Welcome to Gaia! ::

Leucite had been a bit surprised when the transfer order had come across his desk. He of course, was not one to turn down a potential new officer to his little team. All the same, a meet-and-greet was in order to ensure that there would be minimal friction their personalities. Ideally this would be a good fit. Worst case there would need to be an adjustment period. He did not know how Cinnabar ran her ship - if it was anything like Xenotime…

No, best not to dwell on that. He would deal with any roughness in time if that was what it took. Reading through the file on the Lieutenant, Violane - an interesting name he was sure - he waited for her to show up to his office for the meeting he had requested of her that morning.

Now to see if she was the punctual type or not.
---

The transfer from Cinnabar had been unwelcomed and unwanted but it had been made very clear to Violane that she had no choice in the matter that Cinnabar was relinquishing her duties as a General over the white-haired Lieutenant and others. Of course, Violane had fought and pushed to not be transferred. After all, it was Cinnabar’s damn fault Violane was in this damn mess called the Negaverse and the young Lieutenant felt the General should own up to it, but rank had a lot of perks. One of them being telling your subordinates to ******** off and pawn them off onto others. Due to her lack of interest in choosing a new General, one had apparently been chosen for her, and Violane had no damn clue who this General Leucite was or what he was even like.

Orders had been given to her to meet this new General of hers in his office and she had made it clear her distaste in all of these events but turned on a heel to find Leucite’s office. There was nothing she could do at this point. Loathe as she was to admit it, she was the low man on the totem pole here and had no sway. Though, she intended to make her emotions on the matter known.

It hadn’t taken long to find the office in question. The door was shut and she had brief moment where she wanted to just shrug her shoulders and walk away, claiming she thought the General wasn’t in, but self preservation kicked in. So, the woman raised a fist to rap on the door in front of her as she practically glared daggers at the obstruction.

It only took a moment before the muffled response of a male voice could be heard asking for her to enter. So, a quick twist of the knob at the woman pushed the door open and proceeded into the office. Her eyes and body language clearly speaking her lack of delight in this whole thing. “Lieutenant Violane, here as ordered.” She said.
---
The knock on the door was met with a single word.

“Enter,” Leucite had said, projecting his voice loud enough to be heard through the door. He remained seated behind the desk, eyes running over the Lieutenant behind steepled fingers. He watched her for a moment in silence.

“Thank you for coming, Lieutenant Violane, please, take a seat.” He said, motioning at one of the two chairs in front of his desk. “As I suspect you know the reason you are here today we can skip the usual beating around the bush. I am General Leucite. Cinnabar has put in a request for your transfer to me.”

If he was puzzled by this, he did not let it show. “So, the first order of business is - what can I do for you?”
---

The office was similar in size and structure as Cinnabar’s but that was the only similarity. Both Generals had their own taste of decor or lack thereof when it came to their offices’ and Violane’s amethyst eyes soaked in Leucite’s as if trying to decipher the type of person he was by what was on display.

Leucite was obviously being cordial with this meeting and she had no doubt he was trying to size her up as much as she was doing the same to him. Perhaps more. After all, he was going to be in charge of her he needed to know what sort of skill set she brought to the table. Sadly for him, her life had been encompassed predominantly with school and violin work so she hadn’t made as swift of progress in the Negaverse as even she would have liked. Some would think of her as uninterested in the ‘cause’ or just plain out lazy. For the former, they may be correct. Violane hadn’t quite come to fully accept and swallow the whole goal of the society she was in, but concerning the later, they were very much wrong. The woman had just poured her energies in places she felt befitted her the best at the chosen time.

Taking a seat in one of the two chairs, she sat back, legs crossed and arm propping up her head as she tilted it to the side. She was trying to gauge this General but he was giving her nothing at the moment. Clean cut, and well presented in his uniform and even his dark hair was cropped short. To put it plainly, Leucite looked like the perfect poster boy for the military. “Yep. Cinnabar is cutting herself loose from her subordinates and dropping us off like garbage onto others.” Her voice held a bitterness to it as she spoke.

At his question she raised a brow. “Do for me? I am sorry, but there’s nothing that I can say that you can do for me besides. Well, nothing I can think of. I am sure General Cinnabar has made the request clear in her notes there for you.” She gestured with a nod of her head to the paperwork, she assume was about her, that was in front of Leucite. “To be clear, I wanted to stay under her. Not be tossed away like some old baggage.” Oh yes, nope, Violane wasn’t bitter at all at these circumstances.

