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.
'I am better than you think Let me buy you a drink'
Tagged: @regel -----------------------
For some reason or other, Belle couldn't see to escape Crescent Moon. What a pain. But she didn't mind if she did keep coming back. She worked here, played here, ate here...she piratically lived here. Often she wondered why she even had a house, when she could just bunk up in Nightshades guest rooms. She supposed there was a difference however. Her own place was her's, and she didn't like the idea of unknown others sleeping in her room. Why did they even have that damn add on? She'd never given a room to anyone. Never saw the point of it.
But certain people fit it here, and she was once of them. Belle just didn't fit walking too much around Gibbous or anywhere else. The mature atmosphere of this place was much more preferable. Belle was giving herself the evening off, as she could. As it stood, she wasn't in the mood to deal with the people who liked to accommodate Raptures little den. By now she practically knew everyone who went there, and didn't much care of any of them. Only for the things they had to say that she could use and sell to others.
She sighed, leaning against Nightshades unassuming exterior, the people going in and out greeting her like a friend. Fuck off. She needed to go elsewhere. Last time she went to Blasphemy the experience had been...interesting. While it was the only other real place she could go that had something going on, she wasn't quite ready to see if a certain man was still angry at her good luck. Or her unique approach to Blackjack. Maybe she was just here looking for her Fighter? Couldn't possibly be that, though.
This place boasted a large amount of people, a huge variety of life. She was just part of the swarm here and she quite liked to keep it that way. But she figured, that probably wouldn't stay the same for too long. By now she'd long since learned to ignore the ugly gazes of men, and other men had learned not to stare. Those people had run into her on a bad day.
Belle could feel it in her core. It was a bad day.
you're beautiful but you're empty; no one could die for you
[attr="class","bar"]
[attr="class","barrr"]
[attr="class","spacey"]
the pole was a familiar thing in her hands. she normally did not work this hard on stage, but today she wanted to dance. it was not the type of show these men came for. no— they just wanted to see girls get naked. instead, regel put on a show of strength and grace. she loved dancing. this was not the place to dance.
regel felt as if she'd taken too long off work. after a week of quiet at home, being back in the din of the club grated on her senses. making her rounds after getting off the stage was more of a chore than usual. the dancer was getting tired of the farce.
after a couple hours, her ankle was beginning to ache again. nothing that was the killer agony she felt when she first hurt it, but uncomfortable nonetheless. whether it was the dancing and the stilettos or simply a trick of her mind, she could not say. still, it was a go excuse to get out of work early. she made notified the person currently in charge, packed her bags, tucked away the couple hundred that she had managed to make so far, and started on the long walk home.
the night was still young and while crescent moon was beginning to fill up with people, regel still found herself slowing down the take in the atmosphere. there was something about night time that was incredibly relaxing no matter where you were. even here in crescent moon where debauchery happened in every corner. even here where men looked at her like meat and were no doubt stripping her with their gazes. no doubt many of them knew her from blasphemy; regel was a regular there after all. she ignored all of them.
what she didn't ignore was a large group of men filing into a building. it was a big old thing. but regel knew this was the other night club. nightshade was like a forbidden fruit. it drew everyone to it with its exclusivity. she couldn't care less about gang politics. she was curious as to what kind of environment it was, however. was it like blasphemy? was it a rowdy den of decadence?
the slew of well dressed men entering the club told her otherwise. however, a red figure leaning on the wall beside the door drew her attention. the men seemed familiar with this scarlet lady, and regel wondered if she was the fabled manager. a demon that could possibly match the manager of blasphemy. she had a fierce look to her that would certainly fit the part.
'I am better than you think Let me buy you a drink'
Tagged: @regel -----------------------
It seemed both women were in the same boat. In albeit different ways. This case being as it was, Belle was also in the same boat as the men. She recognized the snowy hair and dark skin from Blasphemy. She was a dancer, wasn't she? Unfortunately, she stood out among the masses on Selene. But maybe that wasn't so bad. Obviously, it was likely she didn't recognize her from Blasphemy. She was another face in the crowd. Not quite as sleazy as the others, she hoped.
