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Falling into the Past

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Falling into the Past Empty Falling into the Past

Post by Arizana Steknik Tue Apr 23, 2013 4:40 pm

What was it like...to fall and never get up?

Was it an exhilarating feeling until the very end? A true horror show from start to finish...or was it both? Euphoria and bliss until, just somewhere in the middle, you realized that the lights of the universe were preparing to turn off, for you, forever...was there regret? Sadness? Relief? A combination, or none, or all of the above...

Her mother...most likely her father...even that man she had seen careening from the window of the ferris wheel. Come to think of it, there had been two, hadn't there? Yes...the sight of the first once landed was too gruesome to describe, yet it stuck with her like a ghost that snuck up at the most inopportune, unexpected times and poked at your self-conscious until it had a crack...then another, and another...images flying through her mind fast as two bodies hurtling towards the ground...

A flash of fiery auburn...

Ari's eyes flew open, her head turning this way and that. Why was it so dark...oh, right. Slipping her beanie back up away from her eyes, she tossed her head so she could actually see past her bangs. She then led out a deep sigh. The woman who had told her to wait hadn't come back, nor had anyone else. Either that or she had dozed into such a deep sleep that they'd given up on her.

She wouldn't have blamed them, really. Despite all the iron enforcement she had wrapped around her confidence, she had been shaking like a leaf the moment she stepped into South Military Headquarters. There was no warm breeze or stunning view to comfort her now. Just the cold, dull, still waiting room of the place that had her future ensnared within its walls. That is, if she was accepted. She'd probably made a thousand errors on the application, one of them being not filling in anything for gender. It hardly mattered though, didn't it? Better than flat-out lying...not that it was a lie she considered herself a boy, anatomy aside. If everyplace was equal opportunity and otherwise nondiscriminatory, then why were questions like that even necessary? For "classification purposes"? Riiight...not buying it. She'd heard the stories of women who had gone into the military and been seen as nothing but sex toys. She'd sooner die before she'd let that happen. Not that it could stay a secret forever, as there were physicals...well, dishonorable discharge by death was always an option, right?

She looked down at herself, groaning and placing a hand over her loudly growling stomach. Clad in her floppy azure beanie, a partially unzipped black jacket with stripes the same color of her beanie along the bottom, a light orange undershirt, and navy green cargo pants, she was hardly an icon of fashionability with either gender. But this was how she liked it. At least, since she made the change. Before, she might have shown up in a thigh-high yellow dress, all done up with lipstick and earrings and smart sandals. What good would that do her, to be objectified? To be considered weak? To always be lower than another for a simple difference in anatomy?

No, she thought, looking up just as a thin sliver of light joined her in that room of wondering, doubting, and worrying, setting the brownish-red hues in her eyes to dancing. I came here to rise, not fall. And I'll have no extra weight holding me back.

Another pitiful whine from her stomach. Well...maybe the weight of a nice meal was an exception.

Arizana Steknik
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Post by Spade Aeries Thu Apr 25, 2013 1:29 am

"Well, they do say that all gorgeous women need their beauty sleep." He was still at it. But this one wasn't really dressed like most women. He had nothing to say about that. Shuffling ever so closer to her on the bench, Spade Aeries, Lieutenant General, waggled an eyebrow. "Was that...your stomach?" If it was his, they'd have a problem. Well, he'd have a problem. He was stuck here all damn day with just a half pack of Lucky Strikes. He was screwed--doomed--forsaken! "We might have a problem then." He leaned in close to her ear. "Maybe we should order pizza." He pulled away just before things got awkward, stood up in all his Amestrian gear, and brushed himself off with a jingle of dogtags. At his full height, he was much more demeaning, what with his millions of metals displayed on his shoulder. But to be honest, they were just painstaking, colorful things that weighed him down. A flash of annoyance was briefly directed at them before he straightened his jacket. Ah, that'll do it. Refreshed from sitting for .5 seconds, the brunette proceeded to share his crooked smile with the poor new recruit who had potentially been told to wait there hours ago.

"Sorry for the time, I don't know your name, but Shu--Brigadier General Brighton is too busy to even entertain me today. Paperwork." He sighed. The bane of their existences. He was just lucky he never had to do his; he had paper-pushing slaves who he trained to forge his signature for that. Wahaha. And yet? He was at South City Head Quarters doing what? In meetings and arranging things to help his fiancé with what? Work. Central was up to here with shit, but South City, Amestrian paradise, was getting all sorts of new recruits probably looking to take it easy with a free pay through college or something. He didn't know what kids did these days, but it made him feel old. Ah thirty was a cruel fate. He shook his head, approaching the issue at hand. "So you like pepperoni or plain or what?" His jade eyes were sharp and calculated, already able to tell from the looks of it that she was either a tomboy or into women or both. That would probably land him with pepperoni. However, getting an accurate reading on her was strangely difficult despite the fact that the blue beanie told him wonders of her tastes. He saw things. She grew up around sun, had Cretan in her, maybe half. She couldn't be less than eighteen. Random shit, you know, the typical that came from being a detective.

