Hello, everyone! after dealing with real life and the other nonsense of living, panny and i have decided to bring back war of change. give a round of applause. we’ve worked through all of the information and hopefully improved coherency and cohesion; however, tell us if we missed something. eventually, we’ll announce an event to celebrate the re-opening, so look out for information on that. -RAIDNE, THE HEAD ADMIN
From the moonless night, screams of terror and fear resound, spreading across the world and infecting the masses; however, those sleepless nights occurred years ago. A new era began with the fires of war, and with no end in sight, the residents of Selene Isle trudge through life, basking in the momentary peace. Despite their prayers for continued monotony and peace, a storm brews, stirred to life by the continued presence of Rapture and Wraith. And as we set our sights on the seemingly peace laden isle, we must ask: how shall this tale end?
As the years passed, the number of true pairs increased; however, they continued to live in the shadows, catering to the whims of the mundane. Seven Moons kept watch over them all, instructing them and assisting them, but for many, the attitudes and ideals of the organization were smoldering, suffocating. With Seven Moons and the mundanes, they could not grasp the freedom, the power dangling before their eyes. In the beginning, rebellion was a dream, a fantasy, a figment—developed by the repressed and carried forward due to the nature of humanity. No one expected the call to sound, and no one expected the call to be answered. However, it happened.
This wasn't really the best place for someone like Satoru to be. It was also one of the only times he had managed to get away from the stress of the other zeros that he still wasn't quite used to yet. The others were different (which was to put it lightly) and he had only warmed up to Az and even that was seldom at best. Sat had slowly tried to increase his bond with the red head, but even then it was hard to face the other.
So instead, Sat had managed to sneak his way out of the Zero household. Instead he found himself wandering by the different shops and finding his way to the district of gibbious moon. A few shops caught his eye as he window shopped a little before something bright finally caught his eye. Satoru found himself in the entrance of sweet briar as he quickly looked around at the different flowers that had caught his earlier attention.
Before he stopped himself, the young zero had found himself inside the flower shop. Red hues looked around for a moment, not seeing anyone he simply continued to look at the flowers. "These are all really pretty" he spoke more to himself than anyone else. A small smile graced his features some as he moved his small fingers near the flowers but didn't touch them. Wasn't there something that if you touched a flower it would wilt.
Sat's pink hair swayed some at his back near the back of his knees where he had pulled into a pony tail earlier that day. Other than the two braids that laid at the side of his face. "Its not odd for someone like me to like flowers right?" he spoke out loud not realizing he was speaking outloud. Oh how weird it would be for someone to have heard him..
the day, so far, had been a slow one; it was neither a weekend or a holiday, and even in the busy summer season, on a day like this business plugged on at a relaxed, leisurely pace. nimat was the last person you would hear complaining about this. the boy knew from experience that business would pick up later in the day as it always did, and so for now, he allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of peace the establishment itself harbored. being next to alone surrounded by these beautiful colors and aromas was far from the worst way nimat could think to spend his time.
his job as an errand boy had never had particularly strict terms. when he wasn't making deliveries or running for materials he tried to help the customers his coworkers were too preoccupied to get to, but excess wasn't a problem at the moment. times like these were when he could usually take a break to hide in the back and work on homework or sketch, but he couldn't do that. the boss was a flexible enough person, but it felt wrong to get paid for doing nothing all day.
organizing the shelves wasn't much, but it was something. when no one was around, he gravitated into the main area of the store where all of the flowers were anyway, and making them look nice and as presentable as they could come was his pleasure in the first place. working his way through the aisles, he tended to them one by one: making sure their best angle faced the room, trimming away the occasional dead leaf, giving a spritz of water here and there when he deemed it necessary.
these are all really pretty.
