The Capitol
25 Years Old
Relationship:
"With" Rebecca's GM
Occupation:
Socialite
HG Status:
Not Signed Up
Loner
Last Online:
Mar 29, 2020 12:03:17 GMT -7
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Post by Ara Chalcis on Nov 22, 2017 23:56:55 GMT -7
The very second that the front door of Elwes’s home closed, Ara bent down and pulled off her shoes. ”I swear, it’s like I’m supposed to cut off my toes to wear these stupid things. How do these Capitol women do it?” she asked, shaking her head. As Gamemaker, Elwes had social obligations at parties, and, as a Gamemaker’s partner, Ara shared in that obligation. The parties in the Capitol were like nothing she’d seen back in District 2. For starters, the expected fashion was ridiculous, all brightly colored dresses and tiny shoes. Ara trekked over to the couch on blistered feet, falling down dramatically on the cozy white fabric and immediately seeking out the comfort offered by the warm fur throw hanging across the back by drawing it over her body and burrowing up inside it. ”And, these dresses? My first guess would be that they’re trying to save material by making them so tiny, but obviously that’s not the case seeing as literally everything else is as indulgent as possible.” Ara was excited by the idea of pulling off the tight dress, removing the layers of makeup from her face and the coatings of products from her hair, and taking a warm bath. After each party, she savored the idea of becoming comfortable again and heading to bed. Of course, though, as per tradition, she needed to first complain to Elwes about everything before actually acting on the problems to make them better. With her bright eyes, she looked over his suit. ”I bet that’s super uncomfortable too, right?” she asked, gesturing to the tight tailored fabric. Ara frowned over at him. ”I just don’t understand why parties can’t be everyone getting drunk on wine in pajamas, and by everyone, I mean like… groups of two. Handling all of those people at once is just exhausting,” she said, sighing as she turned to him. Truthfully, she did enjoy the process of dressing up and heading out with Elwes. It made her feel important and moneyed, just like the other Capitol ladies. Though most of her complaints were in dramatic jest, as Elwes was aware, Ara did feel truly taxed by the demanding scene, though this night actually wasn’t one of those times. Words: 407 Tags: Elwes Ash |
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1st Assistant GM
Unsure
26 Years Old
Relationship:
"with" Ara
Occupation:
Gamemaker
HG Status:
Over Reaping Age
Loner
Last Online:
Aug 12, 2021 20:18:14 GMT -7
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Post by Elwes Ash on Nov 23, 2017 12:50:29 GMT -7
Elwes knew exactly what to expect when he and Ara came home tonight, because it's what happened every time they came home from some big Capitol social event. She would complain, he would fix them a drink - usually non-alcoholic, because there was certainly no lack of alcohol at these things - and they'd relax into being the homebodies they sometimes wished they could be more often. Only sometimes wish, though, because they both did enjoy going out. Elwes loved being around people especially when he wasn't working. He didn't have anything to prove at the social functions, because he'd already proved it somewhere else, and he couldn't deny that he relished the attention. Being a Gamemaker was about a thousand times better than being a soldier had ever been. "It's a talent us lowly District-born can only hope to gain," Elwes replied to her comment about the heels as he started to loosen his tie. "I think it's a rule that you have to be uncomfortable to be fashionable." He was certainly grateful that he didn't have to wear the ridiculous footwear that the women did, although the rather expensive shoes that covered his own feet weren't exactly the most comfortable either. Even expensive didn't equal comfort; his favorite pair of shoes was a cheap, worn-in pair he still had from life back in District 2. He rarely had the occasion to wear them though, with his job and his life being what it was. Ara continued to complain about the clothing as he made his way to the kitchen to put the kettle on. The complaints weren't new, but they still made him grin. For as well as they both fit into this new life in the Capitol, every time they were alone and able to be entirely themselves, they were reminded of how different they were from the other Capitolites. Ara had far more difference than Elwes did though; he'd grown up in a world not so different. He didn't go to nearly as many events as a child, but he'd learned all the manners and had his fair share of fancy parties or official events as the son of a captain. A big difference between then and now was that he could dress himself and actually participate in the frivolity, although the former thing didn't matter much when you had a limited selection. Re-entering the living room, he leaned against the doorframe. "Oh, this?" he asked, pulling a little at the suit jacket, which barely moved since it had no place to go. "Nah, I could sleep in this - I just wouldn't ever be able to move again." He unbuttoned the suit jacket and tossed it in her general direction. "Mhm, but then you couldn't kill it out there like you did tonight. Did you see their faces when you walked in? It's a good thing you've got a strong, manly guy like myself to protect you or they would have been all over you." He said the last part with a hand over his chest and a grin on his lips, having no doubt Ara would be able to handle herself but also knowing how much easier it was for her to be already attached to him. It was certainly easier for him. Where in Panem would he find another woman who would be perfectly okay if he didn't want to be all over her when they were behind closed doors? And one that was so ridiculously easy to be around all the time? Elwes popped back into the kitchen, picked up the steaming kettle, and poured two mugs of hot chocolate. It was just barely cold enough outside to warrant the hot drink, and he intended to take the weather up on that offer. He walked back to Ara carrying both mugs and held one out to her before sinking down onto the couch. He propped both feet up on the coffee table and leaned back. "Weird though that my father had one of those faces. Poor man must be pretty lonely." He sipped the hot chocolate non-nonchalantly as if he hadn't just teased her.
