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 Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:27 pm
((Backdated to before Phrygia gets mirror-munched))
Zircon was supposed to meet one of her lieutenants at 8:30, in the back alley of a relatively well-known nightlife district. It was now 9:13, and there was no sign of the lieutenant or their quota for the week, nor were they responding to any form of communication, be it text or a ping on the trusty crystal tablet. A few years ago, the captain might have been concerned for the safety of her charge, or even checked up on their home life to ensure that nothing had gone horribly wrong between their home and the checkpoint, but Zircon had long since become resigned to the fact that sometimes, lieutenants just disappeared. They were lieutenants, they dropped like flies or were murdered by princes or in the worst case scenario, showed up some months later in a brightly colored uniform and tried to speak of purity and peace.
It looked like Zircon was filling her own quotas tonight.
With a beleaguered sigh, Zircon jumped and she was on a rooftop, at the perfect vantage to look for the young and substance-impaired. Even with all the training on her prosthetic, she wouldn't be running down anyone with all their faculties about them anytime soon--it was easy to prey on the weak, the unsuspecting, like she always had.
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Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 11:01 pm
Phrygia was debating a nightcap. It had been a very, very long day - and the night was proposing to being even longer. He had felt the aura of a Lt., but he was pretty sure he'd scared it off when he'd showed up at the start of the evening - but the other aura that was coming near him felt stronger - and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. When it was obvious he'd be had anyway - have no desire to be labeled a coward - even if there was nobody here to see him. It was the principle of the thing. So he moved to intercept, and once he'd gotten within viewing distance, slowed a bit, landing a "safe" distance way from the captain, he lifted his cane and tapped the brim of his hat. "Good evening!" He called out to her, eyes sparkling in the night as he tipped his hat with the tip of his cane and gave a playful half-bow. "Not often the streets are graced with such lovely platinum, we're mostly given baser metals."
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Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 11:47 pm
Zircon was not so engrossed in her scouting that she couldn't feel the Order signature approach--rather, because it was so soft, she only responded by glancing in it's vague direction, raising her eyebrows in a vague attempt at appraisal as the page approached. Normally her aura alone was enough to scare off the little ones, unless they were too new to recognize the threat or too crazy to search for a fight they could win.
But she wasn't in the mood for a fight. She started to shoo him away when he made his greeting and paused, mid motion, to scrunch up her face in confusion. "I'm sorry--what?" He was on some kind of nonsense about base metals and platinum, it never even occurred to her to consider that he meant her hair, meant her presence in general.
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 9:45 am
Phrygia watched his initial salvo shoot wide overhead, and he chuckled a little. As he saw it, he could either double down and hope she got it, or he could explain it to her like he had to explain his metaphors to his boss. As his flirtation with her often devolved into blunt statements. He would like to try and avoid that, so he changed tack. “What I mean is that it is rare for there to be a white rose in the briar patch.” Phrygia said with a grin. “Such a lovely flower draws the eye, and it must be viewed quickly lest it be plucked or wither away in this sorrowful briar.” He leaned on his cane and gave her a wink. “So I am enjoying the view while I can.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:09 am
Zircon had trained and prepared for any number of offensives the White Moon could throw at her, be it combat or coercion, and as a decorated officer she liked to think she had seen it all in her long tenure as a captain. But as it dawned on her what the page was trying to accomplish, her expression turned from confusion to stunned disbelief, blinking slowly as she turned the rest of her body away from the ledge to face him.
"You've got to be joking," she sputtered, hands on the ground so she could shove herself up to standing. "Has someone put you up to this? They're putting you in considerable danger for the sake of a punchline, you know." She glanced around, trying to sense other Order signatures, but as far as she could tell they were the only ones here. It didn't mean he was working alone--any number of his allies could be on the streets below, incognito until an appropriate signal was given.
"A captain of the Negaverse is no view to enjoy," she insisted, squaring her shoulders to look the part of danger even despite over a foot in height difference. "If you respect your own life, then you'll leave while I have patience."
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:56 am
“I disagree, not when a Negaverse Captain is beautiful. Life is full of risks, and it is a shame if one does not embrace them. Does a Negaverse Captain have a name?” He tapped the cane against the brim of his hat again as he smirked. “Mine is Phrygia.” He gave another half-bow, tipping his hat with his cane with a grin. Life was short, and if this was what killed him he’d have a poor showing. Mercy, Kidder, and maybe Jessie would grieve. Sam would be glad to be done with him. Rising again he cocked his head. “No need to be so stiff, if you’d permit me, I’ve been told I have magical fingers.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 1:06 pm
Normally, Zircon didn't suffer fools, especially when they were so complacent and utterly drainable. But there was no telling where his allies could have been, if he was planning some kind of ambush, and for all that he was being a flowery idiot about it...he was being flattering, at least. She chalked it up to herself as more caution and less falling for the verbal bribery, but there was something mollifying about his praise that gave her a little room for patience.
