thecapitol | He ran into my sword.

Entry tags:

✘ elsa,
✘ hans

He ran into my sword.

WHO| Hans and Open
WHAT| Hans the Triumphant Victor avoids his brothers and tattles on them to whoever he can.
WHEN| Anytime between the arrival of guests and the now.
WHERE| Around the tower, out and about.
WARNINGS| Hans being Hans.

The Mini Arena had been a challenge jarring enough to shake even Hans to his nasty core. He'd survived, not without getting his hands dirty, though. It isn't the perspective he wanted to give people, but he can easily act under the impression that he was thoroughly rattled by the threat of perma-death. Of course, that had been a complete fabrication in order to throw all of the tributes under a bus. Nobody really came out looking clean, apart from the idiots who sacrificed themselves for others. It's been awkward to say the least, Hans hasn't had the same presence around the tower as he might have. He's slowly withdrawn himself more and more until this damn place put the final nail in his coffin.

Brothers. Two of them. The absolute last people he ever wanted to see along with the ten others. He can only be thankful for the fact that they haven't utterly tarnished his reputation because they seem hellbent on pretending he's a non-entity. He's not sure what he finds more infuriating, but he loathes to see them enjoying themselves in a place he'd slowly begun to make his mark on. If he were a cat he'd be pressing his face against everything here, instead he's opted for a more rodent like approach to the situation and has taken to sneaking around.

He isn't avoiding anyone but them, so if someone were to see him traipsing around he'd happily make an approach in order to try rebuild that sociable reputation. If the conversation allows, and it surely will, he has a smorgasbord of tragic stories about his brothers in order to shed a little light on why he is the saddest and most put upon Prince in all of the Southern Isles.

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Eliot isn't avoiding anyone at all. He is trying to get to the lobby to meet Nate. He's had a bit of a reprieve from the bidding while his friend's here and he'll be damned if he doesn't make the most of it. He leans back against the wall of the elevator, a rare true smile on his face.

Feeling confident that his brothers won't be entirely competent with the foolproof technology that runs elevators, Hans enters the magical box with an air of calm. Almost. He casts a cautious glance for good measure over his shoulder before slinking in, breathing a sigh of relief and letting his good posture sag a little for a moment.

When the doors slide shut, he turns to take a look at who he's sharing the ride with, casting him a small smile over to the strange man. "Busy week?" He asks, innocently enough. Inspecting him with a little more care is making him realise that the stranger is in fact a fellow victor of the travesty that was the mini arena.

Ellie was spending most of the time worried about everyone else that she barely even thought about herself. She wasn't surprised to not see anyone show up for her - after all, they'd already brought Riley and Joel. Who else was there really left to bring? She was letting Joel have his space now that Tess was here, and Riley was off doing something else, Venus was upset and Hawkeye was off being himself, so she had some time to herself. Not to say, however, that she was about to turn down company when she found it. So when she found Hans she smiled at him.

"Guess what, totally got a Wyatt action figure again," She said with a grin. "How're you holding up?"

She isn't the only busy one around here, obviously. The two of them have social circles that seem to just barely brush against one another. Even through such slim contact, he hasn't forgotten their conversation, particularly when a little digging and listening seems to indicate that she's quite important around here. Perhaps not for reasons like victors or loudmouthed rebels, but because she seems to amass people who care for her so easily.

Valuable, definitely, but a pleasure to talk to as well. Hans can see why people are protective of her.

"I knew you'd get there eventually." Immediately his face lights up with a smile, but it strains just a little at the question. "I've been alright, all things considered. Family reunions were never my forte, though." He gives his shoulders a light shrug. "How about yourself? It's been so long since we last spoke."

"Well at least you have family to reunion with," She said with a smirk - not something she felt particularly sad about, though she did wonder about her mom a lot, but she couldn't help ribbing those that complained.

