siren of the sea @marinazale-archive-uv - Tumblr Blog

cambricbatiste‌:

“Well then,” Cambric offered his arm up to Marina. They still had some time before things would really kick off. The tributes were in the hands of their stylist and style teams until right before the parade started. Sure there were sponsors to sweet talk and cajole, but right now he wanted to spend his time with Marina.

He shrugged at her question. “Eight is Eight.” That was about all he could say about it. Things didn’t change all that often there. People went to work at the factories and they died and the Capitol did nothing to help them or ease their struggles. “Least in Four you have much better scenery than the smoke shacks and smog, right? Who knows, perhaps Eight will have a Victor and I can come visit, how great would that be?”

He offered his arm and Marina smiled before taking it. They had some time to spend together and that was all Marina really wanted. She really enjoyed spending time with her friends. Cambric definitely topped the list.

She nodded. Four did have nice scenery. She couldn’t imagine living in a busy and polluted city all the time. It sounded miserable. “I’d love if you could come and visit,” she told him. “I miss seeing you during the off season.” Of course they talked, but that was different from seeing him in person. “I bet you’d love the beach.”

#c:cambricbatiste

cambricbatiste‌:

“I do have my virtues, don’t you say?” He asked with a laugh as he smiled at the Avox that had stopped to stare at him. It wasn’t like he was going to get in trouble for a single flower. It was one of the many perks of being a Victor in the Capitol and besides, a beautiful woman like Marina deserved a rose and much much more.

He gave her another genuine smile. “And I missed you,” and his words were sincere because he did miss Marina while he was back in Eight. “So, do you have a few minutes for a walk before this circus starts?”

A laugh slipped past her lips and she nodded. “Oh of course you do.” It was one of the things she loved about Cambric. He could be so sweet, yet was so playful. Marina adored that about him.

A smile spread across her features and she nodded. “Even if I didn’t, I’d always make time for you,” she assured him. Seeing Cambric was one of the best parts of the trip to the Capitol. She loathed having to do other things there and she hated watching these children die, but seeing him? That was her favorite part.

“I hope things have been well for you in Eight.”

#c:cambricbatiste

cambricbatiste‌:

Seventy-two years. Seventy-two years was how many years the Capitol had been rounding up tributes and sacrificing them as repentance for a war that had happened before they were born. How long did they have to keep paying for the sins of the generations before them?

Yet, Cambric couldn’t be completely disappointed. Being in the Capitol meant he could see the very people he cared most about; friends that had become like family and some of them he honestly wished could be more. Cambric shook his head because he knew he shouldn’t entertain those thoughts. Instead, he sought out a familiar red-head in the sea of brightly colored wigs of the Capitol.

“Hey there,” Cambric started as he plucked a rose from a passing Avox and passed it to Marina. “Though I have to say, it pales in comparison to your beauty.” He flashed Marina a smile. “Anyhow, did you miss me? I know you did.”

@marinazale

It wasn’t easy to be back in the Capitol. Marina always missed her life in District Four, her family, and knew that the Games would mean twenty three more children would die. Still, she was always glad for the chance to see her friends.

Cambric was at the top of that list. When she spotted him, she chuckled as she watched him take the rose and hand it over to her. She smelled it and smiled. In these moments she wanted to pretend they were able to be more than just friends who saw each other a few times a year.

“You’re such a charmer,” Marina chuckled with a shake of her head. “But of course I missed you. i couldn’t imagine not missing you.” After all, he was one of her favorite people.

#c:cambricbatiste

mikaeled

Jessica Chastain for Piaget

#*photoalbum

cambricbatiste‌:

“You’re welcome,” Cambric told Marina with a sheepish grin. Sure he had done it as a gift to Marina, but part of him had enjoyed having arts and crafts time with Waverly. It was something he hadn’t had a chance to do since his sister was younger and they all knew that was a while ago. Cambric wasn’t exactly a spring chicken even if he still looked it.

“We had a little incident with the glitter…” He chuckled recalling the mess that had graced Marina’s kitchen that night she had gone out leaving him in charge. “Figured you might have caught onto us considering…” Cambric had tried to clean it up the best he could, but then again, with a little girl in the house, Cambric figured Marina was used to a little bit of glitter. “Now do you want my gift?”

“Oh I noticed the glitter,” Marina laughed. She hadn’t questioned it though. Waverly had enough outfits that shed glitter that she hadn’t been too concerned about it. “It’s pretty hard to get rid of that stuff.”

