No one decent ever wins the games. -Katniss
No one in this arena was a victor by chance. -Finnick
Haymitch is the first to arrive on level four, probably because he doesn't care how his tributes get to prep, he knows their odds may as well me zero. He waits for Mags to send her tribute off to be prepped for the parade before he walks in. He takes a seat in front of her and takes her hands. He doesn't say anything, doesn't know what to say, he has never been any good at comforting people and he sure hasn't gotten better since winning his games.
"I tried not to love, I really did, but he snuck into my heart anyway. I knew victors couldn't love, even before what they did to you. And I still loved, and here we are. The Hunger Games. He's only fourteen."
Other Victors arrive, Beetee sits down next to her offering a hand too.
"He's going to win." Haymitch says "They won't let go of someone that beautiful." Beetee gives him a dirty look confirming that Haymitch is never any good at comforting anyone.
"He's only fourteen." Mags repeated almost pleadingly, despairing for the newly recognised loss.
The small crowd of victors sit in Four's lounge room in silence for a few minutes all wishing to offer support to this suffering victor who had cared for each of them in their time of need, but there's not much hope to give, they all know what's to come, there's little they can say or do to comfort her.
Suddenly an old voice speaks, strong, determined, certain, and angry. "Do It." Her eyes meeting haymitch's in a strong stare.
"You're sure?" someone asks, while others just looked puzzled.
"Yes, I'll get you what you need from me, I give you permission, we should do it, we have to."
"It will take time, It won't work fast enough to save him." Beetee says softly
Mags ducks her head as a tear runs down her face. "I know. I should have agreed long ago. But it needs to be done, you were right, its the only way."
And so it is that Haymitch finds himself hiking through the woods carrying a blanket he can't use, a weeks worth of food and two small sheets of paper; one a list of symptoms provided by Beetee, the other a list of directions provided by Mags translated from letters her father sent home during the last rebellion.
As Haymitch tears the pox-contaminated blanket to shreds, and lays it across several air vents, he fells disgusted enough to be physically ill.
As Mags watches footage of Finnick being crowned victor she feels such strong and conflicting emotions.
Haymitch might have demonstrated that a victor can not love, because the capitol would kill to steal that love from them. But Mags knew that a Victor should not love, because no one decent becomes a victor, and a little love is all it the motivation it takes for a victor to kill hundreds of innocent children. and start a rebellion.
.
.
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AN: sorry for turning them into war criminals. (not that Panem follows the Geneva Convention.)
I hope its clear what i've done, but just incase its not. - The rebellion would not have worked without 13's help. and 13 was willing to help because they were no longer self sufficient and sustainable, they needed new people to replace the kids lost in to pox epidemic, and resulting infertility.
