Lila Frost

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Mon, 13 May 2013 23:16:27 -0700

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Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:49:06 -0700

To Whom it May Concern ♣ Cyrus and Lila

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:10:00 -0700

Eyes clipped onto her hands as they raised forward and tipped back the drink of alcohol into her foul lips, Cyrus took an internal sigh. As unfortunate as it was to be working with Lila of all people, he actually pitied the woman, but the facts remained the same: she screwed up her one job and now she was most likely paying the consequences for this.

With her cool tones and grade school girlish demeanor, Cyrus’ foot began to tap in minute, impatient circles. All of this foolish banter was unnecessary; how she felt the need to gain an upper hand on the playing field before the game actually began was quite daunting and depressing on her part. The superiority complex that covered her every action – something Cyrus had encountered far too often – was pathetic. He felt no remorse for her loss in the previous task. She knew what she was getting into upon taking the job.

Still, Cyrus kept his smile steadfast and cheeky. Shrugging, the man gave his rebuttal. “Eh, mine are dead too but whatever. They had no chance of surviving anyway, though,” he paused, blue eyes squinting just a tad in artificial playfulness, “You’re not stuck with an idiot, Ms. Frost. Perhaps it is you who is the idiot for making sure to not get a head shot. The number one rule to killing is to make sure they’re dead, something you’d do well to take note of, yeah?” Cyrus chuckled, lulling his laughter to a genuine smile once more. Smile covering his internal boredom, he continued on. “So are you ready to get this done or not?”

It seemed like Cyrus wasn’t impressed with her at all, which was fine by Lila. He wasn’t all that impressive either. Attractive, yes. But that didn’t exactly mean that she wanted to be around him. Though it did make things a little bit more tolerable. Until came the slam about not being able to kill Calloway. It almost made her want to end Cyrus right then and there, just too prove that she could. Lila had the gun, she could shoot him in the head, and at such a short distance there was no chance that she could miss.

“I thought he was dead,” she snapped at him, her face turning to ice, “and if I had known that he wasn’t things would have ended quite differently. However they didn’t and you didn’t need to bring up past failures. Because I’m sure that you have plenty of things in your past that you wouldn’t want to be brought up.” Not that Lila knew any of them, but they still had to be there.

So are you ready to get this done or not?

“Yes,” the woman flatly replied, taking another drink, “I’m completely ready for you to teach me everything that I am doing wrong. Even though I’d rather watch you be the one dying than anyone else. Unfortunately that’s just not an option.”

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Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:52:38 -0700

To Whom it May Concern ♣ Cyrus and Lila

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:51:45 -0700

cyrus-alderate:

It has come to my attention that many small matters must be taken care of. As you know, Calloway Johnson’s evasion of death throws a wrench into my plans, as does it weaken my already dreadfully low tolerance for failure. I will not have such monstrous threats opposing my reign, but it is too early to target the elder District Twelve mentor once more. Instead, I have devised another task for you, Mr. Alderate.

You will be attending an annual sponsor’s ball for the final tributes. There, you will meet your ally in this task, and you will see to it that my target is eradicated. First, your ally. I’m certain that you’re already well-versed in the ways of Lila Frost, the District Seven victor. She’s deadly and quite efficient, but has been the epitome of my disappointment lately. See to it that she knows how to properly dispose of a body, Cyrus. I trust that you can do this with a non-disclosed approach, meaning that you will have no more contact afterwards. You must avoid suspicion of the public, and regretfully, that will be hard since Ms. Frost seems to bathe in the media.

Regardless, I am positive that you can handle this.

Next, you’ll find that the mark is indeed present at this gathering, a certain Dr. Baron Naysmith the mutinous scum currently thriving on the bottom of my shoe. Wipe him off for me, Cyrus. This is the very same doctor that has been privately meeting the most recent District Twelve victor and the doctor that saved Calloway’s life. After an intense background search, I’m afraid that his motifs are questionable to Capitol service, and he must be eradicated. I’ve already arranged a motif for his disappearance that will be taken care of once you dispose of the body.

So, with these two tasks at hand I know that you will shine. I trust you, Cyrus, for your quirky ability to follow through with what I ask.

Make sure you do not fail me.

Coriolanus Snow

That was what the note read in all entirety. Memorized and committed to heart, Cyrus arrived to the formal dressed in his finest tuxedo early to scope the place out. Arranged in a way that would be easy to navigate, his only problem would be finding the time to draw Dr. Naysmith away long enough to slash his throat and burn the remains. With the layout presented, there would be no proper order to set up a snare or trap to make the man’s death look like an accident with so many eyes around.

Well, there could be, but given the fact that he was tied to a partner this time around, the victor could feel the dreadfully obligated attachment to doing the job right. The only problem would be finding the woman to get this night over with. Desiring no further contact with the woman anyway, discontinuing interaction with her after this event wouldn’t be a problem at all.

Reading up on the victor, Cyrus had self-diagnosed her as a troubled being that sought out those little creatures that could make her feel better in any way possible. Easy to see why she was so quick to accept Snow’s job, the victor figured her only technicality was the inability to see things through fully thanks to her (probable) emotional detachment.

Whatever.

Pulling on a faux smile as his feet carried him through the growing congregation, the occasional nod to a sponsor until eventually, Cyrus made his way around to find the woman standing alone. Her dark eyes cryptic and her hands gripped tight onto a glass of alcohol, the man rolled his eyes at the scene. Why the hell did he have to be the one to train this newbie? Didn’t he have enough with his tributes?

