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 Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 3:29 am
 What: Zeffer visits Byakko's hive to talk about his promotion within the Phoenix Initiative.
When: Some time after the events of the insurgent investigation and Bloodfest '15.
It would be his second visit to her hive, and this time he would come with a nice hive-warming present. With Arcus's cooperation, he had hauled the large parcel up the mountain, eternally grateful to have a large, strong lusus to help with such a task. Their first trip to her hive had been made in an emergency, but he had brought other supplies in preparation this time, as well as food, all of which he'd crammed into the large pack that was strapped to his back. Treading carefully, he led Arcus up through the snow and rocky crags, until he reached the mouth of the cave that eventually wound its way in to the entrance of her hive. It was cleverly hidden within the dangerous tunnel system, which branched off in so many directions that it would be nearly impossible to find the right way, unless one already knew. Double checking his directions, Zeffer forged ahead, reassured when they reached the candles, before the door to her hive finally appeared ahead.
"Yo Legs, it's Zeffer! Hope you didn't forget we were 'sposed to talk tonight." He wasted no time in rapping on the door, voice echoing as he called her nickname in cheerful tones. He honestly hoped she remembered, because it would be a shame to have to break into her hive, or wait at the entrance until she returned. He stepped back to pat Arcus, who was still breathing heavily after hauling the large cargo up through the snow, and watched the door as they waited together.
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 2:22 am
After everything that had happened with the Initiative and Errade's betrayal, Akko wasn't confident the rebel safehouses she usually took up residence in were still... well, safe. There were only so many days even the hardened mutant could take before yearning for a good day's rest in a cozy recuperacoon; she could only last sleeping in her flimsy portable respiteblock for so long. For the time being, Byakko had chosen to retreat to her childhood hive on Busthind. It was the safest place she had ever known, and after a few nights of laborious restoration, it was habitable again. It almost felt nice- normal even- to putter around her old hive as she cleaned and restocked the shelves with the few supplies she had managed to scrounge up. It wasn't much, but they had never had much to begin with. It all felt so... nostalgic. Bittersweet.
Somehow, after Byakko had swept and scrubbed away the layers of dust her hive seemed even more barren than before. A pile of wrinkled blankets were crumpled against a tall boulder in a sort of makeshift chairnest, boxes of the Initiative's files splayed around it as if she had been browsing them in her spare time. Opposite the pile of cloth was the only piece of furniture left, a broken table, propped up by a puzzle of small rocks and littered with more papers. A few shelves lined the walls of the cave, vastly empty, as Byakko had promptly tossed most of her and Trolldad's old personal artifacts in the hidden back room containing her childhood recuperacoon. It remained sealed and coated with grime. Only the necessities remained in the lone room in the hive besides the respiteblocks- so basically, nothing but an uneven table and a bunch of empty crates.
Zeffer's adrupt knocking cut through the cave, echoing freely without any furnishings to muffle the sound. Even if there was any question in Byakko's thinkpan who was standing outside her hive, given he was the only living troll who knew where it was tucked away, Zeff's singsong voice carried well enough through the thick wooden door. Ahh, ********>- their meeting. The nights had started to blend together, and Byakko hadn't realized that it was set for tonight. She rose from the crates of old junk she had been sifting through, hopping lightly down the flat rocks that made a crude staircase from the platform she had been on to the main level. Without hesitation, she tugged open the door, eyelids flickering faintly as her eyes met his. A nervous fluttering suddenly twisted at her gut- she told herself it was over their talks of his new role in the rebellion. It mostly wasn't.
Byakko pressed her lips tightly together and nodded firmly in greeting. "Hello." She spoke monotonously as usual, glancing briefly to Arcus and nodding to the lusus as well. "What would make you think I forgot? Hope you didn't expect a welcome party." Stepping back, Byakko gestured for them to come inside. As she got a better look at Arcus she rose a brow suspiciously, noting the parcel he was hauling. "What's this?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 6:01 am
Zeffer grinned as the door was finally pulled open, instantly amused by the downright cheerful nature of Akko's greeting. Good 'ol Legs, grumpy as ever. "It ain't a party 'til I arrive." He snorted at his own joke, and accepted her invitation, shuffling in and dumping his pack heavily against the nearest wall. After taking a moment to stretch, her question had him smirking again, and he gestured for Arcus to enter as well. The massive lusus slithered in, unceremoniously scraping the plastic-wrapped thing against the arch of the door, and not seeming to care one bit. He flicked his tongue at Zeffer, seeming eager to have his heavy cargo removed so he could take a well-deserved break.
