ego death

heath, the malingerer.

[heathtalbot]

( EMILIO SAKRAYA, 21, CISGENDER MALE, HE/HIM ) Is that HEATH TALBOT? A SENIOR originally from SAN JOSE, CA, they decided to come to Ogden College to study COMMUNICATIONS. They're THE MALINGERER on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer's disappearance.

THE BASICS:

FULL NAME: Heath James Talbot

NICKNAMES: None, he's just Heath

AGE & BIRTHDAY: 21 & March 24, 2002

ZODIAC: ☼ Aries ☾ Leo ↑ Pisces + full chart

MBTI & ALIGNMENT: ESFP & Neutral Evil

+ TRAITS: Intrepid, Optimistic, Honest, Sociable

- TRAITS: Temperamental, Obtuse, Unreliable, Domineering

HOUSING: TBA

MAJOR: Communications

EXTRACURRICULARS: Member of SAE, Golf, Powerlifting Team, Rock Climbing Team

CHARACTER INSPIRATIONS: TBA

THREE SKILLS: excellent at picking out apology gifts, can successfully parallel park anywhere, weirdly good at walking on his hands

LINKS: Pinterest / Playlist / Tasks

AT OGDEN:

RELATIONSHIP TO GREER: COLLEGE FRIENDS

Heath couldn't say exactly when or where he met Greer, all the finnicky details lost to the chaotic blur that had been rush week, but when he woke up with her contact info in his phone one morning, it definitely felt like it was meant to be. Both freshmen, both rich and pretty -- what more motivation did they need? C'mon, it would've been weirder if they weren't friends! Just like the rest of the Ogden masses, Heath was dragged into Greer Morrison's gravitational pull, and he went willingly. They started linking up on the regular, meeting up at parties or catching each other on down days around campus, building a strong friendship that he's never once thought to second-guess.

EMBODIMENT OF HIS TROPE: THE MALINGERER

Everyone has known a Heath. The no-show with a great excuse. The guy that never fails to charm his way into the group project with the smartest student. A person who's probably never seriously been told 'no' even once in their life. And it's not luck, either; it's privilege. Heath can rest on his laurels all thanks to the Talbot family name and the achievements of those around him. The third son, he's never felt the pressure of expectation. His mother babies him while simple participation trophies earn him congratulations from his father, allowing him every easy win that he chooses to take. And if he ever faces a roadblock? Heath's positive that there's a way around it. A check to write, a phone call to make, red tape to ignore. Everyone else has always pulled the strings for him, anyway, so why should he start worrying now? Life's a breeze when you don't have to seriously think about anything!

BACKGROUND & DETAILS:

heath was an unexpected baby, the product of a long-term (and still on-going) affair of his mother's. his parents privately maintain a pseudo-open relationship while publicly playing house for the sake of each of their careers. needless to say, family dinners have a tendency to get Weird

his dad is a venture capitalist, very much in the same vein as gavin belson of silicon valley -- he's long since lost touch with his coder roots and mostly just throws his money around to keep his name relevant in tech circles.

heath interns frequently at the companies his dad owns, true nepo baby shit 🥰 but lbr all he does is go on coffee runs and clocks in for 4 hour work weeks

he's currently majoring in communications bc he legit googled "easiest college majors" and it was near the top of the list

started out trying to major in engineering??? who let him do that?? freshman year was rough 😔

anyway yeah, heath's..... not that smart. and to make matters worse, he's sensitive about it!! gets mean when he's confused or frustrated, esp when he feels like he's being teased and not in on the joke. he's got a short fuse after a lifetime of his older brothers picking on him. he'd rather be perceived as rude than dumb

big time gym bro (obviously) and v competitive -- tends to favor solo sports bc at least when he loses it's no one's fault but his own

has a terrible habit of making big promises and not keeping them

he was soooooooo obsessed w/ uncut gems when it came out, i just FEEL it

julia fox = dream woman

brings a certain "haha.. okay" energy to the function

both of his older brothers previously attended ogden (5+ years ago, i'm still iffy on exact ages) and pledged SAE. naturally, heath had to do the same <3

ngl he's very easily swayed by public opinion. critical thinking?? we don't know her!

