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 Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 8:20 am
Captain ReiditeReidite was there, whether he wanted to be or not. He wanted to make sure certain individuals were behaving and not causing a scene. But also if they did cause a scene, then Reidite would want to step in and help them beat up whoever they felt like fighting. He could critique and also be there for support!
“So, are youma going to be added to the sea now?” Reidite asked General King Lepidolite, since he was already chatting up a storm with everyone, and Reidite figured why not? He might as well get the General King’s opinion before anyone else jumped in.
“Or perhaps they are to fly now?” he hummed thoughtfully. He’d had a long week, so his accent was slipping through a little. Which often happened when he was just being lazy. “Decorations look like they are part of my work set. Although I rarely get to wear the very fun costumes. Perhaps I push harder for the theme. Could be fun. How about you, would you dress as jellyfish?”
He was teasing, of course, as if his small grin didn’t give it away. Flirting a little, maybe. Probably. He’d never actually talked to Lepidolite, but he seemed well rounded.
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 8:21 am
Eternal Corrupt BeatrixThe main reason Beatrix was here was because the biggest bossest lady was the one who had sent the invite out. Not that free food was very much a vibe she was one hundred percent behind but she also knew she needed to reign it in. Even if Meissa lived with her she still knew that it was better to be more chill when the bigger bosses were here, not that she really cared what any of the higher-ups that were men had to say. Now Hessonite, she definitely listened to her after all that's how she got her new buddy pal. Filling a plate and wandering, she really wasn't vibing with all the guys here especially when she spotted that little blonde general who she'd offended by doing her job and starseeding people. That corrupt next to them... ugh was that the drunk guy she's tailed and almost gotten that night? She'd heard a bit about them actually ending up being some sort of senshi but like with magic not working all right out of the box. It was a pain in her opinion but she didn't want to deal with any of that so she kept her distance and started hunting for a place to sit. Picking one of the tables sort of in the middle that really only had one person there, she sat down just a bit away from them and put one of her plates in a seat next to her just in case Meissa showed up. It'd be good for them to sort of meet and greet with them all, even if she was still grumbling over all the men here. Squinting for a moment as she looked at the eyepatch-wearing corrupt she had a decent idea that maybe they were chill enough not to make her wanna punch them. Plus they looked kinda like some sort of dessert so she was sorta curious. "Soo.... eyepatch? Ya know you can grab more than one plate? I think I saw one of the pipsqueaks with three." Still keeping an eye out for her friend and if Chrys showed up, she wouldn't mind killing some time with someone who also looked like food was the vibe and not so much the higher-ups. That and she was kinda curious if the patch was fashion or function but even she knew that was rude as hell to ask right out the gate. "I think I'll treat it like a buffet yanno? There's enough of a crowd I doubt they'll get in a fuss over some round two food runs. Give 'em a run for their money ya?" Taking some time to chow down once she pulled her facemask down, she did notice one of the "one in a million" dudes she could vibe with helping out another corrupt over by that little s**t blonde general. They looked really new but there was no way she was gonna head over. Sleet Tempest Snape the glare of a million suns at Beni xD
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 8:54 am
General ArsenopyriteArseno only just manage to suppress the yawn that was coming out as he walked into the room, taking a quick scan of everyone that had managed to make it earlier than he did, before heading over and grabbing a hot drink and a plate of food. He had only just gotten off of his shift at the hospital and had wanted to take a nap after getting back to his apartment, but it seemed that the Queen had other plans. And if he had to be here and not napping, then he would at least take advantage of the food, though he had to be careful in what he picked. He didn't want to have food that would make him even sleepier than he already was. He had noticed Benitoite talking with others and while he would eventually make his way over to the General, he had to quell his grumbling stomach first. Grabbing a plate and loading it up with foods that were on the healthier side, he quickly made his way to the end of a table, one where people wouldn't have to move around him as much, and while eating people-watched, wondering who would be here for the announcement, who he knew and had only barely, if ever, worked with, and other going-ons that he would need to take note of. ((open for interaction, would be good for small talk/whatever))
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 9:07 am
Corrupt Guardian PeverellPeverell wandered into the room, a slight skip in his walk as he hummed. He had helped work on this project that the Queen, specifically, had asked for his help! Well, all Corrupted Mauvian's help, but still! This has been a big project and he was quite pleased that he had gotten the opportunity to help with it! Now all that was left to do, for the moment anyway, was waiting for the announcement and eating. Which would be a bit harder for the Mauvian considering he did not have his human form unlocked at the moment. But that didn't stop him from jumping up onto one of the tables that had just enough room for a cat like him to get onto without getting any fur onto the rest of the food- WAS THAT CHEESE?! One of the charcuterie boards had a large block of orange cheddar on it, obviously meant for cutting if the rest of the slices were taken, but that didn't stop Peverell. He quickly grabbed the large block and ran off with it, attempting to find a table that he could eat his ill-gotten cheese block under. ((Open for interaction!))