A small ember of anger began to kindle inside of Leucite. Regardless of Cinnabar’s reasons for dropping her subordinates (which to his knowledge she had not divulged, as was her right to do) the fact of the matter was the deed was all but done, and barring her demanding Violane back in person, well, Leucite was used to bitter, angry, lieutenants. He had two such under his command already, a third would not be too much more effort.

Still.

“Be that as it may, General Cinnabar made her request, and that means that your transfer is as good as final.” Leucite said, his eyes maintaining contact with Violane. “Your loyalty to her is commendable, but you do her a great disservice speaking so poorly of her, it makes you appear to have no discipline or grasp of protocol and decorum.”

It was with this statement he stood placing both of his hands on his desk as he leaned forward. “Both of which are things that I hold in very high regard and expect all the officers under my command to adhere to. Contrary to what some members of our organization may believe, we are a militant group and that requires a certain level of self-discipline and the ability to follow regulations and protocol.”

He stood to his full height (6’2”) and moved around the desk then, his boots making their quiet tak, tak, tak across the stone from the metal plating. His arms behind his back as he turned to face her fully. “Do not think me above teaching hard lessons.” He said, keeping his eyes on her. “Something you will learn very quickly if you do not improve your attitude.”

“You don’t have to like me. But from now on you do have to listen to me. So listen well because I will only say this once.” He continued.

“I can either be a boundless resource that will get you placed into any branch of the Negaverse you choose, and ensure that you function well above the demands asked of you, ensuring that you want for nothing in your personal or professional life.

“Or, I can be an absolute terror, and break you down before I mold you into something worthwhile. You will of course, hate every waking moment of it, but in the end you will be a strong part of our cause.” He concluded.

“The choice is yours of course, and I advise the former well above the later”

---
Fan ******** tastic, she’d been placed with now only the post boy look-alike, but apparently someone who acted like the poster boy too. Perfect. She almost snorted as he corrected her lack of title for Cinnabar. As much as she liked the woman, Violane’s thoughts on her at the moment were anything but kind. Hence the omitted honorific. And if this General thought cowing her into obedience was going to be the way of it, he was sorely mistaken. Her opinions were her own to make and keep and no one was going to change that. “Excuse me sir but I think I have all right to make my own opinion on what’s going on and how I think about those involved.”

She watched with almost lazy interest as her new General stood to prowl around his desk. Normally she’d be more interested in ‘playing’ the well behaved child. After all, it was something she was well trained to do and had done for years for her parents, but the whole situation had her hackles up, and Leucite standing there glaring down at her from his full height (well above her own 5’6”) was only pushing buttons to make her more obstinate. “Well, excuse me while I go make a crown of flowers for you and act like the perfect lieutenant that you want.” She rolled her eyes not at all cowed by this show.

And then he went on about resources and what he would be able to do for her. She did perk at the thought that this General Leucite may be able to jumpstart her into a useful direction, but in the moment she was so damn pissed at him for his high and mighty attitude that all she really wanted to do was stand up and punch him in that perfect face of his. Wait, no, maybe a good shot to the groin instead. That would be more appeasing and she’d be keeping her hands ******** if Cinnabar hadn’t drilled home about keeping her hands safe.

“A man closer to me than you once tried that.” She gave him an almost dirty look. “Breaking me, I mean, and let me tell you he didn’t get what he wanted in the end.” Her eyes were sharp, never quite leaving Leucites’ as she weighed the man. Almost curious enough to see how far he would actually go.


There was a long pause as Leucite took her in her replies. Finally, his body posture relaxed and he shook his head, moving instead to sit on his desk. Picking up her file, he opened it up and thumbed through it, and he hummed under his breath as he read.

“I see that you are currently attending DCU,” He said finally, looking just over the file to give the illusion he wasn’t watching her reaction as he spoke. “What is your major?” He asked - already knowing full what it was because it was IN her file but deciding to give her the opportunity to proffer the information willingly. A test of sorts to see if she would make him play his full hand or not.

