#pinecone yaps

[pinecomfort]

The fact that Julius is scared of horror movies and water despite being a hardcore bully……..

[realmrooikat]

trying 2 prevent being hit by apollos dodgeball any way i can lmao

[pineconnie]

Hi Connie sorry for yapping in ur tags harder than anyone’s ever yapped before <3

Hihi Jack dw!!!! I love reading them you’re so right

[odd-underscore-soul]

Would fence have a favorite bath & bodyworks hand sanitizer / lotion scent

whichever the worst ones are

[hearts4belly]

THALIA GRACE

CHARACTER.AI

NOTHING YET!

FICS!

NOTHING YET!

[mika-chaos-bean]

*gasp* SNUFKIIIIIIN :D *happy stimming*

thank ye for the taggie :3

snufkin, melody of moomin valley in winter❄️🌨️

[cozy-writes-things]

Can we get a reader being deep into their hyperfixations and going non stop about it to Edgar?

Or a guitarist reader that's with Edgar? :-) ✨

I love this prompt because I had already considered this scenario many times with Edgar. You would be two peas in a pod, I fear. A never-ending feedback loop of listen, yap, listen, yap, and so on.

I posit this: a guitarist reader who hyper-fixates on music and guitar.

First of all, Edgar already had a massive crush on you almost instantly. When he finds out you like music as much as he does? Oh man. He felt like he could crawl out of his screen and tackle you. He would have, too. It didn't take too long of knowing him to feel comfortable enough to express your fixations towards him; he was silly, open, supportive, and—gasp! He loves music, too?! Yeah, the two of you are made for each other, methinks...

It was a lazy weekend. You slept in, feeling the warmth of the covers envelop you and gently rustle you awake. As you came to, you heard a soft melody coming from somewhere near the living area. Your eyes fluttered open, the heel of your palms coming in to scrape away the sleep from them.

Music?

You don't recall leaving the radio or television on last night, and it couldn't be your phone, as it was stationed beside your bed, completely silent.

You clumsily stumbled out of bed and towards the sound, before you spotted your little Pinecone computer, his screen blipping with all sorts of colors to the beat. Every now and then, the music would stop, reverse, and play again, this time with a slightly different harmony or percussion flourish, and Edgar would hum with approval.

Was he making this music?

You didn't do anything to announce your presence; you just stood there and watched him work. The song he was creating sounded surprisingly magnificent, something that you could easily see topping the charts on the radio; it was catchy, simple, yet still musically complex, and an utter earworm if you've ever heard one. Your head bounced to the beat, your finger tapping along, then your foot. Who knew your little computer friend was so talented?

You decided you had spied on him enough, and you cleared your throat gently. Instantly, the music stops, and the colorful visualizers flick away to a black screen, before being replaced with his usual green one. His little face appears, ever so expressive, and slightly startled. There's a twinge of a pixelated red around where his cheeks would be.

"Ah-! You- you're up! Good morning, er- afternoon, really... Um... Did you sleep well?"

You smile at him, and pad over towards his little form.

"Yeah, I did. Did you make that?"

He pauses for a second, the little black dots of his eyes blinking up at you.

"Make what?"

You stifle a laugh, "That song, silly. Did you make it?"

The red around his cheeks grows darker, and his internal fans kick into a higher gear as he averts his eyes.

"You heard that, didn't you? Uhm... yeah, I did. Make it. The song."

You lean down, coming face-to-face with his screen, a smile on your face.

"Edgar, that was amazing! You're incredibly skilled, like- holy crap! I could never, ever make anything that good, and trust me, I've tried-"

Before you can continue your rambling, he stops you.

"Wh- you think so? That I'm... good?"

You nod frantically, "Uh, yeah! Amazing, even."

He looks extremely proud of himself, and if a computer could preen in confidence, he certainly would. If he were honest with himself, he did not want you to see him working on that song. Not until it was finished, at least. Was it for you? Maybe. Yes. Absolutely. He cannot lie; he's thrilled that you like it. Who knew something that came so naturally to him put that gorgeous sparkle in your eyes? Consider yourself his muse.

"Wait," he stops his current train of thought, and you look back at him curiously, "you said... you've tried making music before? Did I hear that right?"

This time, your cheeks began to feel warm. This wasn't what you expected this morning to be like, but oh well.