lowkey has a childhood dream to one day climb mount everest. pls don't try to explain to him how it negatively impacts the environment, he doesn't wanna hear it and won't understand (or care rip)

probably pre-games while listening to drake lmfao

POTENTIAL CONNECTIONS:

FRIENDS FRIENDS FRIENDS !!!!!!!!

people who have been saddled with him for group projects, study groups, etc.

heath doesn't do drugs (he's a keg stand champ tho), so someone to smoke him out for the first time! fs would be a hilar thread

with ogden being full of bad daddies, i'd love for him to have this energy with someone xx

..... also this

anyone he fucked around with over the summer!! i'd luv to hc some juicy goss for him from the break

someone who always calls him keith lmfaooo

maaaaaaaybe his baby sister?? she'd be going into her sophomore year and i have many family hc's to discuss, so <3

an ex who made him paranoid abt astrology stuff sjdjsdkn

someone that he's using and/or leading on

flip the script - someone who's using and/or leading him on!

literally anything else ur heart desires 💖 this will be heath's fourth year at ogden, so we have plenty of wiggle room to plot some crash-and-burn relationships, seething rivalries, situationships, etc. -- i'm down for it all!!

[genuptoncrane]

when/where: the kkg halloween party

with: open

gen upton-crane had never minded a haunted house.

houses were just houses, places where people lived and nothing more than that. any house that she'd ever lived in had felt just as empty, her dorm room really had the most life that she'd ever lived in and even that had somehow turned into half a crime scene when the cops had been poking around her roommates room.

and really gen was a girl raised on halloween horror nights so people jumping out in sfx make up? well she'd lived long enough with her apathy after all.

"there's an actor with a chainsaw round the corner," gen said over her shoulder as she heard footsteps approach, since she'd been using the neon lights to take pics for insta. "sorry for the spoiler or whatever," didn't everyone just want to get to the party?

[heathtalbot]

If it hadn't been for Gen's bored drawl, Heath probably would've missed her entirely, thoughtlessly turning from one strobing hall to the next. "I think I've ran into him a few times," Heath said with a shake of his head, admitting to the fact that he was lost without having to say it in so many words. How he managed to always get trapped in KKG's haunted house, he'd never know, but it'd become a yearly tradition. "Wanna spoil the exit for me, too?" he asked with a hopeful lilt, an amused look crossing his features as he watched Gen take selfies.

[ollieinoue]

Ollie nodded his head, waving Heath off. "I will text you later!" He called, as he watched him exit the library. He went back to sit with the group he'd been working with, giving them a smile that said how annoying that had been. "Sorry, guys, where are we?" Though he pulled out his phone while they explained what he'd missed -- not much -- and was already scrolling through the list of classes he could enroll Heath in. Hm. A meditation class might do him a lot of good. It was in the afternoon, and not on Friday. How perfect. Advanced Deep Breathing it was. Heath could breathe as far as Ollie knew, so he should be fine. Maybe he'd find his new calling or something.

end.

[rhia-falla]

Although Rhia certainly didn't feel better off, she enjoyed the sentiment Heath tried to sell her. What with her being indefinitely single, it was nice to consider it a blessing for a second. Rhia enjoyed the lack of responsibility when it came to a partner, now mostly guiltless for her fleeting desires. However, it was hard to ignore the gnawing loneliness that plagued her perpetually. "Lord knows I have plenty of love to spread," Rhia agreed passively. Plenty of love, and no one to share it with. Instead, she let the love sit in her chest unspoken. Maybe she wasn't deserving of a life full of love, having mishandled it so severely in the past.