"Yeah, I'm okay. A, ah- a friend of mine, showed up. Not with this lot," She said, waving her hand vaguely, "But before that. So I've been a bit busy, sorry."

"Of course." He lies, showing false sympathy in his expression. With what Ellie has told him, he can imagine what might have happened to her family. Truthfully, he can't find himself objecting to the idea of it happening to his brothers, but that's his own little secret.

"My relationship with my brothers is just a little ..rocky. At best." He gives his shoulders a small shrug. "There's no need to be sorry, we've all been busy lately." What with the whole unspeakable mini arena events, but he'll push past without so much as a mention. "A friend? Who is it?" He tries not to sound too eager, considering where they are, but he's genuinely curious.

"Everyone keeps telling me that siblings can be total dicks but I still wish I had one," Ellie teased, but at the mention of her friend again, a very slight blush rose to her cheeks.

"Uh - Riley. I dunno if you met her yet, but we-- we were friends, back home. So it's nice."

It would a lie to say that Elsa's been avoiding Hans, but it would also be true that she hasn't exactly been eager to approach him after the mini-arena either. There are a variety of reasons- the biggest being that in a way, she feels like she might've dropped the ball during the arena and let him down. The other reason is that it felt like there had been an unspoken agreement to avoid each other during the arena and she honestly doesn't know where the two of them stand because of it.

Elsa tends to make a point of avoiding watching the post-arena tapes, but curiosity had gotten the better of her- it doesn't help that he'd been one of the winners. A small, masochistic side of her wanted to know how he'd done it. The reality had been a bit more grim than she had been expecting. It's enough to make her question Hans a little, though she knows she ought to get his perspective before making any judgments.

It's just really hard to watch someone you trust and care about act so viciously.

Getting up the will to speak to him has been more difficult than she expected and she hasn't really intended on doing it that day, either. Running into him in the halls on the way back from an outing in the Capitol is just pure chance. Her stomach drops when she sees them, a mix of anxiety and fear. Maybe a little relief, oddly enough. It feels like it's been so long since they've seen each other, and she'd considered him such a good friend...

"Oh, um- hi." She gives a small bow, almost too formal a greeting for someone whom she considers a close friend. To busy herself, her hands come up to finger her braid, running over it a little awkwardly. "I mean, good evening. Are you well?"

"Looks like," he replies. "But a different busy."

He glances at his fellow victor. "Meetin' family?"

“One?” His brows raise and he starts to grin a little, ready to tease her back. “Try thirteen. It makes dorm living feel a lot less crowded, that’s for sure.” He can’t imagine ever wanting siblings for any reason, so teasing comes easily. “If you want to take one, feel free.” He shrugs his shoulders enough to make it seem like a joke when in actuality he’d probably pay her to take one.

Don’t think he doesn’t notice the blush, he gives her a wry smile but he won’t point it out for her sake. “I think I met her, actually, on her first day here. She’s very charming.” Okay, so he couldn’t entirely stop himself from making little implications.

On the other hand, Hans has been pointedly avoiding Elsa. He'd avoided her in the arena, knowing she wouldn't last long without his assistance. Harley was a formidable foe and probably a fine friend, but she was flaky and Hans didn't trust her all that much. Past footage had given him good reason to avoid her and reflecting on the most recent footage hadn't given him any reason to regret that.

Of course, if he had access to footage, anyone did. He'd weighed the pros and cons of lashing out the moment he approached Rat. In the end, the idea that he might become a little less approachable was vastly more appealing than dying forever as a fool. He just hadn't expected to have to explain himself to Elsa, because in his mind he'd already decided she was dead.

As such, coming across her out of the blue like this could be likened to seeing a ghost. It doesn't help that she's carrying herself so cautiously and carefully, the sudden reserved nature coming back in full force isn't going unnoticed. Is she fearful or him or has she just regressed from the trauma of the arena? It bothers him that he can't say for sure, but he supposes he'll soon find out.