“Have you by chance been by the Fine Arts building? It’s been awhile since I last attended a gallery there… Are they still showcasing the graduate murals?”

He made a show of flipping a page, making a soft interested humming noise like he’d read something interesting.
---
The tension was real between the two of them. Anyone could have felt it, but when Leucite finally eased and backed down, stepping away from his new subordinate Violane grinned, her own body relaxing in response to him. Called your bluff. She thought to herself, the little smirk not leaving her face as her eyes watched what he did carefully.

What she had assumed was her file when she first arrived was confirmed as he thumbed through the meager papers inside. She vaguely wondered what sort of information was obtained within the manilla envelope. Her basic information? Perhaps her social security number? Of course her apartment was probably listed in there and maybe even her parents and her sister. Whatever, it wasn’t like it really mattered even the government had all that bullshit information.

His question got a raised brow before she adjusted her position, arms crossing under her chest. “Music Performance.” She stated simply. “Violin if you need to know the concentration.” Her response clearly said that she expected him to know that considering Cinnabar had. It was one of the reasons she had been trained to fight with as little reliance on her hands as possible.

And then he went on and she sighed in exasperation. “I don’t really know or care. I don’t follow that sort of stuff. I am damn well lucky I have enough time to go to class, practice and have any sort of social life outside of those two things. I don’t particularly have time to go around checking out other exhibits.” She remarked coldly.

By this point she was trusting him again. Where the hell was he going with this new direction? Why all of a sudden try to be friendly with her after threatening to practically beat her.

There were always several options when dealing with people. They usually boiled down into two types however. Carrots, and Sticks. Leucite could threaten and cajole her, effectively brandishing the stick and use it to beat her into doing what he wanted her to do. Or, he could show her that they really weren't’ so different in the long run - and show that he really did have her best interests at heart. The proverbial carrot.

“A shame, I always tried to make it to the free concerts that he music department held when I could,” He tsked lightly with his tongue. “I graduated from DCU with a BA in Fine Art… You might have seen a few of my pieces if you were to peruse the gallery.” He said with a slight smirk. “But that’s not the point. The point is that you need to find the time to get some extracurricular activities in aside from your work as an officer. I can provide you with a few tips - perhaps even help you set up a time schedule. It can be rough work - but in the end it’s worth it.”

He closed the file then, watching her. “I’m not your father, or grandfather, or your creepy uncle that leers at you at parties when he’s gotten too drunk.” He said with a small smirk. “What I am, however, is your boss. Well, more than that - actually. I’m your superior officer. I have a responsibility to ensure that your needs - both emotional and physical - are met. I have a responsibility to ensure that you grow into a productive member of the Negaverse.”

“I’d really like you to help me do that, instead of digging in your heels and fighting the entire way.”
---

She snorted and shook her head. “If that file says anything useful it’ll tell you my work as an officer has been little and far between. My previous General didn’t want me going out on my own to patrol if it could be helped and truthfully, I’ve been too busy with school, lessons and recitals to really much care about it. I was lucky enough to make time for lessons. I can’t right just ignore my studies if I ever intend to graduate. So, don’t worry, my time working with the Negaverse has been the last thing to stop me from getting things done.” She huffed in her seat.

And then he continued on and on. Like she much cared. Violane wasn’t going to say it outright but she was hurting emotionally. It was a raw wound to feel like she was being tossed to the side. Sure, she knew the ‘situation’ cinnabar was in but Violane thought of it as a cheap cop-out.

“If it wasn’t for Cinnabar, the one who brought me into this crazy a** situation, I’d be able to live my life how I damn well please. Now, the one who get me into all of this, has tossed me to the wayside. How the hell do you expect someone to react to that?” She glared, as she stood up to face him. “If you were looking for me to bring you flower and thank you on bent knee for taking me in then I am sorry to disappoint you. But hey, disappointment seems to be the ongoing theme for me lately.”

“But as you said, i’ve no choice in this matter.” She shrugged. “But I have all damn rights to be upset and pissed.” She pointed at him, all her anger, frustration, and disappointment was all clear on her face.

“That’ will be changing as of now.” Leucite said, placing the file back down on his desk. “You will be expected to meet your quota like everyone else. I will provide you with the particulars later. While yes - it can be risky to go it alone - you need to be able to operate solo as well as as part of a team. I will introduce you to the team later, but for now we’ll focus on getting you back into the swing of things.”

