Odette Alfarsi

@odettealfarsi

18. Unpresented. Friend of Augustus. I've lived my entire life in the Capitol, and met my best friend, Augustus, at school. I would do anything for them, and that includes kill someone. I may look defenseless, but I know my way around a gunc.

26 posts

((OOC: Sorry I'm not as active as I would like to be. Real life is a bitch.))

augustuswindsor

"I don’t know…It’s hard. I’m responsible for all these people, Odette and I don’t even know what the hell to do…I feel like I’m out of my league. Those kids need something to change so they have a fighting chance.

"Anyways…I couldn’t do that. It would be made out to be a publicity stunt or something. I was thinking I could make some kind of scholarship up, get her and some of the others money for school and college…or maybe just outright donate a school. They could make that into a publicity stunt but it wouldn’t matter—it wouldn’t hurt anyone. The kids would have something to work towards and look forward to. The adults who never made it through highschool will have a chance at educating themselves…"

Odette sobered immediately. Sometimes it was difficult, remembering that she was friends with the king. The king of an actual country, whose decisions impacted the lives of every single citizen. That was a huge weight on his shoulders. And she didn't even know how to help him.

"The scholarship could be a great idea. But how would you possibly be able to choose? I mean, yes, you want to award her the scholarship, but are you going to award more? There are more kids there who need it. They all do. How are you going to decide who needs it more than others?" It wasn't like Gus could donate his entire life to the cause. There would still be millions of people who wouldn't be able to afford college. This was a start, yes, but it was something that would have to be thought about.

augustuswindsor

"Well…I don’t really know. She’s too young to have presented, so doubtlessly she’s either orphaned or there with her omega parent. I didn’t ask her many questions. I danced with her and the other kids and talked with them a little but… It was hard." He looked own at his hands.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked, taking both his hands in hers. She knew what it was like, going to some of the rougher parts of town. Seeing things that no one should have ever had to see. She was privileged, she knew. And so was Gus. More privileged than any other person in the entire country. And sometimes having that privilege checked hurt. She knew that as much as anyone did.

"Come on. Open up to me. We've talked about everything tonight. Might as well talk about the cute little orphan girl you saw at the Omega House. You gonna pull a Little Orphan Annie, Daddy Warbucks?"

augustuswindsor

"I convinced my advisors it was simply a goodwill trip to appease the Omega population. Since I went in secret, they didn’t think it would stir up the Alphas too much. I took a few body guards and had an ‘inconspicuous’ vehicle take me there and…" he smiled a little. "Odette…it was amazing. The people were so impressive; the artists and writers and children…all of them had so much to offer. And the head of the house, Aislynn Mandana, was thrilled to have me. I was invited back."

He popped another marshmallow into his mouth. “They didn’t make a big deal out of it. I just met and spoke with the people who wanted to and visited the children for a while. There was this little girl, Gracie…God, Odette, you would’ve adored her. Sweetest little thing I’ve ever seen. She looked at me like I was magic or something.

"I didn’t ask if there were any openings, but I’m sure miss Mandana would love to have you, Odette. Maybe I’ll see if you can come with me next time I take a visit."

"I would love to," she said, her eyes flashing with excitement. To see Gus talk about something like this, in such a way, it made her excited for him. Very little got Augustus Windsor excited, but this, this was special to him and she could tell. And good for him. He deserved to be happy. To find a cause he believed in, even if it meant upsetting everyone else. Odette knew he had to be careful about who he upset, but still, it was lovely to see this.

"So tell me about it. The little girl, Gracie. Why was she there? Was she an orphan or was she kicked out because of her presentation or what?" Odette spoke rapidly, an unexplainable smile on her face. She couldn't understand why she was so happy, but she was.

She took another marshmallow, crossing her ankles. Mentally making a note to call Aislynn Mandana, she looked over at Gus, waiting for him to give her the whole story.

augustuswindsor

"My life has been nothing but a long string of interesting things since my coronation. But, interesting to me and interesting to you are two different things." He gave her a playful nudge with his hip. "Anyways, it's a lot to handle. Hard to get bored when I'm this busy. It's...nice."

