"So, did you try that dating website I told you about?" Johanna asked as she and Katniss sat down to eat dinner at a local restaurant.

Katniss paused to consider her. "Yes, I did." She replied curtly.

"Good! Any potentials?" Johanna asked with a wiggle of her eyebrow.

Katniss rolled her eyes. "I posted my profile just over 24 hours ago." She replied.

"So? There's plenty of desperate people in the world, one of them is bound to be crazy enough to like you." Her friend replied with a shrug. Katniss scoffed as the two looked through their menus.

"This whole thing is so crazy! What if I end up liking a guy who's a complete beast?" Katniss said peering over her menu.

"Well that's shallow!" Johanna chastised her. "I met Maverick through that site." She added as if that was supposed to make Katniss feel better. The pair had been hot and heavy to start, but eventually fizzled out. Although most of Johanna's relationships had been like that anyway.

"Johanna, you don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to relationships." Katniss pointed out.

"Well brainless, at least I'm getting out in the world. Meeting people, going places, doing things! What are you so busy doing?" Johanna shot back.

"I have my photography." Katniss replied meekly.

"Yeah, that's a great way to socialize...shooting pictures of flowers." Her friend replied with a roll of her eyes.

"I thought we could have a nice meal together, not a lecture about my personal life...or lack thereof." Katniss remarked, giving the other woman a look. She was grateful Johanna didn't mention anything more about the website, or her dating life for the remainder of dinner.

When Katniss got home later that evening, she peeled off her work clothes and cozied up in her favorite pajamas on the couch. As she flicked on the television she was distracted by a chiming sound coming from her nearby laptop. Curious, she pulled it to her lap. She was more than a little surprised to find that she had received several messages from potential men on the dating website:

Message from Hunter_Dude12: Hey! I'm a nature lover too! We should chat sometime. What's your favorite part about being outdoors?

Message from BigRed: Hello. I see you like photography. I'm an amateur photographer myself. What do you shoot with? Send me a message. I'd love to hear from you.

And a final message from MuffinM4n: Hi, NatureLvr0508! I'm intrigued by your profile. I'd like to know more about you. Please consider messaging me back. I'm new to this whole online dating thing, and I'm pretty clueless.

Katniss sat back on the couch. She held her face in her hands as she felt a smile ease its way onto her lips. This was definitely a first. She could never remember a time when three men were curious to know more about her. She wouldn't consider herself antisocial, but she wasn't a social butterfly either. She felt a bout of nerves as she responded back to BigRed's message.

From NatureLvr0508: Hi BigRed! I guess I'm sort of old school when it comes to my photography. I like to shoot with a Rolleicord twin lens. I'm a bit of a nerd and prefer to develop my own film. What about you?

She sat expectantly for a moment before she suddenly received a message back. She and BigRed chatted with one another for awhile until Katniss felt herself nodding off. His final message to her was to ask if she'd be interested in talking over the phone sometime soon. She remained silent on her end as she was, understandably, a little intimidated by the suggestion so early in their exchange. In the end, he left her his number and wished her goodnight. As she settled in to bed moments later, Katniss felt empowered knowing the ball was in her court, and that perhaps she could find success with this dating thing after all.

Xxx

When Peeta arrived to work the next morning, he sat down at his computer only to realize he had about eight different messages waiting for him on blinddate He looked around the office to be sure no one else was around yet to see him investigating:

Message from ShimmerGlimmer: Hey you! Liked your profile. Chat me back!

Message from L33g1: Hey, I really enjoy the fine art of baking too. Maybe we could chat sometime? Message me!

Message from Stylist2Stars: MuffinM4n, you seem sexy. Let's chat ;-)

Message from RedHead: Hello, I love art too! I work mostly with pencil. What's your favorite medium? Hit me back, let's chat!

Message from Tiny_Trinket: Hello, I don't mean to nag, but I noticed several spelling and grammatical errors in your profile. Please message me as soon as possible so we can discuss. I've got big, big, big plans for your profile to make it shine!

Message from slyfoxgirl5: I love cooking too! I particularly love experimenting with different berries and herbs in my dishes.

Message from Baria2: Hey MuffinM4n, you sound good enough to eat. Let's take a bite out of this relationship thing together!

Message from NatureLvr0508: Thanks for checking out my profile. I'm new to online dating too. I don't have a clue what I'm doing, but my friend says I can't date my job anymore, so...here I am! I'd love to chat more sometime.

This last one made Peeta laugh, especially thinking how true her words spoke to his own life and what his friends had lectured him about a couple of days ago.

Message to NatureLvr0508: I just got a lecture about dating my job too. What do you do for a living?

It was only a moment later when her reply came:

Message from NatureLvr0508: Good morning! I have a typical 9-5 office job (although most days are like 8-8). I love what I do though. I get to be creative. Never a dull moment in advertising :) You?

Peeta was excited to see they already had something in common.

Message to NatureLvr0508: Good morning! I'm in advertising too. It can be very exciting for sure. I see you like photography. How long have you been doing that?

Message from NatureLvr0508: My dad taught me how to shoot when I was very young. Like maybe seven or eight years old. It's so relaxing and fun. I see you like art too?

Message to NatureLvr0508: Wow! Most of your life? You must have quite a portfolio. I'd love to see it sometime. I'm into painting. I do a lot of drawing and computer design for work, so when I can get my hands on a paintbrush it's totally liberating...and relaxing like you said.

Message from NatureLvr0508: Sorry to cut this short, but I have a pretty big day ahead at work that I need to prep for. Hopefully we can chat later?

Message to NatureLvr0508: Definitely! I look forward to it.

Peeta smiled to himself thinking that went well. A buzz from his cell phone startled him.

"Annie wanted me to ask if you signed up for that dating website." Finnick's text read.

Peeta chuckled and replied, "She's worried about that at eight o'clock in the AM?"

"Kids = no sleep" Finnick replied.

"You can tell her I did. Already started messaging with someone." Peeta reassured him.

"She wants details." Finnick replied shortly after.

"Tell her we can talk about it when I come for dinner tomorrow. Big presentation to prep. Wish me luck!" Peeta said.

"Luck!" Finnick offered.

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck and pulled up his notes for his presentation. He had to be flawless. He had to wow them more than Katniss would. He wasn't entirely sure why he felt he had to beat her out for this. It's not like he didn't already have plenty of accounts under his belt. Perhaps it was personal, the fact that Heavensbee hadn't reached out to him first? Whatever it was, he wanted this account and would stop at nothing to get it.