She was looking right at her.
Belle realized, in that moment, her pool of anyone was small. It was made up of one person she rarely spoke to, and liked to avoid. And another part, Belle watched her dance in a way few people did. It wasn't just for the money. Or she didn't see that in her. But she wasn't going to assume. Instead...she would find out. With a gleeful but somewhat knowing smile, Belle waved courteously at her. It was a small, not intimidating wave that said enough.
In truth, Belle wasn't really sure what she was doing. In some way, it was partly the desperate attempt to meet people she didn't hate, or simply tolerated. She was in a limbo were she knew hundreds of people by name, her job was good at that, but she didn't know any of them. She's been here months and everyone was a stranger. This woman seemed familiar. The way she danced akin to the way her models walked. Even when Belle slunk away to sinful depths, she observed keenly.
"Check that out. I wouldn't mind a piece of that." Sly little words from the mouth of a man just off to her side. She followed his eyeline, right towards the dark-skinned dancer, before he let out an unfriendly whistle that too many women knew. He quickly retreated when Belle stared him down, holding out her hand and she decide to stride towards him. "Pass please." He looked a little shocked at first, but recognizing her, complied. He'd pissed off the manager, not a good move. Briefly, Belle looked it over. He wasn't anyone of real importance. She tore it in two, and dropped them to the ground for all to see. "Out of the line. The club is an animal free area." Without much to say in return, he fled, along with two of his pals.
With heels Belle was a 6 foot tall monster, and people usually associated her with high Rapture, so that helped. Ignorance worked in her favour sometimes it seemed. Her gaze traveled to the unmet Regel. "You, come over here." The words were stern but not cold "You're a dancer at Blasphemy, no?"
you're beautiful but you're empty; no one could die for you
[attr="class","bar"]
[attr="class","barrr"]
[attr="class","spacey"]
it was rare that regel felt out of place. as a matter of fact, she was paid to conform. men only paid if she fell into their little niches. a little hint of sex, some skin and they were well on their way to being intoxicated in the sight of her body. as far as regel knew, most men wanted to think of her as their pretty little sex object. and if that brought the cash in, well, she wasn't going to correct them. not at work anyway.
standing in front of nightshade, regel felt like an outsider. maybe even a little creepy. after all it wasn't all the time that people stopped to just stare at the going ons in front of a club. trying to look as casual as possible, the dancer did not think that the scarlet lady could get any more fierce. however, she watched the woman positively burn a man with her gaze. she could not hear the conversation that went on between them, but pieces of what regel assumed was the man's exclusivity floated almost innocently to the ground. scary.
"you, come over here."
regel followed the fleeing man with her eyes before settling her attention back on the scarlet lady. the woman's words almost seemed threatening in a 'what do you think you're doing in front of my club? get lost, pest.' sort of way. but regel did not feel intimidated in the slightest. still, she approached with caution.
hearing the word dancer come from the other's mouth made her night. regel could only beam at the woman, "yes. how do you know?"
'I am better than you think Let me buy you a drink'
Ahhh, so it was like that? Wonderful. The smile on her face was good enough for the much taller woman. She'd seen many a younger person make that beaming face when she went to colleges and secondary schools to talk about the art industry and what it really offered. They worked hard for 'oh that's pretty''s, and that wasn't enough. Belle shrugged. "I'm a patron there, that's all." She hand a hand through her hair, nails just as red. "Most girls there who are in your line of work don't tend to dance so much as they strip. You aren't that." Her words her nonjudgmental towards those other girls, Belle would let them do whatever they wanted however they wanted. The fact remained however, that the red-headed woman knew another artist when she saw one.
She nodded once in respect, not the kinda of woman who shook hands unless she needed too, and she simply decided this wasn't one of those times. "I'm Belle, Belle Faustus. Given how you were looking this way earlier, you probably already have an idea that I'm the Manager here." A cheeky, knowing grin flashed across her face. "Don't worry, wasn't gawking. After a while running a place in Crescent you learn to see everything." There was in doubt in her mind that this woman would at least get what she meant. She imagined worked as a stripper in Blasphemy required an open eye at times.
