A/N: Many thanks, as always, to dandelionsunset and evilgrinstar for their continued support and beta skills.
A few of you have asked about Gale. He will have a chapter shortly. I won't say anything much, as he'd rather tell you himself.
Chapter 26—Peeta's pathway
Peeta left for the Mayor's house, grateful to escape Bannock's presence. Dinner with Nikki and Bannock had been uncomfortable. More precisely, dinner with Bannock had been uncomfortable. He kept looking at Peeta with a combination of irritation and pity. "I'll talk to Dad about your job," he told Peeta. "Maybe he can talk some sense into Mother. Or at least pay your salary, so that you're not, you know..."
"A burden?" Peeta supplied, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his voice.
Nikki glared at Bannock, then turned to Peeta and said, "Honey, you're welcome here no matter what happens. I ain't sending you back there."
"I'm grateful to you, Nikki," Peeta told her. He meant it, he really did, and he hoped he sounded sincere. Peeta knew that Bannock was doing him a huge favor. He just hated that his options were limited to squatting in the Seam, or living on charity where he wasn't wanted.
More than that, though, the full impact of the destruction of his artwork was finally sinking in. Peeta thought that the lowest point in his life had been the night Marigold attacked him with that rolling-pin. It wasn't. This was worse. Years of work. Years. It had taken him years to acquire what he had, a brush here, a tube of paint there. But while those could arguably be replaced, the paintings and sketches couldn't. He ached with loss.
When he was a few blocks away from the Undersees', he saw Gale Hawthorne heading in his direction. Gale saw him, waved, and trotted over. "Headed to the Mayor's?" Gale asked.
"Yeah." Gale was right at the top of the list of People Peeta Didn't Want to See. But the guy was Katniss' friend, so Peeta tried hard to keep his voice neutral.
"Me, too. Madge invited me over, since I still haven't heard Katniss sing."
"She's good."
"Yeah, well," Gale smirked, "you would say that."
"And after tonight, so will you," Peeta replied, silently congratulating himself for not punching the smirk off Hawthorne's face.
They walked without talking the rest of the way, which thankfully didn't take long. Peeta was surprised to see Katniss talking to Rye on the Undersee's back porch. Why weren't they rehearsing?
The got there in time to hear Katniss say, "which I understand, Rye, but no offense? None of that has anything to do with rehearsing the stupid Toasting Song. Nobody in there did anything wrong, OK? So stop pissing everyone off."
Rye started to say something but stopped when he saw Gale and Peeta. Katniss looked over her shoulder, and immediately walked over to Peeta. "What's going on?" Peeta asked.
"Nothing," Rye replied, but he looked embarrassed. The four of them walked inside and headed to the basement. The rehearsal started shortly thereafter.
Normally, Peeta loved hearing Katniss sing but tonight, her ability just seemed to highlight for him how utterly useless he was. She had told him just a few hours ago that she felt safe in his arms, which was ridiculous. He couldn't protect her. He couldn't protect himself. He couldn't even protect his own belongings.
What could he even do, anyway? Let's see. He had a real talent for getting injured. He was getting pretty good at sleeping in other people's homes. Oh yeah. He could walk Katniss to the Justice Building.
Peeta Mellark: Panty-Dropper.
At the end of the rehearsal, Gale picked Katniss up off the floor, hugged her and profusely apologized for not believing that she could sing.
Peeta knew he should be glad that Gale finally understood just how wrong he'd been about Katniss. He suspected that, most of the time, he would have been. But the look of joy on Katniss' face when Gale hugged her cut through Peeta like a cold wind. Katniss had insisted that Gale was never her boyfriend, but would he be, if she pursued it? Wouldn't she be happier with Gale?
When Gale offered to walk Katniss home, it was all Peeta could do not to hit the guy.
Rye spoke briefly with Peeta before they left. "I heard," he said, grimly. Peeta didn't have to ask about what. "I checked on rental rates at the boarding house."
"And?" Peeta asked.
"And as soon as I get a security deposit together, I'm moving. How is it at Bannock's?"
"Bannock keeps looking at me like I rolled around in the pig sty right before I arrived, but I guess it's better than the bakery."
"It sucks at home without you, Peet. I'll stop by tomorrow around 7:00 and we can head into school." Rye gave him a bro hug, then went to go pack up his guitar. And somewhere, deep underneath all of his anger, despair and dejection, Peeta felt a spark of love towards his brother. At least one person on the planet liked being around him.
