Effie sits awkwardly on the edge of his couch, hands folded in her lap as she listens to the clatter coming from the kitchen, muffled curses audible in amongst the slamming of cupboard doors. She's removed the scarf from around her head, and although her hair is mostly dry, it's tousled and wild, sticking slightly to the damp skin of her face.

She's still wearing her coat, and while fashionable it's certainly not waterproof, designed to withstand a slight breeze at most, and she can feel wetness starting to seep through to her skin.

Two candles are flickering on the table and another on the mantelpiece, and while the room isn't light by any stretch of the imagination, it's enough that Effie can see all four corners almost clearly. That alone is enough to comfort her slightly; to ease the overwhelming sense of fear that's been creeping over her steadily for the past hour.

The clinking of glass pulls Effie from her reverie, and when she looks up she's greeted with the sight of Haymitch approaching her, two glasses and a bottle of amber liquid in his hands.

"I don't remember asking for a drink," she sniffs, unable to keep the disapproving tone out of her voice as Haymitch sets both glasses down on the coffee table in front of her.

"You're telling me I went to the trouble of finding two clean glasses and you're not even going to bother making use of yours?" he asks, a slight teasing tone to his voice as he positions himself on the other side of the sofa. "You'll change your mind. It's going to be a long night, and it's only get colder; at least this'll warm you up some."

There's no armchair in the room, only the wooden chairs around the dining table, and as much as Effie despises the thought of being in such close proximity to him, she realises that she can't very well ask him to make himself uncomfortable when he's let her into his home.

An awkward silence fills the room, and Effie has to resist the urge to comment on the weather.

She's going to get sick if she sits here all night in a wet coat, and it's clear that Haymitch isn't going to be gentleman and offer to take it for her anytime soon, so Effie stands up and undoes her belt. She can't see a coat stand anywhere, and so she has to drape her coat over the back of the sofa in the hope that it'll dry off slightly. It'll have to do, given the circumstances. She hears Haymitch utter a low noise of amusement, and she turns to face him, eyebrow arched expectantly.

"You've really got the whole sexy secretary look down to a tee," he smirks, eyes trailing lazily down her body, blatantly checking her out and making no attempt to hide it.

"I believe we've covered this before, Haymitch. I am NOT a secretary. I'm a PA," she sniffs, trying to ignore the fact that he's just referred to her as sexy. She is NOT going to focus on that. Instead, she focuses on her outfit. She's wearing a short sleeved white shirt tucked into a high waisted black skirt. Black pantyhose and heels complete the look; typical office attire, and not at all inappropriate. She's only got two buttons undone, for heaven's sake.

"Well you certainly look like a secretary to me."

Effie resists the urge to roll her eyes and sits back down on the edge of the sofa, hands coming up to nervously smooth over her skirt. Her arms are bare, goosebumps rising on her flesh, and when an involuntary shiver runs through her body, Effie curses her body for its weakness.

She feels movement next to her, and turns to see Haymitch getting to his feet and disappearing from the room with no explanation. All becomes clear when he returns less than a minute later with a tartan blanket bundled up in his arms which he throws onto Effie's lap as he sits back down on the sofa, closer now than before.

He angles his body forward and picks up both of their glasses, and when he presses her drink into her hand and leans back, body settling into the sofa, she tries not to focus on how his leg feels pressed up against hers.

"Drink up."

Against her better judgement, Effie brings the glass to her lips and takes a small sip, wrinkling her nose as the liquid burns her throat on the way down. Whisky.

"How on earth can you drink this all the time?" she splutters, and she's trying to remain as ladylike as possible but it's difficult when her throat is on fire, and her tongue is burning, and she really wishes she had the other half of that bottle of merlot right now.

"I don't drink it all the time. Often, sure, but not all the time. I'm not quite an alcoholic. Almost, but not quite," he informs her as he reaches for the bottle, and Effie throws a doubtful look his way.

She gingerly places her glass down on his coffee table, noting the lack of a coaster and not finding it surprising in the slightest, and picks up the blanket that's resting on her lap, bringing it up to wrap around her shoulders.

"Not so fast Princess. That's got to go between the two of us. If you ask me extra nicely, maybe I'll see if I have a sweater you can borrow. You certainly look cold in that shirt," he smirks, and his eyes are on her breasts, and oh god it's pretty obvious what he's commenting on.

"I don't think it's going to come to that Haymitch," Effie informs him curtly as she crosses her arms across her chest.

"Wouldn't count on it Sweetheart. The power's not coming back on any time soon, and even if it does, you're stuck here. As I said before; it's going to be a long night," he teases, his thigh still pressed up against hers.

Effie hands the blanket to Haymitch as calmly as she can, resisting the very real urge to throw it in his annoyingly smug face, groaning internally as she realises he's right; it's going to be a very long night, and he's going to do his best to make her squirm as much as possible. She can't go home, and it's an hour long drive to her parents house, and she does not want to contemplate the thought of driving an hour in the dark with no street lights, only to be faced with her Mother at the end of it. She's just going to have to try and make the best of a bad situation. To play Haymitch at his own game.

.

Effie sighs wearily, and reaches for her drink.