We join the other victors at their usual table in 13's mess hall. There's two seats available but they aren't next to each other. Peeta squeezes in between Finnick and Haymitch and I sit across from him next to Joanna. Haymitch nods to us as we take our seats. He eats his food with gusto but seems to be avoiding the glass of plain water in front of him. Johannah and Finnick are almost done with their food, and chatting quietly. Beete is absent, probably off inventing some new gadget. Everyone seems to be in a good mood since the usually bland vegetable soup they serve here in District 13 has been enhanced by the flavor of the venison the cooks added from my catch today.
"Today tastes better than the usual pig slop they feed us." Johanna comments. I don't reply, I'm too busy enjoying the taste of the stew. But Peeta takes a break from eating to tell her where the meat came from.
"Katniss caught a deer today." He tells her enthusiastically. He looks across at me and smiles proudly. The gleam in his eyes is just a little too bright, it's like he's unconsciously broadcasting this afternoon's exploits to the whole table. And just as I'm about to shoot him a glare to warn him to tone it down, Joanna starts looking back and forth between us. I look away from her penetrating gaze and stare at my stew, kicking myself.
I can almost feel her smirk, even though I have hunched so far over my tray that the tip of my nose is practically in my soup.
"So I guess you two are back to bumping uglies again." She announces loudly so that all the victors can hear. I immediately feel the eyes of everyone at the table shift our way. I opt to just ignore her when I hear a deep intake of air followed by the tell tale sound of someone choking.
I look up to see Peeta choking dramatically on his stew. I slam my palms on the tabletop, preparing to jump over to the other side to help Peeeta. But before I can jump up, Haymitch pounds squarely between his shoulder blades with his closed fist and Peeta coughs up whatever he was choking on into his napkin.
I am relieved, and also mortified.
I glare at Johanna with undisguised fury.
"What?" She says with a shrug. "I didn't make him choke. All I did was make an observation. It was obvious by the way he couldn't wipe that dopey smile off his face." She lifts both her elbows and holds her palms out as shakes her head, as if to say it's not her fault at all.
Finnick lets out a very amused chuckle at this, looking between Peeta and I and raises his eyebrows at me in surprise and then turns away to nod covertly in some kind of weird approval towards Peeta.
I roll my eyes. Finnick grins at me and leans back in his chair.
"Well Peeta, you proved me wrong. I was starting to think Katniss was set on pursuing a life of celibacy." Finnick comments in an innocent voice, but he has a wicked glint in his eye.
"Only if you were the last person on earth, Finnick." I say with a mocking smile.
"Keep hiding your desire for me behind all that aggression darling, for as long as you can. It's completely understandable since all the men in your life probably have no idea how to make a woman-" Finnick is interrupted by Haymitch clearing his throat.
"And on that note," Haymitch interjects and taps his spoon against his glass. I'm grateful to him for cutting off whatever ridiculously inappropriate comment was about to come out Finnick's mouth. But even sober Haymitch's sense of humor hasn't changed that much. I start to get a bad feeling when Haymitch raises his glass of water in Peeta's direction. "I'd just like to say this moment right here makes me proud to be a mentor. I've spent many sleepless nights agonizing over how to turn our sweet little lover boy into a man. And now he is." Haymitch pretends to wipe a tear from his eye. Finnick and Johanna each grin widely and raise their glasses towards Peeta. Peeta shakes his head in annoyance. Haymitch drinks his water with a grimace. "Good job kid." Haymitch says as he slaps Peeta loudly on the back. Peeta coughs.
Okay that's it. I'm going to go find my bow.
Before I can leave Finnick grabs my arm and says "Sit down Katniss, we were just having a bit of fun. We'll lay off okay?"
I wrench my elbow from his grasp, but sit back down and hunch over my soup taking big angry bites. They won't lay off. I've spent enough time to know when they're on a roll. But the only thing you can do in a situation like this one is don't let it show that they bother you. I resolve to ignore them and finish my soup.
"Stop attacking your soup Katniss or you'll choke like Peeta." Finnick warns. I roll my eyes at him again and resist the urge to stomp on his foot.
I glance across at Peeta just to make sure he's okay. Peeta's face is beet red, and I'm sure mine is too but I'm taking cover behind my hair that I thankfully didn't braid this morning. When I look at him again I can tell he feels guilty. He thinks it's his fault everyone caught on, and started teasing us. And it is, but I know he didn't do it on purpose. Still. I glare at him. He is in so much trouble.
