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]

They're the same in that way then, that everything they learned about baking they learned from Peeta. And yet, Cinna, like Katniss, is still no baker. He has learned to make a few basic breakfast things. He's learned to chop vegetables very well without cutting himself. And he can boil water most easily. Things that might be simple to most. But in the Capitol, people usually don't have these skills.

"Then you know more than I do. Stew sounds delicious. Perhaps sometime we can make it together." He offers. Really, he just wants to spend time with Katniss.

[burn_with_us]

"Oh, definitely. I'll have to teach you how to hunt, too." This is said with a little bit of a sly grin because while Cinna is a genius with fabric, Katniss doesn't know how he'll do on the other side of a bow. Still, she thinks anyone can be taught. Peeta was only so loud in the woods due to his prosthetic leg but Cinna doesn't have that disadvantage.

"There's a door that leads to something really similar to the woods in 12. I don't think it is Panem, there's no signs of that, but there's the same kind of plants and animals there."

[designerebel]

The idea of hunting is both fascinating and worrisome to Cinna. He doesn't much like hurting other living things. He only hurts himself if he can help it. But at the same time, he isn't so naive not to know where food comes from. Katniss is perhaps the only person he would learn to hunt with because he knows that Katniss is not wasteful. Also, he would never turn down an opportunity to see Katniss use her bow first-hand.

"I think I'd like that." He tells her with a nod. "Learning to hunt with you and seeing this place, the woods. I was learning to use throwing knives in the place I was before." He had known some people who were most adept at such things.

"I went through one of the doors with a woman named Milady deWinter. We found a shop where I bought materials and supplies to sew with." Cinna's excited by the prospect of creating things again. He needs that outlet. He needs to keep his hands busy. "I'll be sewing by hand until I can find a sewing machine. Perhaps you could keep an eye out for one as you travel through the doors."