brdeverdeen

[brdeverdeen]

Maysilee was the last person he expected to be knocking on his door. They hadn't talked much since she'd first come back and lost her temper at him. Looking back, he couldn't much blame her when he'd come poking around so shortly after she'd returned from her own Games. And then she and Lenore Dove had found their way to each other after everything.

It was a shame, really, that they weren't closer. Lenore Dove was family.

“Uh...Hey, there, Maysilee.” He'd been about ready to step out. “Me?” Burdock pointed to himself, half-expecting his wife to be standing over his shoulder. Surely she was talking to Asterid, right? But Asterid was out, tending to a family down the road a ways and he was here. Sunday, the only day he had off from work.

His gaze fell to the blanket she'd given him and his hand brushed over the fabric, over the stitches, and he smiled. “This is nice. Thanks.” He almost asked her if she made it herself. Considered putting it in the empty crib, waiting for a baby, in the bedroom. The stitching was nice. But then Maysilee continued and he paused.

That rainbow fabric. A bit of it hung out on the Everdeens' clothes line now. It'd become badly discolored after he'd been wearing it to cover his face in the mines the last few years. After a moment, he stepped out of the doorway.

“Come on in.” Burdock gestured for Maysilee to take a seat at the wood table nearby and set the blanket on the back of a nearby chair. “Can I get you somethin'? Water? Some tea?” He stood next to the table a moment before answering her question.

“The fabric...” he hesitated to say, though he's not sure why. It wasn't a common question. No one bothered either of them enough to care, no one knew. He takes a seat, too.

“It's somethin' kept in the family.” The Covey side. It went without saying, really. He shrugged. “Doubt you'll find it much of anywhere, really. It's old.” His brow raised. Why not ask Lenore Dove about it? “And there ain't that much of it. Not a lot to turn into anything, really.” The bits of Lucy Gray's skirt that remained were often turned into smaller keepsakes, though the cousins knew of it's importance to the family. He'd been using his bit for years.

As If Death Itself Was Undone | plotted starter with @brdeverdeen

Maysilee Donner hadn't had time to change out of her typical Capitol fare; she'd come straight to Burdock's door the second she arrived back in District 12. Her head was already spinning, what with the blood of two more dead tributes on her hands, but she needed to set the record straight. She sort of owed Burdock, anyway -- his cousin had died three or so years ago thanks to her. If the Capitol had any information on this past Victor, a Covey girl, she wanted to give it to him. And maybe she wanted to learn a little more in return.

Maysilee held the neatly folded blanket in her arms, a tight smile on her lips. Technically, she hadn't needed to stay in the Capitol for the entire duration of the Games when her tributes had died within the first three days, but her hunt for knowledge about the mysterious Victor had kept her going. The fabrics there were better, anyway, and she figured a blanket would've been a nice peace offering. Maysilee had no idea if he hated her or not, but she wouldn't blame him if he did.

"Can I talk to you for a second? I promise I won't take up too much of your time."

Maysilee handed the blanket to Burdock after the door swung open. Her neat handiwork and careful stitching presented itself in each fine detail, yet the fabric would've actually helped during the winter. Though she wanted to ask every question on her mind, she was no Caesar Flickerman - thankfully. Small talk might not have been Maysilee's favorite thing in the world, but hopefully, she could drop a few hints as to what she wanted to actually talk about.

"I was going to make Lenore Dove something out of that rainbow fabric she loves so much, too, but I couldn't find anything remotely resembling it in the Capitol. Does it come from Eight, or...?"

[brdeverdeen]

9/19/23 - Lake in Northern VA

[brdeverdeen]

Still thinking about picking Katniss as a name:

I like to think that a young Burdie brought some plants and game he'd found by the lake back to his Covey cousins and, when Burdie called some of them swamp potatoes, Clerk Carmine said he always liked calling them katniss because it had "a nice ring to it" because of what Lucy Gray said to him all those years ago.

[brdeverdeen]

WHY THEY CAME. WHY THEY WON’T EVER REALLY GO AWAY

Stay Alive: Katniss Everdeen Mellark. 1/4

[brdeverdeen]

When I think of the "as long as you can find yourself" moment I always remember it as something serious but Katniss remembers her dad saying it jokingly and now all I can think of is Burdie naming her that so that he could make a dad joke.

