emeraldxdrood-blog

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

aspen-scott-li:

The blow left too quickly for Aspen to react, a dull pain throbbing up from where it rocketed into her jaw. “Just couldn’t keep your hands off me, huh?” She taunted, spitting the blood out of her mouth and onto the other’s clothes. A violent sting began to unfurl, and from the frequency of it, she knew her jaw was going to bruise. Great. 

By then, a sea of Capitolites had showed up, no reporters, thankfully, though rumors would definitely be in the tabloids by morning. What did she care, anyway? Panem already fucking despised her. Another incident was just a raindrop in the ocean. 

“Doesn’t mean you didn’t want to,” she replied, menacingly, a sea of purple beginning to wash out on the affected area. Pain. Such a familiar sensation that she almost didn’t mind it. Every word, every instance of human contact Aspen’d had in the past month had involved violence— tasers, force, shackled body thrown roughly to the ground. Emerald’s offense seemed weak compared to all the shit that she’d been through, and she angled her jaw, smugly, laughter leaving her throat. “Go on then, psycho. Do your worst.”

It never happened.

A Peacekeeper broke in, elbowing her in the chest before separating their bodies from another. “Backs against the wall— both of you,” he barked, taking a baton out in case either refused to comply. Aspen nodded, though her smile remained raised, hands displayed as she straightened herself against the wall. Fucking hell. The Peacekeeper pat her down, searching for weapons, but obviously found none. She noticed that he didn’t do the same for Emerald.

“Ms. Drood,” the man greeted, keeping a suspicious eye on Aspen. Fucking hell. The second his eyes had made contact with her ankle tracker, she knew he was going to discard her word and take whatever Emerald said at face value. It wasn’t fair– this time, she hadn’t even done anything, and as she opened her mouth to interject, the Peacekeeper shot her down with a warning. Corrupt bastard. “Might I ask what Ms. Scott-Li did to instigate this?”

Aspen was lucky that the Peacekeepers were breaking up the situation, or she would have listened to the encouragements in her head to just strangle the woman and rid the world of that annoyance. But she knew better than to go against a Peacekeeper, especially in Coin’s territory. So she complied with his wishes and stood against the walls, shooting a nasty look at the other Victor when the Peacekeeper wasn’t looking.

To her delight, the servant of the president seemed like he didn’t want to deal with Aspen at all. Which meant that Emerald would have more weight to her words in his eyes. With the record and reputation that the other had, there was no way that anyone would take anything she said at face value. Ever the opportunist, the Victor bowed her head mock shame to the man as she began to answer him.

“We’re so sorry, sir. We had come over here to tell Miss Scott-Li to be careful with what she said, as she was saying such horrible things about President Coin,” she began, the faintest sign of crocodile tears forming in her eyes. “We’ve had our disagreements in the past, but we didn’t want her to make things worse for the rest of us trying to enjoy this lovely event that the president has thrown for the new Victor.”

“But then, she started to verbally attack us about Silver and saying such awful things about him a-and President Coin and I...” Her voice trailed off as she “regained” her composure through the tears now streaming down her face. “We had too much to drink and we lost our temper. Our deepest apologies.”

She could feel the disgust of the other woman, but right now, she didn’t care. As long as she won over the Peacekeeper, nothing else mattered.

1 vs 7 Once Again || Aspen and Emerald

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

cephdayne:

Cepheus heeded no mind to all the spectacles that may or may not have been worth his attention in midst of the Capitol’s extravaganza. Though in his moment of indulgence he was distantly aware of some dramatic development taking place between some disagreeing persons, he kept entirely to himself, only registering with a few passing glance that a number of those faces proved to be rather familiar ones.

At some point however, the commotions seem to have died off. While the party was still very much alive, Cepheus found himself inebriated just the right amount to feel warm and decently sober. Unoccupied at the moment and ever so slightly distracted from any objectives he may have planted in his mind, he weaved through the crowd, snatching bite sized snacks along the way. Regrettably, he found himself back along the table of refreshments and assortment of spirits.

Thou art the true essence of a feast and my only reliable consort. A true graceful lamentation.

His moment to himself was however, cut short once more by the assertion of some familiarity. He turned towards the voice announcing her approach, a receptive grin drawn across his lips as he greeted the district one patrician. They’ve been friendly acquaintances, as with most relationships he held with the other victors were. Emerald Drood was not one to flutter around the social scene from his observation, but she was also not one to be excluded from it either. Either way, he only knew so little of her as she did of him, just a few particular outlandish tendencies likely stemmed from certain events that the people of Panem all seem to painfully well acquainted with.

“It’s hard to not have a better evening than you, dear Emerald.” He jested lightly, without exuding any ill intentions and with a dignified jolt in his steps, he turned to face the younger woman.

“With all the entertaining spectacles, how can I be anything less than ecstatic?” He smiled at her once more, his exaggerated demeanor juxtaposing that of her receded one.

