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 Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:02 pm
Umber didn't feel ready to try his hand at another corrupted senshi, but 'choice' was often a variable taken out of Negaverse assignments. Normally he preferred his responsibilities sorted this way. However, Sandrine and he reacted so sorely to each other that he was starting to allow that isolated incident color his judgment. It wearied him somewhat, and gave him pause to consider enacting his own research upon himself if it ever came to fruition. Umber then decided that such a decision was out of his hands, and would be seen to at a later date.
Negaspace felt dull, dark and foreboding as usual. The air smelled dank and stagnant, like a mix of silt and sulfur. He disliked it, and considered that due to his upbringing spent in the forest, but each entry to the grand cathedral of the Negaverse left him weary and on edge. He climbed the staircase that split the grand entrance hall, crossed through one of the cavern shortcuts to the back of the cathedral, and started his search for Sailor Warhol in the back rooms where the infirmary stood. He pressed a hand to the wall while he walked, occasionally detecting the texture difference as smooth manmade architecture gave way to jutting cavern rock. He felt little in that area; he often wondered if officers stopped here frequently anymore.
Most of the beds sat empty and dust-laden, either because Negaverse agents refused to get hurt or they found the hospitals a better choice for tending their wounds. He betted the latter; Umber was uncertain how many doctors remained in Negaverse ranks and if the Negaverse could furnish that type of healthcare.
But when had all these doubts sprung into his head?
Umber relegated himself to thinking over only the search itself. His trawling through the Negaverse caverns was systematic, all the while keen to the occasional auric energy that struck him on his paths. He allowed himself no room to think of anything beyond Warhol, and what he would say upon greeting her. He reminded himself to check memory retention, to ensure comfort, to gauge how much information she would be able to soak in a short period. But most importantly, he considered where a corrupted senshi may have gone when still recovering from injury.Daekie backdated to ~1 week after her corruption?
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 7:44 am
Warhol had effectively slept off the first few days, although it was fairly hard to track time in Negaspace -- she lacked a watch, or any way to tell time aside from turning things over in her own head. She'd gotten a lot of thinking done, but with little way to tell what was remembered and what was true as opposed to imagined, there wasn't much of a chance to get too into detail and depth. There had been food and water, and she'd requested for a book or two, but with the way the corridors were it'd taken her little time to finish. Once, twice, thrice she'd gone exploring and fallen asleep in the black passageways, because even though she'd woken normally she was so tired --
Warhol would have drifted off to sleep, but focusing on the point in her head let her sense Umber's approach, lean and strong. (She arbitrarily assigned it a color: reddish-brown, then. It'd fit the surroundings.) But standing up seemed a foolish idea; in any case, her leg was asleep, and attempting to stand would cause it pain and needles.
Even if there weren't any windows here, the walls of rock still had stories to tell; so that's how the Captain would find the new recruit -- tracing jagged lines, swirls, all sorts of shapes over the walls. Her hair was tucked all over one shoulder, leaving part of her neck bare, and her stabilizing hand on her knees.
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 12:42 am
Initial signs pointed toward extreme boredom. When Umber finally pinned down and approached one of the corrupted signatures in the halls, he found Warhol in the midst of a cavern, in the glittering dark, pressing fingers to the planes of crystal in faint patterns. It seemed odd to him that, despite all the requests she could've made, she found nothing else to do with her time. Exercise came to the forefront of mind as a time sink that needed no outside assistance. Even Slate hadn't bothered with it much since his imprisonment, though his brother had a journal to use.
"Super Sailor Warhol." Be nice to your allies, she said. That's no way to talk about a fellow officer. Umber hardly understood how Laurelite could so easily welcome a corrupted enemy as peer to him, as had occurred now thrice. What had the lot of them done to skip the painstaking process of proceeding as a lieutenant, or basic senshi, and climb as they all did?
No, he stopped himself. Stay in control. There's no point in debating her decisions. She is a General-Sovereign and has been working with the Negaverse far longer than me. She will know what she's doing.
"I've been looking for you. I was sent to debrief you. Are you in suitable condition to receive it?" Jack had insisted he explain himself, even when he was leery against her head injury. Warhol may fare the same, he feared, and yet she looked healthier than Haüyne. "And have you received a mineral name?" Laurelite typically assigned those; he couldn't imagine that the mint-haired superior would forget. If not, then perhaps there was good reason to leave her absent such a name.
