blazcj

[blazcj]

" christ, don't eat that, " blažej told the other, taking the cocktail bite out of their hand. " i don't know why they're serving these, these are... really bad. " ( &. @hshqstarters )

[blazcj]

he could feel his irritation bubbling inside of him. ignác could sit in his chair and chortle away as much as he liked, but it wouldn't change the fact that he was completely out of line. " ha ha. you're so fucking funny. " that was the thing: he could recognize it as teasing but going along with it gracefully felt impossible. the tenseness in his jaw was not going away no matter how well he tried to welcome back his initial good mood. " what ? you think it was fair of the italians to screw her over ? " sasha's attitude was like fuel to a flame. with as small a gesture as a roll of his eyes, sasha had practically called him a child. how was blažej the childish one when they were playing out a scene from gossip girl ? scheming and attempting to ruin someone's life. blažej would have respected an outright armed move more than this. respected, not appreciated. it was somewhat comforting to know they had a bit of humanity left. " you two are so fucking insane, " he huffed loudly and crossed his arms. he even leaned back in his chair even though he predicted that his exit would happen sooner than later. " you're gonna blame her for a missing hospital building or worn down schools ? i might buy a story about a failed soup kitchen. i just don't think anything big will look plausible. "

ignác's chuckle was nearly loud enough to drown out blažej's breathy chortle. why was it so DIFFICULT for the boy to relax ? " i wouldn't be opposed to the bastard route- " he absolutely was but for the sake of the joke... " -but i think we should be REALISTIC about what blažej is actually capable of — bedding olimpia croÿ is PROBABLY not one of them. " no, sasha was more likely to succeed. even ignác sometimes ran out of patience with blažej's inarticulation and ignác had had a lot of time to get used to it ! " you're probably right. fanni should know better and don't you think the people should be worried about their well-being ? when someone so sloppy is in charge of ruling them ? " fanni's role in the running of hungary was most likely minimal but did the truth matter when people were likely to latch onto the horribleness of the circumstances ? " but it might be stupid to go after only one of them. it might get forgotten. it's not like their pr team is just sitting around and twiddling their thumbs all day. so what do we do with the younger one ? she doesn't have that much influence so we can't attack her judgment. should we just make it OBVIOUS how useless she is ? how much money does she receive from the crown annually ? it's probably a sum that sounds OUTRAGEOUS to anyone but people like us. " ignác even predicted that the sum would look small compared to his salary let alone compared to a swiss princess'. " we should raise the question: what has she done to earn it ? especially when there's a cost of living crisis all over europe. "

[blazcj]

" oh man, i was hoping they'd force us to rest here. " it was a weak attempt at a joke but truth to be told, blažej was trying to figure out how to act around the ball of energy that was gwen. " i've heard people can be a bit tense here. i can't think of a worse combination than stressed out and politically powerful. " it was as dangerous as it was common. " carnival. that sounds cool. "

"Oh yeah. Ski trips, parties, dinners, fashion shows, nap time." She teased. "Ok, the last one is made up but if we're being honest, I wouldn't put it past them to do something similar." Gwen sighed. "That's a hard one. Carnival is the one that comes to mind most often."

[blazcj]

@ignvc / @alexcnder

[blazcj]

he had come to relax. he had come to listen to ignác and sasha throw jokes at each other, had come to laugh with them, had expected to be able to slide in a quip of his own. but blažej was speechless and every muscle on his back had become rigid. the casualness of their tone was chilling. like it was just a brainstorming session for a stand up gig, and not abot destroying a reputation. would he have felt more indifferent if the people being discussed had been strangers ? " i, er... we're not close, no. " he cleared his throat and massaged the back of his neck. the laugh was polite at best. a forced echo of what it could have been if blažej had found the statement remotely funny. " don't you think she's the victim ? with all that italy stuff ? i'd say fanni was a bit stupid and naive to work so closely with them and not realize anything, right ? " great. now they had dragged him down to their level.