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 9:20 am
General ChambersiteLuckily Chambersite had managed to take time off from his busy shift at the restaurant that he worked at, though he was going to be doing at least one double shift because of it. At least he was able to use a bit of drained energy to keep him working as fast and as well as he needed to, otherwise he might have had to resort to measures that those in the restaurant business usually used. So, it was nice when he came into the room that all of the food was already prepared and he didn't have to do any of it himself. Which also meant that he would be able to indulge himself a bit as well. Perhaps he could take some home? Even if he was able to cook delicious meals, no one wanted to do that after a 10-hour shift at a restaurant. While he was loading his plate and looking for a seat at one of the tables where he wouldn't be disturbed, he also took a look around to see if there was anyone he recognized, or at least felt somewhat acquainted with. There were some, though he would say that they were even less than acquaintances. No matter, he wanted to eat his food in peace anyway. And he wanted to see what this big announcement was. Perhaps they would be in need of a cook for some reason?
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 9:22 am
General Fettelite
While previously Fettelite would avoid gatherings of such powerful people. With how vast the Negaverse was avoiding most folks was rather easy. You do your work, keep your head down, and mind your business.
He preferred it that way. A nice, quiet, non-offensive existence where he could protect the ones he treasured. That would be enough. It would always be enough for him. A private little bubble that was made of steel.
And yet here he was. Brushing elbows with people in a gentle manner. Polite with kind, tired eyes. Certainly approachable, without actively trying to meet people. Were someone to meet his gaze, they'd get a somewhat shy smile in return. It was the best he could do, not being one to truly strike up conversation.
But it was enough for him. He didn't need any recognition or smiles returned. Slowly nibbling on a cookie that wasn't nearly as good as Bear's and sipping on a glass of wine was plenty of action for today. And maybe he'd quietly learn something too.
So rather than sit at the table, he rested his back against a nearby wall and waited.
((Fettelite is shy but open for interaction if you'd like!))
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 9:41 am
Corrupt Eternal Sailor Chara of Chocolate
Chara was mid shoving a piece of mediocre cake into his mouth when he heard someone sit next to him.
And then they said it.
The forbidden word.
Eyepatch.
Who the ******** had the audacity to point out his cool as hell eye without even saying hello?! As dramatically as he could (which truly just looked like he was having trouble with that longass hair of his) he whipped his head around to glare at the woman addressing him.
Only to pause.
Because goddamn she was cool as hell! Instantly he was jealous! How come she could look so ******** kickass and he looked like some shota style looking oompa loompa that got their toy eye plucked out?!
Either way, he just kinda shrugged it off mentally and instead gave the stranger a big ol' wide grin.
"Yo, Bones." Chara decided that addressing them by a nickname was cool too! And she was kinda sorta covered in bones and all that s**t. "I know I can but also, I don't want them to know it was ME who took all the plates first go. I'm a greedy ******** but we can always go back, you know?"
Another bite was taken, and he frowned, exaggeratedly.
"It kinda tastes like s**t though. Like, it's made with hate not love. Which I get because Negaverse blah blah blah, but damn, what did they do, switch salt with sugar? How's the savory stuff, any better?"
