l i o n h e a r t ;

Anya Oblonsky

[athenanya]

Date: Late September Location: Russ & Anya’s Apartment Status:  closed to @of-eros​

Let it be known that Anya Oblonsky can, and does, perform random acts of kindness. She’s just... selective... about who receives them. Very few make the cut, but Russ has more than earned whatever small deeds she can pay forward to him. 

Maybe, if she were better with words, she could tell him what his friendship means to her. How she’d never really thought about how silent it was when she lived alone until the past few days when all of the laughter and noise in their apartment seemed to disappear. How she’s never really struggled with loneliness but she can feel the isolation start to creep into the warm shared spaces of their apartment every time she feels him pull back into himself.

But she’d sooner choke to death on her Chinese food than ever say any of that out loud.

She throws the door open hard with her hip and hears it bang against the wall as she struggles to balance a large brown paper bag in one hand and a few plastic grocery bags in the other. “I’m not sure if this is cause for concern,” she calls out, unsure of where Russ is in the house, and waltzes into their kitchen. She sets everything down and begins ripping open the brown bag and digging for Russ’s pork friend rice and general tso’s chicken, “but we order so much damn food from that place down the street that the owner recognized my phone number and started making all this before I even had the chance to say anything.”

[athenanya]

zeusluli‌:

WHEN: September 24th

WHERE: Mount Olympus, Luli’s office

STATUS: closed for @athenanya​

If Luli was angry at Samael’s obvious treachery, no one would be able to tell. Even when the hotel was swarmed with police and one of her Soldatos was being escorted away in handcuffs did Luli not lose her composure. She didn’t know the unfortunate man well enough, as he was more of a Mount Olympus employee than a real Olympia. However, Luli knew Samael. If you asked how she really felt, and she dared to speak the truth, she was a little impressed.

She knew when to take a loss, and she’d let Samael be pleased for now. Every instinct in her told her to handle Samael herself, but she wasn’t like that. She was looking to get even, not revenge. It was still normal business hours, her staff seemingly more tense that not only the boss appearing ready to kill, but one of their very own was sitting in jail now. It was the perfect time to speak to Anya about her plan. Turning on her heel away from the window, Luli went to open the door as she heard it knock. “You’re early.” She smiled, her first in the last few days. “Come in, darling. We have much to discuss.”

The past 48 hours had all been a blur. Whatever fragile thread had been holding the night together snapped the moment the bullet had found its mark and Anya had spent the last two days trying to run damage control in vain. What was done was done; but no act of war that humiliating could go unchallenged. 

As she made her way to Zeus’ office Anya felt as though she could breath for the first time since the murder. She’d worked with Luli long enough to know that she was probably being called on to perform a task and that finally put her mind at ease. At least she’d get to do something. She wouldn’t have to feel so useless... Anya knocked on the familiar grand door about ten minutes before the hour and then waited calmly for Luli to open it.

Seeing Lul’si smile softened her scowl until the ghost of her own signature smirk began to show. “Yeah, well, I hope you’ll remember that when you’re trying to pick employee of the month. I want one of those little plaques with my name on it.” She teased, walking in behind the other woman and shutting the door behind her. There were a million questions bubbling up in her mind, but Anya held her tongue and asked only one, “So... what’s the plan?”

[athenanya]

sunsctting‌:

For a moment, everything that pressed so urgently underneath his skin fell away as he watched Anya spin. It felt almost surreal, knowing all the time that had passed and their ability to revert back to their old selves with each other. Maybe if Jason had been a more mature man, he would have let everything go and just reveled in the feeling of being with someone who he had once considered a close friend. But, close friends didn’t elect to forget each other when they needed them the most and the bitterness that bubbled up inside of him at the pseudo-mention of Rafael was enough to snap him back to reality.

“And now, there’s no one to be reprimanded,” He muttered, his tone tinged with sadness and exhaustion. He wasn’t just mourning the loss of Rafael, their friendship was damaged too in more ways that he could count. “I think… Raf would be disappointed in us.” His name slips from his tongue easily, as if it wasn’t the first time he’d mentioned him since his death, as if he wasn’t still healing from the wounds of knowing that he had disappointed him for so long. “But, to be fair, there’s also no one to reprimand us now either.”

