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When she seemed to look around, Carter knew he'd hooked her into something. She mightn't have agreed with him completely, but she could at least agree that in present company, he was certainly one of the best. He wasn't causing a disturbance. He wasn't acting like a mess, or making one. He was a good, solid choice for a midnight kiss, even if he hadn't technically put himself forward for the position.
Yet.
Her words admittedly caught him off guard. A clouded mind struggled to keep up with most of what happened around him, but thay was a particular shot. It sounded weirdly familiar. It felt familiar too.
"Oh no, have we met?" Carter asked her then, a pinch of woe in his voice. He often tried not to tred where he'd gone before, but it had been four years; "That kiss we were discussing might help refresh my memory."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
The way her eyes rolled had Carter laughing again. It was joyous in nature; probably rare to catch from him given how seriously he used to carry himself. There were so few moments four years ago where he felt he could give in all control and just be as old as he was.
And she was combating him at the sudden turn of conversation. He figured she would, given how she clearly felt about the new year celebration. Kissing someone at midnight was just part of that, wasn't it? Of course she wouldn't realise the importance of such a momentous choice.
"Well, let me put it this way. Either you decide who you're going to kiss, or someone else will decide they're going to kiss you." Carter pointed out. Then, he made the decision to point out some of the less-than ideal players in the arena. The kind who looked at her like she really wouldn't have a choice if she got remotely close.
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
A talk of family wasn't exactly the way Carter expected to spend his New Year's Eve. He often did his best to ignore the way such things felt, but here was this newly injected individual who dared to question something so personal so quickly. If his mind weren't in an unnatural haze, he might have fought it better.
"Don't we all? Always?" He asked her. Carter had spent years refusing separation from his brother. They were very much a pair for life. "On nights like these? I try to ignore the way that feels." He admitted then, shrugging his shoulders. He checked his watch instinctively. Not long now.
"You have got to kiss someone at midnight."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Carter couldn't help the way he overtly rolled his eyes at the response she gave. She was so one of those people; little to no joy in the world if a brand new year couldn't even be celebrated. That was a fake smile if he'd ever seen one, but he didn't want to laugh at that. That seemed highly cruel, even for him.
Then came a question he never quite expected. Another notion to his family; mot just Dominique's blazing infamy, else she might have just used his name again.
"They aren't here." He admitted freely, "They're in their own corners of the globe tonight, and I'm in mine." His was hardly as glamorous as what his parents and brother probably found, but that didn't seem to phase him.
" They probably don't care for the new year like I do, anyway. They're a bit like you." One day older, but in their case, none the wiser.
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
It was, truly, a dreadful night to work. Within the breaks of conversation, Carter watched the way she had to help other people. He spent his spare moments calculating just how to get her out of that situation. Unfortunately, most people thought they needed to keep their jobs the next day.
She got a lot of humour out of the idea of Carter with a headache. He even laughed at that. Though she only showed a little of that amusement, he could somehow tell it rolled on and on. He took a lengthy sip of his drink as he waited for her to be free for him again. He was never used to waiting for attention.
"You'll just wake up one day older, then?" He asked her, somewhat seriously. Though he didn't think much of useless celebrations, even Carter could see the appeal of an entire new year.
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Usually, conversations such as these filtered through a particular pattern. Women almost always gave in. So did men. It was nice to be shown attention and even the threat of affection from an attractive stranger. He waited without holding his breath, but he didn't let his eyes stray from her face.
Seen worse? He scoffed at the thought. After all, it was very easy to see worse. Just about everything and everyone else was worse.
His name filtered through her lips like she knew it. He was surprised, not that she knew him but that his name carried any weight despite the way the school had moved. Nevermind the fact that his brother's name managed to filter through the void, too. "He mightn't need it, my dear, but he does so love to hear it." Carter admitted then. Anything less would be an absolute lie, after all. Perhaps it was because he was drinking, but statements like that were easier to make when the ears they hit didn't really seem to care.
"How dreadful. To work on such a night, I mean."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Carter had honestly expected something simple. He assumed just as she must have; it would have been so easy to pour dark liquor onto ice and throw it back at him. Most times, his attitude was worthy of such little care. But she started mixing about, and it was enough to gather his attention completely. He tilted his head to the side at her choice, grinning almost enthusiastically.
He glanced down at the glass as he spoke, smart hands holding it without a usual kind of delicacy. Truth be told, a lot of alcohol was already coursing through his veins. This time, he just happened to sit at the bar across from her.
"I appreciate i-" He started, and then she swore, and he laughed at her for it.
"Oh come now," He continued, barely missing a beat; "I'm not that breathtaking, am I?"
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Carter grinned at the question about his vice. He liked to think most people would just know what he wanted. Without much delay, he even managed a laugh. He shifted in his seat slightly, bodies around him moving like a wave as he reeled back before pressing his forearm to the bar itself.