Spade lifted a cigarette to his lips, dry. He chewed on it for a second, pawing around in his pocket for his beat up old zippo. He flipped the decrepit thing open and lit up, taking a long drag before whipping out his iPhone and dialing Dominos. "Yeah, it's me again. Large, this time. Half pepperoni." If she didn't like it, he'd eat it. Whatever. "Eighteen ninety-nine--the price went up? Are you kidding me, man? That's so lame. Yeah, I know. Alright s'cool, can you bring it up to the waiting room this time? K thanks." He hung up and pocketed his phone, finishing up his cig with a dulled look. "You know, Shu's prolly going to be in there the rest of the day. You could just go home--or are you staying in one of the complexes?" He stubbed his cigarette out and glanced at his watch, noting that he had about twenty more minutes left to his self-designated break. Stretch it to forever, and he could call today done.
Spade Aeries
Spade Aeries
LUCKY STRIKE

Posts : 311
Points : 3
Location : In a bar with a pretty lady

-Case File-
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Rank: Head of Central
Writer: Aki

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Post by Arizana Steknik Sat Apr 27, 2013 4:56 pm

Wait, what--

Poor Ari hardly had time to process what was going on. All she could go was stiffen her limbs to the point of being statues, causing her to slide from the bench and topple onto the floor. She let out a shriek that started out deep, rising in pitch much like the deepening blush of embarrasement on her cheeks. And anger. Let's not forget that. Huffing, she readjusted her beanie once more and turned sharply to deliver some choice words to whoever had decided to get fresh with her, raising her index finger for emphasis--

Medals. Lots of medals. Shiny, colorful, intimidating as hell little trinkets stopped her in her tracks. Her finger transformed into a salute, but other than that she was paralyzed. What the HELL...she had expepcted someone like a receptionist to handle her application; just how high up was this guy?! She ticked away the ranks in her head, trying to remember the corresponding insignia. Right now, it proved impossible. And...had he just seriously called her a WOMAN? Impossible...it was all impossible! Everyone she'd met since the change had thought she was a guy, she pulled it off so well! This facade had proved more confusing to uphold than she'd originally imagined, considering her reasons weren't for self-identity, but rather for proving a point and protecting her best interests. But, her reasons were understandable, weren't they? It was too late though...it was over. The facade had crumbled, and she hadn't even been here a full day. Maybe she should just run...run and not turn back. How would she get stronger, though? No, she would stay. But as she sat there shivering, she realized too late, for the first time, that past every barrier she had put up...she was scared. Truly terrified.

Behind all the mental turmoil she'd experienced in the past few seconds, the only outward indication of her thoughts was a rather comical facial expression: right eye twitching a bit, mouth agate, a tiny grating sound escaping it, salute still held rigidly to her forehead. FINALLY, she came back to reality and stumbled to her feet, striking a pose any statue would be proud of. "A-a-ah...i-it's...Ari! Arizana, sir!" she stammered, trying to stop the shaking of her jaw. Her nose twitched at the smoke, and her lungs felt ready to explode, but she kept her ramrod stance and serious face. "That's extremely generous of you, sir, thank you...I moved into a complex today, sir." Was this over the top? Yeaahhh...probably. Just...place her on top of the list of greatest asses. Because she'd just made herself into a giant one. The biggest...ass...EVER.

Well, she'd APPLIED for housing today. When she could move in was a totally different story. How she missed her Father's home back in Central...so big and spacious, with room for plenty more than the items she carried in her heavy roll-along and even heavier shoulder bag. This was really all she needed, though. Yep...counting the huge stuffed rabbit that took up a good bit of space in the shoulder dislocater, eeeverything she needed.

At least they were going to have pizza...


Last edited by Arizana Steknik on Wed May 08, 2013 4:53 pm; edited 3 times in total (Reason for editing : Adding details)
Arizana Steknik
Arizana Steknik
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Location : The edge of sanity

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Post by Spade Aeries Sun May 05, 2013 4:54 pm

"A-a-ah...i-it's...Ari! Arizana, sir!" She stammered, looking rather rough for wear. Spade was slightly aghast at her rigid demeanor, allowing himself to wonder briefly if statues could really talk. Well, he did tend to have that effect on people. He claimed it was either the wink or the sunglasses--perhaps the sweet talk--but he hadn't winked yet, so it had to be the aviators perched atop his head. They very often added the pizzazz he needed to woo pretty much anyone. In this case? He really wasn't trying.