Sara Draconia Chara thinks She's Neat! LUCKY HER LMAO
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 10:54 am
Ascended General HaumeaLurking to the side and admiring the care and creativity put into the decor, Haumea found himself feeling… bemused. He didn’t often leave the Tower and when he did, it was usually to explore the Rift, always seeking for Alkaid or deeper insight from Metallia herself. As he watched those gathered, he wondered just how long he’d been down in the Rift. Some faces he knew. Others he did not. He allowed himself a few breaths to feel troubled by this before dismissing the feelings as unimportant. Time was a human construct and he had given up his humanity to Metallia long ago. Fingertips reaching up to brush against the petals of the black flower nestled within his hair, Haumea smiled slightly, emotional equilibrium restored by the knowledge of how close his mother and goddess was to him at all times. Besides, this little gathering was supposed to be a happy occasion. At least according to the Queen. And if there was anyone that the Ascended senshi could trust to accurately reflect Metallia’s will, it was Laurelite. And speaking of… where had she gone off to? He’d hoped to speak with her, if only for a moment, to ask where she’d found the jellyfish. Tangerine eyes turning from the partygoers back to the decorations, Haumea allowed himself to become lost in the lights and gentle movements of the jellyfish, finding a serenity in them that he didn’t normally feel outside of the Rift. Lt NacriteNacrite had, for the briefest of moments, considered skipping the party. She’d been neglecting her talk show terribly and had intended to spend the night going over the ratings in an effort to find some hook to reel the little fishes back in. Then, good sense had firmly reasserted itself. One simply did not dismiss an invitation from the goddamn Queen of the Negaverse! Especially when it meant a chance to be seen and possibly have an interest taken in her by someone in power who could do her standing some good. So, Nacrite floated about the room, smiling, nodding and making polite little noises as she watched everyone. Even when she’d gotten some food and sat down to eat, she was observing. Some she dismissed, like the various corrupt senshi. They were perfectly nice and all, but not something she could use to raise herself up. Or maybe she could. She knew very little about them, after all. That would have to change. But later. For the moment, she wanted to simply soak in as much information as she could just from watching and listening. And while she was at it, she could admire the work put into everything in the ballroom. Queen Laurelite had some damn good taste and it showed in everything. ”The Space Cauldron” Laurelite mention from Haumea Quote: Both are available for interactions if interested.
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 10:56 am
Captain Andesine + Amylthia (personal youma)“Do they have cheese up there?!”
Not that Andesine considered herself any kind of expert on youma—far from it, as she hadn’t really dealt with them much on a personal level until recently—but it never failed to surprise her that the little, vaguely corgi-shaped one she’d bonded with had such a taste for food food. The sort of food that humans, half-youma, and aliens tended to eat, rather than full youma like Amylthia. (Which, in itself, wasn’t to say that Amylthia didn’t enjoy energy and starseeds like a normal youma, because she did. She just……also had other tastes.)
For the time being, Andesine sat quietly at the table where she’d snagged a pair of seats and tried to focus on her tablet. Various tutorials on training dogs likely didn’t apply to youma (or at least, they couldn’t be trusted to work very well on any kind of reliable basis), especially not with youma who had full sapience and perfectly functional personal autonomy. But Andesine had so far had some measure of success in heeding the advice she’d read about ignoring behavior that you didn’t want to encourage and, in so doing, refusing to reward and incentivize it by giving the dog attention. Getting attention from Their Person made dogs think whatever problem behaviors they were exhibiting worked and were therefore good ideas.
Still, Amylthia’s way of being so often coincided with dogs’ behavior patterns that advice on getting dogs to behave better felt sort of helpful. Easy enough to heed in this case, too. Andesine had plenty of research compiled on her tablet, and until Queen Laurelite announced the real reason for this gathering—or until someone else showed up with a mind to talk to Andesine about anything in particular—she had work to do. Getting everything lined up perfectly so she could propose a full plan to General Ashanite, that was important (to Andesine personally, and hopefully, it would be important to the Negaverse as a whole someday).
