Author's Note: Soon people! Soon there will be the party, not yet some things have to happen first but soon I promise!

Thanks go to my reviewers: E-W-Dragon, Pandora, Sea Otter and HL

Chapter 25

To Bite One's Thumb

Gale spends a lot more time with me, the morning run is now done sans Buck and Gale takes my share of the penalty. Katniss does come for the run and still studies but she is very cold to me. She uses Haymitch as a go between.

I can understand.

Anyone could. It would be like if I had romantic feelings for Maverick (which I don't!) and someone showing up and taking him away before I could say how much I loved him.

But I know deep down she loves Peeta, she just has to realize it herself.

Peeta was livid. Not because of the idea of Gale and I, but his own brother hurting me. Haymitch and I had to keep him from going after Buck. And even so it took Harry to calm him down and tell him it was settled, suffice to say those two siblings are not talking or if they are they are one syllable words right now. I know Peet won't stay angry for long, but Buck will have to explain, or at the very least apologize.

The day before our celebration we do the morning routine. We race, then the group relaxes at the backyard of the bakery.

I explain to the group of kids what we have in store tomorrow.

The first part is today was the last day of training. No more races, it has mixed reaction…most are glad some are not. We are throwing a bar-b-cue at Haymitch's starting noon tomorrow and it should last as long as we can.

Yes it's lawful.

No, no one will get in trouble and if someone does I am taking responsibility.

Yes everyone is invited even if they can't bring anything.

There will be enough to go around.

Gale heads off to pass the word around the seam. He promises to come by tonight to let me know.

I enter the bakery while Haymitch takes charge of Katniss and Peeta for the afternoon. They are ready, two months solid of training and they are ready willing and able.

Buck is out front so when I get inside its Ryan who welcomes me in. Harry waves hello as he is working on some heavy bread.

"Everything is almost ready. I'm no Peeta when it comes to decorating cake but I did my best" Ryen brings me over. It's done wonderfully, it's no portrait but he has managed to do a replica of the mokingjay in miniature all around the edge and the top looks like it's has flames dancing across it.

"It's wonderful Ryen" I say softly, "I'm sure everyone will love it"

"You sure you can pay for everything?" He asks, "it's not gonna be cheap"

"Money isn't the problem, its getting everyone to rally, seam and townies alike" I reply

My wrist is still bandaged lightly but Mrs. Everdeen and I conclude it should be better in just a couple more days. I still don't do any lifting with it but I do manage to mix light icings and dry ingredients. It's the easier part of the work but essential.

I help Ryen more than Harry.

If Gale is my shield, Ryen is my armor.

But just like every older brother he does tease. Friendly mind but he goads me about being short.

The flour is always out of reach. I need a step to get ingredients half the time. He just chuckled calls me twerp or kiddo when he isn't using my shortened (no pun!) nickname.

"So" he says finally, after we have been focused on some cookie batter, "Gale is getting the seam roused?"

I nod, "he'll be picking me up tonight and walking me home", I measure out baking powder and salt and some dried cranberries. Ryen zests an orange and gets the juice for the liquid part of the batter. "he's more hopeful than I am" I mutter

"You're thinking of your victor's tour?" Ryen asks I can hear a smirk

I shrug, "can you blame me?"

He chuckles, "no, but I know they will show up, times are really tough, that old superstition of strangers bearing gifts is going to be ignored for sure"

"I hope so" I crack an egg one handed into the wet ingredients, "I hope the peacekeepers show up and try and stop it, I'm really hoping they try, they have nothing to base it on"

"You should be a lawyer" Harry calls from the oven, "with how you went to read up on our district laws, you're more well read than Undersea, and he's our mayor"

"How didja read up on the laws?" Ryen asks

"It's public right to know them; I'm surprised how dusty the volumes were!" I joke, Ryen blinks confused so I explain, "my dad always told us to know what our rights were, he dreamt of one day taking a trip with us, it was a daydream really. He was a book worm and nature nut" I'm picking at the remnants of the orange, plucking at the pulpy insides, "he said if it were possible he'd want to see a lemur, they are small furry critters with long tails and fox like faces that live off continent," I smirk, "for his birthday I found a picture of one and re-drew it for him, I was eight I think" I shake my head to be rid of the memory, dad had hugged me and had kept that drawing in his office at work, "but he told us, 'if you go to a foreign place you should know your rights and the laws they abide by, that way you don't step on any toes' "

"Well you are going to step on Thread's toes!" Buck leans in the doorway

"Only bruise his misguided pride" I smirk going back to the recipe, "he has no basis for arrest, we are using private land" I hold up a finger

"A victor's backyard" Buck replies, "that's hardly private"

"It only becomes public land if the victor dies, and unless Haymitch drinks hemlock he will outlast all of us. He's writing a letter saying he is leaving his house to my care, under my alias, and since I am a capital citizen they won't dispute it" I rebuttal

"Point Ria" Ryen smirks

"We are not poaching, we are buying out the grocer and the butcher" I hold up my second finger, "and third since I am running this, a capital citizen has trump card over district law, they really have pampered lives. I could buy out the market quarter and leave nothing for anyone and they couldn't do squat, me sharing it is my prerogative"

"Any other argument Buck?" Harry looks at his son

"Look Thread put people in stocks because he felt like it" Buck replies to Ryen, "what's to say they don't string her up?"

I laugh, "he could try, but did you notice no one has questioned his ruling, they just take it, even those for the gallows. He hasn't met me on a bad day"

"what's you on a bad day?" Ryen asks

I pour milk into a measuring cup, "let's just say I could put him in his place without raising a weapon"