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 Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 1:24 pm
Axinite sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. “A tool is a tool. Youmaglia may be used to recondition traitors or problem agents, but for a purpose as simple as keeping the poison thoughts of Knight and Senshi out of your head—is it really such a bad thing?” He gave her a few seconds to consider the options before he continued, “I realize this may not be something you agree with, something you aren’t particularly pleased with, but these things don’t last forever. It’s not a punishment. It’s a reassurance. A safeguard. The extra bit of protection to help you defend yourself against them.” Axinite’s eyes lingered on her, looking for any hint that she was trying to escape. “I think you need it. Just until you can work out these things that are plaguing you.” In other words, no. She didn’t have a choice. He just wanted her to feel like it was a choice she could agree with.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 1:24 pm
“You’ll still...work with me though, right? You’ll...still support me, Axinite?” Cavansite’s breathing felt shallow and it seemed that she was grasping at straws. She didn’t want a stupid centipede in her mind, clouding her thoughts...but.
But he was right about it helping.
She wouldn’t be so easily swayed if she had on in, keeping her on track.
...And if she proved herself loyal...then perhaps he would remove it quickly.
Quietly, Cavensite blew out a small breath. “...How long are you thinking, Axinite? How long until I’ll be back on track? I don’t want to be a disappointment, and if you think this is the best way to help me, then so be it. I’ll do whatever Metallia wills.” There was still a quaver in her voice, and she gripped the cup firmly, trying to stop the shaking in her hands that had only increased.
This was foolish. She was letting something happen that she…
She didn’t want this. But...Cinnabar would have agreed with Axinite. She would have put the youmaglia in her to keep her in line.
“Will you inject it with the needle or just let the bugger crawl in my ear, sir?” Cavansite swallowed and forced a smile. “If I have the choice...I think I’d prefer the ear. I’m not too fond of needles.”
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 1:25 pm
“I will work with you for as long as it takes, do not worry.” For as long as they could keep her, they would. He seemed relieved that she was being agreeable and tried to soothe her. “We can do the ear. It will be painless, and short lived, I am sure.” He had a small box beneath his desk; it didn’t look very different from something one might keep a necklace in. Its most defining feature was its dark, solid wood. The youmaglia was inside, safe and hidden and waiting to be utilized. “The fact that you are so willing to seek assistance resonates strongly with me. I can’t imagine more than a week or two.” If he was lying, he delivered it seamlessly. “Just long enough for you to be able to experience the world—to interact with the Senshi and Knight with a clear head, free from their influence. Enough to remember what it is like to be spared their meddling, intrusive thoughts. Your personality, your demeanor—my dear, you are perfect. It’s them, and their influence over you, that I am concerned about. I have to say, despite it all, I’m proud of you, Cavansite. And this little hiccup will be a distant memory.” He smiled at her. “And you will be you again, at your best. Clear headed and making Metallia proud. And, after this.” He seemed so hopeful, so reassuring. “We will celebrate, you and I, and talk about all the possibilities your future holds. So there is no need to be concerned. I will take care of you, Cavansite. As long as you are under my care, you are in very good hands.”
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 1:26 pm
Cavansite’s eyes fell on the box and she drew in a sharp, quiet breath, nodding slightly. “...I’m not going to be thrown out of SpecOps, am I? Are...does Hessonite know about all of this?” It shouldn’t have bothered her so much, but it did. She didn’t want to be seen as a liability, and even though she was closer to Axinite than any of the other General Sovereigns, she didn’t want to bee seen as weak.
“I would...appreciate if this could be kept between the two of us...but I understand if it can’t. I...I’m so sorry that I let you down.”
She was starting to slip again. To lose the small grip she had on herself and after placing the cup back on Axinite’s desk, Cavansite folded her hands in her lap, balling them both into fists and closed her eyes. “Get it over with. Please. I can...My instincts are screaming at me to run, and I don’t want to disappoint you any more than I already have.”
