Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins owns the hunger games.
A.N Thank you for all the wonderful reviews.
"Somethin' on yer mind boy?"
I jump, brought back from the melancholy thoughts that swirl around in my head and turn towards the voice. Sae peers up at me from where she's stirring the broth behind the counter. The meaty gravy scent makes my stomach rumble.
"No, just..." I trail away not knowing what to tell her. Ever since that girl came to my house a few nights ago, I can't stop thinking about it. My jokes are empty and my innuendos seem false. Did I encourage her to come to me, what with my flirting and my dirty jokes? I'm confused. I've been prepositioned by girls before, lots of times in fact, but never in such a way and I'm not quite sure what to do now.
I could have taken her up on her offer, lord knows I haven't had any real action this last year, but something felt wrong about it. Maybe it was because she was so poor. No, not like that, just that she was so desperate, that it made me feel dirty, like it was something wrong. It was an action that was screaming out for someone to show some humanity. District twelve doesn't have a lot of humanity. Quite often the survival of self comes before giving to others.
"Hey Darius" Katniss chirps and swings her bag on to Sae's table.
"Hey Katniss"
After a moment she stops what she's doing and turns around and stares at me.
"That's it! What, no 'my kisses are awesome and I'm such a stud you should be lucky to be in my precedence oh lowly one'?"
I shrug "just don't feel like it today I guess."
She stands in shock for a moment before she begins to study me. Her teeth worry her lip and a crease forms between her eyebrows.
"You look okay but..." She trails off and suddenly reaches towards me and touches the back of her hand to my forehead.
Her hands aren't soft like I'm used to, they're rough and slightly weathered. They are warm though and the heat seeps from her hands in to my skin. I shiver, not from the warmth, but something, well just something other.
I don't know if she realises, but one or two people from the hob look at us strangely. I'm painfully aware of how intimate the gesture looks and I try to stifle my blush, but only end up having minimal success. Stupid pale skin. It looks like Katniss is mothering me, but I secretly like how she's acting, it shows that she cares for me, or at least cares for one of her highest paying customers.
"You don't feel warm, but maybe you should get checked out by my mother anyway." Her hand returns back to her side, but the crease still stays between her brows.
"Hey Everdeen."
She jumps out of her thoughts when the oldest Hawthorne comes up behind her.
"Er... Hi Gale." She says awkwardly.
He goes to stand at the side of me, drawing her gaze to him.
"Are you going hunting tomorrow?'
At this she frowns in confusion "why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh you know, I thought you might be busy."
"... No, I always go hunting on Sunday, why would I stop now? I've still got to eat."
"Oh well maybe we'll see each other then."
I snort with laughter and grin at the boys attempts to flirt with Katniss. What makes it worse is that the fact that Katniss is utterly oblivious to it all.
Hawthorne jr. glares at me, but it only makes my grin wider.
"There's hundreds if miles of forest out there Gale, I've only ever came across anyone else once, and that was near the fence."
His 'charming' smile that he's been trying to enchant Katniss with falls, but he quickly recovers.
"Oh, well then maybe we'll get lucky." He's says and begins to walk away.
"See you tomorrow Katniss."
Katniss turns to me "that was weird."
I look to Sae and we share a sly grin.
"Yeah, totally weird" I agree, but Katniss doesn't get the sarcasm.
/
Katniss is late arriving at the hob on Sunday and by the time the Hawthornes trudge in, she's still not turned up. Her absence from the hob is noticeable.
"No stew on yet Sae, it's nearly lunch." John Hawthorne remarks.
"You're my first meat supply of the day so far." Sae replies.
"Oh well never mind." He turns around " hey Ripper, I'll be needing some of that white liquor today."
Ripper raises her eyebrows. Mr Hawthorne, buying alcohol? It appears I'm not the only one confused.
"Get the man a drink Ripper!" Haymitch Abernathy cheers drunkenly from the seat at Rippers alcohol stall.