She imagined Heath and Carmen dancing together, perhaps in matching attire with his hand around her waist and her hand resting on his neck. She couldn't decipher if the twinge of jealousy in her gut was due to him having a date or Heath having a date, though she put no effort into dissecting the feeling. It passed a moment later, silenced by her adoration for Carmen. "That's sweet. I bet you looked cute together," Rhia gave halfheartedly. It wasn't as if there was any part of her prior to their conversation that considered being Heath's date, but now that he was here she wondered why he hadn't asked her. "That's too bad you didn't save me a dance," Rhia teased, glancing curiously at Heath from her peripheral.

[heathtalbot]

"Oh, well --" He glanced towards Rhia, just barely catching her gaze before he danced ahead a few steps. Heath twisted on his heel and began walking backwards in front her, grinning with a happy twinkle to his eyes. "Should I bend a knee now and ask for your hand?" He attempted the gesture halfway, leaning forward slightly at the waist while a hand was outstretched towards Rhia, continuing to take careful backward steps, intentionally slowing their pace on the way to her dorm, if only to lengthen the time they'd spend together. Before Rhia could accept, though, Heath exhaled a soft chuckle and withdrew. If this was last year -- if they were still dating, he would've taken hold of her without warning at all, twisting them around each other to lumber through a playful, music-less dance just to hear her laugh. Instead, he adjusted the strap of his gym bag, head dropping towards the same shoulder while continuing to stare at Rhia. "Next time," Heath promised with a wink, at last turning again to fall into step beside her. "I'll even give you two whole songs. Very generous, I know. You can thank me later."

[ambroselm]

"That's what it sounds like to me, as well," Ambrose said, with a confirming nod. Could there be other meanings? He was sure there could be, but anybody would assume that was what it meant, right? That some of the professors were getting a bit close with students. Or was that a overly kind way of looking at it? Would that upset Greer enough she'd leave?

His eyes flicked back over to Heath and Ambrose had to pause to consider. "As well as anyone could know their cousin that lived across the country from them." He loved Greer. They facetimed, and texted often, they commented on each others ig posts, and reposted their tweets. They spent a few weeks together for the holidays, and a few weeks for the summer. Ambrose followed her everywhere she would go, and she included him in the things she did. They got along well, he told her a lot of things, and she shared things with him. But realistically? He was sure there were many people who knew her better than he did. Or maybe they all just saw a part of her she wanted to show any given person. "I think if Greer wanted to leave then she would have," he said, which wasn't exactly an answer, "but it's hard to believe she would just go completely off the grid on her own accord -- especially for this long." Completely ignoring her not having any contact with anybody, just not having any presence at all? He heard of unplugging once in a while if you were burnt out, but for a whole year? It was hard to believe.

[heathtalbot]

Heath wasn't close with any of his cousins, frequently forgetting who was who between short-lived, summertime visits and puberty-induced growth spurts. It wasn't any sort of revelation to realize that it'd been no different for Ambrose and Greer, but a reassurance in a way, letting him feel that he could speak a little more freely. He nodded in decided agreement. "She would've told someone." That was the Greer that he knew. Heath had never been left hanging or caught in a tight spot due to a choice Greer made. Why would she choose to leave them all in the lurch now? It just didn't make any sense -- and neither did the text G sent him.

A sigh tumbled from his lips as he shook his head, on the verge of lamenting how much this had killed his partying mood. "The text I got made it sound like Greer wanted people to hate her or something…" Pulling his phone from his pocket, he opened his texts and scrolled back to the cryptic message, pausing to skim it again himself. "I don't get it." Heath didn't bother to make sure the coast was clear before he held his phone out to Ambrose, ignoring fellow partygoers without any consideration.

g: maybe she left because …. she was tired of people loving her without knowing her - at least when someone hated her, it seemed logical.

"That's, like… implying she wanted an escape, right? A break?" he suggested the vague connection, frowning at Ambrose and giving him time to process the message. "But if she was that sick of everyone, she should've just taken an actual gap year."

