Office hours [all day]

[sith_happened]

After checking his office to make sure Ferus wasn't hiding in a closet or under his desk or something equally inane, Anakin flopped into his chair, consulted his notes briefly so he could remember which students he'd taught when, and waited for the first person to walk through the open into his office.

They couldn't have the coffee in his hands, by the way. Anakin needed that so he didn't tell everyone what he really thought.

[OOC: Up early so I don't forget. Off to Rennfest tomorrow, but should be back by midafternoon. SP=love!]

Comments

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

Haymitch laughed, humorlessly. "I see she's already told you all about me."

He wasn't surprised. Haymitch knew she held him in contempt, or worse.

[sith_happened]

"I would have told anyone that same thing who came in here smelling as you do," Anakin retorted. "We do have showers here."

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

"I'm not here about me," Haymitch said. "I'm here to find out what exactly you're teaching Katniss. If you want to talk about me, well, I'm not your type."

[sith_happened]

"That's the attitude you're going to take with me," Anakin replied. "You somehow want to leverage your appalling personal hygiene into some kind of slur about my sexual preferences?"

His eyes narrowed. "Get out. Try again. You get one more chance."

Anakin had had a very long day already.

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

"That was supposed to be a slur?" Haymitch said, unmoved by Anakin's reaction. "Like I said, I'm not here to talk about myself."

And he wasn't going to play any little games for this man, either.

[sith_happened]

"Good," Anakin said. "Because you are exceptionally poor at recommending yourself."

He pointed to the door. "Out, then back in. You can follow directions, I trust?"

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

Haymitch paused for a moment. A gamut of thoughts and possibilities ran through his head.

He stood up. "I don't need to recommend myself," he said, and he stepped out the door, and then turned around and came back in.

"Tell me about Katniss Everdeen," he said, keeping his calm.

[sith_happened]

"Please," Anakin added for him. "She is not being watched here, for one, which means she's no longer feeling quite so hunted. I believe that to be a very good thing."

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

"It is a good thing," Haymitch agreed. "For as long as she's here."

[sith_happened]

"Are you here to take her back?" Anakin asked.

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

"No," Haymitch said. "And I wouldn't want to, either."

He rubbed his face for a moment. "She tell you why she's here?"

[sith_happened]

"At least the general outline," Anakin replied. "There is something wrong with your government."

Anakin had Opinions, yes.

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

After a moment's hesitation, in full knowledge that he wasn't being watched by the Capitol, Haymitch nodded. "You don't know the half of it. You do what you can."

[sith_happened]

"I've seen the start of a few rebellions," Anakin said. "If the annual televised deaths of their children hasn't flared one up yet, I'll eat my boots."

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

There was talking because you weren't being watched, and then there was being stupidly loose-lipped with a stranger. So Haymitch simply shrugged and said "The Capitol has a tendency of quashing the rebellious spirit."

[sith_happened]

"The harder a government squeezes, the more explosive the backlash," Anakin paraphrased.

Leia had been right on the Death Star.

"I'd prefer my students to stay alive," he continued, "and I've gotten the distinct impression that is not very high on your president's list of goals for Miss Everdeen. What does she need to learn to increase her odds?"

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

"Depends on what her goals are," Haymitch said, simply. "I'd say she has a golden opportunity to run far away from the Capitol here. Of course, that wouldn't end well for her family, I imagine."

And if there was one thing Haymitch knew, it was that Katniss cared for her sister.

[sith_happened]

"You couldn't get them out?" Anakin asked.

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

He probably could, if he tried hard enough. But that would simply be saving one family. Even if Katniss probably deserved that escape, he was part of something bigger. And there'd be hell to pay from all sides.

"No," he said. "I don't think that'd work out well in the end, even if I could."

[sith_happened]

"Then Katniss needs to learn to lie," Anakin declared. "She shows too much on her face and that will get her killed."

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

"She can pretend, if she's got it in her," Haymitch said. He was mainly thinking of her performance at being in love with Peeta. "But real lying, you're right. It's not an easy skill to teach. You up to it?"

He didn't like the idea of entrusting her to someone else, especially someone with such stupid hair, but he'd have to.

[sith_happened]

"Yes," Anakin said. "I kept a secret from a temple of mind-readers for years."

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

"What sort of secret?" Haymitch asked, leaning forward a bit. Anakin seemed to have genuine concern, but that didn't mean Haymitch was ready to trust him.

[sith_happened]

"An important one," Anakin said shortly. "Not your business."

[district12drunk.livejournal.com]

"It's my business when you're the one trying to teach my tribute," Haymitch said.

He stared for a moment. "If it doesn't affect her, then you don't need say."