Katniss hovered about the room while Effie stood over her mother, doing something with her hair, but she wasn't really paying attention. Effie kept jabbering on about something or other over the rushes of blood that pounded through Katniss's ears as she wrung her hands, still pacing across the room in her dress. It was beautiful, the first time she'd seen it she'd been hesitant of it, reluctant even; but then that was under different circumstances. Then she'd been prancing around her house in it for Capitol cameras, one of Snow's sick jokes all those years ago. Now though she stood, gracing one of her beloved Cinna's final, beautiful wedding gowns, white silk draped from her waist and trailed behind her as she moved, elegant folds of fabric almost floating about her feet. Bare arms that shimmered with the delightful remnants of the potions in the Capitol showers that still amazed her. Her eyes lingered on her glittering skin, the goosebumps rising beneath the miniscule silver flecks, "Katniss…" her head snapped up suddenly when she heard her mother's soothing voice, all too calm for her liking, behind her. Mrs Everdeen sat, her hair braided up into a bun by Effie's skilful hand and her make up pristine as she smiled softly up at her daughter, "Everything will be fine" she said as the excited woman behind her threw her hands off her head with a pearly grin "There!" she trilled "All finished, you look wonderful" still beaming she picked up the hem of her dress from the floor and trotted over, in the obnoxiously high heels she'd requested, to Katniss "And you" she grinned, taking Katniss's shoulders and turning her to the mirror behind her, "Look beautiful".
Katniss let the woman turn her reluctantly, biting down on her lip as the bottom of her ice-white dress came into view, hesitant to let her eyes drift up the mirror to her face as the nerves cut through her veins. But now her mother was beside her, a delicate finger cupping her chin and lifting her fearful head to see; and she was, she was everything they said. Whether it was the silver lightly dusted on her skin, the glowing whiteness of the dress, or simply her, she radiated an elegance, a splendour, a beauty she wasn't sure she was capable of, and it glinted off the mirror and around her room. A smile crept onto her face cautiously, as if there was the possibility it wasn't real. And the two older women smiled beside her, their light, sunburnt orange dresses that faded into a soft yellow as they flowed up the women's bodies softly burned in the background behind her, their light flickering off of her sparkling gown and reflecting light, gently rays onto her skin; she'd never seen her face look so beautiful. Effie's perfect make up –toned down a considerable amount obviously- lined her eyes perfectly, her skin was virtually flawless and a feather-light pink sat delicately on her lips. "Come on" Effie whispered, gathering her dress once more as her mother gathered the flowers that rested on the table, her mother gingerly taking her arm in hers and walking her slowly toward the door "Mom.." she breathed, quickly turning to her, her face wrought with fright. "I know, it's going to be fine" a cool hand reached up to cup her face gently with a warming smile, as Effie ushered them out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
They moved swiftly through the dimly lit hall of the justice building, mumbling already being heard from the apparently crowded hall where the remains of their friends and family were gathered; Effie had taken to holding up the back of Katniss's dress as they descended down the stairs, some frantic chirping about her tripping over it if she wasn't careful, and Katniss was in no mood to argue with her as her hands trembled and her pulse raced. Peeta was inside; at least that was a bonus, he didn't have to see her like this –not yet at least- but what's more, somehow bundled into an immaculate coal black suit, his hair actually combed and face, though not free of his familiar scruff, clean. Haymitch turned to give her what he seemed to believe was a comforting smile, though his hands folded over themselves in front of him in a bid to hide his own nerves as she tried to smile back. Still both as similar as they were when he was first her mentor, now, they shakily linked arms behind the closed door of the hall awaiting their cue as Effie and her mother prepared themselves behind them. She should have felt comforted by it, her family surrounding her on what was allegedly supposed to be the happiest day of her life; but something in her felt saddened by it all. Gale. Where was he? By his own wishes he'd stayed away, one of the oldest fixtures in her life, absent. And her father, though she knew he'd never be there despite the hollow feeling in her heart that told her he should be. Then there was Prim, she glanced back at her bridesmaids that smiled back at her, and imagined Prim; in a pretty silk gown like theirs, holding her own little bunch of orange flowers. Her soft blonde hair tied up in a beautiful braid as she beamed back at her older sister. Katniss had to look away. Back to the dark wooden door.