WC: 689 Tag: Ara Chalcis |
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The Capitol
25 Years Old
Relationship:
"With" Rebecca's GM
Occupation:
Socialite
HG Status:
Not Signed Up
Loner
Last Online:
Mar 29, 2020 12:03:17 GMT -7
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Post by Ara Chalcis on Nov 23, 2017 20:27:40 GMT -7
While warming under the blanket, her skin chilled from the whipping air over each exposed part of it, Ara slid a hand out to pull off the heavy false lashes glued to her own. Throughout the night, they weighed down her eyelids almost as if they wanted her to feel exhausted in every way possible. ”What, do you think it’s like a competition of bravery or something?” Ara laughed. ”Maybe it’s something like the person that can go the longest without really breathing or the person who can walk the furthest without any circulation to their feet.” That’s how it all felt, at least. The first few parties were the hardest. Back in District 2, Ara never wore anything beyond her normal, everyday clothing, and she certainly never attended any parties like those held in the Capitol. Ara’s experience with parties consisted of her going to some friend’s basement and getting drunk off cheap beer whilst awkwardly sitting on the couch alone at night when the rest of everyone had coupled up and gone to different rooms, some in the house and others elsewhere. That was one of the reasons that she became closer to Elwes. They were some of the only ones left alone at parties. Now, though, they’d found a way to find together, or at least something closer than what they previously had. Ara burrowed back down into the blankets while she waited for her warm drink, a little routine they’d developed. Listening to his dialogue, she paused until she first had a drink. Hot chocolate this time, hers with a dash of sprinkles. She smiled into the mug before sitting it down on the table across from her and looking at Elwes. ”That… doesn’t even make sense to me,” she said, shaking her head. They’d had this conversation before, but Ara wasn’t an inch closer to understanding what the feeling of attraction was like. ”Like, how do you just look at someone and think ‘wow, I’d love to sleep with them!’? That’s bizarre. And how does something like an outfit even change that? It’s all so stupidly complex and nonsensical.” Once, Ara tried to understand what attractiveness might be like by asking Elwes who he thought was attractive. Ara put together a vague idea of qualities that might seem “sexy” to most people. She used it sometimes, assuming that El would think some guy was “hot”, occasionally asking him for his opinion to check herself. Even when she did that, though, Ara felt entirely detached from the process. She took another sip of the hot chocolate, letting the warm and sweet taste fill her. There were times before El when she’d been too frightened to say no, not knowing how. She tried not to think about them, and, in doing so, never told him. Though Ara didn’t feel attraction herself, she knew that others did and could sense their hungry, selfish eyes shamelessly roaming her body. Ara didn’t want that to get to her, though, so she smirked up at Elwes. ”Not the only reason that it’s a good thing that you’re a ‘strong, manly guy’. I saw lots of eyes on you tonight, and not just the ravenous older women like usual.” Words: 560 Tags: Elwes Ash |
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1st Assistant GM
Unsure
26 Years Old
Relationship:
"with" Ara
Occupation:
Gamemaker
HG Status:
Over Reaping Age
Loner
Last Online:
Aug 12, 2021 20:18:14 GMT -7
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Post by Elwes Ash on Jul 11, 2018 20:08:44 GMT -7
"I wonder what the winner gets," he mused with a thoughtful expression. "Crowned king or queen of the party? I'd go for that if there was a decent crown involved. Otherwise, it's so very not worth it." It was fun picking at these Capitolites even as the two of them were trying to become them. They were conforming to every stereotype and request required of their status here. But anyway, in the end, if you couldn't make fun of yourself too, how could you make fun of anyone else? Elwes couldn't help but laugh as Ara pondered again at the great complexity of attraction. He'd tried so often before to explain it to her, but there was nothing that quite captured that gut punch he could feel with just the right person. It was an especially good feeling after he found out and accepted that he was gay. When he felt it for some man, he didn't question his thoughts or let them be buried in shame. He embraced them internally to the fullest extent. He rather enjoyed picturing a lovely male body sans garments, wondering what it would be like to stop in the middle of the street and just... experience