Welcome to Gaia! ::

For the second phase of Hopeite's plan, she needed the aid of a general. According to her hand guide, only they could command youma, whereas she rant he risk of being eaten by a monster should she try. The only issue was that... Hopeite didn't know any generals. She herself didn't have a real CO... it was of her own choosing, of course, since she had no desire to be ruled or ordered around. After all, this was chaos wasn't it? Shouldn't it be about causing chaos?

Semantics aside, Hopeite needed a general. The only way she knew of to find a general, however, was to feel around for one. Literally. She had to go out, night after night, and feel for one. So far, if she did encounter one, they were likely to be condescending and rude, telling her that they ought to turn her in for "wasting negaverse resources on one Senshi." Whatever. They could turn her in for all Hopeite cared, once she had that Senshi broken she'd move on to the next. And the next after that. And the next after that. And on and on until the whole disgustingly bubbly lot of them lay broken at her feet.

But first she needed a youma.

Before that, she needed a General.

And as luck would have it, as Hopeite turned the corner, she was hit full in the face with the unmistakable aura of just such a general. A young man, or at least younger than her. Not a high bar by any means. Most people fighting in this war seemed younger than her save for a precious handful. But he was powerful, she knew. She could feel it.

"Hello there," she called out to him them, taking a hungry drag on her cigarette.

Well this was already off to a better start than most of her other interactions had been. This general was at least polite to her, observing the niceties of small talk with strangers. Hopetie appreciated that. Not only that, but he kept himself in full visibility, and when Hopeite spoke he turned bodily to see her. A tactic to instill trust and calm in those that approached him, no doubt. Excellent attention to detail. If Hopeite desired a commanding officer, she might request to follow this young man.

She had other plans, however.

"As safe as any other night, I suppose," she sighed, closing the distance between them so that she could speak softly instead of shout across the expanse. "I haven't been attacked by a child tonight, so I call that a win, right?" Any day without overpowered babies shooting magic at her leaving her with no choice but to run was a good one. In recent nights, Hopeite's pride had taken some serious hits from being beaten up by children.

Honestly, she couldn't wait to be Captain, and start ticking names off of her s**t list.

"How about you. Easy night of quota filling I expect. Especially for someone as seasoned as yourself?"

"Oh, you are a shameless flatterer, General." Not that Hopeite never minded her ego being stroked. "It seems like the White Moon recruits markedly younger blood than we do though... it's difficult to find an adult on that side. And when all I have is this," she held up her cigarette, "well... I have difficulty justifying beating a teenager senseless." A lie, but the general had no way of knowing Hopeite's nature, being such a stranger to her. Unless he'd heard about her, but Hopeite seriously doubted that her escapades were so infamous that random generals knew her name.

"That is a noble cause," Hopeite went on to say. "And it just so happens that I am in need of just such assistance." How much of her plan did she give away? It was possible that she had given too much previously, which was why she got turned down so often. Maybe she should try playing it closer to the vest this time. "I have a little... project... that I'm working on right now. For the next phase, however, I find myself in need of a youma. Being a lieutenant, however, I am unable to contract one myself. Nothing terrible, no harm will come to them. You wouldn't happen to know of someone, General..." she trailed off, fishing for a name.

It was clear to Hopeite how much this youma... Bazzite... meant to the general. It gave her pause in her deal, wondering if it was wise to ask a general to lend her something so precious. Should the unthinkable happen and Bazzite got hurt... Even more unexpected, however, was how easy it was to strike a deal. Hopeite blinked in surprise at the easy agreement. The lack of questions. It was welcomed but... strange. For a moment Hopeite wondered what the General was up to in his easy acquiescence but... in the end it didn't really matter. Either this was a real deal and Hopeite would be able to stage a fight for her little friend to further gain her trust or it was a trap. And if it was a trap, then if Hopeite would become the martyr for her own cause. Her side had turned on her, and Harmonia would pity her.

It would only make her starseed that much sweeter.

Speaking of which...

Hopeite produced a fairly hefty back of such seeds from the pocket of her uniform and presented it to the helpful general. Clearly she had been working very hard to create this stock pile... and she had. It was half of all that she had collected...

"You didn't ask for payment, but it never hurts. Half now, and half when Bazzite plays their part." Call it insurance. If they wanted to other half of their payment, no harm would come to Hopeite. "And if you let me know what is near and dear to your youma, I will do my best to procure such goodies. A little something to sweeten the deal. After all, I am the beggar here. I must be gracious in my thanks." She held out her free had at that, smiling her best saleslady smile. "Scouts honor, I will not harm now will I allow any harm to come to your sweet youma." And nothing would. Harmonia knew about Hopeite's penchant for draining to keep others calm, it wouldn't be out of the question for her to drain Harmonia first but... she ran the risk of betraying that trust that she had to carefully cultivated.

