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It was, of course, Portia’s idea.
If Effie had known she had packed up the entertainment system for the Tour, she would have had something to say about it earlier.
“Absolutely not.” she declared, crossing her arms, while Cinna – under strict orders – started pushing back the furniture so they had enough space around the TV. The children and Haymitch were watching, a bit puzzled by what was going on.
To be fair, she had stormed in straight on Portia’s heels, already telling her friend that it was a bad idea.
“We’re having a game night.” the stylist announced, once Cinna had pushed everything away.
The tone didn’t bear challenging but it wasn’t Effie who groaned at the idea this time.
“Is it wise after the scrabble disaster?” Peeta bravely ventured.
Effie preferred not to think about that one time they had played scrabble because it wasn’t one of her shiniest moments. Life on that train was stressful and she might have a competitive side that Haymitch loved to poke at. And he was a cheater. She hadn’t made a scene, despite what they all claimed, she had simply made it clear she would not abide cheating.
“Think you forgot how poker night ended, sweetheart.” Haymitch pointed out with a discreet wink for Effie.
Poker night had ended, as it often did when she played poker, with everyone next to naked and her fully clothed – although the children had retreated to bed before they had shifted to strip-poker obviously – because she excelled at poker. Portia hadn’t really been pleased to lose.
She wasn’t the only one with a competitive streak.
“Please, tell me you don’t want to play charades again.” Katniss complained. “Cause if you do, I’m picking Peeta and Cinna. The rest of you are too bad at it.”
“I will have you know I am not bad at charades, you are simply not gifted at guessing.” Effie huffed.
“It is just a ridiculous dance game. It will do us all a lot of good.” Portia insisted, booting up the machine.
“Oh, no way!” Haymitch exclaimed, finally catching up to what was going on. She supposed he had seen the game system one time or two in the city. “Ain’t doing that.”
“What is it?” Katniss asked, frowning.
“It is silly.” Effie admitted. “And I do not really wish to play either.”
“Scared of ridicule?” Portia challenged with a lifted eyebrow and a teasing smile before turning to Katniss. “It is very simple. There is a sequence of dance moves on the screen and you have to do it at the same time. The machine sees if you follow well enough or not and gives you points. Two people can go at the same time, like a mini-competition.”
“This is not dancing.” Effie insisted. “It is silly.”
“It is fun and we all could use some fun after today.” Portia decided. “Cinna, back me up.”
Cinna, predictably, shrugged. “I love this game. It is fun. And a little silliness never hurt anyone. Nobody will be recording your crazy dancing, Effie, your reputation will be safe.”
Except for the people in the room.
However, the stop in Seven had been hard. There had been Peacekeepers everywhere, they had been herded around like criminals and there had been the distant sounds of “backfiring trucks” that had made her flinch every time.
“Come on…” Portia pleaded when nobody was quick to get excited. “It will be fun, I promise.”
“Alright.” Peeta relented. “Katniss?”
Katniss gave a half-shrug, looking at the game loading screen with some interest. “As long as Haymitch and Effie don’t try to kill each other over a board game, I’m in.”
“Effie?” the other Capitol woman asked with a very fake sad pout.
Effie rolled her eyes and let out a long suffering sigh. “I suppose. If everyone is playing.”
They all looked at Haymitch who shook his head, lifting his glass of whiskey in a weird toast. “Knock yourself out, I’m good watching from the couch.”
“You are no fun.” Portia rebuked, pouting harder.
Haymitch chuckled. “You can spare yourself the theatrics, sweetheart. I’m too used to this one’s.”
He nodded at Effie who pouted for real.
“Rude.” she commented.
He flashed her a smirk. “Always, princess.”
It shouldn’t have sounded so sexy.
She cleared her throat and gave her attention back to the TV. “You two should start since you are such experts at the game.”
Cinna and Portia went first without complain and Effie had to admit it was a bit fun. They gave it all, nobody could deny that, and the moves were so ridiculous that the children were laughing long before the round was over – a round Cinna won by a narrow margin.
Katniss and Peeta went next. Katniss was a little stiff at first but when Peeta really got into it, she relaxed and let herself enjoy it as well. They were both extremely ridiculous and it was Effie’s turn to laugh.
She half-wished she had her camera because this was something they should have immortalized.
She was up next with Portia – who won.
They took turns after that, a bit at random…
Effie had to admit it had been a good idea after all. Haymitch kept the adults supplied with drinks and unwelcomed comments about their performances and they all laughed and lost themselves even more to the game with each additional cocktail they sipped.
It was a bit late by the time Katniss decided to drag Haymitch on the makeshift dance floor and he was drunk enough that he wasn’t prepared to resist his favorite victor’s coaxing.
Effie laughed so hard that she almost fell off the couch.
There were definitely tears rolling down her cheeks and her eyes burned because it smudged her make-up a little.
She wasn’t the only one finding Haymitch’s performance hilarious. Even Katniss stopped wriggling to watch him. Peeta was gasping for breath and holding his belly. Portia had half collapsed on Cinna in her hilarity. Cinna was trying to hold it together for his friend’s sake but when Katniss sat down on the floor to better laugh, he lost it…
Haymitch looked so wasted he didn’t seem to realize or care that they were laughing at him.
He demanded another round and proceeded to make even more of a show of himself.
Effie had been counting his glasses – as was her habit – and she didn’t think he could be as drunk as he was acting but she suspected he liked making them laugh, seeing them so happy and unguarded.
Still, she truly wished she had brought her camera because seeing him wriggling his butt while he waved his arms in the air and shook his head was a sight to behold.
Nobody could top that and they were all tired – and well in their cups – so they called it a night soon after that.
She was still grinning and chuckling to herself when she stood in her compartment’s small bathroom a while later, erasing the smudged make-up from her face.
She wasn’t entirely surprised to hear the door opening and closing in her bedroom and she simply chuckled again when Haymitch sneaked in her bathroom and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
“You’re drunk.” he accused.
He had gotten her drunk by pouring her pink cocktail after pink cocktail but she didn’t point that out.
“Certainly more than you are.” she retorted.
A flash of surprise passed on his face but then he smirked. “We won’t be telling anyone that.”
“Oh?” she challenged, turning around to hook her arms around his shoulders. “And what will you give me to buy my silence?”
She didn’t resist when he steered her toward the bedroom and the bed.
“I’m gonna show you some secret dance moves…” he promised.
It was so ridiculous that she laughed again and her laughter ended in a shriek when he pushed her down. He swallowed the sound quickly with a sloppy kiss.
“Shhh… Can’t go waking up the whole train…” he reminded her before giving her a mocked hurt look. “Besides… Doesn’t do much for a guy’s ego if you’re laughing when he tries to fuck you…”
She kept chuckling because she felt good and happy and more than tipsy.
“How drunk are you?” she asked. She never slept with him when he was drunk – too drunk. That was a rule.
“Really drunk but not wasted drunk.” he admitted. “Less drunk than you, you’re right.”
He waited to see what she would say or do.
The ball was in her camp, it seemed.
But since she was drunk too, it seemed like it all balanced itself out and she shrugged her permission. “Drunk fuck me then.”
That made him chuckle.
Then she closed her eyes because…
He did have some good moves indeed.