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 Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 7:04 pm
Lieutenant Leucite The crystal communication began. Galena always seemed to emphasize ever syllable of lieutenant, the rank they would never call her again. I'd like to conclude our unfortunate business from the house regarding your visitation of Desdemona, please do meet me at the lamp post just off of 5th and Maple. I look forward to seeing you this evening.
Her tone was even, formal, but seeming as if trying a bit too hard to avoid sounding pleased.
The captain had something in mind. The petite figure waited, leaning against the designated lamp post and absentmindedly twisting the hilt of her small knife in her hands, honestly thinking up some different punishment in the assumed scenario where he didn't show.
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Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2015 9:54 pm
One good thing about being single was that Mathias didn't have to worry about his crystal suddenly talking out of nowhere and alerting whoever he was dating that he was part of a secret order of militant vigilantes. That was probably the ONLY good thing about being single. He had been expecting the communication, and he had not responded - there seemed no need to. The order was clearly given - by a superior. Sighing, he powered up and pocketed his crystal, just on the off chance he got waylaid on the way there and had to call her in for back up. Which would be injury to insult... Thankfully no such events occurred, and in short order he arrived at the lamp post she had requested him to be. He marched (quite sharply) up to her and stood at attention, giving her a crisp salute. "Lieutenant Leucite, reporting as ordered, ma'am."
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 6:41 am
"Excellent form, sir," Galena said in a tone that just came up to the edge of being sarcastic, watching his salute from beneath lidded eyes.
She stood up straight, even if she wasn't imposing as she'd like, and banished the small weapon from sight. "I do hope a lesson was learned about how it might be a tad rude to foist oneself on a former victim of interrogation. Additionally, Amphitrite is under my charge, and going forward I would appreciate requests are made before speaking to her. She's been through so much, you know."
As much as it had been phased to seem in delicate Amphitrite's benefit that contact be limited, there was the inescapable tone and implication of possession. The words left unsaid and hanging in the air: That belongs to me.
"Anyway, darling, we can probably discuss it more over the course of the evening, I need you for something," She said, reaching out to lay her palm on his figure, and then the pull of teleportation removed them from the area.
"Do stay close, the monsters in the Rift don't have much respect for Lieutenants," She added casually, releasing him and turning to walk like someone who had somewhere to be.
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Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 4:19 pm
The Rift... It was not a place Leucite had been before - at least - not that he had actually attempted to visit on his own. Youma made him... edgy. It wasn't that he disliked them - But the potential of losing one's humanity that far was... well frankly a bit chilling. Either way - he stuck respectfully close to Galena - not wanting to get grabbed but also not wanting to appear shaken. This had not been what he was expecting when she'd made her statement... But oh well. He waited for her to give orders, not speaking unless spoken to. She was his superior in rank - that is what respect called for.
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 5:26 am
"Isn't it bizarre?" Galena asked in awe, looking around like she hadn't been down here many times herself.
In fact, it had only been once, and it had gone very, very badly.
But while she had a lieutenant captive, an extra pair of hands couldn't hurt for a small exploration, just to sate some curiosity that had been building. "How long have you been part of the Negaverse, Leucite?" She asked, as if making casual conversation. She didn't even spit his rank as if it were something derogatory.
Granted, she was busy stopping to observe some large crystal protruding out from the ground and her eyes were on that, not on him.
"Did you join willingly?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 9:47 pm
"It's different, that is for sure," Leucite said, watching Galena with a careful eye. He wasn't about to let down his guard and open himself up to punishment for being lax in his respect, but at the same time things seemed to be... taking on a different tone. Was she taking him on an expedition? If so, he was woefully unprepared for it. Regardless he would go along with it if it was penance for his earlier transgression. To err was human after all. "About... Two, almost three years now?" He thought about it, curious as to her line of questioning. "I suppose I came willingly... I mean, I really didn't have a choice but..." He shrugged. "I saw an opportunity to do something for the greater good... so why fight it?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2015 6:43 am
"Oh," Galena's response would have seemed flat, if she didn't seem flat most of the time anyway.
"And what greater good is that?" She asked, although she still continued on as if she was searching for something. "You're one of the ones who believes the propaganda, I see. It's no matter, it doesn't affect your usefulness."
She rounded a corner and watched a swarm of something small scatter in various directions as her shadow passed them. She frowned. "I'm looking for a particular sort of youma. I've been trying to bond one as my personal, but I've been having trouble with it. You're here as back up, and to carry anything I'd like to take back for study."
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:15 pm
That sounded an awful lot like the beginnings of sedition to Leucite. He wasn't going to comment on it - at least not directly, since she was a captain and he was only a lieutenant, but that didn't mean he didn't file it away for later on the off chance that it was useful information to pass along up the chain. There could be no dissent... "Well, there's the greater good that we espouse - then there's the one the senshi seem to support. Of the two, I think ours is more... secure." Yes, the Negaverse could be harsh - their actions questionable at times... But... The road to hell was paved in good intentions right? "I think that sometimes you have to do evil things to ensure that a greater evil does not disrupt the balance. Sometimes - the ends really do justify the means." As to her orders he said nothing - he'd do it if she wanted him to.
