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Dodging, it was something he’d always specialized in, less expected perhaps to have an officer hurl his weapon at him, but dodging all the same was more natural to him than punching. He was already tired, but there were reasons for that. Reasons that were about to come into play in a span of breaths.

“Bischofite.”

Almost the same moment that his name was pronounced, something slammed into him with the gentleness of a professional football player. Clawed ‘fingers’ curled around his arms with a prehensile grip and a sharp beak as long as Bishofite’s fingers pressed to his cheek and gave a gentle hiss before it spoke, with surprising, even alarming clarity and presence.

“Twitchy… though not from surprise I think.” It said, an curious accent to its words that was at least slightly exotic, oddly clear for something that had a beak for a mouth, its feathers ruffled slightly and it brushed your face with fine whiskers.


“Nor I think from realization.” He said moving closer. “Be good Locke, I’m sure it’s tempting. But not now.”

He crouched then beside you, and tipped his head, a motion so birdlike it seemed to tie him all the more to the bird like youma.

“Not I think the best sell towards your reformation.”

Zinkenite bent down and picked up a brick, god knew why such things so often littered alleyways, good bricks really, solid, red, normally requiring something like a sledgehammer to break. But then again, he could if he needed, punch through a wall.

He held it up, thoughtfully, as though considering its value as a weapon, fingers resting lightly to either side of it. Then, with a flat stare down at the snarling officer, he snapped it in two, a small shower of brick dust staining his bare fingertips and collecting in the curves of his gloves as he let the remains drop.

“I am the leader of the information division, not only do I know your name, I know where you live, likely I know more people that you speak to, on a day to day basis than anyone in the entire Negaverse would be comfortable with me knowing. If you receive punishment from me, physical pain applied to your disrespectful person will be a very, shallow beginning to what I am, quite honestly willing to do to you. If you will not respect me then you will fear me, fear us… and fear that which we serve. Have I made myself perfectly clear Bischofite?”

“My, beast, as you so eloquently put it, is close to a greater youma, I can assure you he’s smarter than you.”

The ‘beast’ laughed, a rich amused sound that, coming from a human would have been charismatic and almost warming; from the face of a beast it was simply eerie.

“Seems that you have learned –something- , though its clear that isn’t respect.”

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes then. “Trust me, you are not our greatest failure, do check your –ego on that front.”

“Oh yes, I am well aware, as I am sure that others have been inadvertently aware why such a ‘strange’ rule was put into place. I am aware of who brought you into our ranks.”
“I think you’re aware that people were going to ‘check in’ on you, were you not? Did you think it would always be the same one of us? We do have other duties to attend to. I happened to be available, and I’m never one to turn away information. Believe me, I’m learning a great deal about you.”

The General-King’s own voice was not unlike the youma, it was a good voice, the kind that gave some indication of training, public speaking, maybe even singing. It would have been a better voice had there been more… emotion in it, but he was not inclined it seemed to lessen the implications of your current status being a bug, carefully impaled upon a slender needle for observation.

“I think we can return with crystal clarity to the fact that you hurled your weapon at my head. Really, I consider Locke a much better retort than introducing you to my own weapon. The state you’re currently in, and the lack of much air flow means you’d more than likely be retching your guts out, I suspect that would do worse things to your ribs.”

“So tell me, easy to say you lack the respect you once had, that much is obvious, but tell me, tell ME why you lack it, I think we are both –wise- enough to understand that I can not –force you to respect anything, but I likewise think you understand that in times of war, fear is an acceptable substitute. Lets do try and talk it out like higher functioning individuals.”


“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t turn back to the oldest ways, of making an example to our officers, because having heard that from your own –lips, believe me I will not loose a –capable- officer to THEM.”

“I find it amazing how many people claim to beyond fear, but that’s really not the point here is it. Your body… should you have ANY self preservation instinct, which I believe you do.” He reached a hand and touched his fingers –very- lightly over aching ribs. Shifting them with a small frown till he seemed satisfied.

“Then you’ll know, having acted at least somewhat to change yourself, in the name of self preservation that even Masochists, have a limit.” He pushed down, enough pressure that you could –feel- the threat of the rib cracking again.

“Do I make myself clear? I will not stop with you, I will have this done to every civilian you have done this to more than once, you can believe me when I tell you.” He said, voice dropping to a low hiss, that was somehow clear enough even through the haze of pain between the bruised rib and the great beast pushing clear of you, rising to stand on its fox-ish hind legs with its tail for balance.

“Believe me, when I tell you that no pain I have yet offered you and yours can compare to the pain, and personal loss of becoming a youma. That, is not a punishment I will ever administer and if you have a scrap of wit in you, then you can kiss the filthy earth in thanks that I would refuse such a thing.

Bazzite was fortunate compared to what I have seen, what I know. Never assume you would be as much so.

Get up… if you are so eager to prove yourself you will have to learn enough –respect-, or fake it well enough to earn yourself the rank to truly prove yourself.

