Disclaimer: The Hunger Games Trilogy is property of Suzanne Collins. This is a parody fanwork by fans for fans. No money was made off of the creation of this fanwork.

Laying the Foundations
by FanficAllergy & RoseFyre

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Theme: 38: Lethargic
Words: 1362
Summary: The decision was made early on not to rebuild Twelve where the old town stood. What happens next is anyone's guess. Set in the same universe as Starting Over and Family of Choice.

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The dead were buried in the Meadow, songs of parting and sorrow sung over the mass grave. The survivors - hardy souls who refused to settle down elsewhere - meandered around the bombed out district looking for purpose. Looking for direction.

They didn't find it.

A few souls offered suggestions. Suggestions became demands. Demands became orders.

Then the arguments began.

Some people wanted to rebuild in the same places. Lovingly reconstructing their old homes down to the squeaky front door. While others wanted to abandon the area entirely. Too many memories. Too much uncertainty. But most, championed by the unlikely pair of Thom Linden and Effie Trinket, wanted a third option.

An option Peeta wasn't sure about and Katniss definitely hated.

"I just don't see why we shouldn't build the town centered around the Victor's Village!" Effie said at the the town meeting. A weird amalgam of a picnic and Reaping Day. "It's not like there's a lack of space, and it's certainly more efficient. Why, who wants to tramp miles away simply to go shopping when we could have something much closer to home?"

There was a hum of a approval.

And Peeta found himself nodding along. Effie had a point. Some of the citizens of the new Twelve had already set up an adhoc market in the street between Peeta and Katniss's houses. There, they sold clothes, household goods, and whatever else they could scavenge from the ruins and woods. Currently, he was the town baker and Katniss was the town butcher. Ripper had resumed her old role as the brewer of spirits, while still others, people whose names Peeta couldn't remember, filled in other needed roles.

But it wasn't perfect. There was chaos, confusion, and congestion. People wandered in and out of his and Katniss's houses, scaring Buttercup and the two recovering Victors.

They needed a new solution. A better one.

"So what should we build first?" someone shouted from the crowd.

A hailstorm of suggestions rang out. Bakery. Detention facility. The Hob. A bar. Houses.

Thom and Effie shared a glance. "We could put it to a vote," Thom suggested. "I'm going to say right now, we don't need more housing. Not yet. Capitol supplied us with these twenty ten-bedroom houses." He looked over the crowd of maybe one hundred people. "If people don't have privacy, it's because they're not trying."

"You should know!" another anonymous voice called. "You spend half your time in Trinket's bedroom!"

Thom's only reaction was a raised eyebrow. "Who I spend my time with is none of your concern. What you need to be concerned about is what we do next."

A few voices grumbled, but Effie, with her usual efficiency, managed to hand out little slips of paper where everybody could write what three necessities they wanted first. Both she and Thom stressed necessities. "We can build the luxuries later," she said with an eye toward Haymitch.

When the votes were tallied, the responses were surprising, at least to Peeta, but made sense when you considered who the majority of the survivors were. For all of the earlier suggestions, the survivors of Twelve were a practical group. They knew the distinction between what was needed and what was wanted.

Water treatment plants. Indoor plumbing. Farms. Livestock. Everything that spelled self-sufficiency. After all, Twelve had been reliant on the Capitol's system for most of their food and resources. Before the bombing, the Capitol had cut supplies to the village, emphasizing just how dependent on the Capitol they were. The survivors never wanted to be that dependent on anyone ever again. It was something Katniss understood and Peeta was learning.

After the meeting was done and the teams assigned, Thom wandered over to him. "Looks like you're gonna have to keep baking bread for us out of your house for a little while longer. I know you wanted to get a bakery built, but I think this way will be better." There was something in his voice. A hint of smugness. Of satisfaction.

Peeta knew that what meant. "How did you know what they'd vote for?"

"I planted a few bugs in people's ears. 'Isn't it nice to have hot showers, to not have to take a shit out in the cold.' 'Doesn't food you've grown yourself taste the best.' Little things like that."

"You manipulated them."

"Yup," Thom said without any trace of remorse. "Most people forget about the basics. Either we've gone without-" he motioned to himself "-or they've faded into the background." He motioned to Peeta. "We only realize what we're missing when we don't have it or we experience it for the first time. Let me tell you, taking a hot shower in District Thirteen? That was a revelation. I don't care that they were exactly seven minutes long. They were seven minutes of pure heaven. Now Effie," he shot a look filled with fond exasperation at the former Capitolite, "she's still getting used to going without. If I had a loaf of bread for every time she complained about the lack of electricity or hot water here in Twelve, we wouldn't need you to open a bakery."

Peeta laughed. "It's like my mother always used to say: if wishes were fishes, we'd all eat like kings."

"Ain't that the truth."

"So you and Effie?"

Thom's face shuttered. "Yeah."

"I'm glad you've got each other. Take care of her. She's spent her life looking after doomed kids, she needs someone who won't hold that against her."

"I don't. I admire her strength. She's a survivor, and that's something most people overlook."

"But not you."

"I'm lucky she noticed me," Thom said, his eyes drifting once more over to where Effie and Katniss were chatting. "Now if you'll excuse me, I got a bunch of phone calls to make and favors to cash in. Panem owes us. Owes you. I aim to collect."

Peeta tilted his head. He wasn't opposed to Thom using Twelve's suffering to demand more from the new government. He didn't really even mind if Thom used his and Katniss's struggles, as long as they didn't have to get involved. There was no way he was going to talk to anyone in the Capitol if he didn't have to. The once weekly phone calls with Dr. Aurelius were enough. "So you're going to bully them into giving us the resources we need so we don't have to build this all ourselves from scratch."

"That's the goal. Besides, if we want a bakery, we're going to need some good ovens." Thom's eyes twinkled. "I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't say no to some good toasting bread."

"All you need to do is ask."

"Is there anything you want?" Thom asked. "Anything you or Katniss need?"

Peeta shook his head. "We're good. Thank you. But..." A thought struck Peeta. "Get geese."

"Geese? What are you going to do with geese?"

"They're not for me. They're for Haymitch." He looked around and found the old Victor lazing against a tree drinking something from his ever present flask. "He needs something to look after, something stubborn. Something that won't die if he forgets about them while drunk." He paused for a second, letting the words sink in, before landing what he felt would be the clincher. "Besides, geese are good eating."

A wide grin spread across Thom's lips before he broke into a belly clutching laugh. "You sure are something else. I see what you're doing. You and Katniss take care of each other. You don't need Haymitch like you used to."

Peeta shrugged. "If anybody's owed favors by the Capitol, it's Haymitch. You might want to talk to him before you make your phone calls. He may have some other suggestions." He paused. "Just don't have Effie do it. Haymitch loves her, but he won't listen to her. Gets stubborner than Rooba's old mule around her."

"I appreciate the advice." Thom clapped him on the shoulder. "You know, Peeta, you're a good guy to know. Can I invite you over for dinner sometime? I promise not to subject you to Effie's attempts at cooking."

"You've got a deal."

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AN:
Written: 4/27/18
Revised: 6/26/18

More random! We went canon compliant. This is set in the same universe as Starting Over and Family of Choice - aka canon compliant Twelve rebuilding.

This is also where for some reason Effie and Thom stood up and said, "We're going to be a couple!" And Lark went, "Okay." Crack pairings for the win! Older Woman/Younger Man for the win. Competent!Effie for the win! Lots of win.

You can get more information about our original writing here:

Website: RoseLarkPublishing

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Thanks for reading!