the great game

Agata cocked an eyebrow, and failed in concealing a smirk as a reaction to Reese’s response. She had met plenty of powerful women in her lifetime, but none of them could compete with how Reese presented herself. Reese Kensington was probably the embodiment of feminine wiles. It was easy for Agata to say so because such a supernatural power could only work on a heterosexual man, or a woman who was attracted to women; but with Reese, even she could make a straight woman such as Agata question her own sexuality.  “God you’re sexual.” She commented before hesitantly crawling her way to the free space Reese directed her towards. 

“So?” She began, tipping her chin slightly to the side. “What exactly is this thing you wanted to discuss with me in private?” She asked as she grabbed a velvet-donned pillow and wrapped her arms around it. “I mean, I actually still have no clue what your intentions and plans are. Do enlighten me.” She encouraged, bearing an expectant look on her face.

What she says makes a soft chuckle leave Reese’s lips, her blue eyes dancing even more so with amusement. Nobody had ever said that to her before although of course, she knew it was true. She didn’t have to try to be the way she was, it flowed naturally, she couldn’t adjust it even if she wanted to. Her Father had taught her to use her power but he had never known she would be so good of it, “I’m sorry if I’m tormenting you,” she half joked and half taunted as Agata made her way to the spot she had suggested. Her fingertips reclined but she propped herself up a little sturdier, legs crossing in front of her. 

She peered at Agata through a cloak of hair, “Be careful, Agata, it’s dangerous territory enquiring about my intentions,” she raised her eyebrows, tongue vaguely sliding over her bottom lip before she closed her mouth. Her plan to discover the Arsonists could go on for a lifetime, “Firstly, we don’t need to do much, just allow the alcohol to fly and loosen... lips,” she trails off, a glint in her eye as she looks over, “And tonight’s the big night, they’ll certainly be plotting. That’s why,” she leaned in, her fingertip lightly tracing over Agata’s shoulder before it fell back to her side, “we have to plot too. Isn’t it?”

Date: 26th of October, Saturday

Time: 10 PM

Location: camping grounds - Reese Kensington’s tent

Availability: @reesekensington​

Conspiracy against the Coterie

It was a night of smores and spirits, scary stories by the fire, and mingling in the comforts of people’s tents and makeshift seating from reaped tree-trunks. After her recent encounter with the ever-so-sarcastic Mason Yoon, Agata recouped her main agenda for the evening which was the seemingly conspiratorial one-on-one with Reese Kensington. It took them a whole month to finally meet up for two reasons. One being was that she already had a planned sleepover with one Kensington the night Reese wanted her to come around. The second reason was that they needed each other during the next academy-wide event in case something was brewing in the background. As much as Agata wasn’t keen on the idea of having Reese as an alibi in the event of another ensued Arsonist scheme, Reese was by far the only person she could relate to in the sense of being accused. Sure, there were others who were interrogated and seemed innocent, but out of the few chosen Reese was the only person who came to Agata’s aid.

She had passed by several tents, checked a few, and had even come up against a few couples making-out . It took her some time to find the right one but she had eventually located Reese, alone in a cozy tent. “There you are!” She hissed, the flap of the tent lifted upwards by her arm. “All the tents are identical. Someone asked me if I wanted in on their swingers party.” She murmured, unable to hide the trauma in her expression. She ducked into the tent and zipped it halfway before getting comfortable inside. “Sorry for being fashionably late.” She said with a nod. “I had a little chance encounter with someone who was very tenacious.” She admitted as she recalled her earlier interaction. “Were you up to much?” She asked, nodding over to Reese.

If she was trying to start a REVOLUTION then she would of been waiting a long time before anyone got on board, maybe a month seemed reasonable in this case. This was the next biggest event and Reese was sure that besides spiking drinks and partying all night, it would be the perfect opportunity to figure out who was behind the stupid group that had managed to get her twirled up in it’s useless mess. Arthur Astor didn’t seem to have a clue how to find the culprits and neither did the administration but Reese had decided it was merely a process of elimination, “Hm, if you say so,” she propped herself among her velvet red pillows, elbows rested making impressions as she looked Agata up and down, her gaze curious, “You’ll just have to make it worth the wait.”

She watched her from the same spot as she pushed her waved hair behind her ears, a smile written across her lips, “Well, tonight’s the night. Something will happen.” Her hand moved and she patted the spot beside her waiting, her gaze as amused as ever as she tilted her head to the side, “Come and sit, let’s talk about what we’re looking out for,” she invited, white nails spinning circles on the spot that she offered.