“Well,” he quickly returned to a more believable posture, searching for something to lean on, his grin now more subtle but still with a trace of elation. “As impassioned as those circuses allow, naturally.”

“What can I do for you?”

Of course the older Victor would begin with a jest. She rolled her eyes, not in annoyance but from the predictability of his joke. She would admit, his pleasant demeanor was soothing to her agitated being. Granted, he didn’t calm her down like Silver seemed able to, but he would do under the circumstances. Anything to help her come down from her encounter with the woodchuck.

“We suppose you’re right. We can always count on them to find some way to entertain even the stiffest crowds.”

Which, unfortunately, included her at the moment. Her head rattled with thoughts and whispers to finish what she started, but she knew she wouldn’t get off so easily a second time. She was lucky enough that the Peacekeeper didn’t send her straight to President Coin for her little “show” with Aspen. She hardly needed to be asked before getting to the heart of the issue.

“Who does Aspen think she is? Congratulations, princess. You’re a Victor. It doesn’t give you the entitlement to act like you can take on the entire world and become a righteous symbol of rebellion. She’s such a brat.”

Raging || Cepheus and Emerald

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

aspen-scott-li:

Emerald’s contact with her shoulder caused Aspen to flinch, phantom pain spilling out through her ribcage. Her facade broke, for a second, vulnerability cracking through, before she snapped at the girl with her teeth. Taunting. Whatever violence Emerald had— she could take it. 

To feel something. 

She’d let the grudge leave its marks on her skin.

A thin smile tore her face at the Victor’s words, growing sharp as Emerald’s nails began to break her. With every word that she left, Aspen’s death wish pulled deeper, willing her body to plunge into the void. Did Emerald not think that she knew that? That she was pathetic and useless? That she wasn’t fucking supposed to have lived? Goddamn— even now, she’d do anything. To have Jo or Alexis standing here in her place. 

Young love was such a goddamned pain.

“Yeah, well,” Aspen replied, asking for it, flexing her jaw menacingly at the other. “That was just the luck of the draw, I guess.” She ran her tongue over her lips, leering atoms away to whisper warm in Emerald’s ear. “That your turn on then, gremlin? Disgust? I guess that’s why incest appealed so viscerally to you, huh?”

She doesn't deserve to have that smug-ass look on her face.

She didn't deserve to act as if she knew anything about the dead tribute. At least Emerald knew who Alexis was and what she was like when she spoke of her. The District 1 Victor was not as depraved as to participate in such actions with her cousin, neither past or present. Her fist clenched as she looked at the other woman.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see how she’d look with her jaw unhinged? It would certainly be an improvement.

“Yes it would be,” she muttered. In an instant, her fist swung at Aspen’s face. The brunette’s face was contorted in anger. Everything disappeared in that moment. She didn’t hear or see the Peacekeeper approaching the women to handle the growing situation, the shocked and excited Capitolites who happened to see what happened. Nothing but the worthless woodchuck mattered to her.

“Nothing like that EVER happened between us! We are not so morally depraved as to partake in... incestuous intercourse,” she spat. Silver was not someone she had feelings like that for; he was simply the seam that held her delicate mental state together. To have Aspen try and sully the name of their relationship was unacceptable.

She’s so weak, he egged. You could rip her to shreds in an instant. No one would care. No one would miss her.

Emerald stepped forward, eager to follow the voice’s encouragements. Yet the nearby Peacekeeper had other ideas.

1 vs 7 Once Again || Aspen and Emerald

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

EMERALD DROOD | 73RD HUNGER GAMES VICTOR | TAKEN

TRAITS:

+ Intelligent, Insightful, District Loyal - Merciless, Distant, Doubtful

BIOGRAPHY:

TW: Death

Life in District 1 was good to Emerald. The district’s close relationship to the Capitol meant that they were rarely left wanting for anything, and when they were, it never lasted long. Living with her parents, she was an only child. Though her cousin and best friend, Silver, was always nearby. The two were thick as thieves. Like others, they both began training for the games the moment they were old enough to hold a practice weapon. They trained together every day, pushing each other to their limits to continue to grow. When one began to slack, the other forced them forward, and themselves feigned falling behind themselves to ensure that they both would continue to be in classes together and train at the same level. She was loving and affectionate towards him and the rest of their family.

As was custom for District 1, the tributes were chosen from the top of their class. Their parents were proud when the duo was top of their class, meaning that they were both to participate in the 73rd Hunger Games together. The cousins promised each other that no matter what, they would stick by each other and make sure that at least one of them would emerge victorious. As much as it disgusted Emerald and Silver to know that they were having to be pawns in the Capitol’s games, they refused to let down their district. By their mentor’s urging, the two formed an alliance with the District 2 and District 4 tributes to ensure they would survive the early part of the game.