"I'll be with an eternal senshi," she instructed suddenly, speaking as the idea popped into her head. "Bazzite must take her by surprise first, incapacitate her. And then when they dance with me, it will all be for show."

For the second time in this conversation, Hopeite felt the inclination to fall in line behind this young man. He was respectful, reasonable, and even kind in his own way. He cared about his youma as more than just a tool -- a friend perhaps? If she were one to follow, he would be who she would ask to lead. Perhaps one day they could be equals, at least.

The offer to meet the youma caused Hopeite to take a step back and widen her eyes. She'd never met one before, or even really seen one. Not even the feral youma who crept along the shadows at night. Honestly, she hadn't really thought about it... she suppoesed that maybe it would have been a good idea, seeing that should would be working with the Dear Beasty... perhaps she should meet them. It would also help to know that the play had begun, and they weren't randomly being attacked. And what if Hopeite froze in fear and surprise?

Yes, meeting Bazzite would be an excellent idea.

"I would very much like to meet your friend, General. If it's not too much trouble, that is. I'd hate to take up too much precious time or waste any energy. As for my plan, it's not terribly complex, but I'd be happy to share it."

The pull from his beloved General was swift and sudden. Bazzite was awoken from a deep slumber in his nest, covered with trinkets and baubles collected from journeys topside. The perpetual darkness was split by the scant few electrical storms that sent ferals and humanoids alike skittering for shelter. Bazzite was thankful he was buried deep in the side of a mountain, protected and kept safe. Only one way in and one way out. This made protecting his treasures that much easier.

He was wide awake then and answered the blonde's beckoning call almost immediately. The world around him melted away, the nest disappearing and being replaced with the crisp, cleaner air of Destiny City. Bazzite did not know for what reason he was summoned, but never minded socializing. As soon as the blue locust beast appeared, he rose to his full six-and-a-half feet and squinted, eyes becoming accustomed to the light.

He quickly noticed someone new was here - a lieutenant, one he'd never seen before. A redhead with a cigarette in her hand and a bow in her hair. Bazzite gave her a toothy smile. " 'lo, lieutenant." His voice was strange, almost as if it resonated with a metallic tin. Quadruplicate wings buzzed briefly with the youma's excitement but the creature seemed to be keeping his desire to examine Hopeite more closely in check.

Watching the lieutenant, ever careful of those around Bazzite, he listened to her and watched her fingers ghost over him and still in the air separating them. Ahh, so she had known the other back before...well this. But she had not known of this, was surprised by it, how long had this officer been out of the loop for? It must have been a good amount of time.

"You two can still train, of course." Should she wish to, he would allow Bazzite to do so. He wouldn't keep the other from doing something he wished to do.

It was when she asked about what had happened to Bazzite that the blond turned his eyes onto the other officer and shook his head. "That is something we can speak of in private - another time. Here and now are not the place for that discussion." It wasn't because it would be emotional or any such thing, he didn't even worry about Bazzite hearing what he'd say, it was more him unsure how the lieutenant would react. Benitoite also wanted to keep his words private, it was after all a private matter.

"I do hope you understand."

"Of course," Hopeite responded, nodding solemnly at Benitoite. "I apologize for being so forward." She offered him a small smile in apology and turned her attention back to the beast who had joined them. He wanted to get down to business, something that Hopeite could respect. She straightened her uniform and stepped back to regain a polite distance between them.

"There is this senshi whom I have made into my sort of pet project," she began, glancing between the two of them. "I plan to make her into my plaything eventually, but unfortunately she is still not ready to be broken. She still hasn't given her complete trust to me yet... she's too smart for that." Hopeite grinned, the twisted thing curling on her cheeks like a snake. "I have a few idea about how to break through that, however." She paused, again unsure of how much she should be giving away. "In essence, I would like to stage an attack to save her from a youma attack. I have already promised your general that no harm would come to you, Bazzite, as my only weapon is this," she summoned the lit cigarette and waved it uselessly. She took a hungry drag and continued, "I doubt that you would feel anything even if I put it out on that rough hide of yours. However, I am unsure of what Harmonia's magic does. As the senshi of harmony I doubt it's very offensive... of course I am willing to show my gratitude however you would like. I've heard that youma as intelligent as yourself often have collections. I would be happy to add to yours as thanks."