Demon's Wings, Angel's Blades [OPEN]

[Zane/Selena Solister]

The moon was full in the sky. To Selena, it seemed to be larger than usual. The stars could be seen so clearly. Everything seemed better out here by the water. She looked out to the salty waters and saw the beauty of the moon, glistening on the water. She sighed, oblivious to everything else around her. Normally, she would spend this time with her brother, but he was out somewhere, perhaps to kill an Aquila. It was what she would like to do too, but tonight Selena jsut wanted to relax. The stress of fighting and everything else in life seemed to just melt away underneath the stars. She spread out her black wings, no intention to fly, just to stretch. It was difficult to hide them during the day, so at night was the only time she could truly be herself, unless of course, she was fighting someone.

Why do the Aquila struggle? It just doesn't make any sense. How can they think what they are doiong is right? Fighting against their own kind for people who don't even like them. Well I suppose it can't be helped. She sighed again, bending her wings to be in front of her. She did not understand them. She had them, but Zane did not. Her powers were of light, yet these wings looked so dark. A thought crossed her mind, Could I really...not be related to Zane? She quickly dismissed the thought, horrifying as it was. If she was, why would Zane always be there for her? She sat down and looked out at the water, the waves coming about a foot away from her, then going back down.

[Kenny Motzimoto]

Raijin, the 16 year old electric ryougan, found himself desperatley fighting the violence, pain, and confusion that laid in Verada's streets. His lifestyle as an member of the Aquila clan and a trumph card for the Verada police had taken a toll on the young ryougan. There were times when he wished that he had never stepped foot inside of Verada, but then again on recent events, he thought that Verada would be heaven on Earth -- or the closest thing to it. Raijin started to hang around Resarea beach more often since there was an insured sense of security and tranquility in Resarea, and quite frankly, it was a place that held and would continue to hold, many beautiful and precious memories. Resarea beach was truely a rose amoungst a field of weeds.

The day was hectic and taking a walk on the beach under the moonlight seemed like a perfect way to clear Raijin's head. He held two 'D' batteries in his hand and started to suck the power from it, dropping the batteries in the sand. He placed his hand on his forehead and looked into the moonlight.

"This damn civil war between ryougans for the existance of humans is pointless. Why can't they see it our way and realize that we both can coexist together? After all, it's not like they can do anything that those Serpente couldn't see coming." He whispered to himself. His eyes began to wander...

Near him was a girl with what seemed to be wings sitting on her side. A chill ran down Raijin's spine and he left out a hefty sigh. Side-stepping towards her, he took a couple of pebbles and threw them into the ocean, watching them skip and ripple.

"Being on the beach alone in Verada?" He asked when he was in earshot. "Not your safest bet, kinda dumb if you ask me."

[Zane/Selena Solister]

Selena heard someone coming, but ignored it. The last thing she needed was someone to bother her while thinking. She saw the pebbles go on the water leaving a trail behind them. It annoyed her slightly, to see the sparkling moonlight being interupted, but she wouldn't show it. Getting angry at someone now wouldn't solve anything, and it would ruin the peace of the night out on the beach.

I'm here because I wanted to get away from it all. I do it fairly often, in case you were wondering. She didn't look at him, too focused on the beauty of the moonlight on the ocean. Besides that, she didn't know if he could be trusted. Nothing bad's happened to me yet. And if anything did, I can handle myself. Don't think I'm weak or anything. She put her hand over the center of her chest, feeling a pang of regret in her heart. The memory of being supported by Zane came back, reminding her of her weakness. But that was behind her. She needed to do her best, for Zane, and for the rest of the Serpente.

[Kenny Motzimoto]

"Get away from it all?" Raijin asked, raising an eyebrow. Verada was a place that could literally take the fight right out of you. It was full of violence, stress, pain, suffering, the latter. Obviously, it wasn't for the faint of heart but this city had it's ups as well. The beautiful scenary, the interesting people, and the fact that this city was yours for the taking; if you had what it takes.

