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.
[attr="class","fff"]the light on her phone read 2:13 AM. she was used to being out at night, however it was somewhat of an odd hour to be out on a beach. the area was pitch black and with the help of a full moon, she could see the beach dimly in the night. removing her sandals, regel enjoyed the feeling of sand in between her toes. to one side side, the ocean swept back and forth in an arrhythmic pulse, loud and calming in her ears. to the other, she could hear the distant rustle of trees in the wind. at this hour, there was not another soul present, and the feeling of being surrounded by nature blanketed her in zen.
but really, she came out here for the sky. beyond the ocean, where the horizon ended, the sky started. tonight, as with any other night, it was brimming with little pinpoints of light. stars. the light of them reflecting off the water was beautiful. but nothing could hold a candle to the actual sight of them hanging in the distant reaches of the universe.
with a sigh of content, regel dropped on the sand, not caring that it would invade her clothes and hair. that was just a minor annoyance. it was late summer and though night was cooler than day, the sand still retained some measure of warmth. living in the city had deprived her of these little lights, and regel was glad she had found this place. though she had precious little time to visit it, knowing that it existed gave her solace. seeing the stars calmed her more than the sounds of water sweeping in from the ocean or wind through the trees or sand between her toes.
the thing with stars was that they were always there. eternal, everlasting. where ever she was, regel was still looking at the same night sky. where anything in her life could change at the drop of a hat, stars were the one constant— always there, even if she could not see them. whether she was in america or selene, the stars she gazed up at were still the same. maybe somewhere in the world, her brother was also looking up at those same stars.
at this time of night—at this time of night specifically, that is—it wasn't rare to find saiph here at all. he occupied the same spot as always, an overlook on a short ledge several yards back from the shoreline; it wasn't nearly as impressive of a view as he made it out to be, but he could still see a pleasant strip of beach, and the elevation was ideal for watching the ships come in and out of the nearby harbor. one would be hard-pressed to find a better spot, if you asked him. leaning with his arms over the railing he rested his head on the inside of one of his arms, eyes closed to focus on the sound of the waves lapping at the sand. this was the ideal.
he couldn't sleep, but that didn't mean much; even if he could have, he probably would have been here anyway. one of the few things he could complain about at this point was his practically nonexistent free-time, so if he wanted to do anything with his day (night, rather) it meant cutting away a few hours of sleep here and there. his schedule had only gotten worse now that he had found his fighter; having farah around was certainly an experience, but it was exhausting, too. the other had only just arrived here and saiph had to make sure he didn't go out and get kidnapped or something.
farah: one of many things on his mind. it all seemed to string together, one negative thought bringing out another in the same vein, and so on. it was just one of those nights, he supposed. the word starless bounced around in his head until he finally cracked an eye open to take in the scenery once more. the clear sky kept him sturdy at times like this; stars would always be there whether or not they were visible, but being able to see them so vividly brought about a different kind of comfort: sureness, certainty, reality. the universe was bursting with activity, and even the planet he was rooted to was hurtling through space at that very moment, but from his perspective, it all seemed so immovable. if not for the movement of the waves and the occasional passing airplane, the scene before him may as well have been etched in stone.
he expected the stars in the sky, but he hadn't expected to see one on earth, too. in his peripheral vision, a small point of light on the coast caught his attention, though it vanished just a few seconds later; the light of someone's phone, he determined, watching the person conceal the device once more. the figure went through several motions before ultimately throwing their body down on the beach. just from their silhouette he couldn't tell them from anyone else on the planet, but that didn't stop him from taking interest. he didn't very often see other people out here, and he had to wonder if they were out here for similar reasons. anyone sightseeing on the beach at 2 in the morning must have some interesting stories to tell—saiph would know.
"hell of a view, isn't it?" he called out over the ledge, sitting up just a bit to allow his voice to project better. it occurred to him that they could be hoping for privacy, but he would risk it; as he was, he was eager to connect with another person, and the whole scene had a quiet, compelling intimacy about it. "you should move up a bit; the tide comes in soon."
tagged: imouto notes: this is so disorganized fuck
[attr="class","fff"]it was such an odd hour that regel did not expect the voice that reached out to her in the darkness. ten out of ten times, there was not another soul in sight. just her and sound of waves and the stars. artificial zen shattering around her, regel was startled into sitting up.
hell of a view, isn't it?
it was a familiar voice, but when regel tried to place it to a face, her mind blanked. she knew there was little use in scanning the area. in the dark regel could see precious little, but still the sight of that faint silhouette brought her a measure of comfort. at least her unexpected company wasn't some disjointed voice or something illogical like that. still, she felt nervous. a dozen warnings ran through her head. don't go wandering at night— it's dangerous! especially for a girl like you!
silently, she prayed that this man would not be someone who recognized her from the club. while not all unsavory, they were still not the type of men she'd want to meet in a place like this. the dancer thought the voice seemed amicable, as if they were just as surprised to see her out here. regel hoped it stayed that way.