But only a little--her eyes narrowed at the mention of his magical fingers. "Touch me and you'll lose that hand," she snapped, her own hands fidgeting idly at her sides. She wasn't out for blood this evening, but a part of her still screamed to teleport in and grab his starseed before they called for others, before they determined she was a threat and dragged her away from others. But there was value in his openness to talk, she tried to tell herself, there was no need to run from a page and be branded a coward. Perhaps there was value in keeping the conversation open, especially if he was curious about the truths of the war and his station.
Also, he'd asked for her name and he'd called her beautiful, and it was dapper in it's own horribly naive way.
"...Zircon," she relented as a dark mutter, her shoulders staying stiff in sheer defiance of his proposition. "What do you want from me?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 1:35 pm
“If I said your body, would you hold it against me, Zircon?” Phrygia said with a smirk before raising his hands. “I’m kidding. Kinda. Only half kidding. You’re gorgeous and I’m into you. Well as into you as knowing your name - which really is all you need.” He didn’t move closer - but he paced a diagonal line parallel to her with a small smile. “I mean I’m not opposed to learning more about you. Not looking for any serious commitment, I’m cool with one night stands. Starcrossed passions and the like.” He leaned on the cane again. “I mean, I know I’m out classed here. In both power and looks.” He shot her another wink. “Even a gorgeous name, Zircon.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:03 pm
Zircon's face blanched. "No!--Um, I mean, yes--what is this, 2011?" She scoffed, following him with her gaze as he paced beside her, at least keeping a respectful distance for all his gutter talk. All the while, her attentions were divided, looking for the trap, for the place where she could misstep into failure once again.
"I'm not looking for an intrepid affair across faction lines," she retorted sharply, "--And--and what sort of proposition is that, anyway? Do you just go gallivanting off to every signal you feel in search of a quick roll in the hay? That's...that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard, how do you even report to your superiors knowing--ugh, you don't have superiors, of course," she muttered, finishing her own train of thought.
"Tell you what," she sighed, and she stepped forward, only for her form to flicker and disappear, even though the aura was still close, stiflingly so. "If you're really looking for something tragic and romantic," she continued sweetly, behind him with a hand gently lifted, "All I have to do is press between your shoulders and your starseed is mine, for this and every lifetime, or I could take you to Negaspace where, if you're lucky and you play nice, you'll be brought into the fold as one of us, and if you don't play nice...well, that's where the tragic comes into play."
"Do you understand the predicament you're in, Phrygia?" she murmured slowly, just above a whisper. Even now, she felt like she could feel the radiance of his starseed only a few feet away, a phantom pulse that danced across her fingertips. It was so tempting, but there was a lesson to be learned here, even for someone so brazenly offensive.
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:27 pm
His shoulders stiffened at her touch, then relaxed, the muscles bunching and relaxing under the layers of cloth promising strength that was hardly being utilized as he stood there, turning his head just enough to peer through his ginger locks. “Yeah, been dead before - kinda sucks.” He said, voice not flat, but… resigned. “I don’t have backup this time. So if you off me - that’s it.” He added dryly. “Wasn’t even a knight then. She was a cutie - met up in a bar and we slipped out back - as you do. Life is short and sometimes you don’t wanna wait to get to an apartment. She was a good kisser, but she pulled that thing out of me and I’d of been dead - rightly so, depending on who you ask - if my friend hadn’t been there to save me.” “Neat trick though, didn’t know you could do that. Must be sweet at parties,” he added with a sad grin. “Well, I was looking to get screwed didn’t see it going this way though.” He said with a small snort. “Not really good st this fighting business. Probably a hang up - my therapist would probably say I’m projecting my sister onto all you girls - but that gets to weird freudian levels of things and I’m pretty sure I never… Anyway -“ “I’d rather not die today - or become whatever it is you guys are. No offense - you really are pretty - but I kinda like my freedom. Been imprisoned before and it's really shitty.” His shoulders shrugged. “But I get a job’s a job so…”
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:53 pm
It would have been so easy to end his chatter, take the starseed and be done with it. He seemed miserable anyway, it would be a mercy to end this poor page's suffering. Perhaps that's why he'd sought her out, to force her hand into doing something he was too cowardly to do himself. Zircon couldn't judge--she'd gone after too many eternal senshi to act like she didn't know what that felt like.