There was a spirit about the girl Belle liked. It wasn't too far from her own when she were younger. Since then, since achieving what she'd set out too, the flame in her eyes had dimmed somewhat. Everything she'd wanted to spit on, had been spat on. Now it was just finding the next thing here. Selene offered a lot, but it was finding what it offered her that was the problem. If an undesirable Fighter was all it could give her, maybe the industry needed it's storm back...
"No offence, but you strike me as the kind of person who should take her talents somewhere other than a place like this. If that's your thing, go for it, but..." Belle took a silent breath, seeming to re-examine the shorter woman "I think you could be entertaining a much higher class audience, having seen the way you perform. Artist to artist, I mean." Certainly, Belle though she was...attractive, so say the least, but that wasn't nearly why she was so interested in her. Belle had struggled in her life to get where she wanted to be, but education was cheap and top class back at home. Here it wasn't quite the same. It was holding her back.
"If you want to come inside, it would be an honor. I don't mind spending my free-time in my work place if the company is good."
you're beautiful but you're empty; no one could die for you
[attr="class","bar"]
[attr="class","barrr"]
[attr="class","spacey"]
the scarlet lady of nightshade was actually surprisingly friendly. regel tried not to let that disarm her. it seemed almost everybody in crescent moon had a hidden agenda. still, regel tried not to let it get in the way of her newfound company. it was so rare that she got to chat with other girls.
"oh. i thought that being the manager of nightshade, you'd be here all the time. though, i guess it isn't the same to be a patron at the same place you run." she kept the easy smile on her face. hearing that someone noticed her hard work on stage was gratifying.
"i could just strip too," she said, shrugging a little, "but dancing is fun and i love it. might as well make the job a little enjoyable right?" regel could not help but compare the scarlet lady of nightshade with her own boss. belle faustus had an eye for the arts. even in a place like crescent moon, she seemed to be searching for it with those bright blue eyes. regel liked that. it was hard to find someone who saw her as more than their cash cow. not that she held anything against aurora.
"i'm regel," it took only a heartbeat for her to decide to give belle her real name. she didn't want to credit her dancing to some stranger with her face. she was regel the dance and she was proud of it.
it seemed belle knew a thing or two about arts as well. listening to her commentary, regel felt flattered, "maybe. but selene doesn't have that much by way of performance aside from the clubs," she shrugged, giving belle a wry smile "even when i was solely a performer, it was a little like being a starving artist. so as far as money goes, i'm making pretty good bank." regel had to learn the hard way that quality of living came before her own enjoyment. reality had removed her rose tinted glasses long ago.
"i wasn't aware strippers made such good company; but i won't turn down an invitation from the scarlet lady of nightshade."
'I am better than you think Let me buy you a drink'
pst just gonna move the thread real quick ----------------------
This was a nice change. The crowds around Crescent, though the job they gave her, certainly weren't much company. They drank, the fought, they had sex on occasion. Like liked to seem friendly but it didn't take much to see passed it. If people in Nightshade weren't nice to her, or at least polite, they wouldn't have much of a chance of being welcome at their favorite establishment. "Not all the time. But most of the time. I don't often get to sleep in my own bed to be perfectly honest." She admitted. The power she held there was nice, the trust Rapture had in her to make such decisions? Very nice. But at the end of the day, there was't much for her there aside from the money.
But she was right about one thing; the lack of art in Selene. It was a sad truth Belle had faced when she first arrived. Such an abundance of people, but no real art's establishment. She could understand her money plight somewhat. Truth was, Belle and art got on. She was one of the lucky ones. Her art made her rich. Famous, even. She often forget, it wasn't like that for most. She nodded understandingly. "I can imagine how livelihood comes before passion. Got eat to live and all." Sometimes Belle needed reminding of how far removed she had been from the artists struggle. And she wasn't one to put it down to not working hard enough. Artist worked hard by nature, it was never that.
Belle had to laugh at her comment nonetheless, but it wasn't a harsh laugh at all. Just amused. "People can sometimes make good company; I think whether or not they are strippers makes a difference." That and she couldn't help but feel flattered by the name. Scarlet Lady, hm? She grinned. That was certainly a first. "Glad to hear it."
