Welcome to Gaia! ::

When Bloodstone first entered, Laurelite had intended to humor him. He was a Captain, and he’d been in the Negaverse for a while, so she knew he’d have known his way around. She knew how intimidating, how overwhelming, her energy signature could be, so she was already interested in the fact that he chose to seek her out.

Not one of the more direct, more comfortable General Sovereigns.

Her.

For a few seconds after he spoke, she just watched him. It wasn’t unkind, or particularly malicious, and yet beneath her sweet exterior, she had the eyes of a predator. Her smile was unmoving, but after she’d had her fill of deliberation, she smiled again.

“A compelling argument, Bloodstone. I appreciate that you’ve come in here and not wasted any of my time. Or yours.”

She placed her hands on the armrests of her chair and pushed herself up. The movement was so human, but then she seemed to glide around her desk to stand before him.

“I’m glad to hear Jet has reached out to you. I suppose that must mean he was as impressed with your last mission as I was. Very persuasive. I’d ask if you might think Infiltration is in your future, but you’re doing just fine in Special Operatives. Come here, let’s get this going. You know that promotions can be a bit much.”

Her hand went to his chest, pressed into it. She didn’t grab the starseed yet, if only because she wanted to give him time to adjust. She waited for the micro expressions that said he was ready for it, and gave him a few seconds to decide if there was anything more he wanted to say before she pushed the Chaos into him.

Laurelite watched, the way he braced himself, the way his hands clenched. She’d had many who said they were ready, and many who only thought they were. It was hard to predict the way Chaos would affect someone, especially when this happened so rarely. How many were ever promoted to General twice?

She was patient with him; when he staggered backwards, she seemed ready to catch him, but he didn’t need her help. He stood on his own, polite and courteous and grateful.

She liked that. She appreciated that.

“I think I might like that, General Bloodstone. We’ll talk more when you’ve had some time to adjust. I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard too quickly. I’d like for you to go rest, for now. Be at your best for when he needs you, please. Try to take it easy. You should feel better by tomorrow, but I encourage you to explore those new abilities when you have time. Just to be prepared. I want this mission to succeed.”

She looked him over approvingly and, finally, she nodded.

“I’m sure I have nothing to worry about.”