{ DIANA SILVERS, 22, CISGENDER FEMALE, SHE/HER } Is that MARI ZUKO? A JUNIOR originally from BOSTON, MA, they decided to come to Ogden College to study LITERATURE & CLASSICS. They’re THE CLOSET GAY on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.
THE ESSENTIALS
Mari Zuko, the younger daughter of the dean of Ogden College, has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Or at least the weight of her parent’s expectations. Desperate for validation and acceptance, Mari bends over backwards to try to live up to all the hopes and dreams they pinned on her, perfecting the facade of the picture-perfect sorority president with ease. In reality, she’s constantly masking who she really is - including her sexuality - and how hard she always has to try.
CHARACTER INSPIRATIONS
morrigan (acotar) - leighton murray (sex lives of college girls) - blair waldorf (gossip girl) - jordan baker (the great gatsby) - sydney sage (bloodlines series) - gabby windey (the bachelorette) - eloise bridgerton (bridgerton) - margaery tyrell (game of thrones) - santana lopez (glee) - abby littman (ginny and georgia)
TROPES
THE CLOSET GAY - transparent closet - lipstick lesbian -girly girl with a tomboy streak - hard-drinking party girl - hypocrite - weight woes - deadpan snarker & stepford snarker - always second best (to her sister bryn & in some ways to greer) & successful sibling syndrome - jerk with a heart of gold - aloof dark haired girl
I was expected to, those words echoed in Reina’s mind. That was the thing about growing up, it was more often than not you had to grow to fit someone else’s expectations and not grow to become the person you wanted to be. That was why so many people had mid-life crisis’ or at least that’s what she thought. “As long as you enjoy it.” She said before also taking a sip of her juice. “That’s all you can do anyway, right? Find something to enjoy that’s what makes life bearable.”
Reina checked the time on her phone and let out a sigh. “I should get going before I waste the rest of my day moping here. Thanks for chatting with me and making me not seem like some crazy person sitting alone.” She was fully aware that she did not look put together and the muttering she was doing by herself could have caused concern for other customers. “Maybe I’ll stop by KKG, think about joining.” She smirked, knowing full well she would not because a sorority sister.
Mari’s lips pressed together, a small, tight smile given in return to Reina. She let out a small sigh, her head nodding. “Yeah,” she agreed, the word almost wistful as she spoke, eyes watching Reina as she pushed herself to stand up, bobbing her head in a nod once again. “Any time,” Mari answered, her smile still small, though slightly warmer as she spoke. “I’ll keep an eye out for you,” she said as she waved a hand in farewell, eyes watching Reina as she left the cafe.
mari’s answer pulled a bit of laughter from the redhead. a bright and chirpy sound that largely indicated that she agreed. in parker’s experience, greer had a talent for getting herself into messy situations. it was almost as though she’d set them up—lined up all the dominos—on purpose, creating a puzzle she had to figure her way out of. or, as seen much more often, eventually decide to just knock it all down and screw the collateral damage. even when that collateral damage was people.
it wasn’t like this was a new realization, either. things had always been this way with greer. it was what caused parker’s laughter to snuff out as quickly as it did. you—she, anyway—couldn’t think about one without the other. greer’s amusing antics vs the inevitable trouble they caused. she’d been lucky, or perhaps friendly, or boring enough to not be on the receiving end of the blonde’s more disastrous situations; she had to wonder if mari’s experience was the same.
“yeah,” parker nodded, admittedly (at least, to herself) glad that greer wasn’t there to pull that. “i’m honestly not sure how she got away with any of that.” the very public games, the manipulation. “or, like,” there was a pause, the redhead considering her words, “stomached it. truthfully.” maybe it was the darkness of the space, which meant that no one could see her subtle frown, or the physical separation from everyone else, but the conversation was spinning into something more than greer-spin-the-bottle-what-if-scenarios.
-
“Charm,” Mari said flatly, head tipping back against the wall she was leaning against. Her eyes shut, Mari exhaling, the sound shakier than she would be okay with admitting. Her mouth twisted to one side - glad that they were at least in the dark of the closet, her reaction unseen by anyone. “And confidence,” she added, voice even quieter than before. Greer just always had that aura, no matter where she was or who she was interacting with. It had always seemed like she could get away with murder - Mari often watched in awe as she spun combinations of truth and lies with an ease that made no one even think of questioning her. At least out loud. She had never come closer to understanding it, even as they had gotten closer, as Mari had gotten to know her better.