[brdeverdeen]

“You been doin' this a while then?” He must've missed it. Life had been a whirlwind since the pair's return. He and Katniss spent most of their time in the woods, even if their was no hunting involved. There they could sit in silence or, given none of the Everdeens seemed to trust the walls of their new home, they could talk. Small and slow, all at her pace.

Peeta seemed to have his own way of keeping busy and Burdie couldn't help but feel grateful. Someone had picked up his slack, even if he hadn't known it.

“I got a few in mind for my own.” He pats the fabric bag at his hip. People often showed up at the Everdeens' door in search of medicine or advice from Asterid, while Burdie was sure they were looking for him. He'd been delivering any extra food for years. Anything that didn't need to be sold or traded or eaten themselves was excess and there was no use in holding onto it when families were starving.

“C'mon then, let's make the rounds.” He nodded down the road. “Your winnin's are helpin' out, but it still ain't enough for some.” The train from the Capitol only came once a month. Offering food for a year for having a victor, two in this case, felt more like a taunt than anything else. Given Twelve's largest workforce came from the mines, and the workers were paid poor wages and only in Scrip, which only worked at the Capitol owned shops. A square of gauze for an animal attack.

“The Truslows ain't far from here. Then I gotta couple more in mind.” Burdie moves forward with a slight limp in his step. He'd never let his old prosthetic slow him down though. Next to him, Burdock finally manages to get a look at Peeta, taller than him already.

He looked less than pleased by Peeta's words about his family, lips pressing into a thin line once more as he spoke. Couldn't imagine choosing to see his daughters less, let alone Katniss with all she was going through.

“Huh.” Burdie falls silent to think, considers calling out the boy's family right to his face, but decides against it. Instead he opts for something entirely different. “Suppose that means the Everdeen and Mellark family dinner ain't happenin' then?” There's a bit of a bite to the words, a raised brow that challenges Peeta to say something back. But then he breaks and Burdie smiles, chuckling to himself, pleased with his little joke.

With a sigh, he adds: “That's a shame.” And makes no move to clarify what he means by that.

The chill was in the air, even though the heat of summer still clung to the fall temperatures. The lump in Peeta's throat tightened, threatening to suffocate him. It was hard enough that Katniss didn't want to talk to him, hard enough that those he'd call friends decidedly kept their distance unable to grasp the weight of the arena, hard enough that his own mother would make snide comments about his very survival while his father and brothers sat idly by unable to face her. He didn't know the Everdeens well, but something ached that even Burdock was on the list of people who also couldn't stand him. Then again, how could he be upset? Peeta's survival was now attached to his own, and his family. Just another reason why there shouldn't be a second place winner in the Hunger Games.

The twitch of Burdock's shoulders sinking, the slight way in which his face softened at the sight of bread was enough though. Enough to make the knot ease from Peeta's throat and sink somewhere uncomfortable in the pit of his stomach. Peeta kept the pleasant smile to his lips even if Mr. Everdeen didn't match it. No need to antagonize the man if he could help it. Peeta gave a slight shrug. "Seems like the least I could do." he explained, stepping up next to him.

Peeta looked out on the winding road. He'd done it a few times now, venturing in as far as he had loaves before turning back and heading to the bakery. It dawned on him that Burdock might know who would have the greater need, and his presence in the Seam was a welcomed sight. It might have been better to just give the hunter the bag of bread and let him make the rounds instead, but selfishly, Peeta wanted to do it. It made him feel useful, it gave him a reason to leave the house instead of wallowing as the shadows of his nightmares drew in.

"Just getting started actually, you know anyone who could really use some?" Peeta glanced down at the bag. The same easy loaves full of nuts and berries. The same kind he had burned for Katniss when Burdock's injuries laid him up and they were on the brink of starvation.

Another sting hit Peeta's insides. Burdock's question was easy, but the jab of it didn't sting any less. No one came to visit him. Certainly not his family. The ache of loneliness, the facing of nightmares and darkness all by oneself. It made him understand Haymitch's need for white liquor a bit better.