“surprisingly? a lot.” maggie teases back at the girl. she watches reese eye the kissing booth, trying to figure out what her hesitation or debate was in that process. her thought process is broken by the brunette pulling her close, dark eyes searching her own with confusion. “i don’t…” she trails off softly, her mind completely taken off from either kellan or daniel. “what’re you talking about? who are you talking about?” the thought of any potential relationship did nothing but make her nervous. trying to smile it off, maggie rolled her eyes, “if this is you telling me you want to set me up, i’ll take a pass.”

She stifles a laugh at that misreading. Sometimes she thinks that Maggie is on another planet because she never quite understands her insinuations but she shakes it off, caring little. “I don’t want to set you up, I was telling you that you could kiss whoever you wanted to.” She drops their arms from where they were linked and moves to stand in front of the girl, her glance far away from the kissing booth as she tries not to laugh at the thought of her evening with Kellan. A wasted use of her energy and resources on another disappointing encounter ( she’s had a lot of those lately ). “I asked Kellan out the other night. We sat by the lake and had the worlds most boring conversation about my Father and men, and then I ditched because he cared more about admiring the scenery than the scenery which was about to be in my underwear,” she tells Maggie with no shame in her tone, in fact she’s highly amused by what happened. “Another one bites the dust,” she regards, “Who am I to dream about now?”

Agata’s eyelids narrowed into slits as she looked towards Reese. Her eyes spoke sincerity, yet her tone told a different story which left Agata confused and sceptical. Once more, Agata’s eyebrows creased as she continued to hear out what Reese had to say. As she listened, she couldn’t help but glaze over the other woman’s expression. After Reese’s sudden and unusual gloat about how much of a better job she could have done to shake-up the whole of Astor if it had been her, Agata felt as if she could finally grasp the truth. She agreed that Reese would have done much worse; but at the same time, it could not have been Reese, because like Agata’s reasons as to why she herself couldn’t be part of the scheme, Reese had a much prominent family name to protect.

As Reese leaned over, Agata leaned back slightly but only until her posture was upright. The change in Reese’s body language and glare made Agata feel uneasy, but surprisingly not in a bad say. It was no question that the Kensington’s were an attractive bunch, and Agata would like to appreciate other women’s beauty without getting sexually attracted to them; however, the way Reese was looking at her made her feel a little bit hot and bothered. In Agata’s book it was wrong considering they’ve known each other for a while and one of her closest friends was her twin. “Yes?” She replied, raising a brow. “Aren’t you going to tell me?” She added, shaking her head slightly as if to say ‘Well?’.

When Reese stood up unannounced, Agata held back a sigh of frustration. Her eyes had slightly widened and both of her eyebrows were raised. “Wha-” She squeaked as she stared up at Reese. “Midnight?” She repeated as if she hadn’t just heard. “Alone?” She reiterated, once again confused. “Can’t you tell me now?” She asked, trying to put on a pleasant smile but it just came out awkward and insincere.

She ignores the girl, the way she looks at her, the way her eyebrow raises. She is the best friend of her sister but she has better plans for Agata, she just needs the other to find her way to her side to prove that she can be trusted. She is extending an olive branch, a way to know she is truly against the arsonists, that she would never stoop so low and waste so much time. Her reputation has been called into question though and that is the final straw. They may take the school but they will never tarnish her and all she is, it is not possible. They will feel her wrath when she finally figures out who they are. 

“The choice is yours,” she says, the words perched perfectly on made up lips, her eyes full of intentions that scream out to stay away or maybe come hither. She has always been full of mixed signals, enticing others in whether she intends to or not, finding some way for her deepest thoughts to ooze out from every part of her. She ponders for a second more as she looks at Agata, making sure she feels her gaze, that the intense eye contact is telling her that she wants her to come. She needs her to come. “Come or don’t, you have free will.”

She is almost ready to leave but as she turns and her perfect head of hair bounces over her shoulders and she turns back to look at Agata, knowing that she is frazzles, sensing her nerves and suspicion, “My door is always open for you. If you decide to turn up that is,” she suggests. And this time when she turns, she leaves.

Veronica rarely, if ever, paid any attention to the students in the years below her own. It wasn’t anything personal, perhaps just the golden age fallacy, where every generation assumes theirs is the best time to be alive, Veronica truly believed her own year had enough interesting people to skip unnecessary socialising over the ages. The other thing she truly believed was that if someone would make enough waves, she would ultimately come face to face with them, whether she liked it or not. It was how Astor worked and she’d lie if she said she wan’t one of the perpetrators of the social structure even though she consciously never participated within it’s ranks. But Reese had managed to stand out even within Vera’s dismissive glances. The girl definitely had fire in her soul and Vera always appreciated a little more spunk in the world.

