bless your heart

Diana Hartley. Republican Congresswoman. House of Reps for South Carolina. Widow. Mother. Philanthropist. Player. secondary blog

[dianahartley-archive]

✈

✈: Was your muse popular as a child? Did they have many friends, and are they still in touch/still aware of what they are doing with their lives now?

Diana was the epitome of a popular snobby rich white girl while she was growing up.  She had a lot of friends, but the question then was if they liked Diana for who she was or liked Diana because of the money and power her family wields.  With the exception of her very best friend, Kimberly, she is not in contact with anyone.  Kimberly is married with three children, married to a surgeon, and owns her own interior design company.  Diana usually has lunch with her whenever she’s in North Carolina.  Her daughter Savannah is also of an age with her friend’s youngest, so the children enjoy that time together as well.

[dianahartley-archive]

♛

♛: If your muse had to die, how would they like to go? And if they could come back as a person or animal, what would it be?

If Diana got the choice she’d want to go in her sleep peacefully once she reached an age where she was unable to really care for herself.  If she felt her image was slipping she’d be less and less happy to be alive.  If she were to die of unnatural causes she’d probably chose a car accident that killed her instantly so she’d have as little pain or fear before death as possible.  If she could come back as a person or an animal she would chose to come back as a man.  She’s tired of having to present herself in a certain way to fit society’s expectations, so having a chance to truly show all she’s capable of would be something that interests her.

[dianahartley-archive]

maribelvela:

Rushed walking, heavy breathing, stress lines deepening on her face as she spoke. She’s all angles: brows down in anger, hand jutted out holding her mobile and a posture far too tense and straight. What political mishap has Maribel had to deal with today? “Raymond, no,” she snapped down the phone. “The least you can do after the mess you made with your friends on New Years’ is set the table for dinner. Uh and before you say anything, I will be home for dinner so don’t you dare say anything–” about my absence.  

Angrily poking her screen to hang up, she noticed the person near her. Maribel sighed, before quite literally wiping the sweat off her brow. “Teenagers, what can you do with them?” she put her hands up in desperation, hiding her near hysterics. 

The annoyance in the woman’s tone wasn’t lost on her.  Diana had been sending a text off to tell her children’s nanny she would be running a little late.  “I wouldn’t know,” she admitted.  “Though you are beginning to worry me.  My son will be a teenager before I know it.”  The fact that Henry was about to hit the double digits was frightening enough.  A teenager?  That sounded preposterous.

“How old is yours?” Diana asked hesitantly.

[dianahartley-archive]

nelliott:

“Why don’t you do it?” He’s joking, obviously, but there’s little in his tone to suggest as such. In all honesty, he’d love to see her actually confront him, however low the possibility of that happening was. “I’d say something myself if I wasn’t feeling so bloody lousy. It’d be funny to see a dickhead like that put in his place. Especially if it was by a lass, given the absolute shite that he’s chatting now.”

“Haven’t you ever heard the term kill them with kindness?” Diana asked.  She knew she could get him to quiet down if she really tried.  It could be done without even raising her voice if she smiled and poured a little southern charm on his head.  Men could be easily manipulated when the circumstances were right.  From the sound of the conversation, all it would take would be playing to his ego.  “I could put him in his place, or I could charm him down.  Either way would be effective,” Diana told him.  “Fortunately for women, men can be entirely too predictable.”

[dianahartley-archive]

nelliott:

It took effort to bite back a ‘you think?’ in response to Diana,effort that seemed to be worth it (to an extent) when she followed up with what was (apparently) intended as words of reassurance. Nick offered a smile, albeit a weak one, and took another sip of his coffee before answering. 

“Ain’t that the fucking truth. I mean, if you need to shout down the phone then perhaps you can find somewhere less quiet to fucking do it. The dickhead isn’t even saying anything important.”