you should move up a bit; the tide comes in soon.
his comment made her turn to the ocean. yes, she knew that. she had been anticipating the cold watery fingers coming in to tickle her toes. still, the dancer stood up, brushing sand off her clothes, "yes', she called, "the stars are rather spectacular out here." unheeding their warning, she stayed where she was. the sand behind her feet were just beginning to get wet. here comes the ocean.
even in this darkness, saiph could see the speed with which the person startled back into their sitting position. he should have felt bad, really, but he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him; he hoped they couldn't hear him from here. they were looking in his direction now from what he could tell though, and he could guess he was as vague to them as they were to him. lifting one arm he gave a small wave, setting himself apart from his surroundings and hoping to communicate his harmlessness. he watched the person rise to their feet.
yes, the stars are rather spectacular out here.
a girl, if her voice was anything to go by. he was glad that she had opted not to ignore him, but now he almost wanted to caution her that she should have. he wasn't going to cause her any trouble, but she was lucky it was him and not a seedier member of their population. she wouldn't say she sounded 'young', but definitely youthful, and it was awfully late. he didn't want to be one of those guys, but it was hard not to be; he was an older brother, after all. being intrusive and overprotective was his job, once upon a time.
"my thoughts exactly," he called back to her again, wondering if he ought to go down there and join her so they didn't have to shout, but decided he'd put it off for now. he didn't want to force her to commit to their conversation, but that wouldn't stop him from carrying on.
"so, what brings you out tonight?" she was free to brush him off, but he knew there had to be something; there always was.
tagged: imouto notes: pretend this isn't pathetically short
[attr="class","fff"]it seemed her unexpected company was not removing himself any time soon. he held his place on the far end of the beach like a rock. listening to him call back at her, regel wondered if she should move closer. the tide was quickly coming in and each wave swept gloriously cold, salty water up to her ankles.
so, what brings you out tonight?
regel shrugged. it took her a moment to remember the man couldn't see her in the dark. "stars," she called back simply. it was only part of the reason, but she was sure the man didn't have a patience to listen to the long strings of words it would take to explain her real reason. "what about you?" she inquired after a moment.
the dancer took a step towards the man. regel didn't much feel like shouting over their distance. being closer would make it easier to converse, if the man intended to carry one out that is. if he didn't, it would be just as easy to turn full circle and return to her spot in the tide.
it was probably a dumb move, but regel was desensitized to her own stupidity by now. she did it all the time, the naive automatic trust that allowed her to let the patrons she entertained to go too far in their brief encounters. the only difference was that there were multitudes of bouncers to protect her at work. here she was on her own. still she took another step.
he nodded; that was definitely a dodge, but he understood it nonetheless.
what about you?
he thought on it for a moment, not wanting to give away too much, especially now that she had decided to take the less engaged route. he would only be as open as she was. thinking about it though, she seemed to have pinned it down pretty well.
"me too, i suppose," he called out to the beach once again. it wasn't a lie, but it definitely was rooted in context that he didn't intend to explain yet.
it seemed like she was moving; she had definitely gotten closer, or at least, that was how it looked. he was glad for it actually, even though he felt the need to scold her for trusting so readily. that being said, he supposed he was guilty of the same thing; he had no way of knowing she wasn't coming up here to mug him or something, but for better or worse, he couldn't see most people pulling that off.
"i can come down, if you want," he extended the offer in case she didn't want to trouble herself with finding a way up. thinking about it, she had never actually said anything about meaning to close the distance, but he wasn't unused to being thought of as a weirdo.
they were both avoiding the heavy subject. and really, regel didn't know why she kept going. two strangers making light conversation who really probably just wanted to be alone. perhaps, deep down, they both wanted some sort of company. a quiet night with waves and stars led to too much inner dialogue and too many walks down memory lane.
ignoring the man's offer, regel first threw her sandals onto the ledge then reached up. she curled her fingers as best she could on the bottom of the rise and hoisted herself up. she swung herself up with ease, enjoying the burn in her muscles as she climbed over the railing.
"no need," she turned to study the man. he was muscular, much taller than her, and probably really entertaining. the nearest light source was a street light several meters away. not sufficient to see her impromptu companion by a long shot but regel really wasn't interested in that at the moment.
leaning over the rail, she admired his view— a wide stretch of ocean with the stars beautifully reflected in its shiny waters. in the distance, she could make out the harbour and the outlines of ships moored there. this wasn't a place that regel usually stopped at to admire, and she wondered why. it was beautiful.
the girl didn't have to respond verbally; the shoes that flew past him were enough of an indicator of her intentions. he watched with no small amount of amusement as she made quick work of the short ledge. by the time he had begun to wonder if he ought to offer her a helping hand, she was already standing beside him. the vain part of him wondered if she was trying to impress, but what point would there have been to that?
no need.
that much was obvious. he still couldn't see the girl well, but her form was definitely more defined than it had been from all those yards away. up close it only worried him further to see just how tiny she was; several inches shorter than him, and while she had a more athletic build than he usually saw on a girl he had no doubt he could have picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder if he had wanted to.
