Post by charlirozzi on Nov 10, 2024 6:31:12 GMT -8
Saturday November 9th
The Division mansion.
Sitting quietly off to the side during one of the training sessions and staying just out of eyeline, she had watched what each of them was capable of. Where their weaknesses sat and more importantly, how they interacted with one another. After her earlier talk with Olly, she anticipated a very different kind of chat with Ozzie.
He knew her better than most of the students or trainers, but that didn’t mean he was going to be looked at any differently by her. This wasn’t a, I’ll be harder on your than the rest, kind of conversation. That implied she thought he had more to offer than the rest and experience had taught her that just because they came in on someone else’s footsteps, didn’t mean they were any more cut out for this industry than anyone else.
After most had left she had made sure Ozzie knew to meet her where she was sitting. With her observations fresh in her mind, she felt it was the best time to speak to him really.
Ozzie approached her, his usual swagger somewhat subdued as he joined her where she sat. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing around the now-empty training room before focusing on her.
”Alright, A. I know that look,” he said, half-smirking. ”So, what’s the verdict?” His tone was playful, but there was a hint of curiosity, maybe even a touch of uncertainty, in his voice.
He knew she had watched closely, had analyzed every move and reaction, and he wanted to hear her thoughts, even if they might not be all praise.
She immediately shot him a look that was closer to a threat than anything. ”Use my name again around here and this will be the last time I so much as remember you exist.” Despite the anger in her eyes, her tone was as cool and level as it always was; her accent undisguised.
She settled back in the chair and took a moment, rolling her eyes slightly before relaxing into herself again and offering him less of an annoyed look.
”You’re trying too hard to be noticed by the rest of them.” She wasn’t attacking him, she wasn’t even telling him something he didn’t know, her tone remained the same. Never an attack or a judgement, she just didn’t flower anything up before she said it. ”Everyone here and out there in the rest of the academy is already looking at you Oz. Whether they like it or not, you’re the one name on the student list that people are wary of… you’re not soft like Maya and you’re not afraid of your own name like Jaime is. But your cockiness shouldn’t outshine your ability.”
She paused again, this time to let him take in what she had said. He had a lot of potential, reviewing just one training session had shown her that, but she didn’t see enough of it, because he was always ‘on’.
Ozzie took her words in, and though her tone had that cold edge, he couldn’t help the smirk tugging at his lips. But it softened quickly, and he gave her a slow nod, his expression shifting to something more thoughtful as he met her gaze.
”Alright, Le Lapin Blanc,” he said, a hint of teasing in his voice but respectful enough to keep it contained. ”I get it. I’ve been pushing—maybe harder than I should. But it’s not just about being noticed; it’s about making sure they know I’m not here to just fill the numbers. This? It’s everything.”
He ran a hand over his jaw, letting a moment of honesty settle between them. ”Sometimes it feels like if I’m not ‘on,’ I’m just another name on the list, you know? Like all this potential you’re talking about, it could fade into the background if I don’t keep it at a hundred every second.”
He met her eyes, more grounded now, taking in her words seriously. ”But I hear you. Guess I just need to make them remember my name the right way.”
She nodded slowly, her gaze softened just a little. She understood his need to feel bigger than the name he was tied to, in a different way it was something she had struggled with herself and now, was part of the reason she wore the mask.
”The problem with being ‘on’ all the time is you have nowhere to go from it. Training, these shows, it’s all just like any other performance. You have to build to it, leave yourself somewhere to go when they think they’re seen it all.” She brought her tone down to more of a whisper, her eyes still trained on him the whole time.
”Between Julian and Riley? It’s only natural that you feel you have something to prove. Not just to everyone else but to yourself. The frustration you’re feeling? That need to be the loudest in the room? That’s what’s going to set you above the rest, but you need to really feel that in yourself. Sit in it, be uncomfortable in it.” She produced a Polaroid photograph, where from remained a mystery, gnar same slight of hand trick she had used earlier. Offering it out to him, it was a photograph of him years earlier, before she had disappeared.