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Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2015 9:11 pm
Galena was usually excellent at controlling what emotions were visible, but the bubbling rise of laughter in her chest choked out in a quick, high, and quickly silenced giggle.
"The senshi espouse something?" She asked, keeping her line of sight seemingly occupied. "Aimless, unorganized, scattering beings so unable to use immense powers like space travel and magic that they would rather be picked off one by one until they're an extinct species?"
Two racing goals, she mulled over, made her decide he had guzzled a laughable amount of Negaverse kool-aid.
"Metallia is not an ideal, she is a force. She gives and takes and her puppets play games. There is no war, only hunters and hunted and the hunters are composed of slavers and slaves. Everything on earth is a zero-sum game of survival, the Negaverse is just more honest about it. If you think every organization is without its wolves and survives on ideology, you'll be chewed up and spit out in no time. I did my time, I paid for my protection, and I service the powers that be for what they give me in return. There is no good or evil, just hierarchy and survival. The war is already won with the senshi, they're no threat. There are no competing ideologies there, at least none that matter. They'll all fall one way or the other, the Negaverse is the only option for power and survival."
She stopped near a ledge that dropped a sparse five feet to a new level, observing two snarling youma bristle and circle one another for territory and the treasures that it contained. Galena looked thrilled to watch with almost feverish eyes.
"What greater good?" She asked again, although in new context it seemed more apparent it wasn't a rhetorical question. "I've paid for mine so far with flesh and affection and violence and blood and I've still got so far to go," She mused, almost wistfully as she watched teeth sink into flesh and shatter bone between the two feuding creatures in their close distance.
"I'm not sure if I'm envious of them yet, the youma. There's no anguish or emotional pain. They don't have souls, but that's what they devour, constantly hungry for it."
But she teleported behind him with nearly no warning, fingers delicately pressing into his sides as if to hold him still as she utilized the full potential of her heels and stretching up to his ear, or as close as she could get to it.
"What greater good are you after? What are you willing to pay for it?" She whispered through red lacquered lips, "Because sometimes I think I have no soul either, and I'm hunting for one, so I'd honestly like to just... know... What is yours?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 12:06 am
Leucite was completely thrown off his guard. She did have a point - he really hadn't noticed any sort of... structure to the senshi he'd encountered and most of them didn't know how to fight worth a damn to begin with so really it would be just a matter of hunting them down and exterminating them like the rats they were... He'd followed her down and observed the youma from a safe distance, his skin still crawled a bit being this close to them though. It wasn't that he disliked youma... it was just... they were so... Different. Then all of a sudden she was behind him, having basically spoken heresy as far as he was concerned - even if she was basically stating that the senshi would lose against Metallia... Then there were fingers against his sides and lips near his ear, and a whispered voice that caused his body to compulsively shiver. It was creepy but he still... It must be the lack of intimate contact as of late... That was the only reason he could see her actions affecting him so deeply. "F'in A' woman..." Leucite spat, quickly turning on a heel to face her, looking down at her - finally using his physical size to his advantage for what small amount of comfort that was worth. "What greater good am I after? Do you really want to know?" He hissed between clenched teeth - actually off put and no longer able to hold back the torrent that was about to spew forth from his lips. "I want an earth that's safe from outside influence - where we can be free to do what we want. I want a world where a kid can grow up and not get smacked around cause he doesn't make his father proud or he says the wrong sorta s**t and gets in the wrong sorta trouble. I want a greater good that keeps us safe from god damn space tyrants..." He tried to keep his voice low - not wanting to draw attention to the two of them in the alien landscape of the Rift, where there was no escape for him save on foot unless Galena saw it in her favor to take him with her. "I've already given up the woman I loved more than anything to do this s**t... That sucked and I'd do it again if I had to. I don't give a damn if you don't have a soul - god knows you don't really need one in this line of work, probably better to not have one. Angels don't - and they get along just fine..." He laughed a dark, dry laugh at that. "I... don't know what you've been through - or what has you spouting what... might could get you in trouble in the wrong circles - but I welcome a lively debate any day, but I don't think this is the time and place for it... If you've got a reason to be here, and to drag my sad, sorry a** along - then let's get to it, please, and get the hell out of here." His eyes watched hers - wondering if he was going to have to actually... maybe... defend himself from a superior. Had she snapped? Was that why she was spouting all this heresy and sedition... Had she... gone rogue? He sure as hell hoped not - she was too pretty to kill.
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Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 6:51 am
Galena didn't seem to react initially, but when she did it was the corners of her mouth pulling back in the vaguest semblance of a smile. "That's a good one," She said with a bit of a nod, and she glanced back behind him to make doubly sure the youma were still keeping their distance.
"That's not sarcasm, by the way, I have a habit of... coming across that way."