He could see the anger at Cinnabar, at how much she rankled at being an agent. Of not having an say in the matter. This was dangerous - and something he hoped he could n** in the bud.

“I’m not expecting gratitude. This is a shitty situation, I’ll be frank,” He stood again, moving to sit back behind his desk once more. “I don’t know why she decided to shed all of her subordinates, but knowing her, it was for a valid reason. You don’t have to like that reason. But, it is her choice and you must abide by it. To that end, I would suggest paying her a visit when you can - express to her your feelings… civilly. In my opinion, she’s one of the better generals out there - and that is why I was honored to take you on.”

“That being said - you can’t let your emotions derail you. That is going to get you killed. This is a war, Violane. Things are going to happen that we don’t like. We have to make choices that we’d rather not have to make. I can’t begin to speculate as to why, but General Cinnabar probably did what she felt was best for all of you.” He steepled his fingers again.

“Because with this chip on your shoulder - you’re going to be a prime target for the White Moon. They are going to come to you with honied lies about there being a way out for you - that freedom you so seem to desire. But it’s a trap.” He said, quietly.

“Then General Cinnabar won’t be the commander that you feel spurned you. Abandoned you by the wayside to pursue whatever goal or mission that she feels she needs to go alone. No, she will become your hunter. Along with everyone else in the Negaverse.” He watched her as he spoke, pausing for only a moment.

“We are too few, Violane. Too few to afford any more losses. I’m going to be honest with you - we are in dire straights. The senshi have developed a new… weapon of sorts. They are showing abilities once thought to be only the purview of the Negaverse. Once - they were a wild, disorganized mass. An overgrown tumor on this world. But that tumor has burst - and the infection has begun to spread in smaller - more contained cells. They’re organizing - Violane. They’re working together in groups and if this becomes the status quo…”

He reached down again, picking up her file and lifting it so she could see it easily. “They will win - and you can kiss any hope of freedom goodbye. If you think the Negaverse is authoritarian - well - you’ve never had to suffer a tyrant who has magic to keep you in your place.”

“We have a lot of work to do Violane. I’m not expecting things to change overnight. But, I need you to trust me - and trust that this was done for a reason. I’m not asking you to like it. But, I am asking you to accept it.” He said as he put the file back down.

“I am also going to suggest that you enroll in the Training Corps - it is optional - but I feel it might do you some good, and allow you to socialize with other Lieutenants.” He continued with a small smile. “Again, merely a suggestion - not an order. But, I think you will find it enlightening.”
---

“Oh believe me, she damn well knows how I feel about this whole ******** up situation.” She spat out. “But i am so glad you were honored to take me on cause god ******** forbid I don’t have someone dictating what I should do with my own time. By all means, send me everything you need me to do. I’ll just work it into my already ridiculous schedule.”By this point she was practically pacing the room stopping to face him at certain point to stare him down.

“And don’t think the plight of the negaverse is going to make me change my opinion on any of this. I could damn care less. Any spare time I had to give, I gave and apparently that’s not good enough. ********, maybe these order people aren’t as bad as you say they are? Maybe it’s all propaganda on your end.” She shrugged. Maybe what you say is true. I don’t damn well know. I can say that my interactions with order have been very few and far between but not unpleasant. If anything they kept to their damn selves.” Not that Violane would mentioned she’d had a total of 1 maybe 2 run ins with order and at those points their ‘enemies’ had been more concentrated on something else than a lowly lieutenant. “But don’t worry I don’t intend to pass off my shackles from one master to another.”

“So excuse me while I pass on the kool-aid you are trying to make me guzzle. I’ll make my own damn conclusions and right now I can tell you I am feeling like I am really unnecessary, unneeded and really just wanting to be ******** done with this all, but here I stand, with no damn way out.” She finally finished her pacing and stood squarely in front of his desk. A part of her wanted him to turn and hit her. To prove that he wasn’t as good and mighty as he was putting on to be. At this point she resented his attempts to be kind to her when all she wanted to do was scream and rage.

“And, I’ve never been much of a team player. So I think I’ll pass on all these….suggestions of yours.”

