Xx
The buildings and all their corridors, in district 13, were bleak and grey and boring. Effie hated them. No wonder people roamed about looking lost and miserable, the place was indeed just as lost and as miserable.
It was almost 2 in the morning and Effie had finally been dismissed of her duties for the day. Admin. That was her role. She was always very good with papers and numbers, lists and schedules. They had to give her something to do.
She didn't mind the late hours. It meant she could enjoy a lie in, most mornings. Something that had not been possible, at all, during her escort days.
She yawned, stretching out her arms like a sleepy cat and continued down the living chambers corridor, long and winding as it was, it always made her feel more sleepy. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye she spied Haymitchs open doorway. Doubling back, she poked her head inside to find his room empty, yet again.
Effie let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. They worked that man too hard. Unlike her, he had to be up at the crack of dawn, everyday. She sighed in frustration. Surely, it was hard enough on him that he wasn't allowed to drink anymore, they had to work him to the bone too?
The board room. That's were he'd be. Plotting and planning as usual. She was never allowed in there, so, for all she knew, they could have been having a party. Effie spun on her heel and headed back the other way. If coin and Plutarch wouldn't send Haymitch to his bed, she'd certainly drag him there, herself.
Xxx
The corridor to the boardroom was much brighter, she noticed. The walls were a sapphire blue and the lighting was a little less harsh. The walls were littered with scrolls, propaganda and posters. It almost looked like art, which she had to appreciate. She made it to the boardroom door and knocked gently.
Nothing.
She knocked again, this time a little louder. But, again, nothing.
"Haymitch?" She called out, authorautively. But on receiving no answer, she tried the handle and found the door unlocked.
She bit her lip for a moment and took a second to check the coast was clear. If she was found anywhere near this room, let alone, in it, she would be in big trouble. She couldn't hear anything. No voices, no movement, and curiosity had always got the better of her. She pushed the door open and made her way in.
Just as she suspected, there he was, flat out and alone and probably drooling all over the papers he'd been up all night writing. She chuckled quietly to herself then shook him gently.
"Haymitch?"
He didn't stir. But he was snoring loud enough for her to tell he was still alive at least.
She sighed, tiredly, and rubbed her eyes a little. She couldn't carry him to his room, but, she also didn't want to wake him. Sleep had always come difficult to Haymitch. Especially since he was sober now. She took a moment to ponder on what to do and looked around the room. There was nothing she could lay him on, no blanket to cover him up with. She was going to have to wake him eventually. Sleeping, hunched over a table would do nothing for his back.
Suddenly, she noticed the light hum and glow of the white board behind her. On it, looked like a jumble of lines and scribblings. There were arrows pointing this way and that, and all drawn over, what looked like to be a blue print of a large estate. Her brows creased in confusion and on closer inspection she read some of the scribble.
'Snow'
Effie stepped back a little and cocked her head. Something was eerily familiar about the sketch, but so wrong in many ways.
What was written down as 'the library' was in completely the wrong place. The gardens too, and the outskirts of the estate, it was all wrong. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned a little closer again. Were they planning on a re model, after the war? It was an absurd thought, surely there were better things to plan and focus on, than a remodel. Like winning the damn war first, perhaps?
She clicked her tongue and shook her head. That Alma Coin, she thought. What a calamity, waisting Haymitchs time and talent on something so frugal. She huffed in frustration, but was suddenly startled out of her thoughts by Haymitchs gruff and angry voice.
"Effie! What are you doing in here?" He growled, stumbling, sleepily to his feet. "You know your not allowed in h-"
"And are they allowed to work you into an early grave?!" She whipped back, crossing the room to him. "You need to go to bed Haymitch"
"So you risked a severe punishment, just to tell me that?" He huffed, sarcastically.
Effie rolled her eyes. "Huh. Severe punishment" she said, tutting loudly and turning her attention back to the white board. "Surely, whoever is responsible for this ridiculous masterpiece, should be the one who should be punished"
"What are you whining about?" He asked tiredly.
"I mean, really! The war has barely begun and she's already making plans for when she moves into the Presidents Mansion. A little premature, If you ask me!"
"Well no one asked you so- what are you babbling on about? Who's 'she'?"