The game took place in hill country, with many shrubs and small vegetation. There were small streams of fresh water, though they were extremely shallow and difficult to obtain water from. There existed a plethora of poisonous snakes that inhabited the area. The cornucopia sat on top of the tallest hill, forcing the tributes to run uphill to get their desired resources. The careers used the landscape to their advantage, as their physical physique allowed them to reach the top before the other tributes, making them easy to pick off during the bloodbath with arrows and ranged weapons. With some slipping through their onslaught, the careers grabbed their desired supplies and ran to the hill they chose as their base of operation. 12 had died during the bloodbath.

Armed with her sword, Emerald quickly established herself as the leader of the careers. The six tributes went out to camp near one of the more plentiful streams in the area, though not for their own use. Having gained many sponsors, they were sent plenty of water for themselves. Their plan was to eliminate more tributes if they tried to look for water. They eliminated two more tributes during the ensuing 4 days.

Over the next four days, one tribute had died. The game makers made things more interesting: poisonous fog was to set in at nightfall. The fog was to force the tributes to rest uphill, making it easy for all tributes to know where others were. The first night of fog threw the careers into chaos. Not knowing what it was coming towards them when it rolled in, they rushed to the top of the hill they had camped nearby. Many of their food supplies were left behind in the rush, and were ruined. As they ran uphill, the District 2 male tribute, Julius, pushed Silver out of the way to ensure his own survival. Having been the first to reach the top of the hill, Emerald witnessed the whole exchange. Her heart shattered at that moment. Silver was obscured by the fog, yet she couldn’t get the image of his horrified expression out of her mind. She did nothing, however, at that moment. She instructed everyone to rest for the next day, plotting her revenge.

Two others had died in the first night of the fog. The next day, they went to gather more supplies to replace the lost ones. Emerald came across something particularly interesting on her search that set her gears in motion: wild lettuce. Some grew in District 1, and was known for its bitter taste. Yet it was also similar to an opiate, and was often used as medicine by doctors in the district to help with sleep. Seeing that it had not been harmed by the poison from that night, she gathered as much as possible, along with some other fruits she had found. Julius had been able to hunt a few rabbits, allowing Emerald to make a last meal for all of them before they agreed to go their separate ways and win the games for themselves. Mixing the wild lettuce with the berries and rabbit, Emerald ensured that everyone consumed the opiate without any suspicion. The District 1 tribute volunteered to have the first watch of the night to let the others rest. They all quickly fell into a deep sleep.

She walked around them a few times to ensure that none would wake up should they hear her. Satisfied with her work, she drew her sword and swung it down on the necks of the District 4 tributes and the female tribute from District 2. They all died silently, none stirring to awaken and warn the others. With only Julius left, Emerald stood over him and plunged her sword into his heart. He awoke, groggy but fearful for his life. She pulled out her blade and stabbed him again, and again, and again as she took out her rage and heartbreak on the man who ended her cousin’s life. To this day, she still doesn’t remember how long she was there stabbing the man, but it was difficult to recognize him once she was finally finished.

The game makers pushed the remaining tributes to the center of the arena to end the game two days later with a large invasion of venomous snakes. Still caked with the blood of the other careers, Emerald used it to help intimidate the other two tributes and pushed them both into the oncoming serpent invasion.

After the game, Emerald wasn’t the same. She distanced herself from others with her dire insistence that Silver was still with her, speaking to her even from beyond the dead. Often, she would speak in terms of “we”, as if there was someone else with her. She, like others, was prostituted to the people of the Capitol. Emerald never spoke of her time with the men and women who paid for her, nor did it ever seem to bother her. It was simply something that was expected of her that had to be done. But she used it to learn about the people of the Capitol, and their ways and views.

When the Third Quarter Quell came around, she only stared on in disbelief. She was found whispering to “Silver” during the whole ordeal, about how she would finally have a chance to be with him once more. Yet she was not chosen, and instead stayed behind in District 1 when the tributes left. She was an advocate in encouraging those in the district to join the resistance and aiding them in transferring to District 13. Her role in the resistance was to send intelligence on how to get into the Capitol and where to start their invasion of the city, much of which she got from being with people of the Capitol as a prostitute.

She was hesitant about all the change; everything set her on edge ever since Silver died. She would, in secret, question the new President of Panem and what her intentions were. When questioned why, she always would say, “Silver doesn’t like her,” and walk away. Though still loving and dotting on the young members of District 1, she acts cold and brash towards those not from her district, especially if they are from District 2. With Snow out of the picture, the woman finally thought that she and her people could finally have peace and not have to live at the whims of a cruel dictator.

Fate has a way of being cruel, and the Second Victor Purge occurred, leaving her the sole surviving victor of her district. Gone were her friends and mentors. No one understood her and what she had endured. All that was left was for the brunette to fall further into her madness. Emerald is terrified of this new Panem. This Panem threatens to tear apart families, hearts, and minds like it did to her. She curses the name of Coin at every safe moment, and longs for something or someone to start something to remove her from her high and mighty spot.

