Prelude to The Great War (Gabriel)

[Aternity]

Faith Of My Heart: Enterprise Theme

10:00pm.

The conditions outside were miserable at best. Aurora had been cooped up in the gymnasium for some time. After everyone had left, she had gone home and picked up one of her scythes, the one that she used for practice. The other one of course was only used for defense...never for this kind of practice.

Practice...

If she could call it that.

She had in reality come not for that, but to clear her mind. It was quiet, and the sound system in the gym was more than adequate to play her own music and well...dance to it maybe. It was interesting to be dancing with her scythe in hand, but for some reason or another, it was calming, and the dreams she had came to her in far more clarity than if she was trying to make them on the spot. The music was playing...the theme to Star Trek: Enterprise...not the short one, but the long one, the one Russell Watson had truly meant. The scythe moved around her on beat as she thought...

Thought deep...

Somebody was coming to meet her, this very night.

The person that she'd seen in the warehouse, the same one she had stumbled upon in her curiosity.

The second was of the war that was on its way...pain, suffering...but it was still a long enough way off to be avoided...for now, she danced, waiting for the boy to arrive through the south doors.

"Good evening love."

[Gabriel Seran]

The heavy set edges of the gym doors closed with a large clank, and in the brief moment of light Gabriel revealed a slight grin. His eyes lurked up with curiosity.

"Now how did you know I was here?"

He thumbed over it curiously noticing the girl's dancing with the scythe, one would consider it deadly, Gabriel on the other hand called it being prepared. it made the girl out to look like a modern angel of death, the Grim reaper. Cute.
He strode slowly, the large size of his boots clamoring against the hard wood floor with each step. His hand edged against the blade at his side. The large ornate figure of a rapier.

[Aternity]

"Women's intuition?"

Yes Thirteen, always with you and the riddles. It was rather ridiculous, but hell they were fun, and they always served to start a conversation on a good note. There was a smile on Thirteen's face, and although she couldn't see what was on the boy's face, she was sure it would have been surprise or curiousity, although the lack of a tremor in his voice said it was the latter.

"How about you? You must have your reasons for coming tonight."

Aurora wasn't the type to fake anything or lie to anyone. She might have distorted the truth with a riddle, but in a way, it always led in the correct direction. Fate had led the boy here tonight for a reason...it could have just been a stop on his way to another destination, but learning what she could was always in both parties better interests. No need in starting a confrontation without a knowing of why.

If it even came to that...she was hoping for a quiet night.

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel thought on the note. Why the gym? this late... It never actually occurred to him other than having to train, when he was home he just felt as if there was some magnetic pull to this place. And perhaps it was that same urge that put the thought into his head urging him to grab his blade and train. But what was the purpose behind it. Was there any? was the world so small and insignificant that some act of fate drew him here without his control? NO he wouldn't accept that things were out of his control.

"On a whim you might say." Gabriel said with a little edge to his voice, it wasn't that he was uncertain its just now he was suspicious and wanted to elude any trackers that sought the valuable resources his mind retained.

The boots clapped lightly till they encircled the girl once. And then he stopped now he had a face to face scenario with her. And he felt the urge of challenge rise up in his gut. A trait men usually got when they felt the need to dominate something.

[Aternity]

Thirteen stopped with her movements almost immediately and peered up.

She thought about his answer, and actually, she was satisfied by it. He wasn't trying to make it up...humans had a trait, a habit you might say of spontaneous action, and adhering to it was not to be questioned upon. People had reasons for what they did, even if it wasn't their own. Interestingly, his own answer seemed to make him tense, which was the reason Thirteen stopped in the first place.

She wasn't comfortable when others weren't comfortable. Call it empathy maybe?

Aurora tilted her head one way, then the other.

...Hell, why not.

"Would you like a dance?"