this stranger. He didn't act on anything in public, of course, and his trained repression kept the emotions from his face, but they were certainly there. "Outfits accentuate certain wonderful parts of the body," Elwes explained. "Your ass, for example, was basically putting on its own show in that dress. It was just... begging to be grabbed." He drew the curves he talked about in the air with his hands as he spoke, but that didn't really do her body any justice. He shrugged. "Well, we all hope that something pretty makes the sex better, because at least there's an enjoyable view." He was certainly aware of Ara's own physically attractive qualities - they just didn't spark anything in him. Elwes took a sip of his hot chocolate, then reached over to pull some of the blanket Ara had covering her onto himself. It was already nice and warm from her body heat. He was settling back but perked up a bit when the mentioned the attention he got. "Oh, please tell," he said, turning to face her with the mug in both hands. "Everything you know. Well, maybe skip the - hey, like usual? Are you saying I usually only get the attention of the old broads wanting to relive their glory days? I'm deeply offended." Though it was certainly true he got their attention. He'd had more than one awkward conversation with said group of people. "But really, tell me. In fact, I would rather love to hear the highlights of the night from the magnificent point of view of Ara Chalcis."
WC: 464 Tag: Ara Chalcis
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The Capitol
25 Years Old
Relationship:
"With" Rebecca's GM
Occupation:
Socialite
HG Status:
Not Signed Up
Loner
Last Online:
Mar 29, 2020 12:03:17 GMT -7
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Post by Ara Chalcis on Mar 19, 2020 15:13:34 GMT -7
Ara laughed, nearly choking on her drink at Elwes’ explanation. She knew that lots of people found her to be attractive. Having Elwes nearby was an automatic man repellent. Apparently, men still grappled with the concept of respecting women, but they certainly respected a man like Elwes. Physically, it was pretty apparent that he could take on pretty much anyone. Elwes wasn’t the type to drop someone at a party, but not everyone knew that. Beyond that, he had the automatic respect awarded to the class of people -including Gamemakers - that were reinventing the Capitol for Panem. “Belonging” to Elwes awarded Ara so much freedom that she would have no means to otherwise. ”And imagine if that had happened, El,” she said, laughing, "It makes me so happy to have you around.” She threw her head back as she laughed at his surprise. ”Not everyone who wants you is an old broad, but it seems that all the old broads want you, El.” He had a certain way with older women that was absolutely hilarious to Ara. Elwes was attractive and polite - a combination that caught the eyes of every aging woman he encountered. ”Well,” she said, reaching forward to grab the pile of mail left on their table, ”if you MUST know, I believe a certain Peacekeeper - Cygnus, isn’t it? - could not control his wandering eyes this evening.” The man was among Ara and Elwes’s that frequented all the parties. He was a star soldier in the war, promoted to a cushy Peacekeeper management role in the Capitol. Ara knew that the man was what many would consider conventionally attractive, but he seemed to be of Elwes’s particular type as well. Early on in their relationship, she made it clear that she was not bothered by Elwes’s orientation. Actually, Ara liked hearing about his adventures outside their home. They were each other's closest confidants, and Ara loved the feeling of sharing these secrets and having that friendship. As Ara picked through the mail, she found a single envelope addressed to her. Ara split its side with her nail, gently tugging the letter out. ”Is he one of yours already? I didn’t recall hearing about him from you before, so I didn’t think so,” she told him. Ara opened the letter and glanced downwards to read it. As her eyes skimmed through the letter, she immediately sat up straighter. Ara sat her mug down on the table and started at the beginning of the letter again. She looked to Elwes, her eyes widening with worry. ”El, you’re going to want to see this,” she said, her stomach tightening as she offered the letter to him. Ara didn’t read the whole thing, but she’d seen enough to understand - a not so happy girlfriend found out her boyfriend was with Elwes, and she intended to do something about it, starting with informing Ara. Words: 501 Tags: Elwes Ash |
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1st Assistant GM
Unsure
26 Years Old
Relationship:
"with" Ara
Occupation:
Gamemaker
HG Status:
Over Reaping Age
Loner
Last Online:
Aug 12, 2021 20:18:14 GMT -7
