Prompt: MJ AU. Snow dangles Peeta for Katniss and Effie for Haymitch. With each interview that goes by, she degenerates right before his very eyes.
Workshop Confessions
"You've watched this ten times already, Haymitch."
There was no judgment in Beetee's voice but a quiet understanding. Haymitch lifted his head from the square tablet on which Effie's interview was playing over and over again and shrugged, at a loss for words. It was a blessing his friend's workshop in Special Defense was deserted at this time of night, Haymitch wasn't up for being around people. He had glared at his communicuff every time it had started beeping.
"You've kept her interviews from the girl." Three's victor observed.
"I'm trying to keep all of them from the girl." he grumbled. "She's good at finding out what she's not supposed to know."
Propos with Peeta were the worst but he wasn't the only one Snow was using as a puppet. There was Johanna, a handful of other victors they had grabbed in various Districts after the rebels had broken in the arena, and a few escorts. Effie was the one they took out most often after Peeta and Johanna though, almost as if they were taunting him with her.
She looked like her usual self. Bright dress, pink wig – no trace of gold on her person, he couldn't help but notice – high-pitched voice and fake laugh… But, like with Johanna and Peeta, it wasn't so difficult to pick up on the shifting eyes that so often focused on something behind the camera – that something, he assumed, being a friend held hostage in case they said the wrong thing.
He knew Effie so well…
He had worked with her for so long, had slept with her so often… He had never realized how well he knew her, he had never lingered on what it meant that he knew a tremor in her fingers meant she was scared, two quick blinks of fake eyelashes meant she was uncertain… There were a thousand examples. He could read her body language like no one else's.
He only had to watch her interviews with Caesar to know she was scared and in pain. It didn't matter what she was saying, how convincing she was… He knew better.
With each new propo, she looked worse.
"You shouldn't worry. She's something, your escort." Beetee offered, trying to comfort him. "She's strong and clever. She will make it."
He wished he could believe him.