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”So, I ask him about Valentine’s Day and if I should worry about buying a new dress, and do you know what he does?” Up to this point Vicky had been pacing the room, gesticulating widely as she ranted about her boyfriend, but now she moved to sit on the bed next to the bluenette. ”He gives me this blank look and goes ‘Is that already?’ As if he had no idea it was even February!” The redhead rolled her eyes looking at her cousin. ”Jojo, I don’t think I’m going to get a Valentine’s Day.”

One moment Victoria Collins had been sitting on her bed, talking with her cousin about her latest troubles with Blake, and the next she was being yanked into the subspace. What the hell?! This wasn't like the last time though, this time was painful, and if she was a weaker person she would have been screaming. Her body felt like it was on fire; as it were she bit her lower lip until it bled, a bright red trickle making its way down her chin.

When she landed in the subspace as Petalite she was on her knees, hands splayed against the ground. She licked her lips, tasting blood and grimaced, lifting one hand to wipe the blood from her chin. What the hell was going on? She looked up, flicking her orange hair out of her eyes, searching for her cousin. When she found Linarite she moved to her side, not saying anything. She knew better than to question things when it came to the Negaverse. Catching the bluenette’s eye she flashed her a small smile, just another day in the Negaverse, right?

Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked for their leaders, landing first on Laurelite and then Marthozite. Bedhead and naked chests? They didn't seem to know what was going on either. Not that she minded, shamelessly staring at Marthozite's abs. She found the General King ridiculously attractive, but she knew she had no chance. He didn’t seem like the type to sleep with Lieutenants. He didn’t seem like the type to sleep with anyone really, which was fine since she had Blake, and she could always stare at the General King from afar.

Although now was probably not the time to stare and fantasize about her boss, now was the time to figure out exactly who brought them here and why. She twisted looking at the rest of the Negaverse who was popping in after them; they all looked as confused as she was. It seemed like nobody knew what was going on.

He fell to his knees the moment he resurfaced into whatever the heck he was at. He wanted to say the HQ, but something was strange about it. He never felt this raw, as if his nerves had been peeled with a potato feeler and his flesh was splashed with hot acid. Even his insides felt as if someone had fed him hooks and now each one was pulling out with an invisible line, wanting to tear him apart. It was why he didn't come to gain his bearings at all when he teleported into whatever place that, he hoped, was worth such pain. It wasn't the first time he associated the Negaverse with some degree of anguish, but this had all those other ones beat a hundred times over.

Whatever sense of power he had as a captain had been stripped from his mind, and he felt as weak and vulnerable as his civilian self as he curled his hands in, gasping as he hugged his arms close to his chest and bended over, wondering if it would be better to throw up or pass out. A cold sweat broke out and he felt flush and dizzy, his vision blurring in and out of focus as he stared at his knees, curling in. If he was suppose to bow, he at least got that right, but it looked more like he would be toppling over and curling into the fetal position instead.

A flicker of an idea told him he should man up, get to some semblance of a proper stance for the Queen, of which he assumed had summoned them as was how their normal meetings went, but that was a hard thought to put into action. He was trying to keep himself from passing out, and instead gasped hard, the waves of hot and cold rushing over him as he tried to recover. One moment he felt as if he was in a microwave as his molecules begged to explode, and then it was like being tossed in the arctic waters. Still, it was lessening, to some degree, and he just focused on the basics of 'in' and 'out' that made up his breathing.

When he at least managed that, he looked about and noticed his fellow officers. Lieutenants, Captains, Generals, and the recent addiction of General Kings and Queens. They all looked as bad off as he did, and he was glad he wasn't the only one suffering as badly. At least that meant he wasn't somehow strangely affected to a worse degree then the rest, not that he would want to wish this on anyone.

He wondered if bringing up the issue of unpleasant transportation would be allowed in this meeting.

Tanzanite rarely ever left Negaspace those days, unable to keep a hold on her human form for more than a few hours at a time. With her promotion to General had come a reversal of what most Negaversers knew. Whereas she once had to call upon the power of the Negaverse, drawing it in and wrapping it around herself until it took hold of her skin and transformed her into Tanzanite, she now struggled to hold it inside. Every moment in Aree Cadence's skin was thick with effort, like trying to keep a spring compressed at all times.

