@567inpanem asked for Katniss sees Madge with bouquet of dandelions - how does Madge feel about them and how does Katniss really feel about seeing another girl receiving dandelions?
This apparently goes into this universe here with 30 year old Katniss and 22 year old (ish) Peeta raising their niece, Prim & Peeta’s brother’s child, because that’s where my brain is so that’s where we’re going. Maybe we’ll trip and find ourselves back in Spellbound. I never know where we’re going when I start pantsing things.
--
Her meeting ended late. Katniss growls at the traffic in front of her, blaming each and every car on the expressway for her own tardiness. She checks her phone. No answer from Peeta yet, although she texted him to say she’d be late. The cars inch forward.
Her temper flares and she pounds the steering wheel.
Her phone chimes and she glances at the screen. Finnick, answering a work question. She sets it aside and grips the wheel with one hand, rubbing her temple with the other.
Peeta was being nice. Too nice, trying to make sure they both got what they needed today, and he’s paying the price. She could have moved this meeting. It could have waited until tomorrow, but his first day back at class is a hard date.
After all their painstaking planning to make their schedules work, the first day is not going so well.
“Thank you!” she shouts as the traffic clears enough for her to take the exit she needs. The tires squeal a little and she has to force herself to take deep breaths so she doesn’t go speeding through the park.
As she pulls into a spot near the playground, she smiles. Aurora’s sunny blonde braids and bright pink sneakers catch Katniss’ attention and her heart clenches as she watches Peeta lift their girl up onto a platform. Aurora spins once then dashes off.
Grabbing her keys and her phone, Katniss climbs from the car, taking only her keys and her phone. There’s a woman standing close to Peeta. A lovely blonde woman in a lace dress and dark brown sandals. She laughs and sets one hand on Peeta’s arm as they watch Aurora and another child play.
A small bouquet of yellow dandelions clutched in her hand.
Katniss scowls and marches over towards the pair.
“There you are!” Peeta says with a bright smile. Katniss grits her teeth as his cheerfulness.
“Here I am. Meeting ran a little over.” And you didn’t answer my text.
The unspoken words in her eyes must make him uncomfortable. His smile falters and he pulls his phone from his pocket.
“Missed your -- crap. I gotta go.”
“Uh-huh,” she says, unapologetic, her guilt over being late magically wiped away by some unseen force. He sets one hand on her shoulder then and drops a quick kiss to her temple.
Katniss feels anger tripping over its own shoelaces as her heart thuds in her chest. He’s never done that before. At least not in front of people.
“See you tonight.” He hurries over to Aurora and calls to her, receives a huge hug and sloppy kiss from their overly affectionate two year old. Katniss smiles.
“Oh. They are so adorable together,” the blonde says and Katniss turns her steely eyes on the woman. “You’d never guess he’s her uncle, not her father.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t think we’ve met,” Katniss says, testily, wondering who this woman is and why she’s holding a bouquet of the flowers that Katniss, Aurora, and Peeta picked every weekend this spring to weave flower crowns for their picnics.
“No,” she answers with a laugh, “but I’ve heard so much about you, Katniss. I’m Madge. Riley and Morgan are my two.” She motions towards the two children, possibly twins, playing now with Aurora as Peeta dashes off towards his first day back at class. The bouquet of dandelions arcs through the air as she motions.
“Oh! And these are actually yours,” Madge says and offers the bouquet to Katniss. “Peeta and Aurora picked them for you.”
With a cautious hand, Katniss reaches for the flowers, and smiles softly as Aurora notices her, waving and shouting in greeting.
It’s odd after that, standing in quiet, watching the children play. She and Madge trade superficial comments while Katniss clings to her flowers.
“meta analysis ... opinions” Please tell me about Lady (importance of her story as a gift from Katniss, as it involved Gale, as Prim’s patient, as being invaluable to Prim having skill and income, as cheese trade with bakery, why “Lady”, “blessed are the cheese makers” , why she didn’t make it out of D12 but Buttercup did. Thank you. 🐐😘 Didn’t Katniss put a ribbon on her? What does that say about Katniss?