“Lila Frost!” Cyrus beamed as he stopped in front of her, a finger quickly pointing at her before a bright smile came onto his mouth. “Lovely meeting you here of all places.” the man teased, underlying tones in his voice. “But I’m sure you’ve got better things to do, am I right? So let me propose that we get this little shindig started. I would hate to miss my tributes dying.” He pressed, sarcasm hidden well in his voice. Too bad both Emerson and Nemesis were already dead, or else this may have actually been interesting.

Ms. Frost,

I’ve thought long and hard about how to punish you for your recent failure. And the more that I thought about it, the more that I realized how ill-equipped you were to go into the field right away. And that is something that, though regrettable, is understandable. However it does leave us in a current predicament. What am I to do with you?

After thinking long and hard about it I have decided to graciously give you one last chance. However should you ever fail me again I feel like it is time for you to know the consequences. Should you fail me again you children will most certainly be reaped into the Hunger Games at some point of their lives. Fail me twice, and an accident will take one of them from you sooner than expected. And should you dare to fail me three times Ms. Frost, you most certainly would not be able to call yourself a mother from that point on.

Now in order to make sure that you will be equipped for any future assignment I may as of you, tonight at the Sponsor’s Ball I have an assignment for you, in which a partner has already been assigned to assist you. Your target is a Doctor Baron Naysmith, a man whose allegiance to me has been wearying as of late. He’ll be in attendance as well as your partner, Cyrus Alderate. I hope between the two of you the job will be done correctly. And if not, I believe you now know what is at stake Ms. Frost.

- Coriolanus Snow

Lila wasn’t sure how many times she had read and reread the letter before everything had finally sunk in. But there was good news and bad news. The twins were safe for the moment, which of course was the best news of all. But there would never again be room for error. She either did the job right or they would die. And now she had to be babysat, just to make sure that she could kill somebody. All in all it was so much for her to handle. That her life was going to be more than looked over from this point on, that one small mistake could signal the end of everything that she had left. And really what was left in her life other than the twins? Harrison and Aleks had both left. Everyone in her family was dead. There was nothing left for her but to do the President’s bidding and hope for a change, because eventually Aleks would pull it off. Lila just didn’t know when.

Quickly the mentor went to her closet and pulled out one of the dresses that she thought that she would never wear. As she changed she could hear the twins playing in the other room, and as she walked out they both gasped.

“Mama pretty,” Skylar giggled as Amina clapped her hands in delight.

“Am I now?” Lila chuckled as she kissed both of them on the head, “Now mommy has to go to a party so you’re going to go play with Cate for a little while ok?”

“YAY CATE!” the boy screamed.

“GRAPE!” Amina yelled back, which Lila knew was the child’s word for anything that she thought positive of. At least for now that was going to work for the twins. Giving them to an Avox, Lila walked out the door, already ready to get the night over with. The closer that she got to the party, the higher her anxiety level she climbed. To the point that when she stepped out of the limo she could barely hold herself together. She couldn’t fail, that much Lila knew, but she couldn’t be expected to actually do a good job when she was shaking. Or when she had to work with someone she didn’t particularly like. Or at least the woman didn’t think she’d like, considering she had never actually met Cyrus before. Which could easily make the mission go wrong and then have her lose the twins forever. Without even thinking she grabbed a drink off of a tray and started it. And almost instantly she recognized the taste. It had been awhile since she had wine, and she didn’t particularly like it, especially with Acacia’s love of it. But Lila knew that it would at least help settle her nerves a little bit. And so her sobriety was just another thing on the ever growing list of things she was losing. At least this was something that she could at least somewhat control, she doubted she’d let herself get as bad as she was before.

However as she drank she didn’t see Cyrus anywhere, which only meant that he was looking for her or was running late. And she didn’t particularly care which one he was, Lila wasn’t going to go looking for him. Instead she stood by the wall, trying her best to pretend that she wasn’t even there, but instead with the twins, or at least not around the pathetic people of the Capitol who were all running around and acting like idiots.

Lila Frost! Lovely meeting you here of all places. But I’m sure you’ve got better things to do, am I right? So let me propose that we get this little shindig started. I would hate to miss my tributes dying.

Cyrus was all too happy to see her, which only made the woman take another drink before even thinking about answering him back. Because it was clear that he was already playing his part for the Capitol, pretending that they were friends for everyone to see. Or at least attempting to get along with her for the duration of the time they were forced to spend together.

“Last I checked both of our tributes were already dead,” she sweetly smiled at him, “so if I’m really stuck with an idiot for the rest of the night I’m going to be incredibly disappointed in you.”

Rediscovering Loneliness || Burton, Lila

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:38:32 -0700

burton-copperfield:

“Well, officially it was a crazed fan. But when I hear it from Calloway’s own lips, I think I’d rather believe him than the press. The press are such… hounds. Heck, you believe their odd little rumours about myself and Cal, don’t you?” He straightened up again and smiled. “However… I think we know President Snow better than that, don’t we Miss Frost? And without Harrison as leverage… you’re bait for the hounds. I’m sure you know that better than I do, though.”

“You think that this was about hurting you? That everything I’ve done was about you? That’s incredibly narcissistic of you Burton.”

Narcissistic? That was a new insult; and one that didn’t really work. After all - if he didn’t care about himself, then no-one else ever would. Burton shook his head with another smile, and for a brief moment his attention was focused on the children. Poor Skylar and Amina - they had already been through so much in their short little lives so far. Abandoned at birth for their own safety… suddenly found and returned to the Capitol under Snow’s orders… Then to lose their father to divorce, and their mother had thrown away the last chance to protect her children by failing a kill.