Katniss was ready to leave, so he followed her out the back door. He didn't argue with her when she refused to let him pull the wagon. By the time they were off the Undersee's property, he half expected Katniss to tell him she'd changed her mind about him. Maybe he should just spare her the discomfort of letting him down gently, and tell her he understood why she was better off with somebody else. He didn't realize he was walking behind the wagon until he nearly tripped over it when it came to a sudden stop.
He looked up, wondering why Katniss had stopped. They were still in town, the Undersee's mansion still in view behind them. She was looking back at him, expectantly. He didn't know what she expected, though, until she held her hand out to him.
The look of hurt that flashed across her face when he hesitated got his feet moving. He closed the few steps between them and took her hand in his. She gazed up at him steadily, her eyes silver in the reflected starlight. She dropped the wagon handle. Standing on her tiptoes, and carefully avoiding his bruises, she gently wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders.
Peeta closed his eyes and pulled her close. He felt some of the darkness that had settled on his heart float away. Katniss moved her lips close to his ear, her intake of breath sending a thrill through him. She then whispered the very last thing he expected her to say.
"Do you want me to teach you how to hunt this Sunday?"
It was so startling, so completely unanticipated, that Peeta started laughing. He knew he sounded a little mad, but really, after the day he'd had, expecting to hear Katniss Everdeen whisper sweet nothings into his ear bordered on madness.
Katniss scowled, which just made him laugh even harder. She pulled away from him, picked up the wagon handle and tossed her braid over her shoulder. "Forget I asked," she said tonelessly. Then she started walking towards the Seam, not bothering to see if he followed her or not.
"Wait, Katniss, wait up," Peeta called out. He jogged up next to her.
She looked at him while she continued to walk. "I just wanted to help," she told him. Her face was in the expressionless mask he had seen her perfect over the years.
Oh, hell, he thought frantically. She'd finally started letting him in, had started dropping some of her walls, and now they were all back up. He stood in front of her, blocking her path. "You are helping. And yes, I want you to teach me everything you know." Other than a twitch of her eyebrow, her expression didn't change.
"Katniss, I wasn't laughing at you. Your question just, um, really caught me off guard. Look. When somebody hugs you," Peeta put his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him, ignoring how much she stiffened up. "And puts their lips right next to your ear," Peeta continued, bending over until his mouth almost touched her earlobe. He slowly inhaled and felt Katniss shiver. He ran one hand up her back and whispered, "You don't expect to hear an invitation to commit a crime."
Peeta became aware of several things all at once. His lips were touching her earlobe. Katniss had slid her hands up his arms until she was almost pulling him towards her. He could feel her breasts pressing up against his chest. And after taking a hiatus for the last several days, an erection decided that right now was the perfect time to make an appearance.
If Katniss had not warned him earlier that day that she was still too scared to kiss him, Peeta would have given in to his instincts. His instincts didn't want a sweet, gentle, chaste kiss, either. He wanted to kiss her hungrily, taste the skin on her throat, run his tongue over her earlobe. He wanted to lose himself in her, not caring that they were in the middle of town.
Only the possibility of scaring her off kept him under control. Most of him, anyway.
Peeta slowly pulled back. Katniss looked disoriented, her lips slightly parted and her eyes a little glazed over. "All right, Katniss?" He took one of her hands in his and gently kissed it. She nodded. She took up the wagon handle with her other hand and started for the Seam again. This time, she didn't let go of his hand.
"So what were you and Rye talking about?" he asked.
"He was upset about your mother, and it was making for a bad rehearsal."
"Whatever you said must have worked. Rehearsal seemed to go pretty well after I got there. Gale was certainly impressed." He hoped he didn't sound resentful.
Katniss grinned. "That was pretty gratifying. Him apologizing to me because Madge shamed him into it was one thing. But him apologizing because he actually understands he was wrong? That's even better. Clearly, dating Madge is going to be good for him. He'd have never bothered to come, otherwise."
"Wait. Gale and Madge are dating?" Peeta asked incredulously.
Katniss looked both horrified and guilty. "I wasn't supposed to say anything! They both asked me to keep it quiet, and here I am letting it slip. Don't tell anybody, OK? Please?" she pleaded.
Peeta suddenly felt much better. "No deal," he teased, "I'm going to ask Madge about it tomorrow at lunch. In front of Rye."
