life // death

date: september 22nd location: a mcdonalds nearby status: open

Catalina got what she wanted out of the night, anyone else liked it or not. While the ball was surely her Cinderella moment, there was no Prince (or princess, for that matter) Charming to catch her attention long enough to stay. Maybe she stole his wallet and she could track him down more efficiently- but none the matter. She wanted some nuggets and a flurry, so here she was.

She got the alert on her phone in the otherwise quiet McDonalds. Flipping her phone over, Cat widened her eyes as she read the breaking news headline. The police commissioner was dead, and it seemed that Catalina had left just before it happened.  Fuck, she thought, yet her panic wasn’t as high as it would’ve been. If anything, she was relieved she got out of there. As the door opened, Cat looked up and noticed they were also at the ball. “Oh, hey!” She called out, a look of relief on her face as she gestured them over. “You were at the ball- I’m glad you’re okay.”

there was some sort of comical punchline about rosalyn leaving the scene of the murder to get a chocolate milkshake, but she couldn’t think of it. shooting her straw wrapper at the back of one of the employee’s heads, she frowned as soon as she saw the news alert light up on her phone. picking her head up, rosalyn glanced around, wondering where the security cameras were in the room. her mind had already gone into thinking about establishing an alibi when she noticed catalina speaking to her. 

“oh, did something happen at the ball? i tried to get out of there as soon as it was socially acceptable to,” rosalyn said, feigning concern and confusion. it wasn’t necessarily a lie, considering she had left the event as soon as she could, but it was instead to climb to the roof of the building next door, gun in tow and ready to make her own impact. with a laugh, she fiddled with the straw in her cup before turning to look at cat. “can’t believe i missed you there,” she added, smiling and licking some of the chocolate milkshake from her thumb as she slid into one of the nearest seats. “but i’d rather be hit by a truck than go to those stuffy events, so - you know, i was basically counting the minutes until i could leave.” 

killing is not new to her. in fact, it’s second nature, something that she’s had programmed into her code over a decade ago, to the point where she’s almost become numbed to the idea of death. after the first several, there’s no more crying. there’s no more waking up in the middle of the night panicking. there’s only the dark realization that this isn’t a normal way to react. all she can do is destroy whatever she touches, herself included, and it’s a bitter pill to swallow. rosalyn’s aching for something to distract herself, but she doesn’t even have a cigarette on her at this point, and so she’s found herself in the alley behind elysian, pacing and trying to center herself again.

the footsteps approach quickly - too quickly, she thinks to herself. it could be nothing, but she doesn’t feel like risking it, and she’s reacting almost instantly, whirling around where she stood with a frustrated grunt. she grabs onto the person’s arm, twisting it behind their back to gain some sort of leverage, even if she doesn’t need it. better to have the upper hand right off the bat. “haven’t you ever heard it’s impolite to sneak up on someone?” she says through gritted teeth, belatedly realizing that this is only serving to prove herself right. 

DATE & TIME: september 22nd, 2019; 1:00am LOCATION: founder’s ball  STATUS: @mvrphevs

“darling, has it not been a night?” he sighs, rests along one of the pillars of the back rooms tucked away in the far corner of the hall. the night has gone on for too long and the windowsill has become a refuge, if only for the time being before he was to return back to the crowd again.

he imagined that if another was running into him here, they would not be too different from him.

“the night is still young, as they say. most unfortunately. how i do wish to go home.” he stretches leisurely, lounges himself lazily over the window alcove. “and you? have you come merely for a place to rest sore feet from your shoes, or are you perhaps seeking a little refuge too?” 

he shifts over to the side, makes room for his new guest as he tucks himself neatly into a corner. 