"Just because you do something often, doesn't mean that you can't get hurt. I'm only looking out for your well-being, I would hate to see something happen to a person that would show up in the morning's paper or end up with a hearse carrying you. But, that's not a threat, just a precaution." He said. He finished throwing the stones and knelt in the sand, looking in the dark sky.

He laughed and rolled his eyes. "Who said anything about you being weak? You've noticed that I haven't said anything to you about, anything. We didn't even introduce ourselves, yet here you are jumping down my throat. How disrespectful!" Raijin said with a slight chuckle.

"Raijin Kenchi, at your service madame. Let's break the night silence by giving us your name."

[Zane/Selena Solister]

Yes, there are many things in the city that can tire me out. I come here to forget about those things that trouble me so much. It can get stressful, but I'm sure you know that. She turned to look at the man slightly. He was kneeling now, looking out at the sky. She turned back to the sky and the full moon. It was nights like these that she actually could fight better, the moonlight helping her instead of the sun. I can handle myself if something was to come up.

Selena stopped sitting and got back up carefully. This conversation wasn't getting anywhere. But she didn't want to upset him, in cae he was an Aquila. She didn't want to get into a useless fight right now, unless she really needed to. You're the one who started the conversation. Maybe I took you a bit too seriously and got too defensive. Who knows, who cares. Hopefully, this man would not get annoyed too much. Maybe he was a womanizer and she could easily charm him like she always did. But now, she decided it would be best to play nice, despite how much she was against it.

My name is Selena. Selena Solister.

[Kenny Motzimoto]

"Selena Solister..." He whispered. He had heard that name before, he just knew it. The Aquila had posted a list of noticable Serpente members that should be approached with caution, and he had been sure that he heard the name before. If not, then the last name rang a bell; Solister. He bit his bottom lip and cracked his knuckles, keeping his eyes focused on the water. Was it possible that he was in the presence of a Serpente?

"What citizen of Verada doesn't know how tiring this city can be? You gotta have balls to be in Verada, figuratively speaking." Raijin said, picking up a pebble and tossing it back into the water. "So, what, do you always act like that to a conversation starter? Well, maybe it was head on, so if it's OK with you, I'll tell set you off with another topic."

Raijin was fully charged, a force to be reckoned with. Eyes narrowed, hands balled into a fist, he let out a scoff and rose to his feet, side stepping a bit closer to Selena. He would get to the bottom of this, of everything. The first and last name, the wings that he had heard eariler. The last name was ambiguous, though it would be a stretch but Solister could belong to anyone. However, there were quite a few who had wings and didn't care for Verada's nightime streets.

"Of course, someone like you wouldn't be scared. You could fly away in the presence of danger, right... Selena? Those wings of yours could be real useful when you're staring down a knife or gun barrel." Raijin said, burying his foot into the sand. "Tell me, you wouldn't happen to have a sibling or anything of the sort, would ya?"

[Zane/Selena Solister]

Of course I know how tiring this city can be. That's why I come out here. If you can't try to get away, it'll eat you alive. Her focus shifted again to the person next to her, looking at him carefully. Was it wrong to tell him her name? It didn't matter, she couldn't take it back now. The only thing now was to play along with it.

Selena saw him stand up, fists clench. He looked ready to fight Selena if necessary. She wasn't sure she could do that on her own. But at the most she could at least blind him to get away quickly. She moves her wings slightly before answering his question about them. These wings cannot fly into the sky. I don't like to use them much anyway. Besides, who uses guns anyway, with the city the way it is. Mostly people would use swords and such. The wings were useful, bu not as good as he wold expect them to be. It didn't matter though to Selena. It was what helped her in battle.