He leaned in, because he had to. Though the music covered the way he hummed, it couldn't drown out his words; "Surprise me."
It was hard to find recognition in the new move. He looked at her and he felt that little pull, but it wasn't enough to make an overt connection. Surely fate wouldn't pull him so overtly.
"It's my first night back." He declared idly, waving his hand about like she cared. She should care; "Though, I suppose it's not really back, is it? Really, it's my first time here."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
New Year's Eve carried the same attitude no matter where Carter went. A different country didn't change much; people drank themselves into a state where clever choices went out the window. Everything was now driven by pure impulse as the clock was winding down to all zeros across the board. Carter had a carefree stance about the whole thing. He was part of it too, of course.
Money in a crowded bar wasn't the only reason people gravitated to him. He was technically a stranger in town again; there were familiar faces but everything was so new. He liked it a lot more. His platinum card expressed such gratitude when a round or two of drinks had been thrown on it at a whim.
A call from behind the bar sounded like a cry for help; one he was all too happy to oblige with. A strong arm reached over and put it down for her.
"You're welcome!" He called without looking. Without hesitation, his glass hit the counter top; "Now how about you fill this?"
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Carter Gareth Chevalier FACE CLAIM: Oliver Stummvoll
♦ THE BASICS ♦
AGE: Twenty-Three GENDER: Male ORIENTATION: Pansexual POSITION: College Student @ Bellefonte
♦ THE ABILITY ♦
POWER:Terrakinesis: The ability to control geologic minerals, rocks and dirt.
LIMITATIONS: Carter lacks the ability to create any kind of Earth, stuck only to manipulate what already exists. Though it's not essential, Carter's ability is more proficient when he has particles of the element in question on his hands or skin. A direct connection naturally makes it much easier. He can't move a mountain in the distance but he can collapse a small portion of the ground across the street without much of a fuss. He has far less success with man-made objects such as mixed metals and glass due to the compromised nature of those elements.
SIDE-EFFECTS: Moving such a heavy substance has a natural strain on Carter's physical form, almost as if he's literally trying to lift if himself. It means he's forced to stay in pique physical condition at all times. Excessive use of his ability is extremely exhausting due to the physical exertion. Plus headaches.
♦ THE FREEFORM ♦
DON'T LET THE ONLY REAL ONE INTIMIDATE YOU
I mean, there are a lot of reasons to look up to someone like me. Take, for example, what most would call impeccable luck is what I call completely deserved. I have the life I have because I deserve. I’m worthy. I come from wealth. I have successful parents; my mother’s an impeccable painter and my father built an empire selling the very same merchandise. When I was younger, my brother - younger, twin brother I might add - and I were raised to know this empire was ours to take when we were of the right age.
Funny, no one ever expected twin brothers to be twin terrakinetics. Shipped off to America at the young age of fourteen.
Try to understand that given who we were, and what ability we’d just been given. Moving the world beneath our feet carried a God-like feeling, and we already knew we were well above the usual stature at such a school. We were better. Are better. We knew that, and never acted any differently. I graduated on time, but my brother didn’t. And so even after I was done with the place, I stayed. He wasn’t finished, and I could never leave him behind.
I’M THE BEST YOU EVER HAD YOU’D JUST BE COMPARING ME TO ME
I had a few… Encounters. There were a great many one night stands with boys and girls, of course. Let’s not get caught up in rules of gender and love. Everyone I ever met seemed to understand the flow of how such encounters would end. Some got attached; that was inevitable, I knew. A few tried to change me.
One even tried to… Accept the idea that there would never be monogamy, like that could ever be enough for a woman. I laughed. Looking back on it, I still laugh.
There were others, too. Others worth remembering, I mean. Little souls who harnessed the ability to earn a little more attention than most others. They were challenges within themselves, and they were fun. Admittedly, someone such as myself doesn’t get caught up in these proverbial challenges. Once won, what was the point in following them further?
Well, there was one.
Do you mind if I smoke in here?
BREAK DOWN THESE WALLS AND COME ON IN
My parents had a tumultuous marriage that ended in a bitter divorce. That is often the case with marriage in general, I suppose, so it was no surprise. Rather, the surprise came from the cheating way my mother ruined their relationship. I’ve never understood the weight in monogamy until it’s been broken. If you think that’s a possibility, why bother entering into it? Don’t confuse me with someone who believes is improbable. I believe in love as much as most others. I believe it’s entirely possible, with the right match.
I left Montana after my brother graduated with every intention of never looking back. I went back to Paris where I belong and lived like I was born to live. I studied business while working with my father and brother. But those years became mundane, I suppose. Predictable. One of my most favourite things about my manifestation was the… Surprise of it all. It was out of my control, and I loved it.
Perhaps that’s what has made me want to go back to that… Small reality.
♦ THE PLAYER ♦
USERNAME: Eddie AGE GROUP: Twenty-Six EXPERIENCE: Yeah nah WHERE DID YOU FIND US? Nah yeah
