A/N: I'm so sorry, readers. It appears I uploaded some chapters out of order! They have been deleted now, and I am posting the correct chapters today. My sincerest apologies!
Johanna is telling an absolutely disgusting story about a prostitute with one leg she knew back in 7. Chaff has to concede she's dedicated. Everyone is begging her to stop.
He drinks his brandy and grins at Haymitch. Haymitch shakes his head and smiles back, and they both look at Johanna again, who is trying to mime a sexual act with one of the bed's decorative pillows.
Just as she hops on the bed to really demonstrate, Beetee says, "Okay, that should do it," and Johanna settles down.
Mags mimes a, "Thank you," heavenward, and everybody laughs.
"All right, all right," Beetee says, grinning. "We have maybe twenty minutes. Is anyone unclear on the plan?"
Johanna jumps in with, "I still don't get why Katniss and Peeta aren't in on it. Did you all see her shoot yesterday?"
The people going in the arena all nod, and look around at the others with serious looks on their faces.
Haymitch opens his mouth to explain again why he thinks it's a bad idea when the bedroom door opens. Twelve pairs of eyes train themselves on the intruder.
Peeta is looking at something in his hand and he says, "Haymitch, I wondered if you could -"
He looks up and appears to instantly understand he's walked in on something.
Johanna jumps up on the bed again and says, "Wait! You didn't hear the best part of the joke!" and grabs the decorative pillow.
Chaff sputters on his drink. "This long of a story for a joke?" He starts coughing before he can tell her the set up could be done in half the time, and Seeder whaps him hard on the back a few times.
Finnick jumps up and hits Johanna on the head with the little round pillow he just tore out of her hands.
She looks shocked.
"Hey!"
"Peeta, why don't you shut the door?" Beetee says.
Peeta does, stowing whatever he had in his hand in his pocket, and joining the circle around the bed.
The silence goes on for one beat too long, and then Beetee says, "Let the annual meeting to abuse Snow begin."
Finnick starts telling a story for Mags, watching her hands and occasionally stopping to listen to her garbled speech. It's about a young Coriolanus Snow, who had had a burning desire for one Mags Flanagan. To anyone but the people in the room, it would be a pathetically sad tale, but they've all been so beaten down by Snow, and Mags is so clearly enjoying telling the story, and it's so much fun to abuse the President, they all end up laughing at the punchline, even Peeta, who still looks dubious.
Finnick, watching Mags, says, "Then he said, 'I didn't know you had to ask first.'"
The group roars with laughter. Chaff chokes on his brandy again, and Seeder takes his flask and drains it.
Peeta says, "So, the room isn't bugged?"
Beetee explains his invention. It won't jam the system long, without sending up a red flag, but it can detect when a flag has been sent up about itself within the Capitol systems, and is capable of giving them a five second warning before the device is located. Someone just has to turn it off as soon as it beeps.
Peeta grins, but gives Haymitch a look like he's still waiting for answers.
Haymitch says, "I think we all know what we're doing?" and looks around at the group.
Everyone looks around and nods, even Johanna.
Seeder says, "I've got a good one."
Chaff has heard this one before, but he loves hearing it again.
After a few of them tell the most mortifying stories they know, Peeta's eyebrows rising with every tale, Finnick starts one of his own, but the timer goes off.
Everyone stops talking. Beetee crosses the room and presses a button.
Peeta jumps up, opens Haymitch's bedroom door, and everyone files out as silently as they can, past Peeta, holding the door open.
He pulls it shut behind him, the last one out, as quietly as he can.
Chaff says, loudly, "Haymitch!" Peeta jumps. "I was hoping you were here. Drink with me?"
"Always."
They laugh, and Haymitch claps him on the back, before giving Peeta a significant look, and the three of them leave the flat, going up the stairs to the garden. It's not as safe as Beetee's bug blocking invention, but it will have to do.
That was probably their last chance for a clandestine meeting, but the kid has no idea what he walked in on, he reminds himself. It's not his fault. He seems to be aware he walked into more than a meeting to indulge in mocking treason, and he's smart enough to keep quiet.
They had all agreed not to tell the newest victors about the rebellion. Katniss does seem like a loose cannon, though even Haymitch says it's not her fault. She's too young to know how dangerous she is. Peeta is the same age.
All these years together, mentoring, has given them a different view on adolescence than anyone in the known world can understand. All the victors trust each others' instincts when it comes to their kids. They have no other choice.
He is curious what Haymitch will say to Peeta when they reach the garden. He reaches for his flask and frowns when he remembers Seeder has it.
They reach the garden. Chaff sits with his back propped against the trunk of a tree, Haymitch on a nearby bench. Peeta settles himself, cross-legged, on the ground between them.
Haymitch says, "Anybody for a drink?" and downs half a bottle of wine.
Chaff sees Peeta scowl at Haymitch, and smiles to himself. His friend out of 12 can be abrasive.
Haymitch, as though proving Chaff's unspoken thought, belches, before handing Chaff the bottle.
"Don't spend it all in one place," he says, and leaves the garden.
Chaff looks at Peeta, who's already watching him carefully.
"Haymitch says you and he made a deal to get Katniss out as the victor."
Peeta looks confused.
Chaff realizes it could be uncomfortable to discuss, given that means Peeta is planning on Chaff's death for such a scenario. He drinks from the bottle and smiles, passing it to Peeta.
"He also says you love her, a lot."
He watches Peeta take a tentative sip. Chaff motions for him to take more, and Peeta rolls his eyes, but obliges him by gulping some down before handing the bottle back, with a grimace. Chaff laughs.
"Haymitch never taught you to drink?" he asks, finishing the bottle, and wishing Haymitch had had something stronger on him.
Peeta shakes his head. "Some things can't be taught."
That really makes him laugh. Peeta smiles too, and looks at him, not quite daring to ask the question.
But Chaff knows what's on his mind and nods his head.
"Haymitch will have already told you about getting allies."
Peeta nods, his face gaining focus as he zeroes in on Chaff's words. He's so young. Was Chaff ever that young?
"I hope you can think of me and Seeder as people you can trust. Even if you haven't known us long."
Peeta frowns.
"Haymitch trusts you two. He doesn't trust many people." he says with a sad smile.
"Right," Chaff says, grinning. Haymitch has never tried to be ingratiating. He guesses he's not surprised that he has been taciturn with his kids, too.
He shakes his head, and looks out over the rooftop. "Trust isn't easy for us."
"I can see how that would be."
Chaff looks at him again. Haymitch keeps telling him not to underestimate Peeta's instincts, and Chaff has already seen how he can play an audience, last year, and on the Victory Tour.
"You can't trust everybody," he says. "But you can trust a few of us."
Peeta nods. He looks at the flowers he was picking, seemingly absentmindedly, while they've talked. He's now arranging them into a little bouquet.
Peeta chuckles.
"Now I just have to get Katniss to trust Haymitch."
They both laugh.
Chaff wakes up. The sun is getting low in the sky. His throat is dry and painful, and his temples are being smashed between two giant cymbals. With a great effort, and much ineffectual stabbing, he manages to get a hole in a tree and drink his fill.
He has to rest a few minutes, then drink again, but he feels better, and starts stumbling along again, looking for Peeta and Katniss.
It's been a rough day.