She saw him dig his foot into the sand, for whatever reason that it was. Maybe I''m being a bit paranoid. I'll just go with the flow, see what happens... At his next question, it made those horrible thoughts come back to her. But Selena knew she could not show any signs of weakness now. She had faith in Zane. That was all she needed. And they looked too much alike to not be called twins anyway. But she would never tell Raijin that. A sibling?...No why do you say that? If I did, wouldn't there be another person with wings going about the city? I haven't seen anyone like that have you?

[Kenny Motzimoto]

Raijin raised his eyebrow. Her wings couldn't fly and she didn't use them very often, something reasonable and believeable. Still, that didn't settle Raijin. He had his suspicions about Selena, it was his gut instinct telling him that he would be walking into a death trap or letting a criminal slip pass his finger-tips if he didn't investigate about this girl. He know knew she was a Ryougan, the wings gave it away easily. However, that didn't mean that she didn't easily belong to the Serpente or even the Aquila for that matter. Then again, there was the possibility that she was neutral and belonged to no faction, in which Raijin could do nothing. However, Serpente was much different. The Aquila was at a constant war with them and they were labeled as criminals, terrorists. If this girl was Serpente, she would be arrested by Aquila order and tried by Verada law (depending if she had a criminal record). Killing her would be against their code; against Raijin's morals.

With this, he thought that it would be clever to start fishing, seeing if he could upset her. After all, who could stomach someone talking dirt about something they believed in? Raijin's light-blue eyes softened up and a smile crept on his face.

"Well, it was wrong for me to start asking you these personal questions. After all, you don't even know me, well except for my name." Raijin said releasing a fist. If anything, he had to seem as calm as possible. "But you're a ryougan right? It must be hard for you ryougans to be caught between two factions with the sake of fighting for humans. Though, I find the Serpente clan to be the troublemaking bunch, they're the ones that need to be eliminated. But, that's their fight."

Not saying that he was a ryougan was a good idea, since he had no distinguishing facts about him that stood out that said he was a ryougan, like Selena's wings (unless you could count his bright light-blue eyes).

"What do you think Selena? What side of the fence do you sit on or root for? I understand that not all ryougans were in the fight."

[Zane/Selena Solister]

Selena knew at once that this person...Raijin...was trying to find out just exactly who she was. She wasn't that stupid. But she could tell that he was a Ryougan, simply by his mannerisms. For now, she would just play his game. It would be easy enough to do so. He could be smarter than he let on. Yes, I am, obviously. She flapped her wings to demonstrate what made her different from the rest of the world. And you are too, don't pretend like I can't tell. She wondered if that would surprise him. It probably did, considering how careful he was in his speech not to mention anything of the sort. But Selena knew better. She wasn't about to let someone try and beat her this way.

Though his comment on the Serpente was a bit...insulting, Selena knew that if she was to not let on who she was, she could not show any sign of shock. All she had to do was play it cool. I suppose they could be considered that way. And like you said, it's the Serpente's and the Aquila's problem. They should sort it out. She used the same trick he used on her on him. Maybe he would see that, who knows. I really don't pick a side. It doesn't concern me either way. She was downright lying, but in this situation, it was necessary.

[Kenny Motzimoto]

Raijin looked at her, watching her wings flap. If they didn't fly, what use were they? She could've been one of the unlucky ryougans who weren't born with a special power, just born with a horrible birth defect. She could move them around, but that didn't pull her in the air. Maybe she was telling the truth -- or it was all a big fat lie. Raijin didn't fret over this tidbit, after all, flight wasn't a power to worry about to a certain degree. Raijin growled lowly, rolled his eyes and spat on the sand. She found out that he was a ryougan, just by picking apart Raijin's 'acting' skills. He had to admit, his act was watered down.

"Well, could you blame me, blondie? What if I said I was a ryougan, who knew what you could've done. You could be a Serpente clan member who found out I was a ryougan, captured me and tried to see if I was with the Aquila clan or a neutral. But, what are the chances of that?" He said laughing. He just remembered that he had talked up the Aquila clan - more like kissed their ass - which would make him seem like he was in the Aquila. That, or he was a huge Aquila supporter which cause for disaster either way. Raijin was digging himself a grave, just to get to this girl.