“Aaaaandiiiiieeeeeee,” Amylthia whined, fidgeting around in the chair where Andesine had sat her. “Do you think they have cheese up at the fancy table?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Andesine pointed out as gently as she could. “I wasn’t involved in catering the affair or anything like that.”
Technically, she supposed that this constituted a break in her plan for how to deal with any of Amylthia’s less than ideal behavioral nonsense. On the other hand, Andesine figured that engaging Amylthia in some conversation probably wouldn’t be so bad. Couldn’t hurt too much, really, as long as she didn’t look away from her tablet and her assorted notes on the different ways that gameplay worked (or sometimes failed to work) in Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail, Disney Twisted Wonderland, Fate/Grand Order, Arknights, Cookie Run Kingdom, Azur Lane, Pokémon Masters EX, Wuthering Waves, and Raid: Shadow Legends. Giving the poor youma some attention would probably keep her from trying to find that with anybody else (and potentially bothering them or causing any problems).
As long as Andesine stuck to her guns and ignored the all too needy swish-swishing of Amylthia’s long, snake-scaled tail and its tuft of violet fur.
“This game is going to need to have a good story, if we can make it happen,” Andesine said, easily slipping into the pattern she and Amylthia had developed of Andesine thinking out loud at the youma and Amylthia sometimes contributing ideas or pointing out things Andesine had missed. “There’s all sorts of free advertising to be had in the form of people writing fanfiction or making fanart of the characters.”
Amylthia fidgeted some more, toddling around her seat in a little circle, sort of like she was chasing her tail even though she wasn’t. “How do we get people to do that, then?”
“There’s no foolproof way to pull it off,” Andesine conceded, nudging her own chair closer to her youma’s. “Story does seem to be a major component of it, though. I just updated these figures of fanfic posts on the biggest website for it; the numbers are current as of last night. Raid: Shadow Legends has earned billions of dollars, but Plarium still has to pay influencers and content creators to advertise for them. And they have to create promotional codes to hand out with those sponsorships, which will always cut into their profits somewhat. It’s one of the biggest games like this in the world, but there’s only fourteen fanfictions on AO3. Only three of them have over a thousand hits, and some of them aren’t even about the game itself, they just borrow some of the Raid characters for a crossover battle royale sort of deal.”
“Well that sounds boring,” Amylthia said with an offended little huff. Apparently done with her fussing, she put her forepaws up on the table, leaning up so she could more easily see Andesine’s tablet (even though Andesine wasn’t sure if Amylthia could read her notes or not). “What games are more successful at getting people to write about them, then?”
“Genshin Impact by a considerable margin,” Andesine said, scrolling down to the section of her notes about that game specifically. “It has a free-to-play option, same as Raid does, and from what I’ve seen, it’s better at actually allowing players to avoid spending money. But Genshin still consistently out-earns every other gacha game, especially Raid. Part of it is likely due to broader international appeal.” She hummed softly, pulling up a chart she’d found on the Internet. “Looking at revenue per download broken down by country, Japanese players spend the most on the game. American players still spend about thirty dollars a month on it, but Japanese players are spending almost a hundred dollars a month—”
“And where do the made-up stories come into it?”
“They’re a measure of how invested people are in the game.” Andesine flicked back to her assembled statistics about AO3 postings and social media engagement about the game. “One-hundred-ninety-one thousand and thirty-two fanfics as of last night. Two of them have over a million hits—nearly two million in both cases—and everything in the top two hundred most frequently read stories? Has at least one hundred-and-ten thousand hits. You only finally get under a hundred-thousand hits at number 250 on the most frequently read list.”
Andesine understood almost nothing about the fic in question, based on its summary and tags, so she couldn’t qualitatively analyze why it raked in fewer readers than any of the others in the top 250 most read fics. But she couldn’t analyze that about any of the other fics, either.