So Umber stood awaiting his answer, arms folded across his chest in a lax manner, and looked down toward the seated senshi. Her hair pooled so far that it encroached on his shoes, or his shoes encroached on her hair. And mentally, he prepared himself for another disaster like Jack.Daekie thanks for patience! been super busy with moving / school / setting up event
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:52 am
Even with Umber's approach, his aura pinging in her mind, Warhol still found herself slightly startled when he finally spoke, her right hand instantly pulling back down to her knees. "...That's me, sir," she confirmed in a quiet voice, turning partially around to sit sideways, legs crumpled beneath her -- they were still asleep, and standing up would add more problems than it removed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have wandered off. Did I do something wrong?" She showed no signs of recognizing the Captain's face or voice, looking up at him with bewildered eyes as if a stranger, half-waiting for punishment.
"And I think I'm okay...I don't hurt or anything, so that's what you mean, right?" The mention of a mineral name brought a brief second of confusion to the girl's face, before she appeared to latch onto the drifting thought. "Ah, no...Laurelite didn't give me a mineral name. I showed her my magic, maybe that's why, they both use my name...who are you?" Absentmindedly, she pulled her hair back over her shoulder, so that more of it would be directed towards the wall and not outwards. It was heavy! It was heavy, and even though Warhol hardly remembered a thing, she knew she hadn't had long hair before this -- possibly ever, even. The weight of it just felt altogether far too foreign and sudden.
And yet - despite shadows beneath her eyes that she'd had on the eve of her corruption, and despite fading bruises on her arms and under her tights, Sailor Warhol seemed perfectly fine. Physically, at least.Strickenized np man, i figured that was it! razz warhol says HELLO FRIEND WHO ARE U
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 9:13 am
If Umber had to categorize his observations from Warhol in terms of surprise, her change in demeanor ranked at the top of his list without question. She still possessed similar neuroses to her White Moon past, but lacked the immediate defensive reactions that belied life-or-death situations. He estimated some of it belonged to the vastly different context of their meeting. Still, he found it refreshing that he needn't treat her so much as a cornered animal. He found them much too unpredictable, stressful, and altogether loathsome. Haüyne came to mind.
"You did nothing wrong. Negaspace is open to officer perusal. You are free to wander unless ordered otherwise." This one sounded obedient, if not fearful. And fear often reinforced obedience.
Umber remained standing, even as she continued to sit. Their height difference afforded a natural respect between the two. His tenure as an officer might lend to that respect, as well as authoritative tones and confident disposition. Umber mentally rifled the points while he spoke. "Some Negaverse agents respond better to corrupted senshi with mineral names. It foregoes the name you used as a White Moon senshi - as an enemy - and shows your willingness to support the Negaverse. My brother is like you. His name is Ochre, but his senshi name is Sheikh." 'Like you' feels so inaccurate. Ochre lacks all willful obedience. I should ask his mineral name revoked in the interim.
"My name is Captain Umber. You don't need to use rank in addressing me." She seemed to remember her own name, which seemed a meager start compared to her lack of recognition for the one who tracked her down for corruption. "I was present when you were added to the ranks of the Negaverse. You were a part of a faction of off-world magic-users that continually attacked our organization. You held promise as an officer, so we took you in. The Negaverse will support, train, and provide for you until you can establish yourself. In return, you will pay dues to the Negaverse by fulfilling a routine quota requirement and working on becoming a capable officer.
"There is a lot of information to cover about the Negaverse, its locations, its purpose, your new powers as a Negaverse agent, and your new duties. Is there anywhere you want to start?"Daekie hi hello it is the weekend yay
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2015 12:18 pm
"Oh, um...that's good, it's just - staying in the infirmary all the time is kind of boring, and I don't want to bother anyone..." Warhol trailed off into silence as Umber continued to speak, staring up at him with earnest eyes, absentmindedly pushing straying hairs away from her face. He was a little brusque, true, a little unfanciful: but that felt good, at the minute, to have someone speak to her at all with any interest. It was good. It made her feel less blank.
"It's...nice to meet you, Umber. So you knew me before -" and Warhol gestured to herself, to her hair - "this? I don't remember anything, really, anything at all...I remember my hair wasn't like this, it was short; and I remember my birthday, but that's pretty much all of it. You said your brother's like me -- but...I assume being in the White Moon first is unusual? So he still has all his memories, right...? And I think I understand, but...can we start with my new duties?" She bit her lip, searching for a word that wasn't quite there. "That seems -- important."