Leucite let her pace for a long moment. He let her get her bluster and and bravado and all her anger and rage and upset out of the way. He found himself rising again, his face once more a mask of cold imperiousness. Walking up to her, his hand darted forward - and through her chest. Leucite had done this so many times, to so many different people, that he could have probably have done it in his sleep. His fingers wrapped loosely around her starseed - applying just enough pressure for her to know he had it in his hands, but not enough to send her into a complete fit of mindless pain. He needed her somewhat aware of what he was saying - he was sure though, that the entire situation was not at all enjoyable.

“Allow me to make ONE thing abundantly clear,” He seethed. “Regardless of how you came to become a member of the Negaverse, you’re one now. That entails a level of responsibility to use the powers granted to you to the betterment of the Negaverse.” He said, his other hand moving to roughly move her head so that she was forced to stare up into his face, even as his fingers clenched tighter around her starseed to make a point.

“Powers that were driven into your very soul - powers that don’t belong to someone who’s idea of making things better for themselves is to pitch a tantrum like a child. I could pull that soul out of you - right now - for lack of you living up to what is the very BASIC expectations of what we ask from you to hold the privilege of that power.”

He kept his eyes locked on her, his thumb just lightly stroking along the starseed. “I don’t know how General Cinnabar ran things with you - but I can see that her hand was perhaps JUST a tad too lax. As they say, you spare the rod and you spoil the child. Because, that is what you are, a spoiled child.”

He allowed his hand to fully grip the starseed, not hard enough to cause any damage but definitely enough so that she’d feel it. “You want out so badly? Say the word… and I’ll ensure you’ll never have to worry about anything another day in your life…” He said, looking down at her.

“Or would you rather live, and actually make something of yourself?” His voice held no emotion - just simple fact.

“Well?”
---

She had been expecting some form of discipline what with that cold exterior that quickly set in on Leucite’s face. She had braced herself for a blow, was even ready to try and block it if she could, but she had not at all expected for him to go after her starseed.Her body froze as the pain became apparent. It was not where near on par as the night when Cinnabar had gave her this power, had made her a member of this crazy organization, but it certainly still ******** hurt. God did it hurt.

And Leucite was going on and on. She had let her head roll to the side in an attempt to block out what he was saying be had roughly pulled it back, forced her to look at him as he stood there showing his power over her while toying with her very life. That’s exactly what this was. A Display of power, to show her how insignificant she was in the grand scheme. No matter how much he preached earlier that they were down people, he still was quite fine with possibly destroying her right there on the spot.

This was the power she sought. The power to lord over someone. To make them feel insignificant because that was how she had felt for her entire life up until she went to college. Not, again, she was in the same spot, and how she wished to make others feel the same humiliating pain she felt.

She had wanted the power when it was first shown to her. When Cinnabar had shown the perks of what the Negaverse could give. She had no idea, at the time, that she was practically writing her life away to be of use to someone else.

But god she wanted power to do this to others.

Spoiled child or not, Violane didn’t care at that moment. Especially when he gripped just a bit tighter on her starseed eliciting an audible gasp of pain from her. Her eyes showed in the internal battle as she was forced to look at him. A part of her, the defiant, childish, pissed off side wanted to spit in his face and call it all ******** done, but loathe as she was to admit it, as much as she wanted freedom, she didn’t want to lose her life. That wasn’t the sort of freedom she sought.

Taking in ragged gasps she managed a raspy response to his singular question. “Live.”

It was blatantly obvious to her that she had somehow found herself in the grasp of a general who was not as much worries about her well being for her sake, but for the Negaverse as a whole. That was a stark comparison to what she’d seen from General Cinnabar who actually seemed to worry for her outside of just being an agent.

His hand shifted from her chin, to her hair, taking a firm grip of it before his hand released her starseed, and he pulled it back from her. Leucite was no stranger to putting people under duress. He’d done his fair share of torture - heard his fair share of stories of what you could get away with, with enemy combatants. This was nothing. He could do so, so much worse.

But he would not. Not unless she made him. He had moved his grip to her hair because he knew that it was very likely the pain and the sudden release of her starseed would cause her to either blackout, or her knees to give out. He’d seen it many times before. But he wasn’t about to let her fall to the floor. It would be painful - of course - but she needed to learn to work through excruciating pain if she was going to survive this war.

