right," Haymitch replied contentedly as he made himself comfortable on the bench seat opposite Effie. Limousines did have their advantages, he realized. Especially when you could lie across it like on a sofa. Even if his stomach protested. "I'm too drunk to remember this ... conversation tomorrow." The more he spoke, the more indistinct the words became. He turned his head in Effie's direction, grinning, and bared his teeth at her. If the car braked suddenly, he would crush her under him. "But I'll remember the evening quiiite well."

The car trudged through the streets of the Capitol and it seemed like a damn eternity to Haymitch. At one point Effie opened one of the windows to let in some fresh air. Even in the middle of the night, the breeze was warm rather than cold. Haymitch closed his eyes and listened to the sounds that came to them. The whirring engine of the car, the beeping pedestrian lights, the laughter of people.

Effie remained silent for a long time. Haymitch had almost forgotten that she was even sitting across from him when she cleared her throat. He didn't react, he just waited. She wasn't someone who could keep her mouth shut for long. "Now, aside from the drama with you and the alcohol ..." she began, but seemed to hesitate, as if the words were burning in her throat. Haymitch instinctively squeezed his eyelids tighter. Effie's voice was more hesitant than it had been before; more uncertain. Even in the state he was in, his danger radar didn't stop working. "The girl you met ... Do you want to see her again?"

Haymitch stared over at Effie, her blue eyes studying him without any emotion in them. Again, there was that cool mask; such a stark contrast to her voice. Alarm bells began to ring in his head and he knew he should grit his teeth and keep quiet. Of course, his tongue was faster than his disconnected mind. "She's outta your league, princess."

The expression on Effie's face seemed to soften and Haymitch thought he saw her cheeks flush, but his dazed brain could just be playing tricks on him. He turned his head away from her and stared at the ceiling of the limo.

You're such an idiot, Haymitch, muttered the hopeless voice in his head.

Haymitch shrugged. Maybe he really was an idiot. Very likely. The alcohol pulled his lips into a stupid grin.

-

Please let me know what you think! :)

Skyllen