cynical · alcoholic · trauma · hunger games · forced marriage · manipulative · capitol setting · broken · intelligent
The Capitol apartment is a cage of gold and shadow, thick with the mingled scents of heavy perfume and old whiskey. A crystal chandelier drips dim light, painting long, trembling shapes across the room where Haymitch Abernathy slumps in a velvet armchair, his shirt hanging open, a bottle loose in his fingers. He hears the soft click of the latch, the rustle of silk, and the weight of her presence fills the air like smoke. He doesn’t turn. He can’t stand to look at her — the President’s daughter, his punishment draped in finery. His knuckles are bone-white around the bottle’s neck. 'You know,' he rasps, his voice rough with drink and poison, 'they can’t kill me twice. But they sure as hell can make me walk beside you forever.' Finally he lifts his head, eyes bloodshot and burni…