I walk into the Hob with my fresh meat slung in a sack over my shoulder. The weather had heated up unexpectedly and I wanted to get my meat to the trading place before it spoiled. My tight buckshin pants are sweaty and uncomfortable beneath the unreasonable long black skirt my mother makes me wear. My braided hair hangs over my shoulder and black leather jacket and I do what I can to not make eye contact with anyone. Coming to the Hob alone as one of my clan, it's a bad idea, but after the way Gale was acting yesterday, I wasn't in the mood to seek him out for the trip I'm taking a day early. 

"Everdeen!" Greasy Sae says as I weave through the last of the people and set my deerskin bundle on her counter. "What's this?"

"Venison," I say. "I shot it yesterday."

"Katniss, you and that Hawthorne boy brought more than enough for the next few days," She looks at the rope and hide bundle and shakes her head. "I don't have enough customers to accept this too. If you had some coals, I'd be happy to take those off your hands." I look down and sigh.

"I haven't gotten to your orders yet," I say before looking back up at her. "I'll take half price if that makes it easier, but I'd rather the deer whose life I had to take didn't turn into maggot food."

"I'm sorry, Katniss," She says. "More coals and less meat. That's the best advice I can give you. Please, get that bloody pelt off my counter." I sigh and reach to grab my wasted efforts when a hand comes down and grabs it from me. 

"Hey, that's mine!" I say looking up and seeing the boy from yesterday. Peeta looks at me very nonchalantly and I grab my bag back.

"You know, maybe I can help take that meat of your hands, Fireflower," He says. "My family happened to send me over for meat pie ingredients, and by the size of the pack you have here, that looks like enough for what I need. Mind selling to me instead of knocking down your price?" I blink at him and cross my arms. 

"What is the catch?" I ask. Peeta shrugs and sets his hand on the table.

"Oh no catch," He says. "In fact, how about I offer you a hot meal for your troubles? Since you know, you've come all this way to show your wares."  I look in his eyes for any wavering, a secret motive. But finding none,  I reach for my pack again but he takes it from me. 

"What are you doing?" I ask and he slings it over his shoulder. 

"Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't carry a lady's parcel for her?" He asks. "Come on. My family has a bakery up the road. You can pick anything you want from the case." He starts walking towards the exit and I roll my eyes, following him through the people. I try to keep my head down, but no one's staring at me like usual. The angry, judging eyes, they don't fall on me like when I'm with Gale. There are looks, but it's mostly at Peeta, waving and greeting him as he passes by. They give me kind smiles and I find myself nodding to a lot of them as we continue past them and out of the Hob. 

"You have a a lot of friends," I murmur, not liking the awkward silence as we exit the crowded room. 

"Not really, just greeting the neighbors," Peeta says, looking back at me as we step outside. 

"Neighbors?" I ask softly and he chuckles as he turns back forward.

"You know, people who leave near you," He says. I'm silent and he looks back at me sympathetically, "Sorry, guess you don't have too many of them out in the Broken Woods." 

"No, not really," I say. "The closest human 'neighbor' I have is Gale, and he lives about two miles up river from me. Hestians, we don't live close to each other. We would rather not fight over our wood resources. So my real neighbors are families of squirrels  and the occasional  opossum running across the roof." Peeta stops and smirks. I stop a few feet behind him. 

"You know, you don't have to stalk me," He says. I look down and he takes a couple of steps towards me. "Look, I know that you probably aren't used to it, but I'm not scared of being seen with you. And you don't need to be scared of being seen either. It's been years since a Hestian incident and honestly, you don't seem the violent type." Looking up at him, I feel my fists clenching.

"Are you suggesting I can't defend myself just as well as you could?" I ask my fingers becoming warm with unspent flame. "That I couldn't turn you into a blonde barbeque brick with the smallest touch of my hand?" He smiles and pokes me in the forehead, making me glare at him.

"Oh, I know very well that you could, but seeing as you stopped your lovely friend who I can only assume is Gale from doing that exact thing, I doubt you are the kind to do it for fun, huh Katniss?" I glare at him and he turns around. I sigh and step up so I'm walking next to him. 

