Coming to the Capitol certainly had been an experience, but one thing that Prim would never get used to was the amount of undying love that she was getting from complete strangers. It had all started the year before when Katniss had volunteered, and the blonde girl remembered how interested the news programs seemed to be. They had her picture, speculated on how far she would have made it into the games, and of course, compared her to Katniss. Being there with her older sister, having to stand shoulder to shoulder in just a few hours was daunting, and Prim was ultimately worried that the Capitol wouldn't like her once they got to know her. The whole point of the interview was to give Panem something to latch onto, a sparkle of personality to make every tribute all the more appealing, but there was still anxiety.

On stage, District 11 was wrapping up and everything felt like a blur. Prim wrapped her arms around Katniss, wondering if the older girl could feel the rapid beating of her heart. Those parting words made walking onto the brightly lit stage a little easier, but it was Gale's last-minute expression that finally forced Prim to make a decision.

They layout was much larger than she had anticipated, and the roar of the crowd was loud enough that Prim almost reached to cover her ears. The ease of Peeta's job depended on how well the four of them did over the next forty minutes, and the last thing that the blonde girl wanted to do was screw up the plan. Instead, Prim swallowed her nervousness and managed a modest smile, waving to the audience as she walked her way over to Caesar. One gesture sent them cheering even louder, and Prim couldn't help but laugh softly as she crossed the stage and finally joined the man in his metallic blue suit by a pair of chairs. 

“Primrose Everdeen,” Caesar boomed into the microphone while his large, perfectly white smile remained on his face. “How good it is to finally have you here!” He placed his hand on the small of her back, showing her off to the crowd for a few lingering seconds before gesturing toward the chairs behind them.

Tucking her dress beneath her, Prim sat down and turned most of her body toward Caesar. “Thank you for having me,” Prim said and inwardly told herself that this was only one conversation and that ten minutes of exaggerations in the grand scheme of things meant nothing. It was easier from Prim to get through everything if she pretended that the crowd wasn't even there. Blocking them out was difficult, but it was much easier when they quieted down, hushed to hear every word exchanged between them. 

“It's so unfortunate that we couldn't meet under better circumstances,” Caesar said solemnly, and the crowd followed suit in apologetic murmurs. “But tell me. What [i]is[/i] it like to be here with Katniss? Your own sister, who laid down her life out of love!”

Glancing toward the crowd, Prim's blue eyes fell to her folded hands before looking back to Caesar. “Well,” she began, lightly shrugging. “It's bittersweet. I'm grateful for every second that we get to spend together and having Katniss here makes things a lot easier. She's helped me a lot, but...” Honesty was usually the best policy, even if Snow was watching. “I don't like to think about what could happen. I wish I could save her the way she saved me.” 

Somewhere in the front row, Prim heard a whimper. She couldn't see beyond the bright lights of the stage, but there was at least one woman crying for the plight that had become entertainment for a nation.

“Bravery must run in your family,” the blue-haired man complimented, now wearing a rather cheeky smile. Prim mirrored his expression on a lesser level, genuinely finding Caesar Flickerman to be an infectious presence. It was no wonder that his interviews were always so unique and even. “After all, if you weren't brave, how could you have gotten such a high score from our most insightful Gamemakers?”

“Luck?” Prim suggested, just a tad coy.

Caesar returned her look, head tilted like a cat who had been offered a treat. “Come now.” 

A seven didn't seem very impressive when Gale, Haymitch and Katniss had scored so much higher, but Prim wasn't about to say so. “What can I say? Haymitch gives good advice. He's a great teacher.” At least that part was true of the often grumpy former Victor. “I definitely owe him.” Although they didn't always see eye to eye, Haymitch played a major role in Prim finally choosing a weapon.

“And I'm sure you'll find a way to pay him back,” Caeser grinned. “Now, when you win these [i]fabulous[/i] games, what will you do when you get home?” 

The idea that Prim could become a Victor against all of the other tributes, including Haymitch, Gale and most of all, her own sister, was ridiculous. Prim's smile waned and the audience had grown an impossible kind of quiet once more. “My home isn't my home without the people that I love the most,” she explained. “I haven't even thought about the end when the beginning isn't here.” 

Reaching over, Caeser placed his hand on top of hers, and Prim found herself accepting the gesture. “But you have to look to the future. A pretty girl like you—I'm sure every boy back in District Twelve can't wait for you to get home! I think everyone wants to know,” he paused for dramatic effect, “is there someone special for you to go back to?” 

Again, the crowd cheered, although Prim was unsure of the reason. She felt her heart beat quicken over the question, the very thing she had sought to avoid but being with Gale was one of the best things that had ever happened to her, and Prim didn't want to lie about someone that made her so happy. “Not back home, no,” Prim answered, her cheeks just slightly flushed. She looked over her shoulder, off to the side of the stage to where Gale was, on next, and the audience's cheers became that much louder. Caesar had to work to quiet them down. “Everything about being here is bittersweet,” she added, attempting to reiterate the fact that human lives were not a game.

“Oh!” Caesar smiled, apparently just as excited as the crowd. “I'm sure you just made some of Gale's fans very sad,” he chuckled. “Such a handsome boy, though!”

Prim's pink cheeks turned a shade darker, and she nodded, laughing again because discussing her personal life with the whole country was just surreal. “He is,” she smiled widely. “He's...everything.” 

“Uncanny,” the blue-haired man said, his words nearly mixing the sound of the audience. “So much like your sister, and yet, so very you.” Caesar reached out, taking Prim's hand once more and stood with her. “Thank you so much for talking with us tonight, Primrose. It's been a delight, and we can't wait to see you dazzle us in the games!”

Just like that, ten minutes as over. Prim was quickly giving the crowd a graceful bow and a wave before climbing the stairs to join the other tributes. Everything had happened so fast and yet, it was all so easy. Prim wondered if it had been some kind of trick, but it didn't matter. Her time in the spotlight was done, and Caesar was moving on, ready to bring out Gale and continue to enthrall not only the Capitol, but Panem as well.