umbriellelushmeadow-blog

[umbriellelushmeadow-blog]

resignation // self para

Umbrielle resigned the day after Amara’s cannon fired.

She still couldn’t quite believe it, that every tribute had come out of the giant fish except for her Amara. She’d sat there, tears rolling down her face, waiting for Amara to emerge. 

But she never did. 

She couldn’t handle it. The suite was too empty. It wasn’t the same without Amara’s light in it, without the way that she perfectly timed a roll of her eyes or an exasperated sign behind everyone’s back to Umbrielle across the room. It didn’t feel right anymore. Her designs were suffering, and the Capitol seemed to hate her design work so much that it was an easy decision.

“I’m truly sorry,” she added, handing her resignation letter across the desk in the Tower offices. “It was a beautiful opportunity, I’m afraid it just isn’t for me any longer.”

Her room in the District 9 floor was nearly empty, save for a few things left to tuck into her hot pink suitcases. Her personal decor was gone, shipped back to her apartment, which would feel just as horrifically empty without Amara in it. Being away from the Tower would be a good thing. The surveillance was too high. The Games were too cruel. She wasn’t sure how she’d overlooked that for almost thirty years.

But it was better late than never to see the truth.

Umbrielle arrived back in her apartment, which Amara had tidied before leaving for District Nine and the physical evaluation that ended up being her downfall. It smelled like the cleaning supplies she’d used, down to the candles that smelled like the forest that used to be her home. Umbrielle inhaled deeply. She wished there were more trees in the Capitol.

She still couldn’t bear to open the door to the room that had been Amara’s, so she entered her own room and dropped the suitcases by the door. She reached into one of the bags, feeling around for the item wrapped in layers of clothing.

A single, black feather. An offer, an invitation. It had come packaged with other “sewing” supplies including various coloured feathers, disguising it from Capitol eyes. It looked like a design choice. But she knew better of it. She felt along the ridged letters, spelling out red cloth to join. She’d left the red cloth neatly folded on top of the pile of fabrics, a signal that she had signed her allegiances over to something she’d never dreamed of.

Umbrielle would keep blogging. She would keep pretending to love the Games that had destroyed someone so pure and the city that tried to break her. She would make excuses for quitting, maintain the friendships she still treasured with those still in the Games to keep suspicion off of her. But she would also change the world. Design costumes, armour, everyday clothing with secret aspects. Cleverly concealed notes and weapons among simple dresses and pants. If the pen was mightier than the sword, perhaps a sewing needle would be even more so.

“Amara, darling, I will do right by you,” she said into the empty apartment, the black feather clutched tightly in her hand.

[umbriellelushmeadow-blog]

Umbrielle Lushmeadow at the 120th President’s Ball // charity

While years before Umbrielle would’ve likely been in an outfit surrounding pride or envy, she feels that charity reflects her own plans for the future. The shoes she wears are copied from Amara’s shoes that Umbrielle made for her almost a year ago: Umbrielle’s feet are a little too big to fit into Amara’s shoes.

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oakleygroves:

Oakley listened while the woman spoke.  “I’m so sorry,” she murmured.  “That’s got to be so hard.  I think a lot of us have connections to our tributes.  One of mine was my trainer when I was a tribute.”

“I knew it would be rough,” Umbrielle said, as they made their way back to the main viewing room. “But I didn’t know that she’d be out cold, no idea where she was. It’s hard to see people you care about so much be so... vulnerable, like that.” She turned her attention back to Oakley, concerned about the mentor. And about the stress on her baby. “Are you and Jackson alright?” she asked. “That has to be so difficult.” 

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thevultur:

He could tell her, perhaps, and give her a moment to wait for excitedly, but he wasn’t sure if it was confidential, although it wasn’t top secret information either. Not wanting to risk and not particularly caring about her struggle, because it was common nowadays with the Games, Lysander just shrugged. ‘’You will have to watch to see. I don’t answer to arena questions to satisfy curiosities early on.’’

Umbrielle sighed heavily. She didn’t care about it from a viewer’s perspective. She cared about it from her own personal perspective. It would be different for Lysander in her shoes, but he would never understand. He knew this was coming: Umbrielle never expected it. “I don’t care about Arena curiosity,” she said, surprised at her own courage. “I want to know when she’s going to be okay again. This just seems... cruel.”

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anon-subject:

For the first time in years, Anon shirked his responsibilities as repairman to pay as much attention to the Games as everyone around him. The rooms were continuously getting more and more crowded, though, and he kept leaving them to find ones that were less crowded. He was just in the middle of a search for a new place to watch when he almost walked right into a woman who’d come out of a bathroom where he’d repaired a faucet the day before. He sucked in his breath as he stopped short, as if that might make him thinner and less likely to collide with her. The momentum brought him to his tiptoes but he managed to stop himself and settle back down onto his heels with a laugh. “It is no problem,” he assured her, though he second-guessed himself a second later about whether ‘no problem’ or ‘no trouble’ was the proper phrase to use. Taking a breath, he pushed through the uncertainty with a smile and shook his head. “We just both seem to be in a rush.”

