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Ekanite stared at the old, drunken man sitting on the floor outside the bar with a grimace on his face. The man, of course, looked perfectly happy, but that did not make Ekanite feel any better. This was his chance to steal some energy: maybe even form a ball bigger than the ones Painite told him to get, so he could prove he was capable of it! But... boy, this guy was smelling something terrible, and Ekanite did not exactly know where to start.

Did this guy bathe in whiskey, or what?

More likely, he just hadn't bathed at all.

"Alright bud, I'm here to do a job and you're going to make it really easy for me, so just stay there and don't... move, okay?" Ekanite offered, stepping forward carefully and leaning over the man, wrinkling his nose as he did so. The offensive smell was not any easier to deal with at close proximity, as it turned out, but he was hoping his new powers meant he could hold his breath a bit longer.

He reached his hand out and poked the side of the man's head, making as little contact as possible, before trying to focus and pull the energy he wanted out, just as his General showed him. Except for some reason it just was not working.

"Aw come on, you're asleep! You don't need it, just give me a little energy."

Ekanite nearly jumped out of his drummer uniform at the voice, turning to see another Negaverse soldier looking at him skeptically. He cleared his throat anxiously, immediately embarrassed that he had been caught being inept on his first time out. Well, at least his first time out alone. He rubbed the back of his neck, scratching the shortest hairs of his primly manicured haircut thoughtfully.

"Err. Well. I thought I did. Boss showed me how to do it, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I'm just nervous. Uh. Haven't really been super powered before, and all. Do you know how to do it?"

He had no real frame of reference for who was what rank in the Negaverse, save his General. And she did not feel as strong as that, for sure, so he assumed she was a newbie just like him. And maybe if she didn't know how to do it very well, either, he would feel a little bit better about his skill level.

Maybe.

Ekanite watched her curiously, grinning as she made it seem easy. If she could do it, there was no reason he couldn't, right? Though, in reality, she could have just been more talented than he was, which he was happy to admit considering he was brand new and his ego was not exactly inflated. In general, he was a very amiable sort, and loved to learn.

So he was excited when she showed him how easy it could be, even if he was not quite there yet.

"Okay, I think I get it. It sounds easier than it feels, I guess, but I'll figure it out! You said focus and pull. Okay. I got this. Here we go. Just focus."

He seemed to stop talking to her for a moment, instead shifting to himself as he reached his hand out and tried to do the same thing she did, even touching the same spot she did. With instant regret, as it was sticky. Was that from her? He decided not to ask, not wanting to offend her, and pretended not to notice.

He focused harder, especially on that pulling sensation she mentioned, and ended up getting a much bigger ball of energy than he really wanted, the drunk man slumping over in a deeper state of unconsciousness as Ekanite bounced backwards. "Yikes! Did I do too much?!"

Ekanite grimaced as she coughed and reeled back from the man. Of dear, that seemed as though it had not smelled good at all, but he would take her unspoken word for it in that regard. There was no need for him to get a dose of whatever it had been, too, after all. He was relieved to hear the man was not dead, though, as he was not quite sure he was ready for that kind of hunting.

Plus, Painite told him not to kill anyone. If he thought it was going to happen, in a fight or anything else, he was supposed to call her immediately. Or run away.

"Oh, nice! That's not as hard as I thought, then! And Boss is going to be super proud of me that I was able to do it without her! If I can make quota without her even coming with me, that would be perfect. She'll know I'm a good choice after all!"

He grinned brightly, wanting nothing more than to make his General proud, after all she had done for him. But she seemed very certain that he was helpless, with the way she kept such a close eye on him. She could relax a bit, if she knew he was capable enough to do this kind of stuff without hurting himself or anyone else.

"Thank you! I think I really get it now, and it doesn't seem all that bad! I just have to hope there are a lot of folks sleeping outside, and then I'll have it made!" He laughed, having a strong urge to hug her, but not sure if she would like that very much.

Ekanite's eyes almost shimmered as he listened to the other, nodding his head eagerly. If he could just prove to Painite that he was more capable than she thought, maybe she wouldn't have to be so stressed and angry all the time. He had no idea how confused his General really was, or how she was fighting a battle on two fronts inside of herself, just to try and decide where she belonged. His urge to help was pure, but misplaced, as energy gathering and finding himself in the Negaverse was the very last thing she wanted him to improve at.

But he had no idea.

"Thank you! I really appreciate it. The support and the lesson. You're a really nice person! I was lucky to meet you tonight, eh?" He grinned broadly. He shifted the energy to one hand, holding the other out and seizing hers enthusiastically.

"My name is Ekanite! Lieutenant, obviously, but it's nice to meet you for real this time!" And thankfully, neither of them were sticky any more, so that was a plus when he managed to pull his hand away without anything embarrassing happening.

"Oh yeah, okay!" Ekanite nodded his head, though he had no idea what a communication tablet was. Painite had not exactly wanted him going around hanging out with others, though he was completely oblivious to the fact that she was trying to protect him from the negaverse after bringing him into it in the first place.

"Uh. Wait. What's that?"

He was getting that feeling again, like he was an idiot, but he was never really put off by it. He was new, after all, so he had to learn about all this stuff somehow! And his Boss couldn't remember everything, so of course she might have forgotten this particular lessons. She had taught him so much about a lot of other things, which he probably forgot anyway, so he had no ill will about the missed lesson.

"Do I have one of those? Where do I get it? Oh. You wanted to leave, huh? Sorry! I don't want to keep you too long! I can ask my General when I see her later!"

Ekanite might have gotten the impression that his General did not want him communicating with other Negaverse soldiers whatsoever, if he were the type to think ill of the woman that saved his life. As it stood, the idea never even occurred to him, and he nodded his head in wonder.

Of course, if she ever found out who taught him this stuff, they would get a spear through the body part of their choice.

"I'll look into it! I'm sure I can get one, and they look cool! But I should probably get back to Boss, before she comes out looking for me. I'd hate for her to be mad." As would anyone in the immediate vicinity, as it would likely turn out. Painite's temper was nothing if not short these days, and she had no patience for anyone interfering with her plans. Whether they knew they were doing it or not. "But it's been super cool meeting you and learning from you! I should probably start showing up to training now!" He laughed, mostly joking. He was always physically there when he was getting lessons, it was just his very active mind that tended to wander elsewhere.