[sassa-fiske]

"Me?" Sassa said, a hand fluttering to land on her chest as she gave Heath a wounded look of innocence. "I would never," she murmured, her other hand reaching out to settle onto his bicep, emphasizing the earnestness (lying) behind the words. She had wished for ideas to get Heath into trouble for too long, grinding her teeth as she told herself not to react to his behavior over and over, convincing herself (unsuccessfully) not to care. But with a flutter of her eyelashes, Sassa hoped to put that to rest - or perhaps more accurately, check it off the to do list, the hand sliding lower on her back plenty promising for that. "Just a date," she said as she leaned into Heath's hand, dismissing the boyfriend she had brought. Though she was actually being honest for once - he was nothing more than a date, an appearance - she was sure that when Heath found out the truth, he'd assume she had been lying to him. "What about you? I know you didn't come alone," Sassa added, her tone veering towards accusatory as she raised an eyebrow at him.

[heathtalbot]

Oblivious to any true ill will that may have belied in Sassa's ever-vigilant gaze, Heath was content to perceive himself as purely wanted. To bask in each second that he continued to hold her attention. "Don't play," he clucked back, reminiscing in a teasing tone, "You never minded getting me in trouble before." Sassa held a certain sharpness -- an edge of danger that Heath never quite had the awareness to identify, instead finding it alluring, making him miss her in the oddest moments. He hummed, shrugging while lifting a hand to gesture a server towards them. "Just a date," he echoed in reply, tone carrying a weight that said they were both playing at the same game, fooling around with people's hearts that probably didn't deserve it. What did it matter, as long as they were having fun? Dark eyes slid back to Sassa, holding her stare as his smile slowly grew. "Not anyone I plan on leaving here with tonight." If that interested her at all, though he didn't pause to ask, already swiping a glass of champagne from the faceless server's tray and offering it to her. "I think we'll both have better options after the crowning."

[ollieinoue]

Of course Heath didn't care what it cost, that was why he was one of his favorite customers. It definitely wasn't because he liked him, it definitely wasn't that. It was because he was the sort that had enough money to not care to think about how much he was spending so it wasn't hard to over charge depending on how much Ollie wanted to. He loved rich people who didn't nickel and dime you. "Sounds like a deal," he said, nodding his head, "I will have you out of your class by the end of the day." He could have it within the next ten minutes, but he didn't want it to seem like it was too easy. "You want me to put you into anything else instead? Fill up your time with something fun like cooking or something?" What else was your last year of school supposed to be used for if not filler classes. Well, no classes… But Ollie liked to have things to do.

[heathtalbot]

Heath made a face that screamed exactly how stupid he thought Ollie sounded to suggest that he'd want to be switched into another class. Then, after a few more seconds of thought… Shit, did he still need the elective credits? Or had his advisor just been trying to keep him busy with relevant courses? Heath could hardly remember last week, let alone what had gone through his head months ago while registering for his senior year. "Surprise me," he said finally, pinched expression smoothing into a cool smile. "As long as it's not a Friday class, just pick whatever, I'm sure it'll be fine." Or he hoped, at least. Heath never thought far enough ahead into the future to get pedantic about the details. With a shrug, he started to wave Ollie off as he turned, ready to escape the stuffy quiet of the library. "Let me know when it's all sorted."

[anyaexe]

"Shouldn't be. Might take me a while longer. You do know the handle, right?" As soon as she hears the phrase 'I don't know the email anymore', their eyes practically light up. A challenge. The sort of stuff she lives for. The light is dimmed quickly, though, not wanting Heath to see how much she relished the anticipation of getting to do something that wasn't taking down an instagram comment for once. To get to actually hack something. "It's got to be bad, for you to come to me. Doesn't your dad have friends at Meta or something? Is it bad enough that you wouldn't want him to see?"