Diana sighed.  “That’s true.  I know if I found out that someone was broadcasting half of my conversation like that I would never have another conversation with them.”  She shook her head, not understanding how some people couldn’t grasp basic concepts of courtesy.

She lifted her cup to her lips and sipped her coffee before turning her attention to Nick. “Though I would pay good money to see someone put him in his place.  Surely we aren’t the only people he’s disturbing with his blabbering.”

[dianahartley-archive]

gwencalhoun:

Exiting a cab, Christian Louboutin clad feet hit the pavement and it’s a sign of a new week. Oversized sunglasses shield light colored eyes and the designer outfit isn’t complete without the air of confidence she exudes with each clack of her heel. Before she heads to her office a few blocks down, Gwen is in desperate need of coffee. While she may’ve mustered enough energy to get out of bed and get dressed, she doesn’t feel human until caffeine is pumping through her veins. Stepping into crowded coffee shop, crankiness or impatience doesn’t arise despite the slowness from the overworked and understaffed baristas. “Tall non-fat soy latte.” Gwen orders when she finally reaches the front of the line. Her usual with a blueberry muffin, perfect way to start her day. “And whatever the next person wants is on me.” Glancing over her shoulder, she flashes a smile. 

Diana wasn’t in a rush that morning.  She dropped her kids off at school like the good mother she was supposed to be.  Then she stopped by the coffee shop on the way.  When the woman in front of her spoke, Diana smiled. “Well aren’t you a sweetheart?” she mused.  “Thank you.”  For some reason the woman seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t exactly put her finger on why.

[dianahartley-archive]

nelliott:

“Go on then, see if you can speak any fucking louder.” Nick started, the comment originally made under his breath but continued at a louder volume as he became aware that somebody was listening (and there was no turning back on it). “I may be jet-lagged and hungover to fuck but perhaps a little more noise might help to sort that out.”

When Diana heard what he said, she smiled.  “I doubt that will help,” she mused.  “People like that don’t consider the way they are impacting other people and only think of themselves.”  Granted, Diana was guilty of doing the same thing herself but at least she wasn’t obnoxious in public.  At least she could pretend to be quiet and polite.

[dianahartley-archive]

vaserman:

If there was something Gabriel could tell his younger hopeless self, it was that someday in his life he look like a legitimate professional. Gabriel could do the part but he could never sell it. First elected when he was relatively young, he had a supposed work ethic but a baby face. Now, he could look the part because he’d perfected the walk. He saw other men with plenty of confidence fill their posture and hyped up to be occupied with their task, on the go, now that was him. 

In his suit but with his tie loosened, he was replying to messages but took purposeful strides and was satisfied to know he looked good. Classy, modern, and busy — all steadied by his good posture. It was just his luck that these steady shoulders had to nearly bump into Diana. His eye line saw the children’s shoes before they identified Diana. He immediately locked his phone and put it away. 

“Ms Hartley, it’s so lovely to see you,” Gabriel greeted. “And good to see you too, Diana.” Perhaps there was no better proof of paternity, than a bad joke worthy of dads. He gently rubbed his hands together before clasping them. Before a finger on his chin and pointing at Savannah, squinting his eyes. He could feel Diana’s judgment already. “I know you,” he said in a light tone. “You’re very important, yes, you’re her new assistant? Aren’t you? Something more important than her if you ask me.” His eyes had rolled towards Diana, and the last few words were said practically through his teeth as he grimaced, cueing a chuckle from Savannah because in fairness, his face did look funny. 

Although it weren’t for Carrie, he probably wouldn’t even have the material to come up with that appraisal.  

And in the middle of the street, he crouched down to Savannah’s level. At 6′1″, he figured it was a bit terrifying. Extending a hand, he added with great emphasis. “And it’s always good to give a solid handshake to respectful important people.”  

Savannah’s medicated and groggy state made her easily amused.  That was a relief for Diana since the alternative was a very cranky six year old.  No one wanted to deal with that.  Especially a politician crafting her image at perfecting the balance between her home and work life.  Nothing seemed to rattle that more than walking right into Gabe.  Of course Savannah didn’t realize his importance.  To her he was just one of her mother’s work friends.