”That is the only person you have to prove anything to. That’s who you’re doing this for… the rest is just noise.”
Ozzie looked down at the Polaroid, his hand instinctively tightening around it as he took in the image—a version of himself from what felt like a lifetime ago. The weight of her words hung in the air between them, sinking in deeper than he cared to admit.
He let out a breath, nodding slowly. ”That’s… real. I get it.” He traced his thumb over the edges of the photo, a little smirk slipping back, but this time it was quieter, less performative. ”Sometimes it’s easy to forget what’s under all the noise. Like I’m just adding to it instead of being something different.”
His eyes flicked up to meet hers, a genuine appreciation in his gaze. ”Guess you’re right. The show doesn’t have to be constant. It’s gotta build.” He slipped the Polaroid into his pocket, giving her a nod, more serious now. ”Thanks, Le Lapin Blanc. Maybe I needed to see that again… and hear all this.”
She sat back, the smile on her face was as close to warm as she allowed it to be when she had the mask on. A small nod as she looked over his face, sometimes she still saw the same kid who looked at all of this was wide eyes. She couldn’t help it.
”Any time you need to remember, you know where to find me.”
He looked at her, that slight warmth in her smile catching him off guard. For a moment, Ozzie’s cocky veneer faded, replaced by a flash of something genuine, something unguarded. He nodded, the weight of her words settling on him in a way he hadn’t expected.
”Yeah… I know,” he replied, his voice quieter than usual, almost reverent. There was a vulnerability in him that few got to see, and though he didn’t say it, he was grateful that she understood him in ways no one else did.
He took the Polaroid from the table, tucking it carefully into his pocket like a reminder of what he was fighting for, a piece of his past that would push him forward.
Standing up, he gave her one last look, the hint of a smirk returning to his lips. ”I’ll be seeing you.” And with that, he turned, leaving her with the unspoken bond they shared, a silent promise that he’d be back, whenever he needed that grounding force she provided.
The Division mansion.
Sitting quietly off to the side during one of the training sessions and staying just out of eyeline, she had watched what each of them was capable of. Where their weaknesses sat and more importantly, how they interacted with one another. After her earlier talk with Olly, she anticipated a very different kind of chat with Ozzie.
He knew her better than most of the students or trainers, but that didn’t mean he was going to be looked at any differently by her. This wasn’t a, I’ll be harder on your than the rest, kind of conversation. That implied she thought he had more to offer than the rest and experience had taught her that just because they came in on someone else’s footsteps, didn’t mean they were any more cut out for this industry than anyone else.
After most had left she had made sure Ozzie knew to meet her where she was sitting. With her observations fresh in her mind, she felt it was the best time to speak to him really.
Ozzie approached her, his usual swagger somewhat subdued as he joined her where she sat. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing around the now-empty training room before focusing on her.
”Alright, A. I know that look,” he said, half-smirking. ”So, what’s the verdict?” His tone was playful, but there was a hint of curiosity, maybe even a touch of uncertainty, in his voice.
He knew she had watched closely, had analyzed every move and reaction, and he wanted to hear her thoughts, even if they might not be all praise.
She immediately shot him a look that was closer to a threat than anything. ”Use my name again around here and this will be the last time I so much as remember you exist.” Despite the anger in her eyes, her tone was as cool and level as it always was; her accent undisguised.
She settled back in the chair and took a moment, rolling her eyes slightly before relaxing into herself again and offering him less of an annoyed look.
”You’re trying too hard to be noticed by the rest of them.” She wasn’t attacking him, she wasn’t even telling him something he didn’t know, her tone remained the same. Never an attack or a judgement, she just didn’t flower anything up before she said it. ”Everyone here and out there in the rest of the academy is already looking at you Oz. Whether they like it or not, you’re the one name on the student list that people are wary of… you’re not soft like Maya and you’re not afraid of your own name like Jaime is. But your cockiness shouldn’t outshine your ability.”