[heathtalbot]

"Of course, yeah." But he was in no rush to rattle it off, as if uttering the Instagram handle aloud would invite a stranger to jump from their dorm and point and laugh on the spot. And, okay, the account wasn't anything that bad, but it was all still cringey enough to leave Heath embarrassed. He snorted, eyes rolling towards Anya as they continued down the hall. "Would you want your dad to have access to your old DMs?" That felt like reason enough to cut out any parental involvement. "Besides, I trust you more than some random programmer." That could've been bad judgement on Heath's part, but only time would tell.

[cinnamonfm]

"Good. I'd be worried if you didn't. I'd have to reconsider my brand." It's a half-joke, a statement underlined by a wary little laugh. She leans back against the tree, the slight crunching sound of the bark against her back reminding her to throw this jacket in the bin as soon as they made it to safety. It'd no doubt be ruined by then. "Oh, go on then. Tell me all about your responsibilities, Heath." A wink, just to ensure to drive the point home: that it was in fact spoken without discernible malice.

[heathtalbot]

"School." The answer came automatically, Heath's tone giving away that even he thought it was a hilarious excuse, if the grin he shot Heni wasn't enough. College was hardly a responsibility for him. It was a footnote, a necessary milestone to complete before he could move on. "I'm a member of several sports teams and a respectable fraternity," he continued to insist, playfully chiding, "People count on me, Heni. They rely on me, genuinely." That didn't prove much when he rarely showed up for said people who needed him, but he didn't think this was that serious of a discussion, anyway.

[milonavarroo]

He squinted his eyes, and gave a laugh, "nothing botox can't fix," Milo snorted as he popped some cashews into his mouth. He leaned back into the couch shaking his head. He didn't know why anybody came back either, but here they all were. Maybe it was sunk cost falacy, maybe everyone was just as much in denial about the situation as the administration seemed to be. "I don't know," he said, expression more neutral than serious. "Realistically? I can't imagine it being any better. Greer would be graduating this year if she were here, if G wants this to wrap up whatever the fuck way they want they're going to have to wrap it up. I can't see it being a good thing."

[heathtalbot]

It was a sore reminder of the passage of time to think that Greer would've been -- no, should've been right there beside them, preparing to graduate in the spring and close this chapter of their lives together. A small frown tugged at the corners of Heath's mouth, humming low. "Feels pretty late in the game for G to pull a grand finale now." Had the fire not been enough? It'd left plenty of (literal) scars, after all. "I really did think that Greer was going to show up last year," he confessed after a moment, pausing to chew a few nuts. A jerky shrug followed. "Or be found, at least, something." Heath sighed heavily, only able to slightly regret that he never invested any time in the multiple theories that'd morphed and changed on the subject of G's true identity. He considered himself lucky, escaping the previous year with an unscathed reputation. Milo had been far less fortunate. "How's tennis been without her talents?" he asked, the abrupt segue not very smooth, but a subject change nonetheless.

[morrisxn02]

Heath Talbot benefited from something that Edward hardly ever offered other people, which was an easy disposition – something he reserved exclusively for the likes of Parker Walsh, Sassa Fiske, Heni Astor, and him. Most times, he could act like an old man in the body of a twenty-one-year-old – protesting outings, whining about his herculean responsibilities, or just generally complaining that he had no time – but not with this select group of his closest friends. So, upon Heath’s mere suggestion that they go do something else, Edward promptly pushed the laptop aside and sat up in his bed like a child waiting for their parents to take them out to the mall. “Oh god, yes.” The relief in his voice suggested that he was even more bored than he was letting on. Because he was. But he was also grateful that he wouldn’t have to spend the rest of the evening stuck inside his own head, grappling with intrusive thoughts that urged him to pull a Greer and run away before shit hit the fan and he ruined his own life. “Want to go get a drink? Hit the gym?” He had gone to the gym already, but he would do it again if that was what Heath felt like doing. "I'm up for anything as long as I don't have to stare at a laptop screen for the next few hours." He was willing to do a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g, Desperate, really. But for some reason, he needed a decent enough excuse to leave his room because, to him, just not wanting to study wasn’t enough.