Face Claim: Adelaide Kane

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

jericho-havor:

He’d almost weaseled his way out of coming. The waspy psychiatrist had sat thin-lipped across from him and tapped her pen, eyes hidden by a glare on round lenses, as Jericho poured over the loss of yet more children from District 6, his home. The pale, freckled girl named Calypso, who was as soft and gentle as a field of clover, had been dismembered at the eleventh hour. Cyen, a young man of 18 with limbs as gangly as a newborn colt’s, had died with a mouthful of Nightlock berries. Jericho couldn’t shake that image of his bloated, purple face, and the venomous black of the berries leaking from the corner of his lips. They were lambs to the slaughter. 

The thin woman had looked almost sympathetic to his plight as a Victor — a shepherd, really, who was forced to march innocents to their doom and smile about it — until his temper had flared. After telling her to shove her fountain pen up her ass, he was immediately dismissed from the session, and any hope of getting out of the morbid Victory Tour festivities was shot to hell. 

Thankfully, Jericho had made himself known as a rather curmudgeonly type, so no one seemed to bat an eye at him when he simply sat at the corner of the room and glowered at the churning maelstrom of idiocy unfolding around him. In fact, the Capitolites seemed to gorge themselves on his snarky comments, and crossed arms. His sour disposition was somehow endearing to them. It had to be. He imagined with grim certainty that if it wasn’t, he’d have been put down like a dog a long time ago. So, when the peacocks ambled by with flutes of champagne and poked the sleeping bear, he delighted them with half-veiled remarks about how ridiculous he found them all to be until they disappeared in a cloud of pastel and operatic laughter.

He’d started on a fresh glass of something potent and amber-coloured when he heard a breath and a voice against his ear. A ripple went through him that urged reaction; something born of neglected PTSD, but his iron will stomped it down, and he turned his head.

A huff of laughter left him. “Hell no.” He gave her a narrow once-over. “Why? You had enough of dancing with those assholes?”

She rolled her eyes once she finally realized who it was she was speaking to. Why did it have to be the Morphling? Not that she had any outstanding issues with the Victor - he certainly was no Aspen - but he wasn’t exactly what most in District 1 viewed a winner. Then again, he wasn’t from her district, so he got a free pass on that one. Besides, if she said anything rude right now, she may have had to wait longer to rest her feet.

“Yes we have,” she replied, moving to occupy the seat. A sigh of relief left her as the weight was finally taken off of her feet. The careers were expected to try and fit in with the Capitolites: it made them more relatable and familiar to the pretentious multitude. Thus the shoes she was given to wear were more for show than for practicality. Her body immediately relaxed now that she had a break from entertaining the masses. For the first time since she arrived at the party, Emerald didn’t feel like she was part of the hussle and bussle of the event.

She looked over the man next to her. Like other Victors, including herself, he clung to his liquor of choice, most likely to deal with the theme of the gathering. While he looked as though he was mostly still there, the woman couldn’t help but ponder how much of him was really there at the moment. The brunette rarely associated herself with those from District 6 back when there were more of them, and had little to no idea how to deal with them.

As long as he wasn’t as disagreeable as a typical District 7 Victor, she felt she could deal with his company for the moment.

“Trust me, I wouldn’t dance with them at all if I didn’t have to worry about next year’s Games.” She waved over a server to grab a drink from her tray. She took a sip, caring little for what was in it. Alcohol was alcohol, which was good enough for her.

An Empty Seat || Emerald and Open

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

aspen-scott-li:

“Or what, Princess?” She replied, leering down at the girl, canines glinting from the two inches she had over her. “You gonna make me?” Aspen stepped closer, breathing hot on the other girl’s neck, using a finger to roughly tilt the girl’s head up. “C’mon. You look so much better when you smile.” She watched Emerald’s face sour, disgust welling up in the corners of her face. Better. She curled her lips into a sneer, baiting the girl for any form of reaction. If anyone asked, she’d started it.

Despite her show of bravado, Aspen knew Silver was a low blow— she wasn’t usually the type to bring that kind of shit up. Victors and their scars— they were important– carried weight, and digging around in their traumas was decidedly out of line. Which was why, she knew, Emerald had brought Alexis into this, trying to raise up her opponent’s haunches. Sometimes, Aspen wished she weren’t so goddamn predictable.

Sometimes.

A bitter laugh left her throat, almost hitting the floor before she found her composure. Rebellion. Funny. As if Coin setting fire to a public bus and pinning it on her as a menace made her symbolic in some way. “I’d like to think I was a bit better with an axe,” she replied, not missing a beat, all part of their old song and dance. “But c’mon, killer— tell me how you really feel. The same insult’s getting about as flat as your whole Ouija board schtick.”

Her pale skin crawled under the woman's touch. She raised her eyes to meet the taller woman’s, her feelings all too present in their reflection. Of everyone in the 72nd Hunger Games who had fought for their lives, why did it have to be this pathetic excuse for a tribute who got to live to stand with her now?

