Lotus Blossom
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@Ancient Elantrian [in case you didnt see this] "Why hello, sir," she grinned. Though her mind refused, her smile slipped back into place anyway. "Would you mind a game of... cards, perchance?"
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Astra's face shifted, too, her eyes expressing bitterness of another joy lost. Her mouth began to shape words, but she hesitated, and decided against speaking her mind. For the first time, she held her tongue. For the first time, she put herself in chains. But it was necessary, here. All her values and beliefs shrieked in terror, but Astra Ay didn't speak out. Instead, she made a quick nod of her head back, almost responding in a curtsy as she slide away from the bar, eyes barely glancing at the sixes. May my luck turn soon. She had to remember why she was here. What she was here for. Who she was here for. And it wasn't herself. It was never for herself. If tears could form in her pained eyes, they would have. But she was trained into a showy smile, and tears would not come. Not now, when there was a casino. Not now, when there were stakes. Not now, when she could mess up her mascara. Not now. If not now, then when? If not now, then who? Who would speak up? Who would go against all rules or laws? It used to be Astra. What happened to that girl she was? What broke that girl? What killed her? She walked to the man in the corner. "Why hello, sir," she grinned. Though her mind refused, her smile slipped back into place anyway. "Would you mind a game of... cards, perchance?"
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Astra clicked her tongue carelessly. "I've lost my touch, it seems." She'd lost so much more, too. How much had she left of her life? Of her friends? Of her casinos? Of her power? After it all had collapsed... How much has she left of herself? Using her index finger to slide the fake cold across the counter, she indicated for him to roll the dice. "Go ahead, darling," she began to smile, "Let's see the bankroll." Fake gold... The stakes were so low, yet so high. She had strolled into this casino with nothing to lose but her life, and no intentions to lose anything. Why had she begun to invest herself, now? Everything warned her against it. But it was in times like these when she had to do something. "I have one life," Astra started, sipping a replenished drink, "But even if I had a hundred more, I would spend all of them on the life I'm leading now. Regrets and grudges hold us back," she dipped the glass of alcohol back, "I intend to take all opportunity given to me, Corin. Even if that means rolling snake eyes a thousand times. With one stroke of luck, it's all worth it." Her eyes darkened with a bitter edge, but returned to their light, flamboyant glaze after a moment's notice.
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Astra's eyes sparkled with a smile as he flipped the gold coin. Fool's gold... Sometimes, it was alright to be foolish. Sometimes, it was the wisest decision. "I'm no game, Corin," she leaned in on the counter, her voice almost a whisper "Don't mistake me for one." You ought to learn self-control... Rivia scolded. Why have self-control in a world that loves controlling you? She had nothing left to lose, but her life. So nothing would stop her from enjoying it while it lasted. And if the pain was worse later on, then let her be pained, if only a moment's laughter rang true. She couldn't let herself go with Corin. It was disrespectful to herself. It was disrespectful to Sawyin. But something about him made her miss the way things were. Something about him made her wish nothing more than to let herself go, while she still had something of herself to hold onto. This moment wouldn't last forever. This life wouldn't last forever. But how much was she willing to risk in the moment? Everything. Astra took the two dice in her hands and spun them out, watching calmly from her position on the counter as they rolled across the bar.
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Corin grinned dangerously wide. It wasn’t a good thing to care. Caring got him here. Caring would keep him from getting out. But the bargain, the deal, the dancing of words…how could he resist? Why should he resist? And when she died, it would be no great loss… “But of course,” he murmured. Then he paused. “Can I do anything for you? That is, after all, why I’m here…” His grin. It was like Sawyin's. The smile of someone who has seen the world, has fallen to it's horrors, and yet continues to persist against the terrors of the entire world working against them, with a smile. Someone who continues to fight for their own self expression with humor. Someone who is wise, but not serious, and someone who can see for themselves the importance of enjoying this suffocating life whenever possible. With a drink, a laugh, a friend... No matter. Those who are mistreated by the world cannot afford to have morals. He was someone who had truly uncovered the secret of leading a free life, in chains. Someone who continues to fight for their own freedom through the ability to grin.That is the most powerful smile of all. That is the most dangerous person of all. Most captivating. There were few people left in this world like her or Corin. Very few. Astra tapped her fingers on the bar casually, but temptingly. "You can do many things for me, Corin," she shook her hair out gently and smiled up at him playfully, letting that moment last before continuing, "But would you do for a... game, perhaps?" She swirled the empty glass, with a look of nostalgia. "I do miss the allure of the coins," she said in a low voice through her smile. Was it real nostalgia for the times before the games? Her times owning casinos in the black market? Her times of gambling, and risk? Or was it simply mockery of such a feeling? Could Astra even tell, herself? And yet something about Corin drew her in. The casinos. The lights. The bars. The auctions. He wasn't afraid to be himself. He didn't smile because he was innocent or naive. But he didn't keep a straight face after seeing the trauma waiting in this life life, either. No. He had been mistreated by the world, and smiled anyway. That was true freedom. If only the world had seen what Corin and I have seen. If only the world had known how to smile. If only.