She was wrong, however, about his not caring about her life. While she was a cog in a very large and complex machine, she still had human needs. She was still a living, breathing human being. Probably more human than any senshi would ever be. Which was why he guided her by her hair into the nearby chair, allowing her body to sink into it before letting go.

“One day,” He said quietly. “You too - will have to make a choice like I just did.” He said, looking at her as he moved once more to his desk. “You will hold someone else’s life in your hands - and you will have to decide if it is better for them to live or die.”

“That is of course - if you make it as far as I have.” He slipped into his chair again, steepled his fingers in front of him. “Is that what you want, Violane?” He asked. “Or will you settle for being just another cog in our machine.”
---

The grip on her hair was completely unnoticed considering how it paled in comparison to the the pain of her starseed. But, as Leucite had expected, her legs gave out on her as her vision blacked over for a moment but she didn’t lose consciousness. She felt him guide her to someplace in the room and felt the seat before she saw it. Her body sagged into the furniture when given the chance, a cool film of perspiration on her bow as she focused her sight on him.

He settled himself in his chair and she had to bite off the retort that nearly left her lips. Those words weren’t going to help her case. If she even had a damn case to begin with. Anger slowly displaced the aching pain that that was still evident in her body but it was more tempered. More under control.

“Aren’t we all just cogs in this machine?” She responded. “Some of us are just bigger than others.” Welp, so much for keeping herself under control.


A long pause as she stared him down. As he sat there calmly behind his desk like he hadn’t just, quite literally, held her life in his hands. It was like another day in the office for him. Violane wasn’t sure if she was excited or disturbed by the realization.

“Might as well be the bigger one.” She remarked quietly.

---

“Good, that’s what I like to hear.” Leucite said, the smile that crept to his face did not reach his eyes. His fingers remained steepled in front of him, and he probably looked like something out of a Bond film. The villain - plotting the death of Mr. Bond, most likely. He personally prefered to think himself an inquisitor - ensuring that the flock was not lead astray by blasphemy and heresy.

In either case - the fullness of his power - of both his physical might and rank, were on display. “Because, you are correct - to an extent. We are but the hands by which the will of Metallia is done. We serve at her will - her whim. The gift of power given to you can just as easily be taken away - same as your life.”

It was a very harsh reality - but an important one that Leucite felt needed to be kept in the mind at all times.

“Now, now that, that is settled, I suppose we are done here. I have learned a great deal about you Violane. I hope this meeting has proven educational for you as well.” He grabbed a pen, and signed his name at the bottom of the transfer order - finalizing it - before putting it in his pile to be filed.

“You will receive your quota requirements tonight. I expect it to be gathered by weeks end…” He raised a hand - as if to silence any complaints.

“Before you open your mouth again to sling another tantrum at me… I will have prorated it to give you ample time to recover and prepare. I run a tight ship - but what you do on your own time is up to you.” He added. “Provided that you are ready for duty when I call.” He added. “And don’t think for a minute I will not pull you halfway across the world and into my office if I have to. Do not test me in that regard - you will find yourself wishing you had not.”

Putting the pen back in it’s holder, he grabbed another piece of paper off the table - a report of some sort - and began to read. “You are dismissed, Lieutenant Violane.”
---

Clenching her fists and her jaw, Violane said nothing. She seethed inside though. But she’d been shown how weak she really was. How little her own thoughts and opinions on matters actually made any difference whatsoever.

So, when dismissed, she stood stiffly and painfully. Didn’t say a word of thanks or recognition as she turned for the door. She’d be damned if she gave him any sort of recognition after what he had done. A hand on the knob, she twisted it roughly and let herself out, closing the door with as much kindness as she had shown it when she opened it to leave. The sound of it reverberating in it’s frame followed her as she sulked down the hallway, breath still heavy and knees weak from her encounter with near death.
---

Once Violane had left, Leucite pulled her file back to him. He flipped it open again, skimming through it once more. Finally he reached into his desk, and pulled out a small - well worn notebook.

Pulling the pen from its holder, he flipped open the notebook to a new page.



Finishing his notes, he placed the pen back in its holder, and stashed the notebook back in his desk. Then he grabbed a new sheet of paper - and began to write up a prorated quota for Violane, making sure to give her plenty of time to be able to achieve such a small quota...