"Peeta, no! They'll both kill me!"
"Probably," Peeta said, feigning unconcern. "Too bad Gale has a different lunch hour, or I could just yell across the lunch room, 'Hey, Hawthorne! What's it like dating the Mayor's daughter?'"
Katniss threw her head back and laughed. It was a real laugh, a throaty laugh. It was a rare thing for her, he knew, and that made it precious.
Also, it was at Gale's expense. Bonus.
They talked the rest of the walk home. Peeta realized that, once her outer shell thawed, Katniss had plenty to say. She wasn't the kind of girl who babbled just to fill the silence and she wasn't any good at things like small talk. But when he asked her questions, she answered them thoughtfully. And she asked him questions in return.
They talked about their favorite colors (forest green for Katniss, soft orange for Peeta). He learned that she loved to swim. She whispered it to him, so he gathered that meant it happened out beyond the fence. She learned that when they were little kids, he'd convinced Delly Cartwright that "Panem" stood for "Peeta Always Needs Extra Molasses."
When they got to her house, he helped her unload the tesserae into their kitchen. Mrs. Everdeen was still up, and asked how he was feeling. She reminded him to drink his yarrow tea, then shot a significant look at Katniss. "Don't linger overly long. It's bedtime," she warned, before she walked into her bedroom and closed the door.
Katniss' face had turned cranberry red. Peeta raised his eyebrows at her. "Um. I'll see you out," she stammered. They walked out and down the steps. "Will I see you at school tomorrow?" she frowned.
"Yes. Why are you frowning?"
Katniss was chewing her bottom lip. "I worry that being seen with me will lower your social standing."
He didn't bother denying it. She was probably right, to some extent. He just didn't give a shit. "That doesn't matter to me, Katniss," Peeta reassured her. He wrapped her up in his arms for one last, good-night hug. "You're more important than all of them put together." He could feel her smile against his chest. She slipped inside her house, giving him a soft smile over her shoulder as she closed their door.
Peeta walked back to Bannock's house. Bannock and Nikki were already in bed, but Nikki had put sheets, blankets and a pillow on the sofa for him. She left him a note telling him where to find breakfast in the morning if he got up before they did. Peeta realized that his days of having to get up at 4:30 in the morning were now a thing of the past. He could sleep until 6:30 if he wanted to, and still have loads of time to get to school. He brushed his teeth and went to sleep almost instantly.
Peeta woke up around 6:00 a.m. The first thing he noticed was that it no longer hurt to breathe. That realization alone put him in a good mood. He was even happy to drink that revolting yarrow tea. By the time Bannock and Nikki woke up at 6:45, Peeta had washed, dressed and made them all breakfast. Nikki squealed with happiness at the sight of eggs, muffins with jam, and tea. "You little suck up," Bannock grumbled into Peeta's ear. Peeta responded by pouring Nikki another cup of tea while giving Bannock a wide, innocent grin.
Rye arrived at 7:00, and he and Peeta walked to school, Peeta carrying his backpack gingerly on his shoulder. Before he went to his first class, he stopped by the office of the wrestling coach. The coach read Mrs. Everdeen's restrictions, then handed it back to him. "OK, Mellark. Take whatever time you need. Just come back healthy."
Peeta couldn't help but notice that the coach didn't bother asking him how he'd been injured.
Morning classes seemed to crawl by. Peeta was impatient for lunchtime, when he would get to see Katniss. When the lunch bell rang, his friend Will greeted him in the hallway with, "Welcome back, man."
"Thanks." Will and Peeta usually sat with a group of Merchant kids at lunch.
"Heard you've been slumming it in the Seam," Will said, it what he clearly thought was a teasing tone of voice.
"Is that what you've heard?" They had just arrived in the lunch room. Peeta veered over to the table where Katniss and Madge were sitting down.
"Peeta, where are you going, man?"
"Over there. You're welcome to join me," Peeta called over his shoulder. Will stood there and stared in disbelief. Then he shook his head in disgust, and sat with the Merchant kids.
Peeta felt a small pang of disappointment, but it vanished as soon as Katniss smiled at him. It was the best thing he'd seen all day.
Rye arrived a few minutes later and sat with them. The four of them talked about the upcoming toasting and schoolwork and griped about teachers. After the last few days of emotional turmoil, Peeta felt grateful to just do something as normal and effortless as chatting with friends.