He certainly couldn’t empathise with Lila for her situation, and nor did he want to. But he did feel… pity for her. And that was what made him smile further; the fact that he was in a higher position than she was, the tables had decisively turned in his favour. Of course, the odds of bringing home a Victor had vanished completely - but he’d still won his own personal battle that year.

“… well. If you think you can live without him, then I can only offer my deepest apologies. At least being with Harrison made you human at times.” Burton tilted his head a little more, looking at her with near curiosity. “… what must it be like, living in your head right now? Let’s just hope you do the right thing by your children - imagine finding out what Mummy had to do…”

The fact that Calloway was already telling people what had happened was enough to put Lila even more on edge. People knew that she made the mistake, that she was the one who had tried to kill him. And anybody who knew her knew that she wasn’t a deranged fan of Calloway. In fact she wasn’t a fan at all. So it was the mentors who would know the truth, which wasn’t exactly a place that she wanted them to be. And yet maybe it would make them fear her. Anymore she knew that she couldn’t have relationships with them anymore, even what she had with Ray was pushing it. If she was going to get away with this job there could occasionally be people that she knew on the list. And if that was the case…well then there couldn’t be any more emotional attachments good or bad. She would just have to close off her heart entirely.

After all, it wouldn’t have been the first time that she had done that.

“I wasn’t living with Harrison,” she snapped, “I was suffocating, dying even. And so I know that I can live without him. He wasn’t the person that made me human, Aleks was. Aleks was the one the comforted me anytime that my life went wrong. Aleks was the person who knew my secrets and supported my dreams. Harrison meanwhile didn’t see the change that had happened to me at all. All he ever saw me as was a suicidal person that he needed to save, and I haven’t even thought about attempting in two years. The twins were always more important and needed more from me than that. But could Harrison see that? No…even when he left he accused me of being suicidal. And do you know what? I’m still absolutely sure that I can survive this, that there’s a reason for me to keep living and that’s my children. So maybe they won’t see what I did for them as right, but at least I’m doing more for their safety than Harrison is. Because I haven’t heard a word from him about even wanting to see the children that he was always so desperate to have. Because I haven’t stopped him. I wouldn’t do that. So what do you have to say to that?”

Battle Scars || Ray, Lila

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:19:20 -0700

ray-victorof3:

Ray cringed as she snapped at him, though upon reflection he knew it was because of the mention of her ex-husband, not because he had done anything wrong. Apart from the fact that he was the one who had brought up the the fragile topic. Oops. “Why wouldn’t-” He stopped mid-sentence, knowing she would only snap back with an aggravated ‘I don’t know’ or insult Harrison in some way. “You would have to be pretty dim to not want to see the twins. Its selfish of him to claim that he wanted full custody, yet never show up. Have you two arranged any dates that he could have the twins, though? Even just for an hour or so?”

It would be heartbreaking, having to fight for the right to see and have custody over your children. Even through Ray knew that Lila -with the strong personality that she had- would gain custody, it would still hurt. Children weren’t meant to be bartered over. They were meant to be loved, not ignored. Ray felt a sudden surge of anger towards Harrison. If what Lila was saying was true, why would he not even try to see his own children? Surely the kids would be missing him too, and showing it in their own little way. Babies dealt with grief differently to adults of course, it reflected more in their behaviour, their sleep patterns, how much they ate. “How have Amina and Skylar taken the divorce? Not seeing their Dad anymore?”

Ray bit the inside of his cheek, and Cate’s head lolled over the nook of his arm. He gently re-positioned her so that she wouldn’t have a sore neck when she woke up. “And you certainly think you two are a lost cause, don’t you.” Ray sighed softly, unable to figure out what would happen if he and Caitlin had ever had a divorce. Though that would have probably never happened. “And I’ll put that into my will, Lila Frost becomes the guardian of Cate Rivet.” Cate moved again and stretched out, replacing her head to where it hung off the corner of his arm. The man shook his head and smiled sadly, his anxieties from before resurfacing a little. Keep it under control, as soon as she leaves, as soon as Cate is tucked away, and only then can you break down.

You would have to be pretty dim to not want to see the twins. Its selfish of him to claim that he wanted full custody, yet never show up. Have you two arranged any dates that he could have the twins, though? Even just for an hour or so?

“He didn’t ask for full custody,” Lila huffed, “he left and that was the last that I heard from him. I was talking about children in general. I was always the person who anticipated never having kids, and he always wanted them. In fact the only reason that I got pregnant in the first place was because I didn’t do the math right and Harrison doesn’t believe in birth control and I’m allergic to the pill. And I haven’t heard a word so there’s no arranged dates or anything. I’m seriously considering just dropping the twins off at his place and telling him to take care of them because he is their father and I don’t want him out of their lives. But if he’s going to act this way maybe its better for him not to be involved. Same them from heartbreak in the future.”

In truth, the woman had no idea what to do about Harrison and the twins. And she just wanted it to be done, to not have to think of the man at all. Even though that technically would never be the case. There would always be the important events in the twins life that she would wish Harrison actually cared enough about to experience. But the man was gone, and it was probably better that way. It would at least save disappointment later in life, and if he was just going to disappear like he had this year, there was no stopping him from doing it again in the future.

“They’ve taken it ok,” Lila admitted, “Amina asks for Dada around bed time so I have to rock her a little bit more before putting her down. Skylar seems to have adjusted all right. Of course I think he also knows that Harrison is somewhere around and he doesn’t have to worry. I’m more concerned about once we go home and Harrison is back in 5. Because then neither of them have any way of talking to him. Unless for some reason he calls, but I find that highly unlikely. Because I do see us as a lost cause, and I don’t think that there’s any chance for us to get back together. I had no support from Harrison, and I think that if I’m going to pledge my life to someone I at least deserve that.”