Forcing himself to look Anya in the eyes took more effort than he realized, especially paired with her words. His gaze hardened almost instantly, the clench of his jaw revealing his muted anger before his next words escape in something akin to a hiss. “You all could’ve fooled me.” Squaring his shoulders, he inhaled deeply before looking away. “But, I guess your loyalty to Luli matters more than anything, right? I think I remember someone else who once told me that too.” And look where that got him.

Few things had ever stayed constant in Anya’s life, but her intimate relationship with rage had never wavered. She rarely felt fleeting moments of anger, instead experiencing a full body sensation that seemed to choke out any rational thought. As Jason spoke, accusations settling beneath her skin like broken shards of glass, she felt a familiar thrum of blood and her pulse doubled in speed. Her vision seemed to blur until there was nothing left in the room besides her and Jason and it became imperative to transfer as much of her wounded pride onto him as possible to alleviate the weight that now felt tied around her neck.

“Fuck. You.” Each word was punctuated with a hard poke to his sternum, her eyes narrowed and brows knit so tightly it nearly gave her a headache. “You don’t have a fucking monopoly on pain, Jason.” She spat his name like acid from between her pretty painted lips. “Raf was my friend too. If you don’t think I miss him then you’re more self obsessed than I fucking thought.” The temptation to shove him came over her like a tidal wave but she held onto just enough sense to know that this wasn’t the time or place to get physical. Instead she aggressively reached for the first waiter who walked by, snatching a crystal champagne flute from his tray and knocking it back in one gulp. Fuck sobriety.

She turned back to face Jason, this time more fire than woman, and lowered her voice to try and avoid raising any more attention than she already had. “Rafael died because he believed in something. He put his life on the line for a family that is now, frankly, torn to fucking shit. And what the hell have you done about it?” God. Where was that fucking waiter? She should have grabbed two champagne flutes. She needed to do something with her hand before she did something truly stupid. “No one said the transition of power was going to be easy. Raf understood that better than anyone. I’m just trying to help Luli the way he would have wanted.” She silently prayed that that was true, that the last 2 years of her life hadn’t been an entire waste. More importantly, she hoped that her own doubt was masked by the anger and pain she was loudly projecting over the top of it.

[athenanya]

wiingscfwax‌:

“Lucky or just smart?” Bex teases. She known Anya well enough to know that she’s not truly angered her friend. The smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth was indication of that. Bex smiles wide, stepping up to beside Anya.

It was indeed still early. Bex wasn’t sure if she wanted something interesting to happen or not. Interesting could be so destructive given the tensions flying between important figures in the room. But something where her friends weren’t in danger could still be interesting. “Nothing particularly interesting. Made a bit of money. That kind of thing.”

For a moment a familiar sisterly urge gripped Anya’s core and she felt tempted to ruffle Bex’s hair. She stilled her hand before she could reach out and do anything quite that tender. If she had learned anything over the last two years it was that letting yourself open up was a death sentence. 

Instead she smiled, this time with more warmth, and sipped at her champagne. “Good job, kid. At least one of us is having a successful night.” She walked to the edge of the banister, waiting for Bex to follow, and then began studying the crowd below. “You have anything left to sell? I’ll see if I can spot anyone who might buy.”  

[narcissuslies]

LOCATION: founder’s ball AVAILABILITY: open to all

Luli didn’t tell him to steal highly classified information from the attorney general, but she also didn’t tell him not to do that. She certainly didn’t tell him to seduce the AG’s personal assistant and swipe the poor man’s phone as he undid his pants — Rhys was just that innovative on his own.

The assistant had quickly scurried out of the bathroom stall with a properly satiated and shameful look on his face, while Rhys took his time to disable the phone’s tracking and fix himself up to look like he didn’t just have a quickie with a government employee. He sauntered out of the restroom once the reflection in the mirror lived up to his own high standards, only to crash into some unassuming Greek. “Looks like someone’s distracted,” he said smoothly, nonchalantly placing his hand in the pocket where the stolen phone was located. He went through all that trouble to grab it, and the last thing he needed was someone else swiping it. “Or were you looking to run into me?”