I love the Lady story! It shows how sentimental and practical Katniss can be simultaneously. She knew the goat could be good for them if it didn’t die, but she knew, more than that, it would make Prim happy. She put a ribbon around her neck! Little romantic, she is. It’s also one of my favorite Gale moments, because he seems very pleased and eager to give Prim something nice too. It’s a sweet brotherly moment. I can’t help but like it. I imagine Lady didn’t make it for a few reasons: Prim probably made a split second choice to save her beloved cat, and I think one could make the case that Buttercup really represents Katniss. Prim cares for grumpy Katniss in more ways than Katniss calls attention to (but I even think of the goat cheese at the very beginning of the series: Prim feeding her), just like she cares for grumpy Buttercup. Katniss has reckoning with herself to do, and she does it, in Mockingjay, when she screams at the cat. Lady, I think, could represent Prim’s childhood innocence (oddly, since goats are historically quite raunchy symbols, at least in the West), and since we don’t have Prim anymore at the end of the series, we don’t have Lady either. 😔 It could also represent the severing of Katniss and Gale’s teamwork that got Lady in the first place. Or it’s just an incidental detail. 🐐 🎀
567inpanem replied to your post:OH so an interesting little tidbit we learned on...
Wonder if they considered having Gale fight Cato to juice up the love triangle, and Ms Collins had to slap them into compromising to just take the scene out completely.
Hi! Is there a Part 2 to Prompts in Panem’s “SLIP OF THE NEEDLE” posted 4 years ago by anywaysrainydays ? Thanks much! And thanks for all you do to share everlark fanfic.
Hi, there is a second part, published on the writer’s AO3 account. Here is the link, but you need to be signed in to access it:
I have been very lucky to be the recipient of @567inpanem’s prompts :) She sent me soooooooooo much I was a little overwhelmed by it. I’m going to try and write as much as possible :) thank you for the list of amazing prompts :)
Here is today’s : “ #4: Why Peeta always double knots his laces.“
“Why do you lace your shoes like that ?“she asks me one morning, as I get ready to leave for the bakery.
“So my shoes will stay in place?” I stand up, before I take a last look at her. She’s gorgeous in the morning light, wearing one of my shirts, too big for her slender frame. Her dark hair hang loose masking the scars on her neck as she sips on her tea.
“You’re silly. Why do you always double-lace your shoes? You’ve done that since kindergarden.”
“I don’t know? An habit, maybe?” I feel her hand on my arm as I come closer, the soft caress on my skin making me shiver as usual.
The memory hits me right out of the blue.
I remember my father, patiently explaining how to create the right loops, over and over again.
And failing.
I never was able to understand his sad rabbit story, never got how it would help me tie my shoes.
And then, one day, I heard him sing. Katniss’s father. It was a bluesy song, just like everything he used to sing at the Harvest Festival. Just like that, the words come back.
I've tried and tried to tie you, shoe.
I've never done it yet.
A loop that flip-flops on the floor
Is as close as I can get.
I've practiced on spaghetti.
I've practiced on the mop.
I've practiced on my sister
Until she made me stop.
So here's the loop again, shoe.
I'll hold it with my thumb.
I'll wrap the other end around...
And yank it into bows.
It's done!
“You know the Shoelace Blues?” Katniss’ eyes are opened wide in surprise. I am too, as I realize I have been singing the song aloud. “I thought it was my father’s song?”
“It is...” I sigh, well aware I have to explain everything. “I heard your father teach you how to tie your shoes, and I kind of picked it up?”
The memories are flooding now, with details - she was wearing a yellow dress that day, and she had laughed, laughed ....
It suddenly strikes me.
“He told you to always double-knot them to make sure you’d never lose your shoes...”
“.. because we couldn’t offer to buy new ones... I remember now...I don’t remember you being there, though?”
“See, I can be sneaky when I want!” I laugh as I take her in my arms.
Work can wait.
After, when she lays in our bed, sleeping again, I smile.
I remember now. It’s her father, her Daddy who taught me to double-knot my shoes.
Here is the first of many, @567inpanem. Hope you’ll like it :) UNbeta-ed, all mistakes are mine.
Hi Jessa, I always wondered about Haymitch's geese, has it ever come up that they are outstanding guard/attack animals and maybe that's why Haymitch choose to raise them? Either for his own peace of mind or to watch over his "kids" Peeta and Katniss when he was drunk? Any fanfics that use his geese that way? Thanks for you reply. Hope you're enjoying good spring weather!
Hmmm I don’t think I’ve ever read that in a fic but I can see it. We had several during my childhood and wow those things could be straight up vicious and were as good as any dog when it came to sounding the alarm when people/animals came into the yard. I like the idea of Haymitch surrounding himself with a gaggle of attack-geese lol.
