Across this New Divide ~VT~ [Kay]
Apr 24, 2012 22:28:48 GMT -5
Post by pthalorarity on Apr 24, 2012 22:28:48 GMT -5
in every loss, in every lie
in every truth that you'd deny
and each regret and each goodbye
was a mistake too great to hide
There was an earthquake… or something. The red sands of the arena spun around him violently as he felt his body convulse. His lashes fluttered open to find that he was not in fact convulsing; he was being shaken. As his light eyes adjusted they also discovered he was not in fact running through the endless sea of crimson, but he was laying on his side in an overly lush bed aboard the Capitol train. He unwillingly looked up to meet horribly, electric blue eyes. They were the eyes of his escort, Glitch. She had gotten special contacts to match Julian’s eyes along the tour, but they were nothing like the cold eyes of the Bryzes. The ice of their eyes was not something that could be captured in a formula. Glitch had also had her unnaturally long and too straight hair bleached in another attempt to match with her little Victor. Her washed out make up made the whole appearance rather horrifying honestly, and certainly not the first thing one would wish to see when waking up.
“Come along now Julian,” she was still shaking him into consciousness. “If you don’t get up now, your stylists will never have you ready in time for our arrival in District Ten!”
Julian’s heart fluttered to life upon the announcement of their destination. It’s not as if he did not know this would be next, but it had seemed so far away for so long. Not a day had passed since leaving the Capitol six months ago that he had not thought of a certain boy who resided here. He had even considered picking up the phone in his new home in Victor’s Village to call him a time or two, but each time he had convinced himself he had nothing to say.
As he sat up, he realized Glitch was no longer in the room, but Cream and the style team was now bustling in the door to carry him off to dress. He let them have their way, letting them primp and preen every inch of him. Each outfit Cream had prepared for him was sleek and formfitting, displaying to all of Panem the boy’s petite, career physique. Today’s silvery ensemble included a ridiculous frilly cowl that Cream swore replicated the look of a cowboy. Julian kept his comment to himself, but he swore he’d never seen anyone from District Ten in anything like this.
The time seemed to fly by, and before Julian could properly compose himself for the rapidly approaching encounter with District Ten’s Victor, he found himself being guided onto a large stage in the large District Square. There was mild applause, which at least was a step up from District Eleven where one of the tributes had died at Julian’s hand. Still though, a career Victor was never popular with the lower District’s and he could see the disdain in the eyes of all those before him. The families of Liliana and Moore wouldn’t even look at him. Julian of course didn’t blame them, why would they? He may not have killed either of them, but both he and their families knew that he would have had he been given the opportunity. In fact, Liliana would have been his had Eliana not finished her off when she did.
Julian remained cold though, his expression above it all. He had been long taught that the lower District’s were a waste of time in any case and their opinions should not matter. In fact, he had snubbed off the Victors of Twelve entirely in his stay there. However there was a young man here who made District Ten somehow far different… somehow their opinions mattered, because his mattered.
In a blur, the whole awkward presentation was over and Julian found himself on the steps of the Justice Building, his tour team, including his father, talking with a group of District Ten officials. Julian was about to actually tune in to the conversation when a sudden shiver crept down his spine. He could feel someone’s eyes upon him. Slowly, he turned to find him standing there. The boy that made District Ten matter.
Julian took in a deep breath, trying to fortify his shield to keep this boy out. The moment his eyes met Mace Emberstatt’s gray gaze however, everything seemed to crumble. Julian wanted nothing more than to run to him, to wrap his arms around him, to tell him he had wanted to see him… but he was far too exhausted to run. His panic attacks and anxiety left him with but fleeting glances of sleep these days, and his fatigue helped him maintain his composure now. Slowly, he walked toward the boy, trying to find something he could allow himself to say. This scenario had already played out a thousand times over in his mind—what he would tell Mace when he finally saw him again—yet nothing ever seemed right.
Unguarded by his icy walls, Julian’s arms latched around his torso for protection as he stood before Mace Emberstatt again at last. A thousand words begged to touch Julian’s lips, but he pushed them all away. All he would allow was his cold, simple greeting. “Hello, Mace.”