Beneath the Neon Stars - In Character Thread {MATURE CONTENT}

[Eruantien]

Standing in formation with other soldiers of his division, Leopold Cinder tugged on his bootstraps for the tenth time. The wait was unnerving, yet stimulating, in a way. It was difficult to explain to anyone outside of the company, but he finally felt... eager? It felt like having a purpose, once again.

After EXODUS had descended upon Magnopolis' government, it hadn't taken long for troops to be trained. And then, the day arrived. The doors opened, and they began to march. Leo took one last look at the strange insignia upon his armor, an acknowledgement of inclusion in the defense force of their world. Then, he hoisted his weapon, falling in step with the others as they exited at last the underground city.

Memories of years past suddenly flitted through Leo's mind before he passed the threshold. His family, victims of a cruel, unfortunate accident in the former unruly overlordship. The few people he could call friends, the members of his strike teams, some of which he'd seen among the defense force even today. And, INA... he didn't feel antipathy, or anger, toward INA. Just a bit of a numbness, but it was a warm sort of numbness, like the kind that settles in soon after frostbite. All these people, whose lives he'd touched and been touched by, all now in different places, but who called the same world their home. Even though their chances were small, at least there was a chance! Maybe things will be different in the future, Leo thought, his eyes glistening in the light as they stepped forward.

So, let's fight for a better tomorrow. An inkling of a grin, no longer hollow, split across his face. And let me see you grit those teeth.

 

[the_j485]

Finally, Sy thought, we're going to be fighting for the right reasons. No more backstabbing, no more infighting, no more humans dying needlessly for a corrupt social order. Truth had prevailed, EXODUS had beaten both the Partition and the Institute, now this new world was going to be one of unity.
Sy had been assigned to the same squad as Leo, the only teammate he was still keeping in contact with. He was glad to have had someone like Leo coming through alongside him, a familiar face in a torrent of new ones. He thought of his old team, back on their first mission in the Undercity. How far they'd come, and how much they'd learnt.
He'd be putting all of that experience to good use, now, in the war for the surface. He wasn't excited for what was to come - he understood as well as anyone that war meant death en masse. But he was glad, in a strange way. Nothing he could exactly explain, even if he felt it all the same.
Let's go, then. Forward unto glory.