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

-Going Home-

(Fun(?) Fact: I base this off the movies and not the books duh but I find it funny that in the books, Cato fights the mutts for over an hour after being knocked off the Cornucopia before being overwhelmed and dragged inside it, tormented for hours as they ate part of him, Katniss only getting the opportunity to mercy shoot him after hours..... Just to give you things to think about :))

"Losing a tribute is never easy." Athena promised, this year it is surprisingly a girl from 6 that won and not a career.

"I failed those kids!" Johanna yelled.

"And you will each year." Athena waved it off. "Every year 23 are lost, failed and forgotten, the victor living on and we are given new tributes the year after, you will lose many, better get used to it soon."

Johanna hated how 2's words were true, even if 2 won the majority of the games they still had someone die, even the careers had losses.

"I help them, advise them and help as I can but I know they will die." Athena went on. "I give them their chances but I know I will at minimum lose one of them.... As much as I wish I could say it another way but you are district 7, not a career, having victors is going to be rare, maybe one, maybe two, in your life time." Johanna still knew she was correct, she needed to stop bothering so much about this all, who could Snow hurt if she did anyway? There is no one left that she lov-- "Shit."

She stood, despite Athena laughing, having cut her palm with her own claws, closing them so tight.

"You should be careful, you'll mess up a nerve or something." She handed her a napkin that was in the bar's dispenser.

"Trust me, they are already messed up." Athena wiggled her fingers, wiping the few drops off before closing and opening her hands. "My chosen weapon is not the most orthodox, claws. I needed to be sure my fingers could take the brunt of my fights as they are what I mostly strike with."

"What was training like?" Johanna asked, that being a tightly kept secret purely because 2 or 1 never talked about it to other districts.

"Well it already starts when you are a baby." Athena said." You are put in a circle with weapons lined up around you and the one you crawl too, that will be the main and the second you crawl too will be the secondary. I originally grabbed brass knuckles but somewhere along the line ended up with claws strapped to my fingers. I needed to be sure none of my strikes would hurt me more then the enemy so nerve conditioning, striking something hard, usually wood, with them." Johanna watched her as she kept staring at her hand. "Basically beat out most of the feeling in my fingers by now, barely have any feeling under my finger pads and the finger tips are dead, nada, no feeling."

"I saw the aftermath of a broken window when I was tribute."

"Yeeeaah... That was me." Athena rubbed her neck. "The claws are a small surface so all the striking force gathers at the point of them and since I don't feel as much as a normal person would, I could basically punch a hole in the window, five even."

"Can't you break them like this?"

"Oh of course I can and did when I was younger, having scars here and there from being cut open to be fixed, I think some fingers still have metal rods or plaques in them from back then. Now I have these." She showed the claws, putting her hand on the bar counter. "Them completely covered with metal or the padded compressing gloves of home to protect them, there is like this little gap between the tip of my fingers and the end of the claw, barely anything but still."

"So it's custom made?"

"What's up with you today?" Athena chuckled. "Sizing us up 7?"

"I am just interested." She said defensively even if it was the truth, just wanting to get to know her more and this was the current topic they were speaking about, it would be weird if she changed it up. 

"Can't blame you." Athena shrugged, grabbing the attention of the barman and ordering another drink, being the third by now, and lit a smoke too. "And yes, custom Capitol jazz hands." She said. 

"You cou--" "At least as long as I don't rip out their eyes." Athena cut off Johanna with a smile, knowing she'd bring up murder of the upper class.

She herself thought many times about just one good swipe, just one, but the same thing always held her back, all for Cato, that would sign his death warrant.

Tho it was already written, 71st is now over.... She only has three years until the 74th where he'll be reaped no matter what as Snow plays dirty, he tricks and scams, he kills, but he never lies.

She stared into the liquid given to her, her baby brother, it would soon be time for him and she'll be damned if she doesn't turn him into the best fighter that has walked this world, he'll be coming home to her, he must... He must.

"Athen--" She drank that liquid and slammed it down, standing.

"Time to go home, we can't be late and I still need to pack up." Athena said, walking away.

Johanna watched in confusion what that was and why Athena suddenly marched off.

She sighed, she was correct again but still... Confusing.

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

"Well it was nice to meet you, lets see each other next year again." Johanna rolled her eyes as Finnick shook her hand in his.

"Yeah yeah now let go." He laughed at her, it felt good for all victors to finally see one of them speak their mind and outright spit at the Capitol's feet, sad that her loved ones were gone and they didn't dare to endanger their own but it was a refreshing sight for them all.

"Here." He held a paper out.

"I don't need your phone number." She tried to throw it but Finnick closed her hand around it.

"No you do, keep this, trust me." He winked. "You'll love this."

She grumbled as he walked away to get in his own wagon as her fellow district 7 mentor called for her, Blight, that man for once was of use, Johanna thought.

She marched herself into her wagon, a bit mad that Athena had not come to say goodbye but she needed to let it slide, it is not like they would see each other before the next game anyway, she'll be avoiding going to Capitol parties like a plague until she'd be dragged there by force.

Well.... She'll need to rethink that, there is more chance then not that Athena will be there...

But then again, why would she even really want to see her outside of the games? Completely useless.

Tho she is good company and will be missed.

"Johanna, you've been standing in the middle of the room, spacing out like drugged for the last ten minutes."

"Fuck off Blight." She said, embarrassed to be caught like that, marching too her room next to those of the tributes that would not be coming home with them, flown in caskets back to each of their districts.

She locked the door, finally glancing at Finnick's paper and rolling her eyes.

It was a phone number with 'thank me next time' written on it with a wink-y face.

She thought it was just a bad joke but he seemed quite insistent that she'd keep it.

She'll give him the benefice of the doubt and if it is a prank... Lets just say that the next hunger games better televise the victors lounge.