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 Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 11:26 am
Eion never asked Waru for the pin to his cell phone. Eion seldom needed it, save for the few times when he would need to contact one of his subordinates. Each time that happened, he got into Waru's cell phone the same way — held the thing up to his sleeping face until the phone recognized it, typed out the message he needed to send, and then returned it to the place he found it. Of course, Waru knew of these little intrusions — Eion never deleted the message history — but he hadn't stopped Eion yet. Or bought him his own phone, so Eion assumed it was fine.
As he sat in the dark next to his boy, with only the glow of the cell phone and the uncertain sky through the windows to guide him, he typed out the message quickly:
MEET ME IN THE OFFICE AFTER WORK TOMORROW.
He touched send, then briefly considered adding an emoji at the end, given how strongly he set Emmy on edge with his texts previously. But an emoji seemed sarcastic, or misplaced, or — whatever. Trey would figure it out. He was a smart boy. Emmy hadn't held it against him in the end.
The message had been sent at 4AM. He expected that Trey worked the same hours that most people worked, which meant he would be getting off whatever kinds of shifts that models worked by the time that Faustite would be waking up for the day. Waru could always wake him up if Trey returned the text any earlier than 6PM.
Deed done, it was a thought to return to the office. There was yet more to do, and he fully intended to finish it all without falling asleep in the office for the third day in a row.
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Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2022 5:22 pm
The ping of his phone woke Trey up what felt like moments after he'd crawled into bed and he blearily groped for it on his bed side table. What time is it?
The light of the screen told him un-godly-o'clock and he grumbled as he swiped it open to check the message, long fingers rubbing the sleep from his eyes. No one messaged or called him this early... he'd made it very clear he turned his phone off at night (even if he didn't, actually). That made the possible list of people very short...
Meet me after work? Well, that didn't read the way Waru usually messaged him, even if he wouldn't have been surprised at this hour to get something inane from the himbo. That meant it was Eion. Why he was up this early, he had no idea. Trey had enough brain to type out a reply before he tossed his phone back onto the side table with a clatter, collapsing face down into his bed again. Faintly, before sleep took him again, he wondered why Faustite texted like a sixty year old man.
Sure thing. See you then.
-----------------
It was nearly half a day later before he remembered that he'd gotten a text in the middle of the night. Not the best, timing wise, but he managed to put off the clients his mother had him meeting with tonight and rescheduled for later. They were not nearly so important as his duties to the Negaverse, and he was honestly rather glad he didn't need to deal with them tonight. Any break was welcome.
He wasn't prompt, per se, since they'd never set a time, but as soon as he'd wrapped things up, he was at Faustite's office door, knocking lightly with his knuckles.
Without some sort of secretary, it was hard to know if the general was busy with anything. Better not to barge in, just in case.
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Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2022 5:55 pm
Logistics had been his preoccupation since sending the text to Trey. There was much to consider regarding mobilizing any kind of force into the Rift, and while the last expedition proved solid logistically, the next covered unknown terrain with unknown threats. This latest foray was quite unlike breeching a broken mountain that played den to youma. He had been lucky then — the better part of that expedition relied on his leaders' skill and combat prowess, and the ability of the rest of their groups to play to their strengths under pressure.
That is to say, Faustite became embroiled in obsessive note-taking, task listing, cartography, and research. His preoccupations had long delivered him past his intended nap, and far beyond his usual bedtime. With a schedule of noon to five, he would have just woken when he expected to meet with Fafnir, had he only gone to bed on time.
Instead, when Fafnir asked entry, the burning boy was long asleep at his desk. The knock had hardly roused him, and Faustite groaned into his arms, as if to say he wasn't interested in entertaining company right now. Still, as he tried to return to sleep, he felt a nagging sensation that he was forgetting something important.
With a start, he remembered that he was to meet Fafnir that day. Snorting back the remains of sleep, Faustite forced himself to straighten up and call to the door. "Enter," he bade, voice still heavily laden with his impromptu siesta.
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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 5:02 pm
The door swung open as he was bade and Fafnir slipped inside to close it behind him, part of him curious what he would find inside. The thickness of the voice that had responded to him was not one he had been familiar with... As he paced towards the seats in front of the desk, his blue eyes scanned it and the room, cataloguing details about his new general. The paperwork strewn over the surface was a curiosity, and he would have been lying if he'd said he hadn't peeked, just a little, as he came closer.