" well it's ONLY a rumour, but... " ignác shrugged. " i've seen the press spin stories out of lesser things. at the end of the day, only the perception matters. " once a name was tarnished, there was NO purifying it. " she didn't seem like the type to marry levente either, now did she ? " she hadn't seem clinically insane, ignác meant. " but i don't know. at the moment they're oh so very sympathetic considering italy screwed them over. which is why i think it wouldn't be such a bad thing if you went ahead and– " the sound of heavy footsteps and an opening door forced ignác to swallow the end of his sentence. " look at that ! you DIDN'T die on the slope, " ignác teased with a grin. he shot a very quick look at sasha: it was time to tone it down. " oh, we're just... i don't know if you want to know to be honest. " ignác was tempted to move the conversation to a later time. blažej was unlikely to have any grand ideas. he'd have... criticism. " we are trying to decide our next move. the people have seemingly forgotten about sasha's tragedy. the croÿs are racking up more sympathy points than he is. that fucking baby was like a jackpot. ACTUALLY, considering he's a new father, it might be better to concentrate on the sisters. people will cut levente slack. fanni and olimpia... probably not. not in the same way. could they please do SOMETHING questionable ? it's difficult to create something out of thin air. " [ &&. @alexcnder ]

[blazcj]

" no, i wouldn't think that, " blažej laughed, his voice fading out slowly. " uh, it's just a response to this report that was done last year. about efficiency on municipal level. had to get rid of some administrative roles, create some... i don't know if it'll ever be put into action though. " he remained quiet for a moment and regretted going into too much detail. it was such a boring undertaking. one sentence would have sufficed. " oh yes ! yes, that was the talk of the town for a moment. even in bratislava. i didn't see any pictures though. probably deadly adorable. " had to be if even olimpia was this taken by the baby. " sorry about that. " his awkward chuckle was breathy and quiet. he hadn't even realized his absence had been noted. though it was perfectly possible that olimpia was being polite. it wasn't like she had sent him that many messages. " i guess i wanted to concentrate on building a life back home. time's flown by, honestly. " if you asked him, olimpia was the one who had disappeared: off the map, from the press. she had even finished her studies remotely. " an alumni evening ? think it'll be fun ? i feel like those sorts of things have been created for showing off your achievements, and i've got none. " the negativity in his statement was too palpable. he hurried to erase its lingering presence. she had asked him to come with him, why was he bending over backwards to decline the invitation ? idiot. " but yeah, i think i could come. there's got to be at least one or two familiar faces. oh ! it'd be fun to see the favourite professors as well. is it too late to rsvp ? "

" what kind of a project ? if you think it'll go over my head, you don't have to tell me. " she wasn't sure at which point of his studies the concepts had become so advanced that she had stopped understanding everything. she couldn't imagine how complex his actual work could get now that they were graduated. " oh. that. " her expression became sour. " it's alright now. i'm just glad i don't need to pretend to like him ! " pride was a funny thing, it could make you lie about the stupidest things. olimpia just couldn't admit how little effort it had taken to like alessandro. it made her look even more foolish. her laugh was high pitched and short lived. she waved her hand dismissively. " i have a nephew now ! i don't know if you saw the news. super cute, and tekla had her second kid. i never thought i'd say this but i think i might be getting a baby fever. all those squishy faces. " when had catching up turned into telling about her family ? was her life really that stagnant ? " how are you though ? usch, i already asked but you dodged so skillfully. uhm... " she squinted her eyes. " you know, you practically fell off the grid. can you promise to come with me to that alumni evening next month ? i've literally asked everyone if they're coming but nope. no one's interested. "

[blazcj]

his cheeks were still red from the frisk and cold winter air when he stepped into the room. " ciao, ciao. " his hand rose to a casual greeting, the warmth of smile matched the temperature indoors. " what did i miss ? what are we talking about ? " he inquired as he claimed the seat closest to the fireplace. the tips of his fingers barely had any feeling to them. ( &. @ignvc )

" we know that but not everyone knows that. you could say you were thinking of a come back, 'one more run'... it'll look tragic. just say your ACL is torn now because of the croÿs. " ignác shrugged and fell quiet in order to give the two of them time to think. " aren't YOU the one who's been making her laugh at every event ? " ignác asked with an arched brow. " do you know anything about the state of levente's marriage ? if we could prove the wife's a cheater, it'd make the family look bad, wouldn't it ? or would it make him look sympathetic ? either way we need a story that will cause DAMAGE. "

[blazcj]