He patiently waited for his next marshmallow to roast rather than letting it go up in flames the moment he put it over the stove. "...I went to the Omega House the other day." He whispered it, a secret between the two of them. He didn't want it spread around everywhere. But...Odette was like to be an Omega. She probably already knew about the place.

Odette's eyes widened and she smiled. "How on earth did you manage to sneak away without anyone noticing?" she asked with a grin. But it was good. Gus needed to go and see what common Omegas had to deal with. He would never be one of those. He would have people to ensure that he was never hurt. Never beaten or abused in any way, shape, or form. Others didn't have that luxury.

"What did you think of it?" she asked. "Were the people nice there? Do they need volunteers?" Since she knew she would probably present as an Omega, she wanted to do whatever she could to make sure those less fortunate than her had access to safety.

augustuswindsor

Augustus muffled something around his mouthful of marshmallow, already starting to skewer the next one. The words came out a senseless garble, making him laugh at himself, then he swallowed and repeated himself. "To each his own. You're welcome to make your marshmallow however you damn please--just leave me to devour a few dozen of them in peace." He grinned at her. Nonetheless, the King roasted his next sweet far more slowly--though it did wind up a charcoaled mess as the first had.

It wasn't until Augustus was eating his third that he spoke again. "So, tell me about Odette's life. It's been forever since you've updated me on what it's like to be a commoner." He teased lightly, nudging his hip against hers.

"Commoner," Odette scoffed. "That's what you think. I'm hardly common." And she knew that. The most glaringly obvious fact was that she was friends with the king. Yeah, that wasn't obvious. "Odette's life has been really just...dull. I mean, I haven't gone out on any dates, I haven't been surfing in far too long."

She raised her eyebrow as she looked over at him. Surfing should definitely be a thing they did sometime soon. They could take marshmallows there, too and roast them over the fire out in the open. Of course, they would have to contend with the thousand and four bodyguards that would have to accompany Augustus. Still, it would be a nice chance for them to bond. And she missed that. "What about you?" she asked. "Have you had anything interesting in your life, other than coronation?

augustuswindsor

"You'll spoil me rotten if you cook for me all the time." He chuckled, opening the bag and grabbing them each a skewer from the drawer so they could roast their treats. He laid one directly in the flame right away, letting it catch and burn for a few moments before blowing it out.

"Maybe I will spoil you rotten. But it's okay. I don't mind that." She smiled, watching as he burned the marshmallow immediately. It was so much fun. No one else got to see this side of him. No one else got to know that he was fun and exciting and not at all the king that they saw. The King was strict, firm, unyielding. But Gus was friendly. He was sweet and funny and that was who Odette loved.

Making her own marshmallow, she watched it turn a light golden brown. Just the perfect way she loved it. "This is so much better than burning it to a crisp."

augustuswindsor

"...You're scared too? Of presenting?" He murmured. Of course, he could see she was. He'd known for some time that the fear was there. But...there was something therapeutic in admitting it to each other, putting the feelings into words and finding acceptance in someone else. Augustus would always treasure Odette for that--her acceptance of him. Being a prince had won him easy popularity, though he was hardly interested in it. The only person who seemed less concerned about his social standing was Odette. And that had only been what first drew him to her! She was a myriad of fierce protectiveness and firm acceptance. Of him, of others, of anyone, it seemed to Augustus.

And he adored her for it. It made her lovely. "...Hey...Maybe we can still help each other. You can stay here during your heats. It can be like a safe haven for us. We can have a room set apart--a whole suite that we can hide in whenever we need it."

Odette nodded when Augustus guessed right. She was scared of presenting. That it would somehow change her. That it would make her more vulnerable. Of course, that wasn't so true. She knew how to shoot accurately, she knew how to fight hand to hand. It wasn't that she would be left helpless, just because of her presentation. But for a few days a month, she would be out of control of her own body, and that was terrifying.