"The problem will be sorted out over time goldie-locks, with the outcome of the Serpente clan members sitting in prison. Terrorism and murder are still crimes, and the better they realize that, the faster they can save themselves." Raijin said. He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "You'd stand in the middle of a gun-battle with your hands covering your face?"

Raijin looked at the moon and laughed. "Well, that's not a safe, or smart, approach. You may not be weak, but you're not stupid. You never know when a Serpente member comes and shoves their recruitment down your throat. If you had to choose a side, which side would you join?"

Raijin snuck a look at her and drummed his fingers on the side of his hip. Your last name girl... it sounds so familiar. Doing a move to try to find it would immediately provoke a fight. A battle of will, wits, and nerves then goldie? OK, we'll play your way, until your last name comes up in my mind. I'll catch you in a lie and the truth will fall in line, then, you'll be placed under arrest! He thought.

Raijin's gut churned. He had to have solid, concrete evidence this was his perp and if he did, he had her.

[Zane/Selena Solister]

As time went on, he made himself more and more clear that he wanted Selena to reveal information. It wouldn't happen though, at least not on purpose,and Selena was very careful about her words. "I know you're a ryougan, simply because of how you reacted to me. A human would have called me a monster and ran away. But you stayed, so therefore either a ryougan or a very very stupid human." She could tell he was Aquila, or he was just trying to seem that way. No neutral would want a Serpente to reveal themselves, or even care for that matter. Only an Aquila would try to do that.

His little nicknames were starting to annoy Selena. Nicknames are one thing, bad nicknames are something else entirely. She hated the lame ones like "blondie" or goldielocks". It just wasn't cool. "If I was a Serpente...I would kill you for those lame nicknames. But I won't, it just isn't my thing." Maybe that would convince Raijin that Selena wasn't a Serpente. Hey, she had to try something. "Well, I do know that they do commit crimes. But I wouldn't hide during a fight. It's just not my thing to do. I don't like to fight. That doesn't mean I run and hide where it's safe all the time." It was only partially true that Selena did not like fighting. She did a bit, but only when she needed to. Right now, she wouldn't bother fighting because it would only give her away. She didn't need that right now.

"If I had to pick a side, you say? Well...I'm not sure. Does it really matter to you my answer? He had to tell her something. He couldn't just avoid the question when this was the entire topic of the conversation.

[Kenny Motzimoto]

This battle of wits was irritating, but effective. Raijin had no doubt in his mind that he could be sitting with a Serpente, it was screaming at him to act! But, what good would it be to just pick up a random person for suspicion? He needed hardcore evidence, especially since the Aquila members (who obviously had heat pouring on them from the public and local lawforce) had to carry a special appearance to the public. They couldn't screw up; they couldn't make mistakes. Not unless they wanted to be viewed as a dumbed-down clone of the Serpente. Evidence had to intertwine with her identity.

"Do you believe that all humans feel that way? Granted a majority of them are assholes, but that's because they're scared. They fear what they can't control, humans are ignorant but there's always room for expansion and knowledge. Slaughtering them causes no expansion, it shows how cowardly and arrogant the Serpente clan is." Raijin said, picking up a large rock and tossing it into the ocean, having water splash them.

Raijin laughed and fixed up his hair. "Oh don't get so pissy about the nicknames. Besides, how would you kill me with those defected wings? Is there another power you have that you never shared with us, are you hiding something?" Raijin said, trying to contain a smile. Calling a woman defective, not even seeing her as a potential threat would be something to boil someone's blood. If she tripped over her words, just one sentence, that would be ambition right there.