Umbrielle couldn’t help but smile as she watched the man try to make himself smaller. She needed someone to make her smile, anyways, and it was a blessing to run into the repairman even though she didn’t know him very well. “I think we’re all in a rush on a day like today,” Umbrielle admitted. “I feel like people want me in a hundred different places on launch day! And I can only be in one of them.”

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thevultur:

It made him somewhat uncomfortable, being observant enough to notice the redness around her eyes and nose, as well as the ghosts of some tears and the behavior of somebody trying to swallow sadness and put on a cover to hide it. Yet, he didn’t want to point anything out, and he wanted to leave people have their own Games experiences without intruding, so he casually let it slide, pretending he hadn’t seen. ‘’It was a long day. You should get some rest.’’

Umbrielle nodded, thankful for the Head Gamemaker letting her emotions slide. “Yes, I agree. Launch is always eventful, today even more so.” Umbrielle clasped her hands together at her waist, wringing her wrists in front of her. She couldn’t stop herself from asking. “Mr. Vultur?” she said quietly, catching his attention again. “How long until she remembers?” 

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oakleygroves:

Oakley nodded.  “Is one of the tributes someone important to you?” she asked.  This was something she could recognize.  She saw it in Jackson when he fretted about Graham.  These games were more personal.

“Amara and I have been friends since I started working here,” she explained, nodding. “It’s only been a year, but we ended up really bonding. She moved in with me to help with with designing over the breaks. I’d honestly say she’s my best friend,” she admitted. “Just... having to watch her pass out with whatever they gave her, having to dress her while she was unconscious, and then put her in the Arena knowing I might never see her again...” Umbrielle ducked her head, wiping the tears. “It’s a lot to handle.”

[umbriellelushmeadow-blog]

novaemmanuel:

If she could have locked herself in her room this morning, Nova would have. Instead of coming down here, making a big show about the arena and pretending to be fine when she wasn’t. There were people complimenting her on the arena mechanics, on the twists and turns that began far before any tribute died. It was exhausting pretending to be appreciative of these people’s words when all she wanted to do was watch Cricket’s every move, to reprogram everything she could so that it was in her favor. Her mind began to spiral and she realized she had to get out of the ballroom, so she promptly ended the conversation she was having and excused herself to head back to the game room.

However, her destination ended up being one of the many hallways in the building instead, where a vaguely familiar person bumped into her. “Don’t worry, I can understand exhaustion,” she said with a light chuckle. “Umbrielle, right? I believe we talked about shoes the last time we spoke?” The woman wasn’t making eye contact with her, maybe she was as distressed as Nova was.

Umbrielle smiled in relief at talking about something other than the fact that she just dolled her friend up for her death. “Yes, we did,” Umbrielle laughed. “I must say, the costume situation has much improved in the last year. And the shoe situation, although I felt bad sending my tributes in there barefoot. It looks like it’s a chilly Arena,” she noted, wishing she could forget that it was Amara she had sent in. It was somehow easier when she was an Avox. Umbrielle would’ve met her for a glass of champagne and a silent exchange of jokes and facial expressions. But now, she was just alone.

“The Arena is... something else,” Umbrielle commented, unsure what else to say about it. “It’s quite hard to watch, to tell you the truth.”

[umbriellelushmeadow-blog]

oakleygroves:

Oakley had been heading to a viewing room in the hopes of finding her husband when the woman bumped her.  Off balance, Oakley braced herself against the wall and her hand moved to her baby bump.  “Oh that’s okay.  Are you alright?” Oakley asked her softly.

Umbrielle smiled gently at Oakley, looking down to her bump. It just made her think of Amara’s daughter, so afraid as she watched her mother, wherever she was. Her eyes welled up before she could stop herself and she shook her head. “No, I’m trying to be, but I’m not,” she admitted, blinking her tears back. “This is just too personal.”

[umbriellelushmeadow-blog]

The launch brought Umbrielle to tears. Not as though she’d stopped crying all morning. She and Amara had the chance to sit together one last time before Amara fell asleep, for Umbrielle to thank Amara for her help and her humour and her friendship. Umbrielle carefully dressed her sleeping best friend in her Arena uniform, placed a kiss on the top of her head, and watched her launch into the Arena. When she woke up, Umbrielle’s heart broke even further. The tributes were starting to recall their memories, but that meant Amara had to remember everything that had hurt her throughout her life. And Umbrielle could only sit and watch. This was so wrong.  

She’d excused herself to the washroom to fix her makeup and dry her tears before returning to the viewing room. As she hurried out of the washroom, she nearly collided with someone in the hallway. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Umbrielle said breathlessly, finally looking up from the floor. “Just tired from this morning.” She awkwardly snapped her eye contact away from them, not wanting them to notice her glassy eyes or red nose.

[umbriellelushmeadow-blog]

task five // hakuna matata, that’s our motto

“fashion is about dreaming and making other people dream - donatella versace

[umbriellelushmeadow-blog]

task eleven // training prompts

Visited her favourite place in the Capitol.