It was adorable watching the small girl sleep, almost as if she had no idea how bad the world was. And yet it would be an honor to take care of her along with the twins. Cate was about the same age as they were, which would make it more like raising triplets than twins. But Lila knew that it couldn’t be that much harder than what she was already doing. ”Well I guess that its a deal then,” Lila sighed, “but I really don’t anticipate anything bad happening to you. You’re not exactly the kind of person that anyone would go after.”

Wake Up Call @Lila

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:51:30 -0700

alaricshultz:

“Funny, because from the looks of it she’d been rather concerned I was dead,” Alaric stated matter-of-factly. “While you might wish that upon me, your little girl didn’t, regardless of her desires to be in my arms or yours. You really do struggle with keeping facts straight, don’t you, miss Frost?” He paused, ruffling his fingers through the little boy’s hair once more as he leaned further into him before continuing, “I’m just concerned for your health is all, and you really might want to consider getting looked at.”

The mentor of eight rolled his eyes a little as Lila countered his argument, instead flopping down in a chair across from him with her arms folded around the little girl. He almost felt back for the two children – having such an unstable family to be born into…having such an insane mother to nurture them.
They would probably desire a go in the arena by the time they were of age at this rate.

Alaric certainly wouldn’t blame them for such a decision if they were stuck dealing with Lila for the next twelve years.

“Now just imagine for a moment if it wasn’t me who your little scamps ran into. There aren’t as many victors around here who can make such accommodations for them – you should be pleased that it was me.”
Well, maybe that wasn’t the best statement in the world, but it wasn’t exactly a lie, either. Alaric found himself in a fairly good mood considering the manner of his waking.
He could have been in one of his…not so good moods.
Or the children could have walked in on a career out for blood, regardless of the fact that their hunger games were long since passed…

Slowly he detached himself from the little boy, sitting him down on the couch beside him and stretching out his legs a bit before him, his fingers kneading the muscles of his thigh.
“Honestly sweetheart, there isn’t much better than me in your case anymore. At least if all this gossip is remotely true.”

In a way it was a relief to know that Amina actually cared if somebody was dead or alive, though she wished that her daughter chose who she liked better. Calloway, Alaric, Harrison even. Almost all of the people the baby immediately liked were on her list of people that she wouldn’t. However it looked like Alaric was less of a like and more of an impartial by the way that the girl was now playing with her mother’s hair.

“I was just in the hospital,” Lila said, rolling her eyes, “and I know that my health is now fine and doesn’t need to be checked out. However if you were sleeping to the point that a one year old thought that you were dead, maybe that’s a sign that your health may need to be checked out. Especially if they thought you weren’t breathing. Or maybe that’s a good thing if you just stop breathing and suffocate to death. One less person left to be annoying.”

However his words did bring up a valid point. What would have happened if they had ran into someone else? As she thought through the different mentors she couldn’t see anyone who would actually harm the children, in fact of the mentors, they were probably safer than with a lot of people.

“Well,” Lila started, “if they ran into Keegan, she loves babies so she’d probably spoil them. Aleks would take care of them regardless of what he feels about me. Ray is my babysitter so obviously they’d be in good hands with him. Jasmine I don’t think is actually capable of hurting a fly, let alone a baby. Harrison is their father and could possibly want to spend time with them, though I don’t know that because he refuses to talk to me. Burton isn’t fond of kids but at least he wouldn’t hurt them. I’m their mother, so obviously I wouldn’t hurt them. We already know how you would respond. Xavier and Evangeline I haven’t seen around, so they’re either sleeping with each other or both dead. Cyrus, I don’t actually know, but Calloway and Magnus both do well with the twins. So that means out of all the mentors they could have ran into there was only one that could actually do something to them. And since you’re obviously not Cyrus I don’t think that I need to be pleased that it was you. You obviously don’t know everyone here. Must come with the never being in the Capitol part of your patheticness.” And yet she was a little uncomfortable with him talking about the gossip. Lila knew that people were talking about her, but at the same time she didn’t like how quickly she was reminded of how everything had fallen apart around her. Even though there wasn’t any avoiding it. What happened had happened.

“Even with all the gossip you’re thinking of I can think of people whose company is much better than yours,” Lila chuckled, though really she knew that she didn’t have anyone. But Alaric didn’t have to know that. ”Because,” she continued, “almost anyone’s company is better than yours.”

Cannon # 18 - Mystery

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:07:17 -0700

from-the-capitol:

Deceased: Mystery of District Seven

Killer: Steam Vaivata of District Five

This was a kill we were not expecting. Though Mystery hadn’t claimed any lives himself, he claimed one of the highest training scores, but this just proves that numbers do not guarantee victory. When alliances run true, such as the one between Steam and Tipper, the result is as follows: always protect your friends. All it took was for Steam to pin down Mystery, who put up no fight, only muttered words - a mental game perhaps? But Steam was not having it, bringing up her knife and plunging it deep into Mystery’s abdomen, tearing flesh, intestines, and muscle alike, blood pooling and staining the arena. Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the final six.

Para Can Be Found Here

Battle Scars || Ray, Lila

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:41:25 -0700

ray-victorof3:

Cate snuggled closer into his chest, and he pulled her closer, planting a kiss on the top of her head. He nodded in agreement, and chuckled as she said he wasn’t a troublemaker. “You’re certainly right there, but you know, just in case anything ever did happen, I would just sleep easier if-“

However if something happens to you I’ll just take Cate for myself. I’m a decent enough mom and that way she’d at least get to be around Skylar and Amina. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind having her around. I’ll keep her safe….just as long as you promise to do the same for me.