She paused again, this time to let him take in what she had said. He had a lot of potential, reviewing just one training session had shown her that, but she didn’t see enough of it, because he was always ‘on’.
Ozzie took her words in, and though her tone had that cold edge, he couldn’t help the smirk tugging at his lips. But it softened quickly, and he gave her a slow nod, his expression shifting to something more thoughtful as he met her gaze.
”Alright, Le Lapin Blanc,” he said, a hint of teasing in his voice but respectful enough to keep it contained. ”I get it. I’ve been pushing—maybe harder than I should. But it’s not just about being noticed; it’s about making sure they know I’m not here to just fill the numbers. This? It’s everything.”
He ran a hand over his jaw, letting a moment of honesty settle between them. ”Sometimes it feels like if I’m not ‘on,’ I’m just another name on the list, you know? Like all this potential you’re talking about, it could fade into the background if I don’t keep it at a hundred every second.”
He met her eyes, more grounded now, taking in her words seriously. ”But I hear you. Guess I just need to make them remember my name the right way.”
She nodded slowly, her gaze softened just a little. She understood his need to feel bigger than the name he was tied to, in a different way it was something she had struggled with herself and now, was part of the reason she wore the mask.
”The problem with being ‘on’ all the time is you have nowhere to go from it. Training, these shows, it’s all just like any other performance. You have to build to it, leave yourself somewhere to go when they think they’re seen it all.” She brought her tone down to more of a whisper, her eyes still trained on him the whole time.
”Between Julian and Riley? It’s only natural that you feel you have something to prove. Not just to everyone else but to yourself. The frustration you’re feeling? That need to be the loudest in the room? That’s what’s going to set you above the rest, but you need to really feel that in yourself. Sit in it, be uncomfortable in it.” She produced a Polaroid photograph, where from remained a mystery, gnar same slight of hand trick she had used earlier. Offering it out to him, it was a photograph of him years earlier, before she had disappeared.
”That is the only person you have to prove anything to. That’s who you’re doing this for… the rest is just noise.”
Ozzie looked down at the Polaroid, his hand instinctively tightening around it as he took in the image—a version of himself from what felt like a lifetime ago. The weight of her words hung in the air between them, sinking in deeper than he cared to admit.
He let out a breath, nodding slowly. ”That’s… real. I get it.” He traced his thumb over the edges of the photo, a little smirk slipping back, but this time it was quieter, less performative. ”Sometimes it’s easy to forget what’s under all the noise. Like I’m just adding to it instead of being something different.”
His eyes flicked up to meet hers, a genuine appreciation in his gaze. ”Guess you’re right. The show doesn’t have to be constant. It’s gotta build.” He slipped the Polaroid into his pocket, giving her a nod, more serious now. ”Thanks, Le Lapin Blanc. Maybe I needed to see that again… and hear all this.”
She sat back, the smile on her face was as close to warm as she allowed it to be when she had the mask on. A small nod as she looked over his face, sometimes she still saw the same kid who looked at all of this was wide eyes. She couldn’t help it.
”Any time you need to remember, you know where to find me.”
He looked at her, that slight warmth in her smile catching him off guard. For a moment, Ozzie’s cocky veneer faded, replaced by a flash of something genuine, something unguarded. He nodded, the weight of her words settling on him in a way he hadn’t expected.
”Yeah… I know,” he replied, his voice quieter than usual, almost reverent. There was a vulnerability in him that few got to see, and though he didn’t say it, he was grateful that she understood him in ways no one else did.
He took the Polaroid from the table, tucking it carefully into his pocket like a reminder of what he was fighting for, a piece of his past that would push him forward.
Standing up, he gave her one last look, the hint of a smirk returning to his lips. ”I’ll be seeing you.” And with that, he turned, leaving her with the unspoken bond they shared, a silent promise that he’d be back, whenever he needed that grounding force she provided.