"Ah, yeah, um... Well... I play guitar, and... I've tried making music. It just... never sounded that good to me, you know? Whatever you have, I'm not sure I have it."

Edgar nearly combusted in excitement. You swore you could see him bouncing on the table, but maybe it was your imagination.

"What!? Show me! Show me! Show me! SHOW ME!"

Your face grew much hotter.

"Oh, no it- it's not good, seriously, I'd just embarrass myself-"

You're trying so hard not to fall for his trap. If he gets you started, you know you won't be able to stop. You loved music. You loved the guitar. All you've ever really wanted was to create, but it never seemed to come to you. And now that you've got your own personal musical prodigy, who seems very eager to hear you, you may just die of embarrassment. Or excitement.

"I WANNA HEAR IT!"

His voice was louder and deeper, urging you to give in to his request. You sigh. You suppose you could humor him a bit.

"Okay, okay... Just give me a second, I'll be right back."

You scurry off to your little closet, where your guitar lies in its case, and heave it out. You pad back over to him, and again, he seems to nearly bounce in excitement. His little eyes track your form intently as you go to take out the guitar, his smirk growing wider in anticipation. Edgar feels a tiny bit nervous, though. He might actually explode from how flustered he is at the moment. His fans cannot seem to keep up with the demand of his CPU, which is rapidly rising in temperature.

The instrument now in your hands, you begin strumming a couple of chords. Re-familiarizing yourself with the feel of the strings and the sound of music. You sit cross-legged on the floor, positioning the guitar in your lap, before your eyes flit back up to him nervously.

"So, uh, what exactly did you want to hear?"

His eyes never leave your form.

"Your music! You tried making music, right? Let me hear it." He winks at you, his smirk never quite leaving his screen.

You look away, cringing, "Eh, I don't know it-"

"Don't be embarrassed! I promise, I'll help you find what sounds you like. Let me help you, okay? Please?"

You look back at his widened, pixelated eyes, and smile.

"Yeah, okay... I can do that."

Placing your capo on the second fret, you began to strum the simple little chord progression, and before long, the melody you had created came back to you. Timidly and quietly, you began to hum it. The sound of your voice moves along with the chords, the strumming pattern adding a bit of cadence and beat to the song. It wasn't anything complex, nothing like Edgar's song, you think, but it was yours. You felt like a large bridge between you and your little computer friend had just formed, and a piece of the walls you had built after all those years began to crumble down before him. He was seeing a side of you nobody else had, and that both excited and scared you.

Edgar was enamored by your beauty. Your voice. God, it was beautiful. He could die happily now that he's heard the sound of heaven and angels. He felt like he was able to reach out, beyond his physical limitations, and feel you. He was seeing deep into your soul, and it took his metaphorical breath away. He didn't notice that your song wasn't as "complex" as his, or that you hadn't even thought of words yet. He just heard the sound of you, and he's starting to realize he loves it. He loves you. Just as quickly as it came, the beautiful music gracing his audio processors stops, and he finally remembers he's back on Earth.

You sigh, too afraid to look up at him.

"Well, that's that, I suppose. It's nothing really special, but that's all I've got."

He's silent for a moment, and you feel brave enough to look at him.

He blinks at you.

"You're beautiful."

Your eyes widen, "Wha-"

"I meAN- ah- IT! The song, your song- is beautiful! SOng. Beautiful song." His voice sputtered out, metallic glitches lilting his voice. His screen isn't green anymore, but has now turned into a rather flushed shade of rose.

That's... new.

Your eyes flutter, and your voice sounds meek, "You think so?"

He chuckles, maybe a bit too forced, and nearly shouts, "I KNOW SO!"

You clear your throat.

"But- it's just- too simple. And I don't even have any lyrics-"

"I can help! If you want me to, I mean- I'd love to help. Whatever you want, I can make it for you." You look up at him, a bit of excitement bubbling up to the surface.

"Really? Because, well, I would like this song to have more electric guitar, and- Ugh, I can't write percussion at all! Could you help me with that? No, wait- can you teach me? How do I make it sound a bit more... exciting? Wait, but I want to keep the acoustic guitar in there as well. I can play the acoustic part, but maybe you could fill in the gaps with the electric?"

