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.
TAGS: OPEN || NOTES: Welcoming a new member, a trespasser or an enemy. xdd
Rumors spoke of newcomers these days. Whispers and chatters about known true name bearers lingered in the air inside the club. She has no interest on newbies. Her eyes only search for those who she sees capability to stand out among the rest of its kind. Well, she was not selected that way, so it was a bit unfair for her to be so judgmental. No, she was not a judgmental woman. She has been accustomed to how things roll in the island that she preferred not to drag in innocent people into the mess made by her brethren. Like other nights, Nighshade became alive with loud booming sound and exotic neon lights flashing here and there. An ocean of humans were dancing on the ground floor, being watched by Haine who was hanging by the upper floor stairs with a glass of cocktail in her hand. She hates crowd. The body scents all together made her felt like she was about to die due to gas poisoning. How exactly these people could stand the smell?
While she was indulging her thoughts over unnecessary things, her underling approached her and whispered something. Her eyes lingered side to side while her ears focused listening to the words flowed through her ear canal. She looked at the face of the youth and blinked with a grin.
Is that so?
With that, she shrugged her head slightly as a signal to other companions of her on the floor. She was planning to leave. The female walked down the stairs, head was half covered with a black beret and a furry looking beast was hanging over her shoulders. Silvery blue eyes captivated those who took a glimpse of them, making them paused for a moment so they could see the eyes' owner swiftly walked out of the building. Doors were opened for her and she appeared from the dark entrance with faint booming beats from behind. She tilted her head, left to right and left again, and looked up at a figure who was standing before her.
"So..." She began to speak, but only a word of haw was heard. The Regalia eyed the person from top to the bottom before a grin was flashed. Her eyes fixed on the unfamiliar face and commanded, "Let me hear your intention to see me."
confusion dominated crimson hued eyes. his gaze darted over the landscape, searching for an exit and praying for a savior, for he could not comprehend his current situation. when he left the apartment, his intention had been to locate a grocery store or a restaurant; however, he found himself cornered by unfamiliar faces in a strange alley. had he gotten lost? his head tipped to the side as he leaned against the wall, pressing his back against the unyielding surface and mentally retracing his steps. he vaguely remembered the glamour of the crescent moon district—the neon lights and catcalls. strands of snow white hair shifted to obscure his face from sight, mind straining to connect the dots. time seemed to escape his grasp, sliding through his fingers like grains of sand. petal pink lips quirked into a bemused grin as he pushed himself away from the wall, pacing the room in an asymmetrical circle. he would randomly stop and start, muttering to himself and idly tapping his finger against his chin, but even as he explored the space, his mind kept conjuring vague, senseless images of women draped over men, startlingly bright lights, and an overwhelming feeling of confusion and dismay. during his years with retour, he never experienced the glitz and glamour that the crescent moon district boasted of—or more specifically, not to that degree.
the distant sound of footsteps reached his ears, and in an instant, he whirled to face the opening door. his body tensed noticeably as he shuffled backwards, back connecting with the wall, but his expression still held traces of his confusion. valère did not recognize the woman nor the area, and as his gaze connected with silvery blue eyes, a pitiful whimper escaped him, echoing mockingly in his mind. in—intention? the fair haired fighter repeated, gulping audibly as his knees gave out, forcing his body to slide against the wall until he collided with the ground. had he trespassed upon private property? did he need to flee? should he be afraid for his life? white teeth flashed as he pressed them into his bottom lip, steadily increasing the pressure as his mind struggled to grasp onto an appropriate response. for a moment, victor’s image superseded the woman’s, which elicited a lone tear from the teen. it rolled down his cheek, caressing the faintly pink surface and then dropping to land on his gloved hand. in that moment, he returned to the cage, trapped and alone with his thoughts. tremors wracked his body as he pulled his legs closer, wrapping his arms around the appendages and then burying his head between his knees.