"Thank you for that. The safe haven. You could take care of me when I'm going through my heat. Make food and all that, and I can do the same for you. It isn't like there's any worry of either of us wanting each other. But we can at least help out that way." She squeezed Augustus's hand, leaning against his chest. "I love you, you know. So very much." And she would always do whatever she could to make her friend seem even more at ease with his presentation. Grabbing the bag of marshmallows, she flipped the range on. "Come on. We need this. You need sugar and fun and all that other stuff."

augustuswindsor

A chill ran through him so fast that he lost his hold on the package of marshmallows. "Four days of just...senselessness..." He bit his lip. Of course, he'd read that in the books, but he'd hoped that was an average that accounted for outrageous outliers and was therefore inaccurate. Hearing the brutal truth from his most trusted friend and confidant was...well...brutal. Terrifying, really. He didn't bother hiding the sheer pressure the situation was bearing down on him. "The advisors' job is to advise the king. Not rule while he's locked away somewhere while going out of his mind!" He took another shaky breath, reigning himself in.

"...I'd never be able to let you do that, y'know..." He laughed a little, meekly, wrapping his arms around Odette and holding her close. "Help me, I mean. If you were an alpha..."

"Augustus Windsor, you listen to me. You have a council who already helps you make decisions. If anything, try calling them and giving direct orders. But I guarantee you won't be able to do it." Things got serious when Odette used his full name. She was his best friend, but still, there was something motherly about her. Holding back just as tightly, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "You would be begging for me to help you, by the end," she said gently. "That's not even an ego thing. It's a biology thing. You're an Omega. And a toy isn't the same as a real person."

She shivered lightly at that thought. More than likely, she would end up an Omega. And then what? What would happen when she wanted to go rock climbing or surfing? What would happen when she wanted to be normal? "I'm scared, too, Gus. But you keep on going because you have to. Even non-royals."

augustuswindsor

Augustus shifted a little beneath her look, swallowing thickly and looking away. None of this had been easy. From the presenting to the announcements to the arguments with his advisors, nothing about being an Omega had been good for Augustus. It’d been more of an uphill battle. And now, he had been driven to ask his one true friend questions that no twenty-one year old should’ve been left in the dark about. Augustus found himself fidgeting again, toying with his fingers as he tried to keep his face from getting too red at the mention of a knot.

He was supposed to have one of those, not wind up craving one.

"Doesn’t sound too bad…Will I be able to think straight if I have uh…one of those?" Maybe if he could keep his wits about him enough he could still hold meetings over the phone and keep active in the counsel rather than just slipping away for days on end.

"Not a chance. I know you want to be able to talk to people, still be as normal as you possibly can, but that isn't going to happen. For four days, you're out. You need someone, a group of people, even, who could help run the country while you're away. Oh wait. You already have that," she said, raising her eyebrow. Letting out a sigh, she smiled in sympathy. "I know you don't want to be an Omega. I know it hurts you. That there are times that you won't be in control of yourself."

It was painful to watch this. To see that Augustus was scared, and nervous, and so unsure of what to do. She took his hands, squeezing slightly. "If I was an Alpha, I would help you. You're my best friend. And I know it wouldn't mean we would bond or anything like that. But I'm not an Alpha. From the looks of it...I'm going to be in the same boat you are." She looked down at her feet. "So I know you're scared."

augustuswindsor

"Damn...I thought you were going to let me get away with that." He sighed softly and started fussing with the bag of marshmallows, turning it over in his hands again and again. How could he word this without getting too wildly inappropriate? Sure, they'd talked about this sort of thing before. But this seemed...different. And it wasn't like Odette was experienced anyways. She hadn't even presented yet. God, it'd all been so much easier when they were both unpresented and in school and adventuring on weekends and pulling all nighties to get studying done.

But it couldn't be like that again. And Odette never gave Augustus a reason not to trust her. Ever. So, he caved--like he always did when it came to her. "I...That's exactly it, really. What do I /do/ with myself? A heat can last days..."

There was something in the man's appearance, his face, that made Odette take pity on him. "Gus..." She wrapped her arms around him. "You should have known better than to think I was going to let it go." Her voice was gentle. There was no shame in what Augustus was asking. He had never been prepared for this. But Odette was. Because though she hadn't presented, and she'd never been with anyone, that didn't mean she didn't know her way around pleasure.

"You take care of yourself. There are...ways. Um...Okay, you know what, screw it. I'm just going to tell you straight. You use a dildo with a knot. There are some you can buy that are inflatable, and it works really well to keep the heat at bay. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing. And keep everything you need in your room. Granola bars, bottles of water, dry shampoo..."

augustuswindsor

"Damn right. Hear me!" And then he threw his head back and let out a cartoonish roar, baring his teeth and lifting the bag of marshmallows victoriously over his head. It was the most un-kingly thing he'd done in days--and that included the two-hour-nap-in-a-suit he'd taken the previous week. Laughing, he swatted Odette's hand away lightly before presenting her with the bag, grinning.

