honor among jesters || olivia & nari

[maverick hale 🌧️ d5 [nyte]]

i  just   wanna   fuck   shit   up   and   just   ride

Nari despises peace and quiet. She's a hero meant to craft epics out of the mundane, to turn black and white into vivid technicolor. Or, so she'd like to think. Today, so far, has been dreadful. Io refused to cover her shift and so she's been stuck hemming old men's trousers all morning. She's pretty sure it's a fate worse than death. At least dresses are full of color and curves, a puzzle box to lose herself in as she clumsily pulls a needle through its seams.

But no, instead she's stuck with a nose-full of Mr. Montag's shitty cologne while he drawls on about stocks or something. She might know if she'd bothered to listen.

The vibrant blues outside the storefront taunt her, sweet nothings splattered across the horizon in the shape of cotton clouds. She's long since lost track of time, stuck in the same place for so long that she must have grown roots.

In other words, it's been like two hours.

Mr. Montag leaves in a huff, shouting about uneven stitches, Nari was far too busy staring forlornly out at Main Street to pay him much notice. Five is full of life at this hour, residents bundled up against an incoming evening chill as they walk toward unknown destinations with purpose. When something pretty catches her eye she'll make up a tragic story with a happy ending for the stranger to star in. It kills time at the very least.

Nari makes it about halfway through her shift before she gives up, which might very well be a record. It just so happens she'd found a familiar face in the crowd. Her attention is a beast all its own, uncontrollable the minute it latches onto something. And said something is quickly disappearing down the street. Nari knows it'll bother for the rest of her shift if she doesn't chase down the black-maned girl right this instant.

Careful to make sure her mothers aren't within earshot, Nari vaults over the countertop and out of the store before they can sniff out her intent. They've always been good at that.

Olivia Saw isn't her friend, per say, but they run in similar circles. A rivalry had been swelling in her chest like a silent storm for weeks now, though she's never said one word to her opponent. It's simply that they both can't be the coolest girl in District Five. Nari was determined to take the title once and for all. Or die trying.

She's scattered and breathless by the time she finds Olivia, next to a brothel of all things.

(Damn! One point in her favor already.)

"Hey!" She shouts, before holding up a finger and doubling over to catch her breath. "I've got a bone to pick with you, Miss Saw." It's hard to sound angry as she fights laughter, puffing out her chest to appear just a bit taller as she approaches the girl. "We've gotta fight."

She crosses her arms and nods sagely, satisfied with her challenge. The gauntlet has been thrown.

NARI STARFALL

[cass]

Are you insane like me?
Been in pain like me?

Olivia Saw loves it when the world around her is full of life and laughter. There’s nothing better than making a room roar in delight, the type that makes your stomach ache and cheeks fight against the water in your eyes. Olivia was good at that. She had a way of bringing happiness to the room she was in, a gleeful, childish sense of humour and daring desire that made others want to be around her.

She’d parted ways with Bambi only a few minutes ago, heading down the streets that twisted and turned until she found her way back to the main road. She kicked at a rock, sending it flying into the nearest wall, throwing her arms up in the air and declaring it a goal. Hiking her bag onto her shoulders she started running, gripping onto the nearest light pole and spinning in a circle before flinging herself in the direction of a vacant plot of land.

As she neared the plot her running turned to skipping, bright eyes focused on that weeds that crawled up the bricks, the trash that littered the ground, and the overgrown grass. Her smile only broadened, stopping in front of a broken fence as she placed her hands on her hips, admiring the land before her. It was perfect. She had known that from the moment she had found the block.

She and Bambi were going to open their little boutique her. Bambi could spend all her time designing clothes and sewing them together whilst Olivia worked to maintain it and get them business. A foolproof plan. She often spent her evenings here, scaring away any potential buyers by barking at them like a dog, or jumping out from behind the bins and scaring them. Sometimes she’d get some water balloons, when she had enough pocket money, and throw them at people from the roof of the building opposite the block. Her wheezing cackle could always be heard over the sounds of their anger.

“Hey!”

The shout yanked Olivia from her daydreaming, smile slipping from her lips as she turned to face Nari Starfall. She was bent over, hands on her knees gasping for air as she wiggled a finger in Olivia’s direction. It was hard not to giggle, as she watched Nari try and sound angry, her laughter slipping between words as she finally caught her breath.

Olivia watched as Nari puffed out her chest, and she found herself mimicking the movement, wanting to see if she could get hers as puffy. She couldn’t, there wasn’t really much there for her to push out.

She’s not quite sure why they have to fight, but Olivia never backed down from a challenge. She stepped forwards, hands on hips as she tried to eye Nari aggressively, but just wound up squinting in her direction.

“Oh yeah?” She said, trying to make her voice sound a little deeper. “Well, bring it on, Miss Starry eyes.”

She tried to crack her knuckles, but they refused to budge, after another attempt, she shook her hand, the ache of the pressure releasing. Olivia was standing right in front of her now, fake scowl slipping into a smile, “rock, paper, scissors?”

OLIVIA SAW