i’m sorry, valère began in a soft voice, tone uncertain and desperate. i don’t know where i am. i didn’t mean to trespass. ruby red tinted eyes peeked over his knees to lock with hae-sun’s emotionless gaze. am i trespassing? if i am, i can clean… or cook… or something. i just wanted to find a restaurant. more tears gathered in his eyes as he leaned his head forward, forehead pressing against his knees and bangs shadowing his face. the stinging liquid threatened to spill over; however, the albino realized that he needed to regain control of his emotions. the groups inhabiting selene isle did not look kindly upon weakness, but his momentary visit to the past destroyed a portion of his mask, leaving him vulnerable. plus his confusion heightened his inability to focus and hindered his ability to logically review the situation. a nagging doubt surfaced in the back of his mind, begging him to run away and forget about his strange encounter, but on the other hand, he wanted to know if his captors belonged to rapture, seven moons, synister, or wraith. each played an important role upon the island… however, he could not make heads or tails of their goals and aspirations. pale lips curved into a puzzled frown while he awaited the woman’s decision, his tremors dying down and body tensing in apprehension. should he have bid his sacrifice farewell before departing?
TAGS: @zeit05 || NOTES: ANOTHER SIDE OF HAINE. BADUMP BADUMP BADUMP
Her presence was as cold as ice and intimidating. Talk about being a dominant one in town.
Her eyes did not linger away for a second from the boy's face. She stared at him so hard that if her eyes were able to shoot lasers, his face would have one big hole at the center. Nevertheless, it should be less scarier after she understood what was going on. For now, her mind wondered what was this little sheep doing in predator's lair. The woman placed one foot front, intruding his space of comfort if that was what he would call it. Her body tilted to one side as her eyes remained glaring coldly like an intimidating beast at him. It was then she noticed he began to... cry. Haine blinked few times slowly and in unsure why this boy was crying, or was it his sweat?
"Haine, he could be..." One of the members who cornered him had spoke but Haine raised a hand up idly. She tapped her finger front, almost like calling the man to come near her. Like an obedient and with respect over her position as an elite and a leader in the group, he came to her call and before he knew it, the woman slapped the back of his head. Mind you, the slap sounded extremely painful, as if something had just cracked. It was sharp and stingy, much more painful for the one who was being slapped. He crouched down and began to whimper. Haine grunted and hissed, "I don't remember raising bullies under my wings." Her voice heard stern in the air. She turned her head another side for the rest of the men and snapped her teeth. She continued speaking, "I did say to keep the perimeter on guard but that doesn't mean against some lost kids. What? Are you going to bring in a grandma next time?!" She scoffed in great disappointment and held her forehead. Seriously, this was the reason why she can't handle newbies. They misunderstood the concept and the vision of the group badly they thought Rapture was some kind of a street gangster.
The woman ruffled her hair backward and pulled back her leg. She stood straight, looking at him in a less frightening way and spoke softly to comfort him. "Hey, hey. It's all right, now. On behalf of my men, I apologize for threatening you. It's rare to see people wonder aimlessly on this street..." unless they are trying to bring harm into our place. She did not complete the sentence as she felt it was unnecessary. A smile appeared as she crouched down so she could see the boy from the same level of eyes. Haine has soft spots for kids, despite the fact this boy may not be a correct definition of it. Still, weaklings especially the citizens; she wanted to protect them very much.
"A restaurant? Are you hungry or something?" She wondered about that. She did not expect him talking about restaurants. Grocery shops, mostly like but not restaurants. Her eyes lingered behind, changing from soft, back to cold. She shrugged her head slightly, commanding her men to back away. They did so but remained to have Haine within their sight. Even if he was just a boy, they still suspected him for trespassing their place. Haine turned back for the kid.
"Stand up now, you'll get yourself dirty." She said gently, patting the ground along to emphasize her words.
despite his fear and confusion, valère could not resist peeking through his bangs when the resounding echo of a hand connecting with someone’s head filled the otherwise silent room, and the following cracking sound and whimpering elicited a wince from the teen. senseless violence reminded him of retour though he refused to allow himself to linger on such memories and thoughts. he could not compare everyone to his former jailers, yet he found himself mentally drawing comparisons and contradictions constantly, which frightened and delighted him in equal measures. before his thoughts veered too far down the dark, winding path of his memories, the woman’s voice reached through the self-induced fog and forced him to reawaken to the present moment. crimson hued eyes blinked in-and-out of sight as he contemplated the words, and upon registering the meaning behind them, a burst of laughter bubbled into existence, escaping the albino in a bout of soft giggling. however, when he noticed the woman’s approach, he shifted his arms away from his legs, slapping his hands over his mouth and staring at her with wide eyes, which held snippets of curiosity, amusement, confusion, and terror. he still did not comprehend the situation and merely wanted to locate a restaurant. he had given up on a grocery store after being captured and dragged to the establishment.