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Post by Elwes Ash on Mar 23, 2020 12:53:12 GMT -7
"Back at ya," Elwes responded with a grin. Oh, if anyone actually had grabbed Ara's ass, he would have to play the part of the protective male boyfriend. It wasn't actually a role he got to play very often; most people were aware that messing with Elwes was not in their best interest. Much as he didn't want Ara getting fondled, he did look forward to any opportunity he had to assert his heterosexual-ness. Most of the time, the cover could get a bit tedious - although that of course had nothing to do with who the cover was with - and any excitement of variance from that would be fun. He was a bit relieved to know that Ara didn't think it was only the old ladies lusting after him - it would mean he'd lost some of his skill. He wasn't getting old yet, was he? 26 was hardly a baby, but he still had glorious years ahead of him, decades maybe. He raised his eyebrows as Ara went on. Cygnus, eh?" he asked, the traces of a smile on his lips. He leaned back against the couch. "I wouldn't mind trying that one on. I've heard that Peacekeepers really do have the most fun, if you can break past that shell of theirs."Taking another luxurious sip from his hot chocolate, Elwes enjoyed a few moments of imagining what Cygnus had under that uniform. He wasn't interested in settling down with anyone yet - even if that was ever a possibility - but he enjoyed playing around. Carefully, of course. Everything about his lifestyle in the Capitol and with Ara still felt so shiny and new. There were thousands of avenues to explore, experiments to try, ideas to form. His relations with men were a bit tricky to form sometimes, but most of his conquests were more than willing to keep their mouths shut for their own good as well. Much as they loved his attention, the men he fooled around with all had different reasons for staying silent about their tumbles in the sheet. Next to him, Elwes hear Ara sifting through papers, but was still rather enjoying his daydream. "No, not mine yet," he admitted lazily. He heard the rip of paper and Ara adjusting herself, but still thought little of it. Maybe it was one of those pesky bills or a love letter dedicated to her. He gave a short laugh to himself. Oh, he'd love to see one of those. When she spoke next though, her words were not amused or annoyed but - something else. Opening his eyes and sitting up a bit himself, he took the proffered letter from her. The letter was addressed to Ara, so he wasn't initially sure why she was giving it to him. He didn't have to skim it very far before his own name popped up in whoever's scribbled hand. (He couldn't help but notice that the penmanship was atrocious.) He backed up a little. ...Bennett finally told me that he'd slept with your Elwes, and I felt it was my duty to... He stopped reading, then reread that partial sentence. Bennett. Bennett Erington? Bennett Erington was not in the same circles that Elwes and Ara ran in. He was just a beautiful boy who worked in the shop where Elwes found some of his best clothes. He wasn't high ranking, but he had a girlfriend he was going to marry and a job he very much needed to keep. That should have been enough. "f*ck," Elwes said, a word that seemed like it could about encompass his situation. He stood up, still looking down at the letter. "Shit. Bennett Elington. That little..." He trailed off. "'My Benni just kept crying and saying how sorry he was, how ashamed he was.' Lies. That boy needed a good shagging and he begged me for more than the once. He was a little puppy dog every time I went into that store." He glanced at Ara. "Ermine's Emporium, you know that place? He works there." He looked back at the letter. "'Elwes used my poor Benni, and he's using you too.' Used? She's calling me a whore, isn't she?" Elwes threw the letter down on their coffee table and ran his fingers through his hair. This was bad. This was very, very bad. Maybe this Lily chick would keep it as a confidence between two girls, or maybe she wouldn't. Maybe she'd wait for the right time, pull along 'poor Benni', and tell the whole Capitol on the evening news. Or worse, the afternoon news. People really watched that one. And then what? Sure, Elwes could deny it, call Bennett a liar with a schoolboy's crush, but it would put that seed of doubt in everyone's mind. A little niggling seed, ready to sprout at any moment. And it would mean Elwes couldn't have any more fun. Everything he'd worked for would just follow up, all because of one stupid boy whose reasons weren't quite strong enough. Elwes sunk back into the couch next to Ara. "What the hell am I supposed to do? You think it's a money thing? Or a jealousy thing? The first one would be easier to deal with."