"You don't know me," I say and he scoffs.

"No?" He says. "You are a Hestian girl who I'm guessing also has a drop or two of Apollic blood given the hunting skill you clearly must have. You live an isolated life. You don't like being like that, but you don't necessarily like being looked at like an outcast when your here.  Am I missing anything?" I roll my eyes at him as we walk towards a small bakery, the one his family must own, meaning he must be one of the Mellark boys that I've heard so much about. 

The family who basically runs the little town and Gale has described as being someone to lothe. 

They but into anyone who they come across's business and seem to think they can fix everything. They are insufferably kind and they are not to be trusted. Peeta being one of them, well that only explains the outburst when he saw him talking to me yesterday.

"Yeah, you did," I say. "I like quiet and you chatter worse than a kingfisher." Peeta lets out a laugh that rings like bells in the air and stops at the door, swinging it open for me. An older man stands at the counter and smiles at us. 

"Peeta, you're back," He says. "Who is your friend here?" Peeta sets down my hide pack and holds out his hand to me. 

"This is Katniss, I met her at the Hob yesterday," He says. The man nods and chuckles. 

"The firebringer that got covered in yesterday's flour, yes," Peeta's father says and I shake my head. 

"It wasn't a big deal, sir," I say quietly. "It was both our faults.My father used to say my eyes would focus on something and my head swivels like an owl as long as it can. It tends to make me a little clumsy." He smiles and strats untying my pack as Peeta hoists it up on the shiny varnished counter. He admires the carefully cut meat and then looks at me. 

"What did you say you last name was dear?" He asks and I look at him.

"Everdeen," I say simply. "My last name is Everdeen, Sir." He nods and covers the meat back up. 

"It is well done," he says. "You were wise to bring this one here, Peeta. The Everdeens are well known for their skill and respect for the animals they bring down." He looks at me and smiles. "I assume you are related to Charles Everdeen?"

"He was my father," I say softly and he gives me a somber look.

"I was sorry to hear of his passing, but I'm glad to see his daughter inherited his talent," He says. "For this quality of meat, I'd like to pay you 5 five laurels a pound." My head glances at Peeta and then back at his father.

"That's nearly twice what I usually earn on a deer carcass at the meat market," I say and he smiles at me.

"Lucky for you, I understand the value of an Everdeen's work, young lady," he says. "Peeta, get her something to eat. I'll get your mother working on cutting this up for the meat pies we'll be selling and weighing it out." He grabs my meat and heads towards the back and Peeta turns to me. 

"No need to thank me, Lady Everdeen," He says and I give him a look. "A true gentleman does it out of the true kindness of his heart."

"You are on thin ice, my friend," I say. "But yes, thanks for saving my butt. This will really help my family." Peeta walks around me and to the other side of the counter.

"So what will it be, Katniss," He says. "Anything behind think counter can be yours." He winks at me and I roll my eyes. 

"Are you always so proud of yourself, Peeta Mellark?" I ask and he shrugs. 

"I don't find myself serving a lovely lady such as yourself everyday," He says and sit down on the edge of a stool. "Which means, you must not come around here near often enough. But don't you worry. I think I got something perfect for you." He reaches under the counter and pulls out a bread loaf, cutting into it and sliding it on a plate and over to me. It has red and yellow pieces in it along with little black speckles littered throughout the bread. 

"And just what is this?" I ask pointing at it and he smiles, slicing himself a piece.

"A pizza roll," He says. "Trust me, you'll like it. It's one of the best sellers here."

"Now why would I do that?" I ask.

"Do what?" He asks taking a bite of his food.

"Trust you?" I ask and he shrugs. 

"True, I haven't known you long enough to build that," Peeta says and I look up at him. "But why don't we use this as a chance and see if I start growing on you, eh?"

"What, like a wart?" I ask pulling the plate towards me and picking up the piece of roll.

