Oliver Grant

There are two kinds of people: victors and tributes. Which one are you?

[perrylevine]

[Her fingers curled into his jacket, pulling him closer if it were possible. The moment still hadn’t sunk in yet, her head was still spinning. She shouldn’t have been kissing him, not if she had picked up some sort of flu in the Capitol. But then that sound came into his voice, the one that went to places it shouldn’t, and she couldn’t help herself. Could she around him anymore?] Mmhm. [She licked her lips, looking away only briefly before turning back to him.] I know a few things we can do in ‘our room’.

[oliversgrant]

[He grinned, fingers lacing with hers and he walked backwards, tugging her with him. Sometimes he forgot, but that was okay; it made remembering that much better. That they were free. At least, for now. He wasn't rushing to get out there and fight, but he was more than willing to pick up a weapon and make sure that such freedom lasted, that it extended to others.] Our room. [He places so much emphasis on the our, loving the way it feels pressed to the roof of his mouth and now tumbling past his lips so openly.] What are we gonna do in our room huh?

[commanderpetra]

[Petra was rather frustrated after running into that high end Glittery bitch. She ended up going outside for a few minutes to breathe the cool air before going back down. Petra did those breathing exercises her father taught her as the elevator crept down the levels. When they opened, Petra didn’t really need to look where she was going to know where she was. But she forgot to account for the new arrivals, therefore she bumped into one, letting out a bit of a sigh.]

No. It’s not your fault. We don’t have the resources to print out maps for everyone so hopefully your memory is still in tact. 

[She stuck her hand out, looking at the man in the eyes.]

Commander Petra Constantine. I may be able to direct you to where you are looking for.

[oliversgrant]

[He grabbed her hand in his, shaking it firmly before releasing it. She definitely had the air of command on her, and he felt himself shifting into a more attentive stance, oddly enough. Guess he should get used to that.] 

Good to meet you, Commander. Oliver Grant, District 7. I was looking for the med bay. The kid from my district, Wolf, he's there.

[perrylevine]

We— we should go find Wolf… [Perry knew it was futile the second the words came out of her mouth, and his lips replaced them. They fell against a wall, indulging in what they hadn’t ever had before. She used to think public affection was tacky; she didn’t know how she was going to get enough of Oliver now. Now, that she had him all to herself. Never had to share him again. Never had to be without him again. The thought had her smiling against his lips.] We should get out of here.

[oliversgrant]

[He fidgeted a bit, pressing his forehead against Perry's. He wanted to see Wolf. Last he'd asked, though, they had told him the boy was resting. Seeing Wolf would only serve to remind him of her, the memory fresh in his mind. No, they would see Wolf soon enough. When everyone was ready. A smile came back to his lips though, wide and deeply happy.] Yeah? Go back to our room?

[oliversgrant]

"Sorry, didn't mean to get in your way. Still figurin' this place out."

[perrylevine]

[They’d never kissed in public. Never even looked at each other in public beyond the occasional false glare, look of contempt, or badly disguised tolerance for one another. Naturally, she jumped, before grinning into Oliver’s kiss and melting into him. They had made it.] Love you.

[oliversgrant]

[So maybe it was a little obnoxious to be making out in the middle of a well-lit, semi-busy hall way. Oliver didn't care. It felt good.] Love you too, Perry Levine.

[perrylevine]

Hey, you.

[oliversgrant]

Hey, you, yourself.

[boosterkingsbee]

He took a seat next to Oliver and asked the Avox for a plain water — sense he didn’t drink, before looking back at the other man. “No. that was a couple years before I was born. I watched videos of it though.” He had watched all the games after he’d been reaped in the name of research. It was obvious, while the quarter quells stood out, each year was almost like it was trying to out do the other. It just got rougher and rougher, and this year… Well, he didn’t know how long any of the kids would be able to survive in such cold weather.

He smiled and thanked the Avox who brought him water and took a drink from it. “I’m sorry about your girl.” He said unsure if he should press on about the tribute thing. But it was always hard to lose younger kids — it was hard to lose every one of them. “I seemed like she was a cool kid…” From what he’d observed and heard about her anyway. And he said that instead of saying that only two and a half more days left… That’d probably not be something he should say…

[oliversgrant]

"Yeah, she was," he answered, the end of his words strangling a bit. He covered it up with a cough, pulled his fingers through his hair. There was a family in district seven crying themselves to sleep right now over their lost daughter. He wondered briefly if his father was watching. 

"How are the kids from your district?" His eyes had been trapped on Wolf and Ornella, he had hardly spared a second thought for the others.

[interstelarchive]

The non-verbal communication between them sent the message over perfectly. Sawyer immediately bit down on his own tongue to avoid saying anymore. The Capitol was watching. They needed to remember that. He didn’t need to let his emotions over the situation get the better of him, especially when there were bigger things at stake. Still, there was hatred in his eyes as he watched the boy from District Four drag Sable around.