But he glanced down at her and his shoulders sagged and she felt the warmth of his back on her hand and her resolve faltered, just for a moment. "Yes, well--look, I'm not trying to commit any murders today, I'm making a point here." Zircon was a coward, a coward who couldn't take the life from this defenseless thing with no fight in him. There was no sport to it, no victory, and she believed him when he said he had no backup, which was all she really needed to hear.
"Just--come here, sit down," she commanded, reaching up for his shoulders and dragging him to a broken down A/C unit, where she pressed down as an instruction to sit and look at her eye to mournful eye. "Listen. There are terrible people in this war, people who will steal your energy or your starseed or your identity, and you can't just go running around offering it up easy pickings." She jabbed at his chest with her pointer finger, trying to ignore the fact that up close he looked like he could have been a model.
"And--don't compare people you're hitting on to your sister, that's gross," she added, frowning. "In general, don't hit on people unless you know them, at all. You don't know me, or what I'm capable--did you really not know that captains can teleport? This is basic knowledge, you have to know this if you want to survive." It felt like chiding a lieutenant, but if anything Zircon was gentler because this man was not her responsibility, only someone who had stumbled into her presence for a short time.
"And for the record, I am perfectly free," she growled, jabbing her pointer finger into his chest again. "The Negaverse gave me everything I am, it was White Moon forces that tried to imprison me. So, get your facts straight on that one." Was she adopting this page? Never, but it was poor sport to hunt the uninformed.
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 3:09 pm
“I know nothing - nada - everything I learn I learn from meeting new people or from my friend the one that saved me and my nie-“ Phrygia’s eyes went wide and he clenched his teeth shut. “Yeah - I see what you mean.” He didn’t appear cowed but - there was red on his cheeks - embarrassment. “Yeah, no - I get that that’s why I was trying to say I can’t be projecting cause - ew, no.” He listened though, quietly to her information and as she dressed him down, until he sighed. “Look, this whole war thing is stupid. You’re too pretty to be risking your life like that.” He raised a hand. “Sorry - force of habit. I flirt to cope.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 7:32 pm
"Then your friend is an imbecile," Zircon stated plainly, her expression not unkind. "Saving you once only to leave you without the proper information is just letting you die at a later date, it's incredibly wasteful and inefficient. The Negaverse would never leave someone so poorly equipped."
"Stupid or not, the moment you chose that power you became involved and took a side," she added, looking over his uniform for a symbol. Was that...Ganymede? It certainly wasn't one of the major nine. "Your options are now to fight, or relent and be taken, or put your head in the sand and never take the name of Phrygia again."
Her nose crinkled for the pretty comment, but she made no comment on it other than a withering stare. "I've made my choice, and I live with the risks I take because I made an educated decision. At some point, you'll be called on to make one, too."
Her expression hardened. "And if you continue to make baseless advances on me, I will personally break your wrists, drain you to the brink of death, and leave you a crumpled mess in the alley behind us." She said it in the same metered tone of someone commenting on the weather, and seemed as sure as the stars were out that night.
"Are we clear?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 7:42 pm
Phrygia opened his mouth to argue, but closed it slowly. To be honest he didn't hold it against Kidder - he was pretty sure he didn't have anyone else either to teach him the ropes - they were both kind of floating around, and Mercy hadn't been in a teaching mood aside from handing him his a** when they had talked. When he had balked at her being a part of this insanity. It was tempting - to just turn away and never power up again - but he knew that he couldn't. She was right - he'd picked a side and... "They're not - BASELESS - you know. I'm completely earnest. I would never lie when it comes to complimenting a beautiful woman - that's just bullshit to do." He said, a bit more sharply than he'd intended. "But - fine - I'll lay off, can't blame a man for trying."
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 8:25 pm
Zircon's expression flattened, and behind her eyes she imagined the sound of crunching bone. But she was trying to be patient, and she was making a point, and so she stepped away slowly, shaking her head. "As a grown man, I hold you accountable for your actions, so it so happens that I can blame you for trying." But her lips wrapped into a thin smile all the same.
"I'm going to finish gathering the energy for my lieutenant," she called back, walking towards the street view. "If you leave me to do my errands, we won't have any problems. Do you understand?"
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