Though Regel didn't have a permit, one didn't need it when they came with the Manager. One look at the bouncers and they nodded with understanding. No one tended to mess with a personally invited guest. Belle was just looking forward to how Regel would take Nightshade. It and Blasphemy were a world apart. For one, Blasphemy didn't have live bands.
Nightshade had slot machines. That tended to be good enough.
you're beautiful but you're empty; no one could die for you
[attr="class","bar"]
[attr="class","barrr"]
[attr="class","spacey"]
"only sometimes?" regel could only offer another wry smile, "you're a hard lady to please." leaving one night club to go to another was perhaps not regel's idea way to spend her night. but she wasn't about to turn down an invitation to the exclusive nightshade.
in all honesty, regel thought that if you've seen one night club then you've seen them all. nightshade was no different. upon entering, she was greeted by the familiar sight of multi coloured lights.
one of the first things regel noticed was the absence of a casino. she never cared much for the one in blasphemy but it was always amusing to watch people gamble their livelihoods away. everything was strategically placed so that people could mingle if they wanted, or simply just sit back and enjoy the live entertainment. somewhere in the back of the room, regel caught sight of the glint of instruments. a live band. impressive. they were playing something slow to start off the night, and on stage with them, regel caught sight of a couple dancers.
what stood out to her most was the atmosphere. blasphemy was an exciting place. it played host countless rowdy crowds and always kept you on your toes. nightshade did the same thing, but in a different way. there was less hype in the air, all of it replaced by a sense of enigma. it felt like hitting the mother load of hidden agendas. some of the people here seemed like casual club goers, but others made the hair on the back of her neck rise up.
despite belle's reassurance earlier, regel felt like gawker. she was obviously a new face in the crowd and the looks thrown her way only solidified the fact. fresh meat, the looks said. regel fixed her golden gaze on them. the worst thing she could do was let them know she was bothered.
"it's less casual than blasphemy. but i suppose that's too be expected," she told belle, "i for one think most night clubs are alike." she started off towards one of the bars, "what sets them apart are the drinks. do you think nightshade has good bar tenders?"
'I am better than you think Let me buy you a drink'
Belle let out a sound between a laugh and a scoff "Maybe I am, maybe I am." The observation was accurate, though. She was a hard lady to please in terms of random conversation. It was hard for her to really talk to anyone and keep interested for any longer than she felt she was obliged to. Which wasn't very long unless it was at work.
Nightshade and Blasphemy. On one hand, completely different venues. On the other, really not so dissimilar. Nightshade was much, much smaller than the large casino down the way. No strippers to say the least. But she had the right inclination. Everyone here was associated with Rapture, in some way. Good friend of Rapture members, business partners of Rapture, staff friends. But most definitely Rapture. There were things spoken down here that should never leave the circle.
But with Belle as ears, they tended to find their way to the person who'd pay the most.
"Surely I'm the last person you'd want to ask that?" Belle smiled. "I might be bias, surely." That wasn't really true though. She liked to think she ran a good joint, or to the best of it's abilities, either way. Her job was to keep everything in line, watch over everyone else, make sure no one caused trouble and that nothing go broken. Belle wasn't about to run around blowing the horn of a somewhat private business. The point was kind of lost in that regard. People got here by being invited, so shouting about it was necessary.
"Honestly, Nightshade isn't so much a club as it is a neon decorated live music venue. That serves drinks." There was a thoughtful pause. "Or that's how I treat it." Belle led her to the bar on the far end, Belle found it was usually quieter, and somewhat less busy. But still, busy. "But I'm fairly confident in what we have. If that's what makes a place stand out, we'd certainly do our best." Part of the stares towards the pair were mostly to do with the fact Belle never came here with anyone. Ever. Some of them probably recognized her from Blasphemy too.
