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 Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:10 pm
The nights grew boring after a few straight patrols without those of powered persuasion to confront him. Most balked at his actions, as expected. Most fostered little understanding for transgression. Yet lately, with the moon clear overhead and the city even more luminous with its star-stricken landscape, he knew such a keen lull in activity that he started to consider actively seeking out others in these dismally quiet moments.
It startled him, in a way, to consider that he actually had a want for company.
Of the few recognized auras that clouded his senses, most he knew as White Moon and avoided with a healthy berth. Most paid him no heed in exchange - and those who might seek him out knew a fruitless search while the lieutenant eased into the motions of roof travel in the abysmally regular stomping grounds offered in place of the forest.
But luck offered him an aura from a kindred spirit - a Negaverse officer, he knew, by his experience with the other lieutenant and his aggressor prior. This one, though, felt stronger than the last. He met a captain before, hadn't he? The question lingered in his mind while he made a slow descent to the ground by pursuing lower rooftops, then exchanged for awnings, and finally lighting atop dumpsters before he touched asphalt. The remainder of the distance was covered in a weaving sprint between buildings and their alleyways, chain link fences and the belligerent captive populace of trash cans and old newspapers.
The Dark Mirror woman warned that the Negaverse was a murderous lot. That may hold some truth. I do not think that an organization would pursue the lives of their own needlessly - for that much was clear in the manual. However, not all lie on the path of rules. I should use caution.
The food chain warns me soundly enough.
The Negaverse officer in question wore a surfeit of camouflage in conjunction with his normal Negaverse darks. Umber knew those colors well from experience long before his induction into the dark kingdom. I wonder if he hunts. The uniform hints toward it.
"Hail, Officer," he announced from a distance to warn of his presence. He approached slowly. "What brings you out this night?" It felt stilted, but he knew of no other acceptable greeting for this culture. People here fostered an affinity for empty conversation.
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:33 pm
Merlinite was not used to being hailed, and looked surprised when he saw someone approaching him. He should have felt the aura, but he was not exactly paying too much attention to anything around him. Honestly, he was too used to Senshi talking to him at this point, and was actually tense when he saw it was another Negaverse soldier. His perception was getting warped, and that would just be more and more dangerous for him if he let it get the better of him.
"Evening," he said stiffly, trying to force himself to seem more calm and collected than he felt. He was not sure how to act around other Negaverse soldiers, at this point, considering he was basically a traitor. He was thinking about purifying, after all, and that was basically turning his back to them.
And anyone who found out about it could turn him in. He had to be careful how he acted, even around an apparent newbie. Who knew what ties this guy already had?
Merlinite felt like he was being way too paranoid, but saw few options.
"I was just... patrolling," he lied. He had no intentions of taking any energy or starseeds tonight. Maybe ever again. "What are you doing? I haven't seen you before, you new?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 7:00 pm
The pause in phrasing seemed curious, but Umber neglected to comment on it. Instead he managed a few steps further toward the officer and stopped short at conversational distance, leaving a healthy gap of feet between them. Arms came to rest over his chest before he spoke again, and his eyes temporarily cast toward the rainbow of road oil covering a pothole full of water. It seemed a more neutral target for his unblinking stare.
Is there reason to be cryptic around fellow officers? I don't think so. Withholding information begets cracks in the foundations. I should be transparent, if only as part of politeness to a superior officer. His gaze raised to meet the man's and offered a slow nod. "I was getting to know the city while I patrolled. I am not from these parts." I wonder if that's not self-evident in my differing attire. None really seem to have a unifying theme. Maybe it's not such an easy spot.
"Xenotime brought me here, about two weeks ago. She left for some time, which had me learning the ropes on my own. It's... Not entirely easy." With only the help of a training manual, and having met no further officers obliged to assist, Umber felt something of a cold shoulder from the denizens in the Negaverse. He knew not why - whether it be standard practice for officers around greenhorns, or a conditioned dislike for the new, or general malaise among the ranks. He could not wager a guess on the cause, but instead simply chose to recognize that it existed. He was not well received, and he had no further explanation for it.
He paused a moment, and considered the oil-stricken groundwater again. "She called me Umber."
Somehow that oily pothole felt far more applicable to his position than it should.
"Would you mind telling me if this is the proper training protocol for the Negaverse? It's not my intention to speak ill of Xenotime or her methods - but I am curious if you encountered the same form of training."
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2015 12:33 pm
"No s**t?" Merlinite grumped, not surprised to learn this guy was not from around here. There were a few subtle hints, after all, but Merlinite was not in the mood to keep his thoughts to himself. He was not sure what kind of mood he was in, really. Confused, and scared, of course, but annoyed and stressed as well.
It was difficult to know how to deal with any of it.
"Yeah, I guess it's kind of tough to know what you're doing. We're all just little cogs in the bigger works, and all that. So really, it doesn't matter much what you do, as long as you fill that quota."