Thirteen was always willing to meet new people, and considering the circumstances, they may as well. It was a token of good faith; she lightly set down her scythe and held out her left hand. She was good at making awkward situations, but oddly, this was the best way of learning about someone for her. Through voice, and through touch.

"I'm Aurora by the way, or Thirteen. Whichever you choose...and you are?"

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel corked a brow swiftly lifting his palm off of the hilt of the blade. And here he thought it would be trouble. A small laugh escaped as he approached nearer giving off no signs of stopping gently. Despite it he slowed a moment before, a hand folded over hers tenderly taking the lead whilst his other would loop around her waist delicately.

"It seems you know my weakness Aurora, I'm Gabriel Seran." He said giving a quick smile before moving in a graceful twirl of a waltz like dance. Oddly enough in his country he found nothing awkward about his dancing nor those of his court.

[Aternity]

"Well, I didn't know that until now."

She looked up and smiled. Good, there was no fighting, and no more awkwardness. Aurora directly complimented his hand and stepped in synchronous with him. So this was the Gabriel Seran that Matrim and the others had spoken about. He didn't seem too bad, at least not from initial contact. He probably did have plans or his own agenda for the school, but who didn't really? It wasn't in Aurora to judge people...but instead to guide them should they ever ask for it.

He didn't look like he needed it.

"It's good to meet you Gabriel."

There was no point in keeping her eyes open any longer, as she couldn't see him anyway...but the fact made the time pass slower, and well...it just felt better that way. However mushy that sounded.

"I must apologize for my intrusion the other night...my curiousity often gets the better of me."

There was a certain sensitivity in her voice that she was sincere about that whole incident...it wasn't a lie, she meant every word of it.

[Gabriel Seran]

Thats exactly how he liked it, the lead. Though following had its advantages as well. Some he yearned for still, the relaxation of it all. Burdens buried a man deeper than one could imagine. He led the waltz with a gentleness that was indifferent from his actions of late. He was becoming colder, less human, he needed something to reconnect himself with the world a softness he'd yet to find.

"I must apologize for my intrusion the other night...my curiousity often gets the better of me."

Gabriel slowed inquisitively, that was till he recognized the girl. She'd been the one whom barged in on his little meeting. So fate did deliver some gifts now what was up for debate was leave her be or make her suffer for what she may or may not have heard. A grin trekked across his face.

"Ahh, so in this case curiosity didn't quite kill the cat." Gabriel said with a small laugh, "Did you happen to stumble on us by chance or perhaps divine inclination I wonder?'

[Aternity]

Gabriel wasn't quite as cold as many people made him out to be. He was an excellent dancer, but there was still something missing from it. Aurora didn't know what it was, but something felt off with the boy...it wasn't suspicion...that was usually, obvious. It was something deeper. And she just hadn't reached it yet. So what was it? The poor guy probably had plenty going through his mind right now. Part of her wanted to help, the other part...meh, it was his dealing...not hers.

"No...not quite, and I'm thankful as such. I suppose you could say that I stumbled upon you in a dream?"

Also true, although her 'dreams' occured both while asleep and awake. Thirteen slowed with him, and tried to keep the conversation going. It was difficult considering that this was her first true time with him...

"And yet, my curiosity is still peaked...I've been thinking about it, wondering what was going on in there..."

Hm. Maybe she shouldn't have been so blatant, but as they moved about the room, the wheels of fate were already set in motion. But that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy what was already happening.

[Gabriel Seran]

Fate. Such a funny word, was predestination plausible? Because the moment someone was to see something, that very instant in knowing of it forced a change. Wheels of motion turned into blocked cubes unable to perform or operate under the slightest duress. Though in the end it came down simply to choice. What choices do we make that alter our steps, what choice makes us into who we are to become. Gabriel's future may have seemed written in stone for him yet at the same time it was still being written and the writer had a mental block. Indecisive as to the path that must be taken.

Balance... Or Peace, there were no real options that could convey the complexity of the matter. Down the road everything would be inevitably turned to dust. Nothing would matter, but at the same time hope kept men trying for a way to cheat death. History remembers us.

