The trial happens early the next day. He has to hand it to Coin. Both he and Plutarch are hungover and miserable, trying to round up witnesses while they miss the reading of the charges and Effie's own testimony.
They follow Peeta, Venia, Octavia, and several people Plutarch said would be beneficial witnesses, into the court as unobtrusively as possible, still disturbing some as they squeezed past them to the witness seats.
Haymitch is glad for Plutarch's Capitol sympathies, hoping it means he really cares about the outcome of Effie's trial. If he's feeling anywhere near as bad as Haymitch (and he's already sweat through his shirt and needed to change once), then just the act of looking for witnesses is an act of caring.
Effie looks at him from the table she's chained to. She looks so blank, and empty. She's dressed for the occasion, wearing the same gold wig she had during the 75th. It must be the wig she had when they grabbed her.
Enobaria takes the stand.
They were both held in the President's Mansion at first. They were obviously treated better than the kids in the Training Center, but they were shown footage of their torture and told they could be transported there easily, if they didn't give information.
Enobaria admits they sent her to District Two after a few weeks. She had killed in the arena and was protected by her Career status after being captured. Now, she was back, and she was protected by her victor status, thanks to Katniss's deal with Coin.
She hadn't seen Effie often, but they shared a wall, and she had heard Effie crying and sometimes screaming as they tried to beat the information out of her.
Enobaria finishes her statement and sits with the other witnesses.
Peeta goes up next, and brings the house down talking about Effie's dedication to helping him and Katniss navigate the strange ways of the Capitol, so they could have the best chance of survival in both arenas. He manages what Plutarch and Haymitch could not, in their meeting with Coin, and paints a picture of a woman who would have joined the rebellion, if she had been told about it, causing Haymitch to feel guilty all over again. Finally, he tries to get the people present to remember that every one of them allowed the Games to go on until it was strategically necessary to end them. None of them are in a position to know which Capitol citizens would have been friendly to the cause, but Portia and Cinna had given their lives, and Effie almost had too.
When Peeta leaves the witness table, he looks briefly at Haymitch. Haymitch mouths, "Thank you," and Peeta gives a minute nod before sitting with the other witnesses.
The trial drags on. His headache is nearly gone when it's his turn.
"I've known Effie for six years. When we first met, I was like most of you. I just saw another Capitol citizen. Someone who believed the Capitol's propos wholeheartedly. Someone who had never known hardship. And, like some of you here, I resented her for it.
"But I got to know her well. Within her understanding of the system, she worked hard to make sure our kids shone." There's something scratchy in his throat, so he tries to clear it. "I'd say, sometimes she was working harder than I was, since I had pretty well given up by the time we met.
"You can doubt her conversion from Capitol to rebel. I get that. But you can't doubt how much she cares about her tributes, Katniss and Peeta, especially. I watched her put aside her feelings of grief and fear to seal sponsor deals when they were in the 75th arena. And when the time came…" He has to stop and clear his throat again. He hasn't dared look at her, but he does now, hoping she sees the apology in his eyes. "When Plutarch asked her to come with us, she refused to leave without being assured of Katniss and Peeta's safety, and she almost died for that assurance.
"She'll be an asset to anyone trying to form a new government. She knows everything there is to know about the Capitol, the Games, and Katniss Everdeen."
He stands up and walks to his seat with the other witnesses. Effie wipes a tear from her cheek, though she continues to look quite blank otherwise.
The trial winds down. Venia is the last witness. She talks about how Cinna and Portia held Effie in a very high regard, and her own experiences watching Effie take care of Twelve's tributes.
Coin, Paylor, Beetee, and a district rebel from Five go to another room to deliberate. It's short, and they come back out to say Effie has been cleared.
Haymitch strides over to the table and waits for two gray jumpsuits to unshackle her before pulling her close. She wraps shaking arms around his middle. Plutarch puts a hand on her shoulder, Peeta hugs her too, and Venia.
They all drift away, Coin going after giving him an intense stare from across the room. He and Effie are alone in the makeshift courtroom.
He holds her from him.
"I'm so sorry," he croaks, and is mortified to realize he's crying.
"How is Katniss?" she asks. Her face is a mask. He wants to shake her, kiss her, anything that might erase that fog from her eyes.
"She's…She was badly burned. And Primrose…"
Effie's eyebrows quirk. For just a second, she looks concerned and confused, before her shield falls back in place.
"Primrose died," he finishes.
Effie closes her eyes momentarily. "And Katniss knows?"
"She was there. She saw the whole thing."
"Poor Katniss. I bet they're still planning on using her though, aren't they?"
He stares at her, then nods, not speaking.
"Effie, I -"
"Haymitch?"
He can't look at her. He releases the grip he had on her shoulders.
"Yeah?"
"Can we get out of here?"
He grins.
"Yeah, let's go."
They go to an empty room. Not his. He hasn't cleaned up from last night yet.
She pours them both a glass of wine, it's unbelievably good to have alcohol readily available again. They sit in silence and look out the window while they drink.
They can see the President's Gardens, the hedge maze, the fountains, and the skeletal-looking rose bushes, empty in mid-winter. District rebels, gray jumpsuits, and a few nervous looking Capitol citizens mill around, looking busy, though Haymitch can't guess at what. Living, he supposes.
"I never knew what you were going through," Effie says, still staring expressionless, out the window. "When the Quarter Quell was announced, I had my first taste of what survival means." She sighs, and her face relaxes just a bit, into her old face, the face she wore when she couldn't stand Haymitch for another second. It moves him, oddly enough, to see it now. She's still in there, he thinks. "I guess I'll never really understand. You've been through so much."
He takes a chance and takes her hand in his.
"I'm just glad to be here with you, now."
She squeezes his hand.
They are quiet again, looking out the window. They hold hands until a suit finds them, saying Paylor is looking for Effie.
Haymitch can't help feeling nervous as she goes. He pours himself another glass of wine.
A/N: It has just come to my attention that my page breaks aren't appearing where they should in all chapters. The *** denotes POV changes and time gaps. I'm sure you're all perfectly capable of keeping up, but I do plan on fixing it in the next few days. My apologies for this (hopefully) last bump in the road in publishing these chapters!
On that note, we're nearing the end! There are 84 chapters for What Mentors Do, and the last few are pretty short. I hope you've enjoyed reading, and if you've stuck with me through all the publishing problems, I really appreciate it! Thanks for reading!