asgardeventide | seventh arrow fired. ➵ video. ➵ into the open air.

[ Katniss has several strong, straight sticks in one pile sitting on the table, just across the from where her bracelet has been placed. She knows not to take it off and wander far, or to take it off for long, but if she stays close enough she can remove it from her wrist. It's easy to see her, though only up to her shoulders at this close a shot, as she picks up each stick and skillfully wields a small knife to sharpen each stick into an arrow. A small pile of feathers rests not far from the sticks, and upon finishing each stick to her satisfaction, she creates a stiff fletching for each, setting the nearly finished products aside. She'll give them arrowheads later. This is the busywork she does to keep herself distracted, and grounded, and sane. She is no longer given comfort by the smell of bread in the house, but she knows she's safe, so the footprints she hears approaching do not distract her from her work. ]

[Finnick hops. Yes, hops, not walks, runs or saunters into frame as he leans forward and chuckles.]

Keeping busy?

[ She doesn't even look up to acknowledge him, and her voice is soft and flat and sullen when she replies. ]

Trying to.

[He starts to hum, and he sways in the background hips twisting as he leans forward on the table next to her.]

Katniss? Hey Katniss.

[ She pauses only long enough to take a slow breath, so she doesn't get too irritated with him too quickly. Then she returns to her knifestrokes with fervor, stripping away the bark easily and whittling to the pliant, soft fibers beneath. ]

Yes, Finnick?

[He just starts to sing at her. Yes, his voice isn't all that amazing, no but it's a sea shanty that he was taught back in district four.]

Well a hundred years on the eastern shore
Oh yes, Oh
Oh, a hundred years on the eastern shore
A Hundred years ago

Well its Bully John from Baltimore
Well I knew him well on the eastern shore...

[ He's certainly not her father as far as singing goes, no, but... The fact that he's singing to her gives her reason to pause. She doesn't let the knife and stick out of her fingers yet, but her arms rest on the table. Though her face is not visible to those seeing this on the network, she looks at him with curiosity, eyebrows furrowed, and interrupts him. ]

Finnick, what are you doing?

[He doesn't stop singing as he reaches out and gently guides the tools from her hands as he grins. It's that full of life grin as he pauses making sure she can't stab him before suddenly she's yanked from the table.]

Well it's Bully John's the boy for me
He's a buckle on land and a bully at sea

Well its been a long time and a very long time
Well its been a long time since I made this rhyme

[ Katniss is too surprised by the sudden onslaught of song and random frivolity to struggle too much, but when she's yanked from the chair, she barks at him. Her bracelet is knocked farther back as her hip hits the table, giving a wider view of the two. ]

Finnick!

[He grins at her and starts spinning her about!]

Well my old mother she wrote to me
Me darling son come home from sea

Well I thought I heard the first mate cry
That bleeding top main sheave is dry

[ Katniss only just then connects that he's trying to get her to dance with him. She's not thrilled with it, but he's so persistent that she can't help but go along with him. She listens carefully to the tune until she picks it up, and though she doesn't know the words, she starts to hum the harmonies. There may be life left in her yet. ]

[As he continues to sing at her, and he hears her start to hum and he starts it over again, spinning her around, until the song is no longer that, but a lively laugh out of Finnick. He abruptly stops as he gets to dizzy holding onto her grinning like an idiot.]

[ She picks up on the words quickly and starts to sing along in harmony now, though she misses a few here and there. She stops when he starts laughing and just watches his face, and tries to register the own kind of joy within herself. It's hard to find, but when she lets herself enjoy the spinning, a smile breaks out on her face. She doesn't laugh like he does, but it's a real, genuine smile - a warm one, one so rare out of her that it's bright and beaming... But it lasts only a couple of seconds, and fades just as quickly as it appeared. There are traces of it left behind, a smile still on her face, but those moments of sunshine never do last with her. This is okay, though. This isn't bad. ]

There, now that's a smile!

[Finnick leans back against the table, bumping Katniss's bracelet again. With that the feed ends.]

(( OOC; BLUE is Finnick, RED is Katniss. Replies will come from both. Also, Katniss-mun is going to sleep shortly so replies may be delayed until morning. ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Annie's eyebrows draw together and steps closer to Katniss so she can rest her hand on the other's arm.] I'm... He'll be back.

I don't know, Annie. It's been long enough that - [ She's worried. So worried. Again, she can't finish. ] He might not.

[Annie looks sad for her friend and reaches over and gently touches her arm.] Maybe. But you never know.

I don't want to be optimistic just to be wrong. I'd rather think the worst and have it turn out better. [ She doesn't shrug Annie away the way she would Finnick, because Annie is fragile, much more than herself in many ways. Yep. Optimism is for fools. ]

Then I'll be optimistic for you. [Really it's much easier for her to be optimistic than not.]

I know it's not any where near the same... But you'll always have me and Finnick.

I know. And you both have already done so much. [ Thanking anyone is difficult for Katniss, but owing them is harder. ] Thank you. Both of you. You understand more than most.

[Annie nods her head and pulls her hand away.] You're welcome. You did a lot for us back home. I wish you remembered it all.

I'm not sure I want to remember it.

It's not all bad. [A lot is but after being rescued, most of her times are happy times.] You let me wear one of your dresses for our wedding and Peeta made our cake.

One of Cinna's dresses? [ She sounds hopeful, as if Cinna had lived, somehow, through what she saw from the tubes. ]

It was one of the dresses he made for your tour... The green one. [She looks down for a moment because she's pretty sure she knows what Katniss is hoping. She just.. can't be that helpful.]

Oh. [ She almost, almost, smiles. She loved that dress. Every dress Cinna made for her was perfection, but the green... ] It was beautiful on you, wasn't it?

[She smiles then and nods.] Finnick thought so... And really, that's all that mattered to me.

Finnick would think you were beautiful in a burlap sack.

[Annie's nose wrinkles but she knows Katniss is right.] Let's not ever test that idea.

[She looks over to where Finnick is and then back to Katniss.] If I were you, I'd prepare for a lot of this. Finnick... he doesn't like seeing any of us sad.

I've started expecting this sort of behavior from him. [ Much as she doesn't want to get used to it, she may have to. ]

[Annie's expression softens as she watches her husband.] I've learned to just except the crazy from him. it saves me from getting headaches.

It's a good kind of crazy. [ She looks at Finnick, her expression becoming quizzical. ] I think.

[Annie's had longer than most to get use to how he was but she can understand how he'd confuse people.]

It is. [She looks back to Katniss.] Things will work out, get better.

I hope they will. [ It's all she can do, at this point. Hope. Dandelions, in the spring. ]

seventh arrow fired. ➵ video. ➵ into the open air.

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