Though most of their interactions had been until then restricted to Machiavelli corridors and the law section in the library, Veronica felt glad of an opportunity to get to know the girl. Taking her keys out of her pocket she pointed at the car to unlock it. “Well, cars are either good for a grand entrance or a quick exit,” she smirked familiarly at the girl, “and it’s been a while since I’ve done both in one day.” She motioned Reese to take a seat as she settled in. When she wanted to, Vera could be uncommonly welcoming, with an easygoing charm that was generally absent in her interactions with strangers. “I hope you can hold your own at happy hour?” she smirked as they drove out of the gates of Astor and turned to look at the girl, eyes glinting, “because I’m not going to let you down easy!”

"Never were truer words spoken,” Reese agrees with Veronica, which in itself is a miracle. If someone was to overhear they might of found it very out of character but people seemed to have a twisted perception of her at times. She didn’t go around being cruel to people for no reason unless they gave her a reason, even if those reasons were sometimes just having stupid or ridiculous beliefs she could not agree with. There was a time for making friends and in politics you needed the right ones, not extra weight dragging you down to be with the fools that you were meant to step over on the way, “I’ve made a quick exit a few times here and there.”

It seems like a challenge, the dangling keys and the happy hour mention, she finds herself drawn to Veronica for more than just her elegance and class now. A woman truly after her own heart. Painted red lips tug upwards in each corner into a knowing smirk because unlike her twin Reese has had years of practice when it comes to holding her drink, especially in a room full of bigger bulkier men, “Trust me, Veronica Park, I’ll never let you down,” she promises, eyes alight with something unknown as she turns briefly looking at the road as they await their destination. She glances back, “I’m somewhat of a master when it comes to happy hour but you can lead the way.”

Mason liked to think that more people knew of him, than he knew of more people. He wasn’t the kind of guy who made friends right off the bat, after all, and he really wasn’t the type for acquaintances. But even though Astor Academy was a big campus, it was small enough too that some people became notable to him, even if he hadn’t had more than one conversation with them. That was the case for Reese Kensington, because Mason knew of her. In fact, it sufficed to say that Mason thought that anyone on campus who didn’t know Reese Kensington was either antisocial or living under a rock, and Mason was neither. She was a beautiful girl, with a smart mouth– the kind of girls Mason liked. 

“Ah, how can I not be excited when my subject is you?” he smirked as he directed the lens of the camera at her, his earlier sour mood momentarily forgotten in the presence of the other girl. If he couldn’t get away from doing the task, he might as well find a way to enjoy it. “You might be right, and I might have to find a window to throw myself out of after tonight, considering I have to take photos of almost everyone here,–” he rolled his eyes “–but I can’t say I mind taking your photograph.”

“Oh, don’t make me blush,” she almost purrs although no colour comes to porcelain cheeks that isn’t meant to be there, it’s merely a thing to say. She is full of things to say without really feeling a thing at all, her parents spoon fed them to her for her entire life as if they were some sugary delightful treat for everyone around. Nobody sees her for who she truly is but she has no reason to use these words against Mason, no, this is a little light evening entertainment for her and no great ploy. “You’re going to make my head get even bigger than it already is,” she tells him, a glint in her eye that says -- IT’S ALREADY BIG ENOUGH. 

The compliment hasn’t affected her the way it might affect others, she doesn’t swoon on the spot full of flutters and excitement but it does give her a thirst to find out where the excitement begins and ends. She is always spectating others and what they’re really up to, “Make sure to leave the camera on the side else all your torment will have been a waste,” she tilts her head to the side, a devilish grin painted across her lips stronger than her cherry lipstick, “You can take my photograph all you want, it might even be the best one you get all night. At least until it gets late and everyone starts showing their T R U E colours.”

Kellan set his eyes on Reese, studying her. As strange as it was, he thought about Veronica—how the two are seemingly alike yet so different. Are the two acquainted? It made him wonder. He listened attentively, weighing in Reese’s words, which was fiction and which was close to the truth. “Are you anything like your father, then?” He questioned, adding, “Now when you say sometimes you feel like you’re one of us, are you implying that you don’t feel as evolved?” He grinned this time, “Or it’s that adage… man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is?” They’re actually having a decent conversation, it was surprising but a positive. 

