On the eve of the Quarter Quell ceremonies, as the train from District Twelve bulleted toward the capital, carrying the same people it had just a year ago, Haymitch took a swig of the pure grain alcohol he had smuggled on board. For all of Effie's love of grandeur and excess, she had caught onto his penchant for drink over the years and the stock of fine spirits kept on board the Tributes' Train had begun to dwindle.
Haymitch watched some of the liquid spill from his glass as the train took a turn. He didn't bother to clean it up, opting instead to stare blankly at the puddle that had formed on the table. The dim light of his private car just illuminated the bottle, cup, and spill in front of him. Haymitch was accustomed to being alone with his drink and his cynicism, but tonight he felt him self starting to spiral to a particularly dark and hopeless place. He knew that President Snow had devised this Quarter Quell in order to kill off the symbols of power so important to the Districts — the Victors. Haymitch could see that they were about to lose the only signs of hope they had, the signs they didn't know they needed.
The train blared its whistle. Haymitch looked up, startled. Looking across the table, he realized that at some point earlier in the evening, he had set out a second glass. He wondered why. He hadn't been expecting anyone. They had all quietly gone their separate ways after Effie had presented her golden tokens. At this point in the night though, Haymitch knew that either Katniss or Peeta had wandered into the others room and they were huddled together warding off each other's nightmares.
Sort of like him and his drink.
Still considering the glass across the table, Haymitch heard a timid knock at his door, which slowly slid open to reveal Effie. Her hair was wrapped in a deep blue scarf studded with tiny gems that looked like stars. Haymitch could just make out that her eyes were red and her cheeks slightly damp. She had been crying.
"Come on," Haymitch said, forgoing his usual gruff sarcasm and instead nodding toward the glass that had, apparently, been waiting for her. He reached across the table to pour her out a drink.
Stepping though the door and sliding it closed behind her, Effie attempted to explain her sudden appearance. "Haymitch, I'm so sorry to intrude—"
"You've realized how fucked up it is that the Capitol has been stealing children and making them kill each other for 75 years. And now that the Victors will fight the Quarter Quell, you see that people really don't have a say in the matter. And on top of that, your only friends are going to die."
Still standing by the door, Effie nodded as tears welled in her eyes once again.
"In that case, all I can offer you is a drink," said Haymitch, gesturing toward the empty chair and filled cup. "Have a seat."
Rubbing the tears from her eyes with the back of a hand, Effie steeled herself and walked across the room. She stood by the table and downed the glass in one go, earning a nod of appreciation from Haymitch. Effie took her place at Haymitch's table, holding out the glass for another pour. She and Haymitch both nursed their drinks now, staring out the window into the night, united in their loneliness and their hopelessness.
An hour passed by with neither saying a word. The train entered a tunnel and broke Effie out of her quiet reflections.
"I should go. Try to get some sleep maybe." She put down her glass and turned to face Haymitch. "Thank you for keeping me company. Not just tonight."
Effie rose to leave and reached across the table to pat Haymitch's hand, using the gesture to recognize the friendship neither had acknowledged before. Before she could pull away, Haymitch turned over his hand to take hold of Effie's wrist.
"Stay," he pleaded, looking up at her with an uncharacteristic vulnerability in his eyes. "I'm tired of being alone."
"Me too," Effie whispered in return, never looking away from the all too familiar emotion displayed on Haymitch's face. She returned the grip on her wrist and gently pulled him up from his chair.
In silent agreement, they walked to the bed and lay down together, legs tangled and hands clasped on the pillow in front of their faces. Though neither fell asleep quickly, both awoke in the early morning light.
There was work to be done now. They would do it together.