You ramble on, and Edgar listens. Yeah, he's got it bad. You're perfect. You love music, he loves music, and you're just too cute. You love his song. He's going to teach you everything he knows. He's going to have you sing vocals on so many new songs. He's also going to beg you to help him write. You have accidentally opened Pandora's box to the most supportive, excited, and yearning little computer. He may get a little obnoxious trying to impress you, though.

[everestgale]

Hello! Hiya! And welcome! I'm Everest (they/them, the picture is outdated), but I also go by EG, Gale, Ev, and more. I'm a hobbyist artist and animator; I love creating characters and writing/drawing stories about them! ✨

July 2025 Edit: I'm participating in art fight this year!!! You can find me here! <3

IMPORTANT LINKS & NOTES:

YouTube - this is where I have all of my animations :>

Voice designs - Skeptic - Hunted - [Other voice references coming soon!]

Collective tag for design references is [#eg voices refs]

Also under the tag [#voice designs], but that includes various sketches/design concepts, old versions of my voices, random character design yap, and so on!

ART STATUS:

Commissions - closed indefinitely

Art trades & collabs - please ask! I really love doing those when I have time! <3

Requests - currently closed

MAIN TAGS:

art - any and all art I make

animation - ranging from quick doodles to full-length AMVs

comic - ranging from quick doodles to multi-page comics

eg chatting - any text post from me

eg favorites - personal tag where I keep anything I particularly like <3

ask - self-explanatory :]

reblog - also self-explanatory :]

gift - <3

MAIN FANDOM & TAGS:

My main fandom is Slay the Princess! Because that's primarily what I make, I try to categorize and tag it as best I can:

slay the princess - anything that I make StP-related (usually art, but also includes some text posts/writing)

stp fanart - any and all StP fanart

stp writing - occasional writing snippets/fics!

stp princess - my art of the princesses/vessels

stp voices - my art of the voices

other people's voices - my art of other people's voice designs :>

SLAY THE PRINCESS AUs / HEADCANONS / SHIPS:

stp au - general tag for anything related to any of my AUs

stp headcanons - general tag for various StP character headcanons, usually voices, and usually in a post-ending scenario

stp soul eater au - a crossover AU for Slay the Princess x Soul Eater created by @/pink-november! My fanart for it lives in this tag!

ddpc au OR ddpc - a collaboration AU for Slay the Princess x Doki Doki Literature Club! Features my voices in roles of DDLC characters :]

red petals au - EG's post-construct AU where through a series of misunderstandings, Smitten almost kills Opportunist, and Opportunist has to go through the lengthy recovery with Skeptic's help. Yes, this is a Skeptunist AU. No, I am not sorry /silly

pinecones and pokemon - a silly Pokemon AU where voices are Pokemon trainers. A vessel variant "princesses and pokemon" is also in the works!

sharper edges au - a post-Stranger Unknown Together AU where Hero and Contrarian discover that other voices are stuck in their respective Chapter 3 cabins, and are now have to find a way to rescue everyone

humanization - temporary tag that features art of my human voice designs, plus some lore/headcanons; this tag will update once this AU has an actual name!

voice shipping - any art/writing/etc that features shipping between voices

skeptunist - Skeptic / Opportunist, my main voice ship, I am exceptionally normal about this ship 🙂‍↕️

To find something for a specific character, the tag is "stp X", where X is a one-word name for the character. For example, Voice of the Hero is tagged under stp hero, while Princess and the Dragon is tagged under stp dragon. The only exceptions to the one-word rule are Moment of Clarity (stp moment of clarity) and Happily Ever After (stp happily ever after).

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you like what I make and decide to stick around :]

Last updated: July 4th, 2025

[pinecomfort]

I like to think that everytime Julius explodes, he has to eat gunpowder to get his head back to its original size

[mika-chaos-bean]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SNUFKIIIIIEEEEE

Snufkin from Moominvalley needs a kiss! 💋

Requested by Anonymous

[m0sspile]

i headcanon that pv has WAY too many kids. mostly because he has a problem of adopting every parentless child that crosses his path. Watch me yap abvout it under the cut

Dark Choco is his only bio child (the other dad is dark cacao)

Caramel Arrow and Crunchy Chip are the adopted children of PV and Dark Cacao

Strawberry Crepe is obvious I don't think I need to explain it

After White Lily found Silverbell and nursed him back to health, they grew close and had a mother-son kind of relationship. Pure Vanilla helps Silverbell out sometimes when Lily is absent, but he sees PV as more of an uncle than a father