" uhm... " he had expected a more gleeful response to his very casual question. the atmosphere was completely ruined now and he couldn't think of a way to change the subject. he pressed his lips tightly together and fixed his posture. what the fuck was he supposed to say next ? at manon's question, blažej was able to match a name with a face. suddenly he didn't feel like the worst conversationalist at the table: why was the welsh princess bringing up england in front of the exiled princess ? " okay, alright... that's fascinating actually. " these were just words. he wanted some socially adept figure to swoop in and sit down at the table pronto. " i'm sensing it's almost better to stay away. but uhm... at least this trip seems cool. i haven't skied in years. i might break a leg tomorrow. " ( &. @nataliademarquis + or anyone )

she fancied herself a generally positive person – that is until hearing the genuine tonal curiosity in the slovakian. have the years changed her ? memories of mainly dread bubbled to the surface before anything, but she sighed and spoke anyways: " the most FUN was brazil – that is until, well – i left and ... " her voice trailed for a while before she waved it off. " in the moment, quite fun. it wasn't quite as STUFFY as all the balls and coronations, i suppose. "

[blazcj]

" oh, i don't, ah, know... " he hated the uncontrollable force that did its best to make him choke on his words. he cleared his throat and did his best to answer her smile. it was a pathetic attempt and the expression was a ghost of hers. " i had things on my plate. one project that's now pretty much done. so now... i'm here. " that much was obvious. god, why had he said that ? " you ? i mean, how have you been ? i heard about the thing with the italian. sorry. " he was not sorry in slightest.

" well if it isn't the socrates of our time, " olimpia greeted grinningly. she hopped onto the tile in front of him and lifted her sunglasses onto her forehead. " i haven't seen you in ages ! i thought you would have followed your brothers way earlier. how are you ? " | @blazcj

[blazcj]

" i didn't realize the program organized ski trips too... i'm starting to get why my brothers are happy to be representing us. " the beer in his glass somehow tasted better than ever before. the chocolates he had had earlier in the day had also tasted better than any other chocolate. things were just better in switzerland. blažej felt almost too content in the booth of the bar. " what's been the best trip so far and why ? " ( &. @hshqstarters )

[blazcj]

&&. announcing his royal highness, ( blažej lél esterházy-koháry ), the ( 27 ) year old ( prince ) of ( slovakia ). he is often confused with ( paul mescal ). some say that he is ( sensitive & explosive ) but he is actually ( compassionate & insightful ). ( ooc: e )

—— BIOGRAPHY.

meet the fourth in-line for the slovakian throne: blažej lél esterházy-koháry. he's as important as his position sounds like — not very. his duties include playing the supporting role, traveling to the little towns his brothers cannot, and entertaining the great aunt at parties when everyone else is tired of her poor hearing. not much is demanded from blažej, and blažej demands very little from the world. blažej grew up admiring his brothers: ignác and sasha were shiny and bright heroes in his eyes. they were older. they were cooler. they knew so many things. they had so much confidence and bravery. but as blažej grew older, he realized he had confused inconsideration for confidence and recklessness for bravery. blažej has always felt a bit different from his brothers. he feels like he thinks harder and more thoughtfully. he feels like he's kinder than the others. he feels like he has a more profound outlook on life... he feels more. he has always felt more than his brothers. his emotions have had a bad habit of bubbling up at the worst times. blažej is terrible at keeping his emotions at check. it doesn't require much prodding to make him blow up — something his family is very used to and joke about. much to blažej's dismay. it's a vicious cycle and he hates to prove his brothers right time after time. his rants and sensitivity have made him voiceless. he talks too much and he always fails to see the big picture, which has lead to his brothers ignoring his insight. it's a small wonder when he has a bad habit to preach to his brothers. he often calls them out and questions their values. to the extent where it has slowly begun to create a rift between them. the upsetting part in all of this ? blažej really really loves his family but just does not know who he is when he's around them. he doesn't know how to hold true to his own values and morals while attempting to prove his loyalty to his family. on a good day, he'll be at the top of the world joking around with his brothers, and on a bad day, he feels shut out and unheard for saying something that no one wants to even consider.

—— FACT SHEET.

AGE: 27

NATIONALITY: slovakian

ALMA MATER: corvinus university of budapest

DEGREE: ba sociology, msc public policy and management

MOTHER:

FATHER:

SIBLINGS: ignác, alexander, žigmund ii, florian

—— TASKS.

—— CONNECTIONS.

[blazcj]

PAUL MESCAL for Harper's Bazaar interview (2023)

[blazcj]

paul mescal as junior in foe (2023)