"Woah, woah, chill. And stop saluting me or we'll be surrounded by statues." He leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a husky trill. "Not many people know I'm here. I'd like to keep it that way." He fumbled with his lighter he was still holding, flipping it open and closed with a metallic click. "Don't worry about it, Ari--don't mind if I call you that? It's the least I could do." He shoved his lighter into his pocket and sat down again, throwing down an elbow on a crossed knee and leaning his chin into his palm. "You know, people take things for granted all the time. I don't think new recruits should ever be forced to wait in a place like this. It's dumb. Why not just call you guys in when the paperwork is ready? You're here to pick up paperwork or something, right? I wonder if it's anything I can help you with, but, as you can tell, I'm a bit out of my jurisdiction." Not that it mattered much. He was the one that elected Shu to her position here in the first place, and he was currently the highest ranking military officer in the entire Amestrian military (we'll see how long that lasts). Regardless, it wasn't like he had godly powers of skill, wherein he could do whatever he wanted, no. Spade was more like a guy that wandered about until his expertise was needed. And what was that, you ask? Deduction and the art of war. Didn't really go hand in hand, but so long as he and Shu went hand in hand, he had no complaints.

The pizza guy showed up about ten minutes after the call, dropping off the pie and a few plates. They only needed two though. Paying him, the brunette shooed him away and flipped open the box. Now to see if she'd take a pepperoni or plain. God, he was so curious. Not that it exactly meant she was a tomboy or a lesbian, just that it would answer a few questions he had about her personality. Not that he necessarily had to care about what kind of person she was or anything; it was just something he did in his spare time. Reading people. It was like putting a book in front of your eyes and expecting you not to read it. Jeez, it was work to ignore things. It was both a gift and a seriously annoying flaw that got in the way of a lot of things and ended up distracting him. "You said you moved in, but aren't those your bags there?"



[You weren't necessarily clear if she had the bags on her so I just assumed. If I'm wrong I'll just edit it! And you had her speaking in Cretan, I think you meant Amestrian, yes? If not, I can edit that too!]
Spade Aeries
Spade Aeries
LUCKY STRIKE

Posts : 311
Points : 3
Location : In a bar with a pretty lady

-Case File-
Level: 4
Rank: Head of Central
Writer: Aki

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Post by Arizana Steknik Tue May 07, 2013 11:32 pm

Oh, if only she had some helium right now. Spray just a tiny bit into the air, just enough to keep that voice from escalating her blood pressure past a healthy level. It wasn't that his voice attracted her; those sort of things she would never admit to again. As if she honestly had time to be thinking about things like that. You had to do what you had to, right? And convince yourself that you were just fine with it. Just fine and dandy. But, that voice...more than anything right now, it only made her more scared. Terrified. A silken smooth voice like that belonged to those with a knack for charming, for entrancing...deceiving...even...murdering. She'd heard a voice like that before. The very thought of it made her tremble as her arm slowly lowered, and she blinked rapidly. No, no fear, no looking back...

"Yes, sir..." Allowing her body to relax slightly, she pursed her lips, running her tongue over them, trying to keep her finger twiddling to a minimum and stuffing her hands into her pockets. "I don't mind it sir, really..." If she was Pinocchio, her nose would have started growing nice and long. But she'd learned that just because someone gave an opinion didn't mean that she was free to agree. Go figure. Had this not been a shiny military guy, though, she would have gladly spoken her mind, be it agreeing or disagreeing. That was the only way to get to know the kind of person you were dealing with, right? Why sugar coat things, wait to open yourself up to a person, and then find that you'd waited all that time just to find that they weren't really who you thought they were, who you really needed? No. She would always be herself from the get jump with everyone. That way, they didn't waste their time and neither did she. Here, though, she had realized that, to a degree, she would have to adapt.

But then, an angel arrived and distracted her from her rather dizzying line of thought. It was in the form of a 16", doughy, fluffy, cheesy circle of--okay, it was pizza. But with the way her stomach was growling, it certainly proved to be a life saver. She hesitated, figuring he would take a piece first. The pit in her gut willed her hand forward, and she grabbed a large, gooey piece of cheese. Blowing on the end a bit, she took a bite, her eyes practically fluttering in relief. She began to chew hungrily, slowing thanks to a certain shyness to eat in front of others. She allowed herself to swallow completely before she answered, "Ah...well, I applied for a unit, but I'm not quite sure what the status is...I may have misunderstood a few things..." The truth was, just about everything was lost to her, with how nervous she had been and still was. She WAS enlisted now, right? God, this was NOT the time to be a derp, Ari! But, what could be done about it? Perhaps once she was finally able to rest, she could get her head on. Even her roll-on and shoulder bag looked ready to call it a day. Not quite sure how that was possible...perhaps they were sagging just as much as her back was right now. Well, how would YOU look if you'd had to walk for an hour, carrying 20 pounds on your shoulder?

She took another bite, chewing carefully, with her mouth closed. Mm...cheesy.

[Orz I'm sorry about that, I had so much in my head to type that I missed a few things ^^; And ff yes, I got confused with the colors >< I also apologize for my character, she's still traumatized by her past, some of which I haven't revealed yet.]
Arizana Steknik
Arizana Steknik
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Points : 38
Location : The edge of sanity

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Post by Spade Aeries Wed May 08, 2013 3:52 am

"I don't mind it sir, really..."