"Elsa.." He makes sure to match her uncertainty in his tone and expression. His eyes are wide and somber and there's not even a hint of his trademark smile. "As well as can be expected.." He starts, but his shoulders sag and he approaches quickly, making the very unprincely move of initiating a hug. In fact, initiating is probably putting it strongly, he's already wrapping his arms protectively around her shoulders and drawing her in close so she can hear him murmur. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"Not necessarily a bad busy, I hope? You can never be too sure around here." He lets out a faint laugh at the flippant remark, despite the heavy connotations.

"Avoiding them, actually." He admits, gritting his teeth a little as he does.

"Not at all. Showin' a friend around." He manages to hide his wince at the joke.

He raises his eyebrows. "Even when ya might never see 'em again?"

Of all the things Elsa expects, it's truly not Hans pulling her into a hug. It's the first time, as far as she can remember, that they've done anything so... intimate. On rare occasion, she's thought about hugging him, but she's always resisted. It's never felt right to her to hug him. So when he does this, her mouth falls open and she tenses up, completely unsure what to do.

It's probably a lot like hugging a statue.

"I-"

Elsa doesn't know what to say. Can she forgive him? She needs to know more before she can make that judgment, but it's hard when her heart is beating faster than it usually does and her stomach is rolling in an anxious way. If ever they were to hug, she wishes it wasn't under these circumstances. It makes it hard not to just say yes, to be honest, because she wants nothing more than to see Hans in the same light as she had seen him before.

She swallows, before pulling back. "I need to know what you were thinking," she says, her voice shaking a little. "I need to know why you were so... so..." She doesn't know how to phrase it. "I just need to know more."

It's hard to say whether someone is willing to joke about their circumstances, but it doesn't hurt to lay out an innocent observation every now and then. When Eliot doesn't seem receptive, he notes not to do it again.

"Wonderful! There's certainly a lot to get up to around here. Mostly eating, admittedly." He lifts the corner of his mouth in a small smile before it disappears again. "I think it would be for the best if I didn't." He gives his shoulders a solemn shrug. "Even being family doesn't guarantee unconditional love."

"That's true enough. Ya been to that ice restaurant yet? The food is one of the few things about the Capitol he can truly enjoy. Despite the usual company.

"No, it doesn't," he agrees, turning somber himself. "It oughtta but it don't."

Hans thrives on the unexpected, he lives for throwing people off their groove and derailing their trains of thought with grand and justifiable but confusing gestures. Elsa's hesitation is a little disappointing, he can't help but wonder if she really is bothered with him. He can't blame her, he did sort of abandon her only to let some of his true colours show. But now he's showing her that he's vulnerable and full of undeniable regret. Something she should be familiar with herself.

"I don't know what I was thinking, Elsa." He admits, widening his eyes a little as he does. "Fear took over. I started to worry about leaving Anna alone here, I had no idea where you are, whether you'd made it. I acted irrationally and I'll never forgive myself for it." He exhales, taking a step back so he can press his palm to his forehead, as if reacting to a sudden pressure headache. "If only I'd known they were lying. It should have been obvious all along."

Hans is certainly succeeding in that, because Elsa is firmly thrown. Not only is she thrown, but her entire world feels wobbly on a metaphorical level. She wants to be able to forgive Hans and not worry too much about it, but what she witnessed is hard to put behind her. It's incredibly hard to hold it against him when he sounds so upset about it.

Can she really judge him, for acting out of fear? How many times has she pushed people away out of fear? No, she's never killed them. But she has it in her, that's for sure. The regret in his eyes is disturbingly apparent, and honestly it makes her feel a little guilty for judging him. The guilt only grows as he speaks. Elsa is quiet for a long moment, conflict all over her expression. "Prince Hans..."

She closes her eyes. "No- none of us could have known that it was a lie," she finally says, giving a tired sigh. "I'm sorry, I... I think I judged you too harshly over this. You and I are different, but I can't truly say I wouldn't do some of what you did if I hadn't died so soon."