He paused for a moment, thinking over his next response and trying to do a better job to remove the bitterness in his tone.
"But I don't really know much about how you're supposed to go and train newbies. I've helped a couple people but I haven't corrupted anyone and when I was brought in I wasn't trained, either. I just did things my way. I think that was probably a better idea. You should be careful who you trust, and who you team up with."
He had allied himself with someone he deeply regretted getting to know, after all, and now he was stuck in hell.
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Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2015 7:22 am
The comment earned a sharp glance, but nothing more. Shale took a step with arms still folded and directed his attention throughout the area, finding nothing and no one of import beyond the captain.
"I gathered that." The mostly hands-off nature of their training suggests an aversion to human interaction. Or laziness. Or any number of things. It could be bitterness, even, as he pointed out that he was never trained. There are so many flaws here. "It is difficult to find any friendly Negaverse agents. Those I've met seem unhappy or more interested in asserting themselves as boldly as possible than lending any kind of assistance. Do you know why this is?" At the cusp of the question, Umber half-turned to redirect his attention back to Merlinite.
The latter comment earned a c**k of his head, but he wasn't certain if he should press the issue. Who I trust and who I team up with. Maybe the latter is expected, but... It seems uncommonly specific.
"Good advice." Especially since the members I've met seem unsavory. This cannot amount for all of the Negaverse. "What was your way? And why did you augment it by, presumably, teaming up with someone?" Unless he was referencing a friend's woes, or any number of things. I haven't seen any teamwork yet, but my time here is a fraction compared to some others. I'm not sure what to think - of his words or of the Negaverse.
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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 12:32 pm
"People don't give a s**t," he said with a shrug. Did he look like a guy with all the answers? He hoped not, because that was not the kind of reputation he wanted at this point in time.
He felt like he was knowing less and less, the more he tried to think things through. Everything he thought he was certain about now was shaken, and the more he talked to others about it, the more his foundations were rocked. He had entered the Negaverse without any doubts, thinking it was what he wanted. He was promised power, and he got it, with the guarantee that more would follow.
The idea that it would cost him had not occurred to him.
"I just stuck to myself when I was a newbie. I trained on my own and pushed myself forward, trying to do what I could to be as good as I was able to. I wanted to prove myself to someone, even though there wasn't really anyone watching. When I realized that, I just did what was good for me, instead, and what I thought I could accomplish that no one else could. I thought I could make a name for myself either way."
How wrong he had been. Now he knew he was walking the same path as everyone else, and was just another cog in the wheels.
"I don't know. I'm probably not the best person to ask about any of this. For me, things aren't turning out the way I thought they would, and I'm trying to. You know. Make it work."
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Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2015 4:20 pm
A sweeping generalization to sum up their lack of welcome. I think there is more to it than that, Captain.
Umber quietly contained his thoughts while he listened to Merlinite's story, his attentions occasionally caught by the slight clack of a moth striking a street lamp, or a motorcycle's throaty warble as it tore through the nearby streets. The breeze stole away goosebumps from forearms unprotected by his jacket. Even now, in the company of another on his side, he caught himself feeling wary. Something was certainly amiss with the Negaverse agents, and he didn't know what.
The man who hunts alone finds glory steeped in solitude. We are not meant to find fame without attention already upon us. You learned of it the hard way. Maybe I'm fortunate for being raised in it.
"What is it like to need praise, Captain?" Umber solicited as he stepped forward, closer to the meager spotlight cast by lamp. It tattooed its own presence on concrete with thick, smudged lines. "What's it like to depend on outside approval? No organization rests on the shoulders of one man. I was raised in a place that depended on all of us knowing our parts and playing them well. Standing out meant crippling the whole. I can't imagine such a need now." Our individuality is inherent in our souls. We need only make a name to ourselves. The pride I hold in myself will always outstrip any manner of esteem from the Negaverse.
"Whatever you seek to rectify, I hope you can manage it. But by doing so, you must hope that it does not damage the Negaverse."
You have nothing I need from one of my allies. It is disappointing to hear that he never received formal training, but he has been left in the dark for a long time. Maybe I need to find someone higher, someone who commands more authority and is privy to more secrets. I will not hold him in ill regard for his needs, even if I find them misplaced. He is an ally, and I need to learn to appreciate them for their kindred causes to mine.
But, that begs the question: what cause have I for being in the Negaverse? I need to find out.
"Good evening, Captain. And good luck on your pursuits. May you find a measure of closure in them. Otherwise, you may spread yourself too thin." Umber offered a solemn nod for the respect expected of higher-ups before he started toward the busier streets, stolid and steady in his gait. To his back lay Merlinite, who remained still a stranger in both identification and intention.
Sometimes questions are healthier than answers. This meeting was not moot - even if he did not have the answers I sought.Lithiasaur feel free to stop him if you want; otherwise, it's a wrap!
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