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Later that afternoon, Katniss meets with Peeta. They get lunch at the Canteen, but it's tense, with far fewer people there as the work crews are still out in the forests, and the threat of the soldiers nearby. They sleep in the Victor's Village, as she's seen, but they only sleep in shifts, so there's always at least a dozen or so posted up, waiting and watching.
"The mayor wants to meet with all of us, even Plutarch, and Johanna," Peeta says, sitting down with his food. He looks tired, as if the meeting that morning took more out of him than expected.
"She won't come," Katniss says.
"What?"
Katniss shrugs. "Told me she's done. Wouldn't even get out of bed this morning." Katniss realizes that now that Johanna is not coming to the meetings, her promise to die trying for a better life for District 7 was what… bluster? Katniss can't comprehend Johanna's change in attitude, but she knows that one of the reasons she's so angry is because Johanna had acted as if she was so much better, so dedicated and unbothered by changes in regime. The end of the war did not mean the end of her fight. But one setback… did? Katniss cannot follow her logic, and most frustratingly, for someone who claimed not to quit, she seemed to give up quite easily. This whole time, Katniss had been holding herself up against Johanna, comparing herself, making sure she was working just as hard, and now… what?
Peeta looks disappointed, but seems to accept this. "Then we'll have to go on without her, I guess. She's probably angry at us right now."
Katniss's mouth is full, but she swallows down the food to protest. "At us? This was Plutarch! He double crossed us."
Peeta glances at her as if to say, 'that's just semantics'. "We're all here together as representatives of the Capitol. If one of us is a betrayer, we all are, to the people of District 7," he says. "And Jo has been fucked over by the Capitol more than most people. I imagine she's feeling pretty burned."
Katniss forgets sometimes how different Peeta is from herself. How his baseline empathy seems so much higher, and then there was the other thing, his time in that Capitol prison, that she will never understand, not really. She had just assumed he would feel the same way that she did — that Johanna was being unreasonable — and hadn't prepared for another possibility. But something in what he says rubs her the wrong way. "But this isn't the same Capitol," she argues. Because how can it be? Is he saying that them, as representatives of Paylor, are the same as Snow?
"Of course not!" he says, putting his hand over hers, calming her before she has a chance to really let herself get angry. "But the Capitol will always have more power than the common people. This new government was meant to show that the people working together could fight for changes they needed, and well, we're not really showing that."
She knows this. Of course, she knows this. She knows what she fought for as the Mockingjay. But it's horrible to realize that somehow, she fell into a trap of what? Complacency? Indifference? The pain and grief she suffered at the end of the war made her look away from the government and the state of things in Panem and when she looked back, she just wanted so badly to trust and believe that it was over, that things would be better for everyone, or else what was it all for? Why was Prim dead? Why was she alone but for Peeta, why did she have all her scars?
She exhales slowly, trying to stay calm, but she can't. Because between seeing Johanna and what Peeta is saying now, she realizes the truth: she has to go in completely on helping District 7 win against the Capitol, the government that she herself put in power.
She leaves the cafeteria, leaning against the wooden building, gulping in lungfuls of air. She was done. She was finished. She had a life in District 12, and even if it was a quiet and simple life, didn't she deserve that, after two Hunger Games, after fighting in actual battles, after murder? But she can feel it, that nagging feeling in her throat, her chest, deep in her gut. Telling her what must be done, whether she likes it or not. An impetus dragging her along. There were people suffering, relying on her for salvation, so how could she walk away?
Distantly, she wonders if her deal with Paylor will still be honored after all of this: if she will be left alone once this is resolved, one way or another. Perhaps instead, she'll be thrown in jail for treason. She laughs, and it's a broken sound. At least that way, she reasons, no one will bother her.
Peeta doesn't come after her right away, and she realizes he was probably a minute or two behind, settling the bill and clearing the table of the dirty dishes. She considers waiting, but she feels restless and uneasy. She doesn't want to avoid him, exactly, but he was the one who made her feel this way, so she just moves away from him on instinct more than anything. She hates this, feeling out of control, but she doesn't know how to control it. She only knows a few buildings in town: the hotel, the town hall, the tavern. She chooses the tavern, because it's dark, and she thinks she can settle herself there.
The bartender recognizes her, and pours her a cider without her asking. She takes this as a positive sign, at least. Peeta had indicated that if Plutarch was the betrayer, they were all the betrayers, but this woman was still serving her. She puts her money on the counter and turns to find an empty table. Similar to the Canteen, the tavern is plenty empty mid-afternoon since there's men back at work, but she sees Haymitch in the corner, and without meaning to, she walks over to him. It feels familiar now, to sit in the tavern with him, and she doesn't know if this is a good thing or not.
He looks more settled than he did this morning, and she realizes that he's again drunk. That he looked far worse sober than he does a few drinks in. It's far closer to how they first met than the composed man he was in District 13, when he was coaching her through the rebellion. It makes her feel a sadness she can't quite place, both from nostalgia and the fact that she doesn't think she'll ever quite understand what is plaguing him so.