But when Cam mentioned his gift, her brow rose slightly. “You know you didn’t have to get me anything,” Marina replied. She reached over and placed her hand on his knee regardless. There was something so special about their time together. It felt like they were becoming a real family. “I’m sure whatever it is I’ll love it, Cambric.”

#c:cambricbatiste

cambricbatiste‌:

“Nope, Cambric wrapped it.” He joked with a laugh because between the two of them, Cambric wasn’t sure who was worse at wrapping gifts. “It’s still beautiful, right?” Not that Marina was the type to not care about such a thing. What would be more exciting was the handmade gift that Cambric and Waverly had made that was contained inside. Who could resist those total cliche but totally adorable handprint Christmas tree drawings? Two handprints for each of them. The only thing missing was Marina’s own handprints.

“She doesn’t learn that from you, must learn it from me.” Cambric joked with a laugh. “Must mean I am around way too much if she’s learning my more endearing habits.”

Marina chuckled lightly, a bright smile on her features as she looked between Cam and her daughter. Waverly seemed so excited about giving her the present. It truly was heartwarming, especially since she had assumed she wouldn’t get any gifts from her daughter until she got older and started attending school. “Of course it’s still beautiful,” Marina replied.

She unwrapped the gift then and felt her heart swell with happiness. Once she saw it she beamed and pulled Waverly into her arms. She kissed the side of the little girl’s head and laughed. “It’s so beautiful, starfish. I love it!” She looked over at Cambric then and smiled even wider. “And thank you too. This is absolutely incredible.” In that moment it really felt like they were a real family.

#c:cambricbatiste

cambricbatiste‌:

“Alright, little princess,” Cambric told the little girl with a laugh as he reached out and snagged a box from under the tree. Clearly, Waverly had wrapped the present (with Cambric’s help) as it was a mess of shiny paper and tape. Cambric was convinced that the toddler had more wrapping skills than he had. To be fair, he always paid someone in the Capitol to do his wrapping.

Gently, Cambric turned the little girl and nudged her in Marina’s direction. “Give mommy her present and then you can go back to opening your presents.” Waverly sure had more presents than could fit under the tree between Marina and Cambric himself.

@marinazale

There was nothing Marina would rather do than spend Christmas with Cambric and Waverly. They were her family, as unconventional as it may have been. She loved the holiday and was glad to have Cambric there to help share in all the excitement. Waverly was absolutely enchanted by everything that was going on and she was glad that. It was so much more fun with a child.

When Waverly came over and set the poorly wrapped gift on her lap, she smiled brightly. “Oh thank you sweetie,” she murmured before kissing her daughter’s head. “Did you wrap this all by yourself? It’s beautiful!”

Waverly nodded and giggled. “Open Mama!!”

“She’s an impatient one,” she chuckled before she started to unwrap the gift.

#c:cambricbatiste

cambricbatiste‌:

“Hey, I can’t let a toddler show me up,” he joked with a laugh. If he could survive the Hunger Games and in the Capitol all these years, he could survive bedtime. There was once a time when Cambric did these every night, but it had been a long long time since his sisters had been Waverly’s age. Sure he had nieces and nephews, but they stilled lived in District Eight, so he rarely saw them.

Cambric tickled the little girl with a laugh. “Okay okay, my mini princess… Lets go have storytime.” He gave Marina a grin and a nod as he made his way down the hallway. If he still had half his skills this wouldn’t take too long.

“So… What’s for dinner?” He asked when he emerged half an hour later.

Marina went and changed out of her Halloween costume into a sweater and jeans while Cam put her daughter to bed. Then she started making dinner for them. Her instinct had been to go with pasta so she worked on getting a seafood pasta together for the two of them. All Marina could do was hope Cam liked seafood.

When he reappeared she was starting to put the finishing touches on things. “I hope you like shrimp,” she said. “It’s just a pasta.” A small smile formed on her features as she looked over at him. “I also hope Waverly didn’t give you too much trouble.”

#c:cambricbatiste

dahlia-holmes‌:

Dahlia frowned and shifted her eyes away. Of course it was nowhere near the same. She didn’t get much out of Marina’s comment, but it was good to know that even then, she wasn’t planning on doing something like that. Dahlia and Delsin were a whole other beast in themselves and she was sure she was going to be keeping Del at arm’s length from then on out since he refused to get better for himself. She swallowed and looked down at her belly, almost wishing Reid had a father figure before he even got here.

“That’s fair,” Dahlia murmured. “Thank you.”