“Each of those stories represents free advertising for the game,” Andesine explained. “You almost never see anyone on Youtube or Instagram shilling for Genshin Impact anymore. They used to, when it was first starting out? MiHoYo still has partner streamers, who help advertise the game by playing it on Twitch and stuff. But you don’t really see ad-breaks in Youtube videos with promo codes for free in-game currency or a free starter character, these days. As far as I can tell, that hasn’t been so much a thing in at least a year-and-a-half. Because MiHoYo doesn’t need for it to be a thing. The story and character in Genshin keep their players so engaged that the players advertise the game for free by making their own creative content.”
She gave a pensive hum. “Coming out in support of fanfiction and fanart pretty early is also a good move. Things need to get off the ground first, of course, but fans seem to eat it up pretty uncritically whenever the corporate entity behind a game or show they like says that it’s okay with fan-made creative content.”
“What about the actual point of this idea though,” Amylthia said, tilting her head at Andesine’s tablet. “Yeah, the Negaverse has operatives all over the world, but will we really be able to drain energy from people in China and Japan?”
“Probably not right away, if at all,” Andesine admitted. “First, we have to figure out how to drain said energy, which is definitely going to take some collaboration with someone who’s better at tech stuff than I am. Probably a Mauvian, too, since the tech needs to perform what is essentially a magical function. Even if we manage to get things working, I doubt we’ll be able to get clearance from the Queen and Metallia for a global release unless we can prove that the tech works as planned. But there are still plenty of people to test on in Destiny City……just as soon as we figure out enough of something to propose to General Ashanite.”
And, after him, probably one or more of the General-Sovereigns. Considering the scope of this entire idea and how many moving parts would go into making it work, Andesine somewhat doubted her ability to move ahead without input and approval from the highest authorities outside of Queen Laurelite herself. Better that way, honestly. More eyes reviewing her eventual proposal would mean fewer chances for something to slip through the cracks due to anyone’s carelessness or inattention. In turn, that meant fewer chances for something to go horribly wrong.
With a small smile, Andesine pulled a starseed out of her subspace and set it down in front of Amylthia. No, she wasn’t a dog, but Andesine still wanted to reward and incentivize the sort of helpful behavior she liked seeing in her youma.
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 12:45 pm
Corrupt Eternal Sailor Heliodor Getting a chance to forgo cooking for the evening was a welcomed reprieve. Helio didn't much care for the task. Albite took up the mantle at times but one never knew what he'd throw together, usually taking to raiding the fridge and making due. It worked out for the most part, but in truth, eating food not prepared at home was always a nice treat.
Heliodor's eyes swept the room as he entered. Taking stock of who and who wasn't there. While quite a few had shown already, many were still missing, including a large chunk...almost the entirety actually, of the team. In fact....he didn't see anyone here did he...oh. There, having stashed himself away in the far quarters of the room, Faustite sat looking ready to doze off. Likely the General King had only just woken or perhaps woke a smidge early for this affair.
Pressing lips together, Helio paused for a moment before heading to the buffet where he piled himself up not just one plate, but two. Thankfully the silverware was metal of some sort, even if the plates were not fire proof in anyway. He found a small tray though that looked like it might suffice and nabbed it quietly. From there he headed back to his General and held a plate out in offering with the tray. "Hope you don't mind I grabbed you a plate considering I know you can always use the extra food."
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 1:44 pm
Basic Ilmari of ChastityOn one hand, dinner parties were the sort of place that Ilmari preferred to avoid. Compulsive social eating seemed, to him, like a form of cruel and unusual punishment, not least when people always got so weird about it when you chose not to eat for any kind of reason. Even if it was for something completely sensible and difficult to socially dispute like allergies and food sensitivities, or some kind of religious or ethical dietary restrictions, or whatever, people always wanted to act like weirdo freaks (extremely derogatory) about other people choosing for themselves when to eat or not.
(Being fair, none of those perfectly valid objections to dinner parties was the case for Ilmari. Nor did he feel like he could explain himself too easily, at least not while telling the truth, without risk of somebody telling him to come off it and live a little, or to stop being so tightly wound, or some other vocal disapproval of his self-maintenance habits that Ilmari personally felt was very unfair to him and unnecessary to say.)