Savannah shook his hand and giggled slightly.  “I’m her daughter,” she said in a tone that emphasized how silly she thought he was.  “I don’t wanna be an assistant,” the girl murmured.  “I wanna be a vetraparian.”

“Veterinarian,” Diana corrected.

The little girl beamed.  “Yeah that!”

Diana smiled sincerely for the first time all day upon hearing the joy in her daughter’s tone.  The girl was clearly still not feeling well and a little tired from her medication, but she was happy.  That was all Diana could ask for her children.  Happiness was important.  “I didn’t expect to run into you today, Gabriel.  If I didn’t know better I’d swear you were stalking me.”

[dianahartley-archive]

Diana,

Hopefully a picture of your children fits inside! I thought it’d be nice to always have them with you- even when in session. Have a very Merry Christmas and hopefully we’ll catch up soon!

Sincerely, Gracie Walsh

[dianahartley-archive]

leonsolis:

Leon could only shudder at the ultimate parental nightmare: a beady-eyed kid confronting you with the dreaded words— “‘I know the truth. I know all about Santa’, that’s how Arman broke it to us.” He shook his head, grinning at Diana. Henry, tow-headed and fingers sticky with sugar, sounded like a small force to be reckoned with. “I’m glad I don’t have a second kid. Would hate to go through that experience again.”

Diana chuckled.  “Yeah, Henry did about the same thing.  Apparently he saw one of his Santa gifts in the trunk of my car and wouldn’t buy any of my excuses.”  She shrugged then.  “Sometimes I feel the same, but honestly Savannah is an innocent little sweetheart.  I’m not too worried about when she finds out the truth.  She’ll take it all in stride.  I don’t know where she gets that from.  Certainly not her father.”

[dianahartley-archive]

leonsolis:

Leon raised his eyebrows, amused. “Me?” he said innocently. “I’ve only ever seen the worst of you, Anna—gotta say it’s one my favourite views of D.C.”

He couldn’t help blinking in surprise that Diana had remembered that the hired help had lives outside her service, let alone allowing them time off. It was probably part of some scheme to generate greater employee productivity, he supposed. “If you put in a good word for anyone,” he had to admit, “of course it’d be for those two kids. Although I gotta ask, when’re you planning on telling them Santa’s a great big lie? Because I’d love to be around for that conversation.”

She shook her head, an amused smile on her lips.  “I’m glad you approve,” Diana teased him.  It felt odd hearing him call her by that nickname in public.  After all, Leon was the only one who ever did.  It was something special they shared.

“Of course.  I may not be the best mother in the world, but I do try,” she told him.  “Oh Henry already knows Santa isn’t real.  He called me on that shit a couple years ago.  I’ve just kept it going for Savannah.  She still believes in the magic of Christmas.  Henry’s been good at playing along for his sister’s sake.”

[dianahartley-archive]

leonsolis:

Leon really did laugh out loud at Diana’s deadpan, put-upon expression. There was no pain she didn’t take with her kids, but he still hadn’t figured out what the dynamic was in that house. Dead dad, corpse-cold mother, all the scrutiny in the world on those kids… There was no way Diana could have left them at home, but had she wanted to? Still laughing, he took a fortifying drink. 

“Point taken,” he agreed, “but now the real question where is their nannny? Don’t tell me you’re making some poor woman work on Christmas Eve.”

Diana’s nose scrunched in annoyance as she refocused her attention on Leon after seeing her son snitch a cookie from the dessert table.  She’d have to make sure he didn’t take too many more of those.  “I may be a witch but I’m not heartless, Leon.  I’d have thought you knew that.”  She shook her head.  “Their nanny is with her boyfriend?  Or her parents?  I don’t know.  She’s off until Wednesday.”