[athenanya]

In Anya’s experience bathrooms were highly underrated places to gather intel. It was amazing how much people were willing to openly divulge when they thought stall walls granted them some margin of privacy. She’d grabbed her makeup bag and was ready to camp out in front of the mirror for a bit, listening for anything of value, when a very flustered looking man, still adjusting his belt, exited the men’s bathroom so quickly he knocked her clutch to the ground.

“Jesus Christ” She rolled her eyes and bent down to pick it up but as she stood she ran into a second, more familiar, person. A brow raised and she felt the beginning of a smile tug at her lips. “Well, I was looking for something interesting, but...” she nodded over her shoulder to where the man had fled back into a throng of well dressed socialites, “looks like you beat me to it.” 

[odetteobserver]

date: september 22nd location: founder’s ball status: open

Events like these were no stranger to Felicia. Once upon a time, she too was forced to attend balls and galas all in the name of charity of course. Harvey was ever the philanthropist, it seemed that way at least. No one would ever assume Felicia’s past involved opulence such as this, but that was how she liked it. Even now, she had other intentions for the night that were far more pressing than smiling for a camera and making herself look good.

She limited herself to one flute of champagne, making sure to sip slowly the rest of the night. She trusted the rest of Elysian to be able to get their shit done tonight, so for now she had to make herself seem on her best behavior. Whatever that was supposed to look like. Currently, it looked like her almost spilling her champagne as she nearly ran into someone. “Ah fuck, sorry.” She murmured, pulling her arm back. “I didn’t get you did I?”

[athenanya]

Acting on instinct, Anya pulled herself flat against the wall to avoid the body in front of her. They narrowly missed-- the champagne dangerously close to sloshing onto her but staying mostly within the confines of the crystal flute. If it had been anybody else Anya might have plastered on a fake smile, attempted a few pleasantries, and walked away from the exchange only mildly annoyed... But she’d never been able to feign politeness with Felicia, even when they worked for the same team.

“Nah. Can’t say I’m surprised though, you hardly land a hit even when you’re aiming.” She grinned, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to needle Felicia in a space where she knew they couldn’t default to their normal form of communication via fists. It wasn’t often that they had interactions that didn’t end in some sort of physical violence and she took advantage of the situation by giving Felicia a long unabashed look up and down. “Gotta say, you don’t clean up half bad.” She waited for a waiter to walk by and grabbed a champagne flute of her own. One manicured eyebrow raised as she sipped at the bubbly. “So how are you enjoying the party? Honestly, I didn’t think you’d show.” she said -- half statement, half challenge.

[athenanya]

wiingscfwax‌:

Rebecca hadn’t always been invited to these kinds of events. When she’d joined Olympus, she’d been just a kid, using her innocent face and quick feet to be a little messenger. But now, she was a fully fledged member, and she knew how to rub elbows with the best of them. Never once would anyone know where she began. At least until she opened her mouth; she didn’t let go of the crass, unabashed attitude.

“Little old me? Scare you? Hell must be getting cold.” She offers her friend a glass of champagne. “See anything interesting from up here?”

“You’re lucky you brought me something to drink or my trigger finger might have slipped.” Anya’s eyes were narrowed but the smirk pulling at the edges of her painted lips indicated she wasn’t serious. After a beat her expression softened and she reached for the champagne, clearly having already moved past the incident. 

“Nothing particularly interesting yet, but it’s still early.” She hummed softly as she leaned forward, taking a sip of the bubbly and then looking back at Bex. “You see anything downstairs? I tried hanging out down there but I can really only bullshit for so long before I want to start dry heaving” she rolled her eyes and mimicked gagging and throwing up on her own heels.

[athenanya]

hekatea‌:

Anya’s comments made Vex raise a single eyebrow, was the truth ringing through as much as she read it to be? Was Anya just making flippant jokes?  

“Promised, huh?” She questioned the idea maybe a little too automatically. Luckily the party was still loud enough that the mumbled question could be easily masked by the noise of it all. Regardless of what Vex thought of Anya’s comments, she was smart enough to know that if Anya wasn’t interested in talking about it, it wouldn’t be further discussed. She let the conversation pass by them, the wind would sweep it away for the night. With a partial laugh, Vex placed her cigarette between her ruby painted lips and lit up with a small inhale to start.

She felt her throat clench around the hot smoke as it took her a second to acclimate. Passing the lighter back to the other woman, she let out a slow exhale into the night sky. A slight shiver climbed across her shoulders and arms as the breeze picked up around them. Mentally, she acknowledged the spirit of the wind. Whatever great ancestor making their presence known to her.  

