Faustite shrugged, turned, and exited the dusty space. He couldn't remember when everything that came out of him had blackened; he thought it happened when he became a Captain, but that was so long ago, now.
"Then we go upstairs." It was a risk, he knew; the outer walls to the place looked intact, but what was built into it may not be. Faustite would wait at the foot of the old staircase while Heliodor perused the upstairs. That was better, he supposed, then going up as a pair, or going up himself finding the floor rotten, and setting everything on fire on his way down.
Though, that would take care of much of the demolition.
"Have to corrupt contractors, then. Or incentivize some agents to learn HVAC systems and plumbing…" He sighed, his attention rising to the ceiling. Would've been much easier had the building been for him, and him alone. He needed only a room for his piece of sheetmetal; he could piss outside, shower in the Barracks. Amenities were within reach, even if they weren't convenient. But the rest of the team deserved better than that.
When Heliodor caught his attention again, Faustite followed the pointing finger. He wondered if a kitchen was necessary when he put out so much fire. Then again, he wouldn't always be here.
He paused, hand on hip, considered the suggestion his subordinate gave. He was right — it would open up the space more, but remove privacy. There were two more floors, however; perhaps privacy wasn't an issue.
"Think that's up to the team. Would benefit them to make use of a shared space." If he could just imagine it — maybe Jada sitting on a chair by the fireplace, Cryolite next to her. Celadonite knitting or sewing whatever the ******** on a couch, facing the coffee table, while Albite and Alkmene watched Lilith play whatever she usually played. Maybe? He wasn't familiar enough with their domesticities to decide.
"Check upstairs first. See how much privacy we can afford."
kolina
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 7:23 pm
“Unless you intend to put bedrooms downstairs, I don’t know if privacy is really needed on the main floor.” If it was, he’d gut the whole bottom floor and make it one big area. The more open it was the more inclusive the space would be for the whole team. It wasn’t Helio’s though. This entire project was Faustite’s and the bottom line was the half-youma’s.
At the mention of upstairs, he turned to exit the dusty remains of the dining room and back out to where the staircase had greeted them upon entry. They were tucked nicely off to the side. They creeked under his wooden sandals, more debris crunched under his unforgiving foot ware but they held.
The second floor landing was unadorned and certainly nothing of remark. A fairly wide hallway that would allow two people to pass shoulder-to-shoulder with ease met him. There were a few doors on either side, some with doors and others doors missing completely or barely attached to rusting hinges.
Taking care of the floor beneath him, Helio moved to the first room with it’s door already propped open. Nothing of incredible note. It was a fair sized room that would house the necessities of a bedroom or office well. He peered into two more rooms that were of similar sizes and two bathrooms that laid in between the rooms.
Slipping through the jack-and-Jill bathroom to explore the last room, Helio propped open the bathroom door that moaned it’s distaste at it’s disturbance to find himself looking out over a darkness to the closest neighboring house. “Well ******** a sigh he walked to the doorway, this room being the one missing it’s door as it lay in off to the side as if blown from its hinges. “Faustite, you might want to come see this.” He called. “Second floor.”
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Kolina
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Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2022 3:24 pm
Faustite hadn't thought privacy was necessary for the ground floor, either, but he hadn't decided what he was going to do with a space after he found one. Watching Heliodor depart, he wondered what he should do with a space like this. What would be the purpose of the room? Would they hang out there, or was it more for mission objectives and planning? As much as he wanted something like a war room, he could borrow a room out of the Citadel —
"Mm?" Faustite looked over at the sound of Heliodor's voice. The burning General ascended the staircase and looked into the hall, cautious but curious. Most doors still on their hinges were closed; he spared a cursory glance in each of the forcibly opened rooms until he came to the last one.
He found no Heliodor yet, but as he stepped into the room, he caught a glimpse of the boy through an opened bathroom door. Faustite followed, caught how Heliodor was framed in a vivid, burnished violet —
Silently, he stepped in beside the boy, his eyes drawn up to the stark hole in the outer wall. He approached, leveraged his hand on the left side of the craggy mess as he looked out past the next structure. For reasons beyond him, he felt a yearning sense of deja vu — some part of his soul telling him that he'd been in that position before, in this life or some previous one, staring out with that same songlike swell inside.
It was — oh, he knew now —
"Always liked a view." His hand slipped off the side of the hole as he turned to face his subordinate. "This will do."
kolina
Posted: Mon May 02, 2022 6:45 pm
The sound of footsteps nearing marked the General’s appearance. Helio glanced to Faustite as he neared, a small smile played on his lips at the comment and declaration. “I honestly thought you’d take us off to go find somewhere else.” He crossed his arms, gazing out at the ruins around them. “Not that I would have blamed you if you’d gone that route. I don’t know what kind of work this is going to require to make sure there’s no structural problems.” It was certainly quite the view though even if it was dark and almost depressing with the amount of ruin that surrounded them. A bygone era left behind to wilt away into nothingness.
Shifting from one foot to another, Helio pondered what to do. What to say. There was an awkwardness that hung between them or at least it was how the corrupt felt. He worried at his bottom lip, teeth pulling at skin as he tried to settle himself. They often times had their moments together before where things felt unsettled, but this was different and he didn’t like it.
If he was honest with himself, it was his own damn fault. All of it was.
“Sorry.” He finally remarked, eyes still focused on the rubble outside. The house beyond their own barely holding itself aloft with large portions of the outside wall laying in a mess on the ground in large mounds.
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Little by work tag. Hope this is ok!
Kolina
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Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 3:54 pm
"Don't know either," he responded, still gazing up at the hole. Couldn't begin to guess, since he was no carpenter, and had yet to know one. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. Maybe, someday, he wouldn't wake up at all, because that part of the roof caved in on him. "Stood for this long, though." He doubted it would collapse on them imminently.