Wait, what? “You- you would do that? I didn’t think… you would take her? You would look after her? Really?” He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This was insanely brilliant. Fantastic. Incredible. Though Lila wasn’t his favourite person in Panem, she certainly knew how to be a good parent, and he knew she would care for Cate. “You hear that, Cate?” He whispered to his daughter, who was understanding nothing and drifting off to sleep in his arms. “You’re always going to be looked after, sweetheart.”

He nodded seriously as she made him promise the same thing, though there was a small smile on his face. So Lila did trust Ray after all. She believed that he could be parent material, and that thought was quite reassuring. “I promise, Lila.” Then another thought struck him, one that made him frown again. “But… I hate to pry, but what about, um…” Ray had forgotten his name. Of all the names to forget, he forgot her ex-husband’s name. “What about, um, whatsisface, Harrison! That’s his name. Wouldn’t he have legal custody of the twins? Not that I wouldn’t want to look after them is anything were to happen to you, but I just don’t want to get stuck in that legal stuff.”

It was clear that Ray wasn’t anticipating her offer, and Lila hadn’t been anticipating giving it. And yet she meant it…maybe it was because she knew what it was like to have a kid that was inevitably going to die. Maybe it was because she had lived what he was going through. Or maybe it was because they were sort of friends and she at least knew that if something happened to her that someone who was good with kids would be able to take care of hers. Probably better than Harrison would, and speak of the devil that was exactly who Ray had to bring up.

“Whats-his-face Harrison hasn’t even attempted to see the twins since he left,” Lila snapped, not particularly wanting to mention the man, “so I think he’s lost the right to be allowed to have legal custody. And its so ironic………he’s the one who wanted kids. I told him no….and yet I’m a better parent than he is. He can go back to the little hole that he crawled out of because the twins are mine.” However Ray did have a point, Lila knew that she was going to have to figure out the legal way to strip Harrison of his rights as a parent. There had to be some form for that, and if it just came with the divorce papers she knew that there was a better chance for him to sign it without realizing what he was signing.

“I mean I’ll have to talk to my lawyers about it,” she admitted, “but I have to talk to them anyway because Harrison isn’t filing. Probably because he still somehow doesn’t think that we’re a lost cause. So I have to get the papers together and I’ll just have them throw that part in. Make it a part of my will. If I die………..the twins go to you.”

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Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:31:51 -0700

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Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:30:16 -0700

Wake Up Call @Lila

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:28:58 -0700

alaricshultz:

Five…

Skylar’s fists tangled into the mentor’s shirt, tugging feebly on the fabric with a desire for the man to hold him closer, vying for attention while his sister continued to stare as if trying to determine if she liked him or not. The fact that her fists had already made contact with several portions of his body made him hopeful that she would decide in favor of him.

Four…three…

He somehow doubted his luck.

Two…one…

Do you not like kids, Alaric?
The mentor heaved a breath, lifting his eyes to focus on the mentor of district seven as she moved towards him. A moment later the uneven tempered little girl had thrown herself from his lap, her feet pressing firmly against the muscles of his thigh as she launched herself into Lila’s arms. He suppressed a grimace, instead focusing on ruffling the little boy’s hair and looping his arm loosely around him.

“Do you not know how to keep an eye on your kids, Lila?” Alaric countered, ignoring the remainder of her statement, “For it seems like these two want to be as far away from you just as most that are forced in your company.”
Like Harrison.
Like Aleks.
The media wasn’t lost on him.

But Alaric wasn’t the fondest of children either. Perhaps it was simply because his childhood had been cut so short that he wasn’t as comfortable around them. Maybe simply because he’d been forced to grow up too fast with the brutalities of the Hunger Games that all he could really see in their innocent eyes was the requirement of learning how to better themselves for the war of their futures.

He kneaded the fingers of his free hand into his eyes, shaking off the last of the sleepiness that possessed him before releasing a slow breath. He certainly could’ve asked for a less abrupt and obnoxious awakening…especially now that he was stuck with Lila.

“You can take them back and go away, if you like. I for one would be loads happier.”

Do you not know how to keep an eye on your kids, Lila? For it seems like these two want to be as far away from you just as most that are forced in your company.

“Funny,” the woman deadpanned at him, ice in her eyes as she held her daughter closer, “but from the looks of Amina and how quickly she flew towards me you can see that’s not the case. And I do know how to keep an eye on my kids, they just have the tendency to want to explore things because they’re one and everything is new and exciting. And as for everyone else….Harrison and I were on a path of destruction anyway so its probably better it happened now than five years from now. And I don’t need to talk about anyone else. They aren’t your concern. They aren’t anyone’s concern.”

Lila didn’t want to talk about Aleks. How he had left when she needed him the most, just like every other person she had thought was her family. And at least she had found that out. It was just proof never to actually let someone get that close to her again. Because those people always left….and Lila was done with people leaving.

You can take them back and go away, if you like. I for one would be loads happier.

“Well that’s assuming that I would actually want you to be happy,” Lila shrugged as she sat down in a chair, “however we actually were on our way here anyway, and Skylar seems to really like you. And because of that I don’t want to tear him off of you. Unless you want him to scream for an hour. I’ll make sure to follow you wherever you go to make sure you can have that lovely deafening experience.”

Rediscovering Loneliness || Burton, Lila

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:11:32 -0700

burton-copperfield:

Burton found her in the mentor’s lounge, curled up in front of her two children in despair. It had been a while since he’d seen Lila Frost during the Hunger Games, and after another day of trying to secure sponsors for Riker he needed to relax a little in the Training Centre. But to see the District 7 mentor there… oh, it felt like Christmas. To watch her stumble and collapse before him - after coping with years of her torment, her jibes of him relapsing into drugs - it was such a pleasure.