Mr Hawthorne turns back to me and Sae and grins. Wrapping an arm around his sons shoulder he proudly announces that Gale set his first very own separate snare line today.
"'Be soon out-hunting his old man" he says slapping jr. on the back.
"Actually, I do remember Katniss saying she was heading up to the river today, she was gonna' do some fishing. It's probably just taken her longer than usual to walk back."
Gale chokes on his drink. "The river?"
John looks at his son strangely "yeah why?"
Jr stutters nervously and his dark skin pales a few shades. "N-no reason."
John looks down at his watch and frowns. "She should be back by now though, it's not that much further than usual."
I catch Haymitch looking at Gale with a calculating eye. "Got something you need to say boy?"
Gale sneers "not to a worthless drunk like you."
Hawthorne turns around at his sons words. "You know something about why Katniss is late?"
"No" he says petulantly, but it's oblivious he's lying.
"Gale" his father warns in a way I didn't know jovial John Hawthorne could. The tone of his voice says 'confess now!'.
Gale squirms and it would be a laughable sight if the atmosphere wasn't do stiflingly serious.
"I-I, I might of, might of-"
"We haven't gotten all damn day boy, I'm not as young as I once was."
Gale throws a scowl at Haymitch before continuing in a rush "I-might-of-accidentally-set-my-snare-line-down-by-the-river."
Everyone's silent for a moment before mr Hawthorne speaks. "You what!"
"I might of accidentally set my-"
"I know what you said! What would posses you to put it there though?"
"I thought that maybe with all the animals going to the river to drink, we might have a chance at catching some larger game."
Haymitch chortles as his drains his glass. "Sweetheart's gonna' tan your hide if she's caught in one of them traps, you'll have no chance with her then."
Jr. growls in annoyance but then turns to his dad. "You don't really think Katniss is caught in one of my snares do you?"
John scrubs his hand over his face, he looks like he's aged ten years. "There's only one way to find out. We'll be back later Sae." The 'hopefully with Katniss' is grumbled under his breath.
/
I eat my lunch outside the bakery, when a sign catches my eyes further down the street. 'Old goat for sale' it reads. Next to the sign is a small hastily put together pen made out of a few spare tree branches and some twine. The goat inside the pen looks pitiful. The skinny animal lays curled up in the dirt, the chain attached to its leg is pulled out straight in the animals bid to try and get in to the small amount of shade that the nearby buildings provide.
My immediate thoughts go to Katniss. I still remember that night when she cried in my arms and told me all about her mother and her sister. I think that if Katniss's sister was here now she would be all over Katniss, pestering her until they saved the animal from its owners or the butchers. The thought makes me smile. Prim must have been one hell of a girl and the world must surely be worse off without her.
I finish my sandwich and make my way over. When I put my hand throughout the wooden fence to stroke it, it bleats pathetically.
Katniss said she was scared that she was forgetting her sister and how truly good she was and I think looking after the goat and nursing it back to health might make her remember Prim more.
When I hear someone come up behind me, I'm faced with an old man who's definitely seen better days. His once blonde beard is grey and white and scraggly, his teeth are yellow and his face is wrinkled.
"You interested?" He gestures towards the goat.
"Any particular reason you're selling her?" I counter.
"She's old. I haven't got any more use for her, she's just had her final batch of babies... Six coins if your interested." His eyes are alight with the hope of getting a fair amount of money for her. I know he's way overcharging me.
"Four coins and it's a deal."
The owner raises his eyebrows " as you said, she's old."
He huffs but accepts and as I hand over the money he passes me the chain... Now, what should I do with the goat in the mean time?
I end up tying the goat up in the small pen behind the Mellark's where the pig stalls are. Mr Mellark was kind enough to lend me a hand when he saw my dilemma and told me to come back for it anytime, just to tell him that I was taking it before I did.
