video;

[effective]

[Katniss is looking as cheerful as ever. Which is to say, not at all.]

Even if all these investigations find a way to fix the turtle, what's going to be done about the game? The kedan are coming to us for food, and what you can call a forest has basically been stripped clean. Unless we're just all living off vegetables until the next few breeding seasons have passed.

Comments

[effective]

[Her eyes widen slightly, and she flushes a little] I just hunt and gather plants. I can't make animals out of nothing. [She looks down at her hands, picking at the scars] I was talking with someone else about conversation...

[afirewithfashion]

No, but you know the forest. You know how it works, and how it sustains itself, and you know how not to disrupt that. If this were Twelve, what would you say?

[After all, Katniss has some authority over the woods surrounding District 12 -- and, though she might not realize it, she does have authority here.]

[effective]

[She flinches a little when he brings up Twelve, reminded that he likely doesn't know what happened to her district] Cinna, I don't...run things. [When she makes decisions people die okay]

[afirewithfashion]

[He doesn't, but he sees the flinch. And he can guess. He'll get confirmation from Finnick, though, before he says anything.

She does run things, but he's not going to be the one to correct her.]

Then just explain it to me. I'm stupid and don't know these things, remember?

[He's kidding, but underneath it, he's still deadly serious. Katniss knows what needs to be done here, to keep the wild ecosystem healthy. And if he can get her to vocalize that, maybe she'll have more confidence in herself.]

[effective]

You're not stupid. [Her response is instantaneous] And...the hunting probably needs to stop for now. Maybe keep animals in a safe area instead of letting them roam, so they can breed in peace. Don't take females, only males. And not the strongest males, they need those to keep the bloodlines stable, otherwise the entire species goes downhill.

[She's not really aware that there isn't much of a difference in what he was asking before and what she actually answered.]

[afirewithfashion]

See? That wasn't so hard.

[But then he sobers up.]

You need to tell people, Katniss. You might be the only one here with extensive knowledge of what it takes to hunt and gather for survival. You know how to sustain our foodsource. You should trust yourself.

[effective]

I can't be the only one. There are plenty of us. [She's shaking her head again, starting to get distressed] No. No. I was only a figurehead. I'm not even that any more. I can't lead anything. I can't make people listen to me, not again.

[afirewithfashion]

Katniss.

[He pitches his voice low, trying to cut through the panic. It's harder when he's not able to touch her and anchor her.]

Listen to me. You don't have to lead anyone. But this is something you know. You understand this. You don't have to be afraid.

[effective]

I'm not afraid. [She's totally afraid. She knows it, and she hates it. Hates the way it makes her feel weak, but she is weak now. Some days she finds it hard to remember if she'd ever been strong] Someone else can do it. I'm not the only one. [Not like back home]

[afirewithfashion]

Okay.

[Cinna isn't going to push her, not when her reaction is this strong.]

You're not the only one. But I don't believe you aren't one of the most knowledgeable. You're good at teaching people these things. And you're smart, you see patterns other people miss.

[He'll always bet on her.]

[effective]

[She scrubs a hand over her face] Okay. [He says more, but she's sort of stopped listening.] I'm sorry.

[afirewithfashion]

[Only a third of that got through, didn't it? He's not going to push. It's not good, for either of them.]

It's okay.

[effective]

It's not really. [It's just another symptom of how messed up she is, how not-okay]

What are you doing?

[afirewithfashion]

[They're all messed up. They're all not-okay. She's got her reasons for it. He's never going to blame her for it, could never hate her.]

It is.

[Trying to help her and making a bigger mess of things. But he can't say that, so he teases instead.]

Arguing with you. It's a full time job.