"Of course they commit crimes! They're selfish, disrespectful, cowardly, bastards! Why do you think Verada is sealed off to the outside world? How can anybody get out of Verada -- why the hell would anybody want to come in? I've spent sixteen years, my whole life, seeing that wall, seeing these places can drive a man wild, you understand right Selena?" He ranted. Of course, this was all an act. A pretty good one if he could say so himself.

"If you haven't chose a side yet, choose the side that offers you legal security. Be an outlaw for your life and eventually face the death penalty or live with guilt from all that killing. The Serpente clan will make you kill, it's inevitable." Raijin stated, sitting back in the sand.

"Of course not. Everyone has their own opinion, reasons, and views on something. I have the same views on an Aquila clan member, but I may not join them because I don't to be hunted down like prey, Selena Solister..." He began, saying her name with a slight mock to it. "Let's take a little survey, OK? After all, sitting here in the dark would be boring. Answer truthfully, lying is just pointless."

Raijin cleared his throat and started. "As a ryougan, do you think humans should be here? Second, what do you think of me, am I annoying you, overly-suspicious, what? And lastly, a bit of a role-play scenario, what would you think would happen if I was an Aquila and you were a Serpente?"

[Zane/Selena Solister]

This guy really annoyed Selena. He clearly was an Aquila, no one else would bad-mouth the Serpente in such a way. But she kept her cool. If she showed any signs of faltering, he would have her. And she could not risk losing now. "I suppose you're right."

She couldn't reveal any powers now, not while she didn't know any powers of his. "I wouldn't do that. If I had any other powers, I doubt they would be of any use." She moved her wings slightly, making sure not to move upward and start gliding. After coming this far, Selena couldn't show what her wing's true powers just yet

Look, I know what the Serpente do is wrong. Of course, VErada was not sealed off because of their crimes. They commit crimes because of the wall. If anything, blame the war on whoever put the wall their in the first place. I'm not defending them, only stating facts. It was a pretty good defense, Selena thought. She had to make sure she remained seperate from the Serpente enough to not give this guyu any more ideas. I really don't know what side I would choose. One is full of criminals, the other goes against their own kind. Hopefully, her little comment on the Aquila would spark something in him.

He was lying about not calling himself an Aquila, but Selena put it past her. She didn't have time to think about something she already knew. Alright, first, the humans have every right to be here. What they do here, however, is their own doing. Second, I really think you should come out as an Aquila. You're not good at all at hiding it. And for that little role-playing, if I was a Serpente and you were an Aquila, I would have killed you, simple as that.

[Kenny Motzimoto]

"I know I'm right." Raijin said coldly. It was weird but Raijin wasn't the person to get pissy and dark like this, maybe the mind tricks was too much for him? Maybe it was his mind believed that Selena was a Serpente, however she wouldn't let up any clues and he couldn't remember the last name. Raijin, being ever so childish, didn't want to be wrong. In his gut, he knew that this woman had to go down and be tried for the crimes that she could've committed.

"Never doubt yourself Selena, everyone has a hidden potential that can be reached through the most pathetic of powers or abilities," Raijin said staring deeply into her eyes. "You should never hold anything back, keeping a weight on your back can cripple you." Raijin removed his glare and stepped back, then yawned. He had her under his watch, he would investigate her thoroughly. This race war between Aquila and Serpente couldn't be resolved if he let one of the enemy walk by; slip through his fingers.

"The Serpente was the cause of the wall and now they're revolting against said wall? They are the cause and the problem and like a fickle child, they can't tell which alternative they want. Nobody can leave the city, then can slaughter the humans. The wall works in their favor, had it not been for Aquila, the wall would be torn down and Verada would be overrun with greasy Serpente." Raijin ranted. Of course, being Aquila, he was trained to believe that everything that happened in Verada was the fault of the Serpente. Then, she made that comment that set him off.

