the work soothes — makes him feel less like a bobbing cork in the midst of a storm, out to sea with no one to pull him back or even see him (notice him) amongst the waves. it’s mind-numbing, easy to fall back on and think nothing about. even instructing katniss takes little to no effort. she might not know anything about the sea, but she’s clearly done some gathering or hunting, maybe even fishing, in her life.
he nods to her thanks, not looking up from the work, prying apart the muscles and working to make them fit to cook for the rest of their party. he tries not to think of who taught him most of this: of mags, her hand on his shoulder, showing him how to manage all of this in the comfort and calm of her boat in four, in days more akin to leisurely sailing than real, honest training; of mags coaxing him back to himself in the same ways after his games, then all those years after when it all only gets worse.
“ i imagine you’ll find some way to pay me back before this is all over with, won’t you? ” he looks up at her, one of his unreadable smiles on his lips and playing across his still-red-rimmed, swollen eyes. “ you don’t seem like the kind of person to leave a debt unpaid, girl on fire. ”
katniss works under the blazing sun, glad for the shade that serves as their main defense from the heat. their mangled suits ( costumes, really ) are mangled to bits and leave little protection against the scorching heat. still, this is one of the most pleasant moments in the arena so far — she wouldn’t go so far as to say she is ENJOYING shucking the shellfish with finnick, but for a brief moment of silence, her mind is on something other than how she’s going to manage to kill the remaining victors.
until, that is, finnick speaks. her immediate reaction is stunned — stunned that she has been so easily readable by the boy ( man , rather — it’s been years since his games ) that seemingly spends more time perusing capitol luxuries than using his brain. but she has underestimated finnick. what he did for peeta — what he allowed mag’s to do without a complaint — with a sickening feeling, she realizes this will make him harder to kill in the end. she is stung by the accuracy of his words. no, she will never be able to repay finnick.
“ not if I can help it, ” she tries to quip, but her voice sounds more hostile than intended. she can’t help it— nothing is making any sense. no one is acting rationally. no one is looking out for themselves. she wonders what kind of deal haymitch could have made so sweet that someone would give their life for it.
“ what about you, finnick? any debts owed?”
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
izzy806
turnnoffyourmind
dededos
andulkaphoto