His smile wavered a little whenever she mentioned the photo. "For the record, I didn't post that..." It's been his assistant who caught him sitting at the window, smoking, just two days after he'd said something about how he should stop. So, as her revenge and in hopes she'd convince him to /actually/ stop instead of talking about it. Augustus didn't feel like he needed to. He was in perfect health, he went though /maybe/ a pack in two weeks, and he was well above the legal age to buy them. And yeah, he was the damn thing. He could have a little freedom. "Odette, lovely, pleeeeaasse, can we just eat sugar and have fun? Please? I'll start pulling strings for that rock climbing trip right away. Please?"

Odette could stop herself from laughing at the roar. It was the cutest thing that she had seen him do in a while. This was the person she missed. Gus. Not His Majesty, King Augustus Windsor. Just Gus. The guy she loved so much, who was so much like her brother in a million different ways. God, she loved him. And she was worried about the fact that he smoked. Sure, it wasn't much now, but with all the stress that he was going through, it was easy to start out of stress and turn it into a habit.

"I'll let it go on one condition," she said, raising an eyebrow. "We can eat sugar and have fun, and you can start pulling strings, but you have to ask me what you really do want to ask about being an Omega. Because I could see it in your eyes. You don't want to ask anyone. But you're going to get stuck in the middle of a heat one day, and you're not going to know what to do with yourself." She rested her head on his shoulder, leaning against him as he sat on the counter.

Midnight Cocoa

augustuswindsor

"Hey. That was one time. And, for the record, I was in complete control of the situation." Augustus was trying (and failing rather miserably) to be huffy and cynical about it, but the grin that refused to be wiped away or hidden just wound’t fade. "You’re the one who through the towel. Not me."

He lapsed into comfortable silence after that, keeping quiet as they made their way through the lengthy halls. It was late and he didn’t want to disturb anyone, or disrupt his appearances. It was cute and amusing when they’d been younger—the prince and his best friend, off adventuring once again. However, Augustus’s racing days were over. He had expectations to uphold now. And a responsibility to his people. And power.

…But that also didn’t stop him from hauling himself onto the marble counter in the kitchens so he could reach the marshmallows.

One time, possibly. But it had happened, and she never let him live it down. Good. It was something that she could bring up when Gus started to feel too full of himself. It was good to see when they got to the kitchen that Gus could still jump up on the counter. "Look at you. 'I am king. Hear me roar.'" she said with a laugh, mocking him. Walking over, she poked him in the stomach. "Gimme gimme. I'll get them started."

It was surprisingly easy how they could fall back into step with another. She had missed the man who had become so close he was like her brother. "So. I saw your latest picture on the internet. You had another cigarette in your mouth." She crossed her arms, frowning slightly. "You know that's hardly healthy for you." Granted, marshmallows weren't exactly healthy, either.

Midnight Cocoa

augustuswindsor

He laughed and shook his head, getting a hilariously odd mental picture of tackling someone in the street. It was more funny than embarrassing—but only because Augustus knew that would never, EVER happen. Ever. He listened, trying to make notes of what to expect in his head. “I think I get it…” A part of him wanted to ask what the hell he should do when a heat came on (it’s not like he had someone he was dating he could run to or the moral freedom to simply find someone he was attracted to and have them look after him), but Augustus couldn’t quite bring himself to voice the question. Not even to Odette. It was something he was never supposed to need to ask. But, there he was. Nervously awaiting his first heat. At least Odette had an older sister she could question…

"Nah. I just wanted to know what to look for." He drained the last of his beverage before giving her hand a tug. "C’mon, let’s go dangerously roast marshmallows on the stove."

Odette knew that there was more he wasn't asking. After all, she had been his best friend since grade school. Since she was five and he was six and they had met on the playground during free time. But she wouldn't press him. Instead, she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door. "It isn't dangerous if you don't go swinging flaming marshmallow at me," she pointed out. It had only been once, but it was enough to set a kitchen towel on fire. After that, they hadn't roasted marshmallows like that for a while. But it was still one of her favorite things to do. Perhaps later she could talk to him about what heat would actually be like. What he could expect from it all.

