#perfectaches

who: thea ellis & ezra klair ( @perfectaches )

ezra is normally a deep sleeper. when he's out, he's out. he sleeps soundly for eight hours. some conditions are optimal. he prefers to sleep in the same bed as thea ellis. for someone who so desperately tries for control, she's a little spoon. sometimes it surprises him how vulnerable she can around ezra. it's a gift truly, one that he hopes to continue receiving. because in truth, thea does not owe that to him. even if he likes seeing those walls torn down.

sometimes she's in the capitol for weeks or months at a time. their bed feels too empty then. that's far too much space for one person. these capitol beds are like that. he'd seen kings before, but this was something bigger. and thea was so close for the past week, but embracing in any way was dangerous. he won't even see his better half in the morning. sleep does not readily grace him the night before the games. instead, ezra klair tosses and turns. should he make his way to her room ?

"Damn it, T, get off your fucking ass and take a fucking shower. You look like a damn morphling."

They're the first words out of Brutus' mouth when he barges into the Mentor's Lounge on the third morning of the Games. Even though he doesn't seem like it, he's in a fairly good mood. The blond kid from Twelve had been killed by Ezra last night and it's only a matter of time before the aunt is gone, too. Of course, he's not exactly happy about the way their tribute had let her go, but District Two was always good about playing to the crowd, so maybe it's just a game within a game or something.

He stands directly in front of her, blocking her view of the largest television in the room. Sure, she could just turn her head and catch a glimpse of the Games on any of the smaller ones, but the action is only to get her attention anyway.

Brutus stands solid, one hand on his hip, the other up as though to stop her from shouting at him even before she begins. "Is that what you wanna look like, hmm? Like you can't control your damn self? Get your shit together, pretty boy in there wouldn't want you to starve to death just because he is." He raised a brow. "Not that he's starving anyway, we've got all the food."

who: chandler ( @subsiist ) & hazelle ( @perfectaches ) & ezra

nightfall had landed over the arena. the districts of one, two, and four had formed an alliance. it's easier to navigate the arena with a larger group. it also means he cannot escape the blood. some of his peers are grizzly, and he isn't guiltless in this. abel's blood clings onto his hands, even if it's been washed away. after dealing with feral monkey mutts and sheer pain inducing fog, the lot is tired. they set up camp, and establish a night watch system. the night is still early, but klair takes the first watch. he can see it in the eyes of those with him: equal parts hunger and exhaustion.

domitila had been right to nudge him to eat more. he's hardly satiated but he's not starving. too much is going on the arena for him to think of eating. some fresh water however ? that would be refreshing. he leans against a tree for now. everyone seems to be sleeping soundly. he's relieved nobody has stumbled in yet. the more people stay away, the greater that tribute's chance of leaving the arena. boredom does take him somewhat, so he's been busy whittling a stick with one of his blades. it's quiet, other than sounds of nocturnal insects.

when: day seven of torture time

who: thea ellis & president snow ( @perfectaches )

she looks frail. coriolanus had known the mentor for many years. she is not the vibrant thea ellis that the blonde was when she exited the arena. time can be unforgiving, especially to those who do not take advantage of the situations they find themselves in. they know one another too much now. as a young woman, thea being involved with someone so traitorous would have been shocking ; she cannot shock the president anymore.

snow arranges for their meeting to be in the very place the gamemakers evaluated ezra klair. guards are scattered, two in the lounge and several directly outside. to act on impulse would be detrimental to her. coriolanus gestures to the table between them, " miss ellis, please help yourself to a pastry or some tea before we have our little chat. "

the manor is ablaze. this is the season for it with the hunger games around the corner. a quarter quell, no less ! it's hours into the gala and no end is in sight. he gracefully retrieves two flutes from a tray of an avox ; the avox curtly bows their head as the president does so. he glides over to thea, in true spirit of him owning the place. it's no different from a python eying an unfortunate mouse in a field, the way he slithers over.