pale brows furrowed as his head tipped to the side, bangs sliding along his forehead as his hands dropped away from his mouth. where had he been taken? petal pink lips curved into a frown as his gaze locked with the silvery blue tinted eyes of his savior. could he consider her his savior? or was she planning to lull him into a false sense of security? tension reappeared in his petite frame as his eyes gained a cautious gleam, which flickered to the men in the doorway and studied them in an unusual mixture of fear and disdain. their actions reminded him of victor and his penchant for acting without seeking the truth. once again, hae-sun’s voice proved to work as a magic spell over him, dragging his attention away from the rapture members and back to her. the fear slowly vanished from his pallid mien, and in its wake, the confusion and hope prevailed, casting his androgynous features in an even younger light. i left the apartment to find food. i hadn’t realized we ran out, and you don’t have to apologize. valère shook his head, emphasizing his statement with his actions. no, no, if anyone apologizes, it should be your men. you didn’t do anything wrong after all. during the dark hours of the night, the albino often wished that he could have heard an apology or two from the retour leaders and not his uncle, whose comforting embrace helped vanquish the memories evoked by his nightmares.
with another cautious glance toward the group at the door, the fair haired teen rose to his feet, using his hands to help propel him into an upright position. pale hands brushed away the collection of dirt that clung to his clothes, and when he deemed himself clean, he lifted his eyes to reconnect with the woman’s. uwah… i didn’t mean to trespass… honestly. i don’t quite know where i am or my way around. faint traces of pink surfaced on his pale cheeks while his fingers twisted around the hem of his shirt, showing his unease in a physical manifestation of the emotion. and… uhh… i’m valère, which doesn’t seem very important… but it’s nice to know someone’s name. they can’t just be hey or you. they might take it offensively, and i would hate to be rude. his nose scrunched up at the thought; however, embarrassment followed his action and words. and sorry. i’m rambling now. he shuffled his weight from foot-to-foot as he ducked his head, allowing his bangs to hide the blush spreading even further across his cheeks. perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut and maintained a frigid silence, pretending to be enraged by their mistake. too late, a voice breathed in the back of his mind, sounding oddly like his deceased friend—sacha.
Gentleness- like a lovely mother. Those men who were guarding the perimeter where both the albino-like child and the vulpine were could not help but astonished by the sweetness the Rapture leader was showing. Her words were like a calming breeze, blowing away the anxiety that was clearly building up in the boy's eyes. They noticed how the boy reacted to her; pure and innocent, like any normal boy, and Haine in exchange simply watched and watched, and watched. She observed him like a lioness watched over her newborn. Her eyes flickered and opened half-way as she quietly analyzed him. The silvery eyes emitted sadness though it sparked faintly deep in the iris. Nobody knew why the vulpine always howled sadly to the moon. It always seemed like it was mourning. Why? Was not it fun to be in the top? Was not it glorious to be among the strongest?
No, it was not. To compensate for the place that even the king of all beasts could not reach, she risked everything in her life. She has thrown the part of her that manifested her name, Sun. She became the fox that could whip her furry tail and scratch enemies with her claws. She became a fearless and a respectful Regalia and that was all just a story. Haine noticed her men were giving this sobering look at her that made her flinched in disgust. Imagine macho guys, with all types of ceps in the world, were breaking and almost crying. She gritted her teeth and eyed them. "I'll deal with these guys later," she commented. Her eyes glared daggers at them, making them jolted on their stand and turned away immediately.
The conversation slowly picked up its own melody in Haine's mind and the beat was not so bad at all. It was light, but slightly in grim. Perhaps he was still afraid she would do something to him. Well, she can't blame him. From an outsider's point of view, Rapture does screamed gangster-like theme, with territory to watch and cornering people who were not part of their brethren. The fact she appeared in front of him with the men moving aside and giving her way to go through did leave a bad first impression to the boy. She stood up along with the kid, who finally trusted her. Such trust may be less than ten percent, but at least there's the trust. She took few steps back, letting him have his comfort zone back and smiled. Ah that smile. She felt scary chills from somewhere she could see, but she could guess where they were from. Her thin eyebrows tingled few times with a smirk on her face.
