hate it here | percy/xiomara blitz

[pup]

percy

The sound of trumpets blare over the speakers in the grand banquet hall as the old men line up for groggy recanting of the anthem. It's been 93 years since the end of the war, but each year some old, old soldiers still remain standing for the annual rebellion veterans gala. Of course, none of them had truly fought in the war. My pops had been the last remaining true soldier from the war, and he had died a few years ago.

Yet, they still insist on us coming to this event. The children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of the war get dressed up every year and watch videos to remind us of how wonderful it is to be descended from heroes.

My fingers absentmindedly tap on the linen table cloth beneath me and I can tell my leg is starting to bounce. I'm not made to sit still and listen to a bunch of pretenders. We're seated in a circle around an intricately adorned set up. Next to me is a girl I'd seen once or twice at these events before, Xiomara, I think her name is.

I take a long sip from my drink as the oldies finally take a seat and the speeches start. Rolling my eyes, I turn to the girl.

"I bet you ten bucks he'll drop dead before he can finish his speech," I not-so-quietly whisper, reclining back in my seat and gesturing at the man behind the podium.

"If he doesn't, I might just go up and get it over with myself. These things aren't fun anymore now that the real fighters are all gone." Yea, I could probably take any of the old "warriors" in a fight any day.

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[Hafen d4 ⚓︎ minie]

X I O M A R A H A R T.

and i usually ain't afraid of nothing

Every single year, my mom shoves me down some kind of fluffy dress and does my hair for a war veterans banquet our family just absolutely must attend. Every single year it is the same dusty old families honoring the same dusty old people and we must attend to keep up appearances. News flash, the war has been over for 93 years, none of this actually even matters. At least my parents actually pay attention to me on this day.

The event itself feels like a cult ritual, seated in a circle listening to people talk, cheering when we hear the tale of victories. I clap to be polite and I pretend to laugh when the rest of the crowd does. If I didn’t then there will be lots more unwanted attention at home afterwards.

I twirl the strands of my hair and my legs are shaking uncontrollably as I struggle to sit still as the speech begins. I already know that I am just going to zone out anyway, so what is even the point? Before I had the chance, the boy next to me says something. “Huh?”, I was not paying enough attention to him to hear what he said. He seems familiar, but then again, most people at these events do.

As he leans back he starts talking again, this time I get every word he says. The dismay on face became obvious as he spoke ”If he doesn’t, I might just go up and get it over with myself. These things aren’t fun anymore now that the real fighters are all gone”. How could he have ever found any of this fun? ”You’re saying there was a time that this insanely tight grasp on the crumbs of success was ever any fun, I have trouble believing that”, I scoffed as I turned to face him and rolled my eyes. I hate it here.

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[pup]

percy

I study her as she rolls her eyes. She's definitely more interesting than the retiree at the microphone. With the crumbs of success and all that talk she sounds more like an ungracious rebel than a career, like most of the people who were forced into this room. Cute, but definitely not someone who spends their time training.

Now that I'm taking more of a look at her, she doesn't look like much of a career at all. Maybe she's one of the regulars who's families forced her way in here.

"Yea, I mean it's fun hearing about the people who actually won the war, you know." I say with a grin. If this is the kind of talk that will upset her, at least I'll have some easy entertainment. "My pops was an officer, he always had some great stories."

Blissfully, the slow-talking grandpa finally takes a seat and I unwillingly, lazily clap my hands. It's a break in the program from the speeches, and a documentary turns on depicting the heroics of our departed soldiers. I stretch in my seat, already feeling like I'm going to get put to sleep if I don't move somewhere soon.

"I'm going to grab some air, want to join?" I say standing up, pushing my chair back quietly. If the event insists on becoming increasingly boring each year, I'm going to find my own ways to have fun.

^{wc: 241}

[Hafen d4 ⚓︎ minie]

X I O M A R A H A R T.

and i usually ain't afraid of nothing

This boy made every inch of my skin crawl. In my mind he seemed like the exact person that laughed as I was forced to leave the academy. He represented what my parents wanted me to be and how miserably I failed at doing so. I could not comprehend why he was still talking to me with a smug little grin that made me want to sucker punch him right between his eyes. There was something about his attitude that was almost charming but even more infuriating. I could tell he did not think much of me but who else was going to talk to me here?

The brags about his family and their stories sounded like everyone else here. Everyone’s family had a story of the rebellion, something that they were so proud of, something that put their family on the map and why they were here. ”Yeah well, if I wanted to hear stories, I would just have to start eating dinner with my family again. There’s never a family dinner that fails to mention the great heroics of the Hart family”. Once again, words slipped out of my mouth before I could process, the lack of control always seemed to get me into trouble. Why did I seem to care so much about what this boy thought of me, he was not worth starting a fight over.

