hazel dalgaard / gamemaker

Stare
Retired Staff

3,105 POSTS

Pronouns: she/her
last seen Nov 5, 2024 11:29:31 GMT -5

and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

hazel dalgaard / gamemaker Apr 10, 2016 0:01:51 GMT -5

Post by Stare on Apr 10, 2016 0:01:51 GMT -5

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hazel dalgaard

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twenty nine

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capitol

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73rd gamemaker

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Last Edit: Jun 5, 2016 0:06:46 GMT -5 by Stare

Stare
Retired Staff

3,105 POSTS

Pronouns: she/her
last seen Nov 5, 2024 11:29:31 GMT -5

and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky

hazel dalgaard / gamemaker May 17, 2016 23:17:30 GMT -5

Post by Stare on May 17, 2016 23:17:30 GMT -5

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[googlefont="Libre Baskerville:400"]When she opened the door she had on a gracious smile, like a host welcoming honored guests, but he was getting used to seeing through her masks. He couldn't quite tell if it was annoyance or nervousness that she was smothering, but either way he could tell that if the decision were hers, she would throw them off her doorstep rather than let them into her home. As it was, the decision wasn't hers.

Hazel Dalgaard had clearly learned to play the game a long time ago.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said with a light, easy laugh. When she waved her hand for him to follow with his photographer, he noticed rings of purple underneath her fingernails. At the party the night before, the rings had been pink and orange. "We can just go into the sitting room."

Stark white furniture contrasted the bright splatters of color on the walls. Almost immediately his photographer began to take pictures. He, on the other hand, paused to admire the way red so gracefully flowed into green, then magenta, then blue. Geometric shapes painted in silver and gold were scattered against the rainbows of hues. Perhaps most fascinating, though, was the writing. It appeared as if she just wrote directly on the walls with black marker, hardly paying attention to the art that lay beneath. Some things were easy to discern - short lists of grocery items, a quote from a book - but most of it was a tangle of complex equations, charts, graphs, and arrows pointing every which way. His photographer snapped at least a dozen photos. He watched for a moment before turning his attention toward Hazel, who had settled into a snowy couch and was waiting patiently. At a glance she seemed to be watching the photographer with interest, but as he focused on her pale brown eyes he noticed her gaze was truly following the lines of notes and mathematics that only she could decipher.

He made his way toward her and sat down in a white chair, a glass coffee table the only thing that sat between them. Grinning, he gestured to the wall.

"I hope there aren't any secrets from the upcoming Games on there."

Her eyes flashed briefly, and then she offered a small smile. The photographer turned toward her and snapped a picture - on the surface she looked teasing, but beneath the surface he could detect a [revealed tribute: tate seraphim 9m] of smug pride. "If there were, would you know what they meant?"

His grin widened and he pulled his voice recorder out of his pocket, pushing it on. "That was the first question I was hoping to ask you. I think it's safe to say that you think... differently." He gestured vaguely to the wall behind him. "When did that start?"

She eyed the recorder while he spoke, but when he finished she met his gaze and gave a light laugh. "When did I start thinking?"

He rolled his eyes. "When did you start thinking like this?"

"There's no difference between the two questions," she stated with a somewhat puzzled smile. "I've had a knack for mathematics since I was little. I excelled in school. No one else could keep up with me."

Her tone was surprisingly even. No pride, not even a trace of arrogance. She described her childhood the way a scientist might explain their latest test - factually. He'd dug into her background, though, and he knew more than she thought he did. She had surpassed her classmates, and that combined with the way she muttered to herself while she worked and the strange artwork and diagrams she scribbled on her papers alienated her. She'd made the people around her uncertain and uncomfortable, and as a result it had bred a strange kind of loathing toward her.

He even knew about the day that loathing had escalated into something far worse.

"Why don't you tell me about Gilead?"

She blinked at him, and for a moment he saw her entire mask falter. For a moment it was just him looking at her, and her looking at him, and they both saw each other for what felt like the first time ever. He saw something deep and thoughtful and even somewhat vulnerable in her eyes, a quiet intelligence etched beneath the polished clever facade she projected. It changed her entire appearance. Suddenly her sharp, regal features looked younger, the bits of pale hair that had fallen out of her bun more noticeable. He noticed how thin she looked, fragile without the projected confidence to cover it up.

The slip-up only lasted for a second though. A moment later she was back with another bright smile that the photographer caught with a bright flash. He wished that it had been taken a moment sooner. He wished he could have been the one to expose Hazel Dalgaard for what she really was.