WC: 870 Tag: Ara Chalcis
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The Capitol
25 Years Old
Relationship:
"With" Rebecca's GM
Occupation:
Socialite
HG Status:
Not Signed Up
Loner
Last Online:
Mar 29, 2020 12:03:17 GMT -7
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Post by Ara Chalcis on Mar 23, 2020 14:56:22 GMT -7
If the situation wasn’t scary, it might have been a little funny. It was honorable, Ara supposed, that this Lily Floras woman was doing something honorable. If Ara didn’t have this arrangement with Elwes, she absolutely would have wanted to know. In a different life, Ara might have appreciated Lily’s letter, but in this one, it would only cause her problems. Elwes had plenty of reasons to keep his secrets. He was starting life new in the Capitol, and this was the easiest way for him to do that. Ara clenched her jaw as she watched Elwes read the letter, noting the exact moment he realized exactly what it was about. She shifted forward on the couch as he stood, feeling all his nerves herself. In the almost ten years of their “relationship”, she became proficient in guessing exactly what he was thinking. It certainly wasn’t hard this time. She groaned at his confession. Part of her had hoped that this was some really far off accusation completely unfounded in truth that had somehow happened to be true. Ara nodded. ”Yeah, Bennett,” Ara said, ”I remember him. You know, El, he sold me those ties for your birthday last month. I had no idea why he was acting so nervous. I should’ve said something to you.” Even then, the worker had seemed particularly awkward around her, even sweating as he finished the transaction. Ara loved Elwes. She was terrified for him, scared that this could mean the breakdown of everything he’d worked to build. Even if it didn’t, in the best case scenario, it certainly meant he’d have to slow down on all the fun he’d been having lately. Although that was plenty of reason for her to jump to action on this with her full attention, Ara was scared for herself, too. If this relationship - this illusion - ended, she would be that same girl once again. It would flip her life over. Sitting and worrying wouldn’t vanish the letter away. All there was to do was to form a plan and act it out quickly. Ara collected the letter from the table and quickly skimmed through it once again. ”From the sound of this, El, she’s trying to frame this as some sort of mistake of his. It sounds like she thinks he was swayed by you into cheating. I bet he’s got her convinced of this so she’s mad at you instead of him.” Ara hated Bennet. She loathed him. He was throwing Elwes under the bus completely unfairly. Ara groaned and frowned. ”Whatever we do, you can’t deny it. If she can somehow prove it, it’s the end. We just have to figure out how to spin this, yeah?”Ara looked at the letter in her hands, frowning at the scrawled and smudged letters that were so carelessly threatening to uproot her life. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to promise herself that they could take care of this quickly. Words: 516 Tags: Elwes Ash |
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1st Assistant GM
Unsure
26 Years Old
Relationship:
"with" Ara
Occupation:
Gamemaker
HG Status:
Over Reaping Age
Loner
Last Online:
Aug 12, 2021 20:18:14 GMT -7
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Post by Elwes Ash on Mar 26, 2020 12:51:31 GMT -7
"I'll need to ceremoniously burn those," Elwes muttered about the ties, rubbing his temple a moment. It was too bad - they were nice ties - but it felt like something he could do. Something he could actually handle. In the back of his mind, a little part of Elwes had known that his charade with Ara couldn't last forever. Something would happen to make it all come crashing down. But he'd gotten caught up in the life he'd made for himself here, and his own pride that he was pulling everything off swimmingly. Well no -turns out he wasn't. If he could be sure that this information would stay in the letter send to Ara, then it would be fine. All done. Maybe Ara could talk to the woman or something, console and squirrel her away. But no, he couldn't ask that of her. This was his problem. He'd slept with the man, after all. Ara would never get herself into a situation like this, and not only because she didn't sleep with anyone at all. She just wasn't as reckless and impulsive as it turned out he was. "Oh, probably," Elwes agreed. "It's the perfect cover story of cheating. I've probably never met this Lily girl, so what wouldn't she trust her lying little puppy?" Though, truth be told, if he ever had met Lily, she'd probably still believe Bennett. He supposed she might know him by reputation. He was at all the parties, schmoozed with everyone, was quite the big personality. To Elwes, that was just him