"Just a little present for you!" Zeffer reached into his pocket to retrieve a small knife, and began to hack away at the plastic binding. As he worked at separating the object from his lusus, he glanced around, eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Damn, this place sure cleaned up nice. Been busy, huh?" It was certainly a far cry from the grimy hive they'd visited weeks ago. He patted the snake as the 'present' fell to the floor with a thud. Arcus shook out his wings before moving to coil up nearby, watching the two trolls in silence once he was comfortable. Zeffer continued to carefully cut at the plastic, until the rest of it fell away, revealing the object's identity; a dark blue couch, cushions and all. Zeffer pocketed the knife and moved to right the piece of furniture, gesturing to it playfully, as if to say 'ta-daa'.
"Thought your place could use a little something...I mean, it's gonna need a lot more somethings, but this is a good start, right?" He snickered mischievously as he flopped down on it, regarding the mutantblood with his usual saucy expression. "I can help out anytime by the way, if you need it. If there's one thing Arcus is good for, it's hauling heavy s**t around." He jerked a thumb at the massive serpent, who didn't move an inch in response. Though he knew they had more important things to discuss than furniture, he resolved to let her bring such matters up, as he splayed out on the couch and made himself comfortable.
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:56 am
"Mhmm." Byakko hummed sarcastically in response to his joke, firmly sealing the heavy door behind them once the two had passed through. As Arcus slithered by and brushed up against her, she vaguely shivered- even though the lusus hadn't ever shown the least bit of hostility towards her, he still creeped her the ******** out. It was unfair of her, Akko knew, Arcus had all but saved her life. But still- lusus. Ugh. She made sure to stay on the side of the cave opposite the serpent.
Strolling over to stand a few feet away from Zeffer, she stopped, leaning her weight against the wall as she studied him. "A... present?" Byakko's face twisted in confusion while regarding his cargo, crossing her arms around her waist, watching Zeffer hack away at the plastic. Was he playing some sort of joke on her? The mutant couldn't even remember the last time she had received a gift... A vague pink crawled across her cheeks. Akko ignored his idle question, frowning silently as she watched him work. She couldn't fathom what he would bother lugging all the way up the mountain, and as he cut away the last of the plastic, her mouth fell agape in puzzlement.
A couch?
Akko firmly clamped her jaw shut, but her expression of utter bewilderment had already betrayed her. Why did she need a ******** couch? Especially a blue one. Or any other 'somethings', for that matter? Clearly, she already had all the necessities. Zeffer's voice echoed in the near empty cavern.
"I'm not planning on living here. It's just temporary, think of it like one of the safe houses. They don't have couches." She said pointedly, shifting her weight onto one leg. Akko blinked emptily as he offered his help, eyes sliding to the floor when he fell silent. W-why was he being so nice to her anyway? He had helped her lug barrels of sopor up the mountain weeks ago, but that was sort of a life-or-death situation. This was different, wasn't it? Right? Oh my gog, Byakko ******** hated this whole personal relationship thing so much. Quadrants more so. It was dizzying to the social recluse now that there was no excuse to hold Zeffer back at arm's length.
"B-but still, thanks. It's very... blue." Byakko pushed herself off the wall, hesitantly creeping towards the couch. Upon closer inspection it seemed worn, but it was still nicer than any piece of furniture she had ever owned. She bent over to sniff at the sofa- the scent was familiar. "Wait, is this from your hive?" Akko questioned before perching herself up on one of the arms of the seat, pulling her knees up to her chest. She hugged them, staring down at him over her kneecaps, effectively hiding whatever remained of her blush.
"Anyway... you know why I asked you to come here." Byakko shrugged from behind her knees, narrowing her vision down at him. "I do want your help, with the Initiative anyway. Have you put more thought into it?" She had a vague idea what Zeffer would probably be efficient at, but she was curious to see what he had to say first. "How would you want to contribute?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 3:58 am
"Pretty great, right?" Zeffer grinned cheekily as he watched her react, and wasn't disappointed in the slightest. He hadn't expected her to be surprised or happy for it at all, but the fact that a piece of his own furniture would be stuck in her hive was hilarious to him. A constant reminder of all their shenanigans, good and bad...if she chose to keep it, anyway. Even if it ended up being a big joke, it was still worth the effort they'd taken in getting it up to Busthind, though Zeffer was certain Arcus would beg to differ.
"C'mon Akko, even you can't deny a couch would be nicer to sit on than that groty old blanketpile you have over there." He glanced over at it, before giving her a look, pursing his lips and lifting his eyebrows in a comical stare. Even if no one would be inhabiting the place, Zeffer felt it a worthwhile venture to make a place tolerable to visit. He had the feeling that she was lying, anyway, being as bad at that as she was. "I'll put table and chairs next on the list." His eyes darted to her haphazard arrangement, before his grin returned full force.