Whereas Hans had acted selfishly, Elsa had sacrificed herself for Harley. Different as night and day, but Elsa couldn't find it in her to hold it against him. Not seeing him like this. "I should be asking if you're alright... it must have been a traumatizing experience."

She grinned at him. "Yeah? Well maybe I will. Do they all come with your fancy sideburns?"

The blush only grew at the mention of Riley's 'charm', even though she tried to stifle it down.

"Oh? Y-yeah, she's ah... No, she's great. Obviously. Or we wouldn't be friends."

"No, actually. I'm a little bit prejudiced to the cold, some past experiences have left me a bit.. Well. You know." He laughs and shrugs, but his smile strains a little. Nearly freezing to death makes the chill a bit unbearable.

"I'd prefer it if they didn't interfere at all, really. It's hard enough to put on a show for the cameras, I'd rather not see photos of myself trying to throttle my brothers." It's said airily, a joke with a hint of truth.

"The ones here do, but beyond that they don't look a thing like me." He'll put on a solemn look. "It's such a terrible shame when the youngest brother outshines the elders in looks alone." He fans his face dramatically, as if his tone wasn't enough to indicate that he's joking.

"Very true. If I'd known you were close, I would have mentioned you. I'm sure she thinks as highly of you as I do."

It's not difficult to see that she's thrown, that he's making her question her approach and reconsider her opinions. It's a conflicting and confusing situation to be sure, one full of justifications and loopholes he can use. There's an abundance of things he could do or say to raise her opinion of him, but it's difficult to sway opinions on a larger scale than that. He sleeps fine at night, he doesn't pity the man he killed. They all ought to be thankful they're alive and think nothing more of it, but they aren't all the sheep the Capitol wish to create.

"Hans." He corrects in a soft voice when she uses his title again. It flatters him, but it distances them, he doesn't want to be distanced by her. "Call me Hans, please. You're making me feel like a stranger." His voice strains a little as he makes an effort to keep his tone gentle and polite, as if there's a little desperation in there.

"It was no more traumatic for me than anyone, I'm sure. I would like not to think about it, but I can't help thinking that I could never forgive myself if you died and I lived on." He widens his eyes a little, looking worriedly at her. "It was far too close for comfort- Anna and I- we could have lost you forever. You shouldn't worry for me, I should be worrying for you."

He's not sure if it will work, but he's trying his best to guide the conversation to her and away from himself and his actions in the Arena.

Eliot makes a slight face. "Freezin' ain't fun. But I can think of a few things worth the cold. That restaurant's one of 'em."

He shakes his head. "That bad, huh?"

Hans.

This entire time, she's avoided calling him that because it feels too personal. At first, it had been a sign of respect, something as a Queen she ought to do. But then it became a way of keeping him at arm's length, to avoid growing too attached to him- for various reasons. Anna, primarily. And because she doesn't trust herself around him. He makes her feel things she's never felt before, and she doesn't want to do something she would regret.

His little comment on making him feel like a stranger has her closing her eyes, looking away. "For a moment, it felt like you were..."

That's her fault, of course. She sounds guilty about it, so it's obvious she doesn't blame him for it. Her guilt only grows as he mentions Anna. Sacrificing herself for Harley had been a spur of the moment, perhaps irrational decision. They'd been told dying meant dying forever, and she'd thrown her life away. Was it out of concern for Harley, or a quick way to ensure she never hurt Anna again? She doesn't know.

"You don't have to worry about me," she says with a shake of her head. "I'm alive, that's... what happened in the arena doesn't matter anymore." It's a rather sharp turn from her thoughts previously, but it's now as if she's trying to justify her own actions. "Maybe we should both just try and forget about it all."