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Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2015 7:04 am
"I knew you briefly. I engaged you twice before. I knew of your magic, and suspected its effects. I've had it used on me twice. And I knew you murdered two officers of the Negaverse. You appeared increasingly neurotic and distressed - I do not know if the murders were the cause - but Laurelite has salvaged what was needful and you are now a part of the Negaverse. Your presence in our rank is atonement for one of the deaths, but you will have to work to become the best officer you can in order to make up for the second." He spoke without condescension in his tone - a relatively even cadence was easy for the hunter to keep, and necessary for the conversation.
"I'm unsure if being in the White Moon is unusual or not." Umber crouched to level with her. Long hours of maintaining his captain's uniform left him marginally exhausted, and his head ached under the strain of his hair. Untying the ponytail, he continued. "Corrupted senshi seem like a rarity. My brother was corrupted as a civilian, but Amphitrite was corrupted as a White Moon senshi. She does not remember much of her past, but Ochre remembers everything. Those are all the corrupted senshi I've met. I can get you access to a roster if you wanted to look for others." He hoped his words did not sound terribly dismissive; Umber loathed the thought of repeating his experiences with Jack.
"Your duties are fairly straightforward. You will maintain an energy draining quota weekly for the Negaverse and Metallia. This energy supports your ability to stay powered, and your teammates'. Any officer is able to teach you how to gather energy, including myself. Additionally you will want to patrol and assist other agents where you can. You will also want to start learning combat methods and how to best weaponize your magic for our purposes.
"There is a Negaverse training manual that you can consult in your downtime. It has rudimentary information pertaining to your state as an officer. From my own experience, I would advise seeking out other officers whenever possible and using the manual as a secondary source.
"There is a lot about the Negaverse to cover. Beyond this cathedral, there's the Rift and the Dark Kingdom that leads to it. There's the abilities you have now as a Negaverse senshi, like teleportation and the ability to take starseeds. The branches within the Negaverse, the history of the war, the current state of the war, and the politics between the Negaverse and Dark Mirror Court are a few of many topics we could discuss, but not all of them are pertinent to you right now."Daekie umber is like omg so much talking
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Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2015 9:31 am
"I'm sorry I did those things to you," Warhol murmured, looking mildly distressed but less so than could be expected. "But...I think I remember my birthday, and I'm fifteen...and the White Moon probably told me to kill, right? If I didn't know anything...I would have done what I was told, but not have known why. And I probably would have been scared." She sounded thoughtful -- thinking about it was like seeing through a mirror. All she knew was who she was now, if even that, and trying to match that up with the stories she was told of her past behavior were..hit and miss, at best. It was a puzzle, except the pieces were from two different puzzles, and they'd never match up the way Warhol wanted. She figured she'd probably need to get used to that.
"Starseeds? Those are --" Warhol pushed a hand into her chest, pulling out a golden-and-red starseed, sparkling like a teal crystal but laced with streams of black -- "those are these, right? Souls, or something...?" She met his eyes earnestly. "I think I understand the rest, though...aside from the energy gathering, but if any agent can teach me how to do it, I'll ask whoever I end up living with. If you don't mind, I'd like to hear about the history of the war."Strickenized warhol's brain is melting a little bit from all that talking, so she's just picking out the most pertinent points
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:50 am
Warhol sounded like she attempted logic to parse out her prior actions. Umber found it a good sign that she displayed quantitative reasoning - otherwise, she may well be as emotionally unstable as before. The fortuitous turn earned a quick nod.
However, when she tugged her own starseed from her chest, Umber's eyes grew wide and he reached a hand out to stop her - only to notice that she retained consciousness while handling her own starseed. That's... Not how this goes. He could not puzzle out how she managed to stay conscious during the affair, as every starseed he ever pulled ended with the owner passed out, so he started to wonder if her ability to do so stemmed from corrupting to the Negaverse. All corrupted senshi starseeds were on display in holy chests, it was true, but as he'd never witnessed his brother or any other native corrupt manage that, he had to wonder. Perhaps he could ask Ochre to try it later on - or starseed Ochre himself.
"They may be souls, yes," he responded at last. "I was raised believing that souls are a scent inside the body, and that decomposition smells so badly to cover its rejoining of nature without incident. It isn't a concept I can just dismiss. It is clear that starseeds are the core power to us all - without one, we die. If shattered, we become youma." And are those shattered splinters still inside youma? I need to find out.
Umber frowned slightly with the solicitation for historical information. "I don't know much about the historical war. I can find an officer that does. Schörl and Benitoite are both generals, so they have the tenure for it. Titanlavenite has been a captain for some time and knows a great deal - he might know something about the war too."