The face that greeted him looked decidedly rumpled and bleery. Had Faustite been... sleeping, when he knocked? Surprise warmed into amusement. It still felt strange whenever he was confronted with the humanity of the half-youma. He expected a general to be more... imposing. And Faustite was, at times. But other times, he seemed so painfully young.
"You asked me to come after work, but if its not a good time, I can come back later." He said as he settled down into a chair across from the desk, crossing one leg over the other. "Or rather, if its business related, we could put it off for a bit. You... have a crease."
The corrupt indicated a line down the side of his own face, unable to stop his smile. "Right here."
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2022 9:27 am
The easiest papers to spy were carefully mapped, if crudely drawn diagrams of a place labeled 'The Scar'. A point of interest had been hatched out near the center of the map, with the word 'building?' scrawled in sharp handwriting. Layered over the drawing were a couple pieces of tracing paper, clearly disturbed by fitful rest, that showed potential paths via dotted lines. On a sheet next to them was a list of goods and their potential costs, with only a handful citing dollar amounts. The sheet displayed all manner of climbing equipment, from belay lines to carabiners to mountaineering axes.
It Faustite noticed Fafnir's curiosity, he hadn't made a show of it; the youth stared up at him with the tenuous focus of the newly roused. He rubbed his eyes, smearing black streaks around his orbitals.He felt better for it afterward — awake enough to make tea.
Or coffee, if Fafnir was more interested in that nonsense.
Faustite grunted as he shook his head. "No need." Better that they got this meeting done sooner. It was courteous of him to offer to put it off, but —
Faustite paused, looking quizzical, then touched his own face. Sure enough, he felt an indentation across his own face. Then he looked where he had roused from, rolled his eyes, and continued rummaging for the kettle and hot water. The crease made Fafnir smile, so he could live with it.
He settled the kettle against his stomach as he spoke. "Wanted to get to know you — as an officer and a person. You know what you want; sensible to give you demesne over your own development.
"Don't treat this as…" And he felt around in the air, as if he could fish the word from the shared space. "Formal," he finished.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 6:26 pm
Fafnir watched with interested as Faustite hugged the pot to his stomach, confused at first until he realized he was using his own fire to heat it. It fascinated him... he had never considered that the fire could be put to such a use, when it was so literally a part of him. It made sense though... it really was fire, even if it felt sacrilegious to treat his body that way.
His comment drew Fafnir's attention back and he tilted his head, dark hair spilling against his head piece.
"I'm sure you're aware that I'm working toward promotion." He said, thinking through what he wanted to say. Faustite hadn't asked for anything specific, but he mentioned worked, so that seemed a good route to go. "I have good connections in my civilian life already, which is why Chase hand picked me, and I would like to make better use of those connections towards the Negaverse's goals."
Long finger drummed on his knee as he propped his chin in his other hand, eyes unfocusing.
"While those connections allow me to find places for your displaced, newly recruited officers... that is not where I want my focus to be. I feel I would be better used to build our influence and solidify our control over the city." He said. It couldn't be that out of the question for him. He could see ways it could be accomplished, things he could do if he had the power and the resources to bring to it. He wanted the freedom and the self determination to be able to really shine and show his skills.
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 11:25 pm
Without missing a beat, Faustite asked, "Why do you want a promotion?"
It was an honest question, unburdened by any of the implications for how he personally saw gaining rank in the Negaverse. He knew what Fafnir's next rank entailed by merit of his own experiences — they would be peers in power and expectation — but promotions were always a means to an end. And nowhere in Fafnir's notably work-oriented answer did he indicate what any of those choices did for him.
Yes, a promotion included power. However, Fafnir never expressed any lust for greater magical firepower. It meant more subordinates, but he seemed uneasy taking his first one. It meant more responsibilities, but he never seemed to enjoy his work in the Negaverse. By Faustite's measure, he couldn't determine what Fafnir was getting out of being part of the Negaverse. He wondered if the boy wanted to be here, or if he simply stayed here because he was conscripted, and he had either grown comfortable where he was, or the alternatives were worse than sticking around.