Why couldn’t it be Alexis here? The District 1 tribute had been loved by everyone who knew her back home, and who could blame them for looking at her in awe? She was like Cashmere: a goddess amongst men, top of her class in strength and intelligence, kind, generous, genuine to those she cared for. There was a reason she won so many sponsors during that Game, and everyone back in District 1 were sure that she would come home to them a legend.

Instead, Aspen was the one who came to visit them during her Victor’s Tour.

“Do you really want to know what we- no. What I think of you?” A manicured hand reached up and firmly grasped Aspen’s once dislocated shoulder, her grip refusing to relent. A momentary break into sanity. Brown eyes went cold as they stared into the other’s, pure malice dripping from her voice.

“I think you shouldn’t be here. You don’t deserve to be a Victor, and you damn well don’t deserve to be the sole surviving symbol of District 7. You were weak and pathetic throughout most of your Game, and Alexis is the only reason you got so far. Someone as amazing as her shouldn’t have died because she was too distracted to kill someone as easy a target as you.”

Her nails now began to dig into the cloth of the other’s outfit, a wicked smile gracing her features. “We’re absolutely disgusted that you exist still.”

1 vs 7 Once Again || Aspen and Emerald

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

An Empty Seat || Emerald and Open

If one was forced to attend a party at the Capitol, one might as well enjoy themselves. Which is exactly what Emerald was doing. It’s what ensured that her tributes would always have sponsors, as the Capitolites always likes the tributes of a Mentor who intermingled with them. Of course, that was help in great part thanks to President Snow and his efforts to pass her around to any who could afford a night with the young woman. 

She had some faithful “friends and companions” in the Capitol thanks to her exploitations by the departed leader of the old Panem, and President Coin wouldn’t dare mess with the schedule if it meant keeping her power and dignity. As such, Emerald expected to see some of them at the party, and indeed she did. Many sought her out to give their condolences and partake in a dance or three with her. Dancing was one of the many social skills that Cashmere drilled into her head before her Game, knowing it would help her in the long run to enchant potential sponsors for future District 1 Victors. And so, she danced.

Forced conversations and many dances drained the girl of energy over time. Though the music was grand to dance to, the repeated activity on her feet were wearing her out. Excusing herself from the elderly man she had finished her last dance with, the brunette looked for somewhere to rest a bit. Coin should at least set out some more seating if she’s gonna keep throwing these parties, Silver’s voice commented. On accident, she saw an open seat available near the exit to the garden area, next to someone whom she didn’t recognize from behind. She walked up behind them and leaned closer to them to make sure they heard her amongst the clamour of people around them.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

devyn-ackerman:

It wasn’t so much that Devyn had been influencing Emerald’s belief that Silver was still alive, but Devyn knew better than to force her to believe that he wasn’t there, speaking with her. Getting through to her, to the deeper matters, was going to be much easier if she avoided conflict, and trying to tell her that Silver was dead and there was no way she could possibly be speaking with him wasn’t going to get her anywhere with Emerald’s recovery. Not that the Madame President needed to know any of that.

District One was one of the Career Districts, meaning they had trained their kids for the Arena long before their names were even drawn from the Reaping bowl. The lack of sympathy from Emerald wasn’t surprising, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t unsettling. They had been someone’s son or daughter, brother or sister. Not just pawns in a Game. But there was a bit of sentiment in her words, mostly toward the potential they could have had as Victors. 

“The Arena definitely wasn’t one of the more traditional ones,” she agreed in a murmur, taking a drink from the glass that Emerald had given her. Devyn hadn’t seen too many of The Games, but knew enough of their brutality. In the past few years when she was required to watch with all the other citizens, Mercury Flatstar’s Games were the most gruesome she had seen in years. That sort of brutality was beyond barbaric, and all just to prove a point of power.

“Are there really any Victors in the Games, though?” she asked. She wasn’t seeking an argument, just simply stating a thought that crossed her mind on more than one occasion. One that probably could land her in hot water if heard by the wrong person. “Seems like there’s only survivors more than winners.” What was there to gain from winning The Games other than riches and a better home for the rest of your life? To be exploited constantly to the public and to have to mentor other kids for the slaughter year after year? 

She realized by Devyn’s reaction that her words may have come off as harsh. Often, when speaking to those outside of her district, she forgot that she needed to be more sensitive with her words. Being a career desensitized her to the gravity of the games. Her life had been dedicated to preparing for the games, just like all other careers. While she disliked the games as much as the next Victor, she didn’t have the same sense of disgust and hopelessness as many of the others had about the games.

“That all depends on how you want to view it,” Emerald explained. She took another sip of her drink, savoring the flavor as she glanced around the room. Though she hadn’t been through as many of these gatherings as other Victors, she adapted quite well to these parties. They weren’t intended to be for them, and to think they were was folly. The Games were merely a sporting event, and this party celebrated the end of the event and the perceived victory of the winner.