On the other hand, though, Queen Laurelite was hosting this particular dinner party, and so, it would not have done for Ilmari to be anywhere else tonight. He didn’t have any reports from Albite to catch up on and thanks to his rigorous schedule—which Ilmari had easily adapted to fit around the constraints on his free time that came from a new semester starting up at DCU—he was well ahead of where he needed to be in terms of gathering energy and even the occasional starseed. The only dutiful thing for Ilmari to do tonight had seemingly been hitching a ride to Negaspace and appearing in the ballroom for the Queen’s announcement, as she had invited everyone to do.
Once here, he simply……needed to avoid either side of the room that had the tables of food. Looking around for familiar faces might have helped, but as far as he could tell, so many of the people who’d shown up already outranked Ilmari by a considerable margin. Generals and General-Sovereigns aplenty. Multiple Eternal senshi, with the black bat wings attached to their lower backs. Super senshi and Captains, though Ilmari found it hard to tell through his nerves whether there really were more of them than the basics and Lieutenants, or if he was simply imagining that. Without some kind of formal role-call, he didn’t expect that he could find any accurate numbers about this.
The handful of basic senshi he managed to spot throughout the ballroom all seemed to have already attached themselves to someone more powerful, likely their commanding officers. Ilmari couldn’t rightly blame them for that, all things considered, but it also didn’t help his nerves any. Milling around and minding his own business (or at least hopefully giving off that sort of impression) felt somewhat awkward, but as long as he was attentive at the right moments, Ilmari didn’t think it would be held against him.
……He really hoped that it wouldn’t be.
To that end, Ilmari probably needed to find a seat for himself before the Queen returned to make her announcement. Drifting around the tables in search of either somebody he recognized or someone who didn’t mind his intrusion, he found himself looking at the centerpieces, almost lost in them. Not all the way there, but the cylindrical lights with their false jellyfish were soothing, in their way. He didn’t understand it, but they made him feel calmer all the same.
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 1:58 pm
Corrupt Super Sailor Mizuki, Senshi of Lilacs
The Queen herself was going to speak about something tonight! Mizuki was besides herself with excitement; she'd seen Queen Laurelite exactly once since she woke up in black, and that had been post the mission with Lyndin. So getting to see their Queen and mingle with her? Mizuki made sure her pigtails and buns were in pristine shape before arriving.
Then she made a beeline for the buffet table, because free food! Yes!
Mizuki made her way over to Faustite, a bowl of food in each hand, and smiled at Heliodor.
"Faustite, Heliodor!" She beamed and set herself up on a chair with her bowls of food. Specifically, one bowl just had confections in it, and the other had some sort of pasta dish. Balancing one bowl on her knees, she plucked a starseed from her subspace and handed it to Faustite.
"A little pick me up, Da--- General!" It probably was a bad idea to call him her father among the rest of the Negaverse, if only because it would probably confuse people. Since he wasn't that much older than she was.
Found families are just as important and blood ones and took very good care of her, okay!? Him and Albite and Prehnite. They all took great care of her. This was how she was able to thrive and cause so much chaos for the Negaverse after all!
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 2:04 pm
Eternal HestiaHeliodor was approaching Faustite.
Hestia paused in the middle of her intensely close and overly critical inspection of the buffet, shrimp bearing tongs midair, and focused on her leader and friend. Helio was offering food...was this an act of peace? Or perhaps...an act to initiate a romance once again? Passion rekindled among plates of tiny desserts and passable hoers devours? With her free hand she sent a text to to Faustite's tablet, perhaps a little too confident that it was in Headache's possession. strickenized Hestia: Would you like to make a bet? Quote: Hestia is open for interaction
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 2:21 pm
Captain Alpersite
Alpersite had been complacent. He knew that, but honestly? Living and working in insurance in Destiny City? Sometimes you had to be complacent with your…extra activities.
He had time to help Samir with the dogs though. He loved doing that. And he had been keeping up with quotas and his bare minimum…but he was still a Captain and honestly, he wasn’t sure when he’d ever get to become more than that…
Or honestly, if he even had the desire to become a General.