"Well, whatever the case, this would be the first step towards at least trusting people in general," He says. "Because honestly, right now you are acting like the timid animal my mother is currently taking a cleaver to. Why is that? Because it is hunt or be hunted in your world. Now you've already proved yourself to be a hunter. So what could there possibly be to fear?" I look at him and take a bite of my meal, setting it back down on the plate, I chew and swallow the delicious food and lay my hand on the table.

"The bigger predator," I say. "There is always a bigger predator to fear. But you are right, this is delicious. Thank you." Peeta smiles and I continue to eat the meal he'd given me as he rummages around behind the counter. I keep my eyes on my plate, only looking up as Mr. Mellark comes back. He sets down a large sack of coins and I look at him. 

"Here, this should serve as your tender," he says, sliding it over to me. I open my mouth to protest, but then nod sliding the now empty plate to him.

"Thank you," I say, "For this and the lovely lunch I was served."

"Well, I can only hope that you will think to bless us with more of your trade next time you have some fresh meat and if you happen to have any spare coal, we'd be happy to take that off your hands as well," He says and I nod. 

"I will certainly keep that in mind," I say, getting up and picking up the coins. 

"Peeta, make sure she gets back to the forest without any trouble," He says, looking back at him and then to me. "Give my best to your mother, Katniss. She was a good friend a while back." 

"I will, Sir," I say softly and Peeta turns around. 

"You ready?" he asks, grabbing a bag from the counter. 

"I don't need a man to walk me home," I say and he smirks. 

"Oh, I know, Sparky," He says. "But still, I like to be a gentleman, and the gentlemanly thing to do, is walk a lady home." He rolls his eyes and smiles to himself. "Well halfway at least."

"Fine," I sigh, "Though in my opinion, a true gentleman would respect a lady's wishes." He walks around the counter to my side and opens the door for me. 

"Well, what can I say, Miss Everdeen?" He says. "I'm not perfect." I feel a small smile start to creep on my lips as we start the walk towards the Broken Woods. This time, he doesn't chatter my ear off, just walking calmly at my side. He still towers over me, but unlike when I walk next to Gale, there isn't a commanding, demanding presence next to me. 

Instead, he's just there. Just another person next to me and walking by my side. There is definitely a bit of a protective stance, but he isn't trying to hide me away in the shadows of the black fabric I wear. He waves to people and every once in awhile looks at me, as though seeing if I'm okay being out in the open. I have to say, despite the way Gale talks about the Mellark boys, he seems to treat me with genuine kindness. He's a giant flirt, but who am I to hold that against him. 

He grew up out here, in the open, free of persecution for his clan. Demets, they grow new life, nurture plants and turn them into the most wonderful things. They harvest and grind grain into usable food, grow vegetables for foods, herbs for the Apollic healers, just about any gift of the earth, they nurture and use to provide for the rest of us. Over half the food that people consume was once a Demet crop.

Walking up to the gate, Peeta turns to me and I look at him as we stop. "So, this is your stop huh?" I look up at him and sigh. 

"Yeah, which is good for you anyway,"  I say, "A forest of dead trees ain't exactly the kind of place that a Demet belongs anyway." I look down and sigh. 

"What?" He asks and I roll my eyes. 

"Thanks, for walking me home," I say softly. "It was very," I pause, choosing my words carefully. "nice of you. It is really hard for me to get through the village sometimes. And taking me to your father, thank you so much for helping me sell my deer. You could have just purchased from Sae and gotten a better price. This new opportunity, trading with your father instead of at the meat market, it's going to really help out my family."

"It's no trouble," Peeta says holding out the bag he had been carrying. "But hey, let me just say, if you ever want to come into town for more than trading, come find me. I'll show you what it is to walk outside the shadows." He turns and walks away and I look at the guard, handing him a golden laurel from my parcel and walk into the woods, opening the paper bag. I see an assortment of different sweets from the bakery inside and chuckle.  I look back, out of the forest watching as he walks away in the distance. My cheeks feel hot and I shake my head, turning back into the forest.

"What a sweet, stupid boy, " I murmur, disappearing into the canopy of the trees.