She thought, at least.
“She had her own things going on, though,” Mari said, still quiet, though she straightened up, no longer slumped against the wall, posture lengthening even though there was no one who could actually witness it. An angle of her head, chin lifted up, lips turned down - her demeanor grew colder, thinking of the Greer that she had thought she known. But as mad as she was, as hurt as she had been…it was still engrained in Mari to defend Greer. “I don’t think she was purposefully trying to be cruel. Just had her own way of dealing with things,” she said, finally shrugging up a shoulder, scuffing one foot against the ground.
who: @carmenhearst when/where: any time during the carnival
“Hey,” Mari greeted Carmen, a hint of relief crossing her face at seeing the other brunette - the boisterous energy of the carnival wasn’t exactly her thing, much more at home in a more…refined environment. But who didn’t love a carnival ride? “Wanna go on one of the rides with me?” she asked, her tone sweet, nearly musical, as she suggested it, bumping her shoulder against Carmen’s as she fell into step beside her - the movement subtle enough it could’ve simply just been her adjusting her stride to walk beside her.
Mari raised her eyebrows as she saw Charlie approaching, the blonde having just finished up a shift at the kissing booth. “You look like you’re having a blast,” she said, unable to help the amused smile that spread across her face as her eyes flickered her, though Mari’s gaze narrowed a beat later. “How come you never volunteer for KKG events with this much excitement?”
STATUS: Closed for @mari-zuko WHERE: C. Ling WHEN: One night during spring break
Girl’s night, a little break from campus, that’s what her and Mari planned. It would start as a simple night out getting some drinks but who knows how it will end. Maybe they’ll end up at Hex and go dancing, or maybe they’ll just go bar hopping in town, or maybe they’ll end up back at one of their dorms. Reina may have been hoping for one of those but she’d be happy with anything because it meant spending time with Mari and not spending the entire night alone in her dorm.
Reina decided to wear a light blue, backless, deep v-neck with a ruffled skirt mini dress, accessorized with dainty jewelry - a few rings and bracelets and a necklace with a little airplane that her parents got her one birthday - and paired with simple white heeled sandals. She left her hair down in loose curls and did a light makeup look with just a pop of color on her eyes. Taking one last look over herself in the mirror she deemed herself ready and started making her way to meet Mari.
It didn’t take long to get to C. Ling, and it only took a second to spot her friend. “Hey,” Reina greeted Mari with a smile. “I hope you weren’t waiting long.” She hated being the last one at places or being late in general but they didn’t have a set time to meet. They just said they’d meet around this time, she was actually trying to show up early.
Normally Mari loved the quiet campus during breaks, but this year, it had felt different. The oppressive silence only interrupted by swarming cops after New Year’s had been worse, but even spring break, when quite a few students and professors had jetted off…it was eerie. She had been all too happy to see that Reina had also stayed and even happier to have an excuse to go out with her. A girl’s night off campus, blow off some steam. Because they were one of few who hadn’t gone anywhere. That was it. And it was well overdue, since Reina had come back.
She was wearing a black corset - lace up sides, a square neckline that made ever her nearly non-existent boobs looks good, paired with a menswear-esque pleated trouser. And flats, considering how much taller she was then Reina (though honestly, Mari sorta liked it). Her hair was pulled back with a small velvet bow, her fingers absentmindedly twirling the loose pieces around her face as she sat at the bar, waiting for Reina. Though she had been quite early - Mari was punctual to the point of it being fault, at least in situations like this. At least it gave her a chance to have a glass of wine in front of her.
When she finally saw Reina, she gave her a small smile in return, her hand already lifting to wave away her comment. “Not at all,” she lied, swiveling on her stool so the brunette could slide in next to her. “You know, I’m surprised you didn’t go anywhere over break,” Mari added after a beat, waiting for Reina to be seated before she spoke.
