madehervows | IC Contact for Entranceway

[ it'd be easier if he were to simply begin this call with is this regina mills? but finnick's never opted for the mundane route, always taking the path that will lead him down something akin to an adventure. it's been on his mind for the last few days, ever since the high school culture festival event had worn off, finnick finding himself a touch confused by the nature of the life he had somewhat adopted for those three days, to contact the woman who had given him an insight that happened to transcend all alternate universes. ]

[ it's the fortune telling class, rather than the art exhibition he had been a great curator for, that sticks out in his mind; she may think her own fortune telling had been somewhat silly, but it had stuck with that finnick and continues to haunt this finnick, the notion he had been destined to be with annie regardless of the hunger games existing or not. rather than focus on his life actually being so boringly normal, finnick latches onto the one piece of hope he's been clinging to like a barnacle for a good few years. ]

[ it's clear in his tone he's smiling. ] I think you owe me a second dance, Miss Mills.

[When the event had ended, Regina had been furious at first. It wasn't the first event where memories were stripped away and replaced with a false reality, but it had been the first where Regina herself had been affected. Later, she'd laughed, because now she knows what it's truly like to be cursed. The second Dark Curse affected her, sure, but forgetting a year isn't the same thing as having an entire life created for you by some unseen force.]

[She isn't expecting the call, or the voice on the other end. Her booth was a farce, a simple trick to get a passing grade for a school she didn't even attend and wasn't real, so naturally now she wasn't putting much stock in it. Where she remembers him from more, though, is the dance. Even in her anger, she'll admit the dance was fun. And sneaking off with Robin, but the dance was something purely for herself, not decided by pixie dust.]

Maybe next time Wonderland decides to turn us into teenagers.

[ attending a school where there were no classes on how it was best to strike an opponent down or even incapacitate them had been unusual for finnick. even though district 4 had it's normal educational facilities, every child was enrolled in classes designed for the games, preparing them as career tributes to better the district's chances at both glory and seeing one kid safely returned home. but being forced to do what was against his nature isn't strange for finnick, it being a talent he thinks he's come to own, being able to adapt as quickly as a fish taking to water. it's one lesson no one thinks to teach a bunch of children while in school, learning how to adapt and fold and bend when someone greater and more powerful than them commands them to take a shape they had never been born to hold. ]

[ but rather than meet him with disinterest in her tone, he hears something welcoming in it, encouraging him to continue on with his path of small talk. ]

When will that be? [ he's still smiling, the slight flirtation evident in his tone, now. ] I hope I'm not left waiting too long.

[School itself wasn't something Regina ever experienced. The Enchanted Forest didn't exactly have dedicated schooling, and her mother would never have let her attend something so crass as a public high school. No, tutors were the norm for Regina. Bettering herself in every way so one day she could be queen. With the added bonus of a Curse education, it's almost like she went to school like a normal person. No one will ever know.]

Who knows? [She's attached, but a little harmless flirting never killed anybody. Except Graham but hey.] I might be inclined to make an exception.

[But he can't be calling just for another dance, so.]

What can I do for you, Mr. Odair?

[ it's automatic: ] Finnick.

[ despite her voice being filled with a friendly warmth, mr odair is what snow had always addressed him as in an act of displaying the power he held over him. while she's doing nothing but being flirtatious, if they're to speak in the future, he hopes to shape it into a future where mr odair becomes less of a condescending term and more of what her voice makes it sound like. ]

I wanted to know if it was true. [ there's a pause. the flirtation in he voice is stripped away as it lowers, almost uncertain. ] Your apples.

[She wants to comment on his choice of preferred moniker, but then he mentions the apples and it's enough to short circuit her temporarily. Of all the things he could be asking about, that's what he chooses?]

The apples. [A smile plays itself across her lips. She hadn't taken him for someone who actually believed in true love, despite his reaction to the A that the peel had formed.] The event stripped away my magic, but where I come from... [She trails off momentarily. She's been open about her magic, sure. But explaining true love and its ability to transcend realms? Hm.]

True love is the most powerful magic of all. It's able to transcend realms, and I've seen proof of that. [She pauses again.] If you've found true love, Finnick, I think you already know the answer.

IC Contact for Entranceway

audio » coming back for round two, backdate to july 19 please.

audio » if I must

audio » do it or i'll burn down your apple tree.

audio » wow????? fine.

audio » i win.

audio » this round, maybe