"Yeah, well, that's what they all say. I don't believe you. And for the record, it doesn't matter if you don't mind it. I mind it. We're going to change the way things are run around here if it kills me. You know what I do with my new recruits? I take them out for a drink. In Central, if you can join our ranks, you can drink. Those are my rules." He nodded, looking rather proud of himself despite the illicit activity spilling out of his mouth. In the end, he could pretty much get away with anything. People worshiped him and it wasn't like he wasn't going to take advantage of it. Thought to be honest, he had no idea what they saw in him. It was hard to admit, but the sunglasses and the wink that accompanied them didn't always cut it. Especially for angry police officers with a stick up their ass. Man, if everyone just took it easy and let loose, there would be a lot less problems in the world and more drunk, happy people.

"You know what. We should go get a drink. Screw waiting in this dump. Let's get out of here. And Ari, god, please, don't be so stiff. You look like I'm about to stab you with something. If pizza could kill, jeez." Were all South City new recruits like this? Because seriously, how would she handle this line of work if she couldn't even handle his presence. Like seriously, was he that demeaning? He was just, you know, standin' here, being Spade and shit. Like what? Was he scary or something? People were really weird sometimes. He understood where they were coming from and all, but still. Everyone just needed to catch a break. South City was probably best for her actually. He flipped a brown curl out of his jade eyes and blinked a few times in thought. Some people were just afraid. Afraid of what? Talking down to authority, being opinionated, being judged, etc. He was still trying to place a finger on this one, but he was sure he'd get through at some point. That or she'd run away.

"Plain!" Spade declared with glee as he noted which piece of pizza she took. He himself grabbed a pepperoni and began inhaling it. Two bites in, it was gone. "Man, you were as starving as I was. We're so deprived. Why isn't eating more convenient?" He lamented.

"Ah...well, I applied for a unit, but I'm not quite sure what the status is...I may have misunderstood a few things..."

"Oh, I see. Need some help?" He looked around him at the horrible lack of officials anywhere and sighed. "I can just grab you a place and give you the key. Fill out the paperwork later. I'll have them mail it to you or something. When we're done eating we can head there, what dya say?"

[Just go back and edit in the blue to your post. I'm glad I guessed right haha! ;P Also, don't worry about your character. Hell if Spade isn't carrying a boatload of shit on his shoulders. He's just in a good mood. He also my favorite character of mine... >.>]
Spade Aeries
Spade Aeries
LUCKY STRIKE

Posts : 311
Points : 3
Location : In a bar with a pretty lady

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Rank: Head of Central
Writer: Aki

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Post by Arizana Steknik Wed May 08, 2013 4:52 pm

Ari nearly choked on her pizza. Had he just said...yeah. He had. This guy, despite his rank, was laid-back, easy-going...in a way, that both relaxed her and made her even more nervous. Lately, Ari had seen no other way than to be serious, goal-oriented, uptight...needless to say, she didn't have many friends. Actually, now that she had moved, she had NO friends. People always liked the types they could just hang loose with and have a good time with, right? Even people that were like her didn't seem to have it as bad as she did. So, it was a classic case of opposites attracting versus repelling. Given her success with the latter, she figured this would end in disaster. Especially if they didn't have any non-alcoholic drinks...though, if she couldn't stomach booze, did that make her a wimp? That was strictly forbidden in Ari's book. Hell, if she had to down a couple of shots to prove that she could stack up with the men, then she'd do it without hesitation. That still didn't mean she'd likely be happy with the end result...

Ari took a few deep, quiet breaths through her nose as she ate to try and calm herself. "I...appreciate that philosophy," she said finally. "And your help in general." Blinking, she pondered why he had suddenly proclaimed her choice of pizza toppings, or therelackof. Maybe he just really, really wanted the pepperoni? Whoa...from the looks of how quickly he sucked it into his gut, that just might be the case. She stifled a chuckle, both at his actions and herself. Here she was, all self-conscious, when this guy ate just like she did when there was no one around to see her. "If I hadn't joined the military, my next choice was to be a food tester for a royal or something like that." Welcome to the first in a long, long line of Ari's failed jokes.

Grabbing a second piece, she allowed herself to eat it more quickly. Chewing slowly did have its benefits: allowing you to enjoy the flavor and making you feel more full. But she was ready to face whatever was coming her way, and get it OUT of the way. "Please don't go to any trouble...but that arrangement sounds rather nice right now. And I'd love to join you, sir." A room...a place she could make home, her home, for the first time. Unless...unless she was assigned a roommate. Well...he knew that she was a woman, so she guessed it would be same sex...woo boy. This was getting more and more complicated by the minute. Hopefully, she would get a chance- and the guts- to speak with him briefly about it. Things had been so simple before she got here: people saw a guy who was always staring at the ground, frowning, glaring at anyone who dared to stare, and they kept their distance. Who knew, maybe a few did see a girl and that turned them off even more. Boy or girl, she really didn't care what gender people saw her as, so long as they...well, to put it bluntly, disregarded her genitals, as well.