“What do you want Copperfield? Or where you not looking for me? That’d be a surprise though since I’m sure you went to see your boyfriend by now. Because that’s what Calloway is right? Your boyfriend? Because that’s sure what the television is saying, and let me tell you, Calloway Johnson is a step down from the prostitute. But knowing you I doubt you could do a lot better.”

Was everyone still believing in that rumour? There had been nothing between Burton and Cal - in fact, they had been nothing between Burton and anyone. “Calloway’s not…” He stopped, finding himself biting his tongue sharply. “… you know what. I don’t have to explain myself to the likes of you. Not the person who tried to kill him.” Burton folded his arms across his chest, his face creasing in bubbling fury. “Oh I know; the whole of Panem will probably know by now what you tried to do. So that’s it; you’re done. You’re finished, Lila.

“But it wasn’t enough, was it? It wasn’t enough to hurt just one of my friends; you had to go and break the other one too - Harrison. Your husband, who you walked out on. Oh you had to go and stomp across everything he’s worked on for years… and for what, exactly? What good did it do you?”

There was a small part of him that felt pity for her; pity that two young children were watching their parents tear themselves from one another, two young children watching their mother and father spiral downwards into oblivion. Burton closed his eyes for the briefest of moments, remembering his own family, simply observing as his mother welcomed back his father. He remembered watching his family tear themselves apart in agony and rage, just because their son had unexpectedly returned from the Arena. And it burned.

“… because from what I can see, you’re a failure, Miss Frost.” Using her maiden name now felt like a dark delight - yet another sign of her failure and her ice-cold pride. “… wearing the shoe on the other foot is such an interesting thing, isn’t it?”

It was clear that Burton was giddy at seeing her. The fact that Lila’s life slowly was crashing down was probably something that gave him more joy than anything. In fact the only thing that would probably make it better for him was for Lila to relapse……and maybe he did deserve that satisfaction. It was becoming clear that he was a much better person than she was. Burton could make friends that would stay around for year, keep himself off of the thing he was addicted to. The only thing that she could hold over him was that she was a parent and he wasn’t. And both of them knew that kids would never be in the cards for the man. That would involve commitment, and as he seemed to deny Calloway again, it was clear that Burton and commitment would never belong with each other.

“You obviously don’t watch the news,” Lila slowly said to him, not really in the mood to fight him when he would probably win, when it was clear that Burton finally had more on her than she would ever have on him, “a deranged fan tried to sleep with him and then shot him when he said no. And then you his ever loving boyfriend rushed to his bedside in his hour of need. Never once was my name mentioned. So very few people actually know what I did and if you try to change that……..nobody will believe you. I at least have that security. So maybe I am finished by your standards…..but I’m not to the rest of the nation. At least not yet.”

But it wasn’t enough, was it? It wasn’t enough to hurt just one of my friends; you had to go and break the other one too - Harrison. Your husband, who you walked out on. Oh you had to go and stomp across everything he’s worked on for years… and for what, exactly? What good did it do you?… because from what I can see, you’re a failure, Miss Frost… wearing the shoe on the other foot is such an interesting thing, isn’t it?

“You think that this was about hurting you?” Lila snapped, unable to believe what she was hearing, beginning to get a little of her fire back “That everything I’ve done was about you? That’s incredibly narcissistic of you Burton. Harrison and I, you called this by the way, were always going to fail. Both of us were just too blind to see it, and I didn’t walk out on him. He walked out on me, just because I slammed the door in his face doesn’t mean that I was the one who left….he left a long time before then. And its probably for the better…..I can now do something for myself and for my kids instead of devoting my entire life to taking care of him and not thinking about myself. Because I can do that now….I can actually think about my needs. Instead of hoping that my husband notices me in the background for a second. So that’s the good it did me….its allowing me to be able to breathe again.”

However Burton continued, going on about how she was a failure. And that was true, more true than she wanted it to be. Harrison had left. Aleks had left. Calloway was obviously going to live. Everything that she had done recently ended up failing…..except being a mom. At least she still had that, not that the man in front of her would ever understand. Burton’s brain didn’t have the capacity to understand things like that.

Battle Scars || Ray, Lila

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:53:20 -0700

ray-victorof3:

Her words, though calm in tone, were no comfort. He was essentially killing a child. There were no tears, no sudden bursts of anger, simply nothing. How would you expect a person react in that situation, anyway? In the situation of killing another living human being, let alone a child? Sure, Ray had killed before, he still had nightmares about that. What if it was his own daughter he were to call onto the stage one day?

“I thought I was saving her.” Ray said, feeling as hollow as his voice sounded. “I thought I was making her life better. I thought I was helping her. I was supposed to give her a new life, not take it away!” His last few words ended in a shout, the man nearly rising out of his chair then dropping down, face in his hands. There was a short patter of feet, then: “Dada! Shh! Shh! ‘Mina, Sy-lar! Shh!”

Ray peered through his fingers. Just a tiny girl, barely a toddler. A small scowl on her face, concerned for her friends. Little tufts of blonde hair sticking up from sleep. Pajama pants slightly too big. Bare feet on the chilly floor, she could catch a cold. The pink-painted nails that a fancy Capitolite offered to do for Cate as she was just ‘too pretty for words’. Two huge eyes, one green, one blue, both flickering between Lila and Ray, unsure of what was going on. “C’mere, Cate.” Ray murmured, holding his arms out to catch her as she ran to him, showing a gummy smile.