As I went about my rounds for the rest of the afternoon I wondered whether or not they'd found Katniss yet, and whether or not she had been caught in one of the idiot boys snares. Then I chuckled, Katniss was a spitfire and if she had been caught in one of his snares then there was going to be hell to pay. I would love to be a fly on the wall when that happened, or a bug on a tree as it were. I was so tempted to pop in on the hob to find out the news, but I knew that I had too much left to do today and wouldn't be able to get back there until tonight.
Sighing I went back to sorting through some paperwork and thought some more on how I was going to get Katniss to accept my gift of the old goat. I knew just giving her the goat was out of the question, as she would see it as charity and she didn't accept charity. I suppose I could give it her as payment for the meat she'll give me in the next trade, but she might prefer the money more, and besides, it was just meant to be a gift. Hmmm, what to do, what to do.
Suddenly an idea pops in to my head, Katniss said I should get checked out by her mother. If I went over to the house and said the goat was in payment of a treatment her mother gave me, she wouldn't question it. She would have to accept the goat. I lean back and grin in satisfaction. Now, I just have to talk to mrs Everdeen without Katniss there.
/
When I finish my shift later that night I pick up the goat and head towards the seam. When I reach the Everdeen home, mrs Everdeen answers.
"Yes?"
"I have a goat."
"A-a goat?"
"Yes it's for Katniss."
"... Right...why?"
"Well I was hoping you would say that it was payment for some treatment that you gave me, I have a bit of a cough." I cough weakly.
Her eyes narrow at me and she steps out on to the porch and shuts the door behind her. She crosses her arms and looks at me.
"What are you wanting with Katniss? I don't know what your intentions are with her but if your wanting that then I suggest you look elsewhere. I know you peacekeeper types and you're not having your way with my fifteen year old daughter."
"No no it's not that, not that at all."
"Well, what's it like then?"
I sigh. I tell her about my motives for buying the goat and her eyes tear up. She cups my cheek gently "you're a sweet man Darius" she says softly, before turning around and going back in to the house and stirring the soup on the stove.
"Katniss Darius is here, could you talk to him, I'm cooking dinner."
From somewhere in the house I can hear Katniss grumble, but I hear her come down the stairs and when she enters the kitchen she scowls at me. She's using an old branch as a crutch and her ankle is thickly bandaged.
"What?" She spits out, obviously in a foul mood.
"So Gale did catch something more than rabbits" I say and I wiggle my eyebrows at her.
"Haha laugh it up." Her scowl deepens if that's even possible, "just wait till I get my hands on him" she grumbles under her breath as she makes her way towards me.
The goat takes that moment to make its presence know. Up until now it has barely made a noise, just following me obediently.
"What's that?"
I pull the goat in to the light of the kitchen. "I went to your mother like you said, she gave me some tea and I'm as good as new."
"What's the goat for though?"
"Payment" I say simply.
"Payment?"
"Yeah you know, when someone offers their services as part if a trade they expect something in return." I explain to her as if she's dumb.
She makes an irritated noise in the back of her throat. "I know that, but isn't a goat a bit much?"
I shrug "she was being sold off cheaply in town, she's just had her final batch of babies, but you can still get milk from her, something I don't think the owner was too bothered with."
"Hmmmm" she says looking at me suspiciously, she then turns her gaze to the goat. "It doesn't look like much, it looks more like a runt to me."
"Katniss!" I gasp mock scoldingly, "don't you know, she's a lady."
"Really?" she's drawls.
"Yes and being a woman yourself you should know very well how treat one, especially one as lovely and docile as this one here." I stick my chin up in to the air, indignant.
She snorts. "Whatever. Just make sure 'Lady' here gets a bath before coming inside. She's filthy!"
"Yes ma'am!" I salute her before dragging the goat around to the back of the house to scrub her down.
I look between the old wooden bucket of warm water with an old rag cloth draped over the side and the once creamy white old goat that looks like she's had a whale of a time in the slag heap. I think I might be here a while.