His hands whizzed with visible electricity and a spark shot into the ocean, causing the water to jump in the air. "Go against their own kind? Aquila goes after criminals, criminals are criminals no matter how you sugar coat it. If the cops can't contain the Serpente, that's where we step in." Raijin shouted. He knew that he said 'we' including himself inside of the Aquila clan.

Him asking about the humans wasn't nearly as important as the last two answers she stated. He was already heated about the previous remark, though he calmed down a little and shut off his electricity, making sure to conserve energy for when he would need it.

"OK, I admit it Selena. I'm a part of the Aquila. I patrol the streets, arresting criminals and aiding the Verada police. I arrest Serpente members and don't lose an ounce of sleep over it. Understand this, Selena, we don't do this to see our fellow ryougan suffer and die. We would love for them to come to their senses and side with us, or at least learn to live with their human cousins," Raijin said, looking at the background of the dirty city. "But a crime is a crime, ryougan or human."

He nodded his head and prepared himself to say it, flat out. If she didn't know already, she would now.

"As any Serpente would. Selena, to be honest with you, ever since I saw you on this beach this night I had a feeling about you. Something about you send a shiver down my spine," Raijin said, walking to the tide of the water with his back turned from Selena (still in earshot). "From your last name, to your looks, something about you put me off. I believe that you are in fact, a Serpente clan member, hiding that fact so you wouldn't get arrested."

Raijin closed his eyes and let out a small laugh. Everything was out in the open, cards on the table. "Be lucky you're meeting me and not someone else, otherwise they'd either end you on your feet or take you away swiftly. I don't work like that; to ruin the Aquila reputation is far to impulsive and stupid since it's already fragile. This verbal fight that we've been having is just a way for me to wait for you... wait for you to say the wrong thing: A confession. But rest assured, your identity will be known and I can catch you." Raijin swiftly faced her and tapped his foot.

"Never turn your back on the enemy, or a suspect. What, miss. Solister, do you have to say about that?"

[Zane/Selena Solister]

color=Purple]Why would you think I'm holding anything back?[/color] He was trying more and more to get Selena to admit her true identity, but it would never work. Selena was far more intelligent than she let on. Being with Zane her whole life taught her how to read people a bit better than most could, mainly due to her brother's powers. He was becoming a bit desperate, and it was showing.

Well, if there was no wall, how do you know things would be as they are now. No one is to say that the Serpente might have left and started a place without humans, and so none of them would die. Like I said, the wall is to blame. Everything that goes on in that city is because of that wall towering over us.

So then, anyone who commits a crime is a criminal? Even the people who steal because of what the Serpente did to them? What if someone close to you was stealing? Could you truly be impartial then? She was testing him. He would probably get angry, but Selena didn't mind. It would be very interesting.

Seeing Raijin, she saw the electricity shoot out. He couldn't contain himself. Selena smiled slightly at his reaction to her comment. He really is an Aquila... She now knew his powers, and could use that to help her, if the opportunity arose where she would need to fight him. Somehow, Selena knew that the opportunity would come sooner rather than later. She didn't want to fight, after all she was enjoying herself now, but fighting could be inevitable. However, the way he spoke her name concerned her. Was he catching on to her after all this time? Could he know about who she truly was and only pretending to get a confession. No, that wouldn't be right. If he did know who Selena was, he would've attacked already.

Is it the wings? I could hide them if you like... She moved the wings closer to her body. Though it was still best to keep them out. One, in case she needed to glide away. And secondly, they made her look less like Zane, if that was the reason that Raijin was being so suspicious.

So you think I'm a Serpente? That's a bit bold of an accusation don't you think? It's kinda rude I think, to just start calling people criminals. If you're waiting for me to give a confession...then you're waiting for something that's doesn't exist. She hoped he would buy the lie. But he had to. He still had no solid proof of Selena being a Serpente.

And to that I say, you're accusing me of a crime I didn't commit. She smiled at him. She couldn't lose here, ther was no way he could outsmart her or get her to slip up. It just wasn't her style to lose.