And...so long as they didn't see her as weak. No. They had best not do that.

[Done~ XD He's positively awesome, I love him already <3]
Arizana Steknik
Arizana Steknik
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Points : 38
Location : The edge of sanity

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Post by Spade Aeries Sat May 11, 2013 3:23 pm

"I...appreciate that philosophy," the girl said after a few breaths of pizza air, "and your help in general."

"Not a drinker," Spade tuned it. By her tone it was obvious. And the way she held herself; it looked like she was about to give birth or something. Still, he respected that. She was nervous; people got nervous. There was no right or wrong about it (save for her not being a drinker), which was why he was totally okay with it (though he wouldn't admit it was fairly disconcerting that someone her age wasn't into hitting up the bar). "Alright, fine," Spade continued with a nod, "then you must like food." And sure enough:

"If I hadn't joined the military, my next choice was to be a food tester for a royal or something like that."

"Sucky lifestyle--gettin' poisoned and all." Spade laughed at his own joke, and grabbed up another slice, eating it in three bites. Damn, he was famished. "Though it might be better than getting shot at." Wasn't that the truth. He leaned against the wall and crossed one foot over the other, looking up at the ceiling as if it had something sagely to tell him. Alas, it remained evermore silent. As did he until Arizana spoke up again after taking another slice.

"Please don't go to any trouble...but that arrangement sounds rather nice right now. And I'd love to join you, sir." She seemed to be in deep thought, as to what, Spade was oddly stumped. What could she be pondering about so seriously? He cocked his head to one side and pushed up his sunglasses, kicking off from the wall back towards the pizza. He took his final piece and chewed on it.

"No trouble. I'm bored. And they," he pointed, "in there, are slacking."

Once they were done inhaling the glorious cheese-greased bread, Spade tossed the box into the giant recycling bin and went about his day without starving to death. First line of business just so happened to be obtaining said key to said place in which he promised Ari. Looking at her sideways, he slipped behind the desk, side-stepped one of the secretaries, and swiped a set of keys off a hook. "I'm stealing these~" he cooed and then was gone. No one could object to Spade Aeries! Approaching Ari from the left, he waved the keys like a trophy and ushered her to the door where The Womanizer Mobile would stand waiting. Except it wasn't. They had to walk all the way to the parking garage. To waste some time, Spade sparked up a bit of conversation not only because he was trying to kill time, but because he was curious.

"Sooo why'd you join the military anyway?"
Spade Aeries
Spade Aeries
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Posts : 311
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Post by Arizana Steknik Sat May 11, 2013 10:02 pm

Ari had never passed out once in her life. She figured this would be a pretty good time to start, insanely good, but alas, she remained conscious. She didn't like saying everything there was to say about herself, be it in an online profile or the brief encounters she had in person, preferring someone to figure it out for themselves. But THIS? It was like she was a book, spread out all nice and neat, and he was reading her down to every last vowel and punctuation mark. Disconcerting? Certainly. Creepy? Perhaps. A relief? In a way...needless to say, she was a very complicated girl. It seemed impossible for anyone to figure her out, but the universe was sassy and seemed to love proving her wrong.

The good feeling quickly ebbed away as she blushed slightly, looking down in embarrassment. She was already aware that her kind was endangered and not too sought after...not that it mattered...but he still didn't have to remind her. Okay, so she reminded herself. Well, was it really her fault that her nose and stomach rejected the stuff far before it came anywhere near her lips? That spending her evening with a crowd of loud strangers who only cared who was wearing the tightest dress, or had the biggest boobs, or was the easiest to give them what they desired, wasn't her idea of a good time? Sure, she could deny it and go make a fool of herself just to prove a point, but Mister Soul Starer here would hardly buy it in the first place. Her head spun, and a general feeling of misery slowly began to sink in. This would be the first and last time she accepted an offer to go out, that was for certain. Nice, but it was quickly becoming clear that this guy wouldn't be the ideal company for her...too easy-going, too charming, too self-confident...too perfect. She knew deep down the reason that nearly everyone she met turned her stomach: because nearly everyone she met proved to be prettier, nicer, more talented...just, BETTER than her. All she could do was pray to the God who didn't exactly seem to be listening anymore that this would be over soon.

The chuckle she gave might as well have been produced by a robot. Not even the fact that her joke hadn't resulted in the usual awkward silence could make her feel better right now. "Thank you, sir," she said simply. That pretty much covered everything.

But then, his question.

It started a small spark within her, and as she followed him, she mulled over it carefully. "Pardon me if I'm assuming wrong, but in my discernment, you may be the only general-" yup, she'd finally figured it out after racking her brain for about 5 minutes "-that would take what I have to say as is without looking down on my sentiment." She hoped he would take that as a compliment.

Ari pursed her lips, about to speak. An odd feeling washed over as she allowed herself to look at him. A flash of fiery auburn...