[heathtalbot]

He hadn't thought as far as what they should do. Admittedly, he'd expected Edward to be more of a hard sell, having always viewed him as the studious type, but Heath wasn't sure why or when he'd attached to that idea exactly. It was probable that they were both paying the likes of Ollie and other random, lackey tutors to get assignments in under the wire for them -- along with the majority of this year's graduating class. Who was actually gullible enough to do the work themselves in this the era of burgeoning AI? Certainly not Heath. "Let's do drinks," he answered with a loose shrug, prepared to change plans at any second. "Can I leave my stuff here?" He was asking more to be polite than anything else, not bothering to gather the small mess of coursework he'd surrounded himself with as he stood. Automatically, Heath was pulling his phone from his pocket and moving to hover beside the door, waiting on Edward. "I guess it's a little early," he mused, checking the time and trying to decide where they should go. A teasing smile flit to his lips as he glanced to the other, "You don't happen to be a closeted alcoholic with some chill speakeasy hookup, do you?"

[nataliavega]

Nat was laughing, a full-belly, probably-over-the-top-for-the-situation kind of laugh that, honestly, Heath didn't deserve but. Whatever. She was drunk! And celebrating! "Well, it sounds like you'll be just fine then." She eyed the flight and considered just how far she wanted to take tonight before her eyes slid back to him. "What did you have to do for your initiation? Anything crazy? I'm definitely not going to take notes for the future. I am just a silly, curious girl. Scout's honor." She tried and failed to hold up the appropriate number of fingers, switching between two and three and back again. She'd never been a scout, but she would have bet all the money she had to her name that Heath hadn't been either.

[heathtalbot]

Heath looked like he was attempting to interpret a bastardized version of ASL, eyebrows folded in that confused puppy dog sort of way while his mouth remained unconsciously open and on the cusp of saying something. It wasn't until Nat's hand dropped that he laughed again, at nothing at all, and responded with a shrug. "It's all hazy now." Due to the precursory sleep deprivation and binge drinking, but those lucky enough to make it from pledge to devoted member knew to dress it up, make it light and playful. "Lots of chanting, cheesy robes, some slight burglary of our sister sororities," Heath listed off with the cadence of someone prepared to pull the plausible deniability card at any moment. He leaned towards Nat again, eyes growing comically wide. "I'd teach you the secret knock that lets you into the underbelly of SAE, but I don't think you could keep a secret."

[cara-mrrsn]

"The hardest," Cara said, leaning and putting a bit more of her weight into Heath, practically hanging off his neck, as she decided that, yes, it was a hardship worth playing the victim over in the moment. She obviously had an issue with people leaving her behind, and now that they were discussing it....oh, she'd absolutely milk it for all it was worth. "I don't know how I'll ever recover," she said, a flutter of her eyelashes accompanying the jut of her lower lip as she looked up at Heath.

Heath's question had her pouty demeanor cracking, the slightest curl coming to her lips as she peered up at him. "Oh, you know," she purred, tipping her head from side to side, letting her ponytail sway as she did so. "You'll just have to make sure that I can tell how horrible you feel about it. Show how much you'll miss me," she said, the words a low croon even as she painted a picture of innocence in her expression.

[heathtalbot]

They were merely toying with one another, duking it out in a private game of one-upmanship while on the dance floor, but Heath was rather enjoying the farce. He tried to play into it, matching Cara's pout with an exaggerated jut of his own bottom lip, purely sympathetic in the way his head bobbed along. The melodrama of her swooning like a Southern belle plucked straight from a bad spaghetti Western had Heath smiling again, though, caving to her whims as if there was ever another option.

"I'll make it my mission," he promised lowly, briefly bringing their faces so near that the tips of their noses brushed. And, as he drew away on his next breath, he pressed his hands more firmly to her lower back, ensuring that their bodies were sealed together as he lifted Cara off her feet to spin them around in a circle. The song was winding down as she touched down again, a chuckle spilling from his lips while he snuck in that final tug at her blonde ponytail. "I won't let you forget me that quick, either." He had every intention of catching up with her at the afterparty.