“come, sit. i’m sure i have a touch of my stash somewhere on me for emergencies like this - would you like to share with me?” 

thankfully the party was winding down, but the end of the party meant only the beginning for what else was about to unfold. she’d managed to find her way to one of the back areas of the event space, hoping to ride out the last bits of the night and smoke without someone getting on her case about it. 

rosalyn’s chest lurched at the mention of a stash, hating the way that she’d already felt the start of the telltale trembling in her hands. it hadn’t been that long since she’d gotten high, at least that’s what she thought. with a nod, she eagerly took the seat, blaming the usual signs on the events of tonight and not anything else. 

maybe if jason had been anything other than a drug dealer, he would’ve learned how to better swallow his emotions. a look of hurt passed over his face at rosalyn’s biting remarks before shrugging them off. while he eyed the drink she downed so easily, he managed to hold his tongue until she was done. it was better to let her get those feelings of aggression and betrayal out now rather than pretend that he didn’t deserve them and let them linger until later. he had, after all, left when he was sure people had needed him the most.

“what’s above all this, exactly? the way i see it, every person that actually means something to anything is here. there’s really nothing above this.” he replied, shrugging once again as his attention turned to the crowd. he’d never belonged to this life, he never understood how something so grandiose and picturesque could cover up some of the worst and ugliest things in life. at heart, he was still a poor boy, searching for a family to accept him and love him in the same way he loved them. “i figured you’d miss me since these things are so boring and i actually know how to have fun…” he trailed off, knowing that his idea of fun after cronus’ passing was not something he wanted to revisit. “you know, like, without being drunk or high.”

jason nearly balked at the her words, shaking his head at the thought of being better than anyone, let alone the ‘lowlifes’ he once called family. “is that what you think? that i think i’m better than you? that’s not… i’m definitely not better than anyone.” he muttered, knowing he still had sins he had yet to atone for. “i mean, i’m back, aren’t i?” 

there was a mentality that rosalyn had followed for what felt like an eternity at this point - and that was to hurt someone else before they had the chance to hurt you. perhaps a little too cynical, but ever since since she’d cut herself off from anyone who might’ve have had her best interests in mind, it became something of a way of life. the only way to protect her heart was to act in the belief that she didn’t have one at all. and now, jason’s getting clean was something that should’ve been celebrated, perhaps even the catalyst for rosalyn finding her own help. but it wasn’t like that. if anything, looking back at jason now through narrowed eyes just felt more and more like someone else who wanted to show her that they’d leave her behind. 

he looked good - better than she remembered seeing him. almost... happy. rosalyn let out a snort of laughter, rolling her eyes. “come on, jason,” she started, raising one of her brows, motioning to the room around them. “you can’t expect me to believe that you’re actually enjoying yourself coming back to this. why would you bring yourself back to a place where it’d be so easy to fall again?” 

while jason may have been someone that rosalyn potentially considered a friend at one point, neither the idea of friend or enemy fit at this point. “if you really want to stay clean, you know you should put all of this behind you and move on,” rosalyn frowned, tucking one of her braids behind her ear. while she was someone who might not have been able to fathom herself in the grip of sobriety, she could empathize with whatever struggle it ended up taking. a smirk pulled at her lips at his words. “your idea of fun doesn’t sound like that much fun to me.”

date & time: september 22nd, 10.56pm location: founder’s ball status: open

When she was a little girl, obediently clasping onto her mother, Victoria had been told to embody glass. Fragile and delicate and pretty, like a china figurine. Years later, catching her reflection in a passing mirror, she reflected on her passage. She liked to think of herself as glass of another kind - the sort they hang in churches; stained, regal, eternal. They do not shatter - and neither does she; even as the snakes enter her home. Polished, she has had the same expression etched on her face all evening; a stiff smile, a knifes edge from ice.

Catching the figure at the end of the hallway, hovering precariously close to the lift - out of places, out of bounds - her expression hardens. Heels echoing on the tiles, she approaches them without announcement. “The ball is in the other direction.”

rosalyn looked up from her phone, an unlit cigarette still perched between her two fingers as she heard the voice calling out to her. in a way, she already knew who it was from the delicate click of heels against the floor. she’d yet to see victoria before, but considering how many of the elite were here tonight, it was only a matter of time. rosalyn may not have kept track of the other since the brief time that they’d been in one another’s life, but there were things that didn’t change. “victoria,” she greeted simply, dropping her phone and her cigarette back into the pocket of her jumpsuit. 

