|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 7:46 pm
Roselite set his tablet aside to write while Faustite spoke, taking notes but saving the drafting of the full report until Faustite felt he had all the necessary information. Inexperienced as he was, Roselite couldn’t pretend to know how the White Moon functioned. Everything he’d heard seemed to indicate a lack of cohesion, but with the database as limited and out of date as it was, he wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of their information was obsolete.
“Most of the agents I’ve seen have been in passing,” Roselite said. “I don’t know anyone well enough to comment on them, but… the evidence seems to speak for itself.”
He brought his tablet closer, glancing through the database with noticeable disappointment.
“If it’s the duty of an Intelligence officer to keep our information current, only so many of them have done so,” Roselite continued. “I see a lot of the same names attached to these files — you, for example — and most of the files themselves are at least a few years out of date.”
With a nervous swallow, Roselite paused. It probably wasn’t his place to critique a branch he wasn’t even a part of.
He thought he might like to be, one day. He might never be able to fight the way he knew Captain Bloodstone could fight — the way he suspected Faustite could — but if he could aid the Negaverse in this way, by compiling as much relevant information as he could, by keeping it all as up to date as possible, perhaps he could prove to himself that he was worthy of the power he’d been given.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:53 pm
"So report them," he replied matter-of-factly. A fist curled against his cheek. "Intelligence's duty is to monitor other officers. Report weaknesses. Possible turncoats. Even derelict areas." Intelligence was the Negaverse's eyes, and Roselite was right that they hadn't done much. Evidence enough in there being no operations since he left for the Rift. The Negaverse he left behind had grown complacent.
Even the newest recruits were noticing it now. Or, hopefully, Roselite was just a special case.
"Be the biggest ******** thorn in the a** of the whole branch. Just make sure no one knows it's you." His Captain couldn't protect him forever. Nor could he protect Roselite from the ire of a General, and even if Bloodstone made it that far, and Roselite survived that long, he couldn't shield Roselite from a Sovereign's rage, if Roselite found dirt on Axinite.
Now wasn't that a funny thought. If he felt anything other than ill, he'd smile. ******** squid.sunshine alouette he's gonna regret that, probably
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:49 pm
Roselite struggled not to squirm in his seat.
“I’m… not exactly confident in my abilities,” he admitted, though he assumed that much was obvious. Still, Roselite thought it best to be honest with a superior officer. “Captain Bloodstone recruited me for my intelligence and my work ethic, but… he must see more in me than I see in myself.”
Why? He asked himself that question every day and never came up with an adequate answer. He couldn’t ask Bloodstone, too afraid his Captain would reveal he’d only said those things to lure Roselite in. Obviously Bloodstone wanted someone around to do his paperwork for him, while he worked as a civilian and went out on missions as an agent. Anyone could have done that for him; Roselite was merely a convenience, seeing as he was around all the time anyway.
Roselite closed his eyes momentarily, taking a settling breath and releasing those thoughts on his next exhale.
When he felt he’d stopped the negative spiral, he looked at Faustite again. The General seemed remarkably wise for someone who looked so young.
Roselite figured traumatic experiences would do that to a person.
“Should I be a thorn in your a**?” he asked, quiet, like he didn’t want to be. Then he blanched and croaked, horrified, “That sounded way more inappropriate than it was in my head.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 16, 2021 4:31 pm
Faustite snorted, smokeless. "It would burn off." Though, maybe it wouldn't at the moment. Too bad Roselite wasn't his type.
Faustite's free hand spelled whimsical nothings into the air as he spoke. "If I falter, then report me. Just make sure I don't know it was you." The flameless General cracked a cockeyed smile. He was used to being under Schörl's boot; anyone else's punishment sounded… Relieving. And this one would get accolades for keeping a General in line, too, he supposed.
Unless his peers found out he was a narc. Life was cheap, anyway.