Now Reese switching the subject had Kellan frowning in amusement, shifting slightly where he’s sitting and looking up.

“Cool,” he responded with a nod. “I’ll watch over your stuff.” He wasn’t feeling a night swim, and he likes where he is at the moment. “The water’s not as cold if you swim close to the middle of the lake,” he suggested, pointing at the center of the large body of water. “I’ll be here.

“I’ve never met anybody who was honest about who they were, Kellan,” she looks at him for a short moment, “It doesn’t matter if they’re a man or a woman.”

His response deducts energy directly from her soul, such a lack of impulse and excitement. She imagines him in her head to be someone who enjoys doing spontaneous things. She imagines everyone a certain way because that’s the only way they remain exciting to her. She kicks her other shoe off but leans down to pick up her belongings, tucking them beneath her shoulder, “You really are gorgeous, Kellan,” Reese tells him, examining his features. She stands there on the decking and looks at him where he sits, “Thanks for a slightly underwhelming evening, I think I’ll save my midnight swim for another night,” she walks around him, placing a hand lightly on his head as she passes, “See you around, bad boy.”

"I don’t know. I don’t want to change the past, I want to make the future mine.”

Kellan shrugged mildly, he’ll take the barb, any of form it. “Options are beneficial.” Chuckling, he trailed after Reese, mindful of the wooden pier as they walk over it. He felt his mobile phone vibrating inside the pocket of his suit jacket, he can think of a handful of names messaging him at this hour. It must be dinnertime at the Napoleon House.

“Something that isn’t on my CV?” He offered, chewing on his bottom lip. That was a loaded question, wasn’t it? He was the kind that, when put on the spot, no matter how informal the query was, providing one answer will not do. It was like being asked for his favorite genre of music or fiction. “Let’s see,” there’s plenty of stories to tell, sharing was another matter. Sitting down on the wooden deck, he glanced at Reese. “Fun. Sure. A couple of summers ago,” he began, “I went to Colorado for this gathering. And the only way to get there was to take the train. I thought I had it all worked out, triple checked all the stops, the train number. Then I went ahead and boarded the train.” Kellan was smiling fondly, sitting cross-legged now as he idly looks up at the sky. “I was about fifteen minutes in, enjoying the ride when I realized that the train hasn’t made its first stop. And when it did, it wasn’t the one I was expecting to see. I got off on the next stop–more than half an hour went by—and then my phone rang. It was my dad. As soon as I answered, I said, ‘Dad, guess where I am?’” He made a motion with his hand as though he’s holding an invisible phone next to his ear. “’Jail!’ Was my dad’s reply, we both started laughing. Eventually, I told him about my predicament, my spontaneous adventure, as he called it. It turned out I took the wrong train, obviously, and had to check the schedule once more. The train I was supposed to take wouldn’t be stopping to the station—where I am until seven in the evening, and it was two in the afternoon. I went and made most of my time in this mountain village, did the ATV tour, did paintball with a bunch of kids. It was productive.” He left some details, deeming it unnecessary.

“Was that a fun enough something about me or too bland?”  

"I’m on the fence about that story, but I like that he thought you were in jail,” she was thinking about how much she’d love to tell her Father the same thing although it would never happen. She wanted nothing more than to rebel against him and make him truly embarrassed by her actions but she would never allow her reputation to go down the drain in such a reckless manner. All she did was carefully measured by risk and reward, she took no chances in her pursuit of what she wanted. She looked at Kellan still, her head tilted slightly to the side, “At least you enjoyed yourself,” she remarks, a small smile twiching at both sides of her cherry red lips before her attention turns back to the water.

She is thinking about a lot of things, mainly her promise to open up. She doesn’t burden anyone with many of her truths because even when she tells them things about herself that make her seem weak or like an open book, she will be equally as quick to make those facts seem worthless. She could reel off a speech and cry on your shoulder and then the next day remind you that it meant nothing at all. She is not heartless but she fashions her words as a weapon rather than an offering most of the time. Isla’s words are still on her mind although she thinks it has been a long time since her phone has buzzed with news. “I was meant to be a son, you know, Kellan,” she tells him, “Our Father wanted a son so badly. When two girls came out then he decided that he would raise one of us as one, to be as ruthless and powerful as him. To do anything and ignore the cost when it came to getting what you want,” she looks at him, her eyes saying that she is somewhat sincere even if it is not the truth. “But I couldn’t change the way that I look, I’ll always be a woman. You were right about that, I don’t do anything to impress your species although sometimes... I feel I am one.”