[ambroselm]

Ambrose nodded his head. He had been surprised too. He didn't know why he was getting dragged into this. What secrets did he have that were important to any of this. Certainly none. He didn't say anything on the topic though not sure if confirming or denying would be more or less suspicious. Not that he worried about saying anything to Heath! If he didn't trust him -- at least somewhat -- he wouldn't have sought him out. Just… He didn't know how all this worked. "It was very cryptic," Ambrose confirmed, his mouth turning down as he pulled his phone out looking down at it. "You know people here better than I do," he said slowly, glancing up with a furrowed brow in Heath's direction. "Would you know who…" He stopped talking and looked around. "Here…" He said quietly pulling off to the side outside of the main crowd of people. "What would you think something like this means?" He asked, holding his phone out to Heath so he could read the text.

maybe she left because …. she couldn't stand to be at ogden after learning what the faculty was up to with her friends.

"I know what I assume it means …" Ambrose shrugged his shoulders, and gave a bit of a cringe. Is that something Greer would have left over? Or was it something to keep them distracted? Could Ambrose really resist the pull of good gossip, though? Maybe not, even when he probably should.

[heathtalbot]

Following Ambrose's sidestep off the pathway that lead up to Pike's entrance, Heath glanced around in a covert attempt to make sure that they hadn't attracted any unwanted attention. He was much less subtle about it than he thought he was, but when he didn't catch sight of any familiar faces looking their way, he blinked back to the other, attention quickly shifting to the offered phone. His frown deepened. "… The faculty?" he read aloud. That sounded far more incriminating than the open-ended text G had sent him. A suggestion that could come with far more ramifications, if anything was proven.

After a few seconds, skimming the message over another time or two, Heath started to shake his head. "I don't know," he said, frowning gaze lifting to Ambrose. "It sounds like professors were getting a little too friendly with students… But I never heard about anything like that happening." Not that he could recall, at least. Ogden was a small place. Heath had absolutely destroyed his Media Ethics TA at a game of flip cup during some off campus party last year -- fraternization happened. But to be something that made Greer leave… "How well did you know Greer?" he asked Ambrose, the pull of his frown softening as he wondered if they were close. "Do you believe that she really just left on her own?"

[rhia-falla]

Flattery was always an effective approach with Rhia, and now was no different. "You're so chivalrous," Rhia observed, leaving his intention unquestioned for now. "That's rare nowadays." It was meant as a compliment, though the double-edge was marked by a notoriously horrible history with men. Most were overly aggressive, inconsiderate, and demanding to her. This boded well for someone like Heath whose weapon was a perfectly-timed smile. She admired him just as she had back in the spring of their blossoming relationship. Though now, it was in a behind the looking glass sort of way.

She hadn't noticed immediately when Heath left her side, and she shot a worried glance behind her only to end up grinning about being caught. Her eyes followed him as he caught up, lingering on his face as he declared his singlehood. "Hm. Me too," she spoke in a sour note. "What does that tell you?" Rhia questioned, mimicking Heath's lackadaisical answer. Her lips pursed, attempting to contain a grin that declared itself anyway. It seems she might have had an admirer, and the thought of potentially being desired sent a thrill down her spine. Though she was caught off guard by the gentle admission to being dateless in the form of a head shake. Who was Rhia to not have a date? It felt embarrassing to admit. "I went alone," though quickly continued, "Whose presence did you grace that night?"

[heathtalbot]

Heath's bright eyes darted away from Rhia's face, not quite getting his fill of her smile, but he had an act to put on, drawing in a contemplative breath while his expression pinched. Eyes narrowed to a squint, looking out towards the horizon, he hummed while slowly exhaling. "I think it says that we're better off," he decided, pointedly ignoring the opportunity to take a personal inventory. That had always been a scary path to tread with Rhia, mirrored similarities suddenly too glaringly obvious to ignore. He glanced her way again, smile tilting cheeky. "Allows us to spread our love more freely." AKA have as many random flings as they liked. Heath was only a romantic when it was fun, or when it felt like a necessary means to an end. As soon as the excitement dulled, he tended to cut and run, chasing the next grand honeymoon phase.