He supposed, as he studied Fafnir's sharp eyes and rippling waves of hair, that what intimacy they shared hadn't entitled him to such intensely private answers.
Once the water boiled, he poured for each of them. His cups were ever humble, mismatched sets anymore; Albite's frequent goading and his increasing stress levels often decimated complete sets. He learned to let that go, however.
"And why do you want to help control the city?" His attention once again raised to Fafnir, as flame regarded him questioningly.
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Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 4:24 pm
Fafnir's eyes narrowed at Faustite's questions. He went quiet as the other began to pour the tea, watching him go through the motions with lowered lashes and a small frown line between his brows. There was an easy answer, of course. He could claim it was for the Negaverse's benefit... he could say that greater power and greater responsibility would open doors for him he had been unable to breach as a subordinate. It was very tempting to take that easy way out and spout the fluff he was supposed to say, as he always had when someone asked this sort of question. Didn't everyone want a promotion? Wasn't that the end goal for all of them?
That sort of answer was safe. He didn't give away anything with it, and there was nothing in it that could be used against him. But the truth... that was a dangerous thing. He didn't think Faustite would use it against him, but there was always that chance. What if Faustite preferred to keep him as a subordinate? A promotion would put them on equal footing. It wouldn't be hard to subtly interfere with things, keeping that promotion just out of reach... especially now that he was Fafnir's commanding officer. He wasn't entirely sure Netherite hadn't been doing exactly that... The man was far too slick, and far too subtle, to let on that he was manipulating things to keep Fafnir working for him if he was doing so.
So it came down to; would telling Faustite the truth benefit him? And, did he trust the other man enough not to take his plans and use them against him? This wasn't some rooftop in the dark with an annoying himbo of a senshi digging at him trying to find out if he was happy... And it wasn't his backyard, hard edges smoothed with a liberal application of wine. It was hard enough to articulate to himself the nebulous concept of what being a general meant to him...
In the end, he shied away from it. He could barely admit to himself why he wanted it so desperately, let alone share that with someone else. The walls came back up, his face smoothed out, and he offered a small half smile. At least Faustite deserved more than a flippant answer, even if he couldn't share all of himself.
"I want the same sort of power that you wield, influentially, and the ability to self-determine. Of course, as a senshi, it would not be the same for me exactly, but I have never said that I was not ambitious. The Negaverse has given me power, access to resources I would not otherwise be able to touch, and I would like to use them for its betterment in return. Its not entirely altruistic, of course... but I feel that we would mutually benefit." He said, his voice smooth and light.
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Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2022 4:53 pm
Faustite's gaze flickered away at the answer. He nodded, then was silent for a time as he passed Fafnir his tea. The answer was an honest one; Faustite supposed it was difficult to admit to another that he was a ladder-climber. Fafnir liked the taste they gave him and craved more. Faustite couldn't fault him for that — he'd seen it often in the Lieutenants and Captains that dotted the Negaverse. He himself had motivated Waru to climb higher by some base means. The Negaverse was always looking for more General and Eternals to take seats of influence, like Fafnir had wanted.
It wasn't that he thought Fafnir was a bad pick. Quite the opposite: the boy had an ironclad grip on himself and knew precisely what he wanted and how he wanted to get there, and the aspiring new blood of the Negaverse would do well to follow his example.
Trey's everyday, as Eion understood it, entailed being groomed to take over his mother's company — a company that sported influence over people's lifestyles. A company that commanded wealth and drew attention, especially when its future head was himself a model. Thus, Faustite expected that the last thing Fafnir would desire out of the Negaverse was more influence and responsibility. It worried him, led him to wonder if the picture that was painted of Trey's home life was a forgery. Was Trey being painted out of the family fortunes, of the company? Had he done something to upset his mother so terribly?
Or did he simply desire a different kind of influence than what he could get in his normal life? Did he crave power over life and death?
Whatever the reason, Fafnir gave his answer. He wondered, then, if Fafnir thought they were defending Earth from invaders, but that question would not leave his mouth while sober.