“sorry. i didn’t realize how far i’d actually made it down the hallway,” she apologized easily. her instincts are always making her choices for her. it’s programmed into her by now - react as a machine and not a person, use cunning and strength and logic to determine friend or foe. the worst part of it is that it happens without any sort of realization, an automatic response. an easy shrug of one of her shoulders, rosalyn tilts her head. victoria is not her friend, but she’s also not entirely sure she’s a foe either. “i was just looking for a couple minutes away from the chaos.” it’s a half-truth, but that doesn’t need to be shared. “what are you doing all the way over here? shouldn’t you be out there with everyone else?”  

time: 10:09pm location: founder’s ball status: open

lyv still wasn’t sure what she was doing at the founder’s ball besides the fact she’d been attending for the past seven years. plus, to ignore a direct invitation from zeus at this point wouldn’t have been the wisest decision for any of them. the balance was too delicate, ready to tip in either direction at any moment. the night had been going well as expected, the egg shells they were all treading on starting to break between old friends while others turned into glass shards as old wounds were reopened. 

her own evening had gone as well as expected. it wasn’t easy nor would it have been her evening of choice but they all had to attend. turning to the person closest to her, lyv sipped on her glass before attempting some kind of interaction. at this point, most of the attendees had had enough to drink or whatever they needed to loosen up. “having a good time?” she asked, innocently enough.

the truth was, rosalyn didn’t have very many stakes in this game that was played between zeus and hades. she had her own loyalties, and those fell within elysian. but in truth, she didn’t have nearly as much understanding - or as much care - when it came to the seemingly deep history that the two gangs had with one another. maybe that was a good thing, maybe not - though she was sure she’d find out soon enough.

rosalyn held her empty glass, enjoying her spot that she’d found in one of the corners. from here, she could see just about everyone - and also hopefully not have to interact with too many other people. as she noticed lyv standing near her, she shrugged her shoulders. “i mean, this isn’t necessarily what i consider to be a good time, but i’ve had worse days,” she commented, before looking over at lyv. “i do wish they had something stronger to drink than this. are you having fun?” 

Date: September 22nd Location: Mount Olympus - Upper Landing Status: Open to All

Hidden on the upper landing of the lobby—just behind one of the larger pillars that made up the balustrade of the grand staircase—was perhaps the greatest vantage point in the entire hotel. From up here Anya could see the entire foyer without interruption. She watched as finely dressed guests danced around one another like the colorful bits of a kaleidoscope—always beautiful, but devoid of any value.

She had no interest in New York’s elite— she had always found the ‘fabulously wealthy’ to be rather boring and Harvey had forced her to rub elbows with all of them enough in her youth. If she squinted hard enough she swore she could still see the ghost of a 20 year old Anya moving among them, dressed in a gown for the first time in her life and just as drunk on the idea of having friends as she was the free champagne. That wasn’t her life any more, though. In fact half the people she had been so excited to call “friend” at the time were the very people she was surveying the crowd for.

Concentrating so intently on the scene below, Anya was caught off guard when she heard the sound of someone coming up behind her. Instinctively her hand flew to her purse, ready to grab for a weapon as adrenaline and fear pumped through her system, but she pulled her hand back at the last second—remembering that this was not the time or place. Instead she ran her fingers shakily through her hair. “Jesus! You gave me a heart attack.”

she needed air, and she needed space. most importantly, she needed some place that she wouldn’t have to keep up with the fake smile she’d been giving for the past hour. this was just another reminder of why rosalyn preferred her own company as opposed to socializing with anyone else. there was a certain set of etiquette that she felt like she was forced to follow when in everyone else’s company, and she didn’t have the time nor the energy to put up with that. with her heels hanging in one hand, already annoyed at herself for believing that she would’ve wanted to wear them in the first place. she climbed the long staircase, hoping that no one else had had the same idea before her. 