Seriously. Her men need to stop this.
The melody in the conversation began to pace quicker and smoother. The boy had spoken about how his food supply had ran out, how she should not do the apologizing as it was not her fault and how he literally found himself lost. Embarrassment, innocent and humbleness. She viewed him with those three traits she felt suit him the most. For some reason he did not seem like any of the kids she had set her eyes on. He was pretty abnormal to be normal. Every one who lives on the island is a true name bearer and so he must be one too. His behavior and reaction however did not seem too daring or too fake. She had lost in her thoughts, a norm occurrence when it comes to her, before he found herself being distracted by to the reality when he apologized for rambling. Rambling? Did he think he was rambling? The woman did not show a slight emotion about this, only after seconds she chuckled. The woman chuckled with her back palm covered her parted lips lightly and said, "I must say, you are one very cute young boy. Please, rambling is just a way to express one's true feelings, which I am happy to hear rather than solemn of silence." She widened her arm towards him like welcoming him as she proudly introduced herself and her district, "Well then, Valere, I am Haine and the owner of Nightshade." The men remained standing like huge body-builder mannequins. She shrugged her head with a smile and invited him to come along.
cute? the fair haired fighter queried, nose scrunching in distaste at the comment. his mind latched onto the one syllable word, ignoring the proceeding and succeeding words in favor of the one adjective, and despite the faint blush decorating his pale cheeks and the tension riddling his petite frame, valère experienced a startling shift in emotions. confusion and fear had been warring for control within him due to his unexpected abduction from the alley; however, with one word, his emotions shifted, allowing the unease and the terror to slide away. in their absence, curiosity and mild irritation sprouted roots, reflecting in his pale grey colored eyes and eliciting a subtle downward curve of his lips. the contradicting feelings sent his mind reeling though he maintained a flimsy connection with reality, for he did not want to traverse the darkened halls of his memories.
no, his memories surfaced in his nightmares, tormenting him with possible outcomes and his mistakes, so during his conscious hours, he attempted to steer clear of the pitfall known as his experiences. despite his resolution, a mental voice raged, citing various traumatizing incidents that translated to i’m not cute. the raving voice reminded the teen of his deceased friend, who often commented on valère’s androgynous beauty. tears pricked at his eyes, but the fair haired youth willed himself to remain unaffected by his thoughts and by the ravenette’s words. his drifting thoughts eventually returned to his current situation.
in response to his sudden fixation on reality, his gaze shifted to meet the steel grey hued eyes of his captor. would she still be considered my captor? the words burst forth, rolling off his tongue in conjunction with his thoughts. the mental and emotional upheaval left him feeling off-center and more susceptible to fading in and out of the present. his mind wanted to drag him through his memories while his emotions begged for attention. during his years with retour, he learned to lock away the pesky feelings, hiding them behind a smile and refusing to acknowledge the circumstances behind his emotional response. his unhealthy habits persisted as he shifted his weight from foot-to-foot.
and uhh… yes, i’m hungry. i wasn’t supposed to leave the apartment, but he never returned… so i took matters into my own hands. i didn’t expect for the layout of the isle to be so confusing during the night. the pale pink color decorating his cheeks darkened with each word that escaped the youth. his rabbling speech continued as he twisted the hem of his shirt, fingers clinging to the material and providing him with a semblance of security. but i’d hate to impose. i can… wait… nightshade… isn’t that a poisonous plant? curiosity highlighted his youthful features as he leaned closer to the dark haired fighter, interest piqued and thoughts focused on the name of her establishment. he, however, had no idea whether nightshade was a bar or a club or a café, but he would ask those essential questions after discovering the truth behind the building’s name.