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Astra grinned, taking the challenge. She swirled the drink in her glass for a moment before downing the rest, expressing a subtle fire-filled humor in her eyes as she set it down calmly. "Not at all, darling. You misunderstood me." She looked down at the counter with a light laugh before tilting her head up again, at Corin. "I simply prefer to know how much more I need to drink." It was all too familiar to her. As if she was replaying her life. But in the hunger games. With higher stakes. Hadn't she loved higher stakes?
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"Always, darling," she tossed her hair to the side and shifted her weight to her right shoulder on the counter. "Would you look at that? You know me so well already." She flashed a smile and raised her eyebrows, taking the glass from him. Getting a little too familiar? warned Rivia. Must you always make sense? Astra thought sarcastically. Sometimes, freedom was allowing yourself to be nonconforming. Sometimes, freedom was allowing yourself to not make sense. Sometimes, freedom was allowing yourself to take a chance. Sometimes. Ignoring the burn, Astra looked up from her glass and met Corin's eyes. "How strong is it, dear?" You ask the question now? her spren scolded. Ha. When have you seen me sober. Astra waved aside the voice in her head, and kept her gaze at Corin.
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Astra turned back for a moment, shade catching her eyes enigmatically. When she turned back to catch his eyes, her face blended humor, mystery, enjoyment, risk and examination. It is everything to be precise. "Me?" she laughed slightly, with a light sense of danger or freewill. There was something wild and immodest about her manner. "The name's Astra. Though I doubt that matters now." She grinned and cocked her head to the side.
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Astra grins, shoulders slinking back into her fake money demeanor, and gazed about with her usual air of perfumes, spices, and cloths of the underground. A Casino. Her mind made calculation after calculation. This should be fun, smiled Rivia. Astra slid in her odd way forward to the man, placing both hands down on the counter and leaning in. Her breath smelled of smoke or alcohol, though there were neither cigarettes nor liquor nearby. She smiled crookedly at him. "Pleased to meet you," she raised her eyebrow in jest, "I didn't catch your name?" Her voice was just over a whisper. This had been the freedom she had been searching for in the cage. The hunger games were dangerous; they were impossible. But a casino? A casino had choice. Risk. Self-autonomy. Freedom. Blame it on chance. Blame it on cheating. But you cannot blame it on force. No one forces you to make bad decisions. We just love putting the blame on others. On a bad roll of the dice. On chance. It's easier that way.
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Astra finally swings open the doors to the casino (for the first time!!). She still glows from the stormlight, and a smile slides onto her face.
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Having been infused with enough stormlight, Astra stands in the storm. "Mark, dear," she begins gently, voice calm and steady through the wind, "I'll come back in a moment. I must survey the area." @The Stormfather And Astra, the second ideal Willshaper, sets out during the highstorm, a new burst of energy filling her lungs. You ready? Rivia asked. Always, darling. Astra smiled, with that usual air of haughtiness, and summoned her blade. She ran off into the open underbrush of the jungle, tossed and turned by the highstorm. Calling. Looking. Praying. For just something. Something of use. Or someone. [anyone who is outside in the jungle and is a radiant... you can interact with her rn if you'd like to] Freedom. That was why she was here. And she had every right to get it. For herself. For Sawyin. She brushed back her hair and exhaled quickly. With a grin, she assumed her showy demeanor once more and banged on the doors of the building. @Edema Rue
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"I'm fine," Astra said through a gasp. "How are you, darling?" She looked up at him and offered him a weak smile. "This is all so exciting, dear. It's your first highstorm! I suppose you've never head of such event. What a shame, to not know the phenomenas of our worlds. No matter, you'll be having some firsthand experience here in the Hunger Games! Once this storm passes, you will have survived it. That's more than most can say." She winced as the winds shook the trees once more. "Let's try to stay alive though, hm?" @Edema Rue
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Astra curses as she clings to the roots above her, shutting her eyes with panic. "Mark- Mark are you here?" she said with urgency, shouting to be heard over the storm. @The Stormfather Chaos wreaked havoc in the jungle, and her skeleton was shaken to the core in the cold as she sat there under the roots, mind rushing with thoughts of danger. I do hope Dougella is taking shelter in this painful wave of storm. This too, will pass. This too, will pass. She was always told this. But it never passed. Her dad never stopped. Her life never made sense. The gambling never ended. This life- this disaster- never passed.