"Doesn't matter what you see in yourself. You have to trust your Captain's judgment." Even if their judgment was wrong, but he doubted Bloodstone's assessments were misplaced with this one. His head hadn't moved from where it rested against his fist, but Faustite's crossed leg began to kick lazily under the table. "You're unconfident, skittish, meek. But you're smart enough to see that Intelligence is slacking, you work well under pressure, and you have impeccable handwriting. Your Captain will build you up. Your perception will take you places." In time, he could make it to Captain himself. Experience and tenure could bolster that confidence.
Better than getting recruited to be a science experiment, he supposed. Would've been nice if either of his Generals saw something worth nurturing rather than whipping. Didn't matter anymore, he supposed. No one asked a fire how it felt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2021 7:45 am
Roselite visibly cringed.
Reporting another agent didn’t go against his moral code at all; they might be his allies, but if they weren’t doing their work — or worse, if they were plotting treason or planning to turn traitor — they should be reported. If he didn’t do it, someone else would. Roselite thought he could at least be fair where someone else might embellish the truth for personal gain.
Reporting a General, however, particularly one he was working with, even if that working relationship was new, didn’t sit well with him. In Roselite’s limited experience, Faustite was blunt but not unkind; Roselite always gravitated toward those who gave him a sense of validation. He thought of Faustite as someone he could look up to, someone he could learn from. Aside from that, Faustite was clearly a proficient agent. Roselite didn’t doubt the General could easily kill him if he thought he had a reason to.
Roselite flushed faintly at the praise. He’d been in the Negaverse four months at most, and he already received more praise here than he had at any other point in his adult life.
“Thank you, Sir,” he said, quiet and sheepish, but appreciative.
He didn’t have the words to articulate what Faustite’s commendation meant to him, so Roselite didn’t try. Hoping his diligence would get the sentiment across, he returned to the developing report.
“So… no figurehead, the princess’s arrival swelled their ranks, they used guerilla tactics, and it’s possible leadership is assumed on a case by case basis,” he recited, going over his notes. “Um… what was their response before the Princess showed up? And… how did she fight? Other than killing your youma, I mean. Sorry, Sir, I didn’t—” He cut himself off before he could continue the apology. “Was she particularly active in the battle itself or did the lower ranking forces handle most of it?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:23 pm
"Sharp influx, then stagnant, then a second sharp influx after the Princess." He removed the strainers, then set them aside to be cleaned later. One cup was slid toward Roselite. "Didn't see her fight. Heard she used magic on a General, nearly crippled him for a minute. Didn't go to the infirmary — assume no permanent effects." Strange that their magic was so transient, even at such a noteworthy height in power. They were better off using fists and feet.
After a sip of green tea, he continued. "Lower ranks were the bulk of interference. Mix of all ranks — the body count forced enough skirmishes to slow us down. They've rudimentary communication. Ambush plans were leaked, but thy had to yell about it. No centralized information dissemination." They could've done more damage if they had a mass notification system. Instead, they had Supers shouting to Squires shouting to Eternals. But word traveled enough that they had only a lukewarm number of Senshi and Knights brought into the Farnsworth.
"Guessing they're aligned by a common ethical thread." Faustite pressed his forehead to the heel of his hand, shut his eyes. Better if they could get ahold of someone, ask questions. Faustite nearly had Puck on his own, but that Princess…
"No energy or starseeds reported stolen." That was it, he supposed. That was as much of a report as he could muster without parsing the data more fully. Anything else was conjecture, though he'd already dipped into it. Faustite breathed a steady sigh. "That's all."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:43 pm
Roselite smiled his thanks for the cup of tea before returning the entirety of his focus to the report, jotting down more notes as Faustite spoke.
The White Moon seemed to be an intriguing enemy, though Roselite had not had the opportunity to face one of them head on yet. He wasn’t sure he’d like to, even if it was his duty — at least not until Bloodstone deemed him better able to defend himself. When Roselite first learned of their enemies, he didn’t think them much of a threat, more of a nuisance than anything else. Faustite’s data seemed to imply they might get by on dumb luck instead of skill, in some instances anyway. To not even have a reliable way to communicate en masse…
How was it the Negaverse hadn’t found a way to quell their forces yet?