"Yeah, I couldn't find any in pink. You're welcome!" He smirked, purposefully ignoring the inquiry about its origins as he watched her inspect his offering, biting back a laugh as she gave it a sniff. He was ultimately satisfied though, as she moved to sit down and test it out. The couch was indeed one of his, and they'd sat on it plenty before. He was sure it probably even had some of her blood on it, somewhere. He perked as she changed the subject, though, and sat up from his slouch.
"I've thought about it some." He pursed his lips again, his smirk fading slightly. "I dunno. My skill set is pretty limited to...combat situations." He shrugged, trying to be honest. It wasn't as if he'd be very useful with intel, and while he could work as a scout or a runner, he wasn't the stealthiest troll on the planet in most situations. "I could be your security guard." He snickered at the joke, drawing lazy circles over the arm of the couch. "Did you have anything particular in mind?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 4:02 am
Although Byakko wasn't about to admit it for the sake of keeping up appearances, Zeffer was sort of right, she sulkily thought to herself while poking at the plush couch. It was substantially more comfortable than the blanket pile or sitting on a rock. Her scowl deepened at the promise of more furniture, merely shaking her head with an exasperated sigh. It was probably pointless to bother arguing with Zeff about it- the dickweed would just go ahead and do whatever he wanted regardless. His joke about the colour was rewarded with another sigh and a brief roll of her eyes, before their conversation dissolved to more pressing matters.
Byakko continued to stare at Zeffer from over her knees, brows furrowed in deep thought. "Mmmm." She hummed in agreement, eyes slipping upwards to the ceiling momentarily as she stopped to think. At least Zeffer knew where his strengths lay. That made everything a lot easier. "Security guard," Akko echoed him with a faint air of amusement. "I suppose I was thinking something along those lines." Frankly, she trusted Zeff more than anyone else; it seemed obvious to turn to him for help protecting the Initiative given all he had done to defend her, especially now when everything was so uncertain. She was positive he wouldn't step too far out of line when it came to the rebels, and he had always supported her as both Byakko and the hooded leader.
She turned and slid her feet onto the seat, staring down at Zeffer due to the small height advantage the arm of the couch gave her. "You're right. You're not good at much," she leaned in a bit to flash him a vague smirk, "But you know how to fight. More importantly, you know what needs to be done for the sake of our perseverance." She pressed her lips together firmly, Errade flashing in the back of her mind. "And you're not afraid to do it." He had hesitated with Aendal, but things were different now. Everything was different now, especially with the Mother Grub.
"I want to entrust you with protecting the Initiative. Someone needs to safeguard everyone while we work, and react to defend the well being of the rebellion as a whole when things get really ugly. I'm sure you get the gist." Byakko rested her arms on her lap, stare ever unwavering. "I think you're more than capable- what about you?"
Byakko paused, scratching at the back of her neck as a vague pink began to crawl across her cheeks again. "O-oh, also," She began slowly before he could answer, breaking eye contact as she stammered. "Y-you can't let whatever... y'know..." She stiffened, waving in an awkward flailing motion between the two of them. "This is get in the way of you listening to me as your superior when it comes to the Initiative." Akko glanced back at him, frown returned. Sure, he had essentially asked her permission before executing Errade, but Akko wasn't ever going to let him get away with calling her 'Legs' at another official meeting.
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Posted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 8:28 pm
"You were? I guess it's a bit obvious." Zeffer snorted good naturedly, stretching for a moment and biting back a yawn. Even though the cave was hardly fit to be a home, the temperature was downright cozy compared to what it was outside, and he could feel himself melting pleasantly. Drumming his fingers against the arm he'd slouched next to, he grinned as she continued, very much enjoying her analysis of his recent conduct.
"Fear only holds you back." He murmured during the pause, after she had finished her short explanation. His grin faded slightly as he took a moment to reflect back on everything that had happened, lingering on the recent upset he'd caused when the rebels had last convened. He hadn't thought much of it then, when his anger over the situation had been fresh. Zeffer still couldn't understand how they could keep to such a philosophy, and after thinking on it further, his own worries had seeded themselves in his mind. The parallels the Initiative was making with the past were worrisome, to say the least. Soon enough, her voice pulled him from his darkening thoughts.