Of course, he wanted to become one. He wanted to make Lopezite proud but…
He wasn’t sure that he wanted the responsibilities of having people working under him. He was happy to help, and he got to help as a Captain but…
Helping was very different than having them be his complete responsibility.
Shaking his head, Alpersite sat down and chuckled, smiling up at Lopezite. “Help yourself to whatever you didn’t have room to grab. I’m always good with sharing.”
Plus, if they both got different food, they always got to try a bit of everything. Sharing was caring and he cared.
Obviously.
“Do you know what the big announcement is going to be? I’m a little excited.”
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Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2024 2:34 pm
Captain CryptomelaneCryptomelane had come for the food.
Which wasn’t to say that he didn’t care about whatever it was that Queen Laurelite wanted to announce tonight. He did care. Even without knowing what the Queen had in store for her Agents and senshi—even without having the faintest inkling of what she could have wanted to share with them—Cryptomelane knew that he cared very much about hearing it. Any sort of news from the queen needed to be shown the deference and respect that she deserved (which was to say: all of it that it was possible for any one person to give).
But the start of a new semester meant that Preston had all manner of things to attend to at the university. Meetings with the people on his dissertation committee (one of which had doubled as a means of assessing how bad a state Dr. Sturm was in after the past few months and guessing how much of the awful post-divorce nonsense Preston would need to account for in the coming months). Courses and the work for them (though thankfully, Preston was mostly in the role of assigning the work to undergrads while manning Dr. Sturm’s courses, since he’d primarily dedicated his own credit hours to finishing his dissertation). All manner of assemblies to go over the graduate student handbook and rules for conduct, partly for the new students and partly to make sure that none of the returning ones forgot that they were expected to meet certain standards at DCU.
Tonight, the graduate student activity of choice had been a so-called “mixer.”
Having been to several of those during his time at the university, Preston could safely say that he hated going to “mixers.” Socializing into the void while feeling like a block of wood for all the proficiency he lacked in such situations. Spending time with people he didn’t know and almost never saw a second time—or if they did get that far, then they certainly didn’t make it to a third encounter. Trying to pretend like he didn’t spend the vast majority of these sorts of events internally squirming and counting down the seconds until the torture would finally end, because people tended to get extremely offended when they noticed that you seemed ill at ease around them. Moreover, they tended to take it so personally, reading such a response as a rejection of them personally, rather than understanding that maybe, you simply didn’t fare well in larger group situations.
Whenever a graduate student “mixer” happened, Preston generally showed up regardless because it was a good way to get out of worrying about food for a night. If he played his cards right—usually pretty easy, since most of his fellow grad students seemed keen to spend as little time with him as possible—he could even sneak out with a few extra meals in plastic containers. Tonight, he had considered texting Lucette to see if she was free instead of going to the mixer (or perhaps taking her with him).
Instead, Queen Laurelite’s invitation had gone out and Preston had powered up into Cryptomelane. He didn’t dare try to steal food from a Negaverse dinner party. Aside from it feeling too likely to attract the wrong sort of attention and get him into trouble, doing that certainly wouldn’t have been professional behavior. It wouldn’t have been befitting of an incredibly desperate Lieutenant, much less a freshly promoted Captain who needed to prove that General Amazonite had not been wrong to grace him with such recognition.
But standing as tall as he could in his new jacket, Cryptomelane helped himself to the buffet. True to what he’d guessed, the food that the Negaverse provided seemed much higher quality than the fare he might have found at the grad student mixer back on campus. None of the flavorless, bulk-order sandwiches and pizza that tasted like greasy cardboard with cheese on it.
Once he had a plate liberally stocked with the finest dinner he’d had in ages, Cryptomelane turned toward the tables. The sooner he found himself somewhere to sit, the easier he would find it to settle down before Queen Laurelite returned to give her announcement. Anticipation made perfect sense, he realized, but he wanted to give her the utmost attention when she spoke.
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