he hadn't even noticed the customer come in, and the sudden awareness that he wasn't alone was enough to stir up his anxiety. he had been about to round into that row, but found himself stepping back. he would have hated to disturb their shopping experience—that was his excuse, anyway—but at the same thing, he couldn't just skip over it. the only thing that left him more dissatisfied than having nothing to do was having something to do but doing it incompletely. he forced himself to get over it, rounding the corner as quietly and inconspicuously as he could manage and powered on.
it's not odd for someone like me to like flowers right?
startled, his ears flattened against his head just for a moment before he relaxed himself again. ah. he had been noticed. that was how it seemed, anyway. he couldn't very well ignore a customer; glancing over his shoulder, he couldn't say he expected what he saw. pink hair wasn't what he'd call common, but in this shop full of color, it seemed perfectly in its place. the person hadn't even turned to face him, but nimat was fine with that, watching instead with admiration how delicately they regarded the flowers they admired.
"i don't think so— or, um, i certainly hope not."
such a regard was a strange thing to connect over, but he couldn't help but feel somewhat kindred. what a charming young woman.
They were beautiful and he wanted so much to touch them, to hope that maybe some of their simple lives could pass over to him. It would have been better if his life had remained so simple. Yet, here he was in a life that he didn't want, but had no choice but to live. After all, it was his fault that he didn't have his old life anymore. What he was, he wasn't a human so why would he be treated like one. Humans were so fragile, just like the flowers in front of him. They could be crushed so easily, a single blow was all a zero needed to kill a human. They weren't humans, but they had been made to kill and to murder whatever their masters wished of them. For the zero's this was as simple as breathing.
Yet here he was wanting something more from life, wanting someone to hold him and tell him false whispers of nothing. To be told he was loved and that nothing was ever going to hurt him. The touch of a mother's hand was a simple thing to him, something he had felt once before and the strong but encouraging words of a father who cared deeply for his son. Even if such mother and father knew that the boy that they cared for was not their own, they had always treated them like he was. Yet, even a rose had its thorns and the thorns had all but destroyed his life forever. He wasn't a flower at all, but only the thorns that constricted and choked out the love of anyone who cared for the rose, warning of the danger.
Yet when a voice spoke in a response to his own the young boy jumped startled by it. He hadn't quite been on edge so he hadn't felt the presence of the other, especially since the other didn't seem to have much of a presence to begin with. Even with him speaking, Sat couldn't feel the other. Perhaps it was because he had such a soft soul that he didn't pick up on him. He wasn't a threat so there was no point to even recognize that he existed till he startled the other out of his wits. The hat that had sat upon his head fell to the ground as his pink ears shifted slightly under the matching pink locks that trailed down his back.
In auto response the boy turned sideways to glance at the other. If his own hair was a odd color, this new person had just as strange hair. It was long as well (but not quite as long as sat's) and it had the glow of freshly laid snow. The boy could remember the snow when everything was easy, a sign that the holidays were coming and the sign that everyone was together and happy. Even if it was cold that meant warm nights near the fire with maybe a book or two or some games to play. It reminded him of a past that seemed to be all but elusive to him even now. A creature like himself had never deserved such memories yet now they haunted him like a nightmare that he couldn't forget.
"I apologize sir, I didn't mean to speak aloud."
His voice was quiet almost like a whisper as it escaped his lips. His eyes glanced away quickly to show his submission on the subject. Yet, this new man had said that it was okay for him to like such things. Sat's finger still hovered over the soft pedals that lay just inches below his finger. "Flowers are so fragile, a simple touch has the power to kill them or injure them." he said his voice a little louder this time as his eyes glanced away from the newcomer to the flower again. "Why... do they have to be so fragile? As if everything around them can come crashing down in a instant even if they don't wish it so."
immediately upon speaking, nimat figured he had done something wrong. he figured he had been addressed, but to his knowledge, a person expecting a response didn't typically jump so severely when they received one. they had startled so badly that their hat had even fallen off— it was a simple mistake on his own part, but it still made him feel like an absolute monster. poor soul.