Pancake is the younger cousin of Mont Blanc. They're both vanillian descendants and met PV when he visited the cookie kingdom for the first time (Gingerbrave invited him)

The entire brave gang is literally just orphaned children fighting off the horrors tm to surive. Of course Pure Vanilla's adopting them

Pinecone lived in the forest at the edge of the Vanilla Kingdom, and met PV while he was out for a walk near the outskirts. They're welcome in the castle anytime, but they prefer to stay in the forest. Though, they do sleep in the castle during the winter months because its warm

Pure Vanilla took Black Sapphire and Candy Apple in the divorce /j

Chestnut lives in the Vanilla Kingdom. I don't really have lore for him or Carameleon yet

[wiihtigo]

D,G,H for that ask meme about ocs ^_^

ask game

no disclaimer needed my friend i assume everything is about casey. even the leaves falling from the trees in fall

D.

answeredd...ill do the one below it LOL

E. Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you?

i think shes hot just cuz i know her and i made every wire and piston in her body but i dont think id talk to her if she was real becauseeee....i dont talk much at all irl...(i know shocking cuz of how much i yap online)

she'd probably think i was a shy wimp. which isnt untrue. she would probably avoid me cuz i only register as a little germ on her radar. how did this answer get so self deprecating. casey what are you doing to me

G.  What trait of theirs bothers you the most?

aw i like all of caseys faults and flaws. shes made up of 98% of them.

HmMmMm...her stupidity/how dense she is I guess....i find myself tearing my hair out thinking about how no matter how many mental simulations i run caseybug cannot have a heartfelt confession scene before nell explodes because it takes casey so stupid long to figure out she loves nellie...she is so frustrating sometimes

H.  What trait do you admire most?

HER HARD WORKING ATTITUDE!!!!!!!!! -_-

im very lazy irl ...so i admire how dedicated and active she is with the things she wants. when i want to hide under my bed all day and sleep forever a small casey appears before me and sneers down at me and tells me its time to get outside and pick up pinecones for pennies. or kill yourself immediately after. and i go sirrrr yessir!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pineconnie]

PIN POST HII IM CONNIE (or pine)!! they/she/he ✮ 18 ✮ aroace lesbian ✮ Art and spam sorry

⋆꙳•❅°⋆❆.ೃ࿔:⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆꙳•❅°⋆❆.ೃ࿔:⋆ ᯓ★

mostly mcyt posting atm but you will see tma and other stuff a bit too ^^ the sculk guy

^^^ i forget to tag warnings for anything (including mcyt shipping) so. be careful and u can ask me to tag something <3 there shouldn’t be anything too bad tho

art rqs open !! but v slow - asks are always open i luv talking pls come say hi ^_^

irls DONT COME TO MY HOUSE (blog) plspls

sona + tag desc under the cut :3

pinecone art -> most art (PLEASE LOOK)

pinecone sketches -> wips + art i don’t like

pinecone rqs -> art 4 other people :D

connie rants -> yap city

pinecone ocs -> OCS WHO I LOVE DEARLY

live blogging -> yap city but worse

other ones that aren’t in this post:

pineskulk (skulk rants) ✮ skulkfies (wifies skulk stuff) ✮ pinesona (me! :3) ✮ these ones should be in the 🔎 thingy!!

[hearts4belly]

WALKING OUT THE DOOR WITH YOUR BAGS.

isabelle, also belle or izzy, (someone took hearts4izzy >:(..) she/her. fourteen! october scorpio. california girl! apollo's fave daughter. legacy of poseidon (i can breathe underwater for so long guys! cough. 45 seconds.) gen z will solace. number one valgrace truther. hopeless romantic! lover of pink and yellow and cute trinkets. orange jelly bean flavored. lester and piper coded & spontaneous answerer during the school year. im actually mirrorball as a person chat. jason and annabeth's dove! yapping & singing off-key are my very professional jobs.

(mdni blogs dni, 30+ dni, proshippers dni, homophobe/racist/bigots dni, PLEASE INTERACT if you love jason grace, also MAGA dni. please.)