"Much of your influence is how you obtain it." He took a sip of his tea, ignored its hiss as it met his fires. "Got promoted from running missions — now that's what I'm known for, what's expected of me. How do you plan to earn yours?"
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Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2022 1:44 pm
Gloved fingers rubbed beneath his chin as Fafnir considered that question.
Thus far, he'd been facilitating other's projects, providing support in a way he was good at doing. He'd found places for the people that had been newly recruited after the incident with the aliens and even helped Faustite himself place a newly corrupted senshi. He'd heard that hadn't ended well, but that had been out of his hands at that point. The way he phrased it... as though he still had to work to earn his promotion. It was a souring thought. He'd already worked so hard. How much more did he have to do? How much of his time did he have to commit, and how many knots did he need to tie himself in to? He'd received nothing but glowing reviews for his service, but apparently that wasn't enough. The Negaverse demanded still more of him.
He'd already said he didn't want to fill the role of mere paper pusher and human resources. He wanted to be one pulling strings, making things happen... If missions were how Faustite had earned his promotion, perhaps that should be his focus then. Maybe that was what they looked for in their generals.
What a frustrating development.
"I have been thinking about organizing something to bring in more energy. I have experience organizing events, and perhaps now would be a good time to show that. Joellen has been thinking about opening a second boutique, and it would be easy to staff it with our people. Items could be made to passively drain, giving us a rich haul of energy, more than we'd get from quotas alone." He said, shrugging. "But, as that is not actually what I want to be known for... perhaps another approach. I do have contacts that could put me in touch with people in various points of influence. I think it would be beneficial for us to recruit some of these people, if we haven't already. If I can get some access to information on who on my short list has already been recruited, I can work on courting them. Assess how willing they would be to join, if their position and skills would truly benefit us, and set up meetings to bring them in."
He realized, belatedly, that his tone and pace had picked up as he had worked through that thought and he forced himself to relax again, covering it with a dismissive smile.
"We already have officers in important positions, but I think there is potential for more, expanding our influence as a whole."
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2022 12:05 am
Faustite nodded, seeming satisfied. "Good idea." The Negaverse was often looking for influencers, and a number of his own team were either already influencers or aspired to be influencers themselves. He couldn't say he understood anything about it, but that was why he outsourced any Infiltration tasks.
Identities, and by extension, the Database, proved far more familiar to him. He leaned on one elbow as he took a sip of his tea, then continued. "Plainclothes identities are beyond my clearance as a General; if you've a list, I can take it to Axinite. Have him send that information to your tablet." He'd likely be able to divulge if they were in the process of recruiting anyone on Fafnir's dossiers, which would allow the Super to be far more efficient in how he spent his time.
"You're free to partner with anyone on the team if you need assistance. Imagine it may take more than one actor to sufficiently pressure someone into joining. Can help you corrupt them, too." Until they found a senshi, anyway.
Faustite kept to himself about Fafnir's agitation; it must have been a touchy subject. Fafnir had been a Super for quite some time — did that grate on him? Or was it something Faustite said? He was a capable boy, one who accomplished any task that Faustite threw his way. However. Faustite had heard little of Fafnir's accomplishments, and only knew so much from being directly involved with him. As far as Faustite was concerned. Fafnir was only missing a pièce de résistance to sell his superiors on Fafnir's promotion. That, naturally, had to come from Fafnir himself.
Faustite thought twice about asking, but he was oft being nagged to be more open with others. After some thought, he added, "Feeling agitated?'
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2022 6:28 pm
"Hmm?" Drawn back out of his thoughts, Fafnir blinked and covered his distraction with a self-deprecating smile. "Oh, no. Not agitated. Just... enthused, I guess? If the General King is willing to look over the list and direct me towards the targets that could be the most use to us, that would give me a very good start on this project. It could be something that would show the skills I've been developing over my time with the Negaverse."
He had yet to meet very many of Faustite's team. A larger undertaking like this would benefit from more bodies, and it would give him a chance to show himself in more of a management role. He knew how to do that, even if his lack of subordinates other that Taffeite might suggest otherwise. Managing his mother's people had come as he'd aged and taken on more responsibility.
"Do you have anyone on the team you'd suggest in particular?" Fafnir asked as he shifted the cup of tea in his hands, blowing across the surface to cool it's heat.