rosalyn was already starting to grow agitated - if she had to smile and fake conversation with someone she couldn’t care less about, she was going to go absolutely mad. this wasn’t her scene. having to rub elbows with so many people made her antsy and anxious, crowds feeling like they could suffocate her. as she drank the rest of the contents in her flask, having lost count of how many champagne flutes she’d already gone through. she wished she had a cigarette. or something stronger to calm her nerves.

as she tucked the empty flask back into her pocket, she glanced over her shoulder, wondering how much longer she was going to have to keep up this charade of actually pretending to be interested in this, already dreading going back inside. she turned back to look back at the event space, though within a moment or two, she could feel someone’s eyes on her. watching her. in her personal space.

her hands flexing by her side, she was already doing the calculations in her head - how quick she’d need to move, where to angle the blow, which direction she’d go in. 

when she turned, though, she saw that it was only felicia. “fucking hell,” she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. “you could warn a girl next time. otherwise i would’ve snapped your neck,” she pointed out, though there was no edge to her tone. they were strange words for the average person to toss around carelessly, but it was nothing more to her. “how much longer is this going to take?” 

Lurking around Asphodel and The Warehouse is far different from this, there were crowds to blend into when someone Jason was trying to avoid spotted him and an exit to quickly dart out of whenever he felt uncomfortable enough to leave. But this? Being at Mount Olympus again while the deaths of Harvey and Rafael and the shame of his addictions weighing heavy on his shoulders while being surrounded by things he couldn’t have? It was almost torture. In fact, he was sure that Luli had invited him to simply to rub it in his face. After all, why else would she have done it? He was no longer a part of Olympus, no longer peddling drugs and no use to anyone, and everyone he knew here either had business to attend to or likely hated him.

With a flute of water in hand, he skirted off to the edge of the ballroom, admiring the decorations with bittersweet nostalgia. Glancing into the crowd of important people, he felt almost small… Even invisible, maybe, before he made eye contact with someone he had once known. Everything screamed at him to run away, only a few steps to the exit, but his legs took him straight to who he had seen as though his own body had betrayed him. With his heart nearly bursting from his chest, he gave them a wary smile.

“Hey, did you miss me?”

rolling her eyes at the third person who’d walked by her and attempted to make some sort of small talk, rosalyn already knew that coming to this even was a mistake. she was here in case something needed to happen, and that was it. the rest of these wannabe pretentious assholes could fall to the wayside. she scowled at some of the decor, wondering how these people had so much money and still couldn’t bear to have a nice looking place.

and then, there was someone right next to her. “miss you?” rosalyn echoed easily, smirking around the edge of the champagne flute she’d brought to her lips. she drank the rest of it in one sip, before she turned back to eye jason. “why would i miss you?” reaching over, she placed the empty glass on the nearby table, wiping her hand on the hem of her jacket. “you know, i’m actually surprised to see you here. figured you’re above all this now.” with a vague wave of her hand, she motioned out to the crowds that had started to collect behind them. by no means was this her realm at all - she was out of place with these people who were looking to schmooze and act like they pretended about what everyone else was saying. 

but seeing people who had what she wanted brought out an ugly side of her. if she was a better person, maybe she would’ve been happy for him. jason was what she should’ve been aspiring for - getting clean and getting his shit together. but she never claimed she was good person. “i mean, you’re better than all of us lowlifes now,” she added with a smile, winking at him. her tone might’ve been light, but there was a undercutting sense of animosity in it. 

where?  the founder’s ball when?  the very beginning of the party who?  open to anyone

“wow,” kamilla says, looking at the glass she’d just sipped out of in disgust, “you’d think for some rich motherfuckers that they’d be able to afford more than shit like this.” she stares at her glass and contemplates stepping behind the bar herself. how much trouble would that land her in? but she can’t keep drinking this: it’s worse than the garbage she used to serve in barcelona. “but who am i to judge? rich people love lining their pockets, now they can’t even shell out for decent booze.”