" ms. ellis, do me the honor of having a drink with me. " words politely leave him as he stretches out his left arm to offer her a glass. no threat of poison, yet. it's beneath him to openly express hostility. the two have not personally spoken in a short while. it's better that way. her madness was unsettling in its erraticness. when they don't need to converse, it's a sign that it's momentarily contained. he smiles fondly as though the two are amicable. " we have much to catch up on, i'm sure. "

it's not quite a window, but the tribute's room walls could provide any view he desired. for now, it's mountains. not like the unfamiliar ones that encase the capitol, but like the northern most part of two. his grandparents had resided there, and occasionally he would visit when he was young. and while navigating that terrain was oftentimes difficult, it acted as a barrier to the outside world and its influences. usually ezra was more outwardly expressive, silent introspection wasn't his usual means.

still, it pulls focus enough that he is taken aback when a familiar embrace surprises him. larger, warm hands seeks out thea's. he's not much of a little spoon type, but he won't push her away. ezra's shocking actions did enough of that. " did ambrosia get this kind of surprise attention too ? " he teases, " i hope this means you're finally speaking to me again. " ( calm down, old man ; it's only been three days. ) maybe thea was only coming to say good night.

he went to the reaping in freshly pressed garments, like his parents always prompted him too. image was everything, even if they couldn't fathom why he molded himself into a second in command type rather than a leader. ezra klair knew his parents wanted nothing more than their son to be the designated volunteer, and at one point perhaps he did too. his name won't be broadcasted for all of panem to moon over. the male tribute is one who he grew up with, and there's worry there. however, he becomes a blot of the mind when a certain blonde is to be the second tribute.

we can run away, he tells thea ellis the day before. they walk home from the academy side by side, hand in hand. she all but scoffs. maybe she thinks it's just a silly thought. she'd been working all her life towards this, ezra knows. nobody is gonna keep her from her glory. she'll make sure of it.

thea looks like a starlet when she strides across that stage. no guest on caesar flickerman's has ever touch a candle to her, he swears. before a time of the hunger games, he doesn't know if anyone would have predicted she could be ruthless with or without weapon. her surname and district make it both known to all she will face. though it seems her first competition is those in this crowd. there's nothing serene in her eyes, instead they are like storms as she stares down at their peers. nobody objects ; nobody cares to.

the young man leads her on a detour. the heat of summer makes it less than favorable, but she isn't objecting. his father might become irritate as he returns home late ; that is a problem for later. somehow, he convinces her to stop by an old oak tree. actually, it's not surprising. he bet he could out climb her. and though ezra does, it's minimally. feet dangle as they remain many yards off the ground.

when both thea and their class peer are announced, the crowd is delighted. the atmosphere is electric. eyes remain hyper-focused on the pair ; ezra's only seek out her though. the hunger games show favor to the career districts. with the two on stage however ? it's district two's for the taking. the question is which will it be ? many scramble to meet with the tributes before their triumphant train ride to the capitol. ezra doesn't, not out of lack of desire to. he and thea said their goodbyes yesterday.

he doesn't realize how much time has past, nor does klair care at the moment. they remain next to each other. large, calloused hands seek out sculpted cheeks every so often. sometimes, they stroke lovingly at porcelain skin. others, ezra goes to cup her face and kiss her. it's second nature to have their lips against each other's. when they were younger, it felt so lighthearted. he always knew there would be more. butterflies in his stomach from his youth have been replaced with knots over the realization that this might be the last time he has with thea ellis.

when: night of day sixty-three

who: thea & annie (@perfectaches)

staff tells her it will be another twenty-four hours before she will eventually potentially get her clearance to be released to the general public. it's a polite nod and a broken glass smile given from annie's end in response. is she so painfully obvious that the medical personnel here see right through her ? she hopes not. aching anxiety wraps her in a web, all from the uncertainty of the status given tomorrow. and this gnawing worry that if she acknowledges how she feels, that this district will be too enthralled by the opportunity to keep her baby boy away from her. it's finnick, whose arms wrap around her like a comforting blanket, that grounds her within the corridors of the wing.