She knew it was probably best, with her tendency to speak flatly and seem deadpan, to not use such ambiguous phrasing.
"You're in the right place, to change the world," She said, almost affectionately. "Not yet, but you're in a place where you can be promoted to get there. Chaos will give you the power to get to what you want, if you give in return. But, down here, in the pits, at the lower ranks, it's a political survival game. You should be more aware of what lurks, either in the Rift, or in suburbia, or the urban streets. You'll still have to fight for your ideals, and your rank."
She folded her arms across her chest and seemed to stand up straight, not cowering when faced with his greater size. As a lieutenant, she might've. She remembered, often, offering Cinnabar kisses and light touches for the privilege to hide behind her when faced with confrontation. Here in the Rift and with her rank and her knives, she stood firm, though.
"You're privileged, lucky. Not all of us get the freedom to know what we're fighting for when we join. We get dragged in as playthings, toys, sometimes tortured. If you're strong enough, then you see your options, and you promote, and you make use of yourself, and you start to see Metallia and the Genera-Sovereigns aren't just a way to your better world, they're the only way, but between then and now, you have to prove yourself. Survival of the fittest. Just like them," She made a small glance to the winner of the youma pack fight, and then scrunched her nose. The winner was too injured for her to consider it a suitable candidate to bond as a personal youma.
"The point is, you're still a baby, and the world is scary," She concluded, and probably would have given his shoulder a pat, but given their height difference, she just patted the front of his chest. "Don't be blindsided the next time you get caught up in a political pack fight. And Amphitrite, the way she came into this world, has already paid her dues, I think. I would like to shield her from reminders of her tortures and violations for the time being. She should be handled with care. And you should hold on to your greater good, and find allies in your rhetoric. We all have to take care of each other, because the Rift is just a more honest version of the outside world. You should find your pack within the organization. Sorry about your... woman."
She moved past him and jogged ahead, holding out her hand to still the last monster standing and cradling its head, looking over its damages with an almost motherly concern.
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 12:03 am
Leucite let out a slow breath he hadn't realized he had been holding when she'd started to speak. He found her insight into their world - well - interesting enough to not immediately toss them aside. He would have to chew on this a bit. However, now was not the time, and as she moved past him to the youma, he followed, staying alert for any potential new threats as he didn't want to get caught and potentially eaten. He would have to find his own... type of people in the organization - like minded individuals who wouldn't mind getting their hands dirty to ensure that things... went well. Yes - he'd have to keep a close eye on Galena... she might be worth approaching later if he ever garnered enough power.
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 6:49 am
"No winners," She ended up huffing, releasing the youma she had sedated. The stronger candidates had fled. She wanted something useful, but she didn't want to try to force a bond with something that she couldn't handle.
She'd seen how badly that could go when Baal nearly devoured Cinnabar.
She stood up and brushed her lacy gloved hands against one another before she turned around and rested her palm against Leucite's chest again, teleporting them back up to the surface where they'd met.
She immediately powered down. She wasn't so used to teleporting so much just yet, and after another fruitless venture into the Rift, she was feeling a bit grim about her youma bonding prospects.
"Thank you for your accompaniment, Lieutenant Leucite," She said with a small bow, "I hope in the future you keep what you've learned in mind tonight and endeavor a kinder eye on newer recruits, should you make wise steps to advance towards your goals."
She made a slight adjustment to the black capris that had replaced the crisp pants of her captain uniform, and turned to walk towards home.
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 7:27 pm
There was one thing that Leucite hoped he'd get used to sooner rather than later - teleporting. It was jarring for the Liuetenant to be one place one moment than a completely different place the next. Maybe it was because he wasn't the one in control of the motion and that threw him off... But either way. Galena - or Elle - both were quite beautiful women and he took a moment to enjoy the view before bowing back in return as she thanked him. But as she turned to go, he reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Wait, a moment - if you would." Leucite continued, before powering down himself to avoid drawing any undo attention. "I... I want to make up for what I did to Amphitrite. I don't... just mean visiting her unannounced - I mean all of it. I did some very... unkind things to her in the name of the greater good. Had I known she would convert..." His voice dropped a bit. "I... would have been much more gentle... My philosophy as far as the members of Order is Convert or Die... Had I known she would have been amiable to the first option..." He didn't know if she was a forced conversion or not - it didn't really matter in the end, it seemed more were being conscripted than being asked to serve anyway these days... He technically hadn't had a choice - but he'd chosen to join anyway, even knowing that no meant having to join anyway... "But she's one of the fold now - and if you will permit me to help with her training..." He finally removed his hand from Elle. "I think - it could be beneficial for her... That is - if she is willing to deal with me."
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2015 8:42 pm
Elle paused and glanced him up and down and then nodded. "Ye...yes. But, please do call before dropping in, though. Manners and all. Have a good night Lieu-- Mathias."
A hint of an embarrassed laugh was passed at the mistake and needing to remember his civilian name as Desdemona had said it in passing. A quick wave was given, and she continued her journey.
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