"Oh yeah...heheh." He chuckled, grinning stupidly before trying to bite it back down. He could at least show some amount of respect, considering the topic they were dealing with. He was still amused to hear her referring to it in such a way, and made a note to himself to try to get her to clarify it for him later. "Don't worry about that, Akko. I'm not interested in challenging your authority. Or disobeying you, for that matter." He began to shrug his jacket off, tugging his hands out of his sleeves before draping it over the back of the couch. For a moment, the black patch of his prison tattoo flashed, before he tugged his wristband back down over it absentmindedly. "I know it's been a little...dicey, but I think I'm capable too. And hey, I can do other grunt work on the side when things get quiet." He snickered and crossed his arms, relaxing back again.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 4:11 am
Elbows propped on her knees, Byakko leaned into her palms as she listened to Zeffer earnestly. Excellent- they seemed to be on the same page. She hadn't really known what sort of productivity to expect out of this conversation, but Zeff was adaptable and seemed like he'd be satisfied doing pretty much any job she asked of him. It was almost puzzling to Akko, given the pugnacious nature of their friendship, but she was relieved they agreed about keeping their positions within the Initiative in check. The mutantblood was confused and frustrated enough that he had somehow managed to wiggle his way into her personal life- she didn't need any overspill into the rebel's affairs.
"Good, I'm glad we got that all figured out. I know you'll assist me however you can." After lifting her head to nod, Byakko rested her chin atop her clasped hands once more. For a moment, her thoughtful stare softened as she regarded Zeffer. It honestly chilled her to think where she would be now if he hadn't found out about her mutation and their subsequent bonding, as much as she hated to admit it. What sort of state would she have been in without his help; especially after loosing everyone in the Initiative?
Akko cleared her throat abruptly, straightening up. Her volume dropped. "Still, it's more than just obeying my orders and waving around some weapons when the drones come around... I want to give you responsibility. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that it's not only about us- I can't be around to make decisions on behalf of the rebellion every single time. And you're not the only one I'm promoting." Akko paused, glancing down at her feet. They all needed to be heard, that much she did comprehend. Her face was scrunched in thought, grasping to find words before sucking in a sharp breath to continue. "I want you to genuinely understand that we're all in this together... back at the brooding cavern, did you really take in what I said?" He hadn't been overtly responsive to, in her opinion, what was one of her most spurring speeches yet.
Her vehement stare broke when he discarded his jacket, darting down to the tattoo he had stamped on his wrist before returning to study Zeffer's face. "You don't have to like it. I don't really care if you play nice with others or not. But when it gets really gritty, I need to be able to trust that you can work together with whoever you have to and do what's best for the Initiative. That's what I ask you to commit to, ultimately." Byakko's voice clung to the barren cavern, eyes fixated on his. Her gaze seemed sharper than usual.
Without warning, she slid down and skittered across the couch, reaching over to grab Zeffer's hand. Jerking it towards herself roughly, Akko yanking up the wristband to gesture at his tattoo. "I thought you were going to get rid of this?" Her grip tightened, lids slit into a deep glower as she hissed up. "You told me you would. You need to commit to the things you promise, Zeffer."
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 11:46 pm
While their relationship was plenty quarrelsome, Zeffer liked to think he knew when to draw the line and take things seriously. They were in too deep now for ******** around when the going got dangerous, and while he could be plenty obnoxious, the insurgent investigation had given him some experience at least. He could keep it up, couldn't he? As Byakko cleared her throat and dropped her voice, his grin vanished altogether, and he focused on her, listening intently.
"I guess I didn't show it very well then..." He sucked in a breath and tried to arrange his thoughts. He certainly wasn't very good at sounding serious, but he was going to make an effort at least. "I'm ready to drop the bullshit. If I'm going to take on the role of a defender, I know I can't pick and choose who I'll be fighting for. I'm willing to listen and collaborate with the others." He maintained eye contact as he worked out what he wanted to say, brows furrowed. He certainly didn't like them, but he knew she was right. They all had to cooperate or they weren't going to get very far. If anyone was going to be the wrench in the machine, it wasn't going to be him.
As she skittered over, he leaned back, vaguely startled as she snatched up his hand. "I am! Don't worry, it's just been hectic lately." He tugged lightly at his hand, and stuck his tongue out playfully. "I tape it most days, anyway. No one's ever seen it."
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 10:32 pm
Zeffer's change of tone was not lost on her, and Byakko nodded thoughtfully as his response. He seemed genuine. Visibly pleased, her eyes flashed momentarily with approval.