"Yeah, I only hope he’s the first to go when the careers turn on each other," he admitted, taking in a deep breath. 

[oliversgrant]

That was probably the most only satisfying part of the games. Watching the alliances formed by the Careers crumble apart the moment they realized they were the last ones standing. 

The Capitol made cowards and traitors out of them all. "Out of all of them? He's not the largest, or the fastest it seems." Though personally he wanted to see Wolf take an axe to the kid's head. Or maybe watch Haul strangle him. The thought sours in his mouth though. They're children. Not anymore. 

[healing-thyself]

She had taken Perry’s advice at the party- well some of it anyway, and she’d put what she’d seen and heard that night well out of her mind. Oliver and Perry were adults, clearly, and they knew what they were getting themselves into. She wasn’t exactly in a place to judge them for their recklessness, not with the last few days in mind. Besides there were much much worse things happening.

“They’re alive. Together, and alive.” she said handing over the pack as she crunched an indiscriminate mouthful for herself. It seemed like a vague answer, but she knew not everyone could say the same. “I’m sorry about… your little one.” Bula said, a genuine sympathy to her tone. It had been brutal, but the bloodbath always was.

[oliversgrant]

He wanted it to be over already. Three days. Three fucking days. It's a struggle not to glance down at his watch every other minute. 

"That's good," he replied, remembering himself as he took the packet and put a tablet in his mouth. The words sting, but she means well, and he can tell she really is sorry. Everyone is sorry. Oliver is bitter. "She was real sweet. Clever-- kinda had a smart mouth but--" His voice trailed off.

[interstelarchive]

Sawyer could no longer ignore the images that played out on the screens. A look of disgust appeared on his face as he watched Agro drag his tribute around like an animal. No one deserved that kind of treatment, especially not Sable Kye. She was a sweet girl from District Ten, and shared a profound interest in animals. He remembered that much. Their time spent together was limited, but he did get to know the kids. And, now she was an animal. At least to this psychotic career, she was.

“This is fucking ridiculous,” he roared, practically shaking in anger. “I’ll kill him. I don’t care who he fucking is—If that little bastard survives, I’ll kill him.”

[oliversgrant]

It was difficult not to feel the same way as Sawyer. Not after watching Ornella have her throat slit like a pig going to slaughter. Oliver's inherent distrust of all Careers only heightened during this period, and considering what they were planning this year, he was particularly paranoid. He didn't give a shit about himself. But he had Perry and his father to think about. 

Still-- talk like this? Dangerous. His hand descended on the older man's shoulder, squeezing firmly, once, twice, thrice. A small reminder. "What goes around comes around, brother," he murmured as his hand fell away, not bothering to move from around Sawyer's shoulder. He was too entranced with the screen. Remember who the real enemy is.

[healing-thyself]

Bula had been fumbling noisily with the paper encasing the antacids for some time now, only halfheartedly trying to get at the wrapper’s contents. Some part of her liked the uncomfortable burning in her chest. It reminded her that they were still in there, two kids- her two kids, cold and terrified and alone save fore each other. It wasn’t easy to forget that kind of thing when every screen in the capital was playing the Arena every minute of every hour. But she did. Just for brief moments when her mind drifted to thoughts of Aston or Lupiz. On one hand Aston was finally talking to her again, but on the other she was premeditating the final touches of a crime that she knew all to well would change her, but perhaps not so much she couldn’t live with herself.

She didn’t want to think about it too much. Thinking about thinking about it. Made her head hurt, but here she was any way, scratching pointlessly at the antacid label wondering if taking the life of one scumbag negated the last five years she’d spent trying to atone for her Victor’s crown. Sadly it seemed philosophy wasn’t her strong suit. It wasn’t until her guest took a seat next to her at the bar that she even realized they’d joined her. “Want one?” she offered with a nod to the pack in her hand, finally breaking it in half with a little crack as the colored disks rolled across the bar top.

[oliversgrant]

He hadn't seen Bula since-- well, since she'd walked in on him and Perry's little rendezvous in President Snow's office. All of that seemed horribly insignificant in light of what was going on, though, so he made no pretense of ignoring her now. "Yeah, if you don't mind," he mumbled numbly. Ornella's blood was still staining snow, and he couldn't quite stop himself from remembering his own Arena. The layout had been considerably different-- a giant valley with mountains too steep to really climb. 

She was even younger than he had been. 

"How are your kids doin'?"

[boosterkingsbee]

Booster looked over from the television screen watching his tributes closely, that he jumped when there was a loud crashing sound in the room. He looked around first at the chair that had been thrown at the wall and then around at Oliver who — considering that was where everyone was looking at the moment — had thrown the chair. 