expressing his great love of life and Capitol. To a jilted girlfriend, that was a recipe for a man whore, he supposed. Elwes let out a snort that he couldn't help. "How to spin this?" he repeated. "If she does have proof, how in Panem can we spin this so that my father and the old broads and the other Gamemakers don't just peg me for a gay phony? Maybe I can pass it off as being really drunk, or maybe... maybe we can pin this on Bennett somehow. He blackmailed me, or promised free shirts in return, or something." His offerings so far sounded lame, and he normally was pretty creative. He was an actor, so he was good at improvisation. True, if someone had accused him at a party or something, he could have laughed it off and pulled the drunk card, or denied it altogether, but that was a short term cover-up. Long term cover-ups were harder. "Sorry my mess is yours too, Ara," he told her seriously, looking at her. "Though you could probably make out alright. Publicly dump and humiliate me, say you had no idea, and not much would have to change for you. You're loved around here enough for them to forgive you dating such a loser."
WC: 472 Tag: Ara Chalcis
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The Capitol
25 Years Old
Relationship:
"With" Rebecca's GM
Occupation:
Socialite
HG Status:
Not Signed Up
Loner
Last Online:
Mar 29, 2020 12:03:17 GMT -7
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Post by Ara Chalcis on Mar 27, 2020 12:16:28 GMT -7
Ara set the letter down on the table, not liking the way that the angrily scrawled black letters stared up at her. She frowned and flipped the letter over. Out of sight, out of mind, right? As if they would ever be able to put this out of their minds until this was all over. Despite all Ara’s jokes about the parties and the fashion, she truly loved the Capitol. She loved her life with Elwes. Being with him opened so many doors for her. Before Elwes, she was headed in the direction of a life of settling. In her early teenage years, Ara assumed that she’d have the life that her parents always wanted for her. She’d become an engineer for the quarries, marry some rich man working there, and start a family. Of course, they only wanted the best for her, but a life like that would have been a slow suicide. She never could have achieved her dreams on her own. Elwes came into her life and changed everything. Ara was so happy with her life. She couldn’t have dreamed up a better one. As Elwes’s partner, she followed him to the Capitol after the war so he could serve in his new role as a Gamemaker. Her parents were able to follow shortly after, partly due to their support of the war and partly because of her. Ara got to make art, got to design clothing for the other Capitolites. Everything was so luxurious and easy - anything she wanted, right on demand. And, the crowning jewel to it all, she was sharing this life with her best friend. They were so happy together, blissful in this shared paradise he’d found for them. Ara wasn’t ready to let go. Ara looked into Elwes’s eyes with an intensity that surprised her. ”I’m not feeding you to the wolves, El. We’re here together.” Ara would first outcast herself, admit that she was some stiff, frigid girl who wouldn’t fulfill her duties as Elwes’s girlfriends, making him turn to drunkenly cheating at parties. Ara’s plan manifested in her thoughts all at once. She set her jaw, still looking right at Elwes. ”We’re in this together, and we’ll get out of this together.” Ara turned her body to face him fully. Seeing the letter was one of the most frightening moments of her life, and she was sure that Elwes felt the same way. Ara remembered how she felt all those years ago when she came out to Elwes backstage in the theater. He was able to calm her, to fix it. Is this how he felt at that moment, knowing he held a key to solving both their problems? Ara ripped a strip off the letter, tying it into a circle to the best of her ability. Channeling the actress within her, she slid off the couch and onto one knee the best she could in her tight dress. She cracked a dumb smile despite the severity of the situation. ”Elwes Ash, as I kneel here in this stupid dress, with this ugly ring, I’m asking you to marry me.” Ara looked into his eyes with hope. This made sense. This could save them. Elwes was bound to say yes, right? She dropped her smile into something softer and more serious. ”I love you and the life we have here together. These are our good days, our glory years, whatever you want to call them, and I’m not done living them out just yet. I go find this Lily lady, I’ll tell her that we had some crazy argument and that you were drunk and made a mistake, but that mistake somehow made us realize how much we loved each other and wanted to be together. You said that they were planning to marry, so maybe this will plant that idea in their heads, too. And while they’re dealing with that, we can do some official proposal, and all these socialites will be so caught up in the wedding drama that they don’t take the time to care about anything else.”Ara could barely breathe in the dress as she kneeled, so she slid back up onto the couch beside Elwes. ”So,” she said, shyer now, still holding the ring fashioned from the letter between her fingers, ”what do you think?”Words: 748 Tags: Elwes Ash |