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 5:21 pm
Warhol rolled the starseed around in her hand, fingers deceptively controlling it for how gentle they appeared to be. It was -- second nature. Whoever she'd been, that girl had done a lot with her hands. After a few seconds, she pressed her fingers back deep into her chest, letting the crystal float back to its' natural position. "Sorry, um...should I not do that? You look a little freaked out. It doesn't hurt, or anything...! There's this resonation, a little bit, but -- I can take it out again, if you want...I don't think I should let you handle it, though." Her fingers tap-tapped restlessly against her thigh, drumming out an indistinct melody.
"And that sounds really nice, learning about the war...I'll see if I can talk to them. And what about the branches of the war? If you want to tell me, I mean, I don't want to waste your time or anything-" That flustered the girl via her own comment; it'd come out too harsh, too demanding, and then instantly going back on it felt weak and she didn't know quite what to do. Warhol just looked a little embarrassed, now, the confidence she'd shown in handling her own starseed gone in a flash.
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 11:15 pm
"That's..." Umber trailed off, scrambling for words to make sense of why he reacted the way he did. "If you take a starseed from someone, they're always on the floor unconscious. They die in minutes - usually. Think of it like removing your heart from your chest and staying awake." Fascinating as it was, he found it simultaneously unnerving given past experiences. That she could do so seemed worth studying - if they could find a means to remove a starseed from someone's chest and keep them alive, then what would that mean for interrogation methods?
Luckily her later question provided a disembarking point. He leaned somewhat against the wall as he spoke, and his shoulder pressed to one of the jutting crystals. "Training a new recruit isn't a waste of time. Ask all the questions you need.
"There are four branches to the Negaverse. There's General Operatives, or GenOps, where all the new recruits go. It's like a catch-all for officers that don't have a specialty. They do the grunt work that doesn't need a specific intelligence. It is the largest branch, if the rosters are any indication. You also don't need to do anything to reach the GenOps branch.
"Intelligence, or IntOs, are more trained in information gathering. They're the ones that keep up on the database for enemy senshi and record observations themselves in the field. These are the officers with the most leeway in commiserating with our enemy because of the nature of their work - sometimes intelligence gathering requires letting the senshi go free. It took me some time to determine why this would be a benefit, but an Information officer can surrender knowledge of a senshi's emotional weakness to an Infiltration officer and convince that senshi to corrupt, or give the information to a SpecOps officer to dispose of the senshi more effectively. They also keep an eye out for any tactical strikes Order might execute against the Negaverse.
"Infiltration officers, or InfOs, are a division intended to keep us out of trouble with Destiny City. They're some of our best recruiters for new Negaverse members, and they can spin any mishap of note to reflect poorly on something other than us. I don't know exactly how they do it, but they've managed to keep the city from turning against us in its entirety. They will find potential recruits in their workplaces, or sometimes interact with our enemies and convince them to join our cause. I imagine it demands a lot of charisma.
"Special Operations, or SpecOps, is the last division. It demands a great deal of combat prowess and loyalty to the Negaverse. They're meant to eliminate all opposing targets and ensure the success of Negaverse missions. My commanding officer, Xenotime, is a general in the SpecOps division, and has beaten or killed many senshi and knights who stand against us. I imagine that, if my brother does not shape up, then a SpecOps officer will be sent to correct him. I hope this answers your question." He wasn't certain what precise information was sought, so he opted for a general overview of the four.
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 11:21 pm
"I just -- I figured that since I can see mine, it'd be okay...and it doesn't hurt, but maybe that's just because of the hole?" Warhol looked half-mortified, face gone a little pale at Umber's description, taking a deep breath. "It's just really pretty...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, Umber." She hugged her hands close to her chest, fingers entwining and intermingling, chest heaving with shallow breaths until she managed to calm while the Captain stood and spoke about the different branches. And quiet still, when he took a breath: "...can I do it to other people?"
"What division are you part of...? You know so much about all the special ones...none of them sound super fitting for me, though. I'm not really charismatic, or that smart, and I know you said I've killed before but I can't remember it -- I - I don't. K-know if I can do that. To someone." Throughout it all, her voice started curving upwards with panic. And even the thought of it, the idea of the blood, was too pressing; too harsh, like a weight on her chest -- Warhol gasped for air. It wasn't coming, for a few seconds, and then it was and she crumpled, back curved: embarrassed, scared, breathing deep into her hands as they covered her face. Everything all at once. She was tired and frightened and she did want to learn more, she really desperately did, but it was too much.Strickenized umber infodumps, warhol just sits there and stares at him because she thinks she got 50% of it but is too embarrassed to ask for repetition
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 7:21 pm
"As you'll notice around other officers, knights, and senshi, it's not common to be able to see your own starseed." Umber couldn't see his own, and definitely found no interest in doing so unless the seed itself became unnecessary for his continued living. As he doubted such a concept would precipitate, he felt comfortable in his lack of knowledge for what his looked like. Hopefully Warhol wouldn't get any ideas.
