Haymitch squeezes Effie's shoulders as they walk down the hall to the living room. They sit down on the sofa to wait for Katniss and Peeta. "Can I get a cup of coffee?" Haymitch asks an Avox in the room.
"I'll have a peach herbal tea, thank you." Effie says politely to the Avox. She tucks her feet under her and curls into Haymitch's arms.
The Avox quickly returns with their hot drinks. Effie puts both hands around her mug and breathes in the soft scent of her herbal tea. It is so cold outside and Effie is just beginning to warm up. She sips her tea daintily when it gets cool enough to drink. Katniss and Peeta enter the room to spend some quiet time with Effie and Haymitch.
"Don't you two look cosy!" Peeta pours himself a glass of apple juice. He sits next to Katniss and watches Effie and Haymitch.
"I'm still trying to get warm. It's so cold out there." Effie shivers and allows Haymitch to put a blanket over her and pull her closer.
"What are you drinking, Haymitch?" Katniss asks watching the new couple.
"Coffee. I don't like the cold. Effie's right, it's awfully cold out there. It's been a long time since we've have a winter this bitterly cold." Haymitch sets his now empty coffee mug down on the coffee table and it's quickly collected by the Avox.
"That colour is fantastic on you, Effie. It looks so regal." Katnis says after Peeta orders a black currant herbal tea.
"I get to pick the colours for each new wardrobe, but I don't do any of my own designing. I just get to pick up my wardrobe a week before any major event." Effie finishes her tea and passes the Avox the mug.
"Can I get a hot cocoa please?" Katniss asks as she shivers. Haymitch tosses Katniss a blanket from the back of the sofa before he stands up and turns the heat up. When Haymitch comes back to sit down Katniss is cuddled under the blanket. She looks much younger in this position.
"Let me under the blanket." Haymitch requests as he tugs on one side of the blanket. Effie lifts one side of the blanket and lets Haymitch under. Haymitch and Effie cuddle together to get warm.
"That's better." Effie mumbles to Haymitch. She's allowing herself to relax much more around Katniss and Peeta.
The Avox soon returns with Katniss' hot chocolate topped sky high with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. She sighs happily at the lovely chocolatey scent emanating from the tall mug.
"Give me a sip." Peeta requests, reaching slowly for the mug.
"Alright, but be careful, it's very hot. I don't want you to burn your mouth." Katniss carefully passes Peeta the very full mug.
Peeta takes a slow, long sip of delicious hot beverage. "I missed hot chocolate." Peeta admits as he passes Katniss her mug.
"I can practically guarantee I'll be drinking a lot more of this if the weather stays this cold." Katniss sips her hot chocolate slowly.
Effie continues to relax as they all sit around and chat. She loves travelling by train. She stands up and gets a plate of cookies for them to munch on. She gets a plate of oatmeal raisin cookies and they're warm and chewy.
"My mother never lets me eat cookies before dinner. Give me a couple of those." Katniss leans forward and grabs a couple of cookies and sinks back into the sofa before she bites into one of them.
Effie picks up a cookie, holds it between her thumb and forefinger and bites into it. She stands up as she slowly chews and pours herself a glass of milk. When she sits back down Haymitch grabs her glass and takes a long gulp of milk. "Haymitch! Why didn't you tell me you wanted a glass of milk?!"
"I didn't know I wanted milk until you sat down with your glass." Haymitch passes Effie her glass back.
"You are so exasperating, Haymitch!" Effie smiles at Haymitch as she says this.
"You love me anyway despite me being exasperating." Haymitch says as he watches Effie eat her cookie elegantly. He grabs another cookie and slowly chews it. He loves cookies.
"Are you not having a cookie, Peeta?" Katniss asks as she finishes her second cookie.
"No, I'll wait and eat at dinner. I'm not hungry right now." Peeta says quietly.
"Can I get a hot chocolate please?" Effie leans her head on Haymitch's chest. "I'm surprised at you, Peeta. I've never seen you refuse food."
"You'll hardly ever see a teenage boy refuse food. Actually men, in general, don't ever not have food when it's offered." Haymitch says to Effie.
"Well, that's certainly true of you, Haymitch." Effie teases. Haymitch is a big eater for his size.
"It's only true when I'm sober, though. I don't eat when I'm drinking." Haymitch eyes Effie's hot chocolate, as it's delivered piled high with whipped cream.
"Forget it, Haymitch. You're not getting within an inch of my cocoa. You should know not get between a woman and her chocolate." Effie teases.
"That's dangerous, Haymitch. You should never get between a woman and her chocolate. You're likely to lose a limb that way. Trust me; I tried it once, and only once. It's hazardous to your health." Peeta teases the ladies in the room. Katniss smacks Peeta's chest lightly.
Effie smiles behind her cocoa mug as she watches Katniss and Peeta. Haymitch puts his arm around Effie and dots a blob of whipped cream on the end of her nose and Katniss can't help but laugh. Effie decides to be cheeky. She swipes the cream from the end on her nose with the end of her finger. "Do you want it?" Effie asks Haymitch pointedly. He nods, his breath catching in his throat. Effie holds her finger out to him. He grasps her wrist to hold her hand steady. He bends down and sucks the end of Effie's finger into his warm mouth. Effie gasps at Haymitch's actions. He has a very talented tongue.
"Don't tease if you can't play the game. That was very silly." Haymitch taps the end of Effie's nose.
"Don't tease when you can't finish the task." Effie leans forwards towards Haymitch.
"Fair enough. Do you know what we're having for dinner?" Haymitch asks completely changing the subject before it gets really awkward.
"Something that Katniss and Peeta will like very much." Effie says cryptically.
"Lamb stew with plums and rice, right?" Katniss asks with a broad smile.
"I thought it might bring back pleasant memories for the two of you." Effie explains after she sips her cocoa.
"It does make me think of some of the nicer moments during the Hunger Games, actually." Peeta smiles wistfully at the time before the nightmares.
"I suppose I'll just have to pick the plums out of mine." Haymitch says casually.
"You don't like the plums in it, Haymitch, are you crazy? That's crazy! That's the best part!" Katniss says indignantly.
"I like the flavour, but not the texture." Haymitch shrugs.
"I can request something else if you want. You shouldn't have to have something you don't like." Effie wants Haymitch to enjoy his time.
"Don't you dare have anyone make something different just for me. It's a waste of food." Haymitch says firmly.
"Fine, you can give me your plums, then. I'll eat them if you don't want food to go to waste." Effie says setting her cocoa mug down.