She was already in what she now thought of as her 'natural' form, sitting on the edge of her bed when the pain ripped through her. It sliced as cleanly through her pale body as Kunzite's sword once had, and by the time the white spots faded from her vision, her plain and boring bedroom had been replaced by the darkness of the Negaverse sanctuary.

Somehow, it felt much more like home.

Her gaze fell on those around her, frame bending in a deep and respectful bow to each of the three who outranked her. Those of equal rank were given a polite nod, those below her only a glance. Now was not the time for pleasantries. It was obvious that whatever had brought them here had left their ranking officers just as confused, and Tanzanite was not one to waste time in the middle of what felt like a crisis crisis. She looked to others as they arrived. For those who had not seen Tanzanite since her promotion, there were plenty of changes, the most striking of which might have been the voice that began calmly issuing orders. The steady female tone was still there, but a second one echoed every word, a raspy and unnatural sound. It sounded like screaming, dulled and twisted into barely recognizable syllables.

“Captains, Lieutenants, fall into formation. This is not a ******** sleepover.”

Claudia had been at home, in her large plush bed playing Harvest Moon when she was so rudely tugged away. She had only been to one meeting before, and the travel hadn't been nearly this painful. When she was finally dropped into the subspace she was blinking tears out of her eyes, still holding onto her DS. Slowly she closed it and shoved it down the front of her dress. She didn't think her superiors would approve of her playing games.

The sound of a double voice made her turn, her eyes trained on Tanzanite. She remembered the woman, but she had looked different when she had met her. Now she was darkier, scarier, only Zanazziite wasn't all that scared. Maybe it was because her arm was a youma and she felt comfortable around them. She fell into formation quickly, resisting the urge to run over to Arm and say hello. She knew that wouldn't be appreciated.

Marthozite looked at Tanzanite as he settled the plating of his bamboo armor back into place, his eyes as pleased as any mentor would have been. Of course he barely knew the young woman but it didn't take an idiot to see potential in someone, and he approved greatly of the fact that she was snapping them all into place. Linarite was nothing if not a disappointment to them all, though the other Generals seemed otherwise promising with some polish.

Said bluenette general was busy straightening her own uniform and wincing from where she had fallen on her healing bruises on the cold floor. The pain that had pulled her had been like every wound in her body that she'd ever received opening again with a fury that was horrendous. It took a moment to look up and see her cousin, reaching over to squeeze her hand for reassurance that everything was going to be okay. This had happened before, but never so angrily.

And where was the queen?

"Get in formation, like Tanz said. I'm going to go and ask her if she knows anything." Certainly the fanatic would have known, now wouldn't she? Striding over with unhurried strides and a face cool as can be, Linarite approached her fellow general and pillar. Her voice was hushed. "Do you know what happened?"

Nevermind the fact that Raite had just finished with his bath, drying his wet hair with both hands rubbing a towel into the dark locks while he walked in his hallway. The floor beneath him gave way, and Raite fell to the vicious pain that transported them all. No matter the depth of pain, Raite would have stated that he was fine. He fell to the floor, landing without a thought, his hands curling into fists as the pain faded from his body. He manged to sit up, on his feet while his knees were bent in a nearly sitting position. One hand resting on his knee while Raite panted for breath, and stood up on his own.

With each of these summons, the negaverse sanctuary was becoming more and more familiar. Not that he cared to become more familiar with the subspace, as it always erred towards the worst when these meetings occured. He looked up, his gray eyes taking in the situation. He didn't like what he saw -- the bemusement, the confusion on everybody's faces. Even Laurelite. That was surprising, if anything else was not.

He didn't waste time with questions as it would be useless to do so, since the explanation would be given soon enough. It always was. However, he couldn't help but feel at unease with the dark energy, especially that from ...Tanzanite? She was different from when they met last .. becoming a product of the negaverse rather then a soldier to the negaverse. Still, Raite pushed that aside. Raite stood up, looking to the generals for an answer.

Tanzanite was the only one Bismuthite knew, and she had a respect from him that was far greater than the respect he would have to afford his seniors here. There was no objection to her orders. Even his pride gave way to the one who had brought him to darkness, to freedom, to where he never knew he wanted to be. To the place where he could make a name for himself, ideally, and be remembered - the kind of immortality that had been his true goal since he knew what goals were.

However remnants of pain, and a moment of vertigo brought a pause to his otherwise prompt response. As soon as the dark stars were out of his vision, though, he fell into formation.