Spread out on Mika’s bed in a tangle of limbs, a laptop sat between her and Mari as some Netflix show she hadn’t been paying any attention to played on. This had fast become her favorite hideaway, the two of them just existing behind a closed door. No explanations, no pretending, just being. She was so content, in fact, that her eyes closed for longer than a blink and she snuggled in a little closer to Mari. “What if you just stayed the night,” she murmured, lifting her face just enough to waggle a tempting brow in the other girl’s direction.
Was it tempting to listen to Mika and stay? Yes. Absolutely. But Mari knew it was a terrible idea, a small shake of her head her answer, even as her lips were pressed together to hold back the slight curling upwards of the corners of her lips, not looking towards the other girl. “Our roommates would think we were very dedicated to planning another fundraiser,” she said in a sing-song tone, though even that wasn’t true - it’s not like her roommates knew where she was, nor did Mika’s know who was currently in her room with her. “Besides. I sprawl when I sleep. All long limbs, taking up practically the whole bed,” Mari added, finally shifting her eyes from the laptop to look towards Mika.
“That was the only time you’d ever listen!” He was definitely yelling now, reaching a volume that made it feel almost as if his voice was reverberating in the closet around them, striking Monty’s ears in an ugly way that finally had him falling silent. Why were they doing this? Why was he doing this? It was a waste of time, a waste of energy, a waste of breath. Mari knew it, too, of course, her muttered snark only halfway heard by Monty, but he still understood. Still agreed with a silent sneer of his own. It was incredible that one of the only times they were on the same page was when they were broken up. Go figure.
He shook his head and backed off, jaw flexing with the forceful grind of his teeth. “Think what you wanna think,” he said, relenting and echoing her ‘whatever’ in his own way. “About our relationship, about me… I don’t care anymore, Mari.” Maybe if he said it enough times, he’d actually believe it one of these days. His shoulders were still held in a tense, taught line as he turned for the door, well aware that no one had come to collect them yet, so they probably had several minutes left in Heaven, but he was over it. He yanked open the door and stepped out of the closet, predictably greeted by a combination of upset jeering and loud voices urging him to turn right back around. He didn’t. Monty only rolled his eyes and used the commotion to mix in with the crowd, easily slipping away from the circle of spin the bottle participants entirely, both of his turns now completed.
Nat looked at her phone again as if it might will a text or a call or something to come through and at least put her out of her misery at this point. Tinder dates in general were so nerve-wracking— was she supposed to put out? was it a casual thing? a precursor to a possibly more-than-casual thing?— but to be stood up was a whole different kind of evil. Like, sending a text isn’t that hard!
She felt suddenly too exposed and just… too deflated to wait any longer. So she shot back the rest of her drink and left more than enough cash on the bar to cover her bill as she gathered up her things to leave. She wasn’t going to cry but humiliation did feel like the prickle of hot tears behind her eyes and she blinked furiously to clear her vision, only realizing as she looked up at the face of someone who’s path she’d unintentionally stepped into that she’d put herself in the direct line of Mari Zuko. Awesome. She’d been trying hard to prove she wasn’t that weak little thing Greer had made her feel and now here she was, a stood up little baby who was probably going to cry because of how embarrassing all of this was. “So sorry,” she said, eyes sweeping the ground as she stepped out of the way to avoid a collision. “I’m a walking hazard. I should probably always be wearing caution tape yellow.”
Mari knew exactly what had driven her to the bar off campus - the need to not be the dean’s daughter for a few moments, to have the anonymity that no longer existed in the eyes of people who knew who had been friendly with Greer and who hadn’t, even more so as of late, it seemed. She purposefully picked a bar that wasn’t frequented by Ogden students, instead of going somewhere on campus, because she didn’t want to see a familiar face.
But as she was on her way in, she came face to face with none other than Nat, Mari’s lips parting as she was about to come up with some excuse as to why she was there - she was meeting someone or she….didn’t even really have an excuse. But Nat started speaking first, Mari’s chin lifting up slightly before she shook her head at the shorter brunette. “You’re fine,” she said, offering a small smile. “Were you…on your way out?” she asked, head angling towards one shoulder, unsure why she was asking - other than to know if she’d have to actually come up with some excuse as to why she was there.