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1st Assistant GM
Unsure
26 Years Old
Relationship:
"with" Ara
Occupation:
Gamemaker
HG Status:
Over Reaping Age
Loner
Last Online:
Aug 12, 2021 20:18:14 GMT -7
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Post by Elwes Ash on Apr 1, 2020 12:48:48 GMT -7
Much as Elwes really was willing to take the fall for this solo, it was still nice to hear Ara's assurance. She was his best friend, and even if it was in her best interest to dump him on the side of the road now, he still wanted her in his life. If he hadn't had Ara for all these years, there was no way he could have lived this life. Maybe he still would have made it to the Capitol, but he wouldn't have been as successful because he'd be miserable. Life before anyone knew his little secret could be exhausting, and he'd only had to put up with it for a few years. But having to put up with it for the near decade he'd been with Ara? No way. As she shifted next to him, he turned his attention fully on her. She'd thought of something. He could see it in the way she sat, in the determined look in her eyes. They'd helped each other out of many scrapes before - none so big as this one, true - and he loved watching her make her decision and put it forth. Right now, he could really use her confidence and her wit. He was too caught in his own emotions right now, too blindsided by this stupid letter from Bennett's girl. How do you wrap your head around protecting the entire life you've built for yourself? Thankfully, he had help. Confusion furrowed his brow as she ripped off a strip of the letter, tied it, and knelt. Although these were clear signs, it didn't click for Elwes until she actually said the words out loud. Of all the things in all the world, Ara Chalcis had come up with the idea of proposing to him. Since determining his rather strong affinity for men, Elwes had written himself off as not the marrying type. Men marrying men wasn't a thing, and certainly not here in the Capitol. He'd pretty much figured that life would continue in platonic bliss with Ara and a whole other kind of bliss behind closed doors. But this? He'd never seriously considered this. Elwes couldn't help the surprised expression that took over his face just then. It wasn't horror or fear or even total shock - just surprise. Surprise that she'd thought of it, and surprise as it unfolded in his head at her words. Of course, he'd considered marrying Ara a time or two, to cement the strength of their public relationship. It'd felt a bit like he'd be using her, though, so he'd never really taken it seriously. Ara might still have the chance at a normal marriage one day, if she found the right person. But if they married now, threw the love stuff in the face of Lily and Bennett... it would solve everything, wouldn't it? And it was Ara's idea, so he couldn't get quite so lost in the selfishness of it all. The surprise on Elwes' face gave way to a crooked half smile, and he felt some parts of him relax that he hadn't realized were so tight. "I think," he said slowly, taking her free hand with his, "that you're brilliant. Of course the answer is yes." His smile became a full one, and he held up his hand to allow her to slip on the paper ring. Then, he pulled her tight against him in a hug. It felt silly and wonderful, and since there was no way he could ever marry a boyfriend, this was the way it was always meant to be. This was it - she was it - and it felt right. It felt as right as when he'd asked her to be his girlfriend all of those years ago. "It's perfect," he said, letting her go after a few moments. He took both of her hands in his. "You acknowledge that you took it seriously to them, I plan the most spectacular proposal that's ever been, and there's no room for doubt from anyone. You're right - how could any socialite in their right mind care about the words of a couple of nobodys when the greatest love story of all time is unfolding in front of them?" He emotions had changed so rapidly, and he felt giddy at the prospect. "I have so much do to, so much to plan. You are going to let me do the proposing bit, right? You're a wonderful actress, my dear, and you did a fantastic job right now, but I was made to propose."
WC: 757 Tag: Ara Chalcis |
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