Interacted with a mentor from a District other than her own. (Satine Harris)

Showed a tribute some of her designs. (Amara Sorghum)

[umbriellelushmeadow-blog]

task eight // heavenly bodies

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xsatine:

“Mixed berry cheesecake it is then!” she said excitedly, a big smile spreading across her face. It wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret that Satine had a sweet-tooth. “And then I have to try the sticky toffee pudding. I haven’t had it since I was at school.” The thrown-together school meals were one of the sole benefits of education in the districts that Satine could think of. It cost a bit of money, but it was a way of ensuring some children at least got one hot meal a day.

She flipped the menu over to look at the drinks. “Ooooooooh!” she said. “They do milkshakes!”

Umbrielle smiled at Satine’s genuine joy over the desserts. “Sticky toffee pudding also sounds like a wonderful choice! Truly you can’t go wrong when it’s loaded in sugar.” It was so wonderful to see her happy, especially since there was a distinct lack of joy in the Tower since the physical evaluations and Reaping. If a milkshake and some dessert could bring them even temporary happiness, it was worth the unhealthiness. 

“Cheesecake and a milkshake sounds perfectly indulgent,” Umbrielle agreed. “And we deserve a perfectly indulgent day.” The waiter returned to the table and Umbrielle folded her menu happily. “I’d like the mixed berry cheesecake and a strawberry milkshake, please,” she asked, waiting for Satine to place her order.

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xsatine:

Satine’s bright smile faltered slightly, although she quickly replaced it. Even something as simple as a lunch-date between friends was bound to attract media attention, particularly since they both had a connection to the Games. “Honestly? I’m terrified. But whatever happens, I’ll be home this time next week, which I’m trying to hold onto.” It might not be a home where she could count on Hunter to be on the other end of the phone should she need him, but she wasn’t going to die at least. There was that. Small blessings.

“Strawberry and spinach?” she repeated sceptically, never having had the two together. “You know, if the desserts are the best part, we should just skip the main course. We’re adults, we can do that.”

Umbrielle nodded solemnly. “That is a grand way to think of it,” she said softly, though she was imagining the empty and lifeless apartment she’d quite possibly be returning to, alone just as she was a year ago. Amara seemed to have accepted her own fate, although Umbrielle still could not. “It’ll be hard, but it’ll all be alright.” 

Satine’s skepticism made Umbrielle giggle. “It’s quite good, but your plan sounds even better. The only thing better than lunch with a friend is dessert with a friend.” Umbrielle scrunched up her nose with her smile at Satine, thankful to escape the monotony of the Tower and the incessant criticism the Gazette was throwing her way. She came very close to chucking a high heeled shoe through her television when they mocked her designs again. “In that case, the mixed berry cheesecake is particularly good, but you probably can’t go wrong with any of them.” 

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amara-sorghum:

Amara smiled immediately upon witnessing Umbrielle’s reaction to the suggestion, not like she’d expected anything less of the woman. She was honestly grateful for the chance to help Umbrielle simply because she knew if she was left to just eat and think on her own, thoughts would come up that might derail Amara’s entire plan. She nodded quickly to assure the woman that the weight of the dress was no problem. ‘I’ll wear whatever you want,’ she signed and mouthed.

Umbrielle’s smile relaxed a little more as she settled back on her elbows on the bed, smiling up at Amara. “Darling, I know you will,” she said softly. “But this isn’t about what I want, and while it’s somewhat about what you want, it’s all about what she would want.” Amara’s daughter being alive and able to possibly see Amara in Umbrielle’s creations might have been the most motivating thing Umbrielle had experienced in her career. “So I’ll keep you very, very natural, so there’s no question for her that it’s you.” Umbrielle pulled her phone out and flipped through the images, settling on a floral makeup design she had practiced a while back. “Like this. Light and glowing, just a touch of decor. I’m not going to make you look like anyone but your lovely self.”

[umbriellelushmeadow-blog]

xsatine:

She hadn’t been expecting a text from Umbrielle inviting her to lunch, but it was by far the nicest surprise Satine had had for a while. After running the last few paces to hug her friend, she slung her handbag under the table and sat in the other seat at the table. “Happy to help,” she laughed. “Besides, you deserve this, too. I saw that lovely dress you made for Amara, it must’ve taken you forever.” She reached for the menu in the centre of the table and opened it out. “I’ve never been here before. What does the expert recommend?” She raised an eyebrow at Umbrielle over the top of the card.

“It took a while, but truth be told, she was a wonderful help, so the time just flew by,” Umbrielle admitted with a bright smile. “I really let her take the reins and I just worked to make it happen for her. Honestly, she’s taking all of this better than I am,” she admitted. “I’m a wreck. She’s alright. How are you holding up, darling? I know the Tower’s been quite rocked this summer.” 

Umbrielle took a menu as well, studying it out of habit even though she knew her favourites by heart. “The strawberry and spinach salad is delightful, and there’s a lovely tomato bisque too, that comes with possibly the best grilled cheese sandwich ever made. But the desserts are the best part, so keep that in mind.”