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āA second return, but what for? And for whom was I brought back?ā
ćÉĪ¹Ī±ĘĻgĻ Ń cĻĘĻŃ:#0C94CC ā ŃŠ½ĻĻ gŠ½Ń cĻĘĻŃ #CC0C2Eć
|| Azalea|| Nano.ripe ||
ćÉĪ¹Ī±ĘĻgĻ Ń cĻĘĻŃ:#0C94CC ā ŃŠ½ĻĻ gŠ½Ń cĻĘĻŃ #CC0C2Eć
|| Azalea|| Nano.ripe ||
Today was going to be like any other. It was evident that there was something going on that caused Oliver to chang their plans. Was Winter misunderstanding something? Was Oliver doing something untoward? Elise would have to find out somehow, but clearly she was going to get a different story no matter who she asked. "It is okay. The President cannot help being busy." Elise said calmly as Winter gave her an apology. Oliver tried to ask about last night, but Elise could gather the information later. With the intention to stay at Serenity's tonight clear, and as Elise flaunted the new mist cloak Claude had designed for her, Carter arrived, flashy grin, and limo behind him. "Mister Grayson, please!" A tall woman with glasses and sleek brown hair pestered him. "You can't do this! What if the reporters or fans find you here? Stay in the vehicle while I gather your friends!"
Carter mostly ignored her and grabbed toast, seating himself down. "If they find me, then I'll give them a smile a wink and they'll take picture and want me even more." He said with cheeky confidence, earning a sigh of frustration from his agent. "Good morning. I am glad I do not have to be in the public's eye again." She had had more than a lifetime's worth of media attention already, first as an actress, then as a Vassal. "I know, right?" Carter seemed very confident like this, however. "The ladies just can't get enough of me." Oliver made a face, sighing. "Well, you should get going. It was good seeing you, Carter." The model raised en eyebrow, definitely realizing something was off. Like Elise, he remained quiet and beckoned to Winter and Elise. "Come on! It's going to be great! Don't worry, just follow Bianca and she'll keep you two safe from view." Bianca, his agent, looked as if this job was more stressful than the apocalypse itself. "Don't worry, you two." For once there was a normal person who did not seem impressed by the heroes of the war. "Everyone will be too busy looking as Carter flirst with them to notice you."
The limo was large and comfortable, reminding the black eagle of driving around with her family as a little girl before she became a shut-in. The studio itself was even larger. Elise remembered this building, she'd taken a few pictures here before. "Mister Grayson, remember to behave." Bianca chastised him while he was happily showing off collection cards of characters Elise vaguely remembered from a show but did not know the names of. "Yes, yes. Don't worry, Bi, Dorian likes me." Bianca took them to the back entrance, where the public could not access. The door opened, the back door to Invale Studios open for them. Security men watched as they entered. Bianca gave Elise and Winter suit coats to wear. "Wear these, you two can be my assistants." This way their identities could be protected. Was it out of kindness, or did Carter not want the spotlight taken off of him?
"Makes yourselves comfortable." Bianca helped the two find a place to seat in the back stage while makeup artists worked their magic on Carter. "Tell us about that battle again, the one with the other Vassal1" Carter flashed a grin as his hair was being fixed over again. "Well, it was in the middle of the Apocalypse, and Oliver told me: Carter, you have to protect the bridge. Don't let the Doctor's soldiers through. I thought, well that's just great. We'll protect this position and make sure the Doctor's soldiers couldn't get to us. I sat back, relaxed with my men, telling jokes, passing the time while Oliver did battle on the frontlines." He took a pause, as if for dramatic effect. His voice friendly and animadted, continued the story. "Then I saw familiar hair - an old friend, working for the enemy. Mercedes's soldiers was approaching. I remembered Elise's words: The soldiers understimate you. Use that to your advantage. So I thought-"
Elise already knew this story of course, this was while she and Winter were still recovering from nearly dying after defeating Merlin, and were still to injured to do anything while the Slithers had custody of them. "I'm really jealous." Another assistant shook her head as she looked at Winter and Elise. "You two get to work with Carter Grayson! I'm stuck with Anabelle Pierce, and she's such a snob. She yells at me all the time." The black eagle looked at her, wondering if the wig Bianca gave her was hiding her horns. "Carter is very arrogant." She said with an amused smile. "Well, he deserves it! He's one of the heroes that saved us all! You know what Anabelle Pierce did? She hid in the President's bunker and ordered the staff to wait on her arm and leg!"
Once Carter was dolled up for the photoshoot he headed out. Bianca turned her head towards Winter and Elise, indicating that they join him to the shooting stage. A very tall, older woman had a look of extravagance. After taking a few shots and poses, the woman, Dorian, began to speak. "The audience wants to know. You won't mind giving a little bit of an interview, would you?" Carter smiled, flashing his baby blues. "Oh, Dorian, you know I love to talk. What about?" Dorian pulled out her holo then. "I think it's about time. The wound doesn't hurt anymore, right? Do you think you can tell us about Winter and Elise? Give us the inside scoop."
Carter blinked, but his smile never fell. Was he bothered by it? He would never show it, not in front of his boss. "Aww, anything for you. I'd be happy to! Ask away!" There was a surprising amount of questions. Most likely this was going to go on his page on the Invale website featuring Carter, where subscribers would get to watch in live 3d, as if they were there in person. Another question was asked this time. "You hinted before that you were close to Winter in some way. Just how close? Some of your fans are wondering if, just maybe, you were in love with her." Carter blinked again, then smiled gently at the camera. "Winter was this tiny little thing. Heh, you wouldn't believe it. I loved her, actually. I wanted to protect her she was so small. But you wouldn't believe how much strength there was in her eyes." His gaze was full of calm longing.
"A boy like me? I'd never be able to protect her. She'd protect herself a thousand times over, no matter who we fought." An almost vulnerable look was on his face as Elise glanced towards Winter, guaging her reaction. "But more than anything, more than love, what I feel is respect. I respect the hell out of her as a friend, and as a fellow comrade." The next queston seemed to be one about Elise herself. "Just like you, Elise was a celebrity. Do you think she would be looking over you, now that you're living in the spotlight?" This time Carter laughed, as if he found something funny. "Looking over me? You mean looking down on me! El was always looking down on everyone, judging everyone. It was really hard to try and get along with her."
Judging people. Elise had done it all her life. Was it really so bad? "He loves the attention." She murmured and earned a chuckle from Bianca as they listened in. He was a natural for the stage. "But by judging us she was telling us to do better. To be stronger. Smarter. Because Elise knew. If we wanted to save the world - we needed to be as strong as we could. We needed to be stronger even than the Doctor's soldiers." He was quiet then. "If she's looking over me, I hope she has front row seats."
Once it was all over and Carter bade farewell to Dorian he looked almost exhausted as fell onto his seat in the limo. "Sorry, I know that might not have been very fun. Oliver told me to take you two, for some reason." He looked at them, like a deflated battery. "Did something happen? He wouldn't normally make a request like this." Elise pulled her wig off and shrugged. "It is between Winter and Oliver, if she wishes to speak about it." She shook her head. "It was not boring. I almos miss it, actually." This was a glimpse at what she had lost, a life she could have had. That could have been her. She would never stand on the stage again.