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. The good and the bad, but especially the bad. Some things, like burning our hand on the stove, we can use to learn so that we can better prevent it from happening the next time. Others, like, say, getting mugged, we can try to prevent, but there's no guarantee that we'll be able to do anything about it. And yet, I think it's those that impact us the most, the ones that either make or break us."

A pause.

"Two years ago, my dad and I attended both the best and the worst carnival in the world. It's my strong conviction that, if it hadn't been for the events of that day, everything would be different. For better or worse, either way. I saw things that I'd love to bleach from my memory, and the path afterwards wasn't the prettiest, either. But, something else I had already lost sight of was my ability to change and adapt. To grow stronger." Her steps began to slow, a far-off look coming into her eyes. "My dad saw it, though, and he not only showed me what I had already done, but pushed me even farther. I didn't think I was ready to fly away because I couldn't see my own wings behind me. And so, I had to prove him right. Whatever happened that day at the carnival, the day that everything changed, I couldn't let those sacrifices go in vain, whether they were made with me in mind or not.

She stopped walking altogether, and stared him directly in the eye. "That, sir, is why I am here. That is why I cannot allow something as menial as a gender label to hold me back. My goal isn't to reach the top, in fact I have no idea where I'd like to be when this is all over. But on that day, I learned that you can choose to fall, or you can choose to fly. Perhaps, when I've found out just how close I can get to the sun before my wings disintegrate, then I'll be more than happy to take that plunge I cheated what seems to be a lifetime ago." A small, sheepish smile graced her features. Any second now she'd receive the Cornball of the Year award. "That's also why, if anyone else asks, I'm just going to say it's for the free housing."
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Falling into the Past Empty Re: Falling into the Past

Post by Lunesa Sun May 12, 2013 1:53 am

[Aki wanted me to pop in, hope it's no trouble :3 ]

The sky was bright enough to hurt her eyes. In fact she had to squint to make her way through and about. Was it sheer luck or out of some divine intervention that Lunesa had grown up on an island? No one really knew for sure, but undoubtedly she was used to hot temperatures. Unfortunately that didn't account for the heated buildings all around that captured the heat and made going barefoot a pain, so today was a sandal day. It was a white sundress and sandals day for sure. Her short hair moved with her each step. It shifted and settled almost like the waters she had grown up near. Things weren't like that in South City. If she wanted water, she would have to go back to the amusement park, because the closest wade pool was three miles away.

Her keys jingled lightly with the each step as she continued walking with large boxes in hand. It wasn't like she could see where she was going, but moving boxes from point A to point B was a simple enough to task. HOW the store clerk even got her to do it was some long-distance relationship that she couldn't recall. Something about her teacher's second son's wife? Was that even right? Lunesa was quite possibly clueless, since that happened more times than not. She wasn't even SUPPOSED to be working today, but she figured she had nothing better to do with her time. After all, every little bit helped.

Her intended drop off point was blockaded, but she hadn't an idea. Her brisk and carefree steps led her right across the path of two people who were talking. If she hadn't heard them, she wouldn't have stopped- and tripped. Needless to say, Lunesa couldn't very well see where she was going and the grass-sidewalk ratio had been off. She stubbed her toe in the process when she didn't move it up high enough and one of the two boxes tumbled to the ground.. along with all the 'valuables'. The woman at the shop shook her head and shouted something that Lunesa couldn't hear- she was far too busy trying to gather up the pieces of paper that were flying away. They averaged about two-hundred, because luckily the box had other things that were less prone to fly away in them. Though, she dropped the other box in the meantime to chase.

She didn't look at the two, but she sputtered and immediate. "S-sorry! This will just take a moment!" Oh why did she have to be so terrible on her feet? It was just her luck she'd be in the way of people, but hopefully nothing too bad. "Could you please ju-just not step on them, please?" Her voice was barely above a whisper; a quiet request upon the air.
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Post by Spade Aeries Wed May 15, 2013 12:31 am

He saw it. He saw it in her--a brief flash that reminded him of himself. When the doors shut and the lights dimmed, the shadows narrowed and bent deeper. The paper masks were cast off, torn to shreds, and paper cuts that made you bleed rubies that cost millions. Lipstick tubes and false bravado drowning out voices that were saying things that didn't even hold a single ounce of meaning. It was washing away with the sand, pulled by a force so strangely out of your control--sleeves that are too long, rolled up, and fallen down again. The spin of dresses glancing away in turn after turn of endless highways and roads that just lead nowhere but back into your own mind where the sweating glass slips further down your palm onto the table, empty. Empty. The outside was foggy, within and without. His fingers drawing meaningless touches, trailing up the side of a skirt. Nights spent drowning in self hate. Who's better, who is worse? That touch of moonlight on the shore where they walk, hand in hand, separately.

The sound of a shot.

