Wxnter
meet me at area 51
Valerie Knight
TAGS:
LOCATION:
Komagatake Onsen Resort, Cafe
INTERACTIONS:
Markus Graymouse
December 21, 2054
Humans at their core were rotten, and Valerie was no exception. In her quest to achieve her end and aim in life โ wealth and power โ sheโd convinced herself that the end justifies the means. Throwing away her morality was the price she paid for success, and with that, she locked her heart away in a cage of steel. Somewhere along the road, she'd lost the key.
Worse was the realization that she'd spent all these years living for herself alone, discounting everything and everyone that didn't serve or benefit her. She was but a fragment of her past self. Whenever she looked in the mirror, only a stranger gazed back with a pair of golden eyes carved out of bleakness. She recalled how those very same eyes used to shine with warmth and passion.
Valerieโs mind wandered back to seven years ago, when she had just left the Corps with nothing to her name. No rank, no title, no achievements that truly mattered in the real world. She felt empty, but within that emptiness, a bright flame burned inside of her. It was a drive and hunger for success. She wanted everything or nothing. Deathโs sweet embrace seemed more welcoming than the sour aftertaste of failure.
A lingering question plagued the back of her mind. Was all of it worth it? To live in luxury knowing that lives had to be ruined โ perhaps lost โ to get here? She still couldnโt come up with an answer after all these years. The choices she'd made in the past still kept her awake at night, like vengeful ghosts haunting her consciousness.
โOne espresso for Miss Valerie?โ
A voice pulled her away from her thoughts and brought her back to the present moment. She absentmindedly reached out to grab her drink, but her instincts blared like a fire alarm, urging her to look back. Valerie whipped around, and her reflexes kicked in โ a leg shot up, her heel connecting with the object coming toward her. It flew and crashed against the wall behind the counter, barely missing the barista.
All eyes were on the two as a series of gasps rose above the general chatter, and a moment of silence settled into the cafe. With a deep scowl etched on Valerieโs face, her eyes trailed upward to meet the person responsible for soiling her shoe. A flash of recognition followed, and her memories stirred. She could never forget the face of someone who had gotten on her nerves more times than she could count.
"Looks like a little gray mouse had wandered its way into the cafe... Talk about health protocols?" She sneered.
Before he could open his mouth to respond, Valerie grabbed him by the collar and dragged him outside of the building, shoving him roughly once they were away from prying eyes and ears. โSo, tell me. What brings this pompous prince to Japan? Demon shortage in Europe?โ Her lips curled upward, her eyes cold and mocking.
From a distance, they could hear the fitful sobs of an elderly woman who was handing out flyers for her missing son. Spotting the two, the old woman made her way over and, with trembling hands, handed each of them a flier, breaking the tension between the two if only for a moment.
Worse was the realization that she'd spent all these years living for herself alone, discounting everything and everyone that didn't serve or benefit her. She was but a fragment of her past self. Whenever she looked in the mirror, only a stranger gazed back with a pair of golden eyes carved out of bleakness. She recalled how those very same eyes used to shine with warmth and passion.
Valerieโs mind wandered back to seven years ago, when she had just left the Corps with nothing to her name. No rank, no title, no achievements that truly mattered in the real world. She felt empty, but within that emptiness, a bright flame burned inside of her. It was a drive and hunger for success. She wanted everything or nothing. Deathโs sweet embrace seemed more welcoming than the sour aftertaste of failure.
A lingering question plagued the back of her mind. Was all of it worth it? To live in luxury knowing that lives had to be ruined โ perhaps lost โ to get here? She still couldnโt come up with an answer after all these years. The choices she'd made in the past still kept her awake at night, like vengeful ghosts haunting her consciousness.
โOne espresso for Miss Valerie?โ
A voice pulled her away from her thoughts and brought her back to the present moment. She absentmindedly reached out to grab her drink, but her instincts blared like a fire alarm, urging her to look back. Valerie whipped around, and her reflexes kicked in โ a leg shot up, her heel connecting with the object coming toward her. It flew and crashed against the wall behind the counter, barely missing the barista.
All eyes were on the two as a series of gasps rose above the general chatter, and a moment of silence settled into the cafe. With a deep scowl etched on Valerieโs face, her eyes trailed upward to meet the person responsible for soiling her shoe. A flash of recognition followed, and her memories stirred. She could never forget the face of someone who had gotten on her nerves more times than she could count.
"Looks like a little gray mouse had wandered its way into the cafe... Talk about health protocols?" She sneered.
Before he could open his mouth to respond, Valerie grabbed him by the collar and dragged him outside of the building, shoving him roughly once they were away from prying eyes and ears. โSo, tell me. What brings this pompous prince to Japan? Demon shortage in Europe?โ Her lips curled upward, her eyes cold and mocking.
From a distance, they could hear the fitful sobs of an elderly woman who was handing out flyers for her missing son. Spotting the two, the old woman made her way over and, with trembling hands, handed each of them a flier, breaking the tension between the two if only for a moment.