Getting a start on this would, perhaps, be hardest part... weeding out which people were already recruited and narrowing down to the ones mostly needful to start. Part of him, the more cautious part, wanted to start small, test the concept with someone useful but not high profile, before attempting someone with higher stakes, but... most of him wanted to reach as high as he could. The more impressive the score, the better it would reflect on him. He was hesitant to draw on people from Faustite's team, but he knew, logically, the bigger an operation was, the more people it needed to run.
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2022 7:00 pm
So he'd misread. Not uncommon. Should've paid more attention to how people conduct themselves.
"He won't say no to me," Faustite assured. Axinite had always been willing to help him out at every turn, though Faustite hesitated to ask for much. Ever since Faustite was blown to pieces, Axinite found a way to be more careful with him, so he was sure Fafnir's favor would be fulfilled thoroughly. After all, who better to answer such a question?
Where Fafnir blew on his tea, Faustite didn't bother. He drank it fresh out of its boil, after it had steeped appropriately. It felt tepid on the tongue, which was marginally better than the chill of any other beverage. Still, he'd burnt his tongue as Eion more than enough times; he respected Fafnir's care in that regard.
"Mm." Nodding, Faustite shifted and recrossed his legs. "Jadarite. Very competent Captain. Alkmene and Lilith, both Supers, have suitable charisma for it. Suspect that Valjean — Basic — would help. Conscripted, but a well-adjusted boy. Doesn't yet know himself well enough to recognize his strengths.
"Can try the cats, too. Haymitch is less reliable, but good-natured. Wants to help. Tama's competent, but…" Faustite rolled his eyes and snorted twin rivulets of smoke.
"Albite's stupid and difficult to control, but he's social. Better saved for emergencies. And Celadonite's a designer — and a Captain — but he's only human for a few hours.
Should he suggest Heliodor? Could he do that to the volatile boy? Could he do that to Fafnir?
"Should be enough to get you started. Tell me if you need more."
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2022 7:45 pm
Fafnir filed away the names he'd been offered, his head tilting thoughtfully at the mention of cats. He hadn't worked with any of the little creatures since Laby's team... and he'd not gotten very close to those. He had a hard time seeing what was so useful about the things, beyond the novelty of talking, highly intelligent cats. This might be a good way to explore that, but he'd have to be cautious about such an unknown. It seemed Faustite had another half youma on the team as well, if that hour limit meant what he thought. It made his usefulness for what Fafnir had planned questionable, but maybe.
"If there's anything I need, I'll let you know. Resources has always been the limiting factor on this... if you can help me with that, I think chances of success will go up quite a lot." He said, eyeing the other man over the rim of his cup. Downing that tea without a thought... he almost winced. But then, his insides were made of fire... of course his flesh would be able to withstand it. It made him wonder just how much he could withstand...
"Was there anything else you wanted to go over?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2022 8:07 pm
Sounded promising. While Faustite took gambles from time to time, nothing appeased him so well as guaranteed success. He supposed that, if he could acquire enough resources for the boy, then Fafnir couldn't fail. And if he pulled this off, well — even Lepidolite would be hard-pressed to deny Fafnir a promotion. Satisfying.
At the question, Faustite lowered his gaze in thought. Albite was always nagging him to be more open with people, to let them know what was on offer and what wasn't. Make his boundaries known. Opening up to them sounded much too dangerous, given all that had happened. He didn't want Fafnir doubting him because he had a number of subordinates leave the Negaverse and he hadn't yet caught them. He didn't want Fafnir thinking him incompetent because he was blown to pieces during the battle on the hilltop.
But, perhaps those ill judgments were inevitable. He might someday learn precisely those things on his own, and then Faustite would be subject to his exacting opinion, no appeals granted.
A compromise, then. Something helpful that had a margin to do with him. Something short that didn't grant too much insight into his minefield of a past. And that. he supposed, was easy enough. "Only that I will support you irrespective of what we do in our downtime.
"Don't care much for formality; expect you will follow my command when it matters. Otherwise, come and go as you please. Titles unnecessary.
"As you were." In case he needed those choice words to know he could leave at any time.
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