(no subject)

[ourshinycity]

It was sunset.

Peeta had been up since before dawn and yet here he was, standing on the beach as the sunset against the water. He had an easel set up in front of him, a collection of paints next to him in the sand. There was a thoughtful expression on his face as he considered the scene in front of him. His fingers were covered in a mix of flour and paint, but he paid no attention to it. Tucking his paintbrush behind his ear, he dabbed an index finger into the paint and sketched a muddled line across the canvas, adding to the half-started scene that was already there.

He took a step back, considering his work. There was something missing even if he couldn't place his finger on what. Sighing softly he ran a hand absently through his hair, leaving faint streaks of blue behind as he looked around. Spotting someone else on the beach, he smiled and raised his hand in greeting.

"Enjoying the sunset?"

Comments

[notverywise]

"It's alright," Jenny says, lifting one shoulder in an easy shrug. There's a monotony to island life that she never has been and never will be fond of, much harder not to dwell on now that the exoticness of the place has worn off, but she's learning, at least, not to complain too much about that. It could be worse. Maybe she's just getting her due, unable now to have either the kind of life she wanted or the one she knew she needed to have. "It could always be worse, couldn't it?"

[ourshinycity]

It was nonthreatening monotony. Peeta could understand how people could dislike the way that the days had a way of blending in with one another, he wasn't one of them. There was something nice about not having to worry about survival. About how things were less bleak here. He could appreciate it.

Laughing he nodded, trying to not think about how right Jenny was with such a simple statement. He knew how much worse it could be, but there was no need to say anything. "Yeah. It really could be."

[notverywise]

All things considered, Jenny is well aware that her situation isn't nearly as bad as it could have been, either here or back home. That doesn't make any of it ideal, of course, but she can still acknowledge that she got off relatively easy. Her parents remained supportive, she wasn't pregnant; for a girl in her position, those are both fairly significant. She ought to be grateful. Now, she just has to try to remind herself of that.

"Not that I'd have chosen to be here if given half the chance," she adds, "but it does have its good points."

[ourshinycity]

"I don't think many people would have, but you're right. It does."

There was an easy smile on his face as he thought about this. Peeta still wasn't certain that he would have picked this turn in his life, but he was certain it was better than the alternative. What Katniss had told him said that the road ahead was dark and dangerous back in Panem. This might be boring, but at least no one was dying.

"I think that's why people take up weird hobbies around here."