freya would rather be disemboweled than put her lips anywhere near fernando eliard silph's. she will go to war for him. she will protect him. she will save him. but she will not kiss him, under any circumstance. the very idea of it, despite eva's playful candor, makes the corner of her lip twitch upward in a half-snarl, distaste far more poorly disguised than fernando's own.

which makes the contrast all the more obvious when his arms go to wrap around eva's waist. her entire body tenses, jaw tightening, pale eyes flashing with an emotion more destructive than envy - territorial. 

and that too shifts as the baton pass concludes, leaving eva under the mistletoe, fernando's words cementing this new predicament. in all her days by fernando's side, not once has he witnessed her blush. she is quick to anger, flush with pride, loyalty twisted around a vague idea of love, but she has only ever wanted a few.

her gaze flickers from fern and she betrays herself with a glance over eva's lips - there, drifting in the lights is a half-forgotten memory, eroded by time. she leans in and kisses the side of eva's cheek with a gentleness reserved behind closed doors. the little bells on her antlers chime once with the turn of her head. 

"it likes you more," she says quietly and then she withdraws. 

her cheeks are pink. her defenses are gone. fernando has undone her with a single move. 

"fernando, why don't you get your favorite councilwoman and head professor some more drinks?" she says faintly. 

Eva Morales
FREYVA

☉

The more she saw, the more Penelope began to understand, as each twist of the finger unraveled the mysterious spool of Gunner's anger.
[break][break]
The only question left unresolved was the frigid exchange with paxton concordas she'd laid witness to, though, given what she knew now, maybe some things were better left in the dark.
[break][break]
One thing was for certain: this bitch wouldn't leave unscathed.
[break][break]
"No wonder I didn't recognize you, you must be Paxton's plus one."
[break][break]
Languid and smooth, Penelope politely furthered the space between herself and the happy couple, carrying a hostess' kindness through her smile alone. Her eyes spoke a different story entirely.
[break][break]
"A designer," She gawked at the 'revelation', wearing a painted look of surprise. "I would never have guessed. And -- sorry what was it -- Primarina Designs?"
[break][break]
Her arms folded across her chest as her expression puckered with contemplation. In the process of this little act, her gaze flickered to her far left, just in time to catch a certain ranger making his way across the room, over to a single, lone, scathling hot GIDEON GRAVES. The very man whose name scorched the book she'd discovered a few months prior.
[break][break]
"If you want," her eyes returned to her target, "with both hosting tonight and last year's masquerade, I got into contact with so many of the best designers in Hoenn. I'd love to connect you, - they're always looking for new unknown faces in the industry. "
[break][break]
Before she could continue her little game of cat and mouse, a new face emerged from the sideline, absorbing her attention.
[break][break]
Charming smile, dark hair, tempting blue eyes - there was only one person it could be.
[break][break]
"Well, if isn't it Mr. Harcourt, glad to see that you could make it."
[break][break]
She cocked an eyebrow.
[break][break]
"How are you enjoying your time?"
[break][break]

Now that you're back.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] mila alexopoulos Gunner Graves paxton concordas Caleb Harcourt [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

Wow, Eva never imagined she would witness two people so put off by the idea of physical intimacy that it was palpable, EXPLOSIVE even. Between FERNANDO SILPH’s grimace and freya morningstar’s half-snarl, she felt the need to shoo the MISTLETOE MINIOR away to save the moment from becoming truly SELF-DESTRUCTIVE.

As Eva rose to her tippy toes to wave away the pokemon a hand caught her by the waist.

“?!”

She sucked in a sharp breath, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest when she came face to face with Fernando. Her mind was slower to catch up than the flush that rushed across her own cheeks. A subtle disappointment clawed at her belly when she understood his sly scheme. She failed to recognize the feeling in the moment because of how quickly it was smothered by the soft brush of freya morningstar’s lips against her cheek and the warmth of her breath before she withdrew.

“Oh.”

Was all she managed to muster up in response. Satisfied with the outcome, the MISTLETOE MINIOR slowly floated off to cause trouble elsewhere.

Eva couldn’t quite tell if her lingering blush was from the kiss or the recognition of the disappointment. Either way, she found herself involuntarily flustered.

“Clever move, Councilman.”

---

freya morningstar
outfit

[attr="class","milaatop"]

[attr="class","milaa"]

she knew it would piss him off and frankly, mila was banking on it.

[break][break] there was no other outlet for her jealousy and anger in the way that PENELOPE LIVY had looked at him, the way that he had looked at her, and of course there was no other option but to take it out onto the only available assailant in the room.