"you should be more careful, you know," he couldn't stop himself at this point, even though he knew for certain he was being overbearing, "you're lucky i'm a good guy and not trying to murder you or something." it wasn't lost on him what a weird fucking thing that was to say to someone you'd only just met, but with some people, a dose of fear could do some good.
he could tell where her attention was, though. it was nice to see someone else get the chance to appreciate the view from here; the spot wasn't visited by people nearly as much as it deserved to be. "it's even better up here, right?"
[attr="class","fff"]if the man meant her any harm, regel figured she'd already be tied up and carried away by now. nevertheless, the man's words put her on edge. trying to appear relaxed next to him, regel could not help tensing a little in anticipation. not that she could do anything against this tank.
"y'know it's usually the bad guys who tell me about how good they are." she teased. it was like poking a beehive. regel hoped this stranger could live up for his claim. it would be a shame to finally find her pace with her fighter only to have a stupid misfortune befall her. "but i'll take your word for it, mr. good guy." he couldn't see her small smile in the dark.
it's even better up here, right?
"yes," she replied. the night scene was inspiring. naturally she started thinking the only thing that was missing was her silks. dancing under the stars sounded like a scene out of fiction. she should find somewhere to rig them, regel decided. it would be fun to show nimat.
regel snapped her thoughts back to the present. it would not do to zone out in front of a stranger. "so do you come here often to murder unsuspecting girls?" she asked, still teasing.
y'know it's usually the bad guys who tell me about how good they are.
saiph couldn't help but laugh this time, barely but audibly, half for the clever insight and half for the double entendre he was sure she hadn't intended to make. he felt it, truly. she promised to take his word for it, which he still couldn't say was a good idea, but he was glad for it. for her own sake he could only hope she had a quick mind to match her quick actions or she really might find herself in trouble some day, but in the end, he supposed that was none of his business. he'd done his part, and riding her about it further would be a waste of a good night.
he was glad to be able to share the scene with somebody. he wasn't sure the two of them had the same understanding of it, but regardless, it was nice to be able to watch someone react with such intrigue to something that had only really been his before. meeting someone who understood his appreciation for such trivialities on any level made him feel something of a bond— simple, but kindred.
so do you come here often to murder unsuspecting girls?
the question brought a smile to his face. he was glad for the humor, letting it sweep in and do its work to clear away the somber thoughts that had lead him out here in the first place.
"so much for taking my word for it, huh?" at least if she was joking with him about it he could be sure she hadn't taken him too seriously. "not as often as i'd like, but often enough. what about you? do you regularly wander on the beach at 2:30 in the morning?"
tagged: imouto notes: it figures their first conversation would be about murder doesn't it
[attr="class","fff"] the man's laughter caught her off guard and regel found herself laughing quietly along with him. the act did it's job, chasing away the solemn atmosphere and replacing it with a much more light hearted one. she was still unsure about the man, but regel allowed herself to relax enough to enjoy his company. if he wanted to hurt her, he'd done so already. admiring his physique, regel knew it would be an easy task for him.
his concerns reminded her that there were some not so good people out there, not that regel ever forgot in the first place. she had allowed herself to be reckless for a while. but the face of her fighter coming to mind reminded her she had something to look forward to now, even if they were on somewhat rocky terms.
so much for taking my word for it, huh?
he could not see the mock pout directed at him in the dark as she replied, "hey. i'm not running in the opposite direction." thinking they weren't going anywhere any time soon, regel swing back up on the rail, delicately perching her behind on the thin pole and using her feet to help anchor her to the spot. "every now and then," she admitted, "not as often as i'd like."
saiph smiled again. it was true that she had already grown to seem relatively confident in their interactions, though he couldn't say whether that was for better or worse. his common sense wanted to tell her that she was naive, but his ego wanted to tell her that she was an excellent judge of character. either way, he figured he couldn't scold the girl for doing what he wanted her to do. he appreciated the company and wasn't about to scare her off by concerning himself with why she chose to provide it.
the urge was there to say something when she climbed up on the rail, though. it wasn't even the most reckless thing he had seen her do in the past ten minutes, but he supposed he was rooted in his worry at this point. it wasn't like it was particularly dangerous in the first place, and they weren't terribly high up, but all she had to do was tip back a bit and she'd be on her way down to where she had advanced from in the first place. he scooted over just slightly and posed himself to move, just in case fate decided to try to snap her neck.
every now and then, not as often as i'd like.
a sentiment he shared. he was sure even if he came out every night it wouldn't be enough to satisfy him, but it wasn't as though he'd ever be able to test that theory. he was beginning to wonder just how much the two of them had in common. he hated to think he was prying, but it wasn't as though that had ever stopped him. "schedule pretty packed? or do you just not get around to it?"