though he had initially thought young woman, the person who turned to face him looked even younger and more innocent than he could have guessed; he might do better to describe them as a young lady or a girl. the ears now visible upon their head in lack of their hat only further reinforced the illusion. outside of the knowledge or intention of either of them, nimat continued to be deceived.
i apologize sir, i didn't mean to speak aloud.
the voice that spoke to him was so barely audible that he had to think to decipher what it had said. so that had been it after all. he wondered if they might have been talking to the flowers— almost hoped for it, if only so he could have the knowledge that he wasn't the only one with such an embarrassing habit. no matter what they had been up to, he felt bad to disturb them; to have been so shaken upon returning to reality, they must have been very absorbed in what they were doing. nimat knew that feeling.
"no, it's okay— i'm sorry if i startled you," he spoke quietly in response, though he wasn't sure why. it wasn't as though they had to speak softly, but after such a quiet communication, nimat felt that much louder in comparison. he would go on to leave them with their thoughts, but not before crouching down to pick up their hat from where it lay on the floor.
when he stood again, he was a bit jarred to see that they had already turned away from him again. it wouldn't be a bad thing under normal circumstances, but nimat wasn't looking forward to having to disturb them again to give their article back. assuming their attention had moved on, this time it was nimat's turn to be taken off guard when they spoke.
flowers are so fragile, a simple touch has the power to kill them or injure them.
the thought had come so seemingly out of nowhere that nimat wasn't sure how to take it. he hoped it wasn't such a literal idea—the last thing he needed was someone coming through and touseling the merchandise—but he didn't worry much. he couldn't pin down why, but it did definitely seem like it was more than that.
why... do they have to be so fragile?
yes, he figured, there was another layer to this. as the customer continued to talk, it became more and more obvious to nimat that whatever thought process he had interrupted had been a rather serious one; he wasn't entirely certian what this person was getting at, but if he hadn't been deliberately included in it, he would have felt as though he was witnessing something private. even now he found himself glancing away, hoping to distance himself from the sentimentality of it, if only slightly.
the gesture was a useless one; the thoughts had all been sprung upon him in such a way that despite his suprise, he was forced to face it. he wasn't at all partial to the feeling of melancholy that accompanied the words, and the image of his mother that came into his mind of its own accord was something that made him regret coming to work today. nimat shoved his own thoughts and feelings down as aggressively as they had risen to meet him. at this point, he couldn't be sure whether or not this person was just talking to themself, but his own unspoken understanding obligated him to respond.
"...it's true that they're fragile," he spoke his affirmation slowly, hoping to avoid startling them again, "but— that just makes the ones that survive that much more admirable, right?" he didn't know specifically what significance the subject had to his conversation partner, but he hoped he wasn't forcing his views on them. "that's what i think."
as an afterthought, he extended the hand that held their hat. "this— you— it dropped."
tagged: satoru notes: sorry about the wall of text orz
It was obvious how uncomfortable he was making the other, and Sat was apologetic for such things. Normally he wasn't like this, he was good at hiding how he really felt about everything. It was enough that he had to suffer on his own ( for the most part ) without having to add others into the crossfire. It wasn't fair of the pinkette to ask anyone else to feel the same way that he felt. No one should have to go through what he was going through right now.
So as things progressed the boy slowly regretted saying what he had to the other. He had been speaking on habit but now his feelings they were out in the open. How he really felt, was it something he was allowed to feel at all? Maybe someone would call him crazy, but it was hard to understand one's feelings unless they had actually been through the trauma that Sat himself had gone through and would still go through for the rest of his existence. Yet, the voice of the other brought him back out of his thoughts.
His head turned quickly as he moved to face the other leaving the fragile flower behind. His words, they hit something deep within him and he felt frozen there for a moment. Frozen in time in a position that someone thought of flowers. This boy didn't know him, and maybe didn't understand that it wasn't just the flowers he was talking about. Yet, even if he didn't know, his answer.. it brought something to him that he himself didn't understand.