Don’t blame your temper and lack of respect for your utter inability to adapt to a challenge. You will adapt to over come, or you WILL die, either at the hands of the senshi, or by ours. If you don’t like that answer then run, run now and pray that you can reach a senshi princess before I make my way to you because I will not –break- your starseed, I’ll feed it to Locke, or Bazzite, either of whom will be grateful for it.


He moved forward a step, tense enough that the very air seemed rigid around him before he continued in that harsh edged ‘whisper.’

“…And you would do well enough, to quit your little addiction by whatever means necessary, there are some that I will tolerate but you and I both know that it will, and likely has crippled you. If you are half as good as you profess to be at your duties then you WILL not let that stand.”


{{Strick has given permission for Zink to be aware of his addiction - thanks!))

“You disapointnt me if you think that my stripping your apartment of your current supplies would assist you in your personal choices about being –clean- from your addiction OFFICER.”

The coldness he exhibited was no doubt only enhanced by the mask that obscured over half his face, but why should someone who professed to feel nothing care, if he was faced with someone who –seemed- to feel nothing?

There was however a hitch of heat in his eyes at the last word. “You aren’t so distracted, that you can afford to refuse to use my title, officer. You are not so familiar with me as to be granted the use of ONLY my name.”

“Believe me or do not, in your determined penitent for self loathing, but if I considered you a lost cause, I wouldn’t have bothered to look into you as much as I have. Yet if you are so damned sure that your current punishments are –so- very detracting from the potential rise once more to your former rank then by all means, disappoint me. Wallow in self-pity, excuses, give me all the reasons why you didn’t know, couldn’t do, couldn’t POSSIBLY manage.

And yes, she is my Peer, and you, you haven’t the faintest clue what we have gone through to find ourselves granted this…lofty and thankless rank. I suggest, you find something to believe in, something fitting our principals that you can cling to in the storm that is currently battering your life, and make no mistake, it is there in part at least, at your own behest. Ride it out, or –choose- to sink beneath the waves. If you can overcome your own determined pity party then I will raise you back in rank –myself, if not, then pray drown yourself in a needle or with pills so I can get some beneficial work done for the Dark Kingdom.”

“Don’t tempt me with offers to fix you myself, ever again officer. You should be aware now my threats are not idle, and you will not enjoy my methods I promise that.”

“The fact that you do not stand before me as Lieutenant is testament to my patience for your casual prevarications Bischofite.” He said in a low and dangerous tone. Somehow the lack of heat in the anger seemed a warning in and of itself.

He reached and took a handful of collar, pulling the General down to just under his height, so that he, despite his smaller stature could look down at you.

“So curious, so impudent. I wonder, I wonder very much why you think, that you deserve to know what is so intimate a tale?”

He did not let you go, simply held you at a twisted angle so that he could look down at you. He used his free hand to pull down that close fitting black mask that covered his face. He looked younger when he did, younger assuredly than Laurelite.

“I was bait for senshi, a trap because I was small and a tantalizing target. I led a team and trained them each to fight as best I could; I’ve led a team into breaking up and into a Senshi Meeting. I assisted in the rescue of all our officers from the Blood Moon Court, I nearly died in their mazes, fought senshi who wished to slit my throat or drive me mad, in order to rescue officers who suffered far worse, who were gnawed by rats and had senshi rot their skin away, knock their teeth down their throats and break their bones. I helped take a field in Elysion, the world of dreams by taking down its avatar, only to be torn into by a burning leopard the size of a horse. I exchanged hostages with the Blood moon court to protect MY officers, because I would leave none in their hands, and more. But you have not earned the story of what came the closest to destroying me, that last battle before I was granted this power by our Metalia. If you ever earn it… ask me again. But you have not yet. You would not learn from it what should be learned.”

“How can we stand to ally ourselves?” He laughed, a clipped sound.
“Queeried like a man whom has never seen the change that can happen when we liberate someone from the white moon. Talk to Lyra, to Albali who sought long and hard to join our fellows in Chaos, only to have me take her in instead. Lyra remembers nothing of her time before joining us, but she was one vehement about our deaths, now she wields the crimson crystal on our behalf, and does so proudly. Albali was so distressed by the white moon she made a contract with me to find her way into our rants for true.

What we are, changes a person. What they are gives them drives as well, given the number of civilians whom have died en masse from senshi magic, and mysterious happenings that I know for a fact were NOT in our hands…I can only imagine that part of their own unslacked blood lust is the same as the drive that made the moon princess sink the earth kingdom into the Rift.”

I would not, for all that we have formally separated ourselves, dismiss them. Leto alone is a brilliant mind, say nothing of many of her companions.”

He paused a moment, a small frown flickering over his face before he replied carefully. “ja, wir mussen Traume erstumen.”

“And I am, old enough. I do not deduce by pestering our hounding, I have my own methods and they are sound. But if you are so keen and hungry for information then perhaps I should assign you to gather information for me. Few enough remember our fine new database these days. I would enjoy seeing what you think is fit to add.”