Welcome to Gaia! ::

There always seemed to be a surplus of energy signatures pulsing through Negaspace. Sometimes it was not easy to tell who was wear until they were right upon you--which was the case for Axinite, tonight. He was fumbling with a piece of technology; it looked to be some strange, holographic tablet, only the screen was completely distorted and he was tapping the holographic screen impatiently.

He rounded the corner and had to come to an immediate stop to avoid running into Tourmaline. He blinked at her, as if surprised to see her here.

"Captain," he greeted. It took a second before he identified her. "Tourmaline. You're out awfully late."

His eyes scanned the hallway quickly, looking for some motivation for her to be here, before he returned his gaze to hers. "I haven't seen you around much, these days. Are our schedules just not overlapping anymore because of these new hours?"

He asked in a tone that said he would have humored her if that was the lie she wanted to give him, but there was at least some genuine concern in his voice. It was a gentle pry, to test the waters.

Axinite watched her closely, perhaps waiting to see if she would give him reason not to trust her or in an attempt to see if she sought reprimand. When she did neither—when she apologized, he simply smiled. “I understand,” he said simply, in a tone that implied he did understand.

He had been in the Negaverse for long enough to know what it was like to lose people.

“I am sorry for your loss. Would you like to walk with me?” he asked, gesturing to the empty space next to her. “Seeing your face has reminded me that there was something I wanted to talk to you about, if you have time? I don’t mean to disrupt your grieving. If you wish to be alone, I could make this quick, instead?”

Axinite smiled when she accepted, and again when she asked how Destiny City was treating him. It might have been small talk, but he seemed appreciative all the same. “Well enough. I think I’m starting to get used to things a bit, I think. Thank you.”

He walked slowly, one step at a time. He didn’t seem to have any particular destination for the time being, but it seemed important to him to keep moving.

“I was wondering, though. If you’ll allow me to pry? You say you haven’t spent enough time acting. Are you, perhaps, limited by your rank? You’ve been a Captain for a while, now. You’ve collected a bit of a record. I was going over it earlier this week—you’ve got a few projects going on? I’m impressed, to say the least. I wondered, if you felt you were ready for a promotion? Or if you still feel there are weaknesses you need to work out?”

Axinite nodded and seemed as thoughtful as ever. He seemed like he was a quiet sort—or, at least, he would have been if he wasn’t pushing himself. He was more comfortable in his office, planning. It hadn’t always been like that, but connections were hard. Not because he couldn’t talk, but every new conversation, every new friend was opening the door to weakness.

A strong team made you a stronger person.

Axinite had lost his team, and no matter what he was doing in the Information branch it didn’t seem to be enough to fill that void.

“The stronger you get, the better you can follow through with your duties,” he agreed, but seemed to be more attached to the latter part of her observation. “And the better you can protect those who served you.”

For a short moment he considered the phrase again and then finally nodded. “Right, then. Well, I suppose General Tourmaline would be better for that purpose than Captain. Your records show a lot of promise, you know. I wanted to talk to you about what you’ve got on file. I notice you still haven’t chosen a branch and—well, to be frank,” he turned to face her. “I think you’d be a fine candidate for the Information branch. You’re smart, you’re likable, you’re outgoing. I think you’re a very clever woman and I’d like to see how far you can go—and more than just you, I’d like to see how far you can push those around you, too. I think you’d thrive in Information—or, really, any branch you’d like, but I was specifically looking for more Generals to help me out with a few things. Considering you’re ready for promotion—that I’d like to do tonight, if you consent, I thought I might offer you a position in my branch.”

It was all the consent Axinite needed.

“We’ll do it now, then.”

He offered her a smile and reached to take her nearest hand. His grip was short lived; once he held her hand firmly in his own, he teleported her to his office without warning. There was clear purpose for why he had chosen to do it, though, aside from just the hallway being a bit uncouth for a promotion.

He moved behind his desk and opened a drawer to withdraw a stack of papers, carefully bound, with the word, ‘INFORMATION’ in bold letters on its cover. There was ample information on the Information branch available elsewhere, but this was a personally prepared packet for all new agents joining him. He was perpetually overprepared and he wanted the officers in his branch to be the same.

But a packet of information wasn’t all he had laid out; on his desk he had a plate half full of sugary treats, some store bought and wrapped, and some clearly homemade. The other half of the plate was full of fresh fruits. From behind his desk, there was the sound of ice shifting; he withdrew two chilled sports drinks, each a different color, and set them on the desk.

If he hadn’t prepared for her tonight, it was clear that he was prepared in general. He moved back from behind his desk and made sure to gesture to the chair next to her.

“These upgrades can be draining,” he explained. “I apologize in advance for any discomfort I’ll cause you. A necessity, to prepare you for the power, but I will do my best to make it easy on you. I strongly urge you to take a moment to rest afterwards, and help yourself to anything you need.”

He nodded to the supplies on his desk. “I have seen new Generals push themselves too hard too quickly. You’ll be safe in my hands.”

And while she recovered, she could look over the packet, and then he’d return her to whatever duties she wanted to tend to for the evening. He offered her a moment for questions, or to prepare herself, and then asked, “Are you ready?”

Axinite nodded; it was only after she indicated that she was ready—and he took a few seconds to make sure she was ready, that he planted his hand on her chest. “This will only be a moment,” he assured, in the same soothing voice.

It didn’t matter how carefully he slid his hand into her chest, or how gently he held her starseed; there was no shielding anyone from the pain that came with any promotion. But, he had done this many times before, and he was as close to perfect as he could expect to be. He channeled the magic into her efficiently—quickly—but with the same discomfort as any surge of Chaos.

It took only a few seconds, but he could only imagine how long it might have felt.

He retracted his hand as soon as he was finished, keeping one hovering a few inches from Tourmaline, ready to catch her if she should fall or guide her into the chair to rest for a moment.

“And, that’s it,” he promised, “No more pain.”

His eyes met her, and he added, “General.”