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Astra hears his screams through the wind, though they began to melt with the twisting shrieks of the trees. She used the wind to throw her to the ground, and crawled over to Mark, grasping at the roots through the storm. This is pathetic, Rivia said in her mind. Sometimes that spren could be motivating. Other times... infuriating.
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Astra cursed as the wind threw her to the side, into the trunks of the jungle. She held her hand out to protect her face as her back got surface scratches from the thistles. This was a rather unexpected turn, remarked Rivia. With a quick word to quiet the spren, Astra gripped the surrounding branches to steady herself and gain her bearings as her hair whipped around and lashed her ears violently with the storm. This reminds me of the highstorms at home, Astra cursed again. They wouldn't kill half their tributes, would they? That's no fun. I doubt anyone has the same definition of fun as you do, dear, Rivia said cooly. Fun is freedom. Freedom is gambling. Gambling is casinos. Casinos is the blackmarket. The blackmarket is auctions. Auctions are drunkards. Drunkards are fun. My reasoning is flawless, Astra said with a determined mind. It was harder and harder to ignore the violence of the wind, and soon her legs slipped from under her with the jungle floor. Everything was flying everywhere. Her legs, her clothes, her hair. The only thing that stayed were her hands, clinging and grasping at the branches and jungle around her. Now this, darling, this is fun, Rivia laughed slightly as Astra struggled against the storm.
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"Where have you gone to, dear?" Astra walked about, with a sense of worry growing. "Dougella, darling?" She continued calling out her name. @Scars of Hathsin
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(Astra took no note of her at the time) As she walked with @The Stormfather she paused again, jerkily. For a moment, she stayed there, sensing the jungle. Someone was missing. "Dougella, darling?" Astra looked about, with an air of distraught. "It seems we have lost someone already." She spun back to Mark. "Come, let us trace our steps. There is danger in the center, yes, but there is another type of danger in isolation. I think it'll be mighty fine over there, dear." Astra began to walk back, in the direction they came from, where they had lost Dougella.
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"You know, using Darling that often doesn't fit your character too well," Astra critiqued, eyes narrowing in jest. "Yes, I hear something of the sort I'm sure. Let's go down this way."
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"Now isn't that a story," Astra raised her eyebrows, "I can assure you'll love it here. The laws upon us but there is a sense of... chaos. We feel it here. Something's awry. Something's amiss. Something exciting." She grinned, "Here, you'll be truly free."
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"Doesn't seem I caught that, dear." Astra paused gently in her steps, "Where is it that you lived?"
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Astra mocked surprise and shock for a moment, but snapped back into an easygoing demeanor of laughter. "Dear, that is an excellent priority to have, mark my words. I dare say, more people nowadays ought to have such a priority. I declare we would be in quite a better place. Plenty more people alive." Astra grinned and continued on her way. "The colors of this jungle are divine, don't you think?"
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"Darling, if there is one thing you should note, it's that I do not mind where I chat and where I chat does not mind me. There is always time for dilly-dally, and never time for serious thought. It is simply the truth." she shrugged and turned towards the jungle, beginning to walk off in that direction with a toss of her hair, "Have it your way, though. Dougella, come with us, dear." @Scars of Hathsin
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"Invested in what, my dear? Blackmarkets? Power? Auctions? Hush money? Affairs?" she laughed a little, "Yes, I'm quite invested, I must admit."
