Haymitch looked everywhere for Effie but she's nowhere to be found and so is the man she was talking to earlier. Chaff had advised him to go back to the penthouse to call it a night. He said Trinket is bound to go there at one point so he should wait there. Taking his point, he returned to the penthouse only to find Effie in the living room enjoying a pink cocktail he can only guess the ingredients. She's still wearing the same clothes as earlier but her heels are disregarded far from the sofa. Her wig is also crooked but she didn't care at all, not to mention her smudge makeup.
"Haymitch Abernathy! There you are! I was wondering when you will turn up", she greeted with her high-pitched voice that almost shattered his eardrums.
Frustrated by the fact that she's at the penthouse all this time, he threw his coat somewhere in the living room and went to her, letting her know that he's in a bad mood.
"Where have you been? I was looking for you all over that goddamn bar", he asked.
She didn't frown nor halt the smile on her face. She simply chuckled and took more sip from her drink.
"Why, Haymitch? You missed me already?" she asked playfully.
"Is that what this is all about? You making a point that if you're gone, I will miss you?" he asked her back.
Effie just shrugged and continued drinking. It annoyed him so much that he grabbed the glass from her hand and threw it aside.
"Now that is a waste of a good glass and a good drink", she muttered.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Trinket? I am not going to do it anymore, okay? I am not going to request for your transfer to other Districts", he exclaimed.
She stopped fussing. A sudden flash of sadness appeared in her eyes before it was replaced by something like a haze. He suddenly got a good look of his escort.
"Tell me you didn't take any of those damn pills again, princess", he muttered in a dangerous tone.
She's too aloof. He's already seething in front of her and she looked like she's still relaxing in a spa or something. She's never that calm when he's in a bad mood before.
"Don't preposterous, Haymitch! I am a woman of my word. Plus, you threw my stash away and I know you inspect my things every now and then so no, I didn't take anything", she said, still in a cheery voice. "…although, I might have drank too much of that cocktail he gave to me. I wasn't sure what it was but…it seems pretty strong for my taste", she added.
His alarm bells went off. She's talking about that Sponsor guy she was dealing with earlier.
"What do you mean, sweetheart? Where did you go earlier? Did he hurt you?" he asked one question after the next.
Effie tried to recall but her eyes are becoming heavier and heavier. He shook her shoulders to keep her awake.
"I thought he was going to introduce me to his friends. He said he would but we were walking to his car and I didn't want to go in so I pushed him away and walked to our limo and asked to be brought here. Thinking about now, I must've acted rudely towards that gentleman. Mother will be crossed", she answered.
He knew right then and there what was in that drink the Sponsor gave to Effie. It is a miracle she still managed to refuse and walk to their car by herself. He decided to carry her with his arms and brought her to the bathroom. It was hard to keep her still and steady but he managed to remove that hideous dress from her body and that yellow blob on her head. She didn't protest by that when that alone will be enough to throw her into a fit. He was surprised to see her natural strawberry blond curls fell once he removed her wig. He always imagined her to be blonde but those curls just made his heart stopped.
Getting Effie into the shower is a challenged but he managed to run the cold water on the both of them. The situation is utterly familiar and it's not a good memory. The first time he had to drag her into the bathroom was when she overdosed on her sleeping pills. Now, he's doing it again to wake her up from whatever that guy gave her. Effie yelped upon the contact of the cold water to her skin. It worked well in waking her up and she looked surprise to see Haymitch with her in the shower. Her makeup slowly came off of her face revealing to him her natural beauty.
"I am not letting you go, princess", he said.
It's all she's been wanting to hear. The thought of her being shipped off to another district had been dreadful for her. She cannot imagine being an escort to another Victor. He took care of her that night until she fell asleep properly. That next day, their last tribute died. It couldn't be a better timing because Effie is still worn out from the events of last night and Haymitch didn't get much sleep at all. The Victor turned his attention to whisky while Effie focused her energy to the paperwork. She didn't shed a tear this year though. She's too exhausted for that. He, however, managed himself to get properly drunk within the day.
By sunset, it's Effie's turn to drag Haymitch to the bathroom to rinse that liquor smell off of him and clean him up from his own vomit. It is not her job but for her, it's not really an occupation to take care of Haymitch. After all, he's doing the same for her. Once she was able to put him to bed, she proceeded to dressing him up with his pyjamas. She stayed for a few minutes before turning off the lights and going to her own room. Haymitch had been right. It had been a difficult year for the both of them and it's only going to get harder and harder.
Augusts Braun has been crowned the winner of the 67th Hunger Games just as predicted. Effie had spared Haymitch from going to an interview and she already took care of all the paperwork needed for post-games. Haymitch, on the other hand, had been cuddling a bottle of whisky while thinking about going home once again with two coffins. He's tired of that same routine every year but what can he do? The kids in Twelve are not like him. When Effie walked him to the train station, he is barely sober at all. He noticed she's exhausted from doing all the work for him but he couldn't bring himself to say anything to her. She understood. She always does. She gave him a nice hug, one that he will missed during the break and smiled her natural smile.
"Goodbye, Haymitch. I will see you next year. Please do take care of yourself", she said and he boarded the train with once again a pair of dead children.
