[OTA- The Challenge] Fools live to regret their words, wise men to regret their silence.
Hadyn didn't watch Henry's performance. He paced and rubbing his hands together with an unyielding nervous energy. His stomach twisted and knotted, draining everything from him as he thought for the 18th time in that hour that he should just abandon his challenge and throw in the towel. God, he wanted to do anything right then and there....anything other that march out on that stage of deliver those burning accusations.
He rubbed his hands over his face as he heard laughter leaking through to backstage, the door to the backrooms propped open. His time was coming, he knew, but the closer it inched...the more dread he felt. The feeling wrapped about Hadyn so snugly that he never heard the soft click as the door closed, or the light foot steps as someone approached. It was only when he turned, going for one more round of pacing that he realized someone else was in the room.
Luka stood with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at Hadyn in a way that made the Heart wonder if he should be running for cover...or apologizing for some offense. But he only stood there for a while, staring and waiting as Hadyn fidgeted.
"Gra-Mr. Novak?" He asked, pulling himself up after a moment.
"Cut that hogwash, don't you waste no goddamn 'Mr. Novak' on me," Luka spat out after a moment, before putting a finger in Hadyn's chest. "You just tell me one thing, before you get your lily white ass out there- did you mean it?"
"W-what?" Hadyn gawked a moment, not even sure he could work out where any of this was coming from. "Mean what?"
"Those words, boy. This here train wreck of a play you've got going on."
Hadyn couldn't even begin to work out when or how Luka Novak had ever discovered what he'd writen, but he nodded slowly after thinking better of questioning the man. "Y-yes sir." He said, before adding a second later. "Mostly."
"Mostly? Hell boy, you either mean'm or you don't. Do did you mean them?"
"Yes!" Hadyn spout out defensively at that.
"Then good! No damn grandson of mine would let that bitch, that cowardly, conniving whore of a bitch get away with what she's done." Luka announced in a booming voice. Whatever protest Hadyn had at that was drowned in the hug that Luka Noavk pulled him into, holding him tight. "You listen, and you listen well because I'll only say this once- You are my grandson. You always have been- always will be, do you understand me?"
Hadyn nodded, though he wasn't sure how to else to handle the contact with his...grandfather. Slowly the spoke a little more, before Luka turned Hadyn about and pushed him toward the stage of Henry finished his performance. And then the house lights came down and the spot dimmed as it waited for him to step out. The older man only gave him a slight nudge, pushing Hadyn out on the stage for him to make his bid for Nine.
He stood on the stage in silence for a long moment, slowly pulling a chair around and setting it in front of him carefully before starting his long monologue. He gave himself over the to emotions that the words had evoked from the very beginning- the anger and hurt mixed into one heated proclamation that he was no longer bending his knee to the whim and desires of his mother.
And the he waited. He waited until he heard the results of the vote from the audience, and started in utter disbelieve when he was assured that he won. Repeatedly. It was still, even as congratulations started to fade, a bit of a surreal shock for him. He was a Nine.
He was a Nine of Hearts.
And he'd just barely scrapped by to win that.
Henry, for his part, seemed amused by the results, offering his congratulations before promising there would be a Counter. Once he thought up something Hadyn wasn't a natural at. But how serious that was seemed to be anyone's guess as he walked away. The newest Nine certainly wasn't sure about it.
[ooc: This is Hadyn's Challenge to Nine of Hearts. Which he wins, barely. His play is not something I can brain enough to write out. Basically it goes along the lines of outing all the lies and half-truths that Laureline ever told the boys, and how they let her manipulate them because of some desire to be loved while having no one else to really turn to (Davin aside). Basically- it is a tell all (the emotional/mental abuse, manipulations, controlled lives, etc). Minus the bit about her murdering Ceiro by poisoning. That is still their little secret.]
He rubbed his hands over his face as he heard laughter leaking through to backstage, the door to the backrooms propped open. His time was coming, he knew, but the closer it inched...the more dread he felt. The feeling wrapped about Hadyn so snugly that he never heard the soft click as the door closed, or the light foot steps as someone approached. It was only when he turned, going for one more round of pacing that he realized someone else was in the room.
Luka stood with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at Hadyn in a way that made the Heart wonder if he should be running for cover...or apologizing for some offense. But he only stood there for a while, staring and waiting as Hadyn fidgeted.
"Gra-Mr. Novak?" He asked, pulling himself up after a moment.
"Cut that hogwash, don't you waste no goddamn 'Mr. Novak' on me," Luka spat out after a moment, before putting a finger in Hadyn's chest. "You just tell me one thing, before you get your lily white ass out there- did you mean it?"
"W-what?" Hadyn gawked a moment, not even sure he could work out where any of this was coming from. "Mean what?"
"Those words, boy. This here train wreck of a play you've got going on."
Hadyn couldn't even begin to work out when or how Luka Novak had ever discovered what he'd writen, but he nodded slowly after thinking better of questioning the man. "Y-yes sir." He said, before adding a second later. "Mostly."
"Mostly? Hell boy, you either mean'm or you don't. Do did you mean them?"
"Yes!" Hadyn spout out defensively at that.
"Then good! No damn grandson of mine would let that bitch, that cowardly, conniving whore of a bitch get away with what she's done." Luka announced in a booming voice. Whatever protest Hadyn had at that was drowned in the hug that Luka Noavk pulled him into, holding him tight. "You listen, and you listen well because I'll only say this once- You are my grandson. You always have been- always will be, do you understand me?"
Hadyn nodded, though he wasn't sure how to else to handle the contact with his...grandfather. Slowly the spoke a little more, before Luka turned Hadyn about and pushed him toward the stage of Henry finished his performance. And then the house lights came down and the spot dimmed as it waited for him to step out. The older man only gave him a slight nudge, pushing Hadyn out on the stage for him to make his bid for Nine.
He stood on the stage in silence for a long moment, slowly pulling a chair around and setting it in front of him carefully before starting his long monologue. He gave himself over the to emotions that the words had evoked from the very beginning- the anger and hurt mixed into one heated proclamation that he was no longer bending his knee to the whim and desires of his mother.
And the he waited. He waited until he heard the results of the vote from the audience, and started in utter disbelieve when he was assured that he won. Repeatedly. It was still, even as congratulations started to fade, a bit of a surreal shock for him. He was a Nine.
He was a Nine of Hearts.
And he'd just barely scrapped by to win that.
Henry, for his part, seemed amused by the results, offering his congratulations before promising there would be a Counter. Once he thought up something Hadyn wasn't a natural at. But how serious that was seemed to be anyone's guess as he walked away. The newest Nine certainly wasn't sure about it.
[ooc: This is Hadyn's Challenge to Nine of Hearts. Which he wins, barely. His play is not something I can brain enough to write out. Basically it goes along the lines of outing all the lies and half-truths that Laureline ever told the boys, and how they let her manipulate them because of some desire to be loved while having no one else to really turn to (Davin aside). Basically- it is a tell all (the emotional/mental abuse, manipulations, controlled lives, etc). Minus the bit about her murdering Ceiro by poisoning. That is still their little secret.]