"Excellent, that's reassuring to hear." Her voice dripped with self satisfaction- they might have agreed wholeheartedly on what their hierarchy was within the Initiative, but she still hypocritically relished in the fact he had no choice but to obey her. It was unprofessional, surely, but regardless the part of her that was blackcrushing internally screamed haha, suck it loser.
That wasn't to say his words weren't encouraging- in her experiences Zeffer didn't play well with others, and hearing aloud that he was willing to set that aside for the good of the Initiative only served to reassure Byakko in her decision to promote him.
But there was still the matter of his unkept promises regarding the tattoo from jail...
"No excuses. You should know better by now than to risk being caught off guard." An annoyed grimace painted her face, Akko released his hand and roughly tossed it at his chest. Pushing herself off the couch, the mutantblood slunk across the room to rummage through some clutter on the shelves for a few moments.
When she turned around, Byakko was clutching a knife. Her lips curled into an uncharacteristic, fanged smile.
"Well... now's as good as any time, right?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 12:23 am
Zeffer nodded solemnly, eyes softening as she accepted his declaration. Words were only the first step, of course. He knew he was going to have to prove himself, but in his usual cocksure line of thinking, he was confident enough about the whole situation. As long as Vremea and her squad of pacifist fools stayed out of his way and allowed him to do his appointed job, there wouldn't be any problems at all. Something told him it wouldn't always be perfect, but he trusted Akko well enough to keep things under control, and reassured himself that he wouldn't be taking orders from them anyway.
"I didn't get caught off guard, though. I just didn't wanna deal with it healing during Bloodfest." He huffed as Akko shoved his hand back, grinning at how peeved she was. The truth was that he hadn't wanted to shred himself up any more than necessary, especially after his accident in the storm, and the rebel investigation. Taking hits and enduring bad wounds was something he'd always been able to do, but the prospect of having to mutilate himself to avoid trouble was unsavory at best. His head tilted to watch her scurry away, and he was about to ask what she was up to, until she turned back around.
"What!? Right now??" Zeffer barked a laugh, bristling at the sight of the knife. "C'mon, Akko...don't be ********' crazy. I'll do it later." He shifted in his seat, all fangs as he smirked over at her anxiously. He trusted her as a leader, but having a chunk of his arm carved off was not something he'd expected to be threatened with when they had arranged the meeting.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 1:23 am
"Yes, right now."
Byakko's smile rapidly melted back into a frown, rolling the knife's handle in her hand thoughtfully. "If you were going to, you'd have done it by now." She remarked, slinking purposefully towards the couch. Light from the flickering candles bounced off the blade as she advanced, eyes locked onto his. "I told you already, I want you to be committed. You promised me you'd get rid of the ******** tattoo- so do it already." Akko hissed, slitting her lids as she held the knife out to Zeffer. "Prove to me you're not just all bark, and no bite."
Raising a brow, Akko cocked her head, feigning a look of shock. "Or- don't tell me you're scared."
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 1:51 am
"I am committed." Zeffer's grin vanished as well, and he watched her carefully, holding his ground even as she approached. He quickly crossed his arms, hiding his marked wrist and glaring as Akko held the knife out.
"And I'm not scared. It's just...this sort of s**t is different." The glare quickly devolved into a sneer as he fidgeted on the couch, showing her his fangs. It was obvious that he was lying, but who wanted to skin their own arm? Not him. There had to be some quicker way...
"You've already seen that I have plenty of bite." He snapped, knowing he was going to catch hell from her for refusing.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 2:36 am
"Well then, I really don't see why we can't do this now." Since he refused her offering, Byakko flipped the knife over in her hands- pointing the blade towards him. Her scowl deepened. She was bluffing, just like Zeff, but the mutant figured the situation called for a little bit of intimidation. She had hoped Zeffer would cooperate on his own accord, but clearly his resolve on the matter of the tattoo was... shaky.
Suddenly, she lurched forward, pressing her free hand against his chest. Akko roughly shoved him against the back of the couch, growling. "Unless you can give me an actual reason..." Glaring down at him, Byakko returned his sneer. Allowing her claws to sink into his shirt, she fell into a silent stare, challenging him once more.
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Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 3:38 am
Zeffer bristled as she repositioned the knife, a low growl sounding in his throat. He felt stupid enough for being scared, but he'd stand by what he'd said; it was different. It wasn't the same as getting into a fight, where pain was mostly unavoidable and could be dealt with during an adrenaline rush. Maybe she was onto something, though, because he simply couldn't see himself doing it on his ******** you!" The blueblood snarled as she lunged, flinching and moving just a bit too slowly to avoid being pinned down. "It's gonna hurt, that's why!" He reached to swat her hand away, trying to slip sideways from her grasp.
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