.Stone And Lumber (Johanna Mason X F.OC).

-Heart To Heart-

It was awkward in the home lets say the least.

Blight was strongly against whatever Athena had told Johanna until the moment both of them saw the rooms that they would have been staying at, only then did the older mentor relent, much preferring a normal home even if it was with another victor, even one that scared him.

He was basically being stared down by a very angry looking 13 year old boy he was sitting in front of at a square dinning table, Johanna sitting on the other side, between Cato and Blight.

The tense silence was just broken as the oven beeping and the screeching off rubber soles on the tiles that hurried to open it.

"There we go." Athena basically dropped a dish of a whole chicken with potatoes and vegetables in the middle of the table. "Not much but it's food for the guests."

"I take the legs!" Cato instantly jumped to stand on his chair and reach over, Athena's hand on his face stopped his advanced.

"Ass on the chair Munchkin." She said, pushing on his face, her claws long retracted. He did so while crossing his arms, she sat down too, in the last chair, that being the one in front of Johanna. "Guests first."

Blight awkwardly reached out to cut a piece off and put it on his plate with the rest. Not at all used to seeing Athena out of her Capitol sanctioned look, looking far younger then she was portrayed, having forgotten she just turned 20 even and it made him awkwarder.

Johanna wanted the legs too, those are the best, but seeing the pout of the boy, having had her own little sister, she left them untouched.

"Okay..." Athena sighed. "This is awkward." She rubbed her face. "I didn't poison the food for fucks sake." She said.

"Language." Cato pipped up.

"Oh hush." She flicked his forehead as she served him a plat and he dug in.

Johanna felt jealous, so jealous that it hurt, heart tied in a knot.

"It is good." Blight said, clearing his throat. "Did you mother teach you?"

"She did." Athena simply said, taking a portion of food when Cato dug in. "Still, I'll never be as good, she could cook phenomenal things, you needed to be there to taste it or dream about it."

"And why wasn't she the one to cook?" Johanna asked, a bit bitter. "How do you know they'll let us stay?"

"Oh mom and dad are gone." Cato casually said, he was 8 when he lost them, he remembered them but had been too young to truly grasp it and Athena never explained the true reason. "They left me with Athy when I was still little, they didn't want to be with us after she won which I don't understand, winning is great."

"Cato, eat with your mouth closed." Athena said with a soft smile, poking his side, making him giggle.

Johanna watched, staring at her, recognizing that look, solemn acceptance of those that have departed of this world, not the anger she felt for losing her own family but almost defeated.

She looked around, Blight seemed awkward from the underlying truth of the boy's words but not really seeing what Johanna was, he still had family, he couldn't know what this felt like.

And Cato didn't seem to know what he was talking about, unable to make the tie between his parents being gone and that death could be the answer.

That just intrigued the young victor... Just how similar was she too the other one?

----------------------------------------------------

Athena sat on her porch, the back exit, staring at the moon above the stony mountains of district 2.

The gentle breeze of the night kept out by the hoodie as it played with loose strands of hair while Athena played with her hair tie, stretching and letting it go.

"Why are you up?"

Another night she was haunted by the past, unable to sleep and she didn't seem to be the only one.

She looked over her shoulder.

"I could ask you the same little wolf but I have a feeling neither of us wants to answer that question." She grinned, patting the wooden stairs next too her.

She heard nothing for a moment before the creaking of wood revealed Johanna sitting next too her.

"Hmmm.... This view is missing trees." She said, making Athena chuckle.

"District 2, the masonry district, what did you expect, it is all stone."

"District 7 is all wooden, all lumber, at least trees are alive, not stone."

"Without stone there is no lumber, we need the build those building you use to work out of them."

"And without lumber you have no tools to work with."

"Lets just agree that stone and lumber are both necessary." She leaned back on her hand, staring at the skies. "Hey little wolf?"

"What?"

"Are the stars the same where you are? It wasn't night when I was in district 7 on my tour."

"Of course they are the same."

"Then just look at them, they are part of your home."

"7 is not more home then the Capitol is."

"Hmm..." Athena looked at her, the younger victor hugging her knees. "You lost someone important didn't you?"

"What th--" "I recognized that look on your face you know? You wear your current emotions on your sleeve more then you would want to probably.... I know how that feels."

"You do huh?"

Athena chuckled at the tone.

"I did suspect you'd figure it out from Cato's words, it was not hard." She sighed, fully laying down on the wood. "He was too young, I couldn't tell him the truth, about how I messed up and I am the reason why he doesn't have a loving mother to kiss him goodnight and a brave father to show him how to hold a blade.... I took it all from him."

"How do you live with yourself?" Athena looked at Johanna, genuinely wanting to know.

"Step by step, it doesn't get easier, the pain will always be a part of my life, of his life, but I built around it, I live to protect him, I live how I should to keep him safe."

"The Capitol... They are.... Argh!" Johanna regretted right away kicking the potted plant when the pot shattered.

Athena sat before and stood up now, leaning over to check the damages.

"Eh." She waved it off. "I didn't really like that pot anyway." She said, dismissing any worry the younger girl could have. "And the Capitol takes and get what it wants, if you don't adhere too it, they make you, taking your loved ones."

"They took everyone.... Everyone..."

"I am happy for you."

"WHAT?!!" Johanna looked in shock at the victor who was looking at the skies.

"You have no one they can hurt to get too you, Snow has nothing to hold against you, they are dead and he can't hurt them no more, out of all of us fools, I think you are the one that has the most freedom of all." She put her hands in her pockets and looked down at her. "So yeah, I am happy everyone you know is dead. You are not stuck and can't be hurt like we can."

Athena span on herself and walked inside, leaving the door open for when Johanna would too.

7 watched in complete shock as 2 vanished from view.

She wanted to scream, to hit her, teach her a damned lesson.... And yet.... She was correct.

Johanna was free... Not totally but she was free of bending too Snow's needs, who could he hurt? There is no one he can take from her and damn will he wish that she never realized this.

"Thank you." She whispered into the lonely night, looking back at the lonely stars.