what i'm thankful for

[burn_with_us]

Just as she had last year, Katniss had taken on the task of planning a feast to give thanks for all the people who had come through the doors from Panem. There's a little crew of them now, slightly smaller than last year, but there's one important addition to that group - Cinna. Her heart is just a little lighter knowing that he's here and knowing that everyone in this place is happy and safe and well-fed is something to be thankful for.

She'd spent the wee hours of the morning hunting in one of the forests beyond the doors and came back with two wild turkeys. Cleaning and dressing them had taken most of the early morning hours and by late afternoon, she'd managed to have them roasted and golden brown. There's other things, too, cooked in the restaurant's kitchen and maybe while not as expertly done as Peeta would have, it's passable. Katniss has learned a few things in the past two years.

There's enough food for her invited guests and, should someone decide to crash the party, enough for a few uninvited guests. It's the way Katniss prefers it. She thinks part of the beauty of giving thanks for what they have is sharing it with anyone who happens along.

When everyone is gathered, she taps her glass lightly and makes an impromptu (and awkward) speech.

"So, I'm thankful you're all here. I'm thankful another year has passed and we're safe and sound and well-fed. Please enjoy."

With that, she slinks back into her seat.

Comments

[designerebel]

Of course Cinna is so glad to see everyone, all the faces of the people he knows, each of them brave in their own right. The familiarity is a comfort to him, more so than anything else could be right now. And of course he's on good terms with Effie. She, like most of the Capitol, is misguided, perhaps. Years of propaganda and fear will do that to an entire people. But they're good friends and Cinna feels that he knows Effie beyond the way the Games have warped most people. Cinna knows that Effie has a good heart.

So when she ends up beside him with a hand on his arm, he offers her a kind, if sad, smile. He reaches out to pull her into an embrace. He was dead. Now he is not. It's good to cherish what he's been given, this reprieve from a death sentence.

"You are a welcome sight as well, Effie." He tells her, pulling back and briefly leaving a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly before letting go. "I've missed you."

[iheartmahogany]

The hug was a surprise, but very welcome. She let out a somewhat awkward, but still very happy, laugh. Even working as she had at the front desk, meeting so many people, she was still only used to just Peeta and Katniss greeting her with such warmth.

"That is, of course, something someone is always pleased to hear," Effie said, with a smile. "When did you get here? I've been here for ages."

[designerebel]

Being a double agent of the Rebellion in the Capitol hadn't always allowed Cinna to show his true emotions. In fact, he tried very hard to be an enigma of sorts, mysterious and unreadable except to Katniss and Peeta. But now he does feel free to express himself a little more than he once had. Warmth and caring comes naturally from Cinna in the most genuine of ways.

"At the beginning of the month. I... stayed in my room for a few days." He had some things to work through on his own. And while there is still much for him to contend with for himself, it helps to know he is not alone here, that he has people here that he cares for.

He gestures out at the general space of the Nexus. "What do you think of this place?"