Laurelite breathed a pleasant sigh. "Such a good girl you are, Cinnabar. I look forward to seeing what else you can bring the Negaverse."
As eager to distribute her presents as she was to see the results of this promotions, Laurelite shifted quickly on her feet and moved to stand at her full height before the woman.
"I do so apologize for this. But you know," she looked at her, smiled, and finished, "It is so very worth the pain."
And then, she plunged her chest into Cinnabar's chest. She was not delicate; there was no reason to be. Easing it in would not have made it hurt any less. Like tearing a band aid off all at once, Laurelite was not inclined to let this drag on.
Her hand firmly wrapped around the other woman's starseed, she sent a steady flow of Chaos energy straight into her. The pure power made her skin prickle and her blood tingle.
Laurelite's heart was pounding, but her smile—a true smile, full of pride—never left her face.
Whimsical Blue
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 2:59 pm
There was a hint of something in her eyes then as she was praised, something no one ever got to see from Cinnabar... unquestioning devotion. The desire to please. The General-Queen, as ever, sought to lift her from her station to something greater and for that, she would spend ever last breath and drop of blood she had in her service. No one, in all of her life, had every look at her with approval... no one else had ever seen worth in her, and wanted to nurture it.
She braced for the pain that came with a hand sliding into her chest, unflinching as the slender fingers pierced her body into that strange other space where starseeds lived. Pain was nothing new to Cinnabar. An old friend and it didn't scare her. If anything, she welcomed it for the chance to stand strong under it and further prove her worth. She was a strong woman and she had made herself that way, fighting tooth and claw for what she had... save for those times when this woman had reached out, with this same hand, and helped her to her feet... She felt her hand close around the misshapen crystal that was her starseed, and then suddenly... power, flooding through her, radiating outwards from her core to every strand and fiber that made her up.
Cinnabar tossed her head with a cry and abruptly, her form dissolved into something dark and oily black, a heaving mass only vaguely shaped like a woman and centered around the hand shoved into it.
Deep, deep in the darkest corner of her mind, the youma in her felt the touch of chaos and it stirred away, opening pale eyes to stare outwards. Power was rushing into the body that trapped him and the taste of it was sweet and seductive. It was invigorating, filling him with more energy than he had been able to pull this entire time, collared and chained as he was by the woman who had taken over his life. This was a rare, rare chance and he was not going to let it pass. Not when freedom whispered just out of his reach, a chance to finally break free of the one who controlled him, who should have been devoured the first time he sank teeth into her.
Gathering himself, Baal lunged into the consciousness she normally dominated. Distracted as she was by the euphoric influx of chaotic energy, she didn't even realize what was happening until he had overwhelmed her and dragged her back into the depths. There, they fought, each struggling for control of the body they shared. Time ceased to pass for them, the only thing that existed was the eternal battle between them, until they both began to weaken. Sensing they neared the end, there was a single breath as they drew back and then surged back together...
The dark, boiling mass slowed in its frantic heaving and solidified, gaining mass as it settled into form again. It was Cinnabar that appeared from it, but not the same as she had been. It was not just her uniform that had changed with her promotion...
Lifting her head, now strangely heavy with horns that curved gracefully back from her temples, the new General took a deep breath through her hose and let it out through her lips. The scales along her tail scraped against the floor and those same scales had multiplied, bleeding all the way down her arms and legs now. Finally, her eyes opened to reveal white schlera gone black as pitch and the half youma smiled, lifting her gaze to her General-Queen. Chains rattled as she moved, pushing herself to her feet again as she reached to settle her new, long coat around her shoulders.
Labby stood at the back and watched in awe as Cinn gained a promotion. There were a few moments she felt very tense, and almost worried for the other as something weird seemed to happen.
She watched as the captain in progress of a promotion let loose a cry and a black oily mass formed. Okay that was totally almost scary creepy. When Cin finally emerged though, Labby couldn't help but marvel at the woman's horns and the new outfit. It was truly amazing.
She'd have to offer her congratulations later.
Whimsical Blue
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 6:56 pm
Laurelite's eyes softened and she let out a slight, "Oh," as she looked over the transformation. Sometimes you could see what an agent was going to turn into. Sometimes you had no idea.
But Laurelite knew that there had never been a General like Cinnabar before, and there likely never would be. So she took in the moment, observed the changes, and hoped that she had made the right decision.
The human side of Cinnabar was a prime officer. The youma, Laurelite was still learning to trust.
But this was not so simple as two different creatures acting singularly—this was one individual.
One who had earned her title and rank and had suffered to get there.
Laurelite sighed softly and then nodded. "Beautiful."
And then, she seemed to snap out of it and looked around the room, bouncing back to her excited nature from before. "I do hate to steal your glory, dear, but here—this involves you as well. Everyone, come here, gather round. Now, all of you. You were all involved in something great—something amazing. The teamwork you displayed, the skill. Oh, I have no doubt in my mind that the Negaverse is on the rise. A new dawn is coming, and with it we will rise. And as a token to commemorate this, I have for all of you, this:"
Finally, she opened the box; inside were a number of small, dime sized pins.
They were different from the medals sometimes handed out, but there was no doubt that it had some significance. "I want everyone to have one. Wear it proudly, should you choose, but take it and know that you are all capable of so many great things. And I know that together, we'll achieve the greatness."
For themselves. For the Negaverse. For Metallia.
Quote:
These beautiful pins have been designed by Bluefire and are a small reward to commemorate the successful mission! While these pins do not count towards medal count, they can be displayed on your artwork!
Erythrite had never witnessed a promotion before. She had, of course, experienced her own - and it had been fire and pain, and not, she thought, particularly well-earned. A reward, she suspected, for survival more than anything else. Survival and not ******** anything up too disastrously.
But this, this was a reward earned for hard work. Cinnabar had pushed all of them to do something powerful and incredible for the Negaverse, and had earned her new rank as a General. There was absolutely no denying that. This was exactly what an officer should aspire to. This was what a promotion should be like.
This was what Erythrite wanted her General promotion to be like. In a lot of ways, Cinnabar was everything she aspired to be - perhaps not the half-youma part, but that she was powerful and sensual and commanding and gorgeous. She was the type of maneater that Erythrite tried to be, on her energy gathering patrols in dark dingy bars and high-energy clubs. She was what Erythrite knew she could be if she kept working and pushing and becoming a better officer.
She would take this and remember it, and keep it as a goal for what she could be. What she would be.
At Laurelite's invitation, she approached the front, to take the medal. It would stand out bright and gold against her uniform - and she would wear it with pride, as a reminder that she had been part of something truly great. She had helped recover a traitor and bring them back to the Negaverse. This was so much better and bigger than anything else she had done - and perhaps it would make up, in a small way, for her having given Machholz to the Mirror instead of to the Negaverse like she should have.
(She would stand by that decision, were she ever challenged on it. Even though Annabelle wasn't Serenity, she was much more like her than Clarisse had been like Caitlin. Annabelle wasn't a mockery, a stranger wearing her lover's face. She was just Serenity with a different name and a darker dress when she powered up.)
She pinned the medal on her chest, right where an officer in a regular military would wear bars of rank. And she felt, ultimately, deeply pleased with herself. Even though this hadn't been her operation, she had still contributed, charming information out of the traitor's friends and family.
She had earned this, and even though it wasn't quite as spectacular as Cinnabar's promotion, it was still deserved recognition.