If she had to keep sitting here and thinking, she would leave, she knew it. She could feel it.
...Soon she would feel better.
Soon there would be no room left for doubt.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 1:26 pm
“No, of course not, you’re going to retain your position in SpecOps. Hessonite and I don’t always see eye to eye. She thinks I’m too soft.” He shrugged. “But, perhaps I am. I will keep this between us. I told you, I have faith in you. I will help you be the best that you can be. This is just one small step to get you back to where you need to be so you can do it yourself. Close your eyes.” It wasn’t that she didn’t know what a youmaglia looked like, probably, or that this one was particularly disgusting. It was just a reassurance thing. It was easier when you didn’t know which second it was going to slip in. The box opened and he withdrew the youmaglia silently; it was small and eager, and if he didn’t have such a good grip on it he had the fleeting suspicion it might have tried to find its way towards him. Lightly, he reached over the place it on her shoulder. He didn’t stop there; instead, he moved is gloved hand to gently cup Cavansite’s cheek. Contact, in case she tried to flee. Something to ground her, to bind her to him. A sympathetic hand to keep her close for the few seconds it would take to seal this. “Make me proud.”
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 1:27 pm
Cavansite continued squeezed her eyes shut with much more force than was necessary, her face screwed up in fear and apprehension.
She was glad he would let her keep her position. She was glad that Hessonite would not be informed but…she still wished that he would have trusted her to continue on without this. It wasn’t as though she would have actually purified…right? It wasn’t as though she would have just up and abandoned the organization that she had given the last few years of her life to.
When the hand rested against her cheek, the General couldn’t help but lean against it slightly. The touch calmed her, even if it was just another way to make sure she didn’t flee.
A moment later she felt it, small feet on her neck, something entering her ear.
Her whole body tensed as though to run, knuckles going white with the effort she was giving not to just reach up and grab the thing before it…before it went in. A whimper made it past her tightly clamped lips and she felt like an utter fool for showing weakness—
A soft, tingle began to spread through her body as the creature made a new home within the folds of her mind. A tingle as though her body had fallen asleep. It was as though all of the doubts and fears had been softly wiped away, leaving the assurance and understanding that she had before the senshi and knights had planted the seeds in her mind.
Slowly, Cavansite opened her eyes, the light in them dulled slightly. She glanced over at Axinite and rested her cheek more firmly against his hand for a moment, before pulling away. “What are your orders, General King? I feel better now. Thank you.”
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 1:28 pm
Axinite relaxed, though the changes seemed almost minuscule. He seemed, for the most part, to be very good at being unreadable. Now though, it didn’t really matter. As long as she had the youmaglia, he had nothing to worry about. She had nothing to worry about. He withdrew his hand and propped himself up on the desk, resting heavily on his elbows. “I want you to be the best agent you possible can be, Cavansite. I want to get to the bottom of this ‘ purification’ matter. I want to know how they’re taking our youma, our half youma, from us. And if you are up to the task, I want you to use the connections you’ve built and I want you to finish this.” Axinite smiled reassuringly. Supportively. “But for now, you should go home and rest. You’ll plan a course of action and report back to me within seventy two hours, please. The faster we can figure these things out, the faster we can you back on track.”
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2018 1:34 pm
Cavansite stood, the cup of tea that still sat on the desk, utterly forgotten in the wake of Axinite’s orders. She inclined her head in a show of respect and nodded. “I will think on it, General King. I will do everything in my power to figure out how they are taking our agents from us, and I will do everything in my power to stop it from happening again.”
She didn’t worry about whatever doubts had been plaguing her before. They were gone. Eradicated. She was free from the soft whisper and beckoning of the side of order, and she liked it that way.
It was easier that way.
She was better now.
“I will report back within seventy two hours, my General King. You can rely on me. I won’t let you down.”
There was no way to let him down anymore. With another small bow, she teleported out of the office. There were orders to carry out, and she would do what was needed.
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