She nodded slightly. “Your welcome,” she replied. Honestly, Marina thought it was more important that there was a father figure in a child’s life than the actual biological father. Waverly had Cambric. He was filling that role for her in a lot of ways. He didn’t need to. It wasn’t his responsibility, but he did it anyway. She knew he loved that girl like she was his own flesh and blood.

“Eventually things will work out, Dahlia. You just need to have faith. And I’m around if you need help with things.”

#c:dahliaholmes

birchpembrooke‌:

“Well I think I will take you up on the little baby snuggles, if you’re okay with that,” Birch replied, holding his hands out hopefully. He was always nostalgic for when his kids were young. It was a little simpler. When they were young, before Ollie had turned 12, Birch didn’t have as much worry in his heart. He had closed off the part of his brain that reminded him that there would be a chance that Ollie would be Reaped as 12 and no one would volunteer for him.

“You know, you’re doing amazing, with it just being you,” Birch commented. “I think I might’ve screwed up royally if it was just me with Ollie all of those years ago. You, of all people, will knock this single mom thing out of the park.”

Once Birch said that, Marina nodded. She could use a break and Birch was a great man. Carefully she shifted her daughter into Birch’s arms and smiled. “You’re really sweet for saying that,” she told him. “I’m trying but it isn’t easy. This single mom thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

She shrugged, shaking her head slightly. “I mean...I have some help but I’m sure it’s not the same as how you’ve got Oakley. It must be nice to have her.”

#c:birchpembrooke

dahlia-holmes‌:

Dahlia hesitated before she even tried to ask the question. She knew it was a little bit out of line and quite literally none of her business, but she wanted to feel like she had a reason to think the way she did about Del. Everyone seemed to be on the side of him staying as far away from people as possible, but Dahlia wanted him to be better for their baby.

“If… if Waverly’s father ever came to you and asked if he would do better by her so he can stay in her life, would you let him?” she asked.

That was a personal question, and quite complicated. Marina wasn’t sure she had a good answer to give Dahlia. Their circumstances were different. After a moment, she sighed, shifting her daughter in her arms.

“Honestly? I don’t know. Her father and I...it was a drunken hookup. It wasn’t serious. I didn’t really know him well...I didn’t even tell him I was pregnant.” Maybe it was selfish, but she didn’t want him to try and push for them to get married or to allow Capitolite influence over her child.

#c:dahliaholmes

cambricbatiste‌:

“You’d be an even cooler mom if you did,” Cambric teased with a laugh. Many times both his siblings and him, had asked his mom to have dessert before dinner. Then again, in District Eight, you were lucky if there was something on your dinner table every night. It had taken him several years to get used to the fact he could eat whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. One of the few uncomplicated perks of being a Victor.

He reached for Waverly, scooping her up into a hug. “You tackle dinner, I can tackle bedtime! Right, kid?” He asked Waverly with a laugh. “I’ll even tell you a bedtime story. Have you heard the one about the man that fell asleep for twenty years? Personally, think he was lucky, but that’s a story for when you get older.” He laughed. “Alright, but let’s prove to mom we can do bedtime, deal?”

“Maybe, but that’s an argument for once she’s a little older,” she told him with a laugh. She couldn’t wait for those days, but for now she was happy to keep her precious angel close to her heart. “I think you can manage bedtime.” Marina moved closer and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “You be a good girl for Cambric, kiddo. Mommy loves you.”

Waverly held tightly to Cambric and giggled. “Stowy! Stowy!” She smiled at him, happily patting the side of his face. It was exciting for her to have someone other than her mother doing bedtime for her. It was a fun change. “Otay. Stowy tim!”

#c:cambricbatiste

dahlia-holmes‌:

Dahlia nodded in agreement. She almost didn’t want him here, but at the same time, she had a desperate need to have him in her arms the way that Marina had Waverly. She could imagine a crisp day, sitting on a chair out on her front porch with Reid snuggled into her breast with a blanket draped over him. She wanted to feel like he was a real person and make sure he understood how much he was loved by his mother, even if his father couldn’t be around to give him the same comforts.

“Of course,” Dahlia said with a nod. “It takes a village, right?” She took a deep breath, slowly exhaled. “Marina… may I ask a personal question?”

Marina smiled and nodded. Dahlia was definitely right about that. It was a lot of work to bring up a child and you always needed all the help you could get. That was just part of surviving it.

She tilted her head inquisitively and released a breath. “Of course,” she started. “What is it?”