Peeta's eyes look over at me pleadingly. I eat more soup. He sighs. I eat soup. He taps on the table with his index finger. He stares at me. I eat more soup, but as I lift my head up after eating another spoonful, I see a slice of bread has invaded my personal space.
I lift my head just another fraction of an inch to try and ascertain where the bread came from and see Peeta's hand, holding it out to me. He's giving me his slice. I stare at him. I can't help but start to smile. Bread. This is our thing. A memory that reminds both us of the bond we share. He is really hard to stay mad at. I take the bread from him slowly and nod once.
It's not until he sits back down in his chair that I notice the table has gone quiet again. Everyone's watching us intently.
"This is better than Capitol tv." Johannah says with her signature smirk.
"There you see, she forgives you. Now you both can kiss and make up." Finnick says, seeing the look Peeta and I were sharing.
"Shut it Finnick." I warn. The bronze skinned playboy puts up his hands as if in surrender.
"I'm unarmed, oh great mockingjay! Don't shoot!" He quips while putting his palms up in mock surrender.
I shake my head and go back to my food. I know he's just waiting to crack another joke at Peeta and I's expense. There's not much to do here sometimes in between missions. To replace the drama and intrigue lacking in District 13, the victors who are used to the corrupt and scandalous way of the Capitol, have taken to exaggeration and crass school yard humor to keep themselves entertained. I tell myself they are just bored and this will pass.
Finnick leans over the table to try and whisper in Peeta's ears. Apparently trying to offer him advice in the "bedroom arts" as he calls them. Peeta tries to turn him down, but Finnicks doesn't take no for an answer and offers to demonstrate a few techniques to him when they have some spare time. His whispers are so loud we can all hear what he's saying. Peeta is cringing.
I wish the rebels would hurry up and get Annie out of district 4 so that she could take Finnick out of everyone's hair. Sometimes he's just a menace.
I just sit and eat my bread quietly stealing small looks at Peeta. He glances at me too, but with a less transparent expression now. He's blatantly trying to ignore Finnick, but isn't having any luck. I think Finnick's trying to see how many different shades of red he can get Peeta's face to turn.
"Well I'm glad at least someone's having fun in this dungeon." Haymitch says to me, gesturing to the boys. "This place is more boring than District 12 in the wintertime." I shrug noncommittally. Joanna looks over at him, curious as to his meaning. "Imagine being snowed in during back to back blizzards with nothing to do but drink and freeze your ass off." Haymitch chimes in.
"Actually that sounds like something you'd really like." I pipe up. "I would think you really miss those cold nights all bundled up by the fire with your beloved 70 proof bottle of white lightning and your piles of garbage to keep you warm." I tell him with a starry eyed expression.
Haymitch opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. He is stunned by the picture I've painted. He turns his head to the side, seeming to really try to picture it. Suddenly he is looking very very thirsty right now. He stays like that for a minute staring off into space and reliving some kind of alcoholic fantasy I can't begin to imagine. Then he blinks, and comes back to reality. Back to us, at the table, and District 13 where there is absolutely no alcohol for miles and miles.
When he looks at me I think I see real tears in his eyes.
"You're a very vindictive little girl, you know that?" He growls before getting up and proceeding to storm out.
Johanna is still shaking with silent laughter from watching Haymitch walk away when she turns to me. This causes me to smile involuntarily. She notices.
"I heard he was a tough one, your mentor. You handle him pretty easily though." She compliments me.
"Thanks I guess." I reply not really wanting to talk to her, because our conversations tend to go south pretty quickly. But I'm not able to avoid her because I've just finished eating. She leans in closer toward me, and puts her hand on my arm to stop me from leaving.
"So, I've always wanted to ask you what are lover boy's skills? I mean other than being able to kiss you 30 times a day in front of a herd of tv cameras and not want to smash your face in?" She asks. I look at her. She's serious. I mentally remind myself to count to ten like Peeta does when someone asks him a ridiculous question.
And the afternoon had started so well.
"Well, he paints. And he bakes, and cooks a little too." I say stretching out my answers while looking over at Peeta and Finnick. Instead of ignoring him, I see that Peeta is now leaning across the table to meet Finnick halfway, and is nodding his head everytime Finnick whispers something in his ear. I also can't hear what Finnick is saying anymore because apparently he gained the ability to whisper properly in the last five minutes.