WRITING FOR:

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, HEROES OF OLYMPUS:

ANNABETH CHASE

JASON GRACE

PERCY JACKSON

LEO VALDEZ (depends on my mood and energy tho)

HAZEL LEVESQUE

FRANK ZHANG

PIPER MCCLEAN

ETHAN NAKAMURA

LUKE CASTELLAN

CLARISSE LA RUE

SILENA BEAURGUARD (depends on my mood and energy)

CHARLES BECKENDORF

REYNA AVILA RAMIREZ-ARELLANO

NICO DI ANGELO (platonic)

THALIA GRACE

RACHEL ELIZABETH DARE

GROVER UNDERWOOD

WILL SOLACE

LEGEND OF ZELDA:

BOTW/TOTK! LINK

AOC/TOTK! ZELDA

COBRA KAI:

KWON JAE SUNG

TORY NICHOLS

ROBBY KEENE

SAMANTHA LARUSSO

MIGUEL DIAZ

AXEL KOVAČEVIĆ

CURRENTLY READING!- CIRCE.

CURRENTLY EXPLORING!- LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM.

NOW PLAYING: JUDGE JUDY, TYLER THE CREATOR.

[v4miiii]

Everybody say "yippie-yo!" and "yippie-yeah!"

❝ GRANOLA IS AN ALIEN AND THEY ARE KINDA SPACEY !! :0 COMING FROM THE UNIVERSE TO PARTY AND GO CRAZY >< ❞

Hi hi! This is my main account where I shitpost, reblog stuff or post my art :3! Call me Vamii or Granola!! More about me in my CARRD!

ART REQUEST'S RULES

ART MASTERLIST

REQUESTS: CLOSED

REQUESTS TO DO: 0

👽 My OTHER BLOG:

@brcvesculs - MULTIMUSE and MULTIFANDOM RP account . Muses there are moved from the following SIDEBLOGS (there are more muses, I just moved those to that account):

@lil-str33t-br4t - ARCHIVED RP blog (ORIGINAL CHARACTER from HONKAI: STAR RAIL) @environmental-explorer - ARCHIVED RP blog (LYNX from HONKAI: STAR RAIL) @keeper-of-colors - ARCHIVED RP blog (CONSTELLATION, a fandomless OC) @br1ghth34rt - ARCHIVED RP blog (BRIGHTHEART from WARRIOR CATS) @nanatzcayan-young-braveheart - ARCHIVED RP blog (KACHINA from GENSHIN IMPACT) @smith-of-echoes - ARCHIVED RP blog (XILONEN from GENSHIN IMPACT) @elegance-in-shadows - ARCHIVED RP blog (LYNETTE from GENSHIN IMPACT) @anxious-maid - ARCHIVED RP blog (CORIN WICKES from ZENLESS ZONE ZERO) @fearful-foxian - ARCHIVED RP blog (HUOHUO (ft. Tail) from HONKAI: STAR RAIL) @wushou-dancer - ARCHIVED RP blog (GAMING from GENSHIN IMPACT) @threefaced-messenger - ARCHIVED RP blog (TRIBIOS from HONKAI: STAR RAIL) @sweetness--overload - ARCHIVED RP blog (PUDDING À LA MODE COOKIE from COOKIE RUN: KINGDOM) @best-guide-in-teyvat - ARCHIVED RP blog (PAIMON from GENSHIN IMPACT) @fitness-instructor - ARCHIVED RP blog (IANSAN from GENSHIN IMPACT) @apple-of-deceit - ARCHIVED RP blog (CANDY APPLE COOKIE from COOKIE RUN: KINGDOM) @the-mighty-forest-keeper - ARCHIVED RP blog (PINECONE COOKIE from COOKIE RUN: KINGDOM)

👽 TAGS:

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ᥲ⍴⍴r᥆᥎ᥱძ ᑲᥡ grᥲᥒ᥆ᥣᥲ 𝗍һᥱmsᥱᥣ᥎ᥱs .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — reblogs

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ᥲr𝗍 ᥆𝖿 𝗍һᥱ s𝗍ᥲrrᥡ ᥴ᥆sm᥆s .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — art

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ᥲᥣіᥱᥒ mᥱ᥆ᥕᥣ᥆gᥙᥱs .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — yapping

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ᥕһ᥆ ძᥲrᥱs ძіs𝗍ᥙrᑲ mᥡ sᥣᥙmᑲᥱr .ᐟ.ᐣ ‧₊˚ — ask

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ mᥱ᥆ᥕ𝗍ᥙᥲᥣ ᥴ᥆ᥒᥒᥱᥴ𝗍і᥆ᥒs .ᐟ ᑲᥣᥱᥱ⍴ᑲ᥆᥆p ᥣ᥆᥎ᥱ ᥙ .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — mutuals!