Breaking conventions was something Belle tended just to do naturally. The Nightshade Manager who visited a Synister establishment, walking along in causal conversation with a Synister worker. Belle weaved behind the bar, letting Regel choose wherever she wanted to sit. "If you want to try something, it's on the house. Don't bother with ID, I'm too British to make people wait until 21 for a goddamn drink." And the red haired woman grinned.
you're beautiful but you're empty; no one could die for you
[attr="class","bar"]
[attr="class","barrr"]
[attr="class","spacey"]
"you're probably right, but it doesn't hurt."
regel leaned over the bar, fixing the bartender with an easy smile. "hey handsome," the words automatically spilled from her mouth. it seemed she hadn't been in night clubs as a patron often enough. still, she followed her slip up through, "give me the best you got; impress me." giving the bar tender a final wink,regel picked out a spot to wait patiently.
"nightshade does certainly have a vibe," she said, turning her attention back to belle, "it's classier. nothing new but compared to blasphemy, this is a breath of fresh air." she ignored the looks thrown at them easily enough. no doubt, more than one man in here would recognize her. regel briefly wondered if belle would mind the affect on her reputation. hanging out with sex workers doesn't give off the best impression. and being a woman, regel figured belle catered to a tough crowd. it was a more serious topic than their casual chatter so far, and the dancer did not want to go down that path.
"do you really think i'm that young?" regel faked a pout at the woman. she supposed that ten, twenty years down the line, she would be grateful for her youth. but now she wanted to be her age. even if she was only just twenty.
"so what about you? you seem to know the ins and outs of performing arts pretty well."
'I am better than you think Let me buy you a drink'
As the stares started to get to Regel, they started to get to Belle, as well. Men here dared not look at Belle in the way they did other women. As displayed outside, any ill conceived actions within the establishment and she had all the power she needed to bar them for life. She took out Raptures trash. But you've never seen a bin bag argue with the rear end of a rubbish lorry. So the fact they had the gall to gawk at her personal guest was insulting and more personally infuriating. Her own gaze would repel most, but few stayed strong in their quest for personal viewing.
Unknown to Regel, Belle was not the kind who was bothered about being seen with sex workers of any kind. If anything, it boosted them more than degrade her. Men feared free women, powerful women. Belle had abandoned all sense of personal shame many years ago when she were much younger. Nothing she did she was ashamed of. Among everything, Belle promoted a healthy attitude towards sex workers. People here supplied the demands for such people. If they wanted to judge, then they might as well leave Crescent and never come back.
Belle was, however, undoubtedly pleased at her comment towards her barman. "He'll be expecting a tip now, you know." She commented with a tone of amusement. She couldn't help it; nothing pleased her more than a woman treated a man like a man would treat a woman. The many comments she'd heard male patrons make towards her female staff were sickeningly higher than towards other males. She tended to charge less to those women. She nodded towards the young man before he went to fetch the other a drink. The usual.
"Ahh Regel, once you get near 30, everyone seems too young. And when you live in a country where you have to tell 17 apart from 18, you get pretty good at guessing." The older woman mused. "You've got the same flare I had when I was turning 21. I'd say you can't be older than that." The words seemed experienced. When Belle turned 21 she was about to step into a world she'd only dreamed of. And then 2 years later crushed it under her heel, along with all the bugs that she deemed to make it unclean.
And then the conversation turned to the arts. Belle smiled and sat down. "I trained in Fine Art when I was 16 to 18. I went to Central Saint Martins, London when I was 19 to study Fashion Design. I might not be a performance artist myself, but I lived around them. A lot. And I consider the people who worked for me performance artists." She signed and leaned back. It had only been 5 years since she'd graduated, but so much had happened it felt like an age. "I believe that you should always learn from those who know something other than you. We worked hard but performance students were always on another level. We were tired, they were exhausted. Occasionally we'd help make costumes for performances and we'd have to be on-hand during rehearsals to make sure nothing fell apart, as if they weren't confident in our sowing. That was eye opening. Never quite saw a Christian Bale, but still." Amused at her own joke, she chuckled. "They danced and they sung and they acted. We sat with our inks and our water colour and drew shit, occasionally we made stuff."
