Lunar

I want my cake and, I want to eat it too
I don't care what they say about me
I never listen to anyone.

Karelos found herself sitting on the cobbled stone seawall. The orange sun was slowly sinking across the sky. She loved to watch the sunset by the water, listening to the waves lapping softly beneath her feet. The feeling of watching the sun slowly moving behind the dark mountains was soothing, but in a nostalgic sort of way. She liked things that way.

Four years had passed since she discarded the old life she knew to search for something better. In truth, she felt she didn't quite find what she was looking for yet, but perhaps she never would. Through time, she was slowly growing to accept this fact.

"Are you cold?"

The familiar voice of a childhood friend spoke up behind her. She smiled to herself as Roxas handed her a cup of hot chocolate.

"How did you know? This is my favourite," she said cheerily.

"Some things don't change." He took a seat beside her, gripping onto his own drink.

Karelos sipped from the warm cup gratefully. Roxas still worked part-time at the coffee shop by the water, but he was nearing graduation. No doubt he would move onto greater things. They all did. Only she remained one of the things that didn't change, like a museum exhibit. Like someone who wouldn't let go.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" she said, dark eyes flickering with the orange glow.

He shrugged. "I see it every day. But yeah, it is."

They sat in silence, enjoying the view together. The only sound was the lapping of the waves and the faint sound of the occasional car that passed by.

"Thanks for the drink." She stood up once the sliver of sun had completely disappeared. "I have to get going, so I'll see you later."

"Okay."

He also stood, and for a moment he stared at her with a sorrowful expression in his deep blue eyes.

"Be careful, all right? I know he won't let anything happen, but..."

"I'll be fine." The corners of her mouth curled up. "You worry too much."

Night had fallen, signalling the awakening she had long grown accustomed to. As she walked up the pathway to the parking lot, a strange pressure tugged at her chest. She couldn't see an end. No matter what she did, everything was the same.

♦

Wrapped in a tight black dress that accentuated her curves oh-so-flatteringly, she strode through the dance floor perched on sky-high heels. Long black hair flowed in careful curls that framed her face and ran down her back.

The comforting throb of the bass rejuvenated her. Each thump vibrated, reverberated in her chest and the sound of her own heartbeat echoed a reply in return. This was her night, her scene, the place where she felt most comfortable in her own skin.

She pushed past a crowd of moving bodies and made her way to a secluded bar at the back. The tension released from her muscles as she basked in the neon lights. Ylisse Nightclub. The best parties were always held here.

There wasn't a set reason as to why she chose to return to this town, the town she had wanted to leave more than anything in her younger years. Maybe she just missed everything; the nostalgia, the drama, all of that.

Or maybe, she did it simply for the hell of it.

♦

Her silhouette was unmistakable. The girl -- no, woman -- he never would have missed her.

Too many nights spent together, too many memories and moments flashed before his eyes. He couldn't make sense of it all, didn't make sense of why she would be here. But none of that mattered, did it?

He dropped his attention from whoever had been cozying up to him and made his way towards the back.

♦

"Ms. Wilder, what a pleasant surprise."

There wasn't a need for her turn around to know who that was. Maybe he was a reason as well.

"There's no need for pleasantries. There never was a need for them between us, was there?" She put on an overly warm smile. "It has been a while, hasn't it, Noctis?"

She batted impossibly long eyelashes up at him. Dark hair, a handsome face and ice-cold eyes made up the enigma that stood before her in the form of a man.  

"I never thought you would return here." He leaned against the bar counter, looking slightly amused. "Karelos. You look hot as hell."

"I'm guessing flattery has never failed to get you what you want," she said flatly. 

He smirked. "Having money works too."

"You haven't changed." Despite herself, she laughed. "Buy me a drink, and we'll talk."

There was a certain strangeness in this meeting, as if they were both holding back something. What it was, she couldn't quite figure out. She could only feel there was a thin sheet of glass that separated him from the rest of the world.

Up until a short while ago, that sheet of glass would have extended to shield her as well. They were the same, after all; a folie à deux like no other. Up until a short while ago.

"Gin and tonic. Double." He passed the drink over to her. Unnerving how he remembered what she liked. He was normally too selfish to be any sort of thoughtful.

A silence drifted in, and background noise filled the space between them like a thick fog. Drink after drink. They didn't have to talk, after all. This was their night, their scene. Their Artificial Nocturne.