Rye asked him about the design he'd made for the band. "I'd like to have a sign for the toasting this Saturday. Do you think Bannock or Nikki would have the materials you'd need? Maybe scrap wood and leftover paint?"
"Maybe. I can ask, anyway."
He and Rye looked at each other and said in unison, "Ask Nikki."
Afternoon classes were unremarkable, except for the strange looks he got from some of the Merchant kids. Will sat next to him in math class, but he acted like Peeta wasn't there. Peeta got the message, loud and clear. As far as Will was concerned, Peeta was now Seam, and therefore beneath his notice.
Katniss had to go hunting after school. Peeta and Rye walked towards town together, but it was weird to part ways with Rye, who had a shift at the bakery. Peeta realized that he suddenly had a lot of free time on his hands. He wasn't sure he liked it much.
Nikki fussed over him a bit when he got home. She made him sit at the kitchen table, where she put milk and cookies in front of him like he was 6 years old. Peeta would really have preferred a cup of strong tea and no cookie, but he didn't want to seem ungrateful. Besides, in a few weeks, the baby would be here, and Nikki wouldn't have the time or energy to mother Peeta.
As he ate, Peeta asked about scrap wood and extra paint so he could make a sign for the band. "Ya know, honey, I bet we do down at the shop. Hold on a sec." She retrieved a pen and stationary, and asked Peeta to list the supplies he would need. She spent a few minutes writing a note, then sealed it up in an envelope. "Here. You go on down ta the shop and you hand that ta my daddy. Got it? Not ta Bannock."
Peeta gave her a hug and thanked her. He walked across town to the carpenter's, which was set pretty far off the main square because of all the noise that emanated from the shop. The "shop" was an actually an old, converted barn with the words "Brown Carpentry" painted in large letters on every side. A large lumberyard sat behind the barn, with a couple of small buildings set off way to the back. The enormous front doors were usually open to the elements, unless the weather wouldn't allow it. A dozen or so machines were scattered around inside, nearly all of them powered by foot-cranks.
Bannock, wearing safety goggles, was at the lathe, shaping what looked like a table leg. He didn't stop working, but he did narrow his eyes suspiciously at Peeta. A couple of the other workers glanced up at Peeta, then ignored him and went back to work.
Peeta found Nikki's father in the lumberyard with a clipboard and pen, checking tags on wrapped stacks of lumber. "Mr. Brown?" Peeta called out.
Nathan Brown looked up at Peeta, squinting at him through his bushy eyebrows. The man had coarse, gray hair that stuck out in every direction, like he'd received a shock. Nearly every square inch of him was covered in sawdust. He blinked at Peeta for a moment, before placing him. "You're that youngest Mellark."
Nikki clearly got her accent from her father, but where Nikki was loving and warm, Mr. Brown was blunt and business-like. He wasn't unkind, exactly, he just didn't seem to have the patience for small talk.
"Yes, sir."
"What're you doin' here?"
"I'm here to ask a favor." Peeta handed the envelope to Mr. Brown.
"What's Nikki want?" the man said, looking at the handwriting.
"I expect she's trying to help me out, sir. She's been very kind to me since I had to move in with them." The irritated expression on Mr. Brown's face softened a bit at the compliment of his daughter. He opened the envelope and read its' contents.
"Says here you need some scrap supplies, and that I ought ta offer you a job paintin' furniture."
Peeta couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped from him. "Uh, Nikki didn't mention that last part," he admitted, "but if you've got a job opening, I'd be interested. I'd rather earn my keep than live on the generosity of Bannock and Nikki."
Mr. Brown snorted. "I think you jus' mean Nikki. Your brother ain't a bad man, but he ain't exactly killing the world with kindness, neither. But I respect you wantin' ta make your own way, son. Here's the deal. That right there," he pointed to one of the small buildings at the back of the lumberyard, "is the paint-shop. We hafta keep it away from the barn cuz of the sawdust. When a piece is ready, I usually just tell whoever is the least busy to go paint or stain it. They all hate it, every one of 'em. Sometimes, it shows in the finished piece. Which means I hafta go back and fix their mistakes. Waste of my damn time."
Mr. Brown started heading towards the paint-shop, stopping along the way to pick up a piece of plywood, about 2 feet by 4 feet. "Tell ya what. I'll give you the supplies you need. You can use the paint-shop after school for the next few days for your little project. If I like what you do, you're hired. If I don't, I won't. Fair enough?" Mr. Brown had stopped in front of the paint-shop and had unlocked the door.