“We careers are raised to be Victors. The moment we are old enough to have an attention span, we were sat in front of the television and made to watch the Games. Our first homework assignment in school was to watch a portion of any Game of our choice and write a list of things they did to help them survive and win. The Games are the reason that procreation is encouraged in our district: to have a Victor in the family brings honor and respect to everyone. We live by the Games, learn by the Games, exist by the Games.”

She looked back at the doctor. They never understood why they took the Games so seriously. Maybe District 2, but after Silver died, Emerald had no interest in going out of her way to talk to them about such sensitive stuff.

“If we’re not Victors, then why do we exist?”

Impromptu Appointment ││Devyn and Emerald

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

aspen-scott-li:

Pleasant. Like a murder banquet could be anything but that for a career. Foxlike eyes narrowed in on Emerald’s smug expression, feeling heat rise exponentially up her throat. Entitled, disingenuous lapdog. If she weren’t three steps away from a panic attack, she would’ve been tempted to force the girl into what she assumed would be a fourth nose job. She looked onward, stubbornly, oxfords clicking against marble, knowing any form of reaction would only egg the girl on. Emerald, even amongst the careers, was…relentless. Brutal. Never-ending.

She stopped dead in her tracks and leered forward.

“Is that a threat?” Aspen asked, though the slight twitch in her eyes proved her fearful. She wouldn’t have put it past the girl to report it, especially given Aspen’s history with Coin, though why the girl had it out for her, she didn’t know. Her hands shook, clenching, digging nails in, unclenching, gripped by the specter of more forced, solitary confinement. She’d just finished her false sentence. She couldn’t…couldn’t fucking… The brunette’s pulse raced, fight or flight reflex beginning to kick in. Being alone with her thoughts, with the nightmares… no, she had too much pride to kneel down and grovel. Right? Right. Especially not to this incestuous psycho.

She took a couple steps forward, almost circling the girl, rage short-circuiting her desire to leave quietly. Alexis…didn’t need to be part of this, wasn’t… “Mortal coils?” She repeated, incredulously. Emerald had a cringe-worthy knack for sounding like a B-movie villain, though that seemed something most career tributes had in common. “That’s rich, coming from the girl who wanted to fuck her own cousin. But hey, I bet you still make the most of it in that wack head of yours, don’t you?”

Her eyes narrowed as she turned to fully face the other woman. She had the nerve to speak about her relationship with her Silver? Their relationship had never been anything so vulgar and disgusting - he was Emerald’s other half - he completed her. He was her whole life: he stood by her side through everything, and she by his. To decimate their love in such a vile way made the young woman’s stomach churn.

“Watch your pathetic mouth.” Her feelings towards Aspen were feelings of pure hatred and disgust. She was like many she seemed to meet from District 7: stuck up, self-centered, eager to portray themselves as pathetically tortured souls. She wasn’t special in that. It was annoying and ridiculous to watch how hard the other Victor tried to fight the system. Those are the things that encourage the harsh regime to become crueler with each passing year.

The only good that came out of Emerald’s conversations with the other was the pain she saw in the other whenever Alexis was mentioned. Had Alexis not wasted her time with her senseless flirting with Aspen, maybe the District 1 girl would have been around longer. Losing such a dear classmate and friend to the likes of this bitch was appalling. She may not have been the one to end the tribute’s life, but she shouldn’t have outlived her.

“Don’t act like you understand what goes on around you, because you don’t! You’re little actions to ‘fight the power’ are the damn reason the rest of us suffer more under our new leader. You’re not a symbol of rebellion like Katniss was, so stop trying to act like it. It makes you look even more pathetic.”

1 vs 7 Once Again || Aspen and Emerald

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

Raging || Cepheus and Emerald

@cephdayne

It was a terrible idea for her to approach that woman. As usual, they had to be broken apart from each other before the two Victors did any real damage to each other and the other guests. Who gave that District 7 bitch the right to talk about her and Silver like that? She knew nothing about what did and didn’t happen between the cousins. Aspen, in her opinion, easily won the award for least likeable Victor, and second place for least likeable human in Panem. 

She could feel the eyes of one of the Peacekeepers follow her to make sure she wouldn’t circle around to continue her confrontation with Aspen. He returned to his duties once he was sure that Emerald was going to follow his orders to stay away from the other woman. The brunette desperately needed something to calm herself, or someone to vent her frustrations to. However, even Silver seemed to have shut himself away to deal with his own frustrations, as all she heard in her head were his grumblings. 

She snatched a glass of god knows what from a passing server, more interested that is was alcohol than what it tasted like. She stopped to take a drink when she was stopped by a familiar sight.

Victor of District 4, Cepheus. Certainly a much more agreeable Victor compared to the others, though quite the enigma. Whether or not he would actually care about her frustrations was uncertain, but at least he would listen. Or attempt to, at the very least. Striding towards the man, Emerald wasted no in announcing herself.

“I hope you’re having a more pleasant evening than me.” She took a sip of her drink and attempted to offer a small smile. “How are you doing this evening?”