As they walked through the halls, Odette nodded her head at the people she passed. It wasn't a big deal. She had practically grown up here, as well, running through the halls with Gus at breakneck speeds. But god, it was fun.

Midnight Cocoa

augustuswindsor

"This is a little more detailed than what we went over in sex ed, Odette." He chuckled. "Well…part of it’s just curiosity. But I also… It’s a little bit because I’m scared. Sort of. I don’t know what my body’s trying to tell me when and I don’t know when I could go into heat." The word made him blush and there was no denying it that time. It was such an odd concept. Him, as in Augustus Windsor, the King, in heat. Not helping his mate or a lover through it. Not learning about it in a sexual education seminar. Not just hearing it mentioned in general. Him actually going through it and needing to understand it and plan around it and know how to take care of himself through it.

"Well, yeah. You could go into heat at any time. But you won't just spontaneously burst into flames and try to hump any Alpha in the near vicinity." She grinned at the thought of her friend actually doing that. "No, it'll be something like...you'll feel it, before it hits. Samai said it's something you feel a few days before it actually happens. Your sense of smell will become more pronounced, and you'll start feeling warm. Flushed. That's when you know it's coming, so you can plan around it. If you like the way an Alpha smells, even outside of heat, it means you're probably more biologically compatible. But other than that...any specific questions?" Her voice was kind, sympathetic, but hardly babying. Gus knew how to take care of himself.

Midnight Cocoa

augustuswindsor

"People aren’t stupid." He said simply. "Just…decisive." Augustus fumbled for a moment when asked about why exactly he was reading up on biology when he really should be sleeping or, really, doing about a dozen different, far more productive things. It was a little embarrassing. Okay, really embarrassing. He had half-a-mind to lie, to brush it off, to make a joke. But this was Odette… He owed it to her to be honest with her, at the very least. "No, no, nothing like that. Despite your belief, I’m not entirely insane. I’m uh… I’m trying to actually understand what I…" Augustus stumbled with the words, his hand slipping from Odette’s. "I was raised to be an Alpha. For like twenty years I thought I would be. And…well, I’m not. I don’t really know anything about being an Omega—by ways of taking care of myself, I mean." His face was heating up, but Augustus let himself make believe it was because of his cocoa. "I’m trying to learn, that’s all."

So he wanted to know what it was like to be an Omega. Because he didn't know what to do. Well, that was interesting. "As far as biology goes, I think we both learned about the same thing in high school. Remember how Marcus Rikson nearly fainted because we saw the video of the Omega giving birth?" She snickered at the memory. "Lucky for you, you don't need a textbook, Gus. You've got me. And I happen to be something of an expert on all things Omega. Mom and Dad are...pretty convinced I'm going to be one. And I think there's a pretty big chance I will be, what with Samai being one, and all the Omegas that are in both families." Her older sister had presented as an Omega when Odette was still in elementary school. The ten year age difference meant the two weren't close, but still, it was nice to have someone to talk to about all this. "So ask away. What do you want to know?"

Midnight Cocoa

augustuswindsor

"Odette. The textbook. The textbook is biology." He smirked. "But…thanks. I appreciate your nigh-violent dispassion for the opinions of people being stupid." There was a real honesty beneath the humor in his voice and when she offered her hand, he took it gratefully. Odette had always been protective of him, and sometimes it bordered on being annoying, but most times Augustus was just grateful he had someone looking out for him for no reason aside from affection. He didn’t have to be the King when he was with her. He could just grin and laugh and put too many marshmallows in his cocoa because he was Augustus. That’s all she expected.

Realizing her mistake, she laughed. "Well then. Serves me right for getting angry over nothing. Although I still say people are stupid. A good deal of them, really." She squeezed his hand, linking her fingers with his. "What's so amazing about the textbook that you were pouring over it at midnight? You're not considering going for your degree, are you?" She raised her eyebrow, looking rather skeptical. While she would support him if that was his decision, he had one thing right. He was a busy man, pulled in a million different directions. Going to a university didn't seem feasible when he couldn't even pull himself away for a weekend of rock climbing.

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