"... yes, you are right. The ones that survive.. perhaps they are the most beautiful of all." he said calmly a small smile forming his face now as he faced the other fully now. " I apologize again, for... such a strange question and conversation. You are quite kind, may I ask your name? My name is Satoru, but you can call me Sat if you wish." he said softly. The smile remained on his face now, and for a moment his fears seemed like a distant memory among the other. Even if he didn't know him well he had brought something to Sat that he hadn't felt in a very long time.
He felt wanted.
Sat's face flushed some now as the other held his hat and he absently patted his head only to be met by his own hair and ears. "A-Ah! I didn't even notice that it had fallen!" he said as the flush moved across his face. Sat squirmed a little now and slowly offered his own hand to take it back and his right to offer his hand to the other in a normal greeting.
waiting for a them to say something back was the most difficult part; not much time passed before he got a response, but what delay there was rattled his nerves. glancing between the pink-haired person before him and the shop's atmospheric hardwood floor, he wondered if maybe he had spoken out of turn or crossed a boundary. if he had managed to upset a customer to any degree he may have risked his job, so the answer in his favor was a relief on several different levels.
the smile took him off guard—they always did—but he found himself mirroring it easily enough, if somewhat nervously. such open compliments regarding his alleged kindness enhanced both feelings by several-fold; he was happy to be perceived in such a way so immediately, but his own modesty made him want to shrink away from it.
"it's all fine— thank you." satoru. satoru, satoru, satoru. blatantly masculine to the right ears, nimat's american upbringing hadn't exactly educated him in japanese naming conventions. he turned the name over in his mind a few times, though he hesitated to test it aloud for fear of mispronouncing it.
"i'm nimat. nice to meet you, ah— sat— satoru?" his face was dusted with color at his own blatant hesitation; he was too seethrough for his own good. his own name wasn't exactly an easy one for some people either, and while he had always resented people for repeatedly messing it up, he now found himself almost hoping for an error. at least with that they would be even.
he found it easier to loosen up when the other started on their surprised reaction. to have not even noticed that their hat had fallen off, nimat must have startled them pretty badly. he would feel a lot worse about it if the sight of their embarrassed stammering wasn't so peculiarly endearing.
ah. cute. oh no.
giving their hat back, he extended his other hand to shake the other that they had extended. there was barely a touch of strength behind his own actions. due to his own misconceptions or otherwise, something about the other screamed fragility; it felt as though he could crush the hand that joined his own like a flower petal.
Sat was obviously embarrassed over the whole ordeal. Normally he wasn't so skittish around others, okay so maybe he was to a fault. It was hard being around people that had every day lives and could do and be whatever they wished. This boy was probably the same way, if he woke up one day and wanted to be a doctor he probably could of done it as long as he worked hard and didn't give up. It was almost like Sat was looking through a glass see-through mirror, able to see the world around him but not being able to enter it for he was no longer apart of it.
When the other didn't seem angry with him, it made it easier to relax around him. The other didn't yell at him for being stupid, or asking such a strange question of him. He couldn't understand why the other wasn't, Sat knew of many people who would think of him as odd, weird, crazy.. unnecessary. That was what Satoru was, he was an unnecessary piece of this world that hadn't been born but instead had been created to please a need of someone else. The boy had been created in the likeness of man, but was not one, he was a weapon used at the pleasure of his orders and was nothing else.
Sat gave a small smile when the other said thank you for his words. Not many gave him such formal answers despite his try to do so back to them. It was almost impossible for the pinkette to get any of the zero's to speak formally. It wasn't like they had been raised as a noble as he had, so they didn't know of such formalities. So, every once in a while when the pinkette found someone who did it was a relief and a slight reminder of what things had used to be. A small frown crossed Sat's face for a second as he tried to hear his name correctly but was distracted by the slight hesitation of the other when speaking his name.