"They have to run the bakery, not enough hours in the day to come all the way to Victor's Village and then back home to stock the store." Peeta explained nonchalantly, tactfully keeping his smile in place, as if the fact was pragmatic and understandable and not eating away at him. "After I make the rounds though I head to their place, I keep a spare loaf for them, we have dinner, then I head back home, start again the next day."

[brdeverdeen]

Sir, that’s my emotional support unrealistic romantic delusion

[brdeverdeen]

i just want to keep making burdie shorter that way when katniss brings her boyfriend(s) home it's like this

[brdeverdeen]

There was hardly a question as to whether or not the Everdeens would move to the Victor's Village with Katniss. They'd wanted to be close after the Games ended and it had worked out for the best. It gave him the ability to rush to his daughter's side when she woke from nightmares, let him hold her until she fell asleep again.

Today was a rarity. She'd managed to drift back to sleep and, after much wrestling, Burdie'd decided to go hunting. He tried his best to keep the Seam fed and now it seemed that his family had more food and money than any of them knew what to do with. He'd kissed his sleeping girls and headed out to beat the sun.

He moved slower since the mining accident, but he still did well. Rabbits were tied to a rope worn around his chest, kept in place by their back feet with precisely tied knots.

As he came back through the fence, his gaze landed on the blond man not far off from where he was. The boy stuck out in a sea of dark hair. He hadn't spoken to Peeta since Reaping Day and he still couldn't explain why he'd gone to see him after visiting Katniss. Guilt, perhaps, for hoping, deep, deep down, that this was the child District Twelve would lose.

Instead they both came back. Peeta had told him that he'd make sure his daughter came back and Burdie hadn't known what to do but hug him in that moment.

He'd kept his promise and, for that, he tried to be grateful as Peeta approaches him.

Burdock can't manage to return the smile and instead continues to stare, taking the young Mellark boy in. He looks like his father, in stature anyway and he thinks of the story told to Katniss in a cave, about Otho and Asterid and him. What an odd thing for a parent to tell a child.

He's undecided on how to respond, until his eyes drop to the bundle of loaves in the baker's own bag. Fresh bread had been a rarity in the seam, even when things were better, back when he was the same age as the boy in front of him.

His shoulders relax, face softens, but only slightly.

“Good season, really.” It was true enough. Easy conversation to navigate. The game seemed to flourish and they'd had a good amount of snow last winter, ensuring that the woods around Twelve were greener and plants grew bigger and faster.

“Looks like you and me had the same idea.”

He nods towards the bread and feels guilt bubbling at his brief coldness. The boy in front of him is just that...a boy. A child. One, surely, going through the same things his daughter was. “You know where you're goin' or you need help gettin' around?” It had always been easy to get lost in the Seam unless you knew the layout. He'd kept a mental checklist of families who had the most need, children who were at risk for starving that he wanted to deliver to, assuming it wasn't too late.

He hadn't seen much coming and going of the Mellarks from the house across the street and felt puzzled when he'd sat out on the porch. “Your pa help you make those or is this all your idea?”

@brdeverdeen | for a starter

It had been weeks since Peeta spoke with Katniss. The terse way in which they left things weighed heavy in his chest and sink hard in his stomach, setting his insides in knots. A part of him had hope she would fall into his arms again, tell him she was sorry for being so confused, that what they had was more than just the context of the arena. But as the weeks went by he would have settled just for some kind of clarity. Anything would be better than this. Even if she told him outright she felt nothing for him, it would be better than this weird silence, this uncertainty.

Peeta's routine after moving to Victor's Village became his only solace. He'd wake up before dawn, set his prosthetic on his leg and head downstairs to preheat the oven and start working the dough. By the time the sun peaked through the curtains he'd have dozens of loaves ready to go for the day.

He stepped outside, bouncing on his leg to make sure it was fit well for the journey of the day. He started at the edge of the Seam, knocking on doors of the families he knew needed the bread the most. The first few times he showed up on their door steps he could feel the surprise. It was a shock to see a merchant's kid in the Seam, even more to see a Victor. But Peeta couldn't shake the feeling of coin in his pocket, couldn't convince himself to leave people alone to starve and suffer when he had the means and the skill to fill their bellies. It might not have been much, but it was something.

