After several hours had passed, Johanna couldn't be sure of how many exactly, Katniss stormed into the room and straight into the bathroom, not stopping to look down at Johanna once.

"Hey to you too" Johanna whispered as she heard the shower water begin to run and Katniss forcefully shut the shower door. Johanna merely sat there continuing to think about her time in the games, the last games to be specific. She wondered how the remaining victors would survive this because they were the enemies of the capitol to be made a point of, and worse than that they weren't the leaders or even true allies of District 13. Sure they looked to be, they looked to be the people leading the rebellion under the control of the Mockingjay but even Johanna who hadn't be to many of the official meetings knew that this was far from true.

In this moment the running of the water began to get louder and louder, Johanna couldn't ignore it anymore and the sound of the water running in their bathroom began to take over her thoughts, her whole world began to sway and swirl as nausea rose up from her stomach radiating out to her limbs. She hated that she had no control over her fear of water now, sometimes it barely affected her, other than an uneasy feeling deep down, but then, like today, her fear consumed her. Before she had been a powerful swimmer, a talent that treated her well in the 75th hunger games but now it left her trying to fight her flight reflex, after the Capitol had continuously drowned her in an attempt to break her. She knew that she couldn't outrun this fear and that in this room was the safest she had been in a long time but her rational thoughts did nothing to stop the tears falling from her eyes.

She forced her head into her hands knowing that if she didn't stop crying soon that Katniss would find her in this state, and after the way she stormed into the room Johanna assumed that she wouldn't want to deal with an emotional and currently unstable woman. Johanna thrust her hand under her pillow and pulled out a pine cone, holding it up to her face and closing her eyes she lost herself within the smell of it. The smell of her home. All else even the sound of the water faded away and all the remained was the smell of familiarity. She hadn't put this cone into her draw because she had decided to hide it and hide what it told about her to others. The fact that she needed this cone, to her, demonstrated weakness, because when it came down to it the only thing that could stop her crying and give her any sense of hope when she was alone was the memories of what had once been, all trapped with a single scent.

This cone also held more secrets about the crying woman holding it, more than its reminder of home it showed her trust in Katniss, and an unlikely bond between the two of them. When Katniss had brought it to her because of its link with district 7 she had left Johanna speechless, unable to repay her for such a gesture. She knew that Katniss believed that she would always be in Johanna's debt for saving her life as many times as she did in the quarter quell, but she was wrong, as to Johanna this pine cone was the single most important possession in her life, so much so that she had hid it. Johanna felt guilty for feeling jealous that Katniss had sentimental possessions and for not thinking about the pine cone earlier when she looked in her own draw. Little did anyone else know, but this pine cone had more power in it than any axe that Johanna had ever wielded.

XX

Johanna heard the water stop, and with the silence her reality began to reappear around her, without hesitation she placed the pine cone back under her pillow and dried her eyes for a final time just to be safe.

Katniss re-entered the room, looking calmer than before, she readjusted her towel around herself and sat on her own bed

"So I'm guessing the meeting didn't go well then" Johanna asked, even though it sounded sarcastic she genuinely did want to know what was going on within the district and more importantly with Katniss.

"You could say that" Katniss replied bluntly, but as soon as the words left her mouth she knew that Johanna was one of the few people that she didn't have to push away in a bid to keep them safe, she was a Victor, and had been one for a lot longer than Katniss. And so Katniss had to remind herself that some of the people involved with this war were known better by Johanna than herself.

"Coin doesn't want to send our group, the victors, into the war. She thinks it's more important for us to carry on doing these propos" Katniss could see that Johanna's emotions were bittersweet at this, Katniss assumed that Johanna was that Katniss had continued the conversation letting her know the situation but also anger at how political this district was becoming, more concerned with their image than taking down Snow. Little did she know that the pleasure was caused by the relief that Katniss wouldn't be going to fight yet another battle.

"Coin knows that she can't trust you" Johanna's comment was so blunt that it took Katniss by surprise, so much so that before she knew what she was doing she was now standing and shouting words that she hadn't truly thought about before she spoke

"What are you saying?! That she would be a fool to trust me?!" of course Johanna was completely unfazed by this out burst

"Well yeah" Katniss was so lost in her anger that all she could do was scoff until Johanna continued

"Everyone knows that you are going to do what you think is right, everything you've ever done has proven that you don't respect authority just because it is in charge, you do what you think is best every time not caring what trouble you get into. You volunteered for Prim, not for the pride of being in the Hunger Games but to protect her, you made an ally with Rue even though the games does everything it can to turn people against each other. And that wasn't even the dangerous stuff, the berries, uniting the victors, taking down the arena of the quarter quell and through it all starting a war. When it comes down to it Katniss, anyone in power should fear you because you are not a girl to be reckoned with!" Johanna had realised part way Katniss had calmed down, but she felt the need to keep explaining, she wanted Katniss to understand how others saw her, and as well as realise just how important she was, not just to this rebellion but to the people she had met along the way.

Katniss smiled, there was no reply to what had just been said that would be good enough, and so a smile would have to do. But the knowledge that someone thought that about her, that she was moral and strong, not just an annoyance that needed to be removed was touching

The cold of the room finally hit Katniss, making her wish that she had put her district issued nightwear on earlier. She turned slightly and dropped her towel, grabbed her night uniform and began to put it on. As she did she could feel Johanna's eyes on her back, she assumed that her roommate was looking at the scars that covered her bare skin, she knew that Johanna was also badly scared and that she had seen some of the scaring on her back but Katniss worried that she would be repulsed by her burns.

Johanna of course had no idea that Katniss knew she was being watched, but what she was wrong about was why Johanna was watching, she noticed the scars but wasn't repulsed by them, instead she was impressed. These scars were the proof of what Katniss had done and been through. Scars that the Capitol had not been able to erase to try and hide the pain that it had inflicted.

Katniss slipped her top on over her bare skin hiding her skin from view, she switched the light off without making eye contact with Johanna and slid under her sheets, leaving both women lying there with no intention of sleep, Katniss' thoughts lingered on what had just been said about her, whilst Johanna's thoughts were completely occupied with Katniss' bare back, she knew that it wasn't right, Katniss was here, in this room, because she had done Johanna a favour but Johanna couldn't help herself. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she had trusted someone completely and yet here she was with a woman that she had only known a short time and under extreme conditions but she trusted her fully. To Johanna, Katniss was more than just the Mockingjay or another victor, she was a friend, and in Johanna's books that meant a lot.