"keep this with you, you might get lost again and it'll be easier to find you"
"Oh, that," It made the female laughed brightly as she covered her lips with the back of her palm slightly, almost like she was embarrassed by it. Her eyes glanced around in front of her as she walked with him walking a little bit behind her. The men waited for them two and followed behind afterwards, securing the female leader and the lost lamb from any harm that may have come for them out of the blue. Of course, with Hae-Sun by his side, the young boy has nothing to worry about. She was the Rapture's pride after all. She will take on bullet with one hand if it was necessary to protect a civilian kid like him, but she wouldn't do it if it was going to cost her life. No, she will not go to that extent, however. For her, life and death will only be meaningful if it was for Rapture. She cared about others, but not as much as she cared for Rapture members.
Hae-Sun leaned her head towards the side where the pale-haired boy was and answered him idly, "Maybe, I've never heard of such plants before frankly." The history of how Nightshade became the nightclub's name was untold, for it was an inheritance she received from her father, Jung-Ho. Though, she remembered her mother used to tell her a story of her. She hummed and began to recall such plain story, in case it could enlighten the man and his curiosity over the matter.
"My mother used to grow a garden behind our house in Seoul. In that garden, there were all kinds of flowers and vegetables. Some were odd in colors and some were not edible. My sister and I used to play there, pretending we were running a restaurant, taking orders and cooking using the plants. Kinda made our mother flipped out on us afterwards, especially the part we almost poisoned ourselves," She laughed at the end and slowly the hints of joy vanished. Her eyes glared coldly on the concrete she was walking. Her face turned stern and dark, she seemed mad about something as she recalled the sweet memory of her childhood along with her sister. "Good old times were just memories though," She said calmly, drifting herself in silence afterwards.
The female disliked to let past haunted her and disrupted her mind. She lightly shook it off by pushing her shoulders up. A smile perked calmly on her features and was offered towards the boy. She wasn't going to let the memory of her sister caused uneasiness between them, she could tell he was only getting warmer with her and that was a relief. She also noticed his reaction when she called him cute. Well, guess boys don't like to be called cute nowadays. Her little red lion doesn't like it too, no- sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. God, it's hard to figure that boy out.
One of the men rushed to the front as they approached the entrance. He opened the door for them, allowing the woman to entered in first and she turned behind for the young boy. "Oh, wait," she caught him by his shoulder and turned behind for one of the men. She snatched a bag from his hip, opened it and inserted her hand inside. Her eyes rolled at him with her lips squirting in search for something. Then, she sprung happily and took out an object from inside the bag. The female chuckled and handed it to him. "You'll need this," she said casually. It was a bell and upon the sight, all men around them gasped in shock.
"Haine, that is---"
She nodded lightly and cut off their words. "I know what I'm doing. Keep this with you, boy," her voice heard somewhat serious and also calm. It was more like an order she would not accept no for an answer. Her eyes glimmered over his face as a calm smile appeared.
"Like you said, the place can be confusing at night. So keep this with you, because you might get lost again and it will be easier for me to find you if you keep this with you," she explained. Another reason was because, apparently, Nightshade was expecting guests soon, and the guests do not accept outsiders. She was pretty calm about this, knowing well what will happen and the consequences if he was to be found out an outsider. Still, she needed to feed him first.
"Come on, let's get you some food. You can take some with you back too,"
@zeit05 OOC: my brain wants to screw around with poor val. I AM SORRY QAQ
The melody in the conversation began to pace quicker and smoother. The boy had spoken about how his food supply had ran out, how she should not do the apologizing as it was not her fault and how he literally found himself lost. Embarrassment, innocent and humbleness. She viewed him with those three traits she felt suit him the most. For some reason he did not seem like any of the kids she had set her eyes on. He was pretty abnormal to be normal. Every one who lives on the island is a true name bearer and so he must be one too. His behavior and reaction however did not seem too daring or too fake. She had lost in her thoughts, a norm occurrence when it comes to her, before he found herself being distracted by to the reality when he apologized for rambling. Rambling? Did he think he was rambling? The woman did not show a slight emotion about this, only after seconds she chuckled. The woman chuckled with her back palm covered her parted lips lightly and said, "I must say, you are one very cute young boy. Please, rambling is just a way to express one's true feelings, which I am happy to hear rather than solemn of silence." She widened her arm towards him like welcoming him as she proudly introduced herself and her district, "Well then, Valere, I am Haine and the owner of Nightshade." The men remained standing like huge body-builder mannequins. She shrugged her head with a smile and invited him to come along.