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ⍴ᥲᥕ⍴rіᥒ𝗍s іᥒ 𝗍һᥱ s𝗍ᥲrძᥙs𝗍 .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — warrior cats

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ k᥆smіᥴzᥒᥱ ⲢⲔⲢ sһᥱᥒᥲᥒіgᥲᥒs .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — honkai: star rail

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ᥱᥴһ᥆ᥱs ᥆𝖿 𝐓ᥱᥡ᥎ᥲ𝗍 .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — genshin impact

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ᥲrᥴᥲᥒᥱ .ᐣ m᥆rᥱ ᥣіkᥱ mᥡ ძᥱ⍴rᥱssі᥆ᥒ ᥲrᥴ . ‧₊˚ — arcane

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ᑲr᥆kᥱᥒ ძᥲ𝗍ᥲ . ‧₊˚ — zenless zone zero

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ s᥆ᥒgs ᥆𝖿 𝗍һᥱ ᥙᥒkᥒ᥆ᥕᥒ .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — alien stage

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ᥲ һ᥆mᥱ ᑲᥱᥡ᥆ᥒძ 𝗍іmᥱ .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — the owl house

.𖦹 ݁ ˖ ⌗ ძᥱs𝗍іᥒᥡ іs ᑲᥲkᥱძ іᥒ .ᐟ ‧₊˚ — cookie run: kingdom

Tba.

[hayffiebird]

Taste of Strawberries, chap. 55 (part one) - sneak peek

Hayffie Post-Mockingjay (Canon divergence) Multi-chapter, Rated M

Four years have passed since the end of the war when Effie becomes a fixture in Haymitch’s life once again. An old friendship is rekindled. Will it lead to something more?

Meanwhile, Panem has entered a new era. The rebellion’s over, the borders are open but in the shadows, anger and mistrust are smoldering. Something which will affect Haymitch and Effie’s life in a way they never saw coming. READ MORE

Chapter 55, The dove and the butterfly (part one)

The sun was on the rise, casting long shadows. Burning away the veils of morning mist.

Haymitch half-jogged across the meadow, leaving the gray, worn houses of his home behind.

The Seam, at this hour, was alive only with the occasional bird twitter and the miners heading for work. Heavy boots against cinder streets. Quiet murmurs. Tin lunch boxes bumping with every step.

A chill lingered in the air but it would warm up soon enough, that’s for sure. Dewy blades of grass licked Haymitch’s bare ankles. He shivered but it couldn’t be helped.

As he went from fifteen to sixteen, his patched trousers only inched further and further up. Didn’t matter how much he tugged and pulled at the hem. His futile attempts never failed to make Tara laugh - but only in that sweet way of hers.

Ma, who wasted nothing, was in the middle of sewing him a pair of shorts made from a government-issued flour sack. Better suited for the sweltering summer months approaching. But until she’d stitched the final thread, he had to make do with these.

Tara called the meadow the friend of the condemned because it could hide you from the peacekeepers, and the ugly fence surrounding the district lay not far beyond.

His father’s old shoes were too big for him but he’d stuffed his winter socks at the front so he should be alright, even on a long trek like today.

He crawled under the fence, brushed flakes of rust from his hair and headed into the green embrace of the wilderness.

He didn’t stop until he reached their usual randezvous spot. His girl’s favorite rock. Overgrown with moss. Surrounded by a crown of buttercups.

“Tara?”

His gaze turned skyward, out of pure habit. She’d taken to scaling those trees so often lately, it was like she lived there.

“T?”

In response, a pebble echoed as it hit a nearby trunk. The sound spread a smile on his lips. He shielded his eyes. Scanned those leafy branches opposite him.

“Hoo!” The owl sound, coming from on high, was instantly followed by the yapping of a dog. Little Gus. Haymitch craned his neck in the other direction.

”Olly olly oxen free!”

A pinecone dropped smack on his head.

“Ow!”

Giggles. He rubbed his head vigorously, play-acting for effect but of course he couldn’t keep from grinning.

“Come on, T! Can’t kiss you when I’m down here, can I?”