"Y'ok, kid?" Haymitch mumbled to her quietly with a quick glance, he seemed as nervous as she did "Could use a drink" she smirked for the first time that day, the two stifling a chuckle as they exchanged looks of apparent comfort, neither could deny it was good to joke in the cloud of nerves that seemed to shroud them. Effie flitted round to straighten his tie, rolling his eyes towards Katniss, Don't you dare laugh, he said with an icy glare. And it was all Katniss could do to bite her lip and not giggle, the two of them were as like a married couple as they'd ever been; Effie shot him a glare of her own and nudged him "Did you give them to her yet?" she hissed under her breath, because clearly, them being the only four in the vast and empty hall, Katniss wouldn't hear her if she did so. A flash of realisation took Haymitch's face and Effie fell back in line behind them as Haymitch dropped her arm, fumbling in his pockets for something. Katniss could only look on curiously, conscious that time was slowly ticking forward. It wouldn't be long until the doors flung open and she had to make that agonising walk down the aisle. "Ah!" Haymitch exclaimed, quickly whipping his hand back out of his pocket, sticking his finger in his mouth with a grimace "Fucking pin" he grunted, cautiously reaching back in and bringing out a small handful of objects she could barely make out in the sparse light, safe for a glinting gold that echoed in her mind. "There's this old crap…For weddings, y'know" he fiddled with the old familiar golden pin, polished up like new, before fixing it with a surprising gentility to her dress "Something…Old" he murmured, before going back to the rest of the objects. "Something new" taking another glittering object from his hand, that this time swirled on a length of chain before he held it up in the thin stream of light breaking from between the doors; from what she could see of the pretty golden chain that she took in her hands it was real, real gold, on the end a small cluster of rock, obsidian it felt like, smooth and cool as she swept her finger over it, "Coal into pearls, ain't that right, Eff?" Haymitch snickered, glancing back at a very unamused Effie who simply rolled her eyes, coal into pearls indeed; the tiny rocks of ore thinned as they came to the middle of the pendant, encircling a bright, sleek, clean pearl that sat comfortably in the centre "Is that…" she murmured, still amazed at the delicate yet robust beauty of the thing, Haymitch mumbled a confirmation with a smile forming on his lips, she looked happy, truly happy. No nerves, no shaking, no tears, just…Happy. And that made him happy. "Here" he murmured, taking the necklace from her and lacing it round her neck as she turned for him, still smiling "Thank you, Haym-" she started sincerely as she turned back, her hands lingering on the monochrome beauty around her neck as he cut her off "Ah! I'm not done yet, sweetheart, gimme a second" Haymitch wanted this to be right, to be perfect. He'd had so few opportunities to do so in the past, letting her down, failing her, failing each other. Finally, for everyone, things seemed to be falling into place at last, she wouldn't be needing him at all much longer the way he saw it, and this was probably his last chance to make sure he got at least something right. A smile toyed on Katniss's lips as she watched the man search himself impatiently "Something….Borrowed!" a sarcastic grin monopolised his features as he plucked an orange flower from Effie's bouquet and stuck it into her hair with a satisfied smile, she chuckled lightly to herself, she could hear people mumbling again from behind the doors and the shuffling of movements being made as people stood; her eyes locked anxiously on the door. But Haymitch took her by the shoulders gently, turned her to him, she'd never seen him look so solemnly comforting in her life. "One more thing" he said quietly in his familiar, husky voice. Unfurling his hand around the final piece, something small and dainty sat in the palm of his hand, she concentrated her gaze on it instead of on the music slowly starting inside. "Something blue" he said as he carefully lifted it and as it slipped past the single beam of bright light Katniss saw the glint of metal on the hair pin, the soft pastel blue of the lone flower that graced it, and the gentle whimper of her mother behind her. A single blue primrose. Katniss swallowed hard, looking up at Haymitch with tearful, grateful eyes; he fastened it to her hair and let his hands slip down onto her arms again, he was going to lose her sometime anyway, it might as well be to the baker boy. "And…We arranged a toasting" he smiled as warmly as the man could manage "Y'know…Tradition and all that…" Haymitch shrugged, a wave of pride overtook him in a way he wasn't quite expecting and he bundled her into a strong hug; Katniss wasn't quite expecting it either, but still, with a small, soft, breathless cry she returned the hug "Just don't let him burn the bread this time" Haymitch chuckled with his usual acerbic laugh before pulling away, the music crew louder from inside and they all knew the doors would open any second, but still, Katniss looked up at him, the man who'd virtually been her father for the last few years of her life with a solemn gaze and a sweet smile, asking a familiar question that'd become an ongoing joke between them "Any advice" she murmured. Haymitch smirked back at her, planting a soft kiss on her cheek "Stay alive" he replied.