[break][break] the redhead that was so annoyingly gorgeous that, if mila wasn't so pissed at gunner, she would've made a shot at her too.

[break][break] eyes fluttered up expertly at Gunner Graves, mirroring his smile for an annoyingly placid one of her own. a hand rested on his bicep that flexed with anger, digging subtly into his skin.

[break][break] "yeah," she said, eyes darting towards the handsome form of paxton concordas behind the bar. "but i took special care for yours."

[break][break] it was nothing but the truth, but perhaps a little too convenient a truth in a circumstance such as this.

[break][break] a flare of liquid hot fury sent her eyes alight at PENELOPE LIVY's snide comment, and her hand wrung innocently around the base of Gunner Graves's tie as she spoke to the councilwoman, not at all moving from his side.

[break][break] "actually," she corrected the woman. "paxton seems preoccupied behind the bar already. he's just a friend - oh wait, don't tell me. you don't have them?"

[break][break] her smile widened, nearly as pointed as a sharpedo's teeth.

[break][break] it only faltered slightly at the sound of PENELOPE LIVY's kind offer, one that did not fail to set another flame alight in mila's gut, with resentment and annoyance. those fingers tightened against gunner's bicep, the only evidence that the councilwoman's words had effected her so.

[break][break] if there was anything beside herself that mila took pride in, it was that of her work.

[break][break] "ah," she said instead, casting a condescending look down PENELOPE LIVY's outfit. "i would have never guessed." she clicked her tongue, as she gazed slowly down the length of the woman's ruby dress, as if making a judgement all on her own. before flicking up to those amber eyes. "i would be happy to accept your offer," her lips stretched into a smile, that was a tad too wide. "and maybe even design you something for your next gala."

[break][break] her gaze cut briefly towards Gunner Graves's own face, her own thinly-veiled anger reflected in the glass that he brought to his lips.

[break][break] fuck you.

[break][break] mila turned back to the councilwoman, perhaps to aim another well-placed jab, but before she could do so, a handsome suitor approached. his cobalt eyes were about as riveting as Gunner Graves's own, though mila didn't dare to dislodge herself from his side. not yet, not while she was around.

[break][break] "mr. harcourt," she greeted instead, this time with a smile that matched her eyes. "enchanted to meet you. i'm mila alexopoulos of primarina designs."

[break][break] a pause as her eyes flickered between the two.

[break][break] "ah, don't tell me. you're the councilwoman's plus one?"

[break][break] strange, mila thought. she could have sworn she had seen another muscled man surrounded by the councilwoman when she'd walked in. or maybe, that was just PENELOPE LIVY's reputation.

[attr="class","ooc"] paxton concordas Gunner Graves PENELOPE LIVY [break]
dress

☉

they'd collided the first time. it had been a whirlwind, tears still drying on her cheeks, blood dripping from an open wound on her heart. a fervent desperation on her lips wrenching open eva's own. and then the aftermath - immediate and horrible. 

after had come the realization that she was no longer whole, and could not be made whole. that she would not have a whole self to give to eva. even if she wanted to. 

and she feels that now, still, even as her cheeks go rosy and her composure falls apart like ribbons. eva's cheeks are pink too, but freya knows her too well. freya can recognize her disappointment. it burns. 

her cheek turns, hand coming up to fiddle with her hair and cover the glassiness of her eyes from fernando. 

you are my utmost concern.

her tongue goes in her cheek and only when he walks away does she look back at eva, sounding once again very unlike herself when she says, "i'm sorry."

Eva Morales

☉

“Disappointing?” Eva echoed Fernando’s playful, though, intentionally condescending encouragement, “I think it was delightful,” she emphasized it with a smile upon recognizing Freya’s uneasiness. Her beautiful, bright smile had faded so quickly. It broke Eva’s heart to see her friend like that.

Being a concern drew a frown from her tinted lips. She sounded more like a burden than anything.

“Thank you, Fernando,” she tapped the glass she had in hand: a red drink with silver streaking through it, “Not this one though, it’s too sweet.”

Briefly, she watched Fernando turn to walk away. Her gut told her he probably wouldn’t be coming back with their drinks. The popular Councilman was likely to get drawn into another conversation that would ultimately lead to the derailing of his mission.

“Don’t be sorry,” she placed a gentle hand on Freya’s shoulder, thumbing the soft wool of the red sweater, “Fernando’s just being a troublemaker,” she waved off in his direction as if she was the one that shooed him away, not Freya.

---

freya morningstar & FERNANDO SILPH
outfit