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 Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2022 8:46 am
“Two months,” said Emmy, and the judgmental expression that seemed constant on her face finally fell away as she let herself consider her memories for a few seconds. “And I’d only been recruited a few months before that. I knew there was an underground organization, I barely knew there was a war. It was eye opening to be on a specialized force like that.” A month into being a Negaverse officer, she would have taken a senshi’s starseed if Marcasite would have asked it or her, because that was her job, her duty, what she was getting paid for. There wouldn’t have been anything personal to it, though. Now, sometimes when she went out fighting, like when Alkmene had called her to help with Cybele; she could see the faces of the people who hadn’t come back from that mission, and it gave her some extra force behind what she was doing. It was mostly Eion who had been asking the questions, since they’d gotten that nonsense with the text sorted, but there was only so much that Emmy would say about Witzend, and so she said, “Did you not want subordinates?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2022 6:16 am
Perhaps that was why Jadarite was so precociously good when placed on a team — she was exposed to specialized missions early, and had the temperament for the work. He could see her becoming a Sovereign someday, perhaps coining a new branch or optimizing one of the existing ones.
It was easy to find himself wanting when compared to her, so he tried to avoid it. Tried, but there remained an inescapable part of him that thought he should hurt.
Her question seemed odd to him, given that he thought he implied its answer. "No," he returned in brief. "Had one once. Didn't work out. Never liked being a subordinate myself — didn't see reason to inflict that on others." He reached back for his drink and drained the last of it, wishing there was some alcohol to give the lukewarm beverage some bite. There would be time for that when he got back, however, and he could sleep fitfully and forget this conversation happened.
"Negaverse has far better choices for superiors. Met some who knew how to inspire their recruits, who acted as mentors or role models. Officers who fostered close-knit ties with their teams.
"Don't hate having a team anymore." He supposed he'd gotten used to it, like he'd gotten used to being part youma. "Still think you were all done dirty by the Powers That Be."
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Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2022 8:16 am
"Oh, I don't like being a subordinate," said Emmy, which was a blunt thing to say to your General, but it was the truth. "Not because of you," she added, because she didn't need him going any more down the self-deprecation spiral he'd started himself on, "Not because of Marcasite either. It's just that I've wanted to be a General since the day I joined, but I understand how the system works. Learn before you teach. Take orders before you give them." She could play that game. She could rise through the ranks. At this point, she wasn't even convinced she would stop at General. Sovereign was on her radar, although there would be time to dream about that and work for it, later. "You're a good person to take orders from, for what it's worth," she added. Emmy did not give compliments that she did not mean, and she did not look Eion in the eye while she said it, but there it was. "You're smart. I was told you would expand my horizons, and you have." A beat passed. "And you haven't vanished, which is more than we can say about a lot of superiors." Marcasite might have been a decent General, but Emmy had not forgiven her for that.
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:13 pm
It hadn't surprised him to hear it, nor was he affronted by her admission. He coked his head to the side and nodded, as if that said more than what he had to say. "Assume you've learned a lot. Already looking fit for the role."
He'd seen her with the group, around Rockatanskite. Already she was named co-lead with Albite, should anything happen to him in the interim, and he had privately expected her to conduct the brunt of their missions while Albite handled interpersonal affairs. He had to wonder if that would make for a better team than the one at present, but the team would likewise not exist without him as their anchor point.
The compliment did catch him off-guard, however. Attention piqued, he looked at her with mild surprise. He thought, briefly, that if Schörl were here, she'd be laughing at them both.
If Schörl were here — "Generals make a habit of disappearing. Defecting. Have no intention of doing either. Sooner be a youma," he finished, rolling his eyes. It had brought to mind Sylvite, who looked so braindead and clueless through Cybele's eyes. So unreservedly hurt with her nose bloodied and her questions rejected. He thought Cybele should've gone further with it, would've let her off easy if she did.
"Think you'll make it to General sooner than most. Look into getting a youma — should help you stand out from your peers."
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 6:24 pm
"I won't vanish when I'm a General," she said, in case it wasn't obvious enough from the rest of her actions. "The White Moon has nothing I want. I hardly intend to die in battle." It had been a close thing, once or twice, but she was learning more and more about how to pick her battles, and how to win them. "You stay, too," she said, her lips pressing together slightly in thought. It was possible that she was overstepping, giving him orders, but after the whole awkwardness with Waru and the text she was feeling a bit more bold. "I don't want to have to find another General. I don't want you to be a youma." That seemed more likely for him than something like purification. She'd seen the way he burned, in their mission. She'd seen the way he'd leaned into his monstrous side. "Although, you seem to know them well enough." She'd barely taken her eyes off of him since they'd met up, but just for a moment, her gaze flicked up towards the sky, thoughtful. "The first time we met, you invited me to the Rift. Would you still go with me, help me pick one?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2022 7:35 pm
He snorted soft, and a brief smile took shape. He ducked his head nonetheless.
It was a strange thing, being wanted. He'd grown more familiar with it, all due to the team, but it wasn't that long ago that he had a General who sniped him for even the earliest possibility of a mistake. Someone who would find him more useful and tolerable as a literal furnace than as an officer. Perhaps it was those experiences that led him to treasure Emmy's response; he couldn't say. He only knew it was a good, if slightly foreign, feeling.
"Do what I can, then." He had no intentions of becoming entirely youmafied, not yet, though he wondered if that would be up to him to decide. He'd had no choice in his partial youmafication.
To her observation, he nodded as they walked. Two years in the Rift atop being part youma himself lent him more experience than the average officer, he supposed.
Eion nodded to her question. "Tell me once you're ready."
It wouldn't be today, nor tomorrow, but he felt hopeful for being able to help her along somehow. If nothing else, it gave him more reason to look up to her, for she could ask for help when she knew she needed it. Could solicit the more knowledgeable when she needed it, and he'd oft wished he could swallow his pride enough to ask like that.
Damn. Emmy was too cool. Waru knew how to pick them.
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