The wind streams through the the trees as I sit in quiet meditation. The fire crackles around me and blink open my eyes, making the fire cease. I look around and then down at the blooming ivy snaking its way into the cave and shake my head. 

"What, is it time to go to the village already?" I say softly, "Because I asked that you not interrupt me when I'm communing with Hestia." Peeta sticks his head around the corner and shrugs. 

"Sorry, I figured I'd check on you and you wouldn't notice the vines," He says. "You've been in here all morning." 

"It takes as long as it takes," I say softly, getting up. "And sometimes she still doesn't answer."

"I wanna show you something," He says and I tilt my head and little as I walk out of the cave, noticing that he never really came to the opening. I turn my head to look at him and feel my hand come up to my chest.

"How did you?" I ask softly and he shrugs. 

"I cultivated a long time on it," He says, carefully holding out the carefully carved wooden leg. "I didn't want to show you until I was sure it would work. And it does, better than even a hunk of metal that would have cost that entire jar of laurels in the wheel house."

"You made it?" I ask and he nods. "How?"

"The same way that you figure things out," He says. "I prayed to Demeter until my voice was hoarse and she eventually, showed me the way, what wood to grow and how to communicate with it."

"Communicate?" I ask, looking up at Peeta's face. He smirks and suddenly, the knee bends, fluently, as though the grains of the wood were functioning just as well as any muscle fibers, and flexing just the same. I take a step back and he chuckles.

"Pretty cool, huh?" He says and I nod.

"I'm so happy for you, Flower Boy," I say and Peeta reaches forward, grabbing my arm. "I really, I never thought you would be able to walk like that, move your leg like that again." I shake my head and clutch my hands against my chest.

"Are you crying?" He chuckles and I look up at him.

"I blamed myself," I say. "This all happened because you were sneaking out to see me. Because I wouldn't meet you in public during the light of day."

"I don't blame you," Peeta says softly. "I blame myself for being foolish enough to believe that sneaking around and not just having the guts to tell you anything."

"I knew you had a crush on me," I reply softly and he shakes his head.

"Yeah having a crush and seeing the tethers between the two of us is two entirely different things," Peeta says quietly, running his finger across my cheek. "So drop it and stop worrying about it so both of us can move on." I shrug and carefully step away from him.

"So, you have a new leg then, just like that?" He nods and rolls the pant leg down. 

"I guess. I mean, it isn't like a brand new, flesh and blood appendage. It comes off which I'm pretty sure if I remember correctly real legs don't, but it's the best we could have hoped for, so I'm happy, let's be happy," Peeta says and I nod. 

"So, you want to go to town and show off then?" I say.

"Not if you aren't done here," He says. "I know how important cultivation of powers is for you."

"You don't have that problem, feeling not in control of what lies inside yourself?" I say softly and he shrugs, grabbing one of of my hands and holding it towards his chest.

"Plants are fairly easy to will where you want, and nowhere near as powerful as what lies in this delicate little finger." He kisses my knuckles and I sigh. "Have you ever done formal training?" I shake my head.

"Fire bringing is kind of a dangerous sport out here in the highly flammable forest and I'm not welcome in the village camps," I say and he chuckles.

"Do you want to?" He asks, I pull my hand away and walk past him.

"Fire isn't exactly a fair fight against foliage, Peeta," I say softly and he chuckles. 

"You underestimate me, Dove," He says and I trip as a large vine creeps around my legs and pulls me towards him, I frown at him and he shakes his head. "Fight back."

"Seriously?" I ask and the vines disappear. I hear creaking as the plants around us clear away. I get up and he cracks his neck.

"Show me what you got, Snow White," He says and I take a step away from him. I close my fist and half heartedly throw a brand of fire at him. A fresh fern frond sprouts up and easily smacks it away. It crumbles into ashes on the ground and he stomps it out. I glare at him and pick up a bundle of brush from the ground and feel them ignite, turning into fiery needles. I fling them at him and a rope of ivy flies at me. I jump up and grip onto a tree branch, tuning it into a black, obsidian staff as it breaks off and I land back on the ground. 

"Okay, I'm done playing," I say, swinging the staff over my head. I telegraph my attack to his weak side and swing the staff beneath his legs from the other side. He falls over and I offer him the staff to stand up. "You can't just spar without having a plan of attack. You are far too cocky about the fact that you can spring up anything under foot. And another thing-" I'm cut off as a vine snakes around my legs and yanks me into a tree. I look down at him as he gets back up and reaches for my braid, running his fingers over the strands at the end. 

"Let my guard down huh?" Peeta teases and I roll my eyes. 

"Yeah, fine, let me down," I say and he smirks, I feel the tree shift a little and I'm lowered just the littlest bit so we are face to face. 

"You sure about that?" He asks and I reach over, hitting him. 

"Yes, come on," I grumble. "I'm starting to feel sick." He smiles and the vine releases me suddenly and I freefall, nearly hitting the ground as his arms clamp around me. "You are such an ass!" 

"You said you wanted down," he says and I start laughing, letting him twirl me around in his strong embrace. "Letting you down doesn't mean I'm letting you go. I won our little match. I want to keep my prize." I smile and lay my head on his shoulder. 

"I think I know what I want to do now," I whisper and he smiles. 

"What?" He asks. I look out over the woods and smile.