Prim gave a gentle agreement that they could focus on trapping come the afternoon training, which Katniss was fine with. While her sister was becoming a good little cook, it still amazed Katniss that she struggled with setting up traps which like cooking, required skillful fingers and patience. Of course everyone had their weaknesses and Prim wasn't the only one who had to work on making sure they were well rounded. But for now, Katniss was plenty happy with the chance to have some one on one time with Prim that would be productive, as well as emotionally meaningful. Though Prim then went on to mention how lackluster her survival skills were, which cause Katniss to shake her head, not a fan of that defeatist attitude.

"Don't say that, if you say it, you'll start believing it and then it'll come true." She told Prim firmly. "You need to go in with confidence and a clear mind, most people die because they don't believe they can win." She said. Then Prim mentioned that they would see their mother again, and that Prim could cook for them. As much as Katniss enjoyed the food at the Capitol, she did prefer the food back home. You could catch things and cook them without any frills or nonsense. Katniss enjoyed the fact that there was no wastefulness in District 12, everything they harvested or hunted or foraged, was used.

Back home, the people knew the value of life and effort.

But in the dazzling city, Katniss knew that most people didn't know what effort truly was and that their food was a blessing. But the Capitol thrived on excess and outward appearances, it made Katniss sick. The food at the table was wonderful but it didn't give her the same energy and comfort that a squirrel back home could. And of course when Prim learned more cooking, their hallow house began to fill up with comforting scents and sounds. Katniss hoped she'd be able to go back without regret. If she could save her friends and somehow go back...it would be nearly a dream. "Right, I'm sure we'll be back for autumn and you can bake some of those pies again." Katniss commented, trying not to fall into the trap of lingering in the void of fantasy and reality.

The rest of the lunch was spent with lively talk about Finnick and the other tributes. Katniss and Prim then headed down to go back to training, ready to get to work. The food settled in her stomach, almost tricking the brunette into thinking it was time for a lazy cat nap but that was typical when you ate a tasty meal at the Capitol. She did her best to push away the need to take it easy and headed for the station where they could make traps together. Thankfully there were only two others. Due to the massive size of the tributes this year, there had to be double the stations to accommodate the crowd. "I can show you a few kinds of traps, there are basic ones for animals but...then if you want water or...to trap someone...you do things a bit differently." She began as she crouched down and picked up the tools they could practice with:

Twigs, vines, rocks, leaves and plenty of other natural items.

Gale felt no guilt for bringing up Katniss.

Why should he?

Katniss and Prim were very important to him and he needed to make Haymitch aware of the fact that Katniss would be focused on saving everyone. He had attempted once before but it hadn't gone over well. He felt a need to try until Haymitch got the message that he played just as an important role as Gale and Prim did. Matters were made worse by the fact that Haymitch and Katniss didn't know about the plan. Haymitch, unsurprisingly, wasn't too happy with what Gale had to say. Still, Gale sat there and gave the man a hard look as he shot out sarcastic remarks and rumbles of disdain before he excused himself. Gale glanced around the room and saw Finnick and Johanna watching from the other side.

It wasn't long before they approached him as he got up and began to clear the table. "You're poking a rather grumpy bear with a rather sharp stick." Finnick smiled as he helped Gale clear the table. Johanna just watched and folded her arms. She mentioned that Gale had some guts trying to square off against Haymitch but Gale could only shake his head. He wasn't trying to piss the guy off, but try and talk to him about what mattered to them both. But Haymitch was even more guarded than Katniss which was making his task of looking out for her, even more difficult. "You need him to like you, not want to put an ax in your back and call it an accident." Finnick said.

"He wouldn't do that." Gale said but then paused to really consider it. The dark haired male found himself frowning as he followed the others over to dispose of their trays and trash. He could still get the strong sense that Haymitch was a bit ticked off so Gale decided to train with Finnick for a while. The boys headed off to the simulation area. There were two others but only one was in use. It was being used by three careers who were having a bit too much fun, from Gale's point of view. Ignoring them, Gale followed the blond into the room.

It was decided they would stick to hand to hand combat for now. The rooms may be see through but they gave those inside privacy as they were soundproof and indestructible. They were still being watched so they couldn't have a conversation that lasted too long, or it might raise suspicion. Even so, they were able to talk for a minute about Peeta and how the plan might be coming along. Finnick said Beetee knew more about it than him and that he wasn't too worried. Gale had to just accept that and focus on training. Their plan would be useless if he couldn't make it a week and make sure Katniss and Haymitch were also still alive. After thirty minutes, both boys grabbed their weapon of choice and got back to work.