“Dada owwie?” Cate asked, roughly patting away the salty tears off his cheeks that had accidentally spilled over. “No, no owwie. I love you Catey-bug.” She simply burbled something back in an unknown mixture of syllables and allowed her father to pull her close, cradling her against his chest. She smelled like baby-powder and strawberry shampoo, and Ray wondered how long he would be able to hold her tight like this.

A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eyes, the woman blinking, brought him back. He groaned, he had completely forgotten about Lila. “I’m sorry, I got a little… side tracked. I didn’t mean to-“

“Shh, Dada, ‘Mina an’ Sy-lar.”

“Its okay, Cate, they can’t hear me from here. Lila, I’m sorry. You didn’t come here to watch me have a panic attack. You simply came here to pick up the twins and instead I’ve messed up. Again.” He shook his head. “I won’t ask any questions about this job of yours, okay? Its probably better, the less I know, anyway. Just, drop off the twins whenever, and… and stay safe. Try to not get cut open again.” A brief pause, followed by Ray biting his lip. “If… If I’m ever the one, that you have to, you know…” He mouthed the word ‘kill’, not wanting to say it in front of Cate, “make sure she doesn’t see, okay? And… make sure she goes to a good home. Not the orphanage. That’s the only thing I ask of you. Please.”

I thought I was saving her. I thought I was making her life better. I thought I was helping her. I was supposed to give her a new life, not take it away!

Lila could remember thinking the exact same thing when the Capitol let the news out about the twins after 4 months of not seeing them. She had given them up so that she could make their lives better, put them in the community home to better their odds. She gave them a life where there would have been no connection to either of their parents. Where they would have had a hard life, but there was a less likely chance for them to be dead.

And as she watched the man with his daughter, she could see the same love for her that Lila had for her own children. And it was commendable, it showed how good of a parent he already was even though he hadn’t been that way for long. And Cate loved him too, it was clear the girl was opening up to him, she had come a long way since she was first the little girl staring at the woman in the mentor’s lounge. And it was rather adorable watching her talk about Skylar and Amina…it was nice to see that they already had a friend. She wasn’t sure how many they would end up having in District 7…not with her reputation.

“You didn’t mess up,” Lila admitted to him as his focus turned back to his guest, “you’re concerned about your daughter…..you’re having the realization that every parent has at some point. We just have it earlier and more intense because of our stature. And I doubt that you’ll make it on my list………….no offense but you don’t seem enough of a troublemaker to ever end up on it. However if something happens to you I’ll just take Cate for myself I’m a decent enough mom and that way she’d at least get to be around Skylar and Amina. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind having her around. I’ll keep her safe….just as long as you promise to do the same for me.”

Wake Up Call @Lila

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:30:45 -0700

alaricshultz:

The patter of small feet against the carpet was light, carrying small bodies down the hall. One chased after the other, gentle laughter filling the air as Amina tried to catch up to Skylar. They tore through the hallways, weaving between legs and feet of people they toddled past before bursting into the mentor’s lounge – a familiar territory.

Suddenly Skylar came to a halt in his path, Amina crashing into her brother a moment later and the two toppled over. The scraps or bruises that may have been received went unnoticed though for both sets of eyes studied the form that lay stretched out upon the couch, legs absently hung over the armrest, one arm flopped over the edge of the cushions. The mentor’s chest rose up and down in an even pattern, indicating sleep.

However the children didn’t recognize the motion.

“’Mina,” Skylar whispered, poking his sister as he straightened up on to his feet once more. “Is he dead?”
The boy’s eyes immediately welled up with tears as the siblings approached the man, Amina taking the lead and reaching over to poke a small finger against his cheek. When no response was given yet again her lips pursed.

Then her tiny fists curled into balls and she grasped onto Alaric’s shirt, tugging herself upwards and flopping her weight down upon his lower abdomen, her fists pounding against him in an effort to rose him.
That certainly did it.

The mentor gave a gasp before startling awake, jumping at the sight of the child that had positioned herself against him and grasping onto her gently as she began to topple over from his jump.
The flat of her hand smacked against his cheek before she pointed towards Skylar.

“Ok, Sky.”

Alaric’s eyebrows pulled together as he looked from the girl seated upon his stomach to the teary-eyed boy beside the couch, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt with raised arms.
Sky?
Skylar?

“Lila’s kids?” Alaric murmured as Skylar continued to tug on the sleeve of his shirt, as if demanding to be lifted into his arms, the pools of tears filling quickly as his request wasn’t fulfilled.
“Uhm…” The mentor murmured slowly before righting himself and allowing Skylar to clamber onto the couch and position himself upon Alaric’s knee, snuggling into his chest with an expression of happiness coming to his face.

Amina just stared at him as she sat upon the mentor’s other knee, her face fixed in contemplation that made Alaric feel uncomfortable.
If these two were here, it certainly meant Lila couldn’t be far behind…

Lila knew the twins loved chasing each other. And she knew that they were starting to get used to walking around the Capitol. But she never would have thought that they would run off on her in the two seconds that she glanced at the screen to see if Mystery had died yet. And unfortunately he wasn’t, and unfortunately when she looked back the twins were gone. And there was nothing like the fear that was practically crippling to think that something had happened to them. Or someone had taken them. Or anything.

Doing her best not to pass out she tried to think of where they could have wandered off too. They could have seen someone that they recognized and chased them. Or maybe they thought that tag was an acceptable game to play in the hallways. And then she heard a familiar shriek down one of the walkways and sighed in relief. They had to be playing for either of them to make that sound. Quickly she followed it before she found them in the mentor’s lounge. It wasn’t surprising that they ended up there…..it was one of the places that they had been to the most so it made sense that they found their way there.