His gaze lingered on Rhia for a beat, surprised to hear that she hadn't had a date. She was single-single. Interesting to note. "Carmen," he answered, looking forward again. "Her parents are family friends, so I figured I'd take her so she didn't have to go alone." That wasn't entirely a lie, but it also wasn't the truth. Regurgitating his reason for taking Carmen to Homecoming two years prior downplayed how much Heath worried about having a forgettable senior year. It entirely ignored the fact that he'd just wanted to avoid the responsibility of finding a "real" date, but at least it might make him look better in Rhia's eyes. Or she'd see right through him. Also very possible.

[ollieinoue]

Ollie crossed his arms over his chest, pulling his mouth to the side in a pucker as if he were considering very very deeply if there was anything he could do for Heath's poor poor situation. "Well…" He said dragging the word out, and giving a thoughtful hum. Like this would be the most difficult thing possible. "It's possible that I can get you out, if I can manage to--" he paused, and waved a hand, "you don't need to know all the details. But! It would really be me putting my ass on the line for you. So I might need to charge you a bit more on the work I do for you just to even things out. Not much! Just like… five percent. People are going to jail left and right at this school, you know what I'm saying?"

[heathtalbot]

He was immediately thankful that Ollie handwaved through all the internal calculations he was doing. Heath's résumé may have been padded with dozens of tech-adjacent internships, but that didn't mean that he really got any of it -- the intricacies of making his name vanish from an attendance roster without anyone taking notice would've been lost on him. "No one's going to care if you bail me out of a class." But the school certainly would care if someone was hacking into their system, and therein lied the risk for Ollie. Not Heath, though, so his mind didn't go there for even a second, already shrugging, placated by the promise that Ollie would at least try. "I don't care what it costs," he said, effectively granting him a blank check. In what world would Ollie scam him? "But I don't want to fall behind, either, if you can't get me out of it, so." That should've been a question. A request of some sort, but Heath's expression remained expectant, decided. "I'll email you what I already need done."

[sassa-fiske]

Sassa's eyebrows arched up nearly as high as they could, an unamused blink at him the only response she gave to Heath. Perhaps because she had no idea how he meant it - was she supposed to volley back as if they were playing? Or was he mocking her? It was frequently the issue she had with him (with plenty of people), her frustration only rising as she seemed to be playing by a different set of rules than her opponent. With a flicker of her eyes over his protruding lower lip, her expression relaxed, a smirk lifting the corners of her lips.

"Oh, please. We both know that wanting you? Old news," Sassa said as she rolled her eyes at Heath again, unable to help leaning into the hand against her back as she did so. Not quite a denial - but not quite a confirmation either. Vague enough that he could take it how he wanted to, and Sassa would play it off accordingly, as needed. She could want him, if that was what he wanted from her. But she could also very much not. Better to not to show her cards too soon. "But I'd never stop you from talking about wanting me, if that's the type of honesty you want."

[heathtalbot]

"Oh, but to have been wanted by you," he began with a dramatic gusto, waxing poetic for all to hear as his eyebrows folded together in a way that made him look particularly puppyish, glancing again in her direction while they walked, "I count myself among the lucky few." Okay, now it really sounded like he was just fucking with her. And he kind of was, but he also really wasn't. If anything, Heath viewed his past relationship with Sassa as a point of pride. They'd always managed to make each other look better -- both when they were together and apart, simply by association -- he thought, and wasn't that what dating someone was all about, anyway? Appearances.

A few soft tsk's slipped from Heath's lips as he shook his head, eyes peeled for a server with champagne. "Now you're just trying to get me into trouble," he accused, as if his southward veering hand at her back wasn't already incriminating enough. "I saw you show up with someone. New boytoy?"