Her fingers are tapping on the table, and she isn't sure what to do. She thinks she might scream or punch someone if she can't calm down. It's been so long since she let herself get this worked up, a year of porch-sitting, after a month of morphling daze. Quashing any rage or injustice down, compartmentalizing her grief, turning away from the national news. It's all bubbling to the surface and she doesn't know how to deal with it. "I want to help the workers get their way," she says.
He raises his eyebrows, but doesn't speak right away. "You… want to fight against the Capitol?" he asks, his voice quiet.
She feels her face contort into something that feels to her like a painful expression. "I don't know," she says. She wants him to tell her where to go and what to do. She wants to be handed a script. She wants Johanna to come back with a new plan, and Katniss can just enact that. "I mean, I wish it can be beneficial for both sides, but it's most important that the workers don't get forced into anything."
Haymitch looks at her, really looks, as if he's trying to determine the cause of her change of heart. "You won't have Jo to rally the people," he says. "Or Plutarch to make plans or propos," he says.
She nods. "I know." She pushes her hair back, trying to think. "But I think we do need Plutarch."
Haymitch sips his drink and looks at her, curious.
"Paylor might not like him, but she obviously trusts him. She took his word over Peeta's. If we can get him to talk to her, to say 'we will resolve this in 48 hours, no more troops in, and pull the existing troops out', something like that, she'll listen to him."
Haymitch considers this. He obviously is a functional drunk, as much as Katniss resents his inebriation. "I agree. And for the next 2 days, we have some leeway. The soldiers won't shoot, I don't think," he says. "As far as I can surmise, that was part of Plutarch's deal. They can come here and intimidate and wave their guns around, but they can't shoot anyone."
Katniss is hesitant to test this theory, but it does give her hope. If the workers can continue their strike without worry of being shot at, that makes things a lot easier.
That evening, they find Plutarch and bring him to the town hall along with Peeta, Mayellen, Hudson, and Acer. It's late, after sundown, and Hudson and Acer look exhausted from a day of working in the forest and in the mills, respectively. Mayellen has bags under her eyes and Katniss wonders where she's been. Probably all over, making sure the people of her District are safe.
They explain the plan to everyone, and Plutarch agrees to make the call. "In front of me," Peeta says, "So there's no funny business."
"So it's a 48 hour ultimatum," Acer surmises. "If it's not resolved, then what? They can bring in more troops?"
"It will be resolved," Katniss insists. She explains the other part, about continuing the strike, about hammering out the regulations for education, for the payment of loggers, and delivering inspectors at the end of the 48 hours so they can resume work. She asks Plutarch to clarify if the soldiers really can't shoot anyone.
"It's true," he says. He looks weary, his hair sticking up a bit, and his normally crisp suit a little wrinkled. "But do be careful, they might still try other things — whipping or another kind of beating."
"What did Jo say?" Hudson asks.
Katniss pauses, but it's Haymitch who answers. "She wasn't feeling well, just as you thought. But she said we should keep going."
Katniss nearly chokes on this bold-faced lie, but she holds it back. Hudson smiles, however, satisfied. "Sounds like her," he says. "Alright, I will tell my crew we're sitting out tomorrow. And hopefully, in two days' time, this will all be over."
The next day, the square is again filled with people, men and women who would normally be in the forests or at the mills loitering about during the work day. But instead of when they had just arrived, and there were a few people here and a few there, this was far more organized, with several dozen up on the train platform and around the lumber the residents were holding ransom, and a couple hundred in a semi-circle in the square, facing the town hall. They were chatting, some sipping coffee from a thermos and many smoking cigarettes, but the overall tone feels serious to Katniss, as she circles around to meet with the mayor.
Mayellen herself is in her office, but she is dashing back and forth, checking on this and that and straightening her hair, which today is down instead of in the plait down her back. She greets Katniss with a tense smile. "Want to say a few words?" she asks.
Does she? What did Katniss have to say to the people of District 7? Johanna ought to be here, she thinks, as the one who got them this far, but Katniss had not seen her since the previous morning when she went by her house. She feels like the mayor is encouraging her to, so she nods. "Sure, though I don't have anything prepared."
Mayellen laughs, and it is clipped, nervous. "You think I do? We're no good at speaking up here," she says. "We barely made it through school. I'm sure anything the Mockingjay says will be far better than what we're used to."
She exits the town hall onto the wooden porch elevated a few feet above ground level, and the crowd quiets. "Good morning, everyone. Thank you for continuing to fight for better conditions in District 7. We are in the home stretch. Right now, our negotiators from the Capitol are finishing a deal to secure us safer conditions, allow our children to stay in school longer, and get our loggers better pay. They've already gotten us Healers to train our citizens, and crates of safety equipment. Let's hear from Katniss Everdeen now."
There's a smattering of applause and Katniss moves to the front. She sees soldiers flanking the crowd, their rifles in their hands as always. They seem content to wait and watch for now, at least. "Thank you," she says. She is curious what they see when they look at her: a liberator who didn't quite liberate them? A murderer who was actually insane? Or just a teenager in over her head? Right now, she supposes they probably just see her as someone they need to play nice with to get what they want from the Capitol.
