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

cinna | ota

[designerebel]

The invitation had come a few days earlier. Cinna is so pleased to accept, excited to see everyone in one place. When he first arrived he hadn't been sure he would ever be excited about anything ever again. To feel that thrill of anticipation now, well, it in itself is something to be thankful for. He also had felt so very alone and lost. Knowing the others are here, that's also something to be thankful for.

That excitement over the entire event is what has him poking his head in the kitchens early while Katniss is still at work. Dressed impeccably as always, he's quick to don an apron. He offers to help with this and that while also trying not to get in the way. He's learned a few things about being in a kitchen as well. But he is still no Peeta, and not even a Katniss. Everything smells lovely though and he's sure to tell Katniss so, several times in fact.

When it's time to eat and Katniss has made her toast, Cinna offers her a small, genuine smile. Having Katniss here, and every single person sitting around the table, is more than he could have hoped for, really. He's alive. They're alive. And this, he thinks, is a small makeshift family, a family he's never had before. He will of course small talk through dinner for anyone who addresses him.

After the fact, he'll tie on that apron again and help clean up and even wash dishes and such. He'll linger as long as anyone is there if just for the company and the spirit of the gathering.


ooc: catch him before, during or after the meal. I'm good with anything. ♥

[open to all]

[iheartmahogany]

Normally, Effie was all for speeches. She was good at them (or so she liked to think). Back home, every Reaping had been her time to shine - and she had been overjoyed when, with Victors, she'd been able to craft a dozen speeches to unload at every district. But things had changed and it had lost its flavour, and now Effie in her uncertainty far preferred to keep things to herself or one-on-one.

She gently applauded Katniss' speech - or toast, maybe - feeling, well, overjoyed at what a strong, beautiful woman her Victor had become. Katniss was not the most eloquent person, but she always got to the soul of the matter, and she had a giving nature that Effie had only managed to see once she'd arrived at the Nexus.

Effie was still avoiding her home, pretending the Capitol did not exist - but here with all the people from her home it was somehow easier. Together, they could weather the storm. She did not dig into her food with quite the amount of fervor she was used to - without the Capitol's penchant for slimming diets, she had to be more careful in order to fit into her corsets - but what she did sample was wonderful.