Gabriel stopped his foot work and slowly twirled Aurora beneath his arm elegantly, as if she were the diamond twirling beneath a sparkling jewel.

"I think its best you don't know, lest we tempt fate." Gabriel said with a charming chuckle.

[Aternity]

So, the boy did have a little bit of experience in fate and its dealings. Well good. That meant that the both of them knew what was coming up. But did that mean that either of them knew what was truly in the end? Aurora's Qi worked on the principles of probability of fate, and based on that knowledge, she changed the future...manipulating the strands of fate itself...Matrim had once made a comment to her, that she was fate.

Aurora swiftly declined the fact, stating that she only had the advantage of knowing hundreds of permutations that fate gave her for any given minute. She only changed her course onto a new strand...she didn't have the power to make new ones.

Thirteen slowly spun once beneath Gabriel, quietly, and silently, only broken by the music emanating from the speakers. There was a look of slight anguish on her face, and her orange eyes stared up into the blackness.

"Fate...as much as we try to avoid it; we're only it's pawn...we can't escape it...but we can choose how we go about it at least."

She knew this first-hand...she could see choices before she made them...remember the white room with all the TVs in the Matrix? Aurora's power was like that.

"So you believe in that do you?"

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel grimaced at the question lightly coming to a halt. His hand lingered with hers lightly as he pondered the depth of the equation as it played out the many details. Right was often wrong and things were never quite as we initially visualized them to be. No matter where you turned you'd always be doing wrong by someone it was best to choose the decision you felt would better your cause, your efforts.

"I believe in what is necessary to come about..." He stated without hesitating much more, "I believe that we live in a cycle that will never be disrupted no matter how we try, the only hope is that we can make the best of these rough times and the good."

He made an effort at a smile though now it was labored after the thoughts stringing along.

[Aternity]

Hmmm, it appeared as if Aurora had struck some sort of nerve in a sense. They stopped, but they were still holding hand to hand. There wasn't anything wrong with that, as Aurora could in a sense, feel his emotions. Anguish and a touch of despair. Something was in fact wrong. But what should she do about it?

"That's a good way to go about it, but fate is malleable you know."

She started to drag Gabriel over to the seat on the side of the gym, hoping to get him to sit with her, maybe try to talk through what was going on in his head.

"Yet, many think you're trying to create something...evil? No...maybe unorthodox. But what exactly is the point in removing the pillarship?"

[Gabriel Seran]

He let himself be dragged over to the seats. He settled down calmly and took a slight interest in her reassuring him.

The words came out as if he had said it, for chances are some time ago he had been saying it. Gabriel stared at her his eyes curious and now pressuring for answers. She knew? He hadn't said a word.

"...I never said I was trying to get rid of the Pillars..." He said cautiously eyes focusing intently on her. his grip on her hand tightened now fearful and yet in the same moment thrilled. A hot jolt fired through him. It was danger, like a trapped animal he would react.

"How do you know that?" Eyes narrowed accusingly.

[Aternity]

It appeared that Aurora had worried him somewhat, which wasn't at all her intention, but it was best that he knew that she did as well. Maybe she was making herself a target, but then again, it was in nobody's interest that she lie to him, after all, that would only make a bad conflict coming up even worse. Thirteen set her other hand on top of his, trying to calm him.

The blind one spoke, calmly, but with a sincerity that should not be ignored.

"You didn't have to say it...as soon as your mind was made up on the decision several weeks ago...I knew. You didn't have to say a word."

Thirteen realized that had come out rather awkwardly, and telling them something like this was more than likely to make her a prime suspect as a spy, but as a precognitive, bigger events often stood out more than smaller ones, as fate was paying particular attention to this event.

"This is the prelude to the great war coming...I knew you were coming because you're a big part of it...I'm sorry, this must be confusing...I'm confusing myself right now."