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 Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 9:39 pm
"I can - I can stand," Strix said, cutting themself off before they could stutter their way into embarrassment, trying not to sound too mulish. First impressions were important, when they bothered to care about them; whatever this man's position was, they didn't want him to think they were a coward. Because they weren't. Usually. "It's fine."
Fine enough. Didn't want either of these people to think badly of them. How bad could it be, anyway?
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Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2023 9:25 am
Faustite nodded, silent as he stood back. He would be interested to see if this one kept their posture afterward; he'd known more than a few who could not. If that was a mark of a better officer, he would rather like to know. If Strix proved loyal enough for their purposes, then he would be the one asking Jadarite for recruitment tips. What to look for, who to court.
Instead, he observed Axinite. There was something to be said for his old superior's technique, for it showed how much he cared about easing the discomforts of current and potential officers. While Faustite had thought that, sometimes, that care was wasted on them, he hoped it would not be so for Strix.
Better for Strix's sake, and for Jada's, that they turned out a helpful and capable Negaverse senshi.
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Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2023 10:04 pm
Axinite watched Strix for a second, but then he smiled–kindly. “All right.” If he heard the stutter, or saw the way that Strix seemed to be doing everything they could to appear composed, he hid it will. He gave them a moment to compose themselves before he stood before them at full height. Axinite never seemed particularly imposing, but he was a clever man and given his history it was probably best to assume that it was by design. What raw, exposed edges he might have had were sanded down and smoothed. Recruiting someone into the Negaverse was a painful experience, it didn’t have to be scary, too. He placed one hand on Strix’s shoulder, because even if he thought they might really think that they could stand, he wasn’t going to take the chance that they fall and hurt themselves during this process. Starseeds were delicate; he didn’t want it jostled or manhandled in an avoidable accident. With his right hand, he placed it at Strix’s chest. “It will hurt,” he warned. “Draw in a breath and brace yourself. I’ll go as fast as I can, and afterwards you’ll rest. I promise, it’s worth it.” He didn’t want to scare Strix, so he didn’t drag it out for any longer. He pushed his hand in, a gentle as anyone could manage, and took hold of the starseed hidden inside. He’d done this more times than he could count and he always gave the same effort; he kept his word. For as uncomfortable as it was, he did his best to soothe the starseed as he pushed Chaos into it. The process only took seconds, but he knew the toll it could take on someone. A Senshi was better equipped to handle that burden, anyway.
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Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:46 pm
It did hurt. That wasn't a lie. It hurt very badly, even! But Strix didn't want to disappoint -- hated disappointing, and they'd said, and if they'd screwed this up they would've disappointed themself, too -- so, so.
So.
Did it matter if they bit down on their lip almost hard enough to draw blood? They kept their back straight, and they they didn't stumble, and they didn't make a sound. If Axinite's hand on their shoulder was a comfort, if it was something to focus on, that was their business alone.
"So," Sailor Pax started, and then stopped, unsure, and took a deep breath. Their voice might have sounded strained - and it was - but they didn't sound in pain, just uncertain.
It was a lot of hair, too. They weren't sure how they felt about that. Long hair was nice, but... wasn't this too long..?
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Posted: Fri May 19, 2023 2:33 am
Faustite watched, as was his privilege when he was not the one performing the awakening. He watched the way Axinite's spine bent and his shoulders curved as he both tried to support and incorporate Strix into the Negaverse. He saw the way Strix bit their lip and otherwise kept still as a statue. He saw the way light seemed to flee from around Axinite's arm, which vanished at the wrist, and formed black, coursing lines that funneled into Strix. Then, he saw the outfit change and melt away into something closer to a body suit, with something on top to hide the form.
If Celadonite was present, he could be asking the boy what the thing on top of the body suit was called. Did it have a name? Faustite didn't know, but it was there, and it was dark, and within it arose a Negaverse senshi's aura. Even if Faustite couldn't say what they were wearing, Axinite finished what he could not do successfully.
For the extra trouble of interrupting his old boss's day and going through the rigamarole of awakening a second time, Strix didn't seem terribly ruffled by it. That was promising.
"Welcome to the Negaverse," Faustite began, his hand curling outward with the invitation. "If you're ready, we'll find a cat and get you into basic training. If not, send you home for the day and pick you up tomorrow. Your choice."
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2023 3:24 pm
“Both choices come with a moment’s reprieve, though,” Axinite reassured. He made sure Strix wasn’t going to pass out before he stepped away, and fetched a small assortment of replenishment. A sports drink, chilled, and fresh cut fruit. Three different flavors of cookies. He had all variations, vegan, gluten free–calorie conscious, allergy conscious. These were just normal, though. Sugar, and chocolate chip, and peanut butter. “If you need something else, I’ve got plenty. The effects can be a bit exhausting and I don’t want you to get out of here and pass out because it hits you all at once. But Faustite is already on top of things.” He was grateful to him, and flashed a quick smile to say as much without so many words. He offered nothing further; the options Faustite had given were satisfactory to him and now the decision just rested in their new Senshi’s hands.
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2023 4:13 pm
"Thanks," Pax said to Axinite, because it seemed like it was probably what they were supposed to say. And they did appreciate the snacks. They didn't want to seem unappreciative -- ooh, fruit, yes. They knew how to behave themself in public but they did go for the fruit.
Oh. Yeah! Yes. Right. Faustite. Who they had been paying attention to, but saying something to him had gotten overridden by saying something to Axinite. They weren't just going to look like a loser and say they were done! They could do more, they'd just sleep it off later. Things like these were always tests, even if they weren't supposed to be. "Ready." A pause. "Just need a - need a moment." One couldn't be presented with snacks that they were In Theory Supposed To Consume and just grab a handful and move on: Strix had been charitably (and less charitably, at times) called Food Motivated the way you would call a dog Food Motivated, and it was probably always going to apply.
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2023 3:58 am
Pax might've gone for the fruit, but Faustite was always partial to Axinite's baked goods. He stole a few of the peanut butter ones for himself, as they went well with tea. Sugar, too, if he dunked them in the right blend. And Pax being interested in the fruit meant that Faustite wouldn't suffer any rivals for the nigh infinite cookies that came out of this man. Even if the cookies weren't actually meant for him.
"This one's Jada's," he explained to Axinite as he bit into a peanut butter cookie. He grunted his appreciation for it. "Naming them's her business." Though Jada was lucky, for all senshi came with a planetary name, so she could just give them the default name.
He cast Axinite a wearied look for the simple fact of running into yet another senshi, which meant more senshi to swell the ranks of his team. Luckily he wasn't involved in basic training anymore, as he found it boring and tedious and somehow stressful, and that task was placed in the hands of his much more capable Captain. She would be good for this one, he knew, and as much as he tried to talk her up to Axinite, he found that was actually quite difficult, and instead stuck to what he simply thought she was good at.
Once Pax had finished up ravenously consuming some fruit, Faustite beckoned for them to follow. He bid his thanks and said his goodbyes to his former boss; Axinite was ever busy, he knew, so he didn't dawdle with such formalities.
It was time to find a cat, after all, and he knew precisely where one furry white abomination slept in his office.
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