"I'm sorry that our negotiations have taken longer than expected and have grown more complicated than we anticipated. When we arrived, I didn't understand enough about District 7 and I acted rashly and I spoke rashly as well, and I apologize. I want you to know that I am doing everything I can to meet all of your demands, because they are reasonable and attainable, and meeting them will help you with your work, and all of Panem with rebuilding after the war. I want to thank the mayor, Hudson, Acer, and Johanna for working with us to make these deals, and for everyone who has accommodated us since we've arrived."
There is more applause, and Katniss steps back again, letting the mayor again take over. And it continues in much the same way all day, with various speakers coming to the front to speak or lead chants, people passing food around, and overall a rather peaceful protest lingering until sundown.
While the protest was going on, Plutarch and Peeta had made arrangements for the final train: the inspectors, the actual transfer of the first shipment of lumber, and the departure of the soldiers. The laws the inspectors would be enforcing was discussed in great depth as well. Katniss knew she would be terrible at such minutiae, and therefore was grateful Peeta took the lead at this. It's late, after sundown, and they're getting dinner at the Canteen when she hears commotion from the square.
She runs out to investigate and sees a soldier beating one of the District 7 men with a club, until he's limp and bleeding in the street. The soldier turns around, club raised. "Anyone else want a go?" he asks.
There are a few men with their hands on their axes, considering taking them towards the soldier, but then there's a second soldier, and a third. Before Katniss knows it, there's a whole group of men with axes lining up against a group of soldiers, some of which have their rifles.
And then Johanna is there. Katniss thinks it must be her. No one else she knows is so bold as to stand before the soldiers with her arms cast wide. "Forget it, it's not worth it," she says, to the men behind her. "This will all be over tomorrow night."
"Get him to one of the Healers," one of the men says, pulling the beaten man up off the pavement.
The soldiers stare Johanna and the remaining men down for a few more seconds before walking off themselves. She turns away, watching to make sure that the man is helped away, before she makes eye contact with Katniss. Katniss doesn't know what to say. She hadn't expected Johanna to arrive. She had written Johanna out of this entire plan. She walks closer, trying to avoid the bloody spot in the square that reminds her far too much of the beatings that used to take place in District 12.
It only serves to remind her why she's doing this. Because they can't go back. "You're here," she says, once Johanna is within earshot.
Johanna shrugs. "Heard you started a big thing," she says. "Same as ever," she adds, with a hint of a smile.
"Had to see it for yourself?" Katniss asks. It feels odd to joke around after they just witnessed such violence, but Johanna looks like it's not usual, like it's something they can just brush off and move past. It unsettles her.
"Well, it's better than sitting at home and listening to those soldiers talk about their bullshit or beg me for free cigarettes."
Before Katniss can say anything more, Hudson approaches them, wrapping his arm around Johanna's shoulders. "Hey! Feeling better?"
She shrugs. "Better than Cyprus."
"Well come on, have a drink. And come say a few words."
She rolls her eyes but walks away with him, taking a beer from another man in the crowd. The people gathered are nervous now that the soldiers have exhibited force, but no one has dissipated, most lingering around to see what happens next. Johanna takes a swig of the beer and moves towards the stage. Katniss sees Haymitch standing near the tavern door and moves towards him, feeling awkward standing alone in the middle of the square.
"She should have stayed home," Haymitch says, shaking his head.
Katniss can't understand what he means, but she's forced to turn away as Johanna stands up on the porch in front of the town hall, her head just visible above the gathered crowd. "We're go close!" she says, holding her beer up in a rallying gesture. "Just one more day, and things are going to be different here, like they always should have been."
There's loud applause, and several cheers. Once it quiets, she continues. "I know it's hard, but we need to stay calm. For one more day, if we're provoked, we cannot retaliate. We have a valuable resource to the rest of Panem, and we are happy to trade as long as we are treated well. But to get this deal to go through, they need to understand we mean no harm." Her voice quiets, and she takes one more sip of the beer. "I don't cut down these trees. I don't work in the mills. I don't know how hard it's been for everyone. But I've been asked to lead this strike, so I will see this through."
"I love you, Jo!" Katniss hears Poppy cheer through the crowd, and Johanna blushes.
"You don't have to love me, but let's get through tomorrow. For tonight… let's have a drink!"
Haymitch sighs and takes a sip of his own drink in turn.
"What do you mean?" Katniss asks him, now that Johanna is done speaking, and the people have gone back to drinking and socializing. "She's obviously popular."
"I know," Haymitch says. "That's the problem. The soldiers here are getting restless, with nothing to do, and they know soon enough they'll be sent home. They're used to war, chaos, being able to make people bend to their will. She's just putting a target on her back."
Katniss glances around to where there's a few men with rifles, still circling around the square. The residents are doing a good job of ignoring them, but it's impossible to forget their presence entirely. She hadn't really considered the possibility that they would act before tomorrow evening, but she thinks that was possibly naive. Haymitch has more experience with the Capitol, with the Peacekeepers showing force in the districts, and probably, with the worst possible scenario.
Eventually, the night winds down and she retires to her hotel room, hoping that the next day will bring the end to this conflict, as peacefully as it began.