The one thing I understood was his restlessness, he seemed to be moving just as much as I was. The offer to go outside seemed like a good way to escape, even if meant spending more time with him. At least my family would approve of the company I am keeping. ”Why not, could use a smoke.” I muttered the last part under my breath as I followed suit.

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[pup]

percy

There it was, the family name drop. I knew I could get it out of her somehow. The name Hart sounds familiar, but nothing that I could truly put my finger on. It doesn't really matter anyways. Everyone here has a family name they can throw to the peacekeepers guarding the entrance to let them in.

Darrow, Hart, whatever it is, they don't make someone who they are now. People think the name has power, just like in the way she had used it against me, but I know that I'm above whatever rank her name may have.

We exit through a side door, avoiding the peacekeepers at the main entrance, and I let the prick of air cool my restlessness. The side of the building makes way into a small patio with plants and couches. If dad finds out I had snuck outside during this, he'll be furious. Better face his anger than sit through wartime posers, though.

There's no way I'm sitting down if I have to head back inside anytime soon, so instead I lean against the wall.

"So," I say through the silence of the night, "What are you even doing here if you hate it so much?"

"You don't seem too idiotic, you probably could have come up with something to get out of it."

^{wc: 224}

[Hafen d4 ⚓︎ minie]

X I O M A R A H A R T.

and i usually ain't afraid of nothing

On my way out, I catch my brother’s eye who sends me a puzzled look as I head towards a side entrance. He won’t say anything, he might be exactly like this boy but he is also my little brother. He would never rat me out. It does not seem like my companion knows who exactly I am, it bothered me a little more than it should. Usually, I am glad if I do not get recognized for either my parents or my own failures, but something about this place and people constantly sends my desperate need for belonging into a frenzy.

The outside patios are well decorated with gorgeous colors everywhere to be seen. As soon as I spot the couch, I let myself fall down backwards onto it with my ruffled dress going a bit everywhere. Why did mom have to choose a dress with so much fabric and layers? The boy leans himself against the wall and I stare him directly in the eyes as I lit a cigarette with an ounce of a smile present on my face. Everything seemed so much more tranquil outside, as if I were slightly less aggravated by his capital glory complex.

What am I doing here? What a question to ask, there was no real good answer because I honestly did not know. I could never explain why I was still invited to these events. I thought about it for a second as I took another drag, ”Well I guess you would say I am here to play happy little family for the rest of the elite. I put on a dress and play nice for one evening and the rest of the year I can do just about as I please”. I paused a second, ”What is your name?”.

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[pup]

percy

She lights a cigarette and I eye it down. They're nasty things, something my trainers made me promise to stay away from, but I tend not to listen to their best wishes for me. I knows myself and my body better than anyone, and if I want to have a smoke, I can. I'll still be able to fight in the arena when it's my time.

Reaching out, I beckon for her to pass it over. While she talks, I take a long drag and chuckle a little. She doesn't know my name, cute. I'll make sure she remembers it, people always do. "Well you're doing a shit job at playing nice, sneaking off with a guy and all that." I take another hit from the cigarette, turning my face to blow the smoke away from her.

"Percy Darrow," I say, passing the cigarette back over to her with a smirk, "But you can call me Percy, sexy, anything else you want really"

I look her up and down, noting the intricate folds of her dress, one of the most superfluous signs of her wealth. She seems like someone who'd be fun to mess with. Meeting her eyes again, I continue, "Xiomara, right?" I'm right, "Or do you prefer some cute nickname?"

^{wc: 217}

[Hafen d4 ⚓︎ minie]

X I O M A R A H A R T.

and i usually ain't afraid of nothing

If he wanted to smoke, he could have just asked for his own instead of having us share a singular cigarette. What good was that going to do either of us? I reluctantly passed it over as I gave him a bit of a face to show that I was not amused with the whole ordeal. However at least this was still the most fun I have had the entire night. Providing addictive substances to someone who very obviously was a career. Not the best fuck you, but it was still something.

I reach out to retrieve my cigarette and inhale once more before trying to figure out an answer. How do I explain that this was probably the best way for me to behave at a function without sounding like an actual lunatic or inflating his ego? ”This is about as nice as it gets for me at events like this. Besides you seem like the kind of person my parents wouldn’t mind me keeping company with. You might even win me some family plus points” , I overexaggerated a smile with the last words as my eyes remained dead as ever.

I was most definitely not going to call Percy sexy. I just raised an eyebrow at the comment and shrugged it off. There was no way I was going to give him the pleasure of calling him sexy. I turned my head away to show that he was slowly losing my attention but quickly spun it back around to face him when spoke my name. ”Mar!” , I snapped at him really quick. ”It’s only Xiomara if I am in any kind of trouble” , my voice calmed down.

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