#c:dahliaholmes

cambricbatiste‌:

“Well, it’s technically a tie, but let’s not ruin it for her,” he told Marina with a wink. His statement was the truth. Marina and Waverly were two of the most important people in his life. It was partly why he was there checking up on them. Not that Marina needed it, but he didn’t want to think something could happen to either one of them. They were lucky they hadn’t been in the Capitol a couple weeks ago.

Cambric couldn’t help but grin at the kiss on his cheek. Part of him wished it was something more, but he knew better than to be greedy. “Have you already ate dinner?”

Marina blushed at his comment. She couldn’t help but feel like there was something there, something growing between them that she’d long since discounted. For such a long time Marina had always second guessed herself and doubted herself. Insecurities ate away at her, but she’d gotten better.

“The little sheep did,” Marina told him. “I couldn’t very well let her have candy before dinner, could I? We can’t start the bad habits already.” There was a joking tone to her words as she smiled at him. “Have you eaten? I can make us something once I get her into bed. Unless you want to try wrangling bedtime duty,” she laughed.

#c:cambricbatiste

birchpembrooke‌:

“You don’t really grow out of that either,” Birch warned. Ollie was almost 18, almost a man who could go off into the world on his own. But, he still didn’t want him out of his sight. Birch tried to give his son as much space as he could and backed off when his son asked him to. It was just hard not to want to give him what he sorely lacked at that age. He was here when he was 17, all alone.

He smiled at the mention of Oakley. “I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s kind of the glue that holds everything together, especially me,” he said, looking at Marina. “There are a lot of things that Oakley does that help balance me. The worry though, it’s for her too. But, she brings so much love and goodness that my worry is eclipsed most of the time.”

Birch looked from Marina to Waverly, very enamoured by the little baby. “You know, if you ever need some help, you can always ask us. I’m sure both Oaks and I would be happy to have a baby in the house for a little bit.”

The way he talked about Oakley and their relationship put a smile on her face. It was wonderful that he had someone who completed him in that way. It was something she wished she had herself. It wasn’t as though she felt empty without it, but sometimes it would be nice to have someone.

“I might just take you up on that someday,” she told him. “As much as I love her sometimes it gets hard and exhausting doing it by myself.” She adored Waverly more than anything but it could be too much. “I swear she’s usually a sweetheart so you’re welcome to her cute little baby snuggles whenever you’re nostalgic for yours being small.”

#c:birchpembrooke

dahlia-holmes‌:

Dahlia’s eyes widened as Marina told her that her daughter came early. She had been safely nestled in the idea that Reid was going to be on time, December 2nd, not a day early or late. Then again, she didn’t exactly have a lot of practice with this and her only experience with that was when Constance was born, but even then, Dahlia’s memory was hazy at best since she was only three when her little sister was born, bless her soul.

“Yeah,” Dahlia said nervously with a clearing of her throat as she rubbed her stomach while sitting on the swing. “I mean… I’d appreciate it if he parked his happy little butt for a little while. I haven’t gotten everything settled yet, considering, you know, single parent and all. Lucus and Mouse can only do so much with their families and stuff.”

Marina hummed in agreement, still slowly rocking her daughter. “That’s understandable. It’s a lot easier to get things done while they’re still snug and secure in there.” After Marina had Waverly, the last minute things she’d planned on doing all went out the window. It was alright though. Things definitely could have been worse.

“Well, if you ever need any help don’t hesitate to ask. It’s all a learning curve and it can be a struggle to do it alone. We all should help each other out.”

#c:dahliaholmes

cambricbatiste‌:

“Oh! Look at you!” Cambric said happily as he saw a little sheep peak out at him. With a laugh, he scooped up the little girl and swept her into his arms so he could hear her better. “Well, how can I say no to that.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet of gummy bears. “Because you’re my favorite girl, but shh, don’t tell mommy I said that.”

Cambric nodded. “Sure,” he told her as he followed Marina inside. Truthfully, he had wandered over hoping to be invited in. Things were still happening outside, but Cambric didn’t care. Halloween was for the little kids and he was far past those days.

Waverly giggled and hugged Cambric when he held her. She saw the gummy bears and gasped! “Yay!!” she giggled as she reached for them.

Marina smiled and let Cam into the house. She shut the door behind her and smiled. “You know I think I can allow her being your favorite.” She stepped closer and placed her hand on Waverly’s back before leaning up to kiss Cambric’s cheek. “Right, Waverly? You can be his favorite. I’m happy to be second place to my favorite girl.”

#c:cambricbatiste

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

siren of the sea