“Yeah, finally. The past few years have been a drag, school, residency…” My parents, she thought, not wanting to bring up the touchy discussion. Not interested in solemn topics for the moment. “Y’know, all the regular life things.” She took a second drag before glancing back at the crowded interior. “Honestly,” smoke escaped her lips as she spoke, “I hate parties. I remember coming once a long time ago, I was maybe 13 at the time? It’s certainly much more grande than I recall. And now, I feel like I’m kinda out of place. And incredibly underdressed.” Her candid response was cut with a dramatic gesture to the suit she had plucked out of her closet. Fitted, dark blue, with a slim pant leg, and plain black heels. It didn’t take long for her dramatics to deflate as the loneliness she spoke of truly registered in her head.

Cigarette perched deftly between her lips, Anya fiddled with her lighter -- click, click, click -- finally a little flame sprang to life and began dancing in the evening breeze. She leaned forward, careful to block the wind with her free hand as she lit up, and then turned to face Vex when she had successfully taken her first long drag. Anya nodded as she spoke about school and felt her chest tighten in a way that had nothing to do with the smoke she’d inhaled. 

“I’m proud of you. Keeping with your studies and shit... I’m glad.” Little bits of smoke poured out the side of her mouth as she spoke until she finally let it all out in one great exhale. College had always felt so unattainable, Vex might as well have told her she’d finally found a stable for her pet unicorn. Despite whatever other emotions it drug up, knowing that her friend had achieved such an important milestone truly made her happier than she’d been all night. She gave Vex a rare but genuine smile.

She took a second drag and then turned to look her friend up and down properly. “Vex, you’re seriously hot as hell. If anyone, and I mean anyone, gives you shit, you just send ‘em to me okay?” Anya had never been one to lie, even to spare a friends feelings, which lent her words a certain ethos that she knew Vex could trust. The same could be said for her threats. They were rarely ever empty.

Flicking ash over the side of the building, Anya leaned forward with a hum and looked out over New York City skyline. “You ever think about hanging out around here more often?” She asked, sliding her gaze to the other woman with a coy smile. “We could use someone with your brains... and there really aren’t that many parties, I promise.”

[athenanya]

of-eros‌:

Russ had watched from the edges of the party as others made their way around, socializing as if this was any other party. Part of him was confused at how easily the gangs could get together for a single night beneath the roof of Mount Olympus, but another part of him knew it wasn’t easy at all. It was all a game between former friends and lovers who now waited any second just to jump at each other’s throats. Russ was more than happy to sit it out and sip his drink.

Across the ballroom floor, he could see a friend scurrying across and climbing the stairs, standing high above the rest of the party. He ordered a whiskey neat (Lagavulin 16) from the bar as he sipped on his own glass of bourbon and made his way up the stairs after her.

“Whoa, didn’t mean to startle you!” he said, extending the glass of whiskey towards her. He knew Anya enough that she couldn’t keep herself from watching over the party, keeping an eye out for foul play during an evening that was meant to be peaceful. “Just figured you could use a drink. Calm the nerves a bit.”

Anya immediately forgot her vow of temporary sobriety as her gaze fell to the drink in Russ’s hand. “Have I ever told you that you’re the best person on this entire rotten planet?” Panic melted quickly into greed as she grabbed the whiskey from him and took a long sip. 

The burn down her throat and all the way into her belly brought her a sense of peace she hadn’t felt once all evening. “God, this is so damn good... You truly are a saint, Russell Lockridge.” She flashed him a cheeky grin before crossing herself with her free hand and then bringing both in front of her face in mock prayer. 

After another sip she let out a satisfied noise and then elbowed him gently, careful not to upset the hand holding his bourbon. “How’s it feel to not be behind the bar for once? You manage to have any fun out there on the dance floor?” She asked, raising a brow and nodding over her shoulder to the scene below. It would have been nice if Russ’s night off could have been under more relaxing circumstances, but it was still nice to see him when he wasn’t working.