A small giggle came as he hid his face for a moment. "That's right.. hehe but I don't think I'll get your's Neemat? Nee-kun." he said after a moment of trying to sound it out. "Is Nee-cha- Nee-kun okay?" he asked. A red flush crept across his face in embarrassment for not being able to pronounce the others name. "I haven't ever left japan, and your name isn't japanese is it? I don't think I've ever heard it before. " he said the flush still crossing his face.
Sat knew he was probably older than the male in front of him, but he didn't mind playing the younger brother. After all, this boy was taller than him, a lot of people were taller than him, and he could look the part as well. Sat also had the feeling that the other thought of him not as a boy but as a girl. It didn't really bother Sat that he was seen as girl, as most of the Zero's were confused as girls because of their forms and the small bodies they had. Sat was probably the most like a girl of all of them, since he didn't really act like a guy most of the time and was the shy one of the zero's.
Taking back his hat he just held it as the flush stayed on his face as the other took his hand. The touch was gentle and genuine as if the other was afraid of crushing him. Sat had never been treated so fragile before as his pink hues watched the interaction of hands. If only the other knew of how easily he could crush the other in the correct situation. Even with his frail form and body he had been made with strength not normal of a human as he was not truly one of his kind.
Either way Sat met his shake with his own gentle squeeze before slowly releasing the other. "I promise I won't break if you touch me. So it's okay if you wanted to shake a little harder." he said quietly slowly trying to force the flush down from off of his face. His hand still held his hat as his eyes flicked to the side for a moment as he thought of what the other would think of him in a normal situation. Would he be afraid of him too if he knew what he was and what he was capable of?
oh— they laughed— he wondered if he had mispronounced it after all. he was over-thinking things, obviously, but particularly at work, his conversations didn't usually get this far. to say the least, he was rusty, and even in context, most non-verbal communication was lost on him. to make everything worse he could feel his face heating up, which only served to embarrass him further. he needed a distraction, but going back to work would be rude, and there was nothing else to really do; his hands flapped nervously at his sides for a second, seeking something to occupy themselves with, but he quickly stuffed them in the pockets of his work apron. deep breaths, nimat.
hearing the other tell him he had gotten it right was a load off of his shoulders; hearing the other pronounce nimat's own name, though, was always bound to be an interesting experience. he had known in the first place that it might be difficult, so he couldn't say he was bothered by the mistake at this point. neemat. it wasn't so bad; people had definitely called him worse things in his lifetime.
nee-kun?
this was new, though. nee-kun. neekun. neeeeekun. unfamiliar with honorifics, he couldn't begin to guess how the other had gotten that from nimat, but it was endearing in its own way. rather than a name it sounded like it should be the name of a nut or some kind of exotic animal, but he supposed he liked that distance; it was better than having to respond to a bastardization of his own name, which happened far too often.
"yeah— yeah, it's fine." he promptly responded to the other's search for confirmation; hearing their reasoning made a lot more sense. he could have guessed the person was japanese just from their name, but he wasn't thinking about it until they said it straight out. this was one of several things about selene isle that he always found a new reason to appreciate; there were so many different sorts of people here, from all over the world. america had been a melting pot too, but not to quite this extent. it was exciting.
taking it all in, he nodded along. questions about his own name hadn't necessarily been expected, but weren't necessarily unexpected, either. "my name— it's, ah, arabic. i'm just from america, though." boring old america. outside of the country's own obsessive patriotism, the rest of the world had incredibly varying opinions of the place; he hoped it didn't lose him any points.
it took only the length of a short handshake for nimat to be taken off guard for what felt like the tenth time in as many minutes.
i promise i won't break if you touch me. so it's okay if you wanted to shake a little harder.
ears spinning forward at attention, his interactions once again took on some urgency. "oh— i hope— i didn't mean to offend you or anything," the urge to explain himself was strong. with less self control he would have spun out to talk about how it wasn't because he thought they were fragile or anything, but speaking his mind would have only incriminated him further. "sorry. sorry." with nowhere else to take it, he would leave it at that.