Clearly, there was more to the White Moon that this one operation allowed them to learn.
With the notes finished, Roselite began writing the full report. He was quick but thorough, used to crafting detailed accounts from his years writing papers in college. Every once in a while, he paused to sip at his tea, occasionally flicking his gaze toward Faustite to see if he needed anything further, or had other information to add.
Once the report was finished, Roselite read through it to check for errors before sliding it over to Faustite for his approval.
“I can have copies made if you need them,” he offered, “and enter the information into the computer system, but I think that should be enough for the General King, unless you have more to add.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2021 5:28 pm
"Nothing else," Faustite concluded with a shake of his head. He held up two fingers to the blonde — two copies. One would go into the bookshelves with the other untouchables, likely put there by Yuuri or some aspiring new recruit, and the other would be his to peruse. For a while, at least. For however long this lack of heat lasted. If he lasted.
After taking another deep drink of tea, Faustite studied this lieutenant. It was rude to stare, that much he remembered, but it wasn't staring so much as watching his demeanor. The way Roselite held himself was peculiar, and familiar, but he couldn't place where or why he'd seen these behaviors. Shutting his eyes again, Faustite rubbed at the bridge of his nose.
This headache was getting in the way of everything.
Another drink, then he heard liquid spill onto the floor. He didn't dare to look down.
"I'll proofread the digital version." It should last a little longer. "Finish your tea, then you're free to leave." To do otherwise would be a discourtesy to the tea, and Roselite seemed loathe to pay out discourtesies — even to inanimate objects.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2021 8:20 am
Roselite got to work on the copies immediately, while the original was still in front of him and his brain was still focused on the task at hand. These two were done quickly, their drafting slowed only by intermittent sips of tea. He made a third copy for himself, to make entering the information into the computer system easier.
The staring made him nervous, but Roselite did his best to ignore it. At least Faustite’s intention didn’t seem rude, and he clearly wasn’t angry or annoyed, so Roselite chalked it up to curiosity and refrained from asking any questions. At most, Roselite shifted in his chair nervously, glancing up once or twice to offer Faustite a timid smile.
When he was done, Roselite cleaned up, placing the extra paper and pen back where they belonged. He drank the rest of his tea on command, grabbing his notes and his personal copy of the report to take with him as he shuffled toward the door.
He turned before leaving, unsure what the most respectful way to depart was. Should he bow? Salute? Stand at attention while he bid Faustite farewell.
Roselite chose to go with the gestures he found most comfortable. He smiled again, a little small, a little bashful, like he didn’t have many reasons to smile and wasn’t used to anything wider or more animated.
“Let me know if you need anything else,” he said, then added, “Anything at all.”
His willingness to help might get him into trouble one day — at the very least he could end up in a situation he wasn’t prepared for — but Roselite liked to believe Faustite wouldn’t ask him for anything he couldn’t feasibly give.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
“Have a good day, General Faustite,” Roselite concluded, then, ducking his head slightly, he slipped out the door to make his way back to Bloodstone’s office.Strickenized Wrap from me! Thank you so much for the RP!!!! emotion_bigheart
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 3:07 pm
Have a good day, he said. What a canned phrase. Faustite swallowed hard, and down his esophagus traveled the bittersweet memories he needn't think about. Roselite hadn't meant any of it, he told himself. The Lieutenant was all politeness. Cut from tissue paper and stuffed with niceties, lest someone look daggers at him.
The door shut, and Faustite slumped into his folded arms atop the desk. Watched the dim reflection of his eyes in the glass. He told himself to let it go.
He told himself.
He told himself.
Roselite wouldn't last. Snapped up by a youma. Purified out by empty White Moon promises. Youmafied by his Captain. Reduced to his starseed for treachery or indiscretion or simply because he was too damn useless with a body attached. Faustite didn't know the cause, but he told himself it would happen. He told ********>," he seethed as he beat his fist against the glass.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