Location: Milo & Mari’s Dorm Time: Sometime shortly after the Hart of the Matter Announcement Who: @mari-zuko
“This is bullshit, right?” Milo asked, reading over the school email about the Hart of the Matter TV show filming. He glanced over towards Mari from where he sat on his bed, narrowing his eyes a little bit. “We don’t have to go and do this?” Though it was almost as if on cue he started getting texts from his PR agent insisting that he actually go do it. That it could really help his image in the public eye - since his police interrogation didn’t go all that well.
He pressed his lips together tightly and tossed his phone to the side. Apparently he’d forgotten to tell Anya to give him a filter that blocks all the school’s dumb ideas. “Is your dad getting paid for this? I mean … ‘the school is getting a large donation for this, isn’t it?’” He corrected himself.
Mari’s tongue was pressed against her teeth, reading the notice that had gone out with a hint of disbelief on her face. Surely this was a joke. She knew her father - and Donovan - were constantly searching for good PR, but exploiting Greer and Penny like this? It seemed too far, even for them. And she was somewhat shocked that she hadn’t been told - hadn’t been prepped, locked and loaded with a response to give students, her classmates, her friends, her goddamn roommate. She heard Milo’s voice distantly, as if she was underwater, eyes running over the words a few more times before they even registered, turning to glance at him out of the corner of her eyes.
It’s not that she had been avoiding him since the rumor about his sleeping with Greer. She had no reason to be upset about that. Even though she had told him about her and Greer, and he hadn’t felt it necessary to say anything. Mari had gone back to acting like things were normal - her and Greer were just friends, she had never admitted anything else to Milo, and just….didn’t think about the fact that the blonde had also been sleeping with her roommate.
The entire situation was fucked.
“No, of course not,” she said automatically, though Mari had a feeling that’s exactly what was going down. Was it good that the school got a donation for this? Did that make it better, or worse? She honestly had no idea. “But no. There’s no way they can make you do this. It’s probably just highly suggested,” she said quietly, a wry smile curling up one side of her lips. “I’m sure…there’s a reason for this. That it’s helping somehow.”
“But who would have the most interesting story to tell.” Reina mumbled mostly to herself as she thought. Sure they were all being played as pawns to this G person but there are probably people like her who haven’t had too many interactions which she wasn’t complaining about. But her own story with G so far wouldn’t really be worth reading.
The brunette shook her head, “Oh god no. Even if I wanted to, I feel like it’s a little too late to join a sorority with only one year of college left to go.” She chuckled. Joining a sorority was something she had thought about when she started college but ultimately she knew it wouldn’t be a good fit no matter which one she would join. The idea of sisterhood was far too foreign to her and she couldn’t see herself upholding it during their school years or beyond. “I don’t know how you do it, be the President of KKG and all. Seems like a lot.”
“Greer?” Mari said, lips curling in, pressing together - she knew that Reina had meant the question mostly rhetorically, but she couldn’t help but answer regardless. It was unquestionable, really - Greer was always the one who had the most interesting story, consistently the most captivating one in the room. Even now, when she wasn’t around. Even saying it, though, Mari felt herself deflating slightly, wondering if that was true anymore - wondering if Greer would ever tell a story again. Or if this lingering mystery of what had happened to her would be the last.
Mari shook that off, laughing quietly at Reina’s response, her chin ducking down towards her chest. “Plenty of girl’s rush as sophomores and juniors. You wouldn’t be the only one. But I get it,” she said. She knew sorority life wasn’t for everyone - fuck, she wasn’t sure if sorority life was for her. Reina’s follow-up only further made her start to question it, Mari wondering not only how she did it, but why she did it. “I was expected to,” she answered, the words out before she could filter them, a slight flush coming to her cheeks. “It’s worth it, though. The extra work and everything,” she said a beat later, as if it could change what she had just said, reaching for the juice she had in front of her, spinning it around a few times. “Uh. Even if my mother hadn’t been, you know. Raising me to be KKG president some day,” a raise of her eyebrows, an amused laugh filtered into the word, “I enjoy it,” Mari added, shrugging up a shoulder as she finally sipped from her juice.
