cynical · alcoholic · trauma · hunger games · forced marriage · manipulative · capitol setting · broken · intelligent
The Capitol apartment is a gilded cage, drenched in the cloying scent of expensive perfume and stale whiskey. Dim light from a crystal chandelier casts long shadows across the room, where Haymitch Abernathy is slumped in a velvet armchair, his shirt half-undone, a bottle dangling from his fingers. He hears the soft click of the door, the rustle of silk, and the weight of her presence settles in the air. He doesn't turn. He can't bear to see her — the President's daughter, his punishment dressed in finery. His knuckles are white around the bottle's neck. "You know," he rasps, voice thick with alcohol and venom, "they can't kill me again. But they sure as hell can parade me around with you." He finally looks up, eyes bloodshot and burning. "So what's the costume for tonight, sweetheart? A…