"Oh don't worry about them. Peeta's in good hands. Lots of girls would pay big money to have their boyfriends tutored by Finnick. Lucky you." Johanna assures me as she interrupts my attempts at eavesdropping.
I settle back into my seat and then try to remember what we were talking about. Peeta's skills, that's right. I had already answered her question so I turned back to her.
"Paints and bakes, I guess that's alright if you like those creative types. And he's not terrible to look at, kind of reminds me of a sexy baby with his big eyes and blond waves. But what does he know about pie?" She asks me in a pointed manner and I am thrown off for a minute. First because of how she described Peeta. I think to myself that she's crazy, because he is so broad shouldered and stocky that he couldn't be mistaken for a child, much less an infant. But then I look at his face. And something clicks. The big eyes, the sweet smile, the blond waves that grow into curls when he lets his hair grow a bit. Yes, I think. His face does have a certain quality…. But I snap myself out of my silent admiration of Peeta's features, remembering I am sitting across from a very volatile axe murderer. Then I remember she asked me what Peeta knows about pies.
"Peeta makes excellent pie." I answer her honestly. He had made some two years ago at yuletide, they were delicious and there were no left overs the next day.
She smiles in a strange way, it's not exactly condescending, but it's something along those lines. "Yes, but can he eat a pie?" She asks with a sinful looking smirk.
I am confused by her question. Doesn't everyone know how to eat dessert? Do people in District 4 eat dessert differently than we do in 12? What is going on here?
"Yes?" I answer in the form of a question, unsure if she is off her meds or what.
She giggles maniacally. Ok, Joanna is definitely off her meds. I am one second away from waving down a guard to help me haul her down the medical ward when Finnick calls over to us.
"So, what's the verdict?" He asks Joanna while performing some kind of obscene looking eyebrow trick.
"Knows how to bake them, has no clue how to eat 'em." She replies, arms crossed over her chest, looking over at Peeta with a disapproving expression.
"What are they talking about Katniss?" Peeta asks, as confused as me.
I shrug my shoulders in bewilderment.
"Pies apparently." I tell him.
Peeta's eyes widen, turning from Finnick to Joanna. His face flushes bright red. He looks over at Finnick who winks at him.
"Oh girl on fire…" Finnick calls in a sing-song voice and turns to look at me, like he's going to ask me a question.
"Are you done with your food?" Peeta asks loudly, cutting Finnick off, and standing up, not even waiting for my reply. I am a bit taken aback by his hurry to leave.
"Yes…" I answer after a delayed second, picking up my tray to follow him. I can hear Joanna and Finnick snicker as we begin to walk away.
He motions with his head for us to walk more quickly in the direction of the mess hall doors, but I stop to throw my trash away, unconcerned with his sudden haste. If he's worried about Finnick and Joanna teasing him about baking, he's just being ridiculous. They're the kind of people who will only get a kick out of teasing you more if you run away.
"Katniss hurry up." Peeta says under his breath coming back to usher me out. But I just shake my head at him.
"Peeta, you can't let them chase you off. They'll just keep poking fun at you forever if you give them too much attention." I say.
Peeta pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Katniss you don't understand." He says with a groan.
Just then I hear the sound of footfalls and turn around to see Joanna and Finnick behind us. I move out of the way so they can use the waste disposal.
They throw away their trash unhurriedly and I just stand there letting them pass. Staring them down. They keep walking past me.
But Finnick turns around before he passes Peeta who is waiting a few steps ahead of me and drapes his arm around his shoulders.
"And I thought bakers knew how to handle hot pie." He tells Peeta with a toothy grin and a flick of his eyebrows. Peeta shoots him a wide eyed warning glare and shakes his head.
Finnick just chuckles under his breath. "Don't worry Peeta. Your secret's safe with me. And anytime you want to correct the problem just let me know. I'd be happy to teach you how to make your mockingjay sing." He says with a good natured laugh and he and Joanna walk out.
"I thought they were talking about dessert? Why does Finnick think you can teach me how to sing?" I ask Peeta as we join hands and head for the mess hall doors. I've heard Peeta whistle before but I can't say I've ever heard him sing.
"I'll explain it to you later Katniss." Peeta says with a sigh. "Come on, we've got combat training next."