Since she didn't really have to take a look to know who was coming, Effie refused to turn her eyes from the rails, just listened very hard. Haymitch didn't even sound to be in a hurry, so by the time he had reached her side, she had to fight the urge to ruin her makeup by pressing her painted lips into a thin line of disapproval.
"Am I late?" asked Haymitch casually as he stepped beside her. While he refused to put on the boots she had brought him, he at least accepted his new coat of heavy wool and looked as smart as she had ever seen him in it.
"Yes," she replied in a voice almost as cold as the chill creeping up her legs from the floor she'd been standing on for almost an hour. With no passengers to use it, the train station was little more than a glorified shack next to the rails, and it offered very almost no protection from the cold. "But they are too," she added.
"Okay then." He nodded, because according to his twisted logic one could only be late when they were the last to arrive and because he knew she had been reserving the major part of her scorn for someone else anyway.
"Of course I have expected nothing less from Atia," she said in a half-whisper so that the camera crew wouldn't hear it. "Oh how much she must be enjoying herself now; making us wait for her to finally show up, catching our death in this awful cold." She buried her hands deeper in the pockets of her coat with a shiver, because while it was a magnificent piece of white fur and feathers, it wasn't designed to defy the harsh Twelve winter. "It wouldn't even surprise me if it turned out that she did all this on purpose."
"You've been delayed too," he reminded her, and it was really hard to tell if he wanted to soothe or anger her even more with that comment.
"This is a Victory Train," she hissed. "A bit of ice and snow shouldn't be able to bother it. And by the way, it's the middle of winter. One should expect weather to be a nuisance and keep that in mind when making plans."
"Absolutely," Haymitch agreed. He didn't even try to be subtle about the look he gave her outfit, but he spared her his annual lecture on practical winter fashion. He just let his eyes linger for a moment over everything her Capitol skirt left uncovered, then cleared his throat and reached for the inner pocket of his jacket. "Anyway," he said, "I've got something to cheer you up."
"Oh no," she moaned as she realised he was about to offer her a drink. "It's out of the question. It's bad enough that you are reeking of it," she whispered angrily
"Suit yourself," he said indignantly as he lifted his flask to his lips to take a hearty swig. "I was just trying to be friendly."
She gave the crew another nervous glance, but when she made sure everyone was too busy hopping around to keep themselves warm, she moved ever so slightly closer to Haymitch. "I know and I'm sorry," she said as her longest feathers touched his shoulder. "I don't want to be mean. I'm just..."
"It's all right." He shrugged. "There's not enought left for the two of us anyway."
Out of the corner of her eye she could see him searching her face for her reaction over that comment, but she was in no mood for his silly games and just rolled her eyes with a huff. It seemed to make him happy enough though, because the flask couldn't hide his smile as he took another sip and let her off the hook.
Turning her attention back to the rails, she sighed deeply, feeling a chill running down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. Entertaining the latest victors could always be stressful, but with her least favourite person in the whole wide word at the helm of Four's team, the upcoming 24 hours promised to be even worse than usual.
"Oh god," she whispered when the wind turned and rattled the windows of the station as she tried to rub her knees together discreetly for some warmth.
"I'll ask the crew if they have any news," said Haymitch, touching her back lightly before he left.
"Thank you." She watched him walking away with a longing sigh. His new coat even had a bit of soft white fur around the collar and the lapels. Had he been a man of proper upbringing, he would have surely offered to drape it around her shoulders, but that was Twelve manners for you.
He at least returned with good news. "Ten minutes or less," he announced.
"Then here we go," she exhaled with some determination as she flipped open the dial of her watch for a final check in the mirror hidden behind it for the hundredth time that morning. "How do I look?" She willed herself to put on a smile as she turned to Haymitch.
"You give me the creeps," he said flatly, taking another swig from his flask.
"Good, I can work with that." She raised her chin slightly. "Shall we?" she asked as the crew started picking up their gear and file out onto the platform to greet their guests.
"After you." He motioned for her to lead the way.
It must have taken someone real effort to add a few extra minutes to their torture by making the train slow down so gradually that by the time it had actually stopped, it took everyone a second to realise it no longer moved.
As the door of the train swished open, the firt people to come through it were the crew following the new victor on his Tour, and once they got out of her way, the escort of Four emerged too, in all her emerald-clad glory.
"Atia!" Effie screamed, bolting from Haymitch's side to greet her.
"Euphemia!" she cheered too, coming down the steps with three dainty clicks of her heels and hugging her with a laugh. "My goodness, darling, look at you," she gasped, and although they have released each other, she never let go of Effie's hand. "You look absolutely frozen!"
Meeting the new victor's team at the station was never an official part of the broadcast, but they always used a few shots as cutaways, so Effie turned her smile up a notch and squeezed the other escort's hand amiably.
"I already feel warmer now that you are here," she replied, ignoring the cough coming from Haymitch. "How was your journey?"
"Ghastly!" Atia exclaimed. "Quite honestly it always surprises me how far off the map Twelve is," she laughed, then reached to touch Haymitch on the arm. "No offence."
"None taken," he replied with a smile so sickeningly sweet it was insulting.
"Good," said Atia, and Effie could tell she needed a moment to recover, but when the moment was gone, she hit them with twice her previous enthusiasm. "So? Are you ready to meet my new victor?"
"I can't wait!" Effie sighed.
"Gentlemen?" Atia looked around expectantly, and when she received the tumbs up from the crew, she signed for her victor waiting inside by banging on the train's side a few times. "Finnick, darling, come out, everyone's waiting for you!"
His enterance was so perfect Effie had no doubt Atia had made the boy practice it all along the journey. He halted on the topmost stair for the shortest of seconds to let his eyes adjust to the light and the cameras to focus on him, then flashed a smile for the crowd before he leapt off to the platform gracefully.
"Come-come, don't be shy," Atia cooed, guiding him closer in a way that enabled her to have her own share of screentime too.
"Congratulations," said Haymitch, offering a hand to the boy, which he took without hesitation.
"Thank you." He nodded politely like an adult would before he moved on to Effie.
"Well done." She made sure she sounded sincere, because her dislike towards his escort was no way the boy's fault, but she couldn't help finding it a tad over-rehearsed when he looked her deep in the eye and gave her a kiss on the hand to thank her.
"I know Ms Trinket's a lot prettier than me, but I'd appreciate some of your attention too," a voice called out from towards the train, and it seemed to have some sort of magical power too, because it washed all the false charme off Finnick's face in a second, and he rushed to his mentor's side like the puppy he really was.
"Thank you, my dear." she said as Finnick helped her down the stairs. "Haymitch! Good to see you."
"Good to see you too, Mags." He opened his arms with a friendly smile when the old lady moved to hug him. "How are you?"
"On a very tight schedule," Atia piped up.
"Yes, very tight," Mags grumbled. "You want to see it? I have it all written down; seventy-six and a half pages..."
"No, thank you," he laughed, patting his pocket. "I have my own."
"And I bet my hat it says we don't have another moment to lose," ordered Atia as she started to usher all of them out of the station and into the cars taking them to town in a way that almost literally ruffled Effie's feathers, because who was she to boss her team around?
"No we don't; not with all your tardiness," she announced with a smile, and before she could have given it any further thought, she linked her arm into Haymitch's and started to lead the way.
"Are you sure, princess?" he whispered with a chuckle. "My bad manners will rub all over your pretty coat."
"I think the damage is already done," she replied, and for the first time that day she could feel a genuine smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
There. I can't seem to stop with these. :D
Please read & review!