and I need you [Kay]

cass
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and I need you [Kay] Sept 4, 2016 23:20:40 GMT -5

Post by cass on Sept 4, 2016 23:20:40 GMT -5

opal earnest

She'd be lying if she said that District Eleven hadn't been a challenge. An emotional rollercoaster to match the ages. By the time they rolled into District Ten she wasn't sure where up or down was. Disitrct Eleven had been a daunting experience, from finding herslef in front of Potato's grave to seeing Katelyn, to dealing with the fact that the Bachlorette had ended. But there was a far more pressing matter she had to deal with, a growing problem she wasn't sure exactly how to deal with.

It was why she found herself standing at the steps of Mace's house, knuckles poised over the wood. The Tour had ended for the day, Justice's speech in the District Square was over. She'd spoken to him and watched him head to his room for the night. Opal had done the same, walking to her room, but she hadn't been able to sleep or do much more than pace around her cramped quarters. It had been the same as the night before, her body to alive, veins buzzing, unwilling to quieten even as the bags beneath her eyes became harder to cover up. The stylists weren't happy about it, before dinner, she'd even caught one of them trying to slip her a sleeping pill in her tea. After she'd noticed she'd switched her cup, giving the stylist the drugs instead.

She wasn't sure how long she hesitated over knocking. Mace was one of her two closest friends (the second being Katelyn), and at the moment the only person she could talk to. Normally she'd go straight to Katelyn, always to Katelyn, but she couldn't this time. She bit back a bitter laugh. She couldn't go to Katelyn when Katelyn was the reason why she couldn't sleep. She was a lost cause, she was hopelessly and utterly screwed. She hadn't been lying at all when she'd kneeled before Potato's grave telling him she was falling and couldn't stop herself. Part of her wished she could just go back to her own complete and ignorant bliss, back to when she had never realised how brightly Katelyn's eyes shone when she spoke about what she loved. Back to when she never noticed the way that Katelyn's smile made her heart flutter, or how her hair fell around her face. That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was knowing that even after Opal had kissed her and tried to hint at her own feelings Katelyn had hardly picked up on anything. Opal didn't know how to be any more explicit without actually telling her, and possibly ending up with one less friend.

She didn't know how to make her stomach unwind, how to make her nerves ease every time she thought about really kissing her, about cursing Tinselton to a thousand different deaths for stealing Opal's chance with his stupid show (fuck the Bachelorette).

And so, at three in the morning, Opal Earnest sighed, before banging heavily on Mace's door.

Baby Wessex d9b [earthling]
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and I need you [Kay] Sept 7, 2016 18:27:15 GMT -5

Post by Baby Wessex d9b [earthling] on Sept 7, 2016 18:27:15 GMT -5

[googlefont="Great Vibes:400"]a note from the desk of

Mace Emberstatt

of District Ten

when you never thought that it could ever get this tough,
that's when you feel my kind of love

Mace could hear the echoes of his own snores as he was rudely and violently shaken awake.

"Stop. Sleep."

And when that didn't work: "I could kill you, you know."

"With what, your pillow? Get up, Mace! Someone's at the front door!"

He glanced at the clock. "Not possible."

"Ripred, you're worse than Kieran. Up! Before I get the water bucket."

He padded barefoot, his pajama bottoms frayed and his shirt a few sizes too big. He was bleary-eyed and had definite morning breath and desperately needed Regalia to shut the hell up. She'd trailed directly behind him, speculating on who it was. She guessed it was the drunk butcher or the Mayor with a stealthy mission or his beloved (he rolled his eyes at that - Saffron could let herself in the back door), or maybe they'd won something?

Mace scratched the back of his neck, made a pass at fixing his hair, stretched his arms wide. "Think I've already done all the winnin' I'm ever gonna do."

With that he opened the door and found that Regalia was just as terrible at guessing people behind closed doors as she was at being quiet. "Op-"

"Opal Earnest! Oh, pinch me! Come in, come in! Was your bed too stiff? Did you get hungry? Poor dear. I thought they assigned people to you but you know our kitchen is always full." She winked at Mace and he went a little pink in spite of himself.

Reggie dragged them both into the kitchen, busying herself with the tea kettle and rooting through the fridge. She prattled on about how beautiful Opal looked and how dusty the other Districts must have been and wasn't Justice Fray just the pick of the litter? Mace spent the one-sided conversation studying his old friend. She hadn't slept; she looked more like the beginning of a Games than a successful end of one. Had something happened to Justice - more than the cruelty he suffered in the arena?

When his sister finally set out three cups of tea and a heap of day old scones, Mace reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Thank you. And if you don't mind, Opal and I are gonna take ours in the other room."

He had to admit Regalia had a great pout. He scooped up his tea and the plate of scones and led Opal to the other room (which was a parlor or sitting room or living room - he could never remember). The fire had died hours ago. After he set the food and tea on the coffee table, he lit a few candles and decided that was good enough.

Then, finally alone, he leveled his grey gaze. "When's the last time you had any shut eye? What's going on?"

[googlefont="Great Vibes:400"]

Last Edit: Sept 7, 2016 18:30:29 GMT -5 by Baby Wessex d9b [earthling]

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cass
Retired Staff

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and I need you [Kay] Sept 8, 2016 5:31:58 GMT -5

Post by cass on Sept 8, 2016 5:31:58 GMT -5

opal earnest

She felt almost guilty as Mace opened the door, as he ushered her into his house, dishevelled and very much as tired as she felt. She’d be lying if she said that she hadn’t missed him, his big warm embrace, his grey eyes that had always watched over her. He was a giant teddy bear, and he’d been there for her in the roughest of times, just as she’d been there for him. Thinking on it now, as they moved into the kitchen she knew that her current situation was nowhere near as pressing as she’d probably lead him to believe with her sudden midnight wake up call.