Jade eyes were locked with the key in his hand, a faint reflection blurring back. Mechanical laughter squeezing out a memory better left forgotten, but even dust has its uses. The message left there, words of broken condensation, emptiness laced with cobwebs, spiderless to the beholder, were just the beginning. That beginning that left him still fragmented now--shaded into the aftermath of so much self-hate. Even now...even now he still felt it ebbing downward over that cliff, teetering still no matter how far from it he stood. But there was no cliff--there never was any cliff; it was just himself looking at himself. Those mirrors glaring fractured light and pieces of remorse so many times over that that soon became all he saw. Locked away into a voice of--what was it?

He looked at her then. And did not look away. "Thank you, sir." It was drowned out by wisps of brown hair and ever still brown eyes far from view. Somehow he could see through things. He didn't know why or how; it just was. The training only amplified it and made him a monster. A monster that pulled triggers without blinking. And then--then she looked back. Right at him a fiery taste of something more, licking at the tides with abated breath. "I believe that everything happens for a reason." He listened. "And yet, I think it's those that impact us the most, the ones that either make or break us." The thought of breaking left a cruel smile on his face, knowing exactly what she meant, however wondering too if she knew what it felt like as well. Better she not, but it wouldn't be so surprising considering how people ended up in this mess, joining the military--adorning metals and callused hands. Before she started speaking again, Spade slowed his pace, hardly watching where he was going, and instead watching her every movement--her every annunciation in yet smaller detail. "Two years ago, my dad and I attended both the best and the worst carnival in the world." Spade stopped walking. His mind looked blank. It was as if he couldn't breathe. Ari slowed down and eventually stopped too, continuing on about her father pushing her and wings she couldn't see herself adorning. He was just nodding, lost suddenly in an unbearable haze of festival music and spinning lights filled with fatal color.

"Whatever happened that day at the carnival, the day that everything changed, I couldn't let those sacrifices go in vain, whether they were made with me in mind or not." I was the man that caused those sacrifices. His grip tightened on the keys, sunglasses obscuring the horrible look in his eyes that screamed he was a killer--a murderer that took the life of his best friend that night. That night. He could never get it out of his head, gurgling to the surface only to find that the sun is only brighter there. Oh, Markus, why? But he deserved this--for that final smile encased in blood--he deserved to remember. "But on that day, I learned that you can choose to fall, or you can choose to fly. Perhaps, when I've found out just how close I can get to the sun before my wings disintegrate, then I'll be more than happy to take that plunge I cheated what seems to be a lifetime ago."

"I chose to take the fall," Spade replied, lifting up his sunglasses to the top of his head. Pieces of dirty blond hair fell over the rims, flopped about in an unnatural way. Nothing was between them now but air--air and realization. This was someone that had taken that horror and turned it into this--this--whatever this was. This was her pursuing something in footsteps left behind. This was her taking something away from the taken away, making--making something out of it. Aghast, beside himself, all Spade could do now was stupidly look at her as if she were some god with which to pray to for support--some otherworldly being that did the undoable and crossed waters he could only traverse in a reverie. He found his crooked smile returning, a deeper color of green seeping into the pit of his eyes and pouring out all over the cement where they stood. And that--that what was it was like to truly encounter a fucking awesome housing deal.

Something touched his boot. He looked down, distracted momentarily from Ari's conversation. Paper. He blinked, bending to retrieve it, but as he did so, an onslaught via wind followed. He found himself doing back-bends to grab them all, ended up with armfuls and no explanation. Bewildered, he glanced up to see a ginger girl with yellow eyes about in a tissy. Of course, this was ground for Spade Aeries to step in! Ever the savior when damsels were in distress, he stepped in all arms (literally). "Hey, hey," Spade coerced, packing in the papers he expended so much to collect, and reaching for more before they were stolen by the invisible, "no worries." He winked. "I got your back."

[Ahahaha...Spade came out 8D]
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Falling into the Past Empty Re: Falling into the Past

Post by Arizana Steknik Wed May 22, 2013 5:49 pm

Wait.

He what?

The fall...

A liberating sense of freedom washed over Ari as those words escaped his mouth. At this point, she didn't really care if he thought her corny, cheesy, overly sentimental, what have you. She had let out those words that had been building inside her even since she considered what she might say when asked such a question, and especially ever since she had seen his face. What mysterious force had drawn them together was obviously not one of coincidence; if anything, it was a vaguely familiar tug that had loosened her lips. She couldn't explain it, and yet, she could...perhaps. Perhaps she just didn't want to.

Either way, she was about to speak again, when she caught the look he gave her. She blinked, edging her head back slightly. "Ah...sir?" He looked like he'd just seen a ghost...well, perhaps not a ghost since he didn't seem scared. Quiet the opposite, actually. It was making her feel the tiiiniest bit...creeped out. But, odd as it was...it almost gave her comfort. As if, in some way, through that brief moment, that brief exchange...they had made a connection. Through some unspoken means, some bewitching enchantment, they understood each other. Maybe, even...that she had no need to be afraid.