Despite everything that Diana worked for, she still did love her children.  They may have been a burden in some ways, but she did love them.  She’d never been as cold as people made her out to be.  “I promised them if they came to the party and behaved themselves I’d put in an extra good word with Santa.”

[dianahartley-archive]

leonsolis:

Leon doubted that, personally, but he had an ego that was listening to this conversation, and it was happy to be appeased by Diana’s white lie. “How’s the evening going, your dark witchiness? Brought the kids with you this time?”

Diana sighed.  As if she could have gotten away with attending a Christmas party without her children.  “They’re around here somewhere,” she said before lazily glancing around the room.  She hoped Savannah would run into Gabe again since those interactions were deliciously awkward, but she wasn’t even sure if he was here.  “I couldn’t very well leave my kids with the nanny on Christmas Eve.  How would that look?”

[dianahartley-archive]

leonsolis:

“Actually,” demurred Leon with the smallest hint of a filthy look as he grinned at Diana, “too much of you is my most favourite view of you. Good to know I don’t share it with most of Congress.”

“Oh you know I don’t play well with others,” Diana breathed.  She smirked slightly while her gaze flicked from his eyes to his lips ever so slightly.  “All those blowhard old men?  No thank you.  Most of congress will never see all of that.  You’re just the lucky one.” 

[dianahartley-archive]

leonsolis:

The apt summary of the South Carolina voting public had Leon laughing. He leaned in on the pretext of brushing a stray plastic snowflake out of Diana’s hair, and murmured, “A good Christian would probably have you burned at the stake for being a witch. Incredible how well you’ve hidden that from everyone here that we know and love.”

“I learned from my ancestors in Salem,” Diana commented.  A slight smirk curled the corners of her lips as she shrugged.  “I couldn’t make my mark in Congress if I let people see too much of myself.”  That was the difficulty with Congress.  It was all a shell game.  Smoke and mirrors.  That was all of it.  “Though I’m sure you know all of that.”

[dianahartley-archive]

leonsolis:

Quality whiskey was a quality start to the holiday season. Leon supposed that a perk of being the man standing behind the bitch who ran the universe was that your liquor cabinet was always well-stocked. Taking a measured swallow of his drink, he smoothed his traditional all-American friendly-people’s-representative smile back on.

“Tell me I’m not the only one who feels like he got invited to a Christmas party by mistake,” he said laughingly. “Tell me you’re Buddhist, agnostic, Scientologist—really, I’ll take anything at this point.”

Diana chuckled as she lifted her drink to her glass.  “Oh please, Leon.  You know my constituents would never elect a woman if she wasn’t at the very least a good Christian.”  She brought her glass to her lips then, a slight smirk on her face when she lowered it.

Of course, they both knew that Diana was nothing like a good Christian woman.  Wasn’t adultery one of the ten commandments.  “Though I think we both know perception doesn’t always match with reality.”

[dianahartley-archive]

nelliott:

“Aye, think it’s probably what that was as well. Beards are for men what makeup is for women and all that,” Nick said, a chuckle playing on his lips as he regarded Diana (and considered what she might look like under her mask). He nodded along regardless, a moment’s thought before he came out with— “might be one of your lot I think? Looks a bit like one of the Alabama congressmen, Jones maybe, although he doesn’t have the accent.”  

“There’s a new guy from California too, him and the Asian lass. Pretty sure it wasn’t her”

“That’s possible,” Diana replied.  “You’d think I’d have a better grasp on it but with over two hundred of them in the House alone I can’t keep them all straight.”  She shook her head slightly then, unsure if it was wise to admit such a failing.  Though she doubted that any of her colleagues could name all 435 members of the House.

Amused, her lips curled into a smile as she lifted her drink to her lips.  After sipping she lowered it once more.  “You’re right there.  I don’t think that old blowhard is some Asian woman.  Definitely not.  Maybe Markston?  I think he’s from one of the Dakotas.”