He had given away a few loaves before he saw the man with game slung over his shoulder and a satchel bulging with roots and other plants gathered.

A bit of heat bloomed into Peeta's cheeks. They had talk once, after his mother wrote him off, Burdock showed up in the waiting room. Soft words of encouragement, even though his daughter's life was on the line. It was an odd encounter, but even worse after the events of the game.

How would Burdock feel about the strategy? About watching his daughter fight for her life while having to flirt. He wondered if she talked to her dad about the events, about how she felt. And now they were face to face. Peeta's stomach dropped. His mother was right, it would have been easier if he had just died.

"...Mr. Everdeen." Peeta greeted with a nod, lips curled into a pleasant smile to hide the way his gut wrenched. "Nice day for hunting I take it?"

[brdeverdeen]

He catches the tears in her eyes and puts down the tools in his hand. “'ey now, c'mere.” Burdock scoots closer, puts an arm around her shoulder and pulls her into his chest. He envelops her into his arms, his cheek against the top of her head.

“Wish I had a solid answer for you, baby...make a promise that it'll all be okay...” He presses a kiss to the top of her head, rubs at her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “This is all new territory for me, too.” It would be easy to say that he could fix it and he would find a way no matter what, but Burdie knows that's not true. Knows that dealing with the Capitol can't be easy.

When he wasn't in the woods, wasn't by Katniss' side, he was at Haymitch's home; the one that stood right next door. Saying the two had rekindled their friendship would be an overstatement. Haymitch had offered no explanation for pushing him away, for hurting Asterid, he wouldn't talk about his family, but he'd explained how things were in the Capitol. It felt like hearing stories from another world.

Her life was set. Mentoring kids, a life with Peeta, whether she wanted it or not. The way she talked now told him that she didn't want that. The crack in her voice, the tears in her eyes, all of it broke his heart.

How could he fix this? What did he need to do?

He'd raised those questions to Haymitch a few days ago and had gotten the worst response: that they were all powerless against the Capitol and there was no protecting her from them. Burdie had stormed off after snatching the other man's drink away and throwing it across the room.

“I ever tell you 'bout the time I spent a week out here?” He pulls away, just slightly, put keeps her close so that they're shoulder to shoulder. “I wanted to run off so bad, got pretty far, but I couldn't stay away cause of everyone here. Thought about it after but then me and your mama got married and you girls were born.”

He loved the people of Twelve too much, wanted to take care of them. But the prospect of Katniss being miserable, being lost to him, made everything else seem small.

“Maybe I've grown selfish since becomin' a father. You and me...we could take care of Prim and your ma. Know I'm not as fast as I used to be-” he cut himself off, knows Asterid wouldn't care for the idea. He didn't entirely care for it either. The Capitol would come looking if one of their victors disappeared. “It ain't my first choice...but it's an option for us, if that's what you want.”

He sighs then. The woods are certainly easier than anything else. They'd been his solace for so long, there to comfort him throughout every hardship of his boyhood. And then they became a place to share with his family. He had the woods to thank for bringing his girl back from the Capitol and for that he'd be eternally grateful.

“I think it's best if we take things as they come. Unless you're ready to head out now-” he gives her a bittersweet smile. “Otherwise me and your ma are right here to help handle things, even if it's just us Everdeens against the Capitol.” Certainly wouldn't be the first time.

The  sun  rains  down  and  floods  the  littered  trees  in  sparkling  light.  This  should  make  me  feel  better  —  being  outdoors  and  hunting  with  my  pa,  feeling  the  light  breeze  against  my  wet  skin  from  the  solid  hike  to  get  here  and  being  free  from  responsibilities  if  only  it  were  delayed  a  couple  more  hours  —  but  I  don’t.  My  mind  creeps,  and  it  has  been  ever  since  I  left  that  deviled  arena.

My  ma  says  that  the  sun  helps  your  mind.  I  huff  through  the  straining  steps,  mainly  at  her  because  it’s  been  three  hours  and  I  still  feel  the  same.  Thoughts  keep  bubbling  and  festering  into  a  person  I  don’t  want  to  be.  I  made  it  out,  i  survived  the  Games.  So,  why  do  I  feel  so  horrible?