"You can pull out someone's starseed now, yes. It isn't something to be taken lightly - if you do so, the person can die imminently." Umber held out his hand, palm up, for her to see. "If you practice, you can focus your power to a distinct location - your hand, for example. Then that hand can go through someone's chest without quite touching it - your fingers pass flesh and bone without damaging any of it. From my experience, the starseed lies in the chest - but not quite. No part of the body actually houses a gem. It's... Elsewhere, but in there." The chaos flooded to his hand, simmered, and dissipated. His hand returned to a loose hang in his lap. "We call it starseed pulling. It's an effective way to end a fight unless you want to corrupt that person. Usually corruption is a better option in war tactics."
But her question concerning his personal branch caused a frown. "I am still a part of General Operatives. I've been meaning to change to SpecOps, my commanding officer's branch, but I've been busy." And still would be - apart from assisting Warhol in getting back to her feet, he needed to finish his research for Slate.
"There's no need to consider branches right now." Leaning against the crystal felt good - smooth, cool, and soft. The slow prickle of his skin while resting against the humming crystal soothed a simmering irritation. Luckily, none of it seeped into voice. "A lot of people put too much emphasis on murder." Including her, apparently, as she collapsed in on herself. But Umber was not terribly comforting as a person, and fostered no idea of how to assist her here. He could only give information that he himself found useful. "But death as a grand finality is a part of this culture. It isn't so in practice. If you are aware of what you're doing, your opponent won't suffer much - which seems to be an emphasis point among officers." But talking at Warhol now looked like a waste of breath.
"Do you want to continue?"Daekie rofl usually people glaze over
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Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 8:45 pm
She gulped, swallowing down tears and air that was coming in too fast, and nodded - barely - to let the Captain know she'd heard him, it was okay, this was fine. "M-maybe sometime later. I need to think about things." Like this, it was so easy to see traces of the girl she'd been at her corruption, driven mad with fear and undirected grief - and very, very young, not cold enough to deal with a war. "Sorry, I just -- it's -- it's a lot to take in. I need some time." Warhol pushed herself to her feet, shaking, knuckles white. "Thank you for talking to me...you didn't have to, but it's -" a sharp intake of breath as she settled, shoulders relaxing - "it's...very helpful. Thank you a lot, Umber." Her smile was almost forced, but not quite; it was tight around the edges in all the wrong places for a lie. Just stress, then. Despite it all, when she offered her hand to Umber - perhaps to shake - it barely trembled.
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Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2015 9:32 am
Umber was uncertain whether to offer advice in this situation. Ultimately, he supposed, it proved counterproductive to her winding down - having further direction of what to do to mitigate stress might amplify if she found the advice given wasn't effective. Instead, Umber remained quiet on the matter. If she wanted to prove herself a worthwhile officer to the Negaverse, then her interest and abilities in doing so would come forth without his explicit direction. Otherwise, she may end up in a similar conundrum to Slate.
And in that moment, Umber felt unable to provide the effort and energy to sustain two belligerent corrupted senshi.
"It is a lot," he conceded with a nod. His own induction into the Negaverse came with indoctrination to city life - he liked to think it allowed him to relate better to ex-enemies like Warhol, but ultimately he couldn't compare to another corrupt with a similar background. Would suggesting someone be too far beyond the scope of her tolerance right now? He couldn't be certain, but the captain decided to attempt it. "If you get a chance, and you look up the Negaverse rosters, find a corrupted super senshi by the name of Amphitrite. She comes from similar circumstances." Relation to others often benefitted those of high stress, and while he himself never needed that kinship, it looked like Warhol might.
Umber accepted the handshake in an awkward not-quite-used-to-this manner, and then pulled notebook from back pocket with its pen jammed into the spiral. He wrote out both his civilian phone number and name before handing the sheet back to her in his left hand. "Call me if you need anything. The Negaverse should set you up with civilian credentials and a phone shortly. Do well, Warhol." With a last nod, the captain vanished with a thought.
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