"The things you see in University teach you a lot more than you expect to find."
you're beautiful but you're empty; no one could die for you
[attr="class","bar"]
[attr="class","barrr"]
[attr="class","spacey"]
regel was glad that belle was so forward thinking. double standards followed her profession. men who regularly came to her for entertainment inside the club would scorn and scoff at her for her work outside of it. it stung at first, but she had long since learned to wear a numbness towards these reactions like armour. women either pretended she didn't exist or turned their noses up like she was something shameful. on the contrary, regel felt the exact opposite.
there was something powerful about being on stage. all eyes were on her and even if her spectators weren't appreciating her art, they were appreciating her form. she commanded all their attention and maybe in that moment, they even fell in love with her a little. such thoughts always made her feel heady, like the effects of alcohol without actual alcohol. the stage made her feel free.
she gave a little chuckle at belle's comment, "he'll get one if he deserves it." as if on cue, the bar tender was back with a little martini glass in his hands. she had been watching the man and was a little wary when she saw a flash of fire from behind the bar. thankfully, the drink in his hand was not flaming, but the surface of the cloudy cocktail sparkled with whatever the man had done. at the bottom of the glass, a cherry sat like a rock. regel feigned a frown at the man, "what? no pretty umbrella?" she grinned cheekily when he came back with a bright purple one. regel took a sip before pulling out a couple dollar bills from her pocket and sliding them over with a thanks. it was a little too lemony for her taste, but she figured the bartender deserved something for his efforts.
twenty one. regel could live with that; she was only twenty after all. however, it was hard to believe the older woman was nearing her thirties. though belle had an air of maturity— a wisdom beyond her years— around her, she also had a youthful beauty. regel guessed the older woman was only two or three years older. "don't lie, belle," she said, turning the little umbrella between her thumb and forefinger, "you don't seem anywhere near thirty."
the formal world of arts was not one that regel was acquainted with and she listened intently to belle's spiel. "have you ever tried performance?" she asked with a smile, "you make it sound exhausting but in the moment, it will fill you with exhilaration. i always thought the people making the the costumes and doing the painting were the ones exhausted. it takes so much invention and it's tedious work," she took another sip, enjoying the familiar burn of alcohol in the back of her throat and warming her stomach, "you guys have serious patience."
'I am better than you think Let me buy you a drink'
Tagged: @regel -----------------------
"If he doesn't deserve one I'll fire him." Her remark returned, but wholly aimed at the server with a wink, and the boy smiled nervously before getting her drink. At some point her own drink had appeared before her, but certainly not from the same barman. It seemed everyone was familiar with the bosses preferences.
The youngers comment about her age was flattering, yet she supposed true. She certainly wasn't a year from it, not even two, but the short span of her life we full, crammed with things that made it feel that way. "Only four years off! The closer you get, the closer it seems..." Belle took a drink from the peach cocktail she proclaimed as being her preference. "Flattering though." And her one sided cheeky grin reappeared. Often times she felt she'd seen so much in her life she could almost be forty. If anyone looked like her a forty, they'd be pleased. Belle herself included.
"I suppose, in our own ways, us Fashion students were performers. Creating appealing personas to cater to the arrogance of employers with heads so far up their asses you can't tell where they start and where they end. And nor could they." Her smirk seemed to grow a little larger at the thought. With that, she leaned back, seeming to sigh a little. "But in the true sense, I couldn't do it. I prefer my name to be on something, rather than to be that thing." She shrugged slightly "Maybe it's my own arrogance; to like the mystery it adds to what I do. Did."
Her career here had diverted somewhat. Or simply she had left when she felt that she had accomplished all she'd needed to. Or had felt compelled to follow her Name here. A change of scene. That's what she usually said. But truth was, she wasn't really sure. There were many places she could go where no one knew who she was. It was the nature of Western Fashion. So why then, Selene?
"We did, if you consider how long it takes to get dye off of your skin." The memories of blotchy faces emerging from the University. "I've always found it interesting, how each artist considers the others to always work harder. We know what we know though, so how can we really tell?"
There was a pause as Belle took another drink. "How did you get into performance anyway? Has it always been something you've done? or...was there a moment?"
