"The idea that the stars literally influence men is plainly untenable. But that the movements of the constellations are a clock by which earthly changes can be measured is less easy to dismiss." ― Camille Paglia
Operation Menu: Phase Breakfast (D-13hours)
Three teenagers huddled together in the cramped corner of a room, each claiming a spot amidst a disarray of mismatched pillows strewn across the floor. The sole window in the room offered little solace, as its view was obstructed by a dreary brick wall. Interrupting the desolate ambiance, a lopsided whiteboard adorned with smudges of various colors hung askew, breaking the monotony of the barren walls.
Suddenly, the door swung open, unleashing a silver-haired girl with violet eyes. With her entrance came a refreshing gust of fresh air, stirring the drowsy occupants from their slumber. They sat upright on their pillows, rubbing away the remnants of sleep from their weary eyes.
"Rise and shine kittens for our day has finally come," she said while she stepped over her legs on her way to the whiteboard.
"Blue Council finally gave us a match point, Mistress Estelle?" asked a girl in a pair of wide-rimmed glasses.
She pulled her curly red hair back and tied it up with a brown scrunchie.
"Absolutely, my dear Heather, and now that the new season is almost upon us time is not a luxury," Estelle said reaching into the pocket of her violet dress and pulling out a map and pinning it to the wall with a spike.
"And once the starting gun is fired, we are marching here and taking this territory," Estelle continued pointing to the middle of the red-highlighted portion of the map.
Two others in the room rubbed their eyes while Heather stood up and studied the map.
"Umm, attacking would be unwise Mistress," Heather said. "Need I remind you that Mars is the furthest away possible? We should be helping reinforce key Blue zones or…"
"That's precisely why we should begin our offensive," said a deep voice of a man who stood in the doorway. "We are on the cusp of Cancer, and it would provide a boost to magical defensive networks, but what teams Yellow and Red don't realize is that it will take weeks for defenses to be fully fortified."
Heather smiled and curtsied at the guy. The wrinkles etched under his eyes, deepened when he smiled back at her with a toothy grin. He walked into the room and the chains on his leather jacket jingled. She glanced over at Estelle and back to the guy.
"If I understand this correctly, Mistress Estelle wants us to launch an attack deep within Red Territory, would you go to Hell if Estelle asked, Tauru?" Heather asked looking up at him.
Tauru stopped for a moment and his eyes changed from blue to red.
"Sure, I heard they throw the best keggers there," he said stepping past her.
With a glacial stare, Estelle dismissed Heather's attempt to give Tauru the bedroom eyes and declared, "No more amorous distractions, it's time for war." She pointed resolutely at the map and continued, "Focus your attention, for here lies the plan..."
***