"More than fair. Thank you, Mr. Brown." Peeta stuck out his hand, and Mr. Brown shook it. He showed Peeta around, then left.
Peeta couldn't quit grinning. It might not be an artist's studio, but he suddenly had access to more paints, brushes and supplies than he'd ever had before. He pulled tack paper down from a shelf to prep the wood and got to work.
That was a Wednesday. The next few days were the happiest Peeta had had in a very long time. He spent his lunch breaks with Katniss, Rye and Madge. After school, he painted. After dinner, he went to the rehearsals.
The best part of the day was walking Katniss home. Katniss seemed less reserved towards him. She slipped her hand into his automatically. She held his hand under the table at school. When they walked, she would occasionally lean into his arm. She seemed to crave his touch.
Katniss was a good listener. He felt like he could tell her anything, and she wouldn't judge him for it. So he did. He told her everything on his mind—from his excitement about possibly landing a job with Mr. Brown, to how conflicted he felt about his father. Peeta was angry with Farl, but he also deeply missed him.
She opened up to him, as well. She gushed about Prim's new shoes and clothes. She shared stories about her early childhood, when her father was still alive. She confessed that she knew she should forgive her mother, but that she wasn't the forgiving type.
The only thing that put a damper on Peeta's happiness was how most of his friends reacted to his relationship with Katniss. Delly, of course, was thrilled for him. She had known about his crush for years. "Ohmigawd, Peeta," she squealed on Thursday morning, "I'm soooooo happy for y'all!" She had a different lunch hour then he did. Otherwise, he would have invited her to come sit with them.
The rest of his friends, though, had reacted much like Will. They didn't say anything to his face, they just kept their distance and acted as if he didn't exist. He had hoped that at least a couple of the people he'd called friends for the last decade would be better than that.
On Saturday morning, Peeta headed to the paint-shop. He had finished the sign the previous night, and it was dry enough to move. He'd used a thick layer of gray paint as the background. Then he dragged sandpaper and pumice across the paint while it was still wet, to make it look like concrete. He used white spray paint for the petals of the katniss flower, and a q-tip dipped in yellow paint for the stamen. Black lacquer made the clock face. Acrylic paint worked for the arrows. He'd used more spray paint to write, "5 * 2 * 12" below the clock, letting the dots between the numbers drip just a bit. Finally, using orange paint, he signed, "P. Mellark" in the lower corner.
He found Mr. Brown in the barn and told him it was ready. "I looked at it last night, actually," Mr. Brown told him. "You're hired." They discussed his wages and his hours. It wouldn't be much, as there wasn't enough painting to put him to work full-time. But it was fair, and it was enough for now. He would start next Monday.
He also made arrangements to have Mr. Brown pay half of his wages directly to Bannock. This had been Nikki's quiet suggestion. "If he don't hafta ask you for it, and you don't hafta hand it ta him, he can still be your brother, and not your landlord."
Nikki, of course, hadn't wanted Peeta to pay anything at all, but Peeta insisted. He was starting to understand what Katniss meant about not wanting to owe people. It wasn't really about payment. It was about pride.
Peeta lugged the sign back to Bannock and Nikki's house. Rye planned to pick it up about an hour before the toasting. Since he wasn't in the band, Peeta wouldn't be going. He planned to collect Katniss at the Justice Building after the reception ended, and walk her home.
Peeta walked into the house. Nikki and Mr. Mellark sat at the kitchen table.
Mr. Mellark looked miserable. He had dark circles under his eyes, and seemed to have aged several years in the last few days. Peeta didn't know what to do or say. Part of him wanted to hug his father. Part of him wanted to shut him out of his life forever.
Nikki stood up, and very pointedly looked from Peeta to the chair across from Farl. Sit down and talk to your father. Peeta reluctantly sat down. "I'll be takin' a stroll now," Nikki told them as she walked out the front door.
Farl looked at his hands and rubbed them together. Peeta didn't say anything. He hadn't spoken to his father since Farl had shown up at the Everdeens to tell Peeta he was out of a job. And even then, he hadn't said much. Farl cleared his throat a couple of times. Peeta just waited.
"I want," Farl stopped, coughed and cleared his throat again. Peeta could see his father was struggling to keep his composure. "I want you to come back to the bakery," he finally got out.
"I've been banished," Peeta coldly reminded him.
