∘₊✧─────────────────✧₊∘
Meeting Haymitch
∘₊✧─────────────────✧₊∘
The moment she boarded the train, Lynnette made her way straight to the car she sat in earlier that day. Choosing to make a stop in the car she always claimed as her own before meeting up with her Aunt, Peeta, and Katniss.
The section of the train had the largest widows and a small kitchenette nestled in the corner. Instead of being stocked with whiskey and various alcohol, the bar held all her favorite seltzers, sodas, and fizzing juices.
She had rushed back to change her dress before her Aunt could see the condition it was now in. There was a large, muddy stain on the front of the skirt near her knees from when she snuck off to speak to Prim.
By the time she made it back up the length of the train, Haymitch was sat, bottle in hand, talking to the tributes. The man, as always, looked disinterested in whatever was being said and bored of the company surrounding the table. Peeta, bless him, was trying his best to get questions answered by the victor.
The boy leaned forward, "You're our mentor" he enunciated, he tried to say that already and wasn't too thrilled to have to repeat himself, "You're supposed to tell us how to get sponsors and give us advice."
"Good luck with that" Lynn scoffed under her breath, approaching the back of the couch and standing between Katniss and Peeta.
"Oh, ok." the man patronized, looking up to the ceiling "Umm- let me see..." his eyes suddenly lit up like he came up with the most terrific advice.
Peeta, straightened as well, believing he'd made a breakthrough. Lynnette knew better, she knew the man had just come up with the most snarky and nihilistic to say.
"Embrace the probability of your imminent death. And know, in your heart, that there is nothing I can do to save you." He proclaimed, faux integrity and care lathered on his words.
Peeta deflated and Katniss inflated.
Lynnette took note of this, Peeta would be a good marketing personality for the pair, being the one to test the waters out first. Katniss, was usually silent, analyzing the details while he spoke, exploding on instinct and anger when Peeta's approach failed. She was the fire.
The brunette spoke, eyes ablaze, "So why are you here then?"
"The refreshments" Haymitch deadpanned, gesturing to the glass in his grip.
A small exchange with Katniss was all it took for Haymitch to stalk out of the room, glass in hand, leaving the three teens alone in the car.
Once the door shut behind the blonde man, Lynn spoke up, bringing the two's attention to her. "And as for sponsors" she spoke cheerfully with a wink, "you can leave that to me."
Large, puppy dog eyes turned to face her, "But- but Haymitch just said-"
She smiled at the boy with perfectly straight, white teeth on display, "Oh, never mind what that old drunk says." she reached out patting his head, "He can hardly remember which way is up or down most days."
Neither of the two before her spoke, it was clear they were beginning to worry.
If Haymitch, someone who'd already been through the games didn't believe they had a chance... maybe they truly didn't have a chance at all.
"We have to get him to help us" Peeta spoke slowly, gathering his courage as he began to stand up, "He's gonna come around."
Lynn rolled her eyes, ready to speak up but Katniss beat her to it, taking the words right out of her mouth. "What? It's no use!"
The pink-haired girl gestured to the brunette as Peeta walked away, "Yes! what she said!"
The boy ignored the girls, never turning around, "I'm going to talk to him." he spoke, walking determinedly through the doorway.
"Good God, That boy can be stubborn, can't he." Lynnette exclaimed looking down at Katniss for a response. However, once again, the girl seemed to have zoned out.
Lynn sighed, placing a soft, comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "You know if you want to talk about it-"
"I think I'm going to watch the videos from the other tributes." Katniss interrupted, eyes glued to the space before her, "You should go check on Peeta or something."
'She was going through a rough time. It's not her fault. she's just in shock.' Lynnette kept repeating in her mind as she sucked in a breath to calm herself. 'She was in shock. she doesn't mean to be that rude.'
Because if there was one thing Lynette hated, it was people cutting her off when she spoke. It was infuriating and insulting. It always made her feel like she was talking to her Father. She hated talking to her Father. She never seemed to get a full sentence in around him before he would shut her off and explain exactly why whatever she said was wrong, childish, and unnecessary.
So Lynn decided, rather than blowing up at the girl within the first twenty-four hours of knowing one another, she'd let it go—just this once.
It was a blow to her pride, but Lynn took a deep breath and finished her sentence, keeping out any snarky remark about being interrupted. She attempted to remain in the sincere and chipper town she started in, but so much bite made its way into her voice, that it no longer sounded like the open invitation she originally intended it to be.
Through gritted teeth and clenched fists, Lynnette finished her thought, then left through the door both of the others had, "I'm always here to talk."