[athenanya]

mvrphevs‌:

she needed air, and she needed space. most importantly, she needed some place that she wouldn’t have to keep up with the fake smile she’d been giving for the past hour. this was just another reminder of why rosalyn preferred her own company as opposed to socializing with anyone else. there was a certain set of etiquette that she felt like she was forced to follow when in everyone else’s company, and she didn’t have the time nor the energy to put up with that. with her heels hanging in one hand, already annoyed at herself for believing that she would’ve wanted to wear them in the first place. she climbed the long staircase, hoping that no one else had had the same idea before her. 

rosalyn sighed, deflating a little bit as she saw that someone clearly had the same idea that she had. she took a few more steps away from the staircase, more concerned about getting away from the line of sight near the second level. “easy, tiger,” she muttered, seeing the way that the other woman jumped. “if some footsteps scare you, you’re probably in the wrong line of work.” her tone was flat, if not a little joking. “you mind if i smoke?” she asked as she pulled out a beat up carton of cigarettes from one of her pockets. not bothering to wait for an answer, she lit one up, taking a deep inhale from it. “so what - parties not your scene?” 

“I don’t mind as long as you pay the lighter tax.” Grateful to have a task to still her shaky hands, Anya reached into her clutch, grabbed one of her own cigarettes, and then placed it between ruby painted lips. She moved closer, both hands braced behind her against the balustrade as she leaned forward a little and waited for her new companion to light her up.

Nicotine quieted her jumpy nerves and the familiar burn in her lungs helped her regain composure as she inhaled deeper. Still cursing herself for having shown weakness ,she snorted at the question and released a plume of smoke as she exhaled sharply. “Depends on the party, I guess... Hard to dance and let loose around so many wall street types with their heads up stuck permanently up their own ass.” She eyed the other woman with very little regard for subtlety. She’d been asked to keep an eye on Elysian, right? This was all just a part of the job-- and it just so happened that her job was getting a lot more interesting. “How about you? Already tired of dancing?” She asked, nodding to the heels hanging in her hand.

[athenanya]

ofdvwns‌:

Immediately their hands shot out — not in surrender, but rather just the ‘hey, maybe don’t tackle me please?’ sense. “Just me! Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you or anything, didn’t know you were here, and I just — ”

Tristin trailed off, sucking a large breath. “Sorry, Anya. Should’ve known better.”

Hesitantly, they approached her, their own adrenaline ebbing as they leaned against the bannister. The mass danced, laughter and whispers mingling together, and they could understand the allure of events like these, and how they entranced those who burst through the entrance of Mount Olympus. They had undergone the same wonder, in what seemed like such a short time ago.

Now, though —- they just needed a breather.

Licking their lips, their gaze slid to Anya again, head tilted. “Notice anything from up here?”

It was rare to see Tristan outside their realm of technology. Watching them throw their hands up in defense made Anya feel as though she’d frightened a deer that had finally wandered out from its hiding place. Her own body language shifted in response, shoulders falling back into place, shaky fingers stilling, and she allowed her posture to come off as relaxed as possible.

“Listen, don’t worry about it. It’s my fault. I let my guard down in a room full of...” her voice trailed as she searched for the right word. former friends? enemies?

She gave up on finishing the thought, hoping Tristin would understand the unspeakable relationship both of them now shared with a group of people who had once been family and would now likely throw either of them under the bus (literally) if given the opportunity. 

“Well, so far I’ve seen one person jump the bar and steal alcohol but nothing particularly interesting.” Anya shrugged and shifted so that she could lean against the banister and see Tristin properly. “Night’s still young, though... I’m not sure it’ll stay this quiet for long. You see anything when you were down there?”

[ledger-heath]

CLOSER (2004) dir. Mike Nichols

[athenanya]

hypnoidize‌:

“apologies for startling you, my love.” voices are kept quiet, polite. the smile he offers her is one that is pink-tinged; hardly unusual, pretty thing in a place like this. 

he joins her in her little hideout, steps to see the glimmering of dresses and neat lines of crisp suits; new york’s pretty things, pawn moves, beautiful lies worn on smiling teeth, heads held high with nothing in them.

“were you looking for something? or someone?” pointless to ask. god knows nobody here would tell the truth of such questions if he was lucky enough to get an answer. still, he holds his smile in place as he turns back to the woman, keeping tones pleasant. 

“it’s strange, seeing everyone from here. you could almost mistake anyone - everyone - for being human.” 