"Alma Coin!" Effie snapped, heading back to the white board and tapping at it, angrily. "She's planning on a whole re model of the mansion!"
"Excuse me?" He laughed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Oh to be in the world and head of Effie Trinket.
"I don't think it's funny at all, Haymitch. And clearly the woman has no taste. I mean, what's wrong with the library staying in it's original place. The whole thing is hand carved mahogany! She's going to destroy it!"
Haymitch looked at her like she was crazy and made his way to her side.
"Effie" he began, then took a second to look about them, just to double check they were alone. "These aren't remodelling plans! What the hell are you talking about? These are the blue prints to Snows mansion as it stands now. We just sent our first squad out for an attack!"
"What!?" Effie replied, fearfully. "No, no, no! This…it's all wrong Haymitch!" She looked at an arrow that said 'enter here' and what looked to be pointing to the rear gardens. "Look!" She persisted "that's not the entrance to the rear gardens, the gardens are over there on the left" she pointed then looked at him with wide eyes. "If you've sent your squad in this way, they'll be entering the main back courtyard. They'll be completely surrounded, ambushed! It's a trap!"
"What!" Haymitch yelled and looked over the markings. "How can you be so sure?"
Effie rolled her eyes
"Damnit, Haymitch! I've been to more parties here than I care to remember. Whilst everyone else partied it up, I tended to sneak around at any given opertunity. The building, the architecture, it's beautiful! I know this place like the back of my hand, Haymitch. Trust me!"
He looked at her for a moment, small sweat beads began to form on his forehead.
"You're sure, Effie!? I mean, absolutely one hundred percent!?"
"A hundred and one, Haymitch. Trust me."
"Fuck!" He yelled, running his hands into his hair. "Fuck!" He staggered around a little before heading towards the door. "Stay here, don't move! I need Plutarch! DONT move"
"Ok! Ok! Go, hurry!" She insisted. Then took up a red marker and began circling all the errors. Punishment, indeed! She thought. She'd deserve a medal after this one. What would they do without Effie Trinket.
Xxx
Effie put down the marker, hearing them arguing from down the hall
"Can we trust her?"
"She shouldn't have even been in there! It's against the rules!"
"Is she certain?"
Effie rolled her eyes at the frantic voices of Alma Coin and Plutarch Havensbee, heading toward the boardroom.
The three of them burst through the door as Effie held her tongue, patiently.
"You better not be wrong, Trinket!" Coin hissed, as soon as she saw her. "If I've just pulled my squad out of a mission, because you 'think' you know better, they'll be hell to p-"
"I think I just saved you from losing this war President Coin." Effie breezed proudly "A 'thank you' would serve much nicer…"
Coin glared at her as Haymitch and Plutarch tried their hardest not to smirk. Coin took a deep breath and bit the inside of her cheek.
"You knew it was against the rules to be in here…" She threw back, dryly. Hoping to intimidate. But, unfortunately, Effie wasn't easily intimidated.
"I know" Effie replied "I was aware I was breaking the rules, but I was looking for Haymitch and luckily I happened to find him in here, where I spotted this" she twirled her hand toward the white board, now covered in big red markered scribbles.
"Are you sure it wrong?" Asked Coin.
"Heavens! I'm positive! Wherever or whomever you got the original blue prints from, for this sketch, screwed you over, big time"
Haymitch snorted a laugh behind Coin at Effie's cuss word, making Coin turn and glare at him, viciously. "You think this is funny?" She snapped his way.
"I told you not to trust your source from the Capitol!" He replied
"Oh, and we should trust yours instead?" Coin asked sarcastically. Effie and Plutarch shared an awkward look as the other two seemed ready to square off.
"I can fix this!" Effie stated suddenly, not wanting Haymitch to get himself into anymore trouble. "I can. I know this place like the back of my hand, it'll take me a few days but…I can re sketch the entire thing for you, correctly. If you'd allow me to, of course"
Alma Coin turned her attention back to Effie and looked her up and down.
"You? You could do that?"
"Yes" Effie beamed proudly "I'm a keen architect still, I studied it before I was chosen to go to games school."
"How do I know I can trust you?" Coin asked suspiciously.