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

aspen-scott-li:

There was something increasingly unpleasant about forced socialization, a chalky feeling that sat hard on the middle of the tongue. Or maybe that was the alcohol, effects increased exponentially, having been deliberately avoiding food since her encounter with the Doctor. Aspen’s stomach growled, needy as hell as it vied for her attention, but she gritted her teeth in an attempt at seeming unflustered. Based on the sad looks she was getting from onlookers, she figured she was doing a pretty botch job of it.

The Victor shook her head, wondering when exactly she’d been dethroned from her comfortable perch in society. Probably when they all had— when she’d won. But this…this sorry state of existence was different, a calamitous result of a different kind of fall. An orchestrated one. One she couldn’t tell anyone about. The Victor tucked her gaze downward, footwork sloppy from the effects of the alcohol. As she moved forward, she couldn’t help but notice how bright her ankle tracker seemed against the grey of the marble– cold. Like Coin herself, it shimmered lifeless and practical, any semblance of color garish against its dearth. And with the all-black she’d worn, the neon orange of the anklet was all that popped of her funeral-esque outfit. But why ought she feel the need to be celebratory? It was a murder banquet, after all, for a Victor who hadn’t come out wholly intact. The games were tragic, brutal, yet all around her…all these bright, smiling faces. She wanted to throw her stomach up and out of her throat.

Before she could go through with the motion, however, a manicured hand clawed her into conversation— one of a 40-year-old woman whom she used to escort. Her aging breath smelt foul, reeking of some awful liquor, though all Aspen could pick up was cough syrup. “Excuse me,” she said, though it came out a bit more like a “fuck yourself with a chainsaw,” darting off towards the bathroom, or at least where she thought one was. Water. She needed water.

As her legs skirted forward, her eyes locked with that of another Victor’s, narrowing hard like a bobcat’s. “Emerald,” Aspen greeted through gritted teeth, thumbing her belt to keep her fists from clenching and her knuckles from turning white. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with Emerald’s shit today. Unconsciously, her hand moved towards the place on her shoulder where the D1 Victor had dislocated it previously, thinking the girl was a brat, but that if she could scrape by her… “I didn’t have a choice,” Aspen muttered, walking blatantly past the girl towards an emptier hallway, “though I’m sure you and your ‘cousin’ are enjoying yourselves. If you get the chance, make sure to send dear Alma regards from yours truly.”

She rolled her eyes at the other Victor, less than impressed by the woman. It was jealousy that dripped from the other’s lips: jealousy over Emerald’s connection with Silver even after his death, the love and respect still given to her by her district. Aspen reminded her so much of her mentor, Johanna. Grotesque, rude, and ill-suited for the public eye. Why Alexis thought it would be fun to try and string this girl along was a question the D1 woman wished she could have answered.

“We are having a pleasant time, thanks for asking.” A smug look rose to her face. Let her have her say, her cousin encouraged. It’s not like anyone else cares enough to listen to her. A cruel chuckle left her as she turned partially towards the woman attempting to leave the situation. If she didn’t gain such enjoyment from watching the other girl be tormented by her betrayed feelings, the brunette would have probably let the other slip on by without another word.

Yet the citizens of District 1 were raised with a certain sense of pride and dignity, which led them to often have a high and mighty attitude about them when dealing with those they have something to gloat over them. Emerald was certainly no exception to that trend.

“We think it would behoove you to watch that tongue of yours,” she warned. “President Coin is not nearly as forgiving of such bitter utterances of her name as President Snow was. She’s have your head in a second if she or one of her minions heard you.”

“Not that you would particularly mind dying,” she added. “It would finally free your tormented soul from it mortal coils and let you ask Alexis why she didn’t love you enough.”

1 vs 7 Once Again || Aspen and Emerald

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

devyn-ackerman:

Devyn wasn’t used to the party scene. Two years of these celebrations and she still hadn’t grown accustomed to having to dress up. The closest thing she had to that in Thirteen had been Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta’s wedding and even then that wasn’t anywhere near as extravagent as this. She wondered if Coin really had wanted to even have these parties in her mansion to begin with. Anything to appear personable.

She had stuck to the refreshments table for a while longer than she meant to, already holding a plate of small treats that tasted about as well as they looked. The meals back in Thirteen were something she definitely didn’t miss. Still, knowing what it took to even have these treats and merely having an idea of how things were in the other Districts, Devyn couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt in her gut.

A familiar voice and gentle nudge tore her from her thoughts, turning to find Emerald Drood greeting her and offering her another glass of champagne. “Emerald,” she greeted with a nod, taking up the glass with her free hand. Emerald Drood had been a patient of hers since her arrival at District Thirteen. Occasionally they would talk outside of her office, though they had kept a pretty good doctor-patient relationship, unfortunately not very common in her work wth the other Victors.

“I’m fairing well. Still not used to these parties, but that’s nothing to be worried about,” she replied with a smile. Then she gave a nod to the younger woman, “How about you? Everything going well for you?”