When she was a girl, her mother had told her stories about ancient faeries -- beautiful creatures who played games with mortals in pursuit of their souls. She’d long since outgrown family folk tales, but it was impossible not to feel as though she was looking into the eyes of one now. A boy just a little bit too pretty to be real with words that promised to to trap her if she wasn’t careful.

“Just people watching.” She mused, heart rate calming but mind still very much on alert. “We’re keeping interesting company tonight,.” Anya leaned against the pillar behind her and returned Cleo’s smile, her own tight lipped and controlled. 

As he spoke about the people below she cast a glance over her shoulder to look down at them. “I’ve always liked this view. Helps me keep a clear head.” She turned back to her companion and raised a manicured brow in question. “How about you. Looking for anything in particular?”

[athenanya]

dionysins‌:

he’d noticed her right away. after all, it was (kind of) a part of his job to keep track of the important ones at all times - it never was a terrible idea to stay on the mobsters’ good sides, especially if that certain someone happened to be rather skilled at making people talk using not-so-nice methods. 

a first glance at her, though, and he’d never think to imagine her with a knife in her hand (or a hammer - he didn’t know what he liked to use and he didn’t want to know) with her big eyes and pretty face. then again, half the people he knew around here looked like criminals. he supposed he didn’t quite look like one, either, though he wasn’t sure he’d truly consider himself to be a criminal. if anything, he always had a backup plan.

as he walked up behind her, he didn’t quite expect her to jump that high and he let out an amused laugh at her surprise. “if i can give you a heart attack, you might want to seriously reconsider your line of work.” he offered, “and if i might add, standing out here in open space might not be such a hot idea, either. you never know who’s watching.”

(tw: teeth)

Heat rose to Anya’s cheeks as she flushed with embarrassment. In the back of her head she heard a stern reprimand, “pull your head out of your ass,” in a voice that belonged to both Harvey and Luli simultaneously. Being taken by surprise on her own turf had rattled her, but she could make the best out of this situation yet. Vincent had value.

“Mmm. Thing is, I don’t think I’d have much of a resume if I ever left this place.” She glanced around at the elaborately decorated foyer, trying to imagine a life outside of the hotel’s gilded walls. “Guess I’d be a pretty okay dental hygienist... I’ve always been good at extractions.” She flashed him a knowing smile and a wink. Anya truly admired his candidness, but she’d be damned if she didn’t try to save at least some face. Reputation still mattered, perhaps more so now than ever before.

She turned to lean her back against the balustrade and face him directly. “Sort of impossible to avoid being watched at this point, but I thought I’d take a breather. Can only take a crowd for so long... What’s your excuse?” She asked, giving up an appraising look before raising one eyebrow slowly with a growing grin. “Your pretty far away from the open bar and the dance floor.”

[athenanya]

sunsctting‌:

For a brief moment, Jason almost convinced himself that Anya wanted nothing to do with him. Leaving Olympus was one thing, but coming back to it and showing his face to the people who he had left was different, especially to those who valued loyalty like her. Relief poured into him at the sound of his name from her lips, a bright smile breaking the solemn expression from his face before faltering at the thought of what he might’ve looked like the last time she’d seen him.

“Damn, Anya, what about you, though? Have you always looked this good?” He quipped, brushing off all the things unsaid between them with a joke. Typical Jason, always deflecting.

He knew he’d eventually have to talk to someone about where he’d been in the last few years, but the Founder’s Ball was neither the time nor the place to do so. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he took a sip from his flute as he faced the crowds of people in front of them. “Great turn out this year, you know, if you squint hard enough, you can still see Harvey moving from one group to another.” He commented, voice wistful at the mere mention of Cronus. “Crazy how times change, huh? How people just move on with their lives like nothing happened.”

Like Harvey didn’t die, like Rafael didn’t die, like how no one seemed to care that he had left. At least, not enough to reach out to see if he was okay.

Just like his name sake, Anya would swear Cronus had as much influence over time itself as he did over the inner workings of New York City. When he was still alive the world moved like clockwork, and without him it all sped by too quickly. But in this moment, as she twirled in her dress showing off for Jason, she could swear she felt his ghost stop the invisible clock hands she was always racing against. Four years melted away in an instant in the comforting familiarity of Jason’s presence. “You know I can’t have anyone showing me up on my own turf.” She said with a wink.