It’s  always  Peeta.  My  mind  wanders  to  him  when  the  deaths  rolls  in,  then  the  crashing  waves  of  guilt,  and  soon  the  ever  lasting  promise  I  have  to  keep  to  him…even  if  I’m  not  being  completely  honest  with  him  or  Panem.

But,  I  know  my  pa  knows.  He  understands  me.  Even  on  my  hardest  days,  he’s  right  there  with  ma,  tending  slowly  and  anxiously  waiting.  I  could  never  thank  him  enough  for  his  perseverance  of  love  and  kindness  he  shows  me  —  being  here  isn’t  enough.

I  need  to  be  honest,  at  least  with  one  person.  And,  if  it  were  anyone,  it  should  be  him.  My  pa.  My  secret  saver.  My  security  blanket.  But,  I  just  don’t  know  how  to  begin.  Talking about my feelings  isn’t  my  forte.  It’s  easier  to  track  animals  and  shot  them  down  to  feed  our  family.  This  is  just  new  terrain,  not  just  for  me  either.

When  pa  finds  a  tree  to  rest  at,  I  lean  against  the  truck  and  rest  my  head  back,  soaking  in  the  chilled  air,  giving  my  burning  cheeks  a  chance  to  rest.  I  close  my  eyes,  his  sharp  slices  piercing  the  silence  between  us,  and  that’s  when  I  tell  him.  No  tiny  cameras  catching  my  every  move  and  word,  not  a  person  or  animal  in  sight  with  prying  ears  to  hear  my  truth.

Theres  more  silence.  Muted  grays  peek  open  to  see  his  reaction.  He’s  being  cautious,  and  there’s  a  glimpse  of  him  like  this  when  we’re  hunting.  Was  my  acting  too  believable?  Was  I  acting?  I  guess  they  didn’t  show  my  entire  time  with  Peeta  from  the  Games,  but  he  was  the  only  one  I  could  count  on,  giving  me  something  to  protect,  something  to  do  while  we  played  their  games.

Then,  he  comforts  me,  warming  the  air,  drying  my  throat.  My  voice  wobbles,  “I  guess  we  can’t.”  I  can’t  believe  I  doubted  him  for  a  second.  I  swallow  hard  when  he  reached  out  to  give  his  best  solace.  I  realize  that  I  should  have  done  this  a  long  time  ago.  Water  smears  my  vision  as  I  look  up  to  him.  I  blink  it  away.

He’s  so  close,  reasonable  close  to  hug  and  embrace  his  thought  that  everything  will  be  okay  as  long  as  we  tackle  it  together.  But,  it  doesn’t  change  anything.  I  still  have  to  be  with  Peeta.  I  still  have  to  dress  up  in  front  of  the  cameras.  I  still  have  to  act  like  I’m  not  miserable  with  the  situation  at  hand.

My  heart  pangs  when  I  ask  softly,  “What  if  it’s  not  enough?”  I  don’t  mean  just  me,  I’m  talking  about  my  family  and  the  people  in  district  twelve.

[brdeverdeen]

burdie's hunting jacket, made of deer leather

[brdeverdeen]

Haymitch says the Abernathys were rebels, Blair is named after the Battle of Blair Mountain (a coal miner uprising in WV) making it more than likely that his family were rebels, and the Everdeen family have the skills to craft weapons to help arm the rebels during the Dark Days. In this essay I will-

[brdeverdeen]

Trail cam catching a deer fawn with the zoomies

[brdeverdeen]

hey do you wanna come to the creek and look for frogs n pretty rocks with me?

[brdeverdeen]

[brdeverdeen]

"are you mad ? they'll find us ." From Asterid

[ @wickedpeachie feat. asterid / prompts. - always accepting ]

“You're incredible.” The words tumble out so easily. He'd gone to grab her after the most recent whipping doled out by the Head Peacekeeper. Burdie had opted to stay outside, feeling he'd be of no use inside anyway, and just what she'd needed was another body in the way. But he'd looked in through the Stower's crooked screen door, lingered a bit too long.

They'd been sneaking around a while now, trying to keep things between them, mostly so her parents didn't find out.

And now he was walking her home. He always took her into town the back way, cut through alleyways and quieter streets so that less people would find them.