Mace’s sister was kind, she was bright and bubbly and far more alive then anyone should be at three in the morning. Opal almost asked her what she had taken, she could use some of that energy. By the time Mace had ushered her into the next room and lit some candles she was already feeling more apprehensive then she should. Why had she come? Why was this frustrating her so much? Mace interrupted her thoughts before they became a train wreck, cutting her off with his questions, "when's the last time you had any shut eye? What's going on?"

She followed up quickly, hoping to ease whatever panic she might have suggested with her presence, “there’s nothing wrong with Justice or anything of the like, I just-” She swallowed stiffly, cold and aching fingers wrapped tightly around the tea cup she’d been offered. She just what? Couldn’t wait till the morning? Couldn’t get her shit together? Ripred thinking about it now made her problems seem so childish and weak, there was no way she could honestly validate such an untimely call simply because she was in love and she had no fucking clue what to do. It had been a sudden and damning realization as she’d watched the Bachelorette finale, watching Katelyn meet their families, watching her have to choose someone. Someone who got to decide if they wanted to date Katelyn, to be by her and kiss her and and and-

She realized that she had wanted to do more than kiss Katelyn on the cheek. That she wanted to be that one beside her. How much it hurt her to watch.

Just spit it out.

“I don’t know what to do, Mace,” she said, gazing down at the cup in her hands. “This might seem really stupid and foolish of me, but I just don’t know what to do.” She looked up at him, sighing heavily and gathering all her courage to say the words she hadn’t been able to speak out loud yet. “I think I’m in love with her,” the words slipped out, and she continued hoping to drown the truth if she spoke enough, “not think, I mean maybe, I mean shit. I think, I am pretty much in love with her. It hurts to think of her dating someone else, and I don’t know, Mace, I don’t know. I’ve never loved anyone other than Potato and this feels different and yet-” She looked up, looked into Mace’s eyes- “and yet it feels the same in so many ways.”

She just didn’t want to say it, to hear the words. She couldn’t take it back once she’d said them. She couldn’t continue to deny it again and again. It’d change everything and she was so fucking scared that Katelyn wouldn’t like it. Want to stop being near her and she couldn’t lose her closest friend. Even though she knew Katelyn wasn’t that kind of person, it was still fearful, it still gnawed at her. Threatening to overwhelm her. It’s too late now. Too late.

“I’m in love with Katelyn.” She breathed.

Last Edit: Sept 8, 2016 7:13:03 GMT -5 by cass

Baby Wessex d9b [earthling]
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and I need you [Kay] Sept 22, 2016 18:04:05 GMT -5

Post by Baby Wessex d9b [earthling] on Sept 22, 2016 18:04:05 GMT -5

[googlefont="Great Vibes:400"]a note from the desk of

Mace Emberstatt

of District Ten

when you never thought that it could ever get this tough,that's when you feel my kind of love

It was admittedly a little strange to have Opal Earnest in his living room. Mace tried to make himself comfortable on the couch - his couch, that he sat on nearly every day - and gave up. He couldn't get the cushion behind his back to support him and he kept ending up partially on a crack. He realized he was fidgeting more than she was, which is when he finally gave it up and reached for his tea.

“there’s nothing wrong with Justice or anything of the like, I just-”

I sure don't know about that, he thought as he sipped his tea. This was clearly not a moment to joke with her and even if circumstances had been different, Mace wasn't all sure that he would have said anything. Opal had been so eager to have another Victor in One, he didn't think she'd take too kindly to him needling her. Then again, he had difficult time predicting how anyone would react to anything he said. So he kept quiet which was apparently a good thing as it took Opal a long time to find her way through the forest of her thoughts.

When she arrived, it was somewhere totally unexpected. "I’m in love with Katelyn."

Mace choked on his tea.

He fumbled with the cup, barely managing to put it back down on the coffee table. He hacked once, waved off Opal's attempts to help and then shook his head. "Well thank the stars. I thought you were gonna tell me you were takin' it up a notch with that -" he paused. Could he reasonably pretend not to know his own Gamemaker? His mouth twisted into a frown. "Tiero. What a relief."

And there his thoughts unspooled. He couldn't pretend not to know Benson Tiero, any more than he could pretend not to know which Katelyn Opal loved. He drummed his fingers on his knee, lost in the puzzle of Opal's feelings and the absolute riddle that was their best friend. She'd know what to say to Opal, probably would offer her some prize winning pie and set everything to rights. That was Katelyn's gift.

"Uhm," he started. "Yeah I can see how you'd lose sleep over that."

He knew that wasn't the right thing to say either. Mace scrubbed his face with his rough palms, raked his hair and focused his sleep deprived grey eyes on his dear friend. "I take it you ain't told her none of this yet? Cuz you know who's much better at handlin' complicated feelings?"

He smiled slowly.

[googlefont="Great Vibes:400"]

Last Edit: Sept 22, 2016 18:05:17 GMT -5 by Baby Wessex d9b [earthling]

credit umber vivuus 12b 🥀 [dars]

credit ✨ zozo.

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