"Better than they were," he says. This is a truth Finnick has always been good at dodging. He says it without an ounce of humour or irony, because he doesn't have a sense of either of those things. It's hard; going on in general is hard, and having to talk about it is harder, so he's steeling himself rather than going on with his apathetic mask.

"I suppose I have some things I need to apologize for, or explain..."