Johanna woke up early the next morning. She lay on her side with Katniss's arms around her listening to the sound of her breathing. After a few minutes she slowly pulled forward, letting Katniss's arms fall softly on the bed. She stood up and stretched her sore muscles before getting dressed for the day.
Ever since her arrival in 13 everyone pretty much left her alone to do what she wanted throughout the day. Katniss was the one they were concerned with…after all she was their Mockingjay. The others didn't want to push Johanna after her torture in the capitol, they thought she was still too unstable and weak. Johanna hated nothing more than being treated like a kicked puppy. Despite their indifference towards her, Johanna still trained as much as possible throughout the day in order to regain whatever strength she had before the Quarter Quell. She gave one last look at Katniss on the bed before locking the door behind her and heading down to train.
The training facility was stocked with weapons of all kinds, mainly to prepare for any kind of attack that the rebels might encounter. She walked into the dimly lit facility and grabbed her favorite axe. It felt heavier than she was used to but she still turned it over in her hands and started to swing it through the air, regaining her confidence with every swoosh of the blade. After a few minutes of adjusting to the weight, she took her place in front of a training mannequin. She took a few deep breaths and then began to attack, hacking the axe into various areas of the torso, making her way towards the head and neck. She began to feel the exhaustion weighing on her and used her last blow to slice straight through the top of the head, feeling the blade embed itself almost all the way through to the neck. Johanna left the axe in place and took a step back to look at her handiwork. She rested her hands on her knees and felt sweat dripping down her back. After resting for a few moments she then made her way over to the knife range in the back corner. She picked the first set knives and took her stance in front of the target. After the first three missed the target entirely, Johanna gritted her teeth and forced herself to focus. Her energy was already starting to wither, which only made her angry. She used to go through hours of rigorous training and feel nothing until the next morning, now she was lucky if she could get through one hour of moderate activity. Muttering "Fucking Snow" under her breath, she retrieved her knives and took her stance again, this time hitting the bulls-eye with all but one knife. She smirked slightly at the target and felt an overwhelming surge of confidence. She strode over to the target and gathered the knives when she heard the door to the training facility open. Johanna ducked down behind the knife rack and listened for footsteps. After a few seconds she heard a familiar voice call out, "Johanna?"
She came out from behind the knife rack, still clutching the smallest knife firmly in her fist. "What do you want?" she barked back gruffly.
Finnick came around the corner and gave his signature grin when he saw Johanna. He cheerfully walked over and said, "Well, well, well, good morning to you too."
Johanna glared at Finnick agitatedly and asked, "How did you know I was in here?" She took her stance by the target once more and focused on her footing.
Finnick snorted once and remarked, "The axe in that mannequin back there looked awfully familiar…" He then walked over to the knife rack and picked up a set before approaching the second target. He adjusted his stance before he began to attack the target precisely with each knife. Johanna watched the concentrated look on his face as he finished and then went to retrieve her own set from the target. Finnick quickly joined her and said, "You really think I wouldn't know it was you? C'mon Jo, how long have I known you?"
Johanna returned to her stance in front of the target and sarcastically replied, "Too fucking long," before throwing the set of knives again. This time she hit the bulls-eye with each knife. Finnick laughed as he watched her throw. "So what're you doing here, Fin? I thought your training doesn't start for another couple hours."
Finnick and Johanna both threw their knives in silence before he replied, "Couldn't sleep. I thought I'd come and let loose a little before the day starts." He looked at Johanna and noticed the dark circles under her eyes before he asked, "You?"
Johanna brushed a few sweaty strands of hair behind her ear and sighed, "Same I guess." She felt her arms aching and sat down on the mat, stretching her arms out behind her. Finnick finished throwing his last set before putting them away and sitting on his own mat. He watched her for a few minutes before she spoke again, "I finally slept last night." She turned her head and looked at Finnick. His bronze hair was perfectly tousled as usual and he looked exhausted.
He folded his legs under him and said, "It's about damn time. Did you take something?"
She smiled slightly before replying, "No, I just…finally felt comfortable."
He noticed the subtle look in her eyes and joked, "Oh yeah? And who made you feel so comfortable, Jo?"
Johanna whipped her head towards him and huffed, "Fuck off, Fin." She shook her hair out and started to braid it.
Finnick laughed and said, "Who'd have known that the big, bad, axe-slinging Johanna Mason would be scared of her own emotions?"
She reached over and punched him hard in the upper arm as she spat, "I'm terrified of water for fuck's sake." Finnick rubbed the red mark growing on his arm and chuckled to himself as Johanna growled, "You know for someone that I love, I really fucking hate you."
Finnick threw his head back and laughed out loud before asking, "Have you talked to her about…?" His voice trailed off as he watched Johanna finish braiding her hair. Johanna shook her head fervently and wrapped an elastic around the end of her dark braid.
"She's just getting over bread boy," she muttered.
He replied, "You know she didn't have serious feelings for him." Johanna turned to glare at him before he hurriedly continued, "Sure she loved him as a brother or a family member, but it was never….you know…romantic or anything. He made that whole thing up to keep them alive in the games."
She sighed and said, "I know but…" her voiced faded into silence as she looked down at her hands, picking at the skin around her nails. She propped her arms behind her and leaned back before she continued, "I don't know that I can handle that…I'm scared." Finnick nodded his head sagely as she went on, "I went for years with no one. And that was fine with me! I didn't have to worry about losing someone…and now she's here and I…" She struggled to find words when Finnick finished, "…know you might lose her." Johanna nodded her head and chewed on her bottom lip. He continued on, "Everyone has to worry about that, Jo. You never know what's going to happen…and at some point you have to simply accept the fact that you're always going to be scared of losing that person…and then you need to realize that they're worth it. If you're not scared of losing them, then you don't really love them." Finnick pulled at a string on his shirt and avoided looking Johanna in the eyes.
She realized the impact of his words and remained silent for a few moments before nodding her head. "You're right," she finally said.
Finnick smiled at her briefly and said, "I like this side of you, Jo. I've never seen you this…I don't know…dismantled? Is that the word I'm looking for?" Johanna laughed once before shrugging her shoulders. He smiled again and said, "You've always been so stoic, so strong…it's weird to see you so soft and—"
"I'm not soft!" she retaliated.
He laughed and moved to stand up. Quickly he reached over and lightly tugged on the end of her braid and joked, "Nice hairstyle…it looks familiar," before turning on his heel and walking out of the room saying, "See you, Jo."
Johanna brought her hands to her braid and realized the braid she had done almost an hour ago was identical to the one Katniss wore. She smiled to herself and casually replied, "Fuck you," before laughing. Finnick's laughter rang out in the empty facility before she heard the dull thud of the door close behind him.
. . . .