“Don't know how you do all that.” Burdock had her pack of supplies slung over his shoulder as they walked side by side. He moved a tiny bit closer, brushing his hand against hers, and smiles at the bit of contact.

But they're close to the apothecary now and Burdock promised to help her sneak back in through the window he'd helped her out of. It's only when they're walking along the side of her folks' shop that he gently guides her back to the wall.

They're close. He can feel her warm breath against his neck and it makes his heart race. He leans closer to her. Their noses touch first and he puts his hand beneath her chin to raise her head before kissing her. Long, deep, slow.

He can't help that the prospect of getting caught excites him. He wants all of Twelve to know that he and Asterid were together. That he could kiss her and she'd kiss him back. That he made her laugh and smile in a way no one else could. That they snuck out to the woods and he and the mockingjays would sing songs to her.

He presses closer against her, squeezes her against the side wall of the apothecary building, takes hold of her hips, and deepens the kiss. When he pulls away he buries himself in her neck. Burdie kisses her jaw, gently but quickly and dips lower, below the neckline of her dress, where his lips nip at her collarbone. A place where he can leave her with hickies that her folks won't see.

"are you mad ? they'll find us ."

He can't bear to look up, can't tell if she's wearing a smile or if she's genuinely nervous. He kisses back up her neck before lifting his head, giving her an easy smile. “Maybe I want 'em to find us.” He says, but his voice is still a whisper. “We ain't gettin' any younger...They're gonna find out eventually.”

A pause, his face a little more serious, his brows pinching together. Something between concern and sadness mares his features and he takes a step away from her, just enough to give her some room.

Maybe they wouldn't find out eventually. Or ever.

“Nah,” he decides before agreeing: “We don't want them to find us.” He moves to lean against the wall beside her. “I get it.” And he did. His words genuine. Her parents wouldn't be happy with their being together. Let alone the sneaking around. Burdock didn't want to get her in trouble, didn't want to upset her. All of that fought with the fact that he wanted to be with her and each passing month made that seem harder and harder.

He'd quit school next year, when he turned eighteen, to go work in the mines, she'd work more in her folks' shop once she finished up with school and...A knife twisted in his heart.

“I love you, Asterid March.”

He doesn't want to let his mind wander to them drifting apart, to her marrying a man that wasn't him. Her parents would find someone suitable for her and as for him...well, Burdie guessed he'd be as loveless and miserable as his parents ended up.

But he had this. Had her. Now. There wasn't another soul that could have his heart the way she did. He was sure of that.

He leans over and kisses her cheek, far more chaste than what he'd been doing a few moments before, and smiles.

“Let's get you back in there before your pa sees me out here. He threatened to call the Peacekeepers last time and I don't wanna find out if he's serious or not.”

[brdeverdeen]

"You promise you won't let me drown?"

[ @wickedpeachie feat. asterid / prompts.

Burdie'd talked up the lake for nearly a week before taking her out. A long journey that he found always worth it. His own personal haven, made better by the idea of Asterid's presence.

He'd waded out into the water on his own after making promises that the only thing that lurked beneath the surface were fish that would give them a wide breadth. He'd let his dark hair down and it now clung to his head, his neck and shoulders, and a few strands on his face. He dipped beneath the water and slicked it back more neatly when he resurfaced.

Maybe it'd been too forward to take her swimming and to willingly, and without care, strip down to his underwear in front of her. But he could hardly contain his excitement. He'd been tempted to never return, the thought of going alone unbearable, but the thought of going with Asterid...

She looked nervous and he grinned at her, splashing a bit of water her way.

“Now, why'd I go and let the girl I love drown? Wouldn't do me much good, I think.”

He's too wound up in the excitement of it all. Had he told her he loved her before? Maybe not in those words exactly. Or out loud. He'd thought it before, certainly, told her how much he cared. Had kissed her whenever they had a moment to themselves.

But the words had flown out so naturally and quickly, he hardly realized he'd said them. Instead he swims closer to her and offers his arms out to her.

“Sometimes you just gotta bound in. You think too much and you'll never do it, town girl,” he teased, but then, grew more serious, though the delight still sparkles in his eyes. “It's just you and me. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you.”