"You can't know" Effie replied. "Not until I've completed it and your squad teams prove successful. I know the consequences of mistakes, President Coin, you can trust me, I assure you"
A call suddenly came in to Plutarchs cell, he answered it as the others remained silent, for a moment.
"That was the leader of Squad 1. They're out safe. They said they'll take shelter in 3 and await further instructions."
Coin nodded once but kept her eyes on Effie.
"How many days?" She asked
"2, 3 at most" Effie replied
"Make it 2 and I'll forget about your punishment for breaking the rules in here"
Effie held her breath and nodded "2 days. Got it"
"Good! Haymitch, get her a uniform. She needs to look like she's one of us, if she wants to be one of us. Plutarch, with me, now" Coin ordered, then exited the boardroom, swiftly. Plutarch gathered up some of the papers from the table and smiled Effie's way.
"Anything you need, Miss Trinket?" The next 2 days and nights were going to be long if she was to get it completed in time.
"Tea" Effie replied hastily "lots and lots of tea"
Plutarch nodded and quickly followed after the President, leaving Effie alone with Haymitch.
"You never cease to amaze me, sweetheart" Haymitch teased "I hope you know what you're letting yourself in for" he looked at his own uniform, then back at Effie "grey isn't really your colour…" He smirked
Effie rolled her eyes again then raised a brow "if we're really going to go into what kind of clothing suits whom, may I bring up that monstrosity of a hat that sleeps on your head all day?" She chuckled "a beanie, Haymitch? Really? Are you trying to re live your teenage youth?"
He had to laugh at her cheek. It had been a long time since they had divulged in a little harmless banter, just like the olden days. He made his way over to her and planted a quick and unexpected kiss on her forehead.
"You saved a lot of lives today. I'm proud of you" he squeezed her shoulder once, then made his way out. "Tea, no sugar. Right?"
"Right" she grinned "sweet enough, remember"
Haymitch let out a heavy sigh. "As if I could forget"
Xxxx
3 Days Later.
He found her in the boardroom, face down, and sleeping like a baby, amidst a pile of old sketchings. The final draft had been sent to Coin one day ago and the 1st squad left again this morning. They had been successful and managed to clear at least one half of Snows estate. He was now buried deep in his catacombs somewhere, surrounded by guards and Mutts. They wouldn't be able to go any further until the city had at least been cleared. But, it was progress and it was all in their favour, all thanks to Effie. Haymitch had wanted to give her the good news.
"Hey, Effs?" He shook her gently, by the shoulders. She stirred a little, stretching out, before resting back where she was again. He let out a somber sigh. The past few days had been hard on her and he didn't want to count the number of empty tea cups on the table. Instead of waking her up, as gently as was possible for him, he scooped her up into his arms, cradling her petit body and head and carried her back to her bunker.
She stirred again, when he placed her on her bed. Her eyes fluttered open and he was the first thing she saw. It made her smile, more so, the fact that he still had that ridiculous hat on.
"Was it a success?" she asked, sleepily, raising her hand to comb her fingers through the hair poking beneath Haymitchs beanie.
"Yeah, princess. Thanks to you" he smiled. Shifting over a little more on the bed so that he hovered over her.
"Can we sleep now?" She asked again and he laughed light heartidly
"Sure, sweetheart. We can sleep now" he pressed another kiss to her forehead, lingering a little longer than last time, and ran his fingertips over her cheek. "I'll let you get some rest, see you tomorr-"
"No!" She called out. Gripping at the collar of his shirt, needily "I think…you should sleep here" her tone was innocent enough, but the glittering in her eyes gave her away.
"I don't know about you, princess. But if I stay here with you tonight…ain't a lot of sleeping gonna be happening" he replied in challenge.
Effie propped her self up on her elbows, her nose now resting millimetres from his. She leaned a little further, brushing the skin of his lips with hers before laying back down, slowly and seductively.
"That's ok with me" she smirked, the excitement of finally contributing something good to this war, coursed through her veins like a fire she hadn't felt in a long time. She ran the fingertips of one hand, slowly up his left arm, thinking of the only way she wanted to put her fire out
"We can sleep tomorrow"
Xxxx