Fourth Painting: [Action/Voice]

[victorbychance]

[A new sign has gone up at the bakery.

The wood of the bakery’s new sign is slightly stained with leftover coffee, giving it a lovely rich brown color. With the shellac finish, it will be practically weatherproof. Such a luxury would have been expensive beyond belief back in District 12, even for a baker’s family.

The sign could be considered quaint, but falls short of being trite. The border is done with a fine brush in grass greens; a winding vine with yellow flowers. At the bottom, a pile of bread loaves. One is the sort of loaf 12 was famous for back home, a sort of drop biscuit. Another is the seeded loaf of District 11. Accompanying them are two cheese buns, as well as an assortment of cakes, cookies, and tarts, all of which are actually offered inside the bakery. It has a provincial look to it, natural and fresh, as if even on a rainy day one could find the sun and hot bread inside this building.

The word "BAKERY" is in the palest of blues, with a slightly darker blue shading the letters. He stands on a ladder to hang it up in front of the building, a look of intense concentration on his face.

Later, he puts a message out over the journals.]

Thanks to everyone who helped at the bakery while the Kin'corans were here. Actually, I could still use help now that they're gone. There are about three hundred people in the village, and lots of them like fresh bread. If you want work but don't have any experience, I don't mind teaching. I mean, even I started out washing dishes.

So who's up for it?

Comments

[ action ]

[nocorsetsplease]

[She thought it would be best if she visited the baker in person, having not met him before, but his broadcast certainly reminded her of something she and Buffy had talked about to some length.

Some time after his message, she walks to the bakery, smiling at the sign as she enters.]

[ action ]

[victorbychance]

[Peeta glances up from putting a sheet of tarts in the oven and dusts off his hands after closing the door.]

Hey! What can I do for you?

[ action ]

[nocorsetsplease]

Peeta, I presume?

[She smiles. The voice is the same as the one on the journals.]

I was hoping you could help me with something that I wish to commission for the beginning of October. I'm getting married, you see, and there will be need for cake.

[action]

[stillplaying]

[She had seen him work on the sign over the past few weeks. Bit by bit, it's slowly come together. The breads and pastries, looking every bit as appetizing as his actual creations. The way the letters stood out against the back and the pretty yellow flowers, so reminiscent of those dandelions from years ago. It's fitting. Of all the flowers to pick, little yellow ones.

Like dandelions.

It looks even better hanging above the bakery. Nicer than any of the signs back in Twelve. Nicer than any of the signs in the Capitol. Maybe she was biased. But it was the best sign she had ever seen.

And so, when she gets to the bakery that day, she spends her time outside the shop, admiring the way it looks. How it really makes this Peeta's bakery.

They might be trapped here. But seeing that is... almost worth it.]

[action]

[victorbychance]

Hey.

[Seeing her outside, he ventures toward her to wrap her in his arms and lean in for a kiss.]

[action]

[stillplaying]

[His voice startles her out of her reverie. If it were anyone else, her first inclination would be to go for her bow. But it's Peeta. She'd recognize his voice anywhere.

But what he does next still takes some getting used to. Being this affectionate in public, where anyone can see. It's reminiscent of the Games and everything in between, putting on that show for Snow. For the Capitol and all of Panem. But it's not, is it? It's for him, for them.

She's stiff just for a moment before she wraps her arm around his neck and meets his lips with her own.

For him. For herself.]

[ voice ]

[herotypical]

Peeta...

[ said as though a light-bulb just came on. that is, she'd spent since the mission being unable to remember his real name but now that she is seeing him back in this context, it all clicks into place. ]

[ voice ]

[victorbychance]

Yeah?

[ voice ]

[herotypical]

...That's your name. It's been escaping me for weeks.

written:

[shenevermisses]

I'm sending you someone to help you out.

Feel free to do your worst, Lover Boy. He deserves it.

written:

[victorbychance]

I owe you one.

written:

[shenevermisses]

Send him home alive and with sweets.

action

[deadalready]

[The fact that he even shows up shows exactly how whipped ....

actually it doesn't show anything else. He could just ditch the bakery and do something else for the rest of the day but this is actually the least irritating thing he could be doing.

Plus Clove might kill him.

Cato raps his knuckles against the frame of the door, looking as unenthusiastic as humanly possible without being catatonic.]

What do you need.

[It's not even close to a question.]

action

[victorbychance]

Great. Cato. [The smile appears completely genuine and only slightly carnivorous.] Here, I've got this for you.

[He tosses him an apron.] Put that on. It's the only other one I have, and you'll definitely want an apron.

action

[deadalready]

[Cato snatches the apron out of the air and looks from it....

to Peeta...

back to the apron.

And to Peeta again. He's utterly incredulous and he fists the checkered fabric in his hand while snarling without much venom.]

I am not wearing this.

( action. )

[happierdays]

[ Someone is getting a load of that sign and is... pretty taken with it! ]

It's so pretty!

action

[victorbychance]

[A somewhat shy smile as he finishes hanging up the sign.] Thanks. They taste better than they look, though.

[video]

[idealism]

Would we be allowed to put extra ingredients in the bread?

[video]

[victorbychance]

It really depends on what you have in mind.

[puubuu]

[A childlike voice can be heard through the journal...]

Oh, puu! We have a bakery? How did I not know about this before? [Beat.] What do you have at this bakery? Anything other than bread? Like, cakes or eclairs?

[victorbychance]

Well, of course. Cakes, tarts, pies, I'm even working on doughnuts.

[action!]

[folklorist]

[ The new sign is certainly a welcomed sight when Helios stops by the bakery today. He smiles as he goes in and looks around the place for something to munch on before going to the library. ]

[action]

[victorbychance]

Hey. [Peeta is putting the latest batch of doughnuts into the display.]

voice;

[gleamed]

[This is her CHANCE.]

I'd definitely like to help out at the bakery! DEFINITELY. Count me in.

voice;

[victorbychance]

That'd be great! When do you want to start?