Anya followed Jason’s gaze and let out a soft hum. It was comforting to know she wasn’t the only one seeing ghosts this evening. “I keep expecting him to come over and reprimand us for getting too rowdy.” Us. An unspoken missing third. Rafael—the phantom limb that couldn’t be seen but she knew damn well both of them felt. As if thinking about him broke the spell, time seemed to speed up all at once and hit her hard like a knife in the chest.

Jason’s remark only seemed to twist the blade deeper beneath her ribs. She wished she could get angry with him, but she didn’t have the moral high ground to get defensive. Instead, Anya became uncharacteristically quiet, searching for the right words as she twirled her own crystal flute between her fingers. Finally she looked up to meet his eyes and let out a soft sigh. “Everyone copes with loss differently, but I don’t think any of us have forgotten…”

[athenanya]

Date: September 22nd Location: Mount Olympus - Upper Landing Status: Open to All

Hidden on the upper landing of the lobby—just behind one of the larger pillars that made up the balustrade of the grand staircase—was perhaps the greatest vantage point in the entire hotel. From up here Anya could see the entire foyer without interruption. She watched as finely dressed guests danced around one another like the colorful bits of a kaleidoscope—always beautiful, but devoid of any value.

She had no interest in New York’s elite— she had always found the ‘fabulously wealthy’ to be rather boring and Harvey had forced her to rub elbows with all of them enough in her youth. If she squinted hard enough she swore she could still see the ghost of a 20 year old Anya moving among them, dressed in a gown for the first time in her life and just as drunk on the idea of having friends as she was the free champagne. That wasn’t her life any more, though. In fact half the people she had been so excited to call “friend” at the time were the very people she was surveying the crowd for.

Concentrating so intently on the scene below, Anya was caught off guard when she heard the sound of someone coming up behind her. Instinctively her hand flew to her purse, ready to grab for a weapon as adrenaline and fear pumped through her system, but she pulled her hand back at the last second—remembering that this was not the time or place. Instead she ran her fingers shakily through her hair. “Jesus! You gave me a heart attack.”

[athenanya]

hekatea·:

Vex held her breath. Not because she couldn’t handle the potential yelling or drunken swearing. She just wasn’t ready for the attention it would pull towards her. Instead of screams, accusations or curses, Anya replied. A face and voice she hadn’t seen or heard in a long time. Relief washed over her and a small tight smile pulled across her lips. Vex began racking her brain to even recall the last time they had seen each other. She recalled a fiery Anya from years ago but that was so long, they were both more experienced now that no judgment could be held.

“You know these aren’t good for you, right?” 

A facetious comment as her actions betrayed the sentiment. Ironic. Reaching forward for a cigarette. Not a vice she usually gave into but showing up tonight had been enough stress to warrant it. Then she caused a minor collision and that only doubled down on her nerves. Vex glanced at the broken crystalware scattered across the floor once again. Had it not been for the employees picking up and sweeping away the shatters, she might have gotten down herself and done it. 

She made her way a little closer to the open balcony, her original planned destination before she could light her cigarette. “Only water?” Vex questioned, realizing there was no strong alcoholic stench filling the air and clinging to the wet edges of Anya’s gown. “Makes me feel better that your dress isn’t ruined or stained at least.” 

Anya gave Vex a toothy grin as she watched her withdraw a cigarette from the package before shoving the entire thing unceremoniously back into her purse.

“Guess we must like to live dangerously.”

The statement felt heavy on her tongue, like there was an ounce too much truth to make it as humorous as she would have liked. She might not have even noticed if she had been with anyone else, but Anya had always felt more self-aware around Vex. She seemed to see through things better than most and it was just a touch unnerving to someone like herself who worked hard to disguise her truth. She was happy to move past it when Vex brought up the water.

“Promised Luli I’d stay sober tonight.” If the disgust in her voice hadn’t given her away then the grimace she made surely did. “God, I’d kill a man for whiskey though.” Again, just a touch too much honesty made her eager to change the subject as quickly as possible. She glanced down into her clutch and began fumbling around for a lighter. Her hands clasped around one and she held it out to Vex, allowing her to light up first.

“So you finally decided to show up to one of these things, huh? How are you liking it so far?”