However the fact that they had found a someone……that was surprising. Especially since they had found their way into his lap. And they had both found their way into an obviously confused Alaric Shultz’s lap. And the mother wasn’t sure if she was supposed to scold them or let them stay there and make him more uncomfortable. The twins seemed to be doing a better job at it than she would have expected.

“Do you not like kids Alaric?” Lila chuckled at the sight of the man, as Amina shot off of his lap and into her mother’s arms. ”Not a surprise though. A man who has trouble with his coordination and then keeping his stories straight afterwards wouldn’t be able to handle taking care of another human. Let alone two.”

Battle Scars || Ray, Lila

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:47:26 -0700

ray-victorof3:

Lila sighed and Ray began to tap his foot anxiously on the floor. How bad could it be? It mustn’t be too bad, Lila wouldn’t do anything to put the twins in danger. But that didn’t explain why she was so beat up. Ray’s mind began to switch into overdrive, a familiar anxious pattern kicking in.

I have a job, a job that’s dangerous and deadly and probably stupid.

Okay, a job. A job that was dangerous could be anything, a job that was stupid, well, maybe she was in charge of taming lions for the zoo. Maybe it was some new Victor reality television show and Ray should expect a call at any given second inviting him to make a complete fool of himself for the entertainment of the Capitolites. But deadly? He had no response for that.

Because its a job where I have to kill whoever the Capitol wants me to kill.

“Oh…” The simple word fell out of Ray’s mouth before he could stop himself. Okay, Lila was killing people. Lila was killing people. Killing anyone the Capitol wanted her to kill. Oh dear.

And in return for taking these people out of their miserable existence, I have the reassurance from the President himself that the twins will never see the inside of an arena.

Ray gulped. “I’m sure not all of their existences are miserable… I mean, maybe they just didn’t do something properly or they- The twins will never see the inside of the arena!?” His jaw dropped. “But… the news always implied they would… Wow. Oh, wow.” Though he was happy for Lila and for the twin’s safety, he felt as though is was quite an issue. Killing one person to protect another… Surely that would take a hit on the moral conscience Ray certainly couldn’t ever kill another person, even to save Cate from the arena. Cate. Arena. Cate. Cate in the arena.

His breathing became rapid and shallow, his eyes wide and anxious. Cate would have to go into the arena. The Capitol loved Victor’s children going into the arena. His hand slapped his mouth shut, he felt as though he was going to vomit. He had thought that he would be saving a child, not preparing her for her death! “I believe…. I believe I can understand why you would do this, Lila.” He began, struggling with his words. Now he must focus on Lila and her assassinations, Cate he could worry about later. But what if there was no later?

A babble from the other room reminded him that there was still eleven years until this day that may happen. Eleven years. Eleven years to prepare for the slaughter. “Excuse me,” Ray gasped, forcing himself into the adjacent kitchen. Oh dear God. Cate would be going into the arena. What if she went in at the same time as Amina and Skylar? Little black dots began to circle around his vision, and Ray forced himself to take deeper breaths, knowing that he wasn’t taking in enough oxygen. After splashing some cool water on his face, he walked numbly back to Lila, unable to process anything anymore. “I suppose I have no questions.” He stated, his voice low and expressionless.

Lila watched as the man’s reactions started from calm and slowly started to get worse as he realized exactly what she was doing. The calm that started slowly shrank away, figuring things out in his head. But the thing that surprised her was that Ray seemed to understand why she was doing it. Maybe because it was because he had Cate in his life and he could understand sacrificing everything for his child. Or maybe it was just him trying to figure out a way for her not to kill him and make Cate an orphan. Again.

I’m sure not all of their existences are miserable… I mean, maybe they just didn’t do something properly or they- The twins will never see the inside of the arena!? But… the news always implied they would… Wow. Oh, wow.

“Its been implied since the news broke that they existed,” Lila admitted, still not comfortable with that thought, “they had four months of safety before it hit. Now they get the rest of their lives. And I would do anything to make sure that they stay out of the arena. Neither of them deserve to go through that. And as long as its in my power to keep them out of it, I’ll do whatever I have to.”

However it didn’t take long for the severity of everything to hit Ray. It was clear he didn’t even realize that Cate had to face the Reaping, that she now had the title of a Victor’s child…that she probably had the odds more against her than anyone else in the District. And as he quickly excused himself it was clear he probably was finally putting together the pieces, exactly what being a parent meant. The panic of it setting in that he would have 6 years of heart attacks as he watched from the stage, praying that it wouldn’t be her name that he calls.

“Well that’s probably good,” Lila admitted, “because I don’t particularly want to answer anything about it. But…….you just realized it didn’t you? About how unsafe Cate is going to be? And I’m sorry……I’m so, so sorry. Knowing how I am with the twins, I just know, nobody deserves it. Least of all us, since we know what they would be facing while other parents just imagine it.”

Photo

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:50:50 -0700

ooc: so this just popped up in the summer tag and since...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:48:31 -0700

ooc: so this just popped up in the summer tag and since there’s nobody in chatzy to show I’m showing it here because I literally choked when I saw this.

"What do you want Copperfield? Or where you not looking for me? That’d be a surprise though since I’m..."

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:55:29 -0700

“What do you want Copperfield? Or where you not looking for me? That’d be a surprise though since I’m sure you went to see your boyfriend by now. Because that’s what Calloway is right? Your boyfriend? Because that’s sure what the television is saying, and let me tell you, Calloway Johnson is a step down from the prostitute. But knowing you I doubt you could do a lot better.”

- Lila Frost to Burton Copperfield (via from-the-capitol)