∘₊✧─────────────────✧₊∘
Lynn found herself sitting at the table with Peeta and Haymitch, her hands in her lap.
She was hungry but resorted to holding the napkin placed in her lap as tight as she could in an attempt to hold her temper at bay.
She quickly realized why she hadn't wanted to work with District 12 yet, Haymitch Abernathy was insufferable. That was enough to keep her away despite how fun it would have been to travel with her Aunt Effie.
Lynn looked up, grateful for the distraction of the opening doors, "Oh, Katniss, welcome!"
"Oh, Joy!" Haymitch mocked the happiness and relief of the pink-haired girl's voice, "Why don't you join us? I was just giving some lifesaving advice."
Lynnette ground her teeth, "Don't lie to the poor girl." she glared, refusing to falter once the mentor's eyes met her own.
"I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth princess, didn't your Daddy ever teach you to respect your elders?" he cocked his head condescendingly, only further igniting the teen's anger.
"I would hardly call you an elder" she growled, "I'd even go as far to guarantee I have better knowledge on how to beat the games than you."
"Oh really sweetheart?" he laughed, clearly taking great joy in pushing all her buttons, "Insider knowledge doesn't count. You wouldn't survive a day in there."
"Maybe not" she nodded accompanied by an indifferent shrug, "but I have spent years watching them, years following the tributes, years spending every day of the games with mentors who actually know how to win."
"Lynnie" Effie spoke up from the couch, not looking up from her magazine, "that's enough now, dear."
"Aunt Effie-"
"Lynnette. That's enough."
The teen huffed, slumping back down into her chair arms crossed defiantly across her chest.
Fine, she wouldn't continue fighting with the man, but that didn't mean she had to lift her glare.
"Aww, calm down princess" he cooed, "as much as you wish it was true, the phrase 'glaring daggers' is only an expression."
Haymitch adjusted himself in his chair, repositioning his gaze upon the two tributes and ignoring the fuming Capitol girl beside him. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, life-saving advice?" he flashed a smile, Katniss noted it was much less appealing than the ones Lynnette or Effie had given her.
Peeta shook his shoulders slightly as if the action could physically shake the awkwardness he'd felt since the breakout argument between his mentor and the girl accompanying them. "I— I was just asking about how to find shelter-"
"Which would come in handy if you were in fact, still alive." he glanced to the girl next to him, "Don't try to deny it sweet cheeks, in your years and years" he mocked with a smile, "you should've learned how deadly these Games can be."
Katniss, didn't seem to be impressed by the answer, "How do you find shelter?"
The man groaned leaning forward, "Give me a chance to wake up sweetheart." he reached into his pocket for a silver flask, "This mentoring is very taxing stuff"
"Here's a thought." Lynn ground out, "If you weren't so hungover, perhaps it wouldn't be so hard for you."
"Lynnette!" Effie shouted, turning to face the table where her niece sat "Maybe, you should take a short walk around the train" she smiled, "to diffuse your temper."
In the silence, Haymitch reached out for a plate, his hand quickly intercepted by Katniss' knife coming down in his path. If the man wasn't going to take her seriously, she would have to make him.
Lynn smirked at the action, proud of the brunette despite Effie's loud gasp, "That is mahogany!" the woman closed her eyes tightly, breathing slowly and moving her tightly clasped hands up in front of her chest, "Maybe... maybe you should take a walk as well dear."
Haymitch reached for the knife, dislodging it from the wood "Look at you!" faux pride dripping from his lips, "you just killed a placemat!" he mocked, reaching to spread jam across his slice of toast, "You really want to know how to stay alive? You get people to like you." he bit, "Oh? not what you were expecting? Well, when you're in the middle of the games, and you're starving, or freezing, some water, a knife, or even some matches can mean the difference between life and death and those things only come from sponsors. And to get sponsors you have to make people like you."
Haymitch waved in Lynnette's direction, "And yeah, you may have the pretty little Capitol Princess on your side this time, and she might have some crazy little marketing strategy up her puffy, ruffled sleeves for you, but she can only do so much sweetheart, and right now? you're not off to a great start."
Thank God they would only be on the train for a few seconds longer.
Bless Peeta for noticing the shiny Capitol buildings out the window, if he hadn't Lynn was almost positive she would've launched herself at the man.
While it was true that she never had training for this sort of thing, she was certain that based on what she had picked up in her time of watching other tributes train over the years, she could easily gut the man with a butter knife.
∘₊✧─────────────────✧₊∘
Word Count: 1770