"It's been a struggle to get by this last week," Farl told him. "We're behind on orders. We can't make enough to keep product on the shelves past the early afternoon, if that. We closed early today because we ran out of everything. Your mother is beginning to see reason. She's willing for you to come back now."
"I'm not." Peeta crossed his arms across his chest and thought about Rye's favorite saying when things got especially testy between him and Marigold. Fuck this shit.
"Peet," Farl chided, "you can't stay here. Bannock and Nikki got a baby on the way. They want their privacy. And you need the job."
"Nikki told me I can stay as long as I want. And I have a job. But even if I didn't, even if Ban and Nikki asked me to leave, I still won't go back. Not as long as she's there."
Farl wrung his hands. Peeta noticed they were shaking. "Peeta, please," he beseeched, "we can't make it without you there. I'm going to lose the bakery before the end of the year if we keep having weeks like this last one."
"You seemed perfectly comfortable losing me," Peeta spat out. His anger was getting the better of him. "I don't understand you," his voice rose. "Bannock never wanted the bakery. Rye never wanted the bakery. I did. And instead of preparing me to take it over, you let her beat me half to death for my whole life, and run me out!"
"I know I messed up," Farl muttered, "but I promise. I won't let her do that to you anymore. I talked to her about it and I'll keep talking to her about it until she stops. And after last time, I think she's a little afraid of you."
"Whatever," Peeta scoffed. "If your word meant anything, she would have stopped years ago. And even if I did believe you—and I don't, not for one second—I'm not going back as long as she's there. Do you really think I could keep my artwork there now? Or bring Katniss around as my girlfriend?"
Farl said nothing, and stared miserably at his hands.
"Dad, I'm finally have a place I feel safe. Nikki wants me here. She loves Katniss, told her she's welcome anytime. Bannock might not be exactly thrilled, but I stay out of their way as much as I can. And I took a job with Nathan Brown painting furniture.
"I wanted the bakery," Peeta admitted. "I still do. But not nearly as much as I want what I have now. I'm not coming back. Ever."
They sat there for a long stretch of silence. Peeta could hear the clock quietly ticking. Finally, Farl pushed his chair back. "I miss you, Peeta. I know I failed you. But you're still my son and I still love you."
Peeta looked his father in the eye. "I miss you, too, Dad. A lot. But I don't miss home."
Farl stood up, fished around in his pocket for a second and handed an envelope to Peeta. "Rye asked me to give this to you."
Peeta stuffed it in his back pocket and walked his dad to the front door. Nikki was sitting on the front porch steps. Clearly, her "stroll" had gone no further than that.
Farl helped Nikki stand up and gave her a hug. After a moment's hesitation, he gave Peeta a hug, too. "I'm so sorry, Peet." Farl said in a broke voice. Peeta wrapped his arms around his father and for the briefest moment, allowed himself to feel the full weight of his own childhood.
Then Farl let Peeta go, shoved his hands into his pockets and walked towards town.
Nikki and Peeta walked back inside. "He ask you to move back home?" Nikki speculated.
"Yep." Peeta pulled the envelope out of his back pocket.
"I hope you told him you got a new home here," Nikki said firmly.
Peeta stopped opening the envelope long enough to hug his sister-in-law. "I love you, Nikki. Bannock doesn't deserve you."
She giggled and hugged him back. "I love you, too, honey. And no, he don't. But he's tryin' awful hard, and that's what matters."
Nikki waddled into the kitchen and put on a pot of tea while Peeta read Rye's note.
P,
You're coming with me to the toasting tonight. See enclosed. Wear something decent. And for shit's sake, take a bath. You've been covered in paint flakes for two days.
R.
Underneath that was a piece of expensive stationary, with a flowing script.
Rye,
Mayor Undersee mentioned to me yesterday that your younger brother, Peeta, acts as an escort for Katniss Everdeen to get safely home, and that he handles some of the marketing for Five to Twelve. Please let Peeta know if he would like to come to the toasting this evening, he is more than welcome. I have added him to the list of band members.
See you this evening,
Ander Bay
The only "marketing" Peeta had done was paint a sign. He was once again impressed with Mayor Undersee's ability to bullshit. Peeta stuck his head in the kitchen to tell Nikki he was going to bathe.
"What for, honey?" Nikki looked at the clock, puzzled. It was the middle of the day.
"Looks like I'm going to a toasting tonight."