Mentors getting upset when Tributes died was a normal thing, of course. But this year… sadly, if they could just have known what was going on. Most of them could get out… So, it was a bit tougher, he imagined. He pulled away from the TV and wandered towards Oliver grabbing a drink from one of the Avoxes smiling at them gratefully. “Hey.” He said as he made it to the blond man he held out the drink for him and gave him a sympathetic look. Booster glanced around and lowered his voice a little, “Are you alright?”

[oliversgrant]

Was he alright? Was he alright? He had to try to calm down. He liked Booster, and Perry really liked him. This was far from his fault. So he took the drink in hand with a grateful nod, knocked it back, and sank down onto the nearest stool he could find. His fingers swept through his hair, blue eyes wet and red as he sought control. He'd never been very good at controlling his temper. 

"I'll be fine," he finally replied with a pained smile. He cleared his throat and took another proffered glass of alcohol from a passing Avox and sipped it more slowly. "You weren't old enough for the last quarter quell were you?" He asked quietly, glancing up at the man. He couldn't be sure how old Booster was. Hell, he'd only been six years old for the 50th. 

[oliversgrant]

Pacing. Pacing, pacing, pacing. He couldn't stop moving, fingers nervously tugging at his goatee, his free arm wrapped under his chest, propping his elbow up. Head bowed as if in prayer, only to tilt back up to look at the large screen every time he passed it by, eyes always searching for the boy and the girl, Wolf and Ornella.

And then--

He stopped dead in his tracks, insides disappearing. It happened fast, but no less bloody or brutal, and the sound of the canon was a distant echo of whatever small strand of hope he'd had about getting them both out alive snapped. Before he quite knew what he was doing, he'd grabbed a chair and heaved it across the room, watched it shatter against a wall as a pair of Avox's scrambled out of the way. There were no sponsors in the room, thankfully, but he was aware of other eyes on him. He didn't care. This was bullshit, this was all bullshit, and he wondered how in the hell Wolf was supposed to survive three days. It was Oliver's games all over again, but ten times worse.

[wolfaspen-deactivated20140528]

[Wolf nodded] Perry explained it to me. She doesn’t want me to go to the Cornucopia. I’d be fine running from the start and gathering my resources from the environment- whatever that will be. But it seemed like they all planned this from the start.

But I’ll definitely get out of there if I do go for something. And um..what about Laurel* ? By the time she goes, she’ll have to run won’t she?

[Wolf was rather glad that he hadn’t gained any personal attatchment to her. He had seen her around the District, but never bothered to initiate conversation. The age gap was one of them. He didn’t think they had any interests in common]

[oliversgrant]

[Oliver tensed at the mention of the girl, brows furrowing. What time he didn't spend with sponsors, he had spent with her, training her. Preparing her. She was not going to die.] 

Listen. Perry has to explain something to you. Somethin' we can't tell Laurel. But I need you to promise me, that so long as it doesn't get you or her both killed, that you'll try your best to look after her. Wherever you run, she's going to follow, so don't wait up for her, but when she finds you, I need you to stick close to her.

[He almost said please-- almost.]

[perrylevine]

Fuck the Capitol | Perry & Oliver

Location: Library of President Snow’s Mansion

Date: Quarter Quell Quatridual Festivities Ball

Notes: Very much nsfw, just before Ambula enters. 

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[oliversgrant]

[private]

[perrylevine]

[She didn’t mean to make the low, whining sound, but it was silenced by his lips as soon as it escaped her throat. Perry pulled back an inch, only to return to his kisses, her lips in a grin. They had work to do, and it always turned into this.] I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. [She punctuated each promise with a kiss, her cheeks reddening already.] But we need to— we need to… [He was kissing her again, his hand cupping her cheek, and all thoughts of the Rebellion were thrown out the window. She moaned against his lips, grasping a handful of his jacket, and forced herself to stop. At least, for now. Somedays he still made her feel 18 years old.] We need to help Wolf.

[oliversgrant]

I love you too. [He could barely get the words out between kisses, a grin slowly growing on his face as she continued. Five minutes ago he had been about ready to hurl someone through a window, but Perry had always been able to bring out the best in him and he worshiped her for it.] Right. Wolf. [He kept kissing her though, unable to stop.] What else do we need to talk about?

[oliversgrant]

[private]

[perrylevine]

[Perry felt guilt eat away at her heart, and hated it all so much. There was only a few more days until they could be free of all of this. She leaned onto the balls of her feet, and kissed him like she kissed him that night in the library, during the Ball. Desperate, hungry, wet, with his lip between her teeth. It wasn’t a thank you, really, or a notion of possessiveness or jealousy. Sometimes she just liked to be reminded of what they were doing this for too.]

[oliversgrant]

[His heart is hammering in his chest the way it did the first time they kissed, fingers trembling as they move to cup her face. When he kisses her back, it's every bit as desperate, but there's tenderness too, adoration. Perry is the only person he's ever been with that matters, and it shows in the reverent way he holds her, and he smiles to think that one day, one day soon, they won't have to hide this anymore.]