He wondered — could they fill it with glass, to preserve the view? It was then, on that thought, that he looked back at Heliodor.
That he would apologize was something else entirely. Heliodor was a proud, headstrong boy, who always thought himself in the right. It was unbecoming for him to look so uncomfortable in his own skin, and the origin of that unease was as obvious as Heliodor's discourteousness. Faustite assumed that he remained because rank demanded that he do so; if they were equals, or if Faustite was subordinate to him, they would have parted ways at the first hint of Heliodor's unsettlement.
So he turned to face the boy, hand on a hip, and studied him. Marks on his lip where he chewed it, a brightness to his eyes that looked unnatural, his recent fidgeting. "If you were sorry, you'd talk about it," Faustite charged.
"Have it out. Ranks notwithstanding."
kolina
bonus points if they get into fisticuffs and faustite burns the place down. time to find a new one…
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:55 pm
Helio scoffed at Faustite. “That’s rich coming from you.” He stated flatly. “You, who remained completely closed off and never shared anything unless it benefitted you directly expect me to just come out and say what’s bothering me just because you try to guilt me into it.” He shook his head, arms crossing. “I suppose some things don’t change. Rank be damned, if I wanted to tell you, I would have said so.”
He stepped away from the opening in the wall, kicking a stray piece of stone into the wall behind them, watching and listening to it ricocheted off. What were the chance that the damn building would do him the favor and just come down on both of them? Considering his lousy lucky, he’d be left wanting.
“Just because I came back doesn’t mean you get to be privy to the more sensitive parts of my life.” He stood there staring at the wall, refusing to look back at the fiery General. Probably a mistake, but chock it up to one of the many he had made in his life and one of many more likely to come. “You could say I learned from the best when it comes to keeping myself closed off from others.”
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Kolina
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 5:48 pm
"Oh, you think you can ******** talk down to me," Faustite hissed as he approached the boy, spitting cinders with each snarled word. His statements sizzled and popped, each solipsism griddled between teeth and tongue. "Read me for filth like she did."
His fists curled. Nails bit into black palms, drawing black blood that oft escaped notice. Heliodor had the gall to walk away, his shadow dancing wild as Faustite's fire whorled and whipped. Each footfall saw the room grow ever brighter. More and more jabs from this one, like Faustite could never measure up, like he was always left behind by simple nature of who or what he was, and he could only ride others' tailwinds for how much better the human side of the Negaverse proved themselves to be.
Like Heliodor was a ******** pinnacle of that.
His last words were all Faustite never wanted to hear. He lunged for that long waterfall of hair, hand outstretched, as flame licked out from his core in a roaring burst.
kolina
Meltdown ;; Range: 10' radius around user Duration: Up to 30 seconds Use Count: Up to 2x Miss Chance: Escaping range at or before the buildup stage Effect: By expending some of his core, Faustite can whip up a firestorm on a local area, prefaced by dancing cinders seconds before the burst. Inferno gusts orbit clockwise, burning anyone caught in their whorl. Friendly fire possible.
Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2022 10:55 pm
The anger-laden words, hissed between clenched teeth should have been the first warning sign. Instead, the senshi ignored it, wallowing in his own self-pity and anger. Instead, it took the ever-brightening room, whipping shadows and sound footfalls to alert the corrupt to the danger behind him. Spinning, shock and surprise reflected with the spitting flames of his General's attack, Helio felt the snag of hair in a clenched fist.
Fire, hot and steady enveloped him swirling and whipping around. He felt the heat across his back searing and painful.
The instinct to protect himself kicked in. There was no thought about the repercussions of physically attacking his commanding General. All that he knew to do was to stop the onslaught as the smell of burnt hair and flesh began to fill his senses. He snapped his fingers as the hair in Faustite's hand burned away, freeing Heliodor from restraint allowing him to spin around, hands and arms attempting to block his face from most of the flames, to face his General as his own attack flared to life. .
Sailor Scout Attack: Cascade Visual: An opaque wall of hot water shoots up around the target before cascading inward and slamming down on the target.
Duration: Immediate effect lasts 25 secs
Effects: The pressure of water is great enough to make it difficult to move away and could knock the target off their feet. It can cause the sensation of bruising, first-degree burns, or drowning with lasting damage at players' discretion.
Area of Effect/Range: Anywhere from Heliodor to up to 8 feet away from him. Can be used 3x per battle.
Preparation/Incantation: Snapping his fingers, a ring of small golden spheres appear around the feet of the target just before the wall of water shoots upwards.
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Kolina
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2022 6:52 pm
Utterly incensed by his longtime subordinate's frank and scathing betrayal, he saw none of the golden spheres in his periphery. They may as well be made of paper, fit to burn up in Faustite's wicked flames, for how little they meant to him. So consumed was he, by his own rage, that he had eyes for nothing and no one but Heliodor.
Even the towering wall of water went unnoticed by the flame-eyed General. He felt the waves crash into him, but only just so; having seared through his hold on the senshi's hair, Heliodor's attack swept him away by some distance. As he tried to retain his footing, the attack bore him out to a weakened section of the floor that quickly collapsed under his weight, sending the flame-ensconced thing staggering for a surer foothold. The wood let out a gruesome crack, and in a breath, gave out into a hole thrice the size of the first.
Faustite's flame had only just shuddered, seemingly directed inward as the youth became the embodiment of fire. The burning silhouette dissolved into a few rivulets that flickered and licked their way nearer to Heliodor, then newly reformed into Faustite's familiar shape. <******** off," he seethed. With a wave of his hand, he banished Heliodor back to Destiny City, doomed to rejoin his mundane life as if their altercation had never occurred.
