The last thing that Prim wanted to do was personally win the Hunger Games. She didn't hold anything against Katniss for what had happened in the arena, but the blonde girl didn't think she would be able to handle the feelings that came with taking the life of someone else—even if she had been forced to. Prim wasn't naive enough to think that her hands would remain clean when the time came, and with the promise of Peeta's plan actually working, Prim would defend herself and the people she cared about most. It was going to change her; it would change everyone and everything and Prim knew that life wasn't ever going to be the same if she lived through the upcoming bloodbath. These last few quiet moments with Katniss were special to her because Prim knew they would be the last happy memories she had with her sister for quite a long time.

“You can help me pick the berries,” Prim smiled, speaking of the pies. District 12 may not have had much, but it was a truly beautiful place to be when the seasons changed. Prim hoped that she would bake pies again, that she could cook with an easy mind, that she would live to even see her home once more. Mortality was a very difficult thing to think about, and Prim did her best to put her mind on happier things and enjoy her lunch with Katniss.

The rest of their break was spent talking about the other tributes, their skills, how each one may fair when the Games got underway—so much for trying to focus on anything else. Regardless, Prim was happy to head back down to training with Katniss, and extend the time she got to spend with the older girl. On top of the sentimental value, Prim was going to learn something new and the lesson Katniss taught her made the blonde girl wish that she had let Katniss show her things years ago. For very obvious reasons, Prim hadn't thought that knowing how to set or disguise a trap was an essential life skill.

After about a half hour of practicing at the station, Prim had successfully made her first trap. It wasn't very good, and it didn't look all that functional, but the point was that she had tried. “So, they just step here and...,” she said and tossed a small rock toward the trigger. The mechanism snapped quickly upward and a vine that should have tightened around an ankle or a haunch hung rather limply in the air between Prim and Katniss. “I think anyone could get out of that,” the blonde observed.

“Tighter next time,” interjected the woman who was running the station. “Tighter, and you'll have an easy kill.” 

Prim frowned and looked away, her eyes settling back on Katniss. “Show me something else,” she asked of the dark-haired girl as she pushed down her discomfort. From the corner of her eye, she could see Gale and Finnick working with one of the simulators and Haymitch wasn't far off, doing much of the same thing. The older man seemed angry and a little tense. Prim crouched down with Katniss to learn the latest trap, but her curiosity got the better of her. “What's up with Haymitch?” 

Across the training floor, Haymitch was working out his anger for Gale on dozens of simulated enemies. The former Victor was happy to throw his ax through their heads and pretend that Gale was on the receiving end of his attack. It was almost impossible for him to understand that the younger man had only been trying to help and that perhaps his constant checking and re-checking was only due to his own worries. Haymitch knew that he was fine, that when they got into the arena, he would be able to perform and he doubted that his presence would be a distraction for Katniss. His biggest concern had been Prim, but she had started to prove herself, and Haymitch didn't think that Katniss would ever drop everything she was doing to come to his defense should he get into a tight space during the Games.

At least, he hoped that she wouldn't.

The simulation ended and Haymitch had managed to easily hit every target that had come his way. He was proud of himself, and stepped down from the platform feeling much better. With less tension in his muscles, Haymitch made his way over to grab himself a cup of water. On his way, he saw Katniss and Prim at one of the trapping stations, and he smiled to himself. Johanna had fallen into step beside him when he was halfway to the cooler, and he gave the woman an acknowledging glance.

“You have to stop being so hard on him,” the dark-haired woman said, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall behind the cooler. “He's only trying to keep his friends safe.”

Although Johanna failed to specify exactly who she was talking about, the older man already knew. Haymitch grunted, unmoved by her speech. “If you're trying to get in his pants, this isn't the way to impress him.” The blond man tossed back the rest of the cold water in his cup and then went to refill it. “If he wanted to keep anyone safe, he should have stayed the hell home.”