That was a line she had told herself over and over again, yet one that somehow refused to sink in. This would probably be no exception. But, who knew. Maybe she would get tired of going back and forth with that. Hell, she already was, had been for a long time. Maybe one day she would just get so tired that she'd choose one or the other for good. And anyone who thought she would choose to be afraid, no matter how accustomed to it she was, no matter how comforting at times it felt just to stick to what she was used to, then they were a fool.

Nevertheless, she found herself standing there in a daze for what seemed like...well, a long time. When she finally came to, she shook her head slightly, putting a hand to it and blinking. Any drool escaped...no, thank goodness for that, at least. But now she was hallucinating...oh no wait, that was an actual person. She blinked again, still kind of in a daze as she watched the papers flutter about around this newcomer. The details of her face and general appearance were lost on her, until she spoke.

She was so quiet.

Then, everything kind of fell back into place. Snapping back to her senses for real this time, she scurried to grab up one of the pieces of paper, only to see that the General had beat her to it. She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, looking up and smiling after a moment. She was lost on what to say, typical. But then, it hit her. This would be a challenge, a contest of sorts. Spade's lady charming- did he seriously flirt with everything that had slightly longer eyelashes- gave her the idea, so she'd have to give him credit there. She'd just see if this girl would buy into her masculine rouse. Clearing her throat slightly, Ari spoke in that voice she'd perfected, the one of a calm, laxxed, generally disinterested but polite, and in general, quiet, guy. "Sorry about that, Miss. Wouldn't want you to mess up that pretty hair."

Wait.

What?

[Aghhh I am so sorry this is so late >n<;; Oh, its no trouble at all! She's so cute <3 Also...Spade's reply...feels *bonk*]
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Post by Lunesa Wed May 22, 2013 7:19 pm

Papers were everywhere! Lunesa didn't think she could catch them all, as she moved about the ground with her nervous fingers. This wasn't good. Why did she have to mess up everything? She couldn't even get the papers across the street without tripping over her own two clumsy feet. A pang hit her stomach, just a flash of memory. Her brother used to tease her about it, but even now, she missed him sorely.

"Hey, hey, no worries. I got your back." A voice beckoned to her ears. It was then she realized the people hadn't kept walking. To her, that was a miracle. Most of the people nowadays probably wouldn't have noticed. It wasn't like she could blame them, really, because she was a quiet person by nature. Naturally, as he winked, she blushed deeply. Her hand moved to push a bang out of her eyes and she caught sight of another person there. She wasn't sure if it was a man or woman. Her yellow eyes squinted to try and judge, but unsure, she didn't comment on the person's gender. Instead, she traded a small smile.

"Sorry about that, Miss. Wouldn't want you to mess up that pretty hair." Both of them were being so nice to her, that she didn't know how to respond!

"Thank you," she whispered through the dull pain in her throat. After a second, she took the papers and placed them in a box. "I didn't th-think you'd stopped." As all the pieces were picked up, Lunesa straightened herself. She took a good look at them and something startled her. The man there was someone who struck as familiar. "A-ah! Yo-you! You're Ge-general Aeries!" Stricken with nervousness, she was stumbling over words and unable to formulate a correct sentence. "I-I'm so sorry! I hope I haven't gotten in your way." How did one act around a commander, anyways?
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Post by Spade Aeries Wed May 29, 2013 5:31 pm

"Sorry about that, Miss. Wouldn't want you to mess up that pretty hair." Was there an echo in the room? Spade blinked haphazardly, realizing that he probably wouldn't say it like that if he was going to flirt with his ditsy girl. Of course, he wasn't going to flirt with anyone because he was engaged. Actually to the head of this fort. So yeah, he wasn't about to do anything of the sort ever (and mean it). He could have laughed at himself, but held it in for their sake. He looked crazy enough as it was without his after-lunch smoke. Speaking of. He pulled out another cig from his dwindling pack and slid it between his chapped lips, lighting it up with a flick of his beat up lighter. Inhaling a draft, he blew his fumes away from the pretty ladies, and listened in.

"I didn't th-think you'd stopped." He nodded, confirming that her convictions were satisfactory to assume considering that most people wouldn't even look twice. Society now-a-days was like that: rather dodge eyes than ever connect with another person. It was hard to believe that people could fall so low, but if you didn't want to get hurt, it made perfect sense. Ari had been there that night--shared in relatively the same experiences, knew how to pick herself back up. She was what people should be. And he admired her for it. "A-ah! Yo-you! You're Ge-general Aeries!"

"I get that a lot." He smiled, wrinkling an eye into a wink. God, wrinkles; he was already 30. (Truth be told, there weren't actually any wrinkles; he was just being a drama queen).

"I-I'm so sorry! I hope I haven't gotten in your way."

"Nah, we're good," he turned to Arizana, "right?" He waited for confirmation. "Right. But, unfortunately I don't know your name...?" He adjusted his sunglasses to a better position atop his head and took another drag of his cigarette, wondering if they would ever make it to the housing area intact.



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Post by Jay Furor Wed Jun 12, 2013 4:11 pm

~BUMP~
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