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 Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:05 am
Roselite was only slightly relieved that Carnallite left. Her absence still left the problem of Bloodstone.
“Is that all you have to say?!” Roselite called after him.
Another time, he would have thanked Jasper for his assistance. He would later, when he’d had the time to calm down. After he’d hidden away somewhere to cry, where no one could see him or judge him or make him feel worse than he made himself feel.
A part of him thought maybe Bloodstone would argue, maybe he’d apologize, or try to defend himself, admit he hadn’t really been an a*****e to someone who came to him for help, someone who’d been kind to Roselite, who’d accepted him on missions and never did anything to make him feel like a burden. (Roselite did that well enough on his own.) The part of him that knew who Bloodstone was, that acknowledged what Bloodstone was capable of, wanted Bloodstone to be better — for Roselite’s sake, if nothing else.Jasper took Roselite by the shoulder and urged him back. Confronting Bloodstone wasn’t going to solve anything. Jasper hadn’t even known Roselite had it in him to do that.He didn’t, usually. Once before, he’d let himself be angry, confronted Bloodstone about his treatment of Yuuri — someone else Bloodstone had been asked to help, only to take advantage of the situation. Roselite had no idea if it even registered with Bloodstone, if it shocked him or angered him or disappointed him, or if he was just some pest to Bloodstone, better to be ignored or swatted away until he stopped.
“You called us here to help clean up and couldn’t even be polite about it! You swore at us and threw books and made demands without an ounce of gratitude, after you couldn’t even deliver awful news with enough delicacy to prevent this from happening in the first place! You were asked to help an ally, someone who’s been kind to me, who’s worked hard for this organization despite what it’s cost him, and you have the nerve to act as if it’s some great inconvenience to you?!”“Roselite,” Jasper tried again. Knowing Roselite, he’d regret this as soon as he had the time to think about it.
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:06 am
“What do you want me to say?” Bloodstone bellowed as he slammed the door of the office closed since Roselite decided to keep questioning him instead of just letting him leave.
He could have ignored Roselite. He could have continued letting him think whatever he wanted to think about him. They were right, after all. He was heartless, and cruel. It’s why he only had two friends, although some friends they were.
“Do you want me to tell you how much I hate Faustite for bringing you along on his pointless mission to the Rift? The very mission that probably caused this spiral for him?” he hissed, his voice only lowered slightly.
“Do you want me to tell you that the only reason I did help him and did the research was because I knew you would want me to? You should know Faustite well enough to know that no matter how he was told, that this would be the result,” he said, gesturing to the scorched room.
“Faustite only came to me because I was the most qualified. He wanted a second opinion. He already knew the answer, yet he still wanted someone else to repeat it!”
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:09 am
Roselite burst into tears.
He couldn’t hold them back, didn’t know why he’d bothered to try in the first place. He was weak and pathetic and worthless. All he did was stutter and whimper and cry, and flinch every time someone looked at him the wrong way. Roselite didn’t know what Bloodstone saw in him to make him think Roselite was the right fit for the Negaverse, but he doubted Bloodstone saw anything anymore.
Roselite was a nuisance, a waste of space. He didn’t deserve the power he’d been given.
“It wasn’t pointless!” he argued anyway. Tears poured down his cheeks. Snot clogged his nose. Roselite sobbed when he tried to breathe.
“I ch-choose to go! Y—... You can’t hold it against someone else… when I’m the one who vol—... volunteered!”
He could barely speak, couldn’t even get his thoughts in order, knew he wasn’t going to accomplish anything like this, wasn’t going to change Bloodstone’s mind, wasn’t going to convince him of anything.
But Roselite couldn’t stop either.
“W-Why… Why do you have to be so sp-spiteful… and cruel... when I’m just trying to do something good?! You’re the one who made me a Captain!”Jasper sighed again. He didn’t get paid for this. Cleaning an office, fine, he could do that for Roselite’s sake, if Roselite seemed like he needed the help. He didn’t even mind dealing with Bloodstone all that much. Jasper was used to it. They’d known one another a long time. They were each tired and bitter in their own ways. They might not always get along, but they understood one another.
That didn’t mean Jasper wanted to deal with this.
“I don’t need to stay here in the middle of a lover’s quarrel,” he said.“We’re not lovers!” Roselite shouted, face pale in some spots and splotchy in others.Jasper raised his hands defensively.
“Okay, fine. I’m going… somewhere, I don’t know. The computer lab. I’ll study the database. Just… one of you come get me when you’re done here.”
Jasper leant the broom against the wall. He went to the door, passing Roselite, then Bloodstone on the way. He gave them both a final departing look before leaving.
Either they’d sort this out, or… who knew, but it wasn’t any of Jasper’s business.
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