There's a flash of hurt in his eyes that she'll probably miss looking away. Without her seeing it, it's more than likely sincere. He's not sure why it cuts so deep, he could care less about her, he was happy to let her meet his own end without her. It's just the plain and simple fact that being nothing to someone, being someone not worth remembering, was a feeling he knew and hated far too much to dismiss it.

"This place has that effect on people." His voice is a little stiff, but his eyes are expressive enough. "We can't start turning on each other- or pulling away when things get hard. That's what they want, they want to turn us into different people. Nothing would make us stranger than avoiding the only people who know what home is." He doesn't seem particularly happy with the way she's trying to end the conversation, but he's not really inclined to push it much further. "We can't keep forgetting forever, we just have to learn to move forward and remember our mistakes so we don't make them again. We can worry about each other, that's what friends do."

"Well, I'll consider it at the very least. I might be lucky enough to get a discount if they happen to recognise me."

He smiles, but it fades fast. "I'm the youngest of thirteenth, all of us in line for a throne. It gets competitive." He pulls his bottom lip into his mouth to nibble at it for a moment. "And nasty."

It's good that she can't see the hurt in his eyes. If she could, then she would feel much worse than she already does. Frankly, she's tired of feeling bad. It feels like whenever she gets a handle and clings onto a positive feeling, it's ripped away pretty thoroughly. She would love nothing more than to go back to when she wasn't questioning Hans, or thinking ill of him for what he had to do.

It's the stiffness in his voice that causes Elsa to look at him, and she notes the expressiveness of his eyes. It melts some of the metaphoric ice that's forming and trying to make her dismiss it all. As he continues speaking, she feels her arguments and inclination to dismiss it fading, realizing that he's right. It is what they would want, and it's not healthy. What's more is that the familiar stirring in her stomach, the almost giddy-like feeling she has- or had- around him before is returning. Slowly, but it's forming.

"You're right," she says quietly. "You're right, and I'm sorry. You would think I would have learned that by now, but it's easy to forget, sometimes."

This time, it isn't Hans who has to initiate it. Before she can really think it through, she's hugging him again. "The first mistake we should learn from is being separated." Her hug tightens a little. "I miss spending time with you," she admits after a few seconds. "I think it was the only time I ever felt happy here."

The turn around is obvious to Hans, and it's lightening his mood considerably. In appearances, anyway. A slow smile tugs at his lips when she says the magic words. He's right, of course he's right, because he makes himself right. It's a foolproof method, obviously.

"We're both right, Elsa. We both make mistakes and we both need to learn from them." His smile widens, seeing that she has most certainly eased up her tension. What he doesn't expect, and it's not often he's this thrown, is for her to initiate a hug like that. He doesn't hesitate to wind his arms around her when she gets close, tightening his arms to match her enthusiasm.

"And I'm so happy to hear that.. So then we should spend as much time together as we can, then." He urges, trying to discreetly hint that he won't be there to stick together with her next arena.

Though the situation had been heavy moments before, Elsa is starting to feel much lighter than she's felt in a while. She and Hans are close again, all is right in the world. She's very glad to hear that he agrees with her- though she doesn't need that reminder. She knows full well that come next arena, all of her allies are going to be mentors, instead.

In a way, it's comforting to know they won't be in danger. But at the same time, she's afraid of being alone. She won't have anyone to watch out for her- at least not directly. There's only so much a mentor can do outside of the arena.

Either way, she gives him a nod, as she pulls back. "We should, most definitely." She gives him a smile, though it's tinged a little with sadness. "Though... I am getting tired, so maybe we should start spending time together all of the time tomorrow." She gives him a small laugh, though she sounds tired. The truth is, she's feelings'd out and needs time to recover. "Can we see each other tomorrow?"

"I'm sure you run circles around them," She said, grinning. She raised a hand with a laugh and scrubbed at her hair, embarrassed but pleased.

"Well, I don't know about that, but feel free to mention me if you want. Sounds like you guys were getting along fine anyway, though."

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He ran into my sword.

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