She gave the doctor a pleasant smile. The brunette held a deep respect for the other woman, something rather uncommon for her to feel for someone outside of her district. Devyn had never tried to force her to believe what other doctors had said about Silver - that he was just a figment of her cracked mental state. Instead, she acknowledged him as being there and dealt with issues that were more pressing and meaningful to her during the rebellion. Even under Coin’s rule, Emerald was able to rely on her to help her keep as much privacy as possible.

“We’re glad to hear that,” the Victor replied. “It goes as well as can be expected, we suppose. We’d prefer not having Capitol citizens trying to give us sympathy for our tributes, but that’s par for the course nowadays.” Her glass was raised to her lips for a sip as her eyes scanned the room. Even she had to admit that this year’s Games were particularly harsh on the tributes; not even the careers could have been trained and prepared for what laid before them in that arena.

“It’s sad,” she continued, lost in her memories of the games and the lost tributes. “They were both very bright, the most talented tributes we’ve seen in awhile. If they had a more traditional arena, there’s no doubt in our minds that one of them would be the victor here.”

He didn’t deserve to win. Not a wimp like him, Silver spat in her mind. Emerald nodded in agreement. Brown eyes watched the crowd where Mercury was caught in. “He’s certainly not victor material,” she mumbled as she took another sip, forgetful of the doctor standing by her.

Impromptu Appointment ││Devyn and Emerald

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

1 vs 7 Once Again || Aspen and Emerald

@aspen-scott-li

Ever since her victory in her Hunger Games, Emerald always insisted that she needed to drink enough to satisfy both her and Silver. A habit that formed rather quickly and often got the Victor into trouble with at least two people. So it was to be expected that her tongue was much looser than it usually was, much the misfortune of anyone who would come across her line of sight.

Another glass of wine was in her hand. She received a few worried looks from some of the other party goers, yet none would step in to say anything to her. After Haymitch, most had learned that it’s best to leave the Victors be when it came to their alcohol consumption. While she was not nearly the drinker the deceased Victor was, Emerald still was known to be seen at any function with a drink in hand at all times.

“We should find something to do,” she mumbled as she looked into her glass. Yet many had already fallen into their little cliques and social groups by this time, and the brunette had grown bored of her usual company by this point in the party. Surely there was someone who could entertain her company amongst all these people.

Yet pleasant company was difficult to search for once the familiar grating sound of a certain District 7 Victor’s voice could be heard through all the chatter and music. Of course she of all people would be here, Silver grumbled in her mind. An agitated sigh left her lips as her feet carried her towards the source of the voice. The two Victors had never gotten along, with Aspen’s “relationship” with Emerald’s classmate and friend and the District 1 girl’s disapproval of Alexis’ weakness. The two always found each other to butt heads, and this event would be no different.

“I’m surprised you still come to these events,” she announced when she was in earshot of the other woman. “You always complain that they’re a drag.”

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

Impromptu Appointment ││Devyn and Emerald

@devyn-ackerman

It wasn’t as if these parties were all that boring - good food, good drinks, and influential company was always nice to have. Still, the Victor wasn’t interested in making new connections right then. The newest Victor was currently being swamped with attention from citizens and Victors alike; he didn’t need another person to deal with just yet. Right now though, the brunette wanted a familiar face to talk to. Someone that would be easier to talk to - not someone whom would show ignorance to her plight.

Dark eyes searched the crowned party as she looked for some company. Do you think the good doctor is around here somewhere? The familiar voice echoed in her head, prompting the brunette to ponder. Considering the reason for the party tonight, it would be odd of the other woman to not be present somewhere. “She must be,” Emerald muttered to herself. “It wouldn’t hurt us to look for her, at the very least.” 

Wandering through the party, she was stopped by a few people for some polite greetings and small chit chat. Mostly just some of her sponsors and regulars, nothing lasting more than a couple of minutes. The District 1 resident was growing bored having no one to talk with long term. Finally, Emerald caught sight of the other woman. Weaving through the crowd, the woman grabbed two glasses of champagne from one of the servers before reaching Devyn.

“Good evening, doctor,” she announced herself, gently nudging the woman to make her aware of the Victor’s presence. Emerald offered one of the glasses to the woman. “How are you fairing?” 

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

Teen Wolf (2013) | Can’t Buy My Love (2017)

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

               Pᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ say     you don’t know what you’ve got                        until it’s ɢᴏɴᴇ

               Tʀᴜᴛʜ is,            you knew what you ʜᴀᴅ

                          — You just ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ thought you’d ʟᴏѕᴇ it

[emeraldxdrood-blog]

                                                                                                                                           i am glass                                                                                                              but do not call me fragile                                                                                    glass is not delicate                                                                  and neither am i                {{ i am glass because i am [ broken ] }}                                                                  and the pieces of me                                                                                            are more dangerous                                                                                                                 than the {whole} me                                                                                                                                           ever was