"Gilead?" She tilted her head slightly, creating the perfect image of puzzled poise. "Why would you want to know about him?"

"I've been told you handpicked him."

She blinked. "As I became more involved in the Games, a personal guard seemed more and more necessary. Gilead came highly recommended."

It was more than that, and he could tell by the way her hand was gently gripping the arm of the couch that she was beginning to realize that he knew the truth. His photographer had been capturing the pictures of the two of them for the past two weeks, but they weren't the usual photos of her walking down a candy-colored street with him a step behind. One showed Hazel in mid conversation with him, leaning toward him and half looking over her shoulder. Another pictured her cringing away from someone at a party, a moment of weakness, while Gilead was beginning to take a step forward with a protective hand reaching toward him. To the public their relationship was cool and professional, but he suspected something deeper and more personal was hidden beneath.

He decided to take a different approach. "No romantic undertones, then?"

It had the desired effect. She nearly choked. "Romance? With Gilead? He's nearly twice my age!"

It was the most genuine thing she'd said so far, and he almost regretted that his recorder couldn't capture her expression as well as her voice. He chuckled and put his hands up to placate her. "I didn't mean to offend you. You wouldn't believe some of the kinds of people I interview."

She recovered quickly, though not completely, giving a nervous laugh. "Gilead is my guard. Only my guard."

Liar, he thought, but he didn't push his luck.

"Along the lines of romance, why don't we talk about your fellow Gamemakers."

She visibly relaxed and her smile seemed almost genuinely amused. "I was wondering when that question would come up."

"It is fairly obvious that the three of you are unusually comfortable with each other, even for a Gamemaker team. And, on top of that, there are rumors that you and Gamemaker Riverstone were sweethearts when you were in school together."

Hazel laughed. The photographer snapped another photo. "No, nothing like that. Kyle and I did know each other in school, but it wasn't anything romantic. He was there for me at a time when I really needed someone. We've always been excellent friends."

He raised an eyebrow. "And now?"

She gave a mysterious smile that was just a bit too practiced. "Well, now, we have to keep some things private, don't we?"

It was hardly private and they both knew it. There were rumors circling around the entire Capitol. The mystery was how Hazel - certainly sharp and glamorous, but also quieter and even at times shy - fit in with her fellow Gamemakers. He was tempted to push the subject, but he'd already stretched her patience thin. He wasn't sure even etiquette could protect him from being thrown out of her house if he tried going too far.

The rest of the interview went downhill from there. He asked about her family (they were proud but somewhat distant), her climb in the ranks to becoming a Gamemaker (she was smart and had made sure they noticed), and her plans for the Games (none of which she could talk about). He didn't mind, though. He had her initial reactions, recordings of the questions that had caught her off guard. He might not be able to expose her completely - hell, he hadn't even truly found out who she was - but he would be able to reveal a part of her. It would be enough.

She walked him to the door with a smile when the interview was complete. They exchanged goodbyes that bordered on being strictly formal, with just a few well timed laughs on her part to make it feel somewhat more intimate.

"It seemed stiff," his photographer commented as they walked toward a waiting car.

He grinned. "Most of it was. Not the beginning, though. Wait until you hear - "

He cut off abruptly when his hand reached into his pocket for the recorder but couldn't find it. His breath caught. A moment later he pulled out something else - something that made his heart sink while his photographer's eyebrows raised.

Sitting in his palm was a delicate origami bird with a rainbow of colors on top and a dozen indecipherable equations on the bottom.

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Last Edit: Jun 5, 2016 0:09:50 GMT -5 by Stare

Stare Retired Staff 3,105 POSTS Pronouns: she/her last seen Nov 5, 2024 11:29:31 GMT -5 and i will hold you tight / like the moon in the arms of the sky	hazel dalgaard / gamemaker Jun 5, 2016 0:07:33 GMT -5 Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Stare on Jun 5, 2016 0:07:33 GMT -5 Finished! Ava has dibs <3

Avalon Retired Staff 1,291 POSTS Pronouns: They/Them last seen Oct 24, 2016 10:04:26 GMT -5 when i plant a fat ass cracker bitch i expect her to stay planted	hazel dalgaard / gamemaker Jun 5, 2016 0:36:41 GMT -5 Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Avalon on Jun 5, 2016 0:36:41 GMT -5 My sweet, sweet love I can not wait for polygamy Anyway, stunningly beautiful as ever! [googlefont="Euphoria Script:400"]Accepted!
	*"solitaire something you consider rare"* credit to zoë